Goren and Eames watched from behind the one-sided glass. Goren folded his arms, high on his chest.

"What do you want to do, Eames?"

"I know guys like him...they get off on hurting people...they'll do anything for attention, even if it doesn't make sense." Eames frowned.

"He likes to think he's an anarchist. But he's delusional. He thinks hurting people helps them, his sickness is self-justifying, then he turns all his diagnosis around...they say he makes jokes to avoid pain or serious situations....so he becomes "Joker." The man is an extremist and a sociopath. He likes getting under people's skin." Bobby shifted his weight towards Alex, sensing her hesitation. 'If you don't want to...."

"No, I can. I'll be fine." She was senior partner after all. They both exited and went into the interrogation room. Eames let her eyes, fall on the man's painted white face and false red smile as she entered the room. His posture was off but commanding.

"Hey doll, nice of you to join us. Me and Bobby here, were just talking about you. I'd be a gentleman and pull out your chair, but uh- I'm in a bit of a tight spot." His eyes and behavior motioned to being cuffed to the chair. Smiling wide behind his painted face.

Eames said nothing as her and Goren, took seats across the table. She let her eyes burn him. She resolved when she entered the room, to remain un-intimidated. She knew the Joker liked to create fear, she wasn't going to give him the pleasure. Goren's approach was to respond differently to all of the Jokers different emotions and personalities as they came up, befriending him by presenting a complementary personality at all times, while still presenting him with enough of a challenge to remain interested, increasing the chances of the detectives acquiring more information about his past and crimes.

Eames pushed her nerves aside as she let her gaze settle on the man, she felt a bit more at ease with Goren beside her. Eames knew Bobby would kill this man, before he would let something happen to her. Joker pounced on her silence. Speaking loudly to catch her attention and then letting his voice drift off before she could make out his words.

"Mmmm. You're so closed." He licked his lips, "so.." he motioned his fists together and then continued mumbling to himself. Bobby watched the man slip into his own thoughts, he almost seemed unaware of his surroundings, he cut in softly, as if intruding.

"Hey....hey you wanted to talk to her...she's here."

Joker's head snapped freakishly, then held still, his eyes focused immediately on Eames. His voice was deep and different now than before.

"I said alone."

Joker's eyes shot to Goren, suddenly round and wide. "Scoot." he broke into a forced tense smile, "...go back there with your cop buddies and watch behind the glass, whack-job." He motioned with his cuffed hands to the mirror. Goren knew the insults were all a part of his game, he didn't want to take it personally, but he had to admit, Joker was gifted for getting under people's skin....Bobby hated to be belittled. Goren swallowed his frustration and pride and walked towards the door, thinking for a moment, maybe he shouldn't leave Eames alone. He turned to look at her and she gave him a reassuring nod, a nod that usually wouldn't be perceptible to anyone but them. They had worked together so long, they knew each other's body language by heart. He headed out the door.

"Enjoy the freak show." he heard Joker call over his shoulder.

Eames and Joker sat face to face. Neither speaking. She looked him up and down, taking in the sight of his oily dark, green hair, eyes glaring behind the rings of black, the skin around his twisted mouth. He caught on to her gaze and then smiled and licked his lips, raising an eyebrow. She expected him to say something suggestive, it seemed like it was right on the tip of his tongue.

"Don't detectives usually ask questions?"

"What did one picture say to the other picture?" Eames asked, her voice soft but without hesitation, her eyes refusing to leave his until he looked down. She wouldn't be the one to look away first.

"I dunno, doll, why don't you tell me." Joker's voice was disconnected from his intense stare down with Eames.

In a small voice she said, "I heard you got framed."

Joker let his eyes look away from hers, she won that battle, as he burst into a fit of giggles. However, unlike with Goren, his laugh didn't seem faked or intimidating, he was genuinely laughing, she read it in the creases of his eyes.

"You surprised me, doll, and here I thought you were all business...no fun." Joker pretended to wipe his hands clean, watching the smile dissipate slowly from Eames face. He craned his neck looking around the room.

