Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own anything related to the Batman franchise. They belong to their original creator, and the actors belong to themselves.

AN: Okay, I know that this is totally outside my usual realm of Johnny Depp characters and Phantom of the Opera, but I've decided to branch out and try writing about a different masked hottie, and this is it. Besides, who agrees that Christian Bale and Heath Ledger (may he rest in peace) are totally amazing in The Dark Knight? Anyway, please be kind and review! I'd love to know what people think about this story. Thanks!

Chapter 1: When a Billionaire Meets a Librarian:

Amara looked up from her desk and tried hard not to laugh. There was the book cart, rattling with new texts, CDs and movies, while the poor tiny blonde pushing it puffed and turned red with the effort.

"Oh, come on, Julie, the thing isn't even half full!" Amara laughed, coming out from behind the enclosed, circular main desk of the library. "You really need to get in shape."

Green eyes glared at her. "I am in shape!" wheezed the petite woman as she came to a stop. "Just not the shape I wish I was in!"

Snickering, Amara took charge of the cart as Julie followed her into the back room, both women working quickly to unload the new materials so they could catalogue them. People hated waiting forever for a new release to become available, and the moment they arrived, it was Amara's job to get things out ASAP.

"So, how goes the adjusting?" Julie asked while laminating the dust jackets for the hard-cover books. "Getting used to the noises of the city yet?"

A recent hire of the library, Amara was a small-town girl new to Gotham City. An old friend of her mother's, Mrs. Rockwell, was on the library's board of trustees, and had offered the position when she learned that Amara wanted to move to a big city.

So here she was, across the country from where she grew up and in a huge city that was always noisy, no matter what the hour. Six months after moving here, Amara still wasn't used to the sounds of sirens, traffic, and people yelling in the streets at three in the morning. Obviously, it made for some rough sleeping.

Amara shrugged and printed out the barcode for the inside of the cover. "It's alright. I've decided to give up sleeping with the windows open and just get one of those air conditioner towers instead. That'll cut down on the noise, and give me a cool, comfortable place to sleep!"

Julie raised an eyebrow. "Can you afford to do that?" she asked. "I mean, considering where you live, isn't that a bit hard on your paycheck?"

The apartment Amara rented was in the better part of the city, meaning it was not only expensive, but also well out of a librarian's pay. Thankfully, one of the perks of working for this particular library meant getting half of her rent paid for, thanks to the generous donations made by Wayne Enterprises, who were heavy investors in this place.

'Thank goodness for that, otherwise I'd be stuck eating Cup-O-Noodles for every meal,' Amara thought with a shiver. 'Still, if I had to choose, I'd rather live in a safe neighborhood and eat meals from a can then live in a shabbier district and end up robbed, or worse, dead.'

Shaking her head, Amara gave her a reassuring pat on the arm. "It's fine. My dad sent me some money and told me to get something cool," she said truthfully. "I thought I do what he said, literally."

Both women giggled at the use of two puns. "Man, we really are nerdy librarians," Julie said with a snicker. "Well, as long as you're sure and comfortable, that's all that matters, right?"

'And the city is a bit safer, now that the mob is in pieces and that Joker guy is locked up,' Amara thought, finishing what she knew Julie was about to say.

Those two reasons had almost caused her to give up the idea of moving to Gotham, but thanks to police and the mysterious figure known as Batman, Amara had begun to think that maybe Gotham wasn't so bad. With the mob broken up and the psychopath known as the Joker locked up in Arkham Asylum, Gotham was safer than it had been in decades.

Still, that didn't stop her from carrying a can of mace in her purse, especially since Batman had disappeared.

"Okay, lamination is done!" Julie chirped happily. "Can I print out the barcodes? Please?"

Amara rolled her eyes. In the short time she'd been here and made friends with Julie, she'd learned that her friend loved stickers and anything that even resembled one. If it had a sticky back, Julie wanted to play with it; this included attaching the library codes to the books, and it was Julie's favorite thing to do here.

"Fine," she sighed, "you do the barcodes, and I'll go back to the desk."

Pity the desk was so dull at this time of the morning. Kids were still in school, so there were no hushed, excited voices as young readers searched to find their next great adventure book. The older ones would eventually take over the music section, swapping ideas over which band, singing group, or pop star was the best, right before they started checking out CDs to download for their MP3 players. The adults, meanwhile, would sit at a quiet table, drink their coffee, and pour over a favorite book, a new release, or the newspaper, savoring the peace that only a library could offer in this day and age.

