AUTHOR'S NOTE - I will warn for graphic violence in the chapter ahead. I would also like to mention that if you're into listening to music while reading I HIGHLY suggest listening to "In The House, In a Hearbeat" by John Murphy from 28 Days Later as well as "28 Theme" by John Murphy from 28 Weeks Later and they fit quite nicely and were what I listened to the entire time writing this chapter. Happy reading. : )

Batman scrambled to get up as Joker quickly strode towards the building diagonal from them. He had to admit the clown was fast and wasn't phased by much. He thought he was numb to a lot of things, but he suspected The Joker was even more detached to pain than he was. He picked himself up off the ground and quickened his pace to meet up with The Joker who was almost at the entrance of the building now and was humming to himself.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

The Joker abruptly stopped his humming and turned to face Batman. "I'm, ah, I'm going in there to get my girl back, Bats."

"You're not going in there alone."

The Joker laughed. "I don't need a chaperone."

Batman stepped closer to The Joker, locking his eyes on his. "You know I won't let you go alone. I have to make sure she's safe. As much as I hate it, we're in this together."

The Joker clenched his jaw and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "No. We're not. I work alone. And, uh, incase you weren't listening I said I was going in there to save my girl. She's mine, Bruce. Make no mistake about that. She. Is. Mine. And, ah, whatever happens tonight right here? Not going to change a fucking thing. So don't think you can go in there and play hero and she'll go home with you. You touch her again and I will kill you right along with that slime Schiff."

Batman clenched his fists. So that's how this was going to be. The Joker just planned on waltzing in there, taking Angeline, and killing Schiff. No. He couldn't let that happen. He didn't have the right to sentence anyone to death, even the worst of criminals, especially the one standing before him. He had to follow this through now to make sure he saved the lives of two people. Despite hurting the woman he loved, it was up to him to sentence Schiff to death or take revenge. Schiff belonged exactly where The Joker belonged; in Arkham.

"I will make sure she gets out of here safe. Nobody will die tonight."

The Joker grinned, baring his teeth. "We'll see about that. We'll see. You, ah, you have your rules, but I don't."

Batman kept his eyes on The Joker, his face unchanging. Tonight was going to be harder than he thought. So much was at stake. Yes, he had his rules and this was why. If he didn't have rules he would be the man standing in front of him. He had been right, killing was merely a choice and if he ever made that choice there would be no going back for him. He would be no better than The Joker. This was what separated them and what made them who they were. They would always be enemies, but for right now they had to work together to save her. He had to make sure she was safe and he had to do what's right.

The Joker turned away from Batman and started heading towards the opening of the building again. It was only a few moments before he heard Batman's footsteps following behind him. It also wasn't long before he stepped in a small puddle of liquid on the ground. He flared his nostrils and bit down on his lip. Shit. Gasoline. Well, that certainly made things a lot more interesting, didn't it?

Gliding over to the stairs and climbing up to the first ledge, he stopped and turned back towards Batman. "Y'know, I'm, ah, I'm thinking it might be best if you let me in there first."

"I'm not letting you kill him."

He grinned. "You… You are such a prude, aren't you? Listen, I want in there first because it's, uh, it's me he wants. Not you. Not her. So, ah, let him have me. And, uh, whatever happens… happens."

Before Batman could reply The Joker began running up the stairs, taking them two to three at a time. He hurried after him for over a dozen more floors, his adrenaline kicking in and his breath coming out in huffs. Finally, The Joker stopped climbing the stairs and entered a dark hallway. He stayed back, planning to let him go in first, but keeping close behind. He had no intentions of letting him kill anyone tonight.

Walking quietly down the hall, The Joker could hear his own heartbeat and breath as he searched for the right door. He licked his dry lips and reached inside of his coat pocket for his favorite knife. He drew the blade out, gripping its handle as he walked to a door on the left side of the hallway. He placed his ear close to the door, listening. He heard light crying and felt all his nerves on fire. Angel.

He turned the knob on the door, feeling shocked as it opened in front of him. He stepped into the room, his eyes searching every inch of the space with his knife gripped tightly in his hand. His eyes quickly fell on her, still watching his surroundings for Schiff. She was tied to a chair, facing the window where you could still see the smoke and flames from the building they had previously been in. He quickly and quietly made his way over to her, kneeling down to work on cutting her free of her bindings. He drew his lips close to her ear, his voice coming out in a whisper as she tensed, "Shh. It's ok. I'm, uh, I'm going to get you out of here, Angel."

