-"Hello Bruce"- She said careless, the beautiful blond woman sat comfortably in the spacious living room of the Wayne manor while a confused Alfred poured her a cup of coffee.
The millionaire was dumbstruck when he saw her, Selina Kyle, the enigmatic catwoman had just decided to come visit him completely unannounced after a five year absence.
She was perhaps the only woman he ever loved, the only one who knew of his double identity and the only person he ever thought could understand him. Yes she had been a bouglar that had played with his mind, heart and body but he always knew she was a good person underneath. Their complicated relationship had developed from being enemies to occasional allies and at last resolved into a passionate romance when she chose to fight for the good side.
But right when he begun to trust her and hope that one day they could both be heroes watching over the city of Gotham she simply vanished into thin air, leaving only a short note over his bed that said: "Goodbye" nothing more, nothing less.
Bruce Wayne had lost his ability of speech, the charming irresponsible millionaire by day and powerful vigilante by night was now standing helpless at the sight of her.
-"Please Bruce, take a seat. There is something very important that we have to talk about"- She said while Alfred bowed softly and left the room.
He walked toward her, shock wearing off while slowly being replaced by rage. He rarely, if ever, confided in people. He had opened up to her and she had betrayed his trust, all the hurt that resulted from her absence had been locked deep inside him and was now burning out uncontrolled.
-"Why are you here?"- His voice took the raspy grave quality usually reserved for Batman and he stood right in front of her, towering over her small frame.
She saw him with those beautiful emerald eyes that had captured his dreams and for the first time noticed the sheer amount of darkness and pain they reflected. He knew right then that she was in serious trouble.
-"I said Bruce… sit down"- There was the commanding strength in her voice again, she had never been a wilting flower and never would be.
His only response was to cross his arms over his chest and defy her back. –"Speak now and make it fast, I have things to do"-
She took a calm sip of the delicious coffee and glared at his deep brown eyes, pain and rage so evident it would have pained her to see them if she wasn't so broken already.
-"Fine!"- She said enraged –"Ra's Al Ghul murdered my son and I want to kill him but I cannot take over the league of shadows on my own. I need someone who knows how they work and their flaws, since you used to be one of them it was an obvious choice"-
-"You had a son?!"- The menacing tone vanished from his voice, that last statement took him by surprise.
Her lower lip trembled, her fists clenched digging her nails deep in her palm drawing blood in an attempt for the physical pain to block the emotional one. It took her several deep breaths to gain her composure.
-"He was a little over four years old Bruce, do the math"-
And for one short awful moment he was struck with a horrible confusing realization, the world became a chaotic mess and his knees gave out before he could even understand what had happened, he found himself grasping for the nearest couch.
-"It can't be… why didn't you tell me!"-
-"Because you are a grown man that puts on a bat suit, hops over rooftops and piss off dangerous criminals on a dayly basis. Playing superhero is fun but when I got pregnant I realized I wanted my baby to have a safe normal life. That could never happen if I stayed with you!"-
-"That was not your choice to make! At the very least I deserved to know about him. Who are you to decide I'm not fit to be a father? Who said you had the right to just erase me from both your lives as if I was nothing but a…"- He struggled to find the right word. Reality had become a clusterfuck in a too little time frame.
-"Nothing but a sperm donor? You were more than that to me though it made little diference in the end"- She said bitterly –"it doesn't matter anymore, my child is dead, you will never meet him and for that you can thank Ra's Al Ghul for it. Let me have my revenge and after feel free to do as you please, forget me, kill me or send me to the authorities so I can pay for my crimes. I don't care what happens to me afterwards"-
-"Why did Ra's Al Ghul do that? What could he gain from the death of a little child?"-
-"I don't know. I fled to Europe after I left Gotham and acquired a new identity, ever since I developed a large company of private security. Three months ago some men broke into my house and shot the babysitter, they kidnapped him and asked for a 4 million dollar ransom. I made the negotiations and left the money where they asked me to, two hours later I receibed a phone call."- Tears flowed freely over her face now, he couldn't resist the urge to hold her close to him and whisper empty reasurments on her ear, they sat awkwardly entangled on the couch as she finished her awful tale:
-"I heard my baby's voice… He was calling for me and then I heard a man chuckle then gunshots rang over the phone and he screamed so loud! Then there were no sounds any more. Police found their hideout but by then they were long gone, we never found the body."-
She cried a while more, all Bruce could do was hold her tight and then she said something that turned his pain and confusion into the purest cold rage.
-"It took a lot of work but I finally foud the culprit, the warehouse where my son was kept belonged to a company named Tanathos"-
-"A false front for the league of shadows to run their evil empire"- Bruce's voice was colder than ice.
-"The forensic's team found several chemical compounds there, as well as some microscopic pieces of a rare metal alloy formed by iron, copper, selenium, lithium and charcoal. It was highly moldable but once hardened…"-
-"I could be as hard as titanium, if not more. Yes that is the black steel the league of shadows use in their weapons. You are right this does point at Ra's Al Ghul"- He placed his index below her chin and forced her to look at him –"Get ready Selina, we are leaving in a few hours"- The menace in his voice was palpable.
…..
Batman was making the last arrengements before they used his private jet, heading to meet his former mentor. The man that had taught him all he knew about combat.
Alfred helped him carry the large experimental assault weapons on the plane, he was worried at the amount of ammunition his charge had prepared for this trip.
-"Sir let me remind you that you made a solemn vow to never take a life. I understand the wredtchedness of the situation but there are lines that should never be crossed"-
-"Ra's Al Ghul killed an innocent young boy, Alfred. He killed My son I'm sorry but that line was crossed already."-
The older man thought about the little boy, Thomas Wayne's grandson, and how he could never meet the home were generations of the Wayne family lived and prospered. Yes Batman was right, there was no turning back.
-"Very well sir, be careful"- His perfect manners hid the inner despair that dwelved beneath him, he only hope Batman made it alive out of this awful mission.