Emotional Support

by Sarah1281

Harvey's clearly having a hard time of it and saying some worrying things in the hospital after the debate. Bruce is trying to find the right words but he has to leave too soon when he sees the bat signal. In another universe, Gordon didn't get the signal up when he did. In another universe, Harvey and Bruce have all the time they need to talk about this. Telltale Batman universe.

The problem with Harvey, really, was that he was Bruce Wayne's friend and a growing admirer of Batman's.

That wasn't a thing that happened a lot.

Alfred may technically work for him and draw a salary but the man had raised him. He was family. He was the only one in the world he'd ever forgive for an omission of that magnitude. Sure, hide the truth when he was still a child but was he really never going to tell him about Falcone and Hill? He didn't approve of the Batman but he understood, more or less, and didn't try to separate Bruce out from that.

Neither did Selina. She didn't know either of them very well but she knew thirty seconds into their second meeting. That was new, too. And maybe…but there was Harvey. Harvey who he really didn't appreciate her admitting to toying with and who she really needed to have a conversation with if he was expecting her to show up at the hospital. Of course, most people probably would have just stopped by when something like this happened by Selina wasn't 'most people' any more than he was. And she had played her part in saving him in the first place.

She was fine. She had to be fine. There'd be no mention of her arrest or of a body and she knew how to take care of herself. She wasn't too badly injured to run. He made the right choice. Oz was going to beat Harvey to death. He took out one of her assailants thirty seconds later. But she hadn't been in contact. But the look she gave him before she had left…he asked her to trust him, to help him, and she had. And they had gone there to save Harvey and save him they had but what had she gotten out of it? He wasn't exactly sure where they stood. He wouldn't apologize but he almost wanted to.

Oz had cared for Bruce Wayne once and took the time to warn him, for whatever reason, but he had also been behind the disaster at the debate. He had killed the moderator and shot at Vicki and was trying to kill Harvey. And Hill, he really shouldn't forget that Oz had killed Hill too, but somehow he wasn't able to work up quite the same outrage over that. He had been almost friendly at the park, talking about the past and how Bruce hadn't changed. He had, though. They both had. But it had been almost nice to hear. Then he told Batman that Bruce was on his list and it hadn't been a surprise. He seemed to approve of Batman for all Batman could never allow this.

Jim Gordon didn't have much use for Bruce though at least he appreciated that file of convenient evidence that they hadn't needed for Falcone. He hadn't asked where he'd gotten it which was good because his best lie fell just on the wrong side of being convincing. Batman he seemed to be at least warming up to though he never could tell when the wall would go up again.

It was simply that Batman had admirers and detractors and no one seemed to want to stay neutral on the topic. Most of the people who respected what the Batman was trying to do had no use for billionaire CEOs, even ones that were trying to do the right thing and make Gotham a better place. And then there were the people who believed in Bruce but who thought Batman was a dangerous vigilante. How strange to have Montoya reach out to him after routinely shooting at him.

Now people were starting to think Batman was a hero and Bruce's name was being dragged through the mud.

People couldn't just make up their minds about him, could they?

Harvey had been, vaguely, glad that Batman was out there. And now he said Batman was the only reason he was sitting there now. And there was some truth to that. But hadn't Bruce put him in the line of fire, too? Everywhere he looked, things were refusing to stay simple.

Hero and villain, friend and foe. He was really going to give himself a complex.

Harvey's therapist would have a field day with him.

Bruce swallowed hard. He knew Harvey wouldn't really understand and certainly wouldn't agree with him but it still had to be said. He couldn't just let this turn into a session of Harvey supplicating and Bruce kindly forgiving the transgressions.

He glanced out the window and then looked back at Harvey.

"I'm sorry, too."

Harvey drew back in surprise. "Sorry? Bruce, you have done nothing but support me every step of the way. I didn't tell you about Falcone because I knew how you'd react but I invited him anyway. Maybe I didn't invite him in the middle of the fundraiser but he was trying to prove a point, I guess. And look what happened. You wouldn't even shake his hand but everyone made it out like you were working together. You met with him for my sake and he didn't even want to let me in the door but you insisted. You took responsibility when the press asked questions even though it was my fault. You didn't blame me for that fuck up with Hill having your house searched. And then there you were, when I was warning you I was going to have to distance myself and condemn you publicly, trying to get me to get somewhere safe and promising to stand by me until the end."

"Anything for Gotham."

"There's that," Harvey agreed. "But I think we both know that that wasn't all that was."

No. Of course not. Never mind that Hill was a snake and he had already spit his offer back in his face. Never mind that he really didn't know if Harvey could truly save Gotham but that he thought they owed it to the people of the city to let him try. Never mind any of that. When Harvey had asked, Bruce hadn't been thinking about any of that. Not really. He'd been remembering 'I'm all for blind loyalty' and what Oz had done to Falcone's tower.

