A/N: Hey Everyone. I've restarted this story. Its basically my last one, When Sanity Isn't Enough, but better. Same character, same basic plot, but this time the story is more thought out and MUCH better written curtousy of my Beta-reader, MissMaddhatter! So please read and review, i promise it will be well worth your time.

There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.

-Carl Jung

The sun began to rise in all its glory, painting the sky with rich pinks and purples. The darkness was almost completely gone by now but it left behind a sense of emptiness that seemed to cling on to everything in its path. Both powerful and suffocating, the foreboding yet temporary atmosphere made it almost impossible to breathe.

I jumped down from my seat on the dock with a heavy sigh, walking purposely towards the boardwalk. It was quite early so everything still remained silent and peaceful besides the sot chirping of crickets, the faint twilling of birds, and the quiet splashing of waves as they made contact with the sandy shore.

I stopped briefly to take a good look at my surroundings and couldn't help but notice uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. It was the same feeling I experienced every other morning I had come here.

The city around me was lovely but you didn't have to look hard in order to see its flaws. Once you noticed that its beauty is what made it so deceitful in the first place, you might have second thoughts on whether you considered it 'lovely' or not. The beauty, to be honest, never lasted very long.

Only in the wee hours of the morning, when even the most notorious of its criminals settled down to rest, was this city's real time to shine. This is when the streets were basically deserted and the noises that usually filled them were almost completely gone. If you didn't know any better, it would be easy to believe the lie.

I knew the truth along with every other citizen in Gotham. We all knew that our beloved city was considered to be one of the worst in the entire country. That is why most people tended to keep their distance or leave as soon as possible if not for just themselves but also for the sake of their families. Nobody planned to stay here too long or even contemplated on making a life here. It was merely one stop on the merry-go-round on life that they had to take before leaving, yet again, to venture somewhere else.

You see, the thing about Gotham is, if you don't leave…the darkness will take you and that's not just a myth, it's completely true.

People eventually lose themselves both mentally and, yes, physically. They are completely cut off from reality and slowly disappear, leaving behind something else in their place. Some end up dead, lying in some dark alley, others go stark raving mad and then the rest…well…the rest leave willingly.

They don't think they have a choice because their plan to get away from Gotham is foiled and they find themselves stuck in a place they definitely do not want to be. That is yet another problem here. Once you arrive, it's almost impossible to go back. Life becomes harder and people just want to give up. They give in to the darkness's demands; the ultimately go bad in general.

These people never intend on turning to the dark side and eventually, when they do, not all of them like it. They do it in a desperate attempt to survive and care for their families. Yet why they do it does not matter; not really. It is the fact that the city drove them to do it, which is what matters.

What I am trying to say is, Gotham is like a flesh eating disease. It slowly eats away at you in an attempt at testing your strength, to determine whether you should live or die. In its wake, it gives out every possible opportunity for disaster. What is the point in fighting disaster when it strikes? Well, to be frank, absolutely none.

I have yet to be claimed by this city or at least I don't think I have been…yet. My plans were to simply get by, then get going and step back onto the merry-go-round of life. I had just finished college at NYU, and moved here to secure a job at Wayne Enterprises. Eventually, I was planning on getting a better job somewhere else but, as I've said before, this city has a way of keeping everyone hostage.

So, as I stood here, observing Gotham city in all its majesty, I could not help but feel uneasy. It was the fact that so many awful things occurred here and that everyone here was powerless to stop them. If it weren't for most of the cops being in on the deal, then the victims might have had a chance.

The city was, in one word, hell and so many people were doomed to its everlasting flames every day, each minute, one tick of the clock…

A gust of wind blew across me from the ocean and, as I breathed in the salty air, I let myself come back down to reality. Today was a Friday and I had work at nine which left me with four more hours of free time. I really wanted to stay but I knew I had to go. After all, too much of a good thing will turn bad.

