Welcome Back to the Asylum
Intermission
Back to Reality
Gabriel was the last to be released from the hospital but there was no one to pick him up from the hospital. Amelia had refused to get him and Joker wouldn't dare show his face while he was no longer in disguise. Still, Amelia did take Ryder and Elijah home and looked after them for the time Gabe was away, which he was grateful. He ended up calling for a cab and slept almost the whole way home. Gabe realized he would need to go into the house and grab some cash for the driver since he was penniless at the moment. Once he paid the cabbie and entered his home again, he awaited his father's taunts and demands, but they didn't come right away.
Joker was seated at the kitchen table alone and he noticed his son was home. "Welcome back my son..." he said far too happily. "You're looking miserable. Tell your old man about it..."
Gabe sneered at Joker. "What do you think I'm pissed about? I lost my wife, my home, my children will probably never speak to me again..."
"Awe, don't take it so hard. At least you've got your sanity! Oh wait..." Joker chuckled and patted his son on the shoulder.
Gabe flinched when the sudden movement caused his leg to jerk a bit. "So, how long are-" He paused when he saw Ryder enter the kitchen and the little boy just ignored them and went straight for the fridge. He pulled out a bottle of orange juice and closed the door. Then he proceeded to fetching graham crackers from the cupboard.
"Kind of late isn't it?" Gabe said to his son, but Ryder ignored him and went back to the stairwell. He sighed, feeling extremely guilty for what happened to his family.
Joker grinned at his son's misfortune. "Too bad. Your kids must really despise you now."
"You're not helping..." Gabe growled. "Besides, you're the cause of all this mess. You should have stayed out of my life to begin with. I hold you solely responsible for all of this!"
"Me? Ghul was seeking revenge on your wife!"
"He was trying to get back at you! You killed Seven!"
"Willow killed Seven's daughter!" Joker shouted back.
In anger, Gabe slammed his fists down on the table. "If you hadn't raped Seven to begin with and attempted to kill her the first time, none of this would've happened!"
"And you wouldn't be here!" Joker screamed. He was now holding Gabe by the shirt and they were nose to nose.
Snarling, Gabe responded. "I would've preferred it that way..." He grit his teeth and peered down at his father's hands. "Let go," he growled.
"Since when do you make the demands?" Joker replied, his voice low and menacing.
"Since now..." Gabe said viciously and suddenly both clowns were surrounded by a set of vines. They crawled over Gabe's shoulders and shot out at Joker, wrapping him up a few times.
Joker was doing the same to his son and both were staring the other down. When the vines reached their throats, Joker finally chuckled. "So what now? We end it here and now? I don't think the kiddies want to be placed in foster care."
Gabe let his vines fall away. His father was right. There was no way he would hand over his children to the government nor would he ever place them in Joker's custody, not after what he suffered through while growing up.
"Thought so..." Joker said. He didn't let up on Gabe though and kept him tightly wrapped. "You're tired my boy. We should put you to bed." Joker then grasped onto Gabe's head and held it still while he blew a dose of pink spores into his face. Of course, shortly after that, Gabe started to have a reaction and his eyes reddened and his breathing slowed. "Ah shit...I forgot." Joker carried his son up the stairs and to the master bedroom. Gabe probably kept controller medication in the vanity. He was correct and found the inhaler quickly. Gabe was not entirely out of it when Joker shoved the tube into his mouth and squeezed the albuterol. "There you go. Just one breath at a time my son." He laid Gabe onto the bed shortly after and watched him for a moment, making sure he didn't suffocate or go into anaphylactic shock from the allergy. Joker found it unusual that his son was able to develop the ability to control plants. He needed to know how...
After Gabe passed out, Joker moved into the master bathroom again and dug through Willow's medical supplies. Luckily she kept emergency materials on hand and even had a few syringes. It was exactly what he needed and he took one. He returned to Gabe's side and maneuvered one of his arms in order to trace his fingers along it and find a vein. When one was discovered, he quickly inserted the needle and took a sample, fully intending to take it to the hospital for analysis. He would have to do it during the night when the staff was minimal and he could break in easily or sneak inside and gain access to their labs. It's been a little while since he's really analyzed anything, but he could manage. There weren't any disturbances when he left the house, nor did the kids bother him. He locked up and wound up hot-wiring a car since the family van was still missing, likely left at the hotel.
