Safety Dance

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Batman, The Joker, or any related titles, plots, characters, etc across any of the variety of mediums in which either are represented. Neither do I own the rights to Nirvana or any of their music from which we take this chapter's title. These rights belong only to the creators and publishers. I own only the original elements of this story, which I make no money from writing or publishing.

Come As You Are

The instant her phone rang again, Bear snatched it up and held it to her ear. She couldn't speak with the fear tightening her throat, but she didn't have to. The moment the cool screen pressed against her ear, the Joker began to speak. He was using the hard, icy voice that meant he was deadly serious, but that was just one of many reasons he held her full attention.

"I'd suggest that ya never hang up on me again, little girl," he warned. "Not if ya ever want to see my guest again. At least, while she's still got a pulse."

Bear still didn't say anything and the Joker gave a low laugh that managed to sound both victorious and sinister. "That's rii-iiight! Guess who dropped by just yesterday to see her dear sister? Surprise! A lovely little Duchess. Love the names, by the way."

"Let me talk to her," Bear blurted thoughtlessly.

The Joker was silent for a long moment before breathing, "I think ya know how I feel about people giving me orders, Teddy Bear."

"Please," Bear said, trying not to feel like she was begging. "Please let me talk to her, Joker."

"Oooh, when did I give ya permission to use my given name? Strike two, little Bear."

Swallowing, Bear pressed a shaking hand to her face as she begged outright. "Please, Mr. J, please. Please let me speak to my sister. Please, please, please…"

"Mmm… ya really know howtah make a man feel like somethin' special, don't ya, Bear? I'll let ya speak to her for just a minute, but I'm gonna be listening. Don't try anything cute."

There was a bit of fumbling static, then… "Bear?"

"Hey, Dutch," Bear said in greeting, trying to keep the stifling fear from her voice. "How's he treating you?"

"Not… terribly, I suppose."

"Ya wound me, Duchess," the Joker purred, alerting Bear that she was on speakerphone. "Here I've given ya my best hospitality. Guess I'm just not good enough for royalty… Though your sister found my hospitality satisfying enough last time she was here."

There was a beat of silence, and Bear could practically hear her sister's mind buzzing. "Bear?" Dutch asked, a mixture of disbelief and horror in her voice.

"Not in that way," Bear assured her younger sister. It was unwise, but she couldn't help letting a little barb fly. "I don't think he even thinks about women like that."

"Hmm, I might hafta make an exception for your sister here. Such warm, smooth skin…"

Dutch gave a scared little squeak and Bear felt a surge of hot anger, knowing that he was touching her. "What do you want?"

"What was that, Teddy Bear? I thought I heard ya ask a question, but I'm sure I musta been mistaken. That would be your third strike, and you're not exactly here to pay the price for striking out. Your sister is, but I don't think you'd want that…"

"I'm sorry!" she rushed out. "I'm just curious about what I can do for you. Surely you must want something in exchange for her freedom."

"Why, my little Bear, how clever of ya. Let me take ya off speakerphone and step away so we can talk some business. Say goodbye for now."

"Bear?" Bear's stomach twisted violently at the little girl uncertainty in Dutch's voice.

"Hang in there, Dutch. I'll get you out, I promise," she comforted as best she could.

"How lovely. The bond of sisterhood," Joker's voice oozed in her ear. Bear heard footsteps followed by the slamming of a door. "You two look so much alike. I almost couldn't tell the difference between ya when she's on the table."

"You wouldn't," Bear hissed, blood burning at the thought of Dutch being strapped to the same table she herself had been tortured on.

"Is that a dare?" Bear stayed silent and the Joker rumbled out a laugh. "I don't want to hurt little Duchess, ya know."

"You could always let her go," Bear said blandly, but was cut off by another laugh.

"Oh, no, I couldn't do that. I need her for leverage. I'll kill her if I hafta, but ya know, it's the strangest thing: she's just not as… heh, not as interesting as you were."

Bear fought to keep her voice toneless as she answered, "I'm thrilled."

"Now, now, don't be flippant," he chided. She found that a bit rich coming from the man known as the Clown Prince of Gotham and gave a mirthless chuckle. When he spoke again, Bear could hear the smile in his voice - almost a normal smile rather than his psychotic smirk, but not quite. "Yeah, let's just settle with not being flippant with me."

