Come What May

by DC Luder

Sixth story in the Series of Three. Not long after having their world turned upside down, the Family must face the combined threat of an old foe and friend. Chapter 13: When push comes to shove...

9. Come What May: IX

Title: Come What May

Author: DC Luder

Rating: T

Summary: There are two sides to every story.

Infringements: All recognizable characters belong to DC Comics, not DC Luder.

Author's Note: Things should get fairly interesting from here on out… sorry for the cliffhanger-ness. And the 16,000 word count.

^V^

Sleep, that was what we all needed.

With Dick on Talia Duty at the Manor, I knew he wouldn't allow himself anything more than thirty minutes of resting his eyes. The unexpected ordeal in Bludhaven had delayed patrols, forcing Tim to stay out until nearly five in the morning. Cass had stayed out until he called it quits, making sure he entered logs as quickly as possible before corralling him home. Leslie and Alfred had the chance to enjoy slumber, but I doubted that either were able to rest easy.

Checking in on a still sleeping Ethan shortly before six in the morning, I hoped that at least the Wayne children were able to dream the night away.

Despite the trek to and from Wayne Manor the night before, I still had managed to tuck Ethan in by nine. After taking Frank for his last walk of the night, I had filled his toy Kong with a few small dog treats. With him lapping at his flat face and grunting with excitement, he had followed me down the hall without hesitation. Where I had taken refuge in front of the computer bay, he had opted to take his toy and settle into his down pillow by the window.

I had checked to see the scanners were relatively quiet and that Tim and Cass were hard at work touring the East End upon their return from the Haven. With no requests coming in from either one of them, I had sighed before attending to my other order of business. Namely, my maps and collected data for another rousing game of Where in the World is Ra's al Ghul?…

Without getting actual facts from Talia, it had still been just a guessing game. There had been only so much that I could decipher and determine from our records and satellite scans. After our meeting, Tim had blatantly said that he intended on giving Talia the next day to herself but would proceed with thorough questioning before patrols.

Including the possible use of chemicals to lower her inhibitions…

To my knowledge, none of Gotham's vigilantes have ever resorted to the most vile form of interrogation. Ninety-nine percent of the time, their ability to intimidate and terrify suspects or informants yielded a bounty of information, all of it truthful and viable. During our discussion earlier that evening, Tim had pointed out numerous times that Talia was not to be trusted. Add in the fact that she had known each member of the Family well enough to fool them if desired and the odds were already stacked in her favor.

When it came down to it, the only way to get the facts was to take away her defenses. Namely, her willpower.

Although I had verbally agreed with Tim, I had been unable to cast away the image of Huntress tied to a dental examination chair, the Joker's henchman torturing and drugging her for days. Sodium thiopental's effects could be prepared for with the right mental training and conditioning. It had been part of the rigorous training protocols Bruce had instituted, although long after I had been put in a wheelchair by a bullet.

Helena, who also had not under gone the training, had managed to hold her tongue and stayed loyal to the Family.

Talia was loyal only to herself.

When my display had read ten of four, my cell phone had chirped from the workstation counter. I had retrieved it by the third chime, smiling at the caller ID display. Warmly, I had greeted my late night caller, "Hello there."

"Tell me," Dick had replied, "What are you wearing?"

"Let's see… leggings that are still covered in little Ethan powdered sugar hand prints…"

"Oh yeah?" he had sighed dramatically, "Tell me more…"

Somehow, I had held a straight face while replying, "A blue cotton tee shirt... With sweaty armpits."

"Oh baby," he had moaned.

"And… I'm about to put on an aloe cream facial mask… and plug in my dehumidifier."

Dick had sighed heavily once more, then responded in a painfully over the top husky voice, "You know what I like." At that, I had lost it, letting the giggles escape me. Knowing he had won, Dick was only encouraged to continue, "Tell me more… more about these sweaty arm pits."

Allowing myself to laugh without restraint, I had sat back into my chair, "You are missing out, Boy Wonder."

He had finally snickered, then said, "Yeah… damn these nineteen miles that separate us." After he cleared his throat, he had proceeded with, "Well, I'm calling it a night. Talia has been on her best behavior, things are pretty quiet on the third floor…"

Fighting a yawn myself, I had commented, "You going to work tomorrow?"

Dick had contemplated before admitting, "Probably not until the afternoon. I'll come down on the seven oh-five train, figured that would get me to Tri-Corner a few light-years faster than trying to drive back."

"You are getting wise in your old age," I had remarked.

Continuing as if he hadn't heard me, Dick had said, "... and take Ethan for the morning so you can take care of those sweaty armpits of yours, wash off that facial mask.. make me breakfast... And get some sleep, of course."

"Gee, thanks…" and then after clearing my throat, "Do you think Tim is going to question her in the morning?"

Another pause, then, "I hope not. We all could use some sleep before going full steam ahead."

We had chatted for another ten minutes, trying to make plans for the week in terms of taking care of Ethan, what hours he had planned on working, who was free to go grocery shopping and of course dealing with the latest upheaval in the Family. Given that we had spent combined decades as vigilantes, it had been all too easy to accommodate our personal lives for our professional ones. The only personal part that was as important as the professional one was Ethan.

When Dick had hung up, I was left in silence once more. The baby monitor had been quiet, the scanners and Oracom links barely emitting anything of consequence… just Frank, me and my depleted energy reserves along with the soothing hum of electricity.

And yet I hadn't shut down the computers.

I hadn't signed off of the Oracom.

Not for a lack of desire.

With Tim and Cass and Dick all off of the grid by five-thirty, Ethan still slumbering away and Frank dreaming of chasing squirrels in Grant Park, I started my day without having ended the one that had preceded. After a hot shower, I finally applied the aloe face mask to help bring life back to my tired face. As it cooled my skin, I armed myself with the baby monitor and retreated to the kitchen, smiling to see the coffee machine was already preset with a fresh pot brewing.

Out of all of our wedding gifts, the Cuisinart coffee maker was the most treasured in the Gordon-Grayson household.

I poured a mug and sat beside the table, sipping quietly while sorting through the mail that I hadn't even given a second look since Friday. I opened a letter for Dick from the Bludhaven School District, smirking to see they wanted him as a guest speaker their career day event. My dedicated online bank account and bill management system reduced our mail to magazines and a limited number of personal items. Although sometimes I missed simple-sweet luxury of wasting time with junk mail sorting…

Coffee gone and baby monitor still silent, I washed my face off, dressed in a navy blue cardigan unbuttoned over a white shirt and black leggings. A quick comb though my hair later, I woke Frank up with the magic words, "Want to go for a walk?"

Given that he once clocked in up to five miles a day with my father, Frank had finally grown accustomed to going for much simpler walks. Whatever energy the French Bulldog may have found in abundance with less structured exercise, he expelled tenfold romping around with Ethan and going to work with Dick.

I had refused to let Cassandra keep him when she had lived in the Clocktower with me, not wanting another creature to clean up after.

Whenever I saw the flat faced canine sleeping next to my son on the floor, I couldn't imagine why I had ever shunned him.

Returning to the apartment, I poured his kibble and left him to devour it while I washed my hands and weighed how much ambition I was going to put into making breakfast. Even taking into consideration that Alfred would surely feed my husband before sending him on his way, I knew he wouldn't turn down a second breakfast. Ethan and I had shared eggs, yogurt and peaches for breakfast the day before, Dick's absence at the breakfast table blatant and saddening.

He always made faces while wiping Ethan clean after meals, eliciting giggles out of the toddler instead of whines.

"Soon," I said aloud to no one.

Even as drained as I was, I decided to make French Toast cut outs with cookie cutters. As I mixed batter and made pieces of raisin bread into triangles, circles and hearts, my cell phone rang as it sat beside the baby monitor on the far side of the table. Not wanting Ethan to wake any earlier than necessary, I quickly grabbed for it, answering on the second ring, "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Dick replied.

Holding the phone between my ear and shoulder, I returned to the kitchen table to finish prep work, "Hey, you're up early."

"Yeah," he yawned, "Tim came up after he entered his logs to chit-chat... And it looks like I'm going to drive into the city, after all… drop Leslie off so Alfred can stand guard… Then I'll be home… finally…"

I ran the whisk through the eggs and milk one last time before carrying the bowl to the stove top, "That's fine, Ethan is still sleeping, I'm just getting some breakfast going so it's ready for him. And you."

