I clung to Jonathan's arm as we watched the Joker come to a stop in front of us. "Long time no see, Scarecrow."
Jonathan tensed up, "What do you want?"
The clown laughed, "Just wanted to say hi to an old friend! See how you're doing!" Looking at me he gave a sly hum, "Or should I say, who you're doing." Grabbing ahold of me, he yanked me away from Jonathan. I let out a small scream of surprise. The Joker turned me to him and gripped my chin to force me to look at him. Licking his lips he smiled and gave a high pitched laugh, "She's pretty."
"Get your hands off her," Jonathan said stepping forward. He was held back by the two men with clown masks.
The Joker laughed, "You really like her don't you." Turning to me he asked, "You get his dick nice and wet, don't you." He gave a shrill laugh and licked my face.
"What do you wanna do with her, Mr J?" The woman asked. She had removed her waitress outfit and was now wearing a black and white jester outfit.
"I wanna have a little fun, Harley." He kept me close to him as he moved further into the room, "I wanna blow things up!" His voice echoed off of the walls in the empty space. Turning to me he asked, "Do you wanna blow things up?"
I didn't respond but choked on a sob. Looking over to Jonathan I felt my heart skip a beat, but the Joker shook me, bringing my attention back to him, "Look at me when I'm talking to you."
I let out a small scream and felt tears drop down my face. The Joker watched me cry for a moment then with a flick of his wrist, he threw me onto the floor. Jonathan wrestled against the two clowns to try and get to me. Getting up, I ran back to him, but was stopped by the Joker who grabbed onto my waist. Hoisting me off of the ground, panic filled me and I struggled against him, "Jonathan! Jonathan!"
"Bethany!" I watched as he continued to struggle against the two clowns who easily overpowered him, "Let her go, Joker!"
I pushed against the clown and called out again, "Jonathan!"
The Joker laughed, "She isn't using your real name."
"Stop this!" Jonathan called.
"Why doesn't she call you by your real name?" The Joker held me so that my back was on his shoulder. Looking up at me as best as he could he asked, "Why don't you call him by his real name?"
I continued to struggle against him, "Let me go!"
The Joker was silent for a moment, then he began to laugh. Harley gave him a confused look, "What's so funny, Puddin'?"
Bouncing me on his shoulder, I gasped and gripped onto his arm and shoulder as much as I could to keep myself from falling, "She doesn't know!" He let out another laugh and dropped me into a bridal hold. Skipping around in a circle he sang, "She doesn't know! She doesn't know!"
Harley joined in, following him around the room waving the gun around as she joined in. The Joker dropped me and turned to her and they began to dance. I took a moment to gather myself before moving over to Jonathan. I managed to stand in my dress before the Joker's gloved hand wrapped around my wrist. Pushing Harley aside he pulled me into him and continued dancing. "Why don't you call him by his real name… and I'll let you go to him."
"Don't make her do that," Jonathan said.
The Joker laughed, "Why? What's going to happen?" Turning to me, he said, "Go ahead, say it. Call him by his real name."
I watched Jonathan as the Joker danced us around the room, and I whispered, "Jonathan."
The Joker laughed, "Wrong!"
"His… his name is Jonathan."
"Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!"
I let out a sob, "His name is Jonathan Crane! Please!"
"Joker, let her go!" Jonathan stood between the two clowns, his arms taught at his back.
Gripping me arms, the Joker shook me, "Say his name!"
"Jonathan!"
Shaking me harder he forced me to my knees, "Say. His. Name."
"Jon-"
"SAY HIS NAME."
"Scarecrow!" I was thrown onto the ground and I let my sobs rip through me.
Taking a moment to collect myself, I sat up and quickly stood up running over to Jonathan. The two clowns let him go and I ran to him, wrapping my arms around him, I felt him limply wrap his arms around me. I sobbed into his shoulder as I listened to the crew move around us. The sounds of electric beeps came and my heart dropped. Looking up I saw the men in clown masks push explosives onto the wall. Turning to Jonathan, I saw him calmly looking into my face, almost as if he was studying me. I let another sob escape me, which seemed to snap him back to himself and he held me to him tightly. The clowns continued their preparations of the explosives, and I suddenly felt even more panic.
