Chapter thirty one- loose ends

Chapter thirty one- loose ends










At first the room was in a stunned silence. It was almost like it was unrealistic to believe that the whole ordeal was actually over. Impossible even to think that the Joker was dead and that he could no longer torment the city a second longer.


I was feeling way too many emotions at once. I was mad for my situation, I was sad for my being betrayed, but most of all I was happy for it all to have been over. I felt other things like fear and regret, confusion. Happiness prevailed. Trust me if you thought you were going to die, you'd be happy too.


"You killed him."


The other man with the half black mask scoffed "what did you want me to do, throw him a party."


"I didn't expect much else from you," Bruce returned in a monotone voice.


"Listen up Wayne, I came here for her, not you, so I couldn't give two shits if you don't like what I do, get it!"


"just because I've got bigger things to deal with doesn't mean I overlook murder," Bruce growled back.


I was so frustrated, who was this guy, why did Bruce work with him if he was a murderer, and how the hell did he know me. I wanted answers and I needed them now.


"Excuse me, but what in the heck is going on around here! First I'm kidnapped, then I find out my boyfriend is a crime fighting vigilante, and now I'm standing here listening to you two argue and I don't even know who the hell you are!" I pointed to the masked man.


Bruce sighed "Harmony, I don't know how to-" he was interrupted by the sound of chaos erupting in the city.


All of us looked toward the big glass windows and saw a row of fires and screaming sounds of the citizens of Gotham. The joker said he was going to poison the city, what if he already did. I looked over at his body and shivered thinking about him getting the last laugh, killing hundreds. That's when I realized I didn't matter. That whatever questions I had didn't deserve to be answered compared to the lives that could be saved by him.


I gave Bruce a nod, and he knew what it meant, it meant that it was okay for him to leave, that I understood what he had to do. That there would be no consequence for him having to go at this moment. Later on though I'm not sure where this could be going, I don't know how to move past it. How to feel about it.


"I'll stay here, you go," the man in half black said to Bruce.


I was surprised to see that Bruce complied, leaving me with a potential muderer and no form of protection, but I'm glad that he did. Whomever this man was, and I intended to find out, Bruce trusted him with me, but he didn't trust him as a person. So I was very confused. Did I know this guy?


"Harmony, I'll find you as soon as I can, I promise."


"Just promise me you won't die," I approached him, and knowing that it might be the last time I kiss him I pulled onto his suit and went full make out. After he smiled, pulled back on his mask, and left through the hole in the glass he made before.


I was now alone with the mystery man, and I was staring at him, and he was staring at me. All of the sudden out of nowhere I began to cry. Hysterically. Everything that just happened hit me like a ton of bricks, and my pathetic attempt to seem strong crumbled underneath me.


The mystery man lifted off his mask and revealed a weathered face of a middle aged man, with a salt and pepper colored beard and most notably an eyepatch. The eye he had looked at me sympathetically, and he intertwined his hands with my own. I couldn't place it but I had seen this man before, his face was cataloged deep in my memories.


"Now don't do that crying thing, I'm not really the nurturing type," he said.


"I don't know if I can really stop it," I admitted.


He smiled "I know you can hummingbird, just relax."


Hummingbird? Mom told me that she used to call me that when I was young because instead of saying mom for the first time I hummed mom like mmmmmm, the name also stuck because the reason I was named Harmony is because I brought peace to her life and she thought peace was associated with the sound of the few city birds in the morning.


The mystery man lifted up the hand I had my mother's ring on and stroked over the red mineral "your mom refused to even take this off before we got engaged."


My heart sunk to my feet and I quickly jolted away from him "dad!"


"That's a bit of an overstatement."


"No kidding, you left us when I was really little, and never came back, mom was heartbroken, we've been through so much!"


I felt now even more sick than I did before. My dad was a killer, he was a deadbeat, and he knew my boyfriend even before I knew he was alive. It even began to feel like I was going to pass out or something of the sort, I was light headed.


