AN: Only the OCs are mine. Happy reading!

Chapter 5

It was late on a Wednesday night and the streets were virtually deserted as Beth made her way from the bus stop back to her apartment carrying a sleeping child in her arms.

Earlier that day she had been woken up from her post shift nap by a call from Alex's school telling her he was running a fever. She had spent the rest of the day trying to get his temperature down as she had been unable to get a same day appointment with his pediatrician. Shortly after dinner she heard the first signs of his all too familiar barking cough that was a tell tale sign that he was suffering from croup and he would likely need a steroid to breathe properly.

She had been on the phone with Bruce when she heard it, Alex had gone to his room to play for a few minutes before their usual bedtime routine. They had been discussing the upcoming gala on Saturday and her heart sank at the sound. Bruce had offered to pick her up so she wouldn't have to take the bus to the after hours clinic, but she had refused. She hadn't felt it necessary to subject him to the absolute hell on earth that was the pediatric after hours clinic. Even as an emergency room nurse she hated having to go and be exposed to heaven knows what as they waited for a doctor. Yet, as she now walked the couple blocks home down the eerily quiet streets, she regretted her stubbornness when it came to accepting help.

She was just one block from her apartment when she spotted two men lingering on one of the stoops up ahead. She crossed the street, trying to keep some distance between her and them, but they spotted her and quickly crossed as well. Surrounded by apartment buildings and convenience stores that had long since closed for the night, she knew she had nowhere to go as they approached and she could only hope that someone driving by would see them and stop to help.

"What have we here?" the taller on said as the other man circled behind her. "I think it's past his bedtime."

"It is, and if you'll excuse me, my husband is waiting at home," she lied, hoping they would buy it and leave her alone out of fear of being caught.

"I highly doubt that," the other one said, coming up directly behind her. "If you had a husband you wouldn't be out here alone."

"What do you want?" Beth asked, turning so she was facing both of them and taking a few steps back towards the wall behind her. "Is it money? You can have my wallet...it's in the bag."

Shifting Alex to one side she held out her messenger bag to them, hoping they would take it and leave,

"Pretty things like you don't often wander these streets at night," the first one said, smiling darkly and Beth felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. "I think we'll have some fun with you first."

Her first and only thought was to protect Alex and she drew him close once more, placing the bag back on her arm. As she did so, she ran her free hand down the strap and unclasped the keyring which held a small bottle of mace. Hiding it behind the bag, she waited for her moment. She didn't have to do so for long as they both started approaching her, and once they were in range she sprayed them both in the face before wrapping both arms around Alex and attempting to make a run for her apartment.

However, the taller on reached out as she ran passed, grabbing her ankle causing her to lose her balance and tumble to the ground. Out of instinct, she turned her body to cradle Alex close, and her back and hip absorbed most of the blow. She let out a cry as pain radiated through her hip, hoping if she made it out of her current predicament it would simply be a nasty bruise. The commotion and fall had finally awoken the sleeping boy who instantly began to cry in a panic, arms clasped firmly around his mothers neck.

"You stupid bitch," the taller one said, hauling himself, drawing a gun from his belt. "You'll regret that."

Beth closed her eyes, curling herself around Alex, waiting for the inevitable as she tried to protect her son. The gun never fired and instead Beth heard the sound of a body hitting the ground. Opening her eyes, she spotted her armed assailant on the ground, unconscious with the gun on the ground next to him, and a large figure standing between her and the second man. It took her a moment to process what she was seeing as she took in her rescuer as he approached the second attacker. The cape and the pointed ears on the cowl gave away exactly who stood had saved them.

Struggling to sit up, Beth managed to slide herself a short distance away behind a set of stairs providing a little protecting for herself and Alex. He was still crying and he had started coughing again, and Beth pulled him close trying to calm him. She could hear the struggle on the other side of the steps but focus on Alex. It took a few minutes, but eventually his sobs turned into quiet whimpers as she held him, not sure which one of them was shaking harder. His coughing, much to her relief, also eased with the boys tears.

Eventually there was silence on the other side of the stairs, but Beth stayed plastered against the wall behind her, trying to will herself into a calmer state. She heard a solitary set of footsteps approaching and she held Alex tighter against her chest. The first thing to come into her line of sight was a pair of dark boots and the bottom of a cape. Beth let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding as Batman crouched down in front of her, his eyes coming to rest on her face.

"Are either of you hurt?" he asked, looking from her to Alex who was sniffling quietly against her chest.

"I took the brunt of the fall," she told him softly. "I think it's just a few nasty bruises."

