Giving in to you
Bruce sat quietly in the cave, his thoughts chaotic and disturbed. He'd gotten out.
He had practically put the Joker on a gilded plate for them and the Gotham Police still managed to let him escape.
Bruce was angry, tired and most of all confused.
He knew that some part of Amelia would want to go to the Joker. The Joker had that kind of magnetic pull on people. He knew that she would try to plea to the boy she thought still existed somewhere under that makeup.
But he hadn't expected that kiss.
From his hiding place, Bruce had watched, his eyes widening in shock. He didn't know what he felt.
Horror, disappointment and disgust, were a few words that sprang to mind.
But he had to admit that there was something else burning in his chest, making him seethe.
He was jealous. And the worst part was that he didn't know if the jealousy sprang from the fact that he had lost the love of his life, who the Joker had murdered, or if he really did feel something for Amelia.
He had always loved Amelia, treated her like a sister, an annoying little sister. He had never really looked at her that way, because Rachel had always been there.
Amelia outshone Rachel in the Beauty stakes, even from when they were kids. Amelia was your typical little princess, blonde, cute and blue eyed.
But their relationship had been based on more than that. She had a big, kind heart. She looked after her friends and had looked after him after Rachel's death.
But seeing her, tangled with him on the grass, kissing him back, was too much to bare.
Bruce realised how lonely he was, how he needed someone, someone like Amelia who understood him.
Why the hell did the Joker think he was good enough for her?
Watching them together was like a knife in his chest, and the Joker was twisting it, laughing as he did so.
Bruce rubbed his eyes and jolted as Alfred appeared next to him with a tray of sandwiches.
"How's the war wound sir?" Alfred asked referring to the bandage around Bruce's chest where the Joker had stabbed him.
"Its alright, it wasn't too deep," he said in a low voice.
Alfred looked at him and could see how hurt he was, how lonely. Bruce had told him what he had witnessed in the park.
"You can't blame her for Rachel sir," he whispered, placing a warm, old hand on Bruce's shoulder.
"I don't blame her Alfred…but…well maybe I'm angry with her…I mean how could she? He murdered her best friend,"
"And how do you know that what she feels isn't real? Or what he feels for that matter?"
"I don't think for a moment that the Joker has any real feelings for her….its like you said about that bandit in Burma. Some men just want to watch the world burn,"
Alfred pressed his lips together. Bruce did not want to hear about redemption. He was lost in his own pain. Not only had the Joker taken Rachel from him, but he seemed to be working his chaotic charm on Amelia too.
That one night the Joker had taken more from Bruce Wayne than the Joker could ever contemplate. Not only was Rachel dead, but so was Harvey Dent, Gotham's one hope of a future. He was also Bruce's one hope of a normal life; he had hoped that with Harvey cleaning up Gotham, he could leave the Batman behind him. But now with Harvey dead and buried and his honour still intact, it was Batman who had been vilified. Batman carried the guilt and the blame and had become what Gotham needed, though they did not realise it.
"So, The Joker is on the loose again?" Alfred said, his voice echoing around the cave, disrupting Bruce from his dark thoughts, "Where do you think he'll strike next?"
Bruce slipped a pink envelope out of the case file and showed Alfred the ornate invitation.
"The Gotham Charity Ball?" Alfred read aloud, "What makes you so sure?"
Bruce sighed. "That's where Amelia will be, tomorrow night,"
The warmth from the coffee mug was slowly thawing Amelia's frozen hands.
She sat back in the cosy chair in Jenny Maddle's office and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
Across the office Jenny cast her a sad look. Her heart had sunk when Amelia had turned up on her door step. She hoped the treachery she felt inside didn't show on her face
"I've made a few notes," Jenny said, taking a seat opposite Amelia,
"Now we have all the pieces of the puzzle, it should make your therapy much more effective. Have you talked with your Father?"
Amelia pulled a face. "He's busy,"
Jenny frowned. "But surely…?"
Amelia held up her hands, irritated at the mention of her Father.
"Lets not," she said miserably, then she added thinking aloud more than anything, "You know, my Mom never mentioned Jack, ever. I mean I know she was on pretty high meds, all my life she took anti depressants, but never to mention him…"
Jenny looked thoughtful. "Maybe it was all part of the rouse, to keep you in the dark. They were just trying to protect you. Did you and your Mother ever talk properly about what happened?"
