Oh my goodness! Has it really been three months since my last update? This summer has been insane. Sorry guys it took so long. After traveling and insanity at work - I'm back. :) Now my updates should be more on a more regular schedule again. Anyway - without further ado - here is my new chapter. Hope you like it!
How long had I been staring at him without an answer? Did he really just ask me if I wanted to marry him?
His eyes were searching mine desperately for an answer, rain drops running down his marble features. His forehead in wrinkles, his lips pressed nervously together.
Speak Catherine!
"Are you…are you sure?" I asked, finally able to form words.
His features relaxed, his lips smiling softly as he took a ring box out of his pocket.
"Absolutely sure." He said as he opened the box and a massive diamond ring sparkled at me. I covered my mouth with my hand in shock. This was really happening. The ring was stunning. A big, close to 8-carat oval diamond was enclosed by a small band of diamonds.
I had no words. For any of it.
I looked at Bruce again who was looking at me nervously.
"Say something." He said, his eyes pleading.
I felt completely overwhelmed. I knew what my answer was going to be but I hadn't expected this at all. Especially because it still felt like he was hiding something from me.
But that was probably more my imagination than anything. Why was I still not saying anything?
His eyes looked more and more concerned.
"Yes." I finally managed to say just above a whisper.
"Say that again, just to make sure I heard you correctly." He said, looking more relaxed.
I smiled at him feeling tears in my eyes. "Yes." I said in a confident voice.
He pulled me towards him again, kissing me again, his tongue searching for mine.
When he slowly let go off me his eyes were piercing through mine. It reminded me of the look he gave me when we first met. He was able to hold me hostage with his eyes. I had no idea how he did it.
"May I?" He asked, taking the ring out of the box and holding a hand out for mine.
I nodded, placing my hand into his.
He smiled at me and I don't think I've ever seen him this happy and relaxed. It seemed like he was free of whatever demons he had.
He placed the ring onto my finger, which fit perfectly. Despite the size of the diamond, the ring didn't overpower my petit hands. The thought of how much he must have spent made me dizzy.
I was going to be his wife. Mrs. Wayne. Catherine Wayne. It was still a completely overwhelming feeling.
The rain had stopped.
"Let's get back home." He said taking my hand and kissing me softly again.
As we were back on the boat, speeding across the ocean. I looked at my hand on the steering wheel, which now featured a massive diamond ring. It was like an inner voice was nagging on me - this is too good to be true.
Butterflies were going crazy in my stomach. I felt like I was buzzing with excitement. The breeze on the boat almost completely dried us off.
When we arrived at the pier, Bruce was holding out a hand to guide me on land. Alfred was waiting for us. He looked beyond happy.
"Congratulations." He said to me first. "It is a pleasure to have you be part of the Wayne family."
"Thank you Alfred."
I sat down in the car and I saw Alfred hold out his hand to Bruce and congratulate him as well. Bruce didn't take his hand and instead hugged the old butler who looked visibly surprised but happy as Bruce was padding his shoulder.
Bruce sat next to me in the car and something felt different about him. He seemed to not hold back anything anymore. As if his guard was finally down.
"By the way, the ring is absolutely beautiful." I said still not used to seeing it on my hand.
"I'm glad you like it. Alfred helped me pick it out."
"Did you?" I asked, looking at the old butler in the mirror.
"I was merely negotiating him down from a 18-carat one."
"What?" I looked at Bruce in confusion. "18-carat? They even make diamonds that big?"
"Yeah." He shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure it's special."
"And I needed to remind him that you still needed to be able to lift your hand." Alfred interjected.
Looking at my hand again, an 18-carat diamond would have looked ridiculous on me.
"Well, I had actually planned on proposing properly tomorrow…" Bruce said.
"What do you mean properly?"
"I had something more elaborate planned but I just couldn't wait anymore."
I was wondering what in the world he had planned.
When we got back to the house, I immediately Skyped Sam on my phone.
"Hey lady. How's it going?" She said when she picked up.
"Good. Where are you now? Paris?"
"Yes, bonjour." She laughed. "What's new. Something happened. You have that giant smirk on you."
I had a terrible poker face. I didn't say anything but just held my hand up to the camera.
"Oh my God! What? When…? How…? I can't even handle this right now!"
"It literally just happened."
"I'm so incredibly happy for you. I'd never thought I'd say that but Bruce Wayne is an incredible guy. I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks."
"Who would have thought? Catherine Hunter the future Mrs. Wayne. Are you going to take his name? When is the wedding? I have literally a thousand questions."
"Um… We don't have a date yet.. It literally just happened. I don't know…I think I would take his name. I had like 30 minutes to think about it so far."
The next call was to my parents. They had wanted to meet Bruce for quite some time and I had been able to hold off on that. I knew that would change now.
Up until now, I wasn't entirely sure what our relationship was. There was this nagging voice in my head that I hadn't been able to escape.
"Well," I said when I got off the phone and walked back inside towards Bruce. "Now you've done it. My parents have already booked their flights to meet you."
He laughed. "I'd love to meet them."
I nodded, biting my lips together nervously. He wasn't able to call his family. Alfred was it. He didn't even have many friends to speak of. Aside from Alfred and Fox.
"How come you don't have many friends?"
He shrugged. "I guess I'm more of a loner."
I wondered if that was because of his parents' death. But I decided to drop the topic at this time.
"Ready to celebrate with some champagne?" He asked holding out a hand towards me.
Just looking at him now felt different. Something had changed. It seemed like the last remainder of the distance between us, the wall he had built around him, was gone.
"Ugh, it's back to reality." I said as our plane touched down in Gotham.
"We can go back as often as you want." He said.
We walked to the car and the cooler, dryer air was an instant reminder of the change in scenery.
The tan on my skin was the last reminder of the trip to paradise. That and the massive diamond ring.
I was nervous that Bruce could snap back into his more distant self. But he was as relaxed as he was on the island.
We arrived at the penthouse.
