A/N: Hey Guys, Sorry if i haven't been able to reply to all your awesome reviews, but I promise that next chapter I'll give a shout out to all the reviewers! ENJOY!

Chapter 11

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I woke up to the sounds of voices.

My head.

Oh God, my head was in the process of murdering me. I felt each pulse of blood coursing into my head, and each throb was the equivalent of someone kicking me. Hard.

I groaned in pain and rolled over, the sheets made noise as I turned.

My eyes flew open.

"Sheets?" I thought, "Who put sheets on me?"

A loud gasp sounded through the room, and suddenly a shadow passed over my eyes. I was still in a state of mild confusion, and I had not at all expected someone to respond to me.

"Babe!" the shadow exclaimed, "You're alright! Thank Jesus; you scared the shit out of me! If you ever pull something like that again I'll kill you myself!"

That voice. I know that voice . . . but . . .

I turned over and opened my eyes. The light blinded me at first, but thankfully, the entity's shadow quickly passed over my face to help me see.

The familiar pleasant dark haired, cocoa skinned woman, who wore the angriest, worried look I'd ever seen greeted me.

"Roxanne?" I asked after a moment. My heart rising.

"What the fuck girl!" She exploded.

My eyes widened. What? Did I get her name wrong or something? Why was she so mad?

She began to flail her arms around at me, gesturing incoherently and getting herself all flustered. I couldn't really comprehend what she was trying to convey to me; she just appeared to be babbling about something.

"Girl," I said tiredly, "What are you babbling about now?"

Roxy sighed loudly and began again. Slowly.

"You." She pointed to me, "Put me," She pointed to herself, "Through hell,"

"And how exactly did I manage to pull off such a feat?" I asked tiredly. I'm sure my voice sounded raspy and weak. I really needed water.

Roxanne read my mind, because she handed me a tall glass of water before responding.

"Oh I don't know . . ." Roxanne rolled her eyes, "I seem to recall my BEST FRIEND getting kidnapped by the Joker, going missing for, you know a MONTH, stressing me the hell out, and leading me to believe that you died!" Her voice was getting shrill and tears collected in her eyes.

Just like that, I remembered everything, the bank robbery, the kidnapping, the time with the Joker, the thing I had to do at Wayne Enterprises, meeting Bruce, betraying him, and then . . . absolutely nothing.

I sat up for a moment, and then collapsed back on the bed, almost throwing up from the dizziness.

"Oh no you don't. You are taking it easy for a few days. I'm sure you know by now that you have a bad concussion?" Roxanne said it like I was actually planning on trying that again.

"Girl, wait," I said, panic rising in my throat, "What happened? How did I get here?"

That's when I finally looked around the room; my eyes widened in surprise. I recognized NOTHING of this room.

I was in a rather large room, where the walls were painted a dark Periwinkle and were covered with various abstract paintings with modern styled lamplights sticking out of the walls. There was a floor-to-ceiling window to my left, and when I looked out of it, I could tell that it was nighttime.

When I actually saw my bed, I almost did a double take at the sheer size of it. It was circular and looked like it could hold about ten to fifteen people, and each could attain a considerable amount of elbowroom. The covers and pillows were various shades of brown and white, and they were all soft and silky and fluffy under my fingertips. The floors were carpeted, and pure white. Random furniture was scattered around, including a big leather armchair that had clothing and books and other items haphazardly flung onto it.

I assume that that's where Roxanne had been.

I was so utterly confused.

"Where ARE we?"

Roxanne's eyebrows lifted.

"Katherine Harleen Quinzel. Do you not remember anything that happened?" She sounded completely incredulous.

"I—I—" I stuttered, trying to form a competent response. As I tried to think back to the events before I passed out, my head would begin to throb angrily and I would grow nauseous.

"Okay, Okay, there's no need to go into an epileptic fit now," Roxanne said good-naturedly, apparently amused by my pain.

I couldn't help but chuckle with her though. She always had that effect on me.

"I'm glad you're taking so much joy in my pain, girl," She just laughed harder.

"Katherine, excuse me for finding humor in something for the first time in weeks. Honestly. You deserved it,"

"What?" I was horrified. "She hadn't laughed at all the whole time I was gone? And it's my

fault?"

"What the fuck do you mean what? Did you think I was out partying and laughing merrily while you went through who-knows-what at the mercy of the most notorious killer in the world?" Roxanne asked exasperatedly.

