There should be another chapter up shortly =) (within a day or so…maybe earlier.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Batman.

Darkness; noun/ the partial or total absence of light. OR Evil or wickedness.

Everything changed, but looked like it stayed the same… at least, that's what Jeannie felt.

The night Jack told her about his past and what he did for a living definitely gave Jeannie perspective, while putting more puzzle pieces together about Jack. Though there were clearly more pieces to fit together…

They ate her soup. Jack had three helpings, much to Jeannie's delight, and they talked, and talked until they couldn't keep their eyes open.

After the snow storm passed, Jeannie went home and the two resumed their usual routines; Jeannie went to work and tended the bar and Jack did whatever he did. And at the end of their work days, or sometimes the beginning of Jack's work day, they'd meet up at Norm's. Sometimes they'd text each other, but rarely talked on the phone. Jack wasn't one for phone conversations.

They'd talk about work, or how their days were….It had taken a while for Jack to realize that he had established a healthy, friendly relationship with her. It was a foreign thing to him. Sure, he had friends, but Jeannie was a whole new breed of friend to him…maybe because something more than friendship was forming in his dark heart. But before he could dwell on it too long, he'd push the thought to the side.

It went that way for weeks, until one night before the club opened up.

Jack and two other men working for security for Cobblepot paid Tony a visit. Jack had specifically chose this night for the meeting, because it was Jeannie's night off, for two reasons. One, she wasn't ready for his work life to meet his non-work life i.e. Jeannie and Cobblepot, and two, if things got hairy, he didn't want Jeannie getting hurt. He wasn't expecting for things to get out of hand, but his boss was more unpredictable than he at times.

Security let them in and Jack was relieved to hear that the music wasn't yet on and the flood lights were on, illuminating the warehouse turned nightclub.

"Jack!"

Jeannie's call made the men stop including Cobblepot, and turn to the blonde beauty, who was sitting on top of the bar cleaning pilsner glasses with a napkin.

Jack froze and grit his teeth as he slowly turned to face her.

She set the glass and the cloth napkin down, jumped off of the bar and happily walked over to Jack.

"Who's the bird?" Cobblepot mumbled, poking Jack in the ribs.

"She's a friend." Jack murmured.

Jeannie smiled up at Jack and reached for his tie, straightening it as she spoke. "What are you doing here?"

Jack, who was clearly uncomfortable with the situation, took a tiny step back, making Jeannie let go of his tie. "I thought you had the day off."

She shook her head annoyed. "One of the bartenders called in sick." She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, extra money for me."

From behind the two, Cobblepot cleared his throat, making Jack flinch and turn around to his boss. "Why don't you introduce me to your lady friend, Jacky."

Jack inwardly winced, but kept his stone face on, not wanting to give away that he was extremely uncomfortable. "Boss, this is Jeannie. Jeannie, this is Oswald Cobblepot." He rose an eyebrow, silently telling her not to do or say anything stupid.

She beamed up at him and stepped over to Cobblepot, extending a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Cobblepot kissed the top of her hand and lifted his top hat. "The pleasure's all mine, deary." He then smirked up at Jack. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Jacky boy."

Jack shook his head, and was about to tell him, no, no she's not my girlfriend. She's a girl. And she's my friend. Not my girlfriend. But Cobblepot didn't give him a chance to speak. "Let's go Jacky. We've got a little piggy to go see, you can be with your lady later." He jabbed Jack in the ribs while giving him a wink and this time Jack couldn't help the annoyed expression he shot at Jeannie.

She gave him a look that told him 'Don't be stupid'. "It was nice to finally meet you, Mr. Cobblepot." She then turned to Jack and gave him an evil smirk. "Bye, Jack." She stood up on her tip toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and went back to the bar, leaving Jack wide eyed and wanting to either shoot her right on the spot or smile stupidly.

He felt another jab in the ribs. "Ho-ho Jacky! You got yourself a beauty." Cobblepot chuckled. "I always thought you were a eunuch."

Jack kept silent. He didn't trust himself at the moment as to what would come out of his mouth, so he just turned around and led the way up the stairs to Tony's office, but not before shooting Jeannie a death glare.

The meeting didn't go well between Cobblepot and Tony.

Tony wouldn't budge on the selling price of the club or terminate the sale between he and Falcone, which pissed Cobblepot off even more.

"I'm sorry, Oswald." Tony said. "It's a done deal. And even if it wasn't, I'm not about to break a deal off with Falcone. He'd cut my balls off and feed them to me."

"And you think I wouldn't?" Cobblepot spat.

Jack's boss was irate with the little worm ball. Twice he had reached for his umbrella that doubled as a machine gun, but thought better of it.

"What's he wanting to do in the night club business, hmm?"

Tony shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is he came in a few months ago, offered me $500,000 for the club. I think he's going to turn it into a strip joint or something…which is what I should have done." He gave the men a nervous smile. "Hindsight is always twenty-twenty, huh?"

Jack knew Cobblepot wanted him to beat the man to death, but he refrained, to Jack's utter surprise. There was nothing they could do. Everything was done, the sale of the business was already complete and since Cobblepot couldn't just kill him and take over the business legally, he had to find another course of action. Everything like this had to be done legally so not to tip off the cops…or the IRS for that matter.

They exited the office, leaving a sweating Tony in their wake and headed back down the stairs.

"That little shit." Cobblepot grumbled as he stuffed a fresh Cuban cigar in his mouth. "This is a prime spot for us and that damned Sicilian moved in on my territory!"

