A/N: Thanks goes out to Vaka Shiva & Dreykar for reviewing my last chapter. A billion virtual cookies for you!

Foolish

Before his men returned her back into the dismal room that she now reluctantly called home his men must've moved Melissa's lifeless body. The Joker's attempt at shock value had run its course.

They were even thoughtful enough to replace one of the bulbs of her room so that the room was moderately lighter than before.

It had been a day, or so it felt, since the Joker's last visit to see and mentally torment Alexis. With no windows it was hard to tell when the day passed it was only the shift changes of men posted outside her door that would signify an hour's passing.

Her bouts with hunger were settling uneasily in the pits of her stomach.

You couldn't count on a man like that to keep a pet fed regularly.

Alexis lay cold against the mattress as she waited for anything. She placed her fingers against her lips feeling the breath lace her fingertips as she drifted in an out of sleep. Maybe if she slept it would help ease the hunger.

She brought her bent knees to her chest and held them closely.

She had ran out of things to count, read, and day dream about. There was nothing left to occupy her mind. It was slowly driving her insane. He had proved his point - she was alone. When you finally come face-to-face with that reality you start to reconsider the world around you.

Alexis rolled over on her left side as she scanned the room. She couldn't let him win at the battle for her soul. She had to find a way to escape or she would perish. No, she wouldn't give up that easy.

Something caught her eyes. How could she have not thought of it before? There it was right above her staring down at her all this time. The air ducts. Of course, they had to lead to another room in the warehouse. Maybe if she could shimmy her way up and into them she could find a way out. After all it worked so well for the people in those classic spy movies.

She got up and on to her feet and scanned the room looking for anything she could use to help reach the air duct. She was a total of five feet three inches and there was no way she could reach it without adequate help. Vertically challenged, she often called herself.

Her eyes stopped on the wooden chair that was sitting against the wall. The very chair she had that ghastly photo op, with the Joker, in yesterday. She picked up the chair and carried it over.

She slid the chair underneath the metal crate of the air duct and quickly got on top of the seat. She stretched as far as she could, but couldn't quite grasp it. She extended herself up on her toes catching the crate in her fingertips. She ripped it down with all of her strength and tossed it back down on to mattress. She looked back at the door expecting the men to barge in and foil her plan.

There was no indication she disturbed them. With a sigh of relief she went back to work.

Alexis grabbed the metal casing of the air duct with her short nimble fingers. She pulled herself up and slid her shoulders through the opening.

Alexis could hear the faint unlocking of the deadbolt on the opposite side of the door. Before she could react the door swung open and hit the adjacent wall with a loud crash.

"Lexi?"

She looked down through one of the cracks to see who was entering the room. To no surprise, it was the Joker. She pulled herself up quickly trying to get away from his grasp as he lunged forward grabbing at her ankles. She struggled to get the rest of herself into the air shaft. Her voice echoed through the metal casing as she screamed back down at him, "Let me go!"

In his typical sing-song voice he playfully asked, "What-t do you think you're doing, Lexi?" He tilted his head to the side, "Leaving so soon?"

She thrashed her legs back and jabbed him hard in the face with the heel of her converse shoe. "Get. Off. Of me!"

With a fit of laughter he stumbled back taking a moment to catch his balance. He shook his head roughly as if his anger was finally starting to truly kick in. "Naughty little minks-sah!" He got on top of the wooden chair and wrapped his arms tightly around her legs. With a harsh pull he managed to get her loose.

Her fall subjected her to land hard on her face with a loud grunt. Her fingers taking most of the brutal force as she held her hand out to embrace the sudden impact. She could hear the cracking of her fingers like the crisp sound of someone snapping a fresh carrot in half.

How she missed the chair on her way down, she didn't know.

She screamed loudly in pain as she shifted her weight to her back rolling from side to side. The tears began to stream down her face and coax her pink flushed cheeks.

With a joyful hop off of the chair he began to circle her. He kicked her left leg away as he squatted to lean in closer. He sucked on his lower lip as he examined her. A simple pop once it was released resounded in the room. "Hmm." He straddled her across the midsection to stop her from rocking back and forth. He reached out with his hand and brushed the rebelling hair from her face ."Now, see what you gone and did-d?" He slid his hand over his own hair slicking it back into place.

"Lexi, Lexi, Lexi. What am I going to do with you?" He rubbed his chin with his index finger as he contemplated his next move. "Not so graceful are we?"

She continued to squirm beneath him trying to break free.

As if it suddenly popped into his brain. He grabbed her throbbing right hand and looked over them with a watchful eye. Which only further caused her to wail in pain louder.

"Don't, fucking touch me!" She screamed as she tried striking her other fist at his face.

"Such harsh-sah words from a pristine little lady! Do you kiss your mother with that fowl mouth?" He never looked away from her fingers in his tight grip as he slapped her hand away with his free hand. "Shhhh." He experimentally moved her fingers about, which caused her to let out a flinch and whimper of pain. He did the same with the next finger receiving the same reaction. "Hmm.. My professional opinion? I don't think it's broken."

She jerked her hand away holding it close to her chest in protection. "Professional?"

