A/N: Sorry I took so long. This chapter was intended to be part of Chapter 3, but it was too long. There's a surprise or two that was hinted in the previous chapter that may have been obvious, I admit, and may have been in other fanfics, but who cares? I like it.
Change Continued
Thank God the day's over, Bruce thought while in his car.
The day started way too early with a board meeting that was way too long. They spoke on matters that apparently could not have been put in an email. Then there was the paperwork. Some stuff about the community and other facilities from across the country. Some projects, like a new train system currently being developed. It was by Lucius Fox. Pity Lucius wasn't there. He voluntarily stayed in Gotham to help the GCPD restore order. God bless that noble genius. Bruce had set up a routine supply transport to the refugees.
Now and then, the media kept explaining how the state of the city's condition fluctuated but remained the same. Sometimes he wondered if he should've stayed to help Jim and the others. Perhaps the body count would be a lot smaller.
At least now he was going home to see Selina. The best thing in his life. The one thing he always looked forward to at the end of the day. Hopefully, she doesn't have too much homework tonight. One time she had one project that was due the next day, and it took her six hours to complete. She didn't even want his help. It was a bummer that she didn't get an A. At least it was a B, so she passed. And it was math. The class she hated most of all. He was proud of her progression.
If she gets her homework done early, perhaps they could have some fun.
They practically have their fun every night since they chose to sleep in the same room. Selina did not sleep in the room she picked the day they moved in. That night, she went to him in that very lovely, very fitting nightgown. The moment he saw that flimsy little thing swaying about on her beautiful body, specific ideas flooded his mind that he was too scared to hope for. He was inexperienced and nervous, but so was she. What they lacked in experience, they made up for it in willingness and cooperation. They experimented with tricks they somehow knew, and once when they were finally naked, he froze. Not out of fear or insecurities. It was because he saw something. Even in the dark, he saw her stitches as clear as day. It had left a scar. All he could think about from there was how he almost lost her. But then the pleading expression on her face eased his troubled mind and they made it to the end. It was better than he dreamed.
Occasionally they skip it some nights if they were too tired. Although, that doesn't always go that way. Sometimes a few innocent kisses can lead further than intended.
Bruce felt honored that Selina Kyle chose him to be her first. Hopefully her last. What if she wanted to stop? What if she wanted to break up? Images of her being with other men invaded his imagination.
No! She doesn't want to break up, he scolded himself.
Instead of thinking about the bad what-ifs, he focused on her. Just her.
The memories of her physical form were instantaneous. Bruce could think of her muscular legs hugging his waist and her fingernails digging into his back as he filled her. Think about kissing that freckle on her chest he loved so much. Capturing one of her rosy nipples in his mouth. Think of all the magical times they had in their room. And in the bathroom. And the terrace. And the hot tub. And one time in the kitchen—which thankfully Alfred never found out… hopefully.
He alternatively thought about the fact that Selina was the best thing to ever happen to him.
The previous night, she helped him get over his recurring nightmares about Jeremiah. And she wasn't scared when he revealed that he had killed him. It was a fact that disturbed him for months. When he first killed Ra's al Ghul, he plunged himself into parties and liquor. Bruce knew better than doing that again after Jeremiah. But somehow, strangling him affected him more than stabbing Ra's.
Before Jerome's toxin completely affected him, Jeremiah was Bruce's friend. When he helped build his generators, they got along well. They shared the same goal, shared similar griefs, and just had fun hanging out. After the things he has done, merely to prove that they were "best friends," he had to be stopped. Then after shooting Selina—his real best friend—that was it!
Still, taking the life of someone he once was close to with stung worst than a possible threat to Gotham. A danger he was nonetheless, but the act was carried out in cold blood. He could never forget.
Telling Selina the truth made him feel lighter than before. If only it could go away. It was like that pain of losing his parents. It won't go away. Only to be learned to live with.
"Stop it," Bruce ordered his brain.