Jack nodded his head, agreeing with his boss. "Hostile takeover?"

Cobblepot shook his head. "All in good time. Unfortunately, now is not it." He looked around Jack to where Jeannie was reorganizing bottles of alcohol behind the bar. "What are you doing tomorrow for Thanksgiving?"

Jack furrowed his eyes confused by the question. In all the years he had worked for his boss, he had never asked a question like this.

"Uhm. Nothing." He shrugged. Thanksgiving was just another day to him.

Cobblepot flicked the ash off the end of his cigar. "You never come to the restaurant, why don't you take your lady friend there for dinner. It'll be on the house. Consider it a holiday bonus." He smiled and pushed passed Jack headed towards the exit.

Jack didn't give him an answer, he slowly followed his boss towards the door.

"Jack! I'll see you tonight?" Jeannie called.

He barely moved his head and waved an affirmative to her and left without giving her another glance.

He got there early so he could contemplate things. He ordered a piece of peach cobbler to help him think and sipped a cup of coffee.

Both worlds collided for him. Even though it was a short period of time…

And for some reason, he didn't like that his boss knew about Jeannie's existence. It wasn't that Cobblepot would do something to her, it was just that he had always kept his personal life private for a reason. Now he may have something to hold over his head… and Jack really didn't like that. He liked not having any strings. It made his life easier.

Maybe this was his sign to ditch her.

He frowned down at his pie. He didn't think he'd be able to do that. It wasn't like they were romantically involved…even though he knew and she knew there was some chemistry between the two. And begrudgingly, he had to admit, he enjoyed Jeannie's company. He looked forward to their time together and her random texts he'd get at all hours of the day and night. Jack didn't really look forward to anything really, just the thrill of beating the shit out of people, but that was completely different. Even Sammy had noticed a difference in him.

They had grown so close so quickly, and obviously Jack was still not at all used to the feelings that were in involved.

He wasn't lying when he didn't date. He was a hit'er and quit'er kind of guy. He'd maybe string them along for a few weeks and then get rid of her. He didn't have time, nor the patience to deal with a needy woman day in and day out.

He stuffed some more pie in his mouth and pinched the bridge of his nose as he continued to dwell until the girl in question waltzed into the diner.

"What's up?" She greeted, sliding into the booth. "What's the matter with you?" She said, knitting her brows together at the site of his grumpy, complex look he was giving her.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

She squinted her eyes at him, knowing full well it was not 'nothing' but deciding to let it go. She had learned quickly that Jack was a complicated creature and she knew that if she pushed him there'd be hell to pay. Not that she had pushed any kind of subject on him, but she knew that Jack could have a short fuse.

So, she nodded her head at him and gave him a smile. "It was cool seeing you tonight. You're boss is very short." She giggled and then giggled harder when he almost choked on his pie.

Jack pounded on his chest a couple times to ensure the treat went down the right way and then cleared his throat, while shaking his head at her.

"What?" She said, trying not to laugh at his reaction.

"He is short…it's just, the last person to call him short got shot in the face a few times."

Her brows shot up in surprise. "Well, remind me not to mention his height to him." She reached over and grabbed his cup of untouched coffee and took a sip. She smiled when he handed her four little creamers and his spoon. "What were you guys doing there anyway?"

He shook his head, almost warring with himself if he should tell her, but again, threw caution to the wind, something he was doing a lot with Jeannie lately. "The boss isn't too happy about Tony selling the club."

Jeannie stopped stirring her stolen coffee and looked up at Jack. "What do you mean Tony is selling the club?"

Jack pushed air out of his lungs. Damnit. "Yeeeea." He drawled, wincing. "I thought you had known."

"No. I didn't." She set the spoon down. "Who is he selling it to?"

"Falcone."

"The mob boss that's almost always in the newspaper?"

Jack nodded and swiped the coffee mug away from her and took a swig. "The one and only."

Jeannie bit her lip. "I wonder if I can keep my job."

He shook his head. "I don't know. But you have a few more months before the purchase is final." He tapped his long index finger . "In the meantime, keep your eyes and ears open for me, ok? Falcone is a slimy bastard, and I don't trust him or his men any further than I can throw 'em. Ok Jean-nie?" he slid the coffee cup back to her.

She nodded her head. "Ok."

"What are you doing tomorrow?" He said, reclining back into the booth.

Jeannie looked thoughtful. "Isn't tomorrow Thanksgiving?"

Jack nodded. "Yes."

She smirked at him. "Why do you ask, Jack? You want me to cook dinner for you again?"

He shook his head. "The boss invited me to his restaurant tomorrow and told me to invite you…and although I'd much rather spend my evening at home, when the boss tells you to do something, you do it."

Jeannie took the coffee back and nonchalantly took his fork and speared a piece of pie. "I take it I have no choice in the matter?" She put the piece of pie in her mouth and chewed.

He smirked. "Oh you have the choice, although if you choose not to, it'll be me paying for it. And you wouldn't want that, would you, Jean-nie?"

She rose an eyebrow at him. She could use this to her advantage. "If I say yes, then you have to do me a solid in return." She smiled, taking another bite out of Jack's pie.

"And what would that be?" He sighed.

"Come with me to my mom and dads annual Christmas party."

His face fell, no longer amused with their conversation. "Why the hell are you going to that?"

"Ah Jack, I think you meant to say, why are WE going to that?" She smiled. "My grandma will be there. I haven't seen her in a while, and I would like to…I'm willing to assail my nerves for one night just to see her. But I'll only go if I have back up." She gave him a large smile and handed his fork back to him. "I need someone to keep me from going insane."

