CHAPPY 17! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE BOTHERED TO READ ALL OF THIS! TT_TT AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW, VOTE, COMMENT, RATE, AND LAST BUT CERTANTLY NOT LEAST, ENJOY!

Ch.17: Meetings

I leaned back against the pillows and bed head, the Joker's words floating through my mind. I shook my head, Damn it! This whole Badlands thing is driving me up the wall! This is a case just begging to be solved! There was more to this world than I could have imagined. And my detective instincts were screaming at me to crack this case wide open. Anyone who went into the Badlands either saw nothing, or came back crazy…so it's like the Bermuda triangle of this world. Defiantly fishy.

I sighed and slumped down. White had insisted I stay here until I was better. And that had been nearly 6 hours ago. It was pretty boring to be here with no one to talk to. "Pun." Well, almost no one. I looked over to see Patch batting at a loose thread hanging off my ruined jacket. I giggled when he fell over backwards, trying to follow the string as it swung over his head. I clicked my tongue and he padded over. I ran my hand over his soft and silky silvery fur. "At least one good thing came out of all this." I sighed again and leaned back. No point in worrying now. It's not like I can do anything all laid up.

"C.J." I looked up to see White at the guest room's door. He strolled in and dropped a bag next to me. "Here, I took the liberty of getting you some new clothes. I hope they fit." My eyes widened, "WHAT? You didn't have to…." He waved a hand and smiled, "But I wanted to. And it's really no trouble. Consider it a gift." I pulled the bag over and took the items of clothing out.

They were a lot different from the stuff I wear. The shirt was a pretty dark red and short sleeved. The jacket was black, had sleeves that hemmed at mid-upper arm, and stopped a little past the shirt's hem. It was a bit more like a vest than a jacket actually. It was very different from my old jacket, but I liked this one. It had lots of pockets and two inner ones. Seeing as my pants and boots were miraculously still in perfect condition and I could still wear them, it seemed White hadn't gotten any. I didn't mind though, the new shirt and vest were awesome!

"I tried to stay with what you normally wore, but the clothes you wear are a bit strange, so I couldn't find anything like them. And I would have gotten pants to, but women in this world all wear dresses, so…." I looked at him and grinned, "This is great White! Thanks a million!" He blinked a bit, as though in surprise, then smiled. "You're very welcome. I'll leave you to change." He exited the room without another word.

I looked back down at the clothes and grinned. I stood to my feet, a bit wobbly, and tugged off my T-shirt, careful about my still tender wound. I then picked up the dark red shirt. It was made of some kind of fabric unknown to me. It was very soft, yet tough. I slipped on the shirt. I was happy that it fit well, conforming to my figure nicely. It was as comfortable as a second skin it moved so easily! I picked up the vest and some strips of fabric fell out of it. I picked them up. They were two tubes of fabric, stripped widely in black and gray. One end had and elastic band and the smaller end had a strap-looking thing and buckle; like that on a leather dog collar. Then it dawned on me, they were some kind of arm cover; like legwarmers for your forearms! I pulled on the vest and fastened the straps on my wrists. I was surprised to find that they each had multiple spots to hide knives!

I trotted over to the mirror leaning against the wall and peered at myself. I admit, White did a hell of a good job! This was by far the nicest outfit I'd worn since I was little! And maybe now I would blend in with Wonderland a bit better.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" White walked in and stopped when he saw me. He blinked at the arm things, as though he hadn't known they were in the bag to begin with. Then he smiled brightly, "You look very ni-" I cut him off with a death glomp around his neck. "THANK YOU! THIS IS THE NICEST THING ANYONE HAS EVER GIVEN ME!" I hopped off of him and grinned. He just stared at me for a while, then he and Black simultaneously asked the same question. "Really?" I rubbed the back of my head, "Well, in a long time, anyways. No one's actually given me anything since I was 8! And it wasn't as nice as this!"

They were both silent for a moment. Then Black, being Black, broke the silence. "You got that f******* happy over a SHIRT? What the hell was the last gift you got?" I twitched as the memory started to dawn, then I shoved it down. "Nothing big. I'm just really happy!" Black stated in a flat tone, "Yup, she's lost it." White sweat dropped and he turned around before I could argue with Black, "Well, you should rest. I'll come back with dinner later." He was gone before I could get another word. Hmm…sketchy. Why'd he leave so fast?

I shrugged. Oh well, maybe he had something else to do. I trotted over to the dresser, pulled out a night gown, and changed. I was sure to put my new clothes where Patch wouldn't massacre them. Then I hopped into bed and snuggled up, feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

P.O.V Change: Black

"Can you freaking believe that reaction? She was hyped up like we'd given the bitch the moon!" I was walking back to my usual post, having caught and beat the living crap out of the escapee. "I know…." I cocked an eyebrow at Whites tone. "What the hell is wrong with you?" "Hum? Nothing." Yeah right, nothing. "Joker…." "You caught the prisoner, yes?" subject changing son of a…. "Yup, I…."

