Thorn in Your Side
A/N: Sorry for the long wait my dears. Have you seen the reviews? There are so many that I felt overjoyed when I read each and every one. I cannot express my gratitude towards you, you keep me writing! Here are some side notes to you guys, I havent done this in a while, to those of you who simply reviewed as guest I'll just give you some electronic cookies instead since I wont be able do distinguish all of you down in the sidenotes, I love you all as well:
CuteSango07: He made it out alive, don't worry! :D and yes, Catwoman had to be sacrificed for the good of the cause even though I like her as well XD
Susie: I would LOVE to make it more detailed but I dont wanna get carried away and turn this into an M rated fic XD however, I can see what you mean by what you wrote, if you have any suggestions or something that you'd like to see happen between the two feel free to tell me in your next review and I'll gladly add it in.
Amber: Yes...rats seem to have that effect on people XD
Jasmine Scarthing: Voila, the dark knight is in this chapter, just for you! :D
BobSwag: I personally think he's the creepiest as well. And yes I recall him cutting off the clown's face in the comics, let's just say I went against that for the purpose of this story, we cant have a faceless clown walking around now can we?
LaurenvBelladonna: I think we've all grown to love that crazy bastard XD
Erik-is-my-angel1234: Glad you like it, love! :D
cocobyrd87: Oh, I have something special planned for the Dollmaker dont worry, although it doesnt involve Bane, I wish it did D:
YoursAnnie: Thanks for the review, love, and I love you too for reviewing! :D
Jenicide24: Trust me, my dear, thats just a few of the people who are gonna end up dying by the time Im through with this fic. ;)
iluvville: I promise I wont let the madman die :D
RealHuntress18: Of course it cant end now, I mean Im just getting started! XD
The Joker lay completely still, his body now numb. His time was running out, if he stayed in the asylum any longer he would die there. He closed his eyes when he heard the door to his room open and halted his breathing, he was going to get out one way or another.
"You sure about this?" a man asked, his voice shaky and unsure. The clown could tell that it wasnt the Dollmaker, the other man had a more distinguished and unmistakable tone.
"The boss just wants to make sure that he's still alive, he's strapped down to a table, whats the worst he could do?" the other replied. The clown could hear the door shut before a single set of steps aproached him. He was struggling to keep himself from breathing or giving away any signs that he was still alive.
"I think he bled out!" the man in the room shouted, his voice changing as the clown presumed that he had turned towards the door. His lungs were about to burst, he just needed to hold on for a few more seconds.
"Take a scalpel and cut the grinning bastard, if he moves he's alive, if he doesnt at least you'll have the chance to boast to everyone that you carved up the infamous clown!" the other called back, hitting the door with what the clown could have only guessed as a crowbar by the metallic clang that it made.
The Joker heard the man grab a scalpel from the small tray on top of the table beside his head. He could practically feel the other man's body heat as he leaned over to see if the madman was breathing. It was only when he felt the scalpel close to his scarred smile that his eyes shot open and a smile stretched across his lips.
"Gotcha'," the clown chuckled, taking the scalpel out of the horrified man's hand and holding it between his teeth. Without a second thought, he drove it into the man's neck and chuckled when blood squirted out and hit his face. The coppery smell filled his senses within seconds and brought him back to life as he spat out the shard object close to his hand and worked at the lock on the shackle.
The dull thud of the gunman's body hitting the floor alerted the other who had been standing guard outside and in moments he had burst into the room. He found his friend bleeding out on the floor, face down in a puddle of his own blood. The clown was nowhere to be seen.
It wasnt until he felt the cool of a sharp blade on his throat that he realized his mistake. He had walked in without checking the back of the door, the Joker had been hiding there the whole time.
"Shh," the madman whispered, walking backwards and out of the door with the other man in his hold in case there were any others out in the hallway. His head whipped from side to side once he was out in the hall for a way out, the closer the better.
"Why are you doing this?" the man questioned. He had seen how the Dollmaker operated, he would merely find the clown and the girl again and finish what he had started. Escaping seemed out of the question to him.
"Because I only stay here as long as I think it's funny," the clown hummed in his ear, dragging him down the hall with the blade close to his neck, "and its not funny anymore."
