Hello, everyone!

It's been a rough week for me but I'm really excited about this chapter! I hope you like it!

Chapter Seventeen: Emotions

Joker pounded his fist again and again onto the dry wall in the warehouse, his face twisted into a scowl as he gritted his teeth. Each punch drove his knuckles harder against the material until splotches of bright red were left behind and it gave way beneath his fist. He pulled his bloodied hand out of the new hole in the wall before growling loudly and pulling his Glock from his waist, walking stiffly toward the shooting range. The door slammed shut and the sound of his gun firing at the wall echoed through the warehouse until the chamber was empty and a heavy silence hung in the air.

Nick helped support Q with the hospital sheet wrapped around his waist below his fresh abdominal incision as they cautiously walked inside. The tense stillness in the warehouse was broken when Enigma came rushing in through the back entrance. He stopped when he saw Q standing there, then a wide grin stretched on his face as he swiftly approached him and wrapped Q in a tight bear hug. He huffed under Enigma's bulk and lightly patted his back.

"Ow," he wheezed.

Enigma released him and said, "Ah shit, sorry man. It's just good to have ya back in once piece." He looked him up and down as he chuckled, "Uh, what're you wearing?"

Q looked down at his improvised attire and answered, "That's, um, a funny story."

"Where's boss and the doc?" Enigma asked, looking around the room. Q's face suddenly fell, followed by Enigma's. "What happened?"

"Cops took Nora," said Nick.

Enigma furrowed his brow and replied, "What?"

"There was a road block after we left the hospital. Look man, keep your fuckin' voice down, boss is in there," Nick answered hastily, pointing toward the shooting range.

Joker sat slouching on the floor with his legs sprawled out in front of him, staring at the wall. Next to the paper target he had just filled with holes was one with a single mark that Nora had made with her first shot.

Nora focused on taking controlled breaths but was unable to steady them as she trembled in the chair she was bound to. Her trembling soon gave way to silent sobs, tears dripping onto her lap. She still felt the sting from Maroni's slap on her face. He must still have cops on his payroll. She felt foolish, falling for his trap. But she couldn't give in. She sat there and convinced herself that surrender wasn't an option. She thought about everything she'd been through over the past few weeks. She thought about Joker. Her heart fluttered in her chest and goosebumps rose up on her skin as images of his dark eyes gazing at her, his eager hands reaching out to touch her, and his scarred lips coming closer to meet hers ran through her mind. His touch was like a drug. It drew her in, sending her head into the clouds while keeping her feet on the ground. She found comfort in his arms. The closer she got to him, the closer she wanted to be. She had feelings for Gotham's most wanted man and she didn't even know his real name. But she didn't care. To her it didn't matter what his name was, where he came from, or what had happened to him to make him the way he is. Whether she ever did or didn't find out, it wouldn't change how she felt. He was who he was and she loved him. It was twisted and wrong but she loved him. She had to get out of there.

Her eyes snapped open and Nora took a few deep breaths, her new determination breaking through her fear and giving her the ability to focus. She lifted her head from her chest and looked around the room as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. There was a single narrow window at the top of the ceiling where a sliver of light from the streetlamps outside came through. She must be in a basement. The walls were cement blocks and the floor concrete with pipes running along the ceiling. As she looked around she also noticed a tiny red light blinking at her from the corner of the ceiling. A camera.

If she was being watched, she had to be careful. Wait. Wait for the right opportunity. As her senses were coming back to her and she regained control of herself, she felt something pressing against her lower belly. They never searched her for weapons. The small gun she carried into the hospital was still tucked into her pants.

The longest night of Nora's life crawled by as she carefully pulled and tugged at the rope tying her wrists together behind her back. Her shoulders ached and her skin burned beneath the ropes but she kept trying late into the night. It was eerily quiet except for the scurry of rats in the dark. As dawn approached, Nora's struggle against the rope turned into mere twitches of her wrists while she drifted in and out of consciousness before finally falling asleep.

"Up and at 'em, girly!" a voice echoed in her pounding head.

Nora startled awake with a gasp to see the lights on and a large man in a leather jacket with a shaved head knelt in front of her, his hands on his knees. The light in her eyes felt like daggers as she groaned and dropped her head.

"Boss wants ya cleaned up. If ya cooperate, it'll go a lot smoother," the man said.

The aching of her head was agonizing. She didn't respond and only winced at his words. Then he suddenly grabbed a fist full of Nora's hair and yanked her head up.

He grumbled as she yelped, "Listen bitch, I don't have much patience and you're on thin ice."