Amara loved it, and the musty smell of paper, ink, and dust made her job the best there was. Well, in her opinion, anyway.

Right now, though, the only sounds to be heard was that of the air conditioning warring with the heater, and of her fingers clicking away on her keyboard. Her job was to find out when and if the newest bestsellers were available, buy them, and make sure they arrived in record time. The rest of the duties belonged to the two head librarians upstairs, comfy in their fancy corner offices.

'Not that I care,' Amara thought with a shake of her head. 'I wouldn't want to be the one who plans and attends all of the balls, parties, and fundraisers that keeps this place running. Those people are welcome to it!'

Above her, someone cleared their throat, startling her in her seat. Looking up, Amara saw it was a man, a very successful businessman, if she judged correctly. His dark blue suit looked like it had been made for him, and went very well with his dark hair and hazel eyes. Since he was leaning rather heavily on the top of the high counter, she guessed him to be six feet tall, maybe even a bit more. Quite a bit taller than her barely five foot, three inch frame.

"How can I help you?" she asked, putting on her most welcoming smile.

At the sight of the flirtatious one he gave back, her own nearly faded. 'Oh, brother, a flirty business man, wonderful,' Amara thought, stubbornly keeping her smile. 'He's probably looking at me and wondering how much fun it would be to pretend an interest in the local librarian.'

She could almost see herself in his eyes: long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, brown eyes peeking out from behind her almond-shaped reading glasses, and the white blouse paired with a black skirt and sensible black ballet flats on her feet. No weird tweed suits for her, thank you. What she wore wasn't the stereotypical look of a librarian, it was pretty darn close.

"Hello, beautiful," the man said, his voice smooth and rich. It also had a slight heaviness to it that she didn't expect, but it made him nice to listen to.

'What do you want to bet that all his girlfriends ever do is listen to him talk?' Amara tried not to laugh at the thought. 'He probably goes on about nothing whatsoever, and his dates sit there, listening to his great voice and stare at him, probably counting themselves lucky that they have this guy as their boyfriend.'

Still smiling, the man leaned forward onto the desk. "So, can you help find a specific book? I'm not sure if it's out yet, though, and would appreciate the help." He gave her an even wider smile, and she felt her heart leap.

Okay, he was good-looking, Amara had to admit, and that voice didn't help much, but she was determined not to fall for any of his flirty tricks. Even if he didn't know he was doing anything flirtatious, she was going to keep her cool and not let him get to her.

"Sure, I can do that," she replied, keeping her voice soft as she turned towards her computer screen. "What's the title?"

He told her, and she found him his book in less than a minute. After writing down the number and walking him to the general area of shelves, Amara went back to work, praying that she wouldn't have to deal with him again. Thanks to modern technology, he could check out his book without her help.

"Would you mind?" that rich, smooth voice said a few minutes later from above her.

She looked up. The man was back, book and library card in hand. Oh, goody. "Sure," she said, grudgingly taking the card and text to scan them. A minute later, the little printer produced the receipt listing day the book was due back, and she gave all three things to him. "You've three weeks before you need to return it."

"Thank you." He tucked the card into a wallet (black leather with his initials engraved in silver on it, she noted), and the book with the receipt in it went under his arm. The man then leaned forward, suddenly going silent. It made her uneasy.

Amara peeked up over the tops of her glasses, a trick that usually quieted noisy children or made local troublemakers change their minds about pulling a prank or two on the patrons. It was also something a stereotypical librarian did, but it was effective, and she liked doing it.

"Yes?" she said, giving him a questioning look. "Anything else?"

Once again, he gave her that dashing smile. "Well, there is one other thing." He looked around as though to be sure they were alone before turning back to face her. "Would you like to go out for a few drinks?"

The only word to express her feelings at that point was 'stunned.'

To be honest, he hadn't counted on asking the girl out. All he had wanted to do was see if the rumors about he new desk librarian were true, and was happy that she'd lived up to her reputation among the patrons.

Most people would think that, as the owner and CEO of a hugely successful company, Bruce Wayne did nothing for himself. True, most of the work was done by those working for him, but he did his best to sit in on board meetings, attend all important functions to get to know some of his workers better, and he made sure that a good portion of his wealth was distributed to local charities, schools, and libraries.

