Book One - Part One: Dark Knight

Chapter Seventeen

Elena steps out of Wayne Manor, a limo and Dick along with Barbara are waiting for her outside. Barbara whistles eyeing up Elena who smiles and shows off her dress, it's sinfully tight, hugging to her like a lover would, her heels higher then necessary. But she looks damn good.

"Very nice" Barbara comments taking Elena's hand and holding it out to look over her. "Is it new?" Elena nods.

"A welcome home gift from Gucci; they know my loyalty to them..." Elena answers, they share a look. "And yes, you can borrow it when I'm done with it" Barbara laughs and pulls her best friend into a hug, they two girls smiling and clutching to the other. "Shall we get going?" she asks pulling back, Dick opens the limo door for them both.

"Ladies" he smirks at them.

"Master Grayson" Elena counters climbing into the car, Barbara kisses Dick softly and smiles against his lips before climbing in, Dick following them both closing the door behind him. Elena already has a bottle of champagne in hand and three glass, Dick looks to her and raises an eyebrow. "We're celebrating, right?" she asks. "So we do it Wayne style"

"Lots of booze and even more sex?" Dick asks her, she smirks back at him. "Alright, but if Bruce asks; I objected a little" Barbara takes his hand.

"Oh, baby, everyone knows Lena's got you wrapped around her little finger" Barbara points out with a warm smile.

.............

The Wayne limo pulls up outside a club in down town New York. Paparazzi snap photos of the guests. Someone opens Elena's door and she climbs out, bombarded with flashing from the cameras. Dick and Barbara join her, her ever present party group. The three of them pose for the cameras, right at home among the attention. After a few moments they make their way inside of the club.

.................

House music throbs. Skin and money on display. They await for the reveal of Elena who is waiting at the top of the stairs just out of sight, Dick can see she's more nervous then elated to be back.

"Hey, we can go home" he assures her, she shakes her head.

"No" she argues. "I need to do this" she adds, he takes her hand and gives it a small squeeze. Dick and Barbara step out first, Dick nodding to the DJ who turns to get a song ready. Elena brushes her hand over her dress and closes her eyes.

"You look nervous" A voice whispers beside her, she turns and opens her eyes to find Tony beside her.

"Tony" she greets. "What are you doing here?" she asks, he shrugs pushing his hands into his pockets.

"Dick called" he answers, lip twitching a little. "Invited me...and who am I to pass up a party with free booze?" she smirks a little.

"A man after my own heart it seems" she teases back her hand leaning on the railing behind her. "Thank you" she tells him. "For the flowers" she explains, he smirks and shrugs.

"You look like you could use cheering up after your speech" he admits. "It was....a very nice tribute"

"It doesn't feel like it's enough" she whispers looking down, her smile falter as her nerves and her pain return.

"Sweetheart" he whispers moving closer to her. "Deep breath" he tells her taking her arm and sliding it into his. "Show time" she looks up at him and he winks down at her. She nods and holds onto his arm back. The two of them step out, Tony letting her linger ahead, this is her moment not his. The crowd goes wild. The DJ plays a remixed version 'I'm a Survivor' by Destiny's Child. Elena heads down the stairs her hand holding to Tony's, almost as if she needs the anchor. Elena accepts hugs and air kisses as she goes.

"Welcome back, Lena!"

"Love you, Lena!" Elena smiles back, taking the attention, seemingly at home among the crowds, but there is still a tense line to her jaw and shoulders. There is a loud bang across the club, sounding almost like a gun shot, Elena jumps out of her skin and whips her her head around, eyes wide, breathing unsteady. Tony touches her hand and she spins on him, terrified.

"It's me" Tony whispers and then pulls Elena aside, away from the crowds, setting himself between her and them. "Hey, calm down" he whispers. "You're alright" she takes a shaky breath. "Someone dropped something that's all"

"I thought..." she starts placing a hand over her chest, he nods.

"I know" he strokes her arm as her hand curls over her stomach.

"Maybe I'm not ready for this" she admits looking up at him. "I thought I could fall back into life like it never happened....I so wanted to do that" he shifts closer to her.

"You're fine" he assures her. "It's just a little freak out" she looks up at him, he gives her a small smile, they share a look as he brushes her hair back from her face. "I didn't pull our fine asses out of that cave for you to curl up in the corner and sing to yourself, Wayne" he teases. "This is your life, enjoy it"

"Thank you" she whispers to him, he hums a little and smiles softly at her, she smiles back at him.

........

The next morning as Elena sits eating her breakfast Bruce sets the days paper in front of her, and she glances to the cover before rolling her eyes. There is a photo, taken at her party, of her and Tony standing really close, from the moment he comforted her after her freak out, it looks...intimate. The headline reads: 'Stark and Wayne cosy up; Are we looking at the ultimate business power couple?' Bruce looks to Elena who sets the paper away from her.

"Nothing is going on" she assures him. "I had a moment and he was trying to calm me down"

"I know" Bruce tells her. "Dick explained....but other people don't see that, Elena..." he taps the paper and then opens it to the full story which explains their kidnapping and their time away, as well as a sort of tally of things that apparently add up to them being in a relationship, including side by side photos of her bat ring, her formerly wearing it and Stark wearing it now, there is even a photo of them back in Germany in the hospital when he'd lingered kissing her forehead and of course they're blaming her for the new turn in Stark Industries. It's ridiculous really. She rolls her eyes a little.

"And girls can't have male friends without something going on?" She asks standing. "They'll get over it" she comments and walks away leaving the room.