"Bruce seems much more as ease now than he ever has." Mrs. Gordon commented as she glanced into the living room, while Alfred and Jim spoke to each other along with Sarah, Jimmy was talking animatedly with Bruce. Every once in awhile Bruce would interject with other three in the room but his attention remained much on Jimmy. It seemed that Jimmy needed someone other than his father to go to for advice.
Bruce had told Selina a few things that Jimmy came to him for, sometimes it was girls other times how to deal with friend issues. Mostly Bruce dealt with it, but he admitted to her that at times he never really knew what to say, there were things that he wasn't experienced with. Selina had immediately told him that Jimmy just needed advice not how to get from point A to B, kids didn't need that. Assuring him that Jimmy was indeed intelligent, Bruce from then on listened more than he spoke and Jimmy began to love him all the more.
"I bet it's because dad isn't trying to kill him now." Barb mused from her seat at the kitchen table. "Now he knows that Bruce is tied to Selina for at least eighteen years, unless they change the law."
"Your input is always so welcomed, Babs." Selina dryly stated.
"You guys think of any names yet?" The older woman only smiled at the two others' snarky side notes to the other.
"Not really." She shrugged. "We've had a lot on our minds lately. Work has been hell with trying to get the charity auction in order."
"You can't blame everything on work, Selina." Mrs. Gordon gave her a pointed look. "Besides with a baby it won't be good for you to work so much."
"Well you know," Selina ignored the gaze that she was receiving from Barb. "I was never good at just sitting around."
"But still," Barbara Gordon took a platter in her hands. "Relax. You can always go back to work but never will you get back the first steps of your child."
With that she left the kitchen and the two women in silence at their respective duties.
"He's worried." Selina said quietly.
"He's always worried." Barb shrugged. "There's nothing he can do about it until something happens."
"Babs." She stilled her movements and turned to her oldest friend, slight fear etched in her face, which Barb was not expecting and it took her a second before she realized what Selina was about to say. "Bruce isn't the only one."
"I'm not surprised." There was an unsaid name that fluttered throughout the room. Selina had tensed a bit as she stared at Barb, trying to gauge how much she could admit at the present time at this location. "But you don't want to talk to tell him..."
"We've talked about it." Selina cut in. "But it's more along the lines of I don't know if I could go through that again if...something were to happen."
"Ok," Barb drew the word out, attempting to come up with words that would cool her friend's thoughts. "Would you settle for everything will be fine and be happy that you married a wonderful man who you're going to have a child with so live in the moment cause there's really nothing you can do about it?"
"I hate that you're so damn logical." Selina gave a half smirk.
"Yeah that's what one PhD will do to you." She shrugged.
"How's the second one coming along?" Resuming her chopping of the vegetables she listened to Barb talk about the upcoming year.
"It keeps me busy when your husband decides to cut me out of his nighttime romps." Barb informed her. "Since you haven't been down there and out of commission, which dad was actually happy about by the way, I've been getting a lot of research done."
"Maybe I should just stay up in the house then." Selina quirked a brow.
"You better not!" Barb gasped. "I need someone to keep the growling at bay."
"Who's growling?" Bruce was following Jimmy into the kitchen, his hand it instantly went around Selina's waist for a quick hug.
"You." Selina smirked up at him.
"Is that a promise for later?" He questioned as he kissed her gently.
"God, you guys!" Jimmy made a face before leaving the room in a rush in a grand twelve year old fashion.
"You did that only to get him out of here." Selina cocked her head.
He only shrugged, as he made himself comfortable leaning against the ledge of the part of the counter she was working at. Selina went back to chopping, as Barb silently observed the two.
"You heard us." Selina cursed her husband's fantastic hearing ability, mostly she cursed those long years aboard for giving it to him.
Again, he shrugged.
"Bruce," She stopped chopping and looked to him. "I know that..."
"We all have our concerns." He leaned in and kissed the top of her head. "You were right before about having to put them aside."
"I like hearing that." Selina smiled a bit.
"You're right?" Bruce guessed.
"Beside that." She acknowledged, "Just hearing that, it's reassuring to know I'm not alone."
