Hi everyone! As always - a million thanks for all of you following this story and reviewing it. Here is the next (long) chapter. I hope you enjoy it! =)
I woke up, Bruce holding me in his arms. So it wasn't a dream... It still made no sense to me. As I moved, his eyes opened slowly. He immediately had a big smile on his face.
"Good morning gorgeous." He said.
This was still so bizarre... Nothing made sense.
"Morning." I said.
He drew me closer into his embrace, trailing my shoulders with kisses.
"Did you sleep ok?" He asked.
I nodded. I didn't feel a hundred percent comfortable because I was still not sure what was happening. I had so many unanswered questions.
He sensed my discomfort and released me slowly.
"Ready for some of Alfred's famous breakfast?"
He handed me his shirts.
The crisp white shirt smelled of him. I felt butterflies In my stomach again. But something wasn't quite right - I just didn't know exactly what it was.
He was wearing nothing but very expensive looking sweatpants. He took my hand with such ease that it surprised me.
When he opened the door I could already smell the fresh coffee.
"Good morning Master Wayne and good morning Miss Hunter," Alfred said while genuinely smiling at me. He looked happy to see me. Another thing I couldn't figure out. I put that on my list.
Green smoothies, poached eggs, oatmeal... I felt like I was at a five star hotel's breakfast buffet.
Bruce looked incredibly relaxed, I had never seen him like this before. He was joking with Alfred, smiling at me and giving me that look way too many times, each time sending a shiver down my spine.
I looked at the kitchen clock and realized the time. I grabbed my phone.
"Crap! I should probably call work and let them know I'm alive," I said.
"I took care of that," he said while taking a sip of the delicious cappuccino Alfred had made.
I looked puzzled at him. "You called my work?"
He nodded.
"Telling them what?"
"That you're ok and that you'll call them when you're fully recovered."
Oh god... I could already hear the office gossip after that one.
"Sorry I took the liberty to do that..."
"Oh no thank you for doing that."
He walked over to me, standing only an inch away from me.
"I meant everything I said last night." He said, his eyes searching mine for a reaction. "I hope you didn't feel like we were going too fast."
"Can I ask you a few questions though?"
His face hardened like he was afraid of something. He nodded carefully, his lips pressed together tightly.
Where to start? I had so many questions.
"Did you sleep with anyone else?"
Granted I already knew the answer to that. I just wanted to see if he was finally telling me the truth.
"No."
"Including Helena?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "I didn't sleep with her. What you saw was the extend of it."
"So why go through such an elaborate scheme?"
"I needed you to hate me because I knew I wouldn't be able to stay away from you."
"Remind me again why you think you're bad for me?"
"I am. Trust me."
"So tomorrow you could change your mind again, pushing me away again."
"No." His eyes focusing in on me. "I'm done with that. I'm not going anywhere."
I swallowed hard at that statement, nervously biting my lips together again.
"Why exactly are you bad for me?"
"I just am."
"See, this doesn't make me trust you."
He sighed. "I'm...broken. In many ways. My life is complicated. It's not fair to bring you into that."
"Not fair… but this time you're sure you want to do it?" I asked still confused.
"I always wanted you in my life."
This wasn't getting any less confusing. Especially since I was inches away from his face and his Adonis-like body, which was covered in scars though. Without thinking about it my hand trailed one large scar on his abdomen.
"All your scars... They're from your adrenaline sports?"
His face became stoic again. He was taking in a sharp breath.
"Yes."
"So that part is correct?"
He nodded although something seemed off.
I slowly stood up from the bar chair.
"What else is real about you?"
His eyes snapped out of the cloud of thoughts he was in.
"This is," he said while grabbing me towards him, his arms so tightly locked around me I had no chance of escaping. Not that I wanted to.
His lips burning on mine again with the same fervor as last night.
His hand entangled in my hair pushing my face closer to his.
With one quick movement he lifted me up on the kitchen table. I pushed away, seeing where this is going.
"Where is Alfred?" I asked my eyes checking the area.
"Long gone." He said while his hand wandered under my panties.
I took a deep breath and his lips were trailing kissing on my neck again.
This might be the world's best way to avoid further questions from me.
As his hand moved faster I wrapped my legs around him tighter, finally convulsing. His facial expression that followed was a little too smug for my feeling.
"Pleased with yourself Mr Wayne?" I asked breathlessly.
He laughed. "Quite so Miss Hunter."
He pulled me towards him again while our tongues met. His hands all over my body, which was still wrapped in his shirt.
With one quick movement he pushed himself into me.
I gasped for air. His arm around me, supporting my back. All of a sudden he pulled me off the table and carried me to the couch. The way he carried me seemed effortless. Like I was a fly. Why was he so strong? Another question I had to ask him later.
He lowered himself onto me, continuing where we had left off. I started moving faster underneath him, feeling close to the edge. With one hand he grabbed my hip and forced me to slow down. And now his movements were slowing down as well. Painfully slow... He grinned at me.
"Anything not up to your satisfaction Miss Hunter?" He asked with a wide grin on his face.
I tried to flip him over but I had no chance.
"Oh, you would like to be on top? Well you should have said so."
He rolled over. Finally! My body was begging for relief. As I started to move faster his hands were on my hip bones, slowing me down again.
"You've got to be kidding me." I sighed in frustration.
"Just say the word Miss Hunter."
He wanted me to beg? I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.
"I'm perfectly fine." I lied.
"Are you?" He asked laughingly.
"Yes."
He continued to move my hip in slow movements. I took off his shirt.
"Getting too hot?" He smirked at me.
"No. Just getting more comfortable."
I felt sweat on my back. At least I wasn't alone. His body was covered in sweat.
He lifted himself up and started caressing my breasts with his tongue while still in control of my hip. That was it.
"Fine!" I sighed in frustration. "You want to hear me say it?"
He looked up at me in full victory.
"Bruce please..." Before I could finish the sentence he grabbed me and kissed me and rolled on top of me again. This time he wasn't holding back. His movements fast and forceful. Finally. As I went over the edge I held on to his biceps that felt even stronger than they looked.
He followed me over the edge exhaling a deep growl, which sounded familiar but I couldn't place where I had heard it before.
His body shattered over mine. For a second I felt like I was being suffocated. He pushed himself up and kissed me again before rolling off of me.
"I have another question."
"Go on." He sighed.
"What do you put in your hair?" I asked while running my hand through his hair which always looked like he had just combed it.
He laughed, clearly not expecting that question. "Some Italian hair gel. My hairdresser picked it out."
A deep, agonizing scream woke me up in the middle of the night. My eyes tried frantically to adjust to the darkness, figuring out what was going on.
Bruce was sitting rigid next to me in bed. I turned on the light, sitting up myself.
"What's going on?" I asked disoriented.
He was bathed in sweat, his hands holding on tightly to the sheets, his muscles tense. His chest was moving up and down heavily. He was shaking like a leave.
"Bruce?" I asked quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry." He said out of breath. "I didn't mean to wake you."
"It was just a bad dream." I said, bringing his pain ridden eyes to face me.
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
He shook his head. "It's fine. You should go back to sleep." He said as he got up.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm just getting some water. Don't worry." He said as he leaned over to kiss me.
I was laying back down but I was wide awake. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something he was hiding from me. I waited for ten minutes before I put on his shirt and went downstairs.
The kitchen light was on and an empty glass was sitting on the counter, but Bruce was nowhere to be seen. I walked a little further and finally saw him on the floor doing crunches. His movements were fast and angry. I stood there in silence for 45 crunches, wondering how many he was able to do.
"You ok?" I finally asked.
He stopped, looked at me, nodded and then continued. "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
He stopped and got up. "I'm just trying to shake off the nightmare." He said breathlessly. "I don't mean to keep you awake."
"What was it about?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? Is that why we are here at 3 a.m.? Because nothing happened in your dream?"
