A/N: This is gonna be a long Author Note, but if you're here for just the story you can skip this whole first paragraph. So, it seems like y'all are interested in the new project I'd mentioned in the last chapter. For clarification: it wouldn't be connected to my Roles Reversed AU, which I'd like to keep as its own standalone series. The new series would be about Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle in canon. Because of that, I probably won't be expanding on this arc as much as I originally intended. Obviously I'm going to write more filler than what we were given in Episodes 14-17, but just not as much as I had first thought, probably only two or three more filler events/chapters than what we were given, plus the actual events of the show (so probably about 5-7 chapters for this arc, give or take). The new project will be debuting in the next week or two, so keep an eye out for the first chapter of The Escapades of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle.

Also, I know I've been focusing on the plot and character development of Bruce and Selina as of late, but don't worry. This is a romance story at its core, and there's gonna be a BIG payoff for all this plot down the road. In the meantime, let's get back to what Baby Bat and Cat do best: risking their lives, flirting, and kicking ass. Although, not necessarily in that order.

So with all of that said: here's Chapter 22. Hope you enjoy!

First Things First

Selina found him under an overpass, warming his hands over a bum fire. He glanced up at her as she approached, the firelight blazing in his dark eyes. He raised an eyebrow questioningly as she joined him.

He gave her a look which she interpreted as him asking if she was sure about this.

She nodded. She was. This was what she needed to do.

Wordlessly, he turned away from the bum fire and started towards the heart of the city. She followed closely after.

Not twenty seconds into their walk, a car drove by. A gunshot sounded from inside of it, the flash lighting up the cabin.

She impulsively looked towards the car.

"Don't," Bruce whispered harshly. "Don't look. Keep your eyes forward and keep walking."

She was a little surprised at the gruffness in his voice. He sounded completely worn out.

And yet when she'd called him in the middle of the night and explained her situation, he'd come all the way from the Narrows to meet her at the edge of the city without complaint. That's the kind of person he was.

They walked a few more blocks in silence, Bruce staring down anyone who looked even slightly suspicious. Finally, they reached a lit up area, somewhere on the East Side of Uptown.

"Are you hungry?" Bruce asked out of the blue.

She blinked a few times in surprise, not sure where he'd gotten that idea from. Then her stomach growled out loud and she nodded sheepishly. She hadn't even thought about food today, but she hadn't had anything since breakfast.

He smiled and she was reminded just how handsome he really was, especially when he wasn't scowling all the time. "Come on, Cat. I know a spot."

"It's three in the morning," she pointed out.

He nodded. "They'll be open. Just stay close. It attracts a certain kind of crowd…" he trailed off and she got the idea.


They walked a few more blocks before he stopped and turned towards a storefront. A cursive, neon blue sign read, 'Nightcrawlers.'

He held the door open for her and she stepped inside slowly. It was a smaller restaurant, only about a half dozen tables and a couple of booths. An old jukebox quietly played music in the corner. The majority of the customers, all rough-looking characters, were sitting at the bar.

Bruce came up next to her and held out his elbow. She took it, her apprehensiveness disappearing as he led her into the restaurant.

"Is that Bruce Kyle, I see!?" a guy from behind the bar called.

Bruce smiled and waved hello, saying, "Hey, Brick. How ya doin, man?"

The bartender made his way out from behind the bar, and Selina figured out why they called him Brick pretty quickly.

He resembled one uncannily.

He couldn't have been older than twenty, but he was a head taller than Bruce and at least three times wider. He smiled a big, toothless smile and hugged Bruce, who, surprisingly, hugged him back.

"I'm doin fantastic, man," Brick replied. "Where ya been?"

Bruce shrugged. "Everywhere," he answered before turning to Selina. "This is Cat," he told Brick.

Brick took her hand and kissed the top of it, saying, "Nice to meet ya, I'm Benny Bernstein. Friends call me Brick." He turned to Bruce and asked, "How'd you find a nice girl like her?"

Bruce rolled his eyes, answering, "I have no idea, myself."

Brick shook his head saying, "Well, I'll throw a couple o' burgers on. Be out in ten or so. Sit wherever ya like."

Bruce nodded, shaking his friend's hand again before he lumbered off into the back.

They slid into a booth and Selina sarcastically asked, "Is there anyone you don't know in this city?"

He shrugged. "Benny's an old friend. Good guy. Did a job for him, once."

"What kind of job?" Selina asked.

He smirked. "Stole something, nearly got caught, almost died, the usual."

She laughed. She'd missed this, just talking to him, no giant plot looming over the pair of them. Right now, they were two street kids having a meal, nothing more. After a few seconds of being lost in thought, she snapped out of it and realized she'd gone on silent.

