Disclaimer: I don't own Batman. If I did I would write the next installment and make it so that David Tennant was the Riddler.

Author's note: Just wanted to say thanks to Neurotic-Isopod for being the first reviewer! Kudos and thanks for the review. Hopefully, with this chapter everyone can see what Joker has in store for some select Gothamites. Also thanks to anyone who read the story or who put it in their favorites.

Chapter four The Price of Success

Andrew was scared. Someone knew. He didn't know how but someone must know. He was just about to pick up the phone to call the police but then his reason kicked in. No one could possibly know…what he had done. And it had been so many years ago. At the start of his career. He was just looking for a leg up.

But the voice on the machine haunted him. The person sounded like they did know; like they knew everything about him. Andrew shook his head. No…it was just a prank. A joke. It was just his brother being a jackass. He went to bed thinking nothing of it.

The next day Andrew got up to his alarm clock. He got up, got dressed, shaved and was out the door. He stopped by a Starbucks for his coffee and bagel sandwich. While waiting for his train to work he drank his coffee and read the newspaper. His train arrived like it always did and he was at work by nine.

His secretary, Alecia, greeted him and handed him his schedule and any calls he had gotten.

"Oh," she said to him. "I almost forgot. Someone sent this by carrier. It might be about the divorce thing."

Andrew nodded. He looked at the simple manila folder. There was no return address on it.

"Thanks,"

He walked into his office and put his briefcase down. He opened the manila folder and slid the contents of it out onto his desk. He looked through the contents. It was mostly pictures and articles. Andrew was confused until he took a closer look at the pictures themselves.

"Oh my god," he said.

Andrew realized the phone message wasn't a joke anymore.

When Andrew had started out his career, he had taken a murder case. This was when he had still worked for the district attorney's office. He was just a low level lawyer back then. The case he was given was ridiculous. A man had committed a robbery but someone had gotten killed in the process. The man they arrested for it was pleading innocence. There was some evidence tying him to the scene. A surveillance camera had got him coming into the store around the time of the murder. But there was no actual physical evidence tying him to the crime. It was an open and shut case. There was no way he could win it. There'd be a trial but it would come down to a not guilty verdict. That was until the mob got involved.

He was in his office finishing up some work when two men just waltzed right in.

"Hey!" he said affronted.

"Calm down buddy. We just want to talk with you." said one of the men.

"Okay," said Andrew hesitantly sitting back down.

The two men sat across from him. Andrew knew they must work for the mob. They had the typical mob look. Brawns and no brains. They both sported a leather jacket and Andrew saw a gun poking out of a belt. Only the mob could get into the courthouse with guns.

"What do you want?" asked Andrew slightly worried he had done something to attract the mob.

"We want to hire you, as it were." said one of the men.

"I work for the public. Not the mob." said Andrew.

The guy laughed. "Yeah but who do you think the public works for?"

Andrew couldn't disagree with that. Most of the people he worked for accepted money from the mob usually.

"It's the Tilden case." said the other man.

"The robbery/murder case?" asked Andrew confused. "That's open and closed. The guy didn't do it."

"Exactly. One of our guys did though. And we aren't finished with him yet. It would be very…inconvenient…to us if he went to jail now." said the man.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Andrew. But secretly he knew what they wanted.

"You're the prosecutor. Make the guy go to jail." said the man.

"I can't. One it would be unethical and two I just can't do it. All the evidence says he's innocent." said Andrew.

"Unethical? This is Gotham. Everything is unethical. And as for the evidence…we can supply that." said the man.

"What if I refuse?" asked Andrew defiantly.

"Oh that's simple. We kill you." said the man.

Andrew swallowed.

"It's not all bad. We would reward you handsomely. One million for services rendered." said

Andrew stared at them. One million. That would get him far. He could live off that and try to get into a real law firm.

"So…if I do this. I get one million and if I don't you kill me?" asked Andrew clarifying.

"Yes." said the other man.

"This million. It can't be traced back to the mob, can it?" asked Andrew.

"No. And besides…even if it was. No one would really care. Not in this city." said the man.

Andrew thought.

He could die or get a million dollars.

Andrew nodded.

"Glad you finally saw it our way, counselor." said the man. "We'll send someone over to set up the evidence."

That had been years ago. He had used the million to finance himself while he looked for work at the law firm. And that was how he got to this law firm and now he was almost partner.

The man he had helped frame went to jail. Charlie Tilden had went to jail for a murder he didn't commit. The mob had placed DNA evidence on a gun used to kill the store clerk. After that had been discovered it pretty much made sure he was going to prison.

