If You're Good At Something, Never Do It For Free

by NotCallingYouALiar2

Meet Nora Hawthorne. She spent her time like most Gotham residents. Go to work, go home, keep up with the news. That changed one night. Her life becomes even more interesting after Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime comes crashing in with a life-threatening injury, leaving chaos and intrigue in his wake. Review if you like, I'd love to hear from you!

22. Chapter 22: Selfish and Selfless

THE LAST CHAPTER

Guys... omg. I'm so sorry this chapter has taken me so long. Life has been... hard. I went through a pretty intense bout of depression but I'm finally feeling more like myself. But I'm really really happy with this ending and I really really hope you like it! Its bitter sweet to post it to say the least, holy moly 😭 I really can't say this enough - THANK YOU. Thank you so much for reading, for your support, for your feedback, your interest in this story! I started it ten months ago, having absolutely no idea that it would turn into what it is now. 22 chapters, 221 pages, 110963 words!
Eeeee here we go, let me know what you think, I'd love to hear it!

Chapter Twenty Two: Selfish and Selfless

The tires squealed on the wet pavement, sirens screaming in the background, as Engima sped through the streets of Gotham. Nora couldn't stop laughing while she watched J lean out of the car window, cackling into the wind.

The detonator set off an explosion large enough to send a tower of thick black smoke higher than the surrounding skyscrapers, taking Maroni and his club with it. That familiar and intoxicating shockwave of incendiary propulsion rattled Nora's body down to her bones. She was starting to understand J's passion for all things combustible.

It was a surreal feeling, the calm amongst the chaos. Maroni was gone. She felt free. Her heart was light, remorseless, exalted by the fire that took that vile man with it. She'd never felt this way about someone's death before, a death that she was partially responsible for. It was remarkably relieving, this permanent reprisal.

Joker's joviality was contagious and soon she was leaning out of the other car window, closing her eyes, feeling the wind blow through her hair. Little spits of raindrops started to tickle her face before she was suddenly pulled back into the car. She barely had a chance to be startled before Joker's lips found hers. Her eyes fluttered closed again and her thumbs brushed against his scars as she reached up to hold his face. He smiled against her lips, pulling her over his lap in the back seat, deepening the kiss. Nora sat on his lap, her knees resting on either side of it, and weaved her fingers into his hair. A growl vibrated in his throat and he nipped at her lower lip before lurching forward with a sudden pumping of the brakes.

Enigma laughed from the driver's seat, "Almost good as a cold shower!"

Joker grunted and pulled Nora up with him from where they smashed against the the driver's seat while she laughed along with Enigma. "Ohhh, you're gonna regret that later, E," he grumbled, unable to hide the little chuckle underneath his threat.

The sound of sirens was long gone by the time the car pulled into an alley in West Harlow. The street was eerily quiet as Nora turned her key in the lock of the side door at Gotham City Veterinary Urgent Care. The treatment room was dark and quiet, the red light of the exit sign reflecting off of the metal tables. She squinted while her eyes scanned to room, ensuring the place was empty from the doorway before stepping inside, Joker following close behind her.

Ever since her run-in with Jen to retrieve her drug box, Nora hadn't been back to the clinic. The last anyone heard of Nora's whereabouts was the Gotham Tonight story about her presumed kidnapping. Maroni had taken care of the rest. With the help of his corrupt cops, the search for Nora had been called off after forging a phony report confirming the discovery of her body at Gotham Pier. But that story never made it to the news desk.

She was lost in the torrent of reports on the mysterious disappearance of a patient at Gotham General, the massacre at Maroni's club, and soon the latest story on the sudden death of Toni Zucco and the anonymous tip that brought down the last human trafficking ring in Gotham. So much had gone on in the last week that rumors were beginning to circulate that maybe Batman was back. As far as her coworker's knew, Nora could dead or alive. After collecting her bribe and reporting Nora's name to the Gotham PD, Jen packed up and left town without another word about her, adding to the confusion. Not to mention the disappearance of their shift lead, Matt as well. The large number of missed calls and text messages on Nora's phone echoed in silence where she left it sitting on her kitchen table. Needless to say, anyone who knew Nora was left only to guess what was going on.

But Nora wanted closure. Not just for herself, but for her old life. She was leaving so much behind. It wasn't a loss, though. It was a new beginning. Her world was turned upside down, but she learned to walk on the ceiling. She liked it better here, on the crazier side of things. Everything she went through since Joker showed up at this door changed her. She wasn't content sitting on the sidelines anymore, she got a taste of of life without rules and she wasn't going to look back.