I stopped dead, lone red eye locked on to the cell in front of me. "Joker?" I didn't answer. I couldn't. There was but one thought circling my mind; HOW THE HELL COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN, DAMN IT?

"F***! Joker, call a meeting with the other role holders!" "What? What's wrong?" "Just do it, damn it! NOW!"

P.O.V Change: C.J

I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I looked down at the wound. As it turned out, it hadn't been very deep at all, so it was already scabbing over. In fact, I was feeling well enough to go for a stroll. I changed into my new outfit and plopped on my hat. Patch pawed at my leg. I grinned and picked him up, "Ops, I almost forgot you!" I placed him on my shoulder. He curled up at my neck and gained his balance easily. I left the room and wandered about through the halls. Where the hell was everybody? I was lost as all hell!

I rounded a corner and slammed into somebody. We both stumbled back and I looked up, "Crap! I'm…Ace?" I grinned as my eyes locked onto the night of hearts. His brown head came up and he looked at me in confusion. Then he broke out into his trademark grin, "C.J! So this is where you were…." I held up my arm, "I got lost and wandered into the Badlands when a jabberwocky clipped my arm. White found me and insisted I stay here till I'm better." His eyes widened a bit, "A jabberwocky? And you're still alive?" he laughed. Then his eyes locked on to a particular fuzz ball on my neck. I grinned, "Ace, this is Patch. I found him in the forest! What are you doing here?"

He tilted his head a bit, "Me? The Jokers called a meeting with all the role holders and I got lost." "Huh? Black and White did? Why?" He shrugged, "I don't know. I got lost on the way there. But from the sounds of it, it's something serious." I grabbed his hand, "Well, what are we waiting for?"

I dragged him down a random hallway, ran into a servant and got directions, and then found our destination. I pushed the door open to find myself in a large, circular room. All of the role holders were seated at tables around the room, White standing in the center. Black, in person, stood right next to him. They had all been just sitting, so I assumed they'd been waiting for someone to drag Ace's ass here. Though I don't think they expected it to be me.

All heads came up as Ace and I walked in. White and Black's faces were by far the most surprised. "C.J, what the hell are you doing up? And here?" White's tone was slightly less angry, though he clearly wasn't pleased I was here. "C.J, you're not fit to be-" I cut him off, "Relax, I feel fine. What's all this about?"The two exchanged glances. "Well…it's kind of a role holder thing…." Yeah right. What were they hiding?

"But I…." Black twitched, "Wait in hall. Now." Normally I didn't follow other people's orders, but this time I complied without much of a fight. Damn, was I getting soft? I trotted out the door. Somehow it banged shut behind me. I went back and pressed my ear against the door, but to no anvil. The room was totally soundproof. I sighed and turned to walk down the hall. There was no way I was just going to wait here so those two could yell at me.

P.O.V Change: Elliot

I was really freaked out when C.J walked in with the knight. I had heard she was staying with the Jokers, but I hadn't really believed it! After the Jokers kicked her out, they turned to the audience of role holders. White started, "Well, now that we're all here, Black will tell you why," He gave the darker Joker a glance, "because I would also like to know. Joker?" The warden shuffled his feet. Was he…nervous, or was it just me? "Well…the prisons most dangerous criminal has escaped." Everyone perked up, listening intently. The White Joker's eye got big. The queen spoke up, "The most dangerous criminal? What do you mean?" Black put a hand on his forehead, "I mean he's the most dangerous! He's crafty, devious, sadistic, slippery as a damned snake, and has a grudge on the role holders! And on top of all that, he's must be some kind of f****** monster!"

Blood leaned forward, "So? Just catch him like you did last time." Black groaned, "WE didn't catch him. He's been there for as long as I can remember! He was caught over 80 years ago and has been there since!" Everyone's eyes widened, "WHAT?"

White finally spoke, "You mean HIM, don't you?" Goland slammed his fist down, "Who is HIM, damn it!" White faced the crowd, "HIM, is Alistair Kraze. Over 80 years ago, he was just a normal kid. I'm not quite sure what exactly happened, but there was an incident involving several role holders. Something happened that made him…not quite so normal anymore. The role holders must have wronged him somehow because he then went mad and killed them and countless others and broke their clocks in a rampage. The remaining role holders found him too dangerous to be let go, so they had him locked away. He's been there ever since…that is, until now."

Blood's eyes narrowed, "Wait. If he's been in prison for 80 years, wouldn't he be an old man by now?" White shook his head, "No. As we said before, he's some kind of monster; hardly human anymore. He looks the same age as he did on the day he was locked up."

