"Bruce, you're the Prince of Gotham and the future CEO of that company! You have to demonstrate that you're in control!"
"And how does hosting a party at the manor demonstrate that?"
Julie gestured her frustration, as though he was missing what should be an obvious point. "It's a power play. If you host the investors at the tower, you're showing that you're very much dependent on the company, rather than the other way around. If you host them here, you're reminding them that they aren't investing in just any multi-billion dollar company, but also in the Wayne name and everything that it represents. Not to mention, you're reminding the company that it rises and falls with the name Wayne."
Bruce sighed and looked at Alfred and Selina, who stood side-by-side at the entrance to the parlor, both with their arms crossed. Alfred was looking at Julie as though she were an unruly teenager, while Selina was clearly doing her best to keep her emotions muted.
"And it has to be for my birthday?"
"Yes, Bruce. If you're willing to include them in your birthday celebrations, it shows that you hold them in high regard, as you should. And we'll also invite local officials, the Governor, the Attorney General..." She went on, listing them on her fingers.
Bruce had envisioned having a similar birthday to Selina's, quietly celebrating with her and the people closest to them. And not with the person he was currently arguing with.
Alfred cleared his throat. "If I may say so, Miss Madison, such an event takes a great deal of planning. And no gatherings of the kind have been hosted at this house in nearly fifteen years."
"Well, we already have a catering company on call." Julie gestured to Selina.
Bruce stiffened. "If this is for my birthday, Selina will be there as a guest, not as staff." He even didn't like referring to her as a guest at an event here.
Julie made a face. "Fine, so long as she stays away from any directors or investors." She met Selina's glare with her own.
"I am quite sure that no one will take issue with the presence of Miss Kyle or Miss Holly," Alfred asserted. Before Julie could argue, he moved the subject away from the guest list. "Now then, onto the more practical details. I imagine that this event will be taking place on the Saturday following Master Bruce's birthday, for the convenience of all involved. And this way, he will be free to properly celebrate the day of his birthday however he wishes."
Julie lit up. "Good thinking, Alfred. People should see us out and about that evening, celebrating together." Bruce opened his mouth to protest, but she clapped her hands together excitedly. "I know! We'll make a reservation for dinner at Ville Rouge. We'll leak it to the right people in advance, make sure that a few photographers are on hand to catch us walking in together."
"Wait..." Bruce started.
"Come on, Bruce, we need to establish your public persona. People need to see that you're outgoing and adventurous. A quiet evening at the manor certainly won't give people that impression."
Bruce opened his mouth again, but, surprisingly, Selina subtly gestured for him to stop. He blinked at her, but she didn't give any reason for it.
"Do you expect to get a reservation at Ville Rouge on such short notice?" Alfred asked with a degree of skepticism that bordered on outright condescension.
"If you mention the name Bruce Wayne, absolutely."
"If I... Right, of course." Alfred stepped out of the room, and Bruce knew that he wasn't looking forward to potentially disrupting the plans of some other couple for that evening. Bruce felt his own pang of guilt.
The three people remaining in the room looked at each other. "Give us a minute, Julie," said Bruce, making his voice stern.
Her eyes narrowed for a moment, but she knew that she had gotten away with enough for one evening. Without saying anything, she exited the room.
Bruce approached Selina and cautiously took her hands in his. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. She has a point, you should be outgoing with the public."
"But I'd much rather spend my birthday with—"
"I know, Bruce." She stepped forward and kissed him. "We will have plenty of other opportunities that week."
Her willingness to defer to Julie's decisions didn't comfort him much. She had been notably more distant over the past month, at least emotionally. While their physical relationship remained strong, she shied away from anything that was overtly romantic, and really anything else that wasn't strictly practical. And Batman and Catwoman began to once again avoid any topics related to Bruce and Selina.
She even rescinded her request for him to teach her how to drive a motorcycle, opting instead for professional lessons.
"She shouldn't have spoken to you that way about the party."
"It's fine." Selina just shrugged it off. "I'm never the invited guest at an event like that anyway."
He decided that he didn't want to know what she meant by that.
There were, of course, quite a few photographers waiting outside of Ville Rouge on the night of his birthday. Bruce was confident that every tabloid in the city was represented, and he forced smiles as Julie clutched his hand and beamed at the cameras.
