Full Summary: Bruce Wayne is recovering from personal tragedy, when he meets Aidan, a girl who helps him get his mind off the darker side of life. Unfortunately for the new friends, happy endings don't last long in Gotham. The Joker breaks out of Arkham and looks to cause some chaos. His mayhem leaves Bruce and Aidan to pick up the scattered pieces of their lives. Meanwhile, the Joker's little 'break' from the asylum results in a new and angry villain rampaging through Gotham. Who is it and what do they want from the city? Batman, still on the run from the police, vows to find out and put an end to a whole new plague of madness. Unfortunately, this villain creates a whole new set of rules for the same old game.

Spitfire

The rain was falling down in sheets, drenching the streets of Gotham. Thunder rumbled in the distance, warning of a loud and angry storm on the way. Still, the weather did not detour hard-working citizens from going out for lunch during their noon-time break. This notion did not exactly please Aidan, who was waiting impatiently for her pizza to come out of the oven. Irritated by the sudden rush of patrons who had crowded her favourite pizzeria to escape the rain, Aidan glanced down at her watch. She had less than half an hour to get back to work, which meant she would probably have to eat while walking back to her office; a task that would prove difficult while holding an umbrella. It wasn't that she didn't have the money for a cab, she just hated public transportation. It was dirty and…well it was just dirty.

"Morales," Aidan's ears perked up as a familiar voice called her last name, "Your order's ready." An aging Italian man, with greying hair and friendly eyes was holding a box containing Aidan's lunch; pizza with chicken, parmesan, and mozzarella. She had ordered an entire medium sized pizza, knowing she would be at work late that night. Maybe she could just eat later then.

"Thanks Sal," Aidan smiled as she grabbed the box, "Do you mind putting it on my tab? I'm in a bit of a rush."

"No problem Bella," Sal gave Aidan a wink, turning his attention back to his next customer. Aidan waved goodbye and pushed her way through the lines of people towards the door. She was sure she had heard some old prune huff about how rude she was, but Aidan could barely care less. She had somewhere to be and nineteen minutes to get there. Holding the box carefully in one hand, Aidan fumbled with her black umbrella before it exploded open and nearly escaped her hand in the strong wind. It was going to be a long walk back to the office.

The streets were riddled with puddles and Aidan's canvas sneakers were already soaked through to the socks. She wondered if it were possible to get frost-bite in the middle of July. Nothing in Gotham would surprise her. Still, she tried her hardest to not step in any of the puddles, which was not the easiest thing to do, especially since the rain had started coming down even harder. Aidan felt her mind being pulled in a million and one directions; focusing on not getting her feet more wet, not dropping her pizza, keeping her umbrella in place over her head, wondering how frizzy her hair was, and of course, worrying she was going to be late for work. She was so distracted that she did not realize she had begun crossing the street until she heard the loud honking of a car horn and people shouting.

Suddenly, Aidan snapped back to reality, her eyes taking in the expensive looking sports car that was heading straight for her, her ears hearing nothing except the screeching of breaks. Shocked, Aidan felt as though she could not move, although her brain was telling her that was the only sensible thing to do. The car was closer now; Aidan could smell the burning rubber of tires grinding against asphalt. With seconds until impact, Aidan finally regained control over her body. She jumped, in what she was sure was a comical manner, and landed in a heap by the curb. Her pizza and her umbrella went flying in different directions, which upset Aidan more than the huge amounts of water being absorbed by her jeans. She was going to be so sick tomorrow. But at least she'd still be alive. Speaking of which, a crowd had begun to gather around Aidan and she felt the blush rise into her cheeks. She quickly scanned the small number of people surrounding her and, thankfully, she didn't see anyone she knew. That would spare her some embarrassment.

"Are you hurt Miss?" asked one of the men close by her, "Should I call an ambulance?"

"No," Aidan got to her feet shakily, "I'm fine. I just…I need to get back to work."

"I think I owe you a lift," said another voice, deeper than the first. Aidan looked around to see who had spoken and saw an incredibly handsome, familiar looking man, weaving through the small throng of people to reach her. Suddenly, Aidan put a name to the face and had to pinch herself, just to make sure she was still awake. Bruce Wayne, Gotham's most eligible bachelor had just offered her a ride…meaning he had been the one that had nearly killed her. Aidan was actually quite close to being flattered.

