I realize I haven't updated for quite awhile, but with not many reviews I have been sadly left discouraged. I've noticed though that some of my chapters seem to be the same lately, so I hope this chapter will make up for it. As always, please enjoy, and please comment as well. I don't mind hearing advice either. :]
Day after day I'm more confused
Then I look for the light through the pourin' rain
You know, that's a game, that I hate to lose
I'm feelin' the strain, ain't it a shame
Chapter 14
A Plan To Kill
It had been a few long days since the night Rachel was let out of the hospital. She had left the chocolates untouched, but kept them neatly placed on top of her dresser. It was hard to imagine the Joker showing an act of kindness, and she knew she could not fully trust him enough to eat something he had given her, at least not without at proper taste test from him first. Rachel spent most of her vacation time at home, but had Bruce to keep her company away from the sometimes lonely hours of the day. The more she saw Bruce, the more her feelings came rushing back to remind her that he was more to her then just a friend, but more. Whether or not the Joker showed a sign of jealousy towards Bruce that night was uncertain, but as time grew on with mulling things over, it seemed perhaps that he was, in fact, resentful. The Joker kept away from Rachel Dawes not because of jealousy, but of fear. After listening to himself say her name his stomach twisted in knots, but could not comprehend why. Something new had come about him; a wrenching feeling, and from the confusion and frustration he became more angry and bitter then ever before.
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It was a dark December night, and a cold breeze had swept into Gotham City, covering the streets in white shimmering snow. Many people stayed home, surrounding themselves around a warm and welcoming fireplace. For a month the Joker and his clowns had remained silent, and Gotham City was finally brought to peace from any chaos and destruction that the Joker could spit out at them. Although disappeared, he was still kept tucked away in the back of everyone's minds, never once forgotten in the midst of the Christmas Holiday's. Rachel wasn't sure whether or not to feel relieved or confused, and amongst the joyous cheers of celebration, Rachel remained quiet, which was unusual in the eyes of the people she knew. Although she tried, she could not hold her thoughts back. The Joker seemed perfectly fine when he left her a month ago, yet now he was gone, as if they had been in some sort of an uproar. Or, perhaps, it had nothing to do with Rachel, and he found a different city to use as his game board. It didn't take long before that suggestion was erased from her mind, because if that were the case, he would have been already on the news; splashing out his whereabouts and schemes.
"Maybe some lucky bastard got to him first," Bruce said blissfully, although with a hint of annoyance that it wasn't he who put him to justice.
Rachel felt herself sink deep into her chair from his insinuation. Sure the Joker was a maniac clown, but there was a part of Rachel that felt sorry for him, that felt that possibly there was a part of him that still had some sanity left. To her disgust she knew that a part of her cared for him in a way that could not be explained, or reasoned if that secret ever slipped out to somebody.
"Bruce, please…don't start," Rachel pleaded, trying her hardest to end, which seemed to her, a meaningless conversation.
"Well, it's possible. Why aren't you hoping that there could be a definite end to the Joker's insane plan to destroy Gotham?" Bruce asked, taking Rachel's request as term of offence, just as much as she knew it would have.
"No matter who the person is or what they have done, I don't wish them death," Rachel replied quickly, "Just as much as you shouldn't."
Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but closed it without a word. He sensed defeat, or at least an argument that he did not want to waste his breath on.
Rachel's eyes remained still upon her hardly touched plate of lasagne. She had so much she wanted to say, to figure out, but the words stayed frozen in the depths of her thoughts, bursting to want out. Bruce stared at Rachel like she was on display, his eyes burning deep into her soul, trying his hardest to understand her silence.
"What's wrong Rachel?" Bruce finally asked with concern, "You've seemed so distant these past couple of days."
Rachel looked up at him but held her tongue for a moment. She smiled in hopes to cover up her mess of emotions. "It's nothing; I guess I'm just not that hungry."
Although Bruce didn't know, thoughts of something happening to the Joker did creep into her mind from time to time. Rachel tried so hard to feel happy that he was gone, but now after wishing so hard that he was, she felt a strange kind of sadness inside her. In a weird and rather sick way she missed his frightening visits and his ludicrous charms. She missed the excitement of surprise from him, never knowing what was going to happen next, yet all the while hating it when it did. Rachel felt a love and care for Bruce that she could not feel for another, but the Joker gave her a different feeling she could not explain. It might not have been love, but it was something that kept her on her feet, something that kept her away from the same and somewhat boring routine of every day life.