Situated at the heart of the upscale shopping area in the southwest corner of the Diamond District, across the street from the Gotham War Heroes Memorial, Ville Rouge was a place to go to be seen. During the warmer months, most of the tables were located outside on a vast second-floor balcony lit by string lights and heat lamps. On the far side of the memorial was the Clinton Mall, where paparazzi was known to haunt the third floor windows that offered views of the balcony. The regular clientele at the restaurant, therefore, consisted of local politicians and celebrities, and businessmen looking to draw investor attention to lucrative deals.
Bruce received and returned several waves and greetings as he and Julie were led to a table near the balcony railing facing the memorial. They would be extremely visible throughout the meal, but at least their conversation wouldn't be overheard.
"I haven't been here since I was seven years old," he commented as they sat down. His parents hadn't liked this place much, and he couldn't remember the reason why they chose to come here that night, nearly sixteen years ago.
Julie smiled, looking around at all the people who were sneaking glances at them. "I trust that your palette is a little more evolved than it was back then."
He chuckled. "Maybe a little." He looked over at the memorial, meeting the stare of the large, stone angel at the top.
After they ordered wine and appetizers, she settled into her seat, staring at him. "Where did you go for all these years, Bruce?"
"I was training."
"Training?"
"For... you know." He nodded in no particular direction.
She cocked her head. "What made you decide to do it?"
He looked towards the memorial again, and this time, his gaze dropped below the angel to the large pedestal where countless names were etched for eternity. "I did it for my parents."
"What?"
"They were killed. It was just another act of crime, one of so many in this city. Every day, people in this city are robbed or shot or stabbed. So many wind up like me, losing loved ones in the blink of an eye. It has to end, Julie."
"And you want to be the one to end it?"
"I have to."
She studied him. Before she could ask her next question, however, the waiter arrived with their wine. After tasting it and confirming the selection, he thanked the man graciously and smiled at Julie's satisfaction with the choice.
After a minute of quiet enjoyment, however, her expression turned more solemn. "Do you think this is what your parents would have wanted?"
"This wine?"
"No, Bruce, what you do at night."
He took a long sip, considering his answer. Then he met her gaze. "My parents loved this city. They each found ways to help the people of Gotham. My father saved countless lives as a doctor. My mother came up with ways to help the poor, including the Wayne Foundation idea that I presented to the Board of Directors at the company. I have found my own way of helping the people. It's certainly not something that they would have expected, and not something that would have happened had they lived, but I think that they would be proud."
"I think they would be worried. Your way is a lot more dangerous than theirs were."
He felt a lump form in his gut, knowing that she was probably right.
Their appetizers arrived and their conversation moved onto less solemn topics for the rest of the night. When the waiters brought out a small birthday cake for desert, most of the people on the balcony joined in on the singing, much to Julie's delight and Bruce's embarrassment. Afterwards, she took his hand again as they left, and he thanked all the well-wishers they passed.
"I'll drop you off at home," he said once they were back in his Aston Martin. At her exaggerated sigh, he grimaced. "You got what you wanted tonight."
"Didn't you enjoy it?"
"Yes."
"See, we can have fun together."
"Of course we can. We've always been friends, Julie."
"We've never had a normal friendship. Don't you remember what we were like before you met her?"
"We were children."
"But that's how it was always supposed to be." She looked out the window. "I wonder all the time what it would have been like if your parents hadn't died. If you hadn't missed that year of school and spent all your time with her instead."
He kept his emotions off his face, even though she wasn't looking. He had long ago stopped wondering what his life would be like if his parents hadn't died, but he was certain that it wouldn't have changed anything for his love life. He had always been drawn to Selina, and his heart's fate had been sealed the moment his mother decided to let her live at the manor.
"I wanted to be there for you. My parents didn't let me go to the funeral, they said I was too young to deal with something like that. And there were so many times that year when I wanted to go over to your house, but they said no."
"You've told me this before."
"I could have been there for you, just like she was."
"It wouldn't have changed anything."
"How can you know that?"
"Because I've always loved her."
Julie scoffed, locking her gaze out the window again. The silence lasted until they arrived outside of the fancy building near GU where she had an apartment.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday, Bruce."
"Thanks, Julie." She got out, and he quickly wiped his cheek in case she left another lipstick stain, then continued home.
