A/N: Thanks to TheRiz and Straight Edge Queen for their reviews. Enjoy!
After the late night Chelsea had she unfortunately didn't get a sleep in. She had to go and buy a couple of things at the local Sunday market. She returned home mid-morning and planned on packing in the afternoon like the Joker had suggested. She had around another week until the mob realised that she wasn't helping them. She was very glad she had the time as it made things so much easier. She had finally come to realise she had the choice of working for the Joker or being killed, so she obviously decided to work for the Joker. Chelsea wanted to do the best job she could so she was going to have to toughen up and in her words really 'be a bitch' if she is going to survive a life of crime. Deep in thought she places her keys in her door and once inside shuts it behind her.
"You're back!" Chelsea jumps as she hears an excited voice in front of her. Looking over to the couch opposite on the other side of the apartment she sees the Joker sitting there, making himself at home. She watches him for a few seconds and after deciding to play it cool, walks forward putting her hand bag and keys on the side board.
"I'm not going to ask how you got in, or how long you've been here. I'm hoping you weren't here when I left this morning?" she looked up hoping to get an answer. He didn't seem to be in the playful mood he was in last night.
"Have you packed yet?" he asks in a businesslike tone looking around the room. She looks at him through slightly squinted eyes feeling a little embarressed "Not exactly. You didn't tell me when we were going, so I thought I'd-".
"Ah, you see" and he begins to stand up "I was afraid you'd say that". Suddenly a phone rings but Chelsea didn't recognise the ring tone. The Joker reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small mobile phone. He reads the screen then loudly announces "It's for you!". Sweeping across the apartment on his long legs he throws the phone to her. She doesn't recognise the number. Shakily she answers it, placing the receptor up to her ear "Hello?" she asks heart thumping.
"The clown says you've decided not to help us" an angry Italian voice states, it wasn't a question. It's Maroni, the man from the meeting she went to with Danny. Thinking quickly she starts pacing and replies "I, ah, haven't totally decided yet..." she stops suddenly as she realises the Joker is now face to face with her looking incredibly serious. He was so close she could smell the grease paint from his face. "I don't like being made out to be. a. liar" he whispers dangerously, Chelsea looks down to see the switchblade in his hand being held tightly, that was incentive enough for some truth telling.
Swallowing, she goes back to the phone conversation "...I thought we had a deal, Ms Edwards. Obviously I was wrong about you, and I'm never wrong. Don't try to run too far, we're coming for you" she hears him call out 'time to go boys!' then returns back to their conversation "and we will find you. You see, we plan on keeping up our end of the bargain". The line goes dead.
"Shit" Chelsea exclaimed dropping the phone and running into her bedroom, totally forgetting about the man standing in front of her. "Shit, shit, shit!" she grabs a suitcase, places it on her bed and starts to randomly fill it with her belongings.
"Decided to pack now have we?" Chelsea looks up to see the Clown Prince of Crime leaning casually in her bedroom doorway, he was smirking, eyes wide, obviously enjoying her panic. He then sweeps a tongue over his lips keeping his chin up. Not having time for some banter she continues packing "Ah, yes" she states plainly as she runs into the en suite and running back out with a few products. "Maybe you could help?" Suddenly he pounces on her pushing her down to the floor. He seemed to be very good at making up small distances. And even though he didn't look that bulky he was surprisingly strong.
"Ah, no. Like I said, I don't like being made out to be a liar". Laying there she realises how tall he really is.
"Ok, fair enough, I'm sorry. I thought it would buy us some more time". Being knocked to the floor and made to feel so small made her angry. Under her breath she states "After you had to go and tell them I wasn't going to help them..." She moved to get up leaving her abdomen dangerously unprotected. Obviously hearing her comment the Joker steps forward giving her a swift kick to the stomach. Chelsea rolls around the floor in pain, she'd never really been beaten before and didn't realise how much it really hurt. She knew that no matter what she did now, the people who she was going to be hanging around with would be just as violent as this. She was going to have to get used to it, or keep her mouth shut.
