(A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys, you guys are spoiling me! =) Not that I mind at ALL~~~~ ALL OF THEM mean a lot to me and every single one of them helps! NOW I love all of your guesses but some of you are becoming psychic, I feel like I'm predictable which WOULDN'T be a good thing…
Am I predictable? xD
ANYHOO Enjoy the latest chapter~ It's my favorite so far *although I like seven a lot too*)
"Mr. Wayne! What was your reaction to the news?"
"Mr. Wayne! Is what Bullock said true?"
"Why did you not show up for work today, Bruce?"
"Mr. Wayne!"
"Bruce!"
"Mr. Wayne!"
"Bruce!"
The questions had started streaming out of the reporters' mouths before Bruce had even fully gotten out of the car, and when he WAS out they only intensified. He could barely tell one from another, they all were just a jumbled up mess of words with his name mixed in constantly. Lights were on him constantly, whether flashing or not, he was getting photographed and videotaped at the same time.
It was starting to give him a nice, hard migraine.
"Mr. Wayne, if you really are who Bullock has claimed that you are what do you plan on doing from now on? Will you still be Batman? How will this interfere with Batman's involvement in the Justice League?"
The question got right to the point, even repeating what Clark had said a bit yesterday. Everyone wanted to know the answer to it and the crowd grew quiet. Bruce froze whenever he heard the question spoken. He only knew one person who would ask questions like that, in the manner, getting down to the point from the start.
The reporters parted as Bruce turned so he could confirm his suspicions on who was talking to him. Dick paused beside Bruce, finally out of the limo, as he stared in shock.
"Well Bruce, are you going to answer those questions before or after you catch some flies?" Lois Lane asked smugly as Bruce composed himself.
"Pass," he said simply, watching her as she smirked at him with one hand on her hip, Jimmy behind her with his camera.
Lois took a few steps closer and Bruce didn't move until she was about two feet away from him.
"So are you denying or confirming that you are the Dark Knight?" she persisted, raising one eyebrow.
"Pass," Bruce repeated a bit more firmly this time. That was one thing he'd never admit out loud, no matter how much evidence or information people knew. He composed himself more after that, even turning and starting towards the door.
Lois, stubborn as she was, wouldn't let him get off so easily though. She quickly moved so she was blocking his way, planting her feet firmly on the ground and meet his gaze square on.
"Was Bullock lying?" she questioned him.
"Yes," Bruce answered instantly, even though it was a lie. Again, he would never admit the truth, it just felt wrong.
"Then the photo was a fake?" Lois tried to confirm, but she sounded suspicious of him, one hand on her hip again.
This time, Bruce hesitated in answering, which was unwise of him because Lois noted it. Finally, he just growled, "Pass," before pushing gently around her and heading past the guard into the building.
Lois tried to follow him again, but the guard there stepped in her path sternly, stopping her. "No press allowed," he told her gruffly and she scowled, leaning around him to peer inside as Dick followed his father, making the door open.
"You can't hide from the press Bruce!" she called through her opening. Then, the doors closed with a whoosh and she was blocked out.
Those seven words echoed in the playboy's head as he absently walked over to a food table so he was out of the seeing range of the front door. He numbly picked up a grape and ate it as his thoughts swirled.
Suddenly, Bruce heard the soft sound of feet and a hand was on his shoulder. He jumped a bit, spinning around to face the person who'd made contact with him.
A bellowing laugh came from the blonde who was now in front of him. "Did I really make YOU jump?" he laughed and Bruce rolled his eyes.
"Grow up Queen," he growled as he turned back to the food table, deciding to eat another grape.
Oliver sighed and put the hand back on Bruce's shoulder, making him turn and then placing his other hand on the remaining shoulder. He looked the man straight in the eyes as he spoke.
"Don't let the reporters get to you, especially Lois because it's exactly what they want," he told his friend firmly. He knew a bit what Bruce was going for. Once, Oliver Queen was tried for murder (which he obviously didn't commit, but the evidence had been planted otherwise, to frame him) so he understood Bruce's sudden reporter problem. Sure, he had reporters talk to him before, but nothing like this.
