Rescue Me
Bruce shifted uncomfortably in the back of the Limo as they pulled up to Amelia's apartment building.
Alfred watched him from the driver's seat, already tense himself.
"What do you expect to happen tonight Master Bruce?" he asked.
"I don't know Alfred; all I know is that we have to be ready. He'll make his entrance tonight, of that I'm sure,"
He stopped abruptly when he saw Amelia on the steps of her apartment building.
Amelia waved to him when she saw the Limo pull up.
Bruce swallowed. She looked divine. Like a princess from a fairy tale. The feathers from the skirt of the costume spilled out around her, making her appear like she was floating gracefully down the steps. Her gold hair was woven into ringlets that fell down her back, like Rapunzel in the tower.
If she was still suffering from the effects of what The Joker had put her through, you could see no signs of it. Her skin was like porcelain and her eyes gleaming brightly.
Bruce had never seen her look more beautiful.
"Hey you," she smiled, piling her massive costume into the back of the car, feathers spilling over his legs. She kissed him on the cheek with cold lips.
"Its freezing!" she said, "Are you Ok, Bruce?"
Bruce realised he was gaping. "Uhh…I'm great…you look.."
"Ridiculous, I know!" she laughed, fluffing the feathers with her gloved hands, "I look like a giant flamingo. It seemed like a good idea at the time,"
"No, I was going to say…"
"I'm sorry about not being in contact the last few days," she interrupted, "It's been a bit of a weird time, you know. I just needed some space,"
"No, no. Of course you did…Alfred, hadn't we better get going?"
"Yes Master Bruce," the older man replied from the front seat.
They chatted as Alfred drove them to Gotham Zoo. Amelia's mood was light and animated. She laughed and kept the conversation flowing, almost desperately, Bruce noticed.
Amelia felt self conscious and very aware of Bruce's eyes on her. She recognised that look in his eyes and it was one that she had never expected from him, of all people.
His eyes darkened when he looked at her, like he was seeing her for the first time. As though they were strangers, not life long play mates.
Men looked at her that way all the time. The Joker had looked at her that way. So had Jack.
When they arrived at the Zoo, they joined a queue of celebrities, pulling up on the red carpet.
It was a dazzling event and it seemed as though everyone important in Gotham had arrived to take part.
As they were ushered inside the Zoo restaurant, which had been transformed into a glittering Ball room, Amelia craned her neck above the sea of heads, trying to spot her friend Jenny.
The room was filled with colour, peacock blue, brilliant yellow and flashes of mauve moved before her eyes. Orange drapes hung from the ceiling and black candelabras were dotted around, their seductive candlelight, tracing shapes across the walls. From every table, tall glass vases were stood filled with large, gerberas pointing skyward, their pink tips just about to bloom.
Amelia wished the colour of the event could lift her mood, but she felt so anxious, a large rock forming in her stomach.
"Drink?" Bruce smiled handing her a flute of champagne.
She accepted. "Just the one, this dress is on the tight side!"
He wished that she knew just how amazing she looked. Everyone was staring at her. "Dance with me?" he nodded towards the already crowded dance floor.
Smiling, suddenly bashful, she took his hand.
On the dance floor, Bruce pressed closely to her.
"You look amazing, you know that?"
Amelia laughed.
"What's funny about that? It's true,"
Amelia knew where this was going. He was attracted to her! She could spot it a mile off. Her best friend found her attractive.
They were swaying in time to the soft music, he was so handsome, so wonderful and she wished desperately that he was someone else!
"Thanks," she said, embarrassed, "You look gorgeous yourself as always!"
"You seem tense," he pressed her.
"I'm fine, really!" she said.
"You keep looking over my shoulder," his face was crumpling a little bit.
"Its nothing Bruce…I was expecting to see my friend Jenny here that's all,"
"I'm sure he'll turn up,"
Amelia froze and looked at him suddenly. "He?"
It took all of Bruce's talent to remain composed after his obvious blunder.
"Sorry?"
Amelia raised an eyebrow. "You said 'he'?"
Bruce laughed. "Slip of the tongue. My, you are jumpy tonight!"
Amelia hid her face over his shoulder, her heart racing.
She was screwing this evening up so badly. She needed to control her emotions.
Bruce's heart slowed, he had successfully turned the tables on her again.
There was some commotion going on in the lobby and a few of the other couples on the dance floor had turned their heads towards the noise.
Bruce and Amelia did the same, momentarily stopping.
Amelia recognised Commissioner Gordon stepping into the Ball room, his hands on his hips, his face tight with stress.
"What are the police doing here?" Amelia thought aloud and Bruce let go of her waist.
"I don't know…wait there,"
Amelia frowned. "Where are you off to?"
"Just going to check in with Alfred, I worry about him parked out there alone,"
Amelia smiled. "Yes, go!"
