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Chapter 34 - Days of Blood and Roses
Selina let herself into the bedroom softly, listening for the sound of Bruce�s breathing in the dark. She was relieved when the soft, regular sound finally registered: it meant he was sleeping soundly, the ever-present nightmares allowing him a reprieve for a few hours.
Selina had slept with men who went to bed angry and woke up mean. Bruce wasn�t like that. Fear powered his dreams, not rage. She felt safe with him, even when his nightmares were at their worst. Tonight seemed like it had been a quiet night and she was glad for him. Bruce needed the rest.
Selina sank onto the bed, flattening out with a soft sigh as she settled into her favorite side, as close to his big, warm body as possible. It was�nice, she decided. Having a side. Having someone to come home to, especially after a night like this one had been. Selina and Nightwing had been working the Bowery, and Batgirl had contacted them just after 3am. They�d rushed to the scene of the second multiple homicide in Ottisburg in two days. Like the first murder, the victims had been dosed with SMILE-EX gas, a nerve agent favored by the Joker. Dick and Cassie had done the forensic work very carefully, their movements swift and sure as they worked to gather evidence before the GCPD arrived. The kids had been scared, Selina noted. The Joker had that effect on Gothamites, masked or not.
Bruce stirred, rolling over slightly to see the digital clock on the bedside table. �You�re late,� he told her, sounding like he�d been awake for hours. Selina closed her eyes, not wanting to turn the Joker into acceptable pillow talk.
�Busy night. I�ll fill you in tomorrow, okay?�
There was silence in the darkness, followed by a reluctant, �Okay.�
She felt for his hand, lacing her fingers through his. Bruce�s grip was warm and strong.
�Dick was wonderful out there,� she told him, yawning. �It�s been a long time since I�ve seen him in action.�
�You saw him down in the caves.�
�He didn�t get to show off his acrobatic abilities down there,� Selina pointed out. �And he does like to show them off. Circus, right?�
�Right,� Bruce responded, his thumb stroking hers. Selina relished the contact. It suddenly seemed like ages since they�d last made love. She thought about initiating something but decided against it. Between the condition of his arm and ribs and her bone-deep physical exhaustion, anything they attempted would probably end in spectacular failure.
She rolled over, pushed herself up on her elbows and kissed him, thinking that sometimes a little failure was good for the soul.
Bruce groaned against her and Selina deepened the kiss, closing her eyes. She opened her mouth, permitting his tongue to slide inside, hot and thick. His hand traced the delicate contours of her collarbone, the sharpness of her shoulder blade and the soft curves of her back, sliding down, slipping beneath the silken material of the nightgown she wore. He stopped inches from where she wanted him to be and Selina smiled in the darkness, her eyes flashing. She bit his lip, drawing blood.
Bruce lifted his head, staring at her in the darkness. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and she touched his chest, her fingers raking over the rough scar tissue covering muscle and bone. Her hand moved lower still, finding him in the darkness. She smiled at the undeniable evidence of his arousal, closing her hand over it. Unsatisfied, he pushed her back onto the bed. Ignoring the flare of pain in his ribs Bruce arched his back, moving into her. Selina flexed her legs and settled into a more comfortable position, watching his face. Bruce didn�t close his eyes.
He watched her face as he moved within her, holding her eyes with his own as together they found a release allowed no where else. And he watched as he filled her, groaning as much at the dark pleasure in her eyes as at his own release. Bruce moved to kiss her after it was done. His body was covered by a fine sheen of sweat and his arm ached like hell but he held her. She clung to him and he realized that the wetness he felt against his bare chest was tears.
�What is it?� he whispered, stroking her hair with his good arm. Selina didn�t make a sound. He tilted her chin up and found her mouth in the darkness, kissing her deeply, tasting salt on her lips. �Tell me,� he ordered in Batman�s low growl.
Her head settled back against his chest and she smoothed her hand through the light dusting of hair sprinkling the few patches of skin on his chest not layered with scars. �I wanted�� she trailed off. He waited patiently for her to speak again.
�I wanted to do something with you that I�ve never done with anyone else.�
Bruce rubbed her arm, nodding slightly. Selina continued.
�But I couldn�t think of anything.�
His hand stilled on her bare skin and Bruce closed his eyes. �Is�Is that important to you? Does it matter?�
She lifted her head, dark hair falling in front of her eyes. He shifted his body, wanting to feel more of her bare skin on his own. One of her breasts, heavy and warm, brushed his side.
