I woke up to an overcast day in Gotham. It was about 9 AM. I slept late, considering that I usually get up around 7:30. I opened the blinds and saw it was an overcast sky. Eh, it could be better or worse. I then checked my cell phone to make sure Bruce didn't call. No missed calls yet, so I had some time to kill while waiting. I turned on the TV to the morning news. It was the same old stuff and I was beginning to space out, when the woman's voice on the TV turned urgent.

"We now have breaking news. Police have just found a dead body right in front of the station. The body is not identified yet, but apparently has clown paint on it's face. Police are quite sure this is an act of the Joker. With one person dead this early in the day, citizens are urged to be careful today and report any suspicious activity. The Joker probably has some bigger plans for later on this day. Stay tuned for further updates." The news then went on to talk about how some old man found a thousand dollars in a dumpster. I was still in shock about this Joker. Who was he? What did he do? What did he look like? I was in the middle of my thoughts when Bruce called.

"Hello?" I spoke into the phone.

"Hey Anna. It's Bruce." he said, "Look, I'm going to come pick you up now. The city isn't too safe at the moment, and my penthouse is the best place you'll be. Pack up your stuff and I'll be there in 10 minutes."

"Okay. And uh, what is up with all this going on in the city? Who is the Joker? What's he doing? Why isn't the city safe?"

"I'll tell you once we get to my place. It'll be much easier to explain in person. Just go down to the lobby and I'll be there soon, okay?"

"Alright, bye." I said, and started gathering my stuff. I threw some clothes in my suitcase while still wondering what was so bad about this Joker guy that Bruce couldn't tell me on the phone. Oh well, I just had to wait until he got there. I grabbed my suitcases, turned off the lights, and headed down to the lobby. There I checked out and turned in my key, and sat down on a bench to wait for Bruce.

I had been sitting there for not even 2 minutes when Bruce pulled up in that same sports car. He quickly grabbed my bags and told me to get in. Still confused with the Joker thing, I got into the car with no questions asked. Once we were both in he sped away from the hotel. I knew something was wrong, the way there was a nervous look on his face instead of that friendly one he had the day before. Was his mood all because of this Joker? I sat there for a minute, debating if I should say something or not. Finally I got the courage to.

"So, can you answer my questions now?" I asked, a little uneasy. "You know, about the joker?"

"I said I will once we get to my place." he said a bit firmly. I just nodded and we sat there in silence for the rest of the ride. It was only a few minutes, but felt like much more.

"We're here." he said. As he grabbed my things I admired the beautiful skyscraper for Wayne Enterprises. The architecture and design of it was great. The building looked incredibly modern and sleek. I think I was in awe when Bruce gave me a little shove forward and starting looking a tad impatient. Finally I started moving forward, into the building, which looked just as great inside. We went up the elevator and finally reached his penthouse. Wow, I was amazed! Just as we walked in we were greeted by an older man. Turns out, he was Bruce's butler and his name was Alfred. We were quickly introduced and he kindly took my things into a guest bedroom for me.

"Make yourself at home." Bruce said, "I have some work to do so I won't be here now, but if you need anything Alfred will take care of you."

"Hey, wait!" I exclaimed. "You were supposed to tell me what was going on in the city once we got here! No more excuses."

"Oh right, I forgot…" Bruce trailed off. He seemed to be thinking for a moment, then called Alfred in. "I really have work to do right now. Could you please explain who the Joker is and Batman and everything that's been going on lately to Anna?"

"Of course I could, sir." Alfred replied.

Just then, Bruce pulled him closer and whispered something to him. I could only make it out to be, "Just don't tell her who Batman is yet." That made no sense, so I just thought I heard wrong. Right after that Bruce said goodbye to us both and was out the door.

"Have a seat." Alfred said, "I'll just get us some coffee and then I can explain." I did as told and sat down on a comfy chair in what appeared to be the living room. Bruce had such a good view of the city from his place. While Alfred was making the coffee, I was simply sitting and looking out the window. I swear, you could see every building in Gotham from there. Alfred then appeared with the coffee and handed me a cup, and he sat down in the chair across from me. He looked at me for a few seconds.

"Are you ready to take all if this in?" he asked.

"Yes." I said and nodded. And just at that moment, we started hearing sirens and gunshots going off. Then there was a loud band and I could see smoke coming out of a building, not sure of which one. My first thought was someone blew something up. A terrorist attack maybe? No, much worse.

Then, Alfred spoke.

"That, was an act of the Joker."

There ya go, Chapter 2!

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Batman characters such as Joker, Batman/Bruce, Alfred, etc.

Notes: Sorry this took a few days to get up, I've been busy. Please review if you'd like, I love to hear comments and constructive criticism!

To People:

Three Faint Calls: Thanks, I'm glad you like it! And I will fix the underline thing from now on, I didn't notice I had done that the first time.