I can't believe how long it's been since my last real update :-0 So sorry you guys! This was actually meant to be a much longer chapter but seeing that it's taking me forever I thought I update a shorter version now.

In this chapter I really wanted to explore more of Cat's background in terms of PTSD and her emotional baggage after the smoke of Bane's reign over Gotham has settled. I know some of you said her actions are stupid - that's the point. She's going to act irrationally because she's just now facing her emotions from the aftermath of all that. And that's also reflected in her relationship with Bruce. I was kind of looking at it like when Bruce becomes Batman in the first place and the struggles he goes through etc. Hope that makes sense. :)

Hope you guys like it and thank you so much for liking, favoring and reviewing this story! :)


I was wide awake when the sun had barely gotten up.

After a quick shower, I got dressed and opened the door to look for the morning paper.

Instead, I saw Bruce sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, in the same clothes as last night.

He opened his eyes and quickly got up.

"Did you…did you stay here all night?" I asked surprised.

He didn't respond to the question - indeed no answer was needed. It was fairly obvious he had.
"Let me take you out to dinner." He finally said.

"What?"

"Just dinner. You don't need to decide anything beyond that yet."
"Your plan is to ask me out on a date?"

"We can just have dinner and then you can decide what you want to do."
I sighed. "Fine."

He smiled at me in relief. "I'll see you tonight at 8."


Alfred spent the whole day with me, despite the fact that I protested and told him to go see Bruce.

"I'm fine. You don't need to be looking after me." I said.

"I'm not. Believe it or not I enjoy spending time with you outside of planning to take down Gotham's underworld."

I laughed.

We went to Alfred's favorite cafe and sipped on a Fernet-Branca, which Alfred highly recommended.

"It's an Italian herbal liquor." Alfred explained.
"Like Jaeger?" I asked, sniffing the bitter liquor.

"Much better." He smiled and took a sip.

I followed his lead. It felt like my insides were burning. "Oh god."
Alfred was chuckling.
"Wait…" I said, trying to speak despite my lungs and airways burning. "You knew I would hate this."
He shrugged, still chuckling.

We took a walk through the city later. I had never been to Florence and tried to take it all in. Trying to forget the last 24 hours or the last four months for that matter.

After Bane had died and the city was free again, my parents and Sam were the first to come visit me. They had been concerned about my well being. But while they stayed in Wayne Manor, trying to support me in any way they could, I had felt like I had long lost the ability to interact with normal people - people who hadn't gone through what I had.

I felt like I had been through war. My parents had sent me to a therapist, specializing in PTSD. I guess it was appropriate but I wasn't even able to tell him anything real about me.
I was able tell him my fiancé had died - but I couldn't tell him he was Batman. I told him I felt numb and depressed. But I couldn't tell him that putting on the mask made me feel alive again.

I remembered when I was in college and had studied abroad for a year. When I came back, I felt like my life had completely changed. I had become a new person. But when I returned home - everyone else had stayed the same.

It was the similar feeling, only a thousand times worse. I felt like I couldn't connect to my parents anymore. Not even to Sam.
This wasn't a normal heartbreak over a guy thing. This wasn't a dilemma like being pregnant from your ex-boyfriend.
I had lived under a warlord for three months, had lost a baby, had been humiliated before the eyes of millions, abducted by Joker's crazy girlfriend and then in the end - had lost it all. Or so I thought.

I was walking through Florence thinking about all of that - and the fact that here I was, in the same city as the man I loved.

"Alfred, how can you forgive him so easily?"

He smiled at me. "He is like a son to me. Nothing he does can waver my love for him."

I nodded.

"I'm sure you feel similarly." He continued. "Even if you don't want to. Love is not something you can't turn on and off whenever you want to."

"True. It's the trust part. Sometimes love isn't enough. After all we've been through…"
"But just a few weeks ago, the tables were turned and you lied to him about your true identity."
"Exactly. Maybe we just can't be who we truly are with one another. Maybe we can never stop lying to each other."
"Or maybe, you just needed time to truly trust one another."

"I buried him, Alfred. He let me go through all that."

"I know. But that is the past. We can't change the past. We can only decide what we do with our future."

I nodded again. "Man…do you always have to have the answers to everything?" I joked and smirked at him.
He laughed. "I wish I did."
I saw a store as we we were walking and stopped Alfred. "Mind if I go in there real quick."
"Not at all. I'm in no rush."

It might have been silly but I needed a dress for this occasion. It was almost like I wanted Bruce to see what he was missing - as if he had left me. Instead, he had pretended to be pulverized by an atom bomb. Minor difference.

My anger was, however, perfectly capsulized by the dress I found.

Red, form-fitting, knee-length, strapless. Black high-heels with straps out of lace.

Back at the hotel I was getting ready, putting on my scarlet red lipstick as a finishing touch.

I felt like my anger was almost pushing me to be more like my Black Viper personality.

Suddenly I had an idea. It was time for payback.


It was 7:55 when I got the call from the hotel.

"Miss Hunter, someone is here for you. A Mr. Daniels."
Fake name of course.

I put on my coat and made my way downstairs. A few days ago I felt like my entire world had crumbled.
Now I was going on a date with the man I thought had died. The anger in me kept boiling.

I walked outside and saw him lean against his rental car. It reminded me of when he picked me up for our date at the Roseball. It felt like an eternity had passed since then.

He smiled at me as I walked towards him.
"You look beautiful." He said, opening the passenger door for me.

"Thanks" I said as I snatched the keys from him with a grin and walked to the driver's side.
Clearly surprised, he got into the passenger side.

"Where are we headed?" He asked as he buckled up and looked at me.

"Somewhere good." I said with a grin.

I pushed the gas pedal and we were speeding down the small cobblestone roads.

I knew where I wanted to go - a famous bar in the heart of Florence. I didn't want to have dinner with him.
I wasn't even sure if I could handle a full conversation with him.
A bar was more casual, giving me the opportunity to slip out or slip into another character if needed.

The bar was inside an old building. Tall ceilings and big pillars, lit up in dark purple. Loud music and a bar out of glass with different bottles glowing in different colors.

We walked to the bar and I took off my coat. I could feel Bruce's eyes on me.

"Cosa vorresti?" The bartender asked looking at me.
"Gin and tonic." I responded.
He nodded and turned to Bruce.
"Che Scoth avete?" ("What scotch do you have?") Bruce asked in accent-less Italian.
The bartender grinned at him. "Il migliore." ("The best.")
Bruce's lips barely formed a smile. "Con ghiaccio" ("On the rocks.")

The bartender nodded and grabbed glasses for our drinks.

Bruce turned to me and looked at me, his eyes once again burning through me. He leaned in, speaking into my ear to overpower the loud music.
"You look stunning." He said, lingering next to my neck longer than he needed to.
"Thanks." I simply responded.

His breath on my skin send a shiver down my spine.

The bartender put our drinks on the counter. Bruce grabbed his wallet but before he could get cash out I handed the bartender my credit card.
Bruce shook his head in protest.
"Please." I said with a smile, rolling my eyes. "You don't have a nickel to your name anyway. Especially since that name officially is buried in front of Wayne Manor."

The bartender took my card.
Bruce bit his lips together into a tight line and nodded.

Maybe I was being too harsh? I couldn't tell anymore. I quickly grabbed the glass and took a big sip of the cold liquid.
He was looking at me closely, circling the ice cubes in his glass before taking a small sip.
His hand in his pocket, it looked like he gave me a calculating look, trying to figure out what I had planned.

We were standing there for a few seconds. The loud music around us humming, people mingling and dancing.
Suddenly I felt like nobody in this room could understand us. They were having a good time as if there was no evil in the world. As if life was fair. They hadn't been through what we had.

I took another big sip of my drink.
"I wanna start…" Bruce said and I couldn't understand the end of the sentence."

"You want to what?" I asked.

He leaned in again. "I want to start fresh."
In that moment someone bumped into him, pushing him closely against me. Our bodies touched before he regained footing and moved away.
"Sorry." He said.

He wants to start fresh… As if there was such a thing.

That's why I had picked the bar. I knew he wanted to talk about us and I wasn't ready to do that. Just him saying that produced an earthquake of emotions in me. From excitement to anger.

"I understand if you can't." He said loudly over the music.

Stop talking about us. Stop talking about us.
Another big sip of gin went down my throat.

"I just want you to understand how sorry I am and…"

I leaned forward and interrupted him with a kiss, my lips feeling his for the first time in weeks. I could feel his surprise before he responded the kiss, his arm moving around me and pulling me into his embrace. I leaned against his chest as our lips moved against each other.

Our tongues met, his hand on my lower back pulled me closer against him. Determination grew in his kiss and body language.

I stopped the kiss and he looked at me breathlessly. I held my empty glass up with a smirk.
He smiled back. "Coming right up." He said into my ear, his hand on my lower back again.
He placed his thumb on my chin, pulling my lips to his again. He downed the rest of his scotch before he left to the bar.

I immediately made my way to the bathroom. I just needed a second to myself. I locked myself into a stall and leaned against the wall. The bass of the music was still vibrating through the walls but in here, with the stark light, the conversation of the women inside were louder than the music.

I was still torn over what to do next with Bruce, my emotions pulling me into different directions. I felt close to tears. Emotionally overwhelmed.

Closing my eyes, I listened to two Italian women talk to each other as they were reapplying make up in front of the mirror.

I knew I couldn't hide in here for too long. Reluctantly I opened the door and went to wash my hands.
I paid little attention to the women next to me, trying not to fall apart from here back to Bruce.
I wasn't sure what I wanted or what I could even still give him. I wasn't sure if Cat was still there or if she had died. Little by little.

Opening the door, the music got louder and the lights darker. I spotted Bruce from far away. He was leaning against a pillar, sipping on his drink while scanning the crowd. My drink in his other hand.

The frown lines back on his forehead.

I took a deep breath as I walked over to him. His eyes locked on mine when he spotted me.

He didn't smile at me. He looked determined. His eyes burning through me, following my every move as I got closer to him.

Without a word he handed me my drink, his hand lingering longer than it needed, not taking his eyes off me.

"Thanks." I said as I took a sip. If there was ever an evening when I needed to get drunk, it was tonight.

His eyes weren't moving, still fixed on mine. Once again I felt like the entire bar with all the people in it had disappeared. Like it was just him and me. He had the ability to make me forget everything around me.

After we had finished the drink we went back to the car.

This time I let him drive. We didn't say anything as we were speeding through the city. I looked at my hands, studying my dark red nail polish closely to avoid his gaze and the conversation that would follow.

When I looked up I realized he was taking me back to the hotel.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

He looked at me as if I had ripped him out of a daydream. "The hotel."

"How about we go to your place?"

He looked at me surprised. "My place?"

I nodded.

He still looked at me confused but turned on the next light towards his place.

A few minutes later we arrived. He opened the car door for me and we walked towards the small wooden door. He grabbed the keys and opened it, still carefully looking at me.

"After you." He said as he held the door open.

