Lots of stuff in this chapter.
The days blurred by until finally it was Thanksgiving. Bruce had gone to visit his parent's graves earlier that morning and was now heading over to Emma's apartment to pick up her and Misty so they could drive to Charlie's house. Alfred was driving because he had decided he would take Emma up on the offer of joining them to dinner as well. Truth be told Alfred was worried about Bruce who had become rather attached to Emma. Despite Bruce's countless claims that they were just friends, Alfred could sense a spark of attraction and he did not want Bruce to be falling for yet another woman who was previously engaged.
Once they arrived at the apartment Emma let them in while fastening one of her earrings.
"I'm so sorry, we're almost ready." She said heading over to the bedroom to yell at Misty who was borrowing some of her shoes. "Misty they are here!"
Bruce noticed she was wearing her hair down, he hadn't realized how long her hair was and how it had a slight wave to it. He was trying to think of a time she had looked more beautiful. What was however still nagging at him and had been for some time was the fact that she had not told him anything about what happened the night Misty first arrived here. He had watched he bet taken into the police car by the bounty hunter and obviously she had made it out okay but she hadn't once mentioned it and he couldn't ask about it because he wasn't supposed to know.
"I know I'm coming!" Said Misty coming out of the bedroom glaring at her friend. "And you don't have to yell. You've been spending too much time at Bruce's, you've forgotten your apartment is tiny. Who's the old man?" Said Misty in regards to Alfred, she had a habit of just saying whatever was on her mind.
"This is Alfred, he's a trusted family friend." Said Bruce answering her question.
"It's comforting to know that everyone knows me as the old man." Said Alfred with a wry smile.
"I apologize in advance for anything Misty says or does that offends anyone, she was just born that way." Said Emma rolling her eyes at her friend's earlier comment.
"And sometimes you act like you have a stick up your arse." Said Misty grabbing her purse. Bruce let out a laugh and when Emma tried to hit him he catch her fist in his hand.
"Not this time." He said still laughing. Emma seemed to be giving him a strange look. "What?" He asked.
"Nothing." She said shaking her head. She rationalized that she was probably predicable and that is why he was able to block her punch so fast, after all she wasn't an expert or anything.
"Well what the hell are we all standing here for let's go I'm starving like the Irish during the famine." Said Misty heading out the door and waiting for everyone else to follow. Everyone did and soon they arrived at Charlie's apartment.
However when they entered the apartment things were rather odd. Paper snowflakes were hanging from the ceiling and a Christmas tree was in the corner of the room along with Christmas music blaring on the stereo. The table in the middle of the room however was decorated all for thanksgiving.
"I know this is what all the department stores look like but I was under the impression we were still celebrating the holidays as they appear on the calendar." Said Alfred.
"Charlie what is all this?" Asked Emma as Charlie came to the hallway to greet them.
"Sarah did it. She found out I would have to work on Christmas so she knew we wouldn't have time to all celebrate it so Merry Thanksmas!" Said Charlie giving her a hug.
"Hey I know you lot won you independence and all but how about a little love for a member of the mother country." Said Misty with a laugh and Charlie hugged her as well.
Charlie then turned to Bruce and put out his hand to shake but instead said with a shrug "Eh what the hell." And gave Bruce and then Alfred a hug as well.
"I'm glad you all could make it. Sarah's in the kitchen if you guys all want to meet her. But feel free to make yourself at home. Everyone went into the living room to put down there bags.
"I suppose I should go see if Ms. Sarah needs any help in the kitchen." Said Alfred getting up from his seat. Bruce however got up as well and said "Alfred you do enough like that as it, I'll do it."
Emma got up as well. "Bruce you don't even know where the silverware in is your own kitchen, how do you expect to be any help to Sarah?" Said Emma now standing next to him near the kitchen door.
"Yes of course Em, would know her way around Bruce's kitchen." Said Misty with a teasing smirk. Charlie let out a laugh and said "Yeah and they're also under the mistletoe."
Emma and Bruce both looked up and noticed they were standing under some green popsicle sticks that had been glued together in a pine cone like shape and then tired with a read ribbon.
"Charlie it's a couple of popsicle sticks that have been painted green." Said Emma glaring over at her friend.
"Oh come on Em, where is you Thanksmas spirit? Don't be a pilgrim." Said Charlie
"A pilgrim?" Said Emma confused.
"Yeah its like a Grinch but instead of stealing Christmas you kill all the Thanksmas joy like the pilgrims killed the Native Americans."
Bruce who had just been standing there the whole time did not really know what to do. He mind had gone blank. And he was very surprised when instead of just walking into the kitchen like he though she would Emma gave him a peck on the cheek and said "There happy now?" To Charlie and Misty.
