As always - thank you guys so much for your reviews and for favoring and following the story. Really means a lot to me. This is a little bit of an alternative universe from the movies - just in terms of making a new character fit the story. Rachel was not killed by the Joker - I will reveal soon how she died. A lot of this chapter is stitching together my story line with that of the movie. Hope you guys like it! :)
He had interrogated Maroni who knew nothing or wouldn't tell him nothing.
"You have rules, the Joker - he has no rules. Nobody is gonna cross him for you."
The mob was more terrified of the Joker than of him. How did he let this happen?
"I made you some coffee Master Wayne." Alfred interrupted his train of thoughts as he was looking at ways to find the Joker.
"What's the tally so far?" He asked the old butler.
Alfred turned on the TV where he saw Cat still reporting. It was past midnight. She had been doing this for hours now.
"At this point 150 people have been found alive and they're being treated in hospitals for their injuries. It's a miracle that so many people have survived this - what officials call - terrorist attack. The reason why they could get to so many victims so fast is due to a technology provided to the city by Wayne Enterprise, which scans the rubble. It detects body heat and that's how helpers here knew where to look. But it was unfortunately too late for 203 people who lost their lives tonight. Amongst them the mayor. As the night progresses they hope they can find more alive - 70 people are still missing. Live at the former City Hall, Catherine Hunter, WCX 8."
He was more than angry at this point. Where was the clown and what was he planning next?
"Isn't it astonishing that Miss Hunter found out the Joker's plan the same time you did, but without fancy technology."
He looked at the butler in an annoyed way while Alfred was just grinning at him.
"Yeah...astonishing."
"Another good reason to tell her the truth Master Wayne. She might be able to help you."
"Would you just let it go?" His voice was angry and on the edge.
"I might sir." He grinned at him and left with an empty tray.
It was two in the morning when I finally had my last live hit. I took a cab home, delirious from all the events today.
Sam had called me earlier, worried about how I was doing.
"I've seen you on TV."
"Since when do you get WCX 8?"
"I don't - you're on national TV."
It was a great day for my career - but a horrible day for Gotham. I felt terrible for not being able to stop it. If only I had looked closer at the Greenwood file when I got it - I could have saved so many lives.
My phone rang.
"Are you on your way home?" Bruce asked.
"Yeah."
"Good. How is your arm?"
"It's fine."
"How are you holding up?"
"I just... I just wish I could turn back time and do some digging earlier. I looked for the obvious - I should have looked beyond that."
"You couldn't have known. You did everything you could."
"Yeah."
"Get some sleep." He sounded incredibly awake for 2 a.m.
"You too."
When I walked into the newsroom with way too little sleep, I already knew why Peter would call me in his office.
I had seen thee picture on twitter and everywhere else on social media.
"First of all - great coverage last night." Peter rarely ever gave compliments.
"Thank you."
"I'm sure you saw..."
"Yes."
"Ok... Then you know what I'm going to ask you next." He said as he turned the computer monitor my way which showed Bruce holding me in his arms, thick dust clouds around us. Can their love survive the storm?
"What a cheesy headline." I said more to myself.
"That's what you're worried about?"
"I know, I know. This looks bad."
"I'm gonna ask you again, is there something going on between the two of you?"
"No." I wasn't ready yet to make whatever it was we had public.
He sighed.
"Well, it certainly looks that way." He scrolled down on the page - more pictures. Bruce pressing his lips against my forehead, his eyes closed, me holding on to him.
"We're friends. He was there and was relieved I was alive."
"He's kissing you."
"On the forehead! That doesn't count. That's what friends do."
"Jake?" He called in Jacob.
"Yeah?" He asked sticking his head in the door.
"Would you kiss a friend on the forehead?"
"What?"
"Just answer the question."
"Um... No." He then looked at me and understood why he was being asked. "Well, unless it was in a life threatening situation. Then kissing on the forehead is a very non-romantic thing to do."
