**Hey Guys! This is my first actual story so sorry for any grammatical errors, but I was anxious to get this out and hear what you all thought!**

Arella sat back in the chair with a sigh for what seemed like the first time in hours. Setting the saturated paint brush and pallet aside, she studied the large painting before her for signs or imperfections that she would spend the rest of the day fixing. The small museum that she had worked in for the last few years had recently acquired a relatively big name collection from an anonymous wealthy donor, and though most pieces were in impeccable condition, she had spent the last 3 months working on a number of works that required thorough cleaning, repairing, and paint corrections. It seemed like a tall and tedious order, but she'd be lying if she didn't admit that she found the quiet practice to be soothing. Unlike most of the full time staff in the building, she was given her own studio overlooking the Gotham city inlet through picturesque windows. Gorgeous works that cost more than her entire life adorned various easels waiting for her attention and there was nothing more satisfying when she completed repairs on a work to reveal a nearly brand new looking painting. Her studio was her place of peace and she often stayed to work late simply because she felt better here than she ever did at home.

She finally gave a small satisfied smile at the painting before popping her iPod headphones out of her ears and setting the player aside as well, raising her arms over her head in a long overdue stretch. She held the position until she finally heard a few satisfied cracks. It was already two in the afternoon and she just realized that she had yet to eat today.

'That can't be healthy.' She thought to herself as she stood, walking over to the window and placing her hands on her hips as she looked out over the museum gardens. The grounds were surprisingly empty of people aside from a fancy van in the parking lot which she was sure had been left by one of the drunk wedding guests from a wedding the night before. It had been there all day and she hadn't seen the owner. It was a common occurrence after rowdy parties on the grounds. She only rolled her eyes before turning away from the window. She grabbed her badge, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her, locking it automatically. She made her way to the kitchen where there always promised to be some sort of food left over from the many events the museum held.

"Hey, Nora." She smiled at the girl sitting at the kitchen table hovering her spoon over a bowl of soup as she focused on a book in her other hand.

"Hey!" She looked up, surprised, As if she had only just noticed someone else was in the room with her. "Sorry, I was…really into this part." She glanced at the book as if debating before shutting it and setting it down. Nora had only just started working at the museum three weeks ago fresh out of school. She was still somewhat shy around everyone, but Arella found her refreshing. A wide eyed naivity that was rarely seen past the age of 25.

"That's okay." She said with a laugh. "Must be pretty good. What are you reading?"

"The seventh Harry Potter book." She said excitedly.

Arella glanced at her, confused.

"I know. I know. I'm a little late getting into it. But I wasn't allowed to read it when I was younger so now that I have my own place, I'm trying to catch up on everything. Yesterday, I had cake for breakfast." She said in a low voice as if she was telling a secret.

"Whoa now. Don't get too wild." Arella teased, opening the fridge and grabbing a coke and a handful of almonds.

Nora gave a shy smile.

"Are your parents still on you about the move to Gotham?" She questioned, leaning against the counter.

"Oh my god, every day." She said with a sigh. "I keep telling them that I'm as far away from the narrows as physically possible, but nothing makes them happy except po dunk, nowhere." She rolled her eyes.

She chuckled. "It really isn't near as bad as people make it out to be. Well, outside of the narrows at least. With the Joker in Arkham and batman…wherever he is, there's not a whole lot going on anymore, not like a couple of years ago."

"Oh yea. I heard about that whole thing, along with every other psychopath that lives here. Apparently Gotham draws the crazies."

"Why else would we be here?" Arella joked before standing straight, tossing back a couple of almonds. "I'm going to go take a walk outside."

"Okay." Nora called, immediately returning to her book as her conversation partner left.

