A/N: Hi everyone and thank you so much to those of you who have reviewed, it really means a lot. Hope you are enjoying some of The Joker's back story. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Day Two Continued

It was two in the afternoon.

Jack suggested that they play chess.

"I don't know how to play," she protested, her arms folded.

"I'll teach you,"

"Whatever,"

"Where's your board?" he asked.

"I don't know, we probably don't even have one,"

"Dumb kid," he muttered under his breath.

She jumped up, her blonde hair flying and her face red.

"I'm not a kid!" she cried.

"Keep your voice down!" he hissed, "We can play something else? I know how about cards? Please tell me your Dad has a deck of cards somewhere?"

"In the hall way cupboard," she pouted, sitting back on the bed.

"I'll be right back,"

In the minutes he was gone, Amelia was in the mirror. She brushed her hair furiously and squirted on some of her Mother's Channel that she kept for parties only.

When he came back and found her sat on the bed as he'd left, he sniffed the air curiously and smiled to himself.

She blushed crimson, realising that he would of course notice the sudden perfumed air.

"Ok, so how about strip poker?" he grinned at her face, "No? Ok how about a magic trick?"

Despite everything Amelia found herself smiling. He had an infectious, lop sided smile, which was impossible not to return.

"You can do magic? Know any jokes too?"

"Only bad ones," Jack said smiling up at her. Then he seemed to catch himself.

To her surprise and delight, she saw his face turn bright red.

Shuffling the deck in his hands, he kept his face down. Finally he looked up.

"I'll teach you Poker," he said more seriously and Amelia scooted forward, cross legged on the bed.

"So," Jack said, beginning to deal out the deck, "Swan Lake, huh? So is that like a musical or something?"

Amelia grinned; secretly flattered he was taking an interest.

"No," she answered, "It's a Ballet, you know, a dance?"

Jack laughed. "Does everyone dance? Even the guys?"

"Yeah. There are plenty of boys at my dance school," she replied, ignoring his laughter.

"You go to a dance school? So do any of your boy friends go to this school?"

Amelia was used to sarcastic questions about her hobby. Most of the boys she went to school with would never be seen dead at a ballet class.

"Most are like you and into, you know, guy stuff. My best friend doesn't like the idea much either, he's more into gadgets and cars," she smiled thinking of Bruce, "But he's a geek too, he's in the chess club,"

She saw the quick change in his face. He stared down at the dealt cards and said nothing, his neck reddening. Amelia realised it was probably because he had nothing to say and maybe slightly embarrassed. She doubted that he'd even gone to school, let alone a private one like she did.

The idea of ballet, chess clubs and school plays was something foreign to him; she realised sadly and thought she was better to change the subject.

An hour later and fully in the swing of the game, Amelia seemed to have forgotten that her Mother was stuck outside in the living room with Jack's psychotic father.

Every time her mind turned to Siren, those bruises on her wrists were the first thing she thought about. Amelia didn't like to think too hard about how she got them, as every time she did, a rock would drop in her stomach, making her feel queasy.

"It's raining," she said glancing out of the window, "Wonder what they're doing out there?"

"Hopefully you're father will see sense soon and pay up," Jack quipped, reshuffling the deck, "I'm tired of this now,"

"Me too," Amelia yawned, "Do you think your dad will let me speak to my mom? It's been all day since I've seen her,"

Jack climbed to his feet. "I'll go ask,"

Amelia smiled to herself. At least he was being nice to her now, not staring at her like she was a huge inconvenience.

Ten minutes later, Amelia's bedroom door opened and Siren poked her head around the corner.

"Oh honey," she reached out as Amelia launched into her arms, "Are you Ok?"

"I'm fine Mom, but you…I'm so scared at what he'll do to you!"

Siren, her beautiful face red and blotchy from tears, looked down at her and kissed her face. Amelia could tell that her smile was hiding secrets. She felt the tension in her Mother's body. She could see the marks on her neck, purple coloured welts near her ears.

"Mom, you're neck,"

"It's alright, honey," Siren avoided her quizzical stare.

"What's been going on?" Amelia asked.

"I've been trying to talk to him, but everything I say seems to enrage him…you're father isn't helping matters,"

"Why wont Daddy do something!" Amelia's voice rose in frustration.

"When I spoke to him on the phone he told me everything would be alright….we just need to keep quiet and not engage Napier, maybe then this will all go away,"

Amelia looked up at her and her face turned a little pink at what she was about to say.