"It's really time for you to move in now." He said, putting the bag in his hand down.
"Ha. Yeah, I guess so."
"That's kind of what people do who are in engaged. They live together." He said smiling.
I laughed. "Sounds good to me."
"Well, actually, Wayne Manor is finally finished."
Wow - the thought of moving into Wayne Manor seemed a bit overwhelming. It was a staple of Gotham. One to look at from a distance.
His hands in his pockets he raised his eyebrows. "Unless you're not ok with that?" He asked.
"No, no… It's just so surreal still."
In that moment my phone vibrated in my hands. A text from Sam: The ring looks even good in pictures.
Attached was a picture of us walking to the car at the airport and then a zoomed-in picture of my hand, featuring the ring. It was from Gotham Talks.
"Well, looks like it just became very real." I said as I clicked on the link and it took me to the article.
He popped the question! Bruce Wayne returned with Catherine Hunter from their little getaway on his private island and Ms. Hunter was seen sporting a massive engagement ring on their way to Mr. Wayne's penthouse. Sources close to the couple tell us he had the ring specially made for her at his favorite jeweler and experts estimate the 8-carat stunner is worth around $1 million. That is all? Come on Bruce! We surly expected more from Gotham's billionaire.
"That is so ridiculous!" I said as I was reading the post.
"What is? That it's already online or that they're complaining about the size of your ring?"
"You've read it too?"
"No, I just know what they're looking for." He said smiling at me. "If I don't outspend the other celebrity couples, then I'm letting the press down."
"The size is perfect though."
"Stop reading that crap." He said, taking the phone away from me and put it on the the table. He looked into my eyes again, taking my face in his hands, smiling at me. "I'm so happy you walked into my life."
I bit my lips together again, not sure what to say to that.
He kissed me softly, holding me tightly in his arms.
Suddenly we heard Alfred clear his throat.
"This is for you Ms. Hunter." He said handing me a box.
"That got here fast." I said surprised.
"Expecting something?"
"It's from Sam. I figured she was going to send me something. I just wasn't expecting it to be here already."
"What is it?"
"A bridal survival kit." I said as I opened the box with bridal magazines, nail polish, facial masks…you name it.
"I didn't know you needed a survival kit for that." He smirked.
"So how do we do this?" I asked stacking the magazines.
"Getting married? You usually have a minister and friends and family present..." He smiled at me.
"Smart ass - no how do we do the publicity thing?"
"Well, the Met Gala is in a week. That would probably a good event to go to. Gets the press' curiosity out the way."
I sighed and nodded. This part of being part of the Wayne family needed getting used to.
It was my first day back at work. We had breakfast while Bruce was reading over stock prices.
Alfred refilled Bruce's coffee. "May I suggest to add extra time to your commute to work today." The old butler said.
"Why's that?" Bruce asked, studying the numbers.
Alfred didn't respond but turned on the TV to the four outside security cameras. They showed a mob of TV crews and journalists, waiting for us at the front and the back entrance.
"Since when do they know about the back entrance?" I asked confused.
Bruce sighed. "It's really time to move back to Manor. We have much more privacy there. How are the preparations, Alfred?"
"It is almost fully furnished, sir. You can move in next week."
"Perfect. Does that work for you?" He asked, turning to me.
"Sure. I have to call my landlord and get out of the lease."
It was a strange feeling to let my apartment go.
"So...How are we getting to work?" I asked looking at the mass of people outside, waiting for us.
"It's easy, we're taking the helicopter." Bruce said, looking back on the stock prices.
I almost coughed up my coffee. "The helicopter? To work?"
"Yes, WCX8 has a helipad." He said as if it was the most normal thing to do.
"That's insane. I can't fly to work."
"Why not?"
"Because...because it's totally over the top."
"Ok, if you want to walk through the chaos out there..."
I looked at the screen and it reminded me of the morning after Batman had saved me from falling to my certain death. Going through the hordes of journalists was hideous and without the security guard Bruce had hired, I probably wouldn't have gotten out by myself.
I sighed. "Fine."
"Great." He said, smiling at my frustration. "Alfred, make sure the helipad at WCX is available."
"Certainly sir."
20 minutes later, the helicopter had arrived on his helipad outside his penthouse.
"This is ridiculous." I said, remembering when he made his grande entrance during the fundraiser, the night when we first met.
He laughed and took my hand walking with me outside. The helicopter said Wayne Enterprise in big, dark grey letters on an otherwise dark black background.
"Good morning Mr Wayne." The pilot said.
"Good morning Steve." He said.
"And good morning Miss Hunter. Pleasure to take you on a spin today." He said. "Have you been in a helicopter before?"
"Yes, for work."
"Perfect, you're a pro then."
Bruce helped me inside. Sitting next to me, he handed me the headphones. I put them on and fastened my seatbelt.
I heard Bruce chuckle over the microphone in my headphones.
"What?" I asked.
"You're just really excited about this aren't you?"
Was it that obvious?
"No, it's fine."
And with that we were airborne, hovering over the penthouse and gliding across the sky. What a strange way to get to work.
The door on my side was open and I was able to see everything underneath me in detail.
It didn't take long until we landed on WCX8's helipad and I was off to work. My first day back at work and I was dreading it. I knew what was awaiting me at the office.
As I walked into the newsroom, my fears were confirmed. My desk was decorated with cheesy hearts and flowers.
"Congratulations Mrs Wayne." Alex said smiling.
"Thanks." I said, not sure if he actually meant it as I started to make room on my desk.
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the new guy, sitting where Jacob used to sit. It felt like someone stabbed me. It was a harsh reminder that Jacob was really gone. It wasn't a bad dream.
"Hi nice to meet you." I said shaking the hand of the tall man.
"Hi, Chris McDonald. Very nice to meet you. I'm a fan of your work."
"Oh thanks." I responded trying to figure out what it was that annoyed me about him. I knew who he was. This was a small industry. He had a reputation for being career hungry. Granted so was everyone in this room - but he was known for walking over bodies if he had to.
