Chapter 40

Prelude to:

~Broken: Unyielding Beast~

Sunlight streamed through the windows to bathe the overly large room in an almost eerie golden glow. There was the familiar weight of an arm draped around her waist. Groaning she shifted slightly.

Ugh. When did Jak creep in here?

She couldn't believe the nerve of him, sneaking in there when she was this mad at him. Ann slowly opened her eyes, squinting as her eyes adjusted. Her eyes landed on what 'should' have been the ceiling above her bed. But what she saw instead definitely wasn't the ceiling she had been expecting. Instead she was greeted by silky white flowing fabric that trailed off to the sides of her view. Frowning she propped herself up on her elbows to take a better look around her. She suddenly gasped.

No. That was a dream. It didn't really happen.

She slowly turned to look at the sleeping man next to her. At her movement Bruce had rolled over onto his back, his head tilted away from her against the pillow. He was obviously still sleeping. A small smile played on his lips.

Oh Lord help me. That wasn't a dream.

"So he does sleep." She mumbled. She let her eyes rove over him. The thin bed sheets just barely covered him from his waist to his knees. The sheets had obviously been ignored for the majority of their tumble. Her eyes slowly traveled from his chest down to his chiseled abs then to his lower stomach where the sheets met his skin.

Shit, he's still naked.

Her eyes widened slightly. She slowly looked down at her own body, still wrapped in the parts of the sheets that weren't covering Bruce.

Shit, I'm still naked!

She spotted her discarded gown on the floor near the bed. She had to get out of there. She began to reach for the gown, but it was too far. She realized that in order to reach it, she would either have to get out of the sheets or pull them off Bruce. Considering that he was still asleep and she wasn't she decided to leave the sheets where they were, namely covering up him so she couldn't see.

A moment of ironic appreciation flashed through her as she remembered saying something along the lines of 'who cares if he's watching. I hope he gets a good show'. She had told Akira that when she strolled naked through her apartment and her alter ego had reminded her that Joker could be watching her. She wondered what had ever happened to that attitude.

That's exactly why I have to get away from here. I don't know who I friggin am anymore!

She quickly untangled herself from the sheets and grabbed her gown. She hastily pulled it on, not even bothering to look for her panties.

I have to get away from here. I have to get away from them both!

Just calm down. It's not the end of the world.

Ann stopped just short of the door and hesitantly turned to look back at his sleeping form. For a brief moment she wondered what it would be like to lay there with him and watch him wake up. She shook her head and turned back to the door. A pang of guilt shot through her.

No. I hate to do this to him. But I can't stay here.

She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Her feet were cold on the marble floor as she hurried down the hall. The combination of the foreign gold and white walls and the cold floor beneath her feet made her feel very alone and alien. Somehow she managed to find her way back to the stairs leading to the second story of the mansion, even though he had taken several turns that she hadn't really been paying attention to. She descended the stairs to the second floor and hurried to her room.

She hastily dressed in a pair of pants, a tank top, her boots, and leather jacket. Remembering her weapons were still in her car she skipped the self-arming step and went straight to grabbing anything she thought she may need. She grabbed some of Misa's clothes and some of her own. Thankfully they were all already folded. She laid them on the bed. Seeing that the only things she really needed at the moment was clothes, car keys, and money. Thanks to Joker, she had all three. She was suddenly immensely glad that she had gone to her apartment the day before and found her trench coat, boots, and belt.

Shit. I have to take Ashley. At least for the moment.

What? Why?

Because I'm not leaving my motorcycle here. And I have to have the car.

Aah. Well, better wake her up then.

