Disclaimer: I don't own the original Justice League. I do, however, own Benjamina, Calvin, Kenickie, James, and any other characters that weren't in the series. Except Devine, who was originally created by MooSe. You can't sue me now. HAH!

Notes: I know there's been a huge gap between the last few times I've written. I'm so sorry, actual life took over for a while. ^^;; No one was really happy about that. And yes, I do realize I'm posting chapter six before chapter five… Until my computer is fixed, a summary is going up. For more information, see Damage Report 1. Anyway, let's get on with this thingie. I was waaay too amused when it came to making up names… ^^;; As always, reviews make for a happy JenJen-chan.

Red Lantern

Chapter Six: Watch Me for Never

Bruce Wayne stood in his bedroom in front of the mirror, finishing with his tie for the gala. He never quite understood why most men and some women have to tie a little noose around their necks for work or big occasions, but it was expected of him to do so. Though Bruce Wayne was the owner of a business company, image was everything. Just one slight quirk or distaste in an outfit could cause a loss of customers, and though Wayne Corps. had enough to not worry too much about a few lost clients, Bruce needed to keep his company afloat so his other job could be his main focus.

His other job. Bruce nearly sighed. After this afternoon and his argument with Lois, his role as Batman wasn't going to get any relief from some great supply of new recruits anytime soon. If only Clark were still around…

'If Clark were here, they wouldn't be!' Lois's voice echoed out in his mind. Bruce hated to admit it, but she was right.

Three short raps sounded in his bedroom.

"Come in," Bruce said, wiping the growing tired look from his face.

Wally, already dressed for the night, entered. Unlike Bruce's tuxedo and tie, Wally was wearing a bright red suit with a lightning bolt in a circle on his chest.

"I'm leaving for patrol now, J'onn's coming with me. We should be back by morning," Flash informed Bruce.

"Who's watching the monitors?"

"I called Oracle earlier. She's going to keep an eye on everything for a while until Alfred can get away from the party." Flash noticed Bruce's disapproving frown. "If it makes you feel any better, she's got Nightwing on stand by as well."

"It doesn't, really."

"No?" Flash asked. He sighed, "I figured as much. Don't worry so much about us, tonight. Just keep Benny and the rest of your business guests in check. Have you told her anything yet?"

Bruce shook his head.

"Not until I'm sure."

"But Bruce—"

"Wally, do you honestly think she'll take the news well that he's alive?"

"Well… no, but she's gotta right to know."

"When she's ready to know, then we'll talk." He frowned. "I don't know if this will hit harder than when we told her we thought he was dead in the first place. She's going to have to face her past one day… for all of our sakes, and the League's sake, I just don't want to speed it up anymore than I have to."

"…Bats, you don't want to do this any more than I do. Couldn't we just—"

"We don't have a choice anymore. We can't keep living in perpetual night shifts—it's getting hard for even you to keep up."

"I just hope she doesn't meet the same fate as her mother…"

Bruce smirked. "With us still breathing? Not possible."

Flash smiled back weakly. "Right… I should get going, J'onn already headed out without me."

"If you find anything—and I mean anything—call." Bruce pulled his tie out of his jacket to show a small, blinking clip attached to the bottom of it. "The link will be open the entire time."

"Noted."

And in a scarlet blur, Flash was gone. Bruce numbly turned back to his reflection, dearly hoping his assumptions were wrong, if for no one but Benjamina's sake.

***

"Miss Mina?" Alfred called from the hall, knocking lightly on her door. "The gala started nearly forty-five minutes ago, and Master Bruce wanted you downstairs before it began."

"I'm not greeting those old, rich womanizers!" Benjamina growled from behind the door.

"Dear, I don't think you have a choice. Master Bruce has already said you would make an appearance, and since Master Wally and Master J'onn are out working tonight…" Alfred slowly took the doorknob in his hand and turned.