"Never, ever...talk to me like that" the man in purple growled at her. "You may be used to running your pretty little mouth off, but if you think you can talk to me or the mob like that you won't last two seconds" he looks down at her apparently disgusted that she was still on the floor after one kick. "If you don't die in the next ten minutes it will be a personal, ah, pleasure, to teach you some manners-ah". He walked into the other room; Chelsea had pretty much recovered as she sat up.
"Oh, and by the way" the man with the painted mask had returned to her doorway "we don't need some bought time. It's only you that is running short of it. I don't need you, and as you're going to find out more and more . you . need . me." he nods vigorously at her. "Remember, one wrong move, or you're not what I expected, or... if I just get bored..." he pauses dramatically "I'll do what the mob wants to do to you. Remember that, Sweet Cheeks. Oh and by the way, if you actually make it to meet my little team-mah" again he pauses for effect, that was getting a little annoying but Chelsea was hanging off every word "My men are a jealous bunch and they won't like it if you seem to be above them, in their books, or in mine. You know, think you're...special or something. It's bad enough to them that you're a girl, they're really not going to like that, ya know. And to me...well to me you're just another person on my pay role. Remember that too". He stalks off into the other room as Chelsea finishes off her packing. She'd put in everything she could fit, in the end she wasn't leaving anything that she couldn't eventually replace.
Walking into the main room of her apartment she stopped as she saw the Joker holding a small cat statue. He was twisting it around, up and down and then shook it, trying to make it do something. The look on his face would have been comical to Chelsea if the current situation wasn't so dire. His face was all scrunched up like a confused small child who couldn't believe all the statue does is sit there to be looked at.
She decided to speak up before he could catch her staring at him. "Ok, I've packed, let's go". Without looking over to the person addressing him he carefully places the statue down, pulling his arm away quickly as if the cat could come to life and bite him for holding it. He stands up fully and turns to Chelsea.
"Let's go?" he repeated, looking confused again. "But you?" he points at her "You're the one that needs to leave, didn't you organise the transport?" her jaw drops. Surely he's joking? He then grabs a bag from next to him that Chelsea hadn't seen and walks towards her, taking her by the shoulder and pushing her towards the door.
"You really needs to get a sense of humour, Toots" they reach the hallway outside "maybe you'd smile more!". She wished he would keep his distinctive voice down. Shutting the door and locking it, Chelsea said goodbye to life as she knew it. The second big goodbye in two days. Unseen by any neighbours they hurry down the flight of stairs to the car park. Well Chelsea hurried, the Joker kept up with her looking as though he was taking a casual walk in the park.
Once there she sees a black van waiting for them, the back is filled with men in clown masks holding weapons. The Joker throws the bags into the van then grabs Chelsea and roughly shoving her in too. "Ow" she moaned as she painfully slid across the floor.
"We need to go, now" the Joker instructs to his men. Chelsea notices the authority in his voice. Suddenly they hear a yell from outside the vehicle.
"Hey!" one of Maroni's men was running after them, bringing more of his friends. He raises a gun, quickly men in clown masks jump forward and shut the doors of the van, the man in purple leisurely taking a seat. "Go, go, go!" a clown yells and the van takes off. Bullets pinging off the dark metal exterior. Finally one of the men outside had the sense to take out the back window before they could drive too far away, safety glass falls over the clowns and the others. Chelsea raises her arms up over her head to protect her face. When she thought it was safe she removed them, opening her eyes and looking around. The clowns were angrily brushing off glass from their coats, muttering. A couple had jumped up and shot Maroni's men in the gap the window had left before they were out of range. Pulling out ontot he main road they were safe for now as there didn't seem to be anyone following in a car.
Chelsea looked from the now broken window to the Joker who was staring at her, face unreadable. "You're, ah, paying for that" he muttered indicating towards the window with his head. She frowned and then had to smile. She'd made it out of there alive. She'd also made her decision now to work for this crazy clown and she'll give it her best shot. She leant back still smirking as the van took them further and further from danger. Out of the corner of her eye she could have sworn she saw the Joker smirk too.