"And congratulations on your engagement." He continued, his smile looked fake, his hair had way too much product in it. I didn't trust him.
"Thanks." I nodded.
"Cat." I heard Peter hell out of his office.
I put my bag down at my desk. "It was nice to meet you." I said to Chris as I walked into Peter's office.
He closed the door behind me, looking nervous, but that was nothing unusual for Peter. He always looked like he was close to a heart attack.
"Good to see you too, Peter" I said sarcastically as I sat down. "I have a story idea…"
"Cat, do you want the bad news first?"
"Bad news?" I was confused. "Let's start with the good news."
"I never said anything about good news."
"Go on then."
"I know you hate the whole publicity thing, but you know that corporate loves it."
"Oh for crying out loud. Is this about me being engaged?"
"You know how this works. For fucks sake you're the future princess of Gotham or whatever you wanna call it."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about. We don't have royalty here. Wayne is the closest thing. By marrying him - you will be royalty as well."
I sighed angrily.
"Fine so what do you suggest?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"We need you to do a wedding exclusive with us."
"You want me to sell out my wedding? I'm on television, I get it. But I am not a reality TV star."
"That's what I told the bosses. So here's what they came up with…"
I felt the anger boil in me.
"They want an exclusive interview…"
"Again? Do you remember how well the last one went? Absolutely not."
"Calm down… That's what I said. So the alternative is that you go on the morning and late night shows as a guest and talk about everything. Just you."
I stared at him angrily.
"It's the best thing I could come up with."
"Fine. We are going to the Met Ball I'm pretty sure."
"I figured."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He laughed. "Calm down. It means that Wayne knows the media circus. So he knows how to play the game."
"Yeah well I hate it."
"I know, but publicity will be part of your life. Now more so than ever."
"Is the speech over?" I asked frustrated.
He nodded. "Yes. Your story idea?"
"Great, I can actually do my job now. Thanks."
He smiled and shook his head at me.
"Go on." He said as he leaned back in his chair.
I guess I had to dial back my sarcasm a bit. "I know the streets are pretty clean now. I want to look into the long-term strategy from the DA."
"Sounds good to me. Start working on it."
"So have you hung up the cape for good, sir?" Alfred asked as he poured Bruce another cup of coffee.
"The Joker is behind bars, organized crime in Gotham is a thing of the past... Gotham doesn't need Batman anymore."
It was a big step - leaving the mask behind. It had been a part of his life for many years.
"I'm ready to move on. I'm ready for the next step in my life." He said and he knew that's what Alfred had been waiting for for years - him retiring and settling down. Being happy. For the first time in a what like forever, he felt he was very close to happiness.
She made him happy.
"What if the Joker breaks out of Arkham?" Alfred asked skeptically.
"I doubt that will happen with the new security measures - but if it happened..." He sighed. "If Batman was needed again I would bring him back."
"It's really more like an extended break than instead of retirement." The old butler said, his forehead in a million wrinkles.
"Is this about telling her?" He asked annoyed.
"Precisely sir."
"We've been over this."
"You said you're not planning on telling her because you're not Batman anymore. We both know, if things go bad again in this city, you would put the mask back on. Are you telling her then?"
He stared into his coffee, hoping it would reveal answers. What was he so afraid of? He wanted her safety more than anything - but now they were getting married. Maybe it was time to tell her the truth. Even as he had formed that thought - he felt his body revolt against it. Every fiber signaled him - that's the wrong thing to do.
The ringing of his cell phone pulled him out of his thoughts. It was his assistant.
"Mr Wayne, I'm just reminding you of your 3 o'clock appointment."
He checked his watch. It was 2:30.
"Thanks. I will be right over."
It was strange to have a normal life now. A regular job. A fiancee. He wished his parents would have lived to meet her. They would have loved her.
"As fun as this conversation was Alfred, I gotta run to a meeting." He said as he grabbed his blazer.
At Wayne Enterprise, he was trying to make it past the congratulatory wishes on his engagement from everybody as fast as possible.
When he walked into his office, taking a deep breath of relief he escaped the handshakes and fake smiles for a second, Stacy walked in with a stack of paperwork.
"Here are the books you requested Mr Wayne."
"Thank you Stacey he said as he sat down."
"Congratulations again on your engagement."
"Thank you."
"I was able to get a hold of Mrs Wang."
"Fantastic, what did she say?"
"She is available to meet with Miss Hunter whenever it is convenient for her this week. She will be traveling for business after that."
"This week. All right. Thanks."
She nodded at him and turned on her heels, headed to her desk.
As he opened the folders of paperwork, the normality of his new life struck him once again. This was going to be it - working at Enterprise, supporting various charities and good causes.
Batman was not for his own gratification though - it was a symbol. One that wasn't needed anymore. He knew this was the right decision but he also knew that there was a dark side to him and now that he had unleashed it for so many years - he wasn't entirely sure he could just make it go away. He remembered when Rachel told him that the day when he won't need Batman anymore would not come. Maybe she was right? Maybe he had become too much of the monster?
"Mr Wayne?" Stacey said, poking her head through the glass doors.
He looked up at her.
"Your 3 o'clock is here."
He nodded, got up and buttoned his blazer walking across the hall to the conference room.
Exhausted from a day of setting up interviews I shut down my computer and was about to head out when the secretary walked in.
"Miss Hunter?"
"Yeah?"
"Your..your helicopter is here."
The second she said it I could see a massive grin on Alex's face.
"Don't even say it."
"What?" He shrugged innocently. "Now that you're a Wayne you're too good for public transportation...or cars for that matter?"
"Yeah, that. I didn't order the helicopter."
"Oh I don't doubt it. But the beauty of this is that you despised the guy for his showy-richness and now...your transportation to work is a freaking helicopter." He started laughing. "If you don't see the irony in that..."
I rolled my eyes at him. "Good night Alex." I said as I was walking towards the elevator.