Cursing, Ann slipped next door to find the blonde sleeping soundly. Ann shook her, quietly telling her to wake up. Ashley rolled over and wearily opened her eyes. "Ann? What's wrong. It's like 7 in the morning." The blonde informed her. Ann growled. "I know what time it is. Get dressed. I need your help." Ashley immediately sat up. It wasn't often that Ann came right out and asked for help. "What's going on? Is it Joker? What'd he do?" She asked, suddenly scared. "Nothing. He doesn't know. But I have to leave now." Ann told her. Ashley's face perked up. "So you 'did' hook up!" She said ecstatically, referring to Bruce carrying her down the hall the night before. Ann sighed and rubbed her nose. "Yes. Now hurry the hell up. I'll explain everything later. Your driving my car so I don't have to leave my bike here." Ashley frowned at this. "Wait, your not coming back?" She asked in dismay. "Later Ashley." Ann warned before returning to her own room to continue grabbing things she needed.

A few minutes later Ashley slipped into her room. "Should I pack my stuff too?" She asked. Ann shrugged. "Depends on if you wanna come back." Ann told her. "So I can go back to my- your old apartment with Dev?" She asked. Ann looked at her seriously. "I think you can start calling it yours now Ash. And yeah, you can." Ann told her. Ashley nodded. "Course I'm sure Bruce would let you come back for your clothes and stuff. I'm kinda in a hurry." Ashley nodded again. "Okay. I'll come back for my stuff." She told her. "Okay. Then can you take these clothes down to my car and then meet me at Misa's place." Ann told her as she handed Ashley the keys. Ashley gave her a small smile before nodding again and scooping up the small pile of clothes and headed out the door. Ann sighed and looked around the room to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

Satisfied, she left the room and headed downstairs. Her motorcycle was still parked at the bottom of the stairs, right next to Bruce's. They had never gotten around to putting them up the night before. Another pang of guilt assaulted her as she pictured the two of them rolling their bikes into the garage together.

This is not my place.

She stood next to her brand new bike and marveled at it for a moment.

I wouldn't have gotten it without him.

Now she knew, every time she rode it, she'd think of him. She exhaled slowly before turning starting the bike and letting it warm up for a few minutes. While she was waiting for the bike's motor to warm up she lit a cigarette (because she was particularly stressed at the moment) called Misa and inform her that they were coming over. Hopefully that would eliminate the possibility of having to deal with Maroni. She was already starting to form an idea of how she would have to do this in order for it to work. She was a little bit anxious now that the bike had roared to life. Knowing that Bruce's bedroom was a bit open to the elements made her nervous that he would hear it. His balcony being on the opposite side of the 3 story building made her feel a bit better though. By the time she was off the phone the bike was ready. It had only taken 5 minutes at the most. She threw her leg over the bike and smoothly guided it into motion and finally out the gates of the mansion.

Ann was happy to see that Ashley had already arrived at Misa's place when she pulled into the driveway. The garage door was open and Ann's Camaro was parked neatly inside it. Ann pulled her bike into the garage between her own car and Misa's. Once the engine was off she closed the garage door then entered the house. Ann found Misa in the kitchen cooking some breakfast. Ashley was sitting at the nearby kitchen table. Ann knew Misa had already been awake. Ashley, however, was deep into a cup of coffee; most likely her second or third.

No one said a word as Ann took a seat at the table. Now that she was out of Bruce's mansion she wasn't so worried about time management. She did need to inform the both of them of the situation. But she figured to at least eat breakfast first, since Misa was already cooking it.

"So you slept with Bruce." Misa commented from the kitchen as she flipped the bacon. Ann visibly winced at the tone of her voice. It obviously wasn't a question. Ann shot a glare at Ashley, who was already shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders. "How did you know?" Ann asked, since Ashley was silently defending herself. "I figured it out. I thought you'd freak out if you ever let yourself sleep with him before your 'clown friend' was completely out of your life. Since he obviously isn't, and your freaking out. So you slept with Bruce." Misa elaborated, poking the bacon again with a fork. Ann let her head thump against the table.

