Chapter 4: Reconciling the Past

Bruce closed his eyes contentedly as he held Selina against him, running his hand soothingly through her pixie-cut hair. The years of separation had fueled their longing tenfold and reminded them of everything that had been forgotten between them.

She gave him a gentle smile and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "So...now that you're back in town, how should we celebrate? It's not quite noon yet, and I don't plan to stay in bed forever."

"Where do you want to go?" he asked.

She grinned playfully. "Why don't we run down to Pauli's Diner to get milkshakes, for old time's sake?"

"Fine with me."

Selina kissed him one last time before they dressed and headed downstairs. As they walked along the street, Bruce couldn't help but think about how extraordinary she looked. Before he left, she was dangerously thin and pale from the years of meal-scrounging and her short black hair was wild and unkempt. 

Nonetheless, the woman he saw before him now was alluring and sophisticated. Her pixie-cut hair was parted to one side, with bangs that beautifully framed her heart-shaped face. Her curves and muscle tone could put a goddess to shame and she had an intelligent, teasing manner about her that kept him wanting more.

"What?" Selina inquired from the corner of her eye.

"Nothing, I'm just...finally noticing how much you've changed."

"In a good way, I hope?"

"The best," he replied with a charming smile, making her roll her eyes in amusement. "I really did miss you, 'Lina."

The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile at the mention of his childhood nickname for her. "I missed you too, B."

Selina reached out and folded her arm around his. Bruce was the only person in the world who could excite feelings of tenderness within her. She once hated his ability to make her feel weak and sentimental. Now, it appeared to make her more human and revealed a side of her personality she didn't know existed.

Once they arrived at the diner, they took their seats at a back corner booth by the window and ordered their usual favorite shakes. Pauli's was a small diner on Grand Avenue that had been around since the 1950s. It was the favorite hangout for teenagers to go after school, including Bruce and Selina. The head waitress Sharon, who had been working at the diner for over a decade, was one of the few people who showed genuine kindness to them. Selina would drop by on occasion and Sharon would give her any leftovers from the kitchen to take with her. When Selina brought Bruce there for the first time, Sharon recognized him from the news about his parents and gave him free milkshakes whenever he stopped in. The place held good memories from their childhood, which was a rare occurrence. 

"I think you and I have some catching up to do," Bruce remarked.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

"What happened after I left? I look around now and feel like the entire world has changed."

"Well, your world might have changed...but no. Gotham is still the same crime-filled cesspool it was four years ago. After you left, I stayed at the manor with Alfred for a while. Without you around, he was starting to go stir-crazy. I thought I'd keep him company."

"That was nice of you," he spoke with sincerity.

"It's hard to be anything but nice to Alfred. Anyway, I reluctantly took your advice and went to Gotham City University. I got my bachelor's degree in accounting and started work at a local wildlife charity. I was a secretary for a while, but I brought up an idea for a fundraiser that made fifty grand in profit in one night."

"Impressive! How exactly did you manage that? Not by picking any pockets, I hope," he teased, which made her smirk. 

"I miss the thrill sometimes...but I've changed my ways. The truth is, having a childhood friend who's a member of one of Gotham's oldest and wealthiest families means I've got tons of valuable insight into the city's elite. That and a few dozen bottles of expensive champagne had them eating from the palm of my hand. The charity did so well that night that the board promoted me on the spot. You're now looking at the special events coordinator and brand ambassador for the Gotham Animal Defense, Action, and Rescue Organization."

Bruce smiled proudly. "I'm happy for you, Selina. I have no doubt you're going to take Gotham by storm."

"Already ahead of you. Right now, I've got my eye on a remote stretch of land in rural Gotham. My team and I are working on getting the permits and the funds to build a wild cat research and rehabilitation facility."

"Really? How is that going?"

"How do you think?" she quipped sarcastically. "As I expected, we don't have enough support from the public. I tried asking a few big corporations for financial backing, but they refused. It turns out wildlife preservation is the last thing on their to-do lists. I told them it would make for good PR, but it's hard to convince multi-million dollar corporations to protect the environment they're secretly extorting," she remarked disdainfully.

"Which companies did you contact?"

"GothCorp, LexCorp, Daggett Industries, Sionis Steel, and Cobblepot Industries. They either lied to my face or laughed me out of the room...not that I expected anything different."

Bruce did a double-take. "Cobblepot...does that mean Oz is back from England?"

She nodded. "He dropped out of UC London two years ago and came back to take over the family business. His parents have been gone for almost a decade, so the board figured it was time for him to step up."

"Oz refused to help you?"

"Not him technically, but the board of directors did. They refused to even meet me. I tried to get ahold of Oz, but I heard he doesn't take a very hands-on approach to managing his business."

