I only gave a statement to the police officer that came and took away the man who had tried to rape me since I wasn't actually harmed. Devyn had actually gotten around the corner and was dialing 911 the whoe way, and notified them of the situation.

"So how did he wind up unconscious?"

Oh, boy.

"It was Batman. He saved me."

The officer flinched slightly. "Did you see which way he went?"

"Look, I've kind of been through a lot tonight – you expected me to keep track of him?"

The officer peered at me, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Yes, actually."

Damn.

"I don't know which way he went – he just went… up," I shrug.

"Up," she repeated.

"Yeah. Up."

The officer sighed. "Alright, well, if you're sure you're unharmed, you can go. Your friend looks like she's ready to go."

Devyn was standing there waiting for me, her arms crossed over her chest and one foot propped up against the brick wall.

"Yeah," I nod.

"Okay. Take care of yourself. If you remember anything that you need to tell us, feel free to call GCPD and ask for me, okay?"

"I will, thanks."

At that point, I turn around and walk over to Devyn, who gently pushes herself off of the wall and envelopes me in a hug.

"I'm sorry I left you – I shouldn't've left you," she suddenly burst into tears, her body shaking.

I wrap my arms around my best friend.

"It's okay – I'm okay. Thanks to Batman, I'm okay," I try to console her. "But it has been one hell of a day… Let's get out of here, okay?"

Dev only nods her head and releases her grip on me and we walk down the street to an awaiting cab.

We climb inside and I shiver, laying my head on Dev's shoulder.

The cab ride lasts a long time to me, and we step out in front of my apartment complex and then walk into my unit together. I sling my purse down onto the floor and reach up to feel for the small reassurance I get from my mother's necklace.

But my hand only grazed across my bare skin; I feel around my throat just to see if it had just moved, but it's nowhere to be felt. My mother's sapphire necklace is gone.

"No…!" I cry. A stream of tears runs down my face, just as Devyn rounds the corner from exiting from my bathroom to change into pajamas that I had lent her.

"Eve? What's wrong?" she asked me.

"M-mom's necklace…! It's gone!" I sobbed. "That guy must have taken it from me!"

"Eve, calm down, we'll find it!" Devyn tried to reassure me. "I'll go back there tomorrow in the daylight and look for it, okay? I promise."

"But…" I began.

"Eve, it's dangerous to go out there…" she sighed and half-whispered.

"That's all I have left of her!" I shouted, my hand slamming into the wall with a loud thud. Sobs rack my body. "We never should have gone out."

I fell to the carpeted floor and sobbed, the arms of my best friend and sister wrapped around me to comfort me.

Batman only went up to the roof of the building that Evangeline had been against. He didn't want to leave her in such a vulnerable position by herself. Soon enough a police officer parked their squad car and exited the car, making him crouch down to be closer to the lip of the building to be closer to the darkness.

The officer is there about ten minutes, and takes a statement from Miss Price and hauls the still-unconscious man in the back of her police cruiser. Batman watches as another woman, who he assumes to be Price's friend, hugs her tightly and then they share some words before walking down the street. He observed the scene of Evangeline's assault, and a glimmer of light caught his eye; a sparkle from something down on the ground.

After ensuring that he was entirely alone, he swooped down and landed silently on the ground. He stooped and searched down on the ground for the source of the sparkle and found a platinum chain with a small sapphire pendant that is encrusted with very small diamonds. He delicately picked up the piece of jewelry between his fingers and examined it, figuring that it must have belonged to Evangeline.

Despite the situation, he now had another reason to find Evangeline Price, and he smiled bitterly. He secured the pendant in a compartment in his utility belt and then took off to resume his nightly patrol of Gotham City. After all, he still had a certain madman to find before he caused too much chaos in his city.

Batman took out his grappling gun and shoot it up to the eaves of the roof of the building that he was just on. The wire carries him gracefully back up, the cape billowing slightly around him in the wind. He then wastes no time in running across the roof and then soaring from one rooftop to the next before throwing himself off of another and gliding to the ground where the awaiting Tumbler resides. He punched in the access code and the roof slid open, allowing him to enter.

The Tumbler is a magnificent piece of technology that Fox had let him use, along with many other pieces of technology that Fox himself had designed just for Bruce's use; even if he did have to make up excuses such as going spelunking or BASE jumping. Billionaire playboys will be billionaire playboys, with too much money and too much time on their hands, people had assumed. But no, not Bruce Wayne. Bruce was too busy dedicating himself trying to save the city that he had grown up in, the city that broke him, and the city that had made him a legend. Even though Batman had been declared an outlaw vigilante, he knew he still had a job to do; nothing was going to get in the way of that. He just had to make sure that he got in and out quickly and without being noticed.