Ashley's eyes widened as she looked at Misa. "Wow. I didn't know she could do that." Ashley whispered to Ann. Ann raised her head. "There's a reason she's my best friend." Ann said in a normal voice, ignoring the blonde's attempts at secrecy. "How'd you know she'd ever get that far with him? I mean, she was a little overbearing with the fact she was trying to avoid him." Ashley asked. Misa laughed. "She was so 'overbearing' because she actually wanted to but wouldn't allow herself because it would complicate everything. And she was likely 'more' overbearing when others were present. But I knew she'd give into it eventually if she was stuck around him long enough. There's obviously an attraction between them. Also, she's a bit, um, 'prone' to bad judgments when she's been drinking." Misa explained.

Damn it. Am I that transparent?

Ann scoffed and crossed her arms. "I was hardly drunk, Misa." Ann commented, trying to save a little of her pride. "Ah, but you 'had' been drinking. Otherwise you'd have said that you weren't." Misa told her. Ann felt like a child at the moment. 'She' was usually the one that figured people out. She hated it when Misa did it to her. Misa walked out of the kitchen carrying two plates. She put them in front of Ashley and Ann before going back and retrieving her own plate and coming back to sit at the table with them. The trio dug into their breakfast.

"So I'm guessing your going to disappear for a while?" Misa asked when she was between bites. Ann nodded. "That's why I'm here at your place. Your obviously goinna have to run Nightshade for a while. I will want reports on everything though. And no new business deals without my approval." Ann told her. Misa nodded. "What about me?" Ashley asked. Ann finished the bit of eggs that were in her mouth. "You get to play courier." Ann told her. "Courier?" Ashley asked hesitantly.

~Ashley~

An hour later Ashley was in the elevator of Ann's apartment complex on her way to deliver a letter to Jak. Ashley was being cleaver about it though. The elevator stopped at Ann's floor. Ashley bent down without getting out of the elevator and slid the envelope across the small reception room's floor. The envelope neatly slid under the door's to Ann's apartment as Ashley quickly pushed the button to close the doors. The elevator closed just as the door to Ann's apartment opened and Joker stepped out into the hall. All she had seen was his purple clad arm, so she was fairly certain that he hadn't seen her. One thing was for sure. She did not want to be there when he read that letter.

~Ann~

She was sitting on Misa's couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table. Normally she wouldn't do that, but at the moment her boots were off and she was digging through them looking for Bruce's supposed bug. She'd been at it for almost a half hour and still hadn't found a thing. By now Ashley had probably delivered the letter and should be on her way to the motorcycle accessory shop that Ann had sent her to. She was hoping that by sending her on an extra errand it would throw Joker off her trail a bit, just in case he followed her. But she also needed the blonde to get her a helmet so she could keep anyone from seeing her face when she had it on. The added safety of having it was a bonus. Bruce was probably awake by now. So that meant he could use that tracking thing of his anytime. So long as he didn't come looking for her before she found the tracker and found a way to use it as a decoy she was good. She didn't know if he would really come looking for her or not. Hopefully as long as he thought he could still track her he wouldn't look for her. But the damn plan wouldn't work if she couldn't find the damn bug.

"Try under the soles." Misa suggested. Ann sighed. "He didn't cut the rubber open, there'd be a seam." Ann told her. Misa shook her head. "Not those soles." Misa said as she picked up the other boot. "The in-soles." She told her before digging inside the boot for a moment then pulling out the thin comforting insole that every shoe has. She then tipped the boot upside down. Ann's mouth dropped when a small computer chip looking object clattered onto the floor. "You better check the other one too. Just in case." Misa commented before handing her the boot. Ann did and sure enough, another computer chip device fell out, proving that Bruce was thorough. Smiling Ann picked up the two little chips.

Next she wrote out a letter to Bruce. She explained that she was confused and she needed time to figure out what she was going to do and apologizing for leaving him in bed before he woke up.

