It had been a few days since the oil rig disaster, and most of the excitement had finally died down. I urged my brother to go back to work, hoping that maybe there could be some kind of return to normalcy for us. Though nothing had ever really gone back to normal since our parents had died.
Nevertheless, Monday came and I found myself sitting at my desk as the Gotham City National Bank manager. Today things were pretty quiet, but I was prepared for anything. The crime in Gotham had continued to get worse and all the other banks around us had already been held up. I knew it was only a matter of time before we got hit next.
It was nearly closing time when one of the bank tellers knocked on my open door.
"Rose?" she called softly. "I've got a gentleman who would like to cash a payroll check, but he doesn't have an account here," she informed me.
I mentally rolled my eyes but planted a fake smile on my face.
"Ok," I replied. "Send him in."
I heard her heels click as she walked down the short hallway and told the man to step down to my office.
"Miss Montgomery will see you now," she said. "First door on the right."
I mentally groaned and this time visibly rolled my eyes. All I wanted to do was go home, order some Chinese take out and soak in a hot tub. But now I'd probably be stuck here for an hour by some stupid-
"Ahem."
I looked up and instantly felt a blush creep up my cheeks as I freaked out silently in my head. I hadn't been talking outloud again, had I?
No-- no, I hadn't. So why was this attractive gentleman hesitating to walk in my door?
"Please, come in," I said gesturing to the chair on the other side of my desk.
He smiled down at me before taking a seat and I couldn't help but smile back. God he was gorgeous. As he stared at me, I noticed he the most beautiful blue eyes-- but I was sure I had seen them before.
"My name is Rose Montgomery," I smiled as I began my professional introduction. "How can I help you?"
"I have a check I was wondering if I could get cashed," he said, sliding it over to me.
The check was made out to a John Dole from the Bearing Sea King Crabbing Industry. It wasn't the first time we had cashed checks from the Sea King before, that part was legit, but John Dole? As in John Doe with an L? Had nobody else caught that?
"John Dole?" I crooked an eyebrow at him as I looked over the check I held in my hands.
"Uhm, yeah," he shuffled nervously in his chair.
"Do you have an account anywhere else in the city?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"What about any identification?" I asked. "Usually we need to see two forms."
His face fell as he again shook his head and looked down at the ground.
Maybe it was because he was extremely handsome, or maybe I had just lost my mind, but for whatever reason, I suddenly felt this overwhelming need to help this man.
Turning the check over, I signed it leaving space above my name for him to sign.
"I don't usually do this," I began cautiously, "but I'm going to help you out," I said.
Sliding his check back over, I pointed just above my name.
"I need you to sign here," I said. "You're going to give the check over to me and we'll cash it using my account."
"I know how this must look," he muttered, shaking his head, "so thank you."
I took the check back, pulled out the petty cash box and counted out the $726.
"I'm sure you're just trying to get the hell out of this city like the rest of us--"
Suddenly I was cut off by an explosion that rocked the entire building. Glass shattered and gun shots rang out in the lobby followed by the screams of my fellow co-workers.
"You've got to be kidding me," I hissed rummaging through my purse for my gun. "I really hate this city," I muttered under my breath.
"What are you doing?" the man infront of me whispered as his eyes landed on the black piece in my hands. "Are you crazy? You'll get yourself shot!"
Getting up from my desk, I came around to the other side. "Don't worry," I told him placing a hand on his shoulder. "I've dealt with this kind of thing before."
As the man stood from his seat, it was then that I realized he was huge. Concern etched across his face as he towered over me. Something felt so familiar about this.
"Please don't go out there," he pleaded as he placed two very strong hands on my shoulders.
As I looked into his bright blue orbs, I wanted to sit down and do whatever he asked me to do, but the screaming from the next room quickly brought me out of my reverie.
"I'll be ok," I told him firmly. "Now stay here," I ordered before slowly slipping out the door.
My eyes quickly scanned my surroundings. Two robbers wearing clown masks held guns on three of my fellow employees, while another kept watch at the door. Over behind the front counter, another clown held a gun on a teller while instructing her to fill the bags. I shuddered as I looked at them-- why did it always have to be clowns.
Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I closed my eyes. I was vastly out numbered, but something needed to be done.
