A/N: You probably know who gets theirs this time around, but I do have to say that I don't write nasty in the present. Time will tell exactly what happens to Ron, but I won't be writing it as it happens, if you get my drift… I'm probably as clear as mud now. Sorry.

Chapter 37 (Ha! My age! Really should know better at my age.)

Ron looked around; his addled brain struggled to gather its wits.

An arm slid around his shoulder, heavy and smelling strongly of grease paint and gasoline.

"Miss me?" was whispered into his ear followed by a mad cackle that had his knees buckling slightly. He cleared his throat and struggled over the alcoholic haze that still covered most of his vision.

"I… um…" He licked dry lips and blinked as the Joker came into view. Fear sent white hot arrows into his brain and it served to sober him slightly. "What do you want?" he managed, tripping over his own words and it wasn't only because of the drink.

"What do I want?" mused the Joker and lifted his eyes upwards as he probed his scars with his tongue. "Well I'd be lying if I said world peace; although it would make Janey happy."

"Don't…" Ron pulled from his grip and whirled around almost over balancing. To his surprise the Joker let him go but as he backed away he saw, not only the dog by his legs, but four men behind him. Ron almost laughed, but his throat had constricted too much.

"Don't what?" murmured the Joker and he grinned sadistically at Ron. "Boys." He only had to whisper the word and Ron was surrounded by the men, he tried to move, to fight, to do something, anything that would save him; but whatever hit his head sent him into darkness.

"Ahhh," the Joker heaved a huge sigh and clasped his hands behind his back. "You know where to take him; it's time to play."

Jane frowned when she saw the time. Jimmy had slipped into a semi conscious state beside her on the settee half an hour ago. Snores came from where his mouth hung half open and it made her grin to see him. She turned back to the TV and continued channel surfing; but she was rapidly becoming bored and tired. It was nearly midnight; the Joker hadn't come back yet and Mark hadn't turned up either.

"Jimmy…." She hated to wake him, but she realised that they weren't heading to the Heights now; it was too late and she wanted to go to bed.

"Jimmy…" She shook his arm and he came awake with a startled grunt, reaching for his gun automatically. "It's ok, it's me, Jane," she said quietly and he took a deep breath and wiped his hand down his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I was just… what time is it anyway?" he peered down at his watch and swore. "Where the hell is Mark?"

"I'm going to go up to bed, Jimmy, I'm tired and the Joker isn't back yet."

Jimmy swallowed and fought to get his bearings properly; he rubbed his eyes again and nodded at her.

"Yeah, you do that, Jane, it's late… I'll let the Joker know when he comes back."

Jane smiled at him and got to her feet. Fifi stirred from his basket but Jane whispered for him to stay and he just watched her climb the stairs.

Jane sank onto the bed and didn't even bother to do anything except pull the too tight jeans from her legs before slumping back under the covers, bone weary and done in.

The Joker paced up and down, his knife clenched in one hand. His shoulders were hunched and he was not happy.

"This is taking too long," he suddenly growled. "Get some water and wake him up!"

One of the men went scurrying from the room and returned quickly with a container of putrid looking water. The Joker looked at it and pulled a face.

"Where did that come from?" he asked the man, Steve, if he remembered correctly.

"The john," he replied and shrugged. "Taps weren't working."

The Joker pulled a face and shrugged. "Wake him up then!"

He stepped back and watched as Steve threw the water over Ron's face. The cold water had the desired effect and he came to, spluttering and coughing. He tried to raise his hands to wipe his face but found them tied together behind his back.

"Hello, old friend," The Joker giggled and stepped forwards to grin down at Ron.

"Let me go," hissed Ron and struggled against his ties.

"Atatatata," The Joker tutted and swept forward to bring the knife to lie flat against Ron's cheek. "Calm down, Loverboy, there's no need to… ah… get so worked up," he enunciated his words carefully as he drew the blade gently down Ron's face and across his throat making no move to cut him.

"There's a little score we have to settle, you and me," the Joker said quietly and licked his lips, his unblinking dark eyes held Ron's fear filled ones.

"There's no score between us," Ron managed.

"Oh, but there is," the Joker disagreed calmly. "You keep kidnapping my Janey; not to mention the fact I just don't like you."

"She's…" Ron stopped and broke eye contact by looking down at where his tie was knotted at his throat.

"She's what?" the Joker inquired and grinned. "Mine? Yup; and that eats you alive, doesn't it? That she'd prefer me over you."

"You've brainwashed her!" Ron managed; his breathing was getting heavier and sweat had broken out on his skin.