"I don't even know how you can stand to be here, after that," Harvey continued. "I didn't end up distancing myself at all or saying one word against you but you owe that to those madmen more than me."

Again with the self-deprecation. Bruce understood trauma and knew Harvey had to be feeling terrible about what he was saying even as he said it, that last phone call before the Children of Arkham had tried to tear everything apart. But this seemed different, somehow. This seemed wrong. And he couldn't just ignore that.

"Of course I'm here. How could I not be?" Bruce asked.

Harvey let out a shaky laugh. "No, I suppose that's true. When someone's attacked like that on live TV you can't really get away with not visiting. You don't want to be that asshole who holds a grudge against someone you saw get almost beaten to death."

Bruce could hear what he wasn't saying. He wished he could tell him about Selina. She saved him and that was more important than visiting. He wished he knew where her head was at. Chances were it was nothing good after she had fled, bleeding, into the night. "It's not just that."

"Right."

"I mean it!" he said, more forcefully than he'd intended to. "Harvey…what you said…it was bad. I'm not going to lie. I was actually driving at the time. I was…I was actually headed to the debate. I knew the score. I knew I'd started to drag you down. That's why it meant so much that you hadn't started distancing yourself. I knew you put it off as long as you could. It wasn't anything I wanted to hear and then you asked for my money and I…"

"Bruce-" Harvey started to say. He fell silent.

"But I get it. It's all well and good standing on principle but you can't ignore reality. If Hill hadn't been killed then you still needed to get elected. At this point I think Hill started all of this because he wanted to tank your campaign through me. It was almost the election and there was no time to weather the scandal. If you had stood by me you would have lost and you knew that. Everyone knew that. To say you should have said to hell with it and stuck by me would have been saying that being a good friend to me was more important than getting elected and trying to save this city. We both know that's not true. Saving Gotham is the most important thing and if you do nothing more than just not enable the mob then you'll already do more for this city than Hill ever did."

"It's funny," Harvey said after a moment. "Before I got to know you I never would have thought you felt this strongly about that."

That was the point, wasn't it? He'd had to think long and hard before being so public in his support but, at the end of the day, Harvey Dent had made him believe in Gotham and he couldn't just watch that chance fade away.

"What can I say? Every charitable donation is just what's expected and when you give speeches people think you're running for something and that can't be me."

"No, I imagine you have your hands full with your company," Harvey said. "But Bruce, even with all of that being true, it was still a shitty thing to do to you."

"You didn't do anything, Harvey. You didn't abandon me."

"I would have. And you knew that," Harvey insisted.

"Of course it hurt. Of course part of me was taking it personally and the last thing I wanted to do was hear about how much you needed my money and not me." More duality. The money would save him and the man would destroy him. "But I know you better than that, Harvey. You weren't just using me and the rumors haven't died down and yet here you are trying to make it up to me when I already told you I understood. And how could I hold it against you in the wake of what happened?"

Harvey sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "It always makes everything seem so petty, doesn't it? Near death experiences. You didn't even have one but you witnessed mine. Strictly speaking, I don't need to distance myself anymore. After the debate I can't imagine anyone else wants the job. I wanted to make amends for everything, right after it happened. And the biggest one I was thinking of, in that moment, was you. You took that so much better than I had feared and I was so grateful and also felt like I was two inches tall. Of course you forgave me after that."

There was truth to what Harvey was saying. And it was true that he couldn't know how he would have reacted had none of this happened and the debate was safe. But he thought he knew himself well enough to guess.

And Harvey wasn't the only one haunted by the memory of the Penguin standing over him with that light.

"I would have forgiven you either way," Bruce insisted. "Maybe it would have taken more time. But you would have done more, too. And you would have made it up to me. Even if doing it was necessary and got you where you needed to be, you would have made it up to me and you wouldn't have gone one step farther than you needed to go."

Harvey chuckled weakly. "You have so much faith in me."

"The way I see it, one of us has to."

Harvey tilted his head curiously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I wasn't there, of course." It was a lie. Or maybe not entirely a lie. Bruce Wayne hadn't been present, the Batman had. What exactly that meant and the two sides of the one person still made his head hurt but he'd work it out eventually. "But I saw what happened on the news. We all saw. I have to wonder what's wrong with them that they're showing a-a goddamn snuff film. People died. You were almost…we don't need to see that. If they don't quit it I swear to God I'm suing someone."

"Please do," Harvey said wryly but he wouldn't meet Bruce's eyes. "I...Yeah, I should've guessed you saw it."

"That bothers you," Bruce noted.

"Of course it bothers me. How could it not bother me?"

