Hi all sorry for the delay. This is a marathon chapter I'm afraid and you'll have to let me know what you think. To all of you who have reviewed recently thank you so much and I'm sorry that I do not often get a chance to reply to all of them. My work at the moment has been really full on and sadly as it's my income (dammit) it has to come first. I really enjoyed writing this and loved the chance to do a real action packed chapter. Hope you like and remember to leave me your thoughts! XX
The Choice
Selina crossed the room, feeling the heat from Holly's apartment lights beating down on her brow. Feverishly, she reached the Joker, who was still carrying the younger, bleeding woman, albeit grudgingly in his arms. Wetting her dry lips, Selina lifted Holly's stained shirt away from the deep laceration across her shoulder blade, hearing her breathing coming in short pants.
"I need to staunch that bleeding," Selina whispered more to herself as she urged the Joker in the direction of the couch. "We can't go anywhere with her bleeding like that."
He huffed through his teeth, and rolled his eyes. Reluctantly moving in the direction she was pulling him. Across the room, the Bat watched in morbid curiosity as the clown lowered Holly unceremoniously onto the couch, letting her land on her bottom with a thud. She whimpered and Selina shot him a fierce glare.
"Be careful!" she hissed at him, her eyes taking on that same black look that had possessed them only a short while back. Sickly, Selina fought down her nerves, her green eyes carefully avoiding the body in the hall. Elliot's lifeless form was partially lying over the top of the caved in door, half in the hall and his lower half inside the doorway. She shuddered, remembering the way it had felt when his face began to cave in under her fists, how his bones had cracked and broken.
Selina looked up to see that she was being stared at by three sets of eyes and she blinked back the wetness gathering on her lashes. "Alright," she said, again to no one in particular. She took the hem of her gown and ripped the fabric upwards, tearing off enough to make a bandage. She heard Holly's sharp intake of breath.
"Selina...your dress!" she wailed and Selina found herself smiling at her friend.
"I think this one's a goner Hols," she joked casually. She leaned across Holly and began to tightly wind the satin around her shoulder, tying it in a secure knot under her arm. "That feel ok?"
Holly's face was deathly pale and waxen. She looked sick and exhausted, but weakly she managed a small smile. "Its fine," she said, breathing hard.
At once the room was filled with light, the deafening noise of the chopper hovering closely making them all straighten up. The Bat crossed the room swiftly and flicked the light switch, plunging the room into darkness. Selina felt in the dark for Holly's hand, but jerked reflexively when she found Jack's shoulder. She could hear him breathing close by and it was almost comforting. A beam of light passed over them and only inches away, the Bat stood above them and in the darkness he appeared more intimidating than ever. Miserably, Selina let her hand slip away from his shoulder, letting it fall to her side.
"We have to go now," he growled. Selina watched as Jack reluctantly dipped his back slightly to take Holly but she inched away.
"I can walk," she insisted. Jack shrugged and let her stand on her own. Holly took about two slow steps and then her knees buckled. Selina looked on, surprised as Jack caught her, deftly lifting her feet away from the floor and up into his arms. He shot her a fierce look, almost daring her to snake her arms around his neck, but cautiously, she did it.
"Way to waste some time," he snarled and Holly leaned away from him fearfully.
Batman stalked towards the door, his narrow beam of light leading the way. Carefully he stepped over Elliot's body and wincing Selina did the same. All three of them were out in the hall, the noise from the police chopper getting deafeningly louder. Suddenly another apartment door in the hall clanged open and an elderly woman stepped out into the hall. Selina watched in horror as her mouth widened and she let out a shriek to wake the dead.
Selina grabbed a fistful of the older woman's dressing gown and forced her back inside the apartment. "Stay in there!" she yelled, before slamming the door in the woman's frightened face.
Unfortunately she wasn't the only one. It seemed that the entire floor were now ready to venture outside their locked doors and take a look at what had been going on. One middle aged man with black hair took one look at the body and then at the Bat and began to yell out frantically.
"Jesus!" Jack hissed through his teeth. He backed up against a wall as the Bat pushed past him, swaying lightly on his feet, burdened by Holly's weight. His arms began to ache but he said nothing, just simply shifted her around in his arms to adjust the load. He glanced down at her, pinning her with an angry stare but only found she was staring back at him with as much annoyance as she could muster.
The Bat took the man by the arm and propelled him back inside his apartment. Selina was beginning to sweat, as one by one doors opened and then slammed shut, heads poking out to see what was going on. She caught the Bat's eyes. "We aren't going to make it to the stairs at this rate," she breathed heavily.
Suddenly there was a noise that was different from the sound of the whirring chopper blades that was filling the narrow space of the apartment hall. It was like a rumbling, getting louder and louder by the second. Like heavy boots on concrete.
"Back!" Selina yelled, her eyes widening. "Cops!" At once they all turned on their heels and began to run back in the direction they had just come.
