A/N: What's that, you say? It's been over three months since I last updated? Heresy! But yes, sadly, I've been neglecting this story due to well...life. I'm so happy to be back at it, though. This chapter was half-done in June, and then again life happened. Hopefully, life will stop being so unpredictable in the future.
Anyway, wohoo chapter twelve! I'm once again excited because a lot of stuff goes down. I've made the chapter longer to make up for my absence. Then again, most of these chapters have been long, but you get my point. I hope you haven't given up on this story. I have been overwhelmed by your kind and supportive reviews; they're the reason I continue writing so thank you for that.
To anonymous reviewers/people I can't PM: Luna - haha, I'm glad it was intense, that's how I intended it. thank you, I'm flattered by your review and I hope this chapter proves just as intense!, Guest - thanks, as you can see, I am!, Jasmine - thank you, I'm really glad you like Jack so far, and if you're waiting for that confrontation, this chapter will make you happy :)
Speaking of which ...it's confrontation time.
"Penny, I need you to see things my way."
She had been falling in and out of sleep for several hours, hoping every time she opened her eyes that she would be somewhere else. She was lying down on the precinct's couch, huddled under Lieutenant Gordon's heavy coat. Perhaps nowhere else was better.
She watched the man in front of her pace worriedly. Gordon wanted something from her, something she could not give at the moment.
"The federal witness protection program is the best solution for you, under the circumstances," he pressed on.
Penny kept shaking her head.
"No. No. You know I can't."
"I know you should."
Penny closed her eyes. "I can't run from this."
"You wouldn't be running," Gordon argued. "You would be putting yourself out of danger."
"And I'd be putting others in danger."
Gordon sat down in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. The white locks were getting more prominent.
"You have to worry about yourself, Miss Liss. Not others."
Penny shook her head. "It's the same thing whether I worry about myself or others. I'm not running."
"When you called me two hours ago, you sounded like you would."
"You're wrong, I – I sounded afraid. I still am. I'm petrified. But I'm not leaving."
The door to the office opened quietly and a familiar figure stepped inside. He crouched down to Penny's side and swept a lock of hair from her face.
"Penelope. I'm here. It's all right."
Lucius Fox was cradling her head, forcing her to look at him. His face was set and determined, but his eyes were sympathetic.
She hadn't called him, but he knew, of course. He was the first to know.
"I'm so sorry this had to happen. I assure you I have taken matters very seriously and everything is under control," he spoke carefully, not once breaking eye contact. "Your apartment is being dusted for fingerprints as we speak. I made sure a thorough investigation is taking place. Of course, you can't live there anymore."
At this, Lieutenant Gordon intervened.
"Perhaps you can convince Miss Liss that the best course of action is the federal witness protection program. This is obviously an elaborate mechanism designed to threaten and bully her. She would be safe from that…man. At least until we have managed to catch him."
Lucius turned to look at the weary-looking lieutenant. He managed to inspire respect, despite his downcast posture. He was beginning to understand why Bruce was attached to him.
"That may take some time, seeing as it has been two years and he is still at large. I see we both want what's best for Miss Liss, Lieutenant. But I can't take this choice away from her."
Penny sat up, holding the coat around her shoulders. Her head felt dizzy. She was exhausted, and all she could see was the red ink on her valedictorian speech.
"Thank you, Lucius. I know the Lieutenant is worried, but I – I have to stay."
Perhaps they would never really understand her reasons, and she herself would wonder, years from now, why she had chosen this path. But she had not forgotten the relief which had flooded her when she had seen her speech in her gun compartment.
Yes, relief.
The doubt was finally over. He was no longer just a ghost she had conjured from nightmares. He was no longer just her trauma. He had crawled back into existence, and though the mere notion of his proximity made her stomach turn each time, she preferred it to his ominous absence.
Better the devil you know.
"There's a Gala in two weeks, Lucius." She spoke fast, afraid she might forget the words. "I still want to hold that Gala. It's mine. It's my project."
Lucius raised his eyebrows. "Penelope –"
"I need to."
"We need to think about your safety first."
"I am. I – Gotham can keep me safe. You and Lieutenant Gordon can keep me safe."
"Until when, Penny?" Gordon asked sadly.
"Until I can put my affairs into order. But I'm not running."
"What is the point of it, Miss Liss?" Gordon persisted.
"The point? The point is I worked hard. And I won't throw it away."
Her face had grown taut and hard and Lucius had to tip her chin up to get her to look at him. He always liked to see her eyes, believing he could gouge the truth from them. But they were always sealed from him, always looking further than he could imagine.
She had that look in her eyes now.
"There's another reason, isn't there?"
Penny gently wrenched her head away.
"It's easy for him to find me in dark corners. Hiding spots are familiar to him. He's been hiding for a long time. He won't come after me in public, where everyone can see him."
"Why not?"
