For Appearance's Sake
By Teala373
Chapter 3
In our last chapter: Bruce and Barbara are beginning to enjoy pretending to be a couple, which begins to ruffle the feathers of Veronica Vreeland: a pampered socialite determined to bag Bruce. Alfred begins raising concerns about the situation before he leaves to visit his family in England.
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Barbara was never quite sure what she was supposed to do after Bruce kissed her, which he made a point of doing every time they appeared in public together. She would always narrow her eyes briefly at him as if to say 'you're still not getting me to break', but mostly it was a defense mechanism because the truth was, she enjoyed it each time.
She enjoyed being his fake girl friend so much, that she was hoping they would be able to keep up the charade for a while. She liked receiving beautiful flower bouquets from him at her office, and receiving parcels at her apartment with designer dresses and jewelry for her to wear to whatever fabulous place he was whisking her off away to next.
It had stopped feeling like play-acting very early on and was beginning to feel very real, but Barbara still wouldn't let Bruce get the best of her. She would never let him know that she really did enjoy their time together because she was positive that it was still all an act to him, that no matter how sweet or genuine he appeared, he was still only pretending. She was still convinced that he was also testing her, making sure she wasn't getting caught up in romantic notions and losing focus on their true goal. She would pass his little tests and prove to him that she was a strong partner.
Little did she know that Bruce's advances were hardly tests.
Although he never let on, Bruce did think about having a meaningful relationship and someone to share his life with. He thought he was asking the impossible, but Barbara was quickly changing his mind.
Of course, it wasn't without complications. Barbara was the daughter of the police commissioner and the ex-girlfriend to his estranged ward, whom he still wasn't on strong speaking terms with. Then, there was Barbara only thinking that this was for appearance's sake and taking his advances as some sort of test.
He smiled as he signed a credit card receipt for a dress and accessories he was sending her for their appearance at the opening night of the opera. he was almost positive that by the way she often responded, especially when he caught her off-guard, was not acting. If Barbara thought he was testing her, he was more than willing to rise to the challenge of proving to her otherwise.
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"So, get this," Barbara whispered to Bruce as they sat in the Wayne Enterprise private box of the Gotham Opera House, "I hacked into Bard's e-mail and found that he's working with someone on the outside to infiltrate Thorn's operations. I can't tell yet if he's playing double agent or not."
"Good work," Bruce whispered back, placing his lips closer enough to her ear to send tingles down her spine. When he saw the desired effect, he smiled before he pulled back and straightened in his chair.
The house lights blinked, signaling that the audience had two minutes to find their seats before the show started. Across the way, Bruce noted Veronica using her opera glasses to see try to scout out who was in attendance. As her glasses began scanning the box seats near theirs, Bruce took the opportunity to further challenge Barbara, though he tried to tell himself it was more for the sake of riling Veronica.
"Did I mention that you look absolutely beautiful tonight?" Bruce whispered in her ear, his lips hovering dangerously close to her neck.
Barbara laughed nervously. "Anyone can look good if they're sent an outfit that cost the equivalent of a small country's capital."
"You can't just take a compliment, can you?" Before she could respond, he placed a sensual kiss low on her neck.
She felt every nerve ending come alive with electricity as she felt his lips and tongue touch the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder. She was certain she was blushing from her toes all the way to the roots of her hair.
But she was not going to give him the satisfaction of swooning.
"You're really starting to get on my last nerve," she huffed.
"Yes, I noticed," he replied smugly.
She looked over at him with sparks of fire in her eyes, but failed to retort.
He met her defiant stare. "You still think this is a test, don't you?"
"Can't you just up my level in the combat sim?"
"Can't you just believe that maybe I'm actually enjoying being your fake boy friend?"
She looked him as though he had grown two heads. "Do you honestly want me to believe that the impenetrable Bruce Wayne is not only actually falling for someone, but that it's me? How stupid do you think I am? I thought you trusted me as your partner? If you didn't like my idea, you could just have told me instead of trying to make me feel like an ass," she hissed in whispered tones.
Grasping her face in his hands, Bruce pulled her forward and kissed her hard, his meaning clear. When he pulled back to look into her flushed face, the lights dimmed and the show began. He sat back in his seat, trying not to smile at himself as he heard her try to catch her breath.
Barbara normally loved opera and classical music, but she found herself rather spacey during the majority of the first act. As it ended, and the famous Vesti la Guibbaaria was sung, she lost herself in the music, spellbound by the actor performing it. She grasped Bruce's hand without realizing it. She had never actually heard the aria performed live, nor had she ever heard it performed so beautifully. Bruce looked over at her and smiled at the expression on her face.
From behind her opera glasses, Veronica scowled. She had spent the majority of the first act watching the other patrons and she was none too pleased at the romantic exchanges of the couple.
"I don't know, dah-ling," her long time friend Pierce whispered in her ear, "I think little Miss Gordon might just be the one to bring ol' Brucie-boy to his knees."
Growling low in the back of her throat, she told Pierce to zip it.
As the curtain fell, Barbara realized what she had done and pulled her hand away from Bruce's as though it had suddenly turned hot. However, he was quicker and grasped her hand back.
