COMBINATION OF THE TWO
CHAPTER 1
LOS ANGELES, 1997
Her eyes closed as she felt the warm sea breeze wash through her long blonde hair. She buried her painted toes into the damp sand. Her arms hugged her chilled body. The hypnotic crash of waves relaxed her tensed body.
Two arms slowly wrapped around her waist. The familiar touch sent a shiver down her spine. Her head fell back against his collarbone. She couldn't suppress a moan as his lips kissed up her neck. "Buffy…" He whispered her name than lightly kissed her ear.
Buffy's eyes opened coming back into reality. She turned in his arms and looked up at his handsome features. His warm smile melted her insides. Buffy touched the ends of his light brown curly hair. "Jack," She whispered his name lovingly.
"Hi." Jack's smile slowly disappeared as he noticed her quite demeanor. "I got your call. I'm here. What's going on?" Buffy didn't respond right away making Jack nervous. "What's wrong?"
Buffy placed her hands over his chest and slowly met his eyes. She shifted to the tips of her toes and softly kissed him. Jack cupped her cheeks trying to figure out why their kiss seemed strange. It wasn't filled with any passion like he was used to. The kiss seemed just off.
A red light came to his head when he felt Buffy's tears against his face. He broke the kiss and cupped her cheeks gingerly. "What is it?" Jack asked full of concern. Buffy didn't answer. She kept her eyes glued onto his mouth. He was running out of things to do and say. Her distance wasn't unusual, Buffy was never one to just come out and say what was wrong. It took time to get it out of her. Jack knew all of this because of the issues with her parents.
He smoothed his thumb along her bottom lip. "Why so serious?" Jack said with a cheeky grin. He waited for her to laugh and roll her eyes. Instead, Jack watched as her beautiful green eyes blurred with sadness.
"Jack," Buffy whispered. "I - I'm leaving."
Jack's soft smile vanished. A thousand questions raced through his head. "What are you talking about? Where're you going?"
Buffy's throat clamped. "M - Mom is moving us… away from here. When the divorce is finalized we're moving away. They - they think it's for the best."
"It's not for the best. You can't go." He tightly gripped her arms.
"I don't have a choice. My reputation is ruined. I'm expelled from school… There's nothing left for me here."
"What about me?" Jack watched her beautiful eyes well with tears as she considered his meaningful words. His forehead rested against hers. "Don't go. Please don't go."
"I have too. I don't have a choice Jack."
"Yes, you do. You always have a choice. Stay with me. We'll runaway like we always said we would. We can be together. Like we dreamed." Jack hugged her tightly and buried in his nose into her neck. He was terrified to let her go, he knew if he did she would disappear.
Buffy hated this. She wanted nothing more but to be in Jack's arms forever and live the life they've planned one night in her bedroom. She looked at him and placed her hand on his cheek. Jack's eyes closed feeling her thumb smooth over his bottom life. "I love you." She closed the small space between them. "I'm sorry." Buffy broke away from his embrace catching him off guard. She ran past him towards the boardwalk. Jack couldn't move as he watched her run up the wooden stairs. Buffy didn't look back.
Jack's eyes were glued onto her until she disappeared into the darkness. His jaw clenched, his chest hurt, and unshed tears streamed down his cheeks. She was gone. Forever.
LONDON, ENGLAND, 2008
WATCHER'S COUNCIL HEADQUARTERS
Black stiletto heels clacked echoing down the long hallway until they abruptly stopped. Keys rattled. Buffy opened her office door and closed it behind her.
She set the keys on her desk and moved around to sit in her leather chair. Buffy opened her bottom desk draw taking out a green folder. She reached for her telephone dialing a number and waited patiently for her voicemail. Buffy turned on the flatscreen television to BBC World News.
"… Police released video footage found concealed on the body. Sensitive viewers be aware: it is disturbing." The reporter said.
Buffy frowned. She hung up the phone and listened to the news report intently. A blindfolded man appeared on screen. He was tied to a chair. "Tell them your name." The voice behind the camera sent a chill down Buffy's spine.
"Brain Douglas." The blindfolded man said nervously.
"Are you the real Batman?"
"No."
"Why do you dress up like him?"
The blindfolded man sat up more confidently. "He's a symbol…that we don't have to be afraid of scum like you."
"But you do, Brian. You really do. You think the Batman's helped Gotham…?" The voice behind the camera was calm.
Buffy shuffled through the moderate pile of mail set in front of her. She noticed an envelope without a return address. She opened it. Her name was printed in messy handwriting on one side of a deck card. She flipped it over to the picture of a Joker. Buffy's frown deepened.
Something on the television drew her attention away from the strange card. A man with a chalk white painted face, red lipstick sloppily covering his scars on the corner of his mouth. His hair was greasy and poorly dyed green. Buffy squinted unable to push the familiarity of the psycho.
"… People will die. Starting tonight. I'm a man of my word." The psychotic man laughed like a hysterical hyena. The screen cut to static. Buffy looked down at the Joker card in her hand. She picked up the telephone.
"I need a oneway ticket to Gotham City. As soon as possible. Thank you." Buffy hung up then dialed Giles's number. She waited for a moment. "Giles, it's me…"
