Preordained Chapter 12
Preordained
by DebC and Christina A
Summary: Bruce & Grace reunite after a painful 4-month separation and everyone’s lives are affected.
Chapter Twelve
Sunday, January 23, 2005
It had all started as a gesture. Grace had wanted to do something nice for Bruce. Material gifts didn’t mean much to him. He wanted something; he bought it. What he appreciated most were moments. Moments in time that expressed genuine emotions. This was what Grace had wanted to give him. When they’d reunited, she’d hooked up with Courtney, and the two had conspired to give Bruce a ‘moment’. In all actuality, Grace had hired Courtney to create one. Because of the timing of the breakup, they’d been unable to celebrate not only Christmas together, but his birthday as well. This was something Grace wanted to rectify.
But it had taken a lot of work and involved a lot of people. The latest conspirator had been Lee Merryweather.
Bruce had gone out on his nightly excursion, and though Grace was asleep when he returned, it must have been early because he had grumbled at Lee for calling first thing in the morning. Grace had offered her sympathy, but the call had really been necessary.
When he got off the phone with the social secretary, Bruce asked Grace how she would like joining him for an informal business dinner at Bernie’s, knowing it was one of her favorite places in Gotham. The head of the local Boy’s Club wanted to meet with him to discuss the possibility of Bruce matching donations made during a charity fundraiser.
Grace, of course, happily agreed to go.
Now, the couple were dressed casually, Grace was in white slacks. She was wearing a purple sweater with a sage leaf pattern woven in the fabric. Her white short-heeled boots would be most comfortable for the true nature of this ‘meeting’. Through Courtney’s planning magic, Grace had rented Bernie’s for the entire evening. The house band would play, along with her favorite saxophone player. Dinner had been catered. Her ‘gift’ to Bruce would be a surprise evening… just the two of them… celebrating their reunion in a place that carried a lot of sentimental value for them. They celebrated important things at Bernie’s.
“I haven’t been to Bernie’s in quite a long time,” she admitted as the limo stopped and the driver came around to open the door. “I’m so glad you asked me to come along.”
“Neither have I,” Bruce told her just before he got out, holding a hand for her. She took his and he guided her from the car. The expression on his face, though, as she emerged from the limousine was one of rapt devotion. He felt like he was watching a movie star on the night of a big premiere. Only, strangely enough, without the flash of cameras. Bernie’s was a special place for them; it was where they’d done all their celebrating since Grace’s birthday, when he’d met her parents for the first time.
Vividly, he remembered the last time he’d been here. It had been last August, and they were here celebrating their anniversary. The memorial of the day she moved in with him. Like that night, she’d been this gorgeous and this happy. And almost a month later, he’d broken her heart.
Bruce pushed the dark away instantly, willing himself to do as he’d promised both Grace and Courtney –forgive himself. He couldn’t do anything about it, and Grace, he knew, just wanted to move on. She’d asked him, too, as well, and although it was Bruce’s nature to hold onto pain, he knew the only way to make it up to her was to do as she asked.
And he’d been trying; this week, he’d really been trying to just live in the now and not think about what had happened. But there were still moments, like last night when he slipped out of bed to patrol, where he’d look at her and his heart would seize up in his chest.
“How could I go to Bernie’s tonight and not bring you?” he asked, leaning in to give her a brief kiss. Then he checked his watched. “We’d better get going. Lee said something about being on time.”
“And if we’re late, I’m sure Lee will tell you about it.” She slipped her arm in his and let him lead her inside. It took everything she had to keep the look of expectation off of her face. The culmination of all their work was about to come to fruition right now. He was opening the door for her and when he entered behind her he would notice that no one else was in the club.
Bernie met them at the door and offered to take their coats. “Good to see you kids,” he said. “It’s been too long. You’re table’s over there,” he said pointing to the table. “Surprised a little, Bruce? Sunshine here worked hard on this.” Bernie chuckled as he walked away, leaving the two of them alone.
She turned to Bruce and looked into his eyes. “I thought a celebration was in order. Just you and me. No press, no public… Our place. Surprise.” Her voice was soft, almost not wanting to disturb the import of the moment, but then again she wanted to see his complete reaction. This was a first for her… surprising him like this.
When Bruce saw that the Blue’s club was completely empty, his first thought was that Lee had somehow mixed up the plans for the evening. Bernie’s words, however, made it clear that Lee had not. Bernie left with their coats, and Bruce still looked around at the empty room, with its lights dimmed and candles on the table they’d been directed to, and he was speechless. He had no idea how she’d managed to keep him from knowing. They’d hardly been apart all week long. And yet, she’d somehow done all of this.
“Grace…” he whispered, searching her eyes. Her words, so simple, touched him so deeply. “Oh, my sweet, amazing Grace…”
The sweet sound of the saxophone filled the club. It wasn’t overly loud like it could be on nights when there were other patrons here.
