A/N- So sorry for the long wait- thank you all so much for sticking with my story. This is my first year of teaching, and I wasn't prepared for the fact that this job just takes over your life to an insane degree. I'm working hard (in all my spare time, haha) at making writing my full time job, but until then, I'll have to keep finding time for my stories around teaching the kiddos Shakespeare and Poe. So again- sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Pieces
Chapter Five
But you chased me down and broke in just when I was done believing
Spun me round so close now
I can feel you breathing
Sunlight burns inside and I feel so alive
Help me now
Tell me how
How can this last forever
-"Forever" Red
"Hey, boss. You're gonna want to read this." Jen walked into Selina's bedroom holding the morning newspaper after her first big solo job in Gotham. Selina had slept off the adrenaline rush for most of the day, and it was starting to grow dark outside again.
"Did I make the headlines?" Selina sat up in bed, stretching luxuriously in her black silk lingerie and feeling about ten feet tall. All her training had paid off. She was only eighteen years old, and she'd pulled off one of the biggest heists in Gotham history. She examined her left hand with a proud smile, still wearing one of the solid gold and ruby encrusted authentic Egyptian rings she'd taken from the Gotham Natural History Museum.
"Yeah. But you may not like it." Jen nervously handed off the newspaper.
"Well, I didn't exactly think the GPD would be my biggest fa—" Selina's voice died as she looked down at the lead headline. "What the hell?"
It read, under the only surveillance photo taken of her, in full costume on the rooftops of Gotham as she'd escaped the museum and fleet of police:
THE BAT AND THE CAT: COULD THIS MASKED VIGILANTE BE WORKING FOR THE BAT MAN?
Selina growled with frustration, slamming the paper down on the bed as she
looked up at Jen, eyes bright with fury. "Working for him? I've never even met the guy! And even if I had, what would that little boy playing dress up and always showing off his fancy toys have to do with my work?"
"I knew you'd be upset—"
"I am upset! This is ridiculous! And of course, they don't think we're partners. No, I must be working for him. I've never heard anything so sexist in my life!"
Jen flopped down in bed with Selina, picking up the article to look at it again. "Cool picture, though. You look like a bad ass."
Selina shook her head, shaking her head and climbing to her feet. She had left the many elements of her catsuit on the ground after triumphantly stripping it off last night, and now she began to put it back on.
"Another job?" Jen raised her eyebrows.
"No, honey." Selina buckled her gun holster around her waist, slipping on her mask and flipping down her night vision. "I think it's time for me to introduce myself to this Batman. Let him know he's not the only game in town."
"Be careful, Selina. There's nothing he'd like better than putting you in handcuffs."
"Meow." Selina gave her a teasing wink. "Don't worry, baby. Aren't I always careful?" She ran towards the open window of her bedroom at full tilt speed, doing a round off back handspring to flip off the edge and catch herself on the fire escape below, making her way acrobatically down to the dark streets of Gotham below.
Where criminals went, Batman seemed to follow, like some damn little do-gooder schoolboy who just happened to have the muscles and fancy gadgets to not get himself killed so far, so Selina started her search on a shadowy street very well known for establishments centered around drugs, gambling, and prostitution.
She mostly kept to the rooftops at first, just making the rounds, until she suddenly stopped at the sound of a woman's scream. Selina leapt to the next rooftop, feeling a panic rising in her throat at the sound. She knew that sound. She'd made that sound, only once in her life, the night before she decided to make herself strong enough to never need to again.
"Aw, are you tired, you little whore? Well, you better perk back up." The man grabbed a fistful Selina's long dark hair, pulling her head back so she had no choice but to look at him. "Come on, girlie. Open up your mouth. Wider. You'll need to open it much wider to handle me. Go on, or I'll open it for you." The man held the pocket knife blade at the side of Selina's mouth. "You do know how to swallow, don't you, slut? We have certain expectations for our entertainment this evening." Silent tears began streaming down her cheeks, and he took the knife away, looking back at his friends. "Aw, boys, we made her cry." He turned back to Selina. "Cheer up, ya big baby. You've still got a long night ahead of you." He released her, letting her fall to the ground, the group of men standing around her laughing as she struggled to free her bound wrists and ankles, the electrical ties pulled much too tight to escape. She was on her stomach now, naked on the cheap carpet, trying to move towards the hotel room door, but every time she got close, they'd pull her back by her ankles, laughing hysterically as if she was a small animal they'd caught in trap to torment for their enjoyment. "All right, enough games." The ringleader of the group who'd bought her for the night flipped her over and pinned her arms over her head, leaning close to her, his breath putrid and hot on her face. "Time to earn your keep." Selina shook her head, finally finding her voice, twisting away from him and yelling "HELP!" at the top of her lungs, the pathetic, broken cry of a little girl lost that was stifled almost immediately when he shoved a foul-smelling rag into her mouth, her vision starting to swim from whatever substance they'd soaked the cloth in, Selina looking up at the circle of businessmen as they all moved in closer, their soft, cruel laughter filling the room as they unbuckled their belts, unzipped their pants—
Selina mentally shook herself. Those days were long over. She wasn't that helpless girl anymore. Far from it. During her training, she'd tracked down each of those men—lower level cronies in the Joker's employ, as it turned out— completely cleaned out their bank accounts and left them ruined, and most likely killed by the Joker when they didn't bring him the funds he wanted. She was Selina Kyle, the Cat, and she was going help this woman, the memory of how it felt to cry out so desperately for help and realize it was never coming still very fresh in her memory even after all these years.
