A/N: I'm so hyped for this one! Idk when this will come out, but at the time I'm writing it we're so close to a triple-digit review count, which is something I've never done before. I also recently realized that I'm not even halfway through Season 2 yet and I've almost matched the Chapter count for the entirety of Season 1…
Anyways, here's Chapter 19! Hope you enjoy!
Lies, Laughs, and Lacerations
"Selina, are you sure about this?" Bruce asked apprehensively. Granted, he'd asked her the same question about half a dozen times in the past twelve hours or so, and every time her answer had been the same, but still… "This guy is a world-class liar and killer from a family of world-class liars and killers. He'll see through you. Or his uncle will…"
"Both very possible," Selina agreed, staring across the courtyard as limousines and Lamborghini's turned into Anders Prep's student drop-off line.
"And?" Bruce pushed. He hated this plan. It wasn't going to work, and even if it did it put her immediately in harm's way. He had tried to convince her to let him do it all, but no. For some reason, she seemed to think that she had to be the one to trick the assassin. He sighed. "Selina, they're playing nice because they think you trust them. Once they see you don't, it'll get ugly fast."
Selina nodded. "You're probably right, B."
Bruce shook his head. "It's not too late. You don't have to get directly involved…"
"If there's even a chance Galavan knows who killed my parents, I have to take it," Selina told him, her voice a little harsher than she'd intended. She sheepishly turned back to the drop-off line and said, "I told Alfred I have gymnastics practice after school. It should buy us some time if we need it."
Bruce opened his mouth to try and tell her off again, but decided it wasn't worth it. She was as stubborn as he was. "Hey," he said, waiting for her to look at him before continuing. "The best liars always tell the truth," he advised. "Something to remember."
She nodded. "Thank you." She glanced back across the courtyard and spied a familiar limousine pulling in. "That's his car. You should–" she stopped, seeing that Bruce was already halfway up the adjacent tree which would serve as his hiding place.
"Your uncle made me an offer," Selina told Sterling. "The name of my parents' killer in exchange for selling him my shares in Wayne Enterprises…" She mentally prepared herself to lie and told him, "I said no." Given his lack of a reaction, he seemed to believe her. Truthfully, had Gordon not busted in when he did… "But circumstances had changed," she continued, which was true.
"You're going to sell?" Sterling asked.
Selina shook her head, "No."
"Then–" he started, but she interrupted.
"Your uncle was arrested and his assets are frozen. Tell him I'll pay for his defense. In exchange, he gives me the name."
Sterling furrowed his brow. "You're taking advantage of him," he said, hurt and shock evident in his voice and expression.
Selina didn't buy it. "I have something he needs, he has something I need. That's all," she told him.
Sterling shook his head. "Do you believe what people are saying about him?"
"I don't care what people say," Selina responded, which, again, was true. "My father was investigating Wayne Enterprises, then he and my mother were killed. Last year, I investigated Wayne Enterprises, and someone tried to kill Alfred. Either I find out who killed my parents and stop whatever's happening at my own company, or I'm dead…" she said, her voice purposefully cracking at the end. "I need that name," she told him sincerely.
"The grand jury hearing is today. He's going to be cleared," Sterling stated.
"What if he's not?" Selina interjected. "What then?"
Bruce was watching down on her from above, his jaw nearly touching the floor in surprise. Damn, she was good at lying.
"Sterling," Selina continued, "get him to tell you the name, and I will make sure he has the best defense money can buy. I promise."
"You think he's guilty," Sterling observed. "Why would you believe anything he says?"
"Because it would be from you," Selina responded. Sterling blinked a few times, his eyes eventually dropping to the ground. Clearly he hadn't been expecting that. Selina leaned in, placing her hand on his. "If you bring me the name, I'll know it's real."
She paused, then leaned into his ear and told him something Bruce couldn't make out. But whatever it was, Bruce knew he didn't like it. What he would do for a shot at Sterling St. Cloud… or Jean-Paul Valley. He'd take either right now.
After a few seconds, Selina leaned away and Sterling looked a little bit shocked. "Do you mean that?" he asked hoarsely.
In response, Selina leaned in again, but this time she kissed him.
Bruce squeezed down on a branch so hard, it snapped. Luckily, Sterling was too 'distracted' to notice.
