I do not own Batman. Sucks, don't it? I do own Eleanor Black and all the other characters and plot points that aren't part of the movie. Rated T for the same reasons the movie was rated PG-13. Enjoy.

Chances Are…
Chapter Eight: The Trust Fund Brigade.

By the time Alfred and I arrived back in Gotham, it was very, very late and I was exhausted from having to listen to the ballerinas all day. Thankfully, Alfred fielded most of the questions when they realized Bruce wasn't coming back and wanted to know where he was, why he'd left, who he was with, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera... Needless to say, it had been a very long flight back and the sleep I had been hoping to get had been impossible to achieve. It's impressive how much a group of women can talk. Of course, I'd probably been able to do that at one point too, but hanging out in a bunker all day with only your dog, computers and Alfred as company had led to the deterioration of that particular talent.

Can't say I was upset about that.

Alfred drove us back to the penthouse after dropping the ballerinas at their hotel. I proceeded into the building and up the elevator leaning on my luggage and half-asleep, so when I finally stumbled into the guest bedroom in Bruce's apartment, I was asleep almost before I hit the bed. I could have sworn I heard Bruce laugh.

I woke up at some point in the middle of the night, refreshed and ready to work. It was five in the morning, which meant I'd only had about four hours of sleep, but that seemed to be enough. It also meant I had slept through Bruce's nightly patrols, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't be hearing anything about that, not unless something big had gone done, and in that situation, Bruce wouldn't have to do any scolding because I would be mad enough at myself.

I climbed out of bed and changed from the jeans and t-shirt I'd fallen asleep in into my actually pyjamas, which consisted of another t-shirt, black and about three sizes too big, and a pair of large blue and black plaid, flannel pants, and then wandered out into the kitchen in search of coffee, my favourite bitter drink. I hadn't really had a taste for coffee before I'd found out that Bruce was Batman. Funny how that worked out... I filled the coffee maker with water, put in the grounds I found in the jar on the counter—Alfred must have prepared extra when he made Bruce his morning coffee when he realized I wasn't going to be up in time to go to bunker—and flicked the switch. While I waited for the pot to fill, I crossed the room to the floor-to-ceiling windows and stared down at the city below as it started to wake up.

"Your coffee's ready."

I turned and smiled at Bruce, who looked like he'd just been hit by a semi-truck. My smile quickly turned into a frown. "What the hell happened to you?" I asked as I crossed the room back to the kitchen.

He filled one of the larger mugs and handed it to me and then poured one for himself. "Flying halfway across the world in one night and then patrolling the city." Bruce took a long drink from his cup and sighed after he swallowed. "The new suit works well though."

"That's good. Do you have time to catch some rest?"

"No. I have to head into Wayne Enterprises today and talk to Lucius—"

"There's a share holders meeting this morning."

He inclined his head a tiny bit, acknowledging he'd heard me. "And there's the meeting." Bruce took another drink and fixed the full weight of his gaze on me. "And then I have to come back here because the staff will be in to set up for the party and then we've got to go back to Wayne Enterprises to catch the helicopter back here."

I choked on the mouthful of coffee I'd been about to swallow. "Excuse me?" I coughed.

"Just a standard over-the-top entrance for Bruce Wayne."

"But we?"

"You're coming to the fundraiser right?"

I frowned as I fumbled, trying to find my voice. "And I can't just be here because?"

"Because you're coming as one of my dates."

And apparently that settled the matter because Bruce left the kitchen and crossed the room to his stairs and climbed up to the second floor to get ready for his busy day. Since I was supposed to be his assistant now, I drained my mug and headed back to the guest room to change into something more business appropriate. There was no guarantee he'd need my assistance today, but better to be safe than sorry. One of the biggest benefits of no longer having to work in an office was I could wear jeans, and that's what I did. I paired the dark jeans with a bright blue silk blouse and a black blazer, pulled on my favourite pair of boots, brushed my hair, threw on some mascara and voila—done.

