Broken: Unyielding Beast

Chapter 3

Joker was probably in the worst mood of his life as he stared up at the entrance to Saint Francis hospital. He was undoubtedly much too late to actually catch her here. She was already long gone. Luckily, he was an expert at attaining information. Especially from people who were reluctant to give it.

Her damsel in distress call to the police had significantly annoyed him, as the police had arrived just as he was about to dash out of the house. This forced him to go through the back yard to get away. And this led to him jumping several fences and running through several other back yards. And of course there was an annoying rat of a dog in one who absolutely couldn't stop broadcasting his location to everyone in hearing distance.

He had debated taking the time to change into his usual attire, but ultimately the eagerness to have information won out over the prospect of scaring an entire hospital into submission. And this would give him the opportunity to acquire what he needed faster and easier.

He walked into the hospital and used the clearly posted directions on the walls to find the correct room. He found room 346 fairly easily. The door was left half way open so he peeked inside.

There was an unusually pale woman with long dark hair reclining in the hospital provided bed. She looked to be watching tv. He took a moment to decide how to play this. The woman may know nothing at all, in which case he would have to figure out if she was lying. But more than likely she had something useful for him to go on. If she did know Ann, his lovely would have most likely warned her against anyone strange asking about her. Thinking through this he knew exactly how to play the woman to his advantage. And if it didn't work he could always come back dressed in purple and wave a knife in her face.

He softly knocked on the door and pushed it open slightly. As she looked at him he noticed an automatic reaction in her. She smiled. He recognized it as some sort of defense mechanism. "Hi." She said cheerily. He faked hesitancy as he entered. "I'm sorry. I think I must have come to the wrong place." He said. "Oh. I'm sorry. Were you looking for someone?" She asked. A faked look of pain spread across his face. "My sister. Her friend told me I might find her here." He told her. "Oh, well I've been in this room a few days. Maybe they moved her." At least that cleared up the question as to whether or not Ann was a patient. "Well the thing is I'm not sure if she was admitted here or if she was visiting someone. Maybe you could help me?" He asked. He caught a flash of a warning bell going off in her mind as her expression changed suddenly. "I can try." She replied.

He came all the way in the room. "Well, it's a bit difficult to explain. I haven't seen my sister in a few years. We had a falling out at our family's Christmas party awhile back and haven't spoken since. But I got a call from one of her friends a few days ago. She told me that Ann had gotten mixed up with an incredibly possessive guy that was dangerous. She was afraid for her safety and asked if I could help her." He explained.

"Oh, well why don't you call her?" The woman asked. He frowned sadly. "She won't take my calls. I'm afraid she might get hurt. I just need to talk to her in person." He said morosely. The woman looked back at him sadly. "Oh. Um, well she asked me not to tell anyone I knew her. Maybe if I could see some kind of proof that you're her brother?" She asked. Ahah. He had her. "Sure. I don't really have anything substantial. But I can tell you everything about her. Her birthday is July 7th, she loves leather, she's slightly reserved and doesn't like to really talk a lot unless she's stressed and figuring out a problem, she drives a 1969 Camaro that she restored herself, she enjoys martial arts-" "Okay." The woman said laughing. "I believe you. Your sister's a hero. She saved my life! I guess it makes sense that she'd be a martial artist. But I'm afraid I don't really know that much that could help. I know she lives close to the diner where I work." She explained. He smiled. "Anything will help."

~Ann's POV~

Ann was sitting in the same jail cell she and Ashley had shared several months earlier. Bruce sat on the bench in the cell next to her, separated by the metal bars. They had shared a ride in the back of a police car with a matching set of shiny bracelets after being promised to get everything the 'book' had to throw at them. And they were refusing to give them a bail. She wasn't worried about it. Once Gordon came in he would understand what happened and let them out. But he most likely wouldn't be back in until morning. It was sufficiently freezing inside the jail. She had used her phone call to call Reign and tell her she was probably going to be away till tomorrow.

She wrapped her arms around herself and curled her knees up to her chest. So far Bruce hadn't said a word to her. She could tell he was fairly angry with her. She was just waiting for him to figure out what he wanted to say. She knew she probably had it coming.

"You ramped the bridge." He finally spoke. She glanced at him. "So did you." She pointed out.

