After clearing his gloves of blood and checking for any traces on his coat, pants and shirt, and after setting Willow up in the living room with the TV on Animal Planet, Joker headed upstairs to join Joey in his bedroom. The door slightly ajar, Joker pushed it open gently with his foot, peering inside before he took a step inside. Joey was in his bathroom, his back to Joker.
"I figured when we go back to Jon- what the fuck are you doing?" Joker stopped short as he stood before the archway that led into Joey's bathroom. He wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed it before, but his friend stood before him with what appeared to be a thin layer of shaving cream on his head, and a razor in his hand. He turned around with a large scowl on his face.
"Man why don't you ever fucking knock?" He scolded. "What's it look like I'm doing! I'm shaving my damn head!"
Joker was at a loss for words, and he stood there, dumbfounded, his jaw hanging slack. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this. "Y-you, shave your head, Joseph?"
"Yes Jack. I do. You know that, what the fuck?"
"Yeah but I've never seen you do it!" Joker said back, unable to help but feel slightly weird about it. It felt as though there were little ants crawling on the back of his neck, and as if there really were he reached his hand to touch the back of it. "Joey you look-"
"Look what?" Joey asked in a loud voice as he leaned all his weight onto his right foot, and he held his arms out, razor still in hand as he raised his eyebrows. A small grin eased its way onto Joker's lips as his eyes slid onto the razor before he looked up to the shaving cream on his head, one razor-sized line going down directly in the middle.
"Stupid," Joker finally answered. Joey rolled his eyes as he finally turned around to look back into the mirror.
"And you look like a ray of sunshine yourself," he grumbled as he ran the razor up his head again. Joker shook his head as he we watched his friend concentrate as he stared into the mirror, until finally he stepped into his bathroom to lean against the counter. "Is there any particular reason you're in here, Jack?"
"There is, actually," Joker said as he reached into his coat pocket to draw out Jonathan's recorder. He pushed the rewind button and glanced up at Joey who was looking at him through the mirror, waiting to hear what was on the recorder. Once it finished, his pressed his thumb to the play button. After a short moment of silence, Jonathan's voice picked up.
"Here I will be documenting the subject for as long as she is under the influence of my newest creation in capsule pill form. Subject is currently, and quiet humorously, crouched in the corner of the house, trying to get away from her hallucinating images, which in this case appears to be the Joker trying to kill her. Subject has been induced for nearly an hour now, with no sign of the affects of the drug withdrawing from the body. I'm going to leave the subject alone for a while and observe what happens." There was a pause here, in which Joker took the time to look over at Joey his his eyebrows raised and a frown on his lips. Joey returned the look, and looked back to the recorder as Jonathan started to speak.
"Just about five hours has passed since undergoing the drug. Subject is passed out on the floor now, she toppled over right in the middle of a scream. If this medication has been done correctly, subject should wake up in a matter of hours with no memory whatsoever of this occurrence."
"This dude is sick. Maybe sicker than you," Joey commented as he turned back to the mirror to run the razor over the side of his head again. Joker smiled as he laughed slightly.
"No one is sicker than me, Joey," Joker said. "I pride myself on that." He quickly stopped talking as Jonathan's low and professional voice picked up yet again.
"Subject appears to be in a state of semi-consciousness with difficulty breathing correctly. Eyes are bloodshot and sagging, mouth is dry... the skin is pale, clammy and cold, with an overall body temperature of about ninety-five degrees." There was a short pause here before the recorder continued on. "Subject seems to still be experiencing mild hallucinations and reacts heavily to any sort of rapid movement. Sweat has not receded from the back of the neck or forehead. The time is now eleven in the morning, subject has been under the influence for just over twelve hours now."
"He says 'subject' funny," Joey spoke up as he rinsed his razor in the sink before starting on the opposite side of his head. "Suuuub-ject!" He mimicked in a low voice, enunciating the word clearly. Joker grinned as he shook his head, waiting for the rest of the recorder to play.
"Now that the drug has started to fade from the body, subject seems a little more alert, though still jumpy and not capable of much movement-" In the background Willow's small and unsteady voice was heard before the recorder stopped and the play button popped back up.
"That pill sounds trippy, dude," Joey said as he finally finished with the last bit of shaving. Joker set down the recorder on the counter before he reached back into his pocket to draw out that piece of paper with the names on it. "I kinda wanna try it..."
"You would, Joey," Joker said with a sigh as he looked over all the names on the paper before he flipped it over quickly. "Hmm," he said to himself as his eyes fell on an address sloppily written in red ink. Joey leaned over the sink now, placing the top of his head in the line of running water as he used his hand to rinse off anything in the back. Joker placed the paper back into his pocket before he leaned off the counter.
"Better go see how the subject is doing," Joker said with a sigh as he rotated his neck around, cracking his twice.
"Man don't even act like your bothered by it," Joey said passively. Joker stopped and turned to him as he raised his eyebrows, glaring at his friend with narrowed eyes. Joey placed a red towel on his head, drying it before he tossed it into a basket near the arch of the bathroom. "Mr. Gentleman, all helping her inside, lighting her cigarette, feeling sorry for her and-"
"Are you saying you wouldn't be doing the same?" Joker asked back with a hint of hostility in his voice.
"I would," Joey said. "All I'm saying is naturally you wouldn't. The Jack I know would have left her on the door step to get inside herself, or would have just left her with that creep if anything... Just sayin'."
"Just sayin'," Joker repeated in a higher tone, and he rolled his eyes before he turned around. Just as he started to forget how stupid he was acting with Willow, Joey was always right there to remind him that perhaps Joker was wrong with labeling Willow as a distraction.
Joker made his way down the stairs and he headed towards the living room, where Willow was in the same position on the couch, her legs loosely in front of her, feet flat on the floor, and her arms folded over her stomach. However, she turned her head when she heard someone coming, and she looked up at Joker as he approached.
"How ya doin' subject?" He asked. Willow stared at him further, feeling to drained to comprehend the joke or even know what he was talking about when he called her 'subject'. She shrugged as she turned back to the TV.
"Fine, I guess," she said in a quiet voice just above a whisper. Joker sighed as he continued to look at her, and he ran his bare hand through his hair, debating his next move. Most of him wanted to try and assist her assist her further so he could rid himself of the weird feeling he had when he looked at her suffering mind and body. However, a much smaller portion of him was screaming at himself, stressing that he should turn away and forget it. She was back now, safe, and he finally had the opportunity to doing something by himself, free of Willow. But he had a hard time listening to the voice, deciding that right now he wanted to be distracted.
Willow continued to stare at the TV, feeling Joker watching her. She no longer felt dizzy or too confused, but she felt weak and tired, and was still a little thrown off over everything. How could she have been only hallucinating? The image of Joker with that knife seemed ridiculously real, and in her mind it made sense he'd try to kill her, especially now, with how he had been acting towards her. With an image of a gross leech coming onto the screen Willow turned her head to look back up at Joker. "Why did you try to kill me?"