Back in the main room of the apartment, I found Alfred, putting away two freshly cleaned mugs. I smiled and leaned on the back of the counter. "You didn't have to wash my mug. I was planning on having another cup."

Alfred turned around and pointed to a travel mug sitting near my elbow. "Master Wayne has indicated he'd like your presence at the office in case he needs your assistance."

"Of course." I opened the travel mug and took a drink.

"I will have your dress for this evening put in your room for when you and Master Wayne return this afternoon, and I will move the police scanner into the panic room so you can keep an ear on things, as it were," he said with a small grin.

"My dress?"

"Your mother sent it over."

"Oh, joy." I rolled my eyes and turned around just as Bruce came down the stairs, dressed in another immaculate suit and looking every inch of the billionaire he was. "Okay boss, ready to go?" Bruce rolled his eyes and started towards the elevator, giving me only enough time to grab my purse and run after him.

Another bonus of not having to work in an office anymore: no more meetings. It was my job to keep appointments now, not notes. I didn't have to sit in that boring beige boardroom, listening to businessmen prattle on again, and I didn't have to look at Coleman Reese's beady little eyes, staring at and studying everyone in that room, looking for something to complain about. So while Bruce suffered through statistics and this quarter's earnings of whatever it was they were talking about today, I lounged in Lucius' office and channel surfed through the stations on the wall-mounted television.

I had heard people in the elevator talking about Lau's return to Gotham, but hadn't seen any of the footage yet. Eventually I found a news station recounting the event for what was probably the millionth time. The footage was of Lau being dragged into the police station, a piece of paper flapping on his chest where it was attached to his clothes with what looked like tape. I caught flashes of black lines, but couldn't read any of the writing, although I didn't really need to see it to know it was written by Batman and probably said something along the lines of "Deliver to GCPD". As I smirked, mulling on the theatrics, the image on the screen switched to one of Harvey Dent standing behind a microphone-laden podium above a boiling mass of people. He spread his arms wide and the churning noise of screamed questions settled.

"I'm not sure about Mr. Lau's travel arrangements," Harvey said. "But I'm sure glad he's back."

I snorted in a laugh that turned into a cough as Lucius' new assistant peered through the glass door at me. I waved and smiled as I took a drink from my travel mug and using the cup to hide. Harvey had disappeared from the platform and the reporters were nearly climbing over each other as they tried to get a final sound bite for their station or article or whatever it was they were working on.

As I reached for the remote, my cell phone rang. I fished it out of my purse and pressed it to my ear. "Hey Mom," I said. I had picked up the name from the display on the front of the flip phone.

"Hi dear. How was Hong Kong? Did you hear that Lau man is back in Gotham? I wonder why..."

"Hong Kong was nice. It was warm, and quite beautiful. Lau didn't take well to Wayne Enterprises shutting down the deal with LSI Holdings, but that had nothing to do with him being in Gotham. He was accused of something by the police last time he was here and I guess someone wanted him to come to justice."

"Honey, are you saying Batman went to Hong Kong and brought that man back?"

"You sound shocked, Mom. Why is that so hard to understand?"

"Isn't that, I don't know, wrong?"

"I don't see why."

"Oh Ellie, you don't see much beyond that cape of his. Did you get your dress for the fundraiser tonight?"

I rolled my eyes, but ignored her comment about my fascination with Batman and instead focused on that damn dress. "Yes, I did. Now why did you pick out a dress for me Mom?"

"Because if I didn't, you'd wear that little blue thing you seem so attached to. Besides, Alfred said something about you needing a green dress. I picked it out of your closet, so you should like it fine."

Instead of trying to decipher why Alfred might have said I needed a green dress—it probably had something to do with Bruce's entrance—I mentally ran through the dresses hanging in my closet. I had two green dresses I could think of: a strapless, floor-length gown that was dark green and way too formal for a fundraiser the size of this one, and a halter dress that fell to just above my knees. It was a colour you could almost call bright green, and I hadn't bought it for myself. It had been a present from one of my friends at Wayne Enterprise who no longer worked there. "Mom," I said, "Please tell me it's not that bright green thing."

