AN: It's the end of the line here folks but…is it really now? Like I stated in the last chapter, there will be a sequel.

This chapter is very short

Chapter 12: Starting Over

On May 22nd, Gotham mourned. Mourned for the billionaire that bought excitement to their lives. They mourned the man that did his best to protect Gotham.

While the city shrouded itself in darkness, there were always darker times.

Joker was at a loss, staring down the once vibrant woman who now just laid there, rocking herself next to him.

He laid his hand upon her neck, and she froze, more of those heartbreaking sobs pouring out of her chest. He almost regretted killing Batman so early.

The swift death he'd been given wasn't mercy at all. He wanted Batman to know that his life spiraled out of control because of him, 20 something years ago.

Joker truly was the reason Bruce Wayne and Batman were the way they were. He wanted him to know that. That look of shock didn't fade from his eyes as his life did.

It satisfied that need to avenge.

He even hadn't been out in weeks, Bella's stability concerning him even more as the days went past. He tried to comfort her, but she'd push away or cry.

All she did now was cry. He forced her to eat no matter how many times she slapped it away or hit him in the process. It was the only thing physically keeping her alive. In the shower sometimes she'd let him hold her, and for those times Joker never did ask for anything more. He knew he would lose the last thing that held him grounded.

Sometimes she said she hated him, and he'd just nod because it was the truth. He promised her safety and he broke that promise. He knew however that he could never and would never allow something like this to happen again. Joker would one day be dead to Gotham and it would be sooner rather than later.

Bella stayed in the room she had made for the baby for days, just laying there, holding some of the toys Joker had gotten, silently crying. He'd had been in and out for the last few days, handling business so that he could start over. So that she could start over. He planned to move them from Gotham altogether. His wife needed some sun.

He hated leaving her alone, but he was determined to fix her. Fix this horrible mess. He'd gathered up all of her documentation, changing her name to Marie Napier. He was easily able to get documentation on credit scores, doctor-up documents that would allow him to legally live in the new state they would be moving to. California.

It was a big place, and plenty of room to move around to do as he pleased. It got a fair amount of different weather, and he thought it would be suitable. He had the money to buy a home and operation in the same unit and had already filled out the necessary paperwork.

As Joker promised, he let Santiago go. After killing Batman, he let the men that worked for him go as well, and so for the last month, the two were trying their best to get over this obstacle.

Joker parked out back, sighing heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He grabbed the fresh flowers, looking at the time. He knew that Bella was probably asleep, something that only seemed to occur more often than not. She slept all day, and stayed up all night, staring off into space. He looked out of the window, the last year and a half flashing before his eyes.

A certain fondness rested within him at the thought of Bella. She was beautiful then, and was still beautiful now, in a sad way, but beautiful, nonetheless. She was still his Cinderella, the woman that had some fire, the woman that had some guts. He just needed to find that fire again, find that light that no longer shined.

Bella let the tub fill, lowering herself into the lukewarm water. She held her knees to her chest, letting the bubbles rise. Her eyes caught the blue roses that sat on the counter, a small smile playing on her lips.

Even as she sat there now, she'd only change one thing since meeting Joker, and that would have been staying in bed that morning. It was difficult for her to tell how hard it was hitting him, his main concern being her these past two months. She knew he wasn't sleeping at all, and if so, it was only a few hours.

Sometimes she'd wake up to have him laying with his head in her lap, just staring at the wall. She never said anything, nor moved, but she just watched him. He'd sigh. A sigh that made tears well up in her eyes. He'd look at her defeatedly yet determined, and sometimes she felt like another person when she lashed out at him, watching outside of her body.

'Bless him' she always thought as he'd take whatever she dished out his way. She told him that she hated him, that she wished she never met him, and he'd stand there looking just as defeated as she felt. He never said anything in return, and sometimes Bella wished he would. She wished he'd yell at her, hate her even, and yet, he never did.

Sometimes she'd hit him, knowing after the fact that she was pushing some serious buttons, but like her, he too lost some of that fight when it came to her. Bella sometimes felt as if he weren't that affected, though some part of her knew that was just wrong.