Goren watched from the other side of the glass...nearly amazed at how quickly Eames was establishing a relationship with Joker. Then he remembered he didn't have her feminine gifts to keep the criminals attention. Still, Eames was working with him well, not showing fear, not letting him dictate, she seemed...in charge. Bobby folded and unfolded his arms, not sure what to do with his nervous energy.

"Hey, love, would you ever date a clown?"

Eames met his eyes again, her dark golden hair sweeping across her face. "My girlfriend dated a clown, it didn't work out."

Joker made an exaggerated pouty face, "Why not?"

"Well, long story short. He said she wouldn't swallow. She said he tasted funny."

A pause and then Joker caught the pun, laughing now because she managed to be corny, unexpected, and dirty all in one joke. He laughed now harder and harder, the sound passing into something more of a cackle, it was drawing Eames in. She realized he was no longer laughing at her joke, but something else.

Goren watched tense on the other side of the glass, seeing Joker fiddling with his feet under the table, then like lightening, he was up and across the room, slamming his chair underneath the knob, before Bobby could reach. Eames reached for her gun in the excitement, but it wasn't there. She didn't think she had ever seen one man move so fast, realizing now, his used his laughter as a distraction. Eames knew she was in trouble when she heard the gun click against her cheek and felt his breath against her face, his wrists were still cuffed, she still couldn't figure how he did it.

"Looking for this, doll.?" Joker pressed the gun harder into her cheek and licked the scarred skin around his mouth. He cocked his head, "You know, I don't really like guns...well- I lied, I like guns...but not with my lady friends." He trailed the gun along Eames cleavage, "And you are definitely one hell of a lady...."

Goren felt like he was going to vomit. He used all the force in his body to try and burst through the door. He realized he was in a panic but felt helpless to stop it. He lurched all his body weight towards the door, causing thumping noises that were beginning to drown out Joker's talk with Eames.

Joker rolled his eyes, and lessened the pressure of the tip of the gun on Eames body.

"Jesus, doesn't he know, he can't get in here like that...it's-it's physics, the chair, the knob, the door, the whole thing..." Joker rolled his eyes again and snorted, "And I thought that guy was supposed to be smart."

Eames took the brief lapse in his attention to try an escape, but as soon as she willed her body to move, leap for the chair to knock it away, he was upon her, his body pressing hard into hers, he smelled like nothing she had ever encountered, blood, and some sort of spice, and something else. His eyes folded into hers now, filled with heat and darkness. He spoke, whispering against her face, Eames clenched her eyes shut, trying to remain calm and steady herself, he wasn't going to give him any fear to feed off of.

The gun dropped to the floor, and he kicked it to the opposite corner of the room, a knife slid into his palm. Bobby's pounding on the door had ceased and Eames knew at any moment the entire swat team would probably enter the room and rescue her, she just had to play it smart, and bide her time. He brought the knife up to her cheek.

"You think I'm a freak too?" he asked semi-grinding his teeth, "Hm, what is it? Is it these..." he turned his head showing on cheek, then the other, "Huh, is it these...my scars?"

He said nothing else for a moment and Eames took this as an opportunity to respond and get control in the situation.

"I think they make you look handsome." She said, forcing a small smile to look genuine. He was taken aback. He shifted his weight and grunted something under his breath.

"You want to know how I got them?" he asked sneering, pressing the knife harder against her cheek with a smile.

"Not particularly, it doesn't really matter." Eames answered quickly, her eyes shooting through the door, wondering when someone was going to come help her. How could he be getting away with this at the police station?

Joker pulled Eames up by the chin, squeezing her face hard, sliding the knife in between her lips.

Goren stopped banging on the door, when Deakins showed him the party favor that had just arrived addressed to Detective Robert Goren. It was a noise maker, and when blown into, it unfolded, making a high-pitched sound, written inside was a note, "The station is rigged with explosives, the door is the detonator." The message was written in messy cryptic handwriting, and since it hadn't specified which door was the detonator the entire station was pretty much on freeze. Deakins had to explain to Bobby that in trying to save one life they could kill everyone in the building. It just wasn't a trade-off everyone was willing to make. Goren felt helpless.

"Why so serious?" his voice was a growl.

Eames knew something was brewing inside him, she spoke before he could slice her face open.