In case you haven't noticed, I've changed the title of No Matter What to Checkmate. I'd been planning on changing it for a while, because I just felt that No Matter What was too cheesy and unrealistic. Nothing else has changed about the story, though.
Now, as for this chapter...my good friend Bellus Bellum has provided some of the dialogue/ideas for this installment. I really, really want to keep this rated T, so I toned it down a bit from my original draft. I think this is the most emotionally draining chapter I've written, and that Jeannie has experienced, yet. I hope it's all right!
Jeannie had been dreading this moment since she'd first learned that her husband was still alive—if not emotionally, then at least physically. Sooner or later, Lily would have to learn who her father really was and the circumstances under which she had been conceived. Jeannie would have to tell her that Jack had wanted her to get an abortion and he hadn't wanted children at all. She would have to know that her father, the man whom she shared half of her genes with, was a psychotic mass murderer.
The news would have been devastating to any child, but it was sure to hit Lily especially hard, since she was still barely out of toddlerhood and had been sheltered and adored all her life. The rose-colored glasses hadn't left Jeannie until she was in her mid-teens—but Lily would have them ripped off a decade before most people did. There was no bluffing now, no making up stories.
"You can't be my daddy," Lily snuffled, hiding her face behind Thumper. "He's in heaven."
The Joker laughed. "I am, ah, certain that the last place I will ever see is heaven. Now get in," he ordered, glaring at Jeannie. She couldn't stare at his eyes for too long; she had to averted her gaze. As she numbly passed him, he reached out and twisted her face toward him. "Look at me!" he snarled. "I didn't bring you here to have you turn away like that."
She flinched away from him all the same. He gave her a glare that promised a later punishment before pushing past them inside.
The layout of the apartment was the same as she remembered it—a small main room, a bedroom and a tiny bathroom. But there was no furniture at all. Jeannie wondered if he had killed every single person in the apartment building, or if the other residents were all cowering in their rooms, terrified to move. There was certainly no one in this apartment.
"Mommy, make him go away," Lily cried. "Why is he saying that he's Daddy?"
"Because he is," Jeannie admitted. "He's not really dead. That's why I came back to Gotham, to find him."
Lily gasped, her wide brown eyes registering astonishment. "But…" she turned back to the Joker, who was watching with amusement. "The scars!" she exclaimed.
"You wanna know how I got 'em?" he asked, taking a step toward them. Lily tried to shield herself with Thumper again, but with a twist of the Joker's glove the stuffed animal was splayed on the ground. She began to cry, but he shushed her, sounding almost gentle. "When I was your age, one of my close friends got stuck in a tree when we were playing a game. She had climbed up and couldn't get down! So I rescued her. But, as soon as she got home, she told her parents that I had chased her up there. She didn't want to get in trouble, see. So, the next day I went over to her house, and her father cornered me. He said that I would regret what I did to his daughter. He took two knives and put the blades in my mouth…then he tied me up to the tree…and…" With a flash of purple, he had grabbed his knife and was holding it to Lily's face. She screamed.
That had been the one thing Jeannie had never known: how he'd gotten his scars. She knew they'd been carved when he was young, but he had never told her the exact story. She doubted he was telling the truth now. "Jack!" she yelled without thinking. The Joker had her pinned up against the wall in a heartbeat, his eyes burning. "Say that one more time," he hissed. "I dare you."
Automatically, she shook her head. The Joker, reading the fear in her eyes, looked satisfied and dropped his knife. He reached out and, to Jeannie's horror, snatched Lily from her. The little girl cried and tried to hold on, but the Joker easily untangled her from Jeannie and balanced her on one arm, keeping a tight grip on his blade with the other. Jeannie stared in shock as he walked further into the apartment. She glanced toward the door—she could make a run for it—but…
The Joker looked back at her and smirked at her torn expression. "You can run if you want, tiger," he taunted. "But I've got the kid…and I will find you." His voice slid an octave deeper during the last sentence until it was almost a growl.
Jeannie met Lily's frightened eyes over his shoulder, hating herself for even considering the idea. She followed the Joker into the bedroom, where she saw the four Garcias tied and bound to the wall. They were all gagged and the two-year-old, Tyler, looked as if he had fainted.
The Joker looked gleeful. "You're lucky they showed up," he said to Emily. "You should thank your friend for, uh, saving your worthless skin, at least for another ten minutes."
