As promised, the second part of our two-fer-one special.
Enjoy!
P.S. By the way, cookie for anyone that spots the references I put in
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Things were not going according to plan.
Crane ducked under a table, using it as a shield against the cascade of boiling hot coffee hurtling towards him by the madman dressed like a brown Kool-aid man.
He looked towards Becky as he continued to crawl, rolling as he dodged another blast of boiling water.
"Is this normally how first dates with you usually go, or am I just special?" Becky asked sarcastically, ducking again as another blast of boiling water sailed her way.
Crane shrugged, shaking his head with bemusement. "No clue. I've never actually gotten this far."
She was just about to reply when a jet of boiling water interrupted her, forcing her to dodge as the angry, brown drink mascot stomped closer to them.
"NO ONE MAKES FUN OF THE CAPPUCHINO-KING!" Coffee-man roared, his steaming hot blasts of water and cocoa barely missing the couple as they scrambled towards another upturned table, the exit sitting tantalizingly out of reach.
The lumbering madman stomped towards them, smashing another table to bits as he stumbled forward, turning his back on the cowering customers and staff of the small restaurant.
Seizing her chance, Becky darted out into the open, just barely evading a blast as she closed in on the unguarded hostages.
"Becky, get back here! Now's not the time to be a hero!" Crane cried, lunging after her, his eyes wide with fear as he noticed how close the madman was to grabbing her.
Without thinking, he grabbed onto the nozzle of the water pistol, letting out a scream of pain as he jerked it away from her direction with his bare hands, sending the man careening off course and into the wall near the crowd, jolting them out of their cowed stupor and onto their feet in a stampede out of the shop, leaving only the three criminals remaining.
Not having to hold back in order to uphold her disguise, Becky quickly made short work of the man, ignoring him as she ran towards Jonathan, who was clutching his burned hand with a grimace.
"Are you okay?" she asked quietly, trying to see the burn, much to her date's chagrin.
"I'm fine," Crane snapped quickly, jerking his hand away as he pulled a strip of cloth from his pocket, wrapping it gingerly around his injured palm and fingers. "What about you?"
She shook her head, smiling reassuringly at him. "I'm okay. Luckily, Captain Coffee over here was too distracted to get a good shot. Hopefully, he'll still be out after the cops get here. Speaking of which…"
Jonathan smirked as she reached out a hand to help him up, taking it with his good hand as he pulled himself to his feet. "Yes, we should get out of here. I still have a few more exciting surprises in store for you, my dear, and I wouldn't want some pesky investigation taking up our precious time."
Becky laughed, her eyebrows raised with incredibility. "Even more exciting than this? Well, gee, if I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were trying to challenge me," she teased, poking a finger into his chest.
"Is it working?" he flirted back, an impish grin on his face.
"You can bet your sweet burlap it is," she replied, her eyes dancing with amusement. She opened the exit, looking towards him with an inviting twinkle in her eyes.
With a grin and a playful ruffle of her hair, he led the way.
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Deadshot let out a small smile as he saw the looming skyscrapers of Gotham City coming towards him.
"Hello, old friend. It's been quite a while since we saw each other last, hasn't it?" he whispered, watching as the skyline started to recede as the tall buildings got closer and closer. He was currently sitting in a subway car, his sniper rifle bag safely tucked away under the bench beside him.
It's almost a joke how crappy Gotham's security is, he thought with a laugh. You would almost think they were inviting crime into the area.
Shaking his head at his private joke, he took out the piece of paper out of his pocket, reading over the list again, double checking that he had everything correct.
The hits were not all that special, just a few minor celebrities and lower-end government employees. It was certainly not anything that would be worth the half a million that he was going to receive.
Not that he was complaining, of course. A good mercenary was one that didn't look gift horses in the mouth.
With a shrug, he pocketed the paper, his foot hooking onto the strap of his bag holding his guns as the train approached its stop.
It didn't matter. Once he was done, he would be back home, and seeing his daughter again.
That was all that mattered to him at the end of the day.
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"In hindsight, I think that roller rink was a bad idea," Becky mumbled as she held her aching head as they exited the roller alley.
Crane shrugged, his mouth smirking with amusement. "Well, you always said you wanted to try it out ever since you were a little girl. It makes sense that you're not going to be perfect on your first try."
"I know," she sighed, a small smile gracing her lips. "Still, I thought I would last longer than a couple of seconds each time. Everybody else makes it seem so simple."
This time, Crane started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" she huffed.
"Becky," he replied, his laugh dying down to chuckles. "You're comparing yourself to people who have had two working feet for their entire lives. You have only started to walk without assistance for almost a week. I find it remarkable that you lasted as long as you did back there."