"Babe, I—"

"No girl! Why didn't you contact me? Why didn't you give me some sort of indication that you were ok? I fell into a catatonic depression while you were gone! I have the anti-depressants my doctor prescribed to me to prove it too!"

I gaped at her.

After she said that, it looked like all the energy suddenly left her body. She put her face with her hands and glanced at me through her dark eyes.

"When I saw you collapse after crushing the device at that party in Wayne Enterprises, I thought that somehow you died, and I just—"

"Wait," My heart began pumping loudly in my ears, "What did you just say? I did what? Does that—does that mean that you were there? How the hell did you see that?"

Roxanne exhaled loudly. "Wow, you REALLY don't remember anything,"

It wasn't a question, and I just nodded silently, holding my breath.

"Get comfy. This is a long story."

FLASHBACK

The Joker began to laugh hysterically as Katherine collapsed to the floor. The sound echoed through the room, and no one moved a muscle.

It was apparent that the entirety of the room wasn't aware of the purpose of that little device. It looked like everyone, including Batman, expected some sort of bomb to have gone off in the building, killing each and every one of them within mere seconds.

But nothing happened.

The Joker's laughter died down as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Oh, kinda blundered there, Kitty Kat," The Joker finally said, chuckling lightly.

Batman shifted in his place, looking to be subtly checking his body for any injuries.

"It's over Joker," Batman declared, speaking loudly and clearly, his deep gravelly voice carrying out across the room.

"Ha ha! Uh, au contraire, Bat-sy! See, I had the ingenious idea to get those geek squad nerds to install a self destruct proof reaction in the device!" The Joker said gleefully.

"That means that uh, you know, it can't really break,"

Batman lifted his chin up ever so slightly, a clear sign of his confidence and strength,

"You need to get your eyes checked Joker. She broke it. It's over," Batman said forcefully, finally deciding to rise from the floor ever so slowly; his cape billowing around him.

The Joker licked his lips and curled his fingers, acting highly irritated.

"Now, see Batsy, that's why you're such a party pooper! You tend to uh, not believe me when I. Say. Things." The Joker grinned, "Even if it shattered into itty. Bitty. Pieces. All over the floor, I could still—in a sense, set it uh, OFF."

Batman said nothing.

The Joker huffed in annoyance. "Oh, MUST I spell out everything to you? That little device over there? See it? Yeah, it was timed just in case it broke,"

The room grew heavy with the implications of that statement.

"Surprise . . . In about," The Joker checked his watch, "Thirty seconds, all of the information in this little oasis of fun will be transferred directly to me." A nasty smile spread across the Joker's face when he said that, "Won't that be absolutely swell?"

The Joker burst out into new peals of laughter as the room broke out into sharp gasps and cries of horror.

The entire city knew that Wayne Enterprises had ties to secret government projects, and were probably at this very moment collaborating on new weaponry for the special military forces. If the Joker managed to attain this vital information from the company . . .

No one saw Batman cross the room until the Joker's body once again made contact with the floor.

"Reverse it," Batman growled in the Joker's face, clutching the collar of his purple Jacket. The Joker only laughed in Batman's face.

Batman pulled back his arm to punch the Joker, but was kicked away by a goon that somehow got close enough to the pair to attack Batman. Everyone's eyebrows lifted up in shock. They were all familiar with the rumors of Batman's reflexes. So the idea that the goon could pull off such a feat spoke in volumes as to the current condition of their hero.

Suddenly, in the Joker's pocket came a loud buzzing.

The Joker reached into his coat, pulled out an old Motorola razor and flipped it open.

"Yeello . . . Oh, Fluffy! How's the family? . . . Oh, right. Sorry about that bub, but you know how dynamite is . . . yeah," The Joker's face darkened and he licked his lips, "Is. That. So? . . . hmm . . . whelp! You had a good run ol Fluffy, say hi to the big man for me huh?"

The Joker signaled to a goon to his right who nodded, and sent a quick text on his phone. The Joker didn't manage to flip his razor closed before the sound of a gunshot rang through the speaker.

No one knew what just happened. Apparently something had gone terribly wrong, but the people were not quite sure whether or not that it was a good thing or a bad thing for them.

The Joker looked calm. Too calm. He looked like how psychopaths did before they skinned someone alive or violently slaughtered their prey. There was no doubt that the Joker was furious. In fact, the inhabitants of the room began to try to inch away from the unstable man without attracting his attention.