He stood, moving to her side and Beth allowed herself to be helped up from the ground. She was grateful given the pain in her hip and the extra weight of carrying Alex. She took a moment then to truly take in the masked figure standing before her, the surrealness of it finally settling in. In her four years in Gotham she had only heard stories about the man in front of her, and never had she expected to actually see him for herself. Yet there he was, standing just a few feet away.

"Thank you," she said when she felt like she had her feet under her once more. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up."

"This city is dangerous, especially at night," he told her, and she swore she could hear something electronic in his voice making her wonder if he was using something to disguise it. What was not disguised was the condescension with which he spoke as he added, "You shouldn't be wandering the streets alone. Next time you may not be so lucky."

"Yes, I am aware," she snapped, feeling her blood starting to boil at his tone. She took a breath and then more calmly added, "As grateful as I am for your help, I don't need a lecture from a man who runs around dressed up like a bat."

In the dim light of the streetlamp she could have almost sworn she saw him smirk. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she shifted Alex to try to alleviate the pain radiating through her hip and she asked, "What?"

"Nothing," he said, and she thought she detected a hint of amusement in his voice which just added to her annoyance, but she remained silent. "Can you walk?"

"I think so," she said. "My apartment is just down the way, I should be able to make it."

He nodded, allowing her room to pass and she did her best to not limp down the street. The fact that she could walk at all was a good sign. She would likely be sore the next few days, but it was better than the alternative. With a sigh she stopped for a moment, knowing she needed to thank him properly. However, when she turned he was gone.

Beth shook her head and then hurried as best she could down the street to her apartment building. Once inside she breathed a sigh of relief and slowly started climbing the stairs. The trip up the stairs while holding Alex was difficult even on a good day, but by the time she made it to the top her hip was on fire. Somehow she managed to get the door open and deposit Alex on his bed without dropping him. Sitting on the edge of the bed next to him, she helped him snuggle under the covers, trying to ignore the agony her body was in for a few more moments.

"Listen buddy, we're safe now," she told him, wiping away the remains of his tears. "You need to try to go back to sleep and let that medicine do its job so you'll feel better, ok? We're home and nothing is going to happen."

He nodded sleepily, and Beth leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before forcing herself to stand once more. Turning off Alex's light and closing his door, she limped out into the living room, prepared to go into the kitchen to find an ice pack and some pain killers. She hadn't gotten far though when she heard a knock on her apartment door.

Checking through the peephole she sighed when she spotted Bruce on the other side. She had rather hoped to put off telling him about her encounter on the way home, but it seemed like life had other ideas. Slowly she unlocked the door, pulling it open.

"Hey, I was hoping you'd be home," he said as the door opened. "Alfred sent…"

His words died on his lips when he took in the sight of her. Her shirt and pants had tears in them from where she slid herself to safety along the concrete sidewalk, her hair was a mess, and she knew there was absolutely no way to hide the attack from him.

"Beth, what happened?" he asked, coming inside and she closed the door behind him.

The moment he had set the thermal bag on the ground, Beth wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his shoulder. The brave face she had put on for Alex's sake was gone, and she could feel her resolve to be strong crumbling. After the initial moment of shock, she felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her tightly against him. One of his hands came to rest on the back of her head, his fingers running through her hair.

"I should have listened to you," she said softly, feeling tears pricking her eyes. "I should have let you come get us. They had a gun...All I could think of was protecting Alex, but they could have killed us."

"Is Alex okay?" he asked, and she nodded against him.

The truth of how lucky she had been was finally truly hitting her, and Beth felt waves of guilt washing over her as she clung to Bruce. If it hadn't been for Gotham's Dark Knight she probably would have ended up dead. Her mind couldn't even begin to process what would have happened to Alex had the gun fired and the bullet found its mark. She felt the tears start to flow from her eyes and it was as if a damn had opened and her body trembled as she sobbed against him.

"It's okay," he told her, his voice gentle as he continued to stroke her hair and hold her tight. "You're safe now."

She wasn't sure how long they stood there with her crying into his chest. Bruce continued to just hold her, whispering words of comfort occasionally and simply allowed her to ride the wave of her emotions. When her tears finally started to subside, he helped her to the sofa, getting her settled on one side.

"Let me get you some ice and something for the pain," he said, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"There's some ibuprofen in the cabinet next to the fridge," she told him and she saw him nod before heading into the kitchen.

Grabbing a tissue from the box next to the sofa, Beth wiped what was left of her tears away. Behind her she heard Bruce take something from the thermal bag and put it in the fridge before opening the freezer. Beth had taken to keeping a couple ice pack bags filled and ready for Alex's various bumps and bruises and she heard him pull one from the freezer. She leaned back against the sofa, closing her eyes for a minute and taking a few deep breaths while she heard Bruce gathering supplies.

