Trying to write as fast as I can so I might be able to update again later tonight before I have to head into work. Thank you all! No editing. You all know the drill. - D

I stood in the twirling group of people, keeping my eyes focused on Liam to steady myself. He smiled this cheeky smile and walked towards me. I can't believe I'm standing out here. I really need to refrain from challenges when I've been drinking. He held out his hand and I took it firmly, wrapping my arm around his neck as he wrapped one around my back. His warmth radiated out and encompassed me. He looked down at me as we began to move. One, two, three? Right? I don't even know. I let him lead the way and carry us around the floor. I stumbled and giggled slightly doing so. "You're not terrible," he whispered as the music played.

"Well, that's probably because I have a good leader." What the hell brain? Flirting? I bit my lip and looked down. Did I really-? No more alone time if I'm going to be drinking. He laughed and that face engulfing smile spread. I always forget that my filter goes completely away after drinking. This is going to be interesting.

"Not so bad yet, am I?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, not really. I know you have everyone else enamored with you."

"Do I?" I nodded, looking out into the crowd as we danced.

"Yes, even Gordon likes you." He dropped his head and looked back up.

"Interesting," he stated, with this emotion in his voice that I couldn't read.

"So, you're going to have to tell me something." He nodded. I could feel his arm drop a bit to the middle of my waist, pulling me in closer. I dropped my head down. Now's the time to talk. No one is around. "Why did you go and serve the rest of your father's sentence?" He smirked.

"I didn't really have a choice. I was forced to. One thing I didn't know about my father is that he was a secret serial killer."

"What?" I asked, taken aback by his answer. And I thought my dad had problems. Which he did. He just took his tendencies out on one person.

"I had the same reaction when I found out. He skipped town shortly before he was supposed to be thrown in The Pit. They came to London and kidnapped me instead. It was death or prison. I chose prison. Had I known at the time what I was in for, I would have picked death." The tone in his voice became weary and distant. "I was beaten a lot, mainly because I wasn't a criminal and didn't have any fighting skills. A few of the men trained me, helped make me strong, and I met Talia..." he trailed off, the sadness showing in his eyes. Oh, no, let's not talk about her. I will seriously lose all ability to contain myself. He swallowed and looked down.

"We don't have to talk about that, Liam. I know that's not exactly a nice thing for you to talk about," I soothed, glancing away as he looked back up.

"I want to talk about it." That makes one of us. "She gave me something to fight for in that prison. She gave me the strength to want to carry on. I was ready to lie down and die. I protected her up until the day she escaped and then she came back to free me. The men took advantage of me then, beat me savagely until I couldn't see straight. It was horrific - the things they did to me." Join the club. "Talia urged me to join The League. I had no idea what I was in for, but I knew I owed her my life. To join, I had to undergo this transformation into that thing," he said the word with disgust. "It was the only way I could join. Ra's wouldn't let me any other way." I nodded and listened to his words. I opened my mouth to speak again as a person hit the side of their glass loudly, stepping up to the podium. Everyone stopped and turned to watch Selina take the podium at the front of the tent. I hadn't even said hello to Bruce yet. As if I wanted to.

"Hello," Selina greeted, her charming smile on her face. "I'd like to thank you all for coming and let you all know that dinner will be served. Seating assignments are on the table just outside of the tent." She stepped away from the podium and disappeared into the crowd. Liam held his hand out and gestured for me to walk in front of him. I stepped forward and walked out towards the entrance of the tent, feeling Liam's warmth behind me. Curiosity popped up into my head, swarming with questions. I was going to prod him to death. I wanted to know everything I could.

"So, would you have taken the transformation if you had known what would happen?" I asked, falling back beside him. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his dress pants, staring between the ground and the crowd ahead of us as we waiting our turn to see our assignment.

"Probably not, no."

"What would have you done about Talia then?" He shrugged.

"I'm not quite sure." I nodded and stepped forward in line. "One of those in the moment decisions, you know?" I suppose? I don't really know much about those.

"Did you ever find your father?" He shook his head and looked down at me.

"I've never seen him again. I haven't seen him since before I headed away to Cambridge."

"Do you think he's still alive?" He shrugged again.

"I don't really know. He's one person I never really wanted to head out and find. You know?" Boy, do I know. You have no idea how well I know. We stopped at the table - seeing as it was our turn - and found our assignments. We were sitting at table one with Alfred, Bruce, Selina, Gordon, Beth, Venus, Blake, and Lucius. Great. At least I'll get my chance to have it out with the both of them at once. We walked out to our table, sitting down next to each other, smiling and saying hello again to Gordon and Beth who were already sitting down. He handed me a glass of champagne and took a sip from his. "Tell me about you. You know so much about me when I know so little about you." I choked a little on the champagne and sat it down. Oh, no.

"There's not really anything special about me," I stated, waving my hand.

"I find that very hard to believe."

"Believe it," I quipped. Just drop it.

