Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing as I MUCH appreciate the feedback. This chapter, again, has a sex scene but I'm almost positive this is one of, if not, THE last one. So enjoy it and let me know what you think! I'm really excited to keep going! You guys are gonna love it…Thanks!

Joker leaned back in the flimsy, plastic chair just outside the hotel room door, taking a long drag off the cigarette he had just lit. He wasn't sure why he had been smoking so much lately; he usually didn't smoke that often. But lately, he had been thinking a lot, about life, about his life, and being that pensive to a guy who was so used to acting on whims and spontaneity caused anxiety within his body that only cigarettes seemed to relieve. Above all, however, he had been thinking about Jayde.

His book, 'The Tale of Two Cities', lay open, upside down, and abandoned on his leg as he propped his socked feet up on the chair's matching plastic table in front of him. Nibbling his bottom lip, his eyes gazed unfocused at a chipmunk gnawing on something in the gravel parking lot before him. No chipmunks in Gotham…

Nearly two hours prior, after Joker had finished rubbing her back, he and Jayde had lay there with his head on her shoulder for a long time, silent. She had held up her hand, comparing it to the size of Joker's, both staring at their pressed-together hands. Joker's was much larger, rough calluses lining the ridge below his fingers and on the tips. He curled the top part of his fingers over the tops of Jayde's, smiling at how small hers was compared to his. They were much softer and delicate.

But not long after this, Joker had looked up to find that Jayde had fallen asleep so he rose from the bed slowly, tugging the blanket out from under her naked body to lay them over her gently. He had escaped to the front porch after a shower and started reading his book, but found that his mind refused to focus. After reading the same sentence five times, he sighed, closing his eyes to rub them, glad to be free of the black smudges that usually coated his fingers afterwards for a day.

Being around Jayde was relaxing in every sense of the word. She made him laugh, genuinely, and was one of the few people that didn't annoy Joker to the point of insanity. He was able to be 'himself' around her…whatever that meant. Around Jayde, Joker felt like a somewhat normal guy and although he was beginning to miss the sound of panicked screams, he knew that once they returned to Gotham after their little trip, he would hear plenty of that to get his fill.

Being so openly flirtatious and affectionate with Jayde was nice; no buts about it. He liked kissing her alot and he supposed it was because Jayde was pretty much the first girl to actually have a desire to kiss him back. It was obvious she enjoyed his touch as he could practically count the huge goosebumps that would rise all over her skin when his bare hands fell anywhere on her. Although it took nearly a week and alot of patience from Joker to get her to warm up to him, he sowed what he reaped and the harvest was bountiful. He knew that things could never work between them, but he was fine with that. Being with her for the time being was good enough for him and Joker was all about the 'now', not so much about the future.

He really did care about her and that was one thing, but Joker, as he thought about it, realized that honestly, if she were to die that night or the next day or the next, he probably would be the slightest bit sad, but not heart broken. He would be sad only because Jayde was someone he actually considered a friend. Friends… he thought to himself, squinting his eyes slightly as the word floated around in his mind. That was a perfect word for their relationship. He could literally let loose, wipe all the paint makeup off, take off his purple coat and clothes and just be…normal with her. He was not sure what it was about her that made him feel that way, but he loved it most about her.

So wrapped up in his thoughts, Joker failed to hear the door creak open but jumped, looking up when a hand touched his shoulder. His book thudded to the ground next to him from his leg but he ignored it, now gazing up at the sleepy-eyed Jayde, wrapped in her towel from before. He grinned, reaching out to touch her but both her hands caught his one and she tugged on his arm, hoping the look in her eyes would explain without having to find the words she currently lacked. Joker must have understood as he stood up, following her, led by her hands into the room, shutting the door behind him.

Only a few steps in however, Jayde turned, rising onto her very tip toes to kiss his lips while her hands fisted two bunches of his t-shirt between her fingers, pulling him down slightly to meet her. Joker hummed against her mouth, immediately parting his lips to let her tongue in and he welcomed it, linking his fingers behind her neck, under her hair with his thumbs against her jaw. Taking her hands from his shirt, Jayde let them glide down his arms until she reached his forearms where she stopped, gripping him as he pulled back to open his eyes although she kept hers closed, knowing if she looked at him, tears would come again. Joker's thumb stroked her jaw line gently and she sighed, tilting her head back slightly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, although he could probably guess fairly accurately. Jayde shook her head with her eyes still clamped shut.

"J-just…Please…Just kiss me." She pleaded gently, whimpering when Joker did not, but instead, leaned down slightly, lifting her off the ground by use of his hands on the backs of her thighs to carry her the few steps over to the bed. Her back met the rumpled blankets from her nap as he set her down in the middle of the bed before he climbed up, placing his hands on either side of her ribs and his knees between hers. His lips finally met hers again but he only kissed her for a moment when he pulled away, leaving one smaller kiss below her bottom lip before another, just under her chin in the now familiar fashion that forced Jayde's eyes closed as her hands found his soft hair.

