I jump awake. My heart was pounding and a light dew of sweat was on my skin. I was sitting up and breathing hard in a dark room. Somebody was pressed against my side.

Soft breathing from the person causes me to pause before jumping away. I focus on them. Small. A child. I sigh and smile involuntarily as they snuggle closer. I lay back and hold the kid protectively.

Hours later we sat in the same room. The boy was crying and holding me. I cradled the small boy in my lap and tried to sooth him. My maternal instincts had kicked in.

I was switching between humming and singing. He was starting to calm down. The sun was long from thought. Time is not as important at a time like this.

"Where's mommy?" the boy of about five asked.

I pause with my head resting on his.

"I don't know, Hun'," I reply softly.

"Not going to lie to him?" an unforgettable voice says.

The boy jumps, and hides his face in my chest while gripping the straps of my empty holster. I instinctively hold him tighter. I was glaring up at the Joker with my tangled hair making a curtain over the boy and my face. My blue eyes were visible through the mass of red.

He stood against the closed door. Smirking down at us. His coat and jacket were gone.

"Why lie? He is but a child. Lies are for adults," I snap. "Let him go home safely, Joker. He is too young to understand your motive. You will be wasting your time on him."

"He is important, to, uh, you," Joker says while pushing off the wall.

"He is unable to protect himself, of course I will protect him."

"Why do you, uh, care, Miss Lorcan?"

"It is my job. It's who I am," I reply sternly.

He laughs. The boy was shaking in my hold. I hold him tighter.

"Shh," I call in a soft whisper. "You'll be fine."

"Why do you, uh, say tha-t?"

I sneer up at him while humming to the boy. I sigh suddenly.

"Can we use the restroom?" I ask.

He laughs.

"You're a ball of, uh, fun. Threat-ening and spitting one mo-men-t, to calm and, uh, friendly the next."

"I figure staying calm is best."

He looks at me. No longer smiling. Judging me. Scrutinizing me. I sent back a challenging look with my cold pale blue eyes.

The next few days were frightening for the child. I would let him cling to me. Feel protected and loved. Joker would send men in to feed us only enough for one person. I gave it to the boy every time. The scions were starting to look at me more. Becoming braver. Either the Joker was not as frightening to them now or I was unthreatening. I guess the last.

They eventually put a radio in the room that only got one station. The local alternative station. I tried to look strong for the boy, no matter how weak I felt from lack of food. We were let out to go to the restroom three times a day. Joker had not stopped by us much, unless he was staring at us. No words or sounds coming from him.

I danced around the small room with the child holding my hands. He was smiling and laughing. I was smiling happily with half warm eyes. It had been a little over a week. Apocalyptica's I'm not Jesus was playing. I sang along.

"Dirty little secret," I sang as I danced on my own for the boy. He was taking a breather and asked me to dance. I moved slowly and rolled my body at the beginning. It was like a cross of belly dancing. My eyes were closed and my moves were graceful, even when the beat picked up and sounded rough.

"When your whole world comes undone. Let me be the one to say, "I'm not Jesus, you can't runaway.'"

The boy was unnaturally silent. My eyes open with a soft smile at the boy. He was shivering. I glance over my shoulder. Joker. I turn back to the boy. We were in a cell. One wall was metal bars. This was the old GCPD building.

I sit down by the boy slowly. Ignoring the man on the other side of the bars. I pulled the boy to me and hummed softly in his ear so only he would hear. The clang of something hitting the bars caused the boy to jump and my cold eyes to lock on the door of the cell. Glaring.

Food was on the floor half way to us. The goon stood by Joker. Smirking as he surveyed us. Focus on me. I reach over and grab the small tray. The boy glances up at me sadly. The men are forgotten to us as I set the boy down and place the food in his lap. He looks sadly at me again. I didn't care how pale or sickly I looked.

He pushed it to me. I frown at him. I push it back and put the bread in his hand.

"Eat, you need it, Timmy," I say lightly in that motherly tone.

"But-"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I say with a bright smile at him.

He looks doubtfully at me. He slowly eats it. The door flies open. I jump up and stumble. I glare at the goon either way. I stood protectively in front of Timmy. The goon was scowling at me.

"You dumb whore," he snarls. "Forget the boy and eat."

I roll my neck with my eyes locked on his. Daring him to try anything. He smirks as he laughs.

"You're too weak to do anything."

My foot moves quickly.

CLANG!

"BITCH!" he yells in pain, holding his head as he gets up.

"I'm too weak to fight back," I reply in a calm tone.

He jumps at me. He was big and clumsy. I slip out of his path and knock him off balance. His momentum caused him to smack into the brick wall. He groans in pain as he sits on the floor holding his battered head.

"Leave us be," I growl darkly at the man as I take the empty tray from Timmy and bash him over the head with it. Out he goes. "I'll eat when I wish to."

I grab the man and throw him out of the cell. The tray smacks his head again before the cell door clangs shut. I wasn't stupid. Leaving the cell would mean death for Timmy and I.

Laughing from outside the cell causes me to glare at the door with a warning look. Timmy gripped me tight. My hand absent mindedly rubbed his back. Joker stood over the man laughing at him and the scene. Scions come running. I turn my attention back to the boy. I hum in his ear as the scions gather around to see the man knocked out and the tiny, sickly looking woman holding the boy.

I woke in the middle of the night. Timmy was curled up close to me. I glance up. It was a week after the incident with knocking that man out. Timmy groans and rolls closer to the wall. I go to cry out as I'm snatched. The large hand over my mouth silences it. I'm jerked away from the boy and held to the ground on the other side.

It was a goon. He looked down at me hungrily. I tried to fight him off. I was too weak. My blouse was split open. My lacey bra exposed to the world. My once shining red hair was now dull and tangled. His hand left my mouth as he tried to hold me down and get the belt off so the holster would come off.

"GET OFF!!" I scream sounding ever like the tiny girl I was. Pathetic. "HELP!! RAPE!!" I scream out quickly.

I'm cuffed across the face. My head smacks the wall hard. I see stars for a moment as the belt hung loose and he ran for it. I was unable to move through the waves of pain that stunned me and too weak to even try.

Timmy was screaming and shaking me. I couldn't focus my eyes. I know lights filled the room as the man who had been here seconds before yelled and people swarmed me. One towering over me. I faint then.