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Laughter in the Dark	By : FlameWolf666 Category: DC Verse Movies > The Dark Knight Views: 9317 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Dark Knight or the Batman franchise. This story is just for fun and no profit will be made from it.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Author’s Note: I want to take a moment to thank two special reviewers for their constant support. Sam and KaibaSlaveGirl34, you guys are awesome and have honestly helped me more than you know! :3 (Also I just found out David Bowie and Alan Rickman died. R.I.P. Mr. Bowie and Mr. Rickman.)

Chapter Fourteen: Second... Date?
    As she rode in the back of a windowless van squished between Joker and Crane, Marie found herself seriously reflecting on her choices in life. She was dressed in the purple suit she had worn during her last appointment with Joker and the crazed man had given her face a paint job that matched his own. Looking down at the semi-auto on her lap, the blonde grimaced at the thought of what they were about to do and why she looked like this. Apparently the criminal’s idea of a second date was taking her on a bank heist, a fact that didn’t surprise her as much as it frightened her. She would probably end up having to kill some innocent people to stay in her companions’ good graces and she honestly didn’t know if she could pull the trigger. If it came between her own safety and the life of some hapless employee or patron, she didn’t think she would be able to make that choice. “We’re almost there boys! Lock and load! Marie, you stay behind me,” the decorated killer announced cheerfully, the scars on his cheeks making his grin seem ghoulish.
    The former Psychologist only grimaced before carefully clicking the safety off on her rifle and putting it into a ready position. She prayed to any God listening that she wouldn’t have to shoot anyone as the large vehicle parked and the henchmen poured out first. Then Joker and Crane were exiting the car with her following close behind. As soon as they were out of the car, the clown mask wearing men charged into the large building and began to open fire. “Now we wait out here until the smoke clears a bit,” the make-up wearing male cackled, pulling on a mask that matched his men. Jonathan only rolled his eyes before pulling a familiar, burlap mask out of his jacket pocket.
    Just seeing that sent a chill down Marie’s spine as she pulled on her own rubber mask. She would essentially be working with ‘Scarecrow’ and the idea filled her with absolute terror. A sudden hissing noise filling the mask brought her back to reality with a snap and she filled with panic until she smelled fresh air. “Craney wants to play today,” the clown purred by her ear as she felt a finger pressing something in the side of her disguise.
    “Oh shit,” she hissed, her fear increasing as she realized just what the tux wearing male meant. Jonathan was going to use his infamous fear gas, a prospect that would set anyone’s knees to knocking.
    “I know! It’s gonna be one Hell of a party,” the green haired killer beside her cackled, whumping her on the back a bit too hard and very nearly knocking the wind out of her.
    This action seemed to provoke the good doctor as he slipped on his mask. Unfortunately, once the rough material touched his skin, he lost all control of himself. Once the handmade disguise was on, ‘Scarecrow’ was in charge until it came back off. In a flash, the darker half of the Psychiatrist was charging the clown; his hand going around his neck. Joker didn’t even flinch, just brought out a switchblade and held the tip against Crane’s jugular. “Don’t” came out of Marie’s mouth unconsciously as fear filled her for her former patient and only real friend in this situation.
    “What’s the matter Scarecrow?” the painted criminal teased, seemingly ignoring Marie to focus on the masked man that was coming very close to choking him.
    The rail thin killer only panted heavily, his breathing sounding oddly metallic and muffled. It almost sounded as if there was a gas mask covering his mouth and nose. Instead of answering verbally, he entered into a stalemate with the slightly shorter male. After a few moments of the pair simply glaring daggers, Marie cleared her throat to bring their attention to her. “Uh, is this the best time for this?” she murmured, jostling the rifle she held in her hands as the sound of gunfire was heard from inside the bank behind her.
