I know, I know. Longest lull between updates. Sorry about that. Got myself a bit of writer's block and was just kind of unmotivated for this chapter. Knew I would be. I've been SO looking forward to writing some of the upcoming chapters that I kinda lost interest in the intervening story and plot points that had to occur. Again, sorry.

Legend has cracked triple digits! Last chapter was the most reviewed yet! Thanks so much to you all. This really has been better received and given me more energy than I ever could have imagined out of a first fic. Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, alerted, or favorited. Onward to 200 now!

As always, please don't forget to leave a review. It always gets me excited when I see that notification in my email that I've received one..

A/N: I don't own Batman or any other character affiliated with DC Comics.

Selina didn't look happy. Then again, Bruce couldn't really say that she looked unhappy either, just something akin to...neutral. It was a difficult thing to read really. Sometimes she really could be a closed book.

In another blatant attempt to gain favor throughout the city Alberto Falcone was using the break in Gotham's notoriously foul early winter weather to announce his new venture in giving back to the community. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, the Wayne Foundation had been doing similar charitable works for years, but anything new generally got the attention. The Falcone Trust would work towards supplying zero interest loans to low income families and scholarships to those unable to afford the skyrocketing cost of higher education in an effort to better the lives of those his father once preyed upon. That it might also help repair a family name shattered in the eyes of many of Gotham's residents by Alberto's father and his father before him surely held just as much sway as the desire to do good works.

Still, the intentions were just, no one could argue with that fact. Bruce just had to wonder if the same thing could be said for the man behind them. Despite seeing no evidence to the contrary he couldn't help the nagging feeling that still lingered whenever he saw the man doing one of his many televised interviews.

Bruce was there to keep up appearances. As Gotham City's largest philanthropist he felt that it made sense for him to be there, publicly welcoming the help to clean up the city. At least that's how Alfred had explained it when he'd pretty much forced him to come. How the older man still seemed to be able to do that to someone who was essentially a trained ninja never ceased to confound him.

Honestly, he'd rather have avoided Alberto...or perhaps more specifically, Selina.

She was on his arm, smiling and playing the ever supportive girlfriend. Bruce could tell though that the smile didn't reach her eyes. There was something...hollow about it. As though it was something that she'd merely plastered on for the event. Maybe her time with the man was wearing on her.

Granted, it certainly helped him reach that judgement since she'd confessed the true nature of their relationship to him as Catwoman. Despite what most may see, this was a job, plain and simple. She was deriving no pleasure from it. A fact that was considerably more obvious with the little kernel of information she'd provided. Still, he couldn't find it in himself to be at least a bit jealous when Falcone casually leaned over and whispered something in her ear, stopping briefly afterward before he straightened back up to kiss her cheek.

Nope, he didn't want to be here at all. Thanks for that Alfred.

Selina's expression changed when she eventually spotted him in the crowd, unable to muster even the wooden smile she'd worn for much of the event. She stared at him stonily for only a split second before shifting her gaze anywhere but his direction, her face carefully set in an unreadable mask. Bruce supposed that was probably as close to guilt as he was liable to get.

He knew she was carefully trying to maintain her appearance as Alberto's significant other, concealing whatever her true feelings may be...from both Bruce and Alberto. She'd done a poor enough job of it already once before in that woman's restroom. Apparently she wasn't going to tempt fate a second time. Content instead to just ignore and avoid him. If not for her alter ego's admission to the Batman as well as her rather vehement denial of Bruce's involvement in anything untoward he'd probably believe the act and take it as cool indifference if not outright annoyance.

Instead he was left trying to figure out if it was worth it to have another seemingly random encounter with her on the street if only to steal some time alone with her. Maybe then he'd be able to see if he could bring back that distinctive little smile or twinkle in her eye that only seemed to come about now at night and from behind a mask.

There might be some other selfish purposes thrown in as well. Those that simply involved enjoying her presence or being equal parts curious and captivated by her, but he was still trying to avoid that thought process altogether in an increasingly fruitless battle. The fact that the Batman also had business with her was seemingly growing of less and less importance all the time too.

At least he had that as an excuse with Alfred though.

