Chapter 4

Gotham City, Winter 2006

"So I've got this case I'm working on, I was hoping you could take a look at it"

"Why me?"

"My team has been over this front and back, left to right, and we have yet to find anything. Perhaps a new pair of eyes can give us information that we haven't looked into yet"

Lois shrugged her shoulders. "All right, I guess. Not sure why you would come to me, but I'll give it a shot"

"Thanks, Lois. Who knows, maybe you'd like investigating," Rachel comments, unaware of Lois' own experience when it came to investigating.

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Wayne Manor

"Good afternoon, Alfred"

"Why, Miss Dawes, it's a pleasure to see you. Master Bruce is in the gardens, would you like me to fetch him for you?"

Rachel smiles at the always endearing tone in Alfred's voice. "No thanks, Alfred, I can go and get him"

"As you wish"

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Wayne Gardens of Wayne Manor

"I gave her the files"

"Thanks, I appreciate that"

"I should be thanking you, but I can't help but wonder… why Lois? I mean, she has no interest in anything that has to deal with crime and investigation. What do you expect she'll find that we haven't?"

"How well do you know her, Rach?"

She hated it when he changed the subject like that. "Pretty well," she answered as best she could. "She's outgoing but at the same time, she keeps a lot to herself." She eyed Bruce suspiciously. "Why?"

He remained silent.

"Bruce…" she says authoritavely. "Don't tell me you did a background check on her"

Bruce cast his eyes downward guiltily.

She sighs. "I can't believe you did that. She's a good person, Bruce, there's nothing shady about her"

"I know that," he assured her.

"Then why do it?" she asked confused.

"I just…" his years of grade-A schooling was of no help to him now.

Rachel raised her eyes, waiting.

"There's something about her… that's…" his voiced trailed off, not wanting to talk about something like this with someone he had a really deep history with.

She shook her head knowing what the hesitation was about, but chose not to address it. Instead…

"What did you find?" she asked, the attorney in her coming out.

"You weren't kidding about her track record from school." He began explaining the information he gathered. "Did you know she wrote a couple articles for The Torch, a high school newspaper for Smallville High in Kansas?"

She gasps. "Lois? Lois Lane?" Oh, she'll keep a mental thumb tack on that so she could use it against her in their future arguments.

"It's not half bad, especially for someone who has no interest in the field"

"That still doesn't answer my earlier question. Why show her the case? She's a civilian; I'm putting a lot on the line just letting her see the folder, let alone the papers in it"

"I'm a civilian," he reminded her.

"A civilian with a thing for bats, don't argue with me about this Bruce, you'll lose"

He smiled at her strength.

"Fair enough," he nodded. "I think she can help us, I really do"

"How?"

"For one, she's the daughter of a General"

"He's an irrelevance. Lois and her father are not on great speaking terms. She spends a lot of her energy playing the insubordinate daughter. She's nothing like him"

"Oh, she's every bit like him. She may not like following rules and regulations…" he stopped a moment. "Kind of reminds me of a certain Bat fella and D.A. don't you think?" he eyed her with a grin.

"Very funny Bruce"

"I'm just giving you a different perspective"

"Fine, you better be right," she ended.

As soon as she was out of sight, Bruce headed inside and fixed himself a glass of bourbon.

"Everything go well with Miss Dawes, Master Bruce?" Alfred came into the study with all the propriety in the world. He was always a calming presence in his life and he was thankful for it.

After taking a sip, he looked at his long time friend and surrogate father. "What do you think of Miss Lane, Alfred?"

"Really, sir?"

"Really"

"I see hidden talent, Master Bruce"

"I thought so," and then he takes a look at his half-filled glass of bourbon before throwing it into the small hearth of his fireplace, the contact flaming it into life.

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Fox's Home

"I really appreciate you letting me stay with you, Uncle Luke." Lois sat cross-legged on the ground, folding her clothes after her afternoon rendezvous with the laundry mat.

"Not at all, Lo… besides, it's been far too long since we got to spend any quality time together"

She smiled genuinely at him. She's always adored Lucius Fox, ever since she was a little girl. While her father the General was off on some classified mission, or some lustrous event, Uncle Luke had always made the effort to spend time with her whenever he was around.

"So, what do you think of Gotham so far, you were only a baby the last time you set foot in this town?"

She shrugged with indifference. The city was a sight, which she admits, especially when taking the monorail, she could see the entire city just by taking a ride.

"It's… nice"

He raised his eyebrows. "Nice? Is that all? Well, now, we have to have done better than that." He shook his head in mock reaction. "You were always hard to please"

She laughs. "It's a beautiful city, Uncle Luke."

"But…"

"I guess the country life grew on me"

Lucius turned to her in fatherly concern. "Did something happen? In Metropolis?"

"No, no, no… nothing bad like that," she assured. "I practically spent the last couple of years in Kansas… I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I felt like I finally had a place to call home"

"Then why'd you leave?"

"I stayed there too long"

"That's quite a contradiction if I've ever heard one"

She sighed at her Uncle's perceptive qualities. "It was different when it was just Chloe… but there are other people now, people that I've… become close to"

"Whatever it is, little Lo… I know you'll figure it out." He assured her with a reassuring hand atop her shoulder.

"Everyone keeps saying that," she sighs in disconcertion.

Lucius gives out a soft laugh before moving to exit the living room. "You may be your father's daughter, but I'm the one that raised you," he uttered, his voice disappearing towards the other room.

Lois smiles to herself. He had a point.

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Wayne Enterprises

After a long board meeting, Lucius decided to just get on with what's troubling his mind. "We have to talk, Mr. Wayne"

When everyone exited, Bruce closed the door behind him.

"What about?"

"Have you been looking into my goddaughter's life?" he says simply.

Busted, "I can explain that"

"Please do"

"I was interested"

"Is that all? Couldn't you have asked her out like any other male?"

"Yes," he nodded. "But then I'd have this immediate premonition of her saying 'no' so… I opted for alternate means of… discovery"

After a moment. "How'd you know?" Bruce wondered. Lucius Fox continued to surprise him.

"She's been staying with me, and I ran into some… confidential files. Police reports to be exact." He intertwined his hands together and rested his elbows atop his desk. "Now I wondered, how could she have gotten a hold of those? And then I realized, what if she didn't… what if it was handed to her… and then I wondered…"

"Okay, Mr. Fox, I get it. Guilty as charged"

"Does she know?"

"About me? No"

"I don't know how I feel about you getting her involved"

"I know she's family, but she could possibly provide us some insight into this case. Now, I've done my best trying all other outlets, and so far, we've haven't gotten any leads. It wouldn't hurt to see what she thinks. She's a consultant, nothing more"

"Just see to it that she doesn't get hurt"

"Well, I don't know about that," he suddenly blurted out. He quickly rephrased. "I mean… I've seen her hold her own."

Lucius smiled. That's his girl.