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*Edited for typos :)

Chapter Eleven: Sparks

Nora's night at work was, fortunately, pretty uneventful aside from the unrest the news story caused amongst her colleagues and seemingly everyone else in Gotham. As soon as everyone finished their discussion about the news, they filtered back into the treatment area to find her at her desk. The topic of conversation then immediately shifted to the bruise on her face, of course. Nora was expecting that so she had a detailed story about a mugging down the street from her apartment rehearsed and ready in her mind. Matt, the shift lead at the front desk, voiced his concern that the Joker's presence in Gotham again would increase the crime rate and used Nora's fictional mugging as an easily accessible example. What they didn't know was that Joker had already been in town for over two weeks and had remained below the radar until that point. She obviously kept this detail to herself and quietly avoided the conversation. His goal this time around didn't really involve normal citizens much, unlike before when he needed them to lure out Batman and Harvey Dent. This time he had a vendetta with Maroni.

Picking out troublemakers and getting rid of them seemed to be his primary motivation and Nora wasn't really sure why. Maybe this city was his home and he became the Joker to pull the weeds that he believed were killing Gotham. This was just Nora's theory after she got to know him a bit. Things really did calm down after Batman ran off and the corrupt cops on the GCPD were exposed, after all. He just had no regard for anyone's rules and didn't care how he dealt with anyone who got in his way. Plus, he critically weakened the Mob operation in town when he burned their money. He certainly didn't have the patience to wait for a legal system he didn't even believe in to take care of it so he took matters into his own hands. But Maroni managed to hang on so here they were. What he was going to do once he took out Maroni, she really wasn't sure.

Once her evening shift was ending, Nora looked forward to having a couple of days off. Her head was hurting much less by then but her bruise was pretty sore. Suddenly she realized that she had to get home somehow and it was after eleven o'clock by then. Her brush with Sal understandably made her cautious about being out alone after dark.

"Um. Hey Matt? Did you drive to work today?" she asked.

He pulled his car keys out of his pocket and held them up as he said, "Yep. I was gonna offer you a ride after what happened."

She smiled a little and replied, "Thanks, I appreciate that."

The drive to her place was a bit awkward. Nora didn't talk to Matt much but was grateful for the ride. He asked her if she would be alright in her apartment alone that night. It was a bit of a creepy thing to ask, but she figured he meant well and told him she would be fine. Secretly, she was a little nervous. If Maroni knew where she worked then he could easily know where she lived. She was exhausted after everything that happened over the past few days and just couldn't seem to come up with any kind of plan if a threat came her way. She didn't own any weapons, just kitchen knives. Maybe she could manage to throw a good punch or two.

Matt pulled his little blue sedan up to the curb outside Nora's building and offered to walk her up. She had to stop herself from scoffing at his persistence and politely declined.

"I'll be ok, thanks though. The elevator is right there," she said.

He nodded and said, "Ok well stay safe, doctor Hawthorne."

"Thanks Matt," she replied before closing the passenger door and searching for her keys in her bag. When she unlocked the front door to the building, she noticed that Matt had waited at the curb until she was inside. It made her a bit anxious to have him be so concerned about her. She didn't know him that well in the first place so it was a little strange and his paranoia just made hers worse.

She hit the button for the elevator and subtly glanced around her, scanning the lobby for anything or anyone suspicious. Nothing seemed unusual, not that she was expecting the Mob boss to leave any obvious traces behind if he had been there. As she rode the elevator up to her floor, her unease began to get worse. What if someone from Maroni's crew was inside her apartment, waiting for her? No, she still had two days until the deadline he gave her, that wouldn't really make sense. But nothing that she'd experienced lately made sense.

Nora slowly approached her door with her key in her hand and lifted it to the lock, her heart pumping a bit faster. Doing her best to ignore the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach, she quietly opened the door. It was dark, just like she left it, and she couldn't hear a sound. She quickly reached for the light switch to flick the overhead light on. The living room and kitchen were promptly illuminated, showing nothing out of the ordinary. Alright, so I'm paranoid. Despite her conflicted feelings about wanting to feel safe while still maintaining her dignity, Nora armed herself with her largest kitchen knife and searched her apartment. Closets, cabinets, the shower, the fire escape, everywhere was clear. Once she was sure that she was alone, she doubled checked that the deadbolt was secure and that the windows were locked. The knife was then stowed away in her bed side drawer where it was easily accessible, just in case. Bowie showed up through her cat door before long so she fed her before getting ready for bed and settled in for what turned out to be a night of fitful sleep. She woke up so often to sit up and listen for any sounds, that the cat left her bed to find somewhere more peaceful. Eventually, her exhaustion made her able to stay asleep for more than an hour at a time. Her eyes flew open once again and by then, the sun had come up.

