* J *

Part Seven: Chapter 35: Neighbors

Joker's POV

With my rat in place in Galante's organization I found myself with a lot of free time. Spike's rat work couldn't exactly be rushed. It would take several months before he could learn their ins and outs. I sat around the first week, my mind running in circles over Jeannie. I guess it was too much for me to take. One night I came to with a knife to my bloody wrist. Was I suicidal? I don't know, but why else would I be slicing myself up?

I had too many things to do. I didn't want to die. So I made my mind up, then and there, that I had to stay busy. So I started going out on the nights that the bat signal was shining in the air. I started, well for lack of a better word, stalking the bat. I watched the way he fought. I made note of his rhythms. I knew the day was coming that I'd have to fight the rodent, so I was doing my best to get prepared.

I also spent a lot of time trying to mimic and recreate his nifty little bat gadgets. He had way better toys than I did. But I'm a genius after all, so I fashioned my own equally impressive gadgets. And some nights I would go out into the city and test them.

On one such night in particular, I was on the roof of one of the buildings I now owned along the harbor. I was attempting to learn this whole grappling hook system that Batman used. I tied myself into a harness and stood at the edge of the roof. My goal was to leap, by grappling hook to the other building. Simple enough, I've watched the bat do it dozens of times. So I shoot the hook to the next building and I get it secured. I take a deep breath as I look down. It wasn't a skyscraper, but if I fall I'll more than likely die.

With my hands slipped into leather gloves I hold the cable firmly. My feet push off the ledge and I'm flying through the air. But my calculations were off on the amount of speed I needed to dip down and then soar upright again. Way off. I smacked hard into the side of the other building. It made me fumble and lose my grip on the cable. I quickly shot upside down, suspended by one leg. I could see the pavement at a very unsafe level below me. I'm dangling like a fish on a hook. Not part of the plan.

I sigh and curse to myself. I reach for my knife to cut myself loose but it was thrown from my pocket when I was jerked upside down. As I spin, rather uncontrollably by the cable I can make out a television behind a filthy window. I pull myself around to face the window and held myself still by the window ledge. I peer inside and can see a red headed woman watering plants. I groan and knock on the window. I can see her head snap to the window to see me. She rushed to the window and raises it.

She leans out the window on her elbows and smiles at me. Upside down it looks like a frown. Upside down it also appears as if her skin had a greenish tint. Maybe it's all the blood rushing to my head.

"Um...excuse me miss," I say in the most friendly voice I can muster, "could I trouble you for a knife?"

She just smiles and blows me a kiss. As she does some gas or dust or something emits from her palm. It smelled like ass. I wrinkle my nose not wanting to smell it.

"Ugh, I hope that's not your breath sweetheart, cuz it smells awful," I try fanning the smell away with my hand.

She looks at me perplexed and straightens up some. As she does I'm met with some pretty amazing cleavage. Upside down it looks like a nice ass in pretty green panties. Then the green chick reaches out and grabs both sides of my face. She brings her lips to mine and presses them roughly on mine. She moved away with a smirk.

"Look miss, this is all very intriguing and all, but how about that knife?"