Hello! I'm alive!
Work has been super busy (what else is new) so this chapter took me a bit longer than usual.

Get ready for some violence and some fluffy, fluffy fluff!

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Eighteen: Crashing The Party

The booming music still reverberated in her ears as Nora continued down the empty hallway, trying to appear casual. She was looking for a place to hide, escape if she could. She didn't have a plan and was in no position to have one for that matter, so she had to improvise. Whatever she had to do to get out, figure out where she was, and get back to J. At the end of the hall, a set of doors looked promising. She tugged on the handles. Locked. She turned around to face the hall, gazing back toward the torrent of gleaming neon lights. The erratic lighting inside the club helped conceal her as she searched for an escape route but it also made her search that much more difficult. Her heart sped up as she thought about how much time had passed since she managed to wiggle free from Maroni's grasp. She didn't have long before they'd come looking for her. The option to hide was rapidly becoming her only option as the seconds relentlessly ticked by. The bathroom wasn't a good idea, that was likely the first place they'd look. She reached to the back of her head and pulled out the torturous elastic from her hair. Maybe having it down would give her another precious few seconds before being recognized. After blowing her breath out from her lips, she walked back into the raucous party.

Beams of pink and green light flashed over her face while Nora's eyes scanned the room for any of Maroni's men she might recognize. The sea of inebriated faces paid no mind to her presence as they continued indulging themselves in a night of shameless decadence. Then a man wearing a blazer standing against the wall caught Nora's eye. He wasn't the only one. Several of them were positioned to look out over the dance floor. Security guards. Knowing that they work for Maroni, it was unlikely that they'd help her, if anything they'd drag her back to him. Her gaze shifted to the front entrance, still manned by the two bouncers that had already seen what she looks like. There was nowhere else to go. The pit of her empty stomach twisted into queasy knots, hopelessness threatening to rear it's ugly head. Then a thought occurred to her. Why not hide in plain sight?

She grabbed a drink from a tray as it sailed by on it's way to a booth, holding it in her hand as a means of blending in. When in Rome. Then the DJ's music suddenly thumped at a faster pace, sending the crowd on the dance floor into a frenzy of bouncing bodies with arms in the air. It would be difficult to spot her in the middle of that. Part of her wanted to down the drink in her hand first but she knew it was best to stay sober and set it down on a nearby table before stepping forward toward the vivacious mob of people.

She took a deep breath and pushed her way into the crowd, tucking her arms into her chest to get through the flux of sweaty dancers. She made her way toward the center, sporadically jostled around by the movements of the pulsing crowd as she did her best to subtly look around the room for any sign of danger beyond the blinding beams of light. Her gaze caught sight of Maroni at his booth, looking very displeased as he spoke to Vinny, prodding him in the chest with his finger. Nora's breath hitched in her throat, panic starting to set in. She was trapped. But they hadn't seen her yet, she had to try to remain calm, remember to hide in plain sight. She started rocking her body rhythmically with the beat, swaying her hips and shoulders. Faster and faster she turned and bobbed, putting her hands in the air, until her movements melded with the people around her, making her all but invisible. The bass from the music pounded in her chest as she danced, encouraged to keep going by the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She kept her eyes trained on the room around the dance floor while she breathed heavily. Vinny had gathered a group of men that were now splitting up to rush in different directions, presumably to search for her. She quickly turned around to face the stage in an effort to hide her face from her pursuers, a shiver of anxiety crawled up her back once they were no longer in her view.

Nora continued to dance, her exhilarated movements contrasting with her internal turmoil. Just keep moving, don't stand out. Her willpower was fueled by fear as she pushed through her instinct to run and kept her feet on the dance floor, moving with the beat. Time felt as though it was both painfully stopped and simultaneously spinning out of control at a dizzying rate. However long it'd been, she kept managing to relentlessly convince her body to keep dancing. Her heart continued to pound until it suddenly jumped into her throat when she locked eyes with Vinny at the edge of the crowd. A cruel smile formed on his face. Run.

