After the day of my party, I tried to stay clear of the mansion. Blood had gone too far again, and I was going to avoid him, letting him blow off some steam. I had begun visiting the Heart Castle again, despite Peter's attempts at getting me to stay there. He'd been getting even worse with his shows of affection to me. Vivaldi almost called for his beheading on one occasion.

She's showed me around the entire Castle, all of the gardens, her own private room that was filled to the ceiling with fluffy, stuffed animals, and even the dungeons, which scared me, seeing as they were filled with torture devices.

However, she never let me go into the woods behind the Castle for some reason.

"It's a bit dangerous for you, it's where that Joker lives, and from your encounter with him before, I would advise you to stay away from them", she told me one day, while we were strolling around the gardens.

I was sitting out on one of the patios, waiting for Ace, Julius had asked me to bring him to the Tower for some reason. From what the servants told me, Ace had gotten lost in the Castle and was trying to find his way out to me. That's when I heard a sound behind me.

I turned and saw a small colt stumbling out of the woods. It's mane was red, while the rest of it was a dark black, a very weird type of horse if you ask me. I walked carefully up to it, trying not to scare it. There was a rope around it's neck with a small sigh saying, "Nyx", apparently it was a girl.

"Now where are you from?", I asked her, giving her a small stroke on the head. She whinnied and started trotting towards the woods again. Guessing she was one of Joker's horses, I was cautious about going into the woods. But since she was his horse and she had gotten loose, I decided to do the right thing and return her.

I held onto the rope on her neck, and started guiding her through the woods, not really knowing where I was going. All of sudden a gate popped up in front of me. The scene behind it changed to one of what looked like a circus. There were brightly colored tents, stands with weird wares, and people walking around in strange costumes.

There was a tent with animals coming out of it so I brought Nyx over to it. She winnied happily and darted inside before I could even take a step in. I smiled, happy she was home and started coming back the way I had come. Only I really hadn't been paying attention to what I was doing, and now I had no clue which was to go, I was surrounded by brightly colored tents.

I started going in circles, I ended up at the flame-breathers tent four times before I stopped and started considering asking questions.

"Hmm, it would seem that I have caught a very lost outsider in my trap", an amused voice said, coming from a dark alley between the tents. Out stepped Joker, only now he was wearing the full jester suit, complete with the same hat and whip he had brought to the dance. He snapped it and stared at me with playful, yet predatory eyes. I backed up and almost landed in a wall of cloth.

"Why back away, what exactly have I done that would make you that scared?", Joker asked me, taking a step for my back step, "It's unseemly for someone to judge a person while they've only just met them". He smiled a toothy smile, that's when my temper came alive.

"I'm scared of you because of stories of you, plus your behavior at the dance only confirmed it", I spat at him. He just kept smiling.

Joker's POV

"I say we kidnap the little brat", Black announced, in his mind. White nodded, agreeing with his brother. Now that she was here in his grasp, there was no way she was getting away. Only they had to make it that she stayed scared. One small mistake, and the Jokers would have those role-holders on them.

He stepped closer to Ave, who shrank, still angry, but knowing that if it came to a fight, Joker would win. He got so close that he could feel her warmth, and she could see how actually blood-red his eyes were.

"Hehe, you're right, you should fear me", he grinned at her. Ave suddenly kicked at him, darting away and running as fast as she could, away from the red-headed jester. White growled and grasped his whip. Giving it a sharp snap, it flew out to Ave and wrapped around Ave's legs, dragging her to the ground. She struggled against it as the Joker padded toward her. He quickly twisted the whip again and the excess rope sprang up and wrapped around the girls wrestling arms.

"This is going to be such damn fun, I believe we found our way to really madden those fools", he knelt next to her and pulled out a cloth and bottle. One of his many sleeping potions from the witches in his circus, the liquid made Ave zonk out despite her struggles. Playfully, White chuckled as Ave's eyes slid closed, delighted at how easy the foreigner was. Taking the cloth from her mouth, he picked her up carefully and cradled her as he began walking toward the prison. Unconsciously Ave curled into him, which made him smile amused.

Taking her to one of the cells, he set her on the cot that was in there. The stone walls and steel bars made the place seem cruel and cold, the perfect place for Black's personality. True it was one of the more cleaner cells, yet it still had the feeling of being trapped. Ave would be waking up to a nightmare. White felt Black tugging at his body, wanting to take over so he could have his fun with the outsider. He took one last glance at Ave and ran a hand through her hair. "Like silk", he thought with a smile. She was a beauty, something both Jokers appreaciated, yet loved to destroy. He smirked as he thought of the beauty broken and sobbing on the ground.

"Yes yes, aren't you the damn romantic one, get the hell on with what you're doing so I can do what I want, besides, I'd love to be there when she wakes up", Black sneered. White rolled his eyes, then just to defy his brother's demands, he swiftly bent over to brush his lips on the outsiders, only to feel a very weird, and somehow pleasureful shock. White feel back on his butt surprised, a hand up to his stinging mouth. Black was also feeling the tingling, yet more reproachful to it.

"Are you happy about your stupid experimenting? Now get out before you start feeling for this pathetic woman", Black drawled, yet there wasn't his usual amout of venom. White nodded and fell back into the background. Black stood up and walked out of the cell taking care to lock the door. They had captured their prey, now they had to figure out what to do with it.