"I think it's only fair," he whispered, lowly. I looked up into his eyes and breathed in deeply. "Don't you?" He's not going to drop it. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Think of something fast. 'Yes, my father abused me from the age of 5, shortly after my mother died, then started raping me when I was 15. I was raped and abused for 2 years before I was found beaten senseless in an alley. I was taken in by my uncle and went on to become a surgeon. End scene of interesting life.' Yeah, that's not going to fly.

"I grew up here in Gotham with my uncle and aunt on the southwest side of town. My mother and father both died in a car accident when I was very young. I went on to graduate, go to college, and ended up becoming the person you see here today." He smiled and took another sip of his champagne.

"At least one of us had a normal life." Nope. We have a lot more in common than you think. I fiddled nervously with my bracelet again, hoping someone else would interrupt the conversation.

"What are you two talking about over there?" Gordon asked from across the table.

"Leave them alone," Beth hissed, sweetly, smiling as she put her hand on his arm. Gordon smiled down at her and kissed her cheek. I want that. Not from Gordon, of course, but someone… I took another long drink of my champagne and met Liam's eyes again. No, preferably not him either, well… He smiled, letting blush spread out across my cheeks again. Maybe. Jesus. I need to stop.

"There you are!" Bruce cheered from a few feet away. I rolled my eyes as he took a seat beside me. Selina eyeballed me, as usual. Bruce. You and I -we have some things to discuss.

"Happy Birthday, Bruce," I cheered, plastering a fake smile on my face.

"Thank you," he told me, patting my shoulder. I gave a polite nod to Selina and returned to my glass, drinking it down before a waiter came by to refill glasses. If one thing was for sure, it was that they wanted everyone to be drunk at these events, or I was just trying to make it happen. "I'm glad you were able to clear out your schedule and join us." I narrowed my eyes at him and watched as Lucius sat down, a smile on his face.

"Lucius," I clipped, pointing at him.

"Miss Engel!" he exclaimed, brightly, smiling at me.

"Did you do any computer work for Bruce today?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I did actually, just as I do any other day." I squinted at him as he laughed.

"You two are awful," I stated, turning to look away from the both of them.

"Only on certain occasions," Lucius added. I fought the urge to roll my eyes and re-scanned the table. Everyone was there except for Venus. I'll deal with you two later. I gave my pleasantries to Alfred and Blake, looking around to see if I could spot Venus. She joined our table shortly before they started bringing out the first course. A three course meal? At a birthday party?

"Anyone been anywhere fun lately?" Bruce asked, peering up around our table. Please, I haven't left Gotham in years. He raised an eyebrow to me first. I took a bite of the salad and shook my head. The rest of the table gave the same mum reply. "That's a shame. I've been wanting to get away from the city for a while. I was hoping someone had some good suggestions."

"I hear the Bahamas are lovely," Venus commented.

"Ah, the ocean," he replied, this dreamy look on his face. Venus watched without cracking any sort of smile. Unusual. She used to be so insane for this man.

"I miss the ocean," Liam added. "I haven't been in a long time." Her eyes glanced over to the man beside me, smoldering with attention. I see. I know who this is about now. A feeling of guilt tightened in my chest. I shouldn't be here. She should be sitting where I am. And I should be cutting into Mr. Vaughn's hip right now. Blah. I drained my eighth glass of champagne and watched it quickly refill. I need this. I picked it up and sipped it again. "Have you been to the ocean?" Liam asked, cocking his head down to me. Psh. I haven't been on a vacation a day in my life.

"No, I haven't," I answered.

"Never been to the ocean!?" he questioned, staring at me wide eyed. Yes, that's what I said.

"I've never been on vacation. My aunt and uncle couldn't really afford it." Gordon raised an eyebrow at me from across the table. Oh, no.

"Aunt and uncle?" Gordon mouthed, a confused look on his face. I shrugged and he nodded, holding his hands up.

"You'll have to go sometime," Liam insisted. Sure. I'll go right now.

The rest of dinner was very short and light conversation. Everyone joking about the times Bruce and Lucius tried out various inventions of his that went wrong, Alfred telling stories about Bruce's childhood… Cake was laid out on our plates without any happy birthday singing. I didn't know what that was about. I drank my tenth glass of champagne and watched as the people started dancing again. Jesus, these people like to dance. I sat my glass down and leaned back in my chair as I faced out. Venus and Liam had set out to dance, just as Beth and Gordon had. Lucius and Alfred had disappeared with Selina and Bruce, leaving me to sit with Blake, who had moved his seat over next to mine.

"I hate these things," he stated, drinking from his glass.

"Me too," I sighed with a laugh. He laughed lightly and leaned back in his seat, folding his arms behind his head.

"He's pretty different, huh?" he asked, as we both watched Venus and Liam dance. Venus had this surreal smile on her face while Liam smirked.

"Yeah, he is," I answered.

"You think it's for good?" I sighed and took two glasses of champagne off a tray that walked by and handed him one.

"Who really knows?"

"No one," he answered, his tone changing to a serious one.

"Guess that's what makes him so dangerous right now," I added.

"Maybe he's legit. Is he still getting that truth serum?" I cocked an eyebrow up at him and wondered that myself.