Bruce bowed his head. "No, I get that. You almost died and it was probably if not the most traumatic event of your life then certainly up there. I think I'm traumatized by it and I was just a witness. But what you said earlier…I don't think it's just about the stuff you'd expect."

"Then what is it about?" Harvey asked, his tone too casual.

"You said that Selina probably wasn't here because she saw you being a coward on live TV."

Harvey looked like he was about to argue then suddenly deflated. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess I did say that, didn't I?"

"And this isn't…this isn't court, Harvey," Bruce said earnestly. "I'm not here to use what you said against you. It just sounded like you meant it, is all. Did you?"

Harvey was quiet for a long moment.

Bruce wanted desperately to say something else but there didn't seem anything to say. He just had to wait until Harvey had an answer. He wasn't sure how far to push this if Harvey denied it or said he didn't want to talk about it. There were clearly some issues there, beyond whatever issue that more than likely wasn't what he alluded to earlier, but the fact of the matter was that he was not a licensed mental health professional. And even if he was, he was Harvey's best friend and that was probably crossing all sorts of lines.

"You saw it," Harvey said finally.

"That's not an answer."

"It is, though," Harvey argued. "You saw it. You saw me cowering there, helpless."

Bruce's heart went out to him. "Harvey…"

A fierce look crossed Harvey's face. "I don't need your pity."

"Well you're getting my something after that whole mess," Bruce said frankly. "I don't think it's pity, though. And that's not what I saw at all."

"You watching the same footage I've been watching?"

"I'm starting to wonder," Bruce said. "You know what I did see?"

Harvey steeled himself. "No. Why don't you tell me?"

"I saw madmen attack the debate. I saw a bunch of violent criminals terrorizing a room full of civilians. Because that's what you are, Harvey, you're a civilian. You weren't one of the Children, you weren't Batman, you weren't even a cop. No one could reasonably expect you to fight off men with guns."

"Batman doesn't work with guns. He doesn't even always use weapons."

"And we just established you weren't Batman," Bruce said. "Whoever he is, I'm sure he has some kind of training. Or at least he must work out. He plans to get into these kinds of situations. You were just a guy supposed to more or less politely debate another guy for a couple of hours. Nothing was supposed to get more heated than a little shouting."

"But no one else came off looking that bad," Harvey said. "I wasn't the only, what was it, 'civilian' there. We were all civilians."

"No, that's true. That moderator got shot before he could finish a sentence. The reporters practically stampeded for the door. Vicki was forced to drug you and she'd have been killed, too, if Batman hadn't covered her while she ran away even if she did manage to stand up to those guys. And Hill! He admitted to working with them and having my parents killed. How did he think that was going to work out if he hadn't died? I keep remembering he said that his plan was to liquidate the poor because that's terrible but it's so much less literal monster-y than he wants to incinerate them. Not just kill them, no, he wants to incinerate them. And people were still going to vote for him!" Bruce shook himself. He had ranted to Alfred a good half dozen times about that but this really wasn't the time. Harvey knew just as well as he did what Hill was and comparing them was doing nothing but damning him with faint praise.

"And what did I do?" Harvey asked bitterly. "Just lie there and let myself be a victim."

"You're a prosecutor," Bruce said. "I know you know the term 'victim blaming.'"

"You think that's what I'm doing?" Harvey demanded.

Bruce didn't respond, just raised an eyebrow.

"That's not what I'm doing. I know it's not my fault that I was attacked. I didn't provoke anyone by running for mayor or showing up to the debate. I didn't deserve the Children of Arkham attacking."

"But?"

"But…" Harvey trailed off, running a hand frustratedly through his hair. "Once the attack happened things changed. I was useless. I was a coward."

"You were dosed with some sort of truth drug that got Hill to admit to wanting to incinerate the poor," Bruce said flatly. "And sure, his previous public admissions make me wonder about the things he decides to say in public but I can't believe he'd outright say that. I still can't believe he even thought that but I guess he did. And what did you say?"

"It's just words, Bruce."

"No, Harvey, it isn't. It wasn't you haltingly trying to explain about the hospital again. It was him asking what you wanted for Gotham and, faced with a drug that made Montoya kill and Hill wax genocidal, you said the exact same things you always said. How Gotham had a lot of problems but you believed in it. How the people of Gotham deserved better. I, uh, actually almost got distracted listening to you. I mean, I knew you were a good person but hearing it like that when there was no choice but to be honest…it was amazing."

But Harvey was shaking his head. "It's just words. So I have good principles. So I believe what I say. I always knew that. I'm not sitting here hating myself over being a hypocrite."

Hating himself? Bruce straightened. "Harvey-"

"It's a figure of speech," Harvey said dismissively. "And it's what happened afterwards, when it really counted. I could have said a lot and still been the better choice with Hill and his…class issues."