"I'm actually heading downstairs now to eat breakfast with everyone… But I'm sure by the time I suffer through commuter traffic I will be hungry again." I told him to call when he was close and that I would have something fresh waiting for him. Dick yawned and replied, "Thank you, wifey."

"Anytime, hubby."

Just as I was searching the fridge for a yogurt cup to split with Ethan, I heard him come to life on the baby monitor. Knowing Frank wouldn't dare risk his well being to steal food off of the table, I left our breakfast waiting and went to retrieve my son. After a fresh diaper, a clean tee shirt and big hug, Ethan had bypassed the whiny stage he endured in the first few minutes after waking up and started to smile and say "Mama."

While Ethan sat in his high chair, diligently ripping up bits of French toast before feeding them to himself, I cleaned up the kitchen, loaded the dish washer and finally joined him at the table. I laughed when he reached his sticky hand out to me, laughing when I leaned over to eat it out of his tiny fingers. He then dropped a piece so that Frank could join in on the taste testing.

Following breakfast, I tried to make the same funny faces to get Ethan to giggle while I wiped his face and hands, but it wasn't the same.

Letting him loose, he steadied himself on bare feet before setting his hands against the kitchen entrance's frame, "Dahie!"

"No Daddy, not yet," I looked down at him while pocketing my cell phone.

He promptly grunted, bounced on his feet and then walked carefully into the hallway, looking towards the bedrooms before crying out, "Dahie!"

"You want to sit up with me?" I asked, patting my lap in order to distract him. When he faced me, I bent over and helped him up, positioning him on my lap before moving towards the living room. Once we arrived, I turned the television on and wasn't surprised when he decided to slide down to the floor. When he toddled after a stuffed frog that was next to the end table, I heard my cell ring for the second time before eight in the morning.

I was equally surprised when the screen said it was Selina, not my husband trying to get in touch with me.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, putting as much cheer into my tired voice as possible.

"Did I wake you?" Selina replied, not even bothering to alter her frustrated tone.

"No, truth be told, I haven't even gone to bed yet," I assured her, watching Ethan as he toddled to his feet and chased after Frank with frog in hand.

There was a quick one-two horn sound on the other end of the line, suggesting she was locking a vehicle up with a remote. When I asked what she was doing for the morning, she answered, "I parked on the street… couldn't pass up a spot right out front."

"Out front… of the Clocktower?" I asked, quickly moving towards the far windows of the living room. Sure enough, I spotted Selina down below just before she disappeared under an awning.

"Yeah…" she said, her voice sounding increasingly worried, "Be up in a minute."

She only dropped in unannounced for one reason. Anytime she and Bruce were at odds, Selina would seek me out to try and get a bearing on whether or not she was right or wrong. As her friend, I always explained that her anger would be justified as Bruce erred against her without thinking of the consequences. As his protégé, I then tried to make sure she saw his view on the situation as a means of trying to keep the peace.

Mentally preparing myself to do just that, I couldn't help but think to myself, What have you done this time, Bruce…

^V^

"All the more reason for her to leave…" I had said.

It wasn't like hadn't lied to me before.

"Don't," I had growled when Bruce had tried to touch me.

He had kept the truth from me for what he had presumed to be my own good before.

"Selina, I'm sorry, I-."

Even though I would have been more than grateful had he just told me the truth.

"You're sorry? For what?"

I would have welcomed it with open arms.

"I should have told you…"

But instead, he had been his typical self.

"Told me what, that you were married before? That I wasn't the first enemy you turned into a wife?"

He had kept his precious secrets.

"Selina-."

He had them buried beneath lie after lie.

"How could you? After everything I gave up for you… for us? And here we are, fifteen years later and you're still lying to me!"

He had brought tears to my eyes once more.

"I know, and I'm sorry… I was trying to protect-," he had tried to reach for my arm again as I had stomped out of the bathroom.

I had put my anger to use, spinning around to slash at his arm, sending it away from me, "Don't you even dare say it. What in the hell is that protecting me from? Not telling me that you were married before… How? Bruce, please, explain it to me!"

His brow had lowered for a moment before relaxing.

When he had no reply, I had pointed at him, my glare unwavering, "Exactly. It doesn't. It's the same bullshit excuse you've used a hundred times before… and I don't want to hear it again."

Bruce had remained silent, eyes avoiding my angered face, a solemn look taking over his.

"Until you decide that you're ready to stop doing this to me… I don't want to see you. I don't want to hear a word out of your mouth unless it is the god damned truth."

He had finally looked up at me, cold ice staring into red hot emeralds.

"Get out, Bruce."

He should have fought with me, growling and swearing.

Instead, he had nodded and left me with a bath that had been meant for two.

After standing alone in the middle of the bedroom for seemingly an eternity, I had crossed to the double doors and locked them. Returning to the bathroom, I had stood at the counter, avoiding my painful reflection while putting the medical supplies away and throwing the used wrappers in the garbage. I had gone about removing my jewelry and setting the bracelets and earrings in a small ceramic dish. Even though I had been tempted to take my wedding band and engagement ring off in order to throw them across the room, I had simply set them down on the bathroom counter.

Thirty minutes later, my skin was saturated from bath water but I had managed to cry myself dry.

The remainder of the night had been spent alternating between laying sleeplessly in bed and sitting on the couch by the bay windows, studying the cold night sky. I had expected Bruce to return at some point to try and talk things over but he hadn't. Although I had tried not to, I found myself thinking about where he was in the house… or possibly even the Cave.

If he had been formulating a way to make amends or if he was simply studying surveillance footage of the secure room.

My alarm had been set to six-thirty to allow time for a few hits of the snooze button. Originally, I had planned on dropping the kids off at school before heading up to the Preserve for the day to catch up on all I had missed from the previous week.

The second the alarm sounded, I had hit the cancel button.

I should have pinned my hair up and donned insulated jeans, a wool sweater and my down vest to prepare for a day in the office and touring the habitat. Instead, I rose from the bed and bypassed the walk-in closet. Still in my sweat pants and a grey three-quarter sleeve shirt, I had slipped on a pair of fleece lined moccasins and headed for the double doors. Unlocking them, I had then proceeded into the silent corridor, setting my sights on Mattie's room. Knowing she would take less to time to wake and more time to get ready, I rapped softly before opening the door.

She had already been up, making her bed while trying to get Taffy out from under the comforter. When my daughter had looked over at me, she had smirked "Morning."

"Early morning, thought you would still be sleeping," I had put a smile on my face while stepping into the bedroom.

"Nah, I wanted to straighten my hair today… so early bird-hood it is," she had replied before walking over and giving me a hug.

I had kissed the top of her mused hair before she had released me. As she returned to adjusting pillows, I had offered, "Well, I'm going to see if I can get your brother moving… meet you downstairs for breakfast, kiddo."

"Kay, Mom."

Stepping back into the corridor, I had then proceeded to Nathan's door, opening it without knocking and stepping in without looking.

I had wondered where Bruce had gone to during the night.

My answer lay snoring beside our son.

Bruce, still wearing the clothes had had the day before, was laying on top of the covers. As it was more comfortable following his fall to the Joker, he had been sleeping flat on his back, his left leg slightly propped up by a pillow. A cursory glance had me locating his hearing aides on the night stand beside him along with his wrist watch and wallet.

Also lost in slumber had been Nathan. Partially under his blankets, he had stretched his arm to rest on Bruce's torso, his peaceful face nestled next to his father's as they shared a pillow. On the queen sized bed. Walking towards them, I spotted Bruce's left arm had come to rest underneath Nathan's neck, loosely guarding our child's back.

Where they had remained unconscious, Ace rose from his dog bed and stretched before walking over to nuzzle my leg. As I had acknowledged him with a pet on his scruff, I had leaned over and touched Nathan's shoulder. When that hadn't stirred him, I proceeded to speak softly, "Time to wake up, Nate."

"Mmmm," he had shook his head before opening his blue eyes, "Mom?"

Once more, I had faked a smile while waking one of my children, "Come on, sleepy head… We still need to pack lunches."

He had sat up slowly, letting himself yawn long and loud. After rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands, he had looked over at his motionless father, then back at me, "Can I wake up Dad?"

I had replied, the latter being a blatant lie, "No, let him sleep in… I'll wake him up after we go to school."

Nathan had regarded his father once more before pushing the covers off of his legs, "Okay."

