A/N: Exactly three years after I last updated this story, here is a new chapter! BUT PLEASE READ THIS: I have re-done every chapter because I wasn't happy with how they sounded. Please read the story from the beginning, even if you already have, because I've added things that you won't understand otherwise. Now, enjoy!

Chapter Nine: An Unusual Guy

He wasn't sure how long it had been since he had seen her. It must have been at least a few months – he didn't even want to think about where she'd been during that time – but she hadn't changed much. Her dark hair was slightly longer than it had been, brushing past her collarbones, but her smile was just as mocking, her eyes just as sharp.

"What do you want?" Bruce fought to keep his face neutral as he looked at her, trying not to let his frustration show.

"Is that all I get Bruce?" Selina's teeth gleamed as she smirked at him.

Bruce sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm serious, Selina. Why are you here?" He was uncomfortably aware of the fact that Harleen was just upstairs and prayed that she hadn't heard the unexpected arrival.

The woman stepped closer Bruce, making sure to swing her hips as she did so. "Is there any reason you want me to be here?" She pressed herself against him, far closer than he had been expecting.

The man shrugged her off immediately, pinning her arms to her sides as he pushed her away. "Selina." His voice left no room for more flirting.

"Always business with you, huh?" She asked mockingly, before she looked at him slightly wistfully. "You used to be a lot happier to see me."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why are you here?" He didn't want to think of the past, especially not in the mansion, with Harley just upstairs.

"Am I not allowed to want to catch up?" Her dark eyes looked him up and down as she bit on her lip lightly. "You look good."

"I don't have the time for this." Bruce deadpanned. "Tell me what you want or leave."

He was sure he must have been imagining the disappointment flash through her eyes; it was gone after a moment, and she shrugged at him with a fake nonchalance. "I thought you might like to know something?"

"And what's that?"

"Harley Quinn is missing." She said breezily, though there was a slight edge to her voice. Bruce fought to keep his face devoid of any emotion, but he couldn't hide the slight tensing of her shoulders. Of course, her sharp eyes caught the movement, and her voice was more thoughtful when she spoke again. "No one's heard from her for about a week now – even the Joker's noticed at this point."

His jaw clenched ever so slightly at the mention of the Joker. "Thank you for letting me know, I'll keep an eye out." He took a step back, expecting – or, rather, hoping – that she would follow his lead and leave the mansion, but luck was not on his side.

"Well, that's the thing." Selina said slowly, looking over him for a sign of any reaction. "The Joker is looking for her too, and wants all of us to. Something about her running away again – much more likely that someone's finally gotten tired of her and offed her." She let out a laugh that would sound fake even to someone untrained in human behaviour, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Thank you for telling me – although you didn't need to come here." His voice was firm, and again he thought he saw a moment of hurt dance across her face.

"I wanted to." She replied daintily, looking around the room. "You should really think about redecorating this place." Her nose crinkled as she looked at the old ornaments, and Bruce's temper flared.

"Was there a reason why you wanted to?" He snapped.

She didn't seem fazed by his anger and continued staring around the living room in false fascination. "What do you think of Quinn, anyway? You were always nice to her."

"I'm not in the mood for idle conversation Selina." Bruce said though gritted teeth. "Leave please."

She woman before him had many talents, but listening to him had never been one of them. Selina's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You will tell me if you see her, won't you?" She stalked closer to him, looking for any signs he was lying. His body language must have given something away, and he cursed internally when she drew back in surprise. "What are you hiding from me?"

"Selina she's a criminal – I can't just hand her over to you and the Joker." He shot back, refusing to give anything else away. "How can I put anyone away if I'm giving everyone back?" He made sure to keep his voice low; for all he knew, Harley could be trying to listen in on his conversation. She knew Selina's 'extracurricular activities', and his guest wasn't known to be a patient person.

Before she could reply, Alfred appeared at the door, looking severely troubled. "Master Wayne, sir, there is an emergency that requires your help upstairs." His face gave very little away, but Bruce could tell easily what it was about.

"You need to leave." He said roughly to Selina, who, in her surprise, nodded. The hurt in her face was as clear as day this time, but fears for what Harley could be doing erased any other concern from his mind. "Alfred, if you would please escort Miss Kyle to her car?"

"Of course, sir."

"Thanks Alfred, but I'm alright – he just wants to make sure I'm gone." She gave the older man a sickly sweet smile before turning back to Bruce. "We'll talk soon."

"Okay." He didn't see the point in arguing, not when it would only keep her in the manor longer. She sent one last smirk his way, one that would have made him think of her for days on end a few years ago, and left. Once the door slammed shut, Bruce hurried to the window; as promised, she was getting into her car, but he waited until she was out of sight to turn back to Alfred. That had been a close call, even by his standards. "Where is she Alfred?"

OoOoO

Harley panicked as soon as she heard the familiar voice in the hallway. She fought to keep her face under control as Bruce apologised to her and gently excused himself from the room. Once he had left, however, fear welled in her chest, accompanied by a small amount of hurt that Bruce had left her so quickly to talk to Selina. She couldn't focus on that very much, though, not with her breathing already growing ragged.