But the Joker said nothing. He calmly walked around the room until he stopped in front of his previously abandoned monstrous gun, picking in up and scrutinizing it under his gaze. He then pointed the gun at the nearest person, who just happened to be the same goon that had been torturing one of the guests earlier.

The Goon dropped his heavy weapons and tried to make a run for it, but he didn't make it four steps before something similar to a sonic boom sounded, and the goon's body was reduced to nothing more but a smoldering pile of ashes on the floor.

The Joker had no time to react, because in that second, Batman appeared and ripped the gun from the Joker's hands, turned around, and hurled the powerful weapon out of the nearest window.

The glass shattered instantly when the gun collided with it, and the open air revealed the sounds of police sirens and ambulances heading towards Wayne Enterprises.

Batman and Joker stood face to face in a standoff, both acutely aware of the fact that no one was going to win tonight. Again.

They both stood like that for a few more heartbeats before a strange look crossed the Joker's face. The Joker curled his body upwards and stretched out his arms, yawning as he did so.

"You know Batsy," The Joker said, grinning, "All that plotting and scheming and yadda yadda yadda has me tired out! I think I'm gonna uh, turn myself in to the pigs. I'm sure that returning to my good ol comfy cell back in Arkham will do wonders for my delicate psyche."

Batman continued to say nothing. His body gave away no emotions and his lips were clenched together in a tight line.

"However," The Joker continued, "I will be taking back my little pet Kat over there," The Joker gestured towards Katherine who was still lying on her stomach on the floor motionless, no signs of life except for the steady rise and fall of her chest.

Batman flinched slightly, and I could see his face itching to turn towards her.

"You're not going anywhere with her," Batman growled.

The Joker laughed aloud. "What do you care Batsy? She's uh, MY property," The Joker licked his lips, "I can do whatever the fuck I want with thatt bitch," The Joker eyed Batman carefully, "That is, uh, unless you . . . have something to say about it?"

Batman said nothing.

The Joker clucked his tongue, "How uh, in-ter-est-ing."

The Joker spun around on his heel.

"You and you!" The Joker yelled abruptly, pointing to me and another goon, "Go put the girl back in the van like we planned,"

"Yes boss," The goon said.

"Yes boss," I echoed quietly, hoping to God my voice could somewhat pass for a burly man's.

The Joker's head tilted a bit in confusion, but he let it go.

Batman dashed over to stop us from taking her, but the Joker, anticipating his reaction, unsheathed his switchblade, reached down, and sliced Batman's leg, in one motion, effectively stopping him.

Batman crashed to the floor in pain, and when he tried to stand back up, he fell back down again after a few steps.

I rushed over to where Katherine was, and together, the goon and I picked her up by her arms and legs, carried her over to the door on the other side of the room, and pushed her through.

I let the goon who was pulling Katherine's arms lead me for a bit.

Everything was quiet in the building before I heard a large group of people bust down the doors to the main hall and begin yelling. We kept walking though, and soon, the sounds of gunfire and horrific screams faded to silence.

I thought that it was time to get rid of the other goon.

"Uh, hey bub," I growled, sounding something close to a chain smoker rather than a man as I had initially intended, "I got her—go back and help the boss,"

The Goon with the blue frowny facemask stopped moving.

"What the fuck? The fuck you do to your voice man? You chew on some cement sticks or some shit?"

"Fuck you man," I retaliated confidently, "I just be sick," I coughed a bit in an attempt to prove my statement, "Anyways, go. I got her. You need to go help boss,"

The goon shook his head, "No way man, I ain't goin in there, they got cops. Didn't ya hear?"

I began to panic, and tried to come up with something else to say before he got suspicious.

"Then . . . uh, you should go down to the van to prep if for us. That way it'll uh, be much quicker,"

The goon seemed to consider my idea.

I pushed on. "This way, nothing'll sure to go wrong. You wanna talk to the boss if we both don't get out with her in time?"

That did it, the goon mumbled something incoherently under his breath and placed Katherine in my arms before running out in the supposed direction of the van.

Even though I could barely support Katherine's weight enough to stand up, I held it together somehow, and almost sagged with relief. Finally.

I looked down at my best friend who was curled up comfortably in my arms and tears sprung up in my eyes. I had been so worried about her throughout the entire ordeal I had almost blown my cover on a number of occasions. Her zombie-like trance, her almost getting choked to death be the Joker, her passing out onto the floor . . .

I didn't get to finish my thoughts, because they were interrupted when someone hit me from behind, and sent me tumbling down hard onto the floor.

