AN: I own nothing except my OCs

Chapter 7

The next six weeks passed quietly with Beth seeing Bruce a few times each week. As time went on Beth found herself wishing each date could last longer, their goodbyes getting more and more difficult to end. She would often find herself left gasping for breath when they finally pulled away, knowing if her situation was different she would have asked him to stay. Bruce, for his part, had continued to allow her to set the pace of the relationship, never pushing if she seemed hesitant. It surprised her how patient he had been with her, and she often wondered when he would grow frustrated with the pace.

There had been more than a few occasions when she had consented to including Alex in their plans, allowing the boy to bond with Bruce. Each outing a little more of Beth's defenses would crumble as she watched them together. It was clear Alex loved spending time with Bruce, and it seemed to be mutual. It was during a movie night at Beth's apartment a week earlier when the topic of their next step finally came up in conversation.

As the movie came to an end, Beth looked down at Alex who had fallen asleep snuggled between her and Bruce. His head rested against Bruce's side, his breathing soft and steady as he slept. Bruce's face was relaxed, the worry lines on his forehead barely visible. Reaching for her phone, she quietly snapped a photo just as the end credits started, smiling at the two of them as she did so.

"He adores you, you know," she said softly, trying not to wake the sleeping child as she put the phone down again.

Bruce smiled, looking over at her and told her, "He's a sweet kid, Beth."

She bit her lip as she reached out and ran her fingers through Bruce's hair, a smile starting to tug at her lips as she responded, "I think nights like this are good for both of you." Her hand fell away from his hair and she shifted so she could stand and added, "We should probably get him to bed."

After the first few visits that included Alex, they had fallen into a bit of a groove with bedtime. When Alex was awake he would insist Bruce help tuck him in, but on nights like this, Bruce carried Alex in and put him gently on his bed. He would then step aside to allow Beth a moment to tuck the boy in.

Once Alex was tucked snuggly under the covers, she placed a gentle kiss on the boy's head before taking Bruce's hand and leading him back out into the living room, unable to contain the content smile on her face. She sat back on the sofa, pulling him along with her and then moving so she was facing him, her fingers finding his hair once more. Leaning in, she brushed a quick kiss across his lips enjoying the nearness.

"I was thinking," he began softly, one arm wrapping around her waist to keep her close, "you and Alex should come spend a weekend with me...get out of the city for a few days."

Beth's hand stilled in his hair and fell to his shoulder as she looked at him for a moment before saying, "That's a big step."

It wasn't just a step forward for them, but also for Alex. By allowing him into Bruce's world meant the boy would start to rely on Bruce's presence even more than he already did. It was clear Alex was already attached to Bruce, but this was the start of building something more permanent than the occasional outing or movie night. It opened Alex up to a deeper hurt should things between her and Bruce ultimately fall apart.

"Beth, if you think it's too soon you know I won't pressure you," he told her. "I have no intention of hurting you or Alex."

"There's a big difference between spending a few hours with a small child and entertaining him for a whole weekend," she said. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Does that mean you're considering it?" he asked with a smirk, causing her to shake her head.

"Maybe," she said with a slight laugh, her hand falling from his hair and coming to rest on his shoulder. "A weekend away from the noise of the city is tempting, but kids, even good kids, are messy and loud…" She trailed off for a moment picturing the glass lake house he had described with its sparseness and quiet serenity being completely invaded by an energetic four year old. "I mean...have you pictured toys scattered all over your place? I don't know how well they'll match the bachelor pad vibe."

"I have actually," he told her, and she thought she saw disappointment in his eyes over her protest. "I can accept if you think it's too soon, but you should know by now I wouldn't ask if I didn't mean it."

"You're right, I'm sorry," she said softly, her fingers playing with the collar of his shirt. "I would love to come spend a weekend with you and I know Alex would be over the moon."

With a satisfied grin, he pulled her flush against him before his lips found hers. Beth's fears and worries slowly melted away as he deepened the kiss, making it nearly impossible to focus on anything else except his mouth on her own.

