[It's a fit of childish pique for which Alfred would no doubt frown at him that makes Bruce almost want to shut the door. He resists the urge and steps back and away from it, allowing her in.

As the Batman, he's always had a complicated relationship with the concept of Batgirl. Barbara created the title for herself, on her own time and turf, and he... tolerated her. Things were simpler then. It was a time before wheelchairs and crowbars and the old bones of Gotham were still buried in the Earth. And Bruce was... younger.

If he'd known then what he knows now, he never would have permitted her to continue in that capacity. He never would have allowed Dick to--

But no. Even then, it was too late for Dick.

So the mantle of Batgirl grew and changed and evolved, became Cassandra became Stephanie, and Bruce rarely had a hand in it himself, not the way he did with his Robins. But Batgirl was a title each of them had earned, paid for in different ways.

Would Barbara have ever been shot if Bruce had just... done more than tolerate her presence? Would Cassandra have ever gone to Shiva if he'd gone through with the adoption earlier?

Would Stephanie have become Batgirl if he hadn't fired her as Robin?

Bruce thinks of all these things as he shuts the door behind her, every motion is deliberate and practised. He's too close to the edge to function on instinct alone at the moment, but at least he knows the general source of his malady.

And so does Steph. Thus her presence here.

She's reminding him a little of Leslie. That's probably a bad sign.

He continues unwrapping his hands as he speaks,]

I wanted to speak with you, regardless. The gang activity in the Northern section of the Fire Sector is intensifying, we're going to need to up our coverage of that area.