Alright another night another chapter. I can't go to long though cause I got to get up early. Yea, life's a bitch, what can you do about it?

WARNING: this chapter is filled with anger and arguing. And it's a zombieland scene spoiler! If you havent seen the movie yet don't worry it's not exactly how it goes but it's fairly close.

Flying-pencils: yea, you can't stay mad at him, anyone would have made the same choice :(

Chapter 8

Commissioner Jim Gordon growled in frustration as she fell into deep sleep again. He was just about to get the Joker's name out of her and she passed out again. It wasn't her fault. She had gone through one hell of a beating and it didn't stop there. He got up and went for a cup of coffee. Damian was sitting in the room as well thinking to himself. He had not left her side. The only time he did was to use the bathroom, get food, and go home for some sleep.

The two didn't talk to each other. When Artemis was awake she was lost in her own thoughts leaving Damian to his own. He found out that this was really dangerous. When he would drift off to his own world the memories would come back to him. He couldn't stand it but they haunted his mind so often that he saw he was physically sick. He had only just been tortured two days ago and already he was physically changing. His face had become more hollow, his eyes a bit darker, he was looking frailer, and his cloths had become baggier.

He knew he looked bad without looking in a mirror because doctors and nurses would look at him and offer him help. He didn't want help, he wanted to get away, he wanted freedom from what he had walked into. It was his stupid idea. He should have just left well enough alone and let the police find her. No, he couldn't think like that, it was what the Joker wanted!

Other then the cuts and bruises and broken bones, Artemis was changing as well. She let the thoughts haunt her, she welcomed them, for the first time in her life someone was going out of their way for her attention. She had always been an attention seeker when she was a child but now that the Joker was here her old habits were going to kick in. It was their in the back of her head, she wanted the attention, but she tried to ignore it. She was failing more and more with every passing moment. She hated him, she hated what he did to her, but it wasn't any better then what her mother put her through.

Artemis had come to the conclusion that this was the way her life always had and always would be like. She had yet to loose her sanity but it wouldn't take much more before she leapt off the edge. The only lifeline she had was Damian and Joey. Both were lost now. Damian and Joey had both cracked effortlessly but Artemis was willing to fight it. No amount of attention was worth it.

Artemis lay asleep for a long time before finally opening her eyes. Sure enough, as she expected, Damian sat next to her lost in his mind. It broke her heart to see him in such shape, but she wasn't much better off. He had an almost pleading look practically begging her to talk to him. She felt a deep anger well up inside of her. It was nothing like she had ever felt before other then two nights ago when the Joker came to visit her the first time.

"Damian," she said coldly. Damian was shook back to reality at the sound of her voice and leaned in to listen closely. "Damian, who was your choice?"

"What," he asked. He looked taken aback by the question.

"Truthfully, who would you choose to die if Joey had not walked in the room?"

"Myself," he said offensively. Artemis stared at him with cold empty almost black eyes. She sat up and pulled the IV out of her arm. She got out of the bed and Damian made a move to stop her. "You need to rest," he argued, "please lay back in bed Arty."

"Shut up," she said calmly. She walked over to her purple pea coat and pulled something out that he barely saw. She then walked over to his coat and pulled his knife out that Joey had given her.

"What are you doing," he asked quietly. Artemis shoved him to the floor and sat on top of him and put the blade of his own knife to his throat. Damian was in shock, he didn't know what to do, she had lost her fucking mind! She put her own blade to her own neck and pushed it down so hard she bled. She did the same to him and continued to stare at him blankly.

"Choose," she said, "me or you?"

"Don't kill me," he begged, "please put the knives down before you seriously hurt one of us!"

"Look at us! You moron we are already hurt! You look like shit and I don't look much better! Joey is wasting away to! We have known this fucker for only a few days and already he has managed to almost destroy us! What difference will it make if one of us is dead!?"

"Because we all need each other!"

"I need the truth!"

"I WOULD HAVE CHOSEN YOU," he screamed. Two nurses and a doctor walked in and pulled Artemis off of Damian. She was in such shock she did not react or put up so much as a fight. She dropped both knives and let them tag her down. Damian was helped up by another doctor as he checked both him and Artemis. He looked furious. "I would have thought you where the harder of the rest to break! From all the shit your mom put you threw and this was the thing that made you crack! He got you once and already you are trying to kill me!"

