Smooth Operator

[Deleted]

Harvey sat in his living room.  It had been a long day dealing with Joker and his gassing of precincts 5 and 12, not to mention finding out the night before that Selina was god damn Catwoman.  He sighed as he finally sat on his couch after pouring a drink.  A moment later a text came to his phone.

Coast from coast
LA to Chicago
Western Male

Harvey noticed the number was not one saved, nor was it a Gotham one.  He furrowed his brow at it. 

You've got to be kidding me.  Of all days they text me.

Harvey thought for at least ten minutes before responding to the text.  Finally he responded.

Across the North and South
To Key Largo
Love for sale

He watched his phone as his next text snapped back from the number.

Face to face
Each classic case

We will be in touch soon, Bishop.

Harvey sighed heavily.  Before anything else happens today I need to talk to Selina.

Within ten minutes he was walking across the park and texting Selina.

We need to talk.
Now.
I am headed over.

Also, none of the fucks were given, he carried his bottle as well as the glass he was drinking out of.  No coat, no shirt, just his undershirt, pants, suspenders, belt, and shoes.  Though he did think to put his hat on.  He almost got approached by a couple of officers until they realized who he was and left him alone.

Soon he knocked on Selina's door, he always cop knocked.  Habit of his.

[Deleted]

She shook her hair free. After debriefs, dinner, and a lot of cool awkwardness, she was home. And even after checking in with Charlotte, finishing up her own work, making phone calls, and so forth, nothing still felt right.

It wasn't her fault.

It wasn't his fault.

In reality?

It wasn't anyone's fault.

Shit just happened at times. More often in her life than not.

But between the pain, the anger, and her inability to do a damn thing about any of it, she was frustrated. Cooking dinner had been slightly distracting after client phone-calls and ripping through a half-pack of cigarettes, but even now she had turned to drinking, and quiet contemplation to an eclectic mix of mostly jazz peppered with other music piped into her room. Her door was cracked, and after refreshing her drink, there was a quiet chime in her ear to notify her of a text. Hobbling to her phone she thumbed it on, ashing her cigarette and reading.

Ah. Now he wanted to talk. She could at least give him his shirt back. He could talk to her through the door of her bathroom. She's already started bathwater and poured in the appropriate oils and bubbles. He was not going to take that from her, too.

Door's unlocked.
I'll be in my room.
C is home.

Yes, while it was 1:30 in the morning, both were quite aware of their own nocturnal proclivities, as well as the prior day's events. So she tucked her cell into the pocket of his oxford she's slipped back into, and gathered a few other things; her highball glass, bottle, cigarettes, and lighter, and made sure they were within reach of the tub. Lighting a few candles she dimmed the light, and made sure her robe and towels were close by as well. Phone was set on the vanity, crutches abandoned as she hung up the lavender shirt.

Getting into the tub was something. Considering her foot couldn't get wet, there was some twisting that may have dumped her into the hot water unceremoniously. She was fine, foot propped out of the water, a long drag taken on her cigarette as music drifted through into her, the lights dimmed just enough as she lay in wait for the oncoming storm that went by the name Harvey T. Bullock. The least she could do was ease the pain with a bit of alcohol, tobacco, and Sade.

[Deleted]

Harvey opened the door and walked in, minding his noise level. He walked through trying not to knock anything over as well. Eventually he made it back to her room and looked around, closing the door behind him.

"Selina?"

He looked the room over until he saw the light coming from the bathroom. He headed that way, the smells hit him, she's taking a bath, of course she's taking a bath.

Harvey knocked on the door quietly with his bottle.

"Hey, you decent? I'm comin' in."

And he stepped in, bottle covering his shut eyes.

"Why you gotta be in the tub-ooof"

He ran into a wall because walls.

[Deleted]

One of the benefits of her home is that she could tell when the door opened. And when he re-locked it. The acoustics in her loft were fantastic. "Hmm?" She answered appropriately from the bath, reaching behind her to grab her glass.

"I'm decent-" she started, rolling her eyes as he ran into the side of a shelving unit. "Seriously. Bring your own bottle but is there enough left?" She snarked at him, setting her glass down to wind her hair up and secure it.