He smiled back at her and his hand lingered on hers. Then his head disappeared into the crowd, she watched him leave.
It was a welcome distraction and she breathed a sigh of relief. The other dancers soon forgot the police presence, happy to carry on with their evening.
Amelia was about to step off the dance floor when an arm linked around her waist, spinning her around.
The man holding her was tall and she recognised his body pressing into hers. He was wearing a mask that had a long orange beak, like a crow.
Amelia felt her heart shift up a gear, hammering into the chest of her dance partner.
He leaned into her neck and she gasped, feeling his lips so close to her bare skin.
"Jeez, I thought he'd never leave," The Joker chuckled.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed at him, continuing to dance though her legs felt like led, "The police are here, you could get caught!"
"Ahhh, it's nice that you care Ballerina, but I really wanted to join in the party. Its not often I get to dress up! And as for the cops, don't worry I invited them,"
She glanced at his horrible bird mask.
"Can you guess what I am?" he asked playfully, "Wait I'll tell you…I'm a Mockingbird…get it?"
A smile was playing at the corner of her lips but she forced it away.
"Very imaginative,"
"I thought so…I racked my brains for ages to come up with that….and here you are…looking, well I must say, beautiful,"
He breathed the last word and she didn't know why it made her tingle to hear it.
"Is this the part where you kidnap me?"
The Joker looked mock affronted. "Well I was going to buy you a drink first, but if you want to skip to the chase…" he pulled out the knife and she saw him sneak it down to her waist line. She pushed his hand away.
"I'll come quietly," she said then instantly regretted her words, her face flaming red and he began to laugh.
"I've never met a woman who does that but, well, great, I don't have to pretend I care!"
His gloved hand was warm on her back as he steered her off of the crowded dance floor. They were headed towards the fire exit. Amelia tried to make eye contact with some of the other dancers but they looked too caught up in the glitz and colour of the event.
Amelia cast a glance back over her shoulder, trying desperately to spot Bruce in the crowd. Where had he gone? Talk about timing.
"After you, princess," he laughed, his hand on the heavy steel door, it clunked open and still no one noticed as he roughly pushed her through it.
The night air hit her in the face and she immediately folded her arms around her. The Joker pulled off the bird mask, throwing it aside.
He pushed her roughly towards the fire exit stairs, her skin contracting from the freezing cold.
To her surprise he let his long coat fall off his shoulders, wrapping it around her.
Amelia looked at him and grimaced at the sight of his ugly makeup. He had obviously been hot under the mask, as the black eye makeup had run leaving streaks tracking down his face like tears.
She looked down at the narrow stair well, gingerly stepping forward and he caught her upper arm.
"No, Ballerina, up we go!"
"Up!" she looked horrified staring up at the slim step ladder that led all the way to the roof.
"I'll be behind you; I won't look up your dress I swear!"
Amelia's face fell. She hated climbing, especially in heels. She preyed that any minute Bruce would realise she was missing.
Taking the metal wrung in her trembling hands she hoisted her weight up, her feet found the bottom wrung clumsily.
"Keep going, if you fall, so do I,"
The words were oddly reassuring and she continued up, becoming more exhausted by the second.
Her heart lurched as one of her stilettos slipped off and fell, missing the Joker's face by inches.
"Perhaps your Bruce Wayne will find that in the morning Cinderella," he laughed but now she was even more unsteady.
Finally after what felt like an eternity, she hoisted herself over the brick wall of the roof top terrace and collapsed on the concrete, breathing hard.
The Joker jumped over the wall to join her with ease and landed next to her.
He took her ankle in his hand and pulled off the other shoe, tossing it aside.
She propped herself up on her elbows, staring at him relentlessly.
He sat beside her cross legged on the cold concrete. He took out his knife and tossed it from one hand to the other, the movement oddly familiar.
"So what now?" she snapped impatiently.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "So that's you're angry voice Ballerina, I like it,"
"Well, Jack," she liked the reaction she got from that, he visibly flinched, "I think I'm entitled after making me climb a fifth teen foot ladder in the cold, with one shoe! I'd like to know how the rest of the date is expected to unfold,"
He grinned, licking his lips, pointing the hilt of the blade at her playfully.
"You know you will keep calling me that name…one time I might just snap!"
Amelia sat up.
"I'll make you a deal," she said and he looked up, his eyes ignited with interest and fun.
"I'll call you…the Joker," she made a face, "And you stop calling me that ridiculous nick name,"
"Don't you like Ballerina? I thought it was cute…it's so you!"
She scowled at him. "You hate your real name and I hate Ballerina,"
"Why?" he was curious and she rolled her eyes.
"I don't know…call it a dream unfulfilled. And it's not my name,"
He cocked his head to one side for a moment, considering her deal.