We walked into his apartment.
"Sorry I don't have much to offer." He said as I walked in, taking off my coat. "Do you want some water?"

"Sure." I responded.

He came back with two glasses of water and handed me one.
I took a sip, looking at him closely.

"Look," he said, putting his glass down on the table. "This is a first date. You're the one in the driver's seat. You decide…"

I placed my finger on his lips. "Shhh."

He looked at me surprised as I moved slowly closer to him, my hands slowly wandering up his shirt.
"Don't spoil the fun Mr. Wayne." I whispered next to his ear. I slowly moved my lips to meet his, placing a soft kiss on his lips. Gently he responded, as if he was worried he might scare me away otherwise.

I softly kissed his bottom lip. He opened his mouth ever so slightly, exhaling softly, still not moving.

I stopped the kiss and moved just an inch away from his lips. He looked at me carefully, his breath was deep his eyes glistening at me.

He was clearly waiting for my next move.

I leaned into him, slowly leaning against his chest. Then I brought my lips back to his, first barely touching.

I could feel the heat radiating through his shirt.

"Catherine?" He whispered.

"What?" I asked barely above a whisper, leaning in again, kissing his bottom lip and letting my tongue brush against his lip.

Suddenly his arms pulled me closer as his tongue was searching for mine. The intensity of the kiss reminded me of the last time we had kissed in Gotham. Passionate and demanding. But the last time we had kissed was when he had used said kiss to distract me and then pretend to die while saving a city from a nuclear bomb.

I broke the kiss, smiling at him. "I'm just going to freshen up. I'll be right back." I said as I went to the bathroom.

Initiating the next phase of my plan, I thought to myself as I was standing in the bathroom, taking off my dress, revealing the lace corset and garters I was wearing.

With nothing but that and heels, I stepped out of the bathroom again.

He was sitting on the couch, his arms resting on his knees, his head looking down.

When he noticed me walking in, he looked up. He stared at me for a second with big eyes, scanning my body closely and cleared his throat.

I walked slowly up to him. He was following each movement with his eyes, not saying anything. Then I moved one leg to each side of his body, easing my body on his lap.

He leaned back as I started to kiss him again. There was no denying it, despite everything and despite the fact that I was still furious, I was also still immensely attracted to him, which made fulfilling my plan a little harder.

As our kiss intensified, he brought his hands up along the outside of my thighs until he reached the skin between the garter and the stockings. Not breaking the kiss, he slowly moved his hands up to the garter straps, wrapping them around his fingers and pulling on them.

I broke the kiss, opening the buttons of his shirt. He was breathing heavy, looking at me closely as I got up, grabbed his hand and walked to the bedroom.
I pulled him towards me again, kissing him hard as I was opening his belt, taking off his pants.

We collapsed on the mattress and I maneuvered myself back onto his lap.

One arm around my hip, the other hand in my hair, he pulled me closer to him.

I started to take off his shirt, grabbing the collar and moving it down, feeling the crisp fabric make room for his skin. He leaned forward to allow me to move the shirt, not interrupting our kiss.
I pulled down his sleeves, stripping him free of the shirt as our tongues met over and over again.

CLICK

He immediately stopped the kiss, looking at me surprised.

"Huh." He finally said. "I guess I should have seen that coming." He said, feeling the handcuffs around his wrist, tying him to the water pipe on the side of the wall.
I smiled triumphantly. "Yeah, I guess you should have." I said as I got up.

"I get it." He said. "Message received. It was awful what I did to you and I'm very sorry."
"I'm not." I said, smiling as I got dressed again.

"Cat?" He said, watching me putting on my coat. "You're not going to leave me here like this, are you?"
"Oh I think I just might." I said and walked towards the door.

"Cat?" He asked.

I got to the door and opened it. "Good night Mr. Wayne."

"Cat?" He pleaded louder and louder. "Cat?"

I closed the door, walking down the hallway with a big grin on my face.

Half an hour later, back at the hotel, I asked Alfred for a favor.
"What can I do for you?" He asked.

"Could you deliver something for me?"
"Certainly."
I presented the key to the handcuffs with Bruce's address next to it.

"And he'll know what it's for?" Alfred asked.

"Oh yes." I responded.


The old butler had no idea what the key was for, but he took her word for it that Master Wayne would know.

He knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Bruce asked.

"It's me sir."
"Come in, it's unlocked."

The old butler walked inside and then started to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah…" Bruce said annoyed.

Alfred took a moment to appreciate this picture of Bruce Wayne, sitting in nothing but boxers on a mattress on the floor, handcuffed to water pipes.

If he wanted to, Master Wayne could have surely gotten free. He could have broken the water pipes. But that would have drawn a lot of attention since his apartment and the one downstairs would have been flooded.

"I see I come at an inconvenient time." Alfred said with a smirk. "Should I come back later?"
"Very funny. Do you mind?" He lifted his wrist in anticipation.

Alfred walked over, unlocking the handcuffs. Bruce immediately got up, tossed them to the side and got dressed.

"I see it was a somewhat successful date with Miss Hunter." Alfred said smiling, looking at the red lipstick smeared over Bruce's lips.

Bruce didn't respond, putting on his shirt.

"She wanted to make a point." Bruce said, biting his lips into a line.

"I think she made it quite clearly, sir." Alfred said with a smirk.

"Yeah."

The old butler looked at Bruce closely, still relieved he was alive.

"You put her through a lot." Alfred finally said.
Bruce nodded. "I know. I just wish there had been another way. I needed Batman to die. If I ever want to have a chance at having a new life… A life with her…" Hew trailed off, hoping that was even still an option.

"I understand. So why not try trusting in the truth?"

Bruce looked at him. "You mean I should stop keeping things from her."

"Precisely sir. The two of you are always playing games, trying to hide something from one another. Granted, both of you have more to hide than your average person. But if you hope to start a new life with this person, may I suggest you take a leap of faith?"


When Alfred returned I was already packed, ready to go.

"When we get back, I can't stay at Wayne Manor anymore." I said as he walked in. "It's not mine. I am also going to give all the stock options to you. I don't want any of it."

"Miss, I know you're angry and hurt…" He stopped as he looked at the engagement ring which was on the nightside table.
"That also doesn't belong to me." I said.

"Are you planning on giving it back to him?"
I hadn't thought about that.

"Yes." I responded. "First thing tomorrow and then I'm going back to Gotham."

"May I ask, why you want to go back to Gotham?"

I looked at him without an answer.

"There is nothing for you there but death and despair." Alfred said.

"And what is here? Bruce? The man who has broken my heart in every way imaginable?"

Alfred was about to respond when my phone rang.

No Caller ID - it read on my screen. I knew who it was.
I took a deep breath.
"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey." Bruce's voice sounded worried.

"Hi."

"I thought about a lot of things you said and I have some things to tell you."
"I'm listening."
"Not over the phone."

I sighed.
"Meet me at the Ponte Vecchio bridge in an hour?" He offered.

"Ok. See you then." I said and hung up. "Well," I said to Alfred. "looks like I will be giving the ring back to him in an hour."


The Ponte Vecchio is Florence's oldest bridge.

I slowly walked towards the medieval structure as we were approaching midnight. Cold wind gusting into my face, I wrapped myself tighter into my coat.

As I got closer to the bridge, I could see him standing in the middle of it, looking into the water.
My heart skipped a beat by the sight of him. It annoyed me that I wasn't able to just turn off my feelings for him.

He saw me approaching and lifted himself off the railing, standing up tall. His hands in his pockets, he waited for me to walk to where he was. His eyes had that haunted look on them I was so familiar with.

"Thanks for coming." He said.
I nodded. "So, what do you have to say?"
He took a deep breath. "I'm crazy in love with you. You're my world. I don't know what I would do without you."
I didn't respond, looking to the ground.

He walked up to me and took my hands into his.

"Catherine, I…" He stopped when he noticed I wasn't wearing the ring anymore.

His eyes snapped up at me hopelessly.
"I think this belongs to you." I said as I fetched the ring from my coat jacket and handed it to him.
He shook his head. "I gave it to you. It's yours."
"I gave it back to you. I shouldn't have worn it after that." I said in a remarkably steady voice.
"Please…"

"I need to go." I said and turned around.
He grabbed me by my arm. "Don't."

"Why wouldn't I? What kind of future can you offer me? Is it ever going to be an "us"? Right now I feel like it's only us until your next secret that needs protecting."
"You lied to me about your mask!"
"Exactly. Maybe we're just bad for one another. Maybe we should just get the hint from the universe. Everything just turns to death and despair when we're involved."
He winced at that statement. "Is that what you really think?"
"What else should I think?"

He looked stoic.

I turned around again and started walking. It was time to move on.

"I still see them at night. The bats." He suddenly said and I froze. I didn't turn around but just waited for him to continue talking.

"When I wake up, for a second I think I'm a young boy again and I had just watched my parents get shot." He continued. "It takes me a few second to shake the feeling. To get the sound of my mom screaming out of my head. I can still see my dad's eyes in front of me when he died. His eyes stayed open and you could see the life just disappear out of them."

I closed my eyes, still not turning around. He never talked about his parents let alone the night he had lost them. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I went to hell and back. Years of hiding the anger, masking it, using it. But the anger was there all the time. It never went away. You know how I was able to save Gotham this time?"
I turned around. "Facing your fears? Overcoming the guilt you carried with you over your parents?"

He shook his head. "No." He walked closer. "It was you."
I looked at him surprised.

"All of that time in Bane's prison, all I could think about was you. You replaced the anger with hope."

He walked even closer, now only a few inches away from me. He tugged a hair behind my ear.

"You said you only see death and despair with us. That's not what I see. I would do anything for you, including risking my own life to save yours."
I bit my lips nervously, looking to the ground, not sure how to respond.

"Now when I go to sleep…" He continued. "I don't see bats anymore. I don't see my dead parents." He said as he placed his thumb on my chin and gently lifted my head. When our eyes met he continued. "All I see is you."

"I can't…" I replied barley above a whisper, looking to the ground again.

"What are you afraid of?" He asked.

I looked at him again. "Getting hurt over and over again. Never knowing who you truly are."
"You don't?"
I didn't say anything.
He moved closer again. "Back in Gotham you said you had seen the abyss."
I nodded. "I have."
"Then you should know me better than anyone. You know what I went through. You should know how I feel."
He took my hand and placed it on his chest over his heart. I felt the heartbeat through the fabric.
"You know me." He said.

"I don't think you know who you truly are. You think you can let the Batman die? I haven't been doing this as long as you and I can already say that I can't just let this part of myself go. I can't just take off the mask and become Catherine Hunter again. Not like I was before. So why do you keep lying to yourself about who you truly are?"
His face hardened like he was contemplating what I had just said.

I looked into his eyes, the same hazel eyes that had haunted me when we first met.
"Before I met you," I said, my hand still on his heart, him still holding on to it. "I never knew I could fall in love with someone as deeply and thoroughly. To love someone so much, I never knew it was possible."
He smiled at me, his features softened as he looked at me emotionally.

