Title: Life Is Good
Author: DC Luder
Summary: The second addition in the Series of Three storyline. Set three months after his full recovery, the Dark Knight is back with a vengeance.
Rating: T
Infringements: All recognizable characters belong to DC Comics, not DC Luder.
Author's Note: This chapter ahs been modified from its original version.
^V^
The alarm never went off, a direct result of my combined concern and anger for Bruce.
My plan had been to wake early, get Mattie changed and fed and then to smother her father with a down pillow. Given how late Bruce had made it to bed and the previous night's events, he would have naturally overslept. With my head start, I would have had more than enough time to get the job done, and possibly get to work on disposing of the body.
Instead, I woke alone in the bed, the sound of the shower running drifting from the open bathroom door.
After sifting through the evidence he had collected the night before, Bruce had made it upstairs at a little before five. I knew he had taken the time to check in Mattie, something that had been a constant since before he had recovered from amnesia. Unless he was certain she was asleep, he would not grant himself the same luxury. Even taking his outings with Dick over the last week into consideration, he had diligently been looking in on her, if not more so than usual. I had been certain that it was a combination of her discomfort from teething compiled with his life changing decision…
Sated that she was slumbering soundly, Bruce had then proceeded to navigate into our room in darkness, carefully slipping under the covers and narrowly missed touching his ice cold feet with my warm toes. I had returned to bed shortly after he had decided to make his way back down to the Cave, and despite my best efforts, I had drifted off. He hadn't made a sound nor had he moved excessively beside me, but my eyes had shot open at the overpowering stench of antiseptic.
I had rolled to face him, "I want to make one thing clear."
Bruce had nodded but when he went to respond, I had pinched his lips shut.
"If you ever pull something like this again, you won't have to worry about being killed by some henchman or some mastermind villain. I'll beat them to it. Understood?"
After I had released his lips, he had given his standard reply of compliance, "Yes, dear."
Mattie slumbering next door in the nursery had been the only reason that I hadn't screamed at him when he had first arrived after patrols. Still wearing the lower half of his suit, he had made the trek upstairs with me, knowing full well what was in store. He had to have known that his careless actions were going to upset me and should have expected my worst, even though I had restrained myself.
Barely.
I had no control over my words as I had cursed at him in the wee hours, ripping him apart verbally and almost physically. As he had washed the blood from his body with a washcloth, I had lectured him on how being bold didn't make him bullet proof. When he had wet his hair down and brushed his teeth, I had sat on the bed, pointing out how being stubborn and not waiting for back up was unacceptable. Before he had left for the Cave once more, I had made a final note that that his arrogance was going to get him killed.
Hindsight, I had pointed out all of the characteristics that made me fall in love with him.
And as a result of all of my useless ranting, I had failed to set the alarm clock.
With the blackout drapes still drawn over the windows, I was unable to determine just how long I had slept in. After a restless night, it was still a surprise to see the clock on my nightstand all too eagerly displaying it to be ten after eight. Rising from the bed, I smirked to see he had left his loafers on my side, knowing my penchant for wearing them instead of my own slippers. I crossed the dim room, first to the windows in order to hit the switch. As the drapes slowly pulled back automatically, I was greeted to brilliant sunshine, the start to a beautiful day.
Leaving Bruce, I then headed for the nursery, finding the room empty and spotless. The only thing out of order was a note on the changing table in Bruce's precise penmanship: Rub a dub dub.
Returning to the master bedroom, I approached the bathroom just as the water shut off, hearing Mattie giggling softly. Stepping onto the tiled floor, Bruce was just getting out of the shower with her, wrapping her in a big blue towel. As if nothing had happened, between us earlier that morning, he smirked at me, "Want to take her?"
"Of course," I smiled, taking her into my arms before kissing her damp brow. She rambled something in her own little language and I nodded, "I know, you love taking showers… Let's get you dressed, kiddo."
Once more, I returned to the nursery, drying Mattie off before putting on a fresh diaper onesie, opting for comfort with a little pink and purple striped tee shirt along with black leggings and white socks. Setting her down briefly on the floor so I could clean up, she immediately went about taking her left sock off. Stubborn, just like her father.
"Ollie?" she asked, before throwing her sock.
"Where's your dolly?" I began looking around, finding her leopard in the crib. I bent over and scooped her up, handing her the toy before saying, "Let's go see how Daddy's doing?"
She sighed before chomping down on the poor leopard's face, opting to gnaw instead of screaming in my ear.
The bathroom door was open when we returned, but where Mattie was dressed and ready for the day, Bruce had only been able to wrap a towel around his waist. I set Mattie down on the floor, where she promptly sat on the tiled floor and quietly chewed on her toy. Keeping an eye on her and her father, I leaned against the bathroom counter. He had also donned clean bandages on his arm, removing the extraneous ones now that Alfred wasn't watching. The near side of his jaw was clean and smooth while he quietly focused on shaving the other side.
