Good afternoon ladies and gents! I apologize for the one-day delay on posting an updated chapter for Holding Out for a Hero. With the Fourth of July weekend, all of my schedule writing was pushed back, but never fear an update is here! Thank you again for all the support for the Cassidy Williams series whether you have been here from the start or just jumping into the story! I appreciate all of the reviews, favorites and alerts, and I hope I continue to hear from you all. Below you find the updated version of chapter four! I hope you all enjoy and be on the look out for a new chapter next week! - trs0010
Chapter IV: Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Cassidy pulled into her reserved parking spot in the underground parking garage at her apartment complex.
She pulled some strings and pressured the cop angle to reserve a spot on the first level.
As she told the building manager, you never know when an emergency will strike. The quicker she could maneuver her SUV through the garage, the quicker she could save the say.
It was a partial truth. In honesty, Cassidy did not want to navigate the maze of cars on a daily basis.
Exhaustion struck hard during her drive home.
She was in desperate need to unwind after her brief stint at the Harvey Dent Day Benefit. The stress and unwelcomed feelings brought up was almost too much to handle.
She fumbled through her purse she had toss in the passenger seat. She rarely carried the wretched thing, but it always traveled within her SUV for Cassidy's convenience.
She dug out her keys, wallet and cell phone before climbing out of the tall vehicle as gracefully as she could in her tight dress and heels.
The dark, towering, brick building was certainly a sight for sore eyes.
She shuffled her feet as she made the short walk from her parking spot to the elevator. She fumbled for the keycard on her set of keys to gain access inside the elevator.
All she wanted was to pull on an extra-large t-shirt and snuggle up in her king-sized bed with her dog curled up by her feet.
The image of the Joker silently slipping into her apartment undetected was still fresh on her mind years later. She needed to invest in added security besides her heavily locked doors and windows and her police-issued handgun.
If extra security was needed, she at least wanted to invest into some cute security.
Three years ago, she adopted a golden retriever puppy. The monster-size of a dog was a complete sweetheart, unless you were an unwelcomed and unwarranted guest.
The dog's bark was much more vicious than his bite, but that was all Cassidy was looking for to satisfied her security needs.
She needed someone to sound the alarm when something was nt quite right. She was not going to sleep peaceful while her attacker silently stalked his prey in the dark corners of her apartment.
Not again.
With her crazy work schedule, Cassidy required a full-time pet sitter, but the added costs were well worth the feeling of safety and the companionship he provided.
The elevator doors opened to a ping sound and Cassidy entered the sleek and upscale decorated lobby.
She headed straight for the mailroom and quickly located to her box.
Once she had he stack of envelopes tucked under her arm, she made her way to a second set of elevators that navigated the countless floors of the complex.
She pressed the down arrow and waited for the elevator to descend down and escort her up to the 12th floor.
She mindlessly flipped through the stack of letters while she waited. Nothing caught her eye, just bills on top of even more bills.
A loud "ding" alerted her that her chariot a waited.
She patiently waited as an elderly couple exited the elevator and exchanged pleasantries as they passed.
She pushed the button for the 12th floor and smiled at the backs of the retreating couples as the doors of the lift closed.
It was one thing Cassidy came to terms with and never hoped to have anymore… someone to grow old along side.
She thought she found him once upon a time.
She was so close to that famous happy ending before it all came brutally crashing down all around her.
The memory of Tristan had not died when he did.
The number he performed haunted her and left her hesitant to start over with someone new.
Then, of course, there was the Joker.
Cassidy was once told she had terrible taste in men. She was beginning to believe that might be true.
The elevator doors opened onto the familiar scene of the 12th floor, quieting any thoughts of Tristan and the Joker.
Cassidy made the long walk to the end of the hallway for the last apartment on her righter where her little home was located.
She forced her key into the lock and jingled around till the lock clicked open.
She heard the padded feet running toward the door and an excited bark sounding its greeting and waiting to attack.
She pushed the door open, and the large golden retriever jumped on her and began to lick her face.
"Hudson! Down boy," Cassidy managed to command through her giggles while dodging licks as best she could.
The dog obediently sat with his tail frantically wagging back and forth. He was always eager to please.
She scratched his giant head right behind his ear.