He found Alfred and Selina playing checkers in the parlor. "Welcome home, Master Bruce. How was your evening out?"
"The food was good," Bruce replied, sitting down beside Selina. "The company could have been better." He knew that wasn't fair to Julie, but now that he was back at Selina's side, he couldn't help focusing on how much he would rather have spent the evening with her.
"And were the photographers on hand to catch you two?" Alfred asked.
"Oh yes, we were very visible throughout the evening, just like she wanted."
"Right, well..." Alfred stood. "I believe I'll forfeit, Miss Kyle, and take my leave for the night. Good evening."
"Good night, Alfred," she replied, and Bruce echoed her.
Once they were alone in the room, she put space between them. "So you enjoyed the dinner?"
"Yes," he replied cautiously.
"Good." She looked indecisive for a moment, then stood and reached for his hand. "Let's go to bed."
"Right away?"
"Yes."
"Why don't we just sit together for a bit?"
Her hand dropped, and she looked away from him.
"Please, Selina. Let's just be us for a little while."
She sighed, but sat down again and leaned into him. "Happy birthday."
He put his arm around her, kissing her curls. "I love you."
"I know, Bruce."
It took great effort not to keep looking over at her in her black dress as Julie led him around the party. But he knew that these conversations with the directors and investors of Wayne Enterprises were important, so he forced himself to focus. There was plenty of discussion of his parents and the legacy that he was carrying, and he assured everyone that he would remain committed to upholding the family reputation and the welfare of the company.
Then Julie abruptly pulled him away from one of these conversations, turning him towards where Selina and Holly had gotten into a conversation with Harvey and Marie Dent. He met Selina's eye, seeing the apprehension behind her mask.
Julie let go of him for the first time in over an hour in order to hug Mrs. Dent, and then quickly grabbed hold again. "It's so good to see you!"
"You too!" Mrs. Dent replied. "And on the arm of the Prince of Gotham, no less. Happy birthday, Mr. Wayne."
Bruce, who had been watching Selina and Holly quietly slip away from the conversation, quickly smiled at her. "Thank you, Mrs. Dent, although I again insist that you call me Bruce."
"Well then you had better call us Harvey and Marie."
"Happy birthday, Bruce," Harvey added hastily.
"Thanks, Harvey." Bruce shook his hand.
"So where are you these days, Julie?" Marie asked. "Still chasing your dreams?"
"And catching them." Bruce forced a smile as Julie leaned into him. "I'll be playing Portia in the Merchant of Venice at the Monarch this summer."
Bruce withheld his wince. He still couldn't think of the Monarch Theater without thinking about what happened that night nearly thirteen years ago. He hadn't been back there since, but he knew he would likely have to attend Julie's debut if he hadn't found a way around her blackmail by then.
"That's wonderful!" Marie gushed. "So you've captured Gotham's most eligible bachelor and you'll be center stage at the Monarch? Your star is rising, Jules."
"Well, I don't want to jinx it, but it certainly looks that way, doesn't it?" Bruce forced another smile to meet Julie's beaming expression. "Although, I admit I had a head start with this one. We've known each other practically our whole lives."
Her comment again sent him down Memory Lane, this time thinking of their youth and his time with Selina. He looked around, but she and Holly had vanished into the crowd.
"And how about you, Harvey?" Julie asked. "Gotham's youngest District Attorney? I'm not the only rising star among us."
"I'm just doing what I can to help Gotham."
Julie smirked at Bruce. "You two are cut from the same cloth."
He blinked, wondering if she was surreptitiously referring to Batman's activity. "I guess so."
Julie looked back and forth between him and Harvey, and then let go of him and threw her arm around Marie. "Come on, let's have some girl talk. We'll see you boys later."
Bruce watched them go, wondering about Julie's motives for this sudden decision. "This is the first time she's let me out of her sight all night."
He looked at Harvey and saw him glance over his shoulder at where Selina and Holly had been. "They'll turn up again somewhere."
Harvey seized on the familiarity in his comment. "You knew Miss Kane before the gala, didn't you?"
Bruce felt a lightness within as he thought of Selina's use of his mother's name, even if it was unknowing. "We may have bumped into each other once or twice."
"Then why the deception?"
