A/N: Hello everyone. First of all huge apologies for my delay in getting this out there. This has actually been written for quite a while but was in need of completely editing. I'm pretty happy now and I hope you will enjoy it and the chapters to come. I've decided to post a couple together as I'm nearing the end of this little tale and I don't want to keep you in suspense for any longer than I have to. Also the main reason for my huge delay is that in January I found out that I was pregnant (Finally) and hormonal changes, shock and generally feeling pretty crappy for fourteen weeks left me with no time or strength to write. But now I'm five months and feeling on top of the world and the main thing I want to do before I go pop is finish this story.
I can't tell you what it means to still have reviews coming in on this story and your support and enthusiasm has been really encouraging. I'm going to write a huge list of thank yous on the last chapter, which will be coming soon.
But for now, thank you, thank you and I hope you enjoy this epic chapter.
LBG xxxx
Goodbye
Gordon smiled at the woman in the chair, almost as if he were enjoying some private joke. A little shaken but still determind to remain composed, Selina kept the serene smile on her face and waited for him to leave. She watched his form retreat down the hospital corridor, his shoes thudding lightly on the floor. She watched him dart quickly into an elevator at the end of the hall and then he was gone.
Her hands trembled as she eased herself out of the chair and still barefoot she padded back down the corridor. A rush of emotion washed over her and she didn't know what to feel first, she felt flooded and drained at the same time. One thing she was sure of was that Gordon hadn't believed a damn thing she'd said. Every twitch of his moustache and flick of his eyebrows had said as much. And yet he hadn't carted her off in handcuffs? Selina wrapped her arms around her torso, shaking her head lightly. Maybe he was giving her a break this time?
But he'd be watching her. She wondered if the commissioner would have cop cars outside her apartment by the time she reached home. Home seemed like a lifetime away and it seemed like an age since she'd been in her own bedroom, getting ready for Bruce's party. Selina's stomach lurched violently. God...Bruce.
She reached Holly's door and used the flat of her hand to push it open. Her friend was still sleeping soundly. Selina slid back into the chair by the bed and wrapped the discarded blanket around her shoulders, huddling in for warmth. She closed her eyes for a moment but all she saw was Bruce's eyes behind that mask. That look of bitter disappointment etched into her memory forever. He would never forgive her for what she had done. Not only did her little act of heroism cost her his favour, but she'd humiliated him to. A man like Bruce Wayne didn't bounce back from those things very well.
Selina rubbed her aching eyes and tried to rest her head on the chair, folding her legs underneath her. She winced and straightened them out again. Everything hurt.
I deserve it; she thought miserably her thoughts turning to Jack. Her heart sank. She had lost Bruce but now she doubted she would ever see Jack again. How had things become so messed up? The one good thing that had come out of her meeting with Gordon was the news that Suzie was alive. That alone lifted her heart a little. All of the years she'd imagined Suzie dead and buried somewhere and now that had been erased with one sentence. It gave Selina hope. People do survive. Suzie had and that was enough for Selina right now.
"Hey..." came a small voice from the bed and Selina's eyes snapped open. She exhaled and smiled, crossing the gap to Holly's bedside. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared down at her poor, beaten friend. Selina hopped up on the side of the bed and took Holly's clammy hand.
"Thank goodness," she breathed giving it an affectionate squeeze. "I thought you'd sleep for a week!"
Holly's eyes were barely able to open fully and the sore across her lip was still red and swollen, impairing her speech. "I feel like I need it," she whispered. "You ok?"
Selina rolled her eyes. "Don't you worry about me, I'm fine. Look at you. God I'm so sorry that I got you into this mess."
Holly shook her head weakly. "I shouldn't have gone off like that. Besides...that was one hell of a night. I got to wrestle Batman."
Selina's smile cracked across her face and she choked back laughter. "That was a stupid thing to do," she didn't manage to sound scolding. "But...thanks."
"I'm your wingman aren't I?" Holly chuckled, opening her eyes finally revealing her bloodshot pupils. Selina winced inwardly, surveying the purple bruise that had bloomed over Holly's right eye. "That was the most fun I've had in years."
Selina's smile was gone suddenly and her face deadly serious. "Don't joke about Hols. That bastard Elliot nearly killed you."
Holly placed a hand over her friends. "He didn't though."
Selina ducked her head, the memory of Elliot's last moments flooding back to her. "There's my girl..." Selina shuddered and held her friend's hand tighter as if she may slip away.
"He isn't coming back for you ever again," Holly whispered. "You did the right thing Selina."
The blonde woman shook her head, making sure to keep her voice low. "It wasn't my right to kill him. He should have died in a prison cell, locked away for the rest of his life. I lost control."
Holly's eyes filled with wetness, the pain in them very real. "Selina...I don't care what you say. You saved my life. He did things to me..." the younger woman turned her head to the right so that her tears ran down the side of her face and hit the white pillow beneath. "Prison would have been too good for him."
