Who: Bruce Wayne, Talia al Ghul What: Talia escapes from her father, briefly, and visits a new friend Where: Gotham City, NJ When: July, 1999 [Retro] Rating: PG-PG 13
It wasn't unusual for Talia to travel on her own; as closely as her father watched her, she was still often sent to represent his interests in his various ventures, provided that they were such matters a woman, even a woman of her caliber, could attend to. What was unusual was her traveling without his permission or knowledge-- though he was likely to have discovered her desertion by now. He would be in no condition to follow her, however, for several weeks yet, given the extent of his injuries this time. It was those same injuries that the Lazarus Pit had cured, but in doing so, the madness seemed to come over him far longer, and with far more violence than it had before. It was when he nearly killed her himself in one of his rages that she decided he would be best left to weather this particular storm by himself-- with Ubu's supervision, of course.
That only left the question of where to go that he would not, or could not readily send agents after her. It was hardly a question at all. There were obvious benefits to retiring to Gotham for the time being-- but more than those even, there was the opportunity to meet with him again. He had occupied her thoughts many times since their first encounters. He was brilliant, and ambitious, and determined. All of that, even his handsome looks, could be found elsewhere- but there was something else besides. There was the way she felt when she was with him. He was challenging, and intense, just as she could be- and when they were together, she felt as though she had found a match; an equal. He made her strive for more, for things she had not even considered before he had come into her life. He made her believe that all obstacles could be overcome, that life was fleeting and precious, and that passion was an essential part of it-- one she had long denied or repressed.
She would not admit it aloud, but that was why she had flown to Gotham City, and taken a black sedan taxi to the front gates of Wayne Manor, where she asked the driver to stop and to page those inside, rolling the window down in the back of the car so that he could see who had come to visit.
She sat back, and hoped he would not close the door in her face and send her away.