A/N: Hi everyone! I don't own Batman or any of its characters, but I do own all the characters I make up from here on out...especially Natalie! Please review; good or bad, I want to hear it.
When I woke up, my heart was in a lump at the base of my throat and strands of my hair clung to the sweat on my forehead. For days I had been trying to talk myself out of my irrational fear of public speaking. "You know what you're talking about", "they're just ordinary people; they're not monsters", "what's the absolute worst that can happen?" But no matter what I told myself or how many times I repeated it, my heart still raced and my bones felt weak.
I reluctantly climbed away from the safety of my bed and padded across my room to the bathroom, hesitantly facing myself in the mirror. It was as bad as I expected. My face was clammy and pale, my hazel eyes dull and shadowed with purple after a restless night.
"Natalie?" I heard my roommate's tired knocks on the door. I swung the door open, my toothbrush hanging clumsily out of my mouth.
She smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "Nice hair," she commented, gesturing to the tangled mop.
I cast a weary glance at the mirror again, taking in my knotted auburn hair.
"So what time's your speech-thingy?" she asked, stepping next to me to check out her own appearance.
"9…why? What time is it?" I asked in panic, tugging the toothbrush from my mouth.
"Oh my god would you relax, Nat? It's only 7…" I calmed down, but my nerves were still shaken. She placed her hands on my shoulders and turned me to face her. "I know you're nervous, but you are the smartest person I know. You're going to kill it out there." She flashed me a smile and dropped her hands, turning to grab the hairbrush.
"Thanks, Holly," I said with a small sigh.
"No problem," she grinned, pulling her blonde hair into a ponytail.
"Now can you get out so I can shower?"
"Yes, boss," she teased, leaving the room and closing the door softly behind her.
A little over an hour later I was applying one last coat of mascara, a difficult feat considering my hands were shaking. "This is ridiculous, get a HOLD of yourself!" I stepped away from the mirror and smoothed out my skirt for the fifteenth time.
"Ooooh!" I turned to find Holly in the doorway, a smile playing on her lips. She wolf-whistled and I rolled my eyes. "You look so…professional! I like it!" she laughed, walking over to my dresser to steal my blush.
"You don't think it's too much?" I asked, eyeing my outfit again. I had on a purple blouse with sheer short sleeves, and a high-waisted gray pencil skirt.
"Not at all…in fact, you could do with a little more cleavage. Ya know, reel in the attention of the men in the back."
"Holly," I growled, shaking my head.
"Just a suggestion," she shrugged innocently, leaving the room with my blush.
I turned to the mirror again and curiously played with the neckline, tugging it gently so it fell lower on my chest. "Couldn't hurt," I mumbled.
When I got to the convention hall, the place was already swarming with businessmen, scientists, professors, and engineers. My stomach did an involuntary flip, and I navigated through the crowds. Near a back table I found Dr. Potter chatting with another professor while sipping coffee.
"Doctor Potter!" I called, making my way to him. He turned, his black-rimmed glasses sliding down his nose a bit.
"Miss. Brennan, good morning," he smiled, towering over me. His sandy blonde hair was beginning to show strands of silver, but his light blue eyes and strong jaw made him a very attractive older man. "This is Doctor Herschel, he's the professor of Organic Chemistry over at Gotham Tech."
"Pleasure to meet you, Miss. Brennan. Doctor Potter has had only good things to say," he said, shaking my hand. He was a stocky man with a rounded belly that protruded under a plaid sweater, and his balding head shined with sweat.
"It's very nice to meet you as well, Doctor," I replied politely.
"Are you ready for your speech?" Dr. Potter asked me, offering me a cup of coffee from the table next to him.
I took it graciously, wincing when it burned my tongue. "Ready as I'll ever be," I mumbled, receiving a warm laugh from Dr. Potter.
He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You'll be great," he said before turning to Doctor Herschel. "Natalie was the top student in my Chemistry of the Environment course last year," he smiled proudly. "I have high hopes for your future as an environmental engineer."
I thanked him with a tight smile, wishing I had as much confidence in myself.
Time passed all too quickly and before I knew it, Dr. Potter was ushering me into the large theatre. There had to be a thousand chairs set up, all facing the stage that would soon be the site of my doom.
After a few opening speeches, it was my turn.
A middle-aged man with dark hair and a fake smile approached the microphone and addressed the crowd in his best game show host voice.
