"Alright, and while I'm out, don't blow up the fridge again. That's the third one this fortnight." I reprimanded as I left the building.
"Darn. How can you possibly read my mind?" I heard behind me. I looked back and found him leaving the building as well. I frowned.
"Well, I like to think I know your actions pretty well. Why are you out here too?" I asked curiously. He shrugged his jacket on and then handed me my own, just as I remembered that I wasn't wearing it. I nodded my thanks and waited for his answer. "You can't drive, remember?" I inhaled as I realized that I had forgotten that one minor detail. "Darn." I said. He grinned, winked and then opened the back doors to the van. I cocked an eyebrow at his chivalry and stepped inside. He closed the door behind me and a few seconds later he got into the driver's seat. He winked at me again in the mirror and we set off to our destination. Maybe not being able to drive wasn't so bad.

"Okay, so I just drop him and we're done?" I asked, a little unsure. It was so simple. Joker shook his head from his spot looking over the edge. "No, we stay and watch the panic." He replied. I nodded and pulled the man in the suit over the edge. We had killed him long before we set out. The video would be presented on the news and everyone would know that we're serious. We both knew that we'd end up in jail in a little while. At least, very soon. But this was just too good a chance to miss. Joker nodded and I nodded back. Then I pushed him over the edge, securing the rope to a pipe. A satisfying bang was made when he hit the glass where Dent and the Mayor were. Joker had told me about Dent and I disliked him already. Gotham's 'White Knight'. Psh, how original. I grabbed my knife from the floor and cut the rope, a man on a floor below us catching it and then gently lowering it down to another man and another. There were crowds of people, journalists, photographers, cops, everyone was standing around the dead man. The small note that we had secured to the fake's chest was probably being read by the cops now. 'Will the real Batman please stand up?' Some people looked up and we took that as our cue to leave.

We sat back in the couch. I had gotten the ice cream that I craved and Joker was lounging beside me with a spoon of his own in case he got peckish. The news was on and the video had just begun. "Tell them your name." We heard Joker say in the recording. The man was sitting in the chair with his hands tied behind his back. You wouldn't be able to tell that that room was supposed to be my room. You could see me standing behind the man with a knife next to his neck. I had a deadly smirk on and it frightened even me. I didn't realize that I looked so threatening. The man murmured his name as Brian Douglas. We heard Joker laughing and I couldn't help chuckle quietly too. "Are you the real Batman?" Joker whispered on the news.
"No…"
"No?" Joker began chuckling on the news again and I couldn't help but laugh now at how ridiculous Brian looked. "Then why do you dress up like him?" He took the mask off of Brian and he began twirling the mask in front of the camera. I laughed. "I love that part." I murmured with a little grin. Brian continued to speak. I had to hand it to him; Brian was brave even though he knew he would die. "Because he's a symbol that we don't have to be afraid of scum like you." He said defiantly. Joker began sort of stroking his face as I smirked even more on the video. "Yeah. You do, Brian. You really do." Joker said maliciously. He began shushing Brian again when Brian looked like he was going to whimper. This was when I piped up in the recording.
"So you think Batman's made Gotham a better place? Hm?" I was circling him, a knife still trained on him. The camera that Joker was holding followed me as circled him like a predator. Joker, in reality, smirked and gave me a high five. Brian refused to answer or look at me. "Look at me." I ordered. He still didn't.
"Look at her!" Joker roared. He finally looked up at me. The camera saw me smile and it even gave Joker and I some shivers. I terrified even myself, what's up with that? The camera then switched so that I was holding it and Joker was on the screen. "You see, this is how crazy Batman's made Gotham. You want order in Gotham… Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in." And then he remembered one of the vital pieces of information we had to tell Gotham, "Oh, and every day he doesn't, people will die. Starting tonight." Joker was a little bit out of breath from the excitement and I chuckled. "I'm a man of my word." And then he burst out into manic cackling. We heard me laughing in the background as well and then we burst out laughing in reality. Brian began screaming in there as well and I grinned. "This is where it gets fun." I remarked, tucking into my ice cream. He leaned over quickly and grabbed a spoonful. I rolled my eyes and ate a bit. I immediately regretted it. "Gah, brain freeze!" I shouted, clutching at my head. Joker laughed at me and I glared at him, rushing to the bathroom so that I could have a hot shower. When I have brain freeze, it tends to linger.

