CHAPTER ELEVEN
A transparently pale hand holds tightly to a cigar as he leans back, grinning widely at the man across from him, red lips taking a puff and discarding the smoke.
Officer Tom Ryber, a man that was a shining star in the police force, a highly decorated war veteran, great family man-at least he was before he was left behind-a very good friend of the city's beloved Commissioner Gordon, but a complete slime ball, Little Gordon being Exhibit A. Not that the Joker has ever had any problems with slime balls, he was one so many times, after all. His only issue with Tom was his ego, because he was cocky for no reason. He hadn't killed Robin, paralyzed the commissioner's daughter, mentally screwed said commissioner into oblivion in the midst of presenting him with photos of his naked, freshly paralyzed daughter, completely broke down his trusted psychiatrist and convinced her to turn to a life of hell raising...all Tom had done was roofie people and take advantage of them, and he had convinced himself that was worth him feeling good about himself. He didn't even kill them, for Christ sake, he was just horny and bored and did something about it. What the hell about that is something to be overtly proud of? Was he expecting someone to award him? "Hey, you did the bare minimum, here's your gold star!"
An irritated roll goes up Joker's spine, spreading to his hands, his fingers curling up, but he keeps his demeanor calm and cool.
"How's the wife and kids?" He asks, curiously.
"She left and took them with her." He's told, taking note of the small shake in his counterparts voice. "We've been divorced for a year now."
"She find out about your extracurricular activities?"
"She found someone with more money."
It's bullshit, and Joker knows it is.
If she even left it was more than likely because she either found out his love for men and women, or found out his love for drugged and unresponsive men and women.
"You read the papers?" Joker asks next, expecting to strike a sharp cord, and he does indeed, reaching into the pocket on the inside of his suit jacket, pulling out the rolled up news paper, holding it up, "All married and remarkably healthy." He adds, referring to the paper that reads, WAYNE FAMILY'S NEWEST ADDITION: GIA TODD WAYNE.
The Clown Prince had nearly spit out his coffee when he first read it, his eyes had twitched at the site of little Gordon in a big, fat, fluffy, expensive white dress with an obnoxious veil to match, glowing as beautifully as ever, even in the flat, black and white print of paper.
But then he found a way to make this work in his favor. As he did with everything.
"You know, someone like her, who's gotten the attention of the press, the backing of a big, rich family like the Waynes...she can get you in trouble. Big trouble."
"She already tried and nobody believed her." The officer can't help but chuckle out, and Joker has a difficult time finding the humor in such a predictable cheap shot.
"Ah, ah, ah, Jane Doe already tried. I assure you, if Gia Gordon would have come forward and said she was raped, you'd still be in intensive care, buddy." Joker promises him, sure of it, and Tom thinks about it for a moment. "And if she comes forward now...well...her brother's the commissioner, her brother-in-law's a detective...her husband's got a pretty hefty record, I mean, you might as well kiss your nightly fun goodbye because they'll either put you in Arkham just to make sure you suffer, they know that place is a hell hole, you know, or Mr. Todd Wayne will do you in and get away with it-trust me."
"So, why are you telling me this? Do you know something?" He demands.
"Well, she's got to die. There's no way around it. You can't risk it." Joker goes on. "And I can't just be around galvanting being that I just got out of Arkham and need that press to die down before going about business as usual."
"So, hire someone to do it."
"And waste my money for a subpar job? No, no, I want the man who almost took her out the first time."
"That wasn't necessarily deliberate." Tom voices quietly.
"...You weren't sending any 'get well soon' cards, either, once the news broke she was horribly sick."
"Oh, as if that would've meant a damn thing to her."
"It would've shaken her up." Joker states. "I would've done it."
"I figured I'd done enough."
"Jesus, save the guilt speech." The mad man rolls his eyes, standing up. "If you're going to fuck someone's sanity up, it's gotta be a constant persistence. Not just a rape and abandonment. You gotta have follow ups. Just look at me. I've been stomping on the little bitch's well-being for nearly fifteen years and I'm still going strong."
"If you were ever really going strong you would've succeeded in killing her by now." Tom says it before he can stop himself and Joker stops in his tracks, turning slowly to look at him, staring at him as he puts his cigar out on the man's counter top.
"That was asinine."
"I didn't mean any harm by it, but why do you want me to take care of her once and for all when you can?"
"She expects me to come after her because that's just what I've done half her life...you, however, would send her on a complete neurotic spiral."
"How will she have time to go on a spiral if my objective is to kill her?" Tom asks, and Joker pretends to be reminded, and laughs it off.
"Mmm." Joker hums to himself in thought before staring at Tom, slowly smiling.
One of the hottest days of the year, Gia attempts to not pass out, nearly stumbling in as she finally makes it into the air conditioned glass building holding the brand, "WAYNE ENTERPRISES."