"I would now like to welcome up to the stage Miss. Natalie Brennan, an Environmental Engineering major in her fourth year at Gotham University. Today she will be speaking to us all about alternative fuel sources and petrochemicals!"
The crowd responded with a polite applause, and I made my way up the podium, praying that I wouldn't fall in my poor choice of heels.
I took a deep breath and arranged my speech on the podium in front of me. Then, I found the spot in the crowd where I knew Dr. Potter sat, and I spoke only to him, blurring out the rest of the audience.
"Where will the world be in one hundred years? Where will it be in fifty? We are all aware of the pressing need for alternative energy sources, not only because of our dwindling supply of non-renewable resources, but also because of the effect our current strategies are having on our Earth. Now is not the time to sit by and wait until these problems become irreversible…now is the time to plan ahead, to protect our future and the future of our planet…"
After that, I was unstoppable. The words flowed out of me without my control. By the time I was finished with my speech, I had long forgotten about the piece of paper in front of me.
The crowd erupted into applause. I think they were all surprised that someone so young could show so much passion. By the time I made it back to my seat beside Dr. Potter, I felt like a superhero. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I felt like I couldn't sit still.
Dr. Potter gave my hand a quick squeeze and he nodded his head at me with a smile as the rest of the speeches continued.
After the speeches were over, everyone made their way back to the hall to eat. I was speaking with another engineering major, who had been going on for a good twenty minutes about solar panels, when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.
I turned to find an older man with a kind smile and a playful gaze. "Miss. Brennan," he said, reaching his hand out. After a slight pause I met his with my own. "I'm Lucius Fox. I'm the business manager at Wayne Enterprises."
I nodded my head in recognition. Wayne Enterprises was the biggest and most successful corporation in Gotham, and its owner, the infamous playboy Bruce Wayne, was a constant media target.
"Wayne Enterprises is looking to expand its Chemicals branch. It's basically a research and development division, specializing in exploring alternative fuel sources. Which is precisely what brings me to you," he smiled, his dark eyes twinkling. "I was very impressed with your speech, and was wondering if you would be interested in an internship…"
My eyes widened and my throat tingled with an excited urge to scream. "Oh my- absolutely! Yes!"
Mr. Fox laughed at my excitement, and I felt an embarrassing heat rising up in my cheeks. "Good, good…can I expect you at Wayne Tower Monday morning then? Say around 8:00?"
"I'll be there," I responded, a bit more professionally.
We said our goodbyes, and when I was sure he was gone, I raced off to find Dr. Potter.
Monday morning found me digging maniacally through my closet, hurling clothes dangerously behind me.
"Woah, watch it!" Holly yelled, narrowly dodging a flying shirt.
"I need to find something to wear!" my muffled cries came from deep inside the closet.
"Move away from the closet," Holly said, pulling me away from the mess. "I will find something for you to wear. Go do your makeup."
I smiled graciously at her and raced to the bathroom, pulling my makeup bag off my dresser as I went.
"What's so important about this anyway?" I heard Holly call while I slowly brushed green eye shadow over my lids.
"It's Wayne Enterprises, Holly…if this internship goes well, it'll make it ten times easier for me to get a job when I graduate. Wayne Enterprises is the most powerful corporation in Gotham."
"And most importantly, Bruce Wayne is a fine piece of man," Holly added as she appeared in the doorway, clutching a pair of high-waist black pants and a navy sweater.
I rolled my eyes, snatching the outfit from her. "Don't you have a class in like…five minutes?" I asked her, checking my watch.
"Oh shit, yeah!" she yelled, running from the room. "Good luck!" she called out before slamming the front door shut.
I pushed through the heavy glass doors to Wayne Tower, feigning confidence, and approached the front desk. "Hi, I'm Natalie Brennan…I'm supposed to be meeting Mr. Fox for an internship with Wayne Chemicals?"
The receptionist looked up at me through fake eyelashes. "Mhm, 28th floor," she drawled uninterested, waving me towards the elevators.
"Thank you," I mumbled, my heels clicking on the marble floor as I hurried to the elevator.
It ascended steadily as generic jazz music hummed from a speaker in the corner. A moment later the doors opened, and I was greeted by a wall with a large sign that read "Building a brighter future, today." Next to it was the Wayne Enterprises logo.
"Ah, Miss. Brennan, there you are," Mr. Fox called cheerily as he walked towards me. He wore a gray sweater under a dark suit jacket.
