Chapter VIII: Don't Come Back at All
Gotham remained quiet outside the occasional petty theft. It only put Cassidy on edge. Something was coming. She could feel it heavy within her bones.
Whether it was the mysterious threat of the faceless Bane hidden in Gotham's underground or the impending date with John Blake was on the horizon, Cassidy could not focus on the stack of paperwork on her desk.
Both thoughts forced the hair on the back of her neck stand on end for very different reasons, and she was not sure which one was more alarming.
Years had passed since a villain had terrorized and held Gotham hostage, and Cassidy still carried a heavy emotional wound from the last attack.
The peace that followed dulled everyone's senses and allowed guards to be let down. She knew no one was prepared for another attack on the scale of the Joker's. She was terrified of what Bruce would do if Bane threatened Gotham's existence.
He was retired or so he claimed. If Gotham were to face another evil, she knew Bruce would rise from the shadows.
What else did he have to live for since Rachel had passed?
Cassidy feared he would be reckless with no regard for his own life and that he would write a check that his body wouldn't be able to cash. He was the only family she had remaining. She'd be damned if she let him throw everything he has away for a city that he owed nothing.
Blake was another matter all together. He was without a doubt the most infuriating person she had ever met. He knew exactly which buttons to press to illicit a dangerous reaction from her, and he was not afraid to do so.
To say that she was absolutely dreading their impending date that was being forced upon her was an understatement.
Keeping Blake away for his own good was becoming increasingly harder a task for her to complete. The dynamic was changing between them. She was seeing him in a new light and her own convictions were changing as well.
She was more aware than ever of the natural pull between them and it was impossible to ignore and brush off as nothing as she had once done.
With their date looming, Cassidy knew everything would change in an instant. She was not entirely sure that it would be for the best. The Joker would not stay locked up in Arkham forever. Anyone that believed otherwise was a fool. She was playing with borrowed time and a false sense of security.
Continuing to toy with the idea of something more with Blake would only put his life in danger. She was petrified that a part of her was now considering it might be worth the risk.
She was jolted out of her internal battle when the devil himself hustled towards her desk.
"Let's move, Williams," Blake ordered without even slowing down.
"What's going on?" Cassidy called after him while grabbing her badge and weapon from her desk.
"Stock exchange," he answered as he busted through the back entrance of the station and into the parking lot.
"There's a hostage situation," he continued as he jumped into his patrol car. Cassidy slid into the passenger seat. "Details are pretty slim at the moment."
He sped off towards the Gotham Stock Exchange while Cassidy ensured her weapon was loaded and mentally prepared herself for the situation at hand.
"Dinner at my place sound okay for Friday? We can hit up a movie afterwards," Blake nonchalantly commented as he whipped around a turn.
"Excuse me?" Cassidy replied completely thrown off by the turn of conversation.
"We have a date Friday," he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten, kiddo!"
"Can we not do this now," Cassidy replied exasperated. "We've got bigger things to handle."
"It took five year to work myself into you planner," Blake joked. "There is nothing bigger!"
Cassidy rolled her eyes and did not even bother to respond, but that was more than enough of an answer for Blake, who wore the most confident smile she had ever seen.
Luckily for Cassidy, Blake screeched his car to a halt on the narrow street outside the Gotham Stock Exchange before he could make another comment about their date.
The duo surveyed the line of cops armed and aimed at the door, anticipating the next move. They were determined to not let the perpetrators escape with their lives.
Blake noticed construction vehicles blocking part of the street and began directing the operator to move the equipment. Before the annoyed driver could move, the SWAT unit blocked the clear space as soon as Blake pointed it out.
Cassidy jogged near the entrance of the stock exchange to join Foley and the SWAT's commander Allen Pierson. The market's security chief frantically moved towards the group as well.
"You've got to get in there!" he pleaded.
"This is a hostage situation –" Foley began.
"It's a robbery!" the security chief corrected. "They've got access to the online trading desk."
"I'm not risking my men for your money," Foley snapped.
"Foley…" Cassidy warned, trying to calm the heated tension. He only shot her an annoyed glance, but did not say a word.
"It's not our money," the security chief argued. "It's everyone's!"
"Really?" Pierson joked. "Mine's in my mattress."
"If you don't shut these guys down," the security chief continued, "the stuffing in that mattress might be worth a whole lot less, pal."
Cassidy gave a pointed glance at all three men who were lingering around much too long for a decision on how to handle the situation.
"Cut the fiber line," Foley finally ordered. "Shut down the cell tower. That'll slow them down."
Cassidy curtly nodded before running over to instruct the crew of Foley's plan.
"No what?" Blake asked as he returned to her side.
"We wait."
The SWAT unit rose steel, wedge-shaped, barriers from the mouth of the street to help slow down the culprits should they decide to emerge.
A sniper was in place, aiming at the door with a steady finger on the trigger ready to fire at any given moment.
Blake and Cassidy were positioned behind a barrier of patrol cars, tensely feeling every second ticking away.
"I've got something," a mumbled voice came across the crackling radio, but before anyone could react, the main entrance flung open.