The event was unsurprisingly boring. They always were. Men with more money than they knew what to do with giving long winded speeches that only served to appease their egos and stroke their own self righteousness. If it wasn't for those that would actually receive some much needed assistance then the whole spectacle would thoroughly disgust him.

A slightly raised dais had been set up across the street from the Boys and Girls Club on 32nd Street in East City Park. There was security, but outside some police there for crowd control and Falcone's own intimidating bodyguards there wasn't a need for an overwhelming presence. This type of thing didn't normally incited violence.

Ever the opportunist, Mayor Garcia was there, probably to lend his support as much as to get his face on the cover of newspapers. Several other council members had shown up as well, likely for similar reasons. Looking almost as bored as Bruce and appearing fairly uncomfortable with his place of honor on the stage was Commissioner Gordon too. The trust had a not insignificant portion of it pledged to the families of police officers and other civil servants and he'd apparently been coerced into making a rare public appearance as a result. It was plainly obvious that he wanted to be elsewhere, likely feeling, like Bruce, that he had better things to be doing.

Bruce nodded again at another well wisher and found a seat down near the front, alternately wondering for the thirtieth time if it was still too soon to call Alfred to come get him. There was better things he could be doing. Killers on the loose and all.

Plenty of them.

Of course all of those idle thoughts died away instantly and he froze when he spotted the small red dot suddenly appear on the Commissioner's chest, dancing across his tie. It was saying something when the chance that someone was playing a bad joke with a laser pointer was actually the less likely explanation than the more terrifying alternative.

Gotham, after all, was no ordinary city.

Was Nigma going after his next target here and now? Given the fact that he'd recently murdered Sean Riley it wouldn't really be all that surprising if he ignored the man's order to avoid Gordon. But still...

Quickly looking around at the still clueless crowd he rose, working his way down the row a little more hurriedly than normal and managing to draw more than a few confused gawks in the process. There was no plan, but he couldn't simply shout out a warning. Having Bruce Wayne incite a riot wouldn't help the situation.

When he reached the aisle he glanced back at the raised dais again, stopping short. The targeting laser was gone and Gordon was still sitting in the same place, a relatively bored expression on his face as some well-to-do businessman made some introductory remarks. Bruce turned and scanned the buildings across from the platform where such a laser would have to be originating. Without a better vantage point finding Nigma would be difficult though, possibly impossible before he made a move. To make matters worse, it was still hours until nightfall when he felt comfortable unleashing the Batman.

Besides, his nearest suit was blocks away. There was no time. Nigma would have to wait, first he needed to get the Commissioner off the stage.

Bruce began moving again.

By the time he saw the laser appear again he was almost to the security stationed at the small metal stairwells leading up to the dignitaries, trying to figure out how to get himself past the burly guards. Selina was watching him curiously, probably noticing when he'd hastily left his seat. It was when he looked at her that he noticed the dance of movement and the small red dot just past her now on Alberto Falcone's white dress shirt.

Bruce frowned for a split second before he began moving again. What the...

"Gun!"

One of Alberto's men was already moving, racing from the other side of the platform and tackling his employer who pulled Selina along with them. The crowd was already reacting, rising seemingly as one while a single woman's scream carried over the confusion before everything was drowned out completely by the thunderous roar of a heavy machine gun opening up on the stage and soon thereafter, the crowd.

Bruce dove instinctively, grabbing the nearest person and hauling them down with him while his mind busily began working, analyzing the situation. The gun was loud, probably a large caliber with a high cyclic rate. It was almost assuredly belt fed judging by the amount of fire it was spewing and probably fifty caliber, maybe even a twenty millimeter cannon based on the damage being done. The rounds were practically eating the concrete, shredding the building and sidewalk with impunity as they strafed back and forth while people frantically tried to get out of its path.

Others in the crowd didn't move at all. The weapon was not gentle or pretty with the far softer tissues of the assembled crowds. Where it hit, they stayed down. Most missing large portions of their body from the shear kinetic power of the bullets.

Bruce found that he was shielding a helpless little girl with his body behind a concrete barricade that had been set up for the event. The machine gun could probably penetrate it if given enough time, but thankfully it seemed to be following no discernible pattern, merely moving back and forth over what once was a crowded park.

