Selina stood with her arms crossed in the doorway of Wayne Manor. Her polished fingernails tapping against her biceps as she sighed deeply, thinking of what to say. She stood still, watching as Ella failed at maintaining her composure as she walked to the front door, wiping at her lips and not making eye contact. As Ella tried to walk past her, Selina shoved out her arm at lightning speed to block her path.
"Kid, you have got some explaining to do, ya know? Kissing some stranger you've only met only once before? Are you even thinking about John with your actions?" Selina spat out the questions so quickly that it made Ella's head spin.
"I…know him. I've known him for a while." Ella all but whispered, still not looking at Selina. She wrapped her arms around herself to shield the cold night's shivers.
"You've known him? So this wasn't a one-time thing? What have you gotten yourself into, kid?" Selina dropped her arm from in front of Ella and watched as she stood frozen in her spot.
"Do you want to know who he is? Go to his apartment and look in the large case in his closet and you'll understand why I kept him a secret." Ella said, as she walked past Selina and up the stairs into her bedroom.
The Next Morning
Selina woke up early, making her way to the Batcave. She found Tom's information on the computer and wrote it down on a small piece of paper before putting it in her pocket. She grabbed the keys to the Lamborghini Aventador that she loved so much and started on her way to Tom's apartment.
Once arriving, she climbed the fire escape and peeked in the window assuring no one was home. Opening the window with her lock pick first, she slinked down into the bedroom. She surveyed her surroundings. 'Looks like a bachelor pad, the kid doesn't stand a chance,' she thought to herself. No photos on the wall or dressers, no individuality, no feeling of being in someone's home. Seemed more like a damn prison cell.
Ignoring the feeling of super sanitary cleanliness, she continued on to the closet and pulled out the large case dropping it on the floor in front of her. She picked the lock on it and threw back the lid. Cringing in horror, she set eyes on the dust-covered mask. She let out an anguished cry before closing the lid and putting it back in the closet. She wiped a hand over her face before getting up to leave. She ended up bumping into a hard solid frame.
"Ms. Kyle, it's a pleasure to see you again," that voice she remembered so much bled into her like sharpened ice crystals.
"You're not Tom…you're…Bane?" Her voice shrieked at the mention of the name, like it possessed a foul odor like rotting eggs.
"This frightens you, pet. I won't be here much longer and I won't let harm come to you if you stay away from me and what I have to do. You have to leave now and never return for my masters will find you and surely kill you on the spot." Tom said, before ushering Selina back out of the window and onto the fire escape before jumping down in one swift movement. She hopped in her car and sped off without looking back even once.
She arrived back at the mansion and went to find Ella straightaway. She found her in she and John's room and luckily he was off with Bruce somewhere. "Bane?! You knowingly kissed Bane right in front of the fucking mansion? What are you thinking, kid?" Selina all but shouted at the top of her lungs to Ella.
"Keep your voice down! When he saved me from the attackers that day, he took me back to his place and not to the hospital. I woke up and he asked if I recognized him. When I said no…that's when he showed me the mask. He never hurt me in any way and he promised to never hurt me again. He made love to me that night and last night." Ella sighed, feeling the weight of the lies flying off her shoulders.
Selina looked at the young woman standing in front of her for a long time before speaking. "Did…did you two use…protection?" Selina asked, almost afraid to hear yes OR no.
When Ella crossed her arms and looked away, Selina pinched the bridge of her nose with her pointer finger and thumb to stave off the massive headache that this conversation would soon cause.
"Ella…you-"Selina began but was cut off.
"What are you two in her gabbing about?" John entered the bedroom from outside, thankfully he had been out of earshot of everything.
"Just girl stuff is all. You know us gals love to talk about fashion and hair and…men," Selina fake-laughed and patted Ella's arm before turning and leaving the room.
"Talking about men, huh? Well I hope my name came up on this topic," John said, before picking Ella up and placing her on the top of her dresser.
"Of course you did baby, of course," Ella said as John embraced her tightly, a silent tear crept down her cheek.
