So, just to explain a little bit, the main characters in this story will be as follows: Dr. Cassandra Gabriel of Arkham Asylum, our OC. The Joker. Jack White, the Joker before he was the Joker. There will be multiple flashbacks, and these will be indicated by italicized font. Thank you for reading! If you have any other questions, just send me a message. :)

-beep beep beep-

Jack White rolled over on his shabby twin sized mattress as his hand groped for his cheap alarm clock. He groaned as he read the time: 7:00 a.m.

When the beeping refused to stop, he pulled the clock, wire and all, until the plug disconnected from the wall. Jack lay his head back onto his pillow and sighed.

Today.. today is Friday…

He sat up slowly and ran his fingers through his dark blond, almost brown curly locks, swinging his long legs over the side of his small bed and strolling sleepily towards his cramped bathroom.

Jack turned on his faucet and splashed a bit of water on his face before cutting his eyes toward the water stained mirror above the sink.

A 24 year old man with a chiseled face, curly hair, deep brown eyes and a lean, muscular body stared back at him, the hints of sleep still remaining.

Jack sighed again before jumping in for a quick shower.

After dressing in a pair of dark jeans, a plain white shirt, and the only pair of shoes he owned (which looked like a pair of all-brown, dirty bowling shoes), he raced out of his rundown apartment just in time to catch the number 12 bus, which would take him to the Gotham University campus.

He paid his fare and exited the bus with a few of his fellow students. He slung his black backpack over one shoulder and proceeded to head towards the tallest oak tree on the campus mall, where he saw Emily Haines, his girlfriend of almost one year, sat reading a book. Her layered blonde hair glistened in the morning sun as she continued to read Sense and Sensibility, unaware Jack was approaching her. He couldn't help but smile as he got closer to the oak tree. Jack loved Emily with all of his being. They'd known each other since senior year at Ulysses S. Grant high school, but Jack hadn't worked up the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend until about a year ago, when they both transferred to Gotham U.

He planned to propose to Emily on their one year anniversary next Friday, the 13th of October, with his grandmother's wedding ring.

Jack bent down and scooped up what he thought was a flower without missing a step, finally reaching Emily and plopping down beside her and holding it out.

Emily looked up and smiled sweetly at her lover, before glancing down to see what he held in his hand.

"Oh, Jack," she said, taking the white flower. "My favorite weed! Thank you."

She grinned mischievously at him as his face fell.

"Oh, sorry Em, I thought it was a flower..."

Emily giggled as she tossed the weed aside and took Jack's face in both of her hands, placing a sweet, tender kiss on his mouth. "It's the thought that counts," she said with another kiss.

Jack sighed internally as Emily continued to kiss him. He loved her so much, he'd die for her. He wrapped one toned arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

She broke the kiss and giggled. "Jack! Not here! Besides, it's almost eight. We gotta get to class soon."

Jack groaned in protest, but allowed Emily to stand up and begin her walk towards her PolySci 101 class, waving goodbye. She blew him a kiss and disappeared into the crowd of students now making their way to their various classes.

Jack smiled to himself as he watched Emily walk away. His hand ran over the tiny bulge in his right pocket, which was actually a small velvet box containing his grandmother's diamond ring.

Jack's grin grew wider as he picked up his backpack and headed over to Advanced Chemistry102.

Jack White was majoring in Chemical Engineering, hoping to pursue a career at the infamous Wayne Laboratories. His promising career was already in his sights. He'd recently acquired a paying internship at Wayne Laboratories as the assistant to Dr. Zimmer, the head of the Laboratories.

He couldn't be happier. He had a beautiful, amazing soon-to-be fiance. A career that was so close he could taste it. Everything in Jack White's life was slowly but surely falling into place.

"Mr. White!"

Jack was startled awake by his wacky professor, Dr. Goodman as he was slapped upside the head by a latex gloved hand.

He blinked several times, his eyes adjusting to the bright lights of the lab. It took him a moment to realize that he was just having a nightmare...

