Disclaimer… I do not own anything to do with Batman, copyright wise. Also, the songs I use in this fic belong to those that own them. Eleanor Black, her family and this plot are mine. This fic is rated for language and some sexual situations; nothing too graphic though, because it's just a sweet little Christmas fic I'm writing because I'm in the holiday spirit. I really like it and I hope you do to.
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Song: "Invincible" by Muse
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Our Songs
Day Ten //
"So, what are your plans for the holidays, Eleanor?"
"I don't really have any plans besides reading and taking care of my new dog. I have a whole week off – I think I might go a little insane."
"That's what I thought." Lucius Fox smiled and took a sip from his steaming mug of coffee. "I don't want you coming into work at all, even though there will be people here. Besides, there won't be anything to do, because I'm staying home."
"Oh, I don't believe that. You're as attached to this place as I am." Eleanor sipped at her hot chocolate for a moment. "I won't come in for the next week, I promise. But," her cobalt eyes flicked to the clock on her bosses desk. "I should get back to work right now. I've got a lot of charts and things you've asked me to do."
Mr. Fox smiled warmly and asked her to wait. He dug a thick manila folder out from a drawer and handed it to her. "Will you take this down to Adam and his team for me?"
Eleanor eagerly nodded and walked to the elevator, holding the folder under one arm and the remainder of her hot chocolate in her other hand. As the metal doors slid closed, she couldn't help but smile to herself – she was glad to have a reason to go down and see Adam earlier than planned. Originally, Eleanor had been planning on heading down to Engineering on her lunch break, but that was still three hours away, and she really wanted her present. The doors slid open again a few moments later and Eleanor headed straight to Adam's cluttered desk. She shoved some of the mess farther down the desk and slid onto the empty space she had created.
"Good morning Adam," she chirped, shoving the envelope in his face.
He batted the envelope away and then grabbed it. "What's got you in such a good mood this morning, Eleanor?" he asked, smiling deviously to himself.
"Oh, as if you don't know."
Adam's smile turned into an even more devious smirk. "I suppose you want," he pulled a perfectly cube-shaped box with shiny blue wrapping paper and a black bow out of its hiding place, "this." When Eleanor reached for it, Adam lifted it above her reached, retaining his devious smirk. "Not until you tell me what it is and why the guy who gave me it was so insistent that you got it today."
"I don't know what it is, asshole!" Eleanor jabbed Adam in the side with her finger and grabbed the box when he doubled over. "And I told you I don't know who's behind all this."
"But you still think it might be Bruce Wayne, don't you?"
Eleanor slapped Adam's shoulder rather playfully and set the box on the desk beside her. "How did you know that's what I thought?" she asked, smiling.
"You're too obvious, Eleanor. All you've ever thought about is Bruce Wayne."
She rolled her eyes. "All right, I'll give you that one." Eleanor smirked slightly and turned to the box. "What can you tell me about the man who gave the box to you?"
"Well… He was…"
"Adam, you're not going to tell me are you? You're thinking up a lie to tell me."
"No. I was just trying to recall." Adam stuck out his tongue childishly. "He was taller than me, clean-shaven, brown hair, dark eyes. Handsome. And, like I said, very insistent that I get that box to you. I was kind of intimidated by him, actually. The fact that he had to look down at me with his piercing dark eyes didn't help."
Eleanor sat thoughtfully for a moment before pulling the box into her lap and tugging at the black ribbon. She tore open the paper. The first thing she uncovered was another jewelry box, and she sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. When Adam inquired to her reaction, she told him about all the jewels she'd been given, and how awkward it made her feel, how spoiled. When she opened the box, she discovered a thin, white gold anklet. She admired it briefly before setting it beside her and withdrawing the two pieces of paper from the bottom of the box. The first piece of paper was the one she expected – the plain white paper with the note – but the second one was thicker, textured and about the same size as a money bill.
She read that one first, even though she was eager to see what he had to say to her.
Miss Eleanor Black, you have been given a full spa day at the North City Hotel
Spa. This day will include two healthy meals along with your spa treatment,
as well as full hair and makeup to get you ready for your evening. Your day
begins at ten o'clock on the morning of December twenty-fourth. See you then.
Eleanor's head was rather reeling. The full spa day at North City Hotel, plus the hair and makeup… that was a lot of money. Like, a lot. And then the anklet on top of that…
"Man, this guy really is spoiling you, isn't he?"
She hadn't realized Adam had been reading over her shoulder, and she jumped. "Yeah, he is…"
"So, what are you doing on Christmas Eve?"