He shrugged. "We didn't want it to be a distraction. The focus of the night was just supposed to be me being back in town." Really, he'd just been playing along with Selina's use of the fake name, although he still didn't know for sure why she had given Harvey a fake name in the first place.
"We? So you planned it together?"
"Not as such, but I knew she would play along."
"I see. And did you deliberately time your introduction to interrupt Falcone chastising her?"
Bruce paused at that. "I beg your pardon?"
"She and Falcone were having quite the discussion before you made your appearance. It looked as though she had let him down in some way. But your show-stealing arrival bailed her out..." Harvey cocked his head. "...just as you interrupted me when I was asking her about it..."
All Bruce had seen at the time was that it looked like Harvey was interrogating Selina, and he had decided to interrupt. "I wasn't aware of either conversation. But she isn't connected to Falcone, I assure you."
"I know that she has some history of criminal—"
"Master Wayne." Alfred's timely interruption alerted Bruce to the intruders outside, and he and Harvey briefly exited the party to question the trespassers, who persisted with the blatantly false claim that Falcone had sent them.
"So who do you think sent them?" Bruce asked Harvey as they returned to the party.
"I don't know." Harvey's tone told Bruce that he had someone in mind, but Bruce decided not to press.
Julie honed in on him as soon as they reentered the party. "Where were you?"
"Just dealing with a very slight disturbance outside. Nothing to worry about."
"Good. Well, we were just discussing my uncle's membership at the yacht club up in Baytown. The four of us should totally head out there sometime. They have the best crab cakes."
"That sounds good," Bruce replied with forced enthusiasm. He looked at Harvey, hoping the other man might have more leeway for an honest response.
Unfortunately, Harvey also decided to go along with the women's idea. "Sure."
As he bid farewell to each of his guests, he again looked around for Selina and Holly, but they were nowhere to be seen. Once he and Julie and Alfred were alone in the room, he inquired after the girls.
"I believe they retired to their rooms some time ago," Alfred replied.
Bruce immediately turned towards the stairs.
"That went very well, I think," said Julie, interrupting his departure.
"Yes." He looked at her. "Mission accomplished?"
She smiled. "I'd certainly say so. We should invite Marie and Harvey out to the club soon. The District Attorney will be an important person to have on your side if anyone at the company causes trouble. And doubly so if your secret ever gets out." Her expression turned piercing.
"Alright, we'll plan something. Will you be alright getting home?"
Her face fell. "I should wait a little while, in case anyone is still around. We don't want anyone seeing me leave just as quickly as your guests."
Alfred spoke up. "You can go and see to Miss Kyle, Sir. I will keep Miss Madison company while she waits."
"Thanks, Alfred." Bruce gave his butler a very grateful look, knowing that the man was volunteering himself to handle Julie's frustration for however long she decided to wait.
Hurrying up to Selina's room, he knocked on her door. "Come in." He opened the door to find her still in her dress, sitting on her bed with the Wayne Foundation journal open on her lap. "Hi."
"Hi." He entered the room and shut the door. "Is everything alright?" He took a moment to again appreciate just how beautiful she looked in that dress.
"Everything's fine," she replied, her tone not completely matching the sentence. "I'm just adding notes about potential donors, based on some conversations I overheard tonight."
"Thank you." He went and sat beside her, but she put space between them.
"How was tonight for you?" she asked before he could comment on her action.
"It was fine. Good for the company."
"And very good for Freckles."
He grimaced. "There was a brief incident outside with some trespassers. They claimed that Falcone sent them, but it was obvious that they were lying. Harvey went out there with me, and he agreed. They'll probably still try to stick to their story when he prosecutes them."
"You and Harvey seem to get along."
Bruce nodded. "He could be a useful friend, especially if our secrets get discovered."
"I doubt that he would help me."
He studied her. "He seems to think there could be a connection between you and Falcone."
"I know."
"I told him there isn't one."
"Thanks."
Bruce waited to see if she would voluntarily elaborate at all on why Harvey was suspicious of her, and why she had given him a fake name, but she simply looked back at her notes in the journal.
"Is Freckles still here?" she asked after several seconds of silence.
"Yes. Alfred volunteered to wait with her until she decides to leave."
She frowned. "You left him down there with her?"
"I wanted to see you."