The problem was - he was right. I was no longer one of them. The engagement changed things. Suddenly my lifestyle had changed. I was about to move into Wayne Manors... Everyone was going to view me differently from now on. I was about to become a Wayne - whether I was going to take his name or not. I was not just marrying him - I was divorcing the life I had known up until now. As I stepped into the elevator my hand instinctively went to the first floor and I stopped myself before pressing it. I was going up, to the top, to take a helicopter that my fiancee had sent. I took a deep sigh and pushed the button for the top floor. As the doors closed I felt overwhelmed by the changes to my life at once. I knew agreeing to marrying him would change things - I just didn't expect everything to change so quickly and so drastically.
The doors opened and the wind from the moving propellers hit me at once like a stark reminder of my new reality.
"Good evening Miss Hunter." Steve said as he greeted me.
I took a seat and put on the headphones, swearing to myself I'd rather walk through a sea of paparazzi than flying to work in a helicopter again. This was not who I was.
When we touched down at the penthouse, Alfred greeted me. His warm and genuine smile made me feel immediately better.
I walked inside, sitting my bag down and taking off my heels.
"Master Wayne won't be home in time for dinner." Alfred said.
I nodded. "Long day at Enterprise?"
"Yes miss."
"I was thinking of serving honey-glazed salmon for dinner."
As much as I loved salmon, I really wished I could pretend to have my old life back for one night. And then I had an idea.
"Alfred, can I ask you a favor?"
"Certainly miss."
"Are the paparazzi still crazy downstairs?"
"Yes."
"We need a way of getting by them... What's a good distraction for them?"
"I'm not quite sure I follow, miss. Why are we going out there?"
I was mostly talking to myself at this point.
"What if we dressed up? I guess that would be too obvious..."
Alfred looked at me in complete bewilderment.
"It would help if I knew why we are leaving?"
I sighed.
"This is going to sound silly."
"Try me."
"This is all...very overwhelming to me. I come from a normal life and now...I'm flying to work in a helicopter, my engagement is being discussed on national television, everyone at works thinks I'm not one of them anymore - and the worst thing is they're right..."
I sighed again. Alfred looked at me concerned.
"All I want right now..." I continued, "is to be in my apartment, eat pizza, drink wine and watch silly television."
Alfred looked at me for a minute and then he nodded.
"I have an idea." He said and smiled at me before walking away.
"What's the idea?" I asked following him.
He opened a drawer and pulled out keys.
"The Lamborghini?" I asked confused. "Are we driving through the crowd?"
"No, and you might not like the idea but here it goes. What are these people downstairs waiting for?"
"News?" I shrugged.
"Precisely." I smiled triumphantly at me. "And that's what you're going to give them."
"What?" I asked, no longer liking this whole idea.
"I understand that this is overwhelming. I have watched Master Wayne slowly grow into this. You have to learn it overnight. You just have to learn the rules to the game and once you know them it will be much easier."
"I'm still confused."
"You go down there and say something about the engagement... How it happened...how happy it makes you...show off the ring. That's all you need to do. They will go crazy. It will also mean those guys at the back entrance will leave to cover you... That's when I pull up in the Lamborghini. Once you''re done, you run back through the hall and we drive away."
Somehow this made sense.
"Ok." I nodded.
"Good. I'll text you once they are gone."
I nodded, put back on my heels, re-applied my lipstick and grabbed my bag and headed towards the elevator.
I couldn't believe I was about to do this but if it meant I could be in my apartment, it was well worth it.
I took a deep breath as I opened the front door and although I was prepared for it, the amount of people and the rush still overwhelmed me.
"All right, let's get this over with." I said looking towards the insane amount of cameras. "I'll give you guys a second to set up. Believe me, I know how you feel."
Laughter went through the masses of people that I couldn't even see because of the bright lights. After a few seconds the first question came my way.
"How does it feel to be the future Mrs Wayne?"
"You're assuming I'm taking his name..." I smiled.
Laughter again. This was easier than I thought it would be.
"Are you taking his name?"
"I don't know yet. I really hadn't had time to think about it. But to answer your question - Bruce and I are very happy."
"How did he ask you?"
"It was very romantic. He had set up this incredible picnic at the beach and then he popped the question."
I wanted to keep the real story to myself. I didn't want to spoil it by telling everyone.
"Who picked out your ring?"
"Bruce. He has an excellent taste." I said as I held up my hand.
"When's the wedding?"
"We don't have a date yet. Give us a break - we literally just got engaged." I smiled, hoping Alfred would text me soon.
"Who is going to design your dress?"
I laughed. "I have no idea yet. I haven even had time to look at bridal magazines."
That's when my phone vibrated. I checked it and it was Alfred - Coast is clear. - A
"Listen guys, I just wanted to give you something to report back to your bosses. I know you're not here by choice. All I can say is that we're both incredibly happy. Please give us a little bit more space now. Thanks guys."
I said as I quickly opened the door and vanished back into the hall as they kept yelling questions at me.
I kept walking quickly to the back where I saw Alfred waiting in the Lamborghini. I ran to the car and opened the door.
"Go, go!" I said as I jumped into the car and Alfred started driving. I turned around and nobody was following us.
"It worked." I said excited to Alfred, feeling a weight suddenly lifted off my shoulders. Suddenly free again.
We pulled up at my apartment and for a second it felt like I was me again, not this persona hunted by paparazzi.
As we walked into my apartment I picked up the phone to order a pizza. Alfred looked visibly out of his element. Awkwardly he took a seat on the couch after I gestured for him to have a seat.
"Pizza will be here in 15 minutes." I said as I let myself fall onto the couch across from Alfred. I loved the feeling of sitting on a couch that did not cost more than what I make in a month. It felt good to be in touch with my life again.
"Do you like white or red?" I asked Alfred as I was getting back up, getting the wine glasses.
He looked at me confused. "Oh that is quite alright miss."
"No excuses Alfred. You're outside of Wayne...jurisdiction or whatever you want to call it. You're off the clock."
I was looking for the red wine in the cupboard.
