Goodbye Sanity, Hello Headlines

Chapter 4

"I've missed you too." I whispered, finally feeling some proper emotion in this god forsaken place, a sense of family almost.

"Things haven't been the same without you Kat." She fiddled lightly with her fingers and I noticed she had picked up on the habit I had yet to grow out of. "Bruce has never been like this before, it's the worst I've seen him. He's a wreck, thinks it's his fault you ended up here." She began and I felt my heart ache.

"Oh don't tell me that." I sighed. "He should know it isn't his fault." I didn't want him to blame himself for my misfortune.

"Well he doesn't, Alfred has been worse too. He kicked me out, not that I was ever welcome but he says that because I'm not in charge of protecting you anymore that I have no place there." She looked to the floor and I felt my heart drop.

"You aren't back on the street are you?" I asked her, hoping it wasn't true but the look on her face says it all.

"I don't know what to do anymore Kat." She whispered, a small tear falling down her face and she tried to wipe it away before I could see. "I don't have anywhere to go, I'm not working for Oswald anymore and the Gotham underground is completely chaotic. Everything changed after that night." She looked broken, so lost on what to do. I tried to think of anything I could do when the memory of one of our last conversations flashed through my mind.

The two of us sat on my bed in Wayne Mansion, she had been staying in my room to keep off the streets and carry out the task Oswald had assigned her. We had been discussing life on the streets and the hostility was still evident in her voice.

"You know my father would love you," I remember telling her, she had given me an odd look. "You know, if the two of us get out of this messed up situation and I'm allowed to go home I'm taking you with me." Her eyes had brightened slightly at the statement but she looked away to try and stop me from noticing.

"You really think so? You'd take me with you?" She asked in childish hope.

"After all of this? Of course!" The smile that had graced her features melted my heart. "We could live together someday, you and I. Just like siblings, that's what siblings do right? We could have a cute apartment all to ourselves when I take over my fathers business."

A happy sigh exhaled from her lips as she looked at the ceiling looking content with the far-fetched plans that hung hopefully in the air, planning for a future that probably wouldn't happen but our drowsy minds were perfectly joyful with the small thought of a time where all of this was put behind us. A time where Selina wasn't constantly looking over her shoulder and I could live in peace.

"You deserve better than this you know?" I exclaimed and she glanced at me.

"A street kid deserving more than the streets, you sure you've lived in Gotham your whole life?" She laughed and I smiled lightly.

"You underestimate yourself," I stated.

"You overestimate me." She had replied and I laughed at her extreme need to put herself down.

"Either way I'm taking you with me, we will have our little apartment and it will be wonderful." We had both fallen asleep with pleasant thoughts and eager minds that night, for the first time in a long time.

I glanced over to her and everything made sense.

"Well lucky for you I just inherited a small fortune and the best newspaper company in Gotham." She looked over to me with an incredulous look.