Gordon left for home. Laura didn't even want to imagine what Barbara was going to do to him, but she smiled at the thought. The mayor came up beside her. "Ms. Dawes, I want to commend you on your performance."

"Sir?"

"You handled the absence of Gordon very well. So, obviously, I can't leave you not rewarded…Lt."

Laura's eyes lit up. "Thank you, sir!"

"I wouldn't have given it to you if you didn't deserve it. The people of Gotham should be glad they have such good people watching over them." Laura smiled at him. He said, "Well, I need to head out. I'll be seeing all of you!"

Cops around the room called out goodbyes to the mayor. Laura made to head to her office which led her past the Joker's cell. He muttered, "Proud of yourself?"

She turned to face him. "Is it your business?"

"Anything is my business. Besides, you just spent the last hour researching mine. Find anything?" he taunted.

She closed her eyes to calm down. "Listen…" she opened her eyes and almost gasped. He was standing right at the bars, staring intently at her. She suddenly noticed something she had never noticed before. His eyes. They were a deep brown and they seemed to resonate sadness.

"Bat got your tongue?"

She kept staring at him, wide-eyed. "I…I need to…to go."

"Well, if you really must," he said. She started to walk away. "But I was going to tell you some things you might like to know." She froze and turned around. He raised an eyebrow.

Stephens walked in. "Lt. Dawes, you still here?"

Laura recovered from her trance and called, "Over here, Stephens!!"

He came over and urgently said, "Harvey hasn't made it home, nor has he been seen in the last hour."

Laura was furious within a millisecond. Her head whipped around to look at the Joker. "Get him into an interrogation room," she fumed. "I'll get Gordon back down here." She pulled out her cell and dialed his number as a few cops escorted the Joker out. He answered after a few rings. "Gordon, we got trouble."

Later

Gordon came flying into the interrogation wing of M.C.U. The Joker was in a room lit only by a small desk lamp. Gordon yelled, "Dawes, has he said anything?"

"No."

"Come on. You're going in with me." Laura didn't really want to because she was afraid that she would go into another trance and forget what she was doing, but she followed her boss in anyway. He waited for her to get past the door and then practically slammed it shut. He then walked to the table the Joker was sitting at and sat down across from him. Laura chose to stand.

The Joker drawled, "Evening, Commissioner. Lt."

Gordon sighed before saying, "Harvey Dent never made it home."

"Of course not."

"What have you done with him?"

"Me?" the Joker said, acting offended. "I was right here!" He nodded at the handcuffs on his wrists. "Who did you leave him with, hmm? Your people? Assuming, of course, they are still your people and not Maroni's." He observed Gordon's look of despair and Laura's look of fury. "Does it depress you, Commissioner, to know just how alone you really are? Does it make you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current predicament?"

"Where is he?" Laura hissed.

"What's the time?"

"Does that matter?"

"Well, depending on the time, he may be in one spot or several," he said, slightly grinning.

Gordon clenched his teeth before standing and taking off the Joker's handcuffs. "If we're going to play games, I'm gonna need a cup of coffee." He nodded at Laura, signaling that they were leaving.

"Ah! The god cop, bad cop routine?" Joker called after them.

"Not exactly," Gordon answered before heading out the door. Laura glanced back at the Joker before going out. He winked at her. She straightened and rushed out.

"Boss," she said, "Why are we leaving?"

"I called for reinforcements." Laura looked questioningly into the room from behind the one-way window. The over-head lights came on revealing Batman standing behind the Joker. He shoved the Joker's head forward, banging it on the table. BANG!

When he recovered, Joker said, "Never start with the head. The victim gets all fuzzy and can't feel the next…" Batman brought a fist down on his hand. WHACK! Joker shook his head and said, "See?"

"You wanted me. Here I am."

"I wanted to see what you'd do. And you didn't disappoint. You let five people die. Then, you let Dent take your place. Even to a guy like me, that's cold!"

"Where's Dent?"

"Those fools with the Mob want you gone so they can get back to the way things were. But I know the truth. There is no going back. You've changed things. Forever."

"Then why do you want to kill me?"

The Joker started one of his demented laughs. Laura had come to fear and love that laugh. "I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off Mob dealers? No, no, no. No, you…you complete me."

"You're garbage who kills for money."

"Don't try to talk like one of them! You're not! Even if you'd like to be. No, you're just a freak. Like me. They need you now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out. Like a leper!" He gave Batman a chance to respond, but when he didn't he continued. "Their morals, their code… it's like bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these, er, civilized people… they'll eat each other." He leaned back. "See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve."

Batman reached across the table and yanked the Joker over it. Stephens tried to go to the door, but Laura stopped him. "He's in control."

"Where's Dent?" Batman demanded.

Joker avoided the question again. "You have all these rules, and you think they'll save you."

Batman shoved him against a wall, still holding him off the floor. "I have one rule."

"Oh, well, then that's the rule you'll have to break to know the truth."

"Which is?"

"The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules. And tonight, you're gonna break your one rule," he said, suddenly menacing.

"I'm considering it."

"There's only minutes left, so you're gonna have to play my game if you want to save one of them."