Jack and his older brother Melvin came bounding down the stairs when their mother called them for dinner. They were careful to be quiet with their footing, for they knew that their father was passed out drunk in his bedroom.

"What's for dinnah, mah?" Melvin asked, sitting down at the tiny table they had stuffed into the even tinier kitchen.

"Pot roast," Regina White stated proudly. She had just gotten a raise at the hotel she worked at, and was now able to afford better meals for her family.

"Mmm," a six year old Jack smacked his lips as his mother placed a steaming plate of pot roast and vegetables in front of him. "Thanks, mah."

"You're welcome, puddin'," Regina smiled and kissed her youngest son on the head.

Jack and Melvin quickly and quietly shoveled their dinner into their eager mouths, wincing a little every time someone's fork or knife hit the plate too hard.

Their mother watched them with obvious love in her eyes as she wiped the counters clean. Suddenly, as her gaze wavered toward her bedroom door, she noticed that it was slowly creaking open, which could only mean one thing.

"Boys, hurry up, your fathah's comin!"

The boys' heads snapped up in fear, their heads slowly turning toward the bedroom door.

Their drunk, half-naked, badly shaven father came stumbling out of his bedroom, half empty beer bottle in hand, it's contents swishing around inside.

"Gina... Gina!" he bellowed, staggering towards the kitchen. "Gina, where the fuck are you?"

Regina White scurried over to her husband, a full plate of pot roast in hand. She timidly held it out for him before saying "Honey, could you please not use that kinda language in front of Melvin and Jack?"

There was a loud clatter as the plate was smacked out of her hands and landed on the floor. Pot roast and vegetables flew everywhere, landing in various places. Another deafening noise, a smack as Melvin Sr.'s open hand met Regina's face.

"Don't tell me how to fucking talk, woman!" he screamed as she quickly lowered herself to the floor to clean up the mess.

Jack's eyes were wide as he watched his father come limping towards the kitchen table. He looked Jack directly in the eye, taking a swig from his bottle before he said in a low, menacing voice, "Why so serious?"

Then, he reached over and firmly grasped Jack's upper arm, pulling him towards the bedroom. He slammed the door behind him. He shoved Jack toward the bed, where he landed face down, tears welling up in his eyes as he rubbed the tender spot where his father had grabbed him.

Melvin Sr. stood staring at Jack, muttering drunkenly to himself, taking the occasional swig from his beer.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he stumbled his way over to Jack, who was completely scared out of his mind. He watched in horror as his demented father lowered his pants and stepped over them to continue on to Jack. After reaching him, he yanked him off the bed and pulled his pants down as well, so that they pooled around his shaking ankles.

Jack kept his eyes shut tight as he was pushed back down onto the bed. He felt his father's large, calloused hands wrap around his tiny hips before he emitted his scream, his childlike innocence lost forever.

That night was the first time Jack's father raped him, but definitely not the last.

Jack's nightmare continued to linger long after his class had finally ended. His thoughts kept trailing back to his long dead father, knowing that no matter how many years had passed, he would never quite recover.

Jack and Emily both lay on his tattered twin mattress, huddled closely together so that neither would fall off. Emily's hand rested on his chest, while his moved, slowly and absentmindedly stroking her hair. He stared at the blank wall opposite the bed, completely lost in thought.

"Jack, baby, did you hear me?"

Jack blinked and looked down at Emily, who was looking up at him expectantly.

"What? I'm sorry, Em, could you repeat that?"

"I said I already made reservations at that fancy Italian restaurant for our anniversary. Is that alright with you?"

Jack smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"What would I do without you, Emily Haines?"

Emily giggled and said "Not much, Jack White."

He grinned down at her, and she smiled back up at him.

In that one moment, all of his hesitations about proposing flew out the window. This was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, the woman he wanted to start a family with. The woman he wanted to bicker with over silly little things before he wrapped her up in his arms and told her he was sorry, whether it really was his fault or not.

"I love you," he whispered, kissing her forehead again.

She smiled and said "I love you too," before her eyelids slowly drifted closed.