Sorry it's been so long since my last update. I've been pretty busy at work - but here it is - the next chapter. Thank you all so much for reading, following and reviewing! =) Hope you're enjoying this chapter (it's another long one as it turns out...)
I kept staring at the man whose name I didn't even know, now lifeless. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. I stared at his neck, his blood everywhere. I felt the door open on my side and Alex pulling me out, yelling at me, but I couldn't even understand what he was saying. He was shaking me, his expression looked scared. His voice sounded far away.
"Cat! Snap out of it!" He yelled. "We have to get out of here now."
I nodded, as he grabbed me by my arm and we ran to his car. I sat down, putting the seatbelt around me in trance. I still wasn't able to process what just happened.
Alex started the engine and we were speeding away.
"Holy shit!" He said, grabbing onto the steering wheel and taking a deep inhale. "You ok?"
I nodded. "We need to get to the police right away. I need to talk to Gordon."
He had never been good at self-restraint, but now, it had taken a whole new level. All he wanted was to put the mask on and find whoever was behind this.
He clenched his teeth hard, biting down on frustration and the adrenaline that was vibrating through his body.
Of course he hadn't heard what happened from Cat, she was probably already calling the station, thinking like the journalist that she was. Her necklace showed him everything he needed to see. He saw what she saw. When he saw their source's neck slit, he was ready to become the Batman. But now she was safe and there was no need for him to become Batman. At least that's what Alfred reminded him and he was right. If he truly wanted to hang up the cape, he had to learn to let go. He just never figured it would be this hard.
He jumped into the Lamborghini and sped toward the police station. It seemed of late, Gotham was a safe place aside from the very ground Cat walked on.
When he rushed into the station he went up to Gordon's secretary.
"I need to see the Commissioner." He said in a determined tone, nervously searching the station for her.
"I'm sorry Mr Wayne but Commissioner Gordon doesn't take unscheduled visits."
He looked at the woman closely. He only noticed now that she was blushing under his gaze.
"My fiancee just witnessed someone getting killed and she is here somewhere and all I want to do is make sure she's safe."
Her mouth fell open and she immediately picked up the phone. "Of course, I'm so sorry Mr Wayne."
A few minutes later Gordon walked up to him, waving him in his office.
"Mr Wayne, good to see you." He said.
It was strange for him to pretend like they weren't friends. Like they hadn't saved each other's lives many times. Without the mask, he had to pretend he hardly knew his friend.
"I heard my fiancee is here somewhere."
"Yes, she's answering a few questions we have on what she witnessed. Walk with me." He said as he grabbed a file and they started walking down the hallway. "Are you aware of what she just saw?"
"Yes."
Gordon nodded. "Then I don't need to tell you what state she's in."
"I'm sure she's driving you crazy because she wants to report on this right away."
Gordon turned around and smirked at him. "I see you know your fiancee well Mr Wayne. It's a little disturbing to be honest how rational and cool she seems."
He knew how she got all too well. He also knew the emotional chaos she would fall into after she powered-through and went live.
"There we are."
She was sitting in an interrogation room and he looked at her through the mirror. She looked pissed, her arms crossed, her foot nervously tapping the floor, her eyes staring like daggers at the officer in front of her who was talking to her.
"...and you're saying that you had never seen the man before..."
"Look," she said getting up in one swift motion. "I've told you everything a thousand times. Now I've been very cooperative, I could have gone live with the story immediately..."
Bruce smiled at her temper.
"Ma'am we're just trying to protect you."
Bruce turned to Gordon. "Look, I appreciate you making sure she is safe, but at this point, it's time for her to get home."
"If home was were she was going." Gordon mumbled under his breath.
"I understand your concern, but you know as well as I do that you can't hold her here any longer. And you also know that I only have to snap my fingers and the best lawyers Gotham has to offer would be here getting her out."
Gordon nodded. "But for the record, I am actually concerned for her safety. Whoever did this, whoever killed this man tonight, they know she was there."
Bruce nodded in a serious manner as Gordon opened the door.
The bright light in the interrogation room was giving me a headache. Or maybe it was the repetition of the same questions by officer boring in front of me? Or it could be the fact that my mind was going on overdrive, racing through different story angles and praying that nobody else got to the story first. What if they did? What if someone heard something on the police scanner? Could they beat me to the story?
"...and you're saying you had never seen this man before..."
Was he joking? How often can he ask me the same question as time is ticking away. Time that I could spend in the newsroom or in front of a camera live, telling the story. I was going insane.
That's when the door finally opened. I saw Gordon walk in.
Finally! He was going to be the voice of reason in this. Gordon held the door open and I saw Bruce standing there, looking worried. How did he know I was here? If he knew, did reporters know?
"You're free to go Miss Hunter." Gordon said, holding the door open.
"Thank you Commissioner." I said as I left. "Can you drop me at the station?" I asked Bruce.
He smiled. "It's good to see you too." He said, taking my hand as we walked down the hallway.
"I'm sorry. I just can't lose this story. Where is Alex?"
"They let him go earlier."
"Of course they did." I grabbed my phone and texted him to meet me at the station.
We walked outside and the fresh air rang freedom, even though I hand't even been in there that long.
In that moment Bruce drew me into his embrace, hugging me closely.
"I'm so glad you're ok." He said, every muscle of his tensed around me.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
"Have you thought this through?" He asked concerned staring at me.
"Yes. They know who we are. Who I am. If I go public, it's a whole lot less likely they kill me."
He winced. "Don't say that."
"Sorry. You know it's true though. Right now, they could kill me and make it look like a car accident. Nobody would think anything of it. If I break the story and then I mysteriously die...that's pretty suspicious."
He sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm also giving you private detail starting tonight."
"What? That's not necessary."
He got in the car and started the engine. "This is not a discussion. Do you want that ride to the station now?" He smiled at me.
I sighed in frustration and got in the car.
Peter didn't need much convincing for me and Alex to go live with the story.
"The problem is, we just don't know a whole bunch." Alex said as we were getting ready to go to our live shot.
"We know enough."
"We don't know who killed the guy, we don't know who is behind the explosion at the warehouse..."
"No, but we do know that in our investigation, a source got killed almost right in front of our eyes. We know where he worked. When something smells bad, you just gotta drag it out into the open sometimes, see what flies it attracts."
"Are you a poet now?"
"Far from it." I smiled.
As expected our story caused an immediate firestorm. Other TV stations and newspapers called up the police department, the firm were X worked... The hunt was on. Gotham hadn't had any crime for a while so the news that there was somebody going around killing sources of journalists, it sparked outrage.
I got back home late and to my surprise, Bruce was still awake. He was sitting on the bed, just wearing black shorts, studying something on his laptop.
When I walked in, his eyes immediately snapped up to me. He smiled at me.
"Good job out there." He said.
"Thanks." I responded, kicking off my heels, feeling the weight of this day being lifted from my shoulders.
"How are you holding up?" He asked.
"Fine. What a long day though." I said as I took off my earrings. I noticed his concerned look. "I'm fine really." I leaned in and kissed him. "I'm ready for a shower though."
I walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower. The steam slowly filled the room as I took off my blouse.
That's when I noticed a tiny blood stain on the sleeve. My mouth went dry immediately. The images of the man next to me in the car flashed back in my memory. I ran to the sink, grabbing the soap and scrubbing my blouse. As if I removed the stain, the memory would be gone as well. T
he blood was totally dried and it was just not getting out. I scrubbed harder and harder...thats when I noticed a bit of blood on my wrist. Was it everywhere? I felt my hand shaking. I needed to just rinse it all off. Without thinking, I stepped into the shower, still wearing my bra and skirt, the blouse in my hand. Why won't it come out?
Suddenly Bruce held my hand still with his.
"It's just a stain." I said in a higher than normal voice.
He didn't say anything, just looking at me concerned.
"It's just a tiny bit of blood, I mean there was so much, blood I mean... It's a miracle how I didn't get much more on it." I said, hearing how my voice sounded more and more hysterical. My breaths were getting shorter and shorter, I felt my body starting to shake.
Without hesitation, Bruce stepped into the shower, taking the shirt from me.
