A/N: Thanks to everyone I mentioned in past chapters and musicluver17, A Girl Called Sorrow, MotRD, SoxChick09, padfootblack15, XxXJockersWildXxX, PatrickDempseylover, fatolliecat, Esuerc Noma and letthedreamdescend. You're all amazing! Also, thanks to Devryn, I'd like to apologize for the mistake made in Rachel DAWES' name in the last chapter. I accidentally typed "Hawes" lol. I won't be able to put up another chapter until sometime Sunday or Monday :( I'm going on vacation this weekend so just re-read the chapters until I get back haha :D Remember to review if you like it! It definitely makes my day.
Btw, here's what Jessica's dress looks like: /assets/images/dresses/assymdress/red1.jpg
Disclaimer: Again, I do not own any of the Batman characters. I own Jessica, any original characters and the plot.
I looked my self over in the mirror for what felt like the hundredth time tonight. It was only one hour until Harvey's fundraiser and I was feeling a little nervous. I was never the type who really cared about what others thought of me, but being in a room full of people who were going to be staring at me all night definitely brought butterflies to my stomach.
I chose to wear a v-neck, red dress with a pair of black stilettos. I would have bought a handbag to match, but since the fundraiser was being held in the penthouse I currently resided in, I didn't see the point. My hair was as straight as I could get it seeing as how it was naturally wavy. I'd even put on a little bit of make-up; my friend's would be so proud.
After one last look in the mirror, I walked down the hall that led to the spacious living room. The caterer's were scurrying around to make sure everything was in place.
"Would you like to try a piece of olive bread with French feta cheese, Miss Wayne?" the caterer asked me. I looked at the plate and saw that it looked pretty appetizing.
"Yes, please," I said and took a piece off. I took a small bite just to be on the safe side and allowed my taste buds to make the decision for me. "Mmm. This is really good," I said with a smile.
He smiled and bowed his head slightly. "Would you like another?"
"No, thank you. I'm sure I'll be snacking all night," I replied and finished it after he walked away.
I looked up at the clock with a sigh; there was still 20 minutes until the party actually started. People would start showing up any minute now, though. Bruce had informed me earlier that day that Alfred and I could wait at the elevator for the first few people to come up. After that, I was allowed to either make friends with them or be a wallflower; I was betting I'd end up being the latter of the two.
I walked into the kitchen to where I knew Alfred would be and smiled at him. "What are you up to?" I asked as I leaned against the counter.
"I'm instructing the caterers on where to place the trays of food. You look lovely, by the way," he said with a smile.
"Thanks. I'm a little nervous though," I admitted sheepishly. The closest I'd ever come to a fundraiser party was one of my school dances.
"Ah, don't be. There's nothing you need to do but stand back and look charming," he said. I heard a 'ding' noise come from the living room. "Looks like we have our first guests," he said with a smile.
It had been an hour since the first guests had arrived. My claustrophobia was coming into play as I took in the room filled with people sipping alcohol from their wine glasses and eating orderves. I currently had my back against the wall and was sipping from a wine glass filled with sprite. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"Well, look at this party pooper," I heard someone to my right say.
I looked over and saw Harvey Dent smirking down at me, Rachel Dawes standing beside him.
"Yup, that's me," I said with a small laugh.
"I'm hoping that's not alcohol. Bruce would probably kill me if he found out I just stood by and let you get buzzed." He surveyed the room around him and I noticed I wasn't the only person who looked slightly frazzled.
"You going to be ok?" I asked with a mix of amusement and genuine concern in my voice.
He sighed and took a sip out of his glass. "I hope so. These things always make me nervous," he said and smiled nervously.
"I told him that if he could face the most dangerous criminals in Gotham, he could face these people," Rachel said and kissed Harvey's cheek.
I smiled slightly, thinking about how her words applied to me as well. All of a sudden I heard a loud buzzing noise overhead. The three of us walked over to the center of the room so we could see what was going on. The smirk that arrived on my face was one I could not suppress; Bruce was stepping off a helicopter surrounded by three women that looked like models. Rachel and I glanced at each other and rolled our eyes. I heard Harvey gulp loudly from behind me.
"Harvey Dent. When Rachel first told me she was dating him, I thought, 'That guy with the horrible campaign slogan? I Believe In Harvey Dent'…" Bruce began. The whole room listened intently to his speech, laughing and nodding in agreement at all the right parts. An eruption of applause filled the room when he was finished. I looked over at Harvey and saw a mix of relief and embarrassment on his face. Rachel, on the other hand, looked rather angry. "Excuse me," she said and walked towards the balcony doors, much to Harvey's obvious dismay.
The people were more talkative than ever now. I saw a group staring at me as they conversed and knew I had to get out before they dragged me in for the kill. "I'll be right back. Hang in there, buddy," I said to Harvey. I felt badly about leaving him there, but I just had to get away. I politely made my way through all the people, saying 'hello' to some I recognized from earlier conversations. I let out a relieved sigh when I came to the hallway that led to the bathroom. I opened the door and locked it after shutting it. I looked in the mirror and saw my hair was still straight. That was a complete miracle. I sat down on the lid of the toilet seat and thought about what could be happening tonight in my hometown of Reston.
All my friends were probably at the mall, laughing and goofing around like we always did on Friday nights. My mom would call at around ten-thirty to remind me to be home in the next hour and a half.
