Chapter 1

The sun shone brightly over the horizon, radiating its' heat over Gotham City, it was the only time I could be out of the house and be by myself, not that I didn't love my brother and our butler, Alfred, but there were times when I just wanted to visit my parents...alone...

'Here lies Martha and Thomas Wayne. Devoted husband and wife, loving parents, beloved mother and father' The grey stone gravestone read, it brought tears to my eyes, they streamed down my cheeks as I remembered the day they died, the day me and Bruce lost our parents. I was eight years old when they died. Their dying faces as they were shot during the mugging, the anger and pain I felt, the need for revenge as I screamed for them. Bruce tried his best to shield me from the traumatising sight but he was only ten, what could he do but become frozen in a traumitised state and scream?

-Memory Begins-

"Well wasn't that fun?" My mother asked as we walked with my father and my older brother out of the cinema. I nodded. "Can we eat now Mother? I'm starving!" I said. Bruce laughed and pulled me into a head lock, ruffling my jet black hair. "You're always hungry!" He said smiling. I laughed. Mother and Father laughed too. "Alright, I know a shortcut!" Father said and led us down and alleyway... That's where it happened...

-Memory Ends-

I shook my head as tears fell from my emerald green eyes. "I'm so sorry Mother! Father! I miss you guys so much!" I said sobbing silently to myself.

"I thought I'd find you here..." A masculine American voice said as a hand suddenly landed on my shouler.

Sharply I turned around and seen mu older brother, Bruce, standing over me. I rose and hugged him, sobbing into his chest. "Shh sh it's okay Naida," Bruce said as he rubbed my back, soothing my sobs.

"I-it's not fair Bruce! W-why did they..." I began but broke off crying

"I know Nai, I know" Bruce said as he put one of his muscled arms around my shoulders. "Come on, let's just get you home and safe" He said and began walking me back to his car. The black Coupe convertible. Our Father's old car... Bruce now used it in the day time. I know he has the Batmobile but that was kept in the Batcave.

It was a long silent drive home. Bruce was too busy keeping his eyes on the road and my mind was consumed with the memory of the horrid event. Couldn't I have stopped Father from going down his shortcut!? If I wasn't so hungry...

"Naida, we are home..." Bruce's deep voice said as he shook my shoulder, pulling me from my guilt-filled thoughts and back to the present. I just nodded got out of the car. "Naida, are you okay?" He asked me. I couldn't hold it in. The tears started to spill.

"NO! How CAN I be okay when I know our parents death was MY fault!" I snapped annoyed at myself.

Bruce sighed. "Nai! What are you talking about? It was cold blooded murder!" He said

"If I hadn't been so bloody impatient then Father never would have gone down the alleyway!" I said running off inside before Bruce had the chance to comfort me. I ran past Alfred Pennyworth and went straight to my room. I couldn't and didn't want to think of how many times I had dreamt all the different possibilities that could have happened if it weren't for my stomach! I slammed my door shut so I could cry in peace.

"Naida, come on it's time for dinner! Mistress?" Alfred's voice woke me from my slumber. I quickly got up and made my way over to my door.

"Sorry Alfred, I was asleep...is Bruce joining us or is he in the Batcave?" I asked Alfred as I came out of my room.

"I'm afraid not...Master Bruce picked up a Batsignal so he has stepped into the Batman mode Mistress Naida" Alfred explained in his posh British accent.

I sighed angrily. "Of course he is!" I muttered rolling my eyes. Bruce never EVER let me go on patrol with him yet I trained with him! I was with him when he established the goddamn Batcave! But no! It was too 'dangerous'!

"Master Bruce shall be back momentarily" Alfred said as we walked to the empty dining room. Most of the rooms were empty in this house, it was also a lot quieter than it used to be...

My father would be laughing or playing the grand piano, and my mother would be singing beside him, making him smile while me and Bruce danced and Alfred would be here serving drinks and my mother would get him to dance...that would be if they were alive...

I shook my head. Annoyed and wishing my parents were here. But Alfred was a great guardian. He had always been with the family and he wasn't just a butler, he was more of a grandfather. "Mistress Naida, you know you aren't to blame for what happened. Everything happens for a reason!" Alfred's wise voice pulled me from my thoughts. Damn him! Know-it-all!

I sighed. "Still…maybe if they were still here, Bruce wouldn't have to be going off on City Watch the time!" I said as I sat down at the dining table where Alfred set my dinner down in front of me

"Hmm….I see where you are coming from Mistress… have you spoken to your brother about how you feel?" Alfred asked me as he took his seat beside me. He knew I didn't like being left alone for too long. It would make me insane! I disliked how quiet this house was now.

"No Alfred…. Why? It isn't like it would change anything!" I sighed. But Alfred had a point. He always had a point. It was rather annoying!

"Mistress….. if you don't mind me asking, how have you been… truly?" Alfred asked me. It was a question that puzzled me. I didn't know how to answer it for I didn't know how I was. My feelings and emotions were all mixed up! I just didn't know!

"Alfred I don't know….." I sighed honestly. He nodded and decided to switch on the news.