The silent tension was thicker than smog.
"Any warm water left?" I found myself asking.
Nodding Bruce also offered a smirk, "Of course. But you should check. After all, how can you trust an 'arrogant, pin-headed ape'?"
"Did I say that last night?"
He rinsed the razor under the tap water, "Among other things."
I tried to smile, "Must have run out of names for you, to sink that low."
"Must have," he said, wiping his face with a hand towel.
After Mattie crawled over to him, she grabbed onto his bare leg and said, "Uh, uh."
"Everyone's yelling at me," he smiled before reaching down to pick her up. Mattie's gaze was instantly drawn to the white gauze, delicately reaching out with a pudgy finger to touch it. "It's a boo-boo."
She traced the edge of it before looking up and smiling back at him.
Without warning, I said, "I'm sorry."
He glanced to me, "Don't be. You were right. I could have waited. I could have been more careful. I could have-."
"No," I shook my head, "No, Bruce… I… it's just that the second I heard you were shot, all I could think about was… And… I know that was a freak thing, a one in a million chance, and that you know what you're doing and I-."
Closing the distance between us, Bruce shook his head, "It's okay."
.
"So, that's it? No reply, rebuttal, request, remark?" I raised an eyebrow with skepticism. An understanding Bruce was just as rare as an apologetic one.
He leaned in and kissed my cheek, "Replying, rebuttaling, requesting and remarking can become rather redundant after a while."
"Is that so?" I asked.
Bruce leaned against the counter, "That is so."
"Did you hit your head last night?"
"Only on the wall as you ranted."
Even though he smiled, I found no humor in it. For a better part of the weekend, I would most likely have him returning the lashing by way of rehashing my sorry excuses for names and reasons why he was an "arrogant, pin-headed ape". Rather than kiss him back, I opted to kiss Mattie's cheek.
"She's ready to go down and eat," I finally said, walking away to turn the shower off. Slipping out of the loafers and my pajamas, I added, "She might need some Tylenol, she seems fine now but it won't last."
I caught him looking at me, forcing me to walk over with a smile on my face before ripping the towel off of him, ribbing him of his decency, "Thanks, I needed a towel."
We had little in store for the day aside from making amends. I knew Bruce would spend a good chunk of it in the Cave, leaving Mattie and I alone. One think I had to accomplish at some point was my appointment at Roblier's on Eckert. A stunning bridal boutique that absolutely adored the fact that Bruce Wayne's fiancée chose them to create the wedding gown and bridesmaids' dresses.
Aside from my daughter, the only other women I foresaw in our wedding party was Barbara and Cassandra if they were willing. Although it was a long time off until our tentative special day in June, there were a few milestones I wanted to get out of the way. Bruce's reply to many of my inquiries were all variations of "Whatever you want, dear".
If he kept it up, he'd be dipping into to trust funds for a Cartier themed wedding.
^V^
By nine in the morning, I was showered and dressed and hunkered down in front of my computer system with a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin
Every station was trying to make sense of Harvey Dent's escape from Arkham, as well as the chaotic scene that had taken place just south of the Knoll parkway. As with most dealings with the Rogues and the masked vigilantes who hunted them, the details ranged broadly, often making me wonder if they bothered to investigate before reporting at all. My personal favorite of the morning was tied between Two-Face having kidnapped two "unknown victims, possibly vigilantes" and Batman having been run over by a city bus.
The truth of the matter had been that we had already put damper on whatever Harvey's plans were. Interfering so quickly after he had escaped had relatively expected results. Minor injuries, suspects in custody and a small amount of evidence that would likely result in nothing conclusive. Tim and Cass had started cataloguing the night before, but Bruce had spent until nearly dawn recording his interpretations of each piece of paper or weapon. He had also recorded a verbal activity log, breaking down the incident at the Dualex warehouse along with apprehending the getaway van.
Listening to the recordings of him sharing his methodical train of thought made me realize just how much I had missed having him in the cowl.
Out of those taken into custody, he had no one of particular interest save for the two he had sent to the hospital. He had made notes to interrogate both of them in their recovery rooms that night, looking for answers that they probably wouldn't have for him. For most of the log entry, the video feed showed him working diligently, analyzing documents, looking for fingerprints and trace evidence and doing what he could to ignore the monitor. Bare chested and bandaged, he had still been wearing the lower half of his suit, not even bothering for comfort while he worked.
Tasks completed, he had finally taken his seat before the computer, his eyes very much alert despite the tired look on his face. No doubt there was some brawl shortly after between him and Selina, which would explain his slight apprehension of closing up shop for the night. His return to the cowl had its positive and negative effects, but it was necessary. Even taking into consideration everything that had happened in the last year, it was fairly inconsequential compared to what had taken place before.
