I dropped to my knees, grasping at my head. Pain thundered through me, pulsing from my head, and I felt my throat burning as I struggled to hold back a scream. Around me, the alley tipped and swerved, and I felt myself fall, hitting the ground on my side. Someone called out, but I couldn't focus.

My eyes were burning, and the purple haze filled my vision, so all I saw was purple. Someone grabbed my wrists, trying to pull my hands away from my head, but I lost it, screaming at him and punching them away.

A weight dropped on me, and my head jerked back, smashing against the ground. Tears burst into my eyes, and my vision cleared so that I saw the Joker hovering over me.

Fear shot through me, and I opened my mouth to scream.

The Joker instantly slapped his hand over my lips, muffling my attempt of a cry. "Sh-sh-sh, Shadow," he said, his voice quiet. His eyes were wide as he watched me, and I thought I saw concern in the brown depths.

The Joker lifted his head, looking around and over his head like he was expecting someone to drop out of nowhere on top of him. The way he jumped convinced me that he had heard something he didn't want to hear.

Quickly, he slipped his arms under me, and he lifted me, cradling me against his chest. Then, with a nervous look overhead, the Joker raced for the SUV. My backdoor was still open so he tried placing me inside, but he was too tense, nearly tossing me inside.

I sat up as he jumped into the driver's seat, quickly pulling away from the curb. We didn't go every far before something smashed down on the front of the SUV, smashing the windshield. I lifted my arms in time to protect my face from the flying glass.

The Joker started laughing, but was cut off violently. I peeked to see his door open, and someone dragged him out of the car. My hand flew to my door handle, jerking it open, and I fell out, rolling on the ground as the SUV continued driving away down the street.

The Joker fell to the ground, struggling to laugh as a man in black attacked him. It was difficult for me to see, but as the man in black hovered over the Joker, I realized that I was looking at the Guardian of Gotham, the Dark Knight, Batman.

"Long time no see, Batman," the Joker giggled as he turned onto his back, crawling backwards. "Didn't-ah think you'd show up!"

"Enough, Joker," Batman said, his voice deep. "You're going back to Arkham."

"Ah, my second home, it'd be nice to, ah, to visit…if I wanted to." The Joker turned and pushed himself off the ground in a scramble to get away, but Batman lunged forward and grabbed him by his jacket, yanking him back. "Give a, ah, a guy a head-start," the Joker said, grudgingly.

"This isn't a game of tag, Joker," Batman growled as he turned the Joker around to face him.

"I was pretty sure it-ah was." The Joker swung wildly at Batman, but the Dark Knight caught his fist. "So tough, aren't-ah ya?" The Joker stopped and licked his lips quickly as he stood before Batman, his feet barely touching the ground. "Caught me when I wasn't doing any-thing."

"I heard the screams, Joker. I assumed it was you."

The Joker's eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't-ah go around screaming for the fun of it."

"Your victim then," Batman said, jerking his head in my direction.

The Joker's eyes flickered over to me and held my gaze for a few seconds before returning to the Batman. He grinned as he shrugged, lifting his hands up carelessly.

I watched this exchange with curiosity. The Joker and his archrival, the Dark Knight. Batman was bent on capturing the Joker and putting him behind bars. The Joker could careless. If I was in the Joker's place, I would be struggling to be free; I wouldn't go down without a fight.

As I watched the exchange, a thought struck me. Why was I standing here like an idiot? The Joker was caught; he was going to be taken off the streets, and I would be able to escape. I'd be long gone from Gotham before he managed to escape his prison. I was given a second opportunity in one night; luck must be on my side.

Excitement rippled through me, but a wave of pain followed. I gritted my teeth, clenching my hands tightly against it, but it still hurt. What was the matter with me? This couldn't be natural; it wasn't natural.

A chill ran through me, and the pain was gone. I blinked, sensing that something was different. The purple haze was back, and even from where I stood, I could see the Joker's expression, the creases in his face, his scarred lips so clearly.

"Tell me, Sara, if you had a special ability, what would it be?"

I cocked my head to the side, feeling a twinge in my neck.

