Coming home after the honeymoon was a dreamy, slightly unreal experience for the former Selina Kyle, who was now Selina Wayne. Everything seemed different, irrevocably changed in the wake of it all, and in the best way possible. She didn't want her bubble to burst, or to come back to reality and the unpleasantness of it. But, as with all things, it had to happen sooner or later, and this time, reality reintroduced itself in the form of a certain dishonest Russian redhead who just wouldn't go away.

Inessa Aleksandrov was still the proverbial thorn in Selina's side, and Bruce still unfailingly acted as if the pending lawsuit didn't bother him one bit. Selina knew it had to be an act that he was putting on to keep Selina from actually losing it.

Since Bruce refused to settle the case out of court, it was proceeding with it's first hearing a little over a month after they returned from Greece. Selina didn't dread the day as it approached, but rather anticipated it for reasons she chose to keep to herself. Bruce, however, knew perfectly well when she was up to something. He just didn't know what this time, and he didn't really want to know.

On the morning of the hearing - less than a month after they'd returned from Greece - Selina put on a black form-fitting dress and paired it with a figure-enhancing black blazer, then twisted her dark locks into a smart chignon. She then went on to apply her makeup, making sure to look her best for what would be a very public moment of standing by her husband despite the accusations against him. She didn't care if she was ridiculed or dismissed as a gullible idiot by other women who believed in Bruce's guilt - they'd all know the truth soon enough, and she was proud to face the court with him, looking her very best while she was at it.

She'd just finished dabbing on the last bit of red lipstick to her mouth when her phone vibrated down on the sink below, and she half grinned before answering it. "I was just about to call you."

"Of course you were."

Selina turned slightly to check the back of her hair as she said, "Well, I had to check and make sure that you've been keeping up your end of things."

"Frightening, cryptic messages delivered anonymously to a certain hated Russian woman? Yes. Of course. Twice weekly for the past month and one week."

"... I'm pretty sure I said 'intimidating'," Selina replied, "but okay. Good."

"Also been combing through the recordings of her phone conversations," Eric said. "I trust you have been as well."

"Yep," Selina replied. "Still not getting a smoking gun, though. She almost made a confession a few weeks ago, but... it doesn't matter. I've got a plan."

"A plan," Eric said in a juicy tone. "Do tell."

"Well -"

Selina heard the door to her bedroom outside open, which meant Bruce was back from dropping the kids off with Molly. "Gotta go. Bye."

"Give Bruce my love."

Selina snorted and hung up just in time before Bruce walked through the slightly open bathroom door. He was dressed just as sharply as she was, but was distinctly and clearly not as excited for this day as she was. "Ready?"

Selina turned and nodded. "Ready." She then walked the few short steps to him and placed her fingertips to his jaw, giving him a brief little kiss before they had to be off. Bruce responded half-heartedly, and it was understandable. She took his hand and started to walk out of the bathroom, after giving him a small smile. Bruce opened his mouth slightly just before he followed, but closed it quickly, as if he was going to ask a question but thought better of it.

Selina noticed this, and she was glad he decided to not ask questions. She'd explain it all to him later, once it all was resolved, and all was well again. Until then, he just needed to sit back and let her handle things.

The trek to the courthouse was dead silent until they had nearly arrived. On the outside, Bruce appeared perfectly calm. But Selina knew that he wasn't, judging partially by his silence.

"Bruce," she said quietly as he braked at a red light. "I don't like it when you're nervous. It's... weird."

"I wouldn't say that I'm nervous, exactly," Bruce sighed. "Just... not looking forward to hearing what I know I'm going to hear." He paused and loosened his grip on the steering wheel before adding, "I'm also hoping that you don't do something stupid on my behalf."

Selina quickly scoffed. "First of all, I don't do stupid, and second, if you don't trust me -"

"I trust you," Bruce quickly assured her. "You know that. I just don't want my wife and the mother of my children doing something illegal or... whatever it is you and Eric have planned."

She wasn't surprised that he knew of Eric's involvement. She was only surprised that he hadn't figured the whole thing out yet. "Don't worry about me, Bruce. I know what I'm doing."

The light turned green, and Bruce stayed silent for the remainder of the drive.

Cameras flashed brightly in Bruce and Selina's shade-protected eyes as they walked up the front steps of the courthouse, escorted through the crowd of photographers and reporters by Bruce's team of lawyers. Selina held her head high and held Bruce's hand as they ascended, and they both ignored all of the questions shouted at them by the eager reporters, and once they were inside the state building, they both took off their sunglasses and followed the lawyers down the first corridor towards their destination.