Selina swallowed her words, a knot forming in her throat. She said nothing but pressed her lips together, nodding firmly. She squeezed Holly's hand, feeling every splinter of pain, knowing every scrap of humiliation that she must have endured. Holly hadn't had time to be conditioned into that life, but Selina knew it all too well. Her heart broke for her friend. It was at that moment, a friendly round faced nurse bustled in, breaking the quiet moment that the two had shared.
Selina watched as the nurse fussed around Holly, checking her notes and adjusting her IV drip. Finally when she was busy scribbling something on the clipboard, Selina spoke.
"How long till she can come home?" she asked and the woman flashed her a sad smile.
"Oh a couple of days at least," she answered curtly. "The doctors want to keep her in for a while to monitor her. But you can visit whenever you like."
The woman bustled out of the room and Holly groaned. "I don't feel like going back to my place anytime soon anyway."
Selina frowned. "No way! You're staying with me for a while...your place is wrecked."
Holly chuckled. "Selina your place is tiny. Where would I sleep...the bath?"
"Well I'm perfectly comfortable on the couch for a while. Anyway...I was kind of thinking of getting someplace bigger," Selina grinned down at her, her old form returning and Holly's curiosity was stimulated. She rolled her neck on the pillow and wriggled her shoulders to stretch them out.
"Hmm...sounds interesting. I keep forgetting you have a few million stashed away somewhere," she sighed wearily. "You weren't planning on buying Wayne Manor were you?"
Selina laughed at the joke, rolling her eyes skyward. "Ahh, I don't think I'll be seeing Bruce Wayne for a while. At least not until his pride has recovered." She poked Holly playfully in the arm. "Why'd you do that? Why did you help me let him go?"
Holly looked at her as though she'd grown another head. "I told you...I'm your wingman. And as much as I can't pretend to understand the relationship you have with the Joker, you wanted him to run. And I was just backing you up."
Selina made her face serious, drawing her brows together even though the memory of an injured Holly wrestling Bruce around the neck still made her giggle. "Well I don't want a side kick Holly. I never want you to put yourself in that kind of danger again. I just want you to be my friend."
Holly smiled, her cheeks flushing. "Deal," she whispered. Selina leaned down and hugged her carefully. The pair broke apart at the sound of footsteps stopping just outside the door. A man cleared his throat and the door squeaked open. Selina looked over her shoulder, the sight of the man standing in the doorframe a welcome and emotional surprise.
"Jonah?" she hopped off the bed. "What are you doing here?"
Jonah stood their awkwardly, his eyes raking her over from head to foot in sheer horror. His mouth gaped open and the bunch of yellow carnations he'd been holding dropped to his side. Selina then remembered what a mess she must look, cut to ribbons and filthy, still in the same evening gown that now resembled something out of a rocky horror show. He shook his head, finally finding his voice.
"I got a weird call at the store last night before I left," he began to explain. "Some English guy said that you were in the hospital...that I should come pick you up...Selina, what happened?"
Selina held up her hands in a calming gesture, keenly aware of the worry etched into his face. She crossed the gap between them and reached for his rough hand, giving it a gentle squeeze with her own. "It's been quite a night," she smiled and he seemed to sag with relief upon seeing it. An English Guy? Dear old Mr. Pennyworth. It made her heart lift a little, if only for a moment.
"Can I take you home?" he asked in dismay. "Where are your shoes for god sake?"
Selina glanced down at her dirty and bloodied bare feet and wondered the same thing. The heels she had been wearing to Bruce's party had been Jimmy Choos. The vain, shallow part of her half hoped Bruce might find them in the rubble and take pity on them and on her. But she doubted she'd be seeing Bruce for a long time.
Selina cast a glance at Holly in the bed, who was urging her to take the opportunity to go while she could.
"You need to get home," Holly said as Selina leaned over her and planted a wet kiss on her bruised forehead. "I'm not going anywhere for a while."
"I'll be back tomorrow," Selina promised, hobbling back towards Jonah, who held out his arm for her to take. She cast him a sad smile as they wandered slowly down the hospital corridor, avoiding holding onto him too tightly. For some reason, seeing him here, the mere fact that he had raced across town to get her had struck her heart more than she liked.
He wound her arm around her waist to support her and she leaned carefully on him, until they reached the big, glass double doors that pulled back to allow freezing morning air to rush in. Selina winced and huddled against him for warmth. They made their way to the car park where Jonah's truck was waiting for them. The glass fogged up instantly as he turned on the engine, stretching across her to help her fasten her seatbelt.
Once she was all buckled up, Jonah reached for a rag in the glove compartment and hurriedly began to wipe the condensation off the interior screen. He threw her an exasperated look and muttered something about trading the truck in for scrap metal. But Selina was sleepy and didn't really hear it. In fact she didn't really hear anything until the truck bumped to a stop outside the gallery and she widened her eyes in surprise.
"You slept the whole way," he told her, undoing his belt and letting it slide back across his chest. He hoped out of the driver's side and ran around to help her out of the car. "You want to go up alone?"
