Ann woke up that morning with a headache, she sighed realising crying was not a good thing for two reasons. The first it made a mess of any make-up you had on... two because it gave you a headache.

As she got changed she heard people moving about downstairs, she went downstairs slowly, her leg flaring up with pain. She looked at Joan, Peter and MJ who had packed their bags and by the looks of it were about to leave, sos he watched them for a moment before she got downstairs.

"Going?"

Peter looked up at her and she could tell he was still mad at her because of her behaviour the previous day, not that she could blame him...

Can't You?

Ann frowned at the voice in her mind... she really hoped she wasn't going crazy, especially since it would be really ironic.

"Yeah, but don't think you can't phone."

MJ nudged him slightly rolling her eyes, "What he means to say, when you're ready we'll be here. We realise it was wrong to come out of the blue like this."

"Though I saved her from Batman."

Ann's mouth quirked up slightly.

"Peter, you saved her identity from being found out, not from Batman."

Peter shrugged slightly, "Same thing in my head."

Ann laughed slightly, shocking everyone at the bottom of the stairs, "Nice to know you're looking out for me Pete... really." Her voice was sincere and she could tell that Peter heard the sincerity in her voice.

"Well young lady, look after yourself and get your arse down here so I can give you a hug... you look like you need one." Joan waited till she was closer before bringing Ann into a hug. "I mean it, look after yourself and take time off if you need it."

Ann nodded, she was beginning to think she did need time off. Even if it distanced herself from Bruce, though a part of her wanted that more than anything. He had hurt her once, she wasn't going to allow a second time to happen.

She hugged MJ and Peter then after goodbyes she watched them go. She closed the door thankful she had hid the pain that her leg was causing her. Knowing them they would have stayed until it was better. She blinked when the red hair fell into her face and blew it out of her face.

Going into work that day was hard... really hard. She had spotted Mr Wayne though thankful he had not spotted her, even with her new hair colour which was really drawing a lot of attention to her.

She reached her office ignoring some wolf whistles that instantly stopped when they saw who it was, some muttering about the tattoo. She closed her door and even locked it. She went to her desk glaring at all the papers, she really didn't need this today. However she sighed and got to work.

Go have some fun. Forget about the work, make your secretary do it.

Ann blinked raising a single eyebrow. I have a secretary? Wait... "I'm going crazy." She held her head in her hands.

Or have you simply opened up your mind more than your average human?

That really made no sense to Ann, really if that was the case why was she hearing a voice like her own but almost animal like... spider DNA. She cursed in the few languages she knew which was really just English and a few swear words in German and French.

She looked at her calendar to see what appointments she had that week... to find she had none. She had distinctively remembered having one that day but nope, she had none. She went outside and sure enough she had a secretary... "Hello?"

The woman looked up with a polite smile, "Hello, Miss Johnson what can I help you with today?"

Ann blinked several times... "Erm..." Damn since when did she not know what to say. "Actually I was wondering what happened to my appointments."

"They were sent to our new psychiatrist, whom I will be the secretary of and was hired for."

Ann paled... "New?" Also that explained her never having seen the woman in her life before this moment.

The secretary nodded a sympathetic smile on her face, "She will be starting sometime this week, when she arrives you will be given a three month pay in advance..."

Ann didn't hear the rest of the words, having said them many times herself. She went into her office locked the door again, she looked at the papers shoved them in the bins and lit them on fire. "So holiday... where to?"

Metropolis.

"Sounds more like work than a holiday but I'm up for it... may even get to meet the red blue blur." Okay so she was a fan of the blur, and had read about him but seriously... she would return to Gotham one day and maybe even then she would be better for it. She grabbed her things and walked out of the office to the wonderful sound of the fire alarm. When the sprinklers came on she wasn't at all bothered. She took the stairs like everyone else though was regretting it once down one flight. With people pushing it wasn't helping. She was half tempted to just jump down the gap in the middle, but that would ruin the whole mask thing when as Araneae.

She closed her eyes at the pain. What would her friends say? They had left that morning and by the time they were back in New York they would find out their friend was no longer in Gotham.

She sighed, ignoring the sounds of those going past her, some whispering about her staying there. Even accusing her... though they were rightly accusing her.

"Ann?"

She opened her eyes at the voice, "Good morning, Mr Wayne." Her voice was sickly sweet, as if nothing was bothering her but was at the same time. He glanced at her leg as if figuring out that was the cause for her pausing on the stairs when the alarms were going off.

She rolled her eyes and began walking down the stairs again, somehow ignoring the pain and getting further away from Bruce. Odd how pain can be nearly, easily ignored when trying to avoid someone.