To be sure my son did not wake Bruce, I stayed and supervised as he brushed his teeth, washed up and dressed in near silence. Backpack, his dog, jacket and wool hat in tow, I had ushered him out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind us. Reaching the ground floor, I had told Nathan to take Ace out for a walk and that myself and his back pack would wait for him in the kitchen.

As expected, Alfred had been hard at work. The island counter yielded a basket of still warm pumpkin muffins, serving plates of a chicken sausage, potato and mushroom hash, fluffy scrambled eggs and his infamous baked oatmeal. Despite the bounty, I had not seen any sign of Alfred, his apron hanging on its hook. Bypassing the food, I had checked the nook to find it set for eight people, a carafe of orange juice and coffee waiting on standby.

It was when I turned back to the kitchen that he had caught me off guard, seemingly appearing from nowhere. The surprise that had taken hold of me had caused him to apologize, "Oh, forgive me, madam, I had no intention to startle you."

"It's okay," I had replied while he took to standing by the island counter, "I figured it wouldn't hurt to get a jump start."

He had smiled genuinely, "Truer words, my dear. Have the children risen yet?"

I had nodded while approaching him, "Nate just took Ace out, Mattie's upstairs getting ready."

"Very good… Master Dick is also readying himself. He has offered to take Leslie into the city… if you wish, no doubt he would be willing to take the children to school."

Shaking my head, I had said, "That's all right… I have to head out this morning any way, might as well take them on my way north."

"To the Preserve?" he inquired.

"Yeah, my desk is probably buried after last week…" I had been cut off by Tim and Cassandra entering the kitchen, both freshly showered. He had opted to dress for the day in dark jeans and a fitted turtleneck where Cassandra had opted for black leggings and a grey hooded sweatshirt. Even though they both had been up and working all night, they still looked more refreshed than I had.

Tim had been the first to say, "Morning."

"Is it a good one?" I had found myself asking.

"So far," he had replied before looking to Alfred, "Sorry for crashing unannounced, Al."

Alfred hadn't hesitated in saying "No apologies necessary… I believe you arrived not long after I woke this morning."

As Cassandra took to sitting on a stool while browsing the spread, Tim had approached us, "Probably. It certainly wasn't an early night."

Before I could have inquired about what had gone down in Gotham, the service entrance door opened and closed, followed quickly by Nathan and Ace entering the kitchen. I had watched silently as my son greeted both Tim and Cass with surprised looks, followed by asking if they had slept over again.

Tim had replied, "Nope, just decided to walk over for breakfast."

Nathan had looked to me, then Alfred and finally at all of the food that was waiting before responding, "Good thing Alfred made extra."

Just as we had the day before lunch, we had sat down as a near complete family at the nook's table. Dick and Mattie had joined us shortly, followed by Leslie who had opted to share a quick breakfast with Alfred in the kitchen. And just like the day before, Bruce had not made an appearance.

Despite the fact that I had made certain that my children were presentable, I had made no effort to alter my appearance before leaving the house. After dropping them off and promising to pick them up after school, I had started back through Bristol towards the Manor. Instead of turning off on the county road that led home, I had continued straight.

The last time I had sought out Barbara's consult had been when Bruce discovered that Mattie was on Ortho Tricyclen without his permission. I had been furious with Bruce for his over-the-top reaction and his demanding that I had gone behind his back intentionally. The tables had turned but Barbara was still the one that I needed to see.

Sitting in her living room, with her son on my lap, with her eyes on me, I managed to hold back tears and keep my voice steady as I replayed the previous night, practically word for word.

After a deep breath, I continued, "I know that you were a part of the Family before me… I understand if your loyalties defer to him… but… I would imagine after all of these years that someone…" I paused to help Ethan down to the floor, " That someone would have had the decency to tell me."

"Selina, I swear to you… I had no idea."

Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, I found myself sighing before responding, "I believe you… I just.. I don't know if I can believe him anymore…"

"He-."

I cut her off, "No. We've been together this long and he is still keeping secrets… Bruce not telling me about giving up the cowl, about having cluster headaches… I could forgive him of that… I could see why he thought it was the right thing to do… but this? I can't."

She looked as if she were uncertain as to how to respond, remaining silent for nearly a minute. It was then that she spoke, "I've looked at every file we have on Ra's and Talia in the Crays… but there were some that I couldn't access.

"I know. I found the same ones after he told me about the transmission… everything was double password protected, encrypted, biometric verified…"

"Right," she said softly.

"I figured it was just details about Ra's and the protocols he stole or something else… but now I know it has to be about this, that there's more to it… why else would he keep everything under that level of security?"

The most I had asked her in a long time was to take the kids for Thanksgiving.

After asking her something I had never dreamed of having to, I added, "I need you to do this… I need to know what else he isn't telling me."

^V^

After delivering Talia's breakfast and leaving babysitting detail for Cass and Tim to maintain, Leslie and I left just after seven in the morning. En route, I dropped by a family bakery in Bristol and picked up breakfast for the staff and any of the early morning patients of the Free Clinic. Boxes of scones, croissants, bagels, muffins along with a bag filled with all of the necessary jams, butters and cream cheeses dominated the back seat. I also grabbed a large coffee for myself and a hot cider for my co-pilot.

Despite the amicable start, we barely shared more than a dozen words on the ride. Mostly, it was about how Ethan was starting to say the funniest things in his toddler language. Anything to keep our thoughts light and happy.

"Thanks for watching him last night," I said

"My pleasure," she replied, "I felt bad that he ended up falling asleep before Barbara headed out… no doubt it was difficult to get him to bed when they got home."

Battling my way into a right hand lane on the Westward Bridge, I offered, "No worries, I called her last night, she said that he babbled the whole ride home and passed out the second he was in his crib. I like to think he's finally taking after me."

I caught her smirking out of the corner of my eye.

She didn't say another word until were passing into the East End, "How was Bruce, last night? I didn't see much of him..."

Clearing my throat, I paused at a red light and tried to buy time by adjusting the climate control buttons on the dash of the Range Rover. When I could physically feel her blue eyes staring at me, I finally said, "Okay… Certainly better than Saturday night. More composed, more grumpy… more like himself."

Marginally, I thought to myself.

"I'm worried about him," she sighed, her eyes drifting away from me as I accelerated when the light turned, "How he pushed himself last week and now this ordeal…"

"We're all worried," I said softly, "Except for him, of course."

When I turned onto Franklin Avenue, I caught her shaking her head, "Damn him…" and then after a moment, "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be… A lot going on right now… we'll get things sorted out then we'll ship her into outer space."

Shifting in the passenger seat, she replied, "Alfred mentioned that last night."

I yawned, then added, "Sooner the better. I'm getting a little tired of playing babysitter."

"Well, I hope you plan on getting some rest today," she said.

"Actually, I was planning on taking it easy this morning since Tim and Cass are going to hold down the fort. And after I drop you off, I'm going to let Babs get some sleep so I can get my daily dose of Ethan," I gestured to the front of my shirt, "This should be covered with teething drool and bits of bananas within the hour."

"Naturally," Leslie smirked.

"And after that, I plan on sleeping through a few episodes of Dora the Explorer, go to work at least long enough to clear off a square inch of my desk and then home in time to ask Babs what's for dinner."

That made her smile. Then again, anything that pertained to members of the Family having normal life experiences often did. Christmas mornings, birthday dinners, school events always seemed to brighten her and Alfred's lives. It was when the dark part of our lives seeped into the light that it made something tragic happen to her generous grey eyes and made Alfred's strong shoulders slump ever so slightly.

Turning the topic back to Ethan, we made it to the Free Clinic without incident. After parking, I stepped out of the car to carry the bags of breakfast in. Leslie led the way through the back entrance, one I had rarely passed through during the daylight hours. Instead of heading to the break room, Leslie ushered me to reception where it was already filling with patients. She directed me to set up the boxes of assorted pastries on table in the lobby area that had pamphlets about vaccinations, contraceptives and the benefits of eating fiber.

Leslie then graciously announced to everyone that I had bought breakfast and they were welcome to dig in.

I stayed long enough to be on the receiving end of several thank you's from parents and powdered sugar coated smiles from their children, and to score a few treats for Barbara and Ethan. I finally excused myself when Leslie did, giving everyone a wave and warm wishes. A stride behind her, I followed Leslie to her office as she instinctively donned her stethoscope and ID tag, leaving me standing just outside of the small, cluttered room. Before making my way to the back exit, I offered to pick her up for the return ride home at the end of the day.

