Disclaimer: I do not own the Dark Knight trilogy. Just writing for fun.

A/n: Here's another chapter. Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews. They are loved and welcomed. Also, I'm really bad at fight scenes, so I'm sorry if this one kinda sucked. And also there's torture in this chapter, slight warning. It's also slightly different from the movie too, especially since it involves Melanie.

Chapter 36: Midnight Ferries

"At midnight, I blow you all up. If, however, one of you presses the button, I'll let that boat live. So who's it gonna be? Harvey Dent's most-wanted scumbag collection or the sweet and innocent civilians? You choose. Oh, and you might wanna decide quickly, because the people on the other boat may not be quite so noble." The Joker said, as he turned towards me with a radio in his hand.

Then he placed the radio on a nearby makeshift table. I tensed. He held a detonator in the other hand.

"Heart of Gotham," he sang in the night, tapping the newspaper on the makeshift table. "Surely you can't be that pure."

"Try me," I whispered.

"Hmm. I do like a challenge."

I winced. Great. He jumped up a little like a happy pony and waltzed over to me, smoothing out his green raggedy hair. Be the bait, I say. That will show him. I gulped. Yeah. Right. This was not a good idea Melanie. Not a good idea at all. Now I was sure Bruce was right when he said it was going to be too dangerous, especially since I hated clowns too.

Brilliant idea, Mel…. I thought with a small shake of my head. I braced myself for what was about to become of me.

"So what you're going to put people against each other and see how the other can eat each other up is that it?" I asked, trying to find my words. "People aren't like that."

"Sure they are," he grinned. I made a face at the red smeared paint across his face that resembled a smile. It was anything but a smile to me. "Just like you. You're going to help me."

I frowned.

"Here," he said, placing the detonator in my hands. I shakily held the metal object in my hands. I tried to drop it but he forcibly closed my hands tight together and brought out a piece of tape from his pocket and taped it around mine. "At the stroke of midnight, you're going to blow one of the ferries to hell."

I shook my head. "No, never."

"Yes, you are."

I shook my head again. I couldn't do that.

"Or I take your life, and everyone will morn the great Heart of Gotham, saving herself."

"Or being a martyr," I said. That earned a laugh from the clown that sent chills down my spine.

"Ahaha, hehe, ha, ha, I doubt that princess," he cooed, closer to me, and I could smell his bad breath that made me tense even more. "Do it." He ordered me. I froze. He then unsheathed his knife and I saw the gleam underneath the lights of the city and the moon in the night air.

"No," I said. "Look at them. Neither one of them have done anything about the situation and I'm not going to do it either."

"Yet, says the girl who looks very nervous," he said. "Are you? Is it my scars? I'll show you gently how I got my scars." He then placed the blade lightly against my neck and I started to slightly freak out and hyperventilate. Stay strong. Stay strong. Stay strong. I repeated over and over in my head. He pressed the blade into my neck, making me cry out. I saw a glimpse of red blood trickle down my throat as he made an incision, a small cut deep enough to bleed through my night gown.

"Press it!" he ordered.

"No!" I yelled back, swallowing hard.

"You won't corrupt me," I said.

"I'll take that challenge," he said, slicing another line right underneath the first one he bit into. I let out another cry from the searing pain that went through me. I shivered at the feeling going through me this very moment of torture. I knew it was going to be bad, but I didn't know it was going to be this bad.

"Why me?" I asked him.

"You had faith in Harvey Dent to do the right thing," he said. "I couldn't pass that up now could I?"

I frowned. Then he sliced another. Three slices along my neck. I was used to it now.

"No? Nothing else out of you squealer? How bout you get a taste of my own medicine then," he said and placed his knife right into my mouth yanking it. "Press the button!"

"NO!" I said, my thumb slightly hovering against the button. I was shaking and trying not to give in to the joker's demands. He could torture me all he wanted I wasn't going to do it.

"All right then…you're a brave doll," he was going to slice the knife against my cheek when he was suddenly yanked back by Batman, and throwing him onto the floor.