"Cat, look at me."
I nodded, trying to breathe regularly as the image of the man's cut throat was on endless repeat in my mind.
"Hey, deep breaths. Like this..." He took a deep breath, slowly letting it out as he was holding my hands.
I tried to follow, but breathing seemed harder to do than normal.
"You're ok." Bruce said as he took me in his arms. "You're ok."
I wasn't sure if he was saying it to himself or to me.
I was holding on tightly, trying not to burry my nails into his muscles in the process.
We stood there for a while, the warm water against our bodies and finally I felt myself relax. My breathing had returned to normal.
He looked at me closely. "Why do you keep getting yourself into trouble?"
"I don't know, I seem to have a talent for it."
He smiled at me and then he leaned in, kissing my lips softly. I replied the kiss eagerly and when our tongues met, I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling the hot water run down his skin.
His hands held onto my waist tightly. I opened the zipper on my skirt, tossing it. Bruce's demeanor changed immediately. I rolled my eyes at him.
"Stop it." I said.
"Stop what?" He asked innocently.
"You're about to say that we shouldn't have sex tonight because I just had a small mental breakdown and because of everything that happened tonight."
He smiled softly at me, still looking concerned.
"What if I told you that's exactly why we should have sex tonight. Stop looking at me like I'm damaged goods."
"I don't think you're damaged goods."
"Good. Then what are you waiting for Mr Wayne?"
His hand on my neck, he pulled me toward him, kissing me hard. Not breaking the kiss, one hand held my hands bound together behind my back like handcuffs. The other hand slowly moved down stomach until it was between my legs. I broke the kiss, taking a sharp inhale in response to his touch. Him holding me tightly, I had nowhere to go. Not that I wanted to. His lips and tongue met my neck.
I moaned as the sensation was taking over my whole body.
He smiled a way too smug smile.
"Stop that." I said annoyed.
He grinned holding his hands up in defense. That's not what I meant and he knew that all too well. He chuckled as I looked at him angrily.
"Fine, gotta do everything myself these days around here." I said jokingly, as I kneeled down, going down on him.
He groaned deeply as I took his full length in my mouth. Using my hand, my lips and tongue, I could feel him getting harder and harder while his breath was getting deeper. When he was close to coming, pressing his hands against the wall, I pulled away.
His angry eyes stared at me.
"Feels dumb doesn't it?" I asked a smile on my lips as I was standing up again.
He wasn't smiling. In fact he looked really angry. His eyes like daggers, his lips pressed together. Before I could say anything else, he pulled me toward him, wrapping my legs around his waist, pushing me against the wall. With one fast movement he entered me and I gasped for air. He continued to hold me like this, pushing deeper into me. His lips finding mine, demanding more as I was trying to gasp for air under his continuing assault. I ran my hands across his shoulders and through his soaking wet hair.
Suddenly he stopped and before I knew it he was carrying me out of the shower and into the bedroom.
We moved from the bed to the couch to the desk and finally collapsed on the bed.
"That was amazing." He said laying breathlessly next to me.
I nodded, smiling at him.
He pulled me into his arms, wrapping the blanket around me. "How are you?" He asked, inches away from me, looking into my eyes.
"Better."
"Good." He said, tugging a strand of hair behind my ear.
When he woke up she was not next to him. He checked the time on the clock on the nightstand. It was 5:38 a.m.
He got up and walked down to the kitchen. She was sitting at her laptop, a big cup of coffee next to her.
"You're up early." He noted when he leaned in to kiss her.
"I couldn't sleep very well. I still have the thumb drive that that guy gave us. We didn't have time yesterday to go though it, so now I am." She said clicking through documents.
"Why do I feel like you haven't mentioned a thumb drive to the police?" He asked, taking a seat next to her.
"Because I haven't." She looked up to his disapproving eyes. "I know I can trust Gordon but that's how far my confidence level goes. I'd rather see for myself what's on here first. If I told them about it they would have taken it away from me immediately."
"Fair enough. Found anything so far?"
"I don't really know. He put all the contracts on here and I'm not really sure what I'm even looking for."
"If you give me some names I can run them through my databases."
She nodded, staring at the computer and taking a deep sigh. "This reminds me of when the Joker blew up City Hall. I have all the puzzle pieces in front of me but I can't see it yet."
"Don't be too hard on yourself. These people did everything in their power to erase all tracks. That you found anything is amazing. Sometimes it's important to step away for a while and come back with a fresh perspective."
"Yeah."
"Are you going into work today?"
"Not until I have something I can report on."
"I like the sound of that. I'm worried about you. They know who you are and they will kill you."
"I know. Alex is coming by in an hour to help me with this. I figured we would be safe here."
"Absolutely. I better get ready to go to work myself." He said, getting up and placing another kiss on her lips.
Walking back upstairs, he tried to control his anger. He wanted to bring whoever was behind this to justice and he wanted nothing more than to transform into the Batman. Once again he had to remind himself that he wanted to retire and right now, he could try to bring them to justice as Bruce Wayne. The Batman was not needed. He repeated that like a mantra in his head as he was getting dressed.
"Miss Hunter?" Alfred interrupted my train of thought. "Mr Philips is here."
"Thank you Alfred." I said, getting up and walking to the entrance hall.
Alex was standing in the massive hall, visibly uncomfortable.
"Hey Alex." I said.
"This is weird. Do you realize how weird this is?"
"What is?"
"You living in Wayne fucking Manor. I feel like you moved into a museum or a castle or some weird shit."
I smiled, knowing exactly what he meant. It still felt weird calling this massive mansion my home.
"And you have a butler..." Alex continued, shaking his head. "It's weird."
"Yeah, not as weird as that thumb drive."
"Why, have you found anything?"
"No, which is my problem. I've been staring at those documents and I can't make sense of them."
We walked back to the kitchen, Alex looking around him like he was walking through a museum. As we sat down, Alfred came by.
"Some water for you. Can I get you anything else?"
"No thanks Alfred."
"Very well. You know where to find me if you change your mind." He said, leaving the room.
"I don't think I have to say again how weird this is." Alex said.
I chuckled. "Ok, let's get to work. There are around a thousand documents on this thing. It's mostly contracts. Nothing really clicks for me. I've been staring at them for so long, I don't even know what I'm doing anymore."
"Let me take a look." He took the computer from me.
I leaned back in my chair, suddenly noticing how tired I was.
He arrived at work, immediately headed Fox's way. He had made a copy of the thumb drive last night.
"What can I do for you today?" Fox asked him as he walked into his office.
"I need you to run this through some databases." He said holding the thumb drive.
"I saw you stationed some of your computers downstairs."
"Yeah, it's a long story."
Fox nodded, pressing the button on his desk and the bookshelf moved aside.
They went downstairs.
"May I ask you a question?" Fox asked.
Bruce nodded.
"Does Catherine know?"
The question took him by surprise. He cleared his throat. "No and I like to keep it that way."
Fox nodded and while he was not Alfred and did not give him a long speech about how that was the wrong thing to do, Bruce could tell by his expression that Fox equally disapproved of the idea.
"Fair enough." Is all he said as he took the thumb drive and put it into the computer. "What are we looking for?"
"Anything really. Run the names through the databases for starters."
Eight hours. That's how long Alex and I had been looking at the documents.
"Ugh, I give up!" I said, resting my head on the pile of papers.
Alex laughed, taking another sip of his coffee. "Come on Hunter, don't be such a pansy."
I looked up at him as he was grinning at me, his sleeves rolled up.
"We haven't found even the slightest hint in this yet."
"Nope."
"I thought he gave us concrete evidence."
"He might have."
"Only we can't seem to decipher it. It's diving me crazy."
"I think you've been past crazy for a while now."
"Hey!"
"What do you say, two more hours and then we call it quits for today?"
"Fine." I sighed, getting back to the contracts. As I was reading them, I finally saw something. I grabbed a pile of papers I had looked through before.
Alex looked up at my suddenly hasty movements.
"Found something?" He asked.
"Maybe." I responded. "There." I pulled one of the papers out of the pile. "Its the same contract, only a year later."