He squinted at her. "If I go, I may have to stab a few people."

She giggled. "I think I'd be ok with that."

"Don't tempt me, Sugar. 'Cuz I might do just that."

Jeannie waved a dismissive hand at him, but noted the sincerity in his voice. She knew deep down that if she gave him the word or even pushed, he'd take them out.

He sighed heavily. "Deal. You better have a nice cocktail dress."

"Nope, that just means I need to go shopping."

The next day Jeannie was up and out of her apartment much earlier that she wanted. But in order to be ready by seven that even, she had to sacrifice her sleep to get things done.

She managed to find a beautiful purple cocktail dress at a thrift shop in the outskirts of downtown. It still had the price tags on. Some wealthy woman bought the dress for $3500 and she got it for a steal at $25.95. She found matching pumps at Macy's, which she managed to get with a gift card she had received from a friend for her birthday and had enough left over to buy a few things at the MAC counter.

By the time she got home with her buys, it was after 3pm, giving her more than enough time to shower and primp.

Already ready to go, an hour or so early, she stood in her room, not sure what to do with herself. Nerves were the reason she got ready so early, she didn't know what to do with herself. She was nervous, but didn't let herself think as to why she was until she was standing in the middle of her bedroom, staring at Mr. Snuggles, her teddy bear, who sat in the middle of her made bed.

"Is this a date? I don't think it is, but it sure feels like it is."

Mr. Snuggles didn't answer and it made Jeannie raise an eyebrow, wondering if she was going insane, asking a stuffed bear questions and waiting for him to answer.

She busied herself by going back into her bathroom and reorganized her makeup drawer. It was a well known fact that Jeannie was a makeup enthusiast. She learned early on when she got her job at the club that a pretty face got you more tips and more tips meant not starving. She had also learned how to do makeup earlier in life when she dancing, and honed her skills by watching many youtube videos.

Jeannie had a lipstick collection that would make a drag queen jealous. She had many colors, but she could proudly say had a crap ton of shades of red.

All the while she kept asking herself; was this a date or was she just doing her friend a solid? On one hand, he was doing the same for her. When he had asked her, her stomach did a million flip flops and it took all her willpower to keep a shit eating grin off of her face.

Over the weeks, her feelings for Jack grew from borderline friendship to a something a little more stronger. Not only did his dark and sometimes brooding personality attracted her, but his looks didn't hurt either. Everything about him was intriguing to her and the feeling she got every time she was near him made her feel like she was a piece of metal and he the strongest magnet in the world. It was something she'd never felt before.

She kept herself busy, reorganizing her lipsticks by shade. She was in the middle of going through her pink shades when a knock sounded at the door. She nervously looked herself over in the mirror and then hurried to answer the door.

Jack stood at her door step, dressed in a pinstriped suit. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, a different look than his usual slicked back hair or loose curly hair. His green eyes lit up in awe when he looked at Jeannie.

"You clean up nice there, kitten."

Jeannie smirked. "Ditto." She stepped outside, quickly grabbing her heavy peacoat and clutch before exiting and locked her door. "You'll have to be patient with me. I'm wearing heels, so I can't walk as fast, especially since it's icy."

"You won't be doing a lot of long distance walking, Jean-nie. " He pointed at a beautiful older looking car parked on the street. Jeannie didn't know much about cars, but she could tell that it was in perfect condition. It was gaining a lot of attention from some of the passerby's on the sidewalk, mostly older men.

"That your car?"

"Mmhmm." He answered, smirking in a loving manner towards the car. "I told you, I only break her out of the storage unit for special occasions." He said, popping the door open for her.

She gave him a thankful smile and slid into the car. The black leather interior was immaculate and there was a lingering smell of cigarette smoke that was mixed with the old 'new car smell' freshener dangling from the rearview mirror. She could tell that Jack cared for the car very much; there wasn't a crumb on the floor boards and the dashboard was flawless and shined as if it had gotten an Armor-All bath recently.

Jack slid in and started the ignition. The rumble of the engine scared a bunch of pigeons on the street and a group of teens that were walking on the sidewalk, making Jeannie giggle and Jack smirk devilishly. As he pulled away from the curb, turned the radio on and turned the volume down so it was just background noise.

"How long have you had this car?" She ran a hand over the dash in front of her. "It's very…you."

Jack nodded. "I bought it about ten years ago, took me a few years to restore it…It's my pride and joy."

She nodded. "I can see why you keep it in storage."

It didn't take them long to arrive.

Jeannie watched Jack give the keys, reluctantly, to the valet, and tried not to look too shocked when she heard him threaten the young man if he so much as breathed wrong on it.

He then surprised Jeannie by looping her arm with his as they walked into the restaurant.

When Jack had told her they were going to his bosses restaurant, she didn't know what to expect. But when he led her to Chez Delicieux, her heart just about leapt out of her chest. She had always wanted to go there; the food was supposed to be amazing, and not that Jeannie could afford it on her meager salary, but they had an ice cream sundae topped with gold shavings. Ryan couldn't even get in, their reservation list was booked almost six months in advance, and you couldn't just walk in unless you were someone of great importance.

"Your boss owns Chez Delicieux?" She said, aghast. "I don't think even my parents have been here before!"