He had made a vow, one that regrettably the birth of his first daughter and the engagement to the love of his life would not change.
Finishing my blueberry muffin, I closed the activity log and opened up phone paging system, localizing it to the master bedroom, smiling to hear Dick was still snoring away.
Somehow, I had managed to convince him out of going up to the Cave after last night's fiasco, knowing that with he and his mentor both being upset, it would only lead to a feud of seismic proportions. When he had finally made it to the Clocktower to vent, I had immediately ordered him to go get Chinese takeout. And then when he returned, I told him to shower and change as I got the food ready.
Finally, around three in the morning, I let him vent. I listened over orange chicken and overstuffed egg rolls about Bruce neglecting protocol, shutting off the comm. link and going solo into a dangerous situation, topped only when he had taken on a van loaded with gun-toting baddies. Filled with MSG and having put his thoughts into words, Dick had finally said, "I've never seen him act so foolishly."
I had laughed heartily and nearly spat out my soda, leaving Dick to stare at me in confusion When I had regained my control and asked, "Dick, have you ever seen Bruce, I mean really? For the last twenty years he has done nothing but disregard protocol and place himself into dangerous situations. Where have you been Boy Wonder?"
"This was different, Babs. I've seen him push the limits, put himself out on a limb… this was as if he was jumping off the limb without even bothering to see if there was another one to grab onto."
"Dick, if he wanted to go all out on his first night back, who could blame him? He's lost almost a year and a half… it's the most he's ever been out of commission."
"True, but… Still he should have waited."
"You know how he justified it," I had reminded him, "Because of his actions, you have a positive ID on a location, vehicles and Two-Face, a dozen of his men are in lockup and there is evidence. If I were in his shoes I would have done the same thing, and so would have you."
And end of discussion.
We went to bed around four, but where he was comatose, I found myself restless. I rose at seven-thirty, leaving Dick he snoring and sprawled across more than half of the bed. He had the day off from Bludhaven and wasn't about to waste his chance to catch up on sleep over something like fighting with Bruce.
Locking things up in the secure room, I trekked back to the kitchen in order to wash my plate and refill my mug. As I searched the fridge for a red velvet cake yogurt cup, I heard the buzzer from the hall, announcing a vehicle had passed into the underground garage. Using my mobile device, I brought up the security system's log and smiled to see it was a welcome and approved visitor, both by me and my cameras.
After three minutes, the door bell chimed and I gladly made my way over to answer, pulling the door back and smiling up at my father, "Morning, Dad."
Moving a small paper bag to his right hand, Dad leaned over and kissed my cheek, "Good morning, sweetheart, I didn't wake you, did I?"
I shook my head moving so that he could step inside. Shutting the door, I answered, "No, been up for a little while, trying to catch up on some things…"
"I bet… Have breakfast yet?" he asked as he shook the bag.
I smiled and lied. High metabolism and Boston creams were my friends.
Returning to the kitchen, I poured him a mug as he took a seat at the small table. I joined him with the coffee and two plates for the doughnuts. He remained quiet as I selected from the bag, the same look on his face as the one I had just seen on Bruce's.
"Some night, hunh?" I finally broke the silence.
"You could say that," he sighed before taking a small sip. "Thankfully, none of the men taken into custody could afford bail, and no one bothered to come and try to get them out. I have Special Crimes working on them right now, try to make something of such a big mess. Two from the van had to have orthopedic surgery done… not to mention six other civilian drivers that had accidents as a result of the van driving off…"
He took a bite of a glazed doughnut and wiped his moustache, chewing slowly before continuing, "I thought to myself, after Bruce dropped by… that it was going to be an easy night. Not one that had me on the phone with the deputy mayor at two in the morning."
"You know Bruce never does anything easy, let alone putting the cowl back on."
"How long has he been back?"
"Honestly, last night was the first. He's driven into the city a few times at night, but he wasn't active until the raid on the warehouse."
"Active… Witnesses said he was hanging onto the roof of the van, getting shot at, going around corners at eighty miles an hour."
The padding of bare feet on the hall floor interrupted our father-daughter breakfast. We both looked towards the hall to see Dick in a pair of flannel pants shuffling towards us. "Good morning, Dick," I said softly.
His appeared to still sleeping as he slowly moved towards the coffee pot, lips parted, eyes barely opened and a jaw line peppered with stubble. He mumbled something incoherent as he found a mug and poured a cup for himself. We watched in amusement as he downed the drink and came to life before our eyes, looking at us with a smile,
"Good morning… Hey, Jim."
Dad nodded towards the bag on the table "Morning, Dick… want a doughnut? Éclair?"
"Sure. I'm going to go, uh, cover my nipples first," he out the mug down and walked casually out of the kitchen,
Dad snickered before saying, "Modest… he spent a majority of his pre-pubescence wearing pixie boots..."