"I'm in the tub because a-I don't need a reason, b-my home, my hours to do whatever I want, with no reason, and maybe c-Wasn't expecting someone to drop in at this hour." Well, not him. Taking a long hit off her cigarette, she blew a steady column of smoke.

[Deleted]

He lowered the bottle and opened his eyes, looking down at her with a steely man face, an expression his face had been in far too often in his lifetime.

"Hey, there's plenty, if you want some just ask, don't get all catty."

He pulled the cap with his teeth and poured himself more into the glass he had. He set the bottle next to her and reached down, plucking her cigarette and taking a few drags off it.

"Look, we need to hash some shit out, baby. I ain't happy, you ain't happy and we gotta come up with, I dunno, ground rules or sumthin'."

He looked tired, spent, beaten, and just plain fucked. His arm was all casted up and his eyes still black.

"Look, I ain't ever gonna rat you out, but the moment you really do somethin' terrible I can't not do something. Can you promise me that you at least won't become a psycho?"

Harvey was a little buzzed, but not enough.

[Deleted]

In her bathroom, Charlotte has been going through her nightly routine. She may be a night owl, but 1:30 in the morning is where she's pushing it with getting enough sleep to be up at the ungodly hour she'll need to wake up. In fact, she'll already probably need to squeeze in a nap somewhere, but she actually was up late doing homework so valid excuse and all that. As she applies the various nighttime products to her face that are supposed to help keep the threat of acne away, she's listening to some of her music - quietly, since she's aware of the hour.

When she's finished, she turns off the music and leaves the bathroom, starting for her room when she notices that something seems amiss, though it takes her a moment to realize what - Selina's door was open a crack before, and now it's not. Of course, it's not like Selina couldn't have closed it, but still that would be weird unless Selina went to bed - at an unusually early hour - or she wanted privacy for some reason. And her suspicions are confirmed when she hears a muffled male voice. Which definitely isn't Batman - he's an easy one to pick out - though if it was him she'd have gone to bed without comment, if only because she definitely doesn't want to meet him again. But if not Batman, then who? Especially at this hour, and wouldn't Selina have mentioned if she'd been expecting someone?

Silently debating her options for a moment, she walks down the hallway to Selina's door and asks, "Everything okay, Selina?" Just... letting her know that she knows something's going on and that she wants to know if she should worry. Because if she didn't ask, she'd worry, and then how would she sleep? Not that she doesn't think that Selina couldn't handle a guy in her room, but on the other hand, it's not like Selina's had a good run of luck lately.

[Deleted]

She didn't even have to say a thing. The look on her face said it all; Who says I haven't already? Coupled with a whole lot of Try and catch me. You clearly haven't been able to, yet.

She was good, and not locked up for a reason. Narrowing her eyes, she ashed her cigarette and held up a finger to silence him. She heard something. Yes, above her music, and his talking, and the water. Little feet had padded to her door, and she'd recognized the voice. "Theo, go let Charlotte know things are ok? That we're just talking about me being Catwoman?" It was a partial dare.  Would he use those words? Would he tell Kit things were fine, because they were? Adults argued frequently.  It's what they did at times.

When he'd tromp back in she was sipping, relaxing and still puffing away on her cigarette, the next of many she'd indulged in throughout the evening and day. Eyes closed she could still see his haggard form in the back of her eyelids. Neither of them was handling this well, she could feel it in her bones.

When she heard him return, she lit him a fresh cigarette before ashing the old one. A hard puff and it would be handed to him. "I have my own bottle, and am willing to share, too," she said softly, motioning to her bottle, which sat beside a familiar necklace, and ring. She wore both religiously, but never when she bathed.

"So. Where do you want to start on all this? Ground rules? We might have to back-track before we get to that. And you may have to define 'psycho.' As in Joker? What? By the book? Do you now understand that most of the Rogue's Gallery and I are on a first name basis, as well as the so called 'Bat-Family,' Harvey? You throw me anywhere, and both sides will rain fire and brimstone." She was deadly serious, her voice a quiet lull as she laid it out for him. She'd cultivated friendships across the board for years and wasn't going to ruin them, no matter who they were with, or with whom. Including him.

