Hi, guys! I'm back!

So, this chapter focuses mainly on Bruce and Selina. I wanted them to have a moment to be themselves, but as grownups. They're older now so they obviously experience the world and each other differently. Also, I saw an image from the comics of Bruce and Selina out on a regular date and I thought it was so, so sweet. It's funny, in the comics Selina is always the one "after" Bruce in the sense of romance, but in Gotham they kinda switched it and it's Bruce falling in love with Selina first and pursuing her, trying to break down her barriers. I found it really interesting, it's a different take on their dynamics and it works really well.

Oh, also I apologise if there's misspelling or if sentences are sometimes confusing. English isn't my first language, I'm very fluent but hardly perfect and I have the strangest tendency to skip words when writing or mix them up. I've been reviewing every chapter to try and correct all the mistakes.

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

DC Verse - Gotham

"Street Cats and Dark Knights"

Selina x Bruce

Chapter 15. Date Night

Gotham - O'Hare Pub

The smell of beer and heavy cologne hit Jim full force as he stepped inside the Irish pub. It was a typical pub with a long counter made of dark wood and several matching stools, most of which were occupied by regulars. The tables at the rear were also full. There was some football game playing on tv, so the place was noisier than usual as avid fans of the sport shouted their opinions and indignations at the plasma screen to quail their frustrations.

Pushing through some rude costumers, Jim made his way to the bar. He took the stool closest to where Harvey stood on the other side, white towel thrown over the shoulder. As usual, his grey hair was a disheveled mess since the man refused to get a decent haircut. His scruffy beard was in similar fashion. At the sight of Jim, he frowned.

"If you're here to nag me again, I will kick your ass out that door."

Jim raised his hands in harmless manner, "I just wanna have a drink with my brother."

"Yeah right," the old man scoffed, not buying it. Still, he grabbed a glass and brought it to the tap, pumping cold beer until it was full, with a nice layer of foam on top, before sliding it over to Jim. "Shouldn't you be home with Lee instead of coming down here every night to harass a poor shmuck?"

The mention of his wife caused Jim to purse his lips. The past couple of days after Hill fired him were almost as stressful for him as they were for her, although for distinct reasons. While he was set on exposing Murdock for the shady criminal he was, Lee was worried sick about him getting himself wrapped up into more than he could handle on his own. Since Junior was born, she was terrified of losing him, she didn't think she could raise their son alone.

He worried about it too. Constantly, in fact. He had two children depending on him now. But he also had a duty, a responsibility to the city, and he simply couldn't let the fate of Gotham stay in the hands of dangerous men.

"I got these the other day-"

Jim took out a brown envelope from inside his trench coat, handed it over to Harvey. He hesitated for a moment, eventually taking it from his hands and going through the pictures inside. His eyebrows shot upwards and his jaw slackened.

"What the heck is this?"

"Experiments gone bad," Jim explained, "done on innocent people by BioIngen. They're the ones behind Red Haze."

Aghast with horror and revulsion, Harvey slipped the pictures back into the envelope and returned it. He scratched his bearded chin as if trying to wrap his mind around what he'd just seen, even though they had pretty much seen it all by now.

"Where d'you get the pictures? Was it your friend, the bat?" The guilty-as-charged look on Jim's face seemed answer enough. Harvey shook his head, "It won't hold in court, you know that. Vigilantism is against the law. Even if you could use it as evidence, with Pauling in charge and in Hill's pocket, someone would get rid of it."

"Yeah I know, but c'mon, you're gonna tell me this doesn't bother you? Don't you wanna find out what's going on and why they're doing experiments?"

Harvey heaved a sigh as he grabbed a pint glass to clean, "Look, I'm pissed because some son of a bitch forced me to leave sooner than I planned to, but I was about to retire anyway. I'm old, Jimbo, and I feel old too. I'm done with the job, now I just wanna do whatever the hell I want and enjoy the simple pleasures of life."

"Like running this dump?" Jim raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, don't badmouth my pub! I paid good money for it," he defended.

"A waste of money if you ask me," Jim muttered under his breath, earning himself a glare. After so many years of friendship, he knew when it was pointless to argue with Harvey so he let it go. He hunched his shoulders and sipped from his drink. "I knew you would retire this year, but I don't know… I can't imagine working without you by my side."

And it was true - he really didn't. Life in Gotham was crazy and erratic, some days more than others. Harvey was one of the few things he could rely on to always be the same, he was a constant in the changing chaos, his brother in arms. Even if he did end up getting his job back, Jim would have to learn how to do it without Harvey, which was sad and maybe a little scary too.

With a smile, Harvey set aside the glasses and the towel and placed his elbows on the counter, right in front of Jim. "Maybe it's time for someone else to take my place. You and the Bat seem to make a good team."

"He's a vigilante. I trust him about as far as I can throw him."

"Oh c'mon, give the big guy a chance. You might not agree with his methods, but he's good for this city. Crime rate's gone lower since he showed up, not even that canary chick could pull something like that off."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. In some ways, he's exactly what Gotham needed," Jim reluctantly admitted.