"Well you only have two—"

"Oh, I can hear you smiling. You are evil, mother."

"Anyway darling, your father and I will see you later at the fundraiser. I just wanted to check in with you. You never call anymore."

"All right. Bye."

"Love you. Oh, and your dog is going mad. When are you going to come pick him up?"

"I'll be over as soon as Bruce is done at the office. Love you too." I hung up the phone and returned it to my purse just as the door opened and Bruce and Lucius stepped into the large office. "How'd the meeting go?" I asked, looking down at the clock on the wall. "Huh, only two hours? Have the windbags lost their breath?"

I got a look of bemused annoyance from Lucius and another eye roll from Bruce, who hid it quickly behind his winning billionaire smile. "It was just a shareholders meeting, Ellie. All the lines point up, so there wasn't anything to argue about. That always makes for quick meetings."

As Bruce finished speaking, I climbed out of Lucius' chair and grabbed my purse off his desk, slinging it over my shoulder as I walked towards the door. "Is there anything else you need here boss?" I asked with a grin.

"I just need to talk to Lucius and then we can go. I could use another cup of coffee."

I pushed the door open and trekked into the space which used to be my office. "Coming right up. I'll meet you out front with the car," I called over my shoulder, highly amused with Lucius' expression.

On my way to the elevator, I passed my old desk and had to look twice to actually find the monstrous piece of furniture which claimed to be a desk. The young woman sitting behind the desk was petite with bright red-orange hair all pulled back in a tight bun, with the exception of a few artfully placed strands hanging around her eyes and the thick black frames of her square glasses, and she was dressed in a stylish beige pantsuit and bright pinky-red shirt. She smiled an exceptional business smile at me and I think she asked if I needed anything, but I didn't really hear her because the desk was distracting me. It was covered in plants and pictures and a really tall lamp. It was a lot going on and I wondered how she got any work done.

"Excuse me Ms, but can I help you with anything?" she asked again, voice slightly more stern than before.

"Oh, no." I tried to smile warmly at her. "It's just, this used to be my desk before I started working for Mr. Wayne. I was just a little... taken back by how much stuff you managed to fit on it. It's... nice."

The tightness of annoyance in her face vanished, replaced by a genuine grin. "Thank you. What's it like working for Mr. Wayne?"

I looked at her for a moment before answering, and yes, she was looking a little dreamy. Can't say I was surprised by that. I remembered Lucius saying an alarming number of the candidates for my old job had asked about Bruce when he'd been conducting interviews. "It's great," I said. "Lots of fun."

"You're so lucky."

"Er, thanks. If you'll excuse me, I've got to go get the boss some coffee." I smiled and then turned and hurried to the elevator before she could ask me anything else about Bruce.

The food court was on the same floor as the exit to the parking garage, so I quickly grabbed a coffee for Bruce and a Chai tea latte for myself—someone had told me they were good once, so why not try one?—and went out to the car. I had to drive around the block in order to park in front of the building and wait, but that meant I didn't have to wait long; Bruce came out of Wayne Enterprises a few moments later and climbed into the passenger seat.

"I have to go pick up Blaze," I said as I pulled into traffic. "My Mom's getting fed up with him."

"I thought Naomi liked Blaze."

"Oh she likes him just fine, she just doesn't like having to take care of him and I guess my Dad's been really busy lately at the hospital so he hasn't been able to help as much."

Bruce didn't reply to my statement, so I turned on the radio to avoid that, at least on my end, uncomfortable silence I could feel coming. Silence between Bruce and I was something I was used to, but for some reason, sometimes it was uncomfortable and made me restless. Once we reached my parents' house, Mom tried to usher us inside to have some lunch before we took off, but Bruce managed to quiet her requests by telling her we had to get back to the apartment to check on the preparations for the fundraiser. My Mom loved going to parties so she just smiled, nodded and all but pushed us out the door to be on our way.

