Over and over again, Selina's nightmares showed her Bruce falling through the skylight over the museum. When it first happened, her heart had stopped, and she had been frozen there, watching as he hit the ground. Only when he made noise and moved did she return to life, and quickly flee the scene, although she knew that she had probably already been noticed.
Still, even after Leslie confirmed that he would be fine, the nightmares haunted her. She would never forgive him for hurting her, but she would also never forgive herself if she seriously hurt him.
When the news broke of the fight between the Catwoman and the Batman, Sam stopped by. "Are you alright?" he asked, visibly concerned.
"Yes, I'm fine. I won the fight, remember?"
He frowned. "So the Batman isn't a good guy, huh?"
"He is. This wasn't... I provoked him."
Sam looked confused, and waited for her explanation, not that she had one prepared.
"It was just a misunderstanding. We both thought we were attacking criminals." At least this would be a rehearsal for when Holly returned from her new job at a nearby grocery store later and inevitably asked these same questions.
Sam quirked a brow.
"It's fine, Sam. He's fine."
His expression hardened.
"Don't make this into a big deal. I can take care of myself."
"I know."
"Thanks for stopping by." She started to shut the door, eager to escape the conversation.
"Selina, wait."
She paused. "Look, we're friends, and I appreciate your concern, but don't be excessive about it."
"Excessive?"
"Yes. Goodbye, Sam." She shut the door, and sighed. She knew that she shouldn't be so abrasive towards him, and that it was only partially motivated by the fact that he clearly still wasn't over her, and partially by the selfish fact that she didn't want to talk to him about anything related to Bruce.
Now that Bruce was back in Gotham, it was more clear to her than ever that her brief relationship with the cop was nothing more than a fling for her, regardless of what it was for him. She could never forgive Bruce for what he did, but she also couldn't seriously entertain thoughts of romance with anyone else.
Catwoman's activities began to once again favor vigilantism over thievery. She kept an eye out for the Batman, concerned for his safety despite herself, which led to her aiding him when she found him fighting thugs with guns in one of her father's warehouses.
"You alright?" she asked when it was done.
"Yeah, thanks."
She nodded and fled, unable to entertain the possibility of any more of a conversation with him.
But her concern intensified after that. He was well-equipped, sure, but he didn't understand Gotham like she did. She had a feeling there would be other times when she would need to come to his rescue, just as she did in that alley when they were eighteen.
And then Leslie apparently decided that he should be the one to protect her.
"What are you doing here, Batman?"
"Leslie told me that you had a difficult time last Halloween."
She bristled, recalling the evening in question and the subsequent reactions from Leslie and Sam. "It's nothing I can't handle."
"I'm just asking to help you that night. Please."
"You should be elsewhere that night. The East End isn't the only place where things get crazy on Halloween."
"I can't let anything happen to you."
Her heart gave a particularly hard, painful thud. "That isn't your call to make."
"Leslie asked me to protect you."
"It isn't her call, either."
"Please, Selina."
She couldn't do this. "Get out."
But then Holly had suddenly burst back into the room, agreeing with Leslie. Selina was stung, even though she knew that her friend was only concerned for her. And Holly didn't know who the Batman was.
Indecision plagued her as she stared at the girl. She couldn't simply deny the reality of what happened last Halloween. Leslie's intervention was a little bit justified, even if Selina felt betrayed because the doctor knew the history involved.
She also couldn't deny that no small part of her wanted to work alongside him.
But first, she needed to speak her piece. "Come with me," she told him. "Holly, you stay here."
"Fine," Holly grumbled.
She led him up to the roof and sat down, removing her mask. It took her several seconds to gather the words, and she couldn't bring herself to look at him as she said them. "You really don't understand what you did, do you? You were all that I had, Bruce."
He stood there silently.
"I know why you left, and why you felt that you had to do it alone. But you can't just show up here and expect forgiveness."
"I'm not asking for forgiveness. I just need to protect you."
"I don't need your protection. I never needed your protection, I just needed you." The tears emerged in her eyes as she said this, but she knew that he couldn't see them at this angle.
He didn't say anything to that.
"And Leslie's been there for me. She knows how I feel. I can't believe that she..." She trailed off, her own words causing the betrayal to freshly sting.
"She's worried about you."
Selina shut her eyes, again fighting with indecision.
"Please, Selina, just for one night. I can't let you put yourself in danger."
"Again, that's not your call."
"I know."