That was how Beth found herself standing on the patio outside Bruce's glass lake house on a Friday night taking in the peacefulness of their surroundings. The woods surrounding the lake provided a feeling of privacy from the outside world, the stress of the week melting away. His description of the home and it's location had been as she imagined, and she could understand why he had chosen the location.

She heard footsteps behind her and turned to find Bruce exiting the house with two glasses of wine. Giving him a small smile, she took one appreciatively as they stood together for a moment looking out over the lake that was reflecting the colors of the sunset. His hand came to rest the small of her back as he stood next to her and she felt a content sigh escape her lips.

"This really is beautiful," she told him. "Is Alex behaving for Alfred?"

"It sounded like he was being a perfect sous chef," Bruce answered. "Much better than I ever was."

Beth laughed before taking a sip of her wine. Bruce and Alfred had truly thought of everything in preparation for the weekend. The openness of the house's floor plan didn't provide much privacy, yet they had set up a small sleeping area for Alex with an area to store his toys and belongings along with a screen giving him his own little space. The thoughtfulness of the gesture had been touching, and certainly not lost on Beth.

They quietly sipped their wine, watching the sun dip slowly below the line of trees. On the opposite bank Beth spotted a small herd of white tail deer cautiously making an appearance. A small baby on still wobbly legs followed closely behind one of them, and Beth grinned at the precious sight.

"It's hard to believe we're still so close to the city," she told him. "It's like something from a painting. It's going to be hard to leave at the end of the weekend."

"That's the plan," he smirked, taking a sip of wine.

They stayed that way, sipping their wine and chatting as they looked out over the lake until Alfred called them for dinner. Sitting around the table, Beth smiled as they listened to Alex babble on about how Alfred had taught him to turn a squash into "pasketi," his enthusiasm at helping like a big boy obvious. As dinner neared its end, Beth heard a phone notification from Bruce's pocket. The familiar worry lines in his forehead returned and she missed instantly how relaxed he had been during their dinner. She knew before he even said anything that he would be departing for a bit to see to some emergency or another.

Looking up at her he said, "I have to go for a bit."

"I figured," she said, giving him a half smile. "We'll be fine. I'll see you when you get back."

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before getting up from the table. He ruffled Alex's hair playfully as he walked by, causing the boy to giggle with delight.

"Alfred, will you make sure Beth has everything she needs?" he asked heading towards the door.

"Of course, Master Wayne," was the response.

After Beth got Alex settled for the night she assured Alfred she would be fine for the evening. The older man had left her with a small fire burning in the fireplace before retiring for the night, and Beth sipped at a glass of wine while reading a book in the living room. The hours passed slowly and eventually her eyes drifted closed and she fell asleep on the sofa. She wasn't sure what time it was when she was awoken by footsteps moving through the house. The book she had been reading had fallen to the ground at some point as she had slept and she picked it up as she slowly sat up, placing it next to her on the sofa.

"Bruce?" she called softly, hearing the footsteps stop for a brief moment before heading back towards the sitting room.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" he asked, leaning against the wall.

"I must have fallen asleep while I was reading," she said. "What time is it?"

"It's almost two thirty," he told her.

"Two thirty?" she repeated in a bit of disbelief. "Must have been some work emergency."

"You could say that," he responded, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly.

Getting up from the sofa, Beth crossed to him. These sorts of interruptions had happened from time to time when they were together, usually bringing their date to an end. She didn't mind, understanding work sometimes had to take precedence, however she couldn't help wondering how often he worked himself into the wee hours of the morning.

"Well, I'm glad you're back," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist, and he dipped his head to place a soft kiss on her lips.

When Beth didn't pull away, he deepened the kiss, the pressure of his lips against hers causing a soft moan to escape her and she felt him smile against her mouth. His lips began to trail away from her mouth, finding their way to her neck and the sensitive skin there. She sighed as her hands began to slide up his chest to rest on her shoulders. However, the hiss of pain that escaped him when her hand touched his shoulder caused her eyes to fly open, the spell broken instantly as she looked at him with concern.

