Hi Guys. So this is the sequel to ~Breaking the Beast: The Jokers Equal~. Been working on it for a bit. I think I have enough for the first two chapters or so by now. ^_^ I'm so happy to finally be able to put all these crazy thoughts of mine out there for everyone to read. Reviews and suggestions are always welcome. Hope you enjoy.
~Broken: Unyielding Beast~
Chapter 1
The smell of hot coffee was thick in the small diner. Ann sat staring out the window at nothing in particular as the rain drizzled outside. She had been coming here for the past month for no other reason other than to get out of the small apartment she was currently living in several blocks away. Because of the war between Joker and Batman, she had basically been forced to leave behind everything and everyone that she cared about. She kept in contact with her friends by making calls from local pay phones once a week. Since it had been about three months, she knew Bruce was keeping his distance, for the moment. She knew because if he had been looking for her he would have traced the calls by now.
Joker had been causing even more trouble than usual. With the mafia in his back pocket and the crooked cops on his leash, Gotham was practically his play ground. Lately he'd been more violent than ever, taking to one on one personal conflicts instead of his usual flashy and more destructive activities. Ann figured it was his anger at her disappearance that caused his transformation. Maybe a more personal approach helped him let off some of his frustration?
And Batman? He was nearly non-existent. He occasionally appeared to fight with Joker when he cooked up something unusually nasty or destructive. But all in all, he was like a ghost. Something else was obviously on his mind other than the Clown Prince of Crime.
The restaurant was dead today, with Ann being the only customer. The waitress walked by and refilled her cup for her with a smile. She was always smiling. Her name was Jasmine. She was really thin, close to about 110 or 115 pounds with long dark hair that she kept in a high ponytail.
Sitting in the corner booth across the room from her was a little girl. Ann was going on the assumption that it was Jasmine's little sister. The girl would come in every day after school and then wait for Jasmine to get off work at 5. She seemed a bit reserved for a girl her age. She looked to be about 10 or 11. She was cute, with short black hair that she either wore down to her shoulders or up in pig tails. But she seemed to be a bit jaded, even in her youth.
It was almost 5 when Jasmine's relief showed up. Her name was Lisa. She had short blonde hair and walked with a sashay that showed off her butt.
Ann was getting a strange feeling of unease as she watched Jasmine and her kid sister walk out of the diner, waiving goodbyes at Lisa. The feeling grew a bit stronger as she watched them disappear around the side of the building. Frowning, Ann left a few bills on the table to pay for the coffee before she walked out into the dreary rain.
Looking around, she saw no visible reason why her stomach was twisting into knots. She turned, annoyed with herself for being so jumpy, and started her walk back to her apartment, when a sudden scream and gunshot echoed around the nearby buildings.
Suddenly startled, Ann turned and ran in the direction of the noise. Sprinting around the small diner she found herself running through a back alley. At a cross section in the ally she skidded to a halt at seeing the sight before her. There was a man that appeared to be rifling through a purse, in search of cash. And at his feet lay an unconscious and severely bleeding Jasmine. Her little sister was huddled up against the wall of the alley crying.
Ann's shock quickly gave way to anger as the thug shouted at the little girl before pointing the gun at her.
Jumping into action, Ann ran forward, pulling her knife from her belt and hurling it at the thug, catching him in the shoulder as he fired the gun. The bullet hit the brick building a foot above the now screaming child. The thug turned just in time to receive a kick to the face and was knocked backwards. He went sprawling and Ann followed. She retrieved her knife from the man's shoulder before grasping him by his dirty hair and lifting his head off the ground. She raised the knife and pressed it into his throat. That's when he started begging. "Bastard. You deserve to die." She told him.
"Stop."
Ann jerked her hand slightly in surprise as she glanced at the little girl, earning more begging from the thug. Telling him to shut up she jerked on his hair then looked back at the girl. "You really think this creep deserves to live? Even after he almost killed you?" Ann asked. The girl's eyes were piercing. "No. He doesn't." She replied. "But living is harder."