She gathered everything from her desk that was her's and started tossing it into a duffle bag while Joker picked things up from the shelves to examine.

"Here we are again, hm?" he said, his eyes on the tip of a syringe he held between his fingers.

Nora put the bag down smiled softly at him. She remembered that night vividly, her conflicting emotions, the adrenaline. She knew she should've been afraid of him, but she didn't want to be. He knew it, too. Each drew the other closer and closer until the tension caved in and they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. "Here we are."

Suddenly Nora's stomach suddenly sank like a stone as her euphoria was disturbed by a sharp prickle of uncertainly, dubiety threatening to take everything away from her. What now? What would become of her now that Maroni was gone? The thought never occurred to her before and now she found herself doubting that she'd still be in the picture after it was all over. Everything happened so fast, maybe it would disappear even faster. It could slip right through her fingers. Where does she belong?

Then Joker took slow steps toward her, his dark eyelids heavy while he gazed at her, as if he could read her thoughts. He lifted his hand to bring it to her cheek. The cool leather of his glove raised goosebumps down her back while a warmth bloomed in her belly. He picked her up from beneath her thighs to sit her on the exam table and stood between her legs. He pulled her closer until their foreheads touched and her fears began to dissolve, her hands gently gripping his forearms. Maybe if she just kept acting like she belonged, she could make it true.

"Y'know what?" he asked. Her eyes lifted to meet his in response and he answered, "We better stock up cause you're about to be a, ah, ver-y busy doctor."

Relief brought a bright smile across her face, her uncertainty quieting before Nora chuckled and brought her lips to his. Joker's chest rumbled as the corners of his mouth curved upward against her kiss and he leaned in to nudge her onto her back. Nora's giggles echoed off of the walls as he climbed onto the table over top of her to kiss and bite at her neck, working his way downward while she unbuttoned his pants.

"Jesus, finally!" Enigma exclaimed when Nora got into the back seat of the car twenty minutes later, Joker soon after her, carrying the duffle bag they'd filled with syringes, scalpels, suture, and other supplies emptied from the clinic's drawers.

"We, uh, got a little caught up," Joker chuckled.

Enigma shifted his eyes to look in the rear-view mirror, Joker's toothy grin already waiting for him. "I fucking knew it!" he yelled while Joker and Nora cackled in the back seat.

A few blocks away, Nick and a handful of other men finished taking the last few boxes of Nora's things from her apartment. Her neighbor, Leann, locked her door behind her, a thick stack of cash and a letter from Nora thanking her for "her cooperation" in her hand.

Their car took off toward the Narrows, a message in red paint left to dry on the wall above the now empty shelves.

"I QUIT "

Joker kicked the door open at the warehouse, Nora clung to his back with her arms around his neck. "To do a great right, do a little wrong and curb this cruel devil of his will!" he called out, running toward the kitchen while Nora laughed, bouncing with his strides.

"What?" Q asked, staring at him from the sink where he was trying to get blood out of his shirt.

Joker let Nora down from his shoulders and replied plainly with a grin, "Shakespeare."

Q responded with a confused smile and a chuckle before Joker started grabbing bottles from the shelves beneath the counter. It wasn't long before Enigma came in carrying Nora's duffel followed by the arrival of the semi truck and the rowdy clown-masked men inside it.

Soon the building was alive with voices and laughing, keeping with the new tradition of celebrating their nefarious victory with paradoxical revelry. Joker shed his coat and gloves before he made sure to make a show out of preparing Nora's Campari and gin for her while she laughed at his exaggerated display of pouring and mixing. Then he passed bottles of brown liquor to Enigma to be distributed around the room.

"Injustice is served, boys!" Joker yelled over the crowd, cheers and whistles ringing in Nora's ears while she raised her glass along with them.

Alcohol and cigarettes began to buzz in Nora's head where she sat in J's lap, his hand at her waist. He held her close to him, his fingers giving her hip a gentle squeeze to get her attention. A little smirk tugged at her lip and she turned her head to be met with his lips attaching to hers. Her eyes fluttered closed while she melted into his kiss, his scent of greasepaint filling her nose and his taste on her tongue as it tangled with his. He seemed to enjoy flaunting his affections for her in front of his men by now. At least she thought so. She didn't mind if he did, indulging in the thought of it and reaching her hand into his hair to give it a tug.

"The kid returns!" Enigma shouted from his seat at a poker game.

