Look! An update!

Sorry for being slow XD;;;; Go back a chapter or so to read the disclaimer please 8D

Two days later I had my costume altered and finished. I had it on, staring approvingly at my reflection in the mirror. I walked out into the living room, flaunting my outfit.

"Well, Shorts. What do you think?" I questioned my long time friend. He stared a moment, motioning with his finger for me to turn, I did so, then awaited a reply.

"I have to say I like it," he said, smiling. My eyes lit up under my mask.

"All to do now is wait for something to come along that I could help with!" I said, then sat next to Isaac on the sofa. He turned on the news, and we watched.

"I had a question, Sunshine," he began. I looked over at him. "Do you plan on learning any sort of martial arts or something? To, you know, defend yourself?" I mentally smiled.

"Well, I'd thought about adding to my expertise in karate, but I'm not sure you can go past a sixth degree black belt." I smirked.

"You never told me that!"

A shrug.

"Never felt the need."

"Breaking news. The villain 'Joker' is…" I didn't wait for the newscaster to finish her statement. I stood, running toward the window.

"Eve! Wait!" Isaac cried, grabbing my arm. I turned and looked down at him.

"What?"

"Be careful."

I scurried down the fire escape, landing on the ground softly in my sneakers, then took off down the alley way. I climbed up the ladder to reach the outside stairs on the building across the way, then hauled myself onto the roof. I sprinted to the edge, stopped, looked down, walked back, then sprinted and leapt. I landed on the other building, falling and rolling to cushion the landing, then I stood.

It was like that as I building-jumped to the bank that Joker was supposedly robbing. I sprinted and leapt across another gap, landing. I stood and shrieked in shock.

Standing in front of my, in all his cape-clad glory, was the Batman. My startled shriek made him turn at look at me.

"Who are you?"

'Who am I? Who am I? Like you need to know!' I felt like saying. Instead, I replied with this:

"I'm the Theatric Phantom."

"What are you doing here?"

I fumbled for an answer. What was I doing here? I'd forgotten. Just being in his awesome presence made me stumbled over my words and my thoughts. I straightened up, finding my reason for jumping around rooftops in a leotard.

"I'm here to get the Joker behind bars."

I could almost see the twitch.

"I don't work with anyone," he replied. I almost laughed.

"Who said I wanted to work with you?"

Then I sprinted and leapt to another building, scampering down its fire-escape, and onto the asphalt in front of the bank.

Smoke poured out of the gaping hole in the side of brick. I could hear someone shouting orders inside. I pulled out my dandy piece of chalk, my only weapon at the moment, and carefully sneaked to get a closer look. Before I could get five feet, the Batman had landed in front of me.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Going after the villain. Isn't that was superhero's do?" I questioned.

"You're not a superhero."

I grunted at this, pulling myself to my full height.

"What makes you think that? Any idiot can throw on a cape and go parading around, trying to be a hero."

"You're calling yourself an idiot?"

Ouch. Strike two for Evelyn.

"Most certainly not," I replied. "I was merely stating the fact that if somebody wanted to do some good in this god-forsaken city, that all they'd have to do is take the initiative and do it. That's what I'm doing."

"You're not dealing with some playground bully here," began the caped crusader. "Joker is a big time criminal and he's not to be trifled with so carelessly."

"Oh, you are too kind, Fatman," came a voice from behind Batman. A gunshot followed, and he pitched forward at me. I leapt to catch him before he hit the concrete. I looked up into the white face of Joker.

"Shit."

He fired, and I immediately dropped to the ground. I quickly drew an intricate circle on the ground, then vanished in the hole I'd made.

Almost instantly my gut told me to go back and get Batman. My mind, however, decided against it and I fled deeper into the sewers. Tears streaked my face and I stopped running, crouching low beside the rushing green water. I sobbed into my hands.

"What was I thinking?" I questioned myself out loud, my voice cracking. "I probably killed him, and I almost got myself shot. I can't do this. Not against that…"

I argued in my mind for almost fifteen minutes before I reached a conclusion.

Got back and get Batman.

I stood, walking purposely back to the hole I'd created. I peeked up, and not seeing anyone, hoisted myself back above ground.

I instantly regretted it.

