"May I help you Miss?" the soothing voice of Alfred greeted her. Rachel allowed a smile to relax her tense muscles as she turned to face the aging butler. Alfred's eyes opened wide with shock as her face computed in his memory. It took a lot to surprise the man, but this was one of those times.
"Hi Alfred, is Bruce home?" she asked as if this was a normal visit. After a moment's silence, she feared that she had given the poor man a heartattack, and her smile vanished. "I'm sorry, I should have sent notice ahead of time, but I really didn't want to wait. This must be a huge surprise and probably a rather cruel one..." she trailed off. In all truth, she was kind of dreading this visit. While she had missed Bruce during her absense, she was also now on the opposing side. She feared slipping up in front of him.
"Well, I certainly think you should have, but this is definatley not a bad surprise," he gently reprimanded her. "Master Bruce is in the library. Would you like me to call him down?" Alfred asked professionally.
"No, that's alright. I know my way up," she refused and took off into the elegant manor. As she climbed the stairs, her fingers traced the familiar wood working that she had played on as a child. Well, it wasn't quite familiar. The knicks and scratches that she and Bruce had created no longer existed thanks to the remodelling done after the fire last year. The house made her nostalgic and for the first time, she wondered what she had gotten herself into. Was it worth sacrificing the ease of her friendship with Bruce for the man she loved? She shook her head to clear it of such doubts. Of course it was. And in a way, it wasn't Bruce she was breaking ties with, just Batman. There was a difference.
She turned into the library to find Bruce slumped over in an armchair, asleep with a book in his hands. She smiled at how innocent and peaceful he looked, and made sure to remain quiet as she tip-toed over to him. She knelt down near his knees and gently pulled the book from his limp hands, setting it on the floor before taking a worn hand in her's. Her thumb caressed his skin and he stirred in his sleep, forcing some hair to fall into his eyes. Wiping it away, she gently called his name. His eyes fluttered open on her second attempt, and his lips curled into an easy smile as his eyes focused on her.
"Rachel," he softly mumbled her name. He reached his other hand up and ran it through her hair. "You look different than you did yesterday." She smiled sadly as she realized he thought this was a dream.
"You're awake Bruce, I'm really here," she tried to assure him, but the giggle that escaped him showed her failure.
"That's what you always say," he whispered, anguish leaking into his voice. "I miss you."
"I missed you too, but I'm back." He shook his head in denial.
"Rachel, just let me enjoy this while I can," he begged her. She shook her head and pushed the hair out of his eyes, causing her fingers to get tangled in a knot. "Ow, that hurt!" he complained, rubbing the sore spot. "Wait," he paused as everything clicked, "that hurt, which means I'm not sleeping. And if I'm not sleeping..." he trailed off.
"I'm alive, Bruce." Hardly having time to finish the sentence, Rachel was pulled into a crushing hug that forced the air from her lungs.
"Oh my god, Rachel," Bruce sobbed. She felt tears prick her own eyes as all the pent up emotions of the last months swelled. She had missed her best friend and hated that she had caused him any pain.
"I'm sorry," she apologized.
"No, don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for. It was my fault, all my fault. I should have gone to you." Rachel bit her lip, trying to pretend she didn't know that was a lie. He had gone for her. The Joker had just lied to him.
"No, I'm glad you didn't." They cried for a few more minutes. Eventually, they managed to pull themselves together, and could make an attempt at normal conversation.
"So, where have you been all these months?" Bruce finally asked. Rachel looked down and reminded herself of the backstory which managed to bring a small smile to her face.
"California. I was staying with a college friend after I escaped to protect my family and get out of Gotham. I couldn't handle staying here after that. It was actually a really good decision. I met up with an old friend, Jack, and well..." she trailed off, unable to say the words. Instead,she held up her left hand. Bruce's jaw dropped just a bit, but he tried to look happy.
"Well, uh congradulations," he chocked out. He clearly had something else to say and Rachel let him work it out on his own. "Isn't that kind of fast?" he blurted out. Rachel sighed and chewed on her pinkie nail.
"Yeah... perhaps, but can you really blame me Bruce? After you and Harvey, I'd learned to not let things slip away. I'm happy for once in a long time... but now the Joker's trying to ruin that." Bruce's eyes darkened at her aknowledgement.
"Why, what's he doing now?" Rachel took a deep breath, this was her sealing the deal. There would be no turning back now. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands.
"He's making me be his lawyer. Decided he's had too many close run-ins with the law and wantes to ensure quality legal representation. He sent some of his... goons after me and threatened to kill Jack if I didn't agree to this," she lamented. Bruce's reaction was right on cue.
"Why that dirty, rotten, son of a..." he trailed off and he took to pacing the room in absolute rage. He seemed to be struggling to find a word filthy enough for the Joker and was failing miserably. Bruce came to a halt and leaned againt the mantle of the fireplace. It was such a cliched postion, and Rachel the desire to giggle despite the supposed gravity of the situation. "So what now?" Rachel shrugged and sunk onto the floor in a completely unelegant position.
"Have him arrested, keep him long enough for a trial, and land him in jail for the rest of our lives. No matter how good his lawyer is, there is no way he'll be found innocent. At best, we could argue insanity and have him in Arkham for a good twenty or thirty years," she reasoned.
"The death penalty will be kind treatment for someone like him," Bruce bit back viciously. Rachel felt the blood drain from her face at the prospect. If he got caught, he could be killed. Her Joker... gone... no. "Rach, you okay?" Bruce asked softly, kneeling next to her.
"Yeah," she chocked out weakly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't feel well all of a sudden. I have to go," she decided suddenly.
"Do you want to stay here?" he offered. "Or could we drive you somewhere?" She shook her head.
"No, thank you though. I have a taxi waiting, and an apartment in town. Bye Bruce," she excused herself and fled the room with tears in her eyes. He was only able to call for her to visit soon before she was out the door and in the stolen taxi once again. Moe or Larry (she couldn't remember which) didn't ask any questions but drove her to her apartment in silence.
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I jsut hate writing chapters with Bruce and emotion. He's just not a character I can write. That and I've been distracted lately. So here this is. Please review, though I doubt I have to tell ya'll that. Next chapter has some lovely jokachel action... not that kind people.