It was almost dawn when she reached the top of the steps. Sweat ran down her back and she took a deep breath as she looked over the city. They had been in Florence for three weeks. It was easy to be taken away by the almost too poetic streets it possessed; churches everywhere and small cafes as far as the eye could see. But even as Selina overlooked the city, she had to admit that she missed the Roman streets. Rome was dirtier, bolder and rougher. It reminded her of Gotham, Selina realized. She hated admitting that perhaps deep down part of her would always miss that city, dirty and cruel as it was.

Even the morning mist floating over Florence reminded her of the many times she found herself returning from a job at dawn. A faint chuckle escaped her as she felt just how distant her old life seemed to be. She had almost accidentally ended up with Bruce; nothing except their next destination was ever planned. It was strange how they just seemed to fit, a child raised by the streets and one of privilege. There was some arguing at times; perhaps it was best described as sparring. It was often over in minutes and it ended up with a laugh of resignation or subtle shake of a head. It was never of a malicious sort; after all it had been present since the very beginning of their relationship. Selina could only remember one instance when she had truly felt upset; it was one night on the third cruise they had boarded.

They were sitting on the 'wooden' floor at their room; this one was smaller than the first they've had, it almost had a claustrophobic feel to it. In attempt to make the room feel larger she had opted to have her dinner on the floor and Bruce joined her shortly after. The crowds in that particular ship were larger and they often chose to stay in to avoid "rush hour". Selina knew there was something hanging over them and that their idyllic period was perhaps coming to a close. She had to confront him; it was the healthy thing to do. They couldn't just go on like this, and she'd kill herself if they ever ended up talking about the weather.

"Maybe we need to talk." She told him in confident tone as she meet his gaze.

"What about?" He asked softly, almost on the verge of nervous. He had that same expression he had worn when he visited her apartment in Old Town. It was filling her guilt, the same guilt she had managed to keep at bay.

" I don't know. You tell me. " She gave him a side smile to put him at ease, it wasn't one of 'those' talks. He seemed uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I.."He hesitated furrowing his brow. "We haven't really talked about those months in Gotham or what happened after I got taken" She noticed how he was deliberately avoiding her part in the whole situation. "I mean, you know that when I was six I ran around the house pretending I was Zorro. And I know you had an old cassette player that you used to drown out the sounds of the brothel." He pressed his lips together. " And while that's great, we've somehow avoided talking about…"

"Those months you were gone." Selina finished his sentence and she was pretty sure remorse painted her face, judging by the way he was looking at her. Parts of her narration he had seen for himself like the neighbourhood that had become her territory and the food rationing. But she walked him through the riots and the spoils those around her enjoyed. For the first few minutes Selina had been careful about revealing the impact it had on her but Bruce's expression made it inevitable. She found herself telling him how from the moment that gate closed between them she knew it was wrong; it made her feel dirty. It was like a perpetual bad taste in her mouth and there was always a knot in her throat. Her thoughts always managed to gravitate towards what she had done almost every minute. There was no escape from it, even when those around her enjoyed the spoils. The 'storm' she had been looking forward turned out to be a sham. She saw it as such and hated that those who had been 'liberated' were blind to the truth.

" But if it weren't for you Gotham would have been destroyed." He told her when it appeared to be drained from by her tale.

"Maybe it wouldn't have been there in the first place if I hadn't been involved." Selina looked away from him and let out defeated sigh.

"You know that's not true. You might try to deny it, but you know that's not true."

"Doesn't erase the fact that it happened." She mumbled quite unsure on how to act.

"It doesn't matter now." He was trying to snap her out of her guilt trip, she was very aware of that. But those words ignited anger in her, it mattered to her. And it probably always will. She looked at him in disbelief and left the room as quickly as she could. It wouldn't be too long before he found her but Selina made sure he would have a harder time than usual.

" I'm sorry." She heard him say behind her about an hour later. " That was a stupid thing to say. But you shouldn't have run off like you did." Selina was looking out at the darkness and he leaned against the railing, facing the opposite way. She stayed silent, it had been wrong to leave so abruptly, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction just yet.

"Fine." He sighed and made no attempt to touch her or to face her. "It never goes away, you know? You will always feel conflicted about this, the rational part of you knows that it wasn't your fault, that things would have found a way to happen exactly the way they did. The other part of you will probably never let it go; it will forever replay those moments that you think are so crucial."

"Is that how it is for you?" Her voice was getting back to its usual tone. It was her version of a peace offering.

