" Allow me to apologize for earlier," Bruce said to Adriana as she pulled the blankets down on his bed. "It was entirely foolish, and I was not thinking-"
"Let me stop you right there," she said, looking over to the couch in Bruce's enormous bedroom, where he had laid out blankets and a few pillows to sleep on. "It wasn't your fault. It's mine. I mean I agreed with the idea of lying and to eventually let my sister and family know we 'broke up' because I'm pregnant with someone else's kid. I just didn't think that...I didn't think that it would be this story of...you thinking the baby was your and then..."
Adriana felt overcome with senseless emotion.
"Realizing that it wasn't-" she said and started to cry.
"Are you alright?" he asked as she began to cry. They both could see that she was crying for no reason. Bruce would not be hurt by this, he knew all along it was impossible that the child was his.
"Yeah I'm okay," she said as he came to wrap his arms around her. "I don't even know why the fuck I'm crying, it's like I'm so emotional and I can't even control myself...I'm so annoyed with myself right now, why the hell am I crying?"
"Well," Bruce said, thoughtfully. "Perhaps it's pregnancy...hormones...I'm just guessing."
"Yeah, that must be it," she said and wiped her eyes and proceeded to pulling the sheets down. "I'm just...a huge liar now...all I do is lie..."
"Adriana," Bruce said. "Don't beat yourself up about it-"
"Now I have to figure out how to fix this," she said and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Adriana I don't mind your sister temporarily believing the child is mine," he said. "When you eventually tell her that it's not my child, I will be fine. You sister-"
"She'll feel sorry for you," Adriana said sadly.
"In that case...maybe she would understand some version of the truth," Bruce said. "She seems like a smart and understanding woman."
"She's smart but she wouldn't understand," Adriana said. "I think I'd rather pretend we sleep in the same room and feel all this guilt about you having to sleep on that couch than tell her. She will have so many questions."
"About you being in hiding?" he asked. "Why you are here when we are not actually together?"
"No...about..." she sighed. "My child's father. Once I tell her that it's not you."
"And you..." Bruce started to talk as he sat on the bed beside her. "Never talk about him. I mean...you made it sound like you hated him. You told me he died and you didn't exactly seem sad about it. This sounds like something you could vent to your sister about. She loves you."
"I don't-" Adriana said. "I mean...I didn't...hate him. I just thought that-"
"Thought what?" he asked.
I lied about him dying..because he is the Joker and I can never tell you that. The last thing I remembered after you shot me with his laughing gas poison was him aiming a gun at me and telling me that I was dead to him. Then I woke up hating him. Lately you've been telling me that he seemed remorseful...he saved my life by showing that remorse to you and not letting you leave me there to die. I can't hate him, because he didn't actually hate me. He was just angry.
The words of truth that Adriana was thinking was something that Bruce would likely never hear.
"I guess, when I think back," she said. "We were...we were actually not terrible together. But it was never going to last. We could have never been parents together. He could have never been a father. It was inevitable that it would come to an end at some point ...but I never expected that there would be a baby."
"It sounds like you really cared about him," Bruce said with a bit of surprise.
"Yeah..shocking since we were only together less than two months," she said. "I guess he just left an impression on me. He never lied to me, not once. He made me feel ways that I never even realized were possible. But he...he wasn't a good person. His lifestyle...the things he chose to do...are the reason he..."
"I'm so sorry, Adriana," Bruce said.
"Thanks," she said.
"So...how did he pass," Bruce said. "If you don't mind me asking?"
"Oh..." Adriana said, preparing once again to lie. But felt herself telling some version of the truth. "He had...certain addictions. Things he couldn't stop doing. And one day he just, went too far." She was thinking of Pavla's abduction, the governor's death after receiving the video. "He had his vices and that's what took him away from me."
"Wow..." Bruce said, surprised. He assumed that she was seeing an addict who overdosed. "That is awful. I'm truly sorry. It's why I fight so hard against the drug lords in our city."
"It's okay," she said and shrugged. "But yeah..I don't know what the hell I'm going to say to Harri. Another lie...Maybe I'll tell her I cheated on you and the baby is someone else's. Or that we broke up and I don't know who the father is...or-"
"Or.." Bruce said and took her hands. "You could tell her nothing."
She looked at Bruce and raised her eyebrows.
"Huh?" she asked. "I mean...maybe not now, but eventually I'm going to have to come up with something-"
"Maybe not," Bruce said. "You don't have to tell anyone the truth. And neither do I."
"What-" she said but her words were quieted by a soft kiss. She opened her eyes slowly and looked into his.
He began to kiss her again and she did not stop him. The kiss felt familiar and continued naturally, but then Adriana felt herself coming to her senses.
"Bruce.." she stopped him, speaking softly. "What...what is happening?"
He smiled and kissed her again, holding her cheek. She could see it in his eyes what he wanted.
"I can't," she said quickly. "We can't. Bruce..."
"Why not?" he asked.
"For a million reasons..." she said and stood up.
"Tell me them all, and I will prove you wrong," he said. "I have plenty of time."
"Bruce, what are you doing? This...this isn't right-" she said to him.
"It feels right though," he said and stood in front of her, taking her hands again. "Or is it just me?"
She looked away.
"While you've been here," he said. "This place has felt so different. Warm and inviting and...I actually love being at home now which is...unexpected. And it is because you are here."
"So...you have feeling for me?" she asked.
"Yes," he said. "And I...hope you feel the same."
She enjoyed being around him too. It was peaceful and easy and she felt protected. She cared for him. But that wasn't enough.
"Bruce..." she said. "I'm going to be a mother...I'm going to have a baby. I can't just go based off of feelings. I need to be smart and make good decisions from now on and...well...it's time for me to be serious."
"And you don't think I can be serious?" he asked.
She tilted her head and squinted at him, as if the answer was obvious. She pressed her lips together waiting for his answer.
"Okay..." he said. "Maybe I haven't done the best job of showing you that I can have a serious relationship but...these past couple of weeks. Having you here..it's been wonderful. I don't want you to leave. I know I messed up. I messed up majorly after you refused to help me with finding out who Shade is."
"That's ok-" Adriana said, not wanting to talk about Shade with him right now.
"It's not," he said. "Disappearing on you was the biggest mistake of my life. And because of that, I've probably missed on the best opportunity I will ever get. You being here has made me realize...I want nothing more than to have a family."
Bruce had come home to his empty penthouse countless times. Having her there was such a drastically different experience than he was used to. He meant every word he was saying.
"You've taken good care of me," he said to her. "While I've been...so distracted and crazy with this trial madness. I want to take care of you. I'm just asking you to please, consider giving me another chance. I have so much to prove to you, I know that. I have many wrongs to make right. Please, at least let me try."
Adriana looked at him. She felt her heart soften, her emotions become more even. He was a good person, a kind person, and a very generous one. His words were sincere. But she knew she could never move forward with a relationship with him with the fear that she was holding. The fear of what he would do.
"If...I say yes...I want you to promise me something," she said to him.
"Anything," he said. "You have my word."
"Bruce," she said, slowly. "I want you to promise me you won't kill the Joker. I need you to promise me you won't. Even if they send him back to Arkham."
Bruce was visibly surprised by this request. It was the last thing that he was expecting her to care about or ask him to promise her. It seemed a very random off topic thing to ask in the moment.
"If you can promise me that..." she said. "I can think about it."
"That's what you want?" he asked. "Me to let him live?"
"Yes," she said firmly.
He took a deep breath and weighed his options. What did he want more? Her or his arch nemesis' death?
"Adriana you have my word," Bruce said. "That I will not kill him."