Let's Put a Smile on That Face

I finished getting ready, wearing only a pencil skirt and a white blouse, at around 8 o'clock when I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood before I went to the conference. As I was walking, I took a wrong turn and ended up at a liquor store not to far from Harvey's place, so I thought I might as well visit before we left. I walked into the building and up the stairs to the second floor. I stood in front of the door ready to knock when it suddenly opened to reveal Harvey. When he saw me he smiled but then looked like something troubled him.

"Where have you been?" He asked. I face palmed myself when I realized that the Joker did kidnap me for like 2 weeks. I looked at him apologetic and decided to tell him most of the truth. I told him about how the Joker kidnapped me, offered to play a game, and how I won, but I failed mention how he's been showing up in my apartment for the past couple days.

"Did you need a ride to the conference?" He asked. I started to think about it but felt the need to walk there instead. I rejected the offer.

"I should be off, I'm glad you stopped by, see you in a bit?" He said as I walked out, I nodded and went outside. I figured if I started walking now to the court, I should get there on time, but the minute I walked down a quiet street, I was pulled into an alley. I was about to scream when the person put his hand over my mouth. I looked up and saw that it was the Batman and he did not look happy.

"Tell me why you're working with the Joker!" He harshly whispered in my face. I tensed up. He removed his hand from my mouth.

"I don't know what you mean!" I told him, freaking out a bit. He looked at me straight in the eye, and completely let go of me.

"You have been seeing him." He stated. I looked at him questionably.

"Why would I want to see the guy who kidnapped me?" I asked like he was slow.

"Stockholm Syndrome" He said. I rolled my eyes.

"Impossible" I told him and started walking away. He grabbed my arm, roughly.

"He's dangerous, Michelle" He informed.

"Don't you think I know that?" I whispered and pulled out of him grasp and nearly ran all the way to the court. I was still a few minutes early but they were all setting up. Harvey was already there so I sat down in one of the seats and waved to him. He smiled in my direction. The next person to walk into the room was Bruce Wayne. He glanced in my direction and quickly walked up to Harvey talking to him about something. After the conference started, Dent walked up to the podium.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming. I've called-" I stopped listening because my phone started ringing. I looked at the caller ID which said Blocked and answered it anyways.

"Hello?" I greeted to the person on the other end. The person laughed and I rolled my eyes.

"Hey there, Doll. Turn your head a little to the left, I want to be able to see you better." He told me. I laughed a little and turned my head looking for the man I was talking to. When I couldn't find him I turned my head back to the front and noticed Bruce looking at me. I smiled and waved a little to him. He just looked at me and went back to face the podium. What a jerk.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Just observing, you'll see me soon enough" Then he hung up.

"Where is the Batman?!" One of the reporters asked.

"So be it" Harvey said and turned to some of the officers, "Take the Batman into custody." He then offers his wrist to the police men. "I am the Batman" What? There's no way he could be Batman. I followed Harvey until they put him into one of the cells. Rachael then walked in, and the guards let both of us into the cell.

"I'm sorry, I didn't have time to talk this through with you guys" Harvey apologized.

"Don't offer yourself as bait, Harvey." Rachael said. I sighed, relieved that Harvey wasn't Batman.

"They're transferring me to central holding. This is the Joker's chance, and when he attacks, Batman will take him down."

"No! This is too dangerous." The guards proceed to take him to the armored vehicle. We followed.

"He's using you as bait!-" My phone started ringing again. I silently walked away from them to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Don't follow Dent. Stay at the station" Joker's voice shined through.

"What? Why?" He then hung up on me. I sighed frustrated. I went back to tell Harvey to stay safe and said my goodbyes. I walked right back to the station to watch the news for any updates. When I noticed that one there was a burning truck on the route Dent was taking. Please stay alive, Harvey. Please don't kill him, Joker I prayed. I then saw that the route they were taking involved going underground a bit. I leaned back in my seat and started begging that no one got hurt. Then one of the armored cars come back from down below and is racing through the streets. Then a massive truck also comes from below. One of the choppers lean down to help but the people in the truck attached cables to it, smashing it to the ground. Then the Bat-pod also emerges from below. The real Batman used wires to stop the truck from moving, which caused the whole truck to flip over. My heart stopped beating until I saw the man with the purple and green suit jump up form the wreckage and started to wave his gun around. Batman started to drive straight toward him at full speed. I closed my eyes from the stress. I opened my eyes when I heard a slam. Batman purposely missed him, I smiled. The Joker walked toward the damaged vehicle and was about to take of his mask until one of the swat men point his gun at him. The swat man takes off his mask and reveals Jim Gordon. This all too much. I put my head down on the desk in front of me and took a nap. When I woke up it was to Gordon gently shaking me. I looked up with a tired ditzy smile. He laughed but it didn't last very long.