Jack was the first one back inside the apartment door, taking a large step over Elliot's bloodied form. He reached the couch and let Holly fall away from him, tumbling easily out of his grip. Flexing his aching g shoulders, he waited for Selina who was the last one in the door before kicking Elliot off the broken door that he was currently splayed across.
Selina watched with a furrowed brow, her heart straining under her ribs as the body of her old lover rolled free. Jack hauled the door up by its hinges and rammed it into place. The rumbling grew louder and was now clearly the noise of several armed officers running down the carpeted hall, their boots thudding as they went. Jack threw a furious glance at the Bat.
"You gonna help me?" he snarled through his teeth, but the Bat was already at his side. Grunting and huffing, the two of them dragged Holly's pine dresser across the floor, wedging it firmly in front of the door.
It struck Selina at once how real this was. She could taste the blood in her mouth and could feel the nerves building in her stomach. They all had to get out of here and fast. Her mind wouldn't work quickly enough and she was losing her steel like control. She closed her eyes briefly, only to open them seconds later to survey the scene around her. The officers were using the ends of their rifles to prise the door open, their gloved hands trying to sneak around the frame, there was much shouting and cursing to accompany it. She blinked and saw Jack slam his shoulder against the door with a feral growl, trapping the hand of one of them. Behind the door, a man howled in pain. Then Jack pulled out his knife, flicking it free of its case. Teeth bared he brought back his arm, ready to force the knife through the palm of the trapped officer. But instead the Bat caught his wrist mid lunge and forced his arm up painfully behind his back.
"Don't you even think about it," the Bat seethed and Jack laughed up at him, shaking his head from side to side.
"So incorruptible aren't you? Such a good boy...even when they'd do it to you if they had half the chance!"
"They aren't going to get one," the Bat tossed him free and the clown sagged limply on the floor. Under his cowl he was sweating but he met Selina's eyes. "Is there another way out of here?"
Selina opened her lips weakly but it was Holly who spoke. "There's a drainage pipe outside my bedroom window..."
"That'll have to do," he nodded flicking his eyes back to Selina. "I can climb...and I know you can. What about him?"
Exhausted and pale, Jack climbed to his feet, running a hand through his damp hair. "Don't you worry about me, bats. I can handle myself."
"This the Gotham City Police...open up clown!" came a voice on a megaphone, which startled them all into silence. Outside the door, the other officers were still busy trying to barge in. The chopper flew dangerously near the kitchen window, making the curtains swoop inward. "The whole building is surrounded!"
Holly stood up weakly and the Bat lifted her into his arms. He looked at her with what might have been a wry smile on his lips. Mesmerised and a little dazed from blood loss, Holly gazed back up at him.
"You think you can hold onto me?" he asked and she smiled.
"I'll give it a try," she wound her arms about his neck, breathing shallow and raspy.
"Holly," Selina yelped as the younger woman's head lolled against the bat's chest.
Gently, he nudged her away. "Its probably better that she's unconscious."
Selina bit her lip and nodded. At once they were all on the move. Selina led the way into Holly's darkened bedroom, not pausing until she reached the heavily framed window ledge. Selina gripped the ledge and hauled it upwards, cool air rushing in to greet her hot skin. She leaned her torso out of the window, noting that the chopper was still on the kitchen side of the building. Holly lived in the corner apartment of one of Gotham's oldest brownstones. If the chopper darted left, they would be easily exposed. Selina didn't hold out much hope of reaching the roof in time.
She looked at the lead pipe that reached all the way to the top of the building. Either side of the pipe were thick metal rungs which she knew she could easily climb, but not so easily barefoot. Her eyes glanced downwards to the alley below, which was filled with cop cars, their sirens blaring. She felt someone move next to her and bump her shoulder. Selina turned and met Jack's eyes. He was grinning, his lips stretched out in a barbaric grin. She realised that he was suddenly enjoying himself.
"The only way is up, match girl," he joked. Selina swallowed and pulled her torso out of the window and for a perilous moment she was hanging by her fingers on the rungs, until she managed to grip her toes onto the ones below. A gust of wind blew up her dress whipping it up, hindering her legs as she tried to climb. Her biceps were hot under the strain and she felt cool sweat dripping down between her shoulder blades. But at once she was moving, fast and fluid, her body knowing how to handle a building like this.
She looked down under her arm and watched as the Bat climbed out next; Holly firmly planted across his shoulders. She could see he was struggling under the weight, his teeth clenched tightly. It wasn't too long before he was hot on her heels. Last of all, Jack snaked out of the window, his boots squeaking on the metal rungs.
Selina took a breath and told herself to keep going, knowing she was nearly at the top. Her arms began to tremble under the strain, every muscle she possessed screaming for respite. Her lungs straining, she collapsed like jelly as she crawled across the brickwork. Her breath was cold in her chest and it took a moment to re-adjust, she felt slightly euphoric and terrified at the same time. Moments later, the Bat was beside her, laying Holly down gently on the concrete.