"But, before I met you," I continued, now looking at my hand in his. "I never knew I could be broken in so many ways."

His facial expression immediately hardened, understanding where I was getting at. The hurt on his face was visible.
"I've been broken in so many ways, I don't know if I can be put together again." I said, taking my hand back.

He looked at me desperately but he also looked like he had given up. It was as if he had accepted my decision and wasn't going to argue the point any further.

"I'm so sorry." He said barely audible.

I didn't say anything and turned around and left. The further I walked away the more I felt a twisting and turning in me. The bitter taste of my hateful words still on my tongue.

It was true - before I had met him I was a different person. A whole person. Now I was broken - probably beyond repair. But it wasn't his fault. Not all of it anyway. I had lived under a warlord. Lost our child and thought I was about to die several times. The Joker had killed one of my best friends. You don't come back from that intact and well.

Now I had blamed him for all of it.
I swallowed hard as tears were running down my face. Suddenly I felt guilty for throwing these hateful things at him. His face faltering in front of me replayed in my mind. He looked devastated.

I stopped in my tracks and turned around, looking at the bride. But he was no longer there. I wiped tears from my face.

I went to his funeral. The thought reappeared in my mind, reminding me of the pain I went through because of him. Many of the things might have not been his fault, but that hole I had fallen into, that abyss of thinking he had died, that was his doing.

Determined I turned around again, anger in my step, bringing me home.


"I have one last favor to ask of you." I said to Alfred as I was packing.

"Which would be?"
"I need you to bring me back to Gotham. I'm officially broke now since I'm returning all stock options. I can't afford to fly all the way from Europe."
"Miss…"
I stopped packing and held up a hand. "I know what you're going to say." I said. "I thought this through and I've made my decision."

He nodded. "Very well."

We walked to the plane.

"You're sure I can't change your mind Miss?"

I shook my head.

We sat down and I focused on getting back to Gotham, not thinking of who I left behind here, trying not to cry.

Once I got back to Gotham, I obviously couldn't live in Wayne Manor anymore. I had to find an apartment. I calculated how much money I had still put aside. Would it be enough to continue to fight Gotham's criminals? Without money or Fox's resources?

In thoughts, I stared at the TV screen in front of me.
"Breaking News out of Rome. A truck drove into a crowd. We're seeing these pictures from surveillance cameras now…"

I stared at the screen, seeing people frantically trying to run away. Alfred was standing next to me, watching the news closely.

"At least a dozen people are confirmed dead, many more injured…" The anchor on TV said.

"What would you like to do, miss?" Alfred asked.

I sighed and closed my eyes for a second. "Divert the plane to Rome, please." I said.

"Certainly." He responded.

Just about 20 minutes later, we landed in Rome. I didn't want to waste any time.

"You're going as civilian?" Alfred asked surprised when he noticed I didn't touch the bag with my Black Viper costume in it.

"I'm trying to figure out what's going on. Not very subtle if I'm behind a mask."
"I guess not. You don't believe it was a terrorist attack?" He asked and his eyes wandered over to the TV screen. A big red, BREAKING NEWS banner was flashing on the screen: Terrorist attack in Rome kills dozens

"It might be. Only one way to find out." I said as I went into the airplanes bathroom and changed into a dark blue pantsuit with a white t-shirt underneath.

"And who are going to be?" Alfred asked when I came out.

I wasn't fluent in Italian like Bruce so I couldn't fool officials making them think I was one of their police officers.

"Kerry Johnson, CIA." I said, flashing a pass with my picture.

"Not bad." Alfred nodded. "You held up your pass long enough for me to see your picture but not long enough for me to notice your finger was covering the name of the agency on the badge."
I held up my pass again. "My old press pass. The best I could do under the circumstances.


Alfred had dropped me as close as he could at the scene. It was still chaotic but now a section had been closed off with yellow tape.

I could see the big truck, its windows smashed, the hood covered in bullet holes.

I observed the officers in the area of the truck and waited until there was only one left, the other ones had left to check on something else.

Determined I walked towards the Italian officer who looked like he was in his early thirties.

"Ciao." I said and nodded, no smile. The key was to appear superior to him. I needed to be confident.

He was about to say something, already gesturing away from the scene, when I started talking.

"Kerry Johnson, CIA." I interrupted, flashing my press pass ever so briefly. "So what? Are you going to waste my time? I need to collect evidence from the truck."
"I wasn't made aware of CIA being here." He responded with an accent.

"Well now you know. Let's get on with it."

"I need to contact my superior."
"Listen pizza boy…" I said in my most arrogant voice. "Lives are on the line here. My agency needs to find out if this jackass acted alone or if he had friends. If it's the latter, then we can prepare to see another strike in another city somewhere soon. They're waiting for my call. I can do one of two things, I can call them and tell them I've gotten everything I need or I could tell them that…" I grabbed his name tag on his uniform. "…Giovanni Marino had to ask his mommy for permission first, possibly resulting in mass casualties somewhere else. Which option is it going to be?"

He sighed and gave me a nod towards the truck.

I grabbed my gloves out of my pocket and opened the passenger door. The driver was still in there, his face smashed against the wheel. He must have died within minutes.

I took his fingerprints and checked his wallet. No ID. I looked at the driver. Dark hair, beard. He looked Arabic.

The rest of the truck looked normal.

On the passenger seat there were splinters of glass and an empty water bottle. I looked on the bottom of the seat and saw a short blonde hair. I picked it up and put it in my pocket.

Suddenly I heard a British voice behind me. "Didn't know the Americans were this fascinated by European matters."

I turned around and saw a man in his late 30s, wearing a suit and black coat.

"Daniel Goodwyn." The man with dark blonde hair said as he took his badge out of his pocket and showed it to me. "Mi6."

I nodded. "Didn't know Brits were known to be late." I responded dryly.

He smiled. "Touche. I never got your name."
"Kerry Johnson."

"So fill me in Johnson."
"I think you can handle it by yourself. I have to get back." I said as I started walking.
"Nice to meet you." He said after me.

Back at the plane, Alfred analyzed the hair I gave him.

"The DNA doesn't match anyone on the CIA's watchlist." He said.

"What about Interpol?"
"Yes, we have a match."

"And?" I looked over his shoulder and saw the picture on his screen.

I read the name and the guy's background. "Russian?"

"So it would appear." Alfred responded. "Interpol is keeping taps on him for his connections with the Russian mob."

"Why is everything always coming back to the Russian? What's the bigger picture we're missing here?"

"I don't know." Alfred responded. "But I do know where Mr. Medved will be in two days."
Medved - the Russian mob leader. He had been released from prison during Bane's reign.

"Where?" I asked.

"Monaco."

Alfred's sources told him Medved would be at Monte Carlo Casino.
"Time to say hi." I said. "My problem - I can't go in looking like me. They will recognize who I am."

"It might be time for a new hair color." Alfred said.


I went to the finest hairdresser Rome had to offer to go platinum.

On my way I heard a voice behind me, already knowing who it was.
"Miss Johnson."

I turned around. "Mr. Goodwyn. Are you following me now?"

He was leaning against the wall of a building, his head tilted, smiling at me.

"Wow, not even pretending to be excited to see me?" He asked.
"I don't have time to pretend."
"Really? That's interesting given the fact that I looked you up and there is nobody with your name in the CIA database."

I knew that was going to happen - but of course I hadn't planned to run into him again.

"Bravo. You called my bluff." I said, rolling my eyes at him. "If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment."

"At the hairdresser I assume?"
"I'm pretty sure that's none of your business."
"Oh but it is Miss Hunter. You're headed to Monaco. I know that because I have friends at the airport who tell me the private jet owned by Wayne Enterprises changed it's course from Gotham to Monaco. The piece of evidence you took from that crime scene - it's leading you to Monaco."
I laughed and rolled my eyes again. "No, money is leading me to Monaco."

"Cut the crap, Hunter. We both know you took evidence from the scene. I'm not here to rat you out. All I'm asking is to get in on it."

I sighed and crossed my arms in front of my body, pondering his offer. "Why would you do that?"
"Because we weren't able to get anything from that crime scene. It all points at Islamic terrorism. My gut tells me, that wasn't the case this time. I have no evidence to support that and my superiors, they don't follow hunches. They follow evidence. That night, I saw you put something in your pocket. A hunch is telling me - you got something. I don't care why you're doing it. All I care about is getting those responsible for this behind bars."

"Fine." I said. "You can be my date."

"Date?"

"I'll fill you in tonight. I'm assuming you can get a hold of a fancy looking tux."
"Of course. But…"
"Details tonight. Meet me at the airport at six. Also - don't ever call me by my real name again."

He smiled at me and nodded.


It was a huge change. Once the hair dresser was done, I could hardly recognize myself in the mirror. My dark brown hair, now suddenly blonde. He was the star hair dresser for a reason, my hair didn't look fake. Several different shades of blonde now framing my face.

He also colored my eyebrows to match my hair.

"A new woman." He said.
I was. In more than just one way.


"Alfred, change of plans." I said as I walked into the hotel.

He looked at me closely.

"Oh yeah…" I said, suddenly reminded how different I looked now. "Big change."

"I say so." Alfred smiled at me. "I hardly recognized you."
"That was the plan, wasn't it? Anyway, the Mi6 guy from the other night…he's doing his job. He figured out who I am and followed me."
"What's his name?"
"Daniel Goodwyn. At least that's the name he gave me…I'm sure it's fake."
"No…" Alfred shook his head, looking at the computer screen. "Agent Goodwyn. Here he is."
I looked at the screen and saw his handsome features on there.

"He's with Mi6 and Interpol. Specializing in international terrorism." Alfred continued.

"Ok so he gave me his actual name. Anyway, he's coming with us to Monaco. Before you protest…I know it's not the best…"
"I wasn't. I think he could be helpful."
"Oh. Ok. I had a whole speech prepared and all."

Alfred just smiled at me. "Tea?"
"Yeah. Thanks."


Daniel met us at the airport at a secret spot.

When he saw me he looked surprised.
"Are you sure that you're not a secret agent?" He asked in his British accent.

"Positive."

"Well, you have a future in the business."
"Everyone knows who I am, thanks to my love life. I can't disappear anymore. Not even if I fly half the way across the globe."

His smile vanished. "I am very sorry for your loss."
"Don't be." I said and he looked at me confused. "I mean…it's ok. Whatever. Water under the bridge. Let's get going."

We flew over to Monaco. The plan was to arrive there and get on Medved's special VIP list. Someone like Medved wouldn't be seen with the masses. He would rent a private room where the stakes were higher.

Once Daniel found out Medved was involved he got very interested. Especially since Interpol had been looking into the Russian mob.

"I had a friend at Mi6 hack the guest lists at the casino," Daniel said. "Medved isn't on any of them. Of course not. He goes by a fake name. Now the question is which one is him?"
"That's easy. Which one is the most expensive room?"

He pointed at one room. "That's our winner then."
"Ok. Let's be…" I looked at the guest list. "Mr. Thomas Black and guest."

