Same disclaimers apply. Enjoy!
"What happened to you? Have a seat, let's make you some tea." She guides me inside and locks the door shut before turning on the light.
I'm shaking on her couch and hold the nearest blanket up to my chin, sniffling.
"What did he do, Hanna?" she continues.
"He…killed Alex…in front of me," I say slowly.
"Oh dear," Grammy shakes her head. "I can't say I'm not surprised."
"But he said it was because she didn't protect me enough," I continue. "Can you believe that, Grammy? She wasn't good enough for him, so he killed her?"
"Protect you from what, sweetie?" Grammy hands me my tea and sits next to me on the couch.
"For some reason he didn't want me at the place he was going to go with his little henchmen, so Alex and I decided to go. It turned out to be a bad decision anyway, because it turns out it was a strip club."
"Hanna!" Grammy looks at me in disbelief.
"That was my reaction, too," I admit, leaning back on the couch. "It's just…I wonder if I made a mistake coming to meet him, Grammy. He made Alex watch me the entire time instead of trying to get to know me, while he went off doing "business" with his stupid clown friends. We only had two real conversations, and they were short ones, too."
"At least he kept you safe," my grandma says thoughtfully.
"Grammy! Whose side are you on?"
"Yours, of course, but you're forgetting something."
"What?" I look at her impatiently.
"You're forgetting that he didn't know your mom was pregnant with you. Had he known, things might've been different. He loved your mom very, very much. He would die for her if he had to, I'm sure of it. And had I known myself, I would have made your mother go back and tell him, but I can't do anything about that now." She pauses for a little before continuing, "At this point, after everything he's been through, he hasn't loved anyone in a very long time. It doesn't help that he's never been good with emotions to begin with. But the fact that he kept you alive and well despite everything should tell you something."
"So you think he does care?" I ask, taking a sip of tea.
"I think so," she replies. "Even if he might not show it in the ways you want or expect. But right now," she gets up to go to her room, "you need to rest. We can talk more about your father tomorrow."
"You mean the Joker?" I correct her. He doesn't deserve to be my dad, not one bit.
"He is your father, Hanna," she tells me. "Whether you want him to be or not. You don't have to like him, but you must accept that. Remember, you wouldn't be here without him."
It's been a week since I ran away from the Joker, and I haven't heard anything from him since. It's weird, though, it feels like de ja vu or something. Maybe because my mom did the same thing to him when she found out she was pregnant with me all those years ago. I can't help but wonder if I made the right decision in running. Maybe I was a little too harsh on him and expected too much. Ugh, what am I thinking? Of course I did the right thing. But if there's anything I've learned from him it's to never expect anything. Otherwise I'm just setting myself up for disappointment, just like I have now when I came to this damn city in the first place.
I stay in my bed for at least the next three days, munching away at Neapolitan ice cream, watching some of my mom's favorite movies when she was my age. Most of them are Audrey Hepburn movies, with the exception of Clueless.
I'm interrupted by the doorbell, to which Grammy says, "I'll get it!"
But something doesn't feel right, so I pause Breakfast at Tiffany's and press my ear against the door.
"Jack," I hear my Grammy say. She sounds surprised. "Well, this is definitely a surprise."
"It's the Joker now," I hear the Joker correct her, his heavy footsteps pounding on the floor of my grandmother's townhome. I swallow as I continue listening.
"You'll always be Jack to me, dear," Grammy lets out a warm laugh. "Now what can I do for you? Would you like anything to eat?"
"No, thanks, I'm alright," he replies. Wow, the Joker actually has manners and can actually talk like a normal person? Who knew? "I just want to talk to her."
I quickly run back to the bed, place the ice cream on the sidetable and duck under the covers as far as I can.
"Hanna!" Grammy calls. "Could you come out here please?"
"I-I'm busy!"
"Bullshit," she declares. "You've been sitting in that bed eating ice cream for the past seven days. Now get your lazy ass out here!" Sheesh, this is the sassiest I've ever heard her, but I guess I know now where I got that from.
I kick the covers off and pull on a bra before slowly walking toward the kitchen and living room area, wearing hot pink sleeping shorts, a white tank top, and fuzzy blue slippers.
"Hello, Hanna."
So you all are in for a treat! I'm uploading two chapters today! Enjoy!
