Chapter 38
Joker watched over his shoulder as 'the dark knight' carried her away behind him. She obviously didn't want to go. She was kicking and screaming, fiercely demanding that he put her down. Turning back to his father, Joker let out a sneer. "I'll make you pay for hurting her." He told the man before him. "It had to be done, boy. I'm sure by now you know her significance." Alexander told him as he circled towards him, slowly and menacingly working his way back and forth as if debating how to go about his attack.
Joker was determined to not give him the chance. He dashed forward with a powerful slash strait down with Ann's katana. Alexander, surprised by the sudden attack, didn't have time to dodge. So he brought up his rapier and dagger in an x shaped block that barely stopped the katana from catching his shoulder.
But Joker didn't stop there. He never gave his father the chance to retaliate. From the downward slash he transversed into a side swipe that Alexander narrowly avoided by rolling away backwards. Joker pressed his assault by kicking at the man as he rolled away on the ground.
Alexander got to his feet. Finally having some distance between them he leapt into an assault of his own, swinging the lighter rapier quickly in several different directions before attacking with a thrust. Jak managed to block the thrust and the rapier collided with the katana in a show of sparks.
The fight went on like this for some time. Jak would attack only to be blocked then Alexander would attack. Neither of them willing to give any ground until…
Joker blocked a diagonal slash and reversed the katana in his hands. The katana slid seamlessly under the rapier to slash Alexander in the arm, just under where Ann had managed to cut him. At the same time he tilted his head to avoid the tip of the rapier as Alexander's attack followed through. The rapier cut off a sliver of his hair as he dodged the attack, but he was otherwise, unaffected.
Alexander jumped away just as Jak flipped the blade and slashed at him again. He narrowly avoided Jak's second attack. Collecting himself, Alexander inspected the new slash on his arm. Striping himself of his brown jacket he tossed it aside.
He then stalked angrily strait for Jak. Halfway to him he raised his sword, intent on bashing him with it. Jak however knew the look in his eyes to mean he was extremely pissed off and circled as the man approached him. "Ungrateful child. How dare you come against me on this. You'll learn to fear and respect me." He told him. He swiped at Jak, who batted the sword away with Ann's katana as he backed away and Alexander advanced. "How many times did I tell you the story as a child? How many times did I mention how important it was to keep the witch contained? And now, the moment we finally have her, you and your adolescent friends destroy all we accomplished!" He yelled while swiping at him again. Jak blocked a second time while jumping back to avoid the dagger.
"Fairy tales of magic and sorcery? It doesn't exist anymore! The world has moved on. You have no right to pursue her! You never did!" Jak yelled back as he swung in retaliation. Alexander blocked as Jak let out a torrent of side swipes and lunges, hoping to back him up. "You're a fool to think that she has changed!" Alexander told him as he rolled away from a blow that would have taken off his head.
"And you're a fool for putting so much faith in your bull shit stories!" Jak yelled again jumping at him to slash diagonally at his shoulder. Alexander moved to block but he was too slow, thanks to the wounds on his arm. The tip of the blade caught him on the upper right side of his chest and sliced its way cleanly to his lower left stomach. In mid attack, Alexander realized he wouldn't be able to black and changed his block attempt into a low swipe with his sword. The rapier caught Jak just above his right knee and cut its way around his leg. Alexander howled in agony while Jak hissed from the pain in his leg. Both men stumbled backwards and away from each other.
Jak favored his leg and held the wound with his hand, hoping to keep the blood from flowing. Alexander leaned on his sword while gasping for breath and holding his chest. Glancing behind him, Alexander noted that he was near the blown away entrance to the building. Realizing there was no way to win with such a serious wound he turned and fled into the building. "This isn't over!" He yelled over his shoulder. Jak began to give chase but the wound in his leg wouldn't allow it. Grinding his teeth in annoyance he sneered at the retreating man. "You stay away from her!" He yelled into the darkness.
~Ann~
Blood and fire were everywhere. Dead bodies piled upon each other. Screams filled the air. The screams of horror, pain, and craziness.
"She's having nightmares again." A low voice commented.
Who is that? I know that voice."She's been through a lot. It's only natural." This voice sounded finicky, almost prude.
She mentally frowned. Were they talking about her? What did she have to face now?
"She needs rest. How can she possibly rest if she's squirming and screaming all night? She could re-open her wounds." The first voice seemed angry.
She didn't want to open her eyes. She didn't want to see the death anymore.
"I can't do anything more about that. The sleeping tonic isn't working. The only thing you can do to help her is hold her down when she begins to fit again." The second voice sounded drained and exhausted.
She finally conjured up the strength to open her eyes. She regained her vision just in time to see a chubby man in white walk out the door and close it. With the door closing the light promptly disappeared and she was blind for a moment until her eyes adjusted again.
"Your awake." It was the owner of the first voice. Ann managed to turn her head to see Bruce walk to a chair by the bed.
She tried to lean up on her elbows so she could talk but pain coursed through her body. "No no. Don't do that." He told her urgently and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lay back and relax."
"Here." He held a glass of water towards her. "Drink some water."
At the sight of water she grabbed the glass and downed most of it in mere moments. She then promptly choked in her haste.
"How do you feel?" He asked after she had recovered from her coughing fit. "My head hurts. So does the rest of my body. What happened? Is Ashley okay? And Alexander?"
"Easy. Ashley's fine. She's asleep in the next room. Alexander got away. But he was hurt pretty badly." Bruce told her.