She was relieved that daylight had returned and felt safer already. Then she heard a noise from the other room. Her heart leapt in her chest and she carefully grabbed the knife from the drawer as her hand shook. After silently slipping out of bed, Nora tip-toed to her bedroom door and placed her other hand on the knob to slowly turn it. The latch clicked and she held her breath to listen. She could only hear her own blood rushing in her ears. With the knife readied, she let her breath go and cracked the door open to peek into the room beyond it. Past the empty living room, she saw a figure in the kitchen facing away from her with a hexagon patterned shirt and green tinted hair.

Nora sharply gasped and dropped the knife, making a loud clattering sound. Joker turned around with a casual look on his face and raised his brow at her. "Jesus Christ, you scared me!" she huffed, catching her breath.

"Oh I don't know if I deserve that title but thank you," he giggled. "Miss me, doll?"

She put her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes before letting out a breathy chuckle. "I did, actually," she replied with a smile. Her adrenaline rush had drowned out her senses and now that it was dissipating, she could smell coffee as she stood in the doorway.

"You made coffee?" she asked.

He responded by picking up two mugs from the counter to walk toward her and hand her one. Then he crouched down to pick up the kitchen knife and inspected it before rolling his eyes over to look at Nora.

"Yes, I know. I'm paranoid," said Nora.

He looked surprised and said, "Mmm, under prepar-ed would be the phrase I'd use." She gave him a confused expression and he continued, "You know how to fire a gun, doll?"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, "Uh, no."

"Ah, well we'll remedy tha-t," he said, before nonchalantly taking a sip of his coffee.

Nora subconsciously mirrored the action and took a sip as well. The coffee was smooth and very strong, it didn't surprise her at all that the Joker liked strong coffee. She swallowed the rich, black drink and said, "So you came here to look after me?"

"In a way, yes. Couldn't leave you to, uh, wait out Maro-ni all by your lonesome, hm?" he said, looking at the bruise on her face.

She smiled and nodded, then furrowed her brow before asking him, "Wait. How did you get in here?"

A smile pulled at his cheeks as he replied in a low voice, "Ahhh I have my wayys, doll."

She just stared back at him and blinked. Then he licked his lips as he shifted his eyes over toward the windows and Nora looked to see the window to the fire escape wide open. She looked back to him with her mouth open and he said, "Ah haaa, the doctor has been puzzled! C'mon doll, you know I never let a lock get in my way," he stated.

"Well yeah, ok. It's just… it doesn't feel safe here now," she said, continuing to gaze at the open window.

"That's because it isn-t," Joker replied.

She paused, then looked back to him with worried eyes and said, "What do I do then?"

Joker put his mug down to place his hands on either side of her face and stare into her eyes. His expression was blank, she couldn't tell what he was thinking and just stared back. Suddenly, he pulled her in for a deep kiss. She closed her eyes and melted into it. He laced his fingers into her hair and she gripped the collar of his waistcoat as they continued to devour each other. The world around them seemed to stand still and Nora's senses were consumed by him. The taste of his mouth on her tongue, the smell of greasepaint and smoke, and feeling of the soft scars on his lip against hers as she slid her arms around his neck. Without breaking their kiss, Joker then took her hand in his, held her at her waist, and swiftly dipped her toward the floor, like they were ballroom dancing. Her eyes flew open and she held on tight to the back of his neck.

He freed his mouth from hers, popped his lips, and said, "You stay with me."

Her eyes went wide with surprise. "What?" she asked.

"The, uh, accommo-dations aren't much doll, bu-t Maroni isn't gonna find you there," he replied, still holding her parallel to the floor.