Jack merely nodded as they walked up to the hostess. He wasn't as impressed as Jeannie. He'd eaten there before, a few times actually, so he was a bit jaded in that respect. But, he also knew how Oswald Cobblepot had acquired the restaurant, which really didn't bother him that his boss had all but murdered and black mailed his way into the business. But, just like all of the clubs Cobblepot owned, the restaurant was successful.

The hostess recognized Jack instantly. She left her post, ignoring the woman that was there first. "Mr. Napier! Welcome." She greeted as she scurried to meet the two of them. "Mr. Cobblepot reserved the best table for you." She over-enthusiastically said as she motioned for them to follow. "He also said that your bill is on the house." She looked over her shoulder, giving them a large smile.

Jack merely gave her a nod and they followed the hyper girl to the center of the restaurant. A small table awaited them, decorated in a golden tablecloth and a beautiful white rose floating in a fish bowl and three tea lights surrounding it, also floating.

Along with the restaurant, the center piece reminded her of a wedding she had attended when she was with Ryan. The wedding cost the couple over a million dollars and the décor was breathtaking.

From nowhere, a man, Jeannie assumed was the maître d', stepped to their table and held Jeannie's chair out.

"Gustou will see to your every need this evening. Enjoy your dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Napier."

Both Jeannie and Jack turned beet red at her assumption and both were speechless, not able to correct her mistake.

"May I start you off with champaign? Sparkling water?" Gustou offered.

Jack cleared his throat, still reeling from the hostesses Mr. and Mrs. Gaffe. "Erm. Water, for me."

"The same please." Jeannie said, trying to keep a loud, inappropriate laugh from escaping her lips at Jack's expense.

Gustou bowed, handed them menu's and scurried off to get their waters.

"Your face was priceless." Jeannie shook her head, biting her lip to keep the laugh from coming out. "It looked as if she ran over your puppy or gave you an ultimate wedgie." She giggled and picked up the menu.

Jack shook his head. "I…I have no words for what she just said."

Jeannie frowned at him and put the menu down. "You act as if marriage is…" She shrugged her shoulders and though of a word. "Disgusting."

He nodded. "Marriage is disgusting. It's a joke." He spat. "It's a sham."

Her furrowed her brows at him. "I beg to differ."

"Is that so? You of all people don't think so?" He looked at her as if she had all the sudden sprouted another head. "You were almost married to a man that not only beat you on a regular basis, but almost beat you to death."

Jeannie looked away, not appreciating him bringing up the subject of Ryan. "So. That's one, rare instance."

Jack shook his head at her. "My parent's union wasn't the best. My dad killed my mom. And, uh, more times than not, the foster parents I was lucky to get hated each others guts. So, uh-yeah. I do think marriage is a sham." His tone was calm and collected, but it had an edge to it, one Jeannie had only started to recognize as of late.

One of the puzzle pieces to Jack. He rarely, if ever raised his voice…at least not to Jeannie. There really wasn't an instance where he would have. But, he had been irritated a few times around her, and Jeannie noticed that the cadence in his voice changed ever so slightly.

"I think your unlucky upbringing jaded your perception of marriage. And, yes, even though Ryan was a son of a bitch, he hasn't scared me from wanting to get married."

"Here are your waters." Gustou said, interrupting their conversation. "Have you made your decisions on your meal tonight?"

"Do you know what you want, Jean-nie?" Jack asked, his irritated voice still present in his question.

Jeannie shook her head. "You know what, Gustou? I trust you. How about you order what you think is good."

"Very well, madam." Gustou smiled, taking the menu from her and then turned to Jack.

"I'll have the same."

"Very good!" The maître 'd smiled excitedly and headed off towards the kitchens.

"My unlucky upbringing showed me the honest truth about how people are and what people become when they are married. You should feel the same." Jack said, the second Gustou left.

Jeannie rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't. Jack, why would you want to spend the rest of your life alone? What about love? What about finding that one person that completes you…" She paused and chuckled at the face Jack made. "Ok, super cheesy, but it's the truth. I believe one of the things life is about is love. Finding that one person you can't live without and growing old with them." She leaned back in her chair, and gave Jack a questioning look. "In ten years, what do you see? What lies in your future, Jack?"

"How am I supposed to know that? I'm not a fortune teller." He deadpanned.

She sighed. "That's not what I meant." She shook her head again. "What I meant was, will you be alone? Is that what you want? To be alone, forever? Don't you want a partner in crime…pun not intended."

He smirked at her joke, but like all his smiles and smirks, it faded away just as quickly as it appeared. He thought about what she said though. In all honesty, he hadn't really given it much thought in the past, where he'd be in five years…probably because he knew his life expectancy and his luck would run out eventually.

He shrugged. "I guess I just haven't found my partner in crime yet to persuade me otherwise."

They continued their conversation all the way through dinner, the topic shifting from marriage to kids, which Jack had also told Jeannie that kids were out of the question for him. His reason was because children were pains in the ass, but mostly why would anybody willingly bring a child into the world, especially in such a place like Gotham. Jeannie was neutral on the subject. She wouldn't mind kids, but she didn't think she'd actually try for them.

"If it happens, it happens." She shrugged.

Even though the subjects of conversation seemed to be touchy at times, the two didn't get over emotional, more so Jack than Jeannie. Jack seemed to keep his cool better than anyone Jeannie had ever met. It was clear they were enjoying each other's company, the two pushing their buttons playfully.

Jeannie cocked her head to the side as Gustou took off with their emptied plates and smiled at him. "Why are you so serious, Jack?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I think I'm hilarious." He deadpanned.

She shook her head. "Dry sense of humor, that's what you have."

