(I shamelessly listened to Nickelback's song 'Lullaby' on repeat during this first half of the chapter! I also found another song for Samantha and the Joker; 'Name' by Goo Goo Dolls. Please excuse any sucky parts to the last bit of this chapter. I was falling asleep but didn't want to stop writing. )
Chapter Six
September 10th
12:10 am
Samantha was calmly sitting on the couch when she felt Batman's presence. "I'm sorry. I couldn't get him to stay on the phone long enough," she apologized without looking at him.
"What did he want?"
Samantha gave what sounded like a tired laugh. "To wish me a happy birthday."
There was silence and then… "Samantha… I need you to be honest. How do you know the Joker?"
Samantha turned to face him; an "Are you kidding me?" look was speaking loudly through her facial features. "Where have you been? I've told you already. We met at the bank robbery and I stupidly thought that I could make him turn the bus around and hold him there until the police came and-."
"That's not what I'm asking."
Samantha's lips slowly closed and she moistened them with her tongue. "What … exactly are you asking me?"
"There's more to it, Samantha. You're not telling me everything."
"I've told you the truth!" she shouted then brought her voice back down, remembering Alice was sleeping. "I've told you everything."
"No. You're holding something vital back. A man like the Joker doesn't just suddenly form an attachment. What are you hiding?"
"I'm not hiding anything."
"You're eyes say differently." Batman couldn't recall ever seeing such expressive eyes before meeting Samantha. It was like her entire being, her entire soul was in her eyes. It's what made them remarkable. It was the first thing anyone noticed about Samantha. Even Jonathan Crane had seen it. For Samantha the expression, 'The eyes are the windows to the soul,' was true. When you looked into her eyes, you saw her soul and right now Batman could see the turmoil that was raging inside.
Samantha shook her head and stood up from the couch. She took three steps away and paused.
"Samantha…"
She didn't respond. Her back continued to face him.
"Samantha… I can't protect you if I don't know the whole story."
"It's not me I'm worried about if I tell… I could put others in danger in I tell. I haven't even told them they're involved."
"You might be helping them by telling me. Please."
Samantha was silent, staring out the window. With a final nod, she turned back around to face him. Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes but she wouldn't let them. She took a deep breath. "I knew the Joker before the bank robbery," she finally admitted. It felt like chains were falling away, letting her breathe again.
"How far back?"
She bit her lip. "My senior year in high-school."
He had expected her to say a week before, a month, maybe even a year- but that far back… "Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"I didn't know he was the Joker until after I had jumped on the bus. He called me something that only he could have known."
"But once you escaped from him, why didn't you tell the police?"
"Oh I wanted to. At first I didn't cause I was afraid of dirty cops in the system. But then I talked myself into telling but not without proof. The cops already didn't believe me so I did my own research on the Joker. I tried to look up any records on Allan Jordan. Nothing; absolutely nothing. No birth records, no address, no phone number. The only proof I had that I didn't imagine him was his picture in the high-school year book. He had told me that it was a fake name he used. You got to wonder what kind of a person he was to be using a fake identity at that age."
"You had the year book picture; that's proof enough. Why didn't you go to the police?"
"I realized how foolish it would be if I did. I am the only person who knows that the Joker is that same boy I knew in high-school. I'm the only link to his past that he has to worry about. But Harley and Alice knew him back then as someone else and if I told them that he grew up to be the Joker, that puts their lives at risk and I can't guarantee that he'll keep them alive like he has with me. To him they're nothing but bargaining chips to keep me in line. Knowing the Joker's secret is my burden, not theirs."
Batman was speechless. All this time she had kept this secret and at such a heavy price. He never realized that they were so similar. Both had dark secrets they were hiding to protect the ones they cared for.
"That name the Joker called you… what was it?"
"…Esmeralda." She slowly sat back down on the couch. "Maybe if I hadn't acknowledged him about it than maybe all of this wouldn't have happened?"
"Then you'd be dead."
The look she gave him was shattering. "Maybe it would have been for the best," she whispered.
"Samantha," Batman growled. "You may have experienced terrible things in your life, but you have also saved others because of you and you did that without wearing a mask."
Samantha attempted a light laugh. "Are you calling me a hero?" She received a silent nod from the masked vigilante. She took a moment to soak that in. "I never even considered the things I've done as heroic." Mostly because she seemed to bring misery to everyone around her. "Hey Batman…. do I get a cape too?"
Batman felt a surge of relief at her question. He didn't answer though. He knelt in front of Samantha and looked her in the eyes. "Tell me everything. Tell me about the first time you met the Joker."