She continued her furious path towards the woman's cries, leaping across rooftops, running so fast she could hear the night air whistling past her ears, finally reaching the source of the trouble behind the back alley of a club. A scantily clad woman was struggling against her attacker, a wiry gangster in a cheap suit who was holding her up against the wall. Selina withdrew her whip, about to snap it to get the man's attention, when suddenly a massive dark figure flew past her and down into the alley way, his cape spread out and billowing behind him like bat wings. He landed in the alley, grabbing the man by the scruff of his collar and bodily heaving him into the opposite wall, knocking him unconscious immediately, the man sliding to the floor, as limp as a rag doll. The Batman spoke into a communicator on his wrist in a gruff voice, saying, "Gordon. I've got a present for you. Yeah, the one we've been looking for. Up to his old tricks." He clicked off the communicator, turning back to the hysterical, trembling woman.
"T-Thank you." She finally choked out.
"Are you all right?" Batman asked her, his voice more gentle, putting his arm around her shoulder as she nodded weakly, and he led her towards the opening of the alley. "He won't be bothering you again. Can I give you a ride home?"
"Are you sure it's not too much trouble?" The girl spoke shakily, clinging to his muscled shoulder to stay standing.
"It'd be my pleasure." He hit another button on his utility belt, and the famous Batmobile came roaring down the street, the girl's hands on her cheeks with happy surprise, Batman helping her inside before going to the driver's side and disappearing inside the car himself, the tires squealing as he drove her fast and far away from her troubles.
It all happened so fast that Selina was still just standing there, whip in hand, as they drove away, her mouth hanging open, torn between respect and annoyance. She let out a small, stunned laugh. "Is this guy for real?" He was just determined to steal her thunder at every turn. She could have saved that girl.
But he'd gotten there first. And Selina was suddenly finding it difficult to stay annoyed with him. In fact, she felt something very different, something since she'd watched him sweep into that alleyway like some damn white knight. The best name she could assign to her feeling was…attraction? Close enough. But not just a "tall, dark, and handsome" attraction. Like they were two opposite magnetic poles. Like there was something literally pulling her closer to him, something she had to actively fight to stay hidden away. No, she didn't think she would mind getting closer to Batman one bit.
Selina shook her head with a small laugh. This was insane. Must just be some residual madness from the high of her first successful job last night. She wrapped her whip back around her hand to replace it on her belt. "All right, Bat boy. Not half bad. We'll call it a truce for now."
And she'd held to that truce for years, staying out of his way so long as he stayed out of hers. Until she'd grown truly desperate. Until John Daggett had filled her mind with dreams of a Clean Slate. Until that night in Wayne Manor where she'd played Bruce's maid for the night.
And now, just over a year later, she dreamed of him in a hospital bed in Paris, dreamed of what could have been if she had stepped out of the shadows all of those nights she just watched him in silence, trapped in her own mind now and left to only wonder if she'd ever get the chance to ask him, all those nights they'd nearly crossed paths on the rooftops in Gotham, if he'd ever known she was there.
Bruce walked into the hospital, a fresh bouquet of red roses in one hand and a book in the other. It had been a week since that first hopeful sign where he had been sure Selina heard his voice, and now Bruce had developed a routine of coming to read to her every day. He wished he was the kind of guy who could say beautiful, wonderful things to her every day, but he just wasn't practiced enough at sharing emotions to pour his heart out with every visit, and the doctor had said just hearing his voice was the main thing that would help her, so he read. In his former life as Bruce Wayne CEO by day and Batman by night, he'd rarely had time to read for pleasure, and reading a book just for the sake of reading was definitely something he was still getting used to.
They were halfway through the new smart book that all of Paris seemed to be pouring over on the subway (he'd even seen one woman moved to actual tears), and while Bruce frankly found it somehow both melodramatic and boring as dirt, he never started a book without finishing it. And he liked to think Selina was enjoying it. Some color seemed to be coming back to her cheeks, and there were moments where she would stir slightly and Bruce could almost imagine that a smile crossed her lips.
He reached her hospital room, sitting down across from her bed and stretching out. It was strange to think, but it was almost becoming comfortable here. Home was with her. And she was here, so this was the place Bruce wanted to be, as long and as much as they would let him. He had moved into a hotel nearby the hospital instead of returning to the building where she'd been attacked, the prospect of sleeping in a huge empty hotel bed without her was just too depressing.
Bruce found the place they'd left off in the story and launched back into things, reading for about a half hour before his his eyelids grew slightly heavy from staring at the pages, his voice a little hoarse. The plot was not improving, but now he only had a few more chapters to go. This was turning into something of a war— now he had to finish it. This book must be defeated. Next time he would definitely just stick with the classics.
He cleared his throat, going on. "That's when she knew. What she had felt all those years ago, from that very first moment they met. Her soul recognized his—" Bruce breathed out, rubbing his eyes. "Oh, boy."
"Bruce, honey, you really don't have to keep reading this drivel for my sake."