"I am a thief, near-mother, successful businesswoman, survived orphan of the East End, once proud inhabitant of the North Side of Gotham. Went to University in Paris, friends to many. Be they lunatic, vigilante, fanatic, civilian, or peace officer."


Her jaw was set. He could ask all the questions he wanted. But part of her inside would never forgive herself for letting him get dragged into all this. Even if it had been a goddamn accident.

[Deleted]

Harvey just rolled his eyes at Selina and headed off to the door to deal with Charlotte. Once he got there the opened it and smiled to the teenager, even if it was a bit of a strained smile.

"Sorry little doll, didn't mean to disturb ya, just hashin' out this whole... Catwoman thing with Selina, because you know... Just found out last night that she was Catwoman, so you you're smart, you can imagine how well this is going. Sorry for the disturbance."

Once he eventually returned to Selina he sighed a bit heavily and looked at her.

"By Psycho, I mean an asshole who blows people up and shit, I really should have known better than saying that because if I know you well enough, and I truly hope and think I do, then you won't be doing that shit. Especially given that, if you did, I would have to shut you down."

Harvey took a very long swig of his drink and then topped it off ofter he finished it and took the cigarette from her that she offered.

"Y'know, if we were married I'd never have to testify against you and vice versa."

He threw the statement out there in a way as if he never expected it as a real option but after saying it he narrowed his gaze back to her more directly.

"Would you really ever consider that? I mean, I figure maybe you would given that you wear the ring and all, but..."

Harvey kneeled on both knees at the edge of the tub and looked at her.

"You do know how much I love you right? Seriously, I'd kill for you, and you know I'd do right by you."

Harvey leaned back a little looking at her with a serious face, a little bit of his heart somehow splayed across his expression.

"Ain't nobody love you like I do."

[Deleted]

The door opens, and Charlotte doesn't look that surprised to see Theo. It's still a rather late hour of the night for him to be around, but then again he'd be on the very short list of people that Selina seems to know well enough (at least that Charlotte is aware of) to be over at this time of night. What does surprise her is what he says. "Wait, what?" she asks, though she heard him the first time. It's just a bit hard to believe what she heard.

And it also puts her into a bit of a position. Because, well, that means that they're having a bit of a private conversation, but then again it's not like it's completely irrelevant to her. And also, how is she supposed to sleep when she knows that they're talking about that? "Well, it doesn't matter how sorry you are, I'm still disturbed," she says, heading into the room. They may not want her there, but that's just tough - if they didn't let her or kick her out, she'd only listen at the door anyway. And if they did anything to deprive her of the ability to even eavesdrop, Selina's going to have a ticked off teenager on her hands later. Better to just let her openly be there.

Though when she comes in, she does pause when she sees Selina in the tub - oh, of course Selina would be in the tub while they talk about this. Why would she have assumed otherwise? But though she doesn't really think they have a right to keep this particular conversation from her, she does respect their right to have it without her interference so she picks a spot on the wall in the bedroom to lurk instead of planting herself right in the thick of things.

It takes her a moment to catch up with what they're talking about since they get right back on whatever line of thought they'd been on before, but not too long. But what she makes of it is hard to say because she keeps her mouth shut and just listens, though she does get rather wide-eyed when Theo mentions marriage. Her eyes shift to Selina, naturally wondering at the woman's response to that. She has her opinions on that subject, but those she'll keep to herself. She's just a teenager that Selina decided to take care of - it's not like her opinions do or should matter on something like this, after all.

[Deleted]

Raising her brow, she hadn't expected the teen to come into the room, or Harvey's admission. Shit. Exhaling, she shook her head a second, eyes popping open and pursing her lips. "No. I a not that sort of 'bad.' And you know it. You've dealt with Catwoman. I have some Ethics to what I do. Hold on-" She peered out of the cracked door to sense the presence of the teen, more than she could trust her eyes to see her.

"I need to talk with Charlotte before this goes any further, Theo." She mentioned quietly before calling out to the teen. "Hon, we're going to do a tag- you come in for a second or two, ok?" Charlotte wasn't stupid. Selina was more than well enough aware of that. Still reeling slightly from the day's prior events, and the pent up emotions still corked, and now this admission, Selina needed to safeguard things. Especially with those she honestly cared for. Family. And while the teen wasn't born by blood, she'd survived Selina's trials by fire thus far.

