Good morning my favorite readers! Thought you should start your morning off with a dose of Cassidy! I want to apologizes for the several week delay. I have been in the process of moving and starting a new job; and with all the stresses that go along with that, I have had very little time to write. I believe I am in a place that will allow me to be more consisting with posting once again.I was planning to post this last night, but my personal laptop would not let me upload this chapter at all. The joys of technology. To end my ranting and raving, I want to thank you all for your patience and love I have received from this tale. It truly means a lot and I hope I continue to hear from you all. Have a fantastic day! - trs0010
Chapter VII: Not Broken, Just Bent
Cassidy woke exhausted at the crack of dawn from a restless sleep.
Her bed was a welcome escape after the emotional roller coaster that was last night's events, but once her eyes were closed, she was haunted by the beautiful nightmare that was one certain cop.
It was far from a traditional nightmare of monsters and ghouls. Cassidy imagined most women would enjoy her "nightmare" complete with a happy ending, but she knew better.
Once upon a night, she dreamt of happy endings. She once believed she had even stumbled upon her own happily ever after, but that tale quickly mutated into a horror story.
She was terrified to let her heart slip once more, and the dreams kept her restless with the uncertainty of her impending "date" was consuming her.
She knew that one innocent date could lead to tragedy for the both of them with the wild card of the Joker mixed within the hand dealt to them.
"He is do damn infuriating," she muttered to Hudson who was still lazily curled at the foot of the bed. "Forcing this date. Who in the hell does he think he is?"
Hudson plopped his head back down on the bed uninterested in her musings.
"Men…" she muttered as she ruffled his fur.
A hot shower was a perfect remedy for her sore body and her mind clouded with John Blake.
She switched the shower faucet on high and stripped out of her over-sized t-shirt that served as her pajamas.
She inspected her bandaged arm. It was extremely sore and she noticed a large bruise that could not be hidden completely by the wrapping, but she survived.
She was lucky it was as minor an injury as it was. She had suffered worse injuries on the job.
She brushed her fingers through her hair to work out a few tangles before entering her shower.
As quickly as she entered, she jumped out with a chorus of obscenities. Her piping hot shower she was expecting was icy cold.
It seemed the hot water was already been depleted or the hot water heater was out …again. She did not have the patience to deduce what the case was.
She ruffled through her dresser drawers from gym shorts and threw the t-shirt she had worn to bed back on before angrily tossing her signature jeans and fitted tee into an overnight bag.
She bid Hudson a farewell, knowing Jesse would take over her post shortly, stashed her keys, badge and gun into her bag and snagged her jacket and boots before heading out the door towards the parking garage.
To say it was a pain to drive across town to Wayne Manor just to shower was an understatement, but she refused to step foot in the station still covered in dirt, grime and blood.
Showering felt like a marathon after the physically draining rescue mission and the emotionally draining session with Blake.
She did not need to give anyone on the force another reason to spread gossip and rumors. She lived under a microscope, and the scrutiny would only intensify, especially with Gordon confined to a hospital bed.
The faulty shower provided an ulterior motive. She had an excuse to visit her cousin. She felt a fringe of hope and thought she may convince him to have breakfast with her.
Since Rachel's passing, the two barely spent time with each other, and her once close cousin could pass off as a stranger.
Bruce remained firmly hoarded away from the world. Cassidy buried herself in extreme guilt for caring for the clown that caused her family so much grief.
It seemed that what little time was spent between the two was incredibly awkward due to the Joker's chaos. Both had some much they wanted to say to the other, but neither one knew how to say it or where to even begin.
With the thoughts of how a twist of fate turned her life, career and relationships upside down in the blink of an eye, the twenty-minute drive was a blur, and Cassidy was hammering on the front door of the Manor before she truly realized it.
Alfred's familiar, friendly and welcoming face promptly greeted her. Even with the Manor a shadow of its former glory and Bruce locked away from the world, Alfred was always on top of his game.
"Miss Williams, rough night?" he replied with a mixture of humor and slight concern in his voice as he eyed her disheveled state.
"You have no idea," she remarked with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "My shower is spewing water straight from the Arctic. May I hijack one of yours?"
"As always, Miss," he answered as he ushered her inside the foyer. "You will find you things exactly how you left them from your last visit. Shall I inform Master Wayne of your presence?"
"I'll track him down once I clean up," she called as she already hustled halfway down the hallway.
The hot shower was beckoning to her, and seeing her arm bandaged and bruised was more than enough to worry Bruce. He didn't need to see her bloodied and filthy as well.
"Think I'll drag him down for breakfast," she wistfully called to Alfred.
"Best of luck," Alfred replied.
He knew better than anyone that convincing Bruce to do much of anything was a daunting challenge.
