He hadn't wanted to come. Of course he cared about the Orphans, he was donating a very large sum of money over and above the cost of the gala going on around him right now. But Bruce had other, more important things to do than put on a tuxedo, and perform like a trained seal for Gotham's most privileged.
He was in a mood. One that wasn't helped by the need to pretend he was a smiling idiot when there was a killer on the loose in his city. But Bruce had made promises, and if he didn't show, it would look very bad for Wayne Enterprises, not to mention Bruce Wayne, himself. He hated it when his fake life got in the way of his real one.
Half an hour passed in a blur of handshakes, laughter, and inane conversation before he saw her, and for the first time all night - Bruce forgot about everything going on beneath the ground floor of Wayne Manor.
Selina.
At first, he was convinced he'd imagined her. She'd been away, what was it, six months now? What would she be doing back here so suddenly? Leaving the mayor's wife in mid-sentence with a hastily mumbled excuse, Bruce made his way to the buffet table, examining the familiar figure more closely as he approached.
From the back, it could have been any dark-haired woman, but he knew. He was sure, even before he saw her face in the mirror behind the table, and managed to recompose his own into an expression of pleasant surprise instead of stunned awe. "Try the canapes," he said, stopping beside her. His voice was pitched in a low, warm rumble most women would have described as seductive. "Selina... you have no idea how good it is to see you."
He was only a little surprised to note that he honestly meant it.