"How does Annette keep up with all of this?"

Bruce and Eva were stuck in his office with the ugly task of "housekeeping". The time had arisen for Bruce to go before the board members with a yearly "Clean Sweep" review that required him to go through all the files in his office and write up a review of the ones to be sent into storage. For the last two years, Annette had been the one to take care of the files. Essentially, she did Bruce's job for him, but Eva was still learning about the particulars so her boss ventured out to help her. It had been about two days on the task, and much to his surprise, two of his most enjoyable days at the office.

The phone rang causing Eva to get up off the floor of the file room. This was more difficult than it sounded, for Eva was wearing a skirt. Bruce quickly stood up and extended his hands to help her up. "Thanks," she said while taking off toward the phone. Bruce was left to stare after her. Somewhere during the two weeks he had spent with her, he had found himself constantly juggling his thoughts between his other job and his newly appointed temp-secretary. He had come to the conclusion that she wasn't so much a distraction as she was a reason to come into work. He was sure no one knew, well, save for one very perceptive old man.

But it would seem that Alfred knew everything.

It was a conversation that had taken place one night when Bruce had actually stayed home. He was sprawled out on the couch in his study, eyes wide open, but not seeing the book case he was focused on. Alfred had observed the young mans disposition from the door way.

"She's a very well bred lady, I would think, Master Bruce."

Bruce's eyes flinched at the sound of his confidant's voice. "Who?"

"Miss Gordon, of course."

A small smile crept across his face. He could think of a thousand ways to describe Eva and well-bred was not one that had ever come to mind. "She's not a horse, Alfred."

"Quite so then, sir. She is very nice to look at."

Bruce was a little shocked at the forthright manner in which his usually reserved butler spoke. And even still, at the knowledge of what she looked like. He sat up and looked at his butler. "When have you seen her?"

"I saw Miss Gordon the other night when she left that stack of papers for you to sign, which I might add, you have not."

Bruce laid back down, staying silent, wishing the conversation to be over.

"You might take her out for lunch maybe, or possibly dinner. She is friendless in the city at the moment." Alfred paused to observe his master's expression. Bruce gave away nothing.

Yeah, it's not for lack of trying. Bruce had tried to get Eva to go to lunch with him everyday he had gone into the office, and everyday she turned him down. He had to admit, he wasn't used to the rejection.

"And she is currently looking for a nesting ground. You may try and help her find a place to live."

That's an idea. Bruce stood up from the couch and looked Alfred in the eye. "How do you know so much about her?"

A smile passed over his face before answering, "I asked."

"Don't you have a cell phone?"

Eva walked back through the door, pulling Bruce out of his thoughts.

"Hm?"

She gave him a dirty look in response before plopping back down beside her boss.

"What?" He looked mock offended.

"Call Heidi." She said while flipping open a folder.

"Who?"

She laughed at that. "I don't know. I'm not the one dating 'Heidi'." Eva started laughing after saying the name. She couldn't help it. It's not that it was a bad name. It's just that the way the girl sounded over the phone and the type of name she had, Eva was left to imagine the worst.

"First of all, I'm not dating Heidi. Second of all, what's so funny?"

"Nothing," she said. She didn't want to offend her employer, even though she doubted he would care even if she had told him what she was laughing at. Bruce just kept looking at her. "It's just that I have this certain image in my head, of what 'Heidi' looks like." She stopped there, but Bruce kept looking at her.

"And what does she look like?"

"A pretty girl, just...not very bright."

He had to stifle laughter at that. Eva had hit the nail on the head.

"Actually, you've got it all wrong. Heidi is a very bright young woman."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. She has an obsession with dying her hair as blonde as she can get it, and sometimes, when the light hits it, you almost go blind."

Eva started laughing again, the sound ringing in the tiny file room. Bruce looked at his watch.

"Come on," he said while standing up, "let's go get some lunch. It's twelve-thirty and I'm starving." He offered his hands to help her up, which she accepted. They walked into the main office and took notice of the pelting rain out the window.

"Oh no."

Bruce, who was standing behind his secretary, smiled at the back of her head.

"What?" he said before walking around her. He looked out the big window. "Oh, the rain."

Eva already knew what his little speech would entail. Bruce continued, "See, I'm not going to be affected by the rain because I can walk across the enclosed walk way to the parking garage, get in my nice, dry car, and get dryly to the covered restaurant of choice." He paused, turning to face his co-worker. "But I suppose for someone like you who walks almost everywhere, this would present a problem."

"Thank-you for that. I had not noticed." She thought for a moment. He could tell that a little light had just gone off in her head. "I'll just eat downstairs."

"You could," he began thoughtfully, "but that would take an excruciating amount of time, plus it's so crowded, and the food I hear is not that good."

A small smile crept across her face. "But I was under the impression that you were the one who approved the menu, and personally had hired the chef."

Bruce looked at her, all jokes put aside. "Just eat lunch with me. As I've said since day one, nothing implied." She gave him a quizzical look. "I promise." Eva was about to protest for what seemed like the thousandth time, when he pressed on. "If anyone has anything to say about it, I'll deal with them." Judging by his tone of voice, she didn't doubt it.