Selina followed for as long as it took to garner the location of the appropriate courtroom from the lawyers' chatter, then gave Bruce's hand a quick squeeze before whispering at his ear, "Meet you there when it starts."

Bruce barely had time to shoot her a quizzical look before she was off. He kept walking, reluctantly, hoping she didn't get herself into any legal messes while she was gone.

It only took Selina a few moments of exploring the very old courthouse before she located Inessa and her lawyer. She heard the Russian woman before she saw her, and she stayed behind a corner to remain unseen by her. Inessa was in a lounge sort of room, getting a cup of coffee, and speaking in a carefree tone to her lawyer about her upcoming promotion at Douglas Whitestone's hospital. Selina listened for a moment and then rolled her eyes before heading back down the corridor, in search of someone to execute the first phase of her plan.

She found a janitor pushing a cleaning cart out of the men's room just a moment or two into her search. Perfect.

"Hi," she smiled brightly at the man, a short, skinny, older native Bahamian with a head full of white hair. She stepped in front of his cart and said, "Want to make some quick cash?"

Inessa cursed in her native Russian as she stomped off to the ladies' room, unable to believe her luck. Some idiot janitor had somehow managed to spill a bucket full of dirty mop water all over her, soaking her pants and even part of her white blouse with the filthy liquid, and all when she had to be in the courtroom in roughly fifteen minutes.

She stormed inside the restroom and quickly took off her black pumps, then her jacket before grabbing huge handfuls of paper towels that she knew wouldn't do much to help her situation, but she hadn't brought any spare clothes and couldn't believe her luck.

She stood in front one of the mirrors, eyeing herself tragically as she began attempting to dry off with the paper towels. She was nearly ready to accept the fact that she was doomed to be soaked when a voice behind her scared her to the point of letting out a small shriek.

"Well, well. Isn't this a coincidence."

Inessa's eyes snapped up to the mirror and widened at the sight of Selina standing behind her, having come out of nowhere, arms crossed and smirking as she looked the redhead over in glee.

"Wh - you shouldn't be in here," Inessa sputtered, turning around and eyeing Selina warily.

"In the ladies' room?" Selina asked. "Why not?"

Inessa frowned and tossed the paper towels away as she muttered, "My lawyer told me not to speak to you under any circumstances."

She then turned to leave, but Selina cut her off and grabbed her arm, yanking her back in front of the mirror. Inessa yelped in surprise. "Your lawyer isn't here right now. And you need to hear what I have to say."

"If you're trying to intimidate me -"

Selina laughed, letting go of the Russian's arm. "Intimidate you? No, honey. I'm here to blackmail you."

Inessa stared for a moment before her eyes suddenly widened even further and she gasped. "Blackmail me? It's been you, then! I knew it! You've been sending me those letters!"

"No, that one wasn't me," Selina admitted truthfully.

"Bullshit," Inessa spat. "How dare you threaten me like that? How did you get the last note in my bedroom?!"

Selina made a mental note to ask Eric exactly what his threats had entailed and how he managed that, indeed. "Let's just get to the point. I know everything. And I have proof."

"Proof of what, exactly?"

"That this is all a made-up scheme to get both revenge and money out of my husband. That Whitestone has been footing the bill this entire time. And that what you're about to say under oath today is nothing but perjury."

"Oh?"

Selina smirked. "I've been listening to your phone calls, sweetie. And your boss's. I've got hours of recordings that I'm sure the court would be very interested in, legally obtained or not."

Inessa visibly paled, but she tried to appear as if she was keeping her cool.

"And I've got copies of your lawyer bills. I have more than enough to expose you for what you are to the public."

Inessa continued to say nothing, and Selina took note of the stiff posture the Russian woman had taken on since she began talking. "But... all I need is one simple statement from you. Just a few words, and you'll never hear from me again."

"A statement," Inessa repeated. "You want me to drop the case."

"Yes."

Inessa yanked a loose piece of red hair behind her ear and sputtered, "How do I know you're not lying? I don't even know what phone calls or bills you could possibly be taking about -"

"Last Monday at 9:56 AM, you talked to a friend named Olga on the phone. 'Evidence doesn't really matter. Money is what matters. If you have money, you can make your own evidence.'"

"That... that's just a statement, it doesn't mean -"

"Two Thursdays ago, 4:23 PM, talking to the same friend: 'It sort of feels like I'm getting back at all of the men who've done me wrong, not just Bruce. It's empowering. And everyone believes me. It feels good.'"

