A week later, and after a follow-up appointment with Doctor Holly's office, I've been deemed as having made enough progress to begin going back to my daily activities, but I still can't go back to work for another few days just to be safe.

I'm going stir-crazy.

And I'm still thinking about how I kissed Bruce Wayne.

I am officially crazy.

But every time I think about Bruce, my stomach flips and my heart flutters. I called Devyn over to come and hang out with me, and she should be here any moment now; I told her how I had kissed him on the cheek – emphasis on the cheek! – but even though it was over the phone, I knew that she was sending me a look.

"You like him!" she had half-screamed. "I knew you did, and he saved you in Coventry, it's meant to be!"

I tried to deny it, but I blushed thinking about Bruce, making me finally realize just how my feelings had developed for him. That realization hit me hard.

A knock on my door snapped me to attention. I looked through the peephole, and saw Devyn. I smiled as I opened my door.

"Hey!" I greeted my best friend with a hug.

"Hey yourself," she hugged me back tightly.

"So how are you?" I shut the door behind her and approach her as she marched over to my couch and flopped down, kicking her feet up.

"Work is boring without you… I can't wait for you to be back," she groaned.

I laughed in sympathy.

"Trust me, I can't wait to go back."

We delved into a conversation about how the Joker and Harley Quinn, definitely the woman who had bashed me over the head, had seemingly disappeared after the incident in the Upper West Side.

"Something's just not right," Devyn lowered her head, staring at my carpet.

I nodded in agreement. "I'm with you. Last time Joker was free, he insisted on killing people relentlessly."

"Did Batman get him and we just don't know it?"

I shrugged. "Who knows? I don't think he can exactly come forward with that kind of information. You know, since half the city is still after him."

"…today Mercy Hospital here in Gotham received a generous donation from our city's own Bruce Wayne…"

"Ooh, look, Eve, it's your crush!" Dev teased, sending a wink toward me as she turned up the volume on the television set.

I smiled, trying to cover up the blush on my cheeks. Bruce looked incredibly handsome in a perfectly-tailored Armani suit, a generous smile on his features as he handed a check for $50,000 to one of the higher-ups in the hospital.

"…It's important to fund our hospitals. Gotham City has numerous amounts of medical facilities, but it's vital to remember that they cannot serve our community without proper funding." Bruce's voice from a brief interview filled my ears.

I can't help but smile at his generosity. He's a good man deep down, I don't think he's really the playboy that the media makes him out to be – not all the time at least.

"Stop swooning, woman," Devyn clucked, laughing.

"I am not swooning."

Devyn's phone rings, and she moves to pull her phone out of her pocket and answers it.

"Hello?" … "Oh, yes, do you have anything?" …

I watch as her face falls and she stands up to pace the room.

"Right. Well, please keep me updated." … "Uh-huh, yeah." … "Thank you anyway."

She sighed and ended the call, turning back toward me.

"They don't have it either, Eve. I'm so sorry."

My face falls, and tears brim in my eyes. We had been fervently searching for my mother's pendant, but it seems that no one turned it in or sold it to any pawn shops in the city.

"I'm sorry," she apologized again.

"It's not your fault."

"I just don't know where it could be. GCPD didn't pull it off of him, none of the shops have it, and it wasn't back in that alley…"

"Maybe I should just accept that it's gone. Just like her. Maybe I'll never get it back," I hang my head, doing my best not to cry.

"Don't talk like that. We'll find it."

She rubbed my back lightly and momentarily paused.

"Do you think Batman maybe grabbed it?"

I raise my head and shrug in response.

"Who knows? It could literally be anywhere, Devyn."

Bruce sat in the Bat Cave, examining the pendant in his hands. It was a beautiful sapphire with tiny diamonds all around it on a platinum chain; the lighting in the Cave made it shimmer a deep blue. The piece of Evangeline in his hand, he treasured it. He didn't know about her past, but he was curious – what she had said at the hospital was something he just couldn't get out of his head. And then when she kissed his cheek… Bruce felt himself smile.

He heard Alfred's quiet footsteps approach from the side.

"I haven't felt this way before, Alfred. This is different than Rachel."

"Then perhaps, Master Wayne, you should allow yourself to love."

Bruce furrowed his brow slightly.

"She could get hurt, though. She'll eventually find out who I am – she would have every right to know."