Peter rolled his eyes at him. "I'll keep that in mind next time I'm in a life threatening situation with you."
Jacob left, looking not very enthusiastic about that prospect.
"I get it, it looks bad. Bla, bla. But who is seriously concerned about that right now? Gotham has way bigger problems than whether or not I'm dating Bruce Wayne."
"Exactly. Bigger problems. Gotham needs something positive. Which is why gossip magazines turned it into a cutsie love story. The prince of Gotham - finally in love with the future queen of Gotham, brought together against all odds, by the biggest tragedy to hit the city so far."
"Ugh. Who buys bullshit like that?"
He un-muted the TV behind me.
"I mean they're just so perfect for one another." The blonde woman on TV said.
"She finally made him committed to a serious relationship. I haven't seen him with another woman in months." The guy on TV added.
"That's true."
"Ok turn that off." I sighed. "I get the point. What do you want me to do about it?"
"Tell me the truth for starters. How involved are you two?"
I wasn't ready yet for any of this to go public. "We aren't. I mean sure he tried to get me to sleep with him - it's Bruce Wayne after all - but I said no and since then we're just friends."
Peter raised his eyebrows. "Friends?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know which is more surprising. That Bruce -playboy- Wayne is 'just friends' with you or that you are friends with Bruce Wayne. I don't think I've ever met someone who hated the guy as much as you did."
"Well, I didn't know him well enough then. Anyway - let's make this quick since I want to go out and report real news again."
He shook his head. "Alright, well depending on what is going on between you two, we may or may not want to respond to it. If you two are an item - now would be the perfect time to announce it. If you aren't - then wait a few days to break Gotham's heart."
I nodded. "Got it. When am I going live? What's the latest we know?"
Peter sighed. "Bill is already down there. Dennis is reporting right now so you can go down there whenever you're ready."
On my way to the scene I called Bruce.
"So, I'm sure you saw the pictures?"
"Yes."
I cleared my throat. "Ok, so what's your plan of action on that? If you have one."
"Well, we have two options. Deny it or we make it public. What do you want to do?"
"Deny it."
"Ok, well in that case I think it would look a lot more believable if I was seen with women in public again."
The thought made me cringe but I knew it was logical. "Sounds good. I should probably also go on a few fake dates."
Silence on the other line. Then he cleared his throat.
"I'm of course not really going out with them."
"I know."
Silence again.
"It's just for my public image," he continued. "I don't have to do it if we made it public."
"I know."
He sighed. I could tell the thought of me going on a few dates made him incredibly uncomfortable.
The next day, the final death toll stood at 230 people. I was covering the commemoration for the mayor. Many were giving speeches, including Bruce. He was wearing a black , three-piece suit with a black tie.
"This city is my home. It is my parents' legacy and I can see them in the faces of the people of Gotham today. They helped to built a better tomorrow for this city. I can feel their spirit in the air in this wonderful place I'm fortunate enough to call my home. We will not give into the demands of a terrorist. We will endure and we will be stronger than ever. Gotham needs real heroes - like the mayor was. Heroes - like my parents - who fought to make this a better place, not masked vigilantes. Where was the Batman last night when we really needed him. Real heroes show their faces and stand up for what's right."
It irked me when he spoke negatively about the Batman for some reason. I don't know what he had against him. I personally was glad he was around.
Speech after speech followed.
"Are we trying to get an interview with Wayne afterwards?" Bill asked me when the proceedings were almost over.
"Can you do it? All I want to know is about the machine he donated to the city. I'm going to try to talk to Gordon."
"Sure."
Bruce left the proceedings to find himself encircled by media. He was expecting that. Much of the questions were regarding the attack and the N870 - the machine he gave the city. What he wasn't expecting was what followed next.
"Are you and Catherine Hunter in love?"
"I'm here for the memorial for the mayor not to discuss my personal life."
"Is it true that you two are a couple?"
He needed to give them something, so he put his fake Bruce Wayne persona on.