"He got me twice you ass," she shouted back now strapped to the bed, "he used me to get to you! I not only had to take that beating twice, I had to watch it kill you inside to witness it! I watched you sit their and suffer threw the whole thing and not once did I ever consider saving my own live before yours! I am not angry that you chose yourself over me! I FUCKING EXPECTED IT FROM YOU! Why should you give yourself up for me? How can you say you didn't expect me to crack! I have been tortured my whole life! You have to! Damian you are the only one left even close to insanity! You grew up with alcoholics and having to live in the shadow of your sister!"

"How can you rely on me like that!? I don't know what you were thinking but I am no better off then you are! How could you expect me to hold on better then you!"

"Because I'm weak!"

"YOU ARE NOT WEAK! GET YOUR FUCKING HEAD TOGETHER AND QUIT YELLING AT ME! Don't let him in your head," he said now calming down as the doctor was holding him back, "if anyone can pull through this we can." Artemis looked close to tears. Both she and Damian had the same question stuck in their heads, how could they rely on me?

"We are going to be okay," she asked.

"Yes," he said, now breathing, "we are going to go see doctor Quinnzel when we get out of here, we will get help, we will help Gordon find your father, we will be free. It will all be a bad nightmare."

"How can you be so sure," tears where now rolling down her pale face.

"Because I know you and I know Joey, we have been through worse, we can fight this." She just nodded her head and laid back as they put the IV in her arm thankful that she had calmed down.

Damian sat down in the guest chair and stared at her. "I'm sorry," he whispered, taking her hand.

"Me to," she said, squeezing his hand, "can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," he said leaning in to listen.

"Where in Gods name is Joey?" Damian chuckled a bit and she smiled.

"He is getting some munchies. He tried eating your jell-o, said it tasted like airline rejection food." Artemis laughed so hard her broken ribs burned with pain. She didn't care though.

The doctors and nurses stood in confusion. Non of them were really sure what happened. But as long as they planned on getting help, they didn't really care.

…………………………………….

Finally Artemis was let out of the hospital. The Joker had not bothered her, most of the cuts and bruises were gone, her dislocated limbs and fingers were back in place, she was on laudin for the pain, and the sun was shining bright. Joey gave her the biggest hug he could without hurting her. He got a waft of her hair, it smelled like roses. That was weird, didn't she usually have Jasmine? Ah well, they were mental nuts at the moment, but they were going to hopefully get that fixed.

Damian drove them as they chattered to together excitedly and happily. It was as if the whole Joker ordeal did not exist. Damian missed this so bad, they were both talking and laughing and joking around. It brought him back to the way things were before.

"Man, you just got your head dunked under water a lot," griped Artemis, "I had the shit beaten out of me. Not once but twice."

"Oh please," said Damian, "not only did I have to watch you get beaten up, I had to choose between you or me, plus you tried to kill me." Artemis chuckled a bit. Joey was a little unsure if it was too soon to laugh about it or not, but he didn't care. You should always remember to enjoy the little things. Artemis turned on the radio and they jammed out the rest of the way to Doctor Quinnzel. When Damian pulled up to the address he saw a large castle like gothic structure. At the gate was a large sign, Arkem Asylum.

"You took us to Arkem," asked Joey, "dude, we are a little tortured not broken." Artemis and Damian just started laughing at him.

"That was so redundant," said Artemis still laughing.

"Man, you just goin out in the world and tryin so hard arentcha," mocked Damian.

"Okay, maybe we are a little nuts," said Joey, "but is this nessisary? We need a psychologist no a psychiatrist."

"I just don't know what to say to that," said Artemis.

"Who? You? You mean for once you don't have anything to say," said Damian in shock. Artemis hit him in the arm with her casted arm. Damian just shook his head chuckling. A guard came out and knocked on the window. "I have two nutjobs here who need some serious work done."

"Look who's talking," shouted Artemis.

"Hey, you said it yourself, I'm more sane then the both of you put together! Anyway, we have an appointment with Dr. Harleen Quinnzel." The guard nodded and opened the gate. They drove in and parked in the parking lot. "So where are we suppose to go?"

"You're asking us," said Joey.

"How are we suppose to know," agreed Artemis.

"Do you really want me to answer that,' he asked sarcastically.

"No," the both replied. They walked in and saw a receptionist behind a caged window. "Well," said Joey, "we have arrived to the nut house."

"Can I help you," asked the receptionist as she filed her nails.

