A/N - Thank you again so much for the reviews and messages! I was going to post this yesterday, but it was Canada Day here and it was a busy day of fireworks and barbecues. Now, it's back to work... :) I hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend! It's summer!

Emily was certain that she had never swam so fast before. She was so relieved to have Gordon assist her in pulling Bruce to shore. Fighting the current and the waves was hard enough with him helping. More than once, she was pushed under by a wave and desperately tried to keep Bruce above the water.

His motionless body frightened her. In the moonlight, she could see his pale face and blue lips. It only made her swim harder towards the beach.

The moment she could feel the ground under her feet in the water, she stood and together with Gordon, they pulled Bruce along before finally laying him on the sand, his legs still partially submerged in the water. Emily dropped to her knees and despite the fact that she was exhausted, she calmed her breathing enough to listen carefully for any sign of life from Bruce.

She leaned over him and listened for his breathing.

Nothing.

Quickly, she reached for his neck and felt for a sign of life.

"Anything?" Gordon asked, his own breathing ragged. He watched as the doctor quickly and systematically searched for a pulse.

Nothing. He was under too long.

"No," she stated, grinding her teeth, feeling anger come to the surface although her eyes quickly filled with tears.

Desperately, she pulled at the Kevlar covering his chest and took it off, the way that he had once shown her. She didn't even hesitate before beginning chest compressions. She ground her teeth when she suddenly felt the pain in her hand once again from when she had punched the clown in the face. Emily ignored it, and felt the tears fall from her eyes as she quietly counted out the compressions before leaning down over him to breathe air into his lungs. She would sniff in between, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands.

Again, she sat back up, but this time noticed Gordon had his hands over Bruce's chest and began the chest compressions for her. Emily looked down at Bruce's face before putting her mouth on his once again.

"Don't leave me," Emily whispered, with tears in her eyes, as she listened to Gordon's soft counting next to her.

"Check his pulse," he suddenly said, pausing in between compressions.

Emily reached for his neck, desperate to feel anything. She shook her head silently as Gordon began the compressions once again. Emily could hear Gordon demanding that Bruce would wake up. All she could do was gently touch his face before putting her mouth over his again, fruitlessly breathing air into his lungs.

"Come on!" Gordon ordered as he continued to make compressions.

He watched as Bruce's face suddenly contorted and he began to cough up the water that had filled his lungs. He took large gasps of air as he continued to cough. Gordon sat back and ran his hand over his face, relief washing over him. He looked at Emily as she wrapped her arms around Bruce's neck and whispered something inaudibly to him. Bruce raised a gloved hand and put it on Emily's back, holding her close.

"You're alive," he said softly to her, his voice rough from the coughs that shook his body moments prior.

Emily sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes as she smiled. It was then that Bruce noticed Gordon kneeling beside him. Emily noticed him tense up with the Commissioner's presence. The man was now another person who knew that Bruce Wayne was more than what he seemed. Emily wasn't the only one who noticed the awkwardness.

Bruce attempted to sit just as Gordon offered his hand to him. Bruce took it and Gordon pulled him up to stand and held onto his arm for more than a moment as it appeared that Bruce was a little wobbly.

"Thank you," Bruce said softly, his feet weak beneath him.

Gordon chuckled and shook his head.

"I find it odd to hear you thanking me, when I really should be the one thanking you," Gordon said. "You have done so much for this city and all that you got in return was our hatred."

"I was who I was needed to be," Bruce replied, before looking up at the pier.

A group of officers lined the pier, aiming their flashlights at the water below. In the distance, a police boat with a search light was approaching.

"I need to go," Bruce said, taking a deep breath.

"Bruce, you just about died," Emily remarked, taking his arm.

"I'll be fine," he retorted, looking at her and taking her hand. He felt the coolness of her touch.

Her lips were blue and her teeth were chattering. He put his hand to her face.

"You're freezing," Bruce remarked. "You're probably hypothermic. You need to see a doctor."

Before Emily could argue, Gordon spoke.

"I'll see to it that she gets to the hospital," Gordon said, looking past Bruce at the police cruisers that were in the distance, and getting closer. "You'll be all right getting out of here?"

Bruce nodded as he took Emily's hand. "I'll see you at the hospital in an hour or so."

"Has he said anything?" Gordon asked as he sat on the hospital bed, reading the report that officer Blake handed him.

He picked at the damn band aid that had covered his hand, where moments ago an IV tube had been taped to his hand. He had been discharged from the hospital and was gathering his things.