He fought to regain his own breath, his dark eyes meeting Selina's across the tiles. He crawled towards her and Selina didn't have the strength to push him away when he took her face in his hands, pulling her closer. His breath was hot on her cheek and she didn't stop him when he kissed her jaw feverishly working his way to her mouth, his lips wet on her dry ones.
When he pulled away, her eyes were glassy and confused. "I didn't think I'd get to do that again," his voice was low, but distinctly his own and Selina felt a rush of warmth, wishing desperately that they were anywhere but on this rooftop.
"I'm sorry," she blinked back tears. "I'm so sorry for everything."
She pressed her forehead against his. "It's not too late to make the right choice," he whispered and she opened her eyes like she'd been slapped. His were open too, like pools of darkest night gazing back at her, willing her to understand.
Confused, she shook her head, opening her mouth. "No...please don't ask me again..."
At once she realised that they were being observed, a lone figure appearing in her peripheral vision. Her breath caught in her throat, her cheeks going the colour of scarlet. Against the night sky, Jack had been watching them, his head curiously tilted, his lips pursed. Selina knew how the scene must have looked and at once she felt wretched and sick. She pulled out of Bruce's arms and fell back on her knees.
She looked away from him but it was too late. She had caught the look in his eyes. It was the same one from years ago, when he'd stood at the foot of the stairs in Humberside and held out his hand to her and asked her if she was going to come up with him. It was earnest, slightly crestfallen and somewhat resigned. It was pure disappointment. Swallowing back shame, she found words bubbling up her throat though she didn't understand why. Then it was suddenly too late for anything. Jack's silhouette was illuminated in the darkness by the lights of the chopper that rose up behind him. He ducked, his arms rising up over his head, the whole rooftop blowing up like a tornado had hit it.
"Get down!" she yelled, pinning her own form flat to the tiles as the chopper swooped over their heads. He was suddenly down beside her, giggling and rolling onto his back.
The helicopter turned midair, lunging down once more, its search lights beaming down on them in the darkness. Selina felt someone grip her wrist and Jack was pulling her to her feet. Then he did something unexpected. He pulled out the Beretta from his jacket and twisted her around so that her back was squashed firmly against his chest and then he shoved the gun to her temple.
Losing her balance, she was forced backwards. "What are you doing?" she yelled.
"Being the bad guy," he hissed into her ear as the chopper hovered dangerously close, the beam of light finding them. The door of the helicopter was open and a man clad in black uniform sitting with one leg balanced on the railing below. He lifted the megaphone.
"Joker...release the woman!" he barked into the device. The Joker licked his lips and laughed, pulling Selina back with him as he walked, the gun digging painfully into her skull. He cast a glance over his shoulder and saw the Bat take up Holly again in the darkness. The younger woman was coming to and held onto him tightly as he ran across the roof with her.
The Joker waited until he was out of sight, his cape disappearing into the shadows before he took the gun, aimed it squarely at the chopper and fired. Selina gripped his forearm, the bullet cracking through the night sky and his laughter exploding in her ear. She rocked back on her heels, wrestling free of his grip, whirring to face him, her hair whipping about her face. The chopper dived left away from the building and prepared to turn.
"What the hell...?" she cried angrily. He leaned forward and slapped his knee.
"That'll have pissed em off don't you think?" he cackled, grabbing her hand, just as the chopper dived over their heads. The sky lit up with searchlights, frantically chasing them across the rooftop as they ran. Then the machine diving dangerously close above them began to shower bullets down upon their trail. The tiles pinged and shattered, the bullets missing them narrowly. To the men in the chopper it appeared that the Joker was dragging the woman along and they weren't aiming to hit her. They had Gordon's orders, take the Joker, dead or alive.
They ducked left and right, both panting and exhausted. Selina's legs were trembling and the soles of her feet burning. They were running out of roof. Selina's breath caught in her throat seeing the lip of the roof coming closer by the second. Jack saw it to. Inhaling sharply, Selina quickly judged the gap from the edge to the next building. She gripped Jack's arm and began to run faster.
"We can do it!" she yelled. "We can jump it!"
His fingers linked with her own, she could feel the heat radiating from them. Their eyes met briefly and for the briefest second she saw the uncertainty there, the fear very real and very raw on his face. He nodded and they picked up speed. With her free hand, Selina lifted the torn hem of her dress, her heart thudding as her bare foot reached the edge, feeling the adrenaline kick through her system as holding his hand, and they launched into the air.
In those moments before she hit the other side, everything seemed to go silent and strangely slow. She felt the wind rushing through her hair. The freeing sensation of falling through the night was intoxicating. Now she was unstoppable. She was unbreakable. And she was taking him along for the ride.
