JACKIE POV
I slide the dress on over my head and come out from behind the dressing divider for Alfred to help me with the lacing on the back. He is really good at it, I guess they teach a bit of everything in butler school.
I watch in the mirror as the dress starts to take its shape more and more with each soft tug of the satin ribbon on my back. The gown is just my size and really is stunning. The dress flows and moves with me like water, it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen myself in. I brush my hair and pull it into a pony tail. Bruce offered to take me somewhere to get my hair done fancy, but I really just want as little fan fare as possible. I've given up on calling him Mr. Wayne after yesterday, I don't think Bruce even noticed the change, but this truly is my home now.
Alfred finishes up and I turn to look at him, "How do I look, Alfred?"
"Stunning, my dear."
"Do you really think that this is going to be okay?" He doesn't even pause before answering with the utmost certainty.
"Bruce would never invite anyone to your party that would make you uncomfortable." I smile awkwardly at him.
"Uncomfortable on purpose. He'd never intentionally make me uncomfortable." Alfred smiles and nods and I take his arm as he leads me to the top of the staircase where I am supposed to meet our guests. I pay close attention to my movements, not being used to high heeled shoes is a challenge for tonight, but I haven't fallen yet.
Bruce sees me and gets this huge smile on his face. "I was worried you weren't going to show up."
I smile back, "Alfred would have made me come."
"Yeah, but I'm pretty certain you could outrun him." Bruce winks at Alfred and takes my arm and we begin down the stairs. As soon as the ballroom comes into sight everyone looks up to see us. I try to focus on my feet and not falling down rather than 51 smiling faces of strangers.
Bruce makes me mingle for a bit, just long enough for him to take control of the conversation and all the adults to start getting a little fuzzy from the drinks. After about an hour everyone has had a bit to drink and Bruce doesn't even notice me go to a far corner of the room by the food table and nibble on little cubes of cheese and hope no one comes to close to me and realizes where I have chosen to hide.
Bruce and everyone else are talking amongst themselves. Bruce has most of his attention on a woman he introduced as Selina Kyle, but lot of people were there at introductions, and I could have the name wrong. Tim is around here somewhere, but Bruce must have invited friends of his because he is avidly talking to a blonde boy that is about his age. Everyone else is in small groups chatting. "Hey there."
I jump about a foot in the air at the voice. It's a tall man with a strong build and black hair and blue eyes. I recognize him from tabloids I used to read, Dick Grayson. "Hi, you scared me."
"I'm sneaky, I know. Richard Grayson, but you can call me Dick." He offers me his hand and I shake it. In the other hand he holds a glass of champagne that he offers to me.
"I'm okay, I'm only 15, I don't want to get Bruce in any trouble… Nice to meet you Dick." I smile and hope he goes away, but he remains planted where he is.
"I'm sure he'd want you to relax. Plus, you're at home, so it's perfectly legal." I take the glass out of politeness and take a sip. Every polite bone in my body died after that as I gagged.
"This is awful!" I put the glass down on the table and eat a square of cheese to get rid of the taste.
He laughs in a kind way, "If you'd like, we have fruity drinks. They tend to be better anyway."
"No thank you, I'll stick to sprite." I smile at him, "Thanks for the offer though."
"Alright. So, why aren't you out there talking to everyone? This is your party."
"Because I don't know anyone, and this isn't my party, it is Bruce's party."
"Well, now you know me." He smiles a younger version of Bruce Wayne Billionaire's smile and I smile back.
"That's true, and you seem to like me more than your brother." I smirk, but he takes what I say rather seriously.
"Tim? What is he doing?" I try to salvage the conversation before the only person who has talked to me all night gives up on me.
"Nothing, he is just talking to his friend. He doesn't like me much that's all." He nods and I think I managed to save the small talk.
"Well, he is missing out. You look beautiful by the way. You got your mother's looks."
"Thank you." I chew on the inside of my cheek, a nervous habit, and stare forward. I don't think I have anything about me to talk about that anyone here would find worthy of listening to.
"Are you alright?" He sounds concerned, I am such an idiot, he thinks I'm sick or something. Score one for sucking.
"Yeah I'm fine…" I may as well be honest, "I just have nothing in common with anyone here and nothing to talk about in polite society. Everyone here is so refined and beautiful like they go to parties all the time. This really is Bruce's party. I didn't even know about it until last night."
"Well, what do you like to do? And to be honest, I'm here for you, not Bruce."
"I like to learn, and I've always like gymnastics. I'm pretty good at laser tag, and I make some mean pancakes. That's honestly about it."
"Would you care to dance with me?" It sounds silly and weird, but I really wanted someone to ask me to dance tonight, if anything it made this horrible night worth it a little, even if he is my adopted brother and only doing it out of charity.