On the way back into Gotham, Bruce, Blaze and I drove past Wayne Manor, or where it would sit again once it had been rebuilt. I wanted to stop and go up and take a look—and I think, so did Blaze because he went mad, barking in the back seat as we drove by—but Bruce didn't, and I wasn't really sure why. The emerald lawn was swiftly turning to mud in some places, but the construction workers seemed to be at least somewhat mindful of the grass and kept their heavy machines on the driveway whenever possible. I could see the foundation in place and wooden framing was up in some places, but I couldn't see how that was going to turn into the beautiful house that had stood there before. As we turned down the highway to take us back into the city, I wondered, and not for the first time, what was being done with the Bat Cave, but I didn't even bother asking because I knew Bruce wouldn't tell me anything.

When we reached the penthouse, we found it buzzing with activity, people everywhere, pushing furniture around, cleaning and cooking. Alfred stood in the middle of the chaos, overseeing everything with an appraising look on his face, ready to jump in when something went awry.

"Are either of you going to tell me exactly what the plan is for tonight?" I asked when we'd reached Alfred's side. Bruce didn't say anything, and all I got from Alfred was a small smile. I huffed. "Fine. I'll play along. Did you get the equipment moved up here okay Alfred?" I asked, knowing that was a question I would get an answer to.

"I did Ms. Black. The earpiece is in your room with the dress your mother dropped off."

"Thanks Alfred."

I left Bruce to chat with his butler and headed back to the guest room, dreading what I was going to walk in and see lying on the bed. Since no one was going to tell me what the plan for Bruce's grand entrance was tonight, the only thing I could was play along; a small part of me was already regretting saying I'd go to the party with him, but just a small part. The short, bright dress I had feared to see was indeed what I found lying on the bed, a pair of black strappy sandals and every piece of green and black costume jewellery I owned sitting beside it.

I sighed heavily and changed into the dress, and, using the mirror in the guest room, quickly did my makeup and hair. The earpiece that would connect me to the police scanner was nearly invisible in my ear, and I made sure it was firmly in place before shoving some bracelets on my wrist, putting large black and green hoop earrings in my ears and slipping the shoes on my feet. Back in the main room of the apartment, I found Bruce and Alfred and standing in front of the television, Bruce buttoning a very white shirt.

"What are we watching?" I asked, moving to stand on Bruce's other side.

"The news," he answered as he put his cufflinks in place.

He opened his mouth to explain further, but the image of the TV switched from the news caster in the studio to slightly grainy footage from a video camera. But instead of the home videos that normally went with that grainy quality, the face of a very frightened looking man appeared, his eyes shining with unshed tears. The set of his arms and shoulders told Eleanor he was tied up, and he was wearing what looked like a bad approximation of Bruce's old Batsuit. I had time to realize he was one of the impostors before a chilling voice filled the room, causing Bruce to stop fixing his tie, and everyone within hearing range to stop and turn their attention to the television.

"Tell them your name," the voice demanded.

The man swallowed and opened his mouth a few times before the words actually came out. "Brian Douglas."

"Are you the Batman?"

"No..."

"Then why do you dress up like him?"

Brian Douglas seemed to find some courage in the question and he sat forward, straining slightly against his bonds and his eyes widening with excitement. "He's a symbol... that we don't have to be afraid of scum like you."

"But you do, Brian. You really do. You really thinks Batman has helped Gotham?" Brian nodded, his eyes dropping to the floor and the camera got a little closer, like whoever was holding it had taken a step closer. I had a good idea of who was holding the camera. "Look at me," the voice snapped. When Brian didn't comply, the camera shook a little and the voice yelled the command again, the noise drawing a small noise of fear from my lips. When Brian finally looked up, what I had been hoping he wouldn't do, the man holding the camera did: he swung the device around to frame his own chalk white face. "This is how crazy Batman has made Gotham," he said. "You want order in Gotham? Batman has to go." The Joker leaned in and made a tiny giggling noise that sent shivers of fear down my spine. "Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in. Every day he doesn't, people will die, starting tonight.

