A thick, heavy rope wrapped around Selina's waist. It pulled on her, dragging her forward through a haze. She pushed back against it, not wanting to leave this place she'd found. Yet, it was relentless. There was nothing she could use to cut it. She tried digging at the knot in an attempt to untie it, but her fingers grew raw and bloody. She cried as her fingernails broke.

The rope gave one final huge pull. It lifted Selina off her feet and she flew through the haze. Her screams were lost in the air rushing over her.

Pain slammed into her head as if the rope had pulled her into a brick wall. The pain blocked everything else out as it ravaged her head. Thankfully, it didn't last long.

Everything went dark.

XXXXXXXX

Consciousness descended on Selina slowly. She had trouble opening her eyes. She reached out to find Bruce's warmth beside her, but her hand hit a cold metal rail instead. A whine started in her throat but she clamped down on it, not wanting to acknowledge what that meant. She drew her hand back against her chest.

"Oh, dear, are you waking up?" A frail female voice asked beside her.

No, it wasn't her mother. She recognized Mrs. Peterson's voice, her elderly neighbor whose cat dropped a bowling ball on her head.

Tears leaked from beneath her eyes even as she held them closed. She didn't have the energy to wipe them away. As much as she'd dreaded it, she'd come home.

Finally, when she got her emotions under control, she opened her eyes. This hospital room was not nearly as nice as the last one. The ceiling tiles had stains from water damage, cracks spider-webbed through parts of the drywall and the dim lights barely chased off the shadows. She didn't even get her own room. Another woman slept silently in the bed next to the window. Selina noticed the dark sky outside and it was raining. Typical.

Mrs. Peterson leaned in from the rickety chair next to the bed. "Oh, thank goodness you're alive! I was sure Mr. Wuffles had killed you with that bowling bowl! He feels so bad."

Selina doubted the feelings of the feisty cat but she remained silent. Instead, she reached up and felt the gauzy bandage on her forehead. Just touching the are made her head ache. "How long was I gone?"

"You've been asleep for seventeen hours."

Seventeen hours? She'd been in that other Gotham for days. Did that mean it really was just a dream or did time move differently there? She sighed, knowing she'll never get an answer to that question.

"I should call the nurse to let her know you're awake. Don't be disappointed though. It could be a while 'til they get here. You've got to be dying to get a fast response around here." The elderly lady checked her watch. "I'm sorry but visiting hours ended ten minutes ago. They're going to kick me out any moment. I'm so glad you're awake."

Selina gave her a smile. Glancing at the bedside table, she noticed a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Yellow roses mingled with pink tulips, baby's breath and green sprigs. She took a deep breath involuntarily, the sweet smell relaxing her for a moment. "Thanks for the flowers."

"No, dear, they aren't from me. They arrived without a card, but I wouldn't let the delivery girl leave without telling me the sender. What if they're from a gentleman suitor? She relented with a handsome tip and told me they were purchased by a man named Alfred. Quite the regal name. Do you know him?"

Selina closed her eyes. Of course they were from him. Alfred may have placed the order, but she knew who really sent the flowers. She pictured him in her mind, his smile, his laugh, the touch of his lips on hers. Suddenly, she needed to see him. Vengeance. "Yes," she whispered.

"Seems like a keeper." Then Mrs. Peterson slowly shuffled out the door.

"He is," she whispered to herself. Then she threw the covers off and tried to climb out of bed. Dizziness hit her as she stood up. She wobbled on her feet, grabbing the bedrail. It passed after a minute but left her head aching more. Carefully, she searched the room and found a bag of her clothes in a drawer.

She slipped into the bathroom and balked at her reflection. Damn, she looked awful! A dark purple bruise extended past the bandage on her forehead. Her skin had a shiny, pallor of sickness to it. She looked at herself with glassy eyes, deep purple bags stark underneath them.

Ignoring her appearance, she stripped out of her hospital gown and back into her own clothes. Not caring about the consequences, she slipped right out of the hospital unnoticed. No wonder it took the nurse so long, the place was like a ghost town. She headed to the only place she knew she could get Vengeance's attention.

Selina had a hard time walking even a few blocks, which pissed her off. Luckily, it had stopped raining. Inside the elevator of the partially renovated high-rise Vengeance used to house his bat sign, she had to lean heavily on the wall. Once she flipped on the bright yellow light and illuminated the bat symbol in the sky, she breathed a sigh of relief. She sat on a pile of bricks nearby to wait.

She must have dozed off because the rattling of the elevator door opening woke her up. The single bulb behind him silhouetted the batsuit as he stepped onto the roof.

"Gordon?"

Selina would recognize Bruce's voice anywhere now, saying any word, with any inflection to it. There was no question he was Vengeance. She pushed herself up off the bricks. "V!" she cried out.

He whirled around towards her voice, cape whipping in the breeze. "Selina?"

A sob erupted from her throat. She stumbled as she ran to him, her legs still weak.

He caught her and held her up. His eyes examined her frantically, catching on the bandage on her forehead. "You were unconscious in the hospital. How did you get out here?"

She didn't answer, couldn't answer. Crying overwhelmed her. She buried herself against him as she wailed. All her emotions at losing that other Gotham poured out of her unbidden. Falling in love with Bruce. Her mother not only being alive but thriving. Getting a glimpse at the kind of childhood she could have had. Bruce not having witnessed the murder of his parents. She wept for them.

At first, he didn't seem to know what to do with this hysterical woman pressed against him. Then he gently wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed the small of her back as she cried. He pressed a tiny butterfly kiss into her hair. How she loved him for just holding her like that.

It took a while but she finally cried herself out. Sniffling, she pulled back just enough to look up at his face.

He looked down at her with worry. "Are you all right? Do you want me to take you back to the hospital?"

"No, I'm okay. I went to this place, this other Gotham. It was incredible. My mother was still alive. Your mother was still alive."

"What?" he asked incredulously. He tried to step back but she refused to let him go.

"I promise I'll tell you everything." She touched the cowl. "Can you take this off? I need to talk to you, not the Bat."

He frowned deeply. "Selina, you know I can't."

"Please, Bruce! Please take it off," she begged him.

He startled at the sound of his name. "How do you know?" He sounded almost frightened by the revelation.

Selina ran her finger down his cheek. "Because I fell in love with Bruce Wayne in that other Gotham."

Bruce's eyes widened as he stared at her. He stayed frozen for several beats. Then he blinked and drew in a shaky breath. He pulled his gloves off and dropped them to the floor. His long fingers undid the latches securing the cowl in place. Then he pulled the whole thing off his head. "Selina..."

Her heart raced to see Vengeance transform into Bruce Wayne right in front of her. She loved his messy hair and the thick black circles around his eyes. She smiled at him. "There you are."

He gave her a thin-lipped smile back, seeming a little self-conscious.

She leaned forward, pressing herself back against him. "This Gotham is broken and we're broken people because of it. But maybe, together, we can fix all of it."

He pressed another kiss into her hair. "Together."

The End

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I'd really appreciate a comment on kudos. If anyone wants to discuss The Batman, I am totally open.