Now that 'that' was done, she could focus on where she was going to stay. She obviously couldn't stay with Misa or Ashley. Joker and Bruce both knew those places. Ann briefly considered leaving the State, or even the country. That thought passed just as quickly as it came. No, she had to stay close to her company. "So were you looking for some place like your current apartment, or do you want something a little less noticeable?" Misa asked from the kitchen table. Ann looked over the back of the couch to see Misa was on her computer. Ann stood and walked over to look over her shoulder. "Definitely less noticeable." Ann told her. Misa flipped through a few pages looking at random apartments up for rent. About that time Ashley walked in. "Hey." She said in a chipper voice as she held up a black full faced helmet. "Perfect Ash. Thanks." Ann said as she took the helmet from the blonde. "The guy said if it didn't fit I could come back and exchange it for a different size. Oh- and lookie what else I got." She opened a paper bag that she had been carrying in the other hand. She pulled out a long wig that was a similar color to Ann's hair. Ann gave her a strange look. "I figured it might come in handy if Joker or Bruce show up here looking for you before you leave." Ashley explained. "Speaking of Joker, how'd it go?" Ann asked as she inspected her new helmet. "Pretty good. I got outta there before he saw me. And no one followed me. I drove around down town in circles a few times to make sure." Ann nodded. "He'll show up here eventually. And I think you just gave me an idea of how to get some of my stuff without him even knowing about it." Ann said as she looked at the wig.

Two hours later Misa had found Ann an apartment on the outer edge of the city. It wasn't the slums but it wasn't the best part of town either. But Ann was reasonably sure she wouldn't run into Joker by accident. It was close to a housing edition and only a few blocks from a nearby grocery store. The neighborhood was actually pretty good. Not run down or in disrepair. Meaning it would be one of the least likely places Joker would put a hideout.

By now Ann was reasonably sure that either Joker or his men were watching Misa's house. She was sure of this because about a half hour after Ashley delivered the letter a plain white van had shown up and parked down the street. And it still hadn't moved. Ann was damned determined to have her katana and a select few other things from her apartment. And the easiest way to get them was for Joker to be away when she showed up.

Ashley had just put on the red wig and was looking at herself in the mirror. "Do you think we should change clothes?" Ashley asked. Ann rolled her eyes. "All he's goinna see is the car and the red hair if you do this right. Just don't get out of the car for anything." Ann told her. Ashley nodded as she followed Ann to the garage and Misa followed. Ann braided her hair and put on the black helmet. She buckled it then raised the shatterproof face guard then stood in the corner to wait for Ashley and Misa. Ashley got into Ann's car and started the engine. At the same time Misa opened the garage door. Ashley backed out and drove away then Misa shut the door and ran to the living room to peek out the window. Sure enough, the van pulled away from its parking spot and began to follow. Misa ran back to the garage to see that Ann already had the bike started. Misa opened the garage door again and Ann walked the bike out of the garage. Misa pulled her car out and then pushed a button on a remote control that closed the garage door behind them.

Misa was scheduled to go to Ann's soon to be newest apartment and examine it and pay the landlord. Ann had given Misa access to her accounts months earlier when she worked out the power of attorney agreement that gave Misa power over Nightshade if Ann was ever killed, put in a coma, or temporarily absent.

While Misa was paying the landlord Ann would be at her soon to be old apartment packing her clothes and anything else that would fit that she was attached too, such as her knives and katana. Everything else would be left there for later. When Misa was through with the landlord she would join Ann and help her put everything in Misa's car. They would then both go to the new apartment. Then Ann would call a moving company to come in and move all the rest of her things, such as her bed and furniture, later.

Twenty minutes after leaving Misa's place Ann arrived at her now old apartment. She parked her bike and killed the engine. She didn't take her helmet off until after she made sure no one was around. She left the helmet on her motorcycle and stepped into the elevator. The elevator ride went quicker than she expected. She had past experiences that tended to make that elevator ride up a bit awkward. Once at the top of the elevator Ann hesitantly walked up to her doors.

What if he didn't go with them to tail me?

