Author's Note: I've already planned some things for some of the main villains of Gotham but if there are any other villains or heroes that you'd like to see in this story, drop their name in the reviews! Enjoy!

Chapter 2: I Need Better Locks!

It had been a couple weeks since I was (almost) mugged. It's a Gotham City occupational hazard. I honestly don't know anyone who hadn't been mugged at least three times in their life. Luckily, I know some basic self defense like tossing people off of me, taking a gun or knife from someone safely (which I didn't do recently, oops!), stunning, and pinning down attackers.

Anyway, it had been a long but enjoyable day at work. No insane criminals on the prowl tonight...so far at least.

I was freshly out of the shower, feeling all squeaky clean, wrapping a towel around my wet, chocolate curls. I tossed on my favorite over sized black t-shirt and some red Adidas basketball shorts. I could hear my phone blaring as I exited the bathroom. Skipping over to my living room lamp table, I answered.

"Home of the whooper, what's your beef," I said as professionally as possible.

One of my best friends, Stephanie, yelled into the phone, "Turn on the news! Shit's getting crazy!"

Flopping down on the crouch, I quickly turned on the television and flipped to the news. My eyes widened as Batman, Robin, Nightwing, and Red Hood were in the middle of battling in the downtown area against Deathstroke, Sports Master, Deadshot, and Firefly. Bullets, fires blast, batarangs and other weapons flying about. More importantly the city was burning!

Stephanie yelled, "Are you seeing this?! The commute to my job is going to be awful in the morning!"

I glanced out my window to see the smoke rising to the air in the distance. Whistling, I turn back to the screen, Red Hood and Deadshot in the middle of a shootout filled the screen.

"Dude, I went to take a shower for like 30 minutes, and our city goes up in flames...again," I laughed into my phone.

I could just hear Stephanie grinding her teeth in frustration. She ranted on about how her job never closes whenever something like this happens because her boss says they should all be prepared for anything in this city, no excuses. Her boss was just evil. Eviler than most of the villains here.

I kicked my feet up onto my ottoman, leaning back as Stephanie whined. I couldn't stop myself from laughing at her suffering, since she'd done the same when Dr. Freeze had used his ice-gun-thing to freeze half of the Art Center where I worked. I unwrapped the towel from my head, letting my damp curls free.

I adjusted the phone to my ear, "Calm down, Stephy! I'm sure the fire will be put out before it gets near your office!"

Just then the sound of the Batplane zoomed through the skies as it dropped extinguisher throughout the flaming area.

"See," I offered to my friend cheerfully.

Stephanie growled, "I just want a day off! Is that too much to ask for?!"

"Apparently…"

Stephanie hung up the phone after telling me to get rest and to be safe.

Batman and his companions were tying the bad guys up, but I noticed that Red Hood was missing as cameras flashed and so was Deathstroke. While reporters tried to get some words from the saviors of the city I flipped to something else to watch for a couple hours before yawning.

I turned the TV off, flipped off the light, and wandered to my bed, quickly wrapping my hair in my silk scarf. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

A Couple Hours Later…

Nothing but the sound of my breathing filled the apartment as I sprawled out on my bed, comforter hanging off the edge, and scarf pushed back letting some of my hair cover my face. I jumped out of my sleep as something rattled from elsewhere in the apartment.

"Maybe it was the wind…," I grumbled wiping a little bit of drool from my mouth.

Once I laid my head back on my pillow the rattling started again along with a light thump.

I smacked lips tossing in bed out of irritation whispering, "Dammit, not wind!"

I glanced at my clock as it read 2:45 a.m. while grabbing the metal bat that stayed next to the bed at all times. Tip-toeing over to the door, I cracked it open, slowly making my way down my hallway. I could hear the rummaging from the living room and tightened my grip on the bat. I jumped out, bat raised high ready to strike, but couldn't make out anyone in the darkness of the apartment. The night breeze filled the room. I lowered the bat and went to close the window. I stuck my head out the window to look for anything suspicious. There was no one below or above me on the fire escape. The night scene bustling like always. I sighed as I pulled my head back in. I pushed down on the window, but it was stuck. I placed the bat down to use both arms.

As I slammed the window I couldn't help feeling a little paranoid, "I know I locked these windows...maybe whoever it was didn't see anything worth stealing and left."

Suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. A hand covered my mouth from behind, pulling me further into the apartment. I stumbled as I struggled to get my footing, I stomped on the intruder's foot, twisting their wrist getting their hand off of my face. I drove forward to grab my bat.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up, tiger," a deep, but slightly muffled voice called from the shadows of the living room.