Once the teen sat near the tub, she'd sigh, sitting up a bit more in the tub, a second away from stripping off the damn walking boot and dumping the whole thing into the piping hot water with her. Fuck it. She could see Leslie if need be, and the woman wouldn't ask a damn question about it, either. But trying to suppress the alcohol, and wave away the heady smell of her chain-smoking, she steeled herself to speak to the teen. Her Kit, who she'd been more than open with since the pow-wow at Wayne's.

"Kit. I know we have very, very open communication. We have to, considering you and me. And the duplicity. Harvey, was one of the few that...hadn't been aware of who I am, despite us being friends for most of our lives." She paused, thinking of Delilah, and what she would say in this instance. "And considering how he found out, him and I need to discuss things one-on-one. Considering you are quite aware of who I am, trust me this doesn't affect you in any way. Well, save for the fact Harvey might be a bit more hovering for a day or two. But that I will take care of. Nothing that different. But once him and I come to an understanding about our past, and how this new aspect affects his, and my respective futures-" she glanced to the man. "We will bring you back in. You can sit and eavesdrop at my door, or your own, but I'd rather him and I hash this out sooner, rather than later."

If she werent in the tub, she would have hugged the girl. Charlotte is a ballsy thing. She would have expected nothing less. So when she catches the eye-roll as the girl slinks from the large bathroom, and the click of her bedroom door, she finally smirks at Theo.

"She's damn stubborn. If the math wasn't awkward, to say the least, or I looked a bit older, you'd think she was mine...Then again, several of the teachers, and respective parents think that at the school, so," she shrugs, motioning to a small compact on the counter behind him. She was one that honestly had never thought 'maternal pride,' of all things, would swell so often, and so vividly through her being. "Hand that here?" As he does retrieve the object and hand it to her, she twists it clockwise as a small green light appears.

"Now we can talk. And if anything, despite the seriousness of your admission, we are chalking it up to alcohol." Even having to dismiss something so close to both of their hearts as alcoholic drivel hurts. Then again, it's a weakness she can't have everyone aware of. Even Charlotte, sadly. It is something that could easily be used against any of them. Which is one of the reasons she is overtly cautious with how honest, or even 'real' she is about discussing herself. She is a master at speaking genuine words of nothing, cloaking herself in layer upon layer of things that seem important, but really aren't. It's a skill, one she's mastered years ago, that secures her safety. And her loved ones.

As she plucked the cigarette back from him, she was glad she had those little disruption devices everywhere in her home. Then again, she had gifted friends, and was a bit paranoid about her own safety and security in her own home. She'd be stupid, otherwise.

So when she leaned her head back, again, replaying him on his knees before the tub, proclaiming nothing less than distilled truth, she knew this was going to be a multi-layered, difficult conversation.

But one that needed to be had, and was overdue by about ten years. Especially with the events of the night prior. Cigarette clamped between her lips, the only tell of any emotion on her face was the back of her hand pulled across her eyes, and the deep breath she pulled in that shifted the bubbles atop her chest.

He loved her beyond anything. Somehow she'd known that years ago. And he would, no matter what she did. She'd be lying to herself, and had been for years with how they carried on. But the simple fact was "...you're a cop Harvey. I am an ex-juvie punk that never rehabbed, but just got better. I was taught by an ex-SAS officer, while simultaneously getting my art-history degree. I opened my own company, which is legitimate, by the way. You don't shit in the hand you eat with. But that isn't the topic at hand. You are a goddamn cop, and a good one, and one of the few non-corruption ones in Gotham. Me? Catwoman. I steal shit. Do you not get that? It would erode you in ways I don't want. I never wanted that sort of taint to touch your life."

She was fighting back the tears, her voice husky with emotion as she was circling her way around the main topic. Which was his proposal. His second one, if she were honest.

Rubbing at her face, she almost refused to look at him, instead offering him the freshly-ashed cigarette and reaching for her own half-empty glass, downing it. "Wearing it on my right hand is just as important as wearing it on my left. I know you'd do me right." Her voice trailed as she shifted in the tub, turning to face him.

