Day Three
When she woke up she was back on her bed and wondered for a fleeting moment if she'd dreamed it all. But when she touched her forehead and felt the lump there she winced and her heart leapt.
"Mom!" she cried sitting up abruptly and her head throbbed, waves of nausea washing over her.
"She's Ok," Jack's voice came from the chair in the corner, "He hit her pretty hard though,"
"Can I talk to her, please?" she began to cry and he heard him moan. She heard him moving from the chair and then felt his weight on the edge of the bed.
"Its best you just stay here…he isn't in a good frame of mind right now,"
"How can you do this?" she hissed at him suddenly furious, "How can you just go along with everything that's happened?"
"What makes you think I have a choice?" he said, his voice distant.
Amelia frowned. "Everyone has choices…you could run away?"
She heard him chuckle. "To the circus? And be what, a clown?"
"Be serious Jack, why do you stay with him? I know you're not like him!"
He didn't answer and for an endless moment they just sat there in the dark, listening to the other's breathing. Amelia fought the temptation to fall into his arms.
Finally he whispered. "Someone needs to keep an eye on him, and seeing as I have first hand experience of what he's capable of, it really should be me,"
"You're not responsible for him, Jack," she reached out her hand and found his in the dark, "You're life could be so different.."
He pulled his hand away and Amelia was glad it was dark so he couldn't see her blush.
She had come to realise that when he pushed her away it was time for a change of subject. "What time is it?" she asked.
"Four in the morning,"
She pushed back the covers and hauled her legs over the edge.
"Uhh…where are you going?"
"To the bathroom," she said, annoyed, "That's Ok isn't it?"
She flipped the light on and shielded her eyes. When they adjusted she looked at him and gasped.
"Your face!" she cried, grabbing his shoulders.
Jack had a gash that ran along the side of his mouth and his right eye was swollen.
He gently pushed her off. "Don't worry about it!"
"But…did he…?"
"I kind of jumped on him trying to scare him off. He didn't like that!"
Amelia looked at his sore bruised face and felt her heart swell in her chest.
"Well, you shouldn't have done that…he could have killed you,"
Jack half smiled. "He could've killed me a hundred times. What, you worried about me all of a sudden?"
She stood up and swayed a little on her feet.
"Shall I show you something?" she asked looking down at him.
He grinned suggestively. "And what would that be ballerina?"
She smirked. "Don't be gross. We have a room upstairs,"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Upstairs? But there are no stairs"
"Not that you would have seen. This is a pretty big apartment, and my parents have hundreds of parties. Where do you think they all go to dance?"
She could see his interest building.
"So you're telling me you a have a room above this place?"
Amelia shook her head. "Try the whole floor, with a great view of Gotham. Want to see?"
"Hmm," he couldn't help but smile, "We'd have to be very quiet,"
She put a finger to her lips. "Follow me then,"
She grabbed her dressing gown and crept to the door.
"I'll go first," Jack whispered, taking the gun from his jean belt, "Lets just hope he's dozed off,"
Without thinking they both reached for the other's hand. Jack looked at her and caught her blush.
"Head to the bathroom, there is a door to the right of the bathroom door. Those are the stairs,"
He nodded silently and with their feet bare on the wooden floor, clutching hands tightly they crept across the hallway.
Jack found the doorway, which to anyone else looked like the door to an ordinary cupboard. It opened smoothly and to his surprise, there was a secret set of stairs leading upwards.
She nudged him inside and closed the door quietly behind her.
"Won't he hear us talking up here?" Jack whispered as they reached the top.
"Daddy had it made sound proof; they've had some pretty wild parties from what I've heard,"
The narrow set of carpeted stairs opened out onto what looked like a huge ballroom. She heard him whistle through his teeth. The floor was so polished you could see your reflection in it.
On one side of the room, rather than being a normal wall, it was completely glass from end to end, that indeed had the most breathtaking view over Gotham City.
"This is…" Jack began and absently let go of Amelia's hand, "I mean look at this view…you can see Wayne Towers and everything!"