"I can't believe you ramped the bridge." He told her without looking her direction. "I can't believe you followed me." She told him.

He slowly turned his head to look at her. "Well if you had just pulled over I wouldn't have had to." He told her with a glare. "You jumped the damned bridge."

She glared back. "Well if you hadn't been chasing me I wouldn't have jumped it." She told him angrily. "Well if you hadn't run away I wouldn't have chased you." He shot back.

"Well if you hadn't confused me I wouldn't have run away!" She yelled at him. He sighed. "I'm sorry. It was my fault. Does that make it any better? If I just say it was all my fault?" He asked.

She glanced back at him. "No."

He bowed his head and ran his hands through his hair. "What would make it better then?" He asked.

"I… I dunno." She told him.

Silence.

After a minute he sighed and took off his heavy leather jacket before handing it to her through the bars. She hesitated a moment before reaching out and taking it. True, she had been allowed to keep her jacket, but it was thin and didn't offer much protection from the cold. She smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks." "Your welcome."

She slipped the jacket on and wrapped it around her legs. She could smell his cologne mixed with leather. "I'm sorry I got you arrested. Again. I just… I just wanted to see you." He told her.

She smiled back at him. "It's okay. I can't really be mad at you for getting me thrown in jail this time. I could have stopped."

The sound of a metal door opening and closing echoed through the jail. Ann watched as a cop walked passed her cell. "Hey! Call Gordon!" She yelled at him. He ignored her and kept walking. She gave a huff of annoyance. Bruce laughed at her attempt. She shot him a glare. But before she could retaliate there was another bang of the door. A few seconds later Commissioner Gordon walked in. Apparently no one had informed him they were the ones who caused the trouble. He blanched the moment he saw the pair of them.

"Ann? What did you-? And after I just finished praising you as a reliable guardian…." He trailed off. Bruce gave her a funny look as she jumped up. "It's not my fault! He was chasing me!" She accused as she pointed in Bruce's direction. Gordon looked at the man behind her. Bruce was a bit wide eyed and didn't really know what to say.

Gordon's look turned apprehensive. "I see." He muttered. Bruce, who was now standing, crossed his arms. "It wasn't her fault. I did chase her." He admitted. Gordon sighed. "Your supposed to keep her 'out' of trouble." Gordon commented as he thumbed through his keys, looking for the right one.

Once he found the correct key he opened the doors and the both of them stepped out of their cells. "Thanks Commissioner." She smiled gratefully. "Mmhmm. Just be more, um, choice conscious about how you drive from now on. Okay?" She nodded. "And you, I don't even know what to say to you." Speaking to Bruce. "You- oh just go. I swear it's like raising teenagers." He walked out muttering to himself.

Ann winced, but Bruce looked unfazed. Not really knowing what else to do, so she let Bruce escort her back through the police station. The man at the checkout area gave her back her guns and knife. She was about to walk out when she noticed the man give Bruce back his wallet, cell phone, and what looked like a knife that he slid into the pocket of the coat that she was still wearing. Then he guided her out into the open street. Once outside, in the fading sun, it was much warmer. She slipped off the heavy leather jacket and gratefully handed it back to Bruce. He smirked as he took back the jacket. But as he did he wrapped his free arm around her. He pulled her into a warm hug. She hesitated, stiff and unsure.

"I didn't know you carried a knife." She told him a bit awkwardly as he kissed the top of her head and let her go. "I didn't know you carried those guns." He replied as they walked around the corner to the impound lot. She was in the process of putting them back into her holsters. He stopped and waited for her as she propped her foot on the side of the building so she could put the second gun back in the hidden holster on her ankle. She didn't notice, but as she did so it gave him a very nice view of her butt. He leaned over ever so slightly as his eyebrows rose.

She pulled her pants leg back over the holster and turned back to look at him just as he straightened and looked away. She shot a glare his way as he glanced back at her and they continued walking. "Were you just staring at my ass?" She asked in a disbelieving voice. He looked back at her like he had just noticed she was there. "What?" He asked. She gave him a look of disbelief. "You were ogling my ass!" She exclaimed, earning a few looks from passersby. He smirked before leaning over to whisper in her ear. "Darling, I've seen you naked. I hardly think staring at your ass would be offensive." He told her before walking on ahead of her. She balked. "Darling?" He smirked back at her as he walked up to the little booth outside the gates to the impound lot and started talking to the officer on duty. She glared daggers at his back before joining him at the window.