Override shrunk back from the eyes that were suddenly on him where he stood just inside the doorway. He undoubtedly did look a bit out of place among this crowd, his hesitance now visibly pulling him back toward the door.

Joker snorted a laugh and turned back to Nora, their noses almost touching. She grinned back at him and nodded, getting up from his lap to let him up before joining him as he strolled over to Override.

"So ya made it! Glad to see you in, uh, one piece," Joker said.

Override quickly nodded and answered, "Thanks boss."

"Got somethin' for me?"

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag to hand it to Joker. Between his fingers was a playing card with the image of a devil, pointed tail curled and head crowned a jester's hat, tossed back and cackling toward the sky. The edge of the card was stained with blood and typed letters on it's face read, "WILL THE REAL BATMAN PLEASE STAND UP?".

Joker smirked at it, physical evidence of his game of cat and mouse with the masked vigilante that he so loved to play, in a bag marked "EVIDENCE". Anyone who thought he'd let that go must be crazier than him. They are perfect foes, after all. He made it clear that if there was anything the Bat stood for, he'd be there to bring his faults to light. They were both lawbreakers, weren't they? Batman bent the rules in the name of so-called justice and Joker, he didn't claim any rules. It wasn't that he was jealous of the Bat, working the system in favor of his own intent and getting away with it, it wasn't that. However annoying that is. It's that he inevitably contradicts himself in the process of upholding a false sense righteousness. It's an incongruous purpose. It's ripe for mockery and so very amusing to poke fun at. Like he said before, they're destined to this forever.

"Good work, kid," he grinned, slipping the card into his vest pocket. Then he reached into another pocket and pulled out a small videotape, handing it to Override before walking away. "You know what to do."

Override blinked at him and nodded silently, dropping it into his own pocket. Nora smiled at him and said, "It really is good to see you in one piece."

He returned a modest smile that slowly grew. Assuming his new role as some kind of double agent, he'd brought the group of kidnapped women he freed from his father to MCU. He managed to slip away among the already hasty commotion, without notice. After hacking the security system, he quickly retrieved the memento for Joker and rushed to head back to the warehouse. What he hadn't prepared for was his anti-accomplice, Clem, regaining consciousness and waiting him. Faced with the hulking man staring him down in the alley where he hid the car, he made a choice. He didn't have to take anyone's side but his own. Why not live by his own rules? He already had toed the line between right and wrong. Why not walk the line some more? Lean to one side or the other as it suits him. Not a mercenary, something different. He pulled the gun out of his pocket, still unfamiliar in his hand, and aimed. The car sped out of the alley only a moment later, leaving Clem's body behind on the wet asphalt.

Override walked with Nora to join Enigma and Q at their poker game, a beer in his hand before he even asked for one. The noise in the warehouse rose higher toward the ceiling, the sounds of verboten celebration filling the air. Several rousing poker games were being played along with billiards on a pool table, which was not so covertly stolen from Maroni's safe house, and a game of five finger fillet started, for which Nora refused to treat any resulting injuries, but J couldn't resist showing his men how its done.

Joker slapped his hand flat onto the table, his black-rimmed eyes narrowed and a smirk on his face. "You sure you, uh, wanna do this?"

Nick laid his palm down across from him and nodded determinedly as he answered, "I'm sure."

A switch blade clicked open in Joker's other hand and he asked, "What do I get when I win?"

"Bragging rights?" Nick chuckled.

"Not good enough."

He blinked at Nick who thought for a moment then said, "How 'bout winner gets first pick?"

"Now we're talkin'," Joker growled as his lips curled into a grin, his eyes locked on Nick's. "Three strikes and you're ou-t."

Nick broke eye contact to take a deep breath then held the knife in his fist, blade pointed down, and readied it next to his flattened hand. He blew the air out then started tapping the wood between each finger with the sharp point, back and forth from beside his thumb, then to the next finger. The blade tapped next to his pinky then back, all of his fingers intact. The crowd of goons that had gathered cheered at his success and Nick grinned at Joker has he handed the knife over. "Your turn… boss."

The corner of Joker's mouth twitched, and he hummed in his chest before taking the knife and swiftly stabbing it between his fingers, almost twice as fast as Nick. The goons cheered louder as he stuck the blade into the wood between them, leaving it there for Nick to yank it out while he flashed a cocky smile at him. Nick stared at his hand before clenching his jaw and starting again. Pointer finger, middle finger, then he winced and hissed through his teeth as the blade sliced the edge of his ring finger. The men jeered while he nursed his bloodied appendage, a low chuckle coming from Joker who eyed him from across the table.

