It had been a cold November night, when Selina Kyle had woken up in the master bedroom of Wayne Manor. She hadn't been living with Bruce for very long, only a few weeks, but wasn't overly surprised when she woke up from her slumber at 2:00 a.m. and did not feel or see Bruce in bed with her. I hope he's not pulling another all-nighter, Selina thought to herself. She slowly rose from the bed, made sure her cats' water bowls were filled with water, and made her way to the one place she was sure that she could find the man she loved.
In the depths of the Batcave, Bruce had been using a special knee brace and performing several rehabilitative exercises to rebuild the strength in his previously-torn ACL, all while reviewing case files and documents by the Batcomputer. Alfred approached his employer with several documents he had printed out. "The latest plans for the prototype armor you requested, sir," Alfred informed Bruce as he handed over the plans for an experimental armored bodysuit, "Thankfully Master Tim was able to convince Dr. Irons in Metropolis to partner with Mr. Fox on this project." "I remember how uneasy Victor Stone was when he first saw the Steel armor in action," Bruce acknowledged, "He was worried that somehow the Apokaliptan tech would be too dangerous or compromised, but so far John Henry has been pretty successful. We'd be foolish not to look into what he was able to do." "I suppose a flying suit of mechanical armor isn't any more dangerous than anything else we've utilized over the years," Alfred dryly remarked as Bruce merely smirked at him before going over more of the plans.
Interrupting Bruce's train of thought was an incoming signal from Tim. As Bruce responded, the image of Tim appeared on the screen, in costume as Robin. Robin was sitting behind the wheel of his customized sports car, which he dubbed the Redbird. "Any activity by the docks?" Bruce asked, "Oracle said she had a tip on the latest shipments coming in." "Yeah, we handled it," Robin informed his boss, "Nothing too drastic. You should have seen Orphan and Spoiler in action! Besides that, it's been fairly quiet. Most action we've seen in weeks, to be honest." "Try another sweep of the Narrows before you call it a night," Bruce advised, "Just to be on the safe side." "I'll see what I can do, but I know Nightwing has had most of the East side covered already. By the way, how's the knee? You looked like you were moving around pretty good the other day," Robin asked. "It's fine. Should be back to 100% in no time," Bruce replied in his usual curt manner, "Don't worry about me. Just keep an eye out unless anything else pops up. Batman out."
As the transmission ended, Bruce finished his latest round of exercises as he took a break. Alfred approached Bruce with a cool, freshly-mixed recovery drink. "Quite a remarkable young man, Master Timothy is," Alfred said, "He truly has made a difference in all of our lives. You should be proud, sir." "I'm very proud," Bruce agreed, "I know I don't say it as often as I should, but I am proud of Tim. I'm proud of all of them." Alfred briefly glanced over at the glass case which contained Jason Todd's old Robin suit, left as a memorial when he had seemingly been killed many years earlier. "Still no leads on Master Jason's whereabouts after all this time?" Alfred asked. "Nothing," Bruce replied, growing solemn, "No word of any activity or interaction between Jason or the League of Shadows." "I'd say Ra's al Ghul is hardly the most reliable source of intel," Alfred countered, "You're sure Master Jason is out there somewhere? After your last encounter with he and The Joker, it's not improbable to assume that they did not survive." "I'm positive we would have found a body by now, Alfred," Bruce retorted, "I'm sure Jason is out there somewhere. I've trained him well enough to know that he's capable of blending in just about anywhere."
"On the bright side, it's a relief that most of your fiercest living adversaries are still imprisoned," Alfred suggested, "Save for one, of course." A picture of the Joker appeared on the computer monitor. "As long as there is a breath in that man's body, we can never afford to take our eye off the ball," Bruce observed, "It's not like him to go this long without him popping up somewhere. But unless a body can be found, we can't afford to assume he's gone. We've made that mistake before." Alfred sighed to himself, realizing that Bruce had a point, that Batman's greatest enemy was most likely still out there, plotting his next campaign of terror. Still, he couldn't help but notice that a change in Bruce's demeanor in recent weeks.