He sighed, lowering his head. "I sometimes get them. It's..." He ran a hand over his lips and chin. "It's you in the hands of the Joker. That image is burnt into my brain." He shook his head. "I felt so helpless when I saw you on TV... I was so afraid of losing you."
I hand't expected that.
I walked back in the kitchen and looked in the fridge.
"What are you doing?" He asked me.
"Looking for ingredients."
"Ingredients?"
"When I had nightmares as a kid and couldn't fall back asleep, my mom would sometimes make me pancakes in the middle of the night."
"You're making pancakes?" He asked in disbelief.
"Yes." I said as I assembled eggs, milk and flower. "Well, they're actually more like crepes."
He continued to look at me in confusion.
"Take a seat Mr Wayne." I said as I started to crack an egg into a bowl.
He grinned at me.
"Has Alfred never made you pancakes in the middle of the night?"
"Not in the middle of the night, no."
"That's when they're the tastiest."
He laughed.
"Speaking of Alfred, we need to find him a Mrs Pennyworth."
"I'm sure he would be thrilled at that idea." He said sarcastically. "I've tried for years. He is more interested in setting me up with someone than anything else."
I put a thin crepe on his plate and covered it in cinnamon and sugar before I handed it to him.
"Thanks." He said grabbing the plate from me. "Wow, they're better than the ones I had in Paris." He said after having the first bite.
"Liar."
"I'm not."
"How many languages do you speak. According to Forbes you're fluent in at least four."
"Is that right?"
I nodded.
"Well, I don't know how fluent I am in any of them anymore."
"Which four languages?"
"Mandarin, Russian, Spanish and French."
"Wow... Way to make me feel like an under-achiever."
"It was during my travels. Just started to pick them up as I went along." He shrugged, taking another bite.
"So four languages then?"
"Mainly yes."
"Mainly?"
"Well, I could probably hold a simple conversation in a few more."
"Which would be?"
"German, Italian, Arabic and Korean."
"Who are you? Are you an undercover CIA agent?"
His expression hardened for a second.
"Why those languages?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Just happened that way."
"Well, I took Spanish and German in High School and all I can remember is how to say that I don't speak either."
He chuckled.
"I officially hate you now." I said putting the dishes in the sink.
Suddenly he pulled me towards him with full force, kissing me passionately.
"Thanks for the crepe." He said, holding my face still in his hands.
His eyes were warm and golden again, his expression soft.
"See, isn't a crepe so much better against nightmares than doing crunches?" I asked.
He laughed. "It is."
He kissed me again before wrapping me in his embrace, holding me tightly.
The truth was I had more than just nightmares about the Joker. I was more anxious than I had been before the incident. It was no surprise - I had been kidnapped. But I hated feeling vulnerable and scared.
"Alright, I better get back to bed. Have to get up bright and early for work." I said.
"You're going into work tomorrow?" He looked at me like I was insane.
"Yes… I feel like I need to stand up against…" the Joker's face flickered in front of my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried to get rid of that frightening image. When I opened my eyes again Bruce looked at me concerned. "I don't want to be intimidated by him. He cannot win with his tactics."
He nodded, understanding where I was coming from.
A week went by and I was slowly getting used to the constant Wayne talks at work. The first day back had been ridiculous. After Bruce had called the station on my behalf rumors spread like wildfire. Rumors that - in this case - were true.
"So you made out with Bruce Wayne?"
"Out of all the women in Gotham, I have to say Cat, didn't see that coming."
"Are we invited to the wedding?"
"So, you guys were dating all along?"
It was just a non-stop bombardment of innuendos and jokes at my expense. But I was getting used to them.
What I was still getting used to was Bruce's affection. Something felt different this time around. He wasn't holding back in his affection anymore.
I wanted to keep us "dating" - or whatever we were doing - on the downside for now.
Bruce seemed less concerned with that.
"Want to be my date for the Roseball?" His text read.
Great... That was only one of Gotham's biggest social events of the year. Something still felt not quite right with Bruce... As if he didn't tell me the truth. But I couldn't put my finger on what it was exactly.
"Roseball? You know what that means when we are seen together there." I responded.
"Fully aware."
I sighed, not sure how to respond.
"It will come out sooner or later. If we decide to go public it seems more legit." His text read. He had a point. If photos of us leaked again, it screamed affair rather than... Rather than what really? The media would call me his girlfriend.
"Ok." I responded.
"Wonderful. I have the dress delivered to your place."
"The dress?"
"I took the liberty to pick something out for you."
"You better don't make me look like a prom queen."
"A little more trust in my taste Miss Hunter."
This was going to be ridiculous.
I knew I had to talk to Peter about the situation.
As I walked into his office, he had his eyebrows raised at me.
"I would be very mad at you hadn't you just survived another attack by the Joker. You lied to me about Wayne."
"That's not exactly true. things between us were complicated and I knew if I told you any of that, you would see that as story gold rather than my private life."
"Well, we have to be really open about it now. Kick the critics in the nuts before they can even start talking."
That was one way of putting it.
"Ok what did you have in mind?" I asked somewhat afraid about what his answer was going to be.
"We're gonna have Bill at the Roseball live, get the first shot of you."
I felt the color drain from my face. I was used to being in the spotlight but not this way.
"And then..." He wasn't done yet. "We tease forward saying that we're gonna have the exclusive interview with the two of you."
"What?" I yelped in panic. "Peter, we've been...dating for a week! I'm not even comfortable calling him my boyfriend yet and you want us to do a national interview on our relationship?"
"Cat, I hate to break it to you but you're "dating" the most eligible bachelor in Gotham... Whether you want it or not your face will dominate the news for the next few weeks. All you can do is decide whether you want to to help direct the coverage about it. If you don't say anything, the headlines will be "Secret affair" "Did Bruce get her pregnant already"'
"Pregnant?" I asked in shock.
"The headlines will come... And if they have to photoshop a tiny belly onto you. You know how this works."
I felt nauseous.
"Think it over. I, as your boss, am strongly advising you to do this because it would benefit us as a news organization and benefit you. Why do you think Wayne wants to bring you there? He knows this business too."
I sighed.
"Miss Hunter?" Lorelei from the reception was holding a giant box in her hand. "You have a delivery... From Versace Couture."
"Of course she does." Peter smiled proudly at himself.
And so it began.
I opened the box that was filled with dark purple tissue paper. In it it had a hand written card from Bruce.
"Hair and make up will be there soon. Can't wait to see you."
Hair and makeup? I removed the mountains of tissues. This was so over the top! It was a piece of art rather than a dress. A white, sparkling gown that was extremely structured. I lifted it out of the box. Now I realized that the office was staring at me .
"Nothing to see here." I said, putting the dress back in the box.
"You said Versace Couture, right?" Lizzy asked while typing.
"Why?"
"So I can say what you're wearing."
I rolled my eyes.
"Miss Hunter?"
"Yes?"
Lorelei pointed at two people. Let me guess, hair and make-up is here.
After an hour I was ready and with the help of my stylist, got into the dress. It looked incredible and fit me like a glove.
"Ready when you are, Miss Hunter." His text read.
I had never been this nervous. Everything about this seemed too cliche. Cinderella like. I didn't even like Cinderella.
I stepped into the elevator which felt awkward in this dress.
Slowly I walked towards the exit.
"Looking beautiful Miss Catherine," the security guard said while I was walking on the dark marble floor.
Through the massive glass doors I could see Bruce, leaning against the black Bentley.
My heart was about to jump out of my chest. He looked even more polished than normal, wearing an impeccably tailored tux.
When he saw me, his look changed. He looked more relaxed. More like himself - although I still wasn't sure which one the true Bruce Wayne was.
When the automatic doors swung open he stood up straight, not taking his eyes off me.
He started walking towards me, his eyes piercing through me.
"You look stunning." He said while his eyes were scanning my body.
He grabbed me and kissed me passionately. I felt like the breath had been knocked out of me. He let go off me slowly.
"Shall we?" He asked while opening the car door for me.