Joker's instant reaction was to growl loudly as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling. But with as he took a deep breath in through his nose to calm his nerves, he reminded himself Willow was still obviously not in the right state of mind, and barely able to comprehend anything more than a kindergartner would understand. "It wasn't me, Willow," Joker said as he sat down on the end of the couch next to her. "You hallucinated that. Do you know what that word means?" He widened his eyes and raised his eyebrows as he titled his head down to look at her.
"Yes, but-"
"It wasn't me, it was Crane. He drugged you. With little pills that apparently make you see your worst fear..." he trailed off as everything seemed to come at him at once. Was he really Willow's biggest fear?
"But..." Willow started. "I'm not scared of you, I-"
"Obviously," Joker interrupted as he brought his head back up, and he leaned on the arm of the couch.
"Why did he?" Willow asked, her words slurring slightly. "I thought he liked me."
"Because he's a creep, Willow," Joker said. "He didn't like you. You were just his lab rat."
"I'm not rat," Willow said sadly as she looked down, and she jumped with the sound of Joker's loud, obnoxious laughter. He closed his mouth and tried to stop laughing as his body bounced, his eyes squinted. He opened his mouth to speak, but only more laughter escaped.
"His test subject, dear," Joker finally forced the words out, giggling slightly. He noticed the pout on Willow's childlike face, and he stood up from the couch. "C'mon, subject," he said as he grabbed her wrists. "Let's go shower."
"Why do you keep calling me that?" Willow asked as she allowed Joker to hoist her up and turn her body to exit the living room.
"It's what Jonathan called you," Joker said. "Because you were his lab rat."
"Stop," Willow whined as Joker lead her towards the stairs, cackling behind her. It was just to easy at this point, and he couldn't help himself. Besides, he needed to do something to keep him the right state of mind while he actually helped someone. If he didn't make jokes, he simply wouldn't feel like himself.
He assisted Willow up the stairs and started to the bathroom just as Joey walked out of his room. He stopped and watched Joker as they headed to the bathroom, Willow staring at Joey.
"She thinks she's a rat," Joker said. "But don't say anything because it upsets her." He laughed again as he looked at Joey, who merely rolled his eyes with a grunt.
"You're an asshole," he said before he walked past the pair to head downstairs, his head smooth and shiny. Joker let out a final laugh as they entered the bathroom, and he flipped on the light, closing the door behind him. He left Willow to stand in the middle of the room while he started the shower. She blankly stared at the water as it hit the bottom of the tub, and she jumped when she felt Joker's hands on her hips as he turned her around.
"Why are you helping me?" Willow inquired as Joker loosened her shirt around her waist. "You hate me."
"I don't hate you," he said as he watched his hands slide up her body as he removed her shirt for her.
"I'm just a distraction," she complained as he looked away from him. Joker frowned as he stared at her neck. He licked his lips slowly as he felt his throat to swell, his body trying desperately to stop him from saying what he was about to tell her.
"I don't know why I said that." His voice was raspy and low, and he cleared his throat as Willow looked back up to him. Of course she understands all this, he thought sourly in his head. "Distraction wasn't the right... word."
"What is then?" She asked with a large frown as she looked into his eyes, hoping desperately he'd label her as something more and better than a distraction.
"I don't know," Joker finally said, and Willow sadly looked down. "But I can tell you," Joker started as he placed his finger on her chin, forcing her to look back up at him. "It goes beyond a distraction."
A small smile crept onto Willow's face as she shyly looked away. "So, you didn't try to kill me?" She confirmed for the hundredth time as she slowly looked back up at him.
"No," he answered patiently. He placed his hands back on her hips and leaned, planting a kiss on her chapped lips before he pulled away. "Think you can finish up by yourself?"
Willow nodded as she backed up slightly, and she stared at the floor. Joker watched her for a moment longer before he finally turned to leave the room, and he closed the door behind him.
Joker vowed it was the last act of kindness and help he would offer Willow after he had settled her into bed later that night. After her shower she seemed to finally be doing much better. She had gone out for her own cigarette and seemed to finally understand that it really wasn't Joker that had tried to kill her, and she was finally aware of all the help and attention he was oddly giving her. With the time nearing nine at night, Joker had brought Willow upstairs, instructing her to go to sleep. He assured her he'd be back shortly, and that yes, he'd wake her up to let her know he was back. He shut the light off in the guestroom and closed the door before he started down the stairs, two at a time.
"Ready?" He asked as he met Joey at the door, who was busy placing his gun in a holster on his black belt.
"I guess so," he answered as he popped his knuckles. "What car we taking?"
"Yours," Joker answered. Joey grumbled as he grabbed his keys, and he and Joker made their way to his Camaro that sat on the driveway.
"So where we going?" Joey asked after he had just turned out of the neighborhood.
"Jay Street. It's the first road on the right off Main." Joker looked out of the window from where he sat in the passenger seat, watching as the black figures of trees passed by.
"She seems to be doing better," Joey commented in a low voice as he switched hands on the wheel. He glanced over to Joker, but he remained silent, which signaled to Joey he didn't want to talk about it. He raised his eyebrows and lowered them as he took a deep breath in, and he looked back to the road. "Ooookay than."
After the ride over, the twenty minutes seeming a lot quicker, Joey parked his car in front of the house, and he scowled at it as he looked through Joker's window, taking in the chipping paint and closed, black curtains in the window. "Nice place..." he commented sarcastically. "It's barely a step up from your apartment."
Joker slowly turned his head to Joey and he raised his eyebrows as he looked at him through the darkness. "House pickin's are slim when you're a wanted fugitive. Are you a wanted fugitive, Joseph?" Joey remained silent which caused Joker to grin. "Didn't think so. Let's go."
Joey followed Joker as he started to the black picket fence, figuring he'd be able get inside through the back door again. The first thing both men noticed, however, were the lights inside the house were on. Joey reached into his belt to pull out his pistol while Joker followed the action, and he quietly slid open the glass door. Once Joey had stepped inside behind him, Spade, who had been busy with dealing with Jonathan's body, jumped, and he froze when Joker and Joey held the guns up, aiming directly at Spade's head. At a loss for words, Spade's eyes bounced from each barrel before he looked up to Joker. Joker smirked as he took in Spade's muscular appearance and pretty-guy face, regardless of the demonic goatee.
"Looks like we discovered ol' Mister Cranes lover perhaps, hmm?" Joker asked with a grin as he glanced at Joey. "I always had a feeling something was up with him... what's the name, pal?"
"S-spade," he answered.
"Spade?" Joker asked as he narrowed his eyes, tilting his head down as he looked slightly to the left. "Is it just you here, or should we wait for Club, Diamond and Heart to show up as well?"
"I-it's a nickname," Spade answered as he continued to try and hold as still as possible, terrified for his life ending with the pull of of Joker's trigger. He definitely had not been expecting such a rude and random entrance, especially when he was trying to get over the shock of finding his boss dead and beaten.
