A/N: *Looks sheepish*... Hey, remember me? I know it's been ridiculously long since I updated but things have been happening and well you know the drill. But the crap updating is now long gone! I've pretty much been trying to write the last final chapters (oh yes the final is soon in site, sob) as I want to be able to finally finish this story, I've so many ideas I want to share with you guys! So without further ado, here is my latest chapter, enjoy! (A cheeky review will never be sneered upon!)

Chapter 25: Seven Days.

You can do a lot in seven days. God made the world in seven days. The world could end in seven days. People could die in seven days. Life is just a countdown; what happens at the end of those seven days is more or less up to us; but that small percentage, that's not down to us, that's the part we can't control, the part we're so desperate to keep hold of. William Shakespeare once said 'all the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances.' Seven days to meet someone. Seven days to ruin a life. Seven days to lose someone you love. All it takes is a mere change in our routine and we're done.

Day One.

Maddie's POV

I set the pen down after finishing yet another letter; I didn't even do this much writing at work. It's still early, though when I knocked on Bruce's door earlier the bed was made and the aftershave smell had faded; he'd gotten up early just to avoid me. I was expecting things between us to be hard, for us to never fit right again; like when you rip paper in half and then try and slot it back to how it was, the edges may fit but there's still that gap in between them, the chance that the thing truce could be broken again. I hide the letters at Alfred's footsteps, sliding them easily into my bag and snapping it shut; the pills rattle and I stare at them for a moment before stashing them to the back.

"Morning Miss Maddie, how are you today?"

"I'm fine," he looks at me, "so Bruce told you whats happened then huh?"

He fills up the kettle, busying himself before he answers, I take that as a certain 'yes'.

"He mentioned what happened, what's been happening between you and the erm Joker."

"What do you think?"

He turns to me, mug in hand. "Coffee, tea?"

"Tea please," unlike Bruce or even me he is bidding his time, not rushing into a fight.

"Anything to eat?"

I gesture towards my empty bowl, he tuts and turns the toaster on, adding the pop tarts. I watch his every movement; he never falters under my intense stare, he turns to me occasionally and smiles, humming some tune I know I should remember.

"Remember when we use to eat these when you were younger and had, what is it you call it? Ah yes the munchies?"

I take a large, un-lady like bite, ouch. "Yeah..."

"You always use to do that too," I laugh, touching my now tender lips.

"When you were younger I think you'd gone into Bruce's room and took something, he soon learnt about it and you were trading insults and you said that 'once I turn eighteen, I can cut myself off from everyone and finally get what I want, which is to be on my own, once and for all, away from you!"

I fiddle with the crust, nodding at the memory, what I actually took was Bruce's new laptop...which I spilt soda on...twice.

"For me, family means the silent treatment. At any given moment, someone is always not speaking to someone else; it was the same when I was younger and it's now the same with you and Master Bruce, families always the same."

"Really?"

Alfred points to the same between us.

"We're passive-aggressive people,' he explains, taking a sip of his coffee. "Silence is our weapon of choice. Right now, for instance, you and Master Bruce not talking to each other is just another form of your childhood, perhaps a more major fight than back then but still, silence is golden. And common, especially between two people who are exactly the same."

I spin my cup between my hands, memorised by the liquid. "I think this is a pretty big fight, I've hurt him real bad, I don't see how me drawing stick people versions of me and Bruce with 'I'm sowry' underneath with cut it this time."

He considers this as he takes another sip. "'I think when someone else does something worse then you need people on your side, so when you're fighting with that one person, you've always got someone to turn to, who will take a step back and listen, get the facts."

I clear my throat, trying to swallow the upset.

"Coming together, falling apart. Isn't that what families are all about?" I nod, thinking of all the times we've fought; the tears we've spilt, the words we've exchanged.

"It was just one of those things," I explain, "You know, that just happen. You don't think or plan. You just do it."

