FIC: Faith Wayne (4/?)

New York City, NY

Solomon Grundy stared down at the quaking man before him, the emissary shaking at his glare. "Tell your masters I agree, I'll be there when they need me. Now get out of my sight before your presence offends me so much that I'm forced to kill you."

"Hey Xander, you won't believe who I just got off the phone from."

Xander glanced up to see Freddy Iverson peeking through the crack in the doorway. A decision having made early in the creation of the New Council to employ as many Sunnydalers as they could find in an effort to keep everything as in-house as possible. "Angelina Jolie is finally returning my calls?" Xander guessed without much in the way of expectation.

"Does Faith know about your obsession?" Freddy queried with a grin.

"She tolerates it, same as my Babylon 5 and comics obsession," Xander sobered. "So who was it on the phone?"

"A Mr. Alfred Pennyworth." Xander stared blankly at the former editor of the Sunnydale High paper. "Butler of Mr. Bruce Wayne." Xander's jaw dropped, cracking against the desk. "He was making an appointment for Mr. Wayne to come here in the afternoon to look the place over as a prelude to making a donation."

"Oh hell," Xander groaned. The New Council's cover story was that of a charity running eighteen schools throughout the world. The only major country they hadn't managed to penetrate was China, the schools doubling as bases for Slayers, pulling them together to work in teams. However although thanks to centuries of hoarding money, the New Council had more than enough funds to run the now vastly increased number of Slayers. Unfortunately its cover as a charity occasionally meant well-meaning wanna-be donators would come nosing around. "You couldn't put him off?"

Freddy shook his head. "Not without raising his suspicions. I've scheduled an appointment for half one this afternoon."

"Today?" Xander shook his head. "Jeez."

"He was too eager and I didn't want to look like we weren't interested," Freddy replied.

"Okay." Xander pursed his lips, the false backgrounds Willow and the rest of the Archives Department had worked up should be enough to protect them from a billionaire's cursory gaze. Still they had to be careful. "Tell everyone to be on their best behaviour."

"Especially Faith," Freddy grinned down at him.

Xander sighed. "You people take far too much joy out of my discomfort."

"Hey, you end up with a babe like Faith, there's gotta be an upside for the rest of us."

Xander shook his head. "You can't just enjoy another's good fortune can you?"

"I hate wearin' skirts," Faith complained as she tugged at her pencil grey skirt and adjusted her white blouse under the skirt's matching jacket.

"You're a member of staff," Xander reminded her for the umpteenth time. "You have to look professional-."

"I'm the freakin' PT instructor," Faith complained. "Can't I at least wear sweats?"

"We're trying to make a good impression," Xander let out one of those long-suffering sighs that occasionally threatened to re-awaken her homicidal urges.

"Why, it's not like we need the money?" Faith crossed her arms and scowled.

Xander shot her a patient look. "Our cover is we're a charity giving out scholarships to the disadvantaged and the gifted. We have to make the appearance of being at least interested in getting money from Mr. Wayne."

"Yeah," Faith nodded, "I guess. Can't wait 'til this is over tho'."

"Me neither," Xander paused. "And please try not to swear at him."

"Hey, as long as he keeps his hands to himself," Faith replied. "Otherwise, I can't promise anythin'."

"Ohhhh, a lawsuit, just what we need."

Bruce dabbed at the sweat gleaming on his forehead as his tinted window limo slowed to a halt. It was remarkable really, he could face the likes of the Joker, Bane, and Two-Face without blanking. But force him to face the spectre of fatherhood and his blood turned to ice..

He started slightly as the door opened and peered at the Academy as he climbed out. It was a rustic-looking three storey granite building, a red and grey sign hanging over its double oaken doors. "Good luck sir."

Bruce glanced at his friend. "Thank you, Alfred."

He started up the eight steps leading to the wooden doors. He was barely half-way up when the door opened and the young man from the previous night stepped out. "Hello Mr. Wayne, it's an honour to meet you. I'm Mr. Harris, the academy's principal, but you can call me Xander."

"An honour?" he smiled slightly as he shook the young man's hand, noting his latent strength. "I think you're slightly over-stating my notoriety there, son."

"Um, yes sir." Bruce noticed the young man seemed even more off balance now with him than when he'd been confronted with the Bat. Clearly this was a young man used to dealing with life's stranger aspects. "Do you want to come in?"

"That's what I'm here for," Bruce replied. "I notice from your student roster, the vast majority are female, there's no prejudice here is there?"

"Not prejudice as such sir, but most societies tend to favour males over females, so if families only have limited funds we find they tend to invest more money in the boys. We're trying to redress the balance."

"I see," Bruce nodded. Xander's explanation was fine as far as it went. However, he'd spent a few hours last night investigating the Watchers' Council Alfred had told him about, and while there was but one Slayer, there were multiple Potentials throughout the world. He thought it probable this school was in fact a training centre for those Potentials with the teen boys in the academy just cover. "I'd like a look at your curriculum and your school's mission statement."

"I'm sure I'll have a copy in my office," Xander replied as he pushed the heavy door open. "After you."

"Thank you," Bruce stepped into the gleaming lobby. All at once he was once again dazzled by the beauty stood in the lobby by the door.

"This is the PT instructor, Faith Lehane," his guide introduced.

Bruce's skin crawled as he took the girl's hand and kissed it. He hated doing it, but he had a reputation and a cover to keep up, and besides, he wasn't supposed to know his possible familial relationship. "If I'd have known that the teachers were so beautiful, I'd have come here a long time-," he released his grip on the woman's hand and stepped back in a feigned look of confusion. "Lehane you say? It's an unusual name."

