I have news! Mewrenee145 has drawn the kiddies in their costumes! Everybody give her a round of applause! You can find the kids on her deviantART, which goes by the same name as her Fanfiction account. As of now she only has a few up but the rest should come eventually. QuetheStitchBear (yes, she changed her name) and I love them and thank her for drawing them.

Chapter 9

Haley sighed as she watched the mysterious green van drive away from her little house. She lived in an ok neighborhood only about three blocks from the school. It was one of the nicer areas of Gotham and where about a fourth of the school lived. She was standing on her front porch listening to the nice drizzle as it hit the pavement near her house. Fumbling with her keys, she found the right one and shoved it into her front door. She grumbled to herself when she had to use extra strength to turn the knob because it was broken.

"Daddy?" She said as she closed the door behind her. "I'm home!"

There she saw him, lying on the couch with the lights off. The only light that was provided was the hall light upstairs and the flickering of the TV. The whole room reeked of alcohol and a few empty bottles of beer were lying strewn across the floor.

"Oh, Daddy…" Haley sighed sadly before going to shake him awake. "Dad?"

The sound of her voice was enough to snap him out of the alcohol induced coma. "Wha… Haley? Your home?" He flailed around a bit as he tried to find the sound of her voice.

"Yeah, Daddy, I'm home." She smiled weakly.

"Ok, ok, thank god. I was so worried." He slurred. "I-I thought you weren't coming back.

"It's ok, Daddy, I'm back." She choked on a sob. Her dad didn't really seem to realize that he was still talking and was back in a half awake, half asleep, trance.

"Your back, your back…" He flopped back to his original position and fell back asleep.

She swallowed the tears that always threatened to come when she saw her dad like that. It was a lot, too. "Look what you did to him, Mom, you only made things worse." She said to no one before going upstairs to shower off the nights illegal activities.

The next day was fun. At least to everyone in the gang beside Jack that is. He hadn't been able to sleep that night. His mind kept going back to the inhumane deed he had done not too long before. He had shot a woman walking out of the shopping center, precisely in the side of the skull and Joker had laughed giving him a slap on the back. "Nice shoooot Jackooo-roony." He cackled and then inspected his pupil's kill. "Very, nice, now that I know you can kill properly, you can go home. Let's go."

As Joker began to walk away, Jack came to look at his victim. She was pretty about in her thirties and such. He wondered what she was buying, why she had to be out this evening, but he had to follow his mentor before he hurt him. though he was sure that eventually he would be hurt. To make things worst his mom wasn't home again so he had nothing to keep his mind off it. Stupid conscious.

So he had been forced to go in and out of naps, dreading the fact that he was a murder, and one of the worst kind. A murderer without a motive. As he got up to the messy kitchen the news on the little television in the small living/ eating room. "A woman was found shot this morning on Park Row. Her name was Katelyn Charleh." He froze and listened guiltily as the reporter did a brief summary of Kate Charleh, beloved wife, mother, and daughter.

It was enough to make him almost frown. Almost. He reluctantly threw some thing one, a pair of beige, black, and green plaid shorts with suspenders over a black shirt with that funny little green Sims diamond on it and some sneakers. Back pack slung over his shoulder and walked out of the apartment door. At his feet he could see the check and he sighed. Child support. He slipped it into his back pocket for safe keeping.

He couldn't focus in school. His grades were never spectacular but he did well enough to pass with a C+ or something. The test they took in Life Science though he was sure he flunked. Ever was the first to notice that the prankster wasn't annoyingly giddy as usual and talked to Haley about it in gym. Chanel noticed when he passed her in the hallway without giving her a high five for her scare on some small freshman guy, by acting like a stalker and sending him threatening notes in serial killer letters.

She and Emmy spoke about it and the group of girls banded together to see what was bugging their friend (well they dragged Ever along).

