I'm alive! Mwuhahahahaha!
Hello, All. It's been a long time, hasn't it? I had a bit of trouble with this chapter, what with my college career and my old computer that the file was on getting broken and hid in a corner for three years, which prevented me from typing out this chapter, even when the muse would strike me. I will try to be more prompt with my chapters and not have you wait several years for the next one.
Safe to say, I am back, and I will try to put out more chapters. I haven't forgotten this wonderful fic, and I want to thank everyone for their patience these last few years. You guys are the best, and honestly, keep my motivation going for this fic. That's why, for this one, I made it extra long, to thank you all for your patience. Enjoy, and make sure to provide some feedback. I greatly enjoy reading all your comments and I will try to reply when I can.
Btw, this is probably obvious, but I don't own anything by Andrew Lloyd Webber or Heart. If I did, Love Never Dies would be about Becky and Crane instead.
"So, why does Penguin have a museum in the first place?" Becky asked, as she walked down the stairs around the T-Rex animatronic, looking with a mix of admiration and disgust at some of the pieces. Most of these were, she guessed, trophies from previous victories against many of the rogues, ranging from Two-Face to Zsasz and everything in between. Some of these were grisly, especially the Two-Face exhibit, which featured two of his dead goons, and another further down which featured the stuffed skins of two of Harley's former pets, Bud and Lou. She looked with pity at the stuffed faces of the hyenas. She understood far too well what Harley must have felt when she saw this exhibit.
"Hmm?" Crane mumbled distractedly, his eyes focused on the middle exhibit behind the dinosaur, the one featuring one of Ra's a Ghuls' assassins. "It's something he's had for a while, mostly just to show off his trophies. But come over here for a minute."
She walked over to him, glancing at her partner with confusion. "Alright, what's so special about this one?" she asked, staring at the woman seemingly frozen inside, before lowering her gaze after a few seconds. For some reason, she felt extremely uneasy about this exhibit, as if it would come to life and break out of the glass at any second.
Yet it just sat there, listening, waiting.
"It's a member of the League of Assassins," he whispered, as if he was worried that the exhibit would overhear them.
"So?" she whispered back, her eyes flicking from Crane to the glass and back again.
"So, how did Penguin manage to capture one of the League of Assassins?" he asked, his voice still hushed as he kept his eye on the exhibit, as if it would start moving once his eyes were off it.
Becky shrugged. "Maybe she got sloppy?"
Crane shook his head, his frown deepening. "No. I know these people. The League of Assassins are hardly ever seen, let alone captured. The sign says that he went through eight goons trying to catch her, but I highly doubt that was the case. Either he was extremely lucky and managed to catch her unaware, or…"
A chill went up her spine at that statement. "Or what?"
"… she willingly let herself be captured."
Everything seemed to go silent for a moment as the they glanced at each other worriedly.
The two both jumped as the mechanical gears inside the animatronic whirred to life, breaking the uncomfortable silence and breaking their gazes away from each other
"We…We should probably get going," Becky said hurriedly, gesturing towards the door.
"Agreed," Crane replied, following her with a final glance at the frozen ninja, unable to shake the feeling that he was making a grave mistake.
Unseen by the duo, the ninja shifted a little, revealing the glowing red light of a video recorder.
"So, is it your intention to lead me in a wild goose chase, or is there something you need to find?" Talia finally snapped after they passed what seemed to be the same sign three times in the past hour or so. She had been following the mad scientist through the sewers for several hours now, and still there was no sign of whatever she was searching for.
Friitawa gave a feral smile. "It may seem that way to one with inferior senses such as yourself, but I assure you, we are getting close. And besides," she added, with great heap of annoyance, "You didn't have to follow me. I could have handled this business myself."
"Not without supervision, you won't," Talia replied, her dark eyes glaring daggers at the scientist's back. "You are already on thin ice as it is. If you are planning something behind my father's back-"
"Shh!" Friitawa interrupted, holding up her hand to stop. "Do you hear that?"
Talia was about to make a retort until she heard a faint voice chanting in the distance.
"What is that?" she hissed; her eyes narrowed as she tried to spot its originator in the dark.
Friitawa grinned, her eyes gleaming in the darkness as she moved closer towards the voice. "What I am looking for."
Talia followed behind her, her brown eyes widening with disbelief and horror as she witnessed the abomination before her. The albino scientist smirked up at the gigantic aberration.
