Meredith pulled into the roundabout driveway of the Elias household, a massive brick property that filled the expanse of a couple hundred meters. She'd decided on the red Aston Martin today— it matched her sweater and the bottom of her heels.

It was chilly outside in the September Gotham air, with clouds poking from behind the spirals and peaks of the mansion roof. Devin was already ahead of her, hopping out of something silver and foreign that she couldn't identify from far away. He turned to her with a grin as she exited her car and locked the door.

"Sup!" He called, waving his hand above his head. She rolled her eyes. At least she had somewhat tried to look nice— Devin was wearing a blue sweatshirt and jeans.

She turned around and started walking up the path to the front of the property. He jogged to catch up with her, appearing at her side a few moments later.

"You'll never guess where I just was," he sounded slightly out of breath as they began to climb the stairs to the door.

"Do I want to know?"

"Bruce's." He seemed proud, eyeing her with a mischievous look.

They reached the entrance, and Meredith pushed open the wooden doors. "I really don't care."

The entire house smelled warm and delicious, like freshly cooked bread and delicate desserts. She shrugged her black coat off, leaving it at a table in the foyer.

"C'mon, you seriously don't wanna know why I was there?" Devin copied her and left the sweatshirt on top of her jacket, leaving him in a navy long sleeve shirt.

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me, anyway."

One of their family maids, Nancy, appeared from around the corner. She saw them and her face went into shock, nearly dropping the tray of whatever she was holding. "Meredith! Devin! You two know you're supposed to ring before you walk in!"

Meredith rolled her eyes again as Nancy set down the silver platter and walked over, grabbing both of their jackets and tucking them under her arm.

"We used to live here, Nance, cut us some slack." Devin bent down and pressed a kiss to the woman's temple as he walked by, making her scowl.

Meredith trailed after her brother down the hallways and towards the kitchen, past the dining room which was bustling with waiting staff, extravagant decor, and steaming food on top of the long table. It was rare nowadays that the four of them actually got to sit down at dinner together, and apparently, their parents had decided to go all out.

"Mare, Devie!" their mother cooed as they entered the kitchen, clasping her hands over her chest. Eleanor had a kind smile, her temples lined with wrinkles but her eyes still sparkling green. She wore a purple dress that fell just below her knees with silver hair curled around her shoulders.

The cabinets of the kitchen were now painted white, an upgrade from their former brown wood. The room glowed with warmth as she approached the two of them, pressing up on her toes to give a kiss to Devin's cheek before enveloping Meredith in a tight hug.

Devin chuckled at his sister's irritated face. "Nice to see you too, Ma."

"I'm so glad you could make it." Their mother's voice was smooth like butter as she pulled back, taking Meredith's cheeks in her hands.

She rolled her eyes. "Dad didn't give me much of a choice."

Eleanor chuckled, patting Meredith's face a few times for good measure. "You know your father's just joking."

"Yeah," Meredith scoffed, pulling out of her mother's hands. "Just joking. Because that sounds so much like him."

"Don't be mean, Meredith," Eleanor gestured towards the dining room, her dress swishing around her knees. "Come. We have all your favorites! Zachary made cheesy green beans."

Meredith rolled her eyes. That hadn't been her favorite dish since she was nineteen. In part, because she had experienced food from all over the globe after age twenty, but also because— while their head chef Zachary was a phenomenal cook— Alfred Pennyworth had always made the green beans just a little bit better.

And there was no amount of incredible vegetables that would get her back into that house, so she just developed a love for noodles to compensate as her new favorite.

As they entered the dining room, a young man, one she hadn't seen before, was pulling out the chair for her. He was apparently the newest addition to their staff— she'd have to catch his name later. She nodded in thanks, taking a seat in the middle of the table, Devin across from her and her mother on one end.

Just as she was about to question where he was, Gregory Elias himself strode in the door, wearing a white button-up, gray slacks, and a matching sweater vest. She always held in a sigh at her father's face— while it looked better than it had years ago, he still seemed gaunt, his blue eyes now a muted pale color. His forehead was littered with stress lines and around his mouth were angry crinkles. However, it was comforting that his frame was tall and lean, much like Devin's, and he still held firm shoulders in his unwavering posture.

"Hiya, Pops," Devin greeted, face already deep into his plate. She could hardly believe her brother was in his forties when he still couldn't remember the basic rule of not eating until everyone was seated at the table.