"I really think she should go to the hospital," someone in the crowd said, "She looks like she's going into shock."

"I'm fine," Aidan said absently. She was shocked alright, shocked that Bruce Wayne was better looking than she had ever imagined. She took a few steps towards Bruce, trying to keep her composure. "Do you promise to drive carefully?"

A small smirk found its way onto the man's lips and Aidan had a vague feeling that she had begun to melt. "I believe that you were the one who was J-walking," Bruce commented.

"I wasn't…I wasn't thinking properly," Aidan blushed, "I'm sorry." Bruce just laughed and held out his hand.

"Shall we?"

Aidan nodded and began to walk away from the crowd, to where Bruce's car waited in the middle of the road. It was a very nice car, not that Aidan could put a name to it. She was terrible with cars. She didn't even own one. Aidan could hear Bruce following behind her and she could hear the murmurs of the crowd, as they slowly dispersed and went back to their everyday routines. And very suddenly, Bruce was in front of her, holding open the door of his sleek looking black car. Maybe Aidan was going in to shock. She hadn't even noticed him pass her.

Careful not to touch the exterior of the car, not wanting to get fingerprints on the perfectly polished surface, Aidan climbed into the passenger's seat and fastened her seatbelt, waiting for Bruce to walk around the car and get in.

"So," Bruce said as he opened his door, "Where are we headed to Miss…?"

"Morales," Aidan replied, "Well, actually, it's Aidan. And it's fifteen ninety-two Porter Street." At the address, recognition flashed across Bruce's sharp features. The only thing that kept Aidan from staring at his face was the fact that she was too busy staring at the clock. She was already three minutes late.

"The electrical plant," Bruce said, "What do you do there?"

"I'm mostly just a researcher," Aidan answered, "You know, trying to find better ways to produce, conserve, and distribute." Her gaze trailed out the tinted window and she saw her building in the distance.

"I see," Bruce nodded, a small grin forming on his lips. "I hear you guys have an underground sector." Aidan's head snapped up and her eyes zeroed in on Bruce, wondering where he had heard such a thing. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it was extremely classified information.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Aidan lied, keeping her eyes focused on Bruce. If there was one thing she knew about lying, it was to never look away from the person you were lying to.

"Come on," Bruce grinned, "Force fields, time travel…? I've heard the stories coming out of that place."

"Oh please," Aidan laughed, this time telling the complete truth, "That stuff is mad science." She paused for a moment, considering her snide remark. "And besides, even if it weren't, what makes you think I'd tell a guy who hasn't even introduced himself yet?"

"You mean to tell me you don't know who I am?" Bruce raised his eyebrows at her, a boyish grin still playing upon his lips.

"Of course I know who you are, Mister Wayne," Aidan said as Bruce pulled into the parking lot of the electrical plant, "Everyone knows who you are."

"I sincerely doubt that," Bruce chuckled. He put the car in park and Aidan undid her seatbelt, moving to get out of the car. "I'm really sorry about before," Bruce said as she opened her door.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Aidan smiled, "It was my fault anyways. Sometimes, I just don't pay attention. I swear, it's going to be the death of me. I'm honestly more upset about my pizza."

"I guess I owe you one of those as well," Bruce winked at her.

"You sure do," Aidan laughed, "Thanks for the ride Mister Wayne." Bruce simply nodded his acceptance of her thanks as she closed the door. She walked towards the front door of the building, listening as Bruce's expensive car peeled away from the parking lot speedily.

"What a show off," she mumbled, shaking her head and hurrying inside, desperate to get out of the rain. She had gotten enough of the wet stuff to last her a lifetime. Aidan passed the elevator, being severely afraid of the things, and descended the stairs to the lab area of the plant. At the bottom of the stairs, a long stretch of grey hallway met Aidan. There were white lights illuminated the linoleum of the walls and floor. There were only two rooms in the entire hallway. One to her right, just a few steps away. That was the bathroom. The other room was at the end of the hall, behind solid iron doors and protected by a high-tech genetic scanner. That was the lab.