Inessa began fidgeting. "That's still -"

"I won't even get into some of the other things I heard," Selina interrupted. "For example, the slurs you use to refer to native Bahamians. I always knew you were a dishonest slut, Inessa, but I didn't peg you for a racist."

This, more than anything else so far, made Inessa's jaw utterly drop. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. Selina grinned.

"So. Again. You either drop the case and make a full statement admitting that you lied and that Bruce is innocent, or I leak the recordings to the press. Oh, and one more thing to sweeten the deal. You know that stalker ex of yours that you've tried so hard to outrun?"

"... You wouldn't. You wouldn't tell him where I am, no, that's -"

"You're right. I wouldn't." Selina paused. "But you'll wish it was him making your life hell instead of me by the time I'm done with you. I will haunt your every step and make every hour of your every day miserable until I'm satisfied that you've suffered enough for destroying my husband's reputation. If that day ever comes at all. I'm not known for being merciful."

By the time Inessa tore her wide eyes away from Selina and cast them to the floor, Selina knew she'd won. Inessa was breathing fast, her hands fisted at her sides, and whatever resolve she may have had was broken.

"So. Deal?"

Inessa's gray eyes snapped up to Selina then, and she spat, "You're giving me no choice."

Selina shrugged. "That's what happens when you try to mess with the man I love, Inessa. I'm not your average wife and mother."

"No, you're exactly what I always knew you were," Inessa said. "The girl who always gets everything she wants. Snap your fingers and Bruce Wayne is yours. Right? While the rest of just try to get by, and watch girls like you get everything."

"And in the meantime use slander to try to get some kind of sick revenge?" Selina ventured.

"It's better than nothing," Inessa shrugged. "And I don't regret what I did. Not a single lie None of it."

Selina smirked. And there it was - a confession. Her phone had been recording the conversation in Selina's jacket pocket the whole time. Now, even if Inessa reneged on dropping the case, Selna had even more ammunition.

"I also don't regret kissing him," Inessa added unexpectedly. Selina's smirk faded. "I'd have done a lot more to your 'husband' if I'd had the time. And he would have let me. Eventually."

Selina's smile slowly returned. "That's where you're wrong, honey." She then punched Inessa in the face, hard, and watched her hit the ground. The sting in her hand didn't nearly equal the delicious satisfaction she now felt washing over her, having now officially put the woman in her place, and gotten a nice, hard swing in for good measure.

About twenty minutes later, Selina sat at Bruce's side in the courtroom, holding his hand and watching as Inessa and her lawyer argued back and forth under their breaths before the man seemed to give up. He stood up and, with a slight but noticeable sigh, said, "Your Honor... I motion to have this case dismissed and all charges against Mr. Wayne dropped."

The judge, a silver-haired, stern-looking woman in her 60's, did not appear amused. "And why is this, counselor?"

The lawyer again sighed. "My client claims that no harassment ever took place, and that she has been lying in an effort to seek revenge for... unrequited advances towards Mr. Wayne. She is prepared to swear to this to the court, as well as face the appropriate punishment for her dishonesty."

Selina stifled a grin when the judge rolled her eyes. "Case dismissed. Take Ms. Aleksandrov into custody for perjury. Mr. Wayne, do you want to pursue charges against Ms. Aleksandrov for slander?"

Bruce stood up to address the judge. "No, Your Honor. I appreciate her... newfound honesty, and I look forward to putting this behind me."

The judge then half-shrugged and said, "Fifteen minute recess."

As everyone in the room stood up, besides Inessa (who was being handcuffed by the court authorities), Bruce gave Selina a pointed but subtle look. She merely smiled broadly at him and put an extra bounce in her step as they turned away from the defendent bench and headed out of the courtroom.

"What did you do?" Bruce asked Selina in a whisper to her ear as they walked down the outside corridor. Selina looked up at him to find a small smile on his lips, and visible relief etched on his face.

"I'll tell you all about it later," she promised, a moment later, they walked outside and into the sun, and were instantly swarmed by the same reporters and photogs as when they'd arrived.

They smiled but ignored most of the questions until they reached the bottom of the steps, when one of the reporters shouted, "Now that you've been vindicated, what's next for you, Mr. Wayne?"

"Staying focused on how to best serve the people of these islands. Helping those who need it most. Moving forward with some new ideas that you'll be hearing about very soon."

"Mrs. Wayne!" another reporter shouted. "Did you ever doubt your husband's innocence?"

"Of course not," Selina grinned, as a driver pulled their car around the building to pick them up.

"What do you think made the doctor change her mind out of nowhere and admit that she lied?"