But still.

"You know, you worry too much about what other people think."

She looked up at him, giving him one of her best glares. "Maybe you should try worrying a little bit more about what people think."

Bruce's stomach gave a menacing growl. "Look," he started out, "we can either stand here, hungry and argue about this, or we can go eat lunch somewhere, filling our stomachs with food while arguing about this."

Eva gave one last look out the window before admitting defeat. "Fine." She stormed over to her desk and grabbed her purse. "But I'm warning you, my father's a cop."

They made it to the restaurant and managed to evade any crowd that might have reared it's ugly head, of course, not without going back and forth about where they were going to go.

"Just do what you would normally do for lunch. I don't want to be a bother," she had stated after about two minutes of the meandering conversation. In the office, Eva had been resolutely mad at Bruce, but upon reaching his very nice Aston Martin, however, her nerves had caught up with her and she had to admit to being a little intimidated.

"Alright then, Do you have any food allergies?"

What? "Food allergies?"

"Yeah, you know allergic reactions to certain foods? Does your throat swell up when you swallow peanuts, or something like that?"

"Um," what kind of restaurant was he planning on taking her to? "Not that I am consciously aware of."

Bruce turned to look over his shoulder while reversing.

"Good. I think I know where we can go."

Thus the pair ended up at a quiet, but upscale Asian restaurant.

"Ever eaten sushi?" He asked after they had been given the hot tea they had ordered.

"No can't say that has ever appealed to me." Eva stated resolutely while looking up from her menu. "And I'm not feeling adventurous today." She had the feeling that she was going to end up being force fed sushi. "I think I will just have egg drop soup with some vegetables."

He furrowed his brow at her. "I'm not very hungry." A lie they both knew, but this was a fancy Asian restaurant; she had no idea how much the food cost, and she wasn't going to let Bruce pay, even if it was his idea to eat lunch together. Eva cleared her throat and changed the subject.

"So do you think we'll get through all the files before you give your report?"

"I think so, we only have a drawer to go through. That's hardest part. The report should be nothing." He put the menu he was holding down on the table. Wayne Enterprises was the last thing he wanted to talk about and giving the board a report was something he never wanted to talk about.

"I hear you're looking for a place to live?" In the background, a very gentle Asian melody was playing.

Eva gingerly ran a hand through her hair. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Word travels fast around Wayne Mansion."

A light smile shown across her face. Alfred. She hadn't heard much about Bruce Wayne's butler, so when she thought of what he must be like, she was left up to her imagination. Of course, upon meeting the white-haired old man, her imagination was proven wrong. He was nothing like what she thought. "Living with my parents isn't exactly my ideal post-college arrangement. My dad's been trying to find time to help me search for a place to live. Actually, he's been insisting that he go with me." She paused to sip her tea.

"Why does he insist on going with you?"

Eva gave a tiny laugh at the thought. "Because he insists that only he knows the safest areas in Gotham City." Bruce smiled at that. He could imagine his friend in anonymity saying those words to his daughter. She continued, "But his schedule as of late has been so hectic, he's had no time."

Bruce looked at her for a moment, thoughtful. He shrugged. "If it's safety he's worried about, I could always take you." Eva gave him a wide-eyed look. "I know my way around and where some of the best areas are." She looked on at him, incredulously. "That is, if you want. I didn't mean to-."

"Oh no. No, that's a really nice offer, but I couldn't possibly take up your time. I'm sure you have much more important things to do than show me around Gotham's real estate."

He gave a little laugh while leaning into the table. "I wouldn't mind at all, actually. I mean, I can always buy more time if you cause me to lose out on too much of it." He gave her a sly wink. Eva was so easy to tease. She just gazed at him across the table. Bruce had to smile at her. She was so full of propriety. He wondered if she ever did anything questionable, ever. When Eva gave him no reply, he opened his mouth to speak, but the waiter came in time to take their orders. Bruce ordered a rather hearty, but healthy, meal which did indeed include sushi, and Eva ordered her rather meager meal of soup and vegetables. After the waiter had left, Bruce gave her a look and she knew they were back where they had been before the server had come.

"Are you ever improprietous?" She had expected another defensive invitation, but the question quickly threw her off guard. They were indeed back where they had started.

"Excuse me?"

"You are quite possibly the most scandal wary female I have met, by far."

Wow. That was quite bold, even for a billionaire. The words he spoke were harsh, but if Eva didn't know better, his eyes were betraying his jest.

"Well, now that I know you think me immorally bankrupt, I think we've cleared some air." She couldn't help but laugh and she wasn't sure why.

"I would never have volunteered to go with you if I didn't want to. If I thought it a waste of time, the idea never would have come together." Now his eyes betrayed...sincerity. Eva found herself feeling guilty as his words.

Before she could grip the words and pull them back before they escaped her, she was apologizing.

