His name is Bruce Wayne

Chelsea sat on the bed in what was now dubbed her room, with a sketchbook in hand and her thoughts focused on her drawing. Wonder Woman entered her room, "Knock, knock." she said.

"Come in," Chelsea replied.

Wonder Woman sat on the edge of her bed and watched the progression on the page, "He's handsome." she watched the talented girl draw a picture of a man, "Who is he?"

Chelsea blushed, "It's kind of silly. Don't laugh?" she asked.

Wonder Woman nodded, "Of course."

Chelsea was hesitant, and then pulled a magazine out from under her bed. It was a Trending magazine, and the front cover had the same man on it. It read, "Bruce Wayne, pretty boy billionaire, donates funds to rebuild Gotham West High School." Chelsea stared at his picture, "This is the guy that gave me my scholarship and got me through my years of college so far. He's so dreamy… I still sort of keep up with his life through the tabloids and print."

"Sounds like you have a crush on him," Wonder Woman grinned.

Chelsea shrugged, "I guess I do. Five years has passed and he still crosses my mind all the time. It's more of like a celebrity crush you know? He's just so charming." She sighed. She went back to her sketch, "I use him as a model when I draw men. He's got the perfect build, and cheek bones that make a girl swoon."

"Are you sure the cheek bones are what you're staring at?" asked Diana, nudging her.

Chelsea's face lit up like a Christmas tree, "Very funny." Chelsea opened her laptop and started looking through pages on the internet, "Oh man…"

"What? What did the pretty boy do now?" asked Diana.

"It's not him… my bank account. I hadn't realized just how little money I had left… I won't be able to make my monthly bill on my apartment…" Chelsea murmured.

"Why don't you just move all of your stuff here and save yourself the time?" wondered Diana.

"I've had that apartment for so long. I'm sort of attached to it, you know? Plus, I'd like to still have a place down on Earth I can retreat to between art classes and crime fighting." Chelsea explained.

Diana stood up and started for the door to leave the girl alone with her thoughts, "I'm sure you'll think of something."

Wonder Woman walked into the monitor room to see everyone else accountable at the table.

Flash looked toward her, "What's she up to?"

"Drawing… and seeming a bit worried." Diana informed.

"Why's that?" asked Clark with concern.

"Apparently she's worried about losing her home because she doesn't have the funds to cover it…" Wonder Woman explained to the best of her ability although she really didn't understand.

Chelsea came in shortly after with a backpack on her back, "Hey, Superman…" she came over to the table, "I'm going to go home for a few days if that's alright with you?"

"Sure, take all the time you need." nodded Clark.

"I'll be back in a couple of days tops," Chelsea said, standing behind Flash who was sitting down in his chair. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pressed her head against his. She waved to everyone else and patted Batman on the back as she walked by, then exited out to the landing bay.

Diana couldn't help but giggle.

"What's so funny?" asked Clark.

"Nothing," She waved, "she's just really cute. You might have some competition Wally."

Wally looked at her confused, "What?"

"I'm just kidding," she sat down at the table, "I caught her drawing this man named Bruce Wayne. Apparently she has a big crush on the guy. It was cute to watch her show a girly side for a change."

Clark wore a cocky smirk, "Oh really?" his eyes turned to Batman.

"I've heard of that guy," Wally commented, "He's not that big of a deal. What does she see in him?"

"Oh I don't know." joked Diana, "his gorgeous and has a lot of assets. Yeah, you're right Wally I can't imagine what she sees in him."

"You might have run for your money there, Wally." Clark laughed, "I hear he's a real ladies man."

"Sounds like a rich creep to me." Wally crossed his arms.

Batman abruptly stood up and left the room without a word.

"What's his problem?" asked Wally.

Clark snickered, "He must not keep up with pop culture."

Chelsea paced back and forth in her apartment. Inside was an artist table, a living room atmosphere, and sketchbooks piled high like towers. On one wall a bunch of paint hung on hooks with blank canvases scattered about. Depending on the person it could look like a mess or a masterpiece.

