An Unhealthy Obsession

A/N - Wow, I am OFFICIALLY spoiled. What on earth did I do to deserve you guys?? :) Seriously, I'm not used to getting a consistent amount of reviews each day, but it must be helping with my inspiration. This is record timing for me...four chapters in four days? Yeesh! lol And I decided to call this chapter "Pressure Points" since in my Intro to Horror class, we discussed how certain things in society were viewed as 'pressure points', aka kids being victims, animals being harmed, etc etc., so since this chapter has... -sigh- Well, I can't tell you since I'd spoil everything, so...I hope you enjoy, hehe. ;) And I hope my interpretation of the Joker is still good enough for you guys, because I'm afraid that I'll grow less and less in tune with his character since I haven't seen the movie since Sunday. :( Lordy, I wish that movie was out on DVD so I could study him! Is there any way to watch clips of the Joker online?? Gaah...

CH 4: Pressure Points

Feeling for her gun within the recesses of her pocket, Rachel cautiously began her trek up Laburnum Avenue in search of the ever-elusive Joker. He had gone way too far this time, and although she was frightened out of her wits, she was completely determined to put a stop to his madness.

Wary of the moon's revealing glow overhead, Rachel crept through the shadows until she reached the specified warehouse, a gasp escaping her lips the moment she heard a tremendous cackle from behind.

Promptly whirling around, Rachel winced when she caught sight of little Jimmy standing before her, warm tears streaming down his cheeks as his eyes pleaded with her to help him.

Holding out her hands in a placating gesture, she forced a smile to her lips as she whispered, "Hi there, sweetie, I'm here to bring you back to your parents... If you'll just give me your hands, I can untie you and take you home."

Jimmy immediately shook his head. "No, no, you can't!" he cried. "I don't wanna die, I don't!"

"But honey, what do you...?"

"He put a bomb on me" the child frantically cut in. "If you untie the ropes, he said he'd blow me up!"

Drawing a hand to her mouth in horror, Rachel moved to further comfort him when another horrible laugh echoed throughout the night air. Retrieving her gun, the attorney pivoted about so that she was aiming straight between the Joker's eyes, her brows knitting tightly together as she hissed, "Don't move."

"Well why would I move when I've finally found such a lovely home? Plenty of friends here, too" the Joker gibed. Twirling a detonator in between his spindly fingers, a large grin split his lips as he asked, "So where's Harvey, hm? Unless these eyes are deceiving me, he's not here at the moment...does that mean you've diced him into little pieces and have him stashed away in your pocket? I'll admit it's a little morbid for a beginner, but it's a start."

Rachel scowled. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're not the slightest bit funny? Two people's lives are on the line here, yet all you can think about is entertaining yourself!"

"Well this is a game, Miss Dawes" the Joker condescendingly reminded her. "In case you've already forgotten, part of the criteria was to come to this exact spot, so you don't seem to be too adverse to playing."

"And what other choice did I have?" Rachel demanded. "Do you honestly think I'd let you kill an innocent life without putting up a fight?"

"No" the Joker agreed, "which is exactly why I've selected you to play, Miss Dawes. Your sense of morals intrigue me to the point of morbid fascination, for who else would willingly put their life on the line for some brat they've never met?"

Rachel slowly lowered her gun, confusion scrawling out across her dainty features as she shook her head. "If you had half a heart to begin with, you'd understand it was the right thing to do... I've already lived a good portion of my life, but this little boy has just barely begun to live his own. Let him go, Joker...please."

Doubling over with mirth, the Joker held onto his sides as he gasped out, "Good God, it's an absolute wonder why I've never tried something like this before...you moralistic people are just too funny!"

"My proposition is not a joke!" Rachel furiously shot back. "If you'd just shut up for one second, you'd discover my reason for being here: I want to give you my life in exchange for Harvey's."

The Joker finally stopped laughing, his wild eyes training curiously upon her as he observed, "Well, well, well, guess I was right when I said you were motivated by love. I always knew the heart was the true Achilles heel of the human body, so I guess it's a good thing I don't have one." Mocking Rachel's embittered scowl, he meditatively circled her while remarking, "Why so serious, Miss Dawes? I thought we'd both already agreed that you needed to start smiling!"