A clearing of the throat from the other side of the room, caught their attention enough for them to turn towards its source.
"After hearing you two bicker about each other for the past month and not knowing exactly what it was about" Barb crossed her arms. "I would like some credit here."
"You're lying, Babs." Selina accused.
"Considering you weren't sneaking out and you're normally…"
"You sneak out?" Bruce stopped the conversation for a moment.
"A couple times, Bruce," Selina rolled her eyes, deciding not to inform him of the other dozen or so times to keep in shape, maybe beat up a mugger or two. Although he probably knew about those times as well. "And most of the time you were there."
"Oh," A certain smile came to his face, "those times."
"And I had to listen to you guys… not patrol." Barb was not amused.
"You weren't even at the manor when we got back." Selina lifted a brow.
"Why would I stick around?" Barb sighed, "At the beginning of you guys doing… that."
"Now you don't want to talk about it?" Bruce remembered a very different time two years ago when Barb had no problem commenting on their sex life over the link and in person.
"It's been a while." She shrugged. "I feel like I don't have the authority to say anything any more."
"Have you looked at the new detectives on staff?" Bruce questioned.
"Seriously?" Barb's eyes widened. "You're going to start setting me up? Have I really gotten that depressing?"
"Are you girls done in here yet?" Barbara Gordon walked in, pushing Bruce aside, as he blocked the entrance made her way into the kitchen. "Bruce you're distracting them. If only you could cook." Sighing, she shooed the three of them away. Barb quickly rose and hurried out of the room, fearing her mother's rath. "Go out there so I can get some work done!" Before Selina was being lead by Bruce towards the living room, Mrs. Gordon stopped the couple and embraced them. When she released them, they saw tears glistening with a large smile on her face. But the moment was broken. "Alright, go before I order take out!"
Bruce glanced as Selina as she brushed her teeth, as he sat on the edge of the bed waiting for her. Tonight, he decided that he was going to stay in and enjoy his wife's company before cries filled the manor and the only time he would probably see her is holding the infant. With all the worry he held, there was an amount of excitement that he tried to focus on rather than the dread of the possibilities that could arise in the future. Years ago, he thought that this dream of having a wife, child, this life, disappeared with Rachel, yet here he was, a husband, soon to be father and happy, extremely happy.
A slight smirk came to his face as he watched Selina in the bathroom. Her thin strapped top that had once been a bit loose for her was now stretched in her fourth month of pregnancy. Although her stomach was growing by the day, she kept active, making the rest of her body completely in shape and toned. Her dark, wavy, long hair was twisted up in a loose bun and her naturally tan skin was a bright and healthy looking. She attributed these new healthy features to what she called horse pills that the doctor gave her. Mrs. Gordon said it was the glow. Barb just snickered and crassly put it as that Selina was just happy to get laid. Bruce did not care what it was, she looked absolutely beautiful.
"Are you sure you don't want to go out tonight?" Selina approached him, with a muted look on her face. "Babs could be over here..."
"No." He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Batman can take a night off."
"Been quiet?" She asked.
"Enough." With knowledge that he would always feel guilty if he didn't go out and wander the streets for at least three hours, Selina always made sure that there wasn't a pressing issue at hand. If all was well she was happy to cajole him to stay in, if there was something, she usually left the matter alone and would stay up with Barb downstairs.
"I'm surprised you don't want to check out that new detective that just transferred from Chicago." Selina commented, let her fingers run through his hair. "He's getting pretty close to Uncle Jim."
"Barbara can handle it." His head cocked in indifference, his hands resting on her hips. "She could probably get closer to him anyway."
"You mean you're going to let her do all the dirty work by hacking into the police department's files." A half smirk came to her face. "Since when did you get so lazy?"
"I'm not lazy." Bruce's eyes narrowed. "I would just like to spend time with my wife."
"And sentimental?" She chuckled, as he held her to him, his head resting on her stomach.
"Old age." Kissing her stomach, he looked up at her.
"As long as it's you and not me." As Selina leaned down and kissed him, she halted her lips and gasped. Her hand went to her stomach.
"What's wrong?" Instantly on alert, Bruce drew back and stood. "Selina..."