No. Tonight the band was merely background music for the couple. And it was acting as such at the moment. His surprised expression caused her to smile. She took his hand and led him toward the table. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she smiled up into his face. “I know,” she started, her voice full of emotion, “that there is nothing I could buy you that would fully express everything I feel for you. But
I wanted to do something…” She paused and brought one hand to his face. “I needed to do something to celebrate what you mean to me. I love you… more than perhaps I could ever let you know.”
She paused for a long moment and simply looked at him. He was still astonished. “This is Christmas, New Year’s, Your Birthday, and our
Reunion all rolled up into one celebration… A celebration of us… of just how much you are my world. My everything. My love.” She let her voice trail off and let him absorb it even more.
“Grace…”
Christmas, New Years, and his birthday… they’d been more painful this year than any time he could remember since the first year after his parents died. He’d spent them in one of the secret passages, sitting in the darkness while he waited for the cluster of special days to pass him by. Alfred had found him once, telling him that Courtney had come to invite him to spend… whatever day that had been… with her at her parents’ house. He sent Alfred away. He didn’t know what Alfred had told Courtney. His friend hadn’t mentioned it the next time he saw her, though he’d seen the sympathy in her eyes as clearly as he saw the love in Grace’s now.
Moved more than he had words to express, he held onto her, hugging her tightly to him. “I don’t deserve you,” he whispered softly in her ear.
“Bruce,” she said softly, holding him as tightly as he was holding her. She didn’t want him brooding about what he deserved and what he didn’t. Of course, he was, more than likely, thinking there was no way he should be the focus of the celebration when he was the one who split them up in the first place. But she didn’t agree. “It’s not about deserving,” she finally said, though her voice was very soft as she spoke. She was able to pull away just enough to look at him. “There’s something…” She had been about to say there was something that wouldn’t let them stay apart. Instead, she said, “We belong together. You and I.”
She leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek, then kissed each eye, before placing a soft kiss on his lips. “I love you. I need you. And yes, we deserve to be together. You make me happy. You complete me. And I know…” She kissed him again. “I know you’re happy too. And whether you believe it or not, you deserve that.” She moved back in the circle of his embrace.
“I love you so much,” he said softly, holding her. His lips pressed into the top of her head, and he kissed her softly. He did, he loved her. He once told Miles that it scared him the way he felt about her, and although it no longer scared him, it still amazed him exactly what she meant to him. “You do… you make me so happy, Grace.” He tilted her face up to his, meeting her eyes. “I have never felt like I do when I’m with you. I’ve always known that a part of me was missing. My entire life, I’ve been damaged… broken. You make me whole,” he told her before bringing his lips down on top of hers.
“And you are my reason for living,” she said softly when the kiss ended. She hugged him tightly to her again before moving away and leading him to sit in the booth. Moving in beside him, she pointed at the table and the dishes spread out on it. “I had the caterer make a selection of your favorite foods.”
A guitar player joined in with the sax and the singer’s voice filled the room. Blues music was soulful… the songs came from the soul of the singer and those who truly appreciated it felt it in their souls as well. It’s why the music always touched Grace. Filling a fork with some coleslaw, she offered it to him. “I could have just about died yesterday when Courtney was carrying on about fried chicken. She did all the planning for this, and for a while there, I was afraid she was going to slip and tell you what was going on. And I so wanted this to be a surprise.”
Tasting the forkful she offered, Bruce found himself shaking his head. “Is that how you did all this? Courtney?” He sounded utterly amazed. He smiled, still shaking his head. “This… dinner… the music… all of this is just so… there aren’t words, love. But you didn’t need to…” He trailed off. No, she didn’t need to, but she had, and that she had was what made it so special. She was special. “…I have been celebrating our reunion in my heart, every day… every minute… since you…” He closed his eyes, trying to focus. “This…” he waved about them with his fork. “This is amazing.”
“I didn’t need to,” she said with a smile. “But I wanted to.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ve been celebrating every day too. Every night I fall asleep beside you… every morning I wake up in your arms… Life with you is a celebration.”
*-*-*
They cuddled through most of dinner, feeding one another and stopping to share kisses and caresses. Once they’d finished eating, she led him onto the dance floor; and they fell into one another’s arms, bodies swaying to the music as they held one another. They could have done this at the Manor, sure. But there was something about THIS place. It was every bit as much their place as the Habbibi’s was. And though what she had said at dinner was true… life with him was a celebration… He meant something to her. He meant everything to her. And as good as he felt in being able to do things for her, she felt just as good doing things for him.
Her face rested in his neck as her body conformed to his. She placed a light kiss on it before lifting her head to look at him. Her eyes locked with his and smiled. “I love you,” she said softly.