"Ah," Joker said. "You alone?"
"Yeah."
"If you got any weapons on ya I suggest you toss 'em over here, now."
Quickly, Spade reached into his pocket, bringing out an old switchblade, and he tossed to Joker's open hand, palm up. He inspected it before he placed it in his pocket, and he watched as Spade obediently pulled out a small revolver that had been concealed under his shirt. He opened up the cylinder and titled the gun down, letting the bullets that had been inside fall to the ground before he closed it and tossed it to Joker. Joker nodded back to the door as he put his gun away, and he placed Spade's gun in his coat pocket as Joey closed and the locked the screen door.
"Smart man," Joker said as he slowly walked up to Spade, who was still making a point to hold still. With the man slightly taller and much more wider than him, Joker looked over him quickly, smirking to himself over his wild, black hair and goatee. "So how long you two been together?" Joker asked enthusiastically as he circled around him, stepping around the blood stains on the carpet that hinted where Jonathan's body had once been.
"I'm not gay," Spade said in a much more gruff voice than before with a hint of offense in it. "I was his hired help."
"Now we're talkin'," Joker said as he stopped in front of him. "How long you've been in the business, Spade?"
"A while," he answered slowly, unable to shake off the ridiculously strong nervous feeling he felt over standing face to face with the Joker, who more than likely was the one who had killed his boss. "About three years."
"Three years," Joker repeated. "Sounds like you're a qualifying, strapping young man, wouldn't you say so, Joey?"
"Sure," he mumbled, wishing Joker would get on with killing the guy so they could be on their way.
"Why'd you kill him?" Spade suddenly spoke up, only to flinch when Joker quickly turned back to him. He started to regret speaking up so demanding and randomly as the Joker glared into his eyes deeply, a large scowl on his face. Spade swallowed as she nervously shifted his weight from his left foot to his right.
"Because, Spade ol' boy," Joker started. "Mister Crane took something that did not belong to him."
"That girl?"
"Ah! Qualified and smart. You got it, bucko. The girl you saw belongs to me, you see, and I don't like my... items being touched or tampered with by no one else but me. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"
Spade slowly nodded his head, watching as Joker paced in front of him. He raised his eyes to Joey, who was leaning against the counter, idly tapping the barrel of his gun against his leg as he stared at the floor, obviously bored. Spade swallowed again as he looked back the clown, wondering anxiously when Joker was going to suddenly up and kill him.
"So what else could I have done? Ol' Crane here had it coming since the day he met her in Arkham. So, Spade," Joker pronounced his name heavily. "Perhaps you can uh, help us out here. First order of business: what did you do with Crane?"
"I-I put him outside," he said. "In a trash bag."
Joker frowned at this, though he knew it was expected. "We'll take care of that later," he said blandly. "But now with Crane out of the picture, I feel as though we've stepped into a very fortunate opportunity here, don't you agree, Joseph?"
Joey rolled his eyes as he looked up to his friend. "Please elaborate," he said sarcastically. "What ever gets us outta here faster..." he then added in a mumble.
"It seems as though Crane was starting to come out with a new line of product, am I correct?" Joker looked over to Spade, who nodded once before he looked down the floor. "And I think it would be a big mistake if we were to uh... let all his efforts go to waste."
"What did you have in mind?" Joey had to ask as he looked back to Joker, an eyebrow raised as he crossed his arms.
"Not sure yet, the possibilities are endless," Joker said happily, and he reached into his pocket with his gloved hand. "Perhaps, Spade, you can tell me what this is," Joker handed him the folded piece of paper, and he watched patiently as he unfolded it. He nervously looked to Joker, who nodded at him, before he read over the paper.
"These are all people who were helping to develop Jon's drug," Spade said. "They all worked at a warehouse downtown a little bit."
"Is that the address on the back?" Joker inquired. Spade nodded after he turned the paper over, and he handed the paper back to Joker, who placed it into his pocket.
"Perfect," he said. "Okay here's the plan, I want you to go bring me anything you deem as important," Joker said to Spade, who nodded with a nervous swallow. "And if you try any tricks on me, I'll kill you faster than you can say ''ta-da!' got it?" Again Spade nervously nodded before he started up the stairs quickly. "And Mister Wallace? You're going to help me search down here."
Joey growled as he lazily leaned off the counter, and he stood by the door as he watched Joker start downstairs to the second living room. With a grunt he turned around and started to open up the drawers, not really looking as he went all about the kitchen, his eyes barely noticing anything in them. A loud explosion of laughter from Joker a few minutes later, however, caused him to jump, and he turned around just in enough time to watch as Joker headed back up the stairs, holding what appeared to be Jonathan Crane's mask.
"Can you believe this guy?" Joker laughed as he held the very top of the scarecrow mask between his fingers, holding it away from himself as if it was infected with parasites. "A mask. Who the hell wears a mask to be scary?"
Joey grinned as he walked up to Joker, and he snatched the itchy-feeling mask away from him to get a better look himself. He finally let out a laugh as he shook his head, his eyes squinted. "Man this shit is ugly... I think it's uglier than your face, Jack."
"Whatchya think the face paint's for, Joseph?" Joker shot back to him as he licked his lips quickly. "Why don't you do us all a favor and put that on for yourself?"
"Fuck you," Joey said as he threw it back to Joker, who laughed slightly as he caught it. Both men turned to face the stairs at the same time, finally noticing Spade standing there with a frown on his face. Did they have to be so disrespectful over Jonathan's mask?
"U-um," he stammered as he stepped forward. "I f-found this." He handed Joker what appeared to be some sort of diary, the small book wrapped in a thin, black leather binding. Joker opened to the first page, the words 'property of Jonathan Crane' written in the middle of the first page, the rest blank. Joker let out a short snort of laughter as he shook his head.
"Told ya he was a fag," Joker said as he quickly glanced to Joey. "Fifty bucks says the next page starts with 'dear diary.' He turned the page, scowling as Joey leaned over to look over his shoulder, and Joker jumped slightly when Joey yelled out over his good fortune.
"Looks like you owe me fifty bucks," Joey said with a grin. Joker ignored him, however, and quickly looked over what was written on the first page.
"June 8th, 2011.
That day marked the eighth month in Arkham, and also the day I started conversing with Ms. Willow Fox."
Joker raised an eyebrow as he skipped down to the bottom of the page, an eyebrow cocked.
"Each day I looked forward to talking to her, or just seeing her. Even in the same attire she didn't look anything like the other women of Arkham. Her hair was constantly messy and greasy and tangled, her eyes bright red and blood shot, she looked physically ill. But yet so beautiful."
Joker let out another snort of laughter as he shook his head, though deep down he couldn't help but feel a rumble of anger over Jonathan's apparent mild obsession over his dear, little Willow. Unfortunately there wasn't much more he could do about it to sooth that anger. All he could do was act as though nothing was bothering him at that point. He closed the diary and placed the small booklet into his pocket that was full of other random objects.