"You can't make me, Joker. I swear, there is no way that I am going!" I exclaimed. He rolled his eyes.
"Look, dollface, if we pull this off, we're off to jail and then everything falls into place." He said. I groaned loudly and looked at the dress that was sitting on the chair, untouched. Bruce Wayne was having a party. I wasn't invited. I was going to subtly gate-crash. Enter undetected. I sighed in defeat and picked up the dress. "You'd best be ready for a lot of sulking." I remarked as I walked off to my room.

"You'll do great, dollface. Now, let's put a smile on that face." I rolled my eyes at that lie again. I had already figured out that his scars were not due to an abusive father. He lied every time. "I want to wear my mask." Joker shook his head and pursed his lips.
"No can do. Wouldn't want anyone recognising you, would we?" I rolled my eyes again and sat back in the back of the car. It was a car this time. Joker decided that I would arrive in style so that it could be more believable that I was a friend of Bruce Wayne. I looked out of the window, trying to ignore the glances that Joker would give me every few seconds. I hated dresses. I looked down at my dress and began pulling at the flimsy fabric, picking for any excuse for me not to wear it. Unfortunately, I found none. It was a very nice dress actually. It was purple, of course, with a deep green satin bow. Trust Joker to pick those colours. The car stopped and I looked up. I was at Wayne Enterprise. "Do me proud, dollface." He said as I got out of the car. I nodded and went to walk up the steps. "Oh, and Solace." I looked back to find he had a hat on dipped very low so that no one would recognise him. "You look gorgeous." And then he drove off.

"What are you doing?" I heard from a room down the hall. I had slipped away from the party to gain any information. I peered around the corner, sadly without a mask on but plenty of makeup, and found Dent in a headlock with Dent's love interest, Rachel Dawes, watching wide-eyed. I finally recognised the man who had Harvey in a headlock as Bruce Wayne, the host. "They've come for him." I heard and I gulped. They knew already? I quickly walked back to the party and began to mingle with the crowd. When Joker walked in, I'd have to be ready to defend him, even if he had a load of body guards. I turned to lift just in time to see a man get pushed over and Joker holding a shotgun. "We made it." He shot the gun and began walking forwards, daring anyone to try and apprehend him. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." He dropped the shotgun having gotten bored of it and I noticed that the green dye in his hair was beginning to wear out; the top of his scalp was brown and only half of his hair was green. "We are tonight's entertainment." He picked up a small prawn on a popsicle and then began chewing on it. "I only have one question: Where is Harvey Dent?" He looked around, waiting for an answer. He appeared to have picked up the shotgun again and began pointing it casually at the guests. He grabbed a glass, tipped the liquid out of it and then drunk from it, placing the glass down again. "You know where Harvey is? You know who he is?" He lightly slapped a woman on the shoulder. He then moved onto a balding man and held the man's chin. "Do you know where I can find Harvey? I need to talk to him about something. Just something little, huh? No." He continued to look for other people to interrogate. He came to an old man with glasses. "You know, I'll settle for his loved ones."
"We're not intimidated by thugs." The man said bravely, his voice not shaking. Joker narrowed his eyes and he ate something else. "You know… You remind me of my father…" Uh oh. "I hated my father." He grabbed the man and put a knife to his mouth. That was my cue, as we discussed. Time to play innocent guest. "Okay, stop."

I stepped forwards with my hands on my hips. Joker looked up at me and I saw him nearly wink at me. I managed to maintain my role, just. "Well, hello, beautiful." I swallowed as he began fixing his hair. It's just an act, Solace. Just an act. Remember that. Don't get excited. Wait, excited? What the f… "I've never seen you before. Where've you been hiding?" He said with a little smirk.
"I've been around." I said with my arms crossed. He was approaching me and now he was standing in front of me. "And you are beautiful." He began circling me and it was a little frightening actually. He had his blade out still. He leaned in a little. "You look nervous. Is it the scars?" He asked, gesturing to the scars on his cheeks. "You wanna know how I got them?" I gulped, keeping the character. He then grabbed my neck and put the blade right near my mouth. I twisted a little, things getting a little close. "Come here. Hey." He said as I writhed limply. "Look at me." He whispered, licking his lips again. I was trapped in his grip. "So I had a wife. She was beautiful, like you… Who tells me I worry too much… who tells me I ought to smile more… who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks. Hey." I had tried moving again and he put the blade very near to my mouth. "One day they carve her face. And we have no money for surgeries. She can't take it." I had begun to get a little caught up in the lie he had spun and I stared into his eyes. "I just wanna see her smile again. Hm? I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars." He was using the sympathy lie and damn, by the looks of people giving him, he was getting it. "So… I stick a razor in my mouth and do this…" He grinned and showed me the scars again. "… To myself. And you know what?" I actually found myself asking what, "She can't stand the sight of me. She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now, I'm always smiling." He pulled back, smiling again. I quickly punched him in the gut. That wasn't part of the plan but I liked to improvise. Besides, I'd never punched an ultra-villain before. He burst out laughing, a little wheezily though, and then straightened up. "You got a little fight in you. I like that." And then the raspy voice that once haunted my dreams spoke. "Then you're gonna love me."

