(Joker: "On the first day of Christmas, a psycho gave to me-!"
My Purple Skies: "Would you shut up already?"
Joker: "Hmm; let me think about thissss. Uh, hm, No! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
My Purple Skies: "Don't make me get the duct tape!"
Joker: "You wouldn't have the guts."
My Purple Skies: "Grr!")
[So, I got a lot of feedback from the last chapter. *Yea!* Quite a few people begged for a trilogy to this series and I'm glad to tell you that there is already a third story in the works. I'm having a bit more difficulty writing the third book, but it's a working progress. I'm happy that so many of you are enjoying this story so far and have wanted it to continue!]
[Listen to 'Sway' by Michael Buble for the first part of this chapter. As soon as that song ends, listen to 'Sooner or Later' by Madonna. Just imagine that song being sung by a man and replace that lyrics "I'll get my man" with "I'll get my woman" and it's nearly a perfect song for the Joker and Samantha.]
Chapter Twenty- One
Tommy looked a little jittery as he led Alice to a less occupied area of the building where there were small private party rooms. It was making Alice nervous, considering Tommy's finger was on the trigger of the gun that was currently aimed at her back. "I know I'm in no position to ask, but could you please calm down?" Alice asked anxiously.
"Sorry," Tommy apologized.
…
The band began to play an all too familiar tune, causing Samantha's stomach to tie itself into knots. The Joker grinned from ear to ear when the words to 'Sway' were heard. He turned to face Samantha, his smile's meaning far too obvious to be mistaken for anything else.
"No," Samantha said quickly.
"Aw, come on, Esmeralda," he begged playfully, taking her by both hands and backing up towards the dance floor.
Samantha tried to step away, but he pulled harder and she bumped into his chest. "Esmeraldaaaa," the Joker sing-songed. He pinned her against his chest and continued to stare down at her, grinning. Samantha couldn't believe what she was seeing. The Joker's attitude had suddenly morphed into Allan Jordan. "Come on; it is our song after all."
Samantha stared at him in confusion, studying his face and eyes. "I cannot understand you," she said.
The Joker flashed her a charming grin and placed a hand on Samantha's hip and lifted her hand in a dance position. "And you nor anyone else ever will," he said in a low voice.
…
Bruce Wayne walked into The Glitz with dark-eyed Bella at his arm. Bella had told him she'd be dressed in a golden flapper dress, a headband with a single golden feather and long strings of faux pearls wrapped around her neck; the very picture of a rich flapper girl in the 1920s. To match, he'd chosen to come in a gold pinstriped suit and gold tie. He wore his rich, playboy smile and looked down at his gorgeous date to find she was thoroughly enjoying the sights and music.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked.
Bella nodded eagerly. "Si, Signore Wayne!"
They danced together to the song 'Sway' and Bruce quickly discovered that dancing was not one of Bella's talents. He was about to make the excuse of being thirsty when his attention was caught by another couple dancing. To be more specific, he was focused more on the woman's face. She looked like Samantha Reads! Bruce maneuvered himself and his date to dance closer to the couple. He tried to sneak some inconspicuous glances at the woman, but Bella noticed his attention was wondering.
"Signore Wayne? Something wrong?"
Bruce tore his gaze away and cleared his throat. "Oh, no. It's nothing." But he kept glancing when Bella wasn't looking. The man and woman weren't bad at dancing. The man was definitely good and guided the woman almost a bit possessively. Bruce almost didn't see that the woman wasn't smiling. He found that odd knowing that dozens of women would have gladly traded places with her to have a better dancing partner.
Due to Bruce not focusing on where he was dancing, he bumped into another couple and looked away to apologize to them. He lost sight of the two among the other dancers. Bruce twirled Bella so she wouldn't see him anxiously searching the crowd. He soon spotted them and stopped spinning Bella.
….
The Joker pressed Samantha against him and then twirled her around. He wasn't a fancy dancer or anything; he just knew how to dance well enough to blend in with the crowd. He was a natural blender.