Thinking about this, she started to chuckle, too. "Well, when you put it like that, I guess it is pretty stupid of me to compare myself when I'm only just started," she replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. With a yawn, she stretched her arm out towards the sky, before withdrawing it back to her side. "So, we've been to the Downtown Coffee, the park, the library, the movies, and the roller rink. What's next for the day?"
"Hmm," he muttered, tapping his finger on his chin, before he smiled. "Well, there is one last thing."
"What is it?"
He gestured for her to come closer, then he leaned over, his mouth right next to her ear. "It's a surprise. So, I'm not telling."
With a huff, Becky punched him playfully in the side. "You little stinker! You're starting to get as bad as Nigma about this."
He laughed, shoving her back a bit in retaliation. "Oh, my dear, plucky girl, you don't even know the depth of Edward's annoyance. Go back ten years and see him while he and Two-Face were trying to make a name for themselves and then we'll talk," he replied, shaking his head in amusement.
"That bad, huh?" she asked, giving him a disbelieving look.
"Let me put it this way," he said, steepling his finger together. "Imagine Tetch at his most manic, then add obnoxious puns, riddles, and a flashy spandex costume that could blind Mr. Freeze, and you've basically got younger Nigma in a nutshell."
"Yikes!" she cried, "That hurts just to think about."
He grinned. "Well, you won't have to think about it for too much longer, because we are at your surprise."
She looked up, the looming sign of the Iceberg Lounge flashing up at her in greeting.
"Wait, I thought the Lounge wasn't open until 10? It's only 8:30. What are we doing here so early?" she asked, brows raised in confusion.
"Well, technically, that part of the lounge doesn't open until ten. The official lounge, however, the part that actually makes the most money for old Penguin, is actually open until 9:30. "
"You didn't answer the question, straw man," she replied snarkily. "What are we doing here so early?"
"Well, my patchwork sorceress," he quipped back, taking her hand as they entered the Lounge. "Right now, I am treating you to dinner."
She grinned. "Aw, thank you," she replied, her hand finding its way into his. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble, you know? I would have just been fine with pizza or Chinese takeout."
"After everything I've put you through? Please!" he scoffed, glancing meaningfully at her, a smirk on his lips as they took their seats. "If nothing else, consider it a belated anniversary of our first meeting."
"I guess it did happen around this time, didn't it?" Becky mused wistfully, giving her order as the waiter poured her the wine she had selected. "What has it been? Six years now?"
"Just about," he approximated, wiggling his hand in a 'somewhat' gesture. "Although, if anybody had told me that we would be sitting here now, enjoying an amiable conversation at the Iceberg Lounge with my greatest enemy, I would have called them crazy."
"Before or after you gassed them?" she inquired, glancing over at him behind her glass.
He chuckled. "After, of course," he assured her, covering his hand to muffle his giggles.
She smiled, raising her wine glass. "Well, then, to the impossible possibilities."
He grinned, raising his glass at her toast. "To anomalous circumstances."
They clinked their glasses and raised them to drink.
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Deadshot grinned as another of his bullets found its target, watching with satisfaction as the now-late D.A. slumped in his seat, his last expression one of stunned shock at his death. Looking down at his hit list, the mercenary scratched off another name off his list, satisfied at the squeak his pen made on the paper.
Now, he had only one more to go.
Looking down, he glanced at the last name on his list.
Whoever this Rebecca Albright person was, it didn't seem that she would be all that terribly important to have to kill. From what he had heard of her, she was just a lowly grad student trying to work her way up to DA, not someone he would have pegged for extermination.
"Yet if that's what the guy wants, that's what the guy wants," he mused to himself, storing the pad away as he leapt off the roof and onto the fire escape.
Just one more, darling, and Daddy'll be back home, he thought, his sniper bag thumping against his leg as he scurried down the fire escape.
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"Don't you think that eight dozen cupcakes are a bit much?" Ivy asked, as she looked at her friend holding the cakes with astonishment.
"Nope!" Harley exclaimed, carefully balancing the trays of pastries as she skipped merrily towards her hybrid car. "Besides, who knows how many of the guys will show up tonight? We might as well be prepared in case everybody shows up."
"Harley, is the reason you got eight dozen cupcakes when there are at little over two dozen Rogues attending at best is due to your generosity or your sweet tooth?" Ivy asked with a smile, taking four of the trays from her friend as she piled them into the backseat of Harley's black and red hybrid, frowning with distaste as her fingers brushed against the faux leather cushions.
"Um…" Harley replied, biting her lip as she tried to hold back a guilty smile. "Both?"