"I'm sorry!" she cried.

"You make one move I don't like and its light out. Got it?" he grunted as he proceeded to untie her ankles from the chair.

Her scalp felt like it was on fire, the burning intensifying the pain in her head. But behind the pain, her mind pushed for her to fight. Kick him.

The moment he finished untying her, she took a deep breath and swung her leg up toward his groin. She managed to catch him with her foot, sending him to his knees. He howled with pain and Nora stood to sprint toward the open door. But her legs, stiff from being bent on the chair all night, gave out underneath her and she fell to the ground. Unable to catch herself with her hands, she landed on her chest with a grunt as her face hit the concrete and split her lip. The hulking man grabbed at her ankles while she squirmed desperately to get away.

"Fucking cunt!" he screamed, seizing her ankle and pulling her toward him. Then he flipped her over to face him, blood tricking down her chin. "That 'aint cooperatin'!"

His fist made contact with the side of Nora's head and her vision went black.

Joker sat at his desk, the pair of scrubs he had been wearing exchanged for his own shirt and waistcoat, holding his painted forehead in his hands and bouncing his leg as the first rays of daylight broke through the blinds. Why was he like this? Reduced to a dysfunctional mess, unable to think, unable to move, just staring at the empty space in front of him all night. He'd been curious about her. Curious about the allure she gave off behind her eyes, beckoning him nearer. Curiosity turned into lust and lust turned into a confusing puddle of emotions that he would have been happy to drown in. Then she was gone. Here one second, gone the next. She took a piece of his mind with her, leaving it dark and unfeeling as it was before, frantic for her return. It was torturous. It was frustrating. Almost infuriating. She'd awoken something within him. An ability to feel something other than the dull buzzing of his racing thoughts. To be swallowed up in the warmth of her skin, his touch sparking a fire that burned just for him. He wanted her back.

He abruptly stood from his chair and crossed the room to fling the door open. Nick, Q, and Enigma sat at a table down below, turning their heads toward the sound. Joker hastened down the stairs to pull out a chair and quickly sit, slamming his hands down flat on the table. He shifted his gaze around the table at each of them. They had strange looks on their faces.

"Wha-t?" Joker growled slowly.

Nick swallowed and looked down at the table where a videotape with a bow tied around it sat. Joker's jaw clenched as he stared at it. Then he suddenly stood, his chair scraping loudly on the floor, and grabbed the tape to quickly take it to the corner where some old recording equipment and a small television were set up. He turned it on and shoved the tape in, his tongue nervously flicking over his lip while he kept his eyes fixed on the screen. The three men approached from behind him as an image appeared.

It was Nora. Tied to a chair in a dark room, the night vision camera looking down at her. She was still at first, her head hanging with her chin against her chest, then subtle movements of her struggling against her restraints were visible. Her head would lull to the side as she alternated between pulling at her wrists and dropping her head, remaining still for a short time before rousing and struggling again with a pained expression on her face.

Jokers chest heavily rose and fell faster and faster as his body trembled and his face twitched, a positively deadly look in his eyes still focused on the image. Then the screen went dark. He promptly reached for his gun and sent several rounds sparking through the television before rigidly walking away with the weapon still in his hand, unphased by the ringing in his ears. He approached the door and reached out for the handle when Nick caught up with him.

"Wait, wait, wait! You need a plan, boss!" Nick urged him.

Joker turned to him with a piercing stare and grumbled through gnashed teeth, "No. I don't need a plaaan."

"How 'bout some back up then?" Nick replied.

Joker released the tension on his jaw and licked at the inside of his scars as his eyes wandered the space around Nick. Then he nodded as he said, "Round 'em up."

When Nora opened her eyes, she felt a pain racking her skull like she'd never experienced before. An involuntary groan passed through her lips. The sound of a door opening startled her to attention, the surprised jolt of her body only making the pain worse. She squeezed her eyes shut as heavy footsteps got closer.

"Wake up, lady. You gotta get ready," an unfamiliar voice said.

She squinted through her eyelids at a lean man with long hair looking down at her. Then she realized that she didn't feel a pull at her shoulders and could move her legs. She was lying on the floor unrestrained. Nora tried to push herself up and make a break for a door, any door. But her arms wouldn't comply, leaving her flat on her belly and her head pulsing. She didn't feel the metal of the gun barrel against her skin. It was gone.

The skinny man chuckled and said, "Nice try, girly. Get in there an' clean yourself up."

He grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her up to see a drab bathroom that looked like it hadn't been used in ages. She was released from his grip to her hands and knees where she paused to breathe through a wave of nausea that came over her.

