She's angry as hell when they start moving. For a moment she turns so she can watch Bruce. He stares dumbfounded for a second and then moves quickly back into the manor. Figures, she thinks. He's already moved on. If he's lucky he can bring someone upstairs before the end of the night.

She groans and sinks back into the chair. The cab driver just laughs at her expression. He's a bigger man. His skin is dark and he has an even darker birthmark crawling up the right side of his face. He wears a red T-shirt and a ratty, old black jacket that looks as heavy as the ones firemen wear. His head is completely shaved and she can just make out the red ink of a tattoo peeking out from the back of his shirt.

It seems strange to Beth that the cab driver doesn't attempt to make conversation with her. She's been in quite a few cabs in New York and the drivers always try and talk. They think it will give them a better tip. Had she jumped in the way she just did in New York she would have been interrogated. And yet he seems disinterested. But she can't blame him. He may just as well be fed up with the business types as she is. What's another rich girl's drama to him?

A little part of her wants to extend an olive branch and tell him she's not like those people in there. But isn't she? What hardships could she know? She's had nearly everything handed to her on a silver plate. And he's probably had to struggle for everything just to survive. Yet she's not like them. She can see that she's privileged. She doesn't want anymore. In fact, she doesn't want any of it. She'd throw it all away just to live a simple life where she has to work hard with her parents. Those men and women at Wayne Manor don't get it. It will never be enough for them. There's always more to be had. But why?

Lost in her own thoughts Beth doesn't realize the wrong turn the driver takes. And as she stares blankly out the window cursing Bruce Wayne in her head she misses the way the taxi jumps as he drives over the bridge.

She wakes up when they enter the first cluster of apartments in the Narrows. Doors are hanging off hinges and half the windows are either missing or have large spider cracks or bullet holes in them. Curtains are replaced with old T-shirts. Cardboard boxes litter the alleys and streets. They have been melted down by rain and snow and left where they were thrown. A couple of guys hidden in shadow hang around on broken fire escapes. There is no sign of any women or children.

Beth holds in a breath to try and calm her heartbeat. She doesn't say anything about the driver taking her to the wrong place. Instead, she waits and tries not to set him off. Her heart races a mile a minute and she can feel her legs start to vibrate nervously.

After another minute she feels the cab start to slow down. There's a small cul de sac on her right. It is all old, broken apartments accept for the lower level of one building. It has a neon sign that has half the letters missing but Beth can still tell that it is a laundry service. The inside is dark. No witnesses, is her first thought.

She's done keeping him calm and tries to make small talk to distract him. It might be her last chance and she's not going to die without a fight. "You're meter is broken" she says carefully.

The cab driver nods simply. Beth leans forward, trying to catch sight of his eyes but he's leaned so that she can't see any of his face in the mirror. She places her hand on the door handle and moves closer without making a sound. "So how are you charging me?"

Tires squeal and Beth's hand slips away from the handle as she slides across the back seat. Her seat belt snaps and her head crashes into the opposite window. And then everything is black.

Alfred catches Bruce halfway down the stairs. He shoos away a maid who has been pestering him about which drinks to bring out for the last hour and follows Bruce up the stairs. He waits until they have hit the last stair where no one upstairs can hear before calling out. "Master Wayne?"

Bruce turns for a split second before continuing to run. He takes the stairs two at a time. Time is of the essence. He moves fast and starts running through the routine in his head so he doesn't have to think later. Alfred stops at the landing and calls to Bruce who is halfway down the hall. "Leaving so soon?"

He ignores the elder man for the second and plays a string of notes on the piano. Alfred arrives just as he's stepping into the cave. "Beth Carter's going to get herself killed" is all he says before hurrying in. Alfred only shakes his head and plays a second string to close the gaping hole in the wall.

Bruce impatiently waits for his suit to rise. Why did he ever design it to do that? For security? It seems pointless now because it is just a hindrance.

What the hell was she thinking? Beth didn't appear to be stupid and from what's he's heard from Tom Carter, she's actually quite bright. So why the hell would she storm off into a cab that she didn't take here and not even take a glance at the driver? Could she really have been that mad at him? But still, she should have noticed him immediately. He did so why didn't she?

He tugs on the suit in record time. The mask is pulled on over his face as he bolts for the tumbler. He would take the pod but Beth is going to need a place to sit. She's going to be pretty shaken up after this one. He's seen in a hundred times and shock is never pretty. Dead people he can handle. But shaken, desperate, terrified people are difficult to be around.

Armed with an array of gadgets and weapons, Bruce burns out of the cave and onto the street. He punches in the license plate number he'd memorized and picks up speed when he sees that the cab isn't moving anymore.

She better not do anything stupid. And she better be a fast runner.

Her hearing is the first thing that comes back. The streets are silent but she hears the click of a seat belt and a door opening. Just as another door opens, her vision starts to come back in blurry patches. She sees the cab driver open up the door her head is leaning on and she falls onto the seat in a heap of dizziness. He roughly shoves her back and climbs into the back of the cab with her.

She's becoming more and more aware as he grabs her face in two thick hands. "Now stay with me. Don't go to sleep" he says in a voice that sounds like sandpaper.

Just as her eyes completely return she is thrown back and the back of her head hits the other window. She doesn't lose consciousness this time however.

Beth's heart pounds in her chest. She has no idea what he wants but he's going to get it if she doesn't start moving. Her hand reaches for the door handle but the driver catches her wrist before she can. "Time to pay up, sweetheart" he growls and pins her shoulders against the seat.

