Gotham
1.
After she sees the flashing light from the explosion, she cuts herself off. This isn't at all how she thought it would happen and she's used to being ahead of the curve. Selina figured he would lose the fight. When she had turned back to help him she didn't think she'd make it in time; didn't think she'd save his life.
He won't succeed, she thought. But at least we're trying.
But now, he was gone. He did it. He saved the city. And she hates him for it.
She walks past the Batpod, past Gordon, past the wreckage. She can see Gordon's eyes following her. He wants to say something, she can tell. But she doesn't stop. The sun is almost setting by the time she gets to her apartment. With hardly any power available, the space is especially dim. It hadn't bothered her, not when she could sleep in the beds of Gotham's wealthiest instead.
Selina's bored with that life now. She wants to reinvent herself. She'll start in the morning.
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2.
It doesn't hurt as much as he thought it would when the cockpit hits the water. Escaping it and swimming to shore, however, leave Bruce exhausted. He sheds most of his batsuit. He doesn't need the armor plates and he can't breathe with the mask on. Bruce removes them, but carries them with him. He wants no trace of the Batman to be left behind.
The walk to the warehouse is longer than he remembers. Before he descends to his second, abandoned Batcave, he can make out the faint cheers in the distance. Bruce allows himself a smile. He did it. He saved the city.
Bruce doesn't give much thought to what he'll do next. He consentrates on treating his wounds; on actually staying alive. But he does know that he wants to live a life that would make his former butler proud. And he doesn't want to be alone anymore.
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3.
Selina doesn't take out the Clean Slate until the next day, late in the afternoon. She had busied herself with selling most of the contents of her apartment. She wanted to pack light when the time came for her to actually leave Gotham. Unlike before, Selina took her time. She wasn't fleeing in fear, which was new.
She's on her bed, legs crossed and laptop open. As she takes off the plastic top of the flash drive, something falls out. It's a piece of paper with an address on it. She doesn't read it at first, just marvels at the handwriting and smiles. Selina lets herself imagine a world where Bruce Wayne isn't dead and it excites her.
All she takes with her are two large duffle bags as she leaves Old Town for good. Her last crime is "borrowing" a dusty car with a decent trunk.
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4.
When he hears the elevator activate, Bruce wakes up. He sits up on the large cot as he hears the steady clicking of heels against the floor. It takes Selina awhile to reach him. The bed is almost in the corner of the warehouse and she approaches him slowly. Her hands are at her sides, which keep her open coat from swaying. She appears tense, but when she's close enough to him, her expression is calm. He wonders how she learned to mask her face so well.
Selina stops a few feet from him. He stands up with some trouble but does it quickly enough that she doesn't have time to offer help. Not that she would, he thinks.
"Resurrection. You'll have to teach me that trick sometime."
He laughs, then coughs, then winces as he clutches his side. It only takes a gentle push from her to get him seated. Selina is more annoyed than worried, which he finds interesting. She takes off his black shirt, then sits down beside him. She holds out her hand and gestures to the disheveled suture kit next to him. Like a reprimanded child, Bruce hands her the needle.
She finishes faster than Alfred ever did, and certainly faster than Bruce ever could.
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5.
Several hours later, they're both sitting at a desk. Selina and Bruce are propped up on stools, across from one another, elbows on the table and forks deep inside their cans of food. They occasionally catch the other's glance but quickly look away. They haven't actually had a conversation since she arrived, but the quiet is a nice change of pace. For both of them.
He finishes before her, but just sits silently as she continues eating. Selina can feel him watching her but she doesn't look up.
"I've never had dinner with a ghost before," she says finally. The comment earns a smirk from him. "Why am I here, Mr. Wayne?"
"Bruce," he corrects. "Mr. Wayne is dead."
"Batman is dead," she emphasizes. "Bruce Wayne can still live on."
"Maybe I don't want him to." They make eye contact and Selina feels like she is talking to someone new. It occurs to her that being lead here, to this place, is just as significant as being informed he is alive. And he still hasn't answered her question.
"Why me?"
"You have something I want. I need your help." She nods. It shouldn't surprise her. He's using her, and she is ok with that. She deserves that.
There's only the slightest bit of bitterness when she asks, "You needed me to keep the Clean Slate safe?"
"No. It just so happens..." Bruce becomes almost bashful, as though he's confessing an intimate secret, "you and I want the same thing. A fresh start."
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I wanted to keep the description to a minimum. I find that writing efficiently best suits the universe of the trilogy. And I wanted to keep the perspective balanced; not enough stuff from Bruce Wayne's point of view, in my opinion. And I'm trying to keep this as in-universe as possible.
Still in progress. The next section will likely be on their way out of country or already in a new one.