CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Negotiations

She placed the gun on the table and nodded at him. "Two bullets."

His tongue ran lovingly over his scarred lips. "Mm-hm. And do you know why there's two?"

"I've got a pretty good idea, yeah."

"You know me a little too well, dontcha? Better than anyone else." He clapped his hands together, the cheerful gesture at odds with his devious expression. "So you must be pretty worried right about now. Am I right?"

"The rules," she reminded him, noting the annoyance that flashed across his features.

"The rules," he repeated thoughtfully. "Is that all you care about? You always were so eager to play. So im-patient." His eyes glowed with their own hellish eagerness.

"Stop drawing it out."

Because I need to know what I'm up against here. I need to know if I can get out of here alive.

"But even with all your ah zeal you've always worried about the rules. Why, you could make up your own right now and I wouldn't stop you. In fact I'd be impressed."

"Start telling me before I pick that gun up again," she warned. "Or we can just sit here forever. Doesn't make any difference to me."

That was a lie. She wanted out of the room so badly a part of herself wanted to leap up and bash herself against the walls in a blind panic. Of course that would be the worse thing she could do and so she merely sat there.

Control. You can control this. And him.

"The keys to this room are in my pocket," he said casually. "So are the keys to your car. It's waiting outside." He looked at the gun pointedly. "All you have to do is show me what you got."

Understanding washed over her and she gaped at him. "You want me to......."

"I sent my guys away," he added. "There's no one to stop you."

"I'm....I'm not going to do that," she breathed, scarcely able to believe he was serious. But he was. She knew it.

"Why not? You hate me. Think I'm a freak. Want away from me. So take the gun and shoot me. Solve all your problems in one fell swoop." He smiled as he said it, his tone gleeful.

"As much as you'd like that I won't do it."

"Then maybe I'll shoot you. Does that sound like a winner? And then myself of course. Wonder what Gordon would think about that? Think he'd feel guilty for second guessing you?"

"Stop it." Her hands were shaking and she twisted them in her lap in a futile attempt to still them. "Why are you doing this? I haven't done anything wrong. Why are you....punishing me?"

"Punishing you? Look, I'll be straight with you Sam....I'd rather you not leave. Okay? I mean....what will I do without you? Who will I swap stories with?" His voice softened. "Did you know you're the only person I can trust? Hm?"

"There's no going back for me. You've got to understand that. Not after Glen and now that you've started back up with....what you do." She shook her head. "Don't get me wrong...as sick as it is I don't really want to but I'll end up in a bad place if I go with you."

She wanted to tell him about the dream she'd had in the ambulance but didn't. To tell him would be to expose just how weak he made her, give him more leverage against her.

And it would turn out that way if you stayed around. He will die or get locked up and if you don't cut him loose you will self-destruct. Don't you think you deserve a little better than dying in an alleyway with a needle in your arm?

He stood up and circled around the table in her direction. She eyed the gun as he moved nearer but didn't move. He came to a stop behind her. For a moment the room was silent.

"You don't wanna kill me, I don't wanna kill you. I don't want to let you go. You want to go. So now what?"

She stared ahead and shrugged. "Just let me leave Jack. If you feel anything at all for me you'll do that. You know I'll never talk, I'll never say anything about you."

"Oh I know. You're a stand up girl. I'm not worried about that."

He knelt down behind her, so close she could feel his breath on her hair. "Maybe we can work something out. Hm?"

She shut her eyes, dread and excitement building inside of her. "Like?"

He pushed her hair away from the back of her neck. "Nothing too big. If you do them, if you promise to do them, I'll let you out of here without a, um, without a fuss. First of all, I'm gonna give you a message to pass along to the Bat. You saw him at Arkham, right? I'll tell you what it is.....later."

"What's the rest?" She asked, hesitant to agree to anything with him.

"Stay here with me for a little while longer," his mouth was inches from her ear and having him so close was almost painful. "I won't hurt you. It's been a long night and I'm tired. And when you leave I won't bother you but I will find you again."

She stiffened. "What the hell Jack, how can I........"

"Shh shh shh. Listen to me. No matter what you do, no matter where you go I'll always find you. You know that don't you Sam? I'll just want to drop in, check up on you. Say hi." His tone roughened. "For all these years I've kept an eye on you, what makes you think I'm going to stop now?"

"You can't interfere with my life."