Once I managed to sit down in the dress, I saw Alfred in the front looking at me through the rear view mirror.
"Good evening Miss Hunter."
"Good evening Alfred."
Bruce sat next to me and smiled while grabbing my hand, placing a soft kiss on it.
"I'm not a big fan of events like this, but they're for a good cause, so what the heck." He said as we darted through Gotham's night.
It was a long line of cars waiting to drop their VIPs off on the red carpet.
As we were slowly creeping towards the red carpet, Bruce took my hand.
"Ready for this?"
"Not really."
"It's gonna be fine."
"Liar." I smirked at him. He laughed.
I saw the red carpet right next to me, lined with photographers.
"I'll get your door." He said.
I nodded.
"Don't forget to fake smile." He said while placing a brief kiss on my lips before exiting the car.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My eyes met Alfred's reassuring look in the rear view mirror.
"That's Bruce Wayne!" I heard one photographer yell. And suddenly it looked like lightening with all the photographers.
The door opened and Bruce held his hand out to assist me. I grabbed it, not sure how graceful I would make it out of the car in this dress. I saw Bill in the crowd and it made me so uncomfortable to be on the other side of this spectacle.
"Smile." Bruce said while placing a kiss on my cheek. I put on a fake smile as he grabbed my hand. I heard my name in the crowd and suddenly the lightening only increased. This was a terrible idea.
"Who are you wearing Catherine?" I heard someone yell.
"Versace Couture." I responded.
"How about you Mr Wayne?"
"Armani. Stick with what you know." He said almost in a different, fake voice. He seemed like his playboy-self for a second but then he turned to me and smiled at me.
"Loving this or what?" He asked with a chuckle in his voice.
I laughed. "Yeah it's awesome..."
"Can we get Cat just by herself?" One photographer asked.
"Certainly." Bruce responded by letting go off me.
I should have practiced a freaking pose! Photographers were yelling instructions at me and I felt Bruce's eyes studying me closely. After a few seconds which felt like forever, Bruce moved towards me, grabbing my hand.
"Gotta steal her again," he said to the photographers and directed me towards the entrance of the building, while smiling at the cameras.
"Well done. You looked incredible. Stole the show tonight."
"Why do I have the feeling that was part of your plan?"
He smiled gleefully. "Guilty as charged."
"Why?"
"Trying to give them something to talk about. A distraction."
"Seems like you're good at distractions."
His expression changed and got a little more clouded. I had such a hard time reading him.
He introduced me to a few socialites but I could tell that this was not his scene.
"Could I get this song, Miss Hunter?" He asked while holding his hand out.
I laughed. "Why certainly. Is this the 19th century?"
He smiled.
"I mean…you already have butler…"
He laughed.
"Ok… I have bad news." I said.
"Oh?"
"My boss said he wants us…" I cleared my throat. "He wants us…to do…"
"You're making me nervous here."
"He wants us to do an interview…together…" I felt my face burn up in embarrassment.
He pondered that thought for a second. "Alright. That makes sense."
"Sense? In what universe does that make sense?"
"For someone who works in television you don't understand the beast very well. You have to feed the beast otherwise it will feed itself. You better control what it eats and that it doesn't take a bite out of you."
I sighed. He was right.
"What are we even going to say?"
"Nothing we haven't already said without words tonight. We're now officially in a relationship."
I nodded wrapping my brain around that thought.
"If that's ok with you…" he continued.
"Yes. Yes, of course that's ok. It's just…I'm not used to have my private life laid out like this."
"Well, then like in this dance, let me take the lead because I have. I grew up with it."
"Oh god! Does that mean I'm gonna get all weird and ask people out through staged national interviews?"
He laughed. "Well, hopefully you don't have to ask anyone out anymore." His eyes focused in on me.
What does that mean now?
The evening was coming to an end and we went back to his penthouse.
When we walked in Alfred turned on the news.
"Bruce Wayne, most-eligible bachelor no more. Good evening I'm Peter Miller. Gotham's most eligible bachelor is off the market. He was seen tonight arm in arm with TV journalist Catherine Hunter."
Oh no! It had already begun.
"The two shared intimate looks…"
"Alfred, could you change the channel please." Bruce asked the old butler.
"Certainly sir."
He switched the channel but it wasn't getting any better.
"Oh my god I mean when I saw them together on the red carpet I was like - what the hell happened there?" The entertainment news person asked in the round of entertainment experts.
"Maybe just turn it off." Bruce said.
"Absolutely." Alfred responded. "Something to drink before I leave for the night?"
They both looked at me while I was still staring at the black screen.
"Cat?" Bruce looked at me.
"Sorry… I'm fine."
Bruce walked towards me. "Hey," he took my face in his hands. "It's gonna be fine. Let them talk for a few days. This will blow over sooner than you know."
I nodded. He leaned in and kissed me gently, his hot lips on mine.
"Sorry I'm dragging you into this."
"Into what?" I asked.
"This publicity."
"That is not your fault. It's not that big of a deal. It's…yeah I'm just not used to it."
"Good night sir." Alfred said as he left.
"Good night Alfred." Bruce responded.
"Listen," he said while putting his hands in his pocket. "I don't ever want to make you feel uncomfortable. If you feel this is going too fast, you have the foot on the gas. You're in control. If you want me to back off for a while, I will."
"That's not it." I shook my head.
"What is it then?" His forehead filled with confused wrinkles.
"I don't know how to say this?"
His eyes were piercing through me like laser beams.
"I feel I don't really know you. This sound ridiculous but it's almost like you're hiding something from me. And you're probably not. But I can't seem to shake that feeling...like something is off... I can't put my finger on it."
His eyes were filled with sadness.
"I'm sorry I'm not making any sense... I don't make much sense to myself."
"So what does that mean?" He asked in a serious voice.
"I don't know what it means. I never felt this way before. When we together...it feels right. But I cannot get rid off that voice nagging in my head. I don't know how to make it stop."
"Do you trust me?"
"Trust you? Of course!"
"A hundred percent? There's no doubt in your mind?"
"Of course there is."
He looked hurt by that statement.
"But not more than with anyone else that you're getting to know. Trust isn't build over night."
"I can respect that." He nodded in thought.
"Do you trust me a hundred percent?" I asked.
His gaze shot up at me. "Yes. I don't know why, ever since I first saw you I felt like you saw me for who I truly am. I feel like I can open up to you. It's not rational of course because we haven't known each other for that long. But love isn't rational."
Love?
I walked up to him and kissed him. He was noticeably surprised but he welcomed my lips with his, parting them with his tongue. One hand in my hair, the other on my back, pulling me closer to him.
He broke the kiss and pulled me into a tight embrace, whispering in my ear: "I don't deserve you."
I pushed him away a little to see his face. "Would you stop with that already?"
He looked defeated but didn't answer.
"What is it with your weird self perception?"
"My life is...complicated. Maybe more difficult than is fair to you."
"Luckily..." I placed my hands on his chest, trailing his muscles. "...you don't have to worry about what's best for me. I'm already doing that and right now Mr Wayne, I choose to be here with you."
"Then I'm one lucky bastard."
He pulled me closer towards him and kissed me passionately, this time he wasn't holding back. He grabbed me and carried me towards his bed. I looked closely at his face, his eyes were always filled with so much thoughts - thoughts that I wanted to hear.
He looked at me like he wanted to share every thought with me. Maybe that's what he meant when he said he felt I saw the real him?
I woke up to early sun rays hitting my face, Bruce was fast asleep next to me. I got up and slipped on his shirt, staring out the window. Gotham looked beautiful from here. From high up, you couldn't see its darkness and hatred. You could just see its beauty and hope.
Bruce wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me towards him.
"Good morning gorgeous." He said while kissing my neck.
I placed my hands on his and leaned back against his strong chest.
He took in a deep breath, catching the scent of my hair.
His arms wrapped around me like a safety blanket, shielding me from any harm that might come to me.