I clutched Katherine to me instinctively though, hell bent on protecting her.

I felt someone pulling at my arms, trying to get me to let go of Katherine. I resisted against the strong grip, my eyes squeezed shut, grunting with effort. When the entity finally pulled one arm free I cried out in fear.

At the sound of my voice, it paused. I opened one eye, and saw none other, but THE Batman standing over me, looking menacing and intimidating. Suddenly, he reached a hand down to my face, and before I could scream or react in any way, I was relieved of my mask.

I couldn't help but look up at Batman, never having been that close to the man himself. I'm sure I looked terrified, but I refused to let Katherine go. I worked much too hard to save her and I wasn't about to let anything else happen to her without a fight, even if I was sure to loose against him.

Batman reached down for her again, and I pulled her away from him protectively.

That made him pause. I thought that he could sense that I wasn't about to release my best friend anytime soon, because I could've sworn that I saw his lips pull into a tiny smile.

The next moment, Batman pulled out something from his utility belt, and held it front of my face.

I didn't have the time to blink before he sprayed the mysterious substance in my face, and then the world went black.

END OF FLASHBACK

"The next thing I knew . . . I was in this room, laying next to you on that bed," Roxanne said, finishing up her incredible story.

I was dumbfounded.

"Wait. Just . . . Just wait," I tried to sit up slightly so that it would be easier to talk to her, "You mean to tell me," I began slowly, "That you somehow managed to NOT ONLY get inside the party, but entered as a part of the Joker's gang, dressed up in a goon's costume, chosen to carry to the van, stopped by Batman HIMSELF, and defied him. For me?"

The words sounded incredible even as I was saying them. My brain refused to believe that someone would go to such lengths in an attempt to rescue me.

"I mean, when you say it like that . . ." Roxy sounded a bit sheepish. She reached down under the bed and pulled out some colorful fabric.

She held it up against herself, and what I saw blew my mind. My best friend had somehow constructed a perfect replica of a goon costume, complete with the ripped fabric and dirt and blood smudges.

My mouth hung open dumbly and my eyes grew to the size of saucers. I blinked a few times as raw emotion flittered through me all of a sudden. I couldn't help but think of how lucky I was to have her for a friend.

I looked at her and my throat closed up slightly. "How long did it take you?" I asked softly.

She shrugged a bit before answering, "I don't know, after a few days of not sleeping to work on this I kinda lost track of time," She said noncommittally.

"But—but it's so perfect!" I exclaimed, marveling at it, "I mean, what reference did you use?"

"Aleks helped me,"

I rolled my eyes as the familiar distaste washed over me at the sound of that name.

"Hey!" Roxanne protested, quite aware of my disliking to her current (and hopefully temporary) boyfriend, "Without him his wouldn't have worked out as well!"

I sighed. It's amazing at how the mere mentioning of his name could change my entire demeanor.

"I hope the nincompoop doesn't expect some sort of compensation for his 'heroic' deeds," I air quoted the word 'heroic'.

Roxanne looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Well . . . I mean . . ."

Anger rose up in my gut, and I was about to flip a shit before the door swung open revealing an old man carrying two trays of food in his hands.

It was Alfred!

"Miss Jackson, Miss Quinzel, I've brought some food for you. Mister Wayne should be up in a few moments," Alfred announced calmly. He placed the food down on a table near the door before turning around to open the door again.

Roxanne and I were equally speechless.

"Oh," Alfred said, turning back around, "There's a phone call for you from your cell phone in the foyer Miss Jackson, and young man requested your presence,"

Alfred held out his hand to Roxanne, who continued to gape at him stupidly. Either she knew whose butler he was, or she just wasn't expecting someone like him to enter the room.

She looked back at me, and through her shock I saw her silently asking for permission from me to go talk to Aleks. Deep inside, I knew that she was probably worried about him, and so despite my own wishes, I waved her off to go talk to him.

She continued to stare at me for a few more moments, making sure that I was truly okay, before turning to take Alfred's hand, and letting him lead her out of the room.

The door shut behind the two, but before it could fully close, a hand shot out and held it open. In stepped through a man of whom I got to know very well.

Bruce Wayne.

A/N:

Alright guys, this time, i think i'll update about a week sooner than usuall, just because i've gotten a head start on the next chapter. Or it'll be longer. One of those. :)

I really and truly appreciate all the reviews! CRITIQUES WELCOME! ;)

-SongsThatSerenade7