Selina's happiness was short lived, despite the fact she was ready to leave, ready to disappear from Gotham, possibly with Tabatha, possibly without, she could near smell a new city, but for some reason sitting on the rooftop with Bridget's birds left a heavy feeling in her chest. She had spent a few days with Tabatha running around the city, whip in hand, and yeah it was nice to be near the top of the food chain with someone so powerful, but it felt fake, like she was playing herself.
She shut her eyes trying to drown out the city lights, but quickly opened them. Whenever she shut her eyes she felt like she was falling. Never in her life had she been so scared, falling from four stories completely helpless had shaken her to her core. Cats always landed on their feet, but that night, she never even had the chance.
She had always been a survivor, she always had been and she always would be. Maybe she had a new outfit, a new look, but she was the same kid she was in that alleyway 3 years ago. Survival of the fittest had always been the game, but maybe after all of those years playing, Selina was on the losing side.
In these last few days she had kept an eye on Bruce, and earlier that day he and Alfred had gone home. Alfred was bedridden and Bruce was still angry, or at least that's what she assumed. The young girl stood up, Gotham's frigid night breeze cutting any warmth she had maintained. She knew who she was going to see, the only person she could see.
Her new heeled boots almost silently strided across the ledge of the building and as she reached the fire escape and dropped down to it's rungs. Beginning her descent and eventually her path the Wayne Manor Selina touched the whip on her hip for reassurance.
On this rare occasion Selina had some extra cash, and in these early hours decided that taking one of the few cabs in the city would be the best and most efficient way to get to Wayne Manor. She had to walk for a handful of minutes to find one in this less than stellar area of Gotham, but sure enough there was one parked outside a bar just waiting for a drunk patron to wonder out.
Just as the young girl stepped into the cab a single raindrop landed on the back of her neck and soon after the door to the cab shut, a downpour attempted to cleanse the city.
"Wayne Manor." The cabbie looked her over from the rearview mirror. He made no movement hinting that he was going to start driving, which made Selina instinctively go for her whip before realizing her harsh reaction. "Wayne Manor," she repeated in a kinder tone.
The man gritted his teeth, but nevertheless shifted into drive. The torrential downpour hit the city thunderous drop after thunderous drop and as the scum neighborhoods turned polished she swore that something from above flashed across the building tops.
Soon after that Selina lost herself in the rain and when she finally regained her thoughts the cab was pulling down the long winding road that the secluded mansion rested on.
"You can stop here," she said not wanting to alert the security system of a car. The cabbie looked at her before putting his foot on the break and allowing the car to hastily stop. She fished out some money with one hand and handed him a wad of bills. "If you wait here for me I will pay you double what the meter says when we get back to the city." His eyes looked unsure but he nodded as she cracked the door and headed the rest of the way.
In the rain the young girl felt her sins washing away as her whole body began to melt into the water. Above all things she hated water. In the streets getting wet was like inviting the cold to stay with you, and those who were cold didn't survive, they died. Behind her the cab's headlights cast her shadow ahead, but as she neared a bend in the road the light disappeared and the silhouette of the mansion came into view.
The fence was slick with precipitation, but climbing it brought back memories of the night she tried to kill Five. How could she forget what he had done, maybe he wasn't Bruce, but every time she looked at him all she remembered was that swift push. Tonight however was not the night to remember the past, but to make amends and move on, after tonight Selina was cutting Bruce off from her life and moving on.
She slid down the wall as if she was a raindrop and continued to her favored point of entry. Somehow Selina knew that Bruce hadn't locked his study window, he never had and never would. The climb to the small balcony that allowed the door like windows to open was quick and swift despite the rain hindering her grip. She reached the window and peered in from the outside, a fire crackled, yet the room was empty. Placing one finger on the glass she gently pushed and allowed it to open for her.
She was drenched, but she remained silent and searched for the boy, any sign of him was absent from the room. She shut the window. Heading to the fire and stripping off her jacket she placed it on the fire irons allowing the saturated leather to dry. She crouched and placed her hands towards the warmth allowing it to thaw her finger tips. Her pants were soaked, but she stood close enough to feel the water begin to heat. She also slipped off her damp gloves and allowed them to rest on the floor.
She was surprised Bruce had not stumbled in, but her curiosity bested her as she found herself venturing outside of the room. While the study was mainly lit by the fire, the hallway was overflowing with light. It was cooler in the corridor, and also more lonely. There was a feeling of absence and Selina couldn't shake the creepy feeling in the pit of her stomach, she decided it was best just to head back to the study and abandon the oversized hallway.
