Title: Life Is Good: IX
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 has been modified from its original version.
^V^
At ten after eleven, we took a break, crouching on an apartment rooftop and doing our best not to shiver.
"I feel like singing Silent Night," Robin chided.
I glared at him and replied, "Don't jinx it."
It had been quiet, unreasonably so. Most of the work we had come across for the last few nights had been primarily counter-theft. Stopping armed burglars and muggers, groups of young men breaking into electronic stores and a handful of sub-geniuses trying to hijack tractor trailers and delivery trucks filled for the holiday shopping season.
Patrolling the northern area of the city with Robin, we had already navigated through the boroughs of Sommerset, Charon and Glendale. With his being home for winter break, Tim had quickly settled right back into work, touring Gotham as if he had not been at school for the last few months. During his brief time home for Thanksgiving, he had been unable to truly tune himself back into his guise, making patrols with him uneasy.
After his first official week back home, we were I synch and keeping the scum of Gotham in line without a hitch.
With Batman working through the Bowery, chasing a lead on a possible Blu Flu gang hideout, we had the rest of the city to ourselves. Nightwing was busy tending to Bludhaven and Oracle was trying to cover our communication and information requests but also those of the Justice League as they battled a terrorist attack in Turkey. I had wondered why Batman had chosen not to join their efforts but figured it wasn't worth the glare.
"You guys busy?" Oracle's voice came over the general line.
"Not especially," Robin replied, "What's up?"
"Well, turns out Fries hasn't made his last meeting with his parole officer and isn't at his apartment… and after being spot on for the last three months..."
Robin finished for her, "Not a good sign."
The dishonored doctor had been released from Arkham on parole since late September, performing community service at Hudson University, trying to right the wrongs he had done. His wife, still cryogenically frozen, was housed in a private room off of the laboratory he worked out of. As with any criminal of interest that was released, we had been keeping tabs of his activities, even having me shadow him for his first two days out of the asylum.
With Fries apparently on the right path, I asked Batman if he thought that the man was truly reformed.
He said that if anyone would be capable of it, it would have been Victor.
"Well, we aren't too far from his apartment complex… we can swing by and take a look," Robin offered as he prepared his grapple gun.
"I'll let him know… no doubt he will want to take a look himself once he leaves the East End."
"We will lay out the welcome mate for him," he replied before closing the connection. Looking to me, he smirked, "Well, tonight just got a whole lot more interesting."
"Became."
"What?" he asked, his left brow rising and tugging at the corner of his mask.
"Became, not got," I answered, using the cover of my guise to smirk back at him.
Shaking his head, Robin turned and aimed his grapple gun at an adjacent building, "You have been spending way too much time with Barbara… or Alfred."
Firing my own line without taking the time to calculate, I called out, "Both," before taking flight.
In spite of the mild weather reports, the second week of December had brought nearly a foot of snow, even in the heart of the city. Dump trucks and plows were still working on moving the piles of dirty snow out of the way, working nearly as late as we did. Traversing slick rooftops, jumping narrow alleyways and occasionally looking back to see where Robin was, I thought that it was the perfect time for Fries to snap.
Winter wonderland.
I reached the apartment building two minutes before my partner, taking the spare time to overlook the city skyline. The air was foggy, reflecting the lights to make everything look aglow. On our previous treks into the city, I had dragged Robin to see the grand Christmas tree that stood on Wayne Plaza. The first time we had visited it, he had told me that he ad Dick used to dare each other to steal ornaments from it, including the star that crowned it.
The following night, I had snatched the star without hesitation.
Upon landing on the slick patch of roof beside me, Robin quickly consulted his hand held computer from his utility belt. I peered over his shoulder as he used the device to pick up electromagnetic pulses from the apartments below up, switching the sensors to thermographic. If Fries had been inside, there would have been an intense black image amongst the blues, greens and reds.
"Coast looks clear… let's go," he said, pocketing the device before making his way to the fire escape.
Letting him lead the way, I followed two steps behind him, glancing into the darkened windows as we walked by them. Most of the beings within had their eyes glued to the flicker of a television screen. Just before reaching our target window, I caught a young face staring at us in awe. The child raced across her bedroom, face pressed against the window while calling out for her mother.
