Work Text:
“Catherine, do you have a minute?”
She paused in the doorway, letting the others go ahead. “Sure. Is something wrong?”
“I was hoping you could tell me.” Catherine froze, and Bruce winced. “I’m sorry. Dick will be happy to tell you I’m not good with words. No one is in trouble or in danger.”
She nodded stiffly. It was stupid, to feel such a surge of adrenaline at such a vague sentence. No, not stupid , she reminded herself. Just old habits .
“Jason mentioned the other day that you have some form of chronic pain.”
Catherine frowned, folding her arms. “Oh. Yeah. Um, endometriosis, they think.”
“But they aren’t certain?”
She couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her laugh. “No. Couldn’t afford many visits, and the last doc I saw said they can’t diagnose it anyway without surgery. I can’t be laid up for weeks just to find out nothing.”
“Hn.” Bruce leaned against his desk, but kept his attention focused on her. “But in the meantime, you’re in pain. Often, from what he says.”
Catherine shrugged. “The healthcare system is shit, and anything to do with a uterus isn’t worth bothering about. What else is new?”
“Are you on medication?”
“No.” She snorted. “That’s what the heroin was for. Had to get clean for Jason’s sake, but that doesn’t mean I can afford anything to take its place. It’s not as bad these days, since I’m…” she broke off. Bruce seemed like a decent man. Jason looked up to him, and he clearly had a big heart, even if he was weird and awkward and surprisingly naive. That didn’t mean she was prepared to talk to him about Willis. “Not as many things are aggravating it now.”
“If you could take the time off, and pay the bills, would you have the surgery?”
“Sure, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon, Bruce. Sally and I make enough to keep us and the boys alive and fed, but I can’t be taking two months off.”
“Will you let me pay for it?”
They stared at each other.
Catherine felt the adrenaline kick in again, and tried to steady her hands. “You know how much that would cost?”
“I have the funds.” It wasn’t said with pride, just a plain statement.
“What do you want for it?” she snapped.
“Nothing.”
“Bruce, we’re talking–” her hands curled into fists. “Don’t fucking play with me. Nothing is free. What do you want for it?”
“I want you to be around for Jason and Percy.” He shifted his weight, sitting on the edge of the desk and folding his hands in his lap. “For Dick now, too. I want you and Sally to be well. Let me help you with this.”
She rubbed her face with both hands, and let them slide down to rest against the sides of her neck. “Christ, Bruce. You know how many years it’s been since I realized this is just my life? That I’m just always gonna be in pain because I got dealt a shit hand, and I gotta suck it up, because people need me? You have any idea how those cravings hit when I’m in a flare? And you waltz in and offer this like it’s a cup of coffee.”
Bruce was silent.
Catherine let her hands drop to her sides. “I’m…it’s not a no, Bruce. But I need to talk to Sally first. Need a minute to process, alright? That’s… I need a minute.”
“Take as much time as you need, Catherine. There’s no deadline on this.”
She hummed some kind of answer and left the office, her heart still pounding.
~~~~~
Bruce heard her coming. The front door slammed, and worn sneakers squeaked across the marble floor of the foyer. When Catherine marched into the study, he had already set down his pen and shifted to face the door.
“I’ll apologize to Alfred for the door,” she said breathlessly. “Are you still in?”
“For the surgery support? I am.”
“Why?” She collapsed into the chair across from him. Her gaze locked on his, every scrap of her attention focused on his response. “Don’t give me that bullshit about just wanting to help people. We have lived in the same city for years. Letting us bully you into teaching the whole family martial arts doesn’t give you any obligation to foot an unrelated medical bill. Why me, why now?”
Bruce very definitely did not squirm. “I didn’t know.”
“Try again. There’s other people worse off than me. I’m clean now. I’ve got a spouse to help support me and Jason. Why me, why now?”
“It’s not about who has it worst.”
“Fuck off.” She rolled her eyes.
He leaned against the desk. “I’m not their father.” The crease between her eyebrows deepened, but he kept going. “But I care about your boys. When I agreed to help them train, I took on a responsibility for them, and for their family.”
She didn’t move, waiting for him to continue.
“I…couldn’t save Dick’s parents. I can’t bring my parents back. But you and Sally have built a beautiful family, and you’ve allowed us…” he hesitated.
Catherine leaned forward, the corner of her mouth quirking up. “Bruce.”
“Hn.”
“Are you trying to say you think of us as family?”
“Hn.” He folded his hands on the desk, not quite able to look at her.