He shouldn't think about that dead monster. He was now pulling into the parking garage of his building. In a few minutes, he will see his beloved girlfriend. Just as he slammed the door shut, he heard a small peep. Turning and his breath caught.
Bruce stepped off the elevator into the penthouse. He held the surprise bundle under his jacket and called, "Alfred? Selina? I'm home."
"Welcome home, Master B," his loyal butler greeted. He took Bruce's suitcase and just as he tried to take his coat, Bruce stopped him. He gave the older man a knowing look. One that Alfred picked up curiously.
"Where's Selina?" Bruce asked.
Alfred answered, "Out on the balcony but surprisingly not risking her life on the railing."
Bruce thought that was odd. She loved putting herself in dangerous places this time of day.
He proceeded to the balcony. Just as he pushed the door open, there on his right, Selina sat in the adjacent chair. She had a mug in her hands and a blanket wrapped around her.
"Hey, handsome!" She beamed when she saw him. She placed her cup down to reach for him.
He bent down to kiss her. "Hey," he said between kisses. He straightened up with a smirk. "I got something for you."
Not waiting for her to asked what it was, Bruce opened his coat to present what he discovered. Selina's face lit up like Christmas. She was covering her gasping mouth and took the tiny black kitten from his hands.
"Oh, Bruce…" she hugged the cat close to her chest. "Where'd you get her."
He then explained how he just found the cat as he was getting out of his car. She looked scared and cold. And he didn't have the heart to leave her there. So he took her and carried her in his coat for warmth.
"You must have a thing for strays," she commented.
Bruce chuckled. "I must," he said. "She has your eyes." He gestured to the kitty's verdant eyes.
Selina chuckled. "Well, I was going to say she looks more like you," she regarded both creatures' black hair.
"She's both of us," he realized.
Her expression changed. At first, it was happy. The type of happiness that was contagious. Then it melted to sadness? Fear? The kind of emotion that had tears running down her cheeks and into the cat's fur.
Bruce noticed this in an instant. "Hey. Selina, what's wrong?" He held her shoulder and forearm.
She fought back a sob. She continued to pet the cat to calm her. Summoning all the breath she could take, she let out what was troubling her all day. "I-I think I'm pregnant."
Bruce's mouth gaped and his eyes blinked at a rapid rate. "What?" he asked. "A-are you sure?"
"I don't know," she croaked. She wiped the tears that were streaming down her cheeks, only for more to follow. "I bought a pregnancy test today, but… but I couldn't take it."
Bruce stepped back. Keeping her in his sight. He couldn't believe it. They've been trying to prevent that outcome. Boy, did they tried. But some things couldn't hold back the teenage hormones. "What makes you think you could be pregnant?" he willed himself to ask.
"You noticed I've been puking every morning for the last week and a half?" He nodded. That should've been his first clue from the start. "And…" her eyes avoided him, "and I missed my period today." She sniffed again. The cat in her arms seemed to calm her as its head found her lips. "I bought the test this afternoon… but I couldn't bring myself to do it."
He watched her hold the kitten to her chest as if it was already the baby she might be carrying. What would he do if she was pregnant? There was an actual possibility that she could be carrying a baby. His baby. Their baby.
Thoughts and fantasies of fatherhood attacked his conscience. What would he do? How would he handle it? Well, he did know a decent first step.
He sat in her chair. The blanket draped over his lap as he hugged her.
"What am I going to do?" she asked.
Only one thing he could think up that might help. "Maybe if you take the test, we can figure it out from there."
After another moment of silence, she agreed.
The stick waited for her on the sink. It took in her sample and it found the answer for her. Whatever that answer was, Selina had no idea. She treated it like a sick animal. She pressed her back against the wall and slid down to the floor. The test was in reach. But did she want to know the answer?
In a different life, her younger, more felonious self would scold her for being scared of some lines on a stupid stick. However, younger Selina probably wouldn't understand how terrifying that could be. She could be pregnant. She could be a mother. A bad mother no doubt about it.