"Other dancers may be on the floor,
Dear, but my eyes will see only you,
Only you have that magic technique,
When we sway I go weak;
I can hear the sound of violins long before it begins,
Make me thrill as only you know how;
Sway me smooth, sway me now…"
Samantha's lack of protests had surprised him. Not that he was complaining. He squeezed Samantha's hip and she narrowed her eyes at him. He chuckled and spun her around once, twice, and stopped Samantha so her back was pressed against his chest. Samantha's arms ended up being crossed over her front and the Joker's long limbs had wrapped around her while his hands cupped her elbows. "Having fun?" he whispered in her ear, slightly swaying the both of them from side to side.
"I would enjoy this better if I was dancing with Edward," she hissed. The Joker tensed behind her and Samantha could have sworn she heard him growl.
"Still attached to Eddie, huh?" he grunted. He twirled her around to face him again. "Eddie's forgotten about you, honey. He's probably decided that you're not worth his time."
Samantha's voice trembled as she fought to keep her anger under control. "Don't say that."
"Why? You know I'm right." The Joker poked Samantha in the chest where her heart was located. "Deep down in there, you know I'm right. Just stop kidding yourself, Samantha. You're. Married. To. Me. It's time that you accepted that."
….
Bruce felt Bella slap his arm. "So you arah lookin' atah that woman, huh?" she asked angrily. "You suppose to beah lookin' atah me!"
Bruce tried to apologize. "She looks like someone I haven't seen in a while."
Bella shook her head in disbelief. Her Italian accent became thicker with each word. She stormed off, muttering something in her native language. Only the phrase 'American Playboy' was heard by Bruce. He did feel kinda bad, Bella was really a nice girl, but Bruce was bothered by how similar the woman looked to Samantha. The bad thing was that she was never still long enough for hm to get a good look at her face.
….
The song 'Sway' was dwindling to an end and a much slower song blended itself from the ending into its own melody. Dancers held each other closer and slowed to match the tempo.
"Sooner or later you're gonna be mine,
Sooner or later you're gonna be fine.
Baby, it's time that you face it,
I always get my woman."
Samantha was pressed against the Joker's thin body, held there by his arms. "Juuust relaaax, Samantha," he murmured in a sing-song voice. He lay his chin on top of her head and let his eyes scan the room. Not all of the guests were there yet, so the Joker continued to dance with Samantha. He absent-mindedly stroked Samantha's hand with his thumb. Her skin was sooo…soft…
"Sooner or later you're gonna decide,
Sooner or later there's nowhere to hide.
Baby, it's time, so why waste it in chatter?
Let's settle the matter.
Baby, you're mine on a platter,
I always get my woman."
Samantha was struggling to keep her breathing even; she didn't want the Joker to make a remark about how she was breathing a bit heavily. But with every lyric Samantha heard, the more shocking it became at how similar the song was to her and the Joker. The Joker gave a quiet moan and pulled Samantha closer against him. She tried to put an inch of space between them, but he wasn't going to allow her that.
"But if you insist, babe, the challenge delights me.
The more you resist, babe, the more it excites me.
And no one I've kissed, babe, ever fights me again.
If you're on my list, it's just a question of when.
When I get a yen, then baby, Amen.
I'm counting to ten, and then ..."
…
Bruce was distracted by a tap on his shoulder. He looked at the hand and followed the arm to see who it was connected to. Bruce smiled uneasily when he realized it was the new district attorney, Janet Van Dorn. "Miss Van Dorn; great to see you."
"It's good to see you too. I never got the chance to thank you for the fundraiser you gave me a while back."
"Happy to have helped." Bruce stole another glance at the woman to find she and her partner had disappeared again. Bruce groaned inwardly and brought his attention back to Van Dorn. It wasn't that he didn't like her; it was that Van Dorn was dead set against Batman and that was something that just gave Bruce a headache.
….
"I'm gonna love you like nothing you've known,
I'm gonna love you, and you all alone.
Sooner is better than later but lover,
I'll hover, I'll plan."