Arella headed out of the door, starting on her loop around the building along the shoreline. From here she could see the heart of Gotham rising out of the water in the distance with giant skyscrapers whose jarring metal construction stood in sharp contrast to the peaceful waters leading to them. Even still, she enjoyed the view; especially when dusk would begin to settle and the many lights would flicker on as a reminder of the steady pulse of life that continued to hum in the main city. It had been years since the city had lived under the fear of attack from the Joker and even after all that time, the city still operated as if this period of peace was new to them. People were more grateful, kinder, and easier to get along with as a general rule. Perhaps everyone knew, deep down, that what they felt was the truth. That based on Gotham's track record, it was only a matter of time before some other psycho took up the mantle. Before the mob began running rampant again, and before that uncertainty returned and that they should enjoy this peace with every ounce of hope in their bones.

It was late when Arella finally returned to her apartment in one of the nicer areas of Gothem. She wasn't near up to the financial callibur as most of the city's elite, but she was perfectly content with her doorman guarded high rise that shielded her from many of the more unsavory parts of the city. It was a large improvement from the apartment that she grew up in that was a stone's throw away from a strip club on the edge of the narrows that served as one of the biggest hangouts for the many mob bosses. It was a dangerous area for sure and she had seen the disastrous effect it had on many of the kids who grew up in the neighborhood; most of whom were dead, in prison, or part of the mobs that made their lives miserable. Arella had managed to escape the worse of it. Being raised by her extremely strict grandmother, she was allowed to do little more than go to and from school. She hated that she could interact with the other kids when they played in the streets below her window and hated even more that they made fun of her because of it. She had managed a couple of friendships through school over the years, but even those would fall by the wayside in later years when they would hang out at the mall or coffee shops without her. Even being so shielded, it wasn't a rare occurrence that she would hear a crime outside of her window in the middle of the night. It seemed like once a week there was a vicious murder, brutal rape, or both occurring outside of the club. She learned early on that it was easier to simply fall asleep with her headphones in and pretend she was somewhere else.

It's not surprise then that when her grandmother died during her senior year in high school, Arella quickly enrolled in Gotham University with the generous insurance payout. She wanted to get out of the neighborhood, she had to. And though college wasn't an option before, now it seemed like the only way. So she moved on campus and buried her head in her books, managing to secure a number of scholarships to make up for what the insurance money didn't cover. And when grad school became a viable option, she jumped at the chance too. She had made a promise to herself that she would get out, and upon graduating, she did. Even during the worst of times, her apartment's location had shielded her from the constant criminal barrage that seemed to descend upon the narrows. Now she had a doorman, an elevator, a car to make sure she never had to ride the subway, and a sense of security that allowed her to breathe easy.

"Good evening, Mrs. Burke." The doorman smiled, opening the door for her after she had handed her keys off to the valet.

"Hey Patrick." She smiled, walking in "How's everything?"

"Lovely." He gave a polite nod. "You've received a package at the front desk."

"Oh, yay." She squealed happily, already knowing what it was. "Thank you." She said quickly before practically running to the desk. The lady at the desk looked up at her and smiled warmly, pulling the box from behind the desk before she could even make it there.

"I'm assuming you already know what it is?" She smiled teasingly as Arella held out her hands greedily.

"Yes. I've been waiting on this for days." She took the box. "I've been saving for a dress from Barney's and I was finally able to order it. And now it's here." She grinned.

"Well no wonder you're excited. I won't hold you up any longer than, I'm sure you want to try it on."

"Bye." She waved briskly, rushing off to the elevator and up to her apartment. When she opened the door she was immediately greeted by a far too overweight cat meowing at her ankles, rubbing it's back against her.

"Hey Louie." She muttered, stroking his back quickly before setting the box on the counter, opening it. Louie hopped onto the counter as well, looking up at her curiously before looking down into the box as well, anxious for her to finish with it so that he could play.

She grinned down at the purple dress before yanking it out of the box, rushing into her room to try it on. She came out a moment later wearing the knee length outfit, standing in front of the full length mirror near her front door. It was perfect. The purple color looked absolutely amazing with her dark brown curls and smooth brown skin. It was fitted nearly the whole way down with a high neck that opened up into a small dip around the back. She had sent them her measurements when she ordered it, so it fit like a glove, accentuating every curve in a classy way. She would definitely wear this to work as soon as she found the perfect pair of shoes.

