Willow remained laying in bed in the dark, not moving a muscle as she listened to the garage door open. She looked to the alarm clock that sat in front of her, the time nearly two in the morning. The garage door closed, and Willow immediately heard loud laughter erupting from downstairs. She wasn't sure to be relieved or annoyed by this. She closed her eyes again, trying desperately to drown them out.
From his spot on the foot of the bed, Arlo sat upon hearing his master's voice, and his ears perked up. Willow sighed as the dog jumped off the bed, and he stood by the door, wagging his tail. Willow stayed in bed, however, figuring he'd run out when Joker opened the door.
From downstairs Joker and Joey had just made their way into the kitchen, Joey turning on the lights behind him as he walked further into the house. Joker was busy taking off his coat and gloves while Joey headed into his office to retrieve the house phone.
"Look at all the missed calls," he said flatly, though he still wore a small grin on his face as he slowly walked back towards Joker, who stood by the breakfast bar. "Lydia... Lydia... Lydia... Danny?... Lydia! Holy fuck!"
"You gave her your number?" Joker as he hung his coat on one of the chairs at the table. "Why would you do such a stupid thing, Joseph?"
"I don't know," Joey sighed as he cleared the phone up, and he placed it down on the counter. "Stupid huh?"
"I'd say," Joker agreed. "You've been acting pretty stupid," he added in a mumble as he placed his gloves on the counter.
"Me?" Joey asked as he raised his eyebrows. "I've been stupid? Man look at you!" Joker glared at Joey for a moment, realizing quickly that he did not want to have this conversation. He continued to glare into his friend's eyes, the hint strong. Joey sighed finally. "Forget it," he said. "Hey, if she's still awake, tell Willow to come down here. I wanna talk to her..."
"Talk or yell, Joey?" Joker asked smartly before he turned around. He sighed as he started to the stairs, bothered by how just the thought of Willow seemed to rain on his parade. The night had been so successful and above all, fun. He had finally forgotten all about all the issues surrounding Willow that awaited him when he got home, and he finally felt himself again. Joey ignored him and instead grabbed the phone and headed back into his office.
Joker jumped slightly when he opened the door, and he watched as Arlo rushed out of the room and down the stairs. With a slight growl he walked into the room, snapping on the lights, his eyes instantly falling to Willow's still figure in the bed. He continued to watch her as he rounded to her side of the bed, and he couldn't help but grin when he noticed her glaring up at him.
"Joey wants to talk to you," he said. Willow didn't say anything as she took her time pushing the covers off herself with a loud huff and she slowly sat up. Joker headed towards his side of the bed as he began to loosen his tie. Willow sighed as she pulled up a pair of shorts, and she dragged her feet behind her towards the door, bracing herself for another hurtful argument with Joey.
"Please, take your time," Joker said as he watched her. "He has all night, I'm sure." Willow rolled her eyes, just about at the door.
"I wouldn't want to fuck up anything else today," she mumbled. Joker narrowed his eyes on her and he watched as she exited the room before he finally started towards the bathroom.
Willow cracked her knuckles nervously as she headed towards Joey's office. She didn't bother knocking his his slightly ajar door to make her presence known. Rather she gently pushed open the door and stood in the frame, watching as Joey read over a paper on his desk.
Joey looked up from his desk with a frown; he looked awfully bothered. "Come in," he grunted before he cleared his throat. Willow took a lazy step inside, not bothering to hide that fact that she really didn't want to be there. Joey seemed to be searching for starting words, and Willow crossed her arms as she waited. "Look, I want to... apologize..." Joey mumbled as he looked down, and Willow's eyes widened. She definitely had not been expecting that. Her lips parted and she relaxed her body as she waited, hoping he'd go on, for she wasn't sure exactly what to say herself. "I don't know why I got so mad," Joey went on, only to stop suddenly.