He nearly dropped the book with shock, looking up with wide eyes to find that Selina had been watching him read, her brown eyes tired and glassy but open and alert, a small smile on her lips. "I mean, no offense, but if I wasn't in a coma before, that book would damn sure do the trick."
Bruce laughed out loud, happy tears immediately welling up in his eyes. "I know. I hate it."
"I love you."
She just said it, without a trace of hesitation or fear anymore. Bruce threw the book aside, getting to his feet and taking her face in his hands to kiss her. The sterile hospital room wasn't exactly the most romantic setting in the world, and he had to be careful not to disturb her nasal cannula tubing with his large hands, but none of that mattered. "I love you too." He breathed out. "And I swear, I'm going to find Aleksandra and make her pay for what she did to you."
Selina looked up at him with a weary but affectionate smile at the immediate reemergence of his Batman voice. "Okay, but first can you call the doctor? I kind of feel like the room is spinning, and I don't think it was just the kiss."
Bruce snapped back to reality. "Yes, yes, of course." He hit the button to page her doctor, stepping back away from her as if afraid he might have broken her. "So…so how are you feeling? You said dizzy? I think that's normal. What else? Are you in any pain?"
Selina considered the question for a moment. "Umm…maybe a little from the ridiculous sexual tension in that damn book. Eight years of foreplay? I mean, come on. Do they finally do it at the end or what?"
Bruce shook his head, laughing again. Nice to see her sense of humor was intact. "I don't read ahead."
"Oh well." She reached out for his hand, Bruce taking it and sitting down on the edge of her bed, shaking his head.
"I knew it. I knew you'd come back."
She reached out with her other hand, her thumb gently stroking his cheek. "This may sound cheesy, but…I heard you. Talking to me. Reading. I…I dreamed about you, all the time."
"What did you dream?" Bruce grinned.
"I should probably tell you when we're alone." Selina smirked, nodding her head towards the doctor and nurses walking in the room, Bruce's cheeks very red when he turned around to greet them.
Eventually they ushered Bruce out so they could complete a series of tests on Selina to check her brain function and reflexes, but he didn't go far. He walked around the perimeter of the hospital, unable to stop smiling like an idiot. She was back. She remembered him. And she loved him.
"Mr. Wayne?"
Bruce nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his former name, turning around to see Roman Baranovsky lurking around the bus stop outside of the hospital. Bruce cast a look around to make sure no one else had heard, stepping inside the bus stop and gripping the fabric at the back of Roman's collar. "Don't ever call me that again."
"S-Sorry."
"What the hell are you doing here? Coming to finish off the job?"
"No, no, man. Really. I wanted to ask you…" Now it was Roman's turn to look around nervously, but they were alone. "Is she okay?"
"Who? Your sister? I haven't seen her. Not for lack of trying, believe me."
"No. Selina. Your girlfriend."
"Don't say her name either! What is wrong with you?" Bruce shook him slightly. "She's fine. But why do you care how she is?"
"My sister…she does bad things sometimes."
"Yes, I'd say so."
"But she doesn't mean to. She has described it as…" Roman struggled for the correct American expression, "…like some kind of black out. When she is trying to protect us, she does things…bad things…without thinking."
Bruce did not appear moved. "Where is Aleksandra now?"
"I don't know. I'm worried. We had a meeting place, but she is not there."
"Where?"
Roman just shook his head. "I can't…if Aleks even knew I was talking to you, she would lose her mind."
"I think that ship has sailed, son."
"I know. And I know she will never be able to tell you this…so I will say it. I am sorry for what she has done to your woman."
Bruce blinked with surprise. He only wished Selina was here to hear someone call her his "woman." She'd probably punch the kid in the face. Something Bruce was still highly considering.
"What's your angle here, Roman?"
"No. No angle. I just wanted to tell you this. I am sorry for what happened."
Bruce looked at him for a moment, his rage fading, suddenly realizing how young Roman was. Barely more than a kid. Not that much older than Bruce had been when he'd been shuttled from boarding school to boarding school, so angry with the world and everyone in it that he scared himself.
"You know, Roman…you don't have to follow your sister's path. You could still start over. Without her. Be someone different. Find a better life."
Roman shook his head, swallowing hard. "Aleks needs me."
"Then why isn't she here?"
"I don't know. I'm afraid something may have happened to her."
Bruce released his grip on Roman's collar, sighing heavily. "I could help you start over. If you'd help me find her."
"Why do you want to find her? To kill her?"
"No." Bruce shook his head. "To have her placed in proper care."
"Jail, you mean?"
"She's a danger to everyone she meets, Roman. You know this. You've just admitted it yourself."
"I…I couldn't do that to her."
Bruce looked at him intently, man to man. "I hope you reconsider."
Roman shook his head, staring down at his feet. "I have to go. I'm glad your girlfriend's okay." He turned and left as quickly as possible, practically breaking into a run once he was out of the bus stop, as if afraid Bruce would tackle him to the ground.
But Bruce had much more discreet plans than that. He opened his cell phone, activating the very small but useful dual tracking/listening device, an early Lucius Fox invention, that the young boy now unknowingly had attached to his collar. All he needed was the location. If Aleks was foolish enough to return to their hide-out, Bruce would be there to welcome her. Aleks would soon learn a fact Bruce had long known— one of his many personal failings was the inability to let go of a grudge.
one week later
"Honey, you have to get me out of here." Selina gripped Bruce's arm as soon as the nurse left them. "I am losing my mind."
