Alfred without fail was showered, changed and down in the kitchen by 7:30 every morning. He always wondered why he still bothered seeing as the current master of Wayne Manor would often stay in bed till past noon. But old habits die-hard, Thomas Wayne had always tried to be in the hospital for 9 o'clock and Alfred had done the best he could to work to Wayne's schedule much like he did now with Bruce, but having breakfast prepared was the half of it. Alfred sighed wearily, there was no denying it he was getting older and Bruce, well Bruce was showing no signs of letting up. Alfred had forgotten the number of nights he had sat staring at the grandfather clock that ticked ominously in the library waiting until he received the signal that Batman was on his way home. More often than not Alfred would rush down to the Batcave to find Bruce seated at his large computer staring up at the screen trying to decipher some obscure clue left behind. But other times, the nights that Alfred began to dread when Bruce first began his crusade was whenever Bruce would crawl out of the Tumbler, his wounds hidden behind Kevlar and Teflon. Alfred was the one there to tend his wounds, patch him up and send him on his way. Once more to the breach dear friends, once more indeed. Alfred didn't dare think what would happen when he wasn't there any more. Bruce would be left alone, his parents gone, Rachel no more and no real family to speak of his would be a solitary, vengeance fuelled existence. Bruce Wayne would be no more, only the bat would remain.

Alfred shook his musings aside, choosing instead to focus on the task at hand. But all thoughts of preparing for the day flew from his head when his eyes were greeted by a slim white envelope, not unlike the one left for Bruce by Rachel. Alfred gingerly reached out and took the envelope, he recognised it as one of those kept in the study Bruce rarely used. Peeling back the flap of the sealed envelope he removed the thick paper and unfolded the letter, he read quickly.

Dear Alfred,

Forgive the cliché but by the time you read this it'll be too late. My brother Tristan never made it home; he was abducted at the airport. My friend Alicia, you remember, I told you about her. She's been taken too. Both of them were used as an opening play, to get at me. I know I shouldn't have but Alicia asked to see me, we went for coffee and then that man...

There was a slight wobble in the writing; Alfred frowned.

Paolo, he told me that Tristan and Alicia would be fine if there was a trade, my life for theirs. So I've gone and that's that. Don't call the police they'll find out, the force is as corrupt as ever, and they'll get Alicia and Tristan again.

Thank Bruce for me; you've both been so kind to me.

Yours,

Vanessa

Alfred carefully folded up the letter and put it back into the envelope. There was he thought perhaps some merit in not calling Gotham PD but being uniquely placed as he was he had a much more lethal and effective force at his disposal, Batman.

By now it was 8 o'clock, Bruce had uncharacteristically not gone on patrol the night before and besides Batman was used to working on such little sleep. Alfred hurried up the several stairs that led him to Bruce's door, turning the elaborate brass handle he rushed into the room and threw open the curtains; the sudden influx of bright winter light hit Bruce full on the face, rousing him from his sleep.

"Alfred?" he questioned groggily.

"Master Bruce, we have a situation."

Sensing the need for urgency in Alfred's clipped tone Bruce flung off the sheets and sprung out of bed, all traces of sleep wiped from his countenance.

"What sort of situation?"

Alfred passed the letter in Bruce's direction, hesitating ever so slightly, "It would appear that Miss Taylor has tried to do the honourable yet arguably stupid thing."

Bruce snatched up the letter and began reading, his eyes narrowing.

Across town Tristan pulled aside the cheap curtains and looked onto the street below him. Alicia lay on one of the single beds behind, staring up at the ceiling, her rhythmic breathing filling the otherwise quiet room. Tristan scanned the road for anybody trying their best to look like they weren't observing anyone, fortunately there were no parked cars that could possibly contain mob shadows. Tristan sighed, his sister had handed herself over and there was no telling what the goons would do with her; they had needed him alive to coax her out of the woodwork. And now whatever their plans for her were, they could come to fruition, Tristan's jaw tightened, it most probably involved her death. Only five minutes earlier had he gone downstairs to use the hotels phone bank, Wally was on his way. The plan was for him to park several blocks away and hopefully the three of them with the help of a wig and a couple of hats would be able to lose anyone that might have been tasked to follow them. Tristan looked over to his sister's friend, a purple bruise had formed across her cheek, closing his eyes angrily he winced slightly as he pulled at a cut on his forehead. Luckily when the two of them had checked in the receptionist had said nothing; layers of makeup hastily applied by Alicia in a public toilet had hid the majority of their bruises.

Tristan looked at his watch, Wally should be here soon and then they'd have to move quickly. Walking over to the bed his hand reached out and he shook Alicia gently on the shoulder. She started forward, her eyes wide, alarm radiating off her. Tristan quickly placed either hand on her shoulders and tried to make eye contact, "Alicia!" the girl honed in on his voice, calming down.

"Tristan..."