    Giving eachother a curt nod, the pair separated before ‘Scarecrow’ charged in and threw a smoke grenade. With the sounds of screams that soon followed, the twenty-eight year old found her worst fears confirmed. Crane had used his infamous fear gas, a neurotoxin so powerful that some versions could render a victim permanently insane. A sharp yank on her wrist brought her back to reality as Joker dragged her inside though a thick fog of the gas. Despite the oxygen actively flowing into her disguise, Marie began to see faint hallucinations caused by the chemical and she knew this would have to be quick. “Get behind me!” the ‘Clown Prince’ urged, a strange, dead joy in his nasally voice as he shoved her behind his purple clad back. Then he fired a spray of bullets into the air to get the attention of his men.
    The gun wielding, masked mob turned to face their boss, who gestured with the muzzle of his rifle to the area of the bank that held the safes. The former Psychologist kept her back to his, her gray eyes watching the forms of the people writhing on the stone floor. Most of them were too busy fighting things only they could see or were completely locked in their own minds. She was so focused on the patrons fighting off their imaginary demons that she didn’t see the guard wearing the gas mask until he leveled his gun to point at Joker’s head. That was when she made a split second decision and forever changed herself as a person.
    Marie hefted her gun as if in slow motion, doing her best to aim with her vision obscured by the clown mask over her face. Then she took a deep breath and put all those gun lessons she had as a child with her father to good use. Her finger squeezed the trigger and her dominant hand held the barrel steady on the guard. Then a loud bang filled the room, barely able to be heard over all the screaming but still deafening all the same. Her target’s head exploded into a red mist just as Joker turned to see what was going on. His eyes widened as he took in the events that happened in mere moments.
    She had actually done it. She had killed an innocent man doing his job for the sake of the psychopath that had caused all of this. Nausea filled her as she watched his blood splatter on the wall in slow motion, her rifle slowly slipping out of her grip. And yet, despite how sick she felt at the idea of killing someone, the blonde couldn’t find it in herself to regret her actions. The thought of seeing the man behind her die almost made her feel more sick than killing the guard had. Suddenly she was spun to face the confused killer she had just saved, his green eyes looking over her masked face before locking on her own eyes. “Boss! We got the dough!” came a call from one of the goons, popping the moment like a delicate soap bubble.
    ‘Scarecrow’, who had been watching his victims from nearby, jerked and grabbed one of her arms in a cold grip before tugging her away from Joker and out the door. The green haired male followed close behind, cackling madly as he tugged a grenade from an inner pocket in his jacket. Then he was pulling the pin and tossing it in as the dark half of her friend picked her up and threw her in the back of the van. The pair soon piled in and the van sped off as the building exploded. Joker cackled wildly the entire time, pulling a stunned, still nauseous Marie off the vehicle’s floor. “That was great! You all did me proud boys! Now we have enough money for what I have in mind for our dear Gotham,” he purred, pulling her into his lap as his empty eyes locked on hers.
    Crane pulled off his homemade mask with a grimace, smoothing back his disheveled hair as he sat next to the shorter criminal. Immediately his blue gaze traveled to the too pale Psychologist in his partner’s arms and he wondered just what had happened while ‘Scarecrow’ had been in charge. “Thanks for, uh, savin’ my life back there,” the painted murderer rasped, all humor falling off his face as his gaze grew outright analyzing. Well, that answered part of the question.
    “Are you alright Marie?” Jonathan whispered, his concern for her over riding his respect for her.
    “I... I killed someone...,” she whispered in a stunned voice before her slightly gray face contorted and she was scrambling out of the ‘Clown Prince’s’ tight hold. As soon as she was free, she was on all fours and vomiting as quietly as she could manage. Crane was by her side in seconds, rubbing her back as he gave the green haired male a confused look.
    “A guard was gonna shoot me in the head. Bon Jovi there took care of it,” the tux wearing killer replied, looking just as worried as the ex-Psychiatrist.
    Once she was done throwing up, she wiped her chin with an embarrassed look. “Sorry. just give me a rag to wipe that up would ya,” she sighed, acting as if what she had done was no more than going to a store to buy a pack of gum.
    “I’ll get that but don’t worry about it right now. Are you okay?” Jonathan asked, pulling her into his arms to stop her motions. He was worried about her reaction. It seemed highly atypical of a person that just shot someone and he found himself preparing for a nuclear bomb.