"How are you so strong?" I asked.
He laughed. "I work out."
"No, but you're not normal human being strong. You're crazy strong."
I could feel him tense up a little bit but he continued as if nothing happened.
"Well thank you! I take that as a compliment."
"So just…lifting weights?"
"Lifting weights, eating right, martial arts…"
"Why are you doing all that?"
"Just for fun."
"Hmm."
"That answer didn't seem to satisfy you Miss Hunter."
"No it's just… I really never met anyone who is this strong. It's just…weird I guess."
"Weird?" He raised his eyebrows at me, smiling.
"Not in a bad way. Just new to me."
"There are a lot of things that are new to me about you." He said while trailing my neck with hot kisses.
"Like what?" I asked quietly while getting lost in his affection.
"You're incredibly smart, inquisitive and hotter than hell."
I laughed. "Hotter than hell?"
He smiled at me. "You need me to proof that?"
He grabbed me towards him, his hand on my waist, kissing me passionately. I forgot everything around me until I heard a phone ringing. He begrudgingly let go off me. "Back to reality." He said while handing me my phone. I looked into his eyes and it seemed so familiar but at the same time, there was so much that I didn't know about him and so much that didn't seem quite right.
He was getting dressed when I got off the phone with Peter, who wanted to know how I was feeling - partially for my well-being the other part for future stories.
"Could you drive me home so I can get ready for work?" I asked Bruce.
"I just want you to be careful. I can't stand the thought of something happening to you."
His candidness was taking me aback.
"When that freak laid hands on you…" he was fighting back anger and his hands were balled into fists.
"I'm going to be more careful." I interrupted.
"You're on his list now. Especially after Batman rescued you. He wants the Batman and that means now he sees you as a weak link to get to him."
His eyes looked desperate and helpless.
"Batman has so many citizens to worry about… I'm sure the Joker knows I'm not important to the Batman."
"You're wrong." He said while focusing in on my eyes.
I looked at him puzzled.
"Batman cares about every citizen in Gotham. But you're a symbol. You're a journalist, closing in on the Joker. If he can take you down…than he can take anyone down. Batman cannot let that happen."
"When did you become the Batman expert? I thought you can't stand the guy?"
"He just won some major points in my book after saving you."
I smiled softly while looking to the ground. "I was so scared, more scared than I've ever been before in my life. I cannot tell you what a relief it was to know Batman was there. When I heard his voice echoing through the darkness, I felt safe." I said while looking up again. His expression was hard but his eyes were like fire, staring at me with dark secrets.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.
"Like what?" He asked while snapping out of it.
"I don't know, sometimes you give me that look… That I can't read."
"Oh I see, you haven't cracked my code yet, have you?." He smiled.
I laughed. "Yeah, yeah… Make fun of me." I said while I gave him a push, which hardly moved him, bringing me back to the fact how strong he was.
"Can you teach me how to fight?" I asked while looking at his steel hard muscles.
"Say what?" He asked in complete surprise.
"You said you're doing martial arts. I need something as a self defense. I know the Joker can fight much better than I will but, at least I have the feeling like I can hold myself. I'm not going down without a fight, you know."
"Please don't ever talk like that. I don't ever want to even think about you being in his hands again." He sighed and looked defeated. "But I guess there is no harm in teaching you a few things about fighting."
I smiled triumphantly. "It's a deal then." I was about to walk to the shower, when he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him again, continuing where we had left of the night before.
They had opened a new high-security section in Arkham just for the Joker. After he had escaped multiple times from every other prison, Gotham's police had looked into other, better alternatives.
They had revamped the old building quickly to accommodate the Joker. The facility was lead by no other than Dr. Baxter. A picture of the young blonde next to her degrees appeared in the article.
"Hopefully that will keep the Joker away for good." I said, reading the latest press release on it.
Bruce didn't respond, his face stoic and angry.
I went by my apartment to get a change of clothes. I insisted to go upstairs alone - after all I had to overcome my fear of my own apartment. Bruce was waiting in the Lamborghini downstairs.
"At some point I have to stay at my place again," I had said.
"I know… For now, I feel safer with you at my place."
I sighed and got out of the car. The truth was so did I, but I cannot be dependent on him like that. I didn't like the feeling to be dependent on anybody. And I didn't like to be scared of something. Right now, I was scared of entering my own apartment. Images of the Joker in my apartment came flashing back. I took a deep breath and opened the door. See - everything is fine. It's my apartment. Nothing scary about it. Stop being paranoid. I kicked the mail on the floor to the side, I didn't want to look at it. Last time I did that, I saw a Joker card in the midst of it.
I closed the door behind me and walked towards my closet, picking up a couple of outfits. I didn't want to go overboard. This was ridiculous enough as it was. We barely started dating and I was practically moving in. Ridiculous! While I was looking for shoes to match my suit, someone was knocking on my door. I froze in fear. Who would be knocking on my door? And why? I felt paralyzed.
"Cat?" The voice sounded familiar. Snap out of it, it's not like the Joker would be knocking on your door silly!
I walked to the door and looked through the peephole. I felt like someone had knocked the air out of my lungs. It was my ex-boyfriend Josh. His dark blonde hair was shorter than when I last saw him. He looked good, but worried.
I opened the door. "Josh!" I said surprised.
"Hi." He said, softly smiling at me, his blue eyes looking at me intently.
He gave me a big hug. "I saw it on the news… I was so worried about you!"
He was still holding on to me tightly.
"I know it was a week ago, I just wanted to give you some room before I come marching in your life. I was in the area. I just had to see you." He said standing inches away from me.
"Are you ok?" He asked, hugging me again.
I was baffled by the events and by seeing him here. Before I could say anything, I saw Bruce stand behind him. Oh God this was getting awkward quickly.
I cleared my throat and Josh got the cue and let go off me. "Josh…meet Bruce…"
"The famous Bruce Wayne. Nice to meet you," he said while shaking Bruce's hand. His voice sounded on edge.
Seeing them next to one another made the contrast between them ever so visible. Bruce in his tailored Armani suit, his hair perfectly combed back with some fancy-schmancy Italian hair gel. And then Josh...his blonde hair messy, wearing dark blue jeans and a black leather jacket.
I had barely looked at Bruce because I felt so uncomfortable, when I finally did, his expression scared me. He was smiling at Josh but his eyes were on fire, like he had laser beams instead of eyes and was about to kill Josh just by looking at him.
"Likewise, Josh…?" Bruce said.
"Skarsgard." Josh filled in the blank.
"What brings you to Gotham?" I asked nervously.
"I am about to start a photo shoot here in a few days. I just wanted to make sure you're well. You look good." He said, his eyes scanning me up and down.
Bruce's eyes were fixed on Josh. His hands were in his pockets, his jawline was tense.
"My friend is holding an exhibition tonight. You'll love it. He's a great photographer. You two should come." He said, only looking at me though.
Before I could say anything, Bruce answered.
"We'll be there." Bruce said smiling while walking towards me, putting an arm around my waist.
I could feel the tension in the air. I wanted to disappear far, far away.
"Great." Josh said in a tense voice. They both looked at each other.
Josh didn't break his gaze for one second. I was waiting for them to challenge each other for a duel. This was getting ridiculous.
"Well, I just came by to check to see how you're doing," he said while looking at me again.
"I guarantee you Mr Skarsgard, she's in excellent hands," Bruce said.
Josh still looked at me but I could see how the comment bothered him. "I'll text you the details." Josh said.
I nodded. "Mr Wayne," he said while he nodded at Bruce.
"Mr Skarsgard."
"Glad to see you're well kiddo," Josh said and left.
I closed the door.
"How long were you two an item for again?" Bruce asked me.
"3 years." I responded in thoughts.
"He seems a bit like a tool."
"Really? It looked like you two were getting along just great." I said sarcastically.
He laughed. "Sorry, I saw a guy walk up to your apartment and I got paranoid."