Amelia watched as he pressed his nose against the window, staring out at the darkened skyline, his breath fogging the glass. The lights below shone up at them like a thousand candles glittering in the dark. Thousands of people sleeping below them, waiting for their alarms to sound and up here it was silent and peaceful and the night could go on forever.
He stepped back and folded his arms.
"So this is where Gotham's finest come to party. I can't imagine having this life you have ballerina," he sighed, "You just don't know…"
Amelia touched his arm lightly. "Want to dance?"
His face scrunched up into a laugh. "I don't do that,"
"Have you ever tried?"
"Well no!" he said, a nervous giggle forming in his throat, "But I know I would look like an idiot!"
Amelia ran over to what looked like an enormous music centre. He watched nervously as she began rooting through some old records.
"Its all Dads' old stuff!" she made a disappointed face, "But it'll do,"
"You better keep it low," Jack warned suddenly brought out of his day dream.
Amelia pressed a button and the low guitar music floated across the big empty room.
She grinned nervously. "Come here then,"
He looked so embarrassed walking towards her, but Amelia had never felt more excited in her life.
It was as if she'd discovered that she had a magic power. She had felt it the day he had walked, uninvited into her life.
He liked her and she knew it. He'd protected her this whole time and the more he tried to push her away, the more she wanted to know about him.
She was enjoying this little bit of power over him, enjoying his reaction to her. She liked to see him blush, loved his smile and the way he looked at her, like she was some precious creature, a new discovery.
When his hand found hers in the darkened room, she jolted, bringing him closer, letting her other hand trail around his back.
His head was lowered so that she couldn't see his eyes.
"I've never done this," he said.
"I know," she replied, "But you can't keep looking at your feet the whole time,"
He giggled and said, "Fine, Ok, ballerina, do your best,"
"Well start with your right foot, move it backwards. I'll follow you, but you're leading me remember..."
Jack bumped her accidently and they both started laughing, relaxing into the dance. By the time the piece of music had built into a song, they had accomplished the basics.
"Now spin me!" Amelia commanded and let go of his hand, "That's right. Again!"
Laughing, Jack grabbed her under the arms and lifted her easily off the floor. He spun her around and dropped her accidently.
Both giggling, they tried to resume, but instead he twirled her again, then once more, her feet skidding across the polished floor.
"I'm dizzy!" she cried, nearly toppling over, but he caught her quickly under the arms.
Without thinking Jack pulled her against him and before she could protest, his mouth was on hers roughly.
She bit back the pain in her lip and when she winced, he pulled away.
Both breathless, they stared at each other in shock.
"I'm sorry," he stammered, red in the face, "Your mouth…I forgot,"
Amelia grabbed his shirt collar and shook her head quickly to silence him.
"Its Ok," she whispered, pressing her lips to his again, but this time it was gentle, not the bruising kiss Jack had landed on her.
She felt his body stiffen. Heat scorched up through her body, as she felt him try to kiss her back.
It wasn't perfect, but then Amelia had never kissed anyone before and she sensed that he had never done so either.
At one point their teeth clashed, but there was something gentle and nice about it, and no matter how surreal it seemed, neither had any intention of stopping.
Jack wrapped his arms around her and she melted against him.
Without either of them realising, the kiss deepened, they seemed to grow together and when she felt his tongue sneak along her bottom lip, it seemed the most natural thing in the world.
Then they heard the scream. A hollow shriek from downstairs that tore Amelia's eyes open.
Jumping, they both broke apart, breathing hard.
"Mom," she whispered.
With his gun in one hand and Amelia's hand in the other, Jack ran for the stairs.
They both burst out of the door and into the corridor of the apartment below.
"What have you done?" Jack cried at his Father, who looked up at them surprised.
"They're you are Jackie, now what have two you been up to?"
A cold numbness slithered up Amelia's legs.
Napier was drenched in blood. It was everywhere, his hands, his shirt.
"Jack…" she whispered faintly.
"Now look at you two little love birds, sneaking off to do bad things together. You really should have told me where you went off to…otherwise I wouldn't have had to punish her for letting you go…"
Amelia felt bile rising in her throat. "Jack…my mom…"
Jack's eyes were black. "What have you done to her Dad?"
