Bit more Joker in this chapter for you all. The story is nearing to the end! Only 2 chapters after this one and I think the ending will surprise even you!
JACKIE: TWO DAYS LATER
Well, Tim and I made the front page of every tabloid in town. I still get tingly all over when I think of Tim and our date. Now Dick and I are scouting out the Joker's whereabouts and I must put those thoughts aside, I have to be able to fight when ready.
Dick is beside me and I can hear his breathing. He has the same reaction as I do when Ace walks out of the building to let in a group of men and then go back into the warehouse quietly we both sharply intake breath. We are deep in the narrows and have found where my Dad has been staying. "That was my uncle… My Dad has to be in there. We could get him now no one would know we were com-"
"Shhh!" Dick puts a hand to my mouth and watches closely. "Stay put." He jumps off from our hiding place then grabs the ledge to the top window. He drops down to the ground form the window sill and then is immediately attacked by my Dad's men and my Dad. I do not see Ace among them, but the Joker is laughing maniacally.
"Oooh little birds have found us, men!" He looks up at the rooftop I'm sitting on, but not at me, something behind me. I turn around to see Ace running towards me. I don't think before I leap at him. I land a solid punch to his jaw, but before I can land another hit he turns tail and runs. I look behind me to check that Dick has it under control, which he does. My Dad has already left, firing a few shots aimlessly behind him. Dick is finishing off the last guy. I point in the direction I'm running in and Dick nods. I chase after Ace determined to catch him.
I am caught up within moments, No obstacles are standing in my way whereas Ace is on the ground where he has had to jump more than a few fences and dodge several pedestrians. I find a spot right above him and drop down not 6 inches behind him. I reach forward and jab him carefully at differing pressure points in his back that make his legs collapse underneath him. He looks up at me and grins.
"What are you gonna do, take me in?"
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Come on, girly. I have a family." He shrugs and gives a crooked smirk just like he always has. I feel a pain in my chest with his familiarity.
"A family," I scoff, "I doubt it. If you cared about a family you wouldn't be working for a monster like him."
"A brother and a niece, my brother needs me here, it's no business of yours, but there you have it." The gravity of his words sink in and I realize that every time my Dad would "go on a trip" or "Be away for work" it was when Ace would be "out of town" or "traveling." And it hits me suddenly that My Dad would not be able to function without Ace. Things would get worse and worse until my Dad just went mad. He needs Ace more than anything else. And that's why I did what I did…
"I'm not taking you in. Don't ask why, you're not worth my time." And I ran away back towards Dick to deal with whatever it is that he is going to dish out.
I run into Dick faster than I expected, he was running towards me. "Dick, I let him go. I'm sorry."
"What?" He has this slack jawed amazed look on his face.
"I let him go... I was worried that if I took him in the Joker would only be worse, it has happened before." His face returns to a semblance of normal before he answers me.
"What is that suppose to mean? He's bad no matter what."
"I just realized that all through my childhood, every time Ace would disappear for a while the Joker would be on the news for something big."
"How would he be able to keep the Joker tame? It just doesn't make sense…" He looks like he is hatching a plan. I've seen him look like this before when on a case.
"Yeah, it would be like if I died, we're his only family. He would lose it!." His eyes finally light up and I can basically see the light bulb above his head.
"So if you died… he would be at his weakest?"
"Well yeah, I'm his everything. But I'm not letting you kill me." I am pretty sure that isn't what he is going for, but I figure I'll make my side clear. He smiles and chuckles slightly.
"Batgirl, we need to talk to Batman." He runs off towards the car and I follow closely behind getting a horrible feeling in my gut about this.
"I don't like this, Dick. Do we have to talk to Bruce about this?"
"Why? It's the best way to catch him! I can't believe we never thought of this!" He seems really excited, but I don't like it. It'll kill my Dad if he thinks I'm dead.
"Because it would kill my Dad! I could be responsible for thousands of deaths before you catch him."
Dick seems to think for a few minutes before finally sighing. "We need to talk about it with Batman first though. He will know."
"Okay Dick... I trust you."
JACKIE POV
Basically before I can blink I am in Gordon's office in the middle of the night as Jackie Napier with Batman towering over me. I am doing an okay job of looking thoroughly scared, which isn't to hard because I am pretty upset about this whole deal.
"Jackie has agreed to this plan already, commissioner Gordon." I nod and look back at my feet trying hard to remember how I acted around Gordon before all of this.
"Tomorrow morning I'll break the story, you'll have to stay hidden until he is caught or until it is obvious this plan isn't working… Can you do that, Jackie?"
I nod at him, "Yes sir, I can do that."
