Bruce Wayne

Chapter 17: Return to Gotham

"I hope you'll come and see us again sometime," Zatanna told Bruce as she gave him a hug goodbye. "I can't thank you enough."

"I was glad to help," Bruce replied, returning the hug. "You'll always be family to me."

"I much appreciate your assistance," Giovanni told him, offering Bruce a firm handshake. "If you ever require something yourself, let us know."

"I will," Bruce replied. Despite not knowing when he'd ever have the need to call in a favor from the powerful magician, it was nice to know he had the option if needed.

"Take care of yourself," Sindella added to the family's farewells.

"You too," Bruce returned. "I'll try and drop you a letter from time to time, letting you know how things are going."

"That will be nice," Zatanna accepted.

"Goodbye," Bruce bid to them, and with a wave of his hand, he departed from the room to join Alfred in the hall.

It was a different apartment building than the one Bruce had used to plan the rescue. The reason for Bruce renting a separate space, when Zatanna and Sindella already had accommodations, centered on Bruce's suspicions the room of the magicians might've been under surveillance. Until the culprits had been brought to justice, Bruce had refused to set foot in their apartment. With Giovanni rescued, and those responsible dealt with, Bruce relaxed enough to join them for a brief celebration before making a quick exit. He and Alfred headed down the passage, taking the elevator to the underground parking garage where the van waited.

                                                                                              ***

"Miss Zatanna seemed to want you to stay awhile longer, Master Bruce," Alfred commented as he drove back to their rented apartment.

"I know," Bruce admitted. "She and Sindella put together quite the welcome home party for Giovanni, but I needed to get going."

"Do you have a pressing appointment I don't know about?" Alfred questioned.

"It isn't that," Bruce denied. "If I stayed too long, I might've been tempted not to leave."

"Would it have been so bad?" Alfred asked.

"Since my parents died, I've been working almost nonstop to develop my defensive skills," Bruce said. His eyes were directed out the side window, watching the buildings passing by. "In Japan, I realized I could do more than simply protect myself. The idea's been further reinforced by the operation to rescue Giovanni. I can't get so absorbed in my own interests that I forget about my purpose. I need to go back to Gotham and start making a difference. My parents worked hard to improve the city; to honor their memory, I need to do the same."

"I see," Alfred replied softly as he accepted the explanation.

                                                                                            ***

After returning to their apartment, Alfred and Bruce quickly packed. It didn't take them long as they hadn't removed much from their bags since they'd arrived from Japan. The planning of their rescue mission had occupied them, leaving little time remaining to unpack. Gathering their luggage, they departed from the hotel, leaving the keycard for their room at the front desk when they checked out.

Rather than heading to the airport to charter a flight, Bruce suggested driving the van they'd been using since the rescue of Giovanni. It was still fully loaded with computer equipment, and Bruce didn't want to needlessly waste the expensive gear. He also didn't want a flight plan announcing his return to Gotham as reporters would be crawling all over the airport before the plane touched down. He desired his return to Gotham to be as quiet as possible, especially since he had a personal matter to attend to first.