(no subject)
Title: Betty and the Bat (Ficlet #2)
Fandom: Batman Begins/Ugly Betty
Characters/Pairing: Betty Suarez and Bruce Wayne
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,403
Summary: Bruce vaguely wonders why his new assistant seems so nervous.
Notes: This is the second part in a rather unusual crossover which takes place after Season one of Ugly Betty and the end of Batman Begins; it's AU from there. You can read Part 1 here.
Thank you to all those who read and commented on the first part!
Skittish.
That seemed to be the first word that came to mind when Bruce paused for a moment to really look at his new assistant. Maybe that view of her was enhanced by her appearance -she was maybe a bit mousey- but he couldn't help but think it to be true. The girl looked like she would bolt at the first sign of trouble. Self-preservation, it wasn't necessarily a bad trait to have, but it was interesting to watch at play in such innocent surroundings. She was obviously nervous.
She was Betty Suarez, his new assistant from New York. It was a job many had coveted and that Betty had picked up with surprising ease. Alfred, the only one he really trusted with these sorts of things, had raved over the girl (as much as Alfred allowed himself to 'rave' over anything) and so Bruce had hired her with not a second thought.
He was wondering now, just a curious nudging in the back of his brain, exactly what Alfred had seen in her during that interview. It wasn't that he didn't like her. No, she just seemed… skittish.
Yes, he thought as Betty jumped, startled in her chair when he opened the door to his office. Definitely skittish.
"Good Morning, Mr. Wayne," Betty said, knuckles white on her desk.
"You can call me Bruce."
She nodded. "Right, Bruce. Sorry." It looked as if she'd calmed. Just a bit, but it was a start. Her hands crept away from the edges of the desk, moving back to more natural positions on the keyboard and small computer mouse. He preferred that.
"It's alright." He waved his hand dismissively and glanced down at her screen. "What do I have for today?"
She took barely a breath before launching into a list which Bruce was both surprised and impressed to see she had absolutely memorized. "At nine thirty you have breakfast with Mr. Gordon. Then at eleven you have a meeting with the trustees and from there you're going to lunch with Mr. Fox. At two fifteen you're touring the factory you just acquired and you have to remember to ask about hours for the workers because they're already threatening to strike if you don't take interest because the last owner didn't take enough interest. Of course, you have to adhere to their meanings of 'taking interest'. After-yes?" She stopped herself, looking back at Bruce. "Did I miss something? I'm sorry-" He'd been staring and rather intently.
Quickly, Bruce shook his head, holding up his hand in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "No, that all sounds fine. You can keep going."
"Alright…" she said slowly, and he felt bad; obviously he'd interrupted a well memorized speech and the flow of her words. It took her a moment to regain her place and Bruce could see her working through the schedule in her mind. "Three thirty, you're coming back here, and by that time I'll have a pile of papers that need your signature by five. You should be done with that by four ten and then you've going to New York for the evening. Alfred added that for you this morning."
A nod. "He told me. I was hoping you'd accompany us for that."
"Oh no, that's alright. I've already got my ticket home and everything." Betty was blushing as she spoke, obviously having interpreted the offer the wrong way. "The MTA gets a little crazy every time it rains, but I think it should have stopped by the time I leave and, you know, that's plenty of time for them to pump all of the sewage out."
He'd let her continue, mostly out of politeness, though he wasn't particularly planning on letting her so easily stick to her plans. "We're going to see Daniel. In the hospital."
"Oh." Betty's ever-fluttering hand stopped suddenly, hovering over the keyboard that sat in front of her. She seemed at a loss for words and he, perhaps, felt mildly guilty, again, for springing the news on her as suddenly as he had. He watched her for a moment as her mouth moved, obviously trying to think of something to say but no sound coming out. "Oh. Well… I wouldn't want to intrude. And there's the visiting limit. I went over to see him the other day with Christina and Amanda and they said only one at a time, so Christina and I had to wait in the waiting room and Amanda took up all the time doing God knows what in there, but by the time she came out we'd left because- oh God. Stopping now."
She talked a lot. It wasn't necessary to be the world's best detective to notice it. Bruce had seen it the first day when the girl had been setting up her desk. One question driven by mild curiosity and overt politeness about a picture on her desk had garnered a near ten minute explanation on her family and a story about her nephews exploits at breakfast that morning. It wasn't a trait Bruce particularly cared for in most women, but for some reason it had neglected to annoy him when it came to Betty.
He rarely stopped her, knowing that eventually she would stop herself, and tended to actually listen to what she had to say. He recognized the familiar blush on her face which tended to follow these 'outbursts' and while he knew she was usually embarrassed in the end, those few moments of completely unhindered and less skittish speech were valued.
