Love in the Dark

Jonathan and I made our way slowly back up to the mansion, holding hands, walking drunkenly. Having sex in a green house is probably no better than having sex in a sauna. We were both tired, and covered with sweat. Entering the house, we made our way past everyone, and slipped up to my room where we found his stuff. Apparently Alfred had no problem with us sharing a room. Closing the door, Jonathan sat down on the bed and smiled, "This is where you sleep?"

"Yes."

"Do you feel like a princess?"

"Every time."

Jonathan laughed and pulled me to him. I placed a kiss to his lips, barely having enough energy to do so. Jonathan laid back and took me with him, and I moved to crawl up on the bed next to him. He held me in his arms, and we started to drift off to sleep, when there was a deep booming sound from outside. I didn't think anything of it, until it happened again... and again... and again. Getting up, I moved to the terrace and saw smoke rising from the distance with the sight of fireworks barely visible in the dusk light.

"What the hell is that," I asked.

Jonathan came and stood behind me, "I have no idea."

"It's... awfully close to where you live."

Jonathan nodded. A knock came at my door and it opened to Bruce, "Bethany, get in here now."

"What?"

"Come in side."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

We came back inside, watching Bruce lock the door to the terrace, "Bruce, what's going on?"

"The Joker blew up a house."

"What?"

"That's what that is," he pointed out at the smoke, "Look."

Turning on the television, a news report came on showing the remains of a house that had fireworks spewing from it. The sounds of the blast covering what most of the reporter was saying, House... Joker... no sign of... inside. House owned by... Crane. No word... alive.

My eyes went wide as I tightened my grip on Jonathan, "Oh my God.... Jonathan."

"My... my house!"

"Jonathan," said Bruce, "I'm sorry."

Tears brimmed Jonathan's eyes, but he was fighting against them, "He blew up my house." His phone rang and he answered it, "Hello?"

Walking over to Bruce I said, "What's happening Bruce?"

"The same thing that happened last month."

"Will he start killing?"

"I'm actually surprised that he hasn't killed anyone yet."

"Bruce, I'm scared."

"It's okay."

"Is it?"

Bruce didn't get a chance to say anything else as Jonathan joined us, "That was my boss, making sure I was alive."

"Did you tell him where you were?" Bruce asked.

"I told him I was with friends. I can't trust anyone right now."

"You can trust us," I said.

Jonathan smiled at me, but it faded when he looked up at Bruce, "I know."

Going over to him I stood by him while the three of us stood silently listening to the report play on. We watched as Jonathan's house burnt to the ground, despite the help of the fire hoses. A crowd had gathered around the perimeter of cops, gaping up at their neighbor's house. There's still no word... Crane's alive. The fireworks continued for a solid five minutes, then it was over, and the house was left to burn silently.

"When can I move into my apartment, Bruce?" I asked, looking at the TV.

"Any time you want."

I nodded, "Okay."

"Why?"

"Because Jonathan's going to need a place to stay."

"Bethany, I couldn't-"

"Where else are you going to stay, Jonathan?"

"Arkham."

I looked at him, "Really?"

"They have open cells."

"But that's creepy."

"It's... where I slept for the past two months."

I looked down at that. It was true... I had a rush of feelings as I remembered that my boyfriend was a killer. I shook them off and said, "But it would still be nice to not be there, I'm sure."

"I would feel bad."

"Why would you feel bad? Jonathan... you're my boyfriend... I'm not about to let you sleep in a place like Arkham. I don't care if you spent the last two months there, I don't care if you work there, hell, I don't care if they pay you to sleep there, you're not."

"There's no arguing with her, Crane." Bruce laughed, "She's made up her mind."

Jonathan smiled and placed a kiss on my forehead, "Thank you."

I smiled, "No problem."

A sound came from outside. Bruce went to see what it was and jumped away from the window in enough time to avoid being shot. The glass broke and in bounced several men wearing clown masks, followed by the Joker and Harley-Quinn. The Joker came over to us, and pulled me away from Jonathan, holding my arms behind me, pressing his switchblade against my neck, "Hello, doll face."

"Joker! Let her go," yelled Jonathan struggling against the man holding him back and Harley-Quinn, but her gun was pressed to his gut.

"Did he tell you," asked the Joker, whispering in my ear, "Did he tell you the secret?"

"Yes."

The Joker laughed that maddening laugh, "He told you how he killed people? How he loved the feeling of being in control? Of how he loved taking away the most precious thing people own?"

"Yes."