"Class issues," Bruce said, laughing in surprise. "That's certainly one way of putting it."

Harvey shrugged. "I'm a politician now. It doesn't do to accuse people of being that terrible except at certain points of campaigns and I hate to go negative like that."

"Because you're a great person and Gotham does not deserve you," Bruce said.

"What good is the rest of it if I can't even stand up when it counts?"

"Harvey, the Penguin was trying to murder Hill. He wasn't after you just yet though he probably would have gone after you. You could have at least tried to run. But you didn't. You looked over and saw that Batman was struggling with that giant and that Hill was dealing with the Penguin. You chose between which of them you wanted to help. And despite all the reasons you had to hate Hill, despite what he just said, you let Batman fight his own battles and tried to rescue him."

"I failed," Harvey said flatly.

"Harvey, he had a gun and you were unarmed," Bruce said. "You did the best you could."

"And that's just it, isn't it? My best isn't good enough."

"Well not if you expect to be Batman!" Bruce exclaimed. "Harvey, I believe that Batman is a necessary part of Gotham. I believe that he makes our streets safer and is truly trying to turn things around. But think about what it says about our city that someone like him is really necessary! He can't save Gotham, Harvey. Not really. Sure he can shut down any criminal that causes too much trouble. I'm betting on him to stop the Children of Arkham. But he can't do anything more than just put a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. That's why I invest so heavily in our city. That's why we need you."

"Again with the speeches," Harvey said. "Bruce, I really appreciate what you're trying to do here and I do understand the importance of trying to change things on an institutional level to stop the root causes of crime and corruption. I do. But all the pretty words in the world can't change the fact that I tried and I failed and I was going to die. I bet they'd still show that footage if I did."

"You're probably right," Bruce admitted. "And I would have already sued them if they did."

Harvey rolled his eyes. "At least that."

"But…what? Things don't count unless you succeed?"

"That's generally how it goes," Harvey said. "If I lost the election my run for mayor wouldn't have gotten me anything."

"Okay, well what about Batman then?" Bruce asked. "He came there to stop the Children of Arkham. There was still a body count and his partner was apparently left for dead if you believe the newspapers though that's really not the way I'd put it. And the Penguin got away. It wasn't a complete failure but he certainly didn't manage to do everything he set out to do."

"It wasn't just Hill," Harvey said. "Hill was one thing. But then the Penguin knocked me over. But then I had to just watch him and couldn't do anything to save myself. Batman managed to fight off that big guy and then knock the Penguin out of the way. If he had chosen to help his partner, if he had been only one second later…don't get me wrong, I have nothing but admiration and gratitude for what Batman did. But the fact that he even needed to…It's not just the way I remember it, either. I've seen the proof every twenty minutes or so on the news."

"Harvey, you were in a bad place, yeah," Bruce said. "But that doesn't make you a coward. You proved your worth when you tried to save Hill of all people instead of saving yourself or even helping Batman. When you were on a hate plague drug, by the way. And then when you were knocked down of course you were vulnerable to a guy swinging a giant light. You're only human, Harvey. I doubt Batman himself could have done more if he were in that position."

"But Batman wouldn't have gotten into that position in the first place," Harvey said stubbornly.

"Oh no? His partner needed saving just as much as you did. She had three guys on her and she got shot trying to escape. If Batman hadn't taken one of them out after saving you then who even knows what might have happened. And she looked like she could handle herself. She came there expecting trouble."

"At least she did something before she needed help."

"You did something, too," Bruce insisted. "Me, I probably would have run for it. Most people would have. But not you. You tried to be a hero."

"And I couldn't."

"That's not what I saw," Bruce said.

"The hero doesn't need to be rescued," Harvey argued.

Bruce laughed. "What do you think would have happened to Batman if Gordon hadn't stopped the police from shooting at him?"

"That's not the same thing."

"Being a hero isn't about working alone," Bruce said.

"Batman works alone."

"Did you not even notice the woman he was with that night?" Bruce said. "Or the fact he's rumored to work with Gordon? Or the criminals he just arrested and you made sure to put away? There's no point in catching them if they're just going to be let loose again."

Harvey was quiet for a long moment. "You really think I did okay?"

"I think you did amazing," Bruce said fervently.

A wan smile. "Part of me thinks you're just saying that to make me feel better."

"I wouldn't do that," Bruce said.

Harvey game him an unimpressed look.

"Okay, so if I did think you were a coward – if you had begged for your life and offered to do anything they wanted, for example – then I might say something like it was perfectly understandable and anyone would have done the same in your position. It would be a very different conversation," Bruce said. He considered further. "And actually I might have lost all faith in you and just given you a 'it's not you, it's me' speech on my way out the door."

