batwomans_gotham | Can't run from me.....

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Can't run from me.....

She smiled, anticipating the moment.

The scientist was fleeing, but Katalyn was in front of him, not behind. He didn't see her because he was focused on the falling shadow of the Batman.

Sticking out her foot from the shadows she smiled, satisfied when he crashed to the alleyway with a yelp.

"You'd think a genius would have some sort of aircraft on his rooftop," she shook her head, muttering as she went to the fallen man as she coughed. "I mean please. Running from a Bat on foot is just stupid."

She reached down and grabbed his gun, trigged her left claw and sliced through it, then chucked it. "Hold still. The Bat's a second away," she laughed softly, golden eyes gleaming as she put a foot on the back of his neck. He made some muffled growl, but she only rolled her eyes, then looked up, grinning.

"Hey. There you are," she said. This was a good night. A very, good night.

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She nearly slapped him, but stopped, then slowly came too her senses, still crying, but now a little more under control.

"Dr. Leslie..." she nodded, then looked around and trying to get up, biting her lip until it bled. But all she could manage was a stumble. She tried to go shadow, but that wasn't working.

"I can't," she whimpered, terrified.

He stared at her, blinking, even though his face had gone totally impassive, he understood that kind of crippling fear she just showed. It'd pass. Though if she really couldn't walk because she was hurt he wasn't sure how he'd be able to carry her.

"Anyway, like you said we don't have that much time." He folded his arms, waiting for her coldly instead of offering comfort.

She just bowed her head. Her legs, stomache, chest, and back were so severely bruised she could hardly feel anything.

Finally she managed to prop herself up with her good arm, and then got unsteadily to her feet.

"I need help," she whispered, obviously very unsteady, tears leaking down her face from the pain of it.

Just for a second, one could see the emotion on his face, the sorrow that he had yet again caused the harm of someone else, it was all his fault and he hated that. He felt like running after those thugs again just to get revenge for Katalyn's injuries. But that would only succeed in getting himself hurt as well and they'd both be stuck down here. Serves you right. You'd deserve to get hurt.

He didn't look at her, but he reached over to help prop her up so she could hobble along with his help. "C'mon. Lean."

She did so, then nodded, still shaking and crying.

"Twenty feet down, up the manhole, two streets to the left there's a back door in an alley," she shook, then struggled to keep up with him as they started.

He followed her directions, helping her along until they reached their destination. It was slow going, but he was patient (after all, it was his fault) and they eventually made it. If she faltered, he made sure to steady her but no words left his mouth, he was too busy brooding to himself.

Leslie, having been monitoring one patient and fixing up her office a little, looked up at the security monitor of the back alley, stunned to see two tiny children making they're way down. She blinked, saw how they were walking with purpose, and wondered if these were more innocents the woman named Nightlife would occasionally send to her. They were at her door, anyway.

"Oh dear," she said, hurrying out and freezing. What were two little kids doing out here, dressed as super hero's? And so beaten.... "Oh dear, you two, come inside at once," she said, putting her hand on the tiny boy's back and moving before she blinked at the little girl, who looked ready to collapse.

He looked up, old memories of actually looking up at Leslie coming back, and especially with them staggering out as kids in this neighborhood that had so much meaning for him made him stop, open his mouth, and his lower lip trembled a little, and he let go of Katalyn.

"Leslieeeee," he buried his face in her clothes with a sob.

"Good gracous!" she said, catching the tiny girl who fell with a cry. Then she froze and slowly pushed back the boy's cowl. She'd heard about the male Batman, and the cry was unmistakable, even if it was a little boy, not a little girl.

"Bruce?!"

He looked up through tear-blurred eyes, managing a nod, trying to contain his hiccups. A vague part of him remembered that this was highly embarrassing but the built up emotion had been suppressed too long and he buried his face in her clothes again.

She put an arm around him, staring in shock, then looked at the little girl as she squeaked with pain and fear, and then scooped both up and took them into the clinic, bolting the door behind her before she took them to a room, setting the little girl on the table and then stroking Bruce's hair.

"It'll be alright, Bruce, easy there," she said gently. "Can you tell me who your friend is? And what happened to you?"

