Casey woke up the next morning feeling incredibly rested. The bed in the guest room was far softer than her own and it was like sleeping on a nest of feathers. It's probably stuffed with feathers, she thought as she sat up and stretched. Nevertheless, it was the best sleep she had in a long time. Her soul felt lighter after telling Bruce her story only for him to pull her in an embrace and comfort her instead of pushing her away like she thought he would.
He is a good guy, she decided and she would make sure Annette would come around to see that. Casey didn't know what she did to deserve Bruce Wayne but she felt lucky to have him in her life.
She climbed out of the soft bed, missing it already. Bruce loaned her a pair of pajama pants and a shirt to sleep in but as she glanced around the room, she noticed her clothes which she tossed onto a chair in the corner were missing. In their place was a black robe. Maybe someone switched them?
She shrugged the robe on and checked her phone. It was seven in the morning. She had to be at the GCPD in two hours. That gave her time to get home for a quick shower and change. She left the guest room and into the long hallway. From what she could remember last night, going right would lead to the grand staircase. Bruce's room wasn't too far from where her room was but she didn't want to barge in and seem rude.
Luckily, she remembered enough from the tour Bruce gave her of the mansion to make her way down to the kitchen. Inside, she found Alfred cooking away at the stove. A delicious smell of sausage and bacon wafted towards Casey and her mouth watered.
"Good morning, Miss Wilson," Alfred said when he looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. "I trust you slept well?"
Casey nodded. "I did." She walked over to Alfred. "Do you need help with anything?"
But the butler shook his head. "I appreciate the gesture but I'm almost done Miss Wilson. I brewed a pot of coffee if you'd like some."
"Thanks." Alfred directed her to the mugs and she poured herself a cup with some cream. She took a seat at the table, sipping at her coffee and watching Alfred cook. "Will Bruce be getting up soon?"
"He should," Alfred replied. "He tries to arrive at Wayne Enterprises in a timely manner."
As if on cue, Bruce entered the kitchen wearing a pair of sweatpants, a beater, and a yawn. "Morning," he greeted.
Casey stood up. "Morning," she said.
Bruce walked over to her and gave her a quick kiss. "Did you sleep well?" He asked.
She nodded. "Really great. Thanks for letting me spend the night."
"It was the least I could do," he told her as Alfred served them breakfast.
"I took the liberty of washing your clothes, Miss Wilson," Alfred said as Casey ate her fill of eggs, bacon, and toast. "They're in the dryer right now."
She hastily swallowed her piece of toast. "Thank you," she said. "I was wondering where they got to this morning." She wondered what would happen if she went to work this morning dressed in the same clothes she wore yesterday. How many would notice?
Bruce glanced at her. "If you want Alfred to take you back to your apartment to change, he can," he said as if he knew exactly what Casey thought.
She pulled her phone out again, wincing when she noticed it had eighteen percent battery left, and checked the time. One and a half hours left until work. "Do we have time?"
Bruce shrugged. "We can get you back in time."
"Nah," she decided. "Can I just use your shower?"
"Of course," Alfred reassured her. "I set out some towels for you in the guest bedroom."
"Thank you." She finished up her breakfast and downed the last of her coffee. She gave Bruce a kiss on the cheek before bounding back up to the guest room for a shower.
-x-
"Will Miss Wilson be staying over more frequently now?" Alfred asked as he cleaned up the dirty dishes.
Bruce leaned back in his chair, sipping at his water. "It was a spur of the moment," he confessed. After she told him about her childhood, he didn't want her going home alone. Without thinking about potential consequences, he asked her to spend the night. "She wasn't in a state to go home."
Perhaps she was just emotionally exhausted but Alfred informed him she slept through the entire night while he and Alfred worked but Bruce still felt relieved.
"And what happens when she starts sleeping in your bed?" Alfred asked pointedly. "Or are you going to send her back to a guest room every time?"
Bruce frowned. He hadn't thought about what would happen if his relationship with Casey got that far. But if it kept going like this, it would be inevitable. "I didn't train in stealth for years for someone to catch me sneaking out of bed," he answered.
