A/N: So…Gotham Season 5 is coming out in January…There's no way in hell I'm finishing Seasons 2 and 3 by then. Anyway, I'm super excited for that so I'll be talking a lot more at the bottom. For the time being: I've been anticipating this chapter since I first started this series so I'll just shut up and let you read. Hope you enjoy!
Encounters
Selina stared aimlessly out of the limousine window at the approaching Gotham skyline. She could feel the chaotic city buzz in the air, something she truly missed living in the suburbs. Car horns were blaring, the stench was near unbearable, a steady drizzle was falling, and steam rose from the hot pavement making it near-impossible to see more than a few feet…
Home sweet home.
When Alfred had agreed to help her investigate her father's company, one of his conditions was that she would have to resume normal billionaire activities, which included going to boring galas and charity events. She usually dreaded the events. However, the gala she was attending this time was something she personally felt was a good cause, so she didn't mind too much.
Besides, the dresses she got to wear were cute.
Selina mentally scolded herself. She was starting to sound like her school friends.
The limousine pulled up as close to the building as possible, and, luckily, the rain had slowed down a bit. Even so, Alfred insisted on walking her into the gala under the umbrella, leaving himself wholly exposed to the elements.
Inside, a peppy jazz tune was being played in the background as people in fancy dresses and suits mingled about, talking about how much they'd donated or what new car they were going to buy for their nephew. Selina shook her head. She was rich, too, but at least she wasn't obnoxious about it. A couple of reporters and camera crews were stationed throughout the hall, trying to track down the more famous of Gotham's elite for interviews. Selina looked right past them, acting as though they didn't exist.
She started thinking about the thousand other things she'd rather be doing. "This is a waste of time," she told Alfred who was still drying himself off with a small handkerchief.
"We had a deal, didn't we, Miss Wayne?" he responded sternly. "Part of which was you resuming a normal lifestyle."
Selina scoffed and muttered, "Right, normal…"
Alfred ignored her comment and continued, "Your parents were both patrons to the Children's Hospital, therefore it makes you a patron." They arrived at the main hall and Selina sighed. "Besides," Alfred said with a light grin, "there's gonna be a magician. And you like magicians, don't you?"
Selina raised an eyebrow and responded, "No I don't…I hate magicians."
Alfred turned to her and stated, "You know what I said about being normal?"
"Excuse me," a familiar feminine voice said from behind them.
Selina turned and saw Dr. Thompkins standing there, looking stunning in a sleek, black ball gown. Selina acted on impulse and threw her arms around the woman's waist, exclaiming, "Lee!"
Thompkins laughed and returned the hug, saying, "Hello Selina. How have you been?"
Selina let go and responded, "I'm good."
"Miss Wayne just started back at school," Alfred butted in, adding, "Anders Preparatory Academy."
Thompkins nodded. "How do you like it?"
Selina shrugged. "It's alright, I guess. But how have you been?"
Thompkins chuckled in exasperation and responded, "It's been a long week. I helped plan and run the gala tonight."
"Well it is certainly beautiful," Alfred told her, adding an attempt at a flirtatious grin at the end.
Selina inwardly cringed at her butler's attempts to flirt with the younger woman. A flash caught her eye and she glanced across the room.
She almost choked on air.
She turned back to the two adults and asked, "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Uh, just water," Thompkins responded. "Thank you, Selina."
Selina nodded and started towards the opposite side of the gala.
What was he doing here?
She stopped halfway across the room. What was she going to say? 'Hey, it's been a while, I heard you're working for a psychotic crime boss now…'
Selina took a deep breath. It wasn't a big deal. They were friends.
Calming her raging nerves, Selina made her way up to him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey Bruce," she said.
Bruce's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Selina!" he practically yelled in surprise. He swallowed hard and simply said, "Hey." They paused, scanning each other.
She noticed that he'd gotten taller, which kind of annoyed her.
He noticed that she'd gotten taller, which kind of annoyed him.
Finally, Selina broke the silence and stated, "I didn't expect to see you here."
Bruce scoffed, throwing on one of his signature smirks. "Well, if you wanna steal stuff, it helps to go where the rich people are…"
Selina raised an eyebrow. "You do know this is a benefit for a Children's Hospital…"
Bruce nodded. "So?" he asked, starting to regain his composure. He noticed that the number of eyes on him had skyrocketed since he'd started talking to Selina, which was very bad. Floyd was currently across the room, but he'd probably swing by in a second. Also, if Selina was here then her monkey wouldn't be too far behind, and he would probably report him to security. He needed to finish this conversation quickly.
