Chapter Twenty

Adriana went into the living room to discover Bruce walking through the door, held open by a content looking Alfred.

Bruce looked at Adriana, noticing the flush in her cheeks, still riled up from talking to Tony.

"Are you alright?"

Adriana looked at Bruce, "Yes, I just…. yes, I'm fine."

"Where's Madeline?" Bruce asked.

Adriana looked at him, he looked so perfect. His hair was a bit longer. He was clean shaven. Even though, there were a few more lines around his eyes, and his body might be a bit slighter than it had been when she had last seen him, he looked perfect to her. Like he always had. Almost… like it wasn't fair that someone, so perfect, could exist on the same plane as her.

Adriana shook her head, trying to clear it at the same time, "She's in her room, just changing and trying to decide which dolls to bring out and introduce you too." Adriana couldn't help a smile pulling at her mouth.

Bruce smiled too and she almost felt like she was looking at an eclipse, "Bruce, uh, just before she comes out, I was wondering if we could have a quick word?"

Bruce nodded to her and Adriana lead him out onto the private terrace, outside the front door and looking down onto the enclosed courtyard. As she passed, Alfred gave her an encouraging smile.

Adriana turned to face Bruce as the door closed behind him and he was watching her with a peaceful expression on his face, again she felt like he was actually seeing her, not being blinded by a hurricane of emotion.

"Are you ok?" She found herself asking him, Bruce blinked. Adriana stood on the terrace, the early afternoon sunlight filtering through the ivy hanging on the buildings. Bruce had been struck by the same emotions he had felt when he had first saw her in the restaurant. That felt like so long ago, "Yes, actually I wanted to talk to you about a few things as well."

Adriana looked apprehensive, but nodded, "I wanted to talk to you about today, Bruce. I know that this is… an unusual situation but you can't do that to me again." Adriana looked at him, looking firm, like she had practised this speech. Bruce felt confusion furrow his brow, "You can't use Madeline to manipulate me into letting her do things."

"What are you-?"

"The zoo? You told her you were going before clearing it with me. That isn't fair. Of course, I am fine with you two spending time together but I need to know the plan. And also," She took a deep breath as if stealing herself for the next part, "I think that if you want Madeline to meet….people, you should clear that with me too."

Bruce felt a flare of frustration rise up again. "I think that since I haven't been able to have a say in the past eight years of her life introducing her to one person wouldn't be a big deal." He said. Suddenly he was aware his upper class affect was coming out in his voice. He cleared his throat.

Apparently Adriana didn't notice, she just glared at Bruce, "I haven't been introducing her to jewel thieves."

Bruce swallowed, his fight with Selina still very present in his mind, he took a deep breath. Although he knew Selina would never hurt his daughter, he had to understand where Adriana was coming from, and he couldn't pretend that she would have ever made a bad choice for Madeline without sounding like a pompous ass. "You're right, I am sorry, this is just a lot for me to take in."

Instead of looking appeased, Adriana looked angry. Bruce had seen that anger before. Once in a parking lot, it had been directed at him after a charity event that hadn't gone so well. Adriana crossed her arms, "You know, people keep saying that to me, at me. Like somehow I don't know. I know it's a lot for you too take in, but frankly, I am kind of trying to absorb a lot myself right now too, because as of yesterday morning, I was under the belief you were dead, Bruce."

Bruce looked at her, and realized that was true. He hadn't honestly given that much thought aside from fleetingly. He had been so wrapped up in Madeline, he hadn't considered that Adriana was also trying to take in that he wasn't dead. Maybe it was because Alfred was handling it so well, that Bruce didn't really think about it. Although for Alfred this was the second time he had risen from the dead.

When it became apparent to Adriana that Bruce wasn't going to say anything she added. "You were the love of my life Bruce, and you died. I watched you die, over and over and over again. And I tried to reconcile myself with the fact that you were gone, that now, I was truly alone with Maddy. And then yesterday morning, I walk into a restaurant and there you are, sitting at a table with a gorgeous cat burglar. And it finally occurred to me, that you were dead, Bruce," Adriana was advancing until she was right in front of him, "You were free, and you chose to spend that new found life with a master criminal, instead of me. And that made it very clear to me. Because as pathetic as this sounds Bruce, I still loved you, these past eight years, I loved you. How could I not when you gave me my little girl? You gave me everything, no matter how complicated, yo were my everything. But you never loved me, so I think we should use these next few days to figure out how to make this work so Madeline can have both her parents. I am tired of having you attack me over Madeline, this is the starting point, for both of us, ok?"

Bruce watched Adriana with shock, he wasn't even able to respond before, in classic upset Adriana, she spoke first, "And if you had done the stupid physic exercises I left you, you wouldn't need that stupid brace!" She snapped, turning and rushing back into the apartment, leaving Bruce standing there feeling shocked and suddenly alone.

The afternoon had gone very well, Madeline had just said good bye to Bruce and was helping Alfred with the finishing touches on dinner. Adriana had walked Bruce to the door and stood in the doorway looking at him, arms crossed.

They hadn't said much to each other all day and Bruce had spent all his time with Madeline. Luckily, conversations with Madeline also allowed him to clear his mind in other departments and had let him come up with what he was about to say.

"You can stay for dinner if you like, you know?" Adriana said sounding a little tired. Bruce noticed that in her voice now. Before, even if he had called her up at three in the morning to stitch him up or set a bone she had always been chipper and bright, never sounding worn down.

"I know, but I figured you should have some time with Madeline. It's a lot for her to process, I think she will want to speak to you."

Adriana smiled at Bruce, her eyes accepting his kind words for what they were. Bruce hesitated on the first step and turned back to Adriana, this was his chance, now or never. "You know I came to California."

Adriana raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"After my 'death', I came out to California to see you. To… to try and…." Bruce shrugged, a slight smile caught in the corner of his mouth, "I don't know, to try and see if I could talk to you, if you would talk to me. I realized before… that all I had left to truly fight for was you, I realized I had been stubborn and weak to not go to you sooner. Adriana, you were the reason I could go on, the one person left for me. So I went as soon as I could to see you." Adriana's face was contorted in confusion. She stepped out of the door frame and closed the door to stare, full attention on Bruce. "And I saw you, coming out of one of your hospitals. You looked good. Healthy. Healthier then when you had been in Gotham. And all I could think, was how could I ask you to leave behind your life for me? To live on the run with a man who was pretending to be dead?"

Without thinking about it, Bruce raised his hand and put it on her cheek, rubbing his thumb across her cheekbone, he was struck by how soft her skin was. "I sat in my car and watched you talk to some man in a suit, and wondered who was he? Were you together? Did he look after you? And I realized I had no right to think that because what had I done for you? When you gave me so much."

Tears welled in Adriana's eyes as she listened to Bruce's confession. "You deserved to be happy, to continue to do the work you loved. I couldn't ask you to give that up for me after you had already given up so much for me."

Adriana reached out and touched his chest as if she couldn't believe he was really there, with her after all of it. She looked up at him, the tears finally breaking through their barriers and rolling down her cheeks. "Bruce," She put her hand on his cheek, "You and Madeline are all I could ever want or need in this life." And with that, without caring about the consequences Adriana lifted herself up and let her lips brush against Bruce's as he devoured her in an unbreakable embrace.