"Brainwashed?" The Joker seemed to consider this and then he broke out laughing loudly. He jumped back from Ron hooting with laughter; it made Ron even more nervous, if that was possible.

"Brainwash, Janey?" hooted the Joker and looked around at his men who dutifully laughed along, although they had no idea why they were laughing except that it would keep them alive. "You really don't know her, do you?" he cackled and spun on the spot, all laughter had died from him and the others stopped as quickly.

"Janey couldn't be brainwashed if the fucking SS got hold of her; she's far to sassy for that," he hissed at Ron. "She mouths off to me, shoves me around… sometimes I even consider ringing one of those hotlines things… y'know, "hey, I'm being bullied by my girlfriend"." His false stiletto voice rang out through the empty warehouse before he laughed again. "But I love it too much; she just does it for me, y'know, she does it ever time…" He grinned at where Ron was staring at the ground, resolutely trying to block the Joker's words out.

"Ok, ok, here's the plan, Ronald," he drew his name out and stuck his hands on his hips. "Both you and I know that you aren't going to make it out of here tonight alive. Now, usually, I like to draw these things out, have some fun, y'know?" He spoke so conversationally that it was almost surreal.

"But Janey is a little hormonal at the moment and she worries when I don't come home on time," he watched as Ron's head flipped up and he grinned widely at him. "Oh, didn't you know? I knocked her up, got her pregnant; little Joker Junior should be along in about four months time. Shame you won't be around to see my son."

Ron hissed in pure anger and strained against his ropes, much to the Joker's delight.

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic, Ronald, she's perfectly happy. In fact she's ecstatic; a little annoyed with the fact that neither you nor the Commissioner will leave her alone perhaps. Makes life very difficult for her when she just wants to, y'know… shop, I suppose." He shrugged and peered off into the far corner of the warehouse. "Not that she likes to shop, odd woman is my little Janey, but there you go… saves me money."

He flicked his eyes back onto Ron making him start backwards in fear.

"We don't have time for anything… um… prolonged, which really is a shame;" he licked his lips, squinted his eyes and tilted his head forwards. "You do know you're going to die, don't you?"

"Just stop… if you're going to kill me, kill me, don't just talk about it," Ron hissed with false bravado. Sweat dripped down his body and he was shaking despite his words.

"My, but you're a brave one," murmured the Joker and stepped forwards quickly; he gripped a handful of Ron's hair and tugged his head backwards. "Now; where to start? Fancy a visage like mine? Um? Let's see just how brave you really are…"

Jane was in danger; she knew that she had to run, that danger was close behind her, but she just couldn't. It didn't seem to matter how hard she tried to make her legs work she couldn't run and when she tried to scream, she couldn't do that either. Whatever was chasing her was closing in and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Hey!" Fingers caught her arms and dragged her awake and away from the danger close at her heels. She blinked open her eyes and stared up at the bare face of the Joker. He was stripped to the waist and dripping water onto her as he loomed over her on the bed.

"You were dreaming and screaming fit to burst there, Janey, what's that all about?" he questioned her with a frown.

"You're wet," she said stupidly and rubbed the drops from her face with a shaky hand. Her breathing was still heavy and the residue fear from her dream was still in the corner of her room.

"Yup, just took a wash down," he muttered and sat back from her on the bed, waiting for her to speak. When she didn't he got up and fetched a towel before returning to sit on the bed and rub at his wet hair.

"You haven't had a bad dream for ages, did you dream about yesterday?"

"Yesterday?" she blinked over at the clock and realised it was six in the morning. "Wow, what time did you get back last night? I didn't hear you come in."

"About an hour ago, actually, got a bit caught up in what I was doing," he replied and threw the towel into the corner of the room before using his fingers to create his usual messy style. "C'mon then, what were you dreaming?"

"Don't know really, just a silly dream, something was chasing me and I couldn't run or scream."

"Oh, you were screaming alright," he sniggered. "I heard you all the way down the hall in the bathroom."

"Are you coming to bed now or staying up?" she changed the subject and hoisted herself up against the wall pulling the cover with her.

"I'm not tired," he shrugged. "Mark didn't get back till earlier and Jimmy is fast asleep on the couch still. We'll give it a few hours and then set off, go back to sleep Janey, I'll wake you in time."

"Will you stay with me?"

"What, keep the monsters away while you sleep?" he teased her and crawled on beside her. "Problem there, Janey, I'm one of those monsters."

"No, you're not," she yawned and curled back down again. "Not to me you're not."

