There was the old, sweet couple who enjoyed the simple things in life; quiet evenings, cinnamon buns, lemon-scented cleaning supplies and wholesome comedies. There was the girl with the smile of an angel who dedicated her life to hunting down sadistic perverts, and there was the murdering madman with clown paint and an unhealthy love for knives.

If you think that a dinner between these people would be an awkward and unpleasant occasion, I'd say you've got some prejudice. And then I would tell you, that you're absolutely right.

Ben fought to hold back tears and held a rag under his nose to soak up the blood, the Joker couldn't sit still and kept saying inappropriate things, Anne was desperately trying to get a somewhat normal conversation going and Freya simply wouldn't stop giggling. At least the food was delicious.

The Joker brought a hand down to his groin to adjust himself without a trace of shame on more than one occasion. One time Anne accidentally caught him, he looked her dead in her eyes and wet his bottom lip with a slow flick of his tongue.

"Fuckin' blue balls, am I right? Anne?" he drawled and grinned at her, Freya choked on her water and started coughing.

"Do ya torture your husband with those, hmm? Like Freya here?" he muttered and glared at her while she pounded on her chest to stop the coughing.

"I'm sorry.. I don't know what that means.." Anne looked at her husband, and now it was his turn to fidget in his chair.

"It's.. when a man experiences discomfort and pain in his..testicles, from being aroused for an extended period of time without.."

"Shooting his load-ah.." the Joker finished the sentence, Anne's face turned red and Freya broke down into another fit of loud giggling, then turned to look at the painted man beside her.

"Would you stop? My face is hurting." she begged him and massaged the apples of her cheeks, he clicked his tongue and cocked a brow.

"Uh.. what did I dooo..?" he innocently wondered, she gave him a loving smile and gently brushed a few greasy, green-tinted curls away from his face.

"Just.. try being quiet for a few minutes, eat your food." she suggested and let her thumb brush his bottom lip as she dropped her hand down again, his eyes turned darker and a lustful shadow crossed his features.

"Come here.." he mumbled and leaned in to her, he snaked an arm around the back of her neck and pulled her forward to plant an open mouthed kiss on her lips. He used way more tongue than what felt appropriate in front of the old couple and Freya felt herself blushing, the red spreading over her neck and cheeks like sunburn. She broke the kiss early, but his hold around her neck was so firm that she got nowhere.

"Let's go upstaaaiiirs..?" he purred an inch from her ear, and her heart pounded harder when the low vibration of his voice touched every part of her in a very good way.

"For the tenth time.. no. Save it for later." she whispered back to him and caressed his knee to soften the blow of her rejection. His fingers clasped around the fabric of her hoodie and a sharp breath tickled her ear, she instantly realised that touching him was a mistake.

With an assertive grip of her hair he pulled away slightly to gaze into her eyes with charcoal hued orbs. They gave her a window into what was going on inside of his head, and her heart dropped when she met them.

They revealed that he fought against the urge to drag her upstairs by her hair and take what he wanted by force, or something much, much worse. She sincerely hoped that he wouldn't ask this question again, because there was no doubt that one more rejection would ignite something very bad.

"Please darling.. keep it together." she whispered with a frail voice she didn't recognize from herself.

For a few seconds his features remained menacing, but soon they softened and he even managed to stretch his lips into a shape that resembled a smile.

"Mmhh.. Please darling.. I like that." he purred and withdrew from her, finally allowing her to breathe again.

"Are ya pleased with yourself, Ben? Had ya not shown your saggy face up there.." the Joker sourly muttered and poked at his food.

"I'm terribly sorry.."

"You thought you were sneaky, too bad you're clumsy like a hippo. Don't be surprised if Ben is frisky tonight, Anne, considering the view he caught of my girl.. I bet I'm not the only one with blue balls at this table." the Joker drawled with mockery and Ben hung his head to avoid the dark stare aimed in his direction.

"I did not intend to see anything." he mumbled down to his plate, the Joker opened his mouth as he wanted to scold the old man but Freya interrupted.

"Please let it go, it doesn't matter.." She asked him softly, he clicked his tongue and turned to look at her with narrowed eyes.

"Do I embarrass you, or what?"

