I might add one more chapter in before christmas, but it depends on how many reviews I get, really. ;)

After the evening had settled, some of the clowns began to get ready for what I assumed to be a heist. They started by applying more greasepaint to their faces, sloppily and swiftly. I watched them, interested, and some of them started to hand me their paints.

"Do you wanna try it?" One of them, Liam, asked.

I looked at the tubs of paint in my hands, shocked. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Golden leaned over and grabbed my chin. "C'mon pet, just for a minute."

I carefully batted his hand away as we laughed. "I'm serious!"

"Exactly!" Liam exclaimed, jumping as some great realisation came to him. "You're too serious! You need to loosen up, have a little fun!"

My mouth hung open as I stared at him. "I've just had to operate on a man for the first time in my life."

Some of the clowns tittered between them, but Liam pressed on, "And you need to unwind. C'mon Charlotte, didn't you ever play dress-up when you were a kid?"

I hadn't, actually. I was never really introduced to dressing up games, I just used to play with my teddies and toys, but I wasn't going to tell them that. They'd just use it as an excuse to dress me up!

"Sure," I lied. "Honestly, you're like little children."

"Will you do it?" Golden asked, leaning forward again.

"Do what?" Rugby asked, appearing behind me with a cautious look on his face.

"They want me to try some of their 'war paints'." I joked, leaning back a little and looking up at him.

"Oh, is that all." He said, a strange glint in his eyes. "Shame we don't have any clothes for you either, you'd look cute."

All of the guys laughed, except for Rugby, who awkwardly tried to apologise to me, which I brushed over lightly, laughing along with them. Suddenly, there was silence between everyone, and I looked around at their faces, trying to decipher their strangely excited looks.

Rugby grabbed me from behind, and held me still as some of the men leaped forward, and I screamed loudly, horrified at the thought of what they were going to do to me, when suddenly their fingers, dipped in the grease paints, smudged themselves across my face. I held still, a little freaked, until they began to pull away and admire the artwork they had created on my face.

I hadn't realised I was breathing so hard, a little frightened by the sudden attack, and I apparently didn't realise either that I was leaning against Rugby's chest.

Liam held up a mirror. "Here, have a look."

I did look, and was surprised by what I saw. The make-up was so heavily caked on me that I didn't realise it was truly me I was looking at. My eyes had been surrounded with black eye shadow, and it made my pale blue eyes pop. The white paint they had smeared around my forehead and cheeks made me look like I was blending into my hair, so I looked almost ghost-like, but the red paint that they had pressed against me to create a long jagged smile had started to drip down my face and create a splatter effect along my neck.

I was impressed. I began admiring myself in some morbid fashion as the clowns began to chatter amongst themselves.

"We'll have to get you some new clothes, I reckon." One of the older clown reckoned.

"-My girlfriend will have something that'll fit her!-"

"-Man, you're not dressing her up like your girlfriend!-"

"-But she'd be so cute! Dead sexy too.-"

"-We could do her hair up and everything!-"

"-What?"

"-Yeah! I like that idea!"

I suddenly realised what they were chatting about and stopped them.

"No, no, no, no! I'm okay with the face paints but not with the dressing up! I wouldn't mind it if you got me something to sleep in, and something to work in, but no silly costumes!"

"Awwww." They all chimed together.

"And stop that, you're not a panto crowd." I said, handing one of the men the mirror with a less-than-impressed look on my face.

I stood up, Rugby helping me up, and was about to walk back to the tent, when I suddenly heard,

"Hey now, uh, all dressed up and nowhere to go."

I turned around, embarrassed as the Joker stood a few steps away. He stood tall, leaning back. His hands were in his pockets, looking relaxed as I stood before him panicked. His eyes looked me up and down, and he smiled.

"Pretty little fille, eh?" He laughed, approaching us.

I chose to say nothing, and watched as his gaze drifted over to the men. His smile deepened, and his eyes darkened as the clowns shuffled nervously in their places.

"I bet you lot are having fun. And without me." He said darkly. "If I'd had known we were playing dress up, I'd have given you girls some more make-up."

"It's not their fault, they were just messing around." I mentioned.

His gazed drifted back to me, his head rolling about on his shoulders. I felt naked as his eyes drifted up and down my body.

"With you."

No-one said anything. We heard the accusation behind those two little words.

"Now, I know I did mention something about not touching her."

I awkwardly stood beside the men, who started to look at each other.

"Funny, could 'ave sworn I had mentioned it…no?" Here, he paused, and took a long, deep breath. "Well then I'm telling you now. No touching her. Give her one funny look, and I'll slice your skin off and use it as a rug."

He gave me one hard look, before continuing. "Now, you have your missions. I don't want to see your faces until you've finished them. There's gonna be a few surprises for you when you get back, understand?"

The men nodded and got back to getting themselves ready for whatever it was that what they going to do, when the Joker looked at me.

"Go wait for me in my office." He giggled, pointing at tearoom when the slept the night before. "You and me are gonna have some words."