Disclaimer: I do not own Batman or any of its characters from the movie you may recognize. I only own my character Evelyn and other minor characters you don't recognize, along with the storyline.

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Here's another one for you guys!

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Chapter 13 – You Owe Me

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Rachel watched keenly as Evelyn moved hesitantly towards Bruce. Expecting Evelyn to calmly walk over and have a chat with him, Rachel was puzzled when Evelyn abruptly came to a halt. She followed her friend's gaze to find Bruce reaching over to pull Adrianna into a passionate kiss. Rachel furrowed her brow in disapproval of Bruce's action, knowing what it was doing to Evelyn. Consequently, she watched Evelyn retreat from her position.

Rachel followed after her only to be thwarted by a swarm of guests rushing to meet Bruce. By the time the crowd dispersed, Rachel was left with the view of Evelyn's back as she hastily exited the ballroom. An apprehensive feeling arose inside of Rachel, wondering where Evelyn would go at this time of night. As much as Rachel wished to believe that she would not go outside at this hour, her conscious spoke otherwise.

"Hey," Harvey appeared next to her, placing a hand on her back, "You look worried."

"Evelyn…she just left," Rachel said, keeping her gaze on the doors. Maybe a part of her hoped that Evelyn would come back – that she was just imagining everything. Rachel felt the weight of Harvey's hand leave her back.

"She was acting kind of strange earlier," Harvey stated before taking a gulp from his wine glass.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know – she kept saying something about roses."

Rachel's eyes widened as she turned to face Harvey, "And what did you say?!"

Harvey was taken aback by the sudden rise in her tone, "The truth: I had no idea what she was talking about."

"Oh my god," Rachel whispered to herself before she glanced once more towards the set of doors.

"What? Is something wrong?" Harvey inquired, worried that he had made a mistake.

Rachel nodded solemnly, "And it's my fault."

Evelyn blinked several times allowing her pupils to adjust to the bright fluorescent light beaming down at her. Once her senses were gathered, Evelyn realized she was lying on the floor of an empty room – a room that looked like it was in great need of decontamination.

Wh-where am I?

Disgusted by the filthy floor, Evelyn promptly raised herself into a sitting position, in the process causing intense pain in the back of her head. Unaware of the origin of the soreness, she worried whether there was any blood, but found her hands bound behind her back. Evelyn's eyes darted around the room, trying to find something to unfetter herself with but was unsuccessful.

Attempting to lift herself onto her legs, Evelyn struggled against the wall behind her. Her elbows and back scraped against its rough texture. If she wasn't bleeding before, then she certainly was now. Almost in a standing position, Evelyn listened intently to assure herself that there was no one on the other side of the doors in front of her. She heard nothing but her shallow breaths and the beads of her dress tearing against the wall. Just when she told herself that she had a slight chance of escaping, the doors burst open to reveal the man who was responsible for her current situation.

Evelyn stood motionless, leaning her weight against the wall and watching as the man who called himself the Joker sauntered towards her. But this wasn't the person she had encountered earlier; this man – if one could call him so – was much different. His hair was messier than usual, curls of blond-green hair protruding from random directions, while his makeup had been muddled by the rain, revealing trails of his true skin color. This was the first time Evelyn had seen him without his signature purple coat, instead he wore a blue shirt under a vest. This Joker was frenzied, as if he was unsure of what he was doing; but this chaotic version frightened her more than ever, because it reflected his unpredictable nature. Her breaths quickened the closer he got to her, and it completely stopped when she saw him pull out his much loved knife.

Evelyn suddenly found the violent surface of the wall more appealing as she pushed her back into it, trying to distance herself from the Joker. But her attempts were in vain, because he simply walked forward until they were merely two inches apart. He looked down at her, as he stood a good six inches taller. Evelyn felt air hit her face every time he exhaled and heard their breathing patterns become synchronous.

She averted her gaze to look around the room, trying to find anything more interesting than the eyes that bore into her and the scars that smiled at her. She expected him to say something or force her to face him, but he didn't do either. The silence became awkward as she continued to avoid him, but he continued to study her as if she was an experimental subject. Finally she turned her face away, but he followed by tilting his head to face her. Frustrated by the staring game, Evelyn wanted to say something but feared that her voice would break his trance and push him into killing her.

"You know," the Joker finally spoke as he pointed the tip of his knife in her face, "you haven't changed at all…"

Confused by his comment, Evelyn finally turned to face him. She wanted to ask, to know what he was talking about, but suddenly lost the courage to use her voice when she felt the tip of his knife poke her left cheek. Their breaths were not in sync once Evelyn's came to a halt and all that became audible were his breaths and his voice.

