HI EVERYONE! I AM ASTOUNDED BY THE INCREASE IN REVIEWS FOR THE LAST CHAPTER AND VERY THANKFUL. I KNOW A LOT OF YOU KNOW HOW MUCH REVIEWS MEAN TO AUTHORS, AND YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME.
There is this AMAZING (SERIOUSLY A-M-A-Z-I-N-G) fanfic by WickedWillow01 called Part of the Plan. There's also one before it called Ace in the Hole which is as good as this one, though you don't have to read it to understand Part of the Plan. Its a great story about the crazy and brutal relationship between the Joker and Harley Quinn, probably one of the best out there. The Joker is written inmacuatly, and I wish that I could someday write as well as that. Harley is also wonderfully well-written, and totally Nolan-fied. So check them out, they are sooo worth it!!!!
DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN TDK OR ANY DC COMIC CHARACTERS, BUT ALL THE OTHERS ARE MMMIIIINNNNEEEE!
Julia
Where was I? All I could see was white. Was I in heaven? I laughed to myself. No way. I rolled my eyes around, taking in the medical equipment. No, I was in a hospital. I raised my head slightly, taking in my body covered by a sheet. I raised my arms, finding both arms in a cast. Letting my head fall back into the pillow, I starred up at the ceiling, trying to remember what had happened. But I couldn't. At that moment a doctor came in. He smiled at me tentatively.
"Good afternoon Julia." He said quietly. I just starred at him. He sighed and continued.
"I'm sure your wondering what day it is, its November 4th. You've been at the hospital for two days, slipping in and out of consciousness, but you probably don't remember." He waited for my response, but I didn't move, hanging onto his words, wanting to know what happened. He stood there awkwardly for a minute then changed the subject.
"I guess you see that your hands are in casts. One will be removed very shortly, we've just been trying to protect the stitches, and the other is going to be fitted for just your hand. You broke three fingers." His voice wavered. Suddenly I remembered. The snap of my bones, the laughter….the…..truth. My father….my father….was the Joker.
The doctors tried to get me to speak, but I refused other then stating that I was Julia Samuels. I spent most of my time starring at the white wall, my eyes blank and unfocused, remembering the warehouse. It was about the second day when I realized that no matter how much I tried to deny it, the Joker was my father. It made so much sense, all of it. Except for the feeling in my stomach, which I soon realized was hatred. I didn't care if he was my father, I hated that man. Batman didn't like him, so why would I? But, I still couldn't shake off my depressed feeling, like something had died. I'd been so excited to meet him, I painted a picture, a perfect father, and now I got this? My hands clenched into fists and I glared at the wall. I wanted the father I deserved, not some madman.
Wait. I unclenched my hands. Maybe he was what I deserved, was I not like him? I thought back. His face had been covered by paint, but his eyes, the way he moved, sometimes the way he talked….was me.
My third day in hospital, I had visitors. William and Marissa came into the room, carrying flowers from them, Jonathon Green, and even Ms. Jones. Marissa starred at me, fear clouding her eyes, but William smiled genuinely and sat on my bed.
"Hey Jules! How are you feeling?" He asked, grinning at me. I just starred at him, saying nothing. Marissa edged away and sank into one of the armchairs.
Flake. Said the voice, and I had to fight to ignore the feelings rushing through me. Ever since I'd arrived in the hospital, when I really felt down, I'd hear a voice hissing in my ear, telling me horrible things……..things some part of me truly wanted to say. It scared me, these thoughts; they seemed even more frightening when the voice in my head said them.
I starred at the white wall, my face like a stone. William nodded at me understandably and began to fill me in on what I'd missed. Surprisingly, I listened, attentively, my eyes fixed on the white wall, letting his voice wash over me. The voice in my head didn't speak during the entire time.
When they had to leave, they both hugged me, but Marissa barely touched me, eyes filled with fear. I felt the voice building up inside of me, then William hugged me warmly, and my mouth twitched, enjoying the calming feeling, earning a glowing look from him.
