Waking up in a randomly assigned hotel room the next morning, I was exhausted. Bruce and the police arrived an hour after the attack on the penthouse, and with them came an extensive search of the surrounding mile radius and interviews with the police to get everyone's account on what happened and a somewhat appropriate timeline. For safety measures, it was suggested that we each pack a small suitcase so we could be transferred to a secure hotel where we were to stay indefinitely or until it was deemed safe to move back into the penthouse. My body ached as I sat up, running my hands through my hair and I felt a weight settle in my chest.
This was a nightmare.
Everything about this summer was wrong. I wasn't supposed to be here. My mother wasn't supposed to die. I wasn't supposed to be trapped in a city with a homicidal clown hunting me down. I was supposed to be in England working with my employer purchasing art work and traveling. I was supposed to be happy.
Supposed to be.
Instead, I was stuck in Gotham.
Getting out of bed, I quietly changed and grabbed my roomkey, leaving for the restaurant downstairs. Entering the elevator alone, I hugged myself as I descended, and exited once the door opened. Looking around, I found Bruce and Alfred sitting in the large plush chairs in the lobby, Alfred reading a newspaper, and Bruce sipping on coffee. I walked over to them, still crossing my arms, and Bruce smiled.
"Morning," Bruce said, standing, "How are you feeling?"
I shrugged, "I've been better."
"Would you like a cup of coffee? tea? anything?"
Nodding, I replied, "Tea, please."
Bruce smiled and gestured to a seat, which I gladly took. Tucking my hands under my legs, I sat like a worried teenager who knew she wasn't supposed to be here. My eyes wandered around for Jonathan, but I couldn't find him. Seeming to read my mind, Alfred gave me a smile, "Mister Crane will be down momentarily."
I gave him a small smile in return, but said nothing. Bruce held out a tea cup and saucer with tea. "Milk in first, I believe," he said, "I didn't know if you took sugar in your tea, so I have a few cubes on the plate."
I smiled, "Thank you." Taking the saucer, I added a lump of sugar and used the spoon provided with stir. Taking a sip, I let the drink warm me up, and I felt a little better. Looking up, I saw Jonathan step out of the elevator and my chest tightened more. I found myself nervous as he approached, and it took me a moment to remember the reason: I wanted to go back to England early.
"Good morning, Jonathan," Bruce said with a smile as he stood again to greet the last member of our party.
"Good morning to you too," Jonathan said, not as enthusiastically.
"Shall we?" Alfred asked, standing up, "Breakfast should be in mid swing by now."
"Actually, I was wondering if I could hold back for a moment with Bethany, if that's okay."
Bruce looked at me to make sure I was okay, and gave a nod, "Sure. We'll grab a table."
I remained seated and I watched as Jonathan stared down at the floor, collecting his thoughts. Looking up at me he let out a long sigh, "I've been up all night… thinking." I remained silent letting him continue. Running a hand through his hair, he said, "I don't know how to say this… without-" Jonathan sighed again and sat down in the chair that Bruce sat in. "I think you should go back to England."
All the air left my lungs. My mouth hung open, and finally I was able to manage, "What?"
Looking at me, he said, "I think you should go back to England. It's… it's unsafe for you to be here, Bethany. And it was… has been… is selfish of me, asking you to stay." Taking my hands in his, he rubbed his thumb against my skin, "I would love nothing more than to keep you here with me…. To take care of you…. Love you…. Protect You…. But… I understand that I can't protect you from the Joker. I couldn't protect you when we were abducted. I couldn't protect you when you were pushed off the bridge. I couldn't protect you from almost being blown up. I can't protect you, Bethany. I can't. As much as I want to pretend that I can, I can't. The only thing I can do… is send you home."
Tears pressed against my eyes and I was at a loss for words. At a complete loss, I leaned in and gave him a kiss. It was a simple one, clean and chaste. Pulling away, I pressed my forehead against his and finally managed, "Thank you, Jonathan."
He let out a shaky breath and a tear fell to soak into his sleeve. "I love you, Bethany. I love you so much."
Pulling away, I wiped a rogue tear away from his face and said, "I love you too, Jonathan."
