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The board meeting seemed interminable that day, more so than usual. Selina found herself mentally reciting chemical compounds, forensic theorems and case histories to keep herself awake. Occasionally memories from the night before would filter in, the fight with the bat-fixated burglar blending in with details from Vesper's wedding. As her CEO Lucius Fox droned on about forth-quarter earnings and stock prices, Selina tried not to stare at the clock. At 12:30pm, they broke for lunch and Selina paged her secretary.

"Debbie, I need you to track down a number for me," Selina instructed over the office-to-office voicecom. "Bruce Wayne. He's new in town, so try the hotels first. The Hilton, the Ritz-Carlton..."

There was only a moment of hesitation from her secretary's end before Debbie replied, "Mr. Wayne has already contacted you. He called earlier this morning to confirm your lunch date for 1pm."

Selina smiled slightly, more amused than annoyed at the man's audacity. "Did he happen to mention where this lunch date was supposed to take place?"

"Grant Park."

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Selina was early, needing a few minutes to collect herself before meeting with Wayne. The park was in the midst of late winter malaise, the brown, dead grass contrasting against the black, leafless trees and few remaining snowdrifts. In the summer, Grant Park was an oasis for Gothamites, a wide, shady green space where children felt safe to play and young couples came to hold hands. Few came in the winter, avoiding the cold wind and dark pathways where muggers lurked. Incidents of violence in the park had decreased sharply since Catwoman had appeared in Gotham, but people had long memories in this city. Too long, she thought sometimes.

Selina sat on a handy bench, the metal and wood initially freezing even through her thick winter coat. She leaned back, watching for Wayne and rehearsing what she had to say. All the old scripts, the carefully practiced speeches and dark confessionals just didn't seem right. She had been waiting to meet Bruce Wayne all of her adult life but the man's strange humor and charm from the night before had caught her off guard. She found the reality of the man she had met at Vesper's wedding difficult to reconcile with the Bruce Wayne of her imagination.

Suddenly he was there, standing before her, a teasing smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "You look like you're waiting for a bus," he told her.

Selina stood, again noting in appreciation his well-formed body and handsome visage. Something she was reluctant to call desire began to coil through her, settling as a dull ache in her belly. She had to make this quick before it became too painful.

"Take a walk with me?" she offered. Bruce nodded, looking as though he wanted to say something clever but couldn't. Her serious expression wouldn't allow it.

"I've been looking for you for a long time, Mr. Wayne," she began, falling into pace beside him. "You must have known."

"I'm a big story in this city," he shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "Lots of people in Gotham are looking for me. I apologize for not introducing myself properly last night. I knew you wanted to meet me. It was rude."

The apology surprised her, as did his expression of gravity. The playful man of last night seemed to have vanished, replaced by this more serious stranger. Suddenly he smiled, catching her hand and tugging her towards him. Selina resisted at first, then relaxed enough to fit loosely against his body. Her eyes widened when he kissed her and she surprised herself by allowing the contact to continue well beyond the point where she usually pulled away from a man's touch. His kiss was soft, inviting, unhurried. He smelled of aftershave and soap, a pleasant, warm scent that was oddly comforting. Selina pulled back a little, breaking the kiss, more reluctantly than she was willing to admit to herself.

"What was that for?" she whispered, still too close to him. Bruce brushed his knuckles against her cheek, his touch making her shiver.

"You looked like you needed it," he told her.

Selina stepped back, breathing deeply. She couldn't even force herself to be angry with him. "I didn't come here for that," she explained. "I wanted to talk to you about your parents."

For a moment a shadow passed across his face and then it was gone, so quickly Selina could not even be sure had ever been there.

"Why?" he asked simply. They resumed walking, the feelings he had aroused in her fading as Selina reminded herself who and what Bruce Wayne was.

"You must know what your parents have meant to this city and...and to me," she began again, hoping she could make it through without allowing him to distract her. Something wasn't right: she had never expected the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne to be so evasive about his family legacy.

"It's a hard thing to ignore," he admitted. "Nearly every building in Gotham bears the Wayne name. Hospitals, schools, museums...you can't escape it," Bruce paused and she wondered what he was thinking. "I did want to thank you for keeping the Wayne Foundation going. It's done a lot of good."

"Thank you," she told him, still perplexed. He almost sounded reluctant to admit the success of the Foundation. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked him. Bruce turned to face her, returning to something of his former charming self. The darkness she had sensed gathering in him faded and he shook his head.

"Of course not. You've put a lot of your company's financial resources into restoring my family's name and position in Gotham. I'm grateful, Ms. Kyle," he told her. Selina didn't quite believe him: she was too skilled at reading people to do so. Bruce Wayne was turning out to be a greater puzzle than she had ever anticipated.

"Thank you," she said, uncertainty hovering at the edge of her tone. She knew he heard it, but neither of them acknowledged her disbelief. "Now, would you mind telling me where you've been for the last fifteen years?"

Her bold question caught him off guard. Bruce retreated even further into artifice and she began to suspect he was a very accomplished liar. "Nowhere special," he smiled, winking at her. "Boarding schools in Europe, mostly. I'm fairly certain you'd find tales of my misspent youth a little dull. Now," he said, rubbing his hands together, "I think I promised you lunch. And I intend to deliver, Ms. Kyle."

They halted before a hot dog vendor and Bruce ordered Polish sausages, slathering them with relish, ketchup and mustard, the meat steaming in the cold winter air. They ate standing up, Bruce with gusto like a small boy, Selina more reluctantly as she chewed on her hot dog and wondered at the mysteries he presented.

"Bruce," she said softly, making him look up at her. She fought a smile as she noticed mustard staining the side of his mouth. As she carefully wiped it away with a napkin, she told him "please call me Selina."

Bruce nodded, catching her wrist. They stood like that for a while, carefully regarding each other. Again, she was the first to break contact, making a show of checking her watch and explaining that she had another business meeting to attend.

"I'll call you," he promised, sounding as if he meant it. Selina nodded, thanking him for lunch and then walking back to where her limousine would pick her up. Again, she had to will herself not to look back at him.

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