"Kind of.. Why don't you eat?" she cooed, he rolled his eyes but finally turned his attention to the food.

"Fine." He muttered and shoved a fork full of lasagna into his mouth, Freya turned her gaze from his annoyed frame to look at Anne.

"This is delicious." she said and Anne gave her a timid but sincere smile.

"Thank you dear.. uhm, do you like it, mister.. J?" Anne asked the Joker with a voice so thin it could have been mistaken for a whisper and glanced fleetingly in his direction. With narrowed eyes he studied her in silence, she shrunk under his gaze and cursed on the inside at her stupidity.

"It's uh, courteous to look someone in the eyes when you talk to them, Anne. You're being rude." he mocked and Anne's stomach contorted into painful knots, yet she forced herself to meet his haunting, black eyes.

"I'm sorry." she whispered and his red lips curled.

"It's very tasty. Freya was right, you're a good cook."

That voice couldn't belong to anybody else, but Anne thought the words sounded so odd coming from the clown that she had to repeat what he had just said in her head. Even though she tried hard to detect the usual mockery always present in his voice, she couldn't find it.

"Oh.. thank you so much. Don't you want some salad?" encouraged by his compliment she reached for the salad bowl, but the knots in her stomach twisted when he chuckled.

"Uh.. no thanks. But I wouldn't mind dessert." he bit his bottom lip and raised his eyebrows, reminding Anne of a mischievous child trying to look innocent.

"There is dessert in the fridge."

"Ooooo! Ve-ry good Anne!" the clown exclaimed in a joyous manner and gave her an approving smirk that made the knots in her stomach relax a little. Even on a heavy amount of sedatives, this dinner was an emotional rollercoaster.

Once they were done she cleaned the dishes and put the dessert down in the middle of the table with slightly shaky hands. It was a gooey, chocolate mud cake with whipped cream and raspberries. The sight of it made the Joker's jaw drop and Freya held back a chuckle.

"This is my favourite." She said to him and watched with a smile as he licked his lips and twisted in his chair.

"I'll uh, cut the cake." he said and reached for the cake knife. "La-dy Anne, how big of a piece would ya like?"

"Oh.. Not that big." She answered him and he cut out a neat wedge of the cake, carefully placed it on a plate and handed it to her, smiling widely when she thanked him.

He continued to cut another piece, but this time he wasn't as careful. Instead he sloppily hacked up an uneven piece and carelessly scraped it down onto a plate.

With his tongue between his teeth and a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he used the knife to smear the cake out all over the plate until it was nothing but a flat, mushy mess of raspberries, chocolate and cream. Finally he topped it with a few more raspberries, as if that would make it look less like a dog's dinner, and handed the plate over to Ben.

"Enjoy." his voice was just as full of derision as the smirk on his scarlet lips.

"Thanks.." Ben mumbled and studied his plate with a grim face, the Joker grinned and turned to Freya.

"Was that really necessary?" she gave him a stern look but he merely giggled as a response.

Once he had given Freya a generous portion he grabbed a spoon and the plate with the rest of the cake and placed it in front of himself.

"Mmmh.. Now this is how you get on my good side, Anne." He murmured and pointed his spoon in her direction after swallowing his first mouthful.

"Are you really going to eat that whole thing by yourself?" Freya asked him and made a lot of effort to keep her features stern, something that proved to be very difficult when he gave her a chocolate-smothered, toothy grin and nodded.

"What if anybody wants seconds?"

"Too bad." he drawled and stared at her without blinking while slowly dragging the spoon out of his mouth after taking another obscenely big mouthful of cake. He smirked when Freya's face contorted, she looked away from him and took a deep breath to stop herself from laughing.

"Are you staying here tonight.. J?" Anne asked and the joyous look melted away from his face in an instant.

"Unfortunately not.. Got stuff to do.." he muttered and Freya looked at him, a frown of disappointment clouding her face.

"Oh no.. When are you coming back?"

".. When you're healthy enough to come with me. Can't come here too often, you never know if someone.. Follows. Will you miss me, doll?" he asked her and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Of course.. I'm healthy enough to go now."

"You're not." he said with such sharpness that Freya decided not to protest, she turned her gaze away from him and sunk into a sullen silence.