Bruce looked down at her, and the smile that was already on his face widened even more. When he’d gotten over the shock of being utterly surprised by this, he found he really enjoyed her celebration. It meant a lot to him that her first thought was to do something like this for him. No, he knew he didn’t deserve it, but it wasn’t about what he thought or what he deserved.
It was what the heart wanted… what her heart wanted. She’d planned this –had enlisted Courtney, Lee… Bernie and others– so she could show him exactly what her heart wanted: him, them… happy.
Bruce could see it, too. Grace telling Courtney she wanted to do something to make up for the lost months. Not that she needed to. He’d been the one to break it off; he’d been the one to push their love aside. The emptiness he’s felt those months without her –those miserable months– had all been of his own design. He’d done it all himself. Grace didn’t need to make up for that. But she had wanted to anyway… wanted to make up for what they’d missed.
And it wasn’t just the moments they’d missed… it was a celebration of the moments to come. A welcoming of them. The opening paragraph of a new chapter in their lives. The pain, as unbearable as it had been, would go away. Already in the one week they’d been reunited, they’d erased some of it just by coming to terms with why it had happened. And by letting not just themselves, but the whole of everyone looking in from the world outside their fishbowl, know that it was real. They were back in each other’s hearts and nothing was going to change that.
That was how it was meant to be: they were meant to be together. That was why nothing had been able to keep them apart, from the very beginning. Not his relationship with Lex, not their break up, not even the stalker who’d wanted Grace for himself. Nothing. That was why it was Grace, and Grace alone who had been able to break through the walls he’d built around himself. Walls to keep out pain and hurt, walls to keep out love. Yet, before her love, those walls had fallen like Jericho.
It was meant to happen that way.
“I love you, too,” he echoed. His fingers traced the line of her cheekbone tenderly. “You’re my greatest dream come true.”
She was.
Her eyes never left his as they continued dancing. Dancing. That first night they’d met had been at a club. And they’d danced. The electricity between them on the dancefloor had been like none she’d ever felt in her life. He’d kissed her for the first time that night too. The first kiss of a lifetime filled with so many more. When she looked at him, she saw happiness. There had been pain and heartache. She had accepted things that many women wouldn’t have.
In the beginning, she’d shared him with someone else. When he’d told her about Lex, her only question had been if there was enough room in his heart for both of them. He’d told her there was, and she believed him. Throughout their first year together, he’d never once failed to make sure she knew she meant every bit as much to him as Lex did.
Indeed, their relationship had weathered many things. The biggest and hardest was their breakup. It had nearly killed her. The only other living soul who knew how close she’d come to killing herself that night was Seth. She’d moved back into her apartment as Bruce had asked and the pain of not having him had been unbearable. Horrific to the point where taking the entire bottle of sleeping pills sounded like a very good idea indeed. If her throat muscles could have worked to swallow them, she wouldn’t be here now. If Seth hadn’t charged in and promised her that in time she’d get Bruce back, she would have found another way to take them. But Fate had conspired against her that night.
It had been a moment of weakness. One told to no one but Seth… and the counseling she’d sought.
If she hadn’t found a way to hold on then, she wouldn’t be holding on now.
She hadn’t always been the strongest of people. She freely admitted that. She also knew that if she’d been thinking clearly, she never would have tried. But holes that big in the soul left nothing but pits of despair. Yet, she forgave. She loved. And in the end, her path did lead her back to where she belonged. Everything happened for a reason. Every decision directly affected where she was right now. Every choice taking her to the destination that Fate had chosen for her… for them.
She leaned forward, her forehead now touching his. The hug she gave him that first night told him to take a chance on her. His passing up the ‘cup of coffee’ that first night told her to take a chance on him. Meeting up with the press on their first date let him know they didn’t intimidate her.
Her father was fond of saying that you take the good and toss out the bad, knowing that the good would far outweigh the bad anyway. He said all that bad existed for was to make sure you appreciated the good. She and Bruce had had it VERY good… little bads here and there but nothing that truly tested them… until the breakup. And that, it seemed, had been their big test.
Yet here they were. Together again. Happy and loving. Knowing there was no place on Earth that either wanted to be except right where they were. They’d tried living without… it hadn’t worked for either one of them. But together… together they were stronger, happier, healthier than they could ever be apart. They’d been tested and came through it… together.
Fate had gone to great strides to make sure their souls found one another. And they’d fought Fate for a while, but she was persistent when she wanted something. And in the end, she’d made sure they’d found their way back again. This time, there’d be no questioning Fate. Wherever she led them, Grace knew they would follow. Fate wanted them together; they needed to be together. With Fate on their side, nothing, ever again, would pull them apart; between the three of them, they’d make sure of it.
Of that, Grace had no doubt.
