Here's Your Letter

Chapter 12

A/N: ZOMG SORRY. I am really drawing blanks on this story even though it's one of the better ones I've written. It's starting to get a bit tricky developing curves to throw at you guys. But I really am trying. Forgive me. I hope the Terry/Melanie video I posted on my profile makes it up to you.

And here's the chapter.

Kyoko

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Debra Gardner glanced up from her English 101 as the Dressing Room door to The Dark Fantasy opened, spilling a fat man who stunk of Bourbon into the room. He was short and round with greasy black hair slicked back away from his bald spot, beady eyes darting around the area suspiciously. He wore a cheap red suit with a white tie and stalked his way over to Debra's chair in short, quick strides.

"Oy, Debs! Where's Mel? She was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago!"

The silver-haired girl returned to her book, indifferent to his distress.

"Haven't seen her."

"What the hell does that mean? Call her and tell her to bring her skinny ass in here or she won't get paid for the rest of the month!"

"Yeah, yeah, Louie. I'm sure she just got stuck in traffic." Debra replied boredly, leaning her head on her hand and trying to ignore the low thrum of music leaking into the room from the open door. Louie adjusted his tie, a nervous habit of his, and smoothed back his hair.

"That had better be it. Call her now. I'm goin' back up to my office."

Pausing, he peered over her shoulder at the book. "What's this?"

"None of your business."

He snatched the book out from under her hands and tipped the spine upward, snorting as he read it aloud.

"English 101? Yeah, like you can understand this shit, Debs."

Her grey eyes narrowed to steely slits. Debra grabbed it from him and sat it back down on the dresser. Louie grinned wide enough to expose the gold fillings in his mouth.

"Think Gotham U is looking for a stripper? Give it up. What makes you think you can get in?"

She rolled her eyes and turned back around in her chair, going back to her studying.

"I don't plan on being a stripper for the rest of my life, fatass."

"Right." He retreated with a snort, barking orders at another girl as he exited the room. Debra looked up as the brunette stripper, Sylvie, returned fresh off the stage, sighing as she tugged off the four-inch stilettos."

"You seen Melanie yet?"

Sylvie shook her head and sat down next to her, picking up a face cloth to remove her heavy makeup.

"Nope. Hopefully, she's in a better place than we are right now."

Debra spared her a small smile that was bitter at the edges. The brunette paused as she saw it, russet eyes softening. She sighed again and turned to the younger girl.

"Look, sweetie… I'm leaving tomorrow. For good. And I want you to leave with me."

Debra blinked, shocked. "What?"

"I have a way out—a new job. And I want you to have a better life than this."

Sylvie searched through her makeup kit and handed Debra a business card. "Call this number and they'll set you up with a better job in an office. C'mon, Debbie, you hate it here. You're a great girl. You deserve better."

Debra stared at the card, not really seeing it as her mind began to whirl with thoughts. Leave? Could she? Would her life be any better outside of this place?

"Sylvie, I… thank you." She said finally, squeezing the older woman's hand and smiling at her with warm eyes. The brunette returned it and rose to go get her clothes from the wall of hangars on the right side of the room. Debra picked up her cell phone and called Melanie, excitement creating flutters in her stomach.

Instead, a low, growling voice answered the phone.

"Melanie's indisposed. Call back later."

She nearly dropped the phone. She'd heard the man attached to that voice laugh before. He was one of the Jokerz in Zack's clan.

Something was wrong, so terribly wrong…

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"Why…why didn't you tell me about him?"

The question was soft, quiet, and without malice, but it still made Melanie's eyes flinch at the corners. The two women sat on the bed; Melanie with her knees drawn up to her chest, handcuffed arms wrapped around them; Emily with her head leaned against the wooden bedpost at the foot of the mattress. One of the Jokerz, Blazer, stood at the door, his beefy arms crossed like the perfect bodyguard. Neither women had tried to escape but he wasn't taking any chances. Both had been known to be unpredictable. The other Joker, Blade, was just outside the door, making sure no one dared enter.

"Because…I…I didn't want you to know how it all happened. It was better for you to raise me myself than to drag him into a life he didn't want." Melanie whispered hoarsely, still hiding her face behind a sheet of blonde hair. Stubborn lines formed on Emily's forehead as she turned to face her mother.

"What are you talking about? He made that choice and he should have stuck around long enough to accept the consequences!"

Melanie shook her head. "No, you don't understand. He didn't know. I didn't tell him. We'd already broken up by the time I found out."

"Then you should have stood up to him, Mom! He's a freakin' billionaire! You wouldn't have suffered half as much if he'd been there!" There was fury in Emily's voice, outrage, and it reminded Melanie so much of herself; all the anger that had eaten away at her soul because she hadn't been strong enough to take the chance. The older woman lifted her face, eyes hardening until they were once again as cold as winter skies.

"Emily, money wasn't the issue! You can't understand that at your age because you weren't there. There is nothing in your life that has weighed as much as my decision. I did what I thought was best for you and if that meant you growing up without a father then so be it! Yes, he was a good man. Yes, I loved him. But love isn't enough, Emily. It just isn't. You can either accept that now or later on in life."

The young girl's face twisted in disbelief, her slender hands balling into fists. "Well, what if I wanted to know what he was like? Do you know how many times I used to sneak into your room and look at that photograph? I wondered night after night whether or not he loved me and why he would leave us alone in that pathetic life. You should have at least let me see him. You didn't have to protect me!"

