Author's Note: Here is what happens next for my Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. Let me know what you think!

Please make sure you read my previous stories if you want to know what happened before this!

And as always, please leave me some feedback!

The Best Laid Plans

One

The melodic sounds of laughter drifted up to him and it made him smile. He was sitting on the back porch, reading, while his wife and daughter played in the nearly life-sized playhouse.

His wife popped out the playhouse's front door a few moments later and strolled up to him.

"Mr. Wayne, I am here to cordially invite you to Lady Amelia's afternoon tea, taking place momentarily," Selina said as she joined Bruce on the porch.

"Do I need to bring a dish to pass?" Bruce asked seriously. "Should I change my clothes?"

Selina smirked back at her husband. "She's very prepared. But money is always a great go-to gift."

"I'll make another contribution to her college fund," Bruce replied.

The small girl stepped out onto the playhouse's small porch and crossed her arms and stamped her foot.

"Daddy! Mommy! Come! On!" the small child shouted up to them.

"She gets that from you," they said at the same time to one another before walking towards the playhouse and little girl.

Five years ago, they'd left Gotham. Selina finished her pregnancy in the comfort of the home they'd built in Italy. It wasn't always sunshine and rainbows but the lives of Selina and Bruce Wayne had greatly improved since their daughter was born. They had the little family that they'd always wanted.

It had been an amazing surprise when Selina was five months pregnant when they found out Selina was carrying a girl. At six months, it was back to being a boy. At seven months, they weren't sure at all because they couldn't get a good angle. Baby Wayne was shy and the husband and wife decided that they were going to quit worrying about it. Six days before her due date, Selina and Bruce welcomed Amelia Martha Wayne into their world.

The now-nearly five year old child was bright and sassy and had no idea that her dad and mom were former criminals and crime fighters. She spoke three languages, but had no clue that Gotham City even existed on the other side of the world. Bruce and Selina had decided before she was born that the child could know about their pasts when she was an adult and could fully understand. Until then, she would life as normal of a life as they could make it and they refused to feel sorry for that.

After putting her to bed, Selina was washing the dishes from the day and stacking them in the drying rack next to the sink. Bruce joined her in the kitchen and smirked at her.

"What's that look for?" Selina asked.

"I have to tell you something," Bruce replied seriously.

"What's that?" she purred.

"Your daughter…she makes better tea than you do," he said as straight-faced as possible.

"You're such an idiot," she laughed as she playfully shoved him in the shoulder. "That actually works out great, because I hate making you your tea."

"I love you," Bruce said, leaning to kiss her.

"This is awkward," she said after the kiss. "Because I hate you."

"Aw, thanks," he smiled. "You know, sometimes I have to stop and pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming."

Selina turned away and continued to wash dishes and Bruce followed suit to dry them.

"You are such a sap."

"Are you going to still love me when I'm old and grey?"

"You're already old and grey and it hasn't stopped me yet. And maybe I'll like you drooling over me," Selina said.

Bruce winked at her.

"So, museum and dinner with Alfred on Friday after he gets back tomorrow, yes?" Selina asked. "I can't believe it's been so long since he'd left for this trip."

"Alfred always wanted to travel again and see the rest of the world," Bruce said. "Frankly, I'm surprised he's home as much as he is."

"That's fantastic. But I miss him and I'd like our friend and neighbor back," Selina said. "I'm selfish and I don't care. Sue me."

"I wouldn't dare, Mrs. Wayne."

"It's weird. I thought eventually I would hate being called Mrs. Wayne, but I've come to find it…nice."

"Nice?" Bruce asked. "Just…nice?"

"Well, you – you make it sound sexy," Selina said, realizing what she'd just admitted. She'd seen his eyes darken. "Oh, no. Our child isn't even asleep yet."

"Mrs. Wayne," he growled in her ear, causing goosebumps all over her body. "You're so beautiful," he said as he looked at her.

Selina giggled, unable to control the sound escaping her lips. "What's gotten into you tonight, Mr. Wayne? I'm not saying it isn't great, but maybe we shouldn't be doing it in the kitchen. Mel could just…" Selina trailed off while Bruce kissed her neck and her phone buzzed on the counter.

A half of a second later, Bruce's phone chimed.

"C'mon. Let's go upstairs," he growled, his eyes totally dark now. It was evident he didn't care at all who was messaging them.

"But, it could be Alfred."

Bruce tapped the phone. It showed up as a text from an unknown number.

"Not Alfred. Alfred would use the signal."

"Unless he can't," Selina said. "Could you lease hand me my phone? I'd feel so much better about ignoring the dishes and having sex with you if I knew it was just an email from the Gap or something."

