Eye Of The Beholder


The rest of Bruce and Katrina's walk had been fairly quiet, with just enough how have you been's and what have you been up to's sprinkled in to keep an awkward air from invading their hike. Bruce hadn't had the faintest idea of where this girl was leading him until they broke through the tree line.

In front of the two teenagers was a water tower so tall that even if Bruce craned his neck back as far as he could, the very top was still only visible due to the dull yellow lights blinking around its edges. A metal ladder painted white stretched from the thin pathway encircling the tower all the way to the ground in front of them. Upon first inspection it didn't look so bad, but the longer Bruce scrutinized its peeling paint and slightly bent rungs, the more wary he grew of anyone using it as a means to reach the top.

"You coming, tiger?"

Bruce's gaze fell from the top of the tower to see that Katrina had already climbed the first three steps off the ground, her brow arched in question as she eyed him over her shoulder. Surely she wasn't serious. "You're really gonna climb that thing?"

"Oh, c'mon Bruce," Katrina chuckled, dropping her right hand from the rung it held to swing half her body carelessly from the ladder. Her laughter only grew when she saw Bruce flinch towards her in response. "Don't tell me you're scared – the all-adventurous Bruce Wayne, Prince of Gotham – scared of a little climb?"

"I am not scared."

"Then start climbing."

Without another glance to see if he would follow, Katrina turned her back on Bruce and resumed her climb towards the top of the tower. The more sensible part of Bruce's brain was sputtering at her blatant disregard for her own safety and demanded that he turn around right this instant, while the side that craved excitement couldn't help but rejoice in the fact that he may have finally found somebody that he could start having some real fun with. It was of little surprise to himself which side won the mental argument when his own hands wrapped around the ladder to start the long climb.

The air grew noticeably cooler as they neared the top, which was a welcome relief from the stifling heat of a Gotham summer night. Once Katrina had set foot on the grated path, she trailed her fingers over the railing and looked out over the Gotham skyline as Bruce pulled himself up to join her.

"See?" Bruce huffed slightly, sliding the rolled sleeves of his shirts back down to his wrists. "Not scared."

When Katrina offered no reply, Bruce lifted his gaze from his sleeves to her profile. With the moon hidden from view behind a culmination of smog and clouds, the only lighting available in the dead of night were the slowly blinking lights beside their feet. When they were off he saw only her silhouette, but when they did briefly flicker on the illumination cast long shadows on her cheeks that only served to enhance her features.

Bruce hadn't paid much attention to it earlier in the night – whether it be because he had been focused on someone else, or because he was simply surprised to see her again – but looking at Katrina now as she leaned her crossed arms against the railing, her head tilted delicately to the side as she admired the view…

"It really is an ugly sight, isn't it?"

Katrina's words, though harsh, had been said so quietly that Bruce barely recognized the voice as the same one he had heard all throughout the night. He blinked once, twice, and a third time before shaking his head, despite the fact that she wasn't looking at him. "I don't think so."

The corner of her rust colored lips lifted ever so slightly as she brought one hand up to prop her chin on. "I guess it really depends on where you're looking. Although, the city as a whole is rather obnoxious looking in my opinion."

Bruce stuffed his hands inside his pockets as he took a step closer to Katrina's side, allowing his eyes to shift out towards the skyline. "Where are you looking?"

"My home," she answered bluntly, her voice low and rough.

He didn't have to ask her to clarify. It wasn't hard to deduce that a girl like Katrina had most certainly not grown up in the Palisades, or even Downtown. Bruce looked across the bridge that connected the acceptable part of Gotham to its undesirable partner, the Narrows. It was far less well lit, and he could almost imagine that if he listened hard enough, he could practically hear the crime undoubtedly taking place at that very moment.

A scratching sound drew Bruce's attention back to the girl on his left, who was currently attempting to light what would be her third cigarette of the night. Without much forethought, Bruce said to her, "You really shouldn't smoke so much."

Katrina scoffed in response, shaking her head as she struggled with the lighter in her hand. "Yeah, yeah, I know. They're gonna shrivel up my blackened lungs and turn my teeth yellow and make my breath smell bad and give me cancer. I've heard it all before. Have you ever considered, however, that – light, dammit – that maybe, just maybe, I don't care?"

Well… That was that then, he supposed. It took another few strikes, but Katrina was eventually able to get her lighter working just long enough for smoke to begin trailing from the end of the cigarette. He watched with a sense of curiosity as she inhaled deeply before sighing, her eyes closed in what Bruce could only assume was the closest she ever came to looking at peace.

"So, where were you looking?" Katrina asked after her second drag, abandoning her post at the edge of the railing to lean her back against the side of the water tank. When he tilted his head in question, Katrina motioned vaguely towards Gotham. "You said you don't think it's ugly. What do you see out there that's so pretty you would dare disagree with a mad woman at the top of a very tall tower?"

Even though Bruce was confident that she was only joking, he still took a step away from the edge before answering. "There are some good people down there," he argued. "Sure, the exterior is a bit… gaudy, and there's a higher crime rate than most places, but… Well, a few bad apples don't mean the whole tree is rotten."