Thankfully, robin had managed to unlock the window and let us in by the time the little girl's mother arrived to peer outside, no doubt dismissing the sighting to an overactive imagination. Fighting off a smirk, I left the window open behind me, feeling my focus sharpen. In tense moments, I never felt stressed, but instead became calmer, as if it was better to be in danger than not.
A little something I had picked up from my tragic youth.
Although it was chilly outside, the living space we had broken into was frigid. Robin quickly walked over to an industrial air conditioning unit that took up most of the barren living room and shut it off, remarking that the temperature was set to zero degrees Celsius. Fighting off shivers, we navigated the cramped rooms, looking for any sign of Fries.
The apartment was barely furnished, but kept neat and orderly. Scuffed hardwood floors were spotless, the papers and folders on the old oak desk organized in piles and the tiny kitchen outfitted with a near empty refrigerator, clean sink and a single chair at the table. Everything in sight was coated in a crystalline, white film.
It barely looked like anyone lived there… then again, Fries lived for his work, for his wife.
"Not much to go on," Robin commented, skimming through the documents on the frosted surface of the desk, "He kept the place pretty secure… even the front door has an electronically activated lock, thermal insulation and treatments on the walls, windows…."
Looking at my lens display, I was surprised to see the room temperature was already on a rapid rise, nearly ten degrees above freezing. Tragic to think that leaving the window open had allowed the warm air in for once.
He turned to face me before continuing, his words escaping his lips in puffs of white, "No computer… must keep it secure somewhere… a place that isn't freezing."
Thinking back to moments earlier, I remarked that the closet door wasn't covered in frost in the hallway. We backtracked towards the narrow with the intent to at the very least browse the contents of the small storage area. Passing the locked front door, we froze mid-step at the sound of a soft beep, followed by the door knob turning.
The second Fries appeared, I was on him, landing three solid jabs to his midsection and two roundhouses to his right kidney. With each hit, I flinched, his armored suit sending jolts of pain through my bones. I felt Robin's batarangs whiz by me as I ducked Fries' swinging arm, but each piece of metal bounced off of his protected torso as easily as my blows had.
Fries growled, "Underlings... I do not have time for this."
He swung at me once more, trying to brush me aside. I ducked it easily enough, flipping backwards onto my palms in order to plant my feet into his diaphragm. The strike was enough to force him back a step, making him regain his composure before charging once more. Even though I was prepared to make another attempt on him by myself, Robin dove at him, armed with an electronically charge device in his palm.
From my scarce encounters with him, I knew there was no way to beat Fries physically or intellectually. It was difficult for me to rely on anything but my own skill and basic array of weaponry. Nightwing, Robin and even Batman never hesitated with going for the gadgets.
Regrettably, the innovative act didn't have any ill effect on Fries, angering him even more if anything. Sparks flying from where Robin had planted the device on the battery pack of the cold suit, Fries managed to snag my partner's cape with just two fingers. It was just enough, however, for Fries to reel him in with one quick movement, sending Robin flying down the hall.
Before his attention turned back to me, I threw a set of bolos at him to at the very least slow him down. In training drills, Batman had always stressed that causing damage to the suit's helmet or power source was the most effective way to take him down. Given that Robin had chosen the latter, I opted for the former.
Launching my foot at the back of his head, he moved far too swiftly given the weight of the suit, ensnaring my calf in his death grip. His other hand came just as fast to grasp my throat. I couldn't breathe, his grip was like steel. Robin was motionless still, laying where he had fallen nearly ten yards away.
My head growing faint, the only word that made its way to my lips was a staggered, "N-no…"
A crack sounded in the room and suddenly Fries had let go of my neck. Instinctively, I tucked and rolled away from him, taking deep breaths to make up for the last minute of suffocation.
I glanced up just in time to see Fries spinning away from me, crashing face first into the reinforced door he had just entered through. Helmet shattered, he then collapsed to the floor, already gasping as his body was exposed to the above zero temperatures.
Catwoman sighed, "Night night, Snow Man," then kicked Fries in the temple, silencing him.
^V^
Although I did my best to make use of the Manor's fitness room, chasing around my daughter generally took most of my energy from me. I always managed to fit in an hour of yoga or strength training at least four times a week, usually after Mattie went down for the night. If she was taking a solid nap during the day, I attempted to battle the elliptical or treadmill for as long as she slept or until my legs gave out on me.