"What are you going to do..?" Anne asked him and he shrugged.

"I have some murdering to do."

"Ohh.." Anne mumbled, instantly regretting her question.

"I'm after the rat who shot Freya, and another guy.. But I am stuck.. Because I can't show my scarred fucking face anywhere." he muttered and cracked his knuckles before continuing. "But it's kinda funny, two men are trying to have each other killed by offering money to whoever can get it done, and they both keep raising the price on each other's heads every week."

"Who are they?" Freya asked.

"Leone Falcone and Matthew Adams Wolf, if that helps ya.." he said and furrowed his brows when she chuckled.

"What did Leone do this time?"

"You.. know who he is..?"

"One stupid guy. Not the same way that Bob is stupid, but he's such a proud hothead that he keeps getting himself into all kinds of shit." she said and he stared at her with an open mouth.

"Freya, you need to tell me everything you know.."

"Who are you going for?"

"Wolf."

"Are you sure? Leone doesn't actually have any money to pay anybody anything, you know that right?"

"E-ven better.. Problem is, Wolf is nowhere to be found."

"I bet Gavin knows where he is."

"Gavin..?"

"His dealer. He has some unique stuff, I'm sure Wolf can't live without it."

"How do you know these things?"

"I've been to many of Wolf's parties." she said and shrugged, he smacked his lips and barely blinked as he stared at her.

"Huh.. where would I find, uh.. Gavin?"

"He might be hiding as well now if Wolf is.. but I know he used to hang at The Elephant a lot, I think his cousin owns that place. You could most likely find some of his clients there." she said, he chewed on the inside of his scars and fidgeted in his chair.

"Kinda hard for me to ask around in there without drawing attention to myself.."

"So have Bob or Evan do it, I'm sure they're very good at that kind of delicate work." She mocked and grinned.

"Funny.." he muttered and studied her with a sullen expression.

"You know who is very good at exactly this?" she teased and wiggled her eyebrows at him, he clicked his tongue.

"You know you are wanted as well, right?"

"All it takes is some strong makeup and a wig, nobody will recognize me in that murky dive bar." she said and smiled when she saw him seriously considering what she was saying.

"How would you do it, toots..?"

"I'd try to find and connect with a customer of his."

"Connect..?" The Joker's eyes narrowed.

"..I know what you're thinking, and yes I would probably flirt some. It's effective, J, and it's only a strategy.."

"Mmm, sure. How far would you go?"

"Just enough to let them think they could get somewhere with me if they play their cards right.." she assured him, his lips tensed into a straight line.

"I.. don't like it." he growled through his teeth, Freya shot him a derisive glare.

"Don't be an idiot, this is a perfect job for me."

"An idiot, hmm?"

"Yeah, you said you're stuck? You have someone like me willing to help you, and you're about to say no because of jealousy?"

"I'm.. not jealous.. uh, so you wouldn't.. do anything with anyone?"

"No, nothing physical. Only empty promises."

"Hmph. And you think you could find someone there who knows where Gavin is?"

"Yes, people who wants to buy from him are referred to that bar." she said and he looked at her, drumming his fingers on the table while making a decision. Finally he turned to Ben.

"For how much longer does she need your help?"

"As long as she's being careful and keeps the wound clean she could go in a week or so."

"Fine, if I can't find this guy within a week you can help. Happy, toots?"

1 Week later

For the 50th time in the last half hour Freya looked out of the window, equally disappointed every time she didn't see his car.

Today was the day. She was about to leave this comfortable but extremely boring place and go on her first ever mission for him.

Yesterday he had called and reluctantly let her know that he needed her help after all, and Freya's pulse was still beating fast from that phone call. For once she hadn't been able to sleep much, but worried little about it. Tired eyes would only complement her look for this mission.

One of her legs kept jumping up and down to release some energy, and the waiting was really starting to get on her nerves. She drew a sigh and diverted her eyes to the tv that currently aired Anne's and Ben's favourite gardening show. As expected, the slow pace of it only made her more frustrated.

"How are you dear? You seem anxious." Freya turned to look at Anne and gave her a small smile, thinking that this woman must be the most natural fit to the description of a sweet old grandma there was.