Aidan hopped from the last step and hurried into the bathroom, to check the damage. Looking in the mirror, she groaned, unable to believe she had been looking like her reflection when she had met Bruce Wayne. For starters, Aidan was no supermodel, definitely not a 'Bruce Wayne kind of girl'. Still, at least she had looked decent this morning. Right now, her dark hair hung wet and limp to her shoulders. Her black blouse was streaked with mud, along with her jeans and arms. Her mascara had even smudged, making her look like some sort of human-racoon crossbreed. Sighing, and soaking wet Aidan left the bathroom and trudged to the lab, noting how her sneakers made squishing and squeaking noises when she walked.

Upon reaching the iron doors, Aidan held her hand out and placed it in the scanner, designed to scan and examine the print of each of her fingers. If there was a match to someone with access to the lab then the green light would go on and the doors would open. However, if the red light went off then the culprit trying to gain access to the labs would probably not be alive long enough for the police to arrive. Needless to say, security was tight. Especially since more than electrical research went on around here.

Aidan heard a cheery little beep as the pneumatic doors hissed open, granting her entrance to her workplace. She was now standing in a small, five-by-five room, which looked like a small dressing room of sorts, where the workers of the lab left their bags and such. There was a coat rack against the far wall, where her coat hung alone. Aidan grabbed it and slipped it on her shoulders. She pulled thick plastic gloves from her pockets and slipped them on her dry, cracked hands. She really needed to find a better moisturizer. Ready as ever, Aidan pushed through the door on the other end of the room and smiled to herself. Here, she was in her element. Her eyes scanned the room, watching the six or seven other employees of the lab toiling away at various projects. The room was pure white and literally sparkled with cleanliness. Aidan walked over to the closest scientist and watched as he tinkered with a small, shotgun-like item.

"How's it going Chris?" The man looked up and cracked a smile at Aidan.

"Well Doctor Morales," I ran into a few complications with the thermal converter, and I'm just trying to figure out what's causing them. It shouldn't take me too long. But…what happened to you?"

"Don't even ask," Aidan snorted, "Just keep up the good work." She left Chris to his work and headed to her office, overlooking the scientists working below her. Truth be told, Aidan was the head of this sector of the electrical plant. She hadn't necessarily been worried about getting back to work late; no one would call her on it. She was simply excited to return to her work. Like Bruce Wayne had said, there was an underground operation taking place here, but there was no mad science. Just…dangerous science. Aidan's personal pet project was a weapon capable of absorbing sound waves from surrounding environment and firing them at twice the decibel level. The world was turning into a very dangerous place, and therefore required the most dangerous of weapons. That was Aidan's job.

She worked well into the evening hours, after the rest of her crew had gone home, calculating and recalculating. Aidan refused to test any new weapon unless the risk factor was literally zero. She didn't want anyone to get hurt. Aidan was so absorbed in her work that she didn't notice the growling of her stomach and she barely heard the voice over her intercom.

"Doctor Morales?" the voice was that of the night receptionist, "Doctor? Are you there? You're still punched in so I know you're down there. Doctor? Your pizza's here…"

Finally, at the mention of food, the voice penetrated Aidan's concentration. She glanced down at the intercom with brief annoyance before pressing the button to reply.

"Nadia, I didn't order a pizza."

"But someone just dropped it off for you, an older English gentleman. I opened the box, just to make sure it wasn't a misunderstanding, but it has all your usual toppings on it. And…"

"And what?" Aidan huffed, taking her confusion out on the poor receptionist.

"There's an envelope taped to the top of the box. It's addressed to you."

Aidan was running towards the stairs before answering Nadia. Her thought process had finally tapped in to something other than science and the events of earlier that day had come flooding back to her. She knew exactly who that pizza was from. But what she wanted to know was what was in the envelope.

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So, what did you guys think? Please review and let me know. Constructive criticism is, as always, welcome and appreciated. And, needless to say, I don't own Batman or anything from his world. The only thing I own is this plot and Aidan. So, again, please review! Cheers!

/Dani