"Even with me being mayor?"

"Right, because I brunched with Hill," Bruce said sardonically.

Harvey looked at him seriously. "I believe you," he said finally. "You really think that. But just because you believe it doesn't mean everyone else will."

"There aren't a lot of people going to be enough of an asshole to criticize your response to that kind of unexpected hostage situation," Bruce said. "Hill might've but he did way worse and he's dead anyway. You don't have to listen to what people like that think."

"I'm more worried about the rest of Gotham," Harvey said.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "The rest of Gotham can't decide if having someone on the streets catching bad guys the police can't is making Gotham more dangerous or less dangerous. Their opinions can be a bit…suspect."

Harvey laughed, almost despite himself. "You are such a snob."

"Harvey, I call my house a manor. I don't think that can be avoided."

"You don't have to embrace it!"

Bruce crossed his arms. "I regret nothing about my life choices."

"Well at least you're secure," Harvey said, bemused.

"I haven't heard anything about the people of Gotham judging you for what happened," Bruce said. "And if they do then they'll change their mind when you take office and show them what you're made of. You can't judge a person by the worst day of their life. And I don't know everything about you but I'm willing to bet it's hard to top what just happened."

"No, that's true," Harvey agreed. "But come on, Bruce, we judge people by their worst days all the time. Just take criminal cases. He only killed his wife on his worst day but he's still going to be remembered for it and do time."

"You didn't kill anyone; you were attacked," Bruce said. "And you did fine. You know what I think but the only person whose opinion you really need to worry about is your own. And, well, that's what I'm trying to do right now. Convince you that you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"I guess you're right," Harvey said, though he still sounded uncertain. "It was just one day and it could have gone worse. But that's not even it."

Of course it wasn't. "You're worried they'll come back."

"Well, like you said, they weren't stopped. They want to a revolution and that usually involves the heads of the people at the top. And they want to make you bleed for the sins of your father. We're both still in their crosshairs whether we like it or not."

"And I most assuredly do not like it," Bruce said helpfully.

Harvey managed a smile. "Thank you so much for clearing that up for me."

"You have nothing to make up for. But even if you did, the speech you keep hinting at isn't going to do anything to make you safer. Far from it. You always were a great orator and you're not happy with them right now."

Harvey snorted. "That's putting it mildly."

"And after what happened you're going right out there to keep doing your job and to keep the people safe. And maybe you'll get attacked again. I even think it's likely. Maybe how you react won't be enough for you, maybe you won't be able to subdue a dozen men single-handedly, but I know you'll stand your ground and won't be a coward. You already proved that."

"Really, Bruce, I'm not expecting myself to be superhuman here," Harvey protested. "But if I could take out one or two of them it wouldn't be so bad."

"Maybe if one or two of them don't have guns," Bruce countered. "How many men with guns did it take to kill my parents? Because I know what the tape said about them – or at least about my father, why is everyone lumping my mother in with this? – but cowards they most certainly were not."

"No, of course not," Harvey said somberly.

"In fact, he even sort of reacted the same way you did," Bruce said distantly. "He saw the gun and pushed my mother and I behind him. And my mother still got shot. And he still got shot. And if Joe Chill had decided to hurt me, too, there's not a damn thing he could have done about it. It was like a more tragic version of the debate. And if you say you're a coward for not being able to protect him or to protect yourself then…"

"You're right, Bruce, I'm sorry," Harvey said quickly. "I wasn't thinking."

Bruce shook his head. "I'm not…I'm not looking for an apology, Harvey. It's your trauma and there's no wrong way to react to it. I'm just trying to get you to understand why I don't think you have anything to be ashamed of."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Harvey said. "Would I really hold other people to that same standard? If it had been you out on the stage instead of me and I had just watched would I be sitting here complaining about your cowardice?"

"Well I certainly hope not," Bruce said. "It would be unconscionable to actually say that and I'd probably throw you out."

Harvey smiled. "I have more tact than that, thank you." He hesitated. "And…while it's impossible to be sure…I don't think I'd have seen you as a coward. So maybe I should try to give myself the same understanding I'd have given you."

"That's all you can do, try," Bruce said. "And maybe talk to your therapist. Mysterious past issues aside, these kinds of situations are exactly what therapists are for. Let her help you. You don't have to listen to her about going slow – not that I'm advocating not listening to your therapist but technically you can do what you want – but at least talk to her."

"You're right," Harvey said, sighing. "It's just hard because she keeps telling me things I don't want to hear."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "I think that's a sign of a good therapist."

"I haven't been going as much lately," Harvey admitted. "My issues were under control and I didn't want Hill getting wind of me having a therapist. And yes, I know, it's perfectly normal and nothing's wrong with it but there's this stigma and I knew how Hill could spin it."