Wisdom beyond her years….
She turned her attention back to the thug. "You should thank her. She's the reason your still alive." Ann told him before smashing his head into the pavement, knocking him unconscious.
An hour later Ann sat in the hospital waiting room, explaining what had happened to the police. The little girl, Ann now knew as Reign, was clinging to her arm. Jasmine was alive, but just barely. Apparently the thug jumped them in the alley and demanded her purse. But before she could give it to him he shot her. She must have twisted away as he pulled the trigger. The bullet entered her right side just below the ribs and exited under her left shoulder. They said she was lucky to be alive. She had to have emergency surgery to repair the damage that the bullet had caused and was expected to make a full recovery, but would need to be closely monitored in the ICU.
The police were about to leave when the Commissioner Gordon walked in. Sighing, Ann rolled her eyes mentally sighing to herself. Gordon was nice. Always willing to help. Always concerned for her safety. He was a good friend. But his naivety was an annoyance to have to circumvent. There were hardly any gray areas for him. Most everything was either black or white.
"I heard your name mentioned in the reports that came over the scanner. I came to make sure you were okay." He told her. "Great. If you can find me that easy then so can Batman and Joker." She told him, now more annoyed. He frowned at her. "Joker can't trace our scanners. And Batman is your friend, isn't he?" He asked. Ann rolled her eyes. "Wow. I knew you boys in blue were clueless. I just didn't realize how bad it was. Any idiot with 50 bucks in a pawn shop can pick up an out dated police scanner. And they pick up the radio frequencies just as good as the new ones." She stated. "And as for Batman. I guess you could call him my friend. But for personal reasons, I'm staying as far away from him as possible. His war with Joker is making my life insane." She told him. He sighed and leaned forward in his chair. "Sounds like Joker's still after you. He's the real problem. He's turned the city into a giant breeding ground for criminals. I never understood just what his interest was in you though." He said. Ann glared at him, mainly for insinuating that Joker was some kind of rodent that 'infested' things. "His interest in me doesn't matter. Just keep my name away from the press and off your damned police scanners." She told him. "I don't understand why your running from Batman though. He could help you Ann. He's probably the only one who can." Gordon told her. She crossed her arms. "Batman only makes everything worse." She told him.
It was silent for a few moments before either of them spoke again. "If we could just catch Joker, lock him up, your life would go back to normal." He told her. She scoffed. "My life has never been normal." He scooted forward a bit more. "But he's interested in you, Ann. He wants you for some reason. You could help us catch him. You could help us get rid of his madness." He explained, trying to convince her. Her mouth dropped slightly as she looked back at him. She stood, suddenly angry. "How dare you. I can't believe you would ask me to do something like that." She glared down at him. He looked shocked at her outburst, but he pulled himself together quickly. "I understand what a horrible thing it is to ask you to do this. It must have been terrible for you when you were his prisoner. But think of all the good that could come from helping us. You could keep the same thing from happening to someone else."
He thinks your afraid of Joker.
No. He thinks Joker traumatized me.
The sound of his sigh brought her back to reality. She gave a glance at Reign to see the child was giving her an inquisitive but suspicious look.
She's smarter than I thought.
"I'm sorry Ann. I'm sorry I asked you to do that. But I'm running out of options here. I have to stop Joker. If you change your mind…" He looked up at her. She gave him a half smile. "You'll be the first person I call." She told him. He smiled at her before he stood. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to step into the bathroom a minute." He said slowly before walking to the nearby bathroom. He looked incredibly stressed out. He must have been really counting on her answer being yes.
Ann ran her fingers through her hair and sat back down next to Reign. The girl looked up at her. She hadn't said more than two words since they got to the hospital. Ann had been looking out for her until their parents showed up.
"Did the Joker really kidnap you?" She asked. Ann smiled at her. "Kind of." She told her. "But that's not the whole story is it." It wasn't a question. Ann sighed. "No. It's not." Ann replied.
