An Unhealthy Obsession

CH 3: All the World Loves a Smile

When Rachel awoke from her temporary slumber, she found herself sitting in a cold, unbearably dark and dingy room. She could see outlines of boxes and used furniture, but nothing definite, a wince tearing across her face when she discovered that she was bound securely to her chair.

Peering out into the darkness, Rachel moved to call out for help when the lights snapped on, a scream escaping her lips when she discovered the Joker leering at her from the other side of the table.

"Hello, beautiful" he greeted.

Positively stunned, Rachel stared back at his grotesquely made-up face in mute horror, her eyes taking in his lopsided grin as he rose and began swaggering toward the other side of the room. It was a walk of confidence, she noted -- a walk that suggested he was a man fully aware of the fact that he'd always get what he wanted. In a way, he reminded her of a giddy child with his actions, his dark eyes cutting towards her like a shark's as he gave an amused cackle. "Why so serious, dollface? You not into bondage like the media led me to believe?"

Clearly not amused, Rachel scowled at him before snapping, "Look, you didn't have to tie me up if all you wanted to do was chat -- a simple phone call or email would've sufficed."

Wrong answer. Storming toward her with a startling amount of agility, the Joker seized Rachel by the chin before flicking his blade against the svelte curve of her lips, a grotesque grin stretching his scars as he purred, "You have quite the mouth on you this evening, Miss Dawes. Hasn't your mother ever told you to wait your turn?" When Rachel squirmed within his grasp, he chuckled before tracing the blade along the soft expanse of her lips, his soulless eyes burning into her own as he revealed, "It'd be a real shame if I had to destroy that pretty little mouth of yours...you really do need to smile though, Miss Dawes. The world just loves a smile."

Squeezing her eyes tightly closed, Rachel inwardly cursed as she felt warm, salty tears streaming down her cheeks in gentle gray splotches. She didn't want to reward this maniac by letting him see her pain, because she knew all too well that he thrived off it. From what she'd seen, the Joker viewed life as one big game for the taking, and she, herself had now become apart of the twisted 'amusement'.

Giving a mocking pout, the Joker rocked forward on his elbows before cooing, "There, there, don't cry, Miss Dawes...I'm sure Batboy or one of your other patsies will come and save the day."

"What do you want from me?" Rachel miserably choked out. "Money? Because if you let me go, I can take you to the bank right now."

With a whoop of a laugh, the Joker pushed himself away from the table before shaking his head, his finger wagging back and forth as he argued, "Money? Nuh-uh, that'd be way too easy, yet that seems to be all you people can think about these days. Money, money, money...you're all just a buncha selfish bastards fighting through life for a slip of green paper. Crazy much?" Cackling at the bemused look on Rachel's face, he held his arms out while insisting, "I tell the truth like it is, Miss Dawes, and seeing your reaction to said truth is partly why I brought you here. Although I primarily like to see people suffer, I also like to find out what makes them tick...what makes them behave the way they do." Swabbing his scars with his tongue, the Joker leaned in closely before asking, "What makes you tick, Miss Dawes? Money? Fame?" Smirking, he added, "Or perhaps love? I recall the Batman rescuing you at that party, after all, so I'm no fool."

Rachel scowled. "And what motivates you, Joker? You've killed hundreds upon thousands of innocent civilians, yet your bloodlust just never seems to be satisfied! What is it that you're after?"

The Joker snorted. "There is no innocence, Miss Dawes -- just the fact that innocents are allowed to be killed in the first place proves it. Why bother protecting a lie?"

"You're a monster" Rachel seethed. "How can you possibly live with yourself when you're constantly changing the fates of so many?"

"Well according to your God, fate is already preordained -- I'm just helping to carry out the master plan" the Joker smugly revealed. "In fact, you could almost go as far to say that I'm balancing out the natural food chain of life. Something has to hunt down mankind, after all, so why not me?"

As Rachel listened to the Joker ramble on, a distinct chill shot down her spine like liquid ice. Although his reasoning was frightfully misguided, she found something strangely fascinating about his mannerisms and method of speech. He clearly loved death and destruction, but why? Did he truly have a legitimate reason, or was he just one of those dark individuals who loved to see the world fall on its knees?

"Miss Dawes?"

Immediately looking up, Rachel gave a start when she discovered that the Joker's face was mere inches from her own, his warm breath blowing in soft wisps along her cheeks as he dipped his head toward her ear. "Wanna see a trick?" he purred. "In just moments, I can make your bindings disappear...I'd hate to keep you imprisoned when you're already a slave to humanity, after all."

Before Rachel could even think to give a cold retort, she felt the ropes about her midsection go completely slack. With comically wide eyes, she watched on as the Joker tossed the bindings off to the side, a grin cracking his scarred lips as he mused, "What, you thought I was gonna kill ya?" He immediately shook his head. "Nuh-uh, no fun in that...what's the point of having a game when it ends the moment you start playing?"

Rachel gazed up at him in shock. "A-a game? What do you...?"

"Pleasant dreams!"

With the speed of a panther, the Joker struck Rachel with the butt of his blade before she slumped forward onto the table, the masked lunatic's laughter being the last thing she heard before she completely blacked out.

--

"Rachel? Rachel? Oh, thank God, you've come back to me!"

With a groan, the attorney slowly opened her eyes and gazed upon Harvey's concerned features, her face twisting in confusion as she asked, "W-what are we doing at the police station? How were you even able to find me?"