"I'm sorry too," Willow said, sighing after she spoke. She wasn't sure if she really was sorry, she still thought she hadn't done anything, but she realized she was desperate to put an end to everyone's sour mood. "I didn't realize that I upset you."
"You didn't," Joey said honestly. "Lydia just... she put me in the mood in the first place. I don't even know why I bothered with her for so long. I mean she's a great dancer, but I don't usually have to work that hard, ya dig?" He laughed, an awkward attempt to lighten the mood, but Willow didn't laugh with him.
"I just..." she paused as she thought back to the club incident. "I just don't get how you'd take her word over mine. Joey I might have started off hating dancing at your club, but I've come to love it and I thought you saw that. I wouldn't do anything to ruin that."
"I know," Joey said as he leaned forward in his chair, a large frown on his face.
"And when you took her story over mine, some random bitch that you just hired? I don't know, I guess I thought I was more than just Joker's... imprisoned... chick thing to you." Willow looked away as she shook her head, but she could help but smile slightly at her silly choice of words.
"The whole situation is weird," Joey said as he placed his elbows on his desk, and he linked his fingers together. "And that's something that Jack needs to figure out. But you're right. Look, I've come to appreciate you as your own person, I'd even go as far to call you a friend. I don't know why I took Lydia's story over yours..." he stopped suddenly as he thought, and he leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "All I know if she's the one that should have gotten fired. Not you."
Willow slowly looked back up to him. She was happy to hear Joey actually apologizing to her, but she still couldn't shake off how angry he had gotten. How did she know it wouldn't happen again?
"Look I'm not gonna make excuses for why I got so angry. All I can do is apologize, hope you see I mean it, and beg you to come back to club."
Willow couldn't help but grin slightly again, and she cursed to herself in her head for being so easy to win over. She accepted Joey's apology, she could see that he did mean it, and of course she wanted her job back. She knew by the look on her face Joey could already tell that everything was going to be okay, but deep down Willow felt the need to prove something to herself and Joey, even Joker. She had to show them that she couldn't just be pushed around, forced to deal with their fowl moods, and have to constantly go with the flow, living with Joker and his friend or not. She was still her own person, and she knew Joey and Joker probably forgot that big time. Willow's grin widened now as she uncrossed her arms, and she took a step forward.
"That depends," she started, her voice smoother suddenly, causing Joey to raise an eyebrow.
"On what?" Joey asked as he leaned forward again.
"If Lydia is going to be there when I go back." Her grin widened into a toothy smile, and Joey couldn't help but to grin back.
"That's wasted talent," Joey said as he raised both eyebrows, nodding slightly. Willow shrugged.
"Then maybe you should stop dating your dancers." Willow smirked at him, holding her ground as Joey narrowed his eyes at her. "It's me or her," Willow gave her final ultimatum as she cocked her head to the side. "Choose wisely."
Joey grinned and let out a small, evil-sounding laugh. "You better watch it, girl," Joey warned as he pointed a lose finger at her. "And keep in mind this is the only ultimatum I'll let swing by. Lydia will be gone tomorrow night."
Willow's smiled brightly now, wishing that her small, desperate attempt at seduction would work on Joker. She knew Joey was easier, however, and she was just glad she had finally gotten her way. It felt good.
"Good," she said. "Goodnight Joey."
Joey only shook his head as he leaned down to pet his dog, not bothering to say anything else as Willow walked out of the room, feeling pretty proud of herself. As she climbed the stairs, however, she grew more and more weary. Now she had to deal with Joker...
He was busy pulling the covers back, clad in nothing but his green boxers. The room was lit with the dim bulbs from the heat lamps, making the room seem cozy and inviting, that is, if Joker wasn't there. He paused to look over at her, his make-up freshly washed off, some of the white lingering in his hair just above his forehead, and he raised an eyebrow. "What did Joey want?"