"Let me see." He said, taking the paper from me.
"This was last year. A contract for this construction company and a year later, it's the exact same thing. Same amount and everything."
"They're all contracts to move money then, or at least that's what X assumed."
"Ok, so his company was in the money laundering business for a lot of different companies?"
"So it seems. But it's not concrete proof, just another hint."
"Vladimir Zokaiev, like X mentioned, he does pop up in a lot of these licenses. Let me talk to Bruce."
"What does Romeo know about him?"
I rolled my eyes at his reference. "He has plenty connections." I responded as I texted Bruce.
Fifteen minutes later, he walked into the kitchen.
"Hope I'm not interrupting the study session." He said as he kissed me. "Mr Philips nice to meet you in person."
Alex got up and shook his hand firmly. "Likewise Mr Wayne."
"Have you found anything on our Russian friend?"
"I have." He said, loosening his tie and taking off his jacket as he took a seat. "He doesn't exist."
Alex and I looked at each other.
"At least not according to any records." Bruce continued.
"So someone is using an alias?" I asked.
"Yes, which means whoever is behind this is much bigger and much scarier." Bruce said.
"All right, it's time for me to head home." Alex said. "I'll keep digging. Let me know if you find anything else and I'll do the same."
He had done some digging on his own and Zokaiev was not the only thing he found out. One firm, Lannings Incorporated, kept popping up in his research. He was not ready to share that with Cat yet. She was known to be recklessly endangering herself in pursuit of information.
After dinner, she went back to looking through the documents and he offered to help her.
Suddenly she got up and grabbed her phone.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"I found Zokaiev's address."
"And...you're planning on going there in the middle of the night?"
"Yeah."
"What do you expect to find there?"
"I don't know, maybe a clue to what the hell is going on?"
He sighed. "It's probably an abandoned building. How about we see who is registered under the address?"
"Ok."
They drove to Enterprises where he put the address in the computer. It would be so much more convenient to use the computer in the cave underneath the house, but of course that would mean he had to tell her about his secret identity as a masked vigilante.
He typed in the address while she was nervously pacing around him.
"And?" She asked.
"Huh, that is odd."
"What is?"
"The apartment is registered to Zokaiev."
"So a dead end?"
"Not quite. I traced how they paid for the apartment. The credit card is registered to Lannings Incorporated."
"Ok so now we just need to figure out who they made those deals with."
"That's what's odd. I found that out already and it looks like they dealt with themselves."
"Wait, what?"
"All these contracts, all these numerous companies... They're all companies that were bought by Lannings."
"Holy shit that means Lannings is laundering money through construction contracts with themselves."
"Exactly."
"The question is just, who are they laundering the money for?"
He felt his blood rise and the urgent need to put on the mask to pay the CEO of Lannings a visit. Was this something the police couldn't handle without him? Probably not.
"You have enough to give to Gordon at this point." He said.
"You're right. He can actually do something about this." She responded as she grabbed her phone. "Gordon, hi it's Catherine. I have some important information for you. I can be at the station in 10."
I told Gordon everything I knew, and although he was not very happy about me not telling him about the thumb drive earlier, he agreed to give me exclusive rights on the story in exchange for the information.
I had no idea the information would unleash a chain reaction.
Hours later, the CEO of Lanning was in handcuffs, transported to the county jail. Of course I was the one who broke the story together with Alex and we went live all night.
The next day, Gordon called me to tell me the DA said he had been blackmailed by the Russian mob not to prosecute Lanning Inc. after he had found out about the money laundering.
"They were threatening his wife's and children's life." Gordon told me.
For weeks, this was evolving story gold for me as more and more details came out. Medved had been orchestrating the whole thing out of prison and the two prison workers who helped him had been arrested.
The DA agreed to a full, independent investigation into his office but turned out clean. A few weeks later, he resigned citing personal reasons and the shame he had carried ever since he had misused his office.
The beginnings of the Russian mob had been broken up and Gotham had gone back to normal. Unfortunately without major breaking news, our wedding and life in general had moved back into the spotlight.
Morgan was my personal stylist, which still felt weird. She had met with me several times and I still did not get used to it.
"Here are some super cute skirts and use them with this belt." She said, holding up a brown leather belt, tied to a knot. "It's all about the knot belts this season."
I nodded, calculating in my head how much that ensemble just cost.
"Don't worry, it's for free." Morgan reminded me.
Another strange thing I had to get used to. Now that I could actually afford paying for designer clothes, they were always for free. I was like a free advertisement board for designers and they were fighting over giving me clothes.
I loved fashion but I just never saw myself on the cover of every gossip magazine. Especially when all I was doing was walking to work or getting a coffee.
Bruce had been right though. It was a lot easier not having to worry in addition about what I was wearing. Morgan always had perfect outfits for me, no matter the occasion. From a casual look, to the dream J. Mendel dress I wore to a fundraiser.
"What's up?" Morgan asked me, reading my facial expression correctly.
"I just can't help feeling like I'm more and more in a golden cage, you know?"
"You're not the first of my clients to tell me that. I once helped the Swedish princess look for a dress for an event in the States."
"Ha, now you're comparing me to an actual princess."
"Well, you tell me if what she said to me sounds familiar to you. She said she had normal life before she married the prince and then everything changed. She told me the perception the public had of her changed her whole life. It suffocated her to have to suddenly be who people expected her to be."
Wow, that was pretty spot on.
"Sounds familiar?" Morgan asked.
"Yeah." I said quietly.
"It's hard. You're turning your life around drastically. That doesn't happen overnight and it also requires time to get used to."
It felt like it took much more than time. It was getting harder and harder to do my job. I had inquiries from all women magazines to be their cover star for next month, but it was not actually for who I was or what I had achieved in my life so far... It was all because of who I was engaged to.
Of course Bruce had hired a team of wedding planners as well, who met with us every once in a while.
Between designing wedding invitations, tasting cakes and arranging seat charts, I was feeling more and more like having a small wedding on a beach far away from everyone.
My dress was ready and was breathtaking.
As the first leaves were turning color, we sent out the wedding invitations for next summer at Wayne Manor. We would have the ceremony in the garden and then have the reception right next to it under hundreds of little lights. The design the planning team presented looked beautiful. Everything was kept in white, with thousands of white orchids and lilies everywhere.
At least I didn't have to worry about planning details.
I did have to worry about stepping outside. A group of paparazzi was always following me. For some reason, I had become more interesting than Bruce. Just like predicted, magazines and online blogs could not get enough of who and what I was wearing.
"Catherine Hunter is our Kate Middleton." Someone said on TV. "Her style is always impeccable and she has become Gotham's style icon. What she wears sets trends."
"Ugh..." I sighed, turning off the TV. "At least I'm happy for Morgan."
Bruce pulled me into his arms and kissed me on the forehead. "Sorry hun. It could be worse. They could hate you. But they love you."
"Yeah maybe but they love me for a person I am not. All they want to hear about is who I'm wearing. They're not interested in the investigative journalist Catherine Hunter."
He smiled softly at me. In all this, one thing hadn't changed. I was head over heels in love with him. If anything, I was even more in love with him now. Over the last few months, our relationship seemed to become stronger and stronger.
"I'm sorry." He said. "All these things come unfortunately with the job description of being my future wife. But all these things, magazine shoots and invitations to Hollywood parties..."
"Wait...what?" I sat up straight.
"Didn't I tell you?"
"No!"
"Oh, yeah I figured it's another silly thing..."
"No, no, no. That's are not silly!"
He laughed. "I had no idea you were a fan of Hollywood."
"Oh yes! I wanted to go party with Hollywood celebs since I was little girl. But why in the world would they invite us?"
"They are looking probably for a new audience because their quotes have been going down over the years. They need a younger audience and I'm guessing with all the buzz around us and your red carpet potential, they're trying to bank on that."
"We're going!"
He chuckled. "We are?"
"Yes, I don't care if it's all so we can get them better ratings!"
He laughed again. "Yes ma'am."
Morgan had worked overtime, picking a whole closet full of incredible dresses for me. She had picked a very sleek Gucci tux for Bruce.