"It does make you wonder though, doesn't it? Who might be behind the mask, what kind of person he is…"

Jim frowned at the cold beer in between his hands, watching the amber liquid flicker under the dim lighting of the pub. Yeah, he spent a lot of his time wondering the same. He had a feeling in his gut about Batman, a slight suspicion. However, sometimes it was best not to know. Knowledge could be a very dangerous thing.

Gotham - Upper East Side

A harsh gust of wind blew past Selina, nearly sending her careening off the gargoyle where she was perched on. Her muscles were aching from sitting in the same position for so long and, even though the suit kept her warm, her butt was freezing. She was too stubborn to leave, though. Since she'd went through all the trouble of leaving the comforts of Eric's arms on a cold night to checkup on Bruce, she figured she might as well see it through.

Truthfully, she had no idea what possessed her to follow him. Some clients at the gallery were gossiping about Bruce Wayne going on a date. Apparently one of them heard from someone who worked at Bistro Voltaire, a high-end French restaurant, that a woman had called to make reservations for two in his name. For some reason, Selina's sixth sense went off and, hard as she tried, she just couldn't fight the urge to follow him.

As soon as she saw the familiar blond beauty step out of the sleek silver Aston Martin, a horrible, afflictive feeling spread over her chest. When Bruce joined Silver on the sidewalk, tossing the keys to the valet and placing a hand on her lower back to guide her inside the restaurant, the feeling crept upwards, clogging Selina's throat, squeezing the air from her lungs. Selina couldn't help wondering if this was how he felt when he saw her with Eric. If it was, she honestly had no idea how he dealt with it. Had it been anyone else and it would've meant nothing, but he had a past with this woman.

Selina groaned with impatient frustration, stretching back on her hands and gazing up at the starless sky. Geez, they're taking forever, she thought, annoyed. How much could they possible have to talk about? They probably had nothing in common. What did he see in her? Sure she was pretty, in a very obvious way, but she wasn't his type. Was she? Did he even have a type?

"Is there any particular reason why you're stalking me?"

The sound of Bruce's voice scared the living daylights out of her, causing Selina to jump to her feet with a hand over her racing heart. He was standing on the other side of the ledge, one shoulder leaning against the side of the emergency exit. He looked ridiculously handsome in his suit, and the half smile he had on as he curiously studied her only added to the charm.

Surprised, and more than a little confused, she glanced over her shoulder at the restaurant, then back at him, "What… when... How did you get here?"

"Through the stairs." His deadpan answer had her scowling, and he chuckled quietly, "I used the backdoor of the restaurant."

The sourness didn't leave Selina's face as she gracefully leapt from the gargoyle and over the ledge. She could feel the weight of his stare, scrolling down her body. Suddenly her catsuit was too tight, too hot for comfort.

"What about your date? She's probably missing you."

Selina closed her eyes, cursing in her head, regretting the harsh, accusatory way she spat the question.

"I doubt it. I told her something came up, she should be calling someone to pick her up now."

"Oh…" She shifted slightly so she could see his face. Her heart rate picked up again at the intensity she found there. She had to clear her throat for her voice to come out, "Why were you having dinner with that floozy anyway?"

Bruce snorted into his hand, "Floozy? Is that the best you can come up with?"

"I was being nice actually. I can think of much more creative names to call her," Selina replied, shooting him a glare of annoyance when he shook his head with a smile. "It's not funny, Bruce. She's bad news."

He pushed from the wall, bringing his hands out from the pockets of his dress pants as he moved towards her. Her senses went into overdrive, every muscle clenching at his sudden proximity, and she crossed her arms over her chest defensively. Her reaction seemed to amuse him further.

"I know she's bad news. In fact, I had dinner with her because I'm trying to figure out what she's doing here. But that's not what's funny." Bruce stopped mere inches from Selina. His smug smirk was infuriatingly sexy. "You're jealous."

Blood rushed to her cheeks. "No I'm not."

Bruce laughed openly, "Yes, you are. Admit it."

"I have nothing to admit," Selina sputtered indignantly. Her body was screaming at her to either back off from him as fast as possible or to close the short distance and grab him by his tie because standing in the limbo was absolute torture, but she stubbornly stood her ground. "Contrarily to your opinion, not every woman falls prey to your charms."

The smug smile didn't drop from his lips. "Good. I like challenges."

Selina was unable to hold back a bubble of laughter. She shook her head, divided between amused and exasperated by the flirty implication in his words. "Conceited jerk."

"Maybe a little," Bruce admitted with a shrug. There was a short pause while his stare lingered on her in deep thought. "Let's go on a date."

Okay! So not what she was expecting. Selina blinked in astonishment, "You just ditched one date and now you wanna go on another?"

"I want to go with you."

She shot him a look, "I have a boyfriend, or have you forgotten?"

"It would be a friendly date."