Penny smiled bitterly.
"Because then, everyone will see his scars."
As the car sped through the morning lights, Penny thought about Martin, the kind doorman who always smiled so graciously at her. Had he been in on it, too? Had Jack fooled him, paid him? What about the people at the office? Which of her employees had been manipulated? And Devlin? What if he was just a pawn in Jack's game?
She suspected everyone and everything. It was getting to the point where she wondered whether she herself had not invited all these terrible incongruities in her life.
Whom could she trust? Lucius? Gordon? Mrs. Levenstein? Rachel? Harvey Dent?
All of these people, they only wanted to protect her. What did they really want?
It was sickening how they had all been tainted and spoiled by this shadow.
She leaned her forehead against the cool window. Right now, the driver could stop, pull her out and hand her over to Jack.
She peered at his rigid back, his gloved hands on the steering wheel.
Penny laughed a short, nervous laugh.
How stupid. The driver. Giving her to Jack. As if she were a possession to give. As if Jack had come back for presents.
No, he had come back for retribution.
Bruce tapped his fingers on the conference table to the rhythm of Lucius' words, as if he was measuring their gravity by the sounds the wood made each time he applied pressure. He did not look as preoccupied with the situation as Lucius, which unnerved the already concerned CEO.
"Mr. Wayne, pardon for asking, but you're taking this well."
"Am I? I'm a little distracted, I guess."
"Might I ask what has gotten you so aloof?"
"Well, I keep thinking it's not a good idea," he confessed, looking up at his friend.
Lucius frowned. "You'll have to be more specific."
"Miss Liss temporarily staying here."
"Ah. You already said yes yesterday. Why bring it up now?"
"I've been mulling over it all night."
"And what conclusion have you drawn?" Lucius asked, eyebrows raised.
"That the Wayne Tower penthouses are not really safe. Or appropriate, given the circumstances."
"On the contrary; given the circumstances, it's the safest place for her. This building is impregnable. She'll be atop a fortress."
"Don't forget she'll be close to the dungeons, too," Bruce reminded him. There was an edge to his voice that hadn't been there moments before. "She's already digging into the Applied Sciences division."
"That's because some amateur reports won't quit while they're ahead –"
"Don't tell me she hasn't wondered about the secrecy. Don't tell me she hasn't asked you."
Lucius bowed his head. He couldn't lie. Penny Liss was curious and inquisitive by nature.
"At this time, I don't think her mind is occupied with anything else but that man."
"And that's a dangerous mindset. Right now, she sees everyone as the enemy. Even you. And she has every right; our fortress was breached."
"Not necessarily," Lucius argued. "He wouldn't have to get inside to leave souvenirs –"
"He'd only have to buy the right people, which is worse."
"Mr. Wayne, I don't think that man has power over us, I think he is playing an act to make us think he has power –"
"I don't see the difference."
Lucius smiled. "You're starting to sound like me, Mr. Wayne."
Bruce sighed. "Sometimes I think you want her to find out the truth."
Lucius tilted his head. "That's funny, because I was thinking the same thing about you."
Preparations for the Gala were in full swing. The newspapers were beginning to hear rumors about a possible scandal involving the young CEO's assistant, but so far, they could whiff nothing other than a date with J. Devlin Davenport at La Marseillaise. Lieutenant Gordon and Lucius Fox had done their job right and Jack was still a shadow on the wall and nothing more, but if he decided to become flesh again, there was little they could do.
Penny had, with some reservations, moved into the Wayne Tower penthouse. The official public reason given for this was Penny's need to be closer to her work environment and the stressful preparations for the Gala. The press had picked up the news, but found it uninteresting. A pair of disgruntled reporters was certain this had something to do with the Applied Sciences division, but their story was not as interesting as a possible "hookup" between one of Gotham's top millionaires and a young ingénue.
Penny knew she had to bet on Devlin to avert public attention from anything Jack-related. After her abrupt departure from La Marseillaise, she could not hope he would want to see her so soon, but lo and behold, Devlin answered on the second ring of her phone call.
"Miss Liss. I was beginning to wonder. Usually it's the guy who keeps the girl waiting in front of the phone."
Penny wanted to lurch. She was walking up and down her new home, looking over seating charts for the Gala and trying to act like everything was at least partially normal. The walls didn't cave in on her anymore. The red ink had stopped flashing before her eyes. But every once in a while she had to look over her shoulder to make sure there was no one behind her. The Penthouse was too luxurious and stifling to pretend that she was only there for business. It was a gilded prison that kept others out and trapped her within.
She inhaled and smiled into the phone.
"I'm not a very traditional girl."
"I've noticed."
"I'm really sorry I had to flee last week. I'm married to my work. You're the extramarital affair." She gagged on her own words. Her self-loathing only made the words more convincing.
"Oh, so I should be honored, then. But how do you know I'm the only affair?" he teased.
