XV.

Accommodating her blushing reddish hair, Grace looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and melancholy covered her face. Once she adjusted her bra and put on her cream blouse, she put her hands on her belly, rubbing them gently against her skin. Her head began to work quickly and thinking about everything that had just happened these days. A guilt invaded her, Mrs. Fleck's death was recent and she and Arthur acted as if they hadn't mattered and the fact of not saying about her pregnancy was beginning to worry her. Grace took a seat in the toilet, closed her eyes and let the guilt continue to act.

While the redhead was still in the bathroom, Arthur had finished the touches of his makeup; the white face and the red smile were accompanied by a reddish nose tip, small eyebrows of the same color and blue triangles above and below his eyes. Everything looked perfect. That was his true being. He got up from the chair and went in search of his revolver, it could not miss his great moment. Already with the weapon in hand, Arthur verified that it was loaded and confirming that fact, he returned to the room and hid his friend to avoid any interrogation by the redhead.

Grace had her hands on her face, rubbed them hard and let out a gasp. She finished dressing and decided to arm herself with courage and talk once and for all with Arthur. The redhead opened the door, went to the room and found Arthur well-dressed and with his faithful cigar in hand. He smiled when he saw she and the redhead responded in the same way, leaned on the door frame and, without erasing their smiles, Grace began to look for the right words to release the great news.

"You look beautiful," he confessed. "More than usual."

"Thank you ..." she said surprised. "I see you finished, you ..." She lifted one of her hands and with a twist close to her face, toward the reference to his face paint. "You like it?" He asked amusedly.

"It looks ... Looks good. It's very different from what you used to wear ..." Grace stopped and a nervous giggle appeared. "I don't know if I explain myself."

"Yes," he said as he brought his cigar to his mouth.

Grace noticed he had put a gold vest on and a coat, which completed his suit, lay on the chair. Nerves invaded the redhead and while her head looked for the best way to say everything, there was something that prevented it. She took a deep breath, let out the air and said the first thing that came to her mind:

"Arthur, do you want me to accompany you to the show?" Grace asked, still nervous. He removed the cigar from his mouth and looked at her. "To cheer you."

"No," he replied suddenly and she was surprised. "I want you to see me on TV and I want you to never forget that moment, Grace." A slight shiver ran through her body. "But...?" The redhead stopped and shook her head, analyzing what he had said. "You don't want me by your side?"

He got up, approached her and took her in his arms. Both swayed lightly and Arthur smiled.

"I always want you to be with me, but today, today is something I should do alone." The redhead knit her brows. "Alone? What you mean about alone?" He smiled and kissed her. "Go home. Today will be a very hectic night."

Grace blinked in bewilderment, emotions sprouted in her and she looked at Arthur with a crystalline look.

"Arthur," she called sadly, hugged him and laid her head on his chest. "Please take care. Things is getting crazy out there, everyone has gone crazy and ..."

"Grace, we all go crazy at some point," he said and she raised her head to look at him. A severe face was her answer. "We all lose our mind at some point. You don't have to worry."

"What do you mean? Why shouldn't I worry? She asked scared and he didn't answer anymore. "Arthur?"

He took Grace's chin and stared at her. The fear she radiated was easy to feel and his was not moved by it. He joined his lips one last time, passionately kissed the redhead and she fell for to that kiss of peculiar sensations. Grace dropped a few tears on that the kiss continued; her love and concern arose and she clung to Arthur's arms, hopeful that all this strange moment and behavior would end.

The two separated, the tears could no longer stop and Arthur wiped them with his thumbs.

"Put a smile on your face. Seeing you like this makes me sad." Grace lowered her gaze, lightly squeezed his arms and then released him. She raised her head and, still with tears running down her cheeks, showed her best smile. "I like that."

"I'll see you on TV," she said as goodbye.

The redhead turned around and went for her bag to leave the apartment. At no time did Arthur take his eyes off her and when he saw her leave the place, he went to put his coat on to go to Murray Franklin's show.

The liberation he felt was indescribable, his new happiness was represented in a fantastic dance. That new being had the luxury of enjoying what was happening, and next to the rays of the sunset and an exquisite cigar, his dance and descent on those stairs began all that madness that he carried within him.

Detectives Burke and Garrity tried on arresting Arthur Fleck for the sudden death of his mother. They arrived at the apartment and their welcome was an open door.

"Fleck!" They shouted, there was no answer.

