I'm going to try and update chapters two at a time, every other weekend. How does that sound? Due to the fact that I only have a certain amount of internet during certain parts of the week(s), it may take a week or two for chapters to be updated. I was also thinking of revising (ULTRA spellchecking) my earlier chapters. So, if you suddenly find that chapters are being updated, go on and check if I've added chapters, but it'll most likely just be me ULTRA spellchecking my works. Thanks.

/|\

Nancy was in a very white room, though one couldn't actually call it a room considering it had no walls or floors. It had no surfaces to speak of at all actually. Nancy looked down at her hands. They were sketchy and sort of cartoonish.

I'm dreaming.

She smiled and debated with herself about whether or not she should try and stand. Coming to the conclusion that there was nothing to stand on, Nancy continued to sit, hoping this portion of her dream would end soon. It was very boring.

Just then, Victoria sprung into life as if spliced into a film. She didn't flicker as much as Nancy did, but she certainly moved a bit differently. Nancy glared at her, hoping that this would be one of those dreams where she could just talk. She would tell Victoria what she really thought of her. But no words came no matter how much Nancy willed them.

Victoria sneered at Nancy, her pasty skin and thin lips contorted grossly. Nancy tried to say something about her 'piss yellow' eyes, but, again, no words came. So, Nancy resorted to sneering back at her. This went on for a long while until Nancy got bored and looked around. There was nothing to look at, so she tried to stand, and found that she couldn't. She felt for her shoulder but could not feel it, and the same went for her hip and face. She turned back to Victoria and shrugged. Victoria sighed and rolled her eyes.

This is a very boring dream.

But then, the dream was not so boring. Like Victoria, the Joker appeared, flickering for a moment then simply standing next to Victoria. Nancy smiled at him, but he just looked around. Then, Nancy felt something squirm in her stomach, and the Joker looked at Victoria. Nancy gasped when Victoria reached out and grabbed the Joker's face. He grinned and pulled her closer.

NO!

Nancy struggled against her dreamy bonds and started pounding at her feet, which she could not feel. She looked up, and for the first time, made a noise. She screamed. Victoria and the Joker were wrapped up in each other, kissing and holding and caressing. Nancy moved. She sprang to her feet, pointed accusingly, shouted something incomprehensible. The two figures in front of her didn't notice. Nancy stepped forward and regretted it instantly. She was falling. The stark white around her faded to gray, then to black, and Nancy was falling though an abyss-

Nancy woke up.

"NO!" she yelled.

She sat up too fast and banged her head against the top bunk of the bed.

"OW!" she shouted.

She fell back against her pillow, gripping her throbbing forehead.

"Son of a bitch," she hissed.

She groaned and closed her eyes, not daring to fall asleep again lest she find herself in one of her two nightmares. Her stomach gave a great lurch as her senses rattled awake. Above her, Amy mumbled and turned over. Nancy sighed. She turned over on her side and stared at Victoria. She let her thoughts go free.

Fucking pasty bitch. How the hell did you weasel your way into my fucking dreams, too?

Nancy took a long breath in and sat up, let the breath out. She swung her feet over the edge of her bed and stood up, reaching back to gingerly feel at her back. It was dry. Nancy sighed in relief and pulled on her jeans and jacket. She gently pulled on Amy's wrist and checked her watch. 7:34AM

Nancy nodded and put her shoes on. The house was freezing. A look outside told her why: it had snowed. Nancy smiled and made for the door, taking a full minute to direct hateful, disgusted thoughts at Victoria, who was still asleep. The hall was colder than the bedroom, and Nancy rubbed her hands together as she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. No one else was awake yet. She settled into a chair at the table and tapped her fingers against the wood. After a moment of that, she got up and started to make coffee.

While the black mixture started to drip into the pot, Nancy stared through the little chinks in the wooden boards that covered the kitchen window. Outside, white, powdery snowdrifts had gathered in front of buildings and on the sides of the road. The coffee pot gurgled.

"You're up early."

Nancy turned and smiled at Jason, who was pulling on a jacket.

"Hi, Jason," she said. "Coffee's almost done."

