The alarm rang — a loud beeping sound filled the bedroom — the time was 6:00 in the morning. Dylan Gunn woke up with a groan, leaning over to turn off the alarm, Ryan Holmes — her boyfriend of now six months — pulled her back into his chest, making Dylan chuckle softly. "May I please get up?" Ryan mumbled something as he nuzzled his face into her neck as a response.

Dylan closed her eyes in content before remembering the loud alarm going off. Finally being able to pry herself out of Ryan's arms, she turned the alarm off and got up. Walking to the bathroom — she brushed her teeth before taking a shower — walking back into her room in a towel, she started getting dressed. 

"Well, this is quite the view." Ryan said from his spot in the bed — now sitting up and grabbing the tv remote. Dylan rolled her eyes playfully as she slid on her shirt before walking over to him and giving him a quick kiss, "I'll be back before dinner." The two exchanged 'I love you's' as Dylan left the shared apartment to go to work at her full time job for the GCPD's major crimes unit section of the department.

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Maybe it was the fact that Dylan had gotten to work a few minutes later than she should've — or that she could see the stack of folders on her desk — but she could feel the stress already building on her shoulders. Dylan said her hello's to her co-workers as she walked to her desk. She was one of the many few with the expertise to be able to truly understand why criminals did what they did — it was like a sixth sense to her. That's why she was so good at her job — and that was also why she didn't have a lot of work friends. Most considered her a try-hard.

Sitting down at her desk, she adjusted her name plate in front of her. Sighing — her eyes looked over the files before one seemed to pop out at her — it was titled 'GANG MEMBERS KILLED/BANK ROBBERY' — being careful, she pulled out the folder. Flipping through the documents — most just identifying who the gang members were and photos of their mugshots along with their deceased pictures — Dylan furrowed her brows, a mixture of curiousness and solemness on her face.

She flipped the document and saw a picture of a piece of evidence — a mask. It wasn't your typical anonymous one, it was of a sad clown — the eye holes were outlined in red, the paint was a bit dirty but that didn't compare to the nose, the paint had practically been holding on for dear life, two red dots were on the sunken cheeks to mimic rosy cheeks, and the eyebrows along with the mouth were blue except for the lips. She knew who it belonged to but she pushed the thought aside. "Hey Dylan." Hearing her name, Dylan looked up seeing her work friend Casey — the two weren't necessarily friends, Casey was just one of the few that actually talked to her.

"Hi Casey." She replied with a small albeit forced smile as he perched on the edge of her desk — he held a cup of coffee in his hand, he took a hearty sip of it with a smile. "Whatcha got there?" Without her permission, he touched the document so that he could get a better look at it. Clenching her jaw, she replied, "Oh, that..well it was something just in the stack-" she gave out a fake chuckle, "seems pretty interesting though." She informed him.

Casey nodded as he took another sip of his coffee. Sliding the file back to her, he leaned forward. "You do know what some people have been saying about this? Don't you?" Dylan raised a thin brow, "No, I don't...what have people been saying?" A small grin came onto her face — work gossip was always funny to her. Casey glanced around at the other co-workers doing their work and chatting here and there. He looked back at her, "People have been saying that...the Joker...did this."

The grin was now gone, Dylan's face having dropped at the mere mention of the clowns name. Casey licked his lips as he went to speak again, "I-I know you don't like the mention of him, but you would hear the rumors anyways, even if I hadn't told you. You know, loose lips sink ships." Casey chuckled at his own words as Dylan looked at him with a tight lipped smile and a slightly furrowed brow— she let out a sigh as she closed the folder before sliding it into her bag.

"I understand Casey...thanks anyways — for telling me, that is." Casey nodded at her words before he walked away to his desk. Dylan put her head in her hands — sure, Gotham wasn't a bad place, it wasn't the best place to live but hearing about him..the Joker, the guy who lived off of chaos along with making it just made Gotham seem like the last place you would ever want to go to. But nothing could pass the fact that he had seen Dylan before, she tried to push him to the back of her mind — but remembering the glance he gave her as he walked off from the chaos he had made, he seemed to have invaded her head once again.

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"Are you sure you wanna go in there alone? I can run in with you." Ryan said to Dylan as they sat in the car outside of the grocery store. Dylan smiled at him, "I'll be okay, all I have to get are some pads and tampons, okay? I love you." Dylan kissed Ryan before walking out of the car — cutting him off as he responded.

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Walking into the store, Dylan booked it to the health and wellness section, quickly spotting what she needed — a large bang made her jump in shock as what sounded like a bomb went off. Her ears were ringing and she quickly covered them. "Everybody on the ground! Now!" A man's voice yelled — he sounded muffled, like he was wearing a mask. Dylan's eyes watered as she thought about Ryan in the car, she hoped he stayed there. Kneeling to the ground, Dylan scooted back as silently as she could before her back hit the shelf behind her — bumping into it caused a toothbrush to fall down, she failed to catch it making it land with a crack sound from the plastic.