If she was honest, Jayde was not sure why she had gone outside to get him. When she had woken, the bed had been empty and it took many minutes of arguing with herself before an overwhelming need for his comfort filled her, moving her to the door. Now, she wanted him. Not for sex, but for something, anything that felt the remotest bit like love. She was not stupid and she was not blind; Joker did not love her, nor she, him. But at this point, even if he had to pretend, she wanted him to make love to her. As usual, it seemed Joker could read her mind and was playing all the right notes.

With his lips traveling down her neck, Jayde could feel that tingling sensation begin in her lower tummy and she arched against his chest, sighing contentedly when his hand found the edge of the towel. Joker did not remove it at first, but simply opened one half, letting the tips of his fingers glide along her curvy side from below her armpit to the top of her thigh. Jayde shivered violently, opening her eyes when she felt him move to be near her face. A grin that Jayde had never seen him give before stretched his makeup-less scars and in that smile, his eyes told her that he quite plainly understood what she wanted from him.

His head turned to glance around the room, before he stood up from the bed, leaving Jayde to watch him as he walked to the bathroom, turning off the light, before crossing again to click the lamp off. The shades were the last to be drawn and after he had done this, Jayde watched him take his shirt off before he walked over to the side of the bed, dimming the reading lamp until a faint, golden glow illuminated the room. Jayde grinned in the semi-darkness at his attempts at some sort of a romantic atmosphere and as he joined her again, swinging one knee onto the bed, Jayde immediately caught his lips again, kissing him hungrily.

This seemed to confuse him, although he responded ardently before he pulled away, bringing his fingertip up instead, brushing it lightly along her moist bottom lip, tracing the contour until he found her stitches. His lips replaced his finger a moment later and Jayde sighed against his cheek when he began to kiss the healing scar gently, one soft kiss after the other. Jayde grinned to herself, closing her eyes. Where on earth did The Joker learn to be so…perfect?

All this time, Jayde was so distracted with Joker's kisses that she did not notice he had gotten the towel completely open but when his finger lightly brushed against her wet folds, she gasped softly, opening her eyes to look up at him as he pulled away from her cheek. He grinned, his brown eyes darting from her wide, blue ones to her lips and back up again. His fingers went on, continuing to stroke her, up and down, making gentle circles around her sensitive clit every few moments. Her gasps were evolving rapidly into whimpers, the whimpers moving quickly to moans and before either one knew it, Jayde was clutching his shoulder with her hand, squirming beneath him with her jaw slightly dropped while she practically panted.

Joker seemed to be enjoying the torturous teasing he was putting her through as he did nothing but watch her face, grinning, glancing down between their bodies every now and again. Although after nearly two minutes of this, he stopped, sitting up while Jayde took a deep breath, struggling to regain some sort of composure. Her legs were trembling as she sighed only to let out a soft squeal when Joker placed his lips against her pussy, kissing lightly before his tongue snuck out to taste her, flicking against her throbbing clit. Jayde's back arched sharply, throwing her head back with a gasp as he licked from bottom to top with a flattened tongue, curling the tip when he reached the top.

Her hips rose off the bed slightly but Joker pulled away only to bite down gently on the inside of her thigh while his left hand slid under one ass cheek, gripping her. Jayde took another deep breath during this intermission, but cried out loudly when he brought his tongue back, this time, sliding two fingers inside her. Joker looked up from where he knelt, practically laying on his stomach as Jayde panted in pleasure while his fingers began to glide in and out again, gently yet deeply. Each movement, he matched with his tongue against her bud, sucking every now and again, wondering which way she liked it better, although he was starting to get the feeling that she didn't necessarily have a preference; she was going to pieces either way.

Jayde could feel herself growing nearer and nearer that peak every second and she began to whimper with each thrust of his hand, clutching two fistfuls of sheets on either side of her. However, she had just about reached the top when Joker stopped suddenly, abruptly, pulling away to wipe the corners of his mouth on the inside of her thigh before crawling back up toward her lips. He kissed her deeply as Jayde groaned in exasperation against his mouth, grabbing his curls between her fingers as her body spiraled out of control in confusion at his abrupt stop.

A moment later, the warm tip of Joker's erection lightly brushed against her dripping entrance and Jayde pulled away from his lips with a soft gasp, opening her eyes to look up at him with their noses practically touching. She hadn't even noticed him taking off his jeans, but apparently, he had. He grinned, gently moving his hips to rub against her folds, now teasing both Jayde and himself. Jayde whimpered, wrapping one leg around his hip to dig her heel into his lower back, hoping to force him inside her although he resisted, grinning further when she practically growled at him.

