author's note: sorry I haven't updated lately. I've been pretty bussy with homework and all that. i would appriciate some more reviews. they don't have to be good ones if you don't like it. i just want to know how to improve my story. :)

Bruce woke up to a sharp pain in his leg. He looked at the clock next to his bed, "6:33AM" flashing red on it's surface. He yawned and slowly removed his covers so he could examine his leg. It was a little black and blue, like he'd predicted, but he'd live to walk another day.

"You took quite a fall, eh, Master Wayne?" Alfred walked through the door carrying Bruce's breakfast on a tray.

"I'll live. At least it's not broken," Bruce sat up. Alfred smiled as he handed him the tray. He also gave him a small bottle of pain medication, which Bruce took after breakfast with a glass of water.

"So, that 'Joker' fellow is causing trouble again, is he?"

"Yes," Bruce replied as he pulled on a fresh set of clothes. "I'll have to look in to it further."

Alfred sighed as he left the room. "This won't end well as long as that man's involved."

The rest of the day went on as it usually did. Bruce arrived at Wayne Tower just in time for a somewhat boring meeting.

"You look tired, Mr. Wayne," Lucius Fox had walked up to him after the meeting. "You know you don't have to be at these meetings, right?" he smiled.

"I want to be here," Bruce smiled back.

Fox's smile disappeared for a moment. "I heard that there's been a sighting of the Joker," he was almost whispering. "The police aren't saying anything yet, so I wasn't sure if it was true."

Bruce's smile also faded. "Yeah, he's back."

"That's... unfortunate," Fox raised an eyebrow, "You be careful with that one. There's enough good people hurt because of him already."

"You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine," Bruce smiled slightly.

"Take care, Mr. Wayne." Fox returned Bruce's smile as he turned and walked away.

At the end of the day, Bruce walked out into the hallway, locking his office door behind him, and continued down the hall towards the elevator. Grace, a girl working as a secretary, was siting behind a counter to the right of the elevator. Bruce smiled as he saw her.

"Going home, Mr. Wayne?" she questioned.

"Yes. Are you going the same way? I'll walk you out."

"Yeah... Oh, but I wanted to watch this news report before I leave," she pointed to the TV that stood on a shelf nailed to the wall. "They're saying something about the Joker. Can you believe that?"

"Really?" the smile partially disappeared from Bruce's face. "Well, you should be careful. We don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Of course, Mr. Wayne," she kept smiling. Bruce considered offering to stay with the girl until the news was over, so he could walk her out. He wasn't that fond of the idea of leaving a girl alone when it was so dangerous. Of course, she wasn't the only one there besides Bruce. There would most likely be someone else in the parking lot when she leaves. And the Joker had better things to do than kidnap some random girl off the street.

"Well, goodnight, Grace," Bruce walked past the desk and hit the elevator button.

"Hello, people of Gotham," a familure voice called from the TV. A chill went down Bruce's spine as he heard the voice. He paused before turning around slowly. He was greeted by a pale, white face wearing a bright red grin. Bruce took a few steps forward to get a better view of the small screen.

"Guess who's back! You've probably been wondering where I've been, right?" the Joker licked his lower lip. Bruce looked at Grace, whose expression was unreadable. She was either terrified or really bored. All things considered, he was willing to bet it was the former. "After our last little, uh... 'get together' I had to deal with a few problems. Apparently the Gotham City police don't find my jokes very entertaining. Oh, by the way, sorry we didn't get to finish our last little game. I was really hoping to see some fireworks. But I'll make it up to you. Ya see, I'm sure I can think of tons of fun little games for us to play. Things are about to get a lot more interesting, " he chuckled. "So I'll see you all soon," he raised his eyebrows. He started laughing and the screen went dark. It quickly switched back to the news station. The reporters were frantically trying to figure out what had just happened.

Grace looked at Bruce with a speechless expression.

"Do you want me to help you to your car?" Bruce asked, not wanting the girl to be left alone and scared.

"No, no. I.. I'll be fine. Thanks," Grace tried to force a smile onto her face.

Bruce half-smiled back while he debated whether or not to insist. He knew the girl would get home safe. It was unlikely that the Joker would show any interest in her. Bruce turned and walked towards the elevator. He stepped inside and sighed, hoping Grace wouldn't be too scared. He had other things he needed to take care of. He walked out the doors of the building and quickly to his car. He needed to talk to Gordon. The officers were sure to be in a frenzy now. He sped off towards the chaos that he knew would await him.