"Hello again, Mr. Fox. How are you?" I asked as I followed him down the hall and around a corner.
"I am doing just fine, thank you…now this floor is for Wayne Chemicals as I'm sure you've already figured out," he laughed, directing me to an office with 'Roger Glass' painted in bold letters on the door.
He knocked on the door, and a second later it was opened by a short, plain-looking man. He was young, probably in his mid-thirties, and he had light brown hair that he kept short.
"Mr. Glass, this is Miss. Natalie Brennan, the intern I was telling you about last Thursday."
"Yes, of course…how are you Miss. Brennan?" Roger asked, not directly meeting my gaze.
"I'm well, thank you…I'm extremely eager to begin work here," I responded, taking in the space around me. There were several cubicles in the center of the room, with offices surrounding the perimeter.
"We're happy to have you," Roger replied with a tight, forced smile.
"Mr. Glass is the head environmental researcher on this floor, Miss. Brennan. You'll be working closely with him over the next few months," Mr. Fox said.
I smiled uneasily, not looking forward to the inevitable awkward moments with the unfriendly Roger Glass.
"He'll show you around and inform you on your duties later, but first I want you to come with me to meet Mr. Wayne," Mr. Fox said, leading me back towards the elevator. "After all, who knows when the next time he'll show up is…" he added, almost to himself.
On the way up to Mr. Wayne's office I felt my stomach clenching with nerves. Bruce Wayne was a celebrity in Gotham, and the media rarely had nice things to say about him. All the magazines had pictures of him parading around town with his women of the week, flashing an arrogant smile as he bought a restaurant or hopped onto his yacht. How decent of a guy could he possibly be to earn a reputation like that?
I nervously cracked my knuckles, a bad habit I'd had since I was a kid. Mr. Fox turned to me, his eyebrows raised curiously. I smiled faintly and the doors opened.
"This way," Mr. Fox said, and I followed him out of the elevator.
This floor was decorated impeccably, with modern wood-paneled walls and sleek leather couches. Mr. Fox stopped in front of a desk, where a girl I could only assume was Mr. Wayne's secretary sat. "Hello Heather," Mr. Fox said with obvious distaste. Heather chomped unattractively on a piece of gum, a strand of her bang falling across one eye. "Is Mr. Wayne still in?"
She nodded, and Mr. Fox led me to Mr. Wayne's office, shaking his head. "I don't know where he finds these people," Mr. Fox commented, and I laughed.
Mr. Fox knocked on the door with gold lettering reading "Bruce Wayne". I swallowed past the lump in my throat and waited anxiously until Mr. Wayne opened the door.
When he did, I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks. He was definitely handsome with his dark hair smoothed back from his face. He stood five or six inches taller than me in an expensive suit with subtle pinstripes.
"Mr. Fox," he acknowledged with a friendly smile before turning to me, "and…?"
"Natalie Brennan," I quickly responded, offering him my hand. His warm hand took mine, and I felt a small tingle crawl through my wrist.
"Miss. Brennan will be working with Roger Glass in Wayne Chemicals," Mr. Fox explained.
"Roger Glass? I'm sorry," Mr. Wayne teased as he motioned for us to join him in his office. I smiled at the joke; clearly Mr. Wayne had also noticed Roger's peculiar behavior.
Mr. Wayne's office was incredible, to say the least. The whole back wall was covered ceiling to floor with windows, offering the best view of Gotham. Another plush leather couch stood against the adjacent wall behind a glass coffee table, and on the opposite side of the room was a wooden desk with two armchairs in front of it.
Mr. Fox and I sat in the two armchairs, while Mr. Wayne sunk into his chair behind his desk.
"So, Miss. Brennan, what brings you to Wayne Enterprises?"
I cleared my throat and started nervously, "well, um…I'm an Environmental Engineering major at Gotham University. I made a speech at the Environmental Protection Conference at Gotham City Center last week and Mr. Fox approached me for an internship."
"She knows what she's talking about," Mr. Fox smiled warmly.
"Well, I always trust Mr. Fox's opinion…" Mr. Wayne said.
"Yes, perhaps too much," Mr. Fox added, eliciting a grin out of Mr. Wayne, and I suddenly felt like I was on the outside of an inside joke.
"Well, Miss. Brennan, I won't keep you from your work." I stood when Mr. Wayne did, and he shook my hand once again.
"Welcome to Wayne Enterprises."