She quietly jiggled the door handle to find it was locked. That made her feel a bit better as she unlocked it and opened the door. The apartment looked like it had been cleaned up a bit. The broken lamp had been picked up and all the discarded beer cans were absent. There were several new additions to the half empty pizza boxes that were now stacked neatly in the corner of the kitchen. However, there was also new evidence of broken glass scattered against the far wall. It looked to be the remains of a whiskey glass. The wall above the shattered glass was stained with a brown liquid. There was also a hole in the wall to her right.

That must have been the aftermath of my letter.

She stepped into the apartment and went straight for the stairway in her bedroom. Going downstairs she went to the table that held her sword on a stand. She stared at it a moment, her mind going blank. After a minute or two she reached out and picked up the sword. She also picked up the silver knife Joker had given her that she displayed on the same table. Putting the knife in her coat pocket she headed back up stairs.

She walked up the stairs into her bedroom and went to the closet. But she froze just after she passed her bedroom door.

She took a slow step back and looked out the door to see Joker leaning against the wall with his arms crossed several feet away from the door.

Eeep.

"Quite a nice decoy you had setup." He told her in a smooth voice before he pushed himself off the wall and started towards her. She pointed the end of the katana at him, still sheathed. "I don't have anything to say to you, apart from what I said in my letter." She told him, standing her ground. He paused in mid step. "Ah, your letter. I have a few 'choice' words to say about your letter." He told her. "I can imagine." She replied, making sure to keep the sword between them as he hovered in the doorway. "We'll just get to that later, shall we?" He said as he put a finger on the end of the katana's sheath. He then gently began to push it to the side. She jerked on the handle and smacked his hand away. He gave her a look that said he was running out of patience. "Back to your decoy." He said as he leaned on the door frame, knowing it was her only way out. "You almost had me fooled. You wanna know how I figured you out?" He asked. "No." She told him. He faked a pout. "Awe, your not goinna play?" He asked stepping forward. "I'm sick of your games." She told him.

Her instincts were screaming at her to back up. But she held her ground anyway. "See," He continued anyway. "I almost fell for it, and probably would have. But then I realized something. Your just too smart to let me follow at all. Much less for the whole five minutes it took me to put it together. I realized that had you not wanted to be followed, which you surely didn't, that you would have simply gone out on foot, making it much harder for me to track you. So your stunt driver was obviously a trick." He told her as he pressed farther into the room. This time she was forced to back up in order to keep the katana between them. "So what? Do I swoon over your 'superior' intelligence? Please, it was a simple diversion. Not nearly the big accomplishment your making it out to be. Now get out of my way." She told him and pushed him in the chest with the katana, hoping he would back out of the doorway.

He didn't budge. "Now, back to your letter…" "Screw you and screw this conversation. I'm leaving. Now move!" She yelled at him, hitting him forcefully in the chest with the end of the sheathed katana. This time he was pushed slightly off balance and was forced to take several steps back.

A frown appeared on his face. She had to admit, it was scary as hell seeing him scowl like that in his full 'Joker' make up and outfit. "Your not being very polite, love." He commented. "I'm through being polite. Your in my way." She told him angrily.

His scowl deepened. "I've just about lost my patience with you." He told her before grabbing the katana's hilt and attempting to yank it away. She automatically reacted by stepping back and pulling the katana from its sheath in a swift and fluid movement. She hadn't exactly meant to threaten him with the sharp blade of her sword, but she brandished it at him anyway. His eyebrows shot up slightly as the sharp blade hovered in the air between them. "I told you I'm done with this shit, and I'm done with you. Now move." She ordered. He glared at her, the wooden sheath still in his hand. "Not until you talk to me about this." He tried to reason. "I just want to talk."

"No, fuck you! You had your chance! There's nothing left to talk about Jak. You've made your motives clear enough for me."

"You can't beat me in a fight, love. Even if its sword versus sheath. You'll lose." He told her. "Besides, I don't think you'd really cut me. Even if I am in your way." And to demonstrate his point he reached out and grabbed the blade in his gloved hand. She glared daggers at him as he smirked down at her.