Penny looked over her shoulder. She heaved a sigh.
"You think I have time for other men?"
"Come on, we both know there's at least one more."
Penny's skin prickled. She sucked in a breath and walked to the windows. She pulled back the blinds an inch and peeked at the bright sky. From that height, Gotham City looked like a miniature playground. She could blow softly and the pieces would fly away.
"You know more than I do, then."
"Well, I know he's someone I can't compete with, but I'll try."
Penny gripped the phone until her knuckles turned white.
"Who the fuck are you talking about, Devlin?"
She hadn't meant to snap. She hadn't meant for it to come out like this. She was supposed to bat her eyelashes and flirt. But he was toying with her, he had left clay bats in her dessert, he might be one of Jack's….
"I – I only meant – sorry, it was only a joke. I know you and Lucius are professionals. He's like a father to you, isn't he?"
Oh. He meant Lucius. He meant Lucius.
She closed her eyes.
"Yes. I'm sorry, yes. I'm just a bit on edge right now. This Gala is driving me insane."
"I can tell… you don't swear much. I have to say, it's a little bit sexy."
Penny rolled her eyes.
"Listen Devlin, I called because I wanted to check if I can still count on you."
"To attend your Gala, you mean?"
"Yes, of course."
She could practically see Devlin's smug smirk. "That depends…I have to find a date for the occasion."
"And I have to find someone to take home afterwards, but I think we can come to an agreement."
She heard Devlin choking on his own breath.
"I – yeah, I'd love to do that –"
"See you there, Davenport," she said, clicking the phone shut.
"We've put out an APB on the guy, in case he appears in Gotham's vicinity."
"But he's in the city –" Penny argued, looking back and forth between Lucius and Lieutenant Gordon.
"Yes, but it doesn't hurt to be on the lookout everywhere."
"Miss Liss, sorry to bother you, the baked goods caterer wants to talk to you about the delivery packages –"
"That mainly concerns Casey, she's in charge of food –"
"I know, Miss Liss, but I can't seem to track her down and she's under your supervision, so I thought –"
"It's all right. Excuse me, gentlemen, I'll be right back."
The three of them were walking around the Sommerset Stadium's main facilities. Several officers were hovering in the background, pretending to implement the new security measures, but actually trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.
The plan, as Penny understood it, was not to stand down and raise a defense, but rather stand up and pull an offense. They were going to lure Jack at the Stadium and trap him there.
"And you think he's going to fall for that?" she had rightfully queried them.
"I think he wants a confrontation as soon as possible and we're going to give it to him," Lucius had argued.
"He waited this long, what makes you think he won't wait anymore?"
"What makes you think he will, Miss Liss?" Gordon had recanted.
At the time, she had agreed. Now, as she walked down to the kitchens with one of the assistants, she felt once more that it was all a terrible idea. These things never worked out as you planned them. And she didn't feel comfortable with the idea of being used as bait. Jack would see through it. Then again, he might show up anyway and risk the consequences.
Just as she was about to enter the kitchens, a loud crash was heard right behind her, and before she had time to catch her breath, her hand had already gone straight to the weapon in her purse. She was about to whip out her gun when one of the electricians repairing the lighting in the ball room yelled "Sorry! My bad!" for dropping one of the optical amplifiers.
Penny sighed wearily, shoving the gun back in her purse.
"Um, no offense, Miss Liss, but is it really safe to carry that around?"
Penny turned on the girl. She was new, had been hired two weeks previously and was obviously not aware of how things operated.
"It's safe for the officers, why wouldn't it be safe for me?"
"Well, they know how to use it and have a permit."
"What makes you think I can't use it and don't have a permit?" she asked sternly.
The assistant looked down meekly.
"I'm sorry, Miss Liss, I didn't mean anything by it."
"No, you didn't, but next time, mind your own tasks."
"Yes, of course, it's just that –"
And then the girl was close to her, too close, and whispering something in her ear. Her hot breath tickled Penny's earlobe.
"It won't be any use, will it?" she spoke in a low, insidious voice.
The red ink flashed before her eyes. In a matter of moments, she had pushed the girl off of her and pinned her against the wall. Penny held both her arms in a tight grip.
"Who sent you? Who the hell are you?"
"Miss Liss, what are you –"
"Tell me! Did he send you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about –"
"Stop lying!"
"You're hurting me –"
"That's not an answer."
"I swear, I don't know!"
"Then why did you say that?"
"Miss Liss, I didn't say anything!" The girl had tears in her eyes.
Penny scowled. "You whispered in my ear, why did you do that?"
"I didn't do anything, I swear, I was just waiting for you to go through the kitchen doors."
The girl looked terrified, to say the least.
Penny slowly took in her surroundings. Some of the electricians had stopped working and were staring at them. What if Lieutenant Gordon and Lucius went after her and found her like this, with her assistant pinned underneath her?