I finally settled on a deep purple J Mendel chiffon dress. Hair, make-up and many hours later we were finally ready to go. Alfred drove us to the red carpet.
"I have to say, that you're now willingly going on a red carpet..." Bruce smiled at me, looking incredibly hot in his impeccable tux.
"Yeah, yeah... Price I have to pay to hang out with a bunch of Hollywood stars I guess."
"Should I be concerned? You don't have a crush on a Hollywood actor you haven't told me about, right?" He grinned at me.
"No, no. Don't worry."
Walking across a red carpet had become a lot more natural for me. It was strange to be in the same room as all these Hollywood stars. We went to the Vanity Fair after party and around 2 a.m. Sam texted me: "Are you still out with Hollywood stars? If not, I'm about to leave this party soon and I'm starving."
I was too. Now that the adrenaline had worn off I realized that I had hardly eaten anything all day.
"Let's meet up with Sam." I said to Bruce.
"Sure, where is she?"
I didn't respond and just grabbed his hand, walking back to the car. Alfred dropped us off at the old burger joint.
"Sure we're not a little overdressed?" Bruce asked as we got out of the car.
"It's fine. This is LA. People are used to famous people."
We walked in and Sam waved us over to a table.
"Holy cow! Look at you two!" Sam said hugging me.
"Good to see you again." Bruce said, hugging Sam.
"You too Mr. Seriously, you two are like too much fabulousness at once."
I laughed. "Ok, time for some of Teddy's famous burgers."
We were eating, laughing and talking stories. It was the first time Bruce really got to hang out with Sam. The last time was in the hospital after the Joker had almost killed her. I was really glad that they got along this well.
Bruce had opened his bow tie and had opened the top buttons on his shirt, sitting next to me relaxed. One arm around me, the other grabbed a french fry every once in a while. Sam was eagerly telling him stories and he was laughing out loud at her silly escapades.
"So, which stars did you meet tonight?" Sam asked.
"All of them. Thats what it felt like. Wherever you went there was someone famous. I stood in line for the bathroom with Julia Roberts, chatted with Robert Downy Jr., Tom Hanks asked me for directions... It was crazy."
"Well, looks like LA caught the Wayne/ Hunter bug as well now." She smiled.
"What do you mean?"
She held up her phone, which showed the website of E! and the LA Times. It was a picture of us and each headline was equally stupid. Gotham royalty in L.A. and The King and Queen of style.
She chuckled. "Seeing your facial expression is always entertaining."
I rolled my eyes at her.
After two hours, we decided to call it a night.
"We'll drive you home." Bruce said.
"Oh that's not necessary. I can take a cab."
"Nonsense." He said as we walked outside and our driver was standing at the car, opening the door for us.
"Well, if you had said you were here in a limo..." She smiled getting in.
We dropped her off at her apartment at Venice Beach. Sam hugged me tightly.
"I wish we lived in the same city for once." She said as she let go off me.
We were driving back to the hotel when I had an idea.
"Wait!" I said to the driver.
"What?" Bruce asked me.
"Let's quickly take a walk at the beach."
"It's 5 in the morning."
"Exactly. Perfect time to watch the sunrise."
"Ok, you heard the lady." He said to the driver.
I took off my high heels and we walked down the beach. I inhaled the salty ocean breeze. Bruce had also taken off his shoes and rolled up his pants.
"I miss going to the beach." I said. Gotham was surrounded by ocean, but there were no beaches. It was very different than L.A. in many ways.
Suddenly Bruce grabbed me and swirled me in the air.
"Argh! What are you doing?" I screamed laughing, holding on to him.
He didn't respond but ran to the water, holding me tightly. When he was standing in ankle-deep water, he suddenly let go off me.
"Bruce Wayne what are you doing?" I squealed in horror, holding on to him.
He chuckled. "Oh, nothing." He said, slowly leaning over. my hair touching the waves underneath me as I was holding on to his neck, my legs wrapped around his waist.
"Don't." I laughed. "It's a really expensive dress."
He looked deep into my eyes, smiling, before he put his arms around me again and kissed me. I immediately forgot everything around me as our tongues met over and over again, the sound of the waves in the background. He stood back up straight and carried me back to the dry sand. I let go off him and we kept walking hand in hand. He saw me shivering and took off his jacket, placing it around my shoulders.
"Look!" I pointed at the sun slowly poking out on the horizon.
We sat down in the sand and he wrapped me in his arms as we watched the sun rise.
I could sit there for hours just like that.
"Have you ever thought about moving to L.A.?" Bruce asked me.
"Um, not really. Why?"
"I don't know. Seems you like it here a lot and Sam is here. I'm just saying, if you wanted to, I would be down. Don't think I can't leave Gotham."
"Really?" I asked surprised, twisting my head to face him. "I figured your whole life is there."
"My whole past... Not my life. Not my future. It took me a long time to return to Gotham. Partially because everything reminded me of my parents. It was a constant reminder of that wound. Of that pain. I never wanted to move back into Manor but Alfred convinced me."
I had never asked him about any of that. "Do you want to move?"
He shrugged. "Not necessarily. I love Gotham but I'm just saying I am not tied to the city. I can move wherever you want. The city is not my future. You are."
I just stared into his eyes before I kissed him.
We got back to Gotham. Work had been strange of late because wherever I went, I was surrounded by paparazzi.
"You made it." Alex smiled as I walked in with my oversized sunglasses on.
"Yeah, the whole incognito thing isn't working out for me. They still take pictures."
I hadn't told him that I was still investigating the Lanning's case. Something felt off, as if I was missing something. I was probably imagining whatever that was so I kept my investigation to myself until I found something.
He stared at his computer screens when he heard the butler enter.
"Now that the new batcave is ready, and you have officially retired, why do I still find you here?" Alfred asked him as he walked towards him.
He still went to the old container/ makeshift batcave.
"Because I can tell her I was at work." Bruce responded, not taking his eyes off the screen. If he was spending all his time in the batcave at Manor, it would be hard to explain where he was the whole time. This way he could drive away and tell her he was at work. It wasn't completely a lie. This was work.
"Unless, of course, you would finally tell her." Alfred said.
"There is something I found." He said, not responding to the butler. "Something is going on. For the first time in months I can hear chatter again on the streets."
"Where did you get these documents from?"
"I hacked into Lannings server."
"Master Wayne, how long do we know one another?" The old butler asked angrily. "Do you honestly think you can lie to me? I can see that you've hacked into her computer."
"Yeah, well I needed to see what she was working on."
"Why not simply ask her? She might tell you? Let alone if you told her who you really were..."
"I have retired, Alfred." He interrupted him in a stern tone. "This is who I really am."
"Is that right? Because I've seen you train over the last few days."
"It's called exercise. It's good for you, you should try it out sometime."
"No, exercise is what someone does in a gym. What you've been doing in here is called training. Training to put the mask back on."
"Are you here to help or to lecture?"
Alfred sighed. "How can I help, sir?"
"I need you to listen to the scanners and look what the police now. Something else is happening."
"Is there? Or are you waiting for something else to happen so you can put the mask back on?"
Bruce rolled his eyes at Alfred.
The next day I got into work, Peter called me in his office and the look on his face rang trouble.
"We have an appointment with corporate." Peter said.
"Oh. When?" I asked.
"Now."
"Now? Is everything ok?"
"I'm sure. They didn't tell me anything."
"That doesn't sound comforting." I said as we walked towards the elevator doors. Peter didn't say anything. I had only been up to corporate a few times.
"You didn't tell me we have an appointment with the general manger." I said as we took a seat inside the white conference room.
Peter just nodded, avoiding eye contact.
"Am I getting fired?" I asked.
"Don't be ridiculous."
In that moment the general manager walked in.
"Catherine, so good to see you. It's been too long."
"Good to see you as well Mr Whitenbach."
That statement couldn't be further from the truth. As I shook the tall man's hand, I was wishing I would be very far away. I hated his office politics and it felt like he didn't value news, he only valued profits.
"Please have a seat." He gestured to the leather chairs in front of him. "Want anything to drink."
"I'm fine thanks." I responded.