He managed to astonish Nora in new ways all the time. It certainly wasn't expected of the Joker to make an offer like that. She was… flattered. Has he ever had a woman stay with him before? Suddenly, just the thought of Joker with another woman struck Nora in her heart with a pang of jealousy. Damn, what is wrong with me? Then she thought seriously about it. She probably would be safer at the warehouse. Even though it was in the Narrows, it was full of armed men to stand between her and Maroni. But, the same armed men are all criminals. Criminals that work for the criminal she was now sleeping with. Then the thought of spending each night with him entered her mind and she said, "Ok, yeah. Thanks, J."

Joker grinned, kissed her on the lips, and quickly pulled her back up to stand in front of him. "I'm thrilled, doll. I really am," he said with a grin, clearly pleased. "Even, uh, better than a house call."

Nora smiled at him. Life had become so strange, but she liked it. It used to be predictable and a bit mundane, even at the clinic. Joker certainly wasn't predictable. She didn't want to get her hopes up so she'd been denying it, but she was starting to allow herself to believe he cared about her. Why else would he offer for her to stay with him? And he took care of her when she got hurt. Then she heard Q's words echo in the back of her mind. Looks like he'll kill for ya, doc. She felt a nervous drop of her stomach when she remembered what Q and Enigma said yesterday.

Her expression changed to reflect her sudden apprehension and she asked, "Um. Did Q and Enigma say anything to you after I left yesterday?"

He rolled his eyes and said, "Q and Enig-ma for-get who they work for. They must think I'm dim witt-ed."

Nora felt a spark of relief. "What did they tell you?"

"Ohhh, after sifting through the lies, that our dear Nora was putting our operation at risk. Tha-t she was an easy target for mister Maroni and she'll bring him right to our door," he said. She looked down at the floor as he spoke. Joker then lifted her chin with his fingers and looked her in the eyes before continuing, "Bu-t what they didn't know is that the doctor is more valued than they are."

"Really?" she said, looking back at him with creased brows.

He nodded and said, "Oh, yes. Her talents are not to be taken for grant-ed. In fact, they should be expanded. Challenges arise, we adapt to meet them. You're not a liability, doll."

Nora responded with a huge smile. No one has ever really made her feel important the way he did. Her part in his plans seemed to be changing but she had a feeling he'd had something in mind for her long before now. He wasn't letting Maroni get his way and she didn't want to let him either. "Expanded. Expanded how?" she asked.

He grinned back and said, "We're gonna have a crash course in weapons use, my dear."

After changing into dark jeans and black t-shit, Nora hurriedly stuffed some clothes, scrubs, and essentials in some duffle bags he gave her while Joker stood in her living room. As she packed away her toothbrush, she heard the news from the tv in the other room, "It has been discovered that Salvatore Maroni, who had previously been presumed dead after a car accident earlier this year, is alive and well. The man known for being the suspected head of the Falconi crime family has been living in the Narrows and is currently in police custody after a cache of guns and drugs were found inside the family's restaurant. The illegal items were found during a search prompted by the investigation into the three bodies left at the establishment by the Joker." Nora stopped what she was doing and peeked her head around the corner to look at the Gotham Tonight anchor on the screen. "How long Mr. Maroni will be held is unclear but the case is currently being handled by police commissioner, Jim Gordon. The whereabouts of the Joker are also unknown. Updates will be broadcasted as they are received," he said.

The screen was switched off and she looked to see Joker with his arms crossed, appearing satisfied. "You certainly know what you're doing," she said.

He smiled and replied, "Mmm well, creating panic is easy. Only a few sparks can start a fire with the right, uh, kindling."

She grinned at him and continued packing. Joker was undoubtedly smart. He was always a step ahead of everyone, leaving them to chase him as he left them in the dust. Nora was nervous but also excited for what he was going to teach her.

Once she had filled the duffle bags and snuck up on a napping Bowie to put her in her carrier, she brought them out to the living room to find Joker coming from the kitchen with a clean face, a black zipped up hoodie, and jeans. Nora stopped at the doorway and stared at him. He winked, clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, and said "Like what ya see, doll?"

She stifled a giggle with a smile on her face and answered, "Actually, yeah, I do."