Amelia shook her head sadly. "Maybe she thought it was better forgotten?"
"But what I don't understand is why you went to him like that, after everything the Joker put you through!" Jenny said suddenly.
Amelia shook her head, tired of defending herself.
"I wanted to see if I could reason with him!"
Jenny laughed at that. "Reason with him? You put yourself in such danger Amelia,"
Amelia's face was flaming, knowing what her friend was saying was true.
"He opened my eyes Jenny," she said after a long pause at which Jenny raised an eyebrow but Amelia continued.
"Say what you like about him…he opened my eyes at last. After that night all those years ago, my father put me into so many different types of therapy that I lost any real memories of the event. Jack was forgotten, what happened was forgotten and it's made me realise that I have never been able to live a stable life. I have spent my adult life jumping from one thing to another, whether it be my career, men…."
"And you believe that is all because you lost memories about your Mother's accident?" Jenny sounded unconvinced.
"Yes!" Amelia insisted, "No…it's not about the accident, really. It's like loosing a part of yourself, being denied the truth. My whole life they tried to protect me from the truth and I turned into such a flake! I've never been strong because I never had to be,"
"That's not true," Jenny disagreed, "You don't give yourself enough credit. Your childhood friend was blown up six months ago and you've been a tower of strength to those who needed you. Your mother committed suicide and your still standing! And believe me I have patients who would be begging me to commit them right now if they had experienced what the Joker put you through the last few days!"
Amelia sighed deeply.
"Maybe I was just meant to remember…and he showed me how,"
Jenny shifted uncomfortably in her seat wanting desperately to tell her friend the horrible, betrayal she'd been forced into and the other half of her fearing for her life.
"Why do you keep deluding yourself Amelia?" she said harshly, "Why are you so reluctant to see the real truth?"
Amelia bristled. "I'm sorry?"
"What makes you so sure that he has any kind of soul left to reach out to? Why are you so sure that this isn't another of his games and you just happen to be the pawn?"
She folded her hands tightly around the mug.
"But I feel like I know Jack…"
"Jack is gone!" Jenny said, "The past is just that, the past and to him this is all a game. He is using you!"
There was a stony silence between them, each lost in their own dark thoughts.
Finally Jenny reached out and touched Amelia's hand.
"Look I'm sorry…I'm just worried about you,"
Amelia smiled sadly and the two women embraced tightly.
"I'd better go," Amelia said at last, "I have to get someone to change the locks on my apartment…after my little makeover last night,"
Amelia didn't really know how to process what had happened last night. The fact that The Joker could just get to her, when and wherever he chose made her feel powerless and weak.
Two of a kind.
"Are you going to the Charity Ball tonight?" Jenny's voice broke her thoughts.
Amelia shrugged. "I don't know…I don't feel much like partying right now,"
Jenny made a face. "It'll do you good. And besides didn't you already hire your costume?"
"Well, yes…but…"
"I insist you go Amelia…doctor's orders!"
Amelia laughed softly. "Well if you insist Doctor Maddle," she said grabbing her green coat from the back of the chair.
Jenny showed her to the door and watched her leave. A rock was forming in the pit of her stomach. She felt wretched, the guilt of her betrayal washing over her. She would never forgive herself for this, but then she thought of her Father in Gotham General and knew she had to protect him.
When she went back into the office something was off. The room was cold like a door had been left open.
Shivering she saw that the window was wide open. Catching sight of her thin, pale reflection in the mirror, she didn't scream straight away when she saw the clown sitting in one of her consulting chairs; the very one Amelia had been sat on moments ago.
The Joker made a 'hush' motion, pressing his finger to his red lips.
Jenny began to tremble.
"What's the matter Miss Maddle?" he asked, his voice laced with sarcasm, "Was I supposed to make an appointment?"
Jenny lowered herself into the chair opposite him. "How long have you been here?"
"Oh long enough," he laughed, "You were saying mean things about me to my ballerina,"
Jenny straightened up trying to make herself look unafraid. She was terrified. To see him sitting in her warm, cosy apartment, looking that way, was surreal.
