I sat uncomfortably on the edge of a plastic covered chair, facing Jack's mother and father. We all sat in an awkward silence as we sized each other up, like we were about to rip each other apart, even though our lips portrayed welcoming smiles.

His mother had sharp, cold features, reminding me of a gremlin type creature. Her bones were skinny and frail under tight pale skin. I could see the faint shadow of a black eye, which she tried to cover by makeup, but I had caught it. I, myself, had covered my fair share of injuries from the public's eye. I suspected Jack's dad was to blame, but I found it hard to feel sorry for her, the way she looked at Jack like she was disgusted by the mere sight of him. I could see why he didn't come home often.

I could feel my hatred slowly build so I shifted my focus over to his towering father. Clad in a dark suit with salt and peppered hair, his mouth in a permanent grimace. His eyes were such a dark brown, they were almost the same color as his pupils, giving him the look of having black eyes. Those eerie eyes flickered from me to Jack then back to me.

"Tell me, darling, how much does he pay you?" his, almost comical, rich guy voice sneered.

"Wha-? Oh uh, he doesn't," I stuttered out, my voice tripping over itself, "h-he doesn't pay me. I—he's—we're together, like a couple."

I felt my face going red and I silently clutched Jack's hand. His touch helped to calm me.

"You see, I don't have to pay women to be around me," Jack snickered.

He watched with the calm eyes of amusement as his father's glare turned icy; I shuddered and looked away from his eyes, I wasn't as strong as Jack was at this.

"I'm not a hooker," I blurted out, gaining the confidence to look back at him.

It was his mother who spoke up this time, "No, of course not, hookers are smart enough to charge money for the sex."

Jack's hand tightened around mine.

"Shut. Up," He growled at his parents.

"Why do you keep coming back here, for Pete's Sake? I thought we had a deal!" His father hissed slightly above a proper inside voice.

I shifted uncomfortably on my perch; I could feel the tension rising in the air, thickening with the overflow of shear hate. Everyone stood up, ready to pounce on each other. I had thought my family was violent.

"DEAL! And what was that, Father-dearest? You'd pay me off so you could act like I was a mistake that you never made? Am I like a headache to you? If you ignore me, maybe, just maybe, I'd go away?" Jack hissed, chunked a near-by vase at his father's head.

His mother screamed but his father easily dodged it; not even flinching as it crashed into the wall behind him.

"Jack, maybe we should go," I squeaked and hung onto his arm, but he grunted and pushed me behind him.

"Yes, listen to your whore, Son."

"I'm getting tired of you, old man," Jack's voice turned dangerous.

He stepped forward, taking out his stained knife. His father's scold deepened as he took out a knife of his own, gleaming in the chandeliers light, the black handle skillfully carved. He held it in his palm like he was used its weight being in his hand; his mother slowly sat down, not wanting to be a part of this.

"Do you really want to do this?" His father twirled the blade between his fingers.

"Jack, please," I heard my tears catch in my throat.

He ignored me, pushing me farther behind him. They lunged for each other, my screams pierced the air. Jack was fast…but he wasn't used to fighting someone who wasn't afraid of him. After a few skillful dodges, Jack sliced through the air, aiming for a clean cut across his prey's neck; his arm was so fast, it was a pale blur zooming through the air. His father's hand flew up, knocking the knife out of Jack's grip.

Time seemed to slow down as I watched it clatter to the floor, out of Jack's reach. As I flicked my eyes back to the two of them, he already had Jack slammed down to the floor, pressing his knee into his chest. I was dumbfounded, I had never before seen Jack lose a fight; it didn't connect in my mind that I was probably going to see him lose his life, too.

"I hear that your little gang name is the Joker, huh?" His father grunted, his knife holding Jack in place, "You look faaaar too serious to be a joker. How about we put a little smile on that face?"

Just then I heard it, the same undertone that Jack had when he was threatening someone. Even though I couldn't see them, I would've bet my life that he had the same gleam in those black eyes.

His father stuck the blade in Jack's mouth, pressing it up against his left corner of his lips. I rushed forward, tensing my muscles to leap on his father's back, but a small force tackled me to the ground. I looked up in surprise to find his mother, her frail frame shockingly heavy on top of me. The look in her eyes was one that seemed familiar….I saw it every time I looked into the mirror. She would've done anything for her husband, even her life, as I would for Jack. There was a hint of sadness in them also, she knew I was stronger than her…in a way, this was her last stand.

By the time my hands wrapped around her neck, his father had already made the first little cut, the first tear, to make the rip easier. I saw his eyes watering, but he didn't yell, not yet.

I wasn't even looking at her when I felt her heartbeat slow…and then stop. I dumped her life-less body off of me, I didn't even remember feeling her life leave her. His father put the knife down beside him as he grabbed Jack's upper and lower jaws, ripping them open in one fatal swoop. As I grabbed the surprisingly light handle of his knife, I saw the blood spill to the floor.

I grabbed his perfectly gelled hair and yanked his head backwards, slicing through the front of his thick neck. It took more muscle than I thought, to rip through the vocal cords and veins. More blood spilled onto the fine Persian rug.

Jack had his hand held to the left side of his face, blood seeping through his fingers. His features were twisted with pain, but all I really focused on were his eyes.

They had changed, grew darker around the edges, but the thing that frightened me the most was what he did next.

"Ah-heh-heh-heh….aha-ha-ha….AHA HA HAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHA HEHEHO HAHAHA!" His voice echoed through the room.

It was a laugh that I had never heard from him, the sound of it twisted my gut in fear; I had a feeling…a dark feeling…that I was going to hear that laugh more…and more.

- hey guys! Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but HEY a butt load of things happened! Harley met his parents and killed for the first time! Jack went a little crazy AND got one half of his scars…where's the other half going to come in? OH THE QUESTIONS! Tune in next time for the answers…and probably several more questions! Review, puh-lease! I'm not gonna write the next chapter unless I get some reviews!