(Sequel to 'Games That Daddies Play')

Lions Slaughtered By Lambs

Chapter Twelve: Pointless Conversation is Better

((Author's Note: For those who don't remember, Joseph Murklay is in Chapter 1 of my first story, if you want to refresh yourselves.

Second: I'm so happy you all are reviewing my story as quickly as I'm updating! It's so wonderful!))

(())

Allegra sat in what looked to her as an interrogation room, although it didn't have the same focus of intimidation as it did basic inquiry. This room—like any other room in this godforsaken building—was white. The chairs were wooden, thankfully brown. Just to see a different color besides 'white' made Allegra immediately optimistic. She was escorted to her chair by Officer Kevin Pearson, the stocky blonde with rectangular glasses. Seeing her smile, he seemed suddenly nervous, watching her uncertainly.

"It's so nice to see a different color other than white," she explained her odd smile. Allegra touched the chair with liking, knocking on the front wooden legs with her knuckles. Officer Kevin Pearson stood by the door, hands clasped over his front as though waiting for someone...both of them were—Dr. Leon was a tad bit late for the morning therapy with his calm patient. Allegra looked at her invisible watch on the left wrist, looking up at Kevin.

"You know," said Allegra, "You could always talk to me."

"I'm not a doctor."

"You don't have to be a doctor to talk to people," said Allegra. "If that was the case, we'd all have doctorates." She laughed: "Hell, I'd be a natural!"

Officer Kevin looked at her for a second, as though he might have smiled if he wasn't so hard about trying not to do so. Allegra could see the corners of his lips tugging, trying hard to keep away his natural friendliness from someone who probably deserved less.

"Don't want to talk?" guessed Allegra quietly. "I'm getting bored."

"He should be here soon." Officer Kevin explained. "He was in a traffic jam."

"I hate those fucking things," said Allegra. She drummed the table with her fingers. "It's a bitch during holidays. Ever been late for the job because of that?"

"No."

"Well, you've been lucky." Allegra replied. She looked at the ceiling lights, noticing some were dimming then brightening. One part of the light was a constant flicker. When her eyes adjusted to their dingy frame, she noticed they were fluorescent. She turned her attention to the table; it was dusty, a little old; who knew how long it had been since Arkham Asylum was refurbished.

"Do you have a wife?" asked Allegra, looking at Kevin with a smile.

"Uh...I don't feel comfortable discussing this kind of thing with you." Officer Kevin said quietly.

"Then we talk about something else," said Allegra. She smiled. "Ever been in the sewers, Kevin?"

"No."

"It's dark and cold down there." Allegra replied. "Kinda dingy—not a place for a cop to be, that's for sure. Do you know why?"

"No." Kevin said reluctantly—she'd made it clear she'd talk to him no matter what he said.

"You don't? Well, I just said 'why'. It's dark, cold, and dingy; who'd want to be down there!"

The officer shifted to his feet uncomfortably but was relieved when there was a knock on the door. Opening it, Kevin and Allegra saw Dr. Leon, looking wet; his hair was sleeked back wet, and his coat was dotted with water. Dr. Leon excused Kevin.

"How rude," said Allegra as Dr. Leon closed the door. "Didn't even say good-bye."

"I'm sure he was just distracted," said Dr. Leon.

"Raining outside?" asked Allegra. She indicated his rain spots and wet hair when he gave her a questioning look.

"Yes." He said.

He placed his coat on the chair, sitting in it after with his hands on the table. He gave Allegra a simple once-over before asking, "How was your first night with him?"

"Fair." Allegra returned. She shrugged: "We didn't fuck, if that's what you're asking."

"No?" asked Dr. Leon. "Is that not the reason you made Dr. Arkham and myself break every single policy we'd obeyed since my term here? Since the day Jeremiah Arkham took over this hospital! Since..."

"Don't get angry at me," Allegra responded coldly. "I'm not the one that broke your rules. You are."

"You pulled my arm."

"I hardly smacked your wrist," said Allegra. She shrugged: "It's not my fault you bend over backwards to make your patients happy. That's all you."

Dr. Leon put his fingers against his temple.

"Having a headache?" asked Allegra. "I bet it's from the traffic jam."

"Traffic jam—I wasn't..." Dr. Leon began but Allegra's grin was placid.

"I figured that young man was lying," said Allegra softly. "You were still at home, weren't you? Did you ask your people to make up that cockamamie story just to appease me for a little bit so you can recover from your hang over?"

