Another beauty
Loved by a Beast
Another tale of infinitely dreams
Your eyes they were my paradise
Your smile made my sun rise
Gethsemane, Nightwish

"Listen…" I hesitated, watching Dick as he turned off the car. "I know Bruce really wants us here, but I'm a little scared about this. I'm worried I'll make a fool of myself."

He leaned over, gently pressing a kiss to my cheek. "I promise I'll look out for you. But why are you so nervous about these parties?"

I played with the hem of my dress. "I really don't know how to be formal. Australia is very casual, even among the rich, and being so formal is almost insulting. This is just really different for me."

"I know what it's like to feel out of place, but I won't let anyone make you feel like you don't belong here." He squeezed my hand. "I've got you."

I blushed, nodding. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go in."

He got out, walking around to help me. I stood, looking around at the others who were walking in. They all looked so sure of themselves, and it made me feel a little self-conscious. I really didn't belong here, but I would deal with it if it meant I could be with Dick.

We walked into the building, entering the lift with a few other people. I gently squeezed his arm, and he gave me a sweet smile.

The doors slid open, and we stepped out onto the top floor. Walking through a nearby door, I was suddenly hit with the sounds of nearly a hundred people talking and laughing. The room was set up with tables, each place setting labelled with a name tag.

Dick led me to a table near the front, pulling out the chair for me. He was seated to my right, which was nice, because he was able to softly rest his hand on my knee.

The dinner started, and it felt like a blur of speeches, small talk and good food. I didn't entirely understand what people were talking about but it was easy enough to smile, nod, and talk when I was directly asked a question.

In the lull between the main course and dessert, I noticed a young woman walking towards us. She was beautiful, with black hair and dark eyes, and I wondered who she was. Dick noticed her too, and I suddenly felt his hand tense on my knee. I quickly realised that this woman was probably an ex of his.

She stopped beside me, and held out a manicured hand. "Hi there. I'm Helena."

"Faith." I replied, shaking it. I didn't know what was about to happen here, but civility was one thing I was good at, and I wasn't about to make a scene if it wasn't necessary.

"I'm surprised you moved on so quickly, Ric." She commented, leaning on the table. "I mean, it was less than three weeks ago that you were last in my bed."

This time it was me who tensed, but I managed to keep my cool. At least on my face anyway.

Dick sighed, taking a sip from his wine. "It was well over a month ago, Helena, and you know that. But since it was me who dumped you, I have no obligation to explain my actions to you."

I watched as a chastised look crossed her face, and she turned on her heel to leave. Then she paused and looked back, giving me a smug grin.

"What isn't surprising though," She continued, looking over at him. "Is that you've picked up yet another redhead. You really do have a type."

My heart dropped, and I turned to Dick. "What is she talking about? Did you only ask me out because of my hair?"

He hesitated, a slightly sheepish look on his face. "It's a little well known that I… do have a thing for redheads."

"I… I need some air." I got up and quietly walked out onto the balcony.

Leaning on the railing, I took a breath and tried to keep calm. I thought he really liked me, but now I wasn't sure. All I knew was that I felt really hurt, and I needed a second to collect my thoughts.

I heard the door open behind me, but I didn't turn yet. I wasn't sure I could look at him right then.

"Faith, I…" He paused for a second. "I'm sorry. I did originally ask you out because you fit into a type I like. But it's already more than that. I know it sounds like I only saw you as your hair, and I'm really sorry. I don't want to lose you because of this."

I breathed deep, then shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere. I just wasn't prepared to deal with exes and their drama tonight. I just need a second."

He stood beside me, gently placing his hand over mine. I looked over at the next building when I noticed something weird. There was something glinting on the rooftop.

"Can you see that?" I asked, pointing.

Suddenly he tackled me to the ground. I barely had time to register what had just happened before there was a strange sound and the window beside us shattered. Screams echoed in my ears, and I looked up at him in fear.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I think so? What…"

He got up, quickly helping me inside. It was chaos, but I managed to see Bruce ducking through a side door. I realised what he was doing, and gently pushed Dick in the same direction.