"Listen, there's too much to say in the situation we're in. Sometime we can pick up a more serious conversation, but what is happening now isn't what I usually stand for, I made an exception for you."


"What are you talking about?"


"Hanging out with your good guy boyfriend wasn't in my list of things to do before I die, I only did it to make sure you were safe, and now that you are, I've got to make sure my tracks are covered."


My dad, walked over to the Joker's corpse and flipped it around so that you could see his face. He took a bat shaped ninja star out of his pocket and inserted it into the jokers wounds. I hadn't realized what he'd done until he threw the body out of the broken glass window and down to the streets of gotham.


"What! What are you doing!"


"People will thank the bat for killing that bastard, I am not about to become a part of the media circus, I need to remain in the shadows where I belong."


I attempted to walk towards him but all the stress made the gunshot wound to my foot numb, and when I moved only an inch further, a shockwave of pain rocketed up my entire leg. I grabbed my knee in protest and grit my teeth, while my dad turned back around with a concerned look.


He touched my shoulder trying to aid me in walking but I shoved him away quickly "don't touch me!"


"You need help!"


"Not from you I don't, I got along fine my whole life without you and I don't need you now!"


He snarled "I beg to differ."


"You can beg all you want and it will make no difference to me, you aren't my dad and Im not going to let you get away with framing the love of my life."


"There's nothing you can do, what are you going to say? That there's another masked vigilante that picked up the jokers body and threw him over. No one will believe you."


"You're a bastard!" I screamed at him.


"I'd rather you hate me and never know me, than I be forced into the circus you call a city."


"Then it's true, your not my dad and you never will be," I said to him coldly.


I could see in his eyes that I had really hurt him, the sad thing was I was glad that I did. He hurt me, he hurt mom, he was the reason my life ended up the way it did. Now he wants to frame Bruce and runaway just like he did before. Whatever excuse he had for leaving us wasn't worth a dime to me. I'd rather him be gone, so I never have to see his deadbeat murderous face again.


"Harmony," he started.


"Whatever it is you have to say I don't want to hear it. Stay out of my life forever, don't come back."


"Everything I've done I've done to protect you!"


"I don't care."


He looked at me sternly, a glaze of regret filled his pupils, but he knew I was dead serious about what I'd said, and that he could in no way change my mind. I didn't know this man, the only relationship he had towards me was that he was part of the process that created me. Other than that he meant nothing to me.


"Maybe someday you can find it in yourself to forgive me."


"Thanks for saving my life, goodbye," I said genuinely.


With that my dad left, not the same way Batman did, but instead he slowly and unglamorously walked through a door, slamming it hard behind him. I was left alone to hobble down the stairs of this god forsaken building. I picked up a metal pole off the ground, probably one of the clowns weapons, and used it to support my body as I made my way over to the door that said stairs.


Right when I reached my hand to open it the door flew open and a sea of bright circular lights flooded my vision. I also heard the familiar sounds of cocking guns, and a bunch of yelling. At first my heart skipped a beat and I thought I was dead this time for sure when I heard Jim yelling my name.


As the lights came into focus I could make the ten or so cops that were standing in front of me and Jim who was pushing through them to get to me. When he finally reached me he quickly pulled me into a hug, and with not a single shred of shame left in my body I hugged him back.


"I thought you were dead for sure!" He smiled pulling away from me.


"You can't kill me that easily."


"I should have walked you up to your apartment."


I shook my head "it's not your fault. I made it out, I'm okay."


"I'm glad."


Jim looked around the room at the many either dead or unconscious bodies scattered around the room, and then he looked at the giant broken glass window that looked out over the city. He slowly walked up to it and his silhouette stood in shock and sadness over the image of the burning and chaotic city.


"He killed him, the bat."


I walked to the edge and looked down to see the Joker laying face down on top of a cop car "Batman didn't do that."


"Then who?"


"A-" I stopped myself before I answered, thinking about what my father told me before, how no one would believe me, how all he wanted was to stay in the shadows and he gave up knowing me to do just that. I know I didn't owe him anything, but I felt like if I didn't tell them who it was that killed the Joker and helped save my life then I most definitely never had to see him again.