"I won't."

One of his hands snaked around to stroke her neck. She spared a glance at the blood-stiffened leather against her skin and tore her eyes away.

It feels good doesn't it?

"You can't just show up and destroy things. And don't try to make me come back." She couldn't believe she was agreeing to it. She'd basically just said yes to a very long leash, nothing more.

"Fine. And anyway you know we're not done. Not ever. I don't think you want to be away from me either, not really." His voice was smooth poison in her ear.

"Does it even matter?"

"Yeah. It does." His hand went up to her cheek, back down to her neck, then lower. "You'll get what you want Sam. Your freedom, your car. I'll send some money your way to help you out if you want."

"Money? I wouldn't feel like I've earned it."

His breathing quickened as he touched her. "Oh you'll feel like you've earned it. Trust me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He straightened up, taking his hands off her. "You'll see. One day. Now come sit next to me."

She turned her head, watching as he plopped down on the floor. Saying no would have been the smartest thing to do but instead she sat down next to him, keeping distance between their bodies. Jack stared at her, an odd half-smile on his face.

A smile of triumph probably. You went from fighting him to sitting next to him on a filthy floor in a locked room. He must be pleased with himself. Always ends up like this doesn't it? You get pissed and damn near want to kill him, then you forgive him in about ten minutes flat. No wonder you two are so intertwined, you both run so hot and cold. Nobody else would put up with either of you for any length of time.

"You know Sam.....I'm sorry about what happened."

She looked at him in shock. Jack apologizing?

"Okay," she muttered. "Well I didn't mean what I said. I don't hate you. Far from it. And I'm sorry I called you....that word. I'm upset, you know?"

He sighed and stretched languorously. "What I said to you in the woods.....I meant it."

She lifted an eyebrow in surprise. Unsure of how to respond she said the first thing that came to mind. "Uh Jack, if you're angling for a blow job there's easier ways. Really, you don't have to sweet-talk me. Just come out and ask."

It was his turn to look surprised. "What?"

She smiled. "Nevermind."

----------------------------------------------------

Gordon clutched his phone so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"Are you sure it's him?"

"Yeah. He was half in the road leading to Arkham. Nearly got run over. We checked his ID. It's Dominic all right. Damn lucky to be alive. He was able to talk a little but he was in and out. Lifestar got him out of there. Look Gordon, you need to know what he said."

Gordon shut his eyes in dread. "What did he say?"

"Something about Dr. Peloni shooting him and.....and the Joker was waiting on them. He said he was sorry, Sam tried to warn him but it was too late. Sam and Dr. Peloni are both MIA."

"What's the situation at Arkham?"

"Insane. We can't tell the inmates from the doctors, people are roaming around everywhere acting crazy. It's like Dante's Inferno in there. The anonymous caller said they were given angel dust and I believe it. I've seen the effects and the way these people are acting matches it perfectly."

"Wonder how that got into Arkham?" Gordon said sarcastically.

"Catering truck brought Halloween cupcakes. A lot of people ate them. We think that's where it came from."

"Be on the lookout for anyone escaping. I can't afford Arkham patients running loose."

"Sure thing Gordon."

"Goodbye Lieutenant."

He hung up and stared out at the chaos outside Blackgate. Many of the prisoners had been recaptured thanks to Batman, but some were still missing.

Wayne Tower. Blackgate Prison. Arkham Asylum. Gotham Light and Power Building. All in one night. He'd had to call in the National Guards and cops from other cities and counties to help out.

And then there were the smaller disasters. A missing SWAT van. Before the blackout electronic road signs had been tampered with and were flashing messages such as 'CAUTION: BATS AHEAD' 'WARNING: FEAR TOXIN CLOUD IN DOWNTOWN GOTHAM. PLEASE EVACUATE NOW' 'BEST HAHAHALLOWEEN EVER' and 'CLOWNS ATTACK GOTHAM: MAYOR ADVISES CITIZENS TO PANIC AND FLEE'. The signs had already caused several accidents on the interstate.

And now his nephew. He'd have to tell his sister what happened and why he'd given her only son so dangerous an assignment.

No word from the Joker in a few hours. Gordon was sure he would resurface soon, gloating over the mayhem he'd stirred up and taunting the Batman. The man loved attention.

"Damn," Gordon muttered under his breath. He felt old and alone.