Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC. All other characters belong to DC COMICS.

Chapter Seventeen


"I started a joke..."

Month

Things were changing, Charlotte could feel it. It was like each day was a layer, peeling softly, starting at the edges and curling its way down. The problem was, Charlotte couldn't figure out what it was working it's way down to.

Rain pitter-pattered against the window as Charlotte watched, mesmerised. This had always been a habit of hers, sitting and watching the rain, hands pressed against the glass until they became clammy. She loved the vibrations of the raindrops against her skin. If she closed her eyes, she could be somewhere else, as long as the rain fell.

/

The Joker stared at himself in the mirror, standing stark still. It'd been a while since he'd seen his own face - his real one. The warpaint had swirled down the drain along with the green hair dye as he'd choked on the steam of the boiling shower. He'd mouthed curse words as the hot water seeped into his newly stitched wounds.

As usual, he'd gotten out, ready to quickly put himself together again...but something had halted him this time - a quick glance of himself.

He'd aged slightly since the last time he'd looked at himself. Of course, it was hard to tell whether the dark circles under his eyes were from aging or just the result of sleepless nights. He never slept, usually. He couldn't, not when his mind was screaming obscene, filthy, wonderful things at him all the time.

Never stopping.

The Joker stared, hard. Once dirty blonde hair had turned nearly brunette with a tint of green, paler face than body, strong jaw, cheekbones, nose, mouth - oh.

Mouth wasn't the right word to use, not when it was all...torn...up.

His scars stared back at him, smiling although he frowned. The Joker's fist curled up at his side. He wanted to break the glass so badly - it'd be so easy to erase his reflection.

Without realizing, the Joker's fingers came up to trace along the angry bumps and scars. How was it that they looked so raw when they were nearly a decade old? Or maybe it was more now...who knew, the Joker didn't count anymore.

"I've made you famous," the Joker muttered softly as his fingers traced.

Something wet brushed against the Joker's bare foot. He didn't believe at first, but the Joker's fingers immediately met his eyes. Had a tear fell unnoticed? No, he couldn't remember the last time he'd cried. The Joker hissed at the thought of one of his wounds opening up again. He felt the wetness again and looked down.

He didn't find blood, or small teardrops.

The Joker's feet sloshed in the water as it began to collect, seeping in quickly from underneath his closed door.

Not normal.

Forgetting himself and his appearance, the Joker bounded out of his room and into the hallway, which was now flooded up to his ankles. Half dressed in pinstripe pants and a wifebeater, the Joker cursed loudly - he was the only one inside the warehouse, how would he fix this alone? He sloshed through the water, angry that there was no one to blame, no one to punish for this. The acute awareness in him wondered if maybe the cops were trying to flood him out - but that was laughable and just plain paranoid to think of.

It wasn't a ceiling leak, it was coming from one of the rooms. But which one? There were about twenty on the second floor, and they were all locked. The Joker paused, wondering where Char -

CHAR!

The Joker felt a tiny pang of panic throb through his chest as he ran, weighed down by the water, to Charlotte's room. He nearly slipped on the water cascading down the stairs, but looking down the hallway to see light shining from Charlotte's slightly open door was a relief was well as a horror.

/

The rain hadn't soothed Charlotte this time, as it usually did. So, she'd decided to take a bath. It was chilly in the warehouse, and she'd been feeling a little under the weather since her failed escape, so a hot bath was just the solution. She liked the way the water almost sizzled against her skin, like it was burning away every impurity. The hot bath water had the same affect as the raindrops on the window. Here, she didn't have to worry about anyone barging in or ruining her time. She appreciated that most.

Charlotte turned the dials and let the water flow as she undressed herself. She removed her ponytail and stared at herself in the mirror as she waited for the tub to fill halfway. Charlotte squinted at the mirror - why did she look so grim? It was as if everyday she looked a little less alive...

Blaming it on lack of sunlight and vitamin D, Charlotte plugged the tub and began to ease her way in. She sank slowly into the steaming water. It was almost agonizing, but Charlotte could feel her body relaxing and adjusting to the temperature. Her pale skin was turning red from the heat. When she was finished, Charlotte reached over and grabbed the purple bottle of Lavender bath salts Charlie had given her yesterday. He'd brought her quite a few things since that notebook, like a few cds, some art materials (no scissors, but she didn't blame him), and a cute little Lavender bath set. Each time he gave her a gift, he said he'd "found them downstairs," but after the cd's Charlotte began to suspect that he was gifting these items to her with his own money. Or stealing them for her. She wanted to ask him and say he didn't need to do it anymore, but it was sweet that he wanted to cheer her up, and she didn't want to insult him. After all, Charlie was the only one who gave some sort of a shit about her in this place.

Charlotte poured a handful of the bath salts in the steamy water and watched them dissolve. It was childish of her, but she wished for a bubble bath. The wonderful aroma of Lavender came up in the steam, and Charlotte breathed in deeply. She closed her eyes and set her head against the bathtub ledge. She hadn't felt this peaceful in a long time.

/

"Charlotte!" The Joker yelled over the sound of overflowing water as he barged into Charlotte's room. The water was heavier and warmer here - he'd found the source. Head unclear in panic, The Joker glanced furtively at Charlotte's bed. She wasn't there of course, he didn't know what he'd been expecting to see - perhaps Charlotte teetering over her bed and yelling about how much water there was. Fuck.

The door to Charlotte's bathroom had been flung open by the force of the cascading water. The Joker practically jumped to the door, and he hated to admit it but he was terrified of what he was about to see. The Joker burst into the flooding bathroom, locking eyes with Charlotte's naked body, which had sank to the bottom of the tub.

"Shit," he gritted, moving quickly. The Joker paid no attention to her nakedness as he fished Charlotte out of the tub. The water had run cold, and she was clammy as he sank to his knees in the water and pulled her atop of him.

"C'mon Charlotte, c'mon!" The Joker growled fiercely, giving Charlotte's face a few rough slaps. He'd never been in such an unnerving situation before. It was kind of funny - of all the explosions and shootouts he'd caught himself in - he'd never been more wracked and confused than he was now, holding Charlotte's limp body. Her lips and eyelids were starting to turn blue. He was moving so fast but it was all a blur.

The Joker laid her flat on the flooded floor, ignoring the small smack her head made against the tile everytime he pumped her chest.

"C'mon baby, c'mon," he muttered desperately. A part of him couldn't give up, while another, the gruesome part of his brain, was chanting, yelling, singing "she's dead she's dead she's dead" -

The Joker pressed his lips to hers, willing Charlotte to take in his own breath. He pushed her wet hair away so many times, but it clung to her face without avail. She looked like a sickly mermaid.

Charlotte came alive with a cough and massive spurt of water. She choked again and again, panting in between coughs and retches, clutching to him. The Joker could've cried out with joy as he felt her pulse thumping violently against his knee. With a relieved laugh, the Joker propped Charlotte's head against his knees. His pants were soaked.

"Thereeeee she is. Thought we'd lost ya, Doll."


Phew! I've been waiting so long to release this chapter! Here it is, I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review if you feel so inclined, I love hearing back from you guys! Do you think Charlotte realized it was the Joker without makeup or not...? You'll soon find out. Fun side note: I saw a guy who was pretty much Heath in his 20's reborn at the mall today, and couldn't look away! It made me really sad, but at the same time really happy! It might sound silly, but it made me feel like there's still parts of him on this earth, and that is a beautiful thing! Looking forward to hearing what you guys think will happen in this story! I've got a few tricks up my sleeve (: