Super heros have lives too (some of the time)

[mr_bruce_wayne]

Bruce couldn't believe that he was up at the ungodly hour of 11:00 am, but none the less there he is, ready to pick Kathy up at her downtown condo apartment in his favorite silver Lamborghini. If he was lucky, she wouldn't ask to drive, but he knew that luck rarely had anything to do with it. Kathy always wanted to drive, and he had quite

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[kathy_duquesne]

Kathy opens the door, smirking as she steps out, slinking through the frame as she goes.

"Wow. Bruce Wayne, seen in public before 3 in the afternoon."

[mr_bruce_wayne]

For a second, Bruce finds himself a bit speechless. He's used to watching how Kathy moves in her uniform, and she certainly doesn't slink like that. "Uhm hi Kathy." he says, his tone stumbling. What the heck?

Bruce clears his throat and hen asks "Want to go to lunch?"

[kathy_duquesne]

She smiles at him, a genuine smile. "I'd love to. I'll drive. Let me grab my keys."

[mr_bruce_wayne]

As probably predicted, Bruce scowls at first and then relents. "We will need to tell the valet to park my car, I left it running." he replies. Does Kathy know he honor he does her by letting her drive? Dick would be speechless.

[kathy_duquesne]

"Oh, pooh. We can toss the keys at Gary as we drive by." She reaches in, grabs her keys without looking, and steps out with a grin. Then she glances at the keys. "Looks like we're taking the Tesla today."

[mr_bruce_wayne]

Her way of choosing a car makes him smirk, and Bruce stuffs his hands into his pockets and let's Kathy take the lead. "Where are we going?" he asks in good humor.

[kathy_duquesne]

"We have loads of choices," she declares, stepping into the elevator. "Expensive meals on the waterfront; hot dogs in the park; getting out of town and driving along the coast until we find someplace that tickles our fancy..."

[mr_bruce_wayne]

"Somewhere less public." replies Bruce. He makes a thoughtful sound and then says "A drive along the coast sounds like it would be relaxing. We could even end up a your mother's tree if you'd like.".

Down the elevator hey go to he parking garage, though along the way, Bruce points out "My car is still running on the curb, shouldn't we stop and at least let him know to park it?"

[kathy_duquesne]

"We will," she promises.

She hops into the car and turns on the engine, barely waiting for him to jump into the car before she peels out towards the street. As they pass the front, she slows -- briefly -- and tosses a hundred out the window towards the valet. "Take care of Mr. Wayne's car, Gary," she calls. "Twala!"

And then the car is off like a shot.

[mr_bruce_wayne]

In her usual fashion, Kathy leaves Bruce gaping at her antics with a bit of a surprised expression. Then again Kathy always manages to do that - in some respects it keeps him on his toes. He never knows what to expect of her.

As they speed away, he catches a glimpse of the valet scrambling to grab the bill out of the street, and then he sits back and chuckles as he says "Only you, Kathy.. Only you.."

[kathy_duquesne]

"Well, someone has to," she replies.

Inside, she's wondering why she's acting this way. Bruce always seems to bring out her more wild-and-crazy side. Like she wants to impress him.

But she knows she missed that ship a long time ago. She ruined any chance she had.

She kicks herself internally. A crush? Really? Still?

But none of this plays out on her face. Instead, she hits the accelerator and squeals out towards the coastal road.

[mr_bruce_wayne]

Maybe old dogs do learn new tricks, although perhaps the adage is better expressed as "old bats"; if Bruce realizes it or not, he's certainly been spending a lot of time and attention on Kathy. Enough so that Tim is giving him raised eye brows and silently wondering what the heck is going on

[kathy_duquesne]

She just smiles at him and doesn't say a word. A surprise is a surprise, dammit. And within minutes, the car is winding along the twisting coastal road.

"So. How is Bruce Wayne doing today?"

[mr_bruce_wayne]

He shrugs his shoulders, his tone holding a bit of a sigh as he says "Really? Better than I have been. Ever since I brought Eddie home, Alfred has been alot more content to sit and drink his tea and not constantly insist on doing everything around the house. It's taken a load off my shoulders."

Dark eyes slide to the woman, and he smirks a bit as he then says "Eddie is a good kid, poor guy is still so jumpy that I've been having to work on him to get him to relax and let loose some." he shrugs, "It's kind of nice to have a kid around the house.. he's not nearly as rambunctious as Dick was.." Or Jason is left unsaid. Bruce rarely speaks of Jason - the pain of the loss of that particular son still stabs almost as painfully as the day Bruce failed him.

[kathy_duquesne]

Kathy hears it anyway, and releases one hand from the wheel to place it on Bruce's. She smiles, though, and lets the words go unspoken.

"I'm glad," she replies. "You get lonely up in that house sometimes without company, don't you?"

[mr_bruce_wayne]

The hand is appreciated, after all he's softened a lot in the few months Kathy has been back around. Bruce would never admit it, but he actually has come to enjoy the support that she offers.

There are a few quiet beats as he skews up his courage. Finally, Bruce admits "... Yes. It does get lonely. The house is huge and.. sometimes the silence echos in ways that fool the mind. I hear the past sometimes.. my childhood.. the ghosts of those whom have passed." He then shrugs. "It's laid silent for too long with only those ghosts to fill it."