"What do you think, Louie?" She asked, still grinning.

Louie looked up from the box he had curled up in with a lazy, uninterested gaze before shutting his eyes again.

"I like it too." She said softly, continuing to admire herself in the mirror for a moment before feeling a small frown tug at the corner of her mouth as she realized how hungry she actually was. "Ugh." A small groan left her lips as she headed back to her room, removing the dress as she did. As if the realization that she was in fact hungry made it so much worse she made her way to the kitchen without caring to throw anything else on. Dinner was simple as she hap hazerdly poured a bunch of shrimp in a pan with some garlic, watching them turn pink in only five minutes before pouring them in a bowl and flopping down on the couch followed quickly by Louie who had been sniffing the air excitedly. She chuckled, handing him a shrimp before turning her attention to the television which was showing the news.

"Screw that." She muttered, picking up the remote and changing the channel. She had long ago lost her appetite for watching the sensationalized stories that had become the bread and butter of the local news station. It seemed even worse now that crime was on the decline as the various news stations scurried to grasp onto to any story that seemed promising. Tonight though, it seemed like they had a real story on their hands. One that Arella was oblivious to as she settled into watching a movie instead, missing by mere seconds the breaking news interruption that occurred on most of the major channels. A mistake that she would come to regret soon.

The next morning, Arella headed into work thinking more about the trip to the store she was planning later that day in order to purchase shoes for her new dress. She was a little bummed that she couldn't wear it today, but she had settled instead on a tailored skirt and heels that made her feel almost as amazing as the dress did when she tried it on.

"Morning Lisa." She smiled at the front desk person as she walked in. "Where is everyone?" She questioned, noticing that lack of cars in the employee parking lot.

"Oh, everyone's freaking out about the news yesterday and decided to stay home." She gave a dismissive wave. "I mean Nora, Shawn, and Melanie are here in their offices, but that's about it."

"Uh oh. What happened now?" She questioned with an annoyed sigh.

"You didn't see it?" Lisa looked at her, her blue eyes widening in anticipation, excited to spill the beans about a topic that nearly everyone already new about. She didn't give her time to answer, leaning forward with her arms on the counter and lowering her voice for dramatic effect. "Apparently, the Joker escaped from Arkham."

She gasped, that was definitely not what she had been expecting to hear, her look of mild amusement gave way to legitimate concern as her mouth dropped slightly. "What? Last night?"

"Well that's what they said on the news. But I told you that my brother is on the Gotham Police force, and he told me that it's actually been weeks. They didn't want to scare anyone while they were on the hunt but he's started making threats on the news last night. So of course they had to scramble to cover their asses. Anyway, they're telling everyone to stay inside today while they-" Her wide eyes, which betrayed her barely hidden excitement of the situation, squinted judgementally as she cut herself and placed her hands on her hips. "How on earth did you not hear about any of this?"

"I don't watch the news." Arella said with another exasperated sigh, shaking her head slowly as if to rid it of all of the information that she had just received. "Why are you here, then? Why is anyone here?"

Lisa gave a non-committal shrug and roll of the eyes, settling back into the seat. "I live in the narrows. I figured here was safer than anyplace out there, right?"

Arella felt herself relax for a moment. "Yea." She gave a soft smile. "Promise me you'll stay at least? I don't want you heading home at night by yourself. Especially not on the subway. You know how much the Joker loves blowing up train cars." She said in an effort to be light hearted about the situation though it seemed to only make her anxious again.

Lisa only gave a sympathetic smile, having become used to Arella's bad attempts at humor over the years and learning to brush it off with a laugh. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. I have my suitcase upstairs in the morning room."

