Chapter Fifty-Two: A Loving Debate

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A/N: Thanks to the early snow fall, I've been working more and more hours at work so that's the excuse I have for the late chapter. Anyway, I thought this chapter was really overdue—time for Allegra and Joker to address what's going on between them, yeah? Thanks for reviewing my chapters, you all! I'm surprised this story has as many views and follows as it does! XD

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"So...you shot Thomas?" Gus asked as Allegra took her uniform cap off her head, placing it on her lap. She glanced at him.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"How else will these people learn that Dawes is the next target?" asked Joker from the driver's seat (as though it was more than painfully obvious); he watched them from the rearview mirror. Allegra glanced in his direction, only taking into consideration his words before looking at Gus.

"That's tough..." Gus uttered.

"'Tough titty', said the kitty, 'but the milk is still good'." Allegra cited, giving Gus a smile. He gazed at her, surprised by her turn of phrase before she returned the more meaningful look. Her message underneath was not to question Joker any further. When Gus understood the nonverbal threat, he nodded, then began a conversation about something else with Red, Darren, and Richard, whom all three were subtly quiet. Allegra crawled into the passenger seat, lowering her feet awkwardly to the floorboard. Joker drove back to the house, his driving no more reckless than when Allegra steered the streets. When they parked, the boys were loading their guns with the ammo left from the guards' uniforms. Allegra glanced back at them as though she was a mother smiling at her excitable children.

"Think they'll take the hint, Commander?"

Joker gave her an odd look in reaction to her addressing him.

"You are the commander."

"You don't have to tell me what I already know." Joker replied; a bit full of himself at the moment but for the situation presenting itself, he had good reason to be; the plan had gone off without a hitch, and Allegra was eying him rather provocatively...well, more than usual.

Allegra leaned over to kiss him, but he avoided her. Allegra looked at him curiously. She glanced over him, wondering in her own mind if something was wrong. The look he gave her in return made her smile falter. He cleared his throat, turning in his seat to look at his men.

"Boys, give us a moment, hm?"

"Sure, boss." Darren returned immediately. He gathered the men out of the van and into the house quickly without another word. They followed him, sensing the arrival of tension. They weren't the only ones for Allegra watched them, then turned to Joker expectantly.

He didn't look at her right then—he took off his cap, moving his hands through his hair to make it all fall back in a scraggly frame of his face; he placed the hat on the dash board, looking at her plainly.

"Don't tell me you're going to say I've done something wrong," Allegra stated before he even spoke a word. "I shot Thomas in the knee—and he didn't die. That's more than..."

"Allegra," Joker interrupted.

"What?" said she, looking at him with a slighted glare.

He turned towards her, one of his legs tucking underneath him while his right arm hung over the back of his seat. He smiled at her, but it wasn't happy; he acknowledged her tone and Allegra only returned the unhappy smile sarcastically.

"Don't assume you already know what I'm going to say to you," said Joker calmly, but under the surface lurked irritation. "You were right; you did what I asked."

"Then why did you dismiss me?"

Joker smiled again, saying, "We were in front of company."

"You never considered them company."

"I never considered them to be anything but that," Joker replied coolly. He pulled the parking break, and took the keys out of the van, looking at her simply. "Showing any kind of affection in front of them is..."

"'Unprofessional'?" Allegra finished, her tone biting.

Joker raised his eyebrows at her, surprised by her tone. She'd be caught off guard too, for she blinked.

"Yes," Joker answered, recovering from her previous disarm.

"You didn't care when I was all over you in front of Maroni, and vice versa."

"That was different."

"Tell me how." Allegra retorted. Her tone was biting again, practically a gnaw of sarcasm and hurt. While her voice deceived her, Allegra's eyes remained of stone.

"That wasn't affection," Joker told her, wagging his finger at her. "That was bragging."

"I know," said Allegra. "So how was this any different?" She referred to her initial kiss five minutes ago.

Joker smirked at her.

"Did my dismissive actions hurt your feelings, Allegra?" Joker questioned, his voice clearly mocking and nothing close to comfort or reassurance.

"Not my feelings."

"Just your pride," Joker turned it around.

Allegra glared at him. But she had no ready retort for it. This only made him laugh.

"Must I remind you, Allegra, that we're not some dowdy couple that kiss and hug in front of employees? This whole charade is not a reality, pet; it's an illusion."

Allegra smiled bitterly, "You don't have to remind me. I know what it is."

"Do you?" Joker questioned.

She gave no answer.

"I didn't realize your pride hung so precariously in the balance." He gestured to the air, once more, ironically.

"Not by you," Allegra remarked vehemently.

"Found your voice again, did ya?" Joker returned, his smile widening. "Maybe you're confused about what's going on between us."

"What exactly," she uttered carefully, "did you mean by 'illusion'? Am I not part of your team?"

Joker chuckled, looking at the roof of the car before looking at her with an exhausted expression.