She replied, "Oh, there's no need to make a special trip just for me, Dick."

Given the empty corridor, I replied, "It's no problem, I have to head back out there anyway. We're going to try and get things taken care of tonight…"

Leaning against her desk, Leslie nodded, "The sooner the better, indeed."

The serious look on her voice drew a serious tone over my voice, "When she's gone, we'll be safe."

When Leslie looked up at me, she replied, "I hope so."

A year earlier, she had left Gotham to put her skills to work in Africa at a Doctors Without Borders facility, no longer able to watch Bruce and his protégés put themselves in harm's way while using violence to combat evil. She had even convinced Alfred, with some heavy prodding and Bruce practically kicking him out of the Manor, to join her. Their time away saving lives and making an incalculable difference had no doubt been the happiest time they had shared in their entire lives.

And yet there they were, right back in the thick of it.

Before I could turn to leave, I heard the soft fall of worn sneakers and a familiar voice, "Leslie, you need to keep me back here, I will eat every cruller out… Oh, hi there."

Dana Bryce smiled broadly at me, her baby blue smocks pristine but her hair and tired eyes suggested she had been at the clinic all night. I hadn't seen her since the banquet we had held for DJG Security at the end of August. She and her husband had gladly attended and spoke kindly of our efforts to the press covering the event. Nothing like having the District Attorney saying his house was safer because of our security system.

"Thank you for breakfast," she said, "It was delicious."

"Anytime… I saved myself some goodies to take home," I shook the white bag in my hand, "But I figured I didn't need to eat the rest." I looked to Leslie, then the candy dish on her desk, "Can I have a lollipop before I go?"

She smirked and said, "Only one."

I may have put it there, but at least I was still able to wash away the sad look on her face.

Even knowing Barbara had already made breakfast for herself and Ethan, I knew the two Boston Cream doughnuts would be more than welcome. After her long night, the treat would be a small peace offering for her having to once again wrangle our son solo. But for the last time, I hoped. Bruce had initially volunteered to cover the evening watches but of all of us, he needed his rest the most.

As Leslie said, he was pushing himself already, even before Talia made an appearance.

Hopefully with her under the lock and key in the Watchtower, we'd all be able to get a good night's rest.

Bakery and overnight bags in tow, I rode the elevator up to our apartment, quarreling with the sudden need for sleep. My accumulated few hours over the last two days had been fitful, eyes drifting to the bedside monitors that kept track of Talia as she slept peacefully. Standing still, watching the numbers increase on the elevator's display and the hum of electricity had me yawning by the time I reached our floor.

In order to wake myself up, I decided that my son didn't need a Boston Cream doughnut, eating it in three bites while going about unlocking the front door. Stepping into the atrium, suspicion arose almost immediately at the presence of a dark wool jacket hanging from the coat rack. That, combined with the hushed voices and considerable lack of toddler antics, had me calling out, "Babs?"

"In here, Dick," she replied from the den.

Kicking my shoes off and shedding my coat, I traveled down the corridor with near silent footsteps on the hardwood floor. Turning into the open living area, I first spotted my son in the midst of a Wonder Pets catatonic state, propping his head up on Frank in order to better see the television from the floor. With that being perfectly normal, I then directed my focus to that which was completely abnormal, namely Barbara sitting on the couch with a very upset Selina.

"Sorry, I only brought a doughnut for Barbara," I said, shaking the little white bag in my right hand.

Selina shook her head, making her lips form into a painful smile.

Ethan leapt to his feet at the sound of my voice, toddling over while calling out, "Dahie, Dahie!" I hefted him up into my arms, hugging and kissing him before taking a seat on one of the over stuffed leather recliners, pivoting it to face them. I let him sit on my lap, bouncing as he giggled and cried out my name. As exciting as my arrival was, the wonder of it quickly gave way as Linny the Guinea Pig, Tuck the Turtle and Ming-Ming the Duckling came back on screen.

"What's going on?" I asked as he slipped down to the floor and proceeded to lean against the coffee table, eyes on the Wonder Pets as they prepared for action.

With Ethan's mind elsewhere, Barbara showed no hesitation in responding, only lowering her voice slightly as to not distract him. "We need to ask you a question… and to answer it honestly."

"Will signed me up for Playboy… I just keep forgetting to cancel the subscription," I offered the light joke to ease the overwhelming tension. With both of them staring daggers at me, I nodded, "Sorry… coping mechanism. What's the question?"

Barbara looked to Selina.

Selina nodded, looked to me, then asked, "Did you know that Bruce and Talia were married once?"

If my hushed What? hadn't been enough of a response, the fact that my jaw was nearly on the floor would have been an adequate supplement.

I listened in stunned silence as Selina replayed her previous evening of feuding with Bruce. When Bruce had made his confession, I had been watching his former bride on the monitor of the computer bay. While they had been screaming at one another, I had been perusing the small fridge under the workstation counter for an orange soda. And as I had been chatting with Wally on the link to the Watchtower, Selina had ordered Bruce out of her sight for the foreseeable future.

"I can't believe it…" I finally managed.

"Believe it," Selina sighed as she reclined into the couch, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms.

We silently watched Ethan returned to his dog's side, kissing his toy frog before putting it up to Frank's face, forcing him to do the same. Despite the fact that this was honestly the first time I was able to be with my son in nearly two days, my mind was not on how cute he could be but on just how stupid his grandfather was.

When the pause had reached an awkward length, Barbara sighed, "I don't know what's worse… the fact that he lied about it… or that he even did it at all."

Shaking her head, Selina replied, "Both."

Knowing that looking at the problem at hand from a personal perspective would only lead to more trouble, I tried to focus on it from a more professional point of view. A skill Bruce had taught me at a young age in order to make the right move in life-threatening situations. Where I put it to practice every night I donned the black and blue, I was able to shed the line of thought when the Kevlar came off. Regrettably, Bruce had never been able to do the same, before, during and after he had worn the cowl.

Something I had grown up with, something that I knew was second nature for him.

Barbara pointed out, "There are files dated around that time that are completely blocked. I tried to get into them over the summer and only managed to access information pertaining to Bruce investigating a terrorist and the subsequent death of said terrorist."

"Qayin," Selina offered in a hushed voice.

I had seen the files Barbara had mentioned years ago, or at least the parts I had been able to access. At the time, I hadn't thought much of Bruce securing information to that extent. He had dozens of files that were blocked off to the rest of us, keeping his dark secrets locked away, out of sight and mind. There were logs regarding the loss to Bane, Bruce serving time in Blackgate and dozens on the Joker that no one could get into.

Somehow, it felt different.

Looking to Selina as she stared absently at my son, I asked, "Who else knows?"

I thought she hadn't heard me but when I repeated myself, Selina replied, "I heard you… and right now it's just the three of us… as far as I know."

"Well, we can catch everyone else to speed tonight," I suggested.

Barbara responded with, "I'm going to give those files another go today… that and Tim wanted me to prep the interactive maps for when he questions Talia."

Hearing her name caused Selina's brow to tighten.

"Have you talked to him, since last night?" I heard Barbara ask.

Selina shook her head, "No… I made myself clear as to what I wanted." She glanced at me, "It was the last straw. He needs to come clean."

"Or else?" I responded, "From the sounds of it, he was trying to. He volunteered the information-."

She glared at me, "Are you taking his side?"

"Whoa," I raised my hands up in front of me, "I'm just saying that maybe he was trying to do the right thing… maybe he'll answer whatever questions we- you have."

"I shouldn't have to ask him, I shouldn't have to interrogate him!" she snapped at me, "He should have told me!"

I remembered all too well what she was capable of when she was angry, even without her clawed gloves and cat-o-nine tails.

Thankfully, Barbara spoke up, convincing her that we agreed with her, that Bruce should have told her. That we were going to get to the bottom of things and finally get the truth. As Selina sat back down next to Barbara, I realized that I was wrong.

She wasn't angry. She was hurt. Betrayed.

I'd felt the same way earlier in the year, listening to him blame me for Huntress' death and risking the safety of the Family. Although instead of sticking to a verbal argument, my confrontation with Bruce had gone the physical route.

And given his physical disadvantages, if push came to shove, I would put my money on Selina.

^V^

Before Dick left for the morning, I caught him in the service entrance and asked him if he planned on going in to the Firm.

Donning his wool coat, he shrugged, "Tim, I honestly want to… At least to touch base with Will… try and get some calls returned…" and with a smile he added, "Would suck to get all of this new business and ignore the paying customers."

