Chapter Twenty-Nine
Doubt
Joker sat in his Santa chair quietly, watching re-runs of the 'Heart-to-Heart with Harley' on television. Even though it was the very early hours of the morning, he didn't feel the least bit tired. His leg was crossed over the other, and had his fingertips touch as his eyes seemed fixated on Harley, almost contemplating about something by the way his expression appeared.
Out from the corner of his eye, he saw Xack stir in her sleep on the couch, but not enough for him to care nor even look upon her in concern. It was when she started to whimper softly that she got his attention a little, turning his head in her direction to see what she was fussing about. She wasn't moving too much to worry about her rolling off the couch, but whatever she was dreaming about, was causing her to leak a few tears. "Xackie?..." Joker's features were filled with puzzlement as he stood up and made his way carefully on over to her.
When he got halfway, Xack screamed, instantly sitting up and continued to sob as if her life was about to come to an end. She was extremely disoriented, hastily gazing about her surroundings like she didn't even remember where she was or how she got there. She clutched the blanket Joker had provided for her earlier close to her chest for comfort.
"Xackie!" Joker called out to her again, approaching her casually now. Xack finally snapped into some reality, and her eyes locked with his. When she began to recognize him, her weeping calmed a little.
"J-Joker?..." She sobbed pitifully, wiping her eyes away when he now stopped in front of her. She was too embarrassed to look up at him. She put a hand to her head, breathing was loud and almost erratic. Slowly she started to regain her composure.
Joker oddly smiled, and decided to sit down next to her. "You know Xackie, you really-" Before he could finish, Xack already circled her arms around him and brought herself closer, resting her head on his chest. She felt the rise and fall of his chest which put her into a relaxed state. So soothing this was that she closed her eyes slowly.
His muscles tensed upon her strange action, not exactly sure how he should go about this. A part of him wanted to shove her off and scold her for being so "clingy", but the other part...rather enjoyed her body against his; liking the warmth that radiated from her. He can't even remember the last time anyone's ever hugged him like that...if at all. Cautiously he settled his hands upon her back to return the favor.
Joker was about to add in some quips, but he heard Xack give off a pathetic chuckle, sniffling too. "Wh-Whenever I wake up from a bad dream...or just...or I'm just afraid of something, when I...I see you...I feel safe around you... Don't know why..." Her eyes opened partially. "Never thought I would admit that out loud...especially to you..."
He didn't know how to respond. Xack took notice and added, "I guess I caught you off guard, huh?" A smirk came to her face. "But...for now, just let me have this...please? You...feel nice..." She moaned ever so quietly that Joker's ears barely picked it up.
Joker ended up letting her lie on him, not really knowing what to say at this point. He just kept his mouth shut oddly enough for the both of them. Some time passed now, and he started to get a bit bored just sitting like this with the girl on him. "Xackie..." He whispered her name, moving his hands up to her shoulders. "Xack?..." When she didn't answer, he figured she must of fallen back asleep. He very carefully maneuvered out of her hold and set her down on the couch again, covering her back up as he did. Xack looked so peaceful in her sleep now. Joker brushed his fingertips along her jawline, brushing her skin delicately. He grinned evilly before getting up and going back to his Santa chair to watch more of his favorite TV show.
A few days have passed, and Xack mostly kept her distance from Joker, feeling very bashful for what she did to him. Kissing and hugging him left her with conflicted emotions, not sure how to handle them in front of the Clown Prince, of all people. She knew he wasn't the sort that understood humanity and its sentiments. She was extremely embarrassed to be around him now, not sure what he would say or do with her at this point...if he even thought anything of it.
So, on those couple days, Joker mostly busied himself with plans on recent heists and building odd contraptions and weapons that would compliment himself. Xack would usually try to keep away from him at all times, but managed to sneak a peek at his works when he didn't seem to notice her. Only once did he catch her spying on him out from the corner of his eye. He grinned at her, and the girl immediately shivered and bolted from the spot. He chortled in amusement and then continued his work that day ago.
On this very day though...
Xack sat on the couch in that one special area Joker created for her. She flipped through the channels to find something suitable to watch. Her eyes lit up when she happened to come across one of her favorite movies; only slightly disappointed that it was already half way through. She placed the remote next to her and settled into the cushions more to make herself comfortable, a smile on her face as she started to watch The Matrix. "Oh Agent Smith, you just can't get any more awesome," she said happily.
After a few minutes, Joker happened upon the area and found himself grinning when he witnessed the girl sitting by herself, and no one else nearby to bother her. Her eyes were so glued to the screen that she had no way to even suspect that the clown was cautiously sneaking up from behind the couch. He suddenly plopped his torso on top of it, draping half his body over it. Xack snapped her head to the side and shrieked, clumsily falling off her seat as she tried to get up and bolt...but failed horribly to do so.
Joker laughed heartily as Xack sat there on the floor in a slight daze. "Wh-why do you do that?!" She questioned hoarsely, now standing back up to peer at him frustratingly.