"So, Talia Al Ghul, tell me; have you ever heard the legend of Solomon Grundy?"
"Um...Crane?"
"Yes," he replied, snapping out of his melancholy trance. The journey through the museum had been mostly quiet, with him trapped in his thoughts while Becky explored the museum, looking with both fascination, wonder, and horror at the Penguin's ghastly exhibits and trophies of those who dared wander into his domain uninvited. He was still contemplating what his next actions would be for the coming day, and how he could possibly break the news to his partner-in-crime tactfully. He was a master of planning out scenarios and possible escapes ahead of time; he needed to be with the Gotham's greatest detective constantly hounding him down.
But this time, he felt torn. On one hand, the selfish part of himself wanted to reject this stupid decision and keep her close; keep her safe by his side, away from anything or anyone that could take her away from him. But another part, the newly awakened, kinder part of himself, knew she couldn't possibly be happy in this type of lifestyle, and knew that if she were to ever regain her life again, he must set her free, away from his corrupting influence.
"Is it just me or did I see a fin in the water?" she asked with trepidation, pointing down into the cold, murky water where a large fin lazily cut through it like scissors through paper.
Scarecrow looked down at where she was pointing and smirked. "Oh, that? That's just Tiny."
"Tiny?" she asked, smirking as she raised one eyebrow in amusement.
"Yes, Tiny. Penguin's great white shark. Well, technically not Penguin's entirely, since he's a wild shark, but he comes here every so often looking for snacks."
"You mean..." Becky cut herself off, looking with worry down into the cold water below.
"Yep. He's a man-eater all right. So, I would think twice before you try to say hello," he said, giving her a teasing chuckle as she shivered, running ahead of him and towards the doors. He followed after her slowly, already anticipating her surprise.
He was not disappointed. When Becky heaves the doors of the Iceberg Lounge open, the loud shout of "Surprise!" nearly knocks her off her feet.
"Happy Birthday, Becky!" Harley squeals, blowing on a party horn.
Becky was speechless, looking from Harley, Ivy, and Catwoman to the Riddler, Two-Face, and Hush until, finally, turned around to her companion.
"Did...Did you do all this for me?" she asked in disbelief as she walked past the huddled supervillains and stared up at the walls of the Iceberg Lounge. Streamers and banners coated the walls, with fancy tuxedo waiters firing off confetti guns as she enters. The colored lights, usually just a pale, stationary blue, are dancing in swirls of deep blue, burgundy, and green, bouncing off the giant iceberg centerpiece and filling the room with a kaleidoscope of color. The tables, while retaining their white tablecloths, are dotted with party favors, with a special seat in front row that is especially decorated, with a gold party crown around the chair reading "Birthday Queen" on the front in pink letters, undoubtedly chosen by Harley as a crowning centerpiece to her designs.
"Well, I-I did have a little help, but mainly- " he didn't have a chance to say anything more as Becky tackled him into a hug, pulling his head down to kiss his cheek.
The collected group "awwed" at the romantic gesture, causing Crane's face to blush a bright, ruby red.
"B-Becky!" he sputtered, face flushed with embarrassment, trying to pull his hat down to hide his face. "N-Not in front of the others."
"Oh please, it's not like it's such a big secret," Catwoman purred, grinning at the blushing couple from her perch on the stage. "Most of us have suspected as much for quite a while now."
"And just how many of you were banking on this?" Crane snapped, arms crossed, as he looked around the crowded room at the guilty faces around him.
"Honestly..." Harley replied sheepishly, "probably the whole room, give or take a couple of people."
"What?!" he cried. He turned to Becky. "It couldn't have been that obvious, could it?" he murmured to her discreetly.
She gave him a look as if to say, 'You really want the answer to that?'
"Aww, you are guys are so cute!" Harley cooed, interrupting the couple. "But while I would love to stay here and watch you guys being all adorkable, we have a party to celebrate!"
"I agree," Crane said quickly, relieved that the spotlight was off of him. He looked towards her, clasping her hand in his as they walked towards their table.
As they sat down, Harley counted down on her fingers to the crowd, then pulled out a small kazoo. She blew into it, before the entire crowd sang, "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Becky, happy birthday to you!"
