A/N - You guys are awesome! Hope you enjoy!
"It's not the money that he wants. He's never been one for money or to be so carefree with revealing his location, unless it is to benefit him."
Gordon nodded.
"He wants you."
"Have you spoken with Bruce Wayne about this?"
Gordon shook his head.
"The man is on the verge of doing something impulsive," Gordon said. "He's desperate and who knows what he may do if I told him what I know. I'd like the child to at least have a father to return home to. Besides, Joker doesn't want the money."
Batman said nothing and instead, turned before walking to the edge of the building where he had come from.
"What are you...?"
"I'm going to the pier," Batman replied, cutting off the Commissioner. "Have your men set up a perimeter but wait for my signal before moving in."
Without saying another word, Batman jumped off the ledge and glided through the air back to where the tumbler was located.
The amusement park was closed for the season and along with it, the pier and all the other attractions including an outdoor concert hall. In the summer months, the pier would be bustling with street buskers, craft vendors and ice cream carts. In the winter, it became a desolate waste land. The wind and waves would eventually coat part of the pier in a light frost.
Batman jumped over the fencing that surrounded the amusement park and hid in the shadows of a pavilion. He watched and listened, hearing nothing out of the ordinary or unusual. It wasn't until he heard the loud sound of a door squeaking open that he saw a man walk out of a door leading into the administration building.
The man pulled out his lighter and lit a cigarette in his mouth. Before he had the chance to even take a puff, he felt something jab him in the neck. A second later, he was on the ground.
Batman slipped inside the door and looked down the hall. The sudden sound of a baby's cry caused him to turn his head and he headed in the direction of the sound. He also heard a conversation going on up ahead.
"Will you shut her up already?"
"Me? Boss said for you to do it."
"The Joker didn't say who, he just said to keep the kid quiet."
"Look man, I don't cross the line when it comes to hurtin' kids."
"Have a soft spot for brats, do ya?"
Batman paused as he came to a corner, knowing those two men would be right on the other side. Seeing a light switch behind him, he suddenly flicked it off.
"As a matter of fact..."
The conversation suddenly stopped as the hallway became dark.
"What the hell?"
"Check it out, man!"
"You first."
"Scared of the dark too, huh?"
Batman reached around the corner and grabbed the first man as he neared the edge, pulling him towards him. The other man pulled out his gun and fired towards the corner as he backed up down the hallway.
Batman held the man in front of him, facing away from his body and tightened his grip around the man's neck.
"Where is the baby?" he growled into his ear.
The man gasped and simply pointed around the corner.
Batman clenched his teeth and tightened his arm as the man suddenly passed out. He dropped him to the ground.
The other man continued to fire his gun towards the corner. Batman waited, knowing he would run out of ammunition sooner or later. When it finally ceased, Clara's crying was hysterical. Anger rose up inside Batman and he went around the corner. In the darkness, the man didn't even see him coming. Batman grabbed him by the arm, and knee'd him in the head before bringing him to the floor.
Out of breath, he listened and turned to the door the men were standing in front of. With one swift kick of his foot the door opened. The loud boom made the crying increase once again but with the light shining into the room, it turned into light hiccups. Batman saw her. Clara was laying on the floor on top of a tattered blanket. Quickly looking around the room to confirm there was no one else there, he rushed towards her and picked her up.
Clara began to cry again with her suddenly being picked up. Her eyes were tightly pinched shut.
Batman brought her face close to his own and gently hushed in her ear.
"It's all right now," he said softly, kissing her cheek. "Daddy's here."
There was obvious recognition to his voice as Clara calmed slightly and opened her red, tear-filled eyes to look at him. As he placed her in his arms close to him, he glanced down at her body, noting that she was in the same clothing that he had last seen her in and her diaper was obviously swollen. Batman reached for the blanket on the ground and although it wasn't in the best shape, it would work to keep her warm enough. He carefully wrapped it around her, trying his best to keep her head covered.
He turned, and left the room with Clara in his arms.
"There!" someone called out.
Without hesitating, Batman raced further down the hall just as a stream of bullets chased after him. He glanced down at Clara, holding her tightly to his chest. He continued down the hall and pushed open a door marked emergency exit. The sirens began to blare as he emerged back outside. The hollering of men could be heard as he ducked into the shadows.
He ran around the side of the building and stopped when he nearly ran into a man, holding a gun.
"Jeeze, I nearly shot you! I heard gunshots and the alarms going off," Gordon said softly, putting his gun in his holster as he approached Batman. In the darkness, he heard a soft sound coming from Batman's arms. It didn't take a genius to guess what he held. "Clara Wayne."
Without a word, Batman passed Clara to Gordon. It had been a while since Gordon held a baby and it was evident in how he handled her.
"Get her out of here," Batman said, looking to Gordon and then down to Clara. "I'm going back for the Joker. I'm going to end this."
Batman didn't stick around long enough for Gordon to say anything in return. He opened his mouth but found the dark knight had once again slipped into the shadows. Gordon looked down at the baby as she curiously regarded the stranger holding her. He smiled down at her for a moment before pulling her close to his chest as a cold breeze blew past them.