The Joker drew his head back to look Samantha in the face and saw the uneasy expression she wore. He grinned and lifted both her hands to be in between Samantha and the Joker while he held them. "Samantha,… smile for me…"
"This time I'm not only getting, I'm holding my woman."
The Joker tilted his head to the side and moved in for a kiss, but stopped when his eyes caught sight of someone behind Samantha. He continued to stare past Samantha as his mouth slowly curled into a sinister smile. "Our final guest has arrived." He chuckled and wet his lips. "Come on." The Joker grasped Samantha by the forearm and began to drag her out of the crowd of dancers.
Samantha craned her neck around to see what had grabbed the Joker's attention. The first thing she spotted was Bruce Wayne. Samantha's heart jumped. Had he seen her? Samantha nearly tripped and returned her attention to the front. "Where are we going?" she asked.
The Joker gestured towards his face. "I have to finish getting ready for the party. Seriously, Samantha, did you really expect me to go out in public without any make-up?" he giggled. If Samantha didn't know any better, she could have sworn she felt the corners of her mouth twitch.
The Joker twisted and weaved through the crowd until he came to the men's room. He poked his head inside. "Anyone here?" When there was no answer, the Joker pushed the door open and pulled Samantha in with him. He locked the door and brought a hand gun out from one of his inner pockets. He eyed the bathroom stalls. Since both of his hands were occupied, the Joker used his foot to shove the doors open, his gun ready. Once he was satisfied that all the stalls were empty, he turned to face the mirror and sink.
The Joker swung Samantha into the corner. He ran his tongue over his lips and grinned at her. "Don't move," he told her, snickering. The Joker reached into his pockets and dug out two small tubes of white and black paint. He also pulled out a tube of red lipstick.
The Joker set his gun down on the sink counter, keeping a watchful eye on Samantha, and removed his jacket. He took off his fedora and undid his necktie. As he worked on the first few buttons of his shirt, he saw Samantha visibly stiffen. The Joker chuckled at the look of alarm on her face. "Relax, sweetheart." He moved the shirt's collar away from his neck and grabbed the tube of white paint. "I'd choose a more romantic place for that. This doesn't exactly put anyone in the mood for love."
Samantha watched as he peeled off the putty that covered his gruesome scars and applied the familiar face paint. Even with the scars, he was still handsome. When did he get them? Was it soon after she and 'Allan' had parted ways; or had it been years later?
The Joker smeared a bloody smile across his mouth and over his scars. He turned his head to the left and right, examining his reflection, before turning to face Samantha. "How do I look?" he asked, extending his arms out and offering a cheesy grin.
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Yeah, sure; give it to me straight."
"You look like a three year old who got into his mommy's make-up box."
The Joker's grin widened as he put his fedora back onto his head. He shrugged on his jacket and buttoned his shirt. He started to hum a nondescript tune as he redid his necktie. "Well, for a uh, guy who never made it to beauty school, I think I did pretty well," he cackled. Samantha rolled her eyes.
…
The Riddler risked a glance out at the dance floor and his eyes gleamed when he saw the new district attorney had finally arrived. He ducked behind a marble pillar and pressed the button on his earpiece. "Now," he said urgently. As soon as his hirelings voiced their responses, he stepped away from his hiding place. The sounds of gunfire did not alarm him. He simply straightened his green tie and walked towards the sounds.
….
Just as the Joker finished with his tie, he and Samantha heard gunshots. Samantha's eyes widened and she turned to look at him. "Did you tell them to start?"
The Joker's mouth was open as he pushed his tongue against the inside of his right cheek. He blinked and closed his mouth. "That's why you don't plan, because things neeever turn out the way their supposed to." He picked up his gun and latched onto Samantha's arm. "Come on," he growled through his teeth. He unlocked the door and shoved it open with his shoulder.
….