"Are you the two who jumped a bridge on motorcycles?" The man asked as she tuned into the conversation. Bruce glanced back at Ann over his shoulder. "That'd be us." He said. The man smiled. "One of the guys got it on video. You wanna see it?" He asked. Bruce's eyebrows rose slightly. "He got it on video?" He asked in disbelief. The man nodded and handed Bruce his cell phone. It had a video playing on it. Ann stood on her tip toes to look over his shoulder. Sure enough. The video just barely caught Ann at the top of her jump and ended with the two of them raising their hands at gun point. "Can you send that to me?" Ann asked, slightly proud of herself for not screaming like Bruce had. Bruce glared at her a moment before handing the phone back. "Oh, it's all over youtube." The man told them. Ann's eyes widened. "What?" She asked. "It's on the news too." He told her. Beside her Bruce closed his eyes and sighed deeply, obviously in an attempt to control his annoyance.

Ann grinned at him. "Um, sorry?" She told Bruce. He looked back at her in a way that said he didn't believe she really was.

They each had to pay a little over $500 to retrieve their motorcycles. Ann didn't have the cash so she was forced to charge it to her credit card. Bruce had done the same. After they had paid the officer gave them their keys and opened the locked gate for them to go inside.

They found their bikes at the back of the lot parked neatly next to each other. There wasn't a single scratch. Ann was relieved. As she was about to start her bike Bruce stopped her by putting his hand over hers. "Come to dinner tonight." He said. He wasn't so much asking or telling her. But the look in his eyes was pleading her to say yes. "Bruce, everyone thinks I left to avoid Joker. But you know that was only part of it. I left because I was confused." She told him. "Just give it a chance." He asked her.

She gave it a moment of thought. "Nothing serious. It's just dinner." He told her. She thought back to Reign wanting to meet both Bruce and Joker. She definitely wasn't going to meet Joker anytime soon if she had anything to say about it. But…

"Okay, but can I bring a friend?" She asked. He gave her a funny look. "A friend? Ann we hardly need a chaperone." He commented. She shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I've been taking care of a kid." She told him. An enlightened look spread across his face. "So that's what Gordon meant." She nodded. "The girl's parents were killed in a car crash years ago. Her sister, who ran off with her illegally, was mugged and shot. I just happen to hear the gun go off and got there just in time to save the both of them." Ann explained. "Okay, well bring her along. I'm sure she's lovely." Ann smirked. "Okay." She told him and nodded. He smiled. "Then it's a date." He said cheerfully before starting his bike.

Wait. A date?

Bruce left with a smile on his face and Ann was now a bit concerned. She knew Jak had probably gone to the hospital looking for information about her. She worried about Jasmine. But she was sure if he had done anything horrible she would have noticed some kind of activity from the police while she had been held prisoner. So she drove home, hoping to find Reign there and not out somewhere else.

~Joker's POV~

He had been watching the diner for close to an hour, hoping to get lucky and catch her drive by or go in to eat. He and Devon were in one of his vans down the street. Devon, of course, was angry about having been dragged into more drama involving Ann. He was irritable, tired, and hungry. Joker had been on his ass constantly ever since Ann had disappeared, hoping to glean information from his blonde girlfriend. Sniper was camped on the roof of a semi-high building a block away watching the parts of the area that Joker and Devon couldn't see.

It was nearly dinner time and the small diner was packed with customers. There was plenty of traffic, but no sign of Ann or her precious Camaro. Joker was getting impatient. He still felt that the kid knew something he wasn't sharing with him. He was sure the blonde must have shared something 'anything' significant with her faithful boyfriend. He had been hassling the boy for most of the time spent in the van.

"I told you already. I don't know anything." Devon said for the billionth time. "I'll find her eventually. If you would help it would all be over faster." Joker reasoned. He had yet to lose his composure during the current encounter with Devon. But he was losing his patience with him fast. "It's never 'over' with you. You can't leave well enough alone." Devon told him, looking out the window. "What makes it worse is she's just as damn stubborn as you are. It's like a circle that keeps going round and round, sucking up anyone and anything that gets too close."

