Linda tensed up. Was she imagining his presence? Was it really him? Oh no he couldn't do this to her again. She had gotten better. Worked so hard to forget him.
He brushed a hand up and down her arm. Then pulled her back hard againt his chest. "It took me a long time to find you." He cooed into her ear. He then turned her around.
She looked up at his face. It was clean with no sign of make up and his hair was a dirty blond with no hint of the green tint. She was shaking. "How did you find me?" She managed to choke out.
"Shh shh that's not important. What is important is that I finally have you back. I knew you weren't dead. No way."
"I um." She choked on her words. "Oh my god what are you doing here? You can't be here." She pushed him away and stepped back to look him over. He was wearing the clothing only patients wore.
"I admitted myself. I figured that'd be the only way I get to see you." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Under another name of course." He walked around her eyeing her up and down. "You look good, you really do. This place has been good for you."
Something seemed off about him. He hadn't laughed or giggled. He didn't even smile. What was up with him? She walked away but he followed closely. "Leave me alone Jack. I don't know why you came here but I don't want anything to do with you." She turned around starred into his chocolate colored eyes. He seemed hurt. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
He turned his back for a minute and then turned right back around. His eyes forcused on her and her alone. "I saw him Linda, on televistion."
"What are you talking about? Seriously Joker you're really freaking me out. Why'd you come here?"
"At first I did think you were uh gone. It drove me crazy. I couldn't stop thinking about you. I spent months in Arkam because I couldn't get you out of my head long enough to escape." He was pulling at his hair.
She was almost too scared to ask but it didn't stop her. "How did you know Joker? How did you know I was alive?"
"Uh well thats the interesting part." He got closer to her. His lips were gently touching her ear. "I saw him on Tv. I saw our son." He pulled away. His expresstion was blank. "See when I saw Bruce on Tv with what he called his son I looked closer. The kid looks nothing like him. So there I was in the playroom watching and I figured out it ws my kid. He has curly dirty blond hair for god sakes." He yelled while pulling harder on his hair. "Does he actually believe it's his?"
Linda was crying and shaking now. She didn't know what to say. She never really faced it. No one asked althought many had to had known. Gabrial looked nothing like Bruce but he looked just like his father. "We haven't talked about it. He never asked and I didn't say anything. He never asked for a blood test."
"He doesn't need a blood test that's my son." He roared. "He's raising my son."
"What did you expect from me? I couldn't raise him the way I was. Bruce was the only one." She walked away this time not caring if he followed. She wiped her tears on her sleeves. She went into the playroom and sat on the sofa next to the window.
He sat down next to her. "Remember when I told you if the kid was mine you could be too?"
"Of course I remember, how could I forget? But I also remember when you left me because I slept with Batman. Oh and let's not forget when you cut and almost killed me." She laughed a sarcastic laugh. "Do you think I'm just going to forget all that?"
"When I thought I lost you I couldn't funtion thinking you were dead. It really hurt deep. I regreted leaving you. Then I realized you were still alive I knew I had a second chance." He ran his hand through her hair and gave her a half smile.
"You can't do this to me not now. It took me two years to get over you and I actually did it. I'm finally better. Why are you here now? I can't do this again." She put her head in her hands.
"I want you back and I'm not letting you go this time. You, me, and our kid are going to be one big happy family."
"You can't be serious."
"Dead serious. We'll gonna get outta here, go get my son and..."
She stoped him right there. Anything he had in mind couldn't be good. "No we aren't. I'm not going anywhere with you. MY son is staying with Bruce. Like you told me two years ago, it's over. I won't let you in this time." She looked away back at the window.
He jerked her face back towards him. He starred into her eyes and moved both his hands to her ears. He began to massage them softly. "I still love you." He moved one hand to the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss.
As soon as she felt his lips, those old feelings she had worked so hard to let go were itching their way back up. The kiss was soft which was so unlike him. When it ended she pulled away. "You don't love me. You want to control me. I won't be what you want me to be."
"You're already what I want."
"You're not what I want. I want a normal safe life. I can't have that with you. Please just go." She begged him. If he stayed she knew she would be screwed.
"Deep down you don't want me to go. Keep uh lieing to yourself there sweetcheeks." He smiled.
She stood up fast and smacked him hard. His head snaped to the left. "Stay away from me. I mean it. I don't know what you don't understand but I'll say it one more time it's over. I don't love you anymore." She walked away and he didn't follow. It sort of surprised her but she was glad he had stayed put. She went to her group meeting which she was about to be late for. She rushed to the meeting and took her normal seat next to maggie.
"Girl why are you late? you're never late."
"I had something to take care of."
A few minutes later the counselor walked in with the new patient he had talked about the previous day. She starred at Jack and felt like she was going to explode. "Hello everyone, this here is Adam. He'll be joining us from now on." He pointed to an empty seat. "Have a seat Adam. Since you're new you get to be the first to talk today. Explain why you're here."
