Holding On

Alfred returned to the living area with hot cocoa on a tray. He set it down on the table and passed one to Melinda who was wrapped up in a blanket, shivering.

“Thank you, Al.” she says softly.

He hesitated, getting used to the nickname he gave her before saying, “My pleasure. Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“I'm good. Thanks.”

“Master Wayne?”

Bruce snapped out of his daze he had on Mel, “No thank you, Alfred.”

Alfred nods and leaves the room. Mel took a sip of the hot cocoa and yipped. “Hot.” she places it on the table and pulls the blankets closer to her. She looked up at Bruce to see him staring and raises her eyebrow. “Bruce, you might want to blink; your eyeballs are about to fall out.”

Bruce seemed to come back to reality and chuckled. “Sorry. It's just...I don't want to freak you out or anything-”

“Too late.”

He shook his head and grinned, “It's just that, I'm surprised you're...Alive, I mean with out Batman people usually don't survive, let alone be released by the Joker without any sort of damage or...”

“Well...I guess its my feminine charm.” she flounced her hand in the air.

“I'm being serious, Mel.”

“I know. I'm sorry.”

Melinda kept her head down as Bruce sighed and sat closer to her till they touched shoulders. Not far from them, there was a fireplace that Alfred had started once they got back. Bruce was confused about the whole situation. The Joker lets go a hostage without any serious injury or bomb strapped to them. Mel walked free. And he couldn't understand: why.

“How's Ally?” she asks,

Bruce looked down at the tired gray eyes, “She's fine...I sent her back to New York. She's really worried about you, Mel, and it wasn't healthy for her to be here. She also need to tell everyone what was going on.” he says, she nodded understanding.

“Understandable...She does know its not her fault right? I was the one who tried to be the heroine and get help.”

“She knows...” he lied.

“Good.” she nodded her head and looked over at the fireplace then the window.

Bruce couldn't help but move a piece of her hair away from her face to take a better look at her bruise on her eye.

“You know where I got this from, right?”

“The news station?”

“Yep.” she popped her 'p', “It was the last time he hit me.”

“That was 3 days ago.”

“Yeah. He didn't do anything horrible to me. He put me in a bedroom with a disgusting bathroom, but then lets me clean up in a more decent one. I ran from him and ended up getting my feet cut up and he bandaged the right up. The only time when he actually hit me repeatedly was when I was first brought in.”

“That's out of Joker's character.”

“How is the Joker, really?”

“The Joker...Well... Basically, a psychotic clown that terrorizes the city, blows up buildings, people, ECT. and carves smiles into peoples faces...You never really make it out alive or at least in critical condition, unless Batman is there.”

“Okay...Who is this 'Batman'? Did he get bit by a bat and has bat abilities??” Bruce laughed and shook his head,

“No. But he does dress up as one... He's the city's Dark Knight...Or was. After the death of Harvey Dent, Batman became wanted. And went to hiding.”

“That sucks.”

“We still count on him though. And for that, The Dark Knight Rises.”

“I wish New York had a super hero. We just have movies filmed there, like 'Spiderman'” she huffed as Bruce laughed then smiled down at her.

She continued laughing until she was cut off by something she was not expecting. Her eyes were focused on the face that is in contact with hers, lip to lip. Bruce pulled back when he got no response and found Melinda staring at him.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that.”

Bruce was embarrassed. But that was gone once Melinda grabbed his head and pulled him to a much deeper kiss. It seemed like time was flying but then slowing down once they both reached Bruce's bedroom. As Bruce laid her down on the bed, Melinda couldn't help but feel like she was in heaven. The bed was comfortable of course, but the feeling of a mans hand running up and down her bare skin was sensational. The heat rising made her forget all the little things. Her hair, her hairy legs, everything. She just focused on getting Bruce's clothes off and feeling him inside.

…

From other side of the city. Joker sat alone in the room he filled with his past. In his hand he held a Polaroid of a beautiful, beautiful, young woman. She smiled at the camera, her long wavy black hair blowing with the wind as she stood by a tree, laughing. Everything about her seemed perfect to him. But all of it was gone now. Even if he could have the chance to have her in his life again. He let her go. Of course he knew who she was once he came in this room the first time in almost 10 years. He promised he'd never hurt her and he broke it. Why should she stay with him after that? Why was he even thinking of another chance with her again when he had absolutely none, because of the way he is now? A clown. Who loves a clown? She's better off without him. And he was better off alone.