Joker crossed his arms over his chest. "I have to say, being compared to some kind of destructive tropical storm is flattering." He said vainly. Devon sent a glare his way. "It wasn't a compliment you twisted clown."

A motorcycle came around the corner catching his attention. The driver accelerated past and disappeared down the road. Joker looked back to Devon to see his eyes had gone wide for a split second as he watched the bike go by. "Someone you know?" Joker asked, slightly interested in Devon's reaction. Devon glanced back at him before swallowing. "I just thought I saw my ex. That's all." Joker studied him a moment longer. But was unable to tell if he had been lying. "Interesting."

~Ann's POV~

She parked her bike in the garage and walked up to her door. She listened at the door for a moment before unlocking it and entering. She found Reign in the living room watching an old Bugs Bunny carton. "Have you eaten dinner yet?" Ann asked as she dropped her coat in the chair and started taking off her gun holster. Reign shook her head. "Good. I've got a surprise for you." She told the girl as she wandered to her bedroom in search of something to wear to dinner. Reign jumped to her feet and followed her into her room. "What is it?" She asked excitedly. Ann smiled at her over her shoulder as she dug through her closet. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it?" Reign jumped up to sit on the bed, pouting.

Ann gave in to her girly side and found a sheik black dress with silver trim that came down to just below her knees. She spun around holding the dress to her body. "What do you think? Is it too….girly?" Ann asked, showing Reign the dress. "I guess that depends on what your going to be doing in it." Reign said. "Touché. I'm kind of going on a date. And your coming with me." Ann told her. Reign wore a confused look on her face. "I'm coming with you on a date? Ya, that's not weird." She said sarcastically. Ann rolled her eyes. "It's not weird. It's part of your surprise." Ann told her. "Now what about the dress?" She redirected the conversation. Reign seemed to study it a moment as it hung in front of Ann. "Well, if it's for a date it looks good." The girl told her. Ann suppressed her slight annoyance. "But is it too girly for me?" She asked. Reign scratched her neck. "I don't even understand your question. It's a dress your wearing on a date. Isn't it supposed to be a bit girly?" She asked. "Well yeah. I guess. I just don't want to overdo it. I don't like looking like a primped up Barbie doll." Ann explained. Reign smiled. "In that case, your good. Doesn't look like anything a primped up Barbie would wear." Reign replied. Ann smile. "Awesome."

"If it's a dinner date then you better hurry and get ready. It's getting kind of late." The girl said as she hopped off the bed and made her way to the adjourning bathroom to brush her hair and was parting it in preparation for her pig tails. Ann smirked and waited for the girl to finish. Once Reign was done Ann undressed and stepped into the shower. She had just come from jail after all. She made quick work of shampooing her hair and shaving her legs and was done in an amazing 25 minutes, which impressed her. She towel dried her hair until it was only damp before retrieving her dress and pulling it on. She found a pair of shiny black heels in her closet and strapped them on before going back to the mirror and brushing out her hair and continuing to dry it. She parted her hair on the side, giving it an attractive flare, and then put on some grey eye shadow and eye liner. She topped it with mascara, and then she was finally ready.

She stepped out of the bathroom to find Reign in the living room. "How do I look?" She asked, a bit apprehensive. Reign's face it up. "You look wonderful!" She exclaimed. Ann smiled.

Ann and Reign arrived at Bruce's mansion close to half an hour later. Ann was nervous at first about arriving too late, but he had never really specified a time. So she tried to forget about it. And it wasn't like she hadn't dated Bruce before. It's just that this time they were both themselves, with nothing left to hide. This time they actually knew each other. True, they had known each other's secrets for a while. And they had spent a lot of time together since then. But since they had discovered each other's dirty little secrets, she had done her damndest to avoid any kind of situation like that with him. And here she was, walking right in to the exact situation she had been trying to avoid.

These thoughts floated through her head as she walked up the stairs towards the door. Reign followed her with a bounce in her step. Ann knew she was a smart girl. She had likely figured out who Ann was going on a date with, and was excited about meeting him.