"Right…"

"What about you?" he asked.

There was no uncertainty in my response, "No… I want to finish up patrol logs, do some follow-up on the sniper… and talk to Bruce. I don't like how we ended things last night."

"Well," he adjusted the lapels of his coat, "You can probably get all of that done before he even thinks about waking up."

"Probably."

Dick then said he would be back around six that evening and if I needed him sooner to let him know. I said for him not to worry, to go home to his wife and son. As Leslie approached, he yawned, "And my pillow… my sweet, glorious pillow…"

I waited for the door to close behind them before returning to the kitchen. Alfred had already busied himself with tending to the breakfast dishes and Selina was unearthing the kids' insulated lunch bags from the refrigerator. She looked as if she hadn't slept a wink and I wanted to ask if Bruce was okay, if he had suffered another poor spell leaving her to watch over him all night. Somehow, I convinced my dark thoughts to mind their business and instead asked, "PB and J?"

Selina smirked, "Ham and cheese."

"Want me to take them in for you?" I offered.

She shook her head, responding in a tone that seemed a bit off, "That's okay. I promised them I would."

"Okay," I nodded, still keeping myself from prying.

Nathan appeared in the corridor on the far side of the kitchen, telling the dog that followed his every step that he would be right back after school. Selina called out for him to get his hat and jacket on and she would be right back after going to check on Mattie's whereabouts. I watched on as he did as he was told, dramatically pulling his hat on too low so that it covered his face. When he caught me laughing, Nathan peeled it back to reveal his smirk.

Dog in tow, Nathan approached me as I stood beside the kitchen counter. When he reached for his lunch, I asked, "Ready to go back to school?"

He shrugged, "I guess… Kinda wanted to sleep in… It's not fair that Dad gets to."

"Well he probably went to bed much later than you, young sir," Alfred noted as he turned the water off and proceeded to dry his hands.

Nathan shook his head as he tried to fit his lunch bag into his back pack, "Nuh-uh, Dad came in and slept in my room, right after I went to bed."

"He did?" I asked.

Fighting to zip his bag back up, Nathan looked up at us, "Yeah, he's still up there."

Before I could ask about it any further, I heard Selina and Mattie approaching. I leaned over and helped Nathan close up his bag and then held it for him as he slipped on the shoulder straps. "Have fun, wild child."

"I will," he grinned, then told Ace to stay before heading towards his mother and sister.

Although the dog reclined to the tiled floor, he alternated between looking to where his master had gone and up at me before deciding to set his head down on his paws. The sigh he emitted had me wondering if it would be a good idea to head next door and grab Robbie for a canine play date. I was still thinking about it when Alfred cleared his throat.

"Sorry?" I said, turning to face him.

"I inquired as to where Ms. Cassandra was, sir."

"Ah, she went upstairs to do surveillance. Hopefully, I can convince her to get some sleep." He nodded but had no reply. After a beat, I asked, "Does he do that often?"

"What, sir?"

"Sleep with Nathan?"

There was a a brief hesitation before he answered, "To my knowledge, only when the boy is infirm or ill."

"Didn't seem infirm or ill to me."

"No, sir, he did not."

It was my turn to pause, "… Selina didn't seem too happy this morning."

He was far too quick to respond, "Ms. Selina has never been fond of early mornings."

"Especially when she doesn't sleep the night before, no doubt…"

Even with me staring directly at him, Alfred didn't falter. He was going to make me come right out and ask…

"You left right after he did last night… What happened? After he came upstairs?"

"Sir, it is not my place to meddle in-."

I cut him off, "Alfred… please. Not now."

His eyes fell to this hands as they tightly twisted the dark blue hand towel. Upon straightening it, folding it and setting it carefully on the marble counter top, he found the will to look back up at me. "I may have gone to the third floor to make sure that the family was settled for the night…"

"And?" I pressed him.

"I may have… overheard an argument."

"About what?" I asked, almost too desperately.

He shook his head, "Of that, I am not certain… Ms. Selina seemed to be very upset with Master Bruce… upset enough to order him out of their quarters." When I didn't reply, he added, "Thankfully, by the time he did so, I made it to the elevator as to take my leave."

Setting my forearms against the cold counter top, I exhaled slowly. After a moment of consideration, I bore my weight on my elbows in order to rest my face in my palms.

Having known both of them for two decades, it wasn't surprising to hear that they were fighting, especially with yet another ordeal striking at the Family. However, since Bruce had come home from the hospital at the beginning of the summer, Selina had been nothing but supportive of her husband, doing her best to help him cope with his ailments. In fact, it was her devotion to him that brought him out of the depression he had tried to suffer in silence, unable to accept the damage to his leg and his brain.

She had been there for him all summer, all year… practically their entire adult lives and yet when he needed her most, she was banishing him.

"When does he get up in the morning?" I found myself asking.

"Not until after eight most days, depending on when he is due in the city. This morning, I had intended to let him sleep until noon if need be…. Shall I wake him for you, sir?"

Standing up right, I shook my head, "No, no… It can wait."

Alfred studied me for a moment before speaking, "And what do you intend to do while waiting, sir?"

Knowing his intentions were to get me to sleep, I appeased him, "Might as well get some rest myself."

"You grow wiser with each passing year, Master Tim," he smirked before excusing himself.

Leaving the kitchen as well, I climbed two sets of stairs to get to the room Cass and I were temporarily using as our own. Although she was reclined on the bed, she was wide awake. Crossing the room, I spotted that Kitten was beside her, playfully attacking her fingers as she traced them over the bedspread.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I spoke softly, "I'm going to run next door, take care of Robbie… probably will just bring him back over here for the day."

"Okay," Cass responded, "Makes sense."

"Need anything?" When she shook her head, I reached over and roughed up Kitten's scruff, instigating him to spin around and bat at my hand with his paw. "Looks like you're finally calming down, you little terror."

"He's fine… as long as you don't pick on him, he won't pick on you," she defended him.

When the cat returned his attention to playing with Cass, my eyes drifted to the monitor on the bedside table. Talia was sitting cross-legged on the floor, not two yards from the bay window. She had pulled the drapes back to reveal the reinforced bay window, revealing the bright November morning. It appeared as if she was meditating, truly at peace with herself.

Enjoy it while it lasts, I mused to myself.

Leaving Cass, I returned to the ground floor and opted to make the walk next door on the surface of the Earth as opposed to beneath it. Even though the sun was shining, the air hovered around freezing and left my breath escaping in puffy white clouds. I walked briskly for the first half of a mile, quickly opting to finish the second in a light jog, navigating up the drive and towards the side entrance.

I heard Robbie long before I reached the door, whining, grunting and toenails clicking o tile. Unlocking and opening it, I grinned at him and patted my chest, encouraging him to jump up and put his paws on me. "Good morning, buddy," I said while dodging his kisses, "Let's go outside."

He bolted out the door and instinctively raced around to the back yard, snorting and sneezing as cold air filled his stunted nose. After tending to urgent business, he proceeded to romp about the back yard, only the sound of his paws crunching dried leaves breaking the cold silence. I had to call for him twice before the big Boxer returned, his tongue lolling and energy spent.

While he ate his breakfast, I sat down on the couch and turned the morning news on, greeted instantly by reports of the shooter in Bludhaven. I changed the channel until the TV yielded better entertainment, an infomercial for a meatloaf pan. Given that I had spent a good part of the previous night and would dedicate a chunk of the day to evaluating the incident, in the few moments I had to relax I wanted it as far from my mind as possible.

Reclining onto the over stuffed couch, I smirked as Robbie trotted into the room and jumped up to sit beside me.

"Wake me up in an hour, pal," I sighed as he settled to lay between my legs, resting his head on my left knee.

I needed to sleep. I didn't have time to but I had no other choice. Running full throttle on empty was something I could handle. Doing so and being able to keep a clear head to out think the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul was another story. If I was able to get at least some solid information from her without too much trouble, I had no intention of resorting to extreme measures.

A big if.

Sodium pentothal and sodium amytal where two most common pharmaceuticals used in the class of questioning that was deemed borderline torture. Given that they were both barbiturates, they both combined the effects of sedation and hypnosis, a result from the active component barbituric acid. Like other drugs of that family, including the medication Bruce relied on to function on a normal level, they were categorized to by potency but how long their effects were felt. Ultra short-acting barbiturates were used mainly as an anesthetic given that the subject would metabolize the drug and the effects would fade shortly after initial administration.