"Maybe I can bust out a couple paintings and sell them to make the money?" she thought, "but there's no guarantee I'll get a buyer. I haven't even got a commission in weeks…" she sighed and fell into her chair. Her head throbbed. She was going in circles in her head. From the silence emerged a knock at the door, "Who could that possibly be?" she wondered. Pulling herself up from the chair she dragged herself over to the door. Opening it, her mouth slowly opened. She was frozen. She couldn't even blink.

"Bruce Wayne," he spoke, "do you remember me?"

She abruptly snapped out of her daze, "What are you doing here?"

"I needed an artist to fix up my place. I remembered you so I looked you up," he spoke with the same charming voice she remembered, "May I come in?"

Chelsea looked back at her trainwreck of a studio apartment, "Uh, sure… I apologize in advance for the mess."

Bruce walked in and took a look around. The corner of his lip curved upward in approval, then he turned back to her, "Money isn't an issue. Name your price and I'll show you around Wayne Manor with what I need accomplished."

She was still having a hard time forming words. Bruce Wayne, in her apartment, right now. She noticed a magazine she had about him on her table and not so casually made her way over to it to block his view, "Well I'd have to see what it is exactly you desire and then give you a price…"

"That works just fine. Can you come by tomorrow, say around noon?" he asked, coming toward her and handing her a business card, "My butler will let you in." he winked at her and started for the door, "By the way," he murmured, "your taste in magazines are impressive." with that comment hanging in the air he shut the door behind him.

Chelsea came over to the door and pushed her back against it. She was trying not to scream as she held the card in her grasp. Her head could have just now exploded, "Bruce Wayne," she read the card. He still remembered her? That was so hard to believe.

The next day Chelsea was so nervous. She didn't know what to wear or how to present herself. She was at ends. As she approached the fence, she pressed the call button, "My name is Chelsea. I have a meeting with Mr. Wayne today."

Alfred's gentle accent came over the speaker, "Come in miss." The fence opened and she entered. Every step she took became heavier and heavier. She had her most impressive portfolio in her left hand. She came to the door and took a deep breath. As she was about to wrap her knuckles against the excessively large double doors, it opened, and Alfred stood before her, "Good afternoon, Miss Chelsea. Master Wayne is expecting you. He's wrapping up some business but he'll meet you momentarily." He motioned her forward and she followed after him.

As Alfred gave her a brief tour, he entered a rather large bedroom that was completely empty. Walls white, pleading to be painted on. The floor covered so no trace of paint would be left. She took it all in, smiling to herself. It had been so long since she was alone with her brushes, breathing in the familiar scent of paint.

Bruce quietly entered the room, nodding to Alfred to relieve him. He was standing a few feet behind Chelsea, just watching her. She had black converse shoes on, high rise jean shorts, and a black cropped top. Her hair was up in a long cascading ponytail. He was happy she didn't try to overdress and instead wore what she was comfortable in. It was refreshing. Most people who met Bruce had this fake persona they tried to pass off as the real deal to try to get money out of him, "So, what'd you think?" he asked into the silence.

She about leapt clean out of her skin, "Bruce! I mean uh- Mr. Wayne!" she stuttered.

He came forward, standing closer to her now. He wore a royal blue turtle neck and black pants, with shiny polished black shoes. They certainly didn't look like they belonged in the same room. His eyes, they stared right down into her. It reminded her of someone, "You can call me Bruce," he chuckled.

She stared at him for a time, just taking him in. He was even lovelier in person. She snapped back into focus, "So uh," she gestured to her portfolio, "I brought samples of my work and I'm willing to do just about anything to you-FOR YOU!" she corrected quickly, her face turning red.

