"Oh God."

Andrea fell back on her haunches, a sickness rising in her stomach. A cold sweat glistened on her skin and her body went numb. The Joker's laughter faded into the distance as the world melted away until all she knew was sorrow and grief.

Burned to death.

Of all the nightmares, that had been the worst. Slow. Painful. She wondered morosely if the Joker had stayed to watch or simply lit the match and walked away. It was a question best left unanswered. She wished he hadn't told her at all.

The remains had been charred, she'd known that. But she'd always hoped it was after...

She screamed, and the sound drowned out the cackling and echoed through the factory, until the building itself seemed to scream along with her. A thousand voices inside the empty vats, a thousand faces at every broken window, a thousand on the runways and in the offices and hanging from the ceiling like bats, all screaming along with her.

And then it became a sob.

Her body wracked with the wave after wave of tears flowing down her cheeks. She cried until her eyes stung and her jaw ached. She fell back, laying on the dusty floor in the foetal position, feeling her world unravel.

And then she blacked out.

Whether she'd fallen asleep, fainted or simply suffered a mental lapse she couldn't say. She had no idea if she'd been there hours or minutes. Joker seemed to have slipped out of consciousness again.

Shakily, she stood. Her face felt as bruised and puffy as the Joker's. Sniffing loudly, she toed the Joker's chest. Then again, harder. He stirred, groaned and looked up at her through the slit of his right eye.

"Oh, goody," he croaked. "The cry-baby is awake."

"Don't worry. Things are about to lighten up."

Joker peered at her then began to chuckle as he caught her meaning. Andrea set her jaw firmly and took the lighter from her pocket. There was no gasoline around, or any other kind of flammable liquid but she wouldn't let that stop her. Inch by inch was just as good.

"You're not going to do it here are you? I thought you'd learned your lesson. Killing me here is all about me, and you can never have too much about me," he giggled. "But revenge is about ol whatshisname. You've got to set the stage properly, somewhere relevant. Somewhere that matters to him."

Andrea smirked coldly. She knew just the place.

Outside, Andrea checked that the coast was clear. It was still night, but barely. Soon, the early risers would be on the streets, and the journey would be too risky. Transporting any hostage would be noticed, but one as recognizable as the Joker?

She turned and stepped back inside through the fire exit door. The factory smelled of dust and the faint scent of caustic chemicals that would never fully dissipate. Webbing decorated every nook and cranny, giving the place a haunted feel, magnified by the metallic groans of rusting machinery and the wind wheezing through the broken windows.

Andrea shivered. She couldn't wait to be out of there.

Joker lay on his side, humming quietly to himself as he waited. If he was concerned at all by his imminent death, he didn't show it. Andreas supposed that a warped mind such as his had problems facing reality. Maybe he just didn't understand. Not that it mattered.

Marching over to the upended chair, she grabbed the shock of green hair and pulled him upright. His blood red lips curled in a mix of pain and amusement, his good eye scrunched shut.

"Oooh, ow," he whinged. "I can see this is going to be another bad hair day."

Ignoring him, she undid the ropes. Slowly, cautiously, Joker was released from the chair. Rolling his head, he produced a loud crack in his neck and sighed happily. Then he rolled his shoulders with the same result. Andrea flinched at the noise.

The sooner he was out of her life, out of everyone's life, the better.

"Get up," she ordered tonelessly.

Joker shrugged, lifted his legs and used them as a counterweight to bring his body up off the chair. As his legs hit the ground, he vaulted forward, straight at Andrea. Before she'd had time to react, his head had connected with her nose and the factory went fuzzy.

She'd expected something, but all this time he'd been so calm, so tired and weak. He'd been playing her from the start. Revenge was an art form to him, but that wasn't the reason for the 'lessons'. That had been obvious from the start. But she thought he was hoping for someone else to save him: Batman, the GCPD, one of his goons.

She should have seen it coming, but the joke was all on her.

Andrea opened her eyes, trying to make sense of her blurred vision. To make matters worse, her nose had burst, bringing tears to her eyes and spraying blood over her face. She could barely see through the tears and crimson droplets hanging from her eyelashes.

Where was Joker?

Thump. The crowbar caught her in the stomach and she crumpled, hugging herself as she tried to regain her breath. The next blow caught her on the chin, and she bit down hard on her tongue. A coppery taste filled her mouth as she fell to the floor.

"Ah, my trusty pest-swatter," Joker chirped. "Good for birds, bugs and broads. Never leave home without it."

Another blow crashed down into her back as the Joker howled with laughter. A tooth dripped from her mouth, dislodged by the shot to her chin and shaken out by the latest impact. Her body cried out in pain as the shockwaves surged through the bones, shaking her to the core.

Perhaps burning alive wasn't the absolute worst way to go, after all.

"Don't worry," Joker cooed. "Be happy. I'm not going to kill you. That would make me a bad host, and nobody says that about Joker. No, no, no. You and me are gonna share some stories, have a laugh, get to know one another."

Andrea tried in vain to get up, but there was no energy left.

"We're gonna have a funtasm."