AN: I finally watched Joker, and I really liked it. I think I mentioned in one of my stories that I wanted to do another Joker/Bella story.

I've gathered from my own opinion that this Joker, has feelings, but only to those that seem to treat him with some act of humanity, and kindness. As for people who betray him or ridicule him, that's another story. At the end though, I think he finally reached that last straw about people.

There is no Batman here, Arthur is going to be about 20 years younger than he was in the movie, putting him in about his late 20s to early 30s. Bella is in her early 20s, and her story will be explained.

So, I hope I do not spoil things for others, but I will say now that if you plan on watching the movie, there may be spoilers. This story opens up at the beginning of the movie and will basically fast forward to a 'what if' type deal. I won't be using the movie as a 'starter' so to speak.

TW: Very foul language, graphic depictions of violence, and mature content.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, and all characters, places, etc. belong to their creators.

Enjoy

Arthur didn't think a sign would hurt so much. But fuck, it hurt. He could only lay there as these kids beat on him, ridiculing him. Call him names. And for what? Because he was doing his job? He lay in a fetal position, not bothering to shield himself as it would do him no good. "Beat his ass, stupid mother-fucking clown," One of the kids grunted as they kicked at Arthur's back.

"Hey!" Someone snaps, followed by footsteps. "Get your asses out of here! Leave that man alone!" Arthur's vision is a bit blurred as he lifts his head, the figure of what he thinks is a woman running towards him. The kids paused in their beating, one of them rolling their eyes. "Get lost bitch," The woman stops a few feet away, eyes narrowed. "You wanna know what they do to little boys like you who beat on innocent people?" She asks softly, staring them down with a scary smile.

She simply points behind them, and one of them turn around to gaze at what she was pointing at. It was a young boy, maybe 12, whose little eyes widened as he took in the large building that was mostly obscured by buildings, except for the dark sign that read Arkham. He gulps, and tugs on another boy's shirt, who also turns around, apprehension now on his face. The two take off, and the remaining boy's glance between the building and the woman for a few seconds. "Punk ass…" One of them utters, landing a solid kick in before running off, leaving Arthur and the woman.

She comes forward, squatting down. "Are you okay?" She asks, and Arthur meets the brownest eyes he had ever seen. He blinks a few times as little red hearts appear around her head before popping as she helps him up to his feet. She dusts off his jacket. Arthur replies with a strained yes, and the woman frowns. "Dumb ass kids," She mumbles. Arthur suddenly lets out a laugh, causing the woman to jump in surprise, a small chuckle passing from her lips as she looks to him oddly. "Um, I gotta get going…" She smiles at him before turning around.

He laughs again, the sound slightly high in pitch, almost desperate sounding, and the woman turns back around briefly in confusion before turning the corner.


Arthur hums to himself as he sits next to his mother, a small smile on his face. "Happy…" She murmurs, gazing upon him with a smile. "Did you check the mail today?" He nods as he pulls out a cigarette. "Nothing was in there mom. What is it you're waiting for?" He questions curiously, glancing over at her. "I'm waiting on a letter…from Thomas…" Arthur just sighs, but otherwise casts his glance upon the television.


Arthur stares at his reflection in the train window, his foot tapping against the floor. It was over. His dream was over. Without HA-HA's, what was he to do? The train comes to a stop, and the woman across from him gets up to leave. As she leaves, three men board the other side, clearly drunk. Arthur pays them no mind at first, in his own head so to speak. He starts to hum That's Life by Frank Sinatra. "Hey baby, where you stepping off at?" One of the men slurs, and Arthur curiously glances over, seeing a woman staring off to the side, ignoring them. Arthur narrows his eyes curiously; her hair looked familiar.

Arthur's eyes stay glued on the woman. One of the men slide next to her, an arm going over the seat. "I'm talking to you," The woman turns her head with a glare, pushing the man away. Like a cartoon, red hearts danced around this woman's head as Arthur recognized her to be the woman that helped him not even a week ago. He can see her much clearly now. She had long brown hair, she was quite pale with a pretty face, small in stature. "Fuck off asshole," She snaps.

"…HA!" The laugh slipped from his lips without his permission, and he swallowed, trying to force the other one back, but it slipped from his throat. "HA HA HA HA HA HA HE….HA…!" He shakes his head as the trio look over at him, the woman too, her eyes slightly wide. "I'm not…it's not…" He tries to explain, but he couldn't. He wasn't sure if some part of him was trying to help or if it was the Pseudobulbar Effect. "Something funny Clown?" One of them sneer, and Arthur mumbled out a no as he could finally breathe. Leaving the woman alone, two of them walk over to Arthur, sitting on either side of him, one pulling off the mask atop Arthur's head. "You sure about that?" One of them ask, getting into his face. Arthur frowns, his dark green eyes staring holes into the man's head.