"This is the best hospital in France, Selina." Bruce sighed, shaking his head with a smile.
"I don't care. If they want me to spend another night in this bed, they're going to have start using restraints."
"It can't be that bad."
Selina laced her fingers through his. "I just want to be with you. Away from here. Far, far away."
"You're tired of Paris?"
"I could stand a change of scenery. What about you?"
"Rome's nice this time of year." Bruce said, but he sounded hesitant.
She pulled him closer to her, her arm snaking around his shoulders. "Well, then sign the papers, pack me some Valium, and let's get the hell out of here." Selina kissed him, pulling back after a moment. "What is it? Something's wrong."
"No. I'm fine."
"Bruce. Why don't you want to leave?"
"You just woke up a week ago, Selina. If we rush it, you'll just end up back in a hospital bed."
She shook her head. "There's something else. Something you're not telling me."
Bruce sighed. "Fine. I can't leave until I know that Aleksanda is going to get what she deserves."
Selina looked at him for a long moment, an odd expression on her face. "And what does she deserve?"
"She deserves to be punished for what she did to you."
"And you have to be one who doles that punishment out?"
"Well…well, yes. She hurt you. She nearly killed you. I feel…I feel like it's my responsibility to take care of this."
"Bruce…you don't have to prove anything to me. The police—"
"—are just as useless here as they were in Gotham. Clearly. Since the only lead on Aleksandra was my doing."
"Lead?"
"I know where Roman is staying. A safehouse, where he waits for his sister to return."
Selina looked up at him. "So now you have to protect the entire world?"
"I'm not doing this for the entire world! I'm doing this for you!"
"What if I asked you to leave her alone?"
Bruce shook his head, furious. "What are you talking about?"
"She was desperate, Bruce. It sounds like she's been desperate all her life. I can understand that." Selina put her hand on his cheek. "I can forgive that."
Bruce pulled away from her, getting to his feet. "Well, I can't."
"Bruce—"
Suddenly his cell phone started beeping in his pocket. Bruce pulled it out, looking down at the screen for a moment before switching it off. "I'll be back tomorrow."
"What was that?" She started to get out of bed, reaching for his pocket.
Bruce caught her by the shoulders. "Stay in bed."
"Fuck you. Don't talk to me like that." Selina spat. She could still get murderously angry so fast it made his head spin. She went to wrench away from him, suddenly crying out and doubling over in pain, clutching her stomach. She pushed him away when Bruce tried to help her, Selina staggering back to the bed. "Shit. Shit. I think…my stitches…"
Bruce alerted the doctor, not saying anything else, just watching her for a moment, remembering the pain and embarrassment that coursed through him every time his once-capable body betrayed him. Selina had just as much pride as he did, and he knew accepting limits would be just as difficult for her.
The doctor and nurses arrived shortly, and after examining the bloody bandage on her stomach, they confirmed that she had ripped through her stitches. "We'll get you patched up again, Miss Reisler. And then we really must insist that your rest." The doctor assured a fuming Selina before turning back to Bruce. "Mr. Lamont, would you mind stepping outside while we work?"
"Not at all." Bruce looked down to Selina, but she refused to meet his gaze. "I'll wait outside."
Selina shook her head, still clutching her side, suddenly glaring up at him. "Yeah. Right."
"I'll be back tomorrow." Bruce relented.
"So this is love, huh?" Selina asked him coldly.
"Love is protecting the people you care about."
"Now you're some kind of expert?" She snorted with laughter, and they just glared at each other for a moment, lost in some kind of battle of wills that was making the doctor and nurses very uncomfortable.
"Miss Reisler, we really must insist you lie back—" one of the bolder nurses finally spoke up.
Selina finally looked away from Bruce, grumbling "Fine," and laying back on her hospital issue mattress.
Bruce, just as stubborn as she was, told the doctors to call him right after and walked out of her room and straight out the front door of the hospital towards Roman and Aleksandra's no-longer-safehouse. His phone had been set to go off if anyone other than Roman entered the premises. And someone had. She had come back for her brother, finally. And as Bruce imagined Selina's face twisting in pain as she clutched her side just now, he felt a now-familiar rage building within him towards Aleksandra and what she had so thoughtlessly done.
She was not getting off easy for this just because Selina had a soft spot for damaged young criminals. Selina and Aleks were nothing alike. And while he had never been able to turn Selina over to the police back in Gotham, he felt absolutely no hesitation in doling out justice for Aleksandra tonight.
"Where have you been?" Roman spoke in hurried Russian, helping his sister over to the threadbare couch in their shitty safehouse apartment, Aleksandra pale as a ghost, even thinner than usual, her bare arms covered with needle marks. Roman held up one of her arms, Aleksandra pulling it away, her pupils enormous, looking so out of it he wasn't even sure she knew where she was.
"Leave me alone…" she said vaguely.
"You promised me. You promised me you wouldn't use again."
Aleks ran a hand through her stringy blonde hair. "I promised you a lot of things."
"We need to get out of here. Bruce Wayne is looking for you. Selina survived, but he still wants you dead."
