Author's Note: Hello! I realized I've been working on this fic forever so it's about time I posted it (especially because Jason Todd is so lacking on this website). I'll be updating every Thursday (or every other, depending on my schedule) so stay tuned. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Melody Baker was having a really bad day. It was probably one of the worst days she's ever had since that humiliating day in high school when she found her boyfriend on his knees in front of another guy hidden between the bookshelves of the library. That had been pretty bad and incredibly mortifying, as well, but at least it hadn't as painful as this. She was sick and tired of dating assholes that would demand one hundred and ten percent from her and then give nothing back in return. She so was tired of it all. She threw her third shot back and slammed the little glass down on the battered wooden bar. Melody's best friend, Tina, watched her friend with concerned eyes as Melody let out a frustrated groan. Melody gave Tina a sad look before motioning for the bartender to bring her another shot. The club was dirty, dark, and exclusively popular, but Melody had never had to wait outside with those who were less fortunate in the physical appearance department.

Melody had always known that her whole body oozed sex appeal like sweet maple syrup on pancakes. She had quite large breasts, something she's either adored or found to be annoying depending on her mood, and a firm round ass that she had often been told was perfect for a man's hands. Her stomach was flat and toned just enough that she didn't look particularly muscular but she could certainly take a punch in the gut if she had to. Her arms and legs were just the same, supporting a concealed muscle that made her look feminine but could easily break a few bones should she desire it. She was by no means "skinny", or at least what most girls idolized as "skinny", but she never concerned herself with such things a thigh gap or prominent collar bones. Her hair just touched the bottom of her shoulder blades and was a bizarre shade of white blonde that she had never seen on anybody but herself and her eyes were wide and blue, the kind of eyes that made most people give her whatever she wanted. Her face was heart shaped and petite and she had prominent aristocratic features, a roman nose and high cheekbones. Her lips were also heart shaped and plump, the color of melting cotton candy by nature but tonight she had covered them with red lipstick.

Tina was quite different from Melody in more ways than just appearance. Tina was what girls dreamt about being. She was thin and tiny, something Melody could never accomplish not that she really wanted to. She had the dainty collar bones and the infamous thigh gap, everything that any girl would kill to have. She was short, about 5'2 in height, a full 4 inches shorter than Melody, and she was small chested and her ass was all but invisible, but for some reason she looked so much more sophisticated and delicate than Melody. With Tina's pretty features and Melody's raw sexuality, the girls were always admitted immediately to whatever club they desired to grace with their presence. Tina looked classy and stylish orchid colored dress looked more fitting for an office room than a club, but Melody's body-con black lace dress looked more appropriate for a bedroom. Tina's dress had a jagged neckline and short sleeves with pleated details and a small v-line back. The skirt of Tina's dress fell just above the knee whereas Melody's skirt landed just underneath her infamous rear-end. Melody's dress had a slight lattice cutout that emphasized her waist just under her bust and gave those who dared to look a nice view of her fair skin.

Melody downed her fourth shot, delivered by the bald middle-aged bartender, while Tina continued to sip at her first and only glass of wine. "Why do I subject myself to becoming romantically involved with insufferable, lying, Cro-Magnons like him?" She crooned woefully, placing her face in her hands to hide her shame.

"I have a theory." Tina said as if she had just made an incredible scientific breakthrough. Melody looked up at her friend, waiting to hear what she had to say. "It's because of your boobs." She stated proudly.

Melody crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. "How very eloquent of an assumption, Tina." Melody snapped, dripping sarcasm from her cherry red lips.

Tina rolled her eyes. "You'll see what I mean." She tugged Melody's arm and the blonde followed her dark-haired friend begrudgingly over to a table that sat a lone man. He was not much older than the two girls, who were in their mid-twenties, and he looked both confused and amused by their approach. He was not particularly handsome, but he had a rugged appeal that Melody knew that Tina appreciated in a man. He was a brunette, like Tina, and had plain hazel eyes. "I need you for an experiment, sir." She said.

The man scratched at his five o' clock shadow and eyed the two girls carefully. "Sure, I guess." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Are her boobs larger than mine?" Tina asked, pointing to Melody's chest. The man was taken aback by the question.

"Is the answer going to get me in trouble?" He asked, considering the question seriously as if he really were the subject of a science experiment.

"Nope. I'm testing your competence." Tina said.

"Then, yes, hers are larger than yours."

Tina nodded. "And who between the two of us, without taking personality into consideration, would you be willing to take home to meet your mother?"

The man considered this for a moment before speaking up. "Probably you." He said to Tina. "You seem . . ."

"Less like a sex object, you mean?" Melody suggested, causing the man to flush with embarrassment.

"For lack of better phrasing, yes." He admitted sheepishly. Melody tried not to roll her eyes at him. He was just being honest, a trait she valued greatly in men; in people in general. Honesty was hard to come by in Gotham, in anyplace.

