Blood.

Sweat.

Tears.

Chapter 10

The sun was streaming into the bedroom of the hotel suite and Bruce silently cursed the bright light that dared disrupt the sleep he was finally getting. He rolled over, with every intention of curling around Selina, but found nothing but cold sheets. He was starting to grow tired of that little move already. The clock said it was only seven a.m. It was definitely too early.

Bruce flipped back on his back and stared at the ceiling. Should he close his eyes and go back to sleep or get up and find Selina? He didn't think for much longer; the comfort of the bed and his sleepiness won out and he fell back asleep.

Selina had awoken about five thirty. She tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but after rehashing the details of her encounters with the Joker, an uneasy feeling had settled in her gut and wasn't going away. She decided to go for a run to try and clear her mind; she wasn't sure it was going to work, but she was sure as hell going to try.

She needed the exercise anyway. The two of them had sacked out on the four poster bed the night before with gigantic bowls of creamy pasta dishes and a bottle of wine, although, she was sure she was the only one drinking it. She had felt sluggish after she'd eaten all of her pasta and a few bites of Bruce's as well as apparently drinking the entire bottle of wine. So it was entirely possible that part of the feeling in her gut was the residual feeling effects of a wine hangover and food coma. Regardless of the origin, she needed to move, to exercise the heavy feeling in her stomach away.

It was already sunny and warm as she emerged from the hotel. It was barely after six as she jogged through the lobby. She'd gotten smiles and stares from the hotel's staff as well as her fellow guests as she walked through. Selina supposed they'd all heard she was a 'newlywed'. It dawned on her, rather late actually, why they were looking to her so expectantly. They were looking for rings and Selina had no rings on. She actually wasn't wearing any jewelry at all. How could they have overlooked that? She nodded and smiled at them as she exited and hurried as quickly as she could without looking like she was running away from them and their prying eyes.

Why were these strangers so nosy? Selina definitely didn't like that.

Outside the hotel, Selina looked around and read some of the sign. Finding the one she needed, she started jogging toward the running path.

The winding path took her through a scenic forested area and then along the river in the morning sunshine. There were some old men out fishing that gave her some long appreciative gazes, and some whistles, as they took in her lithe form as she raced by.

And when she finally turned around and ran back to the hotel, she was sweaty and gross and no one gave her a second glance as she strolled back into the lobby and up the stairs to the suite she was sharing with her "husband".

She let herself back in to their room, using her skills to do so without a sound. If Bruce was still sleeping, she wanted to let him continue to do so.

Selina headed straight for the bathroom and peered through that doorway into the bedroom. Bruce was still asleep in the bed, a peaceful look on his face.

"It's about time," Selina whispered out-loud.

She smiled and closed the bathroom door.

Selina looked at herself in the mirror over the sink. Her skin was flushed and her dark hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat. She was gross; no wonder no one stopped her on the way back into the hotel. It wasn't a look she thought she'd keep permanently. However, she did feel better.

She walked over to the enormous white claw-foot bathtub next to the windows and turned on the faucets, admiring the craftsmanship and luxuriousness of the bathroom fixtures.

While waiting for the giant tub to fill, she went out on to the terrace. Italy was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. She'd seen pictures in books, but simple photographs couldn't do the city of Florence justice. The hills, the gardens, the river and even the city and its centuries old buildings were almost too much to appreciate all at once. It was overwhelming and she didn't deserve this. She'd never done anything in her life to be rewarded with this. And she certainly didn't deserve to be with Bruce Wayne. Bruce deserved something, someone, better than her. Selina made up her mind, there and then, that she'd make sure that Bruce was well again, in good shape and healthy, and then she'd let him enjoy the rest of his life, without her.

She left the doors to the terrace open, enjoying the breeze that was blowing through the room and peeled off her running clothes. Selina left them in a pile on the floor and climbed into the hot water. She wasn't the biggest fan of baths, but Selina had always had a fantasy of taking a bath in a claw-footed tub. Sinking into the hot water, she tried to let herself relax.

Bruce woke up again, still alone.

"Where the hell is she?" he found himself saying out loud.

Bruce looked over at the clock. It was now after nine. He figured he should be awake and functioning, despite the fact that he felt like he could sleep for another twelve hours and still not be fully rested. And this bed was too damn comfortable.