"Fine," Bruce finally surrendered. He reached out to retrieve Selina's phone and passed it to her. She unlocked it and read the message from the unknown number. She went immediately pale.

Half an hour later, Bruce had disappeared to go charter a flight back to Gotham while Selina was contacting Alfred.

"He's down in the cave," Selina said quietly. It was a mostly unused shell of what it used to be as Bruce rarely felt the pull to go down there and turn into the reclusive Batman. In fact, Selina couldn't even remember the last time she'd had to pry him away from those computers. "He's going to get onto a flight to Gotham as soon as he can."

"I'll see if I can get on an earlier flight, Selina, and then you can go with Bruce and Miss Amelia and I can stay in Italy."

"No. I really think you should meet Bruce in Gotham. Fly there instead. I'll be fine with Mel here. You and Bruce know Lucius the best. The two of you should be there. I do insist."

"I'm sure Bruce…"

"No. He told me he was going alone. He doesn't want me to go with him. And you know I don't like him telling me what to do, but I'm going to stay to look after Amelia. I know Blake'll be there, but I'd really appreciate you going, too," Selina said.

"Of course, Selina. I'll get right on it. Did the doctor's say much about Lucius' condition?" Alfred asked quietly.

"Blake said that it's touch and go; they don't expect that he'll make it til next week. It was a heart attack that caused him to drive off the road and the accident caused him some significant brain damage. He came out of the coma after twelve hours, but he's in the ICU and they don't expect that he'll leave," Selina explained. "Bruce got real quiet when he read Blake's message. Too quiet."

"He'll be all right, Selina," Alfred said reassuringly. "We will make sure he will be all right."

"Thank you, Alfred."

The last five years, they'd been living in a bubble. Sure, they'd heard that Harley Quinn had been broken out of the maximum security prison and that it was the Joker that had done it. The dead Joker. But it didn't matter. Bruce had hung up his cape and cowl and he was a different person now with different priorities. But the bubble popped when he got the message from Blake.

Lucius mean the world to Bruce. He and Alfred were father-figures to him as well as much of the brains behind Wayne Enterprises and Batman. And Bruce had felt totally secure leaving Wayne Enterprises in Lucius' very capable hands.

But now he was losing a father and the man helming Wayne Enterprises. Even if Lucius made a full recovery, which was unlikely, Bruce would never ask him to run the company. So while he was preparing himself to mourn the loss of his mentor and friend, he was also trying to come up with a plan for Wayne Enterprises.

"You aren't going to fight me to go?" Bruce asked.

"I will if you really want me to. But you have a bunch of other things you're worrying about right now, so I'll let this one go. Besides, I despise Gotham and sometimes wish we'd let what's-her-face and Bane blow it all sky high," she told him.

"You're amazing, you know?" Bruce said heavily.

"When do you leave?"

"Flight's at midnight."

"Midnight tonight? In two hours?"

He nodded as he packed. "Not ideal, but I have to get there."

"I know," she replied. "I'll go wake Amelia," she said.

Bruce opened his mouth to speak but Selina cut him off.

"No protests. You will say goodbye to your daughter before you leave on this trip. And, Alfred is going to meet you in Gotham. He is rearranging his flights as we speak."

"Selina…"

"What? You thought I wouldn't tell Alfred? And then when he gets back from New Zealand, I just tell him about Lucius and you going back to Gotham like it's nothing? You don't have to do this alone. I know you can, but you don't need to. So, Alfred is going to do with you. Lucius needs you both."

Bruce signed heavily. His shoulders were rounded and slumped and he looked as haggard as though the last five years hadn't even happened. He was back to the exhausted Bruce Wayne that was created in Gotham.

It broke Selina's heart.

"Thank you, Selina," he said.

"Finish packing," she replied. "I'll go get Mel."

Bruce was gone shortly thereafter. Amelia was still half-asleep when Bruce kissed the both of then goodbye and Selina was trying not to cry. She passed a note to Bruce, to give to Lucius, or to be read to him if he could not on his own before he left. Once he left, Selina brought Mel into bed with her.

Amelia was conked out, but Selina could not sleep. She felt so selfish because she was mad that Bruce had to leave them. But Bruce didn't belong in Gotham anymore and she knew going back would open old wounds and stir up old memories. And Lucius being ill meant he was losing someone so important to himself and so integral to Wayne Enterprises. She could not help but wonder what that mean for their lives. Would they move back to Gotham?

Selina finally fell into a fitful sleep a couple hours later – once she'd finished crying for Lucius' health and the future of their family and for feeling so terrible for worrying about herself instead of Lucius.

…

Author's note: so what do you think of my first chapter back with Selina and Bruce?

Let me know!