Tina squeezed Melody's hand gently, drawing her attention. "I told you." Tina said.

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Melody said, feeling more depressed than she originally was.

Tina frowned slightly. "No, not really." It wasn't long before that the man at the table, his name Melody discovered was Matthew, was completely engaged in whatever it was that Tina had to say. They talked about pets and siblings and all the things that people talked about with each other. Melody participated very little in their conversation, allowing them time to bond. It was obvious that Matthew was interested in Tina, and that she was equally as fascinated by him as he was with her. Melody didn't like being the third wheel, especially when she was trying to drink away her pain. Despite her hatred of men as of the current moment, she found herself quite liking Matthew, and thought that he might just be worthy of Tina. Abruptly, she pushed her chair back from the table and stood, drawing attention to herself.

"Where are you going?" Tina asked, not bothering to look away from Matthew's hazel eyes.

"I'm going to get a drink. I need something to occupy my mind while you two make puppy-love eyes at each other." Melody said gruffly, heading to the bar without another word. She ordered a martini from the bald bartender. While she was waiting for her drink, leaning forward against the bar, she felt the large arms of a man snake around her waist and she suppressed a groan. Hot breath assailed her ear as if this stranger were trying to make his heavy breath seem sensual. It wasn't working.

"I've been watching you all night, baby." He said the words in her ear, fingers toying with the bits of skin exposed by the lattice of her dress. His words were designed to make her feel beautiful, attractive, but Melody only found him disturbing. He had the deep gravelly voice of a chain smoker, something Melody could not find attractive even if she tried.

"Get your hands off of me." Melody said from between her teeth. She figured the poor man deserved a fair warning, even if he was a creep. She could hear him laugh and she turned to face him. His nose was crooked, as if it had been broken too many times, and seemed to be the focal point of his face. He was bald, like the bartender, but much younger so his head must've been shaved. He had several tattoos and dark beady eyes.

"Come on, baby, don't be like that." He said, his hands on her hips, trying to pull her close. Melody saw her moves in slow motion before they happened, the way she always saw things before she really did them. She grabbed his wrist and spun, pinning him chest first against the bar and twisting his arm behind his back. He cried out in pain, trying and failing to get out of Melody's hold.

"Don't call me 'baby' and when a woman tells you to get your hands off you goddamn get your hands off." Melody lectured sternly, reigning in her annoyance and frustration so she could properly teach a lesson. "Now leave me alone before I break you in half." She released him, grabbed her martini and went back to her table where Tina and Matthew were speaking animatedly about their favorite hockey teams. Melody listened half-heartedly to their conversation as she stirred her martini with her speared olive. She couldn't focus on anything but a pair of deceitful blue eyes that she was almost certain would haunt her even to her deathbed where she, most certainly, will be alone. She finished her drink and chewed her olive as she watched the blossoming romance before her. It made her stomach feel uneasy, or maybe it was the alcohol. Still, she knew it was no good for her to sit and watch these two flirt mercilessly with each other.

"I'm going to head home." She announced, rising from her chair with purpose.

Tina frowned up at her friend. "I'm sorry, Mel. I've been a shitty friend tonight." It was true, but Melody didn't really blame her for it.

"That's okay, Tina. I just need to stew in my perpetual bitter loneliness for the rest of the night. Stay here with Prince Charming." She insisted. Tina stood on her toes and gave Melody a tight hug, the kind of hug that a protective mother would give a frightened child. Melody felt safe in Tina's familiar embrace. She waved a small goodbye to Matthew and headed for the door, paying her tab to the bartender who looked like he didn't really care whether she paid or not. She lived about for blocks from the club so there was no need to waste money on a cab, especially on a night so clear and warm. It was rarely very clear in Gotham, especially at night. It was usually pretty warm in the city, with the sheer amount of pollution and smog that made the sun's rays much stronger and the air stuffier. Even in early spring it was warm enough to not need a jacket but she had brought her black leather jacket regardless, folding it over her arms and clutching it to her chest. Melody was walking on a fairly deserted street and took the opportunity to dig through her clutch purse for her apartment keys. It was in that split second that she was seized from behind and slammed into the brick wall of an alleyway. She hit the wall so hard the wind was knocked out of her. She struggled to breathe and there were involuntary tears leaking from her eyes from the force of the blow. She cursed herself for being caught unaware of her surroundings. Looking up, she found herself underneath the large body of the tattooed bald man from the bar. I guess he can't take rejection very well, Melody thought.

"I'm going to make you pay, bitch." He growled, his hands gripping the inside of her thighs hard enough to bruise. Melody shut her eyes and pushed away her fear. She'd been in worse situations before. She'd get out of this relatively unharmed, it was just going to have to get a little messy first.