Domestication had taken away my perfect figure, my reflexes, my feline-hood.
Midway through November, I decided that I was going to take it back.
Bruce hadn't made a mere mention of my increased efforts. I was up before him every morning for going on four weeks, getting my yoga done first thing. Once Mattie was with Alfred for the morning and Bruce was off to work, I was hitting the training bay in the Cave with all of my might. Tone came back to my arms, legs and torso, not nearly to the extent that it had once been but well on its way. I put myself through the paces on the gymnasium equipment, the rings and uneven bars once again becoming old friends, along with the calluses on my palms. The punch bag took near daily beatings, the weights clanked and clicked and at day's end, I was sore and tired.
If anyone asked, I planned on saying it was stress relief from planning the wedding.
At first, I had convinced myself that at the very least, I could get back to feeling the way I once had, if not look the same way. The extra work was a nice distraction but it was not a solution to my problem. The problem being that my days dragged on with redundancy, that they lacked any form of intrigue or excitement.
I didn't want much. Just something. Anything.
Having lived most of my life alone, I was always surprised at how well I had adjusted to living in Wayne Manor. Looking back, most of it could be attributed to the fact that I wanted nothing but to help Bruce recover from the shooting. Even if he wasn't able to remember the past we had shared, I had been prepared to make the most of our new life together. Together and with Mattie.
The house was huge and the grounds were spacious, but even then it was near impossible to get away for a moment alone. Whether it was with my daughter or Alfred during the day, Bruce when he came home from work or any of the others when they visited… no matter how I tried, there was no way to just be alone. Before my life had flipped upside down, I could have climbed to the top of Hart Tower, riding on the 11:15 train through the East End or even trekking to Robinson Park in the wee hours of the night.
Where it had once just been me, myself and I.
Bruce, on the other hand, had ample opportunities for solitude. At work, he could lock his office door. In the Cave, he had only to ignore the bats living up high or Alfred's sporadic intrusions. Even as he patrolled, he worked alone, leaving Cass and Tim to work as a pair.
I loved my daughter. I loved Bruce. However, I had no love for my nonexistent life.
That night had been like any other. Dinner at a little after six, retiring to the den so that Bruce could unwind and get in some hands-on time with his daughter after a long day of playing the dutiful CEO. From there, I took her upstairs for a bath and to read and rock before bed. Like clockwork, at ten of nine I had her down for the night and prepared for Alfred to rap at the door to check in one last time.
Every other night, I thanked him for all that he had done that day and told him I was set for the night.
For once, I had a favor to ask him. A big one, at that.
Given the weather, I ended up boosting one of the sportier model coupes from the Cave's garage. My first destination was to the international airport so that I could access a storage locker that I had kept for years. My emergency locker, prepped and located for a clean and easy exit had my former criminal life ever required it. Changing in the car, I proceeded back to the highway and into the city limits.
Mischief was the farthest thing from my mind. Being Catwoman had never been solely about stealing and making trouble. On a personal level, it had always been an expression of pure freedom. Free to do what I want, when I wanted and without an ounce of reliance on any other soul but my own. The criminal element started as a way to fend for myself, eventually growing into literally robbing from the rich and giving to the poor… with a little bit extra for me.
That little bit that had Batman hunting me down after nearly every big steal…
An hour or two back behind the mask, a few aerial stunts and I had expected to get the thrill seeking out of my system, especially it being my first night out in nearly two years.
Somehow that led to stopping a mugging, a free fall from the Chase Bank building and helping take down Victor Fries.
Batgirl managed to whisper, "What?"
I offered her a hand up and asked, "You all right?"
Batgirl rose as well and as we approached Tim's moaning figure, she inquired, "Where's Mattie?"
"Tucked in bed with her favorite Brit," I replied before crouching beside Tim, "Wakey wakey…"
The white lenses finally flickered briefly from green to red as Tim slowly sat up, gently rubbing his temple. He then blinked purposefully several times before swearing under his breath. When I asked if something was wrong, he shook his head, "I was hoping my lenses were fried from my face plant… but it's really you, isn't it."
I reached out with a gloved hand and gently pinched his cheek with two claws, "That it is, boy wonder."
Once he was steady on his own feet, he tracked back down the hallway and went about binding the legs and arms of the unconscious Dr. Fries. I was surprised that he was able to focus so intently on the task given the bump forming on the back of his head along with my unexpected presence. He called in to Oracle that the doctor was indeed in then looked to me, "Should I even bother to ask if he knows you're out?"