"I don't have a hang over." Dr. Leon returned curtly.

"And I'm not a patient. But here we are." Allegra returned. She smiled gently. "But that's neither here nor there."

Dr. Leon sighed deeply. Allegra mimicked him. Then, he closed his eyes, attempting patience. He gave Allegra a calm look, but underneath that calm stature, was a growing nausea. Coffee might help it, and showers may delay the affects, but Allegra's presumption was very accurate.

"Are you aware of the schedule?" asked Dr. Leon, getting back to business.

"Of my daily life here at the insane asylum? No. Of course not—I've been locked in a room, day in and day out, with a bed bath to make me feel semi-pretty." Allegra replied.

Dr. Leon pulled out a slip of paper from the inside of his suit, placing it in front of her. Allegra eyed it curiously, seeing the schedule. Despite her ability to read, he made it clear to explain it in full detail.

"At 8:00 in the morning, you are awoken by the staff. You line up outside your rooms with the rest of the patients; at that time, the housekeeping staff will clean your room while you go to the showers and clean up. You get an hour's breakfast at nine—at this point, you may converse among your peers."

"What peers?" asked Allegra.

"The generic inmates," said Dr. Leon smoothly.

"In the showers?"

"No, at breakfast. You will be with only female patients in the showers."

"Well, guess I don't have to worry about any peeping toms then, do I?" asked Allegra. "I'm kind of disappointed."

"Why's that?" asked Dr. Leon.

"I don't know; I thought I might see you there, yeah?" She winked at him.

Dr. Leon cleared his throat uncomfortably, moving on.

"After breakfast, it'll be ten o'clock. This is when you and few people of your own abilities will go at a designated work area, and work."

"'Work area'...'work'." Allegra repeated. "Sounds legit. Where do I work?"

"It depends on how able-bodied you are," Dr. Leon stated. "Seeing your abilities, we may place you in the gardens...maybe even the laundry."

"Laundry...gardening...Laundry...Gardening," said Allegra; she shifted one hand to lower opposite of the other as though she weighed her options quickly. This made Dr. Leon frown at her.

"Can we go on without your need to quip sarcasm?" Dr. Leon questioned.

"Ask me nicely." Allegra returned, smirking.

"Please?"

"Please...what."

"Can we—"

"—May we—"

"May we," Dr. Leon corrected himself, "continue without your need to quip sarcasm."

"That sounds more accusatory than nice," said Allegra. "Ask me using 'I' sentences."

Dr. Leon looked at the window—maybe this was one-way mirror in which the onlookers could see in the room with Allegra and Dr. Leon but the latter could not see them. She gave the window a broad look of knowing then turned to Dr. Leon pointedly.

"I believe it would be easier for me to explain this schedule, Allegra..."

"Miss Allegra."

Dr. Leon clenched his teeth, grinding them briefly before he said with forced calm, "I believe it would be easier for me to explain this schedule, Miss Allegra, if sarcasm wasn't used at this point in time."

"Fine," said Allegra. She smirked. "I won't use sarcasm if it upsets you that much...big baby."

Dr. Leon sighed with annoyance when she giggled. He indicated the list once more.

"Where was I? Eight o'clock, wake up. Nine o'clock breakfast. Ten o'clock, work. Oh yes: Eleven o'clock is lunch time. After working, you will have five minutes to wash up, and then be escorted by guards to the cafeteria. You may talk amongst your peers—no violence allowed. At twelve o'clock, you have a chance to exercise..."

"Just patients or do the docs join?" asked Allegra.

"Only patients are allowed in the gymnasium during a certain time," said Dr. Leon. "It's designated—once more, no violence allowed. First offense, it becomes restricted."

"So no throwing dumb bells," guessed Allegra.

"Exactly."

"Fuck." Allegra mumbled.

Dr. Leon smiled at her reaction, finding it funny but all the same a little threatening. He must have been getting used to her, knowing when she was kidding or when she was serious. Dr. Leon continued.

"One o'clock is group therapy—an hour to speak with patients who have the same..."

"Problems as me?" finished Allegra.

"Well...yes..."

Allegra thought for a second; it was clear she had something to say so Dr. Leon waited for her probable response. She then looked at him curiously, pushing the paper away from her.

"Doctor, do you know a patient named 'Hannah'?"

"I can't say..."