"But you don't want that man to know about it, do you?" The girl asked. "Because he's a cop." Ann frowned. "Yeah." She really didn't know what else to say.
It was quiet a minute. "So where's your parents at anyways?" Ann asked. The girl's inquisitive face turned sad.
"That's a very good question." Ann turned to see a professional looking woman with brown curly hair pulled back in a loose bun. Reign instantly turned fearful and clung to Ann's arm. "Can I help you with something?" Ann asked the lady as she stood up.
"My name's Laura Eversteen. I'm a case worker for child welfare. Reign's parents were killed in a car accident a few years ago. Her sister Jasmine ran away with the girl. Illegally."
"She kept me away from you! I don't want a foster home! I want to stay with my sister!" The girl yelled from behind Ann, while still clinging to her arm. "Reign sweetie. Your sister can't take care of you. Just look what happened. You could have been killed because of her carelessness. Please don't make this hard. Just come with me." Reign glared at the woman and shook her head.
"I don't think she wants to go with you lady." Ann told the woman while at the same time staying where the woman couldn't reach Reign. Laura's demeanor turned sour. "Well she doesn't have a choice. It's the law." She said with her hands on her hips. "She needs a foster home with a responsible adult who can watch over her. Not another child trying to raise a child."
"I'm not going back to a foster home! Just leave us alone." Reign was practically in tears.
"She can stay with me." Ann told the woman. She wasn't sure what had come over her. She could barely take care of herself. But somehow she just couldn't stand to watch the woman drag the girl away.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. She needs to be put back into the system and anyone that wishes to be her foster parent will have to go through a thorough background check and credit history examination to be sure they will be a fit parent. I can't give children out to just anyone."
Commissioner Gordon took that moment to re-appear from around the corner. He'd probably heard everything. "It's alright Mrs. Eversteen. I'm sure under the circumstances you can let the girl stay with Miss Giovanni here. She's more than capable of taking care of the child. Her finances are 'very' well established."
The woman seemed to consider this a moment.
What the hell is wrong with me? Oh God, please say no….
"If you trust her, Commissioner, then I'm sure Reign will be okay. Temporarily, at least. But once your sister recovers, I'll have to take you both back to find you a real home." Her last sentence was directed at Reign.
Reign smiled. "In two months it won't matter. Jasmine will turn 18 and then she'll be my legal guardian." She stuck out her tongue, as if it would magically make the woman disappear.
The case worker ignored Reign's comment and began idly chatting with the Commissioner. Ann tuned out their conversation.
"I wanna meet him." Reign said suddenly where only Ann could hear. Ann gave her a look that showed she wasn't really okay with that. "I wanna meet both of them." She corrected herself. Ann felt her eyebrow twitch. "I'm not talking to either of them at the moment. And I'll explain why later." Ann told her. The girl crossed her arms with a small pout. "You'd better." The sight was so comical Ann laughed. It seemed like it had been forever since she had found anything funny enough to laugh at.
Several hours later Ann unlocked the doors to her apartment and flipped on the living room's lights. She glared at the off white walls, and the brown sofa, the ugly yellow carpet. She hated this place. Across from the sofa was her plasma tv and a book case that contained all her movies and several books. Along the wall next to the door were stacks of boxes. She still hadn't finished unpacking yet. Something in the back of her head told her that if she did she'd either have to pack it all up and move again, or she'd be stuck with the horrible place.
Stepping aside she allowed the little girl at her side to enter. Reign took a step into the room and looked around. She had a bag slung over her shoulder and carried a teddy bear with a big blue bow in her free hand. Ann had taken Reign back to where she lived with her sister to get some clothes and other essentials.
