Wow. Just wow.

I have had sooooo many fandom changes since this first came out.

But guess what? I'm updating because I'm that dedicated to my fans =)

SO recap: Joker and Harley get arrested, Melanie gets lonely, and goes to the Wayne Manor for shelter and company. Hampered by Poison Ivy for a moment, Melanie succeeds in going to her crush's house to live. Things look good for her, but as you know trouble seems to follow Melanie wherever she goes…

Melanie grips her mug. Bruce leans back in his chair. Dick stares off into space. Alfred gets the coffee pot.

"So, what exactly happened again?" Bruce started, looking straight at Melanie. She gulped, put her hair behind her ear and started, "Um, well I was home all alone and the Joker just came and he-he kidnapped me but I got away, and I've been living at my, uh, cruel aunt's house Yea... But then, then Poison Ivy got me. But I got away again. I'm ok now, I just, ya know, wanted to come here… I don't know why…" Melanie suddenly felt very embarrassed. "I shouldn't even be here… Sorry for the interruption… I'll get my things-"

"No, no it's perfectly fine." Bruce started to get up to follow his guest. Melanie sat back down and pulled her blanket tighter. Bruce leaned forward and said in a gentle voice, "You're just scared and hurt. You knew that the Wayne Manor is a big house and that Bruce Wayne adopted that acrobat-"

"I'm right here!" Dick piped up. Bruce chuckled, "I know. Anyway, you knew that maybe I would let you come in, as well."

"Ye-yes!" Melanie said. The man seemed to have read her mind. Bruce settled down in his leather couch. "I thought so. Well, Mel-la-NIE-"

"It's pronounced Muh-LANE-nee." Mel shyly corrected him.

"Oh yes, Muh-lane-nee. Well you're welcome to stay for as long as you feel like. Wayne Manor is your home, now."

"Tha-thank you sir!" Melanie beamed and sipped some more of her warm hot chocolate. A home. The concept seemed so foreign to her, but now, a feeling as warm as her drink embraced her whole person.

She was at home.

"So, urm, this is the uh, this is your bedroom."

"oh wow!" Melanie breathed as she walked in, leaving Dick behind her. "This is amazing!" She squeaked. Dick chuckled. Melanie flopped down on her bed and started to sink into the cushion. She stuffed her face in a perfectly soft pillow. Oh this is fantastic! Melanie never felt more comfortable in her life. Dick started to laugh.

"What's the matter?" Melanie said awkwardly.

"Nothing. It just seems like you haven't seen a bed and pillows before."

I haven't. Not as comfortable as these!

"They're very nice." She simply said. Dick smiled. "I'll leave you alone, so you can unpack and stuff." Dick started to walk away, but then put his hand on the door frame and looked back, "Oh yea, and dinner's in an hour. Alfred's making baked chicken!"

"Delicious!" Melanie said, having no idea what that tasted like.

"Cool. I'll see yah, uh, soon."

"Goodbye, Dick."

Melanie waited until he walked away. Then she giggled like mad. "Oh this is wonderful Jess! Isn't he? He's so dreamy, look at when he smirks… Oh he's simply wonderful!…"

Yea, like your socks after gym. Ick.

Melanie put her hair in a sloppy bun and went down for dinner. She could smell it from all the way up in here room and boy, it smelled like heaven.

"Ah, Master Bruce. We have an extra plate set up here, do we not?"

"We do, Alfred. Muh-lane-nee is joining us."

"Very good, Master Bruce. I hope she likes it here."

"I have a feeling she will."

Bruce turned his head and saw Dick running across the hall. The boy jumped, pushed himself off the railing, swung on the railing across the way, and landed straight in his seat. Alfred scoffed, "Charming."

"Dick behave yourself." Bruce hissed, "We have a guest."

"You know in three years she's not going to be a guest anymore, right?"

"Is it three years from now? No, so for now she's our guest."

"Alright, Bruce."

Melanie crept nervously along the railing, not making a noise or leaving a shadow. She was so nervous! In her ripped jeans and crappy purple t-shirt, was she underdressed? She silently walked down the stairs.

"…Now you will treat her with respect-"

"Hello everyone."

Everyone turned around surprised. "Oh why hello, Mistress Melanie. Please, sit down." Alfred said coolly. Melanie sat down in her chair, and Alfred pushed her in.

Bruce and Dick stared at each other in shock. Bruce usually could here a fly buzzing from across the living room, but this girl sneaked by him from ten feet away. Dick shrugged as Bruce slowly turned around.

"It's a pleasure to have you here, Melanie." Bruce smiled and bowed his head. Dick put his fist in his cheek and twirled his fork. Bruce kicked him.

"Ah! Yeah, yea it's great to have to have you here." Dick repeated. Melanie giggled. He was too adorable… She stared at his face, keeping a poker face on the outside but grinning helplessly inside. She imagined him saving her from Joker, walking together in the snow, under the mistletoe-

"Dinner is served." Alfred said as he put down the pot. Dick licked his lips while Bruce got the knife and fork. Melanie almost drooled this delicacy looked so amazing…

Alfred put down bread, butter, salad and other food stuffs. Melanie couldn't believe it. She was in paradise. Joker usually cooked and let Melanie have the scraps, if any. They were usually the crust of bread, or the bare potato skins. If she was lucky, some fat leftover on the bones.