"We don't got all day," he said, nudging her side with his shoe.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped.

His fingers dug into her arm as he roughly pulled her to her feet. He leaned in and said, "I'll touch ya whenever I want," his reeking breath wafting over her face.

Then he let go and Nora's legs shook like she hadn't stood up in days. She almost reflexively reached out to steady herself on his shoulder before managing to step forward into the bathroom, her aching muscles tensing to keep her upright. Had it only been one night?

"There's a dress in there. Put it on. Wash the blood off yer face. You got ten minutes."

The door slammed and locked behind her as Nora looked up to see her reflection in the dirty mirror. She looked like hell. Her hair was tangled, her eyes were puffy with dark circles beneath them, and her bottom lip was split in the middle, leaving a small trail of dried blood down her chin. A large bruise was starting to bloom on her temple. She looked down at her wrists, splotched red with rope burn. The sight of herself in such a state made her want to cry. But she'd already shed enough tears. She had to focus on her survival, figure out how she could escape. She was locked in the bathroom but maybe there was something she could use as a weapon. She looked around the small room for anything remotely sharp. There was nothing on top of the pedestal sink except a bar of soap. The cabinet was bare and there wasn't even a towel rack. Nothing. Then she noticed, hanging from an exposed pipe behind her, a short copper colored dress covered in gawdy sequins. What the fuck?

Nora jumped when there was a sudden brash knock on the door. "Five more minutes and I'm comin' in!" a muffled voice called.

Was this some kind of joke? Did he really expect her to put that on? She frowned at the dress. No. No, I'm not doing that. She took her opportunity to use the toilet and clean up her face. The pounding in her head started to fade after she drank the thankfully clear water from the sink with her cupped hands, bringing cool relief to her parched throat. The lock on the door clicked before it swung open. The thin man was standing there accompanied by the bald one she'd kicked in the crotch.

"You 'aint dressed," the bald one said.

Nora kept a hardened expression on her face as she slowly shook her head, "I'm not wearing that."

He scoffed and replied, "Like hell you're not! You believe this bitch, Ace?" turning to his companion.

"I don't, Vinny! You think she'd know better!" the skinny man answered with a smirk.

Vinny chuckled and pulled something from his pocket. "Well maybe she should learn then," he said menacingly, extending a flickering stun gun toward her. It hummed threateningly as an arch of electricity crossed it's prongs. "Can't leave any more marks on that pretty little body."

She swallowed the lump in her throat, staring at the weapon with wide eyes. Her fatigued mind couldn't come up with anything to do. She just stood there. Then suddenly she felt a sensation like bees were crawling under her skin, mercilessly stinging her. The pain was excruciating. Her body seized up and she couldn't move. Then it was gone as fast as it had come and she was back on the floor, lying on her side, panting.

"Get dressed," said Ace.

The door slammed shut once again, leaving Nora alone, catching her breath as she recovered from the voltage that was just sent coursing through her body. She had to pick her battles. It was clear that Maroni was trying to humiliate her and she certainly wanted to keep her dignity but she also wanted to get out of there alive. If she played his game, maybe she'd be more likely to find her opportunity for escape. She had to try. At least they were letting her change in private.

Nora pushed herself up from the floor with trembling arms and carefully stood up. She took a deep breath before pulling her scrub top over her sore torso and sliding down her drawstring pants after kicking off her tennis shoes. The dress had so much sparkly decoration on it that it was kind of heavy. She lifted it over her arms and let it drop onto her body. It was fairly form-fitting and sleeveless with a deep v neckline, the hem hitting just above her knees. It was gaudy, flashy, ostentatious and entirely out of character for her. It flattered her figure but she hated it. She felt like a mannequin. Squeezed into a little dress to be stared at by passersby. Fucking ridiculous. She sighed deeply before slowly turning the door handle.

The two henchmen were waiting just outside the door and whistled belittlingly at her as she kept her eyes down toward the floor, idly curling her injured lip into her mouth. Her tongue was met with the taste of her own blood while she made an effort to steel her resolve. Focus. Don't listen to them.

"Boss made a nice choice, didn'e?" said Ace.

Vinny chuckled and said, "Sure did. C'mon girly, boss is waitin'."