Van Dorn did not know what had just happened. One second she was talking to Bruce Wayne, the next she heard guns being fired and Bruce was gone. She looked to the middle of the dance floor to see a tall, thin, man with a golden cane, red hair underneath a black bowler hat, and a black mask. He walked with his head held high and an arrogant smirk on his lips. The crowd parted as the man made his way to the center of the floor and stopped.
"Greetings to you all, citizens of Gotham," the man announced with his hands atop the golden cane, "I hope that I don't seem rude, but I, heh heh, I just couldn't help but crash your little party. I even invited a few friends of mine; they're scattered throughout the building to make sure no one leaves early and no one gets in. You see, there's someone here I've been wanting to meet."
Van Dorn felt someone bump into her shoulder. She glanced up to see Commissioner Gordon. "Commissioner…," she whispered.
"I have officers stationed everywhere. Only problem is, we were under the impression that we'dbe up against the Joker; not the Riddler," Gordon informed her in a low voice.
"Does it make a difference who's here?"
"Well, if the Joker's not here, then where is he?"
"Point taken."
The Riddler spotted Van Dorn and strolled towards her, swinging his cane. "Ah, Miss Van Dorn; there you are!" he took her by the hand. "At last we meet." He kissed her hand and let it fall back to her side. "I've just been dying to meet you! We have so much to discuss. In fact," the Riddler clamped his hand around the back of Van Dorn's neck, "I'm going to have to take you away from this party so we can talk." Commissioner Gordon stepped forward and felt the top of the Riddler's cane jab into his chest. It knocked the air out of him and he stumbled back. "I wouldn't try that if I were you, Mr. Commissioner. It could end very badly."
Gordon felt his fists shaking with rage. He had already lost one D.A. to an insane criminal, he wasn't about to let it happen again!
Suddenly, a single gunshot was heard from behind the Riddler. He cocked an eyebrow and turned to look. The Joker stood with his arm raised above his head, gun in hand. The clown grinned impishly. "Well, how else was I supposed to get your attention?" he giggled.
The Riddler smirked and rest his cane on his shoulder. "I knew you'd be here. You wouldn't be able to resist a set up like this."
The Joker whooped with laughter and leaned against a pillar to stay standing. "You knew I'd be here? Or did you cheat with that information like you did in grade school, huh, Eddie?" the Joker taunted. Edward's face turned beet red. How much of his information did the Joker have? A movement from the Joker's arm piqued his interest. It looked like the clown had just pushed something further behind the pillar so it wouldn't be seen by him. His curiosity was raised, but his anger at the Joker won over.
The Joker straightened up and strolled over, lazily handling his gun as he kept eye contact with Nigma. He opened his mouth as if to say something and paused. His painted face took on a puzzled expression as he gazed at the Riddler's suit. The Joker's face turned into a mix of a pout and amusement. "I was told that it was custom made," he playfully whined.
The Riddler cautiously glanced down at his own suit and then at the Joker's. Even though the ties, vests, stripes, and hat bands were different colors, there was no denying that they were of the same style. The Joker wagged a finger at Nigma. "Now, just because you want to be like me, doesn't mean you should dress up like me," he teased.
Edward felt his face flush and his fury grow. "How dare you?" he hissed.
The Joker had seemingly lost interest in Nigma and was now looking at Van Dorn. He shook the end of his gun at her like he would if it had been his knife. "Sooo, you're the new district attorney? Hm… well, I gotta say, you're a lot better looking than the last one. I can tell that we're going to have a lot of fun." He reached out to grasp Van Dorn by the chin but had his hand slapped away by Nigma. The Joker looked at Edward with an amused expression. "Are we in a bad mood, Eddie?"
"Where's Samantha?"
The Joker squinted his left eye at Nigma. "Do you really think I'm telling you that?"
"Where are your thugs?" Nigma snapped. His grip on Van Dorn's neck grew tighter.
"Why so quick to assume that I have hired help?" the Joker lifted his brows and hunched his shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. "Hm?"
"You, my hated clown, do not have the mental ability to pull off jobs on your own; which is why you have to hire thugs."