Katrina narrowed her eyes as she observed Bruce, pursing her lips in thought. "Are we talking about people or agriculture? Because I'm a little lost."

"It made sense," Bruce defended, moving to join her when Katrina slid down the tank to sit with her knees tucked up against her chest. She only shrugged in response before returning her attentions to the cigarette between her loosely pinched fingers and the bright skyline below them. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

"And who do you behold?"

"What?"

"C'mon," Katrina goaded, knocking her shoulder against Bruce's with a knowing smirk on her lips. "There's no way you were at that party tonight, looking all down and depressing as you were, because you didn't have a spat with the missus."

"I – I don't behold anyone," he stuttered, waving his hands uselessly in front of his face as he spoke.

"Oh, pfft. You mean to tell me that you – Bruce Wayne – are single? I don't buy it for a second."

The briefest image of a certain someone appeared in Bruce's mind, but he quickly waved her away. Not quickly enough, however.

"I saw that look!" Katrina all but shouted, shifting so that she rested on her knees in front of Bruce with a wide grin as she laughed. "So? Dish, Wayne! Tell me all about her. What's her name? Is she as posh as you? Is she drop dead gorgeous?"

"All right, all right," Bruce conceded. Katrina clapped her hands together as she settled herself once more against the tank, watching Bruce intently as he sighed. "Her name is Rachel."

"Rachel," Katrina repeated before nodding her head. "Wow. You really love her, don't you?"

That threw Bruce for a loop. Shaking his head, it was his turn to move so that his back no longer touched the water tank and he faced her completely. "You got that just from her name?"

Tapping her head with a smug grin, Katrina reminded him, "Psychic. But no. I got that just from the way you said her name. It wasn't 'Rachel', it was 'Rachel'. Y'know?"

"… No."

Katrina scoffed, rolling her eyes as she muttered something about thick skulls. "Whatever. So, go on. Rachel. How'd you meet?"

He told her everything. He talked about the first day he had seen Rachel walk into his home, hiding behind her mother's long legs for only a moment before darting out to greet him with the widest smile he had ever seen. He talked about their misadventures exploring Wayne Manor and the surrounding property. He talked about how she had been there for him through the death of his parents. He talked about keeping in touch with her even when she and her mother didn't live at his house anymore. He talked about growing up with her, and falling more and more in love with her every day for as long as he could remember.

Bruce had no indication for how long he had rambled on other than a few lights in the city turning off and the moon that had previously been overhead dipping lower in the sky. It was difficult not to go on when he was with Katrina, though. For someone who seemed like such an oddball, she had been a surprisingly good listener.

"Wow," she finally breathed when the words tumbling out of his mouth crawled to a stop. "You really love her."

Bruce chuckled softly, his eyes falling to his linked hands in his lap. "Yeah. I really do."

If Bruce had been looking at Katrina rather than his own hands, he might have seen the way her eyes had gone distant as her smile faltered. It had been many, many years since she had felt any sort of affection from anyone. While a small part of her was glad to know that at least Bruce had managed to find a sliver of happiness despite his tragic beginnings, she couldn't help but be envious that he had someone to love, and someone to love him.

Both teenagers were shaken from their individual thoughts at the sound of a honking horn before a beam of light streamed into their faces from the ground below. "Party's over," a gruff voice called from the bottom of the ladder. "Come on down, kids."

While Bruce's expression only thinly concealed his panic, Katrina merely rolled her eyes at the interruption before stabbing out her cigarette and taking a hold of her partner's elbow to lift him as she stood. "I should have known that geezer would have been making the rounds tonight."

Katrina didn't give Bruce the chance to ask how she knew who was waiting for them at the bottom before she had started the descent down the ladder with him following close behind. Having been caught in the act of trespassing had considerably dampened his adventurous spirit, leaving him only with a healthy dose of caution as he slowly climbed downwards. By the time he was halfway, down, he already heard Katrina speaking to the officer.

" – just fine, myself. How are you doing tonight, Officer?"

"Can't complain, Miss Scott. And what poor soul did you rope into your antics tonight?"

"You'll never believe this one, Gordy." Katrina laid a hand on Bruce's shoulder when he finally reached the bottom, spinning him around before wrapping her arm around his back. "Bruce, you remember James Gordon, Gotham's finest sergeant, don't you?"

"Oh, yes, of – of course," Bruce stuttered, sticking his hand out for Gordon to take. All he got in return from the officer was a strange look, causing him to chuckle nervously before lowering his hand back to his side.

Katrina rolled her eyes at Bruce's awkwardness before dropping her arm and moving to stand by Gordon, shielding her mouth with her hand as she stage-whispered, "Jeez, and here I thought he was supposed to be Mr. Smooth."

Gordon, looking thoroughly unamused with on eyebrow raised at the girl, propped his hands on his hips as he spoke to the teenagers. "Well, Mr. Wayne, I would like to say that it's nice to see you again, but I had certainly hoped it would have been under better circumstances."

"Aw, c'mon, Gordy," Katrina scoffed. "You don't have to act all big and bad in front of us. We both know what a big teddy bear you really are, right tiger?"

Bruce shook his head fiercely, unsure of who he should be looking at as he spoke. "No, I don't know that. Not to say that I think you're bad either, Officer Gordon! Of course I think you're nice, at least from what I remember. Katrina and I just… well we were just…"

"I needed a smoke," Katrina cut in, rolling her eyes as she pointed at Bruce. "Goody Two-Shoes over here was just unlucky enough to run into me on my way here. I dragged him along – thought a spoiled rich kid like him could use a little fresh air now and then."

"If by fresh air you mean illegal activities in the middle of the night," Gordon clarified while Katrina shrugged as if to say same thing, "then yes, I see exactly what you were doing. Now, you know if anyone else had caught you two up there – "

" – I wouldn't be so lucky as to see your beautiful face," Katrina cut in with a wink towards Gordon. "I would also be spending the night in jail since my foster parents absolutely abhor my idea of a good time. I know, Jim. I've heard it once; I've heard it a million times."

"I know you've heard it, I'm just not sure you're actually listening, Kat. I can only bail you out of trouble so many times. Your house isn't on my patrol route, which means I have to come up with yet another explanation for why I'm veering off track."

"I don't mean to interrupt," Bruce said, doing just that, "but if it's any help sir, I can take Katrina home tonight, so you don't have to lie to anybody. My car is parked just on the other side of these trees here."

"No," Katrina and Gordon answered at the same time, her voice a bit louder and harsher than the officer's. Bruce watched with confusion as they shared a look he couldn't quite explain before Gordon moved to open the back door of his squad car.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill," Katrina sighed when he opened his mouth, not letting him get a word out. She started to walk towards the door, but quickly turned on her heel and walked back to Bruce's side. Without a word she stretched herself onto her toes and pressed a rough kiss to his cheek, patting the other with her hand. "Night, tiger. Give me a call next time you're craving adventure."

Bruce watched with furrowed eyebrows as she pulled the car door open further, lifting one foot inside. "I don't have your number," he blurted, causing her to laugh as she sat in the back and closed the door without giving him a way to reach her.

Gordon had watched the exchange with a strange mixture of wariness and relief, waiting until Katrina was safely inside the squad car to move to Bruce's side and clasp a warm hand on his shoulder. "You're a good kid, Wayne. Katrina is… well, she's Katrina. She hasn't exactly had an easy go of things ever since the incident with her mother."

There was a knock on the window that had both Gordon and Bruce turning to look at Katrina, who tapped her bare wrist to indicate that they should hurry up – as if she had anywhere else better to be. Gordon merely rolled his eyes before turning back to Bruce. Pulling a blank speeding ticket out of his pocket along with a pen, he began to scribble as he spoke.

"I don't want you to feel pressured into doing this, but I would consider it a personal favor to me if you would give her a call sometime," Gordon explained as he handed Bruce the yellow slip of paper with ten digits hastily scrawled under the line titled VIOLATION. "I try to keep her out of trouble as much as I can, but there's only so much I can do. What she really needs is a friend. A good friend – not those hoodlums from the Narrows."

Bruce nodded along, though he had tuned out almost immediately after being handed the paper. He wasn't so sure that seeing Katrina again was the best idea. After all, he had only reunited with her for a few hours and already he was on the brink of being in trouble with the law.

"Just think about it," Gordon said lightly, sensing the boy's apprehension. "Like I said, no pressure. Kat's a tough girl. She can take care of herself… most of the time."

With a final pat to Bruce's shoulder, Gordon finally returned to the driver's side of his squad car. Katrina waved enthusiastically from the backseat as they pulled away from the grass and back onto the dirt road that would eventually lead the pair back to Gotham, leaving Bruce on his own in the dead of night with nothing but the blinking lights of the water tower and a number in his hand that could very well change his whole life.

He could not call her. His life would go on as it had. He would go to Princeton, get a degree, hang out with Rachel, stay at home alone when she wasn't available… drink… slowly sink further and further into the depression that had been building for too long to possibly be healthy.

Or, he could call her. Take Gordon's advice, and show her ways to have fun that weren't illegal. He could take her out to lunch, or to a movie. Introduce her to Rachel. Invite her to college parties. Go on adventures. And maybe – just maybe – she could work a miracle on him like she had tonight, and help him forget the darker parts of his life that threatened to consume him if he looked too closely.

Bruce tapped the paper lightly against his palm a few times before folding it neatly in half and placing it in his back pocket, a broad grin on his face as he turned back towards the tree line and began the trek back towards his car. Alfred was going to be furious when he got back, but maybe he would calm down enough by morning to let him use the phone.


Yes, yes, I was gone forever. Such is life. But I'm back with a brand new chapter!

So, Katrina and Gordon. Best pals. Cute, right? What did you think of their relationship – as briefly as it was shown? The small developments between Kat and Bruce? A little glimpse into how her mind works? Drop a review down below and let me know!

There will be another time skip between now and the next chapter, though not as drastic as another ten years. If there is anyone or anything in particular you'd like to see Kat and/or Bruce meet or get into, let me know! If I ever use one of your ideas, I will be sure to credit you for it.