But then he died. In prison during a riot. He had been trying to hide and one of his more murderous inmates killed him in a fight. Andrew felt horrible when he heard the news. But there was nothing he could do for him now. And now years later it was coming back to haunt him.

Someone found out. But how could they have? No one knew. Well, except for the mob. And he wasn't naïve. He knew they would turn on him under the right circumstances. But the man on the phone didn't sound like a mobster. He sounded - insane.

Andrew looked through the pictures. One caught his attention. It was obviously taken during the trial. Tilden was being led into the court with his feet and hands shackled. And on the bottom of the paper was some words written in red. "What an innocent looking guy…"

He sat down and stared out the window. What did they want? Obviously he was being blackmailed. But what did they want? Money. It had to be money. Well he could fix that. Blackmailers always eventually told you what they wanted and when this person did that he would just give it up. The money didn't matter. What the problem was, was that this could not get out. It would ruin him entirely. No making partner, no more job and definitely no more law license. Nobody would speak to him; his parents would certainly disown him.

He would wait. Whoever this was would make their intentions clear soon.

***

When Andrew got home that day he was stressed to say the least. He immediately went to his answering machine. But there wasn't any messages. He would just have to wait.

He went to his desk and opened a drawer. He pulled out a bottle of whiskey and took a shot. This was going to be a long week, he thought.

***

Two days later there was another manila folder waiting for him at his office. Alecia asked what they were all about. He just told her it was a consultation he was doing. She didn't ask anymore questions after that.

He went into his office and locked the door. He ripped open the folder. It was more articles. But this time it was about the verdict. Articles like: "Robbery/Murder Verdict - Guilty" and "District Attorney's Office Wins Case".

And on the bottom of the one of the articles from the Gotham Chronicle was more writing. Always in red…It said: "Way to go buddy!".

It was like this person was taunting him. They knew the story; they must. They knew what happened to Tilden after that. Andrew grounded his teeth together. Couldn't they just tell him what they wanted already? He hated this cat and mouse game this person was playing with him. There was nothing for two days from this guy and now he struck.

Andrew sighed and put the contents back into the folder. It was back to his waiting game.

***

Andrew went home after a very long day. He was seriously stressed out now. He was watching people he worked with and people on the street like they knew everything. He was beginning to get paranoid. He snapped at his secretary all day today. But she just couldn't leave him alone.

He slammed his front door and threw his briefcase down. He headed over to the window in darkness and looked out it. There wasn't anyone following him. He had checked. He pulled down the blinds and sat in the darkness for a little while. He needed to just chill out. Just think this through and figure out what they wanted. It had to be money. Or maybe it was personal grudge? It could be Tilden's family. They knew he was innocent and for years they had been fighting the verdict. Maybe, finally, they had figured it out. He hoped it wasn't that. It would be harder to keep them quiet.

* * *

He watched the lawyer look out the window. He definitely didn't look like he had had a good day. He smiled. Just one more day should do it. He'd have to simmer. Kind of like a good wine…they only got better with time.

The man turned and faded back into the shadows of the alleyway.

* * *

"Anything for me today, Alecia?"

Alecia looked up. Her boss was there. He didn't exactly look like himself. He hadn't shaved and it looked like he hadn't sleep either.

"No, sir. Nothing today." she said.

"Good…" said Andrew. "Good…okay…I'll be in my office."

Alecia nodded.

He really hadn't been himself the last couple of days. He was, Alecia tried to find the right word, skittish. Almost like he was being hunted. It must just be stress. It got to the best of us eventually.

* * *

Andrew Copevole wasn't having a good day. And it was about to get worse. He got home and before he even turned on a light he went straight to the kitchen to get beer. Getting drunk sounded like a very good idea tonight. He walked into the living room and turned on the light.

But someone was there. On his couch.

"Mr. Copevole…" the man said.

Andrew stared. He knew that face. The white face paint and the red lips. He had seen it on television for weeks. It was that terrorist. The Joker.

"You're that man…" said Andrew quietly.

"You know me!" said the Joker giggling. "Wow…this must be what Brad Pitt feels like."

"Wh-what do you want?" asked Andrew staring at him.

"Oh you know - the usual - chaos, mayhem, destruction. But to start…how about we have a little chat."

"About what?"

"Justice." said the Joker.

"Ju-justice?"