"Well done, Spades," Joker said with a grin. He clapped his hands together. "I think we're just about through here. Spades, I've come to the odd conclusion that for some reason or another, I don't want to kill you." The already menacing vibe in the house seemed to change with Joker's words, and while Spade let out a small sigh of relief, Joey looked over to his friend, dumbfounded. "You're working for me now, Spades," Joker went on, using his own variation of his nickname. "And your first order of business is to get rid of Jonathan's body completely. I'll uh, let you figure out how to do that. I'm going to call you later tonight to make sure you did. Gimme the number."
Joker took out his phone, and he dialed the number Spade told him. He hit the green talk button, waiting, and once he heard a phone in Spade's pocket ringing, he hung up, placing his cellphone back into his pants pocket, satisfied.
"Do this simple little task, and I'll let you keep your life for another day," Joker said. "We clear?" Once spade nodded, Joker grinned with a nod of his own. "Right, now go take care of business."
Spade immediately headed out of the sliding glass doors into the darkness of the backyard, and Joker and Joey watched as he easily carried in a large, somewhat stinky garbage bag. Joey wanted with a frown while Joker turned around with a sigh, bored with the sight. They listened as the garage door opened, a truck starting shortly after, and the listened as he started down the road.
"Guess that's our cue," Joker said to Joey as he pulled out the Audi keys from his pants pocket opposite of his phone. With a sigh of relief Joey followed Joker downstairs and into the garage, instantly heading to his car while Joker unlocked the Audi, honestly a little eager to get home and check on Willow, and read more of Jonathan Crane's diary.
–
"So remind me why we have to get rid of Jonathan's body?"
"We don't," Joker answered his friend as they stepped through the door. "It's a test you see, to see if Spades is worth letting into our operation."
Joey rolled his eyes as he headed towards the kitchen while Joker on the other hand headed up stairs as he removed his purple gloves.
The lights from the tanks dimly lit the room enough for Joker to make out the sleeping figure of Willow, her back to him as her body rose and fell with each gentle breath. He set his gloves down on the end table on his side of the bed before he placed his phone by them, and he hung his coat in the closet. After stripping down to his boxers, he pulled the blankets back and got into the bed, immediately disturbing Willow's sleep. With a deep breath she turned around, her eyes squinted as her sleepy mind processed who was now laying behind her.
"Hi," she said in a faint and raspy tired voice, and Joker grinned at her. "Where'd you go?"
"Crane's," he said. Through the dim light he saw Willow frown, and being that there was nobody else in the room but them, he reached his arm out, snaking it under Willow's back, and he pulled her closer to him.
"Why?" She asked as she settled her body against his.
"Reasons," Joker said as he reached over for his phone. "Don't worry about it."
Willow stared at the the light on the wall caused by Joker's phone, deciding to just drop the subject and enjoy the moment. She listened as Joker pushed a few buttons on the phone from behind her, and she closed her eyes as she settled in even closer to his warm body.
"Spades?" Joker asked once he heard that familiar voice on the other end. "You take care of it? How? Perfect. I want you to go back to the house, and stay there until further instruction tomorrow, got it?"
Willow tried to make out the voice on the other end, wondering desperately who Joker was talking to and what was going on. Without another word Joker was quick to hang up, and he let his phone drop carelessly to the floor behind him before he turned to face the back of Willow's head, his eyes sliding shut. A childish grin appeared on Willow's face when she felt Joker rest his cheek against her head, and she finally forced her eyes shut, trying to ignore the butterflies that scattered around in the pit of her stomach.
–
Willow woke up the following morning feeling more like herself than she felt like she had in a while. Finally nothing around her seemed to be spinning, and she could finally think straight, and because of this her memory was finally clear and no longer fuzzy. She could recall all that had happened to Jonathan, and all th's theat Joker had done to comfort and help her through her unexpected medication. With him in her thoughts now, she turned her head to look at his sleeping figure next to her. His bare back was turned to her, and she watched his body rise and fall gently with his breathing. She wish she knew of someway she could say thank you with out him getting upset, but in such a way that he knew she was being sincere and meant it. Had Joker not rescued her, she perhaps could have been dead already, and if he had not helped her through the commotion of the drug she probably would still be terrified of him.
With a deep and sleep yawn she pushed the covers off of her and eased herself out of bed, surprised to find she has clad in a tank top and shorts. She ran her fingers through her curly and wavy hair as she started towards the gently opening it and closing it as to not wake Joker. She quietly stepped down the stairs and upon turning the corner she noticed Joey sitting at the table, reading the morning paper. He looked up over it and flashed her a wide grin.
"Hey girl. How ya feelin'?"
"A lot better," Willow answered with a small smile, and her heart skipped a beat with excitement when she noticed coffee still remained in the coffee pot.
"You still scared of Jack?"
"No," Willow said with a small laugh as she added creamer to her big mug of steaming hot coffee. She took a big sip, closing her eyes as the tasty liquid ran down her throat, and she headed to the table to join Joey.
"That's good," he said as he turned the page. "Dude did a lot to help you out, ya know. Like, I've never seen Jack be so helpful to anyone."
Willow stared at him, unsure of what to say exactly. "I know," she finally spoke up. "I can remember now all that he did, I think."
"Helped you inside, lit you a cigarette, put the TV on for ya, helped you shower, got you in bed, constantly asked how you were feelin'..." Joey trailed off, and Willow couldn't help but grin, her face flushing. At Jonathan's she remembered being so thankful she was in the presence of someone who appreciated her. Apparently all it took was a dose of Jon's drug for her to realize that maybe, in one way or another, Joker did too. "I remember I got stabbed once, and you know what that dick did?" Joey raised his eyebrows as Willow slowly shook her head. "He me a handed me a paper towel when we got home and said 'have fun.'"
Willow couldn't help but laugh at this, and she looked down to her coffee mug with a smile, Joey studying her reaction.
"Yeah," he said as he shook his head, turning back to the newspaper. "Dude won't admit it, but I know he feels somethin' for ya."
Willow swallowed as she continued to look down, and she quietly took another sip of her coffee. She recalled Joker taking back what he said about her being nothing but a distraction, but now she wondered what he truly considered her. She figured it would a long time until she knew, or she would never know, and she decided to just leave it at that. Actions speak louder than words, and Joker's actions towards her were a lot more relevant than whatever label he threw on their twisted relationship.
After a good ten minutes of sitting at the table with Joey, Willow had finally finished her coffee, and after rinsing her mug and putting it in the dishwasher, she made her way into the living room to watch some TV, deciding it best to still take it easy, for she had no idea if there was any remains of the drug in her system.
Just as she had turned the TV on, the sound of feet dragging against the wood caused Willow to turn her head and for Joey to look up, and they stared at Joker, his make-up smeared into one blob of gray and pink on his face and hair. His had a rather large scowl on his face as he made his way into the kitchen for his own cup of coffee. The tension in the air was thick, and he waited for Joey to make some smart ass comment about his helpfulness towards Willow, or for Willow to suddenly make some lovey-dovey comment. Much to his pleasure and surprise, neither said anything, and when he turned around both of them weren't even looking at him.