"I think I've come up with the perfect nickname for her, Beauty", White's voice resonated throughout their mind. For a second Black had an urge to smack himself. "Are you out of your mind, I'll be damned if you've gone stone fuck nuts before I did", Black said outloud, shocked and annoyed at his brother. First he was kissing her, now she had a pet name, pretty soon he would be off the deep end.

"I will not, I just admire her, she'll be even more admirable when she's writhing on the floor", White argued. Black scoffed and went back to watching the girl, she was starting to twitch with the ending of sleep. She'd be awake any minute now.

He sat down at his chair in front of the cells. Absentmindedly, he would randomly reach up to rub at his lips lightly.

Julius's POV

It was beginning to turn to night and Ave still wasn't back. As much as I knew she was alright, I felt a sense of danger around the whole subject. I shook it off and continued on the clock I was working on. Actually if she wasn't back, I would be able to revive some of the clocks I had finished. I usually did this when Ave was out, I doubted she had even saw a afterimage yet, seeing a clock come to life in front of her would probably terrify her.

I finished the clock I was on and took the box of finished clocks with me down to the basement. I began screwing in the last parts I had purposly left out and watched as bodies formed around the now ticking clock. It was true that I was a cynic, I accepted it, but now watching this happen I could see where Ave would think this was magical. The thought made me smile as I ushered the new faceless inhabitants out to their own territories. All of a sudden Peter and Ace burst through the door. Both looked like they had ran the whole way.

"Where's Ave", Peter asked me, ignoring the startled 'patients' of mine. I shrugged.

"She's probably at one of the other territories", I said, both men shook their heads.

"We already checked them and she's not there!", Peter informed me. I looked sharply at him.

"Then where is she", I said through clenched teeth. Ace took the time to speak up.

"We think she's at the Jokers", he said with the ever cheerful smile on.

Ave's POV

I woke up to gray walls and a coldness surrounding me. I sat up and saw that I was in a cot that was in a cell. I turned toward the bars and saw two red eyes staring back at me. Joker was sitting at a table, only now he was wearing a gray soldier uniform, still having the hat on his head and the whip in hand.

"Bout time you were awake, I was wondering if I gave you something too strong", he pulled out the bottle of sleeping stuff and shook it. I got up and went to the bars and shook them, they were solid. I sighed heavily and decided to start talking to the red-head.

"Why are you keeping me here?", I asked calmly with a straight face. He sneered, his face twisting into a evil look of distaste.

"That's none of your damn business, someone in your postition would be screaming", he informed me. He snapped the whip at one of my hands that was on the bars of the cells. It must have had a blade at the end because I suddenly had a gushing cut on the inside of my wrist. I hissed and jumped back at the sudden pain. I tore away a piece of my dress and wrapped it around the fresh wound. I glared at him with a death-stare. He didn't flinch, in fact he just sneered even more.

"If you think that was bad, just wait until the real fun begins", he smirked and got up. He called to one of his servants and three of them hurried over to him. He whispered to them, then he came over to my cell and opened it. I backed into a corner again, feeling like a trapped rabbit with the wolf nearly upon me. He smiled evily and walked over to me, pulling out two large cloths. I knew what he was about to do, so I came at him, attempting to escape, but I felt two of the servants grab my arms, and the third one held my legs still. Joker came closer to me with a now triumphant smile on. He put a cloth over my eyes and I waited for him to put the one over my mouth, but instead I felt two lips. Soft and gently pressing, with a gentle hand caressing my cheek, I couldn't bear him touching me while he was holding me hostage. I bit at them, and they fell away.

"Hmm, maybe my brother is right, you do have your potiential, if you survive the acts", I heard him whisper. Then the cloth was put over my lips and I felt a rope being wrapped around my legs and arms and someone started to carry me somewhere.

Blood's POV

That annoying knight and rabbit came barging through my doors. Elliot was right behind them, trying to pull them out. I took the entire scene in calmly as always. After a few minutes of fighting, I finally stepped up and told Elliot to stop.

"What are you two doing in my territory, and in my own home", I asked in a ice-cold voice. I was in the middle of doing some paperwork, and of course drinking my tea. Peter stared disapprovingly at me and asked, "Is my beloved Ave here?". I stared at him and then gave him a deadly look.

"You mean to tell me that you disrupt my work, just to ask me where Ave is, have you even bothered looking at the Tower?", I narrowed my eyes, Peter stood his ground and just looked at me distastfully. That rabbit would find a hole in his head if he didn't stop this rudeness. He cleared his throat.

"No, it seems my Ave has wandered into Joker's woods, Ace and I are just looking to make sure she did before we go running headlong into anything", my blood ran cold. That scizophrenic, and mad red-head had Ave? I took a breath and looked at the knight sternly.

"Are you sure?", I asked in my calm voice, meanwhile I was aching to go find that Joker and flay him. Ace nodded, that damned smile on his face. I snapped and stood up.

"Elliot get the twins we're going to give Joker a surprise visit", I ordered, already putting my hat and grabbing my cane. Every minute that bastard had my angel was too long.