As he made to reply, his phone buzzed. He really wanted to ignore it, but his loyalty for his job won.

"Shit." He muttered, reading over the text from his boss. He sighed and shoved his phone back into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. "We've got to cut our night short, Sugar."

Jeannie couldn't help the dejected look on her face. She was having a good time and wasn't expecting their night to end so abruptly. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I'm not exactly sure, but I do know that I need to go now."

They gathered their jackets and headed towards the exit. "I hope you don't mind, but you'll have to take a cab home." He gave her an apologetic glance. "Sorry, Sugar."

She shook her head. "No, don't worry about it. I don't mind taking the monorail."

Jack's left brow rose and he gave her an incredulous look. "Don't be dumb, Jean-nie. You'll be eaten alive dressed like that the second you hit the Narrows." He flung his hand up and whistled, gaining the attention of a passing taxi. He walked to the cab and opened the door for her. "See you later."

She grasped his arm, keeping him from shutting the door. "Thanks Jack. I had fun, even though we had to cut it short." She hesitantly reached out and placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him on the other.

The second her lips touched his cheek, his stomach flip flopped and he swore he saw fireworks in the backs of his eyelids.

He didn't know how to react. This wasn't the first time she had given him a kiss on the cheek, but this one meant something. It was very intentional. Not know what to do, he cleared his throat and nodded at her, making Jeannie give him a soft smile and closed the door before she could tell he was blushing.

He then knocked on the driver side window.

"Make sure she gets to her door safe." He handed the cabbie money for Jeannie's ride home and a little extra. "I'll know if she didn't." He warned and then stalked off towards the valet to retrieve his car.

He truly felt bad for cutting the night short with Jeannie. Admittedly, he had never taken a woman out before. Not intentionally anyway. He had told himself that this was necessary, since his boss twisted his arm, metaphorically, telling himself this wasn't a date, just a dinner between two friends.

…but it didn't feel like it was a dinner between friends. It felt like it was more.

Shoving his confusion and excitement, he handed over his ticket to the valet and put his game face on. Someone double crossed the boss, and he needed Jack to deal with the rat.

Once he got his car from the valet, he sped off towards the Iceberg, one of his boss's nightclubs where he performed most of his business which was only about ten minutes away from the restaurant.

Once parked, he quickly bypassed security and headed straight to the back where his boss was waiting for him.

"Ah, Jacky. I do apologize for interrupting dinner, but we a development that needs your attention." He snapped his fingers and moments later, Sammy came in shoving a tied up man, Jack recognized as Willy, one of Falcone's thugs and all around asshole.

"Look at who we found here at the club!" Cobblepot exclaimed excitedly. "He was trying to be discreet and try to grill the cocktail waitresses for information. Weren't you, you little weasel." He grunted, jabbing Willy in the ribs with his ever present umbrella.

"Fuck you, Penguin." Willy spat.

Cobblepot bit his cigar and back handed Willy into the chair that was sat out for him. Sammy took the opportunity to tie willy up and roll out a rolling cart that was covered with a blood red sheet.

"Jacky. I need answers." He grinned at Jack. "Work your magic."

Jack took his suit jacket off and nodded at his boss, a large smile gracing his lips. "Sammy, I have a feeling you're going to need to put the plastic down on the floor… I have a feeling our friend Willy is going to make it difficult on me."

"Sure thing." His friend said, grabbing a large plastic sheet from a bag on the floor.

"This scare tactic ain't gonna work on me, you shit knob. I ain't telling you nothin'."

Jack merely chuckled and ripped the red sheet off of the rolling cart next to Willy and picked up an ice pick and a small blow torch. "Sammy, I'll need your lighter."

He lit the blow torch and as he heated the ice pick up a giddy giggle escaped his smiling lips.

Jack parked down the street and turned the engine off. He then turned to Jeannie, who was staring out the window towards the huge glowing mansion that was dripping with Christmas lights. Her jaw was tight and she was sitting up rigidly.

He kept silent. Letting her be, knowing not to push her…at least not this early in the evening. He quietly slid his hands in his pockets and waited.

"It's the seventh circle of hell." She turned to him and sighed. "Ready to enter the devil's den?"

Jack smirked at her. "Lead me to hell, Sugar."

They walked side by up to Jeannie's childhood home and when they went through the front door, they were met with an elegant violin rendition of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' and a lot of Gotham's elite.

A few familiar faces acknowledged Jeannie either by waving, nodding their head or giving her a snide look. Jack too was earning some attention; people gave him curious looks and a handful even took a step back from him as he passed, and Jeannie playfully thought to herself that those were they guys who had the displeasure of meeting Jack at work. Some stared in awe of him. It wasn't like Jack was poorly dressed; he was in a nice gray suit, his hair was slicked back showing his debonair face and striking emerald green eyes. He didn't look out of place, but the party goers initial reactions were probably because of Jack's dark and mysterious aura that he threw off. And because of that, she felt like a protective bubble had enclosed on her. As long as Jack and his dark, dangerous bubble was at her side, she felt at ease with the men and women that made her feel so very uncomfortable.

As they neared the bar, Jeannie searched for her grandmother. "The faster I find her, the faster we can get the hell out of here." She murmured.

Jack nodded as he took the scene in, smirking at the familiar faces of the handful of his employers customers. A few coke heads, a couple of money borrowers… he smirked and shook his head as he followed Jeannie to the bar.