Ivy gave her a disbelieving look, before rolling her eyes and sitting down on the cushion with a huff. Turning to her right, she raised her eyebrows in surprise as she saw a karaoke machine sharing the seat next to her. "Harley, why is there a karaoke machine in the car?"
"Oh, that's the big surprise I'm working on. But shh!" she hissed, putting a finger on her lips as she turned on the ignition and backed out of the parking lot. "It's a secret."
Ivy smiled, shaking her head. "Alright. I'll keep your secret."
"Great! We'll have to sneak in back, though. I think the two lovebirds are already inside."
She nodded, watching as they slid comfortably into the space in the back. "Alright then, Harley. I'll carry the cupcakes if you can get the karaoke.
"Aww! Why can't I carry the cupcakes?" Harley whined, her lips puckered into a pout.
"1. Because in order to make sure that the cupcakes remain intact until the end of the party, I have to keep you from eating them and 2. Since the karaoke machine is your idea, you obviously need to set it up and out of the way while I explain to Cobblepot about our plan."
Harley thought about this for a second, before shrugging her shoulders. "Okay," she replied, disappointed, before she bounced back to her usual, peppy self. "But I still get to announce the party, right?"
Ivy laughed, patting the girl's head affectionately. "Yes, Harley, you still get to announce the party."
She squealed with delight, rushing through the doors to get her plan set up, while Ivy followed, her mouth quirked into a smirk. Despite her reservations, she had a feeling that she would enjoy this.
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"And then, just as I was beginning to think that was the craziest thing I had seen all day, I snuck into the stadium, hoping to catch a good game, when I saw Batman, with only his mask on…batting for the Gotham Gargoyles," Crane finished.
"No way!" Becky laughed, her hands covering her mouth to keep the rest of the patrons from hearing. "You're making that up!"
He shook his head, grinning at her. "Oh, but that's not the best part. Not only was Batman batting, no pun intended, but Superman, the Man of Steel himself, was playing umpire and Robin was playing catcher."
"No!" she exclaimed, her hand smacking the table.
"Oh, yes!" he replied, leaning closer to her.
"What happened after that? Was Wonder Woman the pitcher?" she asked excitedly, enraptured by the chaotic events unfolding.
"I don't know. By the time I got a look at Superman, Batman, and Robin, I decided that either I had too much to drink or the world had suddenly dropped into an alternate universe of Gotham city where superheroes were sport stars instead of crime fighters. So, I went home, got into bed, and hoped that things would make sense in the morning. And that, my dear, is the craziest thing I have ever experienced."
"Wow!" she gasped, taking another sip of her strawberry wine. "What I wouldn't give to have been there."
They both chuckled, before falling into a comfortable silence.
"Hey, Jon."
"Yes?"
Becky slid her hand across the table until it was resting right on top of his. "This is the best date I've ever been on."
Crane blushed, turning his head away from her. "Y-You're just saying that," he stammered, suddenly feeling shy at the compliment.
"No, it really is," she said truthfully, looking into his eyes. "For all that you say that you don't know a thing about romance, you certainly know how to show a girl a fun time."
"Well, I—"
"We're closing soon."
Both of the Rogues looked up at the sound of the bored, lifeless voice.
"Thank you for the information, Bernie," Crane snapped, looking at the nametag on the waiter's badge.
"Bernard." the waiter corrected, his face betraying nothing except the utter and complete contempt that seemed to float around the man like a sad balloon.
"Bernard," he ground out, glaring at the dreary man. What he wouldn't give to set off a fear bomb and see that annoying, scowling face screaming for mercy. Anything was better than staring at that insipid, lifeless expression. "Thank you for the information. We were just about to leave."
Bernard sighed, rolling his eyes as he headed for the back.
With a huff, Crane paid for the meal and tip, glaring daggers at the man's retreating back as Becky led him out of the restaurant, laying out a couple of hundreds to pay for the meal.
"What I wouldn't give to wipe his snooty expression off his face," he mumbled, his fists clenched in frustration as he longed to march back into the restaurant and teach that dullard the punishment for interrupting the Master of Fear.
"Let it go, Jon," Becky sighed.
"I mean, the nerve of that man. He could have at least had the decency to let us finish before he barged in and demanded us leave," Crane complained.
"Jon…" Becky warned, putting a hand onto his shoulder. "It's okay. We got there pretty late, anyway. I appreciate all the trouble you've gone to set this up for me, but please don't ruin my birthday by getting us banned from the Lounge."
At her words, Crane sighed, relaxing his shoulders. No, it wouldn't do to ruin his last day with her just because of one snobby waiter. She mattered far too much to him to lose his temper over something as petty as that. "Very well. But only because you asked."