Bruce sighed and nodded. "You're right, but –"
"Of course I am!" Oliver all but shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. He then dusted his shoulders off. "It's about time you noticed…" he said with a satisfied, yet teasing, tone.
Bruce rolled his eyes again. "Don't get used to that, Queen. You won't be hearing me say that very often."
Oliver chuckled. "I would be shocked if I did," he teased. Then, his expression changed as he slung his arm around Bruce's shoulders. "So…" he started, "what do you want to do? We have the whole night my friend."
Bruce opened his mouth, about to say a response, when he noticed something. He snapped his jaw shut and craned his neck, scanning the crowd in sudden concern.
"Wait, Oliver… have you seen Dick?"
…. …. …. …. ….
Dick sighed as he watched his father walk over to the food table, eating a grape after Lois's reporter attack. Sure, Dick loved Lois, she was cool and all, but she sometimes was a bit too good at her job…
Dick shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced around the room, heaving out another sigh. This was going to be pretty boring, as things like this usually were… Usually, he had Roy to help keep him entertained, but even though he and Oliver were on semi-speaking terms the red head rarely hung around his parties or Star City at all.
If he really wanted something to do, he could always go answer some of the questions the reporters wanted to know… He glanced behind him to look at the crowd there that was screaming at him like crazed fans.
Dick shuddered and looked away. No, he'd rather die than go out there. Those reporters were nasty creatures. He'd be eaten alive and everything he said would be twisted and turned to be used against him. Yes, they were paid savages.
Dick instantly decided after that that he didn't even want to be near them, so he began to shuffle through the crowd to get away while still trying to think of what to do. That's when he broke through on another side and noticed the elevator.
Dick smiled to himself, an idea of what to do coming to his mind. He headed over to the elevator and hit the call button. The doors opened instantly and he stepped inside, hitting the button for floor 40 (Oliver's favorite number) which was the floor where Oliver's office was.
The elevator ride was fairly short, since it was a straight shot, and soon the thing dinged and the doors swooshed open. Dick stepped out lithely and began to walk softly down the halls. He knew this place almost as well as the Wayne buildings because he'd visited Roy so much when he was younger and this is where they'd went most of the times when he DID visit.
He walked along until he was in front of the giant room that was Oliver Queen's office. That's where he paused, looking in through the glass for a moment…
Just then Dick noticed someone out of the corner of his eye. He assumed it was a guard, but he still turned to check, taking a step back into the shadows as he did in case the person hadn't noticed him yet.
Dick looked at the person, expecting a uniform NOT a suit with fiery read hair on the head. He stepped out into the little light there was with a surprised look on his face.
"Roy?" he asked in shock and the red head smirked, stopping in front of the raven-haired boy. "What are you doing here?"
"The Team and I did promise to stick around sometimes whenever you were in your civvies," Roy said with the grin still on his face. Then, Roy sort of shrugged his shoulders. "Plus I knew you'd be here and I had nothing better to do…"
Dick rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "Thanks Roy, I feel loved," Dick said with heavy sarcasm.
Roy laughed a laugh that reminded Dick a lot of Oliver. "You should! At least you came to my mind, heck, you were the first person I'd thought of when I was bored!"
Dick rubbed his chin, acting as though he were deep in though. Finally, he tilted his head from side to side. "I guess that counts…" he said, dragging out the "guess" when he spoke.
Roy laughed again and Dick grinned.
"So… how did you know that you would find me up here?" Dick asked gesturing around him as the two very slowly began to continue down the hall in the direction from which Roy came.
"Well, I didn't see you in the Lobby so I'd assumed this was where you'd be if you could get up here," Roy told him, "… and I saw you get into the elevator."
Dick snickered. "You're quiet a Sherlock," he teased, slugging his friend (practically his brother) playfully in the shoulder. Then, his expression went quickly from playful to deep in thought, reminiscing. "Do you remember the time we, you, Wally and I, covered Oliver's entire office with packing bubbles?"