They were halted in their tracks when a tall, blonde woman came barreling towards them, a low ball glass full of scotch in one hand and the other outstretched. "My darling girl!" She said loudly, hugging Jeannie and kissing the air by her cheeks. "I am so glad you came." Her smile faded as she pinched a lock of Jeannie's long blond hair. "Oh darling, you've neglecting your hair, it needs some low lights and a trim. Haven't you read last issue's Cosmo? Long hair is out, short hair is in."

"I like her hair just fine." Came Jack's voice behind them.

The two turned to look at him, the older of the two frowning at the tall, young man.

"And just who are you?" She questioned, taking a dainty sip from her glass.

"Mother," Jeannie groaned, stepping to stand next to Jack. "This is Jack. My…uh…my date." She mumbled, not sure if she should call him that.

Her mother's perfectly manicured eyebrow hiked up as far as it could as she looked at Jack, taking in his appearance, silently sizing him up. "Date, hmm?" She took a step forward, breaking their personal space bubble. "Tell me, Jack is it? What do you do?"

Jeannie froze, and Jack felt her do so, causing a sly smirk to spread across his lips. "I have my fingers in many pies, Mrs. Kerr."

Jeannie's mothers gave him bored look. "What exactly does that mean?" She pressed.

"It means, mother, that he does a lot of things."

She ignored Jeannie and took another sip of her drink, looking Jack straight in the eye. "So you're unemployed."

Jeannie rolled her eyes and Jack, seemingly losing his patience already, growled under his breath. "I'm a debt collector, among other things."

The older woman gave him a smile that was not sincere, it was almost a grimace. "Lovely."

"It pays the bills." He added, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Usually, if Jack was presented with a situation, such as this, he'd do one of two things; either punch the agitator in the mouth or verbally beat them into submission. But since he was unable to do so, he bit his tongue and contemplated alcohol to keep him from committing a mass murder.

"What's your family name?" She drawled, her snootiness shining through brightly.

Jeannie grasped Jack's tensed arm and gave him an apologetic look. He looked down and pinched her cheek, silently telling her he was ok.

"Napier." He answered.

Again, Jeannie's mother looked him up and down, studying his appearance. "I don't think I recognize the name. You must not be from this part of Gotham."

"Nope. I'm from the Narrows, born and raised."

Before she could open her mouth, starting a war of passive aggressive insults between she and Jack, Jeannie pulled Jack by the arm. "Oh look! Grandma is here!" She pulled Jack along side her, thanking her lucky stars her grandma stepped through the front door at that moment. She knew who'd win the war, and although the outcome would make her oh-so happy, she wasn't in the mood to deal with her mother's reaction.

"Ah, it was just getting fun." He said darkly.

Jeannie sighed. "I'm not up to dealing with her at the moment."

"I can see why you told me not to bring my gun."

She pushed air out of her lips at his statement. She had said it to him playfully. She assumed he had a gun, but didn't think he'd actually think about bringing it a Christmas party in the rich suburbs of Gotham.

She led him through the party goers and stopped in front of a short old woman, immaculately dressed, just like everyone else at the party, except the smile on her face was 100% sincere, not like the catty ones that seemed to fill the room.

"Grandma!"

The older woman's face lit up. "Oh! My Jeannie!"

The two hugged, leaving Jack lingering uncomfortably to the side.

"I've missed you!" Jeannie exclaimed, breaking from their hug. "I am so happy to see you!"

Jeannie's grandma patted her lovingly on the hand. "Me too, my darling. How about you introduce me to your man friend."

Jeannie turned and led her grandmother to where Jack was standing. "Jack. This is my grandmother, Ethel Kerr."

Jack offered a small smile to Ethel. In turn Ethel gave him a smile back and looked him up and down, but it wasn't contemptuous like Jeannie's mother. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jack. My, my Jeannie." She laughed. "You caught yourself a very handsome man. And tall!" She laughed and gave her granddaughter a loving smile.

She stepped forward, grabbing hold of Jack's arm. "Tell me Jack, how well do you treat my Jeannie? Better than the last jackass she was with I hope."

Jack laughed. "I think anyone would treat her better than that dick weed."

His remark made the old woman burst out into loud guffaws. "Oh, Jeannie, I do like him."

The three chatted for a solid forty five minutes, to Jeannie's utter shock. She didn't think Jack would tolerate sitting at a hoity-toity party having a full on conversation with her grandmother… but then again, they were talking about gambling.

Ethel Kerr was an avid black jack player. Always finding excuses going to Vegas and hosting casino nights at her country club. For as long as she could remember, her father would always reprimand her mother for flushing her money down the tubes, but she always ignored him. She had plenty of money, and if she wanted to gamble some of it away, that's her prerogative, at least that's how Jeannie saw it.

"As much as I have enjoyed our chat you two, I must make my rounds. I don't want to hear my son bitch at me for not saying hello to his guests." She huffed. "You two better find me before you leave."

Jack couldn't help but chuckle as the woman walked away from them. "I like her."

Jeannie giggled too. "She's my favorite. She tells it like it is. I still think my dad was switched at birth. There's no freaking way my uptight egotistical, money grubbing father came out of her."

"What should we do now?" He asked looking around.

She smiled. "I think we—"

"Hold that thought, Sugar." Jack said, pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket. "I have to take this." He answered the phone. "Sammy, hold on." He looked to Jeannie. "I'll be right outside. This conversation isn't for eavesdropping ears. I'll be right back."

Jeannie nodded and watched him head towards the outside to the front porch. Not knowing what to do with herself, she decided to visit the bar and possibly get an eggnog while waiting for Jack to finish his phone call.