The two entered and discovered the empty site. Burke saw a large stain of blood on the wall and they both prepared to examine the apartment. While Garrity searched the room, discovering the unattended bed, Burke entered the kitchen and examined the knives, searching for clues. And while analyzing there was something that caught his attention, something from the refrigerator. He approached the device and watched as a crimson thread slipped from the door. He put on a glove and opened the refrigerator, discovering Randall's body bathed in blood.

"Shit!" He scream. Garrity approached and with horror and disgust he saw the body. "We got it."

"Here Burke!" He called on his radio. "We have a body at the Fleck residence. We will go behind the suspect."

Garrity and Burke left the apartment and ran in search of Arthur Fleck.

On the street, both they looked everywhere when someone very peculiar caught their attention. They went to the famous steps and watched Arthur Fleck, dancing with emotion on those steps.

"Fleck!" They shouted.

He stopped and turned to look at the detectives. He dropped his cigar and began a scandalous chase.

The cold air pounded on Fleck's cheeks, he looked behind his back and saw them hard on the heels. He took out his friend and fired in the air, mortifying the people around and the detectives themselves. Arthur took advantage and came to the avenue, where a taxi ran over him, and unfazed by the blow he rose and continued on his way to the subway station.

Protestants were on the rise and Arthur camouflaged among them, yet the detectives were behind him. Proudly he seeing the people who had gathered under his clown façade. Arthur stole a mask, put it on and continued on his way away from those subjects. The people around noticed the presence of detectives, began to insult and humiliate them for being part of the law. They, fed up with the aggressive and vandalism behavior of the people, raised their weapons and threatened them but there were no reactions to their words.

People pounced on them and Arthur watched in wonder what was happening. One of the Protestants took the weapon of the detectives and without noticing it shot itself. People thought that the law had acted and they all threw themselves against them. The subway doors opened and the detectives, desperate to flee, fell out of the subway with all the people, who didn't let them even breathe.

The laughter that Arthur wore was enormous, he took off his mask and with a happy dance he said goodbye forever to those bastards. He let people do the rest and with immense pride and cynical satisfaction, Arthur took out a cigar watching the rest of the policemen enter the station, he continued on his way to his destination.

Grace came home, the road was long in search of trails where she avoided all Protestants. She put the lock on her door and, feeling slight disgust, began to prepare for the Murray show. She turned on the television and thinking about the words Arthur had mentioned, about not forgetting that moment, she decided to record the program that night. The redhead enlisted her VCR and found an unused VHS, ready to record the show.

The disgust had intensified, Grace decided to go to her bathroom to vomit and while doing so, the news remained on the television.

"A tragic event has emerged a few moments ago at the subway station, two detective were attacked by several of the protesters, who will protest in the central square of the Gotham city. Both detective have been reported in serious conditions ..."

Grace left the bathroom and watched the news. She carried one of her hands on her face and watched in horror as they took the detectives on the stretchers, distinguishing one of them. They were what they had gone to Arthur's house.

"My God!" She exclaimed terrified.

She sat down in her armchair and terrified she noticed how the protesters attacked the reporters and cameramen. People had reached the maximum limits, all acted with violence, all had been influenced by that clown and the terror invaded Grace. The city had begun to burn.

She took the remote control and changed the channel, however, the news was the same. Violence and clowns were the protagonists. Grace turned off the television and hugged herself, her nerves had consumed her and the panic over what was happening sheltered her. Gotham City had succumbed to madness, chaos and anarchy that for a long time people wanted to ignore.

Tears once again traveled the soft cheeks of the redhead, prayed that everything get controlled, not to get more awful and prayed that Arthur will not face these problems of the city, without imagining that he had been responsible for all this.

And while the streets spread gunpowder to light the dynamite, Arthur was amazed at its creation. People carrying his image with the hatred and anger that he always carried with him and the words of rage towards the insensitive Thomas Wayne made his laugh was loud. It was the best and most honest he had ever done in his life. He looked around and people applauded at that flashy laugh that flooded the streets, raised his hands and thanked for the noble ovation. The public did not stop exclaiming in joy as several civilians ran to hide from the horrific event that had begun. Saying goodbye with a bow, Arthur turned around and continued on his way to the Murray show, knowing that he had finished succumbing to his madness and all thanks to the best action he had done in his entire life. Doing justice by his own hand.

A/N:

Thanks so much for reading. I will be deeply grateful with any comments, constructive criticism, opinions and / or suggestions :3