Hi this is my first story, I've read so many amazing stories on here and stalked so many of them I thought it was time I did my own. As usual I own nothing except Maddie and James. I wish I owned Joker like many do but it's not happening. Please review and any help and constructive criticism is more than welcome. Thanks!

Chapter 1: Disappearing Acts.

As surgeons you get told how to work under pressure, it gets drilled into you day and night. You have to be quick off the mark, you have to be calm; lives are in your hands. As a Wayne, I have learnt I'll never be safe. There's always some mob member who wants to get to me or my brother, to rip apart Wayne Enterprise. For a while I managed to keep myself pretty damn safe. Whilst my brother was off 'finding himself' I went to med school, busted my ass and worked hard to get where I am. Sure, I did the whole big smile, great outfit, new hospital/restaurant opening kinda thing and obviously I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the praise, the appreciating looks I got. But then, as with every great thing in life, you see the dark side. You hear the whispered voices following you, insisting you couldn't possibly be Thomas Wayne's daughter, she's too blonde for that, no something else went on there. After a while you get use to the false smiles and you learn; you learn how fast life can change and that you can't believe the false sense of security that an electric fence and a detective fiancé can bring you. No one is safe, not here in Gotham, even more so now that we have a mad clown running around getting kicks out of blowing things up and killing whoever he wants, no exceptions. For all my training I was pretty stupid not to think he wouldn't notice me. That he would hunt me; get to know me, perhaps even more than I know me. That he would get under my skin and stay there, like an itch you just can't scratch. I should have known. No one is safe.

Coffee gets me through the day and night. It helps me function when I'm doing an 80 hour shift every week, week in week out. It helps me when I get called away to stitch up my brother who thinks it 'fun' to prance around in a bat costume and protect a city that is already in a pit of despair. So yeah, coffee good, bat costume? Not so much. My brother of course, is the one and only Bruce Wayne. Playboy and billionaire, wonder boy extraordinaire. Man behind the bat mask. Of course it's not something I can yell from the rooftops, nor can I tell my fiancé or co workers why I have to suddenly leave at all hours. What am I suppose to say? "Oh my brothers Batman. You know Batman? Mask, wings, deep old pervert voice?" I'd be shipped off to Arkham faster than I could say 'Bat'.The electronic gate to the manor swings opens and I drive slowly up to Wayne Manor. Alfred, as always is at the front door to greet me.

"Miss Madeline! On your own today? Master James not joining us?" I swear the man never catches a breath. Oh FYI 'Master James' is my fiancé. His a detective inspector and Gordon's right hand man. Oh yeah, girl done good.

"No. Not today Alfred, Gordon and him have been holed up freaking about the Joker". Alfred nods and gives me a sympathetic smile. Everyone knows the Joker. His the kind of monster in fairytales that moms and dads warn their kids about. I've seen him in pictures and videos that Bruce or James leave about but thankfully that's it. And believe me, that's all I want to see from him. I think it's the eyes. I mean don't get me wrong the make ups freaky enough and so are the killing of innocents etc. But his eyes are cold, and black, they seem almost lifeless. Like he has no soul, no thoughts or feelings. His just...blank.

"How is Bruce?" I ask softly, he got pretty battered last week by some of the Joker's goons and as I was elbow deep in some guy's blood in surgery, I couldn't exactly waltz out and help.

Alfred sighs and walks slower, allowing me to catch up (he moves fast for an old guy), "His fine, a couple of bruised ribs and a few cuts here and there but thankfully nothing major. His been resting a while, which is all he can do." We reach my brother's bedroom and I step in. My whole apartment could fit into this one room. Hell a small country could fit into the house itself. "Bruce? You ok sweetie?" I use my 'doctors' voice to talk to him and he stirs from his bed, his hands behind his head and a smirk forming on his face.

"Hey Maddie, I'm baring up under the strain", Bruce jokes. I brush his hair away from his face and settle myself on the bed, "you just have to ride it out and hope that the scars heal. Or people will be wondering why Bruce Wayne is covered in scars when apparently all he does is hang around with supermodels and set buildings on fire".

Bruce laughs and swipes at my head with his hand. The news bulletin is once again focused on the Joker. His face fills the screen and I feel Bruce stiffen beside me, his arm subconsciously rubs at the wound on his arm.