Jack just lightly pushed her away. She stood up and walked over to where the other two girls were watching. Haley glared at her for her horrible methods of comfort. Ever felt an annoying pang in her chest that she didn't want to feel towards, of all people, Jack. Concern. What she felt towards the man she 'strongly disliked' was concern. Sure she wasn't heartless and would accept the feeling with open arms if it wasn't being felt about him. She wanted to make it go away. Emmy just examined Jack with a tilted head. Worry crossed her generally cute and childish expression, making her brows furrow.

"Jack…" Haley experimented, "Tell us what's wrong."

Jack sighed and placed his head in his hands. He rubbed his face tiredly and it became obvious to the girls that he hadn't slept much the night before. "Last night…Joker and I did some things…" Haley's eyes narrowed and she came a bit closer to him.

"What kind of things?" she asked. Jack looked up and met her eyes that said very plainly, you beeetter not lie to me. His hands tugged at his suspenders nervously.

"The…usual. Target practice in Park Row..." The girl's eyes all widened, Haley, Ever, and Chanel knowing what happened and Emmy because, well, she couldn't believe he and Joker went to Park Row without her and Chan. They loved that place.

"You and Giggles shot that blond chic?" Chan said with a surprised grin. Hey, if you work with a Rouge, you mightiest well think like one. Killing was part of the program. A part she didn't necessarily mind…

"I did it. And it's not funny, Chan…she had kids and stuff." That made the grin on Chanel's face fade as she remembered her own mom. "What did she ever do to me? I just shot her cus…she just happened to be there and Joker said too." Chanel gave him a nudge her face serious.

"Wasn't your fault, dude. If Giggles told us to shoot some person we'd sure as hell do it….he's scary." She admitted. Haley and Ever nodded in agreement while Emmy frowned. Uncle J wasn't always scary, especially when he laughed. It made her want to, too.

"Don't beat yourself up. It…would have happened eventually. You just need to…"

"Man up." Ever finished Haley's sentence with a bit of disappointment. She looks at him with blank green eyes. Chan, Haley, and Emmy gave her a look for being so apathetic. She wasn't trying to be; it was the only way she could really give the guy some…comfort. Plus, hearing him mope was damn pathetic. "You work for the Joker and unless you want to die too, killing people is one of the things you're gonna do. You don't want to die yet, do you Jack?"

"No." he couldn't leave his mom behind to drown in debt and stuff…

"Good, so get over it, after a few times you'll get used to it." She grabbed her stuff and stood up. "See you guys tomorrow. I've got somewhere to go today…" it was June 13th, the dreaded day. They watched her leave with blinking eyes.

Jack sighed, looking at the rest of the girls. He didn't want to bother them over something he knew would happen. Ever was right, he had to man up. Emmy came and gave him a hugged followed by Chanel and a rather reluctantly hesitant Haley. "Don't look so down, Jacky." She said with a sweet grin.

Jack smiled back. They knew how to cheer a guy up. "Okay…I'm fine now. Thanks." Chan and Emmy laughed and Haley gave him a half grin. Then they all laid back and started to talk about the things they'd probably have to do in the future…

Ever walked into the cemetery with a bouquet of Tulips. The air was chilled like every other time she'd visit. She paced past the headstones until she came to a pale marbled one. She stood there a second till her knees gave out. Tears flounced from the corner of her eyes and she sniffled. She hated this day.

"I miss you…" she whispered with a cracking voice. "I miss you so much…Mum and Dad, too. They're probably in the basement looking at the paintings. They can't bear to sell them even though it was your dream." She laid the flowers at the front of the headstone gingerly. She grew Tulips a lot ever since last year. Your favorites…she thought. "I promise one day the world will see your creations." Then with a tough face she rubbed away the tears and turned for the exit…

soooooo? What's your opinions? This is a rather depressing and chapter if you think about it. We have Haley's family for the first time, we have a moody ang guilty Jack, and we have a mourning Ever. Reviews?