He looked down at her as she rested one hand under the pillow and closed her eyes. He probed at his scars with his tongue and slid till he lay facing her; he watched as she fell back to sleep and then he rolled onto his back and grinned at the ceiling. Oh, he was a monster alright, just not with her.

"I've never been this far into Bludhaven," she mused as she stared out of the window. Avalon Heights was the well to do part of a town that had died socially and morally. The houses that lined the roadway were set back in huge grounds with tight security. At first Jane though that it was one of these houses that he'd bought, but they had continued on up the hilly suburb and higher into the hills, until eventually they reached a high wall that was studded in spikes that while ornate to look at, would do a lot of damage to anyone trying to climb over them. The car pulled to a smooth halt in front of two wrought iron gates that were electronically operated. Jimmy leant out of the drivers window and spoke into an intercom and almost immediately the gates opened smoothly inwards and he drove through them. Jane turned in her seat to watch them close as they drove through. She caught sight of the Joker watching her and she looked at him with a lifted eyebrow.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"Just looking," he replied and indicated with his gloved hand to look back out of the front window. She looked forwards and her mouth dropped open. Set in a series of terraced gardens was a four story gothic looking house. It was red brick with a veranda that ran around the ground floor and another one on the next floor up. It had a small turret on either side of the house and more windows that Jane could count.

"It's… it's… it's…" Jane blinked rapidly but the house remained and her mouth spread wide into a grin.

"It's a step up from the warehouse, I suppose," the Joker cackled and she looked around at him and then threw herself across the car to hug him tightly. He drew her closer and buried his nose into her neck and sniffed deeply. "It's all yours, Janey," he murmured.

"You bought it," she laughed and drew back slightly to kiss him on the lips before grinning at him again.

"Yes, but it's in your name, the deeds are in your name, you own it, not me," he replied and licked his lips. He was painted up to perfection today and some of the red was now on her lips too.

"What?" she stared at him in confusion. "Why did you do that?"

"Well, two reasons," he muttered and looked out of the window as Jimmy pulled to a halt in front of the steps that led to the front door. "Get out, Jimmy."

Jimmy murmured a yes and slid from the car to shut the door behind him.

"Firstly, I bought this house on the black-market, y'know this, but still there has to be some paperwork done and I can't use my name as I don't exist. Secondly, I wanted to give it to you; if anything were ever to happen to me, this place is yours, everything I have is yours, all the money, everything, you and the kid wouldn't have to worry financially at all."

"Don't say that…" she said and placed her palm on his scarred cheek.

"But it has to be said," he grinned at her. "I have no plans on anything happening to me; but I'd be stupid not to make sure you were safe if something did, and I'm not stupid, Janey."

"We're gonna grow old together, aren't we?" she asked him and he saw a glint in her eyes that made him frown.

"Sure we are," he whispered and tugged her to him again. "The boys, Jimmy and Mark, have a little place in the grounds; they'll be the only ones who live here other than us. The place is like Fort Knox, no one will get in here. Mark knows his stuff."

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear. "Thank you for doing this for us."

"C'mon, you haven't seen inside yet. From the top left turret you can see the sea, that's our room."

"How many stairs?" she queried with a grin as he pulled her from the car.

"Keep you fit, Janey," he cackled and taking her by the wrist he pulled her up the steps and into the house.

"It's like something from Home and Garden Magazine," she murmured later that night as she lay entwined with him in their bed. It was a queen sized bed and reminded her of the one they'd had in the narrows.

"It'll do," he replied lazily and traced circles on her bare arm. His head was turned away from her and he was probing his scars with his tongue as his mind danced around in a million ways.

"There's a lot of rooms; bedrooms, don't you think?" she inquired softly and his mind ground to a halt and his head whipped around to look at her.

"And?"

"Well…" She shrugged under the sheets and looked up at him. "I was just thinking, y'know, only children are rather lonely."

"I wasn't," he replied quickly. "Are you trying to say that you want more than the kid that's already in you?"

"Well, it's a thought," she replied and blinked at him.

"So is me becoming the next pope; that aign't gonna happen either."

"Ah, c'mon, you can't say never, can you?"

"Let's just see how we get on with Joker Junior first, yeah?"

She grinned at him and turned onto her side to curl into him closer. "You'll be a great dad."

"Really? I take it I've moved up from your previous observations of dismembering when it spills something on my blueprints."

"I was… scared," she said and frowned. "In fact I still am, a little."

"Why?"

"Well, y'know, it has to come out at some stage," she winced and looked up at him.

"Yeah, they generally do that…" He blinked and his eyebrows drew together on a frown. "Oh…" He looked away from her and stared up at the ceiling. "You'll be ok, we're not far from the hospital in Bludhaven and I'm sure I'll be able to find a doctor who knows what he's about when it comes to getting the kid out of you."

