A/N: Thank you to Kari10 for your consistent and welcomed reviews. They always brighten my day. And another big thank you to Silver Akuma Kitsune for your inspiring review.

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Chapter 10

Harvey Dent watched the news feed with renewed enthusiasm as Batman showed up and Joker giggling a few feet away. Having Batman be there to personally watch such a close friend get blown away gave him an even sweeter taste of revenge. The event would destroy Batman…and Gordon. Harvey was counting on it.

"I love the site of chaos," the Joker sang ending with a laugh.

He swiveled around in his chair attempting to watch the screen and spin around simultaneously. His useless attempts at both were causing him to laugh louder.

"I do enjoy this show," the clown voiced before putting an end to his spinning, "Watching the police try and try to bring order to a chaotic circumstance. They can't see what's really happening. They don't stop to think at the other possibilities. Not even the Bat can be bothered."

Joker was going through another tangent. Harvey was still trying to learn how to tune him out. It was no use. The clown's constant fidgeting and sporadic bouts of laughter were impossible to ignore. But as Harvey gazed at the television, seeing the still full tunnel and Gordon shouting useless orders around, Harvey would withstand hours with Joker's antics just as long as he could watch this.

Only Joker got the full details of the joke, however. Keeping quiet this whole time was becoming tough. Catching glimpses of Harvey's elated expression, made him fall back in laughter again. He couldn't help it. The whole situation was just so funny! Harv wouldn't appreciate the joke though. All he wanted was his petty revenge. It was a weakness that Harvey had that he, the Clown Prince of Crime, didn't possess. Although, now that he looked back at the monitor he found his eye twitch in annoyance.

That Riddler guy almost got in the way. His little almost prevented the Bat from showing. One can always rely on the Batman to come save a person in need and usually his plans would go off without a hitch. The police on the other hand, they just mess everything up. If his reporter's life was left in the hands of Gotham's finest he would have had to call in and ruin the joke. Joker didn't even have to jump in to bring the Riddler's plans down. That big headed moron did that himself. He wasn't sure if that 'puzzle' was even thoroughly thought through. It wasn't even a riddle! At least he didn't think so. Riddler's shtick and obsession with riddles went way over Joker's head.

Joker was all about doing things. Riddler planned his heists so far in advanced that he even wrote a riddle for each one. No, no, no, no, NO! That was not the way things were done. And that's why, Harvey should have known better. Joker never planned things and he always kept his word. Speaking of…

Harvey was practically hanging off the edge of his seat; looked like Syl was coming up to the tunnel. Now would be a great time to remind Harvey who was really in charge.

The Batpod seemed to crawl out of the darkness as the police cruisers pulled back giving him space to pull up beside Sylvia's Honda. Meanwhile the driver of the green civic rolled down her window to make communication easier.

"What's the plan," she asked loudly.

"Yours is to keep driving," he commanded.

Sylvia looked back to the road in front of her thinking 'great'. A loud thump and her car making a small jolt to the side alerted her to Bruce's actions. There was now a claw clamped to the frame of her car attached to the Batpod by a thick steel chain.

"What are you doing," she shouted.

"The tunnel wasn't cleared," he informed her, "you're going to be hitting traffic up ahead."

"Oh, god," Sylvia groaned.

"You're going to need to make a U-turn. Your car can't make it without falling under forty. Mine can. It's going to maneuver yours through the turn. Turn the steering wheel; I'll take care of the rest," Batman promised.

Sylvia nodded her comprehension awaiting his word to start turning.

"Once were out of the turn, I'm going to get up close to your car and you'll need to climb in," Bruce continued to instruct. "We'll have eight miles of clear highway to do it."

That last sentence should have been comforting but Bruce wasn't aware of her gas situation.

"I don't have eight miles," Sylvia yelled her voice breaking due to the stress and emotion coursing through her, "This might be a great time to tell you that my car is running on empty. I don't have more than three miles left let alone eight!"

Looking ahead, Sylvia spotted the numerous cop cars and red lights from the still cars up ahead.

