I will be your guardian from loneliness
Feel my love surround you
Share your burden I will carry it
A refuge all around you
Guardian, Æther Realm

I walked into the office, placing the coffee down in front of Lucius. He gave me a broad smile, and handed me a stack of letters.

"Welcome back. How are you doing?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.

"I'm glad to be back, but…" I hesitated for a second. "I'm still a little nervous. This has all been a very strange introduction to the city, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"I want to make sure you know that you're safe here. Wayne Tower is one of the most well protected places in Gotham."

I nodded. "Thank you. Now, you have to leave for your meeting with the mayor in half an hour."

"I won't forget. I'll drop my lunch order off with you before I go, can you make sure it arrives before I'm back? I want to be able to eat before I leave for the airport." He thought for a moment, then looked up at me again. "While I'm away, I want you to work from home, just in case. Reroute the phone there, and then just come in each afternoon to get the mail.

"That's… thank you." I hugged the letters to my chest. "That will take some of the worry off."

Turning on my heel, I left the room. I couldn't pretend like I wasn't still a little scared of what was happening. Even though everything had been relatively quiet since that dinner, I couldn't get the fear off my mind.

I sat at my desk, drinking my coffee as I started answering emails. I was typing away when Lucius dropped his lunch order in front of me.

"I'll be back by twelve." He said, looking down at me. "You're welcome to finish up early and head home once I've headed for my flight."

"Thank you. I'll have your lunch here ready for when you get back." I found the number for the place he wanted his lunch. "Do you want your itinerary for the trip printed or emailed to you?"

"Both. Can you also confirm the hotel is giving me my usual suite? And that the car will be waiting for me at the airport when I arrive?"

I nodded. "I'll get that done for you now. Is there anything else?"

"No, I think that's everything. I'll see you in a couple of hours." He headed off towards the lift.

Once he was gone, I called the salad place and ordered his lunch, thankful that he'd picked something cold so I could get it earlier for him. As I printed out his itinerary, the lift opened again, and the mail worker walked in.

"Morning, Faith." He placed a stack of letters on the desk in front of me.

"Hi, Jack." I smiled up at him, handing over the mail to send off. "Can you drop the letters at the front desk for the rest of the week? I'll be working from home until Lucius returns from his trip."

"Absolutely, I'll make a note of it." He took them from me, then headed off again.

I started cutting open the letters, sorting them into order of urgency. It was mind-numbing work, but it was what I needed right then. As many distractions as I could find, just to keep myself out of the anxiety for a while.

My phone suddenly began to ring, and I picked up when I saw it was Dick.

"I hope you realise you're interrupting me at work." I laughed, just happy to hear from him again.

"Oh dear." He chuckled. "I could always call back later."

I turned my phone onto loudspeaker, continuing my work. "I like hearing your voice. What did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to know what time you were finishing up today. There's a new club that just opened, and I thought we could check it out." It sounded like he was walking through the echoing halls of the manor.

"That sounds amazing. I'm finishing around two, but maybe you could pick me up around six or seven?"

He paused for a moment, and I heard a door close loudly. "I'll be there at six. I… I miss you."

I blushed, feeling my whole face redden. "I miss you too."

Hanging up, I was glad that he was taking me out again. I hadn't seen him for a couple of days, and he was a particularly nice distraction. As I stood to make myself another coffee, the lift doors opened again, and out walked the last person I ever wanted to see. It didn't matter that he had an apologetic look on his face, I was pissed off by his being at my work at all.

I sat down again, angrily gripping the edge of the desk. "Get out, Mario."

"Wait, just let me explain." He hesitated, halfway between the lift and my desk.

"There's nothing to explain. If I hadn't been rescued, your father would have killed me."

He bit his lip, clearly trying to work out what to say. "I never meant for him to do something like that. I was just venting, but I never thought he would…"

I almost laughed in his face, but I managed to hold it back at the last second. "Did you really think that your father, the biggest mob boss in the city, would just quietly listen about someone hurting his son? You knew exactly what would happen, don't lie to me."

"I'm sorry, Fay. I know I can't fix this, and I'm not trying to make you forgive me, but I'll do my best to keep him away from you." He turned to leave, pausing a second and running his fingers through his dark hair. "I really did love you. I'm sorry for everything."

He left, and I held it together until the doors closed, then I burst into quiet tears. I rested my head in my hands, trying to calm myself. Then my phone buzzed again, and I took a breath, looking over at it.

Do you want me to drive you home after work?

I took a sip of water, and replied. Since Mario just came past to apparently apologise, I would really like that.

There was silence for a bit, and I returned to my work while I waited for a reply. I was feeling a little better, but I couldn't stop the shakiness.

Did he seriously? Are you alright? Do you need me to come now?

No, I'm alright. I just have to get through today, and then I can work from home for the rest of the week.

I stood up, walking to the printer to pick up the itinerary. Stapling it together, I placed it on the desk, then made myself a coffee. By the time I returned, there was another message from Dick.

I'll come early, just to make sure you're alright.

I smiled, wiping the last couple of tears from my eyes. There wasn't a lot that seemed to really help me right then, but knowing he was coming for me did. The next couple of hours passed quickly, and soon Lucius returned, stopping at my desk. He was later than he'd expected to be, which meant I needed to rush him through everything.

"Here is your itinerary." I handed it over, along with his lunch. "I've emailed another copy to you. The hotel confirmed that you will be in your usual suite, and the car service has ensured their driver will be there to meet you when you land. You're running late, so you'll need to eat on the way to the airport, or when you get there."

"Thank you. Is there's anything else I need to know?"

I nodded, looking around at my desk. "If I ever go away again, please, please, hire that same temp again. Everything is still how I like it, and I didn't have to fix anything."

He laughed, a broad smile on his face. "She was very well organised, but not as friendly as you. So as much as you should take time off if you need it, I'd rather not bring her in any more than I have to. I'll see you in a week."

I waved him off, watching as he left. I was glad to work from home for a bit. It was a nice mid-point between being stuck at home, and being safe while working. I let myself get caught up in my work, and I barely noticed as the lift doors opened again.

"Are you in there?"

I looked up in surprise, smiling when I saw Dick waving his hand in front of my face. "Mostly. It's been a long day."

He pulled up a chair, sitting down beside me. "We don't have to go out tonight, if you're not in the mood."

"No, I want to go out." I squeezed his hand. "Any sort of distraction is what I need right now."

"Then finish your work." He leaned over, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "I'll sit here until you're ready to go."

I bit my lip, blushing a little. "Thank you. I… It means a lot to me that you're looking out for me."

He gently rested his hand on my knee, quietly scrolling through his phone as I finished up my work. It wasn't easy, because just having him there was a hard distraction to overcome. He made my heart race just by existing beside me, and it was nothing like I had ever felt.

"You're very beautiful." He whispered, playing with the edge of my skirt. "How long until you finish? I want to get you home."

"You're supposed to be here to keep me safe." I replied, a little shakily. "You're being very distracting right now."

"I can't help it." He took his hand off me with a sly smile. "But I'll let you finish."