On The Edge//Bruce//

[brucewayne]

Bruce nodded and told her that he promised. His eyes met hers. His intensely dark and hers soft and lighter. For some reason he felt some...some strange connection between the two of them. He glanced down at where their hands were clasped together and he smiled faintly at her, giving her hand a gently squeeze. "Now go get some rest." he told her gently.

[Hailey Heart]

She smiled in return. "Alright." She held back another yawn. She smiled at their hands and at him squeezing her hand she squeezed back, just a little. She let her fingers slip from his slowly. She stood, being careful not to move the couch to much. She limped to the bedroom, stopping in the doorway she looked over her shoulder. "Good night Bruce." She slid into the room and closed the door half way. She lopes over to the bed, sliding off her bloodied shirt and pants. She shivered as she was just in her bra and underpants. She sighed and slid under the covers, shivering not used to the bed being so big. She pulled the blankets up to her chin and let herself drift off, her last thoughts being: I'm glad he was there to stop me.

[brucewayne]

A thin smile curled the corners of his mouth. He was too tired to open up the bed and anyhow his side still stung, so he slightly maneuvered himself and was just closing his eyes when he heard mumbling and a few creaks from the bed. He bit his lip, she was probably having a dream of some sorts, he decided to wait and see what this went into before going over and seeing if she was alright. Bruce sat up a bit, wincing slightly, and placed his elbows on his knees. He rested his chin on his hands and blinked a few times. He ran the events of the day back through his head. He'd seen Hailey from a few buildings away while he'd been watching the robbers get carted away by the police. He hadn't come to Manhattan to deal with robbers he'd come to...what had he come to do? The thought made Bruce sit up a little straighter. Why did I come here? He ran a hand through his hair and bit his lip in frustration. He didn't quite know why he'd come and that was bothering him. Had he just jumped into his car and said "I'm going to Manhattan!" He shook his head. No. There had to have been a reason...his eyes raised to the half closed door. But no...she couldn't be..he didn't know her, he had no idea she was going to jump. But however that one thought took over his head. The thought off, was Hailey the reason?

[Hailey Heart]

She shivered again, relieving the attack my Victor, Sinnistero, and Sullivan. She winced in pain as she deliver the glass cutting her as it flew by. She rolled over, wincing again as she lay on her newly injured shoulder. She felt the preassure of the weight of the raptor on her arm and leg. She knew what was coming next and didn't want to relive that horror. She cried out in pain as she felt Victor's raptor talons sink into her leg again. She had rolled over again, her back to the half open door. But she wasn't feeling as if she was in the hotel room, it felt like she was laying on the bed of glass, Sullivan's glass dagger flying at her side. She cried out again as it hit her, curling into the fetal position, her knees pulled close to her.

[brucewayne]

He heard her cry out in pain and he stood up, wincing as his muscles stretched. He made his way over to the door and gently pushed it over. He went over to the bed and gently sat down on the edge of it. "Hailey, it's just a nightmare, it's not real." He rasped, shaking her shoulders a bit roughly, he'd apologize for that when she was awake again. Bruce didn't know what she was dreaming about, but whatever it was, she was in pain. He found himself looking at the wrap at her shoulder, perhaps she was dreaming about getting that. He wasn't sure at all, but he did know that he had to get her to wake up.

[Hailey Heart]

She was still curled in a ball engulfed in her living horror when she felt the bed compress like someone sitting down on it. She felt someone grab her shoulder, and winced in pain again, it reflecting on her partially hidden face. She heard Bryce's voice, and relaxed a little. She dared to let her eyes crack open, pain still the promenamt light in her eyes. She had vaguely forgotten where she was, but has she looked up at his face she remembered. She was shuttering from the nightmare and the cold, empty feeling bed. She wanted to ask him why he had left the couch, but couldn't manage the words.

[brucewayne]

Bruce sighed and out of the corner of his eye he saw Hailey's pile of clothes and he bit his lip a bit, feeling his cheeks flush a bit. He turned his attention back to Hailey and explained softly, "You were crying out in pain..." His dark brown eyes watched her. "Do you want to talk to it?" He asked his voice it's usual rasp, but it was tinged a bit with concern.

[Hailey Heart]

She followed his glance to the pile of her clothing. A blush started to light up her own face, even as she tried to stop it. She sighed and pulled the blanket up to her neck, sliding her arm out to hold it down, trying to make him more comfortable, and herself as well. She scooted over a little, making room for him to lay down. She shivered as she was now in he coldest side of the bed. She shook her head slightly, her side shoulder and leg burning as if the wounds were fresh. She didn't want to talk about it, but she didn't want him to leave. She shuttered again in the cold. She couldn't explain why, but she wanted his company, she found herself craving his firm yet gentle touch. She sighed lightly, not sure what was going on.

[brucewayne]

Bruce sighed, "Hailey, what's wrong? What happened to you?" His eyes searched hers looking for sometime of answer to anything. He realized just then how little he knew about her. He knew that she was Hailey Heart or Mistress Liberty, she'd fought in world war 2 and been frozen for the last seventy years, but she wouldn't tell him what had happened to her. He sighed, "Look, you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to."

