A.N. So sorry for the wait guys. I had to figure out where I wanted this story to go, but now that I have a game plan, let's get into the action. I hope to update this weekly on Fridays but at the most it would be two weeks. Check my profile for uploading dates. Please read and review! Thanks! Enjoy!
Ch. 2
Soft, warm sunshine filtered through the large windows that looked toward downtown Gotham. Last night's storm had soaked the ground leaving several large puddles of standing water on the roads. Bruce spun his chair around after hearing a knock on his door.
"Come in," he said quickly smoothing his tie. He hated wearing business suits even though he could afford comfy custom fit ones.
He glanced up to see one of his many assistants at the door. A woman in light blue blouse and black skirt walked in with a clipboard in hand.
"Mr. Wayne, sir, I am here to tell you that the board of directors have just arrived. I got them settled in the east wing meeting room. Also, this is for you." She handed him a manila envelope.
"Thank you, Lily. I will be right there," Bruce replied waving her off.
He stared at the package turning it over in his hand. It had been delivered to him from Gotham's main adoption agency. He swallowed thickly. The papers had come through. When Dick came to live with Bruce a little over a year ago, he had been placed under Bruce's ward.
But Bruce wanted to give more to the child. More than three meals a day and roof over his head. The kid had been through so much and he deserved a future. A future that didn't involve guessing where he was going to spend the next night. It taken several months, and Dick had bounced from foster home to foster home before Bruce could take him under his own roof.
Now it was time for the next step. He had discussed it with Alfred a few weeks ago. He wanted to make it official and adopt the boy. He wanted to give Dick a new life. He may not be cut out to be a parent, but he had to try. He knew the hardships that came growing up with no parents and if it weren't for Alfred, he could have turned out a lot worse.
Dick had no other immediate family and Bruce did an all-out deep dive on his family background. Dick had no one and Bruce realized the boy tugged on his heart. The way he sat studying his books with a furrowed brow, eyes tight with focus. Just like he did twenty years ago, sitting in a cave studying the ancient arts of pain and meditation. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he was quite fond of the boy. Some tiny part of him had uncoiled with warmth when Dick arrived at the mansion, his eyes wide with awe. The boy had never seen a house like Bruce's.
He was smart too. It lasted about four weeks before the boy had figured out his secret. One evening, he had come home to find Dick reading in his leather chair. The chair practically swallowed the boy. Alfred had stood there with a guilty look in his eye, but he just gestured toward the living room. Coming around the front, Bruce sat down in a chair opposite him. He opened his mouth to talk when Dick held up his hand. He then set the book down and stared at Bruce with such intensity that Bruce stiffened. Then the boy smiled, a mischievous glint flickering through his blue orbs.
"You're him. Aren't you?" Dick asked in a low voice.
"Who?" Bruce replied trying to not panic.
Dick rolled his eyes with a huff. "You know who I am talking about. Just answer the question."
Bruce looked up at Alfred who just shrugged his shoulders. Looks like it was up to him. He looked back at the boy with half narrowed eyes. "Why do you care?"
"I don't. I just want to confirm my theory," Dick responded crossing his arms. He never dropped his gaze.
Bruce chuckled. "Your theory? Is this for science class?"
Dick gave him look of pure unbelief. "What? No! Just answer the question!"
"You're never going to let this go, are you?" Bruce asked knowing the answer.
"Nope." Dick replied purposely popping the p.
Bruce ran a hand through his hair. Man, this kid was stubborn. Just like him. He finally sighed and threw up his hands in defeat. "Alright, you win. Yes, I am Batman. But, how did you know?" Bruce questioned astounded.
"Well, you're not the only one can't sleep at night. I saw you disappear downstairs a few nights ago. I assumed you were going into the cellar for Alfred's wine, but when you reappeared you had nothing in your hand. No one goes into a cellar telling Alfred they were going to bring back a drink and then comes back with nothing. You're too young for amnesia, Mr. Wayne."
"Thanks for the compliment, kid," Bruce said dryly.
"Also, you left this in the laundry basket," Dick got up and dropped something in his hand.
Upon looking down Bruce saw something gleam in his palm. It was one of his black Bat-a-rangs.
"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered to himself. He glanced back at Dick with a sheepish grin.
"You won't tell anyone, right?"
Dick laughed. "No, your secret is safe. You can have your chair back now."
Bruce smiled watching the boy disappear upstairs for the evening. Alfred walked into the room looking embarrassed.
"I'm so sorry, Master Wayne. I was teaching him how to do laundry today, and I had put a load in and then asked him to fold it…"
"It's okay, Alfred. I'm not mad at you. More furious with myself. This could have stabbed the kid. Ugh! I know better than not checking my pockets. I always keep a few on my person in an emergency, but I guess with these past few nights, I forgot."
"Well, at least now we don't have to lie about why some nights you come home covered in blood," Alfred sighed shaking his head. The kid had seen enough trauma through his parents. No need to exasperate it.
Since that night, the kid seemed more content. More relaxed. It was like knowing the identity of the Batman had reassured him.
Bruce shook himself out of his thoughts. The kid had grown on him and now he wanted to officially bring him into the family. Alfred had approved, but Bruce had yet to discuss it with the child. He had no idea how he was going to react. Knowing the kid still fought his own demons, he didn't want to add another burden.
