Brooke :0)

Hope you enjoy it!

Honestly! I can't believe this happened! It's really not my fault. Okay, I say that way too much, but it's true this time. I did not intend to make my presence known. I was happy just floating around and watching life go on. But I had no choice but to interfere today.

I was sitting up in the stalactites… or are those the stalagmites?

Well, you know those pointy things that hang down in the cave. I was sitting up there watching the new kid do some routine exercises down below. He was doing a fair job of them too. Alfred came down the stairs and announced that he was going shopping and that Bruce had already left for a meeting at WayneTech.

So, it's just me and the kid hanging out in the cave. Of course, he was totally unaware of his audience… me! He continues to flip, flop, kick, and punch. Then suddenly, I see it in his eyes. He looks up at the bars and gets this devilish grin on his face. Now this is something quite unique to the new guy, because he hardly ever does anything… well… spontaneously dangerous. Way too cautious for my tastes. Always thinks of the consequences and what ifs first and then makes a choice.

But today was different. He got that look in his eye and I knew he didn't even think about what might happen. Now what is totally odd about the situation is that I was practically screaming, "You might fall! Nobody is here to help you! Don't you dare do it, young man!"

Young man? I know, I'm starting to sound like Alfred! But really, I tried to get him to listen to me. He acted like he could care less. He easily swung up on the bars, without the safety harness! After about 2 minutes of nervously watching the kid swing around and twist in the air, I started to settle down. Gosh, I must be getting old or senile. It's not like he doesn't do that sort of thing every night and with bullets flying by nonetheless.

Just as I was about to sigh my relief at his graceful and flawless performance, it happened. He jumped in the air and did a double twist and came soaring back down ready to catch the bar… only thing is, he missed. I mean did he ever miss! He wasn't even close. The kid hit the mats so hard that the sound echoed throughout the cave. I floated down to get a better look.

The boy was out cold. I mean, at first glance, I just knew he was dead. I smiled a little when I saw that he was breathing. But he didn't look so good. I had to do something. I floated up to the manor searching frantically. Then I remembered. Alfred had gone shopping. Bruce was at WayneTech.

It was then that I realized I would have to leave Wayne Manor for the first time since I had returned in my "condition." What condition would that be? Well, if you haven't already figured it out, I'm a ghost. Not the bad spooky kind. Like I said, I'm very content just watching life go on. The closest I've come to doing weird stuff is playing small tricks on Alfred.

There was this one time he placed a vase of flowers on the table where Bruce was to entertain guests that night. Alfred must have spent 15 minutes arranging the flowers just so. After he left the room, I rearranged them to my liking. Alfred walked in about 5 minutes later. The look on his face was priceless. He arranged the flowers again.

Of course, this little game went on all afternoon. Eventually, he walked into the study where Bruce was reading and said, "Sir, if you would like the task of decorating the vase with flowers, all you have to do is ask." Alfred promptly walked out and continued with the necessary chores, leaving Bruce with a puzzled look.

But back to my original story. I knew I was going to have to find Alfred or Bruce and get them to go down to the cave. That would mean I had to interfere (so to speak) with their everyday life. I hated that. Alfred is too prim and proper to take any such thing seriously. He would probably take it as a hallucination due to the lack of sleep. He would then take a sedative and go to bed.

Now Bruce on the other hand… I don't exactly know how he would react. He's seen a lot of strange things and so is naturally aware of the paranormal, but then again he is a hard case most of the time no matter what. I'm not sure I could convince him. But he was the one I had to find.

Alfred had gone shopping so that meant he could be… well, only God knows where! Bruce was at WayneTech. I could get there faster. So I took off like a herd of turtles. Now don't get me wrong, ghosts can travel faster than the living, but the trip into Gotham City took forever! I guess I'm a little worried about the new guy lying on the floor of the cave with a concussion.

I float into WayneTech and right on up to the top office floor. Go into Bruce's private office and I'm happy to say that he is alone at the moment. Now how to make contact? I spy his laptop sitting in front of him. So genius here starts to type.

"GO HOME"

Bruce's eyebrow raises slightly as he looks over out of the corner of his eye. "What in the world?" He asks as he realizes he is not imagining things.

"DON'T ASK QUESTIONS GO HOME" I'm typing urgently, hoping he just goes.

"Who are you?" He didn't really ask, but demanded.

"ROBIN NEEDS YOU" I'm thinking, "That ought to get you moving!"

Wrong again! Bruce didn't budge.

"I won't go until you tell me who you are!"

"JASON… GO HOME"

After what seems like an eternity, he slams the laptop shut, gathers his briefcase and papers and practically flies out the door. I follow. He hops into his car and I get in on the passenger side. Bruce drives like a maniac until we get to the manor. He goes straight down to the cave. When he is about halfway down the stairs, Bruce sees the kid on the floor. He breaks into a run and drops on his knees next to the young hero.

Bruce takes the boy's face in his hands and tries to get a response. After about a full minute, Bruce gets his reward. To Bruce and my relief, the new kid starts to come around.

"Tim, are you okay? What happened?" Bruce's voice is full of concern.

"I must have fell," the kid stated the obvious.

I went over to the main computer and began to type.

"I TOLD HIM NOT TO DO IT BUT HE WOULDN'T LISTEN TO ME"

"What…." The new guy was confused. Bruce gave him a look of understanding and then said toward the computer, "Thanks."

"YOU'RE VERY WELCOME"

Then I decided to give Tim some advice.

"NEXT TIME KID WEAR THE SAFETY HARNESS AND USE YOUR BRAIN"

"Okay… I'll be sure to do that." I could tell Tim wasn't sure he was buying into this ghost computer thing.

Bruce had a strange expression on his face and I could tell he wanted to ask something. Sure enough, he asked a whopper!

"Are you here all the time? Have you been here since…"

I had already started to type.

"I'VE BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME JUST WATCHING MOSTLY SORRY I INTERFERRED BUT I FELT I HAD TO I'LL GO AWAY IF IT'S TOO WEIRD OR YOU DON'T WANT ME AROUND"

"No!" Bruce practically shouted it. "I don't want you to go away. You can stay."

Then something happened that I hadn't seen in a long time. Bruce smiled a true smile and then gave a laugh, "I'll even get you a computer of your very own!"

So I guess now everything will be okay. I get to be around the people I love and those people love me. And I get to actually interact with them. It's like being alive again!

Happy Haunting!

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