Disclaimer: I own nothing of Batman, Bruce Wayne, or Christian Bale. (Though I wish I did. (Sigh)) They all belong to their respective owners.

One Dark Knight

Chapter One

Gotham

Chapter Quote: "To what? Stay off the streets of Gotham?"

"Gotham was once a place of beauty, of light! We can fight the darkness if we would only rid the city of that darkness!"

I sidled past the old man standing on the crate by the street corner, keeping my head low and blocking his words from my mind. 'What you've never had, you'll never miss'- that's what my brother says to me all the time.

Only I missed them because those days had once been mine though they seem to have past from recollection or memory. I used to listen to dreams of the golden days, but the golden days are gone. And by the looks of things, they aren't coming back anytime soon. The streets looked as though we had been waging a war, when we were really only trying to survive.

This is what Gotham is now.

The rich few and the poor many.

Justice is corrupt, and with the fall of justice came the fall of our city. I do not look at anyone as I pass, I've gone through too much to stop now. It is so hard for me to leave the house...I can trust no one. I hate being out alone.

"We must unite against this evil! Only together-"

But I am too far away to hear him now. No one will unite, because no one knows what will happen. And what the people of Gotham fear most, is the unknown. Gotham will never unite old man, we are all alone.

I stop at the door of the building I had been looking for, and with a sigh of relief, I walk in.

"Riley Conrad?"

I looked up at the nurse who had called my name. She does not smile and neither do I. She is old, tired oflife. As I am. Only I am young, not old enough to feel as she does. And yet I do.

I am 26.

She has years on me that I hope never to live here. But how can I leave? This is all I have left. The hospital on this side of Gotham does its best to stay clean, but as I said before, the hospital is on this side of Gotham. And it will never be perfect. But at least this part is decent, that is a blessing at least. I rise and the nurse leads me to a small room and points to the cushioned table in the room's center.

"Have a seat, the doctor will be in, in a moment."

I do as she says and as I sit on the table, I hear the door close. I look down at myself. I am wearing a grey, long sleeve shirt, a denim jacket over top, and a pair of dark navy blue jeans. My work boots have long since faded from the ranks of fashion, but there is no fashion down here in this side of Gotham anyway. I pull off my jacket and throw it on a chair in the corner- just as the door opens again.

"Hello Miss Conrad, how are we feeling today?" Comes the bright, cheery voice of Dr. Grahm. Dr. Grahm is an elderly man, married, and one who should have retired happily out in the country years ago. But unlike most of the people in Gotham, he cares deeply about those abandoned in the darkness. He wants to change things, and for this reason, he has become almost a father to me. I smile and look shyly up at him while he pulls a chair up to the table, but does not sit right away.

He takes out his stethoscope and listens to my heart. Then he frowns, he always frowns when he uses his stethoscope on me. "What did you do today? Your heart is racing faster then a hive of bees."

I looked away, my eyes cast down in shame. He knows how I hate going out on my own. He knows the answer to that question. I know because he never really expects me to answer. He checks my ears, then my mouth, he frowns at my eyes, and then he finally sits in the chair. He tells me to lay down, and I do so.

The process is second nature to me by now, I have done it so often before. He puts a mask on my face to make me sleep. Dr. Grahm is kind. The medicine relieves my pain, though that's not the reason he uses it. I do not understand why he has me do this, but then again, I do not understand a great many things. But this sleep he puts me in does something else too, I can finally feel at rest. Because I know he will take care of me.

I do not really feel that way about anyone anymore.

Wayne Manor

It had taken a year to complete the mansion, but, brick for brick it had been restored to its former glory. Brick for brick- except for the small addition to the south wing of course. But that was something entirely confidential. Bruce Wayne smiled as he looked over the plans for the cave below. No expense had been spared, no detail overlooked. That sort of thing is easy when you are a billionaire. Wayne Enterprises was thriving, business couldn't be better.

This is Bruce Wayne, tall, athletic, dark haired- and one of the wealthiest and most influential man in America. The man who basked in luxury. The man who is on the outside. Bruce grimaced as he rubbed a fresh pain in his shoulder.

Until the mansion had been restored he had not wanted to make too many appearances, not until the new cave had been completed. It had been risky, but with a lot of subtlety, and a few flat out lies, the cave had been completed almost immediately, and the criminals of Gotham had once again been forced to deal with the dark knight. This new pain was due to his latest particular outing.

Bruce scowled as he recalled the pipe which so heavily bruised his upper arm and chest. He was lucky, but he had been careless. And as Batman, he could not afford to make mistakes. It must never happen again. Bruce looked out the window of his study. It was Fall, the time of year he had always enjoyed most. Only a few of his estate's many trees had been destroyed in the fire, so the rolling hills and acreage was now covered with the leaves of many others.

Now the mansion was complete, and now he could really get back to work. Bruce looked down att he plastic bag he held in his hand, the bag which held the joker playing card. He slipped it quickly into his pocket, adjusted his gaze to his laptop and got back to work.

Benjamin Conrad is a tall, black-haired young man. Yet lines from a lifetime's worth of sorrows have already pressed themselves onto his youthful face. His is no longer carefree, though barely at the age of thiry-two.

He walked cautiously to the hospital, and pushed the door open without breaking his stride. The lady behind the desk looks up as he enters, nods, and points to a room.

"Riley is in there, Ben. She'll be awake in a few minutes, then you can take her home."

Ben nodded, smiling slightly at the red-haired nurse. "Thanks Kim." Kim smiled back, ever so slightly in return, and looked away but not before Ben saw a noticeable addition of redness to her cheeks.