"We have an appointment with Dr. Quinnzel," said Damian.

"Is it a mental problem," she asked. Damian and Artemis looked back at Joey who was staring at an ink blot posted on the wall.

"Trippy," he said mesmerized.

"Yes," said Damian and Artemis at the same time. A button was pushed and a door unlocked.

"Second floor third office on the right," said the receptionist, "and tell your friend that next time he comes, please don't get stoned, we may mistake him for an actual patient." Damian and Artemis laughed as they walked away. Joey ran to catch up. Up the elevator and down the hall they found an office. Damian knocked on the door and a blond answered the door. She had bright blue eyes full of intelligence and peachy skin. She wore a black pinstripe skirt and jacket with a white button up under it. Her hair was tied up in a bun and she had half moon glasses on.

"Ah, you must be the one I spoke with on the phone."

"Dude," whispered Joey, "she is totally psychic." Artemis chuckled a bit. Damian just rolled his eyes at him.

"Yes," he said, "I am the one you spoke with. I am Damian, that's Artemis and Joey."

"Alright,' she said, "well I will see you one at a time so let's start with you Damian." Damian walked into the office while Artemis and Joey sat in the hall talking to each other.

………………………………

"Let's start from the beginning. Tell me where you came from, your childhood all the way up to now," said Dr. Quinnzel.

"Well," he said sighing, "where to start." He told his life story as best as he could. From loosing his parents, to his drunk foster family, being in his sister's shadow, the encounter with the Joker, all the way up to how great today felt for some reason. Harleen offered him a few tissues and even jumped on occasion when he started getting angry.

"Wow," she said, "it's amazing you aren't sitting in a cell here! You must be pretty strong to be doing as well as you are right now."

"What are you talking about," he said, "look at me. One night and I am already physically sick!"

"Yes," she said, "but this has not happened because of one night. This has happened because of a life time. You where four years old and your foster father raped his wife in front of you while she was passed out, you had everything stolen from you by your mother throughout your life from possessions to dignity, you are forced to be under some spoiled girl who is probably on crack. How you have handled yourself so far is impressive! We will talk next week, you will just let me know how you're week has been and we will work on trying to get your mental guard back up."

"That sounds good," said Damian not having any idea what she was talking about. The doctor thanked him for his time and asked him to bring Joey in.

………………………

Damian walked out of the room with a miserable look. He told Joey it was his turn and Joey was obligated to go. "Are you okay," asked Artemis.

"Well, the doctor was shocked that I had held onto sanity as long as I have," he responded.

"Is that a good thing," she asked.

"Well she seemed happy and excited about it,' he responded, "I guess so."

……………………….

"So Joey, tell me about your life."

"Well, I lost my mom to a car crash. My dad works all the time."

"Tell me your life story as best as you can," she said. Joey told his life story. He lost his mother in a car crash, he was in the booster seat next to her but luckily he lived. It would be really spooky right now if he had died. His father was a workaholic from the time he was 7 to the present. He almost never saw his father. They didn't even really know each other.

Growing up he turned to Artemis's mother as a parent figure. She was drunk, doped up, and a total whore. He started smoking weed when he was 15 and ended up dragging Artemis and Damian into doing it. He told the story about what the Joke had done to him all the way up to feeling pretty good this morning considering.

She told him the same thing she told Damian and he thanked her for his time and she thanked him as well.

…………………………..

"Artemis," said Joey, "it's your turn."

Artemis nodded and got up and left into the room. "What did you tell her," asked Damian.

"Everything," he responded. He nodded in response.

"Yea, I did to."

"Do you think we are going to get any better or is this a waste of time."

"We won't know until we've tried.

………………………….

Harleen found out that Artemis was not quite as disturbed as the other two but twice as sick. She told Harleen her life story about living with a drunk, drug addicted whore, and then told Harleen about what happened two days. Ago. "It's so weird," she finished, "I woke up today and they told me they were releasing me and all day has been pretty easy going. It's been a very logn time sense I had one of those days."

"Well, you may need more of those days," she responded, "maybe you should consider taking some time off, getting out of town. Maybe go visit your mother's grave and let her know how you are feeling."

"What," she asked. Her head spun from looking at the ceiling to looking at Harleen.

"You're mothers grave. Give her a last goodbye and let her know how you are feeling."

"What are you talking about," said Artemis, "my mother's not dead. Although, I am taking it personal that she isn't calling me back or making any effort to contact me."

