[In the next several chapters you will notice with my female character exhibiting some odd behavior for someone in her situation. It may even come off as Mary-Sue. I want you to know that I have deliberately written her this way. Keep in mind that all is not as it appears. There is going to be some subtle foreshadowing leading up to an explanation. It's probably going to take a good long while to get to that point in the story. It is very likely that there will not be any chapters from her point of view because it would give away major plot points.]

Again, as a reminder this timeline is a little jumbled. We're going through memories of the Joker and Commissioner Gordon leading up to the possible capture of Joker. As memories tend to be, these are kind of sporadic.

To recap, we found out that our mystery woman is a business woman who has a strong influence in politics. We also found out that she played a role in Dent becoming D.A, and Gordon getting promoted. She attended Dent's funeral and ran into Gordon. Joker watched the whole thing from atop a hill. When he saw her there, he broke back into her penthouse to try and surprise her. He then tried to interrogate her, and she skirted around the questions. There are little things that Joker didn't pick up on with their first encounter, and he now blames that on a concussion. Meanwhile, Gordon sees men moving from a warehouse and becomes suspicious since there never seemed to be any activity there before. He confirms that the warehouse was bought under the alias Joseph Kerr. He was on his way to the M.C.U to lead a raid.

We're picking up where Joker and mystery lady are having a conversation.

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

You have all these rules and you think they'll save you!

"Hurt my feelings? You certainly do have an odd sense of humor." His laughter that he had been trying to suppress erupted suddenly from his chest. The rumbling gave him a pleasant feeling in his chest.

"Likewise."

It seemed he had meant to ask her something else, but it didn't readily come to him. Fucking concussion!

There was a small silence between the two before she spoke again. "I'm sorry to cut our fun short, but I do need to get ready. If you don't mind." The last bit had been sarcastic. She certainly wasn't asking for his permission, it was more a demand. Get the hell out.

He wasn't that easy to get rid of. "Ready forrrr," He asked, drawing the r out on purpose.

Her eyes rolled at him. More theatrics than annoyance. That he could tell. "I don't see how it's any of your damn business."

He mock gasped. "Such language." Unfortunately he wasn't able to keep a straight face and giggled again. Then he made puppy eyes for her, trying to appeal to her humorous side. If he was right, and he was fucking right this time, her sense of humor was similar to his. "I could just follow you if you'd prefer." The expression on his face dared her to try him.

At first she didn't relent the information. Then she seemed to mull it over. "A fundraiser." His eyebrow raised. He hadn't exactly been expecting her to be forthcoming with the information. Her tactics were certainly very bizarre. Maybe she was doing this to throw him off? It seemed likely.

"Oh? What kind of fundraiser would that be?"

For the first time this go around, her eyes held some sort of expression. She was bemused. "The kind that raises money." He wasn't sure why, but the answer had irritated him a little. Before he could say anything she continued. "To rebuild MCU and the hospital. You know, the buildings that you blew up?"

Anyone else would have taken it as a low blow. That wasn't how she had meant it, it had been a...playful teasing. If he had been confused before, he was even more so now. He couldn't imagine if it was this way for him, how normal people felt around her.

He waved a hand dismissively. A yawn escaped his lips, "Sounds like a greaaat time. Rubbing elbows with old lecherous fossils and their twenty something old bimbo girlfriends. Oh, and let's not forget to mention that they'll all have their heads stuck up each other's asses." His tongue wet his lips. "Who's ass are you going to stick your head in?" Then he gave her a toothy grin.

Whether she was offended or not, she didn't show. In fact, she completely ignored the question. "I bet you had a gorgeous smile once."

The statement had completely baffled him. It hadn't been flirtatious or suggestive. Just a realization. Women are confusing? Make that insane and unpredictable. What to even say? What in the hell was wrong with her to even say such a thing? Who in their right mind? His eyes searched hers for even an inkling...it didn't do anything. "Excuse me?"

"You're teeth are perfectly straight." She smiled, showing off her own pearly whites. "That means at one point of time you cared enough to take care of them."