Selina pulled away after a few seconds and Sterling stuttered out, "I-I'll call you after I talk to him."
The school bell began to ring as Sterling took his bag and left.
"Well, no turning back now," Bruce muttered. "You still gotta get the name," he called down to her.
"I will," she said exasperatedly. "I'm late for school."
She started to walk away but Bruce called, "Cat!" bringing her to a halt. "Be careful," he warned.
She nodded and walked off towards Anders Prep. He watched her go, paying special attention as she passed a dirty, old grey van parked on the side of the road. She passed by with no trouble, not a care in the world.
When she safely reached the front steps of the school, Bruce dropped down from his hiding spot and made his way towards the vehicle.
The bait had been set, and all he could do now was wait.
The car came to a screeching halt in front of Sterling. He looked up in surprise, and then the back door slid open. His eyes widened in shock at the sight. Selina was sitting in the van, hands bound together and mouth covered in duct tape, tears streaming down her face as she let out muffled screams for help. A man was holding her down and another was twirling a knife around. The man with the knife shushed him. He had two long scars on his face which stretched from the corners of his mouth to his cheekbones, giving him a gruesome appearance. He warned Sterling, "Don't scream. Don't run. Just get in, or we kill the girl."
Selina screamed out through her gag, "No! Please!" and Sterling quickly nodded, climbing into the back seat of the car.
Something hard hit him in the back of the head, and everything went black.
The last thing Sterling remembered before falling unconscious was the person who'd hit him ordering, "Go," and the driver stepping on the gas. Why was his voice so familiar?
He came to in a very different place than where he'd fallen unconscious. They were in the middle of an old warehouse. Sunlight was shining in through the darkened windows, raising the otherwise concrete room to a blistering temperature.
He heard Selina sob next to him and whipped around. She was zip-tied to a metal chair, just like he was. "Selina, are you okay?" he asked. "What happened?"
Just then, an old wooden door at the other end of the room creaked open. From the darkness emerged the man who'd threatened him and Selina.
The man yawned, as if kidnapping kids and taking them to undisclosed locations was a normal part of his lifestyle.
"You have one chance. You let us go…" Sterling threatened.
The man stepped right up to him and smacked him hard across the face, the sound of it echoing around the room.
Selina gasped and let out a small sob. Sterling clenched his jaw and turned back to the man with his chin held high. The man stuck a finger in his face and growled, "You talk when I tell you to. Understand?" Sterling gave no response so the man continued, "Now, so you know, we are outside the city, and there is absolutely no one to hear you scream. Except me."
"You work for the people inside Wayne Enterprises," Sterling guessed. "Whoever's paying you–"
SMACK!
Sterling breathed heavily as stars began to swim in his eyes. "Again," the man started, "you talk when I tell you to." He turned to Selina and continued, "Now, my employers have heard that you are thinking of selling your company shares to the uncle of this one," gesturing to Sterling. "That's not good," he stated, "but not why we're here. The issue is someone's been nosing into the deaths of Thomas and poor Martha Wayne. And I wonder who. Mmm…" He smiled to himself. "Kidding, we know it was blondie's uncle," he said, nodding to Sterling. "So, I've been tasked to find out what dear old uncle told little Selina Wayne."
"Nothing!" Sterling told him. "My uncle didn't tell me anything!"
The man hit him again, this time with a closed fist.
"You think that I won't hurt you because you're a kid or because you're you?" the man asked him. "If that were true, then how'd that work out for her mommy and daddy?" he lulled, pointing at Selina. He straightened up his suit and announced, "There're billions at stake here. And that's with a 'B.'"
"Do what you want to me, I don't know anything," Sterling told him.
"Okay. So, we start with the girl."
"You touch her, and I swear!" Sterling started.
The man smirked. "Yeah? I've been threatened by the best, kid. You, well, not exactly terrifying." He reached into his coat pocket and said, "Now let me tell you how this is going to go," he flipped open a switchblade, brandishing it for them both to see. "In a minute, I'm gonna take one of you into the back and start cutting off your fingers. And you're gonna talk. I've been doing this a very, very long time, and everyone talks." Selina started sobbing again. "So unless you're really into wearing mittens, this is your last chance. What does Theo Galavan know?"