Samantha nodded and exhaled, half closing her eyes. "It was the first day of my senior year. The principal assigned me as Allan's school guide. There was something about hm that scared me the very moment we met… there was something about his eyes…."
….
It was nearly four in the morning when Bruce finally crawled into bed. But he didn't go to sleep. He wanted to, he was aching for sleep; but Samantha's story was swirling in his head. Batman had asked to see the photo of Allan Jordan in the year book and Samantha showed him. Looking at the small photo of the young Clown Prince of Crime, Batman tried to remember if he had ever seen him, if he had ever passed him in the halls, ever spoke to him, but nothing came to mind. He was just a face among hundreds in a year book. When Samantha had gotten to the last night she had seen the Joker-Allan Jordan- and that she had let him kiss her, Samantha dropped her gaze from Batman's as if she were ashamed.
Bruce changed from lying on his back to lying on his right side, hugging the pillow close to his head. He had wanted to hold Samantha close on more than one occasion while she told Batman her story but he refrained from doing so. That was something Bruce would do, not Batman. The things she told him that happened between her and Allan were a variety of things. There were some funny stories and then there were stories that justified her fear of him.
"There was this one time when I saw the Joker in him… I just didn't realize that's who I was seeing at the time. Harley, Alice and I were going to see a movie and Allan showed up. I don't know how he did it but he always managed to find me…"
There was a slight knock at the bedroom door frame. Bruce sat up to see Alfred standing politely within the doorway. "Alfred… why aren't you in bed?"
"I'm afraid your insomnia is starting to infect me," the old butler said smiling. He walked into the room to Bruce's bed as the billionaire swung his legs around to dangle off the edge. He ran his hands through his dark, disheveled hair.
"She told me, Alfred."
"The Held Back part, sir?"
"Yes. She knew him as a teenager."
"…Good lord," Alfred breathed.
"It's bigger than I thought; so much bigger. Arkham was right; their lives are entwined. Even from the very beginning. " Bruce drew in a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. "It seems that Arkham Asylum needs to be watched more carefully," he sighed, changing the subject. His eyes were burning, begging to close. "I'll call the asylum tomorrow and have a meeting with the Assistant Director, Miss Alyce Sinner. She'll be made Head of Arkham now that Jeremiah's been committed. The asylum's in bad need of funds…" he suppressed a yawn, "She won't turn down meeting with me. I'll be able to keep tabs on the things that go on in there."
"Why the sudden interest in the asylum, sir?"
"Samantha mentioned things they were doing to Nigma that …" Again he felt a yawn coming and fought it. "It didn't sound right." This time he couldn't hold back the yawn.
"You won't be much good if you're asleep during that meeting, Master Bruce."
"Hm? Wha'd ya say, Alfred?"
"Good night, Master Bruce."
"'Night, Alfred."
Bruce finally went to sleep and he dreamed of the things Samantha told him about her and a teenager called Allan Jordan.
….
"There was this one time when I saw the Joker in him… I just didn't realize that's who I was seeing at the time. Harley, Alice and I were going to see a movie and Allan showed up. I don't know how he did it but he always managed to find me…"
December 21st 1996
"I heard it's got a lot of language in it," Alice said, hugging herself to keep warm as she, Samantha, and Harleen walked along the sidewalk to the movie theatre. It was the middle of December and nearing the end of a cold afternoon. Alice's light blue jacket provided her with some warmth but it didn't entirely block out Gotham's chill.
"Yep; and blood and gore," Harley chirped, playfully skipping two steps ahead of her friends. She kept her bare hands stuffed inside the pockets of her red gymnastics jacket.
Samantha adjusted her white scarf to fit snuggly around her neck. "Alice, we don't have to go see this movie," Samantha told her. "We can go see something else."
"Yeah, we don't have to see Shriek."
"It's Scream, Harley. The movie's called Scream."
"Oh yeah. Oops."
They made it to the front entrance of the theatre and stopped. Samantha motioned towards the movie posters. "We could go see Romeo and Juliet," she offered. A teasing grin appeared on her face and she nudged Alice. "It's got Leonardo DiCaprio in iiiiit," she sing-songed. "He plays Romeooooo."
Alice blushed bright pink. The poor girl tried to duck her head so they wouldn't see but it was too late. Samantha chuckled. "Yeah. Too bad he dies at the end."
"Sammy! Spoiler!" Harley nipped.
"Harley… It's Romeo and Juliet; duh!"
"…Oh yeaaaah."
The girls got a good laugh out of that. They were still laughing when an all too familiar voice sang out to them.
"Hello, my baby
Hello, my honey
Hello, my ragtime gal;
Send me a kiss by wire
Baby, my hearts on fire;
If you refuse me
Honey, you'll lose me
Then you'll be left alone
Oh baby, telephone
And tell me I'm your own!"