"No one knows where we are," I whispered.
Jonathan's breath hitched, and he rubbed my back giving me a kiss on my forehead, "It's going to be okay."
"What are you two whispering about," Harley asked.
I jumped at her intrusion, and kept my focus on Jonathan. She came over to us and using the barrel of her gun to caress my cheek. Jonathan held me closer to him trying to angle me away from the gun. Harley smiled as she teased me with the gun, but the Joker came over, "Stop that, Harley! It's time to go."
"Are we gonna leave them?" She skipped away after the two clowns going to a stairway and heading up.
"I'm not finished with them." He said, "Come on." Wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulled me away from Jonathan. Holding me to him, he walked me to the staircase and up onto the roof of the building. A helicopter was sitting on the roof, it's blades beginning to spin around. Pulling me to the opening on the side, he hoisted me up and into the helicopter. Jonathan climbed in, Harley pointing her gun at him. The helicopter took off after a few minutes, the Joker and Harley standing by the open door watching the building as they flew away. Pulling out a push button from his jacket, he handed it to Harley who gave him a kiss before pressing it. The top floor of the building we were in exploded in a flash of flames. I let out a scream of shock as the helicopter pulled up suddenly and my stomach flipped as we turned and headed to the center island of the city. We circled over the bridge lowering over one of the large towers.
Grabbing ahold of Jonathan, the Joker pulled him to a standing position and brought him over to the door, "Jump!"
"No!" I yelled.
"Wait your turn toots." Harley said holding the gun on me.
I couldn't see out of the opening how close to the bridge tower we were, but surely the Joker wouldn't ask Jonathan to jump if there wasn't a likelihood of him being able to survive. Thumping Jonathan on the back, the Joker said again, "Jump!"
Turning to look back at me, Jonathan gave me a reassuring nod before jumping out of the open door. I gasped and moved forward, but was hoisted up by the Joker. Holding me at the door, my knees gave out as I saw us hovering over the top of the tower bridge, inches below us. Jonathan was getting back up, turning to us, the wind from the copter blowing at him. Turning to me, the Joker said, "Jump."
"Bethany!" Jonathan yelled, "I'll catch you!"
"Jump." The Joker said again.
Harley scoffed and she shoved me out of the helicopter. I let out a scream but I felt Jonathan's arms wrap around me as we fell to the flat surface. We stayed where we were stunned. The sound of traffic from below came to us under the sound of the helicopter. The Joker and Harley jumped from the helicopter at the other end of the tower and were making their way to us. Wind ripped at us as we both stood, awkwardly gaining balance as we struggled to trust our senses. All around us we could see out over the river that separates Gotham's middle island from the mainland. Miles off in the distance I saw the pinprick light that was Wayne Manor. My hair was being pulled from my bun and it whipped around us, stinging my face as it came back at me.
The Joker and Harley had a parachute bag with them as they walked towards us, both of them wearing one as well. Harley's free hand held the gun. I stood holding on to Jonathan with fear hammering in my heart. Coming to a stop in front of us, the Joker let out a laugh, "Scarecrow, I expected a lot from you when you left Arkham, but I never expected this!"
"Expected what, Puddin'?"
"He's in love, you idiot!" The Joker lunged at Harley scaring her. She let out a little yip and fired the gun into the concrete surface. I screamed and Jonathan turned us so he was between me and the gun. The Joker pointed at him, "Look at him! Protecting her! Isn't he so sweet!"
"Daw! Just like us, Puddin'!"
Coming over to me, Joker pulled me away from Jonathan and asked, "Have you professed your love for each other?"
I shook my head.
"No?" He let out a laugh, "Well, what if I told you this could be your last chance to ever tell Scarecrow-Lover-Boy how you feel?"