"Despite all the uncertainty, it's a relief that crime in the city has been drastically reduced in recent months," Alfred observed, "If I may be so bold, sir, you seem more at peace than you have been for a long time. Dare I say, happier than I've seen you in years." "We've been lucky," Bruce acknowledged, "The team has been operating better than ever. The Titans, the Justice League, and the Justice Society have saved the world several times over. Maybe it's time we look another look at the 'Batman, Incorporated' proposal." "That wasn't exactly what I meant, Master Bruce," Alfred corrected him, "I've seen the way you are with Miss Kyle. The way you look at each other. The gleam in your eye that hasn't been there since you first met her all those years ago. At the risk of sounding sentimental, I can't help but think that she might make a fine Mrs. Wayne someday." Bruce turned and wryly smirked at his old friend. "You just can't help yourself, can you?" Bruce slyly teased. "One can't blame an old man for trying, sir," Alfred replied with a smile. That wasn't a 'no,' Alfred thought to himself.
Selina shortly walked into the Batcave entrance, still in a nightgown. "Good morning, Miss Kyle," Alfred warmly welcomed her, "I hadn't expected you to be up this early. Shall I put on the tea?" "No thanks, Alfred, I'll be going back to bed soon," Selina replied, "Just trying to make sure you boys are getting some rest too." "Good luck, miss," Alfred chuckled, "No easy task. I'm about to retire for a bit myself. Goodnight, miss. Goodnight, sir." Sensing that it was best to leave the couple alone for the time being, Alfred made sure to give them some space.
Bruce had finished adjusting his knee brace before moving to a nearby pull-up bar and begun a variety of movements. "You're up earlier than usual," Bruce observed matter-of-factly. "I overheard that it's been a quiet night," Selina replied, "You should come back to bed. It sounds like Tim and the kids have it all wrapped up. Plus, you need to take it easy with that torn ACL." When Bruce finished his pull-ups, Selina wrapped a towel over his shoulders and leaned in for a tender kiss before playfully recoiling in disgust. "You really need a shower," Selina giggled, "Want me to join you?" "You seem awfully insistent on getting me to relax," Bruce chuckled, "You're not wrong though, crime has been down lately. Lots of factors behind that; the new mayor and D.A., plus Gordon has been having more success with the Gotham P.D., and yes…the team has been performing above and beyond, especially since Dick moved back into town."
"They all had a very good teacher," Selina reassured him, "It kind of reminds me of what Clark told you that one time: how, for a guy who has always come off as being such a loner, you do well as part of a team." "I never thought of myself as a loner," Bruce replied, "In the early days, it was more of a necessity. I didn't think that I would ever work with a partner in the field, let alone train an entire team." "They're more than that, Bruce," Selina suggested, "They're a family. They love you. And so do I." "I love you too," Bruce replied as they shared a tender kiss, "I know I have a hard time showing it sometimes, but I really am grateful for all of them as well. Even Jason, despite everything he's done…I just wish he would come home." "So, I don't normally like to talk about all this sentimental stuff either," Selina admitted, "But I had a dream about what it might be like, actually having a real family. I'm not trying to passive-aggressively pressure you into anything, I swear. I don't know though….we've never really talked about it, but have you ever thought about having kids of your own one day?" Bruce was caught a bit off guard by the notion.
"I can't say it's never crossed my mind," Bruce admitted, "To be honest, with everything I've seen, everything I've been through over the years…the thought of bringing a child into this life of ours is something that terrifies me. I honestly never thought it was in the cards. Plus, in case you haven't noticed, I haven't exactly had the best track record in most of the relationships in my life. I was basically a kid myself when Dick first came to live with Alfred and I. I trained Dick as a way to channel his grief and anger into something positive, so he wouldn't turn out like me, yet he and I went years without speaking because I couldn't accept that he was becoming his own man. I pushed Jason too hard, and got him killed; now that he's back, he's become a monster of my own making. Tim has been a model student, but he already has a father. Dick and Jason needed to have a father, and all they got was me. I'm not exactly a people person, Selina. It's not that I don't like children, but I'm pretty sure I would be a terrible father."
