Title:Chaperone
Author: Alhana Antilles
Rating: T
Disclaimer: DC owns these characters; I am not making any money on this.
Synopsis: When Bruce Wayne and Dinah Lance start dating, Roy Harper reacts the one way he knows how: overreacting. The characters present: Bruce Wayne, Dinah Lance, Roy Harper, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Barbra Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, and Lian Harper.
Dinah Lance shifted on her couch and glanced out the window for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Come on, Barb. Pick up the phone!" Her news was far too exhilarating to keep to herself anymore. This was the fourth time she had called Barbra Gordon in the past eleven minutes, and she was becoming anxious. Dinah picked at the armrest of her cream-colored sofa, hoping that her friend would answer soon. The phone stopped ringing and a voice finally answered.
"Hello?"
Dinah sighed in relief. "Barbra, where were you? I've been dying to talk to you." She didn't give the red head anytime to answer. "You'll never guess what happened to me at the bank today."
"You finally got the elusive blue lollipop from the basket at the bank teller's counter?" Barbra grinned wickedly. Dinah had been trying to get one for the past three months, but every time she did her banking only the purple ones that tasted like bad cough medicine were left.
"No, not yet, I never made it to the banking counter because the elevator broke down on my way up."
Barbra's eyebrows rose in mild surprise. "The thunderstorm this morning knocked out power to the building?"
"Yeah, but the great part about it was that I was stuck in there with Bruce Wayne! And what's even more fantastic is that he asked me out!" Dinah was nearly bouncing up and down in her seat. She couldn't believe her luck. After almost a full 30 seconds with no response from Barbra, Dinah wondered if her friend was still on the phone.
"Hey, Barb, did you hear me? Are you still there?"
Barbra broke out of her initial speechlessness. "Yeah, so… do you know where he'll be taking you?"
"No, but we're going out for lunch tomorrow. Can you imagine? I have a date with Gotham's most eligible bachelor! I can't believe what luck I've had today."
Barbra could tell that the blonde was grinning from ear to ear on the other end of the line. "Wow, Dinah…I honestly didn't think you were interested, considering his reputation."
"Oh, that's not a big deal. I don't expect to have an actual relationship with him. He's just one of those fantasy dates that never happen. You know, like movie stars."
"Well that's great, Dinah. You should-." Barbra's sentence was cut off by her JLA communicator. "Ah, I gotta go. I have incoming Oracle duties to attend to."
"All right, I'll talk to ya later."
"Bye, hon."
Dinah hung up the phone, smiling to herself. She got up and walked into her kitchen to find something to eat. As she fished around in her fridge, she remembered meeting Bruce in the elevator today.
Dinah walked into the elevator and hit the button for the ninth floor. As the doors began to shut, a strong hand reached out and stopped them. They drew back and revealed the face of Bruce Wayne. He was wearing a black three-piece Armani suit along with a white dress shirt, a dark blue tie, and a black overcoat.
Dinah drew in a quick but silent breath. 'My god' she thought.'Those posters from GQ don't do him any justice.'
Bruce strode in with his eyes twinkling and his playboy smile plastered on his face. He stood close to Dinah and looked her up and down. "Morning, gorgeous."
"Right back at ya, handsome" Dinah replied. 'Ha! I'm flirting with Mr. Billionaire.' "What floor do you need to go to?" Dinah asked with bright eyes and grin.
"The ninth," Bruce answered.
The elevator doors closed and began to move upward. "Well you're in luck. That's where I'm headed."
The elevator began to rise but jerked and stopped near the third floor. The power shut off as the emergency lights turned on, illuminating the inside of the now darken elevator.
"Uh oh." Dinah glanced around to assess the situation.
Bruce calmly stepped towards the control button and hit a few button sequences. The elevator remained motionless. Hitting the emergency button, he stood back and turned to Dinah. "Well we're stuck here for now."
"Must be the storm," Dinah reasoned.
"It must be." Bruce raised an eyebrow and studied Dinah's face closely. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"
"We've never been formally introduced. You probably recognize me because I'm the Black Canary."
Bruce grinned and nodded his head in recognition. "That's right" He took a step closer. "Aren't you going out with that blonde guy with the thing for Robin Hood?"
Dinah allowed herself a small grin. "I was gong out with him, but we broke up a several months ago...again."
He slid his hands in his pants pockets. "I guess that means you're free to go out with me sometime."
Dinah grinned back and nodded her head. "Yeah."
"Then how about you meet me at my office at noon tomorrow, and we'll get some lunch."
"I'll be there."
Dinah sighed in content and brought her concentration back to the inside of her refrigerator. Not satisfied with what she saw, she slammed the door shut and decided to order some Chinese.
Entering the main doors of Wayne Enterprises, Dinah walked up to a young male security guard sitting behind the front desk.
"Excuse me, what floor is Bruce Wayne's office on?"
The man glanced up from the Sudoku puzzle in that morning's Gotham Gazette. "We don't give out that information to people without an appointment. W.E. policy."
Dinah straightened her posture. "I have an appointment."
