"Hey, baby!"
"AAH!" Rachel turned, her arm taking out a whole shelf.
"What's cookin'?"
"Jeez…" Her hand clutched her heart.
"That's destroying of private property you know…"
"Go to…"
"...FYI, Alfred still keeps the condensed milk on the top shelf."
"Hasn't he noticed you're tall enough to reach now?" Rachel glared.
"Old habits die hard, I guess." Bruce said smirking.
"Like your old crack habit, huh? That die hard as well?"
"I was a troubled kid back then."
"Not that far."
"I was thinking more of your mom's moonshining in our back yard."
"You called the police on us."
"You ratted me out to the folks."
"Never used to stop us anyway."
"No, it didn't... By the way, how is your mom?"
"Rehab."
"…"
"She misses this place..."
"I'm sure it doesn't miss her… at all."
"…but so do I."
"Yeah, but it's nothing without the people who made it what it was. Now there's only Alfred... which isn't saying much…"
"And you."
"I'm not staying, Rachel."
"You're just back for the hearing." Bruce didn't respond.
"Bruce, I don't suppose there's any way to convince you not to come."
"Someone at this... "proceeding" should stand for my parents."
"We all loved your parents, Bruce."
"So did the banks… AND the welfare people..."
"...And what Chill did is unforgivable."
"Then why is your boss letting him go?" Rachel's head swooped back and forth, looking over her shoulder. Bruce rubbed his face as she went to close the doors, locking them. She returned to her seat.
"And Gotham recommended you to be our district state attorney?"
"Shut up."
"'Psychopath', I can do it too…"
"That doesn't make any sense!"
"Well, guess what… SO DO YOU, WOMAN!" Bruce leaned back into his chair.
"Tea, sir?"
"WHY YOU SPYING NO GOOD…" Bruce turned throwing a plate at the door. It closed.
"HOW THE HECK DID YOU EVEN PICK THE LOCK? YOU JAMN BUTLER!"
"BRUCE! Stopit!"
"..."
"..."
"...Ppptttt, lol, did you just say 'stopit'?" Bruce started to bust gut.
"NO! I said 'STOP - IT'!"
"Stopit."
"Stop it!"
"Stopit."
"Knock it off, Bruce!"
"Ok… Stopit."
"Geez, Bruce! Act your age for ONCE! JUST 'TOPIT!" Silence filled the entire room. Bruce had both hands clamped upon his mouth, rocking back & forth with tears running down his cheeks. Rachel put her face into her hands. Bruce started to speak, barely able to form words.
"Rach-ch-ch…sppfff… I…I…kkkkcsst..." There was a burst of laughter behind the door, with footsteps running upstairs and a slam of another. Rachel decided to calm herself, knowing she was amongst mental idiots. She lowered her head down and talked in a low voice to continue her statement.
"Chill. in prison. The shared a cell with Carmine Falcone." Bruce suddenly got serious. "He learned things, and he will testify in exchange for early parole." Bruce leaned forward.
"Rachel, this man killed my parents. If it wasn't for him…I cannot let that pass." He got up from his chair still looking at her. "And I need you to understand that, please." Rachel stared back a few moments before she spoke.
"Okay." Bruce nodded his head and went for the door, opened it, and went through. Rachel sighed, glancing at her hands as she did so. The door re-opened… with a snicker...
"Say it again for me?"
"Oh, Cr*P…serious...? BRUCE!" She picked up a plate and hurled it at the door. Bruce already made his way up the stairs and was slamming the door behind him.