Just when she had resolved herself to run for her life, Nora heard a familiar voice.

In a matter of seconds, all of the activity in the room came to abrupt halt as the voice carried loudly over the speakers, "Goood ev-en-ing, ladies and gentle-menn. I hope you're having yourselves a just love-ly time-ah."

Joker suddenly emerged on the stage, dressed to the nines in his suit and purple coat, a cold expression on his face that juxtaposed his jovial tone. "I heard that our dear friend Maro-ni was squeeze-d from his mother on this day some years ago and I wasn't deserving of an invitation! Can you believe that?"

A group of five of his men, donned in their clown masks, approached from behind him, each with a knife at the throat of one of Maroni's goons with Ace amongst them as they forced them onto their knees on the floor of the stage. "Well, I decided to forgive this little over-sigh-t and bring the birthday boy his present after all," Joker growled.

The music continued to boom as five blades simultaneously cut the throats of Maroni's men, spilling a horrendous volume of their blood over the stage. Their bodies dropped as a chorus of screams erupted from the crowd.

"Now, is there a doctor in the house?" he bellowed over the microphone as more of his men came swarming into the club, aiming their weapons at the first of Maroni's goons they saw.

Nora stood with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly ajar. She blinked, thinking what had appeared in front of her eyes would be gone once she did so. But he was still there. Her chest flushed warm and her mouth curved into a smile as Joker's laugh cackled over the music before people shoved each other in a mad dash for the exit and the firing of guns rang out from both sides of the room. At the back of the club, Maroni was hurriedly whisked away by a few of his other men who held their weapons out to shield their boss from the barrage of bullets until he was out of sight. Nora instinctively ducked, dropping herself to the floor where she was nearly trampled by the stampede of people before crawling to press herself up against the wall. She whipped her head back toward the stage where she could see Joker ducked behind the DJ's booth, peering around the corner for his gaze to anxiously scan the room.

Hiding was far from the front of Nora's mind by then as she kept her eyes on him and made a panicked scramble toward the stage, narrowly avoiding the path of bullets whizzing by. The roar of her blood rushing in her ears was deafening but was no match for the piercing ringing caused by a gun that went off right next to her. Then she felt an arm roughly pulling her back by her chest, knocking the wind out of her as the stage began to shrink in her view. Vinny pulled her into his torso as he backed up and held the barrel of his gun to her temple as she reflexively pulled at his arm.

"DON'T you move a muscle, girly," he barked in her ear. He kept her in his vice-like grip, pulling her out onto the empty dance floor. The assault of firing guns came to a stop upon their stepping foot in the middle of the floor and the once blaring speakers were suddenly silenced by a round of bullets fired through them, leaving the large room unnervingly quiet.

Joker lowered his aim from the smoking speakers and gradually approached the edge of the stage. His face reflected only an inkling of the seething hatred and rage that was sending his heart pounding with heat radiating from beneath his collar. There was another feeling too. One that he thought he'd forgotten how to feel, smothered by years of distrust and seclusion. Fear quivered its way down his back, the spark reignited by the sight of Nora with a gun to her head.

"Any of ya make a move and your little cunt here dies!" shouted Vinny, confident he had the upper hand.

Vinny continued to slowly back up as Nora trembled in his grasp with her jaw tightened, the hard gun barrel pressed firmly against the throbbing bruise hidden beneath makeup. She locked eyes with Joker, unable to hide the panic that burned in her chest as it showed plainly on her face. He gazed back at her, his expression was like stone but his eyes spoke volumes. I'm going to get you out of this, just stay calm.

"My wha-t?" Joker growled with a smoldering gaze that clearly displayed his murderous intentions. His eyes had never been darker, fixated on the man that had his Nora in his filthy grasp. The man threatening her, the woman who'd reached into his chest and restarted his cold heart, warming his human side and bringing it back to life for her eyes only. An overwhelming need to protect her jolted his mind and made his blood boil as he snarled louder, "My what?"