Aleks looked up at her brother with wide eyes. "She lives?"
"Yes."
She lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. "I couldn't get their money. It's too well-protected. But I have enough I lifted from Bastien to get us out of here. We need to move on. Find a new job."
Roman crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at his feet. "We cannot do this forever, Aleks."
"Do you have another suggestion?"
Roman said nothing. Aleks shook her head, letting out a hoarse laugh. "I didn't think so."
"I have a suggestion. Turn yourself in."
Aleks sat up with a start, Roman whipping around to see Bruce stepping out of the shadows of their apartment.
"Or what? You kill me?" Aleks asked him in Russian, getting to her feet.
Bruce responded in Russian as well. "You keep up this life, you'll kill yourself. And your brother."
"What do you know about this life?" Aleks shook her head angrily. "Screwing a criminal does not make you one of us."
"Where do you see this going for you?" Bruce asked, stepping towards her. "What kind of life are you trying to make for yourself?"
"I did not choose this, you fool of a man." Aleks spat, tears filling her eyes. "When I was a child, my whole family slept in one room. My father started fucking me when I was six years old. He did it while my brother slept in bed beside me and my mother turned her back and pretended not to hear. I grew numb to it eventually. Became addict to try and forget. Until I come home from a friend's house and found him touching my brother."
"Aleks!' Roman shook his head fiercely, but she ignored him, going on.
"Roman was seven years old. Just the age he liked, I suppose. I was fifteen. Getting too old for him. I should have killed him then. But a quick death was too good for him. So as soon as he left for work, I packed up our things and took Roman with me. Away from Lobnya. Away from that monster. Cancer killed him the next year. I was happy he died, but it didn't solve any of our problems. Roman and I didn't have money. We had to do something. I research how to steal. I find out about Selina. I did everything to become like her. Roman and I start doing jobs. One man tries to rape me. I kill him. And we come here."
Bruce let out a long breath. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry all of that happened to you. But stealing and killing isn't going to bring you any kind of peace."
"Safety for my brother would bring me peace. And the only way in this world to have safety is to have money. You know this. You're a man whose life is about money. You have never gone without. So you could not understand."
"Tell the police what you just told me. I'll pay for your lawyer. I'll get you the best representation money can buy. I'll help your brother start over. Live a clean life. Give him a chance, Aleks."
Aleksandra looked at Bruce for a long, silent moment. Finally—"You would do this for me? For us both? After what I've done to you?"
"Yes. Selina told me that you have her forgiveness. And if she can forgive you…I should be able to do the same. I'll help you, in any way I can. But escaping what you've done wouldn't help you. You have to face it. Every part of yourself. The darkest parts you never wanted anyone to know. Believe me. You have to face them, or you'll never find any kind of peace."
Aleks nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears. "May I change my clothes? Before we go to the police?"
Bruce nodded. "We'll wait for you here."
She disappeared up the stairs, Bruce turning to Roman. "Tell me the truth. Is there any way to escape from her room?"
"No. No windows. The only way out is the door you came in through."
"Don't lie to me. You wouldn't be helping her by lying."
"I get it, man, okay? I am telling the truth."
Bruce had done enough reconnaissance on the perimeter of this place to know that Roman was telling the truth about the windows. He'd just been testing him. Satisfied that they weren't trying to play him, he and Roman waited for her to come back in silence.
Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen. Then a half hour went by.
Roman stubbed out his fifth cigarette. "I should make sure she's all right…"
Bruce held out his hand, stopping Roman. "Let me." He walked up the stairs to the bedroom, finding that the door was slightly ajar. Bruce knocked twice. "Aleksandra? Is everything all right?"
"I am almost ready."
"You're doing the right thing."
"I know." Suddenly Bruce heard the sound of a gun safety clicked off. He pushed open the door, charging inside and finding Aleksandra standing at her vanity, staring at her reflection, a pistol in one hand.
"Aleksandra. Put down the gun." Bruce stepped towards her slowly.
Aleks turned the gun on him, her pale features twisting with pain and misery. "Get away from me. Get away or I shoot."
Bruce held up his hands. "Think about what you're doing. Think about your brother. If you shoot me, what kind of life are you making for him?"
Her hands were shaking violently, but she kept the gun trained on Bruce. "I know now. I know now what I must do."
"What's that?" Bruce asked, his voice quiet and gentle.
"Something I should have done many years ago. I take your advice. I set him free." Before Bruce could make another move forward, Aleks turned the gun on herself, shoving the barrel into her mouth and pulling the trigger.
"NO!" Bruce lunged towards her, catching her body before it hit the ground, hearing Roman's footsteps pounding up the stairs, Bruce shielding the gruesome sight with his body when Roman stepped inside the room.
"Get away from her!" Roman roared. "Don't you touch her!"
"It's too late, Roman. She did this to herself. She said she did it for you."
Roman looked at the gun still resting in his sister's limp hand, tears streaming down his face as his legs gave out from under him, and he sank to the floor against the wall, sobbing into his hands like a child.
Bruce called the paramedics, and guided a hysterical Roman out of the room. Once the body was taken away, Roman seemed to retreat inside himself, falling into an odd catatonic silence, refusing to move from the curb outside their apartment or look at Bruce sitting down beside him.