It was at the tip of his tongue to ask Willow how she felt that morning, but he swallowed the words back, irritated with himself for even caring and wanting to ask the in the first place. Rather he sat down in the seat Willow had been in, and he stared at the TV show of choice Willow had picked before he rolled his eyes, lifting the mug to his lips.
"You know what I remembered this morning?" Joey asked as he continued to stare at the newspaper. Joker raised his eyeballs to the ceiling.
"What?" He growled.
"That time I got stabbed by one of D'Amario's men? And you handed me that paper towel and fucking left? Yeah, remember that?" Joey asked as Joker smiled widely, his eyes squinting shut. His shoulders bounced as he quietly laughed to himself, Joey frowning heavily at him.
"That was a great day," Joker said between his small fit of giggles.
"Yeah, peachy," Joey mumbled. "Fuckin' never been stabbed before in my life you and just up and leave me with a piece of paper towel..."
"Don't be such a woman, Joseph," Joker said as he shook his head, trying to stop his laughter. "Being stabbed isn't a big deal. You lived, didn't you?"
"Imma ghost, man," Joey said, and from the couch Willow couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter. In her mind there was nothing better than the conversations between Joker and Joey. Both men looked at her before looking back to each other, Joker staring at him skeptically. "I really bled to death that night."
"If you're ghost," Joker started. "Then why can I do this?" He reached forward and slapped Joey as hard as he could on the back of his head, Willow quickly turning around with wide eyes to watch the drama.
"Damn dude!" Joey yelled as he held his hand on his head.
"Solid as a rock," Joker said as he leaned back with a grin. "Wouldn't you say so, Willow?"
"I guess," she answered easily before she turned back around to watch the wedding show she had picked. Joker grinned proudly at Joey, who glared back at him before he folded the paper and he stood up from the table.
"You left Crane's mask on the stairs last night," Joey started. "'Bout gave me a heart attack when I started up for bed."
"If that... cheap... thing... scared you Joey, then I don't think we can be friends..."
"It's not that the mask itself is scary, it's the fact that it was randomly on the stair in front of me... never mind," he sighed a second later from the kitchen. Willow had turned around on the couch again, an eyebrow raised.
"You took his mask?" She asked.
"Yeah," Joker answered as he took a sip from his mug.
"Why?"
"Because it was stupid," he answered.
Willow's eyebrows met in the middle as she stared at him, not quite following his logic. With a frown she turned around again, plopping back onto the cozy cushion. Meanwhile Joey had picked up the blue bottle of pills, and he read over the label.
"Man, I still wanna try this shit."
Joker grinned as he rolled his eyes, and he shook his head at his friends stupidity.
"Why?" Willow asked from the couch. She had turned around yet again and stared with wide eyes at Joey.
"I don't know," Joey said. "Seems fun."
"Fun?" Willow repeated. "It's anything but fun, Joey."
"Yeah, Joey," Joker repeated as he titled his head back to grin, upside down, at Joey. Joey shook his head with a groan at Joker's immaturity, Willow fighting hard not to smile. The last thing she needed was to watch someone else go through what she had. It most certainly was not fun. "Listen to Willow. She knows what she's talking about." Joker brought his head back down to finish off the rest of the coffee in his mug.
"With a idiotic brother and you as a friend, I've tried a lot of drugs bro," Joey started. "This'll just be another one added to the list."
"It's your call, dumbass," Joker said as he stood from the table. Willow, however, continued to frown as she stared at Joey.
"Joey please don't," Willow begged. "Please."
"You guys are no fun," Joey said, feeling defeated as he slammed the pills down on the counter. "I'm doing it later. You can both be there or not, I don't care. Either way, I'm gonna trip my ass off on this shit."
Joker rolled his eyes as he placed his mug in the sink, and Willow continued to frown at Joey who stubbornly headed upstairs for a shower.
"Can't you stop him?" Willow asked as Joker stepped over towards the couch. He shook his head.
"Nope," he said. "Hey it's his call. He can do whatever he wants."
"Ugh," Willow complained as she turned around, crossing her arms. "I wish he wouldn't. I just... can't even begin to explain... you're not going to do it, are you?" She quickly asked as she looked back up to Joker. He immediately shook his head.
"Nah," he said. "There's no point." He was sure there was nothing in the world that would scare him, therefore those pills would render useless on his mind. He knew it would be much more fun to just watch Joey instead, whose mind was much weaker than his.
"Okay," Willow said, sounding somewhat uncertain. She slowly turned back to the TV for the last time, hoping that Joker wouldn't go back on his word...
–
Much to her misfortune, the day seemed to slip through her fingers and pass by quickly. She spent most of the day in the living room watching TV or outside smoking cigarettes. Joey had busied himself with finding something to do in his office, while Joker had showered, re-applied his face paint and called Spades again. He still didn't tell Willow who he continued to call, and finally she dropped the subject, figuring he'd tell her eventually and that for the time being it wasn't too important.
With the time nearing nine at night, Joey had decided to skip going to the club so he could try Jon's drug. Willow nervously sat on the couch, her knees brought up under her chin as she nervously bit down on her thumb nail. Joker was sitting next to her, his arm behind her on the top of the couch while Joey sat on the matching loveseat. Willow stared at Joey, wishing there was something she could say to stop him, but she knew it was useless.
"Well," Joker started as he brought his arm down, and he fixed the collar of his black, stripped t-shirt. "We're waiting."
"Joey," Willow started again. "Please don-"
"Ah, ah, ah," Joker said, quickly placing his arm around her to pull her closer to him. "Joey's a big boy. He knows right from wrong. And who are we to stop what could turn out to be a hilarious scene?"
"Yeah... thanks Jack..." Joey said as he glared up at Joker, who merely saluted him with a grin. Joey laughed slightly as he looked back down to the bottle, and he twisted off the lid.
"Joey," Willow grumbled as she tried to lean off Joker, but he was quick to clap his hand over her mouth. She let out a whimper of protest as she tried to lean up, but Joker applied pressure on her face and kept her down.
"Chill out, girl," Joey said. "This is only the mild dose. Pretty sure nutso had you on something stronger."
"Well c'mon," Joker said as he nodded once at him. "Let's go!"
"Enough with peer pressure!" Joey said with a wide smile as he poured a single white, small pill onto the palm of his hand.
"It's not peer pressure, it's just your turn," Joker commented back. Joey rolled his eyes with a grin, and much to her dismay she watched as Joey placed the pill in his mouth, and he titled his back as he swallowed it, dry. Finally Joker removed his hand from Willow, allowing her to finally sit up with a large frown and worried eyes.
"Now we wait," Joker said as he placed his ankle on his knee, and leaned back into the couch, keeping his arm around Willow's shoulders. She bit her lip as she watched Joey sit back on the loveseat, and he took in a deep breath as he leaned his head back, feeling somewhat excited.