"He apologized," Willow said simply, deciding it was best to just ignore him, or give him few word answers if she had to. She was still upset with him over how he had been treating her, and she knew the last thing he'd ever do was apologize for anything. As she was finding out, Joey seemed to have a hard time controlling himself when he felt a heavy emotion. Joker, however, was perfectly capable of always controlling himself no matter what the situation, which led Willow to believe the way he had been treating her was one-hundred percent intentional. So, by deciding that ignoring him and not giving him the time of day was best at this point, she climbed back in bed noisily.
"Well, that's nice," Joker said falsely, though that devilish grin never disappeared. Willow merely raised her eyebrows before she plopped into bed, and she immediately turned her back to him as she rested her head on her fluffy pillow and she closed her eyes gently.
"Yup," she breathed. "At least somebody knows how to..." she mumbled without thinking. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine once she realized what she had said, but Joker continued to pull down the sheet and fix his pillows, so she figured he had simply not heard.
But he had. His grin had faded into a large frown, and he narrowed his eyes on her, his dark blue orbs traveling over the sheet that outlined her wide hip perfectly as she laid on her side, and he absentmindedly licked his lips slowly. He was not very fond of the tone she had just taken with him, though at the same time he couldn't help but want to reach out and trace the outline of her dangerously curvy body. He closed his eyes and took in a deep, irritated breath through his nose. While it was tempting to choke that sarcastic tone right out of her, at the same time he wasn't feeling much up to it. He was sick of battling his feelings towards her, and he knew he had to put a stop to it. Even if that meant swallowing his pride, just for a second in the privacy of the guestroom, and talking to her like a real, pathetic and weak, human being.
"Willow," he said finally, and he let out a loud sigh after speaking her name. Willow's eyes snapped open and she angrily stared at the covered window in front of her, her lips thinned, but her eyebrows met in the middle when she felt Joker calmly sit on the side of the bed. "Turn around," he then commanded in somewhat of a soft, even voice. Willow swallowed as she turned onto her back, taking her time, and she placed her hands, one on top of the other, on her chest. She stared at Joker, a somewhat confused though still annoyed look on her face. She stared at Joker's naked face while he looked right into her eyes before he finally growled and closed his eyes, seemingly having a hard time with this. She wondered desperately why he was being so gentle suddenly. She had never seen him act this way.
"Look," he finally started with a sigh. "You... annoy me..."
Willow's frowned deepened as she stared at him, now completely unsure where he was going with this. What was the point of that? But regardless, she placed her hands on either side of her body and gently hoisted herself up to lean her back on the headboard of the bed, waiting for him to go on as he sighed again.
"Okay," Joker said, and he turned his body towards her slightly more, and he held out his hands to make a point. "I know you, and you think you know me. So with the knowledge I have on you, and the knowledge you think you have on me, I think we can come to an agreement on our... situation here-"
"Situation?" Willow asked, and she cocked an eyebrow, trying not to seem so lost. "What situation?"
"I'm not in the mood to play dumb, Willow. Joey may have apologized, but I'm not that pathetic. I'll admit it, I've been... moody lately. And you've been extra... clingy and annoying-"
To this Willow made a face. Joker was doing nothing but annoying her and angering her more now, she was foolish for thinking he was actually going to say something nice, but yet she really wanted to know where he was going with this somewhat awkward conversation.
"-which is why I've been so angry." Joker sighed as he closed his eyes. "I guess what I want to do is clear this situation up. We both know our problem - my problem – goes beyond I kidnapped you, you stay with me now. We're not friend's Willow, we're not even fuck-buddies, and we're not anything that goes beyond those, and we never will be. We are simply distractions towards each other, understand?" Joker lowered his head as he looked at her and he raised his eyebrows.
Willow's jaw hung slightly slack as she stared at him. Never will be? Distractions? She thought about it for a moment. It was odd for Joker to be having a 'heart to heart' with her, but at the same time, she knew, she hoped it proved something. And the fact that he had simply broken down and resorted to talking to her about their 'situation' only proved he had been battling feelings about her just as badly as she had. Distractions... she thought. And never will be anything more than that? She couldn't help but feel as though her heart had been stabbed. Why was this upsetting her so much?