"I thought it would be nicer." The girl commented. Ann scowled. "Yeah. So did I. Don't worry, it's temporary." She told the girl. Ann shut the door and locked it before going to the spare room next to hers. There was an adjourning bathroom that connected the two rooms. "I guess this is your room." Ann told Reign. The girl walked in after her then jumped to lightly land on the bed. She giggled when it bounced her slightly. "This bed's better than the one I have." She commented with a smile. Ann suddenly realized just how under-privileged that the child must have been forced to live, with nothing but a waitresses' wages for two people to live on.
Ann was glad Misa had talked her into bringing the spare bed. Ann had initially refused, seeing as how she would have never needed it. Now, it seemed that it had a use after all.
"Well I'm glad you like it. It's yours now." She commented. The girl beamed up at her with a bright smile. Ann smirked at the child before going back to the living room. She pulled off her leather jacket and tossed it over a chair by the door. She flipped on the tv and was about to sit down to relax. "Why do you wear guns?" Reign's voice asked from behind her. Ann glanced over her shoulder at the girl then down at the pistol in her holster. "It's a precaution." Ann told her. "You carry the knife as a precaution too?" Reign asked. "Well it came in pretty handy today." Ann commented, looking down at her belt and the knife that the jacket had kept hidden.
Ann flopped down on the far end of the sofa and began flipping through channels. Reign crossed the room and sat next to her. "So what really happened between you and the Joker?" Reign asked after a few moments of silence. Ann closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Just the mention of him threatened to overtake her senses. "I kind of knew him before he was how he is now. I just didn't know it." Ann explained. The girl kicked her feet a few times, her heels hitting the sofa. "What about Batman? You know him because of the Joker?" Ann scowled. "Kind of. But not really. It's complicated." Ann explained. Another minute of silence. "So they both want to be your friend. And it makes your life hell because they fight. And you can't decide which one you like more. And even if you could, if you picked one you'd have to fight with the other one. So you ran away." Reign declared. Ann stared at her wide eyes, her mouth open in slight shock. Her shock turned into annoyance. "How did you get so smart, Reign?" Ann asked. The girl smiled. "My mom used to ask me that." She explained. Ann smirked. "Can't imagine why." She replied a bit sarcastically. The girl huffed in response.
It was silent for a good ten minutes before the girl spoke again. "So what's the plan if one of them shows up?" She asked. Ann had almost dozed off on the couch. She had to think through the haze in her mind for a minute. "Well. I don't really have one…" She trailed off. Reign's mouth dropped slightly. "You mean two of the most powerful and dangerous men in Gotham are out looking for you, and you don't even have a plan?" She asked in disbelief. Ann crossed her arms. "I don't really plan things. They just…. happen. I go with my instincts. It'll turn out okay. I'm more focused on making sure they DON'T find me- us." Ann explained.
It was silent for a good ten or fifteen minutes before she noticed Reign nodding off next to her. Ann smiled. "Hey. You've had a long day. And it's late. Why don't we hit the hay?" Ann said as she flipped off the tv. Reign yawned and stretched before she stood. Ann followed as the girl padded her way to her new bedroom. Leaning against the doorframe Ann watched the girl climb into her new bed and snuggled under the covers.
Ann woke first the next morning. Rolling out of bed and getting dressed she wandered into the living room and began rummaging through some of her boxes. She was looking for some of the board games that Duane had insisted she take to keep her entertained. Although she could hardly play a board game by herself. But Duane stopped by on occasion to play her at chess. And once in a while they would spar in her small living room. She didn't necessarily like the idea of him coming often, as someone could follow him to her. But she did enjoy seeing her friend.
Reign woke up several hours after Ann. She came stumbling into the living room rubbing her eyes and yawning. Ann didn't have much food in the apartment, but she managed to fix the two of them a bowl of ramen for breakfast. It was Saturday, so Ann turned on some cartoons for Reign to watch while Ann busied herself by cleaning her guns. Once it got closer to noon Ann announced that she was going to go get some groceries, since Reign would need to eat every day. And Ann simply didn't find it plausible to take her out to eat every time they were hungry. Mainly because if she ran into Joker or Bruce out on the street she had planned to run and lose them. But she wouldn't be able to do so if Reign was with her.