Samantha didn't even turn to face him; she continued to look at Alice and Harley. "If I keep ignoring it do you think it'll go away?" she asked them.
An arm suddenly draped along her shoulders. "Not a chance," Allan whispered in her ear.
Samantha rolled her shoulders, attempting to get Allan's arm off her but it didn't work. "What are you doing here?"
"What; I can't simply be outside, enjoying the day?" he asked, pretending to be insulted. He turned his attention to Harley and Alice. Samantha hated it when he did that. Whenever he talked to her friends Allan seemed to be able to manipulate them. "What are you girls up to; hm?" He touched the corner of his mouth with his tongue out of habit.
Harley batted her eyelashes at him and looped her arm around the arm currently not resting on Samantha's shoulder. "We were just gonna see a movie. Wanna come with?"
Samantha's eyes widened to an impossible size as she stared Harley down. "I will end you!" her mind shouted.
Harley caught the look but she gave Samantha a look of her own. "But he's HOT!"
Allan was oblivious to the silent conversation going on between the girls. He shrugged and smiled charmingly at Harley. "I don't see why not."
Harley squealed, slightly bouncing on her toes. "Oh goody!"
Samantha only sighed and reluctantly resigned herself to the addition to their company.
"What are you going to see?" Allan asked.
"Well, we were thinking about seeing Romeo and-." Alice got cut off by Samantha.
"Scream! Yeah. We're going to see Scream." No way was she going to see anything romantic with that boy sitting beside her. Nuh-uh. Nope.
"I still don't know…" Alice started.
"You scared?" Allan goaded, giving her a cheeky grin.
Alice blushed. "A little. I mean, I don't watch movies like that."
Harley let go of Allan's arm so she could go wrap Alice in a protective hug. "Alice is our little sheltered baby," Harley giggled, patting Alice on the head.
"Oh stop it, Harley," Alice whined.
"Well you are the youngest; so that makes you the baby."
"And you're like my big, annoying sister, right?"
"Right-hey!"
"And Samantha would be the Momma of our group."
Samantha tried to make herself look buff but the effect was a little messed up because Allan's arm was still on her shoulders. "Big Mamma Samantha," she said in a deep voice. That made them giggle.
"Hm. Can I be the Daddy?" Allan asked.
"If they say 'yes' then a divorce is imminent," she dead-panned.
"Hey, we better get our tickets. The movie's gonna be starting soon," Harley warned them. They bought their tickets and chose seats close to the steps. It was just as Samantha predicted; Allan ended up sitting next to her. Harley took the end aisle seat on the other side of her and Alice sat in the empty seat on Allan's left.
Alice clung to the big bowl of popcorn all the four teens had chipped in to buy. "I don't know about this," she muttered.
Allan shifted in his seat so that he faced Alice. "You remind me of a cute little mouse, ya know that?" he chuckled. "If ya get too scared," he motioned to his left shoulder, "this shoulder is free to be used as an eye shield."
Samantha could only roll her eyes and grip the armrests tightly. "Eeeeegh! Stop smoozing up my friends!"
The lights began to dim and the commercials started. Allan didn't wait very long to try moving his hand closer to Samantha's. She slumped her shoulders. She had wanted to see the movie; now she was going to be battling for her hand's freedom for the next hour and eleven minutes.
Alice did make use of Allan's offer. Whenever the suspense grew too much for her-which was often- Alice tucked her head between the seat and Allan's shoulder. He would laugh at her but didn't tease her. He seemed to actually be focusing on the film and didn't try making any moves on Samantha. She noticed Allan kept fingering his right jeans pocket. She could just make out a slim bump in the pocket, indicating that there was something in there.
Towards the ending of the film, Alice had kept her face fixed to Allan's shoulder but occasionally peeked at the screen; only to squeak and cover her eyes again. Samantha's legs were drawn into her seat and she was hugging her knees, eyes wide and taking in every detail. Harley was biting her painted fingernails to the skin. Allan was smiling. Samantha happened to glance over at him cause he had been quiet and she saw that he was smiling as he watched the people meet their terrible ends. It made her shiver.
The end credits rolled and Alice's head was still stuck between Allan's shoulder and the seat. He tapped her on the head and waved his fingers at her when she ventured to look up. "The bad man's gone, sugar. Can I have my arm back?"
"Sorry."
They stood and stretched, waiting for the dim theatre lights to come back on before walking down the steps. Samantha was experiencing that odd disoriented feeling you get after watching a film in the movie theatre and stumbled on the steps. Allan stopped her fall by wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Nope! Don't want that, do we?"