"Impeccable as always Jak. Except you forgot one little detail." She told him in a swooning voice. His eyes narrowed. "And what's that?" He asked. "You failed to realize that I'm through being your personal puzzle." With that she sharply yanked the blade from his hand. He hissed and jerked his hand back in pain. He curled his hand in a fist as droplets of blood started to flow from his palm and run off his ivory white gloves to drip onto the floor.

"So much for your theory." She muttered, glancing at the small smear of his blood where his hand had been on her sword.

He smirked as he looked at her over his bleeding hand before licking the wound. His next movement was almost too fast for her to catch. He swiftly raised her sheath to smack the hilt of her sword just below her hand. She tried to jump back from his attack but was too slow. A sharp sounding crack echoed and her hand screamed in pain as the katana clattered to the floor on the other side of the bed. In the same movement, he used her backwards momentum against her. The next second she was lying on her back on the bed with an angry Joker straddling her, keeping her hands and body pinned using the sheath.

Struggling would make no difference. With him pinning her to the mattress, there would be no way to get him off using force. But that didn't keep her from trying. "Get the hell off me!" She yelled at him, kicking her feet angrily. It only caused his smile to spread. "There was a time when you would have killed to be this close to me." He taunted. "I said get off!" she tried to knee him in the groin but she didn't have enough room. He giggled at her attempts.

Fear struck her as she realized she had the letter she had written to Bruce in her coat pocket. If Joker were to read it there would be no telling what he would do. She doubled her screaming and attempted to get free again.

There was suddenly a loud crack. His eyes went wide for a moment before he fell off her to roll off the bed and hit the floor with a thump. Startled she looked up to see Bruce standing at the foot of the bed with a baseball bat. Misa was behind him, looking worried. She ran to Ann, who was leaning up on her elbows on the bed, still speechless. "How- How did you know?" She asked, stunned. Bruce was leaning over watching Joker, still holding the bat. "Ashley called me when they stopped following her. I didn't know what else to do, so I called Bruce. I would have called Maroni, but he's at his work and it would have taken him twice as long to get here." She explained.

Ann eyed the bat in Bruce's hand. "That's not the weapon I would have thought you'd choose." She commented. "I gave it to him." Misa told her. "I insisted he use it." Ann rolled her eyes as she sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. "Are you okay?" He asked her as he offered his hand to help her up. She nodded as she accepted his help. "Gordon's on the way here." Bruce told her. She went back to being shocked. "You let him call the police?!" She asked Misa in disbelief. She shook her head. "I called Gordon. This has to stop." Misa told her.

"C'mon. He looks like he's out cold. Let's go sit in the other room and wait for Gordon." Bruce told her before putting an arm around her and guiding her to the living room.

Ann was sitting on the couch silently with her head in her hands while Bruce and Misa sat on either side of her when Gordon and his Swat team showed up a few minutes later.

Bruce pointed them to the bedroom when they arrived. A minute later several of Gordon's men came back through carrying a still unconscious Joker, in hand cuffs and ankle restraints. Seconds after that one of the men came in carrying her katana. Ann felt her anger spike at the thought of them taking it for evidence. She was about to voice this when Gordon asked her if he had assaulted her with it. She shook her head. "No. I tried to fight him off with it." She explained. Gordon seemed to sag in relief. "For a minute there I was afraid it was your blood." He mumbled. "So that's the Joker's blood?" Bruce asked, sounding slightly interested. Ann nodded, hands still covering her face.

"You should have that analyzed, Commissioner. It could help figure out who he really is." Bruce commented. Ann's head shot up to glare at him. "I refuse to let my katana be taken to some lab to be used as evidence in a trial that's never going to happen." She told the two of them. "What do you mean?" Misa asked beside her. "I mean, it's pointless. He's just going to escape. He probably already has. Take a damn blood sample and give me back my sword." She told them. Gordon frowned. "I can't just leave behind evidence, Ann. I'm sorry. But we have to take it." He told her. Her face went back in her hands. More to keep her annoyance under control than anything else.