He looked up and glanced around them cautiously before sneaking back the way he had come.
The Joker sat on a park bench, glaring down the walkway. He drummed his fingers together as he waited.
"Where are you? I've been waiting for you," he called out into the darkness. "And no surprise, you didn't disappoint. Except for the fact that you didn't bring the money. But I'm happy with you."
When there was no response, he sighed and rolled his eyes as he stood up.
"Fine," Joker said, his voice showing more anger than prior. "I'll bring out my hook and maybe then you wont be so shy."
He gestured towards the maintenance shed across the walkway and the door opened. A clown-masked man walked out with a gun in one hand and a chain in the other. He turned slightly as he pulled on the chain, tugging it enough that whatever was on the other end would follow. The sound of chains clinking on the ground echoed down the empty walkway. Joker shoved the other man away and took the chain.
Emily was pulled out of the room, the bag still covering her head, the tape over her mouth, her wrists tied behind her and now the chains between her ankles. She could barely move her legs far enough to take decent steps and the rate at which she was being pulled, she was certain that she'd fall over. Knowing the cargo she carried and the consequence at falling over, she moved as quickly as she could until she felt an arm around her shoulders and that sinister voice once again.
"Maybe this will make you come out," Joker said, taking a jacket off of Emily, revealing the bomb wrapped around her chest. The cool breeze met Emily's bare arms and she shivered. "It isn't on a timer. I'll push it when I get tired of waiting for you and believe me, you wont want me to push it."
"Let her go," Batman growled from the shadows before walking out, standing thirty feet ahead of him.
Joker smirked. "You like demanding things, don't you? Is that how it was with you and Wayne's woman, huh?"
Batman clenched his fist and his jaw.
"The way she put up a fight when I came back to visit that little castle in the sky," he commented with a whistle. "She has been getting some pretty good fighting lessons and I doubt that the Bruce Wayne that everyone knows would be able to throw a punch like her. She's a fighter. It is a pity considering what happened."
"You're going to jail," Batman growled, as Joker chuckled.
"We'll see about that."
"Let her go," Batman repeated once again.
"On one condition, you drop your belt of toys and take off your mask."
Batman didn't move.
"Need a little push, do we?"
Joker reached behind Emily's neck and pulled the bag forward, dropping it to the ground. She looked up at Batman through her matted hair.
"Emily?" Batman said breathlessly. His voice was full of disbelief.
He looked at her, and noticed the bruises on her face, her bare feet, the scrapes on her arms and the duct tape covering her mouth. An anger rose within him once again as the Joker let out a laugh.
"I know it looked like she was dead, but seeing your face right now was worth the hassle that I've had to put up while dealing with this woman. I don't know how you can stand her!"
Batman reached behind him and undid the clasp of his belt, tossing it to the ground. When he reached for his mask, he heard Emily cry out from behind the duct tape. Batman looked up, seeing her red, tear-filled eyes as she shook her head, desperate to tell him to stop.
Joker put a mocking arm around her shoulders and ran his finger down her cheek, shushing her. He looked back up to see Batman drop his mask to the ground.
"You've got what you asked for!" Bruce called out. "Now, let her go!"
Joker smiled and looked to Emily.
"If I'm anything, I am a man of my word," Joker said, pulling a key from his pocket. He tossed it to Bruce who caught it.
Joker pushed Emily towards Bruce. She nearly lost her balance but managed to keep her footing. She walked carefully towards him, still aware of the bomb wrapped around her chest and shoulders. As soon as she neared him, Bruce glanced at Joker as the man simply watched with maniacal curiosity. Bruce crouched down and unlocked the chains around Emily's ankles. He went behind her and untied her wrists. Emily pulled at the duct tape over her mouth.
She looked up at Bruce, silent conversation passing between their eyes. Bruce turned to Joker.
"The bomb too!"
"Uh, no. You see, that is my insurance that you'll do what I ask you to," Joker said proudly. "If you so much as breath wrong, I'll set it off."
Bruce sighed, looking to Emily.
"Gordon is out front," he whispered to her. "Find him and he'll be able to help you."
"Clara's here..."
"Gordon has Clara," he told her. "I need you to go and get her. Don't come back here."
Emily looked back at Joker who drummed stood with his arms crossed.
"He'll kill you," she said, her voice weak.
Bruce forced a smile, gently touching her cheek. "I'll be all right."
Emily knew him well enough to know when he was lying to her. Carefully, she reached up and kissed his lips. Bruce closed his eyes, so glad that she was alive, but mournful that he knew he may never see her again.
"I love you," she whispered, tears in her eyes.
Bruce reached forward and squeezed her hand, afraid that if he'd say anything more that she would change her mind and stay.
Without saying another word, Emily walked past him and didn't will herself to look back. She forced herself not to cry as she wouldn't want Bruce to hear. Instead, tears began to fall down her cheeks, knowing that he was giving his life for hers.