As they sang, Becky looked around the room, happy tears running down her cheek as she covered her mouth. "Guys, I…I don't know what to say! T-Thank you! I-I've never had a whole crowd of people sing happy birthday to me."
"Really? Well, now you do. Happy birthday, Becky," Ivy said, serving her a piece of cake from a table nearby, as the massive confection needing a table of its own to hold its considerable girth.
"Thank you! This means so much to me!" she cried, her eyes rolling back with delight at the deliciousness of the cake.
"Well, you're worth it," Ivy said, giving her a smile. "Just make sure that boyfriend of yours stays in line."
"Hey!" Crane huffed, crossing his arms. "Who do you think organized this party in the first place?"
"Who do you think did most of the work?" Ivy shot back, hands on her hips as she stepped towards the master of fear.
Harley, sensing the growing tension between her best friend and her professor, grabbed the mic. "Alright, everybody! Now that the birthday girl is here, I have a very special surprise to show you!
With a flourish, Harley pulled the curtain away from the stage, revealing a karaoke machine, projector, and two microphones on stands. "Tadaa!"
Deadshot readied his rifle, checking the components one more time before slotting the suppressor into the socket of the barrel, eyeing the shrouded figure at the end of the roof.
While the figure looked familiar and much too bat-like to be comfortable, he could tell from the gun strapped to his side that he was definitely not Batman. If he knew anything about the masked vigilante, he knew that Batman, ever the self-righteous, smug bastard that he was, would never dirty his hands enough to pick up a gun.
That would probably make this another assassin after his kill. Well, we can't have that, now, can we? He thought, aiming his custom-made, wrist-mounted launcher at the man's head, and fired.
Crane paled as he saw the contents of the Harley's "surprise". Oh no, she can't be serious?! he thought, his hands gripping the tablecloth in a death grip.
"Do you like it?" Harley squealed, her grin practically leaping off her lips with how wide it had become. "I thought of it, myself. I thought, since this is such a special occasion and all, we could try to have a karaoke party with all the Rogues, with the grand finale being a duet between you and the professah. I knew you would love it, especially if we got him up there. He can sing a rock ballad like nobody's business!"
She's serious, he thought with dread, slowly trying to slide himself under the table and away from this madness, but his traitorous long legs couldn't fold up enough to slide himself under.
"I didn't know you could sing," Becky said, raising her eyebrow. She had no idea that he had that talent. She suspected that he could dance, as his graceful movements during their training session suggested that he had some training in the art.
"Oh, he can sing, all right!" Harley exclaimed, leaning against Crane's chair. "In fact, one night he got so drunk-"
"T-That's enough, Harley!" Crane cried, shoving his hand onto her mouth to stop her from babbling. "She doesn't need to know that story. Besides, shouldn't you be helping the others decide what song they want to sing? After all, they might need a little "encouragement" to come out of their shells, so to speak."
"Oh, you're right! I completely forgot," Harley said, slapping her forehead at her forgetfulness. "Thanks for reminding me, Professah!" With a big "Mwah!", she gave him a peck on the cheek before skipping off to grab a list.
Crane scowled, blushing as he rubbed his cheek. He really wished she would stop doing that, especially in front of Becky.
Becky giggled. She knew that Harley was just teasing him, but the expression of shock on his face was too much to resist. "You sure I don't have to be jealous?" she flirted, taking a sip from her red wine.
"Believe me, you have nothing to worry about with her," Crane grumbled, downing another long draught of his beer, before watching as Riddler approached the stage. This was going to be a long night.
The mystery man sidestepped, deflecting the bullet with a swipe from his gauntlet.
"Big mistake," he snarled, turning to face his attacker as he leapt at the man.
Lawton jumped away from the attack; arms raised as he fired bullet after bullet at the approaching man. However, this was ineffective, as the man either dodged out of the way of the approaching bullet, or simply batted it away as if it were an annoying fly. He cursed. Just what kind of training did this mysterious assassin have, anyway?
Crane looked on as Ivy sang out the note of Heart's Crazy on you to the roaring crowd, clapping along with Becky as they applauded the performance. It had been an entertaining couple of hours as he watched Rogue after Rogue join the performance, with some better and some worse than others.
While he knew that Harley could be "persuasive" when it came to some of the Rogues, he hadn't expected the amount of people to volunteer. While he had expected the Riddler, egoist that he was, to volunteer, as well as Harley and Catwoman, he hadn't expected Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, Clock King, Hush and Great White Shark, of all people, to volunteer as well.