"Thank you," she replied, smiling gratefully up at him as she glanced at her watch. "So, we still have thirty minutes until the Lounge opens. What do you suppose we should do in the meantime?"
"Hrmm," Crane mused, looking around. "I suppose if we want to stay close, we can visit the museum. The Lounge is connected through the back of the museum, so we can walk around and look at the exhibits to kill time and still be in time for the party."
"Party? What party?" Becky asked, her eyes widening as she caught his flustered expression. "Oh, shoot! I wasn't supposed to know about that, was I?"
With a look of utter embarrassment, Crane hung his head. "No. I…I wanted to set it up as a surprise for you. I was supposed to lead you through the museum, then eventually direct you out towards the Lounge and to the surprise party. Guess that plan won't work anymore, will it?"
With a thoughtfully look on her face, she smiled. "Well, I wouldn't say that. I can pretend to act surprised when we get there in order to not ruin the fun for everyone else."
He shook his head. "No," he sighed, resigned. "That won't work. The cat's already out of the bag, as it were, and, to be honest, Becks, you don't pull off surprise that well."
"What? I do too!" She argued. "See, look at my surprise face." With that, she made a show of her eyes widening, her hand over her mouth in shock as she let out a gasp.
Crane just stared at her for a few moments, before letting out a small snort as he started towards the double doors, patting her head as he passed as Becky followed along, muttering indignantly under her breath.
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Unbeknownst to the couple, a pair of glowing blue eyes watched as they entered into the museum.
With a huff of disappointment, the mysterious man in blue and red armor pulled down the binoculars from his eyes, folding them up and replacing it in his belt. Damn, he thought, as he leapt off the rooftop and onto another. It's not the clown. I was sure that it would be the clown. With another leap, he crossed another rooftop, each step coming closer and closer to his target. Still… he mused, a sly smile crossing his face beneath the mask as he started to scale the museum. Ol' Strawface with a lady friend is very unusual. Perhaps I should stick around a little longer.
Flipping up onto the roof, the armored man tracked his prey, watching patiently and waiting for his chance to strike.
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The inside of the Iceberg Lounge was bustling with barely contained activity. Inside, doing their best to contain their nervous chatter, was almost two dozen Rogues Gallery members, ranging from average looks to hulking brutes and everything in between. Everyone, save for a few of the more violent ones, were all here, and anxiously waiting to look towards the giant iceberg in the center.
"Where is she?" the Riddler hissed to Two-Face, his emerald and silver cane swinging nervously against his foot.
"We don't know," Two-face grumbled, playing with his favorite scarred trick coin in his pocket. "But she said soon."
"Well, according to my calculations, it is now 9:49, and she said she would be here by 9:30, so clearly she is running late," the Clock King said matter-of-factly, looking down at the fob watch he always carried strapped to his inside suit pocket. "If I had known she was going to be this late, I would have scheduled in a different time."
"Oh, shut up, Fugate," said the sleek voice of Catwoman as she emerged from the shadows and into a spare seat between the Clock King and Riddler. "No one cares if Harley's a little late. If anything, she's probably holding back until she can make a grand entrance."
"Oh, please," the Riddler scoffed, rolling his eyes. "She's probably just distracted by something shiny thing and lost track of time. At least she isn't as anal-rententive as Clock Face over there."
Fugate opened his mouth to reply, but as he did, a spotlight shone on the tip of the iceberg, causing the bickering rogues to look up.
And, with a flip through the air, Harley landed on the iceberg, swinging herself around the tip happily.
"Hello, everyone. Thank you all for coming here tonight. Especially you, Freeze. After the strawman himself, I didn't think we would ever see ya out of your hidey-hole."
Mr. Freeze gave a little snort, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "You asked nicely."
A few of the other Rogues chuckled at this.
"Now, as you all know, I invited you here for a special birthday party in honor of our newest member. Some of you have probably seen her already, but for those who don't, let's just say that a certain plucky individual made the news recently."
There were a few "oohs'" from the crowd as Harley grinned, still holding the microphone in her hand as she wrapped her legs around the chilly iceberg, hanging upside down as her pigtails dangling behind her.
"So, here's the plan. Scarecrow is already inside and is heading towards us; and with 'im is the birthday girl. And we are all aware of how much he loves to scare people." She nodded approvingly as a single "Yeah" bellowed out from a person below her. "So, we're going ta give them a little scare of our own. So, Cobblepot will be dimming the lights, and I want y'all to be as quiet as you can. And when he opens the door, the lights will come back on and I want you all to shout as loud as you can. Ya got it?"
There were loud whistles of approval, and with that, the Penguin dimmed the lights, and everything went silent.