"Good," Jason said.

He looked paler to Nancy.

"Are you feeling okay, Jason?" she said.

"Me? Oh, I'm fine," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"You look pale is all," Nancy said.

"Oh," Jason said. He frowned. "Are you okay? You look a bit pale yourself."

Nancy swallowed. "Bad dream."

"Amy's told me about some of your bad dreams," Jason said. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Nancy nodded. "I was... in a room. I was falling."

She turned to the window again.

"I hate those," Jason said, his tone telling Nancy he knew there was more to her dream than just falling.

Nancy nodded and licked her lips. "Did we get any Chapstick at Wal-Mart?"

"I think Bruce might've," Jason said. "I'd have to ask... Nancy?"

"Hm?" Nancy asked.

She was suddenly very nervous. Jason wasn't stupid, he talked a lot with Amy...

"...Nothing," Jason said. "Coffee?"

Nancy sighed and smiled at him, "Yeah. Thanks."

They both sat at the table, not saying much.

"Mike doesn't know," Jason said.

Nancy looked up to quickly and her neck popped. She understood, and frowned.

"But you do?" Nancy said.

Jason nodded. "Sorry."

"Just don't tell anyone? Please? I don't know what I'd do with myself," Nancy said, biting her lip.

"I promise," Jason said. "It's just between you, the Joker, Amy and I."

"What is?"

Nancy and Jason looked up. It was Mike, looked bed-headed and drowsy.

"A secret," Nancy said. "You'll never know."

"Damn," Mike said.

"I'll tell you on my deathbed, Mike. How's that sound?" Nancy sighed, inwardly knowing that she wasn't joking.

"Sounds good to me," Mike nodded.

He laughed and helped himself to some coffee.

At 8 o'clock, the kitchen was full. Amy and Victoria had come in at around 7:50, and Bruce five minutes later. Nancy passed out coffee, feeling very much like a waitress as everyone else sat around and talked. At 8:30, as was Mike's habit, he invited everyone into the living room for another 'rousing bout of Halo'.

"I wish you would stop calling it that," Amy frowned. "It's only rousing for you."

"That's because I win," Mike smiled.

And he did.

At 9 o'clock, Nancy was sitting in the kitchen, refilling her coffee mug when someone tugged her hair.

"What?" she snapped.

The Joker giggled at her, "Sorry doll. You look-"

"Listen," Nancy interrupted. She, very quietly, and with much over-the-shoulder-checking, told him her dream, adding a few colorful words to make her point. "...and then I woke up and hit my head- and you have to take my stitches out now."

The Joker giggled at her as Mike walked in and said, "Hey boss!"

The Joker ignored him and swung his arm around Nancy's shoulder, still giggling.

"You're funny, you know that?" he said. Nancy frowned and mouthed the word "now". The Joker went on, "Alright, alright, I'll take 'em out, but you know..."

"Can I watch?"

/|\

Mike shifted around a little uneasily and plopped himself down into one of the chairs that were scattered around the Joker's room. Nancy glared at him when he wasn't looking and cast more than one dirty look at the Joker even when he was looking straight at her.

Why the hell would he let Mike watch? she seethed to herself.

Mike grinned stupidly at her and looked around the room. Nancy smiled a little too, not really being able to be mad at him for too long.

"Sit."

Nancy sat where the Joker told her to and whistled through her teeth until Mike told her to shut up. The Joker sat down across from her and pulled her shirt away from her shoulder. Nancy could hear Mike stiffen next to her and she turned to him as best she could and smiled. Mike smiled back and leaned back in his chair.

"It's not gonna hurt," the Joker told her, catching her attention. "But it's gonna feel... weird."

Nancy turned to glare at him, but he only giggled and used a tiny pair of scissors to snip her stitches.

"I had to get stitches once," Mike said, hoping to stir up some kind of conversation. "I was... 10 I think. I fell out of the back of my aunts truck and hit my chin on a rock. I don't have a scar anymore, but it hurt like hell when it happened."

"I had to get stitches once, too," the Joker said. Nancy saw him grin. "Or twice. Or a dozen times."