"What?" I looked nervously from him to Jonathan and back.
The Joker laughed again, "I'm not too sure what is in this parachute bag. Could be real, could be junk! I don't remember which one I grabbed."
Taking the bag from the Joker, Harley threw it at Jonathan's feet, "Put it on, Scarecrow." She pointed the gun at him,
Slowly, Jonathan bent down and took up the bag, pulling it onto his back. He stood with his hands in the air. Harley walked towards Jonathan and gestured with the gun for him to move back. I pulled against the Joker to try and stop Jonathan before he reached the edge. The Joker giggled in my ear as we watched, my breath hitching as Jonathan reached the edge and he almost went over. Swinging his arms, he regained his balance, and stood at the very edge of the bridge tower.
Moving me to him, Joker said, "Tell your girlfriend that you love her, Scarecrow."
Looking at me, Jonathan was quiet for a moment, then he said, "I love you Bethany."
Shaking me, he said, "Say it back to him."
I let out a sob as I said, "I love you too, Jonathan."
"No!" Moving me over to the edge of the tower, the Joker held me over it, "Say the right name!"
I let out a scream as I looked down at the sheer drop into the river below us, the cars on the bridge all stopped as people noticed the commotion on the tower. Pinprick people stood outside their ant-sized cars looking up. Turning to Jonathan I choked on a sob but managed, "I- I love you too, Sc-Scarecrow."
Pulling me back up, Joker held my back to him and he whispered in my ear, "Better hope there's a parachute in that pack."
Harley smiled at Jonathan and with a great shove, pushed him off of the bridge. "No!" I moved forward, falling to the edge, my eyes scanning the space in front of the bridge for anything. Then finally, a green parachute folded out halfway down the bridge and I watched as Jonathan gilded further out into the river. I gave a relieved smile, but a hand grabbing the back of my neck and hoisting me up brought me back to what was happening. Letting out a cry of pain, I turned with the Joker and found that I was no longer alone with the two jesters.
"Batman," Joker said, licking his lips, "It's good to see you."
"Joker," Batman said, his voice the same raspy sound as when he was in my apartment.
Moving me to the edge, the Joker said, "Don't come any closer, or I'll drop her. And I don't have another parachute to give her." He started laughing, and Harley joined with him. Then he shrugged, "Although, I was just gonna let her fall anyway. Your choice, Batman."
With another flick of his wrist, he gave me a gentle shove, and I felt myself fall backward. I gasped as I waved my arms in a vain attempt to propel myself forward, but I soon felt the bottom of my foot leave the edge of the tower, and I was soon in a free fall. Wind gusted past my ears deafening me to my scream that I felt leaving my throat. I looked up in terror as I saw the top of the tower rising swiftly above me. Then a black mass flew over the edge and hurtled toward me with great speed. Reaching out, Batman grabbed onto my wrist and guided it to his belt. I managed to hook my hands around his waist, and I held onto him with his hand gripping the back of my dress. I heard him shoot something, and then we came to a jerking halt.
"Hang on," Batman said.
Momentum swung us toward the bridge, and Batman lowered us down to the surface. A gang of policemen gathered at the edge of the bridge railing, and they caught us as we met them. I let go of Batman's waist as they helped me over the railing. Commissioner Gordon pushed his way through the crowd and he wrapped his arms around me, "Miss Elwood, thank God, you're all right."
"Jonathan!" I said, "Jonathan! Where is he?"
"Doctor Crane is okay. My men are with him in the water right now." Gordon shrugged off his jacket and put it over my shoulders. He gently led me away from the crowd and the media cameras and to his car, where he helped me into the passenger seat. Getting in he turned on his siren and left the bridge.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"I ah, really hate to do this, but we're going to the police station. We just have some routine questions for you."
I nodded, feeling the cold and numbness settle in and I sat back in my seat staring ahead of me, not taking in any of the passing city. Gordon was silent as he drove, thankfully. When we reached the police department, Gordon helped me out of the car and led me into the building and to his office.