For a surreal moment, Bear almost felt like the two were friends, catching up and cracking jokes. However, she experienced a quick return to their normal interactions when he spoke again. "But about our deal," he started, voice becoming deadly serious. "Here are my terms. Non-negotiable. I want ya back in Gotham. I don't care how ya have to do it, but ya have one week to get back here."

"You aren't-" Bear cut herself off, refusing to allow a question out of her mouth. "I mean, I'm surprised you aren't telling me I have to come to you."

The Joker laughed, low and evil. "I'm not saying ya won't come here of your own will eventually, but it would be cheating to blackmail ya here. No, it's just getting tricky to keep an eye on ya in Dallas. I need my men for other things."

Bear frowned. She had kept a careful eye for anyone following her or watching her mother's house. Before she could think of a way to phrase this that didn't sound like a challenge, the Joker sighed, "114 Wildflower Lane. Such a beautiful little house on a quiet little street. I particularly like the stuffed Cheshire Cat ya keep on top of your bookshelf. He's a bit of an idol of mine, ya know?"

Bear felt herself pale over the casual confirmation that he had indeed been watching her and spoke without thinking about the effect her words could have, "Stay the hell away from my mother."

"Oooh, Little Bear, I think that was a threat. Didn't I ever tell ya how I feel about threats? I think of 'em as… heh, as challenges." Bear stayed silent, but Joker kept talking. "Now, your mom… I definitely see where you girls get your looks from. I don't normally go for older women, but she is a beauty… I think I could spend some time with her if ya know what I mean…"

"You've made your point," Bear said, voice tight. "Any other terms?"

"I'll ignore the question this once, since you're asking what I want. But no, not especially," he said easily. "I would prefer ya keep the authorities outta things. The boys in blue are having enough issues without any help from yours truly. Or the Bat," he added darkly.

"And my sister?" Bear asked softly.

"Hmm… I don't think she causes any trouble at all with the cops, but I guess ya know her better than I do." The Joker cut off as he laughed uproariously at his own joke.

Bear stayed quiet until he had finished, then a few seconds more to be certain none of her irritation would show in her voice. "I meant, when will you release my sister?"

"Oh, that… Well, let's just say that the minute ya touch down in Gotham, little Duchess will be headed safe and sound on her way back to Texas. Not that you're gonna see her. I'm not setting up a family reunion for ya, as good a friend as I am." Something in Bear's silence must have broadcasted her skepticism, though, since he sighed. "Okay, if ya want, I'll have her call ya when she's on her way home. That work, sweetness?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," Bear gritted out.

"Oh, you are just so welcome," the Joker purred. "Well, it's been… heh, it's been a real thrill talkin' to ya, Teddy Bear, but I gotta go. I'll see ya just as soon as I can find the time in my busy schedule."

"I thought you said you weren't going to take me back to your compound?" Bear asked, unable to keep the fear from her voice.

The Joker tsked at her. "Careful, doll. I'm startin' to think ya didn't care for my hospitality, and that would just be rude." He chuckled. "I'm not gonna force ya to go anywhere, but we do have some things to discuss. Things that would be better said face-to-face. I'll be in touch, Little Bear."

The line went dead and the screen flickered on, showing that the phone call had lasted less than fifteen minutes, yet Bear would have sworn it had spanned hours. In yet another blink of the eye, her entire world had been flipped on its head, and now there was nothing to do but reset everything as best she could. She sighed, staring longingly at her bed.

It wasn't going to be an easy process, but it was one that should be started right away. Besides, the sooner she got back to Gotham, the sooner Dutch would be on her way home.

Bear was profoundly nervous and already guilty as she sat in Sara's waiting room. It was a cozy little area, designed with specific touches in place to soothe her patients as they readied themselves to be analyzed and diagnosed. Come to think of it, the room wasn't soothing at all. Or maybe that was just Bear projecting again.

"Bear?" Sara called. Her voice was gentle, pleasant, and still Bear jumped as though she had been shot. She tried to play it off, rising quickly to enter Sara's office, but she knew that her now-frowning friend had seen and taken note of the action.

"How are you doing today, Bear?" Sara asked, conversational tone mismatched with the scrutiny in her eyes. It wasn't just the jump that had made her suspicious: Bear was here on a Monday. She should have been at work, and Sara was always one to notice breaks in routine.

Bear shrugged. "I've been better."

"Would you like to talk about what's bothering you?" Sara led patiently.

Leaning forward, Bear gave an uncomfortable little smile. "I could, but I need you to take a more active role than listener. I need you to help me."