Later that day, Commissioner Gordon came in, looking worried.
"Julia?" He asked quietly. I nodded, but kept looking at the wall. I'd started to scrape at it with my fingernails, drawing jagged streaks, like scars. I wished the wall was red, so it would look more realistic. "How are you feeling?" He asked quietly, and I didn't respond.
"The doctors said that your brain is functioning normally, but you won't talk." I shrugged my shoulders, tapping me knee absently, but turned to look at him. He sighed heavily.
"We found your mothers address and were going to contact her so she can come in and see you and—" I shook my head vigorously.
"NO!" I shouted hoarsely, causing Gordon to jump and look at me, surprise written all over his face. "Please no, don't." I don't know why I was so adamant, I kind of wanted my mother to come and comfort me, but, the Joker knew her name. I couldn't bring her here, she'd be killed. Gordon starred at me as I had this inner battle then continued.
"Don't you just want to notify her…?"
"No." I said firmly, starring down at my hands. He sighed.
"Fine, we won't contact her. Now you need to do something for us. I know it may be difficult, but you need to tell us about your kidnapping." I raised my head, and starred at Gordon's kind face.
"Julia, the only way for us to help you is to know what happened. You need to tell us." I starred at Gordon, contemplating. I could tell him everything, and they would know who the Joker really was. But, then they'd know what I was. And what had the Joker told me? "What happens at the warehouse stays at the warehouse." What would happen if I told? He'd come after me, but not at first. He'd probably kill others around me first. How could I let that happen? And there was another part of me, none the less a very small part, that didn't want to tell, that didn't want to hurt the man. That wanted, so desperately to believe, that he could become the father I wanted even though it wasn't possible.
"Commissioner," I said quietly, my voice cracking slightly. "I…I don't remember." The Commissioner looked at me incredously. "You don't remember?" He asked, his eyebrows raised. I nodded my head.
"Yes. All I remember is pain and random questions which I couldn't answer." The commissioner starred at me, not even taking my lie for a second. I didn't care though, I was just happy to hear his voice, it calmed me. I started to think about other calming things, Batman. I wished Batman could solve all my problems, he could get rid of the Joker for me, and then take me in as his own daughter and we'd be happy….
No, you idiot, said that irritating voice, pushing itself inside me at the mere mention of the Jokers name. Stop it, that's the stupidest idea ever.
"Look Julia, if you don't tell us why he went after you, we can't protect you." I smiled at him, almost dreamily, trying to ignore the voice, trying think on the bright side….trying…
"You told me you could protect me before, and look what happened. I'm better off without your help." I said softly.
"Julia, the information you could give us would help bring the Joker back into captivity. You'd be saving other lives." I sighed impatiently, but gave him an encouraging smile. What was with that? I never smiled and all of a sudden I was grinning so much my muscles hurt?
"Look, I'm sorry Commissioner, but I don't remember anything." Bug off. I was angry now, depressed. Batman couldn't solve my problems, I was being stupid. The smile on my lips began to weaken, and I glared at the commissioner.
"I really don't remember." My voice took on a dangerous tone, and the Commissioner noticed. He stood, looking down at me, confused and pitying.
"Well, if you start remembering, we'd really appreciate it if you contacted us." I nodded, my smile gone, and I turned back to my jagged marks on the hospital wall, waiting until the commissioner left the room to put my face in my hands.
A few hours later a new face showed itself in my hospital room.
Four visitors in one day? Someones popular. Said the voice snidely. I looked up from my doodles on the wall to see a man in a neat suit standing there, holding an envelope with my name on it. His face was easily recognizable, Bruce Wayne. I raised my eyebrows, and he smiled dashingly at me, extending a hand.
"Hello Ms. Samuels, my name is Bruce Wayne." I nodded cautiously. While his smile was warm, his eyes were boring into me, filled with mixed emotions, some quite frightening. He held out the card to me.