"What about the Elliots?"

Selina's face grew somber. "That's right...you haven't heard..."

"Heard what? What happened?"

"Tommy's mother died from cancer not long after you left."

Bruce's eyes widened. "What?! I knew she was sick, but...I didn't think she would be gone so soon. Now Tommy has lost both his parents before the age of twenty."

Selina stirred her milkshake with the tip of her straw. "You, me, Ozzy, and now Tommy. We've effectively formed a little club of orphans, haven't we?"

Bruce shook his head. "Not by choice. Did you get a chance to talk to Tommy after his mother passed away?"

"No one did! I'm guessing he took his inheritance and skipped town because he opened his own surgical practice in Philadelphia shortly after. It was all so...strange. He left Gotham only a few days after her funeral. I remember you telling me about the car crash that killed his father and how your father was able to save Tommy's mother. You'd think he would stay in town for a while, go through everything at the manor, or at least show some kind of emotion after her death...but no. He was just..gone. The city closed Elliot Memorial Hospital, so I guess he felt he had nothing left to keep him here. I swear...every time some terrible thing happens, I start to think that you, Tommy, and Oswald were right to get the hell out of this place."

Bruce looked down at the table. "I really have been gone a long time. So...if your organization can't attract investors, that means your project will be canceled?"

"Unless a million dollars magically manifests itself in my office, yes."

Bruce's eyes grew thoughtful. "I know a corporation that can fund you."

Selina laughed mockingly. "Oh really? Who might that be?"

Bruce opened his wallet, revealing an old silver metallic card tucked inside. He passed it to Selina, and she turned it over. On the card was the letter "W" above an impressive skyscraper. The motto printed below read, "Wayne Enterprises: Building a Better Future for Gotham."

Selina chuckled. "A kind thought, sweetie...but how can you donate your company's money when you don't technically run it yet?"

"I could easily fund the project on my money alone, but I see your point."

Selina gave him a questioning look. "What do you plan to do?"

"Alfred said my father signed Wayne Enterprises over to me in his will. I was too young to run Wayne Enterprises when he died, so the board of directors named Regina Zellerbach as interim CEO until I start working."

"You and I both know the Zellerbachs. They're very...unreliable. They'll bow to public pressure and feed you to the wolves if it means they can save face. If those wolves happen to be your company's board of directors— who may or may not appreciate Thomas Wayne's young, inexperienced, notoriously irresponsible son taking over— then you might be screwed."

Bruce shook his head, amused. "Firstly, you know that my ne'er-do-well attitude is all part of the performance. Second, the board of directors are stockholders who have been at the company since my father's time and are happy with its direction, Regina included. They've been expecting me to take his place from the start."

She shrugged. "If you say so, but your sudden four-year disappearance probably didn't help. They might think you gave up on the idea of running the business and will want to run it their way."

"Well then, I'll just have to pay them a visit. We wouldn't want it to become a... legal issue."

She chuckled. "Doesn't that make you sound like the spoiled brat everyone thinks you are?"

Bruce shook his head. She loved to tease him when they were children. Apparently, it was still her favorite hobby.

"Okay, enough about what's been going on here," Selina declared. "I'm curious to learn what the hell you did during those four years. I know you left to train, but I'm guessing you got some business degree?"

"I received my master's degree in business administration. I had to move regularly, so I only completed a semester or two at each school."

"Figures. You always were extremely brainy. What about the...training?"

Bruce spent the next hour telling Selina about his remarkable global voyage. He learned hand-to-hand combat and kickboxing at eighteen years old from a few professional boxers in London. Then, he traveled to France to learn manhunting and interrogation techniques from a former spy named Henri Ducard who Alfred worked with in France. While in Italy, Bruce learned the art of escapology from the world-renowned magician Giovanni Zatara. 

At nineteen, he went to Norway and learned to fight against multiple assailants. Through school in Switzerland, he got into contact with a genius Russian inventor named Sergei Alexandrov. Bruce moved to his cabin in Siberia and learned the ins and outs of advanced technology as his apprentice. He then stayed in the Himalayas with a trained katana fighter who taught him how to craft and wield the blade in combat. From there he went to Nepal, where he remained for several months at a monastery to learn self-meditation. He studied various martial arts and forms of sword fighting from the Shaolin monks in China until he turned twenty. 

Bruce then traveled east to Japan, where he learned stealth training from a master in the Hida Mountains. After that, he spent the next year traveling across most of Africa. He camped in the Arabian desert, where he learned strength and weapons training from an ancient league of assassins. He spent six months in the jungle with tribes in the Congo and the Nigerian desert, where he learned hunting strategies, medicine, and other survival techniques. 