"Show me an ID." The guard took a sip of his cherry coke and filled in a square in the puzzle.
Dinah took out her driver's license from her wallet indeed her purse. She held it out, waiting for the guard to look up.
"Hey, look. Here it is…" She glanced at his nametag. "Jack."
After filling in another space, the man again glanced up. "You don't have an appointment." He went back to his puzzle.
"Yes, I do." She kept holding her license up in the air. "I made it yesterday."
"No you didn't."
Dropping her hand, Dinah furrowed her brows. "Yes, I did."
"No you didn't." Another space was filled.
"Yes. I. Did."
The guard looked Dinah in the eye for the first time. "You talked to his secretary?"
"Well no."
The guard took another sip. "Then you don't have an appointment."
"I talked to Wayne yesterday and set it up." Dinah grabbed the phone from off the desk. "Here call him."
The guard sat up straight and took the phone away from Dinah. "I can't do that he's in a meeting."
"Then call his secretary. I bet she has written down on his schedule."
The guard sat back and picked up his pen and newspaper. "She usually takes her lunch break now."
"Look, kid." She grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward. "I'm adept in martial arts. More than adept, I'm lethal."
The guard cleared his throat. "What you set up was a date not an appointment."
Dinah eyes widen. "You know?" She let go of his shirt.
"The private elevator is to my left. It'll take you straight to his office."
Dinah stared at him for a moment. The guard sat back and continued filling in spaces in the Sudoku. "Then why'd you-"
"I've read the Daily Planet, the Gotham Gazette, and played six Spider Solitaire games on my computer since I began my shift at five o'clock this morning. I'm bored." He looked up and grinned. "So far you're the highlight of my day."
"You little ferret." Dinah strode towards the lift.
"Ferret? Most people call me jackass."
"I'm not unoriginal." She answered as she walked through the doors.
As she rode the elevator up, she pulled out a small mirror and checked to see that everything was in order. She smoothed her blonde hair back into its place and reapplied her lip-gloss. She was dressed in a crimson red long sleeved shirt, a pair of tight blue jeans and a black leather jacket. She wanted to look casual without looking careless.
Putting the mirror back in her small purse she walked out of the elevator as the doors opened and hoped that she was headed in the right direction. Passing several upper staff members, she strolled up to a secretary.
"You're not on your lunch break."
The woman blinked. Of course she wasn't. "Pardon me?"
"Is this Mr. Wayne's… office area? I'm meeting him for lunch." Dinah checked the room out. It was spacious with a large window across from the secretary's desk and a fish tank filled with brightly colored tropical fish.
The light haired secretary smiled at her politely. "Yes it is, ma'am. He's currently finishing a short meeting. You can sit on the one of the sofas and read a magazine until he's through if you'd like."
Dinah glanced at coffee table near by loaded neatly with books and magazines. "I think I will thank you." She sat down on a hunter green couch and picked up a Calvin and Hobbes comic book. Dinah eagerly opened it and began reading. It had been ages since she'd read any comic strips.
Noticing the book Dinah was paying attention to, the secretary couldn't help but grin and shake her head in amusement. The last adult she saw reading Calvin and Hobbes in the office was Bruce. He did it a few times when he thought no one was looking. This was serious business and he needed to be taken seriously at least that's what she heard Mr. Fox tell Wayne last week. Not that it made any difference though. Wayne's pleasure seeker reputation was set in stone.
A few minutes later Bruce emerged from his office with Lucius Fox. "Well you know how these things work better than I do, Lucius. I'm sure it'll be better with you attending the conference."
"We're on the same page then?" Lucius stood patiently for confirmation.
Bruce placed his hands in his pockets and nodded his head. "As always."
"All right. I'll see you later, Bruce." Lucius strode out of the office having other things to attend to in the building.
"Bye." As Lucius left the office, Bruce turned his attention to Dinah. He smiled softly as he noticed the book she held in her hands. She remained completely oblivious to everyone else in the room. Her concentration was totally invested in the comic stripes.
Amused, Bruce's smile turned into a grin. He strolled towards her, waiting to see how long it took her too notice him standing right in front of her.
Turning the page, Dinah glanced up briefly and jumped back in surprise to see Bruce standing before her. "Oh! Hey." She smiled and set the book down on the coffee table. "I didn't see you come in."
"Calvin and Hobbes, huh? Bruce smiled and picked up the comic book.
"Yeah, it's one of my favorite comic strips. It's too bad Waterston stopped writing it. They've stopped printing them in most papers."
Bruce laid the book down on the table. "Well I've got it on good authority that the Daily Planet has plans to put it back in."
"You know what goes on in the Daily Planet planning rooms?"
"I should." Bruce lifted an eyebrow. "I own it."
"Oh, that's right." Dinah closed her eyes and held her breathe. "Nowreally I feel like a dork."
Bruce let out a laugh. "Don't worry. No one has more dork moments around here than I do." He looked back towards his secretary with a soft smile. "Right, Susan?"
"Oh, don't get me started," the secretary replied with a shake of her head.