Her voice was quiet in the darkness of their room. �Maybe I wish it mattered more to you.�
He kissed her forehead, stroking her back. �It�s not that it doesn�t matter,� Bruce told her slowly. �I wish�I wish life had been different for you. Kinder. Your experiences�� He broke off. What could he say about the things she�d done? The people she�d done them with? �It bothered me,� he told her honestly. �When Dick showed me those pictures I wanted to believe that there had been some mistake. That you hadn�t really done those things.�
�And now?�
Bruce sighed, his breath ruffling her hair a bit. �Le temps détruit tout.�
�Time destroys everything,� she translated. �Jessica Bradshaw�s influence?�
Bruce looked at Selina. She tried to clarify her question. �You�re a creature of the past, Bruce. We all are.�
He touched her face, his rough, calloused hand smoothing over her cheek. �The past is an ocean, Selina. It�s always been like that for me. I keep expecting to surface but I�ve been drowning my whole life. Jessica Bradshaw-� He paused, licking his lips. �She offered to show me how to breathe.�
�And you didn�t take her up on it?�
Bruce kissed her, softly. �I need to find my own way.� He felt her nod against his chest. �And the pictures helped me to remember that you can overcome anything, even a sad part. Time, the past�it doesn�t need to destroy you.�
They were quiet for a moment, warm and secure in the darkness and with each other. Selina kissed him, rising to pull on her robe. �Hope springs eternal, huh?�
�Something like that,� he nodded. �Hope is all I have.�
�Put some pants on before you start making dramatic statements,� she advised, heading for the bathroom.
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They had just begun to drift back to sleep when Selina felt Bruce press against her shoulder. He gestured to the bedroom doorway. Lucy stood there, silhouetted by the light flooding in from the hallway.
�Everything okay?� Selina asked the child, feeling at once guilty and worried. She�d meant to check in on Lucy after arriving home from patrol but had forgotten.
Lucy bowed her head and said in a quiet voice, �I had a nightmare.�
Selina glanced at Bruce. His attention was fixed on the little girl. �Do you want a glass of water?� he asked her.
Lucy shook her head, still hovering uncertainly near the door, Mr. Pickles clutched against the oversized T-shirt Selina had donated for Lucy to wear at night. Selina smiled, throwing back the covers. �C�mere,� she told the little girl.
With a relieved smile, Lucy crossed the room and slipped into the bed between Bruce and Selina. She cuddled against Selina happily but Selina could feel her small body shaking slightly. Whatever nightmares telepathic children had, Selina was sure they were worse than the garden variety monsters-under-the-bed dreams. She held Lucy tenderly, remembering what Leslie had told her. She was dark to the child.
�Do you have bad dreams?� Lucy asked Selina.
�Everyone does.�
�Even Mr. Bruce?�
He felt Selina�s eyes considering him in the darkness. Then Lucy�s small hand, finding his own. The child touched his palm for a moment, then withdrew. �Even you,� she said in a small voice. Bruce closed his eyes.
�Go to sleep, Lucy,� he told her. Bruce rolled over, careful not to touch Lucy. Something would definitely have to be done about the new sleeping arrangements at Wayne Manor. �Big day tomorrow.�
�I hate shopping,� the little girl said softly.
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�This one?�
Lucy tipped her head to the side, biting her lip. She looked uncertainly up at Bruce, who shrugged helplessly.
Selina sighed, putting down the pink sun dress on top of a pile of other rejected garments. She held up another dress, this one a soft yellow sprayed with a pattern of tiny blue flowers. �I know it�s a bit Laura Ingalls Wilder, but��
Lucy and Bruce wore identical blank expressions.
Selina rolled her eyes. �Okay, so I�m the only one here that wasn�t raised in a cultural vacuum,� she muttered, tossing the latest strikeout onto the pile. Around them, activity at Bloomington�s Department Store, Girls Ages 5-10 ebbed and flowed as society mothers escorted their well-heeled daughters through racks of designer gowns for toddlers and coordinated pantsuits for prepubescents.
Alfred had decreed that Lucy should have more clothes than her one tattered dress and whatever small T-shirt could be pulled from Selina�s wardrobe. The butler had driven them to Bloomington�s Fifth Avenue, the shopping Mecca for Gotham�s social elite, and deposited them on the sidewalk with strict orders to purchase a full spring/summer wardrobe for Lucy. Selina had thought that, given the fact that Lucy was a telepathic four-year-old and Bruce had an IQ that would make Stephen Hawking blush, they would have found something by now. She�d discovered shopping wasn�t Lucy�s strong suit, precognitively speaking, and Bruce was a little disoriented by the bright patterns and domineering mothers frequenting the Junior department.
