I barely touched my breakfast as I waited for Jonathan to get to Wayne Manor to pick me up for his date. Bruce sat at the end of the table and peaked at me from behind his paper. He tried to be sneaky about it, but he wasn't very good at all. I checked my watch and saw that I had a few minutes left before Jonathan was due. I took a deep breath and let it out in a huff, and Bruce set his paper down.

"You don't have to go, you know."

Looking at him I nodded, "Yeah, I know."

"You can call him right now and cancel."

I shook my head, "No… I can't."

"Why not? He's not here."

"No… I said I would do this…. I owe him this much."

Bruce frowned, "You owe him?"

"I… made a promise that I didn't keep."

"You had every right not to keep that promise! He lied to you."

"And so did you, if you recall."

Bruce held up his hands in surrender, "Yes… yes I did. But I wasn't the one dating you."

I shook my head, "I just… need to do this. For the both of us. Show that it's not going to work anymore between us."

"Are you sure you don't want me there? If he gets too physical or violent-"

"I don't… think that'll happen. Besides, I won't go anywhere secluded."

Bruce was quiet for a moment then said, "What about the Joker? Do you honestly think that going into the city, where a madman who has a target on your back, is a good idea? What if something horrible happens to you?"

It was my turn to be quiet. I swallowed a few times then said, "I can't stay in this house anymore, Bruce. If… if I'm going to stay here while my mother's body is kept as evidence until the Joker is caught…. I don't want to go stir-crazy."

"I just wish you would let me come with you."

"And you're presence would make me safer, how?"

Bruce frowned then stood from his chair and came over to me. Spinning my chair out from the table, he knelt down in front of me and took my hands, "Bethany…. I need you to be safe. You're… my best friend and the only person I have in my life outside of Alfred. Call me selfish… but… if anything were to happen to you… I don't know what I would do." Reaching up he cupped my face with his hand and pulled me closer, pressing our foreheads together, "I can't lose you forever, Bethy. I just can't."

The doorbell rang through the house, and we pulled apart. Standing up, I straightened myself out and looked down at Bruce, "I'll be fine, Bruce. If I'm in trouble, I'll call for help."

I gave him my hand and gave his a squeeze before walking towards the front door where I found Alfred greeting Jonathan. Jonathan wore a tailored suit, one fit for everyday wear. He wore a brilliant blue shirt that brought out the blues of his eyes, and his hair was styled back. He looked amazing. He gave a smile when he saw me, the gesture lighting up his eyes and making him more handsome. I stopped short of the door, forgetting about what had happened for a moment, and my heart fluttered at the sight of him. Then I came back to myself a bit, and I offered him a smile.

"Bethany… hi."

I nodded, "Hello." Turning to Alfred I said, "I'll be back later today."

"Hope you have fun," he said.

I smiled and exited the building, ignoring Jonathan and walking down the front stairs to his car instead. He raced down and beat me to the door, opening it for me. Getting settled, he closed it and made his way around to his side. As he drove away from Wayne Manor a thick silence fell over us. We had made it to the bridges before he finally cleared his throat.

"You look great."

I nodded, "Thank you. So do you."

His hand moved to take mine, but he hesitated halfway, but he brought his hand back clenching it into a fist on his lap. He drove into the city and parked in a parking structure. I got out of the car and walked with him down a couple of blocks until we reached the park where we had our first date. I stopped at the park entrance and looked at him. "What are we doing here?"

He gave me a smile, "I thought… since our first date went so well… that our start-over date might go as well."

I smiled in spite of myself, "I don't know, Jonathan."

"Please," he held out his hand, "Endulge me."

Looking at him I hesitated, but took his hand anyway. He pulled me forward gently and we began walking through the park. We were silent for a moment, then he turned to me and said, "My favorite color is purple."

"What?"

"My favorite color… it's purple. Violet to be exact." He gave me a shy smile, "I um… never told you that before. I just want you to know me."