She takes a sip of her coffee, wincing at the hot liquid in the already hot air before she's hit with a cold blast of crisp air that smells like money and the nine to five dream when she opens the door and walks into work.
Today has got to be the day that she's able to go back to work as usual, as opposed to the way she'd been introduced back into the company, being an assistant in the lab, barely able to do any of her old tasks and explorations she held so dear to her. A part of her work place probation, certainly, although it was all under the guise that Bruce wanted her to warm back up to the fast paced environment after months of being out.
"Are you alright, you look...umm..." Danni starts, seeing Gia's face has a red undertone to it, sweat rolling down her forehead before she dots it away while she gasps to catch her breath. "...And why're you here? Do you not have a honeymoon to be on or something?"
"We both have things to do here." Gia replies, tempted to take her shirt off.
"You've been overworking yourself trying to get him to let you go back to your old position full time." Danni points out as the two of them get in the elevator.
"I've only been back four months, Danni." Gia points out.
"Exactly." Danni scoffs. "You showed up cured and healthy and I'm thankful for that but you can't just come back and expect to hit the ground running as if you hadn't been out of the game for months."
"I wasn't out of the game." Gia says as the elevator starts upwards, and Danni looks at her. "What? I wasn't!" Gia insists, and Danni stays quiet before the elevator door opens, Natalie stepping inside. "Nat, have I been out of the game?" Gia asks her.
"Gia, c'mon." Danni says.
"Natalie." Gia ignores Danni and Natalia looks at her, taking in a breath. "Natalie."
"I think you were out of work..." Natalie carefully chooses her words and Gia cuts her eyes at her. "...You were. And why the hell are you here, shouldn't you be off on your honeymoon?"
"Exactly what I said." Danni adds and Gia glares at the both of them.
The elevator door opens once more, Bruce looking at Gia, confused, as he gets inside, not saying a word.
Her toes curl in her heels, gritting her teeth at how uncomfortably hot she is, the inside sole of her shoe slippery and uncomfortable despite the cool air in the elevator.
It stops at the biotech division and Danni and Natalie slip past the two of them.
"Have I been out of the game, Bruce?" Gia asks him, raising her brows as the doors shut once again.
"Asking me as your father-in-law or your boss?"
"My boss."
"I benched you completely for months, so, I'd say so." He settles it, recalling having to practically fire her to get her to go home and rest when she was so sick. "And I don't really remember putting you back in the game." He adds.
"Well, I'm back in, Coach." She states once they reach the floor he needs to get on, and she follows him off, trailing on his heels.
"Gia-"
"-You can give me back my clearance, you know that, right?" She asks next, quietly, and he takes in a deep breath. "It's just a suggestion...more so a plead...a beg...please give me my clearance back, Bruce, please?"
"Gia, go home to your husband, pack your things, and go on your honeymoon." Bruce tells her flatly.
"Miami is not a honeymoon. Miami is a spring break."
"Miami is not in Gotham. Anything is more romantic and peaceful than Gotham. Which is the point of a honeymoon. Get out of town and go away, stay away for all I care." He scoffs and she contemplates tossing her hot coffee onto him, and he reads her expression. "It was a joke, Gia."
They get to his office and she shuts the door, turning to look at him.
"Can I get cleared again once I get back?"
"After a mental evaluation." He replies.
"Are you screwing me right now?"
"I most definitely am not." He says, looking at her. "You made a careless and reckless decision that could've gotten you locked up for malpractice if I wanted to report it, but I didn't because I knew you were having a crisis and were scared and desperate and I didn't want your family or the whole city for that matter, knowing you went to the Joker to cure your cancer." He reminds her, lowly, and she exhales. "And he's laying low but he's out there, free now. I know that all you want is your old position back, but you've got to meet me halfway. I don't care how many times you or Jason try to shake me down. I've made my decision and it's final, and it's best for you even if you don't think it is." He explains. "Go on vacation, clear your head, you'll come back, I'll have him thrown away again, and you'll pass the evaluation with flying colors and be back in your position within the next two weeks." He assures her.
"And what if I fail it? Then what? I'm back out of the game?" She raises her brows, hands on her hips.
"Then you can explore your options."
"None of which will consist of the possibility of coming back to work, right?"
Bruce doesn't have an answer for her...not one she'll want to hear, at least.
"Right." She adds, nodding. "Nice talk, boss." She sarcastically states, yanking the door open and walking out, mumbling, "Oblivious," and rolling her eyes.
She doesn't go home like he had said, she instead does the job she had been doing for four months, and once it hits five o'clock, she's exhausted.
Back to the elevator, leaning against the wall as she goes down floor by floor, feeling the point of a knife in the roof of her mouth momentarily, followed by the flash of Joker's sinister sneer.
She pulls herself out of it when the door opens and an employee from a different floor gets on, the two of them exchanging a little smile before riding in silence.