"Actually I only have white so that makes it easier." I said as I poured two glasses and handed him one and sat back on the couch.
As I looked at him, sitting on my cheap IKEA couch, awkwardly holding the wine glass, I couldn't but laugh.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I'm sorry." I said, trying to control myself.
"What?" He said, almost laughing himself now.
"You...you just look very natural right now."
He laughed as well. "Cheers to that." He said raising the glass and taking a sip.
"Seriously, what do you do in your free time? Do you have hobbies? Close friends?"
He sighed. "Master Wayne...I promised his parents I would take good care of him."
"And you are. You're like a father to him. But that doesn't mean you can't have a life of your own."
A soft smile wiped over his features, but it looked almost sad. "Maybe one day, Miss Hunter, maybe one day that will be true."
In that moment the door bell rang.
"Aha! Pizza is here!" I said excited and got up and got my purse.
When I returned with the massive box in my hand, Alfred had already brought out plates and, to my amusement, cutlery.
"You're not honestly going to eat pizza with a knife and fork, are you?"
He looked at me surprised.
"That is unacceptable. Here," I said as I opened the box and took a massive piece. "You just take it in your hand and fold it like this. It's messy but that's part of it. Eating it with a fork... It's literally not acceptable."
He chuckled and grabbed a piece and successfully took a bite. I gave him the thumbs up.
In that moment Alfred's phone was ringing.
"Apologies." He said as he got the phone out of his pocket. "It is Master Wayne." He said and picked up.
He was sitting in the meeting and felt more than bored. Was this really his new life? Bruce Wayne the business man used to be a plot - a second life. A disguise. Now that he hung up the cape for good he didn't need to pretend anymore. Suddenly his act of a life had become his real life.
Numbers, spread sheets, revenue projections... It all washed over him and he couldn't care less. Making money was never his interest. The only reason why he had pursuit it in the past was so he could change things for the better.
"...we're projecting a 50% increase over the next quarter alone..." The young, ambitious man in the suit said while pointing at another chart.
All he could think of was the Batman suit. The feeling when he put it on. How it suddenly changed everything in him. Once he put the mask on - he could be more like himself. He could be free.
"So what are our stock options?" He asked, easily following the conversation although he was mostly preoccupied with his own thoughts.
Usually he sat in these meetings exhausted, but in anticipation of nightfall. Once the sun set, he was able to hide in the shadows and transform into another persona.
As he was lost in his own train of thought, his eyes glanced over the TV monitors in the hallway and it then it hit him like a jolt.
It was Cat's face on every one of them. She was in front of the penthouse entrance, giving an interview. Was he hallucinating?
She was smiling and taking more questions. What was happening?
"Gentlemen," he said as he was getting up, buttoning his blazer. "You certainly have left me with plenty food for thought. I have to get to an important call. Thank you very much for your time. My people will be in touch."
They all nodded at him as he quickly walked into his office. He called Cat but it went straight to voicemail. The next call was for Alfred.
"We are at Miss Hunter's apartment." Alfred responded.
I watched him closely, trying to guess what Bruce was saying on the other end.
"Yes, sir. Certainly."
Finally he hung up.
"And?" I asked.
"He is on his way."
"Oh no. Is he going to bring pizza freshly delivered from Rome or something? Bruce can't do normal very well."
Alfred smiled gently. "He will have to get used to it a little more. Just like you are adjusting to his lifestyle."
"I don't feel much of my lifestyle will be left in this relationship."
I quickly tried to push any dark feelings away. Right now all I wanted to do was enjoy this moment of normalcy.
"Part of a wine and pizza night is some bad TV," I explained as I turned on the TV. "Do you ever watch TV?"
"Yes, I watch news and documentaries. National Geographic had a fantastic documentary about Queen Elizabeth."
I grinned at him. "Do you know that you fit pretty much every cliche?"
"I do?" I smiled at me.
"Well, I hate fish and chips. Does that help?"
"Somewhat. Well, let me introduce you to Project Runway."
"Project Runway?"
"You're gonna hate it." I laughed.
He chuckled.
As we watched the first few moments and women screaming at each other, I heard a knock on the door. I immediately knew it was Bruce.
I got up and opened the door still giggling. Bruce was standing in the doorway and looked concerned. His hands in his pockets, his forehead in frown lines.
"You ok?" He asked me as he leaned in to kiss me.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I just saw you giving an interview... Figured something was up." He said as he walked in.
"It's, I don't know..." I stopped when I realized he was staring in complete bewilderment at Alfred who was sitting on the couch, eating pizza, giggling and shaking his head at the TV.
"What have you done with Alfred."
I shrugged.
He looked at me. "Seriously, what's going on?"
"I just needed to have one night where I can just sit on my couch, eat pizza, watch bad TV and don't worry about thousands of photographers outside my door. My life has changed so dramatically...I have not had time to adjust."
"I get that and I'm sorry I should have been more aware of how new this is all to you."
"It's not your fault."
He kissed me and drew me into his arms, holding me there for a few seconds without saying anything.
It was true, there was something alienating about his lifestyle. The penthouse seemed very often overwhelmingly big and cold. He had no friends, his father figure was his butler who called him Master - it was not what I was used to by any imagination. But somehow, whenever he hugged me or looked me in my eyes, I felt at home no matter where we were.
"Want some pizza?" I asked.
He nodded. "Starving."
We sat down on the couch and I put a piece of pizza on his plate.
"When's the last time you had pizza?" I asked as I handed him the plate.
"It's been a while." He said as he grabbed the plate and loosened the tie around his neck.
I watched him closely as he took a bite.
"What?" He asked confused.
I giggled. "It's quite fascinating seeing you eat pizza."
He grinned at me and drew me into his arms, kissing me on the forehead.
In that moment I realized that while my life was about to change, it was also going to change for the better because it meant we were together.
The work week had passed quickly and I was already dreading Saturday morning. Bruce had made an appointment with Vera Wang for me for a dress.
