The Bat suddenly crashed through the waterfall, and it was a huge test of my control to not completely lose it.

"I see from the television coverage that you got your taste for wanton destruction back."

"I retrieved this," Bruce said, showing us a USB port.

"Aren't the police supposed to be investigating then?"

"They don't have the tools to analyze it."

"They would if you gave them to them."

"One man's tool is another man's weapon."

"In your mind, perhaps. But there aren't many things you couldn't turn into a weapon."

"Alfred, enough. The police weren't getting it done."

"Perhaps they might've if you haven't made a sideshow of yourself."

"You thought I didn't have it in me."

"No, you lead a bloated police force on a merry chase with a load of fancy new toys from Fox. What about when you come up against him? What then?" Alfred pointed to the footage of Bane fighting people at the Stock Exchange.

"I'll fight harder, I always have."

"Take a look. At his speed, his ferocity, his training. I see the power of belief. I see the League of Shadows resurgent."

"You said he was excommunicated."

"By Ra's al Ghul. Who leads them now?"

"Ra's al Ghul was the League of Shadows. And I beat him. Bane is just a mercenary, and we need to find out what he's up to." Bruce plugged the USB into the computer and a ton on numbers popped up and scrolled down the screen. It was every hacker's dream. But not this hacker's. "Trades of some kind. Coded. Kris, can you figure this out?"

"That's out of my league. It would take me months to crack through that. I'm good, but I'm not that good."

"Fair enough." His thumbprint appeared on the page. "And my fingerprint, courtesy of Selina Kyle." He took the USB out and handed it to Alfred. "Get this to Fox. He can crack the code and tell us what trades they were executing."

As Bruce took off his suit to reveal a lovely black t-shirt underneath, I prepared myself for one of my least favorite parts in this movie. But I was curious to see how it would all change because of my presence in this world.

I'm not exactly sure why Bruce in all black or barefoot is such a turn on for me, but it is. So I was understandably mentally freaking out at the sight of him wearing black AND barefoot as he walked through the halls. Those fangirl feelings were quickly extinguished when the conversation started.

"I'll get this to Mr. Fox, but no more," Alfred called down the hall after him. "I've sewn you up, I've set your bones, but I won't bury you. I've buried enough members of the Wayne family."

"You'll leave me?"

"You see only one end to your journey. Leaving is all I have to make you understand. You're not Batman anymore." Speak for yourself. "You have to find another way. You used to talk about finishing, about a life beyond that awful cave."

And here comes the change. I waited with bated breath for what Bruce was going to say, but I knew it would involve me.

"Kris is my life beyond that cave."

There it was.

"I want to be with her, but I've got to take care of these problems first. And it's been eight years since I've seen her last. I need time to adjust to all of these changes. But she said she's staying."

"Not exactly," I mumbled. He didn't hear me.

"So after all of this with Bane is over, we can talk about putting everything behind us."

"What if, before she disappeared last, she'd written a letter?" Alfred said. "Explaining that she would see you again, but she couldn't stay forever?"

Like I said before, I loved Alfred, but this was not how I wanted Bruce to find out about me.

"And what if, to spare you pain and not fill you with false hope…I burnt that letter?"

I expected Bruce to question me, but instead he furiously demanded, "How dare you use Kris to try to stop me."

"I'm using the truth, Master Wayne. Maybe it's time we all stopped trying to outsmart the truth and let it have its day. I'm sorry."

This was so awkward for me. And I felt terrible. I was kicking myself for not explaining everything to Bruce earlier. It was partially my own fault this was happening.

"You're sorry? You expect to destroy my world, and then think that we're going to shake hands?"

"No, no, no. I know what this means."

"What does it mean?"

"It means your hatred. It means losing someone that I have cared for since I first heard his cries echo through this house," Alfred said, his voice cracking. I hated it when men cried. I was just feeling worse by the second. And no doubt the conversation with Bruce following all this wasn't going to be fun either. "But it might also mean saving your life. And that is more important."

There was a painful silence before Bruce practically whispered, "Goodbye, Alfred."

He took off up the stairs, leaving me alone with Alfred. Alfred didn't say a word to me, but just turned and walked off. "Alfred, wait," I called after him. "Please don't do this."

"I know about your obvious feelings for each other. I understand that. But I can't stand by and watch this."

"Please. Bruce needs you more than he's willing to admit. He is broken. And there is only so much that I can do to repair him."

Alfred looked at me with an overwhelming sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kris."

That was the first time he had ever called me by my first name. That's when I knew I couldn't do anything to change it. We had lost our butler and friend.

I followed Bruce upstairs, eager to get the upcoming conversation over with. I knocked on his door and slowly entered.

"Is it true?" he asked without looking at me.

I heaved a big sigh and nodded. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried to, but I didn't know how. There was just no good time for it."

"You should've found time."

"I know, I really do regret not telling you in person. It's just that when I first got back didn't seem good, then Rachel died, then you were going out of your mind to catch the Joker. So I left you the letter that would explain everything. It's not my fault that it didn't get delivered to you."

"When are you leaving this time?"

"About five months from now."

"That's the longest you've ever stayed."

"I know, and I want to make the most of it. Bruce, I have feelings for you that I have never had for another person before. I've never wanted to leave, but it wasn't really up to me." He didn't say anything, so I continued, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I should've. But I promise, I'll try to make it up to you."

I left the room before he could say anything more. I hadn't planned on all of this…