When she entered the study her anxiety dissipated and she neared the fire again. There was something so comforting about it as Selina sat. She knew Bruce wasn't in the house, it felt to empty, but she was not here to enjoy company, but rather to make amends and move on. She was still for a long while as the fire cracked a new hope into her, she was relaxed, calm even, but then she heard it. It was a long creak that was slowly building from somewhere unseen, she crouched and stood slowly waiting for a hint of where it was coming from, that was until the fireplace began creaking as if it was getting ready to move. Her fingers grazed her jacket and her other hand hastily grabbed her gloves as she dove behind the couch just as the mantle gave way to it's secret passage.
There she peered around the couch as she pulled one glove on and reached for the other, only to find one absent. Her eyes ravaged the area for the garment, she could see a figure cloaked in black exit the passage and just as she spotted the offending glove the figures foot crushed it. Whoever it was looked down to the glove that peaked under their boot and then quickly scouted the room. Selina reached for her whip quickly, but made no move to engage.
"Come out Selina, I know it's you," It was Bruce no doubt, but his voice was filled with scorn, she held the handle of her whip and let the tail drop as she slowly stood up, but kept her weapon concealed from behind the couch. The person who met her was not her Bruce, but a figure shrouded in complete darkness, he reached to pull off the ski mask and his features came into view.
Selina was in slight shock, she had heard of a figure appearing and disappearing around the streets, like a shadow, a new vigilante cleaning the streets of Gotham, but never in a million years had she thought that is was 16 year old Bruce Wayne.
He took off his coat and slowly began peeling away the layers of black until he looked almost normal. "It's you," she said in subtle shock.
Bruce pursed his lips, "Well one does hope to find the only Wayne in Wayne Manor."
Selina's eyes became slits, "I mean it's you. You're the vigilante, the one who's pissing off the gang bangers." She looked around the room assuring that she had a safe exit, a move Bruce did not miss, "You have a price on your head kid, watch you back."
"I am aware, although how can I be sure that now you aren't going to collect," his words were filled with hate, as if he thought she was actually capable of turning in his skin just to reap the reward.
"You think I came to get a bounty?" She felt a pang of pain near her heart at the accusation which only fueled her rage more.
Bruce picked up the glove and fisted it, "I don't know why you came, I don't know what you want, but let me assure you," he paused and tossed the glove her way, "I want you out of my house, out of my life, out of everything."
She gripped the glove as a land line. In this moment Bruce reminded her so much of Five she couldn't stomach it. "I keep telling myself that there was no way that no one realized Five had replaced you, but right here, right now, you might as well be the one that pushed me out that window." Bruce looked taken back at the statement as it dawned on her that he had no idea what happened.
Selina took a step back as Bruce's eyes flashed with pity of the unknown debt she paid, "Selina wait." She quickly grabbed her discarded coat and slipped the glove on as she headed directly to the window with her whip trailing behind her. "Selina please, I didn't know," he spoke rushed as he hurried to her exit his voice suddenly soft.
Selina whipped around with fire in her eyes, "Know what?" She pushed at his chest as he was suddenly very close. "Know that I was pushed out of a fourth story window? Know that I nearly died? Know that I search for you instead of leaving a city that was descending into hell? Yeah I'm sure that you didn't know any of that while you were playing errand boy!" With a ferocity she didn't know she held she pushed him back hard enough for him to roll over the couch onto the ground.
He was quickly up and studied every breath she took obviously surprised by her strength. "Selina, please let's just talk about this, you need a doctor, you need someone to help you," Bruce could see the unpredictable look in her eye, the look a wild animal got when they were cornered.
"You are trying to do that right?" She gripped her whip tighter, the lines began to blur between friend and Five, as Bruce slowly became the enemy. "Trying to help me Five?"
Bruce's eyes widened as he realized his mistake and without speaking another word he brought his arm up with lightning speed and blocked his face with his forearm as Selina's whip cracked the air and wrapped around his limb. He pulled the remaining cord towards him as Selina lost her grip and it flew out of her hand. Her eyes narrowed as a cats would, an inhuman response from her body, Bruce inhaled in surprise.
Her shoulders were tense as she readied herself for a fight, Bruce however was a lot less keen on this as he tried to reason with her. "Selina please, it's me," he said checking behinding him for anything that might trip him in his hasty retreat. His eyes once again returned forward in time to see her figure hurdling over the couch at him. Before he could say anything her hands were planted on his shoulders and his back hit the floor with an unapologetic thud.
