Look who actually got something done! So sorry for not posting the next chapter is such a long time... Just kinda lost my muse for the story. Anyways, I hope this turned out well, and everyone likes it. Enjoy!

Hugs and hand grenades,

~ King Noodle

She was here. She was standing above him, and she was finally with him again. The sight of her calmed the rapid beating of his heart, happy to be with her once more. He climbed back off of the floor, and she smiled sweetly, opening her arms to him. He more than happily returned the smile and started walking towards her, but she always seemed to stay just out of his reach.

"Wait!" he cried, when he realized that no matter how hard he tried or how fast he ran, she was always inches away. He just couldn't close the distance between them. His feet felt like they had been replaced with lead, like he was running through quicksand and was slowly sinking. "Please, stay here! Don't leave me!"

But it was no use, he couldn't catch up to her. So he fell to his knees, watching as the sight of her disappeared before him, the happy feeling that had been ignited inside of his chest suddenly snuffed out.

"Please don't go," he mumbled, desperately wishing for her to return.

She'd been so close, so close, and he let her slip away. He should've tried harder; if only he had, she'd still be here with him! He would've caught her and everything would've been alright. Idiot, idiot, idiot. Now look at what you've done! How do expect her to want you now, you complete fuck-up!

"AGH!" he screamed, pounding his fists against the floor, trying to take out all of his frustrations on the unyielding ground. The pain barely registered as he continued his assault, his voice beginning to grow hoarse from his constant screaming.

"What do you think you're doing, baby boy?" came her voice through his agony.

His head snapped up at the sound, finding her resting on the arm of his couch, one leg crossed over the other. She looked down at him curiously, her head cocked to the side. Then she stood from her spot, taking a few long strides over to him on the floor, bending down.

Grasping his chin in her head, she stared at him before frowning. "You pathetic piece of garbage, how do you expect me to want you if you can't even keep up with me? I need someone who can keep up with me, and you certainly cannot."

"But I was trying, I was trying so hard, and I just couldn't get to you-"

"I don't accept excuses," she hissed, letting go of his chin and pushing away from him like he made her sick.

"No, please!" he pleaded before the sounds of breaking glass cut him off.

Both of them turned towards the window, finding a man in dark armor standing in a circle of shattered glass. She smiled, standing up to her full height at the sight of him. Sauntering over to the mysterious man, she dragged a hand down the side of his face, chuckling.

"Oh, Batsy, how nice of you to drop by," she purred.

"I'm not here for pleasantries, Joker," Batman grunted, grabbing her by the hair and punching her directly in the nose. Her hands flew up to her face, blooding already spilling over her pearly white skin.

"What are you doing?" he cried, trying to stand back up but it was like he was cemented to the floor. So he was forced to watch this monster of a man brutalize the woman he loved. "Stop it!"

Her laughter filled his ears as Batman continued to beat her senseless, hardly even bothering to fight back. He watched as blow after blow landed, blood splattering everywhere. He suddenly felt something wet on his own face, realizing that he was crying.

"Stop doing this, she did nothing wrong! Just stop!" he cried out again, but his words fell onto deaf ears. Batman wasn't slowing down anytime soon, and it looked like she was beginning to realize this too.

"Alright, Batsy, isn't that enough?" she managed through his punches, "You're going to kill-"

"That's the whole point, Joker," the masked vigilante interrupted, wrapping his hands around her narrow throat and squeezing.

Finally attempting to retaliate, she reached forward and tried clawing at his eyes, but they did nothing to stop him. With inhuman strength, he crushed her larynx as she let out her last few dying laughs.

Watching as her lifeless body fell to the floor, a burning rage kindled inside of him. Another scream ripped from his chest, lifting himself from the floor and flinging himself at Batman, who easily dodged his clumsy attack.

"You thought you could change her? Make her better?" the other man grunted, deflecting his poorly thrown punches without breaking a sweat. "She can't love anyone but herself. I saved you."

"You didn't save me, you-"

And then the Batman was laughing, actually laughing at him. It seemed wrong for something so happy to be coming out of something that looked so dark, so enraging. He went to throw another punch, but his hand just hit air. Batman was gone.

Looking around his apartment frantically, he found she had disappeared as well. She was no longer lying face down on the floor where that monster had dropped her so unceremoniously. Falling to the floor again, he raked his fingers through his hair, tugging hard.

What was happening to him? What was happening to him? What was happening to him?

Rolling onto his side, he pulled his knees to his chest. He slowly felt the tension melting out of his shoulder. Closing his eyes, he hugged his knees closer to him. This was all a dream, this isn't real. You were just stupid and dropped the canister.

When he opened his eyes again, he didn't know how long he had been lying there. His body ached like it never had before. Looking around, he found his apartment in complete disarray, things thrown everywhere.

Groaning, he lifted himself from the floor, running a hand through his hair which felt wet. Pulling his hand away, he found it covered it blood. "What the hell…"

"About time you woke back up," someone muttered angrily from behind him.

Whipping around, he saw her sitting on his couch, looking perfectly alive and irritated. He let out a sigh of relief before realizing that she still might be a hallucination. So he began looking around his apartment again, praying that the Batman wouldn't come back to finish what he started.

"What do you think you are doing, baby boy?" she asked, repeating herself from the beginning of this nightmare.

"Can't have him come back, can't let him hurt you," he muttered more to himself, pacing around his apartment now, checking everywhere in case Batman might be lurking somewhere in the shadows.

"Can't have who come back and hurt me, Charlie?" she asked as she stood from the couch, genuinely curious. And then she noticed the empty canister on the floor. "Oh, you clumsy little-"

"Shush! We can't let him find you!" he whispered too loudly, peeking around the curtain to look outside to make sure he wasn't waiting just outside the window.

"Whoever he is, they're not real!" she cried, pulling him back from the window. "I'm not some delusion, you clumsy idiot!"

Staring at her with wide eyes, he finally understood. This wasn't his nightmare anymore. She was actually here.