Little Miss Gotham

Chapter Twelve

I knew it. 
My cover was going to be blown and my alternative identity was about to surface. Bruce recognized me and told my father and maybe even had proof. Maybe I was going to be given a chance to be talked out of this situation. 

"So,  I've come to the conclusion that Bruce Wayne will be looking out for you in these dangerous times with Arkham Asylum now just an empty shell." my dad said. 

Every knot tied up in my body relaxed and my nerves were no longer tense. A wave of relief washed it all away and I nearly felt light headed with the nervous weight relieved from my shoulders.

"I owe you an apology, Sophia. I explained to your parents and as did Officer Gordon what happened that day. I have footage of all the proof I can offer if--"
"It won't be necessary. I admit, it was hard to understand at first but I was told what had happened a few times already and I get it. I'm here now and you were a little misguided so we have a clean slate here." I interrupted, smiling politely at the Batman who I've encountered several times already. 

"But whenever you go out, Bruce is gonna try and keep tabs on you from now on under my order. It won't be twenty four-seven. Just when you're headed into some high crime areas or you're out late or if you need him in case of an emergency." my dad further explained. 

So this was his way of trying to cover up the fact that every move of mine was going to be analyzed by my partner in crime's most famous enemy? My thoughts immediately jumped to this evening and I wondered how I could pull of either option I was given. If I'm in Arkham Asylum as Sophia, sneaking around trying to steal a chemical for the Joker, Bruce will immediately interfere. That option was already hard to begin with. But if I go in as Joker's companion to cause a distraction, there's a chance that my cover will be blown by Batman before I even have the chance to go away into one of the cell's peacefully until Joker saves me. 

"I really appreciate this. I know it must be complicated trying to get everything in order." I sighed, looking at the two of them.

"The usual suspects haven't caused as much damage as Joker his uh, 'Princess', have caused. They all got their own personal agendas but their agendas are interfering with everything else." Bruce sighed, glancing at my dad who nodded. 
"I can't understand why they're so interested in destroying this city. All the attacks on City Hall and the monuments. It's more like vandalism instead of terrorizing." I added. I knew well of what the Joker did when I wasn't with him. I was the vandalism and he was the terrorizing. But recently, both rolls have been mixed into my agenda. 

"Either way, he's got a big plan. It's just a reoccurring theme with him." Bruce shrugged. Big plan? Joker wouldn't have some big plan. I would have known about it-- scratch that, I wouldn't have known about it. Every task we've completed these past two months were replayed. Taking out the big guys, the weapons, the money... it was exactly what the Joker was always caught up in before something big. But if that was the case this time, I wouldn't know. I had to admit, it was bothering me.

"That's alright. We gotta big plan for them and the rest of those scum bags." my dad muttered. 

"What plan?"

"It's hard to say. Not since Ryan died, at least. I kept it with my inner circle and somehow, he ends up shot in the middle of the street. I knew it has to be Joker or that girl of his. If they know then we might have to adjust some things." 

My throat tightened and I recalled that night as clear as day. Something wasn't sitting right with me. I fired that gun. I killed him. But I was more scared due to the fact that what wasn't sitting right with me was my ability to accept what I did and hardly feel a thing.

"Well, you mine as well tell us. It's not like we don't already have a big target on our heads." Bruce grinned. I admired his humor in these dark times but he wouldn't understand that I literally have twice the bigger target on my head. 
I knew my dad was hesitant but maybe I could get more out of him than I did from Ryan. 

"We've got a few guys in Belle Reve. Deadshot, Boomerang, a crocodile-man thing..." he trailed off. "Oh, and Harley Quinn. She'll reel the Joker right in for us." 
I felt my a tug in my chest as if someone had plucked a sensitive string attached to my heart. Would the Joker easily go back to Harley? He's told me otherwise but I had a hard time believing it. 
"Plan is, we start a fire at Belle Reve and put the media under the impression the prisoners have escaped. Little does the criminals of Gotham know, we're sending them here to bring them all together. We've got our group bringing together the criminals and set them up for a trap in which we take their assess into custody and send them right back to Arkham. We're even preparing for their arrivals with new technology for our security systems." my dad explained. His excitement about all of this was eerie but it was a pretty solid plan.

"What about the Belle Reve prisoners? How are we going to guarantee that they'll comply with your orders?" I asked. 

"I've got my guys in the labs at Arkham working on a prototype for a controllable, explosive chip to insert into them. They don't listen and their dead with the press of a button." 

Right then and there, I realized that above anything else, I was going to have to talk to Joker as soon as possible. 

-

I spilled the news to the Joker about the meeting with my dad. I sat on a stool at the kitchen counter and he twirled a knife in his fingers as he got comfortable on another counter. One elbow propped him up and one leg dangled off while the other was bent, resting on the surface. For an unknown reason, he was shirtless and only appeared with black pants and his classy dress shoes. But his tattoos were the darkest black I've ever seen in contrast with his pale white chest. I needed to concentrate. This was a time of seriousness which meant no time for too many martinis. 

"Bruce is gonna be busy from now until six which gives us five hours to talk and plan. But after that, I'm afraid that we're going to have to take every precaution we can to avoid me being caught." I said, carefully eyeing him while he held that knife. No matter where we stood now, the idea of the Joker playing with a knife was always unsettling. Speaking of it, the tip of the blade was now jammed into the counter and my heart was still racing as I looked into his wild eyes. 

"This wouldn't be such a problem if you." --Joker slid off the counter and now stood opposite of me, leaning over the counter to get in my face-- "silly little princess, would just give up Sophia and make this a full time gig." As he played with my hair, my nerves shook and I tried to be careful with my words. 

"This isn't my life. This is my way of getting back at my dad and tearing down what he's spent years building up. My personal agenda stops there." I said, my voice sounding a little off, even to me. "Unless you have some other big plan you don't want to tell me about. Are you saving that for when Harley returns?" 
The tightened grip of my hair around his hand confirmed that my words had gone too far. But it didn't hurt. It was...intriguing. 
"My big plans are none of your concern." Joker growled, his voice growing deeper and darker with anger. "You, pretty, do as I say. You want revenge? You'll get it. I need you to do something not on your schedule? You do it." I flinched at his tone of voice in that last sentence and was left feeling disturbed at his cynical laugh in my ear.  

Joker released my hair and I watched him turn around, his bare back facing me. 

"All of this chit chat's gonna get you hurt." he murmured, not sounding too happy. I didn't like when he was unhappy with me. It left a gaping hole in my chest. But I never got my answer about Harley. I was so occupied with my own thoughts about what would happen if Harley showed up that I barely noticed him turn the corner of the counter. I lifted my head to face him and by the time I turned around, he was in front of me

"You're mine now. Harley won't be a problem." My spine trembled when he leaned over to be eye level with me. "Now..." he trailed off, his lips moving towards my neck. "Tell me about your plan for tonight." 

But with his lips on my neck and hands on my thighs, I couldn't think of a plan. I could only mentally question why I was attracted to this horrible person.