Bruce laid a caring hand upon Rachel's, returning the smile she had given him. He hoped that maybe one day she would feel comfortable enough to tell him her thoughts, but little did he truly know what they were. Rachel sighed with guilt, just before Bruce reached over the table and kissed her forehead.
Suddenly the phone rang, interrupting Rachel from giving any sort of affection back, and stood up from her seat to pick up the receiver. Bruce kept silent as she answered, but was concerned when Rachel spoke and had no reply.
"Who was it?" Bruce asked as soon as she hung up the phone.
Rachel paused for a moment in thought, until she finally spoke a few seconds after, "I don't know…it was a dial tone."
For what seemed to Bruce as a possible mistake from the caller and hung up, Rachel had different ideas. However, she put it past her, and continued the rest of the evening with Bruce.
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When Bruce left Rachel's apartment after his visit, Rachel made her way into her bedroom to get changed. She peered over at the box of chocolates that still lay on her dresser. A second layer of dust was beginning to emerge on top, but Rachel still did not want to eat any. Her trust did not change for the Joker. After finally getting dressed into her pyjamas, Rachel slipped into her bed thinking about the lovely evening she had with Bruce. She did not want to think of anything else, and after a few short minutes, she finally drifted off to sleep.
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Rachel laughed. His jokes always made her laugh. He stroked her hair and pulled it back behind her shoulder as he gave her a smile within his shadowed face, obviously amused by the creases that curved across her cheeks. Rachel's laughter subsided moments later, entranced by the look in his eye, giving an almost innocent yet appealing stare. His hand lifted within the silence, and without a word caressed his index finger across her delicate cheek bone. Rachel could feel her cheeks burn warmly against his touch, until he pulled it away only a couple precious moments after. His hand still remained out in front of her, and her eyes rolled down to the tip of his unbending finger which pointed diagonally to the colourfully blue-lit sky. There sat one single black eyelash, curving into a perfect half-moon form, tranquil in its ease of solitary peace. A smile escaped Rachel's lips as his words flowed smoothly into her ears.
"Make a wish," He whispered.
Rachel gazed into his mysterious eyes a moment longer until she slowly closed them into darkness. She didn't need to think about what she wanted to wish for. Rachel took a deep breath, and with that, she wished for him to never leave her, and that their love would always be strong. Rachel took another deep breath and blew onto the eyelash; it floated for only a few seconds, and then quickly flickered its way down into the dewy green grass, never to be seen again. Rachel glanced back up to his face, but it was no longer shadowed. His features were painted with whites, blacks, and reds.
Rachel woke up with a start, her chest rising and falling within her quick, deep breaths. She found the need to want to scream, but caught herself before she started. Rachel leaned back against the headboard in the blackness of her room, wondering what her dream could have possibly meant. She suddenly became very angry with herself. Rachel didn't want to feel this way; she knew perfectly well what kind of person the Joker was. All she wanted was to see the Joker again to remind her on how crazy she is for having these thoughts about this insanely deranged clown.
As the night went on Rachel tried to fall back to sleep, but could not seem to do so. Instead, she decided to turn on the TV and check the late news for anything on the Joker, and possible news that he was back in Gotham creating havoc once again, but there were no words spoken of him. Just typical robberies and people raging about politics.
"Just as well," Rachel spoke to herself as she turned off the TV and slipped back into her sheets, "At least everyone is safe from him."
Hopefully everyone.
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The Joker's eyes prowled Gotham city with hatred. He wanted to see it burn and feel the heat through his skin. The Joker kicked the concrete of the building below his feet and kept his hands glued inside his coat pockets. The moon brightened the darkest corners of his painted face, and for one moment he felt an itch of annoyance that kept him from putting mass destruction upon Gotham. He shook his head; his muscles in his face relaxed enough so his cheeks would flap from side to side as he gave out a shudder, frustratingly trying to shake the thought away from his mind. Then there was Batman, the Dark Knight who so terribly wanted to see him put away. The Joker let out a slight chuckle, frightening his fellow clown mates with his insanity, not knowing what he would pull next.
"So clowns, what. Shall. We. Do?" The Joker finally spoke, his breath visible amongst the cold air.