"Not. One. Bit." He finished in his deep voice, stressing the 't' at the end. Now his knife was tracing her cheek bone, then her jaw before it paused at the corner of her lips.

Evelyn was shaking inside, but tried not to show her fear. She wanted to scream, but was afraid he'd cut her cheeks to mirror his scars. She wanted to speak, to cry, to run; but he moved forward, closing the minor gap that existed between them. She expected something drastic to occur, expected to hear herself scream at the top of her lungs, but neither happened. He continued to stare and she stayed silent. It was as if he was either memorizing or comparing what he remembered to what he saw before him. Suddenly, he removed the knife from her face and stepped back.

"I have to say," the Joker's voice suddenly became very excited, "you're impressive. Very, very impressive…wanna know why?"

When Evelyn didn't respond in any way shape or form, he continued, "You haven't said more than three words since I found you. Usually people are too busy screaming to say anything coherent."

Evelyn pondered his choice of words: found you….

Seeing her bemused expression, the Joker spoke once more, "Don't get me wrong – I like it better this way…much better. It makes the screaming that comes later much more worthwhile."

Evelyn stiffened at his words, now wondering when and how he'd kill her. Would he take his time, use his knife, admire his artwork and her screams? Or would he make it quick to avoid wasting time?

"Are you…afraid of me?" the Joker's voice went deep again, interrupting her thoughts.

Evelyn looked in his eyes, confused by his inquiry. Was this a rhetorical question? Of course she was afraid of him!

"Well?" He asked expectantly.

"No." Evelyn didn't know what prompted her to lie, but she worried that the tremble in her voice contradicted her answer.

The curiosity didn't extinguish in his eyes, instead it was fueled by her defiance. He suddenly grasped her arm with his free hand and turned her to face the wall. She gasped when she felt the cold metal come into contact with her wrists. Her heart raced faster hoping that her death would be quick and painless, but she knew it would not be so. The Joker was known for torturing his victims to hear their screams of agony and take pride in hearing them beg. Her eyes began to sting when she felt him begin to move his hands back and forth in a cutting motion. Anticipating sudden pain, Evelyn was perplexed to feel her hands free of its binding. The Joker roughly turned her to face him once more, as she brought her hands up in front of her to examine what she thought to be true.

He released me. But why…maybe he's letting me go.

"Uh-uh, don't," he said, waving his knife in front of her face, "don't get any interesting ideas. I would hate to have to kill you before you served your full potential."

"Why am I here?" Evelyn didn't recognize the voice that emerged from her throat; it was bold but hushed.

He stared at her for a moment, before bursting out in maniacal laughter and leaving Evelyn bewildered. The hyena-like cackle was deafening to her ears, but she watched as he hunched when the amusement became unbearable.

After a good minute, the Joker finally stood up straight while he attempted to regain his breathing pattern. He looked at her with a sly smile but his eyes held a deadly stare, "Did you already forget, Evey?"

Evelyn stared at him.

"You owe me."

Rachel walked towards her apartment building, with Harvey not too far behind.

"Are you sure you don't want to come over to my place?" Harvey asked as he caught up to her pace.

"I would," Rachel turned around, "but I really need to make sure Evelyn's alright."

Harvey nodded but couldn't hide his disappointment, "Okay, that's fine. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yea," she nodded in response, "Tomorrow."

Harvey leaned in to kiss her goodnight, but it was more than a peck on the lips. It was as if Harvey was releasing all of the emotions that had built up from the night's events into the kiss: The passion, the love, the gentleness but most of all the jealousy. Harvey hated to admit it to anyone, but sometimes he couldn't tolerate the interaction between Rachel and Bruce. It was as if they knew something he didn't – something that made him feel uneasy and insecure.

Rachel had always told him that honesty was the foundation of their relationship and without it there could be nothing meaningful. He had never hidden anything from her and neither had she, as far as he knew. Harvey didn't doubt her fidelity, but he wanted to know about her and Bruce: their past and their relationship. He loved Rachel more than anything; she was all he had and he couldn't – wouldn't lose her, especially not to the playboy of Gotham.

The kiss became quite rough as he placed his hand behind her neck to pull her towards him. She attempted to reciprocate the fervor of the kiss, but fell behind once he pushed her up against the brick wall. Luckily the night guard, Cliff, was standing inside the lobby and was not witness to their act. Just before the kiss progressed into something that would be considered lewd by the law, Harvey pulled away.

"I'm sorry," Harvey said, catching his breath, "I didn't mean—

"Don't apologize," Rachel attempted to keep the closeness between them, "that was the most intense kiss we've ever had. Believe me, there's no need to be sorry."

Harvey chuckled at her reaction but looked ashamed nonetheless, "I should really go."