The Phenobarbital that Bruce was on was a long-acting barbiturate, the class that took the longest to cleanse itself from the bloodstream and often proved to be the most addictive.

Sodium pentothal worked by slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure as well as depressing the activity in the central nervous system. Since it acted quickly as a sedative, sodium pentothal was highly used a general anesthetic for short procedures, nerve blocking along with pre-operative anesthesia. Its counterpart, sodium amytal, was mainly a depressant, working more effectively as a hypnotic and anti convulsive. Combined and in the right fashion, it was capable of keeping an individual placid, relaxed and more apt to simply offer truthful answers to questions instead of fabricating lies.

The use of the so-called truth serum was unreliable at best. Yes, it lowered a subject's ability to control complicated thought processes, such as lying, but it was still possible to lie under the drug's effects. I had experienced it during my early years of training, feeling only as if I were drunk as opposed being tricked into telling the truth. In fact, it had been easier to maintain my composure doped up than in any of the mock interrogations-turned-tortures Bruce had taught me to endure.

That I had been teaching to his daughter...

I kept thinking that Talia wanted our protection, that she would be willing to help in any way she could. I also kept reminding myself that she was Talia… and Talia lied.

My nap was fitful at best, pocked with foggy dreams of empty coffins. Robbie did not wake me up at nine, but rather a little before ten as he barked at a squirrel that was perched on the bird feeder outside. After telling him to be quiet, I rose to my feet, stretched my back and arms. As he continued to harass the bushy tailed critter on the other side of the window, I went into the kitchen, grabbed his leash and collar, then distracted him by saying, "Want to go for a walk?"

That was all he needed to hear, leaving him bounding after me as I tracked once more to the side door. Once collared, he did his best to heel as he was taught, all too tempted to run around to the squirrel to bark at him once more. A tug on the leather lead and he decided it best to stay the course.

Reaching the Manor, I let him loose once inside, leaving his collar on as to be able to hear his tags jingle as a means of locating him. Ace, who had relocated from the kitchen to the hallway outside of it, jumped up at the sight of his canine companion. They proceeded to go through the customary sniffing and grunting routine before deciding they remembered who each other was and where the hierarchy left them. Had Frank been present, it would have been Ace, Frank and then at the bottom, Robbie.

Letting them chase one another down the hall, I followed and did my best to lure them into the informal den. There, I found a large toy rope and encouraged the two dogs into playing tug-of-war with one another. I watched their efforts slowly ebb as they tired, eventually leaving Robbie to yield when Ace accidentally grabbed a hold of the rope along with the Boxer's upper lip. Tongues lapping, they both found places on the floor to collapse on, the slobber-coated rope left unattended between them.

I was about to get up to find them a bowl of water when I heard Bruce's voice, "Tim?"

Turning around, I spotted him standing in the doorway, wearing a navy blue sweater and dark gray slacks. His barely dry gray hair and slightly flushed skin suggested he was fresh from the shower, looking ready to face the day. He also looked surprised to see me.

Standing, I slowly walked over to him, telling him that I didn't like how things had ended the night before with his leaving the Cave. I said I wanted him to be there to help question Talia, that this was just as much his work as mine. I even went as far as saying we didn't need to drug her if she was willing, if he thought we could get the truth out of her by simply asking.

He was silent for far too long before replying, "Don't second guess yourself on my behalf."

"Bruce, I'm not saying-."

"Do what you have to, Tim," he stared at me as he spoke, "You have doubts, sate them. You have concerns, ease them. If you need extreme measures to do so, that's fine, but don't base your plan on whether or not it will offend me."

I started to speak, "I understand that, but Bruce, you have to be involved with this, you can't walk away, not now… If Ra's is up to something, it involves you just as it does the rest of us, if not more so."

"I know… but I have my own demons to fight… this one's for you."

Although my mind flashed back to what Alfred has said that morning, I managed not to ask if there was something wrong.

After all, it was obvious that there was.

^V^

I woke up alone, cold and sore in Nathan's bed.

Putting my hearing aides in, I carefully sat up, using the safety of solitude to let out a wince. Having spent the last few months rebuilding the muscle tone and flexibility of my torso, it required daily maintenance. Seeing how I spent the last two days either in bed or in a chair, my body was reeling from the inactivity.

With the bedside clock putting the time just after eight, I navigated the corridor to the master bedroom, surprised to find it unlocked and empty. Even before our fight the previous night, Selina had intended on going to the Preserve to start the process of catching up on all that she had missed during the week of Thanksgiving. In the aftermath, my only question was if she would come back armed with a Bengal tiger.

Stepping into the room, I found that the bed was made and that everything seemed to be in order. No broken vases, no shattered mirrors, even the picture she kept of us on her bedside table had remained unharmed. Perhaps a night alone was what she had needed, to come to terms with things. Walking into the bathroom and spotting her wedding band and engagement ring on the counter, I reminded myself that one night wasn't nearly enough to get over what I had done to her.

… Until you decide that you're ready to stop doing this to me…

It took twenty minutes under the scalding water of the overhead shower to bring my muscles to life. With a towel around my waist, I shaved at the sink, keeping my eyes on the task and not on the white gold rings a mere foot away. I took my morning medication, split into two difficult swallows and washed them down with water that I cupped into my hands from the faucet. Drying my face and neck with a hunter green hand towel, I let my eyes fall to the counter top once more.

… I don't want to see you. I don't want to hear a word out of your mouth unless it is the god damned truth…

Returning to the bedroom, I sat down on her side, picking up the house phone and dialing her cell. As expected, it went straight to her voice mail, "This is Selina, please leave a message and I will get back to you-."

Hanging up, I dialed her office extension at the Preserve. Again, her computer recorded voice greeted me, "You've reached the office of-."

My third call went to the reception desk where I was finally met with a human being, "The Preserve and Wildlife Education Center, this is Rachel, how can I help you?"

"Morning, Rachel," I put on my best fop voice, "This is Bruce… I was trying to get a hold of Selina but she's not in her office and not answering her cell phone…"

"Oh, good morning, Mr. Wayne… um, let me see if I can track her down for you, just one moment."

"Thank you." I put was put on hold with soft instrumental music to keep me company.

Three minutes later, Rachel returned, "Mr. Wayne, she hasn't arrived yet, but Dr. Klein said they had a meeting scheduled at ten-thirty. When she comes in, I can have her give you a call."

"Oh, that's okay… thanks anyway."

"Okay then, have a wonderful day."

She should have been in by eight-thirty at the latest after dropping the kids off at school, even taking traffic and a stop at the coffee place she liked into consideration.

I picked up the phone one last time.

After three rings, I was greeted with, "Hello?"

"Barbara, it's me."

She hesitated before responding, "Oh, hi… you're up awful early, aren't you"

"Can I talk to Selina?"

Another pause, then, "What?"

"I know she's there, Barbara... Just put her on the phone."

There was a muffled conversation as Barbara covered the receiver with her palm. At one point, I distinctly heard Dick's voice, but was unable to make out the words. I waited patiently on the other end for two minutes before Barbara spoke, "Bruce, I'm sorry… she… she doesn't want to talk to you. She said she would be home later, after picking the kids up from-."

I had the decency to end the call before throwing the phone across the room, watching it collide with the wall and fall in pieces.

Dressing on autopilot, I descended in the elevator to the ground floor. As expected, the house was empty with Leslie at the Free Clinic, the kids in school, Dick at his own home and my wife avoiding me. What was unexpected was to find Tim in the informal den, his dog and my son's laying nearby. Apparently, I hid my surprise poorly as Tim jumped right up to apologize in his own way for the meeting the night before, asking for my help and my input as they carried onward.

When I said that it was up to him on how to proceed with questioning Talia, he replied, "I understand that, but Bruce, you have to be involved with this, you can't walk away, not now… If Ra's is up to something, it involves you just as it does the rest of us, if not more so."

"I have my own demons to fight right now… this one's for you."

He shook his head, "No, it isn't. Whatever this ends up being, whatever we find out from her… Come what may, it's going to be your demon, whether you want it to be or not."

I paused before responding, "I know. And I trust to you step in at the last minute and save me… again." Tim stared at me in confusion long enough to force me to change the subject, "Have you eaten?"

He welcomed it, "Yeah, this morning with the kids. Cass is upstairs on surveillance, figured I would head up soon to relieve her."