This is routine for him now, though seeing Kim is a bright spot in his usual dreary life. He walks to the door and stops before it, taking a deep breath, he then gently turns the knob. Inside the room, all light is focused on an unconscious body laying still on a cushioned table. The sight of his sister laying so still sent a shudder down his spine as a sudden, unbidden and unwanted memory dallied about at the edge of his mind. He had seen too much death, and her stillness...it unnerved him.

Riley was still wearing the anesthesia mask and her chest rose slowly with sleep. Ben frowned at the sight of wires attached to her bare stomach and to her forehead. He grimaced as his gaze fell upon the restraints on her ankles and wrists. And he knew wordlessly that Riley was not improving.

"The medication hasn't been helping I take it?" Came the fatherly voice of Dr. Grahm from behind him. Ben turned to shake the older man's hand before shaking his head.

"She doesn't sleep much anymore, even with the sedative pills."

Dr. Grahm nodded, he gestured to her sleeping form. "Her scars are healing nicely, and her heart condition is lessening. But the excessive brain activity is what troubles me..." He drifted off for a moment, lost in thought before turning to Ben again. "She doesn't leave the house much I take it."

Ben shook his head again. "She will if I take her, but with work as it is..." He shrugged helplessly. "I can't take care of her like that anymore."

Dr. Grahm pursed his lips, pondering silently on this thought. "Send her over to my house on Thursday. My wife is doing some gardening then and I think being around plants will help Riley's healing process."

Ben's face flooded with relief as Dr. Grahm spoke these words. "Thank you so much Doctor...how we ever repay you?"

"No payment is needed Ben. I knew your father...and well...it's the least I can do." A small beeping penetrated their conversation, a small red light started to flash on one of the doctor's many machines. "Ah." He said, pleasure evident in his voice as he walked over to the table. "She's waking up."

I knew by the way my breathing sounded that I was still wearing the mask. I opened my eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the bright light that I half-way knew to expect by now. All the familiar images surrounded me as Dr. Grahm turned off the lights one by one.

I was too tired to speak as he removed the mash from my face and undid the restraints on my ankles and wrists. I looked up at him and he smiled kindly.

"Well done Miss Conrad. I believe you are progressing with your treatment." He began to remove the wires from my forehead and I sighed as I heard the machines around me slowly start to shut down. "You seem to be doing better Riley."

I wanted to laugh because I knew by his tone of voice that he's lying. My gaze was still blurry, but it's always like that once I wake up again. My respirator aids are gone, as are the wires on my stomach and I blinked again as someone else came over to the table.

"How you feeling Riley?"

I smiled gently at Ben as Dr. Grahm helped me to sit up. My head spun for a moment and I clutched to the elderly man's arm until my world righted itself once more. I felt Ben's hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him. "I'm feeling better." I said softly, I lowered my gaze for a moment and, looking for a distraction, I re-adjusted my shirt. Ben helped me to my feet and handed me my jacket, all the while steadying my drunken steps as the medication wears off. I still feel light-headed from the anesthesia, but I never feel terribly sick afterwards...just weak. Dr. Grahm said that was unusual, but probably due to the over activity in my brain.

I didn't care very much now. I just wanted to go home.

"I told your brother, Riley, that you are welcome to come over on Thursday, my wife will be needing help with her gardening." Dr. Grahm lived on the far side of the city...he had a wonderful yard, with all sorts of beautiful flowers. His house looked like something out of a storybook... and children would play outside- laughing in the streets instead of crying like they did where I lived. Actually... most of the children where I lived didn't talk much at all. They all had the same, dull look in there eyes. The kind that show you've lived a hard life. Children's eyes are the only ones I look into... I don't like talking or looking at regular people for too long. But I like children... I always have.

I looked timidly at Ben and he nodded at me encouragingly. "I'll drop you off Riley...you won't have to go alone."

My mind flooded with relief. I turned back to Dr. Grahm and nodded. "Thanks for the invitation... I'll come."

Dr. Grahm smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "Then we'll be expecting you. I also expect you'll be here next week at the usual time?"

I nodded. I was here every Monday with Dr. Grahm, he knew it as well as I. My head had stopped spinning as fiercely as it had been previously, but I found it difficult to move still. So that when Ben moved for the door, I had to lean heavily on his shoulder.

"Take care of yourself Riley." Dr. Grahm warned as we walked out. I looked back at him with a slightly more confident smile.

"I always do." I replied softly.

I had always liked to draw. It released my feelings without words. I didn't always like words. They came from me at too high a cost. My words meant others' pain. I was mostly silent as Ben drove home, the sun setting in the sky. "How are you doing?" He asked, gesturing to my back with a slight wave of his hand.

I shrugged, rubbing my right shoulder. "It's healing." I said simply, avoiding his questioning gaze. Ben did not say anything as we sat there. Then he pursed his lips in thought and refocused his eyes on the road ahead.

"You should go out more Riley."

I stubbornly shook my head.

"It isn't healthy..."

"To what? Stay off the streets of Gotham?" I asked softly.

Ben doesn't answer, and I know that I am difficult to deal with.

"You used to you know." He says slowly. As if I could forget what used to be. I wanted to forget the day it all happened, the day everything changed...but I couldn't. I looked out my window towards the setting sun.

"People change." I murmured.

A/N: Reviews are welcome. These first chapters will focus mainly on Riley before they include Bruce, but be patient. All will come in good time. Reviews are welcome. :)

edit Re-formatted this chapter and I edited it a little. Riley is now twenty-six in case anyone was curious. :) /edit

TO BE CONTINUED...