She took a deep breath. She knew the decision that she had to make, and braced herself to say the words. "If we're going to do this, we can't be Bruce and Selina. We can't have any of the conversations that we would have had. We're just Batman and Catwoman, with no past beyond that." That was the only way she could work with him.
"Understood."
She felt relief at that. Catwoman put her mask back on and stood, looking at Batman. "Meet me here at eleven that night."
"Thank you, Catwoman." Good, he was playing along. That was what she needed.
She climbed back down to her apartment and entered, sitting heavily on the couch. Removing her mask, she set it down beside her, and let the tears begin to fall as she stared ahead at nothing.
Holly came and sat beside her, studying her. "It's him, isn't it? The Batman is... him."
"Yes." Selina's voice came out very quiet.
"Screw him. Forget what I said. Forget what Leslie said—"
"No, you were right. So is she. We're better off if we protect each other."
"But..."
"We'll just be Batman and Catwoman that night. No Bruce and Selina, no history. Just a pair of masked crimefighters protecting people."
"Can you do that?"
Selina grimaced. She had never heard so much concern in Holly's voice before. "Yes. If he can do it then I'll manage."
Holly sighed, then pulled Selina into a hug. "No matter what you decide, I'm here for you."
"Thank you."
She had to admit, they made a good team. He kept her shielded from gunfire with his fancy kevlar, and she was more than capable of guarding his back in hand-to-hand fighting.
Between the fights, it took a long time to cut through the tension. Their conversations were brief and very far apart at first, telling each other a little bit about their histories without going into any real details. Over time, however, it got easier. In nine years of growing up together, they had gotten good at making each other laugh, and they were able to start doing that again without approaching the boundaries of what they couldn't discuss.
"Well, this was..." she began when they arrived back on her roof.
"Nice?"
She gave a little half-smile at the sentimentality of the big, armor-clad crimefighter. "It was something. I'll see you around, Batman." Then she quickly climbed back down to her apartment.
She didn't want to overthink it, and her brain was happy to cater to that wish as the hour caught up with her. She got out of her outfit and fell onto the couch, and fell asleep with a small smile on her face.
She woke up later that morning with a blanket thrown over her, and smiled gratefully. She was more grateful that Holly had already left for work, meaning she didn't have to worry about the girl's concern just yet.
She had taken the day off, knowing it would be a late night, so she showered and dressed to lounge about. As she did, she reflected on the night, careful not to conflate Batman with his alter ego. She had enjoyed the night more than she'd enjoyed any other as Catwoman.
Still, she decided that she needed to talk to Leslie, so she changed again and made the short trek to Ninth Street, entering the clinic.
When Leslie saw her, she immediately looked concerned. "Selina, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to the Batman." But she crossed her arms and showed the doctor her frustration.
"If you're looking for an apology, I'm not giving you one. I'm a doctor, and I was looking out for your health."
"I understand that, and I appreciate it, but you know the history involved."
"And I know that you're more than capable of handling any emotional stressors. I worry about your physical health, Selina, which is as vulnerable as that of any other fit twenty-two-year-old. I have faith that your fortitude can handle the rest."
Selina looked away from her. She appreciated the vote of confidence, but she wasn't sure if her heart was as resilient as Leslie believed it was. "You're the one who advised me to speak with a therapist."
"I said that when you were eleven. You've come a long way since then."
Selina looked down.
"I know that the old wounds are fresh right now, but they will heal over again. And Catwoman and Batman worked well together, didn't they?"
"Yes."
"I had a feeling they would."
Selina pursed her lips.
"The two of you are going to have to talk sooner or later. But in the meantime, a pair of talented vigilantes with the same goals can work together and protect each other. And that way, I won't have to see the two of you as often."
She wasn't surprised when she and Holly received the invitations from Alfred for Thanksgiving. Of course he would want them there, along with Leslie.
"We shouldn't go," said Holly. "He'll be there."
"Of course he'll be there, it's his house."
Holly crossed her arms.
"But Alfred and Leslie are... Is there anyone else you would rather celebrate the holidays with?"
"No."
"Then I don't want to let Bruce Wayne ruin the season for us. Who cares if he'll be there? I'll just ignore him."
"Can you do that?"
Selina reminded herself of Leslie's faith, and nodded. "Yes, I can do that."
And she did exactly that. She caught him staring and gave herself a moment to look him over, quickly pushing aside the observation of how nicely he had filled out. Then she turned to Alfred and proceeded to ignore him for the next few hours.