"Everything will be fine Bruce, Gordon and James are on it. Maybe you should give Batman a break? At the end of the day your just once man". I don't mean to sound like I have no faith. Sometimes all you can have is faith. But this is my brother I'm talking about, apart from Alfred, Rachael, James and a couple of doctors at the hospital, that's all I have. Seriously. Bruce turns to me, his expression far from happy, his jaw muscles clench.

"I can't give it up. I protect this city, it is my job. At the end of the day I do this for you. If anything happened to you or anyone else I love, what then?" Like I said before, my job is surgery, this, all of this, is Bruce. A scalpel gives me strength, it's my defence. The bat costume is Bruce's. My phone rings and breaks the somewhat awkward silence; I pick it up and sit up from the bed. The caller ID flashes up with James's name.

"Hi Maddie, I'm so sorry but I won't be home tonight". Normally his voice is something I want to hear. After hearing that I'd like to rip his head off and bury him under the patio. I slide off the bed and bring turn my back to Bruce; this is not what I need.

"What? Why not? You know that this is my night off, it's not gonna happen again for a while. You know that!"

Ok. Maybe I'm being dramatic and have no right to do this, I'm being one of those women I hate who moan at their husbands that their never home and whatever. But this is my first night off and I brought underwear. You know underwear. The kind that goes in the 'special drawer', the kind where you've waxed, plucked and moisturised yourself for the first time in a while.

He sighs and I can imagine him running a hand through his short black hair, "You don't think I know that? The Joker is getting worse, his threatening more and more people and yet we can't catch him. So yeah I know this was a special night but this is how I feel when you're at the hospital getting every shift you can."

That does it for me and I press the end call button, I'm still sat on the floor when I feel Bruce sit down next to me. "Trouble?" I lift my brown eyes to his, we are the mirror image of each other except he has dark hair whilst I have blonde. "Isn't there always?" I weakly joke. "This isn't always easy..." I trail off and Bruce looks at me, waiting for me to continue. "Relationships, marriages. People rave about them all the time. Me? I'd prefer to stick a dress on and go down to city hall to get married. James? He wants the whole big parade; like we have to show people how amazing our relationship is, like we have to force them to believe. This was supposed to be our night and I know the Joker's out there, I get that but its hard..."

Bruce has little to say, his not so great at this kind of thing. I stand up. The hospital and Jane. I need to see Jane. "I'm gonna leave now Bruce," the look on his face suggests his thinking I may drive into a pole or take down the Joker myself. "I'll be fine, I need to clear my head and see Jane. Take care of yourself" I pull him into a hug and he winces slightly but returns it. He presses his lips into my hair, "Take it easy, James he has his thing to do. When we've got the Joker you can have all the nights in you want".

I'm dubious at that; my job doesn't end when the Joker gets caught.

I park my car at the top of the hospital car park and groan when the lift has an 'out of order' sign on it. Great, just great. The car park is deathly quiet, a lone van is parked here, but that's it. Perhaps that should have been my first sign to get up and go, but I ignore my gut and carry on walking. I root through my bag for my phone and curse silently when I drop my keys. Whilst I'm on the floor, I can sense something isn't right. It's like what people say when their being stalked, you can feel something watching you; the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. I turn round slightly and am knocked to the floor by a single punch. Dazed, I can barely register when a pair of hands comes towards me, instinct kicks in and a swing my bag; satisfied when it makes a direct hit. I scramble to my feet and run, only getting so far when another figure steps in front of me.

A voice sounds behind me, "Bitch hit me in the god damn face". The figure in front of me steps into the light. I panic when I realise what his wearing. A clown mask. I'm thinking these guys aren't copy cats of the Joker's men; he kills people who dress up as Batman who knows what he'd do with people dressing like him.

"Let go of me!" I scream and lash out when arms grab me round my waist. The guy behind me almost drops me but keeps hold and lashes out again at me; the guy in front dangles a small knife in my face. "Shush shush." He coos at me and I breathe out to calm myself down.

"Now, the boss said not to harm you unless we had to. So I'm thinking hitting my brother is a good enough excuse to...how should I say this? Whack some manners into you?" The other guy strokes my hair; pawing at me whilst his brother steps closer to me. Taking the knife he smashes the end of it into my mouth. Instantly I taste blood, I react the only way I can think and spit blood out at him. It hits him square in the eye. Score I cheer silently to myself.

"You fucking bitch!" He lets out a roar and punches me again in the face, bruising me at the side. Julia Roberts was right I think dazed, men really do know just where to hit a woman. It's my last thought before the clown behind me pulls out his gun and hits me with it, sinking into darkness I wish desperately I'd stayed with Bruce.