Then her feet hit the sloped tiles on the other side, the impact causing pain to ripple up her legs like a shockwave. Her toes splayed for grip but she cried out and flung her body forward, seizing the clay tiling, letting go of Jack's hand. Selina felt him land next to her; she heard the crash as his body hit the tiles with such a force that it dislodged her balance. She lost her grip and hurtled down past him.
"Jack!" she screamed, feeling his fingers dig into her forearm. He held her fast, his hand clammy but strong. "I'm going to fall!"
He grunted and pulled her up, wrapping his arm under her. Breathing hard, she buried her face in his shirt front, paralysed and frightened. "I've got you," he grinned at her.
"We have to move," she hissed. "We're sitting ducks like this."
Like an old enemy, the chopper reared up and dived over them. Bullets began to ping at the tiles either side of them, causing them to shatter and slide. The roof began to tremble and all at once they were sliding, the tiles acting like a sledge. With both of them scrambling for hold, the roof seemed to fall away and at once both of them were sliding into the air. Selina didn't have time to scream. She let her arms stretch out ahead of her, her hair and her dress whipping up as she plummeted to the alley way below.
She saw the ground fast approaching, feeling water leak from the corners of her eyes. It was going to be quick at least. She inhaled. The night was moving too quickly to breath, to quickly to think. Suddenly a figure broke through the night, hurtling in her direction. Batman was there, his arms around her; they jolted and almost stopped mid air, his cape extending out like a bird as they glided to the wet alley below. They hit the concrete and rolled and Selina opened her eyes. The Bat was on his feet. He took a gun from his belt and fired it into the air.
Before the Joker could hit the ground, he managed to hit a fire escape stair well. Selina saw his body roll from the metal stairs and his behind jerk up into the air. The Bat had hooked him over the fire escape and lowered him into the alley, not as gracefully or as gently as he had lowered Selina.
He landed with a thud and a loud groan. On trembly legs Selina got up, arching her neck to survey the skies. The chopper was frantically searching for them above and in the distance sirens were coming closer. Selina then realised she was missing someone and began to whirl about anxiously.
"Holly?" she cried. "Where is she?"
"I'm alright," came a small voice behind her and Selina hugged her friend tightly, resisting the urge to burst into tears. "I'm Ok Selina...but I really need a hospital!"
"You should both go," Batman's voice shook with tension. Selina stared at him dumbfounded and then at Jack who was struggling to get to his feet. His body had hit that stairwell with such a force that Selina thought he must have broken a couple of ribs on the way down. He looked pale and wrung out, his breathing raspy between muffled bursts of laughter.
Selina was suddenly frozen to the spot as if her feet had taken root. She watched as he painfully climbed to his feet and knew at once that she couldn't leave him.
"What are you going to do?" she looked to the Bat, her voice low. He shook his head.
"Selina...you know I have to take him in," he growled. "Get out of here while you have the chance."
The Joker looked down at his rumpled suit and comically brushed off any debris dust, straightening his shirt. He rolled his head on his neck and then winced in pain, hissing through his teeth. He dropped to one knee and laughed, holding his ribcage. "You need to work on your landings," he groaned, letting out a sigh of pain.
Selina began to tremble, feeling Bruce's eyes on her and willed her refusal back at him.
"Selina...go!" he said again, his voice a warning. He was tired of this game now. Selina could feel the cruel breath of time upon her. The sirens were getting closer, time was running out and Holly was injured. She looked from Bruce to Jack and then back again. She balled her fists and wanted to cry. Jack got to his feet once more, swaying dangerously and at once the Bat made a lunge for him.
But Selina got in his way. She braced herself for the impact, her small hands hitting his chest. She grabbed his midsection and they both fell, arms and legs scrambling in the air. She heard Bruce's howl of anger and felt his resistance to fight her. But Selina clung on to him, rolling him onto his back and straddling his chest. She looked up and saw both Holly and Jack staring at her in bewilderment.
"Get out of here!" she screamed to Jack. "Go...Go!"
And like that moment on the roof where time seemed to stand still, she met his dark eyes and thought that this might be the last time she would see them. She had now officially lost everything. Bruce would never forgive her for this; Holly would think she was insane. And she was doing it for him.
Bruce took her by the shoulders and forced her face down in the wet concrete, her chin snapping the ground. She craned her neck in the direction of the Joker, who was still staring at the scrabbling couple on the ground. She put as much fury into her eyes as she could muster. "Run you idiot...run!"
"Don't go far," the Bat snarled, lifting his torso to reach for his belt. It was at that moment something extraordinary happened. Holly who had been watching the whole scene, her face a mash of terror and wonder began to run woodenly towards the fight. Selina grimaced, Bruce's armour digging uncomfortably into her flesh as she tried to turn. She managed to right hook him from her position, catching him on the jaw. He gritted his teeth and tried to reach for his belt again. He didn't see Holly until he felt her land on his back.
