Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me

Days passed, and Eleanor heard nothing from The Joker. No-one seemed to know where he was hiding out, the police were still looking for him, and The Batman was also assisting the police with their search. But so far, blanks were drawn. He was good - really good. He knew exactly how not to be found. But he was around. Somewhere.



Elijah was at a sleepover at a friend's house, and Eleanor took the chance to go out to a classy wine bar with some friends from work. In her bedroom, she put on some music, poured herself a glass of wine, and looked through her wardrobe. What to wear, what to wear...she knew her friends would try and "fix her up" with some hot guy, but deep down, she wasn't interested. The most dangerous man in Gotham city still held her heart...even though she hated herself for it, and told no-one about it.



Finally deciding on her outfit for the evening - blue killer heels, grey three quarter length trousers, and a glittery blue cleavage skimming top, all accessorised with matching earrings and handbag, and her long dark hair up - she called a cab to take her to the bar. No driving for her tonight, she was going to let her hair down and drink cocktails all night long!



At the wine bar, she met her three friends, including Lisa from the bank.



"We're gonna get you a man tonight, Eleanor!" she laughed as she handed out the drinks, and the ladies sat in their booth.



"Oh I don't think so!" Eleanor shook her head, smiling, sipping her white wine spritzer. "I'm not on the lookout, girls!"



"Come on, we've seen some hot guys already!" Lisa shoved Eleanor playfully. "It'll be fun!"



"No, ha ha...I'm good being single." Eleanor giggled.



After only two drinks, Eleanor felt a little bit tipsy already. She was enjoying herself, something she hadn't done in a long time, being a single mother stuck at home all the time.



Starting on her third drink, Eleanor sang along to the song that was playing in the background. Cream, by Prince.



"Hey Eleanor, maybe your luck is in!" Lisa giggled. "The guy over there in that booth keeps staring over, I think he's looking at you!"



Eleanor sipped from her glass and rolled her eyes. "I'm not looking for anyone, stop trying to hook me up!" she laughed, looking over to where the guy in the booth was.



Eleanor's smile faded and her heartbeat speeded up. The booth across the way was quite dark, with not much light above, but the guy sitting in it seemed familiar to her. She strained her eyes to look...and she was pretty sure who it was. Watching her, staring, with a drink in his hand. Dressed smartly in a dark suit and tie, looking quite inconspicuous. Was it him? Eleanor stared back at the man. He motioned with his hand, as if to say, "Come on over here".



"Oh my god, that guy wants you to go over to him!" Lisa screeched.



"I think I know him, that's why." Eleanor told her, standing up from the table and picking up her drink. "He's a friend...listen, I'll go say hello and then I'll be back."



And she slipped across the dancefloor, over to the booth where the man was sitting. Her nerves were making her stomach flip. Was it really him? If it wasn't, she was going to feel like a total fool, going over there...but she had to find out.



She stopped at the booth and looked at the guy in the dim light. She was nervous and her eyes were wide.



"I knew it was you..." she said quietly.



The Joker shifted in his seat to make room for her, his long legs casually crossed at the ankles. He smiled at her, and licked the scar on the right corner of his mouth.



"Take a seat!" he said. Looking over at her friends, Eleanor sat next to him in the dimly lit booth. "You're looking beautiful."



Eleanor ignored the comment.



"I don't understand....how did you know I was?..." she started.



"Oh I just knew." The Joker finished. "I knew you'd be here tonight. Call it...intuition."



"But..why? I mean...you've broken outta jail!" she hissed. "You know they're looking for you, you know even The Batman is looking for you! Why are you taking such a risk being seen here?"



"I'm pretty good, though, right?!" he chuckled. "No-one knows...now if I was wearing the makeup....well...but of course, I'm not that stupid now, am I?"



Eleanor's heart thudded in her chest so hard. She was sitting in a wine bar with the most wanted man in Gotham, a dangerous escaped convict. And she was the only one in the bar who knew his true identity.



There were very few, if any, clues to anyone else that he was The Joker...gone was the garish facepaint which was The Joker's trademark. All he wore was some skin-coloured concealer, so the redness of his scarred cheeks wasn't quite so obvious. His hair, although still quite long and wavy, no longer had any green tinge. It was back to the sandy blonde colour that it used to be. He wore it slicked back with gel that night. And gone was the long purple trenchcoat and mismatching suit he usually wore. He was dressed in a smart charcoal grey suit, and a blue shirt underneath with the top button undone - no tie - and he wore black patent shoes with black socks. There was nothing about his appearance which immediately gave away who he was. Even his behaviour didn't give his identity away. He was being casual, calm, and quiet.



"This is crazy, Jack." Eleanor said quietly, looking at first at him and then over at her friends. "You shouldn't be here!"



The Joker blinked slowly, and shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly.



"I just wanted to see you, can't blame a guy for tryin', right?"



"I don't wanna be a part of this Jack...a part of this....I don't want to be implicated in anything, if they catch you..." said Eleanor.



"And you won't be." The Joker said confidently.



"I don't like this...someone's gonna see you." Eleanor could hardly sit still.



"They won't...you've gotta relax, Ellie." The Joker said with raised eyebrows, nodding his head.



"I can't." she hissed, standing up again, so soon after sitting down.



"Where are you going?" The Joker asked, putting his hands up with genuine confusion.



"I gotta go, my friends are over there...I can't do this, Jack." Eleanor shook her head and picked her drink up from the table. The Joker grabbed her arm.



"I don't want you to go." he said calmly, with a vice-like grip on Eleanor's arm.



Eleanor stared down at him. "Let go of me."



He didn't. "No, no, no, no..." he shook his head, "I can't do that. Not until I know when I can see you again."



Eleanor looked up at the ceiling, shaking her head. "See? I just knew getting involved with you again was gonna be a really bad idea!"



"I NEEEEED...an answer." He gripped her arm even harder than before. He stared up at her, his brooding brown eyes scanning her face.



Eleanor winced at the feeling of his nails digging further into her arm.



"Later tonight. My house. No longer than an hour, then you'll have to leave." she told him firmly.



The Joker released his grip on her arm, smiling again. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Eleanor rubbed her arm where his nails had dug in, noticing red nail marks.



"I fucking hate you." she muttered under her breath, but he heard her. He stood up, lifted his glass to his lips to finish his drink, then slammed it back down on the table.



"I hate you too, Ellie. Catch you later, doll." he said with a smile and a wink, and barged past her, on his way out.



Eleanor watched him leave, completely confused about the last five minutes. She frowned and shook her head...The Joker was already playing games with her, and she knew she was crazy to play along with him. She gingerly went back to her friends' table and sat back down with them.



"Don't even ask." she sighed to her friends.



"You okay? That guy left pretty sharp." Lisa asked, a little concerned.



"Yeah, we just...I dunno. But it's fine." Eleanor nodded, finishing her drink and changing the subject quickly. "So who's up for another drink, girls?"