"who was it Harmony?"


"I don't know it was all such a blur, but it wasn't Batman, he didn't kill anyone."


Gordon raised an eyebrow "but he was still here, the bat, I saw him myself."


"Yes he was here," I paused "but it wasn't him who killed Joker, that's what I'm saying."


Gordon nodded his head. I could tell, that he could tell, that I was not in much of a mood to be interrogated and questioned right now. I was tired, I was weak, I was pretty much at my wits end at this point. What I really wanted to do was fall asleep next to Bruce, but I couldn't really do that anymore either because Bruce wasn't just Bruce anymore, he was batman. All those times made sense now, when he caught that football, when he was so quick with he reflexes, even when he punched that guy and took his camera.


I can't say that I hate him though, or that I didn't want to be with him. It makes even more sense now that Batman was following me and seemed to be in every place that I was. Outside that bar, Bruce got there so quick, he knew where I was. There was so many times that I could have made the connection, but didn't.I felt a little stupid for not knowing.


Gordon helped me down the many, many, many flights of stairs with my shot up foot, which hurt every single step I took, but it wasn't equal to the pain I felt in my gut, every time I thought about another instance when Bruce lied to me.


When we finally made it to the ground floor, I was sat in the back of an ambulance and a fireman was examining and dressing my foot. I was given painkillers, a cast, and a pair of crutches, and an offer to stay overnight at the hospital, which I declined.


"What is going on Gordon? With the rest of the city?" I asked him, eyeing the sheet that was covering the Jokers dead body.


"It's not good. I'd say around two hundred people are dead or injured, one last go from the clown, he put that poison of his in the water running all through the city, we've managed to stop it, but there's people we couldn't help before they died."


"Awful. And what about Batman?"


He shrugged "last I heard he was stopping some serious riots downtown, started by the Joker's guys,"


So he was alive, and okay for now I guess. I just wanted him to be alive, that's all I wanted.


"What do you want me to do for you Harmony?"


"I don't need anything Gordon, I'm okay, really."


He shook his head "that bastard Harvey Dent took my son and that was almost two  years ago now, I'm still not okay."


"Alright so I'm not okay, but I don't need anything from you, I just want to go home and sleep."


"I can give you a ride, or I can arrange one of my officers to give you one."


I smiled "that would be very nice of you Jim."


Gordon called over one of his officers and pointed to me "I need you to take her to-"


He started to say my address but I stopped him, "I don't want to go there, I'd rather go to Bruce Wayne's house."


Gordon nodded in understanding "you heard her, take her to the Wayne's Manor."


Me and the office got in a squad car, the whole ride not talking, as we drove through the city in shambles. Every street was littered with glass and smoke. People were everywhere, sirens were everywhere. I wonder what people were thinking of me, after I was broadcasted to the whole city. Did they think I was dead? Did they care?


We arrived at Bruce's mansion within the hour. Traffic through the city was obviously terrible, even in a cop car. When I finally did reach the doorstep of his home I felt so tired and so pathetic, that it took every ounce of courage and strength to press the buzzer at the gate.


"Hello?" Alfred's British voice rang over the speaker.


"It's Harmony, can you please open the gate?"


Without another word the gate opened up and I walked through, walking slowly across the long driveway, I could see Alfred opening the door and walking at a quick pace toward me. He looked like he actually cared about me, which I had hoped he did, but was still a little pleasantly surprised when I saw his face.


"Miss Jackson, you don't look well," he said to me, looking at my foot wrapped in bandages and my arms supported by crutches.


"Oh Alfred, I'm so glad to see you," I hugged him. He didn't really hug me back, but as a friendly gesture and I think in understanding, he patted my back and let me stay where I was.


"Let's get you inside, shall we?"


Alfred and I slowly made it to the library that Bruce showed me the first time I came to his house. I laid down on a large and comfy sofa in the middle of the room and Alfred gave me a warm cup of tea, and a blanket.