Dumbfounded. That's what he was. Of all the things to notice, it was how straight his teeth were? Not the scars. The gnarled mess of a smile that worked its way up into his cheekbones. Or even the large one on his bottom lip. It was his teeth?

Weird, but also amusing. And if he had been anyone else, a little unnerving. It was a minor detail that other's would have overlooked. She had picked up on it quickly. Smarter than he had originally given her credit for.

A continuation of their game of chess. In his mind he saw the board laid out in front of them. He of course with the black pieces, and her with the white. And what a perfect analogy that was. Stark contrasts to the other, yet mirror images. She had moved her first Pawn now. B3.

"You mean I don't have a gorgeous smile now? Who could resist a smile as charming as mine?" He gestured towards his scars. In response, she rolled her eyes.

"It's sad you let them get discolored like that. All that work to keep them perfect, only for you to stop brushing them. I'm guessing cigarettes and coffee?"

He sucked on his teeth for a moment for once unsure what to say. And now he did find himself ever so slightly unnerved. This woman was a little too intuitive. Those little details that no other normal schmuck would pick up on, she honed in on it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Obvious, like his scars. Yet she ignored those, and bypassed to the color of his teeth?

Her guess had been correct, nicotine and caffeine. She certainly had done her research. Business woman indeed. What kind of business was she involved in? The first thought that came to mind was detective. However, he had never heard of any person in law enforcement that pulled down the type of salary it would take to maintain this penthouse. So that was out of the question.

She had been analyzing him the moment that she discovered that he was in her home. He knew that. But this revelation meant she was watching more than just his behavior. His little doll was deliberately scrutinizing the minor details. Looking for a chink in the armor. Something to unravel the mystery that was the Joker. If only it was that easy little girl.

And even though it had only been a small little tidbit, it was a clue to who he had been. Though it didn't mean much now, he knew how this worked. It started out as a harmless interrogation. Little questions that wouldn't mean anything to anyone else. But the more answers you compiled, the more light it shed. She so similar to him, he often used the same strategy.

She may have been good, but he was much better.

He had thought about asking her how she had come to that conclusion, but decided against it. It certainly would not do him any conceivable good if she knew that she had struck a chord.

So he decided to put his cards on the table now. Move his pawns onto the playing field. Instead of answering her question, the drew the attention to another subject.

"I met you friend today." G6.

Now she only tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrow. But she did not respond.

Had her attention now, even if the statement had been slightly misleading. But it was so unlike him to be straightforward. It just wasn't any fun that way!

They studied each other for several moments, neither backing down. A little stare-down if you will. He had expected this, she wasn't going to react until she knew exactly what was going on.

"Your little furry friend."

He had been hoping for a look of relief to spread across her face. She still remained nonreactive. Just had to keep digging.

"And what did you think of Isis?" She smiled slightly, almost in a patronizingly way.

Now he raised his eyebrow. "Isis?"

"That's the cat's name."

Isis...wasn't that some Egyptian god or something like that? A name that meant power, superiority. Interesting choice in names.

Her choice in that name could mean something. That she was attracted to power, to strength, to being in control. To...oh. Oh that certainly would explain it. Attracted to dangerous men. Finally he'd been able to piece something together about her. He made sure to keep that little victory to himself. He'd save that one little bit for later, it wasn't the right timing. Not just yet.

So he grinned slyly and prodded her about the animal. "Why...Isis?"

Though she didn't give him much to work with she still played along. That was fine, he had gathered a big piece of Intel on this...op. He could use this against her later. "Probably because she's from Egypt and I thought it was pretty."

His eyes rolled, partly in jest. "Why the hell do you have a cat from Egypt?" Then he leaned in, pretending to be fascinated.

"She's a gift from a friend."

That piqued his interest. "I thought you said you travel for business, hmmm?"

"Ah, yes. I did. But really from all the traveling, you really think that I don't make friends?" Actually he hadn't thought of that. Why hadn't he?

He pursued a different aspect of the subject. "And why did your friend give you a cat as a gift?" He never really had understood the human need to take in an animal, whose survival depended on them. Feed them, water them. Clean up their waste. It seemed so trite and stupid to him. So...pointless.

