Henry: Hi, first of all, I am so, very, very sorry that this update has taken so very long. With the amount of college work I've had lately I haven't had much time for anything else. Also I would like to say a massive thank you to habdreas323 for not only your kind words in the review but also for being my only reviewer so far.
Daniel: Yeah, yeah. More importantly tell them what you was going to do to me *frowns.*
Henry: Okay, so for a while I was thinking of deleting this story... but I guess I will see what happens after this chapter.
Daniel: We would just like to say, we do not own Batman, neither do we wish to.
Henry: Enjoy this chapter.
-Jack's POV-
He lent back against the kitchen counter as he thought about the boy who was now fast asleep in his bed. "That miserable... over grown." he slammed the plates down in the sink with each word. "Rose." he growled as he thought about his kitty being shot and hurt. It had taken every inch of little sanity he had left to not kill her... but what kind of impression would that have given his feline boy. Killing her after the first time he had seen him in years... that would just be tiniest bit rude.
He grinned as his thoughts rolled around his head.
But now with his majestic feline in his bed, that was the best thought of them all.
He leant back against the sink as he retreated into his thoughts. What had Daniel been doing in this territory anyway? There had been countless gang wars going on lately... then again, it didn't help when Daniel's 'brother' was causing them all sorts of trouble. But that was just the way it had to go, there had to be balance; with a new generation of darkness came a new wave of light... a shadow could not exist without light.
Jack slowly looked up and saw the shuffling weak form of his love walking into the room. He could see it in the slow laboured movements, the thin beads of sweat moving down a pale and clammy face; the way his eyes shined slightly brighter but compensated with a false grin. "Now, what are you doing out of bed kitty?" Jack grinned as he walked forward, but as he went to lift the boy he felt a strike smash the side of his face and a weight pin him to the ground. "Well sweetie, I was bored." A blush played along Jack's face as he felt the soft fur of a long tail brush along his cheek. Since when had Daniel had a cat tail... unless...
"Daniel, what happened to you?"
"A really bad day." The boy whispered before Jack slammed him up against the wall and grabbed the boy by his hair as he pushed his head back against the wall before kissing his throat slowly.
"Now, are you going back to bed or are you going to make me, take you back there the hard way?" Daniel simply raised his eyebrow and grinned.
"I think you already are."
"Shut up!" Jack bit back as he swooped up the boy in his arms.
"My hero." Daniel grinned. "Just one problem." the boy locked his legs around Jacks head and flipped them onto the floor where he began to suffocate.
"D-Daniel!"
"WAKE UP YOU IDIOT!"
Jack's eyes flew open just as a knife came down on his head. He barely rolled out the way before the knife tore itself through the expensive quilt and mattress. His hand ripped out the knife he kept strapped to his back and he lunged forward quickly slicing it into the guys neck. "JACK!" a voice screamed. A lash of black smashed past him and wrapped out him as it yanked him forward.
Just in time to avoid the bullet which had been about to be fired into his head.
The whip unwrapped around his neck and Daniel hissed as he lunged forward and grabbed the guy by the neck. "You son of a bitch. I was having a nice dream. You woke me up!"
"Sorry!" Jack finally got his senses together enough to take in the details of the guys; Tinted green skin and lifeless white eyes. Small beads seemed to stick out their skin... kind of like seeds... "ROSE!" Jack screamed in frustration.
"Mistress?" The guy looked around hopefully as though just by saying her name she had appeared... He was a normal guy until he had been caught by that fly trap.
"Never wake a cat." Jack raised an eyebrow as the boys nails slowly grew and became claws. "You scratch my back." Daniel yanked on the whip, flipping the guy over. "I SCRATCH YOURS!" Daniel thrust his hand out and a sickening tearing sound echoed through the room as the boy's clawed hand slowly dug through the man's back. "Oh look." he whispered, "You do have a spine."
A dark grin slowly spread over the weak boys face.
"But I want something else as well."
A cold shiver ran down Jack's back and Daniel's eyes grew colder.
Then blood splattered over him as he ripped the man's spine out.
It took Jack a few seconds to realise that Daniel held the man's still beating heart. "D-Daniel..."
"One."
"Daniel stop."
"Really bad."
"DANIEL!"