"How long?" He inquired out loud. Joker looked down to Willow, and she looked back up at him. She rolled her eyes before she looked down, making a point to stare at a spot on the floor. Joker pursed his lips to the side before he looked back up to Joey, who looked relaxed as ever, and he wondered himself when the effects would start to kick in.
Five minutes went by in pure silence. Joey had been in the same position on the couch, his eyes closed, while Willow continued to stare at the floor. Joker had busied himself with idly tapping his fingers on his leg and looking around the living room, noticing random things, such as how the coffee table was crooked, how the shade of brown on the rug did not match the color of couches, how the TV was pushed a little too far to the right on its stand–
"Hey man, I don' think it's workin'..." Joey titled his head up as he stared at Joker, his eyes somewhat droopy. Willow raised her eyes to look over at him, already deciding he was starting to look a little funny. "Maybe you should get tha' mask or summin'."
Joker grinned as he stared at his friend. "You really think that would help, Joseph?" He let out a snort of laughter as he watched his friend nod, his head seeming as though it weight a million pounds, he could barely hold it up. "I don't think you need it," Joker added. "It looks like it starting to work."
"Nah, it's not," Joey said as he closed his eyes, only to slowly open them a second later. His body tingled, colors were vibrant, and noises were louder than usual. In his still barely functioning mind he knew he didn't feel right, but his body would not allow him to say what he was thinking. In all honesty he thought it was a little fun. He wondered what would happen if he tried to walk...
However he came to a complete and sudden stop once his eyes fell to the floor, a freezing cold shock running up his spine. He swallowed nervously as he stared at the small, brown spider that was crawling its way over to his feet. His eyes were wide and his mouth was dry. He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat had swelled to the point where he felt as though he couldn't talk.
Joker had leaned up interested as he watched his friend stare at the bare floor. "Whatchya see there, Joey?" Joker asked enthusiastically . Willow stared at Joey as well now, already feeling more sorry for him than she'd ever be able to express.
"A sp-... spi-..."
"A spider?" Joker guessed as he titled his head to the side, a wide grin stuck on his lips. "You better uh... kill it, Joey. Before it gets ya!"
Joey swallowed, and he barely felt himself as he leaned over. He took in a deep breath as he bravely reached out, squishing the spider with his thumb. He slowly lifted his hand back up, and he frowned when he saw the spider on the floor still, alive and well. A short second later, however, he felt a tickling sensation on his thumb, and when he looked over he immediately stood up with a loud shout.
Willow jumped as she looked back up at him, and Joker smiled widely, his mouth open and eyes wide as he watched Joey wildly fling his arm all about as if trying to get something off it. Willow felt herself about to cry as she stared at Joey's distressed and worried face. He breathed heavily as he tried desperately to shake the spider off his hand, but each time he shook, more spiders fell from his hand, scattering all over the floor. He watched, terrified, as these little eight-legged creatures made their way easily up the furniture and onto Willow and Joker. His skin went cold as he watched a spider crawl into Joker's mouth, and he closed his eyes tight as he fell to the floor like a ton of bricks.
"Fuck!"
"Joker make him stop!" Willow cried as she leaned back over to him.
"I can't," Joker said calmly as he he watched his friend break down in front of the loveseat. His face was red and it seemed as though he was two seconds away from crying.
"You're not gonna do it are you?" Willow inquired, and she immediately grew impatient when Joker ignored her and instead continued to watch Joey with an eyebrow cocked. "Joker? Joker!"
"What?" he asked in his deep voice as he turned his head to her, noticing how upset she looked.
"You're not going to try it, right?"
"I don't know..." Joker said as he started to turn his head away, but he immediately turned back when he felt Willow place her hands on his arm, tugging it.
"No!" She protested. "Please don't." She recalled her experience, and now seeing Joey break down, she honestly did not want to know what Joker would be like on Crane's drug. Whatever Joey was seeing was freaking him out to the point where he could not stop shaking and moving about, trying desperately to get off the floor as he panted. Joker continued to watch Joey, unable to help but wonder in his mind what he would see if he took one. He lifted his eyes to look at the bottle on the couch, and he stared at it. Willow noticed this and quickly spoke up again.
"Joker, plea-" she stopped short as Joker stood from the couch, stepping over to the loveseat. "Please!" she screamed again as she finally stood up. On the floor Joey shouted again as the spiders started to finally crawl onto his body, and he tried desperately to brush them all off as he panicked noisily.
Joker continued to ignore her, finally deciding, once and for all, that he wanted to experience it. Joey would never let him live down passing up the opportunity. After all, he was the Joker; he wasn't scared of anything...
"Joker please," Willow said, nearly sobbing now as she stomped along with Joker as he headed towards the stairs. "Please don't!"
Joker continued to tune her out, however, and he quickly ran up the stairs for some privacy. Willow stopped, feeling defeated as she watched reach the top. With another loud shout from Joey she quickly turned around and sprinted into the living room.
"Joey! Joey listen to me!" She tried to tell him. He was sitting on the floor, his legs stretched in front of him. He appeared how he always did with his leather pants and muscle shirt, but the current frightened Joey in front of her nearly broke her heart. "Joey there's nothing here!"
"There's spi-... spid-" He closed his eyes and violently shook his head as he started to brush all the spiders off of him again, their little legs making their way quickly up his skin.
"There are no spiders!" Willow said, but she knew it was useless. Had someone tried to tell her Joker wasn't trying to kill her during her time she would have never been able to believe them.
Joker closed the bathroom door quickly, forgetting to lock it as he stepped over to the sink. He opened the cap and poured a pill onto his hand, wasting no time with popping it into his mouth to swallow. He shook his violently side to side before he looked at himself in the mirror, smirking, knowing already nothing was going to happen. He was happy to be rid of Willow, he couldn't deal with her shouting at him much longer, and it took everything he had in himself not to choke her. Who was she anyway to scream at him like that? He could do whatever he wanted whether she liked it or not.
He rotated his head around, cracking his neck before he sat down on the closed toilet seat, and he lifted his legs to placed his feat on the bathtub rim in front of him. He slapped his hands on his knees before he leaned back, waiting patiently for the effects to kick in. He busied himself yet again with glancing around the bathroom, until finally he let his eyes slide shut and he titled his head back to rest it on the wall behind him.
A good few minutes passed until he finally opened his eyes, only to immediately squint due to the ridiculously bright light above. He licked his lips as he leaned forward, trying to ignore the bright light as his own body started to tingle. He grinned to himself as he brought his feet down to the floor, and he shook his head, his theory that he'd only feel the physical effects staring to prove itself true. From his sitting position he looked all around the vibrantly colored bathroom, his eyes adjusting to the light as he waited to see something that would "scare" him. But nothing changed, and nothing appeared, and he chuckled to himself as he stood up from the toilet. His body continued to tingle, the feeling somewhat enjoyable and familiar to him. Now all that was left to do was go and show Willow that he was fine, and perhaps punish her for being so rude earlier. Maybe he'd even mess with Joey some more.