"Meredith," his voice was sharp and cold as he ignored his son, turning to her. The young busboy was back again, this time seeming more frightened as he pulled out the chair for her father. "At the Kord Industries meeting—"

She had already come prepared with everything he was going to ask. "I addressed the low joint profit margins in Argentina— someone was skimming revenue in their energy division. The board already had it handled when I got there."

"And did you—"

"Inform them of Patrick Jonas' repeated miscommunication with our HR department? Yes, and he's being replaced starting Monday. It's all taken care of."

Her father nodded curtly, seeming slightly more relaxed as he began to eat.

She smiled, finally digging into her food. While she had already proved herself time and time again that she was more than capable of managing the Elias empire on her own, it was always nice to see her father— the man who was so hard so please— proud of her.

"Devin," her mother began. "How's Florida treating you?"

Her brother shrugged, saying something about surfing competitions and Miami nightclubs. Meredith stabbed a green bean with her fork and chewed on the end, not being able to help a brief moment of disappointment. They really just weren't as good as Alfreds. Eventually, the conversation ended, and Meredith could feel her mother itching to ask something that she didn't want to speak of.

"Why don't we talk about the story of the week? Mare, tell me about the Justice League."

She stabbed another green bean, trying to keep her answer as minimal as possible. She knew her father had never been a big fan of superheroes, and he probably wasn't thrilled at the idea of her publicly partnering his company with them. "I've had to do a little bit of remodeling to their business structure, particularly funding, but besides that everything is fine."

Eleanor gave a smile like she was trying to be understanding. "That's wonderful. And the members themselves? How are they?"

Meredith paused, acutely aware of Gregory's blank stare to her right. She decided to indulge her mother a little— Elias Incorporated was Meredith's company now, and she stood by the decisions she made on its behalf. If her father couldn't see the benefit in being partnered with the League, that was his own problem.

"Surprisingly horrible at keeping secret identities, believe it or not."

Devin snorted from across the table, almost choking on his food. "You're tellin' me."

Eleanor turned to him with suspicion. "Are you somehow involved in this, too?"

"I'm sorta friends with Flash," Devin reached across the table, grabbing a dish of mashed potatoes and scooping some onto his plate.

Meredith gave him a dangerous look. Even if she was thirty-nine, much too old to be told what to do anymore, she didn't need her parents knowing that supercriminals had a hit out on her— her father would probably lose his mind.

Devin seemed to understand, pausing mid-bite and rolling his eyes.

"You are?" Her mother sounded intrigued. "He's the one in red who can run fast, correct?"

Devin nodded.

"Who else do you know?"

Oh, he better not—

"Well, actually I just met Superman yesterday." He chuckled. "Me and Mare almost died."

"You two what?"

She caught herself from flinching at Gregory's tone, his head snapping up and staring at both of them with cold eyes. She scowled at Devin, before turning to her father. "We hardly almost died. There was just a... little altercation, but I handled it. It was no big deal."

"Meredith, this public Justice League partnership is an injudicious move," Gregory fell into his businessman tone, and she internally groaned. This lecture had been what she was trying to avoid. "It's completely unreliable. The League has nothing to offer Elias Incorporated other than their reputation, which you do not need to be associated with."

She furrowed her brows. "It's good to have a hand in all major corporations, and the Justice League isn't excluded from that. They're a world-renowned organization of heroes. Superman alone could be the bridge between tons of international disputes—"

"The Justice League operated perfectly fine before you, and they will continue to operate without you."

Irritation began to gather beneath her skin. While she respected her father's opinion, she didn't need him to tell her how to do her job.

"They're operating more efficiently because I'm now in charge of their finances—"

"You have no place there, Meredith. Being publicly related with them is incredibly dangerous. You can't move mountains or outrun cars. And if you're forming personal relationships with them like I believe you and Devin are, people are going to come after you."

She held her firm look but cringed on the inside. If only her father knew how correct he was, as usual.

"I can't speak for Devin, but I'm strictly there for business. I have no personal relationship with any of them."

"Well..."

She knew anger was flickering across her face as she spun around to Devin, who looked guilty.

"C'mon, Mare," he reasoned. "He makes a good point! If you didn't have an SRE on you yesterday we'd be in a completely different situation right now and you know it. Maybe it is a little dangerous."

She scoffed. "Well as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. There's a risk in every business deal, and I'm more than willing to take the risk. Sorry if you aren't."

"Willing to take the risk for what? There's nothing to get out of this other than street cred! They don't need your money, you should've just left it to Bruce and Oliver and—"

Her eyes widened. Oh damn.