Bruce then flew from South Africa to Brazil. While living in Sao Paulo, he learned how to street race and escape high-speed chases from a former cartel member named Don Miguel. Between each stop, he taught himself over fifteen languages, gymnastics, investigative techniques, and mechanics before returning to Gotham. 

Once he finished describing his mission, Selina stared at him, mesmerized. "That's...quite an itinerary."

"I meant what I said. I want to end criminal control in Gotham, which meant I had to learn what I could to prepare for anything I might face along the way."

Selina gave him a smirk."You'll have to show me what you've learned...if you think you can take me on."

"I'll warn you...I'm not that little boy you used to wrestle after school."

"Put your money where your mouth is, B," she taunted flirtatiously.

...

After finishing their lunch, the two headed to the park for a walk. Despite the city being dark and gloomy, the park in the nearby Diamond District was breathtaking. Tall evergreens, willows, and cherry blossom trees shaded the fresh green grass. A creek covered in lily pads and lotus blossoms ran through the park's center. Bruce and Selina strolled down the cobblestone path until they reached a stone bridge surrounded by willows overlooking the creek. Vines with little purple flowers decorated the railing and the sounds of small birds chirping filled the air. Selina rested her head against Bruce's arm and closed her eyes peacefully while he watched the rippling of the creek. His gaze wandered down to Selina's hand resting on the railing, and he spotted his mother's ring.

"You still wear it...after all this time?"

Selina opened her eyes and smiled lazily. "You asked me to. Besides, it reminded me—for once in my life—not to break my promises."

He tilted his head down to plant a kiss on her forehead. It was a simple gesture, but full of love.

"Can I ask you something, 'Lina?"

She hummed, signaling him to continue.

"Before I left, you always said that we were never "together." We never put a name to what we were. Why is that?"

She took a moment to consider her answer. "It was because I didn't want to admit I had feelings for you. I keep the people I love at arm's length to protect myself in case anything goes wrong. When we started becoming more than friends, I was worried that if we got "together," we could never return. You were all I had, and if I lost you because it didn't work out romantically, I didn't want it to jeopardize our friendship."

He nodded, not sure how to reply. "And...how do you feel about it now?"

Selina gave him a sideways glance. "In a way, I think my fear came true. You and I are far too deep into it now. I don't think we could ever return to being just friends."

"Is that a bad thing?"

She considered this briefly. "I don't think so. Even though it was difficult to be apart for that long, I think it helped us a lot. It seems like you and I do better when we occasionally put some distance between us."

Her statement troubled Bruce. Now that their complicated relationship was finally beginning to take form, he didn't like the idea of putting more distance between them.

"Do you ever see us becoming...more than this?" he exclaimed.

Selina faced him fully, analyzing his expression. "What are you trying to say?"

Bruce knew he was wading into dangerous waters. He didn't realize how badly he wanted her and needed her until moments ago. It was true that he had met many women in Gotham during his travels who took an interest in him, but none of them could compare to her. Selina was the only woman in the world who truly knew him and could handle the emotional baggage he carried. Bruce was willing to act on his feelings for the first time, but he had to be careful.

"'Lina," he spoke gently, "I've been drawn to you since the day I met you. The way you spoke as if you weren't afraid of anything...how you disappeared one day and came back the next as if nothing had happened. You were a mystery to me...one I desperately wanted to solve. As a sheltered child whose world had shattered when his parents were killed, you were my only link to the outside world. Life was cruel to both of us, but you learned to take it in stride. I needed someone like that in my life. I still do...but I can't keep dancing this dance anymore. After nine years spent together and four apart to find ourselves, don't you think we can stop running from something that will never go away? Don't you think it's time we take a serious look at our future together?"

A moment of suspenseful silence hung in the air. Selina took a step back, almost as if she had been struck.

"If you've got something to say, just say it."

Bruce said nothing at first, but his pleading and determined look was answer enough for her. He rolled back his shoulders, summoning the courage he needed to ask her the question that could potentially ruin everything.

"Marry me, Selina."

She quickly averted her gaze to look out at the park, her eyes mixed with bewilderment and resolve.

"You don't want to marry me, Bruce."

"Why not?"

"Because," she replied sharply, "I'm wrong for you!"

"In what way?" he retaliated, beginning to lose his composure.

She took a deep breath. "Bruce, despite the hell you've been through, you've never stopped giving to those around you. A sensible person could forgive you if you were cynical and selfish, but you managed to come out the other side a decent person. When I look into your eyes, I see your sincerity and desire to do what's right. When I look a little deeper, I see the reason why. You have an unquenchable thirst for justice and vengeance against the man who wronged you. You are everything he made you that night fifteen years ago. Deep down, you're still that broken boy begging for someone to put his world back together."