He laughed again, "Ya hear that, Harley? He told her the secret."

Turning the gun on me she said, "What's his name?"

"What?"

"Your boyfriend, you stupid bitch, what's his name?"

"Jonathan Crane."

She shot the gun over the shoulder of the Joker, the blast drawing a scream out of me. I struggled against the Joker as I started to cry. Jonathan lurched forward, but was stopped by Mister Scary. Bruce lay on the floor, held at gun point. Commotion came from down stairs. Leaning in close to me, the clown woman said, "What is his name."

Tears streamed down my face as I looked from her to Jonathan and whispered, "Scarecrow."

"What's that Hunny," Harley-Quinn leaned back, "I don't think everyone heard ya'."

I drew in a shaky breath and said, "Scarecrow."

Jonathan looked like he had been slapped, then smiled and gave a small chuckle, looking like he was crazy, but then he said, "You can't scare me, Joker. You think hearing that name will make me be that? You're wrong."

"Wrong am I, Scarecrow?" The Joker laughed as Jonathan cringed, "Scarecrow, Scarecrow, Scarecrow!"

"Stop it," I cried.

A scream came from down below followed by a shot gun. I stopped and listened for more sound, but I didn't hear anything. The Joker drew his face in to mine and said, "What happened to Bambi's mother?" He started to giggle, "What happened?"

He started to laugh as the realization of what happened sunk in. I fought against him, "Mom! Mom!"

He let go and laughed as I ran out of the room, forgetting about Jonathan, or about Bruce, and ran down stairs to the parlor room and found my mother lying on the floor with a hole the size of a grapefruit in her chest. A pool of blood formed around her, staining the carpet a dark red. I screamed, as more tears came down. Falling to my knees, I curled as I looked at my mother, my sobs loud and shameless. Footsteps came from behind me, and I didn't even care to look at who it was. They stopped just outside the door, and were silent. There were three of them. Getting up, I moved over to my mom, kneeling in the blood, and I held her hand - her cold, dead, bloody hand - and cried. I rocked back and forth, watching as my tears fell, landing on her face, washing the blood off of her forehead; watched as it then trickled down her face to mix in with her hair. Her eyes were wide open and in a frozen look of shock. I didn't want to close them. I willed her eyes, so much like mine, to have life in them. I wanted to hear her voice one more time. I wanted to see her look at me, even if it meant a look of disappointment.

The front door opened, and more people came in. Policemen. No one came over to me, to tear me away from my mother. Not immediately anyway. Eventually the sound of Commissioner Gordon's voice came, "Bethany.... Bethany, we need you to move."

I cried and shook my head.

I felt his hand on the back of my head, "Bethany... we need to move your mother."

I let a sob escape my throat, and he bent down and pulled me away, standing us against the wall as he hugged me, letting me cry into him. I watched as the police came, took pictures, and placed a sheet over my mother, before putting her on a gurney and carting her away. Gordon passed me to Jonathan, who held me while I cried into his shirt. Gripping it as I sobbed. The police did their investigating stuff first, giving me time to stop crying. When I did, they brought all of us into the kitchen. They allowed Alfred to make me a cup of peppermint herbal tea - my favorite - while they asked us questions one at a time. I was the last one to go.

"Bethany," started Gordon, "Can you tell us... how you found your mother?"

Tears slipped down my face as I sat on the counter, holding the full cup of tea; in a monotone voice I said, "I was in my room.... The Joker had me, and I heard a scream, then a gun shot. He asked me what happened to Bambi's mother, and I figured it out. He let me go and I ran down stairs, and found my mom...." The tears chocked my sentence, not wanting me to finish it. They slipped down faster as I swallowed and said, "And found my mom... on the floor."

"Was there anyone else in the room?"

I shook my head, "No."

"Did anyone join you?"

"Bruce, Alfred, and Jonathan."

Gordon nodded, "I'm very sorry for your loss."

I nodded to let him know that I heard him, but my tears prevented me from saying anything as my lip trembled.

It took the police an hour to do all that needed to be done. They took the rug stained with my mother's blood with them. Bruce took my cup of untouched tea from me, setting it on the counter to scoop me up in his arms. He carried me up the stairs and put me in the room across from mine, the empty guest room. Setting me down on the bed, he left and came back with pajamas. He proceeded to help me undress and change. Then he pulled the covers back and laid me down, leaving the room so Jonathan could come in and lay down next to me. He pulled my back firmly against his chest, and wrapped his legs around mine, and held me while I cried myself to sleep.