A/N: I said it in my last post, but I'll say it again for those of you who didn't see it: Yes, Bruce and Selina will find out about the whole switched at birth thing eventually. But it's gonna take time. I have almost five full seasons to work the overarching plot through, and I'm gonna take advantage of it. I have neither forgotten about that plotline, nor the Ra's one. It's all part of my master plan :) Now for the story:
This one picks up right after the last chapter, so make sure you read that first! Here's Chapter 26 and I hope you enjoy!
Everyone Hates Bruce Kyle
The turnout was bigger than he'd expected.
The yet-to-be-named street mall in the southeast corner of the city was twice the size of the Flea and about as far from the GCPD precinct as you could get, making it even more appealing to members of Gotham's criminal underbelly.
"Wow…" Selina muttered, gazing wide-eyed at the long line of people waiting to get into the warehouse. She was decked out in the best street-clothes she owned: her combat boots, a pair of thick, black leggings, a short plaid skirt, Bruce's black Gotham Rogues hoodie (which she had made him wash, first), and her favorite leather jacket.
"Wow is right…" Bruce agreed, although he wasn't only talking about the crowd.
The line moved relatively quickly, each guest being thoroughly searched for weapons, with a few exceptions for higher-ranking criminals and mob bosses.
Bruce and Selina finally made it to the front, Bruce reluctantly handing over his pair of brass knuckles and Selina surrendering her switchblade.
He offered his arm to Selina, who took it, and they strolled into the party. Bass shook the floor in waves and there was a sharp stench of alcohol in the air. Although it was technically a mall, all the furniture and clothing racks had been pushed to the side, the main middle area reserved for a mosh-pit of people dancing.
"This is crazy!" Selina shouted over the blaring music.
Bruce nodded, and looked like he was about to reply when he suddenly went pale, staring fixedly behind her. Selina turned, noticing a group of heavily tattooed guys standing around off to the side, staring back at Bruce.
Speaking of Bruce, he latched onto her hand and yanked her along as he made his way deeper into the warehouse.
"Who's that?" she called, struggling to keep up with his larger strides.
"They don't like me," he replied simply.
He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, causing Selina to slam into him from behind. She peered over his shoulder and saw a group of Asian guys, all probably in their twenties, and one of whom was casually holding a machete at his side.
Bruce's grip on her hand tightened even more as he turned left and went deeper into the crowd, away from the gang.
"Who's that?" she repeated.
"They don't like me, either," he called over his shoulder.
Not a dozen steps later, Bruce slammed on the brakes, again. Selina managed not to run into him, getting a good look at another group of men, each with slicked back hair and wearing elegant suits. But they were glaring at Bruce with utter hatred in their eyes.
Bruce turned on a dime and dragged her away from them.
"Who's that?!" she demanded.
He stopped and grabbed her shoulders, telling her, "Let's just assume, for the moment, that everyone here doesn't like me."
"Really? Because you're such a charming guy…" she muttered.
Bruce rolled his eyes. "We just need to find Ted, and we'll be fine."
"What?" she asked, anchoring her heels in the pavement and forcing him to stop and face her. "Bruce Kyle scared of a fight?" she mocked.
Bruce shook his head. "I'm not scared. I just pick my own fights; I don't let them pick me. And I sure as hell ain't fighting the Trucks or the Triad, right now."
"Why do they all hate you anyways?"
Bruce shrugged. "I'm a thief. I've probably stolen something from half the people in here. But as long as we stay with the right people, we'll be fine."
"You mean you'll be fine," she stated. "I'm not a part of this."
"The hell you are! You're just as much a target as me, Miss Wayne," he replied with a mock bow, earning a light slap on the arm for his trouble.
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Kyle. But, for now, we are at a party…so…"
She grabbed his arm and dragged him into crowd of people.
He seemed reluctant at first, but she got him into it. The DJ helped by playing three songs in a row that Bruce loved, and by the fourth, they were in the center of the pit of people, screaming lyrics and singing and dancing and all around having the time of their lives. She loved seeing him like this, just a (somewhat) normal kid dropping his walls for once and actually having fun. She loved tough, scary, thief-extraordinaire Bruce Kyle, but this side of him was even better.
He loved seeing her like this, too. She'd gone through way too much crap for someone their age, and yet here she was, happy. Seeing it made dropping his walls way easier than it otherwise would've been, especially surrounded by a group of people whom half wanted to kill him.
Things were going great, too great.