"Bruce." She smiled and grabbed his hand. "Feel."
He would never be able to describe it or the feeling that suddenly came over him. It was as if the reality of having a child hit him all at once in that moment. Protection, love, and almost every emotion came to him, then finally pure happiness. Happiness that he had when he had woken up in Selina's apartment all those years ago and as Maggie had climbed on his shoulder while waking up next to Selina. It never stopped but this... this was something more.
"That's the first time I felt it." Selina was actually grinning.
Bruce just stared at her stomach, unsure of what to say, but happy nonetheless. The slight smile on his face and the amusement in his eyes showed that and Selina didn't require anything else.
"So got any names picked?" Barb's voice came over the link. What was it with people and names? "I always liked Barbara."
"Too many." Batman mumbled as he observed the street from above. It was a quiet night in Downtown Gotham and strangely for a warm March evening. Usually criminals and such were bound to come out. There were some minor crimes tonight of course, but no guns, nothing too extravagant. "Where is she?"
"Upstairs." He didn't have to specify who. "Along with Alfred, if you were wondering. The whole pregnancy thing and all." A pause. "I'm about to trip an alarm at the library, just to pretend to do something."
He allowed himself a small smirk at the comment. Nights like these he was of course happy for, but inwardly, it was nerve raking. Never the one to be content with a quiet city, he pursued a bit more. There were always criminals and always going to be criminals, Bruce had come to face that fact. But, he still wouldn't stop, not yet.
"Call it a night, maybe?" Barb questioned. "That detective flies in from Chicago tonight, the red eye. Want me to set up a date?"
"Tomorrow." Batman made his way down the building and went towards the pod. Stopping suddenly when he heard movement behind him. Then his eyes narrowed at a shadow, going to step forward, but a cat jumped out of the garbage can and the shadow was gone instantly. Daman cat. Yet, a piece of paper lay at his feet, uncertain he picked it up. Get home now! "Be back soon."
"Alright." She sighed. "I'm heading out, got to wake up early to wait for the painters tomorrow."
"Painters?" He jumped on the awaiting pod and eased out into the streets. Where had that note come from?
"Yeah, it's some of Dick's old friends coming over to do a favor. I think dad conned them into it." Barb told him. "As much as I love our late pillow talks, I'm in my car and done for the night. G'night Wayne."
"Night." Cutting the connection, he made his way towards the manor, the note caused a slight panicked in him making him reeve the machine well over the speed limit. Mentally he tried to calm himself down, it wasn't working. Instead he focused on the many reasons he took the mantle of Batman, but mostly family and began to assume that everything was normal.
Selina was already asleep and Alfred was probably finishing up his nightly routine. Beside he had to enjoy the peace and quiet before all the noise came, well it already had in the form of the various new family members he had acquired but the manor would soon be filled with the noise of children, or child. Perhaps children one day, but for now, one was enough of a risk.
As he cleared the entrance of the cave, he felt wrong. Instinct began to take over, as he quickly undressed and hurried up to the manor. Coming into the study, he saw nothing immediately at risk. The room was completely dark aside from the moonlight coming from the window. It lightened certain areas of the room, but nothing was amiss or ruined. It looked normal, how it always did when he came back. Perhaps missing a person or two, but nothing too wrong. A strangled breath from the wall, caused him to break out in a jog to the entryway.
"Sir," Alfred had been holding onto the wall before collapsing into Bruce.
"Alfred?" Bruce's heart began to race, as he observed his weakened older father figure. Blood had stained various parts of his night clothes and bruises were appearing at other points as well. "Who did this?"
"She's… she's upstairs." The older man winced, then righted himself. "You must call Lesile and…"
"Stay…."
"I'm fine." Although it wasn't the most reassuring voice Bruce had ever heard, he felt a need to adhere to it. "Go upstairs."
"Will you…"
"I will call Dr. Tompkins." Alfred told him, catching his breath. "You need to go tend to your wife, she's…"
Not letting him finish, Bruce immediately turned and went to start running upstairs, but a hand stopped him.
"She's not well, sir."
