Sari woke up the next morning to the obnoxious 'beep beep beep' of an alarm clock. She groaned softly, snuggling back into the warmth behind her. She stretched out an arm, hitting her hand down blindly until she finally made contact with the 'snooze' button. She sighed, turning over to her other side, fully expecting a ray of sunshine to the face. Instead, she was met with the handsome face of none other than Mr. Wayne.
The scream that escaped her was obviously more effective than the alarm clock. She and Mr. Wayne both sat straight up. The blanket fell to their waists, revealing Mr. Wayne's bare chest. She turned away, face flushed, as Mr. Wayne started making stuttered apologies as he got out of bed and made his way over to the dresser.
They both heard an amused chuckle from the doorway. Mr. Pennyworth stood there, carrying a tray laden with breakfast for two. "Master Bruce, I'm surprised you didn't think to check your bed before going to sleep." The butler set the tray on the table next to the window.
Mr. Wayne showed a strained smile as he changed into sweatpants and a tank top. "Honestly, Alfred, I'm surprised you didn't tell me you were letting someone sleep in my bed."
Sari blocked out the rest of their conversation as the events of last night rushed back to her. The Joker had been holding Jack's necklace. He knew where Jack was. Hope swelled up like a balloon in her chest, but it quickly popped. She had to go through the Joker to get to Jack. How was that even possible? What if he was lying?
She didn't realize she was crying until she felt Mr. Wayne wiping the tears away. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't realize you were in here, or else I would have stayed in another room. I didn't mean to upset you."
She knew what he was talking about. What she had told him yesterday in her office had obviously stuck with him. "It's fine," she muttered, keeping her eyes cast down. Last thing she needed was more tears.
"Well…" Sari looked up at the sound of Mr. Pennyworth's voice. "I'd hate for breakfast to go to waste."
"We'll eat, Alfred, don't worry," Mr. Wayne assured him. The butler nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him. Mr. Wayne turned back to her, smiling softly. "Breakfast does sound nice, doesn't it?"
"I have work." Sari glanced over at the alarm clock. It was seven-thirty. She was supposed to be in her office by eight. "Shit." She started to get out of bed, but Mr. Wayne stopped her.
"I'll call Lucius Fox and inform him of the situation. Don't worry about it." He nodded to the table as he stood. "Eat, or else Alfred will throw a fit." He winked at her as he stepped out of the room.
Sari sighed, moving over to the table and taking a piece of toast, spreading strawberry jam onto it. This was too much to take in. A killer had her childhood best friend hostage and she was having breakfast with a billionaire. She sighed and continued eating.
Mr. Wayne came back in a few minutes later to inform her that everything was taken care of as he joined her at the table. They ate in a comfortable silence, the only sound coming from the 'clink' of a glass being put down.
After they finished their food, Sari was sipping on her mug of tea when Mr. Wayne finally spoke again. "Who is Jack?" Sari looked up in surprise. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be intrusive, but the Joker mentioned him…"
"He was my best friend up until my senior year of high school."
"What happened?" Sari stared at Mr. Wayne, examining his features. He seemed genuinely intrigued with the way he leaned forward slightly. His hazel eyes shone with worry and curiosity.
"The summer before we started our senior year, he dad killed his mom." She blinked back tears, remembering that horrible gash in Jack's face. "He was refused emancipation. My mother and I talked about my parents adopting him, but my father refused. He claimed that Jack came from 'bad blood' and it wouldn't do any good to keep him around. Jack ended up in foster care." Sari took a sip of tea to try to banish the lump in her throat. "My dad refused to let me find out the address to Jack's new home and told me I needed to forget about Jack."
"But I take it you didn't?"
Sari shook her head, a finger coming up to trace the 'J' pendant that rest against her chest. "I searched everywhere for him through college. I could never find out what happened to him though. But now…. If the Joker has him…"
"You can't make any deals with the Joker." Mr. Wayne's voice was sharp. "He can't be trusted."
Sari bowed her head shamefully. Yes, she had been considering it. She needed to see Jack again, to make sure he was alright. It had been too long. But Mr. Wayne was right. The Joker would mostly likely kill her if she trusted him. "I know."
The Joker lied on the crisp white sheets of the double bed, staring at the old prom picture. He had been a handsome fellow, no doubt about that. It wouldn't be hard to cover up his scars with some latex and make-up but they added so much character. His eyes wandered over to the old picture of Sari. She had been so beautiful back then. His mind wandered back to the sickly-thin, short-haired insomniac of a woman that had stood in front of him the previous night.
"I guess life leaves scars in different ways," he laughed to himself. Then he frowned. What was taking her so long? Why was she not back at her house? She had work today, didn't she? Even if she had stayed somewhere else, she would have had to come back. He shrugged and closed his eyes. Why not take a nap while he waited for her to get home?