"Sure, I'd like that." At first it was awkward to get used to, lots of people were dancing, but I had never slow danced with someone before, and also, Dick Grayson has a good foot on me height wise.
"So how do you like being a Wayne?" He smiles and I can't help but to smile back. It is that damn Bruce Wayne charm.
"I don't know, I don't really feel like a Wayne."
"I've never really felt like a Wayne. When it comes down to it I will always be a flying Grayson." He grins wide and toothy like show people do on posters and I giggle a little.
"I guess I will always be a Napier."
"There isn't anything wrong with that though. Don't be afraid of being who you are. If no one else likes it they can deal." I like his attitude; he is pretty down to earth and up beat.
"There is something scary that people don't like about who I am, though."
"You aren't your father though. As long as you like yourself, who cares? Don't let anyone tell you any different either."
The same feeling I got when Batman said bad things about my dad came rushing back and I had to try very hard not to get offensive.
"I know it sounds bad, but I wish people would stop saying that. There is nothing wrong with being like the man I called my father. There is something wrong with being the Joker. If anyone knew anything about my life before everything came crashing down, they wouldn't say that." I try to keep my voice even and smooth like I was just stating a fact, but I gave myself away and he notices that I'm a little offended. I can see a response being formed in his mind quickly trying to mend the situation.
"Actually, you remind me of your mother, and no, there is nothing wrong with being like your father. Obviously he did a great job raising you." I smile, good try, Dick.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome Jackie see it's not that bad out here with the people?"
"I guess you're right." I smile and he returns the favor before leaving me at my spot at the table and walking back towards Barbara Gordon. I think I made a friend.
DICK POV
Babs grabs my hand and tells me to stop looking so stressed out and reminds me that this is a party and it is supposed to be fun. Bruce and the new girl walk down the steps. She smiles at everyone for a few seconds then looks down at her feet. She reminds me of Jason, very aware of her surroundings, she knows who is looking at her, who is judging her. That can be really good in our line of work, but also really devastating, she wont be able to keep worrying about what people say, she is not only a Wayne now, but soon will be a Bat, and not many people are as controversial in Gotham as the Bats.
Bruce stands at least a full head taller than her, she is tiny in everyway a lot like her mother was. And beautiful all things considered. "She's beautiful like her mom. I can see what all the hype is about now.
"The hype?" Bab's looks up at me and I smile at her. She is wearing a stunning forest green dress. It matches perfectly with her flaming red hair and blue eyes. The dark silk looks stark against her pale skin. I smile at her and get butterflies just like every time I have ever seen her.
"Yes, the news kept saying she was beautiful, constantly worried about the new Wayne girls looks as usual. She is shy like Jason, though. He used to always do that."
"What? Stare at his feet? He always was the shy one." Babs is the only person I can really talk about Jason with. It still upsets Tim and Bruce too much to mention around them, and ever since he came back as the red hood it has become even touchier than normal.
She pats my leg and then she rolls away to chat with Cassie and Selina leaving me to wait until the forced Bruce Wayne hellos with Jackie are over. Tim comes towards me with a grin, I sip my scotch and wait for it. He asks the same thing at every party since we were little.
"Hey Dick, what's up?" He grins and I smile back, but my eyes stay on Jackie. I'm studying her movements, trying to get to know her. I'm going to train her, Babs has convinced me that it is the perfect way to show Bruce I'm better, which may sound like a thirteen year olds vendetta against his daddy, but it is more than that.
"I'm good, what about you?"
"I'm good, other than this party… Think maybe you could do me a favor? You know how Alfred watches me and my buds like a hawk at these things. Get us some booze?" He gives me his best "Come on, I'm your little brother" grin I roll my eyes.
"Why don't you and Jackie get along?" Sometimes Tim needs to be shown the error of his ways, he is a 17 year old, you know?
"Come one, Dick. Just enough to get me and my bud buzzed?"
"Just remember to not spend all your time hating someone, Tim. She isn't him." Time rolls his eyes at me this time and walks off towards his group of friends. I walk towards Jackie who has resigned to the back of the room and is nibbling on rolls of turkey on toothpicks. She is so small, what if she gets hit and breaks in half. All the batgirls of the past have always been a little built to begin with, muscle isn't exactly this girls middle name. I shake the image from my head and look her up and down from a safe distance. Well, it can be done, it'll just take work. I'll have to get closer.
I get up close to her and say hello, I scared the holy bejeezus out of her, but she agrees to dance. I take it as an opportunity to see the muscles in her arms and core, or lack thereof. She is sturdy though, prolly from the gymnastics she mentioned earlier. She could do this. We part and she goes back to her hiding spot and I have to go and find Bruce and figure out a game plan. I have one rule, he has to tell her about all this, I'm not going there, I remember how I felt and how every robin since has reacted to the "we're all super crime fighters by night" speech, and I'm not going there.