"Strik-e one."

Joker licked at his scars and picked up the knife from where it was dropped, readying it in his hand while he stared Nick in the eyes and raised his eyebrows. Even faster this time, he jabbed the point of the blade between his fingers with ease, his expression like stone. Almost like he was bored. While the shouts and yells grew louder around them, a now thoroughly vexed Nick grabbed the knife and matched his pace, his agitation clearly affecting the steadiness of his hand. He almost made it before his hand jerked and he succumbed to strike two with a pierce between the knuckles on his last finger. He shouted in frustration, shaking his injured hand in an attempt to quell the pain while Joker cackled louder.

"Strike two!"

Nora had rolled her eyes at their laddish display of fortitude at first, but now she couldn't help but feel the excitement. Alright, I'll stitch him up, I guess. She stepped up closer to Joker, flashing a sly smile at him while he twirled the knife around and made rather sultry eye contact with her. He kept his eyes on Nora, switching the knife to his left hand and sliding his right onto the table. The inebriated spectators around them whistled and hooted for the added challenge of using his non-dominant hand before he swiftly tapped the knife between his fingers with precision, the cheers growing into a roar. Nora returned his provocative gaze and bit her lip, feeling that familiar warmth pooling in her core. His showing off of his deadly skill, the expert control he had over the sharp blade, she couldn't deny that it was bringing out a more primal attraction in her. Why? She nearly squealed when he snatched her wrist, humming in his throat as he pulled her into his lap, tucking her between his arms. Nora grinned to herself when she felt him starting to grow stiff beneath her.

Nick sighed heavily and reached for the knife, staring at its edge before closing his left palm around the handle. He sat for a moment in silence, looking from the knife to his hand and back.

Q and Enigma began to cheer him on while Joker grinned confidently and asked,"Giving up?"

"Not a chance!"

He took a breath and started moving the knife quickly through its paces. Before he could blink, he'd finished without a scratch and the crowd around him erupted with cheers, slapping him on the back and shouting at the group on the other side of the table. Joker licked his teeth with a smack and nodded his head slowly. The eye contact he made with Nick could have turned him into ice, but he didn't budge, only smiling back at him. He knew better but the thrill of his success was getting to his head. Nora grinned back at him, enjoying playing a little bit of devil's advocate.

Then the pit of her stomach dropped when Joker swiped the knife from Nick and jabbed the blade between his fingers, this time with more force. Her pulse quickened and a rush passed through her body from watching the sharp edge graze so close to his flesh. Marks were left behind in the wood and on his last pass over his thumb, he flicked his gaze up to Nick before suddenly slicing the side of it. Nora gasped and blood welled up from the wound. He kept still and stared back at his confused opponent with a straight face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is the objective to, uh, no-t carve yourself up?"

The goons on his side burst into laughter while Nora laid her head back against his shoulder and caught her breath. Joker was nothing if not skilled at keeping people on their toes, her included. Nick did his best to hide his embarrassment as he reached for the knife. His determination was threatening to falter but he was no quitter and prepared to drive the knife down harder this time. He watched the blood drip down Joker's thumb and the thought of stabbing himself even harder than before made his sweat go cold. The crowd went silent, waiting for him to either give up or start again and drive the knife into another finger. Then, before he could change his mind, Nick suddenly put the tip of the blade to his thumb and made a shallow cut.

Hollers and yells rang in Nora's ears before money began changing hands as Joker smirked at Nick. "A noble acquiescence, my friend," he chuckled.

Nick cracked a smile back and said, "At least I tried, ya gotta give me that."

Joker hummed and extended his hand for Nick to accept. Nora wrinkled her nose at their bloody handshake and moved for Joker to stand and saunter across the warehouse to choose his prize. Stacked on the counter near the kitchen, a group of clown masked goons had just finished unloading a large stash of luxury food items. Cheeses, olives, Italian meats, and bread were snatched during their raid of the restaurant Sal had been using as a front for his various mob dealings before leaving it in flames. Joker licked his lips and walked along the rows of expensive charcuterie before reaching for a sizable brown paper package labeled "Culatello di Zibello" while Nick cursed, and an aged cheese Nora couldn't pronounce. He chuckled to himself, grabbing the oldest bottle of red wine he could find, then Nora's hand.

Before turning to leave, he looked to Nick and said with a giggle, "You tried."