Batman punched the Joker away from me and I stepped back, part of me wanting to shout at Batman and another wanting to see if Joker was okay. Batman begun beating up the thugs and I made my way subtly over to Joker. No one seemed to notice, not now Batman was here. I knelt down a little. "You okay?"
"Mmhm. You didn't have to punch me though." He said with a little glare. I winked.
"It was convincing, no?" He grinned and then got up. He got one of his other thugs to help him take down the Batman and he kicked him in the chest. Joker went to do so again but Batman hit his knee. Joker went unfazed and I noticed a little blade stick out from the toe of his shoe. He kicked Batman in the stomach and he yelled. Joker went to go punch him again but Batman managed to push him to the floor. Our initial plan was for Joker to take me as hostage again and then throw me out of the window. I had moved right into the spot that I was supposed to be in. Joker grabbed the gun and scrambled to his feet. He took one look at me and in his eyes, I saw that there was a little doubt. I frowned and willed him to continue with my own eyes. He shook his slightly and instead grabbed Rachel Dawes, Harvey's 'squeeze'. Batman finished beating up the final thug and looked at Joker.
"Drop the gun." He threatened. Joker grinned at him.
"Oh, sure. You just take off your little mask and show us all who you really are. Hm?" And he shot the glass behind them. He then pushed Rachel out just enough so that it was only Joker who was holding her up. "Now, I think my assistant and I shall be going." He said with a little smirk and I walked to his side with a smirk of my own. Everyone gasped in horror and Batman looked at me, a small glint of… betrayal? What the fuck? "Let her go." Batman said, referring to Dawes. Joker then looked back at Batman with a disapproving look on his face. "Very poor choice of words." He laughed and let her go, just as Batman requested. He leaped out of the ex-window and we grinned at each other.

I stabbed the man in the neck and watched him slump forwards. Killing them was too easy. "Very good, dollface. Now, we're going to add a little personal touch to them." I cocked an eyebrow as Joker entered the room.
"We're going to put makeup on them and put little Joker cards on them again?" He stood still for moment and then groaned lowly. "I hate it when you know exactly what I'm going to do." He grumbled.
"It's because you do it every time, dearest." We had gotten into the habit of calling each other 'dearest' and 'honey'. Of course, he preferred dollface to all of them. "You do Dent, I'll do Harvey." I said, already getting the makeup out. He sighed and began to apply the makeup to Richard Dent as I did so to Patrick Harvey. Suddenly, Joker began chuckling. I frowned and looked at him. "What's so funny?" I asked.
"I meant what I said at Wayne Enterprise, ya know." He said matter-of-factly but not looking at me.
"What? You said a number of things but what exactly did you say in this case?" I asked, still not following.
"That you were beautiful." He elaborated. My breath hitched and I looked at him. He still wasn't looking at me and I got the idea that he was a little embarrassed. He finished working on Dent and he put a bunch of Joker cards in his hands. He then began to draw on the newspaper we brought. I smirked. "That's… No one's ever said that to me before. The scars and the mask are just too much for some people." I replied, trying not to appear too shell-shocked. Joker leaned back so that I could see what he had drawn. He had doodled the signature Joker makeup on an image of the Mayor. I grinned. "He's our next target?" He nodded and then placed it carefully on the table again. I decided to be extra bold and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for the comments." And I walked out of the room leaving a very shocked clown.

Oh my god! You see the first signs of affection! Woot woot! This is very fun to write actually. I have to be watching the film in order to be addicted. XD Anywho, hope you liked that. I'm finding it very fun. Thanks for reviews. Cheers folks.
Luna