Halfway through the fifth song, someone tapped Selina on the shoulder.
She turned and found none other than Zee Zatara herself, dressed in a short black and pink dress and a men's biker jacket, looking fantastic as always.
Before Selina could utter a word of surprise, Zee had her arms wrapped around her neck in a hug, exclaiming, "CAT!" She stepped back, running her hands all over Selina's outfit and hair before taking her shoulders in her hands and asking, "How've you been? I haven't seen you in, like, ever!"
Selina blinked a few times in shock. She hadn't seen Zee in the whole six weeks she'd been in the Narrows, and had all but forgotten about her until earlier that day. Selina nodded, slowly replying, "I'm fine, how've you b–"
"And Bruce, dude! You look so good!" Zee exclaimed, moving on from Selina and wrapping her arms around Bruce's neck.
Selina almost laughed out loud at the look on his face. She'd never seen him so uncomfortable, before. He placed a tentative, almost fearful, hand on her upper back, simply replying with a squeaked out, "Good."
She let go and stepped back, taking in the both of them. She smiled and told them, "You two look so freaking cute together! How long have you been a thing?"
"We're not!" they both half-shouted simultaneously, which didn't seem to help their argument.
Bruce cleared his throat and Selina answered, "We're not. Bruce is just giving me a place to crash."
Zee nodded slowly, seeming skeptical. "Right… Well, anyways, how've you been, Cat? I heard through the grapevine that you were back in Gotham, and I kept meaning to visit."
Selina nodded. "I'm doing great. How about you, Zee? What're you getting up to?"
Zee shrugged boredly. "I'm a waitress the Artemis." Selina knit her brow and Zee elaborated, "It's a woman's only club in the theater district. Pays well enough. I've learned a ton, too."
Selina gestured to Bruce (who was still as stiff as a board), telling her, "Bruce has been teaching me all about Gotham and the Narrows and stuff."
Zee cocked an eyebrow. "Why? Aren't you a billionaire or something? What's there to learn?"
Selina smirked, elbowing Bruce in the side. "That's what he said." Zee giggled and she continued, "But I want to make an impact, change Gotham one day, and that all starts here."
"That's so thoughtful of you!" Zee told her. From anyone else, that phrase would've seemed disingenuous or sarcastic, but Selina didn't think Zee could physically do either one of those things. "But, a word of advice: people don't change easy."
Selina's brow shot up her forehead, surprised by how serious Zee had become all of a sudden. She nodded slowly. "Thanks. That's good to know."
Zee shrugged and told them, "Well, I'll let you two get back to it. See ya around, Cat, Bruce."
Selina waved goodbye and Zee strutted off into the crowd, disappearing from sight.
When she was gone, Selina glanced up at Bruce. He was still frozen stiff. She placed a hand on his arm and shook it. "Hello? Earth to Bruce! You can breathe now."
He let out a long, deep sigh. "It's stuff like this that proves the universe it out to get me," he complained with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes. "Well, at least it's over. Though, I'll admit, the timing was pretty flawless."
He scoffed. "Let's just forget that all that ever happened."
"No way!" she told him with a cocked eyebrow. "The look on your face was priceless."
He rolled his eyes and took her hand. "I like this song," he told her, obviously trying to change the subject.
She shook her head, but smiled. "Whatever, Kyle."
They went back to dancing, Bruce trying to push the interaction from his mind. What were the odds of him seeing Zee for the first time in months on the same day that Selina had found out about their relationship?
Could the universe cut him a break, just once?
"Bruce! There you are!" a familiar gruff voice called through the noise.
"Thank you," Bruce muttered, throwing a grateful look up to the sky.
Ted was walking up to them with his date, Helena.
"Look who finally decided to show up!" Bruce called, bro-hugging his older brother. Bruce nodded to his partner, saying, "Helena, beautiful as ever," and hugging her as well.
"The famous Bruce Kyle," Helena greeted in a thick Russian accent. "How've you been?"
Bruce shrugged. "I'm staying alive." He put a hand on Selina's back and told her, "Helena, this is Cat. Cat, meet Helena Bertinelli."
Selina shook her hand, but threw up an eyebrow in recognition. "Bertinelli? As in Bertinelli Corporate?"
Helena nodded. "Yes, my father is the CEO. Why do you ask?"
Selina shook her head, having to remind herself that she was Cat, a street kid, not Selina Wayne the billionaire. "Just wondering."
While they were talking, Ted whispered to Bruce, "Did it ever occur to you that we're both dating billionaires, now?"
