"Show me your broken heart and all your scars. Baby I'll take you as you are."
- 'As You Are' by The Weekend.
"Cassandra," Bruce voices is heard through my phone. I'm sitting in his bed reading a book as I hit the answer button.
"What," I roll my eyes and get up, closing my book.
"Don't give me that look," that got a ghost of a smile to form on my lips. He can't even see me yet he knows the look I'm giving him. That man is so annoying, I roll my eyes and listen to his voice on the other line, "I need help with down in the Batcave."
"Fine, I'll be right down. If you have gotten yourself stuck or trapped again. I'm leaving you there," he starts to protest as I hang up the phone with a small laugh.
I get up and walk down the hallway; it feels like my home now. Just like my home feels like Bruce's. I walk down the grand staircase quickly,
"Alfred. I think we will be calling the fire department this time," I pass him and he follows me, holding a basket in his hands that I don't give a second glance to.
"Why will we be doing this, Mistress Cassandra?"
"I think Bruce has done something childish yet again. The last time I helped him I almost broke his arm," I glance at Alfred as we reach the back entrance doors. Through the window I see Bruce outside, his back turned from me.
"You broke his finger." Alfred's docile voice reminds me.
"And he has never let that go," I say jokingly, raising my hands up in protest.
"And just recently..." I stop him,
"That's why I said fire department." I call out to Bruce loudly, "This better be important...."
"I wouldn't have bothered you if it wasn't," Bruce smirks. I smile my half smile the one I had been giving him for the past five months.
I walk outside, the lush green grass brushing against my bare feet; there is a slight breeze that whips my hair around in a honeycomb looking pattern.
"What's going on? You look fine to me," I cross my arms over my chest. He pulls out a ring shaped box. My mouth drops and my hands start to shake as I put them behind my back and slip off Jonathan's ring and move it to my right hand.
"You can't be..." Bruce gets down on one knee.
"You're my best friend. You're my partner in every part of my life. I have loved you my whole life and I want to keep loving you for the rest of it, I'm not sure how much of it will have though," he laughs as both of our minds go back to the near death experiences we have faced. "I know and I understand I'm not your first choice. I'm not asking you for all of your heart."
"Bruce," I say tears falling.
"Will you marry me?"
"Yes. Yes," I jump up and down, throwing myself into Bruce's arms and he falls back.
"Ow. I still have the bruised rib," he grits his teeth and I adjust myself so he is comfortable.
"I said I was sorry about that," I kiss his face.
"Can I put the ring on?" He asks and I hold my hand out.
"It is so big," I look at it falling back to the grassy ground, Bruce sits up and collects me in his arms, his long legs around my body and his head over my shoulder to look at me with questioning,
"You hate it."
"Please tell me you didn't blow a small fortune on it," he kisses my cheek as I talk.
"I didn't think you would recognize it from all those years ago..." I look at him and then it all comes back.
"Bruce this is your mother's wedding ring. I can't take it." He shakes his head.
"You are the only woman I was allowed to give this ring to. My mother told me that..."
-Flash Forward Present-
I open the door, looking down the hallway. Not seeing anyone I start to walk down the hallway in only black lace lingerie. I should go to work. But I don't have to anymore. Jonathan signed over Arkham to me before he left.
As I drag my feet I feel a presence behind me trying to pass me on my right, I grab onto their arm and slam them up against the wall, pressing my wrist on their trachea. The brown haired girl eyes go wide and she tries escape from my grasp.
"What are you doing in my fiancé mansion?"
"He didn't..." She starts and I press on her throat harder.
"I'm sure he didn't mention it. But I'm real and I never want to see your little slu...."
"Cassandra," I hear Bruce's authoritative voice. I turn to my left to see him quickly approaching. To say he is mad at me is an understatement, he is furious. He isn't wearing a shirt and only has on sleep pants we bought in London together.
"What did I tell you about bringing girls home? Am I not enough?" I shake my head and know that if I go in just a little bit more she will be dead. Just one...
"Cara," Bruce comes from behind me and presses his body into me. He leans down and whispers in my ear, "Let the intern go."
"If she is an intern why isn't she wearing clothes?" I respond.
He sighs, "Because she wanted to have sex with me. There I told you the truth. I slept in our bedroom last night. I got a phone call from her. She was drunk so I picked her up and drove her here."
"Why not her own apartment?"
"Because I'm an idiot. You know I don't think anything through. Please sweetheart..."
"She tried to have sex with you?" Her eyes grow wide and she looks away from the two of us.