Alfred arched a brow. "You do know people sometimes wake up in the middle of the night for one reason or another. What will you say if she wakes up and finds you gone?"
"Couldn't sleep, something work related came up, didn't want to wake her," he said. Those excuses would work… for a time.
"And what will you do when she notices a pattern? You missing from the bed every time she wakes up?" Alfred challenged.
"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, Alfred. If I get to it."
"Don't misunderstand me, Master Bruce," Alfred said. "I don't want to see Miss Wilson leave. You're happier since she entered your life. Don't deny it. I don't know what Miss Wilson did Christmas Eve but she obviously impressed the Batman and prompted Bruce Wayne to start seeing her."
"I know," Bruce said slowly. "I know. But I don't want her to get caught up in the Batman's mission. She nearly died at the hands of the Joker." Sometimes he could still see her splayed out on the chapel steps, unmoving, and the Joker above her with his hands around her throat. Bruce curled his hand into a fist.
"Then what will you do?"
"Protect her."
-x-
After a shower in the biggest bathroom she'd ever seen, she dressed and brushed out her wet hair. She had a little bit of makeup in her bag and applied what she had. After she finished, she observed herself in the bathroom mirror. It was noticeable she wore the same clothes as yesterday but at least she only had a half-day. And it wasn't like too many people saw her while she worked. So hopefully no one would notice.
She laid her borrowed clothes out on the bed and gathered up the rest of her stuff. Bruce was going to drop of her off at the GCPD on his way to the Wayne Enterprises building. She met Bruce, who looked handsome in a suit, in the main hall while Alfred pulled up in the car.
"So there's a benefit I'm attending on Saturday," Bruce said as he opened the car door for Casey. "Would you like to come with me?"
"Sure," Casey said.
As Alfred pulled out the driveway, Casey's phone went off. It was her mother. "Mom?" Casey asked as she answered it. "What's up?"
"I just got off the phone with a Captain Gordon at the police department," Virginia said. "He told me Richard would get a large fine and probably some jail time for breaching the restraining order, depending if I want to press charges."
"That's good to hear," Casey replied. "Do you think you will?"
"I'm not sure," Virginia admitted. "I think I will talk it over with Annette. Will you be careful at work?"
"You know I am. My phone's dying but I'll call you later, okay?"
"Alright. Have a good day, Casey. I love you."
"Bye Mom. I love you too."
"What did she want?" Bruce asked when Casey hung up.
"Just giving me an update from yesterday. She talked to my boss and she can press charges if she wants. She'll talk to Annette about it."
Bruce frowned. "Is it alright for you to be there while he is?"
Casey shrugged a shoulder. "I work there and it should be alright as long as I don't go into the holding cells. And I don't do that anyway."
He nodded and they both faded into their own thoughts. Casey cringed when she realized she was going to have to explain herself to Gordon. She had gotten away for so long of hiding her past from people. It was easy when she didn't have many friends.
Alfred pulled up by the GCPD. "This is me," Casey announced. "See you later, Bruce."
"See you later." He leaned towards her and she met him in a kiss. Her heart thumped and she felt butterflies in her stomach. She found she really liked kissing Bruce. "Be safe," he said when she pulled away.
"I will," she promised.
She left the car and entered the GCPD. Officers milled around in the bullpen but they ignored her. As she walked across the bullpen, intent on getting the cybercrimes room as fast as possible, she heard a door above her open. "Wilson," she heard Gordon call from the walkway above her. "Can I see you for a minute?"
She repressed a groan. Here we go, she thought. She turned around and headed up the stairs to Gordon's office who stood waiting for her at his door. "Hi," she said nervously. "How are you this morning?"
He looked tired. "Fine," he grunted. "Come in, please."
She entered the office and he closed the door behind him. She sank into the chair across from Gordon and watched him take a seat. He crossed his arms and stared at her with almost father-like concern. "You want to explain what happened yesterday?"
