"I'm making paella," Harri told Adriana.
"Sounds good," Adriana said. "Maybe I will make some for dinner, if i have enough time..otherwise we're eating pork chops."
She was rocking Arsenio gently in his carrier which was sitting on the empty washing machine. The dryer was going and she was waiting for it to finish.
"Mrs. Wayne," she heard Alfred come in to the laundry room behind her. "Surely you know that you don't need to be the one cooking or doing laundry."
"I know," she said. "I enjoy it though. Sometimes. Also, call me Adriana, please..Mrs. Wayne is so formal."
"I see, Adriana," Alfred said. "Well you are an excellent chef. If you wanted to begin cooking now I could take the baby."
"Okay," she replied. "He could go with Evelyn if you get busy."
"I'm fairly certain she's busy polishing her toenails," Alfred laughed and walked over to the baby who looked around with very alert eyes.
"Busy girl," Adriana said. "We work her too hard."
"Hi Alfred," Harri said over speaker phone.
"Hello, Harri," he said in a friendly tone.
"Okay," Adriana said. "I'll get started with dinner then."
Once Adriana was in the kitchen, she resumed her conversation with Harri.
"I hope we have saffron," Adriana said and looked through the spice rack. "If we dont-"
"Pork chops?" Harri guessed.
"There's no saffron.." Adriana said. "Which sucks because we have all the other ingredients..lobster tail and shrimp...kielbasa, mussels, prosciutto..."
"Tragedy," Harri said. "Maybe run to the store and get some."
"Oh.." Adriana said. "I've been kinda avoiding going out, but yeah I guess I could make a quick run."
"Are people hounding you?"
"Yes...taking pictures everywhere I go and asking me all types of personal questions. I really wasn't ready for all of this."
"Don't you have servants who can go get it for you?"
"Servants?" Adriana laughed. "I mean the chef usually does the grocery shopping but he's not here today because I gave him the day off."
"Oh.." Harri said. "So, pork chops it is?"
"Actually..." Adriana said and pulled out her phone.
There was a notice about a possible bank robbery. Movement had been detected in the safety deposit lock room, but no alarms had been tripped. Adriana had received notices like this for months and had to ignore them because she was pregnant and didn't feel it was safe to go out and fight. But now, things were different. She had to go, she wanted to go, she needed to go.
"I gotta go," Adriana said to Harri. "I'll talk to you later okay?"
"Sure," Harri said. "Bye sis."
.
.
.
Sure enough, there was a team of men trying to get into a safety deposit box. They couldn't see her, but she could see them. There was also another pair of men that she saw several yards away trying to enter a safe. Adriana wasn't sure which one she should go after first. She decided to go for the team at the box.
The bank was dark, since it was closed, and the only lights in the room were from the beams of flashlights that a couple of the guys were carrying. She didn't know how many were in the room as she crept by the door, but she guessed there were three, based on their voices. Before she could enter the room, she heard a struggle ensuing.
She peered into the room through the crack in the door and saw him.
The Batman.
Clearly he had found another way in. She watched the fight. It was an amazing sight to see, even though the lighting was horrible. The beam of flashlights went around the room erratically and one even dropped onto the floor. She caught glimpses of the walls, lined wall to wall with shiny gold locked boxes. Maybe she wasn't needed here and he could handle it.
But then she saw one of the men that the Batman had knocked down pull out a gun. The other two men were swinging at him fiercely. The one on the floor stood up slowly, and aimed the gun at the back of the Batman's head.
She knew that his suit was protective against electricity, fire, knives in most areas, and many caliber pistols and shotguns. But she knew his mask was not equipped to protect his skull from such a close shot at point blank range. She had to act.
She dashed into the room and hit him hard in the left kidney with her fist. In his pain he released a shot, which fortunately hit the back of the Batman's suit, much lower. He would hurt from the shot, but he wouldn't die. The Batman turned to her while hitting one of the men in front of him so hard that he flew into the wall of locked boxes.
He was prepared to fight her too until he recognized who she was. She was already kicking the man with the gun before snatching it from him.
Shade and the Batman's eyes met for a second before he had to turn and fight again. The entire altercation was over a few seconds later. Once all three men were dropped, he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room. When they were in the hall, he looked at her wordlessly while still gripping her.