"That's not a kiss, Em." Said Misty.
So Emma knowing her friends would never let it go if she didn't kissed Bruce. She had intended it to be a quick peck on the lips just to get her friends to shut up but the minute her lips touched his all rational thought completely flew out the window. Some time during the kiss Bruce kissed her back and then somehow her arms were around his neck and his around her waist and then they sprang apart as though each one had been burned by the other.
"Sorry I didn't mean to…well…" Said Bruce quickly apologizing.
"Uh no I well, I just of a second there forgot…uh…yeah… I'm just going to go see if Sarah needs any help in the kitchen…" Said Emma looking rather embarrassed and quickly hurrying into the kitchen.
Bruce went and sat back down in the living room next to Alfred who was giving him a warning look. Misty and Charlie had taken a moment to recover from what had just happened.
"So how was your flight here?" Said Charlie turning to Misty.
"Awful actually." Said Misty and the small talk began.
Meanwhile Emma had just ducking into the kitchen nearly knocking over Sarah.
"Oh my god I'm so sorry." Said Emma.
"No that's alright. You must be Emma." Said Sarah with a kind smile. Emma noticed that Sarah was a rather short brown haired woman with a kind face.
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Charlie told me all about you and Misty and well since you don't have an accent. I just figured. Hey are you alright?" Said Sarah looking concerned, Emma imagined her face must look extremely flushed.
Emma buried her hands in her face before sighing and answering "Not in the least bit. I just kissed my boss, under the mistletoe…"
"Oh that's not so bad I had to at one of my Christmas parties one time."
"Yeah not usually except I wasn't a harmless festive sort of kiss, it was like the sort of way I would kiss my fiancé kind of kiss, and I mean I didn't mean to kiss him like that it just sort of, gah I don't know my mind went completely blank!" Said Emma passing around the kitchen frustrated at how stupid she had just been. "I can't go back out there." She said in panic.
"I'm sure it's fine. Alright look just calm down, I'll bring out this tray of appetizers and I'll come right back and tell you how it is out there. I'm sure people forgot already." Said Sarah reassuringly. Sarah left and Emma waited patiently for Sarah to return. What she did not expect was Sarah to come back into the kitchen dragging Charlie with her.
"I don't see what you're so mad about!" Said Charlie throwing his hand up in the air.
"You said Emma was bringing some friends, you failed to mention one of them was BRUCE WAYNE, Charlie! That's why I'm mad! I knew I should have bought new china."
"The man's not exactly a china inspector he doesn't care. Emma should know she spends a lot of time at his house!" He said to Sarah he then however turned to Emma and said "Speaking of you and Wayne what the hell was that! I was kidding about the whole scarlet letter thing!"
"I don't know, I guess I just forgot I wasn't kissing Todd, my reflexes just took over." Said Emma turning redder if that was at all possible.
"Reflexes! Your reflexes are to just start sucking a guys face off!"
"I didn't want to, you were the one who decided it was a good idea to actually kiss him. I wanted to just give him a friendly peck on the cheek but now you had to have me kiss him." Said Emma turning the blame on him.
"Well I didn't know that would happen!"
"Oh no the rolls!" Said Sarah opening the oven to reveal rather burnt bread. "Alright you two, out. I can't have you costing me any more of this dinner." She said shooing them out the door and back into the living room.
Emma sat down on the couch next to Charlie. An awkward silence fell among the group. In which Alfred was watching Emma who had become very interested in the snowflakes on the ceiling but would occasionally glance over at Bruce who had become very interest in the Christmas tree. Misty and Charlie just state picking lint off there clothes and it went on like this for sometime.
Finally the phone rang and Charlie got up to answer it. After saying a few yeahs and okays he went into the kitchen to say something to Sarah and then came back out into the living room.
"Hey guys the Gordon just called, I have to go into work." He said putting on his coat.
"Oh tell him I say his, cause I apparently don't remember much of the time I saw him last time." Said Misty.
"Does this have something to do with those robberies of the last few holidays?" Said Bruce, he expression unreadable but he asked with a sense of urgency.
"It's an open case I'm not really supposed to discuss it with civilians." Said Charlie.
"Right of course." Said Bruce nonchalantly. He was however dying to know. Since he and Gordon had decided Batman was to be a fugitive he had lost his man on the inside with the GCPD. He was however thinking he might have found a new connect to the department. Charlie had a lot going for him, he was friends with Emma and he trusted her judgment, plus Charlie had Gordon's trust which was also important.
"Yeah, well I think Thanksmas is not a holiday will well ever be celebrating again so…I'll just see you guys later then." He said heading out the door.