Gordon sat inside his cruiser with the lights out, listening to the scanner. It had been a while since he had seen Batman. He waited for the signal he told him to watch for. A number of his officers stood around the gate, waiting and some anxiously questioning whether or not they should go in anyways. Gordon told them over and over, that he'd let them know when.
"Hey! We have something!"
Gordon sat up and glanced out his windshield. In the darkness, he couldn't make out who it was. It certainly wasn't Batman. He reached for his gun and stepped out, aiming it at whoever was coming towards them.
He nodded towards another officer who reached inside a cruiser and flipped on the headlights.
Emily paused, somewhat startled at the instant light shining on her.
"Hold it right there!" Gordon called out.
"Don't shoot!" Emily cried out, holding up her hands and using them to block the bright headlights of the cruiser from her eyes.
He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw her. He slowly lowered his gun and gestured to the other officers to do the same before he walked towards Emily.
In the darkness, Emily could only make out the shadow of a man walking towards her.
"Dr. Tucker?"
Commissioner Gordon was astonished to see the woman standing, alive in front of him, but stopped short when he saw the bomb strapped around her chest.
"Joker has the detonator," she said, as he looked at the wires coming around her.
Gordon reached for his radio.
"Get a bomb squad in here, right now!" he exclaimed over the radio.
He looked at Emily's face, noticing the bruising and scrapes on her skin. Her eyes were red.
"Where's Clara?"
"I sent her by ambulance to the hospital," Gordon said, watching Emily's eyes widen. "She's fine. I just wanted to make sure. Batman saved her."
A small smile, although it seemed sad, appeared on her face.
"I know," she said softly.
"Did you see him?"
Emily nodded.
"He needs help."
Gordon ran his hand through his hair, and looked in the direction of the amusement park.
"One thing at a time," he said. "I'm going to get you out of this."
Joker was enjoying himself a little too much.
He watched as Bruce agonized after each time he zapped him in the neck with the electroshock baton.
Bruce was tied in a chair and with every shock he received, it took him longer to recover from the effects of it.
"So, answer me this one," Joker said, leaning towards Bruce. "Are you wanting to kill me yet?"
"Let me go and you'll find out," Bruce growled.
Joker smiled. "Now that is your inner crazy-man just begging to come out. You see, I knew you had him in you. It just took a little prodding on my part to bring him to the surface."
"You're the only one who is crazy around here," Bruce said, obviously physically tired with the endless torturing.
Joker's smile faded as he charged the electroshock baton once again and with a clench of his teeth he hit Bruce in the neck with it, causing him to cry out.
"What a world we live in, huh? You live believing everyone you care for has been taken away from you, only to find out that they're alive, and then in a surprise twist of events, you're taken away from them." Joker let out a laugh. "I could do this all night but I want you stay awake for the fireworks that will be starting soon."
Upon hearing him speak, Bruce raised his head, hearing the double meaning in the psychopaths words. Joker pulled the detonator from his pocket and held it in front of Bruce before smirking as he pressed the button.
The roar of the explosion in the distance filled the park as the light lit up the sky.
Joker winced. "Hopefully that didn't make too much of a mess."
Bruce breathed deeply in anger before struggling within the tight ropes that wrapped around him.
"I'm going to kill you," Bruce growled at him, his face red.
"Tempting, but you first."
Joker grabbed the same bag that had been over Emily's head and shoved it over Bruce's before picking up the electroshock baton. With a smirk, he charged it and hit Bruce with it again, this time so strong that he passed out.
Emily stood still, raising her arms as the bomb squad worked around her. She was growing impatient. She'd occasionally glance back towards the park, wondering what Bruce was doing and whether or not he was all right. It took everything within her to not simply run back there.
"I think we got it," one of the men kneeling in front of her said. He slowly pulled a wire from the detonation box and they helped to slide the rest of the bomb down from around Emily's chest. She carefully stepped out of it as the squad picked it up and headed towards their van with it.
Gordon put his hand on her shoulder.
"Let's get you to the hospital and I'm certain that Mr. Wayne would be eager to see you as well," he said, with a smile.
She turned towards the park, wanting to say something but wasn't certain how to say it. Gordon followed her eyes and then glanced back at her before putting his arm over her shoulder.
"He'll be fine. He's Batman," he assured her, just as a force pushed them to the ground and covered the area in debris.
The bomb had exploded, sending pieces of the metal van flying into the air and sending the neighbouring police cruisers into flames. Gordon rolled over and scrambled for his radio.
"I need all available units to the east side pier!" he yelled into it. "Ambulance, fire and rescue, everything!"
He looked beside him, glancing around where Emily had been and couldn't see her. He turned over to push himself up to stand and that's when he saw her. The woman was running back towards the park.
"Damn it," Gordon mumbled, glancing back at the fire before chasing after Emily.
A/N - Winterrain36 - We must be on the same wavelength, because your review was very close to what I was planning. Am I that predictable? :) I hope to stump you with the next little bit... :)
Everyone - Please review! It's awesome to know that there are readers who are enjoying reading it as much as I'm having fun writing it.