"Shh, just lie down" Harvey urged, his hands gently pressing on her shoulders as he forced her back against the couch. Brushing a stray lock of hair from her eyes, he firmly ordered, "You just concentrate on getting well again, alright? You leave the Joker and his shenanigans to us."

"But Harvey, I'm fine!" Rachel argued, her temper flaring as she stubbornly pushed him out of the way. "In case you don't remember, I was kidnapped by that madman, and I'm not about to stand back without getting any answers!"

Harvey sighed. He was fully aware that arguing with Rachel was like diving headfirst into a tank of sharks, so it was with severe reluctance that he finally agreed, "Alright, alright, fine...we were able to find you because the Joker left us clues in your office. He obviously wasn't at the warehouse when we arrived, but once there, we were able to find you and bring you back to safety." Scratching the back of his head, he sheepishly admitted, "I don't think I'll ever truly understand why he did that, but God knows I'm not complaining."

"It's because it's all a game" Rachel realized aloud, her blood growing cold as she gazed up into Harvey's curious eyes. "Whether you want to accept it or not, I'm the Joker's latest pawn of amusement."

Harvey blanched. "That's it, I'm calling security -- you're going to be escorted straight home and watched around the clock." Turning to talk into his cell phone, he ignored Rachel's vehement protests as he made the proper arrangements.

When he'd finally finished the call, Rachel folded her arms before snapping, "I'm not a child anymore, you know. Last time I checked, I was fully capable of taking care of myself without having security watching my every move. What's next, are they going to start escorting me to the bathroom, too?"

"Dammit, Rachel, this is for your own good! Or did you forget that you'd been outsmarted by a clown?" Harvey seethed.

"But for what cost?" Rachel promptly shot back. "Harvey, I don't want to live my life in fear just because some maniac is trying to mess with my mind! You may be willing to let him win, but I'm not!" Rubbing her face amidst her stress, she shrugged her shoulders before acknowledging, "You know what? Just forget about it. I'll let your stupid bodyguards take me home, and then I can entertain them for hours and hours by twiddling my thumbs 'til daylight. Sound good?"

Harvey sighed. "Rachel, I just want you to be safe..."

"I know" she reluctantly admitted. "I'm sorry..."

Leaning over to give her boyfriend a hug, Rachel closed her eyes as she realized her mulish nature might very well get her killed.

--

"And you're sure you'll be alright?"

Rachel sighed dramatically. "Yes, Carter, for the thousandth time, yes! I appreciate your unabashed concern and all, but I really think you should just get some sleep."

The heavyset bodyguard gave her a reproachful look, but he bowed his head in defeat before nodding. "Alright, alright" he agreed, "where do ya want me?"

"Second room on the left...it's by the bathroom, so you can't miss it."

As Rachel watched Carter lumber his way down the mini corridor, she smiled to herself in accomplishment before retrieving the remote. "Well, that's one monkey off my back" she cheerily mused. Flicking the TV on to her favorite station, she sat back in her chair and got comfortable as a commercial for Nutrisystem flitted across the screen. "That is so fake, and so are those woman's boobs" she grumbled. Rolling her eyes, she moved to change the channel when the station suddenly went completely blank. Checking the other channels to see if they were having similar problems, Rachel gave a groan when she discovered station upon station of snowy static. "Great" she muttered, "this is just what I needed."

When Rachel moved to turn off the TV, she gave a cry the moment the Joker's face garishly flashed across the screen.

"Well hello there, Gotham" he greeted, his free hand steadying his camcorder as he gave a mocking wave. "I know everyone's trying to watch the latest episode of Desperate Housewives, so I promise I'll make this brief: Rachel Dawes and I started a game earlier this evening, and I have every intention of finishing it." Now moving the camera in a violent blur of color, the Joker centered in on a small boy before revealing, "This is little Jimmy Stein...his parents are probably wondering where he is by now, but thanks to the wonders of television, they can now be rest assured that he's finally in good hands." A loud cackle sounded in accordance with this joke, but the child began to cry and hide his face. Indistinct muttering could be heard after this action, which was immediately followed by shouts for the boy to be quiet.

As Rachel fearfully watched on, the Joker centered the camera back on himself before licking his lips, a grin stretching his face as he giddily sustained, "Anywhos, I can assure you that the first part of our game is completely simple, Miss Dawes -- wouldn't want to overtax your sanity, after all." Suppressing a giggle, the Joker eagerly continued, "The proposition is this, my pet: you put a bullet in Harvey Dent's head in exchange for this lousy brat's life. You have until 1 A.M. to kill Harvey, and when you finish the job, I expect you to bring proof to the warehouse on Laburnum Avenue. If any one shows up besides Rachel, I kill the kid...if Rachel doesn't show up, I kill the kid. Simple? I thought so, too."

Click.

In that instant, the channel went back to its proper broadcasting schedule, Rachel feeling violently ill as she staggered up to her feet and rushed for the gun in her desk. As she checked for ammunition, she frantically wondered, 'Is there any way to kill Harvey without actually killing him? I could never harm him, but if that boy dies, I won't be able to live with myself!'

Pocketing the revolver, Rachel narrowed her eyes as she determinedly exited her apartment and entered the soft blanket of night, her lungs exhaling deeply as she finally decided what it was she must do.