I sighed sadly. It was easy to push my parents into the back of my mind when I was busy, but when I was alone, my thoughts always wandered to their memory.
I felt myself tearing up and grabbed a piece of toilet paper to block the tears from falling and ruining my make-up. I don't know how long I was sitting in there before I heard a 'BANG' come from the party area. The original chatter that I could hear just moments before died and, instead, I heard one muffled voice speaking. I slowly stood up and walked over to the door. I opened it slowly and stepped out.
"…Harvey Dent. We'll settle for his loved ones," I heard the all-too familiar voice of the Joker speak. My breathing picked up and my heart felt like it had jumped up into my throat. He was here. Now was his time to hold true to his promise. I started walking slowly down the hallway as curiosity took over; curiosity killed the cat, of course.
"How about this," he began and I heard a girl gasp, "you tell me where Jessica Wayne is and I'll spare your life-ah."
My footsteps faltered slightly; I couldn't live with myself if I knew someone had been killed because of me. The Joker probably knew that, too; he got a sick pleasure out of my pain. I stood at the end of the hallway and peeked around the corner.
"We're not intimidated by thugs," a bald, older man said.
"You know, you remind me of my father," the Joker said before he grabbed the man's face roughly and put the knife up to his cheek, "I hated my father," he said angrily.
"Enough!" said Rachel who was standing in the middle of the room now.
No, no, no, no! What is she doing?! What am I doing?
I turned around and ran back down the hallway to my room where my cell phone was waiting on my desk for me. I grabbed it and dialed '911'
"911, what is your emergency?" I heard a female voice say on the other end.
"Yes, I'm at-"
I was cut off by the sound of my phone dying and the annoying music that plays when it turns off. Why was it that cell phones never worked when you truly needed them?! I angrily threw it on the bed and ran back down the hallway so I could grab the phone in the kitchen. I was stopped in my tracks when I heard a scream. The Joker had just dropped Rachel off the balcony. I watched in complete horror as Batman jumped off right behind her. I'd always heard about the Batman, but I wasn't sure if it was just legend or fact. They'd been talking about his heroic behavior in newspapers everywhere for the past year, but you can't always believe what you read.
I hadn't realized I was paralyzed with fear until everything went extra silent in the room and everyone turned to look at me. I was no longer safe behind the wall as I had been before. I was standing out in the open, as I realized, in a very vulnerable place. My eyes traveled from the now empty balcony to the black eyes which were staring at me so intently.
"Look who it is," the Joker muttered to himself.
I turned around as quickly as I could and started running for the door. My heels were definitely making this hard, but the thought of the Joker just made me run that much faster. I was almost there when I felt a pair of strong arms wrap tightly around my waist.
"Did you honestly think you could leave me that easily? I'm a man of my word-ah, Jessie," he said huskily into my ear.
He swung me around in his arms and started walking, still holding me in front of him. "Help me!" I yelled in disbelief at the room full of bystanders. They all wore the same expression of shock and horror on their faces. Where was Batman now to save me?
I felt myself being dragged to the elevator. "Party's over boys!" the Joker yelled directly beside me ear, causing me to wince. I tried my best to kick or hit him, but he had me pinned down completely.
"You look loverly in your little red dress," he said before laying a rough kiss on my temple. I was now standing in the elevator facing the crowd of shocked people.
I looked over at the balcony and saw the Batman land on the ground. Our eyes met a split second later; there was something very familiar about them…
"You got your woman, Batman. Now I get mine," the Joker said as three men in clown masks ran into the elevator. One of them, which I could tell was Bob due to his size, pushed the 'down' arrow. I heard the 'ding' and the door started to close.
I felt the tears form in my eyes for the second time that night as I realized there was no way I was going to be saved this time.
The Batman moved at the speed of light, but by the time he got close to the door it shut in his face.
I heard a loud "NO!" come from upstairs as we were lowered to the ground floor. The yell was followed by a weird noise. I looked up through the clear glass at the top of the elevator to saw a fist-sized piece of metal sticking out.
The elevator was filled with a cold laugh from the man whose arms I was currently trapped in. The elevator opened back up and felt myself being turned around. My feet fell out from below me and I found myself slung over the shoulder of the Joker. I started hitting his back with all my might. "PUT ME DOWN!"
He slapped my butt hard as he chuckled. "You're not leaving this time. Not this time," he said muttering the last part more to himself.
I heard a door being opened and we entered a stairway. We descended down to the basement area where the Joker and his goons walked to the back of the room and opened a door. Due to the sudden car noises, it was obvious we were outside. Instead of being in the front of the building, however, we were in the back.
I heard the all too familiar sound of the van door sliding open and was thrown in. I landed roughly on my back and hit my head on the opposite door. The Joker slid in beside me as I heard the other people getting into their seats. Before I knew it, I was thrown off the seat as the van sped off.
Two hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me up off the floor. I could already feel the bruises forming from where his fingertips were sinking into my skin. Everything seemed a little disoriented and my head was pounding. I turned my head to the left and saw two empty seats. Wait, two? I looked back and saw the Joker beaming at me.
"You get the best seat in the house," he said before letting out another inhuman laugh.
I turned back around to face the front. The Joker's left hand let go of my waist and rested on my inner thigh. His other hand began trailing up and down my arm.
"This is going to be fun," he said huskily in my ear.
I felt a tear slide down my face. I was definitely in for it this time.