Her eyebrows drew together as she searched his face for any indicators that he was joking. She found none. "Friendly or not, it wouldn't be a good idea."

The distance between them shortened significantly when he took another step. Selina's hands jumped to his chest to stop him. His heart kicked against her palm. "I never said it was. Come on, Selina, we haven't had any chance to just be us. I miss you, I miss my friend."

Selina swallowed dryly. She missed him too. So goddamn much.

"What about Batman? Don't you usually patrol around this time?"

"Gotham survived ten years without me, I can take one night off."

"I'm not exactly dressed to go out."

"That's easily fixed, I'll buy you something to wear," Bruce countered insistently. Christ he was stubborn, Selina thought. "Are you done coming up with reasons not to go?"

Again, there was no denying the confidence in his smile. He was so… ugh! He knew exactly how much power he held over her and had no qualms about using it to get what he wanted. Selina liked that about him. She liked a man who went for what he wanted, it was one of the things she found attractive in Eric as well.

Using his strong chest as support, she stood on her toes until she was almost touching his lips. "There's only one problem with your plan," Selina whispered in a purr, "I'm not wearing anything else under this suit."

"Jesus," Bruce groaned in breathless anguish. When he tried to grab her by the waist, she quickly glided out of his reach. She shot him a vixen smile, twirling the zipper at the base of her throat to tease him a little more for personal entertainment. His eyes were drawn to her fingers before flicking back to hers with visible effort. "I'll buy you underwear too."

"Oh really?" She raised her eyebrow, grin widening, "You gonna help me pick out something nice?"

Bruce raised a hand to rub his face. Poor guy, Selina chuckled, he definitely looked like he was in serious need of a cold shower.

"You're trying to distract me."

Selina hummed an affirmation, "Is it working?"

"Yes," Bruce replied honestly, "but we're still going."

Jerking her shoulders up and down in defeat, Selina stepped around him to get to the emergency door. She had a grip on the handle when she felt him come up from behind, place his hand over hers, halting her for a moment. He was warm against her back. Selina's body trembled with electricity.

He lowered his mouth to her ear, "Just so we're clear, if I see you without clothes on, I'll tie you with your whip and have my way with you inside the dressing room. Friendly date or not."

Selina's knees buckled with desire at the unexpected threat. A very vivid, very realistic image of him doing exactly that crossed through her mind, creating an eruption of delicious heat coursing through her veins.

Oh yeah, this was a really, really bad idea.

Gotham - Upper East Side

About an hour or so later, they were strolling down the street. He'd left the car in an underground parking lot after a surprisingly fun visit to a clothing boutique still open. The shopping attendant had eyed Selina's catsuit in a most comic way before finally recognising him and promptly offering to help. Selina obviously dismissed the young girl.

While she sauntered through the store, running her fingers across the expensive fabrics, Bruce sat back, watching her with a smile. Sometimes she would turn around and tease him about how strange and out of place a man like him looked in a women's clothing shop. A bull in a china shop, she said. She was probably right, but he didn't care. He was happy. She'd said yes. She'd actually said yes. It was a start, it was something.

As she was about to go into the dressing room, Selina pinned him down with a hooded stare full of fiery challenge. It took everything in him not to follow her in there. God, she drove him insane. She was sexy and flirty when they were younger and he had enough trouble controlling himself back then. Now it was damn near impossible. Every muscle in his body itched with need for the beautiful woman she had become. He wanted desperately to kiss her, hold her, feel her wrapped around him all night. He wanted to love her like she was meant to be loved - completely.

Their arms brushed as they walked. The touch was intimate, familiar. Bruce gave Selina a sidelong glance, enjoying the way the red dress hugged her curves. The off-shoulder cut reminded him of the dress she wore for the fundraising auction, but without her hair up he didn't have the same view of her lovely freckles.

"What?" Selina asked defensively when she noticed his stare.

"Nothing," Bruce shook his head with a soft smile. "I was just thinking about your hair, you've never had it this long before."

She brought a self-conscious hand to her curls, pushing a few strands behind her ear. "I've been meaning to chop some of it off for a while, but Eric doesn't want me to. He likes it like this."

The comment left him sick to his stomach with bitterness and anger. He curled his hands into fists inside the pockets of his pants. Since when did she let someone else make decisions about her appearance?

"If you want to cut it, you should," Bruce said firmly. Realising he might've sounded a little harsher than he meant to, he forced some lightness into his voice, "I've always thought you looked beautiful."

Her cheeks flushed, he noticed fondly.

"Flirt," Selina bumped her shoulder against his playfully. "So, where are we going?"

"I honestly have no idea. I haven't had much time to explore the city for places to go out since I came back as you can imagine. I was actually hoping you would suggest somewhere."

There was silence while Selina seemed to sort through possible options. "Well," she started slowly, "there's this place Dinah and I go to sometimes. It's not far from here, but… I don't know if it's really your scene."

Bruce regarded her with cautious suspicion, "What does that mean?"