Damn, she hadn't expected it to hurt again but it did. Once out of the building unlike those waiting to go back in she headed straight for the car park and got into her car... blinking at the card on her windshield. She grabbed it off after winding her window down, then looked at it. It was a Joker. As in the Joker card from a deck of cards.

She shook her head placing it on the passenger seat. She drove off never noticing it fall of the seat and fall to the floor where it eventually ended up under the seat.

She would leave the end of the week after getting her pay. Though she wondered if she still would after the stunt she pulled. She actually ended up regretting the hair... well only because everyone who had seen it now knew it was her and could tell easily it was her.

Outside in her garden she soaked up the sun rays her eyes closed, she then heard someone cough on purpose... she looked to her right where Bruce was stood. "Why are you in my garden?"

"I wanted to talk to you, but you left work before I could."

Ann shrugged which wasn't really noticeable since she was lying down. "Then talk Mr Wayne."

He sighed, "Well first I want to know why you left work half way through the day? Then I want to know why you started the fire."

Ann blinked... only now realising he had no idea what had transpired. "I've been let go, was a bit angry that they didn't tell me when I came in this morning so I burnt the papers I had filled out."

Bruce faltered slightly when he heard that, he had believed it was just a temper tantrum, though it was she had her reasons though it wasn't really reason enough to endanger the lives of others. "What are you going to look into working as now?" He had decided he would rehire her once he had control over his family business again.

Ann slowly sat up rubbing her hands, "Seeing if there are any decent jobs in Metropolis." She looked at him, "Feel like I need a change of area for a time. May help me sort my thoughts out."

Bruce didn't like the turn of events, how was he expected to fix their friendship if she was leaving Gotham? "You really think that is best, leaving Gotham?"

Ann shrugged again though this time it was noticeable. "Not completely but hell it will be a nice holiday if I don't stay in Metropolis."

Bruce sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that morning, "If you do decide to stay there, will you let your friends here know?"

Ann looked at him closely... "Haven't got many friends here... actually probably only one I have is Gordon." She noticed him wince ever so slightly, "Why? Mr Wayne?"

"I thought it best that you let someone here know your plans if you do decide to stay there, that way if anyone tries to contact you, they will know where to send them."

His words sounded logical... "I'll tell Gordon, possibly even Mr Fox." Silence fell for a few moments so Ann decided to ask. "Anything else? Mr Wayne?"

He sighed slightly, "No. I hope you enjoy your time in Metropolis no matter how long that is."

Ann smiled slightly, realising he had wanted to say something else. "Oh, I will." She looked at the red roses next to water which was reflecting the blue sky. It was fitting. "Have to admit, will be nice if I meet the red blue blur."

Bruce looked where she was looking and frowned. "Don't you have to be in trouble for that to happen?"

Ann smirked. "Oh I can get in trouble easily... I mean trouble seems to follow me. I mean sometimes I cause it." She looked at Bruce. "Anyway I heard he's hot." She laughed at his facial expression, which practically read 'did you have to tell me that?' "Mr Wayne, really... wait you're not charging me are you? With the whole fire thing?"

Bruce frowned. "No as long as you do nothing like it again."

"Can't see that happening when I'm not going to set another foot in that building. Mr Wayne." Ann told him.

Bruce nodded. "Goodbye then Miss Johnson."

Ann smiled. "Goodbye. Mr Wayne." She watched him walk away. "Goodbye, Bruce." She ignored the lump in her throat and the tears stinging at the corner of her eyes. It was better this way. At least that is what she was trying to convince herself.

- Bruce's POV -

Now more than ever he regretted when he had told her to call him Mr Wayne and not Bruce anymore. He had talked to Alfred about their conversation. Just needing to talk about it more than anything. He had advised that he should go talk to her again, but the next day when he arrived at her home. No one answered and when he phoned the house number, it went instantly to answer machine. "Hey, this is Ann Johnson, sorry but I won't be coming back to this house... at least not for some time. If you need to reach me, phone..." From the sounds of the number it was a new mobile number. She obviously was really trying to start anew. So he didn't phone.

- Ann's POV -

Ann sighed as she looked around the restaurant she had stopped in, she had left early. Picking up her paycheck from work before going completely. She hadn't sold her home in Gotham, if anything it would be a nice place to visit now and again.

Hours later she was on the road again, heading to Metropolis. When she arrived she got a room in a hotel.

She looked out of the windows, at Metropolis. She turned around, walking to the roof. There she jumped off it. She heard some screams, the feeling of the air rushing around her as she fell was amazing, the screams only adding to it. At the last minute she let out her web, her feet nearly touching the ground.

She saw out of the corner of her a flash of light, and knew by the next day. Araneae would be in the Daily Planet. If not on the front page.