Her hands released his shoulders as her feet once again found the ground and she hoovered over his body. Her arm came up and was ready to serve a painful blow, but she realized her whip was in arm's reach and without thinking began reaching for it.
Bruce took this moment of distraction to bring his right leg across to his left and used the position to hook his right leg to her left side and flip their positions. Her hand just barely grasped the whip before Bruce maneuvered them away. In his new position Bruce dodged a punch before grabbing her fist on the second attempt and pinning the arm above her head. She tried to maneuver her body, but his knees were pressed to each hip as he pinned down her second arm.
"Selina stop!" His shout seemed to do nothing to snap her out of her rage, her confinement causing her to struggle more.
By this time the fire that once crackled with life was slowly fading and its light slowly slinking back to its brick home. The rain pelted the windows, each drop trying to break the window and welcome itself inside. "Please Selina," he trailed off in exhaustion watching her struggle. Her eyes were vertical slits filled with fear, anger and misunderstanding.
What was he to do? He couldn't just lay on the floor holding her down forever and his attempts so far to reason with her were not working in his favor. A crack of lightning shook the estate as an intense breeze pushed open two of the windows and rain began beating the inside of the manor.
Over the sounds of the storm Bruce shouted to Selina, her fight momentarily stopped by the noise of the storm outside, as if a haze had lifted from her eyes the fighting girls pupils returned to their normal human shape and her body stopped its struggle. Rain rhythmically hit the floor of the study while the two teens kept their position in caution of the other.
"Selina?" Bruce whispered desperately, quietly enough that it reached her ear but no where else in the room. He took her stillness as a que to release her arms, but he did not trust her enough to get up.
"Bruce," she spoke his name in a whisper for the first time that night. It wasn't Five, he wasn't a fake, it was Bruce, her Bruce.
Slowly Bruce stood ignoring the rain drenching the rug and furniture the wind carried it too. He lent a hand to Selina hesitant of her reaction, but she took it just as careful as he offered it. Together they stood, their arms connected by a trusting hand.
Bruce was the first to pull his hand away and Selina missed the security it gave her seconds later, but he did not just stand, but went to the windows to shut them. The room was once again quiet and lit by the dying light of the fire. The girl did not look up for a moment trying to think of something to say, trying to find the proper last words to speak to him before leaving.
The young Wayne walked back towards her, scooping up her whip on the way and holding it out to her as an olive branch,"Thank you."
Her eyes looked up to meet his but stopped at his chest, at one point she had been taller than him, he however had surpassed her some time ago, she was yet to get used to it. "For breaking in?" She asked barely moving her lips while reaching out for her weapon.
He reached a finger under her chin and gently forced her head to rise. "For coming back," he clarified locking his eyes with hers.
She smiled only enough that the apples of her cheeks perked, "I couldn't leave town without one more goodbye for the road."
His brow furrowed as he stepped away, "You're leaving?" Before Selina could explain, could justify Bruce spoke again. "Selina you don't have to leave because you think I hate you or because you think I want you gone, what I said earlier, I didn't mean it, I-I-"
Selina stepped towards him and interrupted his rambling, "I'm not leaving because of you Bruce, not everything is about you, despite what you think." Her words came out harsher than she meant them to be.
"I didn't mean it like that," he said trying to back himself out of his past statement.
"You never do," she said calmer this time, but there was still an edge as she turned away from him.
"Selina please," his words pleaded with her as she headed towards the windows.
She stopped short of leaving and turned around to look at him. She exhaled as he took steps closer. She walked closer, barely and inch between them. Tilting her chin, she brought her lips to his and allowed her tension to pass from her body to his. The kiss was soft, a goodbye in all of it's glory.
She pulled away after a short time and turned again without saying anything. She quickly opened the door to the small balcony and stepped out into the rain, just before she began her descent she turned around once more to commit Bruce Wayne to memory and four words rolled off his tongue as a final farewell. Although they had once rolled off her tongue in bitter burning hatred, when he spoke them it was only with hope for the future.
"Have a nice life."
So that was just a short little thing that had been running through my mind for a while, I may make it part of multiple short fics in which Selina returns after some time and such, but I'm not sure yet. Sorry for any errors, but I am sadly only human (and not superhuman). Hope you all have a great day/night!
Much Love,
Quinn