A/N: Thank you so much to everyone for reading!! Thank you, of course, to everyone who has reviewed, I deeply appreciate comments and suggestions!! This is a short chapter, more next time!!

Seds

***

The harsh ring of a loud, clattering bell woke both Rita and Jack shortly before five o'clock in the morning. Jack irritably punched the "off" button on his alarm, and peered down at the girl in his arms, her eyes tightly shut, apparently trying to be as inconspicuous as possible while she snuggled against his side, hoping she would be allowed to remain asleep.

He grinned at the sight; normally, he detested having someone sleep pressed against his body, no matter how much debauched pleasure she might have given him the night before. He hated the sweaty heat of another person against his bare skin, feeling their moist breath on him, the intrusion of their ultimately boring energy on the satisfying chaos of his own, but this was...amusing, at least. She reminded him of a exhausted puppy. He supposed he had given her a pretty good workout the night before....

"Hey, cutie-pie, you better get up before Mommy gets home, huh?" he whispered in a voice raspy from sleep. When he got no response, he began methodically peeling her off of him, limb by limb.

"Nooo, please, just a little longer...." Rita pleaded as she fought to cuddle in closer to him. She discovered she loved waking up in his arms more than anything in the world. Her memory of the night before was deliciously vivid, and she realized she had been dreaming of him. The slight rawness between her legs just served to make it all the more real. She burrowed her face into his neck, amazed again at how strong his body was, yet how gentle his touch could be.

"Sorry, you don't want Mom calling the cops, or something, do ya?" He kissed her, then gave her a firm shove to her side of the bed. He swung his legs over the side and bent down to find his pants and shirt. When he stood to dress, he looked up and watched in a sudden cloud of lust-filled appreciation as Rita reluctantly stood, completely naked, and stretched, her arms over her head, making her delightful breasts pop forward with little shivers as she arched her back.

"Shit," he thought, regretfully shaking his head as his erection came to full attention. Damn Mrs. Ryan, having to come home and spoil his fun. It would have been so nice to stay in bed with the girl, get a little more of that sweet nookie, then fall back asleep for a while, maybe get some breakfast later...aw, it was beginning to look like he might have to stick around a little while longer after all, he had definitely not tapped the full potential of this opportunity.

He watched Rita pull on her white cotton panties (I'd of won that bet, he thought with a grin) and then her night shirt. Rita unenthusiastically trudged out of his bedroom to find her keys. Jack remembered her phone handset, and took that, as well.

They groggily made their way back to Rita's door. She fumbled with her keys and let herself in. Jack hesitated, then stepped in as well. Surely he had time to give her a goodbye kiss and fondle those amazing tits one more time....

As he came up behind her, he heard her breath hitch. "What's wrong, babe?" he asked curiously. Rita was staring hard at the living room curtain, blowing lazily in the early morning wind. She turned to Jack, apprehension in her eyes.

"Mr. J...I left that window shut and locked. I'm sure of it..." she said in a small voice.

Jack instantly reached in the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a stiletto, snapping the blade from its case in a fluid movement. He ran his tongue over his lips and began surveying the small apartment.

"Stay behind me, kid, keep an eye on the door," he instructed. He went to the window--the blind was pulled up and the lower part of the unit was wide open. He noticed the area around the lock had fresh pry marks, and a cigarette butt on the ledge. He stabbed it carefully with the tip of his knife and brought it in. He took note that it was a cheap, common brand. It was dry, indicating it had appeared sometime after the early evening misting had stopped. He left it on the window frame without touching it.

"You been smoking?" he asked. Rita shook her head firmly.

"Hmm." Jack headed to the first bedroom, Rita's mom's, and checked the closet and under the bed. He then went to the second bedroom, which was Rita's.

"This your room?" he asked with a smile. Her walls were decorated with various band posters, notes and drawings she had done, as well as a couple of vapid prints of unicorns that had been up ever since she was thirteen.

"Yeah...I need to redecorate," she said almost to herself.

"Naw, it's cute..." he said, chuckling as he checked the closet and under the bed. He proceeded to look in the rest of the house for anyone who might be hiding. They both froze when they heard a key turning in the door.

Gail Ryan walked in, only to find her daughter clad in her night clothes and the man she vaguely recognized as her next door neighbor standing in her living room.

"My God, Rita! What are you...what are you doing? And what the hell are you doing here?" she demanded of Jack. She looked around for the phone, intent on calling 9-1-1 at the slightest hint of trouble.

"Uh...hi, Ms. Ryan," Jack said apologetically. "Yeah, look, Rita heard a noise and got scared and came to get me..."

"I was getting strange phone calls all evening, Ma..." Rita added.

"And, we discovered the window was open...I think somebody tried to break in."

"Oh no..." Gail said weakly. She ran to Rita and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, thank you Mr....?"

"You can call me Jack," he said, extending his hand. Mrs. Ryan shook it appreciatively.

"Oh...this is horrible," she added.

"What's wrong, Mom? I'm ok, really...'' Rita assured her.

"Yes...but...I'm going to have to call the police," she said, looking for the phone.

"Yeah, good idea. Well, I'll leave you to it," Jack said hastily heading for the door.

"Wait, please, Mr., uh, Jack..." Gail said worriedly. "I wish you'd stay here, with us." She had only seen the man in passing, taken notice of the horrible scars, but never thought much more about him. She was very grateful that he had been around to help her little girl.

"I think...I think I know who was making those calls and tried to break in," she added.

"Who?" Rita asked, surprised.

"There was a patient at the hospital a couple of days ago...they brought him in for treatment from the jail. He was...creepy. He flirted with me, and made sure he got my name. I thought he was safely back in jail, but...maybe he got out already."

Jack frowned. "What was his name?" he asked casually.

"Uh...let's see. Charlie something. Osborne? No, Oswald."

Jack's eyes narrowed.

Gail made the call to the police, and Jack stationed himself by the window, leaving the women to chatter excitedly in the kitchen as they set about making coffee. When the cop car pulled up, Jack headed to the door.

"Listen, ladies, the cops just arrived, so you'll be ok. If you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for work, now."

"Oh, ok, Jack. Thank you again, I really appreciate you taking care of my baby girl." Gail put a protective arm around Rita and smiled at her.

"Yeah, thanks, Mr. J!" Rita said, with a wistful wave. She really wanted to hug him goodbye....

"Glad to, uh, do it. Yeah. I'll see you around...." He rolled his eyes at the irony of the situation and made a hasty escape into his apartment just as he heard heavy steps on the stairwell.

* * *

The Joker was pissed. Charlie Oswald was an old acquaintance of his; how annoying to hear that he was messing around in the Joker's territory. Not that he thought the obnoxious little shit knew whose territory he was messing around in; nevertheless, he had to put a stop to it. The Joker didn't want Oswald ruining this deal for him. If he kept scaring Rita and her mom, the cops would start coming around all the time. Rita's mom might even decide they needed to move.

Plus, Oswald was a crazy fuck. He might even go so far as to try to hurt Gail Ryan.

Or, Rita.

And there was no way he was going to let that happen. No fucking way.