"We've been playing for years. Tip-toeing around it all, yet doing what we do. How many friends do you know, honestly, that strip down like we do, and sleep in the same bed. That would pull a gun, let alone two, and know where they are, in their 'friend's' home? I just...it's not you. Your mother wanted us to be together. It's me. I am not pure enough, or good enough. I love you, and you have no idea how deeply. But I'm ...a business owner, a consultant for your station. Catwoman, socialite, philanthropist, I have Charlotte. I've been married before. Who would sell which place? Kids? I am dating Bruce Wayne, and have romantic entanglements with Batman. And....do you have any ideas the repercussions me marrying anyone would have?"

The last sentence was whispered, her eyes closing as one of her only true hopes again flirted just out of her grasp. "It doesn't matter who. There would be a backlash. Rouges would go after him. Capes would question my loyalty. Threats. Secrets. All of it. If I did marry? It'd have to be..." ...another secret. Layer upon layer upon layer.

She shrugged, sinking back into the water and tipping the pale liquor into her glass before downing all of it again.

"I want it. But it would be so you couldn't testify against me. You? It would ruin your career. Everything you've fought tooth and nail for. So unless we're headed to Vegas any time soon? Or you are aware of a witness and someone who won't speak?" She shrugged, swallowing hard.


He'd even gone down on both knees, this time. Not that the gesture mattered. She was coughing up excuse after excuse. He loved Charlotte. He'd never have to lock her up. And if faced with the choice? He'd find a loophole. He'd done it before. And she'd never gone that far, either. Had she considered the first proposal? A stupid notion, because she could remember vividly her conversations in Italian with Delilah, about everything and nothing, and why he hadn't begged her to stay, to attend Gotham University, to move in with him. She loved him beyond the necessity for speaking it, and showed him when she stopped in, or refrained from marking him as Catwoman, or when she'd hidden nearly ten grand in his record collection, tucking the bills between and in the slipcovers, or on top of the records, when she'd mailed his mother trinkets, or money, or sent letters near religiously. Not only to his mother, but to Verne.

She's not only kill for the man, but cared for him beyond reason. And that made not only him a liability, but her one as well.

[Deleted]

Harvey could feel the liquor and his heart beat. He hadn't had but one thus far, but he was so delirious that everything was so much clearer and sharp than it should have been. The 'little black dog' was at the corner of Harvey's vision, there, just scurrying about. He knew how to ignore it. Ignoring the fatigue, the terror, the blood shed, the doubts,- this was the battle Harvey fought every day, waking until sleeping.

His eyes were red at the corners, he did his best to not look so haggard in front of Charlotte. He had walked back to Selina, not necessarily expecting Charlotte to come in the way she did. Harvey felt himself sighing under his breath. This kid had been alive about as long as this whole thing has been around between he and Selina. That very thought floored him a little. He felt something in his chest knock hard and he took in a long breath, quietly, using his fatigue to mask anything he might be feeling.

He put his hand on his head, he felt a slight guilty for being so terrible at answering the door. He should have known better and not have taken Selina's little dare. He had better instincts to listen to with when it came to a girl that age, any age really. It is uncanny how much she looks and sounds like Laverne...

He took his hat off for the both of them and nodded to Charlotte finally.

"Sorry, Char, didn't mean to stir ya up, kiddo. Just got to... figure things out. I don't want ya ta have ta listen to all my problems, that ain't your cross to bear, baby doll."

Harvey would stay quiet the rest of the time Selina spoke to Charlotte. He would stay out of the way but give the kid an apologetic look before she would eventually leave. Harvey, he looked at Selina, there down on his knees at the edge of the tub.

As she listed excuse and excuse, disguising them as reasons his eyes just got darker and more torrid. He finally let out a long sigh and dropped his head down for a moment. He raised it back up and looked at her, a hurricane behind his eyes now.

"Selina, I can't even listen to all of this. It just feels like, with everything you're saying, all these things... the way you describe it the longer we known each other the more the possibility has become impossible. I just, I will not sit here and listen to that."

Harvey got back to his feet. He was so many things right now he couldn't even muster the rage to break something.