"You mean you don't know,' said Harleen shocked, "Dear, the Joker killed your mother."

"When," she asked now paler then she was before.

"Maybe you should talk to your friends about this it's not really my-" In an instant Harleen had the enraged girl close to choking her to death.

"You're mother died the day the Joker kidnapped you. He attacked your mother before he came after you and killed her. She is buried in your hometown."

"And the boys know about this," she said through clenching teeth.

"They told me," she said. Artemis let her go and Harleen choked from lack of oxygen.

"Artemis," she said seriously, "you may need to get yourself checked in. You may need more help then I can give you." Artemis didn't listen. She just walked toward the door. "Please," said Harleen, "consider it."

"I was never even told," she said coldly, "I'm not getting myself checked in anywhere. There is nothing wrong with me." With that she opened the door. She would get revenge on the Joker but first things first. She walked passed her supposed 'friends' without a word. She snatched the keys to the car from Damian and ran out to the parking lot leaving the other two confused.

She jumped in the car and started it and drove back to her home town. When she arrived she drove to the only grave sight. "Where is Jessica Napier," she asked the caretaker. He pointed to Jessica's grave. "Thank you,' she said walking toward it. She stood in front of it not wanting to believe it. "Mom,' she said quietly, "I just wanted to tell you goodbye. I know it's too late but I just wanted to say thank you for never telling me anything about my father. I think that if you had told me I would not have lived long enough to see 17. I'm afraid I might not make it to 18.

When he finally kills me I will go to heaven. I know that you are looking up at me as you are burning hell because you were a total bitch. Please know that even though I hate you, I love you, and I am greatful for the little you did." She stood their listening to the nature around her for 15 minutes before turning to leave. She drove home.

…………………….

Damian and Joey stood in front of the hospital not really sure what to do as far as a ride. She didn't look like she planned on coming back for them. "Maybe we can catch a cab," suggested Joey.

"Do you have any money," asked Damian.

"Nope," said Joey. Damian sighed and sat down on the steps.

"Maybe she will come back for us," he said.

"Doubt it," said Joey. They sat on the steps watching people come in and out. For an area made specifically to keep the nutjobs away from normal society it sure had a lot of guests coming to and fro. "Okay," said Joey, "let's walk."

Damian nodded and got up. They walked home. By the time they got their they saw the car parked over a meter. That was going to be an expensive ticket. The two ran inside only to be stopped by non other then Jesse James.

"Hey," he said, "have you guys seen Artemis lately?"

"Yea," said Damian, "she just ditched us to walk home. She was pissed about something."

"What happened," asked Jesse.

"Don't worry about it," said Damian.

"Damian," said Joey, "remember what the doc said, we should talk about our problems. If he really wants to know we should tell him."

"Alright,' said Damian, he turned to Jesse, "Jesse, that guy you let in here a few days ago who said he was Artemis's dad. Well it was the Joker. He tortured us and shit and we decided to see a psychiatrist. Whatever they were talking about pissed her off and she left us all the way at Arkem." Jesse blinked a couple times.

"So, the Joker is pretending to be Artemis's dad?"

"No," said Joey, "the Joker is Artemis's dad."

"So Artemis is crazy?"

"No,' said Damian, "but the Joker is trying to make her crazy."

"And he is trying to make you guys crazy to?"

"Yes," said Joey.

"Are you guys crazy?"

"No," said Joey defensively.

"You sure as hell sound crazy." Joey just sighed and headed up the stairs to their apartment leaving Jesse James extremely confused. What in hells name where they talking about?

…………………………

Damian and Joey came into the apartment and saw Artemis sitting on the floor in front of the TV watching the news. "Why didn't you tell me," she said in a deadly low whisper.

"Tell you what," asked Damian.

"That my mother was dead."

"Oh," said Joey, "that. I wanted to tell you but I never got the chance."

"Every time I tried something got in the way," said Damian.

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"It means I was constantly interrupted by one thing or another," said Damian.

"And you, Joey, what happened?"

"I didn't have the heart to tell you," he said looking down at the ground, "I'm sorry."

"Go away,' she grumbled. Joey and Damian exchanged looks and decided she probably wanted to be alone.

