CHAPTER 10 – THOSE UNCOMFORTABLE SILENCES…

Selina Kyle was an enigma to Bruce Wayne. She'd gone from being a dangerous foe to an occasional girlfriend, and Bruce felt like the relationship between the two of them was in constant danger of shifting from one extreme to the other. Over the years he'd known her, the two had encountered each other in all kinds of unexpected, dangerous situations. But tonight, it felt like nothing could be stranger than having her over at Wayne Manor for dinner. In his current mood, the last thing Bruce had wanted was a dinner date, but Alfred had insisted that he keep leading life as normal, not to let The Joker disrupt his daily routine. Alfred had said it as if all of his excruciating social engagements as wealthy bachelor Bruce Wayne were what gave his life meaning. Bruce and Selina were sitting in the grand dining room at Wayne Manor, but as usual, she had dragged her chair right up next to Bruce's side of the table, her hand resting on his lap.

The two of them had always shared strange relationship, to say the least. In his younger days, the only women Bruce had seemed to attract were shallow social climbers, batting their eyelids and laughing falsely at everything he said. Then Selina Kyle had entered his life – a dark, enigmatic figure. He felt an instant attraction, maybe because he saw a little of himself in her. But despite over a decade of sporadic dating and flirtation, the pair had ultimately kept their distance from each other.

Things had gotten even stranger when he had discovered that Selina Kyle was the master thief known as Catwoman, a longtime foe of Batman, Bruce Wayne's alter ego. Recently, as Batman, he began a relationship with the apparently reformed Catwoman, with them sharing a closeness they had never experienced unmasked. Eventually, he had revealed to her his true identity. She became one of the few people to know that Bruce Wayne and Batman were one and the same. Now, one more person knew this…

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Selina asked.

He had told her all about The Joker capturing him, unmasking him, nearly driving him to murder. Selina had listened to it all, her stunning green eyes giving nothing away. This was the first time she'd spoke. As usual, she was giving little away…

"Well, I'll have to catch him," was all he said in reply. He wasn't giving away much either.

They both went back to eating in silence. Bruce was wishing he hadn't told her anything tonight. He'd wished he hadn't let her come round tonight at all. He just wanted to start screaming, and throwing the plates across the room. The Joker was out there - he'd already struck twice - and he was sitting here playing the part of the playboy instead of trying to stop him!

"Don't you just hate that?" Selina asked suddenly.

"Hate what?" asked Bruce in return. He'd been lost in his own thoughts, and the question had caught him off-guard.

"Those uncomfortable silences," she replied.

Bruce nodded, before embarking on another uncomfortable silence. Selina had to break this one too.

"I can help you, you know," she said, "I can help you find him."

"No, I can do this myself," Bruce answered bluntly, "This is between me and him."

Selina sighed, dropping her knife and fork on the plate.

"You can't do everything yourself, Bruce," she cried in exasperation, "You can't keep pushing everyone away…"

Bruce slammed his own knife and fork down, with a much sharper thud. He stood up, looming over Selina.

"Don't you get it!" he snapped, "He knows who I am! Everyone close to me is in danger! I'm pushing you away because I'm trying to protect you! I don't want your goddamn help!"

Selina stared up at him, not looking away or even flinching. The two former adversaries glared at each other in tense silence until Alfred tentatively knocked on the door and entered.

"Master Wayne, Miss Kyle," he asked formally, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine, I was just leaving," Selina replied, standing up, "Thank you for the lovely meal, Alfred."

Once she reached the door, Selina turned back to face Bruce.

"I don't need your protection, Bruce," she said coldly, "I can take care of myself."

Alfred led her out of the dining room to get her coat, leaving Bruce alone. He sighed, rubbing the side of his forehead with his hand. That's exactly what he felt. Alone…