    “I don’t regret saving Joker’s life. I just regret the guard had to lose his,” she replied before stubbornly pulling away to grab a rag from a box under the seat said murderer was sitting on. The only thing that stopped her was a leather gloved hand on her wrist. Looking up, she saw the severe looking green eyes of Joker.
    Then he was yanking her up and pulling her into his purple clad lap. “You don’t regret having an innocent man’s blood on your hands?” he hissed out in an urgent tone, his eyes narrowing as they seemed to search her for something.
    “I regret having to take a life but I would do it again if put in the same position,” she replied, doing her best to ignore the guilt and panic rising within her. Already she was having odd flashes of the night her boyfriend died, flashes of blood on her hands and standing over her father’s body for some reason. That couldn’t be right, her father had disappeared long before Evan even showed up. Yet, for some reason, some part of her brain was screaming at her that Evan wasn’t her first boyfriend and that his death didn’t happen the way she remembered. Her head beginning to pound from stress and confusion, she was grateful for him grabbing her face and drawing her focus elsewhere.
    “Why? Why save my life over his? Most other people would have given anything to see me dead,” he whispered, disbelief in his slightly nasally voice as a sneer curled his upper lip.
    His growled question gave her pause and she found herself actually thinking about it as much as she didn’t want to. She knew he was right, she knew anybody else would have allowed the guard to take the shot. Just thinking about it, reminded her of her earlier revelation in the bank. A revelation that still scared the shit out of her. As much as she hated to admit it, she felt affection for this killer. If she were entirely honest with herself, she had come very close to putting herself in the way of the shot before she had remembered she had a gun. “I... I don’t know,” she replied, not really wanting to confess to any of these truths.
    The make-up wearing villain didn’t seem pleased with this response, a muscle tensing in his cheek as his hazel eyes bored into hers. “Are ya tryin’ to lie t’me? Cause it sure as Hell sounded like that was what ya were, uh, doin’,” he gritted out, making a cold wash of fear rush through her.
    “N-no it’s just... I don’t even really want to admit to myself my own reasons... If I say it out loud...,” her mouth replied before she could stop it, a tense silence stretching between them.
    Crane, who was busy cleaning up the vomit, looked up at the pair with an alert gaze. Joker’s body language spoke of a man on the edge of doing something rather drastic and it frankly frightened him. With a man like him, there was no telling what he would do under high stress. To his slight relief, the clown let the discussion go in favor of focusing on the road. It was clear the discussion wasn’t over but he wasn’t going to explode over it. In fact, the purple wearing villain seemed more confused than truly angry. It almost seemed as if the idea of her saving him had completely thrown him for a loop. He would just have to keep an eye on things and make sure the infamous villain didn’t harm his former doctor.
    As soon as the van pulled to a stop outside the looming warehouse, Joker was throwing Marie over a cotton covered shoulder like a sack of meal and made his way out of the vehicle. “Hey! I can walk myself and I don’t have any plans to run, as you well know,” the flustered blonde protested, not really fighting as the taller man moved into the building. The criminal holding her ignored her entirely, merely motioned for his men to get inside as one of his hands moved up to cup her ass. An action that made an unwanted heat rush through her body. Then he was heading to the stairs, passing right by Harley; the look on the other female’s face doing more to stop her run away libido than any of her pitiful internal wranglings. They headed up, the older female’s rage contorted face disappearing as they reached the landing.
    Joker practically threw her towards the bed as soon as he entered to room and by some miracle she landed on it, the impact knocking the breath out of her. Twirling to face the disguised killer, the panting Psychologist felt old fear shoot through her as he closed and locked the door. The black around his eyes only made his glower more intimidating but, to her shock, he merely began to pace instead of launching himself at her. “Why did you save me?” he hissed out, an odd edge to his voice that only made her more nervous.
    “I... I... fucking Hell... I didn’t want to see you die! The thought of seeing you bleeding out on the floor was much more repellent than killing that guard,” she finally blurted, knowing he was only going to get more pissed off if she tried to dodge around it. Her response seemed to freeze the mass murderer in place, the wheels turning in his head as he processed her words.