With that being said, Bruce took off into a bolting dash up the stairs to the master bedroom. Going up the three flights in less than fifty seconds, he found himself out of breath not because of the exercise but because of the worry that was coursing through his veins. The door was already pushed open and he gazed about the room, which was in disarray.
"Selina?" Bruce had attempted to calm his voice, but even he could hear the panic. He glanced at the empty bed with rumbled sheets. Then around the room, looking for any sign of her. Moving further into the room, he kept on with his search.
Before he could say her name again, he came to the other side of the bed. He went into a defensive mode for whenever he found victims such as these and knelt down beside her, taking her pulse quickly, noting that it was rather quick in her knocked out stage, then checking her over. He counted at least four visible bruises on her left leg, upper right arm, cheek, and forehead, which he surmised caused her unconscious state. Nothing appeared to be broken. A few scratches but he was unsure of what was causing the small pool of blood. Perhaps a bullet… That's when his mind stopped its ultra focus state and reality kicked in.
After he had always done with victims, a slow awareness came over him. The victim was not just a victim, it was his wife and as he looked at her limp form in his hands, he began to understand that she had been laying in a small pool of blood. Within that small pool of blood and around her, had been a broken necklace of pearls. Pearls that rolled away the moment that he came over. Pearls that had once sat on his mother's neck and then in an alleyway outside of a theater.
All his training could not have prepared him for this. It had been almost thirty years since he had sat in someone else's blood, thirty years since he had seen pearls float around a woman he loved. Now Selina, his wife, the woman that was going to share his proudest and lowest moments was cradled in his arms, soiled in blood. Panic encroached on his being and Bruce Wayne began to hyperventilate. All reason fled him and he didn't know what to do. He began to feel like that lost, alone child from all those years ago.
The child that didn't have a hope in the world. The child that had gone through life withdrawn and had planned to take revenge on his parent's murderer. The child that had runaway from Gotham, had learned the ways of the criminal mind and had returned someone, something entirely different. Loss would always be with him, but he had hope through various outlets. Now his ultimate hope was laying limply in his arms. This could not happen again to someone he loved, trusted and had a future with, a legitimate, complete future.
"Selina." He brought his ear down to her mouth, listening for breaths, which he heard. His own breathing coming out in raspy words. "Selina." She wasn't responding. "Please. Please, wake up." No movement. Fear dominated the scene. The pearls had been the trigger of the memory of his mother. Somewhere in the back of his logical mind, he knew Selina did not own a set of pearls. Whoever had down this knew him personally. "You have to wake up." Her form was still. "Selina, don't do this." Without reason, he shook her slightly in his arms. "Please wake up."
A sudden gasp and her eyes were wide and wild, dancing around her before finally gazing at him. A small amount of relief came over him and he allowed himself a small smile. He caught her in an embrace, kissing her cheek, forehead, and then her shocked lips.
"Bruce." Selina was panicked.
"It's ok." He brushed the hair out of her face. "Everything's ok now. Lesile's coming she's going to…"
"They were here." Her hands came to grip his now bloodied shirt.
"Who?" His brows narrowed.
"The League." Selina closed her eyes and her head dropped on his shoulder. "They were here."
"Selina." He would worry about the details later. "We need to get you checked over by Lesile, You're bleeding…"
"It's not mine." Bruce felt her head shake.
"What?"
She picked her head off of him and looked him in the eyes. Pain etched in her blue eyes.
"The blood." Taking a strangled breath, Selina continued, telling Bruce one of his greatest fears. "It's not mine."
Bruce leaned forward in the waiting room seat. Alfred and Lesile had convinced him to take Selina to the hospital and now he was waiting for news that he had already been told twice. Quite frankly, he didn't need to be told that his wife was in pain, both mentally and physically again. He didn't need to be told that the family that he was just getting comfortable with was gone, again. The main reason he was sitting here was because of the Gordons. Although Barb of course knew exactly what was going on, since he had been the first to call her, while Jim was clued into the happenings between the Waynes, the others didn't. He knew there would be questions as to how this happened, why and who did it.