Stop calling me that. Nora crossed her arms over her chest and followed the men on her bare feet down a musty hallway, her eyes on the stun gun in Vinny's hand. They went up a flight of stairs that led to an industrial style kitchen. Cooks dressed in white uniforms were busy chopping vegetables and stirring steaming pots on the pristine chrome surfaces of the kitchen, a stark deviation from the seedy basement were Nora had been kept. A few of the staff stopped what they were doing to smirk at them as they passed by, while others had a sympathetic look in their eyes. Like they felt sorry for her. But she knew better than to hope that they would do anything about it. Past the kitchen was an open dining room with delicate chandeliers suspended from the ceiling and deep maroon table cloths. The place stank of dirty money. Up another, more illustrious, flight of stairs they reached a doorway flanked by two bulky men in dark blazers who nodded at her chaperones before letting them pass through the velvet roped entrance.

It was some kind of club. A stage was at the far end surrounded by a dance floor with huge speakers and spotlights pointed out toward the large room. Sleek black tables were dotted along the side walls and a small set of stairs led to a raised level lined with private booths bordered by curtains and a lavish bar on the wall opposite the stage. Neon lights outlined the railings and ceiling, washing the place in a red hue. Staff were busy putting candles on tables and filling ice buckets containing bottles of expensive champagne. Distracted by the unexpected site, Nora ran head first into Vinny's back when he came to a stop at another door. Her hand came up to rub her nose and she locked eyes with him when he shot an irritated look behind him before opening the door.

Sal Maroni was seated at a table in the VIP lounge, wearing another grey suit with a silver tie and putting forkfuls of veal between his teeth. He looked in their direction as the three of them entered the room, a frown forming on his face.

"The fuck is this? What'd ya do to 'er face?" he spat through the food in this mouth.

"She did that 'erself, boss! She 'aint exactly cooperatin'!" Vinny whined.

Maroni put his fork down as he swallowed and fixed his eyes on Nora. "That true, doc? You not bein' a gracious guest for my men here?" he said.

Nora hardened her expression, narrowing her eyes at him, as she remained silent with her arms crossed. She didn't think any answer that was likely to come out of her mouth would lead anywhere good so it was best to stay silent.

"See?" exclaimed Vinny. "Bitch gettin' on my nerves."

Their eyes remained locked in a noxious stare. Maroni stood from his booth and walked toward her slowly. He stopped just inches in front of her, his height just a bit taller than her so that her eyes shifted upward to remain focused on his. He smelled like garlic.

"You're gonna accompany me to my little party tonight. It's my birthday and I always get what I want, darlin'. Don't make me do it the hard way," he said quietly.

She wrinkled her nose at the idea of being Maroni's trophy for the night. Then she felt the barrel of a gun pressed hard against her belly. It was her gun. Her breath hitched and she stiffened as she looked back up at him before slowly nodding her head. He nodded back, lowering the gun.

Then he shooed them away and said, "Go do somethin' about 'er face."

The warehouse was alive with activity. Men in clown masks were busy preparing ammo, loading weapons, and concealing knives on themselves. Enigma had a rifle slung over his shoulder, directing a semi-truck as it was backed up to the loading dock. A circus scene was depicted on the side with the words "laughter is the best medicine" and large, red "S" spray painted in front of the phrase.

Joker sat on a pile of empty palettes, twirling the tip of his knife against his finger as he stared straight ahead. His mind was elsewhere. Images from the videotape wouldn't leave his head. He kept seeing Nora struggling in that chair with her hands bound behind her back. He knew all too well what could have happened to her since then. It'd been a long time since he'd cared for anyone's wellbeing and Nora fit into that empty space in his heart like a key in a lock. Maroni was trying to make a fool out of him. No one makes a fool out of him. And this was no ordinary threat. Sal thought he'd found the Joker's weakness but ohhh, was he wrong. Instead he'd created a beast that knew no end to the violence it could cause in the pursuit of what fed it. The corner of Joker's mouth twitched as he thought of what he'd do to Maroni.

"The kid's back," Enigma's voice said, breaking through Joker's musings.

He forcefully stabbed the blade of the knife he'd been holding into the palette where he sat, leaving it upright in the wood before hopping to the ground and taking long strides into the warehouse. Override and Nick approached him and they met in the middle, amongst the bustle of preparations. Joker remained silent, shifting his eyes to Override and licking at his scarred lip. Override took a deep breath and stared back with anxious eyes.

"They got her at Maroni's club, downtown. She's alive," said Nick.

Override was the son of Toni Zucco, one of the crime family network underbosses. After learning his father was involved with an underground sex trafficking operation, he quietly joined Joker's crew on the side. He hoped they could help him shut it down. For now, he served as an informant with his close connections to Gotham's mob big-wigs and as a self-taught expert hacker. So far, he'd proven himself indispensable.