The younger woman grappled him around the neck, seizing him so fiercely that it took him completely by surprise and to his horror he couldn't seem to wrestle her away. Holly clung on, flinging her arms around his neck, wrapping them so tightly that it looked like a choke hold. Selina stared up them both open mouthed.
Holly opened her eyes, terrified and shaking, but with a new ferocity clenched her teeth together before shouting. "You heard her...get out of here!"
The Joker didn't need any more persuading. With a last glance at Selina, who was trying to wrestle the Bat to the ground, he turned and took off down the alley, his shoes slapping through puddles as he went. When Selina looked up, he had vanished. She sagged back to the ground, exhausted and panting for breath.
Humiliated, Bruce shook Holly free and she landed on her bottom with an oomph noise. She was wild eyed and red faced, hardly able to believe what she had just done. Bruce got to his feet, breathing hard. He turned away from both woman and without speaking, slammed his fist into the wall behind him. He yelled in anger and threw his venomous stare back at Selina, who had crawled across the concrete to her friend. Holly was limp in her arms, like a sodden rag doll.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Bruce howled, his voice erupting like molten lava, it was dangerous enough to make both women shudder.
"Making a choice," Selina looked away. "You wouldn't understand."
"You're right about that!" he exploded. "I don't understand why you let a wanted killer walk away. I promised Gordon I would bring him in."
"Well why you don't run after him!" Selina snapped irritably. "He couldn't have gotten far."
Bruce collapsed against the wall, rubbing his knuckles. For a moment nobody spoke, they were too wrung out. Selina hurt everywhere and was aware that Holly was slowly fading away. She needed to get her to a hospital. Then the silence was pieced by the sound of cop cars heading in their direction. Bruce kicked away from the wall and Selina knew that he was going to leave them.
He took a hook from his belt and shot it upward into the night sky so that it coiled around the set of stairs on the right side of the building. His cape breezed past them as he strolled past, his boots crunching heavily on the pavement. Selina felt her throat swell and caught the edge of his cape with her outstretched fingers, making him look down at her on the ground.
"I really am sorry," she whispered.
He shook his head. "Not as sorry as I am," he growled before letting go of the clip and shooting upwards into the night. Holly had passed out, her head lolling around in Selina's lap. She looked pale and weak; Selina stroked her friend's matted hair away from her face and began to cry.
A squad car screeched down the tight alley, stopping feet from them. Selina crossed her forearm over her eyes, the light making her pupils contract. The door slammed open and six armed men spilled out into the alley. They held up their rifles, their flashlights searching them out in the darkness, finally landing on the two injured women.
"M'am...are you alright?" a female officer landed on her knees next to them and frantically began to check over Holly. She pointed her chin to her chest and began to talk into a receiver pinned to her uniform. "Get us an ambulance down here!"
She looked at Selina. "Are you alright?"
Selina swallowed. "I'm fine...but my friend..."
"We're going to take care of her don't you worry...m'am...where is he?"
Selina blinked, feeling suddenly fuzzy and disorientated. "Who...?"
"The Joker miss...where is he?"
Selina could feel her throat swell again. "He's gone," she whispered. "He's gone."
/
Selina woke up only hours later, shivering and feeling the cold chilling her bare feet. She huddled further into the scratchy hospital blanket that had been woven around her shoulders in the ambulance. Like waking from a long sleep, Selina stretched her arms out and remembered where she was. With her legs curled under her like a child, she realised she had fallen asleep in the hospital room where Holly had been admitted. The clock above the door read that it was six thirty in the morning. Selina swallowed her stale saliva, feeling dirty and bedraggled.
Selina glanced over at the bed and saw her friend was still sleeping soundly. She was tucked up under several layers, hooked to a drip and horribly pale. But the doctors had reassured Selina that she would be just fine.
Selina liked the quiet of the room, her ears ringing lightly from all the noise and commotion she had been exposed to this evening. Still barefooted, she padded across the room, letting the blanket fall across the arm of the chair. Holly's lip was bruised and swollen and the whole of her left side of her face was a garish purple. She leaned over her and smoothed the tangled hair across her friend's forehead.
She heard light footsteps behind her and flinched. Turning quickly she saw the commissioner standing in the doorway, his coat folded across his arm. Instantly Selina noted the finger marks around his neck, the high collar of his shirt not doing a good job of concealing it. His skin was ashen, but his expression gentle.
Selina straightened and fixed a smile on her face. "Commissioner...what are you doing here?"
Of course Selina knew what he was doing here. She wasn't an idiot. She had just hoped that she might have had more time before the cops came asking her questions.
He stepped through the threshold and smiled grimly. "I apologise for having to barge in like this after all you've been through tonight..."
Selina waved her hand in the air. "Don't be silly!"