"He has been driving himself crazy waiting for you," Jesse called from the living room couch.
Jesse McDaniel was Hudson's pet sitter on the weekends and evenings when needed. She checked on the dog every afternoon and spent an hour at the park with him tailing along.
She was a young, peppy college student. She was a veterinarian medicine major if Cassidy remembered correctly.
She was not certain. All she knew was that Hudson immediately warmed up to her, and he did not shine up to most people quickly.
"How was he?" Cassidy asked as she closed the door.
Hudson trailed behind her like a shadow.
The apartment was a large, open space almost similar to a loft.
The living room, kitchen and dining area was all connected with walls serving as separators, but no doors were present.
Through the front door the apartment opened into a small hallway. Two cutouts served as doors with one leading to the kitchen and the other to the living room.
If you were in the modern-style kitchen, you had the ability to see both the dining and living rooms.
Her bedroom and bathroom were set off, but the bedroom itself had no door.
Cassidy fell in love with the apartment the moment she first toured the empty space.
Once released from the Joker's grasps, Cassidy sold her old place and move in with Bruce for a time, but she decided it was time to find her own place.
She knew the moment she visited that she had found her permanent residence.
After being locked and confined within a small space for so long with the Joker, the openness and freedom of the apartment with its breathtaking view of the city was the perfect remedy.
"He was great as always," Jesse said while pulling he raven locks back in a ponytail. "I'm heading out though, big midterm tomorrow."
Jesse gathered up her notes and books she had scattered on the coffee table.
"Thanks Jess! I'll call you with a schedule for next week."
"Oh! By the way," Jesse called while halfway out the door. "You had some flowers delivered this evening. They are on the dining room table."
Jesse closed the door leaving Cassidy alone with Hudson.
He affectionately brushed against her leg and trotted off to the bedroom. He jumped onto his spot on the foot of the bed and gave his master a look of impatience.
"Just a second, Hud," she laughed at her dog. "Trust me, I'm tired too."
He kept her entertained. No denying that.
Cassidy entered the dining room expecting to see a bouquet of flowers from Blake in another attempt of wooing her into a date.
She froze when she caught sight of the gift delivered to her. Her cell dropped to the floor with a thud as she stood in shock.
In the middle of the dining table were a dozen roses. That alone was not what caused Cassidy's heart to stop, her blood to run cold and her stomach to churn.
The color of the roses was the warning signal… a mix of purple and green petals greeted her.
That signature only belonged to one demented creature.
Cassidy noticed the small envelope propped up against the vase. The faded yellow paper was wrinkled and seemed ancient.
Her name was clearly printed on the front in a scratchy handwriting she had seen before.
She kept staring at the envelope as if it was just a figment of her imagination, and that is she kept staring, her eyes would focus, and it would disappear.
She blinked several times, but every time her eyes opened, the flowers remained.
She took a slow step towards the roses.
She did not trust herself. She did not trust the seemingly innocent roses either.
She forced herself to take one step after another until she was face to face with the vase.
With a shaky hand, she picked up the envelope and opened the seal.
The letter inside was written on the same faded yellow paper as she carefully unfolded the wrinkled note and read the message sent to her.
Twinkle, twinkle little star
Don't you fear, I'm not that far
Some day soon I will be free
Once again, you'll be my queen
And if fear Blake stands in the way,
Then he'll get to play my game
-Joe Kerr
Her already shot nerves skyrocketed as she read the note.
This was not the first time she had received a letter addressed from Joe Kerr, but this time it was too close for comfort.
She was not dealing with Jack, the lost soul trapped within the clown himself. No kindness or compassion could be seen in these words.
He was locked up in Arkham to receive treatment and rehabilitate. The letter sounded like he was far from better.
She noted the Arkham Asylum letterhead on the dated paper. He had help on the inside, and they were diligently following his orders.
No doubt he was playing them like a pawn, and this someone had been at her house to hand deliver the flowers.
Her skin crawled at the thought.
She was horrified at the thought of what might have happened if she were present to accept the delivery. Would she have been locked up in a run-down room one again?
He knew about Blake as well.
He was keeping tabs on her. Someone was keeping an eye on her and reporting back to him.
She glances over her shoulder out the glass door that opened on to her balcony. Was someone watching her now?