"So…do we order?" she asked awkwardly, her brain now hyper-aware that she was about to have a meal with Bruce Kyle, alone, at night, in Gotham, just the two of them.

Was this a date?

Bruce shook his head and laughed. "They only have one option. But trust me, it's a good burger."

She nodded and started fiddling with a napkin. "So…" she started, "what are we gonna do? Like, after this?"

Bruce shrugged. "I got a job on Tuesday night, figured you could tag along, but we can do whatever until then. You're the one who wanted to come out here in the first place, so what do you wanna do?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. What do you normally do?"

Bruce shook his head. "Depends. I usually don't get breaks in between jobs like this. I've been kinda distracted over the past month…" he trailed off, his eyes jumping over to the bar to scan the crowd.

He did seem distracted, but that was to be expected. He was a street-kid. He had to be wired at all times to stay alive.

He turned back to her with a smirk, saying, "I got a place set up for us a few blocks from here, but we don't have to walk there…"

She smiled. "Rooftop?" she asked, excitement starting to fill her body at the prospect. She'd missed that more than anything else in Gotham, flying across the city skylines, teasing death for the hell of it.

He nodded. "There're a few gaps you might not be ready for yet, but we can go the long way around. You wanna?"

She nodded, now practically glowing with energy and excitement.

"Two Craw-Burgers for the happy couple," Brick announced, sliding two red baskets onto their table.

Selina blushed and glanced up at Bruce.

Thank God he was blushing, too.

Bruce thanked him quietly and dug into his burger. Selina picked hers up, but stopped when she got a good look at what was on it.

"Are there crawfish on this?" she asked apprehensively.

Bruce looked up from his plate and she laughed out loud. He looked like a chipmunk. He nodded and, through a mouthful of crawfish and hamburger, told her, "They're called Craw-Burgers for a reason."

Through giggles, she managed to take a bite of her own burger.

And he'd been right. It was ridiculously good.

After five minutes or so of cramming food down their mouths, Bruce sighed contently and called, "Hey, Brick! Can we get a check over here?"

From the bar, Brick shook his head and called back, "No need! It's on the house!"

Bruce stood from the table and approached the bar. "Thanks, man, but I'd be happy to pay…"

Just then, the roar of motorcycle engines echoed up the alley outside the shop. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned.

The front doors slammed open. Five men entered, bandanas pulled over their faces and cowboy hats angled low on their heads, all holding guns.

Selina started to get up, but Bruce held up a hand for her to stop. She sunk into the seat, trying to remain unnoticed.

The one of the front yelled, "No one move! Do what we say and we won't have an issue."

"Oi! I don't know who you think you are, but we got protection from Butch!" Brick called, moving out from behind the bar with a baseball bat in hand. "You ought 'a get outta here before I call him."

A gunshot fired and Brick collapsed to the ground, holding his left shoulder.

"Shut up!" the lead thief yelled. "One more word from you and I'll blow your damn head off, got it!?"

Bruce stepped in front of him, his hands raised in surrender. "Whoa, whoa. Everybody calm down. You don't have to do this."

The thief jammed the barrel of his gun into Bruce's forehead.

He didn't even flinch.

Bruce stared the man right in the eye and growled, "Put the gun down."

"Or what?" the man taunted, getting cocky now.

"Or you'll never walk again," Bruce told him simply.

"Oh really?" the man asked, chuckling. "And what're you gonna–"

Selina heard the man's leg snap before she realized Bruce had even moved.

By the time the lead guy realized what had happened and yelled out in pain, Bruce had landed two punches on another two guys, both of whom dropped quickly.

The fourth guy lunged at him, swinging his pistol like a club. Bruce knocked it away and punched him once in the gut and then again in the mouth.

The fifth guy was evidently the smartest of the group. He had backed up almost to the door, his gun leveled at Bruce's chest.

Bruce froze, realizing his position. He brain went into overdrive, everything around him slowing to a snail's pace. He was in the middle of the restaurant, too far away to make a charge at the man, nothing to throw, nothing to block the bullet with, he'd have to jump out of the way, but what then? What if the bullet hit someone?

A chair shattered over the back of the man's head.

Bruce's eyes widened in surprise as the man keeled over, landing hard on the floor.

Standing behind him was none other than Selina Kyle, the shards of a broken chair in her hands, breathing heavily with a wild, dangerous look in her eyes, her curly hair going every which way.

She'd never looked more beautiful.

He chuckled, saying, "Thanks for the assist, Cat."

She sighed, responding, "You're welcome. Let's not do that, again."

Bruce nodded. "Agreed." He turned back to Brick and helped him up. "You alright, man?" he asked.