I took a step forward and shot the guy standing guard at the door, before popping off another round at the man by the teller. The two guys directly infront of me turned around, raising their masks as they aimed their guns in my direction.
"Drop 'um and nobody else has to get hurt," I said forcing my voice to try and sound strong. "The local authorities have been notified and they will be here shortly." I knew I was lying, but I figured it was worth a shot.
For a moment it looked as if the two were going to listen, their eyes wide with shock, but then suddenly large grins shot across their faces.
"The only one who's going to get hurt here, sweetheart-- is you."
There was a loud snicker from behind me as a man cocked his gun and placed it against the back of my head. Immediately my heart sunk and I silently cursed myself for not remembering that the vault was directly behind me. Of course they would have been robbing that. God, I was such an idiot.
"Put it down, girlie," he said as he walked around to the front facing me. He gestured for me to drop my gun but that just made me grip it tighter. He would have been better off staying behind me, I thought as I aimed my gun towards his chest.
Suddenly there was a gust of wind as the large man from my office appeared next to me.
"What are you doing?" I practically squealed as he took a step towards the gunman. "I told you to stay put!"
Ignoring me, the large, blue eyed man held up his hands in an offering of peace. "Nobody else needs to get hurt here," he said. His deep voice booming with power and authority.
"Oh yeah?" the gunman asked as he turned his gun on the other man. "And what're you gonna do 'bout it, tough guy?"
This blue eyed idiot was about to get himself killed, and for what? For me?
"It's not worth it," I whispered. "You should have just stayed in my office."
As the thief's finger moved towards the trigger, I knew I needed to act fast. I aimed my gun but in all the excitement I hadn't realized how sweaty my hand had become. As my finger slid towards the trigger, I felt the gun slowly slipping from my grasp. I flinched as a shot rang out from my gun and hit the gunman in the shoulder instead of his chest. Screaming out in pain, the angry bank robber turned his gun on me.
I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the pain but surprisingly it never came. Instead, I found myself being surrounded by a pair of incredibly strong arms as the man from my office crushed me to his impossibly muscled chest.
I heard the gun and instantly I knew he'd been hit, but if he had he sure as heck didn't show it.
"Now stay here," he said, his blue eyes smiling down at me before flashing off.
Funny, hadn't I just told him the same thing moments ago? In the blink of an eye he had sucessfully disarmed the two men and thrown all five of them into the vault behind me. Before tossing the last three in, he ripped out a few metal bars from inside the vault and wrapped them around each of the gunmen.
I watched in silent awe as the man slammed the vault door shut. I cocked an eyebrow in his direction.
"Was that necessary?" I asked as he handed me all of the discarded guns.
"Probably not," he shrugged. "But saving you was worth it."
"I had it handled," I shrugged.
"I'm sure you did," he smiled back and I swear I could feel the earth shift beneath my feet.
Suddenly, everyone let out a sigh in relief as sirens blarred right outside the bank. Everyone except 'John Dole' that is. He nervously began shuffling on his feet as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Go."
He shot me a confused look as he looked down at me.
"Go," I said again, this time more forceful as I grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hallway towards my office.
"That door will lead you out back," I informed him as I pointed to the door across from mine.
I watched as he rushed towards it.
"Thank you," he turned back towards me.
There was a gust of wind, just like before, and when I looked up, two warm plump lips were pressing themselves against mine.
He pulled back just as the Gotham City Police Department entered the building and quickly disappeared out the door. Slowly, I walked back out to the front of the bank where the GCPD was questioning some of the employees. My ears perked up when I heard someone mention my name.
"It was that girl right there, Miss Montgomery, who saved us," my co-worker said as he pointed at me. "Her and that-- that saint!" he exclaimed.
"A saint," I repeated to myself as I remembered my brother saying the same thing about the man who had saved him.
As the police walked over to me, I glanced down at the ground and noticed something gleaming in the light. Stooping down, I picked up the small piece of metal and turned it over repeatedly in my hand. As I ran my thumb over the small piece of brass, I finally figured out what it was.
I pressed my fingertips against my lips, the soft kiss still tingling on my skin. Who the hell was this guy, I wondered, gazing back down at the flattened bullet.