"Then get on the com-link with Wally and tell him to get his as— …what?" Benjamina asked, turning away from her mirror to face the butler standing in the doorway, a small smile on his lips. Alfred just shook his head at her puzzled glance.

The little girl he had looked after had certainly grown into a beautiful young woman. Flowing around her was a soft, white dress. A thin cord tied around her middle caused the dress to poof just slightly at the waist until it ended a bit below the knees, and matching cords made up the spaghetti straps that ran across her shoulders and crisscrossed down the back. The pale contrast of the dress against her skin made her glow like a night-light. Matching white heels were on her feet, lacing up her shin to her knee. The jewelry she wore was sparse, but just enough for a girl her age, in Alfred's old fashion opinion. On her wrist was a thin gold chain bracelet with a single pearl. On her neck, another golden chain with a small diamond on it, also serving as the cloaking device for her wings for the evening.

"You look lovely, Miss Mina."

She gave off a small, almost shy smile. "Thank you, Uncle Alfred. I'm glad to hear someone thinks so."

"Why, Miss Mina, I'm most certain you'll be hearing how beautiful you look for the rest of the night."

Benjamina frowned.

"I'm still glad to know at least one person meant it." She glanced back at herself briefly in the mirror. "J'onn helped me pick out the dress, and Wally made a show of coming in earlier, but they don't really count."

"Why not?"

"Because they're J'onn and Wally," she replied, frowning at her reflection. Alfred just watched her, knowing full well that what he saw in that mirror was completely different from what she saw. He cleared his throat quietly.

"I'll escort you downstairs then, miss."

"…right."

Taking one last look in the mirror, Benjamina followed Alfred down the hall and stairs to the ballroom. The hall was already almost full by the time she entered. She glanced around the room, and plotted a stubborn course to Bruce's side. Ignoring the glances and hungry looks she was getting, she moved to her guardian and latched onto his arm.

"Hi Brucey!" she exclaimed, putting on her best 'aren't-I-just-the-cutest-little-thing?' face.

"Ah, Benjamina," Bruce said, laughing. He smiled down at her, his smile just as false as her own. There was an unspoken code for behavior at galas—shortly, nothing like they are normally. If Benjamina ever acted like herself at one of these things, half the men in the room would already have bloody noses or worse by now. "We were just talking about you."

"Were you now?" she giggled. Through six years of practice, she had this whole 'innocent princess' thing down to a science.

"This is your charge, Mr. Wayne? My, isn't she the cutest little thing," spoke a new voice.

Benjamina looked up at the woman Bruce was talking to and immediately got a series of chills going down her spine. It wasn't that she wasn't pretty—she was gorgeous, and young—but there was just… something about her… She was a tall, pale woman, dressed completely in black. Around her shoulders was a long, silk scarf that was just as appealing as her dress itself. Her hair was the colour of midnight, and held into a bun in the back of her head by a pair of chopsticks. It wasn't her outfit that made her so mysterious though. It was her eyes that stuck out the most—the most haunting deep red eyes Benjamina had ever seen, highly defined by black eyeliner and dark eye shadow. Those eyes… they seemed to pierce into her very soul…

"Benjamina, this is Devine Hope, head of G.R. Keron Publishing," Bruce said, breaking Benjamina out of her daze. "Ms. Hope, this is my charge, Benjamina."

"Miss Stewart is it? Well, hello, darling," Ms. Hope said pleasantly, bowing slightly to Benjamina. Benjamina, being at a loss to what to do, bowed back.

"Hello, ma'am…"

"Oh, just call me Devine, dear. 'Ma'am' makes me seem so old."

"All right, Devine… It's nice to meet you…"

"The same to you, dear. Oh… you have lovely eyes," Devine observed. "Do they run in your family?" she asked curiously.

Benjamina was taken off guard by the question. No one asked about her family so casually—ever. Even Amy knew better than to press for information on Benjamina's blood relatives. This entire situation had put her in an awkward position. She could just lie or shoot down the topic, but every time she looked into Devine's eyes it was like looking in J'onn's, but creepier. It was like she knew everything that entered Benjamina's mind before Benjamina did. What was she supposed to say?

