Chapter 28:

Part 1:

"Can I see Bruce today?" Adriana asked Alfred who seemed a bit panicked.

"If he knows like you say he does then you shouldn't be in the city," Alfred said in a commanding and fatherly voice.

"Please?" Adriana pleaded.

"He's working. Wayne Enterprises does require some of his attention," Alfred ignored her. "And maybe you've forgotten you have an appointment with Dr. Nathan in half an hour as well."

"Yeah, I forgot," Adriana replied. She hadn't forgotten but she was becoming tired of seeing a doctor so often. Dr. Nathan visited every few days under Bruce's command to make sure that she and her child were doing well.

Dr. Nathan seemed pleased with Adriana's rapid weight gain and more prominent belly. He changed her due date to December first. Bruce came to visit that evening and informed Adriana and Alfred that the cop from the previous night was a transfer and had tranferred back to Chicago that morning. They weren't surprised when no one could find him or contact him. He was the leak.

"It doesn't matter though," Bruce said sounding confident. "You're safe."

"Alfred told me that I shouldn't go into the city," Adriana said, rolling her eyes. Bruce couldn't see though because they were in the dark den sitting in front of the fireplace. The fire looked close to death but provided the perfect amout of warmth for a brisk evening.

"He's right," Bruce said. "It's more dangerous now if what your psychic said is completely true. No one's seen him since he excaped. He hasn't done anything criminal yet which makes me think he may be planning something."

"I should go, Bruce," Adriana didn't want to think about what the Joker's plans were. "I should fly to Brazil or something."

"Why Brazil?" Bruce laughed.

"Because Julia keeps telling me I look Brazilian," Adriana laughed back. "So maybe I'll blend in, and my son too."

"Do you really want to do that?" Bruce turned to look at Adriana sitting on the left side of the couch holding a closed book she couldn't see to read since the fire started to die.

"Why not? I wouldn't have to worry. He wouldn't expect me to go to Brazil and he'd never look for me there," Adriana replied.

"So you want to run away from me basically," Bruce sighed.

"No," Adriana's thoughts rushed back to Sidi's last words to her. "But I can't stay here."

"Yes you can. You just don't want to for some reason and I'm beginning to think it's me," Bruce responded.

Adriana was quiet. She though about how close she and Bruce had become over the last few months and wondered if she would still want to run away if they hadn't. If he hadn't kissed her, taken care of her and made her feel protected all the time...

"You're right," Adriana said, raising her eyebrows in disbelief with herself. Bruce turned to her quickly almost beginning to feel offended but the tone in her words calmed his assumptions.

"I am?" Bruce moved closer.

"Why are you so nice to me, Bruce?" Adriana wondered aloud.

"I'm no nicer than anyone should be," Bruce wrapped an arm around her. "I suppose you're just not used to it."

"I'm going to be someone's mother, Bruce," Adriana said, wanting to lean away but couldn't.

"Please," Bruce noticed her recoil and gently moved her face to his. "Stop being ashamed. I care about you and I'll care about your son."

"It's his son," Adriana wished he wasn't so kind.

"Excuse after excuse for why you won't let me love you," Bruce breathed close before he kissed her.

Love...The word was comforting to her ears.

Part 2:

That night Adriana dreamed of Bruce. In her dreams the Manor was bright and alive. The simple garden that was there now was lush and elaborate. Suddenly she felt as though she was him. The world was nothing more than an adventure. She assumed he was a child because she felt is body running through the garden feeling overwhelmingly carefree. She felt happy when she looked at the beautiful little girl who ran behind her. Something shifted and surprised her as everything went black. She was falling. The shift from the playful freedom to this sudden sinking was abrupt enough that her confusion blocked all fear. The fear came gradually as she felt pain in both arms. She opened her eyes in the dark when she felt sharp pains all over her body and saw the bats swarming around her head. She began to scream and attempted to swat them away with her arms but it was like swinging at concrete birds. Her screams became louder as she realized that the birds would probably kill her or leave her looking like a mutant.

"Adriana!" she heard a voice loud above her and felt comforting arms. Was she being rescued? The thoughts flooded in so fast she couldn't keep up. The next thing she knew she was feeling staggering guilt as she looked down at two dying people. They were his parents. She began to cry relentlessly.

"Adriana wake up!" she heard it again. It was Bruce. She opened her tear filled eyes quickly and looked around in her bright room. The sun was up. "What wrong? Why are you screaming? Are you in pain?"

"I'm okay," Adriana breathed sounding embarassed. It had been so long since something like this had happened. She looked over to see Alfred looking horrified in the doorway. "I'm okay, I'm okay."

"Then why are you screaming?" Bruce asked gently.

"Nightmare," Adriana explained with one word.

"A nightmare? You were screaming like you were in labor. You look sick now, I'll bring you some water," Alfred interjected from the door and walked away quickly.

"A nightmare about what?" Bruce asked with his voice still gentle.

"You," Adriana sounded nervous.

"Me?" Bruce was curious. "What did I do?"

"Nothing, nothing," Adriana responded. "It was a dream that I was you. I was outside in the garden just running around and then I fell down to...well I think it was hell. It happened so fast and then there were people dying in front of me and I was so shameful..." She stopped talking when she realized his facial expression.

"I'm sorry, I said too much," Adriana said quickly. She wished she had a one way plane ticket to Rio de Janeiro. Alfred had entered the room again with an tall glass of ice water.

"No," Bruce looked at her with his shock quickly fading and his voice solemn. "It's alright. I guess it just surprised me at first that you would dream of that. Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Adriana said before drinking the water. Alfred didn't ask what she had dreamed about.