"Jeanette." A smooth familiar voice came from behind her. Almost immediately the hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end. She froze, refusing to turn around and face the person behind her.

"Jeanette, darling." Came her mother's voice, also behind her. "Don't be rude and ignore us."

Jeannie started to panic. Her chest heaved heavily and she felt a sweat break out on her forehead. She searched frantically for Jack, hoping to call him back, but she couldn't find him in the throng of party goers. She slowly turned around, her breath leaving her body as the handsome face of Ryan Samson came into view. He smiled his million dollar smile and gave her a smug look. She looked to her mother, who was smiling stupidly at Ryan, and then looked to her daughter, her smile falling slightly. "Jeanette. Don't be rude. Say hello."

But Jeannie remained silent and took a slight step back, away from Ryan and away from her mother. "I need to go find Jack."

"You are being rude to our guest. I went through all this trouble to invite you and Ryan so you two can reconcile."

Jeannie couldn't help the shocked look of betrayal she shot her mother. It really wasn't a shock, really. Her mother was a dumbass. A clueless dumbass.

"I don't wish to reconcile with Ryan. Reconciliation went out the window the first few times he punched me in the face." With each word, she spoke louder and louder, gaining some attention to those who were closest to the trio.

"Oh tish tosh!" her mother waved a hand dismissively. "Don't be such a drama monger." She reprimanded her and then dashed away, calling after one of her friends, leaving Jeannie alone with Ryan.

Jeannie took a step back and again searched frantically for Jack.

This was her worst nightmare…she knew she shouldn't have come.

"I have missed you so much." He smirked. "Aren't you happy to see me?" He took a quick step forward towards her.

She again, took a step back and kept looking over his head for Jack.

"Who are you looking for, Jeanette? That man you came with? He can't stop me from talking to you."

The way he asked the question, made Jeannie quiver. She backed away from him and turned, scurrying away from him and quickly headed in the direction the Jack went, not checking to see if Ryan was following or not. She all but burst through the front door and almost sobbed with relief when she saw Jack on the porch talking on the phone.

He looked up and immediately frowned when he saw Jeannie.

"Sammy, hold on."

He took his phone away from his ear and turned fully towards her. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen ghost." He placed his hand on her shoulder and grasped it affectionately. She drew strength from his presence and took a deep breath.

"My mother invited Ryan. He tried to corner me, but I didn't give him a chance to."

Jack's eyes narrowed on her, and his mouth twisted into a snarl. "Oh really."

Jeannie took a shaky intake of breath and looked up at him, not exactly sure what she should do.

"Just wait here, let me finish talking to Sammy, and we'll deal with the asshole." He playfully pinched her chin and walked a few steps away from her and resumed his conversation with Sammy, turning away from her to keep his conversation private.

She sighed in relief. She felt better knowing Jack was there with her…and she wasn't sure what he had in mind after he finished his phone call. How would they 'deal with the asshole'?

She shook her head and leaned up against the door jam and watched as Jack spoke quietly on his phone, trying to calm her nerves. It had been a while since she had seen Ryan, and she really wasn't expecting to see him here. She wasn't quite sure what she would have done if Jack wasn't there with her.

What would have happened?

Her mind whirled with the grim possibilities.

Would he drag her off somewhere and finish the job he had started when he had beat her to a pulp?

She was sure that's what would happen. He'd get her alone and do something to her…something awful no doubt. Damn her mother. How could she have done this to her? Especially since she knew what Ryan was capable of doing!

Something grabbed her shoulder from behind and twisted her around. She yelped in surprise and immediately lost the ability to speak when she looked up at the crazed eyes of her ex-boyfriend.

"That was rude, Jeannette." He kept his hold on her shoulder and looked her up and down. "You left before we could talk." He smirked and went to brush a stray piece of hair out her face, and frowned deeply when she jerked back from him.

His eyes hardened, the same way they would when he was about to strike at her. "Now, now Jeannette. No need to act like a cunt." He yanked her forward, making her stumble forward. The only thing that kept her from falling on her face was the tight hold of her shoulder. "You haven't changed, haven't you?" He grit out. "No respect."

"I think you're the one with no respect."

Jeannie would have smiled if she wasn't scared half to death.

Jack stood beside the two, his long fingers wrapped around Ryan's wrist with obvious pressure. Ryan's hand was starting to turn red. "Do me a favor, uh, Ryan was it? Let go of Jeannie before this whole thing turns ugly." His face was a mask of calm, he even had a slight smile on his face. But the look in his eyes were murderous, as was the grip he had on Ryan.

Ryan's initial reaction was shock. He clearly was not expecting Jack to come out of the shadows and swoop to Jeannie's rescue. But he quickly became agitated and refused to let go of Jeannie's shoulder.

"Why don't you get the hell out of here and let Jeannette and I have a conversation."

Jack smirked. "Jeannie, do you want to have a, uh, conversation with Ryan?" He asked the question without breaking eye contact with Ryan.

She shook her head. "No. No I don't."

"See Ryan." Jack said in mock cheerfulness. "She doesn't want to talk to you. So why don't you let go of her, or I'll be forced to mess up your nice suit."

Both Ryan and Jeannie watched as Jack brought a knife out of his pocket and placed it on Ryan's throat. He acted so fast, if Jeannie hadn't witnessed it herself she would have thought Jack a magician. She watched in awe as Ryan's hand slowly let his grip loosen and then fall away. She immediately took a step back and Jack slipped in front of Ryan, grabbed him by his tie and slammed him up against the house, all the while still holding his knife to his throat.