"You understand of course that I need to get a few things straightened out. Certain facts have come to light recently and your name seems to be at the centre of most of them."
Selina's heart sped up but she kept smiling. "It's no problem. I'm sure you have a few questions. Do you mind if I get washed up a little? I look a fright!"
Bashfully he smiled and she chuckled. "I'll wait for you in the restaurant."
Glancing quickly at Holly, Selina ducked into her ensuite bathroom, a chilly, sterile white room with a shower, toilet and sink. Under the glaring lights, Selina examined her face and splashed it with cool water. She took a little of the toothpaste that one of the nurses had left for Holly and unwrapped the sterile brush. She gave them a quick clean, rinsing out her mouth and wishing that she had some makeup. Her mascara was a mess and her lips still a stained cherry red. Under this lighting she could see every line of her twenty seven years. Every mark and every blemish. Sighing she wrapped a hospital dressing gown around her, covering what remained of her evening gown.
As she strolled down the corridor to the restaurant, she forced her heart to beat at a normal pace. She felt sick and faint with nerves but told herself to keep it in check. She saw him sitting with his coat across the table, a Styrofoam cup in front of him. He looked up and smiled when he saw her, getting to his feet to pull out a chair.
As gracefully as she could manage, Selina slid into it and he pushed the hot, steaming mug towards her. "I bet you need something to drink?" he said gently and Selina wrapped her fingers around the cup, feeling its warmth.
She sniffed it, wrinkled her nose and put it back down. It was only cheap hospital coffee but it was enough to make her gag. "Thanks...but I'll probably throw it up. My stomach's in knots."
He smiled. "That's alright. How's your friend?"
She exhaled, reaching her hand onto the table top, and drumming the surface lightly with her fingers. "She'll be ok. But...she's pretty beaten up."
Gordon leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table top, the look on his face sincere and earnest. "So...can you tell me much about this mystery guy? I've had trouble finding anything on him."
Selina raised her eyes. "You mean Elliot. Well, you know about as much as I do I'm afraid."
Gordon laughed. "Well he certainly knew about you. Enough to kidnap your friend and blow up Wayne Manor?"
Selina began to drum her fingers, keeping her gaze neutral and icy cool. One, two, three. The beat caught him off guard and he stared at her outstretched hand, raising his own brows. Then he smiled unusually, as if he'd been enjoying some private joke.
"He was an ex boyfriend. I met him on the streets and we went to London together. I guess that you've figured that out about me now? That I come from the street?"
She didn't want to keep talking about Elliot. Talking about him and what he'd taught her would only lead to her recent misdemeanours. She held Gordon's gaze and he was amazed at how cold her eyes could be and yet how her smile appeared so inviting. She was very good at deflection, he decided.
Slowly, he nodded. "I know some things. I know you were taken to Humberside Children's home when you were small and ran away after the fire when you were about eight," he recited.
"Nine, actually," Selina corrected him and he titled his head in a nod.
"What about him though? This Elliot?" Gordon prodded and Selina rolled her eyes, almost laughing.
"What can I say to you? Crazy ex boyfriend. He never let me out of his sight. He bullied me, hurt me and beat me for years until I ran away. But he always came looking. Always. And now...he's dead."
Gordon shifted at her tone, suddenly a little uncomfortable. "Who killed him?"
Selina felt her stomach clench with guilt. Her eyes grew watery. "The Joker did," she answered.
Gordon was staring at her hands and she drew them back under the table, hiding her bloodied knuckles. "How did you do that?" he asked stiffly and Selina cleared her throat.
"I had to fight Elliot off somehow...he was hurting my friend. I couldn't just stand there. Then the Joker...well he must have finished him off."
At this Gordon leaned across the table, clasping his hands together eagerly. "And that's another whole set of questions...you are that girl from the children's home. All those years ago you were in that office at the GCPD...a little girl, beaten about after that caravan fire. And here you are now and it's as if nothing's changed."
Selina chuckled lightly. "Oh I think I have," she whispered.
"What's the connection between you and the Joker? What do you know about him?" he fired at her.
Selina's lips curled around her words, running them very carefully through her head before she spoke. "That day at Wayne Manor...when you took him away? That was the last time I saw him until recently. We didn't see one another for nearly twenty years. There is no connection."
"When was the first time you saw him after that?" Jim prodded and Selina flinched as though he'd touched her physically.
"I saw him at the fundraiser for Harvey Dent. Then at the trial."
"I remember you said that you were there to see that he was convicted...that your brother...had been on one of the ferries? So that was a lie."
Selina arched an eyebrow in his direction. "The second part was a lie. But that was why I was there. But he saw me and when he escaped..."
"He became obsessed with you," Gordon finished her sentence fluidly and Selina snapped her mouth shut. She felt wretched for lying about Jack, but she thought that somehow if he knew, he probably wouldn't have minded.