"I know; that would be a violation of patient's confidentiality. I don't want to know her last name just the fact. Is there a woman named 'Hannah'?"

"Yes...there is." Dr. Leon said softly.

"Will she be in my group therapy?"

"Allegra..."

"It's a simple question," Allegra insisted. "I just want to know."

"Is this because she is the reason you attempted to murder the young man in the cafeteria yesterday?" Dr. Leon questioned.

Allegra grinned with the fond memory but replied, "Somewhat."

"Allegra, it's not within my legal rights to give you information on patients, especially with those you've already come into contact. But if you must know, as you will soon find out, Hannah is in your group therapy session. You will meet her soon." Dr. Leon explained. "That is all I can tell you, and all I will tell you. If I say anymore, I might get into trouble."

"Well, we wouldn't want that," said Allegra. She took the paper and sat it in front of her. "Go on."

Dr. Leon continued.

"Where was I..." muttered Dr. Leon, forgetting his place.

"One o'clock, group therapy." Allegra reminded.

"Oh yes...After this, it'll be two o'clock." Dr. Leon stated. "During this time, we allow recreational therapy; one can paint, model clay, color, draw, listen to the radio. We have a movie playing, and if the patients are good, they have popcorn."

"Good?" repeated Allegra. The word was slick on her lips like bacon grease. She gave Dr. Leon a shallow stare: "You want me to be good just for popcorn?"

"I don't want you to be civilized just for popcorn, Miss Allegra." Dr. Leon said gently. "It's—"

"Behavior Modification." Allegra interrupted coldly. She stood to her feet. "Manipulating behavior with animal pleasures—do you want to ring a bell and my mouth will drool for dinner like a fucking science project?"

Dr. Leon smiled, saying, "Isn't that what I'm doing with you, Miss Allegra, with your own permission, regarding your stance with the Joker and your shared nightly quarters?"

Allegra gave him a cool stare.

"I won't be good just for popcorn," said Allegra. "Patients act out—you shouldn't reward or discourage them just because they..."

"Want to act out their obsessions and disorders?" asked Dr. Leon in return. "I've allowed your demands to be met so you won't do the same."

"I have no disorder."

"You're a malignant narcissist with hypersexual disorder," said Dr. Leon coolly. "Manic depression, and you show symptoms and signs of histronic personality disorder. You have..."

"STOP THAT!" Allegra snapped furiously; she slammed her hands on the table. "I'M NOT SICK!"

Dr. Leon remained sitting, looking at her calmly.

"I never said you were sick."

"YOU HAVE!" Allegra shouted. "You keep telling me I'm broken, I'm damaged, I'm ill, I'm sick. Well, I'm not! I'm only putting up with this because..."

"Because you want to stay with him," Dr. Leon said immediately, finishing her sentences before she had the chance to do so.

Allegra glared at him.

"I don't need him."

"You do." Dr. Leon returned. "It's why you become so aggressive when you don't see him. You can't help how you feel towards him; he's so much like your father. It's unnatural, but there it is."

"There's nothing unnatural about him," said Allegra coldly. "You've labeled him just like you've labeled me!"

"He's just like your father, isn't he?" asked Dr. Leon, standing to his feet. "The same brawn, the same way of charming you when you're angry, or upset. He makes you feel comfortable but at the same time, you're on edge. You think he loves you."

"He doesn't." Allegra hissed. "And I don't love him."

"In the same way you didn't love Maroni?" asked Dr. Leon. He stepped towards her. "Can't you see this is all linked to your father."

"Stop talking about my dad!" Allegra shouted. "Why must you make him seem like a monster!"

"He was a monster." Dr. Leon reasoned.

"HE WASN'T!" Allegra roared. She pointed at him angrily. "You're all trying to poison me against him, all of you have been—you, my mom...what you people think happened between Daddy and me was wrong. I say it isn't! It was different, but we had what none of you could possibly imagine!"

"And you feel this same connection with Joker," Dr. Leon presumed softly. "It's natural to search for a love that has long since died."

"Don't! Don't you try to trick me!" Allegra bellowed. "YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T!"

"I'm not, I'm not," said Dr. Leon quickly. He put his hands up in surrender when Allegra began to have that look in her eye. He'd seen it twice—the first when she went after James and Rebecca. The second—when she was attacking Jake. Now it was back.

"Allegra..." Dr. Leon said softly. "Remember where you are. You're in a safe place, a calm place. You're..."