"Ok, explain to me again why that is a bad thing?" Sam asked me on the phone as I was paying for my latte.
"Don't get me wrong, I love Vera Wang."
"But...?"
"I don't know, it's just so over the top again. I would just love to have a normal life again."
"If I could explain to you how ridiculous this conversation is..."
"I get it... So many women would kill to have a private appointment with her."
"Here's the deal, you could just go into a regular store and buy of the rack. But that would not make your life normal again. The papers would rip you apart, though, for wearing of the rack. This is the new normal. Just embrace it and go with it. It has it perks and its downsides. This is definitely a perk."
"I guess so."
"That's the enthusiasm I was talking about." She said sarcastically. "Just promise me you won't make any major decisions without me."
"Don't worry. Tomorrow is just an idea gathering or whatever it is called."
I hung up and grabbed my latte from the counter. She was right, I had to get used to my new lifestyle. It was changing no matter what I did. In fact it already had. When I left the coffee shop, I saw four paparazzi storming at me, taking my picture. I don't know why me getting coffee was so exciting. It was Friday afternoon, only a few more hours at the office and then I could hide in the penthouse again. Even going on stories was difficult now since I was being followed everywhere I went. I was worried it would impact my work.
I was just a few blocks away from Wayne Enterprise so I decided to drop by his office and surprise him with coffee.
"What are you going?" I asked him on the phone as I was walking up to Enterprise.
"Oh you know, it's a thrill a second here."
I laughed. "Just saving humankind one spreadsheet at a time?"
"Exactly. What are you up to, beautiful?"
"Just escaped four paparazzi..."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. Well...actually it is." I laughed. "I gotta run. Talk to you later."
"Ok, love you."
"Love you too." I said as I hung up and walked up the stairs to the entrance of Enterprise. I wanted to make sure he was actually in the building and not in the middle of a meeting.
I hadn't been here in a while and suddenly I had flashbacks of me breaking into his office. A memory I'd rather suppress.
"Miss Hunter." The receptionist smiled at me before I could even get to the counter. "What a pleasure to see you here. Congratulations on the engagement."
It was certainly a very different reception I got this time around.
"Sallie, could you escort Miss Hunter up to Mr Wayne's office?"
I hadn't even asked to go there yet. It seemed they were well-prepared for the event of my arrival. I was wondering if that was a directive from Bruce?
"Certainly. Right this way Miss Hunter."
"Thank you." I said as I stepped into the elevator with the young woman who continued to smile at me. It felt like a play they had rehearsed for a while.
We walked down the hallway. This time around there were a lot of people working, all dressed in expensive looking suits and all would not at me with a smile. As if I was royalty they finally met in person. I questioned my idea of dropping by his office.
We finally made it to the heavy teak door with his name on it.
"Is he in a meeting?" I asked Sallie. "I really did not mean to interrupt him."
"Mr Wayne told us that you always have priority and we should let him know when you're here." She said still smiling as the knocked on the door.
He said that?
"Come in." I heard Bruce's voice.
Sallie slowly opened the door and I felt foolish. I thought I could quickly drop by... I should have known that nothing was that simple with Bruce Wayne.
"Mr Wayne, sorry to interrupt, Miss Hunter is here."
I felt beyond silly, slowly stepping into view awkwardly waiving at him.
He had been sitting down, his jacket on his chair, talking to Fox. Now that he saw me he got up, his face lighting up.
"What a great surprise." He said. "Thanks Sallie."
Sallie nodded and left as I made my way into his office. He walked up to me and kissed me hello. I noticed all the papers and spreadsheets on the table.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt." I said. "I thought I just get you some coffee since I was in the area. I'm going to be out of your hair in no time."
I handed him the coffee.
"Nonsense." Bruce said. "Catherine this is Lucius."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Fox said as he shook my hand.
"Pleasure is all mine."
I had heard a lot about Lucius Fox but had never actually met him. He seemed kind, his handshake firm, his eyes warm.
"Congratulations." He said.
"Thank you."
"Although, I have to say, I think Bruce is the one who I should be congratulating."
I laughed. "We're both lucky." I said, looking at Bruce who was smiling at me.
"Like I said, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"You're not." Bruce interjected.
"I have to get back to work." I said, kissing him goodbye. "It was nice to meet you." I said to Fox. "You should come over for dinner sometime."
"I would love to."
"I'll drive you." Bruce said.
"Oh don't worry, I can handle the paparazzi."
"I'm not worried. I simply want to." He said as he grabbed his jacket and buttoned it back up. "And I wasn't asking." He smiled at me.
"Thanks for stopping by." He said as he closed the door on his Lamborghini and we started driving.
"Of course. Hope I didn't interrupt your day completely with it."
"Are you kidding? You saved me from the most boring spreadsheet conversation ever."
"Fox seems very nice. We really should have him over for dinner sometime."
"I agree."
As we were waiting on a traffic light, he took my hand and kissed it before he took it in his hand. He did it so naturally that it seemed to be nothing unusual. I studied his expression as he continued to look at the traffic light. It still seemed surreal that he was my fiancé and soon-to-be husband. His facial expression had been softer ever since we got back from our vacation. The lingering darkness seemed all but gone. I wasn't sure why, maybe I simply stopped noticing it?
"Could you ever imagine doing something else?" I asked.
He looked at me confused. "Than what?"
"Working at Enterprise I mean. You don't seem to love it."
He smiled as we continued driving. "I don't love it. I might simply retire. The company keeps making enough money for me. I was thinking of handing it off to Fox. Making money is far less exciting than you would think."
"I never understood the fascination with it. I used to date a Wall Street broker for a while. He was obsessed with it."
I noticed his lips hardened as I mentioned my ex-boyfriend. Bruce's jealousy always took me a little by surprise.
"But I think you should do something that you love. If you don't love it and you clearly don't need the money, than why bother?" I asked as we pulled up in front of the station.
He nodded. "I have been thinking along the same lines. I just want to make sure my parent's company is in good hands. That's the least I owe my them. Making sure the Wayne name is not ruined."
