Windows

"Without pain, there would be no suffering; without suffering, we would never learn from our mistakes. To make it right, pain and suffering is the key to all windows: without it, there is no way of life." ~A.J.

1. Stolen Goods

The ship was huge as well as beautiful.

"Dinner was fantastic," Jessica Teal remarked, smiling as she brushed up against Bruce. He nodded in agreement.

"It was, wasn't it?" he said assuredly as though he'd hand-cooked it all himself. "And that dress…" he hummed, sliding his hand around her back and to her waist. "That's pretty fantastic." She melted easily into his affections as they started forward, aiming for the pool table that sat mere yards away from them. "You know, it's funny that we've got the same hair color and I never looked so good in red."

His half-smiles were to die for.

They spent exactly twenty-one minutes (she had been watching the clock carefully) playing pool nostalgically until the miniscule looks they shared with one another overcame them to the point where they felt the need to shift themselves.

The night was young, the sky a blanket of royal blue and purple with stars glittering among the beauty of it. Bruce had taken her on the cruise out of nowhere, perhaps just because he could. There were times, she knew, that he did things for no reason at all, but in this case, she did not find the matter of any concern. Of course, it was New Year's Eve, and God only knew how uncommonly rich the man was. But it was the mere idea of it; the attention, the thought that was put into it, the fact that it was the both of them there, together.

They were together, and frankly, that meant the most.

xxx

The night ran on gently and smoothly as it was meant to; the evening was still young at only nine o'clock, and midnight was eagerly awaited. Bruce offered her a thin glass of champagne that Jessica took with great thanks. The atmosphere created the illusion of some sense of regality that she had never been able to bask in before. She considered herself well off money-wise, but had never considered herself particularly indulgent. She worked at Wayne Enterprises, and though she was only a secretary, the job was certainly more than enough to earn her the beautiful tower of a loft that she had the fortune to live in. But the cruise and champagne and the class she'd never experienced were all new to her, and she loved every minute of it.

"I guess I'm going to have to give up feeling all prim and proper eventually," Jessica said when she had swallowed the miniscule sip she'd taken from her glass, "and figure out where the bathrooms are."

"Well I must admit that it's probably the safest option at hand," Bruce sighed, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling to avoid the smile that she knew longed to curve his lips. She gaped jokingly at the comment until she managed a small laugh under her breath as she continued to examine the surroundings. "There's one down by the deck. Actually, that's probably the closest one from here. And then…we could walk around down there, by the water." He offered his arm to her in a gentlemanly fashion and she, in turn, looped hers within his.

"Sounds fantastic."

Their chat continued through the elegant rooms with chandeliers hung every few yards. Likewise, Bruce shifted his hand to her waist. Jessica smiled to herself at the empty, yet still elegant hallway before them. She craned her neck as unnoticeably as she could to look over her shoulder to see a small handful of people crossing slowly and inattentively across her pan of vision.

Bruce's hand slid down slightly to her hips and his fingers pulled her skin taut.

There was a scarlet door on the left side of the hallway with a picture of a triangular woman rimmed in gold. Jessica pulled in her surroundings in a haste, for she could feel herself gravitating further and further towards Bruce, and could equally sense him doing the same. "You look beautiful tonight," he said in a deep tone. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head in the shadows.

"You already said that," she answered teasingly.

"Well, that's because I meant it." Jessica's heart thudded around in her chest cavity in bliss as she fell into his embrace. The space between them began to minimize swiftly until their lips were brushing against one another's. His cool minted breath made her lips tingle. Her mind was jolted with electricity with every kiss they shared. One peck, two, and then their mouths had taken to the rhythmic pattern of opening and closing again that she so cared for.

They stood there in the empty hallway for what must have been at least five minutes. Jessica was basking in the night once more, wishing that it would never end, and that if it did, she could relive it every night for the rest of her life.

Jessica eventually pulled herself away from him, their lips creating a resounding smack as she did so. "I'll be right back," she whispered to him, smirking as she stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. "I'll meet you on the deck." She kissed him once more before floating away and pushing her weight on the bathroom door until she was inside.

The bathroom had only four stalls, but everything else about it suggested…elegance, which was odd, Jessica thought, considering it was a bathroom. There were two windows in the room, and yellow light bulbs theatrically lined the mirrors that hung about in the room. Spending another second admiring the area, she retreated into a stall and locked it, beginning to work her pantyhose down her legs.

She thought deeply about her relationship with Bruce; it had only begun three months ago, and yet she felt so close to him, as though she had been with him for years on end. Her heart fluttered when she heard someone speak his name and in the office, she was on her toes all day with the hopes that she would see him around. He had a secretive nature, and most of the time that didn't bother her in the least. He shared the things with her now that were the only things necessary, so she felt secure that it was simply his demeanor. Of course, there had been an early on incident concerning his secretiveness and their relationship, but she believed firmly that every new relationship underwent its struggles.