Gabe awakened the following morning with a massive migraine and a throbbing sensation in his thigh where he was wounded. He slid out of the bed, but his legs were very weak and he tumbled to the floor. He suddenly remembered last night's argument with his father. In a nervous panic, Gabe crawled into the bathroom and dug through the vanity for his inhaler. It wasn't in its drawer, but sitting on top of the vanity. He reached for it and quickly medicated himself to stave off any other reactions. It's been a very long time since he needed to use it.
After dragging himself out of the bathroom, Gabe decided food was in order and quietly went downstairs. There was no sign of his children, but he did hear Elijah cooing in the nursery and someone was shaking a rattle at him. It was likely Amelia because Joker was seated once again at the kitchen table and chewing on a piece of jerky.
"Good morning," Joker said and waved at his son.
Gabe didn't return the greeting and instead moved straight into the kitchen for some breakfast. A pot of coffee was sitting on the counter, freshly brewed. It was a good idea. He grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup as his father started to talk at him.
"I figured out how you managed to get your ability."
This actually got Gabe's attention because even he was curious. "How?"
"Well after I knocked your ass out last night, I took a little blood sample and borrowed your wife's hospital."
"Don't mention my wife," Gabe threatened, still extremely hurt with her loss.
"Fine, fine. Well I broke into the hospital lab and used their labs. After a quick analysis, I found a couple of gene sequences that were of particular interest. They matched some of mine. When I took the dip in the green shit, my blood was enhanced. After those morons in the hospital stuck me with chlorogene, they infused me with every plant mutation under the sun and I went into cardiac arrest. Next thing I know, I'm a vine-slinging cowboy heh heh!"
Gabe rolled his eyes. "Well I wasn't injected, so I'm assuming this is genetic."
"Right! Even though I didn't have my abilities for long, I passed them on when Sera I had-"
"Stop...just stop. I know what happened. You don't need to explain that. My only question is, why couldn't I control plants years before now?"
Joker scratched his chin. "Hm, I suspect it's because of stress. When I was given the injection, I was under so much pain and duress, that my emotional stability was jeopardized. I was declared dead. Sounds like something to stress over!" He laughed heartily for a moment before continuing. "When you saw your son nearly killed, how did you feel?"
"More angry than when he...he..."
"Killed your wife? I figured as much. So now you know."
Gabe sighed thinking of Willow again. "But it still doesn't explain why Ghul couldn't destroy my vines like he could yours."
"Different gene sequence. Ghul developed a serum that worked against my breed of vines. Yours are different, thanks to Sera's mix of genes."
"Will this pass on to Amelia or my two?" Gabe was a bit concerned that the ability would affect their lives negatively.
"I don't know. Depends."
Gabe sucked down the last of his coffee. He didn't want to think about the family problems anymore, but there was still one huge problem lying before him and he knew his father would want to discuss it right away.
"So kiddo. Let's cover the transfer of your assets into my name." Joker smiled and leaned back in his chair awaiting his son's reply. He was expecting Gabe to turn his back or change his mind.
Gabe flinched but he knew he made a promise and needed to avoid dragging the kids into a new problem. "I'l l start making calls today. You'll have everything I own by the end of the week as long as the banks and retirement services don't give me a hassle. My house keys are hanging by the door. Same for the van keys, but I can't promise that the car is in good shape if Ghul wrecked it while kidnapping my family."
"I'm not worried about the car." Joker grinned. He felt like he'd won the lottery. "Thank you my boy! I'm happy to have my life back!" He smiled at Gabe and bit down on another piece of jerky. "Oh by the way, I'm giving you until Christmas to get your ass out. That's about 3 months. Do what you need with your kids."
"Fine. I'll get all four of us out by the end of December. The kids are not gonna like this."
Joker chuckled and smirked at his son. "Four? I'm under the impression that you only fathered two kids. Amelia is staying, especially if she still wants to attend future auditions and get her dream job. Having a celebrity daughter is a good financial decision."
"Amelia is my daughter! You just happened to be the man who raped the mother! I took care of her and raised her!"
"And I'm stepping up and taking her back!" Joker shot back.
"You're only after her for the money! I love her and will do everything in my power to protect her!"
Both clowns were at each other's throats again, but they came to a halt when the two of them noticed Amelia standing at the foot of the stairs and staring at the two of them. She was emotionless and holding something in her hand. It was a notepad and pen.