Catherine sighed, crossing her legs so she could prop her elbow on her knee. “Look, there’s a few things I need you to understand. Willis was…he could be a decent dad, but he was a shit partner. He kept the bills paid, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to Jason while he was around. He also didn’t really take no for an answer from his women. Or…” Catherine crumpled the knit of her sweater in one fist. “Maybe he would have more often, but I didn’t…I couldn’t risk him kicking me out and having to leave Jason.”
Bruce didn’t interrupt, and she swallowed, fighting to find words. “It was easier to stay clean when he was locked up – and after he died – because there were fewer triggers for the pain. You don’t ever tell Jason that. Sally knows, but the boys never will. I don’t ever want Jason thinking he’s to blame for that shit. I made my choices, and Willis made his, and we both hurt that kid, but he is not ever going to think it’s his fault. Understand?”
“I understand,” Bruce said softly.
Catherine nodded, sitting back in her chair. She kept her legs crossed, folding her arms tight across her chest.
“I don’t know if you realize how massive an offer this is for someone like me. It’s scary as hell. If you get bored with us, or decide you don’t trust us anymore, are you going to hold this over our heads?”
“Never. We can write up a contract, if that helps.”
“You’re Bruce goddamn Wayne. If you want to change your mind and come after us, a contract won’t mean shit. We both know you can hire the best lawyers in the world. You can ruin our lives in a thousand other ways without ever involving a mask.”
Bruce fell silent.
Catherine held his gaze. “I don’t trust easy, Bruce. I know you get that, too. I’m not saying no to your offer, but I need you to understand how much we’re trusting you back. Sally and I knowing who you are gives us some kind of leverage. Not enough to actually stop you from doing whatever you want. You can make all our dreams and nightmares come true.
“That scares the hell out of me sometimes, but…” she cleared her throat, “we’re trusting you. Already. From the moment we let the boys set foot in the Cave. I guess what I’m saying is, this doesn’t actually change much, but I need you to know why. I need you to know why I couldn’t say yes right away.
“I think we have pretty different definitions of family,” she added. “Even Sally and I did, and mine is still changing a lot. For a long time, family were the bastards who fucked you up first. Now, it’s the people who look out for you no matter what. That’s got nothing to do with DNA. I’ve seen you and Dick and Alfred interact enough to know you get that, but I’m not sure you know you get that.”
Bruce made one of those humming grunts that meant he had about five hundred thoughts and no idea how to express any of them. Catherine’s mouth curved upward, and she stood, walking around the desk. She flicked him in the temple.
“Yes, I’ll get the surgery. And we’re having family dinner at our place this Friday night. I’ll expect you and Alfred there. Dick’s already coming.”
“We’ll be there.”
“I know.” They sat for a few moments before she squeezed his shoulder and let herself out.
~~~~~
“It will be more than the cost of the surgery itself,” Catherine said carefully. “I won’t be able to work for at least a month or two. Sally won’t be able to cover rent by herself.”
Bruce blinked, but she suspected the surprise came from the realization that she wouldn’t be provided with sick pay, rather than any concern about covering rent bills. “Of course.”
“If I may, I would like to make an additional proposal.” Alfred spoke up from the end of the table, hands folded neatly in his lap. “From my understanding, your building does not have an elevator.”
Sally smiled, a little wry and a lot tired. “Technically we have one.”
“Just hasn’t worked in two years,” Cath agreed.
“Indeed. Thanks to the frequency with which Master Bruce accumulates injuries, the Manor has long since been made fully accessible. We also have a great many empty guest rooms, and I would appreciate an excuse to cook for someone who appreciates an aspect of food beyond the percentage of protein contained therein. Would you and your family be willing to spend your recovery time in residence at the Manor?”
"If we let our lease lapse–” Cath started.
“Beg pardon, Ms. Todd. This is a separate proposal from any arrangements for the payment of your rent during the coming months.”
Dick arched his back, dangling his head and shoulders over the arm of the couch to catch Cath’s attention. “Alfred’s too polite, and Bruce is too awkward, so I’ll translate. They’re offering to pay your rent in total while you move to the Manor for a couple months. Bruce won’t even notice the money. You just have to decide if you’re willing to let him, and if you can stand his grumpy face every morning while you’re recovering.”
Percy’s head popped up over the back of the couch. “Wait, what do you mean, move to the Manor?”
Catherine and Sally exchanged a look. Catherine fussed with the rough edge of her thumbnail, hesitating. Sally laid a hand over hers, and turned back to the others. “We don’t want to intrude on your space.”
