A/N - Thank you for all the reviews, PM's and alerts. I appreciate them.

Emily closed the door to the bedroom and flipped on the light switch, instantly illuminating the room in a soft glow. All she wanted at that moment was to wake up from the horrible nightmare that she was currently walking through. It didn't seem real. He couldn't be gone. He's Batman. After everything that he's done in his lifetime, it didn't make sense that something like this would kill him.

Unfortunately, her rational mind reminded her that he was still just a man.

She walked into the bathroom and stoically went through the motions of taking a shower and getting dressed for bed, forcing herself not to dwell on the fact that when she came out of the room, that she would still be alone. Emily turned off the light and glanced at the clock beside the bed, reminding her of the fact that sunrise was only an hour away. Feeling the aches in her legs cry out, she slipped between the sheets and pulled the comforter up to her chest and sighed, relishing in how nice it felt to be able to lie down. She rolled over, attempting to get into a comfortable position and stopped when her eyes fell on the empty, cold space beside her. Slowly and tentatively, she reached over and ran her hand over the comforter before grazing her hand across the vacant pillow.

"You're coming back to me, right?" she whispered softly.

As much as she wanted to believe it and try her hardest to remain optimistic, the nightmare was returning.

Emily slid closer to the centre of the bed, as she would when Bruce was there. It was then that she noticed it. The smell.

It had become obvious to her that her sense of smell had increased with the pregnancy. Smells would usually aggravated her but in this instance, it was calming. It was Bruce.

She reached for his pillow and pulled it closer to her, wrapping her arms around it. If she had told herself a year prior that she would be hugging a pillow because of the smell, she would think herself crazy. Then again, she was certain that she would have run in the opposite direction of Bruce Wayne. Now, all she wanted was to have him beside her once again.

Emily took a deep breath and closed her eyes, enjoying the light smell of his shampoo and cologne that lingered on his pillow. Her mind drifted to the first time she noticed that smell - the cramped bathroom of the private jet after she had been experiencing motion sickness. She couldn't recall the exact conversation except for the fact that Bruce had apologized to her for an outburst. Emily had felt the cool wash cloth on her neck and had her eyes closed with each wave of nausea, perfectly oblivious to how close Bruce had been crouching beside her when she had first smelled his cologne. She was oblivious again, when she was standing at the sink, attempting to gain control over her weak stomach. She had looked at herself in the mirror and saw her pale face looking back at her and Bruce behind her. In her mind, Emily opened her eyes and this time Bruce wrapped his arms around her waist. She watched as he would lean down and place feather-light kisses on her shoulder and begin a trail of them up her neck and to her ear. Emily closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation that he was causing within her.

"I'll never leave you," he whispered to her.

Emily opened her eyes with a gasp. The voice seemed to be right in the room with her that she had to sit up to look around to convince herself that it was part of a dream. Emily ran her hand through her hair before looking over at the clock. She sighed when she realized that only ten minutes had gone by. Emily laid back down, pulling the pillow to her chest and wrapping her arms over it. From deep within her, a sob came to the surface. She pulled the pillow up to her face, and cried.

Alfred leaned towards the window over the sink and cranked it open, allowing the fresh mid-day air into the kitchen. He breathed in the summer air as he attempted to handle the fifth caller asking for Bruce that day.

"I'm sorry," Alfred said, as he spoke on the phone. "The best that I can do is take a message and have him return it when he comes home."

Alfred looked over at the muted television as he listened to the man on the phone. Footage and news of the explosion, the murder of the Mayor and Joker's escape from Arkham were reported on the broadcast and he had been waiting and hoping that he would hear some good news to start his day.

"I'm not certain when he'll return," Alfred replied, as he saw Emily walk into the room. "He's away on an extended vacation."

She smiled at him as she sat down and turned to look up at the television, reading the ticker as it slid across the bottom of the screen. Alfred barely listened to the caller anymore as the look of exhaustion on Emily's face concerned him.

"I'll make sure to tell him. Thank you."

Alfred hung up the phone and looked over at Emily.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"A board member," Alfred replied, turning to the stove as he turned on the burners and pulled out the eggs from the fridge. "They were wanting Bruce to attend a meeting today. I've been telling everyone that he's away on a trip."

Emily nodded.

"I'm going to prepare you some eggs for breakfast," he told her. "How many would you like?"

She shook her head, keeping her eyes on the television. "Don't bother. I'm not hungry."