"Thank you Alfred, is uh, is Bruce home?"


He shook his head "I'm afraid not. He told me however, that you know of his extracurricular activities, and that he will be back to explain himself if you were to show up here."


"Is he going to be alright?" I asked Alfred.


He sighed "every time that man leaves with his suit on and his bravery marked on his chest, I worry that he will not come back. I worry that one day soon he will be on the news, not as a hero, but a memory of a hero. So I can't really honestly answer with a yes or a no, but from my experience, I'd place a bet that he will make it back here in one piece any day."


After that Alfred silently left the room, leaving me alone in the dark by myself, and with my thoughts. I kept thinking, thinking and thinking and thinking until there was no more thinking to do. I thought about him dying, I thought about what happened to me, and it was killing me.


I started to cry again, and in fact I cried so much that eventually I exhausted myself so much that I fell asleep right there with the salty tears drying on my cheeks. The next day when I woke up there was a pool of drool under my face. I didn't know what time it was but from the sun barely making it through the long dark curtains of the library, I'd say it was at least past noon.


"Your awake," someone said from the other side of the chair.


I sat up slowly, "Bruce?"


"Yes?" Bruce came around the edge of the couch, and then sat next to me on it.


I looked at him from head to toe. He was dressed in slacks and a button up shirt. His hair was a mess and his face was coated in a layer of bruises. On his hands I could see his irritated red knuckled and cuts on the palm of his hands, the same cuts I saw not too long ago when he broke through my window.


"You look awful," I commented.


"I usually put on some makeup," he laughed lightly, "I guess that's not something every guy says."


"Not every guy is Batman."


"No, they're not..."


I scooted closer to him and put my hand is his tracing his scars and cuts. He was damaged, not just physically, but mentally as well. I'm sure it was a relief for him to have me know about his secret, but I didn't feel the same way.


"I'm not sure whether I should kiss you or slap you across the face."


"Harmony-"


"Don't say it," I stopped him, "don't say that you didn't tell me because it was too dangerous, or because you didn't know if you could trust me, because, because those are both two very good reasons and I just, I need to be mad at you."


"Why?"


"Because you lied to me? Because every time that I thought you were genuine with me it wasn't real, and when you got mad at me because someone put our relationship on the news, yet you keep all of this from me?"


He touched my leg that hadn't been shot, by resting his hand on my thigh, "Harmony, all those times that I was with you, I want you to know that what I said about you, how I feel about you, all of it was real. I mean it when I say that I love you, I don't just say that to anyone."


"And I'm supposed to believe you? After all the lying?"


He shook his head "no your not, but now there doesn't have to be any more lying. You said yourself that you understand why I had to lie, to keep you safe."


I imagined that I was another version of Bruce's last girlfriend, Rachel. Like I said before I knew the story, and now that I knew who he was it made a lot more sense. It was his life that caused Rachel to die, for me to almost get killed. So it clearly made sense that it was a good decision to keep me out of that part of his life.


"Were you ever going to tell me?"


He looked guiltily at his feet "I don't know. Maybe, at the right time."


"And what about my dad?"


"What about him?" He looked confused.


"Are you going to catch him? Turn him in?"


"No, only this once I'm not."


I shook my head "you should have turned him in. He's a bad man."


"Not all bad."


"Bad enough."


There was a minute of silence between us. The entire time I thought about what I was going to say next. If I should leave or stay, if I should kiss him, if I should end what we had together. I couldn't stop what I was feeling, and what I was feeling was that I still loved him and I was having an incredibly hard time finding a reason to be mad. All of this was to keep me safe, even if it was wrong, he had good intentions.


What was I kidding myself? I was still madly in love and there was nothing to do but be in love.


So I turned to look into his sad and broken eyes, and while throwing my arms around his neck I took a deep breath and connected our lips together. We fell back onto the couch, barely getting in an ounce of oxygen between our kissing. I really couldn't believe that I was here, kissing the two men that I'd fallen for at once.


It really was the greatest feeling ever.

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