"Joker…" she murmured, digging her nails into his shoulders so hard, she actually felt his skin break a little. This did not seem to hurt him and instead, he leaned down, placing a soft kiss next to her ear, continuing to just gently rub against her.

"Say please." He growled against her ear and Jayde did not hesitate.

"Please, pretty please, please, please…" she whimpered, gazing up at his eyes as he smirked, leaning down until their lips met and finally, he rocked his hips forward, entering her in one swift movement. Both pulled away at the same time, moaning in unison at the sensation that tightened Joker's back muscles and forced Jayde's back into a sharp arch while her toes pointed.

"Oh my god, Joker," she breathed, tilting her head back as he kissed her neck, resting on his elbows on either side of her shoulders. "That feels so good." She told him this as if he didn't know and Joker laughed breathlessly against her neck, rocking his hips slowly, gently, making sure both of them could feel every detail of his movements.

"Ya know, I still love it when you say my name." He admitted, grinning when he felt Jayde do the same. She ran her hands along his smooth back, lifting her hips slightly, gasping quietly when he began to strike something wonderful and shocking inside her. His pace was perfectly slow and yet deep enough to continually force moans from her every time his hips met hers.

"Does this feel good, Joker?" she purred his name against his ear, catching the lobe lightly between her teeth as Joker moaned, finally realizing that his noises turned her on when he felt goosebumps rising all over her skin. He moaned again a moment later, deeper, allowing his voice to resonate in his chest.

"You have…no idea..." He replied, reaching down to grip her hip, lifting it to force her closer so he could rock a bit deeper. When he moaned again, shutting his eyes tightly, Jayde wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head back when the pace of his hips picked up slightly. Having already been close to an orgasm just previously, Jayde felt herself getting close again although this time, she reached that threshold much quicker. Joker rose to rest on his hands again to watch her but felt himself peaking along with her. He closed his eyes but could not keep them that way when Jayde's hands slid up his arms to hold onto him as his name left her lips in a whimper.

"Joker.." She repeated it again, this time louder, desperately and as her walls clenched tight around him, her back arching, Joker thrust the hardest he had yet, leaning down closer over to bury his face against her neck. He moaned loudly, trembling slightly as he came, bucking his hips against hers a few more times. Jayde took a deep breath, wrapping her arms around his shoulders until he sat up, pushing himself to a kneeling position until he rose from the bed. She watched him go, slightly confused, watching him as he walked to the sink, grabbing a washcloth from the towel rack to wet it under the faucet.

Jayde sat up on the edge of the bed, grinning when Joker hissed, cringing as he turned, looking in the mirror at his shoulder where two small, faint trails of blood were dripping along the skin. Two half-moon shaped puncture marks were bleeding slowly and Joker frowned, turning around to look at Jayde who grinned back at him sheepishly.

"You popped me." He said, walking back over as his frown slowly slid away to form a smirk while Jayde lay down, bringing her arms up to slide under the pillow. It amazed both Joker and Jayde how quickly she had gotten comfortable being naked in front of him. She brought her knees up, crossing her legs.

"Sorry…" she replied, watching Joker as he knelt on the bed in front of her, uncrossing her legs to part them. The cool wash cloth slid down her thigh to her still wet and sticky areas and she sighed, closing her eyes as Joker gently wiped her down, watching what he was doing, intently. Chills washed over her momentarily at the cool sensation but she had to admit, she did feel slightly cleaner and refreshed when Joker stopped to set the cloth down on the night stand.

"Jayde, I don't know if you realize this, but you are quite literally the only person I'm even remotely kind to." He murmured, laying down next to her, glancing down at his waist to run a finger under the elastic lining of his boxers absentmindedly. She nodded, turning onto her side to face him.

"I have noticed, trust me. But I don't know why." She replied. "Ever since you kissed me after Maroni's party, you've never really acted the same towards me."

Joker sighed, closing his eyes. "Because I haven't felt the same towards you after that. I don't feel like…myself… around you anymore." He paused, opening his eyes again. "Meaning, I don't feel like 'The Joker'…around you." His eyes rolled before he continued. "You pull this…hopeless romantic out of me that I…just…can't explain." He shuddered. "I hate it." Jayde smiled, scooting closer to him.

"Don't worry, I wont tell anyone." She said, grinning when Joker rolled his eyes. "You're still The Joker to me and I like the fact that you only act this way when you're alone with me. And I suppose you could say that I've developed a bit of a crush on you." She explained but immediately continued at the apprehensive, confused expression on his face as his eyes slid open. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but can you really blame me?" A grin stretched her lips as she shrugged. "You're pretty stinkin' cute for the most wanted man in America, Joker." He smirked, sliding his hand behind her head.