Before we touched down in Monaco, we got changed. Daniel was wearing a tux and I changed into a silk black dress. It was floor-length, halter top, with a deep V-neck and a long slit.
I walked out of the small aircraft bathroom and took my seat across from Daniel, who had his eyes glued to me.

"Stop staring." I said without looking at him.
"Sorry." He said awkwardly. "You look great by the way."

"I know." I said, smiling.
He smiled back. "So…if you don't mind me asking…what's in it for you?"
"What's in it for me?" I repeated the question like it was a foreign concept to me.

"I mean, for me…this is my job." He said.
"Bull. If it was just a job, you would follow orders instead of sitting in this plane with me right now."
He smiled again. "True. But I didn't say it was 'just' a job. I meant this is my profession."
"And why did you get into your profession?"
"I guess I wanted to serve a certain sense of justice in the world. Right the wrongs."
"That's why I became a journalist. Only, my career ended because I… because this…" I motioned around my face. "This became to well-known. Known for things I didn't want to be known for."
"You became the Princess of Gotham."
I grimaced at the notion. "Also don't ever say that again. But yes. So I can't be a journalist anymore. But I still want justice. Now more so than ever."

"It's very noble." He said leaning back.

"What? You don't believe me?"
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
"Fine. It's just that I think, if you don't mind me saying, your motivation, I believe, comes from anger."
"You don't know me."
"No, I don't. But I can feel the anger, guarded carefully behind your eyes." He said, looking closely into my eyes.

Holy shit! He is good at his job.
I felt like he was reading me like an open book.

"Well, I'm glad you're putting your "understanding women" book to good use."

He laughed.
"But we're here Mr. Freud, so I suggest you get into character." I said.

"Nothing would give me more joy." He said leaning forward. "Darling."
I grimaced again. "Save it for Medved, dickhead."


The plan was simple. Figure out who Mr. Black was and then take their place. We spotted Mr. Black early enough. Daniel ran him through the database and he turned out to be just another billionaire.
Perfect. Daniel couldn't pretend to be someone Medved already knew closely.

Mr. Black, a billionaire from London, made his money as an investment trader. His date - a social light from New York - did not have much of a background to speak of.

"I got this." I said as I slipped away from Daniel, making my way towards Mr. Black as his date had just walked to the bathroom.

Daniel headed to follow Mr. Black's date.

"Hi there." I said to Mr. Black.

He looked at me, his eyes slowly assessing my body. "Hi." He smiled at me.

"Mr. Medved is expecting you. Please follow me."

Without questioning it he did.

I walked down the hallway and then turned the corner.
"It's right over here." I said as I opened the door to an empty conference room.

"There is nobody here."
"Correct."

Before he knew what was happening I grabbed him by the head, brining it low enough for my elbow to hit the lower head area, just before his spinal cord. He slumped to the ground.

He wouldn't be out for too long. So I also gave him some drugs to make sure he wasn't going to be a problem.

I walked back. Daniel waiting in the entrance hall for me.

"I thought you dumped me for a hotter date." He said.
"Oh it was hot alright."

He smiled and put one arm around me. "Showtime." He said.
"Please restrain from enjoying this too much."
"Oh, I'm not making any promises. What happened to Mr. Black anyway?"
"He's taking a long nap."

"Chemically induced?"
"Mostly."
"Mostly?"

"Let's just say he was getting on my nerves."
"Huh. Sounds like I better not go on your nerves."
"That's right. Now shut up and pretend you're rich."

We walked in the room after being screened for wires and for weapons. I didn't need weapons. I was the weapon.

I remembered when Cook told me that, but back then, I was scared by opponents double my size. Not much I was scared of anymore these days.

The room was plain but elegant.
I spotted Medved at the table, talking to one guy next to him, two pretty blonde women sitting next to him.
"What are we playing?" I said, taking a seat next to Daniel.

"Poker." He responded.

"Do you know how to play?"
He shrugged.

"You better because I don't." I said.

He smiled. "You'll get the hang of it."

Medved suddenly spotted me. I smiled at him as if I didn't know who he was.
He simply turned to one of his men and said something, still looking at me.

The man nodded and walked over to us.
"Mr. Medved would like to invite you both on his end of the table." The man said.

"That's very nice of him." I said as we got up and walked over.

"Remind me who you are?" Medved asked Daniel.

"William Black."
"Black…Oh yes. I think I remember. You have to fill me in on some of your projects."
"With pleasure."

"Who is with you?"
"That's my date Sarah."
"Sarah." Medved said and kissed me on both cheeks. "That's how we greet each other in Russia."

"Nice to meet you."

"Take a seat. We're just about to start playing. We're only expecting one more guest."

He pulled up a chair next to him and motioned for me to take a seat. Reluctantly I did.

Daniel caught on my uncomfortableness and pulled me closer to him, putting an arm around me.

"So, Mr. Black - what can you do for me?" Medved asked.
"Excuse me?"
"See this room is filled with people offering to do something for me." He motioned around and I looked at all the people in the room. The rich type. Men in expensive suits with beautiful women.
"If you're not serving a purpose here tonight then why are you here?" Medved said.

Daniel smiled and didn't seem rattled. "It's your party tonight. If you don't want me here you say the word. I'm not begging to be here."
Medved grinned. "You're an arrogant son of a bitch. I like it. I don't need your money. I have money. I have people with money."
"I'm not a mindreader. You have to tell me what you're looking for."
"I need a way to launder money into the U.S. and I hear you're my man."

If I was Daniel I would respond - yes sure. I'll do that.

But Daniel just smiled, took a sip of his drink, and shook his head.

"Where did you hear that from?" He asked. "I don't do that sort of thing."
Medved laughed again. "I'm just messing with you. That was a test. And you passed. Can't be careful enough these days."

I would have blown our cover already.

"I hear you." Daniel said. "Believe me, your money is safe with me."
"Good to hear. You come highly recommended."

Daniel simply nodded.

"What are you drinking, sweetheart?" Medved asked me.
"Whatever is good?"

He snapped his fingers at one of his men. "Bring this lovely lady whatever she wants to drink."

"Gin and tonic, please."
"Coming right up."

"So what?" Medved asked Daniel. "You got yourself a drink but not your lovely companion?"
"She was still getting ready. You know how that goes."
"Ah yes! I see it was time well spent." He said looking at me closely.

"Where is our final guest?" Medved asked unnerved.

"His car just pulled up. He should be here momentarily."

In that moment the door opened.

"Sorry I'm late. I hope you got started without me."

I couldn't believe my eyes. It was Bruce, in a fancy tux, with two women on his arm. I felt my heart rate increase.

Daniel looked at me in disbelief - as far as he knew Bruce was dead.
"It's a long story." I said quietly.

"I say so." He responded.

"Mr. Wayne!" Medved said. "Back from the dead."

"Not for long - if my friends have it their way."

Medved laughed. "Death looks good on you my friend. Take a seat. We're just getting started."

Bruce hadn't spotted me yet. He took a seat almost directly across from me. With my new hair color it would take him a second to actually see me.
"I thought you are broke?" Medved asked.
"On paper."

Medved laughed again, shaking his head. "Can you believe this guy?" He asked me.

I didn't respond.

Bruce ordered a drink for himself and for the two women next to him.

"Two lady friends?" Medved asked. "One not enough for you anymore?"
"Never enough." Bruce responded with a fake smile.
"What, married life not for you after all?"
"I wasn't married."
"Ah, yes, just engaged. Enough time to realize what you're missing."

"It's like ice cream. You get bored of one flavor." He said as he put his arms around the two women next to him. That's when his eyes locked on mine - his facial expression changed.
The smile vanished, his eyes lost the fake exterior. He looked at me in shock for a few seconds that felt like eternity.

Here we were - both pretending to be someone else.

"Let's start the game." Medved said.

Bruce just stared at me before he regained composure.
"Let's." He said with a fake smile.

Daniel leaned in and whispered in my ear: "If this is too weird for you, we can abort the mission."
"It's fine."
"I need your head in the game."

I laughed as if he had said something naughty in my ear. "William!"

He looked at me, unsure what I was doing. "You can be so bad sometimes."
I leaned in and brought my arms around his neck before I whispered: "I'm fine so stop acting suspicious."

"Fine." He said and brought me on his lap in one swift motion, his arm around my waist. He pulled me towards him and kissed me.

"What? You're not sharing?" Medved asked with a grin.

I didn't hear Daniel's response, I just saw Bruce staring at me. His arm around one of the women, his hand on the leg of the other. His eyes were like angry daggers.

I tried not to look startled by his gaze.

They placed our chips in front of us.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the game tonight." Our dealer said in a French accent. "Three players."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. Suddenly it was business.

I moved off Daniel's lab and sat on the chair next to him.

The dealer gave each cards and then turned over four cards on the table.

This is when I wished I knew anything about poker.

"Monsieur Black?"
"300-thousand." Daniel said, throwing some chips in the middle.
"300-thousand." The dealer repeated.

Bruce threw some chips in the middle.

"Call." The dealer said.

I was utterly confused, watching them closely.

Medved followed Bruce's move.

"And call." The dealer said, then he put two more cards on the table.

Bruce looked determined, having the perfect poker face. If anyone should have it - it should be him. He practiced the fake facade for years.

"Check." Daniel said.

"Monsieur Wayne?"
Bruce looked at Medved, calculating his next move. Then he put a large red chip on the table.

"Bet." The dealer said. "500 thousand."

Medved played with two chips in his hand and then put two large red chips on the table.

"Raise." The dealer said. "1 million."

"Seems someone knows something I don't." Daniel said and put his cards on the table.

"Fold." The dealer said. "Heads up gentlemen. It's up to you." He said to Bruce and Medved.

The two kept staring at each other, trying to figure out what the other was thinking.

"Two." Bruce finally said and put large blue chips on the table.

"Two million." The dealer said. "It's up to you."

Medved kept playing with the two chips in his hand, a sly grin on his face as his eyes were studying Bruce.
Suddenly he pushed all his chips into the middle. "I'm all in." He said and a gasp went through the room.

"14 million and 500-thousand in the pot right now. It's up to you Monsieur Wayne."

"Wayne will have to go all in to call his bluff." Daniel explained to me quietly.

Bruce still staring at Medved he suddenly said: "Call" and pushed all his chips into the middle.

I felt myself tense up. It wasn't even my money but that amount made me nervous.

"Gentlemen show your hand please." The dealer said.

Bruce was the first to turn over his cards.

"Full house." The dealer said. "Kings and aces."

Medved didn't flinch.

Then he turned over his cards. All I could see so far was a check.

Check is lower than aces and kings, right? I thought to myself.

Then Medved spread the cards out and revealed two checks. A gasp went through the room again and Medved smiled at Bruce.
"Oops." Medved said.

Bruce didn't change his facial expression, simply staring at Medved as the dealer took the cards and said: "It's four checks. Monsieur Medved wins."

"You must have thought I was bluffing, Mr. Wayne." Medved said with a big grin.

"We will break for 20 minutes." The dealer said.

I got up. "I'll be right back." I said to Daniel.