"You and I have both led violent, unpredictable lives, Bruce," Selina reassured him, "I get where you're coming from, I really do. But I also know how deeply you care about the people around you, even when you're too stubborn to show it." "When I lost my parents, I swore that I would do everything I could to make sure that no other child would ever have to know that kind of pain," Bruce admitted, "With all the times I've put my life on the line, the one thing that comforted me in those early days was that if something ever happened to me, at least I would not be leaving behind a fatherless child." "I understand that more than you know," Selina nodded as they embraced, "You did the best you could with Dick and Jason under the circumstances. Dick has turned out to be a wonderful man, and Jay came with a ton of baggage long before he was ever your student. You weren't ready to be a parent then, but that doesn't mean you would be bad at it under the right circumstances."
"And what about you? You never seemed to be interested in settling down before," Bruce asked curiously. "I'm just asking questions, Mr. Wayne," Selina playfully replied, "It's not every day that an ex-con gets to interrogate the Batman for a change." "Selina, I'm serious," Bruce said sternly, "It's not that I don't like the idea of being a father, I just wouldn't want anyone to inherit all the baggage I come with."
Before they could continue their conversation, a transmission from Oracle came through. "Oracle to Batcave; Batman, you're going to want to see this," Barbara said, nervously, sending images of Gotham City Hall, the front of which had been draped with lifeless bodies hanging by nooses and wrapped in faux-gift wrap. Bruce immediately recognized 2 of the bodies; one was Victor Zszasz, a psychotic, sadistic hitman for the mob, and the other was Roman Sionis, also known as "Black Mask." Attached to the gruesome scene was a colorful banner, which spelled "Merry Christmas, Batman."
"We just picked up the alert 20 minutes ago," Oracle explained, "Nightwing and Robin are already en route. They lit the signal a few minutes ago…this isn't good. If the City and the press thinks you're involved in this somehow, the cops and the Feds won't be far behind." "We're being targeted," Bruce acknowledged, "If this is coming from who I think it is, we're going to need all hands on deck. Stand by, Batman out."
Ending the transmission, Bruce tightened up his knee brace, allowing him to walk without a limp as he headed towards his armory. Alfred soon re-entered the cave in a hurry. "Bruce, you're in no condition to go out there," Alfred protested, "You could be walking into a trap!" "I agree, you don't even know if that's Gordon who lit the signal yet," Selina concurred. Out of the armory came Bruce in full costume as he headed towards the Batmobile. "Someone just murdered two of the most dangerous men in Gotham and wanted me to see it," Batman said, "I need to investigate in person with Gordon. If I need help, I'll send for backup, I promise. I'll be back before sunrise."
As the Batmobile sped out of the cave, Selina found herself holding back tears, finding herself becoming more emotional than usual. It hadn't been the first time she had seen Bruce rush into action as Batman since they had been seeing each other again, but this somehow felt different. "Are you alright, Miss Kyle?" Alfred asked, sensing Selina's distress. "I think so, Alfred," Selina replied, "I know this is nothing new for you, him rushing out when he's still hurt, but I don't know if I'll ever get used to this." "I wish I could say it gets easier, miss," Alfred said, "For what it's worth, he has gotten much better about asking for help. And, if I may, he has been much more cautious since you have been staying with us. In my experience, he is often less reckless when he is around those who care for him. I've seen it ever since Master Tim has been with us. I used to pray that he never would take on another young partner after what happened with Master Jason, but Batman is truly at his best with Robin and Nightwing at his side. Now that their numbers have grown, with the addition of young Miss Brown and Miss Cain, I do feel that there is strength in numbers." "I wish I could be out there with him again," Selina mused, "But I made a promise to retire Catwoman. Me going back to jail doesn't do anyone here any good." "Indeed, miss," Alfred agreed, "I can assure you that your being here with us has changed him, but for the better. Having someone to come home to can do wonders for one's perspective."