It was then Selina's turn to look a little sheepish. "I don't suppose your any good at breaking and entering are you? I don't have my keys...I promise not to call the cops."
He chuckled heartily, for the first time since he'd seen her. "Well I did learn a few things in the clink," he said. Selina grinned sleepily.
"That's what I was hoping," she let him help her out onto the sidewalk. Selina leaned against the gallery wall as Jonah began to fiddle with the lock. With her arms folded against her chest, eyes squinting against the early morning sunlight, it occurred to her that she liked having him around. It also dawned on her that she could have broken into her own home by herself with no problems, but there was something nice about being taken care of. It had happened to her so little in her life that she lapped it up like a greedy cat when it occurred.
The first warning beeps of her alarm system brought her out of her daze and she dashed past him through the door, to the box on the wall behind the desk. Hurriedly she typed in the numbers and then beeping halted altogether. She exhaled and turned to see him framed in the doorway, leaning casually against it.
"You need anything?" he asked, eyeing her cautiously, folding his arms.
Selina lingered behind the desk, her eyes scanning the stacks of paperwork and her over brimming in tray. "No. You get home," she told him firmly. "But thank you so much for coming."
It would have been so easy to ask him in. She didn't really want to be on her own but she knew she had to face it at some point. Jonah left, promising to look in on her later. Selina shut the door after him and then made her way up to her apartment. The place seemed desolate and it felt like a lifetime since she had last stepped into it. Her body ached for sleep but her mind was too alert. She crossed the threshold to her bedroom and surveyed the chaotic mess she'd left. Rather than collapsing on the bed, she stripped it, throwing all her dirty laundry in the wash. She spent the next hour stacking up her shoes, folding up her clothing and remaking her bed, fluffing the pillows and smoothing the sheets. One by one, she hung up all her shirts, folding them neatly back into line in her wardrobe.
She hobbled into the bathroom and quickly tore off the shredded garment that had once been a very expensive evening gown. She stuffed what remained of it in the trash and then jumped into the shower. Selina didn't come out again until she was clean of dirt and blood, scrubbing vigoursly under her nails, her skin pink and raw when she emerged in a silk gown a little later. Her hair up in a towel, she padded out to the kitchen in her slippers and took a seat at her breakfast bar.
As she reached for her phone, she glanced at the clock, surprised it was still only ten in the morning. She trapped the phone between her chin and her shoulder, leaning across the counter to drag the phone book towards her with her fingertips. She thumbed through it and found the number she needed, using her free hand to tap the numbers into the key pad. Finally it began to ring.
"Good Morning. Gotham Housing Association," a prim, female voice said at the other end of the line and Selina's stomach churned at what she was about to do."
"Ah...good morning," she faltered slightly. "Can I speak to Susan Newman?"
"Putting you through," the voice relayed curtly and Selina jumped a little. Her heart began to speed up a little as she waited. It rang and rang, until finally someone answered. The voice was a female again and her voice was slightly high and extremely feminine.
"Can I speak to Susan Newman?" Selina asked again, her throat rather dry.
"Yes, speaking," the woman answered and Selina's stomach fell through the floor. "How can I help?"
"Ahh," Selina rubbed her temples with her free hand, a nervous sweat breaking across her forehead. "Um, I've been told that you were the person to speak to if I wanted to buy some land in Gotham's South district?"
The woman chuckled throatily. "The narrows you mean? Well yes I can help you with that...not that we have many people interested in that district these days. Whereabouts is the property?"
Selina took a breath. "Well...it isn't so much a property anymore. It used to be a children's home."
Then came the shocked silence that Selina had been expecting. She could practically see Suzie's red eyebrows fling upwards towards her hair line. After a moment the woman cleared her throat.
"I know the place," she agreed and Selina almost laughed. "You mean Humberside don't you? Well I'm sorry to say that it isn't for sale. It was classed as a derelict site many years ago."
"I refuse to believe that it can't be sold," Selina challenged, instantly remembering Suzie's ability to aggravate her temper. It appeared that hadn't changed much. "Its just sitting there doing nothing. Who owns the land it sits on?"
The woman inhaled sharply at the other end of the line. "Well, the city owns the site. It used to belong to the Falcone family but since their demise, the land passes to the city."
"Can it be bought from the city? If you say it isn't for sale now...could it be if the right offer were made?"
"Yes, I'm sure it could," Suzie answered. "But it would be expensive to buy it back. You could be talking a small fortune."
Selina smiled. "The cost wouldn't be an issue."
At the other end the woman laughed softly. "Well...I could certainly make a few enquiries for you," she offered. "Can I ask what your plans would be for the site?"
At this Selina took a deep breath. "I want to restore it. I want to make it what it was...a home for under privileged children."
"That's quite an undertaking. You would need all sorts of plans passed and building permission. And also the area isn't what it was when that home stood years ago. It's not really a place to bring up children."
"Well, you survived didn't you?" Selina shot at her coyly and she heard the woman swallow audibly at the other end.