Selina looked at Sterling pleadingly, tears streaming down her face as she shook in fear. Sterling looked back at her, offering no response to the man's question.
Their interrogator waited for a moment and then sighed. "Okeydokey." He walked up behind Selina, grabbed onto the back of her chair, and announced, "Let's go."
"No, no, no!" Sterling protested in desperation. He pulled against his restraints which dug into his wrists.
Selina screamed. "Please, Sterling! Sterling, you have to tell him. I'll hold my side of the deal. I promise," she begged. "Please, please. I promise!"
Sterling grit his teeth, tears starting to form in his own eyes, now. "But my uncle didn't tell me anything…"
"But…you left me a message," Selina responded, "after school."
"I was supposed to keep you busy till this evening. He's sure he's going to be freed," Sterling told her, "then he'll convince you to sell your company. I'm sorry, Selina. I don't know anything."
"Really?" the man asked boredly.
"I don't!" Sterling pleaded.
He sighed. "That's a pity," he said, resuming his casual walk towards the back room, dragging Selina with him.
"No! No! Please don't! Please!" they both begged, but their pleadings fell on deaf ears.
Selina screamed as the door slammed shut.
"Whoo!" the man announced as the door opened. It'd been over fifteen minutes, during which the only sound were Selina's screams of terror and agony, then, about a minute ago, they'd abruptly ended. The man walked back into the main room, slamming the door behind him as he wiped off his blade on a blood-stained handkerchief. "Well, if nothing else, today has given me a newfound respect for billionaire brats. Girl's tougher than she looks. Didn't know a damn thing."
"Did you kill her?"
"No. Not yet," he said offhandedly. He noticed Sterling's puzzled expression and asked, "Oh, the screaming? Oh, yeah, I think she passed out. Losing ten fingers'll do that to ya. No, she's not dead. But the rest is kinda up to you…" he lulled, crouching down to Sterling's level.
Sterling took a deep breath and stated, "I told you. My uncle didn't tell me anything."
"Are you gonna stick with that story?" the man asked.
"It's the truth," Sterling pleaded.
The man sighed and told him, "You know what? I don't like you. The Wayne girl, she's got some sap in her. But you… You know when you meet someone and you just don't click? That's the way I feel about you. That's why this is gonna be so much easier."
He got in Sterling's face and raised the knife. "What're you doing?" he asked.
"I'm gonna make sure that you are telling the truth," the man responded, brandishing the tip of the knife a few inches from Sterling's face.
That was when Sterling gave up on his "victim" act.
"Oh, I'd love to see you do something," Sterling threatened. "If you touch me, I'll gut you alive. Every person you love will die screaming by my hand. I've had enough of this. Let me go. Now!"
The man gave him a puzzled expression, and then grinned. "Well, hello! Nice to meet ya! I knew there was someone hiding in there."
"Are you deaf? You have five seconds to let me go!"
"Or what?" the man asked.
Sterling didn't respond. Instead, he raised both of his hands for the man to see, no longer zip-tied.
He launched himself at the man, grabbing onto the knife and shoving it at his throat, missing my mere centimeters. He took another swing, but the man kicked him in the stomach.
Then, he heard the hammer of a pistol clock back just as something was lodged into the back of his head. A new, amused voice lulled, "Unless you want your brains blown out, I'd sit back down." Sterling raised his hands in surrender and slowly returned to his chair. The person with the gun stepped around to his field of view, keeping the gun trained on Sterling's chest the whole time. He was tall and skinny, had shoulder-length, greasy dark hair plastered to his scalp, and wore a wicked smile on his long face. He couldn't have been older than Sterling by a couple of years, but he had large, dark circles under his eyes like he'd lived for an eternity. He chuckled. "Jean, isn't it? I'm Jack."
Sterling's face went pale white. "What…how…who…" he had too many questions.
When he gave no response, the boy called to the back of the room, "That all you wanted, Brucey?"
Bruce? Wait…that voice from earlier…
Shockingly, Bruce Kyle stepped out of the back room. Even more surprisingly, Selina Wayne followed him out, unscathed but looking mad as hell.
Sterling was gob smacked.
Selina walked right up to him, marching past her former 'interrogator' and the tall kid with the gun without the slightest hint of fear.
