Hope Lake enjoyed running. It helped her clear her mind. She'd been running for a while, when she realised someone was running next to her. It was a man, a very good looking man. He smiled at her, and they stopped running.
"Hello." She said.
"Hey, sorry if I startled you, I didn't mean to. I've seen you running through here before, and I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Jason." He said.
She raised her eyebrows, as she looked at him.
"Do you do this often, Jason?" She asked.
"Excuse me?" He asked.
"Do you startle unsuspecting runners, often?" She asked.
"Only the special ones." He said, with a smile.
"I'm sure." She said.
"So, do I get your name, or should I just make one up for you?" He asked.
She smiled.
"I don't know if I should tell you my name, for all I know, you could be a bad guy, a serial killer." She said.
"I'm not a serial killer." He told her.
"I'm sure that's what serial killers say too." She said.
"I promise you, I'm not a serial killer. I just wanted to meet you." He said.
"Oh, and that's not creepy at all." She said.
He laughed.
"I told you my name." He said.
"Yes, but, how do I know that's you're real name?" She asked.
"Jason Todd, it's my real name, I promise you." He said.
She studied him for a moment, then smiled.
"Hope Lake." She said, holding her hand out to him.
He put his hand in hers, and shook it.
"It's nice to meet you Hope. Would you like to jog with me?" He asked.
"You are very bold, you know that, right?" She asked.
"Is that a yes?" He asked.
She gave a smile, and shook her head.
"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this." She said.
He grinned.
"I promise to be good." He told her.
"I must warn you, the outcome will be bad for you, if you try anything." She told him.
He laughed, and put his hands up, in surrender.
"I won't do anything, I swear." He told her.
She smiled.
"Fine." She said.
They started jogging. They talked as they ran. He asked questions about her, and she answered them.
The route that they'd taken, circled back around to the manor. At the front gate, she stopped, and turned to him.
"This is my stop. It was nice meeting you." She said.
"It was nice meeting you too Hope. I'm sure we'll run into each other again, soon." He told her.
She smiled, and gave a nod.
She went through the gate, and headed up to the front door. She walked inside, and shut the door. She slid her running shoes off.
"Hope, you're back!" Dick Grayson said, with a smile, as he came down the stairs.
She smiled up at him.
"Hello Dick. You're here early. Is there a problem?" She asked.
He stepped off of the last step and walked over to her.
"Everything is fine Hope. Bruce wanted me to let you know that a couple meetings ran late, and not to worry about him, hel'll be here as soon as he can." He told her, giving her a hug.
"He could have just called me, or texted." She said.
"He didn't want to disturb your run." He said.
"Back from your run Hope?" Alfred said walking into the room.
"Yes, I'm getting in the shower, then I need to get ready." She said.
"You should have more than enough time, it's Master Bruce I worry about. He tends to be late. A lot." Alfred said.
Hope smiled.
"Have faith in Bruce, Alfred, he'll make it." She said.
"I placed your dress in your room." Alfred said.
"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a shower." She said.
She headed up the stairs, and to her room. Her dress was in it's garment bag, hanging up. She stripped on her way to the bathroom. She got in the shower, and quickly washed. She got out, dried off, and dried her hair. She wrapped the towel around her, and then straightened her hair. Once that was finished, she applied her make up.
She left the bathroom, and dressed. When it was on, she looked at her reflection in the full length mirror. The dress was beautiful. It was strapless, and floor length. It was white satin, with black lace over it. It was a ball gown.
When Bruce Wayne threw a party, it was a formal affair. She hoped that Bruce liked her dress. She went over to the dresser, and picked out a pair of diamond stud earrings. It was the pair that Bruce got her for her birthday last year. She put them in her ears. She found her heels, and slipped them on her feet. She took one last look at her reflection, then left the room. She headed down the stairs. She heard Bruce's voice, and she smiled.
"You made it." She said.
Bruce, Alfred, and Dick looked up at her.
"Alfred was worried." She said, walking over to him.
"He does that a lot. You look amazing." Bruce told her.
She smiled.
"Thank you." She said.
"Master Dick, and I shall make sure everything is ready." Alfred said.
Before Alfred walked away, he handed Bruce something.
"I have something for you." Bruce said.