This numb feeling comes over him.

Arthur reaches for his bag to prove to them that his laughing was a condition, not that he found them funny. The man in front of him snatches the bag, while the other stands, shoving Arthur to the floor. "Leave him alone!" The woman yells, coming to a stand, but the one with her, grabbed her by the waist, holding her back. The men start to kick and beat on Arthur, and the woman kicks her feet about. "Put me down! Stop it!" She shrieks out as the man practically body slams her against the wall of the train.

The man grabs her by the throat, effectively cutting off her air supply. A gun shot suddenly rings out, both the woman and the man whip their heads to see that Arthur had shot one of the men. The one that was beating on Arthur is quickly shot as he tries to run away. The man holding the woman steps away, hands in the air. "L-l-look, I work for-" The woman jumps as blood spatters on her face, the man's body dropping to the floor. She shakily raises her hands, meeting Arthur's dark eyes.

Arthur narrows his eyes upon her, taking the gun, moving a strand of hair from her face with the barrel. She blinks in surprise as he presses his lips against hers, squeezing her cheeks together as he did so. He pulled back with a smack, looking around her head as he swore little yellow birds were flying around her head. Her eyes are wide as he bellows out a laugh, the train coming to a stop. The doors have opened, and he gently pulls her out, twirling her around in a circle. He lets her go, slightly bowing before he left her there, running faster than a bat out of hell.


Since the brutal slaying of those three men, in accordance with the live murder of Murray Franklin, Gotham had been in shambles. Arthur Fleck was finally arrested and taken to Arkham where he was currently being escorted down the hall. He simply smiles, his eyes wandering some nurses as they passed by.

His feet stop moving as he gazes upon her. It was like he was in a daze, her brown eyes meet his green ones, and he sends her a wink as a guard shoves him forward. He's stuffed in a chair, staring upon an African American woman. "Arthur Fleck," She murmurs, watching him as he takes a cigarette, taking the lighter from the table to light it. "It's Joker," He corrects, lightly laughing. She narrows her eyes. "Joker….would you like to share what is so funny? You realize that your murdering of those men started a riot of Clowns? Gotham's society has collapsed. On top of that, you murdered a man on National Television. Do tell me….if you'd be so kind," He lightly chuckles, closing his eyes.

"I'm thinking about a Joke," He murmurs, staring her in the face. She patiently waits. "I'll only tell you if we're alone," He motions towards the guards that were behind him. The therapist nods. "Leave the hall," She murmurs, eyeing Arthur as the doors close. Arthur leans forward, a true smile on his face. "Knock, Knock?" He asks softly, taking a drag of the cigarette, blowing the smoke to the side. She narrows her eyes at him, playing along. "Who's there?"

"A psychotic clown left alone with his therapist," He harshly whispers.

Arthur suddenly leaps over the table, grabbing the woman's head, smashing it into the wall multiple times, blood spraying from the deep gash and onto his face. "HA HA HA HAAA!" He laughs, only stopping when her head had caved in. He stepped down onto the floor into the pool of blood, making his way to the door. He opens it, leaping out, his eyes zeroing in on the figure who was standing to the wall, her eyes wide, mouth covered. "That's life…." He sings, bouncing towards her.

"That's what all the people say…" He continues, grabbing her shaking hands, smiling upon her. "You know, you are the kindest person I met on the street…" He taps her nose, leaning in close to look at her closely. "Are you scared of me?" He asks, his tone turning rather dark. He looks down at her nametag. He quickly unpins it, holding it in his hand.

He looks to his left as he can hear the guards. "Let's put a pin it. Find me sometime sweetheart. You're too good for that world out there…." Leaving a trail of bloody shoeprints, Arthur practically dances away, around the corner, glass breaking in his wake. The woman steps back as guards chase him down, but she knew they wouldn't catch him.