Gabe got up and approached her, "What is it?" She only handed him the pad and he saw that she'd written a note and it shocked him.
I am not going with you.
"Amelia..." Gabe just looked at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. "Why? You can't possibly stay here with a lunatic! I won't let you!"
She took back the pad and quickly started scribbling down more before handing it over again.
Gabe scanned over the message several times.
You lied to me, Gabriel. Everything I knew was a lie and mom is dead. I can't be around you anymore.
Tears welled up in Gabe's eyes but they didn't fall. Just seeing that she referred to him by name hurt immensely. "Is this really what you want?" He gave her back the pad so she could write again and it wasn't long before she finished. He read the new message.
I'm going to be 18 in a few short weeks. I've made up my mind and still want to pursue my dreams. If it means staying here to get it, I'm going to do just that. Then I'll move out on my own.
"He won't let go that easily. I know him too well. Just come with me. We can work this out and I'm sure everything will turn back to normal." He outstretched his arms hoping she would let him embrace her in a hug, but she backed away and quickly jogged back up the steps, further breaking his heart. He was losing his family one by one.
Joker felt the need to interrupt the sad moment and patted his son on the back, "So how about we get in touch with the banks now, hm?" He was grinning from ear to ear, internally laughing at Gabe's expense.
Without another word, Gabe followed his father to the office to begin the process of handing over everything in his life. His depression was increasing, but not over losing the fortune...but giving up his only daughter at her request.
Willow's funeral was very small and very private. Only Gabe and the kids attended while Joker stayed behind. Jackie and Dominic were allowed to attend as well and Gabe had the duty of telling them everything. It was only right that their best friends knew the situation. They took it pretty hard and promised Gabe they would keep everything under wraps and even offered him their help. He graciously thanked them and accepted.
Amelia's 18th birthday came and went without event. She didn't want to see any of her friends except for Krysta and Jason. She had a lot of explaining to do and only trusted the two with the truth. It was hard for them to accept at first, but Willow's absence made the whole story make sense. They also avoided giving her a hard time about her real father since the stories of the Joker were quite frightening. Nobody would believe them anyways since Joker is supposed to be dead, according to rumor at least. They worried frequently for her safety and that of her brothers.
Not only that, but Joker kept his word on sending both Amelia and Noel to New York in December for the audition. It would be hard for Amelia because her mother attended every function that she'd ever been apart of. This would be the first function since she died.
Jason was extremely supportive and took Amelia out on frequent dates to get her mind off of the tragedy. It took a few weeks, but Amelia smiled once again when he brought her to a symphony performance. He also insisted that her being mute had no bearing on his feelings for her and he even offered to go to sign language classes to learn along with her. It was nice to have someone by her side, but Amelia would also have to deal with Jason's schedule changes in a few weeks. He pushed back his first semester at college until the spring time so he could have a break from schooling and that time would be coming in a month and a half, but at least he would be staying in the city where they could see each other.
It wasn't long before December arrived...
Gabriel had made temporary arrangements with Dom and Jackie. He would stay in their guest house with the baby and Ryder. Because Gabe lost his contracting job, he would be out looking for work most days and Jackie would babysit for him.
Amelia and Krysta were on their flight to New York along with Krysta's family and Jason in tow. Gabe hoped that it would go well for her because it meant that she would be able to support herself if she nailed a contract and she'd be far away from Joker if she was smart about it. Then he'd only have to be concerned about his boys not growing up with trauma. Ryder was beginning to show signs of stress and was acting out a lot. He refused to do his chores and started talking back. Gabe hoped it was only a phase, but he still intended to put his son in counseling when he found a job with good benefits.
As for Joker, he was living the life under his old guise Nathaniel Douglas and would go out every night having a good time at the casino or vacationing at the nearby resorts. He would get massages and other forms of pampering. He loved every second of it. Strangely, he didn't do what Gabe expected, which was blow the fortune on weapons or materials like he used to. Gabe suspected Joker was possibly feeling his age or that getting money in other ways besides extortion was beneath him. Joker began investing money into computers and learning how to hack. That would take years to learn, but he had all the time in the world and there was no way he'd ever trust someone else to do code breaking ever again. He would keep the money coming in this way should he ever lose access to Amelia. He was preparing for it...
But none of the family would ever be prepared for the future...