If this keeps up I might run home and grab mine too." She muttered before picking her handbag off of the counter. "I'll be in the studio if you need me." She started off before stopping and turning around. "You know what, there's no point in keeping the actual museum wide open. You should go ahead and lock the door so that you can keep an eye on who comes and goes."

Lisa chuckled, rolling her eyes. "It's fine, really. Don't go getting all paranoid like everyone else. Nora and Shawn have been watching the news all day. It's not like we're a bank."

"I'm paranoid by nature." She said with another smile, turning and walking off. She headed upstairs, stopping into Nora's office where she saw all three of the other employees huddled around a small flat screen, completely oblivious to her precense in the doorway.

"Hey." She said finally only to be greeted with a short scream from Nora and Shawn almost falling out of the chair.

"Holy shit, Ari." Shawn sighed, gripping the table next to him for balance as Nora turned with her hands covering her mouth, trying to calm herself.

Arella felt the urge to burst into laughter if only to quell the awkwardness. It came out instead as a short snort and a broad grin. "I'm sorry." She said, though still smiling at the hilariousness of the situation. "On edge?"

"No." Shawn finally released the table before sighing and running a hand through his curly red hair. "I mean yea. Just the news."

"Has he done anything yet?" She questioned, crossing her arms as she took another step in, looking towards the television with interest, playing nervously with her bracelet.

"No. Nothing. They just keep playing the same video over and over." Melanie said, having barely turned around from the screen. "I was scared to stay at home by myself."

"Yea." She mumbled, staring at the screen which was on a frozen image of the joker's face in the middle of a recorded message. His terrifying grin front and center showing a row of yellow teeth and painful looking scars that seemed to only be emphasized by the bright red paint smeared haphazardly across his lips and cheeks. She could barely make out his eyes through the black paint that surrounded them. Not that she wanted to, she was terrified to see what kind of emotion a man of his caliber would portray through them. In a perfect world, it'd be regret, but Gotham was far from perfect. And it was men like him that reminded them every day. She was roused from her stupor by the sound of Shawn's voice.

"What?" She looked at him, confused.

"I said you look nice."

She smiled, grateful for the distraction. When he began working here a little over a year ago, he immediately let it be known that he was attracted to her. . And she honestly thought he was pretty cute but had always been unsure of how she felt about starting workplace relationships. That hadn't stopped them from engaging in a few ill advised trysts, however that she was sure would eventually lead to more. "Thanks." She replied, uncrossing her arms and standing up straight. "I'm going to head to the studio and try to get some work done." She waved, walking off. She had made it most of to her office before she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hey." She heard Shawn call out to her.

She glanced behind her, seeing him jog nearer to her. "What's up?" She questioned, slowing her pace to allow him to catch up but still heading to unlock the door.

"I think the girls are all going to stay here for the night or a couple of days, I don't know. Are you going to stay too?" He questioned, following her into the studio.

She chuckled as she set her bag on a long counter against the wall, taking a quick glance around the room to make sure that everything was in place. "No. I might leave early though just so I can get home before dark but I'm not too worried about it."

"Don't lie to me, Ari." He leaned on the counter, crossing his arms as he stare at her back.

She turned around finally with a sigh, realizing that there was no humor in his face. His strong jaw was set into a determined frown that, as annoyed as he attempted to look, only made her painted lips turn up into a slight smile. "Fine. I am worried, a little. But I don't want to live like that. We were fine last time and I'm sure we'll be fine this time." She waved her hand dismissively.

"You don't know that."

"And you don't know that we won't."

He pursed his lips, stepping closer to her as his green eyes locked on her brown ones, studying her for a moment as he probably tried to think of a way to convince her of the danger. He finally let out a sigh, placing his hands on the counter on either side of her, pinning her in place.

Arella held her breath, looking up at him. It was extremely rare that he was so forward with her at work, but she could tell it was his way of trying to get her to give him her full attention. So she did, though the closeness was somewhat exciting to her as she glanced down at his strong arms, crossing her arms in front of her in an attempt to block the effect he was having on her right now. "I'm not staying." She said resolutely.

