Hey guys! I know it's been an extremely long time since I last updated, but I've been busy a lot lately, including getting ready for grad that I didn't have much time for this. Plus I admit that I kinda forgot about this! Sorry! And about the wait! I'm not sure how long it will take me to update again, but I guess we'll see!
Chapter 10
More Tricks
Rachel listened to Bruce's breathing until he held his breath and the sudden silence scared her. What did he expect? With Bruce persistently bothering her with no space around her to breathe, Rachel found this to be a turn off. He was right, he normally wasn't like this. With Harvey out of the way for a while now, Bruce must feel this was the opportune time to speak up. Had he forgot about her deal with only being with him when Bruce no longer needed Batman? Did Alfred ever give him the note? Since the last time they had both talked about this, Rachel was afraid that it was the wrong time to mention that whole detail on why she would not have any type of relationship with him besides good friends, but now, she felt this was the best time.
"Bruce," Rachel began, "I love you, and you know that, but-"
"But…" Bruce interrupted her with a disappointed and heavy sigh.
Rachel felt bad for saying these words to him, but it had to be done. "You know as well as I do how I feel about you, but I still go by what I said," Rachel walked over to her kitchen sink and grabbed a glass of water; her throat was dry and scratchy, "As long as you're Batman, I think it's best we stay as friends."
Bruce exhaled deeply once again. Rachel could sense his anger, and she almost felt like hanging up the phone. If only she could get Bruce to understand. It was nice to have someone want you so badly, but Rachel didn't even know what she wanted. She began to sway around dizzy in confusion as she thought about so many things at once. Rachel trembled with anxiety as she waited for the silence between them to subside, and the glass of water slipped out between her fingers, crashing to the ground. The shattering noise startled her as she crouched down and began to pick up the pieces with her free hand. Blood mixed with the water dribble down her finger from the glass cutting her skin.
"What was that?! Are you alright?" Bruce yelled through the phone.
"Yes," Rachel replied, squinting from the pain, "Yes, I'm alright, I just dropped a glass."
Bruce suddenly began to speak with annoyance, "What has been wrong with you lately? You've been uneasy, something's wrong and you wont tell me. Are we not good friends?"
Rachel listened to Bruce's rapid breathing in the background. It was so unlike him to act this way, and lately Rachel had noticed that more and more. They were both on the edge, but she had no idea why Bruce was.
"That's unfair," Rachel spoke abruptly; her voice was shaky and tired.
Bruce raised his voice, "Unfair? What's unfair is you giving me an alternative between two things that I can't let go of! If anything is unfair, that is."
Rachel began to yell in anger with the fact that he could be right, "You don't understand!"
"Why don't you let me understand then?" Bruce lowered his tone, and Rachel was relieved that he was no longer shouting in her ear.
Rachel was stumped. She couldn't tell him about the Joker! "I-I can't…" Her voice trailed off, then continued, "What about you? You've been acting different lately, and even admitting it, yet you can't tell me what's wrong either!"
Bruce sighed, "Well when you do, let me know. As for me, I'm fine. I've got to go, duty calls."
Rachel hung up the phone after Bruce. She was surprised and happy that he never cut short their conversation without saying some type of goodbye. After cleaning up the rest of the pieces of glass off the floor, Rachel glanced out through her large living room window. Out in the night sky was the Bat light. It shined brightly against the black and grey clouds until it suddenly began to rain. The water beat hard on her window, and the Bat light dribbled into a sudden blur. Rachel wondered what Batman would be up against, it being most likely the Joker once again.
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Bruce hurriedly changed into his Bat uniform. Thoughts continued to flow through his mind about the conversation he just had with Rachel as he slid the thick leather over his body. He was unsure if what he said was right, but he couldn't think about that right now. After saying goodbye to Alfred, Batman bolted out the door and into the moonless night.
Gliding from rooftop to rooftop, Batman began to hear cries and screams, followed by sirens. Smoke elevated to the dark sky, its angry face swallowed it whole. As he reached closer to the source of chaos, he spotted a few buildings on fire. To Batman's surprise, the court house was one of them. His head filled with heavy frustration. Rachel would not be happy. The Joker seemed to be destroying every important building in Gotham City; first a hospital, Wayne Enterprises, and now a court house. Firemen, police officers, and ambulances scattered around the buildings. Amongst the crowd, Batman spotted Gordon. He seemed as though to be pulling his hair in anger of the predicament. Batman reached to the ground towards Gordon.