He looked down at his drink, then gave a half-hearted shrug before downing the beer. It might have been due to his alcohol-laden judgement, but he didn't think that giving this whole karaoke thing a shot would be a bad idea. Becky would certainly appreciate it, and as it was her final night with him before he would let her go, it wouldn't hurt to end this night with a bang.
So, when Harley approached their table, he wrote down his request for a song, slipping it clumsily into her hand before Becky could glance over to see what he had written.
"I didn't think that you would go along with her suggestion," Becky said, taking the final sip of her wine.
"Well, my dear, if we ha'e to do this whole song and dance, then we 'ight as well bring down the house," he slurred, already tipsy from the fifth beer of the night.
"Are you going to be sober enough to sing?" she asked, raising a disbelieving eyebrow at his inebriated state.
"I'll be fiiine. Besides, I have my wonderful, lovely, darling, plucky mouse to help me," he slurred, tapping her on the nose with each adjective.
Becky laughed, swatting his hand away from her nose. "Alright," she chuckled, amused by his drunken playfulness. "Which song did you pick for us, anyway? They only had a limited selection for duets."
"Shhhhhhhh," he shushed, putting a finger on her lips, before leaning down and whispering, "It's a secret."
She giggled, taking another sip of her wine. "Alright. I trust you."
He didn't have time to register the words before he was distracted by Harley's announcement. "Alright everybody, it's time for our last song of the night. And what better way to end the night than with the ones who brought it to you in the first place. Please welcome to the stage, Jonathan Crane and Becky Albright!"
"If this is your best try when I'm toying with you, Lawton, then I don't know how you got to be where you are in the first place," the man taunted, a predatory grin on his hidden face as Lawton narrowly dodged another kick.
Lawton huffed, trying to catch his breath from the attack. He couldn't dodge this guy's attacks forever, and while he was very fit, the man's power, as well as the narrow ledges of the Lounge, prevented him from either fighting him directly or fleeing him.
So, if I can't run, and I can't force my way past, then I must think of something that I can use as a weak point, Lawton thought, examining the angles and edges of the buildings and calculating the trajectory of the bullets and how it would ricochet off the walls. He looked over to the nearby window, rolling himself away as the man's fist smashed into the concrete of the roof, leaving a crater in its wake.
There! With a cry, Lawton fired, the bullet ricocheting off a nearby rooftop, hitting a steel pipe, then raced towards the back of the black and blue armored man's head.
Only to be ping harmlessly off the back of the helmet.
"Did you really think that you could pull off one of your trick shots on me, Lawton? Now that's just sad," the man said, resting a boot on the panting sniper's chest. "And unfortunately for you, it seems you're all out of bullets."
Lawton could only look helplessly up as the man aimed the barrel of his Desert Eagle at the man's head.
"Goodbye, Lawton. It was fun while it lasted," the man chuckled darkly, his finger inches from pulling the trigger.
However, before he could, Lawton smiled, raising his right hand's pistol level with his helmet. "Not quite," Lawton said quietly, shooting the man point blank in the face.
The helmet took the brunt of the blast, protecting the man's face from the projectile's force. However, part of the helmet over the right eye shattered, revealing a greyish-blue eye and part of the man's cheek, which sported the scar of a J branded on his face.
The man's exposed eye widened as he backed away, his hand shielding the exposed face from view.
Lawton paled, his eyes widening as he recognized the face beneath the mask but shook himself out of his cowed state as he saw the figure was distracted. Reaching for the rifle nearby, he leveled it at his target and fired.
"Becky led the way, her hand in Crane's, as she stepped out onto the stage to the roaring applause of the audience of Rogues. She honestly felt breathless, soaking in the praise and adulation of those surrounding her. She never thought, in all her life, that she would ever receive the attention and admiration of so many people tonight, especially on her birthday.
As the crowd started to chant "Becky! Becky! Becky!" she started to grin, her eyes tearing up from happiness. She looked towards Jonathan, who gave her a smile as he leaned towards her. "Let's give them a show they'll never forget," he whispered, grinning as he took his microphone from the stand.
She smiled, nodding, then gasped as she recognized the opening notes from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Beauty Underneath. As the opening sting began, she was even more speechless as Crane began to sing, his tenor wowing both her and the audience in one fell swoop.