"Go. I'll be fine." I told him.

He nodded, then took off, while I tried to work out what to do next. I didn't have much time to think, because an arm wrapped around me and I was pulled back out onto the balcony. I fought back as best I could, but scratching and flailing my arms wasn't useful against someone in what seemed like tactical gear.

I watched helplessly as he shot a grapple up to the roof. With no idea if I was even going to survive the next ten minutes, I clung onto him for dear life, trying not to panic.

I was thrown in front of a man. A man I wished I didn't recognise, because it quickly became clear just how much danger I was in. He pulled me to my knees, and I looked around at the others, who all seemed to be in the same gear as the one who grabbed me.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked, taking hold of my face and forcing me to look at him.

I nodded, too scared to say anything. My heart was pounding in my chest and I was dizzy, but I held myself together.

"You broke my son's heart."

A wave of anger washed over me, and even though part of me knew it was stupid, I had to say something.

"Mario did that to himself." I whispered, hoping he wouldn't hear me.

Laughter rippled through the other men, and I realised I may have just fucked up. Falcone hit me, knocking me sideways. As he kicked me in the ribs, I held on to the hope that Dick would find me soon. I could barely breathe, feeling like my chest was tightening around my lungs. I watched as he advanced on me with a knife, unsure how I could even protect myself if he used it on me.

"I have control over the majority of this city, but nothing is more important to me than my family. And you betrayed my son." He crouched down in front of me. "We don't believe in justice, we believe in punishment."

"Please." I whimpered. "I didn't do anything."

Before he could do anything, there was a loud bang, and suddenly smoke seemed to be everywhere. I couldn't see anything, but I could hear the fighting. It was awful, and I curled up as much as possible, hoping it would end soon.

"Faith." I heard a voice through all the noise.

Looking up, I saw a dark shape coming out of the smoke. I nearly burst into tears when I realised it was Dick, but I stayed quiet.

He picked me up, carrying me to the edge. "I'm going to get you out of here, hold on."

I gave him a wide-eyed look, but nodded and clung to him. He suddenly leapt off the building, and any calm I'd managed to claw back was gone. I panicked, thinking I was going to die, certain my heart was going to give out, until I realised we were grappling down to the alleyway next to the building.

He placed me gently on the ground, and softly wiped the blood from my lip. Then he gave me the keys. "Take the car, I'll meet you back at the manor. I promise."

I nodded, still unable to speak, and turned to leave. He gently pulled me back and kissed me once.

"I'll see you soon." He let go, and suddenly he was flying back up.

Even though I was still shaking, I managed to make it to the car. I couldn't seem to calm myself down, and the drive just seemed so long. By the time I pulled up in front of the manor, I was still panicking, and I didn't know how to handle it.

I sat there, staring at the steering wheel, for a minute or two. The door opened, and I yelped in fear.

"Miss Anders, are you alright?"

I looked over to find Alfred holding out his hand to me, and shook my head. He helped me out, and took me inside to the kitchen.

"Master Grayson said you would be coming. Sit here, I'll fix you up." He got me a glass of water, then grabbed a first aid kit. "It's not bad, just a little blood."

I was still shaking a little as he wiped my face, but I was finally feeling calmer. The fear was being replaced with exhaustion and I was having trouble staying awake.

"I'll be awake until they return. Go to Master Grayson's room and rest. If you need anything, I'll be around." He handed me a couple of ice packs. "Put these where you're bruising, they'll help with the swelling."

I nodded, walking upstairs. The bed looked so inviting, but even though I was exhausted, I wasn't sure I could fall asleep.

Pulling off my dress, I walked into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My lip was already swelling, and there was a big bruise beginning to spread over my ribs. Nothing felt broken, as such, just really sore.

I put on one of Dick's shirts, then climbed into the bed. I didn't even have a chance to put the ice packs on before I fell asleep.