Hey guys, I changed my pen name, just so you know. Thank you to nocoldwater, 123Ekaterina, PurgatoryNymphe, DarkHero87, Hushabye, mischieflover, and Greasepaint for your wonderful reviews! =D This chapter just has talking but I promise there will be action in the next one =)

The songs used are Ritual by ASHES dIVIDE and All I Want Is You by Staind. Enjoy!

I awoke in the same bed in the same bedroom in the same old mansion that the Joker used as his hideout. And I had a throbbing headache courtesy of last night's pistol-whipping. The soft sheets were thoughtfully draped over my body. Aw, thanks so much. I stretched my arms and rubbed the sleep from my eyes and climbed out of the bed, only to realize that I wasn't wearing the dress.

"Oh, you did not," I mumbled, looking down at the purple cami, tight-fitting black hoodie, and dark-wash bootcut jeans that came straight from my apartment. I suddenly felt wide awake at the thought of the Joker undressing me while I was unconscious.

He burst through the door and casually strode toward me.

"I see Sleeping Beauty is awake!" he said.

"Please tell me you didn't change my clothes," I whined, shooting him a disgusted look and rubbing my temples.

He licked his lips and stared me down like a hawk. "You have a very striking body, something a lot of women would kill for. You should flaunt it more often."

I blushed at his compliment, if you could call it that. "You're not used to seeing a woman like that, are you?" I asked.

The grin disappeared from his face. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

I bit my lower lip. "Have you ever had a girlfriend before?"

"A girlfriend?" He looked puzzled.

"You know," I said, pacing around. "Someone you cared about. Someone who meant the world to you. Someone you'd take a bullet for. You wouldn't mind walking a thousand miles through a desert or swimming across the ocean if it meant you could see them, even for only an hour."

He howled with laughter, as if my speech was just a stupid joke. "Oh that's a good one! I always thought cha could be a comedian. Put that on a greeting card and sell it!" When he stopped laughing, he said, " And to answer your question, no, I've never had a girlfriend."

I stared at him intently. "So why was I the lucky one?"

"You're, uh, different."

"I'm different?" I questioned.

The Joker sat down on the bed. "We can't help these, uh, feelings we have," he said with a sly smirk.

I took a seat next to him in an attempt to feel less awkward. I've never been great at intimate conversations like this. I usually don't know what to say and then the other person gets all pissy. Strange, considering my occupation as a songwriter.

"I didn't think you were capable of... this," I said, avoiding the dreaded L word. No, not lesbian.

His smile grew even more devilish. "Capable of what?"

I shifted my eyes around. Do not say that word, George. Sigh, it's so hard to form intelligible sentences when I'm under his spell. "Feelings," I muttered.

He slid closer to me, his face only an inch from mine. "I'm capable of a lot of things, toots."

I backed my face away from his. But I didn't want to. I wanted nothing more than to give myself to him, but I knew better than that.

"You're not gonna give up on me, are you?" I asked so quietly, like a shy schoolgirl.

He laughed so abruptly that I almost fell off the bed.

"Didn't you already know that I never give up on something I start?" It sounded like he was mocking me.

I moved off the bed and stood before him, suddenly feeling passion and confidence coursing through my veins.

"I didn't know you were a Southern boy."

He stared at me like I had two heads.

"I mean, you don't have the accent," I continued.

Stare.

I sighed and crossed my arms. "I found the Napier family grave."

"Oh you did?" He seemed amused.

"In the cemetery where I buried my boyfriend, that you killed. Down in the swampland of Southern Louisiana."

He stood up and circled around me. "Hmm, I like it better up here. It's less scorching hot in the summertime."

"June 25, 2001 was the day your life changed forever."

You're very insightful. I like that."

I gazed up at him and caught his eyes. "You were only sixteen. I can't imagine losing my family at that age."

"Well they're dead and gone, sweets. Can't bring 'em back."

"I hate that you're at ease about it. Jack wouldn't be."

His demeanor switched from playful to angry. "Hate to break it to ya, toots, but Jackie boy's gone. Ya had your chance to claim him as your own, but cha didn't!"

I started to feel emotional. Fuck, George, don't lose it in front of him.

"I know he's still there. You can bring him back!" I felt tears brimming in my eyes and they blurred my vision.

"What, ya don't like me?" He gestured to himself. "You want boring, old Jack?"

"Don't you understand? Jack's charming, he knows right from wrong, he's a good person!" The tears fell down and my voice grew louder, more impassioned.

"Now, now!" he laughed. "Don't lose yourself!"

I couldn't take anymore of his belittling and game-playing. "Bring back the man I love!" I shouted.

Oh shit.

I clamped my hands over my mouth, staring wide-eyed. Did I just seriously say that out loud?

The smile re-appeared on the Joker's face and he cackled like I've never heard him cackle before.

"You've finally cracked! I know you've been wanting to say that for years!"

I removed my hands from my mouth. "No! I, uh," I stuttered. "Didn't say anything!" I knew there was no use in trying to convince him otherwise. I spilled the beans and he knew it.

"You're so cute when you make a fool of yourself!" he said after a minute when he finished laughing.

I felt my face blushing bright red. I sat on the bed and smacked my hand to my warm forehead, feeling ready to pass out. "I'm not making a fool of my-"

I was cut off by the sensation of his lips suddenly pressed onto mine. Then he broke them off to take a seat next to me, but his countenance was still dangerously close to mine. His leather-gloved hands touched my neck and he kissed me again, this time much deeper. My hands gripped onto his back and my heart fluttered with delight, taking I as much of this as I could. I knew it was wrong, oh-so wrong, but I couldn't stop. Logic told me to end this kiss but my heart said 'fuck you' to that. And so it continued, because the heart wins every battle. His tongue slithered into my mouth and I welcomed it.

He ended the kiss sometime later. I didn't know when, I lost track of time in that moment.

"Come on, toots," he said, standing up, grabbing my hand taking me with him, eager to leave. "We have to make some chaos!"

Normally, I'd be stressing about that 'chaos.' But in this case, I wasn't. I finally thought about Bruce, feeling a sharp pang of guilt. How could I do that to him? During the kiss, I didn't even think about him. All of my thoughts were in a haze and I was lost. I felt like I was running through some bizarre, Alice In Wonderland-type dreamworld. It seemed like a lost my mind.