"I'm sorry, but who is this?" Suzie stammered slightly. Selina waved her hand in the air as though she were sitting directly in front of her old friend.
"I'm just someone who believes that things can change," she trailed off. "Look I'm sorry for being so cryptic about this but could you meet me at the site maybe later today? I would really love to discuss this further."
"Sure," the woman bristled. "Do you have some drawings I could look through? Or a proposal at least?"
Selina bit her lip, her heart deflating a little. "Well...no."
The woman relented. "That's fine. I have an architect friend that works in my division, I'll bring him along. Besides, the narrows isn't the sort of place a woman goes to alone!"
Selina chuckled at that. That wasn't something that she had a problem with. "Wonderful. How about four o clock?"
Suzie laughed at the other end. " Sure. I have to say this is the oddest phone conversation I've had in a long time. Can I ask your name at least?"
Selina smiled, her eyes pricking slightly. "I'm an old friend," she whispered before placing the phone back in the cradle, but not before she heard Suzie's soft gasp at the other end of the crackling line.
/
Selina had applied her makeup like an artist, careful to cover the scratches and bruises on her face. She layered on dense black mascara and painted on her red lipstick. After a few hours sleep she felt better, more alert. She had arrived at the site nearly a whole half hour earlier than she had planned to. Over head the sky was dusky pink and the wreckage of her old home oddly quiet.
Selina folded her arms across her chest, the air a little chilly. She had dressed suitably for the occasion, her pale grey suit neatly tailored to her slim figure. Under the jacket she wore a white shirt with an oversized collar, leaving it unbuttoned to her clavicle, revealing her long neck and throat. Her hair was piled up in a side bun, strands blowing messily around her face. Her black heels dug softly into the dirt ground as she paced around the property, awaiting her old friend's arrival.
She knew that any other woman, or man for that matter would be nervous to be standing in the middle of the narrows, alone and vulnerable. But Selina could never feel that here. In fact it was in this very spot, the last time she had visited the night that she had been caught by Bruce, that she had gotten the idea for restoring the home.
What better way to spend Falcone's money? The very money that was the cause of her scarring, the reason that Humberside was burnt to the ground in the first place. It wasn't some last ditch attempt to prove that she wasn't the criminal that Bruce thought she was. Selina knew that she would always be that in his eyes. She wanted to give something back to the place that had been her shelter for many years. It was a place she had loved and had called home and it didn't deserve to be sitting here in ruins.
She surveyed the grounds, imagining what could be achieved and it brought a real smile to her red lips. She would rebuild it the way it was, brick by brick. She wanted the same red brick face and wrap around wooden porch. She wanted it to have a lush lawn like the one they used to lay out on in the summer, when Mrs. Wayne would visit. Hell, she even wanted a white room, or something similar. But this wouldn't be a room of imprisonment; it would be a place where kids could get real help. For once in her life Selina was determined that out of the fire, something good would grow.
Selina shivered and closed her eyes, feeling that she was perched on the brink of something new and wonderful. If her face wasn't so sore she might have cracked a wide smile. A wash of loneliness crept upon her and she wondered what her old friend would think of her plan. She wondered where he had disappeared to last night and at what darkness had enfolded him. It was then she knew it could never work. She wanted to be part of the world. She was sick of clawing her way through life by sheer will and having to fight tooth and nail for everything. She loved him, she realised. He would always be her Jack, her playmate and perhaps her soul mate. But he would take her into the darkness with him. Selina thought of Bruce and his sadness. She thought of how badly she'd hurt him and how he could have been so perfect. Her heart sank into her stomach.
"Jesus...it is you," a timid voice said behind her and Selina swallowed, cursing herself for not being more on her guard. She turned on her heels, her chin pointed out defiantly and her arms still tightly folded. Her composure faltered slightly when she saw the small red haired woman.
Selina barely noticed the blonde haired man standing watching them from the door of his silver Mercedes, but she guessed at once he was the architect friend that Suzie had brought along. Suzie was standing there motionless as Selina walked towards her, her eyes glistening slightly. She was still a foot shorter than Selina, but then most women were. Her skin was still as pink and freckly as ever and her hair was smooth, long and straight, not a hint of a corkscrew curl in sight. She too was wearing smart black business attire, her skirt skimming above her knees.
At once Suzie let out a gasp and brought her trembling hands to her lips. Selina didn't smile, not yet. Somehow it didn't feel right to. The last time she had laid eyes on this woman, she had been dragged off in the back of a van, a burlap sack over her head. Suzie dropped her hands and shook her head in awe.
She was wiping her eyes. "God almighty," she looked at the ground. "All my years in therapy and I'm thrown!"
Selina's lip curled into a wry smile. "You look good," she paid the compliment and Suzie looked up, darting her eyes over Selina's figure.
"Thanks...you look," she choked on her words. "I can't even believe how you look. Stunning. Jesus Selina!"