[Hailey Heart]

She shivered and pulled her arm back under the blanket, exposing her bra strap for a moment. She wrapped her arms around herself under the blankets, forcing her teeth not to chatter. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and slowly let them open. "I was attacked..." she muttered, her voice thick with exhaustion and pain. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell, because it would eventualy lead to talk about Steve, and moreover her reason for trying to jump. She pulled her legs up, trying to warm herself, her teeth chattering slightly.

[brucewayne]

He sighed. "By who?

[/i][/color]" He heard the pain her voice and gently placed his hand on hers and gave it a quick squeeze. He also heard her teeth chattering and he went over to a drawer and opened it. He pulled out a fleece blanket and went back over to her. He shook it out and laid it over her. He gave a faint smile hoping to reassure her. His dark eyes watched her with concern.[/blockquote][/color]

(( ugh short ))

[Hailey Heart]

Her frowned faded slightly, when he took her hand. She watched him as he walked around to the dower. AS he pulled out the blanket, she felt slightly weak for being so cold. She curled her fingers around the edges of the blanket. She rolled over to face him, reaching out with her hand, she slid her hand into his. She gently pulled, not hard, and certainly not enough to make him move. "Do you really want to know?" She whispered, her voice slightly more serious than it had been before.

[brucewayne]

Bruce sighed, "Yes." In a way he didn't want to know, but he'd already said yes and he couldn't take it back. His dark eyes leveled with hers and when she gently pulled on his hand he sighed and edged up to where the pillows were and leaned against them. He looked over and down at her and sighed again. He wanted to take it back, he didn't want to know. He didn't want to know who had hurt her like this, but then the biggest part wanted to know so he could go and give them a piece of his mind.

[Hailey Heart]

She sighed, hoping he would have said no. She sighed, a little comforted as he lay on the pillows above her. She moved her hand up to keep her hand in his. She sighed, letting her eyes close for a moment. She opened them again, but didn't look up to Bruce. "I was walking down the street, not far from here." She started, the city was still roped off from that area while they cleaned up the glass and fixed the concrete. "I was ambushed by three," She paused not wanting to call them villains. "Let's say they weren't heroes of any kind." She sighed again. "I was just minding my own business when Sullivan, The Destroyer, attacked me, shooting glass everywhere and killing plenty of innocent civilians." She sighed, shivering slightly. "Then the other two showed up. Victor, the Raptor, and Sinestro, The Yellow Lantern." She shuttered again, it being Sinestro the one who put Steve into a coma, which caused her to waste away by his bed side, only to be dropped, like a stone into the pond. She shuttered, not wanting to go on. But he had asked, so she had to. "Victor, he can morph into dinosaurs, he became a raptor. He jumped on me, slamming his middle talon into my leg. He held me down, and I couldn't get away. Then Sullivan threw a dagger of glass and it landed in my side, embedding itself in my rib. I had ripped it free and slashed Victor's leg. He jumped away and I managed to escape behind the cover of a building." She took a breath preparing for telling him about when Steve showed up. "Captain America, or Steve as I'll probably call him, showed up. He took one of Sinestro's daggers to the chest, and he, he wouldn't listen to me when I told him not to pull it out. I ran to help him, and Victor jumped on me, slamming me onto my back, he bit my shoulder, and shook his head around like a rabid dog." Her voice was starting to rise in pain and frustration. "I didn't want him to kill Steve...So, I challenged him to a fight, him in his human form, and myself beaten bloody. Some how, I managed to win, and Steve and I were both close to death. There was so much blood...it was everywhere..." She was tremoring by the end of her little story. She couldn't look up at him, he couldn't bring her face up, it only curled down to her chest, her eyes squeezed shut again, keeping the tears from falling down. Pain had shone in her eyes the whole story, and towards the end, it had become unbearable, she had shut her eyes, and they were still closed.

[brucewayne]

He listened. He listened to every word she said and didn't say anything. He could see the pain shining in her eyes. He knew he hadn't wanted to know. But she'd told him. Every detail. She'd slipped out her story to him and at the end put her head down in her lap, her eyes still squeezed shut. He put a hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what to say. He caught on that she must have loved Steve. "Look at me," he said the words softly and kindly. He gently tilted her head up so he could see her face. The Dark Knight's dark eyes watched her, looking at her eyes, now firmly squeezed shut. "Hailey, whatever happened between you and the captain isn't the end. There's always going to be someone out there who can't see what they have until it's gone, but there are always going to be so many others that care about you and that are willing to stand at your side until your better, and even after that...I'm sorry for whatever happened, and I"m guessing he's the reason you wanted to jump...but it doesn't mean that everything is lost. There are still reasons, even if you can't see them." His dark eyes were level with hers and there was a gentleness shining in them that hadn't been there before...a gentleness that had only come around a few times before...when he was with Rachel. He gave her a hand a squeeze, "I'll do my best to be here for you..." He murmured kindly.