"Don't cry, you don't get to cry, not now.  You can put labels on me, on yourself, just keep at it, alright?!  Tell me everything that doesn't work here, I do not give a fuck.  I am tired of being all this rage all the time, I kid myself thinking I'm better off than I used to be.  I was a mess when you were gone.  Do you know how much I drank, how much I ate, how much I screwed trying to get you off my mind?  I am exhausted, so exhausted."

Harvey's breaths were short, his hands clutched into fists, his entire body just tensed where he stood.

"I cannot live like this anymore. I can't live with all this maybe, this uncertainty, its hell, Selina, and I am tired of burning. And its more than that. There is so much you don't know. You think you know it all, I know you're savvy, I know you like to keep your hooks in on info, but... there's something really big."

At the mention of Batman

 He was putting everything on the line and here she was just finding every reason to refuse it, to deny it. He felt all the regret of never having been more forward before any day before today. He attemped to move his arm out but his sling stopped him. He growled and pressed it out hard, ripping the strap at the mention of Batman.

"What is he to you?  Who do you think about in the middle of the night?  Do you think about him, or do you think about me?  That's what matters, not all this other crap.  And Bruce Wayne?  Him?  Isn't he pretty well known for his sleepin' around, kitten."


 He let his casted arm rest at his side finally and clenched his fists again at the idea of all sides coming in at them.

"The whole world's been at me my whole life.  You don't even know, you have no idea how capable I am at dealing with it.  There is so much about me you do not even know, Selina."

Harvey wondered if he should, he probably shouldn't, but he was stricken with a nearly paralyzing passion and pulled out a light from his pocket and clicked it on. He held it over the left side of his shirt while moving the strap to his undershirt to the side. There was a tattoo apparent under the light. It was a pair of chess pieces at perpendicular angles. It was a pair of bishop chess pieces, one black, one white.

"There are people who don't call me Harvey, or Theo, or Bullock.  There are people who only call me Bishop."

[Deleted]

It really shouldn't have surprised Selina that Charlotte would want to stay. After all, though Charlotte took the news of Selina's alternate identity as well as could be expected, that was no small bombshell to process and not completely without hurt. Because yes, she realizes that it was perfectly sensible to keep that secret until trust was established and all that. And she'll give Selina credit for not trying to hide it even after all that happened. But it still meant that, while she can hardly argue that Selina did anything wrong, she can still say that it hurt to not be told that her guardian was Catwoman until something happened that made telling her pretty much required.

Stirs up all kinds of questions about Selina and secrets: What else might Selina be keeping from her? Does she really trust the woman to be a good judge of what she's "allowed" to know? Then again, if Charlotte's questions were really serious then Selina wouldn't be able to miss that - it says a lot that the teen didn't try to run off the first solid chance she had afterward. No, she's just a girl who already had quite a few trust issues coping with the first person she's trusted in a long time having a secret double life. And, at least as far as she's concerned, and not wanting to be excluded from important conversations is a perfectly justified feeling. And it's not anyone's fault that she feels that way, really - it just is.

Though Theo's words cause her to look at him, Charlotte doesn't give him any response - if she has some questions about Selina's judgment when it comes to what she should and shouldn't know right now, guess how she feels about Theo's? Besides, it's not like she'd fuss too much about the man's problems if they don't happen to affect her in any way - she just wants to have the ability to worry about any of them that do. And for that she needs to know to begin with.

So it's with a certain amount of unease that she complies with Selina's request to come all the way in - Theo is way easier to shrug off than Selina. That's a product of just how much built up trust there is in spite of everything, right there. She just needs some time for it to restablize, really. At first, she's pretty openly suspicious as Selina is clearly trying to talk her into leaving, but as Selina's words address the very thing she was worrying about, the suspicion turns into a more simple discomfort. She really doesn't want to be convinced to leave, but she does have a point about how big this is would be for Theo. Yes, even bigger than it was for Charlotte. And with Selina reassuring her that it won't be anything affecting her... Damn it, she's convinced! Fine, but she says, "I'm waiting at the door 'til you call me back in - I'm not going to be able to sleep anyway." Sighing and rolling her eyes because she has her doubts that they'll even say anything that'll matter if she knows or not, she does just that - literally sitting on the floor by the door.

[Deleted]

"Thank you," Selina would call out to the teen. Her bedroom door clicked closed, as she heard the second click of it shutting. While the two were close, they weren't quite to the point of Charlotte having seen her step from the bath.