“If you would be intruding, we would not extend the invitation.”
“It would save you trips for training sessions,” Bruce added. “The Manor is far too big for the two of us. Alfred rarely gets a chance to spoil guests he actually likes.”
Cath checked on Dick, who was sprawled comfortably over the back of the couch now. His chin rested on his forearms, and a slight smile lifted his mouth. The other boys knelt beside him, eyes flicking from one adult to another. None of them seemed bothered by the idea. Jason actually looked eager, probably at the idea of daily access to the Manor’s library and training equipment.
Sally squeezed her hand. “It would make recovery easier for you, sweetheart. At least for the first couple weeks.”
And that would make things easier on Sally and the boys. They’d already agreed to take the money, and to trust Bruce’s reasons for that. Cath nodded. “Alright. If you’re offering.”
Dick grinned, elbowing Percy. “Ten bucks says it takes you guys more than two weeks to find all the hidden doors.”
“You’re on, Dickiebird.”
“We’ll get you settled in before the surgery,” Alfred said, “so you can come straight back to the Manor when the hospital releases you.”
“Maybe you can finally teach me how to make that blueberry cheesecake we keep talking about,” Sally added.
“Indeed.” He smiled.
Bruce began laying out plans, because he always had a plan and a dozen contingencies. Cath leaned into Sally’s shoulder. She’d been working so hard on being better at taking care of other people, it had been a while since she let anyone really take care of her. Maybe it was okay to rest for a while. To accept the good and the care, and the chance to heal her body, not just her mind.
Sally’s thumb rubbed slow circles across her palm. The boys had been thoroughly distracted from their game, chiming in with ideas for how to make the move happen quickly. Rearranging schedules and volunteering friends to make sure Catherine got treatment as quickly as possible, now that it was an option. Her body seemed to melt in the warmth of the people around her. Their family, circled around and taking care of each other in the best ways they knew how.
Bruce’s always-steady expression somehow went more stony. “Catherine?”
She raised a hand, brushing the tears from her eyes. “I’m alright,” she said quickly. “I just love you all a whole lot.”
Jason made an exaggerated face. “Gross. Sappy.”
She laughed through the tears, and Dick reached over, shoving him playfully off the couch. Within seconds, all three boys were rolling across the floor while Bruce tried to mediate and Sally and Alfred shared a weary sigh. Bruce had admitted they were all his people, and Catherine wasn’t entirely sure when or how that had happened, but she was so very glad it had. For all their sakes. They were better together.
~~~~~
Catherine turned at the sound of a light tap. Bruce stood awkwardly in the doorway.
“Is everything sufficient?”
“Everything’s great, Bruce.” She shook out the blanket she was holding, matching corners. Alfred had, of course, provided plenty of bedding, but they’d still brought along a couple of favorites. She knew she’d want the comfort of familiar textures when she got back from the hospital. “Honestly. Thank you.”
He grunted, tucking his hands in his pockets.
She hid a smirk, tossing the blanket on the bed as she finished folding it. “If you’re looking for a way to help, you might distract the boys while I’m gone.”
“I’ve already promised them ice cream and a trip to the skate park. There’s a little bookstore in Old Gotham I’m planning to surprise Jason with.”
She let the smile break through. “He’ll love it, I’m sure.”
“Percy always has too much on his mind as it is,” Bruce said quietly. “I’m glad to help however I can.”
Cath nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’m glad they’ve got you.” He looked surprised, and she patted the bed beside her. Bruce hesitated, then sat stiffly, hands folded between his knees. “Our boys haven’t always had a lot of people in their corner. You look out for them in ways Sally and I can’t. You’ve been looking out for all of us.”
“Yes, well.” Bruce shifted his weight. “It does me some good. They keep me on my toes now that Dick’s in Bludhaven.” He looked sidelong at her. “You all do.”
She smirked, nudging him with an elbow. “And you love it. Without us, you’d be grumbling and sulking all day down in that cave of yours.”
“Hn.” The corner of his mouth twitched, and she patted his arm.
“Alfred said dinner’s at seven, right?”
“I was meant to be fetching you.”
“We better get a wiggle on, then. Can’t keep Alfred waiting.”
“Or the boys. They may have eaten everything already.”
“Better your pantry than mine,” she teased.
“It's our pantry, as long as you’re here.”
“Better pick up the pace, then.” She darted ahead, laughing as he broke into a jog, racing her down the stairs.