Okay, so, I don't have much of an explanation of why I've been gone for two years, but… just be glad that I've returned to this story again. My depression and anxiety had been at an all time high… but I just looked back and remembered how good I felt when I started the idea of this story. And I want so desperately to return to that feeling. So, here you are… Chapter 12 of Fearing Love.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Joker, Jonathan Crane, or any of the Batman Begins/The Dark Knight references that I make in this story.

Chapter 12: I Don't Want To Kill You

GCN News Report

We have breaking news for the citizens of Gotham City. The terrorizer of Gotham City has finally been captured. The one who goes by the name ' The Joker ' was captured last night by once thought dead Detective James Gordon. Now, resources tell us that Gordon faked his death at the memorial service for Commissioner Loeb after a devastating attack by who we may know as the 'goons' under The Joker's command. Detective Gordon and the police force are currently holding him in county, trying to determine the origins of this sick individual. We at Gotham City News cannot tell the future for our city, but for now, we can say that the clown prince of crime is gone from the streets. And hopefully, we can all sleep a little bit more soundly tonight. And with that, we wish you a goodnight. And stay safe.

Angela's POV

I was sitting in front of a broken, finger-print smudged mirror that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. I wasn't thinking of why there was a mirror in the break room of this run-down warehouse that the Joker decided to keep his clowns hidden in, nor was I thinking about the noise that was coming from the television. I wasn't thinking of my mother, who may be dying to reach me by now. It felt like it had been a week since I had last spoken to her, and she might be sending out an Amber Alert by now. My mother was so fucking stupid. I had no time to think about her. All I could think about was how my brother and I could escape from the clutches and spell that this circus freak had casted on the both of us.

"In other news… We have here Coleman Reese from Wayne Enterprises. He is the trust fund number holders for the company. Now, Mr. Reese, I hear that you may have some spectacular news for the folks watching at home. Can you reiterate that for the audience?"

I felt a certain shift in the room. The fact that an employee at Bruce Wayne's company was bold enough to come on to a news channel was incredible. With certain news that was never discussed by a billionaire's employee without that said billionaire present? Now, this had to be interesting. I immediately turned around after the thoughts of my own troubled mind were forced to be quiet.

"Do you think he's going to spill the beans about the corruption under Wayne Enterprises?" said one goon. Another one that was standing behind the couch spoke up afterwards, "Oh, yeah. This is some juicy shit".

I sat there staring anxiously at the television, until a certain motion caught the corner of my eye. My brother was giving me a look that could cut through even the most pretentious individual. He mouthed a few words to me that I didn't quite understand. I looked back up to the screen as I heard the haunting voice that had been infesting my dreams.

"I had a vision… with a world without Batman…"

I stood up from my chair in front of that broken mirror, and stood beside my brother. I felt his hand secretly grab on to mine.

"The mob ground out a little profit and the police tried to shut them down….One block at a time."

A squeeze was felt and I glanced down towards Jake, who had a single tear flowing down from his unswollen eyes, down his cheek. I turned my attention by to the televiosn.

"And it was so… boring. I don't want Mr. Reese spoiling everything, but why should I have all the fun?! Let's give someone else a chance…."

All the goons in the break room, who obviously knew it was their boss on the call line, stood up as those words echoed.

"If Coleman Reese isn't dead… in sixty minutes… I'll blow up a hospital."

A burst of laughter and cheer exploded in the room, and I snapped towards my brother. He was cheering with the goons, but I could see the pain in his eyes as he looked back towards me. This wasn't the real him. I knew that.

So… I started to clap my hands together.

Jonathan's Pov

Like every other night, I was lying in my bed. Unable to sleep, like usual. The TV screen was bright enough to light the entire room. I had my laptop in front of me, stalking Angela's social media pages like usual.

'You're beginning to frighten even me, Johnny-boy, with your obsession with this girl. What's so special about her?" Scarecrow grumbled in slight annoyance.

"Perhaps there are a few facts that I know that you don't. I don't have to share everything with you."

'Me, your subconscious? How is it possible that you could hide things from me? I. Am. You.'

"I have my ways."

Then, something caught my attention on the television. This was just what I had been waiting to see.

Breaking news has just hit the scene. The Joker, who was thought to have been locked up in County, has just broken loose from the grasp of the Gotham City Police Department. Resources are telling us that he had asked for his mandatory phone call. The police department were resistant in this request, but with being under oath to abide by the law, they allowed him his one phone call. Little be known to the department, there was another inmate who had a cell phone surgically inputted inside of his abdomen, exploding at the very second the mad clown had made his one phone call. The inside of county was blown to smithereens, killing half of the staff inside of the building. What we know now, is that the Joker is now out and about again on the streets of Gotham. Stay inside at all times. Lock your doors. And may God be with you all.

