The Joker and Harley Quinn were both out of action after that, and had to be driven home by a reluctant Two-Face, who assured them he would send the bill for the deep cleaning of his car to them. While they were out, Bruce showed Ivy and Rose around the manor. Rose stared around her, wide-eyed and full of praise for every new room and expensive object he pointed out.

Two-Face returned just as they were about to head to the gardens, and insisted on having a drink first. Ivy joined him as Rose went to get some fresh air out on the balcony, with Ivy warning her to stay in sight. Bruce watched her standing out in the night air, the moonlight shining through her red hair and holding out her hand to gently catch a moth fluttering around her.

Bruce slipped outside to join her as she released the moth into the night. "I hope you don't have bats around here," she said, turning to smile at him.

"Why…do you say that?" asked Bruce, slowly.

"The moth," she said, nodding at the fluttering insect disappearing into the night sky. "I would hate for it to be eaten. I understand it is nature's way, but sometimes it seems a shame for beautiful things to be destroyed before their time."

"Yes, it…it does," agreed Bruce, gazing at her.

"But then I suppose there's very little we can do to prevent nature taking its course," continued Rose. "She is our great Mother, who gives us life, and to whose loving embrace we return to when life is over."

She smiled at him. "I should think that would be a great comfort to you. To know that when you at last leave this world, you will be reunited with your Mother."

She squeezed his hand, and Bruce cleared his throat, fumbling in his pocket. "I got you something," he said, pulling out a small box. "Just a little trinket I saw and I thought it reminded me of you…"

He opened the box and Rose gasped as she saw a beautiful ruby brooch in the shape of a rose. "Oh…Bruce!" she stammered. "It's…gorgeous!"

"Perfect for you, then," he said, smiling at her. She smiled shyly back as she attempted to pick it up.

"Ouch!" she cried suddenly, as she pricked her finger on the open pin.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Rose!" cried Bruce, reaching for his handkerchief. "Do allow me…"

He pressed the cloth against her finger to stem the flow of blood, and to collect it for research purposes, of course. Rose laughed softly.

"Something funny about you hurting yourself?" asked Bruce, slowly.

She shook her head. "No, just reminded me of a story I read. About a princess who pricks her finger, which sends her into a deep sleep, that she can only be awoken from by true love's first kiss." She laughed again. "My father always calls me Princess, but I guess I'm not, because I'm not about to fall asleep."

She was beaming at him, and Bruce couldn't resist. "Well, perhaps…you'll still allow me to kiss you," he murmured.

She nodded shyly, and Bruce brought his lips gently forward. He saw Ivy watching them out of the corner of his eye, and she tensed up, but Two-Face gently grabbed her shoulders and made her sit down as Bruce's lips met Rose's.

Bruce had never felt someone actually smiling in happiness as they kissed him (except for that one horrifically awkward time the Joker had kissed Batman to create a diversion, which Bruce had often tried desperately to repress from his memory, although he sometimes still woke up screaming at night), but it was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

They drew apart at last, Rose still smiling at him. "That was…very nice," she said, blushing. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure," he replied, sincerely. He cleared his throat. "Look, I hope this isn't too forward of me, but…I have a friend who specializes in rare diseases, and I was wondering if I could have your permission for him to look into your case."

"What case?" asked Rose, confused. "I don't have a disease."

"Well, no, not exactly," agreed Bruce. "But I'm sure he might be able to do something to help…your particular condition."

Rose looked puzzled. "Oh, you mean my lifespan!" she said at last, laughing.

"Yes," agreed Bruce. "I must say, I'm…surprised you can be so lighthearted about it."

She shrugged. "I don't have a choice about it. There's no point fighting against something that's fated to be. Mother has just told me to make the most of my life, and I hope I'm doing that. So why should I have any regrets when the end comes?"

Bruce didn't quite know how to respond to that. "You see, Bruce, Mother has told me that life can be full of terrible things," she continued. "Pain, heartache, loneliness. And she has told me that no life can avoid experiencing these things. Even the happiest, sunniest existence at some point will be touched by clouds and rain. Except mine. Mother has promised me my life will be perfect, and perfection can only last for so long. All good things must come to an end. I am perfectly happy now. But if I were going to live longer, that perfect happiness might be ruined. I might be hurt. Mother is right – you cannot avoid pain in life. But I will have lived just long enough to do that. I am the luckiest girl who ever lived."

She took his hand. "And I am lucky to have so many people in my life…who will make it so hard to leave it."

She planted a tender kiss on his lips again, and then went inside. Bruce remained standing outside thinking about their differing attitudes toward death.

He was used to the concept as being violent and painful, as his own experiences with death had always been – his parents, Jason Todd, and countless other victims of crime in Gotham that Batman had failed to prevent. He was used to doing anything to delay death, willing to sacrifice his own life to prolong others' even by a second. And yet when he had given Rose hope of prolonging her own life, she had rejected the idea. He had never met someone so purely happy to be alive, and yet willing to relinquish that which she loved most if she had to.

"Mr. Wayne," said a voice. He turned to see Poison Ivy standing in the doorway, thankfully looking calm. "Rose has asked me to invite you to her Wilting."

"Her what?" asked Bruce.

"Her Wilting," repeated Ivy. "The day when she will return to the earth that bore her. She wants to be surrounded by the people she cares about, and she has told me that she cares very deeply for you. Harvey and I will be there, of course, as will Harley, and hopefully not J, but Rose might insist…"

"I would be honored," interrupted Bruce. He paused. "Are…you ok with her just…dying?"

"There is nothing I can do to prevent it," she replied. "I…was initially conflicted about the idea of motherhood, to bring another human child into an already overpopulated world, to add to a race that slaughters and destroys without thought…so I thought I would compromise with a creature who is not quite human, and not on the world long enough to do damage to it. Nor for it to do damage to her. But perhaps I was rash in my decision. Perhaps life needs balance – the good with the bad, pain with pleasure, and perhaps we can only appreciate what we have after it has gone. And perhaps, in future, I should stick to growing killer plants rather than lovely people."

Bruce wasn't in favor of either of those options, but he honestly couldn't decide which was the lesser of two evils.