"I'm a man of my word."

The Joker's laugh filled the speakers as the video went dark and seemed to echo in the now silent room even after the audio had shut off as well. As the fear subsided I realized I had reached out and grabbed Bruce's arm at some point. He placed one hand on top of mine and gave it a small squeeze before I removed it. My eyes found his and he looked more shaken than I'd seen him in a long time, but it wasn't something outwardly noticeable. I only noticed it—and Alfred did too—because I had been around Bruce so much in the last little while. I did my best to give him a small smile, but it failed, and I settled for giving his hand other squeeze.

"Do you want to stay here and wait for the party to start?" Bruce asked, his voice low.

I nodded and the smile that broke my face was genuine. I was a little surprised Bruce had picked up on my discomfort when we had just watched the Joker challenge Batman; it seemed more likely that Bruce would be too focused on that issue to notice my rising levels of discomfort and tension. I had already been uncomfortable with the idea of taking a helicopter, even on just a short flight above Gotham City, but the Joker's video had shaken me to... to, well, my core. I realized that I was trembling all over, that fine shaking that goes unnoticed unless you're close to or touching someone else, and I guess Bruce had noticed through his hand around mine.

"Thank you," I whispered.

But Bruce was Bruce again and just gave me a small nod before he turned to Alfred to discuss something. I took the opportunity to walk over to the window and look down at the city while I took several long, deep breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth and tried not to think about the Joker while I forced myself to calm down. I closed my eyes and tried to think of other things. Anything other than that white face and those scars...

A hand appeared on my shoulder and I jumped, turning my head sharply. I sighed heavily, my shoulders falling, when I saw it was Bruce.

"I'm going to head out now."

I leaned into his hand a bit, that familiar electricity shooting through my body, I think because I was trying so hard not to focus on the Joker, anything, even things I had learned to ignore, were coming to the forefront. "All right... I'll... see you a little later, I guess."

A little later, once the tables were set up and laden with platters of food, once the waiters were dressed in their penguin suits and ready with trays of champagne, and once the guests had started to fill the living room, Bruce showed up. I was standing near the window, one arm crossed over my stomach and the other holding a flute of the bubbly, and my head cocked slightly to one side as I listened to the information on the police scanner through the static; I was also trying to hide from my mother who kept questioning me about being Bruce's assistant while systematically avoiding Rachel and Harvey, who were standing on the other side of the room. The apartment filled with the roar of a helicopter, drawing everyone's attention out to the balcony where the large, black machine was hovering just above the ground.

I smiled to myself as Bruce leapt gracefully onto the ground, that dopey grin on his face. He held his hand up and helped what I could only assume was a supermodel in a bright blue dress climb out, and then another supermodel in a bright yellow dress. And then another supermodel in a bright pink dress. Suddenly understanding the push for a green dress, I rolled my eyes and smiled to myself as I made a mental note to tell Bruce off later; even if I had matched the colour-scheme, I wasn't tall enough or thin enough to fit in with those girls.

He came striding into the room, the lanky girls draped all over him and stepped into the clearing the party-goers made for him. Blue, Pink and Yellow reluctantly dropped away and grabbed classes of champagne as they passed the waiters. The facade never dropped as he took the glass from Alfred which was filled with ginger ale instead of alcohol and took a long drink before smiling a smile full of white teeth at his guests. I leaned on the window and listened as he explained what the fundraiser was about and why he had decided to through one for Harvey even though he wasn't up for re-election for four years, and I inwardly cringed as he brought Rachel into the speech, although I wasn't all that surprised. As soon as he was done the required speech, I started to make my way towards him.

