Chapter Two

With that little bombshell, I stared at him. It was a bit disconcerting to look a person in the eye when they knew my entire history. "Why did you do it?" was my eventual question.

"Really? Because being a wealthy woman in her own right is enough of a reason, and I really shouldn't have to mention the part where she's engaged to a billionaire."

"No, I got that. Of course, she would have done a background check," I replied, waving it away like it was nothing. "What I want to know is why you were the one to do it."

"Oh." Dick's face lost that vaguely disappointed expression. "I used to be a police officer, in Bludhaven. I still have some friends who can pull strings."

That made sense. "I probably wouldn't have even gotten an interview without passing, right?"

He smirked. "Let's just say that after an obsessed fan who tried to kidnap her, another who tried to drug her to force her to marry him, three who tried to use her to get closer to Bruce, another who tried to get closer to me, and a reporter going for an undercover scoop, a cocktail waitress with no history of mental issues seemed like a refreshing change from the norm. And that's just in the past year."

"Well, I can assure you that I am none of those other things," I promised, feeling a tug at my heartstrings for Sel. It would suck to have to constantly wonder if someone really liked you or was just using you for who you were, or at least who they thought you were.

"Not even the one who tried to get closer to me?" Dick asked, face innocent but blue eyes twinkling mischievously.

I stretched to whisper in his ear, plastering myself against his side. "I'm not entirely certain that we could get closer without removing clothing."

His arm tightened around my waist as his eyes darkened. But our little tete-a-tete was interrupted by "Grayson, do you really have to keep that close to Kyle's assistant? You know she won't last much longer, so what's the point of getting attached?"

"And you must be Damian," I said, pulling away from Dick. Oddly, I missed the contact. But I turned to see a teenager, who looked like a tan, mini Mr. Wayne who was about to throw a tantrum.

"I'm so glad you know who I am," he said, faking enthusiasm. "It's not like my face hasn't been plastered all over those rags people call magazines for the last two years."

"D, be nice. Selina actually likes this one," Dick warned. "And she's lasted longer than about three of the previous assistants already. I've got a good feeling she'll be the one to break the curse."

"Do think with your upstairs brain, Grayson," Damian said cuttingly. "I'm going to get some food."

As he was walking away, Dick called after him, "Bruce said to stay away from Mrs. Haymore!"

"Then Mrs. Haymore shouldn't bid on antiques she knows nothing about," he replied, never bothering to turn around.

Dick sighed, then turned back to me with a charming smile. One that was completely false. "I'm sorry, he was dropped on his head as a child. Repeatedly."

"He clearly doesn't like me," I laughed, not terribly bothered. After all, he was a kid. I hadn't liked a lot of adults when I was his age.

"Damian doesn't really like anyone," he corrected slightly. "Outside of the family, anyway, and even then, it's iffy. He doesn't even like Selina, but that's because he thinks she's trying to replace his mother."

And there I go, empathizing with the Wayne munchkin. "I can imagine having a stepmom would be hard," I said, trying to steer clear of my own feelings. Especially in an ever-increasing crowd like this.

"Not for most of us. I've known Selina almost as long as Bruce, and she's always been there for me. Same for Ja- Tim. But D sees her as a replacement for his mother, and he doesn't understand that Talia was just using him to get back at Bruce. I mean, the kid is twelve."

"Richard, dear, how lovely to see you!" A woman, probably in her forties, glided up to Dick and kissed his cheek, awfully close to his mouth.

"Rebecca, always a pleasure," he replied, then wrapped a hand around mine, tugging me closer to him. "This is Genevieve Thornton."

"Oh, you're not related to the Metropolis Thorntons by any chance?" she asked leadingly.

"No," I smiled sweetly. "I'm Selina Kyle's new assistant."

Her smile froze. "Oh, that's nice, dear. I've just seen Emmaline Richards. I've been dying to see her." And off she swanned.

"And she just remembered that I'm an adopted circus brat," Dick breathed into my ear with a laugh.

"Hopefully she donates a lot to make up for her horrible personality," I whispered back.

His eyes lit up. "Selina may have ordered me to stay close to you tonight, but she needn't have bothered. You're far more interesting than all the society snobs."

"I do believe that's the nicest thing you've said all night, Mr. Grayson," I said, as breathy and high as I could manage.

Dick laughed, tucking my hand into his arm. "Shall we peruse the items on auction, Miss Thornton? After all, we are here for them."

"I'm here because my boss said I had to be."

"Same. But there are some pretty cool things here. And if we look at them, people will be more likely to leave us alone."

"Oooh, good idea!"

As we walked up and down the aisles of donated valuables on auction, Dick and I talked about how my first week with Selina had gone. I assured him that I was loving it, and he seemed relieved. "The first time I met Selina," he said, eyes and smile going soft, "was at an event a lot like this one. Bruce had the annual Wayne Christmas ball, only a few months after he'd adopted me. He wanted to cancel, not really sure if I was ready for something that big, but he was… pressured into it. And I was so not ready for it. There were so many people, and I was having problems with crowds then, and nobody really wanted to see me there. If someone actually acknowledged me, it was so fake and patronizing. Except Bruce, of course, but he wasn't used to having a kid to look out for yet. And he was busy playing host to the top two hundred of Gotham. Something triggered a panic attack for me, and I hid underneath the buffet table." He laughed in good-natured self-deprecation.

"And Selina found you?" I guessed, already knowing how she probably would react to seeing a child so upset.

Dick laughed again. "She did. She followed me under the table, actually, and she calmed me down. She hugged me and told me that she sometimes got scared around other people, and that that was okay. Then we made up ridiculous stories about the people belonging to the shoes we could see underneath the table cloth, until Bruce came looking for me."

"And what happened next?" I was way too interested in how this story would end up.

"I joined them under the table," a deep voice behind us said.

I turned to see Bruce Wayne behind us, with Selina on one arm and a teenaged girl with dark hair on the other. "My kids have always been my first priority, even if I don't always show it."

"You do a pretty good job, B," Dick grinned, and the girl nodded seriously.

Selina smiled proudly, and a bit adoringly. "Precious, this is Cassandra, Bruce's daughter. Cass, meet my new assistant, Genevieve Thornton."

"It's nice to meet you," I said. Selina had already warned me that Cassandra didn't speak much, so it didn't bother me when she simply bobbed her head again, this time with a tiny smile.

Mr. Wayne seemed to be pleased, though I wasn't sure if it was because of me or his daughter. Probably his daughter, though it may have had something to do with the fact that I seemed to be somewhat normal for his fiancée. "Cass, why don't you stay with Dick and Miss Thornton? Selina and I need to go make a grand statement."

For someone not well-versed in sarcasm, his words might have sounded a bit air-headed, which fit the public perception of the man. But for someone who spoke the language, it gave me a hint of the man behind the mask, so to speak. Perhaps he really was a good match for my sparkling, snarky employer, even if he did hide it.

AN: And here's the second chapter! I hope you enjoy the little jabs at Bruce's other persona. I'm going to shove as many in there as I can, until Genevieve catches on, of course! Thanks for reading!