Melanie didn't answer, shocked by her daughter's response. Words caught in her throat, making it feel dry and scratchy. She shook her head, turning her eyes away bitterly.

"Yes, I did. I didn't want you to grow up in a broken home. Terry and I weren't meant foe each other or we would have been together."

"If you really believe that…then you deserved to be alone."

Something inside Melanie burned as her daughter spoke those words and something in the girl's tone sounded like her father. That condescending, unforgiving spirit that had passed down in the Royal Flush Gang and she had wished so hard that it would never reach her own child. She pressed her lips together until they began to hurt, fighting the pain spilling out from her chest and the hot tears scorching the corners of her eyes.

"Is the Sob Fest over, ladies? I can't take much more of this sappy shit," Blazer interrupted, a sneer curling on his painted face. Emily turned her cold eyes on him, eyeing him with disgust.

"Piss off, you shithead. Go play with your little boyfriend outside."

The big white man growled suddenly, lowering his arm and clenching his hands into fists. "Watch that tongue, shortie. Or I'll cut it out."

She rolled her eyes in return, muttering, "Pussy" under her breath. A nasty grin spread across his mouth suddenly.

"If I wanted that, I'd ask your mom."

Emily leapt from the bed, anger boiling in her system like a drug, and only stopped because Melanie grabbed her arms. "What did you say, asshole?"

"Calm down, Meri." Her mother assured her gently. "This guy's just jealous that he never got a piece of Zack."

Blazer's face contorted in rage, which was offset by the purple mullet and face paint.

"What did you say, bitch?"

Melanie stepped in front of Emily, a condescending smirk gracing her lips.

"You heard me. I know you were jealous that I was screwing him. I used to watch you glare at me from across the room. You wanted him so bad, didn't you? It just made you sick."

"Go to hell, bitch." It came out in a low grumble. Melanie's cruel smile widened.

"I'd love to. Maybe you and Zack can meet down there and have a real party."

Swearing, the big man pushed off from the wall and crossed the room, intent on causing her pain. He threw a punch and Melanie ducked, sweeping his legs out from under him. He fell hard on the wooden part of the foot of the bed and lay there for a moment, stunned. Melanie straddled his back and looped the chain to her handcuffs around her neck and squeezed. He gagged, writhing. Emily grabbed his arms and held them down while he flopped around, trying to get loose. Slowly, his limbs began to slow until he stopped moving altogether. Melanie let go and felt for his pulse. He was unconscious and Blade hadn't heard a thing.

Emily fell back on her butt, breathing in erratic gasps that sounded on the verge of panic. She stared at the unmoving man on the floor, a fine trembling flowing up her spine and across her arms. Melanie fished around in his pockets and unlocked her cuffs. She grabbed Emily's face between her hands, forcing the girl to look into her eyes.

"Meri, listen to me. Listen to me!" The girl fixed her eyes on her mother, tears beginning to gather at the edges.

"You have to keep it together. He isn't dead. If you want to get out of this alive, you have to trust me. Do you trust me?"

Emily nodded shakily. "Good. Now give me your hands so I can take your cuffs off."

The girl obliged and Melanie pulled her to her feet, scanning the room for anything that could help them. The window was large enough to let them both escape, but they wouldn't have much time.

"I want you to go to the Police Station and ask for Commissioner Barbara Gordon. Stay with her and tell her that I will call to let her know where Zack's going to be. The Drop Off's going down tonight and if we want him out of our lives forever, we have to do this right. I'm going to go find your father. Can you do that for me?"

Emily nodded again, hugging her mother tightly. "I love you, Mom."

Melanie squeezed her gently. "I love you too, Meri. Be strong. You can do it. Stay safe."

She kissed the girl's forehead just as Blade began to knock on the door, calling for Blazer. Melanie pried open the window and let her daughter out first before crawling out herself. They headed off in separate directions, both silently hoping that the other would be okay.

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Terry opened the door to Melanie's apartment, calling her name to see if she was home yet. The food in his hand was take-out from one of his favorite Italian restaurants, which is where he'd stopped before he got there. The apartment was cold and filled with darkness as usual and no one answered him. He shrugged and walked over to the kitchen, leaving the brown bag on the counter. She would probably be home soon.

He turned to his left and went inside the bathroom, shutting the door behind him and flicking on the light. It was small and a pale blue color with the shower to the right, curtain drawn, and the toilet against the left wall. He lifted up the toilet seat, sighing.

There was a sudden creak. Terry paused, eyes at once acute and ears tuned into any other sound. Dead silence. He didn't like it.

A man grabbed him from behind, his arm wrapping around Terry's neck, and plunged a knife into his shoulder. He yelled, grappling with the attacker and driving him backwards until the man overbalanced and fell into the tub. Terry turned and grabbed the intruder's wrists, keeping the bloody knife at an arm's length. He was a Joker and the realization made rage build in the Dark Knight's veins. He snatched the knife away and tossed it into a corner, punching the gang member once, twice, three times. Blood appeared at the corner of the Joker's mouth and he grabbed Terry around the waist, trying to wrestle him to the ground. Terry drove his knee into the guy's chest, winding him, and kicked him in the chin. He collapsed onto the floor in a writhing pile, groaning from the wounds. The door burst open.

Terry turned just in time to find himself staring down the barrel of a gun. It went off and suddenly he was deaf. The world swam for a moment and he ended up staring up at the ceiling, black swirling around the edge of the world until it ate his entire vision.

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HAHA. A cliff-hanger. If you don't review, you'll never find out what happens. So review. :D