"C'mon, something that fits your personality."

"I can't think of anything, other than wanting to disappear."

"You're not that anti-social."

"Maybe I am."

"No…what I think is that you're like a shadow. You're there, but no one notices you. If you were standing in shadows, you'd disappear, but if you were out in the open, you'd be there but no one sees. You're quiet, not shy. Shy kids are there and people see them, but you…you are there but aren't seen. You have that ability without powers. Wouldn't it be cool to have such a power?"

It would indeed…

Understanding dawned on me, even though it made little sense. I must have had this ability since I was little; the only person who had noticed me was my best friend from middle school. He had explained it all without realizing it.

The pain and the headaches were part of it. My senses had sharpened, my vision had a purple haze which allowed me to see much better than usual. An abrupt curiosity came over me. What exactly was the extent of my ability?

I blinked again and saw that the Joker was staring at me, his eyes unwavering. What did he know? Maybe he thought I was going to take this chance to run. Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't.

I flexed my hand, feeling a strange lightness, like gravity wasn't as strong. A grin made its way on my lips as I turned and walked away from the Joker and Batman.

I don't know how I did it, but one moment I was walking away, and the next moment, I was running towards them.

I jumped into the air and landed on Batman's back. He grunted under the extra weight and released the Joker who took several steps back before I knocked Batman to the ground. I climbed off the Dark Knight, and the Joker grabbed my wrist, yanking me after him. I kept pace with him.

I sensed something flying toward us, and I pushed the Joker aside, knocking him down on the curb. An object flew over our heads, striking the building near us.

"Shadow us away, Tiger," the Joker giggled. I stared at him in surprise and confusion. Was that what this was called? I grabbed his hand, clenching it tightly and then thought of the Joker's apartment.

I blinked, and we were there, particularly on the floor of my last imprisonment.

The Joker burst out laughing as I sat up, looking around with a mixture of fear and confusion. I had transported us back to the Joker's place. How could I have this ability…this power? It scared me.

"What an amazing thing!" the Joker exclaimed, a smile appearing on his scarred lips as he sat up next to me. "A clearheaded woman with, ah, special talents."

"No," I blurted out, suddenly. I scrambled away from him, my eyes wide with terror. "I can't…"

"Of course you can. You just-ah did!" the Joker said.

"No, Joker. I'll be part of your gang, but not to be used."

The Joker cocked his head to the side. "I didn't say you'd be used, dar-ling."

"The pet names suggest that."

The Joker heaved a sigh and slowly climbed to his feet. He looked at me, a sorrowful look on his face before turning and walking out of the room.

I jumped up and ran to the door, only to find it locked. No, this couldn't be happening!

"Let me out!" I shouted, pounding hard on the door. I didn't get a response from the outside.

I turned my back and leaned against the door, sliding down its length to sit on the floor. Exhaustion and fear swept over me. I curled my knees into my chest, hugging them tightly as tears stung my eyes. I didn't fight them, I simply let them go.

Four or five nights with the Joker…and I was breaking down. It wasn't really something he was doing; it was me. Too much stress, not sleeping or eating, for that matter. But I wasn't hungry. Something was wrong with me, something that I didn't want to face. Maybe I was losing my mind.

It didn't matter that I was working for the Joker, and I had robbed a bank for him, only to lose all the money. It didn't matter that I hated myself for being here in Gotham City. It didn't matter that we had crossed paths with the Dark Knight. It just didn't matter.

I felt so depressed and lonely. Tired and shaky. I was losing my mind. I felt so small in a big, cruel world. My emotions were out of control, I was breaking down at the worst times.

I looked about the room, but felt afraid, scared that there was something in the shadows. It didn't matter that I might have a special ability; I didn't want to be here.

There was a soft knock on the door, but I didn't move. The doorknob moved, and someone pushed against it, but with me sitting in front of it, the door didn't budge. They didn't try again; I heard their footsteps move away from the door.

When I didn't hear them anymore, I rested my head on my knees and sobbed.