Emily heard the sound of Alfred sighing as well as the distinct crack of an egg.

"Unfortunately for you, my dear, you have no choice in the matter," he said, his tone a little more irritated that she had been used to. "You may not be hungry, but I'm determined to force feed you if I have to. You have a child within you to consider. And speaking of the baby, I took the liberty to call Dr. Thompkins this morning. After everything you've been through, we both felt that it was important that she came over and gave you a quick check up."

After he spoke, he looked over at Emily, surprised to hear that she wasn't objecting to his suggestions as she normally would. In fact, he was surprised that she wasn't saying anything at all.

Concerned, he walked over to where she sat at the table. Her face lacked emotion as she looked down at the engagement ring on her left hand.

"I barely slept," she informed him, her voice weak. "And when I did, it was always about Bruce. I could feel him and hear him like he was in the room with me." She shook her head. "I know it probably sounds crazy."

Alfred smiled softly, resting his hand on hers. "No, not crazy."

She raised her eyes and met his. In them he could see that deep pain. He had seen it once within Bruce's eyes after his parents funeral.

"If I just knew either way, whether he made it or not, then maybe it would be easier," she remarked, as Alfred nodded. "I need to know what happened."

Alfred thought for a moment before he spoke.

"You have the honour of knowing that he died protecting you and the people of Gotham," Alfred reminded her. "What greater memory is there than that of knowing that someone you love was a hero?"

Emily scoffed, wiping the tears that escaped her eyes.

"That doesn't make it any easier."

"Of course not," Alfred quickly added. "You may not realize it right now, but knowing what Master Bruce did willingly so that you could live will help heal your heart, in time. That can be your closure."

That was it. That was what she was needing.

Emily recalled being sad when her mother passed away, but it was nothing like this. They had grown apart throughout her teenage years as her Mom dated an array of men, nearly a new one every few months. Even when her Father left home, she was upset, but she was too young to understand that he would never come back. She had to admit that this was the first time in her life that she had actually lost someone extremely close to her. And it hurt like hell.

Alfred watched as Emily's expression changed before she almost shamefully covered her face with her hands in an effort to conceal the tears that began to pour from her eyes. Feeling overwhelmed with sympathy for the woman, Alfred pulled her up to stand and wrapped his arms around her.

He sighed as she sobbed into his shoulder. It wasn't fair. He found that there were too many times in his life that he had to comfort someone in mourning; Bruce, twice and now Emily. This lot that the Wayne family had been dealt wasn't fair.

Emily opened her eyes as they caught an image on the television. She wiped her tears with her hand and looked up at the screen as Alfred turned, curious to see what had her attention.

Joker.

A large stilled image of the monster was on the television as the newscaster spoke.

Alfred watched as Emily reached forward to unmute the television.

"...at large and considered extremely dangerous. Police are warning Gothamites to be cautious and to report any suspicious activity to the Major Crimes Unit. After this mornings death of Counsellor Jeffrey Meyers, the police have not implied that the Joker was involved but sources say that it is evident around the crime scene that he is the prime suspect."

The camera panned past the police tape to the image on the front door of the upscaled townhouse of a large bat painted in what onlookers could only assume to be that of the Meyers' blood.

"He's trying to taunt him," Emily said softly, as the broadcasters continued on the television. "He wants Batman. He said it himself the night he killed the mayor. And unfortunately he wont get what he wants. His violence may just escalate."

"God help us," Alfred mumbled, beside Emily.

As the days went by, Alfred grew concerned. Emily would never left the house and he would find her roaming the hallways, talking softly to herself. She refused dinner invitations and phone calls, keeping all to herself. She would only speak to him when spoken to. There were days where he'd find her in the gym, angrily beating a punching bag with her fists until she had no more energy remaining. That is where he found her once again. Sweat glistened on her forehead before she stopped and gently ran her hand over her obviously pregnant stomach, speaking softly once again.

Alfred sighed, watching the scene unfold as Emily prepared to unleash another battle against the unsuspecting punching bag. This had gone on for far too long. Bruce had been missing for just over a month and Emily had yet to leave the house for more than a quick jaunt into the city to pick something up. He was determined to get her back to the land of the living.

"Ah, there you are," Alfred said pleasantly, making his presence known as he walked into the gym. Emily turned, hearing his voice. "Today is the day, my dear."

"The day for what?"

Alfred paused, looking at her and not showing his surprise at her lack of enthusiasm.