"Fine," he said at last giving her a mock bow, "Amelia,"
The sound of him actually saying her name sent a chill up her spine. She thought that he had never called her anything but that nickname, or some term of endearment. It sounded odd but in a way, right.
She gathered up the feather skirt of her dress and stood, her feet numb from the cold.
From the rooftop the whole of Gotham was lit up, twinkling beautiful against the dark night sky.
She sighed, the view the same one as from her parent's ballroom, a sad memory coming back to her.
"You can see Wayne Towers and everything," The Joker spoke and she jumped, not realising that he was standing so close behind her.
She turned, her arms folded across her chest and his face was sombre for once. His streaked makeup made him look more sad than menacing. He looked down at her, his gaze locked with hers for a long time.
"Why have you brought me up here?" she asked, suddenly tired, "Surely you know that someone will realise I'm gone in a few more minutes?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "You mean the playboy prince?"
Amelia rolled her eyes at him. "Don't call Bruce that,"
"Perhaps I just wanted to finish that dance?"
Amelia laughed. "You brought me up here to dance with me?"
He cocked his head to one side.
"No, I brought you up here as bait for the Bat, but if you want to romanticise things fine…be my guest!"
"You just said…God, you're confusing!" she cried. He took a mock bow and began to chuckle.
"Hmm…keeps things interesting doesn't it?"
Suddenly he lunged forward, grabbing her waist. He pulled her against him and began dragging her across the roof top in a crazy, whirling dance. Amelia's feet stung from the cold ground, she pushed against his chest to try to free herself, but he was holding her too tight, his gloved fingers digging into her wrist.
"You're hurting me!" she cried but instead he flung her to the ground. Her head smacked the concrete and she let out a sob of pain. Before she could protest she was back on her feet, being hauled around again, half dragged, half supported by the Joker.
"Seeing as we're taking a trip down memory lane…" he leaned in to her ear, catching her lobe with his teeth and she winced, "Perhaps you don't recall the day I decided to come back to you…"
Amelia's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" Her head was still throbbing.
"So that part hasn't come back yet hmm?" he grabbed her neck painfully and forced her to look at him.
His eyes were black hole and she could see anger, boiling under that clown makeup. She wondered desperately what she had done to make him so angry, so bitter.
Suddenly they had stopped dancing and he was holding her firmly by each wrist, she couldn't look away even if she wanted to.
"I watched you…for a year after that night, everyday I followed you…to the park, to the zoo…anywhere daddy took his princess I tagged along…"
Amelia stared at him, shock bolting through her.
"Everyday I followed…I watched you at dance lessons…I saw daddy drop you off. I was good at hiding, you never saw me…you never saw anyone. You were locked up inside your own head, blankly staring, not living just moving through life in a dull sleep. I kept wishing you'd look up, see me, but you never did. You don't know how many times I walked right past you and you didn't even glance at me!"
Amelia's eyes welled up. His face was so contorted in anger that she wanted to hold him.
"Jack..I didn't know…"
"Shut up!" he yelled into her face and she shuddered, "I saw you with your friends…with him, your precious Mr Wayne, even he couldn't make you smile. One day you stopped dancing, daddy dropped you off at the school but you'd wait for him to drive off and then you'd run away. I followed you…"
Amelia's mind suddenly was brilliantly clear. It was like someone was telling her about an old movie and a scene popped straight into her head.
"Steeple Park…" she whispered, "The Carousel!"
The Joker smiled manically, a laugh that was more like a cry escaped his lips.
"And we have a winner!!"
Amelia shook her head; her wrists were aching from where he was holding her so tightly.
The Joker was too caught up in the story to see that she was shivering violently, the cold concrete seeping up her legs, penetrating her bones.
"One day I couldn't take it anymore…I had to talk to you….I sat down right next to you on that carousel and you didn't look up…I spoke to you and you finally acknowledged I was there…"
Amelia's tears spilled over.
"Don't…please..."
"You stared at me and…nothing. You looked at me like I wasn't there. I said, 'Ballerina it's me, don't you remember?"
Amelia let out a sob and suddenly she moved forward, surprising him. He let her sore wrists slip from his grasp and she fell into his arms. Amelia laid her head on his chest and sobbed.
Tentatively she felt his arms sneak around her tiny form, as though he were cradling a small child. He rest his chin on her head and she wound his arms up his back.
She could feel the cold, wet patch on his shirt front, where her tears had stained it.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I'm sorry I hurt you,"
She looked up at him, her chin on his chest. It was amazing that she could now see straight through the makeup. His features, his eyes, he was the boy she remembered.
Amelia couldn't understand how she'd missed it before.
