Okay. First off, I know it's taken me a long time to post this. I guess I don't have that many avid readers, but to the few of you that there are, I'm sorry. (Damn, and it's not even my fault!)

The author of most of this chapter is Riina Kwaad (I think I spelled it right...). She didn't have an account before, so this is me, finally, officially recognizing her as the author of this chapter. Mostly. I took it upon myself to edit a lot of what Will said and add in a lot of descriptions and thoughts, etc.

So...anyway, I hope it was worth the wait. :)

-THE DARK KNIGHT-

Previously in A Matter of Kevlar and Spaceships…

"Dad…what would you do if you learned a secret about someone…something…that you were entrusted with? What would you do…how would you keep it a secret?" Bruce was silent for a second, a frown evident upon his face.

"I would say it depends," he replied. "You have to ask yourself…is the secret about a person you care about?" Will frowned in thought.

"Sort of…yeah," he decided. Though he had only met Saithe once…he felt a deep connection to her. He couldn't explain why…but he did.

"And does keeping this secret hurt anyone?"

"No," Will answered softly. Bruce clapped him on the shoulder and smiled.

"Then I say…do whatever you can to fix it, if there's something wrong," he answered. "If not…let this person reveal their secrets when they're ready. That's the most you can do, Will."

I know, the teen thought sadly, imagining Saithe's scared face once more. I just wish I could do something more.

-THE DARK KNIGHT-

"Uh, hey…dad?" Will said hesitantly as they approached the mansion, the sky darkening. "I was wondering… do you think I could go out tonight?"

Bruce raised his eyebrows, surprised, facing his son, whose blue eyes were wide. "Out? What for?" Will sighed and looked down.

I can't tell him about Saithe… he thought to himself. At least, not yet…

"Well, you know I've been in recovery for a while…" he started, slightly nervous.

Bruce nodded. "Right. But what does that have to do with you going out? On a school night? You know the rules, Will," he replied, not sure where the conversation was headed.

Will ran his fingers through his dark hair and let out a deep breath. "Well, I…I haven't been out lately, and…well, the team's having a meeting tonight," he said as casually as he could manage, flashing his father what had become known as his trademark grin. "And I was wondering…"

Bruce smiled back at him, one eyebrow raised. "You wanted to get back in the action, am I right?"

"Uh…yeah, that's it," he replied, letting out a small, unnoticeable sigh of relief.

Will is definitely hiding something from me.

Bruce took a step out of the limousine once his door was opened, then turned to face his son, who had done the same. "Well, I don't see why not. Just don't stay out too late, all right?"

Will looked up at his father and smiled. "Okay. Thanks, Dad."

Bruce threw him a small grin as well. "Alright. Well I don't want you to miss your meeting." The teenager stared at his elder for a moment, unsure, causing Bruce to frown, if only for a split second. "Go on, I'll see you later."

Will smiled even wider, and ran down the beaten path that led away from Wayne Manor. "Thanks again, Dad!" he called out. Bruce nodded and waved until his son had disappeared on the horizon. He let out a heavy sigh and turned around, heading inside the Manor.

-THE DARK KNIGHT-

It took Will a while to remember exactly where he had first seen the crashed spacecraft, but he was able to retrace his steps.

There, as he had expected, he found Saithe, studying some sort of reptile. A snake, from what he could see.

She was kneeling in front of the rock, where the snake was staring at her, motionless, looking like it was ready to spring up and bite her within a second. Will stared for a second, not quite understanding why she was just kneeling there.

"Hey, careful!" he called out to her, not wanting the dangerous reptile to harm her.

Saithe stood to face him as he ran closer to her. She tilted her head, confused. "Why would I…" she started, then she remembered, "Right, I had forgotten. These creatures are harmful to humans, correct?"

When he reached her, he let out a sigh of relief, glad that she was unharmed. Her very presence had infected him again, and Will could already feel himself grinning like an idiot. "Yeah, they are. Don't let one bite you, or it might be a one way trip to your funeral."

She nodded, understanding. "I had read about these kinds of creatures. But I do not have to worry. Their poisonous venom, while able to kill most humans, is completely harmless to me. But thank you for your concern," she said, her deep purple eyes sparkling.

"Uh…you're welcome," he said, confused. "Why am I not surprised?" he muttered under his breath. He'd been hanging around indestructible people for a while now.

Why did I think that this one was any different?

"You see, my people have a much higher tolerance for such things," she explained. "We can withstand conditions that are considered lethal on other planets."

Will raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Wow. That's…impressive."

She shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "Not really. It's quite common on Marix."

Now he was lost. "Marix? Is… is that where you're from?" He had never heard of such a place.

She nodded simply. "Marix is the name of my planet, and the home to its people."

He nodded slowly, trying to take in the information that the mesmerizing alien girl had told him. "Right. Okay, so then…why come to Earth?"

She sighed. "It's…complicated…" she said, and sat by her ship.

Will sighed as well, sitting in front of her. He tried the comedic tactic, accompanying his words with a small laugh. "Well, what's life without complications, right?"

