He had accepted that he was going to die; knew it even before he saw the glint of the sacrificial knife, and not even Silver's cry would convince him otherwise.

Then they had appeared, with the bang of a door and a shower of bullets. He craned his neck, desperate to see who had come to his rescue but could only make out Gordon to his left and a brief glimpse of what looked like Penguin beside him. That meant that the others where likely Penguin's men. Cops and gangsters teaming up wasn't exactly the most moral thing, but this was Gotham, and he would take what he could get.

It wasn't until the fight had ended, when Alfred had run to his side and he felt her fingers brush against his hand as she worked at the knot binding his wrists that he had realized she was there. Her small fingers weren't soft or delicate, years on the street had made such a thing impossible, but they were quick and nimble as they expertly untied the knot. It was her. It didn't make sense, but it was her.

He wanted to look back, to see her with his own eyes, but the second his hands were free Alfred's arms were wrapped tightly around him, and he was returning the man's embrace just as fiercely. It was only after Bruce had finally stepped back that he was able to chance a glance at Selina. She had moved back a bit to give them space, but her green eyes had remained fixed on him. Her breathing was still labored from the fight but she was smirking as she gave him a once over. "Nice dress."

He smiled back.

On the way back to the car, he had fully anticipated Alfred's lecture and Selina gloating had been a given. What he hadn't been expecting was the two of them agreeing. It was unsettling hearing them chatting beside him so easily, as if they were friend, as if them working together had been normal. Once again, he was left wondering what exactly had happened while he had been held captive at Galavan's for Selina to have been there.

He snuck a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. For the hundredth time that night, he ignored the impulse to reach for her even as his fingers twitched by his side. He needed to reassure himself she was there, need to know that she wasn't some figure of his imagination.

He wanted to kiss her.

Instead he brushed off her and Alfred's concern, and pushed forward past them towards the car. He opened the door, taking a step back to hold it open for Selina, but by the time he had turned around she had already disappeared among the commotion around them. He tried not to let his disappointment show.

"Don't fret Master Bruce." Alfred said saddling up beside him, as perceptive as always. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing Mrs. Kyle soon."

Bruce nodded but the weight against his chest pressed against him the entire way back.

He had only just gotten her back and already he'd lost her again.

Back at the mansion, Bruce had immediately been shuffled off to his room to shower while Alfred busied himself by making tea. He didn't protest.

Instead, he let himself linger in the shower for longer than usual, trying to wash away any trace of the day; the lingering scent of the cell, the feel of the cloth robe against his skin, the taste of his kiss with Silver. Paying special attention to where the monks had blessed him, he scrubbed his forehead long past when any trace of the water was gone. Only once his skin was raw and the scalding water had gone cold did he shut off the tap.

Back in his room, the sacrificial gown he had been wearing was gone, replaced with a neatly folded set of his clothes. Knowing Alfred, it was likely burning away in one of the manor's numerous fireplaces. He dressed quickly.

Two sharp knocks sounded against the door just as he was pulling his shirt over his head. "Master Bruce you have a visitor waiting for you in the study."

He hadn't expected it to be Selina. She was more one for windows than doors, but even the possibility that it was her had hit him with a longing to see her stronger than he anticipated.
Still the sight of Gordon was reassuring.

Detective Gordon was standing in the center of the room, pacing when Bruce entered the study. He looked worse than he had hours before, like the weight of something new was suffocating him. Bruce wanted to ask what had happened, but something about the detective's demeanor had stopped him.

"Bruce" Gordon said, his eyes lighting up fractionally at the sight of him. "I'm sorry I had to leave earlier I .." He paused to rub the back of his neck. "I had to take care of something, but I wanted to stop by. Make sure you were alright."

Bruce smiled. "I am because of you. Thank you."

His stance softened. "That's not something you have to thank me for Bruce. I'm just sorry that we hadn't been able to get to you sooner."