I almost turned and walked away again when the supermodels materialized out of the crowd and became, once again, like growths. However, I did not get the chance.

"Ellie!" Bruce exclaimed, playing up his excitement like he'd had a lot to drink.

I smiled my biggest, best fake smile—which wasn't very good—and let him sweep me forward until I was standing beside him; I had to push Pink out of the way to make enough room. "Hello," I said to the girls.

"Hello Eleanor."

I turned to that voice and found Rachel and Harvey standing a couple feet away, and it was obvious they had been engaged in conversation before Bruce had pulled me into the little circle. Suddenly it became a lot easier to play like I was having a good time. "Hey Rachel. And you," I said turning my attention to Harvey, "are Harvey Dent." I extended my hand and smiled warmly.

"Yes, I am. And you are?" he asked as he shook my hand.

Bruce pressed his hand into the middle of my back, and I submitted and stepped back into my place at his side, once again pushing Pink out of the way. "This is my personal assistant, and long time friend, Eleanor Black."

"Well, it's nice to meet you."

"You too," I said with another beaming grin. Or, at least, I hoped it was beaming.

"Well, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to step outside and get some air," Bruce said, pulling away from the group.

A moment after he left, Pink, Yellow and Blue disappeared, followed by Rachel who traced Bruce's path onto the balcony and instantly engaged him in conversation. I grabbed two classes of champagne from a nearby waiter and handed one to Harvey, who accepted it gratefully and mumbled his thanks without taking his eyes from the balcony.

"Was there something between them?" Harvey asked.

I blinked and looked up at him. "Excuse me?"

"Bruce and Rachel. They're... close, aren't they?"

It took a long drink of champagne before I could answer. "Yes," I croaked.

He looked down at me then, a small frown on his face. "And I don't think either of us like that very much."

"Uh, not that I know you well enough to have this conversation, nor is it any of your business, but no, I don't like it very much. But I've learned to deal with it... sort of."

Harvey gave a nervous laugh and placed his hand lightly on my shoulder. "Well, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go retrieve my girlfriend and you can have the pleasure of Bruce's company back." He smiled over his shoulder and vanished into the crowd.

I found myself feeling smug and awfully pleased that Bruce and Rachel's conversation was going to get cut short. The smugness didn't last long however, as I picked up something on the earpiece that was interesting and startling at the same time. It sent me into a brisk walk across the living room as I tried to intercept Bruce because Pink, Yellow and Blue could get their bony hands on him again.

"The DNA on the Joker card from Douglas' body had been confirmed. He's targeting Judge Surillo, Commissioner Loeb and Harvey Dent."

Author's Note.

So the beginning chunk of this chapter was just to set up context in the movie so people knew where we were in the script. That's really the only function it serves besides allowing me to throw in some potentially amusing bits and show Ellie a bit more relaxed than she was before. The whole point of her quitting work at Wayne Enterprises was to take off some of the stress, after all.

Speaking of stress, mine is going to start piling on soon when my essays pile up and other assignments and such, but I'm going to keep writing because it's the only way I'll be able to keep sane while trying to keep up with school. I just won't be turning out quite the same volume this year has been so far. I'll try, I swear, but school has to come first. Rationally, anyway. Realistically. In my mind, however, Batman and Star Trek will always come first. But that's not going to get me through university, now is it?

Anyways, this chapter was quite easy and fun to write. I enjoy dressing Ellie up every once in a while because that's about all her and I can handle, but it's always nice when she cleans up nice and thinks: "Hey, I look good." The days that's the most fun is when I feel like crap. I can live through Ellie.

So, enjoy the party because, as you all know, the Joker is about to fuck this shit up.

By the way, you should all download/listen to "Music to Watch Space Girls By" by Leonard Nimoy because seriously, if that music doesn't make you either giggle or want to dance around like a fool than there's something wrong with you.

Next Chapter: Buildings and Bullets.