Chapter 36

"What's the matter, Janey, havin' second thoughts?" he clipped the words out and then sucked on his scars as he watched her. Jane was perched on the settee in the living area, the pieces that she'd bought that morning before everything went pear shaped was crowded on the upside down boxes that doubled as a coffee table.

She looked up at him as he leaned in the doorway of the kitchen, one hand wrapped around a coffee mug, the other twirling a knife.

"It's a bit late for that," she muttered and picked up one of the boxes. "I don't think the baby comes with a return to sender policy."

He arched a black paint covered eyebrow and popped his mouth before taking a sip of coffee.

"I wasn't… uh… referring to the baby actually," he murmured with a snicker. He pushed his shoulder away from the doorway and he lumbered towards her. He was still wearing his big purple overcoat and it made him seem huge.

She frowned up at him as he sat down next to her and put his knife on the floor beside his coffee cup. He reached forwards and picked up one of the boxes and squinted at it.

"What is all this rubbish anyway?" he muttered and his eyebrows lifted when he realised it was a packet of breast pads he was holding. He put them back quickly and wiped his hand down his leg subconsciously.

"It's ok, they won't bite," she sighed and got up from the sofa to cross to the big box that stood propped against the far wall. "I'm just glad they managed to get all this back; it cost a fortune."

"Ummmm," was the murmured reply. She looked over but he was taking his coat and jacket off. "How did you enjoy your afternoon then, sweet?" he giggled and loosened his tie slightly but didn't remove it. He flicked his hands through his hair and sat back against the sofa to look up at her with a tilted head and smirk on his face.

"Oh, it was just dandy," she replied sarcastically. "I just love being kidnapped, shooting at cars, creeping around old theatres and watching you…" she ground to a halt as the image of Ron on his knees came back to her mind. It made her feel sick; she turned back to the box and wished she could erase that image.

"Yeah, well, let's face it, when it comes to sticky situations you just seem to be a martyr for them," he sighed and she could hear the strange noises he made with his mouth.

"What will you do with her?" she asked him quietly, still not turning around from the box.

"Ah…who?" he inquired lightly from the sofa and she heard him clank his cup against the knife as he picked it up from the floor.

"Foxy," she murmured and ran a finger nail over the wording across the top of the box.

"Oh, her," was his response. "Why would that interest you, umm?" he inquired softly, but she could hear the edge to his voice.

"I don't want you to hurt her." She hesitated slightly before turning around to look at him. His legs were far apart, heels touching, arms spread out across the back of the sofa. She looked at his face but he was looking at some point on the table, his tongue worrying the inside of his scarred cheek.

"Your heart is bleeding all over my floor again, isn't it?" he muttered with a growl and with one smooth, fluid movement, he was on his feet and advancing towards her.

"She betrayed you, Janey, sent you to the cleaners," he snipped at her, stopping inches from her. She could feel his hot breath on her face as he glared at her.

"She had no choice," Janey replied, holding her ground with her chin lifted.

"Oh, and why was that?" he purred but she could hear the anger behind her words.

"He gave her no choice; he was going to kill her mother if she didn't comply. Her mother is in a care home somewhere and…"

"I. Don't. Care." His words were forced out through gritted teeth. He lifted his hands but something inside Jane snapped. She brought her hands to his chest and shoved him away from her; he hadn't been expecting it and it was to her surprise that she caught him off balance and he took a few steps back to prevent himself from falling over.

"Well, I do!" she ground out. "I do care." She moved to the side to leave the room but he caught her upper arm and swung her back into the wall. He caught her wrists and heaved them above her head pinning her to the wall.

"Don't do that again," he growled. "Don't push me again, Janey, or I'll…"

"You'll what?" she spat at him. "Force me to my knees like you did Ron? Take a knife to me and…"

"SHUT UP!" he roared at her and spit hit her in the face from the intensity of his shout. "Don't even bother to try and make me feel guilty; I don't feel guilt, I never have and I never will."