There was mumbling about the room. Black raised his hand and the others were silenced. "When he was thrown in prison, he was handicapped with a silver alloy bracelet. It's fixed to his arm, and if he tries to use his abilities, he'll get one hell of a painful shock. That ought to buy us a little time, but it won't keep him laying low forever. He's had 80 years of building power, so he'll be even stronger than he was then. And I'm willing to bet he's been working on a plan all this time." White nodded, "Yes, I advise you all to be very careful. He's more powerful than all of us combined times 2. And for all we know, he might even be planning to destroy all of Wonderland."

P.O.V Change: C.J

I managed to find the exit of the building and found myself in the circus. After asking one of the circus children, I was told the building I'd been in was basically White's house. After a small pang of guilt for having troubled him so much, I took a stroll around the circus.

It was amazing! I'd really only been to a circus once, and that was for work, so I hadn't really gotten to have any fun! There faceless people everywhere, booths and tents lining the paved paths. Little circus children ran about, doing their business and even running a few of the booths. Every booth had either a different game or was selling some new food. All of the different colors and sounds and smells were beginning to give me a headache. Even Patch was getting dizzy. I stopped at a bench and sat down for a moment. I was rubbing my temples when a familiar voice rang out, "Hey, C.J!" I turned my head up and grinned as my eyes landed on a hair.

"Yo, Elliot! It's been a while!" The tall orange-et walked up to me and smiled, "It has. What are you doing here?" I held up my bandaged arm and explained the events that led to the injury. He nodded slowly, "Well…Ok. But you should be more careful…." I smiled and nodded, "Right, no more Badlands for me!" He glanced around, "…I meant about the Jokers. They're really dangerous, and you should be careful around them." I nodded, "So I've heard…." Why the hell was everyone so sketchy about White and Black? I don't get it, damn it!

"Hey, you want to walk with me? It's been really boring having no one to talk to." He tilted his head a bit, "Hmm? Doesn't Joker talk to you?" I shrugged, "Yeah, but White mostly brings me food, stays for a bit, then tells me to go to sleep and leaves. And Black isn't exactly a good 'conversationalist'." He chuckles, "Well, Ok. Blood wanted to talk with some others, so I've got some time to kill." I grinned, "Awesome!"

Elliot and I wandered about the circus for a bit. Now that I thought about it, I haven't really talked to him since the first time we met (Which hadn't exactly left a good impression). Any other time, and he was with Blood. But Elliot was actually really nice, and I really didn't get why he hung around, much less worked for a jerk like Blood. When I mentioned this to him, (The parts about him working for Blood, not him being a jerk) he looked at me a bit, and then looked away. "I had a friend a few years ago who died. Right before he died, he asked me to break his clock. You see, destroying a clock here is really bad, so I was locked in prison. Blood helped me escape in exchange for service. I know he can be difficult, but I do owe him a lot. And he's really not so bad once you get to know him." I was thought about this as we passed a fortune telling booth. Elliot is really sweet…and anyone with the decency to put up with Blood 24/7 is A-Ok in my book!

I looked up at him and smiled, "Oh yeah, what did Black and White call everyone down here for anyways?" He got a nervous look on. Man, this guy was so easy to read, it was hard to believe he was mafia! "Umm…something about an escaped prisoner. They were warning us to be on guard." I got curious, "Escaped prisoner? Who-"

I stopped in mid-sentence as some kids ran past us. One of them bumped hard into my injured arm on the way past. Raw, undimmed pain shot like lightning through my nerve system. I gasped and clapped my hand over it; which only seemed to amplify the pain. My knees gave out and I fell, kneeling to the ground. "C.J, are you alright?" I could barely register Elliot's voice or his hand on my shoulder. The pain was mind numbing, driving all other thoughts away. I was shaking like a leaf and sweat was starting to bead my brow. Spots danced across my vision as I started to lose consciousness. I vaguely felt the sweeping motion of Elliot lifting me. I could feel his warmth and I snuggled closer to his chest because, for some reason, I was freezing. I saw dozens of faceless; their faces strangely clear. I noticed that while they all had no eyes, they all had different bone structures and skin tones. Why would they be considered faceless? They're all different. My eyes landed on the boy that had bumped me. He was getting smaller; whether it was my vision tunneling, or me being carried further away I didn't know. His expression was one of great regret and horror. He disappeared all together as I sunk into blissful nothingness, temporarily reliving me of my pain.

NOW, BECAUSE ELLIOT SEEMS TO BE AHEAD IN THE POLLS, I'M GOING TO START PUTTING IN SOME FAN SERVICE! IF YOU DON'T WANT THAT PAIRING, VOTE! I'LL BE LEANING THE STORY IN THE DIRECTION OF THE CURRENT POLL LEADING MAN! NO, THAT DOES NOT MAKE C.J A WHORE! SO UNLESS THE POLLS SHIFT, WE WILL BE SEEING MUCH FAN SERVICE IN ELLIOT'S FAVOR! I SUPPOSE THAT MEANS I'LL END THE STORY WITH WHOEVER WINS….