Nora sat on top of Joker's desk with his hand propped on her knee while he sat in his chair. Since Nick's wounds were superficial, she left the job of bandaging him up to Enigma while they retreated to Joker's room to stitch up the laceration on his thumb. She wiped away the dried blood with antiseptic while he poured wine from the bottle into two coffee mugs with his other hand.

"You tired of, uh, patching me up yet?"

She smiled to herself, tossing the bloodied gauze aside and keeping her eyes on the gash. "You actually get hurt less than your guys," she answered.

Her fingertips brushed the warm, callused surface of his hands and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. His hands were rough, but she liked it. They had a certain dexterity. They gave her tingles when they slid down her sides, when they brushed against her neck. His hands were capable of such brutality but also such potent satisfaction. It was all how he chose to use them. That human need to touch and to be touched. He knew how, she'd only reminded him. His hands, though stained with viciousness, knew how to caress, how to trace lightly, how to raise goosebumps, how to please. She realized what it was about watching him with that knife. There was this danger that was hidden, but it was always there. The hands that wrapped around her body so intimately could just as easily take it all away. The thrill it gave her should have been obvious long before now but now she could see it. She knew she hadn't tamed him, and she never wanted to. She didn't want to change him. She knew he was human, but nothing about those hands had changed.

Joker's heavy-lidded gaze watched her gloved fingers prepare a reel of suture, handling her instruments with care and control. She held the needle next to his thumb and stopped. Their eyes met and the butterflies in Nora's stomach took to the skies. She saw something looking back at her, past the suit, the scars, the paint. He felt something, she could see it. Time after time, she'd seen it. Why couldn't she just believe it? Everything she'd heard about him, before she really knew him, told her it wasn't possible. That if she let herself believe it, she'd only be let down. But she kept getting closer. She wanted to believe it.

"But no I, um, I'm not tired of patching you up yet," she said quietly.

He didn't break their gaze and nodded slowly at her. He was reading her expression, looking for clues about what she was thinking. Was it the same as what he was thinking? That maybe she would never be happy here. That maybe she'd been playing along because she thought she had to, not because she wanted to. That he'd taken her hostage after all. The realization hit him in the chest like a bullet. Did she want a white wedding and a picket fence? Those aren't things he can give her. He doesn't think about what anyone else wants. At least he didn't before. He wanted her to want to be here. Of course, it was selfish, but he wasn't going to force it to be so. If she didn't want to be here, he didn't want her to stay. But the thought of her with another man made his blood run hot. He wanted her to want him.

Nora blinked and asked, "Are you ready?"

He nodded once more, and she carefully passed the needle through the edge of his skin. She flicked her eyes back up to his face, but he kept still, so she kept going, passing through the other side and tying the first knot before snipping the nylon suture and moving on to the next stitch.

"Well if you're not tired of patching me up, then are you tired all of, uh, this?" he asked, waving his free hand in the air to gesture around the room.

She pierced through his skin for the next stitch. What was he trying to say? Should she be tired of it? It wasn't clear where this was going but she was going to be honest either way. "No, I'm not. I like it here, J."

He narrowed his eyes and chewed the side of his tongue before asking, "How do I know you're telling the truth, hm?"

Her heart flipped in her chest as she snipped the last suture and replied, "Why else would I still be here?"

"Did you have a choice?"

She stopped. That uncertainty came rushing up from the back of her mind like a cold wave and wouldn't let go. It had been held back, smothered by her need for believe he wanted her, but something let it free to force her to face it. A lump suddenly formed in her throat and she held it back as she nodded, looking at the floor.

"I… think I did." She did choose to be here. She didn't have to take his offer to work for him, he gave her a choice. Right? She chose to be here, to stay here. But doubt took hold of her lungs and started to squeeze.

He watched her, the tears that were threatening to gather behind her eyes, her jaw tight. That's all it would take to rip her world apart. Just tell her he'd tricked her. Say she'd been manipulated like everyone else he crossed paths with. Then she'd leave and everything would go back to normal. He wouldn't have to wrestle with these thoughts of love and white picket fences. But it would rip his world apart too. The thought of not being able to touch her again made him feel as though his heart had stopped. He had told himself he could love someone. But what if he actually had tricked her? He tricked her and he didn't even know it yet.

"You did," he said.

Nora held her breath and looked up to meet his gaze. He had that look in his eyes, but could she believe it? She swallowed and managed to take a breath to say, "I don't understand."

He stared back at her, "You did. And you're here."

