"You two are always up before me," Adriana said while coming into the kitchen.

Bruce gave a bottle of warmed milk to Arsenio who was sitting in his high chair. He was able to hold the bottle on his own now.

"Of course," Bruce said and looked at the baby. "You know mommy stopped two burglaries last night. She needed her beauty sleep."

"Burrgleeee," the baby try to repeat the word and both Adriana and Bruce laughed.

"Good morning, sweetie pie," Adriana said to Arsenio and gave him several kisses.

"Good morning, beautiful," Bruce said and kissed Adriana's lips.

"Good morning," Adriana heard Alfred say behind her. "What will you be having for breakfast, Adriana?"

"Oh, you two already ate?" Adriana looked at Bruce and the baby.

"We shared some eggs and breakfast sausages," Bruce answered.

"I'll have the same, thank you Alfred," Adriana said. "And a croissant, if we have any?"

"Right away," Alfred smiled. He still was getting used to everyone eating in the kitchen. For years he had gotten used to serving Bruce in his office or the dining room. Having a family in the kitchen was joyous.

Adriana left the kitchen to pump more milk and by the time she was done her breakfast was on the table. Bruce was holding the baby and making funny faces to make him smile.

"Is Evelyn still asleep?" Adriana asked Bruce.

"No, Estoy aquí. Pero mi amiga necesita que la lleve al aeropuerto ... ¿Puedo irme?" Evelyn said in a rush as she walked into the kitchen. Her long ringlet curls were piled onto the top of her head in a messy bun. She explained that her friend needed a ride home from the airport and asked for permission to leave.

"Claro," Adriana replied. Of course.

Bruce nodded , understanding what she had asked as well, and Evelyn thanked them before she left.

"I was thinking," Bruce said, still holding Arsenio. "I could take him to work with me today."

"Bruce..." Adriana said. She had allowed him to take the baby to work once before but she preferred him staying home.

"Just until lunch," Bruce said. "I have been on so many business trips lately. I was just hoping to spend a bit more time with my little man."

"But what if you get busy?" she asked and picked up the croissant.

"I only have one meeting today at one," Bruce said and held up Arsenio's little hand. "Pleeeease."

"Yaaaaa," Arsenio said and rested his mouth on Bruce's cheek.

"See, he wants to go," Bruce said.

"Wouldn't you rather spend the day here with mommy?" Adriana asked the baby.

Arsenio looked at her and then Bruce, and they could all see that he understood what he was being asked. He looked back and forth between her and Bruce, his round hazel eyes darting indecisively.

"Da..." Arsenio finally said very quietly. "Da?"

"See," Bruce said and kissed his cheek.

"Okay then," Adriana sighed.

"I wouldn't mind accompanying them for the morning," Alfred offered. "I will look after him if Master Bruce gets occupied."

"You don't mind?" Adriana asked.

"Not at all," Alfred said, and remembered Adriana's silly words to Bruce the previous month when he had taken the baby to work for the day. "And don't worry, I won't allow anyone to...breathe on him."

"You're the best," Adriana said and stood to kiss Alfred on the cheek.

"So what will you do today?" Bruce asked.

"Hm...well if I have the morning free I guess I could run a few errands...maybe check on my house," she said.

"Okay," Bruce said as Alfred left to gather everything he would need to take with him for the morning.

"Have a good day boys," Adriana said and walked over to kiss both Arsenio and Bruce. "Love you both."

"We love you too," Bruce said.

.

.

.

Adriana arrived at her house a little after 9 a.m. She tried her best to check on her house at least once a month, but it had been nearly three months since she had the opportunity to go. She stepped out of her car and walked over to her mailbox which was full. The postman had been cramming things in and the box was about to overflow. She walked over to her front door with her arms full of all of the letters and papers. She shifted them over to her left arm dropping a few things in the process and reached for her key to unlock the door.

Once she was inside she dropped all of the mail onto the couch. She pulled off her light spring denim jacket and dropped it beside the mail. After walking through her house and making sure everything was alright she went over to the refrigerator and opened it. Totally empty except for an expired bottle of blue cheese salad dressing. She tossed the bottle into the trash and walked out into her small backyard.

The lawn, though very small, was incredibly overgrown. She sighed, feeling like mowing the lawn was too much work. She went over to the tiny shed by her back door pulled out her lawn mower it had just enough fuel for her to quickly cut the grass down to an acceptable level. When she was finished with that she went back inside and filled a glass with ice cubes from the machine in her freezer and water. As she sipped she felt a slight cramping in her abdomen. A feeling that she not felt in over a year. It felt like a mild menstrual cramp.

The next second after the cramps she felt immediately like she was being watched. It was as if her intuition had been heightened in a minute. It felt like her gift was returning. The flow of intuition was mild and she could not hear anyone's exact thoughts but she felt a very distinct intent to watch her.

She saw a car with dark tinted windows parked across the street an immediately knew who it was. She slammed her glass down and went outside.

"Open the window," she said after walking across the street and tapping on the dark glass several times.

The window slid down and she saw Damien's grey eyes looking at her.

"Why are you stalking me?" she asked.

"I'm not," he said dismissively.