"Bruce, you didn't need to get me anything. It's your birthday, not mine." She said.
"Stop it. I wanted to get you something." He told her.
She rolled her eyes, but smiled.
"Thank you Bruce." She said.
It was a diamond necklace, that matched her earrings. He put it on her.
"Thank you, Bruce, I love it." She said, turning to face him.
He tucked her hair behind her ear, leaned in, and kissed her.
"Are you ready for your party?" She asked him.
"As I'll ever be." He said.
She laughed.
"You'll be fine, I'll be close, if you need a distraction." She told him.
"I might just take you up on that." He said.
She laughed, as he kissed her.
X*X*X
Hope was standing next to Bruce. Bruce had his arm wrapped around her waist, as he greeted his guests.
"How are you doing?" She asked, when there was a break in guests.
"I'm fine." He muttered.
She laughed.
"It'll be over before you know it." She told him.
He smiled, then leaned down to kiss her.
"Bruce, it's been too long!" A voice said.
Both turned to the newcomer. Hope could not believe who it was.
"Oliver Queen, how nice of you to come tonight." Bruce said.
Oliver's gaze drifted over to Hope. Oliver looked surprised to see her.
"Hello Oliver. How have you been?" Hope asked.
"I've been fine. How have you been?" Oliver asked.
Bruce looked from Hope to Oliver, and back.
"You two know each other?" Bruce asked.
Hope laughed.
"Bruce, how did you get Hope to one of these functions? She always refused me." Oliver said.
"She must like me more." Bruce said.
Hope rolled her eyes.
"Actually, you were more stubborn. I refused his invitations too. Bruce decided to go above my head, and talked to my boss." Hope said.
"Now, why didn't I think of that?" Oliver said.
"Maybe, I'm just smarter." Bruce said.
"I wouldn't say that." Oliver said.
A blonde woman hurried over to them. She looked a little flustered.
"Oliver, I'm sorry I'm late. I couldn't find a place to park, this place is huge, and I tore my dress." The woman said, frustrated.
Hope smiled.
"Felicity, I'd like you to meet Bruce Wayne. Bruce, this is Felicity Smoak." Oliver said.
Felicity looked embarassed.
"Mr. Wayne, It's a pleasure to be with you. I mean to be here. I mean, it's nice to meet you. I should stop talking now." Felicity said.
Hope liked this woman. She noticed the way Oliver was looking at Felicity. He liked her, a lot.
"It's nice to meet you Felicity. This is Hope, my girlfriend." Bruce said.
Hope felt her face grow warm. Bruce hadn't referred to her as his girlfriend before.
"It's nice to meet you Felicity. I think that I have something that will fit you, if you'll follow me." Hope said.
Felicity looked shoced.
"Oh no, I couldn't." Felicity said.
"Nonsense. We look to be the same size." Hope said.
"Are you sure?" Felicity asked.
Hope gave a nod.
"Of course." Hope said.
She gave Bruce a kiss, took Felicity's hand, and led her up the stairs.
"You know that you don't have to do this." Felicity said.
"I don't mind, really." Hope said.
They walked into her bedroom, and Hope let Felicity pick out something from her closet.
"So, how do you know Oliver?" Hope asked, sitting on the bed.
"I was the IT person at his company." Felicity said.
"Was?" Hope asked.
"I guess that you could say I was promoted. I know a lot about computers." Felicity said.
"How long have you two been together?" Hope asked.
Felicity didn't answer right away.
"Oliver and I aren't together." Felicity said.
"Why not? He likes you. You like him." Hope said.
"It's complicated. How do you know Oliver?" Felicity asked.
Hope smiled.
"Let's just say, Oliver has a type." Hope said.
Felicity poked her head out of the closet.
"You and Oliver?" Felicity asked.
Hope laughed.
"No. Not for a lack of trying on Oliver's part though. I don't like these kind of functions. Oliver sent me invite after invite, but I refused everytime. I knew Oliver, and his reputation, and I kept him at arms length. He eventually gave up." Hope said.
"How did you meet Bruce Wayne?" Felicity asked.
He threw a fundraiser for Arkham Asylum. He invited me. I declined. He never gave up though. One day, he showed up at my work, and managed to get my boss to order me to go to Bruce's next fundraiser." Hope said.