"You have an appointment with Dr. Thomkins in an hour and I assured her that I would bring you myself, seeing as you managed to miss the last one," he said, picking up the water bottle on the floor. "Besides, Leslie mentioned that you're half way through the pregnancy and you're at a point where you could find out whether the baby is a boy or girl."

Emily shrugged, giving the bag another punch.

"It doesn't really matter to me," she stated.

"I thought that you'd want to find out. I certainly am curious."

Emily paused and looked back at Alfred, the same expression that he would get when it was a topic that she didn't want to talk about. Alfred sighed. As much as he wanted to shake some sense into Emily, he was aware that this was her way of dealing with what she had been going through.

"Either way, we're leaving in twenty minutes, so I suggest you shower and get dressed," he stated, before he turned and left the room.

The ride in the Bentley was made in silence as Alfred drove through the city. He purposely took a different route and was hoping that Emily was so lost in whatever reverie she was experiencing to notice. Alfred glanced up at the rear view mirror and found her looking down at whatever she had in her lap. With a slight smirk, he turned another corner. He was certain that he would arrive at their destination without Emily realizing where they were until he heard her voice.

"Alfred, this isn't the way. Where are we going?"

Before saying a word, he pulled the car up alongside the curb.

"Here."

Emily undid her seat belt and slid across the seat to look out at the building they had pulled up beside. A smile tugged at Alfred's mouth as he watched her push open the door and climb out of the car. Alfred stepped out of the car and walked around to stand beside her, both of them looking up at the building.

"Alfred, what...?

"Master Bruce intended for this to be a surprise for you," Alfred told her. "He arranged everything with the board a few days before the accident and I thought that it would be good to see."

A smile came to Emily's face.

A building under construction was being built in the spot where the clinic once stood. It was currently being bricked and the sound of power saws and hammers could easily be heard echoing onto the sidewalk where they had blocked off a portion for safety-sake.

"Bruce did all of this without me knowing?"

Alfred nodded. "He always was a master of deception."

Emily let out a light chuckle.

"If you'd like to know construction information or details, I'm certain that Mr. Fox could oblige. Since everything that has happened, he's now overseeing the construction. Would you like me to bring you to Wayne Tower?"

Emily looked over at Alfred, confused. "I thought that I had an appointment with Leslie."

Alfred smiled sheepishly. "It's tomorrow."

Emily shook her head as she smiled. "You know, I really should be angry, but this," she said, gesturing to the building. "This is the best news I've had in a long time."

Alfred had dropped her off at the door with the reminder to just call him when she was ready. She received more than a few stares as she walked into Wayne Tower. Emily glanced at security for a brief moment and they nodded back at her, silently assuring her that they were watching. She was certain that there were snap shots taken of her as she stepped onto the elevator. Emily wasn't sure if it was because of her being more evidently pregnant, her presence at Wayne Tower or the fact that she was dressed super casual in a t-shirt and denim capris with flip flops on her feet. She was certainly prepared for the late summer heat and not for a business environment.

She tucked her sun glasses into her purse as she stepped off the elevator and onto the executive floor. Emily could hear voices behind the closed doors and the odd phone ringing as she made her way towards Fox's office.

"Dr. Tucker?"

Emily turned to find an older man coming up behind her. He smiled politely to her and extended his hand towards her.

"It's good to see you again. I'm assuming that you're taking it easy, given your current condition."

Emily tried to think of his name. She had met him before and Bruce had even personally introduced him to her as someone who once worked with his father. She remembered the light accent as she tried to put a name to a face when it suddenly came to her.

"Mr. Fredericks," she said, shaking his hand with no evidence of the internal mind-recall she had just milliseconds prior. "Yes, I have been making sure to put my feet up and not pushing myself too hard."

The man nodded and smiled. "That's good to hear. I'm sure that you're looking forward to having Bruce home. By the way, when is he going to be returning?"

Emily concealed the look of horror on her face with a smile and paused for a moment.

"Actually..."

"Dr. Tucker!"

Both Fredericks and Emily turned to see Mr. Fox walking towards them. Emily had never been so relieved.

"I thought that was you," Fox said, a smile on his face.

"Well, it's hard to miss me these days," she quickly quipped, allowing the speed of her heart to return back to normal.

Lucius shook his head. "Oh, no, no! You look great!"

Emily chuckled.

"You certainly know how to make a pregnant woman dealing with this horrible heat wave feel good," she said, to which Lucius simply shrugged.