Suzie was shaking slightly as Selina crept towards her. Inside Selina was struggling with her emotions. She could feel tears welling up in her throat, but she refused to lose control. There had been too many tears recently. This was the last ghost of her past. Suzie was the last ghost to lay to rest, but she wasn't a ghost at all. She was alive, flesh and blood and bones. Selina reached out and tugged a piece of Suzie's red hair in between her fingertips.
"Where are all your curls?" Selina asked, her voice a little shaky. Suzie lifted her red rimmed eyes to her green ones.
"Well I'm a changed person now," Suzie answered dully. "Not the whining little kid you probably remember. This is...I never dreamed I would see you again. I thought you were dead."
"Likewise," Selina nodded. "That's what Elliot made me believe."
Suzie wrinkled her nose. "Elliot? You mean that guy that took us to his place that night?"
Selina rolled her eyes. "Hmm, yes. I stayed with him much longer than I should have."
Suddenly Suzie held up her palms and began shaking her head. She stepped away and Selina eyed her in alarm. The man at the car door moved as if he were about to rush to her side, but then he stopped.
"I cant...that's all ancient history for me now Selina," Suzie whispered. "I've spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in therapy trying to claw my life back together. And I've done it. I can't go back to that time with you now."
"Ok!" Selina made her voice calm. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have done the same."
Suzie managed to look up at her. "Well you look like you have," she uttered.
"Looks are deceiving," Selina recited the old cliché. "I don't think I have half your courage."
Suzie straightened up, folding her arms defensively and Selina was reminded of that day in Humberside when they'd fought at the foot of the stairs. She realised then it was more than history between them. It was love and death and despair. It was blood and pain and fire. So many haunted memories. She could almost feel the ghost of Tony staring at them from across the rubble. Had she been cruel to bring Suzie back here?
"So to business," Suzie said in a clipped voice, bringing Selina out of her trail of thought. "I made a few enquiries for you and the city is prepared to sell the site subject to you providing detailed plans?"
Selina's face lifted and her eyes widened in surprise. "Really? That's all I have to do?"
Suzie smiled wryly. "Well it's going to cost you Selina. Like I said on the phone this would be no easy undertaking. I mean this is a different Gotham to the one we grew up in. The Gotham Council would require that registered, qualified medical staff be placed on the property. You would have to get several plans passed and get a heap of different licenses. Not to mention the security of the place!"
Selina's spine straightened and she lifted her chin. "I understand all that. I want this to work Suzie. I want it to be a place of safety."
Suzie didn't seem to hear her. "I mean how many kids are you planning on housing at one time? Do you plan to run it yourself? You would need an onsite counselling team...possibly even a resident doctor! It's not the free for all, come one come all kind of set up that we had when we were kids."
If the intention of Suzie's rant was to try and dissuade her then Selina had to admit that it was working. But she also realised at the same time the reason why she and the little red head squabbled and fell out of friendship so often when they were children. Suzie had the energy and the gusto of a miniature wrecking ball and Selina was as sturdy as an oak, unyielding and firmly rooted. But she also knew that she would rather have Suzie with her than against her.
Selina folded her arms. "Do you want a job?"
Suzie blinked at her in bewilderment. "What?"
Selina laughed, revealing her white even teeth. "Well I know you're not deaf. I asked if you would like a job. I heard that you also happen to be a qualified counsellor."
Suzie folded her arms indignantly. "I'm finishing off my psychiatric degree," she said.
"Perfect," Selina snapped her fingers. "Then you'll be well qualified."
"I...you...couldn't afford me!" Suzie shot at her and Selina snorted.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," Selina smiled keenly, casting a glance at Suzie's friend by the car door, who had been lingering for a while now. When Selina made eye contact and smiled at him, he automatically took it as a sign to wander over. Suzie shot him a fierce glance over her shoulder and hissed something about him staying put but Selina made a face and waved him over.
He was tall, broad and blonde haired with pale blue eyes that peeked out from under thin wired spectacles. He smiled shyly and Selina reached and shook his outstretched hand.
"I'm Don," he introduced himself. "I'm Suzie's fiancé." Selina shot her green eyes at her old friend and smiled warmly at him.
"Ah, well congratulations," she said sweetly. "I've just made you future wife an offer she really shouldn't refuse. But I think I'll need you to try and persuade her on that. She also mentioned that you're an architect?"
Don balked a little at the blonde woman's forwardness. "That's right."
"Do you accept commissions?" she asked and he nodded vaguely. "Well it shouldn't be too difficult. I need the blue prints drawn up to match what this building was about twenty years ago. I take it that the old prints should be on file in Gotham Town Hall somewhere."
Don shot a confused look at his beet red fiancé. "They should be," he answered.
"You mean you want it the same?" Suzie asked, dumbfounded. "Exactly as it was?"
Selina rolled her eyes. "With a few improvements of course," she said, casting her eyes back at the blonde man. "If you can get that done for me by the end of the week you can name your price."