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty," she panted. The pressure on her chest was becoming painful with the position her arms were in. "You might not feel guilty and you might not care about anyone but yourself, but I do and I won't let you make me loose that. Foxy isn't just a hooker now, she's a real person. She helped me get out of the motel room, she got me to the theatre when all I was capable of doing was getting myself killed," she gasped.

"Shit," he bit out. "utter shit, Janey, and you know it. She'd sell you up the river tomorrow if it would benefit her. She used you to get away and she'd use you again. You're so naïve it's laughable," his voice was scornful.

"I am not!" she bit out and groaned at the angle of her arms. "You're hurting me," she muttered and sighed when he let go of her and moved back.

"What I do to Foxy is no concern of yours," he bit out. "She's a liability and liabilities have to be dealt with."

Jane went cold when she realised that he was going to kill Foxy. She rubbed her wrists absently and took a step towards him. "Please, don't, don't kill her."

"Janey!" He threw his hands in the air and then buried them in his hair in aggravation. "I can't let it go, not even for you!"

"Well, if you're talking liabilities then you'd better just kill me as well!" she cried out. "I'm a huge liability to you, and so is this baby of yours."

She saw his face go rigid with fury and she backed up quickly. He growled low in his throat, turned and with one well aimed kick sent everything she'd set on the coffee table flying through the air before crashing to the floor. He rounded on her and she saw the knife glinting in his hand as he peered at her through his hair.

"Fuck you for saying that, Janey," he hissed and turning stomped back out of the living room.

Jane kicked angrily at a box that was by her feet. "I didn't mean it!" she cried out. "Why do I say stupid things?" She threw her hands in the air but if he heard her he didn't come back.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid Jane!" she growled and began stacking all the boxes that he'd kicked to the floor. She settled to her knees and stared down at the box that held a musical night light. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply; a slight fluttering in her stomach had her catching her breath and she sat up slightly with a gasp. It hadn't been painful and she waited but felt nothing more. Her eyes widened when she realised that maybe, just maybe she'd felt the baby move. Delight shone and she opened her mouth to call the Joker and tell him, but then she remembered her last words to him and she sunk downwards sadly. Her and her big mouth.

Jimmy came into the kitchen when Jane was busy making some lasagne for them all.

"Smells nice," he murmured and slumped onto one of the chairs. "Boss has upped the ante, we're moving to the Heights after we've eaten. You need some help here?"

"You could put the forks out for me, please," she muttered, not turning from where she was cutting crusty bread into slices ready to butter them. It suddenly occurred to her that if he was back, then Foxy would have been brought back as well.

Jane bit her lip and turned with the butter knife in her hand.

"Is Foxy having any?" she asked quietly and saw him look at her quickly before he turned to take the knives and forks from the drawer.

"Nope, just the three of us," he replied. "Mark has gone on to the Heights to make sure it's set. After tomorrow I'm gonna have to cook for myself," he said lightly. "That's not going to go down well with Mark."

"Where is she?" she asked and set the plate of bread down onto the table carefully. She made sure it lined up with all the place settings, refusing to look up at Jimmy.

Jimmy blew out his breath and rested both hands on the back of one of the chairs. "Look, Jane, she's gone, alright? The boss gave her some money and she's gone."

She looked up at him quickly, trying to detect if he was lying to her. "He let her go?"

"She argued a good case," he murmured. "She's pretty harmless and Dumfree will be… well, let's just say that she's got where she wanted to go and we won't ever cross paths. Jane, he was on edge, well, he's always on edge, but more so than usual…"

"I said some dumb things, again," she admitted and turned the oven off before sitting down heavily at the table and resting her hands in her hair. "I told him that if he was going to kill her because she's a liability he might as well kill me too, I'm a bigger liability than she is."

"Shit, Jane, you know how to put your foot in it, don't you?" he hissed and ran a hand through his hair and then sat opposite her.