"Look, she's a gorgeous girl. You can't blame a guy for trying." He grinned a fake grin and left, the cameras following him to his car.
"Any news?" I asked Gordon.
"Not really. We have Dexler in custody but he's not helping us much. He doesn't know anything expect of what he was told to do."
"No word from the Joker?"
"Not yet. We're expecting something from him soon. Some kind of demands... We don't really know what he wants."
The demands followed later that night. I just got home around midnight after another long day. My whole body was acing from everything that happened over the last few days. I turned on the TV - only to see Bruce.
"Look, she's a gorgeous girl. You can't blame a guy for trying."
Ugh - he looked like an arrogant playboy again.
Suddenly regular programming was interrupted.
"Good evening Gotham." It was a high-pitched, unnerving voice. Then his face came into focus. It looked like the Joker was filming himself with a cellphone camera. His scars were up-close to the TV.
"Welcome to a new tomorrow. Our beloved mayor is gone. But that is just the beginning of the fun! There is so much more to come. Unless - unless the Batman takes off his mask and reveals who he really is. The clock is ticking. Hahahahahahahah!"
Immediately after the Joker's televised demands he met with Gordon on the roof of thee GDP.
"Do you know where he is?" Gordon asked him.
"No, he used an encrypted signal. I wasn't able to track it." He responded in a deep, raspy voice.
"Any great ideas? I'd love to hear them."
"He wants me so that's what we have to do."
"No, you can't give into his demands."
"I won't. We just need a trap. Someone needs to pretend they're me and then we catch him."
"That could work. Who should it be?"
"Anyone you can trust."
"There are not many left these days."
"What about Greenwood?"
"I'll bring it up to him."
I went down to the Gotham PD for a press conference. I had no idea what this would be about.
"Good evening, I called you all here because Tom Greenwood has a very important announcement to make." Gordon said as he left the podium to make room for Greenwood.
I wasn't sure why Greenwood decided to host a press conference at the GDP.
"Good evening," he said as he took the stage, looking nervous. "This is a dark hour for Gotham. But we cannot let this defeat our spirit. The loss of the mayor and so many other innocent lives is felt in every corner of this city." He sighed, closing his eyes for a second. "There is no other way to say it - I'm here to turn myself in. I am the Batman."
Gasps were heard through the room, as reporters started yelling questions. I stood there in shock. It was Greenwood? The few Batman encounters I had flashed through my mind. For some reason I couldn't wrap my head around them being the same person. But I guess that was his whole plan.
Three police men immediately surrounded him and put hand cuffs on him. This was so wrong. The Batman didn't belong in hand cuffs. He deserved respect from all of us. For some reason I still didn't believe it was him. But why would he say he was the Batman and get himself locked up in the MCU if it wasn't him?
"Ready to go Cat?" I heard the director in my ear as Greenwood was transported out of the room.
"Yes." I said, still in disbelief.
"30 seconds back."
"Good evening to you Dan, we now know the true identity of the Batman. No other than Tom Greenwood! He was the caped crusader. He just announced his true identity at a press conference here..."
"Looks like it worked Master Wayne." Alfred said while they were watching Cat fostering the lie on TV. She would kill him for this if she'd knew.
"Yes. Now it's just a matter of time before he buys the bait." He responded as he was getting ready to change and become the Batman.
As predicted, the Joker had taken the bait indeed. He was chasing the van in which Greenwood was transported to the MCU.
The station had a helicopter out, filming the chase.
I had heard absolutely nothing from Gordon which made me suspicious. These days he was very reliable.
As I was staring at the TV images at the station, suddenly I saw the tumbler.
"Is that...?" Jacob asked me in disbelief.
"It surely is. God! I knew Greenwood wasn't the Batman."
"Maybe it's a copycat?"
"Look at it! That's not a copycat."
"Maybe there's more than one Batman out there."
There was an explosion and the tumbler was gone. A few minutes later Batman was racing on a motorcycle behind the cars.