"Yeah!" said the Joker. "You know the statue of the lady whose always blindfolded and carrying those ridiculous scales. You see I was wondering how a man who spends his whole professional life fighting for justice and who is so idealistic," the man paused and smiled. "can put an innocent man behind bars?"

"I…I…," Andrew squared his shoulders. "I had no choice."

The Joker laughed. "There is always a choice, you silly boy. Always. You…aren't being honest with yourself."

"Yes I am. They…they were going to kill me. What could I do?"

"Oh…well…I suppose if everyone who's ever been threatened against just gave up like you did then we would live…well…we'd live in what I'd consider heaven…Imagine it…everyone running around scared and giving up…acting like chickens with their heads cut off. I'd absolutely love to see that."

"I didn't give up. I just…What else could I have done!?" asked Andrew angrily.

"Well…a very many number of things…call the police, move away, fight…take your pick." said the Joker counting them off on his fingers.

"The mob is powerful. They would have gotten to me." said Andrew. "They would have killed me anyways."

The Joker laughed and sprang from the couch. He stood in front of Andrew. "That's the beauty of it, m'boy." he said. "You…were thinking about yourself. Selfish…screw the rest of the people in the world…Andrew was safe…Andrew got a million dollars…Andrew succeeded. Poor Charlie though…what happened to him?"

"Like you don't know." said Andrew.

"That's not what I asked…you're not playing the game right, Andy." said the Joker. "I asked…what happened to Charlie?"

Andrew sighed. "He died."

"How?"

"By an inmate."

"Wrong answer." said the Joker.

"No…that's what happened. During a riot. An inmate killed him."

"Oh I know that…but…let me put it in another way…Would Charlie have died…if you hadn't have sent him to prison?"

Andrew stared at the Joker with wide eyes.

The Joker licked his lips. "You see, Andy m'boy, Charlie was only there…because of you. Because of your cowardice, your selfishness…I mean I've searched far and wide for a person who was really selfish and I hit the jackpot with you, buddy. That inmate or whatever didn't kill Charlie…you did."

"I didn't kill him."

"No…but he was there because of you. Maybe killed isn't the right word…I'll use a term you lawyer people like to use a lot…I think it's called…negligence…right? You were negligent…or or…accidental murder. Yeah that's a good one…accidental murder…But still…anyway you cut it Andrew…you're still a murderer. You're still…well…me!"

"I am nothing like you."

The Joker started to circle Andrew.

"Oh well…yeah…that is true. I am of a special breed, I suppose but…we're in the same category at least Andy. I mean…I terrorize people because I think it's fun…you sent a man to prison…well…for your own selfish needs. So…you and me are the same."

The Joker stopped circling him.

"Listen…I've got another appointment I have to make…" said the Joker. "So…here's my card…and for homework Andy…I want you to think about what I said…" said the Joker. He patted Andy on the head and skipped out of his apartment.

* * *

Andrew barely made it into work. He was sweating. Not because it was hot outside or anything. He still felt the Joker's breath on his neck and his voice in his head. For a maniac the guy made a lot of sense. Andrew had been selfish. He had killed Charlie. And Andrew was convinced completely that everyone knew. People on the street were staring at him weird. They would look at him and then when he turned to look at them they looked away. But they had been staring at him. They were whispering about him too. People would walk behind him and talk on their cell phones about him. He heard them. He knew that they knew what he had done. They just weren't saying it to him. It made him sweat. He felt like the whole world was collapsing around him; suffocating him. Why couldn't they see that there was nothing he could have done? He wanted to scream at them.

His secretary knew too. He could see it in her eyes. She was accusing him.

"Hello, sir." she said. "You have two messages. But besides that nothing."

She was playing the nice act; pretending like she didn't know but Andrew knew better. He grabbed the messages and walked into his office. He slammed the door.

* * *

"No I am serious, Tina." said Alecia. "Something is up with him."

"It's stress, Alecia. I mean Mr. Klein when he was trying to make partner nearly fainted because he hadn't eaten for two days." said Tina. She was Klein's personal secretary.

They were at lunch discussing Andrew's weird behavior. He had locked himself in his office and hadn't come out since he went in there this morning.

"He'll be out of it in no time." said Tina.

Alecia hoped so. She liked Andrew. He was charming and really smart. But the last couple of days he had been…scaring her.

She came back from lunch and there was one of those manila folders on her desk again. And then she realized that ever since they had been arriving Andrew had been acting weird. Curiosity overcame her and she opened the folder.