"I'm fine, I just hate waiting like this."

"He'll come."

"How are you guys feeling about him showing up here?"

"Like shit." Ben grunted, having that look on his face that he always did when anyone mentioned the madman, as if he had been constipated for days.

"Really, even after he transferred all that money to you guys?" she asked and Ben nodded slightly.

"Not much I can do with money if I'm dead.."

"No I know, but it's a sign that he's trying to keep you happy. Why would he do that if he was going to kill you?" Freya tried to sound assuring, but Ben hung his head.

"He's so unpredictable. . And my worst nightmare. You know he's killed a man in this house? He brought a cut up, dying man here once, asked me to save him. I did, and soon discovered that the monster just wasn't done with his interrogation.. He tortured some more information out of the man and then stuck his knife into his eye socket. I had to clean all of the blood up after he left.. Somehow that blood got to me, unlike the blood I encounter when I'm working. At least he brought the body with him.." Ben's face took the colour of ashes, he shivered at the memory and Freya looked at him with eyes full of sympathy.

"I'm so sorry you two have to deal with this.."

"Not your fault dear, and you've been lovely." Anne said, sounding sincere and comforting.

"There is nothing lovely about me." Freya muttered and turned her head to look out the window again. Still no sign of him.

"Ben, there is something I've been meaning to ask you." she said and turned to face him instead.

"Shoot."

"Have you ever heard of a condition that makes you feel like ants are crawling under your skin?" she asked him and his brows furrowed, making him look both constipated and confused.

"..Yes. It's a tactile hallucination. The sensation of having ants or other insects crawling on or inside of you is one of the most common ones. It's funny you should ask, we had a patient with this very condition not long ago."

"What causes it?"

"Can be many things. Let me guess, the clown?"

"Uhm, yeah. He said they're always crawling, and that they're eating at his brain.." she unconsciously reached a hand up to her head and started scratching her own scalp as she spoke.

"Sounds like he's got an extreme case of it. He always experiences this?" Ben furrowed his brows again.

"More or less, he says all he can do is to distract himself. And.. he says they calm down when I'm close."

"He says ants, but I'm sure that's only part of it. If he wasn't satan, I would actually feel sorry for him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, like I said this condition can be caused by many things, but since we're talking about him.. I'm pretty sure this is about a severe case of constant anxiety. He always looks like he's on edge, doesn't he? He's always fidgeting, he's always extremely tense.." Ben looked deep in thought and Freya nodded.

"He can't sleep, he says he panics when everything is dark and quiet."

"Not surprising, he probably needs constant distraction. You said it calms down when you're close?"

"He says so."

"You must be calming his anxiety then.."

"So he's constantly experiencing anxiety so severe that he's hallucinating?" Freya asked quietly, feeling her insides twist painfully as she thought about him.

"That would be my guess. Like I said, I think the ants only are the tip of the iceberg, and the easiest feeling for him to explain. Anxiety can be hard to put into words, especially when it's a constant part of you."

"Yeah.. Is this something you're born with?"

"He could be born with it, or it could come from trauma.. He sure looks like he's been through some stuff."

"He has.."

"But I don't think he only suffers from anxiety, I'm sure that guy has several mental disorders." Ben muttered with slight derision to his voice.

"I want to help him." Freya said and looked at Ben as he scoffed.

"Pfft, the only way to help that monster is to put a bullet through his brain." Ben spewed, unable to hide the hatred from his voice. Anne gasped and stared at her husband with shock.

"Ben!"

"What? He's a coldblooded murderer!" Ben grumbled and met his wife's gaze with anger.

"Perhaps, but Freya likes him.."

"It's okay Anne, it's very understandable that you two aren't fond of him. Ben, I have something else to ask you.. Have you heard anything about a panic inducing toxin?"

"A panic inducing toxin..?"

"Yeah, a 'medicine' that a psychiatrist named Jonathan Crane is experimenting with."

"Ah! I know who he is, a few years ago we referred some of our patients to him. But not for long, he had some nasty rumours going on about him."

"Like what?"

"That he was doing some immoral and illegal experimenting on people." he explained and she couldn't help but scoff.