When he returned, she opened her eyes as he handed her the ice pack. After placing it on her throbbing hip, she gratefully took the ibuprofen pills he offered along with a glass of water. While she took the medicine he moved to sit next to her silently, his arm that was closest to her coming to rest on the back of the sofa behind her. From the corner of her eye she could see the tension in his jaw and she knew he was trying to process what she had told him.

After setting the glass of water back on the table, Beth leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. It took only a second for Bruce's arm to move from the back of the soft to wrap around her, once again holding her firmly against him. To most outsiders he appeared completely calm, but Beth was starting to notice little things that gave away his true feelings, like the way his jaw was clenched or the slightly elevated rate of his breathing.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, bringing his attention back to her and away from wherever his mind was taking him.

"You didn't do anything wrong," he told her. "You should be able to get your son to a doctor without having to worry about being attacked."

"I should," she answered, "but that's not the reality we live in and I should have listened. They were going to kill me. If Batman hadn't shown up…"

Her voice trailed off, her mind imagining the worst if the masked man had not come to her rescue. She was laying on the sidewalk bleeding out and Alex would have watched her die. The thought caused her to shudder against Bruce and he tightened his arm around her in response.

"It's over now," he told her and she nodded slightly.

"I didn't really thank him," she told Bruce, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. "I was so filled with adrenaline I actually yelled at him for trying to lecture me."

Bruce let out a soft chuckle next to her and said, "That must have been something to see….but I'm sure he knows you're grateful for the help."

They stayed that way for a while, Beth resting against him and Bruce's arm wrapped around her providing her a sense of security. Neither of them said anything for a time, and eventually she felt her body relax and her eyes started to drift shut, knowing the events of the night were catching up with her physically. She sat up slowly, moving the ice pack to the table next to the sofa and then rubbed her eyes.

"You should get some rest," he told her, standing and offering her a hand to help her up from the sofa. "I'll stay out here tonight."

"You don't have to do that. I'm fine, really," she said, knowing it wasn't the truth.

"Beth, you shouldn't have to be here alone tonight," he told her, brushing the hair back from her face. "Go get cleaned up and get some rest." He smirked before adding, "You can go back to be stubborn in the morning."

"That coming from you is hilarious," she said, returning the smirk before pulling away to make her way down the hall to the bathroom.

She took her time removing the ripped articles of clothing from her body, hissing a bit as she pulled her jeans down over her bruised hip. It was already turning various shades of purple and she knew it would be an ugly mess for quite a while as her body healed.

While she waited for the water in the sink to go from cold to hot, she finally took her hair out of the messy braid and brushed it slowly, getting out all of the knots that had formed. When the water was ready, she wet a washrag, wiping away the tear streaks and dirt from her face. Her skin was pale, her eyes red and swollen. She knew she must have been a sight when she opened the door for Bruce and it was no wonder he was wanting to stay to ensure she was alright.

Grabbing the long nightshirt from the hook on the back of the bathroom door she carefully pulled it over her head, glad it completely covered the ugly bruise on her hip. She exited the bathroom then, turning back to the living room. Bruce had apparently found the linen closet where she hid the extra pillows and blankets and he stacked them on one end of the sofa.

He had removed his jacket and shoes, leaving him in just a gray t-shirt and pair of dark slacks. It was the first time she had seen him outside of his usual dress shirt and vest, and she couldn't help smiling slightly. His clothing choices were still impeccable and perfectly tailored to his form, even in this more casual state. She could see the muscles of his arms in the short sleeves, confirming her suspicion that he did in fact spend a great deal of time working out. His arms had held her tight while he allowed her to ride the waves of emotions she had been feeling earlier, and she found she missed the safety she had felt wrapped up in his embrace.

"Everything okay?" he asked, crossing the living room to stand before her when he saw her standing at the entrance to the hall.

"I…" she stopped, biting her lip and looking down, suddenly feeling uncertain.

He brought a hand under her chin, gently titling it up so she would meet his eyes once more. There was concern written on his features as his hazel eyes studied her and he asked, "What is it?"

"I...will you stay with me?" she asked softly. "You were right, I...I don't really want to be alone."

He nodded, and his hand fell away from her face to take hers. He allowed her to lead him down the hall to her bedroom, not saying a word. She felt a bit like a small child after a nightmare, but she needed his quiet reassurance that she was safe for just one night. The attack and how badly it could have ended had shaken her to her core, and she felt like Bruce was her lifeline in that moment.

She settled onto the bed and he crawled under the covers next to her, laying on his back with arms waiting for her to lay her head on his chest. It only took a moment for Beth to settle against him, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart beating against her ear. Closing her eyes, she relaxed against him once more and eventually drifted off to sleep.