She hesitantly steps into the room, gagging at the body slumped in the char, looking down at the files that were on the table. Blood was on most of them, but she picked them up, taking a look at them. His name was Arthur Fleck, born to Penny Fleck who also seemed to have spent time in Arkham when Arthur was just a boy. She frowns as she reads over his mother's case file. She worked for Thomas Wayne, and she adopted Arthur who had been abandoned. Based on what she read, Arthur was abused by the many boyfriends she had, and the police found him chained to a radiator, starving to death. Penny believed that she and Thomas were lovers who had conceived Arthur and that the adoption was nothing but a ruse to keep Thomas's love affair quiet. She was sentenced to Arkham, and she wondered how Penny was able to leave. Before she can read more, a guard comes into the room, frowning. "Isabella…let's step out of here yeah? You don't need to look at that shit, besides, cops are gonna want to speak to you," Isabella lays the files down, and takes the guards outstretched hand. "Yeah…" She mumbles. "Did you guys catch him?" She asks as he leads her away from the hall. The guard shakes his head. "No, he got away. Every cop in Gotham will be looking for him," Despite the fact that it was a good thing, he didn't sound assured.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," She murmurs as she's led to the side. "Have you forgotten what kind of world it is out there? Nothing but Joker worshipers. Some of them are off the street, but this guy…. started a whole fucking revolution,"

She swallows heavily at what that implies, looking down at the shoeprints on the floor.


When news hit that Arthur Fleck escaped Arkham, Gotham was somewhat divided. Arthur had done what no other had, and a lot of people looked up to him. Clowns weren't sick people; poor people weren't worthless. Others were terrified. People locked their doors, hid away in the night, for sure all hell would break loose in their dark city. His supporters thought he was justified, while the people that cowered thought he was a monster. Thought he was crazy. But it was neither.

Arthur had asked Murray an important question that night. Do they ever think about what it's like to be in my shoes? Of course they didn't, why would they? What people didn't understand was Arthur's harsh truth about society. Arthur used to have a heart, he cared about making people laugh. Until he became the joke. Everybody always smiled like everything was okay, but it was a lie. That was the joke. The one joke nobody understood.

The world was cruel, and Arthur was tired of being the one on the ground, the one left alone and forgotten. He wanted to be on TOP for once! He wanted to look down at the many faces and say, 'I told you so!' He reveled in the chaos that Gotham had descended into, proof that when torn apart, chaos always wins. The social worker was right. Nobody gave a shit about people like him and his needs. He didn't matter. Now….Now he matters. The smile that graced his face was no longer society's doing, but his own. Arthur Fleck had been reborn. After killing Randall, he had never felt so…free.

When he killed those men in the subway, he was petrified, just for a while, until he realized that he liked it. He didn't bat an eye when he killed Randall, and he felt….justified in the killing of his mother. They lied to him, betrayed him, and Arthur finally had enough.

The politicians, the evil, the strong, the bullies…will see what's it like when society drives a man insane.


"This is bullshit Denise," Isabella mutters, grabbing her bag from the locker. Denise just scoffs. "Tell me about it. Fucking jack assess need people like us. Half of these people in here don't need yelling in their faces and to be beat on when they get out of hand. Where the hell am I going to find a job in this place? Nobody wants to hire. They're scared of that guy. Joker," Isabella closes her now empty locker, walking alongside Denise. "Nobody even knows where he is. He probably went underground or something," Denise mumbles, setting her badge by the desk, one of the guards nodding at them regretfully. "People are cowards D. As fucked up as this may sound, he was right in my opinion. People like us gets pushed out on our ass while the rich say fuck you and toss us scraps. We work hard for what we do, risk our lives in here, just like everybody else," They walk outside into the brisk morning air. She and Denise stop at the bottom of the steps, waiting for the gate to open.

"You walking home, or are you going to take the subway?" Isabella scrunches up her face. "Walking. I had enough subways for a while," Denise nods, hugging her before she started to head for the subway. "Keep in touch with me B!" Denise yells, her pearly white smile stark against her brown skin. Isabella walks down the sidewalk, clutching her bag close to her.

The walk home was long, and it had gotten colder by the time she reached her apartment building. It was dingy and rundown, but it was home. She had been saving to get a new place on a nicer side of town, but now she had to think of another way to get money. She supposed that she could look and see if any bars were taking anyone. A new one just opened up a few blocks away. She trudges up the dirty steps, taking out her key, and heads to her room. 19. She has to fiddle with the lock a bit before pushing the door open.

She just stares down the dark hall, before sighing.


The next day, Isabella decided to venture to the bar and to her luck, they were hiring. They needed waiters and waitresses bad. Although the pay wasn't as good as Arkham was, it was something. Plus, she could eat and drink free. She even called Denise and told her to get her ass down and apply as well. The owner didn't even need to look at their resumes. He could tell that they weren't like the usuals in town, and he needed some clean people. They were hired on the spot, and he gave them a little bit of training, how to work things, and put orders in.