"What about-" She almost hated asking this of him. She knew it would hurt his feelings. "What about Joker?" She asked hesitantly.
She saw him sigh quietly as he looked away. "He was injured. But he still lives." Bruce told her.
Ann had so many questions running through her mind. The most important one she could think of promptly came out of her mouth a moment later. "How long was it till you found me?" She asked. "Two and a half days." He told her.
"How did you find me?" She asked.
Bruce visibly grimaced. "Your not going to be happy." He told her. She scowled. "Why?" She asked skeptically. He hesitated a moment.
"I, uh, put a tracking device in your boot." He told her.
"You did what?" She yelled. Immediately the pain in her head intensified and she winced holding her head in her hands.
"Take it easy. I figured something like this might happen eventually. So I put a bug in the fabric of your boot. It saved your life." He told her. Ann groaned and laid back on the bed.
"Well then what the hell took you so damn long?" She asked.
"When you didn't come back that night, I did worry. But I figured you may have fallen asleep at your place. When you didn't answer your phone all the next day I sent Duane to look for you. Several hours later I found out you had gone missing. That's when I used the tracking device." He explained.
"Well, I'm so thankful that an invasion of my privacy helped save me agony and torment." Ann said with dry sarcasm.
"You know something. I think you and Luscious would get along pretty good." He told her. Ann raised her eyebrows quizzically. "I've always liked that name." She commented to herself as she looked at the ceiling.
"He told me I shouldn't. But I'm glad I did anyway." He continued, ignoring her random comment.
He continued, ignoring the glare she threw his way. "Personal rights are there for a reason. I get that. But, I'd have done a lot worse than violate personal rights to keep you safe." He told her. She was silent for a moment, trying to decide how to respond. "I suppose all rules are meant to be broken, for the right reasons." She replied finally.
He smirked. "Only you would complain about an invasion of privacy right after you barely escape being impaled by a sword and killed. You haven't even recovered yet."
"How long have I been asleep?" She asked, groaning as she forced herself to sit up. He didn't try to stop her this time, knowing she was stubborn and would do so anyway.
"Three days." He told her simply. She balked. "Three days? That's not possible." She told herself. "We were able to wake you several times to give you water and some broth." He told her. She frowned. "I don't remember it. Any of it." She told him.
"You were quite delirious. Mumbled nonsense mostly. You did that in your sleep too." He told her.
The nightmares?
"I think you were having a pretty bad dream. You wouldn't stop thrashing. Nearly tore out your stitches once when I fell asleep. I had to watch you the whole time." He told her.
She suddenly realized how tired he looked.
He must have stayed awake with me the whole time.
"I'm awake now. You should go get some sleep. I'm fine." She told him. He shook his head. "No. You still need to rest. You haven't recovered yet." He told her.
He's not going to leave.
You! I've got a few choice words to say to you!
Later! He's watching you.
She broke away from her silent conversation to glance at Bruce, who was watching her with a knowing expression. Frowning at how obvious her conversations with Akira were to both Bruce and Joker she laid back down on the bed. "Well, anyways, now that I'm awake there's no reason to fret over me. I'll be fine." She told him in a monotone while staring at the ceiling.
"Okay." He told her simply. "You don't have to watch me. So you can go get some sleep now." She reiterated. "I believe you. I'll just sleep here. Just to be sure." He told her. She frowned, mainly because he wouldn't leave her to her thoughts; But also because he refused to go someplace comfortable to sleep.
After a few minutes of silence she sighed and glanced at him. He had his arms crossed and his eyes closed. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. But she knew there was no way he was asleep yet.
"So you refuse to leave?" She asked again, just to confirm it. "That's right." He told her. She sighed again. She was beginning to feel the full weight of guilt. She growled quietly in annoyance. "Well if you won't leave you may as well be comfortable." She grumbled. "I don't understand." He told her without opening his eyes. "This is a friggin king size bed. You can sleep on the other side if you want, I guess." She told him.
"Your too kind. But to preserve your honor, I'd rather not." He told her. A moment later he couldn't help but yawn. She almost laughed. "To preserve my honor? What are you, some chivalrous knight in shining armor on a white horse determined to slay the dragon?" She asked sarcastically.
Come to think of it, that is a rather scarily accurate description.
His armor is black.
You shut up. I'm angry with you at the moment.
He smirked. "Something like that." He told her. "Well thank you, 'gallant sir', but I do believe I can take care of my own honor." She told him sarcastically. "I'm not exactly the damsel in distress."
"Not what it seems like to me." He commented. She glared at him as he continued. "You have three broken ribs, multiple bruises, cuts all over your back and arms, a busted face, and a hole in your shoulder. So I doubt you'll be doing much of anything for awhile." He told her.
"Fine. Be miserable." She told him hatefully before she rolled over to face the opposite side of the room. Moving that much hurt her ribs and shoulder, but she wanted to prove the point. And she was getting sick of lying on her back. She still left him room to get in the bed and remain a fair distance from her if he decided to change his mind.
So are we going to have that talk now?
We've never fought anyone with 'that' fighting style before. But you said you had. What are you not telling me?
It's complicated.
And what's with these damn dreams I kept having. They didn't seem like dreams at all.
They weren't.
Then what the hell were they and why is it complicated?
She forced herself to calm down a bit else she might spike Bruce's 'is she okay' alarm.
Just tell me, already. Why were those people so damn interested in you?
As I said, it's complicated.
Well you better damn well start explaining it then!
Ann felt the annoyance radiating from her invisible counterpart.
