Tonight, You're Gonna Break Your One Rule

The video camera lay sloppily in his hand, the lens shining like a light over him, the white background like a blank canvas. The walls in here were bleak, and silence covered us, except for the quiet moans of the copycat laced to an old chair, in the centre of the room. The room was through a maze of corridors in the ever growing hideout, and specks of blood decorated everything in it, clear that this room wasn't a pleasant one.

He laughs one final laugh before clearing his throat, adjusting his tie, and smiling as he clicked record.

"Hello Gotham," He drawls, slipping a hand across his hair to smooth it down. I resisted the temptation to run my own hands through his hair, wondering how the grease coating it made me love it even more.

His tongue runs across his lips and I shift from one foot to another, "I have a little treat for you today," He licks his lips again, the camera constantly changing angle and morphing his face into an expression of even more insanity.

"I am going to introduce you to someone." He takes a rattling breath and takes a glance at me, slowly pacing around the room as he speaks his rough drawl into the cheap video camera.

"Some very, special," He takes a step towards me in his uneven strides, and I smile wider, dragging a hand through my hair and knotting even more.

"Another agent of chaos, another freak, like me," Another step, this time to the side, left a little, and I take a glance at the copycat now sobbing.

"My death clown," He laughs, and laughs and my own laughter threads with his, until we both stop, "My Precious."

The camera turns in his hand, and he almost drops it, giggling. I spread my arms out, making my coat flutter like some demented wings. I laugh and smile, spreading my scars wide, and dip my head so the shadows fill my eyes too, the jewels on my eyelashes the only light.

"Isn't she just sickening?" He laughs again and so do I, my laugh high and haunting, stop start and constricting my throat with pleasure, "Give us a twirl!"

I oblige and spin in my new boots, my coat shadowing behind me, laughing still. I take a deep breath then raise a hand, waggling my fingers in a coy little wave as my voice leaps into another laugh

I take a step to the side and the Joker moves the camera to follow me, "Now… now," He takes two steps forward, and the copycat shrinks back in fear.

"What's your name?" The Joker mocks, running a hand down the side of his face.

"Frank," He murmurs, but neither of us are really listening. The mans name didn’t matter.

"Are you the real Batsy, Frank?" I say, leaning close to his ear and hissing right in it.

He shakes his head and we giggle, the Joker leaning right down and getting in his face, "And you dress like him?"

The man shakes his head frantically, and starts to answer. I press a gloved finger to his lips, and he shuts up, without me even having to shush him.

I do anyway, and receive a yellow-toothed smile from the Joker, behind the camera, "You weren't meant to answer," I whisper, removing my finger and instead placing a delicate hand on the mans shoulder. I laugh when such a simple touch sends the man into a frenzy, his body paralysed by fear, his eyes showing everything his physical form could not.

"Come on now Frank," The Joker says, waving his knife carefully in front of the poor mans face, "You honestly think all you copycats can make a difference in this city?"

"We're a symbol," Frank chokes out, his breath forcing itself out in ragged lungfuls, spluttering into the still air.

"Oh really?" My Clown Princes voice is filled to the brim with its trademark mockery, "What of Frank?"

"Gotham shouldn't be afraid of scum like you," Somehow the poor sod strangled out a few badly placed words and the Joker stares him deep in the eyes for a second before throwing his head back in his raucous laughter.

"Now Frankie, honestly, you should," I say, leaning down again and staring right in his eyes. He's captivated, despite the fear, and cant look away, "You really should."

"And do you know why Frank?" The Joker mocks, his weight slowly shifting from one foot to the other, and I watch as I realise he can never be in the same place at once, always moving, always thinking.

The man shakes his head again and the Joker giggles as he turns the camera towards himself again, "Because, are you listening Frank?" I see him nod out the corner of my eye, "You're our warning shot, so to speak, Frankie, a little message to Gotham and Commissioner Gordon, that I'm back with a vengeance, even though I never went away. Me and Precious here," He jerks a hand towards me and I smile and wave at the camera again, "Are gonna take this town. Remember, I'm a man of my word..."

"Now," He smirks, turning back towards us again, his lopsided steps bringing us closer, "Let's write our little message shall we?"

My knife slips into my right hand, and I watch as the Joker's switchblade appears in his left. I smile, wide and toothy, as the Joker throws the camera to one side. I hear the plastic snap against the floor, as I stick the blade of my knife into the corner of Frank's mouth. I smile as the Joker does the same and he counts to three, quick and quiet, and we both pull on our blades.

The metal tears its way through skin and tissue, blood pouring down Frank's chin and onto his fake Batsuit. He screams and screams and I find myself laughing as I tug on my blade until it reaches his cheekbone. My laugh rises to a hysterical one, as does the Joker's, as we release Frank. When I watch the video back later, I realise you can see us just in the corner of the camera, our laughter distorting the picture it was so loud.

His head falls forward, and he turns a deathly white from blood loss. The Joker stoops to pick up his video camera and we leave the room, blood pooling beneath Frank.

"He'll be dead soon," The Joker muses as he shuts the door behind him.

I nod in agreement and follow him back into our room, my feet dancing a little as I do. I was euphoric from killing again. I hadn’t realised how much I'd missed it, and how much it suited me, no matter how much I used to deny it.

"Right," The Joker murmurs as I sit on the bed and he sits at his desk. I lean forward and drink in every centimetre of him as he opens up the camera and fishes out the tape, "We drop this and dear copycat Batsy outside Commissioners house, and leave him to do the rest "

I sigh happily and stand, moving behind the clown hunched at his desk, and wrap my arms round his shoulders. He leans back, his head against my midriff, and exhales deeply.

"Thanks," I murmur, leaning down and resting my head on his shoulder. I can see his blackened, fire filled eyes watching me curiously out the corner of my own blackened, fire filled eyes.

"What for Precious?"

"For, y'know, making me... me again I guess." Before I can blink I'm in his lap, his strong arms round me as I breathe in his smell.

"No, no, Precious." He whispers into my hair as I lean into him and exhale softly, "Like I said, you did this, you freed yourself Precious. I was just the medium."

I nod slowly, and mumble something about being tired. The Joker kisses the top of my head and rises from his seat, my limp form in his arms, bridal style. I lean against his chest and mumble as he sets me on my side of the bed, "Sleep then Precious, it's late and you must be tired."

He moves over to his dresser and searches right to the back of the bottom drawer, for something long unused. When he stands again he holds a faded purple shirt, and places it next to me.

With a simple smile he leaves to the bathroom, and I roll over, quickly wriggling from my clothes and shrugging on the purple shirt. Even though he hadn't worn it for a long time, by the looks of it, it still smelt so gloriously of him.

I bring the unbuttoned cuff to my face and breathe it in as I slip between the cool quilt and curl up on my side. A minute later the bathroom door opens and a draft runs over my body as the Joker gets in beside me.

We lay there for a second, and I count our synchronised breathes. Six in, five out, until he pulls my body against his with an arm round my stomach. I stay there for a second before turning in his arms. I'm met with smudged makeup and those fire filled eyes, and I smile as I move so our faces are nearly touching.

We both breathe in, and lick our lips, and my eyes flutter shut as I move my lips towards his. It's a simple, caring kiss, covered with red, our lips caressing for maybe five seconds before he pulls back.

"Mister J..." I breathe, my breath hitting his crimson smile. I keep my eyes closed as I hear him laugh a little contented giggle.

"Good night Precious."

"Good night..." I open my eyes and his are already closed, his breathing already blessed with the regularity of sleep, "Jack."