Cassidy entered "her bathroom" as she had decreed it. Since her apartment had a history of shoddy water temperatures, she commandeered one of the numerous bathrooms within the Manor with shampoo, conditioner, makeup and all the works she would need to make herself presentable.
She was stocked for any situation and for every shower emergency.
A smile stretched across her face as the steaming water heated the room and released an audible sigh as the water relieved her sore muscles.
She scrubbed away the mess of last night while trying to keep her stitched up arm as dry as possible.
Doing her best to remain focused on the task at hand, the thoughts of Blake crept into her mind once more. She did not know how to shake him. He continually plagued her mind.
The two seemed destined for a love-hate relationship for it was the only way to describe.
She began by loving to push his buttons and deny him at every chance. Now she hated that she can't block the natural connection the two seemed to have, and it terrified her. He loved her strength, independence and her ability to challenge him and make him better. He had never met a woman quiet like her, but hated that she refused to even give him a chance to prove his worth.
Despite the rough first encounter and instant chemistry that developed into tension, she grew to truly care for Blake and considered him a friend. One of the rare few she had remaining and her only supporter on the force outside of Gordon.
He was always looking out for her whether she wanted him to or not. She knew she could trust him with her life if need be. He consistently had her back over the years.
He went out of his way to prove to her that he genuinely cared about her. He often left stupid, little notes on her desk featuring cheesy pick-up lines, jokes and whatever else he could think of to make her laugh. No matter how many times she had turned him down or drop hints for him to pursue other female officers, Blake had never missed his Friday dinner date offer.
She would never admit it to his face, but she care more about him than she often realized. She cared about him more than she had cared about another person in some time.
When he worked night patrols, she'd hold her breath every morning when she arrived at the station. She pray to whoever was listening that he would come back in one piece. Even with the knowledge of how low the crime rate was with the Dent Act in place, she worried.
He always did arrive safe and sound, and he always sent a lop-sided grin in her direction that she returned with a roll of her eyes.
The fellow female officers did not understand what he saw in Cassidy that kept him loyal in his pursuit for years. They thought she was certifiably insane for not locking down Blake from the start. Though Cassidy knew she had him wrapped around her finger if she truly wanted.
He was handsome with charm to make any woman swoon. With an excellent sense of humor, strength and a protective nature, he was no doubt a catch. He often reminded Cassidy of Bruce.
She cared for him, but she only admitted that it was feelings one would have to a close friend. She knew if she allowed herself, she easily could care for him more than that. Perhaps she already did, but refused to open her eyes to that possibility.
She refused to allow him to wrap himself in her life that remained in constant fear of the Joker and longing for Jack. If he ever broke out of Arkham, she would be the first person he would hunt, and she did not know what state of mind he would escape from that wretched place.
He had escaped the clutches of the island before, and the longer he stayed behind bars, the more Cassidy paranoid herself. She knew it was only waiting game for his plans were not ready to put into motion.
The Joker would destroy anything and everything that stood between him and Cassidy. John Blake would do everything in his power to keep Cassidy safe and spared from the Joker's grasps.
It would be war that would end brutally, and she did not know if any involved would survive. Gotham would be an innocent battlefield for the bloody battle for her heart.
It was a war Blake did not have to fight. It was a war she desperately wanted to spare him. He deserved a woman that could freely give him her entire heart. She wasn't in a place to do that, and she did not feel she would ever be.
She would only bring him heartache, pain, destruction and worse. If something happened to him because of her, Cassidy would never forgive herself.
Cassidy wrapped herself in a towel and exited the shower. She thought she would quickly tracked down Bruce to see if he would meet for her breakfast once she had finished her morning routine.
He assumed he would be locked away in the study as he often was. She would just poke her head in the door to discuss breakfast plans. Plain and simple, but she should have now from the earlier shower fiasco that nothing was going exactly as planned this morning.
"Bruce how does breakfa… Oh. My God."
Cassidy was completely mortified by the sight in front of her. Bruce was in the study position by the window, but that was not what cut her shot mid-sentence.
He was not alone. Officer John Blake, looking handsome as ever in a spotless uniform, resided in one of the armchair's in the room.
Cassidy did not spot him in her initial, quick glance of the study. Due to her shock at the sight of him now, what was meant to be popping her head inside became her fully standing in the hallway with damp hair and wearing nothing but a towel.
"Why the fuck did I think this was smart?" she cursed herself as he face flushed a brilliant shade of pink.
"I appreciate the forwardness, Cass; but I was expecting at least the third date to get you out of your clothes," Blake joked.
He did not even attempt to hide his appreciation for the sight before him.
"I'm just going to go crawl in a hole now," Cassidy muttered as she hustled out of the room.
