remote, and turned The Penguin off.
A rehearsal, he thought, for the real thing, when Batman turned The Penguin off forever.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I t was almost Christmastime.
Remarkably, they had managed to reopen some of the stores on the plaza, making quick repairs to the devastation of a couple days ago. When he had left here that night, Bruce would have thought this kind of recovery was impossible. Still, he guessed that nothing was stronger than the lure of Christmas cash.
Bruce saw a boy, walking between his mother and father, as all three headed for the restored window of the toy store. The boy seemed so happy. And why shouldn’t he be? He had his parents. They all had each other at Christmastime.
Bruce had to turn away.
His mother screamed. His father tried to stop them. He heard the gunshots.
Bruce opened his eyes. Christmas.
Bruce could not think of a more depressing time of year.
When he turned, he saw a woman looking at a store window; a woman whom he recognized. And a woman he would very much like to get to know better. He walked her way. Maybe he could cheer up after all.
“Why are you doing this?” she said to her reflection. She didn’t appear to be happy herself. Maybe there was some way, Bruce thought, that he could cheer the both of them up.
He tapped her on the shoulder.
She jumped.
“Selina,” he said softly as she turned to stare at him. “Hi. Didn’t mean to—”
She placed one delicate hand on her heaving chest. Once she recognized Bruce, she seemed relieved to see him. Could that be a good sign?
“Scare me?” she replied. “No, actually, I was just scaring myself.”
“I don’t see how,” Bruce replied, doing his best to lighten the conversation. “Anyway, it’s a treat to find you out in the world, away from Ebenezer Shreck.”
“Treat to be here,” she valiantly replied. She sighed as if she could not possibly mean it. She took a step away from the window.
“What’s the story?” Bruce asked as he fell into step beside her. “Holiday blues?”
But Selina pointed at the Plaza Newsstand as they walked on past, full of newspapers with blazing banner headlines about the night before:
BATMAN BLOWS IT!
IT’S A CAT-ASTROPHE
MEE-OUCH!
“The news these days,” she explained, “weird. People looking to superheroes for their peace of mind, and blaming their problems on supervillains—instead of themselves, or their spouses at least.”
Yes, Bruce had to admit, those kind of headlines annoyed him, too. What kind of reflection were they on the realities of last night’s battle?
“And it’s not even accurate,” he complained. “I mean, ‘Batman Blows It’? The guy probably prevented millions in property damage!”
Selina nodded in agreement. “I heard on TV—‘Catwoman is thought to weigh one hundred and forty pounds!’ How do these hacks sleep at night?”
Their further progress appeared to be blocked by the preparations for the upcoming ceremony. Police were putting up cordons to keep the public away from a large portion of the square in front of the tree. A pair of workmen hoisted a new banner above the plaza that announced the exact timing of the event:
THE RELIGHTING OF THE TREE
TONIGHT AT SEVEN
Selina looked up at the banner, even more unhappy than before. “You’re not coming to that, are you? The ‘Relighting of the Tree’ thing?”
“I wouldn’t be caught dead,” Bruce agreed. “No, it’s probably how I would be caught.” He sighed exasperatedly. “The mayor stupidly took Cobblepot’s bait—”
“—and it’s going to be a hot time on the cold town tonight,” Selina said with a little laugh.
Bruce looked over at her. This was the first time he’d heard her voice rise out of the doldrums.
“You almost sound enthusiastic,” he mentioned.
She looked back at Bruce and shrugged.
“Oh, no, I detest violence but—” She paused, as if it was difficult for her to put her exact feelings into words. “Christmas
A rehearsal, he thought, for the real thing, when Batman turned The Penguin off forever.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I t was almost Christmastime.
Remarkably, they had managed to reopen some of the stores on the plaza, making quick repairs to the devastation of a couple days ago. When he had left here that night, Bruce would have thought this kind of recovery was impossible. Still, he guessed that nothing was stronger than the lure of Christmas cash.
Bruce saw a boy, walking between his mother and father, as all three headed for the restored window of the toy store. The boy seemed so happy. And why shouldn’t he be? He had his parents. They all had each other at Christmastime.
Bruce had to turn away.
His mother screamed. His father tried to stop them. He heard the gunshots.
Bruce opened his eyes. Christmas.
Bruce could not think of a more depressing time of year.
When he turned, he saw a woman looking at a store window; a woman whom he recognized. And a woman he would very much like to get to know better. He walked her way. Maybe he could cheer up after all.
“Why are you doing this?” she said to her reflection. She didn’t appear to be happy herself. Maybe there was some way, Bruce thought, that he could cheer the both of them up.
He tapped her on the shoulder.
She jumped.
“Selina,” he said softly as she turned to stare at him. “Hi. Didn’t mean to—”
She placed one delicate hand on her heaving chest. Once she recognized Bruce, she seemed relieved to see him. Could that be a good sign?
“Scare me?” she replied. “No, actually, I was just scaring myself.”
“I don’t see how,” Bruce replied, doing his best to lighten the conversation. “Anyway, it’s a treat to find you out in the world, away from Ebenezer Shreck.”
“Treat to be here,” she valiantly replied. She sighed as if she could not possibly mean it. She took a step away from the window.
“What’s the story?” Bruce asked as he fell into step beside her. “Holiday blues?”
But Selina pointed at the Plaza Newsstand as they walked on past, full of newspapers with blazing banner headlines about the night before:
BATMAN BLOWS IT!
IT’S A CAT-ASTROPHE
MEE-OUCH!
“The news these days,” she explained, “weird. People looking to superheroes for their peace of mind, and blaming their problems on supervillains—instead of themselves, or their spouses at least.”
Yes, Bruce had to admit, those kind of headlines annoyed him, too. What kind of reflection were they on the realities of last night’s battle?
“And it’s not even accurate,” he complained. “I mean, ‘Batman Blows It’? The guy probably prevented millions in property damage!”
Selina nodded in agreement. “I heard on TV—‘Catwoman is thought to weigh one hundred and forty pounds!’ How do these hacks sleep at night?”
Their further progress appeared to be blocked by the preparations for the upcoming ceremony. Police were putting up cordons to keep the public away from a large portion of the square in front of the tree. A pair of workmen hoisted a new banner above the plaza that announced the exact timing of the event:
THE RELIGHTING OF THE TREE
TONIGHT AT SEVEN
Selina looked up at the banner, even more unhappy than before. “You’re not coming to that, are you? The ‘Relighting of the Tree’ thing?”
“I wouldn’t be caught dead,” Bruce agreed. “No, it’s probably how I would be caught.” He sighed exasperatedly. “The mayor stupidly took Cobblepot’s bait—”
“—and it’s going to be a hot time on the cold town tonight,” Selina said with a little laugh.
Bruce looked over at her. This was the first time he’d heard her voice rise out of the doldrums.
“You almost sound enthusiastic,” he mentioned.
She looked back at Bruce and shrugged.
“Oh, no, I detest violence but—” She paused, as if it was difficult for her to put her exact feelings into words. “Christmas
Similar Books