Sterling started, "Cat–" but never got to finish.
Selina smacked him straight across the face. She smirked in satisfaction, but shook her head. "No, it isn't." She walked back next to Bruce who wore a shocked expression at her actions. "I want the name that Galavan gave you," she told Sterling/Jean.
He shook his head. "I told you, I don't know anything!"
"And I don't believe you," Selina replied coldly. "So you're going to tell me what he told you, or else."
"But he didn't tell me anything!"
Jack rolled his eyes and kicked him in the stomach, causing Sterling to double over onto the floor as he tried to regain the air in his lungs. "Try again," Jack told him.
Sterling grit his teeth and told Jack, "Go to hell."
Jack kicked him hard in his rib cage, causing him to groan in pain.
Bruce had been staring at Selina, a little bit shocked from how easily she was watching Sterling be beaten. Granted, he'd wanted a chance to beat down on the kid, too, but still…
He tried to step in front of her view, saying, "You don't need to watch this, Cat…" but she placed a firm hand on his shoulder and stopped him.
"Yes, I do. He lied to me, Bruce. He would do the same thing in my shoes," she told him.
"Exactly," Bruce responded. "And that's why we shouldn't do what he would. We can't go to his level…"
Selina furrowed her brow. "Bruce, do you trust me?" she asked. Bruce searched her face for an easy but true answer. Finding none, he nodded. He stepped back and stood next to her.
She took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze.
He'd crossed lines before, now she was doing the same. It was no different.
Or, at least, that's what Bruce told himself.
In the meantime, Jack had dragged Sterling back into his chair and lodged the gun into his stomach. He growled, "You know, there's a lot of things I've wanted to try out ever since I got back to Gotham, and you could be the one I try 'em on! Sound fun?" he asked enthusiastically.
Sterling grit his teeth. He looked around the room and, seeing no way out, said a single word. "Malone."
"What was that?" Jack asked, putting his ear down near Sterling's mouth. "I couldn't quite hear you…"
"Malone," Sterling snarled. "The man who killed her parents. His name was Malone."
Selina froze. All the work she'd done just for a single name… "Malone's a very common name," she stated. She nodded to Jack who grinned in fascination.
He called to Bruce, "Oh, I like this one," before lodging the gun deeper into Sterling's gut.
Sterling sneered and stated, "His first name starts with 'M'. That's all I know."
Jack glanced back at Bruce, who looked at Selina. Her expression hardened, but she eventually nodded.
Bruce nodded to Jack and told him, "That's enough."
Jack hummed in response, but didn't remove the gun.
"That's enough," Bruce repeated.
"Is it?" Jack asked. "Is letting him go with a few scratches enough, Bruce? After all, if what I found out was true…leaving him alive would be a mistake."
"We aren't going to kill him," Bruce stated firmly. "Right, Selina?"
She nodded, although hesitantly.
Jack snarled, "We don't have to kill him. Did you know, Bruce, there's a place you can shoot someone and just hit the spinal cord? Doesn't kill the person, but it cripples 'em for life. Pretty cool, huh?" he asked with childlike enthusiasm, lodging the gun deeper into Sterling's stomach.
Bruce placed a firm hand on Jack's shoulder. "We got what we came for. It's over." Jack ignored him so he growled in his darkest, grittiest voice, "Back off. Now."
Jack rolled his eyes and sighed, removing the gun from Sterling's stomach. He walked up to Selina and held out his hand. She removed a packet of money from her jacket and gave it to him. He smiled. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Wayne. Tom! Boys!" he called, "let's go." He turned back as he reached the door and announced, "I'll see ya around, Bruce!" slamming the door and leaving Bruce and Selina alone with Sterling.
Bruce stood back, watching as Selina approached Sterling and started, "You're probably very confused right now. Probably have a million questions going through your head–"
"Selina, please," Sterling started.
"Shut up!" she yelled, startling both Sterling and Bruce. "I trusted you, Sterling. Or is it Jean?" She scoffed and shook her head. "Even after your uncle was arrested, I still believed you were my friend. It was finally Bruce who convinced me otherwise."
"I never bought your stupid act," Bruce told him.