"Waste of breath," I smirked, taking a moment to cock my head towards the window I had snuck through, "Thanks for making for an east entrance… and exit."
When I turned to leave, Tim stepped forward, "Wait… do you have a comm. link?"
"And make my presence known to the powers that be? Where's the fun in that?"
He looked to Cass for a moment before sighing, reaching into a section of his belt and retrieving a small device, no bigger than a Bluetooth. As Tim handed it to me, "At least keep in touch with Oracle… she can give you a head's up before you cross paths with him."
Activating it, I placed the piece under my cowl and in my ear. After he explained that it was already set to a locked channel that would directly link to Barbara, he added, "And thanks… for the back-up."
"Anytime, kiddo. Now if you'll excuse me… I have a game of cat and bat to instigate." Taking off towards the window, I dove out into the brisk air, using the railing of the fire escape to as an anchor for a fraction of a second before giving myself over to gravity. At the very last second, I released the whip, waited for it to grow taut and then swung a deep, fast arch to the roof of the adjacent building.
Just like riding a bike.
Not a second after my feet had landed, I heard Barbara in my right ear, "Bad kitty."
"I'm having a really enjoyable evening… don't ruin it with a lecture."
She snickered before replying, "No, I think congratulations are in order, if anything." When I didn't respond, she added, "Want to plan a jewel heist?"
Tempting, I thought to myself. Instead of saying as much, I said, "I was actually trying to stay incognito tonight."
"Little rusty," she remarked.
"Yeah…" I gazed over the snow covered buildings, the air orange and hazy from the street lights, "Speaking of rusty. My Bat Radar is a little out of tune… Been trying to avoid him so far…"
"Oh, don't worry, he's still in the East End beating up Blu Flu lieutenants for intel. I just let him know that his protégés took Fries out… or did you want credit for that?"
"How did you-."
"All knowing is part of the job title." She signed off after promising to keep me posted on the big, black Bat's whereabouts as to aide my cause. A woman after my own heart, standing up against Bruce without fear.
Seeing how my cover had been blown and I had extended my neck out considerably more than I had intended for my brief venture, I decided that it was best to call it a night. Navigating by rooftop back towards the car, I made no attempt to fight the smile on my lips. The feeling of freedom and solitude was overwhelming, nearly as much as the euphoria of prowling through the night once more.
I was preparing to jump down two stories to the snow-dusted coupe when I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up on their own free will.
"Freeze."
Turning around, I offered him a quip, "Oh, don't worry, I heard he's out cold."
The angry glare he returned suggested he found no humor in my words, nor my presence.
Me. Ow.
^V^
Diner had been simple, a lemon and garlic baked chicken, mashed sweet potatoes and long stem green beans in a lemon butter glaze. The egg timer still had another forty-five minutes for the chicken in the oven when Master Bruce had stepped through the service entrance. The wall clock put it just after four, an early night home to spend with his family.
"Good evening, Master Bruce," I had greeted him with a glass of ice water.
He nodded his thanks, drank down half of the glass then inquired, "Know where Selina is?"
"She and Miss Mattie were in the nursery, last I knew." I had watched as he drained the rest of the water and set it in the sink, showing no sign of any further conversation. That in itself had encouraged me in to ask, "Is everything all right, sir?"
"What?" he had glanced to me, then added, "Nothing… Has Tim been by today?"
"He and Miss Cassandra have been at the Clocktower for the day, I believe."
He had nodded, then said he was going upstairs.
"Very good, sir. Dinner will be at six."
Without another word, he had departed.
His mild distraction had disappeared by the time that he, Ms. Selina and their daughter settled at the dining room table. He had changed from his suit into a long sleeved Henley and a pair of dark jeans. From what I had seen, his smile was genuine and his attention was completely on Miss Mattie. Even though he had only been back in the cowl for less than four months, Master Bruce had done a remarkable job keeping the darkness form his work away from the light of his life.
The last I saw of him for the evening was just before eight. We had crossed paths while I had been on my way to the laundry room and he to the study. I had asked if Ms. Selina required any assistance with Miss Mattie 's bath and he had paused before replying, "She's still in the den actually, I would check in with her."