"Now over to Sandy Peterson to tell us the latest on the breaking crime scene at our main bank" the voice of a male news reporter announced cheerfully

The image switched to a professionally dressed women, clutching a microphone and standing in the middle of the blocked off street. Police had set up barricades with their cars and many of them stood about talking or fussing about. Some good that would do.

"Thanks Tim! Now here we are at Gotham's central bank where earlier on this morning where an alarm was set off by a staff member, alerting the police to an armed robbery. The police however cannot identify the main man conducting the robbery but he does have accomplices which have taken hostages inside!" she spoke slowly, loudly and clearly. It seemed nothing more than a normal everyday robbery right?

She continued and things started to get worse. "The police nor detectives can specifying what the accused wants however they aren't in this for just the money Tim. All we know is th…"

The TV speakers suddenly gave a huge 'BOOM', which was followed by the sounds of crumbling bricks and scattering dust. Muffled screams and car alarms wailed. The reporter struggled to cover her head. Just behind her the once glass doors of the bank was now replaced with a huge hole, black smoke with tinges of green billowing from it. Police men flooded in.

"Hurry Rick let's get inside!" the reporter command as she struggled to carry the mic while running on her highest heels and fix her blonde shoulder length hair. The once blue sky was were now turned an ugly ash grey and brown with the derbies the explosion had kicked up into the surrounding air.

With a shaky camera action and heavy coughing and panting from Rick the cameraman they fought their way inside. Policemen had stopped to help up the injured or unconscious hostages. The camera followed the click of reporter's shoes into a volt.

My heart nearly dropped. Someone…. Someone had painted on the far metal wall of the emptied volt. Whoever they were had chosen to send a powerful message, one directed at us. In red (hopefully not blood) was a large dedication of our not that well known family crest, overlapping it was the batman symbol, it was dripping down the wall in an eerily slow way.

"Well Tim whoever our masked villain was, he is sending either a message or warning to one of best known heroes and one of Gotham's wealthiest families. Back to you in the studio" the reporter had to shout to be heard over all the commotion happening in the background. The sound of police sirens were the loudest…. It reminded me of the night my parents were murdered.

My mind was sent into uncontrollable spirals of emotions. How could this criminal know of our family crest!? Did he know of the connection to Batman!? "Oh god!" I heard Alfred gasp. "Naida, don't worry it's probably just a coincidence!"

"Bullshit Alfred! How could some criminal know of our family crest!?" I said not caring that I swore.

However Alfred didn't get a chance to do anything before the sound of manic laughter echoed through the house, it was followed by the smashing of a window. "Stay here!" Alfred instructed me but I wasn't about to lose him too! I swiftly took down my father's katana which hung over the fireplace and readied myself for an attack.

"Anybody home?" A strange sinister voice echoed out. "*crazed laughter* o-oh no! I-* sniggering, laughter* just the wind" a slightly unhinged voice came from down the hall way. A blacked out out figure stood at the looming French glass window. From all I could tell it was male, wearing an ill-fitting suit and long coat. He took the liberty of stepping forward into the fading evening light. "My *loud laughter* my why would he keep such pretty treasure locked up in here? This creepy lonely *low chuckling* mansion?" his voice was undistinguishable, it switched from deep to high, welcoming to menacing.

His appearance explained it all, told me about his state of mind. Whoever he was he certainly had a line of theatrical makeup. You could see in his white face were the hardened paint had started to crack and crumble like that of the old china dolls. Either applied in the dark, or heavily drugged his eyes were completely blacked out and a large unnerving grin was plastered in crudely drawn red lipstick. All of this made for a disturbing sight… even the unreadable look in his eyes seemed to have their own creepy smile to them.

"Wanna *sniggering* play?" he leered.

I backed away from the strange man. "No thanks freak! Now get out!" I snarled and sliced him with the katana only making him angry.

"That *wincing in pain* wasn't nice kid!" He snarled and before I knew what was going on he had pinned me against a wall, his gloved hands gripping tightly onto my forearms. He stood waaaaay too close for comfort! "Now I don't care if you want to play or not! You cut me so now I'm gonna cut you!" The man hissed low into my ear. I heard the click of a knife. I could feel his creepy breath on my neck as I struggled. Suddenly I felt the cold blade slice my skin. I screamed loudly.

"Let her go Joker!" Bruce snarled as he suddenly appeared, still in his Batman costume

The Joker laughed and wrapped the arm with the knife in it around my neck choking me and began to back away toward a window. "Did you like my artwork Batty?" He chuckled crazily.

I could hear the waved crashing against the rock down below. My heart pounded and I could feel the blood streaming down my arm. "Let me go!" I snarled struggling but the blade was only pressed deeper! I could see Bruce getting angry.

"I said let her GO!" He snarled and lunged and Joker.

Everything happened so fast. As soon as Bruce lunged the Joker shoved me aside making me hit my head off a piece of metallic armour as he got away. I sank to the floor after hitting my head painfully off the armour. Falling into a deep sleep I could hear more brother calling for me to stay awake…..

Please Vote, Follow and Comment, this is my first attempt at a DC based story