It was a newspaper obituary. It seemed to be about a inmate who died during a riot. There was some words written on the bottom of it in big red letters. It said: "How does it feel to know you've killed someone?"

Alecia didn't know what to make of that. She looked at Andrew's door. It was still shut. She went over and knocked on it.

"Leave me alone!"

"Sir…there's something you need to see." she said.

"I don't care!"

"It came in one of those manila folders." she said hoping to get him to come out.

She heard the lock click and there stood Andrew. He took one look at her and then at what was in her hand. He grabbed it and looked at it.

"I knew it." he said.

"Knew what?" she asked confused.

"You know. Everyone knows." said Andrew really loudly.

People had started looking at him because he was talking loudly.

"Why is that none of you can look at me?!" he screamed at them. "It's because you know! The whole world knows."

Andrew grabbed Alecia by the shoulders and shook her.

"I didn't know what to do. What else was I supposed to do? What else? No one can answer that. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Do about what?" she said quietly.

"No…no…no, no, no, no, no…don't play that game. Don't pretend that you don't know. You do. You know. So just tell me!"

"Mr. Copevole…Andrew…I don't know what you're talking about." she said.

"STOP SAYING THAT!" he screamed at her.

"I think someone should call security." said one of the lawyers behind Alecia.

"I didn't know what else to do…" said Andrew. "They would have killed me."

"Well…then…there was nothing else you could do." said Alecia trying to calm him down.

"No…no…there was….He said so. He said there was always something to do. I was just being selfish." said Andrew. "So tell me what I could have done?"

"Andrew…" said Mr. Klein behind Alecia. "We don't know what you're talking about, son. Why don't we just calm down, now."

Andrew started to laugh. "Why…do you people still want to play this game? You know. You whisper behind me and point fingers but then when I turn to look you don't look at me."

"Maybe you should go home Andrew." said Klein. "Take a few days off."

"You think…I need a VACATION!" said Andrew.

"I think you need help." said Klein.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK!" said Andrew.

He grabbed Alecia by the neck and threw her into his office. He locked the door and shoved his desk in front of it. Alecia watched him pace the office like a caged tiger.

* * *

"What's the status?" asked Gordon to his SWAT team leader.

"The suspect is currently locked in his office, sir. And it seems he's got a hostage." said the officer.

"Any windows?"

"Three. Looking out to the street. He's on the fifth floor, though. We have a clear shot though if we need it."

"Let's leave that for last option." said Gordon. "I don't want a dead hostage."

"I know."

"Have the negotiators gotten to work?"

"Yes sir. They're in contact with him now."

"Do we know why he's doing this?" asked Gordon a little confused.

"Not really sir. He went on about how people know something…but nobody knows what he's talking about. He's paranoid like crazy though." said the officer.

Gordon nodded. "Tell the negotiators to go easy with him. I don't want them spooking him."

"Right, sir."

Gordon watched the suspect through some binoculars. They were set up across the street on a building's roof. The man kept pacing and he was talking on a cell phone. They waited for the negotiators to do their thing.

But a half an hour later they still hadn't gotten anywhere.

"He's not working with us sir," said Dean. He was the lead negotiator. "He is extremely paranoid. He keeps saying that we know what he did."

"Do we have any idea what he's talking about?" asked Gordon.

"Not a frickin' clue, sir." said Dean.

Gordon nodded. "Keep working with him."

Dean nodded.

"Do we have a team ready to move in?" asked Gordon.

"Yes sir. Delta team is ready. They are a floor below the office." said Dean.

"Get them up there. If he even gets distracted for a second I want them ready to burst in." said Gordon.

"Delta team take position." said Dean into the comms.

"Try distracting him, Dean. Get him to talk about the weather or something." said Gordon.

Dean nodded.

Five minutes later their chance came. The hostage's cell phone had rung. And the suspect had gotten distracted for just a second. Delta team moved in their guns ready. They got the suspect down on the floor and the hostage was led out of the room. It had been a clean take down. And Gordon was relieved. He went down to see what state the suspect was in.

"You all know!" he said as they got him into the ambulance. "He knew. So you ALL must know. You must. What was I supposed to do? What else? What else…"

Gordon shook his head. He obviously had had a mental breakdown. Probably due to work or something. Someone looked at him the wrong way today and it just set him off.

* * *

The Joker smiled. The lawyer had gone completely schizo. And he was being taken by the boys in white coats to the nice place with the padded walls. Good. One down…millions to go. The Joker took a picture out of his pocket. He stroked it. She was next. This was going to be fun.