    “You didn’t want to see me die...,” he repeated softly, his mid tone voice tinged with a bit of wonder. It almost seemed as if he was further confused by this and he ran a gloved hand through his lime green locks.
    She wasn’t even brainwashed and she had saved him, something that Harleen would have never done before he broke her. The knowledge rocked him to his very core and he found himself seeing the former doctor in an entirely different light. “Why didn’t you want to see me die,” he growled out, his eyes rolling to fix on her. His green clad chest heaved as his hands twitched by his side, confusing feelings rising up within him. He had initially brought her here in the hopes of eventually turning her into an improved version of Harley, now, now he was beginning to wonder if he should leave her as she was.
    His question caught her off guard and Marie swallowed thickly as Jasper cautiously crawled out from under the bed to see what the hubbub was about. “I... I have begun to gain some amount of affection for you,” she confessed quietly, hating the words for how true they were. She knew nothing about this man except that he was violently insane and enjoyed killing people. He was unpredictable and had attacked her a couple occassions. Yet, despite all of that, she felt oddly safe with him. A man like him could have killed her twenty times over without blinking and yet he had chosen to ‘save’ her from her boyfriend. There was also the fact that he didn’t look all that bad and, besides the times in the asylum, he hadn’t raised a hand to hurt her.
    Joker went oddly still as his vibrant eyes stayed locked on her gray ones, almost seeming to mull over the information. Then he was closing the distance, his leather covered hands cupping her face as his intense orbs burned into her. It was almost as if he was searching her for a lie and was finding nothing. “Affection... How could you have affection for me? You’ve seen what I’ve done, heard about what happened to Harleen. I haven’t even begun to get in your head yet and you have affection for me?!” the taller man snarled, confused fury in his voice. Just hearing that confirmed some of her suspicions for why she was here but before she could respond, his lips were crashing down on hers violently as his purple clad fingers dug into her white flesh.
    The kiss was all teeth and aggression, almost as if he was punishing her in some way for daring to have feelings for him. Yet, under that anger, there was the very faintest thread of tenderness. A thread so faint that Marie merely chalked it up to wishful thinking as she found herself at a loss for how to respond to the assault. Of their own accord, her hands came up to tangle in his slightly greasy hair as her head angled to deepen and return the embrace. Joker froze for just a second before his lips softened and the kiss changed gears to something else entirely. Just as their tongues met, the lithe male was ripping himself from her; his expression shifting from rage to utter confusion and back again.
    Then he was leaving, slamming the door behind him and scaring her overweight pet back under the bed. Her fingertips touched her lips lightly as her brain replayed both the kiss and his words. She wasn’t all that surprised that he had wanted to make her into Harley 2.0, what she was surprised by was the fact he had openly told her. There was also the fact that her organic feelings for him had seemed to completely throw the villain off balance. It almost seemed as if he didn’t expect anyone that wasn’t brainwashed to want to save his life, a fact that shockingly saddened her. Even Crane had a similar problem, being very reluctant to believe she wanted nothing more than his trust and friendship for a large part of his treatment with her. She wasn’t silly enough to believe friendship or love could change these people but she did believe it could help with a lot of their more violent tendencies.
    A quiet knock on her door interrupted her thoughts and she beckoned her visitor to come in, praying it was just Jonathan. She doubted Harley would be dumb enough to be back up here after the altercation with both Crane and Joker but she couldn’t really put anything past the crazed female. Thankfully the familiar, gaunt face of her former patient came around the door. “Doctor Jovian..,” he began, stopping when she held a hand in the air for his silence.
    “Marie please,” she corrected as he came in and shut the door behind himself.
    “Marie, you need to discuss what happened with that guard with me,” urged the former Psychiatrist as he sat on the bed beside her. The blonde could only chuckle, knowing he was right. Being a Psychologist, she knew full well what could happen if she didn’t discuss this traumatic event with someone. It would fester inside her and form into a disorder and even she had to admit she was taking this a little too well.
    “Alright Dr. Crane,” she teased, giggling at the playful frown he gave her. Then she began to talk, the odd therapy session extending long into the night.
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Laughter in the Dark