While Bruce was still silently brooding, Barb came up with a plausible scenario. Selina and Alfred had been walking in the city when they had gotten mugged by a group of hooligans, her word, and Selina had fought back, but took one too many punches and kicks. When Bruce had agreed to the story, he disagreed that even in her state it would take more than a group of four, untrained hooligans to take Selina down and that Barb would have known about it, since there were tracking devices on all the family members, his wedding ring being one of them. However, Barbara Senior wasn't privy to Selina's skill set nor was she up to par on their niece's various activities. She would question why it hadn't been called in. Bitterly, he reminded himself, people get mugged all the time. Then there was Jim. And Jim would have questions, many, many questions.
"Bruce?" Barb came over and sat with him, he didn't bother to look up. "I called mom and dad, they're coming in a bit."
No response.
"None of us knew that they were there." She said quietly. "Even with your beefed up security measures, there's nothing we could have done and…"
"Stop." His voice was harsh, but hushed and demanding. Bruce didn't need to be told that there was nothing to be done because there was always something to do. Had he been home, he could have saved them. Had he been home, on this quiet night, where Gotham wasn't falling apart, he could have been keeping his life from falling apart.
"They're going to be a few more minutes." Barb nodded. "Just to warn you, mom and dad are going to come in here wanting to be useful and give words of encouragement. Try not to be all bat-like."
A small snort of approval came from him.
"I already checked the footage." She told him. "There was only one of them. He had been wearing a mask but Selina managed to get it off of in their…" A pause. "It's Cain. David Cain. It's an inside job, that we know, he's not doing this for the pleasure…"
"He does." Bruce bit the inside of his cheek. "He does it for the pleasure."
"Anyway." Suppressing a shiver at the coldness in his voice, Barb continued. "I know hearing that you guys can try again or whatever isn't going help, but you can. And if it's worth anything, I think it would be good for you."
Although Bruce currently did not want an elaboration on the subject, he was curious about what she meant. He did not think that it was good to bring a child into a world of murdering psychopaths. To bring someone with a clean slate in the world and ruin every hope and dream they had as they grew older. He would be the absent father. Whether it was at work or being Batman, Bruce would only be able to spare a couple moments with the child. Or perhaps it was something that he thought he would only allow himself.
Perhaps Barbara was right, this would be good because it would show him that there was a life outside despair, just as marrying Selina had brought him further into a content life that he thought about only in dreams. Like how the Gordons had welcomed him into the family, even Jim had come to accept the strange and elusive Bruce Wayne as a pseudo-son-in-law, which sometimes came off in their nighttime chats on top of MCU. Jim and Bruce had grown closer, close enough to sit on the porch while the others stayed inside and just talked. Perhaps it was because Jim had been by his side for so long, or the other older male figure that wasn't Alfred or Lucius, but Bruce valued his opinion and his friendship more than he could say. Now, though he was concerned if that was going to come through.
Maybe, after he had secured his family home once more, he could stop being the Dark Knight and live as a normal man. A man that would have children with the woman he loved, a beer with his family once in a while, a man that didn't transpire around the rooftops of Gotham leaving fear in criminal's loveless hearts. Would he be content with that life? For now, he was determined to bring David Cain and the rest of the League to justice. Before he could stop, that was something that needed to be done.
"Oh god Bruce!" He looked up and saw Jim and Bee coming towards him, he stood and was surprised to himself locked into a tight embrace. Then Bee pulled back and although she was significantly smaller than he, she took his head in her hands and pulled his head down just a bit to look into her eyes. "Whatever you both need, we'll be there for you."
"Bruce." Jim grabbed his shoulder, his eyes filled with distress. "How are you holding up?"
Family. He had learned to come to enjoy the word and yes he could live that kind of life.
So I was just completely spoiled. 9 reviews for the last chapter! That is completely astonishing, I am flabbergasted, really. Thank you, because I was worried about putting this up, thinking that people weren't going to read it. Therefore, in light of the recent plethora of reviews and so happy to see familiar names come back and new ones appear, I'm updating early-ish.
So this chapter... well, it's not pleasent. But trust me there's more than just that, because there always is. Ah relationships. I do hope you all keep reading to find out exactly what happened and how. So please feel free to leave comments, feelings, questions (don't worry you'll find out where Bruce is), and anything else. There is plenty more to come including... well that would give it away ;)
-EV