"There are two more," she said, disguising her voice. Without her gift she wasn't sure if the men on the floor were unconscious enough to still hear her. "They're trying to get into a safe, that way."
Still, he looked at her quietly. She could see the vexation in his eyes.
"I'll let you handle that," she said, before he could say anything. "And by the way, we're having pork chops for dinner."
.
.
.
Bruce sat at the dining table wordlessly. He was wearing a black shirt and loose black pants, and his dark hair was wet and slicked back, fresh from the shower. Adriana walked up from behind him and placed his plate onto the table in front of him. He looked down at it without saying anything.
"What would you like to drink?" she asked.
"Eisbock," he replied and picked up his fork without looking at her.
"Got it," she said and left to get the bock from the cellar. She sat the cool snifter glass next to his wrist and poured his drink, before sitting in front of her plate.
As soon as she sat down, she heard the baby begin to cry. The nanny was there, and so was Alfred, who didn't mind caring for him. Even though they had help, they both still felt the need to go and see Arsenio whenever he cried to make sure that he was okay. Adriana moved to stand up but Bruce stopped her.
"I'll go," he said, and put his fork down, glancing at her as he left in a flash.
Bruce was gone for several minutes, and she began to eat. She though about how quiet he was being and how brief his words were. She wondered how angry he was. He came back to the table and sat down and lifted his glass.
"Just needed changing," Bruce said. "He's sleeping."
"I don't think Evelyn has changed one diaper the whole time she's been here," Adriana said, wanting to make conversation. But it was true. The nanny barely did anything but feed the baby sometimes and wait for Bruce or Adriana to come running if he cried. If he needed changing, or soothing, or even burping they did it most of the time.
"She's changed him twice," Bruce said.
"Oh," Adriana said as Bruce began to eat. "How was your day?"
He looked up at her, sure that she was being sarcastic. Then he wiped his lips with his dinner napkin and leaned back.
"Perfectly fine," he said. "Except for the part where my wife, who assured me that she would take some time to think about returning to her...hobby...decided to surprise me by showing up. Without discussing it with me at all."
"Right...that," Adriana said. "But...your wife was very useful though, wasn't she? I mean, you were able to come home safe and sound tonight because she stopped you from being taken out."
"Thank you," he said, as though he didn't want to speak the words but felt obligated to. "But that..changes nothing. I'm not comfortable with this, Adriana."
"Sweetheart," she said. "Tonight was amazing! I loved it...it just reminded me of how much I have to be out there. I can't just stop now. Please understand. I don't want you to worry-"
"I know," he said and cut her off.
"You do?" she asked.
He sighed and blinked slowly once, and the once quickly.
"But we need to put some rules and regulations in place," he said.
"Do we?" she asked, unsure of whether or not she liked his tone.
"Yes," he said. "I don't want you doing anything too dangerous."
"So, what are you suggesting?" she asked.
He glanced behind him, making sure no one was around.
"No tasks that involve drug lords, or the mob. No robberies with teams of more than four men. No weapons or munition busts," he said. "No abductions or ransoms of anyone well known, they will have a much tougher team."
"Is that what you've been doing this whole time?" she laughed. "Thinking up this list of things I'm not allowed to do?"
"Adriana," he said. "I'm asking you as nicely as a I can. I don't think my requests are unreasonable. There will still be plenty of work for you. And as I recall, you don't mind taking smaller incidences."
"That's true, but you're limiting me-" she said.
"I am," he said firmly, raising his voice slightly. "Because I love you. I refuse to let anything happen to you. I can't let it happen again."
She thought about his words and remembered what he was referring to. When she looked into his eyes, she saw it. She saw his sorrow. His sorrow for the death of his parents, which he was powerless to stop. She saw the despondence as the thought about the death of Rachel. The Joker had killed her, burned her alive, and Bruce couldn't stop it. He was tired of losing everyone he loved and was not willing to allow it to occur ever again. She had nearly died from a toxin created by the same man who had killed Rachel.
"Okay," she agreed and reached across the table and took his hand. "I'll follow those rules. I promise."
"Thank you," he said genuinely and lifted her hand to kiss it. "I love you so much. I just want you to be safe."
"I know, my love," she said. "I love you too."