I Saw, She Saw

Part Five

“Britt? The Grayson boy, that was nice of him to give you a ride home, wasn't it?”

“Uh-huh.”

“'Yes', please answer with words that are part of the English language.”

“Yes, it was nice of him to give me a ride home.”

Mrs. Wilson ignored the sarcasm, or maybe she didn't notice it. “Are you two becoming friends? I never heard you mention him before this.”

“I guess so.”

“He seems like a very nice young man, you don't mind if I do some checking on him, do you?”

“God—Mom, no! He's just a guy in school, he isn't a rapist or a terrorist or anything, he's just a high school senior.”

“Where does he think he may go next year? Is he looking at colleges?”

“I guess he probably is, I don't know.”

“Well, I'm sure that Bruce will be on top of that, or one of his people will be. I understand that Lucius Fox is the brains behind Wayne Enterprises so he's probably the one doing the leg work.”

“Mom, whatever. Dick is a nice guy and he's smart and he's never been in any trouble that I know of so please leave him alone. Please.”

“I think it would be a good idea to have Bruce and Dick over for dinner one of these evenings, would you like that?”

Brittney went into internal panic mode. God, no. “I think Bruce Wayne is probably pretty busy and I doubt if he wants to eat hamburgers around the kitchen table. Can you please forget about it? Dick is just a nice guy who gave me a ride home, okay?”

Janis Wilson let it go for now but she wasn't about to drop this, no matter what Britt asked. Clearly they two of them were developing something, the only question was what it could be. Why on earth would a kid like Dick Grayson, someone surrounded by Bruce Wayne's 'entertainment' be interested in her daughter? It didn't make any sense. He could pick and choose; he had looks, wealth and a guardian who was other-wised engaged and so could probably come and go at will. The idea of him with Britty was, well it was ridiculous.

Of course he might just be trolling for a some cheap thrills, boys will be boys and all of that.

But still, there might possibly be something she could work with here.

 

* * *
 

“Hey Bruce, do you know anything about Janis Wilson?”

Bruce almost turned from his paper, “Janis Wilson the corporate lawyer? Smart, tough, knows her stuff. We offered her a position with Wayne but she turned us down to work for Microsoft. I think she's heading their legal department now. Why?”

“She's Brittney's mother.”

That got his attention. “Does she know?”

“About the pictures? If she does she didn't say anything to me about it. Do you know anything about her personally?” Dick picked up a pen and played with it, he wasn't enjoying this conversation, knowing it point up his getting caught changing and would remind Bruce—as if he need reminding—that they had a situation.

“Divorced, I think. The ex is a member of Brixton Country Club, plays golf and seems to drink a lot. I've seen him hit on the waitresses and I 'm pretty sure he was escorted home a few times when he couldn't drive.”

“Does he work?”

“'Lives off some kind of alimony he gets from Janis, or that's what I've heard. Why, problem—aside from the original?” And if Janis Wilson was on the warpath of Dick Grayson being Robin then it was about to well and truly hit the fan.

“Not as far as I know, She's pretty nasty to Britt, puts her down, belittles her but she seems to think I'm okay; she's been pleasant enough to me, anyway.”

“Keep your eye's open and don't underestimate her.” Bruce gave Dick a hard look, making it clear that he wasn't letting this slide.

 

* * *
 

The next morning, seven-thirty sharp, Dick pulled up to Brittney's front door. “Ready?” He hadn't bothered to get out but he was there and Brittney was happy about that, even if he probably wished he was anywhere else. But then, “You look nice.”

She smiled as she shut the car door and seemed to have more of an effort getting dressed today, either that or her mother picked out her clothes; they weren't designer but they had all the right labels to be part of the in crowd. “You look great, too.” He always did, but she didn't have the nerve to say so. “Did you have Marra for English?

“Junior year, why, is he giving you trouble?”

“I'm usually pretty good in English but he wants me to take the pro side against gun control for a debate and I don't know if I can do it.”

“You don't like guns?” He pulled the car carefully into traffic, heavy this hour of the morning because of the rush.

“'Hate them. Some jerk shot my dog when I was seven, 'said he thought Lucy was a deer he was stalking.”