She wondered if he thought so highly of her as she did him. Jessica hoped that maybe, his feelings were just as strong, and that they would feel a sense of togetherness even if they hadn't said "I love you" yet. Most of all, she wondered if they were in love; she hadn't really spent much time thinking about the word "love."

Jessica exited the stall, smoothing the folds in her dress. She rounded the line of stalls and walked to the sinks, quickly looking at herself in the mirror before turning on the faucet and scrubbing her hands clean. When finished, she gave herself a moment to smooth down her hair in the mirror, making sure it was pinned in properly.

Something moved behind her. She saw it in the mirror.

Quickly she turned, having thought that no one was in the bathroom. She wondered when they had come in, or if they just had. Her face flushed red for no apparent reason.

When her eyes rested on the figure who'd entered, Jessica's breath caught in her throat. She recognized him—him, in a ladies bathroom—looming around in circles, smiling to himself in a sickening way as he looked at her. She recognized him from the news, notorious for his lack of identity and mad desire to lure in the Batman. She recognized the fact that he had killed people behind the paint that he wore.

The Joker.

"Hello there," came his voice, slithering from his throat like a poisonous gas. Jessica had lost all feeling in her arms and legs, and her face had been cemented into the initial look of shock that had plagued her. The bone of her jaw was pulsating now—she had clamped her teeth together ferociously so that she would not let out a scream. Immediately she took note of her surroundings, hoping to God that there was some way she could've gotten out in the case that things got ugly.

She had never really felt the terror in the pit of her stomach like the rest of Gotham did when they thought of the possibility of the Joker springing up at any given moment. She had always cast it aside, for while she was well aware of his terrorism, it had never directly affected her, and she therefore found it all the more difficult to relate to the skeptics who walked around in fear. But now, in that moment, standing frozenly in front of the man himself, she was afraid of him, and knew that no matter how things turned out, she would never forget such a feeling.

"You look a little…tense…" he hissed, visibly trailing his tongue around his mouth. Jessica started to slowly inch towards the wall, straining her eyes to see past him to the door, kicking herself for not telling Bruce to wait right outside the bathroom door for her. "What's 'a matter, dollface?" he cooed, mirroring her movements with a sinister grin. "Am I interrupting something?"

"How did you get in here?" The sound of her own voice thoroughly surprised Jessica.

His eyes narrowed and he made a smacking noise with his mouth. He mouthed the word, "Window," speechlessly. "Come here," he snapped suddenly, startling her. Though somewhat delayed, Jessica shook her head. He let out a sigh. "Let's not make things any more difficult than they really have to be. How do you feel…aha…about the human race? Specifically…the people on this boat. Do you trus-t them?" Jessica found herself unable to answer; she was still shaken in disbelief that it was actually happening when everything was going so perfectly… It was New Year's Eve, for God's sake… "Well…let's just say you might, uh…wanna patch up a couple friendships in a hurry, dollface…because tonight…your fate is in their hands… Now come on. This doesn't have to be painful…" He had started walking towards her, shaking his head vigorously. He held his hands out in front of her as if to calm down a wild animal, and soon began feeling around carefully in his pocket for something. "Just, ah…come quietly, mhmha, and everything will be just fine…"

"Stay away from me!" Jessica shouted, backing into the sinks behind her. But he only continued to approach, with no more haste than he had started with, and the same calmness about him—as if he were waiting in line for a ride rather than trying to capture someone. She allowed him to get at most three feet away from her before she swerved around him and ran for the door, noticing the way he seemed to have caught on to her tactic before she had even tried it out.

The palm of his hand, clad in a leather glove flattened itself on her stomach, pulling her back against him to the point where she could feel him breathing. Jessica struggled momentarily, the knot that had formed in her throat now escalating to a new level as her heart rate quickened. There was a click and she knew that he was holding a gun to her head. He folded her arms around her back and whispered in her ear, "Stay silent. Walk with me, and I won't blow your brains out on the floor in front of hundreds of people…"

Jessica pursed her mouth shut in effort to keep herself from trembling. Her mind was racing with incoherent thoughts, barely understandable to even herself. She could not understand how simply minutes ago she had still been enjoying a perfect cruise with Bruce, and he was waiting for her to return to him on the deck. The Joker was leading her out of the bathroom door; Jessica made sure to plant her feet firmly on the ground each time her shoes met with it in the hopes that it would delay him further. She did not know what he had planned. She wished to God that she had listened better to the news when cases of his actions were announced. She remembered a sparse few of his smaller felonies, but it didn't mean much when clearly he had something up his sleeve that had more to it than just whisking away a girl he'd picked up in a bathroom.