"Right, I need you to put the wig on, my friend will be here soon and we'll be able to get out of here."

Alicia nodded slowly, "what if they follow us?"

Tristan sighed, "hopefully we'll be able to shake 'em. Besides I've been looking out the window for a while and I haven't seen anybody loitering."

Alicia once again nodded, her mouth set in a grim line. Swivelling her legs to the side of the bed she pushed herself off the mattress and walked towards the bathroom.

15 minutes later Alicia had jammed a red wig on her head and Tristan had donned a woolly hat. The two both sat hunched over at a booth next to the large window of a diner opposite the hotel they had been staying in. Tristan nursed a coffee, every so often looking out of the window waiting for the arrival of his friend, unexpectedly struck by the thought that his life had turned into a Will Smith movie, he fought back an urge to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Suddenly there was a shock of red hair, Tristan almost sighed with relief – Wally had arrived. Hurriedly throwing down some money on the table Tristan gestured for his companion to get up, they had to move quickly. A few seconds later the odd pair had made it on to the pavement, rather than hugging his friend Tristan merely nodded at Wally in greeting, whilst Alicia offered a small smile.

"Come on guys, I parked about five minutes away."

Tristan nodded his ascent, following his friend through the gathering crowds pulling Alicia with him.

The trio were soon in an underground car park waiting for Wally to unlock his car and grant them access. It took a few minutes of driving before Wally asked his friend where they were headed.

"Wayne Manor," was Tristan's response.

"Wayne Manor?" Wally questioned in disbelief, "Bruce Wayne is on your list of close personal friends now?"

Tristan sighed, "Wally just take us there."

"Right, sorry. Sure," the red head uttered apologetically.

"Its fine, I'm just a little worried right now." Tristan glanced back checking on Alicia, she was curled up on the back seat, her cheek resting against the cold window as the heavens opened and rain began to hammer down on the car.

"Tristan, I've got a friend on the force, he can help you guys..."

"I don't know if that's good idea,"

"Hey! Dick's a good guy, he's not gonna sell you out."

"I'm sure he is, but I just. I don't know what I'm going to do yet." Tristan paused, both his fists clenched. Wally didn't say anything, his eyes focused on the road ahead, trying to come to terms with the fact the dark city's underbelly was catching up with his friend.

Bruce rushed down the stairs, now fully dressed and wide-awake. Making his way to the library he almost did a double take when he saw Alfred sitting patiently for him, a tray of food beside him.

"I thought you'd be going down to work, but even you need to eat something."

Bruce glanced towards Alfred, his voice cracking ever so slightly he spoke, "thanks Alfred."

"Not at all sir. Shall we?" he inquired, gesturing to the concealed lift.

The traces of a smile formed at the corners of Bruce's mouth. In but minutes the two were making the decent to the Batcave, Alfred standing ever so slightly behind Bruce, trying to discern what exactly the man was thinking. Walking towards the large and elaborate computer set up over in the far side of the cave Bruce sat down and began riffling through the system, pulling up the various files profiling the members and factions of the Gotham mob. Alfred placed the tray on the desk, trying to read the information that had been pulled up before something else took its place.

"'I've managed to hack into Gotham PD's computer system, any reports of relevance the computer will flag I up. I will find her Alfred."

There was a grim determination in Bruce's voice that made Alfred flinch. He wished to high heaven that Bruce would find her and save her, not just because Vanessa didn't deserve to be beaten to a bloody pulp and returned to her next of kin in a body bag. It was because Alfred didn't know if Bruce could take another loss. Vanessa admittedly wasn't Rachel but it didn't matter, all that mattered was that Bruce had opened up a crack to Vanessa and if he were to fail, all the steps he had taken towards the light would be lost to the all consuming dark, it would be lost to the city he tried so hard to save.

Wally turned the key in the ignition and the engine died, stepping out of the car he let out a long whistle. It was literally just as it had stood before the fire, sweeping lawns and balustrades, a palace more than anything. Tristan and Alicia had both stepped out of the car; Alicia's reaction somewhat similar to Wally's.

"Wally!" Tristan called, the red head looked over to him, "thanks man. Thanks for everything, I'll try to get in touch soon."

Wally nodded and swallowed, "No problem, I wanted to help." The two boys, and they really were boys having in light of the current situation regressed several years looked at each other, both unsure of what exactly to say. Tristan quickly reached out and pulled his friend into a bear hug, several taps on the back later and a small kiss from Alicia, Wally was on his way wondering if was doing the right thing in leaving his friend behind.

"Do you think anyone's home?" Alicia asked as the two stepped towards the main entrance.

"Bruce might be out, Alfred should be in somewhere. The place is huge though, I think it always tends to look empty."

Tristan gently pulled on the bell pull and waited for some signs of life on the other side of thick, undoubtedly axe proof door.

Back down in the Batcave Alfred suddenly looked up, Bruce was still pouring over various files in attempt to discover where the Vanessa could be held, there were several locales all seeming unlikely.

"Master Bruce, I believe someone is at the door, I will be back in a minute."

Bruce barely registered that Alfred was talking to him; the older man shook his head and made his way back up to the main house, going over various excuses he could use to fend off the would be visitor. Alfred made it to the buildings foyer in time to hear the second chime, a restless Alicia on the other side of the door kept glancing over her shoulder in case several gangsters armed with machine guns came marching up the drive. Alfred quickly fiddled with several locks and catches to open the door, revealing a rather frightened looking Tristan, Alicia clamped firmly to his side.

"Master Taylor!" the butler exclaimed, taking a step back and gesturing with his arm for the two to cross the threshold into the warm interior.

"Hi Alfred. This is Alicia, Vanessa's friend. I was wondering if the two of us could crash here for a bit, until we figure out what to do."

"Of course, please come down into the kitchen, I'll get you to something to eat. Master Bruce is currently indisposed at the moment but I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."

The two strangers dutifully followed Alfred into the bowls of the building, away from the formal entrance and wide spacious drawing rooms to a part of the manor that actually looked lived in. The kitchen was warm and inviting, Alfred getting to work quickly on various bits and pieces.

Across town Vanessa sat on a mattress similar to one her brother had not so long ago lay strewn across. She pulled her legs up to her chest and shuffled back into the corner as much as possible, her gaze trained at the door. Some industrious person and painted all the windows black, leaving the room in perpetual darkness save for the thin crack of light that burst out from under the door. Vanessa shuddered, pulling her jacket tighter around her, the room wasn't exactly warm and the cold wall wasn't offering her any added heat. She was thankful for one thing however, the men had left her alone, how long that was to last for she had no idea. Her phone had been confiscated upon her arrival but she had briefly managed to catch a glimpse of her brother and friend before being swept away and pushed into the dark room. Her first reaction was to cry, her answer to everything was crying but it helped, it was cathartic. Soon afterwards she began searching for a way out, all the while cursing. Having exhausted every option she lay down to try and sleep, but sleep was a long time coming.

A click at the door brought Vanessa round, stiffening where she sat she eyed the door, fighting the wave of fear that was threatening to engulf her. The door was flung wide open and an electric light overhead flickered to life, evidently the light switch was in the hall. Vanessa blinked several times, temporarily blinded by the bright light that filled the room, illuminating every grimy corner. Vanessa slowly looked up, starting with the visitor's shoes. Gucci. Vanessa once again suppressed the panic that was beginning to boil over.

"Hello Princess,"

Vanessa's lip curled as she spat out his name, "Paolo."

"Aw sweetheart, don't be like that, I'm gonna start thinking you don't like me much."

Vanessa merely glared at her captor, but to her surprise he began laughing, momentarily perturbed Vanessa's bravado shattered.

"Oh come on now Vanessa, " the Italian said as he crouched down in front of her, "you think a few angry stares are gonna fool me?"

Vanessa didn't say anything, refusing to look at him. Once again Paolo's smooth laughter filled the room, "you not gonna look at me?"

Vanessa shook her head.

"Look at me!" Paolo shouted but still Vanessa refused.

Letting out a guttural yell Paolo grabbed Vanessa by the neck and pulled her into a standing position, leaning into her his hot breath shot down her ear, "come on now, you can do it. Lets get a look at those eyes of yours."

Vanessa muffled her scream, looking towards the wall her eyes filling with tears of desperation. Paolo's eyes narrowed, his hand moving to her face, forcefully pulling her head round so he was looking directly at her.

"There we are now," he leered, as he crushed his chest against hers, pushing her to the wall as she struggled against him. His free hand moved down to her thigh grabbing at her flesh, he was soon sliding his hand up and under her many layers. She gasped, his cold hand brushing up against her warm stomach.

"Ah, you like that huh? I can give you some more if you want..." he whispered angrily. With that he pushed his cruel hard mouth against hers, enforcing a point as he did so. A strangled sob escaped from Vanessa, closing her eyes several tears made their way down her cheeks. Pulling back Paolo smiled at her, letting her drop back onto the mattress.

"I'll be back with my knife later Princess," he winked.

Just before he shut the door on her, he kicked a tray across to her. Vanessa barely registered the food that had been presented to her despite her protesting stomach. Vanessa's head rested against the cold floor, her eyes staring blankly at the door, tears falling freely down her cheeks.

A/N: Ok guys, I think I may have promised Batman in this chapter but i got carried away with it all, so without making the chapter incredibly long he's been pushed into the next one. So in Chap 11 finally we'll have some action! Also not sure if you've noticed but I have dropped some characters in from the comics just kicks and giggles, seeing as I doubt either of them will be making an appearance in any DC movie. So as always I hope you enjoyed it and let me know!