As he walked past the large mirror he randomly glanced over to it with a grin, only to immediately jump at the image. He lost his balance and fell backward, his back hitting the wall next to the tub as he stared wide-eyed at the very evil, very terrifying clown that stared back at him...
His chest heaved up and down as he breathed in and out rapidly, his heart racing. A cold shiver ran all along his limbs as he tried to lean off the wall. His body shook, but with a brave swallow he took a step towards the counter, never removing his eyes from the clown in the mirror. It had wild, bright green hair and a ghostly white face with deep, messy black rings around its soulless eyes that seemed to stare right through him. It wore an evil grin with blood red paint over its lips, the paint traveling upward towards his ears to form a permanent and nasty smile. Joker's jaw dropped as he stared into the eyes of the clown, his breath hitching his throat while the clown's jaw hung slack as well; it was copying him!
A small squeaking noise escaped from Joker's throat as he forced a breath out, and leaned away from the counter, the clown doing the same. But the longer he stared into the demonic face that stared, dumbfounded, at him he finally began to realize something truly horrifying: that clown was him!
With a loud, deafening shout he placed his open palms on the mirror, only to jump back a second later with a tremendous shudder, too close to that clown, to him. He closed his eyes tight as he reached his arms out, swinging his body violently to the side as he knocked off everything from the counter, the items falling nosily to the floor. He sucked in his lips, biting on them as he looked back into the mirror. His hands shook tremendously, seeming to be moving a hundred miles an hour as they vibrated back and forth and side to side all at once. He closed his eyes and slapped his hands up to his face, rubbing his hands all over it quickly, trying desperately to get the paint off his face. A mix of white, gray and pink paint were stained onto his hands but when he looked back into the mirror the paint on his face appeared just as it had, not one inch of it smudged. His jaw hung slack again as his entire body trembled violently to the point where he had a hard time standing up. His mind was unable to comprehend anything besides that fact that he himself was a clown. Memories of circus' and birthday parties came to view, and Joker closed his eyes tight as he let out a noise that signaled tears were on their way. His bit down on his tongue as he ran his hands through his hair, and he screamed out as he pulled on it, hard, shouting over and over again as he turned his body around, stomping on the floor as he quickly doubled his body over, nearly hitting his head on the tub. He took in a deep breath through his nose as he brought himself back up, instantly feeling dizzy and lightheaded as he toppled backwards. He caught himself with his hands on the door and he pushed himself off of it, accidentally glancing into the mirror again, his make-up still perfectly plastered to his face.
He reached down to his waist and quickly slid his shirt off, and he brought it up to his face, pushing down hard as he rubbed his head into it. With furrowed eyebrows he dared look into the mirror again, but the paint remained.
"FUCK!" He screamed loudly, the word echoing off the walls. He dropped his body to the floor, landing hard on his shaking knees as he struggled to find something, moving all the objects around on the floor.
"Joker?"
He heard a familiar voice on the other end of the door, but he wasn't sure who it was as he continued to try and find a razor though his blurry vision. Finally he found the expensive mens razor, and he slammed it against the floor with his fist, the razor popping out of the shaver. He quickly picked it up, ignoring the rapid knocking on the door as he leaned back over the counter, panting, nearly out of breath as he forced himself to look at the clown.
"Joker! Joker!" Willow was screaming on the other end of the door as she pounded on it. Shouts from Joker upstairs had terrified her, the monster making a ton of noise in the bathroom. Willow knew there was nothing more dangerous than the Joker at this point, but she had to get in there and help him.
Without thinking she reached her hand to the handle, surprised when it turned, and she pushed the door open. It bounced off the wall as Joker fell into her line of sights, and she screamed out when she noticed Joker taking the razor to his face as his body noticeably trembled.
"Joker!" She lunged forward just as Joker touched the razor to the side of his face, just next to his right eye, and he shakily slid his hand down, yelling out over the pain, the clown screaming loudly in the mirror. Willow grabbed his wrist and tugged down as hard as she could, Joker resisting all the while. She struggled with his weak but yet strong body as he fought to keep the razor to cut the clown off from his face, but Willow held strong. She finally grabbed the triple bladed razor from it, feeling it enter her fingers, but she ignored the pain and threw it to the floor. Finally, Joker broke down...
His body became heavy as he slid down the counter, bringing Willow down with him. She hit the floor first and she kept her arms around Joker as his head fell onto her chest, and a piercing shock ran through her when she realized Joker was sobbing. His body continued to shake and his shoulders rose and fell dramatically, his breathing coming out in loud huffs as he mumbled something. Willow didn't know what to think or say as she watched Joker break down in front of her, her mind scrambled. What had he seen?
"Joker," she started, only for Joker to suddenly jump, causing Willow to be slammed painfully into the cabinet. "Joke-"
"Ja-" Joker started to say, but the word could not form. "J-j-jack," he finally forced himself to say. Willow's eyebrows met in the middle as she stared at the top of his head. Jack?
"What did you see?"
"Cl-clown-" Joker managed to say in a low, raspy voice. Willow felt dizzy with confusion while her breath hitched in her throat. A clown? How could that be? It made absolutely no sense to her, whatsoever. But this apparent clown that Joker had seen had obviously scared the hell out of him to the point where he was completely not acting like himself at all, and this scared Willow more than anything. It seemed her worst fear was actually coming to life, and here she was, being forced to deal with it firsthand, up close and personal...
She swallowed as she tried not to think too hard about it. All she had to do was help out Joker in one way or another before he came too physically violent again. It seemed he was worse than Joey, his body shaking nearly twenty times more, his shouts louder, his fear stronger. She pushed on his shoulders, forcing him to lean again the counter, and she finally noticed most of his make-up had been wiped off, leaving white paint to linger around the sides of his face and hair line. The side of his face was bleeding, however, the blood dripping off from his jawline onto his shoulder.
She bit her lip as she stood up, and she quickly threw open the curtain to the shower, and she turned the cold water on. She immediately turned back to Joker, and she grabbed his shoulders as she tried to hoist him up, but unless he cooperated she knew it would be a very difficult task.
"Jok- Jack, you gotta get up," she said. "C'mon, stand up!" She screamed at him. But it seemed as though Joker couldn't hear her as he continued to violently shake. He knew it was Willow here with him, but he also knew that clown was still attached to his face, it's evil pulsating through his veins, rendering him powerless as it laughed at him.
Willow quickly grabbed his wrists, and she grunted as she started to finally pull him up, leaning back into the shower, the freezing water wetting the back of her head. Joker stumbled as he turned his body, and he shouted once he saw himself in the mirror again. Willow quickly leaned forward to steady him as Joker closed his eyes, and she quickly started to turn his body when he tried to look into the mirror, which apparently was causing the problems in the first place.
