"Where is he?" Bruce demanded of Dr. Kapoor.
"Good evening, Bruce," Dr. Kapoor said. "Please sit-"
"I don't need to sit," Bruce said. "I know that you, Adriana and Lucius extracted him. The Joker. You removed him from where I had him held and I need to know where you took him and where he is now."
The doctor thought of Adriana's words earlier. He was told not to lie to Bruce but to maintain patient-physician privilege. All of the Joker's medical records had been destroyed as the doctor had promised and it seemed to have happened in the nick of time.
"We brought him here," the doctor answered. "He is no longer here."
"What happened? Is he dead?" Bruce asked.
"No," the doctor said.
"Here..." Bruce said. "Under my roof."
Bruce remembered the state that the Joker was in. If he had survived he would have required months of rehabilitation. Even after the most intensive care, he would likely end up a toothless cripple.
"How long was he here?" Bruce asked. "When was he removed?"
The doctor couldn't answer the questions about his patient. He wouldn't violate the privacy.
"Here.." Bruce said again. "Which means Adriana was coming to see him? Was she?"
"Yes," the doctor said. "She assisted in his treatment."
Bruce felt betrayed beyond all reason, and worst of all, he felt the side effect of the dozen bottles of potion he drank. Impulse.
"Tell me where he is now," Bruce said.
"I cannot do that," Dr. Kapoor said to Bruce.
"Leave," Bruce said. "And don't come back. "
Dr. Kapoor nodded.
"Immediately," Bruce said. "Leave all the records. Leave this building now."
Dr. Kapoor understood he was being fired. He picked up his jacket and left. Once Bruce heard the Dr. Kapoor was gone he raided the computer and files in his desk. Adriana's files, his file's Arsenio's...nothing about another patient at all. He then raided the rest of the medical facility looking for any clue, any indication of where to go next. He was close but he was angry. He could not believe Adriana had done this behind his back.
While tearing through a closet in the rec room he found something. A stack of papers...paintings. Dark and brooding artwork that was unsigned and not dated. And then he saw a board in the corner. He turned it around. A painting of Arsenio.
.
.
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Adriana tossed her jacket onto a chair when she got home. The penthouse was extremely quiet and felt empty. She sat on the couch, catching her breath when she heard it. The Joker's voice.
Immediately she sat up. She stood and walked slowly to the dining room.
"Then why do you dress up like him?" she heard the Joker's voice say and then heard high pitched laughter.
She walked through the doorway and saw Bruce sitting at the dining room table with a laptop in front of him. He knew she was there but he didn't look up.
"He's a symbol.." Adriana heard another man's voice say.
Bruce was watching a video of a man who had been abducted and killed by the Joker a couple of years ago. Adriana watched Bruce staring at the screen. He still didn't look up at her.
"Bruce..." she said in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper.
He didn't move his eyes away from the screen. He simply raised one finger to silence her.
"Look at me!" she heard the Joker's voice growl from the laptop's speakers.
Bruce let the rest of the video play. The Joker's threat to kill if the Batman didn't reveal himself. The video concluded with wicked laughter and then Bruce clicked the pause button. He turned the computer so that the screen was facing her. The Joker's face mid laugh.
"Bruce.." Adriana took a few steps forward and then stopped. "Why are you watching that?"
The chair across from Bruce had a large painted board on the seat, held up by the back of the seat and the table. Adriana looked at the painting of Arsenio. Bruce looked into Adriana's eyes.
"Sit," he ordered.
Adriana hesitantly pulled out a chair and sat.
"You spoke to Dr. Kapoor," she said.
Bruce said nothing. She looked at the empty scotch glass next to his wrist.
"Bruce...say something," Adriana said.
"I'm only going to ask you this one time," Bruce said.
"I can't tell you where he is , Bruce-" Adriana started to say but her words were cut short as she watched him fling the glass.
It flew as fast as a bullet and crashed into the ornate round mirror on the wall. The glass of both shattered and fell down onto the floor.
"I'm sorry that I lied," she said. "I...just needed to help him. You almost killed him Bruce-"
In an even swifter movement, Bruce flung the laptop at the mirror on the opposite side of the table. The device missed her head by only a few inches. She felt frozen in place.