It was clear that he had help, and that made the words he written more terrifyingly true.
He would be out soon.
With an army of deranged patients at his disposal, he would be freed sooner rather than later, and he would come for her first.
Her mind shot to Blake.
His playful eyes and signature smirk so clear in her eyes as if he were stranding in front of her.
She could hear the Joker's voice restating the threat he made. She shook the sound out of her head and reminded herself that he was locked away… for now.
If he escaped and tracked her down, Blake would fight to protect her, and she could not let anything happen to him.
She would not forget herself. She would not have his blood on her hands.
She crumbled the letter in her first and roughly shoved the vase off the table. Flowers and water flooded the floor. The vase cracked, but did not break.
She did not feel safe within her own home. Her apartment was meant to be her escape from the haunted reality, but now the walks were closing in on her.
She felt trapped.
She hustle to the door and snatcher her keys from the table near the entrance.
"I'll be back in a few," she mumbled to her dog whether he heard or understood it.
She slammed and locked the door behind her.
She sprinted down the twelve flights of stairs as quickly as her heels allowed her. She did not have the patience to wait for the elevator.
She were covered in a light sweat and slightly out of breath by the time she reached the parking garage.
Once she spotted her SUV, she flung herself into the driver seat. She allowed herself to relax to a degree and to catch her breath only once the doors were locked.
She felt a tear begin to escape her eye. She hurriedly wiped it away.
She would not show fear.
She must be strong, if not for herself, but for Blake. His life was now in her hands.
When the Joker came for her, she would go quietly for Blake's sake, but till then, she was not going to let his cronies report that she was weak or even remotely upset by his warning.
Once out on the streets of Gotham, it was a short 10-minute drive to the station. Though Cassidy made the trek in four minutes.
Her tires squealed as she weaved into a parking space in the back lot.
She busted through the door and marched to the stairs that would lead straight to the roof. Her heels clicking with each step she made.
She ignored the concerned looks she received from her fellow officers that were on duty. What a scene she must have been as she storm into the prescient in an evening gown and stilettos.
She needed a place to breathe. When her apartment did not do the trick, there was only one other place in Gotham that was her sanctuary… the roof of the station.
Countless lunch breaks were spent sitting on the ledge with the sky scrappers surrounding her and hiding her from the world.
She was alone with her thoughts for the only company was the last remains of the bat signal.
She pushed the door open with all her strength and was granted access to the roof.
She sprinted over the ledge with both hands clutching the edge as tightly as they could. She gazed out onto the city and began to breath heavily in an attempt to restore her heart rate to normal.
"I suppose a little company would not hurt," a voice came in the dark.
"Cassidy flinched and jumped as she was startled by the sound. She whipped around to see she was not alone.
Commissioner Gordon was near the bat signal as he was flipping through a thick, heavy file.
Her face reddened with embarrassment.
"I needed somewhere to think," Cassidy hastily replied to explain her dramatic appearance.
She returned her gaze back over the city.
Hundreds of cars raced below her with ant-size people walking in and out of clubs and restaurants as they enjoyed their Friday evening.
Which one was the one ordered to follow her?
"Be my guest," Gordon eventually nodded in her direction after studied her for a minute or two.
He returned to his files. He assume he needed to break away from the world the same way he needed after spending an evening with the high-profile guest at the Wayne Foundation benefit.
He did not question her bursting out onto the roof. He trusted her. If there were something wrong, he would tell her.
The two remained in a comfortable silence for how long, Cassidy could not say. Gordon hovered over his file. Cassidy locked away in her head as she re-examining the details of the crumpled letter that would still be waiting on the floor of her apartment when she returned.
Neither heard someone join them on the rood until the voice called out to Gordon.
"Sir? I didn't want to bother you up here, but they're looking for you."
Cassidy mumbled a curse as the voice startled her just as Gordon's had earlier.
When she turned, Cassidy found Bake near the entrance to the roof.
He was dressed in his uniform. She assumed he took on an extra shift this evening when she refused his dinner offer.
In the sparse lighting provided by the moon and the few lamps on the rooftop, Cassidy could not help but notice how handsome he truly was.
As she pulled herself out of her appreciative glance, she heard Blake state that Congressman Gilley's wife had made a missing person's report. Her husband never returned home from the Wayne Benefit.