�Okay, I�m going to close my eyes, pick six outfits and some pajamas, and then we�re out of here,� Selina declared. Bruce and Lucy sighed with relief. She shook her head sadly. Shopping was one of Selina�s great passions. She might favor leather and latex, but Selina had an almost religious devotion to fashion and Vogue was her Bible. She had been shocked (shocked!) to discover that, while Bruce Wayne often looked as though he stepped directly from the pages of GQ, Alfred was the one who hit the department stores for him.
�Anything else you think you might need?� Selina asked, scooping up her selections for Lucy. A salesgirl materialized at her elbow and shouldered the burden, heading for the register. Selina suspected the girl could smell Wayne credit.
Lucy shrugged. �How many clothes do I need?�
Selina sighed. �Heathen,� she muttered under her breath. Bruce smiled but Lucy looked confused.
�C�mon, I know a place you�re guaranteed to like,� Selina promised, taking the child�s hand. Bruce lagged behind, taking care of the bill as Selina and Lucy headed for the toy store on the fourth floor. He ignored the stares and whispers of the Saturday-afternoon shoppers as they caught sight of Gotham�s most eligible bachelor escorting a gorgeous blond woman and her young daughter through Bloomington�s. Selina had donned a wig and some artfully-applied makeup in the chance that a paparazzo might try to score a few pictures and Bruce was glad for the precaution. The day felt more relaxed because he didn�t have to worry if Selina Kyle would be recognized.
He reached Selina�s side just in time to watch as Lucy, transfixed, encountered the greatest toy store on earth. The child�s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. Her grip seemed to tighten on Selina�s hand. �It�s okay, kiddo,� Selina said, bending over a little. �Go nuts. You�re being sponsored by the richest man in the state.�
Lucy nodded, not quite listening. She began to wander the aisles of stuffed animals, dolls, crafts and puzzle sets. Selina and Bruce trailed behind, slowing their pace to match the little girl�s limp. After a few minutes Selina nudged Bruce.
�Notice anything?� she asked him in a low voice. He kept his eyes on Lucy.
�She doesn�t touch anything,� Bruce said, watching as Lucy surveyed the blinding pink and fuchsia boxes of the Barbie aisle.
The child would lean close to examine the dolls in their plastic and cardboard boxes but she did not touch the cases. This was repeated until they reached the stuffed animals collected on deep shelves lining the back of the toy department. Lucy examined each animal meticulously, finally settling on a gray rhino. She extended her hand to touch the toy but hesitated, looking back at Bruce and Selina. They nodded in encouragement. Lucy finally picked up the soft plush animal.
�Can I have this one?� she asked, staring at the rhino. �Mr. Pickles would like him.�
Bruce knelt on the thick red carpet before Lucy to examine the rhino. �He�ll fit right in,� Bruce promised. Selina smiled.
Lucy looked again at the rhino, back at Selina and then in a gesture of simple gratitude she reached up to hug the big man. Bruce held the little girl awkwardly, remembering Leslie�s hesitant explanation that he �disturbed� Lucy. The child didn�t seem to mind, closing her eyes tightly. He set her down after a few moments and Lucy smiled, hugging the rhino close.
�Thank you, Mister Bruce,� the little girl said formally.
�Now,� Selina said, clapping her hands. �Who�s hungry?�
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They sat on a bench in Grant Park near the old Green Lantern statue, devouring hotdogs purchased from a vendor a few feet away. Pigeons circled hungrily, eyeing their hotdog buns. Bruce watched them suspiciously, looking so much like Batman for a moment that Selina nearly choked. Lucy ate thoughtfully, watching the activity in the park around her with great interest. A group of children played on a swing set nearby and Lucy glanced at them repeatedly.
�Do you want another hotdog?� Selina offered. �Or maybe a snow-cone? The vendor has a better variety than a four-star restaurant.�
�No thanks,� Lucy replied politely, swinging her feet over the edge of the bench. She had changed into one of the new dresses Selina had chosen, a paisley print that hung past her knees. The day was sunny and warm and Selina was in no hurry to get back to the Batcave. Even Bruce seemed content to linger in the park.
�Well, I think it�s legally required that we hit the swings. Bruce?� Selina said, rising. She held her hand out for Lucy. The little girl looked up at her.
�Are you sure those kids will let us?� Lucy asked anxiously, eyeing the bigger children who were playing on the swings. �Mr. Pickles doesn�t like fighting.�
�Has he had to fight a lot?� Bruce asked. Lucy surprised him by slipping her hand into his much larger one. Her elephant companion had been tucked safely into the backpack Selina had thought to purchase. Mr. Pickles was now traveling in style along with the new rhino.