Hunter sharpened a knife, muttering to himself about nothing. He couldn't get the idea that the Boss wanted that woman around. Offering her a job as part of his gang…what was the Boss thinking? Surely he must know that there was something about the woman that would destroy him?

Hunter didn't like the woman. It was all too obvious. The Boss was attracted to her, and Hunter didn't like it. He didn't want the Boss losing his grip. He feared that if the Boss did lose it, the police would get him and Hunter, and separate them.

Hunter shivered with the thought. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

He placed the knife on his nightstand and stood up. Surely the Boss was back by now? Hunter left his room, locking it behind him, and heading down the hall. He checked out a window into the back alley, but all he saw was the silver Volvo. The Boss's SUV wasn't there so he wasn't back.

His heart pounded in his chest with worry. Did the Boss get caught while robbing the bank? He couldn't have; he was too smart to get caught.

Hunter hurried toward the stairs, and started down, but stopped a level down from his room, catching sight of the Boss, standing outside the imprisonment room of the woman.

Curiosity peaked inside Hunter, but he didn't dare move. He just watched the Boss.

The Boss wasn't moving. He stood there, outside the woman's room, his head down, his eyes on the doorknob. He was so still…

Hunter took a step down, but halted as the Boss raised a hand toward the doorknob. The Boss stopped his hand, holding it in the air for a few seconds before moving it toward the door, placing it flat against the surface. The expression on the Boss's face scared Hunter even more.

Hunter knew how to read people's expressions, and with the tab he had on the Boss's thoughts, it was all too obvious of what the Boss was feeling.

Concern…nervous…scared…

What was wrong with the Boss?

As if sensing his eyes, the Boss looked up and over at Hunter. A stab of fear shot through Hunter as the Boss's expression hardened. Fluently and quickly, the Boss reached into his pocket, grabbed a knife, and chucked it at Hunter.

Hunter ducked just in the nick of time. He only glanced at the Boss's furious expression before running back to his room to hide.

The tears ceased to flow, and I was left with a sense of emptiness. My depression still remained, leaving me with nothing but sour thoughts. My chest ached, breathing was painful, but I didn't release my knees, crushing them against me. When the next knock came to the door, I gave up and moved over, sitting next to the door rather than in front of it.

The door swept up, and the Joker bounded in, kicking the door closed. He seemed confused for a few moments as he didn't see me at first, but then, he noticed me sitting by the door.

"Why so down?" he asked, crouching in front of me.

"Lots of reasons," I murmured, burying my face in my arms. I felt the Joker's hands as he slipped them between my head and my arms, and he forced me to look at him.

"Smile, Shadow. It's makes things brighter," he said, cheerfully.

"Go away," I told him, jerking my head from his grasp.

He looked angered for a moment, but then grabbed my head again, stroking my cheek with his thumb. "C'mon, girl, what's the matter?

"You, me, the world," I told him.

"I'd agree with the last-ah part."

"Are you sure you want to work with me?" I asked him, looking him in the eyes. "Women have more mood swings than men, though you could be the exception."

The Joker grinned. "Maybe so. I'd still like having you around." He shifted his position and then said, "You and I are very alike, Shadow. We've had difficult pasts. Have a, ah, a thing for cards. We hold se-crets. The dif-ference is you hold yourself back."

"Like what I did, bringing us back here," I whispered, painfully.

"Sure, but that's not all. You hide your thoughts. If I didn't-ah know any better, I'd say that you had someone you could trust with any-thing."

I looked away, but the Joker forced me to look at him again.

"I know what-ah it's like, Shadow. Trust me."

"Don't make me laugh," I deadpanned. "No one in their right mind would trust a man like you."

"You trust me to, ah, to hold to my promise of when I'd kill you." I shut my mouth. "Look, I'll tell you what-ah. I'll give you another chance to leave. Think it-ah over. Tell me what you've decided later."

"I've already decided, and I plan to stick with it," I told him.

The Joker cocked his head, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Des-pite what-ah happened to-night?" he asked.

"Despite that." I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out his switchblade. "You can have it back now."