Nora could feel Vinny's breath quicken as he huffed against her ear. He stood his ground in front of Joker but his shaking beneath her told her that his bravery was wavering fast. He didn't answer, he just stood there, frozen in place before the terrifying man with a red Glasgow smile in front of him, tightening his hold on Nora.

"ANSWER ME!" Joker's voice boomed.

His fists clenched and his hair flew wildly with the volume of the demand rumbling from his chest. A colossal shiver ran through Vinny's body, giving Nora a chance to elbow him, hard, in the gut. He huffed as he suddenly dropped the gun from Nora's head and released her. All color drained from his face and he turned to run after Joker's hand dove into the pocket of his coat to pull out a long knife as he bared his teeth and came storming toward the petrified man. He raised the knife high by the blade and launched it at Vinny's back where it struck him between the shoulders, sending him to the floor with a resounding thud and a shriek of pain. Vinny's cries as he desperately struggled to crawl away brought him no mercy from Joker who swiftly overtook him and crouched to grasp the knife handle jutting from his flesh, forcefully twisting it deeper. A blood-curdling scream echoed off of the walls as Joker growled and gripped the back of Vinny's head to pull it up from the floor.

"I'm sorry what was that?" Joker grumbled darkly at his ear. "What was it you called her?" Vinny only continued to holler obscenities, leaving the question unanswered.

"What did you call her?" Joker shouted, wrenching the knife harder, causing the deafening howls from Vinny's mouth to grow louder. "SAY IT!"

Through his gasps and sobs, Vinny cried, "Your little cunt!"

"That's what I though-t," said Joker, before tearing the knife from Vinny's back and promptly bringing it to his throat, slicing through the vital tissue with a single motion and silencing his screams. Then he stood and dropped his blood soaked knife next to the lifeless body, a pool of warm red rising from beneath it.

Nora sat on her heels where she'd sank to the floor, her eyes wide from the violence she'd just witnessed. Violence on her behalf. Brutal justice for the cruelty she'd been through. For her. She couldn't help but feel vindicated, proud even, for herself being the reason for such an action. That horrid man's life taken so viciously for hers.

Joker pulled off his bloody gloves and tossed them aside as he rushed to Nora to drop to his knees in front of her. He reached out and gently took her face in his hands, inspecting it with severe eyes, his brow furrowed with worry. She stared back as she brought her hands up to lightly grip his wrists, an overwhelming warmth growing in her chest. Some nameless emotion flashed across his face before he swiftly leaned in and captured her lips with his. Their eyes closed and they savored each other, holding on tightly to the reconnection that was feared to never happen as his fingers laced into her hair and her hands found his face. Her fingers wandered over him, grasping at his physical form to reassure herself that he was actually there. The taste of greasepaint and the smell of smoke and gunpowder said that he was. The force of the kiss and the flood of passion took their breath away, leaving them panting once their mouths parted and they held each other. Nora pulled back for a moment to look Joker in the eyes, his fear of losing her staring back at her. Her pulse hammered harder and her head suddenly became airy and light before she tipped forward, her cheek landing against his chest.

He grunted and hurriedly pulled her head up to make sure she was alright. Tears streamed down her face and silent sobs began to quake in her torso. He took a sharp breath in before pressing her forehead back to his chest and wordlessly wrapping his arms around her while Nora cried. They knelt together on the floor soaked in carnage, Nora's hot tears saturating the fabric of Joker's waistcoat while he gently propped her up against himself and slid his coat of his shoulders to then wrap it around hers. The purple fabric covered the wretched sequin dress, now stained with splotches of red, hiding it, replacing it with the warmth and solace that now surrounded her. This comfort came from a dark place, bloodshed for her bloodshed. But in that moment, she wouldn't have it any other way. In her mind, it was justice served and in a place like this, his revenge for her was sweet. She loved him for it.