"Indeed, sir, but if the pair of you are meant to be, you'll outlast it all. Maybe just starting it off with a simple date will announce to her your intentions. And if I may say so, sir, I believe she fancies you."

Bruce knew that he was talking about the kiss. He remembered the feeling of her lips on his cheek, the way she had to stretch onto her tiptoes to reach him.

"And you fancy her," Alfred half-smiled to his master.

Bruce nodded, knowing that deep down it was most assuredly true. He pulled out his cell phone, swiping through his contacts until he found her name. He slightly hovered over her contact, hesitating a little.

"You're afraid," the loyal butler said, more of a statement than a question. "You're the one man in Gotham who can confront the Joker and the other criminals without hesitation, but when it comes to a woman now you're afraid?" He smiled gently at his master.

He sighed a little in defeat before typing up a text message to Evangeline.

My text-tone rings, and I pick up my phone, unlocking the screen with my fingerprint. I pull up my text messages, and my heart leaps in my chest.

'Evangeline, are you doing anything tomorrow night?'

"OH MY GOD!" I scream and white-knuckle grip my phone in shock.

"What is it? What is it?" Devyn leans over my shoulder and I show my phone to her. She squeals in delight. "I KNEW IT! He likes you, too, Eve!"

I fumble over the digital, on-screen keyboard typing my response to Bruce.

'No, I'm not'

'How about I pick you up at seven tomorrow evening? Dinner okay?'

'That sounds wonderful (:'

'Great – I'll see you then, Evangeline.'

'See you then'

I screamed in pure happiness jumping up and down slightly, feeling like an excited school girl.

"I have a date with Bruce Wayne!"

Realization hits me.

"Oh my God, Dev! What am I gonna wear?!"

So about an hour later, Devyn and I are traversing through the mall in Downtown Gotham looking for something appropriate for me to wear on my date without breaking the bank too much.

I bought a beautiful burgundy dress for a reasonable $80. It had a small amount of sparkle on the bodice, enough to catch the light and reflect it but not so much where you look like a disco ball, with the hem of the skirt grazing the knees and sheer, fluttering sleeves that sit on the edge of my shoulders.

The next day, I'm getting ready for our date, just stepping out of the shower. I wrap myself in my bathrobe and brush my teeth and meticulously primp myself. I turn on my curling iron to get it warming up before I use it. I let my hair down out of the towel and blow dry it and brush it. Before doing my hair, I do my makeup, a light layer of foundation, blush, a neutral eyeshadow, reserved eyeliner, and mascara. I walk into my bedroom, gently pulling the dress that I bought out of my closet and a simple pair of black kitten heel pumps. I slip perfectly into the dress, it fitting me in all the right ways and places.

I check the time quickly – it's 6:15, so I only have 45 minutes to curl this mane. I immediately set to work parting my hair into layers to curl it all. The process takes about 40 minutes, since I take a meticulously long time perfecting all of the curls so that they land gracefully on my back or over my shoulders. I admire my reflection, praising the good Lord above that everything cooperated today.

The knock on my door came as I was finishing putting a pair of CZ studs in my ears.

"Coming!" I announced.

I looked through the peephole and saw Bruce standing there. I smiled, unlocking the door.

The look on his face made me smile. He quickly eyed me up and down, as if in a little bit of shock.

"You look beautiful," he half-whispered, smiling at me.

I blushed in response.

"Thank you… You look quite handsome."

Oh, and he did in the suit that he wore. A subtle pinstripe suit with a pure white undershirt, a vest to match the rest of the suit, and a tie.

He sent me his trademark half-smile, his eyes lighting up ever so slightly for a split second. I couldn't help but blush again.

"Shall we?" he offered his arm.

"We shall," I smiled at him graciously, grabbing my key and shoving it in my purse before slinging it onto my shoulder before lacing my arm in between his. It felt so natural.

We descended the stairs outside of my apartment, where I saw an exquisite, sleek Lamborghini parked at the curb.

"Wow," I couldn't help but breathe out.

I heard Bruce chuckle as he opened the door for me. I seated myself, remembering to sit down completely and then rotate my body into the vehicle like a lady would. As soon as he made sure I was situated and comfortable, he closed the door and crossed in front of the car to step into the driver's seat.

"So, I'm guessing by what you're wearing I'm not overdressed?"