"Yeah, just grazed me. I'll be fine." Brick nodded to the five men, either unconscious or groaning in pain. "That was a good fight, there, kid. Ted would'a been proud."

Bruce shrugged. "Nah, he wouldn't have gotten caught by that last guy. Anyways, we should get outta here before the cops show up. See ya, Brick."

Brick shook his hand and went back to the bar to call the GCPD.

Bruce took Selina by the hand and led her out of the restaurant. They jogged a few blocks and then ducked into an alleyway as a cop car blared past.

He leaned up against an alley wall and slid down it to the floor, chuckling. "Ya know, Cat, you wanted to know what Gotham was like. That was it. Desperate people do desperate things, sometimes people like me and you stop 'em. Others…" he trailed off. "Not so lucky."

She shook her head and joined him on the ground. "How'd you knock them out so easily?"

He grinned cheekily and reached into his coat pockets, pulling out a pair of brass knuckles. "Number one rule for surviving Gotham: always have an ace up your sleeve. This time, I had two."

She furrowed her brow. Two? As in two brass knuckles? Or…

"This time, I had a partner," he told her.

She probably blushed.

Oh, who was she kidding? She totally blushed.

"Partners?" she asked apprehensively. She hadn't done much, she'd just seen him in a tight spot and moved to help him. She hadn't even thought about it.

He nodded. "Partners. It's good to have someone to watch your back."

She nodded and then asked, "Speaking of which, who is Ted Grant?"

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Haven't I told you about him?" She shook her head and he shrugged, saying, "He's my older brother. Well, kind of. He's the son of the guy I live with sometimes. He's the one who taught me how to fight."

"You have a family?" she asked, a little shocked. Why hadn't he ever told her about them? On some level, she was hurt that he hadn't told her about something so important.

Was that all he was hiding?

Bruce shrugged. "Like I said, kinda. Ted's dad, Henry, found me when I was little. After my mom left…" his voice disappeared as he clarified it, his hand drifting to his left breast pocket in his jacket.

She'd seen the contents of that pocket one time, back when he'd lived with her. The locket he'd found when she left. The one with the picture of the beautiful young woman, holding a blue bundle of blankets.

"I'm sorry," Selina told him, knowing that his mind had drifted to that subject as well.

He shook his head. "It's all good. I didn't really know her." He stood up and brushed himself off, offering her a hand as well. "We should really get going. I'd like to sleep a little bit before dawn."

She smirked and allowed him to help her off the ground. "Lead the way," she told him.

He eyed the wall across from them and, after a moment's hesitation, sprinted towards it. He ran up the brick surface three or four steps, latching onto the bottom platform of a fire escape, a move that she'd seen him do countless times.

He pulled himself over the railing and unlocked the ladder which she quickly ascended, joining him on the platform.

He started up the spiraling ladders, rising six stories before they reached the rooftop.

She stepped onto the edge of the building and took a deep breath.

This was where she belonged. She knew it.

"You done?" Bruce asked sarcastically.

She smiled, taking one last longing look at the Gotham skyline.

"Yeah, let's go."

She stepped down off of the edge and Bruce held out his hand. "Here," he said.

She gave him an odd look and reached out to take his hand in her own.

He laughed and shook his head, saying, "Thank you for holding my hand, Cat, but I was asking for your backpack."

"Oh…" she mumbled, knowing that her face had officially reached a fire-truck level of red. She removed her large, clunky backpack, filled with nothing but clothes and a water bottle, and handed it to him. "Sorry…"

Still chuckling, he told her, "No problem." He slung the bag over his shoulders and turned towards the first gap. "I just figured you shouldn't do your first jump while carrying something. We wouldn't want you dying an hour into your visit, now would we?"

And with that, he tore off towards the edge of the building, full sprint. She watched him go, timing his steps so he could launch off the rooftop at the last possible second. He soared through the air, arms spread wide, wind rippling in his over-sized jacket.

He landed gracefully in stride on the other side, clearing the gap by several feet.

He jogged to a stop and turned back to her with a grin, his hair ruffled and windblown, his cheeks tinged red from adrenaline. She forgot to breathe for a second. He called, "You coming or what?"

She shook herself out of her daze and backed up to the edge of her own roof.

A grin danced on her lips as she took a deep breath and sprinted towards the other side, savoring every second of it.

The immediate danger in front of her, yet her lack of fear.

A panicked sensation bubbling up in her stomach, but a crazy smile forming on her lips.

The wind roaring in her ears as she ran towards certain death.

She hit the edge of the building and took off.

It was exactly the same as the first time, yet wholly different.