"He prefers to call them Peter Pan boots."
I faintly heard Dick call out something about choking on our pastry delights while telling embarrassing stories about him. Dad had smirked briefly before getting back to business, "You know… I've got witnesses saying Batman was shot last night."
"Before or after he was hit by a bus?"
Dad shook his head, "No, before the van crashed off the side of the road. I know it's a stupid question, but is he all right?"
I reached out and touched his hand as it gripped his mug. Just like the rest of us, having Bruce behind the mask once more also drudged up memories of what happened the last time he had worn it. When he looked up at me, I said, "He's fine. Couple bumps and bruises, nothing a few stitches and stern words from Alfred won't mend."
Clearing his throat, Dad nodded, "Figured as much… Well, no doubt he'll drop by tonight… Forensics didn't find anything of value in the van… Thought maybe he gave it a look before leaving…"
"If he finds anything, you know he'll tell you."
"I know… let's hope you're right, that he does find something. Anything… Like to get some sleep with a clear conscience… without having to worry what the hell Harvey Dent is up to."
^V^
Sleeping over at Wayne Manor had spared me the walk home, but it had regrettably opened the door for an awkward morning.
Instead of waking to my father complaining about me sleeping in, Alfred had politely roused me from bed with promises of omelets and bacon within the hour. After he departed, I glanced to the bedside clock to see it was nearly ten in the morning. Rising, I slowly stretched my arms, shoulders and neck before taking advantage of the attached bathroom. Only a few new bruises, not bad considering every single opponent I had taken down was twice my size.
Still wearing the sweats I changed into after patrols, I stepped into the quiet corridor, navigating towards the stairs. The house was eerily silent, making every step I took in my bare feet to seem louder than necessary. Reaching the bottom of the elegant stairwell, I was tempted to head to the study, but reasoned that brunch was the most important meal of the day. Especially if it wasn't a brunch prepared by Dana…
Entering the kitchen, I found Alfred pouring a cup of orange juice from a carafe, "Good morning, Master Tim."
"Morning, Alfred," I ran a hand through my short hair before asking, "Where is everyone?"
"Ah… Master Bruce is downstairs and Ms. Selina and Miss Mattie are running a few errands."
He offered me the glass and I thanked him, adding, "And Cass?"
"Miss Cassandra is in the nook, sir," he answered, nodding towards the open doorway at the far end of the kitchen, sure enough, Cass was sitting cross legged in one of the chairs, her plate sitting empty before her. She had a newspaper before her, but I knew she detested reading, making me wonder if it was an assignment from Barbara.
In the time I had glanced over, Alfred had prepared me a plate of a cheesy omelet, crisp bacon, slices of pear and a small bowl of yogurt. I eyed the feast with amazement before saying, "And most Saturdays I just heat up Eggo waffles."
Taking my bounty to the nook, I announced myself unnecessarily, "Mind if I join you?"
Cass looked up briefly and smiled, "Sure."
She had the faintest bruise on her right temple, partially concealed by a lock of hair, no doubt the only mark she had on her body from the night before. Where I had opted for comfortable sweats and a tee shirt, she was ready to hit the training mats in black Lycra pants and a fitted with long sleeved shirt. As I sat down beside her, I suddenly realized that she had already hit the mats, noting the faint marks of dust on her clothes and her hair slightly damp with sweat.
While I had been drooling on my pillow…
"Been awake long?" I asked before tasting the juice.
She shrugged, "Not really. Since seven. Nice to sleep in."
I shook my head, "No, I slept in… waking up at seven is the opposite."
Cass folded the newspaper and shrugged, "Barbara said, you snooze, you lose."
"Did you just call me a loser?" I asked, sitting upright in the chair.
"No… you woke up. Finally."
I ate relatively quickly, mixing forkfuls of breakfast heaven with playing back the previous night with Cass. Save for the shakedown at the warehouse, it had been a relatively easy night, coming home early in fact to get a head start on piecing everything together. Cass and I had been able to sort the evidence into categories of documents, weapons and miscellaneous before being ushered upstairs. No doubt Bruce had tended to the rest of it after explaining himself to Selina.
Alfred had deliberately put us in guest rooms out of hearing range, but I had reasoned that if they were fighting, it wouldn't have been that loud, not with Mattie sleeping nearby. During his recovery, I had never seen Bruce nor Selina raise their voices with one another. Since May, it had progressed from bickering to snapping to icy glares and eerily silent feuds. It should have been disconcerting, but in all honesty, it was actually a relief.
After all, the Bat and Cat weren't meant for happily ever after.
"When did Bruce go downstairs?" I found myself asking.
Another shrug later, Cass answered, "Ten minutes ago. They came down for breakfast, fed Mattie… then they left, he went down."
"They seem okay?"
"Bruce seemed find, favoring his right side."