Bruce turned his attention back to Dinah. "Did you receive the flowers I sent you?"
Yes," Dinah replied with a bright smile. "The lilies were beautiful. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Ready to go?" Bruce offered her his arm.
She took it with a big grin. "Yes."
The couple walked three blocks to a small coffee shop called Cocoa's Café. As well as selling the usual coffee and breakfast foods, they offered a wide variety of soups, salads, and sandwiches for the customers.
Bruce ordered a chicken Cesar Salad along with a bottle of water while Dinah ate a turkey wrap with everything on it along with lemonade to drink.
During their lunch, they discussed a subject they were both enthusiastic about: kids.
The Calvin and Hobbes book had come back into discussion and had unintentionally led to the two of them talking about the children in each of their lives. Bruce had talked a bit about adopting Dick while Dinah chattered on about Roy and Lian. They weren't actually her children; technically one of them wasn't even a child. Nevertheless, she cared about them greatly. They were practically her family. Of course, Bruce already knew all about them, but he didn't reveal any of that to Dinah.
"It was nice having lunch with you, Bruce. I haven't had such an enjoyable date for awhile." Dinah had braced herself for a dull lunch with him. She went out with him for mainly one reason; she loved to look at him. His dark hair was a perfect contrast to his deep cerulean eyes. However, she had discovered there was more to Bruce than just superficial appearances. He had discussed the goals he had with the Wayne foundation and that he expressed a genuine interest in helping people. The nice thing about it though, was that it wasn't one of the celebrity-bandwagon-charity things. It was something he created because he cared.
Roy walked up to a small coffee shop with Lian in tow, helping her pull open the heavy door. He walked up to the counter and ordered the assorted pastry special for $6.99. Waiting for the order to be filled Roy felt Lian tug at his side. "Daddy…"
"What, Sweetie?" Roy pulled out a ten in of his wallet.
"Why is Auntie Dinah kissin' Uncle Dick's Daddy?"
"What?" Roy looked down, confused at his daughter.
"Look it." Roy's eyes followed his daughter as she turned and pointed to a table across the café. Sure enough Dinah and Bruce were sitting there lip locked.
"What the hell?"
Lian looked up to her father with wide eyes. "Uh oh, Daddy, you said a bad word."
With his mouth agape, Roy stood frozen in place, staring at Bruce and Dinah. Since when did Dinah date the Bat? Did she know he was the Bat? Of course she didn't. Otherwise, she wouldn't be swatting spit with him right now.
"I'm gonna be sick." He turned away as the couple pulled apart. Grabbing the bag of pastries, he told the cashier to keep the change and walked out the door holding Lian's hand. He led her into the car and buckled her in a back seat. Getting into the front, he set the food down in the passenger's seat and started the car. Gripping the steering wheel, he looked through the windshield. Dinah and Bruce walked out holding hands. They kissed softly and gave each other a hug. With wide smiles, they parted their ways.
"Are we going now, Daddy? We hafta give Auntie Dinah her pastries."
"Yeah, we're going, sweetie." Roy pulled out of the parking lot and drove to Dinah's apartment. On the way there, he took out his cell phone and dialed a number. Holding it up to his ear, he shook his head in bewilderment.
Clad in a white Gotham Knight's t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans Dick lounged on his couch watching reruns of the Cosby Show as his cell phone began to play its electronic version of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. He reached over and picked it up.
"Hello."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Roy Harper demanded.
Dick lowered his eyebrows. "Roy? What do ya want?"
"I want you to tell me why you didn't tell me."
Dick blinked twice. "What are you talking about?"
"Bruce and Dinah, how'd ya forget to tell me about that one?"
Dick raised his left eyebrow and bite his bottom lip. "What about Bruce and Dinah?"
"Oh, stop playing dumb, Grayson." Roy rolled his eyes. "I saw them making out at Cocoa's Café not just ten minutes ago."
"Whoa! Hold on." Wide eyed, Dick sat up in his seat. "Bruce and Dinah were making out…for real?"
Roy narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Dick sounded genuinely surprised. Maybe he really didn't know anything about Bruce and Dinah. The Bat was one of those strong silent type guys and notoriously tight lipped about his life. "You're telling me you really don't know about anything going on between those two?"
"Dude, I swear. This is the first that I've heard anything about it."
"Well at least you're lucky enough to hear about it instead of having to see it," Roy mumbled
Dick glanced around in his apartment. This was…different. Bruce was making out with Dinah? Bruce, who got dressed up in a bat costume to fight crime each night, his Bruce
was kissing Dinah? Looking at the portraits of friends and family hanging on his wall above the television, he decided to find out what was going on.
"Are you at work right now?" Roy asked.
"Nah, I got a couple of days off."
Roy pulled up to the apartment building where Dinah lived and parked his car. "Great, I'll come by later tomorrow."
"All right, see ya," Dick replied with a tired yawn.
"Bye." With that, Roy turned off his cell phone and took Lian and the pastries up to the front steps of Dinah's apartment.