Neal looked at his phone and let out the breath he was holding. He had sent the audios telling her the truth about his condition, revealing that the reason he had kept pushing her away was because he was at the final stage of his life and his end could come at any moment.

The ticks beside the audios had turned blue indicating that she had listened to each one of them. He waited for a call to come but there was none. However, just fifteen minutes had passed in his waiting that he was shaken out of his thoughts by the doorbell ringing continuously.

Willing himself to get up, he finally stood up from the mattress, each part of his body worn down with exhaustion. That day had been terribly hard on him; first he had found Dianne injured then she had died and last but not the least, he had told the truth about himself to the only person whose opinion regarding him actually mattered to him.

Neal had long given up caring about what people thought of him but Barbara Gordon had become an exception.

He reached the door with heavy steps and without even asking who was outside, he pulled it open. It was dark but he recognized the unmistakable flash of red hair and right next moment, Barbara had wrapped her arms around him tightly as if she was scared to let go of him.

He expected her to shower him with a thousand questions but she said nothing, she just held on to him. Her head was buried in his neck, her arms wrapped around him and at that moment, Neal realized how much he had missed her in all those days he had been away from her that he couldn't fathom how he had been able to survive in those days.

She was still holding on to him when he shut the door and locked it. A while passed like that and neither said a word.

When she gently pulled back, hands still resting on his chest, he saw that her forest green eyes were full of concern and sadness. A tear streaked down her cheek as she took in his tired features, and his fingers automatically cupped her face to wipe away that tear.

"I'm sorry, Barbara," he spoke up at last, willing himself to let it all out, "I never wanted to break your heart, to cause you pain... I... I am such a coward that I couldn't even tell you the truth about me in person... But now you know and I have left the decision in your hands."

Her hands gently reached up to cup his face in between her palms, watching as he leaned in to her touch, ocher eyes focused on her. "I forgive you," she replied, her voice shaking slightly from all the tears welling up inside her.

The relief washing over him was so evident as she saw his tensed features relax and he let out the breath he was holding, and though it seemed as if he wanted to say more, his voice had died down, the words fading within him.

Barbara couldn't help but wonder that the Neal Hastings standing in front of her was so different from the reckless and daring man the rest of Gotham knew him as. Only Barbara knew what he hid from the rest of the world. He had allowed only Barbara to peel away all of his masks, revealing the broken man lying underneath.

A Mononoke, as he used to say himself. A being with countless masks to disguise what he was suffering from the rest of the world. And as all the masks had been peeled off, the man she saw underneath was not faceless as he had warned Rose once. Instead to Barbara, he was the bravest, most beautiful person she had known.

So beautiful that it was hard not to kiss him right then.

She took him by surprise when she reached up and connected their lips together in a sweet lingering kiss. And though Neal had been shocked at first, his hands gently weaved into her fiery red hair as he pulled her closer.

They had no idea how long passed with them entwined with each other but at last, Neal had to pull apart, his heart was beating too fast and his breath had hitched in his throat. She understood then why all the time he had been the one to break off the kiss. It was not that he wanted to but right then she could see that with his racing heartbeat, it got difficult for him to maintain his respiration. And for a man in his condition, such breathtaking moments could become fatal.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She asked as he made her sit down on the mattress, hands still entwined through hers as he sat across from her, ocher gazing softly into forest green.

"I didn't want to cause pain to you and yet it all went up in flames," he had lowered his head, guilt spreading on his face recalling the day he had ended his relationship with her and she knew what he was thinking, "I ended up causing so much pain to you that I hate myself for that."

Her fingers gently touched his lips to silence him as she could sense the self loathing surface amongst the guilt. "Neal, please..."

"The only consolation I had was that you would hate me enough to not mourn for me when I am finally gone," his words cut through her heart and she couldn't stop the streak of tears rolling down her cheeks.

And as always, he was quick to wipe away her tears. He cupped her face gently and his fingers wiped away the tears delicately, as he repeated that he could not see her in pain.

"I told you I would punch you real hard, right in your face, if you talk of dying again," her head rested on his shoulder as he soothingly ran his fingers through her hair, holding her close.

At long last, his light rumbling laugh resonated around her and she pulled back to look at him. He looked so damn irresistible when he laughed and as her fingers lingered on his cheek, she let herself get lost in the deep maze of his beautiful ocher irises.

"But that's the truth, isn't it? You can punch me if you want to, I deserve it."

"I love you, idiot, I can't punch you in the face even if I want to," she remarked, kissing him once again.

Hearing those words from her, Neal spoke up when they pulled apart, "so what have you decided, Barbara?"

She rested her forehead against his, her hands cupping his face lovingly and replied, "I can't let go of you, Neal. No matter what happens, I'll be with you."

"Are you sure?" He still looked as if in a state of disbelief for it was hard for him to realize that she cared for him such a lot.

Barbara nodded, a soft but sad smile spreading on her features, "I can go to hell and back for the people I love. And you just happen to be the one I love most. I will stay with you till the very end."

Her voice broke at the last words and that once, Neal connected his lips with hers, his palm fitting over the soft curve of her cheek.

When he pulled apart, the words he had always been afraid of saying out loud escaped him at last without him trying to hold them back, "I love you, Barbara."

***