"This painting," Bruce said, so angry his hand trembled as he pointed. "Is recent."
Adriana glanced at it.
"Not only have you lied," he said. "Not only have you been keeping a monster right under my nose. Not only have you been seeing that man for months...that wasn't bad enough-"
"Bruce-" Adriana tried to talk but his voice erupted loud enough to silence her.
"You put my child in danger!" he shouted.
"He was never in danger-" Adriana tried to explain. "He would never hurt Arsenio-"
Bruce was thinking of the death that needed to happen. Arsenio could have been killed at any time. The Joker was responsible for other children's deaths. He had no sympathy for children. Bruce's blood was boiling.
"You could have killed my son," Bruce said to her.
"Our son is fine," Adriana said. "I would never put him in any danger Bruce-"
"Why would you do something like this?!" Bruce's voice maintained it's volume.
"He's..." Adriana started to answer and then stopped.
"He's what?" Bruce asked.
When she didn't answer, Bruce stood up and flung his chair aside and with the strength in only one of his arms, practically lifted and turned the chair she was in away from the table. She felt her heart jump in her chest as her chair hit the floor and Bruce's hands were on the arm rests, his face close to hers.
"He's what?" he demanded again.
"He's..." Adriana said, now feeling afraid. She knew that Bruce wouldn't hurt her..she was sure. But something in his demeanor was different. He was acting crazy and out of character. Suddenly she wasn't so sure if she was safe.
"He's what!?" Bruce voice was so loud Adriana felt her eardrums vibrate in her skull.
"He's...his father," she said and looked down.
Adriana could tell Bruce wasn't expecting her to say that. She clung to the seat with her fingers, afraid he would throw her, chair and all.
"I," Bruce breathed on her face. "I am his father. I am his protector. And clearly. I am the only one who can keep him safe here."
Adriana frowned.
"Bruce, I kept him safe," Adriana said.
"Were we not listening to the same video Adriana? Have you forgotten what that beast is capable of? And you put my child in his presence?!" Bruce said and Adriana tried to stand up but he stopped her.
"I'm sorry," she said, feeling on the verge of tears. "But Bruce, I'm his protector too and I love him. And I wouldn't put him in harm's way for a second-"
"Any sane person on this planet would disagree," Bruce said. "What you've done is unforgiveable."
"Move," she said and stood up and pushed past him. "This..discussion is over."
Bruce said nothing as she stepped over the broken glass beside him.
"Where's Arsenio?" she asked, realizing the Bruce wouldn't be able to shout this loud and break glasses without anyone coming in if there were other people in the house.
"Not here," Bruce told her.
"Where?" Adriana asked, suddenly beginning to panic. "Answer me."
"He's safe," Bruce said. "And he will be safe until this is resolved. If you want this to end sooner rather than later you will just tell me where the Joker is."
"No," Adriana said. "Where's my son?"
Bruce didn't answer.
"Bruce?!" Adriana asked, feeling her own voice rising. "You can't do this! You can't keep my child away from me-"
"It's in his best interest," Bruce told her.
"Why are you doing this? You're...acting insane Bruce-" she said.
"Insane?!" Bruce said. "You don't think a man that strings up bodies from buildings is insane but I'm insane for keeping my one year old child away from him?"
"You can't just take my son away," she said. "He's mine!"
"I can and I have," Bruce said. "I'm doing what need to be done."
"This...this is crossing the line," she said. "This is over. We're over. Tell me where my son is-"
Bruce felt the potion surging in his veins. He didn't care what he said, he knew that he was right. The words flew out of his mouth.
"Over?" Bruce asked. "And what do you think will happen? Who will get custody of Arsenio?"
"I'm his mother-" Adriana said but Bruce cut her off.
"Mother? Some mother you've turned out to be," Bruce said, the words hurting him as he said it but he couldn't control himself. "Who do you think a judge will see as a fit parent? A successful businessman with his child's best interest at heart? Or a woman who's been recorded on camera destroying small businesses in a fit of rage? A woman that's spent most of her life in and out of mental institutions and on and off over 50 psychiatric prescription medications?"
Adriana felt gutted and wordless. When she destroyed Twyla's shop she was behaving out of character because of overuse of Twyla's potions.