His mouth crashed against hers in a brutal, hard kiss but this time she responded. She placed her hands either side of his face and admired how easy it was to take control, within seconds the kiss was softer, but urgent. She gasped as his mouth trailed fiery kisses down her throat, her bare shoulder.
She knew this was crazy, if the police were to show up now and witnessed this scene, what would they think? What would Bruce think?
She didn't care, her heart was beating frantically, desperate to show him the love he'd been denied and at the same time a wanton, abandonment came over her, wishing he would just take her now.
His hands snaked downwards to her bottom, pinching it hard so she cried out in pain, ignoring it he backed her up against a fire door that led back down to the restaurant below.
Amelia felt an urgent pull from her body, that need to be had so desperate and hard to ignore.
"Stop, we can't do this!" she said into his mouth, as he brought his lips back to hers.
He pulled away, his eyes dark with heat. He winked at her suggestively.
"My place or yours?" he giggled. She pushed him away with what little force she had left in her body. It made her head spin at how quickly his mood could change from wickedly childish to delinquently evil. When he hurt her he meant to do it.
"You killed my best friend," she said aloud, her eyes filling up again.
Saying the words out loud made it all real, at last she could see clearly and this fog that he'd cast was lifting before her eyes.
"You murdered her…you kidnapped her…"
The Joker raised an eyebrow at her. "I may be a bit unpredictable Amelia, but my memory is just fine!"
She threw her hands up in the air.
"And you really don't care do you? Rachel….must of been so terrified of you and you wiped her out just like that!" she clicked her fingers, "Her last moments…what was she thinking? Was she crying?"
He folded his arms across his chest. "You want me to tell you?"
Amelia shook her head. "I couldn't bare it if I knew. And Bruce and Harvey, you destroyed them both,"
He began to pace in front of her.
"Gee I wish Batman would hurry it along don't you?" he mocked her, "One minute I thought I was about to get laid and the next minute she wants to talk about her 'feelings'. Don't you have a shrink for that?"
"Shut up you bastard!" she yelled, "Jack really is gone isn't it? He couldn't have done that to Rachel. What happened to you?"
Suddenly his fist collided with her jaw and she saw stars, literally knocked off her feet she fell backwards. Her head smacked against the concrete below and she yelped.
She touched her chin and felt the swelling, wincing as her cold fingers touched her burning hot flesh.
The Joker was on his knees next to her, scooping her up into his lap.
Amelia didn't have the strength to push him away, her vision was still blurred. No one had ever punched her before. She'd seen it in films hundreds of times. The shock of actually been hit in the face was still making her reel.
She felt the warmth of his body melting into her and despite hating him furiously she moved closer, her body wracked with cold.
"You shouldn't say things like that…it's like you want me to hurt you…"
He cradled her closer and began to rock her.
"Whatever makes you feel better about yourself," she whispered, knowing she was pushing him.
Tilting her head she looked up at his mangled face. She reached up and gently touched his lips with her fingers, tracing them up along the lacerations, now healed but leaving him with an everlasting grin.
He watched closely and finally took her hand away and wrapped it in his.
"You are a brave little thing aren't you? I think I hit you too hard,"
"I'm sorry that I didn't recognise you on the Carousel that day…but you don't seriously blame me do you? I was a mess…my parents were fighting all the time. My Mother was always in hospital…my Father couldn't bare to be around either of us,"
"No Ballerina," he said, his voice low, regretful and tired, "I don't blame you. But when I saw you on the news, your mom's suicide…I thought it'd be fun to hook back up again. You know, like old times?"
Amelia gave him a slow smile. "I don't get you,"
"And I don't get you; we're two of a kind,"
Slowly, Amelia heaved herself into a sitting position.
They looked at each other for a long time and knew that this was one dance that would last forever. Neither could understand the other. She hated him for what he had become but there was still something there, some pull.
Amelia supposed that he hated what had happened to her over the years. He hated the Princess she'd turned into, the gossip columns, the parties. What had happened to the little Ballerina that had so much fight in her?
Up until two days ago, Amelia had forgotten that that child had existed, until he showed her.
But whatever happened they still had those three days. They still had that dance in the attic. And that first kiss.
The Joker pulled her against him, her head cradled under his chin.
"I wish we could go back," she whispered, tears welling, her hand playing with his green neck tie absently.
His mouth was near her cheek and she heard a soft moan in the back of his throat. His lips moved across her hair towards her ear. She heard his voice, but at first it was barely audible.
"You have to save me," he whispered.
Amelia pulled away suddenly, unable to believe what she'd just heard.
"Did you mean that?" she gasped.
The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile. "Yes, unfortunately,"
Suddenly a shadow loomed over them, blackening out the stars in the night sky. Amelia lifted her eyes, jumping in surprise as the figure loomed over them both, the figure that had followed her through Steeple Park that night.
"Oh, now the fun begins," the Joker chuckled.