"Well… that was reassuring," she sniped slightly.

"What do you want to hear then?" he asked with a little frustration. "I don't know anything about that!"

"Neither do I," she replied. "You will be with me, won't you? I mean when it's time, you'll stay with me when the baby is born."

"Of course," he replied instantly and pulled a face. "It should be interesting, actually."

"Interesting?" she cried. "Oh, for pete's sake, you'll probably love all the blood and guts and gore!"

"Go to sleep, Janey, its months away yet."

"I should go to antenatal classes in my third trimester."

"What the fuck was that? English this time," he spat and reached over to shut off the light.

"Antenatal is…."

"I know what antenatal is… it was the last bit that was Klingon."

"Trimester; it's the last three months before birth. It's classes to sort of prepare us for the baby, I suppose."

"Prepare? You're a woman, aren't you born being prepared for all that shit? Isn't that why you spend half your childhood playing with dolls?" his voice was getting higher and it dawned on Jane that it might be starting to sink in, exactly what pregnant meant and it was flustering him.

"Well, no, not really," she said quietly.

"Well, I can't exactly sit around in a class of pregnant ladies without causing a major panic and premature labour, can I?" he griped and rolled over to face away from her.

"Well, I can go by myself, I suppose, and then tell you when I get home."

"No! You can take, Jimmy, he's a fucking nancy, should fit right in with all the women."

"Don't be harsh," she muttered and placed her hands on her rounding stomach. "Don't shout at me, but I don't think you realised what it meant when I told you I was pregnant, did you?"

"I'm not stupid," he snorted into his pillow. "I do realise what pregnancy means."

"Yeah, but I think you just see this little tiny bundle of soft baby wrapped in a shawl and cooing softly."

"We're having a baby, Janey, not a dove," he spat and hiked the covers over him pulling them slightly off her. She tugged them back and turned away from him.

"It's going to scream, whine, make a mess…"

"I do know," he almost shouted. "Don't take me for an idiot, Janey. I do realise exactly what kind of hell we have lined up for us, I just hadn't really given the actual arrival much thought."

"Well, if it bothers you that much, Jimmy can be with me; if he's at the classes, it stands to reason he should be my birth partner," she said casually and shut her eyes against the dark.

"There is no way on this fucking earth, Jimmy is going to be anywhere near you with your clothes off!" he roared and sat straight up completely uncovering her. "Jimmy will go to these fucking classes and then he'll come straight back and tell me them word for word. It'll be me in that room with you, and no one else."

"Well, there will have to be a doctor," she said reasonably and just hid the laughter that was threatening to overwhelm her by stuffing the sheets into her mouth. He was getting so riled up and flustered, something Jane rarely, if ever, saw in him.

"Janey, just how fucking dumb do…" he stopped and turned the light on quickly to stare down at her. "You're fucking with me, aren't you?" he said and his voice was so quiet that Jane pulled the covers over her head quickly and muffled an 'Of course not' to him.

"You're winding me up, aren't you?" he inquired and he ripped the sheets from her and pressed his face close to hers. His eyes reflected a little anger and confusion, much to her surprise. She grinned and slid her arms around his neck and kissed him quickly, taking the anger away from his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't think I've ever managed to provoke that kind of reaction from you before and it was… well, it was fun. I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

"You're a witch," he muttered and buried his head into her neck and bit down none to gently on her skin. She cried out and bucked up against him.

"Well, let's see if I can provoke a reaction in you," he purred into her ear, and the edge in his voice sent a shiver down her spine.

"You always do," she muttered as his hands divested her of her pj's roughly.

"Good," he grunted and attacked her skin with his teeth and tongue making her cry out again.

A/N: Hope this is ok. It was written close to midnight and it just felt right at the time. I'm very close to the end now, perhaps one more chapter and then the epilogue. Can't believe that I'm actually near the end at last!

As for how I haven't written the 'Ron' scenes; I haven't done it for two reasons, I don't think the sudden violence would add anything to this story as it was never supposed to be about what he's capable of doing to people, just whether he was capable of being any other way with anyone else. And secondly, it just didn't feel right every time I got bloody with Ron, so I left it to your imagination. We will find out a little about Ron as he can't just disappear without trace, but only the sort of details you read on the news or see in the papers, if you get me.

Well, another rambling note, sorry. Thanks to everyone, and I mean Everyone who has read this story, left reviews and sent messages to me. It means a great deal and feeds the fires of inspiration to continue. I hope to get this finished soon.