What could possibly be so bad that it'd hut to tell me?
-sigh- okay. The knights have been around hundreds of years right?
Yeah…
Well so have I.
No seriously. Stop the games. You couldn't have been around hundreds of years when I'm only in my 20's.
Eh, it kind of works like a generational disease. I keep getting passed down.
Wait, your serious?
Very. See, hundreds of years ago I was a powerful priestess. I believe your generation calls them something different now though.
So what the hell are you doing in my body if you lived hundreds of years ago?
Patience! I'm getting to it. The profession of being a priestess had been passed down in our family for generations. I learned my skills from my mother at a very young age and proceeded to only grow stronger as I grew older.
Wait a minute. You said 'our' family. What do you mean 'our' family?
Damn it! I'm your ancestor. Just let me tell the story. Christ. As I said, the Knights have been around since they actually 'were' knights. They took it upon themselves to protect mankind from evil, but they got arrogant and greedy. Now their just as corrupt and evil as the ones they swore to protect mankind from.
Who were the ones they swore to protect us from?
It's not important at this point, as they were infiltrated by one and the same. Now stop interrupting.
Ann was beginning to feel like a child caught up in an old veteran's war story.
In their greed they sought to corrupt me and our family's way of life by trying to bribe my mother and me onto their side. When their attempts failed they grew angry and attacked the small village we called home.
At this point her voice faltered a bit then she continued.
My mother had begun to descent into old age and her power had faded. I was the only person with significant power as my children were young and had only begun to learn their potential.
Ann was beginning to feel a bit nauseous as she started putting the pieces together.
When they attacked I had gone to the river near the village to collect water. Once I noticed the smoke rising I ran back to find the village nearly destroyed. The Knights had sent an army to hunt me down and either force me to submit to their wishes or kill me so that my power could never be used against them. I found my husband dead at the door to our home with my 3 year old son in his arms. My daughter was missing. I found my mother later on the outskirts of the village amongst countless dead bodies. She had put up a fight and attempted to defend the village and died in the process.
That's horrible! I'm so sorry.
I lost my mind with grief and followed the bastards' tracks back to where they had come from. I fought my way through their ranks to find my 10 year old daughter being held captive by the head knight, whom had sought to claim my power as his own. He gave me an ultimatum. Either surrender and do his bidding or my daughter would die. Of course, I didn't surrender. But I was exhausted and seriously wounded after fighting the small army that he had brought with him. With the final blow of the fight he would have killed me and I couldn't allow my daughter to be raised and exploited. So with my last breath I unleashed a torrent of power that I had planned on using to destroy us both, leaving my daughter to escape and grow up free and safe. But it backfired and left my soul trapped in my daughter's body.
Okay, I'm confused here. What exactly does being a priestess entail? Were you a witch or something?
Ann was beginning to feel slightly concerned. She wasn't exactly an avid church goer, but she didn't like the idea of having anything to do with witch craft either.
Not exactly. It's complicated. It isn't witchcraft. Witchcraft is different. A priestess is someone who is a protector of the people. Godly and just, they use the power given to them by God to right injustices and keep evil powers at bay. It was usually passed on through the family to females but on rare occasions a male has inherited the gift as well. What you call a 'witch' we considered 'dark priestesses' or sorcerers.
This is insane! So you mean to say you've been just jumping from mother to daughter over and over again for hundreds of years? And I'm assuming the knights have been trying to catch you all these years as well? What the hell? Aren't you ready to be at peace yet?
It's not that simple! I should have died the day I avenged my village and saved my daughter! I'm bound to my descendants. There's nothing I can do.
Holy hell on earth.
It's really not all that bad.
Not that bad? I have a dead priestess living in my head!
Were going to have to continue this later. Lover boy is moving.
What?
The bed moved slightly and she felt the weight of someone lay down on the other side of the bed. She rolled over to look at Bruce. He glanced at her. "So I thought it over." He told her. She waited a few seconds. "And?" she finally asked impatiently. "And so long as I stay above the covers, I don't see anything wrong with it." He told her.
Woah, he's tired enough to cave in. He'd probably do anything to sleep right about now.
"I don't see what the big deal is. You've kissed me 'and' made out with me before. So what's wrong with sleeping with me?" She asked. He raised an eyebrow and cracked his eye open to look at her.
Oh Jesus.
"I didn't mean it like that!" She insisted. He smirked again. "Go to sleep."
She glared at him before rolling back over and closing her eyes. The conversation with Akira was still swirling through her head. But her body's exhaustion won out and she let herself drift off to sleep.
"I don't care what you say! I am not eating 'that'!" Ann told the two obnoxious men that refused to leave her room. "It's good for you! Can't you just do what your told for once in your life? Damn it, woman!" Duane yelled back at her while shoving a bowl of green goopy liquid at her. She had heard a similar argument from Ashley through the wall separating their room.
"Screw you, you overly arrogant, self imposing, army brat wanna be!" Duane looked mortified at her insult and was about to object when he was cut off.
"I assure you, Miss Giovanni, it is very nutritional and will speed your recovery." The man, whom she now knew as Doctor Gibson, told her. "Then you eat it." She told him.
Bruce leaned against the wall to her right with his hand covering half his face, laughing under his breath.
"You thought you knew best before, remember? That's how you got in this mess." Duane told her.
"No, I was attacked by twenty people and over powered, you twit. That's hardly due to an error with my reasoning skills."
"Please miss. If you'll only eat this one-" "What's it taste like, doc?" Ann interrupted him. "Well, it- uh."
