Why So Serious

I sat in my apartment still in shock about the events that went on earlier. Bruce told me not to say a word to anyone. Especially my father. It has now only been ten hours since he told me. I shook it off and called one of my friends.

“Nichole, what are you doing?”

“Nothing much Kat, just sitting at home”

“Why don’t you come by the club tonight?”

I smiled. Partying was a good time to get my mind off of Bruce.

“Sure, I’ll be there in an hour”

“Okay, bye”

I hung up the phone and quickly got ready for the night. I decided to walk to the club because it was only about ten blocks from my apartment complex. There was a long line waiting outside. I walked up to the front and smiled at Bill the bouncer.

“Hey Nichole! Keeping busy at Bruce’s?”

”Oh yeah, like always” I replied.

Bill laughed and unlocked the rope to let me in. I thanked him and walked into the club. Loud music began to fill my ears. I headed through the crowd and towards the bar. I found Kat sitting there flirting with Robert her boyfriend. I slid into the seat next to her.

“Hey Nichole! What do you want to drink?” Robert asked me over the loud music.

“How about a strawberry Margarita!”

“Coming right up Nikki”

I looked over at Kat and smiled. She was one of my best friends; it was hard to keep something like this from her. She always thought that Bruce was cute. Now I could explain to her why he would leave me at odd hours. I looked over at her.

“Kat, we need to talk”

“About what?”

I told Robert that I would be right back. He nodded and sat my drink behind the bar. I grabbed onto Kat’s hand and led her into the girl’s bathroom. I looked through all the stalls to make sure there wasn’t anyone in there then I locked the door.

“What’s going on Nikki?”

“You know how Bruce is always tired and he would leave at night saying he had to do work?”

”Yes I remember”

“Well I found out today what has been going on with him”

”What?”

”He told me that he is batman”

Kat looked at me like she didn’t believe me. “No way” she said.

“Yeah, that’s what I said. But he assured me that he is”

“Are you going to tell your dad?”

”No, I can’t. I only told you because I never keep anything from you”

“You’re damn right you don’t. But, oh my god! I don’t know what to think”

“Neither do I”

Someone tried to open the door but it wouldn’t budge. Then the knocking came.

Kat unlocked the door and stepped passed the girl who was banging on the door. I followed Kat back to the bar. Robert handed me my drink then went back to make others. For the next hour, Kat and I discussed everything about Bruce. I mean it all made sense to me now. Bruce was tired, he knew anything and everything about the crime in Gotham city and he always talked to me about batman. I turned to Kat with a smile on my face but that smile soon disappeared. A gun shot was fired in the club. Kat grabbed my hand and pulled me behind the bar.

“Don’t anyone move or I will shoot you all” I heard a deep but high pitched voice say.

The whole club went quiet then through the air like the boom of a firecracker came a high pitched sinister laugh. I would never forget that laugh as long as I lived.

“Get out of here freak” I heard Bill say.

“Freak? Yes, that is what I am”

I heard a shot fire and people gasp. This man had shot Bill, I tried to jump over the counter but Kat grabbed me.

“Anyone else? Come on the night is still young. Alright listen to this joke, three guys walk into a bar one says ouch” he laughed again. “Get it walked into a bar? They don’t get it Riley”

“That’s too bad joker”

Joker I heard that name before. My mouth dropped. Bruce had told me about the joker, he was a sociopath. He would kill anyone with a smile on his face.

“Does anyone now the whereabouts of Lieutenant James Gordon’s daughter”

Kat looked at me in shock.

Oh my god, he knows about me and Bruce. I looked over at Kat who mouthed don’t move.

“Come on I know she comes in here all the time. One of you are bound to know where she is. You there behind the bar”

Robert stood frozen. I heard footsteps come closer. My heart stopped beating.

“Bartender, you seem like an honest man. Tell me do you know where Nichole Gordon is?”

Robert stood there in shock. He would die rather than to rat a friend out, but there was no way in hell I would let him die because of me.

“No, that’s too bad. Why don’t we turn that frown upside down?”

Robert didn’t move. I found his gun underneath the bar. I struggled out of Kat’s grasp and scooted towards it. My hand grabbed a hold of it. I carefully put it in Robert’s hand. Within seconds he had the gun pointing at the joker.

“A little bravery, I like that!”