Selina beamed with mischievousness, "It means it's not exactly a place for uptight rich men, or at least that's what Dinah likes to say."

"I'm not uptight," he defended. The dubious expression on her face was a blow to Bruce's male pride. "I'm not. I'll prove it to you."

Even though she clearly didn't believe him, Selina lead him down the street anyway. The further they ventured, the less expensive the establishments became. Eventually they reached a district of clandestine nightclubs. Bruce had been there on patrol once or twice, but it looked different from the ground. With colourful flickering lights, blasting music and excited crowds, the place reminded him a lot of Rio.

They approached a club with a long line outside. The neon sign above the entrance was bright green with one of the letters turned off, probably from a blown fuse. He tried to listen for what music was playing inside but the bustling noise from the outside was too loud and confusing.

Selina stopped him abruptly, standing in front of him and grabbing a hold of his tie. He raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing?"

"Giving you a makeover," she said, fingers working expertly. Once the knot was unraveled, she slipped the blue fabric from around his neck and shoved it inside her purse. Then, she undid the first buttons of his shirt.

When she grazed his skin by accident, sparkles went flying down his spine. Bruce ignored his hyperactive senses as she stepped back to admire her work. "Better?"

Her eyes were sultry, predatory, assessing him from head to toe before raising a hand and threading her fingers through his hair, mussing the neatly combed locks. The action melted every bone in his body.

"Much," she purred with deep satisfaction.

He let out a breathless chuckle, "Now who's the flirt?"

Selina shot him a shameless smile, whirling on her heels, strutting towards the club. Instead of finding a place at the back of the line, she went straight for the bouncer at the door. The man recognised her. He leaned down to place a friendly kiss on her cheek, instantly stepping aside to allow them in after she whispered something in his ear, pointing towards Bruce.

The club was a refreshing surprise. The decor was straight out of Havana Nights - dark lights, columns and banisters made of wood. On the upper level, the bar was old-fashioned. The tables were decorated with lit candles and positioned along the railing, overlooking the crowded dace-floor bellow where several couples were swaying to the latin rhythm of the music.

"I wasn't expecting something like this," Bruce confessed as they settled on one of the few empty tables left. It was hot, so he took off his jacket, placed it on the back of his chair and rolled the sleeves of his shirt to elbow-length. "Do you really come here with Dinah?"

"Sometimes," Selina shrugged, gesturing to the bartender, who also seemed to be an acquaintance, "when we need to unwind."

Curious, Bruce leaned forward, "But why a latin bar?"

A waitress stopped by and placed two glasses on the table before skipping off. Selina reached for her drink, taking a long sip, while he peered down suspiciously into his own. He got a whiff of strong rum.

"I knew a girl from Colombia when I was studying in Milan, she used to drag me and the rest of our friends to the nearest salsa club whenever she was homesick. After working our asses off during the day, it was nice to go out and have fun."

"What was it like?"

"Milan?" Bruce nodded, and she smiled with nostalgia. "The academy was tough and exhausting, some of the teachers were really demanding. But I loved Italy. I think it was my favourite country."

"Where else did you go?"

His genuine interest seemed to take her by surprise for a moment, but she quickly recovered. Selina launched on a tale about the years he missed and all the places she visited before returning to Gotham. He listened enraptured, marvelled by how different, how mature and captivating she sounded as she spoke. Her hands accompanied each word and sometimes her eyes sparkled in a certain manner under the dim golden lights that stole his breath away.

Selina told him about Marina Bellini, about the first time they met and how much she grew to admire the woman who became her mentor. She told him of her mismatched group of friends at the academy, describing each of them so thoroughly Bruce felt as if he knew them as well. She also confessed how much she didn't want to fight her friend Jen, the assassin Sean Murdock had hired to get rid of Batman - of him. The simple fact that Selina was willing to jeopardise her friendship for his safety, filled Bruce with unbearable affection... and hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, she would change her mind about switching sides permanently.

In turn, Bruce recounted his own journey. Alfred and Lucius were the only two people with whom he had shared the actual story, but even from them there were things he kept to himself, some out of embarrassment or guilt, others out of shame. With Selina, Bruce shared everything. She'd seen him at his best and she'd seen him at his worst, sometimes they brought out the best in each other and sometimes they brought out the ugliest. That's how it always was for them. Bruce wasn't ashamed of telling her anything.

Drinks kept coming while conversation flowed. Selina was clearly more than a little tipsy, he noticed, amused. Her cheeks were flushed and she wouldn't stop playing with her hair, running her hands through her curls, pulling them over one shoulder, flaunting the bare skin of the other. She was laughing more openly than usual as well, laughing with her whole body. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. And he wasn't the only one who thought so. He saw the way men were staring at her from the bar or whenever they walked past their table. He should've been jealous, instead he was only proud.

"There's something I should tell you," Bruce said after a while. She stared expectantly. "It seems Jeremiah escaped from Arkham. The police is searching for him, but they haven't found him yet."