He didn't talk about them often. "I'm sure it would have been far more important to them how you are doing than the company. And if they could see what I see, they would be so proud of the incredible man that you have become."
His eyes shot at me with a haunted look and for a second I saw the expression of a young boy who just lost his parents. He pulled me towards him, holding me closely.
"I'm not sure how I deserve you." He said just above a whisper.
It still surprised me how wrong I had been about him at first. He was a master at pretending to be someone else. It still scared me just how good he was at that.
His lips met mine. "I love you." He said.
"Love you more." I replied, smiling at him.
"Not possible." He replied with a smile.
"Oh God, have we become one of those couples?" I asked.
He laughed. "It appears we have."
"See you tonight." I said as I grabbed my bag and opened the door. The second I stepped outside, I saw two paparazzi snapping my picture. It felt incredibly awkward. What was so special about me getting to work?
I stepped back into the newsroom where Peter greeted me with a worried look.
"Not today Peter." I sighed as I took my sunglasses off.
"Want to join me in my office?"
"If this is multiple choice than I'm going with 'no'."
He raised his eyebrows, clearly not in a mood to joke around.
"Fine." I sighed and entered his office. "What now?"
"We've been getting complaints."
"About?"
He sighed again, his forehead in wrinkles. "About you marrying Wayne."
I laughed. "Oh my God. I thought it was something serious. Yes, I know there are apparently a lot of women out there who are jealous and think he deserves someone prettier, skinnier etc."
Peter remained serious. "That's not our concern."
"Then what is?"
"So far I have been able to deflect concerns from corporate about this. But I just want to give you the heads up that it is a problem."
"What is? That I'm getting married?"
"That you are suddenly turning into a celebrity."
"I don't want to!"
"I know. It just comes with the gig. Like I said, at this point it's all under control. The concern is that you can no longer be a credible journalist if all of Gotham is talking about what wedding dress you're going to wear and where you get your afternoon coffee." He held up his iPad which was on Gotham Talks' website and showed me walking out of the coffee store with my latte and Bruce's coffee. Coffee break for the future Mrs Wayne. One picture was zoomed in all the way on my ring.
"Boy they are fast!" I said surprised.
"Of course they are. It's what the city is talking about right now. There is no Joker. No crime wave to distract them from gossip."
"So what do you want me to do?"
He shrugged. "I don't think there is much you can do. I just wanted you to be aware of it."
"Should I try to not go to the Met and all these events?"
He shook his head. "No, definitely go to the Met. The only way you can win this is if you make them love you.
I left Peter's office feeling defeated but I was also determined to not let this ruin my career. Luckily I had my interview with the DA lined up. Something to distract me from this silliness.
The interview went well and I edited the story back at the station.
"Good story?" Chris asked, leaning back in his chair, taking a sip of his coffee.
"I think so." I shrugged.
"What did he say?"
"He wants to implement new laws to help keep criminals off the street. Basically he wants to make sure that even if the Joker ever got out of Arkham, organized crime would be a thing of the past."
Chris nodded and got back to his work.
My interview with the DA aired in the evening news and I was finishing a few things up on my computer before I was headed home.
"Don't work too hard Mrs Wayne." Alex said, grinning at me.
"What are you going to do when my name really is Wayne?" I asked.
"Oh I will come up with something else to tease you with, don't worry." He joked. In that moment I had a flashback of Jacob and how he would have told Alex to shut it.
"You alright?" Alex asked. He was always pretending to be a jackass but deep down I knew he was a good guy.
"Yeah, I just still can't believe Jacob is gone." I said and felt the color drain from my face.
"Nobody can." He said in an uncharacteristically earnest tone. "We just move on as best as we can."
"Yeah." I nodded, smiling softly.
"Wanna grab a drink? Talk about stuff? I'm no Jacob but I can listen too."
I was confused by this new, nice Alex. "Thanks, I might take you up on that one day. I just need to get home today."
He simply nodded. "Have a good night."
"You too."
Still surprised by the nicest interaction I've ever had with Alex, I went back to my computer. I was about to shut if off when I read an email in my inbox.
Subject: You need to see this
Miss Hunter,
I've been following your work closely and think this information will be in the right hands with you.
I trust you know what to do with it.
Yours,
A.
I often got crazy conspiracy email. I always went through each one just to make sure there was not a hidden gem in there. I clicked on the attachment of the email, waiting for the usual links to blogposts of alien sightings and government conspiracy sites. But that's not what I found. It was contract papers. A lot of them. This was looking more promising. I hit print and collected the heap of papers from the printer. I decided to read over them at home. I shut off my computer, grabbed my purse and made my way downstairs to hail a cab.
In the cab ride I started looking through the documents. Nothing jumped out at me aside from the fact that they were government contracts. Whoever emailed these to me wanted me to see something, but what was it?
"15.75." The cab driver said as we arrived at the penthouse.
I closed the folder and shoved it in my grey Prada purse - a gift from Bruce although I protested.
As I left the cab I saw the paparazzi recognize me and make their way towards me. It had been a lot better ever since I gave my mini-press conference. Alfred had been right, once I gave them what they wanted they were a lot less interested. I really needed to learn the rules of this game and trust Bruce a little more when it came to the media circus. He knew this lifestyle way better than I did.
Alfred greeted me at the door.
"Good evening Miss Hunter."
"Good evening." I said as I walked in and kicked off my heels first chance I got. I sat down at the long mahogany desk, pulling the folder from my purse again.
"Master Wayne will not be home in time for dinner I'm afraid." Alfred said as he handed me a glass of water.
"I figured as much." I said absently. I was used to his crazy hours and he was used to mine.
"I was about to prepare some mango salsa Mahi-Mahi?" Alfred asked as I opened the folder, eager to find whatever I was supposed to find.
"That sounds fantastic."
He nodded and walked away.
