Hello, forgive me if the story is a little rough. This is my first Batman Begins fanfic, so help and ideas are welcome (I'll even accept a few flames). Also, the use of religious symbolism will progress as the story progresses. Now, on with the show!

Summary: It has been two years since Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham. Aria Calhoun has recently returned to visit her parents after college graduation. When Aria and Bruce meet, they get tangled in a web being spun by a secret society, a web so powerful that Bruce might lose everything he has gained.

Disclaimer: I do not own any character from Batman Begins. I only own Aria and the other OCs

Chapter 1

I can't believe that I came back to Gotham, thought Aria as she watched the crowd that has gathered for her father's birthday. She came home for the party hoping that things would go smoothly, but that hope died with her mother's renewed attempts in marrying her off.

"Can't you just leave me alone? I'm happy with my life right now," she told her mother yesterday.

"I only want what is best for you," her mother said calmly.

"Correction: you only want what is best for you," Aria said angrily before storming off. Tonight, she gazed around the banquet hall and spotted her parents talking with an old man with a very young woman. Then her eyes became glued to a very handsome man standing a few feet away from her. He was about a head taller than she was with dark hair and mysterious dark eyes. He must have strong muscles under that shirt, she thought. Suddenly, her eyes caught his and he started walking toward her.

"Hello, my name is Bruce Wayne," he said. Aria's eyes rapidly went wide.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

I'm completely bored, thought Bruce as he stood at the back of the crowd. He came to the party since it was the birthday of his father's longtime friend Jason Calhoun; but what, or mainly who, Bruce was hoping to meet was Calhoun's daughter Aria. She had just graduated from Harvard with a masters in religious symbolism, and Bruce was hoping to ask her questions. He had just finished reading The Da Vinci Code and he was curious on how all those symbols meant those things. He was musing on that thought when he caught eyes with a beautiful young woman. As he started to walk towards her, he took a moment to study her. She was shorter than he was, with long curly brown hair and emerald green eyes. She stood patiently as Bruce arrived.

"Hello, my name is Bruce Wayne," he said. Bruce smiled as her eyes went wide at the recognition of his name. "May I ask to whom I am talking to?"

"Aria Calhoun," she answered.

"Ah, I finally get to meet Gotham's resident expert of religious symbolism," Bruce said with a smile.

"And I get to meet the walking dead," she teased. Bruce laughed, and they stood in silence.

Bruce broke it by saying, "I was hoping to meet you and ask you questions about your field of study."

Aria smiled. "I would be happy to answer your questions. What is it that you would like to know?" Before Bruce could ask, he heard Aria's mother calling for her daughter.

"What does she want?" Aria groaned. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne, but I have to go."

"Wait, how about dinner tomorrow? That way we can continue our conversation," asked Bruce hopefully.

To his delight, Aria smiled and said, "It's a date."

I also do not own The Da Vinci Code.