He gave me a smile, and let out a small sob, then he nodded. "Right…. Well, let's not… keep Bruce and Alfred waiting." Standing he held out his hand for me, and helped me up. Pulling me into a hug, he added, "I won't let you out of my sight until you get on that plane. I promise."
Pulling away I smiled, and took his hand leading him over to the group, "Alright, lets eat."
After breakfast Bruce went to Wayne Enterprises to go to work, and Alfred left to do personal business. Jonathan and I had the day to ourselves, but I had to deal with business first. Depositing Jonathan in his hotel room, I entered mine and picked up my phone, calling my employer.
"Hello, Bethany, darling. How are you? Are you coming home?"
I let out a small laugh at the sound of his voice, "Yes, I am."
"Excellent, when shall I expect you?"
"I um… don't know yet. I haven't purchased a ticket."
"I'm looking at one that leaves in a few hours from Gotham. Shall I book it for you?"
"No! No, please…. I have… things I need to take care of before I leave."
"Ah… and are these things something to do with that man you've been hanging around with? The one that was thrown off of the bridge?"
I was quiet for a moment then answered, "Yes."
"Well… let him down gently, my girl. You're quite the catch, but… this is what is best for you. I'm just selfishly gaining from this man's sacrifice."
"I'll um… I'll call when I get a ticket, just to let you know when to expect me."
"I'll have a car waiting for you at whichever airport you arrive. And I'll have your raise waiting for you when you get home."
"My raise?"
"For coming home early. I was quite serious. It's non negotiable, so don't protest. Tata for now, darling."
"Goodbye."
Hanging up, I hung my head in shame, feeling with every fiber in my being that this was the wrong choice. My heart weighed heavy in my chest as I sat in silence. Rationally I knew that this was the right thing to do. I needed to leave this city for my own safety and apparently for the safety of others. If the Joker is intent on causing all of this distruction and terror, I was going to remove myself from his game and hopefully ease the blow to the city and her citizens in the process. The part weighing me down is that I know that I'm going to be leaving people behind. Bruce and Alfred could come with me with no questions asked, but Jonathan couldn't. I would be leaving him behind to be thrown to the wolves, swallowed whole by this city and beaten down to nothing. How could I justify taking myself to safety when the man that I loved was forced to stay behind?
But this is what he wanted, whether he likes it or not. He knows this is the safest route for me: my best chance of survival. My heart aches more knowing that this is his way of protecting me from ultimate harm, even if it means his demise. Maybe I can get Bruce to continue to offer support to Jonathan. Maybe he can get another friend out of all of this.
Going to the computer lab of the hotel, I purchased my ticket home for the next available flight leaving Gotham to England, then sent Bruce and Jonathan a text letting them know.
We'll have to go out for dinner, replied Bruce.
I'll miss you, was Jonathan's response.
Holding my phone to my chest, I held back tears, then returned to my room to pack what little clothing I had. I needed to talk to Gordon to see if I could get escorted to the penthouse so I could grab my passport. I continued to make a list in my mind as I made my way to my room and I wasn't looking where I was going and into the man himself.
"I'm so sorry, Commissioner," I said, "I'm so distracted."
"I believe that's quite understandable, Miss Elwood," he said, "How are you doing today?"
"I'm doing okay," I said, "I'm actually glad that you're here. I've decided that I am going back to England," tears pressed against my eyes and my voice began to waver, "So um… I was wondering if I could… get an escort to take me to Bruce's penthouse so I can… retrieve my passport and any other documents I need."
Gordon nodded, "Yes, of course."
"Um… when I get home, I'll call and… make arrangements for my mother-"
"Miss Elwood, please don't worry about that right now. It might be a while before this case is closed, and before we can release your mother's remains. Just focus on going home and getting to safety."
"About the safety part…. I know that there are protocols, but… I was hoping that there was some way that… you as Commissioner could reach out to the police forces in England-"
"In England, why?"
"I was hoping that, given the circumstances, you would allow Jonathan to come with me."
"Miss Elwood-"
"Please, Jim…. He's not safe here. He is as much in danger as I am, and if going with me to England will save his life-"
"Miss Elwood, I'm sorry." I looked at him and I couldn't stop the tears lining my eyes. "I wish I could help him, I really do. But…. I can't make an exception for him."
