Hello people reading my story, if there are any out there still. (I am hiding my head in shame, or in my pizza whichever is more fitting.) Sadly it's been a while since I last updated, life has been happening and unfortunately this means that I've been unable to update as quickly as I would like to. I really would like to apologise to those who have waited so long for this update, but thank you for returning!

Chapter 23: 'I Can See No Other Way.'

We can all feel emotion, each and every one of us can. It hurts; when people we love are in pain, when we're in pain. We all have our demons, the skeleton in the closet that hangs there every time we open the door. The dark shadow over our bodies, that no matter how hard we run, how far we go, it remains with us; like a jacket stitched to our backs. We may fight as much as we can for those people; but the truth is sometimes people can't be helped; sometimes they're too far from the surface and more closer to the demons who are crying out for new blood, the chance to cling to someone new.

Bruce's POV

When she was younger Maddie, like all good looking teenagers found her first love; he broke her heart after a month and like all big brothers, he felt the need to protect her; to find this boy, this low life and make him pay. It was jobs like that which made the big brother role easier; a few well chosen words aimed at the boy coupled with his towering height soon had him regretting the day he messed with his sister. Now she is older, now they've more than a few extra lines of age between them, the job is getting harder. Now Maddie can take care of men who break her heart, his role has diminished to nothing more than a few anxious calls in the background. Except, now she needs him he realises the truth; he is stuck fast, the deals, the bargaining with God, to anyone who will listen have faded away to sickening anxiety. God becomes nothing more than a distant memory, someone who can only offer advice, who can only extend a loving hand near the end. His powers as an older brother have dwindled to still impotency; lately he has been re-living their parent's deaths. Grief becomes harder to swallow. He can't lose Maddie too.

Helena's POV

"What the fuck do you mean, she threw you out?" she flinches against the torrent of spit erupting from the man's mouth, he of course notices and steps closer.

"She was upset, it's going too far, I can't get to her now It's too much, what you're doing, what we're doing it will kill her."

He grins, so reminiscent of the Cheshire cat, that lazy wide mouth smirk she has become so accustomed to.

"It's too late now love, the plan is in motion and there's no way you're getting off."

She goes to interrupt him, he silences her with one look, "and if you even go to the police, if I hear anything that I don't like," his eyes glance towards the gun display on the wall, "well I won't be accountable for my actions will I?"

He leaves in a flurry of stale stench and instant relief is necessary. She fumbles with her glass, spilling the whiskey slightly over the side, her hands shake; the result of far too many pills. The bay window allows the winter sun to filter heavily into the room, the sound of Maddie laughing from the kitchen used to be a familiar sound this time of year. Time often changes those around us, but events are often pushed, twisted into how we desire them.

"Everything we do is necessary," she used to believe his words, everything he used to say, how he dangles James in front of her like the broken part of her heart.

And now she sees how the roles have changed; how wrong he is and that Maddie truly does not deserve this pain, but that the word of a mad, drunk old woman will not make her see the light. Seeing first hand the devastation Maddie is going through is more of a wakeup call than a bad hangover; her hair may be darker, but the length is now the same, the same thick hairs James use to twist through his fingers. The grief of James' death cuts deeper everyday; she can't let Mat go through the same.

Maddie's POV

The picture twists in the hands, the sharp edges slice my fingers, I sigh deeply yet not from the pain. This picture is new, the one 'lost' from my desk, strange isn't it how lost can end up as stolen. I shift in her seat more, the ticking of the clock echoing my impatience; her shift will be over soon I memorised Jane's timetable as much as I did my own. Bruce always accused me of being so quick to start a fight, so bad tempered at times that he would often walk out of the room we were in just so he could leave me to simmer on my own; so he did not become the object of my rage. The handle turns and I straighten, the picture remains face down.

"Hey Mads, I thought we were meeting later?"

I tap the edge of the photo, my lip turns into a sneer, and this is not the person I wanted to become; "no something came up."

She frowns until I dangle the picture idly from my fingers; her face registers shock, despair then something else, anger?