"This is for you. As you probably know, the police found you at Wayne Tower, and on behalf of Wayne Enterprises, we would just like to make sure you're alright and wish you well." I starred at this man. It made sense, but why would he come personally? Was he curious, did he want to know about what had happened with the Joker? I smiled hugely at him, my eyes cold with hatred. There was no way I was telling pretty boy anything.
"Thanks." I said, my smile never wavering, stretching as far as I could make it. Surprisingly, he stepped back sharply, his body suddenly tensing.
"Well….I, hope you feel well soon." He said quickly, leaving the room. I starred after him, eyebrows furrowed. This day was no end to visitors.
I was released form the hospital a day after my visit with the Commissioner. The doctors were relieved I'd finally started talking, and they'd finally pronounced me sound enough to leave, not without a ton of acting on my part. Because no matter how hard I tried to deny it, I was starting to loose my mind.
I had refused protection from the police, much to their displeasure and Ms. Jones had offered to give me a week off, but I'd told her I'd start on Monday. I needed to get back into the swing of things. When I opened the door to my apartment, I almost broke down from exhaustion. I fell into my couch and sobbed uncontrollably. Why me? With all the shit I had to go through in my life, why did I have to get any more? I wished I'd never known, that I'd never found out anything. I raised my eyes and saw a joker card stuck on the screen of the TV.
What the hell? I got up on shaky feet and took the card in both hands. Welcome home, it said, printed in the corner of the card. My anger rose to a boiling point. I hated him, I wanted to kill him. Tear him limb from limb, carve smiles all over his body and see how he liked it. The voice took control. I ripped the card tearing it into little pieces, my hands in a frenzy. It was only then, looking down onto the broken pieces of paper, of my life, that my anger subsided. I fell to my knees and desperately tried to piece together the card, my hands blurry through tears. I clutched at the paper with shaking hands, clinging to a fraying rope. No matter how much I hated that man, the other part was pining for the father it'd never had.
A few hours later, I sat, curled up in a ball watching the TV. I was done with feeling sorry for myself. I couldn't erase what had happened, and I knew there was no way I would forget it. And it wasn't like it was going to fade away. The Joker wasn't going to just leave me alone. No, he was going to make sure I'd tell no one. He was going to push me completely over the edge, and if that happened, I had a perfect example of what I would become. It was already happening, the nervous twitching, and the random bursts of laughter. I had to save myself, and the only way to do that was to fight back.
I sat up, renowned vigor flowing through my veins. It was perfect. I would clear Batman's name, I would do everything in my power to screw over the Joker. I had to make myself entertaining, interesting. It was suicidal, but it wasn't like I had long to live anyway, not with what I knew. But right now, I needed to sleep. I glanced at my door. It looked so flimsy. Maybe I should get some padlocks for it, windows too. I grinned to myself. Oh if the Joker wanted to play, was I going to play.
I spent most of the weekend proofing my apartment, tricking it out with padlocks. I wasn't really sure where all this bravery was coming from, but I had to show this clown that I wasn't some stupid girl, that I was a threat. If I didn't, I'd be dead by the end of the week. He didn't care if I was his daughter, how could he? It wasn't like these locks would really be much of a problem, but hopefully it would give him a good laugh.
I had to make myself interesting, if I wanted to survive. And clown proofing my apartment would do just fine….for now.
That Sunday night, I was just checking all the locks, when my phone rang. I hurried over to it, and answered cautiously.
"H-hello?" I asked, my voice wavering.
"Hey Jules?" I relaxed and rolled my eyes. William.
"Yeah?"
"What's up?" He said calmly. "Marissa said she hasn't heard from you all weekend, and you won't open your door to her. She also said that she saw you with a bunch of locks. Are you okay?" I sighed irritably. William was just too inquisitive for his own good.
"I'm fine; I was just trying to fix my lock, uh…. The police officers broke it when they were inspecting my apartment."
"Oh, okay." Replied William, his voice taking on a disbelieving tone. "Julia listen, whatever happened to you while you were gone, it doesn't matter to me. Your still Julia and I'll treat you just the same." My eyes widened, surprised at the sincerity in his voice.