That became more difficult, however, when she noticed the twin tan lines at the base of his left ring finger. A very unwelcome jealousy surged within her. Had he been married? Was he still married? Who was she? But she fought the jealousy down, shoving the questions out of her mind, and refocused on the conversations with the other three, pretending that she hadn't noticed anything and ignoring the tiny flame that was scorching the underside of her heart.
That only worked for a little while, as more questions shoved their way through her mental wall. Was his wife or ex-wife here in Gotham? Was that why he was holding off on reappearing publicly in the city? When was he planning to reappear publicly?
She decided that last question was innocuous enough to articulate. "So, when are you going to publicly reappear in Gotham?"
Everyone looked surprised at that. Bruce cleared his throat. "We were thinking the Christmas Gala at Wayne Enterprises. It'll be far enough removed from the arrival of—" He caught himself and looked at Holly.
"From the arrival of Batman?" Holly finished for him.
"You know?"
"From the way you two talked to each other, and her expression after you showed up, it was pretty obvious."
Selina's internal turmoil increased as she was reminded of that night. She pointedly ignored the apologetic look that he gave her.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe. I understand the bigger picture."
"Good. Thank you."
"But don't think for a moment that means I'm cool with what you did to her."
Silence fell. Selina was grateful for Holly's comment, but she didn't want anybody dwelling on it, so she backtracked to her more innocuous topic. "I work at the Christmas Gala. Catering." She wasn't looking forward to seeing people fawn over him at his first public appearance since... back then.
"Oh, I didn't know. I can—"
"It's fine." She said it automatically, not looking at him. "It's a logical occasion for your debut, considering you'll technically be hosting the event. And you're right, it'll be far enough removed from Batman's arrival that people won't make the connection. You shouldn't keep hiding on my account."
Again, there was silence. Selina replayed her own words in her head. They were reasonable. Just like she wasn't letting him ruin her holiday plans, he shouldn't let her ruin his plans for reappearing. And the sooner he got it over with, the sooner he could take charge at Wayne Enterprises and perhaps get his company to do some actual good for people.
The question of his marriage reappeared in her head several times over the following weeks, and each time, she pushed it away again. He hadn't still been wearing the ring. She wasn't going to let some brief marriage stir up her jealousy. Maybe it was just some sort of strange foreign ritual that was part of his training.
Instead, she threw herself into preparing for the gala, unable to explain to her boss why it was going to be a much bigger deal this year than it was normally. At least he seemed impressed by her dedication.
And then Batman appeared at her apartment again, knocking politely on the window this time and bringing her his early Christmas present. She was, frankly, delighted, although she didn't show it. The suit was a little stiff, as she told him, but it fit perfectly to her form. And it definitely didn't have enough pockets for storing loot, but she couldn't exactly explain that need to him. She would just keep wearing her beloved jacket over the bulletproof attire.
She agreed to a short patrol to start breaking in the suit, and they set out, crossing rooftops together just as they had done on Halloween. But there wasn't much action tonight, and she was left with plenty of time for the marriage question to wriggle its way back into her brain.
Finally, she stopped, dropping the Catwoman persona. "I have to ask you something."
He turned to her, immediately noticing the change. "What is it?" he asked, his Batman voice fading back to Bruce.
She gestured to his left gauntlet. "You have tan lines from... from a wedding ring, it seems."
He removed the gauntlet and looked at the telltale finger. "I haven't gotten out in the sun much."
"Still, you must have been wearing the ring relatively recently."
"It was part of a con."
She blinked beneath her new goggles. "A con?"
"It was pretend. Well, the way we did it might have been legal in some jurisdictions. We took the appropriate steps for the divorce, just in case."
"You got married as part of a con?"
"It was necessary."
She shook her head. "Okay."
He stayed silent for a few seconds, studying her. "There's never been anyone else," he said softly.
"Okay," she repeated, absolutely unwilling to process that statement. Stepping away from him, she resumed their trek, and he replaced his gauntlet and followed.
He wasn't there when the gala started. She felt like she was standing on coals, unable to stay in one place, and fussed over any out-of-place detail that she found, to the bewilderment of her coworkers.
An hour passed with still no appearance from the surprise host. She caught herself each time she started pacing, but couldn't get her feet to stay still for any length of time.
"What do you recommend, Selina?"
She instinctively straightened at her father's voice, and turned to him. "Mr. Falcone!"
"It's good to see you." But there was something in his eyes that didn't match his words.
"Is everything okay, Sir?"