I shook my head before clarifying, "No… I meant, did they seem upset? Angry?"
"No, seemed happy. Laughed when Mattie threw her banana at Bruce."
I finished my last piece of bacon before nodding, "Good… didn't have any claw marks on his face, or anything?"
Cass sighed, "They were fine. Too nosy."
"Hey, I just want to know how they are for my own well being. If he's in a bad mood, I don't want to go downstairs expecting the opposite." When she didn't reply, I added, "And now, I'm prepared for a less grumpy Bruce as opposed to a very grumpy one."
She rose from the table, "No sense of adventure."
"I had enough adventure last night, thank you," I said, gently touching my bruised shoulder.
Leaving me the front page of the Gotham Herald, featuring a picture of the wrecked getaway van, Cass left saying, "Adventure isn't over yet."
After breakfast, I made my way to the Cave, not shocked to find Cass back in the training bay having her way with the uneven bars. Rather than join her, I decided to let my stomach digest while putting my brain to work. Bruce was in the lab, hunkered over a microscope and despite my silent footfalls, he had called out, "The license plate was fake on the van, I need you to find a VIN. Same for the SUV's."
I paused beside the stainless steel table, looking at the digital screen attached to the microscope, broadcasting a cotton fiber. Waiting to reply until he glanced up at me, I said, "Sure thing. I'll try GCPD's files. Go into the city if necessary… Alvin Draper might have gotten his car towed last night."
He nodded, looking me over briefly before puling the slide out, but remained silent.
"How's the arm?"
"Fine," he said too quickly.
"Did you get a chance to look at the guns?" without waiting for him to reply, I moved closer, pointing out the bagged weapons on the table, "The Smith & Wesson M&P .22 matched prints on the passenger of the van, the Glock .22 matched the driver… The serial number on the Glock was completely etched out but I managed to get three digits off of the M&P…"
"And?" he asked, putting another slide in.
"Goes back to someone named Joseph Hayden… Which is great and all, if he was a real person."
Bruce looked up at me, contemplating briefly before saying, "He is a real person. He wrote Symphony number forty-seven in G major in 1772... Nicknamed the Palindrome... The second part of the Minuet is the same as the first but it's in reverse… the Trio is done the same."
I left the lab, heading back towards the computer, Bruce's footfalls following mine. Taking the chair, I put my fingers to work on the keyboard, quickly accessing GCPD forensics files under a false name and pass code. Backed by a false IP address, if anyone became suspicious about my activity, they would eventually trace it to the desk of Ray Turner in Vice. The same Ray Turner that retired before I was born.
"Let's see… only two other weapons had viable serial numbers, both going back to Joseph Hayden. They're trying to find him through VICAP, prints… as a possible alias…"
Bruce paused beside me, "Idiots."
Regrettably, police academy and criminal justice courses did not cover late eighteenth century composers.
"Well, it will keep them busy and out of our way," Bruce then said, "Check for a VIN number."
"Right," I looked through the files on record, which wasn't much given that it had been less than twelve hours since the raid. "No luck, everything was soldered. But we can run make and models…"
"Work on it… I'll finish physical evidence before I leave this afternoon. If you can't get anything on the van, go to impound."
"Will do," I looked up to see his eyes glued to the screen, the light washing over his face. The look of intensity should have sent a shudder down my spine, but instead I found myself fighting a smirk.
As he turned to leave, I asked where he had to go later, if I could help when I was in the city.
"No… It's part of my truce."
He left out with Selina.
^V^
I was in the bedroom, gingerly donning a navy blue sweater over a striped dress shirt when I heard laughter in the hall. It was hard to blame all of the stiffness on the wound to my arm, especially since it radiated through my torso and back. Training with Dick and Cassandra had prepared me for taking on a dozen combatants at once. It had not prepared me to hang on for dear life off of a speeding van.
"Where is he…?" I heard Selina's voice.
We had decided to compromise. She would take Mattie for the morning to run errands in Bristol while I worked in the Cave and then I would join them for the afternoon. While they quested for shoes that would help Mattie develop walking skills, I checked through the evidence to see if I had missed anything. As they went to the bakery for coffee and a shared pastry, I beat the life out of a punch bag. When my daughter was being delicately pushed on a swing at the playground, I was trying to replace four ripped sutures on my arm.
"Where is Daddy?"
A productive morning.
"Where is he, Mattie?"
One filled with hindsight.
"In here," I called to her, stepping out of the spacious closet.
Mattie crawled into the master bedroom, followed closely by Selina. I crouched once I was positioned directly in front of my daughter, urging her to crawl faster towards me. Picking her up, I stood upright, wiping the drool from her chin while asking, "Where have you been?"
"Chewing on my Dior handbag while I was on the phone with Barbara. Anything to make her happy, at this point," Selina explained as she approached.