And he was right, the next morning the story broke on every major network and in every newspaper and magazine in Gotham city. I was mugged on my way out of a movie last night and stabbed when I defended myself. The killer got away and I died shortly after authorities arrived on the scene.
The paparazzi were outside of the mansion like flies on a cowpie all day, and Bruce suspects they will be fore a long time, as if they every leave anyway. I am not allowed near any windows or doors. Everyone is supposed to look somber, but it isn't necessary, worst case scenario they will make the paper saying, "Wayne boys already over new sister's death" or something along those lines.
Tim spent the day working out with me, and talking to me. We're really hitting it off, I like him a whole lot. I hope that after this is all over we can be an item, he has talked about it to, I think he wants it as much as I do. My first boyfriend. I grin just thinking about it.
I think that it was mostly that I COULDN'T leave the house that made me so crazy to get out of the house, but getting out, even as Batgirl was a huge relief. Dick and I were given specific instructions to get away from the Joker, which bothers me a bit, but it bothers me more that I couldn't be close to Tim and that we can't even go out anymore thanks to this whole… being dead thing. I really like him and I can't get him out of my head, which is why Dick keeps having to remind me to pay closer attention while we're out.
When we get back to the Batcave we can cross several muggers and drug dealers and other low lives off of our list for the moment, but not the Joker. Bruce and Tim saw no hide nor hair of my Dad all night. Which means longer for me to pretend to be dead in this big lonely house, and another night of feeling horrible for destroying my Dad the way I know I did. I can only imagine how he felt when he heard the news, Probably a lot like how I felt when I found out he was the Joker. That thought is the only thing keeping me okay about this, that maybe deep down, I think he deserves it.
JOKER POV
"There is nothing on!" Ace keeps flipping through the same fuzzy 14 channels we manage to get by precariously balancing a wire coat hanger on top of the old TV in my room.
"Football re-run, football, re-run, religion, religion, religion, PBS, news, news, news." says Ace as he flips through them again. Suddenly, a familiar face is plastered across the screen and my heart stops at the words I barely manage to catch before the channel changes.
"Ace, stop. Go back." He obliges and sets the remote. 'Joker's Daughter Found Dead!' is in bold words above her picture.
"Jackie… it can't be." My chest feels as if it is about to cave in on itself as the image fades to the background and a reporter starts talking.
"Jackie Napier, daughter of the Joker and most recent ward of Billionaire Bruce Wayne found dead this morning after what appears to be a mugging last night..." My baby is dead. I faintly see Ace turn and look at me but I can't hear whatever it is he says. All I can feel is heat boiling up through my neck and ears while my hands start to moisten causing the purple gloves to become sticky against my skin. To be honest I don't even know if I'm breathing anymore and the world is spinning in some sort of nauseating pattern around me.
I can see Ace's lips moving but can't make out what he is saying; everything is garbled and blurry like I am experiencing everything from deep under water. Jackie can't be dead, she can't be. This has to be some sick joke, it has to be. How can my beautiful baby girl be gone and I'm still here? She doesn't deserve to be gone; that was my future, not hers! She was so innocent and young. I destroyed her life in every way possible. A raspy gasp escaped from my trembling lips as my body manages to finally suck air into my burning lungs.
"Jack! Listen to me!" His voice crashes through my mind and causes me to look up at him. I didn't even notice I was crying. "Jack, you need to breath. Slowly and calmly."
'It appears as though she struggled against her attacker for several moments before she was stabbed 14 times in the chest and back, one of which severed her spinal chord. Examiners believe she died immediately after this occurred. Our condolences are with that of her loved ones.'
"Jack!" I'm briefly aware of my hands shoving him away from me and my body shakes as it stands too quickly. My knees buckle from under me and I catch myself on the side of my mattress. I need to get out of here though, I need to get away from this now. Working through the buzzing in my ears I force my legs to carry me through the door and as far away as possible.
Colors rush past me in a blur for what seems like an eternity and I'm sure Ace is trying to find me now. But I don't care. I don't need to care anymore. She's gone...
There must have been something I could have done. I could have saved her. I needed to save her...She needed her Daddy.
I feel a sharp snag as a tree branch hits me in the shoulder and causes me to stumble against another one. When did I get to a park? My mind can hardly keep up anymore and it scares me. I slump against the bark of the tree as my knees once again give out and shiver at the thought of her being alone in the dark all scared and hurt. With her attacker hovering over her wishing nothing but harm upon my baby. I retch as the contents of my dinner come back up in a burning rage that leaves a dull ache deep in my core. My shoulders shake violently as I'm left with nothing but hot sticky tears and a horrible feeling that only makes me wish the world would end.