'Adam' cleared his throat. "I have a lot of homicidal thoughts. I've thought killing people as well as myself. It started about two years ago when I lost the love of my life."
Linda felt her cheeks get red. Her heart was beating fast and she just wanted to leave but she couldn't.
Adam continued. "When I lost her I went crazy and I haven't been able to forget her."
The counselor butted in. "What happened to her? Did she leave you?"
"She died. Or at least I think she did. I never saw the body but haven't seen her since. I had never loved anyone before her. She meant everything to me and I messed up." Adam looked at the floor while he talked.
"Adam, What did you mean when you said you messed up?"
"I learned she had cheated on me only because I wasn't giving her the attention she needed. I left her and she refused to take me back."
Linda couldn't keep quite. "What else did you do to her Adam?"
He seemed surprised that she would say anything to him but kept his cool. "I almost killed her."
The counselor's eyebrows raised. "You almost killed her? how?"
"I stabbed her. Thats when I lost her."
"Thats enough for today. Who would like to talk now? Maggie?"
Maggie started talking about her life in brooklyn. She was on drugs and even sold herself to get them when she didn't have money. She talked about her mother taking away her daughters, about life on the streets, and how she went crazy.
Then it was Linda's turn. "I've been having a stressful day. I had to deal with my past and I didn't like it."
"Linda, what exactly are you talking about?"
She thought to herself for a moment. She couldn't just tell them that Adam was really the Joker. As much as she wanted him out of her life she didn't want them asking her a lot of questions. "I had a dream about someone I was once with. Through out the day he pops into my head and we're having conversations. I just want him gone and I can't make him leave."
"How does that make you feel?"
"Well when it comes to him I feel almost nauseous. I mean I used to love him but then I realized he was totally wrong for me."
Adam cleared his throat again. "May I step in?"
The counselor allowed it.
"Linda is it? Maybe you are seeing him because something is telling you that maybe he's changed and you're mind is trying to tell you to give him another chance."
She laughed. "Yeah I doubt it. No I need him gone and I'll be working hard to do it." She stopped talking and the other patients had their say.
When the meeting was over she went into her room not wanting to do anything else. When dinner time came she didn't move. Maggie came to get her. "Hey yo Linda, it's dinner time are you coming?"
Linda was just starring at the wall. "I'm not hungry."
"Oh girl you gotta eat. Whats going on with you?"
"It's nothing I just have a lot on my mind and I'm not feeling well. Go without me." She faked a smile.
"Okay I'll see you later hun." She left.
Before she could get up and close her door he was standing against the door frame. "Shouldn't you be eatng?"
"Shouldn't you drop dead?" She spat out.
"Oh ouch."
"Go to hell Jack."
"Been there done that, got kicked out for selling ice. Seems they frown on that."
She couldn't help but laugh. He always made stupid jokes but this time he was being funny without laughing at his own jokes. "Damn you Jack. Just when I think you're gone you have to come right back into my life. Why the hell now?" She yelled.
He sat on the bed next to her and pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you so much. I can't let you go."
"If you love me you will let me go. You would want me to be happy."
"You're not happy with him. He's so boring. You need excitment. You liked it the way I like it. He's too.." His eyes were almost shut. "Gentle. You like it rough, fun, different."
She moved off him and stood up. "SHUT UP." She yelled. "The only reason you thought I liked it was because it's what I was used to. I didn't know any different. I love Bruce. We're getting married." She said as if it was meant only to punish him.
He should had let it go, not listen to her. He shouldn't had let her get to him but he shoved her off of him and she just laughed at him. "You won't go through with it. You won't marry Batman." He half smirked.
She wondered where all the orderlies were. Normally whenever there was any yelling they would rush to center of the problem. This time no one showed to see what the comotion was all about. "You're crazy if you think I'm leaving him for you."
He shook his head and leaned against her wall. "No I'm not. No. I'm. Not."
"Really? Are you sure? You've gotta be pretty nuts to admit yourself just to see someone who doesn't want to see you."
"I'm not, uh forget it. I've tried being nice which let's face it, it's the hardest fucking thing I've ever had to do. Do you have any idea what you did to me?" He was dead serious. His face stone cold.
She's never seen him like this. "Join the club." She walked towards him. Her hands where sweaty and clumy. She formed them into fists and kept them at her sides. "Do you have any idea what you did to me? I was fine before you. So what if I was a goody goody and my life was boring? At least I was fine. After you I went crazy. I was crazy to fall in love with you. Now I know it was wrong and I am better. I have a better life but here you are again."
"You changed me. I can't be what I was. I can't move on. I can't think."
"You changed me too but I did move on. I got over you and I got help."
"There's no help for me. Haven't you fighured that out yet? You are the Drug that will make me better." He grabbed a hold of her and kissed her. That same deep kiss he had given her so many times before. They melted into eachother.
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Hope you like the story so far. Don't forget I have a lot of ideas and I intend to use a lot of them.