He re-fills his coffee and then my tea, "I don't exactly have... experience in this particular area but I always try to be honest when I do something or when I plan or doing something, the longer you leave something the worse it gets."

"So you're always honest," it's a statement more than anything, in my whole life Alfred has never once lied to me.

"Aren't you?"

"No," I tell him. "I'm not."

"Well, that's good to know, I guess, you're being honest there; I'd say that's something."

"I'm not saying I'm a liar," I answer quickly. Raised eyebrows.

"That's not how I meant to say it, anyways."

"How do you mean it, then?" He looks to me for an answer, even Mat stops crawling to look too.

"I just...I don't always say what I feel, or what I'm going through, in this instance I guess I was scared of his reaction."

"Why not, surely leaving things would make it worse, make him more upset?" "

Because the truth sometimes hurts," I reply, guiding Mat with my hand towards Alfred.

"Yes," he replies. "But lies do also."

I nod to Mat, clinging to Alfred's leg, his face hidden. "Once you love something, you always love it in some way. You have to. It's, like, part of you for good. I can't imagine myself not having met Jack, it's like there would always be something missing, even if I was never fully aware of what it was, it would always be there."

He smiles. Acceptance.

"Everyone has their weak spot Miss Maddie; we wouldn't be human if we didn't. The one thing that despite your best efforts will always bring you to your knees, regardless of how strong you are otherwise. For some people, it's love, even with the wrong person; but love is always good, it's not a form of evil, it's a form of good. Others, money or alcohol."

"What was yours?" I almost dread asking the question.

"Mine was even worse, Math." I snort, dabbing at my nose with tissue.

"Seriously I could never get my head around it, you would come home with math's papers and I'd have to send you elsewhere, not that you ever needed it."

"How long will he be mad?"

Alfred shrugs, "could be a few more days yet, although something this big he would probably like to attend to straight away."

"Thank you for being here Alfred."

"Don't be thankful, I've been doing this since you were born, looking after you."

He bends down Mat; his hands uncurl; begging to be held.

"And now I will help you look after this one."

"Can you look after him for a minute, just while I go out? I'll be back in literally an hour?"

He pauses, his voice hesitant. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course, I just have some... business to attend to."

I walk into the bistro I chose to meet her in; the volume surprises me, "just a little place, off the beaten track", she had said. I see Abbey wave at me and I'm instantly reassured; same hair, same smile, same Abbey. It's comforting. I slide into the booth, taking time to strip off my hat and scarf.

"How are you Maddie? I heard that you were on leave, things with the baby ok?"

"Things are fine; I just need you to do something for me, and not to tell anyone else at the hospital, even the Chief or Jane."

She gulps her drink down. The waiter appears at my side; "no thank you, I can't find my purse, I must have left it somewhere."

"I'll get this for you Maddie!" She reaches into her bag, my hand stopping her.

"Really it's ok Abbey, I've just had breakfast with Alfred, I'm still pretty full."

"If you're sure?" I nod, rubbing my numb hands together.

"Of course, so what can I do?"

I hand her the packaging; "Can you check this out for me please, tell me what exactly it is?"

She takes it like I'm handing her the Holy Grail itself; "absolutely, I'll get onto it straight away."

I lean back; I want to be wrong... I need to be wrong.

Joker's POV

He kicks the dry ground with the edge of his worn shoe; it's been so long since anyone's been back here; tended to this plot of land. Bozo however, has made sure the earth around the cross and the grave is neat as a grave can be.

"She better have gotten the note, swear if she hasn't he'll be..." he never gets to finish the threat; Maddie appears through the dense trees, her coat wrapped tight around her.

He pulls her into a hug, their bodies pull tight against each others.

"It's been a while since we've been here."

"Sure has doll, I just wanted to meet you somewhere no one would think to look for us."

She nods towards Dwayne's cross; "I still think about him sometimes, it's strange to think he's dead... I don't like it."

"No one likes it doll, hell his better off down there than we are up here."

She turns her ears as far into his coat as she can, blocking his dark words.