Ann chose to drive to a nearby Wal-Mart to get their groceries. She picked up mainly things that would be quick and easy. Some potatoes, eggs, milk, bacon, lunch meat, bread, and cheese and tv dinners. All the while asking Reign's opinion on which choices she would prefer. She also got some strawberry ice cream, yogurt, and of course Dr. Pepper. After their grocery shopping was over they picked out several movies that Reign would enjoy. And Ann bought her a few toys to play with. She noted that she was getting a bit low on cash. She would have to go to an ATM later.
Throughout the day Ann got to know the girl a bit better. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing board games and watching the movies they had picked out. Before long scrabble, Monopoly and checkers began to get a bit boring. So Ann suggested chess. She wasn't surprised when Reign confessed that she'd never learned how to play. So Ann began to teach her. This went on until Reign began to get sleepy and announced she was going to bed. Ann watched her drag her feet to her room. And after saying good night she did the same.
~Joker's POV~
"I said NO!" Misa yelled just before trying to slam the door for a second time. "I know you know where she is. I just want to talk to her…" He tried again.
I swear to the abyss, if it weren't for that promise….
"Damn it. She doesn't want to talk! She wants to be left alone. And I know exactly how she feels!" She slammed her heel into his toes. Yelping he jumped away from the door on his good foot, only to have the door slammed in his face. He glared at nothing for a moment before turning to walk away.
It was pointless. She'd disappeared a whole three months or more earlier. And no one would so much as tell him if she was even still in the city. And it was making him very annoyed. He literally had nothing. No clues. No credit card activity. No calls from her phone. He had the places she used to frequent under constant surveillance. Nothing. She had completely dropped off the grid. And it was making him insane.
He had decided to go a bit incognito today, opting for his leather trench coat and no face paint. Not that it really mattered. No one even really bothered anymore. Even Batman was hard to coax out of the hole that he hid in. Perhaps she had something to do with that too. She didn't understand. Everything was for her. Everything that had happened was all because of her.
In his mulling he realized he had randomly walked towards the Blondie's house. Perhaps it was time to harass her some more. She was the obvious weak link. But no matter the threats he sent her way or the random acts of violence, she wouldn't budge.
With a renewed sense of persistence he headed her way.
Within a half hour he had made it to the Ashley's apartment. He had just climbed the stairs and was about to knock when the door opened. Ashley's eyes went wide at seeing him in her doorway. "Joke- I mean Jak." She scowled immediately and glared his way. "What do you want now?" She asked in an annoyed voice. He leaned against the railing of the small porch. "You know very well what I want." He told her as he crossed his arms.
She stepped outside and closed and locked the door. "Well you can forget it. I've told you a billion times. I don't know where she is. No one does." She told him before walking down the stairs. He glared at her back and followed her.
"I know she keeps in contact with you. I just want a way to contact her. Just to talk. I'm not going to do anything crazy." He told her. She gave him a surprised look. "You? Do something crazy? No not you." She said sarcastically. "If I had her number. 'IF' I know you'd use it to try to trace her calls. Not call and talk to her. If you called her she'd just hang up. The only way to convince her of anything is to do it in person. I know her well enough for that. And I know you do too." She told him and continued walking down the block. "As far as I'm concerned you can shove off."
"What the hell does it take for you people to get it?! He yelled after her. "I'm not going to friggin hurt her or harass her or anything else like that. I just wanna know why the hell she disappeared!" He was beginning to lose his temper with the whole situation. The blonde whirled on him. "She left because of Y. O. U. It's your fault she's gone. You pushed her too damn far. She needs time 'away' from you. That's why she left. So leave her alone. If she wants to see you she'll find you. Now go away!" She yelled at him. Turning on her heel she kept walking.
No way. It doesn't end here.