"I shall, sir."
He had turned to leave but stopped himself, "Alfred?"
"Yes, Master Bruce?"
Unexpectedly, a look of doubt came over his face, "Am I… am I not doing enough? For her?"
"For your birdie to be or your child?"
"Both," he had replied without hesitation.
"Evading bath duties is hardly a cause for concern, sir."
After shaking his head, he had countered, "It's not that... I just.. I don't want her to resent me."
"Ms. Selina knows who you are and in spite of it, loves you still. And Miss Mattie is far from her teenaged years, her resentment towards you is much further down the road."
He had smirked at that, then walked away.
I had then sought out my remaining charges, who had both been on the plush carpet of the den, walking about on their hands and knees. I had smirked from the entranceway as Miss Mattie latched onto the edge of the end table and pulled herself up to her feet. Ms. Selina instinctually rose to kneel, beckoning her daughter to walk towards her. After a little giggle, the child had toddled over and into her mother's embrace.
Over the last week, the child had suddenly taken to walking with much greater confidence than she had before. Master Dick had visited the previous weekend, spending nearly an hour walking up and down the main corridor with his young sister by his side. Eventually, he had turned it into a game of tag, urging Miss Mattie to catch him. Since then, if the child wanted something, she was comfortable enough to go and get it.
I had offered to aide in bathing the child, but Ms. Selina politely declined. After observing them play for a moment longer, I had carried on to the laundry room, fetching and folding the last load of the day. Distributing the clean towels and putting the fresh linens away, I had proceeded to my quarters for a spell, making a phone call to Leslie. Thankfully, she had just arrived home and was more than willing to take the time to decompress and tell me about her day.
By the time I made it back to the third floor to check in on Ms. Selina, she had found something to ask of me.
"Alfred… would you mind keeping an eye on Mattie for the night?"
I hadn't hesitated in accepting the task, but there was no denying that suspicions were quick to form in my aged mind.
With the child already nestled in her crib, I proceeded to carry the baby monitor with me as I toured the ground floor. To distract myself from developing various scenarios requiring Ms. Selina to take off unannounced for the night, I tidied up the den, collected sparse toys and put them in the oak chest set behind one of the couches. Rather than muse on the fact that she had taken an untraceable vehicle from the Cave as opposed to any one of the cars in the garage, I went about dimming lights in the corridors and drawing drapes closed.
It is none of your business, old man, I reminded myself.
I made the trek back upstairs to visually inspect that my youngest charge was blissfully asleep before taking the elevator to the Cave. After a quick going over in the medical bay to see that all was stocked and ready. It was ten after midnight when I navigated to the computer bay, sighing before taking a seat before the great console.
A few taps on the keyboard brought up windows monitoring scanner activity, police dispatch as well as the news reports. After a few moments of studying each, I found that there appeared to be no reports of great concern. My activity on the computer had resulted in a fourth window opening on the screen, quickly revealing Ms. Barbara's face.
"What are you up to?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, just ritual cleaning.. Empty out the recycle bin and what have you."
She adjusted the headset so that it would better tame her loose bangs of auburn, "Funny."
"A joke is a very serious thing," I stated, "According to Churchill."
Ms. Barbara asked, "Well, it was looking to be a crazy night… Victor Fries went off of the grid but Tim and Cass ended up running into him… guess he was just doing some research at the university library... Had paid the clerk off to not let anyone know he was in the basement."
"I take it that the matter is settled then?"
She nodded, "He was a bit feisty with Tim and Cass but they managed to settle things. Bruce dropped by to smooth things over… and remind Fries to stay in line."
After a moment of consideration, I proceeded to inquire, "And how is Ms. Selina fairing?"
The look of surprise and brief second of stammering suggested she was well aware of what I was asking. I decided to ease her worry by adding, "Do not fret… I will keep it under wraps, so to speak."
Biting her lip, she shook her head. Then, "Well, so far she has managed to evade Bruce. I had no idea she was even planning on going out tonight… or ever, for that matter."
"It's for her own good that the cat purrs…" I quoted.
"Churchill?"
"Irish proverb," I answered, "And, if one might say so, Ms. Selina is well overdue."
"That she is… well, hopefully she can make it home before he finds out… that is not an argument I want to be any part of."