"Peter?" He asked.
Peter just shook his head. He was never a quiet man so this made me nervous.
"Congratulations again on your engagement."
"Thank you sir."
"Very exciting."
I was certain he would not be so excited if I was getting married to anyone else but Gotham's prince.
"We have great news for you."
"Oh?" I said surprised. Good news was not what I was expecting.
"We want you to be the new face of WCX8."
"The new face..." I tried to understand what he was talking about.
"You're doing a fantastic job and people love you. A promotion has been long overdue."
"Thank you sir. Just so I understand, what exactly will my new position be?"
Peter remained quiet next to me.
"More airtime, that's for sure. We've got to get your pretty face out there more often."
I didn't like this at all, my gut told me this was the anything but good news
"So, are you planning on having me anchoring a show?" I asked further, still unclear.
"We want you to be on the morning program, after all our most-watched and highest paying position."
"Morning anchor?" I asked still confused.
"Not just morning anchor. I want you to be on every poster, every commercial... I can see it..." He said as his hands were in the air. "Catherine Hunter and WCX8 - News you can count on."
"Sir..." I cleared my throat. "I'm certainly thankful to be considered for the position." I knew it was the highest paying, most sought-after position in the building. I just didn't want it. "...but...I love what I do. I love investigative journalism. I couldn't just sit there and simply read the news. I want to go out and tell the stories."
His demeanor changed, a cold smile wiped over his face. He wrote a number on a piece of paper, turned the paper upside down and slipped it to me. I turned it over and was shocked by the number. $60 million. A year. That was just ludicrous. It was also shocking how much more anchors made than reporters, even though reporters worked so much harder and were actually making the news. Anchors were just reading it.
"A generous offer, sir, but it doesn't change my feeling towards the position."
"Take the offer, kiddo, you won't get a better one." Even his tone was suddenly demeaning.
"You just congratulated me on my engagement to Gotham's number one billionaire. With all due respect, you should be well aware of the fact that money no longer is of any concern to me."
Peter cleared his throat next to me, trying not to laugh. Whitenbacher stared at him for a second before returning to me.
"Let me make this clear," he said as he leaned over the table. "I'm not asking. Did you honestly believe once you're married to Bruce Wayne you could continue as a credible journalist? Your reputation went out the door the second you had that ring on your finger. No..." he shook his head laughing. "...there is no future for you in this industry anymore. Unless you market yourself differently. You'd be perfect on the morning show. You can do human interest pieces, entertainment, cook shows..."
I felt I was about to explode. I was about to yell at him when Peter interjected.
"What's the timeline for the offer?" He asked.
"2 weeks." Whitenbacher responded.
2 weeks until I would lose my job. The thought floored me.
"So you're effectively firing me?" I asked.
"No, no." Whitenbacher's features softened, a slick smile on his face. "We're promoting you. You're one of our most valuable assets in this company."
"And you intend of showing me that by forcing a promotion on me that I hadn't asked for?"
"Let's take time to think about this." Peter said, hastily getting up.
Whitenbacher's eyes lingered on me, cold and calculated. "You have until next Monday to think about the offer."
I followed Peter out of the office, wishing this was a bad dream.
"I'm going to say no, you know that right?"
Peter sighed and nodded as he pressed the button on the elevator.
"This means I have two weeks left here."
"I'm sorry Cat, I had nothing to do with this decision."
"It's all good. You warned me." I said, feeling like I had stepped outside of my body.
"I was hoping I was wrong."
"Do you think I have a chance anywhere else? Or is this it? I can't be married to Bruce Wayne and be a credible journalist?"
Peter scratched his head, looking concerned. "I honestly don't know the answer to that. Maybe try smaller, independent stations?"
I had worked so hard for this job, I couldn't believe it was being taken away from me so instantaneously.
"Make sure you make the stories you're working on right now count." He said as we were walking down the hallway to the newsroom.
Ever since she had gotten the news that her job was about to end, she hadn't been the same. She was working harder than ever and he hardly saw her anymore.
It had a good side effect - he had time to work on what was going on in Gotham without having to lie to her more than necessary. He hardly spent any time at the office. All his time and energy went into training and researching.
"For someone who has retired, you're doing an admirable job of preparing yourself to become Batman again." Alfred said to Bruce as he was pulling a heavy truck tire on a rope across the room.
"Found anything?" He asked the butler breathlessly, sweat dripping from his forehead, his sore muscles screaming at him.
"As a matter of fact I have." Alfred said, pressing a button on the computer. "A truck full of guns and ammunition, all military grade."
"Illegal arms trade?" He asked confused, walking up to the monitors.
"That's what it looks like the question now is simply who is behind this? The police is in the dark."
"You just have a feeling?" Alex asked almost annoyed, shaking his head at me.
"Yeah." I shrugged, looking at the documents on my computer.
He sighed heavily, taking a seat next to me. "Cat, we just busted one major crime story and got almost killed in the process."
"So what you're saying is ignore that something is still wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong. Gotham is quiet."
"It's an eerie quiet. Something is wrong. I know it."
He shook his head at me.
"Are you calling me paranoid?"
"I think you're obsessed. You haven't been doing anything but go through these documents and investigate this."
"What's your point?"
"Well, that was my point. You're obsessed. Just…just take some time off from this."
"I can't Alex. In case you forgot - I'm leaving the station in less than two weeks."
"It's official?"
I nodded. "I handed in my two weeks a few days ago."
"That fucking blows."
"It does. So, you wanna help me?"
He sighed and nodded.
A week had gone by and he finally had gotten some good leads on the arms trafficking.
He also had been training hard every day. Instead of going to the office, he headed straight to the batcave. He wasn't even sure what he was preparing himself for. He had hung up the cape for good but it felt incredibly good to be training again, getting ready to hunt criminals and more importantly, to be himself again.
"Master Wayne?" Alfred interrupted his workout.
"What?" He managed to say between pull-ups.
"Fox gave me this for you sir." The butler held a thumb drive in his hand.
Bruce stopped and looked at it, before lowering his body to the ground. "What is it?" He asked, taking the thumb drive from Alfred's hand.
"He didn't say."
He walked to the computer and plugged it in. Pictures of several men in a parking garage appeared.
"Just as I thought." He said mostly to himself.
"As you thought, sir?"
"These guys are from the Chinese mafia and they're connected to the arms trade."
"And this is proof?"
"Proof that they're involved."
"Splendid. Then you can hand over the information to the police and they can do their job."
"They won't get it done." He said almost quietly, knowing what Alfred was about to say. He knew because he was already screaming it to himself in his head.
"You're planning on going back out there, aren't you?"
He didn't respond, checking the equipment.
"And what about her? You're started to build a future beyond the cape, beyond Batman. What about all that?"
He remained silent, feeling an inner storm brewing that had been building for longer than he was even aware of.
"There is a life for you outside of that cape." The butler continued and that's when Bruce felt the inner fight he had with himself over the last few weeks burst to the outside at once.
He slammed his hands on the table. "This is who I am, Alfred." He yelled. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you think I can just settle down and live happily ever after. I can't. I'm too broken. I can't be fixed."
"So you're ready to throw everything that's good in your life away?"
"No. But I can't keep doing this anymore. I thought I could. I tried. I tried to be Bruce Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises. That's not who I am. This life you speak of beyond the cape, it doesn't exist. Not for me. It's burned into my DNA. I feel like I can be myself when I put on the mask. I feel free."
He felt his body almost vibrating at this revelation. Deep down he knew this, but he had never said it outloud.
Alfred just looked at him concerned as Bruce was standing there breathlessly, trying to make sense of it all to himself.
"You see only one end in your journey." Alfred finally said into a long pause of silence. "I don't. And to answer your earlier question, when I look into your eyes I don't see a broken man. I see someone who lifted himself up time and time again. Batman is not who you are." He put a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "This is who you are. This is the man your father raised you to be. This is who your mother would be proud to call her son." He softly smiled at Bruce before he left.
"Looks like your gut feeling was right." Alex said walking to my desk.
"Why do you say that?" I looked up at him, my hair tied into a pony tail.