Penny stepped back and let her go.
"I apologize. I've forgotten your name."
"B-Becky."
"Becky. I'm very sorry for my reaction, it was not my intention to scare you. I have been under a lot of stress and I fear it's getting to me. Please take the rest of the day off."
Becky stared at her wide-eyed.
"Take the day off?"
"Yes. I won't be requiring your services for the day."
"Are – are you firing me?"
"No! You know what? Why don't you go back to the offices and see if you can help with anything there. Okay?"
"Yes, Miss Liss."
Becky didn't wait to be told twice. She was gone before her boss had anything else to say.
Penny closed her eyes in frustration. At this rate, she'd have to fire all her staff or get herself committed.
She pushed open the swinging kitchen doors and hoped that she wouldn't have to attack another member of her personnel.
The remaining days until the Gala were uneventful and even deceitfully peaceful. Jack had disappeared again, swallowed by the masses of Gotham city in a smoke of illusions. The only sign of his presence were the little gifts he had left behind. The police had found no fingerprints in her apartment or at work. The valedictorian speech, of course, was so much of him and her that nothing could be made out of it. There was no new set of fingerprints on it, only the old sweat and fear of those hours in the dark.
Penny lay awake at night unable to sleep, unable to close her eyes. There were no nightmares; there was only emptiness. When you are as terrified as she was, there are no images that fill up your mind, only blankness, a terrible white blankness.
She would touch the scar on her leg, the scar he had left when he had stabbed her, and she would tell herself she was ready to face him, that he could not surprise her anymore, but evidently, she didn't believe that.
Consequently, by the time the night of the Gala came around, she was sleep-deprived and exhausted to the point where everything around her seemed to fade into the background. She had worked herself to the bone, but Penny had never shied away from hard work. In fact, hard work made her glow; it gave her an aura of serenity. She always looked best when she worked her hardest. Now, the hours spent toiling over her pet project only emphasized the weight of her burden. No matter how much coffee she drank or how many painkillers she took, she felt that at any moment she might take flight or burst apart.
It'll be over soon.
Three hours before she had to head downstairs to meet with Lucius in the lobby of Wayne Tower, she decided to take a bath instead of her regular shower. She stood naked in the giant marble bathtub of the penthouse and let the water fall on her body until she was almost submerged. She kept her eyes closed. She knew that if she opened them, the water might be red. Ink or blood, or both.
Her hand traveled to her stomach and then reached further down, until she was touching herself in a way she hadn't done in months. No, not months. Almost two years had lapsed. She hadn't touched herself like that since him. She tried to think of what turned her on. She didn't know anymore. Before him, she could summon up images that would get her off quickly. Now, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to think of anything but him. Her fingers moved clumsily. She was out of practice. She cleared her head and decided to let her mind wander. Maybe she didn't need to think at all.
Maybe she wasn't lying on top of him. Maybe the paint fumes weren't making her dizzy. Maybe her fingers didn't linger on his scars when she wiped his mask away. Maybe the feeling of paint against her skin was not intoxicating. Maybe her sticky hands didn't fumble with his zipper. Maybe he didn't grab her waist and squeeze it until the air was gone. Maybe he didn't raise his head until his teeth grazed her breasts. Maybe he didn't bite.
Maybe his teeth left no marks. Maybe she didn't moan.
She burst out of the water. "No!"
Her scream was both denial and surrender.
The screech of her heels on the parquet floor was a nasty foreboding for her staff. They all turned their heads like deer caught in the headlights.
Penny had gathered her assistants around her for one last session before the doors to the stadium would open.
"Don't look so down. Tonight's your night. You've worked so hard and now you can finally reap the labor of that work. Of course, you're not supposed to slack. This night will only be a success if your last day is your finest. Our goal? We want to make an impact, we want to stand out among charity events because we dare to tackle the issues of the elderly. We're not popular, but we're professional. We can't win them with sentimentality, but we will win them over with efficiency. Of course…do try to have some fun while you're at it, too."
She noticed the anemic looks she was getting from the young people around her. They weren't exactly enthusiastic. In their defense, she was not very good at pep talks.
"We're a team, aren't we?" she added stupidly.
They murmured their agreement noncommittally.
"Come on, I didn't hear you."
They raised their voices, but the enthusiasm was still missing. Penny knew they were just as tired as she was, if not more.
"Okay, good enough. Let's make tonight count."
She could see the way they exchanged glances between each other. They were surprised. Penny Liss didn't settle for "good enough". She would make them say exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it and would not accept an alternative.
And now she had suddenly decided their tired reactions were "good enough"?
Either she was inordinately relaxed, or far more nervous than they were.