"Not that I don't enjoy the visit, but what brings you to this area of the city?"

"I came to ask you some questions regarding the construction of the clinic."

A knowing smile appeared on Lucius' face. "Ah, certainly."

Emily excused herself from Fredericks and followed Lucius into his office. The man waited for the door to close before speaking to her.

"So, I'm taking that you saw it. What do you think?"

Emily let out a breath as she sat down in a vacant chair. "I think it is amazing. I really appreciate what Wayne Enterprises is doing for that area of Gotham. This is going to benefit so many people. When are the doors set to open?"

Lucius smiled as he sat down behind his desk.

"Well that all depends on you," he said, pulling out a file folder from a small stack on the side of his desk. "The schematic and plans are based on what was already laid out with the previous building with some added, updated features. What we're needing next is a wish list."

Emily looked at him, perplexed as to what he was asking.

"Considering this is an area of your expertise, the board suggested that we allow you to come up with an outline of the necessary instruments, medical supplies, computers, chairs, tables; anything that would be needed to get a medical facility up and running. After all, if you're going to be running it, you should be the one deciding what is needed rather than a bunch of bean counters or businessmen."

"Wow," she said, her surprise and shock evident in her voice. "That is just... Wow."

"And provided that everything works out, we're hoping to hand you the keys by the beginning of November."

"That's less than three months away. This must have been in the works for a while to have the completion so soon."

Lucius smiled.

"You can thank Bruce for it," he said. "He set everything up with the contractors and with the backing of the board for financial resources, the ball began rolling."

He paused for a moment. He knew the next few words may be sensitive and hearing from Alfred how Emily had been faring over the past month, he knew to tread gently.

"Speaking of Bruce, have you heard from him?"

Emily simply shook her head to which Lucius sighed.

"I assumed that he would be back by now if he...made it out," Emily said, softly.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do?"

"I'm not certain that I know what you mean."

"People are questioning how long he'll be away, where is he and why hasn't he contacted anyone. And then there are the rumours regarding you and..."

"What?" Emily quickly interrupted, leaning forward. "Hold on a sec. Rumours?"

Lucius paused, completely unaware that she hadn't known. He shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his chair and cleared his throat, before looking back at the woman across the desk from him.

"There have been some stories that are being circulated, not just here at Wayne Enterprises, but within the media as well," Lucius said.

Emily sighed and leaned back in her chair. It made sense now as to why so many people had been whispering and staring at her when she walked in.

"I guess I should have expected that." She paused, her curiosity getting the better of her. "What are they saying?"

Lucius winced and smiled politely. "I don't think it would be wise..."

"Lucius, I want to know."

With a sigh, he began.

"The most prevalent of rumours that I've heard is that Bruce left you for another woman for a foreign country," he told her. Emily had to admit to herself that it didn't sound too awful. "And the other is that your child doesn't belong to him. It's being speculated that you're claiming that the baby is his only to reap the hefty child support from him."

"What?!"

Lucius shrugged. "They're simply rumours and they were bound to happen with Bruce mysteriously disappearing and being out of the social spotlight for so long." He paused for a moment, considering his words. "It might be wise if we declare Bruce as dead."

Emily's eyes shot up at Lucius. The words had such a finality to them.

"Lucius," Emily began as she shook her head. "I don't think I could..."

He held up his hand, sensing her disapproval. "Just think about it for a while. Bruce has been gone for over a month now. I know that he would want both you and the baby to be taken care of. Unfortunately, since you both never married, legally you're not entitled to his trust, but the baby would be, as his sole heir. It would also put an end to the rumours that have been circulating."

Emily unconsciously placed her hand over her pregnant stomach as Lucius looked towards her.

"No," Emily said simply and softly. "No. I just can't do that. Not yet."

Lucius looked down at his desk and nodded, as Emily stood up.

"I understand," he told her. "But do think about it."

She smiled weakly as she picked up her purse. Lucius stood up to show her to the door when the small envelope on the side of his desk caught his eye. He smiled.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he said, picking it up. "If you're up for a night out, one of the board members is having a party this coming weekend at the art gallery and along with the rest of the board, he's inviting you."

He handed her the invitation, to which she simply looked at her name written in the beautiful calligraphy. She smiled weakly.

Emily wasn't certain if she was getting a sudden wave of dizziness, but she reached out and grabbed ahold of Lucius' arm as the vibrations rattled her.