The Tumbler roared to life and immediately gunned down the back roads of Gotham's Midtown. He decided to go North, toward Uptown. He passed by 52nd Street, the place where everything fell apart; the place where his lifelong friend and love of his life Rachel Dawes had been murdered by the Joker. 250 52nd Street. The place where Bruce Wayne succumbed to depression afterward; the pain was still there and he was still slightly numb, but something was changing.

He only glanced at the location as he sped by, feeling a slight twinge of sadness and grief. But he quickly wiped any emotion away and resumed his quest to find the Joker or this Harleen Quinzel character. Hell, he wanted to find anyone even remotely affiliated with the Joker.

Batman gripped the steering control of the Tumbler a bit tighter and pressed the accelerator forward even more, the speed increasing. Along the way, Bruce thought about different manners in which he could return the necklace to Evangeline Price – but only one idea truly seemed like it would still be conspicuous but still work.

But for now, he had a job to do.

I awaken on my bed, a blanket gently draped over me. I sit up, looking at the bedside clock: 9 a.m. I push the blanket off of me and step into the adjoining living room. There I see Devyn still asleep on my sofa. I lean against the doorjamb, the memories of last night flooding back – how she comforted me after everything was over, especially when I found out that I had lost my mom's necklace. The thought makes me sigh lightly, and I make my way to the kitchen to start frying some eggs and bacon for breakfast. I turn on the small 13-inch TV that's on the counter in my kitchen and flip through the channels.

"…it has been discovered that the Joker has escaped from Arkham due to the assistance of Doctor Harleen Quinzel," a picture of the woman appears in a box next to the newscaster. "If anyone has any information on the location of either Doctor Quinzel or the Joker, they are urged to call Gotham Police Department immediately."

So that's what happened. That's how Joker was set free. I leaned against the counter absorbing the situation; it was an inside job then.

"The Joker also launched an attack on a market in Coventry yesterday, prompting the arrival of emergency responders, but it seems as though Batman was nowhere to be found."

Why are they complaining about that? According to them he's just someone who's an outlaw. The sound of feet making their way into the kitchen startles me slightly.

"Why do they care about if he was there or not?" Devyn echoes my thoughts.

"That's what I was wondering," I return to making breakfast.

"Well, he saved you so he's good in my book."

I chuckle. "Unfortunately I don't think just one circumstance is going to change Gotham's mind."

"Yeah, you're right… So what did he do? How did he save you?"

I don't turn around, focusing on making breakfast and I hear Dev pull out of my bar stools.

"I didn't really see it. My chest was to the wall, and the next thing I knew the guy was just… gone. I turned around and saw him a few feet away out cold on the ground. Batman came over to check if I was okay, but then the police arrived not even a minute later so he left."

"C'mon, you had to see something on the man," Dev goaded me.

I laugh. "He did have really striking eyes. They were so dark that they looked black."

"Ooh, don't tell me you're going to fall for the Bat," she teased.

I scoff. "Please. I'm grateful, no doubt, but I'm not falling for him."

I plate the finished bacon and eggs and move to sit next to her.

"Although, what I am concerned about is how that man is doing after Joker's attack yesterday," I snatch a piece of bacon off of my plate and chew it.

"Then go check on him – since you weren't on the clock, there's nothing wrong with that."

"Would it be weird, though? Just going to Wayne Manor and being all like 'Oh, I just wanted to see how you were doing?'"

"I think it would be really nice, and it's something that you'd definitely do. You care about the people we help, Eve. It's one of your absolute best qualities."

"Aw, thanks," I smile genuinely.

"Seriously – go for it. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

And so, about two hours later, I was driving my car through Gotham in order to get to the outskirts to get to Wayne Manor. Thank God for Google Maps otherwise I may not have found it through all of the twists and turns. I pull up to the gate around the perimeter of the manor and the speaker crackles to life.

"Wayne Manor, how may I help you?" a voice with an English accent that I recognized speaks.

"Mr. Pennyworth? It's Evangeline Price – I was at Coventry yesterday."

"Oh, Miss Price, come in, come in."

A low buzz echoes as the gate unlocks and the gate swings open enough for me to enter. I drive carefully up the gravel driveway and completely marvel over the sheer size of the mansion in front of me. I pull my car off to the side, shutting down the engine and then step out, suddenly feeling remarkably under dressed in my jeans, polo, and ballet flats.

"Miss Price, it's good to see you," the man descends two stairs toward me.

"It's good to see you too, Mr. Pennyworth," I extend my hand to shake his.

He gently envelops mine in a firm handshake.

"Please just call me Alfred, Miss. Please come inside, I was just preparing lunch for Master Wayne."

I falter on a step, butterflies soaring in my stomach at the mention of Bruce.