"Oh, yeah, all the way and then some!" She admitted. "The thing is I really thought he was going to kill her and that hurt."

"He let her go because he has control over her, Jane. Make no mistake, had he sensed any danger from her, she'd be at the bottom of the Sprang by now."

"I told him the other night that I trust him," she took a deep breath. "And I do; but seeing things first hand…"

"You've had a rough day," he said quietly. "Jane, you're an inherently good person; we're not, not even close. You float, obliviously, three feet above ground most of the time. But today? You were thrown right in at deep end. Mark told me that the boss had Ron on the ground; even Mark thought he was going to put a bullet through his head. That's pretty rough, Jane; for you that's hard to see."

"You say I'm good, but I'm not," she whispered. "I saw him put a knife into the back of Deever's brain and it doesn't cut me up at all. But the thought of Foxy?" She shrugged.

"That doesn't mean you're bad, it just means you're human, Jane," he sniggered.

"So why doesn't the thought of the knife in the back of his head make me hurt, but the thought Foxy might be killed does?"

"Because she didn't engender the same hatred he did. You got on with her, that was easy to see. Someone who understood where you're coming from on the whole baby and hormone thing, I guess. Look, fact remains that you have to accept one thing."

"That the Joker would kill her if he thought he needed to," she murmured and he nodded at her. "He would keep us safe, he does keep me safe and I just mouth off. I'm not particularly smart, am I?" She shook her head at herself and sighed heavily.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," he murmured and twirled the fork around on the end of the handle. "Like I said, it's been hard today; you packed into one day what most people don't see in a lifetime."

"Yeah and it just keeps on coming," she admitted. "Ever since Crane caught me I can't help but wonder what'll it be next. And there will be a next time, won't there?"

"I don't know," he admitted seriously and set the fork down carefully. "I do know that he's moved heaven and earth to make you safe in this new place. I do know that as long as me and Mark are around we'll die trying to keep you safe."

"Ah, Jimmy." Tears came to her eyes but she sniffed and refused to shed them. "Don't say that…"

"He'd expect it, and to be honest, we mean it. It's been years since me and Mark came close to what we've got here. We've got each other, yeah, but you, the boss, the kid, when it comes… its pretty good stuff, Jane." He winked at her and stood up. "I'm starving, where's the oven gloves?"

Jane smiled at him and held out the gloves to him. He took them and she caught his hand and squeezed it, unable to say anything past the lump in her throat.

He grinned at her and winked again, letting her know he knew what she meant.

"Right… let's get this beauty out into the open and onto my plate," he announced and opened the oven door and bent over to take out the dish.

"I'm just gonna have to get you a nice floral apron with matching hairband, aren't I?" came the sarcastic drawl of the Joker. Jane turned sharply in her seat and Jimmy almost dropped the dish as he whirled on the spot. The Joker was stood in the doorway behind them, one shoulder leaning against the wall, arms folded and legs crossed at the ankles. His shirt sleeves were pushed up to his elbows and his tie was missing, with just the top button undone on his shirt.

"Joker!" Jane took a deep breath and got to her feet.

"Stay there, Janey," the Joker cackled and came forward to sit in the chair next to her. "He's doing such a nice job of being Suzy Homemaker that we should just let him get on with it."

"Boss," Jimmy acknowledged him carefully and set the dish down before turning to get the plates. He quickly dished up three plates, set two down in front of them and then took the other plate to the kitchen door with him.

"Not staying, Jimmy?" queried the Joker lazily as he began to fork up some lasagne.

"Er, no, boss, I'm gonna…" Jimmy looked at Jane and lifted his eyebrows in a waggle knowing that the Joker couldn't see him. "They've got re-runs of "Friends" on," he said lamely.

"I should shoot you for that," the Joker said in disgust. "Put you out of your misery."

"Can't help it; Rachel, just does it for me," Jimmy grinned and went out making sure to close the door behind him.