"Concentrate on making the turn," Batman reminded her.

Sylvia exhaled waiting and hoping that she'd get out of this alive.

"Now," Bruce shouted.

His words spurred Sylvia to turn the wheel to the left. All she could hear were her tires screeching as they pushed through the sharp turn at fifty miles per hour. Without the chain holding her car to the tank, Sylvia knew her car would have rolled over.

Jim sighed relieved that they steered clear of the traffic but now it was time to get Sylvia out of the failing car.

Bruce retracted the chain while the claw stayed implanted in its place. Then, he proceeded to drive up to her passenger side.

"Sylvia," he called earning her attention. He held up a pipe to her which puzzled Sylvia before he explained, "Put your seat all the way back and jab the pipe in place so it will keep the car accelerating."

"Got it," Sylvia assured as the pipe was tossed through the window landing on the passenger seat.

A clinking sound started up coming from the back of the car. Her car wasn't going to hold up much longer. She slid the pipe in place, bringing the seat up a bit to lock it in place. This caused the car to accelerate rapidly but she didn't have time to care.

At her side now, Batman had his car steadily keeping up. Proceeding to put his car on auto, Bruce clambered out of the Batpod's opened roof to get himself closer. Sylvia kept one hand on the wheel while attempting to open her door. Bruce came up to the passenger side of his car opening the door for her and swiftly breaking it off its hinges. Sylvia would have cared if her car wasn't set to explode. Bruce got back in the car taking off the auto-pilot. He watched in attentive anticipation as Sylvia shimmied her body out of her seat with one hand still manipulating the steering wheel.

"You're going to have to jump Sylvia," he counseled her with his heart pounding painfully against his chest in fear.

Sylvia's foot slipped triggering her hand to involuntarily swerve the car closer to her savior. Her knee connected shortly but painfully against the side of the other carriage. Thinking fast, she released the wheel and jumped into the black tank-like car in front of her. Sylvia landed safely in the car as hers continued down the highway. Bruce effectively turned his pod around away from the anticipated explosion bringing it to a solid stop in exchange to pull Sylvia into the car further. The pair wrapped their arms around the other; their bodies tensing in preparation of the blast.

Looked like Syl was coming up to the tunnel…

"Yup," Joker sighed loudly stretching his arms out, "all according to plan, eh, Harv? The Commissioner and his boys all running around like babies with their heads cut off – panicked – all in the effort to save one talented reporter gone hero. I can't wait till they get the punch line."

The ex-DA rolled his eyes not comprehending what the Joker was chatting about but that wasn't uncommon. So he just threw Joker's words into the wind and kept his attention on the screen. Something shot out from the Batman's tank attaching itself onto the doomed green Honda. If the gas ran out but Sylvia's car was still being pulled at forty would the bomb not detonate? Harvey cursed silently. That was loophole he didn't foresee.

"That there was never a bomb in the first place," Joker's chuckling slowly escalated to full blown laughter again.

What? Harvey's mind went blank; just that one worded question repeating itself over and over again. Two-Face looked over at the hysterical clown feeling his hands clench, his heart rate speed up, and his vision blur. He shot out of his chair at the Joker pulling him out of his seat by the collar of his ridiculous shirt.

"What did you say," Two-Face growled furiously.

"Now, now Harvey," Joker admonished, "remember what the Arkham doctors said about your anger."

Two-Face roared as he threw Joker to the ground receiving more laughter.

"Har-Harvey," Joker said breathlessly trying to catch his breath from laughing so much, "Did you really think I was going to let you kill my reporter?"

"You, lying son-of-a –" Dent yelled at the clown.

"Don't impugn my honor, Two-Face," Joked teased chuckling, "I am a man of my word and I never said, specifically, that there was a bomb in her car. My words did lead everyone to believe there was and that was as far as my agreement went."

Joker stood up brushing himself off. Dent hovering a few feet away his hands still clenched and trembling with his just barely contained anger.