"You don't know! You say it's 'so' good for you, but yet you've never eaten it! Bloody hypocrites. Get out of my room! Both of you!" Ann yelled.
Giving up the doctor finally left her alone. Duane followed him out mumbling curses at her as he slammed the door. He left the bowl of goop on the bedside table.
Now that they were gone, Bruce walked over to sit on the bed. "Shit. Your not goinna start in too?" She asked in a tired voice.
Bruce picked up the bowl of the thick liquid. Without a word he raised the bowl to his nose and smelt. He wrinkled his nose slightly then took a breath and picked up the spoon and took a bite.
Ann's face contorted in disgust that mirrored Bruce's. After a moment he handed her the bowl. "It tastes awful. Now eat it." He told her. Her jaw dropped slightly as she deftly took the bowl.
Bruce cleared his throat. "Ashley ate half hers. You really want her to hold that over you if you don't eat it?" He asked.
Ann looked down at the disgusting substance she held in the bowl.
Then she ate it.
She was 100% sick of being in bed by now. She was beginning to feel like a prisoner again. It had been a whole two days since she had woken up and she was tired of being told to stay in bed. The wound in her shoulder looked much better, though it still hurt quite a bit when she tried to lift it above her head. The scratches and cuts on her arms, legs, and back were almost healed but she was going to have a few nasty scars, particularly on her back. Her lip was still recovering from being busted, but otherwise her face was better as well. She didn't feel tired. Her ribs still hurt once in awhile when she moved the wrong way, but it was manageable.
Her shoulder, upper arm, and chest area had bandages that wrapped around them, which was a bit restricting. She supposed it was so she wouldn't move and her ribs would heal like they were supposed to.
Bruce had just left her alone for the first time. He had said he needed to take care of some business. She figured that meant he could be doing anything from making business calls to fighting with Joker. She had no idea. All she knew was that she wanted out of this room, and he was periodically busy.
She pulled the covers off her. She still wore the same loose fitting night gown that she had awoken in. Ann had decided not to ask who had changed her. Surely it wasn't Bruce. He wouldn't invade her privacy 'that' much.
She cautiously twisted in place and let her legs dangle off the side of the bed. Ashley had been given the 'okay' to leave her room the day before and had come to pester Ann several times since then. Thankfully, Ann was in her usual room in Bruce's manor instead of the hospital. Ann didn't know what had happened to her boots, coat, weapons, cell phone, or her jewelry that she normally wore. She was actually pretty tore up about losing the bracelet and necklace Joker had given her. And she was a bit worried about her katana, though she knew Joker wouldn't have left it behind.
Placing her bare feet on the floor next to the bed she stood slowly. She steadied herself using the corner post of the bed until she was sure she had her balance. After staying in the bed so long her legs weren't used to being used, despite her trips to the bathroom. She walked shakily across the room to the closet where her suitcase had been stashed. She hastily put on some actual clothes, red tank top and a pair of plain jeans, and found a pair of shoes that Misa had packed for her the day she first came to stay there. The shoes weren't to her liking, but they would have to do. They were more like slippers than actual shoes. Yellow with pink frill around the edges and a flat sole.
She went to the mirror in the adjoining bathroom and looked over her reflection. Her hair was a messy tangle and her face was a bit paler than normal. Her busted lip was healing, but was still visible and tender to the touch. She picked up her brush and hastily began trying to sort out the tangles in her hair, cursing all the while under her breath.
Once she was satisfied she exited the bathroom and made her way to the closed bedroom door. That was when she remembered that her car was still at her apartment. Cursing she stopped to think about what to do. She couldn't call for a cab. She didn't have any money to pay the fair with and she didn't have a phone. Growling in annoyance she opened the door to seek out Ashley.
Thankfully, Ann already knew where the blonde was once she stepped into the hallway. She could hear Ashley's chipper voice floating from the bedroom she had been occupying. Going to the door, Ann opened it to find Ashley lying on her stomach on the bed swinging her legs in the air and talking on the phone.
Ashley frowned upon seeing her friend enter the room and hastily got off the phone. "You should be in bed!" Ashley scolded her. Ann waived her hand, dismissing the blonde's complaints. "I need outta here for awhile. And I'm supposed to take my license test today in an hour. So I need to use your phone to call a ride." Ann told her. "Shouldn't you postpone your test? You need rest." Ashley replied. Ann scoffed. "I've had just about too much rest for me to handle. I feel fine, and if you don't let me use your phone I'll just put you in a sleep hold till you either pass out or agree to let me use it." Ann told her. She was fed up with this nonsense.
"Okay, but you don't need to call a cab." Ashley told her. "I got your car so you could use it once you were out of bed." Ann frowned slightly. "That's awesome Ash, but how'd you get it to start? The keys were in my coat." Ann asked. Surely she hadn't had someone hot wire it for her. Much as she was happy to have the car, she wasn't too happy about the idea that someone had tore into the dash and pulled everything apart.
"No, Devon gave me the keys. He's actually the one who asked me to bring the car back here." Ashley informed her.
Devon had my keys? Maybe he has some of my other stuff too.
"Great. Gimme the keys." Ann told her. "One minute. I'm going with you." Ashley said. Ann glared at her. "No. Your no-t." Ann told her, mimicking the way Joker talked when he was trying to scare someone. She kinda liked the way it sounded. "Your still not recovered. I'm going with you or I'm telling Bruce." The blonde informed her. Ann growled. "Tell Bruce! I don't care! He is not my guardian and neither are you. Now give me MY car keys." Ann commanded. "Nope." Ann glared. "Argh. Fine!" Ann said clenching her teeth. "Let's friggin go." She said before storming out. Ashley jumped up and down for a second before following her.