Devlin was impatient. He kept putting his hand over her chair in the vain hope that she would look at him, but Penny was all eyes and ears elsewhere. The stage had been taken by a decrepit war veteran who was pleading his case and thanking the Thomas and Martha Wayne Foundations for tonight's opportunity to make a difference. It was all rather boring, but if he had voiced such a thought, Penny would have despised him for all eternity.
Then, just when the old man's speech was winding down and he thought he'd have his chance to whisper into her ear jokingly about "quitting this joint earlier", she got up in a flurry and rushed to the other end of the room, leaving him empty-handed once again.
She was running towards an old woman – who else? Tonight was full of old people. It looked like an asylum, but for the cocktails and hors d'oeuvres – an old woman who smiled benevolently and gathered her in her arms.
The problem was, Penny was coming back to their table with this old woman.
"Devlin, I'd like you to meet Marjorie Levenstein, one of the best nurses in this country, now retired unfortunately. She has been very helpful with the Gala."
The old woman shook her hand impatiently. "My dear, I only gave a suggestion here and there."
The conversation went on in this fashion and Devlin struggled to appear interested. And then the old woman mentioned Bloomherst.
"I'm sorry to say the place is more run down than ever. It's got a bit of a reputation now, of course. No one wants to live there anymore, yet everyone wants to see it. All these young kids, journalists, keep coming in and out. You'd think they're going to find some hidden treasure."
"Is the elevator still in use?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He knew right away it had been a gauche thing to say, but he was getting tired of keeping quiet and waiting for Penny to give him attention.
"Why, yes, it…it is," the old woman replied, casting worried glances at Penny.
"Hm. They should have shut it down," he remarked in what he hoped was a well-meaning tone.
He was promptly saved by one of Penny's minions coming to get her. She was needed backstage. He didn't catch much, something about the Gotham Church Elderly Choir getting ready to perform a hymn.
He was left in the company of Marjorie Levenstein.
"Excuse me, dear, perhaps this question finds you unprepared, but are you Penelope's…beau?"
Devlin coughed. "I…think so. But you never know with Penny. She's a bit unpredictable. I might be, I might not be."
"My Penny? Goodness, no! She has a plan and a project for everything!"
"You'd be surprised."
"But are you serious about her? She's an excellent young woman, as you can see for yourself."
Devlin felt trapped. There was no right answer to such a final question. He took a sip of his warm wine.
"I am serious about everything, Mrs. Levenstein."
He felt that was a judicious remark.
"Good God, how did this happen?"
One of the members of the Gotham Church Elderly Choir needed to be taken to the hospital. A partial heart attack.
Penny held Mr. Gardiner's hand as one of the butlers performed first-aid maneuvers. She had hired two nurses to be on staff tonight, but they were conveniently absent. Her assistants were running around disoriented. They had prepared for this kind of situation, seeing as most of their special guests were old people, yet they were still shocked. They had called for an ambulance, but could do little else, since the Choir couldn't go on stage now. Mr. Gardiner was one of the lead singers.
"What's next on the schedule?" she asked, trying to sound as calm as if she were simply checking her notes.
"Gotham News legend Tony Shard will present the news live one more time before retirement," Jason, a lanky ginger recited nervously.
"Well, he'll have to go on right now. I'm going to get Mrs. Levenstein. She is a nurse, she'll know what to do until the ambulance arrives."
She gave strict orders not to let Mr. Gardiner out of sight. He was a spry old man and kept insisting he was fine.
Tony Shard, meanwhile, was making his way on stage in his charming fashion, scratching his salt-and-pepper beard while he casually waved at the cheering audience. He was delighted he would be the center of attention one last time and in front of Gotham's top socialites. He was dressed in his best tux.
He sat behind his trademark desk they had brought over from his studios and raised his finger for the lights and cameras to roll.
He was receiving the newsfeed from online sources. Yes, he was rather embarrassed, but it was a new dawn and that is why he was leaving this new age to the younger generations.
Penny heard him start off in his usual brusque manner and she somehow felt comforted by that baritone voice.
"Good evening, Gotham. Here, for the very last time, are the news for tonight."
She reached Mrs. Levenstein just in time; Devlin was clearly out of his depth. The old woman was hounding him with questions about money and business and the stock exchange and while Devlin enjoyed discussing such things in sexual metaphors with someone like Penny, he absolutely dreaded dissecting them in the cold light of reality with someone he would never find sexually viable.
"I'm afraid you're needed, it's an emergency," she whispered in the old woman's ear.
She got up instantly, ready to go where there was trouble.
As they were both rushing across the floor, Penny's dress caught against one of the chairs.
Mrs. Levenstein held her arm. "Careful, sweetheart, this dress looks a million bucks, you don't want to ruin it."
Tony Shard's voice carried warmly across the ballroom.