There was a brief silence and then the older man spoke. "You'll have to clear this up for me. I saw you two at the Wayne party...dancing together. And it didn't look to me like you were rushing to get away? In fact it appeared quite the opposite."
Selina pursed her lips and then stretched them into a smile. "I was frightened of him," she said.
Gordon flinched. This woman, with her black stare and fixed smile didn't appear to be frightened of anything. But he could believe that maybe she had been faking it to get away. In his years as an officer he'd seen many different reactions on the people he interviewed. And many women, especially abused ones, could sometimes appear distant and cold. It was their coping mechanism.
He realised quickly that this was her game face. It was a face of someone who was completely aloof. Someone you'd never quite figure out and it was those types that at once fascinated and irritated him. She reminded him of the Joker. Then her face softened, her features relaxing and he was reminded of the child he had briefly known all those years ago.
Then he came to another question he wanted to ask. "When you spoke with him...did he mention anyone else that he may have been working with?"
Selina cocked her head. "Like who?"
"Well I'm sure it hasn't escaped your notice that the Falcone gang had been the victims of a recent string of targeted robberies...or if you ask me, getting a taste of their own medicine. However we believe the perpetrator may have been connected to the Joker...he murdered Benito and Rene Falcone."
Selina nodded gravely. "I heard," she said. "But no. I never heard him mention anyone. I never saw anyone."
"The robber has gotten the strange nickname of 'The Cat,'" Gordon continued. "And what with your own connection to the Falcone family..."
Selina frowned. "If you mean my father, that isn't anything to do with me. He was nothing but their accountant and I never really knew him. I paid for any connection I had with that family, believe me. They weren't a family you wanted to deal with."
"And with the Joker's new found obsession with you, you don't think it plausible that he could have killed Rene Falcone out of some sort of revenge?"
At that she laughed suddenly and then hit him hard with another frosty stare. "Am I a suspect commissioner? Because I'd like to know what evidence you have on me! I run a gallery and I'm far too busy to be skipping around Gotham in a cat suit."
After a long pause in which he exhaled loudly he answered. "No. I don't have any evidence on you Selina."
He surprised her with the truth and Selina hoped he hadn't seen the relief wash across her face.
"Well that's good," she laughed. "If I happen to see the Cat hanging around any rooftops I'll be sure to call you!"
Her joke made him smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. He leaned heavily on his forearms, his expression unsure and also quite weary.
"You don't believe me," she chided and he gave a short laugh of surprise at the challenge.
"I find that in this line of work, people lie," he admitted. "So I don't mean to appear disbelieving, it's just what I'm used to. And knowing the relationship you had with him as a child..." his voice trailed away leaving a void of silence which she wasn't quick to fill.
"I knew him for a few months in a children's home," Selina told him, her smile gone. "I wouldn't class it as a relationship."
"Oh come now," it was he that chided her this time. "I remember the day we took him away. You sobbed your heart out. It's not an easy thing to forget. And from the people I've spoken to from your old home...they all confirmed that the two of you were...close."
Selina blinked rapidly as though she had been slapped. Her face coloured in the same way. "I'm sorry?" she asked coolly. "The people who you've spoken to? From Humberside?"
Jim leaned back in the metal chair and folded his arms, his curiosity growing at her sudden, bizarre reaction, which he had unintentionally caused. "Yes," he confirmed it back. "When I pulled...Jack's file I tracked down several old residents of that home. Of course it was difficult as after the fire you all scattered like mice. Some of the younger ones were re-homed and have moved on. But some are right here in Gotham."
Selina felt an odd sensation tug at her insides. It was a mixture of curiosity and relief. In all the years that had passed, she hadn't thought much on the other kids from the home and what they might have done with their lives.
"We spoke to...let me think," he raised his eyes skyward in thought. "Harris Becker...Lauren Keating, Hayley Morris...an old nurse I believe..."
Selina inhaled sharply, her eyes a little watery. "Oh...Hayley," she breathed. "God..."
He continued. "Susan Newman, Carla Rudin..."
Selina gasped. "What? Who?"
Jim Gordon's eyes widened at the woman's stunned reaction. "Excuse me?"
"That name...you said Susan...Suzie Newman?" Selina had leaned forward in her chair and had grabbed his wrist. He noted how strong her fingers were linked around his shirt sleeve. Her eyes were wild and he marvelled at the speed in which she had moved. One moment she had been lazing back in the seat, one leg crossed casually over the other, arms folded and now she was right up in his face.
"Yes...yes," he spluttered. Selina didn't let go and to his surprise her face had broken into the most charming and infectious smile.
"Red hair?" she sought confirmation. "Curly red hair?"
"Yeah that's her," Jim agreed, snaking his hand out of her fierce grip. "She works as a housing officer for the narrows and as a part time counsellor. She lives on Gotham's east side."