The two women snuck through the house being as quiet as possible. They managed to make it all the way to the garage without anyone noticed them. Once they were 'both' in the car Ashley handed over the keys so they could leave. Ann started the engine and pulled out of the garage then headed towards the DMV.
Ten minutes after leaving and Ashley's phone rang. Looking at the caller ID she smiled and held up the phone.
BRUCE WAYNE
Calling
Ann smirked. "Looks like he misses you." Ashley commented. Ann adjusted her position in the seat a bit uncomfortably. "Should I answer?" Ashley asked. "If you want to." Ann told her as she reached for the volume on the radio, turning it up just as Ashley answered the call.
"Hello?" Ashley yelled. Her voice was just barely audible over the music on the radio. "What'd you say?" She yelled into the phone a few moments later. "I'm sorry Bruce! I can't hear you! Bye." She yelled again and hung up the phone. She then crossed her legs cockily and leaned her arm out the window and let her fingers tap along to the beat of the music.
Before getting out of the car Ann retrieved her license and social security card from the glove box, thankful that she kept them in her car instead of on her. She would have been screwed if she had lost those too.
They were a little early, but Ann didn't care. She could wait. Going inside Ann took a number from the small red ticket machine that sat on a stand by the door. "87?" Ann glanced to the opposite wall to see a big digital 'clock' with only two numbers lit up in bright red. The numbers read 54. "Fuck." Ann said dropping her head with a sigh.
An hour and a half of listening to Ashley complain and Ann finally got her turn. She was asked to provide her drivers license and social security card. After typing on the small computer on the other side of the counter, the short and rotund woman opposite her handed her back the documents and directed her through a door to the left of the counter. Upon entering the door she explained to the tall thin man behind the counter in that room that she was there for the motorcycle test. He typed on his computer for a few moments before telling her to take a seat at the computer labeled with a 2 above the monitor and then she could begin her test.
A bit confused, Ann sat at the computer and watched the blank screen for a moment. A minute went by and the screen flashed over to one that stated her name in bold at the top with a button in the middle of the screen labeled 'start'. Ann clicked the start button and began her test.
It didn't take long. Ann was pleased to see that she only missed one question on the test. She was allowed four or five. Ironically the question she missed didn't even have anything to do with motorcycles at all. It asked what the effects of alcohol had on judgment. Rolling her eyes slightly she smiled as the lady typed on the computer for another minute or two.
"Alright Miss Giovanni, now all you need to do is take the driven test. I can schedule you for an appointment at 3 o-clock this after noon. Would that be okay?" The man behind the counter asked. Ann glanced at the clock behind the counter. It told her that it was 11am. "Will I have to wait in line again?" She asked. "No ma'am. Our afternoons are reserved for driving tests." He told her. "Okay, that'll be fine." She said with a worried look on her face. She hadn't anticipated taking the test the same day.
Shit. What am I goinna do now?
Bruce had originally planned on letting her use his motorcycle, but she had just snuck out of his place while he probably still considered her too injured to leave the bed. And on top of that she had turned up the radio when he had called.
Ann walked out of the DMV pondering her situation without a word to Ashley, whom had barely caught sight of her as she walked through the waiting room. "So? How'd it go?" She asked as they headed towards the car. "Not good." Ann told her. "You failed?" She asked astounded. Ann shook her head. "No. I passed." Ann answered. Ashley frowned in confusion. "Well then what's bad?" She asked.
Ann sighed. "They want me to take the driving test today at 3." She told the blonde. "Well that's great!" Ashley exclaimed. "No! It's not. I have to use Bruce's motorcycle! And Bruce is probably pissed about me even leaving! Not to mention the thing with the radio earlier." Ann yelled in frustration. "Oh. I forgot about that." She replied as they got into Ann's car.
"I'm sure he'd understand you wanting to leave. All you have to do is explain that you were sick of sitting in the bedroom and needed fresh air. And you remembered you had an appointment at the DMV and figured that it couldn't hurt to drive for 15 minutes and take a test then drive back." Ashley told her. Ann was skeptical. "But I wasn't planning on going back. At least not for awhile. I was planning on going to get some of my own clothes." Ann replied. Ashley rolled her eyes. "Well, you don't have to tell him that!" She exclaimed. "Okay, well what about the phone call and the radio?" Ann asked sarcastically. "Just tell him your sorry and that I couldn't hear him." She replied. Ann sighed in defeat. "I guess I can give it a shot." She told the blonde as they pulled out into the street.
"You have to be really sweet and innocent. Use your womanly charm." Ashley suggested. "What?" Ann yelled. "Just, I dunno, be all shy and sexy when you ask him." Ashley told her. Ann sighed loudly. "Why? Why does shit like this happen to me?" Ann asked the ceiling of the car as they stopped at a red light. "It'll be okay. You can do it. Hell, I bet he'd jump off a 30 story building if you asked him to." Ashley reassured her. Ann scoffed. "Yeah, like he's never done 'that' before." Ann replied sarcastically as the light changed to green and she urged the car forward again. "Okay, you have a point. But you get what I mean. And he already offered to let you use his bike. You just have to show him that your not too injured to do it and be really sweet and apologize for sneaking away." Ashley told her. "Okay. Okay, I got this. Just tell him I'm sorry and be all 'sweet'." She said more to herself.