"Um…" Casey started awkwardly. "It's a bit of a long story." She gave him the shortened version about Richard and her mother and the restraining orders. It wasn't as detailed as the version she told Bruce last night but it was enough to give him the gist of everything. When she was finished, Gordon stared at her heavily.
"That's a… bit of an alarming tale, Casey," he finally said. "But I knew about the restraining order."
She drew back, startled. "You did?" She asked, stunned. "How?
"It was in your background check though the files were sealed. Neither Loeb nor I deemed it necessary to unseal them."
Casey licked her lips. "Oh. I never knew." She felt embarrassed. She should have known a restraining order would have come up in a background check.
"Still, allegations like this are quite serious, Casey," Gordon said. "Your father is sitting in a jail cell downstairs."
"Don't call him my father," Casey interrupted. "He lost that right a long time ago."
"Right." Gordon leaned forward. "I'm glad you told me this Casey. However, under no circumstances are you to go see him. Do you understand that?"
Casey nodded. "I do." It's not like she wanted to see him anyway.
"Second, this would be your mother's case. Not yours. You approached him first. He didn't approach you. It's her restraining order he broke," Gordon continued.
She frowned but nodded again. She should have known that would have come up. "Is that all?"
He sighed. "Yes. Head back to your office. We've got a long day ahead of us." He handed her a file.
"Julian Day?" She asked.
But Gordon shook his head. "Something new. Boles and Brown picked up a John Doe last night. Man was screaming at them to "get them off." We still don't know who he is but he was admitted into Gotham General last night."
Casey opened the file and blanched at the sight of a man with claw marks all over his face. "Did he do this to himself?" She asked, stunned.
Gordon nodded. "He was beating at himself. They had to restrain him."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Nothing."
Casey gaped at him. "Nothing?"
"That file is for the new hire in the Cybercrimes Division," Gordon said.
"New hire? Since when? What about AJ or Kevin?"
But Gordon shook his head. "They took jobs somewhere else. Decided they wanted to work someplace less… corrupt."
Casey frowned. "I doubt it," she mumbled. Those two were deep in Sionis's pocket. She guessed the moment Sionis landed in Blackgate, those two skipped town with all the money they made. "So who's the new person?"
"He should be in the Cybercrimes room now," Gordon said. "You should go meet him."
-x-
The new hire sat at AJ's old desk and looked up the moment Casey walked in. He looked to be in his early thirties judging by the lines on his face. His dark hair was smoothed back and he wore a casual t-shirt and jeans.
"You must be Casey Wilson," he exclaimed. He stood up and walked over to Casey, hand outstretched. "Elías Vega. We'll be working together from here on out."
"Nice to meet you." Casey took his hand and shook it. She handed the file Gordon gave her over to him. "Your first case."
Elías took the file from her and opened it. He whistled lowly. "That's some serious damage," he said as he scanned it. "He did this to himself?"
"Seems like." Casey headed for her own desk and booted it up. "I haven't read up about it at all though."
"Says here the arresting officer, Frank Boles, said the man was screaming like he was terrified of something." Elías looked at Casey thoughtfully. "You know, I've read a couple of stories on the internet about some people being found late at night screaming. Some died of asphyxiation or their hearts gave out."
"So what is that supposed to mean?" Casey asked as she began to shuffle through her videos of Julian Day's haunting spots.
"Someone had a theory that they were dying from fear. Like they were scared to death."
Casey snorted. "I don't think there's ever been a case of someone dying because they were frightened."
"You never know," Elías retorted. "Gotham's had some weird-ass killers lately. Look at that guy you're tying to find—Julian Day. He kills on holidays. Who does that?"
"Julian Day," Casey muttered.
"Then there was that fiasco on Christmas Eve," Elías retorted. Casey's fingers curled over her mouse tightly. "With that Joker guy. Who the hell wears clown makeup and blows up buildings for fun?"
"A psychopath," Casey replied.
Elías took his seat and riffled through the file. "It's his fault, you know," he said.
"Whose fault?"
"Batman's."
At that, Casey looked at Elías in shock. "What?"
