"Hey, Bruce?'

Bruce didn't look up from his computer. He was typing furiously, various news articles and pictures popping onto the computer screen. Emma knew he was trying to solve the mystery of Scarecrow and Joker's escape, and she knew that now was a bad time to bother him.

But she had to talk to him.

"What is it?"

"Can…can I talk to you?"

"You're talking to me now."

She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Just a moment of your time, then?"

Bruce turned towards her, with an annoyed look on his face.

"Yes?"

"I just…I just wanted to tell you that…"

"What?"

"You should tell Diana how you feel."

There, she said it. She looked down at the floor of the Batcave, unable to see his reaction. For once in her life, she didn't know something about Batman, she didn't know what was going to happen next.

But she knew that she had to tell him that.

"Excuse me?" Batman rose from his chair, furious. This girl had been her for only two days, and she thought that she knew him? Thought that she knew his feelings? Who did she think she was?

"Why-"

"Listen to me, Bruce!" She snapped her head up, and her eyes were shining, pleading with him.

"If you live the rest of your life like this, Bruce, then your parents died in vain! Do you think your dad stepped in front of you that night he was killed so you could be miserable for the rest of your life? No, he did that so that you could live, so that you could one day fall in love the way he loved your mother!"

"You can't-"

"I can, and I will! Listen, if you don't start living life, one day you're not going to be able to! If you don't tell her that you love her, you may never get the chance!" Now Emma was crying, and beneath his rage, Bruce wondered if they were talking about him anymore.

"One day, something is going to happen, and you'll wish you'd said what you felt when you had the chance. One day, she'll get fed up with waiting for you and find someone else. One day, you're going to look back on your life and realize you spent most of it pushing people away so they wouldn't get hurt. Newsflash, Batman, you hurt them more then any bad guy could have! One day…" Emma couldn't speak anymore, so she just crumpled to the ground, trying to stop her tears. She couldn't bear to watch Bruce make the mistakes she made; she knew what the outcome would be.

But she also knew that Batman would never change.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and glanced upward. He'd pulled his mask off, and his face no longer looked mad, merely…pensive. He helped her up, and gave her a pointed glance.

"Why are you here?"

"The Council wants me to learn how to be a better hero."

"Zatanna says The Council rarely takes an interest in individuals. Why you?"

"I…can't tell you." Emma hugged herself and looked away. She wanted nothing more then to tell him, but she didn't know what would happen if she did.

"Do you trust me?" Bruce asked her, sitting down again. Emma thought of his question. It was crazy to trust someone with your secrets after only two days, but Emma knew that she'd known him for far longer then two days. She remembered her first day of school, crying because she was the new girl and first grade was difficult for her because the other kids picked on her. Her mother took her to the library in an attempt to make her feel better.

"Emma, you must remember that even when people are mean, you have friends, your family and books. Books are the best kind of friends because they are always there for you."

Emma walked the library, finding herself in the comic book section. Bored, she picked up a comic book with a pointy eared man in a black cape on it. She flipped through it and suddenly found herself entranced.

"Mommy, I want this one."

"Are you sure? It looks a little scary for you…"

"I'm sure. This guy knows what its like to feel sad and alone, but he still finds a way to stop that from happening to others. I want someone like him as my friend!"

Emma looked Bruce deeply in the eyes, searching for the friend that helped through so much.

"Yes."