"How long were you there for?" Jane asked the moment the door shut.

"Long enough," he replied and made an appreciative groan at his first mouthful. "You really do cook well, Janey, I'll give you that."

"Then you'll know that I'm sorry, for saying dumb things."

"Janey, if you stopped saying dumb things, you'd stop being Janey," he muttered and reached out for some bread. "I know that you speak first and think later, especially when you're all worked up. I just get out of the way and come back when you've calmed down."

"I know that if she'd been dangerous you'd have killed her despite me, but you haven't, so thank you."

"Well, that made little sense, but I think I know what you mean," he murmured. He looked up at her and shook his head. "She liked you, she honestly liked you. Most of my men like you and the ones that don't, don't know you; and that's because I won't let them near you due to most of them being a little… er… shall we say unbalanced in the head."

Jane remembered Joe in the warehouse at the docks and swallowed. "Straight from Arkham?" she inquired and shifted in the seat slightly as she forked up some lasagne.

"You know it," he cackled and reached for more bread. "I can't promise there won't be a next time," he murmured and looked up at her sideways. He was hunched over his plate, his greasy hair falling forwards, his eyebrow lifted and fell quickly as he caught her eye and she realised that he'd heard them talking.

"But young Jimmy there is intent on laying down his life for you so it should be…"

"Don't do that," she said quietly. "Don't make fun of him."

He tore his bread into pieces and let it plop into the sauce on his plate. "I'm not," he muttered quietly. "He's… they're both good to have around."

Jane hid a smile as she realised that was the closest he'd get to admitting he liked Jimmy and Mark, or as close to liking as he could get.

"Don't start," he mumbled and glared at her.

"I didn't say anything," she said quickly.

"I could hear you thinking it;" he replied and waggled his eyebrows again. "Listen, Janey, he's right in one thing, Avalon Heights is as damn near impregnable as I can get it. I'll know if a bug gets into those gardens, let alone the house."

"I know you do your best and I didn't mean it," she frowned down at her plate. "I just…"

"Don't worry about it, Janey," he chuckled. "You are a liability, you and the kid, but between me and you only, it's a good liability and I don't think I'll be killing you any time soon."

She grinned at him and feeling slightly lighter in her mind she turned back to the meal. She sat straighter and her hand went to her stomach as the fluttering started again.

"What?" he asked quickly.

"I think the baby is moving, or at least I'm starting to feel it move," she said in wonder and looked at him with delight shining from her face. "It comes and goes so quickly, but it's like a butterfly in my stomach, but not, if you know what I mean."

"Nope, not really," he replied and grinned at her. "But you look good on it."

"Wow," she smiled at him again. "One of those books we got showed that it's fully formed already."

"It is?" he blinked and watched as she got up quickly.

"Yeah, wait here and I'll show you," she called as she went out the door. He stayed still, watching as she came back in finding a place in the book she held.

"I should have known you'd have books on the subject," he cackled and took the book from her. He leafed through the pages, pulling faces at the various stages of the cell growth into a baby.

"There, stop… that's her now," Jane said and pointed at a picture of a curled up baby. It was indeed fully formed and perfect in detail. He went quiet as he studied the image before his eyes.

"She's not very big at the moment," she murmured in his ear as she looked over his shoulder.

"He," he corrected her. "It's a boy," he murmured and closed the book quickly and threw it onto the table carelessly. "I thought of a name…"

"Yeah?"

"Chaos," he muttered and turned his head to look up at her awkwardly. She straightened, looked down at him and lifted both eyebrows.

"Chaos?" she echoed.

"Has a good ring to it, don't you think?" he chuckled and got up from the chair to turn and face her fully.

"Like a death knell," she deadpanned. "Over my dead body, Joker, it will not be called Chaos."

"Well, ok, then, how about pandemonium, we could call him ande for short."

She opened her mouth to really let him have it when she saw his lips twitch. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"

"Yup," he muttered and reached forward to yank her into his arms. "It'll be Joker Jr, already got it sorted."

