Max was bored. They had finished surgery on her arm and few hours ago and she was stuck lying in a hospital bed for the next few days. Then she would be stuck with a splint until she healed. The doctors had said that she was very lucky and shouldn't have to wear it more than a few weeks. Batman had done what he had promised, and because she managed to get him back, the government was paying for the expenses; all of them. She would be released in a day or two, where she was to return to the orphanage. Parental guidance was law, they said.

She spent most of her time thinking. What if her parents weren't dead? What if she hadn't been shot? Would Batman let her work with him? She doubted it. Batman. It was insane to think that she had been so close to him in the last few weeks. She still felt as though the car trip and rescue was a dream. An amazing, and longed for dream. If only she had friends to share this with.

After three days, she was released and given a car-ride over to the orphanage. When she got there, she knew something was wrong.

The front looked the same, but it had a strange feeling of emptiness. The street was out of the way, and cars rarely even passed by; but this was different. Where was everyone? She pretended that everything was alright and thanked the driver. After he drove off, she glanced into the alley on the building's right. A figure sat there, almost consumed by the shadows. It didn't move, but she followed its gaze upwards. Atop the building, she saw something dodge from the edge, out of view. No way that she was going into there. But what to do?

She casually stretched and yawned, acting as normal as a girl with an injured shoulder could. Taking in a breath, she suddenly turned and ran. As she pushed forward down the barren street, she heard her footsteps echoing of the narrow street walls. Soon, however, she knew that she was no longer alone. Judging by the noises, over six people were in pursuit of her. She could hear the usual rumble of distant cars, but one seemed to be getting louder. She took a sharp left into an alley way. As she had done almost every day, she scaled up the rusty ladder. She wished. Climbing with a broken shoulder and without the use of your left arm is even harder than she thought it would be. She hand to risk a jump each rung up, and each time it sent a wave of pain into her arm.

She made it about halfway up before the first person chasing her ran past. She held her breath, hoping he would keep going. Luck runs out though, and soon he was at the end of her alleyway, three more at his feet. She sped up her pace, ignoring the even worse pain. Pain was just a message. She made it up, before freezing. How was she going to get over?

The first hunter was almost a quarter of the way up when she made up her mind. Standing up on the second to last rung, she stood carefully balanced. Any wind would have knocked her over. Before she could think, she jumped up and rolled. Pain unlike anything she had felt before exploded in her arm. When Joker had been beating her, it was all outside besides the bruises. This was nearly all internal, and she could do nothing about it. This time, her tears failed to conceal themselves, and Max felt their warm trails on her scarred cheeks.

She stood up, and began to run, hoping her knowledge of the city would help her get away. Down below, she heard the car stop. Soon, it screeched into reverse and she was worried. They could cut her off.

The streets ran parallel, each street had a row of buildings on each side, making the running ground Max was on two buildings wide. She ran faster than she ever knew she could, and she was nearing the end. How to get down? She tried not to panic as her breaths cut into her thoughts. A crunch on gravel behind her proved her chasers were up top with her. She sucked in a breath and risked a glance back; they were closer than she thought.

As she ran over the roof of the orphanage she ran into something solid. The man on the roof.

Stifling a scream she tried to shove past. Her energy shut down, and she had no choice but to give in. She looked up, ready to punch whoever dared to grab her. She swing her chin up and began to swing her right arm. She paused it right in front of the face of…

Batman had a light grip on her side.

"Done playing?" He asked. "Hold on." If this was a normal adult, she might imagine that she were being pushed on a swing. That she had the parents to do so. This was Batman though, and she wasn't stupid.

She had no clue where to "hold on" to, so she just through her arms around him chest, ignoring the now numbing pain that followed any movement of her left arm. She closed her eyes from the pain, wishing she could just sink away. Where were the hospital pain-killers when you needed them?

Her breath was forced out of her burning lungs as they swung through the air. She had longed so much to be able to just see Batman's grappling hook as a child, not that she was much older now, but in the current state she almost wished to be back on the roof with Joker's croons. It felt weird, flying through the air, holding onto him like this. Had she ever done that with her parents? For a moment she was overcome with strong emotion. It numbed the physical pain for a moment, and she almost enjoyed it. Suddenly, they landed, and Batman carefully peeled her off of him.

"I am sorry." He said simply. "We need to get you out of here."

"You think?" She replied painfully. Still got it. Max looked around. They were on the ground at her orphanage's street. Looking up, she saw her hunters growling down at them like dogs. Around the corner stood the Batmobile and Max felt stupid. That was the car she had so childishly run from.

They got in, and like last time she was in it, she felt amazed. Her arm began to stab through her thoughts again, and it spread through her like fire. She heard herself ask how the car had moved itself before everything went numb, and to her embarrassment, she passed out next to the master of the knight.

"Autopilot," he muttered back. Then he glanced over and saw Max.

"I am sorry." He said again. She was the only one he had ever spoken those words to; and he meant it.