Chapter 34 – The Doghouse

When Bruce returned home around four the next morning, he wasn't quite sure what to expect. Although this wasn't the first time he'd crept back into his bedroom to avoid waking Selina, it felt different this time. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd made some ethical error last night.

Leaving without Selina… having Commissioner Gordon inform her that her husband had "stepped out" to attend to some urgent business… skipping out before his final gala speech… there were several options from which to choose the worst blunder.

He told himself, while darting through Gotham's darkened alleys, that he'd never needed Selina's permission to respond to the Bat Signal before. He told himself, while tracking the Joker from his Arkham Asylum breakout, that pausing to tell her would have wasted valuable time. He told himself, while subduing the psychotic clown and tossing him in a dumpster, that the gala speech was trivial next to this mission.

Perhaps he was technically correct on all accounts. Yet still, his conscience didn't feel nearly as blameless as it should after last night's victory.

Finding their bed empty at four a.m. only intensified that feeling.

Thankfully, there was a note on the nightstand. But it was written by Alfred, not Selina.

Master Bruce, Madame Selina accepted the Kents' generous offer to spend the night at their hotel, in an adjoining suite. She plans to return before noon. -A

At eleven fifty-five a.m., Selina Wayne walked in the door. Alfred greeted her quietly, wincing at the state of her wrinkled ball gown and puffy eyes. She'd been crying half the night, from the looks of it. Carrying herself with as much poise and dignity as she could muster, she headed upstairs to change and shower before facing Bruce in the kitchen.

His mouth was full of a sandwich bite when she entered. Caught off-guard and unable to speak, his deer-in-the-headlights expression was a rare one to behold.

"Glad to see you made it home."

Bruce gulped down his food. "You too."

Expressionless, Selina turned to calmly prepare her own lunch. Alfred would ordinarily perform that duty, but given the circumstances, he knew to give them a wide berth.

"Was it worth it?" she asked without looking at him.

"Huh?"

"Last night. Whatever the big emergency was."

"Yes, actually. It was."

"Good. I'm glad you made Commissioner Gordon happy," she said the name with thinly veiled contempt.

"If by 'happy,' you mean grateful that the Joker isn't loose on the streets, then yes." Bruce replied. "Jim is happy, along with all law-abiding Gotham citizens."

Selina kept her back turned. "All except this one."

"You'd prefer the Joker just prowl around out there?" Bruce scoffed.

"I'd prefer you leave the Joker to the police."

There it was. No more diplomatic, amicable talks about Batman. Those were long behind them. Bruce's perceived betrayal last night had caused an irrevocable shift in their universe. Along with Selina's pregnancy hormones, it was a potent combination.

"Selina, we've been over this…"

"Oh yes, how Batman is the only one who can protect Gotham from all the crazies!" she dramatized. "Even one week out of the hospital, he's more capable than several hundred officers!"

"I proved that much last night, didn't I?"

"Because you never gave them a chance to prove themselves!" cried Selina. "I've had a lot of time to think these last several months, Bruce. And you know what? I don't think being Batman is about you feeling indebted to Gotham. Not completely, anyway."

He narrowed his eyes. "What makes you say that?"

"My father, for one."

"What?"

Selina pointed a convicting finger at him. "You told me you felt obligated to protect Gotham because your father once saved Carmine's life. But Carmine is reformed now. The universe patched things up for you – no need to feel any more second-hand guilt."

Bruce crossed his arms. "I'll be the judge as to whether Carmine is actually reformed or not."

"How? By grilling him at dinner in two weeks? Should be a lovely Thanksgiving."

"If he's truly reformed, then yes, it will be," he disarmed her sarcasm.

She took a spiteful bite of her lunch. "You're missing my original point. If your personal debt to Gotham is absolved, what's left?"

He waited impassively, knowing her question wasn't rhetorical.

"Pride, Bruce. Ego. Your decade-old claim on Gotham City."

"Having pride in one's territory is usually considered admirable," he rebuffed.

"A healthy amount, yes. But yours goes far beyond that. It consumes you." Smoothing her sweater down the sides of her belly, her voice softened. "It blinds you to things that share space in your life now."

Every instinct in Bruce wanted to refute her, yet no cogent argument formed in his mind. Surely there had to be something erroneous with her reasoning, some flaw in her perspective that, if exposed, would exonerate him. But all he got for his efforts was a dull ache slowly spreading across his forehead.

"Did you ever wonder how Gotham survived the four months you were out cold?" Selina asked next.

"All the rogues were busy plotting their next felonies," answered Bruce. "The Joker obviously was."

"No. It's because Superman covered for you."

Bruce looked at her as if she'd just stabbed him in the chest. "Clark didn't tell me that!"

"He didn't want to upset you. He knows how you feel about Gotham," she confessed. "But we all decided it was best."

"You all did? Is that so?" Bruce shook his head, which was pounding by now. "Well, how nice for you all."

"I don't understand why you're so offended. Would you rather Gotham burned to the ground while you lay in a hospital bed?"

"No, but I'd rather my friends and family not all conspire against me either," he objected.

"We're not against you, Bruce!"

"Not against me as Bruce Wayne. Just Batman." It was all too much. Alfred's letter, Clark's interference, Selina's incessant pleading… had the coma weakened him in their eyes to an irreparable extent? Would they never again respect him to make his own decisions? It wasn't just insulting, it was emasculating. Infantilizing, almost. Selina was right about one thing – his pride. And he'd be damned if he let that dwindle without a fight.

Selina reached for Bruce's hand, seeking an emotional appeal. "We just want you to open your eyes to everything you have. A family, loyal friends who would do anything for you, a city that's better off than ever before…"

Withdrawing his hand, Bruce brusquely tossed his plate in the sink and headed toward the kitchen exit. "I have to go into the office. We can talk about this more at the cottage. That's what next weekend is for, you know."