He risked a glance over his cover when the firing moved away again, trying to locate Selina or Alberto through the confusion and chaos. There was nothing but bodies left on the raised platform where the dignitaries had been. Thankfully it looked like the mayor, attending council members, and other city officials and people of note had gotten away before any damage could be done. There was no sign of Gordon either. Safely out of the way, the Commissioner was likely already calling for police backup.

He ducked back down behind the concrete partition and breathed a sigh of relief that there also wasn't a statuesque, raven haired female body among those bleeding a short distance away.

If it was Nigma then he'd just failed miserably in his attempt. Simply put, far fewer people were killed than a weapon like that should be capable of. Especially when they were crowded into such tight confines. For a self professed master assassin it certainly seemed as though he'd missed both of the men who may have been his target as well.

The little girl shivered against him and he glanced down at her for perhaps the first time.

She was small, probably no older than eight or nine and very obviously in shock. There was no telling where he mother or father was either, no telling if they were even alive.

It almost took him by surprise when he realized that the firing had stopped after nearly thirty seconds of sustained fire, the echo of the gun's report still bouncing off the walls of the surrounding buildings. Now things just seemed eerily quiet, punctuated here and there by a quiet cry or moan.

Something about the whole attack was wrong though. None of it fit the Riddler. There was no precision and no morbid playfulness. It was as though the killer was simply going for carnage on a massive scale. As though they were trying to make a statement. If it wasn't Nigma then that left who...the Italians? They certainly had a beef with Alberto Falcone and were certainly capable of murder in a public setting and on a large level. But to this scale?

Still, it made more sense than Nigma.

It was less than a minute later as he walked through the destruction in a daze, a little girl's tiny hand held in firmly in his that he nearly missed it. The sign was crude, something that could be easily overlooked because of the surrounding destruction. From his angle though he had no misgivings regarding what he was looking at. At some point during the seemingly random spray of bullets a pattern had resulted in a symbol being stitched in the corner of the dais, almost blending in with the numerous other smoking bullet holes.

It resembled a question mark.

"Hi Alfred."

Selina looked shaken and pale, a far cry from her normally lively, appearance. She was also dirty. A thin coating of dust had found its way to the back and sleeve of her dark dress. Her hair, usually impeccably styled was unruly and slightly matted. There was even a smudge on her cheek beneath one of her red rimmed eyes.

"Miss Kyle," Alfred said, the surprise in his voice hidden by the characteristic warmth and humor. "Please, do come in. It's so very nice to see you again." Alfred opened the large manor door wider and gently ushered her in, eying her with equal parts concern and wariness. Her sudden appearance may not mean good things for his master.

"Thanks. It's nice to see you too, Alfred." Selina smiled thinly, an expression that lacked her usual amusement and passion.

He eyed her disheveled look and expression again. The poor woman seemed a bit...lost. "Miss, are you alri..."

"Alfred?" Bruce's voice boomed from upstairs. A moment later he appeared at the top of the manor's impressive main staircase, shirtless and still drying his hair, a t-shirt flung absently over his bare shoulder. "I need you to start a...a..." He trailed off when he saw who was accompanying his friend in the entryway. "Selina?" he asked, confusion and concern spreading across his features. He stopped for a second at the landing before slowly starting down to the lower floor. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

Selina fidgeted a little. "Yeah...Uhh...everything's...fine." She nodded, but was still staring at the young man in a daze, probably barely processing his question. "I just...Alberto thought he may have seen you get hit and I couldn't find anyone that could give me a straight answer and..."

"I didn't answer my cellphone." he said, finishing her thought. "Selina," he waited until her eyes flicked up to meet his. "I'm fine. Really."

She was still staring and being a tiny bit unresponsive, but now it seemed to be a departure from the unfocused expression she'd been wearing when Alfred answered the door. What, then, had her attention...oh.

Luckily Bruce didn't have many scars on the front of his torso and those few that were visible could easily be explained away as the result of one surgery or accident or another. The one that resembled an incision for an appendectomy for example. Thankfully it was something they didn't have to deal with all that often. Equally fortunate was that the large, jagged one on his shoulder was covered by the shirt.