"Did you feel that too?" he asked.

"Was that an earthquake?" Emily asked, anxiously as the rumbling came to a stop.

"For as long as I've lived in Gotham, I have never experienced an earthquake like that," Lucius said, as they walked out into the hallway as more bewildered office personnel and business people appeared. Emily followed, wondering what was going on.

"The phones are down!" someone called out.

They soon discovered that not only were the phones no longer working, but neither were the elevators. The large group began to walk down the many flights of stairs, slowly going down to the street level for evacuation. The lights suddenly went out as the emergency lighting lit up the stairwell when Emily's cell phone began to ring. Not bothering to check the ID, she simply answered it.

"Hello?"

"Emily, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Alfred," she replied thankful for the rest from walking down the steps. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Alfred told her. "There is smoke coming up from the basement level of Wayne Tower and the lobby windows have been blown out. Where are you?"

Emily looked at the door that they had just passed as Lucius walked up behind her.

"25th floor in the stairwell. They shut down the elevators. Mr. Fox is with me."

She heard Alfred let out a sigh of relief.

"Take it easy on the stairs," he reminded her. "I'll be waiting for you on the other side of the road."

As they made their way closer and closer to the ground level, the smell of smoke filled the stairwell. They were met at the first floor but were quickly diverted away from the main entrance. Emily was so relieved to see the sunshine and breathe in the fresh air. She turned and saw Commissioner Gordon escorting Mr. Fox away from the building and the group of reporters that had gathered on the street, speaking to him as they went. Emily turned and followed the group of businessmen as they were ushered past the media vultures, waiting to hear the latest news on the explosion that rocked the downtown financial district.

Emily kept her head down and tried her best to face away from the crowd as the police tape was lifted above their heads to allow her and the others to walk through.

"Emily Tucker!"

Her heart began to pound.

In almost an instant she was confronted with a microphone in her face, and it stopped her dead in her tracks.

"What do you say to the speculation that your unborn baby isn't Bruce Wayne's?"

The woman with the microphone looked down at Emily's stomach with disregard. Emily scoffed as she walked around her as more people began to swarm around her, each with their own camera and microphone, waiting for an answer.

"Get away from me, please."

Not surprisingly, they didn't listen.

"Dr. Tucker! Can you give us a statement regarding your relationship with Mr. Wayne?"

"Do you even know where he is?"

Emily continued to walk, the media following closely beside her, taking the pictures they wanted to get. A second later, a man came up beside her and she was about to move away from him when she realized it was Alfred. He took her by the arm and led her towards the car, opened the door and quickly shut it the moment she was inside.

The flashes from the cameras instantly ceased as Alfred climbed into the car and pulled away from the curb.

"Are you all right, my dear?" he asked, looking at her through the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah," she quickly replied, her adrenaline from trying to get away from the media still coursing through her. She leaned back and rested her head against the back of the seat and sighed. "That was insane. I've never experienced something like that before where I felt so trapped."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't get your attention sooner. Learning to deal with the media is something one should never do alone. They become like a wild animal, ready to prey on the inexperienced."

"That's all right," she said, watching the cars around them. "I'm just glad to get out of there. Whatever happened, it had to have been big."

"I overheard some people that were on the street at the time," Alfred told her. "They said it sounded like a bomb went off."

3 days after the ship explosion...

"Wake up!"

"Come on, come on, wake up!"

He rolled over onto his side and instantly regretted it as a searing pain ripped through his shoulder. The pain was excruciating and didn't seem to ease up at all.

Batman opened his eyes, catching a glint of sunlight streaming in through the holes in the wooden roof. In the rafters above, a large outboard motor rested; a haven for a pair of pigeons who made their presence known as they fluttered about.

"We...we have to get out of here."

Batman turned towards the source of the voice behind him, clenching his teeth against the pain as he attempted to turn, finding that his arms had been tied up behind him.

Bill Dravis.

He sat in a wooden chair, his arms tied behind him and sweat dripping down his forehead. Bill couldn't sit still. It appeared as though he was crawling out of his skin. Batman noticed the dried remnants of a bloody gash across his forehead.

He was about to speak when the sound of chains being unlocked at the door caught his attention. A wooden door swung open and a man holding a rifle stepped in.

The unlocking of chains was heard outside the door before the wooden door swung open and a man holding a rifle stepped in. He aimed it down at Batman.

"You're up! Now, maybe you can tell me what the hell you're doing out here."