"You didn't mention Jack to daddy did you?"

Siren gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean honey?"

"I mean you didn't tell the police that there were four of us? Do they know about Jack?"

Siren shook her head, bemused.

"I don't know honey. I don't remember mentioning it to him; in fact I'm sure I didn't….why?"

"It's just that….I think he's innocent in all of this,"

The door bumping open behind them made both women jump.

Jack stood there with his gun, his eyes black.

"Times up," he said in a low voice.

Siren hugged Amelia fiercely. "I love you, baby,"

Amelia, a slave to her hormones began weeping yet again. "I love you too,"

She tidied up her face as Jack escorted her Mother back out to the Living room. When he came back he strode purposely towards her and grabbed her arm roughly.

"Ouch…what are you doing?"

Amelia accidently bit down on her swollen lip and it began to bleed.

Pretending not to notice, Jack backed her up against the wall.

"I heard you and mommy talking about me and whatever you're planning, don't bother…I make my own luck!" he snarled.

Amelia licked her lip painfully. "I wasn't planning anything! Get off, you jerk!"

"You think you know me because we played poker together? You don't know anything about me,"

"I don't want to know you; you're a waste of space!" she snapped, angrily, her temper suddenly breaking. This wasn't fair. Terrible things were happening just a few feet away from her and she could no nothing to help. Her father, the man who was supposed to love them and protect them with his life, was doing nothing!

Amelia swallowed, seeing Jack's face change. She could see that stung him more than she'd realised and she instantly regretted her outburst.

She grabbed a tissue from her desk draw and mopped at her lip.

"I didn't mean that," she said after he stalked back to her pink fluffy chair and threw himself in it.

He laughed, a nasty look in his eyes. "Do I look like I care?"

"Yes, you do," she whispered. She sat back on her bed and stared at him. He refused to look at her.

"What shall we do now?" she asked.

Exhaustion and boredom had lulled Amelia into a restless afternoon sleep. Opening her eyes, she glanced about the room and saw Jack looking in her closet.

She was about to scream at him to mind his own business when she saw what he was holding.

He'd opened her draw and had pulled out one of her ballet slippers.

Jack was looking at it closely and folding it over in his hands, touching it softly, running his thumb along the heel.

Amelia could feel the heat creeping up her neck. What was he doing?

Almost as if he sensed her eyes on him he turned around abruptly and she closed her eyes just in time. He turned back to the closet and something in her stomach flipped.

He liked her! And the worrying thing was, the longer she spent confined with him, the more she liked him.

"Dinner," Jack said and Amelia opened her eyes. The smell of hotdogs greeted her and her stomach growled hungrily.

She sat up and took the plate he was holding out.

"Is my Mom Ok?" she asked and he scowled at her.

"She's fine," he snapped, obviously still annoyed with her from earlier.

She took a bite out of the hotdog and winced.

"What is it now?" he asked.

"Nothing…just my lip,"

Jack flipped the bedside light on and sat down next to her. He took her face roughly in his hands, running his fingers along the curve of her mouth.

Her heart thundering in her chest Amelia winced again when he touched the sore part of her lip.

"It'll heal," he whispered, letting his fingers run down the side of her neck.

His eyes were locked on hers and for an endless moment Amelia was frozen to the spot. Eventually she moved and managed to pull away and looking awkward, he shuffled off the bed.

The sound of the telephone ringing in the hallway broke the silence and Jack poked his head out into the hall.

Creeping up behind him, Amelia could hear strained voices and the sound of her mother crying. She peered over Jack's shoulder into the darkened hallway

"No, he hasn't hurt us," she could hear her mother speaking into the telephone in a strained voice, "But Abbott, I don't know how much longer this will last…you've got to do something…pay the man, please!"

Jack glanced at Amelia and gently pushed her back. But not before she saw Napier snatch the phone angrily from Siren's shaking hands. With a swift move he cracked the receiver against her skull and she slumped to the floor, crying out in pain.

Amelia screamed and pushed past Jack and into the hall. She was at her Mother's side but Napier hauled her to her feet by her hair, he threw her violently to the ground and she felt her skull smash into the wooden floor. Tears of agony running down her face she cried as loudly as she could, praying her father would hear her.

"Daddy, please, do something!"

There was a sickening thud above her, bone hitting flesh hard and she squeezed her eyes shut, reaching out for her Mother's hand before passing out.