"And now you're his girlfriend. I wasn't aware he had girlfriends." Felicity said.
"I didn't either. I was a little suspicious at first as well. He was very stubborn, and managed to prove that he was serious about me." Hope said.
"I'm happy for you." Felicity said, coming out of the closet.
Hope smiled. Felicity looked great. She'd chosen a black dress, that was sleeveless, and swept the floor.
"You look amazing, and Oliver will love you in it." Hope said.
"Thank you. We should probably get back." Felicity said.
Hope smiled.
"Yeah, Bruce might actually send a search party." Hope said.
They left the room, as Alfred walked up to them.
"See, what did I tell you, a search party." Hope told Felicity.
"Master Bruce asked me to see if everything was okay." Alfred said.
"Thank you Alfred. Felicity found a dress, and we were just on our way back to the party." Hope said.
They followed Alfred back down stairs. Bruce and Oliver seemed to be waiting for them to return. Hope smiled at Bruce. He smiled, and never took his eyes off of her. She got down to him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. He pressed his lips to hers.
"So, what do you think, how does she look?" Hope asked Oliver.
"You look amazing." Oliver told Felicity.
"See, I told you." Hope told Felicity.
"Thank you." Felicity said.
"Anytime." Hope said.
"Why don't we get a drink." Bruce said.
X*X*X
Bruce and Oliver were talking about business, and Felicity was right next to Oliver. Hope was mingling with guests, but never too far from Bruce's sight.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone. Someone she never thought would be at the party. She made her way over to the corner. She smiled as she walked up to the man.
"I didn't expect to see you here. Do you know Bruce?" She asked.
"You could say that. We haven't spoken in a while though, but I wouldn't have missed his party. So, you're dating Bruce. That must be tough." Jason told her.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"From my experience, Bruce kept relationships at arms length. The women couldn't handle him always being late, making up excuses why he has to suddenly leave, and never knowing where he goes." Jason told her.
"Bruce is a busy man. It takes a lot to run a company. It's understandable that he has to leave, or might run a little late." Hope said.
Jason smiled.
"Well, I guess that Bruce has finally found his perfect woman. Don't you ever wonder what he's doing, where he's going?" Jason asked, watching her closely.
"Not really, I'm sure if it's important, Bruce will let me know." She told him.
"You blindly trust him?" Jason asked.
"He's never given me a reason not to trust him." She said.
He gave a laugh.
"You really are his perfect woman. I bet he has you on a very short leash." Jason said.
She shook her head.
"He's not abusive, if that's what you mean. He's a gentleman." She told him.
"That's not what I meant. I meant, he keeps a close eye on you, knows where you are, at all times." Jason said.
Hope raised a shoulder.
"He worries about me. He's relaxed a little since I left my job at Arkham." She said.
"You worked at Arkham?" Jason asked.
She gave a nod.
"I was a therapist." She said.
"So, why did you leave?" He asked.
She exhaled loudly.
"One of the inmates kidnapped me, and a fellow inmate. The inmate that had been taken, actually saved me. A couple weeks later, he kidnapped me as well. I decided to call it quits after that." She said.
"So, what do you do now?" He asked.
"Do you know Dick Grayson?" She asked.
He gave a laugh.
"Yes, I know Dick." Jason said.
"Well Bruce spoke to him, and Dick offered me a job, working at the circus." She said.
"You work at the circus, doing what?" He asked, in surprise.
"I guess the official title would be assistant. I run errands, take notes, make calls, be a therapist, if needed. I do a little bit of everything. It keeps me on my toes, but I enjoy it." She said.
He chuckled.
"Well, I may have to stop by the circus soon." He said.
"You'll enjoy the show. The performers are amazing." She said.
Suddenly, she felt the ground shake. She looked up at Jason, in confusion.
"Do you feel that?" She asked.
"Yeah. That is not a good sign. Something is coming." Jason said ominously.
Her heart skipped a beat. She turned, to see if she could find Bruce. He was making his way over to her. His jaw was set, and he almost looked angry. There was something else there as well. It almost looked like he was worried about something other than the shaking ground.