"Oh am I glad to see you," Gordon spoke solemnly as Batman approached him. His glasses reflected the burning fire in front of them.
"What happened?" Batman asked deeply and forwardly.
Gordon went right to the point. "The Joker's leading man, Drew Thompson, escaped jail tonight at around 10:00. Well, more like the Joker helped him escape with a proximity bomb. Who knows where he was during that time. A few of his henchmen came and killed off a few police officers," Gordon shook his head, "And I guess the Joker thought it would be a neat trick to ignite these buildings at around 10:50."
"Drew Thompson?" Batman asked; his tone of voice remained the same.
"Why yes," Gordon became confused at his reaction, "Do you know of him?"
"Personally, no," Batman responded stiffly, "But I've spoken to him before." He thought back to his meeting with him.
Gordon looked up at Batman and sighed, "If there was anyway of reaching the Joker, it would have been through Thompson. The Joker's methods are unpredictable and incalculable. Every time he's been confronted by the authorities he easily evades capture due to the sick and twisted mind games he plays on us," Gordon took a deep breath after speaking quickly, "I don't think we will ever capture him successfully."
Batman clenched his fists, "We will. His greatest weapon against me, the police, and the District Attorney's office may be intelligence, but I've got speed and strength."
Gordon nodded in agreement then spoke, "What will you do?"
"I may not be able to kill the Joker, but he doesn't plan on killing me either. I'll find him, and when I do, I'll make sure he gets what he deserves after harming these citizens and putting anarchy into Gotham." Batman became more angrier then before as he thought about the Joker's doings according to his own twisted sense of logic, "He thinks we are destined to fight forever, I'll show him how wrong he is."
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Rachel paced up and down her living room, worried about what was happening. She didn't feel like just standing there waiting around. Without thinking, Rachel snatched her coat from her closet and put on her shoes. She then grabbed her car keys and scrammed through the door. Rachel knew Batman, and he never liked her being in the middle of anything, but some curiosity inside of her wanted to know what was going on. She didn't care what he thought at the moment.
Rachel drove around Gotham until she finally found smoke and fire burning away through the sky. She gasped in horror at the scene as she got closer. The court!? What has the Joker done! She thought to herself. Rachel quickly parked her car and walked through the crowd of people running around in panic and disarray. She could not spot Batman anywhere. Rachel leaned against the wall with one hand on her forehead.
Suddenly, Rachel heard a faint snigger from behind her. She spun around franticly and looked through the alleyway beside her. Unfortunately she could not see a thing. Rachel thought she must have heard things, but as she looked closer, she spotted some movement in the darkness, along with a low shuffling noise. Again she heard the laugh, then a sudden voice behind her.
"Rachel?"
Rachel was startled by the voice that called her name as she turned around rapidly only to face Gordon. She was relieved to see him, and she took a few breaths.
"Sorry to startle you," Gordon continued, "What are you doing here?"
"I um…" Rachel said as she was deep in thought, then came back to realization and gave a quick, short chuckle in her embarrassment, "I just wanted to see what the commotion was about."
"Just watch the news; it's not safe right now, especially with Thompson out again with the Joker."
Rachel held her breath, "Thompson? Drew Thompson?"
"Yes, you remember me mentioning him?"
"You told me about him this morning. He broke out of jail?" Rachel asked with surprise.
"Thanks to the Joker." Gordon sighed, "I've got work to do, but you should get home, okay?"
Rachel nodded, "Alright. What about the court house?"
Gordon glanced behind him at the burnt up building, "It took a while to take out the fires. It's not looking very good. The good thing is that the building at least still stands."
Rachel stared at the ground in anger and sadness. She could not believe it. The Court house was gone, what next? She told Gordon good bye and watched him leave her sight amongst the crowd. Rachel looked behind her once again into the alleyway. She wondered if the noises were real, or just her imagination. Rachel felt so disoriented at the moment that she didn't know what to think. A part of her wanted it to be the Joker so she could give him heck. She took a step closer, still unsure if she should go any further.
Unexpectedly a figure instantly grabbed her around the waste and pulled her into the darkness. She began to scream but a gloved hand cupped over her mouth, muffling her shriek.
"Shh shh shh, don't want to attract any attention on us hmm?"
Rachel's heart sank hearing the Joker's voice fill her ears. He pulled her further into the shadows under a small light as Rachel began to loosen free. He would not let her go, so her last resort was to stomp on his foot.
"Hey now, play nice!" The Joker laughed, letting her go.
Rachel stared at the white features of his face with fury, "You wouldn't let me go!"
