(Naturally, Batman is a product of DC Comics, Warner Bros and created by Bob Cane. I can't lay claim to him... though, would I ever like to. Hehe!
Oh - author's note: I tend to mix up the Batman timeline to a point - if I like a character, I don't go exactly with the timeline flow of the comics, etc. Take Sarah Essen-Gordon in this chapter - this is going to be post No Man's Land but she is alive. I'm bad that way!)
CHAPTER ONE - And you are...?
"I hate these things..." Catherine Wayne growled under her breath to her husband.
Bruce smiled for the glaring blaze of flashbulbs and whispered under his breath, "Have I ever heard you mention that before?"
She forced a smile onto her face for the barrage of photographs being taken that would plaster her face in the next day's dailies. "You might've."
"It's just for a few hours - smile," they said in unison, echoing Bruce's advice to Catherine on their first public date two years previous.
While they walked up the red carpet, Bruce reflected on that date, remembering how stressed out Catherine had been. Where he'd grown up accustomed to the notoriety his status brought, Catherine had grown up in the "typical" American household, living in the suburbs where both parents worked 9-5 jobs. The world that Bruce had known his entire life was what Catherine knew from the media's reports. She'd been terrfied when he had finally asked her out, and even more flustered when their first public date had been to a charity ball. Now, two years later, though she had grown to love the work that they did for charity, Catherine still loathed the publicity to the events themselves.
"Good evening, Mr. Wayne, Mrs. Wayne. May I take you to your table?" the steward asked in a firm, welcoming voice.
"Yes, please," Bruce replied.
"Since we can't find our own way to our placecards," Catherine whipsered.
Bruce shook his head, smiling. Every step of a public event had become ritualized for them, their own private joke in the midst of all the clamoring.
Ordinarily, they were seated with Commissioner of Police James Gordon and his wife, Sarah. Others at their table would include Lucius Fox from Wayne Enterprises as well as Gotham City's Mayor. As Bruce and Catherine approached their table with the steward, however, they found that a new couple was seated across from them; the "regulars" had not yet arrived, or at least, had not yet been seated.
Catherine glanced out the corner of her eye at her husband.
He picked up her cue and led the introductions. "Good evening - I don't think we've met. I'm Bruce Wayne, and this is my wife, Catherine."
The couple met the Wayne's smiles and stood. The man stood roughly Bruce's height with sandy brown hair that was rather tousled; he wore non-traditional garments for such a high-profile charity event. Instead of a tuxedo, his clothing reminded the Wayne's of a monk's attire. The woman who accompanied him was a few inches taller than Catherine with dark hair and eyes. She too was garbed in the comfortable fitting monk-like clothes.
Everyone shook hands, though the newcomers to the table had not introduced themselves. Catherine noticed that they both sported simple gold wedding bands.
Finally, Bruce asked, "And you are...?"
"Ben and Kir Obiken," he said in a quiet, accented voice.
"Nice... to... nice to meet you," Catherine said, feeling even more off-center than she normally did at the balls.
"Likewise," Kir replied, smiling. "It's an honor to finally meet you both."
Catherine nodded. Trying to get a sense of their tablemates, she asked, "How long've you been associated with the Mc Guiger Children's Charities?"
Ben locked his gaze onto hers. "For just a short while," he said. "We're here as guests of Mr. Mc Guiger, tonight, as he had requested we attend."
"He's a good man," Bruce said. His instincts were screaming that something was amiss but he couldn't put his finger on what bothered him about the conversation. "Done a lot for Gotham City with his charities."
"As have you," Kir returned.
Anything else she may have said was cut short by the arrival of James and Sarah Gordon.
"Evenin' Bruce!" Gordon barked, clapping Wayne on the back. He turned and kissed Catherine lightly on the cheek.
"Hello Jim. Sarah, you look stunning tonight," Bruce replied.
"Thank you, Bruce. I always say it but Catherine was lucky to have found such a gentleman with you. The compliments never cease." She laughed and elbowed her husband.
He coughed and winked at Bruce in reply. Turning his attention to the Obiken's, Gordon appraised them from head-to-toe and said, "And you are...?"
The ritual of introductions was repeated with the Gordon's. As guests continued to file into the hall, conversations came in quick hello's from passersby while drink orders were filled and menus were distributed. There was enough distraction that Bruce and Catherine were able to discreetly talk amongst themselves without leaving the table.
"Something's odd about those two," Catherine said.
"They have a presence to them that I can't quite put my finger on. Power? Assurance?"
"Cultish?"
Bruce frowned and shook his head slightly. "No... it's just something being slightly 'off' from the norm. Keep your eyes open tonight."
"As always, Baby," she whispered in reply.
He closed his eyes and took a moment to focus his thoughts. Whenever Catherine whispered like THAT, Bruce's entire system tended to go into overdrive, with or without his consent.
Catherine watched his response and smiled to herself.
As the waiters darted from the kitchen in a state of ordered chaos with the guests' meals, Ben looked from Bruce to Catherine and back. "So. Tell me about the Bat-Team."