Tears of relief streamed down her face. "Jack? Oh god. You're alive. I thought… I thought you were dead."

A smile spread across his red-painted lips. "No. Not yet."

As soon as her bindings were cut she threw her arms around him, breathing in his scent. Always a strange mixture of gunpowder, gasoline, and grease paint. She felt his arms tighten safely around her. She loosened her arms to turn her head up and place her lips against his. When she opened her eyes his dark eyes were on her.

"Did he hurt you, Angel?"

She shook her head. "Jack, I'm fine. I thought you were dead. I saw the explosion. I saw…"

At that moment her heart sunk into her stomach. Bruce. Her eyes searched the room and saw nothing. It was just Jack. Which meant… No. No, it can't be.

"He's fine, Angel," he whispered. "Bruce is just fine."

He watched as the look on her face went from relief to confusion. He sent his tongue out along his lips and then clicked it against the roof of his mouth, his eyes locked on hers. "Y'know, Angel you probably should have told me that, ah, that you've been shacking up with Batman."

She stammered, shocked that he had found out and unsure of what to say to him. "Jack, I…"

"We'll talk about that later, sweetness. Right now I've got to focus. Gotta get you out of here."

Her heart sunk again. Schiff was still here. They were all still in danger. "He's still here."

He nodded, standing up. He lifted her to him, feeling how weak she was in his arms. "I know he is. And, ah, he's got the building rigged, so I need you to listen to me and listen very carefully," he placed one hand on her cheek, locking eyes with her. "I'm not going to let him hurt you. Not anymore. Now, any minute now Batman will be coming in here and I want you to go with him. Let him take you out of this building and, ah, get you as far away from here as possible."

She felt the tears stinging her eyes and she gripped onto him tighter, shaking her head. "No, Jack. No. I won't. I can't leave you. I…"

"No. You will. I need to make sure you're ok, Angel and as much as I hate it I know you'll be safe with him. And, uh, I can't be worrying about you."

"Jack, what are you planning on doing? Why can't we just leave now, together?"

He bit down on the scars inside his cheeks, sucking in a deep breath. "You know I can't let him get away with this. I have to finish things and I have to finish them my way, Angel. I'm not going to stand here and let Batman cart him or, ah, or me off to Arkham. That's not how this ends. That's not justice."

She choked back the lump in her throat and looked into his eyes, pleading with him. "Jack, please. There's got to be another way…"

"Well isn't this a pretty picture…"

They both turned at the sound of his voice. He stood in the middle of the room holding a gun in his shaky hand at them. His lips were twitching and beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. The arm that Angeline had managed to hit was still bleeding and obviously unusable to him. She could feel Jack tense up as Schiff moved closer to them. He quickly maneuvered her safely behind him.

"A gun, Schiff? After everything I've taught you? After all you should have, uh, should have learned you're going to choose to kill me with a gun?"

Schiff winced before letting his hiccup-like laughter escape. "Kill you? No. N-no. I want to k-kill her."

The Joker's lips curled back into an angry snarl. "You're not going to touch another fucking hair on her head."

His lips were twitching even more and the sweat began to drip from his forehead. "H-have to. I h-have to k-kill her, b-boss."

"Put the gun down. You don't want to do this."

Schiff turned around to see Batman in the doorway. He looked from Batman back to Joker. "W-what is this? Y-you've got the Batman working with you now? Y-you've gone soft. L-look what she's done to you. She's ruined you."

The Joker growled, annoyed. "He's not working with me you fucking moron. He's here for her."

"Just put the gun down. We can end this right now."

Schiff turned back to Batman, the gun still clenched tight in his shaky hand. "End this? H-how? What are you going to d-do? Put me in Arkham? So they c-can cure me? No. N-no. I w-won't go back. I don't want to."

As Batman stepped closer to Schiff, he shot the gun off in his direction, the bullet missing as he dodged out of the way, falling to the ground. Another shot fired off hitting the glass window behind them. When the first shot went off Joker threw Angeline to the ground and secured himself on top of her. He looked over at Batman and back down to Angeline. God, he hated to do this, but it was the only way he could make sure she was safe. The only way to end this.

