"We can't stay for too long," Adriana said to the Joker when she arrived to the medical facility with Arsenio that afternoon. "I have a hair appointment."
"Hair appointment," the Joker said and looked down to where Arsenio was standing and holding a red stick. "What's that?"
"Mawaa!" Arsenio said and took a few steps over and held onto the Joker's leg.
"It's a mallet," Adriana said. "It's part of the xylophone set he got for his birthday a little while ago."
"Oh, lovely," the Joker said and saw that Arsenio was stretching his arms upwards. He wanted to be picked up.
"Mawaa!" Arsenio said again as the Joker held him.
"Fascinating," the Joker told him. "So, hair appointment."
"Yes," Adriana said.
"But no time for a doctor's appointment," the Joker said.
"I'm coming in next week," she said. "Trust me, this hair is a true emergency. It's too much work to dye it black every week. I'm going to have them make it my natural color again, if possible."
"Yes, that sounds so urgent," the Joker said sarcastically.
Arsenio looked at them both, not understanding.
"It is urgent, so we can't stay long, just a few minutes-" Adriana said and rolled her eyes.
"Mommy!" Arsenio said loudly. "I sayy Dak!"
"Oh..." Adriana said, knowing her son was requesting to stay with the Joker. "You want to stay?"
"Ya mommy!" Arsenio said and waved his mallet.
"Oh..um.." Adriana looked at the Joker.
"It's fine," the Joker said.
"Well, my hair appointment could take a while," she said. "At least an hour and a half.."
"Ok bye mommy!" Arsenio said clearly and smiled.
Adriana placed a hand on her hip and laughed at her son.
"Sweetie, I know you want to stay with your friend but-" Adriana said.
"Don't mind at all," the Joker told her. "Go on. Get your hair fixed."
"Okay.." Adriana shrugged. "I just changed him before we left so he should be fine until I get back. If not just use Dr. Kapoor's phone and call me-"
"Go woof!" Arsenio said to the Joker.
"Sure," the Joker replied.
"The roof?" Adriana asked.
"We went up for a few minutes last time," the Joker explained. "Is that alright?"
"Okay..Be careful," Adriana said.
"Of course I'm careful, Adriana," the Joker said firmly.
"Woof! See payyyyyne!" Arsenio said, wanting to see airplanes.
"Okay guys, I'll be back later," Adriana said before giving Arsenio a kiss and leaving.
.
.
.
"Hey Harri," Adriana said over speaker phone as she tidied up the salon in the penthouse before the hair stylist arrived.
"Girl, I just saw a picture of you online," Harri laughed.
"Let me guess...gas station, short skirt," Adriana laughed and moved a few towels.
"Yes!" Harri laughed. "Bold choice. Badass, black denim jacket and lingerie while filling up a lambo. It's going to be the next trend."
"Not trying to start trends," Adriana laughed.
"Please!" Harri laughed. "So you drive the lambo around?"
"No way," Adriana said. "I was just using it to get home from Bruce's job. He usually drives those sports cars. Sometimes one the SUVs if he wants to take Arsenio with him somewhere. Obviously a car seat doesn't work well in a lambo."
"True," Harri said. "So what are you up to now?"
"Getting ready to get my hair bleached," Adriana replied.
"No more Agent Salt?" Harri laughed.
"I guess I'll be the blonde version because I'm still going to have bangs," Adriana said. "I hope they can get my color right.."
"Dirty blonde from black won't be easy but they can do it," Harri said. "Where's Arsenio?"
"He's..." Adriana said. "With the sitter."
"Aww, can you go get him I want to say hi," Harri said.
"They're busy," Adriana said. "Oh, that's my other line I have to go-"
"Oh, okay," Harri said. "Bye sis."
"Bye!" Adriana said and hung up.
As soon as she hung up a call did come through almost immediately. It was Damien.
"Yes?" Adriana said as soon as she picked up the phone.
"Hi, can we talk?" Damien asked.
"I'm busy," Adriana told him.
"It's important," he said. "It's regarding your...situation."
"You've learned something?" she asked.
"Possibly, but we need to discuss it in person," he said. "Come over."
"Damien why can't you tell me now?" she asked.
"You have the address," he said before hanging up.
"Asshole!" Adriana shouted at the wall. "Ugh!"
She texted her stylist to let her know she would be late before leaving the building and walking to another building of condominiums not far away. She hated that Damien had moved so close by.