"So these people are here for a good cause." Selina stated. She didn't know why she didn't like that he was stealing from the patrons of the gala. Hell, she doubted that any of the attendees were much better than him.
"Me eating is a good cause," Bruce retorted. She was practically handing him a reason to be short with her and he could apologize later. "Besides, didn't I steal something for you once?" he asked pointedly.
Selina shook her head. "That was different…"
Bruce nodded. "Right." He knew that he should've walked away right then and there, but a question was still nagging at him. "How'd that all go?" Bruce asked. "You get into that guy's safe?"
"Yes, though things turned out differently than I'd thought…" Selina paused. He saw her cheeks go a bit pinker than they were before.
Shit. He knew where this was going. He should've just walked away…
"A lot's happened since then," she continued, glancing down at the ground awkwardly. She wasn't herself when she was around Bruce Kyle. If her friends could see her now…
Bruce nodded and then nonchalantly turned and looked over his shoulder.
Selina's heart stuttered. This was not going as well as she'd hoped. She could feel him slipping away again, so she started grasping at straws, saying, "I hear there's gonna be a magician."
"I'm working," Bruce responded immediately. "And hate magicians."
He hated that he was being a douche to her, but the more eyes on him the worse. The best case scenario would be no one even knowing he was there, but here he was having a conversation with the daughter of Gotham herself. He'd ask for forgiveness the next time he saw her, explain why he couldn't talk right then and there.
"I'll see you around, Cat," he said, patting her on the shoulder as he passed.
Selina made her way back to where Alfred was standing, now alone. "I'd like to leave now," she stated simply, offering no reason for her sudden wish to get out of the place.
Alfred raised an eyebrow and told her, "The show's about to start…"
Bruce's jacket was almost full of wallets and small purses, but he could probably fit a few more before having to empty it out again. Bruce made his way over to Floyd who'd just picked an expensive looking broach right off of some lady's sweater. Bruce whispered told him, "I have room for a couple more."
Floyd shook his head and said, "Mine's full so I'm gonna go to the car. We should get going in a few minutes…"
Bruce nodded and they went their separate ways.
Bruce was able to pick off a wallet and a woman's watch before the band stopped playing and the master of ceremonies, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, announced that the entertainment was about to begin.
He settled into a dark corner in the back as two performers made their way onto the stage. The magician was chunky and short with a wild wispy beard while his assistant was blonde and dressed in a bright pink outfit.
The magician addressed the crowd with an over-the-top voice. "Greetings ladies and germs! I am indeed the Great Rudolpho!" He gave the crowd a slight bow as they applauded. He gestured to the woman next to him and said to the audience, "Please ogle my lovely assistant." The woman bowed and the audience applauded again. The magician did a few basic tricks, all of which Bruce saw right through. Pulling a rose from a handkerchief? Easy. Creating a dove from thin air? Child's play.
Bruce was starting to get bored until the magician announced, "For my first act, I'll require a volunteer…" He started pointing around the audience, saying, "Duck, duck, duck, duck, duck, duck…goose…" he finished with an almost sinister tone. Bruce looked at who'd been chosen.
His stomach clenched up and he tilted his head to the side in curiosity. The magician had chosen Selina.
Selina hesitated. She didn't even want to be there in the first place, and now she had to participate in an act? She looked at Alfred for help, of which he offered none. Instead, he lightly prodded her on, saying, "Go on Miss Wayne. Be a sport."
The assistant made her way up to Selina and offered her hand for the girl to take. Selina had a bad feeling about this. However, she went along and followed the woman, much to the bemusement of the crowd which broke into applause.
The woman led her up to the stage and the magician greeted her, "Well aren't you just delicious? What's your name?"
Bruce felt his stomach begin to churn. Something was off here.
Selina felt chills run down her spine. Something about the man creeped her out. Still, she played along and replied, "Selina Wayne."
They had her lay down in a box which exposed her feet and head, and then closed the lids. She knew what trick this was, she'd seen it done before. It wasn't that hard to figure out the whole trick to the act, but she went along with it.
The magician removed two, sharp plates from a bag nearby, telling Selina, "This won't hurt a bit." He looked out on the crowd and jokingly asked, "Is there a doctor in the house?" before lining up the blades with the space between the two boxes.