The man panicked when he heard the Joker's tone drop, he knew what was coming. Before he could even call for help he felt the sharp blade pierce his skin and sever his throat. Blood oozed down his neck and over the clown's glove as he released the man and shook off the crimson liquid.
He stepped on the body while he made his way towards the nearest door at the end of the hall. His left hand craddled his right forearm and his breathing came in short ragged rasps.
The sooner he got back to Monica's appartment the better.
"Hey, what are you do-"
The clown silenced the man who had turned a corner and bumped into him with a flick of his wrist. He drove the scalpel deep into the man's chest and twisted it harsly. He could hear as he tore flesh and grinned when the man coughed out blood before collapsing onto the floor.
"Can I just get a minute to relax?" the clown questioned, dusting his coat despite all of the bloodsplatters that it held.
He didnt even mind that his shoes were leaving bloody footprints all over the place. On the contrary, he wanted the Dollmaker to know that he had gotten away and had slaughtered several of his men on his way out.
His attention was caught by a small door next to him as more footsteps approached his location. Upon opening the metal door he realized that it was a laundry disposal shaft that looked like it hadn't been used in years. He glanced inside, the tunnel didn't look too comforting or stable but he could see that it led to the main level of the asylum.
The Dollmaker glared at the clown as he turned a corner and dared him to try and escape as his men rushed past him to stop the madman.
The Joker winked at him and picked up a gun that the other guard had dropped when he had killed him. He waved goodbye to the Dollmaker and let his body drop back into the shaft as he cackled and shot at the men who peeked inside of the dark tunnel with surprised looks on their faces.
He ended up landing in a cart of bloodied straight jackets and towels with a groan of pain that was soon cut off by his endless and booming cackles.
"I should definately do this more often," he laughed, rolling his body over and falling unceremoniously onto the cold floor beneath him.
He picked his body up and strolled out of the room with a look of triumph on his face.
The gun in his hand was emptied of two more bullets as he shot the men near the entrance and took a third hostage at gunpoint.
He forced the man out into the pouring rain and made him walk all the way with him for a mile until he reached a road that had the occasional car driving by.
"I guess I should borrow a car," the clown commented, grabbing the man by the collar of his shirt and forcing him out onto the road when a car neared them. The familiar sound of screeching tires reached the Joker's ears as he turned his attention from his surroundings back onto the road.
Much to his disappointment the driver hadn't rolled the man over.
"Gotta do everything yourself," the clown growled, stepping out of his cover with his gun pointed at the man who stood in front of the car with a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. Without even glancing at him, the Joker pulled the trigger and planted a bullet in his head before he moved towards the driver's door and lurched it open.
"I need to borrow your car, ma'am," the Joker sang, pulling out the woman and tossing her onto the road as she protested and got up to retrieve the child that was in the backseat. The clown glanced back at her through the rearview mirror and at the pink blanket that she was holding close to her small chest that rose rapidly in panic upon seeing him.
His lips dipped downward for a few moments as he recalled the picture of Monica that he still kept in his coat, she had the same pink blanket wrapped around her.
"You see this," the madman cooed, grabbing the child's teddy bear and waving it in her face. The child nodded, her blue eyes wide with fear and intrigue as the Joker ignored the woman pounding on the rolled up window. "Fetch," the clown ordered, taking out his gun and shooting the seatbelt off of the highchair while he tossed the bear out onto the curb and undid her door lock.
Within seconds, the child raced out of the car and into the woman's arms before retrieving her teddy bear. The clown didnt glance back at the pair as he drove away and shook his hair out of his eyes.
He rummaged through the woman's purse, hoping to find something of use and smiled when he found a brand new Galaxy in his palm. He dialed Monica's number and frowned when her name actually came up on the dialing id instead of her number, he shrugged it off and rose the phone up to his ear.
"Lila?" Monica's voice questioned when she picked up, the Joker laughed and shook his head.
"Yes this is her," he replied, knowing that Monica would recognize his voice.
"What did you do?" her voice growled dangerously, catching him off guard.
"I didn't do-"
"Where's Lila and why do you have her phone?" Monica questioned harshly.
The clown sighed and dropped his head back against the seat. Out of all of the people in the world that he could have stolen a car from he had stolen one from someone that Monica actually knew.
