The Black Rose (a Batman fanfic)

Chapter Ten: Sorry Bats

The Joker sat in a chair twiddling his thumbs. His eyes flitted between the door and Rose. This made Rose extremely uncomfortable. She attempted to ignore him, but couldn't help but stare at him, trying to understand what he was thinking.

The sound of a knock on the door downstairs caused him to rise to his feet.

"Looks like our rides here," he said.

"Ride?" Rose furrowed her brow.

"To Arkham, of course!" He held back a giggle. His eyes lit up.

Rose's eyes widened and her mouth gaped a little. Her thoughts raced through her mind at 100 miles an hour.

Footsteps approached the door. Jonathan Crane entered the room. His eyes fell on Rose, and his face reddened. He quickly coughed, and dismissed his feelings, looking away.

"Are we ready?" He asked the Joker.

"Yep, just gotta bring this little gem out." He gestured to Rose.

Rose tugged against the straps, but the joker just laughed at her. Her wrists were raw from trying to get out, but she couldn't stop trying. If her dad couldn't save her, she would have to save herself.

Jonathan walked over to the table and began undoing the straps. But as he did this, his demeanor quickly changed. His pupils dilated and he grew less stiff. He leaned over Rose and planted a kiss on her lips. Not a gentle, loving kiss, but the exact opposite. As quickly as this happened, he pulled away, stiff as a board.

"Why did you do that?!?!" Jonathan yelled, causing even the Joker to jump. His eyes filled with anger and regret.

'Because Johnny, we both know you wanted to,' Scarecrow answered.

'I hate you so much,'

'No, you don't. Don't lie, you enjoyed that. I'm in your mind, remember?'

"Uhhh...You all right, Crane" asked Joker.

"I'm fine," though as he spoke his voice sounded shaky and his face pink.

"What the hell was that?" Rose questioned, sitting up. Her top straps had been undone, allowing her to move her arms and upper body.

"Sorry about that. Sometimes, Scarecrow takes over." His voice had returned to its usual monotone.

"Well, let's get going, Cassanova." The Joker rolled his eyes, then he addressed Rose, "Are you going to come quietly or are we going to have to put you to sleep?"

Rose responded by punching Jonathan in the face, causing him to fall backward. The look on Jonathan's face wasn't anger, he knew he deserved that.

"Well, obviously you won't come quietly." The Joker laughed. He pulled out a dirty cloth from his pocket, "I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this, but you're feisty. So, you're gonna sleep on the ride over."

He approached her holding up the cloth. She tried to unbuckle her ankles but Jonathan got up and pinned her back down.

"Now, now, Ms.Wayne. Behave yourself," He said through gritted teeth.

She struggled under his weight, Trying to sit back up. But before she knew it the cloth was over her mouth and nose. She attempted to hold her breath, but her lungs ached for air and she took a breath. As she did, the world faded to black.

-

"Well Gotham, I've got a surprise for the Batman!" The joker yelled into the camera. After kidnapping a news crew, he convinced them to broadcast him live. And by convince, it means holding them at gunpoint.

"I've acquired a certain Rose Wayne! Say hi, Rosie!" The camera panned over to the knocked-out Rose, her chest rising and falling.

"Anyways," the camera panned back, "I've got a proposition for bats. Save The Wayne girl or save the school bus full of kids! Your choice! I'm sending the addresses now. Bye!" He signaled the tech guy to run the addresses along the bottom of the screen. Then they shut down the cameras.

Joker and Jonathan grabbed Rose and carried her outside to a running van. They stuck her in the back and Jonathan climbed in with her. He didn't trust the Joker's henchmen.

"When Bats pulls up, blow this popsicle stand," the Joker instructed a henchman. He then climbed into the driver seat and sped off to Arkham.

-

Bruce couldn't believe what he just saw. He had her. He rushed to the Batcave and put on his suit. His eyes alight with fury. He called Gordon from the tumbler.

"Get the kids, Gordon." He instructed as he jumped through the waterfall, "I'm getting Rose Wayne."

He hung up and turned onto the dirt road leading away from the Batcave. His eyes followed the GPS leading to Rose. He dodged in and out of traffic attempting to reach her in time.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, he pulled up in front of an old building with a sign that read 'Laugh Floor: Restaurant and Bar'.
As he jumped out of the tumbler, the building exploded. The force of the explosion sent debris everywhere. Causing Bruce to shield himself.

Something hit him, something that stopped him dead in his tracks. A mask. The mask he had seen the Black Rose wearing.

Bruce fell to his knees and sobbed. This is exactly how he lost Rachel. He was too late. He couldn't save his baby girl. He let her down.

-

James Gordon and John Blake helped the last child off of the school bus and breathed a sigh of relief. No one was hurt. John quickly headed over to a corner and dialed Bruce.

The phone just rang, no answer. John began to worry.

"Gordon, I'm going to see if he got the Wayne kid." He said as he hopped into a cop car.

"Radio in when you find out," Gordon replied.

John pulled away from the scene and headed to the second address. He turned on his lights and sped through traffic. His heart dropped as he approached the building; it was half gone and on fire. He spotted Batman on the ground, his head in his hands.

John stopped the car and shifted it into park, then grabbed his radio.

"Gordon, this is Blake. He didn't get her." His words caught in his throat. He replaced the radio and opened the car door. Gingerly, he approached Bruce. He dropped down to his level and saw Bruce's face. Tears streamed from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Bruce," John held back a sob, "I loved her too,"

-

That's all folks! Well, for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Please comment/vote!!!

Love you all, Someone who thinks bad guys are the best.