"No, not at all. You look perfect."

"Thank you… If you don't mind me asking, where are we going?"

"One of my hotels."

I nod slowly as we zoom through the streets of Gotham. I glance over to the speedometer and see that Bruce is doing 55 in a 30.

We reach Bruce's hotel, the Gotham Millennium, and pull up toward the valet parking. Photographers suddenly congregate in front of the doors, cameras ready.

"God…" I heard Bruce murmur.

"Uh, Bruce?"

He looks toward me. "You don't have to say anything to them. They'll try to get a reaction out of you, but don't let them, okay?"

I nod my head.

"Ready?" Bruce placed his hand on the door handle for his door.

I take a deep breath and let it out.

"Yep."

"Okay."

He opens his door, and the paparazzi immediately clambers to talk to him while he walks to my door and opens it. He extends his hand, and I take it, expertly sliding out of the car without flashing anyone accidentally. He snakes his hand to the small of my back, and we press forward to walk into the hotel. Flashbulbs went off all around us.

"Bruce! Bruce! Who is this lovely woman you brought tonight?"

"How did she get so lucky to be with you?"

"Hey, lady, you just looking to get a free meal?"

That last comment smacks me in the chest. I do my best to maintain a neutral expression and look straight ahead.

Bruce opens the door to the hotel for me and we step in.

"Great job – you can breathe now."

I didn't realize that I was holding my breath for the whole walk, and I slowly exhaled.

"A free meal, really? He practically called me a gold digger," I shook my head.

"Some of them are really awful. But you handled it really well," he smiled to me as we walked toward the restaurant.

"Thanks."

"Mr. Wayne, welcome," the maître d' greeted us and grabbed two menus. "Your table has already been prepared, please follow me."

The maître d' pulled out my chair and then pushed me in after I sat down. As soon as I sat and saw the people around us, I immediately felt overwhelmed. Many were drinking wine or champagne with plates of exquisite looking food in front of them.

I opened the menu, immediately noticing that prices were not mentioned anywhere. If they don't list the price, I don't want to know how much it costs.

"Please order anything you like," I look up from the menu and see Bruce peering at me.

"But… I don't know how much anything costs – I don't want to cost you too much, Bruce."

"That's kind of you, but it's alright. Promise."

"…Okay."

I wound up ordering prosciutto-stuffed chicken with a mushroom sauce, and enjoyed a couple of glasses of the wine that Bruce had ordered for us at the sommelier's recommendation. We spent a good portion of the evening drink and chatting, telling stories and jokes. It felt so easy to talk to him for so long, and the pauses that we had never felt awkward. It truly felt as though we had known each other for years instead of it being one of those awkward first dates that normally happen.

We finally stepped out of the hotel and walked back toward the valet service which promptly got the Lamborghini and handed off the keys. I saw Bruce hand the valet driver a $100 bill and I smile, once again taken aback at his generous nature.

On the drive back to my apartment, it's a quiet, amiable silence, only the noise of the engine in the cabin. Bruce drove a little bit slower on the way back to my home than when we went to dinner, and I smiled. We turned onto Murphy Avenue and drove down the avenue until we pulled up in front of my unit. Bruce parked the car and once again helped me out of the car.

We walked up the steps to my door, but something jammed in my door catches my eye.

"What's this?" I grab onto the small thing in the door jamb, the feeling of a cheap plastic coating on my fingers. I pull it out and examine it, the sight shocking me.

A playing card. The joker.

I watched as Evangeline grasped the thing in her doorjamb, and I did my best to keep a neutral face as I immediately and unfortunately recognized what it was. Joker had been there.

Her eyes met mine, and I saw a slight amount of fear in them; and rightfully so. He knew where she lived. She's not safe anymore.

"What does he want?" I heard her ask quietly.

"I don't know, but you're not safe, Evangeline."

"I don't know if anyone is."

Alrighty, everyone I figured I'd post a longer chapter for you all since I've gotten quite a few more reviews and follows/favorites. You guys really don't know how much I appreciate them and how much it motivates me to write more!

I do want to let you all know though, updates may become less and less frequent - I'm a full-time college student juggling a professional internship and a part-time job. I will most certainly work on this when I can, but I wanted to let you all know ahead of time. As of right now, I have no intention of leaving this story where it is now, so please be patient with me.

~MaeBae18