Ann arrived to work three hours early after having woke up and having not been able to get back to sleep. Once in her office she sat down on a couch putting her feet up, sipping at her coffee while she read her paper. Now if someone entered they would ask why she was reading the paper from back to front her answer would be 'It means, I save best till last.'
The closer she got to the front, the more eager she was to see the headline. Turning the page she found a picture of Falcone strapped to a light in the shape of a "Bat."
Just then the door opened and she heard a voice say "Bat?"
Ann looked up at Bruce Wayne and sighed then threw him the paper being mindful to not spill her brew. He looked at it the sat down having already closed the door, he looked at her feet and raised an eyebrow "Comfy?"
"Yes as a matter of fact." Before he could say something she carried on "I am not meant to be in work for another three hours so I thought I would catch up on the news."
"Couldn't sleep?"
Ann only then realised he was going away from the Bat topic "No I couldn't, anyway what do you think of the bat?"
Bruce put his feet up obviously wanting a reaction from her but she gave him none so he answered her question "He doesn't abide by the law like he should and therefore should be treated as any other criminal."
"Araneae?"
Bruce blinked twice then asked "Who?"
Leaning forward as much as she could without falling off the couch she spoke with knowledge clearly in her voice "You know exactly who I am talking about otherwise you wouldn't have paused for so long, also your blinking twice tells me you clearly wasn't expecting the question, hence the reason for saying 'who?'" When she said 'who' she imitated the tone of his voice and nearly the deepness of it.
He laughed raising his hands "You're really good at what you do you know that?"
Ann glared "Thanks." Looking at the newspaper she asked "So what do you think of Araneae?"
"The same as the bat." He frowned "Why do you call him the bat when it describes him as Batman in the article."
Ann shrugged "Just seemed appropriate."
Bruce placed his feat on the ground then leant forward saying "So what do you think of the 'bat' and this Araneae."
"If you've read my New York columns you will know my opinion on Araneae. The bat however I think does less damage than Araneae." Ann watched Bruce's face and saw confusion enter his eyes for a second before he masked it over with nonchalance.
"Less damage?"
Ann paused remembering the darkness within her that still somewhere deep down she craved to be free, the darkness that felt so thrilling to delve into, the darkness that everybody has deep within them. "You could say, if you thought of her as a hero there was a time she became a villain." Out the window Ann saw a bird fly by "The light that everyone saw and every girl in New York looked up to was extinguished and in its place was a dark abyss. Everyone has that darkness and light in them, it's just the case if they use it."
Now Bruce decided to try his luck or at least Ann thought he did "You're a perfect example."
She stood up and walked to the window watching the birds fly in the sky "As I said we all have it in us." Turning to Bruce she asked "Have you ever felt that darkness within you after your parents died?" He didn't answer but the sudden stiffness of his muscles told her what she wanted to know "You and I aren't much different Bruce Wayne, you would do well to remember that the next time you ask something so bloody personal."
--- Bruce's POV of the conversation ---
Bruce decided when he arrived early to talk to Ann when he opened her door he heard her say "Bat."
Walking in the room he asked "Bat?"
When she threw him the paper he already knew what was on the front so when he sat down he placed it on the table, he then looked at her feet on the table, looking back at her he asked "Comfy?" with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes as a matter of fact." Bruce was about to say something like she should be doing some work but before he could say something she carried on "I am not meant to be in work for another three hours so I thought I would catch up on the news."
Deciding to go away from the topic of the bat as she called his other identity he asked "Couldn't sleep?"
Obviously she saw that he was trying to get away from the topic she so wanted answers from because as soon as she answered him she stirred the conversation back to Batman "No I couldn't, anyway what do you think of the bat?"
Bruce put his feet up wanting a reaction from her, he also wanted to see if she would place her feet on the floor because he put his up, but she gave him no reaction so he answered her question "He doesn't abide by the law like he should and therefore should be treated as any other criminal." Bruce was getting use to referring to Batman as such but saying to Ann sounded as if he was lying more than he actually was.
"Araneae?"
Bruce blinked twice not expecting Ann to ask about the female crusader then asked "Who?" Even though he asked the question his mind was instantly on what happened the night before and he felt her body against his as if it was happening again, him saving her from a bullet and ending up on top of her.