A sly smile crept across my lips. This was the best thing I could have hoped for. I wanted him for myself, and no one else could stand in my way of getting to him now. He may have thought that he was untouchable… but not with Jonathan Crane watching his every move.

A buzzing suddenly came out of my front suit pocket. I reached inside, looked at the screen beaming at me in the middle of the darkness. Arkham Asylum Front Office.

I groaned for a few moments before Scarecrow invaded my thoughts once again… typical.

'Maybe they captured clown boy It would make it so much easier on the both of us.'

I sighed deeply. "If only… I'd love to do a few experiments on him.. And I won't be merciful." I said with a chuckle.

I answered the phone.

"Jonathan Crane."

The familiar voice of Pearl, the front desk agent for Arkham, spoke in an urgent tone.

"Dr. Crane… We have a few new additions to the patient list… You're… going to want to come down here ASAP."

"Pearl… Do you know what time it is?" I growled into the phone.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Crane, but… It has to do with The Joker."

I sat up in my bed, wiping the sleep from my eyes, even though I hadn't been asleep. Not with the demon in my mind.

'What did I tell ya, Johnny-boy!' His laugh echoed in my mind.

"Did you capture him?" I asked.

"No, sir, just a few of his goons. However, I think that you could probably… convince them to tell us where we can find him."

Pearl was a good front desk receptionist. She was kind, but… she was too naïve. She didn't know what kinds of things I did with my patients… Nor, would she ever find out.

"I'll be there in twenty."

I hung up, ripped the covers off of me, and dressed quickly in my typical brown suit. I ignored putting on my tie as I grabbed my old friend from the bottom drawer of my dresser and stuffed the mask in my briefcase.

"We're getting closer, Scarecrow… I'm going to get Angela back. She's. Mine." I shut the briefcase, snapped it closed and shuffled out of the door.

Angela's POV

The claps and cheers from the goons sent chills down my spine. I felt my brother's grasp disappear as I heard him clap along with them. I furrowed my brows, giving him a scowl. He gave me a nudge and cleared his throat. I noticed that a few of the goons were staring at me, probably wondering why I wasn't joining in on the celebration.

And then… I started clapping and jeering with them. But, I could feel tears well up in my eyes as the painful gut feeling of guilt punched me with no mercy. What the fuck have I gotten myself into? What the fuck is Jake thinking working for this fiend?

"It's time." Jake leaned over and whispered to me. He handed me a makeup pallet of grease paint and led me back over to the broken vanity.

"Put on your happy face, Angie." He pushed me down into my seat, making me spew out a small yelp. I looked up at him, trying my best to dry my burning eyes.

"You… You have to prove yourself to us, Angie." Jake said, his voice breaking. He looked down at me, and I could hardly recognize the brother that I knew. However, the wink and the small smirk he gave had given me a small glimmer of hope.

He slapped a hand onto my shoulder and squeezed it, but not too gently as to show the others that he had no sympathy towards me, even though I knew he did.

"We leave in ten minutes. Hurry up."

I couldn't look away from the mirror. The missing pieces of the glass seemed to reflect what was going on inside of myself. Jonathan had a piece, The Joker had a piece, and now… Jake had a piece. I had to find a way to put the pieces back together.

And I started by smearing the white grease paint on my face.

Joker's POV

The chuckles of glee echo throughout the warehouse, feeling like I had everything in my control. The flames from the pile of money burning surrounded me and my goons. This is exactly how I planned on everything going. Putting forward a persona of a mad man not having a fucking clue for what I planned on doing next made everything go according to my plan. The mob was done for. Next on my list was the white knight of Gotham; Harvey Dent. If he would fall and crumble to the level that he and his band on their high horses were so desperate to keep away from and to smash in their greedy little hands, then there would be no point in Batman and his little schemes to get rid of me. However, I didn't want this to go down too easily. Dancing around in the pale moonlight with the Bat was just way too much fun.

"Get our new TEAM members into the van. I've got to change into my new dreads."

One of the former mob members struggled from the grip from one of my goons. With each grunt and struggle to free himself, it only made me chuckle and giggle with great delight.

"The Batman will find you. And he will make sure you're locked up for the rest of your pathetic, fucking waste of a life."

Before I put the gun in my waist, I turned around leisurely towards the scum that stood in front of me.

"Last time I checked… The Batman was looking for you and your crime regime. But, guess what? I beat him to the chase. And you know why?" I stalked up towards the miscreant, and grabbed the back of his head so his face was touching mine. "I want him to find you. And once he finds you… he'll find me." I grinned widely and pushed him away strenuously and waved my hand towards my goons to take him away.

"Load up the van. It's time to take action."