"DON'T MIND-FUCK ME!" Allegra shouted.

She paced back and forth the room, looking angry, breathing heavily.

"Allegra..." Dr. Leon said softly. "Allegra, look at me. Look at my eyes. See where you are, see where I am. Allegra, you're in a safe place, a safe, calm, place. Allegra—"

"STOP SAYING MY NAME!" Allegra screamed. She threw the wooden chair aside, slamming her fists on the table once more, even harder. "YOU'RE TRYING TO CONTROL ME! NO ONE CONTROLS ME! NO ONE TELLS ME WHAT TO DO! NO ONE!"

"Allegra..."

"Shut the fuck up!" Allegra growled. "SHUT UP!"

"Allegra..." Dr. Leon cooed. "Allegra, sweetheart..."

"I said SHUT UP!" Allegra screamed, her body shook with rage.

"Okay, okay..." Dr. Leon remained near the door, watching her pace back and forth.

Dr. Leon watched her furiously look around the white room, as though looking for an escape, looking for a way out. He watched her eyes, mainly, for they began tearing up, floating in the water that soon began to drizzle down her cheeks. She wasn't sad by any means, just extremely pissed off. His eyes grew wide when Allegra threw the wooden chair around like a mad woman, but she got what she wanted—she snapped one of the legs off the chair, bringing shoulder height, glaring at Dr. Leon.

"You told me we didn't have to talk about my father," said Allegra. "You said we could just talk about anything but that." She walked towards him. "You want me to believe what isn't real—you want me to be what I am not. I don't want that!"

"GUARDS!" Dr. Leon shouted.

"Oh yeah!" Allegra laughed. "Call the guards! Call your cops, your lackeys, your sycophantic cohorts! SEE IF I CARE!"

"Allegra, put it down." Dr. Leon said softly, holding his hands up in defense. "Put it down—or else they'll hurt you. You don't have to do this."

"You don't know what I'm about to do," said Allegra. "Trust me, Doc. It's gonna hurt you a lot more than it will hurt me. You wanna know why you're getting this? You want to know why I'm about to do this to you!"

"Allegra, stop. Don't, Allegra..." He dodged her grab and almost did a back flip over the table. He looked at Allegra fearfully. For once, there was no phased calm in his eyes, just absolute fear.

"You pretend to be my friend," Allegra growled; the blood lust was back in her eyes. "You pretend to be what you aren't. That's one thing that separates from scum like you and my dad...or Joker. At least they're forthright about being who they are, at least they care enough about me to be who they are." She smiled bitterly: "I know now what my father did to me was wrong—but I still fail to see the wrong in it, despite what your society tells me."

She stood over Dr. Leon, rage in her eyes, nostrils flaring. He stared at her, attempting to flee but she kicked him right in the berries. He grunted.

"At least with Joker. At least with Daddy—what you see is what you fucking get." Allegra said coldly. "And I'm going to carve your outside to look just like your insides." She flipped the leg of the chair in her hand so the fucked up end was aimed at Dr. Leon.

"Allegra, don't—stop, think what you're doing."

"Funny thing about this hobby of mine is that I'm so fucking good at it, I don't need to think." Allegra replied maliciously. "Now get on your fucking fours like a little mutt you are so I can have a better aim at ramming this fucking stick up your butt."

"Allegra..."

"SHUT UP AND DO AS I SAY!" Allegra shouted.

Dr. Leon grunted when Allegra brought the makeshift bat over his head.

"This will be fun," giggled Allegra. She brought his pants down, underwear too. "Never did this to a doctor before. Here, Dr. Leon—here comes the enema!"

Allegra was ready to sodomize him before the guards broke into the room. They didn't even wait; Three of them, including Kevin Pearson, ran and tackled Allegra to the ground. She didn't resist as she held out her hand so they swatted her weapon away. One of them took out Dr. Leon of the room, while the other wrestled Allegra to her front, cuffing her hands behind her back.

"Damn it, Allegra," uttered Kevin Pearson. "You had a good thing going for you too."

"Nice to see you too," said Allegra as the officers lifted her to her feet, "You never said good-bye."

"Shut up—it's the best thing going for you."

"Then things are looking up," said Allegra. She smiled at Kevin. "Contacts?"

Kevin blinked; he didn't have his glasses on. He said quietly, "Yeah."

"They look good." Allegra returned. She chuckled when the other officer ordered her to keep going.