"Day." Daniel crushed the heart and an horrific scream filled the apartment. Even after ripping out the man's spine... he left the guy long enough to kill him by crushing his heart. Jack stared incredulously at the boy before his own grin spread. "What?" Daniel glared over at him as the boy limped back against the wall.
"You have no idea, how attractive you are right now."
"You... are so screwed up."
"As I said; you have no idea."
Daniel looked over the two dead bodies. "Rose must have sent them... she must be getting braver." He looked back at Jack. "That, or your little threat from yesterday didn't work all that well... oh crap, what time is it!" He began to look around frantically and Jack widened his eyebrow. What could of gotten his kitty; the guy who just ripped out a guys spine and still beating heart... what could possibly worry him?
Jack watched him wince as the boy came to a stop and held his side. "I'm late for work..."
"That's what has you worried?"
"We're not all filthy rich you know!" His eyes wondered down to the soft white fur carpet. The blood had begun moving a long it in lines. Jack grinned, he had designed every part of this apartment himself. Every piece of oak furniture to the priceless art work. To the way the blood moved and filled the hot tub in the centre of the room where it began to bubble. "A bath of blood... seriously? I thought you was the Joker's son, not Dracula."
"You would be surprised what it can do for your skin... anyway lay down."
"Excuse me?" Daniel blushed and raised an eyebrow.
"Lay down and let me sort out those wounds." Jack ordered.
After a few minutes Jack got bored of waiting and tossed the boy onto the tiger fur blankets. "Jack what the hell are you doing!"
"Just shut up and lay still." he muttered as he lifted up Daniel's night shirt and looked at the wound. He hadn't had time to dress it properly last night... and with what he saw right now, he was regretting it greatly.
He reached out and gently tabbed at the wounds with a wet piece of cloth as he cleaned away any infection or hindrance that might have stayed. But then something about the wound caught his attention... yeah, where there was still a bullet hole. Yes there was still a obviously something in there... but it wasn't a bullet. He took even more attention of Daniel's body. His ribs were showing and his body was sickly pale. He obviously hadn't had a decent meal in a long while.
Jack watched as around the edges of the wounds where he had cleaned were black lines as though... they were roots."When the hell did you get a tattoo?"
"WHAT?!" Daniel sat up quickly and far too fast as he screamed and clawed his hand to his side. "I've never had a Tattoo and neither do I want one!"
"Well..." Jack watched the movement of a vine slowly move up around Daniel's torso till the ink had moved from the wound which was now stitching shut as were the ones on his shoulder and leg... but each of the wounds led lines of ink which slowly snaked across his torso and around his wrist before resting on the inside of his arm.
It was... strange, even by their standards. Tattoos which moved across the body then formed a rose on the inside of his arm. Jack could see the intense pain moving across the boys face as the inky thorns grew out it's stem. "My boss is gonna kill me." Daniel growled as he looked down at his clothes. Still they had bullet holes and... "You can't go to work in that. What kind of work would let someone wear clothes like that."
"He won't care about the clothes, he gonna care I'm late."
"You still didn't say what your job was."
"I know..." Daniel sighed as though what he was about to say next went against everything he stood for. For a moment Jack thought about getting the boy to say it; to admit for once that he needed help. But by the looks of it, Daniel was more than stressed.
Jack wrapped his arm around the boy's waist and pulled a jumper over the boys head before phoning down to the lobby. "Yeah, ready the Bike..." He turned his head and looked at Daniel, "Unless you would prefer the car?"
"What are you doing Jack... I can't pay you for anything..."
"Well then it's a good thing that I don't want your money."
Both looked at each other for a second before Daniel sighed and nodded. "A car ride does sound nice to be honest." he said quietly and Jack simply nodded before turning back to the phone. "Make that the car we will be taking." Jack slowly let a smile slide onto his face for the first time in three years. For a few minutes he didn't feel like the murderous prince of crime.
He was just a nineteen year old boy.
-Break-
Both sat in silence as the expensive Aston Martin Vanquish convertible, owned the road. A gentle music played on the radio and a pair of sun glasses rested on Jack's face as he focused on the long road in front of them. "Where am I heading?"
"Keep going, I'll tell you when to turn." Daniel said quietly before he turned and looked at Jack. "You've changed." He said simply before turning his gaze back to the surroundings. "You lost what made you, you."
"Pot meet Kettle." Jack muttered.
"Excuse me?" Daniel growled turning quickly to look back at him.