Bruce's stomach was doing back flips by that point. Something was off…but what? His hand subconsciously drifted to where his switchblade was hidden, just in case.
Alfred apparently sensed it too, as just as the blades were about split Selina in half, he began to protest. However, the magician ignored him and shoved the plates downwards.
Bruce's heart dropped in his chest. He took hold of the handle on his knife. He felt his heart beat as the seconds passed.
One. Two. Three.
The assistant rolled away Selina's lower half, and the top half looked out at the crowd with a smile.
Bruce felt his body relax. Every nerve in his body had seemed to fire at once. He looked down and realized that he'd opened his switchblade and was holding it towards the stage. Shaking his head, he closed it and slid it back into his jacket pocket before anyone could see. He chuckled at himself, getting all worked up over a magic trick. Not only a magic trick, but one of the easiest and simplest magic tricks in the book. He slumped back against the wall as the assistant "reattached" Selina's two halves and opened the box, helping her out and walking her back to Alfred.
He noticed that the assistant lingered for a moment, taking the time to blow a kiss at Dr. Thompkins…
That was odd.
However, Bruce's train of thought was broken by the magician announcing, "For my next illusion, I'd like to call to the stage esteemed Deputy Mayor Harrison Kane.
They brought the man up onto the stage and positioned him in front of a board. The assistant brought out a tray of knives, and then quickly bowed. However, when she bowed, her mask fell from her headdress.
No. She didn't drop it. She took it off for a second. Why would she do that?
Bruce's stomach started to clench again, but he reminded himself that this was a charity gala for a Children's Hospital and that the magician performed for children for a living. He just needed to relax.
The magician approached the table and picked up one of the knives, studying it carefully.
Bruce glanced over to where Selina, Alfred, and Dr. Thompkins had been standing…
Every bone in his body froze at once and a pang of terror went through his heart.
He saw a foot being pulled around a corner, kicking and resisting. It was an odd motion, one that almost would never happen in any situation other than someone being dragged backwards.
He looked up at the stage, and then around the gala hall. The doors were all shut. They hadn't been shut earlier. The waiters were spaced out evenly around the edges of the room, surrounding the main crowd completely. It made sense that they wouldn't be in the middle of the room, but it was still something that stuck out to Bruce. Then there were the performers themselves. Something had seemed off all night. The main magician seemed too sinister to perform for kids. What was his name again?
Slowly, Bruce started edging his way along the wall, closer and closer to where Selina was standing with Alfred.
The magician looked out at the crowd and stated, "Oh by the way, nobody here is getting out alive…"
The crowd laughed, but Bruce took that as the final sign. He full on sprinted towards Selina as the magician threw the knife straight into the Deputy Mayor's chest.
There was a moment of shocked silence before chaos ensued. Bruce knew he was still a few dozen feet from reaching Selina, and that there was a waiter standing five to six feet behind her. Could he reach her before the waiter did? Should he grab Selina and run or attack the waiter and take his chances? Were the waiters even involved with the magician? Time slowed down as the waiters collectively removed light machine guns from underneath their trays.
Scratch the idea about attacking the waiter. His only objective was to grab Selina and run to the hidden passage that he and Floyd had used to get in. Time went to a snail's pace as the guns started to fire. Luckily, they seemed to be trying to cause chaos rather than shoot people, which gave Bruce a few more seconds to reach Selina before the waiter saw him.
Selina looked up just as Bruce's hand latched onto her wrist. He didn't have time to say anything or explain where he was going. Instead, he charged straight at a solid-looking wall full speed. Just as his front leg would've made contact, the wall folded away and became a curtain that he slipped through, Selina in tow. They were halfway out of the passage before Bruce finally let go and they fell in stride.
Bruce told her, "I used this to sneak into the party. We're lucky those bastards didn't know about it…"
"Wait," Selina started.
"We're almost outside," he told her, continuing to walk towards the exit.
"Wait!" she shouted, grabbing his hand and stopping him. "I have to go back," she stated.
"Are you crazy? That guy was killing people!"
"Yes. And Alfred's back there," she responded, fear very apparent in her voice.
He looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "I'm not going back," he stated, trying to convince her to escape with him.
"I don't expect you to," Selina responded.