His eyes widened and Selina could practically see the dollar signs flashing up in his eyes. He looked at Suzie who was vehemently shaking her head. He took her gently by the arm. "Think of the wedding," he whispered and Selina's ears pricked up keenly.
"Yes, think of the wedding," she joked and at that the red head tossed her a half mocking, half exasperated look.
"You really are a piece of work Selina," she hissed through her nose, "Coming back here after all this time..."
"And offering you a chance of a lifetime?" Selina scolded. "Yes, I'm a bitch. But think about what I'm talking about Suzie. I'm talking about rebuilding our home and putting something good back into Gotham. Didn't you ever think about that?"
Suzie's face suddenly paled. She turned away from Selina sadly. "In twenty years...this was the last place I tried to think about Selina."
Selina's bravado suddenly melted and she looked at the ground, a little ashamed of herself. She heard the noise of movement and when she glanced up saw that Don was walking back to the car. Suzie stood in front of her.
"He'll do your plans...we can't refuse the money right now. And I promise I'll do everything I can to help you get this thing off the ground. But that's all I'm promising for now."
"Then that'll have to do," Selina answered. She watched Suzie's form retreat to the car. She watched them taking animatedly to one another as she climbed in before they drove away. Selina laughed to herself. Suzie was probably berating Don for coming over.
Night was drawing in and in the half hour they had been conversing the sky had turned from pink to red, the sun sinking lazily below the Gotham sky line. When Selina reached the outskirts of the old town, she hailed a cab to take her back to her apartment. She leaned back in the seat, exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. Despite the confrontational manner of their meeting, it had been good to see her again. And despite her protestations, Selina was confident that Suzie would come to play a big part in the revolution of Humberside.
When the cab pulled up at her building, Selina hastily paid the driver, sliding across the leather seat, her heels clacking on the pavement outside. Instead of going straight to her apartment, she headed for the store a couple of doors down from the gallery. The bell tinkled as she pushed open the door, warmth from the interior fan hitting her face. It was late afternoon and the store was quiet before the barrage of nightly, after work shoppers would descend. The check out girls were chatting and gossiping as she passed, her eyes travelling up and down the aisles. Selina spotted Jonah on a metal step ladder, busy stacking the top shelf of the biscuit and cake section.
Selina stood at the foot of the ladder, staring up at him and tugged his pant leg with her hand. He jerked and stared down at her, his eyes widening at her recovered appearance.
"Hey blondie," he smiled down at her under his arm. "You look better!"
Selina rolled her eyes. "Ahh, it's the power of makeup and sleep," she joked, waiting for him to hop down. He did so with ease, reminding her that he was still a strong and very able man. He dusted his hands off on his overall.
"How are you doing?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. Selina waved her hand in the air.
"Oh, I'm fine," she breezed with her usual serenity. "I actually came here to ask if I could take you to dinner to say thank you."
Jonah smiled, his craggy features stretching. "I wouldn't say no," he winked, slyly. "But nothing fancy. I'm a burger and fries kind of man."
Selina chuckled. "That sounds great actually," she braced herself for his reaction to her next question. "And well...I was going to talk to you about something else?"
Puzzled, he lifted his heavy brows and grinned. "Oh, yeah?"
Selina folded her hands behind her back. "Hmm. I was wondering if you would like your old job back?"
/
It was an interesting evening. By the time Jonah had recovered from laughing at her bizarre question and came to the realisation that she was serious, the night had come and the pavements were black and cold. They walked arm in arm into town, where Jonah took her to the best steak house he knew. Huddled up in a corner booth, they talked and laughed, reminiscing about the old days and about Selina's crazy idea.
It was nearly midnight by the time Jonah walked her back to her door, giving her a fond kiss on the cheek. The whole evening she had spent trying to convince him that what she had planned would really happen and still now with him staring down at her in the darkness, she was sure he still didn't believe her.
"Selina, the day you invite me to the grand opening and I'm standing back in my old office...I'll come and work for you for free!" he promised with a laugh. He ruffled her blonde hair. "Thanks for quite an evening."
Slightly bristled but more determined than before, Selina rolled her eyes at him and kissed him goodnight. She unlocked the gallery door and headed for her interior set of stairs. Back in her apartment she kicked off her shoes, feeling along the wall for the light switch.
Before her fingers slipped onto the switch, she felt a sudden rush of cold air whip across her legs, the kind of breeze that only came from an open window. Swallowing in the dark, Selina crept along the hall, her bare feet quiet on the carpet. The hall opened up into her kitchen and she saw that her bedroom door was wide open, the curtains billowing up in the breeze.
Knowing full well that she hadn't left her window open, she braced herself for the sight of one of the only two people it could be. Standing motionless in the darkness, she could hear him moving around in the room, could hear his soft nasal breathing. The question was, who did she want to see most? Longing formed a knot in her stomach and as she rounded the corner, standing framed in the doorway she received her answer.