There was an explosion, and they flew away from each other. She hit a wall, and fell to the ground in a heap. Pain radiated throughout her body. She groaned, as she opened her eyes. The mansion was smoky, and destroyed. Guests were scattered, and freaking out. She didn't see Bruce anywhere.
Out of nowhere, someone was next to her. She looked up. It was Jason.
"Let's get you out of here." Jason said.
Jason wrapped his arms around her, and helped her to her feet.
"Bruce!" She gasped.
"Trust me, Bruce can take care of himself. I need to get you safe." Jason said.
"What happened?" She groaned.
"Nothing good." Jason said.
Jason helped her to the kitchen. He brought her to the pantry. Inside, he opened a hidden door, and helped her through. He shut the hidden door, and flipped a switch. Lights flickered on. They were in a secret passage way.
"You know Bruce more than you let on." She mumbled.
He gave a laugh.
"We need to keep moving. Come on." Jason said.
"Lead the way, you know the grounds better than I do, it looks like." She said.
He laughed again.
"I like you." He told her.
"Highlight of my life." She muttered.
"As it should be." He said.
"You're a little full of yourself, aren't you?" She asked.
"I've heard that one before." He said.
"I'm not surprised." She said.
They came to the end of the tunnel. Jason opened the door, and they walked into a room. She noticed that it was Bruce's office. Jason set her on the couch, and then locked the doors.
"So, what's the plan?" She asked.
He walked over to the couch. He sat on the arm of the couch, at her feet.
"I'm sure Bruce would be very upset, if anything were to happen to you. So, I guess, I'll have to keep an eye on you." He told her.
She studied him for a moment.
"Just how well do you know Bruce?" She asked.
He smiled at her.
"Well enough." He said.
"That's it? Not going to elaborate on that?" She asked.
He laughed.
"Maybe you should talk to Bruce about that." He said.
"Why can't you tell me?" She asked.
"Trust me, it will be better coming from Bruce." He said.
"You're not going to tell me?" She asked.
He shook his head.
"Fine. So what do you know about what happened tonight?" She asked.
"Someone blew that hole in the wall. I didn't see who it was though." He said.
"Oh joy, just what Bruce needed on his birthday. Who the hell would want to blow a hole in Bruce's house?! This is insane!" She said.
"Maybe there was a breakout at Arkham, again." Jason said.
Dread filled her veins. What if Joker had broken out again? This was bad, she needed to find Bruce.
"Jason, we need to find Bruce." She said.
"I told you, Bruce can take care of himself. He will be fine." Jason said.
She shook her head.
"If there was a break out, then Joker is here, looking for me. He will kill Bruce, if he finds him first! Joker is obsessed with me, and knows about my relationship with Bruce. He thinks Bruce stole me from him, in some sick, twisted way." She said.
She pushed past the pain, and got to her feet. Jason got to his feet, as well. He put his hands on her shoulders.
"Calm down. I know for a fact that Bruce will be fine. Nothing will happen to him." Jason told her.
Suddenly, someone was at the office door. They tried opening it,, but didn't get too far. They tried forcing it open, but that didn't work either. Hope grabbed onto Jason.
"So, what now?" She whispered to him.
"It's not Bruce, he would have the key, and would've made himself known." Jason told her.
"What if it's the Joker?" She asked.
He smirked.
"I'll take care of Joker, don't worry about that." He told her.
She raised her eyebrows.
"Should I be worried?" She asked.
"No, I have everything under control." He told her.
"Somehow, that worries me more." She said.
"Have a little faith in me." He told her.
"I just met you." She said.
"And yet, it feels like we've known each other for years." He said.
"I wouldn't say that." She said.
Suddenly, the door exploded, and they were thrown from their feet. Hope hit the bookshelf, with a thud, and fell to the floor. Her body was throbbing in pain, and her head was spinning. She heard footsteps walking towards her. She groaned, as she opened her eyes. A man was crouched down next to her. She frowned, as her eyesight cleared. She had been wrong. It wasn't Joker.
"Oswald? What are you doing? Why are you out of Arkham?" She asked.
"Dr. Lake, it's wonderful to see you again. I've missed you. Have you missed me?" He asked, his eyes locked on her face.
"Oswald, why are you here?" She asked, dreading the answer.