"Well, I wasn't planning on doing anything, but apparently I've had plans made for me." Eleanor forced a wide grin and then turned her attention to the note, ignoring Adam behind her, she read the typed words.
Eleanor,
Your outfit is almost complete. And now you're probably wondering what
I'm talking about, although your train of thought is probably something
along the lines of "What the hell is he talking about?" Never fear, my
darling Eleanor. You only have to wait two more days to find out who I
am, and I'm sure you're impatient. Trust me, I am too. I can't wait to
see your face when you finally see who I am.
Follow through Don't be afraid And during the struggle Do it on your own And during the struggle And during the struggle
Make your dreams come true
Don't give up the fight
You will be all right
Cause there's no one like you
In the universe
What your mind conceives
You should make a stand
Stand up for what you believe
And tonight we can truly say
Together we're invincible
They will pull us down
But please, please let's use this chance to
Turn things around
And tonight we can truly say
Together we're invincible
Makes no difference to me
What you leave behind
What you choose to be
and whatever they say
Your soul's unbreakable
They will pull us down
But please, please let's use this chance to
Turn things around
And tonight we can truly say
Together we're invincible
Together we're invincible
They will pull us down
Please, please let's use this chance to
Turn things around
And tonight we can truly say
Together we're invincible
"I guess you've got some big plans," Adam teased.
Eleanor reached behind her head and swatted him in the face with the note. "I'm not even sure who it is! What if he's some kind of creep?"
But even as the words left Eleanor's mouth, she knew they weren't true. Her and Adam said their goodbyes and she headed back to the elevator. On the way back to her desk, she passed the cafeteria and grabbed herself a Chicken Caser salad and a bottle of Diet Coke with Lime. When she was seated back in front of her computer, she pretended to work while she ate, but, really, her mind was focused on her gift hunt and on who could be behind it. Eleanor started by making a mental catalogue of the gifts she had received; the remark about the outfit had made her curious, as she had never really paid that much attention to all the gifts together.
First, there was the designer dress, and then the designer shoes. Next was the picture Bruce had taken of her and Blaze in front of Wayne Manor and then Naomi's great-grandmother's necklace, then the white gold wrists cuffs, the designer pajamas, and then her new dog Winter, and then the white gold diamond earrings, and then the extremely expensive digital camera yesterday and the white gold anklet today. All of those gifts, except for the picture and the heirloom necklace, were not cheap; the two exceptions were priceless. But all the gifts had one thing in common – they all held some personal element. The clothes and shoes fit her exactly, they were her precise measurements, the photo was her and her now dead dog, the necklace was an heirloom, the other jewelry was in the preferred white gold, the camera related to her favourite hobby, and Winter was her new dog, given at the moment she once again started to crave canine companionship.
And then there was the matter of the notes and the song lyrics. The notes were written in such a way that she couldn't wait to read the next one, and the lyrics always made her choke up.
There was no question. The man behind this knew Eleanor. Really well.
And as for the question of money…
No, there was no question about it anymore.
It had to be Bruce Wayne. It had to be. Eleanor head spent too much time thinking about why it couldn't be Bruce and why it wouldn't be. She had ignored the reasons why it would be or could be Bruce, when all she wanted was Bruce to be the one behind the gift thing. But she had to wait two more days to find out if she was right… That was kind of infuriating.
A beep from her computer startled her out her daydreams. She had pressed the wrong key in her daze. She finished her salad quickly and sipped at her pop while she reversed the error. When she had finished everything that was pressing to be done, Eleanor decided to give Bruce a call and see if he wanted to go out for dinner that night.
"Hello Miss Black."
Eleanor didn't have to ask how Alfred knew it was her – they had caller display. "Hey Alfred. Is Bruce home?"
"No, he's not, and I'm not sure when he'll be home. Did you want to leave a message?"
"No, no, it's OK. It was nothing important. I'll phone later."
Eleanor and Alfred said goodbye before she hung up and gave her whole body a shake of frustration. It looked as if she was meant to wait two more days before she would be able to find out if Bruce really was the one driving her insane.
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Author's Note... OK, this chapter can die. I had to write it twice because I saved over the first copy by accident. I don't know if it's better or worse than it was the first time, but no one will ever know because no got to read it. I'm kicking myself for that one. It's almost as bad as the time when I saved over my Final Fantasy XII game with a new file and I had to do EVERYTHING over again. FRUSTRATING. So, I nearly pulled ALL my hair out today, but I got it finished, AGAIN. Only two chapters left!
Oh, and thank you for the kind words. They always make me feel better, and it's nice to know that my writing is appriciated.