As I walked out, I could see Bruce looking at me closely. I walked straight to the bathroom, needing a second to grasp the whole situation. I reapplied my red lipstick. It was still strange to look at my new reflection in the mirror.

I walked to the bar and ordered another drink when Daniel appeared next to me.

"What in the world is going on?" He asked me quietly.

"It's a long story."
"I say. Anyone else you're bringing back from the dead tonight?"
"No." I sighed, taking a sip of my drink. "Just the one."

Medved and two of his men walked towards us. I tensed up immediately but he had a smile on his face, looking at me.

"Time you try real Vodka from Russia." Medved said to me. "Not that cheap stuff they sell you here or in States. You from America?" He asked in a heavy Russian accent.

"Yes." I said. "Where's home for you?"
He shrugged. "Wherever I feel like." He said, handing me a shot glass of vodka.

I downed the liquor.

"Ah?" He asked in anticipation.

"Very good." I assured him as he poured me another one. "Must be nice to travel the world like that." I said, trying to flirt with him.

"Don't tell me a pretty girl like you isn't being shown the world whenever she wants to."

I moved my hair to the side. "I still want to see much more."

"Looks like the party is out here now." Bruce said, suddenly cutting in between us.

"Excuse me pal." He said to the bartender. "Can I get another one?" He leaned over the bar between me and Medved.

"You're awfully rude for a dead man." Medved said.

Bruce laughed, still standing between us. "I'm not rude." He said as he took Medved's shot glass and downed the vodka. "I'm American."

Medved laughed.
For some reason Bruce understood how to work with Medved.

In that moment I felt Daniel's arm around my waist. "Let's go back inside." He said into my ear.

Both Bruce and Medved looking at us closely as we left.

"Careful." Daniel said to me as we walked back into the room. "You're playing with fire."

"I know. Isn't that why we're here." I smiled.

He was about to protest when the dealer asked for everyone's attention.

"The big blind is now $1 million. Three players." The dealer said as we sat down.

Bruce and Medved had entered the room again.

"Let's raise the stakes." Medved finally said.

"More money?" A spectator asked.

"No, no." Medved shook his head. "Stakes this time…not just money. We all have money. Right? We want things money can't buy." He looked at Bruce with an almost evil smile.

What was he getting at?

"Name your bet." Daniel said, although Medved wasn't looking at him.

Medved stared at Bruce, a sly grin on his face. "A night with her." He finally said, not looking at any woman in the room, his eyes carefully awaiting Bruce's reaction.
Everyone seemed confused. Bruce laughed. "Sorry buddy. I told you last time - I don't share."
"I wasn't talking about your companion." Medved said as he turned to me.

Great…

"I was talking about her." Medved said while looking at me like a priced object.

Daniel got up instantly. It was adorable how protective of me he was already.

"No way." Daniel said almost a little too forceful. "That's not an option."
"Name your price." Medved said.
"Name my price? So you and this deranged, said-to-be-dead American can play for my girl?"
"Your girl?" Medved asked. "Come on. It's not like you two are married. Don't tell me you're here with her because she likes you. She likes money. You like money. Everything has a price. Name yours."
"There is no way…" Daniel started to say but I interrupted him.

"20 million." I said as I sat down.
Daniel looked at me as if I was crazy.
"Oh la la. You're not cheap my dear." Medved said.

"Nothing you want is ever cheap. Or easy to get." I said with a smile.

"No, it's not." Medved laughed. "So what do you say, Wayne?"

I looked at Bruce and his dagger-like eyes were burning through me. His jawline was hard, his hands balled into fists.
Now I understood Medved's plan. He saw how Bruce had looked at me when he came in.

He wanted to up the stakes - and he knew money wasn't where he could hit Bruce.

Bruce's eyes went from me to Medved. "Check." He said.

Daniel sighed and sat down next to me. "Check." He said, looking at me annoyed.

Medved smiled at me. "Check."

"Three players." The dealer said.

I wasn't afraid of losing. So what? I would play along until I was in the creep's bedroom and then I would knock him out. I can handle myself.

It was degrading that they were playing for me, yes. But who cares? Let Medved believe he actually has the chance to sleep with me. I knew it would never happen.

"Mademoiselle?" The dealer asked me and it seemed this wasn't the first time a group of men were betting on a woman. "We need something on the table to represent you as the prize."

"With pleasure." I said as reached up my dress. Medved's eyes were closely following me. Bruce was holding my gaze, looking like he was ready to explode.

I was wearing a black garter around my thigh - like the ones brides wear on their wedding - to hold my fake ID in it and occasionally a gun, though I hadn't needed one of those in a long time. I was the weapon now.

I took off the lacy black garter with a smile and put it in Daniel's hand.

Daniel looked at me almost angrily and then placed the garter next to his chips, shaking his head.

The dealer gave each player cards and then turned over four cards on the table.

This is when I wished I knew something about poker.

"Monsieur Black?"
"Check." Daniel said, glancing at me again.

"$24 million in the pot already." I heard someone whisper.

I could feel the tension in the air. The stakes were high.

"Check." Medved said.

"Check." Bruce said.

"All check. Three players." The dealer said before putting two more cards on the table.

I really wish I knew what was going on.

Daniel pushed his chips in the middle. "All in. 5." On top of the chips he placed my garter.

"All in." The dealer said. "Five million and Mademoiselle Parker."

The crowd was looking at Medved now.

He leaned back in his all white tux. Three women standing behind him as well as his entourage of security guys.

He didn't say anything, a sly grin on his face. After a few seconds he grabbed some of the large blue chips and put it on a stack of round chips. Again I had no idea what was going on.

He pushed the chips in the middle.

"Raise."

A gasp went through the room.

"Raise." The dealer repeated. "12 million."

Bruce stared at Medved and then leaned forward, looking at him directly for several seconds, holding his gaze like they were in a mental battle.

It was absolutely quiet in the room. The only noise came from Medved who was playing with two chips in his hand as the two continued to stare each other down.

I was getting nervous for Bruce. I wasn't used to big money like this. He was. There was a lot of money at stake. But more than that - I knew he would hate the idea of me being "won" by Medved. Even though he must know I could defend myself. Or does he have that little faith in me?

Finally Bruce grabbed a chip and placed it on another. He must be going much lower.

But then he suddenly pushed the whole stack of chips. "14 million 500- thousand and 40. All in." He said.
Another gasp went through the room.

I felt my heart drop. Did Bruce know how to play poker? I mean, play it well? I had no idea.

I looked at Bruce as he was staring at Medved with laser like eyes.

His hair perfectly combed back. He looked ridiculously hot. That's besides the point, Cat!

Medved smiled. He looked at his cards again and then back at Bruce. It was like they were in a mind battle.

"Well, I guess I have to call you on that one my friend." Medved said, now pushing all his chips in the middle.

"Call." The dealer said as the two men stared at each other.

"What just happened?" I asked Daniel quietly.

"115 million in the pot." Daniel responded, not taking his eyes of the two players. "And, well, you."

"Yeah, I know that genius." I whispered back.

"Gentlemen, show your hand please." The dealer said.

Daniel threw his cards on the table.
"Full House. Eights full of Aces." The dealer said.

By Daniel's smile and the reaction in the room I could tell it was a good hand.

Medved's facial expression didn't change when he put the cards on the table.

"Higher full house." The dealer said and Medved started to smile and looked at me.

"Aces full of sixes." The dealer continued.

My heart dropped. Maybe my plan wasn't that smart after all? I smiled a fake smile at him. I looked at Bruce who was still focused on Medved.

"Monsieur Wayne?" The dealer asked.

Bruce had both arms resting on the table, looking at Medved in a calculated manner.

He was the only one who knew whether his hand was beating Medved's or not. But I couldn't tell from his facial expression. He just stared at Medved.

Without saying a word he put his cards on the table.

"Five and seven of spade." The dealer said and the room began to gasp again and then applaud quietly. "A straight flash. Four to the eight. High hand."

Bruce leaned back a little, his facial expression still not changing.

Medved was still smiling but he looked angry. Men like him didn't like to lose.

"Well played Mr. Wayne." Medved said but it sounded like a threat.

"Mademoiselle?" The dealer motioned for me to move to the other side of the table and sit next to Bruce.
I got up feeling all sorts of degraded and trying not to show how sexist and appalling I found this.

Bruce didn't look at me as I sat next to him. Daniel got up, nodded at me and I nodded as he left.

"Wait pal." Bruce yelled after Daniel. "I feel bad for you. Lost all your money and your girl. Rough night."

"Winner's luck." Daniel simply responded and shrugged.

Bruce snapped his fingers and without turning around, motioned for the two girls behind him to walk closer.

"Take it as a peace offering, pal." He said as the two women walked towards Daniel.

I tried not to look disgusted.

Medved still looked at Bruce.
"It's charity." Bruce said. "You gotta feel bad for the guy."
"I thought you don't share?"
"I don't." He said as he got up, buttoning up his blazer. "But I'll pass on what I've already had…" he now looked at me with a fake smile "… for something I have yet to try."

"Would you bring Miss Parker to Mr. Wayne's room?" Medved asked his men.
"I can find it on my own." I said.
"Sweetheart," Medved said in a degrading tone, shaking his head. "You just cost me 20 million. I will make sure you're not running off. I don't like to lose but I'm good at my word."

I could tell Bruce was about to explode but he kept his calm demeanor.
"I'm guessing it's the first time someone has played for Miss Parker." Bruce said with a sly grin. "She's simply not familiar with the rules."

And you are familiar with the rules? Had he played for a woman before?

Medved's men came to me and grabbed me by my arms, binding my hands together in front of my body with a black satin robe.

Bruce waved one of them over and said something to him quietly that I couldn't understand.

Before they took me away, I saw Bruce nodding at me.

We were going up in the elevator and I was already calculating how I could knock them out. At the same time, I needed to play along for a little longer.

They opened the door to Bruce's room and I walked in.

"Ok, thanks boys, I can take it from here."

"Normally we undress you and tie you to bed." One of them said in a thick Russian accent.

"Oh how sweet of you. I don't feel like bondage today." I said sarcastically, not able to play the helpless little girl for much longer.

"But Mr. Wayne… different plan for you."

He grabbed me and sat me on a chair and tied my hands to the desk.

Then they got up and left.

It didn't take me too long to get out of the knot. I saw a letter opener on the desk. I put it in my mouth and continuously stabbed the satin rope until it loosened.

I got up, tossing the rope, and called Daniel from my cell phone.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Fine."

"I won't even pretend I understand what just happened there."
"It's a long and boring story. Anyway, were you able to get the pictures?"
"Yes, yes. I ran them through the system. There were several interesting characters there tonight."
"Anything jump out at you?"
"Not over the phone."
"It's a secure line but ok. I'll see you back at the car." I hung up and walked out the door to the elevator and pressed the down button.

When the elevator doors opened, two of Medved's men were standing there.
In that moment Bruce walked in the elevator, grabbing me firmly by my arm. "I'll take it from here boys." He said with a smile.