He continued to cackle softly. "Oh Xackie, you're so easy to scare, it's hilarious!" He fell into the couch cushions, hugging his stomach as his laughter started up loudly again. Xack's face went red, embarrassed that she gets easily startled by his actions. Then again, who can blame her.
She crossed her arms as she went over to the other end of the couch and sat down, wanting to watch her movie instead of focusing on the giggling fit of a clown. Joker maneuvered himself to sitting upright, glancing at Xack and then to the television itself. "So what'cha watching?" He wondered with curiously glee, although he had no interest in the movie whatsoever. "Looks kind of familiar..."
"It's The Matrix," Xack told him a-matter-of-factly. "I really like this movie, by the way." Her tone got a little stern with that sentence.
Joker's grin was beaming. "You mean that one movie where robots use humans for electricity?" Once again, he burst out laughing, eyes squeezing shut from that ridiculous idea of a plot. "Humans, huh? Why don't those tin-cans just use a bunch of potatoes to generate that much power! Hey, it'll take a heck of a lot of veggies, but it'll probably get the job done better than people!" He slapped his knee and continued to cackle wildly, making Xack frown and scoot her body as far away as she could from Joker, although the armrest prevented her from doing so.
"I-I just watch the movie for Agent Smith," Xack said defensively. "He's the coolest person in there!"
"Who?" Joker sat up and looked on in confusion. She gestured to the TV, and he turned to the screen to see a man wearing a suit and sunglasses pull another man through a concrete wall. If the movie didn't look so fake to him, he would probably admire the fictional character's brute strength.
"Hmph." Joker shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyone can do that."
Xack scoffed, eyeing Joker oddly. "What?" She had to smile upon his statement.
He suddenly pointed to her, smiling himself. "I haven't seen you smile in awhile, dearie." Xack's expression instantly fell into shock, turning her head away from him bashfully. "Why is that?" She remained silent and unmoving. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you've been avoiding me ever since we made out."
This got her to face him again, but her look stayed the same. His grin grew. "Too proud to admit you enjoyed it, or are you too shy to ask for more?..." He inched his body closer to hers, but Xack didn't really notice. His questioning threw her off. "If it makes you feel any better, I very much enjoyed it too..." She gazed up into his eyes now and could practically see her stunned face reflecting in them.
"I..." Xack began, but she never finished. Joker slowly glided a hand around until it reached the back of her head, where he pushed on it gently to bring her face closer to his. She was getting caught up in the moment herself. He smiled as he brought his lips to hers, but before he could proceed in pressing them firmly together, Xack hastily backed away, gasping in fear.
"I-I don't want to kiss you again!" She spoke with fright, her eyes wide to prove her point. Her breathing was hard as the panic circulated through her.
Joker groaned inwardly, but again, shrugged as if it didn't bother him at all. "Fine then. Have it your way." He brought himself face forward, crossing a leg leisurely to show his uncaringness to the situation. "But I think we're through watching this trash," he snarled as he picked up the remote and shut off the television, causing Xack to whine childishly.
"H-hey!" She whined, looking at him with complete annoyance, but Joker was smiling in such satisfactory to her irritability. "I love that movie, you know! Turn it back on!" She attempted to snatch the remote from him, but his reflexes were much quicker than hers, and eventually he tossed it behind themselves, giggling with amusement of her feeble actions.
Sniffing angrily, she spat out loudly, "You have a lot of nerve calling a movie that I love trash when that one show with that Harley girl is even worse than any of the garbage I've seen on TV!"
That did it. Xack's word struck a nerve within Joker, making him twitch with rage. His expression was full of fury, but the girl was mirroring the same look. She was actually quite terrified of his angered demeanor, but she didn't want it to show for her sake. "How...dare...you!" He drawled, body cowering a bit as if Xack had spoken such offending words. "At least my little Harlene Quinzelle is real compared to your Agent Smith!" He shot back at her.
While his spout should of enraged her, however, her furious look was replaced with...an unusual feeling of heartache. Xack's eyes got wide with sadness. The way he said it made her feel that he wanted or favored the other woman instead. "You-you're little Harlene Quinzelle?" She repeated miserably, shaking her head slowly in disbelief.
Joker merely blinked, not really knowing what the hell just happened. Sniffling, Xack stood up and balled up her hands and pushed them to her mouth, almost as if she were trying to contain her inner sorrow from coming out in full force. He heard her give off a little sob as she turned on her heel and dashed off into some other part of the warehouse, leaving the clown in a somewhat flustered state. He almost regretted his choice of words... Almost. "Hmm...maybe she is too young for me," he mumbled thoughtfully, his eyes half lidded in wearisome. He sighed with agitation.