Succinctly as possible, Bear had summed up her current situation, no holds barred, knowing that Sara's idea of doctor/patient confidentiality would keep her from telling anyone - even the police.

"So," Bear finished finally. "I need you to help me get transferred back to the Gotham branch of my company. Write an email or two about how I underwent a traumatic event and you think that facing the scene of the trauma head-on is the best cure. You would know how to word it better than I do, but something along those lines. And also, it would be great if you could tell my mother the same thing. And my brothers."

Sara rubbed a spot on her forehead just above the bridge of her nose. It was one of the few signs of frustration she possessed. "Your younger sister has been kidnapped and is likely being tortured by the same man who did these things to you, and your solution is to play right into his hands?" Bear began to answer, but Sara's sharp gesture cut her off. "No, I'm sorry, your solution is to play into his hands while having me lie to your entire family - people who are like family to me and who would blame me when, not if, this goes wrong - as well as stake my professional integrity on your acting abilities by lying to your workplace? Bear, do you know how insane this all sounds?"

"Yes!" she said loudly, then lowered the pitch of her voice. "Yes, okay? I know it's crazy and stupid and is probably going to end with me dead, but if I don't go, or if I call the police, or do anything he doesn't want me to do, Dutch is definitely going to end up dead. I can't let her suffer for my mistakes."

"You haven't made any mistakes, Bear!" Sara's gaze turned dark. "Yet, at least."

Bear shook her head. "If I haven't done anything wrong, then Dutch is a literal saint. I chose to transfer to Gotham. I heard about how bad everything is there, but I was motivated by the money. I knew there was a crazy guy living there who calls himself the Joker, but I still went to a club called The Jester's Crown. I escaped when it would have been so much easier to sit there and wait for death. Those were all actions I am responsible for. But Dutch? She cared about her sister, hadn't heard from her in a while, and decided to drop in unannounced on her way back from a trip abroad. She did literally nothing wrong."

"I just feel that there are some options we are missing here-" Sara started, obviously trying to scrape her psychologist persona back together, but Bear wasn't having it.

"Probably. In fact, I'm sure there are. There have to be, but the simple fact is that I don't have the time. I haven't spent much time with him, but I'm pretty sure the Joker isn't one to bluff. If I'm not back in Gotham within a week, he will kill Dutch. I can't let that happen."

Sara began to speak, and something in the look on her face told Bear that she was going to refuse. Bear dreaded it, but the time had come to play the one card she had sworn to never use: "Sara, you're being my therapist. It means a lot to me, and you're so good at it, but I don't need a therapist right now. I know it's asking a lot, but I'm asking as a friend. As your friend. Please help me."

Bear had never seen Sara look so conflicted, not once in all the years they had known each other, but eventually, she clenched her jaw and nodded. "Okay, fine. I'll help you."

"You want to go where?" Victoria asked, voice dangerously soft and faux-confused. "Back to the place where you were kidnapped and almost killed? The place you barely got away from last time? The place that Maggie told me never to let you come back to? I'm sure you can't possibly be talking about the same place, Baroness, because if you were… Well, that just wouldn't make very much sense at all."

Bear fought back a sigh. Of course, her mother wouldn't make this easy. Fortunately, Sara had coached her on what to say and how to say it in order to fake a psychological breakthrough.

"Mom," she started, eyes held wide and beseeching. "I've been talking with Sara a lot over the last few weeks, and she thinks I would really benefit from moving back to Gotham. Confronting my demons, you know? She thinks it would be healthy."

"Really?" Victoria said flatly, tone assuring Bear that it was, in fact, not a question. "The girl who has been a therapist for all of two years thinks that my little girl should go back to a place where she isn't comfortable in the name of getting over something that happened such a short amount of time ago? Baroness, maybe it's time we had you talk to a real therapist."

Bear frowned on her friend's behalf. Sara may be going along with this crazy scheme, but only under extremely vocal protest. If Bear was less stubborn, this wouldn't be happening at all, and that told her that Sara was indeed good at what she did. "Hey, Sara is a real therapist! I'm the one who said I wanted to go back, and when I explained why I feel this way, she said I showed a lot of progress and she agrees that it wouldn't be the worst idea. She's even told me that if I feel uncomfortable, or like I'm in danger at all, it's unhealthy and I need to come back. We're being smart about this, Mom, we really are."

"You explained why you think you should go back to Gotham?"

Bear nodded, then fought back a groan as she realized the trap she had just fallen into.

Victoria crossed her arms and set her chin. "Explain it to me, then. Why put yourself back in danger? It had better be an extraordinarily good reason, Baroness."