Joker licked his lips before he went on and he lifted his head as he looked to the ceiling before back to Willow. "You distract me every damn day, and you keep from doing things that need to be finished. And I know I distract you as well. It's obvious we both have a serious, serious problem here..."
Willow couldn't help but grin, and no matter how hard she fought it, the sly smile would not leave her face. She noticed Joker narrow his eyes on her, but she couldn't help it. The world had obviously ended, for Joker was sitting here, looking defenseless as he admitted some sort of feelings toward her. It was almost a sick dream come true for her. But the words 'never will be' still echoed in her head, making any happy thoughts make a run for it, out of her mind.
"So..." Willow cleared her throat, her voice sounding hoarse suddenly. "Are you saying it's... bad? Should I try to stop distracting you?" She had battled with herself on asking that question, but the moment seemed to push her on to doing so. Joker narrowed his eyes even more at her, but her heart skipped a beat when an evil grin played upon his lips, and he slowly made his way further on to the bed, closer to her.
"I didn't say that," he growled as he shook his head once, unable to stop eying her lips. "Some problems are better left untreated. I'm living proof." His grin widened as Willow's eyes widened slightly. Surely she had not been expecting that answer, at all. Surely he would have told her to stop, of course. But he hadn't. That was the biggest mystery of all. Her heart pounded against her chest, and she wished Joker wasn't so unpredictable. "As long as we can agree that all we are towards each other are distractions, then I won't have to kill you." Willow widened her eyes more as she swallowed nervously, Joker's grin expanding. "So, do we have an agreement?"
"Y-yes," Willow stuttered as she stared into his glazed, dark eyes, and she barely felt herself nod once, nearly hypnotized.
"Good," Joker growled. "Now, c'mere and distract me."
Willow's lips parted as she watched Joker lift his arm, indicating she should scoot closer to him. She obeyed his silent command and slowly moved closer, resting her hip against his. That grin never fading from his mouth as he leaned down, hovering over her as he placed his lips on hers. Instinctively she reached up with her arms and she placed her fingers gently on either side of his face, her eyes closed. Distraction... she went on to think again. The longer she continued to kiss him, feeling his smooth tongue play games with hers, she couldn't help but feel being only a distraction towards him wasn't going to cut it, at least in the long run. But as for the moment, she couldn't help but feel just a little bit of joy from his confession. It wasn't hate, it wasn't like, and it most certainly wasn't love, but at least it was something. However, she couldn't deny the strong feelings she felt towards him, they most certainly went beyond a distraction, and deep down she could not help but feel slightly disappointed.
Joker gently bit her bottom lip before he pulled away, leaving Willow to slowly open her eyes and stare into his. She waited for him to say something, anything, but he stayed silent as he continue to look at her. Finally, without a word, he suddenly turned over, his back towards her, leaving Willow to sadly stare up at the ceiling She sighed as she turned onto her side, facing the covered window, and she closed her eyes, hoping sleep would take over quickly.
A feeling of remorse was quick to greet Willow as she stepped foot into the club the following night. Out of habit, she glanced over to the bar, taking in the way Britney was staring at her. Rather than her usual scowl, her jaw was dropped slightly in disbelief as she watched Willow slowly walk towards the stages. Willow finally turned her head away, trying hard to ignore her, though she couldn't help but notice how literally all the other dancers were glaring at her, their eyes narrowed. Apparently, word traveled along fast among the gossipy girls. She swallowed as she continued towards the stage, glancing to her right. She saw Joey talking to some man in a business suit, who was holding out a piece of paper towards Joey. She could tell by his body language that he was still in a bad mood, just like he had been that morning.