When she leant forward Bruce couldn't help but notice her cleavage then she spoke with knowledge clearly in her voice and this brought his eyes back to hers and he was surprised she hadn't noticed his eyes stray to her cleavage "You know exactly who I am talking about otherwise you wouldn't have paused for so long, also your blinking twice tells me you clearly wasn't expecting the question, hence the reason for saying 'who?'" He found the fact she imitated his voice amusing and frustrating at the same time, he didn't think what Alfred said was right anymore but somewhere in him he liked their banter.
He laughed raising his hands "You're really good at what you do you know that?" Compliments go a long way with women and he knew that hence the reason he gave her one. She glared but that wasn't what got his attention it was the blush that touched her cheeks.
"Thanks." She looked at the newspaper but Bruce figured she wasn't really looking at it but actually thinking about what to say "So what do you think of Araneae?"
"The same as the bat." He frowned deciding to ask why she called Batman the Bat, since this was the main thing that was irritating him "Why do you call him the bat when it describes him as Batman in the article."
Ann shrugged "Just seemed appropriate."
Bruce placed his feat on the ground then leant forward saying "So what do you think of the 'bat' and this Araneae." He really wanted to know her real opinion not really believing what she wrote about Araneae for The Daily Bugle was her real opinion.
"If you've read my New York columns you will know my opinion on Araneae. The bat however I think does less damage than Araneae."
Bruce would never admit that her sentence confused him but it did for the main reason being "Less damage?"
Bruce watched her while she thought about her answer or what he thought was her thinking about her answer "You could say, if you thought of her as a hero there was a time she became a villain." Bruce looked at the bird fly by when Ann looked at it, in some ways it made total sense with what she next said "The light that everyone saw and every girl in New York looked up to was extinguished and in its place was a dark abyss. Everyone has that darkness and light in them, it's just the case if they use it."
Bruce commented without even thinking, not really wanting to say it since he knew in the long run it would upset her "You're a perfect example." He winced when he realised he had said it out loud and wanted to retract it, but knew he could not.
She stood up and walked to the window watching the birds fly in the sky and the whole time Bruce watched her seeing her face take on a lot of emotions for a split second, since it happened so quick he could not decipher any of the emotions that crossed her face but he thought one of them was grief "As I said we all have it in us." Turning to Bruce she asked "Have you ever felt that darkness within you after your parents died?" Bruce didn't answer but his body stiffened, she had a point and he knew it but he didn't like being reminded of that "You and I aren't much different Bruce Wayne, you would do well to remember that the next time you ask something so bloody personal."
When she turned around he stood up and turned her around, holding her forearms "Don't ever mention my parents like that again."
Bruce stopped when he saw tears actually enter her eyes, he never thought her to be the type to cry but then again everyone has to cry once in awhile "Then never mention mine." He was about to say 'I didn't' when he realised in an undertone sort of way he had mentioned her parents.
He let her arms go and watched her rub them "I'm sorry."
She looked away wiping her tears from her eyes not wanting them to flow down her cheeks, he understood she wanted to seem strong especially since she was a Psychiatrist "I'm sorry for everything."
He heard her say it but he wasn't sure if she was talking to him or about things she had done "Everything?"
She looked at him and looked really tempted to tell him something but apparently thought better of it "I'm meant to act professional and I haven't, I said something I shouldn't have. Therefore I am sorry for everything."
--- Ann's POV ---
Ann knew what she just said was a loud of horse bollocks, she was sorry for every wrong she had committed as Araneae and inside she vowed to never let the darkness rule her heart again. It was shame that vow had a very good chance of being broken.
Hearing a knock at her door she grabbed some papers off her desk then went and opened it, seeing Earl she passed him the papers noticing his eyes looking at Bruce "They are all my reports this week on who needs vacation time, who needs letting go and who needs to be acknowledged more."
Earl looked at some of them and upon seeing Bruce's name looked at Bruce who was now looking at him then to Ann "Why do you think Bruce Wayne deserves acknowledgment when he has done nothing to be acknowledged of."
Ann kept a calm face trying to glare or blush feeling Bruce's eyes on her "He may have done nothing in your eyes but he has to every other person in this building, everyone I have talked to are the happiest I have seen them with Bruce being back. There's good reason as well, he is a nice man and knows what he's doing which he needs to be acknowledged for instead of being practically walked upon like a dirty towel." Ann blushed slightly realising what she said and she knew she may have gone too far.
Earl just looked at her for a second then looked at Bruce "It seems you have done better work than I believed Bruce." He turned then left but not before saying to Ann "I would watch how you talk to me next time Miss Johnson."