He quirked a brow at her question, and looked around quickly but surreptitiously to check for any eavesdroppers. "I was very surprised to learn that the Catwoman made an appearance at a certain warehouse a few months ago, hindering the operations there."
Her blood chilled, and she looked down. "I'm sorry, Sir. She needed to... to help the Batman."
"I see."
"It won't happen again."
He studied her. "The Batman doesn't seem interested in discriminating between my operations and those of my rivals. I need to know what the Catwoman's priorities are should she come across any... future engagements."
She lowered her gaze again. She should have anticipated conflict between Batman and Gotham's most powerful crime lord. "She will stop him, Sir. She'll remind him that you're also doing what you can to protect the people of Gotham."
Her father cocked his head. "Remind him? Has he been told that before?"
She opened her mouth and then closed it again, at a loss for what to say. Before she could come up with anything, another familiar voice cut across the noise in the room. "Good evening, everyone! I hope that you're all enjoying yourselves!"
Every pair of eyes in the room turned to the man who stood at the center of it, looking around with a playful grin on his face. "I'm very pleased to welcome you all to Wayne Tower, and I'm glad to see that my family's legacy has continued to serve the people of this great city in my absence!"
There was complete silence for a few seconds. And then, suddenly, the noise erupted again. The entire crowd seemed to collapse inwards, as everyone converged to greet the returned Prince of Gotham. Selina watched with wide eyes as one after another after another of Gotham's elite eagerly shook Bruce's hand.
She was so fixated on Bruce that she failed to notice that her father was studying her again, until he spoke. "Now I think I understand."
She quickly looked at him, and knew that he caught the fear in her eyes.
"Keep him away, Selina." With that, he rejoined the crowd, patiently waiting for his turn to greet Bruce.
She quickly went back to work, willing her heart to stop trying to pound its way out of her chest. She didn't think that her father would make a move against Bruce, so long as she could convince Batman not to interfere with his operations. Then again, did she actually stand a chance of persuading him?
Involuntarily, she kept returning her gaze to the man who would be the center of attention for the rest of the night. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Vicki Vale of the Gotham Gazette engage him in prolonged conversation while wearing a flirtatious expression, which he seemed to appreciate.
"Good evening, Miss Kane." She pulled her gaze away from Bruce's flirtation to turn to Harvey, who was examining the food options on the table between them.
"Hi, Harvey."
"It's good to see you."
"Likewise. Congratulations on your appointment."
"Thank you." He gave her a wide grin, but it dropped after a moment. "I noticed that you seemed to be having an engaging discussion with Mr. Falcone earlier, before Bruce Wayne appeared."
She stiffened. "He was asking about the catering."
"Yes, that's what it clearly looked like," Harvey replied dryly.
"It's part of my job. Lots of guests get curious about the events we serve."
"That's funny. To me, it looked like he was chastising you for something, and you looked scared."
She frowned. "You misread the—"
"Listen, Miss Kane, I think it's time that we met in a more formal setting, and without false—"
"Mr. Dent!" Bruce approached, grinning flamboyantly. "Harvey Dent! I understand that you're the new District Attorney, and the youngest one in the history of Gotham. Congratulations! I've been looking forward to meeting you." He took Harvey's hand and shook aggressively.
"Likewise, Mr. Wayne. It's an honor."
Dropping the hand, Bruce turned to Selina. "I apologize for interrupting your conversation, Miss... Kane, was it?"
"Yes, Sir, Samantha Kane. It's a great honor to meet you, Mr. Wayne."
"I like the way our names rhyme, especially coming from your lips." Bruce smiled at her in a way that she would be ashamed to admit quickened her heart.
Then he turned back to Harvey. "I've read a couple of your speeches, Mr. Dent. I admire your dedication to prosecuting all criminals, no matter their status."
"Thank you, Mr. Wayne."
"And that includes the vigilantes."
"Of course. Assault and battery are crimes, regardless of whether they're perpetrated against the innocent or the guilty. The vigilantes should be prosecuted in the same fashion as the criminals they detain. And they will be unmasked and prosecuted, if I have anything to say about it."
"I am in complete agreement. In fact, I'm considering making a sizable donation to the GCPD so that they can better equip themselves to catch the vigilantes."
Selina thought that she was quite good at keeping a straight face, but she was struggling now. Instead, she decided to give Bruce the same stupid, flirtatious expression that most of the other women in the room were giving him.
"Excuse me." Marie appeared beside Harvey, giving Bruce that same expression. "Would you care to introduce me, Harvey?"