He stood from the bed and ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm it. Bruce ignored the pain and stiffness in his knee and back as he walked through the bedroom to the living area. He figured he'd find Selina in there reading, but the living room was empty, too. He looked over to the terrace and found the doors standing open.

Bruce walked out onto the terrace. It was a beautiful morning. He wished he was standing there with Selina, enjoying the sun and the cityscape. But she wasn't there either.

He was about to start worrying when he noticed that the door from the bathroom to the terrace was standing open. He took a few steps towards the doorway and saw Selina relaxing in the bathtub with a very serene look on her face. Bruce almost didn't want to disturb her. But nature was calling.

Bruce walked the rest of the way into the bathroom and was as quiet as he could be. He was happy that there was a separate room within the bathroom.

It wasn't until he was standing at the sink furthest from her and washing his hands that Selina's eyes opened and looked at him.

"Good morning," Selina said from the bathtub.

"I didn't meant to disturb you," he said softly.

Selina moved over to the side of the tub and rested her chin on the tub's edge.

"I didn't mean to doze off," she smiled.

She took in Bruce's form, admiring it, committing it to memory the best she could. He way he smiled at her almost made her forget her promise to herself. Bruce stood at the vanity, now leaning his hip on it, facing her. He was only wearing his boxers, allowing all of his fading bruises and healing cuts to be seen. The stitches she'd sewn into his side were healing well, but Selina made a mental note to convince him to see an actual doctor to have them removed.

"Where were you this morning?" Bruce asked.

"I had a lot on my mind," Selina replied. "I went for a run."

A surprised look crossed Bruce's features momentarily. Just a flicker, but Selina saw it.

"A run?"

"I do prefer dance for exercise, but believe me, I don't fit in that leather suit by sitting on my butt all day and night," Selina replied dryly.

"I'd like to see you dance," Bruce replied.

"Not going to happen, Mr. Wayne," Selina grinned.

"I'll bet I can make you change your mind," Bruce replied. "I can be very persuasive, Mrs. Wayne."

"That is something I am very sure of," Selina said. Being called 'Mrs. Wayne' sure felt good, but she shouldn't let it affect her.

Stick to the plan, Selina told herself.

A very loud knock on their hotel room door brought them out of their flirting.

"I'll go," Bruce said. "Although it would be nice to watch you answer the door like that."

"Maybe later," she smiled. "Quit staring at me and go answer the door."

Bruce smiled at her once more and exited the bathroom. Selina took her minute of alone time and started draining the bathtub and climbing out to dry off. Wrapped in a towel, Selina walked out into the living room area.

Bruce was standing and speaking with a bellboy at the door. Both men stopped talking when Selina entered into the room.

"Hi," Selina said.

Bruce felt the hard pang of jealousy as the bellboy took all of Selina's almost naked form in.

"Our friend here just wanted to let us know that there is a communal breakfast in about an hour," Bruce said, moving to put a possessive arm around Selina's shoulders and pulling her close to him.

"Yes, ma'am. We encourage all of the guests to join us," the young man said with a thick Italian accent.

"It's in about an hour?" Selina asked. "We should be done by then," she purred.

The bellboy, and if she was correct, and Bruce as well, blushed a pink color.

"We'll see you downstairs, then," the bellboy said and excused himself.

Bruce shut the door and turned to face Selina.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Selina replied.

It was an argument neither one of them wanted to have at that particular moment. Although, having it, they would be more like newlyweds.

"Is that a newspaper?" Selina asked, looking at the rolled paper under Bruce's opposite arm.

"It is," Bruce replied. "I don't know if it's international or not, though."

"Let's see," Selina said as she slid it out from under Bruce's arm.

She took the paper to the coffee table and unrolled it.

"It's not international, but you should probably see the front page," Selina said.

Bruce kept his eyes on her as he crossed the room and stood next to his 'wife'.

The center image was a black and white photograph of a Batman statue.

"It was put in place yesterday, in Gotham's City Hall," Selina read. "But that's not all," she said, pointing to a smaller photograph, near the bottom of the page.

It was a very small, yet highly detailed picture of Bruce himself.

"What does it say?" he asked Selina quietly.

"It's a funeral announcement," she replied, equally as quietly. "Why is it in the Italian newspaper?"

"I don't know, but it's going to make breakfast interesting."

A/N: I know, short and all and no action, but yesterday was my birthday and I am feeling kind of lazy. Please review. And thank you for those that reviewed the last chapter!