"Why..." she clears her throat, her hands stuffed into her pockets, "why do you have that?"

I look at the picture, as though only realising its content, "oh this? You mean the picture of my fiancé that used to be on my desk? That I have since found in your desk? I have no idea... Janey."

Her arms fold at this, the picture I keep at a safe distance, "I must have found it and picked it up by accident, I probably meant to give it back to you later, why do you care so much anyway Maddie?"

I lean forward, "It's not just a picture and I have every right to care, it was mine he gave it to me, what gives you the right to be taking my things anyway?"

Her attempts to grab my hands fall flat, I push myself closer to the wall, she chews her lip "Mads you shouldn't care that I took it, it's because I wanted to have something to look at, you get the right to mourn him in public, what do I get?"

I shake my head, the wild curls brush down my back "you hated him, you always said..."

"And I do hate him but so do you; you should do anyway. What happened that night when James died? Why do you always look so guilty?"

I still hold the picture of James, my fingers stroke the curves of his face "I have every right to be feeling this way, you don't get to because you meant nothing, he was planning a family with me not you. He wanted me and our babies not you or Riana! You wanna know why he hated you coming round? Cause he couldn't stand looking at the mistake that he made, he didn't want either of you, yet you kept shoving Riana down his throat."

She laughs, flat and empty. "At least I had his baby, unlike you trying to pass Mat off as his! God anyone with half a brain can tell Mat isn't James!"

Her outburst stills me, she smirks, pouncing on my weakness, "yet everyone can tell that Riana is James' daughter, I had his baby and you could never stand that, though God knows you tried. All it took was one night for me to get pregnant with Riana; you tried for years with him."

She thinks she has me beaten, but even now I hold the winning card, "I'm proud of who Mat's father is, what was James? Even now whenever I see him his the same pathetic guy he always was. I'm glad killed him," her eyes widen, I'm so sorry.

"What do you mean you killed James?"

"The gun was there and I did it and I know your mad but I'm suffering more than you could ever know..."

"Get out," she snaps, even now James she is so mad at you for dying, for what you did to her.

I nod, too wary, too scared of what else I may say, instead I push the photo to her, our finger brush and I have the urge to hold onto her, to erase these past moments, but I can't, the damage is done. She doesn't wait for me to leave before she starts crying, I didn't want to sever our friendship, all around me people were suffering, I couldn't let Jane suffer too.

Joker's POV

'Like father like son, soon you'll be gone!'

The writing is childish, uneven and shaky; if he didn't know Speed like he does he would point the finger of blame to him. This writing is different; at least Speed attempts to write neat, no this person gave no thought except to the contents of the note.

"Sam, what am I gonna do with you huh?"

Never bite the hand that feeds you, that's what he drummed into his men; the ones who couldn't be trusted would soon be disposed of.

"Should have got rid of him straight away..." too late for that now though, damage is done and it's him he wants.

Shrugging off his jacket he notes with a twinge of sadness the tear tracks tainting the fabric. Normally tears would be welcome, a sign his doing the job well; but these are Maddie's tears, her tears should be locked away. Now he knows someone is deliberately trying to hurt his family, his sadness turns to hatred. He will find them.

A/N: So Riana is James' kid, and if you've skipped parts of the story and didn't read that then shame on you! I hope you all (if there's any of you left), liked this chapter, the next one I'll be hopefully getting out soon, which will have more answers to your questions in it. Oh and FYI the next chapter? It's gonna be a big one! Is someone after the Joker? What's happening to Maddie? What's up with Helena? What will Jane do? Well only I know, unless I've been hacked... or get drunk and email yous the entire plan, (oh yes, unlike our mutual friend Mr Joker, I've a plan for this story!) then no ones getting to know anything (even you cough Foxotr cough). Thanks again for reading and keeping patient with me when I deserve a good arse kicking!

P.S I'm listening to Florence and the Machine Shake it out as I write this, why am I telling yous? It's a damn good song; I can guarantee yous will all be throwing some shapes out. And if not, well I didn't write the song, just this chapter... which I will take the blame for if it's crap.