"Paranoid or jealous."
"A little bit of both but mainly paranoid."
"Apparently we'll all meet again tonight." I said, sighing.
"Sorry, did you not want to go? I assumed you did."
He dropped me off at work and by now I had gotten used to the paparazzi. Well, that was a lie. I hadn't gotten used to them. I just wasn't surprised by them anymore.
I grabbed my handbag and was about to open the car door, dreading the short walk to the building.
His hand grabbed mine. I looked at him and he leaned in to kiss me.
"Have a good day." He smiled.
"You too." I said, placing another quick kiss on his lips before exiting the car.
I saw two paparazzi in the distance snapping shots of me. Granted the more interesting shot was me with Bruce rather than me by myself.
I walked into the newsroom and Alex was giving me my daily briefing of how I had made into the news today.
"Good morning Mrs Wayne." He said smiling in excitement.
I rolled my eyes. He was loving this.
"Top headlines today: How their love overcame all obstacles - an insider tells all. - Is Bruce shopping for engagement rings? - How she forced him to give up dating other women."
I sighed, trying not to pay too much attention to him.
"Isn't this getting old, Alex?" Jacob asked him.
"I could do this all day. Oh and look!" He said scrolling on his iPhone. "There you two are." He held up a picture of Bruce and I kissing in his car.
"What? That just happened? How do they already have that online?"
"The magic of technology. Wow! This is my favorite headline yet: Catherine Hunter too scared to get to work on her own."
"What?" I yelped in protest.
"According to a source close to the couple, Ms Hunter is still terrified after being kidnapped by the Joker. She doesn't want to leave the house without Bruce and makes him drive her everywhere. "This is putting a strain on the relationship, because Bruce likes independent women," the source said." Alex read out lout while chuckling.
"That is such bullshit! It's the opposite way around! He is concerned over me! This is outrageous."
"That's not all!" Alex continued.
"Enough!" Jacob said, getting up. "Don't you have actual work to do?"
"Always such a buzz kill Jacob." He said while returning to his desk.
"You know they just fabricate things out of thin air. There is no source close to you guys that said anything. They just make shit up." Jacob said.
"I know. This is still new to me. I'm trying to avoid reading any of that stuff..."
"Luckily you have Alex who'll read them all for you." He laughed.
"Yay Alex." I laughed. "Thanks."
"Any time. Oh by the way, the director of the new high-security Arkham called back for you. A Dr. Baxter."
"Perfect! Thanks!"
I had planned on doing an in-depth story about the new section of the prison. People were more than skeptical as to how safe it would be. So far, no prison was able to hold the Joker for long.
"I'll take a cab to your place." I texted Bruce after work.
"Why? I can pick you up."
"It's fine. I'll see you there."
The truth was, it bothered me that I was being described as a clingy girlfriend, when that was so far from the truth. Granted, they would write whatever they wanted anyway, no matter how false it was.
I got to his penthouse, spotting one paparazzi in the distance as I walked in. Bruce had given me a second key card to his place, which felt still weird. I swiped it at the elevator which took me straight up to the penthouse. I remembered when I first used this elevator... That fundraiser where I first met him... That night seemed like a lifetime ago. So much had happened since then.
The doors opened and Alfred was standing there to welcome me.
"Good evening Ms Hunter. Master Wayne is running late but he will be here soon."
"Thanks Alfred."
"Can I get you anything Ms Hunter?"
"Just call me Cat."
He smiled. "That is very generous of you, but I am quite comfortable with calling you Ms Hunter."
"Have you ever called Bruce by his first name?" I asked, still trying to figure out the protocol.
"No. When he was young I called him Master Bruce."
I smiled, still wrapping my head around their relationship.
"I guess I get changed." I said. Alfred nodded.
It was a strange feeling walking around in his penthouse like it was my second home. Using his shower. He had cleared some space in his gigantic walk-in closet for me - despite my protest.
After I got of the shower, I was standing in said closet, wrapped in a towel, deciding what to wear for this awkward occasion. My hands ran over the expensive line-up of Armani suits, the row of white shirts and neatly folded sweaters.
I opted for tight, black leather pants, a green blouse and silver pumps. Quickly giving my make-up a touch-up and throwing on some jewelry, I was ready. When I walked back downstairs, Alfred was still by himself in the kitchen.
"Still no word?" I asked.
"He is on his way. A glass of wine or champagne while you're waiting?" He asked.
"Sure, I'll have a glass of whatever is already open."
"They're both new bottles but may I recommend the champagne?"
I nodded.
He poured me a glass of champagne.
"So no Mrs Pennyworth huh?" I asked looking at him.
He blushed and smiled. "No. Taking care of Master Wayne has been my main concern."
"So there was never anyone? Come on Alfred, spill the beans. Who is the one that got away."
He chuckled, clearly not used to being asked about his private life. "Well, there was Adaline. She was my college sweetheart."
"What happened to Adaline?"
"We dated for many years. We were quite serious, actually. But her parents never approved of me, and back then, the father's approval was quite important."
"Did she leave you?"
"Not at first but I wasn't fighting hard enough for her. I was young, not sure if I was the right one for her. After all, her parents had just told me I wasn't. Who was I to say who could make her happy?"
"Did she marry someone else?"
"Yes, she married a successful scholar. He is teaching at Oxford University now."
I saw sadness wash over the old butler's face.
"I'm sorry Alfred."
"Oh don't be, Miss Hunter. That is a long time ago."
"Is that why you were trying to patch things up between me and Bruce?"
"Yes, I didn't want Master Wayne to throw away the love of his life like I had."
Love of his life? Me? That was surely an exaggeration.
"Well, but there are plenty of wonderful women out there. We need to get you out again."
He looked horrified at me.
"Oh no. I couldn't possibly."
"What are you talking about? Of course you can."
"My life is looking after Master Wayne, and I'm quite happy with that."
"We both know, Bruce can be quite a piece of work. You're a saint for putting up with him over all these years. I can't imagine him as a teenager."
Alfred laughed. "Oh you don't want to. Trust me."
"What was he like?"
"Quite rambunctious, let me tell you. In his own right. He wasn't a partier or anything like that. In fact, I carry this with me at all times." He pulled an old picture from the pocket of his jacket.
It showed Bruce, probably 18 years old, standing next to Alfred. Bruce looked angrily at the camera, his hair was a lighter shade of brown than it was now. He looked almost like he had freckles. I was cracking up looking at the picture. You could totally tell his temper from the picture.
Alfred laughed as well. "This always makes me laugh. He hated getting his picture taken, in fact he still does. That was his first year back from Yale and he was just furious at the world. He had quite the temper."
"He looks so nerdy." I was still laughing.
In that moment the elevator doors opened. Bruce walked in.
"What are you two laughing about?" He asked walking towards me.
"Nothing." I said, quickly handing the picture back to Alfred.
"Oh for God's sake, you still have that picture?" He asked Alfred.
"Always." Alfred responded, smiling at him.
"I'm glad I was able to give you two a good chuckle."
"Oh you have." I said still laughing.
He looked at us frustrated.
"Sorry." I said getting up and kissing him. "I'll stop." I said still chuckling.
"Well, I better get changed real quick."
I nodded seriously, holding back laughter.
When he had reached the stairs I looked at Alfred.
"Saw that serious expression. He still has it." He said, mimicking Bruce's expression perfectly.
I started laughing again.
"I can still hear you." Bruce said from upstairs.
"Laughing about something else." I responded.
15 minutes later, Bruce returned in his casual attire. He was wearing jeans and a dark, collared shirt, the first buttons undone. His casual attire probably cost more than my entire closet.
"Sorry I made you wait." He said, closing the buttons of the shirt around his wrists.
"No problem. Look, we can just make a guest appearance. We get there, say hi and we're out of there."
"I'm fine either way."
Well, define 'fine'. He was extremely protective of me.
"You look great by the way." He said, scanning me up and down.
"Thanks."