She sometimes thought he'd given up. He left a lot, and didn't tell her where he'd go, granted, she never asked, and she was sleeping most of the time. He always brought her flowers though. No matter what. It kept her from going over the deep end.

Bella turned off the water, just sitting there. She knew that she couldn't stay like this forever and that she had to try. She at least had to try. Her mind replayed every little thing from the moment she was snagged off the street.

He still made her heart flutter, and even if she didn't show it, her love didn't die.

She washed, feeling more determined to pick up the broken pieces. She vowed to herself that she'd never forget the creation they made, or what could have been. She was wallowing away, and she didn't want to.

She'd continue on every day because that is what her father would want. That's what her unborn would want. She'd always carry them in her heart.

She got out of the bath feeling a new sense of weight had been lifted. She drained the tub, going over to the counter, grabbing some pain pills. She turned on the faucet water, and took her water cup, filling it. She popped two in her mouth and gulped down the water.

She moved to the side, picking up the bottle so that she could screw the top on. She gasped as she stubbed her toe, slipping on the tile, the pills flying everywhere, her hands too slippery to grasp onto anything. She closed her eyes knowing that this particular fall was going to be nasty.

Her head hit the tile with a hard smack.

Blood pooled around her head in a small puddle

Bella opened her eyes to see a blurry figure standing over her. "Bells…" Her name echoed in a soft tone, and she blinked a few times. Her eyes widened, and she was pulled to her feet. She wrapped her arms around her father tightly. "Daddy…" She whispered tearfully.

Charlie cradled Bella in his arms, and she looked around as she pulled away. She looked down at herself to see she was wearing a white gown. "Am I dead?" She asked, looking into his brown eyes. Charlie chuckled, his mustache twitching.

"Not yet…you're in between consciousness right now….you know baby, as happy as I am to see you, you shouldn't be here,"

Bella frowned, looking around as she realized that they were in their old home. Charlie sat down on the step, patting the spot beside him. "I want to be…" She whispered. "I miss you," She sat down next to him, grabbing his hand. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "I know you do. So you're married…" Bella looked down. "Aren't you ashamed? Look what I made of my life,"

Charlie tilted her head up, turning her head so she could face him. "Not at all. You did what you did to survive. Is he my first choice? Of course not, but you're happy. You still are in spite of everything that has happened to you. You found love in an unfair world. That's all I ever wanted for you…"

Bella cried into his chest, and Charlie rocked her, gently shushing her. "None of that now. You have nothing to be guilty of. None of that was your fault. Shhh now…you will never ever be alone, I promise you that. You're a strong woman Bella. I couldn't be more proud of you…"

Bella lifted her head, wiping under her eyes. "Really?" She whispered. Charlie kissed her forehead, nodding. "Really. I meant what I said, you don't belong here. It's not your time. You need to go home now…"

Bella swallowed, shaking her head. "I…just got here! No…" She wrapped her arms around him tightly, and Charlie smiled down at her. "Yes…it's time to go home…look around,"

Bella lifted her head to see that they were outside, and the sky was a dark gray. Her white gown was fading into black. "But…" She started, and Charlie shushed her. "You're dying…you need to go home," He gently reminded, pressing his hand to her heart.

"I will always be here. Your baby will always be here. We will wait for you here when the time comes, but today Isabella Marie Swan is not your day. Not tomorrow or the day after that. It will take time, and you will hurt, but there are good times ahead. Home Bella…you need to go now and I don't mean that place…."

He waved his hand, and on the ground was a puddle that reflected what was going on in real-time. "He is home…" Joker had walked inside after sitting in his car for a second. He heard the water going in the sink and stepped in a puddle of water. The sink had overflowed, and Joker had barged his way in.

He was currently performing CPR, and Bella watched from above as he ran his hands through his hair. She could see that he was trying to remain calm, but she could see it all over his face. It was the first time he ever looked terrified.