His breath is deep and heavy and smells like cigarettes. His hands are about the size of her head and easily hold her in place. "What do you want from me?" She tries to sound strong but her voice cracks when he places his hand on her throat, holding both of her arms in one of his hands.

He leans forward and Beth recoils. For this he presses harder on her throat until she's seeing spots. His nose moves to her hair and he inhales deeply. His answer is haunting, "The only thing a woman can give a man."

She wastes not a second and digs her heal between his legs. The driver gasps in pain and nearly collapses into her lap. Beth takes this as her chance and quickly hammers her fist into the back of his neck. He's halted for the moment so she throws her weight at the door and falls onto the street. In the fall she feels the skin of her arm tear but she doesn't think about the pain and pulls herself up. One shoe slips from her foot and so she takes off the other as she begins to run.

The driver is not giving up. He yells at her, "You bitch! I'll kill you!" No one comes to Beth's aide. No sirens are heard and no one is about to come out and help. With all her might she throws her shoe at him, hoping the heal embeds itself in his eye.

Full of adrenaline and pure fear, Beth runs blindly through the streets. She makes random turns and ducks through alleys, hoping to lose her pursuer and keep him from following and making good on his threat.

All the apartments in the Narrows look identical in their feeling of pitifulness and it's easy to get lost. Remembering the basic outline of Gotham, Beth tries to listen for any sound of water to get back to the bridge. If she can get past the bridge she'll be that much closer to help and safety. All streets in Gotham are dangerous, but the Narrows are complete desperation and the blackest part of hell.

She doesn't call for help because she knows it won't come. And it's better to stay silent in case the man is listening for her. She can't possibly be worth the chase, but the women of the Narrows have surely learned to fight better than she has and she may be the best target. That's why she keeps running even after her heart feels like it is going to explode and her legs burn with a heat she didn't know was possible. Beth pushes herself to her absolute limits until she can hardly see straight or control her movements.

That's why she falls and lands face first in the street.

Her hands are bloody from the fall. She's shaky as she stands. Her head swings around to check for her pursuer. She doesn't see him but she catches two eyes watching her. Beth gasps and moves backward. The pair of eyes move to another shadow of man.

She doesn't know why she can't run. Something in her is keeping her grounded. She can't move away and stares blankly into the alley.

There are actually three men that Beth can make out when she squints. They all dress in dark colors to blend in. One of them is indirectly in the moonlight and she catches sight of a hooked scar trailing from one man's eye to his cheek. She backs up even further, hoping if her back hits a building she can melt into it.

Between the three is another lump of a man. Beth isn't sure if he's alive or not. He doesn't appear to be moving. And then a silver object makes itself known in the alley. Beth ducks, thinking the gun is aimed at her. However, the band echoes around the buildings and it is the fourth man that crumples rather than Beth.

The moment of security is fleeting however as a finger points in her direction. She doesn't wait to find out what they want. Taking gasps of air, Beth pushes herself even harder and tries to stick to the shadows as she runs. The men only send out one shot that hits a window only an inch from Beth.

She can't help herself and lets lose a scream. The fear makes its way to her legs and she begins to shake again. Her pace slows and she screams again, this time in agony that she isn't moving. It's as if she's caught in one of the dreams where she can never move fast enough.

A shadow jumps out at her and curls itself around her. She bites her lip until she draws blood as a round of shots begin. Yet none of them reach her. The rain of bullets doesn't stop as she looks behind her. She can't see the men anymore. Instead, there is black and more eyes watching her, this time much closer.

His arm wraps around her waist and he aims some sort of grappling hook at a nearby building. "Hold on" he roughly growls. She doesn't question him at all.

Beth clings to his arm for dear life as the two of them fly up towards the apartment. She braces herself for the impact but it never comes. Rather, Batman throws her up and onto the roof and drops down to the street with the thugs.

Beth doesn't watch but hears more gunshots. She also hears grunts but none of them seem to come from her masked hero. Eventually the guns stop firing and there is a chill of silence in the air. Beth tucks her knees into her chest and closes her eyes. It can all disappear. She catches herself rocking when a hand is placed on her shoulder. The hand is gloved and belongs to a man in a mask.

He says nothing but picks her up from the roof. She wordlessly wraps her arms around his neck as he jumps down the fire escape. Against his firm body she can really feel herself shake. Her whole body feels like it is no longer under her control.

Some kind of vehicle appears down the street and approaches them. It looks like something the military would drive. Batman approaches it casually and opens the top. He sets Beth down next to him before reversing and fleeing the Narrows.

Once again, Beth pulls her knees up, looking for some kind of comfort. "Are you alright?" the gruff voice asks.

All she can do is nod. "Thank you" she whispers and tries not to think about anything in particular.

She never tells Batman where she lives. Yet he drives confidently and takes her past the bridge and back to the Harleton. He stops the strange vehicle behind the hotel where no one can see. Beth doesn't move and so he scoops her up off the seat. For a moment he thinks she's gone completely into shock but then she glances up at him.

He brings her up to her balcony. She doesn't ask how he knows where she is staying and in turn he doesn't ask anything of her. He simply jumps back to the vehicle and disappears into the night, leaving Beth in a crumpled heap on the balcony near tears.

When Bruce returns Alfred is waiting. "So…?"

Bruce, still as Batman, shakes his head. "Remind me to bring flowers tomorrow. I need to apologize and make sure she's alright."

"Did you reach her in time?" Alfred asks.

"What is on time?"