"We got him, Michelle" He said. I feigned fear. He helped me up and lead me into the observation room. Inside was the one-way glass window to the interrogation room. In the interrogation room was the Joker sitting as calmly as ever, Gordon left only to enter that room. I watched as Gordon sits across from the Joker.

"Evening, Commissioner." Joker greeted with his smile.

"Harvey Dent never made it home" Gordon stated. I gasped, what happened to Harvey?

"Of course not."

"What have you done with him?" Joker laughed.

"Me? I was right here. Who did you leave him with? Your people? Assuming of course, that they are
your people not Maroni's..." Joker glances through the glass, at me. Does he know I'm here? "Does it depress you, Lieutenant, to know how alone you are" Gordon then also glances at me. "Does it make you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current predicament?"

"Where is he?"

"What time is it?"

"What difference does that make?"

"Depending on the time, he might be in one spot..." He pauses to smile,"... or several" Gordon stands
and undoes the Joker's handcuffs.

"If we're going to play games, I'm going to need a cup of coffee" He stands and walks over to the door.

"The good cop, bad cop routine?" Joker asked, a little amused.

"Not exactly.." Gordon leaves. More lights in the interrogation room turn on and Batman is right behind
him. I gasped. Gordon then entered the observation room. Batman then smashed Joker's face onto the table and moves in front of him.

"Never start with the head... victim gets fuzzy. Can't feel the next-" Batman's fist smack down on the Joker's fingers. "See?"

"You wanted me. Here I am."

"I wanted to see what you'd do. And you didn't disappoint..." He then laughed. "You let five people die.
Then you let Dent take your place. Even to a guy like me... that's cold-"

"Where's Dent?"

"Those mob fools want you gone so they can get back to the way things were. But I know the truth- there's no going back. You've changed things. Forever.

"Then why do you want to kill me?" Joker burst out with laughter. I frowned.

"Kill you? I don't want to kill you. What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off Mob dealers? No you... You. Complete. Me."

"You're garbage who kills for money."

"Don't talk like one of them- you're not, even if you'd like to be. To them you;re a freak like me... they just need you right now." Joker then frowned, "But as soon as they don't need you, they'll cast you out like a leper." He paused, :Their morals, their code... it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. You'll see- I'll show you... when the chips are down, the civilized people... they'll eat each other. See I'm not a monster... I'm just ahead of the curve." Batman grabs the Joker but his collar. I looked at Gordon with concern. He smiles at me.
"Batman's okay, trust me" He calmed me, thinking that I was worried for Batman. I turned back to the room

"Where's Dent?!" Batman yelled.

"You have these rules. And you think they'll save you" Joker retorted with a smile

"I have one rule?"

"Then that's the one you'll have to break. To know the truth."

"Which is?"

"The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules. Tonight you're going to break your one rule..." Joker said with a smirk. Gordon turned to me.

"I'm going to the john, okay?" I nodded without looking at him. I heard the door close and let out the breath I was holding.

"There are just minutes left- so, you'll have to play my little game if you want to save... one of them" Joker, even though he was bleeding from both his mouth and nose, was pretty calm. He turned one last time at the window that was in between us, and smiled at me.

"Them?" Batman questioned, noticing that Joker was looking through the window.

"For a while I thought you really were Dent, the way you threw yourself after her-" Joker stopped and smiled. Batman realized who he was talking about and glances at the window, at me. He promptly left the room, just to enter this one. I then realized why when he started dragging back to the interrogation room.

"Jim! Help! Gordon!" I screamed. But Batman tossed me into the room with the Joker, pulled the chair from underneath the Joker, and jams it underneath the doorknob. The Joker stares at me, shocked at first but then quickly changed to a cool demeanor. Batman turned around to face us and smirked. I tried to cool down my breathing but I couldn't stop from being so freaked out.

"You brought my long lost toy?" Joker chuckled out. I moved myself as far away from Batman and the Joker as possible and started to fake cry. Batman didn't care, he easily picked me up by my wrists and tossed me to the other side of the room. The Joker quickly jumped to catch me.

"That's what I thought" Batman confirmed when Joker successfully caught me. I looked up, so freaked out of my mind that I was shaking.

"It was nice while it lasted, huh Dollface?" Joker asked me with a smile but I continued to shake. Batman then grabbed Joker and threw him into the glass window. I quietly sat in the corner with my head leaned against the wall and my eyes closed.

"Look at you go...does Harvey know about you and his-?" Batman slammed him into the wall.

"Where are they?!"

"Killing is making a choice..." Batman punches him across the face.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"You choose one life over the other. Your friend, the district attorney. Or his blushing bride-to-be..." He punched him again, but Joker just laughed.