Alfred breathed a sigh of relief that the sometimes absentminded young man hadn't turned around either. If she saw the myriad scattering of old wounds there she would undoubtedly think something amiss. That left the large purple and yellow contusion on his shoulder from the bullet strike he'd suffered. That one was as plain as day.

And it looked bad.

"Master Wayne," he said, speaking up for the first time and noting Selina subtly jump a tiny bit, "are you sure you're alright? That bruise you managed to acquire looks particularly painful. Are you certain there's nothing I can do for you?" Alfred approached the man, blocking Selina's view of Bruce and hiding his own look from her as he gestured with his eyes. "I could call the doctor if you'd like."

Thankfully, this was not one of those times when Bruce was going to be oblivious. Recognition dawned quickly in his eyes once Alfred theatrically glanced at the large bruise. The young billionaire hurriedly shrugged on the t-shirt, muttering something to Alfred for Selina's benefit about not needing any help and feeling fine.

Selina blinked.

Wonderful, so now in addition to the normally simmering attraction she already felt towards Bruce she was now experiencing a steaming heap of unbridled lust. Swell.

Seriously? What. The. Hell. What billionaire looked like that? As though the man wasn't testing her resolve enough as it was.

And was Bruce talking?

Selina diverted her eyes down towards the ground and found herself responding...somehow. She probably wouldn't have even been able to recall afterward what she'd said, a stream of thought coming out and explaining her concern that he'd...good lord how often did he work out? Even Olympic athletes only went so far. They generally stopped sometime before bench pressing a Buick came into the picture. Apparently Bruce Wayne most certainly did notreceive that memo.

Silently she swore at herself. When the hell had she become the moon-eyed teenager? Hell, if anything this was usually an act she was putting on for guys that had no shot in hell of eliciting it for real. When exactly had it become her reality?

Get it together, Selina berated herself. She blinked again. Did Alfred just say something?

The gentle old man was moving, walking between her and Bruce in concern and giving her the opportunity to pull herself together and actually act like the grown woman she was. Drooling was probably not becoming of her after all.

Despite her otherwise occupied attention she hadn't missed the bruise. It was easily noticeable, especially considering it was located on a part of him that she was fighting to avoid looking at. Whatever had caused it, it was definitely not some kind of flying debris. It was too perfect, the center dark and angry and getting incrementally less severe as it radiated out. While flying debris could definitely leave a mark she couldn't think of anything with enough size or impact that would have left that big a mark besides maybe a bowling ball.

He certainly hadn't gotten hit by a bullet today. He'd be missing his entire shoulder if that had happened. Curious.

Bruce had a t-shirt on when Alfred stepped back out of the way and turned towards her. Both men eyed her warily before Bruce took several steps closer.

"Selina," he said, his voice low and laced with concern, "what's going on?"

Bruce watched her for another second. She seemed to be slightly uncomfortable, avoiding his eyes and fidgeting a little as she searched for an answer. The uncertainty was certainly new.

"Look, you know I'm an orphan. I've been around the block a time or two...seen things." She paused running her hand through her hair. "But, I...I've never really seen something like that before," she said, trailing off. Selina finally glanced up at him, her eyes glistening.

"Neither have I," he said, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

It was a lie. As brutal and carnage laden as the machine gun attack was he'd seen other, equally horrific events in the last several years. Some of the things he saw in the wake of Crane's gas being dispersed in the Narrows immediately leaped to mind.

Selina continued without noticing though. For some reason though she was still having trouble looking at him for any extended period of time. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding or anything. I just...I guess I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Selina scoffed. "Alberto wasn't exactly helping ease my mind in that regard. I didn't really know what else to do."

Bruce waved it off. "Please, it's fine. You're always welcome here. And again, I'm fine," he assured her. He reached down and took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze in an attempt to give her what physical support he could. "Nothing more than a couple bumps and bruises."

She watched him for a moment, seeming to turn some things over in her head before she finally said, "How can you seem so...so cool and collected?"