I let out deep breaths and tried to get out of my restraints. The joker got up and started kicking the Batman to the ground.

"She was never going to do it," Batman rasped within the fight.

"Ah you made it, I'm so thrilled!" Joker cried happily.

"Melanie give me the detonator," he said.

"She can't. It's taped around her," the joker laughed. "Go get him," he said to the dogs that attacked him. Batman attacked back, sending them down to sleep.

"All the old familiar places…." The joker said, walking over to me. He ran a hand over my head, making me shake at his touch. Batman grabbed him and then tossed him on the ground until somehow the Joker started kicking him relentlessly.

"Stop it!" I yelled at him.

"We should really stop this fighting," the joker said. "Otherwise we'll miss the fireworks."

"There won't be any fireworks," Batman promised. The joker looked up and he grinned. "And here we go." He said, waiting for something to happen but nothing did.

"What were you trying to prove that deep down everyone is as ugly as you?" Batman asked.

That's exactly what he was trying to prove, I thought.

"You're alone."

"Ugh. You can't rely on anyone these days. You gotta do everything yourself," the joker said, walking over to me. "Don't we?!"

"That's okay. I came prepared. It's a funny world we live in," he said, pulling out his own detonator. I widened my eyes at that. Holy shit. How many detonators did he have? "Speaking of which, do you know how I got these scars?"

"No, but I know how you got these!" Batman shot out his shoulder pad, and spikes threw out to the joker, knocking the detonator out of his hands. He grabbed the joker and tossed him down to the floor, catching him on a hook and then took a rope to wrap him up and dropped him out of the building but held onto him so he was upside down looking at him. He was flying upside down right next to me, laughing manically.

"Oh, oh... Oh, you... You just couldn't let me go, could you?" he asked. "This is what happens when an unstoppable force... meets... an immovable object. You... truly are... incorruptible, aren't you? Huh?! You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I... are destined to do this forever."

"You'll be in a padded cell forever," Batman said. Good, I thought. I smirked at the joker. He deserved a padded cell.

"Maybe we could share one. You know, they'll be doubling up, the rate this city's inhabitants are losing their minds," the joker said.

"This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good," Batman told him.

"Until their spirit breaks completely. Until they get a good look at the real Harvey Dent… Huh? And all the heroic things he's done," the joker explained. He giggled and then continued. "You didn't think I'd risk losing the battle for Gotham's soul in a fistfight with you? No... You need an ace in the hole. Mine's Harvey."

"What did you do?" Batman asked horrified.

"I took Gotham's white knight and I... brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. See, madness, as you know, is... like gravity. All it takes is a little push," he laughed, winking at me. I frowned. So he was going to do the same thing with me like he did Harvey? What did he do?

Batman cut through my tape and helped me off of the scary lift. I placed the detonator on the makeshift table.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"You're going home. I have to get Harvey!" Batman said, rushing out of the building. I sighed, and looked back at the joker, taking my chance to run. Home or maybe at least a hospital. Maybe Alfred can help with my scars.

~*TDK*~

I walked into the penthouse and I saw Alfred up, waiting for me. "Hey old man," I said slightly.

"I'm not sure if that was a brave thing or a stupid thing to do."

"We did it," I said. "We captured the joker."

"But at what cost?" he pointed at my scars, still blood red and fresh. "Please don't tell me I'm going to have to start stitching you up too."

"You might. I might have to talk to Fox about something," I said.

"Melanie. No."

"Alfred. I wanted to help," I said. "The city of Gotham has helped me get back on my feet. Bruce has done more than enough for me. Please let me do this."

"I thought it over," He said. "Maybe you're right," he pulled out the letter from his jacket pocket and handed it to me. "Maybe he does deserve to know."

"He does. It'll help him get closure." I said, taking the letter. "Um… I think I do need stitches or something," I said, touching my wounds, making me wince a bit. Alfred nodded and motioned a quick nod for me to go to him. "Thank you."

~*TDK*~