"I like you in pants." He said, smirking at me while pulling me towards him and kissing me.
"Ready to do this?" He asked when releasing me.
No...But what was my option? "Yes." I lied.
"Oh, by the way. Just be ready for paparazzi."
I nodded.
"And don't let them mess with your head."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I know the garbage they wrote about you needing me to drive you to work freaked you out. Don't let it. Whatever you do, they'll spin it in whatever direction they want."
I nodded. "I'll try."
Alfred dropped us off at the art gallery. I felt nervous for a multitude of reasons.
One - Josh and Bruce in one room was already making me anxious.
Two - this was the first public outing we've had since the Roseball. And that had been a big spectacle. This was supposed to be a normal evening out in town, but I had a feeling with Bruce, nothing would be 'normal' anymore.
My suspicion was confirmed when we walked in and I could hear whispers and felt people staring at us.
"Relax." Bruce whispered in my ear, smiling and kissing me softly on the cheek. "Pretend they're looking at someone behind you."
I took a deep breath, trying to shake the feeling off.
"So, you're into photography?" He asked.
"Yes." I said, trying to focus on why we were here in the first place. "When I was younger I did quite a bit actually."
"Why did you stop?"
"I don't know. I need to have time to get my creativity flowing and I just never have time anymore."
"I'd love to see some of your work."
"Ha. Work might be a little exaggerated, but sure, I can show you some of my pictures."
"You made it." Josh said in excitement walking up to us. There was still something about him that made my heart skip a beat. For a long time, i thought he was the one.
He was almost the polar opposite of Bruce. He wasn't as sure of himself as Bruce was, he hated big social events and was more of an introvert. He was also sensitive and artistic and there was something about him that made you want to know more about who he was. He was the perfect example of 'still waters running deep'.
He stood in front of us, his hands in his pockets, looking at me. I felt Bruce holding me closer immediately.
"Very impressive work of your friend." I said. "Especially that one of the girl standing in a cornfield by herself." I pointed at the picture.
He smiled at me. "That's mine actually. Glad you like it."
Suddenly Bruce's phone was ringing. "I gotta take that." He said, kissing me quickly before walking away, answering the phone call.
"So..." Josh said, breaking the awkward silence between us. "How long have you guys been dating?"
"Well...it's a complicated story. Officially now for 2 weeks."
He nodded, looking intently at me. I nervously took a sip of the champagne.
"I made a mistake Cat. I should never have left you."
I started coughing up the bubbly before regaining control.
"I know you're with Wayne now... I shouldn't say any of this but...I am still in love with you and I can't get you out of my head. Back then, I thought it was the right thing for us to split... But I was just a coward, afraid of my own feelings."
I just stared at him in shock, unable to say anything. There was a time when that was the only thing I was hoping for hear him say. But that time had passed. I was head over heels in love with Bruce now.
"When I saw you in the hands of the Joker..." he shook his head. "I realized that I don't want to be without you."
I continued to stare at him in complete surprise.
"Sorry about that." Bruce said, putting his arm around my waist again.
I forced a smile. This situation was on my top most uncomfortable list.
Bruce was as tense as he was last time he saw Josh. He smiled at him, but his eyes were like daggers.
"Well we don't want to keep you. I'm sure you have a bunch of people to greet." I said breaking the awkward silence.
"So glad you could make it." Josh said, pulling me into a way-to-tight embrace. He let go off me again, his hands on my arms, his face inches away from mine. I held my breath in complete discomfort. "I'm so glad nothing happened to you." He finally stepped back again, now shaking Bruce's hand. "Good to see you again. Take good care of her."
"Don't worry." Bruce simply replied, his jawline hard.
I felt my body relax as he disappeared into the crowd.
"Sorry about all of this." I said to Bruce whose eyes were still angrily fixed on Josh.
"Nothing to be sorry for." He replied, still tense. "I just don't trust the guy."
"With good reason." I said under my breath.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Sorry if I seem jealous..." He said, pressing his lips into a thin line.
"You don't at all. I was waiting for you to say something to him. I'm impressed."
He smiled. "Don't be too impressed. I was fighting the urge to knock him out the whole time."
I knew he wasn't kidding.
"Let's get out of here." I said.
"Sure, let me call Alfred."
"Ok, I'm going to use the ladies real quick."
He nodded as he pulled out his phone.
I walked through the group of people, many of them staring at me. I had no problem with being well-known or even famous, but I knew most of them knew me not from my work but because I dated Bruce Wayne.
I reached the long line at the restroom. I leaned against the brick wall in the hallway, patiently awaiting my turn.
That's when the men's door swung open and Josh walked out.
Damn it.
"You're still here." He said surprised. "I thought you guys had left."
"We are about to."
He nodded. "Listen, sorry if I was too direct earlier. I just really needed to get that off my chest."
"I'm glad you did." I replied, keeping my answers short, hoping he'd leave soon.
Instead he stood there, inches away from me, his eyes burning through mine.
Should I say something? Do I need to make it clear that I don't want him anymore? I didn't want to hurt his feelings but maybe I had to spell it out.
I was formulating a plan of action in my head but before I could say anything, he pulled me towards him, his lips covering mine. My body completely froze in shock.
What in the world was he doing?
Before I got the chance to push him away, he got yanked away from me. It was Bruce. He looked more angry than I had ever seen him. He was breathing heavy, his teeth clenched.
And before I could stop him, his fist met Josh's face with full force. Josh collapsed to the floor, bleeding from his nose. He slowly was getting up holding his hands up in defense.
"Sorry. I'm sorry." He said. "That was my bad."
I looked at Bruce whose eyes were still livid. "That's what you're going to say? 'That was my bad?'" Bruce asked him, walking up to him.
I sensed disaster, grabbing Bruce's arm. "Let's just go." I said.
His bicep was flexed and his eyes still fixed on Josh.
Just now I realized that everyone was watching. Oh God... I could already see the media circus that would follow.
But that would have to be damage control, now I needed to deescalate the situation and by the looks of Bruce, it was still a situation.
"I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking." Josh said, wiping the blood off his nose.
"Maybe try explaining." Bruce said through his teeth.
"I don't know what to tell you man. I still love her."
I felt Bruce tense up even more after that revelation.
"There. I said it." Josh continued. "I saw her standing there and it wasn't anything I planned, it just happened. I'm sorry."
"Ok let's go." I said to Bruce but he wasn't even listening to me. It was like he was in his own world, testosterone and adrenaline clouding his judgement.
I was worried about Bruce really hurting Josh. I know he could. Josh certainly could hold his own. He was strong, athletic guy. But he wasn't training martial arts and more so - he didn't have the same anger that I saw in Bruce's eyes every once in a while. That flicker of darkness - I could see it in his eyes right now.
"Bruce please." I whispered, not sure if he even heard what I was saying right now.
"Word of advice, pal." He said standing dangerously close to Josh. "Stay the hell away from me."
With that he grabbed my hand and we walked out of the gallery. His hand was holding on tightly to mine, his face was stoic.
Alfred opened the car door for us and Bruce let me in first. I slit across the leather seats, nervously awaiting his reaction. The door closed. Bruce was sitting next to me his hands gripping onto his knees. I could tell he was furious.
"I am so sorry." I said.
"What are you sorry for?" He asked me confused.
"I should have stopped him earlier... I mean the kiss."
I saw Bruce flinch at the mention of it. "I was there. I don't blame you."
"I'm still sorry for bringing you into this mess. I should have said something earlier. He told me he had feelings for me... I should have said something."
"I knew already he had feelings for you."
"How?"
"It's really not that hard to spot. You seem to be oblivious to your effect on men. His body language, the way he looked at you."
I felt stupid for not seeing it earlier. I had never been good at knowing when a guy liked me.
"Sorry about that."
"Would you stop apologizing. If anything I need to apologize."
"For what? Josh completely stepped over the line."
He shook his head and sighed. "I don't like losing control over myself that way."