Pretending like she was searching for the right words, Bear's mind frantically spun, trying to put together a plausible-sounding story. She and Sara had never gotten this far, especially since Bear was far off script right now.

"Basically, I feel like this place beat me. I did my best to live somewhere new and step outside of my comfort zone, and I failed. It sucks. I just think I need to live in Gotham for a little while, just a couple of months, and then I will have beaten it. I can move on. But right now, it just feels like a gigantic block in my mind, like it's the one place I'll have to avoid forever. If I can go now, I'll get this over with, get over what could possibly turn into a gigantic phobia, and move on with my life." She let her voice break a little with the last part of her sentence, moving to stare into her mother's eyes as she let the truth come out in her voice. "I really want to move on with my life, Mom."

"Oh, Bear…" Bear knew she had won when her mother referred to her by the nickname, voice as soft and warm as her eyes. Victoria pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "I just worry about you. It feels like just a few days ago, you were telling me how dangerous the man who kidnapped you is. You seemed so convinced that he was going to come after you." She smiled ruefully. "I didn't mean to dismiss your fears then, but now I'm worried you aren't taking this seriously enough. I mean, have the police caught this man? Is he still a threat?"

Bear felt her eyes go cold and fought to keep the change from her mother's notice. "As far as I know, he hasn't been caught, but I don't think he's going to be a threat for much longer."

"Baroness…" her mother trailed, looking for all the world like she was looking for the best way to tell Bear she was being stupid.

"Mom, Batman lives in Gotham and takes an active interest in keeping bad guys off the streets. Between him and the police, it's only a matter of time until this guy is caught and thrown in jail."

Victoria nodded, still seeming unconvinced, but resigned. "All right. I still don't like it. This is a pointlessly dangerous, ill thought-out plan, and I'm not certain you understand what it will be like to be back in the place where the trauma happened-" she cut herself off, taking a deep breath. "-But I know that you're a grown woman. A very independent one, at that. You have your own mind, and since it seems you've decided to go back to Gotham, I won't try to keep you here. Just promise you'll stay in touch and let me know if anything - anything at all - happens. All right?"

Bear nodded, grateful for her mother's support. A small, snide part of her wondered what Victoria would say if she knew what Bear really was going back for, but she shoved it aside. There was no room for doubt if she was going to get Dutch back without completely falling apart mentally.

"When were you thinking of moving?" Victoria asked.

"I booked a flight on Thursday," Bear replied.

"Thursday?! This Thursday? Really, Baroness, that's just irresponsible! How do you possibly expect to have enough time to pack, arrange for a place to stay, finalize your transfer paperwork, and do everything else you need to do before you leave? Did you even think about any of that?!"

Bear sighed, settling in for another argument. This one promised to be far more difficult, especially since she didn't have any ready answers for the questions her mother was asking.

"All right, folks, the pilot has turned on the 'Fasten Seatbelts' light. Please be sure to close all trays and return seats to the upright position as we prepare to land. The attendant will be around to help. We expect to land in Gotham within the next ten minutes. Weather is overcast, high chance of rain, temperature a blustery 57 degrees fahrenheit. Thank you for flying with us."

Bear did her best to tune out the droning of the speaker above her head. She was once again in the window seat, but only because this plane was so small. Every seat was a window seat. This time, the view from the small pane was anything except comforting. After they had passed through the wispy, turbulent cloud cover, Gotham materialized. The city was as dirty and foreboding as it had been when Bear had left, and it's appearance didn't improve as the plane traveled closer.

All throughout her trip, Bear had been dealing with a sense of helplessness, the suffocating feeling of being trapped. As the plane circled the airport one final time before landing, the smothering sensations surged, leaving Bear tugging at her collar as she did her best to weep silently. She had fought so hard to leave, and now she was back. In her most profound moments of self-honesty, Bear admitted that it was likely she would never leave Gotham again - at least, not while she had a heartbeat.

"Excuse me, miss," a pleasantly mid-range voice began from across the aisle. "May I offer some assistance?"

Bear glanced over, confused and taken aback when the gentleman in the single seat in the opposite row reached over, offering her an unadorned white handkerchief. Regardless of her curiosity and embarrassment, Bear accepted the cloth square and began dabbing at her face with it. (Unsure if he would want the handkerchief back, she refrained from using it to blow her nose.)