Closing the connection, I thought that if there was a disagreement on the matter between lord and lady, I would no doubt find myself right I the middle of it. First and foremost to diffuse any ill thoughts Master Bruce may instinctually defer to and also to defend Ms. Selina's actions. Ideally, he would accept her decision and empathize with the fact that he had finally returned to his former guise and would not act the hypocrite to deny her the same chance. Less then perfect, they would agree to disagree on the matter, requiring a heated discussion that would result in a stalemate.
Or, mayhaps it was best she avoid any confrontation whatsoever using her cunning stealth…
Waiting for the outcome in the Cave would have been torturous.
Instead, I ascended the granite steps to the study, selected The Stranger from the third shelf of the bookcase and settled into one of the leather arm chairs.
Having read the book many times, I skipped forward to the second part, quickly losing myself to the heated trial of Mersault. I set the baby monitor on the arm of the chair an settle din for what I presumed to be a long wait. Doing my best to work through the verbose text, I found my attention fading, drawing my eyes to the grandfather clock. Every minute that passed, my mind wanted to focus more on presumptions and wonderments as opposed to the pages before me.
When the clock struck one, it chimed softly. A moment later, the large wooden piece moved on hidden hinges, pivoting open near soundlessly. Then again, eve if it had squeaked or creaked or grinded, it would have been completely unnoticeable over the shouting and growling and swearing.
Loud, angry and frustrated tones in both the masculine and feminine form filled the study long before the forms they belonged to appeared. Setting the book down, I stood, feet spread and my hands linked behind my back. A soldier's stance.
"Just stop for a second!"
"Grab my arm again and I'll-!"
As they stormed into the den, red-faced and eyes glowing with anger, I greeted them with a resounding, "Ahem!"
^V^
Catching her on the rooftop, Selina had approached me with a sly smile, tracing the contours of my body armor with her claws. She had tried to play it off as a game, as the dance we once shared so long ago, licking her lips before offering a teasing smile. Putting a sultry tone on, she had asked, "Is that a batarang in your pocket or are you just happy to-."
"What the hell are you doing?" I had cut her off.
She had interpreted my brashness as a result of anger when in all honesty, it had been out of fear. I had found myself looking through the leather and the mask, seeing the woman I had just shared dinner with. The woman who shared my bed. The mother of my child. I still had gunpowder in my nose after dueling with a few rotten eggs in the East End.
I thought to myself that even through the acrid scent, I could still smell her perfume…
Evading my reach, she had flipped away from me and off of the building, soaring through the air long before she tossed out her whip for an anchor. I had immediately taken after her, shocked that countless memories of our decade long game of cat-and-mouse didn't surface. Instead, I had cringed when her whip latched on to structurally poor fire escapes or flag poles. I had sworn under my breath when she landed on the roof of a moving taxi cab and then raced off down and alleyway.
Ignoring my own actions, I had been completely absorbed with every move she made, not out of awe, but worry.
Reaching Cole Park's entrance several blocks away, I finally caught up with her, getting in close enough to latch onto her upper arm. A lifetime ago, she would have spun around, raking her claws over my face or kneeing me in the stomach. In place of an defensive move, she simply pressed herself against me, locking her lips on mine.
Pushing her away, I snarled, "I'm not going to ask again."
"Ask what?" she smirked.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm not breaking the law… am I?" As I continued to glare at her, the excited look on her face began to ebb, paving the way for her brow to lower with anger and lips to tighten with disgust.
Even though I had ruined her secretive plans, she agreed to ride back to the Cave with me, but that was the last word she uttered. The entire way back, the mere foot of open space between us filled with thick tension. As we passed through the secluded entrance of the Cave, I spoke as evenly and calmly as possible, "Is it the first time you've done this?"
Arms crossed over her chest and eyes glued straight ahead, she remained silent and stoic.
"Selina?"
"I heard you." When I pressed her to answer, she snapped, "None of your business."
"None of my business?" I growled at her, my hold on the steering wheel tightening to a death grip, "How is it not?"
"I don't interrogate you every time you put on a mask, why should I have to?"
"Because you have no reason to put on a mask."
Her fierce gaze snapped to me. "Excuse me?"
"You know what I meant."
"I do… and that doesn't make it any better," her tone was as rabid as mine.
Pulling up to the garage tier, I slammed on the breaks and turned to face her, "Damnit, Selina… this isn't a game." When she moved to step out of the car, I grabbed her arm to still her, "Wait-."
