Do Unto Others...

Chapter 7: Tension

Wayne Manor, June 27th, 9:03 a.m.

A nightmare had its grasp me in its grasp, dark shadows fluttering out of reach, dead, naked girls stacked in piles, a faceless man wielding a bloody knife. With the body count standing at eleven with an unpredictably quickening pace, I deserved far worse than restless sleep. I heard Selina's soft voice and when I looked around, I found her laying in a cold dark alley, motionless, her attacker casually walking away.

My eyes opened abruptly as I felt sharp nails gently tracing down the biceps of my left arm, followed by Selina whispering, "Wakey, wakey…"

The master bedroom was still cloaked in darkness, the blackout drapes keeping the early summer sunlight away. Slowing my breaths, I let my head roll over to look at Selina, barely making out her features in the dim room. Even without seeing, I knew her short hair was a mass chaotic after a good night's rest. As I recalled, she had the faintest sunburn on her cheeks and nose and most likely had a crease across her cheek from the pillowcase.

I glanced over her silhouette to see the alarm clock putting it just after nine in the morning, clearing my throat harshly before speaking, "I was awake three hours ago."

She shimmied closer to me before wrapping her arms around my neck, pressing her smiling lips into the bare skin of my neck. When she spoke, I felt her toes tracing the contours of my ankles, "You should have woken me up. Who knows what would have happened."

"You would have yelled at me for waking you up at six in the morning."

"A possibility."

"More like a probability," I replied quietly.

Alfred had let me sleep in, an uncustomary practice and a cherished gift during the week but a necessity on the weekend. On Sundays, he generally allowed me to catch up on the sleep I deprived myself during the week, often until noon. When I had surfaced from the Cave earlier that morning, I had been surprised to see Selina sleeping in my bed. As always, she had settled in the middle, with three of the four down pillows claimed as her own and the blankets nestled about her long form. I had managed to get in beside her without disturbing her sleep, although her soft snores had suggested that it wasn't that difficult of a task.

Selina yawned and stretched her arms out from under the blankets, making a reach for the remote that controlled the room's lighting, as well as the drapes. "So, what are your plans?"

"Sleep," I grumbled as I leaned over her suddenly, obtaining the remote and throwing it across the room and onto a chaise.

She had laughed softly before asking, "Not eating?"

"Sleep, then food," I replied.

I did my best keeping my expression blank as her fingers teased the flesh along my ribcage, but tickles turned to pinches and they traveled south down the center of my midsection before making a grab between my legs. Tolerance flat-lining, it took a half-second for me to lean over her once more and pin her to the bed. She barely had a chance to utter my name in protest.

"Sleep. Food. Then… maybe... Agreed?"

She lifted her head and kissed me on the lips, "Agreed."

Just as I pulled away, a tone sounded from the bedside table followed by Alfred's voice on the phone's intercom, "Master Bruce?"

After moving off of Selina, I replied, "Yes, Alfred?"

"I do hate to wake you at such an hour-."

Selina cut him off, "Oh, he's wide awake."

He paused before continuing, "Sir, Ms. Barbara called, she said for you to contact her as soon as possible, apparently she came across something in her early morning research."