A low growl rumbled from his throat as he pulled the hood up over his head and kept a seductive gaze on her. Then he stuffed his purple and green clothes into one of them before swinging the duffle bags onto his shoulders and she grabbed her medical supplies bag from the hallway with Bowie's carrier in her other hand. They reached the front door and she glanced up at him. He pulled a pair of sunglasses and a cap out of his pocket, then put the cap on her head and the glasses on her face. She softly chuckled as he opened the door and she turned to lock it behind them. She walked quickly, following Joker toward the stairs and glancing around to make sure the hall was empty. That was when she heard a door close behind her and looked to see Leann with her back to them as she locked it. Nora gasped quietly, pulled Joker around the corner by his arm, and into the stairwell. She let go of the breath she had been holding and said, "Sorry, that was my neighbor and she is super nosey."

He chuckled before heading down the stairs and she followed. The sun was bright when they made it outside and she was actually grateful for the sunglasses. Joker approached a black car and opened the trunk to toss the duffels along with her medical supplies bag inside. He drove here? She secured Bowie in the back seat then looked to see him holding the passenger's door open and he bowed with his palm turned up, gesturing for her to climb in. "Your chariot awaits, my dear," he said with a grin. Nora laughed and gladly sat down before he shut her door. She liked it when he made her laugh, he was quite good at it and it made her heart flutter. He shut his door and licked his scars as he put the keys in the ignition to start the car.

Not surprisingly, Joker drove really fast. They weaved in and out of traffic with ease as he hummed to himself. Nora got comfortable and gazed out the windshield. She wasn't sure how long she would be staying with him and what it was going to be like. A nervous feeling creeped into her stomach when she thought about all of the men that would be coming and going, maybe one would threaten her again. But the more she thought about it, it still felt safer than her apartment with its apparently serious lack of security. Plus, Joker clearly held the authority around there and he'd already kept her safe several times. His affections continued to be extremely addictive and she knew that was really why she said yes. Last night she thought she was going to have to stay away from him, but it looked like he wasn't going to let that happen.

Nora smiled to herself and Joker asked, "What's on your mind, doll face?"

"Oh, I was just thinking," she replied.

He took a pack of cigarettes in his hand and pulled one out with his teeth, nodding his head as he motioned for her to go on. "Aaaand? Thinking about what?" he asked around the cigarette in his mouth as he extended the pack toward Nora for her to take one.

She plucked one out and held it between her fingers. She took a breath and answered, "Well, I thought I wasn't going to be able to see you but I'm glad it didn't turn out that way."

"Aaah, yes. I knew it was a lie. You needed time off, they said. You're more resilient than tha-t. Q and Enigma don't get to make those decisions," he said as he lit his cigarette and held the lighter out for Nora to light hers. "Not to mention they also have no, uh, business speaking for you."

Nora simply nodded. That was what she was hoping he'd say. She also felt validated since she had said something very similar to them. They each inhaled then blew smoke out of the open windows as Joker drove down the streets of Gotham with the wind blowing their hair. The familiar surroundings of the stacked shipping containers came into view before Joker suddenly jerked the steering wheel to swing the car into park in front of the warehouse with a screech of the tires. He began to laugh as Nora's grip on the door and center console loosened and she giggled along with him. She looked back to Bowie who gave her a somewhat displeased look from her carrier.

"Your palace, my dear," he said as he opened her door and she continued to laugh.

With her bags slung over his shoulders, he kicked the door open and the sound echoed through the warehouse. She carried Bowie in and followed Joker up the stairs while he ignored the looks of confusion from a group of men cleaning guns at a table. She kept her gaze forward and avoided eye contact. Once in his room, he dropped the bags and flung the hood off of his head to ruffle his hair with his hand as Nora removed the cap and glasses. Then she knelt down and opened Bowie's carrier to free her from her confinement. The cat slipped out and tip-toed around the room with her tail in the air, inspecting everything. When she looked up, Nora saw Joker getting undressed and she froze with a little grin on her face.

He noticed her watching him as he pulled on and buttoned his pinstripe pants then walked toward her, leaving his shirt abandoned on top of his desk. He stood in front of her before brushing her hair away from her neck and putting his lips to her skin. Goosebumps rose up all over Nora's body and she held on to his bare shoulders as her eyes closed and her head dropped back. Joker gently nibbled at her neck while she breathed heavily. Then he suddenly bit down with his teeth, causing Nora's eyes to fly open and she looked at him with an exaggerated expression.