Anthony's eyes were bulging under his gag as he struggled to talk. Tears were streaming down Emily's face. Lily tried to hide her eyes from the sight, but the Joker twisted her head around. "No closing your eyes, sweetheart," he drawled. "That's cheating. And, uh, I don't like cheaters."
"Daddy, I—" she cried, but the Joker snarled and covered her mouth with his free hand.
"Do not," he said, his voice a raspy hiss, "Call me…Daddy." He spit the last word out.
Lily gulped, rubbing her eyes. "Then what am I supposed to call you?"
The Joker's lip curled. "Think about this for a minute. What have you heard everyone else call me?"
"J—Joker," she whispered, struggling to form her tongue around the foreign syllables.
"Good," he mock-praised, although Jeannie was sure Lily didn't pick up on the sarcasm. "That's better."
A whimper issued from another corner of the room, and with a sickening jolt Jeannie's gaze landed on a chained dog. "Roscoe," she whispered. The Rottweiler barked loudly, trying to break free, but when nobody answered his calls he quieted.
"Now," the Joker said, abruptly letting go of Lily as if she was merely an object. She tumbled to the ground and Roscoe trotted over, licking her face comfortingly. "Let's see how intelligent you are—although I think I will be sorely disappointed by the result." He reached into his pocket and pulled out another knife. Jeannie leapt forward, but it was too late: he'd already handed it to Lily. She looked astonished at holding such a dangerous object that Jeannie had forbidden her from touching.
The Joker bent down so he was face-to-face with Lily. "I want you," he began in a soft voice, "To, uh, stab the dog with this knife, and I'll have a special treat for you."
"NO!" Jeannie screamed at the same time there was an outbreak of struggling from the Garcias. She lunged at the Joker. He was immediately on his feet, one gloved hand covering her mouth as he pulled her away. "Think of this as an experiment," he murmured in her ear, his voice so unlike Jack's it was difficult for Jeannie to believe they were the same person.
Lily dropped the blade. "I'm not allowed to touch knives!" she protested.
"Well, I'm giving you per-miss-ion," the Joker said, his voice still low and soothing. "Do you want your mother safe?" When she nodded, he continued, "Then you'll do as I say. Oh—and I want it to be as clean as possible."
"I can't!" cried Lily. With one hand still clamped tightly over Jeannie's mouth, the Joker bent down and picked up the knife.
"Oh, that's too bad," he said. "Your mother might wish you could." He took the knife and held it against Jeannie's throat. As soon as she felt the cold tip of the blade against her skin, she let her last remaining hope disappear. She was going to die tonight, and she knew she wouldn't be the only one.
Lily's eyes widened. "No! I'll do it!" she cried. "Just don't hurt Mommy."
The Joker laughed gleefully, his sides shaking. "Sure, kid," he said, and removed the blade from Jeannie's throat, handing it over to Lily. She turned and looked at Roscoe, but Jeannie could tell there was no way she could do it.
The Joker's hand had momentarily left her mouth as he handed the knife over, and Jeannie seized her chance, yelling, "I'll do it!"
He stopped, but his eyes were sparkling. "You want to do it?" he asked. "Love?"
Jeannie shuddered. "Don't call me that."
"Funny, you never minded me saying that before," the Joker replied. "Especially when we were—"
"Give me the knife, Lily," Jeannie interrupted, her cheeks burning. "Please."
Lily was all too happy to hand it over, and Jeannie wrapped her fingers around the handle, staring into Roscoe's large, trusting eyes. Roscoe…the last tie that represented her past with Jack.
Suddenly, she realized what the Joker was trying to do. He was trying to break Lily by forcing her to kill Roscoe, and he was trying to break Jeannie by severing the last remaining tie that reminded her of Jack.
Jeannie knelt down beside Roscoe and held the knife to his fur, feeling his heart beating fast under her fingers. He whined and tried to jerk away, as if he sensed something was going to happen.
She slowly raised the knife and, holding the struggling dog by the collar, took a deep breath before plunging it down.
There was a shriek from Lily, a howl from Roscoe, and a surprised grunt from the Joker as he stumbled backwards, blood rapidly staining the side of his knee. Jeannie had turned the knife at the last second and stabbed him in the leg.
She was suddenly yanked up by her collar and spun around. She quickly took in the scene: Anthony had freed himself from his bondages and was standing up, gun pointed directly at the Joker, who was holding Jeannie in front of him. The knife was clasped in the Joker's other hand, dripping blood onto the floor. He seemed to be unfazed by the gaping wound just above his knee. His other arm was keeping Lily still.