They slowly moved out of the living room and away from her. How had her world fall apart so quickly? She didn't have much of a world to loose anyway. What hurt the most was the fact that everything the Joker had said to her had been true. Damian would chose his own life before hers, life was painful, both her friends were weapons he could use against her, what didn't kill her was changing her in unpleasant ways at an unpleasant rate.

Every bit of her life was coming crashing down on her at once but she had no more tears to cry. She wanted so bad to cry but she just couldn't. She needed a relief, a way to get it all out at once, she needed an outlet.

……………………….

"We need to help her," said Joey.

"We tried to help her and look at what happened to her, look at what happened to us, we can't risk helping anyone anymore. We're a danger to society when we help."

"We can't just sit here and do nothing while everything is fucking up all at once," pressed Joey, "Damian, think, what if she needs a way to get it all out!?"

"Will you shut the fuck up for once! You don't have the answers to everything! You are not half as smart as you think you are, half the time you're fucking retarded because you're high! You're the comic relief! Just do me a favor and stop thinking," shouted Damian.

"You know, I don't have to share anything that comes to mind but when it comes to Artemis I'm willing to take my chances! You need the emotional relief to man! You are way out of your mind!"

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black! You're nuts! I may not have known her as long as you but I don't think you have a psychic link to her. She wants to be left alone! I at least made an effort to tell her about her mom, you didn't even do that, you hid in silence like you always do!"

"You're acting like a real asshole right now man! We've already been through shit for the last week and all you can do is making things more miserable! We don't need that! You know what you need, you need to cry man, seriously!"

"I have nothing left to cry," he said, "I'm empty!"

"So let's get that adrenalin pumping. Instead of fighting lets work together to make life a little more bearable." Damian took a long deep breath and closed his eyes. Joey was right, they all needed an outlet, and most importantly they needed to stick together.

……………………

Artemis sat staring at the window for a long moment when the two boys reappeared. She heard the whole fight. It was amazing what you could work out with a little aggression. She turned her head and smiled at them. "An outlet would be great," she said. The two boys smiled at her. They all grabbed their coats and went outside. Artemis lead the way, she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

……………….

"Are you sure this is a good idea," asked Damian.

"Why," asked Joey who was all for it, "you scared of 5-0?"

"No, but you are."

"Come on Damian," said Artemis, "it will be good for us, not good for Jim Gordon, but it will be good for us."

"You know this may start a whole alert," argued Damian, "you spray paint HAHA across some ones building they are going to think the Joker is after them."

"That's the point," said Artemis, "just a little scare to see what happens."

"You've lost your ever loving mind," he said breathlessly as they climbed the stairs to Jim Gordon's door. He had to admit, though, he was liking the adrenalin rush it was giving him, something about scaring a whole city half to death is a good way to excite someone. Artemis handed him and Joey a spray can.

"I dare you," she said winking. Damian smiled and painted a red happy face on the side of the building. Joey then sprayed a crazy Joker's hat on it. Artemis finished it off with HAHA written all over the walls. They giggled as they put the cans away and snuck out before Gordon found them. Joey had a feeling in his gut that this was so wrong but he just didn't care, he was having fun!

Next they broke into a store. "Okay," said Damian, "now what?" Artemis responded by picking up an expensive looking glass piece and dropping it on the ground. Damian was a bit confused. Joey picked up a glass coffee mug and threw it across the room. Damian decided he wanted to try.

He picked up a small glass case of rings and smashed it on the ground. All hell broke loose!

They ran around the store just destroying everything! Artemis picked up an acoustic guitar and smashed it through the cashiers guard window. Damian and Joey both shoved over a shelf whiched caused the domino affect on the other shelves. By the time it was midnight the store looked like the tornado from hell whipped through it.

They left the store breathing heavily, feeling like the world was lifted from their shoulders, Damian was quite happy he had followed. It was a brilliant idea, maybe they broke a few laws, but it was still a great idea.

"Artemis, I have no idea what has gotten to you, but I kind of dig it," said Joey.

"Well," she said with sarcasm, "I just want to make my daddy proud." Joey and Damian laughed hysterically. They walked back to the car laughing with each other and growing very tired.

"We should probably get out of here," said Joey, "cops will be showing up."

"Yea," said Damian, "good idea." They drove home and went to bed. Unbeknownst to them the Joker had been watching the whole time, he couldn't wait to get them on his side, they were a riot!

………………………………………..

I thought a little act of insanity would be good for them seeing as how I put them through all that. Sorry it's so fast pace but I'm growing impatient.