She returned her vigil to the city as she studied the streets and tagged each car as if she would spot her personal spy.
The congressman's whereabouts was the least of her worries, especially after her unsavory encounter with him earlier in the evening.
"That's a job for the police?" she heard Gordon question.
Once upon a time, a high profile, drunken politician showing up late at home was not a police matter, but things have changed around Gotham.
"Sir, I've only been a cop here for a couple years," Blake answered. "I've only logged a half dozen arrests. When you and Dent cleaned the streets, you cleaned 'em good. Pretty soon we'll be chasing overdue library books."
Cassidy smiled to herself at Blake's joke. She did not have to look over at Gordon to known he was smiling himself, but Blake was right.
With the amount of crimes fallen dramatically within the city over the last eight years, even the smallest things became police matters now.
"But here you are," Blake continued. "Like we're still at war…"
"Old habits," Gordon answered.
"Or instinct," Blake countered.
He was smart. Cassidy would not deny that, and she caught on to that very early.
She had much more working experience with Blake than Gordon did, but she knew he was making an outstanding first impression.
"What's your name, son?"
"Blake. Officer John Blake, Cassidy answered Gordon's questions and entered the conversation for the first time.
She turned to face the two gentlemen. Blake stared at her as if her was seeing her for the very first time in his life. To a degree, he was. He had never seen her in anything outside of jeans and a fitted t-shirt that was her common attire around the station, and now he was stunned at the woman before him.
"Cas…" he began, but quickly stopped as he remembered his place with the Commissioner in their presence. "Detective Williams," he breathed as he addressed his superior by her correct title.
Gordon overlooked the moment between the two and returned to his line of questioning.
"You have something you want to ask me, Officer Blake?"
"It's that night. This night. Eight years ago. The night Dent died," Blake began.
"What about it?"
"The last confirmed sighting of the Batman. He murdered those people, takes out two SWAT teams, breaks Dent's neck… then just vanishes?"
"I'm not hearing a question, son," Gordon stated as he waited for Blake to continue.
Blake shifted uneasily and looked between Cassidy and Gordon unsure on how the word his question.
"Don't you want to know who he was?" Blake finally asked.
Gordon turned to gaze at the broken searchlight that once served as the bat signal. He brushed his fingers across the broken and rusted metal shell.
"I know exactly who he was," Gordon began before he turned back to Blake. "He was the Batman."
Gordon brushed by Cassidy and Blake and tapped the younger man on the shoulder with the file in his hand as he headed towards the stairs.
"Let's go see about the Congressman's wife," Gordon said before disappearing out of sight.
Cassidy once again returned her gaze upon the city, believing that she was finally alone.
A hand place gently on her bare shoulder let her known that Blake had not followed Gordon as quickly as she thought he did.
"Thought you had the night off," he commented.
He leant against the ledge so he could see her face.
"I needed to clear my head."
"Everything all right?" he questioned with genuine concerned on his lips.
She shook her head in the affirmative.
"Liar," he simply stated. "You known I'm here if you need me, Cass. You don't have to face whatever it is alone."
A smile graced her face as he called her by the shortened named, but it soon faltered as the image of the Joker flashed in her mind and his words threatening in her ears.
She gazed up at the taller man for evening leaning against the stone he had the height advantage.
"Trust me on this one, kid, it's better this way," she assured. "Everything will be fine. I promise. You bettered head out before Gordon thinks you've gone missing as well."
He reluctantly headed towards the stairs as she ordered. He was more than happy to stay the night under the moon with the beautiful girl in front of him without speaking another word, but duty called.
Before he left, he returned to her side. He placed his hand on her lower back that was exposed from the cut of her dress.
The feel of his skin on hers sent a chill down Cassidy's spine.
"You look beautiful tonight, Cass," he whispered near her ear.
By the time she whipped around, he was making his way down the stairs.
He did not turn around to give her one last passing glance. She knew a proud, smug smirk was firmly planted on his face.
The scene was eerily familiar to the one from this afternoon, but this time he had the upper hand.
Cassidy let her mind wonder as to what would be the worse that could happen if she stopped listening to head and gave her heart a listen for in that moment, her heart was racing faster than any threat from the Joker could sent it beating.