Bruce's throat tightened as he listened to her words, using every ounce of willpower to hold back years worth of repressed tears.

"I'm not like you, though," she continued, her voice wavering. "My past shaped me differently. I'm selfish, unsympathetic, and detached. Every time my world is thrown into chaos, I run. That's all I know how to do, and you don't need someone who does that. You're everything I wish I could be, but I can't no matter how hard I try. I don't have any noble intentions. I'm not a good person, and I don't pretend to be!"

Bruce stepped toward her and took her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Stop it!" he growled, sending a chill down her spine. "You're more than what you make yourself out to be. You just don't want to admit it. A selfish person wouldn't have waited for me for four years. An unsympathetic person wouldn't have comforted me through the loss of my parents. A detached person wouldn't worry about what could make me happy. You're not that person, Selina. It's just the mask that you wear. It's what you want people to believe."

She stared at him, speechless. He did know almost everything about her. She tried desperately to make herself into a mystery that couldn't be solved but hiding her true self from someone as close to her as Bruce was difficult.

"You are a good person, Selina," Bruce continued. "I accepted that I would spend the rest of my life alone when I was just nine years old. But you...you walked into my life without a care in the world...like you knew your place in it from the very beginning. You gave me hope that maybe...maybe it is possible for us to be happy. That the only way for two people as broken and scarred as us to have a normal life is if we build it ourselves...together."

Selina didn't utter a word. She stood frozen in his embrace, her eyes fixed on the ground as he unraveled every fiber of her being. With a deep sigh, Bruce stepped away, looking at her intensely.

"I've said all I can say. I won't convince you to marry me... and I can't force you to love me, either. If you don't love me, I want you to say it clearly. Don't lead me on this chase anymore. If you need me, I will always be there for you. We were friends before we were anything else, and if it means that much to you, we can go back. If you love me and you're only doing this to protect yourself from pain, I promise I won't cause you any. I know deep down that you want the one thing you've missed all your life; stability. You've never known a life without chaos. You know that we could be happy and it scares you. In your mind, it's easier to face the demons you know than the demons you don't."

Silence overcame them once again. When Selina couldn't look at him anymore, he knew he had said all he could. She shut herself in and needed time alone to think about her decisions. 

Bruce kissed her tenderly on the cheek before stepping off the bridge and heading down the path. He fished his phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial. After a seemingly endless amount of ringing, the older man's voice answered.

"Change of plans, Alfred," Bruce said, sounding dejected. "I'm coming home."

...

The journey back to Wayne Manor was as tense as it was silent. Bruce refused to discuss what happened and Alfred knew better than to ask. Bruce's expression said it all.

The rest of the afternoon slipped away, yet the memory of it remained rooted in Bruce's mind well into the night. He tried to busy himself with an assortment of tasks around the house, yet when all proved useless, he relented and went to bed. However, even that proved to be a difficult task. His mind wandered as he looked around the room. The last time he laid in his bed, she was right there beside him. As a final attempt, he closed his eyes and let the darkness of his lids overtake him. Slowly, his body began to relax as he slowed his breathing and let the weight of his body sink into the mattress. 

That was when he heard it—rustling. It was coming from outside the doors of the balcony. He opened one eye and spotted the ivy vines on the outside walls moving in the moonlight. The corners of his mouth formed into a knowing smile as he heard a soft tapping noise making its way up the wall. Only someone with keen senses would have heard it. Bruce closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep to hide his smugness.

"I knew she'd be back," he thought to himself.

At last came the squeaking of the door hinges, followed by a gust of wind that billowed the maroon drapes. The soft, practiced footsteps approached his right side, then ceased. After a moment, he felt the mattress dip as she crawled into the bed and beneath the covers. Once she reached him, she lowered herself onto his chest and buried her head into the hollow of his neck. Her right hand rested on his chest, and he reached up to grasp her fingers.

For a short time, not a word was spoken between the two of them. Nothing needed to be said. They were at a point in their relationship where actions spoke louder than most words ever could. Sometimes, neither of them knew exactly what to say. They had done enough talking that afternoon and continuing on the subject would only reinforce their doubts.

Bruce wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her tightly to him. After another moment of silence, Selina propped herself on her elbows to look at him. Her expression was tired as if she had agonized over the subject non-stop.

There was also a tenderness to her gaze. She bore a small smile, and her eyes glimmered with purpose.

She reached up with one hand to brush a stray strand of hair out of his eyes before looking him straight in the eye. "Yes."

"Yes, what?" he asked tiredly. 

"Yes... I will marry you."