"Shut up.." he growled against her lips before he kissed her gently, moving slightly closer to reach up mid-kiss to turn out the light and darken the room completely.

Jayde felt like she had been asleep a total of five minutes when sunlight streaming into the hotel room stirred her from her slumber. Her nose crinkled against the soft blankets as she lay curled on her side, bundled up warmly to her neck. She was so comfortable but could tell from the way her back side was a bit drafty that Joker was no longer in the bed. Her eyes slid open slowly as she yawned only to find that The Joker was sitting across from the bed in an arm chair, his chin rested on his fingers as he sat reclined with one ankle propped up on his other knee. His long rifle was rested across his lap with his other hand draped over it.

She was not sure why at the moment, but Jayde gasped slightly at this sight; he was wearing all of his makeup again, done perfectly. His purple pants looked clean and pressed, and although he was not wearing his coat, she could see it draped over the back of the chair behind him. He grinned that evil grin and Jayde felt some sort of old, sinking, dreading feeling in her stomach that she had not experienced in nearly a week. She stayed put in the bed, clutching the blanket around her; 'The Joker' was back.

He stood up from his chair, looming over the bed but let the grin fade slightly when Jayde stifled a whimper into the blankets, backing away from his hand as he reached out. Joker stood up straight, a look of slight confusion on his face as Jayde stared up at him with an expression in her eyes that he had not seen in a while; he instantly recognized it as fear. He decided to ignore this at first.

"Get up and get dressed. We're leaving in thirty minutes." He said in that soft, clowny voice over his shoulder, now moving towards a table where Jayde noticed a large map laid out. She watched him go, knowing it was stupid to suddenly be slightly scared of him again, but the whole day before, he had been without the makeup and so much had happened between them. Jayde supposed she had just gotten used to his bare face and the somewhat gentle attitude that came along with that persona. They had made love last night, there was no denying that, but as Jayde stood up from the bed, staring at The Joker's hunched shoulders, looking over the table, she could not imagine that this was the same man.

She dressed quickly behind him, watching him the whole time even until she walked to the bathroom mirror to do something with her hair. Her fingers were pushing a couple bobby pins in to pull the front curls back when her eyes met his in the mirror over her shoulder but she looked down quickly, nibbling on the tip of the pin between her teeth.

Joker frowned openly at this point, looking back down to the map of Montana where several red circles and little notes made appearances, denoting particular places. This was not fair of her. He had been so sweet to her the night before and now, she was treating him like a disease…like a freak. When she turned, Joker stood up straight, watching her over his shoulder as she passed him, kneeling to push several articles of clothing into her bag. Jayde could feel his eyes on her and when she heard his shoes on the carpet moving closer, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes momentarily.

"Joker," she began, standing with her back to him. A moment later, she gasped as he turned her quickly with his hands on her arms, shoving her backwards until her back met the wall of the hotel room with a thud. Only a second in time passed here where their eyes met in some deep, flustered gaze before Joker leaned down, kissing her lips hard. This caught Jayde off-guard and she was about to push him away but she responded just as fervently when her body slowly recognized the soft feel of his lips and that familiar scar brushing against her bottom lip. A grin finally found her face against his mouth and she sighed, bringing her hands up to wrap around his neck as she rose onto her tip toes. He may not look entirely the same, but those lips…she could not forget those.

Joker pulled away after a few seconds, opening his eyes while his hands slid under her hair, lifting her face as she looked up at him. He was scowling at her, glancing from eye to eye.

"It's me, Jayde."

This was all he needed to say before Jayde smiled, glancing down at his vest as her finger reached out to touch his tie and a wave of that old, familiar cologne hit her senses. She nodded, glancing back up.

"I know."

Joker matched her smile before he stepped away, walking over to the table where he began folding up the maps to push them into an envelope. Jayde watched him do this from her place against the wall until he walked over, slinging the bags over his shoulder before he looked to her.

"Grab that rifle and let's get lost. I want to make it there by at least three." He explained gruffly but grinned to himself when Jayde obeyed, grunting slightly when she realized how heavy the gun was. He made it look so light!

"Where are we going now?" she asked, following him outside as Joker fished the keys out of his pocket, thumbing through them until he could unlock the trunk.

"Billings." He answered only to turn when he felt Jayde's energy change.

"W-what? W-why?" she asked, following him around the side of the car to the driver's side until he stopped, turned and placed his hands on her shoulders. His red, painted scars stretched into an excited, evil grin as he stepped closer, tightening his grip with his fingers.

"You and I, dear Jayde, are goin' hunting."