"Have you ever yearned to go past the world you think you know? Been enthralled to the call of the beauty underneath?" he began, sliding behind her as his hands trailed along her shoulders, sending a slight shiver down her spine as he took her hand.
"Have you let it draw you in past the place where dreams begin? Felt the full breathless pull of the beauty underneath?" he sang, spinning her towards him then out again as the crowd cheered.
"When the dark unfolds its wings, do you sense the strangest things? Things no one would ever guess, things mere words cannot express?" he sang, grinning as he began to circle her.
Becky grinned, "Yes!"
The Rogues cheered as Jonathan pulled her close. "Do you find yourself beguiled by the dangerous and wild? Do you feed on the need for the beauty underneath?"
"Have you felt your senses surge and surrender to the urge and been hooked as you looked at the beauty underneath," he continued as he started to circle her once again, his steps seeming to revolve around her like an orbiting satellite.
"When you stare behind the night, can you glimpse its primal might? Might you hunger to possess; hunger that you can't express."
"Yes!" Becky exclaimed, her voice starstruck as she lifted her hands to the sky, remembering a night long ago when she finally seemed to understand who he was. "It seems so beautiful. So strange, yet beautiful! Everything's just as you said."
Crane smiled, pulling her close as his forehead rested on hers, as he lovingly sang, "And she's so beautiful. Perhaps too beautiful. What I suspect cannot be!"
This time, they sang together, "And yet, somehow, we both see the very same way!" At "way", they both turned and threw up their hands, so fully engrossed in the song that they didn't care that they were performing for 50 people. They didn't hear the roar of the audience, or their spellbound gaze. All they saw and felt in those moments were each other.
Becky spun away from him, pointing her finger at him as it was her turn to revolve around him. "Is there music in your head? Have you followed where it led? And been graced with the taste of the beauty underneath? Does it fill your every sense? Is it terribly intense? Tell me you need it, too, need the beauty underneath!"
"When he(she) lifts his(her) voice and sings, don't you feel amazing things? Things you know you can't confess. Things you thirst for, nonetheless," they both sang, each substituting the pronoun for the other as they sang.
Becky smiled lovingly as she stepped towards him. "It's all so beautiful."
"Can it be?" Crane exclaimed, seemingly reliving that night as well, and all the hopes and fears it contained.
"Almost too beautiful," she sang, her hand resting on his chest.
They both looked deep into each other's eyes. "Do you see what I see?"
Becky blushed as she gasped, "Heavenly."
"To her, its beautiful. My world is beautiful," Crane sang, hope and love all mixed into his voice.
"How can this be what it seems?" Becky wondered, taking a few steps back.
"All of my most secret dreams, somehow set free!" they exclaimed together.
Crane's smile grew devious as he continued, "You can feel it!"
"Yes," Becky exclaimed, a grin splitting her face as she took a step closer to him.
"Come closer," he said sensually, crooking a finger in her direction.
"Yes!" she sang louder, moving another step closer.
"You've no fear of the beauty underneath," he sang as he took her hand, holding it in his as if sealing a pact. "You can face it!"
"Yes!"
"You can take it," Crane's voice became more intense.
"Yes!" Becky exclaimed in ecstasy, finally returning once more into his arms.
"You see through to the beauty underneath," he sang as they started to twirl together. "To the splendor!"
"To the splendor!"
"And the glory!"
"And the glory!"
"To the truth of the beauty underneath," he sang, his voice barely above a whisper as he returned her challenging gleam.
"The beauty underneath," Becky repeated, as she twirled with him.
"You'll accept it!" Crane sang, his hand stretched out as if he was making a deal.
"Yes!" she sang, reaching out to take his hand.
"You'll embrace it."
"Yes!"
He pulled her back to him, as they began to twirl once again. "Let me show you the beauty underneath. To the splendor!"
"To the splendor!" she repeated.
"And the glory!"
"And the glory!"
Crane pulled her until they were both chest to chest. "To the truth of the beauty underneath."
"The beauty underneath!"
"You'll accept it!" he exclaimed as he tilted her head up towards his.
"Yes!"
"You'll embrace it!"
"Yes!"
He leaned down, his lips moving towards her, "Let me show you the beauty under- "
A shot rang out, leaving deafening silence as the voice of the boy in the song screamed.