"You haven't heard?" He asked shocked.
"Heard what?"
"He's back."
Without thinking about it I jumped up. "How did you know that?"
"It's on the news right now. Police saw him at this building complex."
I grabbed the remote and turned up the volume on the TV.
"They looked at security footage." Alex continued.
Sure enough, there he was: Batman. It was hard to see him on the grainy security footage but it looked like it was him. He knocked out some guys and threw one guy against a wall. It looked like he was interrogating him.
I grabbed my coat.
"What are you doing?" Alex asked.
"What does it look like?" I said walking towards the elevator, him rushing after me.
"Call me crazy but it looks like you're about to go to that building."
I didn't say anything, pressing the button.
"See," Alex continued. "You're not calling me crazy and that worries me."
We stepped into the elevator. "Something is going on Alex and he wouldn't have come back from wherever he was if it wasn't."
"It also is not your job to fix this city, you realize that, right?"
When we arrived at the building complex, police had already taped the entire structure. Camera teams everywhere. All the reporters repeated the same line "This is where the Batman was spotted just hours ago."
Suddenly the spectacle was that he had returned to Gotham. Nobody bothered to ask why. I spotted Gordon in the crowd.
"What can I do for you tonight Miss Hunter?" He asked me as I walked up to him.
"What is he after?"
"The vigilante known as the Batman? You would certainly have to ask him.
"Come on Commissioner. We both know something is not quite right."
He smiled at me. "When has there ever in this city? My colleagues make fun of me because my gut always tells me that the next big hit is just about to happen. They call me paranoid."
"I'd call it being a realist."
He smiled again. "Don't worry. He's on it."
"On what?"
He grabbed a pen and wrote something on a piece of paper, folded it and gave it to me.
"Have a good evening Miss Hunter." He said and walked away.
I unfolded the piece of paper and it said: Wait for my call.
Hoping to find more I walked around the block looking at anything that could give me a hint as to who Batman was after here tonight.
Alex came running after me.
"You're just never going to stop are you?" He asked me.
"I have a hunch."
"God help us all." He said sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes at him. "Who were these guys? Aren't you curious?"
"Of course I am. But I'm normal person amount of curious. You're going crazy." He said as we were walking down the dark ally, passing by an overflown trash can. Empty beer cans littering the street, reeking of old booze and rotten food.
"Let's just call it a night." Alex pleaded.
I sighed, looking on the cobble stone ground. "Fine."
I stared at the beer cans, all were Chinese brands.
"What exactly is this place?" I asked looking up to the building.
"Ok Sherlock lets go home."
"Of course!" I said excited, pointing at the sign for a Chinese restaurant.
"What now?" He sighed.
"The Chinese mafia! That's who is involved. Batman was paying them a visit."
"And you get that from a restaurant sign?"
"No, I'm putting two and two together. I doubt he was getting Chinese takeout."
An hour later I met Gordon at a small bar. He was sitting at a booth, leaning against the old, worn leather seats.
"Good evening again Commissioner." I said sitting across from him.
He nodded. "I thought you might want to take a look at this." He said and slid an envelope across the table. I opened it and saw pictures of several men loading trucks with guns.
"Illegal arms trade." I said almost to myself.
He nodded. "I take it you know what to do with it. Especially since you're almost off the air anyway."
I looked up at him in surprise. "Wow, word travels fast."
"You're not the only one with connections in this town Miss Hunter."
I smiled. "I guess not. Speaking of connections - your masked friend, he thinks the Chinese are behind it?"
"Looks like you did your homework." He smiled at me. "Yes that's what we believe."
"Is he close to busting them? I'm on a tight timeline here."
He laughed. "He is but I'm not sure he can accommodate your work schedule."
I smiled. "Give me his number and I give him a call and explain."
He chuckled, shook his head and got up. "Good night Miss Hunter." He said after throwing a couple of bucks on the table.
As I watched the commissioner leave, I knew what I had to do next. Find Batman. He was the only one who would be able to tell me what was going on in this town.
It had been more and more difficult to hide his masked persona from her. She had been so involved in work and wedding preparations that they barely had time for one another. That had been helpful.
Alfred was getting more and more persistent.
"I don't know how much longer I can lie to her Master Wayne, and quite frankly, I'm surprised it doesn't seem to bother you." He had said to him.
He sighed in frustration. "Of course it does. This will all be over soon. Once I get the Chinese the city will be safe again."
"For how long? This is Gotham! There will always be organized crime. You have to tell her or I will."
He felt his blood boil at the mention of it. "Don't you dare! That is not your secret to share."
The conversation passed through his mind as he was standing on top of a building as Batman, watching over the city. Watching over her. At the same time he knew he could only keep this from her for so much longer. Suddenly in the night sky, he saw the bat signal appear. Gordon.
He made his way to the Gotham PD building. He probably wanted to talk to him about the latest in this investigation. Or maybe he had a lead on his own?
But when he was on the roof of the building next to the PD building, he saw someone he didn't expect. It was her. Catherine was standing, checking her surroundings. He balled his fists together. Sometimes he was hoping she wasn't so curious. But then again, that's one of many things that he loved about her.
He looked at her from the shadows, her perfect complexion slightly flushed from the cold air. Her dark eyes looking for answers. He wished he had the courage to tell her. Fear was holding him back. So he watched her for a few more seconds before saying something to her.
"Why are you here?" The dark raspy voice said from the darkness.
I turned around trying to see where he was but I couldn't. How did he do this?
"I thought we could talk about why the Chinese are smuggling in weapons?"
"I don't talk with reporters."
"Well, you're in luck then. I'm only one for a few more days."
"Does Gordon know you here?" The voice continued to rumble on.
"Yes." Well, if by yes I meant that I climbed up the fire escape and turned on the light…
"You're not a good liar." He said matter-of-factly.
"Fine. He doesn't. He told me you're on it. That you're about to bust the Chinese."
Silence. He didn't trust me.
"Look," I continued. "I don't want to know who you are. Well, ok I do. But even if I did I don't want to publish who you are because I think what you're doing is great and once your true identity is revealed you can't be Batman anymore. So I'm not after your secret. I'm on your side."
"What side is that?"
"Protecting the city. Something is going on I can feel it. Maybe I can help you."
"I don't need help. Don't contact me again."
"Wait!"
But I could tell he was already gone. "Damn it." I sighed to myself and when I turned around I saw Gordon behind me, his eyebrows raised.
"Commissioner. Good to see you again." I smiled at him.
"I wish I could say the same Miss Hunter."
"I know, this is bad. I'm sorry. I just feel helpless… Something is happening and I can't stop it. It feels like the time when the Joker blew up City Hall all over again."
Gordon sighed. "I understand. But you're not a cop and you're certainly not above the law. Tonight I let you off the hook but if I see you up here again, I will arrest you. Understood?"
"Yes, perfectly."
He rushed back to be home before her. Sitting in his street clothes on the couch, pretending he had been here for hours, he was waiting for her to walk in.
She had come closer and closer to his secret. He knew he would have to tell her soon. Very soon.
He heard steps on the marble floor.
"Hey." He greeted her as she sat on the couch next to him.
She exhaled deeply.
"Bad day?" He asked.
"Ok don't get mad…"
He already knew what she was about to say.
"I talked to Batman today."
He didn't respond, simply raising his eyebrows at her.
"I don't understand why he won't help me. What's the harm? He's already working with Gordon and I might have some information he doesn't have."
"Such as?"
"Well, I don't know. He didn't exactly compare notes with me."
He couldn't lie to her anymore. He had to finally tell her the truth. She was probably right, together they could work even more efficiently.
He sat up straight and felt all his courage leave him immediately. Why was this so hard.
"Catherine?" He said in a voice way weaker than he intended it to be.
"I just don't get it, you know?" She continued, not even looking at him. "I'm on his side."
His heart was beating rapidly. "Cat…" He tried again.
"I know, I know… I should stay away from him and anyone else that only gets me into trouble." She said while getting up. "I'm going to take a shower. Wanna watch a movie or something after?"
He nodded, unable to press the matter any further.