"I don't want your arms around my waist either," Samantha thought.
Samantha's dad was supposed to pick her up at the theatre after the movie. Alice and Harley's moms were there and took them home after the girls gave each other a good-bye hug.
"Thanks for being my Eye Shield," Alice said shyly to Allan.
He winked at her. "No problem."
Alice and Harley giggled and ran to their separate rides home, leaving Samantha standing on the curb with Allan. There was an awkward silence. She checked her wrist watch and sniffed, looking everywhere but at Allan. The silence was disrupted when Allan cleared his throat. "Uuuh… do you have a ride home?" he asked.
"Yeah. My dad should be here soon."
"What happened to your car this time?
"Nothing. My mom had to use it to visit a friend out of the city. My parents don't like the idea of me walking alone in Gotham at night, especially after what happened to the Wayne family."
"Sooo, where's your old man?"
"Should be on his way… hopefully." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Do you have a car?"
"Nope."
"You got a ride?"
"Nope."
"You got a quarter?"
"No-huh?"
"A quarter. You know, it's one of those silver circles with George Washington's head on it."
"Yeah, I got one. You need it?"
"Yeah, please."
He dug the quarter out of the same pocket that the kept mysterious shape. He gave her the quarter and Samantha headed for the payphone at the nearby street light. She dialed her home number and waited.
"Hello?"
"Dad?"
"Hey, Sam."
"Dad, what are you still doing home? I thought you'd be on your way to pick me up from the -."
"Movies! Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I forgot. Mac Coulson was visiting –we used to be real good buddies in high-school ya know- anyway, he was in the area and I invited him over and –oh honey, I'm sorry. I'll just meet up with Mac some other time and come and get you now."
"No, no, no, Dad! You don't have to make Mr. Coulson leave just to pick me up. I'll just walk home."
"Sam, you know I don't want you walking home alone at night. Gotham isn't what it used to be."
"I know that, Dad, but I won't be walking alone." Oh crap. What was she saying? "Do you remember Allan?"
"Casanova?"
Samantha bit down on her lip to keep from laughing. "Yeeeah. He's here. He could walk with me. Sound alright?"
"Well… Yeah. I guess so. Just be alert, honey. Be safe."
"I will."
"Love ya."
"Love ya too."
Samantha hung up and squared her shoulders. She stepped out of the phone booth and walked back to Allan. "This… is the dumbest idea I've ever had." Obviously she didn't know that she'd be jumping on a bus after the Joker in the future.
"What's up?" Allan asked her.
"I… I need someone to walk me home. My Dad forgot about picking me up and he's got company over at the apartment."
"So you need a body guard?" He waggled his eyebrows at her.
"I don't approve of that insinuation," Samantha replied with a straight, unimpressed face. Allan snickered. "Will you please walk me home?"
Allan stopped laughing and ran his tongue along his bottom lip. His expression looked as though he were thinking it over. He nodded. "Yeah. Sure." His hand drifted to his right pocket but didn't reach in for whatever it was he was keeping in it.
They walked in silence down the streets, Samantha with her arms wrapped around herself to keep warm and Allan with his hands in his back pockets. Occasionally he'd whistle or hum a little tune and ditty to himself. Tonight he seemed to be favoring "Hello My Baby." They had walked three blocks when Allan suddenly went silent and cast a glance at Samantha. She arched an eyebrow at the look on his face.
"Allan?"
"Keep walking and stick close. In fact… let's do this." He looped his arm around Samantha's waist and placed his other hand on the hip closest to his body. He picked up their walking pace when they were passing by the opening of an alley. Just as they were almost clear, a hand snatched at the back of Allan's collar and dragged him into the alley. Samantha was pulled along with him. She gasped in surprise and stumbled at the sudden change of directions and also bumping into Allan, who's gripe had tightened on her.
"Looky here," a thickly Brooklyn accented man taunted. "We got ourselves some guests."
Samantha counted two of them; darkly clothed, early to mid-twenties, orange bandannas on their heads. They were standing in front of the Allan and Samantha with sick smiles on their faces. Allan slowly positioned himself to be in front of Samantha while keeping a constant physical contact with her. The palm of his hand was centimeters from her belly; the tips of his fingers were pinching the fabric of her shirt. As long as he could feel her there then he could concentrate on his front.
"Did we bother you?" the leader asked Allan.
Allan offered what he thought was a disarming smile. At least it was the same one he used on the teachers to get him out of detention. "Naaah. We were just heading home."
"Oh. Well, if you wouldn't mind thiz slight detour to help out some boyz in need?"