Bruce worried Dick may not want him as a father figure. Heck, he didn't even want to be a parent. But life had other ideas. He told himself he would discuss it with Dick immediately when he returned home. Bruce tucked the folder away in one of his desk drawers and headed toward the conference room.
As he stepped inside all eyes turned to him and everyone stood up. He motioned for them to sit.
"Thank you for coming in so early. I want to get to business right away," Bruce said taking a seat at the head of the table.
There were several items on the docket from financial planning to the yearly review. However, that was not the reason for which they came. Bruce had been working on several new proposals for Gotham Science, Health, and Technical School as well as Gotham PD reform programs. The first involved providing education for the lower classes of Gotham. Bruce believed every child needed an education. If a student could find a passion in a subject they loved, perhaps it could prevent them from turning to crime.
There was only so much he could do as a vigilante. Capturing criminals was one thing but keeping them and others from picking up the habit of crime was a whole different set of problems. At the same time, his company had a partnership with Gotham PD and their reform program. For the most part it was successful, but there were always a handful that rebelled. There was slim hope for those at Arkham Asylum, but he wasn't about to give up.
Most of the board agreed that the lower classes of Gotham were suffering because there was such a large gap between lower and middle class. Bruce didn't want to just throw money at a problem hoping it would go away. He knew better than that. He wanted to oversee the management of it and witness in person the difference it could make.
His current plan laid out the next five years. Schools had already been established. They just needed funds for more teaching staff, better equipment, and more class variety. Bruce could arrange for that. They discussed the plans for the next three hours before coming up with an approved final draft.
Bruce thanked the Board for coming in and they all signed the new drafts which would be submitted to the committee next week. The rest of the day buried itself in more meetings on finances and other business matters. As much as Bruce loved being CEO he hated meetings. They were long and boring and nothing like his detective work. He liked the thrill of the chase, tracking down the bad guy, and finding his hidey hole.
These meetings just involved cranky old men and piles of paper. By lunchtime, his head pounded and he desperately needed some caffeine. He nodded as men filed out of another conference room. He stepped out into the hallway when someone slammed into him from behind.
He whirled around to see a smaller thin man shrinking away from him.
"Oh. Mr. Wayne! I...I'm so sorry. I should've watched where I was going. I'm so stupid!" the man exclaimed his cheeks reddening.
Bruce bent down next to him to help him gather the fallen papers he had been carrying. "It's okay. No harm done," Bruce peered at his shirt, but there was no name tag. "Mr…"
"Solem. Adam Solem," the man said blinking at him.
That name sounded familiar to Bruce and then it clicked.
"You're the new financial advisor, right?" Bruce handed him the last of the fallen papers.
"Yes, sir. Today's my first day on site. I meant to run into you later, just not literally."
Bruce chuckled and stood up. "It's okay. I'm fine. It happens more often than you'd think. Would you like to join me for lunch? That is if you're not busy."
"Really? Wait, aren't you supposed to be the busy one?"
"Yes, but meetings can wait. Lunch, however, is calling me."
"Okay, um sure. Thank you, Mr. Wayne, sir."
Bruce strode to the elevator with Adam following close behind.
Fifteen minutes later, they found themselves in front of two plates holding Gotham's finest sandwiches. Bruce ordered his usual BLT and Adam had an Italian beef club. Bruce took a sip of his black coffee. He liked it strong to keep his senses sharp during the day. He looked across the table to see Mr. Solem studying him.
"Mr. Wayne, if you don't mind me asking why this place?" The man asked cautiously.
Bruce looked around the small diner before turning to Mr. Solem. "My parents used to bring me here as a boy. I loved their food and they used to have an old jukebox in the corner I would play. The manager knew my father, so I like to come here in memory of them."
Mr. Solem smiled sadly. "I'm sorry about your folks. I heard they were good people."
Bruce nodded. "They were the best."
"Well, these sandwiches were delicious. Thank you for letting me join you, Mr. Wayne."
"Sure," Bruce decided to change the topic. "So, did you get the full tour of Wayne Corporations yet?"
"No, sir. I had been told it was put on hold due to busy schedules."
"Hmm. I see. Well how about this. When we're done here, I can show you myself."
"Really? Don't you have more meetings?"
"Yes, but not for a few more hours. I know the place like the back of my hand. Who else is better qualified to show you than the CEO himself?" Bruce said smiling.
"I'd like that, sir."
An hour and a half later, Mr. Solem found himself sitting in a chair in Bruce's office. They had just finished the tour and Adam was beyond amazed. Wayne Corporations had exceeded his highest expectations and then some.
"So what do you think?" Bruce asked.
"This place is great! You've really outdone yourself Mr. Wayne."
"All thanks to hard work and some investments. Well, I need to get back to work. This company doesn't run itself," Bruce said chuckling.
"Of course, Mr. Wayne. I'll leave you to it. Thanks for showing me around. I look forward to working with you."
Bruce got up and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I think you'll do just fine. I'll see you next week."
Mr. Solem shook his hand exiting Bruce's office. This was going to be interesting.
Bruce glanced at his watch. He had about five minutes until his next meeting. He drained the rest of his coffee, grabbed his jacket, and then headed toward the conference room. He groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long day.