"So, I'm here what is it?" she asked as soon as Damien opened the door.
"Come in," Damien said and stepped aside.
"We have to get straight to the point, I have somewhere to be," she told him.
"Okay," Damien said. "Nice...outfit you had on earlier by the way. Purple is really your color-"
"Damien, please," she said. "I'm leaving-"
"Okay wait!" he said and stopped her. "I think I may know who's behind it all."
Adriana turned to him and waited. "Well? Out with it?"
"This guy," Damien picked up a sheet of paper from the table beside him and flipped it over to reveal a photo.
Adriana took the picture and looked at it.
"Damien," Adriana said. "This guy is dead."
"You know him?" Damien asked, surprised.
"I know of him," Adriana said. "His was called Gambol. And the Joker killed him. This is a dead end."
"The guys who attacked your friend worked for him," he told her. "He might still be alive."
"No way," Adriana said. "Keep looking. And how do you know who the guys are who attacked Brake-"
"I can't reveal all my sources," Damien told her. "This guy is the one."
Adriana shook her head. "He almost certainly is not. And even if he is, I'm not afraid of him. If he is alive he likely a crippled invalid."
"Crippled mobsters can be powerful," Damien told her. "And I can protect you."
"Oh?" Adriana said.
"Yes," he informed her. "This place is like a fortress."
Adriana almost laughed. The security he had was nothing compared to what Bruce had set up at their penthouse. There was an entire room of weaponry and cameras everywhere.
"This place?" Adriana laughed.
"Wayne can't protect you like I can," Damien told her.
"You think that because you don't know my husband."
"Aren't you afraid?" Damien asked.
"Not at all," Adriana told him.
"They might go after your friend again," Damien said. "Once he's back in prison. I can make sure he's safe."
"Damien.." Adriana said. "You're trying to win me back.."
"Yes," he admitted without hesitation. "You probably haven't even told Wayne about all of this,"
"Because whoever these people are they aren't going to do shit," Adriana laughed. "I'm not afraid in the least. I did tell Bruce I had a friend in the hospital and he is making sure that he gets a kidney transplant. Brake's in surgery as we speak. Whoever these people are...They think they have something on me because Brake told them I have a child with the Joker but they have no proof. They've never even seen my son to know what he looks like. Bruce and I have kept him protected from other people taking pictures of him since he was born. They have nothing."
Damien looked disappointed.
"And if they come after you?" Damien asked.
"They won't," Adriana said. "And if they do, I can take care of myself. I'm stronger than you know."
.
.
.
"Good evening, Aymara," Bruce said after knocking on the door to Sidi and Aymara's home.
Aymara stood in the doorway with the door only open a few inches. It was just after 5 p.m. and Bruce had just left work.
"Hi, Bruce," Aymara said.
"Is Sidi here?" he asked.
"Uh...no...no she's not," Aymara said and Bruce could immediately tell she was lying.
Sidi said on the phone she wanted nothing to do with Bruce's manipulation of fate. Saving a man who was meant to die in Adriana's place in pursuit of another was crossing the line.
"Are you sure she's not here?" Bruce asked.
Aymara turned her head and looked behind her to where Bruce could not see.
"Yes...I'm sure Bruce, sorry," Aymara said. "I'll tell her you were here."
"Could you ask her if I could come back in the morning?" Bruce asked.
Aymara started to turn her head again but it was a trick she almost fell for. Her mother was in the room standing behind her.
"Like I said..." Aymara said to Bruce. "She's not here but I'll ask her to call you."
"Okay.." Bruce said. "Thanks anyway."
As Bruce walked back to his car, he thought about what he had done. Messing with the transplant list. He could have just comforted Adriana through her sadness and the death of her friend. But it would make him feel guilty, watching her go through the sadness he had caused. Wyatt Freeman would not have been sacrificed if Bruce had not gone back in time to save her. The thought that the Joker would live a long, secluded like in the security of whatever prison Lucius had set up for him was not a pleasant thought. The perfect balance seemed to be that the Joker had to pay.
Everything seemed confusing now. Now, Bruce did not know who would die. It could be anyone at any moment. He had no idea where the Joke was. He understood why Sidi wanted to keep her distance. He needed to fix this. there was nothing he could do about Wyatt's survival. All that he could do was make sure that no one else paid the price for what he had done, other than the one who he knew without a doubt deserved it. The Joker.