What happens when I go near the cinema without my best friend? I see a movie I promised her I wouldn't. (It's a long story why I don't want to see The Dark Knight again, so I won't bore you with it.) Kinda glad I did though, because it makes this chapter work a bit better. So, enough of my talk, on with the update!

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Chapter Two: Fear and Determination

The back seat of the car, the heater that warmed her, could do nothing to hold back the cold. She trembled as thoughts raced through her mind, each more alarming and shocking than the last.

"Here." The door beside her opened and Gordon appeared holding a blanket which he draped around her shoulders. Unknowingly, she shrugged into the warmth, before looking up at him with a snap.

"I thought you were dead!" She whispered her eyes wide.

Gordon smiled a small smile at her. "I was; I couldn't risk my family."

She nodded her head in understanding as a younger man raced up to Gordon. "Sir, he got him out." He said breathlessly.

Gordon's expression changed; his rigidness fell. Rachel too breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good, good." Gordon replied weakly, looking at her, but leading the officer away.

She watched them retreat a few meters away, too far for her to listen in, especially as the blare of the engines and sirens of the fire department vehicles arrived. She watched them converse; Gordon, shake his head and half turn away, despite remaining in discussion. From this body language she could tell the news was bad.

She continued to watch as a second officer raced up and spoke to Gordon. This time Gordon turned and stepped away; that news was bad.

"He wanted me to lock him up in the MCU!" She heard him, and assumed what must have happened; The Joker must have escaped.

Watching him sprint towards the car she was in, she backed into the vehicle, thinking he was racing to the car to drive off as he shouted orders. Exactly as she predicted, he rounded the vehicle as she pulled the door closed, turned on the ignition and sped off.

After driving for a few minutes she realized he was staring at her in the rear vision mirror. His expression made her worried, before she realized what he was thinking.

"I won't go into hiding!" She spoke before he had a chance to open his mouth. Continuing to drive he merely looked at her in the mirror.

"You must! The Joker has labeled you as a victim. He wont stop attempting to kill you until you're dead!" He argued.

"And I'm not going to disappear; leaving Harvey to believe I'm dead, I can't do that. I wont run." She retorted.

At this, Gordon turned his head to look at her, hard. "You didn't see his reaction the moment he realized you were in danger." He looked back to the road. "You didn't see the way he vanished from MCU, believing he was on his way to save your life." His voice was raised, borderline shouting.

She opened her mouth to argue but stopped. He had come for her? But why wasn't he here? Why did he change his mind? She already knew how strongly he felt for her, she had seen it the night Harvey proposed; the expression on his face as he slid down the roof after her, the relief in his eyes when they landed, safe. She realized he was the only person who could protect her.

She looked back up at Gordon's reflection, matching his gaze. "I won't go into hiding; I refuse to run. But I know somewhere I can go in Gotham that is safer than anywhere else." She surprised herself at how evenly she spoke.

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Nowhere in Gotham city is safe, not anymore."

She kept her gaze on him fixed. She wasn't backing down. Bruce could protect her in a way Harvey nor the police ever could. Knowing who he was at night was the reason she would always trust him over anyone else. "Bruce Wayne." She spoke quietly, but judging from his response, she knew he had heard her.

"How does Gotham's greatest playboy and ruler of the social elite, manage to be the kind of person who will keep you safe from a mad man?" Gordon asked her through his teeth.

She glanced out the window and was amazed to find they were closing in on the MCU, at least what was left of it.

"When the Joker first labeled me a target, I went to Bruce's home. I was safe there, the only reason I left was because I watched Harvey tell the world he was Batman. I wasn't going to allow him to take the fall for being someone he wasn't. After talking to him, I planned on returning there, but I was captured instead." She looked at him. "It's the safest place in the world."

Gordon watched her as she spoke, and seeing her determined and fixed gaze, knew she was resolute. "I hope you know what you're doing." He finally spoke, as they came upon the MCU building. "But the world still needs to think you're dead."

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