He stood up, knife still in hand. "Change of plans, Bats. Why don't you take Angeline and get a good head start out of here, hm?"

Batman scrambled up off the floor, looking first at Angeline whose eyes were clouded with tears and then at The Joker who stood looking deadly serious at him. What was he doing? He wanted him to get Angeline out of here so he could be free to do what he wanted with Schiff; so he didn't have to pay the consequences. No. He couldn't let him get away with murder. Still, every impulse in him was telling him to grab Angeline and get her to safety. His emotions were clouding his judgment.

"Did I not say it loud enough?" His voice was raised now, a deep throaty yell. "Take her. Now. Get out of here!"

Batman hesitated as he watched The Joker move away from Angeline. Angeline instinctively started to go after The Joker and in his peripheral vision he saw Schiff point his gun at her. As he moved to grab Angeline in his arms, Joker moved to throw his knife in Schiff's direction. As Batman wrapped one arm securely around Angeline who was struggling to get free he heard Schiff cry out in pain. The last thing he saw before he made the decision to jump out of the window was The Joker stalking towards Schiff, the blade of his knife embedded in his arm.

As soon as he saw Batman move for her, The Joker shut off his mind. He was acting now on pure instinct and adrenaline. There were no feelings or worries to cloud his mind now. He didn't even turn to look as he heard her screams falling out the window. Instead he stalked forward, licking his lips excitedly as he watched the fresh blood flow from the knife wound in Schiff's arm.

When the knife hit deep into his arm, Schiff had dropped the gun to the floor in pain. He was unarmed. Unarmed and defenseless as The Joker walked closer to him, murder evident in his eyes. Then it hit him, he had one last defense. "B-building's rigged."

The Joker pushed him up against a wall, grinning wildly as he slowly pulled the knife out of his arm. He delighted in the screams of pain that followed. "Oh, I know. You thought I wasn't, uh, wasn't paying attention, but I was. I always am. And, ah, I taught you well, didn't I?"

Before he had a chance to reply The Joker threw him to the floor, straddling him. He had one hand at his throat and the other still held the knife, inches from his face. He winced as blood dripped off the blade and splashed onto his cheek.

"What did you think, huh? Did you think I would be proud of you for this? Did you think that I would commend you for your work, let you kill her and give you a pat on the back? You. Don't. Know. Anything."

Schiff began shaking under The Joker. He knew he was going to die. Knew what was coming for him as he the blood continued to drip onto his face. This is what he had wanted all along; to be noticed. He managed to choke one more sentence out, "F-five minutes."

The Joker grinned, sticking his purple-gloved fingers inside Schiff's mouth, holding his jaw wide open. "Perfect. That's just enough time for me to teach you just one more lesson. So, ah, listen real closely to this one, ok? It's real important."

He looked into Schiff's frightened wide eyes, drowning out his muffled cries, and he reached further into his mouth, grabbing onto his tongue. His wrist pressed down with enough force to keep his mouth open. He drew his knife to his tongue, letting the still warm and bloodied blade touch against the wet sensitive flesh. "Don't ever fuck with me. You will die. And it will hurt."

With a quick flick of his wrist, as he looked into his eyes, he drug the knife through his tongue. He never broke eye contact as the flesh tore in half and blood quickly pooled into his mouth, his whimpering cries becoming horribly gurgled. He slipped his knife away, watching still as the blood flowed out of his mouth and pooled around him on the floor. He felt his body struggling under him. It wasn't long before the gurgled cries stopped. He watched closely as the light left his wide, tear filled eyes. He couldn't breathe anymore, drowned in his own blood.

The Joker took his knife and wiped the blade clean along Schiff's shirt. He stood, tucking the knife back into his coat pocket, and straightened his tie. He looked down at the mess on the floor, grinning. "F-fixed your stutter."

He turned away, walking towards the window, the first signs of morning showing in the Gotham sky. He laughed to himself, breathing in a breath of fresh air tinted with the smell of smoke from the burning building across the street. He felt calm and he felt elated. The city was still his and he still had power. He wasn't soft. He was stronger. And he was determined to have all that was his.