She is smart enough to know that she shouldn't attempt an escape. I may be in the public eye as an All American Sweet Heart with a dash of Cinnamon in but she isn't worth the act behind closed doors. I press on her throat harder and she starts to struggle, with her fake red nails she tries to cut at my skin. I'm not that easy to give up like that.
"She's fired as of now," Bruce sighs, no alarm in his voice. He knows if he presses me she will be dead. He puts his hand over mine and removes it slowly.
My attempt to fight back is digging my long dark blue real nails into her throat. With his other hand he tugs me closer to him, giving the girl enough room to move away from the wall. She looks up gasping for breath and glaring at me.
I look down at her and smirk. "Please leave."
"You don't have to ask me twice," she scrambles up and starts to run down the hallway not before turning around and screaming, "I'll tell everyone about you. You are crazy," she threatens me. "No amount of money is going to cover this up."
"Have a wonderful rest of your morning," I say to her as Bruce still has hold over my body. Once she is out of the hallway. I assume that Alfred is dealing with her I try to force Bruce out of my grasp.
"Where were you yesterday night?"
"Why Wayne, did we have an appointment?" I growl and go to bite his arm; he jerks it away and slaps my mouth.
"Stop fighting with me," he pleas. I hang my head and lean forward he holds me up with his two arms.
"Let me go," I scream out and start to cry. He knows I know he doesn't mean what he is doing now.
"No. I'm not letting you go. I love you," he says softly.
I was forced into Bruce being my primary care giver. I tried to commit suicide three times. I feel my mind slip back to that day.
I drove all the way out to the edge of the city near the water line. No one goes there. I mean why would they? Gotham isn't really a beach place. I knew it was the best choice. I was in bliss for a minute and thirty seconds until someone pulled me out. It was a man with black half styled hair and sweet blue grey eyes; he had a large beak like looking nose.
"Were you trying to kill yourself?" He asks. I start to cough and flip over letting more of the water escape my lungs.
"No offense," I stay still coughing. "But what the fuck do you think?"
"You're such a pretty girl but what a vulgar mouth you have." I fall back on my back and look up at him, his face is so deathly pale and yet he is sporting an umbrella. I smile at him; he has a sweet trusting face.
"I'm sorry." I was saying it for swearing at him. He picks up on that and responds,
"Whatever you wanted to end your life for tell me it isn't really worth it. Was it over love?" He moves closer to me and sort of wattles, sitting down next to me. "Would you like my jacket for your head?"
"No thank you. But thank you for offering. Why do you assume it was over love?"
"The ring," he points to it. I slowly get up and sit next to him, my body feeling like rubber cement.
"Yeah, the guy left it on the windowsill before he went and tried to scare the city to death." His eyes sparkled.
"You're engaged to the Scarecrow?"
"Technically but he's long gone. He's dead." The man smiled,
"I wouldn't be so sure. Now come along and let's get you into some warm clothes and send you back to Mr. Wayne." He gets up and holds out his hand, I pause and look at him,
"How do you know all of this?"
"I've known Jonathan Crane for a couple of years. He used to come in a lot and get drunk," he smirks. "It stopped though. It's your fault huh?" I smile at his light tone and his joke. I take his hand and he pulls me up. He drops my hand as soon as I'm steady. He sheds his dark black coat.
"I said no.... Mr....?" I ask as he puts the coat around my shoulders.
"Mr. Cobblepot. But call me Oswald. Come along my dear," he holds out his leather gloved hand, I take it and we walk to his car.
"No I'm not letting you go. I love you," Bruce guides me to the floor so that his back is up against it. I throw my head back and it gently lands into Bruce's chest.
"I miss him," I scream out turn my whole body into Bruce, bury my head into his chest. He puts his arm protectively around me.
"I know you do. I know," he whispers and leans down putting his head on top of mine. I feel his warm coursing through my veins.
"I'm an awful person. I shouldn't be agreeing to marry you when," I burst into tears again.
"Cara. We talked about this." And we have.
He knows that if Jonathan comes back and wants me back I will go with him. Just like I know if Rachel picks him I will be gone. I know it's twisted and wrong to do this. I mean how much could we really love one another? But we do. We are meant for each other. Only we don't want to be. He will always be my best friend and I will always be his. I will give my life for him and him for me. We love one another with everything we are. It's just there will always be those two people who hang over our heads and we want them to be ours.
"I know." He moves away from me and kisses me softly on the mouth. I give him a half smile as we pull away.
"I hated that intern anyway."
"She isn't going to keep quite no matter how much money you throw at her."
"I know," he sighs. "Is she going to be another dead girl I hear about in the newspaper?" My eyes grow wide with innocence.