Selina smiled before suddenly feeling nauseous with an upset stomach. "Are you alright, miss?" Alfred asked, rushing to her side. "I'm fine, Alfred, thank you," Selina said, regaining her composure, "I'm probably just overly tired and worried. I should probably head back to bed." Alfred escorted her out of the cave and back upstairs toward the manor. "I'll fetch some ginger ale from the pantry, that always tends to settle the stomach," Alfred offered as he left for the kitchen, allowing Selina to return to her room and relax.
First I'm late, now this, Selina thought to herself as she walked back to the master bedroom. No need to panic, this might be nothing, she convinced herself, But, if it's not…well, if Bruce wasn't ready before, he'd better get ready. As Selina sat down in bed, she gazed out the window toward the Gotham skyline in the distance, with the Batsignal shining brightly against the cloudy sky. The future was always unknown and uncertain in Gotham, and especially complicated for Selina Kyle when it came to Bruce Wayne. Regardless of what the future held, Selina faced it for the first time with a sense of hope, despite her concern over Bruce's safety. Gotham City may always need the Batman, but Selina Kyle knew that she and Bruce Wayne needed each other just as much, if not more.
Half a world away, deep within an ancient, hidden temple in the Himalayas, a lone masked figure was approaching the temple during a bitter snowstorm. The masked individual was smaller, and appeared to be a young boy, who couldn't have been more than ten years old, with little more than a small satchel with basic camping materials. His small bag was quickly discarded as he deftly dodged a series of arrows shot in his direction. The young ninja was soon accosted by several similarly-masked assassins, whom he dispatched with relative ease. Running through a deadly gauntlet of projectile weapons, trained assassins, and wild, feral animals, the young ninja eventually fought his way through the temple entrance.
"That's enough! Well done, young one," a woman's voice called out as an exotic, dark-haired woman emerged from the shadows; Talia, the daughter of the enigmatic Ra's al Ghul, was welcoming the youngest member of the League of Shadows back from a training exercise. The young ninja's attackers quickly retreated upon Talia's request. The young ninja removed his mask, revealing a preteen boy with similar dark hair. "I'm disappointed, Mother," the boy remarked, "I expected more of a challenge as I returned from this latest vision quest." "Duly noted, son. Your grandfather will be pleased at your progress," Talia replied, "He hasn't been responding to my inquiries as of late. He has been meeting with others at his desert stronghold in the Sahara, but has not disclosed to me what his plans are or who he has been meeting with." "Could it be related to the disappearance of the Red Hood?" the boy asked, "Grandfather suggested that he had last been spotted in Central America, annihilating some of the long-standing cartels." "Perhaps, but I suspect that your grandfather might be planning something on a grander scale," Talia mused.
One of the servants approached Talia with a series of printed documents. "My lady, pardon the interruption," the servant humbly proclaimed, "Our sources in Gotham have reported that there was massive slaughter among the local underworld. Authorities are suspecting a domestic terrorism attack, but the methods seem to be more in line with one of our campaigns." "That seems unlikely to come from the League of Shadows," Talia observed, perplexed at the report's findings, "We have not been in Gotham for years. If we were planning a cleansing in Gotham, I would be aware of it, unless Father is keeping something from us." "We still have yet to make contact," the servant explained, "Ubu has demanded that your father not be disturbed, and has said that all will be explained in time."
Talia seemed uneasy at being shut out of a mission by her father, but was curious to learn why Gotham in particular was being targeted. "Mother?" the young boy asked her, "You seem distracted. Do you think Grandfather is connected to this attack in Gotham? I thought you said that Gotham was off-limits for the League." "It was," Talia replied, "I don't know what your Grandfather is planning, or who is behind this, but it's not like Ra's al Ghul to go back on his word once a truce has been agreed upon." Talia motioned towards her servants to prepare her private jet. "Pack your things," Talia instructed the boy. Something strange is afoot, and it's time I took you to Gotham." "Do you mean that…" the boy asked excitedly before she cut him off. "Yes, Damian. It's time we spoke with your father."