The Joker's face slightly twitched. "I hire thugs becauuussse-ah my ideas are on a grand scale. You're just jealous that you can't find anyone willing to work for you."
"I don't need thugs," the Riddler pointed to his head, "I have everything I need in here."
The Joker snorted. "And there lies your problem; there's nothing in there."
…
Samantha had her back pressed against the pillar as she listened to the two men. In a way, their argument sounded so childish that she was tempted to laugh. She didn't dare though. Samantha was waiting for the right moment to sneak off and go after Alice and Tommy, but the Joker kept sneaking glances in her direction to make sure she was still there. She needed him to be distracted by Edward.
…
Gordon nodded to Detective Yin. The signal set off a chain reaction of two dozen cops pulling out their guns and aiming at Nigma and the Joker. The Joker had a mildly surprised look on his face as he gazed at the cops. "Oh no!" he cried in a mocking voice. "The cops have us surrounded; what are we going to do? I guess it's back to Arkham for me! Seeing as how you'd be new in Arkham, Eddie, I could give you a tour of the place, maybe even be cellmates; wouldn't that be fun?" The Riddler groaned with disgust.
…
Samantha wanted to scream at the police, warn them that the Joker wasn't what they needed to worry about. The remote in his pocket was the thing to worry over. She had seen him slip it into his pocket just before they left the hideout. Couldn't Commissioner Gordon sense that something was off? Couldn't he see that the Joker was too calm?
…
The Joker sighed and ran his tongue over his lips. "Since the, uh, Commissionerrrrr decided to show off his boys, I think I should show off mine." He extended both arms out like he was about to conduct an orchestra. "Boooysss!"
Instantly the Joker's men were out of hiding, pulling off disguises and bringing their weapons into view. Some of the cops stiffened when they felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed against their backs. The few cops who were not covered by thugs, continued to aim at the Joker but their eyes shifted all around them. The Riddler smirked. "Looks like you're a few men short," he informed the Joker without looking at him. The Joker acted like this bit of news didn't faze him.
…
Samantha watched the Joker's free hand. He was itching to push the remote's button; she could tell by the way his fingers were constantly dancing, always moving towards his pocket, but then snatching it back like he didn't think it was the right moment. She could practically feel the energy radiating off of the Joker.
…
The Joker glanced back at Samantha and flashed her a devilish grin, letting her know that he was still in control of the situation.
"What is he looking at?" the Riddler wondered. He took a step to the side to catch a glimpse of what had the Joker's attention. His eyes widened at the sight of Samantha. "Samantha?"
The Joker bared his teeth and growled as he clamped his hand around the Riddler's forearm. His nails seemed to dig into Nigma's skin as he slung him as far away as possible. The sudden movement caused Edward to lose his hold on Van Dorn and she scrambled to put as much distance as possible from the two mad men.
Almost instantly, a black shape dropped from the second floor balcony and rose to its full height. The Joker knew who it was before one of Nigma's men shouted it out for all to hear. "Batman!" The announcement was soon followed by the sound of a gun going off and pandemonium broke out. Cops were struggling with thugs from both sides; party-goers were screaming and running to find an exit but discovered that the thugs were blocking the doors.
The two criminals glanced around as they watched the situation change dramatically. The Riddler clenched his teeth while the Joker laughed as though this were the funniest thing he'd ever seen. His laughter was cut off when Batman grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hoisted him into the air. "What were you planning, Joker?" Batman growled.
"Telling would only spoil everything!" the Joker cackled. He was rewarded with being slammed against the pillar behind him. He winced and whooped with laughter. The Joker cast a quick glance to where Samantha would have been standing, but she wasn't there.
"Where's Samantha Reads?" Batman shouted.
The Joker grinned and grunted as he shifted his neck around in Batman's grasp. "That is a very good question."
The only indication Batman had that someone was behind him, was a glance the Joker gave over Batman's shoulder. The clown's mouth parted to form a sickening grin. A hard blow was brought down on the dark knight's head and his grasp on the Joker loosened. The clown slipped through his fingers and landed on his feet.
