Police sirens blared all around Jess as she stood in the rain with her arms crossed over her chest. She watched as CSU moved the victim's body into the back of the ambulance. It had been a few hours after 22-year-old, Danielle Elliot, was viciously stabbed and mutilated right under Jess's nose.
The black dress she wore clung to her skin like a latex suit. If she stands out in the rain any longer, she was going to catch a cold. Of course, she could always take off her ring and yet she always felt so sick after. It seems her unwanted abilities are slowly catching up to her.
She felt defeated, defeated at the fact that there was someone killing women that were associated with the things she liked or looked like her. Sooner or later, she was going to lose this game. She can't think like that, no matter how easy it was to give in.
The rain droplets pelted against her skin to further weigh her down like the souls in her hands. It slid down the slopes of her shoulders, further making its way to the hills of her collarbones, before disappearing into the valley of her breasts, and tickling the hairs of her torso.
If she had canceled her date with Bruce, then Danielle would be alive, and she wouldn't have to break the news to her poor mother that her daughter wasn't coming home.
Jess covered her face with a groan. She didn't notice the shadow of Gotham looming over her to shield her from the rain's taunting blows.
"Detective." Batman's voice drawled out to capture her attention. She turned her gaze to meet his blue eyes only to notice he was using his cape as an umbrella for her. She was turned towards his chest, being shielded from the eyes of all the other officers. He used a softer tone with her this time. "Are you alright?"
It took Jess a few seconds to think of a response. No, she wasn't okay, but she couldn't tell him that. She wrapped her arms around herself to rub some warmth into her upper arms. "Besides my date turning into a continuous Michael Myers fever dream, I'll be fine…" Jess jerked her head towards his hand. "I know you found something, what is it?"
"Not here." He darted his eyes over to Adonis, who was making his way toward them.
"Everything okay?" Adonis asked with a black brow arched in question.
Jess turned her sights to her partner. "Everything is okay." She nodded. "Just talking."
Adonis looked Jess's outfit over, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes before it disappeared.
She didn't notice it, but Batman did.
Instead of walking Jess over to the Batmobile, he wrapped his arms around her waist, took out his grappling hook, and aimed it for a building nearby.
They were launched off their feet. The air in Jess's lungs was pushed out so fast that she didn't even get the chance to scream. She'd felt that feeling once before, running so fast through the corn fields that she almost felt like she was flying through the clouds.
It was an unexpected memory that crashed onto her like the waves of the ocean on a stormy night. A type of nostalgia that was unwelcome.
Once they landed on the rooftop, Jess pushed the shadow away from her. "What the hell!" She hissed. "Warn me the next time you decide to do that."
"Cryptix lives by a code." He started. "And it all starts with the 80s and 90's slasher films." He held up evidence from the crime scene in a clear plastic bag.
"Did you take evidence from the crime scene?!" Jess gasped while snatching the bag from his hands. "There are rules to these kinds of things! You can't just go breaking…" She trailed off upon noticing the black diary the Batman was holding up. "The rules…" She ran her hand over the wet plastic bag. "Where did you find this?"
Batman shielded her from the rain once more. "The killer dropped it while he was running away."
"We need to get this to the GCPD." Jess began, pointing to the black book. "Before you take anything else."
Taking a step forward, she remembered where she was. She slowly turned her head to see the Batman almost smirking at her. It was faint and yet she still caught it. "Want me to take you down?" He asked with an almost taunting tone beneath his resonated voice.
"I'll take the stairs." Jess grumbled, attempting to walk past him before he caught her wrist.
"I won't drop you." He motioned his head towards the ledge. She looked at the giant hand on her wrist and then back to the familiar blue eyes of Batman. Something in her gut told her to do it, to take the risk, and trust him. Her brain, however, knew it was a bad idea.
And yet, she did it anyway.
Jess gave a sigh in defeat before pressing her hand against his shoulder. "You better not drop me."
"I wouldn't dream of it." He spoke sarcastically. With his arm wrapped around her waist, Jess mentally prepared to be swept off her feet again, and not in a good way.
She bit her tongue the minute she heard the zip of his grapple gun and the distant crunch of brick shattering. They leaped over the edge, soaring into the gloomy night sky of Gotham once again. The wind whipped around her ears, louder than she's ever heard it before.
"Open your eyes."
Did she have them closed? She didn't remember closing them.
Slowly opening her eyes, she saw the city lights twinkling in the light rain, like little stars that just wanted to be seen. It was beautiful, something that she wouldn't mind seeing occasionally.
Before she knew it, both feet where on the ground, but the one thing that remained was the warmth that seeped out of his black gloves on her lower waist. She swallowed the lump in the middle of her throat, removing herself from his heat that continued to burn through her wet dress.
"I'll see you at the precinct." Jess spoke, turning around to face her unwanted shadow. Instead of seeing the symbol on his chest, she saw nothing but the walls of the opera house. An annoyed look flashed over her features.