Selina's grip on the glass tightened. She tried to play it cool, but he could read the tension in her shoulders. "He's supposed to be braindead, how could he just leave?"

"They think he might've been taken by a fan, it wouldn't be the first time something like that happens."

"You have another theory," Selina observed keenly.

He nodded, pursing his lips, "Yes, but I don't want you to do anything about it. I don't want you chasing after him."

"The creep shot me, Bruce."

"I remember. Vividly, for that matter." The memory of Jeremiah shooting Selina in front of him flashed through his mind, filling him with a mix of fury and fear. Fear of it ever happening again. "I can't focus on my job if I have to worry about you."

Selina snorted, "Oh please."

"I mean it, Selina. For my sake, don't go looking for trouble."

"Yeah fine, whatever," she grumbled, although very unconvincingly. He opened his mouth to pursue the matter, but she cut him off with an abrupt change of topic, "Wanna dance?"

He didn't have a chance to reply. In the blink of an eye, she was on her feet dragging him down the stairs and into the middle of the dance-floor. He was admittedly a little stunned, maybe even worried. The last time he danced to latin music was when he was in Paris training with Ducard and his son took him out to a bar where a woman he was smitten with was working.

When Selina's hand found the nape of his neck, slipping along the length of his shoulder, finding a resting spot there, the noise in his mind stilled at once. Bruce wrapped one arm around her waist, drawing her close until they were chest to chest, reaching for her other hand. The song changed as if on cue, slowing to a rich, sensual tango played by guitars and the accordion. He felt Selina's body respond to the sound with a quiver, surrendering to the notes, to him. He closed his eyes with a shaky breath and let instinct move him.

Bruce slid his left foot backward in a smooth motion across the slick floor and she followed with her right foot forward, chasing after it with intention. His fingers tightened on her ribs as he went onward again, leading her through the steps. Selina melted into the dance, yielding completely to his lead. She was so close… Her perfume was invading his senses. She smelled like leather and sweet, provocative things. It was overwhelming and inebriating.

They stopped, toe to toe. He pulled her hips to his, and she gasped, looking at him with surprise, "You've had dancing lessons."

"Well," Bruce drawled huskily as she brushed her leg against his, kicking over and back before he grabbed it and hoisted the limb around his hip, "a man of my station needs to be able to glide a beautiful woman across the dance-floor, or so Alfred has pointed out to me."

The musicians continued to play the passionate song and they moved in perfect sync, in perfect harmony. Like two people who had been dancing together all their lives. It was as if they had liquefied into one, her frame into his, his to her. Selina felt strong but soft in his arms, open and vulnerable, but powerful all the same. Every touch, every dip, every sway of her body felt like a declaration of desire and love.

He pushed her away as though she were too awful, yet much too wonderful, to be near. He pulled her by the hand, keeping her against him for a brief moment before spinning her out. Then, he reeled her back in again. Her back was to his chest, her head fell to his shoulder. He ghosted the tip of his nose along the graceful curve of her neck, drunk on the feeling of her.

Tango was about surrender, intimacy, letting go. Bruce had tangoed with other women before, mostly when he was learning, but it was a type of dance he tended to avoid because he never felt like he had the right partner. His shields were always up, and tango is not a thing that can be done halfway. It requires honesty of the soul. Both dancers need to be all in. But with Selina, it was as easy as breathing.

The song ended almost abruptly, leaving them in a tangled, breathless, heated mess. Bruce gripped the curls on the back of her head in a fist and Selina dug her nails on the nape of his neck. They stared into each other's eyes in a daze, parting only when the sound of applause burst their private bubble. Apparently, they had gathered a crowd from the other dancing couples and the rest of the people in the club. Selina stepped away from him, red in the face. She shot him a shy look sideways before laughing and doing a little bow. Embarrassed, Bruce copied her.

Once the crowd was satisfied, everyone dispersed. The band started another song. This one with the upbeat and fun rhythm of salsa.

Selina grinned when Bruce offered his hand again, "One more?"

Gotham - Upper East Side

One song ended up becoming several. They danced until their feet were raw and sore. They danced until everyone left and the club closed for the night.

Her body was pleasantly worn-out and her head was spinning. She clung to Bruce's arm the whole way back to the car because her heels were pinching her toes and digging into her skin.

"That was so much fun," Selina sighed dreamily as she slipped off the lovely, yet horribly uncomfortable, black Jimmy Choo's off her poor feet, leaning back into the leather seats of his Aston Martin. "Who would've thought Bruce Wayne is such a dirty dancer?"

"Dirty dancer? I like the sound of that," he chuckled quietly, glancing between the road and her. "When you go with Dinah, do you dance with her or do you usually have a long line of men dying to invite you out onto the dance-floor?"

Selina shook her head with a smile, "Dinah mostly, she's a great dancer. You should dance with her the next time we go."

The certainty with which she said that caught Selina by off guard. Had she just assumed he would come with her? Why? It was ridiculous. Bruce had more important things to concern himself with than going out and having fun. And, regardless, she wasn't supposed to be spending time with him anyway. If Eric ever got word of it… A shudder shot down her spine.