After Joey's apology Willow had been hoping the next morning everything would have returned to normal, but once she had gone downstairs for some coffee, the first thing she witnessed was Joey yelling on the phone to who she later found out was his brother. Joker had still seemed reserved all day, spending most of his time downstairs or in the guest room, barely making any contact with Willow, even after their little chat. It seemed staying at Joey's had once been so much fun. Even among all the chaos with Joker her life seemed so much better. But now Joey or Joker barely made contact with her. Willow wasn't sure how much longer she could take feeling so lonely and unwanted. It seemed her life had gone in a complete circle.
She had just made it to the back of the stage, and as she stepped into the narrow hallway she saw a few dancers making their way over. They stopped laughing and talking and their strides grew short and heavy as they approached. Willow looked down and pressed her back against the wall to let them through, ignoring the bitchy glares they shot her as they stomped passed, their heels clicking loudly. She slowly leaned off the wall, her throat feeling dry, and she touched her fingers gently to her neck. This is stupid, Willow thought sadly. She should have just stayed home. It was obvious she wasn't wanted here. She knew if she stayed it would only worsen her mood and current depressing outlook on life, and she wouldn't be able to put her heart into her performance. She figured all she could do was just go home and stay away from the club for a while after all.
She made a beeline towards the door, unsure of where Joey had gotten to. She kept her head down as she walked, her tangled hair in her face, but she paid no attention to it. She saw a pair of men's shoes making their way into the club, but she side stepped them and placed her palms on the door to push it open, only to stop with start.
"Willow?"
She lifted her head and slowly turned around, barely recognizing the man at first, until it finally hit her. That long black hair, those glasses, bright blue eyes and narrow jaw-line; it was Jonathan Crane!
"Jon!" She yelled excitedly, pushing herself away from the door to quickly step next to him. With a small laugh he hugged her, only for Willow to quickly step out of the hug. "What are you doing here?"
"Well..." Jonathan started slowly, getting slightly sidetracked the longer he looked at her. He allowed himself to study her somewhat messy look; her hair was tangled, her left over make-up smeared, and she wore a white tank top and baggy pants. If anything she looked exactly as she had in Arkham, thus proving Jonathan's theory. She had definitely gone back to the Joker, despite his highest hopes...
Willow stared at him with a smile, waiting for him to go on. He looked a lot better than he had in Arkham. Granted his hair wasn't smoothed back, hanging in his face instead, he appeared professional, with a street casual suit. He looked clean, bright, and at ease.
"Honestly?" Jonathan asked as he thinned his lips. "I was looking for you."
This sent a pang through Willow's heart, and her breath hitched in her throat as her smile widened. "Really?" She asked. This reply was astonishing to her. After living in a house with two guys who barely noticed her anymore, this shone a relieving light on her situation.
"Well, yes," Jonathan said as he glanced around. "It wasn't hard," he added as he frowned. "You're pretty well known here. Which I find sort of odd..."
"Why?" Willow asked. "Wanna go sit down?" She started over to a bare table near the door, Jonathan sitting across from her.
"I just don't understand why nobody turns you in," he said with a slight laugh. "All these people here? Who know about the club?"
Willow bowed her head slightly. "It's sort of a tight-knit group of people who come here. All the girls are so smitten with the owner, who is pretty... close... to me, and all the guys? I don't know, but it works. I guess they figure if they try anything Jo- never mind," she quickly stopped herself, and she forced a smile. "How about you? How have you been sense getting out?"
"Fine, fine," he said as he nodded his head, not really up to talking about himself.
"Are you staying at that... apartment?"
"No," he said. "I talked about other arrangements with my doctor." Willow noticed he seemed reserved, and he was having somewhat of a hard time looking to her eyes. But regardless, she was still happy to see him. It felt nice knowing that somebody in the world, or at least on Gotham, cared enough to spend time searching for her. She just wished the circumstances were a little bit better so she could enjoy it more, and maybe make more of an impression. "Granted I'm under some sort of strict surveillance with a new cop each week showing up at my doorstep... but anyway,"he said now as he adjusted his glasses. "Why did you leave the apartments? Why on Earth would you go back to the Joker?" He leaned in closer now, crossing his arms on the table as he exhaled out of his nose. "After all you said about him? After all the pain he brought to you? I know you didn't forget about it."