He took it from me and pocketed it. Then, he grabbed my hands and straightened, pulling me with him. "C'mon, Shadow, you're looking tired," he said with a cheerful grin. He pulled me toward the door, but I pulled back, edging myself near the corner of the room.

The Joker stopped and looked at me, confused.

"I'll stay here," I said, guessing his line of thought.

"Oh, no-no-no-no, that won't-ah do, Shadow. Bob will be on his way back, and I don't-ah want him knowing exactly where you are."

"Why are you protecting me from him?" I asked.

The Joker shrugged. "Maybe because I like you."

I raised an eyebrow and turned my head slightly, causing him to laugh.

"You're al-ready picking up on my mannerisms."

I grunted, and the Joker jerked hard on my hand. He did it to the side so that I spun into his chest where he wrapped an arm around my waist and brushed my hair back with other hand. His fingers brushed over my head wound from the car crash, and I winced.

"How's your head?" the Joker asked, noticing the wince.

"Fine," I said, struggling to free myself from his grip.

"Hey, hey." The Joker grabbed my head with both hands, holding me still so he could see.

"I'm fine!" I protested, jerking my head out of his grasp. Unfortunately for me, I didn't realize how close we were standing to the wall. I cried out in agony as I hit my sore skull, whimpering and pressing my hands to it.

"Did that-ah hurt?" If I wasn't in so much pain, I would've hit him. "See? If you had, ah, let me look at it…" The Joker removed my hands and took a quick look at it. Then, he started rubbing it hard. I whimpered but didn't fight him since it eased the pain faster.

"There, how's that?" he asked, still rubbing.

"Better…"

The Joker stopped rubbing and took my chin gently, tilting it up so that our eyes met. "You look really tired, Shadow."

"Do I?" I asked, lowering my eyebrows.

"Yeah." He slid a finger underneath my right eye, over the bridge of my nose, and under my left eye. "Dark circles," the Joker said softly as his finger went around my left eye and moved back toward the right, sliding just under my eyebrows.

I can't say that I didn't like what he was doing. It wasn't like he was touching me, just his gloves, but it still caused shivers to run down my spine. I couldn't have him doing whatever he thought he had a right to do.

Abruptly, the Joker pulled on my arm, racing for the door which he flung open. I stumbled, trying to keep pace with him.

The Joker stopped and announced, "We're here!" as he pushed open the door.

I looked in with baffled wonder. It was a rather nice room with the colors green, purple, and black. The walls were purple while the carpet was green. A king-sized bed stuck out from the wall, out into the middle of the room. The covers were black and purple, all made up and neat, tucked at the corners. The ceiling fan was running, circulating the room with fresh air from the two open windows. It was illuminated by the predawn light filtering in the windows. There were even two other doors which I figured connected to a closest and a bathroom.

"So…what'd you think?" the Joker asked, sounding impatient.

"You were right."

The Joker looked at me, curiously. "'Bout what?" he asked.

"About saving me," I replied. The Joker arched an eyebrow, and I explained, "The night you took me from my motel room. You said that you were saving me, and now I realize why."

His grin almost seemed a natural one…almost. "Why, thank-you, Beautiful. I ap-pre-ciate it when people acknowledge my keeping my word. After all," he said with a giggle, "I'm a man of my word." The Joker placed his hand in the middle of my back, and he gave me a push, forcing me into the room.

I stumbled forward and turned as the Joker locked the door behind him. "What the heck?" I asked, confused. Then, as he grinned back at me, I became furious, catching onto what he was thinking. "There's no way! You're not staying in here!"

"I'll stay here if I want to, Shadow," the Joker argued, his brow frowning.

"You're taking the floor then," I said, more as a statement rather than a question.

"No, I'll be, ah, joining you."

"Then, I'll take the freakin' floor!" I yelled, furiously.

The Joker grabbed my arm roughly and yanked me over to the door, slamming me against it so that the doorknob poked into my lower back painfully. "I've told you al-ready that I always get what I want, Shadow."

"And what is it that you want right now? To take advantage of me or to simply sleep with me?" I demanded. "To me, both those things mean the same thing!"