Bruce put his arm around her back in an attempt to comfort her. After a moment she let him gently pull her against him in a hug where he held her. She was rigid at first, but after a moment she let herself lean against his shoulder. If he wanted to play the gallant hero, she'd let him. "I'll need the three of you to fill out a report." Gordon told them as he sat on the coffee table in front of Ann. "Of course, if you would rather wait until tomorrow that would be fine too." He told her. She pulled herself away from Bruce and nodded.

There was some static from Gordon's portable radio and he fiddled with it a moment. One of the other men poked his head around the corner. "Commissioner, I can't get Skives on the radio." He announced. Ann and Bruce both winced. They were both thinking the same thing. He got away.

Ann's prediction had been right. The Joker had apparently awoken in the back of the police car while it was on its way to the station. Only God knew how he did it. But even handcuffed and restrained in the back of a locked police car with grating and bullet proof plexi-glass he managed to kill both officers who were holding him in custody and disappear. And he had taken her katana. Ann was mortified.

After they received the news Gordon offered to let Ann stay at his house for the night. She graciously refused his offer. Or rather, Bruce graciously refused for her, insisting she stay at his mansion, which she also denied. He whispered that they'd talk about it later the next moment no one was paying attention. Even though he had quite possibly just saved her life, she still wished Misa had called anyone but him. She was grateful, but it ultimately made her decision that much harder to follow through with.

Obviously she couldn't stay there for the night, even though Gordon had offered to post officers in her home for protection. After half an hour of being surrounded by cops was about to drive her crazy. She could hardly imagine having to deal with them over night.

She needed to find a way to get away from Bruce. But with everything that had happened, she simply couldn't think. She was stressed, tired, her hand hurt like hell, and she was uncomfortable around so many people.

Misa was trying to help her, but there wasn't much she could do. They couldn't really speak in confidence because of so many people. And Bruce wasn't exactly leaving her side any time soon. Misa managed to tell her that she had already paid for the apartment when Bruce was talking to Gordon. So she had a place to stay. It was just a matter of getting there and ditching Bruce.

An idea sprung to the front of her thoughts as she watched Bruce converse with the police commissioner. She pulled out her cell phone and began flipping through the numbers she had stored in its memory. For a moment she feared the number she was looking for wasn't there. But a second later she found it. Bruce and Gordon were both so into their conversation, neither even noticed she had her phone out. Much less that she was sending a text message.

A few moments later Gordon's phone buzzed and he flipped on the screen. After shooting a glance Ann's way, then back to Bruce. "Ann, could I see you a moment in the kitchen?" He asked a bit hesitantly. She faked a worried look. "Okay, sure."

Once in the kitchen she leaned on the counter facing away from the others so no one could read her expression or try to figure out what she was saying. "I take it there's something you didn't want to share with the others?" He commented quietly. She nodded.

"I actually came here to get a few things that are special to me. I decided this morning that I need to kind of get off the grid for a while." She told him. He had a thoughtful look. "I see. And Mr. Wayne obviously isn't privy to this yet?" He asked, probably already knowing the answer. She nodded again. "Did something happen between the two of you? I honestly believe Wayne's mansion is probably one of the safest places in the entire city. And he does seem to be protective of you. There must be some reason you wish to leave." He prompted with a knowing look.

She couldn't help the slight blush that crept onto her face. And then she became annoyed with herself for blushing. His smile said he knew 'exactly' what had happened. "Things have gotten… complicated. And I'm not exactly sure what to do about it. I need time away from everything to think things out." She explained. He nodded again. "And you need to get away from Mr. Wayne to do it." He concluded. She smiled shyly and nodded her agreement. "I already have a new apartment that I just paid for. And only Misa and I know where it is. It's perfectly safe." She assured him. He seemed to think it over for a moment. "Okay. I'll help you. But on one condition." He told her. She had the sudden urge to bang her head against a wall. "What?" She asked. "I want the address so I can check on you." He told her. She sighed with annoyance. "Fine."