Xack meanwhile found a spot she believed to be a secluded part of the warehouse, and so she dropped down to the floor and pressed her back up against a pile of crates, crossing her legs and continued to weep softly. She liked how the crates surrounded her in a half circle, making her feel enclosed off from other people. "Dr. Bagley was right..." she thought hopelessly. "Someday...he is going to dump me off for some other woman... Just like the rest of the girls he did it to...like that Alyssa." Xack sniffled loudly, wiping away tears from her cheeks. "I know Joker's going to dump me someday for someone else...I just wish I knew why it bothered me so much. I wish it didn't..."
A pathetic chuckle escaped her lips, sniffling again afterwards. She knew by now she probably looked like a complete wreck; eyes all puffy and red, cheeks stained with tears, and the sounds of her sniffles were sure to make anyone cringe with disgust. "I must look like a wreck right now..."
A single daisy was suddenly shoved out from under her view. Xack gasped, slightly startled back into reality. Her eyes followed the bleached hand up to Joker's strange sincere expression. She hastily wiped her eyes again, sniffling for the umpteenth time now. He kneeled down to her level, smiling pleasantly so. "Don't be upset, dearie," he spoke gently, pushing the daisy into her lonely hand until she finally wrapped her fingers around it. "I hate to see you when you're sad..." With the other hand, he caressed her cheek. "Daisies, you're favorite," he said to her quietly. "See? I remembered."
A wry little smile came onto her face. She pressed her cheek into his hand more, enjoying his touch. Her worries and paranoia about him repressed into the back of her mind where everything else lay.
Where all her anger, insanity, and sadness are stored.
Joker slowly wrapped his arms around Xack and carefully brought her to his body where she rested her head on his shoulder. Seconds later, she hugged him back, wanting him to stay that way for a while longer. She closed her eyes and sighed quietly, relaxing herself more into him. He couldn't help but grin so wickedly upon her submission to him, eyes bearing down to whatever was in his view of her. "My...little...Xack Hathaway..." He whispered sinisterly.
Xack heard him. "Wha-what?" She wondered with a touch of fear in her voice.
Joker grasped her shoulders to push her back. He got himself sitting cross-legged on the floor, and Xack did the same. "Feel like paintin' the town red tonight?" He asked her excitedly, his eyes bulged as he waited impatiently for her answer.
Xack raised an eyebrow, blinking in bewilderment. "B-but, what you just said-" She leant back, not knowing what to say or think, so she decided to shake her head to rid herself of her current thoughts. "'Paint the town red'?" Joker nodded, folding his hands together. "W-well, I-I don't want to paint it red..."
He grinned innocently, hands out as he shrugged. "It's only an expression, dearie." She nodded in acknowledgement, rubbing her arm nervously. "Well, what would you like to do tonight, Xackie?" He tried asking again.
An idea popped into her head, and she opened her mouth to speak.
"No videogames!" Joker berated, waving a finger back and forth at her.
Xack scoffed, crossing her arms. "Goddamnit..." she grumbled under her breath.
Again, Joker grinned. "Anything else?"
Xack frowned, but turned her head to think on it better, not liking that Joker was staring at her so intently. Unfortunately she kept coming back to anything videogame related, and seeing how he reacted to the notion before she even said anything suggested he really didn't want to go to an arcade or the likes. She felt like groaning, knowing she would have to appease him by doing something he would enjoy rather than herself. ...Still, she wanted to at least enjoy it too...
"Well..." She began nervously, eyes downcast to the floor. "I liked that water balloon-thing we did...when we were out that one time...and I wore that dress..." She paused a moment, her mind stuck on that last phrase. "I wore a dress that day."
Joker ignored her last statement. "So you liked throwing water balloons at the peeps, huh?" Xack just remained stationary and silent, but he continued, "Anyone in particular you want to get at? Gotta be some group or clique out there you're just itchin' to see get splattered."
Xack blurted out the first thing that came to her head, "The preps," she replied. "I never liked them in school. They always sucked up to the teachers and got better grades than anyone else. Besides that, their clothes were always so...tight looking."
He nodded in understanding. "So...anyone who's prettier and reveals more skin than you! Got it!" Joker gave her the "a-okay" with his fingers. Xack frowned. She couldn't help but feel a tiny prick of insult from his words.
Joker smiled reassuringly and tilted her chin up. "Don't look like that, Xackie. I promise we'll have fun," he cooed. "How about we stop off at the videogame store and pick up that Dead Space 3 you've been wanting."
Xack's face suddenly lit up, a cheeky smile on her face. "A-and, you'll play with me, won't you? Dead Space 3 has a two-player mode." She folded her hands together and continued to smile that way for the clown, her look almost pleading.
Joker's lip curled in revulsion to the idea of playing videogames with her. He rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'll play with you- but only because that game intrigues me..." he tapped his chin as he seemed to be in thought. "I heard they have quite the gruesome deaths in that game."
Xack nodded. "Yeah, you heard right."