"Hang on, it appears we have a last-minute piece. It's happening right now, folks, right as we sit here and sip champagne. The Gotham National Bank – why this must be some practical joke – The Gotham National Bank has been broken into by five masked individuals who are as yet to be identified –"
"It's a bit grim, don't you think? Reading the news at this hour, at this kind of event?" Mrs. Levenstein opined.
Penny held up her dress and waved her arm for the old woman to follow her backstage.
But Tony Shard's voice pierced through her concentration.
" – they are all wearing…clown masks, my sources tell me. This is quite extraordinary, ladies and gentlemen."
Penny turned her head, but all she could see was the reflector lights and Tony Shard's dark head.
Backstage, Mr. Gardiner was trying to walk. Marjorie pulled him back down with an authoritative hand.
"Now, now, settle down, dear."
"Unhand me, please – I – I have never even had a cold all my life."
"Yes, I believe you, now please chew this aspirin. Yes, chew, not swallow…it's important…"
The assistants had disappeared. Vanished into thin air. It was just her, Mrs. Levenstein and Mr. Gardiner left. The latter was now weeping quietly as Mrs. Levenstein opened his mouth.
Penny wondered where they had all gone.
Then she heard it, the noise coming from the ballroom. The commotion. People were getting up, phones were being whipped out, numbers were being crunched. Voices, at first low, like insects, then louder and louder cut through Tony Shard's last stand.
"Go, Penny. I'll take care of him until the ambulance arrives," Mrs. Levenstein assured her.
But Penny felt she'd rather stay there, in the dark where it was warm and safe.
"Don't be afraid, sweetheart. It's probably the burglary that's got people in a fuss."
Penny smiled.
"Just our luck."
When she made her way back to the ballroom, it was unrecognizable. Now, not only Tony Shard but many others, young and old, were reading the news out loud. The old man looked utterly defeated as the caterers and servers started reading Twitter feeds.
"They say two civilians were shot –"
"Now they're saying they weren't civilians – it's the burglars that got shot!"
"What, all five?!"
"I don't know!"
"Who shot them? The police?"
"No! They shot each other!"
"That's a fairy tale! Why the hell would they shoot each other?"
"Misunderstanding?"
"Can someone turn on the TV already?"
"So did they manage to steal anything or …?"
"Bystanders say one burglar is alive! But the money's gone!"
"How would a bystander know that?"
Penny spotted two of her assistants and called out to them, but they either ignored her or didn't hear her. She was tempted to run onstage, take the microphone and try to talk some sense into everyone.
"Everyone, please remain calm," she spoke to whomever would be listening around her. She might as well have been invisible.
She made signs to the servers to stop reading the news out loud, but the guests and sponsors she could not tame. One particular middle-aged woman garbed in a sequin dress made sure to shout as loudly as possible that "the clowns are dead!"
She noticed, finally, that the two nurses she had hired were running around with their Blackberries, taking photos and texting furiously.
Huh. That's odd.
Penny pressed a hand to her forehead. She should have known letting Tony Shard have his one last hurrah would be risky. The Gala was slowly but surely getting out of hand.
At this rate, she should probably cancel the surprise fireworks on the stadium. It would just incite more turmoil.
She was just about to call the man in charge of the fireworks, when one cold hand wrapped around her elbow and pulled her aside.
"Penny, you have to call it quits. People want to go home. They want to see what's happened. They want to call their lawyers and bankers. Half of the people in this room have an interest in the Bank. And…I'm one of them."
Devlin's voice was harsh, admitting no argument. He was no longer out of his depth. He was no longer vulgar and joking.
Penny nodded her head. "I understand…you can go, I will deal with things here."
Devlin frowned.
"Come on, I'm getting you home."
She could see from the corner of her eye, that the task force which had been called especially for the Gala, was leaving the building. So much for their plan to trap Jack.
Lieutenant Gordon was running towards her.
"Miss Liss, we should get you to a safe location –" he began, short of breath.
"I was just telling her that," Devlin claimed smugly, holding onto her shoulder. "She should come with me."
"Stop it the both of you. The danger's not here. The robbery has nothing to do with us," she argued, more with herself.
The clowns are dead! the woman kept screaming in her head.
"We can't ascertain that yet, Miss Liss. My boys are securing the streets as we speak, but we should get you to Wayne Tower. We are getting everyone home, so this isn't special treatment," Gordon continued unabated.
"Where's Lucius?" she asked, feeling utterly lost for the first time that evening.
"He has already left with Mr. Wayne. They…had some urgent business to see to."
Penny couldn't believe that Lucius would just leave her.
Will you stop it? You sound just like them! He's not your father and you don't need protecting! Bruce Wayne is more important…pragmatically speaking.
Come to think of it, she hadn't even really seen Bruce Wayne tonight. She had been told he was attending, and she had secretly hoped to meet him in person, but now she wasn't sure anymore.
"Mr. Davenport, can you take care of Miss Liss?"