I nodded, "I understand. I just… thought I'd try."
He offered me a smile and said, "I can ah… take you to the penthouse now, if you're ready?"
"I'll need to run upstairs and grab my keys, but yes, I would appreciate that."
"I'll wait for you right here." I gave him a smile and ran to get my keys. Coming back down I followed him outside to his unmarked car. "Please hold on," he said, getting down to look under the car. Taking out a small device from his pocket, he waved it over the passenger-side door before opening the car and waving it over the seat. "Okay, you're good to get in." I waited for him to do the same to his side of the car before getting in. He waved the device over the steering wheel before starting the ignition and he pulled out.
"Are you sweeping for explosives," I asked.
"I am."
I nodded, then asked, "Does that happen a lot here?"
"Unfortunately, the higher up you get in law enforcement the more likely it is to happen."
"Jesus. Why do you live in this city? Why does anyone live in this city?"
Gordon shrugged, "It's our home. It's not this bad all of the time. Believe it or not, crime in this city was actually going down before the Joker escaped. We went down two whole percentages."
I gave him a small smile, "I'm sorry that you have to start over."
"I am too. I'm also sorry that you are so heavily involved in the crime spree this time."
I nodded, "Thank you so much for being there for us, Gordon. I don't know if anyone ever thanks you, but thank you."
Gordon gave a small smile and blushed, "I can't take all of the credit when it comes to you. Some of that thanks should go to Batman."
I scoffed, "Yeah."
"You don't think so?"
"Don't you think that all of this is because of him? A man taking the law into his own hands with his own state of the art gizmos and gadgets trying to clean up the streets? How can you defend that?"
Gordon was quiet for a moment, then he replied, "I used to think like you. Hell, I even told him to his face that I thought that what he was doing would ultimately be a hindrance to the police force in this city. But… then I saw what he was doing. He has sacrificed himself several times to save this city. I've been on the police force for years and I have seen every kind of cop come in and out of those doors…. He has that spark. That… need to make Gotham a better place. He reminds me of me when I was younger."
I let out a small laugh, "Yeah? You were a vigilante?"
"No, no, nothing like that. I was too poor for that." He flashed me a smile, "No, but I joined the police force because I believed in this city, in what it could be for others. I saw what Thomas and Martha Wayne were doing to improve this city, and I wanted to help in the only way I knew I could. That's what Batman is doing."
I nodded, and looked down at my hands, then out the window. Gordon turned into the underground parking lot of the building and he got out with me, heading up to the penthouse. Entering the space, he let out a low whistle, "Bruce Wayne really knows how to pick 'em."
"It's over the top, right," I replied with a laugh.
"The only way he knows how."
I laughed, "So how did you meet Bruce?"
"I um… was the responding officer for his parent's murder."
"Oh my God," I said, turning to look at him.
He nodded, "I told him that we found Joe Chill, and… I wrapped him in his father's coat. He was just a boy. I made it my point to get in touch with Alfred to keep tabs on him and his schooling, just kind of… look out for him. When he came back to Gotham, he reached out to me to see what he could do to help with the crime rate of the city, make donations and all of that."
"Got back to the city?"
Gordon waved his hand, "He went off to college, and then… traveled the world for several years. Rumors started to circulate that he was dead, but then one day he just showed back up guns blazing, ready to whip this city back into shape, while also sleeping with every model in town."
I laughed, "I had no idea he had stayed away."
"Well, whatever it was he was doing, I'm glad he's back. He's really stepped into his father's shoes to help stabilize this town."
I smiled, then waved to the living space, "Please make yourself at home.… There are still drinks in the fridge if you want anything to drink. I'll be just a moment, I'm not exactly sure where I left my documents."
"Take your time."
I rushed into the master bedroom and tore through all of the drawers of the dresser and of the desk, finally finding what I needed in the walk-in closet. I took the time to grab a few more items of clothing to take back with me, then I went back into the living room to find Gordon looking at the bullet holes in the glass. Turning to me he pointed at one of the spiderwebs, "Maybe Wayne being over the top is a good thing."
I nodded, "Yes. Maybe."
"Let's get you back to the hotel," he gave me a smile, "I'm sure Bruce and Mister Crane will want to spend some time with you before you leave."
