"Come alone, or he dies."

Carla didn't have time to question her instincts as she made her way across the city to a six-story townhouse in the Narrows, a place that somehow looked even worse than the properties that surrounded it.

Tall and dilapidated with gaps where windows and doors once stood, the townhouse was abandoned and attempts at sealing it off with sheets of metal and screws had been done with little effort, sharp corners hanging on loose hinges and graffiti covering the stained bricks.

It wasn't raining but the sky was pitch black and there were no stars in sight. Carla had been in worse places than that townhouse in the Narrows so while that didn't particularly scare her, Harvey's safety did.

The call from an unknown number came just as Carla was on her way down to the Major Crime Unit to see if there was any news there on Harvey's whereabouts, quickly changing her course to the opposite end of town.

She was most likely walking into a death trap, Carla knew that, but there was no way that she'd be able to live with herself if something happened to Harvey and she hadn't at least tried to help him.

Why the Joker had dialled her number however, Carla didn't know.

She stepped over a pile of trash by the doorway and slowly ascended the crumbling staircase. Bathed in total darkness besides scraps of light from the moon creeping through broken windows, Carla took her time to try and adjust her eyes to her surroundings, a thick scent of dirt and asbestos chilling the back of her throat.

There was a pacing of footsteps echoing from above her and Carla could hear painful groans, a muffled sound of a voice that was distinctly recognisable making her heart start to race as she drew closer.

From the moment she reached the top floor and took her first step out onto the concrete, the air fell silent. Carla froze, scanning the layout in what little light she had and seeing three rooms jetting off the landing she'd arrived at, not knowing where to step next.

A flash of green and purple caught her eye in the dark and a ghastly white face appeared in the empty frame of the room to the left, grinning that same sickly grin that she'd tried to forget.

"And here I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up."

He approached her with slow footsteps and a strange demeanour that made him almost seem the opposite of threatening, pausing one foot in front of her with the devil's eyes boring into her skull before he grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back, dragging her into the room.

Harvey was slumped against a wall with blood staining his face, his suit ripped and hands bound behind his back. He was alive, though Carla had no idea what kind of torture he'd been out through, not having the nerve to watch the reel that the news stations had been playing.

He looked up at her and shook his head, eyes empty and hopeless as he choked out a cough of tears, wishing Carla hadn't come for him since the chances of them both making it out alive were cuttingly slim.

Carla felt a sharp tug on her hair and her neck jerked backwards, though she was quick to snap an elbow out of the Joker's grasp and into his cheek, twisting his vision for a moment while she slipped the blade out from the sleeve of her jacket and struck him in the shoulder, a kick of her heel in his gut sending him stumbling backwards.

The thickness of the long coat he wore kept the knife in place, Carla's strength not being enough to snatch it back from the plunge into his skin. She watched with a fast rising chest as he laughed wickedly and pushed himself back up onto his feet, grinning and pulling the knife out of his shoulder without wincing and tossing it down an empty elevator shaft.

"You have a little fight in you," he breathed, eyes widening with excitement as he stalked closer, "I like it."

The wind howled through the broken building and Carla stood with clenched fists as he edged closer. A calloused hand touched her face, holding her cheeks firmly while beady eyes took her all in, breathing with excitement flickering across his skin beneath the cracked white paint.

Carla winced and held her breath, coaxing the second blade from her other sleeve out of her pocket but being paralysed - her head slammed into the wall with enough force to knock the vision completely from her eyes, darkness spinning endlessly while noise rang in her ears and she fell to her knees, her temples pulsing in pain.

Harvey's voice roaring her name echoed somewhere inside of her mind but she couldn't see him or pick up the direction of the sound, being forced to press her back into the cold brick wall, desperately clawing at her senses to return.

"What do you want?" Harvey spat, shuddering at the sight of Carla barely breathing across the room, "Is it money? Is it-"

"What do I want?" The Joker repeated sinisterly, "I don't want anything, where would the fun in that be? If you could give me something in exchange for your life, that would take all the excitement out of this, wouldn't it? But what I'd like, however, is for him to come tonight."

"Who? What are you talking about?"

That maniacal laugh shook the foundations and Carla's vision continued to blur.

"The Batman of course. He didn't show up when I left the Mayor for dead last week but maybe he values our District Attorney a little more. And I know he likes that one," he cocked his head towards Carla with a flash of his eyes, "Saved her a few times, hasn't he?"

Carla blinked painfully and saw three silhouettes of Harvey morph into one a few feet away from her. He was sweating and bleeding from god knows where, fury in his eyes but helpless as he slammed his bound fists against the floor behind him, jaw tight and clenched.

She shouldn't have been there, that was all Harvey could think about. Carla had nothing to do with the Joker and while he didn't either, killing her wasn't the point, it wouldn't send the message he wanted to send, she would've just been innocent blood shed. The guilt was tearing him apart.

"Now," he continued, practically skipping across the room and dragging a dusty camera into the middle of the room, resting it on an unsteady tripod and flicking it on, "Here's what we're going to do: either you die, or she does. Which is it?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Harvey growled through barred teeth, shaking with the anger that had built up inside of him.