Trying to offer any kind of help he could, Bruce told Roman about the night his parents died. He'd never really talked about to anyone in detail, but he felt like Roman needed to hear the truth about the monster that had ended their lives, not the pretty obituary-page story about his parent's contributions to Gotham and their charity work.
After Bruce was finished, Roman was silent for a long time. Then—"My father was that monster for Aleks. He killed her soul. He took her life away, a little bit every night. All she ever wanted was different for me."
"Then start now. Let her see you go on and have an amazing life. She'll always be with you. Just like my parents are always with me."
"Why are you doing this? Why would you help me?"
"I want you to have a better life. It took me thirty years to let go of the anger. Thirty very dark, vengeful years."
"What made you finally let go of it?"
"Someone showed me a different end to my journey." Bruce smiled slightly. "And I was enough of a sucker to believe her."
"But I don't have anyone like that."
"You have me. Telling you your story can go another way. Right here. This is your crossroads." Bruce pulled out an envelope from his jacket pocket, containing a one-way plane ticket, a new identification, enough cash to start over, and the Clean Slate flash drive, handing it over to Roman. "You can start over. I can show you how."
Roman stared down at the envelope for a long moment before he finally looked up to Bruce, giving him a small nod. "I'm listening."
Bruce returned to the hospital the next morning, freshly showered and shaved, exhausted from a long night getting Roman on the first morning flight out of Paris, bound for America, just like he'd always dreamed.
Selina's doctor had called Bruce around midnight to tell him that she was resting comfortably after having her stitches redone, and Bruce understood that to mean that the only way an angry, restless Selina would be resting comfortably would be if they knocked her out with painkillers.
Maybe she'd forget all about their fight in the haze of morphia, Bruce thought hopefully. But somehow…he thought not.
Sure enough, when he walked into her hospital room, Selina alert and well rested but not particularly happy to see him.
"Good morning," Bruce said hesitantly, sitting down beside her hospital bed.
Selina looked at him, and Bruce wondered if there was something wrong with him finding her so pretty when she was mad at him. Something was different this morning though. Her brown hair was shiny and newly washed, her face fresh scrubbed, somehow managing to look like a movie star while wearing a hospital gown.
"You look nice."
"They actually let me take a shower this morning instead of my usual glamorous sponge bath." Selina frowned slightly. "As long as I promised not to…overexert myself and rip my stitches again."
"So no show tunes in the shower?"
The ghost of a smile crossed her lips. "That was one time, Bruce. Let it go."
"No, like I told you then, you have a really nice voice."
"Shut up, I do not." Selina laughed before she could help it, but it faded after a moment, and the awkward silence returned. She cleared her throat. "So…did you find what you were looking for last night? Leave Aleks hanging off the side of the building or tied up and giftwrapped on the police's doorstep or something?"
"Aleks killed herself, Selina."
The color drained from Selina's face. "Really?"
"Yes. I realized you were right about forgiving her. I told her I would help her find a good lawyer. I said I'd get Roman out of town. She seemed relieved. And then she went upstairs and…"
"She didn't believe you." Selina said sadly. "Probably wouldn't believe anything any man told her."
"Her father sexually abused her and Roman. She did tell me that much. I wanted to help her, Selina. I really did."
"But she was past saving." Selina leaned back against her pillow, staring out the window for a moment. "Are you going to get mad at me if I say I'm sorry she died like that?"
Bruce got up, wanting to be closer to her, sitting down on the side of her bed, smoothing down her hair. "No, of course not. I'm sorry too. I would never want that, for anyone. I did help Roman though. Gave him the Clean Slate. He left for America this morning."
Selina nodded. "Thank you, Bruce."
"Of course. And I'm sorry about last night."
"Me too." Selina sighed. "And, look, I know I over-identified. But I couldn't help it. For a long time…I thought I was past saving. Everyone did. Everyone but you."
"You saved me too, Selina."
She rolled her eyes with a small smile, clearly pleased by his words but trying to hide it. "Okay, okay, just kiss me already."
Bruce happily complied.
one month later
"Morning." Selina stretched out luxuriously beside Bruce in bed, her voice slightly husky from sleep.
"Morning, beautiful." Bruce put down the morning newspaper he'd been reading, leaning over to give her a chaste kiss. "Happy anniversary."
"You too, honey." Selina forced a smile on her face, watching as Bruce went back to his reading and trying not to reach over and wring his neck.
They hadn't made love once since she got out of the hospital, and Selina wanted to jump his bones so badly at this point that she almost let out an actual groan of frustration when he pulled away after a brief, close-mouthed kiss. She had even asked the doctor point blank at her last appointment if they were allowed to have sex now, and the doctor had assured them both that it was fine to return to "business as usual" as he put it, but as a furiously blushing Bruce had informed her once the doctor left, he still didn't want to "rush into things" and end up with her back in the hospital. Selina had made some joke about him thinking pretty highly of himself if he thought his sexual prowess would land her in the hospital, and Bruce had laughed weakly, and then abandoned the issue all together.
And so they had spent the last month living in a hotel room with a huge bed that practically cried out for sex, and Bruce hadn't even tried for second base. Maybe it was her fault. Maybe it was the whole "I love you" thing. Maybe she should never have said. It felt like once they started saying it, they had turned into an old married couple—comfortable, pleasantly happy, and totally, completely sexless.