"Only one I have," Faith exchanged a puzzled look with Xander.

"Yes well," he took the girl's hand and shook rather more formally, "a pleasure to meet-."

"Oww!" the curvy brunette snatched her hand away. "You scratched me!"

"Oh dear," Bruce glanced at his wrists in turn. "These damn cuff-links have been catching on my clothes ever since I got them," he lied. "Fifteen hundred dollars and they're useless." He directed his gaze back at the woman, satisfied the cunningly disguised syringe in his cuff-links would have drawn enough blood for a sample. "I can only apologise."

"Yeah, that's cool," Faith glanced at her nicked palm, "only you best get those cuff-links checked out. The damn things could trump a dagger in a fight!"

"Faith," Xander groaned.

"What?" Bruce bit back a guffaw at the probable Slayer's wounded look at her companion. "I said damn, nothin' else!"

Xander sighed, he had the look of someone constantly embattled by his partner. And yet, Bruce sensed he wouldn't change her for the world. "Shall we begin the tour?"

"By all means," Bruce started after the young man. He originally had intended to subtly pump Xander for information on his possible daughter, but the young man seemed far more perceptive than he first appeared. Deciding to err on the side of caution, he contented himself to ask questions about the academy and its overall running.

Three hours later and he was saying his polite good-byes before hurrying back to the car. "Did everything work out as you expected, sir?"

"I got the sample," Bruce glumly replied. In his mind, he already knew the truth. Faith was his daughter. All he needed now was scientific confirmation.

"Then I'll endeavour to get you home with all appreciable speed, sir."

"I'd appreciate that," Bruce replied.

Batman's shoulders slumped, his hand rose in an instinctive swat to knock the test tubes to the ground, then dropped back to his side. "Sir, you have your results?"

"I do," the words seemed to be dragged from his employer, "she's mine."

"May I be the first to offer my congratulations, sir?" Alfred tentatively queried.

"Congratulations for what?" Batman turned to face him. "Congratulations for abandoning a child to a life filled with neglect and abuse?"

"Unknowingly," Alfred commented.

"Still." The Bat leaned forward, eyes boring a hole into the computer screen before him. "And even so, what do I know about being a father?"

"Might I remind you that you've raised two fine sons," Alfred commented starchy.

"Let's ignore the middle one of the three turned out to be rather less than stellar."

"Come now, sir," Alfred sternly reprimanded. "You can hardly blame yourself for that."

"Can't I?" Batman shook his head. "Next you'll be telling me I can't blame myself for Dent or Barbara."

"Sir," Alfred turned to watch as his employer strode towards the Batmobile, "where are you going?"

"If I am to tell Faith about this, it'll hit the press pretty quick, there's one more person I need to tell first," Batman cryptically replied.

Bludhaven

Batman was crouched over the edge of the skyscraper, peering down at the obliviously passing traffic, listening to the roar of their engines and the occasional hoot of their horns.

"I got your message." Nightwing smiled inwardly as his mentor turned to face him without starting. One day, he'd manage to sneak up on him without being detected but not today. "What was so urgent?"

"I've found out something," Batman reached into his utility belt to bring out a folded picture which he passed to him. "I have a daughter."

Nightwing's eyebrows rose, in part at the pouty beauty but mostly because of his former guardian's revelation. "It's fortunate she got her looks from her mother, rather than her father, I'd hate to see those pretty features marred by a permanent scowl."

Batman smiled thinly. "Alfred said something similar."

"Oh and by the way, can I be the first to say I've always wanted to be your son-in-law."

"You're on a regular roll tonight," Batman dryly commented.

"Oh I'm only bantering to give me time to think this one out," Nightwing candidly admitted. "How, when?"

Batman's smile wavered and died. "That's a more complicated matter than you might expect."

Nightwing chuckled. "With us, nothing's ever simple." He listened with growing amazement as Batman explained. "So she's a meta-human?"

Batman grimaced. "That's uncertain. The evidence is contradictory. On the one hand, anecdotal and eye-witness evidence points towards her being the Slayer, but the blood sample displayed nothing untoward."

"If she gets her powers from a magical source, the power might not be visible via a strictly scientific analysis," Nightwing commented.

"The thought had occurred," Batman nodded. "Anyway I thought you deserved to know before it became public knowledge."

"Wait!" Nightwing cried out when his mentor turned to leave. "When are you going to tell her?"

Batman stiffened at his question, then reluctantly turned to face him. "I'm not sure if I am."

"You," Nightwing's eyes widened. "You're ducking out?"

"No," Batman's eyes narrowed. "I'm just not sure if I have the right. She's been through so much, I can't expect to jump in there and become her father."

Oh. Nightwing stared at his father-figure, realisation crashing down on him. "Bruce, why don't you kill the likes of the Joker, the Riddler, and all the others?" He raised his hand at the billionaire's opening mouth. "Yes, I know, the code. But also, don't you hold out the hope that some of them at least might find redemption." Batman's mouth opened again, again he continued over him. "If you hold out a hope that these mass-murderers can possibly be redeemed, surely this hope can be extended to you for the far lesser crime of neglecting a daughter you didn't even know about."

"I don't know who've you've been listening to." Batman half-smiled. "Thanks Dick, I'll see you soon."

Dick grinned. "If you do, don't forget to bring Faith."