Selina shrugged as she slipped into the passenger's side of the car. "No idea."

She closed the car door, and Bruce came in next, flipping on the ignition and letting out a long sigh. "All right. Explain."

Ten minutes later, Bruce finally knew the whole story - Inessa's epic face-punching and all - and he shook his head as he steered the car through the busy city streets. "You spent your 'bachelorette party' breaking into her office to tap her phone."

"And Whitestone's office, too. You should see the dirt I've got on him."

Bruce glanced over at Selina and smiled, still shaking his head. "Then you gave a janitor a thousand dollars - in cash - to spill a mop bucket on Inessa."

Selina shrugged. "I was feeling generous. By the way, you can thank me any time."

"Thank you," Bruce said. "But no more breaking and entering or illegal phone surveillance or... just, don't do anything illegal anymore."

Selina rolled her eyes and reclined her seat back a few inches. "Sure. Because that always lasts, doesn't it?"

"I hope it will now," Bruce sighed.

Selina wasn't sure that she agreed. She thoroughly enjoyed the illegalities and risks of her actions in bringing the crazy doctor down. She didn't hope for more trouble, but causing some herself would never get old.

"I also don't care to be in Eric's debt any more than I already am," Bruce added.

"Technically I'm the one in his debt," Selina replied. "But I doubt this is the last time he'll come in handy."

"Yeah. I could never be that lucky."

"I don't know about that," Selina replied cheekily. "After all, you're lucky enough to have a wife who just saved your business, reputation, and everything you've built here. I think that makes you pretty lucky, don't you?"

They were stopped at another red light. Bruce took the opportunity to slide his hand from the steering wheel to Selina's seat, almost without her noticing, and take her hand in his. Selina watched as he raised it to his mouth, then brushed his lips over her hand before murmuring, "Very lucky."

They shared a look that was quickly becoming more heated, just before the car behind them honked and alerted Bruce to the green light in front of them. He grinned and let go of her hand, and Selina decided that the kids could spent a bit more time next door than she'd originally planned for.

A mostly silent, rather anticipatory ride home later, Bruce and Selina burst into the front door of their home as they had burst into many other doors before, with frantic lip-bruising kisses and hands tearing at clothes like it wouldn't be their thousandth time doing this. Bruce kissed her and slammed her into the kicked-shut front door with all of the relief and excitement of a man who had just watched his wife single handedly save his career and wanted to properly thank her for it, and she kissed back with the vigor of a woman who felt immeasurably badass after having done so only about an hour earlier.

They moved from the door, kicking shoes off as they went, and stumbled towards the staircase, though they didn't quite make it and ended up against the wall separating the living room from the kitchen. Bruce had Selina pinned to the wall and was trying his best to get her pencil skirt up over her hips while she was all but ripping his shirt off when they finally broke apart for a few gasping breaths. And that was when a lamp next to the leather couch in their living room flipped on, and they froze at the sound of a mild but distinct clearing of a throat.

Bruce twisted his head to look behind him, and Selina tilted hers to look around his, and they really weren't surprised at all to find Eric as the source of the interruption. He was sitting casually on the couch, a book from their library open in his lap, and he gave a slight shrug when Bruce groaned and half-slammed his forehead into the wall.

"By all means," Eric said, "don't mind me. Really."

Selina rolled her eyes and went to work getting her skirt down after Bruce put her feet back on the ground. "Great to see you, as always. Although you really might want to call first from now on," Selina said, slight irritation evident in her tone. Bruce was busy scowling and stuffing his shirt back into his pants.

"At this rate, I might never stop by again, because I always get the same nonexistent welcome," Eric said, obviously feigning offense. "I brought champagne to celebrate. From Champagne, France. And without me, today would hardly have gone as it did, so -"

Bruce turned and smiled pleasantly. "Thank you, Eric, for your help. Sincerely. But, break into my house again, and you'll lose your spleen."

"I didn't break in," Eric smiled. "I've had a key for ages. Didn't I tell you?"

Selina rolled her eyes while Bruce set his jaw and walked off. "Thanks for this, Eric. You ruined my plans. Dick."

"Are you joking?" Eric said incredulously, setting the book aside and getting to his feet to follow Selina up the stairs, where she was heading. "Last time I pay you a friendly visit to celebrate our good work."

"Whatever," she muttered over her shoulder. "You'll be paying me 'friendly visits' until I'm dead, no matter what I do. Now stop following me, or you might actually lose an organ, and I might not feel like stopping him." Selina then smiled and Eric grinned as she walked away. He turned and headed towards the kitchen, where Bruce was stomping around in aggravation.