The Joker grinned and crouched down beside Harvey, pulling a knife out of his pocket and slicing the ropes binding his wrists together into pieces, setting his hands free.

Harvey instantly lunged at him, only to be settled by the barrel of a gun being pressed against his temple.

"Ah!" The Joker shoved him down to the ground again and kept the gun pointing in his direction, tossing a rusty switch blade onto the floor in front of his feet, "Stay."

Harvey stared at the knife and flickered his glance over to Carla, frozen by the gun pointed at him as the Joker hauled her to her feet and dragged her to an opening in the wall where a fire escape once stood, though none of it remained outside.

He held her by the collar of her t-shirt and corners of her jacket over the edge, her hands clawing at his wrists in desperation as she hovered six stories above the ground with nothing but certain death below her, again.

Harvey scrambled up onto his knees, "What do you want? What the fuck do you want?"

The Joker smiled with a grin that reached his eyes, redness tearing apart his cheeks and cutting his face into shreds of evil delight.

"Either I let go of her," he licked his lips with a giggle, "Or you cut your throat in front of that camera."

Harvey's stomach dropped and he felt the air vanish from his lungs. The air turned to ice and he couldn't move, only his eyes darting between the blade in front of him and Carla swaying back and forth above the ground, white knuckles gripping the ends of the Joker's sleeves with all her strength.

"No," he gasped with a shake of his head, "I won't, I-"

"Are you sure?"

Carla screamed when the Joker loosed his grip for a split second, only to grab hold of her again a little lower down. Her feet were stumbling to stay on the ledge and her hands shaking, fingers clawing at the purple velvet.

"Alright!" Harvey shouted, hand outstretched to stop him while the barrel of the gun remained eyeing him from above, "Alright."

"Harvey no," Carla said weakly, still barely able to see anything properly while the sounds of the city churning through the night hazed her focus even more, "Don't, please don't."

Harvey felt himself cry, a few stray tears falling across his cheeks as he listened to her pleas to let her take the hit, to let her die for him, though he wouldn't allow that. He couldn't, whether it was Carla or anybody else, Harvey Dent had made a vow to protect the people of Gotham City, and he knew he had to honour that.

The Joker laughed hysterically as Harvey picked up the blade. Carla couldn't see him but she didn't want to, tears flooding her own eyes that trickled down onto her lips as she listened to the silence weigh down on all three of them.

"Don't forget to smile for the camera, Mr Dent," he teased, motioning towards the tripod with the end of the gun.

Harvey felt his heart thump inside his throat as he held the blade in his hands, shaking as he felt the cool metal burn his fingertips. He could hear nothing but the sound of Carla's heavy breathing and felt the impending weight of his decision start to bleed him dry before he'd even made a cut.

"Harvey don't," Carla mumbled again, sobbing to herself as she tried to breathe properly but couldn't.

"Will you just..." Harvey whispered, "Will you tell Rachel that I love her?"

"Tell her yourself."

A rapid breeze pulled a dense black shadow of a man into the room, standing over six feet tall with unmistakable presence that was felt before it was seen.

The Joker leapt with nonsensical, irrational joy at the sight and burst into fits of hysterical laughter, "Now the fun really starts."

He let go of Carla and Harvey lunged across the floor to try and grab her, landing on the ledge with his arms outstretched, yet remaining empty, Carla's name falling from his lips in a desperate sob.

She hadn't hit the ground, however. Carla was hanging on by a single hand gripped around a metal shaft from old scaffolding, swinging back and forth in the wind while she attempted to cling on for her lift, eyes squeezed shut in pain as the metal scalded the palm of her hand.

"Hold on! Carla just, just hold on."

Harvey hadn't taken any notice of the pummelling and beating that the Joker and the Batman had started giving each other behind him. He could hear the sounds of strained injuries and grunts of pain between them, brawling like dogs with heavy fists against jaws and feet landing in ribs.

"I can't," she sobbed, "I'm slipping, Harvey."

Bruce could hear Carla's cries from the side of the building, knowing she had just seconds before her strength would give way. He hauled the Joker up by his collar and collided his fist with the side of his head, though the sickening smile didn't budge.

They threw punches and dodged blades while Bruce drew him closer to the ledge, Harvey quick to move out of the way and head for a floor lower down.

"I knew you'd come," the Joker said with a smile, "You just can't help yourself when it comes to this pretty damsel in distress, can you?"

Bruce hurled them both of the ledge, kicking the Joker away from him with the heels of his boots before catching Carla's waist just as her fingertips slipped away from the metal pole, a gasp leaving her lips when she felt force that wasn't the floor, but the familiar hardness of the black armour that protected the Batman's chest.

They reached the ground and Carla struggled to catch her breath, panting raggedly when the safety of arms wrapping around her body loosened and the warmth of her saviour chilled. The Batman said nothing and she remained silent too, seeing nothing in the darkness but the whites of his eyes before he disappeared in pursuit of the Joker who had somehow not hit the floor with them.

