Anna couldn't eat. She just kept thinking about those two men. The blind one didn't bother her too much. His thin frame and rattling cough were off-putting, but it was nothing compared to the other's blood and scars. The Joker. She had seen him on the television. She remembered seeing that man in the Batman outfit tied to the chair. She sat back in the crooked chair in the kitchen and looked up at the clock. 8:23 PM. She sighed and pushed a lock of red hair out of her eyes. She put her dishes away and headed to the living room. She didn't want to watch the news, she knew what it would say. Madmen on the run, Batman still fighting crime, rape, murder, plague, pestilence. Her choices were limited to GCN, college football, and some old BBC news reels. She'd have to sweet-talk the cable guy for another month of service. Anna decided to take her chance with sports. The state university at Gotham wasn't having a good season. The quarterback had been expelled for drug use. Coach was in deep from sexual harassment charges. It almost made her glad she didn't get accepted.

The opposing team scored a touchdown. It was the fourth quarter, and Gotham remained at a solid six points. Anna stared at the screen, unmoved. She didn't have anything riding on the game. She just needed something to keep her mind off of the day's events. The one-sided game worked for a short while, but she found her mind constantly wandering back to the blood. The Joker. That depraved man. A shiver ran through her spine. She felt sick knowing she'd just have to go back to work, but prayed she wouldn't have to see him again.

It was 10:30, and the Joker was determined to have some fun. The women of the diner were hard at work, save for that red-headed girl. The Joker let his mind think on her for a moment. There was something about her. Maybe it was her fiery hair…maybe it was her pale skin…maybe it was how she latched herself onto him as he writhed about in his own blood. Something about her just struck him. Something that made her stick out in his mind. Some minute quality in her that kept her running around in his brain like a crazed horse. The Joker tilted his head to the side, and then grinned. Oh yes, he knew what it was about her.

He sat up slowly, looking around the darkened room. Crane, the pathetic shell that Scarecrow was without his mask, slept in his little sleeping bag. He, like the Joker, was not one to get a sound night's rest regularly. Though neither were keen on relaxing, every now and then it was nice to take a few seconds to breathe. Just breathe, and sleep. But the Joker wasn't content to do that at the moment. He was driven. He reached for the bed frame and pulled himself across the rolling waves. He inched towards the edge.

"Come on, come on, come oooon…" he muttered. He managed to get one hand on the ground and slid himself off the bed. His legs flopped onto the floor with a thud and he crawled towards the closet. The wheelchair was hardly useable. He couldn't stand the thing. He was more content to be on the ground like a snake than stuck in rusted metal like a geriatric. There had to be something good in the closet. Something he could use. The Joker licked his lips and slid the doors open. His eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness, and he began to feel around on the ground. There were a few shoes, plastic bags, what felt like a dead roach, a hat, another hat, a hard hat. He stopped and smirked. He tossed the hard hat onto the bed. It would come in handy.

It was 2:17, and Anna couldn't sleep. She was cold no matter how many blankets she tossed on herself. It was no use, he kept going through her head. She had to talk to someone. Kelly had a strict "Honey I love you but don't wake my ass up after 1:00 unless you're dying or killin someone" policy, so she was out of the question. Reese. Reese could help her out. She seemed to know something about the Joker. Anna would go talk to her back at Didi's. Specialty business was cut off at 1:00, so Reese was probably just getting ready for bed. Anna threw on some tennis shoes, jeans, and a sweatshirt. She pocketed a can of mace and a taser with a good bit of a punch behind it. The diner wasn't too far off, but she wasn't a fool. She called for a cab before she headed downstairs. The police investigation of her downstairs' neighbor's shooting had long since ended. After a few minutes she was in the taxi on her way to Didi's to meet with Reese.

True to her words to Pops, Reese had gone home with Kelly that night. She was not going to stay in that diner so long as the Joker was there. Pops took a few glasses of Jack before kicking back on the sofa upstairs. He snored lightly, contently snoozing between the bedrooms. The Joker had spent hours focusing on small objects he found in the closet. Aside from the hard hat, he found a lighter without a switch, a box of peppermints, a few paper clips, a pencil, two pens, a four-pack of D-batteries, a pair of socks, and a broken hair brush. He smiled. It was going to be a good day.


Side Note: Yes, it's short. And to answer your question, Anna left before Reese told Pops she would be staying with Kelly. She did not hear any of the bedding arrangements. I won't be back till Sunday. Be satisfied till then.