Napier grinned devilishly and pulled out a pocket knife from his stained jeans.
"Siren West's movie career is over for now, unless she does some behind the scenes work!" he laughed manically at this and Amelia tried to run forward, but Jack caught her hand.
There was a cry of pain from her parent's bedroom and Amelia's eyes darted to the door.
She bolted and Jack lost his grip on her wrist. She tried to dodge Napier, but he deftly caught her around the waist.
Jack's legs buckled. "Dad don't please…"
Napier pulled her to face him and to her horror, she was pressed against his chest, his vile breath in her face. He pinched her cheeks together with his dirty, long fingernails.
"You want to look just like mommy don't you princess?" he flicked the blade close to her face.
"I can make that beautiful smile of yours last a lifetime. Jack's mother was like you both, blonde, pretty… and a pain in the ass! I gave her a permanent smile, so she could always see how pretty she looked when she smiled. Only…she didn't like the results. Like all women, she wasn't happy! The grass wasn't greener,"
Amelia struggled in his grip, but every time she did, she seemed to only get closer to his face, the blade pressing there uncomfortably.
"You're the reason she killed herself!" Jack's voice distracted her, "Don't pretend it was her fault…"
"She couldn't live with her makeover," Napier laughed hard, "Do you think your mommy will like the new person she'll become?"
"What have you done?" Amelia whispered, "Please let me go to her,"
"Now we're going to have to get you on the ground if you want the same look, keep you nice and still, otherwise I might get your throat!"
Napier's hands were around her neck, squeezing tightly. Amelia felt the blood draining from her legs as she was being slowly forced to the floor.
She choked and tried to swallow but bile rose up in her throat. She grabbed his arms for support but felt her back hit the floor.
Napier was above her, closing in, the blade dancing dangerously close to her eyes.
"Now," he giggled as she was on her verge of blacking out, "Let's put a smile on that face!"
She heard the bullets crack through the air. She saw Napier's face change, contort in confusion and shock.
The gap between them closed and he slumped on top of her.
Amelia cried out and saw Jack's face looming above her, pulling at the dead weight that was now pinning her painfully to the ground.
"Its ok, it's ok," he was shaking, taking her hands. He pulled her to her feet.
Amelia ran to the bedroom on weak legs and burst through the half open door.
The sight on the bed that awaited her, sent her head spinning. There was a woman on the bed but it wasn't her Mother.
Siren West lay in a pool of her own blood, staring wide eyed up at the ceiling, the place where her mouth had been, just a black gaping hole.
Amelia backed away on deadened legs and slid down the wall.
"M-Mom,"
The person that used to be Siren West gurgled a reply, reaching out a hand for her daughter.
Jack's face was grave. "I have to go,"
Amelia looked up at him, her eyes confused.
"What will happen to her?" she whispered, she was dazed and faint, and she leaned back against the chest of draws.
Jack knelt in front of her and took her hands.
"Look at me ballerina!" he said urgently, "The police would have heard those shots; they'll be on their way up. I have to leave, you have to forget I was ever here!"
This seemed to bring her to life again. She grabbed both his hands.
"I need you to stay…my mom's so hurt…" she spluttered.
"They'll be paramedics coming," he looked so sad, "You'll be Ok,"
They locked eyes and Amelia touched her lips, where only a short while ago, he had been kissing her. Her eyes filled with tears.
"What will you do?" she sobbed, filling her heart burst with sadness.
He smiled sadly. "Who knows? Maybe I'll sign up for the circus after all?"
He bolted for the door but cast a quick look back over her shoulder.
Amelia was staring blankly ahead, at her Mother, who was writhing on the bed in pain and horror. Painfully she crawled across the floor and onto the bed, laying her body rigidly down beside her Mother, folding her arms around her.
Jack was gone in a moment, as silently and as deftly as he had come into her life.
Amelia blinked and her eyes softly closed. As she drifted into a deep, almost catatonic sleep, she saw a tin solider standing proudly in the flames of a burning fire, holding his musket and gazing up at his ballerina, who after deciding she couldn't live without him, threw herself in beside him.