Everyone in the observation room, along with Batman, said, "Them?!"

"You know, for a while there, I thought you really were Dent," the Joker said. "I mean, really. The way you threw yourself after her and all." Batman threw the Joker down and grabbed a chair to wedge under the doorknob. Laura had run for the door as soon as it registered in her mind who the Joker was talking about, but she found it jammed. "Look at you go!" Joker cried.

Batman came running back and threw him against the wall. "WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"Killing is making a choice…"

He punched him, hard. "WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"A choice between one life or the other. Your friend, the District attorney, or his blushing bride to-be!" Batman punched him harder. Joker cackled with delight. "You have nothing!" he cried. "Nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength." Batman yanked him up again. "Don't worry, I'm gonna tell you where they are. Both of 'em. And that's the point. You'll have to choose. He's at 250 52nd Street and she's on Avenue X at Cicero."

Batman threw Joker to the ground and dislodged the chair, busting through the door. "Which one you going after?" Gordon cried.

"Rachel!" Batman replied while running out the fire exit. Laura stared at the door for a second before turning to face the Joker. He was smiling after Batman, but then he noticed Laura looking at him. His grin faded and his eyes regained the sad look she had seen earlier. She had the sudden urge to go to him, talk to him…something! But then she remembered Harvey was in danger. She spared Joker one last look before dashing to Gordon's car.

They rushed down Gotham streets. When they met traffic, Gordon yelled, "Mount the curb!!" So Laura did just that. They flew down the streets scattering pedestrians and rats. They pulled into the abandoned parking lot at 250 52nd Street and got out. But they shouldn't have bothered. The explosion blew both of them back onto the hood of the car. Other cars were pulling up.

"No!" Laura screamed, and tried to run to the building. Gordon grabbed her and held her back. Her cell rang. "WHAT?!" she screamed into the mouthpiece.

"Laura, I need to talk to Gordon," Batman said calmly.

"Then why did you call me?!" She handed the phone to Gordon. He took it and listened for a moment, then looked up at Laura with a horrified expression on his face. He hung up and handed the phone back. "What?" She asked when he wouldn't stop staring.

"Laura, Harvey's ok."

In her frantic confusion she said, "Well, that's good! Guess Batman…" Realization hit her. "Wait, Harvey is ok? Isn't that who we were…" She turned and looked at the burning warehouse. "Oh, god, no," she whispered. "No. I'm dreaming. That's it. I'm having a freaking nightmare and…and…" She burst into tears. "RACHEL!" she cried out in agony.

Gordon caught her in his arms and held her there. A guy came over and said, "Gordon, Harvey's alive, but only just. Back at M.C.U. Joker's gone."

"With Lau?" The man nodded.

Laura tore away from Gordon and said, "The Joker planned to be caught! He WANTED us to lock him up in M.C.U.!!!" She ran off in a blind fury with no particular destination in mind, but eventually found herself at Bruce's. By then, it was dawn.

She stepped out of the elevator and walked silently through the kitchen where Alfred was working. He turned to look at her for a second, but when she just kept walking, he turned back to his work. She went to the bed room and changed into sweats, then she lay down on the bed and stared out the window. About 30 minutes later, Bruce came in, dropping the cowl, gauntlets, and gloves on the floor, then he sat in a chair on the other side of the room. Alfred came in with a tray and said, "I made a little breakfast." Neither answered him. He sighed sadly. "Very well."

"Alfred!" Bruce called after him.

"Yes, Master Wayne?"

"Did I bring this on us? On her? I meant to inspire good. Not madness."

"You have inspired good, but you spat in the face of Gotham's criminals. Didn't you think there might be a few casualties? Things will always get worse before they get better."

"But Rachel, Alfred."

"Rachel believed in what we stand for. Gotham needs you."

"No, Gotham needs its hero, and I let that murdering psychopath blow him half to hell."

"Which is why," Laura began haltingly, "We're gonna have to make do with you."

He looked at her soot smudged face and tear-stained eyes before turning back to Alfred. "That bandit in Burma. Did you ever catch him?" Alfred nodded. "How?"

"We burned the forest down." Alfred left.

Bruce undressed the rest of the way and put on a t-shirt and pajama pants. Then he went and lay down next to Laura. "What bandit?" she asked.

He hoisted himself up onto his elbow. "Never mind." He moved a strand of hair that was plastered to her face by grime. She jumped when she felt a drop of water hit her cheek, and she looked up at Bruce. He was crying. "I'm so sorry," he sniffled. "I should've guessed trickery."

"You?! I'm the cop here! I should've guess trickery. If there is one thing I've learned it's this. 'It's not that simple. With the Joker it never is'." He smiled very slightly, leaned down and kissed her cheek, then lay down on the pillow next to her.

No, nothing was simple with the Joker. And if anyone should know, it should be her. The Joker had managed, in some form or fashion, to charm her. And she felt guilty. So guilty. But every time she thought about him, the look in his eyes haunted her. The way he looked at her…it was slightly frightening…yet so intriguing. He killed her sister. But right then…She. Didn't. Care.