Sometimes, however, Bruce was a bit underhanded as he tried to see if his money was being put to good use. This was usually done by seeing if those who worked for his company –or for those he donated to – were putting a decent effort into their job. This library was where one of his larger yearly donations went, and he wanted to make sure that this new librarian was going to be one of the good things done with his money.

Sadly, this was a lesson hard-learned. Quite a few of the charities Bruce had given to in the past had been drained of funds by the mob. Somehow those bastards had gotten their own people into positions of power within those foundations, or gotten workers there under their thumbs. Those leeches had then proceeded to drain the charity's profits dry to feed the unending greed of the mob, and because of that, many who desperately needed help had been left to suffer.

Bruce had been furious when he'd found out that money meant for good was instead going to fund the wicked. In an effort to not only help the less fortunate, but to also save the image of his company, Bruce had hired several loyal employees of Wayne Enterprises to go in and test the charities and foundations he'd given money to, just to see who he needed to pull support from. It was hard to think of the people he would be hurting, but the money wasn't even used for good anyway, so that made it a bit easier, but only just a little.

Eventually, Bruce ordered new charities formed under Wayne Enterprises so that he could see where his finances went to, and so far, it had worked. This library was one of them. It was located in a middle part of town, somewhat close to the rough neighborhoods so that the unfortunate children and adults had a safe place to read and relax. It was also close to the middle-class apartments, though the rich kids did most of their reading at the larger state or city-run libraries.

An avid reader and supporter of the arts, Bruce had taken a keen interest in this particular library, and often made surprise visits to 'test' the staff whenever they hired new employees. The latest hire was a woman name Amara Thomas, and she'd gotten her position through a connection on the board of trustees, which Bruce sat in whenever he had free time (which was rare).

He trusted the board, though, because they were all close friends or retired employees loyal to Wayne Enterprises, and knew their decisions would be sound. Any major changes, however, such as brand new employees or large projects, required Bruce's approval. He'd become a bit suspicious when one of the female members, Mrs. Rockwell, suggested Miss Thomas, declaring her to be a good person who was fond of children and books. Word of mouth was one thing, but the actual person was another. Bruce had promised to think about it.

Pulling a few strings, he managed to quickly obtain a file on Miss Amara Thomas. Sure enough, Mrs. Rockwell had seemed right about the young woman. Miss Thomas appeared to be smart, since she'd graduated from college with good grades, and she had no serious debts or a criminal record. She didn't even have a parking ticket.

With no reason not to hire her, Bruce approved her employment at the library, though he still felt a bit off about it. So in an effort to clear his mind, he'd decided to come and see what kind of person she was, and he rather liked what he'd seen so far.

Well-dressed in a conservative white blouse, black skirt, and black shoes, the outfit spoke of her dedication to looking professional to those who came to the library and its main desk. So did the brown hair pulled back into a sensible ponytail, and the glasses perched on her nose were an interesting shape, emphasizing almond-shaped brown eyes that clearly came from an Asian family member.

Rather than appearing severe or unapproachable, though, the softness of her face and the ready smile on her lips made her friendly and open, welcoming visitors before she'd even said a word.

Yes, Amara Thomas was a very good choice for a librarian, and Bruce liked her immediately. She'd been very helpful, even going so far as to take him directly to his book, and checked it out for him when he pretended not to be able to use the self-service machines.

What Bruce liked best about her, though, was the way she looked at him over the rims of her glasses. It was the sort of look a teacher or elderly librarian gave a naughty child, and he found it so amusing that he almost laughed. Spunky; he liked that.

The next thing he knew, the offer for a date slipped past his lips, which he found surprising. His mouth never ran away like that, and it was the strangest feeling to have lost control of his actions. On the other hand, if she accepted his offer for a drink, it would probably be worth it; Bruce had a feeling she would provide some interesting conversation.

Right now, though, she was stuttering her way through her reply. "Uh, well, I really don't think-"

"Oh, my gosh, you're Bruce Wayne!" gasped a voice.

Amara's jaw dropped, and so did Bruce's stomach.

"You're Bruce Wayne?" she squeaked. Inside her head, Amara was thinking, 'I was just asked out by a multi-billionaire?'

Even though she'd never seen him, Amara knew all about the man who donated a great deal of money to both local and global organizations meant to help the less fortunate. Mrs. Rockwell, her mother's old friend, had informed her that the library she now worked at was heavily funded by Wayne Enterprises, and that Bruce Wayne himself sat upon the board of trustees, if only rarely.

