BatFam Ficlets

Bodyguard! Pru

Let it never be said that Tamara Fox can not put up with people's bullshit. She's Tim Drake's personal assistant, the one that practically keeps the man alive and in good enough condition to keep functioning. She's dealt with assassins (so many assassins), vigilantes, businessmen, reporters, and police. She is well versed in people's bullshittery.

But even she has her limits.

Pru beating up some two-bit, second rate, Lex Luthor wannabe, businessman in front of at least one hundred of the most rich and famous business owners this side of the continent, was pushing it just a bit.

How did we get here, you ask? Well, it all started with a feeling, then an observation, and then a protection detail.

Tam was feeling off ever since she woke up this morning at 5am on the dot. She felt like someone was watching her, not in the way a random passerby glances over at you, not even in the way a mugger sizes you up, but in a way she was rather unaccustomed to and she didn't like it one bit.

She vaguely remembers mentioning this feeling offhandedly to Tim before they moved on. She should have known that wouldn't be the end of it.

Little over a month passes and she's been getting that feeling off and on, usually when she's at home or on her way to or from work. There's a small business gathering for the east coast's elite that Tim (and subsequently, she) is invited to later that evening. And that feeling has been digging it's way into the back of her neck since she woke up that morning. Tim doesn't seem to feel it, though he is jittery for some other reason, probably relating to his nightly activities.

They get to the gathering and the feeling is worse than ever, leaving her constantly on edge easily distracted. Tim pulls her away about two hours into it, the feeling simultaneously subsiding and sharpening. They stop in a small meeting room where Tim immediately sweeps his surroundings before pulling out his phone and showing her a picture of a man she vaguely recognizes.

"Do you remember ever meeting him before now?"

She squints, thinking hard. He was the owner of one of the smaller well-to-do businesses in New York, not anywhere near the level of WE or LexCorp, probably not even on par with, the now far smaller, Drake Industries. He was arrogant and entitled, having inherited the business from his father. Yes, she remembers the man.

"He's been to quite a few of the same gatherings and galas as us. I vaguely remember speaking to him briefly. Why?"

Tim pulls back his phone, typing away at it as he answers, "he's been watching you since we came in, barely lets you out of his sights. You said you've been feeling like someone's watching you for a little bit now. It lines up with the times he's in town."

"Oh," she mumbles, a little taken back, she didn't think he'd remember that (but this is Tim Drake, of course he'd notice and remember the most random things). "Well, what are we going to do about him?"

"He's either trying to poach you, which is a frankly amusing concept, or he's stalking you. How do you feel about having a bodyguard?"

"I don't think I would mind it, as long as they don't get in the way of work."

Tim hums, before placing his phone by his ear. When the line picks up, she can faintly hear a garbled and slightly familiar, "what do you want birdie?"

"How do you feel about playing bodyguard for Tam?"

There was a second of pause, "the one that was brought to the Cradle?"

And, oh, that's where I heard her from, she's Pru. Tim gives an affirmative hum.

"Sure. I'll be in Gotham in fifteen hours."

"Should I send someone to pick you up from the airport?"

She gives a laugh that turns to static over the phones, "nah, I'll meet you in your perch, birdie."

"Alright, see you then."

They return in time for the ending speech, leaving quickly after that.

Pru settles into her new job quickly, easily. She'd stay awake all night, guarding the house, walk Tam to WE, then sleep in Tim's break room, waking only to follow Tam outside WE and back to her house.

At first, Tam was worried (she'd seen what this woman could do after all), but she was quickly mollified after interacting with her. Pru made it clear to her on the first day that no matter what she was doing, if Tam needed her, just ask.

The first time Tam had to leave during company hours, she was admittedly hesitant to wake the assassin up, but Tim barreled through her worries by blindly throwing a paper ball at her without even saying anything. The woman had jerked, looked around, then asked if she needed anything.

After three months, and two more run-ins with her stalker, something finally happens at one of the end-of-quarter galas Tim and consequently, Tam (and now Pru) have to attend. It was two hours in, Pru was being a good watchdog and keeping people away from her with sheer annoyance alone, Tim was off socialite-ing it up (like a sober Bruce Wayne 2.0).

The sleazy businessman was a little more on the tipsy side than is socially acceptable at these parties (unless, of course, you're Bruce Wayne or similar) and managed to stumble over from where he had been sulking against the wall. The chatter slowly started to quite as people sensed the coming of what might just be the biggest faux pas of second-rate businessmen.

The man hitched to a stop in front of her, slurred something along the lines of 'why won't you be mine' and went to grab her arm when Pru slipped in a blocked it. The man, obviously, did not like that, growling out some sexist thing or another which Pru (surprisingly) tactfully ignored. The man's anger rose and so did his volume as he screamed about 'treating her better than that undeserving child' and so on, somehow admitting to following and stalking her before trying to make another grab at her.

Pru once again stopped him, showing incredible levels of restraint (Tim would have thought the man would already be dead). Tim had decided to pull Tam back from the chaos as she was looking far too angry to be good for Future-Tam and WE's PR team. That only seemed to piss the man off more.

He drunkenly managed to slip past Pru (she 100% let him) and grab Tam's wrist. That was as far as he got as Pru yanked him back liked he weighed less than what his rotund body would lead you to believe.

At this point, they had attracted the attention of the guards, though the man seemed to not notice. He aimed a sloppy, slow punch at Pru who blocked it easily and slammed her own fist in his face in retaliation. There was an almost musical 'crunch' in the almost dead silent ballroom, quickly followed by a scream of pain. Tam (and quite a few others) turned toward the only noise other than the man, only to find Tim noisily slurping coffee with a straw (where did he even get that?).

The guards had finally reached them, two taking the now bleeding man, two more making a motion to take Pru. Tim finally stepped in, placing a hand on Pru's arm to let her know he'd handle it, and giving the men a polite smile. "What seems to be the problem, sirs?"

The two glance at each other, obviously recognizing him, before the older one says, hesitantly, "she punched a guest, protocol states that she be arrested unless they decide to not file charges."

Tim's smile grows a little sharper, "we have a room full of witnesses able to testify that she was defending her charge from drunken assault. Now, it would be a real shame if anyone here got in trouble for doing their job, wouldn't it?"

The men obviously saw the threat for what it was and quickly backed down, the party-goers turning back to their conversations now that the entertainment was gone, but anyone who bothered to keep looking saw Pru grumpily hand over a wad of bills to a smug Tim.

Tam just shook her head as Pru complained about losing, but truly, it was her own fault for betting against Tim, though, Tam was curious. "How did you know he was going to attack today?"

Tim shrugged, "a number of factors really. He's not a patient type, he's territorial, he's a violent drunk and his company just had a great quarter, so he was going to drink tonight."

Anyone still listening felt a shiver run down their spines and immediately decided to never get on Tim's bad side, because that, that was terrifying.