Rachel was seriously reconsidering his offer to spend the night, but her friendship pulled her away, "Okay, bye."

Rachel watched him drive away in his car before she entered her building. On her way to her room, all she could hope was that Evelyn was not angry with her, but knew that she had every right to be. Rachel felt horrible for being so secretive, but knew that she had no other way. If she had told Evelyn everything she knew, Evelyn would not only feel like she had been spied upon but also unsafe. There was no way that Evelyn would be able to live everyday without feeling paranoid. But tonight, Rachel would have to tell her truth – tell Evelyn everything – and at this thought, she felt relieved.

Rachel remembered everything that had gone wrong since that unfortunate night she almost died. She remembered doubting Evelyn's loyalty, remembered the way she had treated her after that night and she regretted it. But she had been angry at her friend—her best friend; and the anger was justified. Rachel hated that she had found out everything from past police records and not directly from Evelyn. Evelyn hadn't trusted her enough to tell her everything and that hurt her. Eventually, Rachel had realized that there was a reason why Evelyn hadn't been able to discuss it, not even with her. After what Evelyn had been through, Rachel supposed the trauma would have affected any victim similarly.

Once Rachel was inside her apartment, she went directly towards Evelyn's bedroom door. She needed to talk about this tonight and now, before the situation was exacerbated by non-communication.

Knock. Knock.

Rachel waited for Evelyn to open the door, but nothing transpired.

Knock! Knock!

She repeated the action, this time loud enough to wake her up. But again, nothing happened. Rachel turned the door knob and entered her dark room quietly, hoping not to frighten Evelyn. Not being able to see well, Rachel switched on the lights and found nothing but an empty bed and sheets intertwined on the floor.

"Owe you? What do you mean I owe you?"

"Tsk. Tsk." The Joker shook his head, "How ungrateful of you Evey. After everything that happened...and you forget."

Evelyn was tired of the riddles; she wanted a direct answer, "What did I forget exactly?"

The Joker titled his head to the side, as if contemplating whether to reveal their apparent connection, "Uh…no."

"No?"

He began to walk away, "It's just too amusing to watch you struggle for the answer."

Is he leaving? Is he going to leave me locked in this room alone?

"Wait!" Evelyn didn't realize it was she who had shouted.

Apparently he was stunned by her request, turning around very slowly and raising his eyebrows as he waited for her to continue.

"I-I…remember," Evelyn stuttered, "What you did for me. Why I owe you."

The Joker once again stalked towards, but with more confidence than before and much more curiosity. His knife was gripped in his right hand, which stayed stiff by his side.

Evelyn wondered why she lied: was it to keep him there?

To get answers?

Or so that he wouldn't leave her to rot in the empty room?

She involuntarily shivered as his gaze traveled up and down her body.

He placed his hands behind his back and stood in front her, like a schoolboy, "Go on…."

"I owe you….I'll do anything to repay you." Evelyn stated confidently.

"Anything?" The Joker asked playfully.

Well not anything…

"ANSWER ME!" He yelled when she didn't reply.

Evelyn jumped at the tone of his voice, tears starting to form and stinging her eyes, "Yes."

The Joker giggled as he stepped towards her, "Oh, did I hurt your feelings, Evey? I'm sorry," he said mockingly while he repressed a laugh.

Evelyn hated him.

His empty hand lifted to stroke her cheek before gripping her face, "You see, I'm not a patient man. No…no, I'm not. So when I ask a question – I expect a prompt reply. Alright?"

He nodded her head for her, pretending she was doing the action by her own accord. "So what are you willing to do for me, E-V?"

Evelyn hadn't realized how shallow her breaths became when his hand traveled down to her neck, "Whatever you have me here for…I'm willing to do."

"And what makes you think I want you here to do anything, except be an entertaining victim of my knife?" He asked as gazed at the features of her face.

"You could've killed me by now if you wanted. You always have a plan," Evelyn's self-assured tone belied her trembling fingers, "and I'm willing to work for you."

She was careful with the words she chose: "work" instead of "help"; "for" instead of "with."

"HAHAHAHAHA…." The Joker began laughing.

Expecting him to agree to her offer, she was surprised to hear him laughing at her once again. Was she really that amusing to him? His vociferous laugh drowned her groan of annoyance. His head dipped as he continued, getting louder with every passing moment.

The grip on her neck was barely noticeable and the thought of escaping crossed her mind. Her plan to distract him had worked. He was quite inattentive at the moment, and this was her chance. Evelyn couldn't risk waiting for another opportunity to escape, because every second she spent longer with this madman, she got closer to her death. What if this was her only chance to make a getaway – she couldn't let it go.

