Devil's Playground • Gotham Fanfiction •

XXXI - A Storm is Coming

Going through a stage, maybe?

"So..." Bird stepped back from the embrace and rested her hands on his shoulders, "Alfred tells me you were able to work things out with Selina?"

"Yes." He nodded, still smiling, "Everything is fine now."

"Okay..." Bird wasn't sure she believed that, but maybe he was just trying to not dwell on things, "You worried me when you just stopped calling me."

"Yes, well, maybe if you'd returned some of his earlier calls-" Alfred started commenting but stopped when she shot him a look.

"I'm sorry." She apologized to them both, "I've been busy, but I'm really going to try to come around more."

Considering she'd no longer be dealing with Oswald, she didn't think it would be too hard to find time to be more present for her brother.

Hearing her cell phone start to ring, Bird went over to her jacket to see who was calling her.

Seeing it was Jim, she ignored the call.

He was probably just reaching out to give her an update on what he'd learned while digging into the files about the fatal car crash that killed his father.

She'd call him back as soon as she was back out to the car after eating breakfast and spending some time with her brother.

When she looked back up, she saw Bruce gathering some plates from a cabinet and carrying them to the table, which surprised her.

Even since her parent's death, they still rarely ate in the actual kitchen, and he would take his meals in one of the dining rooms -or sometimes their father's office if he was busy researching something.

Before she could think much more about it, her phone rang again, and she saw Jim calling right back. Something must be wrong.

Offering an apologetic expression when Alfred raised his brows at the incessant ringing, she moved closer to the other side of the room to take the call.

Jim told her he'd learned something about his father's case and needed to discuss it with her in person.

She'd started to tell him to meet her at Wayne Manor but changed her mind. Bruce was already acting odd, and the truth was that she was ready to leave.

Unfortunately, things weren't near as comfortable between them as she'd hoped it would be.

Maybe he was still shaken by how she'd acted at the carnival, but her actions had gotten them both out alive.

Though... considering he'd witnessed both of their parents being shot to death, watching her hold a loaded gun to her head and pull the trigger had probably traumatized him to a degree.

While she felt guilty about that, the game of Russian Roulette she'd played with Jerome had bought them precious time.

It was worth the risk to her own life to keep him safe, but she doubted that he saw it that way.

Jim told her he was at the cemetery, and she agreed to meet him there; she spilled an apology for skipping out on breakfast to her brother and Alfred, and Bird left as quickly as she'd gotten there.

•••

Bird pulled to a stop behind Jim's car on one of the paved roads through Gotham Cemetery. She put the car into the park but didn't shut it off.

Jim was standing beside his car, where he'd been waiting for her to meet him for several minutes.

She reached for the door release handle but stopped with her hand just above it.