Disclaimer: I do not own any Batman series, movie, etc. I do not own any characters in any series, movie, etc. nor the plot of any series, movie, etc. I do however own my OCs and MY plot.

Summary: Everyone wears a mask. Not a physical mask but an invisible wall that allows you to keep how you feel, or don't feel, hidden. The mask lets others believe you're normal; that you're safe. Some masks are easy to remove; others are harder to see past and don't look like masks at all. Joker/OC/Batman (Maybe just J/OC) Might want co-writer.

First batman fanfic but not first fanfic. This idea came to me after watching Dexter since he fakes pretty much all of his emotions. Didn't really knwo which category to put this under so I just did the Movie, but i imagine the Joker as the one from the games.

Everyone wears a mask. Whether it's a mask to hide how you truly feel or a mask to hide how you honestly don't. It's easy to fake an emotion once you know how. People fake a lot of human interactions all the time, some more than others. You can learn how to convincingly look happy, sad or afraid. You can learn to look normal; to look human. To hide all the true desires and intentions you have; the ones deep down inside.

With enough practice you can strengthen your mask to the point where people think it's not a mask; that it's your true face. The more it strengthens the harder it is to see your true face. The face that would make you different, the face that would make you abnormal.

You see examples of it every day; masks at work. Someone lies to their lover about where they've been. A child cries to their parent for attention. Someone lets a few tears fall to gain sympathy. Someone smiles and laughs as if they're okay; then that same person goes home to cry themselves to sleep. Someone has to talk to someone they hate and put on a smile. They put on a show; everyone does. It's acting. We all put on our different masks when the necessity arises. They're always tucked away for when we need them.

Emily Maxwell's mask, over the years, had become shaped and molded to look like a normal person. She, personally, didn't understand the need for certain emotions. Why smile if she's not happy? Why cry if she's not sad? To put it simply she was a borderline sociopath. Of course if you were to look at her, at first glance, she would look like a normal 23 year old woman. She would smile, laugh and cry when it was necessary. She could understand when other people were feeling certain emotions but that didn't mean she understood the need for them. More often than not Emily would say something innocently and honestly and end up offending someone.

She was still learning to make her mask perfect. She learned from observation but sometimes it was confusing since people were all so different and difficult. She would often watch the costumers at the bar where she worked. She would over hear conversations but that would only confuse her more. People talked about the stupidest things.

Emily was leaning against the counter of the bar, pretending to look out the window while observing the people around her. Her arms were crossed under her D-Cup bust, a pen in one hand a pad in the other. She wasn't taking physical notes but filing away everything she observed in her mind. She blocked out all the unnecessary noise and would focus on certain tables for a few moments.

"Hey Em!" Getting pulled from her process, Emily hid her face of irritation and turned her head to her bubbly co-worker, Valarie, who was behind the counter to her left. Valarie leaned on the counter and smiled at Emily, her blond pigtails bounce slightly as she tilted her head. "Got any plans tonight?" Of course Emily didn't have any plans; she never did. She didn't like to be around people when it wasn't necessary.

"No." Emily said simply. Valarie reached over and started to play with Emily's long black hair that went long past her bust.

"How about a girl's night?" Emily forced a smile, like she always did when talking to Valarie.

"Sure." Even though she didn't like to be around people, normal people did. "Your place?" Emily asked. She never liked people coming into her apartment. She didn't trust people. With good reason.

"Alright! Tonight at five?"

"Sure."

"Can you pick up a movie for us?"

"Sure."

"Oh this'll be so much fun!" Valarie said jumping slightly while clapping her hands. Emily had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "Well, my shifts almost over. You remember where my building is right?"

"Of course." Emily wouldn't say she could remember everything but she could remember most things; the necessary things. "I'll see you later."

"Alright! See you then, Em!" Valarie called as she skipped away. Emily sighed and turned her head back to the window. She noticed a young couple by the door making out. Emily tilted her head. That was another thing she didn't understand; Love. She didn't see the point to it; that and sex. Of course she could tell when someone was attractive or not but it never affected her. She found the whole concept exhausting.

Emily felt someone sit in the bar stool to her left.

