The Way We Fall | Bruce Wayne

CHAPTER 24 - Charity

Though she'd been once again invited to "make herself at home," whatever that meant, Sara returned to her bedroom balcony shortly after the sergeant left the manor. She breathed in the clean air, trying to let it all sink in. Four weeks of recovery and who knows how long of remaining in hiding. Funny enough, she thought back to how her life had been perfectly normal until the first rendezvous with Bruce. What a fateful day that was. A simple business proposition escalated into a dramatic crime mystery, complete with a near-death experience.

Using the phone in her room, Sara called the office. Alfred informed her that the public wasn't familiar with the phone number, so a call would be safe. She had to notify them of her "unexpected travel plans" somehow. At first, she'd been told Mr. Riley was busy. Then, upon hearing that it was her on the line, Mr. Riley's voice quickly replaced that of the secretary's.

He'd been eager to know when she would be returning to work and was undoubtedly troubled to hear that she'd be out of Gotham for the unforeseen future as she recovered. Of course he wanted to know why. "There's some family friends who offered to take me in. There's nowhere for me to stay here in the city."

"What about Wayne Enterprises?"

Sara restrained a frustrated sigh. "It'll have to wait."

"They don't take 'it'll have to wait' as an answer, Sara."

Pinching her brows, she paced the room back and forth. "Meet with their board in the meantime or something. You really think they wouldn't understand present circumstances?"

"Not when present circumstances interfere with business. They're only interested in what's in it for them, and if we are the cause for delay, they might find it fitting to drop the whole deal. Even if you've enamored their primary stakeholder."

There was no pacifying Mr. Riley. And after his last statement, Sara was finished with the discussion. The call was over within the next few moments and she could let out a heavy exhale. In the back of her mind, she new it was best to talk with Bruce about the predicament. Omitting Mr. Riley's closing remark, of course.

But when she had went downstairs, assuming Bruce would be somewhere in the enormous manor, she was met only by Alfred.

"I thought he took the day off?" She raised a brow. It seemed like he'd been out since the sergeant left. She wouldn't be surprised to hear that he'd gone to the city after all.

"He has," the butler said, knowing more than he was letting on, and not trying to hide it. "I shouldn't be saying this - and don't you go telling him that I did - but Master Wayne has gone out to buy clothes for you."

Out of all his possible answers, she wasn't expecting that. "To buy me clothes?"

"And I implore you to just accept it. You seem to have a habit of wanting to refuse generosity," he said bluntly. Alfred didn't try to soften his words. Always straightforward.

"I've only been here for what, less than two days and you already know me so well," Sara spoke sarcastically, though she knew his statement didn't go unwarranted. She hadn't been the most receptive to the billionaire's charity. To put it more plainly, she flat out refused it. But the odds weren't in her favor, and though stubborn as she may be, she wasn't oblivious to her need.

"No, I know your type."

She looked at him questioningly, arms folded. "Which is?"

The butler smiled, a fondness lighting up his gaze. Something told her she wasn't going to receive an answer. Not yet, anyway.

Before she could remark, they both heard the rumble of the Lamborghini driving up to the manor. Alfred opened the door and in came Bruce, with several bags in hand. She almost gaped at each one labeled with designer brand names. He stopped for a moment upon seeing her standing in the foyer.

Sara exchanged a quick glance with Alfred. Right. She wasn't supposed to know about it. "What are you doing with all that?" Her brows raised as she looked upon the bags of clothing. Her surprise wasn't entirely false, she hadn't anticipated clothing so expensive. But then again, how could she expect anything less when it came to Bruce Wayne?

"Well, I figured you could use some clothes." He looked her up and down. "Not that anything's wrong with a secondhand t-shirt and sweats." Bruce brought the bags to the staircase, placing them down on a step. There was way more than just a couple of outfits in there.

He wasn't wrong, she did need the change of clothes. "Thank you, I'll reimburse you when I-"

As if he'd known she would oppose in some way, he said, "Just count it as a favor."

"Fine. I owe you, then."

He threw up his hands in mock surrender. "If that's what it takes."

Off to the side, Sara could notice Alfred's amused glare.

"Now that we've got that settled, have you stopped to consider that it'd seem a bit odd for Bruce Wayne to be shopping for this amount of women's clothes?" She pointed to the bags, then gazed at him with raised brows. "Whatever happened to keeping me a secret?"

Slightly chuckling, he said, "You'll be glad to know I didn't do the shopping. It's not hard to hire a stylist under the impression that I want to buy gifts for a few-" He stopped himself short. He looked at her and figured that finishing the sentence wouldn't be ideal.

Then she'd do it for him. "For a few lady friends?" She sneered and glared at him, knowing exactly how his reputation worked in his favor. His lips thinned to a line and for the first time she realized he didn't have a response. Pushing the moment aside, she looked at the clothes again. "At least now I know that the outfits won't be entirely ridiculous," she allowed herself to chuckle, lightening the mood.

That got a smile out of him. "What made you think that I don't have a taste in fashion?"

"Well for one, I'm sure you don't buy your own clothes either. And two, there's only so many suits you can wear that don't all look the same."

Bruce glanced at Alfred who was enjoying the conversation from afar. Then looking down to the floor, his teeth flashed in a shy grin.

"But really," Sara began with a sigh. "I don't think I can thank you enough. For all of this."

His eyes locked with hers, revealing a struggle against the desire to say or do something.

Figuring he'd take the opportunity to flatter her once again, she decided to change the topic. "So I just spent twenty minutes trying to convince my boss of why I plan to leave Gotham," she said, strolling a few steps away. Her wall of professionalism rose as a barrier of defense. "And he's concerned about the partnership. I think we should discuss a new plan of action."

Recognizing the shift of tone, the glimmer in Bruce's eyes faded and was overcast with seriousness. They walked to his office with as much formality as they always had.

///

A/N: I've now added titles to each of the chapters. Thanks for the suggestions!