Oh - author's note: I tend to mix up the Batman timeline to a point - if I like a character, I don't go exactly with the timeline flow of the comics, etc. Take Sarah Essen-Gordon in this chapter - this is going to be post No Man's Land but she is alive. I'm bad that way!)
CHAPTER ONE - And you are...?
"I hate these things..." Catherine Wayne growled under her breath to her husband.
Bruce smiled for the glaring blaze of flashbulbs and whispered under his breath, "Have I ever heard you mention that before?"
She forced a smile onto her face for the barrage of photographs being taken that would plaster her face in the next day's dailies. "You might've."
"It's just for a few hours - smile," they said in unison, echoing Bruce's advice to Catherine on their first public date two years previous.
While they walked up the red carpet, Bruce reflected on that date, remembering how stressed out Catherine had been. Where he'd grown up accustomed to the notoriety his status brought, Catherine had grown up in the "typical" American household, living in the suburbs where both parents worked 9-5 jobs. The world that Bruce had known his entire life was what Catherine knew from the media's reports. She'd been terrfied when he had finally asked her out, and even more flustered when their first public date had been to a charity ball. Now, two years later, though she had grown to love the work that they did for charity, Catherine still loathed the publicity to the events themselves.
"Good evening, Mr. Wayne, Mrs. Wayne. May I take you to your table?" the steward asked in a firm, welcoming voice.
"Yes, please," Bruce replied.
"Since we can't find our own way to our placecards," Catherine whipsered.
Bruce shook his head, smiling. Every step of a public event had become ritualized for them, their own private joke in the midst of all the clamoring.
Ordinarily, they were seated with Commissioner of Police James Gordon and his wife, Sarah. Others at their table would include Lucius Fox from Wayne Enterprises as well as Gotham City's Mayor. As Bruce and Catherine approached their table with the steward, however, they found that a new couple was seated across from them; the "regulars" had not yet arrived, or at least, had not yet been seated.
Catherine glanced out the corner of her eye at her husband.
He picked up her cue and led the introductions. "Good evening - I don't think we've met. I'm Bruce Wayne, and this is my wife, Catherine."
The couple met the Wayne's smiles and stood. The man stood roughly Bruce's height with sandy brown hair that was rather tousled; he wore non-traditional garments for such a high-profile charity event. Instead of a tuxedo, his clothing reminded the Wayne's of a monk's attire. The woman who accompanied him was a few inches taller than Catherine with dark hair and eyes. She too was garbed in the comfortable fitting monk-like clothes.
Everyone shook hands, though the newcomers to the table had not introduced themselves. Catherine noticed that they both sported simple gold wedding bands.
Finally, Bruce asked, "And you are...?"
"Ben and Kir Obiken," he said in a quiet, accented voice.
"Nice... to... nice to meet you," Catherine said, feeling even more off-center than she normally did at the balls.
"Likewise," Kir replied, smiling. "It's an honor to finally meet you both."
Catherine nodded. Trying to get a sense of their tablemates, she asked, "How long've you been associated with the Mc Guiger Children's Charities?"
Ben locked his gaze onto hers. "For just a short while," he said. "We're here as guests of Mr. Mc Guiger, tonight, as he had requested we attend."
"He's a good man," Bruce said. His instincts were screaming that something was amiss but he couldn't put his finger on what bothered him about the conversation. "Done a lot for Gotham City with his charities."
"As have you," Kir returned.
Anything else she may have said was cut short by the arrival of James and Sarah Gordon.
"Evenin' Bruce!" Gordon barked, clapping Wayne on the back. He turned and kissed Catherine lightly on the cheek.
"Hello Jim. Sarah, you look stunning tonight," Bruce replied.
"Thank you, Bruce. I always say it but Catherine was lucky to have found such a gentleman with you. The compliments never cease." She laughed and elbowed her husband.
He coughed and winked at Bruce in reply. Turning his attention to the Obiken's, Gordon appraised them from head-to-toe and said, "And you are...?"
The ritual of introductions was repeated with the Gordon's. As guests continued to file into the hall, conversations came in quick hello's from passersby while drink orders were filled and menus were distributed. There was enough distraction that Bruce and Catherine were able to discreetly talk amongst themselves without leaving the table.
"Something's odd about those two," Catherine said.
"They have a presence to them that I can't quite put my finger on. Power? Assurance?"
"Cultish?"
Bruce frowned and shook his head slightly. "No... it's just something being slightly 'off' from the norm. Keep your eyes open tonight."
"As always, Baby," she whispered in reply.
He closed his eyes and took a moment to focus his thoughts. Whenever Catherine whispered like THAT, Bruce's entire system tended to go into overdrive, with or without his consent.
Catherine watched his response and smiled to herself.
As the waiters darted from the kitchen in a state of ordered chaos with the guests' meals, Ben looked from Bruce to Catherine and back. "So. Tell me about the Bat-Team."