"Hey Emily." Without looking, or even listening to his voice, she knew who was beside her; Tommy Myers. He was young, fairly attractive but not Emily's type. Not that she had a type. "Got any plans tonight?" Tommy asked with a hopeful smirk. "If not you wanna-"

"Actually, I do have plans." Emily said, inwardly smirking as Tommy frowned. Whether or not she did have plans wouldn't have mattered; she would have said the same thing. She felt no guilt in lying to someone. Besides, Tommy had been trying to get Emily to go out with him since she started working at the bar four months ago.

"Well, maybe another time then." Tommy muttered. "Can I have a beer?" Emily walked around the counter to get him a bottle. "Thanks Em." She didn't understand why he kept trying.

An hour later when her shift ended, Emily grabbed her bag and pulled her black hoodie on over her t-shirt. She pulled up the hood, tucking her hair in, and headed to the video store. After picking out a movie Emily thought Valarie would like, but also one that wouldn't require a lot of fake emotions such as crying or laughter, Emily started walking down along the sideway towards Valarie's apartment building.

It had already gotten pretty dark and though most people were inside, for fear of getting mugged, raped or killed, Emily didn't have an ounce of fear. She wasn't even afraid when she sensed someone following her. In fact, she smirk and turned down an alley. She felt for the knife in her jeans pocket and waited for the hooded man to grab her shoulder to turn her around. The man pushed her against the nearby brick wall making Emily let out a yelp of pain. She was still technically human, pain did affect her. The man chuckled.

"Not gunna scream, girlie?" He asked. Emily silently slid her knife out.

"No need." She said quietly. The man chuckled again but it died in his throat as he felt the tip of her knife against his side. The man obviously thought that since she was a woman that one: she wouldn't have a weapon and two: that he wouldn't need a weapon. "Now," She said. "Get the fuck off me, you prick." The man backed up slowly and turned to run. Emily stuck her foot out and he fell over. He hit the ground with a thud and a grunt. "Ah ah ah, where are you going?" She asked. She kicked the man so he was on his back and held the knife to his throat, straddling him. "What's wrong? What happened? I thought it was funny? You don't want to laugh anymore?" The man looked up at her like she was crazy. His whole body was shaking as she trailed the knife up to his face. "What happened to that smirk?" The scared the man even more was that she was talking in an even, low emotionless tone. "Let me help." She said and cut a curve into his cheek from the corner of his mouth up two inches below his eye. She then proceeded to make a similar cut on the other side. She opened her mouth to speak when she was kicked off the man. Someone hauled the man up and pushed him towards the alley entrance.

"Get out of here." The man didn't need to be told twice and ran away. Emily looked up to see the one and only Batman picking up here knife from where she dropped it.

"What, you hit women now?" She asked, coughing a bit as she stood. Her hood fell off and her hair fell in front of her face slightly.

"When they threaten and cut people."

"He followed me, he pushed me against the wall; I was protecting myself." She took two steps towards him. "Now, I'd like my knife back." He held it up a bit. She went up to him and reached up to get it but he was much taller than her. "Give it back ya over grown rat!"

"I think I'll hold onto this."

"Then it'll be your fault when I get attacked again." She said crossing her arms.

"If you're that worried carry pepper spray, not a knife."

"What's scarier? Pepper spray that would work if I got attacked by one guy, or a knife which could help me against multiple guys?"

"Why did you cut a smile into his face?" Batman asked, ignoring what she said.

"His mask was broken; I was fixing it."

"Are you going to be trouble?"

"I'll try not to make a habit of getting followed by strange men." They stood there a moment. "Can I have my knife back?" She held out her hand. "I promise not to scratch you." He looked at her. "Oh come on." She rolled her eyes. "I'm gunna be late. Besides if you take that one I'll just get another."

"Then get another." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Both of them froze. Batman for her sudden outburst and Emily since the outburst just came out. She clenched her jaw and fixed her mask. "That knife… that specific knife…" Batman looked down at the knife and noticed two initials carved the handle.

J.M.

Batman closed the knife and tossed it back to her. Emily caught it with one hand and put it away.

"Don't let me catch you doing this again." He said.

"Alright, I won't let you catch me." She smirked slightly. "See ya, Batty." She said before running out of the alley.

How was that? I kinda have no ideas but I was thinking of having a co-author with this story.