He let the slip up slide, but it did make him laugh on the inside. A smile appeared on his face, and what's more, a genuine one. It was an odd feeling for him, "I don't have a preference honestly. I'm probably not the best person to ask about art, but I really loved your work." his eyes couldn't help but wander down to her shirt, because plastered on it was a picture of Batman himself. It looked like he was standing on the edge of a building while the Bat Signal was exposed in the background. His jaw straightened.

Chelsea looked down at her shirt to see what suddenly made him look so unnerved, "Oh," she laughed, "I actually made this shirt. I love Batman," she stammered again, "I mean I don't love Batman I don't actually know- well what I mean to say is…"

"You do splendid work," He told her, "Do something you want to do to the room. I honestly just can't wait to see the progression."

"Anything?" she asked, "But Mr. Wayne…" he turned his gaze toward her again, and they stared at one another, "Bruce," she corrected, "I don't even know where to…" she sighed, and looked around the room.

He placed his hand on her back, "I loved your piece that displayed Gotham at night. If you could somehow project that onto the walls…?" he asked.

She nodded, "That's definitely a start." she was trembling at the touch of his strong hand on the small of her back, "When would you like me to begin?"

"Whenever you like. You can come and go as you please. Feel free to stay for the evening if you wish. There's a guest bedroom across the hall you can sleep in, and if you have any other questions, just ask me or Alfred." He started for the door, "Can I ask you something?" he hesitated.

"Sure," she replied, still in shock over the last thing he said. Stay the night? Here. With Bruce Wayne?

"Why Batman?" his tone turned serious.

She tried to think of how to explain it, "He's the hero everyone can relate to." she told him, "Superman is super, Wonder Woman is wonderful… but then there's Batman, who's human." Bruce's eyes lit up with surprise, but he kept his back turned to her, "Batman… people fear him, but I think… behind that sadness. Behind the anger and the loneliness… there's kindness. A wonderful person underneath the cape and cowl." She looked at the wall and ran her hand across the blank canvas, "Sometimes, I wish I could tell him that."

Bruce looked back to her, his eyes in a far off place. He opened his mouth, and then closed it, swallowing hard, "I'll check up on you later." he told her, and exited the room. Walking quickly down the hallway he thought to himself, "You just did…"

Chelsea worked on the project for hours. She did so much her body ached all over from the odd sitting positions and such she put herself in to squeeze in a detail. She was afraid to use anything in the guest bathroom. It was almost like a hotel. Not a thing had a been touched. Reluctantly she used the shampoo, conditioner, and soap and showered. It didn't appear that Bruce had many guests. She was restless. Sleeping in an unfamiliar place was unsettling to her. She started to wander down the hall. By this time it was nearly two in the morning. Why was she still up?

Bruce came up from the Batcave, and came through a secret passageway. His eyebrows scrunched when he saw a television on in one of his several living rooms. There Chelsea sat with some guest pajamas made of red silk. It wasn't the sort of thing he was used to seeing her in. She was hugging her knees sitting on the couch looking as uncomfortable as one could get. Almost like she was afraid to touch anything.

"Why're you still up?" Bruce asked, coming in to sit with her.

"I could ask you the same thing," She replied. She realized where she was, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overstep my bounds, but I couldn't sleep and this was the first room I found with a television. One of my favorite shows comes on around two so I thought I might be able to fall asleep if I watched some."

"How goes the room?" he wondered.

"Pretty well actually," she told him, "I should have it done late tomorrow evening."

He looked at her puzzled, "So soon?"

"I work fast," she told him, "plus I have other responsibilities I can't overlook. You actually saved me. I needed the money really bad."

He felt himself repeating something she once said to him, "I believe fate puts us where we're most needed."

She couldn't take her eyes off of him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she shook her head, "You just… remind me of someone."

"May I ask who?" he replied.

She laughed, "Just a friend of mine. He's… a really great guy." she breathed.

Bruce's eyes flashed to the tv when he heard a familiar theme song. He couldn't believe it. There had to be a mistake, "You stayed up to watch Gray Ghost?" he asked with disbelief.