"And you'd rather let a madman live," he went on. "Than be reunited with our son. I don't know which one is worse."
She remained quiet. She had never heard such hurtful words.
"If we do end this," Bruce said. "Obviously, I will have full custody. But I will ensure that my son has a great life and that he is protected."
"How can you do this to me?" Adriana began to weep.
"How can I? How could you?" Bruce raised his voice again. "If you had any idea the amount of risk you-"
Bruce was so angry he could barely catch his breath.
"You put our son's life in jeopardy!" he shouted. "I'm tempted to throw you out into the street, Adriana!"
Adriana stood up.
"I'll save you the trouble," she said and glared at him. "I hate you."
.
.
.
Adriana grabbed her coat by the front door and pressed the elevator button dozens of times in a row. Her eyes were filled with tears. By the time she left the building and got into her car she broke down. She cried her heart out. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know how to find Arsenio. She didn't know where to go.
Her phone began to vibrate in her pocket and she ignored it for a few moments. She pulled it out, barely able to see the screen. After wiping her eyes, she saw that it was Alfred.
"Hello?" she said after answering the phone, unable to hide the sound of crying in her voice.
"Adriana," Alfred said. "I imagine you are very upset right now. Bruce let me know what happened earlier this evening."
"He told you what I did?" Adriana asked and wiped her nose.
"Yes," Alfred said.
Adriana was quiet. She felt ashamed, angry and sad.
"All that aside," Alfred said. "Bruce asked me to take Arsenio and ordered me to keep him from you. He doesn't want me to tell you where we are."
"Oh.." Adriana said weakly.
"Which of course is absurd," Alfred told her. "I will not keep your son from you. You are his mother after all and although Bruce may not be able to see it right now, I'm certain you would not do anything to endanger Arsenio or risk his wellbeing. That being said, we are at the Plaza Hotel."
"Oh..Alfred," Adriana felt her body relax. "Thank...thank you."
"Of course," Alfred said.
"I'll come right over," she told him.
After hanging up the phone Adriana started the car and left the parking garage. Her entire mood felt different now that she knew where her son was. She could breathe.
As she drove, she thought of Bruce and if all of the heated words they said were really meant. She loved him, and she knew that he wanted to protect Arsenio, but his ballistic behavior and cruel words hurt more than she had ever imagined. In time, maybe they would forgive each other, but for now, she felt anger.
She reached up to wipe her eyes again when she heard a siren. She was being pulled over. In an effort to get the interaction with the police over with as soon as possible, she turned into the first small alley and pulled in just enough for the two vehicles to fit since there was no available space along the main street to pull over.
Her license and registration were in her hand before the officer came up to the window. He was wearing large, dark sunglasses even though it wasn't sunny at all. A typical dreary Gotham evening.
"Hi, officer," Adriana said and handed him the documents immediately. "Was I..swerving or something?"
The cop didn't answer and simply looked down at her papers and then handed them back.
"Adriana Wayne?" he asked after she sat them on the passenger seat.
"Yes," she said.
"Ma'am would you please step out of the car?" he asked.
"Oh..sure..." she said. "Could you tell me what's wrong?"
"Out of the vehicle ma'am," he repeated in a more serious tone.
"Okay then," Adriana said and got out of the car.
The slight dizziness and racing heart hit her as the cop told her to turn around.
"Place your hands on the car," he ordered.
"Am I under arrest?" she wanted to know.
"Now, ma'am," he said firmly and began to move her arms.
Before she knew it, he had her handcuffed.
"What is going on?" she asked as he led her back to his car.
She saw a second man in a ski mask getting out of the white car and walking up her her parked vehicle. The car was just a white car with dark tinted widows. They weren't cops.
"Don't do anything stupid," the man behind her said and she could feel the barrel of a gun in her back. "Get in."
She watched the other man drive off in her car. Fighting handcuffed against a man with a gun against her back was more risk than she could take. She could attempt to run, but he pressed the gun even more firmly into her back.
"Now," he ordered and the door opened.
There was someone else with a gun in the back seat. He was wearing a ski mask. They shuffled her into the car and as soon as she was in the man in the back seat put a bag over her head. She couldn't see anything as the car drove off.