"…yes, I guess," Benjamina mumbled in reply. "I remember my father having eyes like mine."

"Ah…" Devine smiled knowingly. "I bet he must have been a very strong man, to give his daughter a name so close to a such a strong boy's name."

"I— I guess."

Benjamina had thought there could be nothing more uncomfortable than keeping her temper bottled up with Calvin in class, and otherwise. Oh, what she'd give to be with that idiot right now instead of this woman…

"Well, Benjamina's father was quite a man," Bruce interjected. "Did you know him?"

Devine laughed. "I'm afraid not, I'm just good at guessing personalities."

"Ah ha… You'd make quite a fortuneteller, Ms. Hope."

"I think being the head of a business makes me one already," Devine replied. "Oh, what a lovely song…" Devine mused, looking towards the small band Bruce had hired for the gala. "If you'll excuse me, Mr. Wayne. Very nice to meet you, Benjamina dear."

"Same to you, Devine..."

I think, Benjamina added mentally.

Looking at Benjamina knowingly, Devine walked away from Gothem's richest bachelor and his young charge. Benjamina watched her approach an extremely tall man with green hair pulled into a neat rat-tail, and the two of them move out onto the floor to dance.

"Who—who was that?" Benjamina whispered to Bruce.

"I don't know," Bruce mumbled back. "That's what I was trying to figure out before you came over, Benjamina dear."

"Bruce, she's not normal—"

"We'll talk later," Bruce cut her off, putting his party face back on and smiling at the group that was waving him over.

"But Bruce—"

"After," he grumbled. "I promise."

Bruce headed over to the group of CEOs and their respective dates. In the little circle was Arnold Balthasar, a roly-poly old owner of a very prestigious computer company, his much younger date Natalie Rogers, Norville and Wesley Lupa, twin brothers who had inherited their mother's advertising company, Olga Lupa, their younger sister who practically ran everything for them, and Collin Butlertron IV, the senior vice president of a manufacturing company. Bruce wasn't really fond of any of these people, save Olga who seemed to have half a brain more than the rest. Still, he smiled politely, preparing the rehearsed list of small talk for conversation.

"Well, Bruce, you seem to be getting chummy with that CEO from G.R. Keron, eh?" said Mr. Balthasar, nudging Bruce in the ribs.

This topic wasn't exactly on his list, but he should have known it was coming, he chided himself.

Bruce forced a grin. "She's an amazing woman, and her personality's not half bad either."

The little circle, all save Olga, laughed.

"Well, any woman should feel honoured to speak so casually with the Bruce Wayne," Natalie said in adoration. "Though, I did see a miniature one clinging to your arm through part of that conversation."

"That'd be my foster child, Benjamina," Bruce answered simply.

"Foster child?" Norville Lupa asked, one eyebrow raising.

"Well, Bruce, how would you feel if a young, handsome, rich gentlemen offered to take her off your hands once she gets a little older?" his twin Wesley asked, puffing out his chest.

"As soon as I find one, I'll let you know."

Olga laughed at that one.

"You idiot, you can't date a fourteen year old. She's hardly more than a child," Olga chided, whacking her brother upside the head. Wesley cringed, chest deflating and then some. "Besides, both of the women Bruce were talking with were hopeless causes."

"Oh?" Bruce asked curiously.

"Look over there," Olga gestured to Devine dancing with the green-haired man. "See that guy she's dancing with? That's the next owner of G.R. Keron Publishing."

"That's James Keron?" Neville asked. "Jeez, he looks like a loser."

"Considering he looks ten times better than you in a tux, that's saying something," Olga replied, glaring at her older brother. Neville, whose ego was shattered just as much as his twin's, kept quiet after that.

"Olga, they hardly look like just an owner-employee relationship," Bruce commented.

