An Unhealthy Attachment

A/N - Wow, I am SOOOO sorry for dropping off the face of the earth like this, but...yeah. College has got me workin', workin', workin', but at least I've got a three day weekend now. :-D I'll explain the title of this chapter at the end of the chapter, as well as tell you about my new TDK vids and drawing. :) Anywhos, I also had several more Joker dreams since then, but I can't remember any of them. XD I know they were bizarre, though... lol

CH 7: Something Borrowed, Someone Blue

The next morning was the moment that all of Gotham had been waiting for. Harvey Dent was finally set to wed the voluptuous Ashleen Rivers, and the city's finest had dropped all other obligations to make sure they could attend. The GCPD were currently lining the streets to prevent any unnecessary ruckus, and on the inside of the old, ornately refurbished church were rows upon rows of pastel-colored flowers (each had been hand-picked and strewn amidst Ashleen's watchful supervision, of course).

All that was needed now was the lady of the hour, herself, the entire building falling into a reverent silence when the veiled vision of white made her grand appearance. A pause was audibly noted before the organist began playing the processional, Harvey smiling his heart-breaker smile as he watched his soon to be wife walking -- no, floating -- towards him.

When Ashleen passed Dusty and Miranda, the blonde couldn't help but roll her lovely eyes. She'd had half the mind to wear white just to spite the bride, but her husband had thankfully intervened and made her see reason. Taking his hand in hers, Miranda smiled brightly up at Dusty as she subconsciously rubbed her swollen belly, her thoughts suddenly turning warm as she realized that everything was going to be alright. Bitchy sister-in-law or not, she was going to have a beautiful baby girl soon, and as long as Dusty never left her side, she would finally have what she'd always dreamed of.

The moment Ashleen reached the altar, a loud, frightfully piercing scream split through the air as a series of gun shots rang throughout the narthex. Clutching at Dusty's arm, Miranda whirled around just in time to see the Joker kick his way through the double doors, Rachel and five of his other masked goons following close behind.

"Oh, my God" she whispered, her face growing deathly pale, "it's him..."

Comfortingly placing his hand over hers, Dusty narrowed his eyes as the Joker cruelly stared each guest down, his serpentine tongue gliding across his lips as he pointed his firearm straight ahead of him.

"Harvey, Harvey, Harvey" the Joker chided, "why didn't you invite me to this oh-so-buh-less-ed occasion, hm? I thought we were far better friends than that."

Harvey's jaw visibly tightened. Pushing Ashleen protectively behind him, he growled, "You've got a whole lot of nerve showing your ugly face here, Joker -- give me one good reason why I shouldn't have security put a bullet through your thick skull!"

"One good reason, hm?" Giggling, the Joker mockingly held his arms up in surrender before asking, "Well, they're all either dead or working for me...that good enough for ya?"

His eyes narrowing, Harvey grimaced when four of the GCPD entered the vicinity and flanked the Joker's sides, their guns each simultaneously drawing as a hushed gasp arose within the crowd.

As the Joker took several slow and deliberate steps down the aisle, Rachel couldn't help but allow her focus to fall upon the bewildered groom before them. There was something so sweet and so familiar about his face, and yet she couldn't quite put her finger on why that was.

"Where is Mir-an-duh Dent?"

Startled out of her reverie, Rachel uneasily watched on as the Joker scanned his stunned audience with his shark-like eyes, a grin stretching his scarred lips as he purred, "Oooh, waaaait...she married that Dusty Cupboard guy, so I stand corrected. Where...is...Mir-an-duh...Dent...Cupboard?"

Flinching, Miranda began to step forward, but Dusty frantically intervened. "No, you can't" he hissed. "If you go, that madman will kill you!"

"I have to" she whispered forcefully back. "If I don't go with him, he might hurt Harvey..."

As if the Joker were reading her mind, he aimed his firearm directly between the DA's eyes, a cold cackle escaping his lips as he snarled, "I won't ask again... Where. Is. Miranda. Hubbard!?"

Biting her lip, Rachel felt her hands beginning to shake as she steadied her pistol, her eyes flicking nervously from the Joker to the crowd as she felt bile rise at the back of her throat. She couldn't quite ascertain why her partner's request was affecting her so greatly, but something about seeing the panicked look on Harvey's face deeply pained her.

As she was contemplating this, a proud, beautiful blonde woman suddenly stepped forward, her violet eyes narrowing as she snapped, "Alright, that's enough...I'm here, so leave my brother alone."

Harvey winced. "Mandy, no..."

Grinning, the Joker slowly withdrew his firearm before sauntering toward her, his eyes scruntinizing her well-dressed form as he circled her like a predator on the prowl. "You look-uh...different" he remarked, a sneer tugging at his lips as he drew uncomfortably close to her face.

Surprisingly unphased, Miranda squared her shoulders and proudly raised her chin, her gaze remaining straight ahead as she snottily returned, "Brilliant deduction, Clown Boy. In case you didn't notice the fact that I look like I've swallowed a beach ball, I'm eight months pregnant."