"Well now the election is over and the first asshole I hear trying to give you grief for getting help, I swear to God I'm going to punch."

Harvey laughed. "You don't strike me as the violent type, Bruce."

"In the face."

"As the former DA and now mayor I really can't advise you to assault someone, Bruce."

"I might kick them, too."

He laughed again. "Well your support is appreciated if also illegal. And total front page bait."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Harvey, me going to the bathroom is front page bait."

Harvey tilted his head. "I don't know about that, Bruce. I seem to recall there being some rule against them printing obscene images."

"Tabloid photographers know the obscenity laws and are very creative. I have utmost confidence in them."

Harvey just smiled and shook his head. "Thanks, Bruce. For being here. This may sound utterly cliché but I do feel a lot better having you here. And I need to try and be in the right headspace for that speech later."

"I see your cliché and I raise you another: it's cliché because it's true."

"Okay, I am not getting into a cliché-off with you, I know I'm not going to win that one," Harvey said.

And there was Harvey looking something close to okay for the first time since he'd come in there. He hated to ruin the moment, he really did, but there was more that needed to be said and the debate just proved that he couldn't count on there being other opportunities. Who knew what the Children of Arkham had planned? They said the words left unsaid were worse than any that were.

"I have to apologize, too, Harvey," Bruce said.

Harvey drew back, surprised. "Apologize to me? For what? You didn't sleep with my girlfriend, did you?"

"The closest thing to a girlfriend I think you have is Selina and I'll have you know I've met her literally four times. One of those times you introduced us."

"I mean, that's not a no."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "I chose to ignore the question because I am a way better friend than that and I think you know that."

Harvey half-shrugged. "Well, you're the one who said you had to apologize for something."

"I meant for this whole mess," Bruce said, waving his hand vaguely.

Harvey's eyebrows shot up. "Right. So me asking you about Selina was a stupid question but you apparently taking responsibility for the whole Children of Arkham thing is perfectly normal and not at all crazy."

"That's not it," Bruce protested.

"You are really bad at this whole apology thing," Harvey informed him.

"Believe it or not, I haven't had a lot of practice."

"That doesn't surprise me," Harvey said. "But you may be getting some with all this news coming out about your father. It may not be your fault and I don't blame you in the slightest but it looks like he hurt a lot of people. People are going to want something and your father hasn't been around to answer for it for a long time."

"So…what? I should just let them hate me?"

"Maybe. A little. Don't let it go too far. You don't have to, I don't know, sign over your bank account or anything but make it clear that you had no idea and you're not like that. Accept that they have a right to be angry, even if it isn't fair."

Bruce sighed. "That's easier said than done."

"I know. It's not the same but I've always had to take the heat for every time my office screwed up even if I had nothing to do with it and it wasn't my fault. As mayor, I don't suppose it'll go any better. It's the price we pay to be in the public eye."

"Some of us didn't choose this life," Bruce said.

"No, you were born into it but it's not like you've gone out and become a recluse." Harvey eyed him critically. "And oh my God, I've just given you the idea to go become a recluse. Please don't do that. My life would be so much less interesting without you in it."

"I have it on good authority recluses are very interesting," Bruce said.

"No, speculating on how many dead family members they've dug up for tea parties and what kind of demonic cults they partake in is interesting. People who just don't leave their house are not actually all that interesting," Harvey said.

"I'm just saying, it was your idea."

"Don't you even dare," Harvey said, pointing his finger at him in mock-sternness.

Bruce just shook his head. "But I'm trying to apologize."

"And I still don't know what for. You are terrible at apologizing," Harvey said again.

"Maybe you're just bad at being apologized to."

"Now who's victim-blaming?"

"Will you please just let me say this?" Bruce said, giving Harvey a long-suffering look.

Harvey spread his hands in a 'be my guest' gesture.

"Harvey, I'm the reason you're being targeted," Bruce said. "I'm the one who put the spotlight on you. And now you ended up here and I know it could be worse but that's really not making me feel any better."

Harvey gave him an unimpressed look. "Are you victim-blaming yourself because you think the Children of Arkham wouldn't exist if it weren't for your father and that's apparently your fault now or are you coming out as a member of that terrorist group?"

"Neither, Harvey, Jesus, neither," Bruce said.

"Then you're being ridiculous," Harvey said simply. "Not that either of those two being true wouldn't also mean you were being ridiculous. How is any of this your fault? You even…I was asking for money while warning you of impending abandonment and all you could do was ask me to stay away from the debate. In hindsight I should have listened to you but it is what it is."

"Harvey, you know I have nothing but utmost respect for your abilities and your intentions," Bruce said. "You're one of the best things that has happened to Gotham, certainly in my lifetime. You being mayor could really do a lot of good."