"Sounds about right.. Do you know where he is now?"

"No, his license was revoked. Why?"

"I need to.. see him. Could you do a little snooping for me when you get back to work?"

"I'll try, but.. Freya, seriously, your taste in men is going to get you killed one day.." Ben shook his head and looked as if he honestly feared for her sanity, Freya merely chuckled.

"I know."

The Elephant

2 hours later

It fascinated Freya, that so many people who don't ever shower all had found their way to one and the same bar. The intense smells of stale sweat and smoke had forced her to go to the bathroom for some "fresh" air. To the bathroom.

"Disgusting pigs." She muttered to her own reflection and adjusted her clothes, careful not to move the tiny listening device that J had insisted on her wearing.

Just so I can help you if anything goes wrong, he had assured her when she had called him a control freak.

She sighed and carefully fixed the heavy, smudged eyeliner under her eyes as it had become too smudgy and then critically studied herself.

She wore high waisted jeans that looked like they were painted on and an equally tight, white turtleneck. The wig was long and straight, it would have been boring if it wasn't for the bangs and the many subtle highlights that brought it to life.

Her eyes diverted to the bathroom door as it opened and a short woman her age waddled through the opening. Pasty fat brimmed over the edge of her shoulderless top and her blonde bob barely reached past her multiple set of chins.

She eyed Freya with a pissy, drunken look on her face as if she wanted to accuse her of something, but said nothing and waddled all the way over to a stall and closed the door. The following sound coming from that stall couldn't be described as anything other than a minor explosion. The woman groaned with relief, and Freya left the room with haste as it quickly got hard to breathe.

She set course for the bar but was stopped in her tracks as someone grabbed her arm. She quickly turned around and met the eyes of a man she had seen looking at her earlier.

"Oh, you scared me!" Freya exclaimed with a lighthearted tone of voice and flashed him a bright smile.

"Sorry.." he mumbled and carefully moved his eyes over her face. He had a boyish twinkle in them, but his emaciated face and bad skin made him look older than he probably was. There was something shy about the way he dug his hands into the front pockets of his worn out jeans and despite the murky lighting in the room Freya thought she detected some redness on his cheeks. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again.

"Why'd you grab me?" She asked to make it easier for him, careful not to sound accusing.

"I uhm.. Just wanted to talk to you. I saw you walk in there, I've waited.." he mumbled and glanced at her, she cocked a brow.

"You've waited for me?"

"Yeah, I.. couldn't help but overhear when you talked to the bartender earlier. You're looking for Gavin Oswald?" he asked quietly and she let her eyes widen.

"Yes! Do you know him?"

"Let's talk somewhere more private?" he asked with a low voice. She agreed and followed him to a booth in a quiet corner, ignoring the gawking men she had to pass by on the way over there.

Once they sat down they studied each other in silence and she gave him a kind smile to ease his obvious discomfort.

"Uhm, you're after full moon, aren't you?" he finally said, she raised her eyebrows as if surprised.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"A lot of pretty girls like that one, I've heard. Why is that? Not that it's not good, I freaking love it myself.." he smiled, showing off a crooked, browning row of teeth she tried hard not to scrunch her nose at.

"..You know how you don't have any appetite for a few days after using it?" she said thoughtfully.

"Yeah?"

"If you take a minimal dose everyday it really keeps your appetite down."

"Aaah.. I get it. Good for strippers, right?"

".. And models, yeah. And to keep relaxed during a job you just increase the dose.. It's a goddamn life saver." she said and he eagerly nodded.

"Cool, cool.. I love that stuff."

"Then we have something in common. But.. where the hell is the guy? I have lost his goddamn number.. Do you have it?"

"No, and he doesn't take calls right now. He's sort of gone.. Probably some bad people after him." the twitchy man said and looked around, Freya arranged her features to look disappointed.

"Shit.. Is there anybody else who has that stuff?"

"No there isn't. But you know, I have his address.. He still sells to some of his regulars, those who he trusts." he said and smiled, pleased that he was able to catch the attention of the beautiful woman in front of him.

"Oh, you're my hero!"

"But I can't give it to you.. If he found out that I gave away his hiding place..." the man visibly shivered, she pouted and looked at him with puppy eyes.

