Wayne Manor

Two weeks later

I woke up with a pounding headache and a feeling f fatigue that told me I'd been dreaming again. Nightmaring, actually, it that's a word. Something I'm told I'd been doing every night for the last two weeks. I open my eyes, disoriented for a moment, feeling just as I had when I first woke up three days ago.

"Whu-Where am I?" Okay, not the most intelligent way I could have said it, but at least I was to the point.

"Ah, Ms. Kyle, you're awake," came the unmistakable British accent. Wow, Bruce must've learned the art of stating the obvious from his butler.

"Yes, I'm awakw," my brain had started functioning and I realized where I was, "and right now I wanna know why I'm in Wayne Manor."

"Seeing that whoever shot you is still at large, Master Bruce felt that you would be safer here than at the hospital," Alfred replied. "He had you brought here as soon as you could be moved.

"Why don't I remember any of this?"

"You've been heavily sedated for the last week and a half. You were having violent nightmares, it was the only way we could keep you calm enough for your shoulder to heal.

"Oh."

"Good morning, Miss Kyle." The butler is almost as scary as Bruce when it come to timing.

"Good morning Alfred."

"Coffee, tea, or juice this morning Miss."

"Juice, and I'll be taking breakfast in the kitchen," I answered stretching gingerly. Phew, was that me? "And I think I'll take a shower before breakfast."

"Very good, Miss." No, 'Are you sure you're up to it'. No, 'Maybe tomorrow'. Just, 'Very good, Miss'. I think I'm starting to like this guy. The shower was wonderful, despite the fact that being able to successfully manipulate only one arm made some things difficult. My hair would have to wait until tomorrow.

When I finally got to the kitchen, there was breakfast. Juice, toast, and all that eggs and baconey goodness associated with a good breakfast. With Gotham's top newspapers sitting nearby. Good grief, did he iron them?! A girl could get used to this sort of treatment.

"I trust you are feeling better."

"Much," I said as I clumsily attempted to butter my toast. Halfway through I lost patience and started stuffing it in my mouth. "Where's Bruce?" I mumbled, my mouth full of toast.

"Master Bruce was taking a stroll about the grounds last I checked. Shall I get your coat?" There was the perfect British butler again. And I don't mean that in a condescending way, he really seems perfect.

"Yes, thank you Alfred," I replied. I hadn't seen much of Bruce these last few days. He was either busy with Wayne Enterprises or hunting down my stalker. I groaned inwardly, boy did I have some things to tell him. And I don't think he'll like much of it. I wandered outside, preoccupied with how I would tell him I deliberately hurt him and pushed him away. For a good reason, maybe, but it still didn't make what I did any better in my eyes.

I have no idea why I ended up where I ended up, but there I was at the grave of his parents. Thomas and Martha Wayne's names blared at me like a neon sign. I'd avoided coming here before. Mainly because I had always tried my best to help him forget his parents deaths. In my mind, he'd suffered enough for something that wasn't his fault and someone needed to help him let go.

"Hello, um, I'm Selina. And well, I know it's weird, me talking to you since you're dead. But, I really wish I could talk to you, because there's something I have to tell Bruce, and to be honest, I don't think he's going to like it one bit. So, I'm hoping that by going over it now it'll be easier to tell him." I feel like a complete and total idiot. Still, I have this picture of the Waynes nodding at me and waiting for more. "First of all, you have a great son. I think if you were alive, you'd be proud of him. Of course, he'd be a completely different person, but that's not the point." With the image of Martha Wayne smiling, I go on to tell them about our very first meeting, so many years ago. I tell them about every late night chase and alley flirtation. I told them how totally and completely their son had captured my heart. Then I told them about Hush, when things really got moving. The thrill of capturing the Bat. My relief when I discovered that the two men who moved me like no others were actually one and the same.

"Everything was going great. I think he was starting to really trust me. Then one night, just as things started to rain down, I got a visitor. Called herself Shadow-Cat. Yeah, I know the name sounds like one of those ridiculous somethings out of a comic book. Anyway, she told me she was from the future. Convinced me too, she knew things I haven't even told Bruce. This future she came from was a wreck. Apparently, after several years of wedded bliss I was killed. Remember that creep I told you about, the Joker? Well, he's the one who does the dirty deed. My death…drove Bruce insane, he grew obsessed with vengeance and became the very thing he'd fought for so many years. It got so bad that Ra's al Ghul got Superman to bring him my body and put me in a Lazarus pit. They were hoping I'd be able to stop Bruce. And I did, but I had to kill him to do that. Shadow-Cat told me I had to drive him away. She told me exactly how to do it. 'Just one word,' she said 'Hush'. At the time I didn't know what that meant, I do now.

"Knowing what she told how could I continue a relationship with him? Her plan worked perfectly, or so I thought. But apparently it didn't change things, because now she's back and she's trying to kill me this time," I paused. "Thing is I'm starting to think the only person who can change things is Bruce. I've realized that I can't do this by myself," I stopped.

I had that tingling sensation at the back of my neck that told me I was being watched. By two different people. Somehow I knew one was Bruce, I could always tell when he was watching (normally with thousands of dollars in my hand) and the other…the other was Shadow-Cat. Without anymore warning the latter burst from her hiding spot and came at me. She must have sensed me becoming aware of her.

"What is it with you?" she screeched. She was angry, and it made her clumsy. I avoided her easily. "Why won't you give up? Why won't you let him go."

"Because he's seen me at my worst, " I began as we started trading blows. I managed to keep use of my injured left arm to a minimum, but it was still on fire. However, when you're fighting for your life you kind of forget that. 'And he still loves me."