"How about Paul?" she ignored him and settled her head on his chest and her arms around his waist.

"Paul?" he snorted. "You're not calling my son Paul!"

"Dwayne?"

"He's a kid, not an appliance," he chuckled.

"Ron?" she whispered and he tightened his arms, his fingers digging into her sides tickling her. "Ok! Ok! Not Ron then!" she cried out laughing.

"That was a mean suggestion," he rumbled into her hair and then sniffed deeply.

"What about Jack?" she asked quietly. "I like Jack."

"Jackson," he corrected. "Not quite so close."

"Yeah, Jackson is nice," she replied.

"But never to be shortened to Jack or Jackie, got it?"

"Did they call you Jackie?"

"All the fucking time, it's why I killed them," he growled and she rolled her eyes, but tightened her grip on him.

"Jackson…. Er… what'll be the last name?"

"Yours I suppose," he replied. "Jackson Kimble."

"Why not Richard, then he could be Richard Kimble, fugitive doctor." she intoned into his chest.

"Give your fiction writing brain a rest and stick to Jackson," he snorted.

"And if by some teeny tiny chance it's a girl?" she asked.

"Won't be," he said firmly. "If it's a girl you can pick what the hell you want, just not Ronaldina or anything like that."

"Batgirl?" she queried and squealed with laughter as he attacked her sides again.

"You're a real martyr for punishment, aren't you?" he insisted as he brought her round so her back was pressed to his front. He rested his hands on her stomach, his fingers slipping into the top of her undone jeans. "Did you buy any clothes?"

"Yeah," she giggled. "I've got these jeans that from the hips up its like elastic that expands as I do; kinda weird and not very pretty. There's some dresses that resemble tents too."

"Hmmm. Let's get going and then you can model all your new clothes for me," he whispered into her ear and she squirmed at the tickle it gave her.

"Deal," she replied and gave in to his mouth on her ear.

His cell phone went off in his pocket and he swore viciously before pulling it out.

"What?" he barked and listened for a few seconds before he put the phone in his pocket and wrapped his arms back around her.

"Y'know, your telephone manner leaves a lot to be desired," she chuckled.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed. "Next time it rings I'll reply with a "Hello, you've reached the Joker, how can I help you?" his voice dripped saccharine sweetness and made her giggle.

"Ok, point, "What?" works better," she imitated his rough, impatient tone.

"Brat," he pushed her forwards slightly. "Listen, Janey girl, I've got something I have to do; stay with Jimmy here till either I come back for you or Mark does, ok?"

"Ok," Jane replied; she knew better than to ask him where he was going.

"You and Jimmy can have some girl bonding time," he snickered and then frowned. "Actually I don't like the sound of that, don't bond with Jimmy in any way, shape or form, got it?"

She laughed and followed him out to where Jimmy was ensconced on the settee, shovelling lasagne into his mouth, feet on the coffee table, as he watched Friends on the TV.

"Got to go out, Jimmy," the Joker said casually to him. "Janey says that if you behave she'll show you how to knit."

"I already know how to knit, boss," Jimmy replied with a grin in their direction.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" the Joker sighed and shaking his head picked up his jacket and dressed quickly into his tie and top coat. "Stay here till I get back, unless Mark returns before me and then you can start off. Got it?"

"Yep, Boss," Jimmy replied soberly.

"Tiny!" the Joker called one of the dogs and it immediately came to him.

"Take Fifi," Jane suggested sneakily.

"Not until it can answer to Brutus," he snarled and then ruined it by winking at her. "Behave, Janey, it's been a long day."

Gordon stared down at where his son was now sleeping peacefully. It had taken nearly four hours of consistent and constant support from both of them.

"It's not going to get easier for them," his wife said quietly from his side. He turned to look at her and closed his eyes briefly. The last few days had added years to both of them.