"Congratulations." He tells her, not bothering to turn around and face her as he speaks.
"Thank you." She replies, looking at the pretty good sized ring on her hand.
The two of them reach the lobby and part ways once they get outside, Gia heading to the parking garage assigned to the employees, the stranger dialing a number, glancing back to see Gia walking down the sidewalk.
"Found her." He says once the phone on the other end of the line is answered.
Jason's fingertips gently graze against Gia's shoulder blade as he stares at the fan, the only sound is that of the city, the fan, and Gia and Rambo asleep.
She came home and immediately went to bed, and he had joined her, content with simply being beside her while she slipped in and out of sleep before finally easing off.
He goes back six months, recalling being between asleep and awake, that peaceful lull, after patrol. Worn out and tired, but trying to stay awake long enough to talk to Gia when she'd said, "Jason?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you awake?"
"Yeah."
"...Are you sure?"
"Mhmm."
"I need to talk to you."
"I'm listening...kinda." He replied, keeping his eyes closed, Gia's hand against his forehead, running against the skin there soothingly.
"You're kinda listening?" She asks, and he can hear the smile caress her words.
"Mhmm." He hums and she just watches him for a moment before she quietly says to him, "I want to get married, Jason."
He had been asking her for years to marry him and she'd always said "not right now," although she'd accept the ring
His blue eyes had opened and he turned to look at her before he said, "are you serious?"
She had been.
He now glances at the ring on her finger, and then at the packed luggage at the foot of the bed on the floor.
Gia came home and declared she wanted to go on their honeymoon after all.
Miami for two weeks. Two fucking weeks. Nothing but relaxing and taking a breather, one they both need very much...well, sort of...he failed to mention one of the reasons he needed their honeymoon to be in Miami was because he had some business still left down there, but other than that, it's a well-deserved vacation.
The sound of her phone ringing brings him out of his thoughts, and her out of her slumber. Her hands fumble to pick up the phone and slide the touch-screen "answer" icon across the screen, but once she does, all she hears is, "Do you still need me to dog sit?"
Gia rubs her eyes and yawns while replying, "It would be appreciated, Jim."
"You might have to get Barbara and Richard to do it, Gia, we're both gonna be working late nights." He refers to him and his wife and she closes her eyes for a moment before clearing her throat.
"Okay." She reluctantly replies.
"You two leaving tonight?" He asks next.
"No, tomorrow night."
He nods his head, looking at the clock on the wall that reads 9:13p.m.
"Alright,"
"I'll come by and tell you bye before I go in the morning, though, I promise." She assures him. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Gia."
"Get some rest." She adds.
"You first." He says, scoffing, and she smiles to herself. "Goodnight, baby sister."
"Goodnight."
The two hang up, Jim lets out a breath before standing up from his spot at the kitchen table, grabbing his coat and keys, while Gia blinks up at the ceiling before looking at Jason.
"I don't think we should leave tomorrow." She admits quietly.
"What?" He asks, furrowing his brows, and she turns to face him.
"Joker's out, my brother's stressed-"
"-James is always stressed, Gia." Jason sits up, turning so his legs are off the bed, his elbows on his knees while he rubs his face for a moment.
"Now he's especially stressed, Jason. I don't want to just leave him while he's going through a tough time."
"We'll only be gone for two weeks, then we can come back here and deal with it."
"Yeah, put him back in Arkham just so he can escape again." She comments, getting out of the bed.
"I've tried to kill him and everyone always loses their shit at the mere thought of it." Jason reminds her. "Including you."
"Because Bruce told you if he dies and he finds out you did it, he's turning you in."
"Easily say it was self-defense." He argues a very valid point.
"We both know you're not talking about just killing him if he's trying to hurt us." She mumbles, knowing he struggles nightly to fight the temptation of hunting the clown down and murdering him as brutally and painfully as he can.
"You can't bitch about how we 'deal' with him, and then criticize me for-"
"-I wasn't criticizing you, Jason." She grabs a cup and puts water in it and he exhales before she puts the cup back on the counter and walks to him.
Truth be told, the Clown wasn't Jason's to kill.
He was Bruce's, and she had always wanted Jason to hold off and wait for Bruce to snap, because she knows the day he does snap, he'll make Joker suffer far more than any of them could dream.
"Can we just get some food and then go to bed? We need to leave early tomorrow if we want to catch our flight. We've already delayed it once."
He looks down at her, rolling his jaw, but deciding not to fight with her right now.
They're still technically supposed to be enveloped in newly wed bliss.
Whoever the fuck said that even existed was full of shit.
It lasted a day, and then news broke the Joker had escaped Arkham yet again.
He doesn't argue with her, though, forcing a smile, accepting the notion of her kiss before she pulls away from him and picks up the phone to order take out.