Bruce could only shake his head at his cousin's humiliating scene. He had to admit it was the first time in a very long time that he found something genuinely amusing.
"I would apologize on behalf of my cousin, but it seems you already know she's a handful Officer…"
"Blake, Mr. Wayne," the younger man finish for Bruce.
"You are the infamous Blake that I have heard so much about," Bruce mused.
"She talks about me?" Blake asked as his interest heightened by the comment.
"If I recall correctly, you're insufferable, stubborn, frustrating as hell and will most certainly be the death her."
He had heard Cassidy comment and complain thousands of times about the officer and his constant perusal of her despite her multiple refusals.
"That about sums it all up," Blake laughed as he smiled at the spot Cassidy once stood. A tiny puddle of water pooled in the doorway from her damp hair.
"She is something else," he continued. "Took a bullet for me last night. She saved my life, but I wished she wasn't so damn stubborn. Did she stay here last night?"
"I did not know she was her until her grand entrance," Bruce explained. "She often has trouble with her shower. She showers here when it isn't working properly."
Blake silently nodded and brought his gaze back to the floor while Bruce returned his out the neighboring window. The two remained in a slightly uncomfortable silence until Bruce bestowed advice to the young officer.
"Don't give up on her," he simply stated.
"Excuse me?" Blake asked, as he was unsure of what Bruce was implying.
"Don't give up on her," Bruce repeated more firmly. "She may not know it, but she needs you more than you realize. You might just be the only thing keeping her from completely falling apart."
"She's hardheaded, and she locks people out because she thinks it is what's best for everyone involved," Bruce continued his insight on his cousin. "She's been though more than anyone should have to endure. Break through the walls she's built, and I promise you that you will never regret it."
"The way she talks about you," Bruce shook his head in amusement. "I have not seen that much fire inside her in years. Keep fighting."
Blake remained silent. He did not know how to reply to Bruce's revelations, but a faint smile traced his features. A renewed confidence flooded him.
A sound of a throat clearing broke the silence and brought the two's attention towards the doorway once more.
"Am I allowed to join the boy's club now?" a fully dressed Cassidy squeaked. Her pride was still wounded from her earlier appearance.
Blake smirked proudly as she passed next to him. She firmly smacked his arm as she seated herself in the adjoining chair.
"One word to anyone about what you saw today, and I swear to make your life a living hell, kid," she threatened before he could open his mouth to make a comment.
"What can I do for you, officer?" Bruce interjected before an argument broke out between the two.
"Commissioner Gordon's been shot," Blake informed Bruce.
"I'm sorry to hear that…"
"He chased a gunman down into the sewers," Blake interrupted the billionaire's sympathetic statement. Jon Blake meant business. "When we pulled him out, he was babbling about an underground army and a masked man called 'Bane.'"
Cassidy remained stoic on the sidelines not that she did not have anything to add, but she was utterly confused. Why did Blake come here of all places? Why was informing Bruce the state of affairs of Gotham? He could not know… could he?
"Shouldn't you be telling this toy our superior officers?" Bruce questioned confused and a tad defensive as he motioned to his cousin.
"He did. We both did," Cassidy answered. "I was there, Bruce. One asked if he saw any giant alligators while he was down there. With Gordon sidelined temporarily; I have no allies with a tight line to follow. I have zero pull to assign anyone to investigate."
"He needs you," Blake pleaded. "He needs the Batman."
Cassidy heard her breath catch in her throat as she eyed her fellow officer. How could deduce her cousin's expertly hidden secret?
She felt the heavy and heated gaze of Bruce upon her. She did not even have to look up to know he was eyeing her. He thought she let the cat out of the bag that much was obvious.
"If Commissioner Gordon thinks I'm the Batman, he must be in a bad way," Bruce replied tactfully. He chose every word with care.
"He doesn't know or care who you are, but we've met before." Blake began as he looked away from the others present in the room and drifted away into a memory.
Blake went into his story about how he lost his parents and was placed within an orphanage. His mother was killed in a car accident, and Cassidy could not help but think of her own parents' death by the same fate.
A sharp pain shot through Cassidy's chest as he spoke. Blake never shared much about his childhood with her. She was clueless that he too lost his parents at such a young age… just like her… just like Bruce.
His voice carried so much hurt and pain that it broke something inside of her. She desperately wanted to hug the small boy who lost so much way too quickly.
Blake gazed up at Bruce as he spoke about the anger felt by those that were abandoned by choice of their own. The cruel twist of fate dealt by life that took away everyone you once knew. The need to move and forget, but nothing that is one thing you could never do when faced with a lost like that.