Eric watched for a minute, leaning against the doorframe, as Bruce grabbed a glass from a cabinet and shoved it under the tap on the sink, then as it filled up, Bruce said without taking his gaze off of the water, "You can leave now."

"Sure," Eric replied. "Or I could pick up the kids for you two. Are they with Molly?"

"I can pick up my own kids," Bruce snapped back, flipping off the water and turning towards the Brit as he stood some yards away.

"I was merely offering to help."

"Well... we don't need any more of your help at the moment," Bruce said, trying not to sound like a jerk. "Why are you here, really?"

"Well, 'really' I did come to celebrate. But there is one other matter I wanted to discuss with you."

"With me?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, you," Eric replied. "I'm in the market for a new home, and I thought perhaps it best to ask you - since you're the bloke that owns the whole island - if you wouldn't mind selling me a bit of land here."

Bruce nearly choked on the water he was drinking. "You want to buy a house. Here."

"Build one," Eric amended, "yes."

Bruce immediately imagined what that would mean, Eric living on his and Selina's island. He would, quite literally, never be rid of the man. He'd always be around, being his annoying, button-pushing self, and Bruce would never not want to kick his teeth in. It was the principle of the thing that caused Bruce's knew-jerk hostility, regardless of how helpful Eric had proven himself in recent months.

"I..."

"Bruce," Selina called from the hallway, eyes narrowing slightly when she realized she'd interrupted a conversation between the two men. She paused and said, "I'm going to go get the kids."

Bruce nodded. "Okay."

She nodded, then gave Eric a pointed, warning look, then headed out the front door. Eric waited until the door was closed, then turned back to Bruce and said, "You were saying?"

"... As much as I'd love to tell you, unequivocally, hell no," Bruce sighed, "I've come to realize that... for whatever reason... Selina likes you being around. And as much as I don't trust you, I trust her."

Bruce paused then, and Eric raised a brow and said, "Is that a yes?"

"It's a... do what you want and get out of my face for the rest of the day," Bruce chuckled, then walked past the taller man and headed towards his bedroom. Eric half-smiled and headed out the door.

Selina grinned when Molly opened her door and flashed her a bright, enthusiastic smile. "I saw the news! It worked! Holy crap!"

Selina laughed as the blonde girl grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, and as Selina was being squeezed to death, she glanced inside the house and saw that Christian was dutifully stopping Helena from whacking Aidan on the head with a toy train that they were apparently fighting over. Thomas was off to the side, perfectly happy watching a cartoon on TV from a bouncy seat.

"I can't believe it all worked so well!" Molly marveled, letting go at last and holding Selina at arm's length. "I mean... damn!"

"I know," Selina smiled. "I guess a little blackmail goes a long way. And the occasional punch in the face."

Molly's eyes widened. "You punched her in the face?!"

A few laughs and a moment later, Selina walked inside the house with Molly, and was quickly followed by Bruce, who came over after changing out of his suit. They had only a few minutes to themselves before Eric crashed the party, his aforementioned champagne in hand, ignoring Bruce's scowl and clear unhappiness at Eric not sticking to the whole "stay out of his face" request. But, as Bruce full well knew, Eric did what he wanted, and Selina and Molly were quite happy to have him. All Bruce and Christian could do was sigh and exchange subtle glances, resigning themselves to making their women happy by putting up with this thief that just wouldn't go away.

It was after Alfred and Leslie arrived to the sort-of party that Selina realized that for once, all was truly well. She got married and had an amazing honeymoon, and the only thing that had been threatening their happiness as a family was now nonexistent. She was almost ready to let go of that foreboding feeling that seemed like it would never go away, the one that made her constantly look over her shoulder and unfailingly fear the worst. Maybe the worst really was over. Maybe now really was her time to be purely happy.

And Selina knew, as she sipped champagne and glanced at Bruce as he held both of their kids in his lap and kissed their cheeks, that he felt the same way. And that fact alone made her happier than anything in the world.

A/N: SO. :D First of all, before I say anything, midnightwings96 is totally to thank for this chapter existing. I had such a hard time getting back into the frame of mind to write this story and without her help, I don't think it ever would have happened. Long breaks are clearly not good for me, but hopefully it will be easier from here on out :D Thank you to everyone who answered my note, I'm very much happy and relieved that you guys are still out there and still care about this story. Like, a lot. I was terrified about that lol. So, again, thank you guys, I love you all, and know this isn't the best chapter ever, but it's something, right? :p