She hated when he did that.
Despite the chaos in the precinct, Batman never came back to further analyze the notebook he had. Without her evidence, she was quite literally stumped.
Commissioner Gordon, with some persuasion, was able to convince Jess to go home and get into warmer clothes. She took the last taxi of the night back to her apartment, plus gave a decent-sized tip to her driver.
"I am never, ever…" She slammed her shoulder into her door, unjamming it from the doorframe. "Going on another date again." She grumbled. She closed the door as it creaked and echoed down the hallway. She sighed locking her door for the night.
She would've called Bruce to let him know she was okay, but she found it safer to not have any more contact with him.
Not until she threw her serial killer behind bars.
Before she could turn on her lights, Jess stopped. She noticed the way her picture frame was moved on her desk, intentionally placed for her to find.
Someone was in her apartment.
Jess inched her fingers towards her gun that laid just a few inches away from her. "You really should lock your windows." A deep voice rung out. She spun around, aiming her gun towards the culprit in her apartment. A hand grabbed hold of her wrist, aiming it up towards the ceiling. Jess swung her leg up, trying to kick her culprit in the face. He used his other arm to block her attack. "Next time you might not be so lucky."
Once Jess realized the voice, she instantly recognized out who it was. "Goddammit!" She hissed. "What the hell are you doing in my apartment!" Batman let go of her wrist.
"To talk."
"I don't know if you missed the memo, but I am home." She motioned around her. "It's about to be five in the morning, I'm soaking wet, and I'm exhausted."
Batman watched her walk her drenched figure down the hallway to her bedroom. "It's important, it's not like you're drowning in cases."
She felt her eye twitch. "Yeah, well, if it was important, you would have met me at the precinct," She glared at him from the doorway. "Four hours ago."
With a roll of his eyes, he followed her. "I had a lead; one I couldn't pass up."
"I don't care." She grunted, going to slam the door in his face. "Tell me about it when I'm clocked in." Her attempt proved fruitless when his hand slapped against the wood.
"Listen, I don't have time for this." He growled. "If you want to act like a pain in my ass, then I suggest you hand the rest of this case over to me."
Jess felt her brows pinch together in anger. "Who the hell do you think you are? First, you leave a crime scene with evidence, leave me at the precinct, then you break into my apartment and criticize me?" A thought crossed her mind. "Are you trying to get me to quit the case?" When Batman remained unfazed, a short laugh escaped her lips. "You're actually insane."
"If you can't handle it, turn in your badge." He growled. "You're just some girl who thinks she can prove herself."
Jess pulled the door open with a glare. "Get out."
With a final glare to each other, Batman exited the same way he came in, her open window in the living room. Jess stomped her way over to the window and slammed it closed, making sure to lock it.
With a deep breath to calm herself down, she watched lightning crack across the sky, making out the outline of her unwanted shadow looking down at her apartment building. The light from the sky faded away, revealing complete darkness before another stroke of lightning appeared to reveal he was gone.
Further feeling her face harden, she slammed her curtains together. The shing of her metal curtain clips against the metal rod echoed through her apartment. "Jerk."
Within the confines of his cell, Joker whistled a continuous tune that rather aggravated the guards on watch. It was the tune to Kill Bill, one of his many favorites to annoy the guards with. "Quiet in there!" Frank shouted, banging his baton on the metal door.
"I say Frank, you sure know how to impress a guest!" Joker joked, toying with the button on his bright orange jumpsuit, stanned with God knows what. "Then again, no wonder why dear old wifey left you."
Frank pounded his fist against the door, dropping a key into his cell in the process. "I said shut up!"
A shrug left Joker before bursting out into a laughing fit. "The rage is so aggressive!" He clapped his hands together. He lunged forward, slamming his hands on the door, skillfully kicking the key underneath his bunk. "I love it!"
"Back up!" Another guard shouted. Joker lifted his hands up, taking three big steps back with an evil smile on his face. "Take a minute Frank." Another guard jumped in, placing a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. "I got this freak."
Joker danced his way back to bed, whistling a tune before jumping into his bed. Now with everything falling into place, the time for his grand plan was now in effect. "Alrighty Frankie boy, who knew you were such a sour puss. No wonder why you're a failure at everything you do."
"That's it!" Frank growled, shoving his key into the door and kicking open the heavy brass door.
"That's right Frankie, hit me pretty boy!" Joker laughed, jumping up to be thrown on the ground in front of his bunk. This gave Joker enough time to grab the key from under his bed before being dragged back to where he started. "I know that's not the beating you oh so stomped in here to give me."
Frank grabbed Joker by the collar of his jumpsuit, shoved him into the wall, and growled. "You better shut it clown, next time, I won't be too nice."
"I'm hoping for it." Joker smirked before breaking out into a giggle. The door slammed shut, ringing through his ears like an unwanted melody. "Okay Harley, this one is all on you." He mumbled to himself, throwing his arms behind his head. "Don't mess it up toots."