"Don't look at it!" she commanded. "Don't look," she repeated as she finally turned his body to pull him towards her as she backed towards the shower. She stepped over the edge of the tub, trying to ignore the cold water, and she prayed that it would do something, anything to help Joker. She bent down, lifting his leg, and she placed his foot on the floor of the tub before she grabbed his shoulders to pull him in all the way.
Finally, with her hair matted down against her head, she helped Joker to sit down under the water, his body jumping once it made contact with his skin completely. She sat next to him as the water poured down on his head, rinsing away the rest of the paint and blood down the drain. Her clothes sticking to her body made it difficult to move, but she pushed through it, wrapping her arms around Joker as he leaned on her the same way he had against the cabinets.
A tear slid down her cheek as she tried to stay calm. Seeing Joker in this manner truly terrified her, and it broke her heart in half. Joker built a reputation of being fearless, heartless, and brave, and yet here he was, breaking down over a clown in Willow's arms. She bit her lip as she raised her eyes to the ceiling, shivering, but nothing at this point could tear her away from helping Joker through his living nightmare.
It seemed the water was helping somewhat with Joker. His shaking subdued into faint shivering, and he crossed his arms, a silly effort to try and warm himself. Feeling slowly started to come back to him, and he could feel Willow's hand as she rubbed it over his upper back.
"The clown is gone," she spoke over the running water. "It was never there." Finally she understood how frustrated Joker must have been with trying to convince her that she had only been hallucinating.
"I... was... the..." Joker started, but he couldn't finish the sentence, and he squinted his eyes even tighter together. Willow swallowed back the tears that wanted to desperately fall from her eyes as she wondered what she could do for him. It seemed he only suffered from the physical effects of the medication when he wasn't near a mirror... All she could think of doing was getting him into bed in the guestroom, where the effects could ware off with sleep, but she wasn't sure how she'd get Joker out of the shower or passed the large mirror.
She reached forward, shutting off the the water and shower, and she gently eased Joker back to lean by the faucet. His eyes were red and bloodshot, his hair matted to his head, his pants soaked and sticking to his body. Blood faintly re-appeared to where he had cut himself with the razor, and he continued to shiver. Willow forced herself to lean up, and she wondered how she was going to do this.
"Jack," she started as she looked at him. It felt so odd calling him that. Joker raised his eyes to her, and Willow stopped, breathless as she started into them, the blue more noticeable than it ever had been. Obediently, Joker continued to look at her, waiting for her to speak, but Willow was speechless for the time being. It was a look she had never received from Joker, and one she thought she never would. He looked so helpless, so scared, and she knew he was counting on her for her help, whether he knew this or not. "Can you get up and walk?"
Joker swallowed as he nodded his head, barely able to comprehend what she had said. Finally Willow stood up all the way while Joker started to get up himself. She stepped out of the shower and picked out a towel from the cabinet before lingering over the edge as Joker struggled to bring himself to his feet. Thinking quickly, she reached over and turned off the light, Joker jumping at the sudden darkness.
"It's okay," Willow said as she reached out blindly, feeling for his shoulders. She waited for Joker to step out of the tub, their bodies dripping water, creating a large puddle underneath them. Once he was out, she undid the large towel and reached around him, setting it down over his broad shoulders as she lifted herself on her tip-toes, even with him leaning over. He continued to shiver as Willow led him towards the door, and she turned him to face the wall to avoid the little bit of light from the hall that shone onto the mirror.
Once in the hall she continued to walk him towards the guestroom and she flipped on the light, quickly turning the mirror that was near the door to face the wall. Joker stepped into the room, stopping in the middle. She quickly turned towards the end table and threw open a drawer, and she randomly chose a pair of boxers.
"Can you put these on?" She asked as she looked up to him. He wore a depressing frown on his face that shattered her heart into even more pieces, and she smiled warmly at him as he boyishly nodded, taking them from her with a slightly shaking hand. He dropped the towel to the floor while Willow helped him to undo his pants. He reached down himself, and she quickly started towards the door, deciding to check up on Joey. He was where she had left him, laying on the bigger couch in the darkness. Through the faint light from the hallway that shone downstairs, she could see him still shaking violently, though he was no longer screaming about spiders. She bit her lip again as she turned around, just in enough time to see Joker had managed to get the dry boxers around his ankles. She entered the room and grabbed them herself and pulled them up for him, gently laying them low against his hips. She picked up the towel, drying his legs and arms further before she finally led him over towards his side of the bed. He laid down on it immediately as he remained perfectly silent, the blood starting to dry on the side of his face. He laid his wet head onto the pillow while Willow pulled up all the blankets on the bed over him, resting them under his chin and tucking him in as he turned on his side, facing her.
"Are you okay?" She asked as she watched him close his eyes, but he never answered, and he instead sighed as he tried to control his breathing. She sniffled as she leaned up, and she turned off the light by the door before she stepped into the hallway to head back to the bathroom.
Flipping on the light, she walked around the objects scattered on the floor, ignoring the water on her cold feet. She looked into the mirror, wishing widely she knew what Joker had seen exactly. Her own body shook in fright over seeing Joker break down, and she was unable to erase the image from her mind.
Finally she found what she was looking for, and she bent down to pick up the bottle of pills from the floor. She turned it over to read the label, and she let out a sigh of relief, thanking God that Joker had only taken the mild pills. If Jonathan had given her a stronger dose, then she knew by the morning both Joker and Joey should be feeling better, and she wondered vaguely if they'd remember any of this. She hoped not, because there was no telling what Joker would do over realizing how he had acted in front of Willow... she had seen him cry. There was no way he'd let her live to tell the story...
She pushed the thought of her own death to the back of her mind as she turned the light off, and she started down the stairs to check on Joey. He was still shaking under the blanket she had given him, and he opened his eyes to look at her through the darkness. She didn't dare turn on a light as she approached him, knowing it would just set him off. With the lights off he saw no spiders, and with no mirrors Joker saw no clowns.
"S-piders..." Joey mumbled in a shaking voice.
"They're gone," Willow said soothingly as she looked down at him, watching as he closed his eyes. "Go to sleep, okay?"
Joey didn't respond as he tried to control his own breathing, and Willow turned around to head back upstairs.
Joker was still in the same position, and she turned off the hall light before she stepped into the guestroom, deciding to keep the door open. The lights from the snake's tanks helped as she made her way to her side of the bed. She took off her wet clothes, quickly replacing her underwear with a dry pair and she picked up a dry shirt from the ground and slid it on. She pulled back the blankets on her side of the bed and she crawled in next to Joker, laying on her side. She reached out, touching her hand gently to his back, happy when Joker didn't jump at this. She scooted closer to him and closed her eyes, swearing to herself for Joker's sake if he didn't kill her, that this night would forever remain their own, private secret...
a.n: weee hopefully this chapter was as fun to read as it was to write! pleeease leave me a review telling me what you liked. I'm soo happy with the amount of reviews i've been getting on the chapters, keep it up guys! i'd like to thank queenofmean for helpin' me out with some ideas :D hope you enjoyed it!