You Ought to Smile More

I was out on the balcony with Bruce, looking up at the night stars that were barely visible in a city like Gotham.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked looking at me.

“Bruce, you know how I am with big crowds. I don’t like it, but because you’re doing all this for me, I decided to show up. But if it weren’t you, then I wouldn’t have even bothered.” I sighed.

Bruce grinned and wrapped and arm around me, but I casually shrugged it off.

“Let’s go back in, it’s getting chilly out here,” I said walking towards the door. Bruce was by my side as we walked in and I immediately wished I had stayed outside.

The Joker stood in the middle of the room, his goons making everyone get down on their knees. The Joker smiled widely when he saw us walk inside.

“Stay behind me,” Bruce whispered gently pushing my body behind his. I peeked out from behind him and tried to see what else was going on. Alfred wasn’t in the room, but everyone else was on their hands and knees.

“Brucey, so nice of you to show your face with Miss Mateo. Caprice right? This fundraiser is for your magazine,” The Joker giggled, but I found nothing funny about what he had just said.

“Joker, what are you doing in a place like this? Aren’t you supposed to be robbing a bank or something?” Bruce asked, taking the attention off me.

“No no no no, I just needed a change of scenery,” he licked his lips and looked at me again. There was a certain gleam in his eyes, but I had no idea what it was.

“Caprice, you’re claustrophobic, right?” How did he know that? I grabbed onto Bruce’s sleeve in fear. The Joker snickered.

“I am right. So if I were to take you and lock you in a closet or something, what would happen to you?” he asked sounding curious. I refused to answer him. It would only egg him on even more.

“Leave Caprice out of this,” Bruce hissed.

“What, does Brucey here have feelings for Miss Mateo, or do you simply want to get into her pants?” The Joker asked with a grin. Before Bruce could retort, the sound of police sirens filled the air.

“Hm, I don’t like cops,” The Joker said calmly. He nodded to his men who all cocked their guns.

“We’ll be leaving you all with a few parting gifts,” he giggled and snapped his fingers. In that moment, Bruce shoved me to the ground and pulled me behind a table. The sound of screams and machine guns filled the air. I held my hands over my ears, and Bruce held me.
The Joker’s laughter could be heard everywhere after the shooting stopped and the sound of doors slamming followed. It was quiet now and Bruce carefully looked out from behind the table.

“What is it?” I asked softly. He shook his head and stood up. I guess The Joker is gone. I stood up too and almost fell back down.

About half the guests were dead and most were injured with bullets wounds. I saw Rosalina crying and holding onto her arm in pain.

“Bruce,” I whispered in disbelief. He faced me, but I couldn’t form coherent words. The police showed up along with paramedics. A thick blanket was wrapped around me and I was questioned with Bruce about what happened.

“Did you see anyone who looked out of place before The Joker showed up? It could have been him in disguise.” One officer asked. I thought back to the blonde guy that was standing with me before Bruce made his speech. He disappeared right before The Joker came.

“There was this guy before, but I can’t remember his name. He told me what is was…Something with a J I think. He left and then The Joker showed up, but he never came back,” I answered.

“Can you give me a description of the man?” the woman officer asked writing things down on a note pad.

“Uh brown eyes, blonde hair, curly, and he was as tall as Bruce, maybe a little taller,” I said pulling the blanket tighter around me

“Thank you for your time,” she said and walked away with her partner. Bruce gently rubbed my arms.

“Are you okay?” he asked. I shook my head and held back tears. This is crazy. How can one man be so insane? He had his men kill almost 60 people in one shooting.

“I want to go home,” I mumbled.

“Caprice, Honey! Are you okay?” I turned and saw Todd running over to me. He was in long plaid sleeping pants and a white v-neck shirt.

“Todd, I want to go home,” he hugged me and nodded.

“Sure thing, Hun. Let’s get you back. Thank you Bruce,” Todd said as he led me out of the ballroom. We were walking to his car when I saw The Joker again. He was leaning against a building across the street.

I wanted to scream, but he held a gloved finger to his lips and shook his head while smiling. I sealed my mouth shut and froze where I stood.

“Come on, Caprice,” Todd called. I glanced at him and back to The Joker, but he was gone. Shivers shot through my body and I finally climbed into Todd’s car. He turned on the heater and put the music on a low volume.

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” he asked while driving.

“No, you can go back home. I just want to sleep,” I told him.

“Okay, but make sure you lock all your windows and doors,” I nodded and got out once we pulled up to my penthouse. I said goodnight and walked into the warm building.
I took the stairs, trying to avoid getting into the elevator. I don’t like enclosed spaces. That made me think of The Joker, but I shook it off and climbed the stairs until I got to my floor. I unlocked my door and walked inside, locking it again behind me.

I slipped my heels off by the door and went straight into my bathroom to take a shower. I got into the large glass cubicle and started the water.

The hot water calmed me down and relaxed my tense muscles. I took my time washing and made sure to get all of my make up off in the shower. I reached outside the shower and grabbed my towel, wrapping it around my body tightly.

I stepped out and walked over to the mirror, stopping dead in my tracks.

You Ought To Smile More (:

I backed up into the wall behind me and gasped. Was he somewhere in my penthouse?! I ran into my bedroom and locked the door. Quickly, I pulled on lounge pants and tanktop. I didn’t care if I matched right now or not.

I made sure I grabbed my cell phone and house phone before walking back out of my room. There didn’t seem to be anyone in the living room. I held both phones in one hand and grabbed the fire poker from the fireplace in my other hand.

“He he ha ha ho,” I spun around, but no one was behind me. My heart was pounding in my ears, and my palms were getting sweaty. A door slammed behind me and I heard feet running.

I felt like screaming or crying or both. I’ve never been more scared in my life.

“Stop! Just leave me alone!” I screamed waving the fire poker around.

“I can't do that, Doll Face. You’re too interesting to look away from,” his breath tickled my ear and neck. I turned and swung the metal poker, but The Joker already moved away. He was about 4 feet away from me, a smirk lacing his lips.

“I had fun tonight, Doll Face,” he laughed and gave me a salute before running out the front door, pulling it shut behind him. I dropped everything and fell to my knees.