Once her breathing steadied, Joker guided her arms into the sleeves of his coat and stood to then crouch down and pick her up. Not a word was exchanged between them as he lifted Nora, wrapped in his coat, with an arm under her legs and her back while she linked her arms around his neck and kicked off her shoes. He walked steadily as he carried her to the exit behind the stage, two of his men jogging ahead to walk in front of him with their guns drawn.

Nora leaned in to him and shamelessly nestled herself into his chest. The Joker, a mass murdering criminal clown, treated her with such uncharacteristic tenderness. It was only for her. His only vulnerability. This side of him, gentle, affectionate, came from deep within. Slowly, it'd been coaxed out by her compassion and willingness to see what was beneath his surface. It made him want to care for her, treat her well, touch her, make her feel good. Now he had her back and he wasn't willing to let her go.

The sound or sirens bounced off of the buildings surrounding Maroni's club as Nora's face, wet with tears, was met with the night's breeze. Joker took her to a black car in the alley while his men sprinted toward the erroneous semitruck parked in the street.

"Can you stand, doll?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded quickly and slid out of his arms, her bare feet making contact with the damp asphalt. He flung the passenger door open for her to lower herself inside as he hurried to the driver's side. Nora was in a daze, exhaustion crashing down on her now that she was safe, staring out of the windshield with her head back against the seat while the car pulled out of the alley.

Buildings passed by and street lamps cast yellow beams of light over her face as the car sped down the nearly deserted street. In the rearview mirror, a line of police cars, flashing red and blue, chased after the semitruck driven by Joker's men. The pursuit lured the officers further and further away from their car as Joker drove toward the Narrows. A relieving silence sent Nora sinking further in to her seat when her sore muscles relaxed, no fight left within them.

"J …" she practically whispered.

He kept his dark eyes on the road and reached out to take her hand. He squeezed it and pulled it to rest in his lap. His actions spoke louder than words.

"Thank you," she said softly in reply.

He gave her hand another squeeze and said, "Rest your eyes, doll."

That was all she needed to hear and, as if acting on their own, her eyelids shut and a deep sigh tugged her down into the depths of sleep.

Nora awoke moments later when she felt her body being lifted by a pair of strong arms. Her eyes snapped open then her body relaxed once again when his familiar voice gently shushed her. She was being lifted from the car outside the warehouse, his purple coat still draped over her, the long sleeves nearly covering her fingertips. He kicked the door open and carried her inside where Q stood from a table upon hearing their entrance, his face then promptly falling at the sight of the state Nora was in.

Joker said something inaudible to him before lowering her onto a couch to sit upright. Q hurried over with a glass of water and a warm rag. She blinked her heavy eyelids open to see J knelt in front of her, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear before carefully wiping her face with the rag. With each swipe, the thick makeup and tracks of tears were erased, revealing the damage to her flesh beneath. She could practically hear his heat racing as his gaze was met with another scratch, her split lip, the bruise on her temple, the dark circles under her eyes. He picked up her hands and his eyes trailed down to the rope burn on her wrists, then further down on her ankles. He bit the inside of his cheek and stifled a strange sound before placing the glass of water in her hand.

She took a deep breath, fighting the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes, before taking a sip. The cold water on her parched throat made her choke, a sputtering cough forcing itself out soon after. She recovered quickly and downed the whole glass in a few gulps.

"Woah, doll! Slow down," said Joker, taking the glass from her hand.

Nora caught her breath and blurted, "Maroni got away." Her mind suddenly switched back into overdrive, survival mode not ready to release its hold on her.

Joker slowly nodded his head, "Don't worry about that."

She swallowed hard, her mouth already tacky. "I want to help kill him," she said plainly. Her heart was pounding once again as she thought about sitting on that man's repulsive lap, nausea twisting her stomach.

His expression turned grave as he looked her in the eyes. The intensity he saw said just how serious she was. He nodded again and said, "Say no more, doll."

