Hi guys! I love that I've received so many reviews for my last story, 'Decode'. So, I'm going to reward everyone with a one-shot about the story of the Joker's "wife". This is just my take on this twisted tale… : ) Btw, the words in italics are the lines from when Joker is telling the story to Rachel Dawes in the movie.

So, I had a wife. She was beautiful…

"Jack, when are you coming to bed?" Julie patted the sheets next to her playfully with her soft hand. I had just come out of our small bathroom, drying my rumpled, brown hair. I shook my head, smiling slightly at her mischief.

My Julie was a feisty one. Walking towards my side of the bed, I laid down beside her and wrapped my arm around her waist.

Who tells me that I worry too much…

"You're worried about something, Jack. I can sense it." She whispered, gently tracing her fingers down my arm.

I sighed exasperatedly, but I couldn't deny why Julie always told me that I was so uptight that it felt strange, like the feeling of goosebumps forming on your skin. Still, she possessed an ability of saying things to make the people around her, including me, feel content and at ease.

"I was thinking about what our future is going to be like when the baby arrives. We'll have to be more responsible, you know, as a family."

She turned her head to look into my eyes. "Jack, since we got married, I've never seen you genuinely happy. It just concerns me that there's nothing I can do to make you smile."

Who tells me I need to smile more…

I unwound my arm from around her and stroked her face. "I am happy. I've married you and now we have a beautiful baby on the way. Sometimes, I just don't know how to express my feelings."

Julie shook her head and scoffed playfully. "You are such a damn mystery, Jack Napier. But, that's why I love you. You're sweet, sexy, and a wonderful piece of my life's puzzle."

Who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks…

A week later, Julie came bursting through the front door, sobbing uncontrollably. Her hands were covering the lower side of her face.

"Julie, what happened?" I ran to her side and wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug as she cried into my chest. She shivered in my embrace as I felt a liquid soak my shirt. At first, I assumed it was her tears. Then, she pulled away from me and I saw what had been seeping in the cloth.

Red blood.

Julie's hands still concealed her mouth. Finally, she pulled them away and revealed her injury. A red Glasgow smile had been carved into her face, forming two large scars across her cheeks.

One day, they carve her face…

"Don't look at me, Jack!" She screamed at me, her brown ponytail falling out from her hair.

"Who's done this to you?" I asked her as gently as I could, squeezing her shoulders.

Julie shook her head as more tears fell from her eyes, blending with the bloody smile. "I bet these two guys $1,000 in a card game. I was so confident that I didn't think I'd have to give them the money. So, when I couldn't pay it, they did this to me. Now, I just look like a hideous freak!"

We have no money for surgeries. She can't take it…

"I don't care about disfigurements, Julie. When I married you, I promised to stand by you no matter what. Don't you see that?"

"That's not true, Jack. We both know that everyone will see me as nothing but a freak of nature from here on out."

I just want to see her smile again…

I released my hands from her shoulders and slowly walked toward the bathroom. Locking the door, I rummaged through the cabinet until I found a shaving razor. I reluctantly stuck it into my mouth and pressed against my left cheek. The blade dug into the soft flesh until I tasted blood and I did the same with the other cheek. Yes, the pain was excruciating, but I needed to show Julie that I still wanted to be with her through thick and thin.

I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars…

Without looking at my reflection in the mirror, I unlocked the bathroom door and walked back to the living room. Julie still sat on the couch, her brown hair now forming a curtain around her face.

"Julie," I softly whispered her name. She looked up at me in response and shock filled her eyes and face.

"Wh- what the hell did you do to yourself, Jack?" Her voice broke as she said my name.

"Like I said, I want to be with you, and only you." I slowly strode toward her. I wanted to take her into my arms and keep her safe forever. She began to back away from me, scrambling off of the couch.

"Get away from me." She seethed, anger lighting up her eyes.

She can't stand the sight of me…

"No, no! It's bad enough that our baby has to have a freak for a mother, but her father too?!"

Julie walked towards me again, only this time, she raised her hands began beating on my chest.

"You pathetic excuse for a man! I'm not living here with a goddamn monster!"

I couldn't believe this: Overnight, my sweet, funny Julie had been turned into a miserable woman who felt she had nothing to live for.

She stormed to the bedroom and locked the door, not coming out for the remainder of the night.

That was the last time I saw her.

I awoke on the couch the next morning to find a note taped to the table. The handwriting was slightly scribbled, but readable.

Jack,

I can't go living like this. It's over between us, and I've decided to put the baby up for adoption when she's born. She doesn't deserve to have monsters for parents. Don't bother to come looking for me. I expect you'll receive the divorce papers in a couple of days.

Julie

I was stunned and I felt numb as I crumpled the small piece of paper in my hand. How could she do this to me? I loved her with every fiber of my being. I tried to convince myself that I was just having a long nightmare, that I would wake up with a sleeping Julie at my side. No, this was as damn real as it would get.

I slowly trudged to the bathroom and gazed at the damage in the mirror. Two large scars ran across my cheeks, making it seem like I was smiling.

Anger and rage filled my heart as I began sobbing, pounding my fist on the glass until it began to crack. I continued sobbing, then Julie's words echoed in my mind. Why don't you ever laugh, Jack? It's good to do every now and then.

It began as a giggle, then a laugh, until it turned into a shriek. I laughed so hard, I thought I'd bust a gut.

Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling.

I know it's not that good, but tell me what you think.