Ann was already beginning to feel a bit better. Just being out of that room relieved a ton of stress and pent up anxiety. But her emotions were getting the better of her, and her confusion and annoyance at Akira was making her paranoid. Not to mention that Joker had been out of the picture since she woke up.
The fact that Joker and Bruce had actually worked together to save her was daunting in itself. But he hadn't even attempted to contact her since she had woken up. And she knew he was aware of her consciousness. He was the Joker. Plus Ashley had already gone to see Devon and Ann was sure that he had been informed. So that was bothering her as well. It was possible that he was just waiting on her to show up.
The closer they got to her apartment the more anxious she got about it. The idea of just disappearing away from all the craziness and stress was looking better by the minute. She was sure that if she could just get away from everyone for awhile she would feel better. But she wanted to see Joker first.
"So whadda ya goinna do about Bruce?" Ashley asked when they were five minutes from her apartment. "What do you mean?" Ann asked, hoping to avoid the conversation she knew was coming. "Well, its clear he wants you. And you can't just get rid of him. And then there's Joker…." Ashley trailed off.
"Joker does 'not' run my life." Ann told her, slightly angry. "You keep hangin around both of them and something bad is eventually going to happen." Ashley told her. "What am I supposed to do?" Ann snapped. "As you pointed out, I can't get rid of Bruce and I sure as hell can't get rid of Joker." Ann said. "Well, you gotta do something. I understand you don't want either of them out of your life. But your just playing with fire like this. They already hate each other. The more this goes on the worse it's going to get."
A moment later Ann pulled into the parking lot and she parked. Ann shut off the engine then looked at Ashley. "Okay. If we get ambushed this time, we run. And then I'm never letting you ride with me again. Cause this is ridiculous." Ann told her. Ashley laughed. "Deal." She replied. Ann smiled and they exited the car.
Ann had parked as close to the elevator as she possibly could, just to be safe. Luckily there was nothing to worry about. No bad guys jumped at them from around the corner. No knives at Ashley's throat or guns pointing at them. They walked quickly to the elevator glancing over their shoulders the whole way.
Once they were in the elevator they calmed down a bit. Ann pushed the top floor button and leaned against the wall as the elevator lurched into motion. The elevator ride was silent as Ashley's words sank in. Ann realized that there weren't any options anymore. She had to face this problem, but how exactly was she supposed to do that again?
When they reached the top the elevator doors dinged open and Ann stepped out followed by Ashley. Ann reached for the door handle but the door swung open before she had the chance to open it herself. A mere moment later there was a gun pointed at her forehead, only inches away. Eyes wide she backed up a step on impulse as Joker gave a visible sigh of relief and lowered the gun as he stepped away from the door. Ann gave him a wary look as she stepped through the door. Ashley did the same.
Joker pushed the door and it swung shut a bit loudly. "You should be in bed." He told her as he took a seat on the couch to resume watching the tv.
I've heard this a billion times.
"I'm fine." She told him, glancing around her apartment. There was a broken lamp on the floor next to the table that it was supposed to sit on, beer cans and empty pizza boxes littered the floor, the coffee table had been kicked over, and random knives were stuck into the wall behind the chairs across from the tv.
Ashley leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Devon said he's been alone in here all week and refuses to let anyone in." Ashley told her quietly. Ann sighed.
Now she tells me.
"Gimme some space here Ash." Ann told her. Ashley nodded and stepped outside the door.
After Ashley was outside Ann walked over to the couch and sat beside him. "I'm glad your okay." She said quietly. "Hn." Was the only reply she got. She was silent a moment. "I was really surprised when I woke up and I wasn't here." She told him. "Well it was either there or the damn hospital." He mumbled as he tipped up a beer can to guzzle what was left of the liquid. Ann frowned. Obviously there had been an argument on where she was going to be recovering. And Joker had lost.
"Well, thanks for not letting them put me in the hospital." She told him. Another 'Hn'. He stood and made his way to the kitchen. Ann followed him to see that the refrigerator had been completely emptied of food and replaced with beer. He reached in for another one then began to leave the room, but she stopped him by stepping in his way quickly. He stumbled a bit when he stopped short to avoid running into her. She took the beer form him. "I think you've had enough." She told him as she sat the beer on the counter next to her.
Is he drunk?
I've never seen him drunk before.
He looked at the beer on the counter then glanced back at her. A moment later he reached around her and grabbed her ass with both hands, pulling her against him. Her eyes went wide for the second time in the last two minutes as he picked her and slammed her back against the fridge. She winced at the pain it caused her ribs and shoulder. She didn't have time to dwell on it though; his lips were against hers roughly seconds later.
She felt his manhood through the fabric of their clothes and he moved to nip, bite, and suck on her neck. She moaned as his thumbs massaged roughly at her hips. "Will you beg for me, lil Shadow?" He growled quietly against her neck. She bit her lip as he grinded against her. "Jak, I think your drunk." She told him quietly. Her voice came out deep and huskier than she expected. She felt him smile against her neck.
Suddenly she was thrown over his shoulder. This hurt her ribs again and she let out a small yelp of pain. He didn't seem to notice as he carried her, haphazardly, towards the bedroom. Every step he took hurt a bit. "My ribs are still broken, Jak. Your hurting me." She told him as he approached her bedroom. He suddenly stopped then dropped her to her feet where he steadied her for a moment. After that short moment, however, he twisted the arm that wasn't injured behind her and roughly shoved her into the room and then on the bed. "I told you, you should be in bed." He informed her as he crawled towards her. She hastily backed away, but he grabbed her by the ankle and dragged her under him.