"My limo is bulletproof, for your information. I have two bodyguards and a driver," Devlin began heatedly.
"Then go. Go, Miss Liss. I'll be right behind you."
She sat by the window, watching as one of Devlin's bodyguards uncorked a bottle of wine.
"Helps with the nerves," Devlin explained awkwardly.
She refused the glass offered.
She wasn't nervous, that was the strange part. She wasn't really scared. After all, the robbers dressed like clowns had nothing to do with her. Nothing.
Devlin sipped loudly.
"I know you're disappointed, but I think you can hold the Gala again next week. I think people still want to hear that Elderly Choir."
Penny chuckled bitterly. "Funny."
"Just trying to lighten the mood."
The city lights were reflected on the limousine floor, yellow streaks that looked like birds…or bats.
She looked away.
It was then that one of the bodyguards shot the other one.
She forgot to scream.
Devlin was cowering on the sofa. One bodyguard was lying dead on the floor, a big black hole steaming in his forehead. The yellow streaks crossed his body indifferently. The other bodyguard was standing over Devlin's body, holding a gun to his back.
Penny opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
She looked into his face, but no, there was nothing there; he was just a man, a nameless, anonymous man. No scars, no Jack.
The bodyguard's gun was now poised to Devlin's head.
"W-Whaaaa…." Devlin trailed off pathetically. "Whaaat are you d-doing?"
Penny watched in sheer horror, unable to do anything but pull her knees to her chest.
Then the bodyguard turned towards her.
"You'll find a gun in the dead guy's vest. Go on, take it. But no funny business, or Mr. Davenport's brains are history."
Penny licked her lips. They were burning.
"Why are you doing this?"
"I said get the gun."
"Jesus, do it already!" moaned Devlin.
Penny lowered herself to the floor and, holding her breath, fished for the dead man's gun.
She found it strapped to his immobile chest. She took it out gingerly, feeling its dreadful weight, its cold solidity.
"Good, now sit down, and hold the gun in front of you."
Penny looked at Devlin. She tried to assuage him silently, tried to calm him down, but he was like a child who had seen the Boogey Man.
She did not understand why she was not more terrified.
Except, she was. But terror had a way of being one step ahead of her.
"Now, check how many bullets you got left. Then, draw back the hammer. Go on. You've had training, haven't you?"
Penny stared at him.
"You would've had a gun with you, except you forgot your purse at the Gala."
Jesus, I did.
She never let it out of her sight. She always kept one hand inside it. How could she have left it behind?
"How did you know?" she asked stupidly.
"That's a lovely dress you're wearing. Really makes your eyes pop," he replied and his tone took on a strange, familiar edge.
"It doesn't go with the purse, does it? No. It stands apart."
Penny shivered.
He had an earpiece, like all bodyguards. He listened to the voice in the earpiece.
She checked the bullets. Bullet. No plural. There was only one. He must have known she'd find only one.
"You…" she began, her throat dry.
"Me what?"
He had an earpiece. Someone was talking to him, telling him what to say.
"You…want me to draw the hammer?"
"That's what I said."
"Why?"
"Simple. You have to choose. Either I shoot him in the head, or…you shoot him in the balls."
Penny blinked.
The bodyguard smiled. Leered. Grinned.
"Yeah, you heard me right. To use a crude metaphor, heads or tails…Moneypenny? What will it be?"
Devlin was crying, sobbing hysterically.
"Penny, don't do it! Please, Jesus Christ!"
"I think he just realized it's not a metaphor," the bodyguard chuckled.
The car had stopped moving. They were standing still. But the world was spinning madly.
"I've kept my sense of humor intact for the occasion," he continued lightly. He was still smiling.
Penny closed her eyes.
"Gotham National Bank…" she began hoarsely.
"Will keep everyone occupied for a good while," came the reply. "But we can't waste the night away. So you'd best draw that hammer and make your choice. Cinderella's got till midnight."
It was so bizarre, hearing Jack's words coming out of this stranger's mouth.
"Tick tock."
She realized, with razor-sharp clarity, that he would do it. He would shoot Devlin in the head if she didn't act.
"Penny! Penny, don't! God!" Devlin cried out in misery.
The bodyguard sniggered. "So this is the fucker who's paying your dinners. He'd rather get shot in the head than get the family jewels…dented."
The words were so jarring, so calmly cheerful and foreign, that she drew the hammer anyway.
She raised the gun and aimed it at Devlin's lap.
"That's it. Good girl. Let's make sure he doesn't procreate."
Penny inhaled sharply.
She then turned the gun towards her. Aimed the barrel at her leg.
For the first time, she heard the bodyguard's words, and not Jack's.
"Boss…what am I supposed to do?"
A tense silence followed, during which only Devlin's scattered mewling could be heard.
Penny's hands were shaking but she held the gun to her leg anyway.
"Is this what you want, Jack? I'll do it. I'll do it."