She couldn't look away from those eyes if she wanted to. It looked like there was something he wanted to say, but it just wouldn't leave his mouth. She sat motionless, his hand still in her lap, and she nodded slowly, the lump in her throat beginning to shrink.

"Why are you still here?" he asked.

He needed to know. If not now, then when? He wasn't going to wait for her to finally snap one day. To end her pretending and show him how she really feels. To run to the cops, begging them to save her from this mad man who forced her to be with him. Wouldn't she have done that by now? If she was here because she had to be, wouldn't she have done that by now? But if he admitted he had feelings for her, feelings beyond sheer want or lust, she'd be taken away from him somehow. That's just how the world works, isn't it? All of this felt so senseless. Why did it feel so senseless?

"Because I want to be here," she said softly.

She knew what it was now, that look in his eyes. He was worried. Just like she was worried. Genuine feelings seemed almost too good to be true. There had to be some kind of catch, some reason all of this wasn't real. But there was no catch. Nothing that would take it all away.

"I'm here because I want to be here, with you, and that's it."

He blinked and took a breath, his heart restarting in his chest. There was nothing stopping him. No opposing impetus, no awaiting fate. All he had to do was let it go. It was senseless. But it didn't have to make sense, did it? Nothing really makes sense, after all. He sat up on the desk across from her, leaned in and asked with a little sparkle in his eye, "So I haven't tricked you, hm? Manipulated, exploited, kidnapped? Taken away your free will?"

Nora felt the warmth of his breath on her face and started to smile while she shook her head. "Nope."

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he cracked a smile back. "How about, uh, captivated? Bewitched, seduced, en-raptured? Did I awaken some longing desire?" he purred, bringing his face closer to hers.

She chuckled softly and leaned closer to brush her nose against his cheek, his intoxicating scent of greasepaint and musk permeated her senses, making her pulse race and filling her with warmth. Her lips grazed his when she spoke, "Let's just say I fell pretty hard for Gotham's most wanted man."

His lips parted and she felt them form a grin against hers while his hand slid up her back to rest on the back of her neck. He felt goosebumps rise beneath his fingers and his voice rumbled in his throat, "Mmm, well he fell for you too."

He suddenly captured her lips with unrestrained passion, pulling her closer and into a kiss that she felt all the way down to her toes while her heart soared. Nora wrapped her legs around his waist where they sat on the desk, putting her hands everywhere she could reach while he held her face, crushing his lips against hers. His mouth tangled with hers voraciously until they both gasped for air. She opened her eyes as Joker tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, his other hand still holding her face. Doubt no longer held a place in her mind. Her worries were erased, swept out of her by his kiss. He had nothing to hide and neither did she, they could just be. Call it love or don't, it doesn't matter. It may never be spoken but it didn't need to be. They knew what it was, they didn't have to call it anything. It stayed there, invisible, pulling them toward each other with senseless desire. Both selfish and selfless. You're mine and I'm yours.

The revelry in the warehouse continued through most of the night while the crew indulged in the spoils of their victory. Once quiet finally hung heavy in the air, the tape documenting Sal Maroni's last moments made its journey in Override's pocket to be left anonymously on the front doorstep of the last remaining Falcone operations base. Labeled "Salvatore Maroni 1942-2008", the tape was hurriedly played and soon viewed by anyone associated with his name. His legacy received no mercy, no vows for revenge, no outrage on his behalf. Tears were shed for his life, but his reputation was tarnished. The truth had come out and no one stepped up to defend him, not after what they'd seen. Sal Maroni had been utterly erased.

The early morning hours also concealed another covert delivery. While the first rays of sunlight shone through the windows of the Wayne penthouse, the always attentive valet, Alfred Pennyworth, busied himself with preparations he'd made a habit of over the past few months. Ready at a moment's notice for Bruce's return. On his way past the window, he was startled by a dark figure on the balcony. After realizing what it actually was that he was seeing, he cautiously approached the large section of black fabric that was hanging from a line strung up on the roof. It flowed lazily in the breeze, it's presence ominous and unsettling, and once he touched it, he recognized it. Bruce's cape hung there in front of him and attached was the all too familiar joker card. "WILL THE REAL BATMAN PLEASE STAND UP?"

Alfred froze, a note handwritten in red ink dangling before his eyes as the wind blew the cape around. "Wrest once the law to your authority. To do a great right, do a little wrong, and curb this devil of his will. Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?"

Song for this chapter: Third Eye by Florence + The Machine