Obviously attempting to give her some privacy, the man looked out of the window on his side of the plane. It was a small aircraft, only a single seat on either side of the aisle, and many of these were left unfilled. "Ah, Gotham," the man mused. "I always miss it when I'm forced to be away. Is it the same for you?"

Choking out a laugh, Bear finished up with the handkerchief. "I guess you could say… something keeps bringing me back." She offered the cloth square to him.

He accepted it. "I apologize. Normally, I would gladly let you keep this, but it is one of my favorites."

He has a favorite handkerchief? And why this one? It's completely plain. Bear frowned as the cloth fluttered to a completely unfolded fall of white, adorned with a single black question mark. To her way of thinking, that made it even more strange.

She turned back to her own window, ready for the odd conversation to come to a close, but the man seemed less willing. "So, this thing that always brings you back to Gotham… Is it a man?"

Bear's brows rose incredulously, but she kept her gaze on the rapidly-approaching city. "Man, curse… Either way, I intend to take care of things once and for all."

As she finished speaking, the plane touched down and the pilot's voice came over the loudspeaker, cutting off Bear's conversation with the strange man for good. The plane taxied to the appropriate gate and there was a flurry of movement as people stood and retrieved their luggage from the overhead compartments.

The man across the aisle beckoned gallantly for Bear to stand first and she did, pulling her simple duffel bag from the compartment in which she had stowed it. With that complete, she made her way quickly and efficiently down the narrow aisle of the plane. As Bear moved, she did her best to ignore the feeling of the man's slightly-wild eyes watching, ever-present in an itch just between her shoulder blades. The relief she got when she was out of his line of sight was like a physical weight had been lifted.

Bear waited at the baggage claim for her black suitcase to rotate around. While she stood watching other people's belongings slide onto the spinning carousel, Bear's pocket vibrated as her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number, but she saw that the area code was from Gotham.

"What?" she said by way of greeting, voice harsh.

"Miss Wells?"

"Uh… Yes?" Bear asked, voice softening as she realized that the voice was wholly unfamiliar, not the Joker's cackling tone as she had feared.

"This is Dr. Lucero at Gotham General Hospital."

"I'm sorry, I'm just getting off a flight. What can I do for you, Doctor?" Bear asked, holding the phone tucked between her ear and shoulder as she tugged her luggage off of the carousel.

"Ah, my apologies. I just finished wiring the jaw of your landlord, Mr. Brewington. He was brutally attacked, but won't allow me to continue treating him until you've been made aware that your old apartment is once more available."

Bear blinked a few times, staring blankly at a nearby water fountain. "Well, tell him thank you for letting me know and I'll come by his office to speak with him as soon as he's feeling up to a visit."

"Mr. Brewington says that the key is in his office. His wife will give it to you and you can settle payment later. He asks that you please move in right away." His voice grew muffled, as if he had turned away from the phone for a moment. "He wants you to move in tonight, if possible."

"I- I will," Bear agreed, wondering a bit about all of this. "Please thank him for me and tell him I hope his recovery goes smoothly. Thank you, as well," she added as an afterthought.

"Don't thank me," the doctor said shortly as Bear made a face at his rudeness. "I've worked in Gotham long enough to recognize the work of the Joker when I see it. I don't know how you're involved with him, but I think it's terrible that an innocent man got dragged into the mess. Thankfully, a broken jaw is the extent of his injuries. Knowing your friend, it could have been much worse."

The phone clicked a disconnect - before Bear could protest that the Joker wasn't her friend - and Bear tucked the device back in her pocket. What a dick. He has a point, but still…

Fighting anger and an odd sense of guilt, Bear made her way out of the airport to the parking lot where taxis and limos lined up. She was careful to ignore everyone holding signs near the door. If the Joker had sent someone with a car for her, she didn't want to know. Instead, she walked straight out to the curb and up to the first empty taxi she saw. When the driver accepted her fare, she climbed in the backseat, dragging her carry-on and suitcase behind her.

One short cab ride later, Bear stepped into the office of her landlord. It was late, getting close to midnight, but Mrs. Brewington still sat in the small, dimly-lit room. When she saw Bear standing in the doorway, the older woman jumped, nearly dropping the sheaf of paper in her hands.

Bear smiled reassuringly. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Brewington. I didn't mean to scare you."

Mrs. Brewington's answering smile was pitiful, waving and insincere. She looked more frightened than anything. "I have your key right here, Miss Wells," she quavered, opening the top drawer of the desk with hands that shook so violently that she could barely grab the jingling bits of metal. When she had finally picked them up, the landlord's wife held them out to Bear, carefully avoiding eye contact.