The doors closed, he let go off my arm as we went up floor by floor. He didn't look at me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked.

His eyes shot up at me. "What am I doing? You don't understand who Medved is. He has this whole place under control. That's why you can't just walk out of here. He has eyes everywhere. Why do you think I knew you were coming down in the elevator."

"Man, he really cares about someone else's prize."

"He cares that he just spent 20 million to get you and then lost." He shook his head. "What were you thinking?"
"Jeez, I don't know. Maybe that I can take care of myself. I don't need you protecting me?"
The doors opened and he grabbed me by my arm as we walked back to the room.

"Remind me what we're doing?" I asked.
"We're playing along. He has eyes everywhere in this hotel." He opened his door and let me in. "Everywhere expect in my room. I swept this before." He closed the door and let go off me.

For a second we just stared at each other. Bruce was biting his teeth together, his hands still balled into fists. Then he looked down, running his hands through his hair before taking a deep breath.

It just now occurred to me that this might have been mentally more taxing for him than me.

With the next deep breath he took off his jacket and threw it on the bed.

He took off his bow tie and opened the first button on his dress shirt, still not looking at me.

Suddenly I felt like I wanted to continue opening those buttons. Way to stay focused, Cat!

"What now?" I asked in an annoyed tone, crossing my arms in front of my body.

"Now we wait. Until Medved and his gang leave, which I imagine shouldn't be too much longer." He said as he kicked off his shoes and opened the cufflinks on his shirt.

"Drink?" He asked as he opened the mini bar.

"Sure." I sighed.

He handed me one of the bottles.

"Why are you here?" I asked as he was taking a sip.

"I could ask you the same question." He said as he took a seat on the bed.

"I asked first." I said, walking closer to the bed.

"I've been looking into Medved for a while now. When I saw he was in the area…it made me curious what's going on. You?"
"The terror attack in Rome."
He looked at me confused.
"I don't think it was a terror attack." I said. "Or at least not Islamic terror."

"What makes you say that?"

"I found a hair in the passenger seat. Guy who was in that van is one of Medved's goons."

Bruce raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah." I said sitting down on the bed. "So that's why I'm here."

He nodded. "Who's your boy toy?"

I laughed. "He's not my… Anyway… He's Mi6."

"Mi6? Is he taking his martinis stirred or shaken?" He grinned at me.

"Ha-ha. I ran into him at the scene of the terror attack. Kinda can't rid of him since then."

"Can't imagine why."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"You look stunning by the way." He said, not looking at me. "Took me a second to recognize you."

"Yeah, I couldn't risk Medved recognizing who I am."
"Smart move." He said taking another sip. "Who knew you'd be just as hot as a blonde?"

"Who knew you could play poker?"

He smiled. "It's mostly luck." He said and shrugged.

"In addition of winning an insane amount of cash, what did you get from Medved?"
"I scanned his phone. Got all his emails, texts, phone calls…"
"Show off." I said.

He laughed. "What about you?"
"We're running pictures of everyone in the room through the database."
"We?" He asked.

"Well, Daniel is running it through the system. I could do it myself but I didn't want him to blow my cover."
He nodded and I could feel the hinge of jealousy in the room.

"What did you talk about with Medved after I left?" I asked.

"He was assessing my value to him. Now that I'm dead on paper, but still rich, he might be able to use me for money laundering and off-the-book deals. At least that's what he thinks."

"And you can potentially get a better idea who he's working with?"
"Yeah. That's the hope."
I nodded. "Why is it always coming back to the Russians? Is that just a coincidence?"
He suddenly looked at me concerned. "I don't believe in coincidences."

I nodded again.

Then we just sat there for a second, both sipping on the liquor bottles.

"So, you've played for a woman before?" I asked.

His expression hardened. He shook his head. "No, but I've seen it. Twice. It's disgusting."

"I say so."
"Then why did you do it?"
"I'm not scared of him."

Bruce bit his teeth together again, shaking his head. "Don't underestimate him."
"Don't underestimate me."

"Believe me, I don't. I've experienced what you can do first hand."
I felt a little bit proud of myself. The mighty Batman, admitting that I was a worthy opponent.

"But you have no idea who Medved is and what he does to people." He shook his head again.

In that moment I got a text from Daniel.

"Everything ok?" He asked.
"Yes. Just waiting for M to leave."
"He just did."

"Looks like we're in the clear." I said getting up.
Bruce got up as well. "Is he gone?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. I got the assurance from her Majesty." I joked.

Bruce smiled softly at me. For a second we stared at each other.

I felt my heart rate increase again.

"Ok then." I said awkwardly. "I should get going."

"Yeah." He said, scratching the back of his head.

We walked to the door together.

"It was great to see you again." He said, a soft smile on his lips.

I didn't say anything, my heart beating at a thousand miles per hour as we were just looking at each other.

I turned to the door, my hand on the doorknob.

Fuck it. Instead of opening the door - I locked it and turned to look at Bruce again.

He looked at me surprised, staring at me in disbelief. For a second he was just looking at me and then everything happened quickly.

He pulled me towards him in one swift motion, fastening his lips around my mouth. He worked fast and furiously. He backed me against the door with his body. His hand in my hair, his tongue finding mine.

Why was he like a drug I couldn't get enough of?

Breathlessly, he lifted my legs around his midsection, pulling my hips closer to him. I could feel his erection pressed against me.
My hands around his neck and in his hair, my body felt hot in anticipation. Wanting more. Wanting him.

He carried me over to the dresser and pulled my legs to the edge. His hands moved underneath my dress and in one fast pull, he took off my panties. His lips met mine again with ferocity, demanding everything.
As our kiss was intensifying I heard him opening his belt.

I felt him pull me towards him once again before, without any further warning, he entered me. I gasped for air, holding on to his back. His muscles moving underneath the shirt.

His breath was heavy and hot as it was hitting my skin around my neck. I felt myself call his name in agreement, begging him not to stop.

And of course that's when he stopped.
"Take off your dress." He demanded as he let go off me.
I stood up as he was unbuttoning his shirt, his eyes not leaving me for a split second. I smiled at him as I undid the neck halter and slowly let the dress fall to the ground.

His eyes looked determined as he moved closer to me, taking off his shirt.
Without saying a word, he spun me around, leaning me forward with force, pushing my upper body on the bed. Using his one leg, he separated mine further apart.
How he was taken control over me was strangely exhilarating.

He took the bow tie that was right next to us, grabbed my hands and tied them behind my back.

"What? Not trusting me?" I said almost in a purr and it took me by surprise that my voice didn't sound like Cat - it sounded more like my masked-self.

He seemed to have noticed the same thing, stopping for a second and then tying the knot even tighter.

Now - all at his mercy - I was waiting for his next move.

His hand slipped between my legs.

I took a deep breath as I felt his touch.

"Come for me." He said quietly after a few seconds.

He didn't need to ask, my body was already giving in.

Without giving me a break, he pushed himself inside me. His one hand in the middle of my back, he kept pushing me down further while he was moving inside me deeper and harder than before.

After a while, I felt my body begging for release again. And I could tell he was close as well, his breath heavier, his movements more erratic.

Suddenly he stopped and stood up again.

I sighed. "You can't keep doing that to me." I said breathlessly and annoyed.
He laughed as he untied my hands and flipped me around, pulling me closer to him by my ankles.
I looked at him and he was smiling, covered in sweat. No new bruises. Just the many old scars covering his body.

"Sorry, but I'm enjoying this too much for it to end." He said as he moved over me, his head inches from mine.

We continued were we left off. He started slowly and gently, kissing my neck, his hands covering mine, moving them over my head.

That's when his pace quickened again. My hands tightened around his as we were breathing in heavy unison.

I moaned deeply as I went over the edge, shattering around him. He followed me shortly after.

For a few seconds we were just laying there. His body covering mine as he was breathing heavily next to me, the occasional jolt still going through his body.

He slowly lifted himself off. He looked at me with the usual intensity that made my heart skip a beat and kissed me again before standing up.

I got up and got dressed.
"I take it you're not staying?" He asked as he was watching me.

"No." I said. "Nothing has changed."
He laughed and shook his head as he put on his pants.
"What?" I asked.

"You sound like me now."
"What?"
"Remember, when we just started going out - we had sex and I said to you: Just because I can't control my erection around you doesn't mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend."

"That is nothing like that."
"Really?" He asked, smiling as he put on his shirt. "Because it sounds to me like you are just as afraid of it now as I was back then."

"The difference here is that back then, I didn't pretend to die and let you burry me."

He walked up closer to me his shirt still unbuttoned. "I think you're afraid."

I rolled my eyes at him. Although he was right.

I was terrified. Deep down I could feel it. Like a protection mechanism. Maybe I was using my anger against him as a reason not to get back together with him again. A reason not to get hurt.

But I couldn't admit defeat. "I think that we just have really good sex." I said in a cool voice as I put my shoes back on. "Maybe we should keep it that way."

"You mean become friends with benefits?" He asked with disbelief written all over his face.

"Something like that." I shrugged as I got back up.
"Cat…"
"I should go." I said with a smile. "Sweet dreams Mr. Wayne."

I almost reached the door when he turned me around and pressed me against the wall again, just looking at me for a second, both his hands pressed against the wall next to my head.
And then he pulled me towards him again, kissing me passionately. The kind of kiss that makes you forget everything around you. His one hand in my hair, the other on my lower back.

Slowly he let go off me. For another second we just stared at each other before he took a step back.
A sad smile wiping over his face. He nodded at me as I walked out.

In the elevator, I was trying to bring my hair under control and fix my red lipstick. When that was done, I felt many different emotions hit me at once. First was butterflies and excitement. A few clips of what we just did replayed in my head and I felt myself grin from ear to ear, biting my lip.

But then came the reality wave. What was our future? There was so much baggage and so much I still didn't know about him. I didn't know he had seen men play poker to win a night with a woman before. What else remained completely mysterious to me? And would he be able to finally tell me the truth about all of it?

As the elevator doors opened I felt propelled back into the harsh reality. I walked out to where Daniel's car was parked a few blocks away.
I saw him look at his laptop as I got in.

"Welcome back." He said not looking at me. "I was wondering if I should send a search party for you."
"Sorry it took a little longer."
He just held up a hand. "Don't need to know the details."
"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means it's pretty obvious what took so long." He said with a smile on his face.
I crossed my arms in front of me. "How fucking presumptuous of you. You don't know me."
"No, but I am no idiot. You don't need to be a spy to figure that one out. And your lipstick is all smudged."

I quickly glanced in the mirror and saw that I had missed a section of my lips. I fixed it and angrily closed the mirror again. "That had nothing to do with anything…"
"The other thing…" he interrupted me. "…is that I saw how he looked at you. The whole room saw how he looked at you. The poker-face, never lose his cool, Bruce Wayne suddenly mesmerized by a woman."
"Please." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Why else do you think Medved put you up for auction? He obviously wanted to get a rise out of Wayne. Almost did. I could see his fists."

It was annoying how well he could read situations.