They were trampling down the hallway, his bulky shoes coming down several times on the back of her ankle, causing her to stumble. Several times he jammed the head of the gun up against her temple again, reciting quietly that he was not a fan of guns as it was. Soon enough, Jessica could see the people dressed in money walking around again, and not long after, they saw her.

People screamed. She shut her eyes to block the chaos from her mind as glasses shattered on the ground and bodies were shuffling around frantically as if they had seen a ghost. They might as well have—there was a good chance they would all become ghosts if something miraculous didn't happen in time…

"Gooood evening, ladies and gentlemen," the Joker sang from behind her, addressing the shaking crowd. Jessica saw to her relief that the guards that stood on the deck had rushed to the scene. However, instead of any kind of retreat, she heard him snicker from behind her. "Come as close as you'd like-kuh," he offered them aloud. The guards' sprint began to slow to a jog. "But if you…ah…butt in before I'm finished… Well…let's just say there'll be a…a change in the plan…"

"What the hell do you want?" shouted one of the guards in a harsh tone.

"Well, where should I start-tuh?" the Joker asked. Jessica remained frozen, aware that the crowd was fixated on her but unable to make any motions to them. "The lower deck…is lined with gas drums." There were several forced gasps from the people; someone had taken to sobbing. "Here's your choice: You can save yourselves…" He tightened his grip around Jessica's waist and shook her. "…and let an innocent civilian be blown to pieces…" Jessica tried her to swallow her fear, but it had gotten to such a level, that she was worried it might pour from her mouth at any second in hastened shrieks. "Or! …You can watch the countdown…" He made a motion towards something in Jessica's line of view; everyone looked in that direction. To her horror, the timer that had not long ago read some three hours until midnight now had four-thirty-eight printed on it, and was rapidly decreasing. "…and prepare yourselves to be blown to smithereens. Now don't be hasty." The crowd came to life, instantly beginning to discuss the options and Jessica's heart sunk to know that it was being considered. It was not that she expected them to save her; it was that their chatter and horrified, frenzied behavior was making her see that there was no longer a possibility that she was dreaming. "Don't be hasty," he repeated from behind her, louder this time. "Because maybe…hah, not everyone will—"

Thump.

Jessica wriggled around in the Joker's grasp only to find him slightly off balance after receiving a blow that had been delivered by the Batman. She saw for one brief moment that faint glimmer of hope and began to believe it was going to be all right until she heard the gun cock.

He was pulling her backwards again and her vision was spotted from the motion and the calamity around her. Batman was growling and spitting words at the Joker, but she could no longer discern between the two. Briefly, she remembered hazily that she had still not seen Bruce. Everything faded, and then it began to clear again:

"Ahaha, okay, okay, okay: Change of plans," the Joker was rasping. He giggled again before speaking. "I know when I've found myself worthwhile bait-tuh." Jessica swallowed and squeezed her eyes shut before observing herself on the wood of the deck, the cold sea air suddenly apparent to her. The Batman stood before her, grounded in his stance and the people on the cruise continuing to hover around in anguish.

Then the Joker was pulling her up onto the side of the ship, playfully regaining his balance as he shifted her around. He whipped her around in a circle, her vision taking in a glimpse of the pitch black ice water that swam below her. She was shaking. "Why don't we…delay this little game until…oh, say around midnight," he said. "If you—" He jammed a finger in Batman's direction. "—don't show up to rescue your lov-e-ly lady by then…not only is she mine…but this ship is his-tory."

Suddenly there was the loud sound of a helicopter tearing through the sky. Without warning, and to her utter shock, the Joker had thrown himself off the side of the ship, and the air was cutting into her face like knives.

There was a jerking, and she looked swiftly up to see the Joker had his fingers wrapped around a rope latter; looking up, she saw the helicopter it was attached to. "Move," he snapped at her, flinging her with a grunt up ahead of him. Unable to protest, Jessica mindlessly climbed the latter, afraid to look back at the boat now that full yells had broken out. She hated to think that one of those yells belonged to Bruce.

Before she had gotten a chance to understand anything at all, the Joker had crawled over top of her and had his arm drawn back. Understanding his reasoning, she shrieked, "No, stop!" seconds before his slammed something hard into her head and everything went dark.

A/N: Rebirthing this story in light of the release of TDKR. For clarification, this story emphasizes the idea that the Joker was never caught at the end of TDK. While he was swarmed, you will later read (spoiler, but it doesn't really matter) that he does indeed avoid the apparent capture at the end of the movie itself. Also, Jessica does not know that Bruce = Batman.

Warnings & Disclaimers: Rated M for mild language, sexual engagement, strong violence, and mild tobacco usage. This is NOT a story about a pretty woman falling in love with a creep. This is a journey and a significant plot.

I would love to hear feedback from my readers!