It was a busy Wednesday like most of my Wednesdays. I ran to the station with a coffee in my hand, followed by paparazzi. Later in the afternoon I had an appointment with Vera Wang's assistant for a fitting for my dress.
It was a normal Wednesday. Except for the fact that it meant I had only two days left as a reporter. The thought almost made me throw up.
I walked into the buzzing newsroom, immediately feeling the weight of the dooming deadline.
I got right back into my research. I felt like I was looking for a needle in a haystack. The Chinese were doing arms deals with someone, but without anyone confirming that I had no story.
As I was standing in the beautifully decorated fitting room at Vera Wang's studio downtown hours later, my mind was far away from the wedding. All I could think about was how I could prove the illegal arms trade and who was behind it.
"How does that fit?" The young woman asked me.
I looked at her for a second before looking at myself in the mirror.
For a second I was speechless. I looked like a bride. The future Mrs Wayne. The dress was beyond perfect. The sparking white fabric hugging my upper body and white ruffles of silk flowing down on me.
"It's perfect." I said quietly, now wishing I had Sam here. I told her I didn't need her for the fitting but suddenly I wished I would have shared this moment with her.
The woman smiled at me. "That's the reaction we like to see. Would you like some champagne?"
"No thank you. I have to get back to work."
Reluctantly I took off the dress and walked to get a cab. I had one lead I wanted to follow up with.
I had been talking to people in Chinatown to see if they had seen anything. One of them mentioned there was a shipment near Waterfront and I had a few contacts there too. Billy was a homeless guy who was always very observant and had given me some great content in the past. I was hoping he knew something about this.
I walked down to where he was usually at, the cold wind hitting my face as I wrapped my coat closer around me.
He was sitting by a fire in a trash can.
"Hey Billy."
"Oh hey! I thought you might be too famous for me now." He smiled at me with all his three teeth.
"Never." I smiled.
"Good, good." He chuckled. "What can I help you with today?"
"I heard something about shipments coming in."
"You have to be more specific there are a lot of those around here."
"Chinese shipments." I showed him a picture of the guys Batman was beating up the other day. "Recognize any of those?"
He took the picture and put on his old glasses. His eyes shot back up at me. "What trouble are you in now?"
"I take that as a yes. Chinese mafia guys, correct?"
He nodded.
"Seen them around here?"
He looked around to make sure nobody heard him. "Yes. Their shipments came in every Friday night."
"Who did they get them from?"
"Get them from? No, no. They were the ones shipping them."
This whole time I thought the Chinese mafia was getting weapons into Gotham. I never even thought about them getting them to somebody.
"Who did they give the shipment to?"
"I don't really know. There always was this one guy standing in the background watching everything go ok."
"Who was he?"
"One guy called him Wald or something like that. He looked like he didn't belong here. You know, dressed too well."
"Wald… As in Tom Wald?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I don't know who he is."
Tom Wald was a consultant for a company in Gotham. I had met him at a gala last year. I quickly pulled up the picture on my phone of him, me and other guests at the gala. "That him?" I asked holding the phone to Billy. He studied the picture closely.
"That looks like him."
"Thanks Billy. You've been a great help as always." I said, handing him an envelope with money.
"Don't mention it." He said and then looked at my ring. "Well look at that rock. You can kill someone with that thing."
I smiled embarrassed. "Yeah, it's way too big." I felt myself blushing. "He picked it so I had no say."
"Nonsense. He has good taste that Wayne fellow."
I smiled. "Good to see you Billy."
"You too. Stay out of trouble."
"Always."
On my way back to the station I called Gordon.
"Either you know only half of the story or you're only telling me half the story." I said when he picked up.
"It's too late in the day for mind games Miss Hunter. Could you be more specific."
"The name Tom Wald ring a bell?"
"Wald? No."
"Well, in that case I might have something for you."
"I'm all ears."
"Not on the phone. I'll be at the police station in 5."
He picked up his phone not recognizing the number as he got in the Royce.
"Hello?"
"Hey Bruce."
"Sam?" He asked surprised.
"Yup, it's me."
"That's a surprise. Cat is at work."
"I figured. I wanted to talk to you. Do you have a moment or are you busy?"
"Alfred is just driving me to work. What's up?"
"I'm just wondering how Cat is holding up? I know tomorrow is the big day."
"She's Cat. You know how she gets. She's working like crazy and everything seems fine…"
"…until she becomes an emotional wreck… Yeah, that's Cat."
He smiled, glad her friend knew her so well.
"I'm glad you're there for her." She said. "Since I've known her she was a workaholic. I'm nervous for her."
"Yeah, me too. I'll keep an eye on her."
"Good. Thanks Bruce."
Gordon tapped his fingers nervously on his desk, staring at me in anticipation.
"So, what have you got for me?" He asked, his forehead in wrinkles.
"First lets make sure that…"
He waived his hand before I could even finish. "Yeah, yeah… Exclusive rights. Let's cut to the chase."
"Fair enough. The Chinese mafia is involved in illegal arms trade. But they're not on the receiving end of it."
He perked up.
"They're the ones supplying the weapons."
"Who are they shipping it to?"
"I know that Tom Ward was there when the shipments happened. Ward works as a consultant for one of the big banks in town."
Gordon sighed. "It's a sad day when you wish it simply was the Chinese mafia and not another company in Gotham. How do you know this?"
"I can't reveal my sources but I'm sure if you looked at the security footage from those nights you're going to see Ward. I don't know how much the company is involved, but something tells me that this is not being orchestrated by one guy."
"I'm going to look into it."
"I'm going to publish this today."
"You can't, we're in the middle of the investigation."
"Then I suggest you better hurry up." I smiled at him as I got up and left.
He shut off his computer after a long, dull day in the office and grabbed his jacket when he saw her on one of the many TVs in the office. He turned up the volume and that's when Alfred called.
"Are you watching this, sir?"
"I just turned it on, why?"
"The Chinese mafia was supplying Gotham Central Bank with weapons which high-ranking officials used to sell off to mob dealers across the city. In return, the Chinese mafia bosses were given bank accounts in different names. They were able to hide their money and Gotham Central made money. It's a win win." She said on TV.
His mouth felt dry. How did she find this out? Why didn't he?
"It was the perfect scheme but not anymore. Tonight the men responsible are behind bars."
"Master Wayne?" Alfred asked on the other line.
"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "I'm on my way back."
It was good news. He didn't even need to put the cape back on. She had taken down the bad guys almost on her own. Then why did it not feel like good news? All he wanted to do was to transform into Batman. But maybe this was a sign that he really wasn't needed anymore. The only one who still needed Batman was himself.
The next day felt surreal. Despite me breaking this massive story, it was still my last day at the station and by the looks of it, my last day as a credible journalist. I had gotten offers from small blogs but the networks and papers in town avoided me like the plague.
Most of my day was spent filling out paperwork and doing exit interviews. Before I knew it, the day was over. As I was putting my belongings in a box, Peter walked up to me.
He didn't say anything, just looked at me with a sad smile on his lips.
"Are you here to tell me I told you so?" I asked sarcastically.
He smiled. "Nah. Not today."
"Thanks for the opportunity sir." I said shaking his hand.
"Sir? Are you going to start calling me sir now that you're leaving?"
"Better late than never."
He laughed and then turned serious again. "I wish I could do something about this. It's so completely wrong. You're our most talented journalist in here."
"Thanks. I'll be fine." I felt how hollow those words were. I didn't know how this was going to be ok.
Everyone was saying their goodbyes, I got a cake and balloons… It felt beyond surreal. I had left many stations before but only because bigger and better opportunities were on the horizon. Now I just left into nothingness.
Sure I could accept the morning anchor position but it was also not what I wanted to do. Either way my career as a journalist was over. Or at least over for now.
"I'm not good at this stuff Hunter." Alex said scratching the back of his head.
"Shocker." I smiled at him.
He laughed. "Seriously though I'm going to miss you around here."
"Thanks."
"Who else is going to get me into crazy, life-threatening situations?
I grinned at him before he gave me a hug, which was very uncharacteristic for Alex.