Gently, Bear accepted the keys, noting the way Mrs. Brewington flinched away so that she wouldn't even brush Bear's hand with her fingers. Bear frowned, but bid the woman a good night as she collected her luggage and made her way up the stairs.

On the way, Bear fidgeted with the keys. They were on her personal keyring, the one she had presumably left in the Joker's possession. That, more than anything else, solidified her understanding that the Brewingtons had been visited by the Clown Prince of Gotham - and come out considerably the worse for it. No wonder Mrs. Brewington had been so nervous. Bear had never been particularly close with her landlord or his family, but she knew firsthand what the Joker was capable of doing, and she wouldn't wish that on people she hated.

Finally, she was standing in front of the familiar old door. It still had the same dents and scratches it had borne during her time here, and Bear tried to take comfort in that rather than allow the suffocating feeling of closeness to overwhelm her.

After unlocking the door - the deadbolt still stuck just a tad at the beginning - Bear walked into her old apartment. Whatever she had been expecting to find, this wasn't it, and Bear wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

Everything was exactly as she had left it. Every picture, poster, item of furniture, and more had been returned to its original position. It was almost enough to make Bear believe that she had never moved out, but something about the way Doctor Lucero's message over the phone had been worded, Bear knew that someone else had lived in this apartment while she was away. For some reason, they had moved out - she had some idea of what that something could have been - but Bear knew Mr. Brewington hadn't kept all of her things on a whim. The knowledge, no matter how conjecturally gained, that the Joker had likely taken all of her belongings and stored them with the belief that she would eventually return… it was disturbing, to say the least.

Before Bear could completely dissolve into panic, her phone rang. It was once more an unfamiliar number, but she decided to answer it anyway. The worst had already happened: she was back in Gotham.

"Hello?" she asked, voice dead.

"Bear?" a voice crackled.

"Dutch!" Bear cried. "Where are you? Are you safe? Is he with you?"

Bear couldn't be sure since the connection didn't seem to be the best, but it sounded like Dutch gave a tired little laugh. "I'm fine, I'm safe. He let me go. He said you came back to Gotham. You shouldn't have done that, Bear."

"How could I not?" she asked skeptically. "I would do anything for you guys, you know that."

"Of course I know that. But more importantly, he knows that. Bear, I'm scared for you."

Bear couldn't exactly argue with her sister's feeling. "Yeah, I am too. But where are you now?"

"Getting ready to get on a plane to Dallas," Dutch answered, an announcement in the background confirming her location. "I have to go soon, but I was told to call you and make sure you knew that he kept his end of the deal." The background noise faded a bit, as though Dutch had stepped to a somewhat quieter location. "Be careful, Bear. Please. You should hear the way he talks about you… He isn't going to leave you alone. We have to find a way to deal with this."

Bear blanched, knowing it was likely the Joker had tapped the phone he gave her. If he even got a hint that Dutch was thinking about turning him in to the authorities, her life would be on the line. Quickly, she stopped her younger sister's train of thought. "Leave him to me, Dutch. Your job is to keep Mom or the boys from suspecting anything. You know they would just panic. It's not going to be easy."

"You're telling me," Dutch sighed. There was another announcement in the background and she came back on the line. "They're boarding my section now. I have to go."

"Okay," Bear accepted, throat tightening inexplicably. "Throw this phone away and get a new one as soon as you can. Stay in touch. I love you."

"Love you, too, sis. More than anything. Stay safe."

With a simple press of the button, the call was ended and Bear was left alone in an apartment, surrounded by the belongings of a woman who had died almost two months before. There was nothing to do now except for wait. And plot, a dark corner of her mind added. She couldn't disagree. It would certainly be more productive than sitting here crying.

Bear's jaw firmed as she nodded to herself. She was done being a victim. She had to be ready for whatever the Joker threw at her next.

Author's Note - Well, Bear is back in Gotham! Sorry for the dragging-out of that last bit, but I felt it was important to note the variety of hoops she had to jump through to keep her sister safe. In any case, things are set up and now, Bear just has to wait and see what the Joker needs to talk to her about, especially in a conversation he took such pains to have 'in person'...

That's it for now! Thank you to reader217, Saevitus, and Katmeroo for the reviews! They brighten my day, and if you have the options turned on so that I can message you, I try to give you a heads up about when the next chapter will be up. Thanks for reading and Happy Friday the 13th!