"Alice let me see!" An 8 Year old Bruce Wayne shouts after the retreating brunette. He searches slowly for her, prowling the greenhouse.

The young boy spots the end of his best friend's small converse sticking out from behind the wooden table. He ducks down to where she's hiding.

"Can I see?" He says urgently

"Finders keepers and I found it" she says smugly

"In my garden" he reminds her

She smiled and opened her hand to reveal an old arrow head, He leaps forward and takes it from her small hands and runs.

"Finders Keepers" he calls as he runs away.

The younger girl jumps up and chases him quickly her long brown hair flowing out behind her.

She stands still and looks around for a second, her friend is gone.

"Bruce?" She calls timidly

All of a sudden there is a loud snap and a scream.

She turns and runs towards the noise.

"BRUCE!" she screams over the well where her friend had fallen.

She runs up to the Wayne manor all while screaming

"Grandpa! Mr Wayne!"

She runs straight into her grandfather Alfred Pennyworth and Thomas Wayne. They look up startled

"Grandpa! It's Bruce! He fell down the well!" The young girl shouts stricken with panic.

Thomas and Alfred followed the young girl right down to the well.

Alfred picked up a piece of rope and knotted it, before he helped lower down Mr Wayne.

"It's okay" Thomas whispered to Bruce as he lifted the young boy out.

Alice looked at the boy, she gave him a timid and reassuring smile as she walked next to her grandpa holding his hand.

Bruce reached down and placed something in her hand and through his pain, Smiled at her.

She opened her hand to reveal the arrow head.

She looked up and once again smiled at him.

"Shall we need an ambulance Master Wayne?"

"No, I'll be resetting the bone here"

They walked in silence until they got into the lobby,

"Took quite a fall, didn't we Master Bruce?"

"Why do we fall, Bruce?" Thomas Wayne asked

"So we can learn to pick ourselves up." He answered for his son.

Allison Carter and her grandfather stopped at the bottom of the stairs and watched as Bruce's mother fawned over her injured son.

The Wayne's were always kind to Alice, They let her live in their manor along with her grandfather when her parents had suddenly died.

They made her feel loved; like she was part of their family.

Allison Carter sat on the Wayne's private jet next to her grandfather.

"Where's he been all this time?" she asked

"Around I assume, dear"

"Around. Pfft, I Haven't seen him in nearly fifteen years."

Alfred just smiled at his granddaughter as a guard entered.

"Mr Wayne has arrived." He told them.

Alfred stood up and walked to the door.

Alice was nervous. Terrified even. She hadn't seen her best friend in fifteen whole years.

"Master Wayne, you've been gone a long time." She heard her grandfather say

"Yes I have." She heard a smooth voice reply which gave her goose pimples; she looked at the flesh on her arm and shook her head.

"You look very fashionable, Apart from the mud."

They entered the jet and Bruce looked up to see, a stunning brunette sitting in a padded chair.

She stood on his arrival and rushed forward and lifted her head to meet his hazel eyes, as soon as his own orbs met the green ones presented to him, he knew. He recognised her instantly.

Alice.

It had been so long. She smiled widely at him and couldn't help but think, he'd grown more attractive in his time away.

She rushed forward and hugged him. He surprised her by lifting her off the ground.

"Bruce" She whispered "I've missed you so much!"

When he placed her down, she looked at the front of her clothes, and sure enough, Her t-shirt was covered in mud.

He followed her line of sight and sheepishly apologised.

"Don't worry." She told him smiling

They all took their seats, Bruce sitting on one side of the table and Alice and Alfred sitting the other.

"Are you going to be back in Gotham for long?" She asked

"As long as it takes, I want to show the people of Gotham that their city doesn't belong to the criminals and the corrupt."

"In the depression your father nearly bankrupted Wayne enterprises combating poverty. He believed that his example could inspire the wealthy of Gotham to save their city."

"Did it?"

"In a way… Their murder shocked the wealth and the powerful into action"

"People need to dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy, and I can't do that as Bruce Wayne."

"As a man… I'm flesh and blood; I can be ignored, destroyed. But as a symbol. As a symbol, I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting."

"What symbol?" Alice asked raising a perfect eyebrow

"Something elemental… Something terrifying."

"I assume that as you take on the underworld, this is symbol is a persona to protect those you care about from reprisals?" Alfred asked

"You're thinking about Alice and Rachel?" He asked nodding in the woman's direction

"Actually, sir I was thinking of myself."

"Have you told anyone I'm coming back?" He asked

"I don't know the legal ramifications of bringing you back from the dead?"

"Dead?" he asked dubiously

"You've been gone for seven years" Alice explained

"You had me declared dead?" He asked not believing his ears.

"Actually, it was Earle. He's taking the company public" Alice said rolling her eyes. "He wanted to liquidate your majority shareholding and those shares are worth a lot of money."

"Well, it's a good thing I left everything to you two then."

"Quite so, sir."

Alice smiled as she lifted her drink.

"And you can borrow the Rolls, If you like. Just bring it back with a full tank."

Alice and Bruce just looked at each other and smiled.

…

It was late in the evening when they arrived at the manor.

Alfred had shown Bruce to his room, which was next to Alice's.

Alice was sitting in her bedroom with the T.V switched on. She had changed into her Pyjamas and was wearing a tank-top with a pair of ¾ length pyjamas bottoms she had her brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail.

She was looking through files on the crime boss Falcone, It was obvious police didn't have enough to prosecute this guy, they were all too scared.

Suddenly there was a squeaking and flapping sound outside her door.

She stood and slowly walked out, the marble cold on her bare feet.

She met Bruce at the door, he too seemed to be disturbed. They looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Damn, Bat." She muttered.

"Does this happen a lot?" he asked

"Yeah, They nest somewhere on the grounds" She told him.

"We never actually had the chance to talk" he told her

"What do you want to know?" She said smiling

"What do you do now?"

"I work on the legal department for Wayne enterprises."

"You do?"

"It's more, checking where the money is going, y'know the usual" She said waving her hands flippantly.

He just chuckled.

"It's been a long time." Was all he said "I still remember the twelve year old girl who threw up all over me" He laughed.

"That was an accident! And really it was your fault."

"Oh?" He asked laughing "Was it?"

"Yeah! You gave me ice cream and you didn't move quickly enough. So it practically was your fault" she said with a large smile still chuckling slightly.

They then looked at each other, the air going silent.

They stared at each other; they both took a step forward. Bruce leaned down until they had nearly a centimetre parting them. All of a sudden they heard the stepping of her grandfather.

They both pulled back instantly. Alice's cheeks were flushed with red.

"I've… Erh… Gotta… Go?" She stuttered before practically running into her room and slamming the door.

Bruce closed his eyes before looking up at the bat, and remembering Alice's words. He turned quickly and went into his bedroom.

Hey :)

This story will be following the movie.

;D and i see Alice as a brown haired Sarah Michelle Gellar.