Her solid right hook to my chin was enough to not allow for her escape but also to shut me up.
In one movement, I leapt from the car, ripped back my mask and chased after her. By the time I was within an arm's reach, I opted not to make physical contact again, but to grab her attention in a verbal manner. "Selina, please-."
She stopped suddenly, turning to face me, "Now the manners come out." Selina pulled her cowl back, letting her hair loose while revealing the full extent of her anger. "I have never asked anything from you, Bruce… but I am asking you now… don't. Just let it go."
"Let it go… Selina, I have enough to worry about at night… I don't want to have to worry about you as well."
"What's there to worry about, Bruce?" she snapped, "I've been doing this just as long as you… And unlike you, I have every single one of my nine lives intact!"
"Listen to me-."
"No," she shook her head, stepped forward and jabbed a finger into the middle of my chest, "Listen to yourself. Trying to tell me what to do… You would think that after all of these years you would know better!" She then about-faced, continuing to storm towards the stairs.
"I'm not trying to control you, I'm trying to reason with you!" I barked before pursuing her.
"Well, that's a relief, Bruce," she started jogging up the stairs, "Obviously, I am the unreasonable one…"
"Just stop for a second!" I dared to reach for her once more as we arrived at the top of the stairs, the sensors opening the entrance ahead of us.
"Grab my arm again and I'll-!"
We stopped dead in our tracks to see Alfred standing in the study, not even the least bit surprised to find us in the midst of a feud. Calmly, he said, "I would ask that you both lower your voices. At this volume, you will surely wake Miss Mattie."
Instead of complying, I demanded, "Did you know about this?"
"I didn't tell him, I didn't tell anyone," Selina defended him.
My eyes fell back to her, "You weren't even going to tell me, were you?"
"Guess we'll never know," she shrugged.
Alfred cleared his throat and when I looked to him, I found his words echoing in my mind.
… I don't want her to resent me…
… Ms. Selina knows who you are and in spite of it, loves you still…
As I sighed in defeat, Alfred quietly excused himself, claiming he was retiring for the evening. I was surprised that he had been so quick to leave, not wanting to referee or at least badger some sense into me. In the few spats we had endured in the last few months, he had always offered his sage wisdom and occasionally sympathy.
Alone, the tension was still brewing between us, but there was a chance for me to tell her why I was so upset. I was capable of doing the right thing, of telling her the truth. I had to.
Letting the anger dissolve in order for the worry to surface, I asked, "Why? Why now?"
She seemed to be surprised by the sudden change in not only my voice but body language. As a result, Selina seemed to relax herself, if only a fraction, "Because I wanted to. There's no great, elaborate answer, Bruce. I just… I wanted to."
"Selina," I paused to step closer to her, "I know I risk everything each night, just as I did before. I returned to that life not because I wanted to, but because I had to, Gotham needs me."
When she didn't reply, I continued, "If something ever happened to me… I don't want Mattie to grow up alone… if something happened to you, too."
"I know, Bruce... But you don't know what it's like… Day in and day out… seeing everyone back in that life, everyone but me… I love what we have and I wouldn't trade it for the world but-."
I looked down as I shifted my weight, "I do."
"Excuse me?"
"I know what it's like, I know how hard it is… It's miserable, feeling restless, useless…" I paused before adding, "And I know what wearing that mask means to you, don't think I that I don't."
"Then why are you so angry with me?"
"I'm not angry, Selina," I shook my head reaching out to hold her hand with mine, "Seeing you in that element again after so long… It scared me. I was worried about you, even though I knew deep down that you were capable of handling of anything. I was forgoing my own safety, looking out for you, making sure each line you threw was secure or that there wasn't a stray cab that would have clipped you… Ready to do anything to keep you-."
"From getting hurt," she squeezed my hand gently before adding, "What about keeping me from being unhappy?"
There was a log paused before I replied, "Not getting their way, doing what they want… that makes cats unhappy. I have the scars to prove it."
She nodded, "That it does," stopping while she raked her fingertips over my left pectoral, "And that you do."
"I won't tell you what to do," I turned my voice back to business, "But at the same time, I won't let you put yourself in harm's way. If you go out again… let me know."
Standing up on her toes, she kissed my cheek, "It's a date."
^V^