Alfred opens one of the two doors to enter the manor and I can't help but ogle at the sight. I let out a small half-laugh in disbelief.

"Wow," I breathe. I walk to the bannister of a staircase near me and gently run my hand over the smooth wooden railing.

"Might I escort you to the dining room, Miss Price?"

"Thank you, Alfred, but I came to see how you were doing after yesterday."

"Oh, I'm doing quite well, Miss Price. The wound was only quite superficial, and only left a few bruises. I'm quite resilient," he winks.

"Evangeline Price, right?"

I turned my head 90 degrees to the top of the staircase, where Bruce Wayne himself was standing.

"I, uh- yes, that's right, Bruce," I stammer.

He quickly descends the staircase and walks toward Alfred and I.

"Alfred, could you prepare three places instead of two?" he looks to Alfred with a small smile.

"Of course, sir."

"Oh, no, Bruce that's not necessary," I hastily try to stop him, feeling like I'm intruding.

"I never got to properly thank you for what you did for Alfred yesterday. Please stay?"

I sigh quietly in defeat. "Okay."

I see a smile tug at Bruce's lips, and I can't help but smile, too.

"Would you care to have a tour?"

"Sure, I've only ever heard about this place… Never imagined I would actually be in it," I laugh.

Bruce chuckles and offers his arm in a gentlemanly fashion. I loop my arm around his, my forearm resting against his. The small gesture sent a blush dancing to my face, something that I know Bruce saw just by the smirk on his face.

Bruce took me a quick tour of the interior of the Manor before we stepped outside to the large garden and even bigger yard. The garden held an array of meticulously taken care of flora and even a small fountain and a bench. The exterior wall around the yard is a beautifully built brick wall with some ivy slowly crawling up the edifice.

"This is beautiful," I breathe, looking at all of the flowers and I step away from Bruce. "And very high maintenance," I laugh.

"I have only the best to take care of it. My own little way of remembering my mother."

I smile sadly to Bruce, who now wore a bitter smirk on his face.

I step further away from Bruce, my fingers tracing the petals of a crimson red rose.

"Memories are the most important things. Without them we're nothing – no one. But they're complicated little things; they can drive you to do good or bad."

Through my peripheral vision, I see Bruce cock his head to the side slightly while he watches me.

"Sorry," I apologize.

"Don't be. It's alright."

Bruce was suddenly nearer to me, and I stepped back slightly in surprise.

He sends me an apologetic look, but then his gaze falls to my arm where a nasty bruise started to form.

"What happened?" he gestures to my arm.

"I… got into some trouble last night," I vaguely answer, looking away from Bruce.

"Are you okay?" Bruce actually sounded… concerned.

My head turns back to him after a moment, and I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know. I mean, I am physically, but…"

I unconsciously feel a few tears brim and one slips down my cheek. He quickly envelopes me in a hug before either of us realize what we're even doing. But there's a sense of comfort in his arms, something that makes me think of last night; I should have felt nervous or intimidated by Batman last night, but I wasn't. Now here in Bruce's arms, I felt the same way.

I wipe away my spilled tears and will myself to stop crying, successfully doing so.

"I'm sorry," I apologize.

"It's okay. You're safe," Bruce's eyes meet mine. A beautiful tone of hazel.

I smile bitterly at Bruce, but the sound of a man clearing his throat pulls our attention toward the sound.

Alfred stood there with a slightly amused half-grin on his face as Bruce and I jumped apart.

"Lunch is ready, Master Wayne, Miss Price," he says, keeping the half-grin on his face before doing an about face and walking back to the Manor.

I blush at the fact that we had been caught like that, but Bruce seemed to brush it off like it was nothing. He offers his arm to me again, and we reenter Wayne Manor.

The dining room is large and spacious, with a large table and two settings placed across from the other. Bruce leads me to a hciar like a gentleman and I seat myself, he seats himself and Alfred promptly brings out our lunch: a serving of Caesar salad with shredded chicken on top.

"Will you be joining us, Alfred?" I ask, taking my fork in my hand.

I see Bruce raise his gaze to me from across the table.

"No, Miss, I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Oh, Alfred, it's alright. She came to see you in the first place, after all," Bruce adds.

Alfred concedes defeat. "Very well."

Lunch is fairly quiet until Bruce clears his throat.

"So, Alfred told me that you're a paramedic?"

"Yeah, I worked my way up in the ranks here. Turns out Gotham isn't exactly the most diverse in emergency responders when it comes to one's sex."

"Really?" Bruce asks, intrigued.

I nod. "Yeah, in my station it's literally just me and my best friend, Devyn as the two females."

"Which station?"

"Seventeen. I responded to Arkham two nights ago."

Bruce nearly drops his fork. "You did?"