Silence remained vigilant from the group behind him; careful not to say something wrong in any means. The Joker was always more touchy when he hadn't created chaos in a while. He smirked cunningly.
"Hmm…Mr. Thompson, what do you thin-k?"
Drew Thompson walked forward beside the Joker, and pretended to enjoy the scenery as he spoke.
"Well, I think we should be paying Batman a visit, don't you?" Thompson grinned wickedly as he lit a cigarette.
"That is a great idea!" The Joker replied happily and clapped his hands, "I haven't seen batsy for quite a while, I'm sure he misses us."
"And I think the best way to get the Batman to do what we want, is to take something away from him. Something that he could not possibly risk loosing," Thompson continued, still holding the same grin and taking a drag, "I think you know what I mean."
The Joker knew exactly what he meant, in fact he had thought of this already, but he did not want to involve Rachel in any of his plans again for the mere sake of seeing her face, and the fact that his plan on capturing Rachel before on the night of the destruction of Wayne Enterprises went terribly wrong, or at least not exactly the way he wanted it to go.
"As long as you do the capturing," The Joker growled, his excitement had vanished, "I have no problem with tha-t," He finished with a smack of his lips. He began to wonder if maybe if kidnapping Rachel again would be a good idea after all. Poor batsy will be destroyed the Joker thought. His heart began to skip beats in excitement as he bent down over a large, black leather bag, unzipping it to reveal a bazooka.
"It would be my pleasure, boss," Drew said slyly, flicking the half smoked cigarette off the side of the building.
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Rachel woke up quite early the next morning with a terrible kink in her neck, and felt it was the icing on her poorly made cake. She stretched widely upon her bed, keeping warm under her covers as to not feel the cold air rush to her body once she stood up. Although she could not help it, Rachel had felt a strange feeling come over her suddenly; an emotion of worriment and fear. An odd draft settled upon her face which only made matters worse.
With that, Rachel left her covers and the warmth of her bed. Although it was still fairly dark out, a smidge of light from the street cast through her blinds, helping her navigate across the room towards her house coat that hung on her door. Rachel slipped the soft fabric over her shoulders and felt warmth again. She had wondered why it was so cold since she had left the heat register on. Confused, she pulled the door open while flicking the living room light on in the process. In shock and dismay Rachel found the window which exited to the fire escape was somehow open, allowing the cold breeze to enter inside her apartment. She hastily ran towards window and shut it closed; locking it right after. Rachel was overwhelmed by this, and she could not remember if she had somehow left it unlocked from the night before. She hadn't touched that window in ages, not since she last saw the Joker at least.
Rachel took a seat on her cold, leather couch, with thoughts rummaging through her brain. However, each thought that entered her mind and escaped so quickly that it left her empty. Suddenly, within the midst of silence, her phone rang. Rachel spun her head to face the alarming noise, wondering with a quick annoyance who would dare phone at 4:00am in the morning.
Rachel picked up the phone as it rang the third time, and before she could speak a word, Bruce's voice yelled hurriedly through the receiver.
"Rachel, is that you?" Bruce asked in a worried tone.
Rachel didn't hesitate to answer, "Of course it is, what's wrong?"
Bruce let out a sigh of relief, but his voice was still frantic, "I'm glad to hear you're still in you're home."
"Of course I am. What's wrong Bruce? You're scaring me."
"The Joker, he's made his presence known."
"What?" Rachel felt her heart begin to race.
"It's been all over the news this morning," Bruce began, "He's been causing more havoc than ever. I'm on my way right now to pick you up."
Rachel fell silent for a few seconds. She reached for her remote to turn on the TV, but the cable had gone out. Rachel somehow felt she would be safe, even if the Joker was up and about again.
"Bruce, I'll be ok, I don't want you thinking you have to protect me all the time."
Bruce let out a heavy sigh in frustration, "I don't want you arguing with me. It's not safe out there, or in your apartment," He paused for a short moment just before he spoke his next words, almost as if saying them would help him to believe they were true. "Rachel, the Joker said he was coming to kill you. Tonight."
Rachel lost her breath, not knowing what say in response. She felt her heart racing more than ever, not wanting to believe it. Just then she felt a presence behind her, with what also felt like a hand lay softly onto her shoulder. Without looking back she closed her eyes, listening to Bruce's voice over the phone calling her name repeatedly, hoping for a reply.