Seeing him not turn around she flipped him off then turned to find Bruce staring at her "What?" She closed the door and went to sit down but stopped looking at Bruce again and this time when she said "What?" It was in a slightly higher pitch of voice.
--- Bruce's POV ---
Bruce didn't quite believe what he was hearing since when Ann was talking about him in that moment it was said with a lot of passion meaning she believed every word she was saying, also he got cautioned for what she said which he had to admit was very amusing to listen to. Not her being cautioned but the dirty towel comment directed at Earl.
When she asked him "What?" for the second time he gave her one of his most charming smiles which he was glad made her stop and stare at him, which then led to her blushing when she realised she was staring "I didn't know you thought so passionately about me."
He smiled when she was lost for words, however she managed to say something but not quite what he was expecting "If I think so passionately about you then I would do this." He saw her pause and was about to ask 'Do what?' when she stepped towards him quicker than he could react to and kissed him right on the lips.
He felt the heat of her body and smelt her hair, which smelt of roses, he deepened the kiss after the initial shock wore off as he definitely did not expect her to kiss him or even think about him like that.
Then all of a sudden the kiss stopped just as it was getting really heated, she grabbed her bag and left before he could even stop her. He stood there wondering why she left when he remembered what she told him about Harry Osborne.
He stayed for a few minutes then left closing the door behind him, on the way down the lift, down to Applied Sciences all Bruce could think about was Ann and that kiss. He couldn't really describe what the kiss made him feel like, all he could describe was feelings he had never felt before for a woman at least not at the intensity of feelings that her kiss provoked within him.
--- Ann's POV ---
Harry.
That one word that went through her mind stopped her instantly, grabbing her bag she left quickly leaving, she ran to a bathroom got changed into her suit then managed to sneak to a window where she jumped from, near the bottom Bruce noticed Araneae swinging past the building, Araneae also noticed him.
She was just swinging around when she noticed well heard shouts coming from within a bank, landing on the wall she entered the bank and watched from its ceiling what was happening it was then that she noticed people with guns.
About to intervene she prepared herself for what was to happen when a woman stood up from the floor where they were told to drop to "If you stop now you won't get a worse sentence than you will if you do something stupid."
Taking the distraction Araneae landed behind one of the robbers and decided to mention "Personally I think robbing a bank is already doing something stupid, but that's my opinion." The man swung around she ducked and hit him across the room where he was knocked unconscious. Smiling under the mask Araneae turned gripping a gun with her web then flinging it outside where sirens could now be heard.
The four robbers where quickly out of action and the cops entered the bank pointing their guns at Araneae who just raised her arms "You know this is like stabbing someone in the back, I help these people and you want to lock me up." Under the mask her eyes found a way to get out but to the police she was standing completely still and being cooperative.
However before she could even move to leave the woman who had become the distraction stood in front of her "I know this woman is a vigilante but if she hadn't come you would never have gotten here in time."
One of the police stepped forward speaking directly to the woman "Miss Dawes…"
Miss Dawes looked at the officer "I will not repeat myself."
Walking past them Araneae bowed imitating one of her favourite movie characters "You'll always remember this day as the day you almost caught Araneae the spider of Gotham." With that she left having a bit more grace than her favourite character once she had said that line. Arriving home she instantly started to research Miss Dawes and found out she was an old friend of Bruce Wayne's and her first name was Rachel.
Reading further into her and Bruce Wayne's friendship she found they had been a thing not long before Bruce left Gotham, jealousy sparked within Ann, she hated the feeling especially since she personally thought she shouldn't feel like that for anyone except Harry.
--- Bruce POV ---
Bruce heard about the bank robbery and Rachel sticking up for Araneae who left after saying "You'll always remember this day as the day you almost caught Araneae the spider of Gotham." He knew she said this because a reporter was in the bank at the time and that sentence was printed in the papers which came out early because of the big news.
Well he knew one thing about Araneae, she liked Pirates of the Caribbean.
At home he sat down at a window just watching the sky thinking about all that happened that day, things were said and things happened that Bruce would always remember. He turned away looking at a photo of him and Rachel when they were kids. This time however Rachel did not plague his thoughts after looking at the picture, Ann and Araneae plagued his thoughts. It was a wonder to how he would react if he knew both where the same person.
--- Both POV ---
At the exact same time Bruce and Ann looked out their windows at the setting sun and said "Another day gone by a new night comes." Well Ann said that exactly Bruce said something very close to it, if I said he said it exactly like that it may make him seem less of a man and we all know he is all man.