His lips were against hers again as he pulled at her shirt. Apparently he decided not to bother with it. He pulled a double edged knife from his pocket and flicked it open. She immediately stilled at the sight of the blade in his hand. She was already a bit on edge when he was on top of her with a knife. Couple that with his drunken state and she was nearly paranoid. He slipped the knife under her shirt. The knife was indeed sharp, as it required little effort on his part to slice the fabric in two. The tip of the blade ran against her skin as he ran the knife through the shirt. She shivered as it ran over the bandages on her upper body. He slit the thin straps off and the shirt fell away to show the prominent white bandages against her pale skin.
He all but froze in slight shock as he stared at the bandages around her arm and upper body, covering her breasts. Then he frowned. He hadn't even noticed them until that moment.
And 'that's' why he's drinking.
Gentler now he bent down and softly kissed the skin on the edge of the bandages of her arm. She relaxed a bit at his swing from violent and possessive to protective and caring. He nuzzled her neck. "This is 'my' fault." He told her. She shook her head. "Your not responsible for your father's actions." She told him. "I took you to Japan. I practically handed you to him with a bow on top." He told her.
That's a new one.
I think he just sobered up a bit.
She pulled his face up to her to look him in the eyes. They were still a bit cloudy from the alcohol.
Nope, just the usual mood swing with the added effect of alcohol.
"It's not your fault. From what I've figured out, they would have found me eventually anyways. We just got it out of the way early, okay?"
His lips were on hers again an instant later and her eyes went wide a third time as she kissed him back. His mood swings were erratic, she realized suddenly as he grasped at her hips and ground against her. Soon she could no longer restrain herself either, and she kissed him back almost as fervently as he was kissing her
His coat had been left somewhere before she even arrived. Now his shirt was tossed to the other side of the bed and she kicked off her own shoes. Somehow she managed to be glad that he hadn't noticed the hideous things.
She didn't have time to linger on it. She suddenly got a huge taste of beer when his tongue slipped in to tangle with hers as he unbuttoned her pants to tug and pull them past her hips. She fumbled with his pants before he swatted her hands away then pulled hers off her completely. Annoyed and determined to get her way, she grabbed him by the hair suddenly and used his moment of surprise to flip him onto his back and finish trying to take off his pants. His surprise at her actions was written all over his face. She smiled smugly as she pulled his pants completely off, realizing that she had never been so dominant before and usually just let him do his own thing.
He snapped out of his temporary shock when she began pulling at his boxers. Like he had just broken out of a trance, he shook his head slightly before grabbing her by her arms and rolling back over on top of her. Frowning, she tried to flip him again, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned her arms at her sides. Growling, she struggled trying to get her arms free. He smirked down at her. "Whas wrong lil Shadow? Don't like it when you can't move?" He taunted her.
"Damn it Jak! Let go!" She yelled, still squirming. She absolutely hated being pinned down. And she hated it worse when he did it because she hated it. But she was stuck. He was straddling her with his full weight and her arms were pinned next to her. She smirked at him. "You can't exactly take my panties off if your holding my arms down." She told him arrogantly. The smug look on his face vanished for a moment. But a few seconds later a light popped onto his face. "And don't even think about holding my arms above my head. I still have a hole in my shoulder." She told him. His face fell again. Once again, a few seconds later an idea flashed across his face. She giggled. It amazed her how she could read his emotions so easily, when usually he was so hard to read.
He thinks so fast. Even when he's drunk!
He followed through with his thought and she let out a yelp of surprise when she was flipped over onto her stomach and he reclaimed his place on top of her. He was then able to release her hands. "Okay. But I can still move my arms." She told him and waived her arms back and forth on the bed in front of her. It was almost comical until…. "You don't have to be tied to be tamed, love." He whispered in her ear. She shivered, more from his implication than the low menacing tone of his voice.
She had stilled just long enough for him to strip her of her panties before she could resume her struggling. Growling she tried to push herself off the mattress but he denied her by putting his hand on the base of her neck and pushing her back down. He transferred his weight to this hand as he pulled off his boxers with the other. "Damn it! Let me up!" She yelled at him. She heard him laugh low before she was suddenly free for a moment. "Have it your way." He growled before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her up onto her knees. In one smooth quick motion he plunged inside her.
Her eyes shot wide and her mouth dropped as she let out a moan/scream of surprise. Agonizingly slow, he pulled almost completely out before grabbing her by the hips and pulling her back against him hard. Gasping she clutched the sheets under her hands. He ran his finger through her hair grasped ahold of it as he thrust into her. After he was satisfied that she was being submissive he flipped her back over onto her back to continue. But the moment he released her she got back her defiance and practically threw him onto his back and leapt on him. Smirking, he relaxed his hands behind his head and let her straddle him this time. Slowly, almost attentively, she lowered herself over him. He inhaled slowly and then let out a quiet moan.
Reassured, she used her legs to continue raising then lowering herself over his stiffness. After a few minutes his eyes were closed and he was stretching his back. It reminded her of how her back arched, only in a more subtle way. And he was still smirking. The smirking was just eating at her. At least he wasn't frowning at her attempts, but the smirk half felt like he was laughing at her. She smacked his chest. "What's so damn funny?" She asked seriously. At this he actually laughed slightly. She glared at him.