As the Joker threw his head back in a delighted cackle, Miranda instantly wished that she'd just kept her mouth shut. Perhaps the maternal hormones had given her far more courage than she usually had, but whatever it was, she knew it was sure to get her killed if she didn't stop.

Wincing when the Joker seized her by the chin, Miranda felt her breath catch in her throat as he flicked his knife against her lips.

"I see that the Dent stubborness runs through your veins" he purred, a grotesque grin stretching his features as he ran the blade along her chin. "Un-for-tun-ate-ly for you, I'm about to, uh...perform a human ex-per-i-ment."

Far too frightened to ask what the Joker meant, Miranda fearfully watched on as he turned to Harvey and revealed, "I'll be, uh...taking your sister now, if you don't mind. But don't worry" he urged, grinning broadly, "I'll fill you in on her con-dition on the news at noon-uh."

Clenching his fists, Harvey moved to storm toward the pair, but the Joker giddily withdrew a detonator before chiding, "Ah, ah, aah, I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mr. DA. Every pew has a nice lit-tle bomb trapped underneath, so unless you wanna be responsible for everyone's, uh...untimely de-mise, I'd suggest you let me do my job."

Harvey ceased his movements in defeat, his eyes meeting with Dusty's vengeful gaze as the Joker began to drag Miranda's struggling form down the aisle.

As Rachel followed reluctantly behind, her eyes met with Harvey's one last time before she miserably turned and fastened the double doors.

--

When Bruce finally arrived at the church, he gave a start upon noting all the police cars and sobbing wedding guests. Abandoning his fancy car, the millionaire's eyes narrowed as he spotted a very distressed Dusty and Harvey by the front doors. Ashleen was in tears, but for what reason, he suddenly found that he didn't wish to know.

"Harvey?" he called, immediately gaining the DA's attention, "Harvey, I'm so sorry I'm late...what's going on here?"

Pale and red-eyed, Harvey miserably choked out, "He's got Miranda, Bruce. That sick son of a bitch has my sister..."

"Who has your sister, Harvey?"

"The Joker."

Flinching in astonishment, Bruce gritted his teeth as this news sent him into a fit of rage. Wasn't it enough that the Joker had taken away Harvey's Rachel -- hell, his Rachel -- and all the happiness that the DA had ever known? If anything happened to Miranda, Bruce earnestly believed that Harvey would never be able to fully recover his true self. Bowing his head, he uneasily asked, "What's being done to find her?"

"Not a damn thing" Harvey snarled. "I mean, sure, Gordon and his men are scoping out the city, but they're not doing a good enough job. The Joker said he'd broadcast a message in about half an hour, so until then I'm afraid we'll know nothing."

Bruce scowled upon hearing this news, his eyes now cutting over to Ashlen as she sobbed, "Isn't it just awful, Mr. Wayne? That stupid clown ruined my wedding!"

Choosing to ignore this selfish remark, Bruce turned back to Harvey before urging, "If there's ever anything you need -- anything at all -- please don't hesitate to ask."

Harvey gave him a tired smile as thanks, but it never quite reached his eyes.

--

"The following footage has been sent to GCN about a half hour ago by the elusive Joker -- we warn you now that the content is extremely disturbing, so please view this story with caution."

Tensing, Harvey slowly turned up the volume to his TV as Dusty sat anxiously at his side, both men scooting towards the edge of their seats as the live feed switched over to an amateur recording. With a crackle, the snowy picture zoomed in to reveal a poorly made-up face, the Joker's grotesque grin filling up the entire screen as an explosion of laughter escaped his lips. "Hel-looo, la-dies and gen-tle-men, and thank you for tuning in for my most recent debut." He grinned. "Or should I say...Mir-an-duh Hubbard's debut?"

The camera shook with the Joker's laughter as he turned and focused on Miranda's peeved face, the gag in her mouth bouncing about as she tried her best to give him a piece of her mind.

Giggling, the Joker placed a hand to his ear before cooing, "What was that? You think I'm a handsome devil? Oooh, you naughty little vixen, you're married!"

Snarling into the cloth gagging her mouth, Miranda wriggled about in her restraints as her captor approached her, her face shunting from his touch as he brought a gloved hand to her chin.

"Aww, shh-shh, we need you to smile for the camera, Mrs. Hubbard...everyone wants to see that be-eau-ti-ful smile" the Joker purred, his fingers removing the gag before forcing her lips up into a brummagem grin. Giggling at the abundant hatred in her eyes, he urged, "Now that you're free to talk, why don't you tell the love-uh-ly viewers your name, hm?"

"Burn in Hell!"

Bursting into a fit of giggles, the Joker remarked, "Well gee, that's such a lovely name...why don't you give us your other one?"

When her captor flicked out his blade, Miranda felt the malice die upon her lips as she bowed her head in defeat. "I'm...I'm Miranda Hubbard" she whispered.

To her surprise, the Joker snapped, "No, no, no, not that other name...that other name." Gesturing to her stomach for the much needed clarification, he grinned at the horror that danced across the blonde's violet eyes as she finally comprehended his meaning.

Glancing down at her protruding middle, Miranda felt tears burning along her lashes as she testily returned, "I-I don't think I'm at liberty to tell you..."

