Bruce sat parked in front of Adriana's old house for twenty minutes. Twenty long minutes before he opened his driver side window and poured the contents of the second bottle of potion out onto the street. He heard the bottle shatter after he dropped it and then drove off.
The day had passed too quickly. The sun has already set once he returned to Twyla's shop, just as she was closing. After seeing that there were no customers, Bruce confronted her.
"Wise decision to close," Bruce said to her. "What you do here is a public danger."
"What ever do you mean?" Twyla said innocently and blew out a candle by the window.
"You poisoned my wife," Bruce said.
"I did no such thing," Twyla said. "I gave her dosage instructions for what I gave her. She overdid it, that isn't my fault."
"It nearly killed her," Bruce said.
"Ahh..." Twyla said, defensively. "You mean the one she stole from my shop. That can't be blamed on me. Either way, she's alive isn't she? Thanks to me."
Bruce knew that she was right. Twyla was the one who had helped him go back in time.
"Are you done?" Twyla asked Bruce.
"Appassionata is a very strong formula," Twyla said. "If she would have purchased instead of acting as a thief I would have told her."
"It made her fall in love with.." Bruce said. "Someone that is just-"
"No, no, no," Twyla said, laughing. "That's impossible."
"What?" Bruce asked.
"It is not a love potion," Twyla said. "I actually do not make anything of the sort. If your wife fell in love it was nothing to do with the potion."
"You can't be sure of that," Bruce told her. "I know what I saw."
"You don't know what you saw then," she said. "The potion affects only the body. The mind and emotions are not impacted at all."
Bruce looked away from her.
"Why did you do this?" Twyla asked. "I mean, come on. Everyone has a past. Why go digging?"
"That's a good question," Bruce said bitterly.
"Can't unsee it can you?" Twyla asked, sympathetically.
"I will," Bruce said. "In time."
"Did it help at all?" she asked Bruce. "With your curiosity? Your need to know so badly what went on with your wife and some other man?"
Bruce clenched his teeth. He could tell Twyla didn't really care. She was amused by his suffering.
"Without that potion, she wouldn't have fallen for him," Bruce said. "Five seconds before she had it, she hated him."
"Would you like to try it?" she asked, sweetly.
"Try what?" Bruce asked her.
"Appassionata," she said.
Bruce frowned at her. "You're trying to kill me."
"Not at all," she said to him. "You hate me don't you?"
Bruce looked her up and down and answered confidently. "Yes."
"And you're sure nothing could change that, right?" Twyla asked and touched his wrist.
He yanked it away.
"Most certainly," he said.
"Then try it," Twyla said. "And you will see."
Bruce was shaking his head but she was walking over to the shelf to the last remaining bottles. She pulled out one of the disposable spoons from a small desk drawer and poured some for Bruce.
"It won't hurt you," she swore. "Quite the opposite actually. Come on, handsome. This is the proof you need. Come on..."
Bruce took the spoon from her and swallowed the contents. He wasn't sure why he even did it. Perhaps he felt like he needed a drink after what he had seen, and although this wasn't alcohol, it was what was being offered. The taste was like warm chocolate syrup.
"Well done," Twyla said to him. "It will take a few minutes. Don't mind me."
Twyla walked away from him and began cleaning her shop. Bruce glared at her sweeping the floor and then turned to look out the window. He felt insane for what he had done and what he was doing. He though about Twyla's question...if dwelling on his wife's past and uncovering it had helped. In a way, it did. He had something to blame. It finally made some sort of sense. He was tired. He wanted to go home to his son and wife. The past, no matter how ungodly, didn't matter.
He was expecting to hate the Joker even more than he already had, but he didn't. From what he could see, the Joker didn't harm Adriana. But Bruce needed someone to be angry with. Being upset with a potion was not good enough. Adriana had stolen it...but Bruce could never be angry with her. He didn't know what kind pressure she was under at the time to make her do such a thing. Twyla portrayed herself as a victim, stolen from and just doing her job. He was glad she was closing up shop. The only person left for him to be angry with was himself.
He thought back to the night of the masquerade ball. He should have seen her there, he should have paid attention. He and Adriana would have become closer and she would have told him that she was being forced to work for the Joker. They could have taken him down together.
And if he thought back even further, it was him who had asked Gordon to think of any possible way to get to the Joker. Gordon has suggested Adriana Navarro. He did not have to take him up on his offer. He didn't have to send her into the lion's den. Everything was his fault if he looked at the timeline. The Joker and Adriana were both institutionalized. Medicated. Poisoned. If anything, he felt he had pushed them together.
"What is that?" Bruce said, aloud. He smelled something amazing.
"What?" Twyla asked.
"That smell?" Bruce asked.
"Smoke from the candles," she answered.
"No..." Bruce said and walked over to her. The smell grew more potent. "You."
"Ahhh, it's working," she said.
And Bruce realized it was true. His entire body felt warm, and his senses were high. He could smell her skin, and it was the most alluring thing he had ever had the pleasure of sensing.
"So," Twyla said and leaned her broom against a wall. "How are you feeling?"
"Hot," Bruce said, feeling sweat run down his lower back.
"Mhm," Twyla said. "I mean about me."
Bruce allowed his eyes to give her a once over.
"Still hating me right now?" she asked.
Bruce felt his body go tense. "Yes."
"Would you say..." she said and threw one of her arms around his shoulders, pulling her lips close to his. "You hate me with a passion?"
The tickling sensations being sent down his legs almost made Bruce fall over. He grabbed Twyla, pushing her back until her back hit the wall. She smiled at him.
"So?" she asked.
"Stay away from me," he said and pulled back away from her. Slowly and unsteadily he made his way to the door, hearing her laughing at him as he exited.
.
.
.
"There you are, I've been trying to call you," Adriana said to Bruce as he came home that evening.
"You have?" he asked, his voice shaking. He pulled out his phone. 4 missed calls.
"Yes...you've been gone all day," she said. "I thought we were supposed to go the shooting range together. Arsenio's already asleep..."
Bruce looked at her and finally felt pulled back into reality. He walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Oh.." she said and looked down feeling his erection through clothes. He pulled her into a kiss.
"I love you," he said.
"I kinda thought maybe you were still angry with me," she said. "That's why you were gone all day."
"Angry?" he asked as Alfred came into the room.
"Shall I reheat your dinner?" Alfred asked Bruce.
"Ah, no Alfred thank you," Bruce told him.
"Are you sure?" Adriana asked. "I made a brisket-"
"I'm sure," Bruce said and picked Adriana up. Alfred looked at Bruce surprised. "Goodnight, Alfred."
"Same to you," Alfred said and watched Bruce carry Adriana away.
He carried her to their bedroom and placed her on the bed. Adriana watched him begin to tear off his clothes.
"Are you okay?" she asked, seeing his red and sweaty skin.
"I'm fine," he said. "What were you saying? Me being angry-"
"Well last night," she said. "When you asked me about everything and... I told you. I-"
"I'm not angry," he told her. "Not at you."
"Oh..then at the Joker," she said.
"Surprisingly enough," Bruce replied. "No."
"Now that is surprising," Adriana said. "Have you been drinking?"
"Nope," he said and pulled off his socks.
"You're sweating so much," Adriana said and reached forward, touching his abdominal muscles. He moaned before pulling her into another kiss.
"I need you now," he murmured on her lips.