"Bruce, what…" she began to ask.

"It's nothing," he told her, cutting her off and placing a quick kiss on her hand before pulling away. "I'm fine."

He opened the panel that hid the entrance to the bathroom and Beth followed him, unconvinced. She watched as he used his non-dominant arm to open a cabinet and retrieve a prescription bottle of what she assumed to be painkillers. He was clearly favoring the other side, causing her to raise an eyebrow as she watched him.

"You're not fine," she said gently, moving to stand next to him. "What happened?"

"Just a reminder that I'm not as young as I once was," he told her, putting the lid back on the pill bottle before setting it on the counter and going to get a glass of water.

Beth looked down at the label, her brow creasing in confusion. She picked it up to make sure she had read it correctly before turning and studying him for a moment. He was a picture of health from his appearance, but the bottle in her hand told her a different story.

"Bruce, these are pretty heavy duty drugs," she said, trying to keep her voice even despite the growing suspicion he had been hiding something important from her all this time.

"I'm aware," he said, "I went over it all with my doctor when he prescribed it."

"How long ago was that?" she asked as he took the pill and washed it down with the water he had gotten from the sink.

"A while ago," he responded, not offering any more information.

"Why won't you just tell me what's going on?" she asked, feeling her exasperation grow.

"Why won't you just trust me that I'm fine and it's nothing?" he fired back, keeping his distance on the other side of the bathroom as he turned to face her once more.

His jaw was tense, betraying that there was a lot more to the story that he didn't wish to share and Beth crossed her arms over her chest as they stood there regarding each other for a moment. She finally shook her head, looking away, trying desperately to ignore the hurt. There was something he wasn't telling her, she was convinced of that, and it stung.

"Trust," she said, shaking her head with a humorless laugh. "I have put my trust in you. I have allowed you into my life and my son's life. I've allowed myself to care about you...I have opened myself up to you, and here you are shutting me out and then acting like I'm the one having the trust issue?"

"Because I'm fine," he said, rubbing a hand over his face in frustration. "How many times do I have to say it before you believe me?"

"Having to pop a hydrocodone after whatever it is you were up to doesn't make you fine," she shot back.

"I'm not one of your patients, Beth," he told her, his voice taking an edge she hadn't heard before from him. "I don't need you playing nurse for me."

"That's what you think this is?" she asked, staring at him.

"What is it then?" was the response and Beth shook her head at him, weighing her next words carefully.

"This is me giving a damn about you," she told him, feeling her anger starting to flare as she spoke. "This is me giving a damn about us. I am here, with you, because you asked me to be...because you said you wanted me here. And now I'm starting to think that I missed some sort of red flag somewhere along the way and maybe I don't know you at all. I'm not your enemy, Bruce."

"I need to take a shower," was the only response she got as he turned away from her.

Beth stood there only a moment longer before turning and exiting the bathroom. She could feel tears pooling in her eyes as she turned towards the bedroom area of the house. Pulling back the covers, she slid underneath, staring up at the ceiling as she whipped the few straw tears from her cheeks. When she heard the shower water stop, she turned on her side, closing her eyes so he would think she was asleep.

She heard him sigh as he sat down on the other side of the bed, wondering if he understood the betrayal she was feeling. He knew her secrets, and she pushed through her fears to put her trust in him, yet it was clearly not reciprocated. She knew it wouldn't be something they solved at three in the morning though with Alex sleeping just a short distance away.

When he finally slipped under the covers next to her, she felt him move close to her, his chest pressed against her back, and arm wrapping around her waist. She was careful not to move, not wanting to cause him any pain in his injured shoulder, and simply let him hold her. When he stopped moving, she carefully moved her arm so she could intertwine her fingers with his as they lay there in the dark.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear. "We'll talk about it more before the weekend is over. You have my word."

"Okay, that's all I wanted" she said softly, feeling some of the weight lift, although there was still some dread over what he might ultimately tell her. "Good night, Bruce."

"Good night, Beth."