"You are. And you make a beautiful lieutenant."

"So, then, in what illusion am I partaking?" Allegra inquired harshly.

Joker found her tone no longer amusing. What had begun to be a game of simple circumstance seemed to take a serious tone for the worst. There was an unmistakable glint of disagreement in her eyes that he found to be rather...unsettling. He sat forward; she leaned back.

"I feel like we're not on the same page anymore," Joker uttered with a sigh. He put his hand through her hair, pulling her head back so he was towering over her; she frowned at him, never wincing or grunting at the pain. She might as well haven't even felt it.

"Let's get a few things clear right now, before you get any other ideas about what goes on between us." Joker stated calmly, but his grip on her roots was staggeringly painful.

Allegra reached behind her, taking his hand and pulling it from her hair. He smirked when she succeeded but that didn't mean he took a few strands for strength sake.

"I'm your boss, you're my—"

"I'm not one of your lowlife goons you deploy and disband," Allegra interrupted. "You've said many times in the past that you consider me your lieutenant—you just said it now."

"I set you above the rest, sure," Joker recanted, "but I can easily demote you."

"'Demote me'?" Allegra repeated incredulously. "I'm the best of them."

"Actually, in perspective, you're the worst."

"That's great, coming from the leader of the misfits and outcasts." Allegra retorted.

Joker laughed, "You have no idea how adorable you sound when you're angry."

"I'm not angry."

"Then why the tone?"

"I don't have a tone," Allegra argued.

"You're raising your voice."

"I'm raising hell!" Allegra snapped angrily. "Do you know why!"

"Can't say it would benefit me any to find out," Joker drawled. He got out of the van, hopping out and closing the door.

Allegra got out too, walking around the van furiously.

"So, you're just going to ignore me?" Allegra shouted.

Joker looked at her, surprised at her sudden outburst. When she stepped towards him threateningly, Joker took one of her wrists and bent it back; she cringed at the sound of pulling muscles and it brought her to her knees. Joker held it tightly, making her squirm.

"Don't you raise your voice to me again, Allegra," Joker told her dangerously. "I've given you only a sprained wrist, but I'm not above breaking it."

"Then do it." Allegra gasped, attempting to hide the pain he'd caused.

"That'd make you feel better, wouldn't it?" Joker returned, looking down at her as she still stood on her knees.

"Yeah," laughed Allegra weakly. "It would."

Joker did as she wished—he grabbed her wrist again and bent it all the way back until the sound of bones cracked and Allegra screamed once, but only that one time. She moved on the ground, feeling every throbbing knife-stabbing pain in her wrist. Joker stooped, making her look at him as he grabbed her jaw. Tears fell down her cheeks but the grin on her face made a mixed expression of painful pleasure.

"When I hired you, I wasn't speed dating, Allegra." Joker stated pointedly. "You knew what you were getting when you hopped on my lap in a strip club and offered yourself to me."

Allegra smiled at him bitterly. She couldn't answer. Joker smiled sardonically.

"Don't tell me that you're..."

"I don't love you," Allegra returned, glaring at him. She got to her feet, pushing his hands from her face or any part of her at all. "Why do you keep asking me, huh?"

Joker crossed his arms over his chest, watching her face redden with rage and pain. Half of the latter was his own making, but the rest of it was all of her.

"You are so full of yourself, Joker," Allegra told him coldly. "Why do you mistake my loyalty for love? What is it about me that convinces you I'd ever love anyone?"

"I never assumed you were in love with me." Joker reminded. "You brought that up yourself."

"So what in the hell were you about to imply?"

Joker chuckled, "This goes back to my previous statement: Don't assume you know what I'm about to tell you." He stepped towards her. "And I have a lot of the past I can refer to that makes me think you're feeling a bit more for me than what is considered professional."

Allegra rolled her eyes, "That's ridiculous."

Joker laughed, "Is it?" He laughed in genuine amusement; holding up a finger to claim item number one, he named: "You turn on your past employers."

"Maroni means shit to me." Allegra replied coldly. "Why do you keep bringing him up?"

"Because I like to watch you squirm and defend yourself," Joker stated. "I think it's funny when I bring him up that the first thing you tell me is you have nothing towards the guy."

"Because I don't."

"I know," Joker replied. "That's why it's so funny. Then," He stepped closer to her so they were within touching distance, "You insist on doing everything my way, even though I'm more than certain you'd rather do it your way."

"I do it your way, because you're my boss."

"No, no, no," Joker chuckled. "I think you see me as more than just your boss, Allegra. Darren, Richard, Gus, Red—they see me as their boss. You...You, Allegra, think I'm more than that. Don't you?"

"No." Allegra said, shaking her head.

"You're lying."

"I'm not lying!" Allegra snapped. "All the shit you know about me, why would I lie to you! Why do you think because I disagree with your psychoanalytic love debates, I'm lying to you?"