"Good question," I whispered rising from my seat. Without even thinking about anything else, I stalked over to Bruce who was laughing obnoxiously with a few men in suits. I patted his shoulder gingerly. He turned and smiled.

"Holly! You guys, this is my amazing surgeon," he stated, turning me towards the men. I narrowed my eyes and gave a sheepish smile to them.

"I need to talk to you," I hissed, lowly, shaking the hand of some CEO named Bob.

"Okay, then." He pulled me out onto the dance floor. Not this shit again. "Ask away." Your playboy tricks don't work on me, Bruce. I stared at him, confusedly. "This is the most private way to talk right now." Sure it is - like you don't have a house a few hundred yards away.

"Is Liam still on truth serum?"

"Yes," he answered, quickly.

"Like right now? As in taking it every day?"

"Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Holy fuck, Holly, how many times can I say yes? I can show you the report if you'd like to see it." I eyeballed the crowd dancing around us and couldn't spot Liam.

"That's not necessary, I was just curious. I do know you're advocating for him though, so it would be in your interests to lie, but you being willing to show me the report lets me know I can trust you." A hand tapped Bruce's shoulder and Liam stepped up, into the space as he turned around.

"Mind if I cut in?" Liam asked, smiling at the both of us.

"No, go right ahead," Bruce answered, handing me over to him. Bruce bowed out, disappearing back into the twirling sea.

"Having a good time?" I smiled and nodded - more than I thought I would. "Good." Alcohol flooded through my system and I knew I was drunk. I had this stupid ass smile on my face. I felt like talking to everyone about everything. "Would you like to take a walk?" he asked. "I want to show you something." Oh, how cheesy.

"That's quite cheesy," I told him with a smile. He laughed and nodded.

"I know it is, but I want to show it to you."

"Alright." He led us out of the tent, towards the house, walking around to the back of it. I felt that guilty feeling sink in. Venus likes him and I just straight up lied to him about an hour ago. Damn you, conscience. If I could, I'd pull you out of my head. We walked quietly until I couldn't really control myself anymore. "I didn't have a normal life," I breathed, looking at the ground. "I lied to you about that."

"What kind of life did you have?"

"One similar to yours," I answered, anxiously playing with my bracelet again. He stopped walking and looked at me.

"Talk to me," he ordered, calmly. Okay, Mr. Dorrance.

"My parents didn't die when I was young. My mom did, but not my dad…" I trailed off and he ushered us to a small patio coming off of a side door on the house – or should I say mansion? I sat down, still staring at my bracelet as he sat down facing me. "My mom died when I was five and my dad was an alcoholic. He was pretty abusive to her before she died." Liam's jaw clenched, he held onto the armrests of the chair and stared at me, his head cocked slightly to the side. "When she died, he took out the anger on me. I thought it was normal and he threatened to tell anyone if I spoke, so I just remained quiet."

"That's terrible, Holly," he spoke, shaking his head.

"I know it is," I agreed, tears brimming my eyes.

"Is that all he did to you?" I shook my head and he pursued his lips.

"The abuse went on for years. When I was fifteen he started doing more-" His eyes widened.

"You don't have to talk about this," he told me, shaking his head again.

"It's only fair, right?" I asked, repeating his words.

"No, this isn't fair," he stated. "I wasn't beaten by members of my own family, by someone you're supposed to be able to trust." A few small tears fell from my eyes and I caught them, gingerly, hoping my make-up wasn't running. "What happened? Did you eventually get away? At least tell me that."

"One day I tried to run away. I was seventeen. He had brought his friends home and told them they could 'have at me' if they wanted." His eyes bulged. "I just ran. I ran through the streets, the four of them chasing me like a bunch of wild dogs. I turned to see if they were chasing me and fell..." the memory pumped into my thoughts vividly. I could still recall the smell of sewers piping out around me. "It was the middle of the day," I choked. "People were walking by watching as they took turns beating me up - punching me, slapping me, kicking me - no one stopped to help. They all held me down and –" I took a deep breath as a shudder rolled down my spine, remembering each one of them taking their chance at me. He held up his hand. "- a police siren went off and they scattered. They were eventually chased down, but I just laid there, helpless, naked, bloodied and beaten - it felt like an eternity for the ambulance to get there. They took me to the hospital and at the hospital, my mom's brother met me in my room and took me in."

"Then you went on to become who you are," he finished.

"Yes," I answered breathlessly as another sob escaped me.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. Tears rolled down my face, the haunting feelings from that day showing through. He rose from his chair and wrapped himself firmly around me. I sat in his arms, resting my cheek against his shoulder. His warmth flooded the areas that were infected with the chill. He held a hand on the back of my head and smoothed out my hair. "You don't have anything to fear," he breathed. "I promise you that will never happen to you again." He pulled away and looked at me and I dropped my gaze, knowing that I probably looked extremely ridiculous, make-up and all running down my face. "You don't know me well and I know you don't think you can trust me, but you can." I nodded and wiped a hand under my eyes.