Bruce froze, unable to say anything else to that. He shook his head and started to turn and walk away, but she called, "Bruce…" He stopped and turned back to her, hoping that she'd had a change of heart and was going to save herself. "I miss you. I just wanted to say that," she stated simply before turning and running back towards the gala hall.
Bruce stood there, dumbstruck. Why did she always have to be a hero? He turned and ran away from the hall, shame eating away at whatever dignity he had left.
He worked for a psychopath who'd brutally killed too many people to count.
He was a lowlife thief and that's all he'd ever be.
He knew that.
He was okay with that.
…
…
…
God dammit.
Bruce sprinted towards the nearby alleyway where Floyd was parked. He threw open the door and Floyd started, "The hell is going on in…?" but Bruce cut him off.
He threw his jacket into the car and told Floyd, "Give me your gun."
"What?" Floyd asked.
"You need to get out of here with the stuff. The police might set up a perimeter and if we get caught, we're done for, now give me your gun," Bruce told him in one breath.
"What are you gonna do?" Floyd asked while handing Bruce his revolver.
Bruce sighed and shook his head. "Something really fucking stupid."
Selina arrived at the curtain and peered through it. On stage, the imposter magician had removed his disguise and revealed himself as Robert Greenwood: cannibal, Arkham escapee, leader of the Maniax, and murderer of Commissioner Essen. Next to him was Barbara Keen, former girlfriend of Jim Gordon and the only female member of the Arkham escapees.
A gunshot fired and Selina lurched backwards. The crowd let out a collective shriek as an apple, which had precariously been perched on a man's head, was blown into a thousand little pieces. A few moments of silence passed until Greenwood shouted, "CLAP!"
The audience obeyed, applauding the trick. Selina scanned over the room. Alfred was among the captive audience, there was a man lying unconscious on the stage, and the camera crew from earlier was filming the entire thing under Greenwood's direction.
Greenwood announced, "I think it's time for tonight's first official victim. You all know and love her. Poor rich girl, parents murdered in an alley, and my favorite volunteer," he said, licking his lips. "Where is Selina Wayne!?"
Silence followed. Selina was worried that they could hear her heart beating.
"Selina?" Greenwood lulled. "Where are you hiding?" he growled, pacing up and down the stage as he searched the audience. "SELINA!" he yelled in frustration. "Where are you, honey?"
"Kill her butler," Keen intervened.
Selina's heart dropped in her chest. This is what she'd been afraid of. She watched, frozen, as Alfred was grabbed and shoved up towards the stage.
Greenwood licked his chops, saying, "All right, last chance, kid, but it's about to get very butler-brainy out here…"
Selina swallowed. She knew what would happen if she didn't give herself up, but her legs wouldn't budge.
Why wasn't she moving?
If she didn't move, Alfred would die and it'd be her fault.
Even then, she remained completely still, frozen in fear.
Greenwood shook his head. He took the revolver from the table, pulled back the hammer, and raised it to Alfred's head. "Pity. Good help is hard to find nowadays."
Bang.
A body dropped and the audience screamed. A hand grabbed Selina's shoulder and pulled her away from the curtain as dozens of police officers streamed into the hall, shouting at the people to get on the ground. A few more gunshots were fired, and then it was quiet.
Selina saw Gordon's lips moving, but she couldn't hear the words coming out.
The next few minutes were a blur. There was one final scream from the audience, and then an eruption of gunfire, and then silence again. Later, someone would tell her that Greenwood, wounded from the bullet he'd initially taken before the police invaded, got up and was about to kill Dr. Thompkins when Theo Galavan distracted him. Galavan took a knife in the side, but the distraction gave the SWAT team enough time to fill Greenwood with bullets, ending the threat.
Selina was led outside where she met Alfred. She hugged him and started to cry which felt all too similar to the night of her parents murders. He assured her that he was fine, that it was all over and they were safe. After a few minutes, Selina calmed down enough to talk to one of the officers on the scene. She told the woman how she'd found a secret exit out of the hall, how she'd hid there, how she'd watched as Alfred was called up. She broke down again. The female officer told her that it was alright and that she'd helped save a lot of lives that day. Selina didn't see how she'd helped at all. All she'd done was freeze up and watch while Alfred was nearly shot. She calmed down enough to finish giving her testimony, how there'd been a gunshot, how Greenwood had fallen and then the GCPD had stormed the building.
Alfred led her off after that, putting her in the limousine and then going off to talk to Gordon.
He told Gordon, "I just wanted to thank you, sir, for saving my life."