Mattie grabbed onto my shirt collar and set her head against my shoulder. Rubbing her back, I said, "If she's not up to it, we can go when she's down for a nap."
Selina shrugged, "She's actually been happy all morning… I think being out distracts her just enough."
I nodded before kissing the chaotic locks of dark hair on the top of Mattie's head. Looking to Selina, my eyes fell to her wrist to find a new silver watch around her wrist. I reached for her hand and she grinned as I took it, inspecting the diamond hour markers and sapphire crystal accents.
"You bought me a watch. To apologize."
I nodded, "So I see…"
Selina inspected the watch for a moment, "Well, if you want, I'll change her and restock the diaper bag… if you want to go down and top off the car, I left it behind the garage."
Handing Mattie over, I nodded, "All right. I still have to check in with Tim and Cass."
Shaking her head, she replied, "I passed Tim driving an ugly green Ford Taurus, and Cass is on the couch in the den." I explained that he was doing some investigating for me at city impound, noting that I hadn't expected him to head out so soon. Selina turned to head for the nursery, "He's a big boy now, Bruce."
I had meant to commend him on his efforts in the warehouse but had let assigning him additional work take precedent. He had certainly come a long way from the boy who had used the giant penny to take out flunkies of Ra's al Ghul or the boy who had let Bart Allen drive and ultimately crash one of the bat mobiles. His innate skills as a detective had been evident from the beginning, and finally his combatant skills were becoming just as formidable. A necessary balance between the two.
Sighing, I found my shoes, wallet and watch before making my way downstairs. As Selina had pointed out, Cassandra was in the den, sitting deep into the couch while nursing a bottle of water. The television was covering a midday news broadcast, featuring a reporter stationed outside of the cordoned off warehouse. I decided to pause at the doorway and watch with her.
"- where the infamous Harvey Dent evaded capture last night despite strong police efforts. An anonymous tip lead to the arrest of a dozen suspects who are believed to have been working for Dent. This find lead to not only the discovery of the make and model of the getaway vehicles, but also the apprehension of a dozen military grade, semi-automatic firearms. Police are asking that anyone with information about the whereabouts of Harvey Dent please contact the Special Crimes hotline."
"Thanks, Renee. Correspondent David Harper spoke with Detective…"
"Make it sound like they did all the work," Cassandra said softly.
I stepped forward and sat on the arm of the sofa, noting she was still dressed in her leggings and shirt. When we had gone downstairs for breakfast, Alfred had noted that Cassandra was not in her room, nor the Manor. Before settling down in the nook with Mattie and Selina, I had trekked to the Cave, finding my protégé in the training bay working smoothly through a slow moving kata of Tai Chi.
Given the sweat on her face, she had been cooling down, not warming up.
When she had finished, I had called out to her that Mattie wanted to know if she would join us for breakfast. It had brought a small smile to her lips, one I had mirrored when she had agreed.
She had spent the rest of the morning training, stopping only when I had called out to her. I knew what she had been trying to do, honing skills that she had felt were sub-par during the fight the night before. She represented the opposite of Tim with unmatched combat abilities but a lack in detective work. Their working together over the last few years had allowed for the deficits to alter significantly. An entire year of which I had no impact on…
"Tim left… do you want a ride into the city?"
She shook her head before looking up at me, "I'll stay. Shower. Work on computer."
"Very well. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Ready?" Selina asked from the hall.
Before leaving, I smirked "Better get off the couch before Alfred catches you."
The official Mattie transport vehicle was a silver Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. There were airbags for the front seats both in front and on the sides, in addition to side head curtain airbags for the backseat. Side guard door beams reinforced all of the doors, the traction and torque was top of the line and the independent suspension all made for a quiet and safe ride. Dick had joked once about me putting a car seat into the Batmobile seeing how it was the technically the safest car in the world.
I had countered that it wasn't considering it contained a number of explosive devices and materials.
Alfred was in the pantry taking inventory, pausing briefly to bid his youngest charge farewell. He also offered a small paper bag, containing one of Mattie's frozen teething toys in addition to a juice box and Children's Tylenol. Selina promptly gave the toy to Mattie, opting to pack the little bag in the toddler survival shoulder bag.
Reaching the car, I let Selina pack the bag and Mattie in the backseat while I filled it up it gas. A personal fuel tank saved not only time, but me unwanted hassle of having my Black Amex card come up as unreadable at a gas station.
Taking a seat behind the wheel, Selina donned a pair of sunglasses and looked back to Mattie, "Ready, kiddo? Go see the monkeys and the fishies?"
Seeing how Selina had the morning to accomplish a number of errands, she had proposed we reserve the afternoon for taking Mattie to the zoo before my appointment at Roblier's. A nice public outing, lunch together and the first big step towards matrimonial bliss. She had suggested it over breakfast, after I had agreed to split my day for both halves of my life. I had nearly protested until Mattie had smashed her banana, screeching like a monkey.
