Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Batmanverse characters, they are the property of DC Comics.
Author's Notes: Well this chapter was pretty hard to write, it is a little slower, maybe even a lot slower, than the previous chapters, but it is necessary, so bear with me. I do know where this is going ! :) As always, do not hesitate to review, favourite, follow, or whatever you want to do ! Enjoy !
Chapter 5: Friendly conspiracy
Bruce awoke to the sound of a bell emanating from the main entrance of the Wayne Manor. Looking to the digital alarm clock atop the small oak table alongside his king-sized four-poster bed, he saw it was past 11 o'clock A.M. He had slept for 7 hours - a long time for the Caped Crusader - having been escorted to bed by Alfred in a sorry state. It had taken him almost half an hour to calm his sobbing, stuttering breath long enough to change from his Batman costume and allow himself to be practically carried up to his master bedroom by his old friend and butler. Even after that, sleep eluded him, his thoughts not moving from the Joker's escape from Arkham for hours.
Emerging from his bedroom dressed in a dressing gown, he made his way down the main stairs to find Alfred at the front door, speaking in a hushed voice to someone on the other side of the door. They were obviously rather short, for they were hidden from Bruce's view. As Bruce arrived at the door, Alfred bade whoever was visiting farewell and closed the door, sighing audibly.
"Who was that, Alfred?" Bruce inquired a quizzical look on his face. Alfred had obviously not noticed his employer's arrival, for he was wrenched from a train of thought with a jump. The old man straightened himself and mumbled that it was nothing important and that he shouldn't worry himself. Excusing himself hastily, the butler hurried off to make Bruce's breakfast leaving him standing at the doorway. What was Alfred hiding, Bruce wondered?
Not able to contain his curiosity, he opened the door and peered outside to see a man hurriedly stuffing a wheelchair into the back of a dark-windowed car. Through the rear windshield, Bruce could see the outline of a woman sitting in the back of the car, her head bowed. Barbara? Bruce thought to himself. He closed the door and made his way to the dining table, all the while wondering why Barbara Gordon had come to Wayne Manor, only to stay for barely five minutes. And what was it her and Alfred had been whispering to each other? Yet when he brought it up with Alfred, the man mumbled he must have been mistaken and hastily changed the subject, adding even further to Bruce's befuddlement.
Barbara Gordon arrived home almost an hour after leaving Wayne Manor: traffic in Gotham City had been terrible, cars moving at a crawling pace, their horns blaring loudly due to their drivers becoming increasingly impatient. She wheeled herself into her first floor apartment and checked her phone for messages, there was one. And it was not one she had expected to hear.
Hi Babs, it's Dick," Said a familiar voice from the phone. It was one she had not heard for a while, such as the name Babs. Only Dick Grayson, the man she had once loved, had ever called her that. "I don't know if you've spoken to Alfred recently about Bruce, but you should know he's in a really bad way since he got back from Keystone city when Jason… Well, you know… Anyway, since Joker got out, Alfred and I both think it's safer to keep him off the streets at night. The reason I'm telling you this is that we think it will be best to all tell him this together. I'm getting Selina Kyle to come as well. I know she isn't aware of Bruce's identity, but she does love Batman, and I don't think she'll ever betray him. She is very important to Bruce as well, so I reckon her being there will be a great help. We'll be getting together tonight at the Manor and having a dinner while we tell him. Will you be able to make it? If not, give me a call and I'll rearrange with Alfred, but obviously the sooner the better. See you tonight. Bye Babs."
Barbara remained stock still, her mind still reeling at what she had just heard. She had just seen Alfred, so she knew about Bruce's state of mind and the arranged dinner that evening. But bringing Selina Kyle, Catwoman, into it and revealing the Batman's true identity to her? What was Dick thinking? Her allegiance in the Gotham crime fighting scene was ambiguous to say the least. Though he was right about her feelings toward the Batman, she did love him dearly, and maybe her support was exactly what Bruce needed. Though still dubious and anxious about his decision, she decided to trust in Dick. He was Nightwing after all, and had come so far since he had first arrived in Gotham a devastated orphan. And what's more, even if she would never openly admit it, she still loved him greatly and was sure he still had feelings for her. She just hoped that her trust in Dick and, by extension, in Selina Kyle was well founded.
Bruce Wayne stepped into the car waiting for him outside Wayne Tower, removing his black tie as he sat down. He had not wanted to participate in the board meeting of Wayne Enterprises but, as Alfred had pointed out, Bruce Wayne had to uphold his image of billionaire businessman despite his wish of carrying out the investigation into the Joker escape. He looked at the sunset as the rush-hour traffic held him up, lost in his thoughts. So much so that he didn't even realize that his driver was not Alfred as per usual, and did not notice it during the whole drive back to the Manor. He was obsessed with finding Joker. After he had been to the scene the night of his escape, Dick had reported that no clues could be found at Arkham. The cameras had been taken out ten minutes before by a guard that had obviously been paid off. However, the said guard had been found dead in a dumpster two streets away, so there was no way of interrogating him. What's more, the bullets used to take out the men stationed in front of the Joker's cell were untraceable: they were obviously unique and made specifically by whoever carried out this operation to not be traced back to the gun.
His train of thought was interrupted by the driver informing him they had arrived. Finally realizing the driver was not in fact Alfred, he started, getting out of the vehicle, very confused, and made his way to the door. As he approached the door, it opened itself and revealed Alfred standing behind. When asked why he had not picked up Bruce, the butler merely invited him to make his way to the main dining hall. More and more befuddled, he obliged. He was surprised to find Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson there and, to his utter disbelief, Selina Kyle who was dressed in an elegant black open-backed dress that hugged her feminine forms perfectly and matched her midnight black hair like they had been made together. Since Barbara and Dick were engrossed in conversation, she was the first to notice Bruce's entrance and gave him a sad, sweet smile.
Dick then noticed Bruce standing there, astounded, and they all turned to look at him, Alfred standing in beside Barbara. None of them spoke and Bruce just stared at the four of them, speechless. The silence was finally broken by Selina's low purr that had an unmistakable sadness to it.
"Hi, handsome… Why don't you sit down? We need to talk." She said, walking up to Bruce and taking his hand. She walked him to a chair, and they all sat down around the long table.