"You have nothing. Nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength..." Batman laughed and picked me up and slams me onto the table in front of the Joker. I winced on impact. Joker looked at me and winked, which made a small smile appear on my lips. "...Hold you're horses, Bat. I'm going to tell you where they are. Both of them and that's the point- you'll have to choose." Batman stared at the Joker then to me and then back to Joker. "He's at 250 52nd Boulevard. And she's on avenue X Cicero." Batman rushed out of the room. The Joker then helped me sit up against the wall and sits next to me. One of the guards stepped into the room and guards the door.

"I want my phone call!" Joker begged like a child to the man. I closed my eyes and leaned back.

"That's nice" The man stated.

"How many of your friends have I killed?" Joker asked simply. I inwardly rolled my eyes.

"I'm a twenty year man. I can tell the difference between punks who need a little lesson in manners,
and the freaks like you who would just enjoy it... and you killed six of my friends." The man whispered. I frowned and turned to the Joker

"Is Harvey and Rachael going to be okay?" I asked even though I knew the answer. He looked at me, without speaking. I nodded and closed my eyes again before the tears started to spill out. I heard him sigh before focusing his attention back on the guard.

"You know why I use a knife?-" I leaned against the Joker shoulder and started to fall asleep. I was rudely awakened when my 'pillow' left suddenly. I rubbed my eyes and looked up at what was happening but both the Joker and the guard were gone, with the door left opened. I snuck out as quietly as I could, when an explosion on the other side of the station erupted. I jumped back, my ears started to ring, and my vision was quickly fading. I did notice a purple colored figure runs towards me before I completely passed out.

When I woke up I was exactly how I was when I was kidnapped the first time. On a mattress with my legs and hands tied together, but that wasn't what made me scream, this time, nor was it the blood on me, the blood on my shirt, my skin. It wasn't the tortured, still alive body of the man tied in the chair in the corner. It was because I would never see neither of my best friends ever again. Rachael would never playfully stuck her tongue out at me and Harvey would never wink at me whenever we had an inside joke. Rachael would never run at me with a smile on her face and Harvey would never look at her with the love and adoration he always had for her. I screamed for all the times I ever had a fight with them, all the times I ever made up with them, all the times I teased them, all the times I lied to them, and I screamed because it was all my fault. If I just told Batman where this was, if I told Rachael or Harvey the truth about the man who was always in my home at night, if I didn't have this growing affection for the man with the red lipstick. They would still be alive, laughing, getting married, having children, fighting, and making up. It felt like hours till I finished screaming and it made me feel numb. I couldn't feel anything. Actually, I didn't want to feel anything, and it seemed like my mind agreed as I fell asleep. I woke up probably the next day, The blood was all dried, and I only just realized that the man in the chair was not only alive- unconscious but alive- but was the guy Gordon has been trying to get in prison for his connections with Maroni. I think his name was Lau. I sighed, maybe I should leave town. Maybe I shouldn't try to come out on top in this one. Maybe I should just give up.

"Hello, my little precious one!" The Joker burst into the room with a smile on his face, it was almost enough to make me smile. Almost. He walked over to Lau, picked in up over his shoulder, and threw him outside of the room. "Can I get anybody to drag my prize to the car!" He exaggeratedly commanded to his clowns. He quickly closed the door, in front of him so that it was only me and him in the room. He hesitated before turning around to see me, he awkwardly rubbed his neck as he tried to think of something to say. I just stared at him, expressionless.

"Harvey's alive" He finally settled on. My eyes widened, but not before tearing up again. Harvey's alive, not Rachael. He sighed, walked over to where I was, and sat down. He awkwardly tried to comfort me, but I was already lost in my thoughts. The Joker's only goal was to find out who Batman was, right? I mean how hard could that be? The Batman would have to be someone who had has extensive training. Who would have the skills to construct weapons or hell, even the money to buy stuff like that. Someone who probably was at the press conference. Someone who is close to Rachael, like the Joker said. I almost face-palmed myself. Rachael? Money? Press Conference?

"Bruce?" I whispered but instantly regretted it, as the Joker suddenly backed away from me, with a narrow glare. I froze with shock. He sped walked to the door, grumbling angrily. "Wait! I didn't mean-" I called out to him but he slammed the door behind him. I actually almost smiled at the crazed look of jealousy in his eyes. I waited hours for him to come back but he never did, so I closed my eyes and hoped for the best. And next thing I know I'm knocked out.

When I woke up I was strapped to a chair with a large red button in my hands. Next to me was a middle aged large man who was also tied to a chair and gagged. In front of us was a video camera held by the man that put us here.

"So nice of you to join us!" The Joker exclaimed, turning the video on. I then realized that this is exactly what he did to Brian Douglas, which meant I was probably going to die by him. The Joker. The guy I might have loved. Tears slowly went down my cheek. "Aww, whats wrong, Doll, you don't want to play another game?" He asked with a smile but the anger was visible in his eyes. Which meant it was true.

Someones going to die today