I looked at his hands, suddenly realizing that one of them was swollen and purple.
"Oh my God. Are you ok?"
He looked at me confused.
"Your hand."
He looked at it absentmindedly, as if he forgot he had a hand. "It's nothing. Doesn't even hurt."
We walked back into the penthouse when my phone was blowing up with messages.
Bruce snatched it from my hands instantly.
"Before you read all that, let me remind you that the press is writing whatever they want. Don't take it personally."
I had forgotten about the fact that our spectacle could make it into the gossip magazines.
He handed me back my phone, kissing me softly before walking in the kitchen.
I took a deep breath and opened my messages.
We were a trending topic on twitter! In horror I scrolled through the messages.
Billionaire beats up rival
(Gotham) It was a night out on town that ended in a fist fight. Bruce Wayne and current girlfriend, TV journalist Catherine Hunter, were spotted at a gallery event in downtown.
Playboy Wayne must have lost his game, Hunter was soon seen making out with photographer and former boyfriend Josh Skarsgaard.
"I walked down the hallway and saw them making out like crazy," said an eye witness. "Bruce Wayne had just stepped out the door for a second. I was like - 'wow, one hot boyfriend not enough for her?'"
It all ended with Wayne beating up Skarsgard until he was bleeding.
"I was worried he might kill him," said a shocked event-goer.
No charges will be filled by Mr Skarsgard. This leaves us with one question - is Ms Hunter cheating on Gotham's prince?
Do kiss and tell Catherine!
As if that all wasn't enough, there were tons of pictures from us. First Bruce and I standing in the gallery hand in hand, smiling at each other.
I scrolled through them and then my heart stopped. There were pictures of Josh kissing me. I felt so embarrassed and upset.
Then there were pictures of Bruce beating up Josh. He was standing angrily over Josh who was bleeding. I knew already how this looked.
"Stop it." Bruce's voice pulled me back to reality.
"I told you not to read it." He said sitting next to me.
"It's just so ridiculous..."
"I know. It always is. I never read them anymore. Waste of time. That's why I put up the fake persona. If everyone hates the fake Bruce Wayne, it doesn't matter. It's harder to do when you're not pretending to be someone else."
I nodded looking at the pictures again. "I'm just still getting used to my private life being on such a public display and then everything getting twisted."
"I know. Remember, this will blow over before you know it. Give it a few days and no one will remember any of this. You just have to power through the next few days. And if I hadn't made a spectacle out of it... Who knows... None of this might have even made it to the gossip magazines."
A darkness swept over him again.
"Let me take care of your hand." I said.
He shook his head. "It's fine."
"That might be so but I'm still going to ice it."
I walked up to the freezer, which of course did not have frozen peas in it. Alfred never used anything but fresh ingredients. Luckily there was an ice-pack in there. I wrapped a towel around it and placed it on his hand. He didn't even flinch.
"I guess you're used to injuries." I said.
His eyes shot up at me as if I had said something offensive.
"I mean, with all your base jumping activities and martial arts."
His expression softened. "Yeah, I have seen my fair share of injuries. This is really nothing, though."
"Relax. I'm just icing it."
He nodded, visibly unnerved by me taking care of him.
"You don't like to be taken care of." I said.
He shrugged, staring at the ice pack on his hand.
"I guess I'm better at taking care of people than being taken care of."
"Why's that?" I asked, sitting down next to him.
"I don't know." He said in thoughts, his eyes meeting mine again. "I guess it has to do with my parents death."
He had never spoken about their death to me before. Of course I knew the whole story, all of Gotham did. There were also plenty of conspiracy theories as to who killed his parents.
"For many years I carried this anger with me. I wasn't able to protect them of course."
"It's understandable that you were angry at that man."
"My anger wasn't just against him. It was against me, for being too scared of that play. I asked my parents to leave the play."
I had never heard that before.
"You can't blame yourself."
"I don't anymore. It took a long time. Then I was angry at my father, for not being able to protect us. If something like that ever happened to me, I wanted to be able to protect me and my family."
"That's why you're doing all the martial arts."
He nodded.
"Are you still angry?" I asked.
"Oh yes. All the time. I learned to accept the anger as part of who I am now. You can't ever erase those scars from you. They stick with you for life. But I don't blame my father or myself anymore."
"You blame the man behind the trigger."
"Yes. I also blame the system that allowed someone like that to roam the streets in the first place. That's why it's so important for me to clean up the streets of Gotham. Now you have this crazy guy in a bat costume flying around. I'm sure his intentions are good, but that's not how you can eliminate crime."
"Do you believe the mop was behind the killing of your parents?"
"No. I know there are many conspiracy theories out there. People even suggest now that it has been the Joker. No, it was a random act. That is a lot more difficult for people to comprehend. Gotham's first family shot to death in a dark ally. It's so random, it feels like it can't be a coincidence. The horror in chance is often a lot bigger. Take this story for example." He grabbed the paper from across the kitchen table and handed it to me. I was well aware of it. A family of four, with two toddlers, were crushed to death by a piece concrete falling from a bridge.
"The piece of concrete hit the truck so perfectly, it killed them all instantly. Yet the motor of the car is still in tact. If the piece had fallen just inches into another direction, they would have been fine. It's so random - I mean what are the chances of that? In a way, something like that makes you feel a lot more helpless than if you knew someone threw that concrete piece on them on purpose. That's when you could do something about it. Put that person behind bars for life. But in this case, an entire family is dead by coincidence. Horrible coincidence, but coincidence nonetheless. That makes you feel a lot more vulnerable and helpless."
"So you wished it had been the mob that killed your parents?"
"In a way. Say there was one mob leader who said he wanted to kill my parents. I would have made sure that person never sees the sunlight again. But it's not that simple. The whole system allowed this to happen. The whole city was rotten to its core."
"I honestly don't understand why you hate Batman so much, then. He did exactly what you wanted. He cleaned up the city."
"At first that's what I thought, too. But then I realized that you need someone from within the system who can make the biggest change. A major, a DA, someone who can clean up the city without wearing a mask. What happens when Batman is gone one day? The system needs to change from within."
I decided to leave it at that. Maybe his dislike for Batman was coming out of a sense of failure? He hadn't been able to change the city the way this random guy with a mask had been.
My phone blinked with a new text message. Without looking at it, I knew it was from Peter.
I'm scheduling the interview with you two for tomorrow.
That's all it said. I knew why.
"Ugh, Peter saw the headlines from tonight." I sighed.
"I'm not surprised." Bruce said.
"Well, you still ok with that nationwide interview? Because Peter thinks it's happening tomorrow." I said frustrated.
Bruce smiled at me. "It's perfect timing for him. We just made headlines. He wants to ride that wave."
"It's horrible timing for us, though."
"Not necessarily. Gives us the chance to set the record straight and more importantly, we can re-direct the coverage again. Give them something else to talk about than that."
"So, who will show up to that tomorrow though?"
"What do you mean?"
"I've never seen the real Bruce Wayne give an interview."
His expression darkened. "I try to keep it that way. Of course this time we're talking about something that is real. That is a first, I agree. But I don't plan on giving them too much about myself."
"Well, I don't know how to do that. I am just me..."
"Good. You don't need to be anyone else. Whoever is doing the interview, I'm sure, is not going to grill you. This is a promotional event for the station. They don't want you to roast up there."
It had been 2 weeks of officially dating Bruce and I could already feel my life changing dramatically.
When I stepped into work that morning, again followed by paparazzi of course, everything felt different.
I wasn't going to be a reporter today - I was being reported on. The way people looked at me at the station had changed. It felt like I wasn't one of them anymore.
"I better be careful what I say." Alex said, gloating as usually. "Don't want your billionaire boyfriend to knock me out."
I just rolled my eyes at him. "Don't worry, he would just take you out with a drone strike."
He laughed but then turned serious. "Wait, he has drones?"
I smiled triumphantly at his concerned expression.