He felt really embarrased now the he had broken down, and sniffled a lot before he could get his hiccups under control and speak properly. He hadn't cried like this, since...well, then. He felt like he was back there, in that nightmare, with Leslie calming him down again. Except he was in a Batsuit. So maybe this was some kind of nightmare...

"This guy...umm...a scientist. And...it exploded. The thing, I mean." He sniffled, rubbing his eyes to get the stupid tears out. Even though it was masked by a little kid's voice, the words were mature. "And it's all my fault. Everything, all of this, is all my fault. She got hurt cause of me. It's always my fault, I should have gotten the broken arm, not her."

"A scientist," she said, shaking her head, then slowly feeling the little girl's arm. "Oh dear, that's a bad break... please, Bruce, it will be alright, but I need to set her arm soon or it will never function properly again."

She hated being unable to comfot him, but the arm had to be set and both children looked over for other problems. "Who hurt you?"

He let go of her reluctantly, more sheepish now that he had relatively calmed himself. He shrugged, coughing, trying to put that random breakdown behind him.

"Uh, Nightlife knows." He had enough sense to give Katalyn the courtesy of her name not being revealed if she didn't want it to. "They were a gang, I didn't recognize them and I've never seen them before in patrol. I suppose I haven't looked underground enough, but as soon as I get back, I'll surely look into it." A tiny frown, he really sounded like his older self except with someone warping the timbre of his voice. He folded his arms, he had gone on long enough in his life without people comforting him (or able to receive the comfort, even if the effort had been there).

"Now Bruce, don't be like that," Leslie said softly, knowing the look all too well as she bandaged the girl's arm. Then she blinked and looked at the girl closer. "This isn't that Nightlife, is it?"

He frowned again, but answered the question slightly sullenly. "What other Nightlife would there be?"

"I don't know, Bruce, I've only seen her handiwork," she said gently.

"Well, that's her, then." He said slightly petulantly, pulling his mask back down over his face. "I just know that we have to find this scientist guy or whatever, and find him now. I can't stay like this for long."

"Yes..." she said, then blinked as the "passed out" girl stirred, then apparently attempted to squirm away from Bruce.

"Miss Nightlife, are you awake?" she frowned. Katalyn whimpered, and tried to roll away.

"Is she okay?" he bit his lip, peering at Katalyn a little closely. He did indeed feel quite responsible and guilt was just eating away at him inside. More mad at himself for her getting physically injured rather than scaring the life out of her. "You okay?"

"Leave me alone," she sobbed, then looked up at the doctor, who she knew quite well. "He wouldn't just leave. He wanted to take on all the pipe gangs and he wouldn't listen to me. If they hadn't been in a good mood they would've done stuff to me n' killed him, and he never listens! He doesn't get it Dr. Leslie!"

"Shh," Leslie picked up the girl, knowing when a child needed comfort. She looked at Bruce. "Is that true?"

He looked sheepish for a moment, a rare sight to see from him. Then he sucked in a lot of air and protested, trying to reason out what he did.

"Look, I miscalculated, okay? I admit it. I just don't want to see those pipe gangs keep bothering people. If I had only been bigger, I woulda gotten to them! I coulda gotten to them now, but I'm not used to moving around in this body."

"See? I told you, I told you he doesn't get it," Katalyn burried her face in the front of Leslie's shirt.

"Bruce," Leslie sighed, shaking her head. "I know you. You know better than that. Nightlife was correct, you two are very, very lucky to be alive. I've seen what happens to the children those monsters down there get a hold of. Now, will you please promise me that you two will lay off the crime fighting until you get big again? It's simply too difficult to know whether or not you can handle yourself against such a larger opponent."

He scowled, even though he both knew they were right. He just didn't like admitting it, especially not to Katalyn. He looked up at Leslie with slightly pleading eyes.

"You don't understand. Someone has to take care of Gotham. With Batwoman down...and my Gotham too. I can't stop. I can't.." He didn't trust that Hunter kid, and Robin couldn't be in both places at once either, and Spoiler probably couldn't take care of it all herself and she couldn't go back to his Gotham.

"Bruce," Leslie frowned deeply. "Look at what's happened already. I know it will be hard for you, but if you try to fight the evil of Gotham now you could be killed. Then we would loose you for good. Gotham has survived without a Batwoman for a while; albiet not in the best way, but it has. And it will survive a little while longer while you get your old body back. But I really must insist you stop for the time being."

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