With a sharp cry, Rachel felt her gun ricochet out of her grasp just as the Joker tossed his blade, her fingers gripping at her bleeding hand as the revolver skidded across the pavement and slapped against the sidewalk. Positively livid, the attorney lunged forward with the hopes of striking the Joker, but he easily evaded her frenzied kicks and punches.

"Fight fair, damn you!" Rachel screamed, only to receive a vicious push that sent her sprawling out onto her backside. When the Joker flicked out a new blade from his shoe, the attorney began to panic and went scrambling for her gun, a cry escaping her lips when she felt herself being lifted back up off the ground.

Struggling about with the hopes of nailing the Joker while he was open, Rachel cried out when a blur rammed into the side of the madman and sent him sprawling to the pavement. It was Bruce!

With an exclamation of relief, Rachel hurriedly abandoned the fighting duo in order to rescue the sobbing boy, but whenever she reached out for his shirt, he frantically shook his head in negation. "No, no, don't touch me!" he wailed. "Please, I don't wanna die!"

"Shh, you're not going to die...Batman is here now, so everything will be ok" Rachel gently assured him, a smile tugging at her lips as Jimmy raised his shirt and allowed her to unfasten the sticks of dynamite.

With these finally gone, the boy seemed to calm down significantly. Throwing his arms about Rachel's neck in sheer gratitude, he snuggled up against her before pleading, "Can I go home now?"

Rachel breathed an uneasy laugh. "Yes, yes, of course you can...let's go."

--

By the time Rachel returned to the police station, it was closing in on three in the morning. Double-checking her watch, she groaned at the unwanted affirmation before grumbling crossly, "Well, I guess it's yet another sleepless night for me...perhaps I should start investing in some sleeping pills."

"What, and ruin that sallow, lack-of-sleep-induced complexion? I wouldn't dream of it!" Harvey teased, smiling about his coffee as Rachel chucked a doughnut at his head. Avoiding it with little effort, he set his cup down before chiding, "Now look, sweetheart, I'm just making light of the situation so I can forget about nearly losing you, again."

"Yeah, so much for security" Rachel agreed. "I couldn't very well get them involved when they'd go crawling straight to you, so I decided to handle the whole situation by myself. I know it was extremely stupid of me, but Batman showed up, and now the Joker's in jail."

"But for how long?" Harvey pressed. "It almost seemed far too easy to be a legitimate arrest. I mean, c'mon Rachel, this guy's a criminal mastermind...why would he publicly broadcast where he was holding his hostage when he could've just gone to you?"

Rachel frowned, her fist propping up her chin as she thoughtfully agreed, "Wow, that's a very good point...guess it's true when they say even the most dimwitted come through every once in a while." Smiling fondly up at him, she added, "In all seriousness, though, why would the Joker do that? Do you think it's all apart of the game he has set up for me?"

"Quite frankly, I don't want to know" Harvey shakily admitted. "That creep's got me watching my back every second of the day, so now that he's actually behind bars, I think I'd rather just revel in that solace, ok?"

"Alright, fine" Rachel sourly agreed, "I'll just go talk to him myself." Rising up from her perch, she ignored Harvey's fervent protests as she snapped, "Look, you may be afraid to talk to the Joker, but I'm not! Underneath all that make-up there's a human being, Harvey, and he could very well end up being the type who can be reasoned with!"

Harvey gave her a skeptical look. "And you mean to tell me you honestly believe that?"

Bowing her head, Rachel shrugged before softly admitting, "I really don't know, but it's worth a try, don't you think?"

Pulling her securely into his arms, Harvey tucked his face against the crook of her neck before pleading, "Just be careful with what you say, alright? I don't want that madman to become anymore obsessed with you than he already is."

Although his words were meant to be a sobering warning, Rachel couldn't help but shiver at the thought of Harvey's fears actually coming true.

--

As Commissioner Gordon showed Rachel to the interrogation room, he gave her a sidelong glance before demanding, "You sure you know what you're doing, Miss Dawes? Sometimes interrogating this guy can be like talking to a smartass wall."