She nodded back and took a breath, her last bit of energy burned out hot. Joker stood and put his hand out to Nora. She took it and carefully stood up, her legs wobbling a bit beneath her. He stepped in front of her and crouched down, offering her a ride on his back. A small smile tugged at her lips, then she climbed on. His coat hung down from her back as he hooked her legs under his arms. She made eye contact with Q who nodded to her as Joker headed toward the staircase.

The darkness of Joker's room was a welcome sight. Everything about it felt like home in that moment, her feet finally feeling grounded. In the soft glow of the desk lamp, he slid his coat off of her shoulders for the heavy garment to fall to the floor. He frowned at the gaudy dress Nora was wearing.

"I know," she said quietly. "They made me wear it."

What looked like disgust flashed over his face before bending to place his fingers at the hem and starting to lift it. He looked up at her first, asking her with his eyes if it was ok. Her eyes sparkled back at him and she slowly nodded. He tugged up on the rough fabric, gently taking the dress with him as he stood until it was lifted from Nora's shoulders. What a relief it was. The air on her skin brought a wave of goosebumps and a comfortable shiver as she sighed.

Joker tossed the dress to the side and said in a gravelly voice, "We'll burn it later."

Nora chuckled and a genuine smile came over her face, sending Joker's heart soaring. Then she suddenly wrapped her arms around him and placed her head against his chest. He blinked and brought his arms up to link them over her back. Then she felt his chin rest on the top of her head while they stood in their embrace. Everything she'd been through almost disappeared, smothered by his body that enveloped her, his powerful gaze that shrank it all away.

Joker lifted his chin and placed a finger under hers to nudge it up, bringing her face up toward his. His warm lips were soft against her own as he kissed her, sending Nora drifting through the air. She only came back down when he freed her mouth from his and lifted her to sit on the desk.

"Wait here," he said quietly.

She smiled softly as she supported herself on the desk. He disappeared into the bathroom and soon she heard water running. He emerged once a cloud of steam gathered in the small room, tendrils of it following him through the door. Nora's face flushed when she saw that he was completely naked. He took her hand and helped her up, walking her to the bathroom where an inviting bath waited for her. Joker held her steady while she peeled off her underwear and lowered her aching body into the hot water. A contented sigh escaped her chest after inhaling the calming steam, sinking further into the swirls of soap bubbles. The cuts on her wrists and ankles stung under the water, but the pain barely registered over the relaxing feeling taking her over.

Joker silently climbed in behind her to sit with her between his outstretched legs. He'd barely situated himself when Nora leaned back to rest her against him. His fingers ran through her hair, carefully wetting it and massaging her scalp with soap suds. Her eyes shut and in no time, Nora was fast asleep with Joker holding her in the bath, washing away her pain.

Nora felt the warmth of sunlight on her face as it shone behind her eyelids. The distant chirping of birds brought her fully out of her dreamless sleep and her eyes opened. The sun was shining through an open window where the thick blinds had been raised, a beam of the golden light warming her where she laid. She was sprawled out on her back, arms and legs resting in all directions. Slowly, she slid her arms up along the sheets and stretched. She looked down and saw she was wearing one of her oversized t-shirts and a pair of shorts. A grin tugged at her lips when she remembered falling asleep in the bath, Joker must have dressed her and brought her to bed. Joker.

She propped herself up on her elbows, her body feeling twice as heavy as it usually did, to look around the room. She was alone. Then she heard something. Music. She crawled out of bed and tiptoed to the door where she carefully turned the knob to crack it open.

The velvety sound of Frank Sinatra filled her ears. "I've got you under my skin. I'd tried so not to give in. I said to myself, this affair never will go so well. But why should I try to resist when, baby, I know damn well I've got you under my skin?"

Her heart fluttered and she pulled the door the rest of the way open, stepping out to walk slowly down the stairs. As she neared the bottom, Joker came into view, dressed in his usual shirt and waistcoat with his pinstriped pants, flinging knives at a few bullseyes spray painted on a large wooden board. He moved his feet with the music, twirling and making trick shots at the board with knives laid out on a table next to him.