He followed, determined to get any information he could, even if he had to wring it from her neck. Two seconds later she turned the corner of the next street. Just as he was about to follow he heard a slight 'oof'. He turned the corner just in time to see her land on her butt on the pavement.
"Ashley." The voice was almost a purr. "Fancy seeing you here." Ashley glared up at him. "Yeah. Bruce." She mocked his tone. "Fancy that." Joker's temper automatically flared. He glared over Ashley's shoulder as Bruce helped her to her feet. "Hmm, I just can't help but 'wonder' why you could possibly be here." She said in a mocking tone as she dusted herself off. So far Joker was being completely ignored. And it annoyed the piss out of him. "Well, now that you mention it. There was a little something I was hoping-" She cut him off. "Save it. I've already heard all the excuses and all the bribes and all the threats. I'm not telling you where she is! I wish the two of you would get it through you damn stubborn heads!" She yelled at him. He looked intrigued. "Two of us?" He asked. "Hmm, who ever do you mean?" She balled her hands into fists. She was just about to go off when Joker put his hand on her shoulder. She jumped. She had completely forgotten he was there.
"Now now, Ashley. You mustn't let imbeciles ruin your good mood." He said with distain. Bruce's glare was obvious. "Imbeciles?" Ashley asked astounded. "Your BOTH imbeciles. I've had it! Both of you leave me the hell alone!" She screamed before storming off. About ten seconds later she picked up on the fact that neither of them had followed, or even taken their eyes off the other. That's when she realized that Jak was Joker and Bruce was Batman and they both hated each other, and leaving them alone was not the best idea. She back tracked quickly.
"Something about you seems awfully familiar." Bruce commented. His tone was less than friendly. "I must have one of those faces." Joker answered casually taking a step forward. But his glare remained. "You must be one of Ann's 'friends'. Can't say she's ever mentioned you before." Bruce said slyly. "Well, you know her. Things tend to 'conveniently' slip her mind when she doesn't trust someone." Joker smiled.
Bruce looked like he was about to lose his cool. "Funny thing about trust-" Ashley jumped between them. "Oh look at the time. Were late. Let's go!" She said in a cheerful and entirely faked chipper voice as she pulled on Joker's arm. He shrugged her off. "No, I think Mr. Wayne was saying something. Don't be rude Ashley." He said in a reprimanding voice as he sent a glare Bruce's way. She sneered at him where only he could see. "We'd just 'hate' to give off a 'questionable' impression. Wouldn't we Jak?" She growled at him. He gave a huff and began to walk away. "Ah, Jak. That's right. I do remember her mentioning something about a pesky ex-boyfriend…" Bruce commented. Joker started to whirl on him but Ashley persisted in dragging him away as he glared over his shoulder.
"Now that you've got your way, what exactly are we late for?" Joker asked her sarcastically once they were around the corner. She glared at him. "A few minutes more and it would have been a friggin funeral." She snapped at him. "Best place to find a laugh." He mumbled. His sour mood had gotten even worse that he'd thought possible.
Obviously he wasn't the only one looking for her. Just like he figured. He'd better step up the search if he wanted to find her first.
He lagged back a bit, letting Ashley get a bit ahead of him, and waited for her to be distracted. At the first opportunity he slipped down a side ally and disappeared.
Once he made sure that troublesome pretty boy wasn't following him he trailed his way back to Ashley's apartment. As he climbed the stairs to the door he reminisced on the first time he had broken in. It was back when he had just met Ann. He had been curious. So he satisfied his curiosity. Then, just like now, all thoughts in his head eventually lead back to her.
He pulled out one of his knives and wedged it just under the latch between the door and its frame. Jamming the knife up plus pressure on the door and a slight jiggle and the door popped open.
After half an hour of going through all the paperwork in her apartment he gave up. There were no phone bills anywhere that he could find. Meaning she either had a paperless account or she got rid of them as soon as they were paid. With a scowl he left the apartment and headed back towards Misa's house. Hopefully she wasn't home.
