Renewed Hope

Disclaimer: Don't own Batman...

Just came up with this after seeing the Dark Knight Rises... Hope you like it...

"My, my if it isn't old Batty himself?" Her husk words and lustful movements allured him.

"Had to give us quite the show, didn't you?" She asked, her hips swayed as she moved towards him, she rested a hand against his chest, the other reaching the back of his head, "You idiot, I thought you had died!" She hissed as she hit him firmly in the back of his head.

"Selina, please, let me explain, I had too..." He rushed through his words trying to formulate an apology.

"That is Ms. Kyle or Catwoman to you!" She yelled, turning on her heel and walking away.

He reached for her, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her close, she didn't even try fighting him off. He grabbed her waist, pulled her in and kissed her passionately.

"You have no idea how I felt... I thought I had lost you..." She whispered, gasping for breath as she fought the tears, willing them to stay in.

"I know, I know, Selina, but I had to, for appearences sake..." He said in a hushing tone of voice.

"For appearences sake... For appearences you made me suffer..." She whimpered. He pulled close, embracing her. She sobbed softly, the tears finally falling, after all those months of wondering, never knowing if he was alive or not, and then... And then he came back, and she had been so relived, she had changed for him, but he... He had decided to pull such a stunt and make her believe he was dead.

"Was it worth it? Was it worth it tricking me, Bruce?" She asked, whispering.

Bruce ran a hand through his hair, he had disposed of his masks long ago, they had no secrets, not anymore. He had already made a decision... Gotham and its people would be fine... They had no need for either Bruce or Batman anymore. Now he got to live, now he could be free and possible, if everything went right, they could have a happy life together.

"I... I believe so," he paused and sighed deeply, "I am now free to be who I wish, and if you wish also, we are free to be together... No worries, no past to haunt us anymore, not now that I am 'dead', not now that we have this little, but powerful device in our hands," he finished, the ending words alluding to her most coveted posession.

She turned her head sideways, tears streaming down her face as she thought the words over.

"But how do you even survive, I mean... You said there was no autopilot, and..." She trailed off still not looking at him.

"The truth is... I was prepared to die, had really thought about doing so, but..."

He had made up his mind. He would die for Gotham, his city... after all, he was ready to die. Or so he thought. Because just then and there, seconds before he had reached his destination he remembered, remembered her, Selina Kyle. He didn't know why, but for some odd reason the thought of her made him stopped. She gave him hope, made him fear death again. And so with this renewed hope he connected that plane to the autopilot, which he had fixed in his spare time long ago, and guided it in the direction he wished then jumped into the water. He would survive and maybe this time he would actually get to live. Live with her...

"I was willing to die, but the thought that I had a chance with you..." he trailed off, grabbing her head softly, forcing her to face him. His left hand caressed her left cheek and his right thumb traced her lips.

Selina looked at him, a small smile forming in her face and said huskily, "You would like that, wouldn't you?" she brushed her lips against his.

Bruce chuckled, a deep throaty chuckle, and said with his best playboy smile on, "Yes, in fact I would," he then grabbed her by the wrist, puller her towards, him and whispered in her ear, "Maybe this time, you can actually claim to be my wife when stealing my car!"

He grabbed the back of her head and initiated the kiss. Her hands were tangled in his dripping hair yet one of them smacked him in the back of his head, causing him to chuckle into their kiss.

A couple of months later...

The couple was making it way to their airplane, hands held tightly in between them. The last couple of months had been stressful, but together they had managed to get through it all, as they worked on making the final arrangements to leave Gotham, the place they had once called home.

They started moving a long faster, they had along way to go still, their boarding station was on the other side of the airport and they flight was about to leave.

They quickly reached the entrance door, they passports going thorugh the usual check ups, once those where done and they were ready to board the plane they stopped and turned to look at each other.

"Ready, Tom?" she asked as a small smile graced her face, as she looked as sophisticated and sensuous as ever.

"As ready as all ever be Cat," he answered, smiling at her, a smile that had been long reserved for only her.

And just like that, Thomas and Catherine Pennyworth boarded their place to Florence, Italy, ready to start a new life, together, with no more ghosts or past to haunt them.

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