Did she know about it earlier? Last night when Bruce revealed his fears and secret, she placed his hand on her belly. At first, she thought she was making him feel her fading scar. Maybe she was subconsciously placing the hand of her child's father on the baby. Was it?
How could she handle being a parent? Would she end up like her mother? Abandon her child? And would she try to use the kid as a payoff like how Maria did?
No! That will never happen.
At least she had Bruce. But did he really want to be a dad?
"Selina?"
Speak of the devil.
"Selina are you okay?" he asked from behind the bathroom door. "Can I come in?"
Selina sat up straight with her crossed legs. A steady breath bringing her back her power. "Yeah," she answered. "Come in."
She watched as the door opened so slowly. Bruce handled it with care as if any sudden movement would set her off.
"How are you?" he asked. His voice held a tone that somehow brought a calming feeling that unfortunately didn't last.
She didn't answer his question. His eyes fond the test sitting on the counter and looked back at her on the floor. Without saying a word, he sat next to her. The heat from his body against hers made her feel a bit more whole than a second ago. She leaned into it more. She wanted that warmth.
In the past, them staying quiet for that long would probably be awkward or uncomfortable. Now, with everything they've ever gone through and their new closeness, they were no longer uneasy with each other.
However, Bruce thought that the silence, comfortable or not, could not go on forever. "Selina," he said, "we are going to have to talk about this."
"I know," she admitted.
"So… how do you feel about this?"
"I don't know."
"Try to think about it."
Selina took another second to think. "Well," she tried to force the thoughts out of her mouth. "I… I admit I'm scared. I've never taken care of a baby before. Sure, I held babies before in the orphanage, but all I took care of was myself." There was something else she was too afraid to say out loud. Bruce knew it, but he shouldn't say it for her.
"Go on," he exhorted.
She didn't want to say it, but he won't leave it alone. Better to get it over with. "I-I'm afraid that I'll end up like my mother." A hot tear trickled down her face.
Bruce laced their fingers together. His strong grip broke the remainder of her shell and held the rest of her with care.
"Selina," he whispered into her ear, "I want you to know, that whatever you choose, whether to keep the baby or not, I'll support you no matter what." He pressed a tender kiss to her temple.
A new fantasy entered her brain. It was an image of her cradling the baby and with Bruce with his arm around her. He would be beaming down at them and kissing them. Another image of them, and maybe another kid or two, running in a field, rolling, piling atop each other. Those were very nice dreams. And they definitely overpowered the many more negative ones she thought of.
After a deep breath, she said, "Okay, I'm ready." She reached over to the counter and grabbed the test and the box. She double-checked the instructions again and back at the test.
Two lines.
Selina's breath caught in her throat. Pregnant, she thought. "I'm pregnant." For some reason, she felt her lips curling up into a smile.
She felt another kiss on her head. She became aware again of Bruce's existence.
"Now," he spoke, "how do you feel about it?"
Selina took a moment to stare at her baby daddy. The one boy—no, man—that she ever felt safe with. The way their story started was not ideal, but it will end as happy as they will make it. "I feel good as hell," she said. Her hand slid over her belly. "I'm going to keep it. Her! Them! We're going to keep them."
"You said her," Bruce observed. "What makes you think it's going to be a girl?"
"I dunno. Just… came out, I guess."
They shared a joyful laugh and a sweet kiss that was cut short by a knock on the door.
"Master Bruce, Selina," Alfred called through the door. "Not to disturb this beautifully important moment, but I hope you remember that you already have a new little one who needs a little attention."
They remembered the kitten Bruce adopted. They still haven't named her yet.
They walked out of the bathroom and found the cat waiting with Alfred. Selina scooped her up and kissed her head.
"I think I'm going to call her Isis," she suggested.
"The Egyptian goddess of fertility?" Bruce cited.
Selina snorted. Was that a coincidence?
"It fits," Bruce agreed while caressing her belly.
GCPD Precinct, Gotham
"We have three-hundred-and-fifty-six refugees and more pouring in every day. At the current rate, food and water rations are at four weeks. We could probably stretch it to five… maybe five and a half, but there's not much we could do," Jim Gordon grimly sighs into the radio microphone.