"Shadow, you have a, ah, a terrible ability at guessing. What I want…is for you to sleep on the bed, to be comfortable, and to not es-cape." The Joker licked his lips and then continued. "I don't trust my guys to, ah, to watch you just yet, so I'm gonna do it."

I glared at him, meeting his eyes. He returned the glare, but then, his eyes softened slightly. His searched mine for something, some emotion I think, and at the same time, I realized that my glare had slipped into a simple, curious stare.

We stood there for several moments, staring into each other's eyes. The Joker continued to stare into my eyes, his flashing with stirring emotions that I couldn't recognize. I shivered as a sudden coldness flooded through me, despite the heat in the room. It made me conscious of the Joker's hand hovering just below my chin and how close his face was to mine.

Then, the Joker suddenly stepped back, almost bouncing. "You look tired," he stated, flashing me a comical smile.

"I'm not sleeping with you," I stated, flatly, my face calm.

The Joker shrugged and then suddenly swept me up in his arms, cradling me like a child. I squeaked involuntarily, causing him to giggle. He brought me to one side of the bed, dropping me ungracefully, laughing.

I bounced on it, making it creak slightly in protest, and I let out another involuntary squeak of surprise. Then, a cry escaped my lips as the Joker suddenly climbed on me, straddling me easily. "What the heck?" I cried.

"You don't-ah swear, do ya?" the Joker asked, giving me a curious look. I tried shoving him off me, but he was fast, snatching my wrists and pushing them down on the bed on either side of my head. "C'mon, Shadow, I asked you a, ah, a ques-tion."

I sniffed irritably, reluctant to respond, but I had the sense to answer him. "I don't see a point in swearing where people could be creative and come up with different things to say that will only cause them to start laughing at what they just said and forget about how angry they were."

The Joker started laughing. "And I thought you were a, ah, a very serious woman. Boy, wasn't I wrong?" His laughter coursed through his entire body, and I could feel it, with him sitting on me. "How 'bout giving me an example, Shadow?"

"No, you'll hear me one of these days say something else, if I'm still alive then."

"Oh, you're so negative, Shadow," the Joker complained, sounding like a whining kid. "Look on the bright side of life! It's not all depressing!"

"So your bright side of life is killing people," I stated, raising an eyebrow. "That's death right there. How is that the bright side?"

The Joker tapped the side of my head with a finger. "C'mon, use your head, Shadow. You seem like a, ah, a person who thinks a great deal." His eyes wandered upwards as he thought for a moment before speaking. "Think of it as me sparing people. People are nat -urally nega-tive so they think of death as a dreadful thing. They're going around, thinking of all the negative things happening and just don't sit back and watch it. Nobody focuses on the positive things."

"And you do?" I asked.

The Joker pressed a gloved finger over my lips, silencing me. "Rest your mouth and use your ears for a few, ah, moments, Shadow. As I was saying before you rudely interrupted me, uh, the bright side is the fact that I'm sparing people from a negative, miserable life. Only the positive people should be left alone."

I fought to speak behind the Joker's finger. "Wut bout fose wike Whaman?"

The Joker giggled as he removed his finger. "Sorry, I don't speak that, ah, language. What did you say?" he asked, laughing with amusement.

"What about those like Batman?" I asked again. "Like the police. The ones who want to put you and the other criminals in jail or an asylum? Are they negative people?"

"Bringing up Batman this early?" the Joker said, throwing a cautious look about the room like he was afraid that the vigilante might be hidden in the room. The Joker stroked my cheek with his hand. "I think-ah, someone needs to get some shut-eye."

"Not. With. You." I said through clenched teeth.

"Fight it all you want," the Joker said, annoyed. "I'm the boss around here, and things are going to, ah, to go the way I want them to go." Then, a strange glint appeared in his brown eyes, and he grinned at me. "One more question, Tiger."

"Can't it wait?" I said, exasperated.

The Joker licked his lips, seeming to ignore the question. "How 'bout a goodnight kiss?" Then, he leaned forward, brushing his lips against mine.

I fought the urge to hit him, clenching the bedcover tightly in my fists and stiffening my body against him. The Joker pulled away, a grin wide on his face. "You amuse me, Tiger. You really do."