He smiled down at her.
"I'm here for you Doctor." He told her.
Her heart sped up.
"Oswald, I'm not a doctor any longer, and I'm not going anywhere with you, but you're going back to Arkham." She told him.
"That's where you're wrong. You will be coming with me." He told her.
He reached down, to pick her up. She cried out in pain.
"Sorry dear." He told her.
"Oswald, please, don't do this, it won't end well for you." She groaned, as he stood up.
"I have back up, if needed, and the Bat won't do a thing about it either. He won't jeopardise your safety, to bring me down. He told her.
He turned to leave, but stopped short, when he saw Jason standing in the way.
"Put her down Penguin, now." Jason ordered.
Oswald laughed. Hope whimpered in pain, from the movement.
"I don't think so. She's coming with me, and you're not going to stop me." Oswald said.
"No, but I will." A new voice said.
Oswald frowned.
"Nightwing, where's the Bat?" Oswald asked.
"Around. Now, put her down, and come quietly." Nightwing said.
"I'm not doing that. In fact, I'm going to walk right out the front door, and nobody is going to stop me." Oswald said.
"I'm not going to let you do that." Nightwing said.
"You won't hurt an innocent, just to get to me. She's already in pain, are you willing to hurt her even more?" Oswald asked.
To prove his point, he jostled her, and she cried out.
"Penguin, stop!" Nightwing said, holding his hand up.
"What would the headlines say about that?" Oswald said, with a smirk.
Nightwing held both hands up, in surrender.
"Are you really going to hurt her, willingly? If you really had any genuine feelings for her, you wouldn't do that to her." Nightwing said.
The smirk slid off Oswald's face.
"You would be hurting her, not me, if you don't let me walk out of here." Oswald said.
"I can't let you leave here, with her." Nightwing said.
"Are you willing to risk her?" Jason asked Nightwing.
"Good question." Oswald said.
"I'll deal with you later Jason. Now, Penguin, I'm not telling you again, put her down." Nightwing said.
"I don't think so." Oswald said.
Nightwing frowned.
"Hope, I'm sorry, this is going to hurt." Nightwing said.
"You can't be serious!" Jason said.
"You're bluffing." Oswald said.
Nightwing tensed, to spring into action. Hope's eyes grew wide.
"Don't do it! You know what will happen!" Jason hissed at Nightwing.
Jason grabbed Nightwing's arm.
"Don't get in my way Jason." Nightwing said.
"I'm not letting you do it." Jason said.
"Stop me then." Nightwing said.
Hope gasped in pain, as Oswald shuffled back. Nightwing and Jason started fighting. Oswald laughed.
Oswald started inching his way towards the door. He got halfway there, when Hope was lifted, gracefully from Oswald's arms. Nightwing took Oswald down, as Jason slipped out the secret door, to the passageway.
Hope laid her head on his shoulder. Her energy was draining. Jason got to the end of the passage, and exited the pantry. They were in the kitchen once more.
"Jason, give her to me, and you can walk out of here."
It was Batman. Hope was confused. It sounded as if Batman thought Jason was one of the bad guys.
"Jason saved me, Batman. It was Oswald." Hope said.
"Jason, give her to me. Now." Batman said.
It was an order. It was evident in his tone. What the hell was going on?
Jason didn't move right away, but after a moment, he walked over to Batman.
"I wouldn't have let anything happen to her. I know exactly who she is to you. There was no need to worry." Jason said, putting Hope into Batman's arms.
"Leave, now, before I change my mind." Batman told him.
"A thank you would be nice." Jason muttered.
Batman just looked at Jason.
"Too much to ask, I guess." Jason muttered, as he turned to go.
"Thank you."
"Now I've seen everything." Jason said.
Hope's head was starting to spin, again.
"Go Jason!" Batman yelled.
Jason turned, and hurried away.
"Batman, we need to find Bruce." Hope said.
"Bruce is with Alfred. They're both fine." Batman said.
He brought her up to her bedroom, and laid her on the bed.
"Try to get some sleep. I'll make sure you get taken care of." Batman told her.
Her eyes were dropping closed.
"Thank you Batman." She mumbled, as she drifted off to sleep.
X*X*X