“I'm sorry. I never really had any pets but I like animals. Bruce hosted a charity thing a few weeks ago for the Humane Society and the people there were telling me how many people are being forced to give up their pets because of the economy. 'Have to make a choice of feeding their kids or their animals so the shelters are even more over crowded than usual.”

They were stopped at a light. “How come you never had any pets?”

“When I was little we didn't have the room and now Bruce says he doesn't have time; he's always having to go overseas or someplace and doesn't want to shove an animal onto some caretaker.” The light changed. “Oh, I didn't know if you wanted anything but I stopped for a bagel so I picked one up for you, too. Help yourself.” He pointed to a small paper bag on the passenger side floor.

“...Thank you.” She looked, a plain bagel toasted with butter but she didn't understand. “After everything I've forced you to do , you're being nice? Why?”

“Why not?”

“C'mon. Why?”

Dick's hands gripped the wheel a bit tighter and he allowed himself a moment to formulate his answer. “You have the pictures, we both know what they could mean to me and people who matter to me so it's, well, awkward is an understatement, but short of getting Superman or someone to scare the crap out of you, there isn't all that much I can do.”

“What if you found out I'd sold them somewhere?”

“You'd be sued both in criminal and civil court and I'd probably win a lot of money from you; actually from your mother since you're a minor.”

“But the pictures would still be out there.”

“Yes, they would and then I'd basically have to establish an entirely new identity, probably move to a different city and change my whole life. You have to realize the consequences, don't you?”

She hadn't thought about much else since this whole thing started, well other than being with Dick and the changes it had already made in her own life. “Yes, I understand them.” They were pulling into the school parking lot. “But we have an agreement and I'll stick to it. I promised and I will.”

Dick parked in his assigned space, killed the engine and turned to look at her, his face serious. “Will you?”

“I said I would, yes. I'm not a liar.”

“Just like that? Someone offers you a few million dollars, you'd turn it down? Because that's the ball park you're looking at—minimum.”

“My mom's rich, I don't need money.”

“...So what do you need? Me?”

Yes. But her answer was just a shrug. Dick nodded, he understood what this was about and he believed that she wouldn't sell the pictures.

He opened his door and swung his legs out. “C'mon, we'll be late. Meet me for lunch again.”

 

* * *
 

Janis Wilson simply didn't understand what the Grayson boy saw in Britney. It could be the obvious, that she was a needy girl who would do anything he wanted for some attention, but surely he could find someone more at his own level to accommodate his needs, couldn't he?

Well, it wouldn't last, no reason to worry about it.

 

* * *
 

A few weeks went by and as far as Brixton Academy knew, Dick and Brittney were a couple. He drove her to school every day, they ate lunch together at the senior table and they left together in his car at the end of the day. Between classes they could often be seen walking together and clearly enjoying one another's company.

The seemed like a mismatch but then Dick had never really dated anyone more than once or twice. He was always polite to them and they parted on good terms, but he'd never had steady and God knew Brittney had never been out with anyone so far as the local wisdom went.

“But she's such a mud fence, what does he see in her?”

“What do you think?”

“He could get laid any time he wanted—Grayson? Please, drop dead gorgeous, loaded and a gentleman. He could take his pick and then pick again.”

“God, Lissa, you're such a bitch. What, you still mad that he turned you down last year?”

“He did not turn me down, I told him to forget it when he asked.”

“Uh-huh, you keep telling yourself that, Liss.”

“I just don't get it.”

But the simple fact was that the two found that they were enjoying each other. Dick had the freedom of not having to hide his secrets and the other half of his life and Brittney had someone who was kind to her and seemed to value her, at least on some level, without constant criticisms.

They filled a gap in one another and were surprised when they realized it. They weren't in love, no, but they were becoming genuine friends, something they both had a limited supply of.

The real turning point was when they were hanging out at Brittney's house, watching a DVD and his phone rang. “I'm sorry, 'have to go.”

She looked him a question.

“The Titans, something's up.”

“Be careful, okay?”

“'Always am, tell your mother Bruce wanted me home, okay?”

It was easy, comfortable and they both needed that. Three months after the camera/phone incident, Dick realized that he hadn't really thought about the pictures in weeks.

TBC

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