A mass of cops and SWAT members alike dove out of harm's way as six sport bikes raced down the stairs, using the barricades as an escape ramp.
Gotham's finest scrambled to their vehicles to give chase to the fleet of bikes that were weaving in and out of traffic with helpless stockbrokers strapped on as hostages.
"Back off! Back off!" Foley ordered through the radio. "They've got hostage," he informed the squad that the situation was much more dire than they thought.
"We've got to do something," Cassidy urged Blake.
He responded with an determined nod and led her to his cruiser to join the fray. Cassidy's mind ran frantic, designing plans on how to stop the fleeing gang, while keeping the bounded civilians safe.
Just as the two ducked inside the vehicle, Foley sprinted towards the cruiser and hopped into the back seat.
"Let's roll!" Foley ordered. "They've spotted the Batman."
"WHAT!" Cassidy gasped in disbelief despite her present company.
She felt her heart sink into her stomach. She dared a glance at Blake, just hoping she had misheard Foley. Bruce wouldn't return as the Batman in the state he was in. That would be a suicide mission. Least of all, he would tell her beforehand. Right?
Her panicked eyes searched his as he cranked the car. She was met with a look of concerned. Her Bruce has returned as the Dark Knight.
Blake sped off into the direction Foley ordered as he began delegating commands over the radio, using Blake's cruiser as a mobile hub for the operation.
"Call everyone in!" he blared excitedly. "Every car patrol and off duty too. Pull them in and close every street. Now!"
Cassidy clinched her fist as her knuckles turned white. Blake stealthy reached over to place his hand on top of hers, avoiding adding fuel to fire from Foley. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, reassuring her that everything would be okay.
She released her first slightly and continued to frantically scan the city for any sign of Bruce before Foley did. He couldn't be on his top form. She saw what state he was in yesterday. If there ever were a time for the Batman to screw up, it would be tonight on his grand reappearance.
"I'm going to do what Gordon never could?" Foley triumphantly mused, breaking Cassidy's concentration.
"What's that?" Blake questioned, as he returned both hands to the steering wheel, expertly maneuvering through the city at high speed.
"I'm going to take down the Batman."
"Sir, what about the armed robbers?" Cassidy questioned. "We can't let them go free. They are our top priority here, or did we just surround the building for show?"
Her words came out more heatedly than she intended, but Foley ignored her and continued to gaze out the window at Gotham. He was relishing his moment of glory as if Batman was already thrown away in Arkham.
Minutes of intense silence passed like hours for Cassidy before the radio buzzed to life, shattering the moment and startling her. Bruce's emergence pushed her over the edge.
Blake returned his hand to hers, giving her another comforting squeeze.
"One bike has pulled off," came the voice of a spotter positioned in a helicopter with a bird's eye view of the chance. "No hostages."
"Should we purse?"
"Negative!" Foley answered hungrily. "Stay on the Batman."
"But he's getting away," Blake argued exasperated.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Cassidy muttered, while slamming her hand on the glove box. She turned in her seat to face Foley. "You'd let them get away without a fight?"
"Whom do you want to catch?" he asked with annoyance over Cassidy's questioning laced in his voice. "Some robber or the son of a bitch that killed Harvey Dent?"
She pursed her lips, saying nothing in return, and brought her attention back to the front of the vehicle as Blake continued to pursue in the direction of the Batman.
It did not take long before they were upon the Caped Crusader. The blinding light from the hovering choppers and blaring sirens from the wave of police cruisers made him an easy target to spot.
Bruce was mounting the Bat Pod despite being surrounded by all of Gotham's finest.
"What the hell are you doing?" Cassidy mumbled to herself as she kept her eyes trained on her cousin.
"STEP AWAY FROM THE BIKE!" came the command from a neighboring cruiser.
"Go," Cassidy pleaded in a whisper as Bruce stared down the line of police officers littering his path as he trailed his vision down the off-ramp to his right.
She knew what he was planning.
Bruce aimed and fired the Bat Pod cannons at an abandoned car transporter. The ramp crashed down as he raced towards the ramp and propelled himself below.
Foley spew out a stream of curses as Cassidy allowed a small, victorious smirk to spread across her face. Blake glanced at the brunette and could not help but smile and silently shake his head at the look on her face.
"How did you let you go!" Foley demanded over the radio.
"He's got a lot of fire power."
"And you don't?" Foley boomed back with fury.
Cassidy had to stifle a laugh over Foley's misery that his triumphant victory appeared to be ruined.
"We're not letting one nut with a bad attitude and some fancy gadgets run this town down, you hear me?"
"He's heading back down town," a unit responded.
With a flip of a switch, Foley's smug look returned as Cassidy's stomach dropped.
"Then he's as dumb as he dresses," Foley quipped excitedly. "Close it down, gentlemen."
Cassidy cringed as Blake followed order and joined the fray in pursuit of the Bat as he raced back into the bowels of Gotham. The Bat Pod tore along with the parade or patrol cars and a flank of choppers hovering overhead. Ahead, another wave of cruisers broke the horizon of the boulevard, seemingly trapping Bruce with no escape route.