"He broke into your apartment," Selina continued. "Found a letter with your real name on it. His friend," she said, nodding to the door that Jack had exited, "tracked you down and found out who you really are, who you work for… From there, it was clear that you'd been sent to push me to sell my company. That your entire family was corrupt. But I still had to find out what your uncle knew about my parents' murder. Now I do." She smirked. "Thank you."
With that, Selina turned on her heel and started towards the exit.
"Selina, wait!" Sterling called. "That name, the one I gave your friend, it wasn't real. It was just something I made up to stop him."
Bruce scoffed. "That's funny. You only made it up when you were under the barrel, not when Selina was getting tortured."
Sterling stood up and got in his face, snarling, "You son-of-a-"
Bruce whipped out his own switchblade. "Please. Try it," he stated calmly.
Sterling grit his teeth in defiance and turned back to Selina, saying, "You're right about my uncle. He's everything everyone says. But the people who work for him are worse. When they find out what I told you…they'll kill me."
Bruce took his eyes off of Sterling, curious about what her reaction would be, especially given her recent behavior. She started to walk back towards him, saying, "Good. You're an evil person and you deserve whatever they'll do to you." She smiled at him bitterly. "Goodbye, Jean."
"Those things you told me today," he started, "I believed you."
She nodded. "Yeah, that was kinda the point."
He shook his head. "Please don't do this, Selina. It isn't you."
She stepped right up to him and retorted, "That's what you think…" she coolly dusted off his jacket and straightened his tie for him, "but you're wrong."
She turned and walked away. Bruce followed suit, an impressed smile dancing at the corners of his lips. Jean called after them, "Please, you have to help me! Please! Don't! Selina!"
Selina never turned, never stopped. She walked right out the door and out of his life, possibly ending it.
"Alfred?" Selina called as they entered her father's study.
No response.
She chuckled dryly. "He's probably out looking for me." She smiled. "Thank you, Bruce. I couldn't have done this without you."
Bruce shrugged and leaned up against the wall. "I was just happy to see the two-faced son-of-a-bitch get served," he joked. "So, what're you gonna do now? You gonna tell the cops or look for this Malone guy yourself?"
Selina shook her head. "Honestly, I haven't thought that far ahead."
He nodded. "Whatever you do, let me know first, okay?"
"And why would I do that?" Selina asked, a small smile hinting at the corners of her mouth.
"Because if I hadn't interfered you'd be dating an assassin," he joked. She chuckled sheepishly, dropping her gaze to the ground.
Bruce could've left right then and there, and everything would've been fine.
He could've left and nothing would've changed between them.
He was the badass thief from the Narrows.
She was the beautiful, rich, orphan girl with a heart of gold.
But he couldn't leave yet, not with all the things changing between them, not with the way she'd been acting.
"So, when you whispered to him," he started apprehensively, "before he went to his uncle, w-what did you say?" he asked, trying to remain casual.
She smiled mischievously. "You want to know what I said?" she asked.
"Hey, if you don't wanna tell me, then I can leave–" he said, trying to backtrack.
"I told him that I'd never met anyone like him," she replied. "I told him that I trusted him with my life. And that I felt tied to him in a way that I couldn't explain, but wouldn't change. Ever."
Bruce nodded. "That's damn good."
She shrugged. "The best liars always tell the truth, right?"
He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "And that was true?"
She nodded. "Yes…"
He scoffed to himself and glanced at the ground. Maybe he should've taken the chance to beat up on Sterling a little…
"Just not about him," Selina finished.
Bruce stared at her for a moment, perplexed by what she'd meant by that.
Then she walked up to him, stood up on her tippy-toes, and kissed him on the cheek.
He got the memo.
And he blushed. Hard. "Um…" he mumbled, glancing at his feet, the door, the window, anything to avoid looking her in the eye. "I, um…I'm gonna…steal one of your cars to take to the city. Cool?" he asked, finally looking up at her.
Thank God she was blushing, too.
She nodded. "Sure."
He started to turn, but paused for a moment. He took a full look at her and was startled by how much she'd changed over a year and a half. She wasn't that scared little girl in the alleyway anymore. She was strong, battle-hardened. She'd gotten her hands dirty and the experiences had changed her.
A wise man named Henry Grant had once taught Bruce something: People change people.