Bruce elbowed him in the side. "Me and Selina aren't dating."
Ted rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm just saying we're playing way outta our league."
"Speak for yourself, ugly ass–" Bruce retorted, earning a punch in the stomach.
"Well I need to use the toilet," Helena told Ted. "Behave yourself while I'm gone."
Ted scoffed as his date walked off, escorted by a pair of bodyguards.
Selina shook her head in confusion. "Why would Helena Bertinelli be at a party like this? It doesn't seem like her crowd."
Bruce and Ted laughed, thinking it was a joke, but Selina didn't join in. Ted threw up a surprised eyebrow. "You don't know?" he asked.
Selina shook her head and Bruce told her, "The Bertinelli Family runs the whole Southside of Gotham for Gilzean. They're just as dirty as any other company in Gotham. How else would they get so rich?"
"Brucey!" another voice called from the crowd.
He was much, much, much less thankful to hear that voice than he'd been to hear Ted's.
Suddenly, there was a long, gangly arm around his shoulder, and a psychopath standing next to him
"Hey, Jack," he muttered.
Jack grinned widely and turned to Bruce's two companions. "Selina, looking good. Ted, likewise. You mind if I borrow him for a minute?"
He didn't wait for an answer, squeezing down on Bruce's upper arm and dragging him off.
Before he disappeared into the crowd, Bruce was able to yell to Selina, "Stay with Ted!"
She watched him go, stunned into shock and unable to protest before he'd already vanished.
"I hate that guy," Ted told her.
Selina nodded. "What's up with him, anyways?"
Ted shook his head. "No idea, but he's got something loose up there."
"Should we go after him?" she asked apprehensively.
Ted sighed, seeming to deeply contemplate the suggestion. "No. Bruce can handle himself. He'll be fine. But stay close, for now."
He offered an elbow, which she gratefully took. She felt vulnerable without her trusty bodyguard around.
"Ted!" a voice called, and a guy, probably in his mid-twenties, stepped out of the crowd to greet him. He was obviously wasted, if not evident from his walk and his bright red cheeks, from his horrendous breath.
Ted nodded hesitantly, saying, "Hey, Mick. How's it going?"
Mick smiled widely. "Dude, you wouldn't believe some of the girls in here!" He belched. "Though, you seem to have found a pretty little lady, yourself," he lulled, eyeing Selina up and down.
"She's my sister," Ted told him flatly, with a murderous look in his eye. (It must've been a family thing)
Mick didn't get the memo. Instead, he threw his arm around Selina's shoulders and drawled, "Is that sssso? Well then, you want me to show you a good time, love?"
"I'm fifteen," Selina stated.
Whatever high that guy was on disappeared real quick.
His bright red cheeks drained of color, and he abruptly turned around and walked away without another word.
"Sorry about that asshole," Ted told her.
She shook her head. "No problem." She hesitated, giving him a funny look before asking, "Sister?"
He shrugged. "You might as well be. You and Bruce are already living together, after all."
Her cheeks went as red as Mick's had been. "We're not…it's not…that isn't…" she stammered. "It's not like that."
Ted held his hands up in surrender. "Relax, kid. I'm just teasing, I promise. But, either way, I'm glad Bruce has someone like you in his life."
She cocked an eyebrow, surprised at his seriousness which was becoming a recurring theme among the teens of the Narrows. "What do you mean by that?"
Ted sighed, telling her, "Bruce is stronger than anyone I've ever met. And he's strong on his own, sure, but he's stronger with people around him. He's like a–"
"Sheepdog," Selina finished for him. Ted nodded. "And he gets this look in his eye–"
"Like an animal," Ted finished.
She nodded. "You've seen it?"
Ted hummed a yes. "Once, I fought a guy who had weights in his gloves. One of his gloves came off, and the weight fell out, right in front of Bruce. Next thing I knew, there was a brawl in the arena, and Bruce was beating the guy half to hell. It's almost scary how angry he gets, sometimes."
Selina knit her brow and shook her head. "Not really," she told him. "Once, we got caught by a guy we were stealing money from. Long story short: he hit me. Bruce almost killed him, but…" she shook her head, again. "I called his name, and he looked up, and I knew he wasn't gonna do it. He wouldn't."
Ted nodded slowly. "Well, that's just another reason why you're good for him. You can bring him back."
After a few dozen feet, Bruce roughly shook his arm free of Jack's grasp, following him through the warehouse of his own free will. They passed the three gangs that'd been eyeing Bruce earlier, although they were suddenly less interested than before with Jack Napier standing next to him.