As usual, the door opened before she could bother knocking. Alfred stood on the other side of the doorway. He smiled warmly at her. "Nice to see you again miss Ann." He told her. Alfred smiled at Reign before kneeling down and offering to shake her hand. "And who is this beautiful young lady?" He asked nicely. "Alfred this is Reign. She's been staying with me the last few days." Ann explained. "This is Alfred, Reign." Ann told her smiling. Reign seemed encouraged by Ann's smile and shook Alfred's hand. "It's nice to meet you." She told him sweetly.

After their introduction, Alfred led them up a flight of stairs to the same dining room Bruce had dined her at back before she knew who he really was. The same table was in the same place, sitting just inside the open door to the balcony that looked out over the property. Bruce was there, standing on the balcony looking out into the night. He turned at their arrival and flashed her one of those one in a million smiles that people rarely saw.

Just like every other time she saw him, her eyes couldn't help but wandering up and down his body. He was wearing his black slacks with a white button up shirt. He left the top few buttons open to give her a slight glimpse of his chest. Any lesser woman would have swooned over him in an instant. And she was having a hard time keeping herself from doing just that.

At seeing him, Reign's eyes lit up. She hopped up and down next to Ann in excitement. "It's really him! I'm meeting Bruce Wayne! Thank you thank you thank you!" She exclaimed to Ann as Bruce walked over to greet them.

"Bruce, this is Reign. Reign this is Bruce Wayne." Ann said calmly. Like Alfred, Bruce knelt down to her eye level with a smile. "Hi Reign. It's nice to meet you." He told her. Reign beamed up at him. "Nice to meet you too." She said happily.

He was charming. He must have really been trying to impress her tonight. And it was working. He stood back up and held his hand out for Ann to take. She hesitated again. But after a moment she placed her hand in his. He kissed her knuckles before guiding her to the table and pulling out her chair for her.

Reign sat to her left and Bruce sat across from her. Bruce was idly conversing with Reign about her interests and Ann was sipping her wine, listening. Reign seemed to be delighted to meet Gotham's number one play boy. If only the girl knew the truth about him like she did. She'd be doubly excited.

A few minutes into the conversation Alfred arrived with dinner. An expertly cooked filet minion with a side of portabella sautéed mushrooms and what looked like fiesta corn. Ann smiled up at Bruce at seeing the steak. He had remembered her favorite cuisine.

"You look beautiful Ann." Bruce commented. She smiled back at him. "Thank you." She replied. "So how did you guys meet?" Reign asked from beside her. Ann and Bruce exchanged a look. Ann could tell he was remembering the scenario on the roof tops where she had escaped Batman by climbing through a small window. It seemed like years ago. Bruce smiled at her. "Like usual, she took me by surprise. She beat me in a game that I didn't even know I was playing." He told the girl. "It seems like, no matter what I do, she's always one step out of my reach."

Ann blushed slightly at the double sided meaning in his words. And his insinuation that she played games didn't sit too well with her. Bruce took a bite of his steak in a way that made her feel like he was suggesting something with his actions. Ann took a deep breath to keep her composure as she picked at her mushrooms. Reign looked confused, glancing back and forth at the both of them, obviously wondering what she had missed.

The girl took it in stride, probably resolving to ask Ann about it later, and smiled. "I've missed you." Bruce said suddenly from across the table. "How have you been?" He asked. She was taken slightly off guard. But she nodded. "I've been okay." She told him. "Honestly it's been kind of boring the last few months. Going to libraries to access computers and pay phones to call my friends. I don't like it." She confessed. He gave a halfhearted smirk. "Well, at least it keeps you safe." He commented. "I can't imagine today could have been boring for you. I've said it before, you attract trouble lie the plague."

"I suppose I can be a bit reckless." She stated, annoyed. Realization struck Reign. "That was you?! You were the two that jumped the bridge!" She exclaimed. "I knew I'd seen that bike before. It was yours!" Ann finished off the wine in her glass. She could tell this part of the conversation wouldn't be fun. Bruce seemed amuse by her annoyance. "We hardly planned for it to be recorded and put on the news." Ann mumbled. Bruce laughed. "To be technical, we didn't plan it at all." He commented.

Reign glanced back at Ann. "That's your problem, you know that. You don't plan anything." The girl told her. They had had this conversation before, briefly. "If I took the time to plan everything out I'd make myself crazy. Predicting things just doesn't work for me. It's easier to adjust for the situation and then compensate for it." Ann told her.

