A.N. I love stories where people find out about the main character's duel identity. I love their reactions when the boring/ annoying image they saw crumbles into someone they had admired all along; someone amazing. So, I love stories where people find out that Bruce Wayne and Batman are one in the same. That the playboy is a façade to hide the deep personality he actually has. I looked and realized there are far too few of them floating around so I decided to add my own. I plan to make this a three chapter story showing the three people who find out about the Wayne/Batman connection. The only reason I'm not doing Alfred is because he saw Bruce as he really was from the very beginning. So, read and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I turned on the searchlight for Batman and he came. I asked him if I could own him and he said no. I asked him why not and he said if I asked him again I'd regret it. I haven't the nerve to ask again. So no, I don't own Batman.

Lucius Fox

Lucius was not bitter that he had been moved down to the basement of the Wayne Enterprises building. He was not the least bit angry about being kicked from his position on the board so soon after the death of Thomas Wayne nor did he actively care what Earle did with the company now that his friend was dead.

In fact, the only thing he truly cared about nowadays was building things. So, if Earle wanted to throw him in with all the other useless "junk", as he so kindly put it, Lucius was quite content to follow those orders. It was far better down in the basement alone than upstairs with the man breathing down his neck.

There had been one hope he had for the return of Wayne Enterprises to its former glory. That hope lay in the hands of one small boy. He was an angry boy, according to Alfred, and spent several of his school days suspended because he bloodied the noses of too many bullies. The parents assumed the Wayne boy was the actual bully and the schools were forced to take action against him. Lucius had to admit he liked him based on that fact alone, if nothing else. The kid had his values and like his father, he wasn't afraid to stand up for them and make the difference. Even if it was a bit violently.

Years passed with things getting worse for the morals of the company and young Wayne grew up into and angry teenager then an angry college student. Fourteen years after the death of Thomas and Martha, Joe Chill, their murderer, was to be released from prison in exchange for information on the crime lord of the city. Informants were the worst kind of criminal in Lucius' opinion. They were still able to commit their crimes but were protected by the very police who should be arresting them. He did not believe the boy would handle that very well.

But Lucius didn't get to find out how well Thomas' son reacted to the release then sudden murder of Chill. He had disappeared and Earle was only too happy to pronounce him dead after only a few months and work on taking the company public. Apparently a life long goal of his. Lucius stayed quiet about it but personally, he thought the man was an idiot. As soon as the company went public, Earle would have less control over it even if he did get more money. But the vision Thomas had would never be seen if Wayne Enterprises started selling stocks.

By some miracle, seven years after the hearing, the kid made his presence back in Gotham known. Although Bruce Wayne could hardly be called a kid anymore, now standing over six feet tall; Lucius told himself old habits die hard. But the kid turned out to be a huge disappointment. Wayne was one who was only good to entertain and little else. Where had the angry kid gone? The one so full of promise and spirit who would have been able to turn this company, this city, around. Dead, he supposed, along with his parents and what was left was an idiotic playboy who just partied and slept. Poor Alfred had to put up with that.

Lucius should have known better. The moment Bruce Wayne entered his solitary domain he realized he had the man figured wrong. At least partially. The playboy image was cracked when he saw the genuine interest Wayne had when he was shown around the department. He asked intelligent questions and understood the answers that were given to him.

The playboy image was completely shattered in Lucius' eyes when Wayne asked him about memory cloth and body armor. Spelunking, he used as an excuse and smiled with pursed lips and raised eyebrows. Oh, this kid was good. It was an act! The arrogance, the frivolity, the Bruce Wayne the world saw; it was an act. If he looked hard, he could see the patient intelligence that hid in his eyes. If he listened, he could hear the sharp wit Wayne actually had when he spoke, even if it was covered by the playboy stupidity. He even saw the fiery anger he had heard so much about from Alfred.

And then Lucius loved most about the whole thing was whatever passed between them was never acknowledged. He never mentioned he knew what Mr. Wayne did with his inventions and Mr. Wayne always had some sporting excuse for using them. It became a joke and both men had a mutual understanding of what was going on. That was when he smiled and told Mr. Wayne that all his inventions belonged to him and no one would be the wiser of his "borrowing" it. After all, whatever the kid was going to do with it was going to be more entertaining that if it stayed in its spot safely archived.

When he saw the Tumbler on the 11 o' clock news, Lucius just smiled. Yes, he liked this kid quite a bit.

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