"I'm afraid you'll have to try harder!" he jeered. "But…I did underestimate you. I'd forgotten how…defiant you could be. Someone in this room," he continued, slightly breathless, "is going to kill this dog."
No one moved. Lily was crying and shaking, her entire body wracking with sobs.
"The only one who will be killed tonight is you," Anthony roared. But the Joker only laughed.
"How will you do it without a gun?" he asked mockingly. "How will you stop your wife and children from dying? And how do you know this entire building isn't rigged up to a set of explosives that will go off if I press this?" He gestured to a button just behind his head. Anthony froze.
He turned back to Emily, and after a pause she gave a slight nod of her head. Anthony regarded her and his sons for another moment before slowly turning back to the Joker. "Give me a knife," he said.
"Oh, no, no, no," the Joker replied, clucking his tongue. "You lost your chance. You'll have to do it the, ah, old-fashioned way."
Anthony looked at Roscoe and then back at them. His hands were trembling.
"You're making this too complicated," the Joker complained. "A twist of the neck should do it. And, Anthony…" he released his grip on Lily so he could grab a gun off the table, cock it, and point it at the mayor, "You have ten seconds."
"Don't watch, Lily," Jeannie whispered. Her daughter obediently covered her eyes.
"Come now," the Joker said disapprovingly. "Give our daughter a good view. Don't you want the best for her?"
"You can't do this, Joker," Anthony yelled. "I sent out a distress signal and the police are coming here—"
"Looks like your ten seconds are up," the Joker interjected lazily. Before Jeannie could shout a warning, he'd pulled the trigger. The ensuing shot echoed around the room and Jeannie's ears began to ring painfully. Anthony fell to the floor, lifeless.
"NO!" Emily screamed. She had spat out her gag and was writhing uncontrollably, almost frothing at the mouth.
"I don't see what you're so upset about," the Joker said unemotionally. "He was nothing special."
"You bastard," she hissed. "I will hunt you down and kill you myself."
"I'm right here," the Joker sneered. "Give it your best try."
"Emily, don't!" Jeannie cried, but the other woman didn't even react.
"You just couldn't stay away from me, could you?" the Joker asked, and Emily stopped struggling momentarily in confusion. He wasn't looking at them, but at the window over Emily's head. "I'm afraid you arrived a bit too late."
There was a sudden burst of breaking glass and a huge black shape crashed into the room, landing on its feet. Jeannie stared in awe at the tall figure covered head-to-toe in armor, his cape fluttering behind him. Batman's eyes were narrowed into slits and he was glaring at the Joker with pure, unadulterated hatred. "Let them go," he growled, his voice a deep rumble.
"Do we really want a scene like last time?" the Joker asked lightly. Batman gave a yell of rage and started toward them, his hands balled into fists.
"Out in the daytime, I see," he continued. "I must say, you're a lot less intimidating now!"
Batman moved so fast Jeannie didn't even have time to duck. He landed a clean punch on the side of the Joker's head. His grip slackened and Jeannie staggered forward, grabbing on to Lily so she could shield her.
Batman grabbed the Joker by the collar and heaved him up, slamming him against the wall. The Joker laughed with delight as he sank to the ground.
The door to the bedroom was suddenly blasted off its hinges and a dozen police officers rushed into the room. There was a barrage of shots when they spotted the Joker, but he managed to avoid Batman's next punch and jump out of the way. Jeannie heard a pained yelp as one of the stray bullets hit Roscoe and the dog fell to the floor beside Anthony.
One of the police officers untied Emily and she lunged at him, eyes wild as she grabbed his gun. "Let—me—at—him!" she screeched. The officer tried to stop her, but she pried the gun out of his grip and immediately pulled the trigger. Jeannie shut her eyes as the third gunshot went off, and when she opened them again, her best friend was lying dead on the floor next to Anthony and Roscoe.
Lily, Evan, and Tyler were screaming hysterically, Batman was roaring in fury as he pummeled the Joker into a bloody pulp, the Joker himself was howling with laughter, and the police officers were barking orders at each other. Jeannie could hear her own ragged breathing as her eyes raked over the horrific scene in front of her.
But she didn't have time to examine it for very long—there was a jarring, ear-splitting boom and the wall in front of them exploded. Jeannie yelled and instinctively ducked, pushing Lily farther behind her. The room turned into a blur as she covered her eyes, hearing the loud crackling of flames and splintering wood. The noise grew into an unbearable cacophony and she felt something roughly pull her away—then her senses were no more.