Carla stood on weak knees for a moment, her mind spinning and head still pounding from being slammed against a brick wall. Sirens wailed in the not too far distance and light began to creep into her eyes again, senses heightening and breath filling her lungs.

"Carla? Oh thank God."

Harvey came sprinting around the corner, shoulders falling at the sight of her alive. He pulled her into his chest with strong arms and squeezed her tightly with no intention of letting go.

Carla couldn't remember the last time she'd been hugged with such warmth, with such happiness. It was as if the act was a depiction of true relief, of grace and of reward, a way out that they hadn't believed was there, an end that they didn't think would be written.

Harvey was genuinely happy to see Carla, to hold her in his arms and to hear her breathe, and as his friend, she told him she felt the same way by hugging him back.

"I'm so sorry," he said into her hair, still holding her against him, "Are you alright? Jesus Christ."

Carla nodded, her eyes dry from the cold wind, "I'm fine."

Neither of them brought up what Harvey had been on the verge of doing, both of them staying silent as they slid down the wall together and waited for the police to arrive.

Harvey rest an arm around her and pulled her head onto his shoulder, "You shouldn't have come."

"You're my friend," she said, "You'd have come if it was me."

Harvey let out a strained laugh and nodded, "I would. I knew I'd get you to admit it out loud one day."

They stayed huddled together for another ten minutes before the police cars and ambulances lit up the backstreet and men in uniforms descended on the building behind them.

Harvey struggled to his feet yet still offered Carla his hand, pulling her up beside him when the medics rushed over to check on them.

"Harvey? Harvey!"

Rachel's voice was desperate as she pushed through the sea of first responders to get to her boyfriend, breaking down into tears at the sight of him and throwing herself into his arms, both of them crumbling together with relief.

Carla stood still while paramedics checked the side of her head and her shoulders, flashing lights in her eyes and down her ears.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel said in disbelief, clinging to Harvey as she turned to face Carla, "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm fine, Rachel," Carla nodded with a small smile.

"He'd have blown my brains out if it wasn't for you," Harvey said, "Thank you, Carla."

She breathed out and nodded, still not mentioning the fact that Harvey was on the verge of cruel death one way or another. Whether Carla believed that he would've actually taken his own like with that switch blade or not, she didn't know. Either way, it didn't matter anymore; they were safe.

The medics ushered Carla over to an ambulance and left her with a cup of hot coffee after checking her over and finding nothing but a mild concussion. She wasn't alone for long, however, a familiar face strolling towards her in a thick jacket and black boots.

"Quite a dangerous thing you did tonight, Doctor Fiori."

Commissioner Gordon shrugged off his jacket and placed it over her shivering shoulders. She gave him a timid hint of a smile and sipped the coffee warning her hands, sighing as he sat down beside her in the back of the ambulance.

"He would've killed Harvey if I didn't go," she said quietly, "I didn't want that on my conscience."

It was an admirable decision and Jim Gordon respected her and her bravery, especially after the trail of dead bodies the Joker had left in his wake since arriving in Gotham. Carla didn't look particularly phased as he looked down at her, sitting quietly with her eyes fixed on the street ahead of them while she drew in steady breaths.

"Is there anyone I can call for you? Any family?"

Carla just shook her head. Jim frowned, a sinking feeling in his stomach at the thought of her returning home all alone after enduring something so traumatic, and not for the first time, either. It didn't sit right with him, someone as fierce and brave and loyal as Carla having not a single person to call in such a dark time of need, and the pity drowned him as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"No friends? Nobody?"

"Nope," Carla said, not even bothering to wonder why Bruce hadn't landed on the scene with Rachel.

Jim sighed and patted her shoulder, parting his lips to speak some words of comfort to her when a set of footsteps shadowing across the road stopped him.

"Excuse me Commissioner, I'm not interrupting an official statement or anything here, am I?"

Bruce stood with his hands in his pockets and a shy smile on his face, regret mellowing his eyes as he looked at Carla and saw blood dried in her hair and along her arm.

"Not at all, Mr Wayne," Jim stood up and jumped down from the ambulance, turning back to face Carla once more, "Looks like you do have somebody, Doctor."

Bruce was gentle in his approach and he sank down slowly beside her, pulling the sides of the Commissioner's jacket tighter across her body.

"He gave me his jacket too once."

Carla looked up into his eyes and found an openness looking back at her, a shred of vulnerability, a secret being shared. She found herself wanting to cry at the sight, the softness of his face and how pure he was, yet she swallowed and kept her eyes dry.

"Spare me the lecture about not listening to you, please."

Bruce scoffed and put his arm around her, kissing through her hair gently. He smiled to himself when he felt her relax into him, her head falling against his shoulder and her body turning into his own. He took the coffee cup from her and held her hands instead, bringing her grazed knuckles up to his lips to kiss.

"Let's get you home, angel."

an;;
I hope you enjoyed these last few chapters guys, tysm for 14K wtf I cannot believe this at all😭😭