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Alex was nervous.
She felt like she was back in high school and she was going to Prom with the popular boy in school.

Clad only in a bra and panties, Alex was standing in front of her bed, staring at the two dresses laid out. She was torn between going simple or sexy. Was this a business dinner... or was this a date date?
Getting the Joker to open up and tell his honest feelings was probably easier than the choice before her.

The sound of her phone ringing brought her out of her struggle. Alex grabbed her cell phone, and accepted the call.

"Al, you busy tonight?"
"Hey, Luke. Yeah, sorry, I've got this... dinner thing. Why? What's up?"
"Damn. Just wanted to take advantage of your free babysitting services."
"Sorry."
"So... what's this dinner thing?"
Alex gave a huff. She really didn't want to explain to her brother, who's job it was to carry a gun and arrest people, that she was going to dinner with the man who reportedly dated the entire Russian Ballet ensemble. "Oh.. just a friend from work."
"Just a friend from work huh? Alex.. are you going on a date?"
"No...?"
She heard Luke sigh into the phone, "what's his name?"
"Luke. You are not going to look up my date."
"So this is a date?"
"Bye Luke." Alex pressed the end button harder than needed, and tossed the phone onto the bed.

She was quickly running out of time. If she didn't pick a damn dress, she'd be having dinner with Bruce Wayne naked.
Deciding on the safer option, Alex slipped into a navy blue peplum dress that ended above her knees.

Kneeling down onto her knees, with some trouble from the healing bullet wound, Alex grabbed a pair of heels.

Alex took several deep breaths to help calm her down. It was only dinner... with one of the richest men in the world.
And not to mention this would be her first date in too long.

Nothing to worry about.

-x-

Alex took a cab into the fancier part of Gotham, deciding taking the train would take too long.

She began to feel a tad light-headed as she made her way to the Hostess' stand.
'This is ridiculous. I've had a man break into my home and shoot me. I think I can handle dinner with a guy.'

"Excuse me? I'm here looking for my, uh..."
"Your date?" A voice sounded behind me.
And there he was. Bruce Wayne. 'My date'

Walking towards her, Bruce held out his arm.
"Shall we? I've already got a table set up for us."

There was nothing Alex could do to fight the blush that bloomed across her face.
She took his arm with a shaky hand, and was led near the back of the restaurant.

-x-

"You can't be serious, Bruce."

"It's true."
Taking a sip from her wine, Alex gave him a disbelieving look, "Prove it then."
Smirking, Bruce traced figure eight's on the tablecloth, "Okay, I will, and when I do you have to kiss me goodnight."
"Fine, but if I win, you have to let me pay for my dinner."

Leaning back into the chair, Bruce stuck his tongue out and touched it to the tip of his nose.
Laughing, Alex gave a nod of approval, "Alright, you proved me wrong... you can touch your nose with your tongue."
"I told you so. When do I get that kiss?"
Heart beating like a hummingbird, she tried to play it cool, "Like you said, Bruce, I'll give you a goodnight kiss. Those usually happen at the end of the night."
"Fair enough."

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Alex fiddled with the stem of her wine glass.
"Can I ask you something, Bruce?"
"No, you can't ask to see my perfect abs. That comes on our second date."
"Oh haha.. very funny." playfully rolling her eyes, "My question is... why did you ask me out tonight?"
Bruce didn't respond right away, he just looked at her.

It was just as awkward as it was when he did it back at the asylum.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I asked you out because you seemed.. real."
That caught Alex off guard.
"I seemed real? Pardon my asking... but what exactly does that mean?" She watched him take a swig from his wine.
"I've dated a lot of women.. and I mean a lot of women; supermodels, movie stars, dancers, sing-" "-The occasional dentist, the woman who sold you your insurance.."
Bruce laughed, holding his hands up in a mock surrender.

"You're not like those other women. It's refreshing."

Alex didn't know what to say to that.

Bruce leaned in and placed his hands on the table.
They were just a few centimeters away from hers.

"So tell me, Alex, how do you like Gotham?"
"It takes a bit of getting used to. I mean, Gotham is the only city where you have a superhero dressed as a bat." He leaned in a bit closer, and smirked, "Oh, don't tell me you're a Batman fan." Alex shrugged her shoulders, "Why not?" 'He did save my life once already.'
"Why should he have the right to go out and beat up whoever he wants? You can't take the law into your own hands."
Leaning back in her seat, Alex could tell this was something they weren't going to see eye to eye on, "Yes, but if it wasn't for him, I'd be dead. He saves lives, Bruce. I personally believe he's doing some good.. Jim Gordon seems to like what he's doing for the city, also."
"He saved your life?" Bruce's' voice was quiet. "Well.. I think so. I couldn't really see him, my vision was bad... but I think it was him. Who else performs first aid and leaves before paramedics arrive?"

With nothing more to say, they both fell into a heavy silence.

'Oh great.. now I've done it. He probably thinks I'm some Batman wacko.'

"I'm glad he was there when he was."
Giving a sarcastic laugh, Alex swirled the wine around her glass, "Yeah... me too."

After Bruce paid the check, which he kept it far enough away so Alex couldn't see the total amount, they made their way outside.
While waiting for his car, and her taxi, to arrive, Alex turned to Bruce, "Thank you for dinner, Bruce. It was delightful." Bruce smiled, "It was. Next time I'll take you to Dorsia." Alex raised her eyebrows in mock surprise, "Oh, Dorsia, huh? I hear you need to make reservations three months in advance to get in."
"I know a friend who owns the building."

The valet soon arrived with Bruce's too-expensive car, "You sure I can't talk you into giving you a ride home?" Alex shook her head, "I'm good. Thank you."

Knowing this was the end of the night, Alex slowly closed the gap between her and Bruce, and gently kissed his lips.

It was unlike any other kiss she had.
It felt like fire and ice at the same time.

The kiss lasted a bit longer than necessary, but neither seemed to care.

Breaking the kiss, Alex opened her eyes and swore she saw stars.
Grinning back, Bruce lightly placed his hand behind her neck, pulled her close, and planted another, deeper kiss upon her lips.

"Goodnight, Alex."
"Night."