"For the most part, yeah."

A loud growl from her stomach quickly reminded Selina that it was time to head back and to stop by a store to get some breakfast. They had decided to stay in Florence, or rather, Bruce seemed really keen on it and she agreed to it, with a few conditions of course. For one, no more hotels. She hated the feeling of people keeping tabs on them and being confined to one room was starting to feel a lot like a sarcophagus; especially in the bigger cities. So they had settled in a modest apartment, the landlady warned them about it being a shady part of town. Told Selina, who at that point could hold a decent conversation in Italian, not to walk alone late at night. She thanked her while she and Bruce exchanged a devilish gaze. As for the rest of her conditions…Selina merely smirked thinking about them.

She stopped by the one grocer who was open at so early in the morning, it was in the centre of town, a bit far from their neighbourhood, but it didn't matter. Selina enjoyed the morning walk back to the apartment. It always smelled of fresh bread and the tourists weren't up just yet. Carrying a small bag with a few eggs, bread and ham and nibbling on biscotti as she went Selina spotted someone. She slowed down her pace and made sure he wouldn't be able to see her or feel her presence. It was a familiar white haired man; she had to follow him for a block or two to confirm it was Alfred, Bruce's butler/father figure. He never did detect that he was being followed; he seemed overwhelmed by his surroundings and there was an awful sadness about him. It had been the same kind she had felt before that night at the diner.

She swiftly made her way back to her neighbourhood, not quite knowing how to feel or what to say to Bruce.

He looked down at the black case he held in his hands. It was bounded in velvet (he supposed), it was extremely well kept from years of being kept in a safe. The last time he had seen his mother's pears they had been around Selina's neck. Her skin so pale that the pearls were lost in it; they rested millimetres away from a mole he had become particularly fond of. Before he went after Selina he made sure to retrieve the pearls from Wayne Manor and stuck them in his rucksack. He was almost positive Selina hadn't found them. Almost.

Today seemed like a good day to finally gift her pearls or give them back to her, really. Today he was absolutely certain that his gesture wouldn't frighten her and make her go for a run out of routine. His act was planned, something that was rare in their relationship. Maybe it signified some sort of evolution or some sort of significant progression. Whatever it was today was the day. He was convinced after what had transpired late at night.

He woke up in a cold sweat. Not knowing where the hell he was. Was it Gotham? Was it that pit? Then he saw the orange light coming off their cheap clock. It was 3 a.m. how suiting, the devil's hour, he thought. At that point he had become aware that Selina was hanging over him. She was just as pale as he felt, covered in the same cold sweat. Had she been going through the same hell he had being through? Their eyes were firmly locked even in darkness. Selina's hair was a mess and some of it stuck to her forehead. Before he could finish studying her condition she had thrown herself on his chest and he wrapped her in a tight hug. He began crying, probably even sobbed, he didn't know why. He just knew it felt awful, whatever he saw in his dream made him feel dead. And judging by the warm tears he felt on his chest, Selina was feeling the same.

Neither of them said anything. They just drifted back to sleep, almost rocking one another. Maybe it was some kind post-traumatic stress manifesting itself. God knows they had been through shit. They both had had nightmares in the past but the simultaneous despair was new. New and unwanted. But if they both ever awoke at the devil's hour again looking like they had just met him then he knew they could pull each other out of it.

Yeah, today was a good day to give her the pearls back. He knew he would struggle to string his sentences together, pausing here and there. Bruce would probably just handing her the black velvet case and have her open it. Selina would probably say something in that low voice of hers, something that hid and exposed how grateful she really was. She'd move her ponytail to the side and she would probably plant her lips roughly on his, just like she did they first time they kissed. Hopefully.

The key could be heard turning across their small studio apartment. Selina silently opened the door as habit to avoid waking him up. She settled the groceries on the kitchen table and looked a bit surprised to see Bruce up and waiting for her. A strange sort of smile was born in her lips and her eyes had a new expression on them. Nothing was wrong with her, but there was definitely something new about her. Bruce almost saw an air of protectiveness in her.

"Didn't think you'd be up." She was referring to their tempestuous night

"Well, I've got something to tell you." His voice was soft and still bathed in a tired quality.

"So do I." Selina's voice acquired a tone he had never heard. Bruce was unable to place it but her softened eyes and a hand that lay uncharacteristically on her mouth hiding a quiet smile put him at ease. Even if he couldn't decipher her expression entirely.