That evening I was laying on the couch absentmindedly watching the TV. There was a cigarette hanging lazily from my lips as I glanced around the room. There were four packets of empty cigarette and another half empty packet. There was two empty bottles; one of the bourbon and one of whiskey, there was also two half full bottle of bourbon and whiskey. There was an empty carton of vanilla, whereas the chocolate ice-cream carton that I had left a few spoonful in had melted. The room smelt of cigarette smoke, I should open the window's to let the smell out before Alfred came home.

I heard the door open knowing that it was Alfred because he was the only one besides me to have the keys to the house. I guess it was too late to open the windows, I thought letting out a giggle.

'You've picked up some bad habits in my absence' said a voice that I hadn't heard in over eight years.

Maybe I had died in my sleep or maybe I was crazy. It would be ironic to be put in Johnathan's asylum, I thought to myself letting out a giggle. The thought of Johnathan not being able to escape the insane, that even his girlfriend was insane, I thought giggling to myself. Then I stopped giggling, not girlfriend but ex-girlfriend. I was probably dead, I must have set fire to myself with a cigarette by falling asleep. Oh poor Alfred and Rachel, they were going to be devastated. Then I turned around to see him standing there in all his glory. I couldn't be dead unless I happened to kill Alfred without knowing it.

'Miss Dawes said that she has been to the house a few times, as well as called but received no answer' said Alfred with a small smile.

'You know Rachel, Alfred she just overreacts. I was working out and then I fell as sleep downstairs. I'll call her later to let her know I'm fine' I told him as I stood up to face them.

'I'll let her know that you're fine and will be calling her later' said Alfred. Then he gave a quick glance in the direction of the man standing next to him.

'Alfred why do you go rest for a bit, I'll make vegetable lasagne and toffee chocolate chip cookies' I told Alfred completely Ignoring the man standing next to him.

'As you wish, Amelia' said Alfred smiling at me warmly which I returned. I wasn't angry at Alfred he was the one that had abandoned me for eight years. Alfred wasn't the one that made me stay awake at night thinking he was hurt or worse, dead. Alfred wasn't the one that made me cry myself to sleep every night for the last eight years.

After that Alfred left the room and I began gathering the rubbish up. Then opened the windows to let the smoke out. I had seen the disproving look in Alfred's eyes, it made me feel like a child all over again, kind of like Katie who I had given the same look to yesterday. I made my way in to the kitchen with the rubbish in my arms only to be followed by him.

'I know you're angry at me but let me explain' said Bruce grabbing my arm making me stop.

'Don't you dare touch me. Angry… Angry doesn't even begin to cover it' I hissed at him snatching my arm out of his hold. I put the rubbish in the right recycling boxes or Alfred would have my head. Alfred had this thing about fresh products and recycling.

'Please Lia, just let me explain, you don't have to say anything just listen' pleaded Bruce as I began cutting the vegetables for the lasagne.

'Fine! Go on' I snapped at him cutting up vegetables. I had wanted this. Didn't I? I wanted Bruce back. I had waited and hoped for this moment since he had walked out the door all those years ago. So why the hell was I acting like a bitch and not listening to him. I had broken things off with Johnathan for Bruce. What the hell did I want? Maybe I didn't even know what I wanted. I was hurt when Bruce left me, so I didn't want to forgive him so quickly or so easily. Even if I hadn't let it show to Rachel or Alfred, Bruce leaving me had almost killed me. I was scared that I would let him in and he would leave again and it would kill me this time. I knew that for a fact that I could take anymore hurt or abandonment. Bruce's abandonment, my parents death, things with Johnathan even though we had decided to end things but still it hurt and I was guilty. I didn't have it in me anymore. I wouldn't be able to take anymore. I wasn't the person I was all those years ago.

Bruce sat down on the stool I normal sat on at the breakfast bar in front of me as I began layering everything in the tray for the vegetable lasagne. He waited till I placed it in to the oven and started on the cookies before he began telling his side of the story. Bruce told me how he felt like he was drowning, and suffocating in Gotham before and after the trial of his parents murderer and had to get away. Then he travelled the world learning about criminals before he was arrested. He told me about his time at some Bhutanese jail where he met a man named Henri Durcard. Bruce told me about his time in training and Ra's Al Ghul and how Henri had wanted him to join the League of shadows. Bruce told me that after he had finished his long training period he had found out that their true mission was to destroy Gotham, but he couldn't do it. That me, Alfred and Rachel were in Gotham and he couldn't let them hurt us. He couldn't destroy the city that his parents loved so much. Apparently the league of shadows had been cleansing cities that were corrupt for centuries. That Gotham city was beyond saving. Bruce told me about how he had set fire to the league's temple and Ra's Al Ghul had died under falling debris. He told me that he had found Henri hurt and carried him to a village nearby.

Bruce had told me that he had thought about me every day, every moment. He told me that every time he closed his eyes he would see my face, my smile. Bruce said that sometimes he thought he could hear my voice and laughter late at night at times when it was a brutal day of training, when it got too much for him. Bruce told me that he wanted to come home to me but he was scared that I might have moved on. That I might have married again and had children in his absence.

I had laughed at him in disbelief and told him that was I was thinking about him when he didn't come back. That I was scared that he was hurt or even dead at times and it killed me to be far away from him. I told him that I had waited and hoped that he would return to me one day. That it had almost killed me being away from him. I had told Bruce about the threat from Carmine Falcone, about Mike and Liam. Bruce had been so angry that I had to hold on to him to stop him leaving the kitchen and doing something that would end up hurting him. Or worse leaving me again like he had done the last time he had seen Falcone.

Bruce had told me that he wanted to end the corruption in Gotham city and make it a better place for the people that lived here. And for that he had to become a symbol, because he couldn't do it as Bruce Wayne. He would become Batman so that the people he loved wouldn't be harmed or hurt. I had told him about all the work that I had done with the help of a few of the elite of Gotham. Bruce had wanted me to continue my work whiles he dealt with the corruption and the mob families. He told me that he had spoken to Alfred about it on his plane ride back and that he had been staying at the penthouse for the last few days. This had caused me to raise my eyebrow at this. Bruce told me that he wanted a few days to get his head together. I understood that I was doing the same thing.

Bruce had wanted things to go back to the way they were. I had told him that I was scared and that he might leave me again. I told him that I never wanted to feel like that ever again. I didn't want to worry about if he was dead or hurt, spending days and nights alike worrying about him. I wanted us to be able to talk to each other without hiding thing and fighting.

But after everything I couldn't bring myself to tell him about Johnathan. I knew I was being selfish but I just had got Bruce back, finally after all these years. I didn't want to lose him. I couldn't lose him. Not again. I couldn't bring myself to tell him my parents had died either. Bruce seemed happy to be back home with his family. I didn't want to hurt him, I wanted to let him get things back to normal before tell him everything. If I was to make a fresh start with Bruce I would tell him everything, truthfully. I didn't want to hide anything from Bruce that would later come out and hurt him. I wanted to be the one to tell him everything myself, from my mouth. Just not right now.

We talked to each other as I finished making dinner for the three of us. After I finished making dinner Bruce helped me take it in to the dining room and set the table. Alfred joined us for dinner and we all spoke to each other. Alfred caught Bruce up on the politics and other things to do with Wayne Enterprise whiles I told him about our friends and what they had been up to.

Alfred was happy about finally having Bruce back home under the same roof as us all. And it showed because Alfred was beaming, and his smile was infectious. Bruce was smiling too, his eyes sparkled and he was glowing. I was so happy to have Bruce back home and I was always happy to dine with Alfred. Alfred would always make all my worries go away.