"There are a few people we should go say hello to." He kissed her hand before he stood and escorted her out into the lobby on their floor.
Ignoring her buzzing senses, Barbara composed herself and plastered on her best smile as she held her own among Gotham's elite.
A few cracks were made about Bruce dating the commissioner's daughter. Although Jim Gordon was a wonderful, sincere man, he could be incredibly intimidating. Barbara felt bile rise in her throat whenever it was mentioned. She had severely downplayed her relationship with Bruce to her father, telling him it had to do with a business proposal he had hand selected her to work on. While her father liked and respected Bruce, and didn't buy into the majority of the rumors about him, no one was ever good enough for his daughter.
Except Dick Grayson.
Barbara tried to swallow another rise of bile as she laughed at a joke the deputy mayor was making. Her father had adored Dick and had been truly disappointed when their relationship had ended.
"I guess it was bound to happen that he would want to step out from Bruce's shadow," he had said when she broke the news, telling him that Dick had decided to pursue ventures in Bludhaven. "If Gotham's sister city wasn't so vile, I would tell you to go with him."
"I think he means to clean up the city," Barbara mentioned, trying to steady her emotions, "he had been thinking about branching out with his own company, in honor of his parents..."
"Very noble. I'm sure he'll do well. Don't worry, princess, I'm sure this is just a temporary setback."
But it wasn't a temporary setback. It had been the end of something she had been so sure of, that the fall from the top was long and hard.
"I imagine you must get a lot of special treatment, dating the boss and all," Sasha Bordeaux, Wayne Enterprise's VP of Security joked with a wink.
Laughing, Barbara lightly swatted her arm. She liked Sasha and had become friendly with her when she was called into for her technical expertise on new security features. Sasha had quickly recognized that Bruce had hired her into such a high position because she was extremely qualified, not as a favor or social obligation.
"Sadly, no. My projects are still piling up, but the lunch dates are infinitely much better."
Sasha winked. "I'm sure you don't miss your old ham and cheese days in the break room."
Barbara laughed, but inside, she felt a small amount of sadness, remembering that Dick would always meet her at a small cafe on the corner of the block her office was on. They loved sitting in the large, overstuffed couches sipping bad coffee and eating sloppy sandwiches and wraps that reminded them of their college cafeteria days.
She quickly began a new topic of conversation with Sasha, eager to wipe away the memories.
"Brucie!" Both Bruce and Barbara looked up to see Veronica dragging shipping heir Pierce Montague towards them.
Sasha turned so that only Barbara could see her roll her eyes. "I'm sure you know all about that one," she whispered.
Barbara nodded. "Her I can handle. It's Selina Kyle and Talia al Ghul that I can't." She stifled an "ouch" as she felt Bruce dig into her side. She looked up at him with mock innocence, causing Sasha to smile knowingly when she noticed how it cracked Bruce's glare into a sly grin.
"How are you enjoying the opera, darling?" Veronica asked Bruce when she reached him.
"Probably not as well as you are," Bruce replied, knowing full well that Veronica hardly paid attention. "You remember Barbara, don't you," he gestured to his date that he held securely on his arm.
Veronica's eyes steeled over, but she quickly recomposed herself. "Of course I do. Wonderful to see you again, dear."
Barbara smiled and made pleasantries, cutting in effectively every time Veronica tried to address Bruce. An impressed Sasha joined the conversation, wanting to see what else Barbara was capable of.
"So, how long have you and Pierce been dating," Barbara asked with sincerity, pretending to be oblivious that the other woman was always making a play for Bruce.
"Oh no, dear, Pierce and I don't date, we just escort each other about, you know."
"No, I don't," Barbara replied, laying on the innocence routine pretty thick, "is it how Bruce and I 'escort' each other, or is more of an open 'escort' relationship?"
Both Pierce and Bruce coughed to cover up their nervous laughs. Sasha, however, laughed outright, while Veronica turned red.
"I don't believe that's a very appropriate topic of conversation," Veronica practically hissed.
Barbara simply shrugged. "My apologies," the lights then blinked, signaling that the intermission was coming to a close, "if you'll excuse us, we must be getting back to our seats. It's always nice to meet a friend of Bruce's."
Smiling, Bruce nodded politely and led Barbara back to their box, leaving a fuming Veronica in their wake.
"Who does that little minx think she is?" they heard her silently shriek to Pierce.
"Well played," he whispered to Barbara as they took their seats," though you do need to watch that temper of yours."
Barbara flashed eyes that could turn Medusa to stone on him. "Look, we may not actually be dating, but she doesn't know that. She could be a little more respectful. It's getting exhausting trying to thwart her pathetic attempts all the time. How do you put up with it?"
"Chai tea and meditation."
"Very funny."
"I'm serious."
"You're never serious."
He turned and gave her an incredulous look.
She snickered. "You know what I mean... when you're like this you're never serious. When you're playing this part you're never serious."
Leaning over, he surprised her with another kiss. "I'm very serious about you."
She narrowed her eyes at him as she always did and turned her attention towards the stage. She didn't protest when he took her hand in his and held it throughout the remainder of the performance.