Laugh Lines

Forced Conversation

A/N: And now the fun begins.

~And I can tell you why people go insane

I can show you how you could do the same

I can tell you why the end will never come

I can tell you I'm a shadow on the sun~

~Audioslave~

Bruce was ready. This was the first day of helping this woman free herself from a monster. He knew he would have to start small. She seemed to hate him for some reason, and he supposed that was understandable, once she was free from Joker long enough she would see that he was helping her.

Deciding the best course of action right now was to just put food through the slot on the door, avoiding seeing each other directly. Of course he could watch her, there was a camera in the corner of the room. You could see everything except inside the small bathroom area, giving her privacy.

He had made sure to give her a small table with two chairs, all bolted to the floor for her safety. He made sure she had fresh clothes in the morning. She had a toothbrush and tooth paste. Any toiletries she might need except for a razor. She would have to do without that.

He slid the breakfast tray into the slot and went back to his console. He still had work to do, he needed to try to find Joker and get rid of him. He couldn't let Lyra go to Arkham until Joker was out of the way for good. He kept the live feed of her room open on the corner of the screen as he tried to track any activities.

He was sad to see she didn't eat any of the food, but she did pour out bottled water, refilling it from the tap in the bathroom. Again he couldn't blame her, he hadn't wanted to drug her but he had no choice. She had been hostile the entire time he spoke with her. He took the tray and disposed of the uneaten breakfast. He would try again with lunch.

He moved back to the computer, staying busy. He still hadn't found out anything with The Joker or his goons. They really had been laying low. That never boded well for the city. A lull in activity seemed to mean something big was happening. Did Lyra know anything? He would have to try to ask her once she trusted him more.

His stomach alerted him to lunch time. He moved to the small fridge and pulled out the prepackaged salad and more water. He pushed the tray into the slot and walked away. By the time he had made his way back to the computer, he was happy to see her finally eating. She finished the small lunch and paced the floor. He smiled, she would be fine. He turned and went back to work.

On the third day, she cried. He hated watching this, but he knew it could be cathartic for her to get all of the emotions out, so he let her cry. She ate each meal that day, Bruce assumed she realized he wasn't going to drug her again. He felt like they were really having a breakthrough.

By the fifth day, all she seemed to do was eat and sleep. The crying had stopped, thankfully, but she barely left the bed. He watched each morning how she accepted the clothes, went into the small bathroom and came out, hair wet and clean clothes on. She would dump the dirty clothes in the corner. She moved back to the bed and laid with her back to the door.

His heart ached for her, but this really was for the best. This poor woman had been held by the Joker and brainwashed into thinking she cared for him. Joker had forced her to marry him. There was no telling what other brutalities he had forced on her. Shuddering at the thought, Bruce knew he had to handle her delicately to prove he was not like the Joker.

He was getting the lunch tray ready, on day six, it was a Sunday. He decided that he would see if she still seemed to hate him. He moved to the door and typed in the code and place his thumb on the print reader. The door opened and he stepped inside. At first, the room seemed empty, causing him to start to panic. The sound of the toilet flushing and the sink starting calmed him down.