Bruce shrugged and took a deep breath before answering. "I may have never experienced something quite like...what happened today, but you know I've dealt with tragedy before." Images of his parents, a smiling Rachel, and finally a scarred and horrific Harvey Dent slid by slowly in front of him. He shook his head, more to clear it of the memories from his past than the memories of earlier in the day. ""It never gets easy, but I guess I learned to compartmentalize it and try and...move on."

Selina stared at him fully for perhaps the first time since she'd first seen after entering the house. "Move on? Bruce, how can you possibly move on from that? What happened today was terrible. I mean..."

"Poor choice of words," he said, holding up his hands and shaking his head. Rather than continue he turned to his butler. "Alfred, could you..."

Ever intuitive, the older man was already nodding, turning to go with a quick, "Of course, Master Wayne."

"And make it something stiff, please."

Bruce led Selina to a small sitting area in an alcove off the sprawling manor's foyer, settling into the oversized leather chair and motioning for her to join him.

"You brought up my absence awhile back," he started when she joined him. "Let's just say I wasn't exactly living the good life of a rich man while I was gone." He sighed and leaned forward, focusing on the pattern in the marble floors. "It was right after the man who'd killed my parents was murdered. I was there, I saw it happen right in front of me. I was confused and...looking for...something. Some direction, I guess. I don't know." He looked back up at her. "So, I left. I think it was one of the best things I could have done. I mean, I managed to experience a lot in that time away. See a lot. It showed me that I wasn't the only person to experience loss or personal tragedy. I saw that what I was going through wasn't unique." Bruce continued loking at Selina, meeting her look evenly. "I guess I'm not moving on so much as I'm just...trying to figure out what can be done. I'm lucky enough to be in a position to effect a lot of change for the better. I think the biggest thing I brought back from my time abroad was that action had to be taken." He held up a finger, punctuating his next point. "But, if you let yourself feel everything, it'll eat you up. Sometimes concentrating on what you cando is the only way to stay sane in all the craziness."

"And that's how you do it?"

Bruce nodded. "For the most part." He didn't exactly lie to her. He just didn't define the kind of action he generally took. Sure, his various charitable organizations and foundations did a lot, but that wasn't exactly where he poured his time and attention.

"And you don't think you've become desensitized? To all this? To this city?"

Alfred returned with two glasses of a warm brown liquid, one of which Bruce accepted. For once, the older man actually brought him the alcoholic beverage too.

"If anything, it's how I stay connected to it." He rose with his glass gesturing towards the far end of the room. "Walk with me?"

Selina rose as well, sipping her drink and joining him as he escorted her towards the other side of the mansion. The scotch left an enjoyable burning sensation on the back of her throat, warming her and easing some of the vivid images of the day that still flitted by occasionally. She hardly even noticed the impressive structure they were making their way through.

"Between the time my parents were killed and when I went...away...I was disconnected, rudderless. From everything." Selina watched him as he took a sip of his own drink. "Maybe it was people not knowing how to treat me...all the money...the murders...I don't know. Maybe it was me. That's just as likely. Anyway, I didn't connect with anyone, didn't open myself up. Even the friends I'd had from...before...were gone for one reason or another."

They passed what had to be an authentic and thoroughly expensive suit of armor, flanked on either side by what she assumed were original landscapes of the dramatic forests and rivers of the mainland.

"You must have been lonely," she remarked.

"I was many things, but I don't necessarily remember loneliness being one of them." Before she could ask what he meant he continued. "I was angry and rebellious," he said. "It was like I was numb. Like the whole world was against me...because of my parents. In all the years, I never let that go."

It made Selina think of her own plight. The anger and sadness that had consumed her and been driving her the past several years. Many times she'd felt lost. Numb to the world and to even the little things that would have otherwise normally brought her enjoyment.

"And you finally let it go? After seven years away?"

He shook his head. "No. It didn't take seven years. Actually, it didn't take that long once I was gone. Most of that time was spent doing...other things. Looking for answers, managing to find some of them." He trailed off and they walked on in silence for awhile.

It didn't escape her attention that he still hadn't actually revealed where he'd been all that time. He talked about it in conceptual terms, as though there were parts of it he wanted kept secret. He still hadn't mentioned a specific instance or memory in all those years. He was discussing the journey, but not the destinations, not the people or actual experiences.