In a sudden rush of adrenaline, Evelyn pushed his hand away and ran towards the door. Her focus was so intent on escaping that she hadn't noticed the laughter subside. The door was so close, her trembling hands reached out to the knob. As soon as the tip of her fingers felt the metal, her hands clasped around it, turned it with full force and pulled the door with all of her strength.

Seeing the emptiness of the hallway removed the thought of Joker's henchmen obstructing Evelyn's escape. She ran even faster, ignoring the ache caused by the heels of her shoes. Upon seeing the end of the hallway getting closer, she dared to glance behind her, expecting to see the Joker gaining on her, instead she saw the other end of an empty hallway. Her subconscious knew something was wrong; her escape should not have been that easy.

Reaching the end of the hallway, Evelyn had to choose one of two ways: to her left was complete darkness and to her right shone a bright light. Instinctively she ran to her right, towards the light. Suddenly, thoughts of the Joker playing a trick on her emerged:

What if that really isn't sunlight?

What if it's just a room with bright lights set up to attract me?

What if that is the room in which he would finally kill me?

At these thoughts, Evelyn slowed her pace, half wondering whether she should turn around and run towards the darkness. Almost to a stop, Evelyn was close enough to inspect the source of light from the edge of the wall. She peered around the corner and relief washed over her. It was a door, an exit out of this nightmare. Evelyn ran even faster, pulling up her dress to keep it from tripping. Her arm reached out, prepared to push the door open once she reached it. It seemed unbelievable that she had escaped so easily, but she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind similar to way she pushed opened the doors and ran into the sunlight….

Rachel and Batman stood in the living room of her apartment.

"I should have told her everything when I had the chance," Rachel stated remorsefully.

"You did what you thought was right. There's no point in regretting anything now."

Rachel looked up to face the masked man who stood gravely near the windows. Her face was reddened by the fierce wiping of her tears.

"Everything I told you—

"I remember." Batman cut her off.

"So you know who might have taken her?"

"Who else?" He asked rhetorically.

Rachel wiped her face, "How are you going to find her?"

This time Batman didn't reply. He simply looked at the card Rachel had handed him in the coffee shop earlier that day: The Joker card.

"Do you have any idea where he could be?" Rachel asked again.

He had no answer; the Joker was unpredictable. He never had one permanent location; he always changed right before getting caught.

"He didn't put this card in the same location as the note…" Batman finally spoke.

Rachel watched him as he speculated.

"This card," he held it up to her, "was meant for you to find. And the note—where is it?"

Rachel pulled it out of a drawer and handed it to him.

"This note, whatever it means, was meant for Evelyn to find." Batman pondered.

"Why would he give this to her?" Rachel responded with broken thoughts, "What does he want with her? I thought it was his henchman...the Joker had nothing to do with what happened."

Batman suddenly looked up, "How long ago did you say this happened?"

"A few years ago before she started working for yo—for Wayne Enterprise."

"And the report stated three men."

"One of whom was found dead at the scene." Rachel added.

"How?"

"Stab wounds…."

A sudden realization dawned on both of them.

"Should I call Gordon?" Rachel asked anxiously.

"I'll talk to him," he stated before he made his way through the window.

Rachel rushed over and watched him fly into the dark night.

All Evelyn saw before her was vast solitude.

"Satisfied?"

Evelyn turned towards the familiar voice behind her to see the Joker sitting carelessly on the grass, plucking out a blade and examining its structure before letting it fall to the ground. She looked at the surrounding area of the building from which she had exited, and saw a lake behind the rundown structure. But the rest of the land was nothing but spots of grassland mixed with dirt and pebbles.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"Now, now," the Joker said patronizingly as he stood from his position, "if I told you that, this wouldn't be as much fun, would it?"

Evelyn shook her head in aggravation, "No...no! I'm tired of these games; these arbitrary references. You're going to tell me everything. Right now!"

Within a second's time, the Joker was at her throat with a grip tight enough to suffocate her.

"DON'T tell me what to do."

Her eyes began to water uncontrollably.

"You should be glad you're here – in isolation."

His grip was getting tighter. Her airway was blocked.

"Circumstances could easily be changed."

But his grip suddenly loosened. She could breathe again.

"You," he chuckled, "You could be somewhere else…entirely."

She inhaled.

"A place where worst things could happen, where I wouldn't be your worst fear."

She watched and listened intently as his voice fluctuated from deep to high to deep again.

"And this time…I wouldn't stop it from happening."

Her eyes widened in recognition. She remembered.

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Author's Note: This chapter was a little bit harder to write, since I was attempting to do justice to the Joker's character.

Sorry for any grammar mistakes – I accidentally overlook them when I'm proofreading for the millionth time.

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