"Lexi, I was really hoping we were past-t all of this." He grinned as he licked his lips, "I thought we had an understanding of what parts we are playing in my little game."

Alexis looked up into his cold eyes as her sobbing subdued.

"Am I going to have to restrain you to your bed-ah?"

She shook her head no.

The Joker lowered his hand to her neck and stroked it harshly. "Hmm."

She swallowed the fear that was wounding up in her stomach. She turned her head to the side, "Please."

"If I have to come back in here I promise you, it'll be far worse than a few fingers-s." He leaned down closer so his lips would be at her ear. "Do. We. Understand?"

She nodded again. In a whisper she fought to keep her voice from cracking, "Yes."

His tongue slithered out between his lips before darting back inside, "Good girl." The Joker got back to his feet and took one last lingering look at her. He turned around towards the door as he began to head out of the room. But he paused shortly and took a look over his right shoulder, "Can't have my fun if you're already broke-en. You've got a few miles left in yah."

A moan of pain escaped her lips as she crawled back on her knees to the mattress. She cradled her fingers against her chest before collapsing on the mattress.

The Joker exited the room and shut the door closely behind him. She could hear the old rusty deadbolts of the door being turned once more.


"Jim!" Detective Stephens greeted as the Commissioner entered the GCN studios.

"What do we have?" Gordon asked cutting to the chase.

"A package. We've had it checked out by the forensic team. There was nothing that they could use to pinpoint who created the package. Though, then again, Joker has no true identity."

"He's always two steps ahead of us." Gordon paused and turned to face Stephens. "What was in it?"

"I think you should see it, yourself." Stephens nodded with his head which direction they would need to take. They reached the table that held the contents of the box.

"Gloves?" Gordon asked as he started to look over the contents.

"Yeah, here." Stephens said as he tossed him a pair of blue latex gloves.

Gordon covered his fingers with the gloves before he lowered his hands to pick up the photo of Alexis and the Joker. He studied it for a moment before placing it back on the table. He sighed as he moved on to the letter that was created by cut-outs of magazines.

Gordon read aloud to himself, "My Favorite Commissioner. She's quite the charmer. I didn't know that you had my best interests truly at heart. You want her back alive? It's best you play my little game."

With a loud heave of a sigh he slowly put the letter back down.

"What do you think he means, Jim?"

"I'm sure he'll tell us soon." He placed his hands firmly on his hips. "He's playing with us now. He wants to keep us on our toes."

A brief silence among them before Stephens spoke up, "There was something else in the package. We rushed it over to the lab to check the DNA. Won't get the results back for a while."

"What was it?"

Stephens said calmly, "A finger."

"A finger?" Gordon asked in a surprised tone. He tried to remain optimistic about the situation, "Well it could belong to two plausible victims that are currently missing: Melissa or Alexis, right?"

"Yes, assistant D.A. Malone is still missing. But we're not even sure he has her."

Mike Engel was entering the room when Gordon cut his eyes at Stephens. He extended his hand out to meet Gordon's, "Nice to finally meet you Commissioner Gordon. Thanks for coming down."

"I'm surprised you called us." Gordon said without thinking.

"Why is that?" Mike cleared his throat as he adjusted his tie.

"Because, generally, you just broadcast information before contacting us. This man is a dangerous criminal that shouldn't be taken lightly by the reckless media." Gordon rubbed his brow as he tried to keep himself under control.

"Ah, you are referring to the video we received a while back ago." Mike Engel forced a smile.

Matter-of-factly, "Among other things."

"Well, it was my duty to inform Gotham, fully, about the madman running the streets. You obviously weren't doing a lot of successful things to stop him. Your back was against the wall. I took matters into my own hands."

"Yes, and where did that get you, Mr. Engel? As one of the Joker's hostages if I remember correctly. You're hungry for publicity and it's going to end up getting you killed."

"All I'm saying is. It's fair game. If someone in my office brings it to me. I have a right to publish it."

"Not necessarily--" Gordon paused for a moment trying to recall what he had just said. "Wait, wait a minute. What did you just say?"

"If someone brings it to me, I'm going to bring it to the public."

"So, someone physically brings these things to you?" Detective Stephens asked directly looking over at Gordon before returning his gaze to the withering Journalist.

"One of my employees, Shawn Lawson, brings them into my office. Claims he finds them in the alley behind the building. Said a thug left it there before taking off."

"And you've never questioned him about it?" Gordon's eyes lit up in disbelief. "You didn't think it was odd that he kept bringing them in and no one else?"

"Listen, when you get a rare exclusive it's important to rush it out before someone beats you to the punch. Exclusives, are all that matter to these people. We have large fan base and if someone gets it out before us we look like we're not doing enough. We lose viewers."

Gordon turned to face Stephens who was jotting down notes on a pad. Stephens returned Gordon's gaze as he looked up from the pad.

Jim turned back around, "Know where I can find this guy? I would like to speak to him."

"I'll show you where his office is." Mike Engel gesturing with his head to follow. "This way."

Gordon turned back at Stephens. With a whisper, "I hate the media."