He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, rumpling the bed clothes with his shoes, his arms folded, waiting for her to come in. If he was pretending that he hadn't heard her come in the front door, he wasn't doing a very good job, his brows arching as she reached the bedside, flicking on the lamp there. He was illuminated, the light casting a glow across the gruesome, fresh paint, appearing like something out of a child's nightmare.
Selina exhaled and straightened her back. "You're ok," she said. He glanced up at her, his pupils black under the lighting.
"I have to hand it to you," he began quietly. "You certainly recover fast. I don't see one mark on you."
Selina pressed her lips together before speaking. "I hide it well," she answered.
"Wish I could say the same," he winced as though it hurt him to breathe. He moved aside to let her have some room to sit and Selina remembered the fall he'd had. "Thanks to that giant asshole of a bat, I think I've cracked a couple of ribs."
Selina pinched her lips together, trying not to laugh. "You'll mend."
"Thanks for the sympathy," he chuckled, patting the spare area of bed that he'd made available for her. Sighing Selina squeezed on next to him, not entirely trusting his proximity. The trouble was that he so cleverly had the power to make her forget. When it was just them, he was simply Jack, her friend. And right now she was tired and a little overwhelmed to see him so soon.
"I thought you'd skip town," she said, keeping her chin bowed. She didn't like the way he was looking at her. Sometimes he reminded her of a shark; it was the black emotionless eyes that did it. You couldn't read him. Therefore you couldn't trust him.
"Well that's the plan," he confirmed and Selina looked up sharply.
"You're going?" she gasped and he laughed through yellowed teeth.
"I think this town is getting a little small for me," he said knowingly, tilting his gaze at her. "Threes a crowd honey."
"What are you talking about?" she shot at him defensively.
"Well there's you, me and the bat. Too many freaks in one city!"
"I'm hanging up the suit," she told him. "That part of my life is over now."
He leaned forward, a little too near but before she had time to veer away he caught her chin between his fingers. She could smell the leather of his gloves. His eyes rounded and she fought to look away from them.
"You're kidding me right?" he snarled. "I think you're forgetting who you're talking too. I was with you on the roof. I saw that look on your face when you jumped. I saw you wrestle the Bat without a single second of hesitation. You loved every minute of it!"
Selina pulled out of his grasp. "I did that so you could get away..."
"Ahh," he cooed mockingly. "And what did you think would happen? That I would come and find you and we'd start picking out furniture together?"
Selina's eyes were wet and angry. "Well you're here aren't you?"
He shot a fierce warning glare at her, suddenly more annoyed than he knew why. He looked confused and jumped off the bed, stalking to the window. He grabbed the window ledge with both hands, dipping his head between his shoulder blades. "Damn you Selina," he whispered.
Selina jumped up behind him. "Then why are you here?" she yelled, suddenly blazingly angry. "Do you know what I sacrificed for you by doing that? I chose you Jack! I chose you!"
He whirled about, his face livid, the coat he was wearing flapping about his legs. "I didn't ask for you to save me Selina!" he hissed between clenched teeth. "I've never sought salvation. I don't want it. I don't want your pity...thinking that you can bring me back from the dead, that you can save my poor black soul. It isn't worth saving!"
"I don't believe that," she fired back angrily, clenching her fists. He was the only man she'd ever met who could make her loose her temper within seconds. "You came for me. You saved Holly."
He laughed, his back still turned. She watched his shoulders tremble. "For my own gains," he sneered. In the darkness of the dimly lit room, he stared at her pale reflection only inches behind him. Selina could see the black of his eyes and knew he was lying.
"Bullshit," she spat. "You can say what you like. You forget I know you too well."
He was losing his control. Like a pressure cooker she could feel the tension building second by second. She forgot in those moments that she was in the presence of a dangerous predator, a person who didn't appear to have any motive for the things he did. Selina wondered at how far she could push him.
"You're confused," she edged closer. "I could help you."
His head bowed between his shoulder blades, he shook it from side to side. "No you're confused Selina...you don't know what or who you want. Me or the handsome prince of Gotham? Well I'm here to make the choice a lot more simple for you. I can't be what you want...and I don't want your pity."
"I don't pity you," she cried. "I...I don't know what I think. Only that...you're my friend. Whatever you say...you will always be my friend!"
He turned on her then with a force and a fury that he usually kept in check. He crossed the room, grabbing her by the throat so fiercely that he forced her backwards. His grip was enough to terrify her, but not to really hurt her. She squeezed tears from her eyes and they snaked down her cheeks onto his gloves.
"We...are...not...friends!" he growled in her face. "We will never be friends Selina."
He let her go and she sagged, staggering back a few steps.
"Then for god sake get out of here!" she shouted, fresh tears running down her face. "Don't keep coming back into my life every time it's convenient for you. You never wanted this in the first place you said so yourself. And yet here you are! I had a man in my life like that for too long and I ended up killing him."