Angeline screamed as she felt herself and Batman falling through the air to the ground. Before they hit the ground he grabbed something from his belt, launching it into the air and they stopped above the ground before he eased them down. He was breathing heavily, his eyes locked on hers.

"Angeline… Are you, ok?"

She swallowed hard, shaking her head. "No, Bruce, I'm not. He's in there. That building is rigged. He's going to kill him, we have to go back."

He grabbed a hold of her as she struggled against him. "No, Angeline, we can't. We have to get away from this building before it blows."

She dug her heels into the ground, flailing against him as much as she could as he started to pull her away from the building. She wished the drugs hadn't made her so weak so she could fight back, though she knew she'd never win this fight. Still, she wished she could give it more. "Bruce! Stop! Please! We can't leave him! Let me go! Let. Me. Go!"

It pained him to watch her struggle like that for The Joker of all people. He hated to have to pull her away from there against her will, but he had to. He had to make sure she was safe. "I'm sorry, Angeline. I'm sorry."

He dragged her as she continued to struggle for a few blocks before she became too weak to fight back against him anymore. He picked her up and carried her, feeling horrible as she cried weakly in his arms. It's for the best. She's safe. That's all that matters.

Then, suddenly an explosion echoed loudly behind them. He turned with her still in his arms to see the building engulfed in flames and in ruins. He held tightly to her as she screamed, shaking in his arms.

"No! Nooo!"

"It's ok, Ange. Everything's going to be, ok."

She turned to look at him, choking back her sobs. "No, Bruce. Please. We have to go back. We have to find him."

He sighed. Maybe she was right. He started back towards the building, carrying her still. He expected they would get there and find The Joker standing there, the burning building behind him, with a big grin on his face. He was sure he had killed Schiff.

When they got near the building, he set Angeline down, looking around for any signs of The Joker. He saw nothing. He watched as she walked as near to the building as she could stand, the heat of the flames hitting her. "Jack! Jack, where are you?"

She frantically looked around for him. He had to be here. He had to be alive. He had to be. Her eyes fell on something shiny and familiar on the ground amidst the rubble. She bent down to pick it up, holding and turning it in her hand. It was his knife. And he was nowhere to be found. She looked up at the burning building in front of her, the knife still in her hand, and fell to her knees.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder and knew it wasn't Jack's. "Angeline, come on. We can't stay here."

She stared at the flames, clutching the knife harder in her hand. "No."

"Angeline, please. We have to go."

She let the tears fall from her eyes as she stood, knife still clutched in her hand, and faced Batman. "Why, Bruce? Why? Because he's dead? Is that why? Well, you got what you wanted, didn't you? You got exactly what you wanted. He's gone. The Joker is dead and here you stand. Always the fucking hero."

He froze, clenching his jaw at the sting of her words. "I didn't want this, Angeline. I never wanted this."

She laughed through her tears. "Neither did I, Bruce, but here we are."

He extended his hand for her. "Come on. Let me take you home."

She turned back to the burning building, looking around one more time. This whole mess was her fault. If it wasn't for her, he'd be here right now. It wasn't supposed to end like this. Still, she had a thought. He'd once thought she was dead and he never gave up on her. He found her. She smiled through her tears. She wouldn't give up on him either. As long as there was a chance, she would always keep looking for him. She'd keep looking, do whatever it took, until they were together again. This wasn't over.

AUTHOR'S FINAL NOTE -

So, after such a long break from this story, here it is - the FINAL chapter. I hadn't expected to make this the final chapter, but that is the way things work. And this worked perfectly. I would like to apologize for taking so long to update and I do apologize for the cliffhanger ending. However, I can tell you...sequel. There will be one. Just hold on tight for that one.

I would also like to thank EVERYONE who read, reviewed, added this to favorites, and added this to story alerts - you are all the best. Seriously. I hope you enjoyed this final chapter and I hope you enjoyed the entire story. Thank you for reading.

I would also like to dedicate this chapter to miss emopygmepuff - without her help you wouldn't be reading this chapter right now. Thank you so much for ALL of your help and ideas for this chapter and for this story's soon to come sequel. Thank you for all of your support through this entire story. You are a godsend and a truly great friend. You also know your Joker. : ) So a HUGE round of applause for you.

