Bruce looked in the mirror and barely recognized himself. It seemed like only yesterday that he had come home from traveling the world, his ever faithful butler Alfred waiting for him, and had come up with a plan to inspire the city, his city, and the Batman had been born. He was brought out of these thoughts by an arm around him.
"Meow" came a soft feminine voice from behind him and he allowed himself to smile.
"Meow?" he asked curiously as he turned around to look her in the eyes.
"Well, I have a thing for cats" she said with a shrug and bit her lip, "Like you have a thing for bats"
"Had" he corrected, "I had a thing for bats" he reached over and grabbed his cane, "I much prefer cats now."
She looked up at him and smiled before planting a soft kiss on his lips before turning away, "I'm going out today by the way" she told him as she got dressed.
He looked at the clock, 11 A.M, "Already?" he asked curiously.
She nodded "I got a couple errands to run" she said, "I'll be back this afternoon or evening."
He smiled softly as he sat on the edge of the bed, he didn't ask because he trusted her, and looked at her.
"I'll be back before you know it" she said.
"I might just stay here, you know... Relax" he said, smiling and turning his attention to the window.
"You do that" she said and walked out the door, turning back to glance at him before shutting it behind her.
He sighed and lifted his cane up, looking at it, he sometimes missed the days when he could walk without one but added it to the list of things he'd lost to protect his beloved city. Getting up he walked over to the dresser and picked up a picture of Rachel. Selina had asked him about her and he'd told her the story about him and Rachel. It had been the first time in a long time since he had opened up about his deceased friend; the guilt still remained and probably always would.
"I'm sorry" he found himself muttering, not even bothering to think about the fact he was talking to a picture "I let that madman blow you to hell and it made a good man lose himself" On the long list of things that haunted him about the choices he'd made Harvey and Rachel were top on the list, they would have been happy together... They deserved it but once again he had interfered, Batman had ruined things for not only Rachel but Harvey. "I was always interfering one way or another wasn't I?" he asked.
He knew Rachel had given up on him, and somehow he was okay with that, he'd known the risks when he had let Dent take his place in the police truck. He wished she was alive so he could explain that it had been necessary that the Batman remain in secret, sometimes he wondered if he should have told her his secret at all, it would have been so much easier... he shook his head, refusing to allow him to think that, Rachel had made her choices and he so had he. The Bruce Wayne that she had fallen in love with had died, he could have never been the person she needed him to be, he realized now she had known that long before he realized it.
He put the picture back down, thinking of Rachel made the hole in his heart all the more obvious to him, and glanced at the picture of his parents, Ra's Al Ghul had once told him that his had been gunned down by the very people they were trying to protect and he had to agree, he'd seen it happen after all. He put the picture back down and sighed, these were the pieces of his life that he just couldn't leave behind no matter how hard he tried.
He put the frame down delicately, as if the picture would break and he'd lose a connection to his parents, and walked back over to the bed. He couldn't do much with his legs these days, they were barely able to walk, but he liked to move around the house and keep active. Leaning on his cane he allowed his thoughts to wander back to eight years ago, his greatest failure.
He tried not to think about it, how he had let that Madman blow them both up, he sometimes thought Rachel had been the lucky one, he pitied Harvey for having to live with the fact that he had been saved and she hadn't. He blamed himself, he always would, and the moment he realized he'd gotten the addresses wrong and had ended up at where they had kept Harvey tied up, not Rachel. His only thought as he dragged Harvey out of that building was a prayer that the cops got there in time.
He'd first heard the news when the commissioner had arrived to check on Dent.
"It was a trap" he said, the sadness in his tone sending a chill down Bruce's back.
"I know" he said in that low growl he used whenever he was in the costume, "I got Dent out, but not fast enough.. That psychopath blew him half to hell"
Gordon shook his head sadly "This is a disaster" he said, "We were too late, Rachel Dawes is dead."
Bruce looked down, he couldn't afford to give away any information on his identity, but inside he felt crushed. He turned away "Inform her loved ones" he's said.
When he'd heard that evening, again, he allowed himself to break down only in front of Alfred after the police had left.
"It's my fault" he told Alfred, his voice just above a whisper.
Alfred looked at Bruce; he had never seen Bruce this broken since his parents died. "It was not" he said softly "Rachel knew the risks, just as Harvey did... Just as you did" He paused for a moment to let Bruce realize what he was saying, "When you became the Batman to inspire the people of this city you knew there would be risks"
Bruce looked Alfred in the eye, and Alfred knew he would never forget that look, "Rachel was never supposed to be at risk... She should not have had to pay for my mistakes" he told her.
Bruce didn't sleep that night, or the next three nights, he kept dreaming of Rachel. When Alfred walked up with his tray it had been easy to see he was hiding something but he didn't care, all he'd cared about was Rachel was gone.
Eight years went by, eight years of self imposed exile then... her. Selina Kyle, posing as one of his maids, had come into his life. She had gotten him out of his exile and shown him that life could continue. Then Bane had happened and she had betrayed him. But that look, he'd seen that look on her face as he lost consciousness... That had confirmed what he'd already known. There was more to Selina Kyle then met the eye.
When he had returned to Gotham he had known this would be Batman's final stand, his last stand, to protect Gotham... He could no longer protect his beloved city, he needed a successor. Then he had seen her again, she looked as beautiful as he remembered, and she had been surprised when he'd forgiven her. How could he not forgive her? He knew there was more, and that intrigued him… Fascinated him… So they had formed a partnership. She had tried to talk him out of it, that he didn't owe the people of Gotham anymore, that he had given them enough.
He almost agreed with her, he has lost Alfred, Rachel, Harvey whom he'd counted among his friends, but he could not turn his back on them. "Not everything... Not yet" he had told her and smiled at the look on her face as she realized how dedicated he was to protecting people. He had given her a second chance as part of the deal, trusting her to keep her part of the deal, and never once had he doubted that she would not betray him again.
When it was all said and done, and Batman had saved the city, he knew he was done... He was ready to start over, a second chance, like he had offered her. He came back to Gotham to find her packing, it was obvious she had been crying,
She had been surprised, obviously, and her first reaction was to slap him "I thought you were gone" she said looking him in the eyes.
He looked down at her, meeting her gaze "I know" he said "But now I can start over... A second-"
He was cut off as she smirked "A second chance, very bold Mr. Wayne" she said.
"I'm glad you think so" he said, "I've managed to save back a little money, When I went broke I made sure to have a backup plan, we can be out of the country in twenty-four hours"
"That long?" she asked playfully, turning around and walking back to her dresser.
"I could use a rest" he said dryly, "I did just swim to Gotham, then walk all the way here/"
She looked back at him, a look of sympathy in her eyes "Go ahead and rest... We'll leave when you feel better"
The next day they left, he never looked back as they left Gotham, and he could leave knowing Gotham was in good hands. They had settled in Italy, Bruce and Selina had always wanted to visit there, and the only person he had ever seen from his life in Gotham was Alfred, who he had seen in a small cafe just like he had told Bruce he'd imagined.
Bruce was jolted out of his thoughts as the door opened and Selina walked in "Hey Handsome" she said with a flirty smile.
"You're back early" he noted, glancing at the clock.
"Yeah, it didn't take as long as I thought" she said as she walked over and kissed him softly "What did you do while I was gone?" she asked.
"Oh I just... Thought about things" he said.
"Like what?" she asked curiously.
His eyes met hers and a smile formed on his lips "Second chances" he whispered softly.