"It's a cause and effect case," he explained. "Batman shows up and then all these crazy people come out of the woodwork to challenge him. If Batman never existed, then someone like the Joker wouldn't have killed all those people." He said it so simply as if it explained everything.
"Do you always start conversations like this?" Casey asked.
"Not all the time. But working in law enforcement, you got to consider the reasons why people like Day, Joker, or this scare guy exist."
Casey frowned. "Julian Day was killing people long before Batman came to be. And Roman Sionis was running a mob for as long as I can remember," she said. "And Roman Sionis and the Joker are behind bars thanks to him." I'm alive thanks to him, she added silently.
"That may be so," Elías said, "but you can't deny Batman take some of the blame."
Casey didn't reply. It wouldn't have any use and she had a job to do. She'd have a long time to argue about the ethics of Batman with him. Instead, she focused on finding Julian Day and Edward Nashton. With Valentine's Day over, she had until March when he would strike again. She kept a list of the March holidays and she hated how many there were. There was the obvious St. Patrick's Day but there were others like Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and oh hell, Easter was in March this year too.
Her phone beeped from where she plugged it into an outlet. She leaned down and grabbed it. It was a text from Barbara. "Is this u?" the text read. She frowned and clicked on the link attached.
She read the words "CINDERELLA STORY IN ASHES. IS BRUCE WAYNE DATING AN ABUSED WOMAN?" and her body stiffened like someone dumped a bucket of ice water on her. Casey clicked it and scanned the article. Someone, Casey didn't know how, got a hold of the incident at Viriginia's house, judging by the pictures of Casey and Bruce outside her house. They brought up the restraining order and stated there were rumors of abuse.
She felt sick when the author insinuated the abuse was probably sexual. And they had the gall to write, "Perhaps Bruce Wayne should stay away from damaged goods like Casey Wilson."
"I'll be right back," she muttered to Elías and left the room hurriedly.
"I need you to look at this," she demanded as she barged into Gordon's office. She thrust the phone at him and he fumbled for it.
He read the article on the phone and when he was done, he looked up at Casey. "How much of this is true? You told me about the restraining order but not about abuse."
"There was abuse," Casey admitted. "It was emotional, not physical or sexual. It was a long journey to get my mother out of his house and into a safe home where she received the help she needed." She blinked back tears. "If my mom finds out about this, it may break her."
Gordon put down Casey's phone. "I can't make an arrest but you can file a claim of defamation of character against the journalist, Jerry Jacobs. Perhaps you can go so far as to sue but you'd have to talk to a lawyer."
"I can probably flag down Harvey Dent," Casey muttered. "He went to law school."
He handed back her phone. "I can't do much but I promise you I'll do everything I can to keep Virginia out of this."
"Thanks Gordon," she said and left. But she knew it was only a matter of time and digging for that journalist to figure out what happened in the Wilson household. Where they doing this because she was dating Bruce Wayne? Was that how her relationship with him was going to be? Her private life no longer private and on display for everyone to see?
Her phone rang and she snorted in sarcastic amusement when she saw it was Bruce. "Hi," she said when she answered.
"I saw the article," he said. "I won't let them violate your privacy like that. I'm meeting with my lawyer later today. I'm so sorry this happened."
"Why," she said sarcastically. "Did you give them an exclusive interview?"
"What?" He sounded hurt. "No. I wouldn't do something like that, Casey. I won't let someone spread lies about you to make money."
"Of course," she said. "Listen, I have to go. I'll see you later." Without saying or waiting for a goodbye, she hung up.
"Something wrong?" Elías asked when she came back.
She shook her head. "Nothing. It's been taken care of."
-x-
If she thought her day couldn't get any worse, she was wrong. At about three in the afternoon, Gordon popped his head into the office. "Casey, I need to speak with you," he said.
"Yeah." Casey turned her monitor off and left the office. "What's up."
"I just want you to know, someone posted Richard's bail."
"What?" Casey yelped. "Are you serious?"
Gordon held his hands up. "I don't know much but you should—wait, Casey!"