But she had hope for today—admittedly, hope that was quickly dwindling after that good morning kiss. But some hope remained. Today was their six month anniversary. And their last night in Paris. That had to get her something, right?
"So, Bruce..." Selina rested her hand on his chest, lowering her voice seductively. "What do you want to do to me tonight?"
"I made us dinner reservations at L'Astrance." Bruce said placidly, not looking over at her for more than a fleeting second.
She leaned closer, kissing his neck, sliding her hand under the robe covering his chest— "And then?"
"Well, we should probably get some rest tonight. Our flight to Rome leaves at 6:00 tomorrow morning."
"You know, we can always sleep on the plane…" She murmured into his ear, gently biting down on his earlobe, a trick that had worked in the past.
But Bruce pulled away, laughing a little nervously. "Selina, come on."
"What? Did we take some joint vows of chastity I'm not aware of?" She threw her hands up in frustration .
Bruce didn't seem to know how to respond, climbing out of bed. "I'm going to take a shower. You should…you should order some room service for breakfast. You shouldn't take your pain pills on an empty stomach." He practically sprinted into the bathroom.
"Sure thing." Selina fell back against their pillows, running a hand through her hair, this close to pulling it out with frustration.
She was going to have to resort to more creative tactics if she was going to convince Bruce she wasn't the sad little hospital patient anymore, that she was still the sexy cat burglar who liked it up against the wall in an alley. But how could she show him that? Selina stared up at the ceiling, her mind whirring. After a moment, she sat back up, a triumphant smile on her face as inspiration finally struck. Perfect.
"Buckle up, Bat Boy." Selina slinked out of bed, speaking under her breath. "I'm gonna give you the night of your life."
Bruce had wanted to go by the jeweler's to pick up her present before dinner, so Selina barely had enough time to hatch her plan before he returned to pick her up. She made sure to meet him downstairs instead of letting him come back up lest he ruin the surprise, and Selina could barely contain her excitement, thankfully able to pass it off as her first major anniversary jitters. For now, she was still playing proper little girlfriend, wearing a white lace dress and nude heels, looking almost bridal, wanting to give him a good contrast for later. Bruce seemed oblivious to the fact that she was up to something, and they had a perfectly nice dinner. While they were waiting for dessert, Bruce pulled out the red velvet box that contained her anniversary present, looking a little nervous as he handed it over, putting his hand over hers.
"Selina, these last six months have had their ups and downs, but without a doubt…they've been the best six months of my life. I love you so much." Bruce leaned over, kissing her cheek. "Happy anniversary."
She opened the box, actually gasping with surprise.
"Don't worry. I had the tracker removed." Bruce grinned.
"Your mother's necklace." Selina gently traced her fingers over the perfectly rounded pearls. "Bruce. No. It's too much. You don't have to do this."
"I want to. I told you, it looks better on you than locked up in some safe." Bruce smiled. "Put it on."
Selina smiled back, shaking her head. "Oh, all right." She pulled her long glossy curls over one shoulder, letting Bruce clasp the necklace at the back of her long neck. Selina shook her hair back around her shoulders, striking a pose, speaking a teasing sexy voice. "What do you think, Mr. Wayne?"
"It's perfect. You're perfect." He leaned over, kissing her softly, but when Selina's hand instinctively went to the back of his neck, gently stroking the hair at the back of his neck with her nails, Bruce felt a shiver shoot through him. He didn't pull back so fast this time, and when they kissed again, discreetly hidden in a corner private booth, his hand slid her white lace dress higher up her thigh, resting on her black garter and snaps, undoing the front snap, his lips finally parting against hers. Selina's other hand slid down his chest to grip the lapels of his tuxedo jacket, clenching the expensive material as she opened her mouth for his tongue, both moaning softly as the embrace turned into something better suited for a back room than a corner booth, finally acknowledging the months of built-up tension between them. It had been way, way too long…but this still wasn't the right moment. Not yet. Even Selina could admit that. When they finally were forced to break the kiss to stop themselves from just having sex right there, they just looked at each other, both breathing hard, his eyes dark and hungry as he looked down at her slightly swollen, still parted lips.
"Dessert!" Their waitress cheerily approached the table, Selina banging her knee on the table and Bruce nearly knocking over his wine glass in their hurry to disentangle themselves and look presentable. Even despite their best efforts, the waitress had to stifle a smile as she looked between them, setting down their slice of chocolate cake with two forks. "Enjoy, you two." She gave them a sly wink before disappearing.
Bruce let out a long breath, taking a long sip from his water glass, Selina sliding her tongue along her teeth with a smile as she snapped her black thigh high stocking back to her garter belt.
"Sorry about that." Bruce finally said, using his fork to retrieve a small bite of cake.
"Don't apologize." Selina leaned towards him again. "How's my lipstick?"
Bruce smiled. "Well…you kind of look like someone just kissed the hell out of you."
"Fix it for me?" she purred.
Bruce gently ran his thumb along the bottom of her lip. "There you go."
"Hey, so…" Selina smoothed down his lapels. "I have to go pick up your present after dinner. Can I just meet you back at our hotel room?"
Bruce raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What are you up to?"
"Don't you trust me, Mr. Wayne?"
"Not a chance." Bruce grinned.