"Why do you still like me?"

He hadn't meant to say it out loud, just slipped out, can't blame it on the drink this time round.

"I don't like you, I love you." Of course.

"Why do you think?"

He wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her back into his arms. Closer. Not enough.

"So," she says. "Tell me."

"It doesn't matter, anyway, why you like me."

"No?"

"Nope." His hands are in her hair now, and she leans in, not able to totally make out his face, but his voice is clear, close to her ear.

"Just that you do."

"Everything will be ok" she whispers.

It was the first time in a long time that he didn't believe a word she says.

"It will."

He wants to tell her about Sam, of course he does, but he doesn't want to spoil it, the heavy burden he has, he must keep to himself. He'll tell when Sam's found and dead; one word can change the world.

Maddie's POV

I walk back in to the Manor; Alfred nods upstairs to me, 'Bruce?' I mouth, again he nods. His back is to me, his hands tracing the mirror frame, the pictures I have stuck into it.

"It's been a long night."

"Aren't they all?"

He laughs, turning to me finally, "I guess so, especially for some more than others."

I feel like a stranger in my own room, our eyes meet and Bruce's snap to the floor, his hands held out helplessly.

"I came to say... I want... I forgive you, for everything."

If I was a fool, which I'm not, I would have readily accepted that, but I know two things and one of them is Bruce doesn't forgive and forget.

"No, see I know you Bruce, you don't forgive me; you may think you do but really you don't. I fell in love with someone you and this entire city hates; and you should be mad, you wouldn't be you if you weren't; but don't be fake like them Bruce and pretend you're ok with me because you don't know how to talk to me right now, and look! You don't... you can't even look at me. You're so angry that like mom did with dad you think the only way you can deal with me is to say you forgive me and what... we pretend it didn't happen? We pretend my son isn't his but he looks like Jack every day and even you can't deny this; and I don't want you to, my son should know where he came from. Bruce look at me," he glances at me, focused on the centre of my face.

"It happened, and you don't forgive me, you don't look at my son and you keep avoiding me."

A look passes on his face; a look I use so often at work that I recognise it instantly. It was like looking in a mirror.

"You're right, I don't. But how am I supposed to act? He is evil; like a dog he could turn on you anytime he wants to. I don't see how you can love him, you may think he loves you but that isn't love; a man like that doesn't know how to love."

My grief turns into anger; he thought a man like James could love.

"He does I've felt it; we love each other and he loves Mat he may not say it but that isn't him and I don't want to hear it all the time; it's just enough to know he does. He can't say stuff like that; he went through crap we could only ever dream of; he finds it hard to show love but that doesn't mean he doesn't love me. You keep acting like I'm gonna leave Gotham and run off with him or become his partner in crime; it's not gonna happen Bruce; I'm staying here, whether you want me or not. I know you wish I had never met him but if I hadn't would Mat be Mat without those eyes? Or the way he laughs at weird things on the TV like its normal? Just because people do bad things, doesn't mean they are bad people."

"You knew the truth about him all along Maddie," he moves to the door now, "that's all that matters, you knew and you didn't tell me."

My voice becomes uncharacteristically serious. "You'd have said things you would have regretted. And you would never have been able to un-say them."

His eyes water. "Like now?"

It's so quiet, I can hear my own breathing, loud in my ears. Outside, the wind hits the glass panels, waves throwing themselves against the glass and then pulling themselves away. I think of everything being washed away, again and again. We make such messes in this life, both accidentally and on purpose. But wiping the surface clean doesn't really make anything any neater. It just masks what is below. It's only when you really dig down deep, go underground, that you can see who you really are.

A/N: This chapter is a link to the next chapter, so while it's fresh in your minds I'll be bringing the next one out pretty damn soon and not to toot my own horn but it's gonna be big my friends. Thank you so much for all the reviews etc, we've passed my last reviews for my first story by miles and it's all thanks to you guys, you are literally the best!

Until we meet again!

Feels-Like-Paradise.