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "We … you mean you and Penguin."

A pained look crossed Gordon's face but he nodded. "Galavan killed Oswald's mother. The two of us were already planning on taking him down when Alfred came to us. "

"Selina was with you."

It wasn't a question but Gordon nodded his head anyway. "She was the one who showed us the way in."

"How did you find her?"

"We didn't. She found us." Gordon said carefully. "We were coming up with a plan when she showed up on the window ledge. Alfred was hesitant about her joining at first but I trusted her."

"Why," Bruce asked.

He knew Gordon more than anyone else had reason to be wary of her. Unfortunately for Gordon, Selina's self-preservation instincts along with her general distrust for cops usually meant things between the two ended far from being in the detective's favor. As much as he trusted Selina, he wasn't naïve enough to think that Gordon should do the same.
Gordon shrugged. "Because you were the one we were saving."

Slowly, Bruce made his way over to the nearby couch and sat down. "What difference does that make."

Gordon gave him an odd look, before with a sigh he sat down in the chair opposite of him.

"A while back," he started, "I was hunting down a couple of arsonists that were targeting Wayne enterprise buildings. Our investigation lead us to a robbery of some sleazy human trafficking auction committed by the same suspect. We caught Selina on tape with her; they were working together.

"Selina was the one burning down Wayne enterprise buildings?" Even as Bruce said it, it sounded wrong. Fires weren't Selina's style; she slipped in and out without a trace. A fire would be proof that she had been there he reasoned, ignoring the nagging voice in the back of his head reminding him of the real reason. Selina wouldn't be targeting Wayne buildings if it put him and his investigation at risk.

"No turns out her friend, Bridget, was being forced to do it by her brothers, a couple of firebugs Joe and Cale Pike," Gordon said. "Selina was helping her get money to get out of town, but Bridget's brothers caught up with them and kidnapped Bridget before she could. By the time I caught up with her, she was armed with a shotgun about to charge into the home of two expert arsonists to save her friend. It was a suicide mission, and she didn't even hesitate." He chuckled at the memory. "Nearly blew my head off in her haste to get to Bridget."

"Wait Bridget?" Bruce's eyebrows furrowed. "The one with the fire suit."

He remembered that week when Alfred had mentioned the fires. It was around the same time that he had been with Silver. Selina had tried telling him something about her friend and a fire suit but he had blown her off he remembered with a pang of guilt. "What's your point?"

"Selina protects herself above all and yet she was willing to go after two arsonists with nothing but a shotgun. For her to risk her life like that, it would have to be for something she considers to be a big part of that life." Gordon looked pointedly at Bruce. "For someone she cared about enough that losing them would feel like she was losing a part of herself."

Bruce felt his face heat up at Gordons implication. "It's.. It's not like that with us. Selina she… the way she acts sometimes," he looked away, "sometimes I wonder if she even considers us friends."

Gordon gave him a knowing smile. "And when I asked Selina why she was putting herself in danger, she called Bridget just another girl in the neighborhood."

With both hands on his knees he pushed himself up out of his chair. "Just something to think about. In the meantime, go get some sleep and try to give Alfred a night of peace before getting into any more trouble."

Bruce absentmindedly nodded his head, his mind still trying to process Gordon's words. He tried to think back to when Selina had told him about her friend. She hadn't seemed particularly upset, annoyed maybe.

But if what Gordon was saying about him and Bridget was true...

"Gordon"

"Yeah." He paused at the door's threshold.

"What happened to Bridget?"

If he didn't know before the look of sympathy that crossed Gordon's face was confirmation enough. "She didn't make it."

Swallowing down the lump of guilt in his throat, he nodded. "I appreciate you saving my life, but in the future please refrain from allowing Selina to join," he said firmly. "I don't want her to get hurt."

Gordon chuckled. "Yeah sure. Because I'll be able to stop her." Giving Bruce an amused look, he headed for the door. "Take care Bruce."