"Time for your first gun lesson, doll!" he said loudly, holding her face in his hands before planting a hard kiss on her lips and walking away to continue to get dressed in his usual clothes. Nora couldn't help but break into a fit of giggles.

She sat on the cabinet in the bathroom and watched him apply his face paint. He smeared it on with his fingers in no time, the motions obviously practiced many times by then. He spread the red paint up his scars with his pointer fingers and grinned at Nora. Then he buttoned his shirt and knotted his tie around his neck before slipping his waistcoat onto his shoulders. "Ta daa!" he exclaimed with his arms outstretched.

"Perfect," she said with a smile.

He gestured toward the door and said, "After you."

He lead her back down below the stairs and approached the nearby table when the men were cleaning guns. They nodded to him and stood from their chairs as he selected a smaller 9 mm handgun from the weapons laid out in front of him. He held it down by his side, walked to a door next to their make-shift kitchen, and opened it to reveal a large room she didn't know was there. It had cement block walls that had paper targets hanging on the far wall. Nora stood in the door way and stared at the wall full of small holes. She'd never shot a gun before and was frankly terrified of them, like they'd go off at any moment.

"Feeling nervous, doll?" Joker asked from behind her.

She turned around and answered, "To be honest, yeah."

He smiled softly and said, "No need to be nervous." They walked into the room and he held up the gun for her to take. She looked hesitantly at it and then back at him. "It's not loaded," he said.

She did her best to not let her hand shake and reached out to carefully take it. It weighed a lot less than she was expecting. Nora looked over the black metal and plastic device in her hand, it was actually kind of elegant. Something so small held so much power. Joker stood next to her and positioned the gun in her hand so that she held it as far up on the grip as possible, her pointer finger was resting on the barrel, and the handle was snug against her palm. Then he turned her by her shoulders to face the back wall and stood behind her with his chest to her back. He reached out to straighten her shooting arm, bringing it up in front of her and pointing the gun at the wall.

Joker put his chin on her shoulder and said, "Keep your arm straight but don't lock your elbow, hold it tight high up on the grip." Then took her other hand and wrapped it around the grip and lined her thumb up with the barrel. "Non-dominant hand covers the rest of the grip, thumb along the barrel." He tapped her feet apart with his and said, "Feet shoulder width part, straight back, waist slightly bent forward," then bending her a bit at the waist. "Shooting arm is gonna feel like a push while the other pulls, elbow bent a bit," he said, adjusting her arms. Then he took her finger from against the barrel and put it over the trigger. "First knuckle over the trigger. We're gonna dry fire first, squeeze it slowly," he told her as he held her arms from behind her. Nora looked at her hands gripping the gun in front of her and pulled on the trigger slowly. It took a few seconds, then she heard a click. "Ok it would have fired then. Hold it there and release it slowly until it clicks again," he said. She did as he said and a second click was heard halfway back to starting position. "That's good, doll. You can do it faster next shot. You ready?" She nodded. He pulled a clip from his pocket and loaded it into the gun. Then he helped Nora position herself again so her grip was strong. "Keep both eyes open, line up your shot with your dominant eye," he said. Nora wasn't feeling as nervous anymore. She trusted him and he made her feel safe. Once she was ready, she nodded and he told her, "Take a breath and when you exhale, pull the trigger like I told ya, keep your grip strong for the recoil."

Nora stared at the red target on the wall and took in a controlled breath, then let it go and pulled on the trigger. A loud bang filled the room and her muscles tensed as the gun felt like it was going to jump out of her hands. She managed to keep her grip and released the trigger, lowering the gun once she felt it click.

"HA! Fantastic, doll!" Joker cried, pointing to the hole in the paper about six inches from the center. "Not too shabby for your first sho-t," he said with a grin.

She smiled as she looked at the mark she made in the target. It was actually immensely satisfying. Then she looked to Joker and said, "Thanks! I guess it's not bad, is it?"

His tongue darted out over his lip before a devious smile stretched across his face and he asked, "Wanna do it again?" Nora grinned back and nodded.

Song for this chapter: DRIVE ME CRAZY by KAYTRANADA