"I'm sure she's great, but I think I found my partner."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt her face grow warm. Clearing her throat, Selina reached out to play with the radio.

While they were dancing, the word kept echoing in her head over and over again - partner. They moved like partners. She instinctively knew where he was going to step before he did, where he would place his hand, which direction he would turn. It was fluid, easy. It took her back to when they were younger, fighting against their enemies in absolute synchronicity.

The way he lead her through the tango… God, her body came alive with yearning simply by remembering the feeling of his flirty fingers on the bare skin of her thigh, his hot breath on her sternum as he dipped her low, his hips rolling against hers when he spun her around and held her back to his chest. He was all man during the dance, overflowing with prowess and deep sensuality. Yet, at the same time, he was also incredibly exposed. No barriers, no defence shields, no safety systems. Only instinct, passion and trust.

Lost in her thoughts, Selina didn't notice they were on her street until they parked in front of her apartment building. The music echoing softly from the speakers and the purring of the engine quietened once Bruce turned off the ignition. Silence crashed over the car with an already familiar tension teeming with electricity and expectation. Selina shifted awkwardly in her seat, swallowing dryly.

"Well, I uh… I better go, it's gettin' late and I'm sure Alfred's wondering where you are…" she stumbled out, reaching for the door.

"Selina, wait-" A hand fell over the one she had on her lap. She looked at him wide-eyed, faltering under the breathtaking, all-consuming intensity of his stare. "Come home with me."

Billions of butterflies went rampant inside her stomach, but Selina stomped hard on them. She shook her head, "Bruce, no… okay? Let's not even go there."

His grip tightened ever so slightly and his lips curled into a frown. "Tell me tonight wasn't the most fun and free you've felt in a really long time. Tell me you don't think about that kiss at least once every day. Look at me and tell me you don't feel this too."

He brought her hand to the centre of his chest, where his heart was thumping, throbbing furiously. Selina squeezed her eyes shut, her own heart bruising against her ribcage in response. The kiss wasn't the only thing she thought about. Her days and nights were filled with memories of him, of them - laughing, doing reckless things, fighting, falling in love. He was a constant in her mind, every hour, every minute.

"I'm with Eric-"

"God dammit, Selina, he hurts you! He's controlling and overbearing. He has no idea who you really are underneath all the lies, and he doesn't even care as long as you stand there looking pretty and cater to his every whim," Bruce exploded.

"Shut up," she hissed, brusquely yanking her hand from him. "You don't know the first thing about my relationship!"

"I know you're not happy!"

She chortled bitterly, "Hate to break it to you, Bruce, but happiness isn't exactly something broken people like us aspire to have in their lives."

"You're happy when you're with me," he argued sharply

Anger and resentment were building up at an alarming pace inside of her. The blood in her veins was pumping violently. Her mind was getting hazy with emotion, and being trapped in a confined space with him wasn't helping. She felt like she was suffocating. She needed air, clean air.

She threw the passenger door open and jumped out of the car, shoes forgotten at the bottom of the seat. When she heard him follow, Selina rounded on him, shoving him hard in the chest, "You fucking bastard! You should have never come back! I was fine! Everything was fine! Why couldn't you have stayed away?"

"Selina…" Bruce breathed in obvious distress, recoiling like a wounded animal.

Far from done, she shoved him again, "You have no idea how much it hurt to stand at that airport and watch you leave. I didn't get out of bed for weeks, Bruce. Weeks! And you know why? Because it was the only place that smelled like you, how fucking pathetic is that? I laid there, reading your stupid letter over and over again, forcing myself to suffer so I would always remember what it felt like to have my heart broken, so I would never let it happen again. It took me years to get to a good place. And yes, Eric has many faults, and no, I can't be myself around him, but he never hurt me like you did."

Selina pushed him a few more times, hoping it would ease her frustration. It didn't. The way he just let her shove him around only made her more furious. He always did this, he never physically fought back. Why? Why couldn't he just this once? She wanted to fight him, punch him, claw him to ribbons.

Suddenly, she was in his arms, squeezed so tightly against his rock hard chest it was impossible to breathe. Selina stared in frozen shock at the white fabric of his shirt and the buttons she had undone earlier in the night as he held on to her. Her fists were trapped between them, she couldn't move them even for an inch. He rested his cheek against the crown of her head. The tender gesture nearly brought Selina to tears.

She let her forehead fall to his chest, exhausted, "You were all I had… but I guess it was foolish of me to think I would ever be enough for you."

Bruce squeezed tighter, "That's not true, Selina."

"Yes, it is. And it's fine. I get it."

"You don't get anything," Bruce growled fiercely, placing one hand on each side of her neck, drawing her face upwards. His eyes, those beautiful dark eyes, were lit with fiery determination. "I told you once that you were everything to me. I meant it, Selina, I still mean it."

"Bruce, stop. It's no use digging up all this pain from the past. Life moved on."