"I don't kill simply because someone tells me to," Joker continued his explanation, "I just do it."

It was as simple as that in Joker's eyes. He didn't feel like killing Sylvia.

"I never told you we'd kill her but I agreed to scare her and that worked out pretty well don't ya think," he asked motioning toward the television screens. "She sounded pretty scared to me." After a slight pause he commented, "I don't really work well with others."

With that said Joker picked up his purple jacket from his vacant chair and put it over his arm. His aim was to leave but Harvey spoke out.

"So what?" he questioned irately, "She just lives!"

Joker looked back over his shoulder at the burnt ex-DA.

"Looks like it," Joker spoke with false sympathy, "She's just too much…fun to get rid of just yet."

Not waiting for Joker to finish, Harvey went to grab his gun but by the time he turned back Joker was gone. Two-Face dropped the gun opting to phone in some of the recently escaped Arkham inmates hiding out below to give him a hand in finding the contemptible clown. Once again his actions were halted, this time by the events happening up on the screen.

Bruce's heavy breathing was all Sylvia heard while her car sputtered a couple yards away to an uninterrupted stop. Silence reigned supreme amongst that strip of highway as every person present shared the same question: Where was the explosion?

The pair so desperately clinging to one another had chosen to find the answer but opted not to care as their eyes met.

"You came," Sylvia praised breathily although feeling she really shouldn't be surprised.

"Are you alright," he asked her.

"I am now," she whispered embracing him tighter.

"Sylvia –"

"Vee!" Gordon's shout alerted them that they weren't going to be alone much longer.

The two pulled away from one another to meet reality.

"You two okay," Jim asked worriedly taking in Sylvia's appearance first.

She was bleeding from a wound at the right side of her head just below her hairline. He was going to have to get her to medics.

"I'm good, Jim," Sylvia told him but her stumbling steps said otherwise.

"I need a medic over here," he shouted over to the ambulances standing by.

There were groups of cops and fire trucks too. They had really prepared for some drastic damages.

Bruce had to remind himself not to seem attached to Sylvia as she was carried away from his sight. She would be fine. She was in good hands.

With Sylvia now being taken care of, Jim brought his attentions to Batman.

"What about you," Jim asked concerned.

"I'll be fine," Batman spoke shortly before getting back into his pod.

"Listen," Gordon requested as he leaned over the car to insure their conversation wasn't overheard, "I'm going to make sure Sylvia gets checked into Westville. I think it's best if you make a personal appearance. Appearances and reputations be damned."

Gordon was talking about Bruce Wayne's reputation. However, it was still important for Wayne to keep his playboy persona. Or was it?

"Jim –"

"I'll take care of Dent," the Commissioner interrupted him, "and Joker and Riddler. If something gets out of hand, I'll get a hold of you." Jim leaned closer before whispering, "Right now it's Sylvia that is important. Believe me Bruce. We never contemplate the possibilities of losing those we love most until the possibility is staring us straight in the face."

Bruce looked up at Jim startled a bit. He was never called Bruce when he was in the suit. It was the first time Jim's knowledge of his identity showed itself. Batman nodded before the pod's roof shifted into place. Jim backed up more to give him room and watched as the car disappeared into the darkness.

"Commissioner Gordon," an officer called for his attention behind him, "What do we do with the car?"

Jim turned to the cop to see him pointing to Sylvia's pretty beat up Honda Civic. There was a claw embedded to the frame just above the driver's side back door leaving the back window cracked, the driver's side door was missing, the tires would need replacing, and the tank was empty.

"Son, that's a loaded question," Jim joked making the officer laugh. "Have it towed to a repair shop, please."

After his superior's instruction the cop nodded and moved to begin his task when Gordon called him back.

"On second thought, it might be a good idea to get it cleared by bomb squad," Jim suggested, "Don't want to take any chances right, Officer Blake?"

Officer John Blake grinned before replying, "Yes, sir."

A/N: Couldn't help but put John in here. He won't be doing much appearances I just love his character in the Dark Knight Rises.

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