"You see her point though, Ann. You can't deny that half the reason you get into bad situations is because you don't have a backup plan." Bruce commented. She glared at him. "And the other half would be because people can't seem to leave me alone." She mumbled. He rubbed his neck in a slightly embarrassed way. "Touché."

"The two of you fight like an old married couple." Reign said, half to herself. This earned an amused smile from Bruce and an annoyed glare from Ann.

The rest of dinner went by rather quickly. When they were finished eating Bruce offered to take Reign on a tour of the mansion. It was already dark outside, so he could only really show her the inside. Ann patiently walked after the two of them as Bruce walked Reign through the large building. He'd stop every so often to explain part of the architecture, or to tell a story of how he came upon a particular work of art. Reign was impressed, and she marveled at the art that he had on display in many of the hallways and side rooms. Ann marveled at many of them also. Though she had spent a lot of time in the mansion, she had never really explored it like she had always wanted to. She had generally kept to the few rooms she frequented. So seeing more of the place was enjoyable. She found it interesting to see the things he had collected and cared for before he was Batman.

Before long Reign began to look very tired. A glance at a nearby grandfather clock told her it was already 11pm. Reign, of course, denied being anything close to tired. But both Ann and Bruce could see through her act. Once Ann voiced it, Bruce agreed that they should probably go. But not before he offered for them to stay there. Ann refused, mainly on principle.

As Ann was about to follow Reign down the stairs to the car Bruce lightly held her arm. She turned he smiled at her. "Just keep in touch, okay?" She smiled slightly. "Okay." He leaned in to place a chaste kiss on the lips before letting her go. He watched from the doorway as she descended the steps and got into her car.

~Joker's POV~

After another hour of sitting in the van he had resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to catch a glimpse of her, at least not this night. He had left Sniper behind, comfortably perched on his rooftop vantage point, just in case she happen to drive by. While his favorite pot shot lackey was doing his dirty work, Joker had gone to oversee something he had been working through his head for a while. He was getting damn tired of this game of hide and seek. If he couldn't find her, he was just going to have to make her come to him, or be brought to him tied and gagged by every citizen in Gotham.

He giggled at the thought. He knew she would come of her own free will. She had too much pride to hide from him after he put all his thoughts into action and she heard of it. She also had too much pride to let herself be dragged kicking and screaming to his door. Come to think of it, it might do her some good. But that would only happen if she refused to come to him herself. For a moment he hoped that her stubborn side won out over her pride. He smiled at the thought.

No sooner had he finished that thought his phone rang.

~Sniper's POV~

It was cold. Unbelievably cold at the top of the building he was perched upon. The wind whipped around him, threatening to blow him away if he were to be careless. He sat against the outdoor components of an air conditioner unit that was several feet back from the ledge of the building. His 50 caliber rifle sat on its bi-pod at the edge just to his left. Just in case. A high powered pair of binoculars used for spotting targets allowed him to view the entire area near the diner when he wanted to look things over. This allowed him to keep tabs on the area without having to move from his spot and look through his rifle.

He sighed and wrapped the jacket he wore tighter around his body. He was contemplating falling asleep when something caught his attention. He raised the binoculars to his eyes and his eyebrows rose in shock. He hadn't actual expected her to come by. Especially not this late. He pulled out his phone and dialed Joker's number as he packed up his gear and slung his rifle over his shoulder. If she left he would be expected to follow her. He ran to the elevator on the top floor, hoping she wouldn't leave the diner before he got to his Harley Davidson.

~Ann's POV~

They had stopped by the diner on the way home. Jasmine's pay check had come in today, and Reign had asked if they could pick it up on the way home. The girl had forgotten to get it when she was out earlier in the day. Ann didn't mind. It was only a short drive from the diner to the apartment. It wouldn't take long. But she felt slightly uneasy. Ever since she stepped out of her car it felt like there were eyes on her. She didn't like the feeling of being watched.

She watched from the booth by the door as Reign chatted with Lisa. Lisa was asking how Jasmine was and if there was anything she could do to help. Ann felt slightly awkward. But finally Reign was done and they made their goodbyes.