Police swarmed everywhere, and the Batman had vanished. I leapt back into my hideout to escape the not-so-watchful eyes of Gotham's finest, and stowed deeper into the sewers.

Several days later, Joker's robbery had been pushed to the eighth page of the newspaper, and wasn't even on the television anymore. Isaac had been nice enough to extend his stay in Gotham another week, for my own use, and I took him out to dinner.

As we were driving back from the buffet he spoke.

"I haven't seen Gotham's bat since the robbery," he said. I froze in my seat, my mind racing. What if he's been killed? Or kidnapped by Joker? My overactive imagination sent my thoughts careening into the darkest corners of my mind without nightlights.

"Neither have I," I finally said. "I hope he's okay…"

On the other end of Gotham, just outside the city limits, Bruce Wayne sat in his mansion, drinking a cup of tea in his bed. The bullet from Joker's gun had pierced the Kevlar of his batsuit, but didn't lodge itself too far into his back. That he was thankful for, as was Alfred. His butler had insisted he stay in bed for a couple days, until the wound had partially healed.

He couldn't help but think about the Theatric Phantom.

For a day, at least, he blamed her for this…inconvenience of being shot. If she hadn't tried to be the hero and stop Joker, he would have that maniac behind bars already. Part of him blamed her, but part said she was just trying to do the right thing. Isn't that what he was trying to do? The right thing? Bring justice to the streets of Gotham?

She's different, his mind told him. He shook his head to clear away these thoughts. He brushed away the blanket from his legs and stood, stretching. His back gave a twinge of pain, but he ignored it, walking shirtless toward the bathroom.

Alfred Pennyworth was downstairs, in the kitchen, fixing Bruce up a nice supper when the front doorbell rang. The butler set down the knife he was using to cut a tomato and wiped his hands on a towel. Walking toward the door, he glanced up the stairs at Bruce's room. Pausing a moment to spend a thought worrying on him, he sighed slightly. Straightening his shirt he continued his walk to the door. He opened it to reveal a young woman, around her twenties he guessed, with stark red hair.

"Uhmm…hello," she stammered nervously. "I..I was wondering if Bruce was home?"

"Of course, miss. We're just about to have supper. Would you care to join us?" asked Alfred, always polite and cordial. The woman shook her head.

"Uhm, no. I just need to talk to Bruce for a few minutes." Alfred nodded.

"Come inside, miss. I'll fetch Master Bruce," he said, stepping aside. The woman trekked carefully over the threshold, as if she wouldn't be able to get back outside. Alfred eyed her suspiciously, then went upstairs to get Bruce.

He met him halfway down the hall, still shirtless.

"You may want to get a shirt on. There's a lady here to see you," the butler said. Bruce blinked a few times, then nodded.

"Who is it?" he questioned as Alfred followed him back to his room.

"I don't know, sir. She has some quite beautiful scarlet hair, however," replied Alfred. Bruce stopped.

"Red?"

"Yes, sir."

Bruce took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. He pulled a dark, semi-tight polo from his closet, throwing it over his head. He smoothed back his hair, then walked back downstairs.

"Evelyn, hi," he greeted. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden speech. Her face seemed to harden slightly when she saw him.

"Bruce," she said curtly. The billionaire could almost feel the ice hit his face. "I need to talk to you," she continued.

Uh oh, Bruce thought.

"Uhm, alright," he said. He led her into the adjoining room, throwing a shrug at Alfred's inquisitive look. The butler shrugged himself, then retreated back to the kitchen.

"What do you want to talk about?" asked Bruce. Evelyn paced a few moments, then turned upon him.

"Why didn't you defend me when I was arrested?" she asked.

I waited for an answer as Bruce fumbled to think.

"Well?"

"What would you have liked me to say?" he asked finally. I sighed in exasperation.

"Anything! Anything to say that I was innocent! You could have made up some story about talking to me or something! I was concerned for you, followed you into the men's room, tried to see if you were alright and you repay me by letting me get arrested?!" I exploded at him. I felt the tears coming as the great image I had of the 'Hunk Billionaire' crumbled apart.

"I was wrong about you, Wayne," I said, resorting back to using his last name. "I thought you were the best thing since Batman, but I was wrong. He is more the man than you could ever hope to be."

And with that I left.

Reviews are rewarded with hugs and fake plastic Batmobiles (I wish) XD