"Please.. I wouldn't let him know I got it from you."

"Sorry." he said and shook his head. Freya dropped her hands down to the table and stared quietly at him, her features heavy with disappointment.

"So why did you even fucking tell me about it?" she muttered and moved over to the edge of the seat as if she was about to leave.

"Nono, wait, please!" he exclaimed and she stopped moving to look at him. "I just thought that if you, maybe.. If you give me money, I could buy it for you. But you have to give me enough to buy some for myself as well, I'm completely broke.." he mumbled and avoided her gaze, she sighed heavily.

"But I am broke too! You know, I.. I usually pay him.. in other ways." she fixed her eyes on the table, wanting to look as if she just had revealed something very embarrassing. His eyes widened.

"Oh..!"

"So.. If you tell me where he is I'll treat him so good that he gives me enough for a long time, and I'll split it with you." she said and his jaw dropped.

"Really? For free?"

"You'll pay me by giving me the address." she said and the offer seemed to be too good to resist for him, because he wrote the address and his own phone number down on a piece of paper and gave it to her.

"Promise me you'll call." he asked her with an anxious frown between his brows, she leaned forward and lightly patted his cheek.

"No doubt, sweetie." She cooed and flashed her pearly whites at him before leaving for the exit, trying hard to walk like a normal human being and not dance out of there in pure joy. Gotta love a desperate crackhead.

"I got it, J." she whispered under her breath once she was outside again and took a deep breath to inhale the stink-free air.

He was hiding in an alley close by, and she quickened her step as she couldn't wait to see his scarred face. She worried slightly about him being bothered by some of the things she had said, but once she turned right to enter the alley she knew there was no need for that.

Like a cheshire cat he grinned from ear to ear when she turned around the corner and he bounced on his feet as he walked up to her.

"I did it!" she called out, a bit too loud, unable to suppress the pride swelling inside of her.

"You did it." he mumbled under his breath and grabbed her face in his hands as soon as he got close enough, his nails digging into her skin as he tilted her head back and leaned down to her. His mouth sought her mouth, locked on it, and sucked on her lips and tongue with hunger. It was a forceful kiss, yet sort of soft, and the heat of his lips left her defenseless.

She reached her hands upwards and wrapped them around his neck, a soft moan left his mouth when he felt her tugging at his green curls. At last he pulled away, but lingered close with his eyes shut, his thumb caressing her cheek.

"You brilliant beauty." he smiled against her lips and gave a quiet chuckle.

"You need me." she whispered back to him and felt him nod slightly.

"Yes I do.." he admitted and released a low groan of pleasure as she nibbled on his bottom lip.

She was too gentle for his liking right now, the softness of her touch fueled the already overbearing amount of frustration that tormented him every god damn waking second, and he wished for her to bite down hard enough to draw blood.

A sound like that of a rat scouring through a container reached them both, and they were instantly snapped out of the trance they had gotten each other into.

"We need to go." The Joker mumbled, he grabbed her hand and dragged her along with him out of the dark alley.He pulled his hoodie far down over his face and kept walking in silence until they reached the car, once they had gotten inside they both took a deep breath.

"Christ Freya.. the possibilities with your help are endless." he purred dreamily as he started the engine.

"I've tried to tell you. When are we going for him?" she asked and saw his expression stiffen slightly.

"Not sure I want you to be a part of that.." he mumbled and then picked up his phone as he felt it vibrating, he stared at the screen with furrowed brows and turned to her.

"If I take this call, can you promise to be completely quiet?"

"Sure." she assured him and stared with wide opened eyes at him as he answered the phone.

He was annoyed from the start of the conversation, and Freya was extremely frustrated that she couldn't hear the other end of the call as it sounded interesting. The longer the phone call went on he seemed more and more annoyed until he finally hung up in the middle of the caller's sentence.

"What was that about?" she asked, unable to stifle her curiosity. He was quiet for a moment, a grim look upon his face, then took a deep breath and hesitated before he spoke.

I'm sure this was a boring chapter, but I have to move the story forward. As always, thank you for reading xxx

If you have anything to say, please say it :) I love to hear from you all.