"Oh, uh….thanks." He laughed.
"Do I have the infamous Julia Samuels at loss for words?" I giggled, a normal giggle, and then winced. I didn't like this feeling, warmth spreading through me, I didn't want it, I didn't deserve it.
"Well, I better get going….." I said, trying to get him to take the hint. He did, and I frowned at the hurt in his voice.
"Uh, okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked hopefully.
"Yep. Bye." I replied hurriedly, slamming the phone into the receiver. I then turned, and after making sure all the locks were shut, I went over to the coffee table, and continued cutting out the Batman related articles in the paper, awkwardly trying to work with my left hand, as my hand was in a cast, working to heal my broken fingers. The gash on my left arm had some tensor bandage around it, but it was fine and healing nicely.
I worked hard at cutting out the articles and pictures, ready for the scrapbook I had decided to start. It would help me with my investigation, and I needed to do something to keep the voice away, to keep away the blackness. I was so busy that I only once glanced at the clumsily taped together Joker card, its pieces jumbled and broken, just like my soul. It lay on the table beside my arm, laughing at my foolishness.
Bruce Wayne
I read over Julia Samuels medical papers that I'd scanned last night, breaking easily into the hospital. It was something about this girl, she was unsettling, and I still couldn't understand why the Joker had let her go. Glancing at the unfinished juice and sandwich Alfred had left me, I looked toward the computer screen. The way the girl acted, it was familiar, and frightening, it bothered me.
I glanced back down at the medical papers. I could see from the report that the girl had ADHD, and according to the doctors, had developed a very minor case of bipolar. Yet she worked for the Gotham times, and no one seemed to have sensed anything wrong with her. I eyed her picture on the screen, wild and curly dirty blonde hair, thin haunting face, pale skin, and dark, almost black eyes. Those eyes were so familiar, yet I just couldn't place it.
I took the cowl off my head and dropped it to the ground, rubbing my eyes tiredly. The girl was so different, yet so familiar. The way she had looked at me in the hospital room was so confusing, her face had changed, her attitude, everything. I was speaking to one Julia Samuels at first, but then suddenly, she changed completely, for the worse. Even though something about her revolted me, in some way, I pitied her. I remember seeing her, sitting forlornly in that hospital bed, fidgeting, her face broken…… her face. Every time I saw it, my stomach clenched, and I tensed defensively, like she was a threat. But why? I pounded the desk in frustration. Who was this girl, and why had the Joker let her go?
I KNOW, THERE WAS NO JOKER IN THIS ONE, AND IF YOUR GETTING TICKED OFF AT JULIA FOR FEELING SORRY FOR HERSELF, THIS WAS THE CHAPTER WHERE SHE GOT TO FEEL BAD. SHE WON'T BE COMPLAING AS MUCH FROM NOW ON, SHE'LL BE TRYING TO STAY ALIVE, AND DEAL WITH ALL THE OTHER STUFF! HOPE YOU ALL LIKED IT, EVEN THOUGH THERE ISN'T MUCH ACTION GOING ON.
ONE QUESTION THOUGH..... DOES ANYONE KNOW THE EXACT PEOPLE HARVEY DENT KILLED IN THE DARK KNIGHT....THE ONES BATMAN TOOK THE BLAME FOR???? I'VE LOOKED ALL OVER THE INTERNET AND NO-ONE KNOWS FOR SURE. I KNOW A COUPLE THAT MIGHT ARE DEFINITE.
DETECTIVE WUERTZ
MARONI'S DRIVER
MARONI'S BODYGUARD (I THINK, YOU SEE HIM GET PULLED OFF SCREEN IN THE MOVIE)
MAYBES....
HARVEY DENT-MAYBE BATMANS BLAMMED FOR HIM TOO???
SALVATORE MALRONI- HE WASN'T WEARING HIS SEATBELT AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM!!!
SO... IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEA, PLEASE TELL ME WHEN YOU REVIEW. THANKS A TON EVERYONE!!!!