Mike made an uncomfortable popping noise with his lips and shuffled his feet.

"I was kidding Mike," the Joker giggled at him. "Bein' an asshole."

"Surprise, surprise," Nancy sighed.

The Joker pulled one of her stitches and Nancy yelped at the uncomfortable feeling. It didn't feel like lips or tongue or teeth at all. It didn't feel like her brand of weird. I kind of hurt.

"You said it wouldn't hurt," Nancy accused.

The Joker shrugged and pulled another stitch, making Nancy wince. This went on for a good five minutes until the Joker told her to turn around. Mike frowned at the little stitches on the floor and back up at Nancy, who was looking increasingly pained. While the Joker pulled out the last of Nancy's shoulder stitches, Mike tried to strike up a conversation again.

"How was Katie doing when you left?" he asked.

Nancy smirked. Katie Boat was a student at South End and a member of the high school swim team. Nancy had been on the swim team for a while too, during her freshman year. She had gone to state with a relay and called it quits, focusing on her academics instead. Sometimes she regretted leaving the team and all the people, but then she read some of the scholarships that came in the mail and the regret went away.

"Still gay," Nancy smiled.

Another thing about Katie: she was a lesbian.

"Still fawning for you?" said Mike with a giggle.

Nancy stuck her tongue out at him. Katie had fallen in love with Nancy when she joined the swim team. And though Katie had never committed herself to converting anyone to homosexuality, she did swear that someday she would make Nancy a lesbian. Nancy laughed at the thought and licked her lips, which were still very dry from not having Chapstick.

"She's still very clingy, if that's what your asking," Nancy answered.

Mike laughed. Nancy knew that Mike would have done anything for her to have gone out with Katie. She also knew that the only reason he wanted them to go out was so that he could record them and post the videos on Youtube, as he did with all of Nancy's most embarrassing moments. Mike had had his trusty camera since his freshman year of high school and had carried it around ever since.

"Up, blondie. Time for the hip," the Joker told her. She could hear him grin.

Mike shot to his feet and coughed.

"I'm just gonna... be- you know- downstairs and stuff," he mumbled. "I'll uh, come back later, 'r something."

Mike coughed again and swaggered out the door, closing it behind him. Nancy watched him leave with a perplexed look on her face- the look was quickly replaced with a look a shock when two hands grabbed her by the waist and spun her around. Nancy grabbed the Joker by the shoulders.

"Now, you don't really think that your dreams are real? Do you, doll?" he cooed against her lips.

Nancy swallowed and barely managed to stammer something inaudible. The Joker giggled and kissed her on the cheek, then knelt down and-

"No-o-ot wasting anytime with this are we?" Nancy sputtered as the Joker stared undoing her pants.

The Joker didn't answer, but started pulling stitches. Nancy winced and bit her lip, grabbed onto one of the posts on the Joker's bed.

"Kind of unpleasant," she coughed.

"But done."

The Joker stood and licked his lips at her, holding the little strips of stitches in his open hand. He tossed them over his shoulder and threw his scissors on the table before grabbing Nancy by the waist and doing up her pants up for her again.

"Most guys like to undress girls, you know," she pointed out.

"Mm, but I like dressing my little toy," the Joker chuckled.

His hands moved up to cradle her face. Nancy grabbed his tie and pulled him closer, cocked her head to one side. A rush and tingle washed up from Nancy's stomach and up her chest.

God close- so close- just a little more- just kiss me- just-

BAM BAM BAM

"BOSS! BOSS, SCARECROW'S HERE WITH SOME TRUCK DRIVER GUY!"

Nancy and the Joker looked at each other a second before the Joker growled against her lips and pulled back. Nancy sighed in huge disappointment and resignation and sat back down in her chair. The Joker threw the door open and asked Mike very pleasantly what the hell he was talking about.

"Scarecrow's here with some truck driver guy," Mike repeated. "Says they have the truck all ready for tomorrow night. Something about maintenance people and security and shit. Said he wanted to talk to you."

The Joker gave a very exaggerated sigh and turned around to Nancy. "Come on."