Obviously they differed in that opinion. Her eyes lit up suddenly with amusement. She was on to him. Unsure why, he liked the notion. No one had ever caught on like this before. Not in all of his years. They always thought it was innocent curiosity.

"Probably, because she knows that I collect rare objects. That cat is rare, and very expensive." She had given him that information on purpose. It was an answer to the earlier questions about the souvenirs. He couldn't exactly place her motive, but her madness had some sort of method to it.

Gordon had literally torn through the streets of Gotham to get to the precinct. And here his wife had told him that the mobile siren had been a stupid idea. Though he certainly would have preferred the patrol car, it took people a little longer to get out of the way for him in the station wagon. Of course it didn't help that those few that were on the road at 5:30 were barely awake enough to discern what was going on.

The coffee was really kicking in by the time he flew through the doors to MCU. That and the adrenaline. He strode into the briefing room with purpose, startling a few of the younger officers that had been talking among themselves.

The atmosphere of the room made it clear that Stan had not told any of them what they were in for this morning. Come to think of it, he preferred it that way. This way no one could get the word out that they were on their way. Good thinking Stan.

Some of the seasoned officers stood in the back of the briefing room, their arms crossed. Sullen looks on their faces, bodies slouched. To them, this was just another raid, nothing out of the ordinary. Just another day on the force.

Some of the newbies talked among themselves, making guesses on what mission Gordon had in store for them today. A few of them kept their eyes on the Commissioner, nervous looks in their eyes. That made him frown, he had hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with any of the rookies today. This wasn't exactly something that they could afford any mistakes on. Not this time. Not with the Joker.

Then again, the Joker had taken out a good portion of his good men. Some of these were new recruits that had enlisted before the clown had started terrorizing the city. Those that had actually stayed and completed training, were now still pretty fresh to the precinct. Well, he would just have to make do with what he had.

He made a quick sweep of the room to see exactly what it was he was working with here. 27 men, he counted. A variety from the looks of it. Some forensics, some SWAT members. Good.

Abruptly, the door brushed his shoulder and Stan rushed through the door, an armload of papers tucked underneath his arm. "Sorry Jim, getting schematics." 28 men. 29 including Jim.

Jim waved off the accident, and quickly shut the door behind them. The sound of chatter reached his ears, the older officers now starting to talk among themselves as well. Stan looked at him, then back to the boys. A loud whistle pierced the air, followed by Stan bellowing, "Oy! Ladies attention up here now!"

The whispering stopped immediately, and all eyes moved to Stan. He divided his stack of papers into two stacks, and passed one to each side of the room. "Okay take one and pass these along, everyone gets one of each." Some of the boys gave him a blank stare. "Move it now! We don't have time to waste here! If you're not up to it, get the hell out of the room now!"

The stacks of papers started to hastily move through the room. Stan handed copies over to Gordon. One was a map of the warehouse, the other was xeroxed copies of several mugshots side by side. "Okay Jim, it's your show now, " Stan whispered to him while the papers finished making their way around the room.

With that, Jim cleared his throat and found attention on him now. On with the show.

"Okay listen up people because I'm not repeating myself." He looked down to his watch. It read 6:00 a.m. Good that gave them time to drill this into their heads until nobody had anymore questions.

"Okay...first thing's first. Anybody who has a cellphone, is going to quickly and quietly place them on the table behind me." Two of the men started grumbling to themselves. "If you have a problem with that, you can also turn in your badges." He took a sip of coffee and looked the two dead in the eyes.

Seeing that he was serious, the group started to move. Albeit, slowly and grudgingly, but they did it. Each of the officers coming forward, looking anxious. Most of them were staring intently at the mugshots, trying to discern exactly what it was that they were getting ready to be subjected to. Gordon watched as the line slowly moved, each of the men dropping off their phones on the table with a clunk behind him. They would have their standard issue walkies. As long as they stuck to plan, that would eliminate the need for phones.

As he waited for the line to come to an end, he looked down at the copy of the mugshots that Stan had given out. It made sense why the boys looked so confused. The men in the shots looked like petty criminals. Thieves, addicts, dealers, etc. Who these men actually were, were known accomplices of the Joker. Though it was possible they were no longer in his employ, or more likely deceased. At the very least they would have some familiar faces to possibly identify. Really they had no way to know every single person that had ever worked for the Joker.

Jim took another long gulp from his mug of coffee as the last of the men dropped his phone onto the table. He gave them a few minutes to filter back to their original spots. "Okay gentlemen, I want you to direct your attention to the schematics of the warehouse located at 14th and Cambridge."

He waited patiently as the men studied the paper. "Okay, anyone know anything about this place?"

"Yeah, that place was empty for a couple of years, then some window company moved in," one of the older men said in a thick Bronx accent.

"Right, aren't they out of business already," another man asked.

Jim nodded. "Correct. Now study this carefully, because in four hours we will be infiltrating and raiding this building."

"What the hell for? This a drug bust," he heard someone from the back of the room yell out.

He smiled grimly. "Not quite." He looked to Stan, and then back to the men. "We received a solid lead this morning that a wanted fugitive may be using this warehouse as a base of operations. It is under our impression that the company 'Allen's Windows' was a cover for what has really been taking place in the warehouse. Currently, we know that a group of men have been moving what appears to be weapons from the warehouse. We believe that they are changing bases." He took a pause, letting it sink in. "What we are going to do this morning, is try to intervene before they have a chance to fully evacuate the premises and we lose all leads on them."

He noticed a few of the officers whispering betwixt themselves. The only sentence he managed to overhear was the men wondering whose profile was high enough that they needed this many members of the SWAT team. Jim cleared his throat loudly. "If you have any questions, you will direct them to me. I need everyone's full attention on this. Is that understood?" They all nodded, and once again the room grew quiet.

"Good. Now, I have asked Stan to assemble the best of the best. That is why you all are here this morning. For the next couple of hours, we will be going over the game plan. Who is securing what entrances, who is infiltrating and etc. So tell me, which of you are the best with stealth and weapons?"

A few of the men raised their hands. "Good, you four get over here. This is where we are going to enter." He pointed to a spot on the blueprints.

This...this conversing was awkward to him. Before he had only used conversation to either give orders or to get information. However, he really wasn't getting very far with her. He began to grow listless at sitting in the wooden chair across from her. Up until now, she had given him enough small hints and snippets to keep him interested, but now he was growing weary and impatient. That, and slightly aggravated at her insights to his physical appearance. He doubted even Gordon had noticed the things that she had.

His mind wandered as his attention span started to run out. She was still before him in the drenched clothing, still seemingly oblivious to it. Refusing to show any kind of discomfort in front of him. He found himself yearning for her to shiver, to show some sign that she must be cold. The vent above, blowing cold air directly on her. Any type of discomfort to bring her down a notch, giving him an upper hand for once.

Before his mind could wonder too far, she abruptly stood up and scooted away from the table. Orbs of green looked down on him, with what he could only assume was amusement. "Really as...charming as you are; I do actually have something to get done. You can leave now." The last part was lacking of any pleasantness now. It would appear as though she was done being cordial with him. Vaguely he remembered something about women and their mood swings. Unpredictable.

Slowly, he licked his lips. "So uh...this fundraiser. I imagine your invitation said plus guest. You know, I would make one hell of a date. I guarantee you would have a blast." Her eyebrow raised in response. Clearly, she was not amused. So...touchy.

"I know how dreadfully boring those hoity-toity gatherings can be, you could think of me as the guest of honor!" A giggle erupted from his lips. "After all, you wouldn't be having this fundraiser if it wasn't for me!" Another explosion of laughter filled the air.

She did not react like he expected her to. She only watched him patiently as his laughter subsided into chuckles. When he could breathe again, he looked up at her almost disappointed. The expression on her face showed that she had not been very receptive of the comment.