"Oh god...where's Kiri?" Monica shrieked suddenly, throwing something that shattered through the speaker. The Joker could hear Ivy in the background trying to calm the biker down with hushed words.
"Doll, I'm as confused as you are," the clown replied, stepping on the gas and speeding through a red light as he neared the Narrows.
"She's my three years old niece you crazy bastard, she was with Lila, my sister in law, don't pretend you don't know what Im talking about, you have her phone!" Monica barked back, reprimanding him through the phone. The Joker merely closed his eyes briefly and enjoyed the sound of her stressed voice. He had gone too long without listening to her ranting on about something at him.
"Oh," the clown sang, suddenly remembering the child and the woman that he had just left, "I borrowed the car and the phone, they're fine."
He could hear Monica sigh on the other line and Ivy move about before he repositioned the phone and glanced out of the window as he neared the botanist's shop.
"If it makes ya feel any better I left them under a large tree, Im sure they'll have plenty of time to hitch a ride before they're drenched," the Joker hummed, hanging up before she could reply as he turned the key backwards on the Lobo and stepped out into the rain as he walked calmly towards the botanist shop.
"What did you do?" Ivy asked, greeting him outside of the doorway with a glare that could have held its own in hell.
"I stole a car, nothing new," the clown replied, grinning from ear to ear as he tried to get through. The botanist blocked his way in every direction that he tried to get through.
"She's going to butcher you," Ivy commented, pausing as he sneered at her attempts to stop him from getting in.
"I've been looking forward to it," the Joker replied, stepping forward once more and into the shop when the redhead finally let him in.
"She's on the roof, I'll pray that you loose your footing," Ivy commented, hoping that the other woman would push the man off of the roof and save both of them any unnecessary stress.
The Joker merely made his way through the shop while stepping over several large vines and bright vibrant flowers. By the time he reached the elevator his cheek had been cut by a red thorn and his jacket had gotten caught in several others.
He found Monica on the roof, just like Ivy had told him, leaning up against the glass door that led outside. The clown knocked on it and grinned while shaking his head when she ignored him.
Without thinking twice he clenched his hand and drove it through the glass, shattering it and opening the door in the process. Monica glanced back at him when she felt her support disappear from behind her. Several shards made small cuts on her back and got caught in her hair as the clown stepped over them.
"You could have just pushed it open," she commented with a blank stare as rain continued to drench her clothing and her hair. The clown merely stood beside her and glanced at the white roses that Ivy had planted and positioned over white arches.
"Where's the fun in that," he replied, turning to look at her.
Monica merely sneered back at him and stepped away.
"What did you do to them?" she asked, never forgetting the fact that he had interfered with her family.
"I just took the car, beautiful, nothing more," the clown replied, glancing up and noticing that his makeup wouldn't hold out in the heavy rain. Monica could see as black ran down the white and red grease pain.
"If anything happens to my brother's child I will personally skin you and offer your face to the Dollmaker," Monica replied. She was defensive when it came to Kiri, she was the only thing she had left. She was currently waiting for a call from her men whom she had sent out to pick the pair up.
"So she was the cop's kid," the Joker replied, nodding his head in understanding.
Monica remained silent, glancing down at the ruins of the city that had once been brightly lit and alive.
"How'd you get out?" Monica questioned, noticing the bandages wrapped around his arms and chest. She could see the white material through his torn vest and dress shirt.
"I had to bribe the Dollmaker with some candy and guns," the clown replied, grinning at her. Monica rolled her eyes at him, she wasn't in the mood for his humor. Despite this, however, her worried eyes never left his bandages, she could see blood seeping through the material slowly.
"Let me see the mess that you made," she ordered, stretching out her hand for one of his. The Joker hesitated and placed his forearm in her small hand as she lifted the bandages slightly and grimaced. "You didn't even stitch these up properly."
"I had guns shooting at me, I couldn't tell them to wait while I tried to find a way around a needle," he replied, pulling his arm back at the mere thought of a needle. He bit the inside of his cheek nervously and recalled when he had had to sew up his trademark grin.
Before he could do anything else, however, the familiar flutter of a cape snapped him out of his thoughts. His grin grew wider as he realized what it meant. It only confirmed his suspicions, he had been more active ever since Monica had disappeared.