But Casey already brushed past him, running at a furious pace. In the bullpen, she saw Richard putting on his coat as he took his things from a desk Sargent. "What the hell?" Casey exclaimed as she approached him.
He looked up at her. "Casey," he said.
"Who the hell posted your bail?" Casey asked angrily.
"I did," someone else spoke.
A woman, around Virginia's age, walked up to them. She was dressed professionally in a pantsuit and had dark brown hair pulled back into a bun and brown eyes that were currently trained on Casey. Her look wasn't one of dislike but merely disinterest.
"Who are you?" Casey blurted.
"Casey," Richard began, "I'd like you to meet—"
"Ellen," the woman said coolly. "I'm Richard's wife."
It was like someone punched Casey in her gut. "You're kidding," she said breathlessly. She looked between the two but neither of them had a smile on their face. "You're not kidding." She turned to Richard. "How the fuck did you con her into marrying you?"
Real, genuine hurt crossed Richard's face. But Ellen put a hand on his arm. "We don't have to stand here and listen to this."
But Richard looked at Casey, desperation in his face. "Casey, I just want to—"
She held up a hand. "Don't. Just go and don't contact me or my mother ever again." Ellen tugged on his arm and she led him away with Casey staring intently at their backs.
-x-
Batman was angry that night. The article with all the lies about Casey made his blood boil. Perhaps that was why he had been extra violent with the criminals tonight. He left them behind in a trail of broken jaws, legs, and arms.
But at least one thing was going right. His hard work and research paid off and he knew exactly where the man was hiding. He had taken up in an abandoned building in Amusement Mile where he could slip in and out unnoticed by the general public.
He came to a crouch on the roof across the street from the building. Detective Mode showed the empty building. Except... There he is. Up on the third floor was the man Batman was looking for.
He glided off the roof and dove through an open window, rolling to a stop. There was no sound. Surprise was still on Batman's side. He crept up the stairs and then he heard the soft muttering.
"Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November," the man sang softly. "All the rest have thirty-one, except for February alone, which hath but twenty-eight days clear, and twenty-nine in each leap year."
Batman gritted his teeth at the sound of the rhyme. It was the right man alright. He turned the corner and spotted the man sitting with his back to Batman. Wrong move. Without warning, Batman struck. He wrapped his arm around the man's neck and lifted him off the ground.
Julian Day shouted and struggled in Batman's grip. Batman slammed him down to the ground and smashed his fist in Day's face. "Rochelle Parker," Batman snarled. "Why did you kill her?"
Day gasped for breath. "Rochelle," he moaned. "I watched her for a long time, for so long. People hated her. Her coworkers did, her clients, and even random people on the streets. They thought she was heartless." He giggled then. "How fitting it was. To prove on Valentine's Day that Rochelle Parker did indeed have a heart!"
Batman remembered the pictures: the woman on her bed, chest gaping open, and her heart in her hand. He snarled and brought his fists down again and again on Julian Day until he was bloody and wheezing through a broken jaw and nose. "Let's go." Batman grabbed Day none too gently and hauled him up. "You're going to spend the rest of your days in a jail cell."
"That will… not sto...p me," Day wheezed. "My work… will continue… Holiday."
Batman frowned and lifted his boot. He brought it down on Day's leg brace. Day howled in pain. "Your work is finished," Batman said with absolute finality.
-x-
The next morning, the news stations were abuzz. Julian Day had been dumped on the GCPD's front steps badly beaten but alive. Casey gaped at her television. Holy crap, that Batman found him? He really does have better resources than me, she thought as she took her pills.
But now was not the time to be jealous. A dangerous killer was off the streets and he was going away for a long time. And Casey felt sweet relief at the news.
-x-
And that concludes chapter twenty-two. A couple new characters are on the scene and Julian Day has been caught! Some of you thought Casey was going to cross paths with him but nope. I shut down that case pretty quickly. But some dangerous people still linger in Gotham.
And soon… another incident at Blackgate will occur.
Reviews, favorites, and follows are love! See ya in chapter twenty-three!