Seconds ticked by as the bodyguard stood still, waiting for orders.
"Not making threats anymore?" she asked, but her voice was pleading, more than demanding.
He wasn't looking at her. His eyebrows were drawn together. He was listening carefully to what he was being told.
And then, he straightened up and met her eyes, his breach of character forgotten .
"Shoot yourself in the foot...? Little bit anticlimactic, don't you think?"
"Maybe, but I'll waste the only bullet I have. For your little game to work, I'd have to be armed. You want me to shoot him. That's what you're counting on. That's the whole point."
The bodyguard watched her intensely.
"Sharp as always, Moneypenny."
"So," she said, shaking from the effort of keeping the calm facade, "what happens now?"
"Now? Now we put the paint on."
The bodyguard nodded. The gun traveled from Devlin's head to his lap.
Penny closed her eyes.
There was a shot. Not her shot, not her gun.
Devlin's bloodcurdling scream pierced through the night.
Penny was on her hands and knees. She was breaking the window with the gun. She was pushing against the door.
Against all odds, she was out.
Out in the cool night air. Out where the demons could catch her.
She ran desperately, holding onto the gun. The bodyguard wasn't following her. He wasn't going to. He was no longer part of this play.
She almost stumbled in the middle of the street. But she gripped the gun. One bullet, one bullet.
The traffic seemed distant, far away from her. Gotham itself was a forgotten memory.
How? How was this street empty? But then, it wasn't a street. It was an alley.
And she was standing with her back to the wrong end.
"Wouldn't get your hands dirty, so you made me do it. You business people are all the same."
She did not turn. Turning would be pointless. Turning would mean seeing.
"But let's not stand on ceremony. After all, this is a reunion."
He walked towards her, his steps echoing, clanging, banging on the asphalt.
"How about a welcome home kiss?"
And then he was right behind her. She could hear his hot breath, reaching out, tickling her hair.
"I – I still have one bullet, Jack."
"Then turn around and say hello."
Turning around would mean seeing. And she knew what she'd see first.
Penny held the gun with both hands and made sure they weren't shaking. If she missed this moment, she would miss everything after.
He was so close, the barrel almost hit his chest.
That was the first thing her eyes landed on.
His solid chest. As real as the brick wall behind her. It didn't seem possible, but there it was, made of living flesh. It rose and fell so calmly, so smoothly.
His fingers were on her chin, lifting it up by force.
Dark eyes met dark eyes.
She shrank back but there was nowhere to go. She hit the wall.
His mouth was red, his face was white. He was the mask she had stolen. He was the mask in the elevator. But now it was refined, poised to perfection. Finally, complete.
He was still ugly, deformed, concealed, but perfect, utterly perfect. The scars appeared and disappeared as the helicopters above shone their lights down on them.
"I'm a nice guy, Moneypenny. I want to warn you in…how do they put it? In advance. That's right. In advance."
Penny watched his red mouth.
"If you don't shoot now, if you don't stick that piece of metal in me, well…you're never getting rid of me again."
Penny drew back the hammer.
"F-Fine by me," she stammered.
Jack cocked his head to the side. He smirked, but it wasn't a smirk, it was a shark's bite.
"You know why I saved your life in that elevator? You can shoot me mid-sentence, I don't mind."
He's playing with you. He won't let you shoot him. But you will. You will.
"I saved your life just so I can watch this moment. Right here."
Come on. Do it now. Pull.
Penny gripped the gun tighter.
"This moment where you realize you can't kill me. Just like I couldn't kill you."
Penny shook her head. Keep your head clear. He'll say many things…Don't listen to a word.
His body seemed to occupy every inch of space, his breath swallowed her air.
"We can't kill what we've created…" he trailed off, in a low, sinister whisper.
Penny felt tears smarting in her eyes.
"Shut up. Stop talking."
"God doesn't kill his children. You know why? He's curious. You and I…we're curious."
You created me. I created you.
"Shut up. Shut up. I don't want to hear it. You and your stories and your bullshit and –" She choked on a sob. "I can kill you. I can."
The gun shook and rattled and her finger touched the trigger, but it was stuck, paralyzed.
She tried to move it. She pushed it until she felt her bone breaking, but the trigger seemed to slip away.
Jack laughed.
"Guess you don't want to get rid of me, after all."
Penny snarled. She was finally catching up to it. The terror.
She raised her hand and hit him in the head with the barrel of the gun.
He blinked and for a fraction of a moment, pure surprise illuminated his face. He leaned against the wall, his knees buckling.
She didn't wait for more. She pushed past him and ran.
Raucous laughter erupted behind her. A laugh so powerful, so joyful, so deadly.
"Oh, doll, you don't know how I've missed you!"
A/N: So most of you have guessed by now that the robbery at Gotham National Bank is the beginning of TDK. Here we go :D