I walked to my car, a small blue Toyota Camry, and fished through the pockets of my pea coat to find my keys. That, in itself, seemed to be a huge task for me. I was always terribly unorganized and had lost almost everything at some point in my life. In fact, these were my third pair of keys in three months but, alas, I found them; thank god.

Opening the door, I slid into my car, and put the key in the ignition, shivering at the slight temperature change. I tried to start the car but it refused, instead spluttering oddly and just dying.

"Great job, Hannah." I mutter sarcastically to myself, stepping out of the car and walking to the hood, lifting it up even though I had no idea what type of abnormalities I was looking for. I had never had my car break down on me before and , obviously, the underside of the hood was a foreign place to me.

I was really getting frustrated. I had a broken down vehicle without any idea of how to fix it and the only person I knew who had knowledge in the area, I did not want to bother. It was also, however, too early to call a mechanic.

All I could do now was with wait or start walking; both looking unappealing. I was exhausted by walking for at least an hour before but the thought of sitting in my car for a few hours made me nervous. The crazies would be out soon and I didn't want to be present when they did.

I took a deep breath and closed the hood, taking a step back. I decided to wait it out for an hour or two. I had my ipod and my copy of A Tale of Two Cities that had seen much better days, so I was set for quite a while. But as I made my way back to my car door, however, there was a loud bang and my windshield obliterated into millions of tiny glass shards.

I dropped to the ground in shock, pressing myself against the door of my car, and pulling my knees to my chest as I attempted not to hyperventilate. There were foot steps in the distance but they gradually became closer, an estranged giggle echoing around me. I immediately knew who it was…

He had been on the news so many times this months, it was almost inhuman. It still surprised me how someone so willing to let himself be seen was so hard to get caught. I guess he had some of his goons in the police force; it really wouldn't surprise me.

The guy was still giggling as he slowly rounded the corner, stopping about a foot in front of me. I refused to look up partly in fear and partly because I was too entranced by his purple shoes, his crazy colored socks and purple-colored trousers.

The Joker stood there, watching me intently, chuckling every now and then without uttering a single word.

I had seen his image so many times on the news but being here with him, in person, was completely different. His face was covered in messily applied white paint; some parts of it were faded and smudged so that faint patches of skin were showing. His eyes were as black as cool and the black spread all the way up to his eyebrows, making his eyes appear more surreal than they actually were.

But what really stood out were the jagged scars extending from both sides of his mouth, giving him a smile that would never disappear no matter how hard he tried. They were covered with red lipstick, exaggerating them to an extreme. It proved that he was definitely not trying to hide them, if anything , he wanted them to be seen.

"Why, hello there, beautiful." He commented loudly, besides the small distance between us. His lips twitched into a slight smirk as he licked them, looking at me expectantly.

I had been staring so I tried to look away but as I did so, I felt him grab me by the arms and pull me roughly to my feet.

He pushed me against the car, his hand flying skillfully to his pocket in search of his switchblade; his signature weapon. I tried everything I could to keep myself together at this point and I wonder, vaguely, what this mad man wanted with me.

I whimpered pathetically as I felt the cold blade press against the side of my lips, a few tears escaping in the process. The Joker didn't put too much pressure on it but I knew that with one false move, he would carve my face to match his. That is something I did not want to happen to me. He still had that smirk on his horrifying features and his eyes danced with amusement at my obvious panic-stricken expression.

"It looks like your, uh, car broke down. Do you need some assistance?" He said to me, his voice brimming with amusement as he pressed the blade harder into my skin. I restrained a yelp at the sharp pain and felt a stream of blood trail down my face, some landing in my mouth. The coppery taste made me want to gag…but I just couldn't.

This was it; this was how I was going to die.

I knew this city would be the death of me, I only wished it wouldn't be at the hands of the Clown Prince of Crime. I have so much more to say! I can't fade away…I can't… not yet…

I Personally hope you enjoyed this :] Please Review.