Lucy shrugged. �Sometimes there wasn�t enough to eat. Or a good place to sleep. Janie used to help us. But when she went away�we had to fight. Mostly we lost.�
Selina and Bruce glanced at each other over the top of Lucy�s head. Selina, for one, could relate. She knelt before Lucy, taking hold of her hand.
�You know things are going to be different from now on, right?� Selina asked, touching Lucy�s face. �You and Mr. Pickles don�t have to worry anymore.�
Lucy looked into Selina�s eyes and then glanced up at Bruce for reassurance. He nodded slowly, squeezing her hand. Lucy looked back at Selina and shrugged her thin shoulders.
�Okay,� the child said quietly. Selina nodded in approval, suspecting that Lucy might not be completely convinced. They just had to do a better job of making Lucy believe that she would be safe.
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Catwoman waited on the rooftop in Ottisburg, extending her senses to the city around her. Ottisburg was a solidly lower-middle-class neighborhood, an area of Gotham occupied by families on their way up or down the rigid economic scale of 21st century America. It was a good place to wait, quiet, with little chance of a mugging or a rape to distract her. The residents of Ottisburg knew to be at home with the doors locked and shades drawn by 10 o�clock at night. No one walked the streets here. If they wanted drugs or sex, they would hop the 6 train to the nearby East End.
Selina�s home turf in Crime Alley was one-stop shopping for the degenerates of the city. They came from all over: Gotham Heights, TriCorner, Burnley�even the townhouses of the Upper East Side and the mansions of Bristol. If the East End was Jerusalem, Ottisburg was the Red Sea, a gateway to the promised land. Selina suspected that, if the Joker wasn�t terrorizing Ottisburg, it was someone from the East End who�d gotten lost and started a killing spree thirty-four blocks west. All the evil in the city seemed to flow from Crime Alley.
Dick didn�t buy her theory; he believed the killer was an Arkham early-release or a transient theme criminal. He was crouched beside her, listening. Batgirl was six blocks to the west: the pattern of SMILE-EX murders indicated this section of the district was vulnerable.
�We�re coming up to zero hour,� Nightwing told her. �All of the murders have happened between two and three in the morning.�
�How many does this make for you?� Catwoman asked him. He looked at her in question. �Stakeouts, waiting for a serial killer to strike. How many?�
Dick started to make the calculation in his head before he caught himself. �Too many,� he told her. �Why?�
�Just curious. You�ve been at this longer than me. Is the waiting always this tough?�
�We�ll get whoever�s doing this,� Dick told her softly, glad there was no wind tonight. He didn�t want to have this conversation while fighting to be heard above an April nor�wester. �You�ve never been on this kind of stakeout?�
She shook her head. �I�ve spent a lot of time casing for a job, but not�not waiting for someone to die so I could catch the bastard who did it.�
�No one�s going to die,� Dick replied quickly. �We�re here to stop it. And we don�t lose.�
�You sound like Bruce,� she told him.
�How�s he doing?� Dick asked, stretching his leg. �Things working out with Lucy?�
Selina shrugged. �He�s not bad around kids. I�m was surprised.�
�I was eleven when he took me in,� Dick said. �And he was pretty good with me, at first.�
�What changed?�
�I put on the Robin costume.�
They were silent for a moment, listening again for a shift in the whisper-stream of the city. Still nothing.
�Was he�� Selina tried, the words dying in her throat. �Was he a good father?�
Dick thought back to his reply when Jessica Bradshaw had asked him the same question and he tried to be more honest with Selina than he had been down in the Court of Miracles. �He did the best he could, Selina. I don�t think Bruce ever planned for me or Tim. Or Jason.�
She hated the way they all said his name. Jason. They spoke of him softly, reverently, like the priests had when uttering the name of Christ back when she�d attended mass. The lone martyr to their cause. Selina noticed the way they all avoided talking about the boy who�d died so many years ago and suddenly wanted to ask Dick what exactly had happened to Jason Todd. She wasn�t sure she�d like the answer.
�It�s Bruce�s birthday in a couple of weeks,� Dick mentioned, oblivious to the shift in Selina�s mood. �And if you want to annoy him, make a big deal out of it. He really, really hates parties.�
She tried to smile, tried to shrug off the lingering horror that danced at the periphery of her mind when she thought of Jason Todd. �Are you planning-�
�Not me,� Dick said quickly, holding up his hands. �I�m not crazy, mask and tights aside. But Barbara and I could watch Lucy if you wanted to do something special, maybe get him out of that lonely old house. He tends to brood if he�s not allowed out to patrol.�
�I�ll think about it,� she promised, rising slowly. The whisper-stream had shifted. There was death on the wind.
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