She covered her face with her hands and began to really cry, feeling humiliated and wretched. She collapsed on the edge of the bed, peeking up at him between her fingers. He was staring at her with a mixture of longing and contempt. He wanted her but he hated her for it. He remembered the way it used to be but he blamed her for making him remember. His life had been simple before she'd come back. And funnily enough, so had hers. It was clear then they could be nothing to each other except one or the others ruination. They would be each other's downfall, again and again. It was a strange, deadly but irresistible addiction.
Then he was gone, out as quietly as he had come out through the window. Selina let her hands fall to her sides and sobbed at the sudden loss, the room so empty and desolate. She swallowed back tears. If he was leaving then was that really the way she wanted it to end? Choking back tears, she snaked her body through the window, her feet hitting the metal frame of the fire escape stairs.
As fast as she could she padded down the stairs, seeing his hunched form stalking back down the alley, his arms swinging rigidly from side to side. She didn't call out to him. She only ran wildly after him, her feet splashing through puddles of rainwater, leaving the hem of her suit pants wet. Her hair flew behind her as she picked up speed and breathlessly, she caught up, catching his shoulder and turning him around.
For a moment he was struck with surprise, not having heard her coming or expecting her to come chasing after him. She didn't want to hear his rebuke. She didn't want to have him chastise her for making a fool of herself. But she knew that if she hadn't of come she would regret this for the rest of her life. Before he could speak she threw her arms about him, hardly able to breathe as she crashed her mouth against his. She heard the little noise of shock come from the back of his throat. He didn't seem to know what to do with his arms; they hung limply by his side. Selina tore her mouth away and stared into his eyes, wet tears drying on her face.
Her heart sped up. "I do know what I want," she said, her voice more low than she had ever heard it.
This time he didn't seem to have a problem with his arms. He wound them about her small form, half lifting her up into his arms, his hands pinching needily into her flesh as he lowered his mouth to hers once again. Selina could barely breathe between kisses; his hands were everywhere, in her hair, running down her back, on her thighs. She caught his face between her hands, feeling slick grease paint there but not really caring. She kissed every place that she could find, his cheeks, his lips, while he growled and sought the flesh of her throat.
Selina didn't quite remember getting back to her bedroom, only that it was a slow, steady affair, neither really coming up for air until they found themselves on the fire escape stairs. She didn't remember him shoving her ruthlessly back through the window. In the dark quiet of the room, she heard the sound of her shirt tearing and allowing him to rip it away from her body. Selina pushed his coat off of his shoulders, wrestling his tie away from his neck, hearing the buttons of his shirt pop as she tore it open.
Then she was on her back, still desperately trying to wrestle herself out of her underwear, while he kissed her into submission, allowing his tongue to roam freely up her neck. It suddenly became very urgent and she almost felt the moment when it changed between them. Kissing like overheated teenagers in the back of a car suddenly darkened. He held her gaze, holding her arms above her head, while with the other hand he freed himself of his own barrier.
He was looking down the length of her body and her face scorched under his scrutiny. She realised in her heated daze that he was the second of two men who'd looked at her this closely. Hating the intense look in his eyes, she arched her torso off the bed and her mouth found his and this seemed to cause frenzy within the both of them. He was rough and it hurt, but Selina yielded as he pushed her legs apart and began to make love to her. She squeezed her eyes shut, the scorching heat between them too much as she struggled to adjust, could barely keep up, until at once it didn't hurt and it became something like blissful release.
He buried his face in her hair, folding his arms under her body, almost as if he could bring them closer only intensified the moment at which she completely lost herself. He growled and bit down into her shoulder, earning a yelp from her parted lips. He stiffened and let out a cry right by her ear, collapsing on top of her. For a while neither spoke and Selina felt a familiar knot of terror building in her throat.
He rolled away and turned his head in her direction. Selina braced herself for some glib comment, some scathing remark, but he said nothing. Instead he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him, taking the sheets and wrapping them across her. He looked down at her in the dark, smiling crookedly, running his fingertip along her lips and examining it. He held it up to her to reveal that it was covered in red paint. Selina could feel the paint on her skin, she could feel it drying and cracking under the heat of her body.
She nestled up under his arm, allowing herself to feel peace as he laughed at her unkempt hair and her face covered in paint. She fell asleep listening to the sound of him chuckling, feeling his breathing deepen until they were both sleeping in the growing dark of the room.
When she woke up, she saw him sitting on her window ledge. The morning was coming fast and she blinked up at him framed in the halo light of her window. Hadn't they been here so many times before? She went to sit but he held out his hand to warn her not too. He was really going this time. And she knew instinctively that he wouldn't be coming back. A knot formed in her throat and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
Her voice trembled. "See you around Jack," she whispered, fighting not to cry. His face cracked in a smile, one that made him look ten years younger and not the twisted, deranged criminal everyone thought him to be.
"See you around match girl," he said, his voice tight. "I'll be keeping my eye on you."
He swung his legs over the edge of the window and then he was really gone. Selina shook, pulling the sheets up to her chin for protection from the early morning chill. The sadness was suddenly gone and she found herself smiling. It had been the best way to say goodbye.