He tried what he thought would pass as puppy dog eyes, the same expression and tone he had used with Dent in the hospital. "Now, now doll. Don't look so sullen with me. You look almost...mad at me." The chair made a horrible screeching as he pushed away from the table as well now. He had expected her to flinch as he took her hand, in a mimic of compassion and soothing. Surprisingly she didn't.

"Now you know this whole thing was nothing personal, I'm guessing Harvey was a friend of yours? It's odd though, you didn't seem that sad at the funeral."

Her eyes narrowed now, but emotion refused to flicker behind them. She had shutdown again on him. It was like he had flipped the off switch. It would appear that she didn't like the idea of being watched. Now it seemed he finally did have something on her.

"Aw, now don't be like that." He patted her arm, in what to someone else would have been sympathetic. However, he was mocking her...patronizing her. The only reaction he received was the rising and falling of her chest as she drew in breathes. "Were you close friends?"

There was a flicker of something across her face that could have been a grimace. He was unsure, but he took the response as a yes. He sucked on his teeth a moment and looked away for a moment; giving the appearance of remorse. "Yikes..." His eyes flicked back to her's, boring into her gaze. His grip tightened on her wrist when she went to pull away from him to walk away. "Really now, you have to understand your buddy and his girlfriend weren't personal. It was allllll just business. It's kind of what I do." His shoulders shrugged.

Still she was silent, unwilling to speak. "Really, it was just luck of the draw. Your friend just happened to be the wrong attorney, in the wrong city, at the wrong time." The sound of her heavy breathing entered his ears, though her eyes may not have shown it, he knew he was getting to her. Her physical reaction gave away that she was seething. Resisting the urge to grin, he pushed a little further. "If it wasn't glorious pretty boy Harvey, it would have been some other politician. Somebody else dying for the cause."

"Your reasoning is very warped," She said finally. He felt a tug as she once again tried to free her arm from his grip. Increasing the pressure, he yanked her forward into his chest. Instinct made her struggle against him, trying to push away from him. It was amusing. Looking down on her, he realized she was shorter than he had thought. Even in her heels, she seemed petite. Perhaps it was her confidence that had made her seem taller.

"No...no, no!" His tone made her stop trying to pull away, and she looked up into his eyes. There was a strange shudder that went through his spine. Though he had her full attention, maybe even entranced her; everything about her screamed defiance. She stood tall, refusing to slouch. No longer struggling she still remained tense, keeping herself from fully being crushed into him. And her eyes...her eyes burned into his own gaze, unwavering. Unfaltering, still fearless of him. In the back of his mind, this infuriated him. But a different sensation was overpowering it. A pleasant feeling in his gut? It felt similar to his fondness of Viktor, yet different. Something thrilling...something addicting. He knew now he was going to keep coming back for more until the reaction was different. Then she would become just like everyone else, ceasing to be unique.

But for now...she was a project in the works. Even the Batman, as brave as he made himself to be, was frightened by the Joker. Though it was minuscule, it was still there. Shining in his eyes in the dead of night. Afraid of what someone stripped of all those qualities of a "decent" person, could do with Gotham. A depraved madman, as they called him; with no values or emotion. No conceivable motive to play the dull law abiding citizen. No, he was a demigod free to do as he saw fit. That had even the batman shaking in his Kevlar boots. But not her...

"My reasoning..," He drew the word out, putting emphasis on the meaning behind it. "Is rational and fair. The world thinks it's warped because they play by allllll those lit-tle rules. Because it's not normal to them. But really dear...what is normal? What one man centuries ago dictated was right and wrong?" He licked his lips before continuing, never once looking away from her eyes. Her gaze never left his. "What society tells us is normal? The laws that they tell us to follow to keep us in check. No...they only think it's warped, when really their whole lives they are the ones whose reasoning is warped to blindly follow by the man sitting in his big chair on capitol hill."

Suddenly he released her arm, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Now I'd appreciated it if you didn't talk to me like one of those johnny do-gooders out there. That is why I say they, because doll I think both you and I are aware that you are not a blind follower? Are you?"