Gordon shook his head. "It was nothing. I was just doing my job."
Alfred nodded but he had one more question. "Would you mind introducing me to the officer who shot Greenwood?" he requested.
Gordon's smile dropped and he looked over his shoulder apprehensively. He took Alfred by the shoulder and led him off to the side. He sighed and whispered, "We don't know who it was."
Alfred raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wasn't it one of your men?"
Gordon shook his head. "Greenwood was on the ground before we got there. Then when Forensics checked the bullet, it was a different caliber than any police weapon," Gordon told him.
"Well then, who shot Greenwood?" Alfred asked.
Bruce sat atop the roof of the gala, looking down on the scene as medics and officers rushed about, no doubt trying to piece together what had happened. He looked down at the revolver in his hands. He'd reached the balcony of the gala just as Greenwood raised the gun to Alfred's head.
Bruce hadn't even hesitated.
He knew that Floyd's gun was accurate, but he hadn't known just how accurate. A few centimeters right or left and he would've killed Greenwood.
Why hadn't he?
He had a clear shot and could've ended the threat right then and there. He didn't know that the police were going to arrive a few seconds later. Hell, if he'd missed, a lot of people could've died unnecessarily and it would've been his fault.
He looked at the weapon in his hands with distain.
Why did Floyd carry something like this? How could he? A split second decision and the weapon could ruin, or even end, someone's life.
Bruce spat. The first chance he'd get, he'd return it to Floyd, preferably with a full cartridge.
He looked down at the small crowd below. A single, curly head of hair stuck out to him above all the rest. He watched as she was taken into a makeshift-headquarters, probably to give her account of the event. He watched as Alfred took her to their car and then closed the door.
His body relaxed as the car drove away, hopefully going somewhere far away from the scene. The best thing for that girl was to stay as far away from Gotham as possible.
Bruce scoffed.
Like that was ever gonna happen.
He stood from his perch and began his run across the rooftops of Gotham. He got home around one in the morning, and, for once, got a good night's sleep, knowing that Selina Wayne was far, far away from the hellish city that he called home.
"Ra's al Ghul, forgive me, but I still do not understand our actions tonight," Galavan said on bended knee. "What was the point of all of this? We could have killed the Deputy Mayor whenever we wanted to and Greenwood needn't have died…"
"Patience, my son," Ra's uttered, just barely audible. "The beginning of the final foundation was laid tonight."
"The Son of Gotham?" Galavan asked.
Ra's nodded. "Indeed. The Son of Gotham." He turned to his servant and asked, "Has young Mr. St. Cloud befriended the Wayne girl yet?"
Galavan nodded. "Yes, Ra's al Ghul. He has."
Ra's thanked him and Galavan left. He looked out over Gotham and sighed.
"Just how far can I push you...Bruce Wayne?"
A/N: Well, I have quite a few things to say. First off, thank you so much for all your support on this series! It means the literal world to me that people are enjoying what I'm writing. If you enjoyed or have any critiques/questions, then make sure to review! Now: for those of you who want to read my rambling, please continue down below :=)
I'm so freaking excited. I can't even put into words how excited I got when I heard that Gotham Season 5 was coming out on January 3rd. Now, it is a little terrifying since I was estimating that I had until at least late February to reach Season 3. Oh well. Also, SEASON 5 IS GETTING ANOTHER 2 EPISODES MEANING THAT GOTHAM AS A SERIES WILL BE 100 EPISODES LONG WHICH IS FREAKING AMAZING!
As for this chapter, it was one of my favorites so far and it's really gonna kick off the heavy plot for the remainder of the season. Plus, another appearance of Ra's! His involvement is going to be crucial for the events for the rest of the series, so keep an eye on him.
Also, please excuse my use of the F word. I don't like the word. I don't say the word irl. But it was just so perfect and the moment felt earned and using 'freaking' instead of f****** felt kinda lame. I still find it weird to think that little Bruce Wayne, the BabyBat in BabyBatCat, could use the f word though...
And this is kinda off topic but I'm deleting the post I made where I was asking for your feedback on choosing between Roles Reversed and a series on Whenever You Need Me. Thank you for all your help though!
Well, that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure that as soon as I post this I'm gonna come up with a thousand other things I want to talk to y'all about, but I guess they'll just have to wait until next chapter. Once again: thank you all so much for your support. It means everything to me. Thanks for reading!