But no, Bruce put a slice of chicken in her plate and it was all for her. Every bite she took was a reminder that she'll never see his face again, nor have to put up with his beating, her starvation, her depression…

Dinner was over too fast. Melanie ate until she was about to explode. Dick raised his eyebrows at her as she finished her thirds.

There was something very peculiar about this girl. First, she randomly shows up at school one day. Nobody simply moves to Gotham Center. Second, she shows up at his house! That certainly was not normal.

Dick shook his head. The Joker has scarred her family forever, just like Tony scarred his…

Maybe they aren't so different after all.

Dick chuckled again and looked at the thrill and happiness in Melanie's eyes when Alfred set down his infamous chocolate cake. Yes, there was something very peculiar about this girl.

But she was pretty cute.

Melanie extended her arms and jumped. She ran to the side and did a back hand spring mixed with a flip and ended with a tumble. The girls cheered as Melanie stood up again.

"OMG Mel you're so amazing!"

"Teach me! Teach me!"

"Let's do it again!"

Melanie beamed. Football players winked as they jogged by. Melanie blew a kiss to one of them, an empty gesture but still it fun seeing them get distracted. Melanie giggled. Being popular was fun.

The school bell rang and everyone ran to go to their lockers and hurry home. Friday was the best day of the week! Mel ran back with them, but paused to wait for Dick.

"Hey Mel!"

"Hey Dick!" She smiled and walked with him. Dick tried to focus on the fact that her hair was in a tight ponytail and not that skirt had been rolled three times.

"Heh heh, say Dick this afternoon can you help me study Hungarian? Our teachers is such a pig! He gave me so many dirty looks after I pronounced 'My name is Melanie' wrong!"

"Ye-yeah! What a jerk." Dick said and put his hand in his hair. Melanie giggled. "Yeah, uh, well I'll wait for you in the Lobby! See you soon Dick!" she said as she bounced away.

Dick sighed happily. He watched her bounce happily into school, ignoring the jocks and other boys as they stared at her like a piece of meat. Dick huffed. She deserved better then that. She deserved someone who knew her well, would treat her kindly, and would always be there for her… like him…

Dick stopped dead. What the hell did I just say?

He gulped. No! It's just not right! Melanie lived with him! They're more like brother and sister. Oh God, what would they say if they actually got together! Rumors would fly around like crazy. he would be called a slut. Mel would be called a whore. The very thought of someone hurting Mel made him angry.

Wait, they weren't even dating! Why was he thinking this!?

Wait! He didn't even like her! Why was he thinking about dating her!

It seemed like this was going to be a very awkward afternoon.

Bruce sat at his computer. This girl, Muh-Lane-Nee, was very strange, very strange indeed.

He had her school photo up on his screen. Next to it, were different Gothem citizens. His Bat-Computer was to set to match her face with another face, to see who this girl really was. Of course he didn't believe that sally-sob-story. Not. One. Bit.

Bruce closed his eyes and let his mind wander as his computer did the work for him.

Jess Der…

That girl said she was a friend, yet she worked for Joker. He remembered her body aiming a knife at Joker's head. He shut his eyes closer, to see every detail. The girl had blond hair, tiny frame, but her bust was bigger then Melanie's…

He shook his head. No, they couldn't be. Anyway, he set his mind to the knife in her hand. It was sparkly, silver, with drops of blood. Some were fresh, some were crusted on there…

He remembers Joker's thugs not coming. He remembers a shadow leaping towards the boxes as Joker was calling them. He focused his memory on the shadow. He saw two wavy strands, it was hard to make out what is was… Then he focused on top. Two silver slits. Bruce opened his eyes. Of course! The strands were her hair in pigtails and the two slits were her eyes. That Jess Der had slaughtered Joker's thugs!

So she was a friend…

More or less.

Bruce eyed the computer as face after face was rejected. None of these people were Melanie. Suddenly, Bruce had an idea. It was a crazy, mad, impossible idea. He hacked into Gordan's police file and looked up Joker's profile.

There she was! Her mug shot was right next to Harley's. She's good. There's only one picture. Yes, Bruce remembers that thick black eyeliner and purple leotard well. He knew that deadly smirk anywhere.

He copied that picture, exited the file, and pasted Jess's mug shot right into the matching system. The scanner outlined her face shape, eyes, mouth, it projected her cheek bones and the length of her lashes. It measured everything from the height of her nose to the radius of her pupils.

Bruce shook his head. This was a waste of time. However, the computer took longer then usual, which means it has a lead… No, it did the same thing with Melanie being compared to Annie Gold. The computer noticed a thinning in the face paint and compared the skin color to his guest's. This was crazy! How could that shy, helpless little girl possibly be an assassin-

Bruce stood up. Oh God oh God oh God. Bruce felt sick to his stomach. His blue eyes opened wider. Of course, on the outside he still looked relatively calm. But on the inside, all hell was breaking loose.

For once in his life, Bruce Wayne didn't know what to do.

He walked away from his computer, leaving it on so the green light flashed and the obnoxious bing echoed throughout the Bat-cave.

Bing! MATCH FOUND. Bing! MATCH FOUND. Bing! MATCH FOUND.