"Actually, you are and I should call the police."

"Call them," he said. "I'm just sitting here minding my own business."

"What the hell do you want? Why are you doing this?"

"You know why," he answered. "You know who I'm looking for."

"You're still stuck on that?" she said, trying to keep her voice down. "Ugh!" she huffed and walked off back in the direction of her house. By the time she reached the curb she heard his car door shut.

"Listen!" he said. "We can bring him down together! Justice will be served, and the Joker will pay!"

Adriana stopped at her front door and angrily looked around, making sure none of her neighbors were outside. Then, she grabbed Damien's arm aggressively and threw him inside, before shutting the door behind her.

"Damn, you're strong!" he exclaimed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked. "You're fucking obsessed! The Joker is dead!"

"We both know that is not true. I've been looking into his disappearance for months, and as far as I can see he was sedated just like everyone else in that transport van taking him to Arkham-" Damien said.

"So? Maybe he got away. The way he's gone and there's no way you will ever find him and neither will I. Why don't you just move on with your life like I have?" Adriana said.

"Adriana," he said and she heard the false concern in his voice. "No matter what you think, you were manipulated. You were tricked. You were used. And when I spoke to you at your wedding reception, I could see it then too. You really think that you cared for the Joker. That alone is indicative of mental illness. But it is okay, I will take care of it and I will take care of you. Your husband is not willing to do anything but just pay me off to disappear. He doesn't care about you like I do-"

Her mind trailed off as he continued to talk. Bruce had paid him enough money to make him a multi-millionaire to disappear and to never speak of a secret that must never be told. She lied, and told Bruce that she was being blackmailed by Damien, because he knew that she was Shade. The truth was, he had figured out that she and the Joker were together and that he was Arsenio's father. A secret that she never wanted to reveal to Bruce and so far she had concealed it completely and he had no idea. Just like Damien had no idea that she was Shade.

"Get out of my house," she interrupted him mid-sentence to say.

"Adriana," she heard him say, could see his mind looking for something, that would put her on his side and make her want to help him locate the Joker. "What if he's in danger?"

"Who?" she asked and crossed her arm in disbelief.

"You know who," Damien said.

"You unimaginable son of a bitch," she said. "You come here acting like you care about my mental health and now all of a sudden you're playing into it..just to get what you want. I should fucking slap you."

"Sweetheart, just think about it," he said, the acting he was doing making her nauseated. "He has a lot of enemies. One of them could have used the transport to abduct him."

"So you think he was kidnapped," she rolled her eyes. "Over a fucking year ago? Even if that is the case, I'm sure whoever did it would have killed him by now don't you think?"

"Well-" Damien said and then thought about her words, swallowing his rebuttal. "I believe he's still out there."

"I told you to get out of my house," she repeated.

He didn't say any words for a few seconds. She rolled her eyes at him with her arms crossed, waiting for him to leave.

"You look incredible," he said, finally.

She rolled her eyes again, exasperated. She just wanted him gone.

"I mean it," he said and walked up close to her and placed his hands on her her elbows, while her arms were still folded. "I have money now, Adriana. I can take care of you. Much better than Wayne. You're an amazing woman and he can't see it. You're married to a billionaire and here you are mowing your own lawn. You're down to earth and real. And drop dead gorgeous and-"

"Get-" she started to say.

"Why type of husband is he? If I knew that some sociopathic freak had raped my wife, I wouldn't stop searching for him until I found him and killed him-" Damien said.

"I wasn't raped but anyone but you," she said, breaking their promise to never speak of it again. "Get the fuck out of my house."

She watched Damien swallow. He wanted to have the last word. He didn't want to let it end on this note. She didn't care what he had to say, she just wanted him gone.

"I'll go," he said. "But ask yourself this. What the hell is your husband doing to find this son of a bitch?"

Adriana didn't answer because she did not care what Damien thought. Bruce had no clue about her and the Joker being together. Once Damien saw that she wasn't going to answer him, he finally left.

She let out a deep breath once he was gone and went over to lock the front door. After she locked it, she kicked the door hard. She hated Damien, and she hated that he had figured out the biggest secret of her life.

She walked through the hall to her bedroom and fell onto the bed and began to cry. She hadn't cried in so long, just the act felt strange. She was so happy with Bruce, and Damien was nothing but a risk. The pillowcase absorbed her tears as she clung to the pillow in her arms. Once she was done crying she stared across the room blankly, still laying on her side, still holding the pillow. And she began to think of what would happen if Bruce ever knew the truth. Just the thought was too much.

She hated that Damien had gotten to her again and had made her cry. She put the thought into her head again...that he may actually be dead.

At the same time, she kept hearing Damien's words. What was her husband doing to find the Joker? She had been out of Bruce's thoughts for so long, that she didn't know. He investigated everything after the Joker's death and seemed to accept that he was in fact dead. Perhaps he believed that he was dead just like everyone else? Ever since the Joker had either disappeared or died, Bruce had barely spoke of him. He seemed relieved and much happier than Adriana had seen him before, when the Joker was wreaking havoc on the city. But Bruce had promised to her that he would not kill the Joker.

Something else had happened. Maybe he had jumped from that bridge.