Once home Reign literally fell into bed and passed out. Ann wasn't quite so tired, so she snuggled up under a blanket on the couch and flipped through the channels on her tv until she found a decent movie. She would have changed out of the dress, but she simply didn't feel like it at the moment.

She wasn't much into the movie. But it made for decent background noise as she rolled through her thoughts. She couldn't help feel a bit of disgust at herself for hiding out for months. And it was all because she was afraid of her feelings for Bruce. And what sucked even more was he hadn't even seemed bothered by what had happened between them. He was just happy to see her again and that she was okay. He was willing to wait for her to figure things out and take it slow. True, he had chased her down on his motorcycle until she was forced to stop. But to be fair she had just disappeared three months earlier. It stood to reason that he probably just wanted to talk to her.

A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts. Frowning, she stood and walked across the room. It must have been important. All her friends knew it was dangerous to come here. She reached for the door knob only for the door to burst open, probably from a well-placed kick. She jerked her hand away and stumbled backwards, just barely avoiding being hit by the door as it flew open.

Her first thought was robbers, but the moment her eyes landed on the purple suit she knew it was much worse. Her eyes darted to her guns on the other side of the room and back as he smoothly stepped through the busted door.

"Honey I'm home!" He exclaimed loudly. "Did ya miss me?" He asked as he stepped towards her. She backed up. "If you mean 'did I miss the insane way that you get me into trouble, the fucked up way you try to control me, and the bitter fights' then no. I didn't." She told him. He tilted his head. "Come now, love. Surely there was 'something' about me you missed." He coaxed as he slid farther into the room. "Please leave." She told him, crossing her arms. She was hardly in any shape to fight with him, physically or mentally.

He backed her up until she was against the wall. She wasn't used to being this vulnerable around him. She had no weapons within her reach; she was bare foot, and wearing a knee length dress. She felt naked and useless.

"Don't you look fancy? Did you get all dressed up for me?" He crooned. He was within arm's reach now. Close enough she could smell the gasoline on his suit.

She crossed her arms and smirked at him. "I was on a date." His eyes narrowed at her. "It's hardly any of your business. But I had a wonderful time. Now please leave." She told him. This was probably a bad idea, but it was the only weapon she had.

Before she could process it, he had hold of her wrist. And it hurt. "I don't think so. Your coming with me." He was dragging her to the door. "Sonofabitch! Let the fuck go of me!" She screamed at him. Suddenly out of nowhere there was a gunshot and a bullet ricocheted off the ceiling between the two. Joker let go of her wrist and she fell backwards onto her but. The both of them looked towards the doorway to the kitchen to see Reign, in her nightdress, clutching one of Ann's pistols.

Ann was shocked, to say the least. In the back of her mind she was sure the girl hadn't actually been trying to hit the Joker. But it was slightly amusing just the same. "Reign," Ann began. But she realized that the Joker was still standing over her. He was also looking at the girl with a slight sense of shock. Reign was shaking as she pointed the gun at Joker. Ann was surprise she hadn't dropped it yet.

"Get out." Reign yelled at Joker, who had recovered from his shock. He laughed at her. "Just who do you think I am, child?" He was still standing over her. Ann inched her way towards Reign. Once she got far enough away from him, she grabbed the other gun that was still on the chair and pointed it in his direction. "You should listen to her, Jak. She's not afraid of you. And I'm not a child." She told him. He didn't look very happy as he sneered at her. "I've already called the police. So unless Arkham is your goal, you'd better leave quickly." Reign told him. Ann had a thought that she could have been bluffing. Joker apparently had the same thought. That is, until the flash of red and blue from the window and the loud noise of police sirens flooded the apartment moments later.

"This isn't over, Love. I'll be seeing you again soon." He growled before rushing out the door.

Ann sighed and all but collapsed against the chair that her back was against. She glanced at Reign. The girl was still shaking and pointing the gun at the open door. Ann smiled and gently took the gun from her. "I'll take a guess that you've never shot a gun before." Ann commented. Reign shook her head. "Well, I'm glad you decided to learn." She commented and gave the girl a reassuring hug.

Moments later Commissioner Gordon ran into the room with his gun drawn. He had a whole squad of police officers behind him.

