Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2001 15:29:05 -0800 (PST) From: Author James Subject: Tales of a Real Dark Knight, Chapter 1 The Beginning Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind. Scary!! People actually get a glimpse into my mind!!! Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox. Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros. X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. Star Trek and all related characters created by Gene Roddenberry. Copyright Paramount Studios. I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered. In this story, which has been floating around in my head most of my life, you will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal. I hope you all enjoy this. I appreciate any feedback that you may want to give. This story doesn't deal so much with sex, sex, sex, but more of my feelings that I struggled with and am starting to come to terms with. Part of it is true. I do hope that you enjoy it!!! By the way, my name is James. Author James Chapter 1 The Beginning As the plane landed and slowly the passengers disembarked, I nervously retrieved my baggage, which consisted of two suitcases, and two duffel bags. It was my first time away from my family, my first time FAR AWAY from my family. I was both exhilarated and terrified. I had been so used to being alone, repressing my feelings for fear of someone discovering the fact that I'm gay. I heard the jokes, heard the contempt in their voices, even chimed in with them, all the time hating myself more and more for my sexuality. I tried all kinds of things to be rid of these desires: repressed them, prayed for myself, gotten prayer from ministers, tried dating girls. Nothing worked. I have always had a great faith in God, which is why I hated myself so much. Why can't I get a miracle, I would ask myself. What am I not doing right? I know God exists. I've seen so many people get miracles for all kinds of things: cancer, leukemia, AIDS, blindness, arthritis, deafness. So many people would ask me to pray for them, and they would get what they needed; yet here I was helpless and hopeless. It wasn't until last summer, when I turned 24 years old, that I started to chat with other homosexuals on the Internet. There I was able to ask questions, seek answers, and I found them. I had always thought that, to accept my homosexuality, I would have to leave God out. From what I heard from so many churches, God does not approve of homosexuality. But several of the men I talked to also believed in God. I was astounded. Shortly thereafter, I came out to my parents, with the expected reactions, and I started to attend P-FLAG meetings in a nearby city. It was great. I really enjoyed it. I got to meet people who didn't condemn me for being open, though I still have a hard time with being open in public about my sexuality. I devoured many books on the subject. And I always give this testimony: God helped me come out. He did! He gave me the strength and the will to tell my family. It was all good even if their reactions were not. Then, as the school year came to a close, I decided it best to move away to establish myself, and my own life. You see I still had a hard time being open about my feelings with my family. I soon found myself on a plane to Los Angeles, the city of Angels. I always had a drawing to that large city. In some ways, its size reminded me of my hero's city. I have always been a Batman fan and loved Gotham City. And here I was, in one of the two major US cities that look like my favorite fictional city. I exited the airport and found a cab. I requested to be taken to my new address, a small studio apartment in a rough section of town. The cab driver took me there and, after I paid him, left me alone with my four bags, new dwelling and a stomach full of butterflies. I climbed the stairs and entered. Finding the landlords apartment on the first floor, I introduced myself, retrieved my key and up I went. It was a corner apartment with a nice view of the city. On the side of the building, outside my bedroom window was a fire escape. Perfect for my new escapades. You see, I didn't come to this city just to get away from my family. I came to make one of my dreams come true, to become my hero, to become the real-life Batman. I know, you are probably laughing as I speak, and I don't blame you. It is rather ridiculous to think of a 24-year-old wanting to dress up like a bat. But, all through growing up, I never felt adequate. I always felt like someone worthless. In order for me to feel good about myself, I had to be heroic. And in order for me to feel heroic, I could not be me doing something good, I had to be someone else. Who better than Batman, the symbol of what one man can do. My costume didn't look much like the one in the comic books or the one in the movies. My costume was designed by me and put together slowly and painstakingly. The suit is all black. The cape is long and full. The gloves and boots look the same. The chest, however, does not sport a black bat inside a yellow oval. The chest is bare. And the mask, the mask is completely changed. It looks more like a ninja mask with long pointed ears. The mouth is covered and the eyes are revealed by one large hole. I must say, having the mouth covered is much more disguising than the traditional mask. I can grow my goatee if I want and no one would be able to tell through the mask. Am I clever or what? I unpacked my bags and settled in for a while, trying to get used to the new place. I knew that I would not sleep well for the next few days, as I tend to take time getting used to new places. After getting bored with looking at the apartment, I decided to call my new place of employment and let them know I had arrived. "Hello. Family Psychological Center of L.A. This is Michele." "Hello, Michele. This is Eric McCoy. Is Dr. Allison there?" "Yes. One moment." I stood there listening to the rather bouncy elevator music for several minutes until Dr. Allison picked up the line. "Hello, Eric." "Yes, Doctor. How are you?" "I'm good. And you?" "I'm just getting settled in. I arrived here four hours ago. I wanted you to know I'm here. Would it be a problem if I stopped by the office in a little while so I can look around and get used to the place before I start work on Monday?" "Sure. Not a problem." "Thank you, Doctor." We hung up and I grabbed my jacket. With it being a Thursday afternoon, I didn't know what to expect from the nights here. I've heard that in Africa, the days are super hot, and the nights get chilly. Who