She blames his being stubborn. Who was he anyway? He is just a man, born able to enjoy the joviality of life, never having to look behind his shoulder every second of the day and worry about being mugged in his sleep. The city did not owe him anything, not anymore. Never did he owe this wretched and broken city anything. Was his being a dark knight all because of unresolved childhood problems? That is the most concrete explanation. All he has to do is to accept the fact that they are all doomed and the only thing they could possibly do is outrun the explosion. She offers him her company, he returns the gesture with a suicide mission; he is being unfair. She will not let him leave unpunished and unharmed by her, no, he deserves the pain she is about to inflict upon him. But first, she has to consider how Batman would respond to it, his alter-ego has not shown any aggression over females, whether they deserved it or not, but reflexes are not a thing to be toyed with. Second, she has to ready her stance, one swoop would do but that would be plain silly, after all, his butler was with them; she still has her feline pride. Oh, call this an act of love, but her ulterior motive was to be able to hurt him for hurting her and she will not be able to do that anymore if he dies. With one calculated motion, she cups the visible part of his face and tastes his mouth for the second time.
"He'll be back," she involuntarily mused in her head. "Oh, he'll be back."
For a moment there, she swears to have seen a faint longing in his eyes. He is no different from most men, but he is the most broken and stupid and pigheaded.
He was in Florence, Tuscany when the news had reached him. Gotham was in a state of disorder that has finally attracted the attention of the US Government. News from Gotham usually did not reach as far as Tuscany, people outside Gotham only knew the place as the residence of the bachelor, now hermit, Bruce Wayne. It is not possible, even though he was fully aware that this would happen and this is why he left the manor, for him to have failed. He knows that he was in a post-depression stage, but he still wonders why it has taken him this long – eight years, for his emotional wounds to heal. Even with his threat of leaving the manor, he still continued to be difficult and stubborn. Again, he throws his life away for a city he could have saved with educated decisions and financial support. For the third time in his life, Alfred Pennyworth is at a state of despair and sadness, but this time, he was prepared, but the grief still choked him inside.
He grew up in an orphanage funded by the Wayne Foundation and everyday, they told stories of Bruce Wayne's wealth and his generosity. One day, Bruce Wayne visited their orphanage, sports car on tow and female escorts wrapped around him and in that instant, he knew exactly that this man was like him, broken and miserable, only Bruce Wayne was an extrovert and he an introvert. Bruce Wayne smiles radiantly in contrast to him who wears a dismal face. He knew and appreciated the spirit of this strong man, a man who wears the façade of a genius playboy millionaire when he is actually beaten inside. On that day, he strived to be like the man responsible for his current state. As gratitude to the kindness of the city to him, he enlisted in the police force, hoping to dig out information on the crusader and Bruce Wayne. When he did, he became hopeful that one day, he would work alongside the dark knight. He did not know then that he would play a huge role in the fate of his city.