Selina covered her face with her hands, her eyes wet. She felt the laughter bubble up her throat and was unable to stop it. She was crying and laughing at the same time. "Oh my god," she couldn't breathe between gasps of laughter. "Oh my god..."
Gordon raised an eyebrow. "Is everything alright?"
"It's better than alright!" Selina grinned at him. "It's wonderful. You've just given me the best news I've ever had. I'm elated."
"Hmm...I can see that," he wanted to get back to his questions but she was too enraptured to really listen. Selina was hugging her shoulders and rocking happily in her seat. She lifted her eyes to him and dazzled him with a real, very pretty smile.
"I'm sorry," she shook her head. "Elliot...always made me believe that she had died."
"Nice guy," Gordon raised an eyebrow.
Selina let her hands fall back to the table, her elation slowly ebbing away. "I was close to him," she admitted after a while, hardly able to believe she was even talking to him.
But she felt like she owed him something. Even though he was completely oblivious, he had just wiped clean nearly twenty years of guilt. After Suzie had been taken that night and she had left Gotham behind, Selina had been plagued with nightmares. It was that gut wrenching feeling that when you opened your eyes from a deep, dreamless sleep, the guilt was there to greet you like an old friend. It had taken years before Selina had been able to wake up and not remember Suzie's pale, terrified face.
"Close?" Jim prodded her out of her daze.
Selina opened her pale lips, running the words through her head first. But it didn't seem to matter because that time of her life never really made any sense. She had never spoken of that day to anyone, not even Holly. It was almost as if now, it had happened to another little girl.
"Back when I was nine, I was assaulted at the Gotham Fair," she smiled weakly and lifted her eyes to his. "I'm sure you can remember what happened that night. Jack was kind of looking out for me that day...he was a little older. And he kind of liked me I guess. We had some common ground."
When he didn't speak, but raised his eyebrows in puzzlement, Selina reached for the collar of her dressing gown and pulled it away to reveal a patch of her ruined flesh. His eyes widened and his mouth formed an O of surprise, but he didn't speak. He nodded for her to continue.
"We had snuck into one of the tents to watch a show but some older kid had followed us in. He watched us and then we made a run for it. But...well...he caught us. He kicked the crap out of Jack, you should have seen him."
"I did," Gordon reminded her and Selina laughed sadly.
"Of course you did," she spoke softly, shaking her head. "Well, then he turned to me. Fortunately he didn't get very far, Jack attacked him. He stabbed him and chased him off. He said he'd kill him. And... he did."
Jim Gordon whistled through his teeth. "Jesus," he muttered, linking his fingers on the table top. "Well that clears that up. It's only been twenty years. Unfortunately though that doesn't absolve him, no matter how 'good' his intentions may have been. That night he killed other people...people that didn't deserve to die."
Selina's eyes widened. "I'm not saying that!" she gasped. "God...I don't think he's some sort of hero. But you have to understand how he thought back then, even as a kid. Those people he took out...it wasn't personal. As he used to say, they were in his way. And no matter what way I look at it, no matter how many times I've thought about him over the years, when it comes down to it...he saved me. And I won't ever hate him for that. He was my friend."
For a long time he just stared at her and she wondered at what he was thinking. Was he like Bruce and thought she was just as bad as he was? Did he think she was a deluded fool? Selina kept her face plain. She couldn't take back what she'd said. She wouldn't.
Finally he spoke. "And you have no idea of his whereabouts now?"
"No," Selina answered with a clear conscience. "He left us there."
With a look of heavy burden on his face, Jim used his hands to ease himself out of the chair, suddenly feeling much older than his years. He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave the blonde woman a polite nod. "Thanks for your time. I hope your friend gets better," he said.
Selina shivered, wrapping her arms around her waist. She returned his nod and waited for him to leave. Jim was at the door of the restaurant, which was still quiet at this time of the morning. He let his thoughts wander to the footage that had been taken from the camera on the helicopter, footage that he'd only briefly been able to look at. Something about that scene on the roof had struck him as odd.
The Joker had clearly dragged the woman across the rooftop, a gun pressed firmly to her temple and although she had appeared terrified there had been something else. She had been the first to jump.
Even when they'd wound back the footage and slowed it down, she had made the leap first, almost dragging him along with her. And she'd landed so deftly, with such practiced grace, almost as if she'd done it all her life. Jim turned and looked at the woman still sitting in the metal chair with her back to him. As if sensing his eyes on her, she stiffened and looked at him over her shoulder, her profile perfect. She had a slim nose and a full mouth and even in this state, she was still extremely attractive.
"Is something the matter?" she asked, her chin touching her elegant shoulder, her eyes downcast. Jim cleared his throat.
"Nothing...except," he began tentatively. "Except that if you do happen to see the Cat hanging around any rooftops...you be sure to tell her that I'm watching her."
Slowly Selina lifted her eyes. She let her lips part in a smile. "Oh, I will," she replied.