Joker ended up smiling with her. He got himself up from the floor and helped Xack to her feet as well. "Let's show those folks out there how we have fun around here..." He grinned mischievously at her, while Xack's smile widened happily.
"Okay!" She practically squeaked, and the two skipped together through the warehouse to get themselves ready for another night on the town.
Dr. Bagley let out a dreary sigh as he caught a glimpse of the latest news within the confines of Arkham's recreational room. His saddened gaze watched Joker dance merrily around a fountain with a young woman in his arms. The woman with Joker appeared to be in total bliss, and this fact alone upset Bagley even more, for he knew who she was under all that makeup.
Thinking he had enough of watching Joker and the woman on television, he cleared his throat, straightened himself out, and then made his way around crazed patients to exit the room. He was tired, and now all he wanted to do was go home and get some rest.
Bagley walked down the dank hallways of the asylum, passing by other orderlies and nurses who were making their usual rounds to the cells. When he reached his office, he opened the door and flicked on the lights, then casually strode on over to his desk. He gathered whatever paperwork was lying around and neatly stacked it in his briefcase to take home with him.
Before he could leave his room, however, a voice from behind spoke to him, "We need to talk."
Bagley felt his skin crawl upon hearing this stranger, but he had his suspicions on who this man could be. He turned around to face the intruder, and his suspicions were correct: it was none other than Batman himself. Batman stood there silently with his cape cloaking his body from head to toe, probably to give himself more of that mysterious air about him.
Bagley rearranged the now crooked glasses on his face. "I've heard you do this quite often to people," he said wearily. "Do you enjoy sneaking up on individuals like this?"
"I wanted to make sure you were alone," Batman replied in that rather dark, authoritative tone of his. "I take it you've seen the recent news on...Joker." Bagley noticed Batman's odd pause before speaking of the Clown Prince's name, as if the Dark Knight had much on his mind about him.
Bagley raised an eyebrow to him. "I assume the same with you, as well," he said casually, but sighed drearily only moments afterwards. "...Yes...I have seen the news..." He turned around to face the windows and peered out onto the landscape, although his focus wasn't keen on it. He remained silent for a while before he finally spoke again, taking a deep breath as he did. "Never did I imagine something like this would happen...between Joker and that Hathaway girl. To be quite...honest, I thought his sole intention was to kill Xack, not develop this unusual and rather sickening obsession over her!" He rubbed the bridge of his nose to ease his coming headache. "In the beginning he would love to manipulate and toy with the feelings of vulnerable women, preferable those who had blonde hair. His little fascinations with them would only last a few months at most...as with the case with our patient Alyssa Straisem. She's still quite taken with him regardless of how he feels for her now." His eyes narrowed as he appeared deep in thought. "When Xack had first come to Arkham, I feared greatly when Joker took an interest in her. I thought it was rather unorthodox of him, for Xack isn't blonde at all, and didn't seem the type he would want to fixate over..." He sighed heavily once more. "Never did I imagine for it to last this long... I thought for certain he would move on to another woman by now...but he hasn't... Perhaps he has finally found someone to keep his interests sustained...through Xack."
Bagley heard a rather distinct, but low sound on Batman's end. To him, it sounded as if the Dark Knight was very distraught about those little known facts. The doctor continued though, "All this time when Xack Hathaway was my patient, I thought her behavior, her attitude was improving when she met Joker...but I was very wrong, Batman. She wasn't slowly getting cured of her problems, she was gradually becoming like...him the more time she spent with Joker; and now...with the most recent news of the two...it seems my theory might becoming true..."
"This is why I've come to you, doctor," Batman spoke up, approaching his desk now. "I need to know how to draw Joker out into the open, long enough for me to trace him back to his hideout."
Bagley breathed out through his nose, shuffling some stacked papers on his desk. "Aren't you asking the wrong doctor here?" He wondered half sarcastically. "I assume Professor Strange would know of these things more than I could offer-"
"I've dealt with Professor Strange in the past..." Batman trailed off, his tone filled with uncertainty. "...And I don't believe he's as 'trustworthy' as he appears to be."
Again, Bagley nodded. "True, very true..." He was still in disbelief about it all. "I've had my suspicions about the Professor as well, but that's all they are: suspicions. I have nothing to go on except for my own inklings, and that's not enough to bring him to questioning." He shook his head a little to get his thoughts back in place. "Anyhow, you presume that I can help you with Joker?" Batman nodded. "I don't see how-"
"You have been Joker's therapist before Strange took over. I assume you know of him enough that might help me find Xack," Batman stated. Bagley grew quiet, deep in thought. "Is there anything that could lower Joker into a false sense of security?"
Bagley didn't speak up. His brows furrowed, and he put a hand to his mouth as he racked his brain on anything useful that could possibly help the darkly dressed gentleman. "You know that I cannot indulge sessions that I've had with Joker."
"I understand," replied Batman.
Bagley leaned back in his chair, folding his hands comfortably. "I don't know if this will aid you or not, but there is one thing I've noticed when it comes to the Joker, is that when jealousy takes over, nothing else around him matters."