Jack led him up a staircase to the catwalks above the dance floor.
"What do you want, Jack?" Bruce demanded, stopping abruptly and refusing to go another step forward. "What's so important?"
Jack chuckled and came to a halt. "It's not what I want. It's actually something that you'll want."
"Cut the crap, Napier," Bruce told him.
Jack sighed and reached into his jacket, removing a piece of paper and handing it to Bruce. "A friend of mine took that," he told Bruce. "Thought you'd want to know."
Bruce turned over the photograph, and his stomach sunk.
"Where was this taken?" Bruce asked, keeping his eyes glued to the picture.
"Central Station," Jack answered simply, leaning out over the edge of the catwalk. "Pretty interesting, right?"
"How many people know?"
"Just me and you," Jack replied coolly, spitting off the edge.
Bruce was about to ask about the photographer, then remembered who he was talking to. He probably didn't want to know, anyways.
He folded the photograph and slid it into his jacket pocket.
He sighed. "Thank you, Jack."
Jack shrugged, a mischievous grin sliding across his face. "What're friends for?"
Bruce grit his teeth, trying not to gag. Here he was again getting into business with Jack Napier. Had he learned nothing?
"Keep this quiet, for now. No one else finds out." Bruce ordered.
And with that, he turned on his heel and practically ran off the catwalk.
He found Selina and Ted. Helena had rejoined them and they were all standing around off to the side, talking.
They saw him coming and turned to greet him, Ted asking, "What did that son of a bitch want?"
Bruce rolled his eyes. "Nothing worth my time. Sorry to keep you waiting. I take it there weren't any problems?"
Ted shook his head. "Nothing we couldn't handle. But, if you don't mind, we're gonna go dance, now," Ted told him, taking Helena's hand.
Bruce chuckled. "Have fun."
Ted and Helena walked off towards the crowd of people.
Bruce turned to Selina and was about to ask what she wanted to do when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.
Why did people have to keep approaching him?
Before, he could turn and greet whoever was behind him, he noticed that Selina had gone pale. Then, he felt something round jut into his lower back. It was familiar, too familiar for his liking. He froze.
"Bruce Kyle," a deep voice rumbled. "Good to see you, again."
"Who's Bruce Kyle?" Bruce asked, remaining still, trying to figure out who exactly was threatening him. "Name's Ted Grant. Ya know, the boxing champ?"
The guy behind him bellowed in laughter. "I've fought Ted Grant, and you sure as hell ain't him. Now, you're gonna walk outside silently, or we'll rip your little girlfriend in half."
Yep. He knew who he was being threatened by, and it wasn't a good thing.
"Relax, big guy," Bruce told him. "We're cool. Come on, Cat. Let's go."
The Mammoth Gang, the biggest, meanest, stupidest gang in all of Gotham, the leader of whom, named Buford, had been the only person ever to go ten rounds with Ted, losing by judge decision. Of the gang, he was definitely the smartest, his IQ maybe even surpassing single digits. Bruce wouldn't win a fight with him, not by a long shot. He'd just have to outsmart him, which wouldn't be too difficult.
As they were leaving, Bruce desperately stared at Ted across the room, hoping to get his attention.
He had no such luck.
Buford led the pair of them into the alleyway behind the warehouse.
One of Buford's guards (which Bruce thought was unnecessary to have) tossed Selina off to the side.
Before Bruce could say a word in protest, Buford swung his sledgehammer of a fist into his stomach, knocking all the wind straight out of him.
"GIVE IT BACK!" he yelled, sounding like a pouty child, just with four hundred more pounds to back up his threat.
"Give what back?" Bruce wheezed.
"My violin!" he wined. "You took it! I know you did!" Buford picked him up clean off of the ground and held him in the air like a ragdoll. He then threw him to the pavement, yelling, "GIVE!" He picked him up again and threw him down. "IT!" He picked Bruce up a third time, but Bruce was ready for it.
He raked at Buford's eyes, causing the man to stumble backwards and drop Bruce momentarily.
He growled in frustration.
Bruce yelled at him, "I didn't steal shit from you! Why would I do that? You work for Gilzean! I work for Gilzean! And why would I want your violin anyways?"
"My Gram-Gram gave it to me!" he bellowed, charging at Bruce. He was surprisingly quick for a big guy, getting his arms around Bruce's waist and throwing him against the wall of the alley.
