Hey, guys! I am SO sorry for the lack of an update! It's been really crazy here recently - some of you may have heard about the tornadoes that went through Northeast Indiana on August 24 - well, I was actually in part of that outbreak. Two of my friends lost everything and I have been trying to do what I can to support them and give them what they need... It's been rough in our community, but thankfully no one was even seriously injured or died - we're incredibly lucky!

Now that I'm back, I'm planning on posting a couple of chapters quickly for you all - thank you so much for you patience and once again thank you to all who have favorited/followed and/or reviewed!

Her eyes met mine, and I saw a slight amount of fear in them; and rightfully so. He knew where she lived. She's not safe anymore.

"What does he want?" I heard her ask quietly.

"I don't know, but you're not safe, Evangeline."

"I don't know if anyone is."

No sooner had I uttered those words, a maniacal laugh echoed by an ear-piercing, shrill shriek of a laugh rings out throughout the quiet avenue.

"Well, well, it's, uh, about time you got home," the voice sounded from above us. Instinctively I wanted to grab Bruce and hide, but I stay put, frozen to the spot in fear as the Joker and Harley Quinn step onto the eaves of the roof of my apartment.

My eyes widen as suddenly the Joker and Quinn are on our level, landing carefully on their feet from the drop.

"Now, you're just heavenly tonight… How about you go meet those angels?" I watched as he suddenly pulled out a pistol and leveled it at my forehead. My heart rate immediately sky-rocketed, and I felt my knees begin to tremble.

"Let her go," I hear Bruce growl.

"And why would I do that?" he replied in a sing-song voice.

Joker suddenly turns his attention back to me.

"And you are beautiful. Just like my wife…" he begins to close the distance between the two of us, and I hear Bruce take a step forward before Harley steps between us. "You wanna know how I got these scars?" he asks me.

I had had enough. I made eye contact with Bruce, and he nodded to me, his hand slightly extended toward me. I took the chance to run toward my opening, toward Bruce where he had managed to sneak around Harley, who was too busy paying attention to her reflection in a compact mirror.

I sprinted with all of my might, the sound of a gunshot nipping my heels. I race to Bruce, who clasps my hand and we sprint together down the avenue and into an alleyway. We stop momentarily.

"We have to keep going, he'll spot us here," I hissed at him, quickly sliding the heels off of my feet.

Bruce's eyes widened slightly. "You can't go barefoot – who knows what's down here."

"I'll be fine," is all I can manage to speak before Joker's footfalls approach us.

We take off again, this time a shot hitting the wall beside my head. The brick chipped slightly, the bit grazing my arm. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Bruce take out his cell phone and send a message to someone. He doesn't let go of my hand for a second as we continue running away from the apartment.

A little while later, about six blocks over and after twists and turns, the sound of Joker's pursuit faded, but the sight of smoke a few blocks down makes my pounding heart nearly stop.

"No… No!" I whisper then shout, immediately heading toward my apartment.

"Evangeline, wait!" I feel Bruce reach out for me, but I'm too quick for him and sprint back with my remaining energy.

The sight before me crushes me. My apartment and my car are up in flames, with Joker cards littered all over the pavement.

"It's all about sending a message…" the voice sneaks up behind me and places a cloth over my mouth as they twist my arm behind my back, making me gasp in pain.

The world suddenly begins to spin, black spots covering my eyes. The Joker's face appears in front of me just as I see Bruce arrive back at the apartment.

"Evangeline! No!"

Bruce watched as Joker stepped in front of Evangeline and picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Evangeline! No!" was all he could shout before the Joker took out his pistol and fired at toward Bruce, grazing his right shoulder. He groaned from the pain, but was more concerned with Price that he didn't notice Harley approaching with a bat. The bat swung into his gut, knocking the wind out of him and making him fall to his knees, gasping for air.

"Bye-bye, Brucie."

"Master Wayne, are you alright? I heard the report of a fire, and…" Alfred cut off his sentence, seeing his master look defeated.

"He took her. I couldn't defend her, and he took her," was all he said, his eyes staring straight to the ground.

"Who?"

"Joker," Bruce raised his head, making eye contact with the elder butler.

Alfred hadn't seen a fire like that in Bruce's eyes in a long time – the last time being probably before Rachel had been murdered.

"Come. Let's go home," Alfred suggested to him, his eyes silently reminding him that he has a job to do now.

Bruce nodded firmly and stood, wiping the dirt off of his pants.

"I'll find her."

I awoke in a darkened room, only illuminated by a dim light bulb hanging above me. The room swirled around me as a headache suddenly grips me. The memories of before I had been kidnapped flooded my brain – the apartment, the car, everything was on fire. I had run back like an idiot, ignoring Bruce. Well, look what I got myself into now.

A knock makes my head snap to one side, light entering the room as a door opens. I see for the first time that I am handcuffed with my arms around my back to a large metal pole.

"You're, uh, awake, huh?"

I just glare at him in response.

"Yeah, yeah, stupid question."

I do my best from showing my thoughts of 'hell yeah, that was' from him.

"He will come for me – you won't get away with this," I snarl, much harsher than I believed I could.

"Who? Bruce, or the Bat?" Joker gets in my face, and I smell his greasy hair.

I open my mouth to respond to the question, but snap it shut quickly.

"I – I don't know," I truthfully respond.

"Well either way, let's make this fun, huh?" a smile plasters itself onto his face as he takes out a switchblade. "I've always preferred a knife you know – guns are just too…" he pierces the skin of my shoulder, making my blood appear. "Quick."

To my absolute horror, he extends the blade into my shoulder a little further at an agonizingly slow pace, making me whimper, before he drags it along in a relatively straight line parallel to my collar bone. The incision winds up being about an inch long before he takes the blade out of the wound before plunging it back in at a different angle and makes a harsh curve. The sudden realization of his efforts grips me: he just carved a 'J' into my shoulder.

Halfway through the curve, I let out a scream of agony and pain, willing, no begging for him to stop. But he didn't listen, just slowed the blade's movements through my flesh.

As soon as the blade leaves my shoulder, my legs give out on me and I slump to the floor, hot tears welling in my eyes as I shook violently from the shock. The Joker's hand latches onto my chin and wrenches my face upward to face him.

"I'm sure one of them will come for you – just as soon as they find out just where you are," he laughs maniacally, slamming the door shut behind him in the process, leaving me in the darkness, the light bulb gently swaying overhead.

I sobbed hard, not caring who heard me. Not caring about how I looked so unfitting for the dress that I still wore from my date with Bruce.