"Kiss me again and I swear, I'll kill you," I growled. He laughed and kissed me again. I shoved him off me and off the bed entirely.

The Joker hit the floor, laughing, and I jumped off the bed, making a break for the door. I tried the knob, realizing that he had locked it.

"Can't-ah get out that way," he giggled, coming up behind me. Before I could resist, he wrapped his arms around me, and I struggled. He brought me back to the bed and dropped me on it.

I laid there, glaring at him, and then he leaped over me. I cried out as he landed on the other side of the bed, and then he thought better and lunged over me again, placing himself between me and the door. I growled angrily as the bed shook, and he just giggled, his macabre laugh sending shivers up my spine as he stretched himself out, propping himself with an elbow.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

"Well, you're tired," the Joker said, waving a hand dramatically at me.

"Yeah, so you should leave me alone to sleep."

"We've talked about-ah this al-ready, Shadow," he said, rolling his eyes impatiently. "I'll be joining you."

"Absolutely not!" I snapped, pushing his chest. "Leave!"

"I'm not-ah leaving my own room, Sha-dow." The Joker laughed at my surprised expression as he grabbed hold of me, using me to anchor himself, as I was still pushing him away from me, only half-heartily.

Then, my fury sparked again, recovering from the shock. "Let go of me!"

"Not-ah until you stop pushing me," he said, grinning.

I tried to pull my hands away from him, but the Joker's grip turned into a vice. "I stopped, okay, so let me go," I growled.

The Joker waited until I was pulling as hard as I could before releasing. Without the force pulling me back, I nearly flipped backward off the bed, but the way I caught myself had me dangling over the edge. The Joker snickered, enjoying my embarrassment. I righted myself and glared at him, but my face was bright red, causing him to laugh even harder.

I couldn't do anything so I simply waited for him to stop. It seemed like the Joker was going to keep me alive only because I made him laugh. It was the only reason he had given me so far, without even intending to. After a few moments – and he still hadn't stopped – I slipped underneath the covers and turned my back on him.

I didn't close my eyes, just waited. The Joker finally calmed down a bit, and I felt the bed move as he shifted his position. I listened for his breathing to deepen before I turned over to look at him.

Even in sleep, he looked menacing, but not as much. The Joker had his hands behind his head, comfortably, and he had positioned himself so that he took up the least amount of space. I doubted that would remain that way all night though. The thing that unnerved me was the fact that even in his sleep, he was still grinning. Not just his scars, but his mouth was curved.

I rolled over again and faced the open windows, looking out at the purple and blue horizon. Even though the window was open, I felt no urge to try to escape. I had made my decision to stay with the Joker and work for him. I was already committed.

Even if I tried escaping, the Joker would probably still wake up in time to catch me. No true criminal ever fell into a deep sleep; they learned to sleep lightly because of enemies. I've had the unfortunate nights where I went deep, deep enough to dream. Despite how easily the Joker slept, I had a feeling that he was a light-sleeper, making escape unlikely.

I kicked off my Skechers, realizing I was still wearing them and then snuggled under the covers, but got too hot and threw them off. However, abruptly remembering that I was sleeping next to the Joker, I pulled them back on, but let my feet stick out so that the breeze from outside blew across them, cooling them. My body ached for sleep, as did my mind call for time to recover from how many stressful days.

The predawn light from the windows fell on my eyes, and I turned my back to it, only to be facing the sleeping Joker. I turned back with an aggravated sigh. Unpleasant things on both sides; and I wasn't a person who could fall asleep on their back. I choose the lesser of the two and closed my eyes, shutting out redundant light.

Lordlink13: There's the next chapter. I'll admit the beginning was hard to write because I can't keep hold of where my thoughts are taking this story. Intense moment in the beginning. I personally think the next chapter will begin just as intense, but be confusing; that's okay. I'll clear it up. And yes, you're guessing correct, Sin. Don't worry about it, Confusing Cat, and any other readers who bother to review, I'll write something to you too, if you leave a review. *grins*