The Joker pulled back his hair, "You didn't mind it an hour ago."
"What the hell are you doing?!" Rachel yelled to him, ignoring his comment.
"What am I doing? I do what I, uh, do bes-t. Can I ask what you're doing?" The Joker smacked his lips.
"What?" Rachel asked stupidly.
"Why are you heerree?" The Joker moved his hands about as he spoke. He knew she was playing stupid, so he played along with her only making her look worse.
Rachel rolled her eyes, "I was curious."
"Ah, curiosity…hmm. Isn't that what we just…talked about? Have you thought about what I had uh, said?" He Joker licked his lips and smiled.
"No! I would never go to your side. I wanted to see what chaos you've done next."
The Joker rolled his eyes up as if he were thinking, then looked back down at her, "Oh…so you admire my work?"
Rachel watched the grin on his face and she wanted to wipe it off. She knew the Joker was toying with her, and he was enjoying every minute of it. Rachel crossed her arms in annoyance.
"Who's Drew Thompson?" She asked smartly.
The Joker cocked his head and licked his bottom lip, "So you've learned about Drew hmm? Words do spread."
He patted Rachel's head and she quickly smacked his hand away. He began to snicker at her actions then suddenly pushed her against a wall with his hand grasping around her neck.
"Feisty, Miss. Dawes," The Joker smirked and licked his lips; "I like that in a woman. But. Play. Nice. You may find yourself without a right hand."
"Leave. Me. Alone," Rachel choked.
The Joker let go of her neck but quickly grabbed a hold of her hair. Rachel whimpered in pain. She felt his hand slide up the left side of her abdomen to her shoulder and whispered to her ear.
"Beautiful Miss. Dawes…" The Joker smelt her neck and looked at her face to face. "Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?"
Rachel knew this was her chance, and she quickly kneed him in the groin. The Joker bent forwards with a loud laugh, but the pain seemed to quickly fade off as he grabbed her once again, more harsh then the first time. She had hardly the chance to run.
"Y'know, that was rude," The Joker licked his lips and cleared his throat.
"Just get it over with," Rachel spoke quietly.
The Joker cocked his head, "Pardon mmmee?"
"If you're going to kill me, just get it over with," Rachel stared at him right in the eye.
The Joker did not expect her comment, but he figured it was a good idea. However, something pulled him back. He gagged at the idea, but her red lipstick made her lips look succulent. Rachel realized the sudden relaxed muscles in his face, and she became weak. The Joker pulled harder at her hair, filled with sudden rage. He threw her to the ground, dragged her back on her feet, and pushed her around some more.
"Stop!" Rachel pleaded. She didn't know how much more pain she could handle.
For the last time he threw Rachel against the brick wall and flew himself on her. The Joker put each hand on both sides of her. Both of them were breathing heavily. The Joker's face was so close to Rachel's she could feel his breath upon her skin. She knew what the Joker had done to her just now, and to Gotham, but as she watched his dark, mysterious eyes, a sick kind of passion arose. Rachel did not know if the Joker felt the same, if he was just messing with her mind, but his quietness had surprised her. She imagined the person he used to be before the Joker, and it shrouded her mind.
Surprisingly the Joker moved his lips closer to Rachel's and her heart raced. She closed her eyes, just wanting to get it over with, but what she expected was a kiss. Instead, He suddenly bit her bottom lip until it bled, causing Rachel to open her eyes wide from his bite. Her reaction was to yell and push him away, but he did not budge. Instead he moved his mouth down to her neck and started to gnaw at it too.
"What are you doing?!" Rachel screeched, still trying to push him away, "Stop!"
What Rachel thought was passionate now became a nightmare. Unexpectedly she heard a man's voice call out to the Joker and he stopped.
"Boss, we've got to get out of here! Batman's exactly where we want him!" One of the clowns yelled.
The Joker grew a big grin on his face and looked back at Rachel. "Well that was fun while it lasted beautiful, but uh, now I've got business to attend to!"
The Joker ran off with his laughter that carried behind him. Rachel was disgusted with herself and what just happened. She rubbed her neck, and then felt the wound on her lip. After absorbing everything, she suddenly realized what she just heard spoken between the Joker and the clown. Batman's exactly where we want him. Without any hesitation, Rachel got to her car, following pursuit of the Joker and his henchmen.
Well there's chapter 10! I hope it was alright. By the way, if you guys have any ideas about how Rachel and Joker's REAL first kiss should turn out then let me know.