They entered the elevator and ascended up the building to the seventh floor. Their journey remained quiet as they listened to the soft piano medley that was playing over the speakers. With the loud ting announcing their arrival to the seventh floor they began to exit the open doors.

Mike waved at the blonde receptionist behind the counter as they passed by. She waved back and instantly started to giggle back into the phone. Mike was attractive so say the least, but the power he possessed was also a bonus to his sex appeal with the ladies.

He entered the room full of cubicles and led the way through the significant maze as promised. The walls covered with glass windows that overlooked the busy city below.

Mike stopped and faced the backside of the lean man sitting at his desk. Gordon noted the random toys that surrounded his desk which ranged from: a slinky, a picture of a swimsuit model, and of course his collection of Batman drawings. His head was bobbing to the music playing loudly in his ears via iPod.

"Shawn? Do you have a minute?" Mike said as Shawn continued looking back at the screen filled with Solitaire games.

"Shawn?" Mike asked again this time with a tap on his shoulder.

Shawn, an average looking twenty-three year old, jerked at Mike's touch. He turned around in his chair to see who was hovering behind him. He removed the ear plugs and set them off to the side. But the music was still blaring.

His eyes got wide as he saw Jim Gordon standing off to the side. "Uhh.. Yeah. What can I, uh, do for you guys?" He shifted in his chair trying to get comfortable. His wrinkle full shirt contorting with his every movement.

"I'm Commissioner Jim Gordon." He pointed to Detective Stephens. "This is Detective Stephens. We'd like to ask you a few questions about this morning. About the package that you claimed to have found in the alley."

"Yeah, sure." He nodded as his shaggy bangs bounced on his forehead. "Uhm, what do you wanna know?"

"Do you think you could come down to the station with us. We'd just like to ask you a few questions." Gordon smiled, "That is if you can pry yourself away from your work."

Shawn brushed his unkempt hair back with his hand, "Uh, okay. Uhm, let me just get my jacket from my locker and we can be on our way." Shawn got to his feet and brushed passed the men heading down the hallway towards the break room.

They all watched Shawn as he rapidly disappeared behind the door of the break room.

"So how long has Shawn been working here?" Stephens asked.

"Not very long. Maybe a year or so."

"And you allow him to sit here and play solitaire instead of working?" Detective Stephens raised a curious eyebrow. "Not very productive."

"Let's just say he didn't get this job the old fashion way. He has connections with the big wigs upstairs. He's a friend of someone's uncle." Mike waved his hand, "Or something to that effect. I'm not sure exactly what it is. Kids these days don't have to lift a finger to get their wages."

"Do you think he may be involved with the Joker?" Mike asked inquisitively.

"We're not at liberty to talk to the media just yet," Gordon said with a smirk firmly planted on his face.

"Of course not."

"He's been gone awhile." Stephens suggested, "Should we go check on him?"

"Is there any exits out that way?" Gordon asked Mike as he slowly moved past him.

Stephens watched as Gordon gradually descended down the hall, "You think he's gonna run?"

"There's a fire escape back there. It connects with the alley."

Jim turned back to Stephens, "Make sure they have that fire exit blocked just in case. I'm gonna make sure he doesn't get any ideas."

Jim knocked on the break room door to get his attention. "Mr. Lawson, are you ready to go?"

There was no response.

Gordon knocked once more receiving the same response.

Gordon drew his weapon, "I'm coming in Mr. Lawson." He opened the door which was barricaded by a locker that was turned on it's side. He rammed his shoulder into the door and the locker slowly budged out of the way. Just enough so that he could wiggle his way inside. The room was empty, but he found the single window of the room wide open as the air billowed inside. Shawn was making his way down the fire escape.

"STOP!" Gordon demanded at Shawn through the window.

Shawn shot a glance up at Gordon as he continued to run down the steps.

Gordon slowly climbed out of the window. "STOP!" He warned one last time as he began to round the first set of stairs. He didn't realize how out of shape he truly was until his breath started to deepen.

Shawn leaped over two steps at a time as he held tightly on to the rusted railing.

Gordon moaned in displeasure as he started going faster after Shawn with his gun to his side.

Shawn took a look up at Gordon before jumping off the ladder on to the cement below. He grumbled as his feet gave way underneath him sending him hard to the ground. He quickly stumbled up on his feet as the police cruisers surrounded him. Every way he would turn to run a cruiser would block his exit.

"Get down on the ground! Put your hands above your head!" Yelled the police officer who was crouched behind the open door. "Now!"

Shawn complied with the officer barking orders, slowly making his way onto his knees with his hands above his head.

Gordon looked down at the scene, "Take him down to the station for questioning. Don't ask him any questions until I get there!" He took a moment for himself to regain his tranquility. He took a step back and rested his head back against the brick wall.

"You okay up there, boss?" Called Detective Stephens from the street.

"Just fine."


A/N: If you're reading this then you're still hanging in there! I wanted to get this chapter out several weeks ago. But of course I have been having computer problems. It's falling apart - literally.

So, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I agree with two previous reviewers who suggested my chapters be a little longer. I think it helps pace the story - as long as you're not mumbling on about the wallpaper.

Anyway, if you liked it be sweet and toss me a review!