"I haven't betrayed you," she answered firmly, "She will be going to the ball tonight…I got you all the information on her didn't I? When will this stop?"
He leaned closer and Jenny automatically recoiled back in her seat, trying to avoid the black eyes leering at her.
"It stops when I say it stops Miss Maddle…but, yes, you have done a good job of things…I could never have gotten this far if it hadn't been for you,"
Jenny raised an eyebrow. "My Father…"
The Joker looked bored, sighing deeply.
"Yes, Daddy's doing just fine. He no longer needs an extra special nurse at his bedside,"
Jenny breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you,"
The Joker's manic grin returned. "Oh no need to thank me Miss Maddle…its all thanks to your good work…why you've done such a good job of betraying your friend, hacking into her email accounts, her mail, getting me a copy of her door key…"
"Stop," Jenny cried, "I can't bare it. What are you going to do to her?"
The Joker leapt forward, his knife springing into view. He was straddling Jenny's lap in an instant, her face pressed closely to his. He pressed the knife to her temple, tracing a line down to the white flesh of her throat.
"Now why does everybody just presume, I'm going to kill her?" he giggled manically, his black stare boring straight through her, "Am I really that predictable?"
Jenny's words were lodged in her throat, unable to speak because his gloved hands were closing around her slim neck.
"Maybe I just want a friend…someone to share the good times and the bad. I think I'd be a good friend, don't you Miss Maddle?"
Weakly, her heart failing her, Jenny managed to nod her head. The blade was slipping dangerously close to her jugular and she squeezed her eyes shut, tears dropping down her cheeks.
"Ahh…you look sad," he whispered in her ear, "Why don't we put a smile back on that pretty face of yours?"
Jenny's eyes flung open and knew that his laughing, demonic face was the last thing she would ever see.
Amelia waited in her apartment for Bruce's Limo to arrive. She stood at the window, watching the city dully. Out there people were getting ready for a night out, putting on their makeup, their new outfits.
Up here, alone, Amelia felt like she was wading through tar.
All afternoon she'd slept, restless, fitful, hanging out the time before she would have to haul herself up and get ready.
She pressed her forehead against the cool glass and closed her eyes.
She saw his face, his black eyes inches from hers. She felt the knife nick at her flesh and the warmth of his mouth, tracing along the shallow wound.
Amelia touched her neck, felt the small lesion there and shivered.
What was happening to her?
The darkness of her apartment threatened to engulf her, swallow her up. She didn't want to fight it.
He wanted her. She could feel his pull; hear his laugh in her head. She closed her eyes and felt his hands on her body, making her tremble.
She wanted him, too.
Amelia groaned at the realisation, hitting her like a punch in the chest.
Jack was still alive. He was there; somewhere and she had come close to reaching him.
Amelia felt tight and uncomfortable in her pink peacock costume. The laces of the corseted bodice were pinching her and she wished she hadn't so willingly agreed when Jenny had insisted that the costume was so 'her'.
It was a tight strapless corset, encrusted with thousands of pink diamantes. The skirt was entirely made from plumes of long, soft pale pink feathers that floated around her like a cloud.
It was a beautiful costume and the jewelled masque fitted perfectly with it, but Amelia felt like a prisoner and knew that eating would be unlikely tonight, unless she wanted to waddle home.
Bruce was picking her up and she felt nervous about seeing him.
He always had possessed a talent of reading her face and she'd lied to him so furiously over the past two days. Every time he'd called she filled her voice with a fake optimism, something she'd learned from her Mother over the years.
"I'll be at your apartment at eight…don't come out till you see my car!" he'd warned.
Amelia knew that he meant well and he cared so deeply for her, but part of her didn't want to see the anxious look in his eyes, she didn't deserve it. She felt like a captive bird, being watched from behind bars, just waiting for the Joker to come and get her.
The waiting was what was killing her. Part of her wanted to run back to that Carousel, screaming for him to come and take her.
A/N
Hope you are still all enjoying, please, please keep the thoughts coming.
Also, I've noticed that some writers name music tracks that inspired them and thought I would just say that Alannis Morrisette's 'Uninvited' is what gave me the idea for this fic! xx