"Fine." He said simply. "But I'm going to stay at my parent's second home outside the city tonight. I want you to come with me."

She sighed. It was quite often that she forgot that Shawn's parents were loaded and though they were currently living outside of the country, they were sure to provide their only son with every luxury here in the city. "That's the opposite way of my apartment and I don't have any clothes." She said, looking for any reason to refuse.

"There's a department store on the way, we'll stop and get you some things."

"What? No. I don't need you to-"

"I don't want you going back into the city."

"I can take care of myself!" She replied in a hushed yell, narrowing her eyes angrily.

He sighed, lowering his head for a moment which unintentionally put his face closer to hers.

"I'm sorry." She said, feeling immediately guilty. Having to be on her own since she was 17, she had a tendency to be overly stubborn and it had been her downfall many times. "I don't mean to be difficult it's just…I'm scared."

"I know. I am too. And I don't want you alone while he's still out."

"I have Louie." She gave a playful smirk.

He chuckled before raising his head again. "I'll make you a deal. If we can leave in the next couple of hours, we'll run to your place so that you can get some clothes and Louie, then head out."

She twisted her lips in contemplation, considering the option. "No funny business?" She asked finally, though with the slightest hint of teasing in her tone.

"Not unless you want it." He joked as well, smiling now.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes playfully, placing her hand on his wrist and moving his hand from the counter, ducking under it to get around him before walking over to a painting she had been working on a few days prior. "Let me check on the varnish on this painting and we can go."

He only smiled, leaving the room without a word.

Later that night, Arella was relaxing on the terrace of Shawn's mansion after they had grabbed her things and stopped by the department store for her to pick out shoes for her dress. She had only been here once before and even then she was pretty wasted, but the home was awe inspiring to be sure. It was nearly 6,000 square feet and though far enough from Gotham to inspire a sense of security, it still boasted beautiful views of the city that made it look almost peaceful from here.

"Hey." Shawn came out on the terrace as well holding a couple of plates. "I made you a sandwich. I'm pretty sure you haven't eaten all day."

"Oh wow. Thanks!" She said, taking the sandwich, happily as he sat next to her. "I just realized that. Peanut butter?" She questioned, already lifting up the bread to peek before giving a happy grin. "Heck yea."

He laughed. "You're welcome."

They sat quietly for a moment as they ate, looking over at the city in the distance.

"What do you think he's planning?" Arella questioned finally.

"I don't know if we'll ever know till it happens." He said with a shrug. "my parents want me to move out to London with them."

She looked over at him. "Are you going?"

He shrugged. "I'm starting to consider it. This is insane."

"Yea." She agreed softly. "I honestly don't see why you didn't head to London in the first place. I would kill to be able to do that." She smiled setting the plate aside and drawing her knees to her chest, trying to lighten the mood. "I mean I've only been once but it's amazing."

"Eh, the people here are cooler." He said with a shy smile.

"Even that's not true." She rolled her eyes, though knowing full well what he meant. There was a short silence before she turned to him seriously. "Honestly, though, I hope you're not staying here for me."

"What? No." He said with a nervous laugh. "I mean who wants to stay with their parents at my age anyway? I like it here." He paused. "But…if you ever wanted to visit again…"

She laughed, ignoring the offer before standing with a stretch. "I should probably be getting to bed anyway. Some of us still have to work in the morning."

"What? You're working tomorrow?" He looked over his shoulder at her as she headed towards the door.

"Well yea. Melanie doesn't want to just leave everything as it is even if no one is coming. I have to make sure all the work is okay."

"Melanie's a crazy bitch." He muttered, knowing that there was no use arguing the point.

She smiled, stepping behind his chair and placing her hands on the back of it, gazing over at him. "Thanks for bringing me here, though, even if I didn't want to come at first. I feel a lot safer."

He looked up at her and smiled. "I'm glad."