She sank to the floor and rested her head against the doorway, trying to keep her panicking under control. Breathe Harleen, she told herself over and over again. Just breathe. As the ringing in her ears reduced, Catoman's voice floated up the stairs. She only heard one thing, but it was enough.

"You will tell me if you see her, won't you?"

The realisation weighed down on her like lead. Bruce Wayne, the guy who so generously wanted to help and house a criminal, was going to turn her in to Catwoman? Even as her heart clenched at the thought of not seeing Mistah J, she didn't trust Cats as far as she could throw her (which wasn't very far, based on past experiences.)

She knew this had been a mistake. Mistah J was right – Bruce Wayne was nothing but a pretentious asshole that would sell her out to the highest bidder. Harley snorted a laugh – and she thought she could trust him.

At that thought, her chest constricted so quickly she could barely breathe. She had trusted him – at least as much as she could have after a few days, and he'd sold her out to Cats! It was unexpected, but Puddin' always said people were all the same.

Her fist flew out of nowhere, and one of Bruce's fancy glass globes crashed to the floor. She watched it with satisfaction, enjoying the expensive trinket smashing to pieces. Even though her hand ached, it felt good. So she did it again. And again. By the end of it, she was surrounded by shards of glass. She barely noticed her hand was dripping blood on to the floor. This was fun.

Just then, Alfred appeared at the door, no doubt concerned by the all the noise she was no doubt making. His eyes widened as he focused on first the shattered glass on the floor, and then Harley's bloody hand. "Ma'am, is everything al –"

"Get out!" She screamed, barely recognising the choked scream she released. Alfred nodded slowly and backed out of the room, and she grinned brightly at him as his eyes remained locked on hers until he disappeared from the room. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered why her cheeks were wet – she was happy, wasn't she? Breaking things made her happy.

She heard the door close – it seemed Selina wouldn't be coming for her today. Footsteps echoed on the stairs, louder than Alfred's. Shit. Bruce was not going to be happy – which she knew was an understatement. She needed to leave.

Her eyes fixed on a window near her, the only way out aside from the door. She yanked at the window and almost screamed in frustration. It wouldn't open. She stared at the complicated lock, too panicked to even curse Batman for filling the house with his ridiculous gadgets. She glanced over her shoulder at the doorway. It was empty, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she braced herself. If the lock wouldn't open, she'd have to find another way. Her already damaged hand formed a first as she swung for the glass panel.

"Harleen!" Bruce's arm shot out and grabbed her wrist before her hand could connect with the window. He hadn't made a sound as he came into the room and moved far quicker than Harley had expected. She let out a scream as she shoved him away, but – to her dazed shock – he took hold of her other hand and held them in front of her. He pressed her tightly against the wall as she thrashed against him in a frenzy, his eyes wide with concern and surprise. He didn't let go when she kicked at him – in face, he barely seemed to notice, though the pressure on her wrists increased.

After a few moments, her movements calmed until she was shaking in his grip, staring up at him with red-rimmed, hate-filled eyes. He met her gaze steadily with his own clear one, his irises the palest blue she'd ever seen. Up close, they looked more familiar than they had before, as was the quietly intense way that he held her.

"You sold me out." Her voice was quiet, but she knew that he heard her, from the way his eyebrows almost hit his hairline.

"Harleen, I promise I never did," he said, his voice only slightly louder than hers. "I haven't told a soul that you're here."

"You told me I could trust you." She wasn't sure why it hurt so badly, the idea that he betrayed her. She'd not expected any different, but something in his calm eyes had made her hope. That's the problem with hope, she reflected sadly, it kills ya in the end.

He let go off her wrists, trusting that she wouldn't attack him once her shaking had mostly calmed. "You can," he said gently, his hands on her shoulders instead. "But you can't leave Harleen. It's not safe."

She wasn't sure what she thought. The whole ordeal was beginning to cause a migraine to form, and she couldn't face the many questions that Selina Kyle's sudden appearance had raised. Instead of telling Bruce this, she nodded in agreement, barely paying attention to his words.

He smiled at her again, the sight putting her more at ease than she was comfortable with. He took her damaged hand in one of his and looked at it for a moment. "Looks sore. Come to the kitchen – Alfred will clear it up for you." He took a step back from her, his eyes watching her closely for any signs of escape. She dropped her head instead and nodded again. Once he was sure she wouldn't try to bolt again – not that it went well the last time, she thought ruefully – he walked to the doorway and stopped again.

Harley's gaze remained downward as she followed him, her hand catching her eye. She wiped away some of the blood, embarrassment beginning to settle into her stomach. To her surprise, red marks had begun to form on her wrist, quickly beginning to bruise. She held her uninjured one up, studying the skin as she felt Bruce's concerned gaze on her. Her eyebrows raised as she stared at her quickly purpling skin. She glanced at Bruce again, and his eyes met her. "Harleen?"

"Yeah, I'm comin'." She didn't bother to correct his name as she followed him out of the room, trailing blood on the carpet. The muscles in his back shifted as he walked ahead and her eyes narrowed, rubbing her bruised skin absentmindedly. Perhaps there was more to Bruce Wayne than she had first believed.

A/N: Please leave a review to let me know what you think. I really hope this story will be worth the wait!