Dylan closed her eyes and began to beg to whatever higher power out there to make her stay alive and safe. She opened her eyes at the sound of sniffling, looking over she saw a mother and daughter on the ground — the daughter was no more than five years old. Dylan licked her dry lips and looked back forward — the sound of footsteps began to get closer before gunfire broke through the silence. Some people screamed and gasped while others cried out pleas to stop. Dylan felt tears roll down her cheeks before she saw two black shoes come into view. The person who stepped into frame was a large and burly man wearing a clown mask from a Halloween store. He aimed a gun at her.

Looking away, Dylan kept her head down. "Get up." The man ordered, he seemed to be wanting hostages. Dylan stayed still, she thought she was supposed to be prepared for situations like this but she just couldn't move. "Get up!" He ordered again with a yell before a gun was held up against his temple — the trigger was pulled, he fell on his knees and then flat on his face, dead. The man with the gun stepped fully into view and Dylan saw who it was — with his purple coat and leather gloves and that mask. He looked at her straight in the eyes and shrugged at the sight before he went and walked away, not before letting out a slight chuckle at what he just did.

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Dylan got up from her desk and walked to the bathroom, a feeling of nausea taking over her body from remembering what happened that day. Finding one of the stalls — not bothering to lock the door behind her — she felt the bile rising in her throat. Dropping to her knees, she doubled over and felt herself vomiting up her breakfast from earlier. She didn't understand why he seemed to have affected her in such a way — she knew deep down why though.

Maybe it was his eyes or how nonchalant he was at the violence he caused — or how he protected her from the gun... It was something about him that made her overcome with such fear — such desire — Dylan's eyes watered as it turned from vomit to dry heaves now. She shook her head of these feelings. Sitting against the dirty stall, she wiped her chin and closed her eyes. Waiting a few minutes before she got up — Dylan felt like going home but knowing better than that — she got up and washed her hands along with splashing cold water on her face. Looking into the mirror, the lipstick Dylan had applied that morning had smudged slightly, she grabbed a paper towel before hesitating until she wiped it all off — it was too familiar of a sight.

She walked out of the bathroom and went back to her desk. Some of her coworkers gave her questioning glances that she didn't pay attention to. Sitting down with a huff, she went to the other files on her desk, scanning through them, writing down a few things here and there that she had to, researching, and just trying to find her zone. But that mask and that memory seemed to stay in the back of her head — opening one of the folders she saw that it seemed to be an old one, it was labeled with numbers making her confused before she flipped the page and saw his mugshot. He looked so menacing that she instantly closed it and pushed it away before she thought about it — maybe it just got mixed in with the other ones, she reasoned. Her hands moved without thought and placed the folder into her bag.

The time soon reached 8:00 at night. Some people started leaving here and there to go back home to their families. Dylan felt sleep taking over her, so she decided to leave too. Getting her things together, Casey waved from his desk, "Good night Dylan." She looked up and waved slightly as she walked out, "Night." Casey's eyes followed her as she walked out the door. Walking to her car, Dylan felt as if something was watching her — actually, more like someone. It made her start to feel nauseous again, she pushed past that feeling and held her bag tighter.

Keeping her head down, she walked straight to her car and got inside. Putting the key in the ignition, she drove off back to her apartment, ready to finally see Ryan and be protected and cared for. She didn't want to feel this paranoia again — she knew how bad it got last time, she can't let it get bad again.

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Arriving at her apartment, Dylan parked the car and went straight inside. Unlocking the door—Dylan put on a happy face. Ryan was in the kitchen, making what looked to be breakfast for dinner. He raised his head at the sound of the door shutting — a smile soon overtook his features. Dylan locked the door behind her — making sure nothing could get through. Dylan faced Ryan again.

"Why hello there, how're you feeling?" He asked as Dylan walked over and gave him a kiss. "Hi, I'm okay." Was all she said before taking off her bag and putting it on the dining table. Hugging him from behind, Dylan felt his warmth and comforting aura. If she could stay like this forever, she would. Ryan was a good person, that was something Dylan was confident in — he would stay with her through thick and thin — through anything.

Ryan smiled at the hug but continued on with the French toast he was making. Giving him a light squeeze, Dylan went and sat at the table to look through the paperwork she would have to do. Feeling a loose piece of paper in the bag, she pulled it out before seeing it was a picture that she had never seen before. Her eyes met the ones of a certain clown with a note — "Don't you remember me?" It read above a caricature of Dylan crying, "I sure remember you!" It read below it with a big red smile drawn on it — Dylan felt her eyes watering and her hand began to shake as she looked at the note — this wasn't just evidence, this was personal.

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