"Good answer." She smirked, everything out of her mouth suddenly sounding sexual, Bruce watching her mouth in a sort of daze. "Come on, Bruce. Let's have some cake."
Bruce, perfectly willing to do whatever Selina told him to after that kiss, went back to their hotel room alone, trying to guess what on earth she was up to. When he walked into their bedroom, Bruce stopped with surprise.
His Batsuit was laid out on the floor by his side of the bed. He'd been so out of it when they'd left Gotham he hadn't even realized she'd brought it along with the rest of their luggage. She had definitely kept that piece of information to herself. Maybe she had even forgotten too. Until now, apparently. There was a small folded note resting on the breastplate. He reached down, unfolding it and reading—
Let's play dress-up. Just for tonight—wear your mask.
There was an address underneath the note. And instead of a signature, she had left a bright red kiss mark. Bruce let out a stunned laugh. Was she serious?
Not knowing what else to do, he put on the Batsuit, cowl, and mask, finding it surprisingly comfortable to be back in the suit. If she wanted him to call her bluff, he would. If she wanted to play Bat and Cat again…Bruce found himself more than up for the challenge. After that kiss at the restaurant, it was pretty clear that he couldn't stay away from her any longer. He had been trying to keep his distance until he was absolutely sure she was better, but if she was running around town, planning this elaborate of a game, that was good enough for him.
It was their last night in Paris. Might as well make the most of it, he thought with a small smile, heading up to the rooftops. This was risky—bordering on crazy—to chance being spotted in the Batsuit again.
But she was worth the risk.
"Miss Kyle." The curtains fluttered slightly at his arrival, Bruce stepping out of the shadows, back in costume, back behind the mask.
Selina jumped, turning around from vanity mirror in the much cheaper hotel room she'd found for them in the middle of Montmartre. It just seemed much more…Gotham-y.
"So." Selina walked towards him, holding the pearl necklace in one hand, clad in her catsuit and mask. She slid the necklace through her black-gloved fingers. "You found me."
"That necklace belongs to the Wayne family." Bruce played along.
"So call the cops. Or take me in yourself." She set the necklace aside, snaking her arms around his massive shoulders. "I mean…why else would you go through all the trouble of…tracking me down?"
Bruce's gloved hand went to the zipper of her catsuit, sliding it lower. "The police are already on their way."
"So this is your way of detaining me? Are handcuffs involved?" She smiled, leaning closer, kissing him, long and slow, Bruce's hands going to her hips, his grip tightening as he kissed her back.
"You know this can never work, Miss Kyle."
"Call me Selina. And why wouldn't it work?"
"You're a criminal. I've sworn to protect Gotham from people like you."
"Oh, come on…" Selina pushed him back onto the bed, crawling on top of him and unzipping her cat suit far enough to reveal she didn't wear anything underneath. "Why don't you spend the night with the bad girl for once?" She leaned over him, sliding her slick leather-clad fingertips over his mouth. "You know what they say, once you go cat…"
Bruce smiled against her lips as she kissed him again, his hands sliding up her back as she started to undo his utility belt. She tossed it aside, taking his face in her hands. "I wanted this," she breathed out, "all those nights in Gotham." "So did I," Bruce pulled her back to him, kissing her hard as they hurriedly shed the pieces still keeping them apart, Selina crying out when she finally felt him inside her again, groaning his name and, later, even the L-word as she circled her hips against his. They kept as much of their costumes on as possible during sex, masks, boots, gloves, and all, reconnecting so passionately and so many times that they woke up the next morning on the floor in the walk-in closet, Selina asleep on top of him, costumes rumpled and askew, with absolutely no clear memory of how in the world they'd gotten there.
Selina squinted slightly at the clock on the bedside table. "Honey?"
"Yeah?" Bruce lazily traced circles on her back, sounding happier and more peaceful than she'd ever heard him.
"Our flight leaves in two hours." She looked back down at him, tracing the line of his jaw with her fingers. "I packed us a change of clothes, and had the hotel deliver the rest of our luggage to the airport. I guess we can't exactly show up for our flight as Batman and Catwoman."
"No, I guess not." Bruce sighed. "Should we take the suits with us?"
"I don't know." Selina shrugged. "I think…I think I'm finally done with mine."
"Me too." Bruce kissed her. "So…just leave them here? Let the staff try to figure out who the hell stayed here last night?"
"Believe me, honey, based on the clientele this place usually gets, those outfits will not be the strangest thing the staff stumbles across this morning." Selina smiled, crawling off of him and getting to her feet, peeling off her mask and catsuit and pulling out the luggage she'd stashed under the bed with their change of clothes.
Bruce changed out of the Batsuit and into the blue button-down shirt and gray slacks she'd packed for him, Selina changing into a nice black dress, heels, and her pearl necklace. They stood together at the mirror, Selina laughing out loud. "Quite the transformation."
Bruce held out his arm. "Miss Reisler."
Selina took it. "Mr. Lamont."
"You ready to see Rome?"
She reached over, fixing his collar. "I'm sure we'll find something to keep us occupied there."
"You know, Selina, I never really worry about boredom when I'm with you."
She laughed, taking his hand and leading him towards the door. "Come on."
A/N- Until chapter six! I hope you all enjoyed—reviews make my day!