That very night, she and Denise had a job busting tables. It was just the two of them with about three cooks and two bartenders. The owner, Mac, was a nice guy, knew the girls were young, and also knew the kind of area he was in. The first night wasn't full, but the food was something the people liked, and the atmosphere was almost jazzy like. He played 70s-80s music in the stereo, and it created a nice atmosphere that wasn't rowdy or loud. There were a lot of men, drunk mostly, but Mac made it clear that Bella and Denise weren't to be harassed. He kept a shotgun out and around, usually having to side-eye a few pieces of shit.

Mac closed up around midnight, sending the girls home a few hours before. As he was locking up, a voice calls out to him, brining chills down his spine. "Ayo Mac. See you got yourself a little business," Mac lets out a breath and turns to look at notorious mobster, Robert Hayes. Robert was what everybody expected. He was dirty, crooked, and raised hell wherever he went. He was a handsome man, American, and took what he wanted, another reason people weren't hiring. Joker may have terrified them, but it's been a few weeks, almost a month since he's been seen, and Robert has since been terrifying residents on the poor side of town.

He was known for using places to take care of his drug deals, and he and Mac at one point in time had a deal. Pay Mac to let them use his place, whether that be for drugs, prostitution, or even executions. Mac set the building on fire once it got to be too much. He never should've delt with Robert, but he had needed the money, and now it was back to bite him in the ass. "I don't even want an explanation Mac. You owe me. Now, there's two ways this can go. I've been watching this place tonight, and it's got potential buddy. You let me do my business out the back…" He pauses dramatically, pulling out a black gun that glistened off the dim streetlight above. "Or I kill you and take over," Mac frowns, but nods.

"Okay…"


Bella and Denise knew that the next something was different the next day. Mac was acting nervous and jumpy, always looking out of the window. "You alright Mac?" Denise calls as she wipes a table. Mac just nods. "Yeah. Uh, listen girls…be careful around here will ya?" Bella and Denise nod to one another. "You seemed spooked Mac…" Bella murmurs, eyes narrowing in his direction.

The next day was much like the day prior. Bella and Denise however knew that something was wrong. Mac though, kept his lips tight, and they worked all day and through the night like usual. A week passed with this same routine, both girls able to now identify the 'regulars.' They knew which ones liked to get handsy, and the ones they had to stop serving drinks to after a certain time, and the ones that needed taxi transportation.

One week turned into two, and that's when the ball dropped. It was late in the night, the place was starting to get busy, and the door had just opened, letting the cool air inside. Robert Hayes strolled into the bar, men at his back, eyeing the place with a smirk. Bella and Denise looked to Mac, unsure of what to do. Mac wanted his business clean and free of people like Robert. Everybody in the area knew him whether from experience or just hearing about him. Robert and his men stroll in and find a seat somewhere. Robert waves the girls over, and Mac watches with a worried expression.

"What can I get for you sir?" Denise asks politely. Robert looks her up and down, reaching out with a hand to touch along her ass. Denise makes a move to step away; but Robert grasps her arm. "I didn't tell you what I wanted yet," He practically growls, and Bella shifts nervously. She shoots her eyes to Mac, and he frowns apologetically. "I want Bacardi for me and my boys, those mini burger things ya'll be selling," Denise goes to step away again, but Robert pulls her forcefully down to his lap. "Snow bunny over there can go put the order in. Won't you baby?" He directs the question towards Bella, looking her over as well, grabbing her hand and making her twirl around. He slaps Bella's ass as she goes to do what he asks.

Bella holds her tongue and pulls Mac along as she goes to the back. "Why the fuck is he here? I thought this place was different Mac!" She hisses, tilting her head around the corner. Denise looked so uncomfortable, almost as if she was going to cry. Mac frowns, pulling Bella back around. "I'm so sorry. I owe him. It was either run his business out the back or he'd kill me," Bella shuts her eyes miserably. "I can understand if you girls don't want to stay," Bella shakes her head. "This job is all we have Mac. Denise needs this more than me. She's trying to save up to get out of this damn place and make something of herself. She just needs a grand," Bella murmurs, giving the orders to the cooks and Mac grabs the Bacardi along with some glasses.

Mac fixes the drinks much to Robert's displeasure. He finally lets Denise up as people file in and out. Some of Mac's customers and others were there for Robert. Denise and Bella stay together, and neither one would go up to Rebert's table alone. The night went without other incidents aside from being harassed on and off by Robert and his goons. Mac tried telling Robert that the girls were off limits, but that only ended in bloodshed. Robert shot an older woman right in front of them. "Tell me what to do, I kill your customers. From today on, those are my bitches,"


Bella and Denise were constantly on their toes now, wary of anything and anyone that walked through those doors. Since Robert claimed this as his turf, the area now turned into a drug spot, prostitutes on the corner, and a whole lot of blood, crime, and murder in the bar. Robert had been in the bar for a month running his spot, and nothing was the same. The regulars no longer came around, leaving it with druggies and criminals. They couldn't go a night without being touched on or maybe even slapped around once or twice. Mac was a slave to his own place, and he hated what became of it.