Smirking at his embittered remark, Rachel shook her head before assuring him, "Look, I may not always make the best decisions in the field, but this is one situation where I've completely made up my mind. The Joker's using me as a pawn in his latest game, and I'm determined to find out just why he thinks I'm interested in playing."

"Probably because you are" Gordon pointedly observed. "You're just as curious about him as everyone else is, and he's using that to his advantage."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Rachel haughtily retorted. "I am interested, yes, but only on a psychological level...I highly doubt that that's the reason he's using me to stir up trouble." Ignoring Gordon's questioning look, she placed her hand against the glass door before muttering, "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a prisoner to question."

Before Gordon could even argue, Rachel pushed her way into the room and secured the door tightly behind her. Hunched over a metal table was the Joker, his eyes gazing intently upon his hand cuffs as he continued to wear an eerily bloody smile. Bruce had apparently been a little too hard on him, because his make-up was wearing away and revealing several cuts and bruises to Rachel's ever-wondering eyes.

Absently re-adjusting the vest to her charcoal-gray pantsuit, the attorney clip-clopped toward the Joker until he slowly raised his gaze to meet with hers.

"Well hello again, beautiful -- for someone who doesn't enjoy bondage, you sure believe in using it" he cheekily greeted.

"And for someone who enjoys instilling wisdom in others, you certainly don't practice what you preach. Hasn't your mother ever told you to wait your turn?" Rachel mockingly reminded him.

As she had a seat, the Joker grinned up at her before remarking, "Ah, so the kitten still has her claws...glad to see that our little run-in didn't leave any bad blood between us."

"Just stop patronizing me and get to the point" Rachel snapped. "I'll have you know that I am not in the mood for games right now...in fact, I'd be happy if I never played one again."

The Joker gave her a mocking pout. "Aww, well surely you don't mean that...everyone loves a good game of Scrabble."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it! I want you to tell me why you're making me play all your sick, twisted games!" Rachel seethed. "I mean, do you actually think I'm like you? Do you really think that I'm enjoying all of this?"

"Well of course not, you stupid twit! It wouldn't be any fun if you enjoyed it!" the Joker irritably pointed out. Rolling his eyes skyward, he licked his lips before sustaining, "Ya know, it's people like you who really gets on my nerves. You search for all the answers in life, but for what? To alleviate your misery by solving someone else's problems?" Shaking his head, the Joker smugly observed, "Sorry, toots, but in the end you're just trying to prove that you're not completely worthless. You hold onto your only shred of hope by saving a life, but again, for what purpose?"

Rachel stared back at him in reverent shock, for she truly felt as if he were peering into the innermost depths of her soul. Quickly recovering from his prying, she furiously snapped, "Don't be ridiculous! I only search for all the answers because it's my job!"

"Is it also apart of your job description to go out and save the day? Because last time I checked, you were only a district attorney..."

"Look, I already told you..."

"Yes, I know what you 'told' me" the Joker interrupted, "but how does that justify your purpose in life, Miss Dawes? Are you making up for a bad deed that you, yourself have committed in the past?"

Rachel flinched. "N-no, of course not...I don't even know why I'm arguing with you when-"

"You know the answer to that" the Joker smugly cut in. "If you truly had nothing to hide, you wouldn't be so defensive. Trust me, I can sense my kind from over a mile away."

"I am nothing like you!" Rachel shouted, tears burning along her lashes as she felt her resolve rapidly beginning to break. How could she let this man get to her so much? He couldn't know anything about her past, he just couldn't!

Looking up at Rachel with the grin she'd grown to despise, the Joker steepled his fingers before asking, "So whadidja do, uh? Larsony? Petty theft? Murder?"

Clapping her hands over her ears, Rachel screamed, "Stop it, stop it, stop it! You know nothing about me, understand!? Nothing!"

Before the Joker could even respond, Rachel fled from her chair and ripped open the door, his maniacal laughter following after her as she pressed her back against the glass and closed her eyes. How had he figured out her personality when it'd taken her all her life to discover her reason for being? What was it about him that just seemed to know everything?

Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, Rachel took one last look at the Joker before miserably returning back to work.