Maybe it was a crazy guy after all who emailed me this? Maybe there was nothing in these papers. But how could a regular crazy guy get access to government contracts? No, it had to be real.
My eyes were nervously scanning the papers for any clues. I bit my lips together, looking for any irregularities. There was nothing.
After half an hour, I pushed the pile of papers away from me, sighing in frustration. In that moment my eyes caught something.
All of the contracts were made with a company called AGENCY, a private security firm. And suddenly my alarm bells went off. I remembered an AGENCY pen in the DA's office. I remembered thinking what a weird name AGENCY is for a company.
So what were these contracts for? It was not necessarily unheard of that a government was hiring a private security firm. The DA seemed very eager to clean Gotham's street for good. Maybe they were hired as experts? Then I saw something else that peeked my interest. AGENCY had bought up new properties on the east side of town. I googled the locations and something seemed more than just off. The properties listed would never cost this much money.
I dialed Alex's number frantically.
"To what do I owe the honor of a call from Mrs Wayne, the princess of Gotham?" He asked as he picked up.
"Still up for a drink?" I asked.
"Sure…everything ok?" He clearly had detected the nervous tone in my voice.
"Yes, I'm great. Wanna meet at JC's in 10?"
"JC's? Sure that's where you wanna go?"
JC's was a dive bar and I suspected nobody would be able to overhear our conversation there.
"Yes, see you there in 10."
I sat down at the sticky bar counter, nervously checking if anyone had seen me walk in and noticed.
"What can I get for you doll?" The old, over weight bartender asked.
"Gin and tonic." I responded, trying to shake my nervous energy.
"You know where the party is at." Alex said sarcastically when he walked in, sitting next to me.
"It's a great bar." I lied.
"Can I get a Budweiser?" He asked the bartender. "Wanna tell me what the hell is going on?" He said, looking at me closely.
The bartender gave us our drinks and I took a large sip of my gin and tonic.
"Should I be worried?" Alex said, not taking his eyes off me.
"I'm not sure. I might be crazy." I took the folder out of my purse.
"What is this?" Alex asked.
"Someone emailed this to me. He or she said that I would know what to do with it. That's all."
Alex started going through the papers.
"It's government contracts." I continued. "They are with a security firm called AGENCY. But here is where it gets weird. I put it all together and it's well over 3 million dollars worth of contracts."
"It's a private security firm, that's not uncommon."
"Yeah, but check out what most of these contracts are for."
"Property on the east side."
"Yes, and call me crazy but there is no way…"
"…that these buildings are worth 3 million." Alex finished my sentence.
I nodded taking another sip of the gin and tonic.
"So, if I was crazy that would lead me to believe that our district attorney is using this firm to launder money."
"Holy shit Cat."
"Tell me I'm crazy and that's not at all what these papers are saying." I pleaded, taking another large sip.
He ran his hand through his hair. "Fuck. I wish I could."
"I was afraid you might say that."
"Wow. I'm still speechless. So you have no idea who gave these to you."
"No, none. Bruce has his own security data thingy and I was thinking I might run this person's email though there and see what pops up."
"If they know what they're doing, it's from an untraceable computer and IP network."
"I just… I can't believe this. It's funny because I interviewed the DA today and there is something about him that doesn't seem quite right."
"You better be careful. This stuff used to get people killed in this town."
"I know."
"What's your plan of action?" He asked.
"I don't know. I need to verify this somehow."
"Be careful! You're known to get yourself in trouble."
We left the bar and Alex hailed me a cab first.
As the cab was making its way towards the penthouse, I felt a sudden urge to check on these properties on the east side of town.
"Sorry, could you take me to the east side instead?" I asked the cab driver who simply nodded and turned in the opposite direction. We got on the highway and started darting into the darkness. I knew this was not exactly smart but once again I had a hunch that I had to follow.
I got out of the cab and the smell of urine immediately hit me. Nobody lived in this neighborhood. It used to be one of the major hot spots for organized crime but since Batman cleaned up the streets, it was quiet here. I saw the row of empty buildings AGENCY had purchased. Slowly I made my way to one of them. The windows were boarded up, rats were running around. The door was locked but there was a big gap between two of the boards in the window. I climbed through and turned on my phone as a flashlight.
What in the world was I doing? It was stupid but I couldn't stop.
I slowly kept walking down the hallway, the only thing I was able to hear was my fast heartbeat drumming in my ears.
To my disappointment, there was nothing in here. I saw a door to a cellar. Going into a cellar by myself in an abandoned building seemed even more stupid but once I had a hunch, I was not able to stop. Something told me I would find something in here. I grabbed the door knob and slowly twisted it. Old, wooden stairs lead down to the cellar. This was like a horror movie and I started to question my sanity. Bruce would kill me if he found out.
Slowly I walked downstairs. The room was filled with things, most of them construction related. Barrels, wall paper, wood. Maybe my hunch was wrong this time. As I slowly walked through the items my eyes suddenly caught something.
One of the barrels' label was slowly peeling off and there was another label underneath. I slowly peeled away the label that read Concrete. And then I almost dropped my phone. The real label read Explosive - danger.
This wasn't a room filled with construction items. This was a large bomb. And just as I realized that and my flashlight slowly shined down the room to see barrel after barrel after barrel, I saw the kitchen timer at the end. It was less than two minutes. I ran as fast as I could up the stairs, tears of fear in my eyes. As I reached the door, it was locked. I threw my weight against it but that didn't do anything. I couldn't die in here. Who had locked the door? What was going on? A million thoughts rushed through my brain and then I realized I had seen an screwdriver down there. I ran back down and quickly grabbed the screwdriver, running back up the stairs. My heart rate was through the roof. All I could think about was Bruce. My hands shaking, I unscrewed the screws around the doorknob. How long had it been? Is it two minutes yet? One screw fell out. It felt like it had been an eternity. Two screws. Why are there that many screws? Three screws. I can't die in here, I can't die in here. Four screws. I got the doorknob out and opened the door and was headed down the hallway when I heard the kitchen timer.
Click.