"It didn't for me, not when it comes to us. My feelings haven't changed. You and I have been connected from the first moment we met, and I know you feel the same."

Part of her wanted to lie and deny it, but the words wouldn't leave her body. And yet, she couldn't gather the strength to tell him the truth either. Not only because of Sean, but because it was especially dangerous for her. Selina desperately wished they could always be who they were tonight - a normal couple who went out on dates, who danced and had fun. But she knew Bruce. She didn't doubt his feelings, she never did, but whenever he was forced to choose between love and his mission, the choice was always the same. He was the only man with power to destroy her emotionally, to devastate her completely, which he would eventually if given the chance, and she couldn't let him because the next time he did, she didn't think she could ever piece herself back together.

Everything in her hurt as she pulled away. The way his face fell and the light died in his eyes ached deeply in her soul.

"Selina…" he pleaded in a stranded voice.

"Go home, Bruce. It's late."

Selina hitched the purse higher on her shoulder, turning around, heading for the building. She barely made it through the door when she heard the engine roaring to life, angry and thunderous, followed by the the screeching of tires as Bruce drove off at high speed.

Getting to the apartment was tough. Her legs grew heavier with each step, shackling her muscles. The oxygen was leaving her lungs in loud, frantic gasps, but not enough was getting back in. Black dots were clouding her vision as she struggled to fit her key into the lock of her apartment. Somehow she managed to stick it in, twist the door open and slip inside barely in time before her knees folded underneath her.

She stayed there, kneeling on the cold floor, breathing in and out, trying to hold back the tears prickling her eyes. She told herself it was better this way - for both of them. And yet, her heart was in agony all the same.

Gotham - Murdock Manor

"What do you mean you can't find him?"

A skinny man trembled under the weight of Sean's glare. He gulped loudly, shooting a weary glance towards the young woman standing protectively behind his chair, clearly fearing Sean's wrath would set her off.

"We went to his usual hideout, but he wasn't there," he explained shakily. "The place was trashed and the girls were dead. Poison Ivy killed them."

"Poison Ivy?" Sean echoed in incredulity. "Why would she take Victor? She's an outsider, she doesn't meddle in underworld politics."

"We don't know, boss…"

"What a surprise! Of course you don't, you're all a bunch of incompetents," Sean scoffed disdainfully, rolling his eyes. He shifted slightly, "Gemini."

The young woman stepped closer to him. Her hair, black as coal, partially shielded her face, but her equally dark eyes were intimidating on their own. She was of average-height with a slim built accentuated by the skintight suit she sported. The material was soft and pliable, especially designed to accommodate her unique morphing abilities.

"Yes, Mister M."

"Find out why Poison Ivy took Victor and retrieve him safely."

"Yes, Mister M."

With a short nod, the woman proceeded out of the study. When the door closed behind her, Sean diverted his attention once more to the fearful ignorant who lingered. "Is there anything else?"

The man approached the desk and placed an envelope in front of him. "Only this, it's what you requested."

Sean dismissed him with a brief wave of his hand, waiting until he was finally alone before opening the envelope and sliding the pictures from inside. He rubbed a hand over his lips, disappointed yet not entirely surprised. After everything Eric had told him, he was already expecting something like this.

The first picture was taken by the hidden security cameras in his own backyard. It was from a few months ago, on the night of the fundraising. It showed Bruce Wayne and Selina in a very compromising embrace inside the hedge maze, away from the party. The next one was outside Jim Gordon's apartment, in the balcony. There were a few more, but they were all very similar and they all had the same thing in common. In the pictures, Selina was exposed and vulnerable, every emotion out in the open, plain to see on her face, and it was very obvious how much she cared for the handsome billionaire.

Well, this was a problem. Eric wanted to marry Selina, he was planning to propose soon. Looking at those pictures, Sean wasn't sure she would say yes. Maybe if Bruce hadn't returned, she would've. With him in the game, however, the odds were definitely not boding well for Eric.

The rejection would devastate him, or worse - tip him over the edge. Eric had potential to be a good man, but he also had a lot of darkness inside of him. It wasn't his fault, it ran in the family, haunting every Murdock like a curse. Compared to their relatives, Eric was actually fairly well-balanced. For years he'd managed to keep the worst side of him shackled by keeping his heart closed and focusing on his work. His obsession with Selina was bound to be his undoing. His feelings for her were weakening the restraints. It was easier for Eric to control himself when he was the only one in her life. With a rival in sight, a worthy one at that, it was a very different story. Eric didn't do well when he was threatened and he didn't like to lose, especially if it entailed also losing something he desired. In fact, he was a lot like Sean in that aspect.

If Selina said no, it would also tear down Sean's plans. He wasn't getting any younger and he needed someone to carry out the family business. He had his younger brothers, but they weren't prepared to take the lead. Selina showed promise, she was strong, persistent and ruthless if need may be. She just needed to get rid of her weaknesses. He could make sure of that.