Angela's POV

I was putting on the finishing touches of the burning grease paint that I could feel literally tearing at my skin. I didn't dare take it off. I could withstand a burn on my face if it meant that I had a slight chance of freedom. From The Joker and from Jonathan.

"Get your ass in here, blondie!" A goon bellowed into the room, snapping me out of my thoughts while I was staring at myself into my soul through my eyes in the broken mirror. What imagery. There were no tears, only a look of determination and strength.

The goon went to grip onto my arm, but Jake stepped in swiftly and pushed him out of the way. "No. I'm going to take her, boss' orders. I'm the only one he trusts with her."

The goon scoffed, gave him the bird, and walked in front of us to the garage door. He pushed a button that slowly made the door creak as it rose, revealing the first sight of sunlight I had in seen in… I wasn't sure how long. Time didn't mean much to me anymore. It made sense that the Joker would plan a heist in the middle of the day. It seemed to me that he was afraid of the Batman, even though he didn't want it to seem that way. I had the curse of reading people. It's the one singular part of me that got me in trouble with Jonathan.

It didn't take us long to get to the back of Gotham General Hospital. I guess we had gotten there before the parade of law enforcement arrived, but I knew that we only had limited time before that would change.

As soon as the van stopped, each goon stepped out with the quickness of race dogs being released on a track. With being stuck in the trunk, I had no way of getting out. However, I saw a small opening behind the back seat. I looked out of the window cunningly, watching the clowns skip towards the back of the hospital, disappearing into the back doors. Once I saw that there were no goons in sight, I decided to take a leap of faith, quite literally. I pushed myself up and attempted to slip from the trunk, to the back seat where I could see the van door still open. However, I was interrupted with the sound of the trunk opening. My heart seemed like it was going to jump out of my throat. I was met with a goon, staring at me intently through the eyeholes of his mask.

He then lifted the mask slightly, placing it on his forehead. It was Jake.

"Oh, thank fuck. Jesus, Jake, you scared the piss out of me."

"No time to talk. Get out. There are buses pulling up in the front of the hospital. I've checked the area. I'm positive that the coast is clear. Go get in one. Get outta here."

I hesitated for a moment, shaking my head. "No. I'm not leaving without you."

"Well, you don't have a fucking choice." He gripped onto my arm so hard that I could feel the bruises forming immediately.

"Jake! Fuck!"

"Shut the fuck up, Angie! Do you want them to hear you? I'm trying to help you."

"Come with me, Jake!"

"I… can't. I made a promise."

I stood there, frozen by his piercing words. "Are you fucking kidding me? You'd rather work with that psycho than have a chance at freedom? Who the fuck are you?"

Jake loosened his grip on my arm, and then placed his other hand on me.

"Listen to me… It's too much to explain in such a short amount of time. I wish I could… but, I just can't. But, I promise. This won't be the last time I see you. You'll know the truth soon, Angie."

I could see the sincerity in his eyes. I trusted my brother with everything within me. I bit my bottom lip, and nodded my head. I stretched myself out to him for a quick embrace, which I wished could have lasted forever. But, I knew that I had to trust him. I knew that I had to take a chance at my freedom, and hopefully, his as well.

I nodded my head once, and pecked him on the cheek, and ran towards a bus that was already filling up with patients from the hospital. I snuck in the back entrance of the bus, and sat underneath one of the backseats so that no one would notice that a girl with clown makeup was on board. I quickly ripped a piece of my T-Shirt and started to wipe off the clown makeup as best as I could.

I didn't believe in a higher power, but if by the slim chance that there might be one, I prayed to it. I prayed that my brother would be safe. I prayed for a successful escape.

As more patients were loaded into the bus, I crumbled myself into the tightest ball underneath the seat as I could. Breathing was for the weak.

Suddenly, I felt a rumble underneath myself, and a bright red light leaking from the back window of the bus. He did it. I blew up the fucking hospital, the heartless bastard.

"Go! Go! Go!" I heard a man scream from the front of the bus.

"We haven't gotten all the patients we were assigned to, sir!" Another man said.

"It's too late! The hospital is gone. It's been blown to smithereens. We've got to take whoever we have an take them to the next nearest hospital."

Suddenly, the back door opened and slammed shut. Apparently I was the only one who heard it, because the bus began to move forward.

I felt someone sit in the seat above me. I covered my mouth, so my gasp wouldn't be heard. The claustrophobia from my childhood began to creep back, as my heart started to beat as fast as a bullet. My claustrophobia would took the backseat in my worries when I looked down at the floor at the pair of shoes that were in front of me. The brown, grimy, dress shoes that were burned into my memory were staring at me right in the face.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK

Out of all of the busses I could have climbed on… That HE could have climbed on.

I was on the ride to my death.