Without a moment of hesitation he waltzed back to the living room and pulled Bruce aside for a conversation. Bruce didn't look happy about whatever was being said. But he seemed to accept whatever Gordon was telling him. After a moment the conversation ended and Bruce waked to the kitchen to speak with Ann. He explained that Commissioner Gordon wanted to discuss some things with him and needed him to go to the station with him. He didn't look at all happy as he told her this. And he commented that Gordon had promised she would be protected.

Ann smiled at him. It was a fake smile. He probably mistook it for not wanting him to leave. But she nodded at him. "I'll be fine." He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. Again he mistook the look of pain on her face as not wanting him to go. "I'll be back as soon as I'm done." He told her. Another fake smile. He turned to leave but she stopped him. "Bruce." He looked back at her. She hesitated, but then resigned herself. She couldn't turn back now. She had made her decision. She pulled the envelope from her coat pocket. "Read this later." She told him as she offered him the letter. He looked slightly confused as he took it. She gave him another fake smile. "Okay. I'll be back soon."

Gordon was waiting by the door and Bruce followed him out. All but two police officers left with them. The two who stayed waited in the elevator hall outside her door. Not like they would do much good if Joker did decide to come back. He'd already killed two who were in a cop car while he was all but chained and gagged in impossible circumstances. The illusion of security was nothing but an illusion.

As soon as the elevator door closed she sagged against the counter. Misa rushed over to her. "We don't have much time. If you want out of here before he reads that letter and comes back we'd better hurry." Ann nodded. She didn't know how much more of this crap she could take. Though technically she had never lied to him, she felt very bad about getting Gordon to trick him. It felt somehow significantly wrong deceiving Bruce like that.

Misa had already sprung into action, packing all the clothes she could find into a suitcase she had found in Ann's closet. Ann went to the freezer. Sure enough, she found the bottle of whiskey she'd been looking for. She went to the bedroom and tossed it into the suitcase. Misa gave her a look that said she wasn't happy about the alcohol. "Trust me. I'll need that later." Ann muttered as she descended the stairs. Now that she had Misa's car and a bit more time she decided to take her entire knife collection. She opened the case and began carefully picking out her collectable knives. By the time she carried them all up the stairs Misa had almost her entire collection of clothes in either the suitcase or plastic bags from the grocery store.

An also selected several of her favorite movies and books before pulling her flat screen off the wall and sliding it out into the hallway. No way in hell would she be deserted with nothing to do.

Once that was finished she helped Misa carry the various bags and boxes to the hall then locked the door behind her. The two cops that had stayed behind were giving the pile of bags and boxes a wary look. Ann smiled at them sweetly. She caught one give a sigh before they began loading up with her stuff. With their help they got everything down to Misa's car in one trip and had it loaded in just a few minutes.

After that she hopped on her bike and followed Misa to her second new apartment.

~Bruce~

It didn't take long for Bruce to realize that the police commission was stalling him for some reason or another. He was willing to bet it had something to do with Ann. After finally losing his patience with the man and leaving against his protests he tried her phone. It rang twice before going to voicemail. Meaning she didn't want to talk. When he made it to Ann's apartment only to find her bike gone he headed back to his mansion. No point bothering in going upstairs if she wasn't there.

Once back at his home he discovered she wasn't there either. He had figured she would come back just so she could have some place to hold up and be alone with herself. She had obviously found another place to comfort herself. It was odd. He was hoping to be the one to comfort her. He tried her phone again and got the same response. Then he remembered her letter.

He pulled out the letter and began to read her so carefully chosen words. The paper crumpled in his hands before falling to the floor.

The end.

Please read the sequel. ~Broken: Unyielding Beast~

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