"Probably because they aren't."

"How so?"

"For the love of God, Bruce, don't be an idiot. A successful business that hasn't even been around for a decade gets a new female CEO just as the son is about to take over? And they just happen to be dating? Excuse me for being cynical, but that's just a little too coincidental."

"Olga, you've got to admit, she's got a head for business."

"Believe me, it's just a plus sid… Hello, what have we here?"

Bruce turned around and was caught between smacking his forehead and killing the ice sculpture near him.

Off to the side of the dance floor, Benjamina stood successfully putting off the "touch-me-and-die" vibe. To her, this entire gala was no different than a high school dance. Hormone-obsessed males would ask her to dance or try to make sweet talk, and she'd shoot them down while other females would chat jealously in plane sight about how crazy she was. For all Benjamina cared, they could have all the men in the building, save Bruce and Alfred.

"Excuse me, miss," said a new voice just as another song began. "May I have this dance?"

Let the games begin.

Benjamina was just about to tell the guy off when she looked up to see whom it was. She wasn't expecting to see a pierced face look back at her.

"…Is something wrong, Miss Stewart?" the tall, green haired man who was with Devine earlier asked. "I'm sorry to be so forward, but Devine was telling me about you, and I thought I'd find out if what she said was true for myself." He bowed slightly. "I'm James Keron."

What was with all the bowing? Still, Benjamina bowed back.

"A pleasure…" she replied quietly.

"Would you care to dance, Miss Stewart?"

All the usual responses died in her throat in front of this man. His friendly dark red eyes under an eyebrow piercing just unnerved her. She had to say something—anything—to keep herself from looking like a fool.

"I don't… know how," she managed to stutter out. "I don't waltz well."

Mr. Keron smiled. "Neither do I."

With that, he took Benjamina's small, dark hand and led her out on the floor. While her mind screamed in protest, the message never quite made it to the rest of her body. The entire ballroom watched in shock as Mr. Keron put Bruce's fiery foster child into position to dance as if she were a rag doll.

"Now your left hand goes into my right… My left arm around your waist, and your right arm on my left… See?"

Silently, Benjamina nodded.

"Just follow my lead, then if we look stupid, you have someone to blame it on," he told her with a friendly wink. Letting herself be guided by Mr. Keron, she still kept quiet.

For seeming so scary at first glance, Mr. Keron wasn't what she thought he would be at all. Though his face was completely pierced and hair dyed green and black like he was still stuck in his rebellious teenage years, his smile was always friendly. Mr. Keron had to have been in his mid-to-early twenties, but he didn't flaunt the age difference on Benjamina. Actually, for a man so young and so close to inheriting a fortune and a company, he hardly seemed snooty. And even though he had to be the tallest man Benjamina had ever seen, he never looked down upon her.

"How tall are you?" Benjamina asked suddenly, once she regained her voice.

"Ah, so you do talk," Mr. Keron said with a smile. "Six foot eleven."

"You and Devine are so tall… Are you related?"

"No," he said, spinning Benjamina out, "but we will be soon."

"You're engaged?"

"Have been for seven months now." He pulled her back in. "Ah… Just don't tell anyone, we only announced it three weeks ago."

"Why?"

"Oh, you must know what it's like being the child of a rich man. All those social rules and regulations that everyone seems to break themselves, but rants endlessly about if anyone else does. Almost everyone in this field leads a double life, or else they'd go crazy from the boredom."

"You have no idea," she mumbled.

"You seem to, though." Benjamina fell silent. "Well, you know a bit about me. What can I ask about you, Miss Stewart?"

"You can ask me to get off your foot."

"Well, there's that, but I was thinking more on a personal level. How about this: why are you here?"

She paused, frowning slightly. "Bruce is my guardian. I'm expected to make an appearance."

"When I was your age, I would have rather been beaten with a broom handle than come to something like this," Mr. Keron laughed.

"Trust me, Mr. Keron, I didn't have that option."