Bruce dove out of the way as Buford threw a punch, smashing the bricks where Bruce's head had been a moment earlier.
Bruce rolled to a stop, looking up at the empty fire escapes.
He could get out of here easily enough, but he'd have to get Selina…
He glanced across the alleyway where Selina was slumped over against the wall. There was a gash next to her left eye, and a sliver of blood traced down to her jawline.
Everything went red.
He didn't want to escape anymore.
Instead, he launched himself at Buford, taking the much larger man by surprise. He kicked him hard in the nose, then swept his feet out from under him, causing the alleyway to shake as the behemoth of a man collapsed to the floor.
Bruce turned his sights on Buford's four guards. None of them were bigger than Buford, but if they all came at him at once…
He didn't have to worry about that, though.
Instead, the dumbest of the group charged at him first, receiving a knee to the nose for his troubles. Then, the second dumbest charged, and Bruce kicked his knee out of place.
The final two were either equally dumb or smarter than the rest, as they charged at Bruce together.
Instead of backing up or hesitating, Bruce sprinted towards them, aiming for the space in between the two men. They both swung, and Bruce ducked as they clobbered each other, collapsing to the ground simultaneously.
He ran to Selina's side, telling her, "Don't move. What happened?"
"I'm fine," Selina groaned, but she was obviously not fine. "I just hit my head on the damn dumpst–"
She suddenly retched and held her hand over her mouth. In one swift motion, Bruce lifted her from the ground and held her head over the dumpster, and just in time, too, as she hurled into it.
He patted her back gently, telling her that it was alright and that she'd be fine, to try and get it all out, that she'd feel better in a minute.
When she finally stopped vomiting, he helped her sit down on a crate, telling her to take deep breaths, no matter how disgusting it might feel.
She shook her head, murmuring, "Sorry."
"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for," Bruce told her, taking her hand. "It's my fault that any of this even happened in the first place." She didn't respond, so Bruce spelled out for her, "This is the part where you say that it isn't my fault."
She cocked an eyebrow. "But it was completely your fault," she stated.
He smirked. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry for getting you into this, Cat."
"You kidding?" she asked, suddenly looking very tired. "Tonight was great. Just, give me a minute and we can go back inside…"
"Nuh-uh. I don't think so," Bruce told her. "You're done for the night. We're going home."
"No, I'm fine, I swear–" Selina whispered before passing out.
Bruce caught her, resting her head on his shoulder and picking her up bridal style.
He called a cab and gently put her inside, telling the cabbie that she'd had a bit too much to drink and had fallen. He shrugged, muttering, "Kids these days," and he left Bruce alone for the rest of the trip.
When she woke up the next day, she had a splitting headache and there was a nagging pain next to her left eye. She was lying on the couch in the Factory, Bruce holding a cold icepack to her head.
"Good morning, B," she muttered, alerting him to her consciousness.
He chuckled. "It's four in the afternoon."
She cringed. "What happened?"
"Dr. Thompkins came by, checked your head. You were in and out the whole time."
Selina shook her head, which hurt like hell. "I don't remember any of it."
He shrugged. "Yeah, you weren't talking much sense. Doc just told me to keep an eye on you. Oh, and you owe me thirty bucks, by the way."
She knit her brow. "How so?"
"You threw up on my hoodie," Bruce answered, nodding to the garbage bin.
"I thought we established that all of that was your fault."
"So you do remember something." She rolled her eyes with a smile. "Well, get some rest, Cat. I'll make dinner whenever you wake up."
"Thanks, B," she told him as he stood from the couch. "Wait!" she called before he walked off. He stalled and she asked, "Did you really steal that guy's violin?"
A mischievous smirk slid across his lips. "Goodnight, Selina."
She smiled as he walked off, his bedroom door shutting behind him.
She tentatively reached up to her face, lightly touching the scratch next to her eye.
That'd leave a scar…
A/N: This was the second to last chapter of this arc which is kinda sad because we all know how this arc ends, but I'm also super excited to finish off the season. I'd meant to post this chapter earlier this week, but I randomly decided that I wanted to completely rewrite the remainder of the Season 2 plotline, again. I've done this three times now, but I think I finally have a good ending set up and I'm really excited to share it with you!
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and, if you did, make sure to Review and let me know! Your feedback is what I write for, after all. And let me know what you think is on the photograph that Jack gave to Bruce, keeping in mind that this chapter would've taken place around 2x16. Thanks for reading and ciao for now!