"Now I feel like you're breaking up with me," Harvey said.

Bruce just gave him a look. "And while I do worry that you're a bit too influenced by people with power-"

"I invited Falcone to meet with you without telling you one time," Harvey interrupted.

"You know I'm right," Bruce said. "And you have a lot of fair points about why and realpolitik and all that crap and maybe you'd know better than I would here. But we've had this discussion before and you've admitted that you see why I worry, too. But despite all of your qualifications, and I truly hope that I'm not trying to, I don't know, brag or something…You wouldn't be mayor if it wasn't for me."

"Ouch."

"I don't think there was a good way to come out and say that but it's true. Just monetarily. Hill's had the political scene locked up for years now. He and Falcone seemed to have some sort of break towards the end but that was after you were an established candidate. Old money doesn't like new blood. No one at the fundraiser the other night would have even talked to you if I weren't supporting you, my name did carry a lot of weight before all this mess, and I personally sunk millions of dollars into your campaign," Bruce said. "And that may not mean as much as someone who doesn't have my kind of bank account but it's still a big investment. I didn't win this for you, I'm not saying that. You were the candidate, I was just the reason you were in the race in the first place because that's just how it is."

Harvey sighed. "Well you're not saying anything that's not already abundantly clear. What's your point? Going to ask me for a key to the city?"

"This is me trying, badly, to apologize."

"So…what? You're actually trying to apologize for making me mayor? Changed your mind on me already?" Harvey asked, sounding a little hurt.

Bruce leaned forward and looked him straight in the eye. "Never."

"Then what?"

"What would have happened if you hadn't asked me? Or if I'd said no?" Bruce asked. "There's no debate but I can see them killing Hill anyway. Maybe there's no mayor. Maybe they get one of the political cronies to do the job. Gotham's as bad as ever but what about you? You might have your hands full with all the crime and the Children of Arkham may not like you coming after them but this wouldn't have happened. You'd have been safe and you never would have had to go through this."

Harvey looked at him for a long while before shaking his head and smiling fondly. "You really do manage to blame yourself for everything, don't you?"

"Not everything," Bruce said, a little stiffly.

"Sure seems like it. If the Children of Arkham aren't your fault and no one could have predicted it then you can't blame yourself. You weren't even there and you weren't because I didn't want you there. And what if you were? You really think you couldn't done more than I did? They really hate you, Bruce. I might've had to watch you die, too."

"I didn't-"

"And blaming yourself for putting me here? I put me here, Bruce. I chose it. All you did was give me the means of achieving my dreams. This is something I've always wanted. I could never blame you for this. Even if he had killed me right there, with everyone watching, or even if he had just maimed me but left me able to talk I wouldn't have blamed you. None of this is your fault and I don't know that I managed to thank you enough for doing this for me. Maybe now's not the best time to be mayor and this first week or weeks or however long this takes to sort out is going to give my therapist a nervous breakdown, never mind me, but don't forget that. I owe you everything. Well," he said, considering. "You and Batman. I, uh, might have to change my official stance on him. I wouldn't be here without the both of you and, from where I'm standing – uh, sitting – that looks like a pretty nice place to be, even with those lunatics running around."

Thanks to Bruce and thanks to Batman. Harvey thought he owed them everything. And he wasn't completely wrong. It felt strange, to be thanked like this. Not bad, though. Not bad at all.

Harvey grinned at him. "Speechless, I see."

"Well, I, uh…you're very good at speeches, Harvey. And I just did what I thought was right."

"If only everyone else would get on board," Harvey said ruefully. "I don't know if it's just listening to you try to blame yourself for something that's obviously not your fault or that pretty nice speech you gave earlier but I'm starting to think that maybe things are going to be okay."

Bruce stared at him, aghast. "How could you?"

"I don't actually believing in tempting fate," Harvey told him.

"You clearly do because you just did."

"And things will be fine."

"We're going to be abducted and murdered and it's going to be all your fault," Bruce insisted.

"Didn't you just try to talk me out of blaming myself for what happened at the debate?" Harvey asked.

"That was completely different. Now you're tempting fate."

"And if I said something about how I just knew that debate was going to go great?"

Bruce looked seriously at him. "Harvey, I think you need to rethink all of your life choices right now immediately."

"I don't know, I think being DA at 26 and mayor now, even if the other candidate was killed, is pretty good," Harvey said.

"We all know you would have won anyway," Bruce said. "Trust Hill to be a sore loser like that. Now no one's going to judge him for losing so bad because who would vote for a dead man? Now every idiot who votes for him just makes you look bad."

"Eh, I can take it," Harvey said. "Better him than SpongeBob. He's actually on the ballot."

"Who put SpongeBob on the ballot?"

Harvey laughed. "Bruce, I can't even with you."