Without every slowing down, Bruce executed a 90-degree turn, flipping the Bat Pod on its side in the process. He gunned into the shadows of an alley as cruisers and choppers blocked the entrance, leaving no way out.
Blake was the last to arrive as his cruiser sealed the bottleneck. Foley swaggered out of the backseat. Cassidy reluctantly followed with led in her shoes. She wasn't sure how Bruce was going to get out of this one.
Blake placed his hand on the small of her back. Whatever happens, she wouldn't go through it alone.
"Like a rat in a trap, gentlemen," Foley gloated.
He reached for a loudhailer when…
VARRRRRRRROOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM
A noise form the alley sounded, freezing everyone in place. Cassidy's eyes darted to Blake. His only response was a shrug of the shoulders.
"You might have the wrong animal there, sir," a nearby officer deadpanned after the earth-shaking noise.
The spotlights flashed in the direction of the alley as a massive, black cyclone roared out of its depths, spinning the choppers aside. The Bat thundered up and over the entire Gotham police force, leaving them looking skyward stunned, shocked and dumbfounded.
"Are you sure that was him," Blake dryly threw the comment towards Foley, who return it with a scaling look before thrusting the loudhailer into Blake's chest.
As Blake returned to his cruiser, he spotted Cassidy leaning against the door, impatiently drumming her fingers against the metal while chewing on her bottom lip.
"Want me to take you home?" he questioned.
"No," she answered through gritted teeth. "I want you to take me to Wayne Manor."
Blake gave a curt nod before escorting Cassidy to the other side of town. He had seen flickers of Cassidy's anger once or twice before, but he never seen such a fire in her eyes.
He was brave enough to make a joke or one of his usual comments. He didn't speak at all. He valued his life too much. He felt a tinge of pity for Bruce Wayne. He was unknowingly about to be on the receiving end of a rampage. Blake did not envy him at all.
The drive to the manor was completely silent. Cassidy was too busy fuming to even notice or care.
When Blake pulled up to the main entrance, she didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before jumping out and slamming the door behind her with as much force as she could muster.
Blake rolled down the window and called after her retreating form.
"Cass! Be gentle," he said with a wink as he drove off with a smile, thanking his lucky stars he wasn't Bruce Wayne tonight.
She strode into the manor, making a beeline to the hidden entrance to the Bat Cave. She paid no notice to her surroundings. All she saw was red.
"Where the hell is he?" she bellowed once inside he damp, cool cave with no regards about interrupting the heated conversation between Bruce and Alfred.
When her cousin in her line of fire, she marched up to him with as much intimidation her petite frame could muster and smack Bruce across the face.
"What the fuck was that?" she demanded. "You said you were done. You weren't parading around as the Batman any more. Then you pull this stunt without even telling me! Do you know how worried I was? It has been so long since you've been in the game. You could have gotten yourself killed out there!"
"But, I didn't" Bruce replied, rubbing his cheek. She packed more force than he would have predicted. "If your men did their job instead of hunting down me, you might have Bane in custody tonight."
"Don't you ever tell me how to do my job," Cassidy whispered dangerously, trying her best not to deliver another blow for that comment. "If you hadn't put on your little show, we would have."
"I can't Bruce," she continued, her emotions swelling to their boiling point. "I watched you wither away. You can barely move as it is after all you've given to this city. After Rachel, I watched you rot away, and for what? For you to just come back as reckless as ever? You've given these people enough. I'm not going to watch silently as you throw your life away for them. You have nothing to prove to them."
"Calm down, Cassie," Bruce defended. "You're overreacting."
"Overreacting!" Cassidy continued to round on her cousin. "I'm trying to look after you because you're clearly doing a bang up job at it! Promise me, Bruce. Promise me, this is it. You've got to give this up."
"Gotham needs Batman."
"I need Bruce," Cassidy pleaded as her tears gushed over. "What about me, Bruce? You are the only thing I have left, and you're not going to be satisfied until I've lost you too."
"Cass," Bruce reached out to pull her into his protective, brotherly hug, but she pushed him aside.
She blindly fled the cave and back into the warmth of the Manor as the tears continued to flow freely. She did not stop until she stumbled into her old room.
Locking the door behind her, she collapsed onto the bed, sobbing for the family she already lost and the rest of it that was being ripped away right in front of her very eyes without anything she could to do stop this. She sobbed for what was supposed to be her fairy-tale love that viciously ripped apart at the seams. She sobbed for her conflicted heart that wanted something that could never been, but afraid to have what was right in front of her.
She cried for the evil that was just beginning to stir within Gotham.
Good afternoon, loves! I am aware it has been forever and a day since an update, but wanted to give you all a surprise with a small dose of Cassidy. A new chapter should be on the way over the weekend. The summer months allow for more free time, so look for more frequent updates over the next months! Also - for those you read my GoT tale, an updated chapters is in the works and should be posted in the coming days! Get excited folks! I'm BACK! Thank you all for your patience and love that I have received from this venture! It truly means the world to hear from you all. Be sure to leave reviews, favorite and more if you enjoy! Have a fantastic day and stay tuned. - trs0010