She followed him downstairs and into the living room where Amy gave Nancy a look of expectancy. Nancy shrugged and Amy motioned for her to follow her into the kitchen.

"You better be happy I don't kill you right now," she heard the Joker glower at Scarecrow. "I was just about t-"

He cut off as he shoved a very confused (and slightly terrified) Scarecrow up the stairs. Mike, Bruce, Jason and Victoria looked up from what they were doing and at the ragged looking man that stood in the front door. He wore a smelly, sweat-stained flannel button down, a pair of jeans that looked as if they had been dragged across an oil changing station, and a ball cap with the words "JOHN DEERE" printed in dingy yellow letters across the front. He was holding the butt of a dead cigarette between his chalky lips and everyone was quite sure that the only hair left on his head was the the fluff that stuck out at odd angles from beneath the hat's edge.

Nancy, who had not taken notice of the man, was in the kitchen with Amy having a very quiet conversation about what had happened in the Joker's room not two minutes previous.

"You look pissed," Amy commented.

"I am pissed," Nancy confirmed.

"Did he try and-?" Amy started.

"No," Nancy interrupted. "That's the point. Nothing happened."

Amy stood for a second, elbows bend and hands open, looking confused and clueless. Nancy flicked her wrist in little circles, hoping that the turning motion would help the gears in Amy's head follow suit. Then it clicked.

"Oh! Nothing happened. That's why you're pissed!" Amy declared.

Nancy would have applauded her had it not been for the fact that it would have drawn to much attention to the kitchen. Instead, she just nodded very slowly to exaggerate Amy's slowness to comprehend.

"Don't make fun of me!" Amy said,

Nancy smiled a little and apologized, then asked, "Who's the creepy guy sitting in the living room?"

Amy, not having noticed the man until now, simply shrugged and caught Bruce's attention.

"Who?" she mouthed, gesturing towards the crusty truck driver who hadn't moved since entering the house. Bruce shrugged. Amy shrugged too and waved it away. "Wanna make lunch?"

"Sure," Nancy nodded.

They pulled out some cans of Campbell's Chunky soup and stewed them up in a big pot they found in one of the kitchen's many cupboards. Bruce came in after a while and caught both of them in a bear hug.

"I love Chunky!" he explained.

Nancy laughed and Amy attempted to correct the position of her spine. Mike came in, too, followed soon after by Jason and Victoria. Nancy peeked into the living room and found that the man had moved from the door to the couch. Someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"You think you should wear your mask?" It was Mike.

"Nah," Nancy said with a shake of her head. "If Scarecrow hired 'im then he probably won't give a damn about who I am. And if worst comes to worst, the poor bastard'll end up dead anyway."

Mike hissed through his teeth in apprehension and pity and asked Nancy how her hip felt.

"Sorry I left," he said. "Just felt uncomfortable- you know?"

Nancy felt something bounce in her stomach. Mike was worried about her; he might figure things out; he might get defensive-

"Just as long as they're alright, right?" Mike asked. "J knows what he's doing. I trust him... a little."

Nancy smiled, but felt a pang of treason in the back of her mind.

He trusts me. I'm lying to him. He trusts the both of us. God, this feels so wrong.

"You think John Deere'll want some soup?" Mike asked, yanking Nancy from her thoughts.

"Huh?" Nancy asked.

"Dude in the living room. You think he'll want some soup?" Mike repeated.

"Oh, I dunno. Go ask," Nancy said.

Mike blinked at her for a second, then shrugged and nodded.

"Hey," Mike said, sticking his head through the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. "You want some Chunky soup? We got some."

The trucker made a noise that sounded a bit like, "merf," which everyone took as a "no". Nancy shrugged at Mike and poured herself some soup before picking up two more bowls and filling them up, too. No one asked what she was doing when she walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Down the hallway and to the Joker's room, Nancy kicked the door.

"Room service!" she called, then grinned.

"Mike, I'm a little busy," the Joker called back.

"You always assume it's Mike, don't you?" Nancy bit her tongue.

The door flew open and the look of impatience quickly melted off the Joker's face.