The Joker gave her a mocking pout. "Oh, but I think you are, my lit-tle beauty quh-ueen."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are!" the Joker thundered, his hand curling about her windpipe with a crushing force that left her clawing at the invasive appendage.

Gasping for breath, Miranda pitifully managed to choke out, "Rachel...h-her name is...Rachel..."

With a look of scornful recognition, the Joker released her throat and squatted down on his haunches. "Aww, well isn't that suh-weet? You named your lit-tle baby after your dear old fuh-riend-uh. I'm sure big brother Dent is sooo proud."

Harvey flinched as these words reached his ears, his hands tightening into fists as his fury began to build. It was bad enough to publicly humiliate his sister, but now that the Joker had turned the memory of his only love into a mockery, he couldn't help but feel his ire sky-rocket to a monumentous height.

When Dusty gasped, Harvey immediately turned his attention back to the television, his eyes narrowing as the Joker sustained, "...this is true, wouldn't you a-gree, Mr. Hubbard? Your wife is very...spir-i-ted, which is why I've decided to strap her inside a room full of equally fiery explosives. But don't worry, Mr. Hubbard, your wife just might be saved if your dear ol' brother-in-law makes the decision in her favorrr." Spinning the camera in a blur of color to Miranda's tear-stained face, the Joker purred, "A few miles away is Gotham Elementary...a love-uh-ly school filled with gifted and talented lit-tle children full of innocence...naivite. The building happens to be riddled with several ex-plo-sives just waiting to go off, but by one o'clock the bombs detonate and school will be out a tad early." Now turning the camera back to his scarred face, the Joker sustained, "Not to worry, Dent, not to worry...these dar-ling lit-tle angels will be spared, but only if you make the ultimate sacrifice. Who's it going to be, Dent? Your sweet lit-tle sister, or the innocent children who've just barely begun to live-uh?"

Feeling an overwhelming pang of nausea overtake him, Harvey placed a hand over his mouth as the screen turned snowy and faded out to black. "Jesus" he whispered.

Sending the DA a panicked look, Dusty fearfully demanded, "What the hell are we going to do, Harvey?"

"...I don't know."

--

Since the Joker had work to do, Rachel was left in charge of the stubborn prisoner. Chewing her lip, she scrutinized the blonde who seemed so intent on gazing at her shoes, her blue eyes softening as she immediately felt as if she could relate to her pain. Perhaps it was her woman's intuition, but Rachel truly felt as if she had some type of strange connection with Miranda Hubbard.

Scrutinizing the blonde's wavy, shoulder-length hair, tearful violet eyes, and flashy peach-colored gown, Rachel couldn't help but approach her with a newfound interest. "Excuse me" she warily began, "I'm sorry to bother you since I know you'd rather be left alone, but I couldn't help but notice a slight familiarity about you and your brother. Do either of you happen to know me?"

Lifting her gaze so that she could give Rachel a disdainful glare, Mirand shook her head before snapping, "No, can't say that I do, but I'm quite grateful for that. Those who work for the Joker are nothing but scum on the bottoms of my shoes!"

Rachel flinched. "Look, I'm really sorry that my partner ended up choosing you for his plan, but..."

"Why are you even talking to me?" Miranda demanded. "Aren't you supposed to be a villain? Just cut the pretense and smack me around, already! I'm sure your stupid partner wants information..."

Miranda's words were like a sobering blow to the head, Rachel's eyes glittering with sorrow as she pitifully whispered, "I truthfully don't know how I feel, Mrs. Hubbard, and that's exactly why I'm so torn. I want to help my partner since he's been surprisingly kind to me, but then there's you...something deep inside is telling me that it's wrong to just let the Joker get away with this, but I feel powerless to stop him."

"But you're not" Miranda insisted. Sensing that she could get out of her current predicament, she urgently sustained, "You've got a cell phone with you, right? Just call up the GCPD and get me out of here!"

Rachel's blue eyes widened in understanding. "You're right" she finally agreed, "I need to stop worrying about the Joker's feelings and just go with my gut. If there's anything I've learned lately, it's that when it comes to instincts, they're typically the right way to go."

As Rachel flipped open her cell phone and dialed 911, she gave a start when the sensation of a cold blade slid across her chin.

"So tell me about those...instincts" the Joker purred, his hand fisting her hair and tugging it as he placed the knife beneath her throat. "What are they telling you to do now, hmm?"

Rachel found that she couldn't answer his query, her mouth dry as sand as Miranda's terrified shouts became nothing more than a distant hum.

A/N - DUN DUN DUNNN Sadly, that was a lot of fun to write...I love tragic situations. XD But yeah, this was called "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue" because the Joker "borrowed" Miranda, and Harvey (or arguably Dusty) was left "blue". Yay me for being "deep". :-P I've nearly finished my second TDK parody vid (thank you to everyone for making the first such a hit!), and I've got two Jokachel vids up if you're interested. :) I also drew a picture of them playing strip poker, so if you're interested in seeing either the vids or the picture, you can go to my profile and find the links. Enjoy!