My eyes widened, jaw dropping as I almost dropped my bat once I realized who I was dealing with. The intruder was tall and muscular. God, those thighs looked like they could bust open watermelons! Harnesses with pistols strapped to his person. Brown leather jacket, covering what I assumed was kevlar. His broad chest bearing a red bat insignia, and that iconic red helmet cover his entire face.

The Red Hood was standing in my apartment. Wait, the Red Hood broke into my apartment!

I lowered my bat looking the man up and down, "What the hell are you doing in my apartment?"

He chuckled as he reached into his jacket. I held up the bat again, not that it would do any good against a master marksman, but getting hit by a flying bat would stun anybody.

"I'm not going to shoot you! Jeez, people are so paranoid nowadays," he grumbled as he pulled out a card handing it to me.

I glanced down, "Oh, my ID! I've been looking everywhere for this, but I figured I dropped it in… that alley…"

My face reddened from embarrassment. I could tell he was grinning behind that helmet.

Hood plopped down on my couch, flicking on my lamp.

"You did quite the number on that poor dude, but… a slap on the wrist compared to what I could have done to him," he shrugged but hissed at the movement.

I finally noticed the slice to his upper arm, blood dripping from the wound. Placing down my bat, I stepped closer to him. The cut looked pretty deep and it might've needed to be snitched up.

He cocked his head to the side, "Think you can help me out here?"

"Bro, I'm not a nurse! And you're getting blood on my couch," I frowned.

Hood laughed heartily, "Is that anyway to treat a guest?"

"You broke in!"

"To return you stuff," he argued, enjoying teasing me.

I squinted at him, wondering how the hell he thought that justified invading my space, "That still makes you an intruder."

The vigilante shifted to face me and I assumed he was smiling. He sounded like he was smiling.

"I'll settle for 'uninvited guest', but seriously I'll walk you through the snitches," Hood bargained, pressing his gloved hand to the bleeding wound.

I frowned thinking it over. This was one of the savior's of the city. Actually Red Hood was more, well, anti-hero than a benevolent, virtuous hero. Despite the violence that he frequently exhibited, from what I could tell, he wasn't all that bad. He just had a more permanent solution to the crime in the city compared to Batman.

I sighed grabbing my bat, pointing it in his red clad face, "Okay, I'll help but watch the blood. It's going to be a bitch to get it out of this material!"

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled shimmying out of his leather jacket.

I went to grab the first aid kit, but I was about 95.5 percent positive that I didn't have anything to stitch up his arm. I returned to the living and almost had a heart attack from looking at the shirtless Hood. His muscles were just, um, wow! Just a specimen! I swallowed down the lump in my throat.

"Damn, I haven't even seen the dude's face, and I just know he's beautiful," I thought, fanning myself with my free hand.

I sat down next to the man as I sorted through the kit, pulling out antiseptics, gauze, and the tweezers. I looked up at him as he rummaged through his jacket pocket for something.

"Here you go. I figured you wouldn't have these around," he said as he dropped a needle and sutures on the table.

I eyed them nervously as I poured some antiseptics on a cotton ball and started cleaning the cut, dabbing at the blood.

We sat in silence during the process, and when it came time to stitch him up I almost screamed in sympathy because I had no idea what I was doing. Red Hood would flinch or cringe when I pricked him wrong, but he couched me through the process. I tied them off the suture, dropping the needle to the ottoman in front of us.

Hood pulled on his shirt and chuckled, "See it wasn't that bad. You've got a mostly gentle touch."

I placed everything back into the kit as I rolled my eyes, "Is this unsolicited hero visit finished? Didn't know you guys liked to pop up on civilians like this."

"Hmm, we do when they look like you, Maeve," he teased, pulling on his jacket.

I crossed my arms over her chest smirking at the man, "Uhuh, if you say so, Hood. Now shoo! I've got a day job to be at in a few hours."

Red Hood stepped up to the window he had used to get into the get into my apartment, laughing the whole time.

"Alright! So pushy," he mused, opening the window ducking out. He looked over his shoulder, "You might want to get stronger locks. It was way too easy to get in here."

I slammed the window shut, locking it behind him. I made sure to cover them with the curtains.

"Second weirdest night of my life," I shook my head, disposing of the bloody cotton on my ottoman.

I noticed a dark spot on my couch and groaned, "I almost forgot about that. Thanks a lot, Red Hood…"

As I walked away to grab something to clean up the settling bloodstain. No matter how annoyed I was I couldn't stop thinking about how hot he was.

Author's Note: Yep, Maeve's bias is Red Hood, and she's not ashamed. Next chapter, Maeve gets caught up in a bank robbery!