"Yep. And Gotham lost another citizen thanks to that psychopath, Joker that night. We could only save one of them."

Bruce and Alfred send me sympathetic looks.

"I worked on him for ten minutes to bring him back, and in the end I failed."

I smiled bitterly and stabbed my fork into the romaine lettuce.

"I'm sure you did your best, Evangeline."

I sigh, but my ringtone on my phone from my pocket ends our conversation.

'Home Sweet Home' – it's Station 17.

"Do you mind if I take this?"

"Not at all. Go ahead."

"Thank you," I rise from the table and connect the phone call. "Price."

"Price, its Flanch," Battalion Chief Reed Flanch – oh good. "We've got an emergency here – I know you were supposed to have three days off, but…"

"No, it's okay. What happened?"

"Another attack from Joker – this time, it's huge. I know you got hurt in the attack yesterday, but…"

How did he know that? I shake my head and respond.

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Be there in 20."

"Thanks, Price. I'll make sure you get overtime for this."

The phone call disconnects, and I reenter the dining room where now only Bruce is sitting in the seat.

"Is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry, Bruce, but I've gotta go."

"Hey, no problem. But would it be presumptuous if I asked you for your number?"

I quirk one of my eyebrows in response, surprised.

"O-of course not, Bruce," I smile and jot down my cell phone number and hand it to him.

We share a smile and then I half-walk/half-run to the front door and fling it open and sprint down the stairs and to my car.

Bruce watched the plume of dirt from the gravel driveway soar into the air as Evangeline tore out of the driveway and out onto the main road. He looked back down at the piece of paper in his hand with the young woman's phone number on it and he smiled. He quickly took out his phone from his pocket and created the contact for her.

"Master Wayne," Alfred called to him. "There's been another attack, sir. Much bigger than the last."

Bruce turned around to face the elder butler and together the two stepped back into the Manor and into the large room where a television was broadcasting live. They sit and watch the scene unfold for about ten minutes, sitting in stunned and saddened silence.

"If you're just joining us, we're looking live at the scene in the Upper West Side – where the Joker and Harley Quinn are wreaking havoc. Emergency responders are now arriving on the scene, with more arriving with each passing minute. Only those emergency responders are being allowed access into the area, and the media have even been pushed back – this is as close as they'll let us."

Behind the reporter, a scene of chaos is unfolding; a large inferno and the outlines of people running away from the scene. The screams of the people nearly drown out the reporters.

Bruce and Alfred both wince at the situation.

"He's testing me. He knows I won't go out during the day."

"Sir, if I may, perhaps the police and fire brigade will appreciate your efforts this time. Maybe you should go."

Bruce turned and looked at the butler, his mouth slightly agape.

"You're right."

He stood and walked across the manor to the study.

It's time Batman stepped into the daylight once again.

I sprint into Station 17 and check in with Chief Flanch.

"Thank God you're here, Price. Thanks again for coming in. It's all hands on deck."

It was slightly chaotic in the station, many of us running around making sure that all of our med bags were properly stocked for any situation. All of us clambered into ambulances and we all took off toward the Upper West Side.

As we got closer, the scene just got more and more chaotic. As soon as the ambulances parked, we paramedics sprinted out of the backs and close to the police cars. We're briefed as to what's going on and are instructed to strictly focus and search and find and set up an emergency triage center. Nearly everyone in Station 17 enters the scene, our med bags slung over our shoulder. I toss mine over my neck so that I can actually run should I need to. The smoke rising from the inferno in front of us grows.

"What the hell happened here?" I ask to no one in particular.

The large fire obscured the building, smoldering and scattered debris littered the pavement around us.

Chief Flanch barked out an order to get a triage set up while half of us went out with the firefighters to find victims.

I wound up in the group to find the victims, and we are each instructed to take one section of a building and then move to another to comb it over. Jonathon and I partner up and begin to search through two near-by buildings.

"Hello? Paramedics! Is anyone in here?" I shout into the building, a large home with about a third of the home destroyed. Smoke billows into the rubble and through the blown-out portion of the house.

"In here…!" A small voice cries out.

I step into the building, the creaking of the floor boards momentarily drowning out the outside noise.

"Be careful, Evange – that place could go any second."

I turn back to Jon and nod, acknowledging his comment. "You, too, you know."

I climb into the building.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" I shout.

I come across a shut door and I move to open it, but it's jammed shut. I throw my shoulder into the door in order to loosen it, but I can't get it to budge.

"Help me!" the voice calls out from the room.

"The door's jammed, can you unblock it?"

"I can't move!"

"Okay, don't worry, I'll find a way in!"

"Hurry!"

I shoulder charge the door twice before it finally gives and I enter the room. But I wasn't expecting the sight that awaited me. Not. At. All.