So once their semi-privacy had been established, she futzed with the bubbles and water, watching him uncomfortably. There was no way getting around this, other than straight through it. And as for her? She'd been drinking for a few hours, in tandem with smoking. Under duress, one could call it. But he looked nearly as bad as her, if she were really comparing shit to turds.

He should shower. Not that it meant much, but she'd sourced a few things for him, just in case he'd ever really needed them, at her place, and couldn't get back to his own. There was a drawer, even. A few undershirts, boxers, socks, oxfords, slacks. A pair of Sperry's. Comfortable. Untouched, even.

Finally she turned to look at him, the vacancy and inability to come up with an answer, of even a lie mirroring that darkness in his eyes. "Nothing is ever impossible. We've made it work for years, so far. Until last night." He withdrew, and she hoped he wasn't going to leave. With all her heart. She had the upper hand, in a way, but she was also at the greatest disadvantage physically, as well. But, he only had one arm. Her, she could still walk, but not as nimble. Her toes uncorked the tub, water seeping slowly from it as he spoke.

"Do I look like I'm about to fucking cry? Really. Then it's not impossible. Don't feed me your station bullshit. And yes, I was aware. You think it was all sunshine for me, too?" Her voice broke. She had, and hadn't been aware she was the root of his falling off the wagon. It made her feel like the worst piece of shit on the bottom of a forlorn, forgotten shoe.

If it was that bad, why didn't he beg her to stay? Why hadn't he come to her in Italy, in France, in Greece? This time she couldn't stave off everything, and angrily pushed the tear from her cheek.

"Then we need to discuss this. All of it. Backtrack years to that day when you were a rookie, and they set you up. Through when I was gone those few years, and what we both did."

Her eyes flared when he mentioned Batman. And Bruce. And the worst part was she couldn't argue either image the man had crafted for himself. Bruce had done just that goddamn good of a job creating either persona, she couldn't refute it. The hurt in her eyes magnified as she watched him, mouth gaping several times before any words came drifting out.

"That isn't fair. I never once judged you for those years I wasn't here. What is he to me? I..." What was he? A lover, confidant, foe. Antagonist, the other side to a coin. A human being, flawed to his core. A man who didn't know her origins, but cared nonetheless. A man dedicated to his cause, but had been distracted by a girl from the wrong side. "You know the rumors. How about you tell me?" She growled at him. He worked with the Bat-family. He could tell her.

"I think about how free I am at night. How I don't have to be caught, unless it's on my own terms. I think of the stillness in the air at three am, and how I haven't been out in at least three goddamn months!" She swallowed, acutely aware of the sinking water level.

She wanted to slap him for the tone he used with her nickname. Why was nothing ever so simple with her. How could she ever capture the feelings of a man who knew her through everything, and still loved her, and contrast, or dare even compare those to a man whom she met when she was what she is; and the other helped her get there, and has loved her no matter what she became.


"He doesn't really do that. And I thought men were heralded for the pussy they chased. And which is worse, vigilante, or cop, when you're in my shoes, Theo?" And who did she really contemplate at night? Herself. Not a man, or men. Herself.

Reaching for her towels, one was set inside the tub atop the bubbles, another twined about her with ease as she watched him nearly implode.

"Same here. We were raised in the East End. Overcame it. And what the hell are you even talking about?" She stepped from the tub awkwardly with a wince, before sinking to sit on it's edge. He'd always been so upfront with her. Honest. Then again, as far as he knew, so had she.

And then he was fighting against himself, her ragey cripple partner-in-crime, ripping at his sling to shift not only that, but suspenders, his shirt still partially on.

She'd never been so mad at a fabric before in her life.

Puzzled, his words made no sense as the intricate linework showed opposite his claw wound. Shaking her head, brow furrowed she closed the short distance to him, and ran her fingers along the nearly-invisible tattoo. It was finely done work, invisible when she shifted the light in his hand, her green eyes searching for something to grasp to about it's meaning. Anything.

And then he spoke the queerest thing she'd heard him say. "What?" Blinking several times up at him, she was confused. He had thrown her a curve ball. Bishop? As in Chess? Was her own outing as Catwoman causing him to mock her, or...what was he saying?