"The last one wasn't me." I get out of Bruce's arms and stand. He follows suit. I look down the large hallway to the stairs where my set of pills waits for me. That's the good thing about having two last names. Cassandra Briggs gets all of her medication in Connecticut from a family friend that family friend ships it to Cassandra Jackson. Is it legal? Of course not. Do I care? Does my mother or Bruce? No as long as I stop feeling the overwhelming pain.
I wrap my arm around Bruce's waist and he puts his arm around my neck we walk down the hallway and down the stairs.
"If the last one wasn't you should I assume....?"
"It was the Penguin." Bruce sighs as we walk into the kitchen Alfred is sitting waiting for the two of us, a newspaper in his hands. He drops it when we enter.
"Pills first. Reprimanding later Mistress Cassandra," he folds the paper and sets it down on the counter. Bruce sits down at the counter and watches me as I approach the large glass.
Alfred has left the Prozac and LORazepam on the table. Their four eyes stare, I flip them off, take the pills in my other, popping them into my mouth and drinking the water afterward.
"Happy?" I ask the two; Bruce nods and opens up his arms. I walk to him and get on his lap; he puts his head in my shoulder to look over at the food that Alfred has set out for the both of us.
"Eat something," Bruce whispers in my ear and kisses my neck. I turn my head slightly,
"Okay," I take the fork in my hand and start to eat the eggs that were left out. Alfred comes back from the other room. "What are you going to reprimand me about?"
Alfred sighs and sits down, "If you are going to go out late at night please tell one of us. I want to make sure you are safe."
Alfred knows about what I've been doing to try and find Jonathan. I only told Bruce that I've just been looking around. Not joining underground gangs and causing a little bit of a ruffle in Gotham. Oswald tells me the best ways in and the best ways out. Not to get too close to certain people.
"Oswald knew where I was last night," I respond and sip my earl grey tea; Bruce laughs the feeling sent through me.
"I meant someone in our family." Alfred smiles a little. He has met Oswald on many occasions when Bruce isn't around and the two might not have a lot in common but they still like one another.
"I consider him family at this point though," I respond carelessly. "Anyway I'm having him meet Naomi tomorrow."
"I thought she was seeing someone?" Bruce asks taking the fork from me and eating the egg off of it. I turn and give him a 'what the fuck look.' "It was my breakfast. Not yours."
"She and Edward are at an impasse they can't stop fighting. So they ended it for now. She just needs a nice guy."
"Get up baby," Bruce gently taps my ass, I stand up and he moves away from the car enough for me to sit back down. "A nice guy isn't a villain."
"Oswald isn't one anymore," I retort. Bruce rolls his eyes, leans in and kisses my forehead.
We hear the doorbell ring and look to the door.
"That's for me," I jump up and run out of the kitchen, I skid on the rug and open the door wide to see my friend standing in the doorway, the black umbrella over his head. His eyes grow wide and then he places his hand over them,
"Sweet Cassandra please put some clothes on. I will not open my eyes until you do so," he smiles.
"Mr. Cobblepot," Bruce's voice says. I turn and he is smiling, "Nice to see you."
"I would say nice to see you as well Mr. Wayne but I rather not risk the chance of looking at Cassandra."
I roll my eyes,
"Good man," Bruce's smile grows. "I'm getting changed and going to work. I'll be home at five. Will you be Cassandra?"
"Yes. Give me a moment," I say to Oswald. "I will go and put on clothes."
I run up the stairs two at a time and into the bedroom, picking out a black dress and a pair of heels. Bruce stands in the doorway.
"Don't get yourself into trouble alright," he smiles and raises his eyebrows.
"I promise," I kiss his lips and grab my black jacket.
I run down the hallway and down the stairs. Oswald is already in the car. His driver greets me and opens the door. I slide inside and turn to Oswald.
"Happy I'm in clothes?"
"Who are we killing today?"
"Some bitch that was in the mansion."
"You have such a beautiful face. Please don't swear."
We drive out of the mansion gates and start our little day of terror.
Authors Note: Thank you so much for reading! I love you! For those of you who have come from "I Fear You" and decided you couldn't let the characters go just yet. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. For those who are new. Welcome, I love you!
I take both of those drugs that were mentioned. It isn't like I came up with them on my own. I have my own set of issues.
If anyone knows where I can get good Christian Bale GIFs please let me know. I feel very bad for Bruce. I know what it's like to love someone who can't love you back the same way... I just gave something away. If you think you know what I gave away let me know!
I dedicated this chapter to MerDerLov because has become a very wonderful friend through Wattpad. Please check out her story "Fee Falling: A Gotham "Love" Story." It drives me crazy that is how much I love it!
Don't forget to vote.
See ya soon my little black umbrellas XOXOX