Cassidy stirred from her seat and moved to the open spot beside Blake. She had heard enough. Her hear with breaking as she listen to him unravel his tale for she had experienced much of the same. She knew the violate feelings wrapped up when you're left alone in the world, and she never would wish that upon anyone, especially not Blake.
She gently wrapped her hand around his. She did know what exactly compelled her to take action, but she knew she needed to let him know that he was not alone anymore.
Bruce glanced between the man hurting and holding on to things he could not control and his broken cousin who was trying so hard to push others away for their own protection.
What a pair the two made?
Blake stared at her with a mixture of shock and something else that Cassidy could not put her finger on. She had never had anyone look at her that way.
Cassidy was the last person he ever expected to show him any type of intimate act from the way she made it her mission to rebuff his affection, yet here she was holding his hand with such empathy and care within her eyes.
She firmly squeezed his hand encouraging him to continue his tale. He shot her a small smile.
Blake's story moved to a boys' home funded by the Wayne Foundation, and how a fateful meeting between a young boy and a billionaire opened up eyes. Blake learned to hide his pain with practice smile and the outward mask. The same mask that Bruce perfected long before him, and that's when he knew.
Blake abruptly stood up and let Cassidy's hand fall back by her side. She never took her eyes off of him. He kept so much to himself ever dealing with it quietly and internally, but he always went out of his way to help Cassidy deal with her own struggle even when she did not desire any help.
He never asked for any help. He never made it about him. She now felt the undeniable need to help him.
Bruce turned his back on the two without saying a word to either one. He was trapped within his own thoughts as he digested Blake's words.
"I don't know why you took the fall for Dent's murder, but I'm still a believer in the Batman even if you're not," Blake stated as he made for the door.
"Why did you say your boys' home used to be funded by the Wayne Foundation?" Bruce finally spoke as he referred to a detail from Blake. He still did not turn away from the window.
"Because the money stopped," Blake answered. "Might be time to get some fresh air and start paying attention to the details. Some of those details might need your help."
Without another word, Blake made his exit. Cassidy turned towards her cousin. She mentally urged him to say anything or do anything, but he held steadfast at the window gazing upon the grounds.
Cassidy shook her head frustrated at the remnants of Bruce Wayne. With her breakfast idea long forgotten, Cassidy jogged down the hall to catch up with Blake.
"John!" she shouted once outside the front door of the Manor.
He was about to close the door of his patrol vehicle when he heard her call. He climbed out of the car and leaned against the doorframe to look at her across the roof as she strode towards the passenger side.
"If you're heading back to the department, thought I'd might catch a ride."
"What about your car?" he asked as he motioned his head towards her SUV in the drive.
"It's not going anywhere," she said with a genuine smile as she plopped down into the passenger seat.
Blake joined her inside the vehicle, started the engine and began the trek down the long and winding driveway. Neither one spoke a word to the other for a long time until Cassidy shattered the silence.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Blake was about to ask what in the world she just said in case he didn't hear that correctly, but she continued her empathetic apology.
"I know what it's like to lose your parents. You're lost, alone, angry and so much more. You search for someone to blame, and I did that until I began to blame myself. No child should feel that loss. If you ever need to talk, I'm here."
"Thank you," he replied sincerely.
He had known her for years, and he had never had her open up that much to her even if that was something simple. It meant the world to hear her speak from the heart for once.
"Did you know?" he asked as he chanced a glance her way. He wanted to drop the uncomfortable and heavy subject to something lighter.
"That Bruce was Batman? I did," she responded as she studied the buildings passing by. "I stumbled upon it during the Joker mess. For a second, I thought he was going to kill me back there. I knew he thought I told you," she laughed.
The two journeyed on in a comfortable silence for several miles as they reached the heart of the city.
"How's your arm?" Blake asked as he stole another glance her way to survey the aftermath.
"It hurts like a bitch, but I have survive worse," she assured him. "I'll be okay."
"I never told you thank you for saving my life last night," Cassidy quietly spoke after a moment passed. She knew if she had still been standing over that manhole when the explosion went off she would have been critically injured or worse.
"You'll never have to thank me," Blake firmly answered. "You know you don't have to take me up on Friday. I sort of forced that date on you."
"No," Cassidy stopped him. "I want to go."
A huge grin broke across his features, and without taking his eyes off the road, he let his free hand take hers.
For the first time, Cassidy Williams did not fight John Blake's advances. She casually interlocked her fingers with his as if they were always meant to be there.
What was the harm of one dinner with Blake?
Once it was over, he'd likely drop the whole pursuit. If she was going to go through with the date, she was at least going to enjoy their time together and not be so cynical.
One date would not hurt anyone she thought, so she was perfectly content to be riding in a car while holding hands with Blake.