"Of course. Mr. Wayne, this is my wife, Marie."
"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Wayne."
"Likewise, Mrs. Dent. You're a very lucky man, Harvey."
"I'm quite aware of that." Harvey smiled at Marie, and Selina wondered if he had encountered Sofia tonight. She hadn't seen her sister yet, if she was here.
"But it's still good to remind him sometimes," said Marie, although her own smile stayed fixed on Bruce. "You spent a long time away, Mr. Wayne. Where did you travel to?"
"A little bit of everywhere, really. I love getting to know new cultures. There's so much to learn in far-off places, from people who are very different from ourselves. Do you travel a lot?"
"Oh, just a little bit. We visited France and Spain for our honeymoon, and I have some family in Italy." She leaned into her husband. "We should introduce him to our friends, love. I'm sure the detectives would love to meet him."
"Certainly," Harvey agreed, "if you don't mind us monopolizing your time a little longer, Mr. Wayne."
"Not at all. And you can call me Bruce. Lead on." He cast a glance at Selina before following the Dents away.
She was very relieved when the event started to wind down. There seemed to be no end to the stream of rich, fancy young women at the party who impatiently waited their turns to bat their eyelashes at Bruce Wayne and giggle at lame jokes.
"Good evening, Miss Kyle." She turned at the new voice that addressed her by name. He was a man in a sharp, dark grey suit, with graying hair and a matching mustache.
If she hadn't just spent hours watching Bruce flirt with different women, she might have remembered that she was still supposed to be courteous to the guests as part of her job. "Have we met?"
"Not as such, no, but I understand that you liked my Christmas gift." It took her a moment to realize what he was referring to. Once he saw that she had figured it out, he introduced himself. "I'm Lucius Fox, Head of Research and Development here at Wayne Enterprises."
"Pleased to meet you. Thank you for the gift."
"My pleasure." He looked around, then leaned towards her and lowered his voice. "There are some other items that I would like to discuss with you. This building will be mostly empty on Christmas Eve, and the parking garage across the street will still be vacant at 9 AM. There's a door on the lowest level. The passcode is 735462."
"Understood."
"It was lovely to meet you, Miss Kyle."
"You too."
It was not long after that the gala finally ended. Bruce bid everyone farewell and assured them that he wouldn't be a stranger, and planned to stay in Gotham for the foreseeable future. She felt those words as an assurance in her own heart, as much as she didn't want to.
He approached as she and her coworkers were packing up the van. "I wanted to thank you all personally for your help tonight. I look forward to working with your company at future events."
"Of course, Mr. Wayne," gushed Alexis, a blonde nineteen-year-old. "If you ever need our help, just let us know." She smiled flirtatiously, and Selina almost felt compelled to remind her that she had a boyfriend.
Bruce turned to Selina. "You looked like you know your way around Wayne Tower. Have you worked this event before?"
"Yes, Mr. Wayne, this was my third year working this event."
"In that case, I would like your assistance with something. If you don't mind, of course."
She hesitated. This hadn't been planned or anticipated, and the stubborn, vengeful part of her wanted to shut him down. But after watching so many other women get his attention tonight, a greater part of her insisted on having some of his attention herself, no matter what it would entail.
"Not at all," she told him sweetly, then turned to her coworkers. "See you tomorrow, everyone." She ignored the jealous glare from Alexis as she followed him back towards the tower.
Once they were inside and out of sight of anyone, he slowed so that she could fall into step beside him. "So how do you think that went?"
She decided that she shouldn't immediately comment about all the women. "On the whole, it went well. You were pretty convincing with Harvey."
"How do you know him?"
"We've bumped into each other a couple of times over the years." At his look, she chuckled. "Not like that. He's been with Marie the whole time I've known him. And he's a little old for me. But Marie was roommates with your old friend Freckles for a little while."
"Julie?"
"Yes."
"So she also knows Harvey? That could be useful."
"I don't see how. And I didn't realize you were planning to get back in touch with her."
Now it was his turn to chuckle. "She hadn't crossed my mind once."
Selina instinctively felt relief at that. Then she silently reprimanded herself for it, and decided to change the subject. "I met Mr. Fox."
"Ah yes, Lucius. Or Q, as Holly called him."
"So he's not some serial killer trying to lure me to the bottom level of an empty parking garage on Christmas Eve?"
Bruce laughed at that. "No, you can trust him."
"Good."
"I thought you might appreciate the passcode, once you figure out what it means."
"735462?"