"A lot," he replied. "A lot that he shouldn't be saying in regards to the Batman. The entire station has heard him ranting as well as every criminal within the cell block."

Gordon sighed, and pinched bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on.

"He should have been confined to solitary," he stated.

"We had no grounds to keep him in solitary until a hearing."

Gordon looked through the glass panel across the hall to where he knew Emily Tucker was recovering from her hypothermia as well. A nurse stood beside her checking her vitals, much like the woman had done to him moments before Officer Blake had arrived.

"Is Mr. Wayne here?"

"Not yet," Blake replied.

"Keep an eye out for him. Knowing that Dr. Tucker is here and his daughter, he should be arriving soon."

Blake nodded and glanced out towards Emily across the hall.

"You don't think it's possible that Bruce Wayne is the Batman, do you?"

Gordon smirked at Blake.

"Do you really think that someone like Bruce Wayne would be able to do the things that Batman has done?"

Blake returned the smile and nodded as he chuckled.

"It does sound a little outrageous, sir," he said. "But why would the Joker be claiming that Batman is Bruce Wayne? It wouldn't benefit Joker in any way."

"What better way to ruin a man than to claim that a man is not what he seems to be," Gordon said, once again looking to Emily. "True or not, this can be dangerous for his family if this gets out to the general public and into the news circles. I don't want anyone interviewing the Joker besides myself."

Bruce walked into Dent Memorial, looking far worse for wear than he had been in months. When he had arrived back at the cave, Alfred and Bill assisted him in getting out of the tumbler. His near death experience had taken a lot more out of him than he had originally thought. But, he was determined to get back to Dent Memorial as quickly as he could. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that Alfred had pulled out for him.

Amazingly, his sleeplessness hadn't caught up with him yet. He appeared exhausted and the look on the nurse at the desk said it all. She didn't even recognize the man in front of him as being Bruce Wayne.

"Are you needing some medical assistance?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm looking for someone who came in earlier - Emily Tucker."

The nurse looked down at the computer in front of her and typed in the name before wincing.

"I'm sorry, she's in a secured wing of the hospital. Unless you're next of kin, I cannot allow you to go up," she told him.

"I am her fiance. Bruce Wayne."

The woman stared skeptically at him for a moment, not entirely convinced. When a man stepped up beside Bruce and turned over a police badge, the woman turned her attention to him.

"He's with me," the officer beside Bruce said.

The woman looked curiously from the officer back to Bruce before glancing down at her screen.

"Room 302," she told them blankly.

Bruce turned to the officer beside him. "Thank you."

They walked towards the elevator side by side.

"The Commissioner told me to keep an eye out for you," he said, holding out his hand towards Bruce. "I'm Officer John Blake."

Bruce didn't take it but nodded as he stepped silently into the elevator. The doors closed. Blake sighed and put his hand into his pocket.

"And why does the Commissioner need you to keep an eye out for me?"

"He wants to talk to you when you get a moment," Blake said.

"In case you weren't aware, I'm here to see my fiance and my child."

"Of course. I'm glad to hear that they are all right."

Bruce nodded. "Me too."

Blake glanced more than once while in the elevator with Bruce Wayne at his side. The man had bags under his eyes, his hair looked like he simply ran his hands through it and if he wasn't paying attention, he wouldn't have noticed that Bruce leaned somewhat into the handrail and winced slightly.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Bruce replied, stoically. "I haven't slept well lately."

Blake nodded, understanding considering the situation.

The elevator door opened and Bruce walked out with Blake beside him. The halls were quiet, except for the occasional officer standing by the nurses station. His appearance on the floor caught more than one medical personnel's attention.

Bruce walked up to the door marked 302, and saw Emily through the glass window. He knocked softly before opening the door. He smiled when he finally saw her face. It gave him a renewed energy.

Bruce pushed the door closed behind him before making his way up to the bed where she sat crossed legged. His eyes took in her appearance. A few bruises marked her face. Bruce wondered what injuries there were that he couldn't see.

"Are you all right?" he asked, as he sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. He reached for her hand and scowled when he saw that it was wrapped up.

"I'm fine," she replied, as she followed his gaze to her hand. "Oh this? This is nothing. it's just a few fractured metacarpal's. You should see the other guy."

Bruce smirked, relieved to hear her sarcastic banter once again. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.

"I was so sure that I had lost you," Emily whispered after she broke the kiss.

"I know the feeling," he retorted with a grin.

Emily put her hands on his face, feeling the stubble beneath her fingers.