knows what L.A. holds in store? I called a cab and, a few minutes later, I was on my way towards downtown L.A. How exciting it was for me! I was finally going to see the city I had always dreamed of. My eyes kept moving once the cab was underway. I wanted to take in everything. I wanted it to become so familiar to me. I wanted it to become home. I noticed kids playing on the sidewalks and in front yards and alleys. I smiled. I love children. It is so interesting to watch them develop and grow. Unfortunately, I also noticed the troublemakers rather easily, too. Those were the ones wearing long overcoats in the shade. It was still a bit warm to be wearing something like that outside. I could only imagine what kind of things they carried underneath: guns, drugs, maybe both. It unnerved me. But, that's why you are here, Eric, I told myself. Not too much later, the cab dropped me off in front of a rather large building with the words "Family Psychological Center of L.A." on the front. This was my new place of employment. I was excited. I entered the building and went immediately up to the front desk. "Hi. I'm Eric McCoy. I'm a new employee here." "Oh. We talked on the phone. I'm Michele. Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand and I took it, shaking it, hoping that my grip was firm enough. I've never had a strong grip so I tend to make up for it by squeezing a little. "Nice to meet you. Is Doctor Allison available?" "Sure. He left word for you to go on up to the top floor. He's up there." "Thanks." I walked over to the bank of elevators and pressed the button. The doors opened and, in moments, I was on the top floor. The floor looked very warm and comforting. An older gentleman in a dark blue suit approached me. "Hello, Eric. I presume." "Yes. You must be Dr. Allison." I recognized his voice. "Yes. Pleasure to meet you." "Likewise, Doctor." "Come this way. I must say we were all impressed with the large amount of experience you've had with only being 24." "Thank you." "You're welcome. We decided you would be best as Dr. Joshua Jenson's assistant. He works with children. Your experience would best be put to use there." I followed Dr. Allison into an office. Behind the desk was a rather good-looking guy: blonde hair, bright blue eyes, awesome complexion. Oh, boy, I'm in trouble, I thought. Working for a good-looking guy like this, I will have a hard time being friends. I would be too embarrassed if he found out my feelings. "Joshua. This is Eric. He's your new assistant." "Yes, I remember his file. Nice to meet you, Eric." Joshua stuck out his hand and I shook it hesitantly. I was nervous. I felt the warmth of his hand and a shiver went through my body. I kept smiling hoping I didn't look like a dork. "Nice to meet you, too." "Well, if you two will excuse me," Dr. Allison said, "I have some last minutes things to wrap up. I'll leave you two to get acquainted." Dr. Allison exited the room, pulling the door closed behind him, leaving Joshua and me alone. "So, Eric, you used to work with toddlers? Interesting. Not many young men work with such young children. What drew you to that area?" "It's actually a long story. Right out of high school I was a home-schoolteacher. The year after that, I applied for a job at the school. The name is on my application. I ended up getting a job with Toddlers. It was kind of scary because I never worked with children so young. But I loved it. It is so cool to see children so young mature." "Yeah. That is one of the many interesting things of that age. I got into young children when I was in college. I was taking my psychology class, and we had to observe a school. It was then that I fell in love with children. Seeing so many that needed help drove me to get my degree in child psychology. "I understand that you are taking a child psychology course. Who with?" "It's a correspondence course. I like it. It's pretty good." "That's good. Well, enough chitchat. Let me show you your desk." Joshua stood and I followed him out the door I had entered. We walked back down the hallway I came and, for the first time, noticed the desk across the bank of elevators. There were several other desks, with people sitting down at them. Joshua introduced me to them, my new co-workers, and showed me the desk. "I'll leave you to Debbie to show you the computer system. Go ahead and look around in there. Get used to it. Come Monday morning, you are going to be busy." Joshua left me with Debbie and returned to his office. "Hi. I'm Debbie." She had black hair, shoulder length, brown eyes, and a pleasant smile. "I'm Eric. Nice to meet you." "Do you have much experience with computers?" "Oh, yeah. I have used them to do a lot of typing." "That's a start. Let me show you the programs we use." For the next hour and a half, Debbie showed me their system, the programs they use, everything. She reassured me that I would not be expected to remember everything she showed me right away. The knowledge will come with using the programs. As she was closing up the system and shutting down the computers, I decided to ask her a question. "Debbie, where do people hang out at here in L.A.?" "Lot's of places. It all depends on your scene. You know, where you like to hang out at." "Oh. Well, I don't do bars and nightclubs. I don't drink and I can't breathe around cigarette smoke. Coffee shops are nice, though." "There's this really nice one down on Brant Ave. You may like it. There is always something going on. Just go up to the customer service desk and ask for a calendar." "Thanks. I believe I will." A few hours later, I was walking around downtown L.A., something that can be very dangerous. But with so many people out and about, it would be highly unlikely that anyone would mug me. Some female prostitutes approached me, but I respectfully declined the opportunity to catch a disease. Some male prostitutes approached me, and I declined as well. Too bad because some looked really cute. It's sad to say, or some may think it sad to say, that I have not actually been with anyone sexually. I believe there are more important things to life and a relationship than sex. I mean, sex is important, but a relationship should be based on more than just sex. And sex shouldn't be something you do for fun. Again, you are probably laughing at me. That's okay. I have my beliefs and I stand firm on them. As I walked, I made mental notes of buildings, streets, and local establishments that may come in handy to know during my extra curricular exploits. When I got too tired to walk, I called a cab and went home.