"We don't need to monitor her at this point. She's not going anywhere. Get some rest."

"It's okay, I caught a nap this morning-."

"You want to out think her later, you're going to need more than a nap."

He smirked at that, rubbing the back of his head while saying that he would rouse Cass and head home for the morning " I'll catch up with you this afternoon, about everything… okay?"

I nodded slightly before turning to leave, calling for Ace to come with me. Although he was content to rough house with his companion, the dog showed no hesitation in rising to his feet and trotting after me.

Although not hungry, I had to eat something or risk suffering a morning a nausea from the Phenobarbital. Entering the kitchen, I found Alfred hard at work kneading dough on the counter, his green apron protecting him from stray flour. Ace left my side to lap at the water bowl by the far door, prompting Alfred to inquire, "Might I prepare you something, sir? At the very least your own water bowl."

"Coffee for now," I replied, watching as the dog turned around and moved to sit at my left side. I pet the broad patch of skull between his ears as Alfred washed his hands, poured coffee and brought it to me. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome, sir… Have you spoken to Master Tim yet?"

"Briefly… he and Cassandra are going next door for the morning."

"Well deserved rest for the both of them, no doubt. Especially given that the events of last night have overrun the news," he nodded to the folded news paper that sat on the far end of the island counter. Leaning over, I grabbed it and unfolded it to read the front age head line: 3 dead, 7 wounded in BPD sniper shooting, suspect in custody.

In all of the chaos of the previous night, I had nearly forgotten about the sniper, focusing on my own personal turmoil.

Alfred rolled the dough into a ball then put it in a glass bowl to rise, "The article was kind enough to praise Master Tim for his efforts… albeit in the third to last paragraph. Then again, what was it that you always said about Batman?"

"The less press the better."

"Ah, yes. Well, thankfully he is miniscule both in print and television… may the dark knight continue to lurk in the shadows."

I ignored his remark and countered with, "Did you talk to Selina this morning?"

"Not specifically, sir. Just briefly during breakfast… is there something amiss?"

"Don't play the fool, Alfred."

He nodded, walking silently to the refrigerator to retrieve the remnants for breakfast, finally saying, "I will have to prepare fresh eggs, sir, but there is still plenty of hash and pumpkin muffins to be had…"

"What did she say?" I proceeded to ask, lowering my voice a fraction.

Setting the egg carton and the ceramic serving dish on the counter by the stove, Alfred turned around and finally looked at me, "She didn't need to say anything, sir. She was quite obviously upset, for what reason I am unsure. It is not my place to meddle in your affairs, sir, it never has been."

"That's never stopped you."

His eyes narrowed briefly before he said, "Very well, sir. The absence of her rings was enough to suggest an argument, one grave enough to leave such a confident woman in such a upset state of mind. Whatever has transpired and whoever is to blame is of little consequence to me. As long as the matter is resolved and …. apologies are made."

Reaching for my coffee, I mused that I had tried to apologize… but I'm sorry wasn't going to-.

A sudden burning sensation in my hand brought my attention back into focus. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Alfred rushing towards me, my gaze somewhat focused on the overturned cup on the counter, the hot liquid dripping to the floor.

"Are you all right, sir?"

I nodded, righting myself on my feet before letting go of the mug. Staring down at the coffee pooling on he floor, I cursed myself for taking my evening medication too early, my morning meds too late.

"I'll tend to this, sir. Go rest in the study, I'll bring you your breakfast shortly."

"No… I'm… I'm going to go upstairs."

He seemed shocked that I would voluntarily resort to proper rest without prodding. As he began mopping up the coffee still on the counter, he said that he would be up in twenty minutes with hot tea and a warm meal. And Alfred was more than welcome to bring my meal to the master bedroom, but I was uncertain as to whether or not I would be there waiting for it.

With the dog at my heels, I made my way to the second floor, finding the room Tim and Cassandra had set up to be empty. I entered long enough to make sure the surveillance equipment was still set to record. Unlocking the next door over and curtly knocking, I was bid to enter with a soft, "Come in."

Leaving Ace in the hall, I did as told.

She was sitting on the floor, facing the windows over looking the side lawn. After I closed the door, she turned to look over her shoulder at me, "What a pleasant surprise."

"We need to talk."

"That's what you always say…" Talia smiled as she rose to her feet, approaching me with a soft look on her face.

Despite the pain in my leg and the fog building in my skull, I firmly planted my feet while exhaling slowly, "That's what I always mean." I paused before continuing, "Tim and Dick are going to interrogate you later today. They are looking for information regarding your father's last known whereabouts, what his plans have been and everything about Jason."

"I've already-."

"You've given us nothing but an empty coffin."

She physically flinched at that, turning away from me in order to sit on the bed.

Holding my ground, I proceeded, "I figured… that after everything, I owed you the courtesy of questioning you myself. Right here, right now."

"What about your protégés?"

"If I feel it is necessary, they will have their turn. I know you well enough to tell when you are lying… they don't. That's why they intend to drug you into doing so."

Her left brow rose at that, "Oh, really?"

"Yes."

Her smile returned, "And you are… afraid of what I might say? Is that it?"

It was terrifying having secrets revealed behind my back, hence why I had gotten the ball rolling with Selina. By the end of the day, everyone in the Family would no doubt hear of my transgression and be firmly set in their opinions regarding it. Whether or not I explained to my children why their mother had taken to hating every fiber of my being was still up in the air. The last thing I needed was for them to be any more traumatized then they already were.

"No. I expect you tell them the truth… the same truth that you'll tell me."

Her eyes fell to her feet as they reached the carpet. I joined her in watching as her toes gently traced circles, first in a counter clockwise pattern then in the opposite direction.

"How tragic… that I have hurt you so many times for you to feel this way… for you to hate me so."

"I don't hate you," I replied quietly.

"You don't love me," she said, her eyes finding mine. "You used to."

It was natural for her to try and distract me by bringing up old memories and feelings. In fact, it was one of the only ways she had ever been able to get the upper hand on me decades earlier. Convincing me once more that she had left her life of crime behind in order to be mine. Thankfully, I had developed an immunity to it.

"A lifetime ago," I commented.

"A lifetime… seems like ten… we are both so very different now… shadows of what we once were."

"I didn't come here to talk about what once was, I came here for what's happening now."

"Very well," she sighed while pulling back the lock of dark hair from her face, revealing the pink scar, "What is it that you want to know?"

^V^

When Richard had arrived just before seven in the morning, he had dropped off a fresh breakfast tray and removed the one holding the remnants of my dinner. The previous day, he had questioned me, even fought with me, but that morning he hadn't said a word. Not entirely a good sign considering they had a meeting regarding my immediate future.

Although for the second night in a row I had been able to rest peacefully, I woke feeling fatigued and stressed. Bruce had given me the courtesy of letting me know they were discussing their plans concerning not only myself but my father and the fiancé he was forcing upon me. I had expected for at least one of the acting vigilantes to inform me of their final decision at some point in the evening, but had been left in the proverbial dark.

Out of sight perhaps, but I certainly had not been out of mind.

With Richard having come and gone, I had been left to myself yet again. Alone, I had been alternating between staring at the sealed door and out the windows on the expansive lawns of Wayne Manor. I had done so in search of any sign of life, whether it be the black garbed figures of my father's men or the forms that belonged to a family I had never been able to be a part of. One that had never trusted me…

That wasn't entirely true, I reminded myself.

Once upon a time, Bruce had trusted me.

Once upon a time, Bruce had loved me.

But there had been no happily ever for us, just one tragedy giving way to another.

His first question was, "When and where was the last time you saw your father?"

Answering honestly, I replied, "The beginning of June… at his manse in Turkey."

He looked tired. Old and tired. And yet he was still very much a part of the life he had left behind, something that truly intrigued me given the familial life he had developed over the last few years. The man I had known would have never taken a wife, had children… If he would have, it would have been with me.

I motioned him to take the chair beside the bed but he shook his head slightly, "Where in Turkey?"

"Just south of Urfa… he has had the property for centuries… built a base beneath it thirty years ago… much like your own subterranean dwelling, although far more hospitable."

"Is that when you last saw Jason?"

I shook my head, "No. I realized that I was being tracked when I went to Paris because I saw him, standing near a coffee stand." Picturing his auburn hair and dark eyes, I added, "He never was one for blending into the crowd…"

"Is he with the group that is tracking you?"

