Wayne

Chapter Eight-The Cracks In Trust

Excitement roared in her eyes as she nodded, removing the bomb acceleration device from her hand and allowing Vicki to leave. She then took her place and placed her face in her palms while she looked to Bruce with a dreamy expression.

"How did you know this was "the purple booth"?"

"I read the papers-watch the news. This was the booth my father, mother, and I were in the night they were killed. Our last meal as a family..." He scoffed. "They called it the purple booth because it never changed. Every other booth here has been reupholstered-except this one. Because they take bride in the Wayne family."

"Poetic...now...tell me how to stop him..."

"First, you bring Selina to Wayne Manor-when Alfred tells me she's there, I'll help you defeat Batman..."

"What's in it for you? There must be something..."

"Batman abandoned us...he...left when we needed him most. There needs to be hope for Gotham, not suffering and loss." Bruce quoted a newspaper written only a few days after he stopped being the caped crusader-unknown to Harley, of course.

"Well then...let us take over Gotham." She began to chuckle to herself as she lifted her phone from her side and called an unknown person before making arrangements to deliver Selina to his Manor. Within a matter of minutes, Alfred called Bruce and confirmed her whereabouts-using their secret set of words to also tell Bruce that he was safe and not coerced into saying so. After hanging up, he moved to his car and was followed by Harley.

"I'm not walking..." She said as he gave a paused expression, unsure if he should let her in. Hesitating, he eventually did, and watched as she put an address into the GPS. "If you go here..." Suddenly Bruce held his sleeve over his mouth as the car filled with a knockout gas that immediately took affect on Harley, forcing her to fall against the dashboard. Driving back to Wayne Manor, he carried her in through the garaged and into the batcave, careful to not allow her to escape-and checking her thoroughly with every scanner he could in able to be sure she could not escape.

When entering the dining room, Bruce found Selina holding her head while Alfred offered a cold compress to her. Turning to Bruce, Selina revealed the entire left side of her face was bruised and bleeding, her lip was actually stitched by the help of Alfred, as wet blood was sitting on a rag nearby-beside a sewing kit. They basked in an embrace, before Bruce pulled back.

"You told them of the cave..."

"They gave me this serum that...I couldn't lie, Bruce...I would never do that to you..."

Alfred cleared his throat, giving Bruce the sign that he needed to speak with him alone.

"I'll prepare some medicine, stay put."

Selina nodded as Bruce and Alfred disappeared into the hall, away from any potential eavesdropping.

"Master Wayne...I do not find trust in her..."

"I know she hasn't been honest in the past, Alfred...but...she's-"

"Why is she here? The first night here and she took your mother's pearls..."

"She took a photo-of her and I...and the pearls...but...I have no use for them."

"And her reason for returning? I fear she is not telling you the truth? What if she is crossing you? She has done it before..."

"That was then...things have changed..."

"I am afraid you are allowing your feelings to rule against your judgement."

"Alfred...you are forgetting your place."

"My place is protecting you, as if we shared blood. I can never-and will never cease doing so. Miss Kyle is not a woman to be trusted-she has shown that, and yet you continue to allow her to use you as a...as a pawn."

"Alfred-"

"Your father had the same weakness to your mother, many times he sacrificed his happiness for hers-and your mother was a good woman-I fear Miss Kyle does not share the same-"

"Enough!" Bruce said as he hit his hand on a nearby table. "Selina is welcome here as long as you are. Do NOT put me in a position to choose. I gave up everything to try to follow in the footsteps of my father...but there is no way to do so when you live one life in open-and the other in the shadows. Selina understands that, unlike anyone else."

"Sir..." Alfred tried to regain his composure after being startled by Bruce. "Why is it they allowed her to go so freely? As I recall...no one is released unless they no longer have a pulse."

Leaving Bruce to stew in their conversation, Alfred excused himself and returned to the kitchen to give Selina some medicine, soon followed by Bruce.

"Why is it that they let you go?'

"They want Batman...he ruined all of them...and they fear that he'll keep doing that."

"I did that to you...I put you behind bars..."

"But I never stayed." She chuckled before seeing the seriousness in his expression. "And you cannot trust me."

He went to speak, but found that he could not disagree. "You are a man of great mystery, Bruce. You allow to know your secret of wearing that mask, but when it comes to knowing Bruce...as a person...I know nothing..." Removing herself from the table, Bruce caught her arm before she disappeared up the stairs.

"Selina please..."

"I'm not going to run, Bruce. But staying here isn't an option anymore. I didn't only put you and your secret in danger, I put Alfred. And although I know he pretty much hates me...I don't want to do that to him."

"I can protect him."

"No...he was taken by them...or he could have been-regardless-I distracted you, and I can't again...I came here to see if you could truly be with Alison-and you can. You can have that normal life...but I don't think you want it."

"You truly came back for only that?"

"You are beginning to sound like a cop rather than a friend, Bruce. I don't want to complicate things for you-I like pulling certain strings, but even I know when to stop."

"But everything that...everything we said."

"I was caught in the moment...it wasn't our first kiss, Bruce...But let this be the last..." She reached down and kissed him swiftly on the lips, not allowing him the chance to react, before she disappeared up the stairs.