"Jealousy?" Batman wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that.
"Most of the time Joker let's it go when he feels the 'threat' isn't worth his time; however, if one were to push certain 'buttons', he goes into such a rage with unspeakable outcomes when someone shows even the slightest bit of interest in Xack Hathaway." This seemed to have sparked some interest with Batman. "There were some occurrences here at Arkham, for example: two of our orderlies. There was one who barely so much as took a glance at her, and roughly six hours later, during dinner, Joker managed to gouge out the man's eyes with merely a plastic spoon. The clown attacked him as soon as the orderly brought him his meal." A light shudder ran down his spine when he reminisced the state of the poor man during the ordeal. "Then there was an orderly whom was always very kind and friendly to the other patients. Often times he would greet one and ask how they were doing overall...this also included Xack..." Batman could tell where this was going. "Joker had witnessed these times of interactions between the orderly and the girl. One day- a day where Xack had been heavily sedated due to another delirious outburst with her- while the orderly was chatting with a few fellow patients, Joker somehow managed to sneak one of his monstrous playing cards into the rec room, and he sliced off our orderly's tongue. The young man bled to death before help could arrive in time to save him."
"My God..." Batman didn't say a word afterwards. His expression remained emotionless to it all, just as it usually is when one encounters him. Ideas began racing around in his head how he could use Joker's jealous factor to his advantage. ...If Joker was so jealous of other men being with or around Xack Hathaway, then why hasn't he...? "Has Joker ever attempted to strike at Bruce Wayne?" Batman questioned out of curiosity.
Bagley raised an eyebrow. "I...don't recall..." He somewhat murmured, sounding unsure of it. "I'm sure I would of heard if it were true. Actually, I'm quite surprised Joker hasn't made any attempts on Bruce Wayne's life. After all, the man has watched over and cared for Xack Hathaway after she left the asylum..."
Batman turned to face the other way, appearing as if he was going to take his leave. Bagley breathed out deeply, getting up from his desk with a stack of papers to put in a filing cabinet nearby. "I don't care what you do with that information, but I beg of you to save Xack Hathaway from Joker. The longer she stays with him, the more she will begin to 'mold' into his likeness-" When he turned around, Batman was nowhere to be seen anymore. His eyes wandered to the now open window in the office. The wind from the outside blew furiously within. Bagley strode over to the window and shut it, securing the lock. "One cannot even begin to imagine what Joker's done with that girl..."
Joker laughed psychotically as he tossed another grenade at a billboard that displayed some insurance company, and once it exploded upon impact, he laughed even harder. His driving was out of control as he abruptly turned another corner, almost throwing Xack into this lap. She would be laughing it up as well, but with a few police cars trailing behind, it made her grow all the more nervous.
She grunted when she felt around her seat for a seatbelt, but none were to be found in the clown's purple convertible. "There should be seatbelts in this thing!" She complained, holding on to whatever she could for dear life. Looking to either sides of the windows, she asked, "D-did you lose the cops? I...I don't hear the sirens anymore..."
Joker was grinning madly from ear to ear. "Think so," He checked his rearview mirror to make sure. "Yep. Ditched the pigs way back- Oooh!" He suddenly spotted a couple of young beautiful women wearing some sexy evening wear. The car was approaching them quickly. "Look, Xackie! A couple of skanks at 1 o' clock! Oh, now 2 o' clock!..."
"Huh?" She hastily peered out her window and saw them. "O-oh, okay." She picked up a water balloon sitting next to her feet. Leaning out the window, she chucked the balloon to the unsuspecting women. When it exploded, the women were drenched with...what appeared to be some gooey pink substance Xack was unsure of.
"It's bubblegum!" Joker piped up proudly, taking a glance at Xack's puzzled expression. "Oh, you sure nailed them with the perfect concoction! They'll never get it out of their hair! HA HA HAAAAAHH!" Joker burst out into fits of cackles, but still tried to maintain control of the vehicle he was driving.
It wasn't long when Xack felt her own nerves bubble over and she erupted into fits of laughter herself. Now the two were heard laughing it up in the car, and at times, Joker wrapped an arm around Xack's shoulders so their chortles could be heard in unison.
And so, the drive through Gotham remained just like this: the clown driving like a maniac, sometimes chucking grenades at things he liked to see blow up; the other times he whipped water balloons filled with all kinds of condiments at the gorgeous women in the city. Of course, Xack didn't let him have all the fun of doing such things. Every now and then she took up her own water balloon and threw it at the women around, even children she believed looked like complete brats in her eyes. All the while, she was grinning happily, having quite the merry time with a psychotic clown in the next seat over. She couldn't even remember the last time she had this much fun in her life...
Joker turned on the radio and flicked through the stations hastily, but then he stopped short on one in particular. Both he and Xack's eyes widened in astonishment for the song that was already playing. His grin was beaming. It was that Gnarls Barkley song again.