"Call me a nerd," she shrugged, "it's black and white, but I grew up loving Gray Ghost. It's so good."

He smiled, "I grew up watching it too. I never missed an episode." he confessed, "I'd stay up really late, past my bed time and watch it with my dad."

She laughed, "We're both nerds then." She saw the first few seconds and knew instantly what episode it was, "Oh! This is the one where he almost doesn't solve the mystery, but then-"

"He finds the kitchen knife in the trash can," he finished her sentence.

"I'm impressed," she nodded playfully. Bruce was so different than she imagined him to be. He was so down to Earth. They both watched the show quietly with each other.

Bruce looked at her from time to time. He didn't believe in Heaven and Hell, but she was the closest he came, to believing in the existence of angels. When that thought crossed his mind, he felt his heart beating. It was almost like the day the Grinch's heart grew three sizes. He felt a soft red hue overcome his cheeks when her head rested against his shoulder. When he looked at her again, she had fallen asleep on him.

The next morning, she woke up startled. She was lying in the guest bedroom. She couldn't exactly remember how the evening ended, but didn't let it stop her from getting dressed and going right back to work. It was amazing what she already had done. If she spent the rest of the day detailing, it would be done before dinner. Bruce knocked on the door, pulling her concentration toward the door, "Yes?"

"Are you hungry?" asked Bruce. She had the tendency not to eat. No wonder she was tiny.

"I'll grab some lunch later Mr. Wayne!" she told him, "I'm in a groove right now. It's best not to stop me."

He chuckled at her logic, "Alright." She was still calling him Mr. Wayne.

Several hours passed. When Bruce came up from the Batcave again, the sun had just about disappeared over the horizon. Hours flew by when he did research. He was still trying to figure out where those two boys had been experimented on. He had a headache that was inconceivable. As he made his way to the room where Chelsea was working, he knocked, "Chelsea, how's it going?"

There wasn't a reply, so he went inside. His lips parted at the sight. He was surrounded by the city of Gotham. It was almost like having a photograph on each wall. He started walking around the room examining all the little details. That's when he saw it. The Bat Signal hung in the sky. As his eyes scanned the buildings, there was Batman, hunched over on a building top, watching over the city.

"I call it, Gotham's Guardian." she said coming in behind him.

His palm pressed against the wall, as he tightly closed his eyes. He was masking the fact that without a word spoken, Chelsea had driven him to shed a tear. He quickly wiped at his face and turned toward her, "It's… incredible."

She smiled, "I'm glad you like it."

"Did you ever eat?" he asked with concern.

"Alfred fixed me some dinner." She motioned her thumb back toward the door.

Bruce was still speechless. He created this whole plan just to give her some money, but he never expected to be so moved. This girl, struck a chord in him. One he never knew existed. He wasn't sure how he felt about this feeling. It was so new. He couldn't explain it, "Here," he pulled an envelope from his pocket, "I already have your payment."

"We never discussed a price, Mr. Wayne." She said, taking the envelope gingerly.

"We never needed to," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "but please, call me Bruce."

"I'm sorry," she blushed, "I don't mean to keep doing that, it's just when… oh, nevermind."

"Tell me," he requested.

She looked at him hesitantly, "I just, I always practiced what I wanted to say to you if I ever got to see you again. I had the speech memorized, but… I had forgotten it all in an instant the moment you appeared at my door." She paused, and held up her envelope, "Thank you, Bruce. I appreciate this more than you could ever know." She turned to the door, "I have to be going… but thank you for letting me stay the night. I got a lot more accomplished that way. If you ever need someone to watch Gray Ghost with, call me up. We'll have a marathon." She joked.

He placed his hands in his pockets, "We'll make a date of it." he was completely serious, but Chelsea didn't take it that way.

"Oh," Chelsea had one last thing to say. She recalled the moment she stood in the pouring rain with Batman. The look of sadness on his face, "Thank you… for getting that high school fixed… I have a friend who… probably really appreciates it."