She sighed. "Bruce..."
"He volunteered," Bruce repeated.
"Still." She gently shoved his arm. "You should go and entertain your guest."
"I just spent hours doing that." At her look, he persisted. "I'm not giving her any more of my attention than necessary. I intend to spend the rest of the night with you."
"Well I don't know how I feel about spending the night with you after watching her cling to your arm for hours."
He looked away, sighing heavily.
After a few seconds, she took his hand. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. You have every right to feel that way." Grimacing, he looked back at her. "What if we patrol? We haven't gone out together in a while."
She considered it silently for several seconds. "Fine, but you're letting me drive the batcycle."
"You don't have your license yet."
She smirked. "If we get pulled over, a license will be the very least of our problems."
There were protesters outside of Wayne Tower on Earth Day. Bruce watched them from the window of the employee lounge on the sixth floor. He felt tempted to go and talk to the protesters personally, but knew that wouldn't be a good or safe idea.
"They're quite brave, aren't they, causing such a stir in the middle of Gotham." He turned to the man who was approaching from the doorway, a small smile on his face as he looked past Bruce out the window.
"I suppose so," Bruce replied. He studied the slender, bespectacled man, who was wearing a green suit. "What exactly are they protesting?"
"The Ace Chemicals plant down by the river. Your company made an attempt to buy it last year, although they weren't serious about it. But some people noticed." He gestured to the protesters.
"I see. And they would rather the plant be shut down?"
"Yes. It was purchased instead by Apex Chemical Corporation. As I understand it, the protests outside of their headquarters in Metropolis this morning are much more substantial than these."
"I can imagine."
"Incidentally, my father also made a bid for the plant, although he didn't care much when he lost."
"Your father?"
"Pardon me, Mr. Wayne, I should have introduced myself." The man held out his hand. "I'm Alberto Falcone."
"Falcone?" Bruce studied the man anew as he shook his hand. "I wasn't aware that a member of the Falcone family worked for Wayne Enterprises."
"I don't, but they have graciously allowed me to rent an office in the building."
"That was kind of them." Wayne Enterprises didn't occupy every floor of the tower, of course, and Bruce was aware that it leased office space. But he suspected that the decision to lease to this man had everything to do with his last name.
"Yes, it was." The younger Mr. Falcone looked out at the protesters again. "The location is very convenient."
"But not today, I suppose."
"Oh no, I don't mind it. I quite admire their tenacity."
"You said your father also placed a bid? I imagine he doesn't have protesters outside of his mansion."
"No. My father kept a lower profile on his bid. And as I said, he doesn't care much that he lost the plant."
"You sound like you don't agree with that."
The man looked surprised by the observation. "On the contrary, I imagine that in the long run, the cost and effort to run the plant would have far outweighed the benefits. Never mind the public reaction." He gestured again to the protesters. "Apex Chemicals is far better equipped to deal with all three of those issues. Everything worked out for the best."
"That's good. Well, I should be getting back to work. It was good to meet you, Mr. Falcone."
"You too, Mr. Wayne. But please, call me Alberto. Mr. Falcone is my father."
He was in the middle of foiling an attempted burglary in the Diamond District when the GCPD discovered the body of Richard Lambert. By the time he arrived on the scene, the police were already swarming, and he watched silently from a rooftop across the street, listening in on their chatter over the radio.
He spent most of the following day in the cave, eavesdropping on the forensic analysis of the murder. He was surprised to learn that the victim was part-owner of Apex Chemical Corporation, the very same company that Alberto Falcone mentioned yesterday. The police mostly concerned themselves with the blatant attempt to frame the victim's brother, but Bruce found it more interesting that the man was killed on the same day that protests were occurring outside of his company over the Ace Chemicals plant. He felt sure that the framing of the victim's brother was an attempt to get the cops looking in the wrong direction.
He kept track of the investigation over the following weeks, including eavesdropping on the Commissioner's meeting with the Crane brothers. With no leads and no developments, however, his daytime thoughts refocused on his life as Bruce Wayne rather than Batman.
The Board of Directors at Wayne Enterprises received a presentation from hired financial advisors who recommended a structure for the Wayne Foundation that would be "effective and inexpensive." Bruce counted this as a win, knowing that it would be too much to ask for the board to not focus so much on the cost. They were planning to hold their final vote on whether to approve the foundation in mid-July, and Bruce planned to introduce Leslie before then, putting her forward as President of the foundation.