"Soup?" Nancy offered holding up the bowls. "One for both of you."

"You're so sweet, Nancy," Scarecrow said from the desk across the room.

The Joker glared back at him and took the bowls. He licked his scars at Nancy and closed the door, leaving Nancy in the hallway to sigh and feel needy.

/|\

While minor legal matters were being dealt with in the case of Nancy's "father", Rob was spending quite a lot of time scanning data bases. He was digging up dirt on Dennis Meek, the man who claimed to be the father of his only niece. Not finding much on Dennis besides a MIP (minor in possession) when he was 17, Rob retired to playing Solitaire. He wondered now, why he kept playing the stupid game. He was still awful at it.

/|\

The news had leaked about Nancy Webber's alleged father, Dennis Meek. Now everyone knew, even Gambol. When the news had come, it had been a shock, a surprise, and an advantage. Gambol set off to find everything he could about Dennis Meek. Greg and Craig were made to stay up until the early hours of the morning, researching, finding nothing, backtracking, breaking internet laws, pushing down firewalls. They didn't find much, for Dennis wasn't a very remarkable person.

"What do you have for me?" Gambol asked at about 5:30 in the morning.

Craig jerked awake, having dozed off, and pulled an array of web pages and school records.

"Sort of like Nancy's mom," he slurred. "Bad grades, bad breaks, bad friends. Charged with a MIP when he was 17. Works for a car insurance company down in Hobbs, New Mexico now."

"Turns out that Rob doesn't like him much," Greg put in. "Punched him in the face and called him a fat bastard 'r something."

Gambol smiled, then winced when the scar on his face strained and pulled. He touched the ragged line of scar tissue down his face and grimaced. This was the reason he was doing this. The thing the Joker had turned him into, the monstrous-looking thing he had become, was the reason he was doing all of this.

It was the reason he had shot up South End: it was a scare tactic. It was the reason he was tracking down the people Nancy knew. It was the reason he wanted the Joker dead. Dead and bleeding and weak.

Gambol had been watching the news for the past month, since Nancy's disappearance. Waiting for that sickening video of her death to be broadcasted across the city, that blood curdling laugh ravaging Gotham as it had just a few months earlier. But the video never came. Nancy hadn't died, because Gambol would have known. The Joker was not one for subtlety. He wasn't one to hide things, and if it was hidden, it wasn't for too long. When the video, the audio, the picture at least had not come in, Gambol began to think. He made connections. They were absurd and disgusting and farfetched, but they were connections; the Joker was holding Nancy for himself, for something. Gambol didn't want to imagine what, but the idea was there.

It was always the thought that counted.

"Thank you boys," Gambol said graciously to his computer technicians. "I'll have some cots brought up. You two look exhausted."

He smiled at them both, and they smiled back. But only so, and in fear more than respect. Gambol left, down the stairs and through the hall of shriveled wallpaper and moth eaten rugs. In the bar, he asked the bartender for a dry martini and slumped into the nearest couch, which squealed in complaint.

"When this is all over," he told the bartender. "I'm selling this shit hole and buying a real place."

The bartender nodded and polished an already spotless shot glass. "Just as long as I got someplace to work."

Gambol huffed a laugh and took his martini from the bar.

"How are things by the way?" the barman asked. "Working out like you want?"

Gambol smiled slowly, carefully, as not to pull the gash on his cheek. He had an idea.

"Yes, actually. Everything's working out fine. Thanks for the martini."

/|\

Rushed end, sorry. Have a list of notes I'd like read, if you have the time.

NOTE:

-Will be deleting Harry Potter story. Don't feel like updating something no one's going to read

-FYI, two more TDK stories on the way (maybe, depends on laziness)

-To repeat, chapters will be ULTRA spellchecked sometime over the next few weeks

- I apologize for this chapter, it's sort of choppy and boring; leaves one feeling needy. Explanation for creepy truck driver in next chapter, don't fret my pretties.

-R&R and all that jazz, if you want. I LIKE REVIEWS (positive ones) SEND ME MORE. THEY MAKE MY DAY.

Thanks

Jess