Parts of her own life were much like that though. Selina wasn't going to begrudge him the same. Some things people kept close to themselves. She could appreciate that.

"So, you feel a part of something again? Connected?"

"Absolutely." The familiar, attractive smile broke out over his face. "I found my direction," he said.

"And that would be?"

He pointed to a large faded and ancient hand drawn map that hung, framed, above the fireplace in the library they were passing. "Gotham," was all he said. They continued on past the doorway and down the hall, continuing on past several other rooms in comfortable silence as they both nursed their drinks.

"Mind if I ask why?" she finally asked.

Bruce shrugged as though the answer were obvious. "The people here deserve better. This city doesn't have to be this way and I want to try and help make it the way it should be. I don't want anyone else to have to suffer what I did. Not if I can help it."

"And have you helped?"

He had to stop and think about that for a second. Selina stopped and watched him consider it. "Yes," he finally answered, looking over at her, "I think I have. At least, I have to believe I have."

"And it's been worth it?"

He frowned again at that, silently giving her question serious thought before answering. "It's been hard," he said. "Sometimes it's almost been too much, but I've kept going. Someone needs to fight the good fight for those that can't."

Selina wasn't entirely sure he was still talking about his efforts to rebuild Gotham and his numerous charitable organizations. Something about his answers seemed much more...personal.

"I told you I lost someone. Holly. She was my best friend...well...more like a little sister really. She was an orphan too. We were inseparable right from the beginning. Met her when we were both younger and getting ourselves into trouble. Throughout all we went through she always had a good heart though, you know? Was always optimistic and cheerful." Selina smiled at the memories of some of the past escapades they'd gotten themselves into. "God, we really made a great team though. I had the experience and toughness to keep us safe and fed and she had the energy and purity to make me a better person and keep us honest."

"She sounded wonderful," Bruce said quietly.

Selina nodded, focusing on the thick carpet passing by under her feet. "Holly...she always wanted to experience new things, always wanted to travel. A couple years ago we finally started making some real money. Anyway, first thing I did was get her enrolled and started in a local junior college. Second thing was pay for her to have a semester studying abroad in Europe. She never made it back."

"Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

"No, it's okay."

Selina stopped walking and leaned against the large window they'd been passing, looking out over the barren limbs of the dormant garden outside as it stretched away down the hill. "Things were going great," she began, "Holly was having the time of her life, and...she even met somebody. Dario." She smiled a small, sad smile when she remembered the almost giddy phone call she'd received late that one night. "She was even talking marriage and just...loving her life. I think she was even contemplating staying in Europe when the semester was up. Staying with him." Taking a deep breath she took another sip of her drink and frowned. "Something happened though. It...it was slow at first, but she started to seem as though she was slowly fading away, you know? Like someone was extinguishing her spark or something. Her calls became less frequent and were abrupt when she did call. There was no passion anymore in her and she was so sad and...detached. It just wasn't Holly anymore. Not the one I knew. I got so worried that I even made plans to go see her, ready to drag her home if necessary." She looked over at Bruce who was quietly listening. "I stopped hearing from her completely and she disappeared a little over a week before I was supposed to fly out. They found her body the day after I arrived in London."

Bruce stepped over to her from where he'd been silently standing, watching and listening, and put his arm around her. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Selina nodded absently, closing her eyes and enjoying the warm comfort of him being so close.

"I've been wrestling with this whole thing ever since," she said, burrowing in a little. "They told me she overdosed, hell she even looked like a junkie when I identified the body. But...that wasn't her...that wasn't Holly. She hated that stuff. She'd never have touched it."

"You're sure?"

Selina nodded resolutely. "It wasn't her," she stated, glad when he didn't question it further.

"Then what do you think happened?" Bruce asked instead.

The solemn expression he wore emboldened her. She didn't often discuss her opinion, not with just anyone anyway. Outside of the first time she'd broached the subject with the London authorities and that one time she'd bounced it off Slam for his opinion she'd never shared it with anyone.