There was a knock at the door and Hill's assistant walked in.

"Deborah, right?" Bruce asked.

She nodded.

"What are you doing here?"

"She's here to take me to my adoring public," Harvey explained. "She's good at her job and she's wasn't exactly Hill's biggest fan so I thought why not keep her on?"

"And I am very grateful for that, Mr. Dent," Deborah said. "Although I'm sure working at Wayne Enterprises would have been a rewarding opportunity as well."

"Seriously, Bruce?" Harvey asked. "Trying to poach my staff before you even meet them? If I didn't know any better I'd think sabotage."

"That would be a very strange thing for me to do considering all the work I put into helping you get here."

Harvey shrugged. "Who knows how you eccentric rich people think?"

"Well, I do," Bruce said. "It's not that different than how average people think."

"You'll understand if I take that with a grain of salt."

"Mr. Dent-"

"Please, Harvey," Harvey interrupted, giving her a charming smile.

She smiled back. "Harvey. We need to go if we don't want to cut it close. The speech won't start without you but that isn't exactly the image you want to display to the press."

"You're right," Harvey said. "Did you bring my suit?"

She nodded and went to the hall to retrieve it.

"Wait, are you two just driving over by yourselves?" Bruce asked. "That can't possibly be safe."

"Look, Bruce, I understand your concerns and I'd be lying if I said I didn't share them," Harvey began. "But I've already played along by letting them keep me in the hospital for a week even though I really just hit my head."

"And got drugged with something that literally drove…somebody….to murder," Bruce said, glancing over at Deborah. "Sorry."

"There was a lot of things Hill didn't tell me," she replied. "Things that are probably going to keep me out of jail. I don't need to know all your secrets, Mr. Wayne."

"Good because I love having secrets. It's an eccentric rich person thing," Bruce told her. "But Harvey. Come on."

"I gave them time to watch me and they said it's all out of my system," Harvey said. "I can't hide from the Children of Arkham forever. What kind of a message will that send?"

"Well ideally the police or Batman deal with it before literally forever," Bruce said.

"But the point still stands. We don't need a mayor who cowers, Bruce. They may come after me again but they'd probably be able to pull it off if they're determined enough no matter what I do."

"So why make it easy for them?" Bruce demanded.

"Because I will not be a coward. You told me I wasn't a coward then, well, I won't be one now."

"This is about more than your pride, Harvey, they could kill you!"

"I know," Harvey said seriously. "But the people are afraid and I can't feed into that fear. A leader has to set an example. We can't let a small group of terrorists turn this city into a dystopia."

"It's just a police escort, Harvey."

"And maybe tomorrow I'll let them escort me," Harvey said. "But this is the first time I leave the safety of the hospital for a week. Nobody has heard from me since the debate. Sure, I've issued a few statements but it's not the same thing. I can't afford to look weak here."

"This is the perfect opportunity for you to get attacked," Bruce protested.

"I'm just going to have to risk it," Harvey said. "Now, assuming I don't end up tragically murdered on my way there or heading home, I'll see you soon."

But Bruce was shaking his head. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no. I am not just letting you two go off half-cocked on your own like that."

"I mean, the police can't force me to let them protect me," Harvey said. "So are you planning on giving me a flat tire or something? Engage in a little well-meaning crime yourself?"

Bruce shook his head. "Nothing so dramatic. But I'm going with you."

Harvey looked surprised. "Even though you think this is a terrible idea and I'm just asking to be brutally murdered?"

"That's not exactly what I said," Bruce pointed out.

"It's what you meant."

"Do you really think I wouldn't manage to somehow blame that on myself, too?" Bruce asked rhetorically. "So, really, I'm just thinking of myself here."

"You have a very strange definition of selfishness," Harvey said, shaking his head. "But fine, Bruce. You can come. I'm not sure what good you'll be if we get attacked but I'm sure you can thoroughly critique my speech after the fact."

"Ah, I don't know. You know I love your speeches," Bruce said. "Besides, I might be of some use. I do know karate."

Note: And so Montoya was on her own but nothing happened that didn't already happen if you choose to save Harvey instead. Harvey and Bruce take out the attackers and Bruce hopes no one notices what a badass he is. Harvey says he's not sure if that's actually karate but he's thankful and he already likes Batman for saving him at the debate. Later Harvey, in a slightly better state of mind, listens to Bruce's about how he got mugged and his clothes were stolen and Selina found him trying to walk home and took pity on him. She is a little offended just how adamant he is that nothing happened between them (because he totally wanted to but Harvey's having a bad week and that would not help things) and doesn't realize how lucky she is no one throws any knives. Not hating Bruce, Harvey doesn't commit him and while he's still struggling with his issues things just work out SO MUCH BETTER, okay? It would really be hard not to.