That would be the easy part. The hard part would be introducing Selina, whom he genuinely believed could do a great job running the foundation, despite her protests otherwise.
He was mulling over this at the Memorial Day barbecue in Baytown when a surprising face from the past approached him. "Hey, Bruce."
He looked up in surprise. "Tommy!"
His old friend clapped him on the shoulder. "How've you been?"
"I've been doing well."
"I've heard." Tommy nodded over Bruce's shoulder, and Bruce glanced at Julie, who was talking to some other women. "I wasn't sure I was returning to the right Gotham when I saw the news. I never thought you would finally give her a chance."
Bruce forced a smile. "Yeah, well..." He shrugged.
"So how did she finally win you over? Back when we were in high school, you were always head over heels for that other girl, the one who lived with you. Whatever happened to her?"
Bruce decided to tackle the second question first, as it was slightly less complicated to answer. "We're still friends," he said cautiously.
Tommy misinterpreted his body language. "Bummer. Well, things don't always turn out the way we want. But seriously, how did Jules pull it off?"
"Um..."
"Hi, Bruce." He turned to see Harvey Dent approach him with a friendly smile.
"Hi, Harvey." Bruce shook his hand.
To his surprise, Tommy also greeted the D.A. by name. "Hello, Harvey. Or do I need to call you 'Mr. District Attorney' now?"
"You two know each other?" Bruce asked.
"Jules pulled me to some law school comedy show a few years back. It wasn't funny at all, but she was there to support her roommate." Tommy gestured to Harvey. "Harvey was the boyfriend of said roommate."
"Now husband," Harvey replied, confirming that Tommy was referring to Marie.
"Nice. She's a good-looking woman."
Bruce winced and grimaced. In some ways, Tommy would never change.
"Thanks," Harvey said with the false gratitude of a practiced politician. "So what are you up to these days?"
"I just finished my first year at Harvard Med School." Tommy was clearly very proud of this.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you." Tommy nudged Bruce. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know how Jules finally won over Bruce here, would you? I've been trying to get the truth from him about how she finally snagged him after he spent our whole childhoods with eyes for no one but that—"
Bruce quickly interjected. "That's not any of Harvey's business." He gave Harvey a wink to try to let the man know he didn't mean any offense by that.
"Samantha Kane?"
Bruce's face fell. He didn't want the D.A. asking about Selina again.
"Who?" Tommy was confused. "I thought her name was—"
"Right, her," Bruce quickly interjected again.
Harvey gave a benevolent smile. "I know it's none of my business, but I didn't get to be the D.A. without being observant."
For the first time in a long while, Bruce was grateful for Julie's sudden appearance. "Boys, there you are." She automatically wrapped her hands around his arm. Marie also arrived at Harvey's side.
"Hiya, Jules." Tommy waved.
"Hi, Tommy. How are you?" Bruce didn't miss the slight edge in her tone.
"I'm good. Congratulations on finally winning the Prince of Gotham."
"Thanks." She tugged on Bruce's arm. "Bruce, the Governor's sister is asking to meet you and Harvey. We shouldn't keep her waiting."
Bruce glanced at Harvey. "Of course. We'd better hurry, then." Harvey returned the look, but they followed the women away.
After several rounds of polite and largely empty conversations between the state's rich and powerful, along with some decent barbecue and hors-de-oeuvres, the party began to disband. Bruce watched as Julie and Marie whispered together for a little while, and Marie didn't look thrilled about whatever Julie was saying.
"What was that about?" he asked when the women hugged and parted and Julie returned to his side.
She gave him a slightly reproachful look. "Women have secrets, you know."
"She didn't look happy about whatever secret you were telling her."
"It wasn't my secret that we were discussing, it was hers." She took his arm and started guiding him towards the parking lot. "Back when we lived together, I found out something that I wasn't supposed to know. But I've never told anyone. She knows that she can trust me."
Bruce's inquisitive look was reflexive.
"And that of course means that I can't tell you."
"I know."
She tightened her grip on his arm. "You don't need to worry about Marie and Harvey. I'm pretty sure that Marie's secret isn't as dangerous as yours is."