"He's already gone." Ann told him. The majority of police behind Gordon visibly relaxed. She guessed most of them didn't like the idea of a chance encounter with the Joker. "I'm very glad your both okay." Gordon told her. He had holstered his gun, but still looked stressed and on edge. She could see how bad this Joker business was affecting him.

Most of the police officers had dispersed by the time she had finished telling Gordon the story of what all had happened. Though, several had stayed behind. Either from curiosity or their duty she couldn't be sure.

"I don't think he'll be back tonight. Though I would like to place several officers in your home. Just to be sure." He told her. She nodded. No point in arguing. She knew no matter what she said, he was still going to leave them there.

Reign had gone back to bed not long after the commissioner had left. Ann, however, was still to wound up and just plain pissed off to sleep. She was sitting at the kitchen counter playing a game of quarters with herself and sipping on a strong self-made whiskey and Dr. Pepper. One of the two cops assigned to her was sitting on the couch watching tv while the other was doing a check of the outside perimeter.

Her current thought process was leading her down the road to finding a solution to her man problems with Joker. She was already at a stalemate in her relationship with him. He was obviously not going to give up his game with Batman anytime soon. She had the same problem with Bruce. Only he would refuse to leave the city defenseless against Joker. And both of them wanted her. Would do anything for her. Joker was her obvious focus here, as he didn't have morals or boundaries. Bruce was just insatiably protective. The problem was she couldn't pick either of them or she would end up having to fight against someone she cared about. She wished she could just go back to how it was before she found out Bruce was Batman. Everything was so much simpler then.

She was beginning to form some kind of long term plan for keeping Joker away from her until his status with Batman changed when the second police officer returned. He didn't look too keen on joining his partner on the couch, who was now snoring softly. So she offered him a seat next to her at the kitchen table. She offered him some whiskey, but he declined. It was fairly silent. She could tell he was debating something with himself. While she waited for him to do whatever he was wanting to do, she took the time to study him in greater detail. He was quite attractive, with wavy black hair that neatly framed his face. He had broad shoulders and was quite tall. He had a shadow of a beard along his jawline. And his hands were large and rough. He looked to be in his mid to late twenties.

She had the sudden realization that she hardly looked modest, with her tousled hair, her knee length wrinkled dress, and her bare feet. She probably looked like a cheap whore.

"Can I tell you something?" He suddenly asked from beside her. She returned her attention to him. "Um. Sure."

"I just want to say how much I admire you for standing up to him like you do." He told her. She was caught slightly off guard. "Umm. Thank you." She told him. She didn't really know what to say.

"It's really inspiring to see someone who's not afraid of him. It gives people hope." He told her. She smiled. "Thank you." She said again. It wasn't really so much of her standing up to him. It was more like her just trying to manage and get by his craziness. And she still wasn't used to being praised.

She took a look at his name tag. "Maroni?" She asked, suddenly nervous. He sighed visibly. "Unfortunately. Before you ask, yes I'm related to Sal Maroni. He's my uncle." He explained. Ann looked at him seriously. "But you a cop." She argued. He laughed. "Yes. And I'm and honest cop! Don't think just cause he's a mob boss that everyone who knows him is crooked." He almost scolded her. Sounds like he's heard that statement before. "I'm sorry. It just surprised me. I didn't think he had any nice friends. Much less any relatives on the police force." She told him. He smirked at her.

Well, at least that explains why I've never met him before, considering the company I used to keep.

"So you've met my uncle?" He asked surprised. She scowled at herself inwardly. She hadn't expected him to pick up on that. So he was smart as well.

She nodded in response to his question. "He's dating my best friend." She told him. At least that explanation didn't involve her in all the craziness that happened between herself and the mob boss.

"Oh, Misa? She's your best friend?" Ann nodded. He smiled. "She's nice." He commented. Ann didn't know Misa had met Maroni's family. At least it meant he wasn't just using her and keeping her a secret from everyone.

"I never got your first name." Ann commented, more to change the subject than anything. But she was genuinely curious. "Connor." He told her. He looked pleased that she had asked. She smiled at him. She rightly couldn't help it. He was cute.

The conversation turned to recent politics soon afterwards and they stayed up talking for hours until Ann was finally too tired to continue. She excused herself to sleep. But Connor assured her that he'd be awake all night to make sure no one could harm her. He seemed very chivalrous. She went to sleep with a smile on her face.