"Must be destiny," he said excitedly, turning the volume up.
Xack raised an eyebrow. "Destiny?" She sounded unsure of the word.
"Fate then."
"Doesn't that mean the same thing as-"
"Ah, who cares! Let's just sing!"
They both chortled through clenched teeth, and within moments, the two were once again singing together to the one song that seemed to describe them so well...
"My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on the limb!... And all I remember is thinking, I want to be like them!..."
Joker and Xack both cackled loudly in between verses. Every so often the clown would throw more grenades at billboards and buildings whenever he passed them by on the road, while Xack chucked fresh water balloons on those who looked like they deserved it...and to her, that seemed to be everybody! The two appeared they were having the time of their lives out in the city. She loved having fun on almost a twenty-four hour basis. She never wanted it to end...
"Having fun, Xackie?" Joker asked when they began to settle down from their fits of laughter.
"Mmm...yeah..." she giggled softly, getting another water balloon ready to throw it at some poor soul. She tossed it up a little and easily caught it back into her palm, smirking as she scanned anyone nearby that looked like they deserved to be covered in a sticky substance.
"Do you always want to have fun?"
She chuckled in response. "Of course I do! I mean, who out there wouldn't want to have fun..." She smiled contently, deciding to toss her water balloon at a well-dressed young man. He hollered angrily when green goop covered his fine suit. Xack cried out joyfully and clapped her hands.
"It can be this way forever you know."
Xack blinked, Joker's words were finally starting to sink in.
"Just give yourself to me, Xack, and you can always live a life of fun and chaos."
She turned to him with a bewildered look. The merriment she felt instantly blew out the passenger window. Her lips meant to form words, but she has yet to speak them. "Wh-what?..." she barely spoke, her voice almost inaudible for Joker to hear. "Wh-what do you mean 'give myself to you'?"
Joker grinned once more, but his attention never left the roads. "You heard right, dearie. All you have to do is devote yourself to me, and you'll never live a life of sorrow and tragedy ever again..." He briefly glanced at her sinisterly. "I promise you that, my dear."
Xack inhaled sharply, turning her head away and gazed out the window. Millions of thoughts were running around in her head. Inside the vehicle it fell eerily quiet, save for the outside where all the action was still going on. She knew Joker was waiting for an answer, but she didn't have one. Out of nervousness, she started to finger the grooves in the door, not knowing what else to say or do.
"You never have to be alone again, Xackie," Joker told her soothingly. A small, devious smile crept across his face. "I'll always be there for you now..."
She swallowed hard, still facing away from him. "You...you said I have to 'devote' myself to you... What does that mean?" She wondered, her voice full of worry.
Joker's grin stretched to the tips of his ears. "It means you won't live that boring life anymore. I'll make sure of that, my sweet..." His tone sounded quite sinister and threatening about it, almost as if he would make sure to keep her in check to not stray away from his criminal life.
Xack took in a deep breath, her eyes unfocused to the scenery outside. She sucked in her lips nervously. "J-Joker...I-"
Suddenly, a loud 'thud' was heard from the trunk of the car. Someone had just landed onto it. "Huh?" Joker and Xack both peeked over their shoulders, and they instantly gasped in shock. Batman had jumped onto the moving vehicle, determined to keep himself steady long enough to get what had to be done. Joker growled lowly and started fishing around for something out from the glove compartment...or the floor. He wasn't sure where he put it...
Xack couldn't believe her own eyes. Was it really him? Batman? She hadn't seen him for so long, she began to fear if he had truly died from the explosion Joker caused when he kidnapped her from her apartment building. "B-Batman?" She breathed.
Batman couldn't believe it himself. After all the fakes he encountered of Xack and Joker... There was no mistaken it though, even with the makeup and wig on her, it was definitely the genuine Xack Hathaway this time. There was no second-guessing that look, her voice...
"Xack?" His tone sounded just as surprised as hers. Time appeared to have frozen for them all at the moment. Finally, the Dark Knight moved closer to the front, reaching out a hand towards her. "Take my hand!"
Upon the instinct of heroism, she twisted herself around to reach out to him as well, but before their fingers could even touch, she hesitated...and pulled her arm back halfway, almost considering her options now. Joker happened to catch a glimpse of her pull-back and grinned manically.
Batman's eyes widened in horror. "She's hesitating," he thought solemnly. He knew that wasn't good. He tried again, reaching as far as he could without losing his balance on the trunk. "You must take my hand now, Xack!"
Xack's whole outlook was full of confusion and doubt. Her own thoughts were at war with each other on what she should do at this exact moment. Unfortunately, she couldn't linger on it too long; Batman at one end of the car, and Joker at the other still searching for...that certain something.
Joker smiled with glee as he finally found what he was looking for under his seat. "Ah...here we are!" he cheered, holding up a retractable punching glove, and he instantly aimed it at Batman, grinning madly. The hero didn't react in time to dodge the clown's weapon, and the punching glove sent Batman shooting off the car and out onto the street.
While Joker laughed triumphantly, Xack began screaming in fright, worried if Batman got seriously injured or the likes. "Batman!" She shrieked, turning around and putting her knees into the seat so she could get a better look on what was going on behind her. Joker growled on her concerns for the Caped Crusader. He grasped her shoulder roughly and shoved her back down into the seat.
Tears welled in her eyes, and she curled up into herself. She didn't understand why she hesitated on taking Batman's hand. It would of all ended then and there if she just left with him. She could of tried to get help and go on with her life. Why didn't she want that?
Alfred brought himself down into the batcave once he received the news that Batman had returned a short while ago. He immediately spotted his master sitting silently in his chair, not really looking up at the monitor or doing any computer work on the console. He seemed to be contemplating about something...
"Master Bruce...everything alright?" He questioned with concern in his tone.
"I found Xack Hathaway today...with Joker," Batman responded quietly, hands folded together and rested them on the console. "She had an opportunity to come back with me...and she didn't take it. She didn't want to."
Alfred's eyes widened with astonishment. "Oh dear..." he muttered mournfully. "Miss Hathaway...wants to remain with that mad clown?"
Batman sighed dejectedly. "It seems so."
Alfred turned away slight, appalled by this little fact. "Surely Joker is twisting her mind about all this..." Batman remained unspoken. "What are your intentions now, sir?"
For a few moments he didn't speak. "I have an idea...an absurd one at that, but..." He pushed a few keys and brought up some images and information the police had on record about Joker. "I paid a visit to one of Arkham's doctors, and he informed me that Joker loses all rationality once he becomes enraged with jealously. Knowing this, I believe he might have a sore spot for Bruce Wayne." Alfred looked back onto him with interest. "If I play my cards right, I think I might be able to draw Joker out...and make him come after Bruce Wayne."
"Are you sure that's wise, sir?" Alfred questioned with growing worriment, approaching the the large monitor. "If Joker were to come after Bruce Wayne, how will the Dark Knight attempt to stop him if something should go wrong?"
Batman pondered on that. "As much as I hate to bring her into this, I would have to put my trust in Batgirl on this one. She's the only one with means to put tracking on Joker without him noticing otherwise. If we're fortunate, he will be too consumed with anger to even think about being tracked back to his hideout."
"Sir, do you realize what you're suggesting?" Alfred said sternly. "If you attract that mad man to you, there is no possible chance to defend yourself without raising suspicions as Bruce Wayne! You're putting yourself at great risk!"
"If it means getting Xack out of his hands, then I have no choice," Batman told him sternly. "After today, I doubt Joker will be showing himself or Xack for a long time. It seems the only way to draw him out is to spark some anger in him."
Alfred sighed. "Very well, sir, I will stand by your decision. How are you to go about luring Joker to you?"
Batman couldn't help but form a small smirk on his face. "Bruce Wayne will be making an announcement on television. If Joker is not watching at the time, I'm sure his henchmen will inform him either way. He may know it's a trap, but I'm ensuring that his jealous instincts will make him come to me regardless." He then picked up the phone hanging on his console and began to dial into it. "Besides, the station manager owes me a favor from her last interview she did of me..."
Xack sat on the couch in front of the television. She had already changed out of her clothes and makeup and got back into her comfortable pajamas. Not really knowing what Joker was doing inside the warehouse at the moment, she took the liberty of controlling the remote, changing the channels every few seconds to find something decent to watch, but to no avail. She frowned. She wasn't much of a television person anyways.
"Nothing to watch, dearie?" She heard Joker's voice from behind her. She watched from the corner of her eye the clown coming around the couch to sit next to her, much to her dismay of body contact; however, as of late, she didn't mind him being close to her, or if their bodies happened to touch.
"Not...really..." she mumbled quietly, peering off past the television. She appeared to be deep in thought.
"Hmm..." He smiled as he rudely plucked the remote out of her hands. "Allow me then..." He then flicked through the channels with great haste, almost as if he knew what was on right now. "Don't think I didn't notice," he decided to say, although Xack didn't know what he meant by that. She waited for him to add on to his statement. He landed on a random channel and turned to her. "You didn't want to go with Batsy earlier." Xack was taken aback by his words, and slightly faced away from him in embarrassment. Joker grinned to her reaction. "I'm actually flattered! To think you do enjoy spending all your time with me."
Xack opened her mouth to retort...but then she clamped it shut. She couldn't think of anything to say. Her expression was filled with nervousness and doubt, and she started to fidget with her hands and fingers.
"You look nervous..." Joker said softly, scooting himself even closer to her. He draped an arm over the cushions behind them, his initial intention was to eventually wrap it around her. He waited though. "I can see you're thinking about something... Want to tell me what's on your fragile mind?"