"You wouldn't be intruding," Bruce finally said after giving Betty a moment to regain her composure. "And if he wasn't able to see you before, I'm sure he'd appreciate it now. I insist and besides… I'll feel better knowing that you're getting back to New York safely."
"I- okay. If you really don't mind. I guess I haven't really gotten to say hello in awhile…" she trailed off, quickly looking back down at the desk, perhaps trying to hide the pleased smile on her lips.
Bruce nodded. "That's settled then. What time did you say Alfred wanted us ready by? He remembered of course, but it was the appropriate question to ask in order to avoid an awkwardly silent exit.
"Four ten," Betty answered, Bruce noted, without having to glance back at the computer screen.
"And I have… Lucius for breakfast?" He remembered this as well.
"Er, no, James Gordon. Nine thirty." Her answer was just as quick as the last had been and Bruce gave a small smile.
I'm not testing her, not really… he assured himself quickly. "Thank you, Betty. I'll see you at four ten."
"Have a good breakfast," she offered with a new sunnier smile. She was able to catch his eye for the briefest of moments as he turned to walk back into his office. "And, Mr. Way-Bruce, thank you. For, you know, Daniel… and letting me come. Thanks."
Given the speed with which she ducked her head back down towards her work, Bruce wasn't sure whether she caught the nod he passed in her direction. Either way it was alright, he supposed. Their conversation was over and both parties were satisfied. She would be able to see Daniel and her safety was one less thing that he would worry over. Despite what she may have thought, her assurances of, "oh don't worry about me. I take the subway all the time in New York and the people down there can be pretty sketchy," really did nothing to ease his nerves.
There was sketchy… and then there was Gotham. He wasn't quite sure that she understood that yet. Until he was and she did, he planned to keep an eye on his new assistant. She was skittish, yes, yet far too caviler for her own good (or his liking). To be fair, she wasn't aware of the full scope of the job she'd signed up for, nor would she be for quite some time. But until it came time for the big reveal (if it ever happened), he intended to keep her safe.
Bruce stepped into his office, glancing out once more before he closed the door behind him. He would have to remember to thank Alfred once again that evening. Even if the girl did startle easily, his judgment in this matter, as always, had been impeccable.
Fandom: Batman Begins/Ugly Betty
Characters/Pairing: Betty Suarez and Bruce Wayne
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,403
Summary: Bruce vaguely wonders why his new assistant seems so nervous.
Notes: This is the second part in a rather unusual crossover which takes place after Season one of Ugly Betty and the end of Batman Begins; it's AU from there. You can read Part 1 here.
Thank you to all those who read and commented on the first part!
Skittish.
That seemed to be the first word that came to mind when Bruce paused for a moment to really look at his new assistant. Maybe that view of her was enhanced by her appearance -she was maybe a bit mousey- but he couldn't help but think it to be true. The girl looked like she would bolt at the first sign of trouble. Self-preservation, it wasn't necessarily a bad trait to have, but it was interesting to watch at play in such innocent surroundings. She was obviously nervous.
She was Betty Suarez, his new assistant from New York. It was a job many had coveted and that Betty had picked up with surprising ease. Alfred, the only one he really trusted with these sorts of things, had raved over the girl (as much as Alfred allowed himself to 'rave' over anything) and so Bruce had hired her with not a second thought.
He was wondering now, just a curious nudging in the back of his brain, exactly what Alfred had seen in her during that interview. It wasn't that he didn't like her. No, she just seemed… skittish.
Yes, he thought as Betty jumped, startled in her chair when he opened the door to his office. Definitely skittish.
"Good Morning, Mr. Wayne," Betty said, knuckles white on her desk.
"You can call me Bruce."
She nodded. "Right, Bruce. Sorry." It looked as if she'd calmed. Just a bit, but it was a start. Her hands crept away from the edges of the desk, moving back to more natural positions on the keyboard and small computer mouse. He preferred that.
"It's alright." He waved his hand dismissively and glanced down at her screen. "What do I have for today?"
She took barely a breath before launching into a list which Bruce was both surprised and impressed to see she had absolutely memorized. "At nine thirty you have breakfast with Mr. Gordon. Then at eleven you have a meeting with the trustees and from there you're going to lunch with Mr. Fox. At two fifteen you're touring the factory you just acquired and you have to remember to ask about hours for the workers because they're already threatening to strike if you don't take interest because the last owner didn't take enough interest. Of course, you have to adhere to their meanings of 'taking interest'. After-yes?" She stopped herself, looking back at Bruce. "Did I miss something? I'm sorry-" He'd been staring and rather intently.