She shifted, offsetting the weight on her left side as she gripped his uninjured arm for balance. For stability on their shifting foundation she once thought was solid.

[Deleted]

Despite his anger he stabilized her with his arm, helping her out of the tub. He looked up to the ceiling to allow her decency. Though, he couldn't help at least a little brief peek. He helped her into her bedroom and turned his back to her so she may dress without having to worry about his devilish eyes.

When she ran those fingers over his tattoo, got a good look at it, he clicked the light off.

"I worked for a government orgs organization called Checkmate. I was, and as if tonight, still am second in command. We were the people that commissioned the original Suicide Squad. I shouldn't even be telling you this, but I trust you, even when I am angry at you."

Harvey eventually took a seat on the edge of her bed, looking out the window facing toward the park. He ran his hand through his hair then down his face, sighing.

"I just.... is it so much to ask for something warm in the cold, Selina? I am so tired of my empty bed. It's such a joke. It's all a joke, isn't it?"

Harvey leaned forward with elbows on his knees, his face in his hands. He wanted to cry. He hasn't wanted to cry since his mother passed. He fought it and won. No way in he'll Harvey Theodore Bullock was crying. Nope. He just sat there.

"I am going to need time away from you, that's what it will come down to. It's torture to look at you. I have to move forward. I can't love when I cannot have what I love. I don't even want to say the word. It is a terrible word, it's caused me nothing but great ache."

He was sitting down, retracting into the depths of a Harvey that had been away for a long time. He could feel that dark, angry man a attempting to take the reins.

"I need a yes or a no right now. I will not wait any longer."

He finally looked to her again.

[Deleted]

Holding her towel tightly she was confused. A rare form to see Selina Kyle in. Forgoing crutches he helped her to a few things she'd laid out beside his discarded shirt. Those few things had been a flimsy silk negligee that made her feel like a queen, but she felt it mildly inappropriate at the moment. Then again, she always had a robe she could throw over it.

So she did.

Tying the plush robe belt around her waist she set the damn towel aside and drew his oxford to her lap. Listening quietly she still didn't understand, fussing with the buttons on his shirt as he sat next to her and made the most confusing confession she'd heard as she raked her mind for any mention of the words before.

Her hands shifted from fussing with the shirt, to her hair as she let it down and idly finger-combed it as he kept on. About love. About them. How broken he looked.

"I...there is a lot that comes with me, Theo. And you know better than to demand a damn thing from me. I don't..." She shrugged, her mind shocked into inability to contemplate anything. "I don't even know...wait...the squad? Based out of that high-security facility?" Her voice rose slightly as she stood abruptly and almost fell in haste. Oh hell no. He wasn't going to blackmail her into doing that. If that is what Checkmate did. No, no. Nonononono.

If a woman could ever emulate a feline cornered, she was doing just that. Green eyes went wide as her mind started whirring. "Bivins...has some sort of chart behind his desk. Your name is on it..checkmate...Bishop. What is this government shit?" She continued to move away, half-limping as she put more and more distance between them, her back nearly to the all-glass wall.

"I don't care if what you're saying is you need time. Or warmth. Do you not understand I cannot and will not answer that question, or anything, until you understand that I am complicated?"

Her eyes flicked across him sitting there, her heart threatening to pound from her chest as she could barely form her next words. At least she'd never publicly decried love as a bad thing. "Are you...telling me you're a spy? A fed?" She whispered, horrified. Frozen with the cool glass at her back, she felt about to throw up. Yes, a criminal with an impressive record was horrified at him being a federal spy.

"This so doesn't even have a damn thing to do with the Joker..." she spat, her face gone white, her hands trembling as she struggled to stay upright, and calm.

"You...get pissed at ME, for being outed as Catwoman, which I kept from you to not fucking complicate things, and you're telling me, you're nothing but a criminal with a government paycheck??" She almost, almost yelled at him in disbelief. But her voice was raised. She waved him away toward the bathroom.

"Go shower. There is a drawer in there, bottom left, your stuff. Just...shower. I need to think. And yes, I am asking for more time. I don't do this right now shit when it involves more than just me. That's selfish."

And her ring and necklace were still in the bathroom, natch.