Mr. Keron smiled slightly. "Maybe fate has a reason for you to be here tonight."

"…like what?"

"If everyone knew that, we wouldn't worry about it nearly so much. Imagine if we did know: people would stop living and taking chances because they would know what was going to happen anyway… Where's the excitement in that?"

A few seconds after the song ended, Mr. Keron stopped and pulled his hands away from Benjamina. He really wasn't that scary looking—not up close. At least, his eyes weren't as haunting as his fiancee's.

"It was nice dancing with you, Benjamina."

"Yeah… it was a nice change."

He took both of her hands in his. "May fate find you and treat you well."

"Thank you…" she mumbled.

After letting go of her hands, he bowed again and began back over to his fiancee. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind, and she reached up to take his hand with her free hand as if she was expecting him to do that.

"Well?" Devine asked.

He grinned.

"You were right on the money, darling, as always."

"Thank you, dear."

***

"Hey! Hey, you! You can't be here, this is private property and a private part—eep!" The guard outside of Wayne Manor's gate was picked up by the throat by a rough black man. "Please… please don't hurt me!"

"Then let me pass, I've got a friend here."

The man dropped the guard, who scrambled to his post. Nervously, the guard started opening the gate, making a mental note of the man so he could report the incident after. He was middle-aged, and looked like he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in a long time. A raggedy beard covered most of his face, so the only trait the guard could make out were the man's bright neon green eyes.

"Now we're talking," the man said gruffly, entering once the gate opened. As soon as he was about half way up the driveway, the guard frantically pushed the warning button to the mansion.

***

"Would you excuse me for a moment, Miss Centreniel?"

"Sure, love. But come back soon!"

Bruce flashed his famous Bruce Wayne smile. "Of course."

Bruce moved out into the hallway, and checked it to see if anyone was around. Seeing it was empty, he pulled his tie out from his jacket to check the blinking, vibrating little clip. Hurriedly, he moved over to the bookcase and pushed it open to the Batcave. He descended the stairs into the Cave quickly and went right to Alfred at the computer.

"What is it?" Bruce asked, switching into his Batman mentality.

"Sir, he's arrived."

Bruce stared at the computer screen image brought to him by the security camera posted outside.

"…shit. I knew this would happen."

"Shall I send the girl to him?"

"No," he ordered immediately, snapping his head towards his butler. "She's not to know he's here, not yet."

"Sir…!"

Bruce looked back at the monitor just in time to see Benjamina close the door of the mansion behind her as she moved outside.

He slammed his hands down onto the desk.

"Damn it!"

***

Benjamina stood outside on the front step, letting the wind ruffle her hair and her dress. It was so hot inside, and the night air was so brisk tonight. Plus, it was much quieter outside—much easier to let her mind wander.

'May fate find you and treat you well…'

What had Mr. Keron meant by that? It was almost as if he knew something important was going to happen tonight. Benjamina crossed her arms and leaned against the doorpost. Right, that was going to happen.

"Ben—Benjamina?"

Benjamina's head shot up, and her entire body began to tremble. In two seconds, six whole years of learning to continue, to carry on, to survive became void.

"D-Dad…?"

Notes: Finally! An update! ^__^ Don't mind me while I happy dance for a while.

Chapter five outline going up until actual chapter five is recovered from my dead computer… ::twitches::

This was actually one of the chapters I've been wanting to write since the story started. The first few chapters were more of the exposition: setting up new characters, personalities, settings, relationships, who-hates/loves/adores/indifferent towards-who-because type stuff. Now—oh now!—it should start to pick up. There's only one more really important character left to introduce (unless things change, which they very well may ^^;;). Other than that… plot power!

Hopefully there won't be another huge gap like last time. As I'm finally at the point I want to be, there probably won't. Still… ::passes out "Pray for me!" reminders::

Special thanks to MooSe for giving me permission to use/alter her character Devi (Devine).

As always, please review!

~JenJen-chan