Anne Milligan was scheduled to interview us, as I expected. She was the Oprah of our channel and usually in charge of all high-profile exclusive interviews.
"How are you feeling?" Jacob asked me.
"Good."
He raised his eyebrows at me.
"Ok, fine. I'm pretty overwhelmed with this whole shit storm." I admitted. "The last thing I want to do is give an interview."
"I get that. Milligan is good. I'm sure she is going to make it very painless."
I sighed. "Well, I better get to hair and make-up."
"Good luck."
"Thanks, I'll need it."
I had hoped I could be with Bruce without it changing my entire life. But as I was walking down the hallway towards hair and make-up, I realized there was no such thing. I would never have a normal night out in town anymore, my job environment would forever change and if I wasn't careful, my reputation as a credible journalist I had worked for so hard all my life.
I sat down in the chair as Sarah was starting on my make-up.
"Big day today." Sarah said. After many years at the station, she became to know me pretty well.
I sighed and nodded.
"You don't seem happy."
"I'm not. I'm not used to being the one that is being interviewed. Especially not about my personal life."
"Yeah, that would be weird. I understand that. But on the other hand, I'd do a televised interview any day if I was able to date Bruce Wayne."
I smiled.
"I mean, holy hotness. That man is like pure sex." Sarah said.
I laughed.
"I'm not even going to ask you what the sex is like, because that would just depress me."
I had gotten my fair share of hate emails and tweets from women in Gotham. Mostly saying how I was not nearly good-looking enough to be dating Bruce.
"But in all seriousness, if he is good for you, and by the way you two look at each other he is, then who cares what everyone says. Just do your little spiel for the crowds and enjoy being with him."
That did put everything back into perspective again.
"You're right as always." I said.
"That's what I wanted to hear." She smiled at me, while applying the foundation to my face.
As I was walking towards the interview set, I heard Bruce's voice down the hallway. It was his fake, overly nice yet arrogant sounding voice and it made me immediately tense up. I wasn't doing well next to thee fake Bruce Wayne, simply because I couldn't stand that Bruce.
The last time we were in a similar setting, I interviewed him. I'd much prefer to keep it that way.
He was talking to Milligan, his hands in loosely in his pockets of his dark blue suit. His eyes met mine and suddenly he looked like the Bruce I knew again. He softly smiled at me as I was walking towards them.
"Good to see you Cat." Anne said, hugging me.
I had seen her in the building, but never really had much to do with her. I was beyond nervous.
"Are you both ready?" She asked.
I looked at Bruce who was still smiling at me and he gave a reassuring nod.
"As ready as I'll ever be." I said.
We sat down on a couch facing Anne. Make-up and hair stylists were around her, fixing any possible flaws. Her blonde hair was perfectly blow dried, her skin looked good for her age. She must be around 58 now?
Bruce took my hand. "Take a deep breath." He reminded me.
I nodded. "This is weird. I'm used to interviews. I shouldn't be this nervous."
"Ready in 10." One of the floor directors announced.
"Good evening I'm Anne Milligan. I'm joined today by none other than Bruce Wayne and our own Catherine Hunter. There has been a lot of speculation about you two dating for a long time now. Why didn't you make it official earlier?"
"Well Anne," Bruce took the question, looking relaxed. "I think many people at home can appreciate that dating someone is often not as clear cut. When do you make it official? Now add the amount of public scrutiny to it that we are both under for different reasons, we just felt it was better to wait."
"Catherine you interviewed him a while ago. Were you two dating then?"
"No, we weren't. We had just met at the fundraiser he had thrown."
"So, there wasn't a hidden agenda?" She asked Bruce.
He grinned. "Oh there absolutely was. I saw her at my fundraiser and couldn't get her out of my head. This was my way of being able to spend a little more time with her."
Anne laughed. "Why not simply ask her out?"
I hated this whole situation.
"I've been known to be a bit of a playboy I guess and for good reason. I had never met anyone who really interested me. It's all new to me."
"Did you know this?" Anne asked me.
"No." I cleared my throat. "I assumed this was purely professional."
"When did things switch? Did you have a first date?"
Images of us in that closet at the party flickered up. That was clearly not something we could share with the public.
"It was at the fundraiser party at the Met." He said.
Did he just say that? He can't be serious. I felt my face burn up and I looked at him helplessly.
"We got to talk a little after and that's when it really clicked for me."
Thank God!
"How about for you Catherine?" She turned to me again.
They both looked at me, I've never been so aware of the camera pointed straight at my face.
"It was definitely not love at first sight. I was known around the newsroom to be very critical of Bruce. So imagine my colleagues surprise in all this."
Anne laughed again.
"I don't know if there was a specific moment. The more I got to know him, the more I started to fall for him."
That was a lie. I knew the moment. It was when we first met. Looking at him - something had clicked right then and there. But I didn't need to share that with the world. In fact, I didn't need to share any of it if I had my way.
"There had been many rumors, especially when the horrible attack on City Hall occurred. The pictures that were posted of you two that day sparked rumors all over Gotham."
"Yes."
"Was that all it was? Rumors?"
"I was head over heels in love with her at that point. But I wasn't sure how she felt. So, to a degree they were rumors. We weren't in a relationship."
It was more than strange to hear him say that he had been 'head over heels in love' with me back then - especially when hearing it for the first time on a nationwide televised interview.
"Now that you've made your relationship official, I had hundreds of viewers ask me already when you will get married."
I knew the question would come - so had Bruce who was laughing next to me and looked relaxed - but I still wasn't prepared for it.
"Look, I understand people's fascination with celebrity couples. Imagine your friend is in a relationship for two weeks. I doubt you'd be asking them if they were getting married after two weeks. But I get it. It's the allure of a fairytale."
"Especially since you're the so-called Prince of Gotham."
"Ah…I think I've proven time and time again I'm no royalty."
"Do you think your parents would approve of Catherine as a prospective heir to the Wayne thrown?"
What? What question was that? I could see in his eyes, the question threw him a bit as well, but he handled it like a pro.
"I'm know my parents would have adored her."
"Back to that iconic picture of you in front of City Hall. Tell me what went through your head?"
"Thousands of thoughts rushed through my brain in an instant." I said. "I was terrified. I was angry. I was mad at myself for not finding the Joker's plan out earlier. I was in complete shock staring at what had been City Hall, thinking about all the lives that had been lost."
"You were there when City Hall blew up." She said.
I nodded.
"How relieved were you that Bruce was there that moment?"
I knew what she wanted. She wanted the fairytale. I couldn't give her that because that wasn't my first thought that day. I wasn't thinking about Bruce in that moment. I was thinking about those people in the building.
She looked at me closely, waiting for me to babble on about how he made me feel safer in that moment or something along those lines. But he hadn't because I hadn't been scared in that moment.
I had been terrified - but not for my life. I had been safe.
"I think I was the one who was relieved to see her well." Bruce interjected. His face continued to be that of a man I didn't know. A facade. In this very instance I was glad about that. He was able to tell her whatever she wanted to hear.
"From where I stood, I could see her body being thrown against another building by the impact of the explosion. I was worried sick about her. And then I saw the dust lift and saw her alive. She had this piece of glass stick out of her that she didn't even notice."
Anne's eyes were lighting up. This was interview gold and we all knew it. I wasn't good at this game, nor did I wan to be.
Suddenly the lights went out. Bruce's hand immediately locked tighter around mine.
"My apologies." Anne said. "I don't know what happened." She continued as the emergency generators must have kicked in and we had lights back.
"You two probably are overloading the system with all of Gotham tuned in tonight."
We both smiled but I could feel, Bruce didn't believe this to be a coincidence either.
"Now, where were we?" She asked.
In that moment you could hear a noise over the speakers.
"Good evening Gotham." The shrill and unnerving voice was creeping up the walls like cockroaches.
Bruce took a sharp inhale and I felt his entire body flexed and tensed next to me.
It couldn't be. He was in Arkham.