She reached over the chair, running a gentle hand through his curls before resting her hand on his cheek and placing a gentle kiss on his lips, one that was met with eagerness on his part as his hand snaked up to the back of her neck holding her closer as he traced her lips with his tongue, urging her to part them. She happily complied, beginning to massage his tongue with her own, melting into the kiss for a long moment, ignoring the annoying twinge in her neck signaling how uncomfortable of the angle she was standing in for such a long while. Finally she pulled away with a smile, her lips only inches away from his allowing her to feel his ragged breath on her face. "Come to bed with me?" She questioned, caressing his arm.

"No funny business?" He teased.

"I can't promise anything." She smiled, turning and walking inside, knowing that he'd be only steps behind her.

The next afternoon, Arella was back in her studio working on stabilizing the pieces in her studio so that if need be, they could stand alone for a period of time. The other girls were still there from the night before but they still seemed to be in sleepover mode as they giggled at a movie on the first floor television. To be fair, aside from Arella's job, there wasn't a lot to be done around the museum at the time and she was almost positive that was spending more time herself sneaking glimpses of herself in the mirror wearing her new purple dress than she was focusing on the paintings. Shawn had barely been able to keep his hands off of her when he had seen her wearing it making it take twice as long to leave as it normally would. She had to admit that she looked stunning. Her long, golden brown hair had been curled away from her face and cascaded down her back in sharp contrast to the haphazard pony tail she usually settled on. It was nice to be able to distract herself away from what was going on in the city by any means necessary and between spending extra time on her appearance and on Shawn, she was almost able to forget completely. She was enjoying playing house with him in the overly ornate mansion. At this rate, she might begin strongly considering moving with him to London for a bit. In the meantime, she was busying herself with thinking about Shawn who was back at the mansion waiting for her. He had at first insisted on going with her to work, but she convinced him that it was completely unnecessary. Now she kind of wish she had let him for the company alone. She sighed, picking up her iPod and placing the headphones in her ear again before going back to work.

Downstairs, Nora and Melanie were watching a Disney movie as the doors remained locked. They had made themselves comfortable huddled up together in a blanket as they awaited for the pizza delivery that had been ordered over thirty minutes ago.

"After this, we should actually watch an adult movie." Melanie said lazily, her legs crossed in front of her as she cuddled the blanket close to her chin. She had voted against the Disney movie, but both Nora and Lisa had overruled her.

"What, like Pirates of the Caribbean, Curse of the Black Hole?" Lisa joked, finding her phrasing humorous.

"You're disgusting." Melanie said though laughing.

"That's not what it's called, is it?" Nora looked from one girl to the other, confused.

"No, sweetie, it's not." Lisa pat her knee gently. "Don't worry about it. Honestly, after this we should go see if Arella needs any help."

"She never wants help." Melanie said with a shrug. "She's just ready to get out of here so she can go back to Shawn."

The other two laughed. "It's supposed to be a secret, Melanie." Lisa scolded.

"Well, it's not like they act super secret about it." She said as the doorbell rang.

Lisa rolled her eyes with a sigh, tossing the blanket off of her lap as she stood. "I'll get it. You guys can buy pizza next time." She headed to the front door. "Just a minute." She called, stopping at the desk to grab her wallet and pull a twenty out. She jogged over to the door as the bell rang again. "I said I'm coming!" She called again, glancing out of the peephole to see the pizza guy standing there impatiently, his hat pulled low as he shifted his weight. "Jesus Christ." She muttered, opening the door. "What's the-"

She cut herself off as her mouth dropped as the pizza guy lifted his head showcasing a face full of white grease paint and a vicious Glasgow smile that up until this moment, she had only seen on news channels.