He'd never understood what that meant, until today…
He turned around and walked towards the balcony doors. When he reached them, however, he stopped and turned back to her.
"Things are changing, and it's good that you're changing," he told her.
She smiled at him warmly, making his heart melt even more than it already had.
"Just…don't change too much."
And with that, Bruce Kyle swept out of the study. Selina followed him out onto the balcony and watched him speed off back to Gotham in one of her many, many cars.
She mentally high-fived herself. She'd just broken the mask of Bruce Kyle…and he hadn't run away…
How many other people had done that?
Selina heard the doors open and assumed it was Alfred, but she shot out of bed the second she heard the footsteps.
For over a year and a half, Alfred's footsteps had been the only ones she ever heard around the quiet house, other than when Bruce came to visit, so she would recognize them anywhere.
They weren't his.
It wasn't Alfred.
She stuck her head out of her doorway. Seeing the coast was clear, she made a beeline for her father's study where she knew a gun was hidden.
The door was cracked slightly open, and a light was radiating from inside. Her hand shot backwards from the doorknob. She started to back down the hall, but a voice called out, "Come here, Selina."
She wanted to scream, to run, but it wouldn't help.
She was alone in a house with Theo Galavan.
There was nowhere to run.
She slowly opened the door and, knees shaking, she opened the door. Galavan was facing the fireplace, not even offering a glance in her direction as she entered the room. "You've shown mettle and ingenuity, Miss Wayne," he complimented. "But that's all done with."
"What do you want?" she asked meekly.
He removed a long, wicked knife from his jacket. "Why, your life, of course," he responded with a smile.
A/N: I hate to repeat myself on consecutive Authors Notes, but I just gotta say it…DUN-DUN-DUN! I hate to leave you guys on a cliffhanger like that, but I just have to. Don't worry, though; I'm already working on the next Chapter as I'm uploading this.
I'd also like to take this time to thank you all once again for all of your incredible support on the series. It's been a wild ride and we aren't even halfway done with the second season yet! I mean, the next chapter will be number 20! Like…dude! This is crazy!
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and if you did, make sure favorite/follow so you don't miss my next update (coming soon). Also, please make sure to review if you have any comments/questions/concerns, or just generally want to talk about my story or Gotham S5. Thanks for reading and ciao for now!
The following is a die-hard, BabyBatCat shipper's ramble. Casual fans: you have been warned.
*inhales* I'd like to take this time to point out that the line: "It's good you're changing. Just don't change too much," is (in my opinion) the single best line of dialogue to encapsulate Bruce and Selina's early relationship, as well as why I believe that that line is the end of their initial story arc (the one that started all the way back in the alleyway). Everything else I'm about to say is about canon, so please don't get it confused with my story as the line has a very different significance in my story than in canon. Their first arc started off with the alleyway when Bruce's life was changed forever. From that point on, Selina helped and guided him through his process of changing from a kid who's weak and protected to a teen who's strong and willing to stick up for himself against anyone. She'd been the one helping him change, so her asking him to not change too much signifies that she recognizes that he's changed drastically since they first met in the beginning of Season 1 (as well as her not wanting him to change too much from the boy that she'd fallen for all those years ago). From that moment on, he doesn't change too much until the end of Season 3/beginning of Season 4 and the second story arc becomes one of Bruce, now a dignified hardass, discovering his limits and how far he's willing to let himself go. Anyways, that conversation between them is one of my top three favorite BatCat moments of the whole show (at least as of 1x01 to 5x03) and I hope I pulled it off well enough. Oh, and also their little romantic music theme that plays every time they have a really cute moment was played in the background (at time signature 37:05) as she says that line, but it was played really quietly on a piano instead of whatever it is normally played on (some stringed instrument I think), and that single choice by the music directors/writers/producers of the show to have it played quietly, like a moment of inner reflection for Selina as she realizes that her feelings for him are changing from a crush to something stronger, perfectly sums up how incredibly well done the show truly is. Granted, Gotham is a dignified mess, but moments like these are what makes it a truly, truly amazing mess. *inhales* but I digress. Let me know what you think. Jak out.
*drops mic*
*immediately apologizes to mic for dropping it*
*walks off stage awkwardly cause I just apologized to an inanimate object*