She smiled and said, "I suppose. Well, to start, my journey to Earth is what you humans would call a rite of passage. On my planet, it is more of a…a journey of honor."

Will tilted his head, his blue eyes full of curiosity. "A journey of honor? How does that work? Is it like…some sort of tradition?"

"Well…" she hesitated. "I mean, I'm not really supposed to say anything about it…"

Will frowned, slightly confused. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I mean, as much as I'd like to know…it's not worth you getting in trouble or anything because of me."

Saithe sighed as she was debating with herself whether or not she should tell this human. On one hand, she barely knew who he was, only that he was… different. On the other hand, her parents, her father especially, would be greatly disappointed if they were to find out. But then again, she was far away from her planet, let alone her galaxy. Her parents didn't necessarily have to know…

"Uh…Saithe?" Will said, after a moment of awkward silence. "You okay?"

"Hm? Right…sorry…" she replied. "I was just thinking…"

"Oh," he replied. "Well…what are you thinking about?"

"About my family, I guess."

The teenaged human looked down at his shoes, slightly feeling like he was intruding on Saithe's personal life. He flattened out his hair and sighed heavily. "Right. Was it your family that sent you here for this…tradition of yours?"

She nodded. "Being part of my family, it's required of me to journey to a far off planet to prove myself worthy."

"Worthy?" he asked, confused. "Worthy of what, exactly?"

"To take on the…" she hesitated. "The family tradition."

"The…family tradition?" he raised his eyebrows. "And what tradition is that, exactly? Because on Earth, I've never heard of any traditions where parents send kids to other planets."

She sighed, running her fingers through her silky black hair. "My parents have high expectations for me, and what I'm supposed to do when I follow them. They want to make sure I'm ready for what might come."

"Why? What do they think might happen?"

She shrugged. "I am not sure. But when you're a part of my family, my heritage, you have to be prepared for anything."

Will almost grimaced. He knew all too well about feeling like he could never live up to the expectations everyone placed upon him. But Saithe didn't have to know that.

For once...maybe I can just be Will. Like I used to be. Not William Wayne, the only son of the Prince of Gotham, whose mother was shot by an unknown criminal. Just Will.

"Oh…" was all he could say. Another moment of awkward silence passed before he said anything else. "You know, not to pry or anything, but…you never exactly did tell me what this family tradition of yours was."

She sighed again and hugged her knees even tighter. "I am truly sorry, but…I do not think you are ready to know. And I do not think I am ready to tell you. Not just yet."

"Well…okay," Will said, doubtfully looking into her deep purple irises. "Whenever you're ready to talk…I'll be here, all right?"

She smiled softly and whispered, "Thank you for understanding."

He smiled back at Saithe, her simple gratefulness making him feel as if he would melt. "Anytime."

A moment of silence, though not awkward any longer, passed before Saithe addressed Will again.

"I believe I am at a disadvantage," she said, her voice plain.

"What do you mean?" he asked confusedly, for he had once again been distracted by the alien girl's simple beauty,

"You know my name, but I do not know yours."

"Right…" he responded, shaking his head distractedly. "You say you're from a different galaxy, right?"

She nodded. "That is correct."

There's no way she could've heard of me… he thought. Despite my new last name. I doubt even the fame of the Wayne family has spread to…wherever Marix is.

"Will," he responded. "Will Wayne."

Her eyes widened when she processed what he had just told her, and for a moment, everything seemed to have silenced. The slight wind blew past unnoticed, only pausing for a moment to ruffle the teenage boy's hair, the birds' chirping faded away, and the rustling in the forest went dim.

"Saithe?" he said when she didn't reply. "Saithe, are you alright?"

"I'm sorry, did you say Will Wayne?" she eventually said, her voice carrying a slight tremor.

He nodded. "William Thomas Wayne. That's my name…at least it has been for the past few months."

"That is not possible!" she exclaimed in both surprise and disbelief, causing Will to stand and take a few steps backward. "You are merely a child!"

"Hey, I'm not a little kid! I'm fifteen!" he protested indignantly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Exactly! Will Wayne is a great warrior known to my people, and his father—" she stopped herself. "His father…" She shook her head. "No, you are not Will Wayne. I have read about him, and…you just can't be!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You've read about me?" he asked in disbelief. "How is that even possible?"

"My people are very knowledgeable," Saithe said simply, and did not elaborate on the subject. "If you're Will Wayne, then your father is…your father is Bruce Wayne! The Bruce Wayne!"

He gulped. He had more than just a feeling that she knew more than he would've liked. He took one more shaky step back, afraid of what he somehow knew she was going to say next.

She stood up beside her ship, her silky purple dress blowing in the cool wind. She seemed to grow taller and stronger as she looked into Will's eyes, her own purple irises full of disbelief…yet warmth and reverence.

"Your father is the Dark Knight."

-THE DARK KNIGHT-

Dun, dun, dun...

Why does Saithe, an alien girl from a distant galaxy, know who Batman is? And why does she find it to be so important? And why does Will feel like he was destined to meet her?

Review if you liked, review if you didn't.

Next chapter is in progress...soon to come. I think.

William D. J. Watson