"Sounds perfect," I had agreed.
Traffic on St. James was tolerable, making the drive to the Gotham Zoo and Aquarium take just over thirty minutes. Built in the early 1900's, the zoo covered nearly eight acres of land in the center of the borough of Coventry. A thirty-mile drive from the Theatre District, the Gotham Zoo was a highlight for tourists who came from all over to see the massive display of rare and common species in duplicated natural settings. There was even an exhibit named after a hefty donation from my father: The Thomas Wayne Gorilla Habitat. Alfred had said that my mother had been mad at my father after a particularly busy week at the hospital, calling him a rash of names in a heated argument.
The next day, he had donated to the gorilla habitat expansion, telling her that he could move in with them if she wished.
A pin-headed ape.
During the summer months, they had brought me to the zoo every other week. Where most children flooded the petting zoo area where they could feed and love on Pygmy goats, sheep, llamas and rabbits, I had preferred the larger exhibits. My favorite had been the Red Wolf paddock, where the elusive animals rarely showed themselves to visitors. I recalled sitting on my father's shoulders once, staring out into the foliage, praying for a glimpse of the wolves.
"They prefer the night time," my father had explained, "When it's quiet. That's when they come out, that's when they hunt."
Walking the same paths thirty years later, I carried Mattie from exhibit to exhibit, refusing Selina's offers to take her so that I could rest my injured arm. She squealed with delight at the lemurs bolting from branch to branch, laughed at the owls bobbing their heads and stared in wonder at the massive tropical fish tank. When we drifted to the big cat paddocks, we found a bench to take a short break on.
While I gave Mattie juice and helped feed her bite sized pieces of crackers and cheese, Selina stood by the six inch thick glass, staring down at a pair of black leopards as they soaked in the sun. I tried to stay away, for the particular exhibit held bad memories. Specifically a fight with Firefly that had ended with me getting mauled by those precious felines that Selina was gawking at. I had at least six razor precise scars on my body thanks to their lethal claws. One of them had even eaten the ear off of my mask.
Carrying on, Mattie mumbled on as she described the animals in her own language to us. Leslie said that her verbal skills were outstanding for her age and that actual words were in her near future. We both knew that D was an easier letter to pronounce than M, but that hadn't stopped us from each coaching her to say our parental names first.
As we stood together at the newly added dolphin tank, I noticed that it was already nearing one-thirty. Despite her busy day and endless teething woes, Mattie had remained cheerful and compliant, not even giving an inkling that she was tired or hungry. Before we could leave, however, Selina dodged into the gift shop and purchased a stuffed black leopard and gave it to Mattie. My daughter contemplated it for a moment before chomping down on its ear.
At least it wasn't Isis.
Trekking back into the city, we decided to take advantage of the unseasonably warm fall day for a lunch in the park. Parking in the one of the garages I had a pass for, we stopped at a deli and picked up drinks and sandwiches. Uptown was filled with magnificent architecture, but not twelve blocks from the Kane Center laid the sprawling acreage of Robinson Park. Many other families had also decided to enjoy the remnants of summer, playing soccer, using the playground and grilling hotdogs.
As busy as it was, we found a shady spot beneath a massive oak and settled in. Between small pieces of a chicken salad sandwich, Mattie entertained herself with blades of freshly cut grass. She handed me a small fistful and I thanked her with a kiss. Selina complained that she should have brought a camera, noting all of the great pictures she could have taken at the zoo. I pointed out that we would have to go again and she replied, "Don't tempt me. I might go back after Roblier's, cuddle with a leopard."
"Leopards can't buy you watches," I smirked.
"They don't need to," she challenged.
We kept conversation light for Mattie's sake, even as she decided to lay on her back between us. Just as I had finished my roast beef on rye, I looked down to see that Mattie was fast asleep, a crumb of bread on her lip. I pointed it out to Selina and she wiped it off with a moist towelette.
"Can't believe she fell asleep…" Selina said, caressing Mattie's cheek.
I reclined as well, stretching my legs out on the blanket and sitting back, resting my weight on my forearms and elbows. The stiffness had returned in my back and the weight on my right arm was causing my cuboidal pulse to throb.
Selina did the same, saying, "We don't have to go today, I can reschedule."
I shook my head, "No, you've already rescheduled three times. We're here. We should go."
She sighed before saying, "Well, he narrowed it down to three dresses for me. I still have no clue about bridesmaid dresses… Or our little flower girl."
"We should decide on a date," I found myself saying.
I nodded and adjusted my sunglasses. "Not winter, too hectic."
"Late spring… outdoors at the Manor."
She nodded but said nothing.