"Ok, he's the real deal." Jacob corrected himself.
I was amazed how well the Joker had planned the attack. The police seemed helpless against him. Only Batman seemed to have the capability to slow him down.
After a long chase, Gordon finally arrested the Joker.
"That's why I didn't hear from him!" I said, more to myself.
"Didn't hear from who?" Jacob asked.
"Gordon. This was a plan. They used Greenwood as bait to get to the Joker."
"Seems Greenwood doesn't need any more help getting elected."
"Indeed."
A week had passed, the Joker was locked up in the MCU and Greenwood was hailed as a hero. The city was slowly healing.
Things between me and Bruce were better than ever. We had to be even more careful now, since paparazzi were just waiting to get another shot of us together.
"You know at some point I would love to meet up like a normal couple." He said while holding me in his arms in his bed.
"Ha! You're Bruce Wayne - even if we went public there's no normal I'm pretty sure."
"Maybe," he replied while kissing my neck. "But it would be more normal than meeting up in secrecy every night."
I sighed. "I know. I'm just not ready for the media circus that would follow."
"May I remind you that you're part of that circus."
"Excuse me? What I do is VERY different than what gossip column writers do."
"I know. I'm sorry I was just teasing you." He said, smiling, throwing up his hands in defense.
"You're forgiven this one time."
"Oh thank God." He replied as he pulled me closer to him. "Though I already had a strategy in mind how to make it up to you."
"Really?" I grinned at him.
"Uh-huh." His lips covering mine, his hand on my hip directing my body closer to his.
As our tongues met he rolled himself on top of me, pulling my hands over my head. His lips were gliding down my neck, slowly making its way further down, covering every inch of my body. Finally I leaned my head back, arching my back, moaning with every sensation of his lips and tongue.
As he pushed himself inside me, I snatched the railing of the bed, feeling his heavy breath on my neck.
Our bodies seemed in perfect unison and I didn't want this to ever stop.
It was close to one in the morning. I was on my phone, reading the news as I wasn't able to sleep.
Suddenly his phone was buzzing. Confused he woke up, grabbing his phone.
A jolt went through his body and he sat up straight immediately.
"What is it?" I asked concerned.
"A big business deal is on the line. The CEO of the company is threatening to cancel the deal. I have to go now. I'm so sorry."
He brushed his lips against mine, then jumping out of bed, quickly getting dressed.
I didn't believe a word he said.
"Why is it always the middle of the night when these business deals fall apart?"
He was facing the mirror fixing his tie.
"Because our most lucrative business deals are with foreign companies. Are we back to the non-trust issue?" He asked me slightly on edge.
"No, no." I lied. "Just curious."
"I'm really sorry. I swear I'll make it up to you with some amazing dinner."
"You mean Alfred is making some amazing dinner?"
"Yeah." He shrugged before leaning in for another kiss.
I didn't believe him at all. Maybe I could ask Zack about what deals with foreign companies Wayne Enterprise had?
20 minutes later I got a call from Peter.
"Sorry to wake you, the Joker escaped the MCU with Xang and all three mob leaders."
"Damn it! The Joker wanted to be caught! He planned to be locked up in the MCU!"
"We need you at the station asap."
Oh sleep...how I missed it.
"We need to find him." Gordon said to him in an anxious voice, nervously walking up and down on the roof of the Gotham Police Department.
He just stood there, staring at Gordon without saying anything.
"Do you have any more information on him? We found absolutely nothing. No fingerprints. Nothing."
"There are rumors." He responded in a husky voice. "People say he is a failed comedian, who wasn't able to pay his bills. Suddenly his pregnant wife died in a freak accident. By that time he was already involved with the wrong people. They broke into a chemical factory, which went wrong and the Joker fell into a chemical container. He was horribly disfigured, broke and his family died. All in one day. It was too much for him and he turned into the Joker."
"How is this going to help us find him?" Gordon asked exasperated.
"I don't know yet. But I will find him."