To her surprise, tears began to fill her eyes again as she tried to accept that thought. Through the blur, she looked around at her bedroom and saw nothing but memories...

.

"Wait...there's no fork?" Adriana said to the Joker. She had sent him several texts telling him that she desperately needed chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. She could tell that she had been annoying him, but eventually he came with a white plastic bag with a slice of cake inside of a clear plastic tray.

He stood beside the bed where she had been sitting and watching a movie and looked at her as if asking if she was serious.

"Please," she asked with pleading eyes and looked down at the amazing looking slice of cake. "I can't eat it with my bare hands."

Before she stopped talking he left and came back with a fork, which he stuck into the center of the slice.

"Nooo...you messed up the frosting," she said, suddenly feeling emotional like she was about to cry. Pregnancy hormones, but she didn't know it yet. The very next second she was over it and grabbed the fork and began to eat.

He walked over to the door and leaned against the frame watching her. As she observed the memory, she noticed how quiet he was. He was the opposite of a shy person, but when he was with her he barely spoke.

"What?" she asked and looked at him. He was tall and large enough to fill the entire doorway and the room was dimly lit. He was like a dark shadow watching her.

"I said nothing," he said plainly, his deep voice a sharp contrast to hers.

"So why are you looking at me like that, like I'm crazy? I told you my psychiatrist is weaning me off like eight meds," she said and licked the fork. "So I'm not crazy or bipolar or whatever you're thinking right now. I just...really needed a fork and I'm just really really hungry. I guess my blood sugar is low. I'm not crazy."

"I said nothing," he repeated.

"Okay," she said, looking at the smudged white and red paint on the lower half of his face. Black paint surrounding his eyes only seemed to be dramatizing his expression. "Why the hell are you looking at me all suspicious then?"

"Why are you so hungry?" he asked.

"What?" she replied with a question. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Well, you," he said and scratched his head, pulling his lips over to one side before speaking again. "You act like you are starving all of a sudden. All the time. No one is as hungry as you."

"Wha-" she said, feeling emotion taking over her again. "So what are you saying? Are you calling me fat? You think I'm fat?"

"Only at heart," he said comically, and she threw her fork at him. He began to laugh as she fumed.

"Look, I gained six pounds but I'm going to lose it soon," she said. "This is the last cake for a while," she said and finally picked up the slice with her hands since she was now without a fork.

He was quiet, watching her eat again. She practically swallowed the last half of the cake whole.

"So do you think I need to lose six pounds?" she asked and licked her fingers.

"Isn't that what you said you wanted to do?" he asked frowning. He looked confused.

Suddenly, she burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.

"You think I'm a cow, and I know I am," she sobbed. "Who am I kidding? I won't stop eating this food.. I'm still hungry...I want some shrimp...What the fuck is wrong with me? I get out of breath from running only five blocks now. I'm getting out of shape-"

"If you're hungry then eat," he said, his voice not showing any indication that he noticed her hysterical crying.

"Are you going to bring me shrimp? And rice?" she asked, sniffling and finally lowering her hands from her face. He had brought her the same dish the previous night. Again her crying stopped abruptly. The mood swings didn't seem to phase him.

"Yep," he said and left before she could say another word.

He came back half an hour later and sat the bag of food on the table beside her bed, next to the empty cake tray. She sat up and pulled his arm so that he was sitting down beside her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm acting crazy...it must be PMS...it'll be over soon."

She could tell by his expression that he thought she was putting too much effort into an apology for something seemingly insignificant. He had been treated much worse countless times without apologies.

"Really," she said and crawled off the bed, and stood in front of him, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"You're forgiven," he said.

"Thanks," she said, and gently moved some of the waves of his hair, green at the ends, back off of his forehead. "You're hair is getting really long," she noticed his hair had gone a few inches past his shoulders. "Want me to trim it tomorrow?"

She looked at his eyes waiting for an answer as she stood in between his knees. He looked her up and down, not seeming to hear the question that she asked, even though she knew he did. His gaze met hers again, the spark that had appeared in them giving her sudden butterflies. His hands moved from resting on his knees to her hips and then around to her backside. She placed her hands on both side of his face, her fingers sliding back into his hair as they kissed.

The instant the their lips met, she felt herself almost fall to pieces. Tingling sensations seemed to move up through her body from the soles of her feet up to the crown of her head. She felt herself fading away as she melted into him. She had no idea if he felt the same, but she always wondered. Slowly, she pulled out of the kiss and looked into his eyes again, her hands unable to stop moving in his hair.

"So," he whispered. "Six pounds."

"Oh.." she said his words taking her off guard. She wasn't necessarily ashamed, but she knew that she had just made a big deal about it and was beating herself up about it as far as he could see. "Yeah..."

"Hmm," he said looking down, squeezing her behind. "Well done."

She burst into laughter, and ended up falling against him giggling. Her arms wrapped around his shoulder as she calmed her laugh and they embraced in a hug. Her face was in his neck and despite her soft laughter and the fact that she could not see his face, she knew that making her laugh made him content. His hands moved slowly on her back. He was happy. In that moment, she knew that he felt the same.