I heard him come closer to the bar. I shut my eyes wishing that I was invisible, but I wasn’t.

“Well hello beautiful”

I felt hands grab onto me and lift me up. My eyes were still tightly closed. I didn’t want to open them and come face to face with the joker. I was terrified of clowns and I knew that is what he looked like.

“Let her go!”

“Or what, you gonna shoot me Mr. Bartender. Come after me and she gets it” I heard him yell. A loud shot from the joker’s gun made me jump and open my eyes.

I looked to my right and there he was. He had curly brown hair with a hint of green in it. His face was painted white, his lips ruby red that turned up into a sinister smile, black eyeliner around his eyes. He wore a purple vest with matching pants and gloves, a green vest that covered a white button up shirt with some kind of design on it. His brown eyes glanced over at me.

“Wow, if I knew you were this pretty I would’ve fixed myself up better”

He licked his hand then brushed his hair back.

“I’m not afraid of you” I said.

He smiled at me. “No? Well how about I put a smile on that face”

The joker picked me up and carried me outside. I saw a black van waiting in front, one of the jokers men threw open the door. Believe me I did not have a good view right now. The only thing I saw was the joker’s ass in my face. He toppled me off of him and threw me into the back of the van.

“You be a good girl now” he said.

“Fuck you” I spat at him.

He quickly pulled a knife out and jumped in the back of the van. He towered over me. I could feel his body pressed firmly against mine. He began to trace the knife from the corner of my lips up to my cheeks in an upward smile.

“Now, that’s no way for a Leutenants’s daughter to behave”

The joker shut the door and told the driver to go. He turned his gaze back on me.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“The batman”

“What’s that have to do with me?”

“Don’t play stupid little girl. I know good and well he has feelings for you. I’ve seen him watching you while you’re walking at night. I see why he looks at you, you are so beautiful”

The joker removed his glove and touched my cheek with his bare hand. I tried to squirm out of his grasp but he was too strong.

“ James actually made something to my liking” he smiled at me. “Oh, you don’t want to smile? Come on smile at me”

I shook my head. This guy was bat shit crazy. How in the hell was I going to get myself out of this mess? I knew that Bruce would hear about this and save me. There was no way I would rat him out in the process. His secret was forever safe with me.

“Well I guess I will just have to put a smile on that face”

He put the knife up to my cheek once more. I trembled in fear. Fighting The Joker wouldn't help me. I knew a few defensive moves. Right now was not that time. Not with a knife so close to my face.

“Boss, we got a problem” said the driver.

We both looked out of the back window. The blue and red lights of the police cars began to flash brightly. My heart skipped a beat. I was saved. Nothing bad was going to happen to me.

“What do I do?” he asked.

“Leave it to me. Pull over” The joker looked down at me. “And you don’t move a muscle”

The joker undid his long purple trench coat and threw it over me. I heard him climb over the seats and to the front of the van. I know this sounds crazy but whatever cologne the joker was wearing smelt good. I dug my face deeper into the warm jacket.

“Is there a problem officer?” the driver asked.

The Joker was hunched down behind the driver's seat ready to take action against the cop if he was going to give them hell.

“Your headlight is out. Did you know that?”

“No, I’m sorry sir I did not know that”

“Well, I’m not going to give you a ticket. You really need to get that fixed. You have a good night”

“You too thank you sir”

I felt the van soon jolt forward. We were on the road again. The joker came back to where I was at. He smiled when he saw that I now had the coat on me. I was cold for Christ sake.

“Cold?” he asked.

I nodded my head still in fear.

“Where are you taking me?”

The joker took a deep breath then let it out. “I’m taking you to my house; it’s only about an hour away”

“Are you going to kill me?”

He looked at me. “No, not yet. I’m going to have a little fun with you first” he let out one of his laughs which made me jump.

“No reason to be scared my love”

I was still trembling with fright. By now my father and Bruce probably knew that I was in the hands of the joker.

“Don’t be so serious. Smile!”

Yeah, that’s easy for him to say. He isn’t sitting here scared to death of being murdered. Atleast he finally put his knife away. The Joker sat himself down in the seat beside me while I stared out the window wondering every possible escape route I could think of. For some reason, my blue eyes kept lingering over at the Joker. Something about him was intrigued me and I really didn't know why.