The newsroom was almost empty when I finally left, slowly walking down the hallway not able to wrap my mind around the fact that I was indeed leaving. The box with my stuff firmly in my arms, I pressed the elevator button. Images of me and Jacob in popped up. I still felt a guilty sting in my heart whenever I though of him. The Joker killed him but I felt at least partially responsible for his death.
When I stepped out into Gotham's cold night air, I felt reality hit me right int he face. I was really not a journalist anymore. As I took a deep breath I saw Bruce, leaning against the Mercedes, his hands in his pockets, looking at me closely.
"You didn't have to pick me up." I said as he took the box from me and opened the door for me.
"Least I could do. How are you feeling?" He asked as he started the engine.
"Fine." I lied. The way he looked at me proofed that he knew me too well and knew I was far from fine.
As the lights of WCX8 were going by our window, I wiped away a quick tear. "It's just that deep down, I was hoping they'd change their minds, you know? I thought if I get another big story, they would not let me go."
He looked at me concerned. "I know."
"Anyway, that was silly of me to think."
"It wasn't. This industry is insane. You're incredible at what you do. That they can see that means they don't deserve you."
I smiled softly at him, placing my hand on his. I had never heard him talk about my job qualities like this.
"But let's forget all that for now because we have to pack tonight."
"Pack?"
"Yes, we're going on a trip tomorrow morning."
"Where to?" I asked eagerly, sitting up straight.
"Rome for a few days. Get away from it all."
"Rome…Italy?"
He laughed. "I didn't mean Rome, Georgia."
The days away in Rome had been amazing. It was one of my favorite cities in the world. We spent all day sightseeing, drinking espresso and eating delicious pizza.
"I don't know if I get more used to them or if they're less obnoxious when you have two glasses of this amazing Italian wine in you." I said gesturing toward the paparazzi in the distance taking our pictures.
"A combination of both." He smirked at me.
"So, is this what we're doing? Travel the world and live off profits from Enterprises?" I asked taking another sip of my wine.
"We can do whatever you want."
"Can you make me a journalist again?"
He looked at me concerned again.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring down the mood. What am I whining about? I'm in Rome with you. I don't have to work another day in my life…"
"But you love what you do. It's part of your DNA."
The way he said it almost made it sound like he was talking about himself.
I nodded. "But I love this too. How couldn't you? So maybe I just have to tell my journalism side to shut up and enjoy life."
It was our last day in Rome and I was not ready to leave and get back to Gotham. I woke up, hearing the shower going. I checked the bed and Bruce was not next to me. I stretched, got up and opened the windows. Our hotel was right by the Vatican. Loud church bells echoed through the small cobblestone streets.
When I walked into the bathroom, Bruce was standing in front of the sink, shaving. He looked very concentrated at his reflection in the mirror as he brought ht blade across his chin. I leaned in the door, appreciating the view of naked Bruce Wayne right in front of me. He rinsed the razor under water before continuing on his upper lip.
"Looking good Mr Wayne." I said.
Apparently he hadn't noticed I was there. He jumped.
"I'm sorry! Didn't mean to scare you." I said walking up to him.
"I didn't see you coming." He said shaking his head.
"Oh my God you're bleeding." I said as the white shaving foam turned red on his upper lip.
He looked at himself in the mirror. "It's nothing. Just a small cut."
He rinsed his face.
"Let me see." I said and he turned toward me. It was a pretty solid cut. "Does it hurt?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"Really? It looks like a pretty painful cut."
He didn't answer but pulled me toward him, kissing me. His tongue quickly finding mine. The faint irony taste of his blood on my lips, he wrapped me into his embrace tightly. His skin felt still warm from the shower, a few water drops from his wet hair on his back, he started to take off my clothes.
Journalism was a drug to me but so was he. Right now, there was nowhere else in the world I'd rather be than with him.
When they got back to Gotham he could immediately feel the cold embrace from the city. A grip so tight, it didn't give him much breathing room. Maybe it was time to not only leave the cape behind, but also Gotham. Maybe Alfred was right when he said that there was nothing for him here but death and misery. After all, the old butler was usually right.
What if they traveled the world? Or lived in Rome for a while?
He looked at her as she was staring out the airplane window. Her expression changed. In Rome she looked happy. Now she looked like a dark past had haunted her.
"I can stay home." He said and it was the truth. They didn't need him at the office. Fox was better at numbers anyway.
"No, no. Don't stay home with the sad jobless woman. Maybe I should start designing clothes or whatever it is women of famous people do."
She was joking but he didn't feel like laughing. It pained him to see her having to through her dream career away for him.
"It's fine. Seriously. Go, otherwise I feel like even more pathetic."
"Ok, I won't be long."
"You stay as long as you need to. Don't change anything because of me."
He put on his jacket and leaned in to kiss her.
"Do you like dogs?" She suddenly asked.
"Yes, why?"
"Maybe we should get a dog? This house is massive and you have a giant yard and I'm home all day."
"We could certainly get a dog but I doubt it will take you long to find a job again."
Once he left for work I sat on the couch with a fresh brewed coffee and went through my old reporter notebooks in the box I took from work.
Old stories I had worked on and taken notes were scribbled on the paper. I remembered those stories and the people I interviewed. It was like going through an old photo album. As I was going through the notes, I stumbled upon a story I must have done a year ago on Gotham Central Bank.
I vaguely remembered the story and the man I interviewed for it. And then my journalism instinct kicked in again.
I dialed Gordon's number.
"If I'm not mistaken you're no longer a journalist." Gordon said when he picked up.
"Ouch. Kick me when I'm down."
"What is it Ms Hunter?"
"Have you gotten any leads on how they transported the weapons?"
"No, but even when we do I can't tell you about it."
"Of course. Have a good one commissioner."
The adrenaline of being close to unveiling a story was rushing though my system. Back then I did a story that Gotham Central was renovating old, abandoned subway stations as storage units and underground transportation of money. It was a safer way to get the money moved underground than on Gotham's streets. I completely forgot about that until now.
I rushed to the city department and requested a map of the old subway system and compared that to the map of the upgraded system. As I had suspected, they had all been transformed except for one. That must be where they're meeting to exchange the weapons and cash.
The copies of the maps in my hands, I made my way to the subway station. I knew this was no longer my job, but he had been right - it was part of my DNA. I was not able to switch it off.
He had told her he had to go to work and that was once again only partially true. When they came back from Rome, Alfred told him some of his sources were reporting more mob activity again.
His gut feeling was telling him for months now that something was really wrong in this town and it wasn't that arms trade or money laundery with Lannings. Something was hiding in the shadows of this city and he was not able to pinpoint it just yet.
Or maybe he was just telling himself that so he could continue being Batman. He had placed a tracking device on one of Ward's men.
"I'm just going to follow him, see what he's up to." He said, looking at the blinking dot move on his screen.
"As Bruce Wayne or as Batman?" Alfred asked.
"You know I can't walk around as Bruce Wayne." He said getting up and getting changed.
In the cape, he followed the man.
"He's underground sir." Alfred told him over his earpiece.
He made his way down the old subway tunnel. It was dark and the air was thick. Suddenly he noticed someone standing in the tunnel. It was Cat.
I was searching for any sign that this tunnel was being actively used.
"You shouldn't be here." The dark husky voice suddenly said.
"I'd figured you'd say that." I sighed, turning around. I still wasn't able to see the Batman in the darkness. Where was he?
"Then why did you come?" He asked.
I jumped. He was standing right behind me.
"Jesus! You scared me."
"I'm the least of your worries." He said his dark eyes narrowing in on me.
This was the first time I was able to see Batman. The past few times it was either too dark or I was in a life threatening situation, confused with adrenaline.
Now I was able to really look at him. His armor looked even more expensive and high tech than on TV. His cape almost velvety. His jaw line hard. His lips thin, like they had suffered through a lot.
I noticed a cut on his lips. A cut…just like the one on… And then it hit me like a ton of bricks at once.
"Oh my God!" I covered my mouth in shock as I walked slowly away from him.
He looked visibly confused, walking towards me.
I felt tears well up. "It's you!" I said barely above a whisper. "It's you!"