Four months.
For four months he's been trying to reach out to the government. Trying to get them to send more food, water, and medicine. But they weren't helping at all. Gotham's condition was one step away from Hell and the damn politicians were beyond scared or stupid. At least Bruce and Wayne Enterprises have been sending some. Unfortunately last time, the supply helicopter was shot down. They'll still send shipments, but not as often.
Last he'd heard from Bruce, he evacuated out of the city with Alfred and Selina. Jim was relieved that they were okay, but slightly shocked that Bruce ran away when people were in danger. After Jeremiah, it was probably best he stay away. That boy has already been through too much and he was too good for this hellhole.
It was his idea to send routine supplies. What a saint. He doesn't deserve this city. He deserves happiness.
He continued speaking into the microphone. "Barbara Kean has helped out against Penguin. She has all reason to hate him after…" he faltered. It didn't feel like his place to say it. "She still won't let anyone into her territory without her permission. Luckily she and I are on speaking terms. Other than that… nothing's changed." He exhaled regrettably.
All he heard was static through the radio speaker. Once the person he had been transmitting with said the usual excuse, Jim clenched his fist. As usual, can't supply aid while there were still hostiles aiming at anything that came close. No surprise there.
Sometimes he hated being captain.
Sick and tired of the transmission, he heaved himself out of his seat and marched to the one place that didn't cause him any problems. The roof.
Every night he switched on the old searchlight as a way to bring hope to the city. A way to tell the people that the police were still helping and they could follow the light for refuge. It didn't really do much, but he liked doing it. It was the only easy thing to do and he had some time alone with his thoughts. It was either doing this or smoking. He liked his decision.
Sometimes he had this little fantasy where the light attracted the attention of some savior or something. Boy if only that were possible.
Whether it did bring hope, that big halo against the dark clouds brought Jim a sense of serenity. Though, something was off. The circle in the sky wasn't whole. There was a big dark space in the center. Jim looked back at the searchlight. To his suspicion, there was something stuck on the light's surface.
He stepped onto the base to get a better view of the block. Through squinting eyes, it looked like a collage of paper taped to the glass. No! They were playing cards…. Joker cards?!
"What the hell?" Gordon murmured.
As he studied the vandalism, he noticed that the center of it was not a card. It was a drawing of….
"Oh, God no."
The haunting symbol of a maniacal laughing façade. Big glaring eyes and the word "HA!" stretched out into a grotesque smile. The insignia of Jerome's cult. The same lunatics that followed Jeremiah until his death.
How could they be back? They scattered after Jeremiah failed to destroy Gotham. Come to think of it, they stopped using that graffiti logo when he took over. It represented Jerome's psychotic humor. Jeremiah on the other hand wanted to terrorize the city "sanely." Jim didn't see that symbol used again. So what was it doing there? And what's with the joker cards?
There was something else, Jim saw. Beneath the laughing mouth, there was an inscription. It was short and simple:
"LOOK OUT JIMBO!"
A/N: What could this mean? Are the Maniax back?
Yes, a baby! I know it's not the most original idea for Bruce and Selina, but hey, I like it. These two deserve a happy ending after all the hell they went through.
Oh! How about the cat, Isis, is named after the goddess of fertility? That namesake was used for Selina Kyle's lead cat for decades, but after I looked up what deity she was, it was perfect for this situation. Hahaha!
I NEED SOME HELP HERE!
If you're wondering, Bruce and Selina will return to Gotham. It is where they belong. Both Selina and Barbara will be pregnant, but who should give birth first? Please tell me. Give me ideas! It would REALLY help!
Just to let you know, it'll probably be a while until I write another chapter. They're getting more complex and harder to write. So I'm sorry that you might have to wait a while. But don't worry. I won't be like one of those Fanfiction writers that take years to upload or abandon it. I will finish this!
Leave your thoughts and stay tuned. Sayonara.