"Fine. You got me again. Can we move on now?"
"I'm just curious, you were engaged…then Bane took over the city for months."
I felt myself biting my teeth together as he reminded me of the worst months of my life — that was until the moment I thought Bruce was dead.

"What's your question?" I asked annoyed.

"Sorry, I'm assuming you knew he was alive?"
"Tonight? Yes. Back then? No."
He didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Well…" He said quietly. "That explains it."

"Glad to be able to catch you up on my love life. Let's get back to work."

"Here is the list of our friends in the room tonight." He said as he handed me the laptop. "Nothing earth shattering."
I looked at the names and faces. "That's not everybody." I said.

"No, that's everybody."
"Bullshit. Listen…I didn't have to tell you anything about the DNA I found at the scene."
"Fine. I'm sorry. I just don't think this is for you."
"What is?"
"I mean…it get's dangerous."
"Oh my God could everyone please stop protecting me!"
"You're plenty savvy, I give you that. But you don't know how to fight guys like Medved's men. Tonight was already way too dangerous. What if he had "won" you in that stupid poker game?"
I smiled. "Trust me, I would have been fine."
"You can't talk your way out of a situation like that."

"You really don't know me."
"Even if you've taken a few self-defense classes…"
"Ok buddy, how about you stop talking now? Whether you want it or not, I am going to investigate this. Either with your help or on my own."
He sighed. "Fine."


Bruce was sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, another small bottle of whiskey in his hand.

He felt like he was hungover from a mixture of different emotions.

Surprise when he saw her, now with blonde hair.

Anger and fear when he was worried Medved could "win" her in poker. He knew she could fight but he also knew what Medved's men were capable of. The thought made him nauseous.

Relief when he won the game and got her out of there.

Happiness and ecstasy when it seemed for a moment he had her back - only to be followed once again by emptiness.

He opened the bottle and down the liquid, screwing the cap on again tightly.
The room seemed to scream back in emptiness at him. Her scent still faintly in the air. He ran his hand over his face, feeling this heaviness on his shoulders.

And now - he had to look into Medved. He could feel something was wrong.


I walked into the hotel room Alfred had booked for me. He was waiting for me, drinking tea.

"Good evening Miss." He said, putting down the paper.

"Hi Alfred."

"Eventful evening?" He asked as I slumped into a chair.

"Yeah."
"I heard."
"You heard?" I perked up.

"Master Wayne called. He said he ran into you."

"He ran into me? That's what he said?"
"Well, he might have said that you put yourself in danger and that he is worried about you."
I rolled my eyes. "I have enough people worrying about me."

"He also told me about his findings on Medved."

I nodded. "It was worth the trouble."

"Good. I did find out more about him myself. I can go over it with you whenever you're ready."

"Alfred?" I asked as he got up.

"Yes?"
"I need to ask another favor of you."
"Of course."
"I need you to go back to Bruce."
He looked at me surprised for a moment. "I will but first I have to bring you back to Gotham, as promised."
I shook my head as I got up. "Plans obviously changed. Now that I'm looking into Medved and probably stay in the area for a while."
"Miss…"
I interrupted him with a hug, feeling myself close to tears. "I never said thank you for everything you have done for me. Without you I would be dead in more than just one way. Thank you."

I broke the hug and the old butler looked at me like a concerned parent. "It was my pleasure."

"I made the choice to end things with Bruce and Bruce is alive so there is really no reason for you to hang out with me anymore."
"But…"
"Please, Alfred. Don't make this harder than it already is for me."

He smiled a sad smile at me and nodded. "Very well. First thing tomorrow."
I nodded, tears in my eyes. He had become something like a father figure to me as well. He was the only one who went through the horror of Bane with me together. He understood better than anyone what I went through.


It was early in the morning when he heard knocking on his door.

He opened his eyes, not wanting to get out of bed.

Another knock.

He sighed as he got up and grabbed one of the hotel-provided ropes.
"I'm coming." He yelled annoyed.

Probably someone from the hotel, asking if there is anything else they could do. Yeah, let me sleep in.

He opened the door and saw a familiar face.

"Alfred?" He asked confused. "Everything ok?"
"Yes. I am officially back in your service now." He said as he walked in.

"Wait…what?"
"Miss Hunter decided that it was time."
"No, no, no. She needs to have someone there with her. You can't just have her be alone."
"I'm afraid, there is nothing I can do to change her mind."

"She can't do this alone." He said, the anger in him boiling.

"She isn't."
"What? That Mi6 guy?"
"He's very knowledgeable."
"About being a spy. She isn't a spy."

"And I'm assuming your disdain towards Mr. Goodwyn has nothing to do with jealousy?"

Why? Is there something going on between them?
That would be a childish question and so he didn't ask it.

"Who Cat spends her time with is her business. I'm simply concerned about her safety."

"She's quite capable."

"I know." He responded annoyed. "But for her to work completely on her own… She hasn't been doing this as long as I have. I've made many mistakes…"
"Oh yes." Alfred interrupted him.

Bruce took a deep breath, trying not to let the old butler get to him too much. "I've made many mistakes…but there was always someone there to help me out. You can't do it alone."
"Ah-ha!" Alfred said with a triumphant smile on his face. "Finally, after all these years. I thought you'd never say the words."

Bruce bit his teeth together. He was losing this battle.

"I'm going to take a shower." Bruce finally said.

"That would be a good idea."

Bruce sighed and shook his head as he walked into the bathroom. "It's good to have you back." He said - half sarcastically, half serious.


I had enough money from my payout with the station put aside that I would be able to live comfortably for a while. Once I got back to Gotham, I would need to find a job. What the hell kind of job would I want to do? I can't go back into journalism. I have no other qualifications.

That's when I saw Daniel walking down the street. I had been waiting for him.

I knew he had been doing some investigative work on his own time. I knew he didn't share everything with me. So I decided to follow him.

He walked down the street, not noticing me, and then got into a building.

I followed him and as he was walking down the hallway, I walked up close behind him.

"Miss me?" I whispered.

"Jesus, Hunter!" He said as he jumped.

"What did I tell you about my name?"
"What did I tell you about this mission?"
"Something about it being too dangerous for me."
"So you do listen."

"Of course." I said with a smile. "But I don't obey."
"Fine. This is where we traced Medved's men back to the other day. They're surely gone but I just wanted to see if they left anything behind."
"Why gone? Did Medved skip town?"
"Yes. Not sure where he went to. We're on that."

In that moment I heard steps in the dark.
Suddenly someone grabbed me from behind. Before I knew what I was doing, I held on to his hands, using them to stabilize myself before I brought my heel down with full force on his toe. He screamed but didn't let go but it was enough for me to twist out of his grip a little so I could turn, then bringing my elbow right into his stomach. He toppled over in pain and that's when I used my elbow knock him out, hitting him right on the neck.

Another guy came charging at me and I wasn't even aware of what I was doing. It all happened so fast.

Suddenly it was like the smoke lifted and I realized that there were five guys unconscious on the floor, Daniel standing there with his gun, looking at me breathlessly.

He didn't say anything for a second, putting his gun back into his holster.

"Who the fuck are you?" Daniel asked breathlessly. "Why does a journalist know how to fight like this?"
"When you live under a warlord for 4 months…you pick up some self-defense lessons."
"Yeah right. You wanna tell me that this…" He motioned at the pile of men on the ground. "…this is from self defense classes?"
I shrugged. "I'm a quick learner."

"People at Mi6 can't fight like that."
"Well, I'm happy to teach them." I said with a smile. "Let's go."

We walked into the room. "Not much here." I said.

"No, but we are looking for any clues. These guys had to be protecting something in here."

That's when it dawned on me and I left the room.

"Where are you going?" He asked after me.

I leaned down and looked through the pockets of the guys on the floor.

"Now would be a good time to explain what it is you're doing." Daniel said.
"Searching for clues."
Finally I pulled out a flash drive out of the jacket pocket of one of the men.

"Like this for example."
"Well done." Daniel said. "Let's get that analyzed."
"Only if you let me in on it from now on."
"The only reason I didn't was because I wanted to protect you from getting killed. Turns out you don't need much protecting."

I smiled triumphantly. Finally!


He got out of the shower and Alfred had already ordered a tray with breakfast.

"Good thing you have me back now, sir." He said with a smirk.

"Why is that?" He asked, drying his hair with his towel.

"Because without me you would be broke pretty soon."
"For your information, I just won $100 million in a poker match."
"That won't last very long."

He smiled. "No, it won't."

"I took the liberty and booked us another hotel room." Alfred said.

"Good." He said as he looked out the window, wondering where she was right now and what she was doing.


Daniel said he could analyze the data at the place where he stayed. I didn't ask many questions. We walked into an old building that looked rather rundown.

The apartment itself was large but had seen better days. It was completely empty, hardly any furniture. Just a mattress on the floor and a desk with computers and cables in the living room.

"What is this place?" I asked Daniel as we walked in.

"Interpol safe place." He responded as he plugged in the thumb drive.

"It's lovely." I said sarcastically.

"It's not meant for comfort."

"I thought you 007 types were living the life."
"Ah yes, fast cars, women and martinis. That is pretty much a spy's life." He laughed.

The data was loading.

"Huh. That's interesting." He said, studying his screen.

"What is it?" I asked, walking closer.

A lot of files in Russian appeared on his screen.

"My Russian isn't the best." He said in an apologetic tone. "But this all references one guy - Boris."
"And what are all these documents?" I asked, pointing at the files.

He opened them and they quickly filled the screen.

"Blueprints of a subway system…money wire transaction copies…"
"Which subway system?" I asked nervously.

"Let's see here…" He said, zooming in. "Believe it or not it doesn't say the city on it.

"Looks European for sure." I said.

"How do you know?"
"Well, it's not New York and that's the only American city with a major subway system like that."
"I agree it's European. I've definitely seen it. I think it's…" He trailed off as he googled: Berlin subway map. "There you have it."

The image matched the blueprints.

"So our guy Boris is in Berlin?" I asked.

"Not sure. I'll inform Interpol immediately so they know there is a danger."

He was on the phone, telling his superiors about what we had learned.

I looked at the data, wishing I could read Russian. Was this a plan for a next terror attack? Was Boris the guy carrying it out? Or the one planning it in the shadows? If it's the latter, he wouldn't be in Berlin necessarily. When was this going to happen? Weeks from now? Tomorrow? Where we too late already?

"Ok, let's pack our bags." He said as he got off the phone.

"You're taking me to Berlin?" I asked with a smile.

"I figured you're coming anyway, whether I invite you or not."

"You're a quick learner."

"You need to play my girlfriend."
"Excuse me?"
"My superiors don't know about you and they certainly wouldn't approve that I'm sharing intelligence data with a random girl."
"Random?" I asked, crossing my arms angrily.

"To them you are. That's why…you're pretending to be my girlfriend."
"Why would that be any better?"
"My bosses will most likely keep an eye on me. That's how this industry works. If they see images of me walking around Berlin with a girl, they're going to ask questions. My answer is going to be that you're just this girl that I've met and have fun with."