"I think it's time to cut your loses Ryan. The lady doesn't want to be near you, and she damn well doesn't want to talk with you. Take the hint and get the fuck out of here."

Ryan, who clearly didn't know who he was dealing with, sneered at Jack and tried to move forward, but froze when he felt the tip of Jack's knife press harder into his neck. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He grit out.

The corners of Jack's lips lifted into an evil grin. "Oh, me? Well, I'm the guy with a knife pressed up against your carotid." He flashed his white teeth. "And I'm the guy you'll be answering to if you ever lay another finger on her. Catch my drift, pretty boy."

Ryan stared at Jack defiantly and then looked at Jeannie, giving her a particularly nasty look.

"Now now!" Jack admonished, pinching Ryan's cheeks together. "Don't be a dick." He let go of him and backed up until he was standing directly in front of Jeannie in a protective manor. "Now run along." For good measure he put his arm around Jeannie. "Run along."

Jack ushered Jeannie past Ryan, back into the house.

"Go get your purse. I think it's time we left. I'll make sure he doesn't follow you ."

Jeannie nodded. "Ok… thanks Jack. Seriously. I don't know what would happen if you hadn't stepped in."

He nodded his head curtly, his playful demeanor gone. "Go get your stuff Jeannie. Make it quick."

She bit her lip, not really sure how to gage him. But, she did what she was told and left him in search of her things. She ducked, hoping anybody she thought might stop her for a conversation could see she wasn't interested and made a bee line to the coat check.

After she retrieved her things, she luckily found her grandmother and was able to give her a quick goodbye and apologized that she couldn't stay any longer.

"It's quite alright my girl. I would love for you and Jack to come by and have tea."

Jeannie gave her an indulgent smile. "That would be nice, Grandma. I'll call you."

She gave her grandma a hug and a kiss and set off towards Jack, but was stopped when her mother practically jumped in front of her.

"Well, that was a quick reunion." Her mother, now with a fresh glass of spiked egg nog said, taking a sip of her beverage. "I hope you were able to set things straight."

Her eyes narrowed. "Set things straight? Are you fucking kidding me right now?" She spat.

Her mother gasped and pointed a finger in her daughter's face. "Do not use such language towards me! I went to all the trouble to reunite the two of you. I gave you the opportunity to right the wrongs you made with him! God, Jeannette! Are you blind? The man loves you! He was a wreck when you left him."

Jeannie stared at her mother, dumbfounded. "Let me get this straight, Mother. You want me to take back the man that beat me constantly, got me pregnant, beat me until I miscarried and kept me on lock down. Is that what you're telling me? Because of what? Hmm? Because he's does business with Dad. Because I won't be a disgrace to the both of you? Hmm? Is that why?" From the corner of her eye, she saw her father make a bee line over to the two women and ushered them to the front porch where there weren't eavesdroppers.

As they brushed passed Jack, Jeannie shot him a wide eye look, wordlessly telling him to follow and that shit was going to go down.

"Just what in the world is going on? Jeanette, why are you making a scene in front of our friends and family? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass this family constantly?"

Jeannie grit her teeth, jerking her arm away from her fathers grasp, tired of being manhandled. "Yup. That's right. Ever since the day I was born, my mission in life is to constantly embarrass the Kerr Family."

Her father sighed heavily as he cleaned his wire rimmed glasses off with a handkerchief, not noticing, along with her mother, Jack slipping through the front door and now standing behind the two of them, silently.

"Oh Jeanette. Stop with the dramatics. It's always the dramatics with you." He turned towards his wife. "What is this all about?"

"Well," She began, holding her hand over her heart. "Along with being treated like a third class citizen in my own home, Jeanette not only ruined her chances with sweet Ryan, but she tossed this good natured gesture in both our faces."

"Good natured? Are you fucking kidding me right now? Did you not just hear what I said not sixty seconds ago?"

"Jeannette." Her father warned. "I will not tolerate you speaking to your mother that way."

Jeannie's jaw tensed and then looked over his shoulder at Jack, who gave her a questionable look and then held up his knife, as if asking her if he wanted him to take care of her father for her. She shook her head slightly, all the while trying to hold back a giggle, especially when he rolled his eyes and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"Look. I'm not going to stay here any longer and subject myself to a bunch of people who are trying to get me to take back the guy that abused me for almost two years." She walked to where Jack was. "I seriously can't believe I was stupid enough to come here… " She felt Jack's arm engulf her and she leaned against him, drawing strength from his protective embrace. "I'm going to leave now. And if I'm lucky, I will never see you two again. You both have proved to me that you don't have a shred of love and decency."

They turned and headed towards the steps that led to the street, but Jack halted and turned around, making Jeannie turn too, since he still had his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"I don't know you people, but I'm going to give you the same warning I gave Mr. Samson; If that dickless asshole ever comes near her again, I'm holding you responsible." He smiled, his evil, chipper smile, turned himself and Jeannie around and walked back to his car, and as they drove down the street, the further away they got from the house, the bigger Jeannie smiled and then broke down into uncontrollable, body wracking sobs.

beta'd by Springandbysummerfall

A/N Thank you all for the reviews. I certainly am having fun writing this fic, and I hope you all are enjoying it. At the moment, I am sitting in my hotel room, the family and I are at Disneyland, so please forgive me if I didnt delete all of my beta's notes. If I happened to miss any, please let me know. I do have another chapter back from beta, but I may have to post that later. Thanks all!