Xack breathed out harshly, sniffing a little. "I should of went with Batman..." she said bitterly. "I...I should of..."
Joker finally took that arm and circled it around her, bringing her up against his body. Xack gasped softly and tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he had a good hold on her. "Don't be like that, Xackie," he cooed. "I think I know why you didn't go with him." She looked up at him with innocent eyes. "You like me..." He practically growled excitedly. "Perhaps you don't want to live back in that dull world of yours after all..."
"I..." Xack looked to the floor. He left her speechless.
Joker continued to grin. "You didn't go with your hero, Xack, so I assume you would rather stay here with me then." Xack's mouth was left agape. "Don't you want to stay here with me?"
"I..." She still was at a loss for words.
"You can be my henchgirl- my...clowngirl..."
She inhaled sharply once more upon his suggestion. She remembered him saying something like that to her back in Arkham before he broke out...so many months ago now... "You...you still remember saying that to me?" She asked quietly. "It-it seems so long ago now..."
Joker smiled sweetly, which looked quite creepy to anyone else. "Of course I remember!" He exclaimed happily. "I wouldn't forget anything like that! Especially with you..." He now leered at her.
"Hm..." She made a small noise in her throat, as if acknowledging his statement. She stared at the TV again, her thoughts were all conflicted. Joker didn't like that she was being so quiet about all this. He wanted her to talk!
He ended up chuckling softly, taking some strands of Xack's hair and twirling it within his thick digits. The girl tensed up. She didn't like what he was doing. "Do you ever think about what it would be like to live with me?..." He wondered dreamily, his eyes staring off elsewhere of his warehouse to the idea.
Xack shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "Not...not really," she mumbled, but then furrowed her brows. "Wh-why would you even want me to live with you? It's not like I'm that...I mean, I'm just boring, I admit."
Joker smiled musingly. "That's what you think, dearie. I really do enjoy your company around here... Would be a shame if you just left. I do get lonely you know..." Her features saddened a little. "Aren't you tired of being alone, Xack?..."
Xack turned her head towards him once more when he took his hand and gently caressed her cheek. She wished she didn't enjoy his touch on her like that so much. It felt so...pleasant to her.
"If you stay with me, Xackie, you'll never be alone. No one will ever hurt you again. I promise you that."
Her defenses, that wall she always puts between herself and other people was chipping away even more with Joker's painful but soothing words. He witnessed tears forming in her eyes which began to slowly trickle down her face. A small wry smile formed on his lips as he wiped them away, and during all this time, Xack's eyes were still on him, almost studding his features for any signs of deceiving.
"I want to kiss you, my dear..." Joker whispered, leaning a tad more into her. He could hear the panic in every breath she took. He chuckled quietly. "What's the matter? Why would you deny such a simple request? I only want a kiss. That's all..."
A minute passed, and Xack found herself leaning into him as well, her eyes beginning to close slowly, and Joker followed suit. When their lips pressed together tenderly, he grabbed her face with his hands to bring her even closer and start intensifying their kiss. It was kind of an uncomfortable position for her, but their mouths locking perfectly pushed that feeling somewhere else in her mind for now, ignoring it. They remained like this before sleep eventually enveloped the girl and she fell asleep into his arms.
"...I realize...this is not something I would normally do, but given the circumstances, I am rather desperate here," Bruce Wayne said in great sincerity into dozens of microphones present before him. The media crew had their cameras all over him as they broadcasted this all over Gotham City televisions. "Joker has taken someone very dear to me; someone close to my heart. The person he took...her name is Xack Hathaway."
A rather small picture of the young woman appeared on the bottom right corner of people's televisions so they could see what she looked like. "No one has been able to find her as of late, and I'm afraid if she's not found soon, Joker will eventually end her life. This is why I've come to you, Gotham. I'm putting up a reward for any information on Xack Hathaway or Joker for their whereabouts or sightings. Any information at all, please call the Gotham City Police Department." Bruce breathed in...and out deeply. "Please...I'm begging you all to help me. Xack Hathaway must be found as soon as possible. This young woman means the world to me, because-"
"-I love her."
Joker sat there in his Santa Claus chair, hands clenching the armrests painfully, and watching the news with keen interest. Bruce Wayne's words began to drone out of the clown's head now, since he didn't care to hear the rest of what that rich oaf had to say on the matter. His mouth hung open in shock as Bruce spoke those three little words that cracked the mirror in his mind. Three little words that pushed Joker over the edge with this pampered man.
"I love her."
Joker blinked, and his flustered expression slowly changed to that of pure rage. He grinded his teeth together and ended up cracking part of his chair's armrests out of crushing it with his bare hands.
"Why, Brucie Boy! Such a stupid one, you are! Proclaiming false words of love! I'm just...gonna have to teach you what happens to those who lie about things like that. Aren't I?"
~ And...more will be explained in the next chapter. Chapter 31 will be the beginning of the "finale chapters". :) ~