Though she didn't deny or confirm, she tilted her head to the side as if evaluating his accusation. Her attention had been caught. "I know you don't play by the rules, you're not normal. Not a mindless drone." With his left hand, he gestured at the penthouse around them. "That's why you distance yourself from everyone else isn't it? Because you don't quite fit in. You're smarter than they are." He tapped the side of his head.

"Wanna know how I know this doll? Because you stand out, maybe not to the others. But to me you do. The odd one out." He grinned, unable to contain his amusement. "You are obviously trained in some sort of combat, even if it was one of those girly self defense classes. I'm guessing because it just felt right? Whether you needed it or not...you needed the conflict." That had to have been right. Otherwise she would not have been able to get the knife from him on their last confrontation.

Her eyebrow arched, and he saw a strange glint in her eyes. The emotion there was not one that he could place, but what he was saying was evoking some sort of response from her.

"Few friends, no family, there is a reason you distance yourself. You can't relate, so you don't force yourself to try to empathize with them. There is no point, because you will never be like the rest. Even those few friends you do have, can never truly understand who you really are."

The woman in front of him, now folded her arms, clearly listening to what he had to say. It was an interesting reaction. One that he could not remember receiving since before the scars. People now reacted with terror and repulsion. All brainwashed by the sparkling illusion of what being civilized should be in society's eyes. But she seemed undoubtely interested in what he was saying to her. The only willing audience he had had, was those who were so far gone that they looked up to him as a messiah.

So he continued. "Those friends don't mean squat to you do they? Because dear iiiiiiffff you did care, I don't think you would let the guy who killed one of your friends stroll around in your home. Hmmm?"

He was on a roll now, enjoying the sound of his own voice. He always had found the melodic highs and lows of his changing tone pleasant. Especially during his storytelling or monologues. "You're not one of those mindless idiots...but you pretend to be."

At this she stiffened considerably, the last sentence seemingly hitting a nerve. Not from the revelation, but from how well he had picked up on the whole situation. He had impressed her. Maybe even made her uncomfortable. It was incredibly hard to tell.

Suddenly she straightened, and pushed away from him. Then a small chuckle emerged from her lips. He could not help but grin and watch her with an amused expression on his face. She looked back up into his eyes a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth. "You may have me on that one, but it isn't like I was trying too hard to hide it. At least from you."

"Oh ho ho," He shook his head and waved his finger at her. "At least from me?"

She continued to circle the table away from him. "I think we both know, that while I may be a good actor when it comes to others, you've been studying people too long to not pick up on that." It was a stroke on his ego, but he knew it had not meant to be that way. She was stating a fact. "It would have been senseless for me lie, you would have seen right through it."

He pointed at her now, "You know it's interesting that you say that, because I get the feeling that you have experience studying people too." He circled the table as well now. "That's how you know what to say to fool them. However, speaking from experience here, you will wake up one day and be tired of pretending."

She stopped, curiosity even more evident now. "Maybe so. But in the meantime I will continue on the way I am. Right now it's familiar and comfortable."

He knew she was trying to signify the end of the conversation. Trying to go get ready for her little fundraiser. But he wanted to dig just a little further.

"You're continuing on because you're hiding from something." Just that simple statement. It was enough.

She let out a deep breath. Her eyes closed momentarily, and then she stared right into his eyes again. "You don't know the half of it."

"I'm all ears."

"Maybe another time."

That was it, that was just the push that he needed. He had seeded some sort of unease in her. This was the time to leave. Staying any longer would only make her angry and erase any progress.

"Well, I know you have such an important event to attend this evening, I'll leave you to get ready. Unless you would like some help, uh, slipping into your dress."

Her eyes narrowed. Joker smirked and turned to leave. "Well you have a lovely evening mingling with the commoners. Oh, and if you haven't been keeping up on the news, I suggest you take a look into it."

Ok, so Gordon is about to lead the raid. You think Joker will be caught?

It looks like Joker has made some headway here, but what is our mystery lady hiding? How is she going to react to the news of the missing brunettes?

I wanted to thank everyone for the favorites and watches, I appreciate you guys!