I nodded and again gave a small smile.

"What is your favorite color?"

Without looking at him, I felt a light blush warm my cheeks as I said, "Blue."

"Blue?" He had a small laugh in his voice. "What shade?"

Looking at him I said, "Ice blue."

He smiled, "Ice blue. That's a good shade. What is your favorite animal?"

I looked at him while we walked, then said, "I like penguins. All types, but especially the African Black Footed Penguin."

"Mine are crows."

I stopped, "What? Even after what happened to you?"

He nodded, "What can I say? Over the years I've come to terms with what happened to me. I really came to like them." He frowned and looked down, "I especially took to them when I became… well… him. I've tried to shake my liking of them, but I haven't found an animal to replace them yet." Tugging on my hand gently, we began walking again, "Are you a cat person or a dog person?"

"Cat."

He frowned, "I'm a dog person."

I let out a small laugh, "Well then."

"The Beatles or Rolling Stones?"

"The Beatles."

Jonathan smiled, "Same."

We continued walking the park, then we came to a familiar tree. I gave a smile and said, "This is where we had lunch."

"Yes it is." Jonathan smiled back, "Would… would you like to sit?"

Looking down I was hesitant, but I sat down, happy that he sat a comfortable distance away. Again we were quiet, both looking out across the park. Finally Jonathan cleared his throat again and said, "How is this going?"

I turned to him and frowned, "Better than I anticipated."

He let out a breath he was holding, "I thought hard about this date. Wide open space where we could talk and you won't have to get too close to me… I didn't want you to be uncomfortable."

"Thank you."

"I had hoped… when I brought you here you would remember our first date."

"And?"

He shrugged, "And things would… go back to normal."

I gave him a shocked look, "You thought I would just… forget that you lied to me and we would pick back up where we left off?"

Jonathan flashed a regretful smile then said, "Yeah… something like that."

"You honestly think it was going to be that easy?"

"No… but I was hoping." He looked away for a moment, then he asked, "Would… would you be willing to go to a therapy session with me?"

"What?"

"My therapist wants to meet you."

"You told him about us?"

He nodded and turned to look at me, "Yes. He… he noted that I had been acting differently, more… happy than I had been. He asked what was new in my life that caused the change… and I said it was you." Jonathan gave me a gentle smile, then he let it drop, "But, when your mother was killed and then when you refused to see me - tried to break up with me… he noticed that I had changed and he wanted to know why. I confided in him, and he… wants to meet you."

I looked away from him, not sure how to feel. Jonathan moved closer and took my hand in his, rubbing his thumb against the back of my hand. My core tightened at the touch, and I turned to look at him. He showed concern in his eyes, along with sorrow. My heart ached to see the emotions in his eyes and I found tears stinging the backs of my eyes.

"Jonathan-"

"You don't have to go. I just… had to ask. He won't ask any questions about your mother… or the Joker…. He would just ask about us. Think of it as… couple's therapy."

I frowned, "Couple's therapy?"

He let out a small laugh, "In a manner of speaking." His grip on my hand firmed, "I'm not ready to give up on us, Bethany…. I'm not ready to walk away from you. Never."

"Jonathan… I don't know-"

"Just one session."

I closed my eyes and tried to think. A small gust of wind blew into us, and I caught a scent of Jonathan's cologne. I sighed a bit at the familiar scent, sweeter this time than it had ever been before. I found that I felt calmed as I breathed him in, and when I opened my eyes I nodded, "Okay."

His whole face lifted into a smile, "Yeah? You're going to come?"

I nodded, "Yes."

He smiled wider and moved in to kiss me, but stopped. I bit my lower lip, but leaned in and met him halfway, landing a small kiss on his lips. He stiffened, not moving until I was finished, and as I pulled away he gave a small smile, "Thank you. Are… are you hungry?"

I nodded, "A little."

Smiling, he said, "There are some food trucks in this park that are actually pretty good."

I gave a small smile, "I've heard that before."