Joker resisted grinding his teeth while he nodded slowly and plainly said, "We're takin' the truck" before swiftly turning away and going up to his office.

The sound of bumping music was coming through the walls where Nora stood, staring at herself in a mirror. It was funny, what a contrast it was to the last mirror she'd gazed into. In the same building on the same day, no less. This time she was surrounded by tacky luxuries in the bright, modern changing room of the VIP lounge. She barely recognized herself. She'd been forced to cooperate for some woman to put makeup on her, to make her more presentable. Her puffy eyes and bruises covered up by foundation and eyeshadow, her dirty scrubs replaced with the flashy dress and black heels he made her wear. He even changed her hair. It was pulled into a tight knot on the back of her head that tugged on her sore scalp. She felt like a Stepford Wife.

The door opened and Vinny came in, stopping in his tracks when he saw her. "Well, well, well. Now ya look the part. Maybe when boss is done, I can have ya," he said, walking toward her.

Nora's stomach dropped and she stiffened up as he got closer. She kept her eyes forward while he sniffed her like a hungry animal. Her heart raced and her legs twitched, urging her to run. But she didn't. Instead she balled her fists until her nails dug into her palms.

Suddenly, he pulled back and said, "A'right, guess I'm gonna have to wait my turn. But then its no rules, girl." He leaned in once more and grumbled, "I'll be sure to pay ya back for that kick in tha balls ya gave me," before grabbing her arm and leading her out the door into the club.

The room was practically shaking with the electronic music emitting from the booming speakers and spot lights twirled around the otherwise dark room, making Nora squint from the assault on her senses. The previously empty dance floor was now packed with people, rhythmically gyrating against each other, while barely dressed waitresses carried around platters of the alcoholic elixirs fueling their uninhibition. At a booth past the busy bar, Maroni was seated with several other sharply dressed men, glasses of whisky in front of each of them and cigars in their hands.

Maroni flashed a grin and stood as he said, "Ahh! There's the lovely lady! Lookin' fabulous, darlin'!" gesturing toward Nora. Vinny shoved her toward Maroni's extended arm for him to wrap it around her shoulders. She tried not to visibly cringe as the strong smell of cologne burned her nose.

"Gentlemen, this is the doctor I was tellin' you about. Very talented," he told the men at the table who all chuckled in response. Excuse me?

Then he sat down and patted his thigh, turned toward her at the edge of the booth. She locked eyes with him and he smiled wickedly at her, patting his thigh once more. Her heart pounded in her chest while she bent to perch on his leg, keeping her eyes on the floor. When she felt his hand on her waist, she twitched and tensed her abdomen. Nora thought she could handle this but it was already almost too much.

She decided to try to send her mind somewhere else. Don't think about where she was, but where she wanted to be. Back at the warehouse, she's on the roof with J, he's spinning her around to a silent tune underneath the stars, his lips are soft and warm against hers, the familiar taste of mint and greasepaint on her tongue, she's safe. Suddenly, Nora's daydream was interrupted by Maroni.

"Isn't that right, doc?" he asked.

"Hm?" she hummed, blinking her eyes and bringing herself back down to earth.

He rolled his eyes and said, "I said you're offerin' your services as an on-call doctor. Isn't that right?"

She furrowed her brow at him, which was met with a dark stare and a crushing squeeze of her hip. Alright, I'll play your fucking game.

"Yeah that's right," she mumbled.

A waitress suddenly appeared next to her to pick up the empty glasses and replaced them with a new round of drinks. Nora watched her walk away, wishing she could do the same. Just walk away. Her eyes wandered while the men continued to chat. What could he do if she got up and walked away? There were so many people around. Would he hurt her in front of them? She shifted her weight to try to stand but was stopped by Maroni wrapping his arm around her waist. She huffed and turned her head toward his ear.

"I have to use the bathroom," she said.

"More than five minutes and I hand you over to Vinny. He's not nearly as gentle as I am. Got it?" he threatened below the volume of the music with a deceiving smile on his face. She stared back at him and nodded.

As soon as he released her, Nora quickly made her way toward the ladies room. But she stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder before heading down the dark hallway instead.

Song for this chapter: Bulletproof by La Roux

Get ready for all hell to break loose once again!

Thank you all again for reading! You really don't know how much it means to me
Comments welcome and appreciated as always! Let me know what you think and I look forward to hearing from you

Side note: I'm thinking about writing some oneshots or short stories on the side at some point and I'm open to suggestions! Could be related to this story or completely different! I'm open to either, let me know if you have any ideas