Quickly, Bruce shook his head, holding up his hand in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "No, that all sounds fine. You can keep going."
"Alright…" she said slowly, and he felt bad; obviously he'd interrupted a well memorized speech and the flow of her words. It took her a moment to regain her place and Bruce could see her working through the schedule in her mind. "Three thirty, you're coming back here, and by that time I'll have a pile of papers that need your signature by five. You should be done with that by four ten and then you've going to New York for the evening. Alfred added that for you this morning."
A nod. "He told me. I was hoping you'd accompany us for that."
"Oh no, that's alright. I've already got my ticket home and everything." Betty was blushing as she spoke, obviously having interpreted the offer the wrong way. "The MTA gets a little crazy every time it rains, but I think it should have stopped by the time I leave and, you know, that's plenty of time for them to pump all of the sewage out."
He'd let her continue, mostly out of politeness, though he wasn't particularly planning on letting her so easily stick to her plans. "We're going to see Daniel. In the hospital."
"Oh." Betty's ever-fluttering hand stopped suddenly, hovering over the keyboard that sat in front of her. She seemed at a loss for words and he, perhaps, felt mildly guilty, again, for springing the news on her as suddenly as he had. He watched her for a moment as her mouth moved, obviously trying to think of something to say but no sound coming out. "Oh. Well… I wouldn't want to intrude. And there's the visiting limit. I went over to see him the other day with Christina and Amanda and they said only one at a time, so Christina and I had to wait in the waiting room and Amanda took up all the time doing God knows what in there, but by the time she came out we'd left because- oh God. Stopping now."
She talked a lot. It wasn't necessary to be the world's best detective to notice it. Bruce had seen it the first day when the girl had been setting up her desk. One question driven by mild curiosity and overt politeness about a picture on her desk had garnered a near ten minute explanation on her family and a story about her nephews exploits at breakfast that morning. It wasn't a trait Bruce particularly cared for in most women, but for some reason it had neglected to annoy him when it came to Betty.
He rarely stopped her, knowing that eventually she would stop herself, and tended to actually listen to what she had to say. He recognized the familiar blush on her face which tended to follow these 'outbursts' and while he knew she was usually embarrassed in the end, those few moments of completely unhindered and less skittish speech were valued.
"You wouldn't be intruding," Bruce finally said after giving Betty a moment to regain her composure. "And if he wasn't able to see you before, I'm sure he'd appreciate it now. I insist and besides… I'll feel better knowing that you're getting back to New York safely."
"I- okay. If you really don't mind. I guess I haven't really gotten to say hello in awhile…" she trailed off, quickly looking back down at the desk, perhaps trying to hide the pleased smile on her lips.
Bruce nodded. "That's settled then. What time did you say Alfred wanted us ready by? He remembered of course, but it was the appropriate question to ask in order to avoid an awkwardly silent exit.
"Four ten," Betty answered, Bruce noted, without having to glance back at the computer screen.
"And I have… Lucius for breakfast?" He remembered this as well.
"Er, no, James Gordon. Nine thirty." Her answer was just as quick as the last had been and Bruce gave a small smile.
I'm not testing her, not really… he assured himself quickly. "Thank you, Betty. I'll see you at four ten."
"Have a good breakfast," she offered with a new sunnier smile. She was able to catch his eye for the briefest of moments as he turned to walk back into his office. "And, Mr. Way-Bruce, thank you. For, you know, Daniel… and letting me come. Thanks."
Given the speed with which she ducked her head back down towards her work, Bruce wasn't sure whether she caught the nod he passed in her direction. Either way it was alright, he supposed. Their conversation was over and both parties were satisfied. She would be able to see Daniel and her safety was one less thing that he would worry over. Despite what she may have thought, her assurances of, "oh don't worry about me. I take the subway all the time in New York and the people down there can be pretty sketchy," really did nothing to ease his nerves.
There was sketchy… and then there was Gotham. He wasn't quite sure that she understood that yet. Until he was and she did, he planned to keep an eye on his new assistant. She was skittish, yes, yet far too caviler for her own good (or his liking). To be fair, she wasn't aware of the full scope of the job she'd signed up for, nor would she be for quite some time. But until it came time for the big reveal (if it ever happened), he intended to keep her safe.
Bruce stepped into his office, glancing out once more before he closed the door behind him. He would have to remember to thank Alfred once again that evening. Even if the girl did startle easily, his judgment in this matter, as always, had been impeccable.