As she walked out the door, Bruce stood in the middle of the room, staring at all of the colors of the night presented beautifully around him. He didn't leave the room for some time. Alfred came in the room sometime after, "Master Bruce, are you alright?"

"Look at it Alfred… look what she can do…" he murmured still amazed.

Alfred stood beside him. He had never seen that look in Bruce's eyes before. He was so… happy. Alfred would be the first to understand how he felt, even before Bruce himself realized it. He was madly in love with the artist that painted his entire life in art. Alfred placed a hand on his shoulder, "Look what she did, for you…" he corrected.

Bruce stared thoughtfully at the Batman image that watched over Gotham.

Chelsea went to the bank the next day sometime around eleven in the morning. She wanted to make sure the money got deposited in her account the following day so she could pay her bills on time. When she opened the envelope, her mouth hung open. A small note fell out of the envelope as well. Chelsea read the note, "It's a masterpiece. -Mr. Wayne." She laughed at the jab he took at her with the Mr. Wayne signage. Handing a deposit slip and the check to the banker, her eyes lit up too, "The Bruce Wayne?" she asked.

"Yeah," Chelsea murmured.

"Alright," she nodded, "We'll be sure to have this in your account shortly."

Chelsea returned to the Watch Tower later that day. She was in such high spirits. When she came in everyone turned to her, "Chels!" Wally exclaimed. He zoomed passed everyone and swept her off her feet, spinning her around once.

"He's been pretty lost without you," Wonder Woman admitted.

Chelsea laughed and embraced him, "I miss you too, Wal."

Everyone gathered around her, "So did you get your problem worked out?" Hawkgirl asked.

"Yeah, I got a commission. I worked my butt off for two days, but it was worth it." Chelsea told them. Once everyone started talking amongst themselves, Chelsea pulled Wonder Woman to the side, "Oh my God, Diana!" she was shaking from excitement, "You are not going to believe who asked me to paint a room in his house… Bruce Wayne!"

Diana looked shocked, "Wow!" she didn't know what to say, "That's… ironic."

"He paid me $20,000 to do it…" she still couldn't believe the sum of money.

"That's great," Diana smiled, "did anything… happen between you two?"

"Oh Gosh no," Chelsea waved her hand, "but… he was a really sweet person."

Batman entered the room quietly, "Hey Bats is here." Wally commented, "We haven't seen you in two days. Where ya been buddy?"

Batman looked right through Wally, watching Chelsea smiling and laughing with Diana, "Business." He moved passed the others, right to her.

"Hey Batman," smiled Chelsea.

"I have to talk to you." he said, "Privately." he corrected.

She looked at him with surprise, "Of course." The two of them left the room and went into the hallway.

"Sheesh, what was that about?" wondered Wally into the air.

That's when it all became clear for Wonder Woman as flashes of memory came flooding into her mind, "Oh Hera…" she murmured, covering her mouth.

"What is it?" asked Clark, concerned. Everyone's attention turned to her.

"It's nothing," she smiled nervously. Bruce Wayne was Batman. It was the only thing that made sense. How could Chelsea have not put that together by now?

Batman stopped walking and held his hand out to her, palm down, "Here."

She held her hand out to catch the pill he had borrowed from her, "Any luck?" she asked.

"I studied it for days… nothing but dead ends." he shook his head.

"I'm sorry," she told him, "we'll get it figured out. Don't worry."

"That was all I wanted," he told her, and started to walk off.

"Batman," She said into the open air.

He stopped, but did not turn toward her.

"I mean, Bruce, thanks for looking out for me," she said with a gentle tone.

His heart jumped, "What did you call me?" he asked.

"Superman told me your name was Bruce. So I thought I'd try it," She patted him on the shoulder, and walked passed him, back into the room with everyone else.

Bruce stood there to collect his thoughts. There he was again. All alone. Feeling her warmth pass by him, he wished he could reach out to her, but he couldn't. He had a mask for a reason. No one could know. Not even her.