"Nmmh." Allan tilted his head to the side while narrowing his eyes in a way that said, "Are you serious?"
Samantha caught the other boy checking her out. He was lazily circling around to be behind them now and was shamelessly eyeing her butt. She shifted her position so that her back touched Allan's. She felt him stiffen briefly at the contact. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder and saw what had caused Samantha to get so close to him. He reached back and grasped at the material covering her belly, tugging her around and pulling Samantha to his front. He pressed her close, wrapping an arm possessively around her middle.
Right now, Samantha was more afraid of these men than she was of Allan. In fact, right now, she felt almost safe with him. She could feel each breath Allan took since she was pressed flush against his torso. They were slow and even, not panicky.
"That's a mighty cute chicka you got there, bud," the leader commented.
Allan's arm tightened its hold around her waist. "Yeah, I know," he answered in a low voice. His free hand was inching towards his right pocket.
"You in the mood to share her?"
The pressure Allan put around Samantha's waist nearly made her gasp. He didn't like that. "Uuuh…" he licked his lips, "Noooo."
His hand was in his pocket and slowly bringing it with a closed fist. He kept constant eye contact with the leader. The leader flicked out a switchblade and let Allan and Samantha have a good look at its sharp blade. "Now, how much you got on ya? Hm? Hand it all over; come on, come on!"
The only sign Samantha had that Allan was going to act at that moment was the tap he gave her hip with his index finger just before he flung her out of the way and launched himself at the leader. He flicked open the knife he'd been holding in his hand. And while Allan was fighting the two thugs, Samantha couldn't help but think…. "I just watched a slasher film with a guy who had a knife in his pocket and who's sanity I'm constantly questioning…"
"Samantha; run!" shouted a voice that vaguely resembled Allan's. Samantha got up from the pavement and headed for the open street, hoping to see anyone that could help. A man's scream from in the alley made her hurried steps falter and she turned to look back. What she saw made her tremble. But it had to be a trick of the light, or an illusion caused by the adrenaline. What she thought she saw was Allan repetitively stabbing the leader and grinning while he did it. The rumble of a car engine broke Samantha's trance and she looked to the street to see a truck going by. She sprinted out of the alley and felt her spirits drop when she realized the truck was going too fast for her to catch up to and they didn't notice her waving them down.
"Samantha, come on!"
She whirled around to see a bloodied Allan Jordan tumbling out of the alley, gripping his knife and glancing behind him. "Come on, we gotta go!" he urged her.
Samantha couldn't stop staring at the blood. "Allan, your clothes-!"
"It's not all mine, okay; just run!"
She quickened her pace to match his as they ran from the alley and didn't stop until they were far from it and in need of oxygen. "What happened back there?" Samantha wheezed.
"I did some serious damage to them. I knocked one out and his friend got a nasty knife wound to the leg…" he lightly traced the edge of his bloody knife. "I wanted to get us out of their before the other guy woke up and his friend tried to come after us even with a bad leg."
"So you didn't… You didn't kill them?"
"What? No. What makes you think that?"
"I thought I saw you…"
Allan slowly raised an eyebrow as he waited for her to finish. "You thought you saw what?" he asked.
"I thought I saw something besides disarming happening in the alley."
"You were scared, okay. That's not what happened."
Samantha didn't like that he still had the knife out and was rubbing his thumb along its edge. "Allan… could you put that away, please?"
His thumb stopped its course but he made no move to put it away. "Does it bother you?"
"Yes. Right now it really does."
Allan licked his lips and kept eye contact as he stashed it back into his pocket. Samantha hugged herself tightly to stop from shaking. Allan cautiously touched her hand with his blood stained palms. "Are you okay there?" Samantha forced herself to nod. "Good. Now let's get you home. I hope your Dad doesn't mind if I don't come inside. I'd rather he not, uh, see me with this glorious shade of red on me, okay?"
Again Samantha nodded. When Allan took her by the arm, she didn't tug away. She let hm guide her home. She didn't catch the morning news though the next day about the police finding two dead men wearing orange bandannas in an alley.
(Me: "Well, that's the longest chapter I've done in a while! And guess what? I got it done before-."
Joker: "The end of the world!"
Me: "Yes. Yes I did. Seriously though, I doubt that it's going to be-."
Joker: "The end of the world!"
Me: "…in a few short hours… But just in case it really is the-."
Joker: "End of the world!"
Me: "Oh my gosh; give it a rest!"
Joker: -_-
Me: "Like I said; just in case it is the… *looks at Joker. Joker remains quiet* … Hm. The end of the world. I apologize for not being able to finish this fic before then."
Joker: "It's the end of the world as we know it!"
Me: "Oh would you just shut up!"
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