I would also like to thank Feels-Like-Paradise for her constant support of not just me, but of this story the entire way through. You've been a great friend and I cannot thank you enough for everything.

So, thank you again for reading. I hope you enjoyed it at least half as much as I loved writing it.

Yours Truly,

foxotr

The I'd Rather See You Dead Playlist (it's a long one as it took me a long time to write)

The entire Dark Knight Score

Run For Your Life by The BeatlesMad World - both the Michael Andrews/Gary Jules one from Donnie Darko and the original Tears for Fears version
Still Loving You by Scorpions
Your Ex-Lover is Dead (Final Fantasy) by Stars
Uninvited by Alanis Morissette
Let's Get Lost by Bat For Lashes & Beck
Cover Me by Candlebox
A Pain That I'm Used To by Depeche Mode
Suffer Well by Depeche Mode
Corrupt by Depeche Mode
Lie to Me by Devics
Heart and Hands by Devics
Do You Realize? by The Flaming Lips
Fade Together by Franz Ferdinand
Bleed Like Me by Garbage
Iris by Goo Goo Dolls
Slow Life by Grizzly Bear
Jealous Guy by John Lennon
Forever by Julien-K
Nothing Else Matters by Metallica
Eclipse (All Yours) (Acoustic) by Metric
Undisclosed Desires by Muse
Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd and the version by Rasputina
Where is My Mind? by The Pixies
Remedy by Seether
Someone Must Get Hurt by She Wants Revenge
True Romance by She Wants Revenge
She Will Always Be a Broken Girl by She Wants Revenge
Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge
Stripped by Shiny Toy Guns
Face to Face by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Vermillion, Pt. 2 by Slipknot
The Beginning is The End is The Beginning by The Smashing Pumpkins
Ava Adore by The Smashing Pumpkins
Take Me With You by VAST
Pretty When You Cry by VAST
Flames by VAST
Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve
I Want You (She's So Heavy) by The Beatles
Because by The Beatles
Run For Your Life by The Beatles
Send Me an Angel by Zeromancer
Wicked Game by Chris Isaac also I have the versions by Stone Sour (my favorite version) and Three Days Grace
Vespertilio, Nycteris, and Molossus from the score to Batman Begins
Enjoy the Silence (Harmonium), Enjoy the Silence (Reinterpretted), and Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode
Obsession (12" Remix) by Animotion
Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel as well as a version by Emiliana Torrini
Haunted (regular and Instrumental) by Unwoman
Don't Take Your Love Away From Me by VAST
Cold by The Cure
Sleep Alone by Bat For Lashes
Head Over Heels by Digital Daggers
Cut by Plumb
Bloodstream (Vampire Diaries Mix) by Stateless
Lady of My Dreams by VAST
Where it Never Rains by VAST
You Destroy Me by VAST
She Found Out by VAST
Lovesong by The Cure
I Alone by LIVE
E.S.T by White Lies
Farewell to The Fairground by White Lies
Ever Fallen In Love by Thea Gilmore as well as the Buzzcocks version
Casualties (instrumental) by Unwoman
Give Me Your Name by Dead By Sunrise
Fire by Dead By Sunrise
End Of The World by Dead By Sunrise
Stitches by Orgy
Want by The Cure
Hold On by Limp Bizkit
Violent Mood Swings (Thread Mix) by Stabbing Westward
Your Joy Is My Low by IAMX
I Should Have Known by Foo Fighters
Here by VAST
People are Strange by The Doors and the version by Echo and the Bunnymen
Dream is Collapsing, Dream Within a Dream, and Time from the score to Inception (another thank you to emopygmepuff for the suggestion)
I'll Try Not to Destroy You by Julien-K
Death to Analog by Julien-K
Closer by NIN
Save Yourself by Stabbing Westward
Come Closer (Beatles VS NIN mashup) by DJ Zebra
What Do I Have To Do by Stabbing Westward
Breathe You In by Stabbing Westward
MoMA: Sneaky by Danny Elfman
Up In Flames by She Wants Revenge
Not Just a Girl by She Wants Revenge
The Day The World Went Away (quiet version) by NIN
and 28 Theme (28 Weeks Later) and In The House, In a Hearbeat (28 Days Later) by John Murphy