"I mean. The Daniel I used to know-"
"Turn." the boy said coldly at the last second but Jack just turned sharply and still made it onto the road.
"The Daniel I used to know, was defiant in everything. He never worn thin."
"And who says I've worn thin?" He growled but Jack didn't back down from that glare.
"Me. Daniel you can't sway me like you can everyone else. Now tell me what is going on. What would your mother say-"
"Nothing. That's what she would say. NOTHING." The boy snarled and Jack stamped on the brakes as the car skidded to a stop.
Up ahead a black tank aimed in their direction. The bat? "Reverse the car." Daniel paled.
"Not until you tell me what happened!"
"Jack, now is not the time!"
"Daniel!"
"FINE!" Jack nodded and shifted the car quickly into reverse before hitting the accelerator and blasting down the road. He slowly looked over at Daniel who was pulling on his mask and costume slowly. "Just after I left Arkham, Bruce got more confident and higher in the public opinion, he could do no wrong... so when he kicked his wife and son out and said they were going to a good home... no one questioned it."
"Daniel... what do you mean, your mother would say nothing..."
"Two face heard about it, then... someone tipped him on... apparently a little bat gave him our address on the streets then he got back up from a few others... when they finally came for us...my mother didn't make it through the night."
"Daniel why didn't-"
"Since then, I've been doing my own missions. Trying to find out more about that night... but I got a job offer... I needed the money." He undid his seat belt as the black tank slowly closed the space between them and the boy's voice darkened as the mask clouded it. "I had to sell my body as a club dancer and... I lived on the streets. Don't ever judge me Jack... I had to survive and yes I grew tired of the fighting. But by the looks of it." Daniel crouched as he faced the tank. "So have you."
Jack's eye's widened as he watched Daniel Leap onto the tank and run along the metal shell. "If we get out of this alive. Jack slowly reached inside the box next to him as he slowly looked in the mirror and applied his costume. "Daniel you will never have to worry about where to live any more." after he finished dabbing his face he stared into his own now white pale face with red elongated smile and black plastered eyes. "I hate when I have to do this." he sharply turned the steering wheel as the car flipped but not before Jack dived onto the tank.
"You know for a cat you get into a lot of trouble." Jack growled.
"You know for a Joker you're not that funny." Daniel snapped back before gazing at the boy for a long time. "I am so attracted to you right now." he stared at the boy in the tight purple suit and tailored outfit.
"You sure pick the worst times for it, you know!" Jack snarled just as the roof slowly opened and two dark figures rose out.
Cold eyes regarded Daniel fixedly, "hello boy."
"This was a long time coming." The second voice sounded.
"I'm doing this now.. for her!" Daniel's ear twitched.
"DUCK!" Jack dived as he and the boy hit the road hard while the tank drove straight into the waiting jaws of a giant Venus fly trap.
Jack stared at Daniel who tore away his mask and started weeping. "I don't want the mask any more. I don't want to do this any more."
"Shush." Jack slowly crawled over and held the boy in his arms as the two dark figures vanished while the hungry plant tore the metal tank apart. "It's going to be okay. You're coming to live with me." Jack scooped the boy up quickly and confidently.
"How can you say it's going to be okay? We're the scum. We're never going to be free of the bat and the others." the boy sobbed hopelessly. Daniel... What did they do to you?
He shook his head as he began the long walk back. It doesn't matter. Daniel Kyle, I will get you back.
And all those that hurt you and your mother?
They will die.
Henry: Poor Daniel.
Daniel: Hey! You don't feel sorry for me! I feel sorry for you!
Henry: Yeah... Okay... Any way, please review, I would like to know what you guys think of the couple idea's so far, are you team DanielxRose or DanielxJack. Next chapter will be one of the longest and hold a few surprises so in the meantime go and check out my other new story I just started, if you like Spider Man, you're in for a treat. Any way...
Daniel: If you want to find out more. Follow and Review.
Henry: You know you don't have to be so rude they're good people...
Daniel: I blame you, you made me this way.
Henry: Yeah, you know what I think?
Daniel: That you're a wannabe?
Henry: WHAT?! WHY YOU *Tackles*
Jack: *face palms as watches other two fighting.* Thank you for reading this chapter. Hopefully see you next time... hey Daniel! PUT THE CLAWS AWAY! Henry get away from that delete button!