After Charlie left the awkwardness continued. Bruce was deep in though about the holiday robberies but he still remember to compliment Sarah's cooking. Emma was mostly talking to Sarah about Charlie. Misty was well being Misty and Alfred seemed to be watching Bruce and Emma who had not said a direct word to each other until…
"Can someone pass the potatoes?" Said Emma. The potatoes were over near Bruce's left elbow and he reached for them and passed them across the table to her and then she said "Thanks."
Bruce then replied "Your welcome." And that was the extent of there conversation. Bruce could not have been happier when he heard his phone ring. He had set the phone to call him when it was 8 and now that it was he could finally get out of here.
"Alfred do you think you could call a car for Emma and Misty? I have to get to work."
"Of course Master Wayne." Said Alfred knowing why Bruce needed to leave.
"Thank you again. Dinner was nice." He said to Sarah with a smile.
"Yes, well it's not every day someone like Bruce Wayne comes to dinner at your house." Said Sarah with a smile.
Bruce was very glad once he was out driving home to Wayne Manor. He hadn't meant for things to go that way tonight. He hadn't meant to kiss her back though he had a feeling she hadn't meant to kiss him like that, after all she was getting married in less than six months. The wedding was so close and yet so far away sometimes he even forgot about it even happening, he needed to remind himself that it was more often, it would be better for both of them if something like this didn't happen again. He would hate to cause her grief if something like this happened about and the wedding was canceled, he knew she loved Todd.
He pushed these thought aside as soon he pulled into the driveway. He had other things he needed to focus on. After going into the cave and getting ready Batman went out into the city. He decided the Tumbler would draw too much attention so he instead took the motorcycle that he had Mr. Fox modify after he used it against The Joker.
After searching around for awhile he found the scene of the crime. It was an old warehouse. He parked the bike in an alley and waited on the rooftop of a nearby storage facility to spy on the scene outside the building. He noticed two squad cars and the coroner where here. The coroner meant there was a body which meant someone had been murdered the question was who? After what felt like hours of waiting he noticed everyone was beginning to disperse. He recognized Charlie's voice as he yelled something to another man getting a squad car. "Yeah tell Barbara the same."
The man who Batman assumed was Gordon said something to Charlie.
"Nah, I'm fine I parked in an alley near here it shouldn't be any trouble." Said Charlie. Batman followed him to the alley with where his car must be parked. Charlie began to unlock the car when Batman decided to show himself.
"Someone in that warehouse was murdered, who was it?" He asked.
"You know any of use are supposed to arrest you on sight?" Said Charlie looking serious.
"I know, you're a good cop but I'm only trying to help."
"You're just lucky I forgot my handcuffs, otherwise I would have to take you down to MCU." Said Charlie with a wry smile, Batman had a feeling even if he had his cuffs Charlie wouldn't have arrested him. "But to answer you question it was Sophia Falcone, she supposedly took over for her father The Roman. They say it must have been Maroni but I don't think anyone from their family would have done it, the mobs here in Gotham are in ruins. Plus in the building there was a boat load of heroine only someone with a lot of power could smuggle that much junk into a major city. It's imported to from some city I've never heard of."
"So you think the drug dealers murdered her?"
"No we got some partial prints so that should help." Said Charlie with a shrug.
Batman nodded that would help but it wouldn't give them the answers they were looking for. Someone else with power was trying to move in on Gotham and they needed to find out who. This murderer had accidentally lead them to something much bigger than small crimes committed on random holidays.
"I'll be checking in with you." Said Batman.
Charlie turned his attention to his car keys so he could unlock the front door. "I was afraid of…that." Said Charlie turning to face the Batman however when he did Batman was nowhere to be found. However Jim Gordon was now standing in the alleyway.
"Yeah he does that." He said walking over to where Charlie stood.
"Sir I thought we didn't work with the Batman?" Said Charlie confused.
"We don't Charlie. He's a vigilante and we don't associate with him at all." He said with a wry smile and a twinkle in is eye.
"I'm not going to get arrested for this am I?" Said Charlie really hoping that he would not be.
"Going to one's car isn't a crime Charlie." Said Gordon turning to back into the street. He paused for a moment and turned back to face him. "Oh and Charlie you might want to talk to Harry the maintenance guy at MCU, there's a flood light on the rooftop that had been out for long enough. You can tell our mutual friend this had been going on for long enough." Said Gordon the ghost of a smile on his face.
"Commissioner?" Said Charlie calling after him.
"Yes, Charlie?" Said Gordon stopping to face him.
"Harvey Dent, did he really kill him?"
"What happened to Harvey Dent was a tragedy none of us saw coming, and part of him died long before the rest of him did, that's all you need to know Charlie." Said Gordon turning on his heel and walking back out into the street.
Wow this was a long chapter 7 pages on word. Hope you enjoyed don't forget to review please.