She'd been nervous the first time she'd made a jump like this, driven only by the thought of Bruce leaving her behind. And, because of that initial fear, Bruce had had to save her when she'd come up short.

This time, however, he was waiting there expectantly on the other side, believing that she could make it without his help.

And he was right.

She cleared the gap, her feet slamming down onto the rooftop opposite, less than a foot between her landing point and the edge of the new roof.

She went to take a step, just like Bruce had done when he'd landed, but her leg had other ideas.

Against her will, her leg decided to give out under her momentum.

However, she dropped, rolled, and came up on her feet in one fluid motion, halting less than a foot in front of Bruce.

His eyes went wide in surprise. "Where'd you learn to do that?" he asked incredulously, a suspicious yet approving look in his eyes.

She smirked victoriously. "Gymnastics," she replied simply. "What, can you not do that, too?" she mocked.

He gave her a judgmental eyebrow-raise, but his grin ruined the look. "Okay, now, don't get cocky, Cat," he chided playfully. "If you're so confident, then we can take the short route home." He turned on his heel and called over his shoulder, "Try not to die!" before starting towards the next gap.

She smiled and ran after him.

Oh, how she'd missed this.


She didn't die, although there'd been a couple of close calls throughout the run.

After about ten minutes of running, Bruce stopped abruptly on the edge of a random rooftop.

She came up next to him and asked, "Why are we stopping?"

He smirked. "Because, Cat, this is the place," he told her, tapping the gravel-covered roof with his foot. He stepped onto the fire escape and descended a few floors, stopping three stories above ground level.

It seemed like any other random abandoned warehouse in the city. But it seemed familiar…

"Wait a second," she started, eyes wide in recognition. "I know this place."

Bruce smirked as he leaned up against the brick wall of the building. "You should. I'd be worried if you didn't."

He reached out with his hand and placed it on the stained, darkened glass window next to him.

He pushed, and a grid of window panes swung open like a door.

He smirked and climbed through the opening, saying, "Welcome home, Cat."

She stepped inside after him and quickly realized why she had recognized it. The interior had been changed, morphed into a space suitable for two people to live in, but the layout was mostly the same.

"This was where…" she started.

"Clyde the Fence worked," Bruce finished. "Yeah. Where you almost got kidnapped and I almost got killed."

She shook her head in disbelief. The main room was set up as a living room/kitchen space, equipped with a stove and refrigerator, microwave, cabinets, everything. A large couch sat in the center across from an old TV that looked like it still ran on radio antennas. There was a small table with chairs sat up against a window, one of only two or three windows which weren't blacked out. Three doors led out of the room.

"Pretty cool, huh?" he asked. "That one's your room," he said, pointing to the door on the far left, "the bathroom," he said, pointing to the one in the middle, "and my room," he finished, pointing at the door on the far right side.

She nodded in disbelief. "I can't believe you did all of this."

Bruce shrugged. "I've been living here on and off for a year or so, now, ever since Clyde got carted off. Most of the stuff was already here. Just needed a bit of cleaning up."

She nodded wordlessly. So this was his world? It wasn't too bad, after all.

"Well, I'm gonna go to bed," he told her. "See ya in the morning."

She nodded. "Right, see ya."

He turned and started towards his bedroom door.

"Wait, Bruce," she called.

"What's up?" he asked, turning back to her.

She paused for a moment. "Thank you…for everything," she told him sincerely.

He smiled. "It's my pleasure. Goodnight, Cat."

"G'night, B," she replied, opening her bedroom door and slipping inside, shutting it softly behind her. She threw her backpack onto her bed and leaned up against her bedroom door, sliding down it and sitting on the floor.

She smiled to herself.

How her luck had changed.

And it was all thanks to Bruce Kyle.

Whatever they did tomorrow (or today rather, since it was already four in the morning), she wasn't worried.

Dangerous or not, although it'd most likely be dangerous, whatever they did, she'd be okay.

Not safe. She'd never be safe, not in Gotham. But she'd be okay.

She had Bruce to protect her, after all.

And when the time came, just like tonight, she would do the same for him in a heartbeat.

A/N: So, I've actually really enjoyed not having a new episode this past week. Not having to write a Night-of-Episode-Oneshot gave me a ton of time to work on Roles and my new series coming soon, Escapades. I've really enjoyed Season 5, no matter how depressing it's been from a BatCat perspective, but the roller coaster of emotions that the pairing is is what makes the whole thing fun to watch.

Anyways, make sure to follow/favorite so you don't miss my next upload, and if you enjoyed or have any comments/questions/critiques about this story, or any suggestions for scenes and chapters in Escapades or Roles Reversed, please review! Thanks for reading and ciao for now!