"Not that anyone's ever believed me, but I think it was the guy, Dario," she started. "I think he got her hooked and used her. While I was in London I managed a peak at the forensics report before that 'mysteriously' disappeared. She'd been sexually active...and had been with...multiple partners. I think he got her hooked, controlled her, and prostituted her out. One of those rings that preyed on pretty, naive foreign girls."

Of course, Selina couldn't tell him exactly how she'd managed to acquire the medical examiner's documents. To this day she regretted not outright taking them with her after she looked them over that night.

"And nobody would listen to you?"

She scoffed, a harsh half laugh, half snort. "The case was closed before her body was cold. Just an addict overdosing. There wasn't even an investigation and I never found Dario. Hell, I couldn't even prove he existed."

"So, you're saying that someone was exerting some kind of influence then? Covering it up?"

Selina nodded. "Maybe," she said. In her mind there wasn't much doubt, not after the trail she'd uncovered. The trail that had led her to Gotham. Again though, she couldn't really go into it with Bruce. Not without exposing several certain...truths about herself.

"You know," Bruce began, breaking her out of her thoughts. He separated himself from her slightly, looking down at her with a soft expression. "I could look into it for you? Have some people that are good at this kind of thing do some digging and we could see what they find?"

Selina smiled, possibly her first honest smile in what felt like days. "Thank you," she said. "You mean it?"

He nodded and wrapped his arm around her tighter when she burrowed back in. He couldn't see the momentary flash of uncertainty in her face though. If Bruce went digging and found the trail that she had then he'd also find...her. He'd almost certainly find out things about her and learn the truth. The Catwoman showing up at each city she stopped in, ending in Gotham City at the same time Selina Kyle did would be too much of a coincidence for even Bruce Wayne not to make the connection.

But.

Professionals might uncover something she missed. Some link to the mysterious boyfriend that would help her on her quest. Maybe even bring about a conclusion.

She almost wanted to groan. This was supposed to be about avenging Holly, not some selfish desire about wanting to keep your secrets from a man you weren't even seeing. As though things hadn't already been hard enough the past couple of years.

Still, it was certainly refreshing to have a man that barely knew her offer his help. He shouldn't even be willing to talk to her with how she'd treated him and here he was offering to help her with the most important, personal thing she'd ever undertaken.

"Thank you," she whispered again, barely audible.

The burning in her eyes signaled oncoming tears. She'd never let them fall, never let herself be seen that vulnerable by anyone, but it was...nice to know she almost could have around him.

When he kissed her though her mind went pleasantly blank. At least for a moment there was no more thinking of Holly. No more picturing what she looked like on that gurney in that cold morgue. No more worrying or scheming. Just him and his smell and the lingering taste of the scotch on his breath. And it felt wonderful. It may just complicate her life incredibly in the very near future, but in the here and now it was perfect.

Selina wound her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss, hungrily pressing for more.

Eventually he pulled away for air, smiling down at her. Selina rested her forehead on his shoulder, silently cursing any deity listening for the complicated and unfair situation life had thrown her. If only things could be simple.

"We really are a couple of damaged individuals, aren't we?" she finally muttered.

He didn't reply, but she could feel his chest shaking as he laughed. Bruce probably thought she was just referring to the tragedies they'd both been forced to deal with. There were...other...things which firmly set her in a category that was conspicuously far away from what one might term 'normal'. Things that someone like Bruce Wayne just wouldn't be able to understand.

She sighed deeply, raising her head to look him in the eyes. No sense avoiding things. She probably owed him an explanation. Not that she had one, but maybe she could at least offer an apology. "Bruce, I..."

"Selina," he softly interrupted, shaking his head ever so slightly. He smiled and shook his head again. For tonight they could forget the complications, forget the secrets and the things left unsaid. Selina smiled her slight, coy smile, silently thanking him with her eyes.

Then he kissed her again and she reciprocated.

Some time later when he asked her to stay for dinner Selina couldn't imagine saying no.

A/N: No Batman or Catwoman, but a healthy dose of violence and an almost insane amount of Bruce/Selina. I really did enjoy writing them so much more before they got all serious and stuff. Still, if we want them to get to know each other better (something people in relationships tend to do) and forward Selina's story along then these conversations must be had.