Title: I Love You…I'll Kill You
Fandom: The Dark Knight
Rating: M
Pairing: Joker/OC
Genre: Drama/Angst
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Joker or Batman.
A/N: This chapter's a little shorter than normal. Sorry about that. Enjoy!
Chapter Fifty-Four
The water level in the car was at her ankles right now. She could feel the cold water up against her exposed skin and wished that she was anywhere else other than here right now. Never in a million years did she expect to die this way. She knew that she would die and was fairly certain it would be at the hands of the Joker, but never imagined that he would be this cruel to her.
But he had been planning this for a long time and he was proud of it.
And now, she was going to die.
Bruce had found the Joker and his two goons with great ease, watching as they pushed a car into the water. Looking closely, he saw someone in the front seat and realized that it must be Lacy. He would have to work quickly to save her but first he needed to take care of the Joker.
"Well well well." The Joker said, trying to stall for time. The longer he talked with Bruce, the less chance he would have to save Lacy. "Look who it is. It's Gotham's favorite billionaire playboy turned vigilante."
"Your time is up now Joker." Bruce warned.
"I don't think so." The Joker smiled. "You're outnumbered and time is of the essence, especially if you wish to save Lacy." He glanced at the water. "Poor thing. She won't be able to last for very much longer."
"Who said I came here to save her?" Bruce asked, calling his bluff.
"Well I just naturally assumed that." The Joker chuckled.
Bruce just nodded his head. "And the way I see it, I'm not outnumbered."
The Joker turned around to see that Chip and Dale had both run off, leaving him alone. "Damn it. Good help is so hard to find. I guess I'll have to take care of this myself…"
Bruce used the distraction as a chance to catch the Joker off guard. He moved quickly to kick the Joker in the gut, causing the other man to double over in pain. A few more well-placed punches made the Joker fall to the ground. "Like I said before, your time is up. Now you're going to pay for everything you've done."
Lacy couldn't believe what was happening to her right now. The car was sinking farther and farther down into the water and so far the water level in the car was at her knees. It wouldn't take too much longer for the water level to rise.
But that wasn't her only concern right now. It felt like her heart rate was dropping because she was getting extremely tired. But she wasn't sure if her sleepiness was because of all the blood she lost earlier or if the Joker really had injected her with the two drugs that caused dangerous interactions. It could also be from the lack of good oxygen.
Either way, she was finding it harder and harder to keep going. She had to face the facts that she would be dead soon. No one was coming to save her. Although she had told Alfred that she knew Bruce wasn't going to come and try to save her, she still secretly wished that he would.
She wished that someone would care enough about her to not want to see her dead, but maybe that was too much to ask for after everything she had done—or not done. Maybe this was the way she was supposed to die, alone and scared.
If things had been different and she had met Bruce without the baggage of the Joker, she probably would have fallen in love with him. He was such a good guy and was the first person in such a long time to make her feel like she was actually important and worth something. In many ways, he was the main catalyst for her getting the courage to fight back against the Joker. Too bad she didn't do that sooner.
But things weren't different and there was no way for her to change the past or the future.
She had to realize that there would be no last minute reprieve from this for her. And maybe that was how it should be. Maybe at least this way she would be able to join her daughter in heaven, assuming she didn't get sent to hell.
Still, as much as she would love to be reunited with Alexis, she felt bad that she hadn't accomplished her goal to kill the Joker. She also never got a chance to apologize to Bruce for everything, although she realized he probably wouldn't have forgiven her anyway.
At least he should be able to find Alfred in time.
The water level was now up to her stomach. She took a deep breath and prepared to die.
The Joker had managed to get in a couple of good punches at Bruce, but soon found himself being held up against a light pole, with Bruce's hands around his neck.
"You know, I think we should be friends." The Joker managed to say in a choked voice. "We have a lot in common and not just Lacy. I think if you really got to know me you would like me. After all, I think we're kindred spirits."
Bruce just laughed. "I think you should shut up."
"You know, every minute that you stay here and fight me is another minute that Lacy travels closer and closer to death. Now I know you said you didn't come here to save her, but we both know you did." The Joker laughed. "If you don't hurry, your little buttercup will die and I'd hate to see that happen to you again. You know, first with Rachel and then Lacy…"
"Shut up!" Bruce yelled, punching the Joker in the face. "Don't you ever talk about Rachel!"
"Must have struck a nerve." The Joker chuckled softly.
Bruce realized that the Joker was right. He didn't have time to kill the Joker if he intended to try and save Lacy. He tightened the grip he had on the Joker's neck and then bashed his head into the pole a few times until the Joker lost consciousness. Looking around, he found some rope and quickly tied his enemy to the pole, making sure that there would be no way for him to escape.
He would deal with the Joker later, but now he had to get Lacy. He pulled out a rebreather from his utility belt so that he could breathe underwater and with no hesitation he jumped into the cold water, swimming down to the car. He had some trouble finding the car since it was so dark, but finally managed to locate it.
He pressed his face up against the window and saw a motionless Lacy sitting in the driver's seat. The whole car was full of water and he realized that every second mattered now since he had no idea how long she had been without oxygen.
The door was jammed and wouldn't open no matter how hard he pulled. He had to punch the window glass several times before it started to crack. Once it started to crack he was able to pull her out of car through the window.
With one arm securely placed around her waist he started to swim to the top. With the weight of his suit and Lacy, it became harder for him to swim back up to the top but he finally managed to break the surface. He carefully lifted her up and placed her on the docks before climbing up himself.
He checked for a pulse and to see if she was breathing. "Damn it." He whispered when he realized she wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse. He immediately started CPR. "Come on." He encouraged her in between breathes. "You can't give up. Don't let him win."
After doing CPR for a few minutes he stopped to check for a pulse and any indication she was breathing. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, unsure about what to do next.