"So, I'm not pretending to be your girlfriend, I'm pretending to be your fling."
"Yeah." He shrugged.
"Fine Goodwyn." I said as I got up. "I'll warn you now, I'm a darn good fake fling."

He laughed. "Oh I don't doubt it."


I got back with my bag packed an hour later. I brought my Viper outfit just in case.

We didn't plan on flying since that would be too public.

Instead we opted for a train ride. That would be pretty low key.

We had an hour before we had to be at the train station. Daniel poured me a glass of wine as we sat in the empty Interpol safe house. A single light bulb illuminating the desk with two chairs.

He sat down next to me. "You're her, aren't you?"
"Could you be a little more vague on that?"

He simply put his phone in front of me. It showed an old surveillance picture of Black Viper.

My blood froze.

"When I saw you fight those men today…it clicked." He said. "And it makes perfect sense. You lived under a warlord for months. The man you loved, taken captive."

I didn't say anything, blankly staring at his phone. I felt my guard go up inside of me. I had shown too much of me to him. I don't know him. I don't know if I can trust him.

"And that means…he is the Batman. Doesn't it?" He asked.

I just stood up, without saying anything.

"I get it now." He continued. "He pretended to die so he could stop being the Batman…"

I simply grabbed him by the shoulders, pushing his chair over. He fell, his head hitting the ground. Before he could make another move I had my knee on his throat, balancing it on him, applying just enough pressure to be uncomfortable but not enough to strangle him. He struggled against my leg but I simply applied even more pressure, his head turning red.

"One - you don't know anything about me." I said. "Two - nothing makes perfect sense. I've learned that the hard way. Three - you're going to tell me now if I need to kill you or if you're on my side."

He placed his hands next to his head, trying to speak.

I let him go. He gasped for air, slowly getting up.

"Fuck, Hunter." He said, touching his throat. "I was just making an observation."
"You're a spy. Revealing another person's true identity is never an observation. It's a threat."

He shook his head. "No, not this time. Mi6 doesn't care about you or Batman. We have bigger issues. I know the CIA has looked into Batman before. But that was way before Bane happened. Nobody in the intelligence community cares who you are."

"Then why do you?"

He stared at me for a few seconds. "If I'm working with you it would be nice to know what you're capable of."
"So? I don't know what you're capable of. So far I know you're not great at poker and you fight like a girl."

He laughed. "I didn't say I bring much to the table."

"I am sorry by the way." He said.
"For which part?"
He smiled. "Ambushing you with this."
"Well, don't ambush me with stuff."
"I took note of that. But I'm also sorry for what you've been through."
"Don't get all sentimental on me now, Goodwyn."

He looked at me concerned, his eyes narrowing in on me. "I'm serious." He said as he suddenly walked closer. "He doesn't know how lucky he is."

"Who?"

"Wayne."

I bit my lips. "Was. How lucky he was. Past tense." I corrected him. "I broke things off."

"And the other night is how you're proving that to him?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "What? You've never had sex with your ex?"
He suddenly put his hand on my face, looking into my eyes.

He was objectively a handsome man. I forced myself to imagine what it would be like to kiss him. But all I could think of was Bruce.

He inched slowly closer, his eyes moving between my eyes and lips.

"Here is the thing, Hunter." He said quietly. "I know what I want. I know that I want to kiss you."

For some reason all of this came out of the blue for me.
Maybe I should kiss him just to see? Take that leap into the dating life after Bruce? Everything in my body was screaming: No!

"But…" He continued. "I also know that you don't."

"And how would you know what I want?"

"Because I saw how you looked at him. It was like the two of you were electrified with one another. Like there was nobody else in the room."

I felt myself get emotional. He might suck at poker but damn was he good at reading people.

He was tugging hair behind my ear. "So, even if I kissed you now, I think you would let me because you want to prove to yourself that you're over him. I think you're right about many things - but one thing you're wrong about: I do not know nothing about you."

I just stared at him. Unable to move. He was dead-on. I didn't even know I was thinking all of that until he just said it. How was he doing this?

"I think you don't know what you want." He continued. "But it's obvious to everyone else."

He was still only inches from me, his eyes scanning me for a reaction.

"Am I wrong?" He asked.

"As a matter of fact you are." I lied. "I haven't been in love with him for quite some time." Saying it felt like poison in my mouth.

A soft smile wiped across his face. "Even for someone who is as good as you in pretending to be someone else, that was a lousy lie."

I pushed myself away from him. "Ok, stop it. Why are we talking about this anyway? What is it to you?"

"In this business, you need to know your weaknesses better than anybody else. You need to understand yourself inside and out. What could bring you to the breaking point? What could distract you? He knows it. It's time you did as well."
"You've met him once. How in the hell do you know what he's thinking?"
"I saw the way he…"
"…looked at me… yeah, yeah." I rolled my eyes.

He smiled. "I could see his inner battle. I've been there. More scared about someone else's life than your own."

I sat down, looking at the evidence again. Luckily he dropped it. But he knew he was spot on.


We were on our way to Berlin.

Leaving Monaco also meant leaving Bruce. When I had left Rome I went with Alfred. This time I had cut all ties. I would leave. He would stay. Unsure of when I would see him again.

"You ok?" Daniel asked me as we were waiting for our plane.

"Yeah." I responded.

He looked at me with questioning eyes.
"Stop that." I said annoyed.
"Stop what?" He asked innocently.

I sighed. "Trying to read my thoughts all the time."

He shrugged. "I'm a spy. That's what I do."

"Interrogating people about their love lives? That's not what the Mi6 pays you for."

"Reading and understanding people around you is probably one of your biggest assets as a spy."

He was right and now I realized how miserable at it I still was. I looked at him knowing next to nothing about him.

He grinned at me, seeing how I was trying to figure him out.

"Alright Hunter, I'll give you a few things to work with. Born in a small town in Wales. Parents were drug addicts and I was soon put into foster homes. Made my way through rough teenage years. Studied at a decent university and was picked up by Mi6."

"I'm sorry about your parents." I said.

He shook his head. "That was a test and you failed. Most of what I just told you is utter rubbish."

"You're an ass."
"No I'm a spy."
"Same difference."

He laughed. "People lie to you all the time. The key is to understand when. We all have the basic instinct to know when someone isn't telling the truth. But you can train that instinct to function better. You need to pick up on the little details. How a persons eyes are moving. Any kind of facial expression changes."
"What if the person has the perfect poker face?"
"Nobody does. But even if they're really good at keeping composure there are things you can still do."

I shifted in my seat, listening closely.

"Take my little story for example." He continued. "The first part was true. I was born in a small town. But I'm not from Wales and my parents weren't addicts."
"How should I know?"
"Use everything you know about me in context."
"I don't know anything about you."
"Not true. You can hear my accent."
"It's not Welsh but you could just hide your accent."
"True but what does my accent sound like?"
"You mean which region?"
"No. How would you describe it to your friend."
"Posh and arrogant."
He laughed. "There you go. Now do you really believe I grew up in the foster system, abandoned by drug addict parents?"
"I don't know."
"Look at me." He forced me to focus on him. "I'm not asking you what you know, I'm asking what you think."

I looked at his hair which was cut within the last week or so. He took care of himself that was for sure. Even his hands seemed manicured. But it wasn't even what he was wearing or his hairstyle that made him appear posh, it was his posture.
And now I realized something else - his eyes. There was no sadness in them. Not like there were in Bruce's eyes.

If he had been through everything he said he had, it would leave marks. It would leave a visible cloak of sadness or anger.

Daniel seemed whole. Not like Bruce. Not like me.

"And there you go." He said quietly as he noticed my facial expression changing. "You just learned more about me without me saying a thing."

He was damn good at this.

I was wondering how broken I appeared to him. How I looked through his eyes.

I quickly looked down to my hands again, as if that would close the gate for him to read me.

"Here is something real." He said after a few seconds. "My parents are both teachers and they don't really understand this side of me. Not that I can tell much about my job. But they stopped asking. When I signed up for this in my 20s I thought it would be just like James Bond. You're fighting the bad guys, get the girl, win the day. Reality is a lot more lonely and bleak than that."

I looked at him again almost to check if I could see if it was the truth. He was right, his facial expression was different than it had been when he told the lie.

"Boarding for flight 873 to Berlin is now boarding all passengers."

"That's us." Daniel said.

As we walked to the plane I couldn't shake the feeling of ending a chapter in my life, leaving Bruce behind. I felt a knot in my throat form, fighting tears.

—-

He walked back into the hotel room, sweat dripping from his forehead from working out in the gym.

As he tossed the towel around his neck on the floor, Alfred greeted him.

"Master Wayne."

"Alfred." He acknowledged the old butler without even looking at him.

"I see you've been working out."
"You're a keen observer." He responded sarcastically.

"And as such, I'm wondering why you're following Medved."
"Why?" He looked at Alfred confused. "I didn't think that needed explaining."

"It does, sir, since you hung up the cowl. You said goodbye to that part of your life. Yet here we are, thousands of miles away from Gotham and you're still fighting crime. The Batman is dead. Long live the Batman."

The words hung in the air like thick smoke. He didn't know how to respond. Was Alfred right? Was he just repeating his old lifestyle minus wearing the cape?

"What's your solution?" He finally managed to ask. "Just let Medved and his crew run around, orchestrating terror attacks?"

"That's what the authorities are there for."
"They're not getting it done."
"That's why Miss Hunter is out there."
"And I'm helping her."
"She's not asking for your help."
"She doesn't have to."
"Maybe, Master Wayne, it is time to move on to whatever life Bruce Wayne has after Batman?"
"This is ridiculous Alfred. I can't just let her go out there by her side."
"It's time, Master Wayne, to let her go."

The butler's voice rang through him.

"It's time," Alfred continued. "…to move on. Move on from Batman. Move on from her. You killed the Batman to start a new life. Now you need to live it."

He suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

"We've been at similar crossroads before, sir." The old butler continued and he couldn't bare to listen anymore. "After Miss Dawes' death you never started to live a life again. Now you decided to retire once and for all, free yourself of the mask. But you're not living your life."

He wasn't sure what to respond because he wasn't sure what he was thinking or how he was feeling - except for one thing: He felt more lost than ever.

Giving up the mask to have a life with her had been a huge step for him. Now she had left, leaving him unsure of what to do next.
Was he still waiting for her to come back to him? The answer was yes. He wasn't ready to give up on their relationship. But maybe Alfred was right and he at least had to give her the space she needed. She hadn't asked for his help.

Why was he still fighting? Because it's what he knew how to do. It had been his life.

Without saying anything he sat down on a chair, not sure where to go from here.

"I don't even know what a normal life would look like for me." He finally said quietly.

"That's why you should start trying it out. Just because she didn't give up the mask doesn't mean you shouldn't."

True. But he wasn't sure if leading a normal life was what he was capable of. What would he do? Just travel the world and start taking up polo? He took a deep sigh, staring at the carpet of the hotel room. What was next? He didn't know the answer.

—-