"But I should warn you, dear, that Mr. Wayne is…well, to put it kindly, he's very fond of women," Mrs. Rockwell had said over the phone, when she'd called to offer the job and was accepted. "He is very popular with the ladies, as you can imagine, as rich and as handsome as he is, so if you see him, try not to fall over yourself."

Amara had promised that she wouldn't, and not given the matter another thought since then. After all, what were the chances of her ever running into Bruce Wayne, anyway?

Well, she'd been proved wrong, and now here she was, face-to-face with him, and he'd just asked her out for drinks. Honestly, she'd been close to accepting, but then Julie had come in and opened her eyes to who she was speaking with. Why, oh why hadn't she asked the guy's name, or even checked to see what name was on his library card?

By now, Julie had approached the front desk, green eyes wide with amazement. "Wow, I never thought I'd meet a billionaire," she breathed. "I'm Julie Hanson, and I volunteer here."

Mr. Wayne gave her a smile. "Nice to meet you." He turned towards Amara. "And you, Miss Thomas."

About to ask how he knew her name, Amara blushed when he tapped her name plate. Duh. "Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Wayne," she said, looking down shyly. Inside, she was kicking herself for not being more open, but then, what did you way to a hot billionaire?

"So, about those drinks," he said.

She blinked at him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne, but I'm afraid that won't be possible." He looked confused, and Amara continued on, saying, "It's unethical for me to go out with the chief benefactor of the library."

Out of the corner of her eye, Amara saw Julie's shocked expression, but ignored her. Instead, she focused on the surprised and slightly puzzled look on Mr. Wayne's face, wondering what was going on behind those hazel eyes of his.

It had been quite some time since Bruce had been shot down for a date; so long, in fact, that he'd forgotten how much it hurt when it happened. Normally he would have moved on to the next young woman, but Amara Thomas had more interesting thoughts going on behind those glasses, of that he was sure, and no doubt had more intelligence in one little finger than some of his previous dates had in their whole brain.

Okay, he'd been shot down for a date. However, Bruce had another ace up his sleeve.

"Alright, fair enough," he said, holding his hands up a little. "But I hope you plan to attend the fundraiser I'm having Saturday night."

Bruce saw her ready to protest and quickly stopped her with a smile. "It's for supporting the arts, like dance, music, and literature. Therefore, some of the money will come here to the library to help add a new computer room for the children to use. It's only fitting for those who work here to attend."

Amara still looked a bit skeptical, so he decided to press on with a bit of bribery. "I can promise lots of good food, music, and champagne. Plus, you might make a few friends while you're there."

He waited for her reply.

As much as it pained her to say it, Amara did think that the party sounded like a good idea, if only for the free food and drinks. What sane person turned down a classy event like that, especially if there were going to be fine food and champagne flowing hours?

"Well," she said while nibbling her lip, "alright. It does sound like fun."

"Excellent," Mr. Wayne said, clapping his hands together. "Saturday at eight o'clock. I'll send an invitation to your house so that you can get in. Wear an evening dress, and be sure to rest up; I think this one will last a while."

With a friendly wink in her direction, he turned and walked way, leaving a rather speechless Amara behind him.

In comparison, Julie was beyond excited. "Oh, my gosh, you're going to a party being held by Bruce Wayne!" she quietly squealed. "Do you know how many women would give their arm for that?"

"Well, I certainly hope nobody expects me to give an arm for this one," Amara teased. "I need both of mine to do my job."

Julie gave an exasperated huff. "Oh, come on, Amara," she said, clearly annoyed with her friend. "You've just been asked out by Bruce Wayne, turned him down, and then got invited to his party on Saturday! How are you unable to get excited about this?"

Amara merely shrugged. "He's just a bored billionaire with nothing more to do than flirt and invite people to parties," she replied. "Hey, do you want to go to the party with me? I could use some support while I'm there, and the last thing I want to do is go alone."

Julie looked ready to faint. "Seriously? You want me to go with you?" Amara nodded. "Oh, I am so there!"

She looked Amara up and down. "Now the main question is this: what are you going to wear?"

AN: Whew, long chapter! I hope that everyone enjoyed it and will review. If not, I'll take it that people don't like this and will take it down, considering I'm new to this whole Batman thing. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!