"Seen you at your worst! Not even you knew how low you could get, not until you killed him." Her fighting style was familiar. Where had I seen it before? Had to keep her talking, couldn't let her see that I was favoring my arm. Dammit Bruce, why are you just standing there?

"What makes you think you know all about me?" I grunted.

"Haven't you figured it out yet, Puss?" she said, putting her face inches from mine. I stared into her green eyes and suddenly it dawned on me. All the pieces were put together instantly. Unfortunately while I was having my epiphany, I created an opening for her. One she used to exploit my weakness.

Suddenly all I could think about was mind numbing pain. She had me pinned on the ground, and she was beyond reasoning with. I closed my eyes, waiting for the final blow. It never came. I felt him drag her off of me, heard her say his name. I expected to open my eyes to see them fighting. Instead I found him holding her by the throat against the headstone. His other fist was draw back.

She'd given up, she wanted him to kill her.

"Bruce, let me go," I pleaded. I'd traveled this road once before, I'd stood between Batman and vengeance and failed. This time I couldn't fail, for my sake and for his.

"No, end it now Bruce," she whispered. I place my hands over his fist.

"Look at her Burce, she's not who you think she is," I continued. How often had he seen me like that? How often had he tried to decipher what I was feeling using just my mouth and eyes. Surely he'd recognize me. He reached out to touch her face.

"Selina?" he questioned her. That's it Bruce. She was crying now. He drew her close, holding her tightly to him. "I forgive you." That's it, now let her go.

He did. My future self dashed off crying.

"What took you so long?" I muttered.

"You were doing alright until just then. You okay?"

"I'll manage," I said. "Bruce…"

"Every word," he cut me off. Shame heated my cheeks and I looked down. Now, he may be Batman, the man without feeling. But deep down Bruce Wayne has an innate knowledge of how to comfort others. Kind of wasted most of the time. "I forgive you too." Now it was my turn to cry. He tilted my face up so I had to look into his eyes.

He has gorgeous blue eyes, but don't tell him that I said that.

"Don't cry, Selina," he said. Then he kissed me. Had the same effect as out last kiss. I've never had anyone affect me the way Bruce does. And I like it, I thought as I brought my good arm up around his neck. We both shifted closer as the kiss deepened. Finally, though, pain caused me to draw away.

"Your shoulder?" he sounded concerned.

"Actually, I'd forgotten about that. But you are standing on my foot," I replied. He took my hand and we began to head back to the house.

"Ironic isn't it," he began "I end up the victim of the same treatment I've used to protect myself. Only you were the one trying to protect me, this time. It really was sweet of you," he grinned, "unnecessary, but sweet."

"Unnecessary! Bruce, you become the very thing you fight every night. You make the Joker look sane, and you're twice as dangerous. Honestly, you have away to stop every member of the JLA, except for yourself. You should have seen the look in her eyes, Bruce…" I wore a path in the grass as I ranted and raved for the next five minutes. What I heard myself say made little sense to me, and probably made no sense at all to Bruce. But he stood, watching, listening and smirking until I finally shut up.

"Selina," he said, "just stop for a minute and listen." I ground to a halt. "I know this going to sound slightly beside the point, but humor me." I nodded. "First of all, what do you think killing me would do to you mentally?" Great, he was analyzing me and I had agreed to humor him.

"I'd go mad."

"Yes. And since the reason you killed me was because I'd decided to do a world takeover deal, or whatever, because you'd been killed you would…"

"Feel guilty because my death was what had destroyed you…And this is going." He held up a hand.

"Add to that the fact that your sanity would already be fragile due to the effects of the Lazarus pit…"

"And I'd be truly in insane. Obsessed with the idea of redeeming myself and saving you. I'd decide that there was only one way to do both, self-sacrifice. Which I apparently take to a literal when denying my feelings didn't work," I concluded. Ha, he wasn't the only one who could do the brilliant conclusion thing. "If this supposed to make me feel better, it isn't."

"When you go to the store, do you look at everything? I'll bet not. You'll be drawn to certain items and not even notice others," I stared at him.

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"Everyone is like that, it's why some people love a movie and others hate it. It's why there are Republicans and Democrats. Our view is slanted, selective. Going through the day we notice some things and pass over or ignore others. People like Joker, Two-Face, Riddler have views that are slanted to their obessesion. Logically so does—what was it?—Shadow-Cat."

"Again I ask, 'What does this have to do with anything?'" I had this awful feeling, like the answer was obvious and I still didn't see it.

"She's not telling us the whole story. There are details she's overlooked and things she doesn't know and other things she's forgotten."

"There's more to the story." I got it. It was embarrassing that it took so long to get, though. Still, I couldn't help but be proud that I was in love with a genius.

"Exactly," Bruce said. "So, how about we continue this discussion inside where it's warm and then I"ll get Alfred to drive you home?"

"You aren't worried about Shadow-Cat?"

"I don't think she'll be bothering you again," he said. I slipped my hand into his again as we headed inside.

I think (but I could be wrong) that this isthe most off-character and cheesy that this thing gets. Ugh, I was groaning as I typed this up. I didn't even bother fixing it. But someday, when I'm able to take this and use it in some completely unrelated story, it'll be awesome. Anyways, here's the next chap, sorry it's taken me so long. I've been a little upset with DC lately (if you don't know why, I'm not telling).

And for the record I love Kitty Pryde, but Selina herself would think the name was ridiculous so that's how I wrote it.

Please R&R.