"You'd find it a bit more satisfying if you let me help." He told her. "What do you mean, 'help'? I'm in control here." She told him. He smirked and grabbed her hips. "What the-" He pulled her forward against him horizontally then quickly pushed her back to where she had been. Mouth agape in a silent moan she grasped at his hands, in slight disbelief.
"I told you I'd teach you someday. Here's your chance." He told her as he repeated the motion. She moaned and followed his movements. After a few minutes he stopped moving her and just held her hips as she moved herself. She barely registered the look of pleasure on his face. The corner of his lips were curled up in a look of near pain that gave her a feral glimpse of teeth.
She had to admit, it felt incredible. She could feel him bending inside her with each movement forward and back. He suddenly bucked his hips under her and she gasped as his seed spilled into her. She followed him just as quickly when he thrusted into her a final time and she collapsed on top of him.
Laying there against his chest she focused on controlling her breathing as he played with her hair. Noting that the black stripe that usually graced the right side of her bangs had nearly grown out, only the bottom half of the bangs remained black. But he still twisted the remnants of the black stripe around his fingers idly. Her hair was getting longer than she normally liked. Well past her shoulders, it splayed out over the mattress and along her curves to the middle of her back. She resolved to cut the hair as soon as possible. It wouldn't do if an attacker decided to grab her by the hair like Joker had earlier.
Now that the initial excitement was out of the way she was able to look him over a bit better. She remembered Bruce had said Joker had been injured in the fighting. But she couldn't seem to find any injuries without giving away that she was looking for them. Finally she got impatient. "I heard you were hurt." She whispered. He moved his leg and twisted a bit to show her a strait and long slice on his upper right leg that wrapped around half way. It looked to be healing well. "That damn rapier has more reach than a katana." He explained. "Thank you." She told him. He glanced back down at her. "Any time."
Reaching up behind him he grabbed something off the night stand. "I think you've been missing these." He told her before holding out her bracelet and necklace that he had given her. Smiling happily she pulled the bracelet onto her wrist and he slipped the necklace over her head. She sat up and played with the necklace for a minute. "Your katana's clean and downstairs where it belongs." He told her.
Obviously he was sobered up at least a little bit. He watched her play with the necklace as she contemplated something. "Where do we go now?" She asked suddenly. He gave her a look that said he didn't quite understand the question. "Your whole point was to find me, right? So you found me. Now what?" She asked more clearly, obviously talking about his search for her before she knew who he was and not the 'knight' incident. He frowned and crossed his arms. "What 'exactly' are you expecting?" He asked. Her face fell a bit. She had been hoping he'd be more obliged to tell her his plans. But then again, it was very possible he hadn't had a plan at all. "I dunno." She said, a bit hurt, and looked away.
She found her pants and underwear and pulled them on, still slightly confused, then went to her closet to pick out a grey tank top. She could hear him moving about and looked over her shoulder to see him buttoning his pants. The look on his face told her that he knew there was about to be an argument.
"I have to finish my business here." He told her, as if that should be explanation enough. "I don't understand. You spent half your life trying to find 'me'. Why does anything else friggin matter?" She asked, letting some of her agitation show.
He was silent a moment. "You were expecting a fairy tale ending? Of course I'm not going to just drop everything and run away with you like a pair of love struck children. I finish what I start." He told her.
"I think you just let yourself get caught up in it cause 'Batman' is actually as smart as you are. Your EGO can't let you leave till you prove to yourself that your better." She said shortly. "I bet you probably ended up forgetting me completely until a fluke wound up dropping you in my lap!" She yelled.
Something shiny caught her attention on the other side of the bed and she leaned over to look. On the floor was her new leather coat laid out smooth. On top of it was her belt, knife, guns, and holsters. Her boots were sitting in front of them. They had all been cleaned and laid out neatly to wait for her return.
She grabbed her boots and began lacing them up. She then grabbed her guns in their holsters and her knife and belt and tossed them on the bed. She then picked up her coat and threw it on then flipped her hair out from under the collar. She snapped the front clasps then picked up her weapons again.
"What are you planning?" He asked suddenly, griping her upper arm. She tried to jerk her arm away and hissed when it hurt the wound in her shoulder. Surprised he released her and held up his hands. She glared at him. "I'm not 'planning' anything. But I'll be damned if I just sit and wait for 'you' to finish 'your' little war. Obviously it's more important than I am!" She yelled angrily then stormed out of the bedroom. "It's not like that, Ann." He insisted and followed her.
"Oh that's 'exactly' what it is. Don't bother." She told him as she opened the front door. Ashley was sitting on the floor against the wall by the elevator. The blonde looked up at her. "Were leaving." Ann said simply and headed for the elevator. Ashley jumped to her feet. "Damn it! I'm talking to you!" Joker yelled in a menacing voice from the doorway. Ashley's eyes shot wide. Ann whirled around. "Well I'm THROUGH talking to you! You've made your priorities perfectly clear." She told him before turning and stepping into the elevator. Ashley looked back and forth between them before catching up to Ann. Ann's last sight of him was of him leaning against the door frame across from her as the elevator closed. The look on his face was almost sad.
Okay. So I'm back, temporarily. Not sure when I'll get the time to write after this month. But it may be close to Christmas time before I have another chance. Only home till the 2nd. So I'm making it count. I gotta say. You guys are probably goinna hate me after the ending to this. (Which will be Chapter 40) But I already have it worked out in my head and it has to happen. Fear not. There will be sequels.
A special thanks to Gaara-frenzy and forgetmenotflowers (gawd I hope I spelled that right) (lol) for commenting while I was away.