Nora couldn't help the huge smile that appeared on her face while she watched him hum and dance as he tossed the knives. The glee that he emitted as he practiced his deadly skill was contagious. When he turned to pick up another knife from the table, his eyes caught sight of her. He stopped and grinned before sauntering over to her, taking her hand and wrapping his arm around her waist. She giggled while he rocked the two of them back and forth, bouncing his shoulders and occasionally whirling her around. Then his movements slowed with the music and as the song ended, he dipped her low toward the floor.

"Hello, doll," he purred in a deep voice after planting a kiss on her lips with a loud smack.

"Hello, J," she laughed.

He stood her up and let go to amble toward the small kitchen, beckoning her to follow him, the music from the record player still echoing off of the walls. "Fly me to the moon. Let me play among the stars. Let me see what spring is like. On a, Jupiter and Mars."

His movements swayed with the tune as he prepared her a plate of food, anything he could find that would be easy on her stomach. Nora sat down in the stool at the counter and he to pushed the plate toward her with a glass of orange juice. She accepted it with the smile that hadn't wavered since it appeared. It had been almost two days since she'd eaten and her stomach felt like it had shrank to the size of a quarter. It grumbled inside her as she picked up the peanut butter sandwich he'd given her. The simple bit of food tasted better than she ever would have expected and she closed her eyes as she chewed, Joker watching attentively. She managed to swallow half of the sticky sandwich and down the glass of juice before her belly could take no more.

She looked to Joker and said sweetly, "Thank you, J."

"How are you feeling, doll face?" he asked.

She smirked and said, "I've never been so tired in my life."

He chuckled and replied, "You should rest," moving the plate to sit on the counter in front of her. "Plenty of time to, uh, burn this town to the ground later."

She laughed before he lifted her chin to lean in for a kiss, her eyes drifting closed as she savored it. After their lips parted, he kept his hand at the back of her head, pressing her forehead to his.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, doll," he said quietly, his eyes toward the floor.

She shook her head gently against his, "No, it's not your fault."

"Mmm but it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't gotten, uh, involved with me," he replied.

"Well, maybe that's true, but I wouldn't have it any other way," she said, putting her hand on top of his where it rested on the counter.

His eyes lifted to look into hers and he said, "Youuuu. What is it that you do to me?" his voice low, as if he didn't mean to say the words out loud.

Her smile returned even wider and her cheeks burned hot as her heart did somersaults before the side door suddenly slammed open. They both jerked their heads toward the sound to see Enigma burst through the doorway. He stopped when he saw Nora and came rushing toward her.

"Doc! Ah, its so good to see ya!" he exclaimed, squeezing her in a tight hug.

"Uh, good to see you too, E" she gasped through his embrace.

"Ahhh yes, sooo good to see you and your just perfect-ly timed interr-up-tion, Enigma," Joker sarcastically hollered.

He swiftly let go of Nora and looked at Joker. "Oh shit. Sorry, boss," he said, realizing what he'd walked in on.

An evil grin stretch over Joker's face and he hopped down from the counter.

"Nahh, no, don't do that. You know I hate that," Enigma said cautiously as he backed up from the counter. Then he broke into a full on sprint as Joker let out his most devilish laugh, chasing him across the room and sending Nora into an uncontrollable fit of giggles.

"Fuck! That's so creepy when you do that! Find me when you're free, then!" Enigma called on his way into the room at the back of the warehouse.

Nora's giggles started to die down as Joker practically skipped back over to her, turning her chair and leaning in with his hands on her knees.

"Now, where were we?" he purred before capturing her lips once again.

Songs for this chapter: Lack Of A Better Name by Deadmau5 (Maroni's club) and I've Got You Under My Skin by Frank Sinatra

Sorry I got all mushy there but I couldn't help it! I love me some soft and fluffy J!

Comments welcome and appreciated as usual!