"Yes."
"What does it mean?"
"I'll let you figure that out for yourself." Then, abruptly, he slowed, until he was standing still in a darkened hallway of Wayne Tower, staring at the floor.
"What's wrong?"
He took a breath. "Why does Harvey think your name is Samantha Kane?"
She shrugged. "It's just an alias that I gave myself the first time we met."
"What made you think of it?"
"I was just thinking quickly. It just came to mind, a name that's similar but just different enough from my real one."
"So there wasn't any other reason?"
"No. Why?"
He licked his lips, looking at the floor again. "Kane was my mother's maiden name."
Her eyes widened. She hadn't known that... had she? She lived in that house for nine years, surely she came across information about Martha's family at some point. Had she remembered it subconsciously, and recalled it for her alias? Had it been a subconscious wish to follow in the footsteps of the previous Mrs. Wayne?
No. No, of course not. She hadn't known. It was just a coincidence. She certainly didn't deserve to style herself after Martha in any way.
"I don't think I knew that," she told him honestly.
He met her gaze, and there was an intensity in his eyes. She took an unconscious step towards him, and then another one. He licked his lips again, and she leaned closer.
"Selina," he breathed.
Her name broke the spell. She quickly stepped back, reminding herself of all the reasons why she still hated Bruce Wayne. Why she would never forgive him.
She cleared her throat. "So did you actually need my help for something, or did you just want to talk?"
"I was trying to think of something," he admitted, "but nothing's come to mind."
"Alright then. Good night, Bruce." She made for the exit.
"Selina..."
She stopped, but didn't turn towards him.
"Keep him away, Selina." Her father's words popped into her head, and she decided to do just that, until she remembered the context in which he said them.
She turned back to Bruce. "Falcone knows."
"What?"
"He knows about you. About both of us, actually. What we do at night."
Bruce's eyes went wide, and then his gaze dropped. "So that's what he meant. How did he find out?"
"Because he knows us, Bruce. He's known us for years. He figured it out easily."
"But how? I didn't appear until tonight."
She sighed. "Because I was staring at you, and he put two and two together with how I rescued you at his warehouse. He isn't happy about that, by the way."
"So he knew about you?"
"He's known about me from the beginning. Carlo helped me the night I became Catwoman."
Bruce studied her. "You should have told me. You put yourself in danger that night."
"Well I couldn't leave you in that situation, could I? Look, Bruce, the point is that you can't go after him now. You can't interfere. He's too dangerous."
Bruce pursed his lips.
"Promise me."
"I'll figure something out."
"No, you won't. You won't do anything. If you go after him, he'll go after you. And I don't mean Batman, I mean Bruce Wayne. And you're not always wearing a bulletproof suit. And he'll go after Alfred, and maybe Leslie. You can't let that happen. Just stay away from him, Bruce. I'm not letting you walk out of here until you promise me."
"And just let him keep running the city? Keeping everyone afraid of him? He's the biggest crime lord of them all, Selina. Gotham will never be free while he's around."
"He protects the people of Gotham too, remember? If you ask me, it's the rogues that we have to worry about. They're unpredictable. They cause chaos whenever they get an opportunity. He keeps them in check, but when he isn't around, we have to protect people from them. If anything, we have to help him."
"I'm not interested in helping him. I'm not interested in protecting the status quo in Gotham, the way things are now."
"That's rich, coming from you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you, Bruce Wayne, are the poster child for the status quo. Look how the gala went tonight. You're the Prince of Gotham, the mascot for this shiny little world that was built at the expense of people like me. And Falcone has helped with that. You think you don't want to protect this? This is everything you know, Bruce. The ones who want to tear this down are the rogues. You're protecting this from them."
He lowered his gaze, frowning deeply. "But Gotham can be better, I know it can. It isn't just Falcone or the rogues. There has to be a third way, a way of peace, and justice, and order. A way where crime doesn't rule everything and innocent people don't have to live in fear."
"You're dreaming, Bruce. Wake up."
He looked away pointedly.
She sighed. "Look, your dad was friends with Falcone, remember? He understood that sometimes, you have to side with the lesser evil. Or tolerate it, at least."
"I don't know why my dad was friends with him."
She shut her eyes. "I've got nothing else to say about this. Just, please, stay away from him. If you won't do it for me, do it for Alfred." With that, she turned away again, heading for the exit.
"Selina."
She stopped and looked back at him.
He opened his mouth, but then shut it again. "Good night," he said finally.
"Good night." She left.