"How are you, really? The truth."

Bruce sighed. "Sore," he replied softly. He knew well enough that if they had been at home, she'd be checking every inch of his body for signs of new injury from his ordeal, and then make him sleep.

He reached and took her bandaged hands from his face and brought it to his lips, putting a soft kiss on it when a thought came to mind.

"Where's Clara?"

Emily let out an anxious sigh. "I don't know. I've asked a few times if I could see her and they keep telling me that they're doing tests. I'm getting a little concerned."

Bruce stood up and walked towards the door.

"I'll see if I can find some answers," he said, as he pulled open the door.

Just as the door opened and he took a step into the hallway, a nurse caught his eye and smiled. He then noticed the small baby in her arms.

"There's your Daddy," the nurse said, looking down at Clara, who stared up with her dark eyes.

The nurse handed Clara into Bruce's waiting arms and watched with ovary exploding happiness as the billionaire playboy kissed Clara's cheeks.

"Hey peanut," he said softly, and got a half smirk in response to his voice.

The activity outside her door, caught Emily's attention and she was beside Bruce before he knew that she was there. Emily put her hand on Clara's soft haired head and stroked her cheeks as she spoke her name.

Emily turned to the nurse, who watched happily.

"How is she?"

"She's perfect," the nurse replied, with a smile as she watched the baby in the billionaire's arms. "Besides having a bad diaper rash and being slightly dehydrated, she's doing great. We loved having her in the pediatric wing, but she's ready to go home after you sign a few papers."

Bruce turned to look at Emily.

"When can Dr. Tucker leave?"

The nurse shrugged. "As long as the doctor on call is alright with discharging her, she can leave anytime. I can check to see if he's all right with it and arrange to get the papers for Clara to leave down here."

"That would be wonderful, thank you," Emily said.

The nurse nodded and smiled. "I'll be right back."

Emily looked back at Clara in Bruce's arms before turning to head back into her room with Bruce behind her, when they heard a voice.

"Excuse me, Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce paused and turned, seeing Officer Blake standing in the hallway.

"The Commissioner would really like to speak with you," he said. "It's very important."

Bruce looked to Emily. They both realized that Gordon now knew more about Bruce Wayne than he ever thought possible.

Bruce turned to pass Clara to Emily, when she shook her head.

"You hold onto her," Emily said. "She needs time with her Dad and I'll take care of the paperwork while you're with the Commissioner."

Bruce nodded and looked down at Clara who continued to simply look up at him as she put her hand to her mouth.

Gordon was sitting up with a layer of files covering the bed. He glanced up through his glasses at Bruce Wayne holding his daughter in his arms and Officer Blake beside him.

"Officer Blake, you can leave us," he said. Slightly surprised, the man turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Gordon looked up at Bruce Wayne. He would never have guessed that the man gently holding a baby in his arms was the same one that stroke fear into the hearts of every criminal in Gotham.

"I'm not going to pretend that I don't know who you really are," Gordon began, jumping right into it. He paused and looked at Clara as she arched her head, trying to see the source of the new voice. "I need to tell you some information that I was given that will affect not only you, but your family as well."

Bruce said nothing as Gordon spoke. There was no point in denying what the Commissioner knew. He realized that Gordon was simply being careful with his words, not knowing who could be listening.

Gordon turned a file around. Bruce took a step forward to get a better look at what the Commissioner was telling him.

"The Joker has been saying a lot since he was arrested last night," Gordon said.

Bruce picked up the file and read what had been reported on the Joker. One line that caught his eye was the repeated admission that he knows who Batman is and that he is Bruce Wayne. Bruce put the file back down.

"Has he told this to anyone else?"

Gordon nodded.

"We had a full cell block last night when he was brought in," Gordon said. "That, and I'm certain that most of my officers got an earful of it as well. I'm certain that there would be a few, eager for some easy money who would run to the media with this, even if it involves destroying a family."

Bruce looked down at Clara and then out the window towards Emily's room upon hearing voices at the door.

Gordon stood up from where he sat and folded up the files.

"The hospital has discharged me," Gordon told him. "I'm going to go downtown to question Joker to find out how much he does know. I'd suggest that you get your family out of the city before anyone catches wind of this."

A knock on the door caught both of their attention.

"Come in," Gordon called out.

Blake opened the door, glancing from Gordon to Bruce Wayne.

"Sir, I suggest that we move Mr. Wayne and Dr. Tucker right now," Blake said, his voice filled with urgency. "The news is out."