"Surprise." The Joker grinned with that annoying, nasily high pitched voice that everyone in Gotham had learned to fear. She wasn't even able to let out a scream before the Joker raised his hidden hand with a flash of silver that he instantly buried in her throat forcing out a soft gurgling sound instead as blood instantly begin to ooze from the wound. He let out a satisfied growl before quickly pulling his hand away before his bright purple suit could be stained with blood, allowing her to drop to the floor in front of him with a sickening thud as four of his men clad in equally frightening clown masks filtered into the museum on either side of him. "You know what to do, boys." He held his hands out dramatically towards the halls, reaching up and pulling off the pizza company hat that he had 'borrowed' from the delivery boy they had intercepted on the way here. He shook his head, much like a wet dog sending greasy, green curls over his forehead, completing his fearsome outfit. It was only a moment before he heard the screams of the other two women in the nearby break room. He looked up, letting out a giddy cackle, clapping his hands as he hopped up and down. "Oh how I've missed this." He exclaimed to no one in particular before taking large excited steps to the source of the screams. He rounded the corner to find his goons tying the women's wrists and placing gags in their mouths before shoving them roughly back onto the couch and stepping back to the corners of the room holding large rifles, looking to the boss for instruction.

The Joker looked towards the women with a scowl, studying them for a moment before turning to the television and suddenly grinning. " and the Beast-ah. You know," he gave a dramatic turn on his heels, waving the bloody knife at them both as he slouched over them. "This is one of my favorites." He cocked his head to the side as his grin quickly changed to pursed lips as he studied them. "You want. To know. Why?" He enunciated each word as he looked from face to face looming over them as if patiently awaiting their answers.

Melanie shivered violently as her wet eyes darted quickly between the knife and the animated face of the madman, unsure of how to respond. Nora on the other hand shook her head quickly.

"Well, you see…" He continued undeterred, flopping on the couch between the two of them and throwing his arms around their shoulders. Nora whimpered, looking over to the knife which had begun dripping down her white shirt. "I've always considered myself to be…" he sucked on the inside of his scars as he rolled his eyes up towards the ceiling, thinking. "A bit of a beauty." He gestured with his knife, enjoying the sound of Nora's muffled shrieks every time the knife came to close to her face. "Like yourselves." He looked over at Melanie for a second longer than a glance, just to watch her squirm as his face was only inches from hers before finally continuing. "And what beauty doesn't want a chance to tame his very own beast?" He made the sickening sucking sound again as his lyrical voice lowered to a low, animalistic growl as he leaned forward, taking a loud sniff of Nora's hair before leaning in her ear. "I know I do."

That seemed to be more than Nora could take as she finally broke down into muffled sobs, shrinking away from him as she was completely oblivious to the dangerous grin that had formed on his face.

"Sh-Sh-Sh-Sh." The Joker frowned at her with false concern, reaching out and taking her chin in his gloved hand as his voice rose back to the lyrical notes. "Now don't cry." He pulled her face up towards him roughly in sharp contrast to his gentle tone. "Look at me." He waited until she raised her teary eyes to him. "Now, I don't want to hurt you. But I have found my hideout to be…lacking…in the cultural sense. You don't mind if I take a look around, do ya?" He questioned, tracing circles in the air with his knife while forcing her to shake her head simultaneously. "No? Good." He smacked the side of her face gently before standing and turning to his goons his voice returning to complete seriousness. "You two, check upstairs. If you find anyone, kill them." He waved them away, waiting for them to disappear before turning to the others. "You two, keep our guests company."

"Yea, we'll keep 'em company boss." The first goon replied suggestively, eying the girls with a hungry look behind the clown mask.

The Joker stare at the goon for a moment before reaching for the second goon's gun. "Gimmie." He said simply. "Gimmie. Gimmie. Gimmie ." He continued impatiently before snatching the gun, shooting the one who spoke before he could ask questions and turning to the second one studying his expression before finally speaking. "Think you can handle the job, kid?" He waved the gun casually, ignoring the twitching body at his feet.

The clown only gave a curt nod, being sure to not look at the girls or the dying man at his feet.

"Take his gun." He growled, turning and storming out of the room. "I want it quiet." He shouted, waving his arms behind him as he disappeared out of the room, grumbling something about incompetent help.

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