"You're a good liar," Joker returned reasonably. "It's only smart of me to think you're yanking my chain all the time, every time."

Allegra stared at him.

"Well, I'm not."

"Are you sure?" Joker questioned, leaning towards her.

Allegra frowned at him. Were they really having this argument of all days?

"Maybe it's you who's kidding himself," Allegra rounded coldly. "Maybe you're the one falling for me."

"You could not be more delusional," Joker laughed, clearly amused.

"Oh yeah?" asked Allegra. "How do I know you're not lying to me? You're just as good of a liar. You tell me you have no feelings for me, that I'm completely expendable and you could replace me just easily with some other broad."

"Still true," Joker returned casually.

"Then why keep me around?" Allegra returned.

"I like my command over you and I enjoy the little on the side," Joker stated honestly, grinning at her when Allegra was taken aback by his brutal honesty. When she stared at him incredulously, Joker smirked at her.

"See, Allegra? I have no emotional debate over our current situation." Joker stated. "Work and pleasure should hardly ever tie themselves together. It causes too much tension and..."

He stopped when Allegra was glaring at him in the hardest way possible. It was an anger Joker hadn't ever seen before. What lurked behind the rage was something he couldn't piece together but the daggers she glowered at him would make anyone wince and batten down the hatches. But Joker found it impressive.

"I've become a liability to you, haven't I?" Allegra asked him quietly. Her volume was soft but the tone was cruel.

When Joker didn't answer her, Allegra stepped towards him.

"I don't want us to be a couple," Allegra told him. "I don't want you to be my boyfriend, fiance or husband—I don't want you that way."

Joker laughed, "Ah, so now you're agreeing with me."

"No," Allegra responded immediately.

Joker smirked at her when she moved closer; her hands touched his shoulders.

"Then what, do you think, we are exactly?" Joker questioned. He didn't touch her back.

"What we were six months ago," Allegra answered.

"Clearly," Joker chuckled, "Something has changed. Everything I do affects you one way or another, Bunny. I may have been out of the game for a period of time, but I'm not oblivious."

"No," said Allegra. "You're brilliant. But we can't ever be anything closer than commander and lieutenant."

Joker found this entertaining for he snorted, "Although I agree more than ever with that, I'm begging to know why."

"A girl's father should be the first man she can trust. I couldn't trust him—why would I trust you?" Allegra questioned curtly.

"How does that have anything to do with the annoying theory that you're madly in love with me?" Joker asked cynically.

"Love is being able to trust one another, and willing to die for each other. You're not willing to die for me, nor I for you. You can't trust me to tell you the truth, and I can't trust you to not manipulate my sexual feelings for you to match some love-tainted conspiracy." Allegra returned logically.

Joker gave her an odd look, finding her answer to be...awfully accurate.

"And that's all I feel towards you," said Allegra with an afterthought. "Our relationship is purely sexual."

"Is that it?" Joker asked.

"Other than I owe you the respect of not being some cheap, dime-store hood, and you owe me the respect of me being a masochistic pickpocket." Allegra stated—this comment made Joker smile, genuinely smile.

Allegra shrugged, "And I think you're a narcissistic, anarchistic bastard."

"And you're a sexually aggressive, homicidal weirdo." Joker replied in the same factual tone.

They looked at each other briefly. Allegra cracked a grin. As did the Joker.

Then, as though something was triggered between both of them, they suddenly kissed, hard.

The men from the house stared at them obliviously from the windows. Darren and Richard glanced at each other, misunderstanding what had been a brutal argument to be resolved by name-calling. Somehow it seemed to work.

"Do you think," Gus began curiously, "that Joker and Allegra love each other?"

"Didn't you just hear their conversation?" Darren asked. "They don't."

"But they're so fucking psycho," Richard reasoned, "they may not know it themselves."

"If that's love," said Darren, watching Allegra wrap her arms around Joker (she was cradling her broken, right wrist) as he moved his arms around her waist so as to make them more closely involved, "I think I'm starting to understand why Dad had commitment issues; he never could stay with a woman too long—surprised he stayed with my mom as long as he did.

Richard chuckled, "Guess he left yo mom after she tried that broomstick thing in bed."

Darren blinked at Richard, staring at him incredulously. He was ignored though as they watched Joker and Allegra, both of whom were still clad in their uniforms, become more involved in what had began as a simple, rough kiss—especially when Allegra's bodily urges took over and pinned him on the pavement. It was at that time, the boys withdrew their eyes.

"You know what irks me most about anything else?" asked Gus, looking at the men as they began playing a game of Poker.

"Sure."

"Have you noticed that they're kinda like a mom and dad, and we're like the children they kinda boss around or something," said Gus uncomfortably.

Darren and Richard looked at Gus; Red, who had been quiet most of the time looked at all of them.

"I have," said Red. He shrugged. "It's not that bad."

They all considered this for a second, then nodded, all in agreement on that note.

"Aces are high," said Darren as he began to deal.