After twenty minutes of pretending to not think about Harvey Dent, I rose to my feet, leaving Selina with Mattie in order to bring the car out. It took longer than I had expected and by the time I returned to the park entrance, Selina stood on the curb, Mattie awake in her arms. Looking more closely as I pulled up in front of them, I smirked to see my daughter had a purple flower gripped in her hand.
The drive to Roblier's took thirty minutes in the traffic. His boutique was amidst the newer buildings of Glendale, fresh brick and mortar in designs a hundred years old. Originally a fashion designer from Paris, Jean-Luc Roblier had decided after designing a few wedding dresses for friends that his desire was to "make beautiful moments of matrimony more memorable." As per his business card and invoice letterhead.
The atrium of the building was surrounded in shades of white and off-white draperies, with china cabinets filled with wedding accessories and veils. Selina and I put on our betrothed bliss faces, smiling and studying the displays in awe before greeting the receptionist. Awaiting Jean-Luc, I silenced my mobile, also taking a moment to make an inquiry to Tim on his progress.
"Selina, mon cherie, ah and what have we here, but the adore-adable lil Miss Mattie, mon peitit chou!" Roblier's voice came from the rear of the room. He was dressed in a beige suit and pale blue shirt, bisected by a pristine white silk tie. At five foot even, the slender man resembled more of a child than a fifty-year-old world renowned designer. He kissed Selina's cheek and my daughter's cheek and then attempted to kiss mine as well.
I caught him and simply shook his hand.
"Well, less get started, n'est-ce pas?" he asked and lead us to the fitting room. The colors remained light and pretty but the walls were invisible behind rows and rows of dresses and dress fabrics.
Taking a seat with Mattie, I looked at my mobile again, leaving her to continue gnawing on her new stuffed toy. While Selina disappeared with Jean-Luc through a set of curtains, I read Tim's response: VIN was good, back to our composer. Been checking bank records/SSN/debts etc. Nothing yet.
I had replied: Keep looking. Forward everything to Gordon.
A moment later my phone buzzed: Will do. Happy dress shopping!
With Mattie still preoccupied, I sent a message to Barbara, asking if Dick was still in the city. Instead of simply responding, my phone came to life, vibrating and buzzing. I answered, "Just needed a yes or no."
"Hey," Dick replied.
After exhaling slowly, I offered, "So you are still in Gotham."
"I meant to come up this morning…"
I heard applauded from behind the curtain concealed doorway. Focusing, I responded, "It's fine. Tim and I finished sorting through the evidence. He used an alias to buy the guns and vehicles, links to a palindrome theme." Mattie reached up with a damp hand and touched my chin before I continued, "Forwards and backwards. It's not his usual style."
"Well, Harvey likes to keep things fresh. I've been looking into possible targets with Babs all day, nothing really screams Two-Face. We'll try and put the palindrome idea to work."
"Fine. I should be back home in two hours, tops."
"All right."
There was an awkward silence, and instead of filling it with an apology or at the very least a proper good-bye, I hung up and pocketed the mobile. Mattie reached for it and when I shook my head she glared at me. "Can you say please?"
Through the muffled leopard, I heard her say, "Peeh."
Handing it to her, I was left with nothing to focus on save for all of the soft white materials and excited sounds from the other side of the curtain. From what I could tell, most brides to be sought out a dress with they aide of their best friends, making a it a day of mimosas, crying and hugging. When Selina had asked me to go with her, I had instantly voiced my confusion.
She had quelled it with, "You are my best friend. And besides, I want to make sure your jaw drops when you see it on me."
Jean-Luc appeared through the curtain, "Monsieur Wayne… for your approval, yes?"
With Mattie in my lap still, I watched intently as Selina stepped through the doorway, moving to stand on a small pedestal in her bare feet. While she admired the gown in the wall to ceiling mirror, I found myself having to consciously breathe in and out.
The bodice was strapless with re-embroidered lace covering the silk under layer. Intricate beading lined the top and bottom of the corset fitted top. I rose to my feet, hefting Mattie up into my arms while admiring the curved Basque waistline and skirt of the dress. It was asymmetric with a collected drape that ran down her left leg and spread out the floor in a chapel train. The white luster satin shimmered in the soft lights of the fitting room.
I had never seen anything so beautiful in all of my life.
"What do you think?" she asked as she twirled around slowly.
I was speechless, but Mattie mumbled her opinion in an utterance of syllables.
"Thank you, sweetie," Selina grinned and stepped over and kissed Mattie's cheek before kissing me on the lips, "Told you, I needed the jaw-drop seal of approval."
"C'est fantastique," the designer clamped a hand over his trembling lips.
I nodded, my larynx still paralyzed in awe.
Although she was dressed as she would be on our wedding day, I saw through the expensive silk and beads. I saw the purple leather and stiletto heels. I saw the bullwhip and the claws. On her face, I saw a grin that had entranced me in ballrooms and rooftops.
I saw her.
^V^