Willow leaned back in her chair and she stared at the floor, merely shrugging her shoulders. She didn't know how to answer that without sounding like an idiot. She knew the truth was silly, but what else could she say? "I didn't have anywhere else to go-"
"Anywhere else to go?" Jonathan asked. "Willow, you got to have a second chance. You had the opportunity to start over, clean"
There was many things wrong with his 'what should have been' statement. For one, she just knew eventually Joker would have gone looking for her, and if not Joker than Joey. And two, things were different, or at least had been. Joker seemed to have seriously regretted his choice of abandoning her in her worst moment. And three, she had nowhere else to go. Starting over frightened her, and she found herself not wanting to start from scratch, to live a normal life, alone. There were too many scars, both mental and physical for her to ever be happy surrounded by new people.
Jonathan sighed, smiling slightly. "Look, I didn't come here to accuse you of anything or tell you what you should have done. I just... wanted to see you."
Willow lifted her eyes to look at him, and she couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Why don't you come back to my place," Jonathan said as a new song came on, and he frowned as Willow's face fell. "I mean, so we have a quiet place to talk."
"I don't know..." Willow said as she glanced passed the table. She knew nothing good could come out of her going with him, even if it was for an hour or two. It was too risky going someplace new, and she did not want to know how Joey and especially Joker would react with the news.
"It'll be fine," Jonathan said. "It's a little crowded here, and I just really want to catch up."
"Jon, I would, but-"
"But what?" Jonathan interrupted again. "You can do what you want. I'm sure Mister Joker won't mind..." he rolled his eyes as he leaned back. Willow bit her lip in thought, thinking quickly. On the surface she knew she shouldn't, but deep down, she really did want to talk further with Jonathan. She recalled all the talks they had at Arkham, and how much he had helped her through her time there. He had actually listened to her and treated her like a friend. She knew it was because of him she had gotten released in the minimum amount of time. If he hadn't, she'd still be there... He had come all this way to just to find her, just to talk to her. It was so tempting. Joker and Joey didn't have to exactly know...
"O-okay." She gave in easy. "Just let me tell my boss..."
Jonathan smiled widely as he leaned up again, his eyes bright and wide behind his black framed glasses. "I'll be waiting."
Willow stood up quickly, figuring she could find Joey in his office. Rather he was standing in the private room, conversing with that same man from before. Willow stood a few feet from them, waiting silently until Joey turned towards her, and completely ignored the man when he smiled and said, "Yes?"
"I think I'm going to go home," Willow said as she stepped closer swallowing "I just... it doesn't feel right being here."
Joey frowned. "I understand, girl. But hey, when you get there tell Jack – if he's even home – not to eat that pizza in the fridge, right?"
Willow paused. "Why?"
"Because I want it," Joey said in a tone that suggested Willow was stupid for asking. She couldn't help but grin and roll her eyes, and she turned around to head toward the exit. She figured Joker wasn't home anyway, and she knew she'd be home before Joey.
Jonathan was waiting for her at the door, his arms crossed as he leaned on it, and she turned around, glancing behind her one final time to make sure joey wasn't watching. The red curtain closed and Joey nowhere in sight, Willow finally stepped into the night with Jonathan, her heart pounding.
hey guys, im so sorry about the long wait. a lotta things came up, but im not gonna get into it. everything is real good now :) im also sorry for the super short chapter... :/ the next one will be longer and hopefully out to you much quicker. thanks SOOOO much for the reviews guys, they mean a lot, and im happy to see i have a lot of fans for this story. it wouldn't be here without you!
and please check out my website for the series: it can be found on my profile! thanks and don't forget to leave a review! :D:D