He cradled her body to his chest, whispering something. "What's he saying?" She asked curiously, too focused to move. "You'll have to go down and listen…" Charlie murmured. Bella glanced over at him, gripping his hand. "I love you. Both of you…" Charlie just mouthed, "We know…"

Charlie laid a hand to her back, nudging her closer. "Hurry now…" He urged, watching as she jumped into the puddle.

Bella's eyes snapped open, and she sucked in a small breath. "Come back to me. I love you…" She could hear it as the words slipped from his mouth. She closed her eyes, feeling this sense of peace travel over her. "Love will get you killed Joker. Why would want to do such a thing?" She rasped, blinking her eyes back open to look at him.

Joker looked down at her, remembering that those were the exact words he'd said to her when she told him she loved him for the very first time. "I can't help myself," He responded, gently pulling her up, holding her head.

Bella winced, reaching to lay her hand on top of his. "What the hell were you thinking? I know things haven't been right, but I'm trying to fix this…" She could see that he was truly upset, even somewhat mad. She wondered what he meant, and then she remembered that the pill bottle was open.

She shook her head, and Joker gave her a look, "Stop shaking your head! You almost cracked your skull open!" He snapped. He helped her up, and she clung to his body. "I didn't take any but two…I slipped and everything went flying….honest. I'd never…" She trailed off as he gently set her on the bed, crouching in front of her.

He took off his shirt, balling it up and putting it to the wound. She closed her eyes with a sigh. "I'm sorry…" She whispered, meeting his eyes. He'd stop wearing his makeup altogether, but his hair was still green with hints of brown at his roots.

"I know I've been checked out…but there's nothing to fix. What happened…was horrible, and I'll never forget it, but it happened, and all we can do is start over. I want to start over…I need you…" She whispered, raising her hand to his face.

Joker stared into her eyes for a long while, looking for something that Bella would never understand. Just like always, his kiss made her go weak, and she only pulled him closer as he pulled away. "As tempting as you are, you are in no condition for sex,"

Bella just grinned, and Joker moved the shirt away, seeing that most of the blood had stopped, and even some of the swelling. He took a look at her head to see that the wound wasn't as bad, but it was damaging enough to cut off oxygen to her brain.

"How do you feel?" He asked after a second, going to grab the first aid kit. "I feel okay. I'm not tired,"

Joker came back and sat on the side of the bed.

"Be still," He warned, and went about stitching the gash up. As he worked, he could see the difference within her. She told him about how she saw her father, and how they spoke, and what she saw.

Joker thought she hallucinated the ordeal, but he wouldn't tell her that. He was silent as she finished her story, and he wiped away the few tears that slipped down her face.

She snuggled up against him, and Joker wrapped his arms around her.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I think it's best we get the rest of this blood from your hair," He murmured, looking down at his bloody hands.

He helped her back into the bathroom, sidestepping the mess on the floor. He washed the blood from her hair in the sink, gently pulling her up to dry her hair. He braced her against him as she stumbled a bit. "Sleep, but only for an hour," Bella just nodded.

"Doctor's orders?" She asked with a smile. Her brows lowered as he just stared at her. "What?" She asked. Joker caressed her face, "Haven't seen you smile in a while," Bella frowned, leaning into his hand. "I'm sorry…I haven't taken into consideration how you'd feel. How you're dealing with all this. I've been selfish,"

Joker lifted her at the waist, and she wrapped her legs around him, her arms going around his neck. "My main concern has been you. I've done everything I've done for you. We might've lost our child, but I won't lose you,"

He brushed her wet hair from her face, and this would always be the one thing that Bella would never truly grasp. When it came to her, she was his weakness and his strength. When he moved, he thought about her and made his decisions accordingly.

Neither of them were the same people they were a year ago. They'd lost a lot but had each other.

One week after Bruce Wayne's funeral, an abandoned hospital went up in flames. Isabella Marie Swan was presumed dead, an unknown male as well. Gathering what officers had from the Batcave, they learned that she had been with the Joker for a little over a year, and figured the unknown male was Joker.

For Gotham, the rein of onslaught terror was over, but for California? It was just about to begin.

The Dark Prince and his Cinderella were in for one hell of a ride.

AN: So, this is the end! Be on the lookout for the sequel! Coming soon!