"I'm sorry," she said and then stopped. Why was she sorry? She had to wonder. After all, he was the one that had called her "scandal wary" and "proprietous".

Wait, were those even insults?

Bruce sat across the table and watched her, a small smile crossing his face. She looked utterly confused. She took notice of his amusement and arched an eyebrow.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm just wondering," she said flatly, "if 'scandal wary' and 'proprietous' could be classified as insults." Both of them stared at each other for a moment before sharing a laugh.

"...and that was pretty much why I decided to go to Metropolis for my college."

Bruce nodded at her answer to his question before taking a drink of his tea. A cell phone range in the distance and it prompted Eva to look at her watch. It was early still, she thought, only three. THREE?! They were so late.

Bruce took note the frantic look on her face. "What is it?"

Almost embarrassed to answer him, she looked past him, at the flower painted on the wall.

"You tricked me," she said. She knew before she ever even said it that he had, but it still felt good to say the words. He gave her a questioning look.

"How so?"

"I'm late." She paused for dramatic effect. "An hour and a half late."

"That's funny," he stated looking thoughtful, "who do you think is going to reprimand you?"

Eva shot him a look which he tried to avoid, but she had to admit, he had a point. She cleared her throat before answering. "The superiors." She avoided his eye contact; she had to say something.

"Eva, I'm your superior."

"You know what I mean." Try as she might, she couldn't get mad.

Bruce signaled for the check as he mouthed the word 'propriety' at her. She threw her napkin at him then looked down at her plate in an attempt to hide her laughter.

The check came and she chided herself for not thinking to ask for a separate check. Without even looking her way, Bruce took out his wallet.

"Here," she said while pulling out her own wallet, "how much was my end?"

He looked up at her and took notice of her actions. "No, I insist."

"Bruce please, really, I want to pay for my half." Sometime during their long lunch, he had convinced her to call him Bruce instead of Mr. Wayne. She noticed how much less stuffy it made him sound, but it still felt a little awkward calling her boss by his first name. Eva gave him a look, then insisted again on paying her half. When he declined, she reached across the table and grabbed the check. Then she almost went blind at what she saw.

$78.60 was the total. Her half ended up totaling $32. Wow. And she was still hungry. That was some expensive soup. What the hell did they put in it? Gold? Bruce had to stifle back laughter at the look she had on her face, a mixture of shock, disbelief, and...fear? Meanwhile, Eva was silently cursing herself. All she had was a twenty-dollar bill on her. Her lunch mate gingerly reached across the table and took back the tab.

"It's on me." He said the words with such finality that she didn't want to argue back.

And she was thankful for that.

Aaron Adams glided down the hall to Bruce Wayne's office, well aware of the affirming looks some of the female employees were giving him. He knew he was good looking, obviously they knew he was good looking; he couldn't help it if he was a little arrogant. He pulled open the glass door to Bruce Wayne's office and walked up to the secretary's desk. Not looking up from the computer screen, Eva asked if she could help him.

"I would like to speak with Mr. Wayne."

She looked up at the man speaking and drew in her breath upon making eye contact.

"Name?" she exhaled.

"Aaron Adams." He appraised her very openly and wasn't shy in relaying his approval with his eyes.

"I'm sorry Mr. Adams, but there was no appointment recorded and Mr. Wayne is out of his office for the day." A lie, but Bruce had previously relayed to his secretary his disinclination for speaking with Mr. Adams. Eva just hoped Bruce wouldn't decide to pop out of his office any time soon. She appraised Aaron Adams' look and he gave no sign of discomfort. In fact, he just shrugged.

"Can I make an appointment then?"

Eva smiled at him. "Of course, when would you like?"

He gave her a thoughtful look. "How about this Friday night. Around eight."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry Mr. Wayne doesn't make business appointments at night."

"I wasn't enquiring after Mr. Wayne."

It took her a moment before realizing the meaning behind his words.

"I'm sorry," he said, though rather insincerely. "I shouldn't have. It's just that you have the most amazing feet I have ever seen and I couldn't resist a chance to take them out."

"My feet?"

"Yeah, see," he pointed to the bottom of her desk where her feet happened to be shoeless and sticking out. Eva found herself laughing at the absurdity. "So what then can I say for Friday night?"

She looked down then back up her inquisitor. She knew she shouldn't, but...

"Alright, that sounds nice."

A broad smile crept across Aaron Adams' handsome face. "Alright then, I'll give you a call here tomorrow."

Eva smiled as he retreated out of the office and back down the corridor. She was left to think about what had just transpired when she heard a voice directly behind her.

"What was that about?"

Startled, she turned to face her boss.

"I'm not sure."

"Thanks for covering for me, but it's really not necessary to date the man." Eva laughed at the look on his face. "What gave you the inclination to say yes?"

She thought for a moment before answering, then crossed her face with a wide smile.

"Impropriety."

Sorry for such a long time between updates, I had finals, then a massive wave of writer's block hit me. Anyway, I hope to advance fairly well with this story now. Thanks for the reviews, and as always, don't forget to leave feedback for this chapter.