"I'm going to finish this, Barbara," he murmured. She looked up at him and smiled softly; she took his hand and led him quietly out of their sleeping sons room and into their own.

"You'll do what you can, Jim, you always do."

"No, I mean I'm really finishing this; all my life has been dedicated to Gotham, to try and bring some safety to its people. I've almost lost you all twice now; once was too much. I'm going to take early retirement and we'll move away, we'll go to your folks in Florida."

"Jim, you're tired, we're both tired," she sighed as they sat together on the edge of their bed. "Don't talk like this now, things will be different in the morning."

"Not this time," he slumped forwards and buried his head into his hands. "Gotham is not worth losing my children for."

"Being a policeman is in your blood, Jim, everything we've done, everything we've worked for, you've worked for, has been to get to this point in your career, Jim. Can you really throw it all away and not regret it in a few months?"

He looked up at her and smiled sadly. "The only thing I'll regret is causing you pain; you and the children. Once was a mistake, twice is stupidity; I have to get you all away from this place."

"Then let us go to Florida, we'll go to my parents and you can follow when you've caught this Joker."

"It's not that easy," he murmured. "I don't think it ever was. The Joker is the reason those children are still alive; seems he does have some morals, but if it's not him, it'll be something worse and I just don't have the energy anymore. He gave me a choice, James or Ron and when Ron got to his knees…." His voice broke and tears coursed down his face. She put her arms around him and held him close.

"I would have let Ron die to save my boy," he sobbed.

"It was Ron's choice to give himself up like that," she said and her own tears fell into his greying hair.

"I won't go through that again; I won't put my children or you through that again. It stops now, for us, it stops."

Ron stared into the empty glass of whiskey and shook his head.

"He just let me go," he murmured and took a deep breath.

Batman had taken the children to safety, Gordon and taken James Jr home and Ron, well, Ron had staggered to the nearest bar and proceeded to try and find the answer at the bottom of a bottle.

"He did?" the barman wasn't interested in the man; he just knew how to make small talk, agree with them and keep getting their money. He lifted the placemat and wiped the mahogany bar top with his cloth before replacing it.

"Yup! He had me on my knees, gun to the back of my head and I thought… Ronald… I thought, Ronald, you're time is up!" He took a swig of drink and shook his head again. "Imagine, the Joker, gun to my head and he just changes his mind and lets me go."

The barman looked up quickly at Ron and then back down at the pint he was pulling.

"Really?" he murmured. "The Joker, you say." His voice bland and low toned.

"Yup, painted face and all… stole my girl, he did," he muttered and drained the glass. "Got any more?"

The barman handed over another glass of whiskey and then took the pint further down the counter to another customer. He stopped half way up the bar to ring in the money he'd been given. He picked up a cell phone and quickly made a call and then came back to Ron who was oblivious to anything around him as he stared into his glass.

Ten minutes passed of Rom morosely muttering into the glass and to the barman. He stepped backwards and nearly over balanced, just catching himself in time.

"You ok there?" asked the barman carefully.

"Oh, just… wonderful," Ron managed and drowned the last glass in one go. "I think I'll be heading home…"

"You're not driving, are you?" asked the barman doubtfully.

"Erm…" Ron closed his eyes as he thought for a minute or two. "Erm… I don't think so."

"Good, take care," the barman said quietly and watched as Ron weaved his way to the door, almost knocking over a table in the process.

Ron managed to make his way onto the streets, the cold air cleared his head slightly and he took a deep breath.

"Nice night for a stroll," came a low snicker that made his blood run cold.

A/N: I think this could technically be called a cliff hanger, but I rather suspect that a lot of you, if not all of you, will know exactly what's about to happen, so it doesn't really qualify as a cliff hanger.

Having said that, I must say thanks to everyone who has reviewed, left messages and added me to alerts and whatnots. It's inspiring me to keep going to the end, which is on the horizon as we speak.

I hope that you'll like this chapter, and I hope you have a great week ahead of you.