"Not that I am aware of… and if he was, they would have found me by now… His work for my father is of equal importance, to send his second hand man on the chase after me would be a waste of manpower… Beloved, please sit… you look simply haggard."

"I told you-."

I cut him off with an apology, "I'm sorry… Bruce."

He hesitated but when I told him I refused to answer another question until he seated himself, he gave in. Bruce then repeated himself, "Are they looking for you in Africa?"

"They have followed my trails, both real and false, all through the summer months. I have no reason to suspect otherwise."

Bruce inhaled slowly before proceeding, "Will your father marry you to him? Upon your return?"

He was changing the topics abruptly, a classic interrogative method that made attempts to snare suspects into trapping themselves in their own lies. Unnecessary, I thought before answering, "He will no doubt encourage me to consent, yes. But I'll refuse. No doubt that will lead to Jason killing me, my father's wrath be damned."

"I find that hard to believe."

Staring directly into his eyes, I elaborated, "You may think that you know him… but you do not. There is nothing left in him that was the boy you knew, the boy you loved. That boy is long dead… what's left is a cold, heartless monster."

His eyes drifted to stare at the scar on my face, focusing back when he asked, "What did he do?"

I took a moment to think about the hot August afternoon on the sandy beach of Crete, where Jason had lanced open my cheek with a smile o his face. I finally replied, "He challenged me in arms… When he got the upper hand, he got carried away."

Bruce narrowed his eyes, "How long ago?"

"Five years. Still itches when it's humid. You have a score of them that do the same, yes."

He paused for a moment, then said, "In the transmission, you said your father had been preparing for something involving my family. What is it?"

"I told you, they excluded me long ago… it's been between my father, Jason and their men."

Rising from the chair, he shook his head, "I told you not to lie to me."

I stood as well, reaching out to grab his arm as he turned away, "Bel… Bruce, I swear on my mother's soul, I don't know what they intend to do… I only know that I needed to warn you. So you could protect your family."

As I held his forearm, he looked down at me but said nothing.

Letting my fingers slip from the soft material of his sleeve, I added softly, "If I had tried to contact you directly or even had come here first… it would have led them straight to you… I couldn't do that. Not after betraying you before… I couldn't do it again."

Still, he remained quiet.

"Please, believe me."

Finally, "I do."

We sat down again before he proceeded to ask a score of questions about Jason's training, what missions he had accomplished over the years and his relationship with my father. For the better part of an hour, I tried to be as honest as possible, only leaving out the most offensive of details when it came to the lives he had taken and the pride he had in it. Even still, the look on Bruce's face grew to be an even mixture of pain and guilt.

I found myself apologizing, for causing him such suffering.

Bruce shook his head, "No… don't be… it's not your fault."

"It is… I should have never let my father act as he did… resurrecting a boy best left for dead."

His eyes closed as he briefly relived his own personal hell. I had seen him at his lowest in the months following Jason's untimely demise. Granted he had spent years risking his life for others, but after losing his young partner he had proceeded to do so without thought or weighing the consequences. The brilliant man I loved had turned into a risk taking beast that acted solely on instinct and not intellect. Where my father had hoped to bring life back to the boy in order to mend Bruce's mind, I had hoped that it would have done the same for his soul.

There were few things he truly loved in the world, and his sons were held high above all else. All that had changed over the years was that he had added a wife and daughter to the mix…

Looking at the sadness Bruce was trying to contain, I found myself explaining, "At first, he was so curious as to how you had carried on without him, how you had coped… my father assured him that you had been unable to do so… that what had happened to Jason would always haunt you. But not once did he ask to see you… ask to contact you…. He never wanted to go back to what he once was."

I rose from the bed once more, standing before Bruce in order to set my hand on his face, "Speaking of you did not pain him… it only angered him. You must understand… his hatred for me is out of jealousy… his hatred for you is visceral. If he were to kill me out of simply being rejected… I can only begin to imagine how he would choose to punish you… and your family."

Once more, I let my hand fall away from him, "As distant as we have grown, I could not sit idly by and allow you to endure another tragedy."

He remained silent, the only sign of life being the pained look in his icy eyes.

Eventually, he exhaled slowly before sitting back into the chair, "Tim will still want to speak with you before you are relocated to the Watchtower."

"Do you honestly think that is safer, for me?"

"It's safer for my family. And if they are the reason that you came here, then I see no reason for you not to comply," he spoke softly.

"Very well," I offered, taking a seat on the bed once more, "If that is what you wish."

He nearly said something, but clenched his jaw shut and nodded. I watched on as he touched the ring on his left hand for just a fraction of a second. A subconscious action given the distant look in his eyes, but I was curious as to what the purpose behind it was. When we had been wed, there had had been no ceremony, no rings, no vows… just us.

"Is there anything else?" I wondered aloud.

Bruce looked at me and answered, "No."

"Will you be there… when your protégés question me as well?"

"Yes."

"Monosyllabic replies… perhaps not much has changed in you after all," I offered a warm smile.

Although his face remained solemn, his voice seemed more at ease, "Perhaps."

Another silence fell between us, leaving me to wonder if he had run out of questions or had grown tired from the last hour he had spent questioning me. Knowing the latter was more likely, I wanted to ask if he was through, if he still felt his colleagues needed their shot at cracking the secrets they believed I was keeping.

When he moved to rise to his feet, I stopped him with my own question, "If you find my father and Jason… what will you do?"

Once he was standing, he answered, "I won't be the one looking for them... You know that."

"Then your protégés… your Justice League? Their encounters with my father have never ended well in the past," I reminded him as gently as possible, "Not without your assistance." Even still, the mere mention of perhaps my greatest transgression lowered his brow and forced his lips to twitch.

"I wouldn't have left my life's work to those not worthy, Talia." he countered curtly before turning towards the door.

I rose as well, quickly reaching his side, "Bruce?"

Without looking back at me, he paused in front of the door, "We're done for now."

"Bruce, please wait… I need to-."

He proceeded to unlock the door, pulling it open far enough to allow him to pass through although he remained frozen in place. Mostly due to the fact that opening the door had revealed his wife to be standing just outside in the corridor, arms crossed over her chest. Bruce glanced back at me quickly, and then to Selina. As expected, he stepped forward, shut the door and locked it from the outside.

I pressed my ear to the cold panel of reinforced steel that acted but was unable to hear either of their reactions on the other side. Given the brief glimpse I had seen of her scowl, it was most likely an unpleasant conversation. Bruce had said that he expected me to tell the truth to the others as I had to him. I suddenly wondered if he had acted similarly, exposing his past to them…

Our past.

He had always been one for secrets, not blatantly lying, but doing what was necessary to keep information from falling into the wrong hands. My father had never been able to understand why he had chosen to hide in plain daylight as Bruce Wayne when he could have easily used the resources and connections to make Batman's work far more effective. Granted, it had allowed him to feign normalcy, but it was fairly obvious that the life of Bruce Wayne was the farce and that of the Detective was the true existence.

He fought for justice in honor of his parents, he lived a lie to carry on their name.

The trauma that had beseeched him of his childhood had sculpted every action, every decision and every thought that followed, for over forty years. Tragedy had stuck his mind, body and soul, had taken the lives of his colleagues and had brought his city to its knees, time and time again. And even after passing the cowl to the next generation, he had persevered. It was easy to see that he refused to let go, but it was difficult to determine whether it was out of desire or need.

Obsession or necessity…

I had convinced myself earlier in the year that he was not the man he once was. Seeing him so weak in the Cave upon arriving, so unsure as to what was to come, had only supported as much. My father and I had once agreed that he was the only man suitable to sire an heir for our empire. When that had failed, he had turned to the villainous counterpart of the Batman, the power hungry Bane. Again, once that faltered it had been a never-ending line of men not even worthy to look upon me let alone to touch me.

Somehow, that had led to and stopped at Jason Todd, a mere fraction of the man his mentor was.

Faintly hearing the heated argument through the door, I smirked.

Deep down, where it mattered, my beloved had not changed at all.

Returning to the bed, I mused on the fact that his young son was so very similar. Despite his age, he was a miniature replica, both in appearance and character. It would take years for the boy to develop the necessary self-control that allowed his father to act with such certainty. The skill was there, the intellect, the natural athleticism and the icy blue stares. He certainly had every advantage available to him, just requiring that unknown element to prepare him for the life that he was born into.

After all, there was only so much a mother could teach her son.

^V^