"So this is about Bruce and Oliver, then?" Gregory sounded blatantly enraged, his steak knife clattering ungracefully on his plate. "Meredith, I thought you stopped following those two morons into their ridiculous shenanigans twenty years ago."

She rolled her neck, exasperated. This is exactly why she didn't want to come to dinner tonight. "Oliver told me he was funding the Justice League, and I just happened to figure out Wayne was as well. Besides that, I got in completely on my own. I send their offices paperwork for League finances and nothing else."

"Not including the fact that she's also buddy-buddy with Superman, and now Flash. Both of whom happen to enjoy her company."

"Devin!" she turned to him with a glare. "Shut up. I only found out who Flash was yesterday, and I'm hardly best friends with Superman."

"And now you know their identities, too?"

Devin ignored their father's anger. "Right, that's why Clark was laughing it up with you at the bar."

"Just because we're having a conversation doesn't make us friends!"

"Sure didn't look that way."

"Oh, you piece of—"

"Devin and Meredith Elias!" The rare strict tone of the mother silenced the petty argument. "You are both grown adults, so act like it. Now, can someone please tell me what business Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen have with the Justice League?"

"I was actually just at Bruce's before this."

Meredith stared at Devin in slight surprise. "You were?"

"Yeah, that's what I was trying to tell you when we walked in, but you blew me off, jackass." He glared. "Barry said that Bruce was involved with the League, so I stopped by to see what his deal was. I got the impression that he knows Batman."

"How is Bruce?" Eleanor asked nonchalantly. She had her head turned down, picking up some of her food with a fork. Meredith rolled her eyes. No matter how badly Bruce fucked up, her mother still seemed to have some sort of compassion for the asshole.

Devin's lip quirked into a smile. "Mentally stable-ish. I officially met his kids for the first time at the CCPD fundraiser yesterday. His new son looks exactly like him, it's almost scary."

"Really?" Eleanor didn't have a smile on her face, but her eyes twinkled cheerfully.

Meredith shared a glance with her father, who seemed equally as irritated about the entire conversation.

"Yeah," Devin now returned to his food. "I saw his oldest son an hour ago, he's a flirt just like his dad. I don't know a ton about the other two, but Meredith is apparently fairly acquainted with the third one, Tim."

All eyes turned to her. She shrugged casually, but knew her father also wasn't going to like this part. "Tim's interested in Wayne Enterprises. He's a smart kid— occasionally I look over some stuff for him. Unsurprisingly, he's easier to work with than his father, and almost better at his job, too."

"I actually invited Bruce here tonight, but I don't think he felt too welcomed," Devin added.

Meredith spoke in unison with her father. "He's not."

"It's probably... not the best idea, Dev." Eleanor poorly concealed her sadness. Why she couldn't get past her depression when it came to Bruce was beyond Meredith.

Devin looked sympathetic and Meredith wanted to slap him across the face.

"You guys are going to the Gotham Museum unveiling of the Incan gallery next week, right? I think Bruce and his kids will be there, too."

"Point is," Meredith interrupted her mother's hopeful eyes. "I can handle the League situation, and as the current CEO of Elias Incorporated," she gave Gregory a hard stare. "I believe I'm doing what's best for the company."

Her father raised a passive hand and sat back in his seat. "You're the boss, then."

She scowled at his condescending tone, like he knew this was all going to backfire on her. It absolutely was not. She had been running this place for over twenty years now, and she was aware of how business worked. She was just as smart as her father, if not smarter, in her educated opinion.

She placed another vegetable in her mouth. Devin had only been in town for two days, and everything she'd tried to keep a secret was all spilling out. He was such an idiot.

The sound utensils clinking on plates filled the room.

"What's Superman like?" Eleanor spoke. "I've seen him on the news before, he's rather handsome. Clark, you said his name was?"

Meredith realized Devin had inadvertently told their parents about Clark and Barry. She sighed. "He's... fine. He grew up on a farm in Kansas and now works for the Daily Planet. I'm friendly with his coworker and schoolboy crush, Lois Lane."

"He likes Lois Lane?" Devin stared at her incredulously.

"Yes, why?"

"Well, she's so... Lois Lane, and he's so... farm boy."

"She is a little out of his League," Meredith chuckled. "Clark's, at least. I think Superman could rival her personality."

Devin laughed. "She'd totally beat him in a staring contest."

"Yeah, right." She fell into laughter alongside him, purposely ignoring the look her father was giving her. She knew Devin and her were completely proving his point about them developing personal connections with the League members, but she didn't really care. It was nice to laugh with her brother for a brief moment.