Batman whirled around to find Nigma with his cane poised above his head, ready to deliver another blow. Batman's hand blocked the cane as it came down again. "Nigma? You're with the Joker?" he asked, mystified.
Nigma grunted with effort as he tried to complete his goal of bashing Batman's head in. "No, Bat Brains; he was just lucky enough to be your distraction!" The Riddler jerked his cane out of Batman's hold and swung at his ribs. The handle made the connection and Batman felt pain flare up his side.
The Joker leaned against the pillar, arms folded across his chest, a wicked grin on his face. He pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. "Weeeell, I wish I could stick around, but I'm late for a very important date with the Misses. Sooo, I'll just be, uh, skipping out and leaving you two to your little chat. So long!" He gave a wave and skipped off as if he were not in the midst of a panicking crowd.
The Riddler's anger exploded at the Joker as he watched him vanish, which caused him to not notice the fist aimed for his stomach. He felt the air rush out of his lungs and he doubled over. Nigma struggled to regain a few breaths of oxygen as Batman twisted one of his arms behind his back. The vigilante fought to wrench the cane out of Nigma's hands, but the man's hold on it was surprisingly strong. Batman wouldn't have suspected a thin man like Nigma to possess such strength.
"Nigma, if you give up now, you can have a chance at receiving a small sentence! Do this for Samantha!"
That seemed to infuriate the Riddler. He thrashed about in Batman's grip. "Don't you get it, Batman! This is for Samantha! I'm doing this all for her! Why can't you understand that?" Batman felt Nigma's arm slip free from him. Edward rammed his elbow into Batman's face. The dark knight stumbled back, dazed, too late to defend himself from the kick Nigma sent to his spine. Batman fell to his knees and collapsed under another attack to his injured ribs.
"I thought you were better than this?" Nigma taunted. "It's no wonder Rachel Dawes didn't survive. She had an incompetent fool coming to her doomed rescue!" A growl tore out of Batman's throat. He quickly regained his footing and glared at Nigma through the eyes of his cowl. "Oh, I'm sorry; did I say something that I shouldn't have said?" the Riddler asked with mock worry.
Batman watched Nigma's body movement and recognized the tell-tale signs that Edward was going to run; after the Joker no doubt. The Riddler confirmed this when he suddenly sprinted n the same direction the Joker had skipped down only moments earlier. Batman dashed after him, his ink black cape billowing out behind him. A thug of the Riddler's jumped at Batman and was swatted away like a fly.
As Batman continued to chase after Nigma, he caught sight of a cop pursuing another thug. The thug wasn't paying much attention to what was in front of him. His head kept craning around to look back at the cop. Batman stretched out his arm and clotheslined the thug. The man chocked and landed painfully on his back. He gave a low groan as the cop quickly whipped out his cuffs and clamped them around the thug's wrists. Batman didn't stop to watch or be thanked, he kept running after the Riddler.
Nigma turned his head to see if he was still being followed. He let out a frustrated grunt at the sight of the vigilante. He spotted a set of doors ahead of him and smirked. Since he'd studied the blueprints of the building, he knew that those doors could be barricaded by a metal pole. If he could get through, he was sure the doors would delay Batman long enough for him to catch up to the Joker and Samantha.
Batman was closer now. Nigma increased his speed and shoved open the doors with his body, not bothering to slow down. He pivoted around and closed the doors. Without pausing, he slid the metal pole through the bars, effectively blocking any opening of the doors. Barely a second later, the doors trembled from Batman throwing himself against them. The Riddler laughed at his attempt. He paused long enough to catch his breath before starting to run again. He couldn't remember ever having run so much in his entire life, even when he'd been a jewel thief; of course, he hadn't come to Gotham before.
It was less occupied in this part of the building due to the Glitz going through renovations. In fact, he couldn't see a single person…but he was only looking for two specific people; his angel and the devil who stole her from him.
(Okay; four more chapters to go! Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Was it suspenseful enough? And let me know what you think of a third installment in this series. Much love to all my readers!)