The girls did everything Robert asked, for fear something worse would happen to them if they disobeyed. Tonight though, they'd be put in a situation that might just cost them their lives. Robert was in the middle of a deal, right at the table, and the man he was dealing with wanted to know if Denise and Bella were like call girls and how much it would cost for them to have sex with him.

Robert made two of his guys bring them over and touched along their legs and had his hands up their shirts as if they were on display. Bella pushed his hands away with a scrunched-up face as he touched her breasts. "Fuck this. You're not touching me, and we're not doing that shit," She snaps, glaring down at Robert, taking Denise's hand. She nodded in agreement, stepping closer to her friend. "You get enough of us on smacking us around and shit, but we're not your whores," Denise glares, and even though she looked fierce, on the inside, she was shaking like a leaf.

Robert stands slowly, eyes menacing. "What the fuck did you just say to me?" He asks, grabbing both girls by their shirts, practically jerking them off the ground. Everything got quiet, and Denise squeezes Bella's hand in fright.

It was then that the most chilling laugh broke the silence in the room. "HA HA HA HEEEE HA HA HAAAA!" Nobody knew when he even stepped in, hell nobody even noticed anything going on around them. Robert looks to the doorway entrance, brows drawing as Joker slowly dances into the bar. Bella and Denise are dropped to their feet, and they quickly scramble off to the side, clutching one another for dear life.

"I think…HA! I think they said…" Joker reaches to his gut in laughter, stomping his foot. His suit was a blood red and white, green hair shiny under the dim lights. He had his face painted white, red paint across his face. The face of a clown, just like the day he went on TV. "Fuck off…" The words were dark, deeper, and made shivers run down everyone's spines. Denise helps Bella up and they slowly sneak off to the side, and out the back door.

The door barely closes before gunshots ring out, people are screaming, and they huddle against the brick wall as the back door bursts open, a surprised Mac coming out. He notices them immediately, but before he can say a word, a red spot appears in the front of his shirt, and he drops to the ground dead.

Their eyes widen at one of Robert's men who is accompanied by two others. "Where the hell do ya'll think ya'll goin?" One of them head for Denise, while the other goes for Bella. Denise punches one in the face, only to get elbowed. "Leave her alone!" Bella screeches. A heavy hand knocks her head back, and she spit out blood on the guy's boot. "You bitch!" Bella just smiles a bloody smile as she's lifted by her hair. "What the fuck is so funny?" She doesn't say anything as she's suddenly dropped to the ground, the man in front of her now dead. The man holding Denise quickly follows. Bella goes to her aid, holding her. She looks up as a man had shot all three dead. He was wearing a clown mask.

"But if there's nothing shaking come this here July…" Joker sings, stepping out of the bar. He looks down at them both, shooing the man away. He carelessly steps over the bodies, squatting down in front of them. His eyes are dark, face smeared with droplets of blood.

He holds out both hands, looking at each of them. "The world hasn't been so nice, has it?" He doesn't really want a response, and he waits for them to either deny his hands or take them. Denise looks to Bella, her eyes wide. Joker looked at each of them, feeling pity. He was already intrigued by Bella since they first met, and he remembered seeing Denise every so often in Arkham. He'd been watching them for quite a while. Denise volunteered on the weekends at an animal shelter, while Bella sometimes visited the elderly.

They weren't like the people in there, or out here.

They were close.

Bella takes one gloved hand; Denise takes the other. Joker smiles a menacing smile at them before pulling them to stand. "What a wonderful choice…" He comments, leading them out of the alley.

AN: I….am very happy with this. So, this is Chapter 1 of That's Life. The rest of the chapters will continue on the website. I am almost done with it. I'm just adding my stories and chapters over. Which shouldn't take much longer, probably by the end of the weekend. Afterward, I just want to make sure it looks the way I want it to and everything works properly. I'm thinking next week, I'll have it up or close to it.

Any new story I start, I'll post the first chapter here, and you'll see the rest on the website. I don't know how well wordpress works in terms of what it keeps you notified on, but I think it'll be a way to keep you guys in the loop!

I want to know your thoughts on Denise. I'm thinking about keeping her along….