Roy muffled his laugh with his hand at the memory. "Yeah, I do. That was so funny! But my favorite prank we pulled would have to be when we covered his new Ferrari with multi colored duct tape," Roy said.
Dick beamed. "That was epic. I loved it! I still have some pictures of it, too… But, afterwards, we ended up getting the privilege of taking it all back OFF and cleaning the car about, oh, twenty times until every bit of sticky was off. THEN, even after all of that, Bruce had to pay for a new paint job since we'd all but ruined it…"
Roy stuck out his chest. "I think the car looked pretty god dam awesome with the duct tape coating. It was stylish and the windows weren't covered and you could open the doors and hood and trunk. Heck, it was just like a tape paint job! He should have kept it on but NO he just HAD to ground us instead!"
Dick scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, what an unstylish jerk!"
The two looked at each other for a little bit before busting out laughing. They controlled it after a minute or so, letting out a sigh as they did. Then, the two walked in a comfortable silence for a while. After a little bit, though, Dick broke it with a deep breath.
"We should probably go back now before either: a, a guard decides to kick us out, or b, Bruce has a conniption because he can't find me… I'm surprised he hasn't called already," Dick told Roy, murmuring the last part to himself while he got out his phone, checking for any missed calls.
"Well, one reason he may not have called is because I texted Oliver whenever I saw you, assuming he'd relay the message to Bruce," Roy told Dick, who nodded.
"Ah, you're probably right… but we should still head back. People might get suspicious if I walk in through the front doors but never really make an appearance," Dick explained and Roy sighed.
"As usual, the certified genius is right," he muttered under his breath teasingly and Dick laughed heartily.
"Well, I am certified," he teased right back, brushing some dust off of his shoulders as they reached the elevator. Dick hit the call button as Roy stuck his tongue out at his friend.
The two boys listening to the whir of the machine as the elevator came up to their floor. The elevator dinged and the doors opened so the two stepped inside. Roy hit the button for the Lobby and soon they were heading down.
As the two stood there, Dick suddenly smirked. "Remember the time we sabotaged the elevator once and made the music become all creepy and the lights went out –"
"–and we made it stop between the 12th and 14th floors?" Roy finished, laughing. "Yeah, I totally remember that. Some people freaked out, they're so superstitious and gullible… Oliver wasn't pleased, of course, and he was late for a meeting, too."
"Yeah," Dick sighed, grinning. "Man, we sure messed up this place a LOT of times…"
"Totally," Roy agreed, snickering.
Just then, the elevator dinged again, announcing their arrival at the lobby. The doors parted and the two boys stepped out together with their hands in their pockets as they scanned the crowd for their mentors (or, in Roy's case ex-mentor).
Dick spotted Bruce standing next to Oliver and nudged Roy, opening his mouth, about to point them out whenever he heard shrill screams coming from outside. Roy instantly shoved him to the ground just as an explosion blew open a section of the front wall (which was glass).
Dick stood up after it subsided, coughing and trying to see through the smoke and debris. As the air settled he managed to find Bruce again, who was just standing up with Oliver who was trying to slip away. Roy did the same thing and Dick realized why. They wanted to help and this was how they would…
WHY did they want to help, though? Surely the person who did this couldn't be that much of –
"Shit," Dick cursed under his breath when he saw the man standing in the middle of the big hole. He was scanning the crowd, obviously looking for someone.
Just then, the man's eyes landed on Bruce and Dick cursed again. This couldn't be good.
The man strutted over to where the billionaire of Gotham was standing at and stopped just a few feet in front of him with a smile on his face.
"Why hello Bruce," the man greeted in a sickeningly sweet way, "long time no see."
(A/N: HEY guys! I want to hear your response as to WHO you think this is? Any guesses? First person to get it right MIGHT get something =P Like a preview or a scene dedicated to them or something~~ ^-^
YAY! zotSOS there's your Roy for you! Lol I already had him planned in but you guessed it so =P
ANYHOO hope you guys liked it~ Already have 1/3 of the next chapter wrote so I hope to get it up soon, too! Love you all!
~KKCopper)