Devin finished his chuckles, spreading his arms. "So, who wants to hear about my surfing competition on Tuesday?"

* * *

The elevator doors opened and Meredith stepped out, into the lobby of her office floor. She smiled at Janette, who was packing up her bags for the night.

"Are you heading out?" Meredith asked, pulling her black coat off.

Janette nodded, slinging a purse over her shoulder and brushing her red hair back. "Also, I think we need to get the air conditioning units checked again. There have been weird noises coming from down the hall, and I went to look, but nothing was there."

Meredith froze, slowly tucking her jacket under her arm. She put a smile on her face again. "Got it. I'll let the maintenance guys know. Have a good night, Jan."

The redhead said her goodbyes, disappearing into the elevator. Meredith sighed, walking past the conference room and to the door of her office. She turned the knob and entered the room, which was pitch black except for the city lights coming from the windows behind her desk. She set her coat down on the table near the door.

She strode across the carpet and switched on the small lamp. "There's a thing called knocking, you know."

She turned around, and standing a few feet away from her was the Dark Knight.

"You're lucky my secretary didn't catch you." She leaned back on her desk. "You would've given her a heart attack."

He stared at her in a way that told her that the Batman was not about to be caught by an office secretary.

"You can't work with the League anymore."

There was a pause. She bit back a chuckle.

"You're cute, you know? In a weird, 'I dress up as a small mammal and prowl around the city' kind of way."

That seemed to irritate him. "It's going to get dangerous. Fast."

She rolled her eyes. "Is this about the Deadshot incident yesterday? I'm one of the richest people in the world, there's always someone out to get me."

"Deadshot is not just your regular criminal," his modulated voice nearly growled.

"Didn't seem like much of a threat."

"He's one of the world's best marksmen. You caught him off guard once— you won't get lucky again."

"Well, it's a good thing I now own men who can outrun bullets."

"Flash and Superman can't always stop everything."

"Isn't that why you're here? To be the knight in shining armor for us helpless people of Gotham?"

"I can't stop everything, either."

"Then what exactly is your job, then? To break through what I thought was my unbreakable security and lecture me at odd hours of the night?"

There was no response. She stared at him, his cowl completely covering his face and the expanse of his shoulders almost frightening. He had his arms crossed, now visible from beneath his cape, unlike the last time he had visited her. She tried not to stare at the way the dark gray spandex outlined his muscles— she had been right, he was absolutely built.

"As I said before, if you want to publicly announce that we aren't working together anymore, then be my guest." She turned to her Keurig as she did during their previous encounter. She always needed coffee when this man was around. "But I don't think you actually want to, or else you would've done it already. And I'm not leaving, so I guess we're at an impasse."

Meredith felt him move closer to her as she pulled the steaming cup of coffee from beneath the machine. She turned around, finding him towering over her. Seriously, what was this guy's deal with trying to be so intimidating?

"You're going to end up hurt. Or worse."

She tilted her head, noticing his cape had flipped up on one side. She reached out, grasping the black fabric which felt somewhat rubbery beneath her fingers, and flattened it against his chest. It was strange being so up close and personal with the man who Gotham thought was a myth for years, and who she only ever saw beating criminals to a pulp. She turned her lip up in a smirk. She always strayed far away from anything that could potentially damage her reputation, but even she had to admit that this felt a little scandalous, and it was a little exciting.

She kept her hand resting in that position, for no reason other than the fact that she wanted to see how long he would let her keep it there. She'd use that as a basis to judge how much he'd allow her to get away with.

"I would offer you a drink, but..." She gestured to the cowl which usually didn't cover his mouth. "You never answered me last time, what's with the new mask?"

Meredith paused. This was ridiculous. She purposely went out of her way to never engage in small talk— unless she was going to get something out of a conversation, she didn't need to be in it.

"My face gets cold."

She found herself actually chuckling at the reference to their last conversation. She walked to her desk, trailing her hand around his arm before falling to her side. She was somewhat surprised— he had made no effort to stop her from invading his personal space. Interesting.

"The meeting is still Wednesday at eight?" She sat down at her desk and opened up her laptop.

There was a long, drawn-out silence, and for a moment she thought he'd left.

"Don't be late."

She sipped her coffee.

"Have a good night, Batman."

* * *

Hi everyone! Another chapter edited!! I honestly have an idea for two new books, which I would definitely write, but all of my books end up being like 50 chapters and I don't have time to write two new ones and finish all of my other ones (let's be honest I'm probably going to write them anyway). Thanks for all of the support, and almost 3k!

xo Alexa