Gotham - Wayne Manor

Alfred was about done placing Master Bruce's luggage in the Rolls when he heard footsteps tapping heavily against the gravel of the pathway. Leaning over the side of the car, he immediately spotted the blonde woman who was quickly becoming a regular presence in Master Bruce's life. He smiled politely.

"Good morning, Miss Lance."

"What's up, Alfred?" Dinah grinned back.

Honestly, he thought, both amused and exasperated. Almost in her thirties and the woman still spoke like a teenager.

Once she finally reached the car, Dinah tossed her duffel bag unceremoniously into the trunk, next to the other two suitcases. Alfred eyed the small thing with a raised eyebrow, "Will that be all?"

She shrugged, "Yeah, I don't need much. If I need anything else, I'll stop by my dad's and get it."

"Your father is the policeman, correct? The one who will help us in Star City," Alfred queried, closing the trunk, then standing back and straightening up his jacket and vest.

"He's captain actually, and yes, he'll help us. I also asked some of my old friends." Her mysterious smile nagged at his curiosity. However, he decided not pry. Dinah glanced around for a moment, "Where's Bruce?"

As if summoned by the mention of his name, Master Bruce strolled through the front door in slow strides. He looked a little worse for the wear, Alfred noticed with a frown. His dark navy suit was impeccable as always but, instead of carrying it proudly and with his usual confidence, his shoulders were hunched under the jacket. He was rubbing his temples, clearly in pain. Even though he had dark shades on, he winced when the sunlight hit him in the face.

Master Bruce brushed past Dinah with a short greeting before slipping into the backseat. Puzzled, she searched Alfred for an explanation. He shook his head with a tired sigh, walking around the vehicle to the front seat, where Dinah joined him quickly after.

"Is he hungover?" Dinah asked Alfred. He opened his mouth to answer, but she turned in her seat to stare at Master Bruce, "Are you hungover?"

"Yes," Bruce grunted, sliding further into the cushions, "now let me sleep it off."

Reluctantly, she did as requested and resumed her previous position as Alfred drove off Wayne property. They stayed silent for the first half an hour, until Master Bruce's soft snores filled the car.

"What happened?"

Alfred pursed his lips, eyes focused on the road. Truthfully, he wasn't entirely sure. He was pulled out of bed the previous night when he heard the distinct sound of something breaking in the master study. Worried it might've been a burglar, he grabbed the gun always stuffed under his pillow and went to take a look. Much to his relief, it was only Master Bruce, but Alfred quickly realised something was very wrong.

There was glass scattered all over the floor, things knocked off the desk, a chair turned over. Amidst the chaos, Bruce was sitting on the couch nursing a glass of whiskey, half empty bottle by his side. Alfred wanted to go in and find out what was wrong, comfort him. He thought best of it when he saw Master Bruce drop his head into the palm of his hand. The helplessness in the action was a dagger through Alfred's heart. He knew his boy, he wouldn't have wanted his presence in that moment.

"My guess? Miss Kyle happened."

Dinah frowned, glancing back at the sleeping man one more time, "Really?"

"The last time I saw him like this was when Selina was in the hospital," he explained sullenly. "Loss, even the idea of it, is… a rather painful subject for Master Bruce."

"He hasn't lost Selina."

"He thinks he's going to."

"Well, then he needs to fight harder," Dinah declared with finality, crossing her arms to further prove her determination.

Her reaction brought a sad smile to Alfred's face. He doubted fighting would do much good. The more Bruce fought, the more Selina pushed away. It was the same when they were younger. Selina's defence mechanisms were there to protect her and the last time she let herself lower them her heart was broken. Of course she would be reticent to do so again, Alfred understood her reasons perfectly. He also had come to know Selina rather well over the past years and he could tell she was struggling against her heart and her head. Her feelings and her survival instinct were in conflict. He wasn't sure there was anything Bruce could do at this point to tip the scale over in his favour, he would have to give her space and let her decide on her own.

And yet, he also knew his boy. He was a warrior.

And that's it for today! Hope you enjoyed this more romantic chapter. I really enjoyed writing the tango scene, it was super hard and I did a bunch of research for inspiration, but I knew I wanted to write something like this. I actually had a dream about it.

I know it was super sad that in the end they ended up arguing and Selina walked away again, but it's how it usually goes between them. Selina was very hurt when Bruce left, I mean who wouldn't after what they went through together? So she's terrified of letting herself fall back on him. For several reasons, but mostly because, like I wrote in her point of view, he's the one person who holds the power to destroy her. She has so many scars that she doesn't know if she can survive another one.

And obviously none of this is easy on Bruce. The last scene was sort of to show that. He's mad at himself for breaking the heart of the woman he loves, he's frustrated because she's not letting him back in, he's struggling to take down Sean. It's a lot. I know he's Batman and all that, but what I really liked in the show is that, by following Bruce from a very young age, you realise he's human like anyone else. He's strong-willed and determined, but fragile and flawed as well.

As always, I wanna thank all of your support! Thank you so much!