"Bats, how long has it been?" the Joker questioned, grabbing Monica harshly and pulling her to him. She winced underneath his grip and cried out when he twisted her arm back against him. She was about to protest and shout at him but stopped when she saw the infamous Batman land in front of them, shrouded by darkness.
Batman merely remained silent, his eyes burning holes into the madman who remained with Monica as his shield.
"Did he hurt you?" the caped crusader demanded, turning his blazing glare onto Monica who immediately shook her head and remained speechless. She had the feeling that if she hadn't been standing between the two men the Batman would be beating the clown to death for laying a hand on her.
"The scowl doesn't suit you," the clown commented, pointing at Batman's expression before Monica tried to get away from him. He twisted her arm more and glanced down when he noticed that he had opened a gash on the side of her waist with his rough handling. Her labored breathing kept him glancing back and forth between her and the Batman.
"Let her go," Batman demanded, taking a step forward as the Joker shook his finger at the dark knight.
"Lets not get carried away," the clown chuckled, pulling out a knife and clicking it open before he placed it over Monica's throat. She instantly squirmed and backed up into him in an attempt to get away from the blade.
"You fucking bastard," Monica hissed, he knew how she felt about blades near the gash that Harley had made on her throat.
"Does it bother you that much that she chose me over you?" the clown asked, making Monica and Batman both freeze in their place.
The biker threw the clown a warning glance, she had a feeling of where the conversation was going.
"What?" Batman snarled, his temper getting the best of him.
The Joker smirked, he had the dark knight right where he wanted him.
"First it was Rachel," the clown pointed out, "she chose Dent."
Batman was practically fuming as the clown leaned in to Monica. She shrugged him off, not wishing for his touch after the whole knife fiasco.
"And now, your bunny is leaving you once more for another criminal," the clown continued, his chocolate eyes mocking the Batman who stood a few feet away with his fists clenched tightly. Monica closed her eyes in regret, she hadn't wanted things to unravel themselves in that manner.
"Let her go, Joker," Batman growled, stepping forward once more as the madman grabbed Monica's forearm and dangled her over the edge of Ivy's roof. Monica looked down and pleaded with the clown when she saw the 50 story drop that awaited her. She clung to the clown's arm for dear life with both of her hands.
"Poor choice of words, Bats," the clown replied, letting Monica go as she reached for the rose bushes in a desperate attempt and left a bloody print on the white arches before going over the edge.
Time seemed to slow and her heart skipped a beat when she no longer felt firm ground beneath her feet and her body began to free fall.
The clown laughed as Batman rushed past him and practically threw himself after Monica. With the caped crusader gone he had the time to leave the scene without having to deal with him for the night.
As he left, Monica's panicked screams reached his ears and made him pause only once to glance back at the edge of the building and at her bloodied finger prints on the arches and thorns.
He turned away, knowing that Grumpy was already outside waiting for him in his Escalade. He would talk with the biker soon enough when the Bat wasn't around to interrupt him.
Batman merely concentrated on catching the biker before they both hit the ground.
"Bruce!" Monica cried out desperately, horror apparent in her voice as she reached for him with tears in her eyes. Her black hair whipped around her and her drenched clothing pulled her down faster as rain continued to pour down on them.
The moment he reached her secured an arm around her and reached for the grappling gun on his belt. Monica buried her face in his chest as he fired the gun at a nearby building and swung them safely onto a small garden a block away from Ivy's shop.
They landed harshly despite his attempts to ease the blow due to the speed at which they had been going and rolled on the wet grass for a few seconds before he stood and helped her up.
He could feel her heart pound against her chest as he pulled her close and shielded her shaking form the rain with his cape. He ushered her over to the Tumbler and helped her in before climbing in himself. She gingerly held her side which kept bleeding profusely all over his seat as he stepped on the gas and headed back to the underground cave beneath his mansion.
He would question her later on what the clown had said. He had a feeling that the madman had merely been pushing his buttons to see what he would do. She couldn't possibly be with him, could she?
With that thought in mind, her turned to look at her only to notice her body slump sideways as she fell unconscious.
He increased the speed of the Tumbler and prayed that the clown had been lying to him.
He didn't know what he would do to the madman if he had spoken the truth.
If anything, he would be willing to break his one rule to make the other man pay.
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