A/N: Sorry if I updated late guys, but here it is: chapter 3! I have to say a BIG THANKS YOU to everyone who put my story on Story Alert/Favorite List! You guys rock! Also I would like to thank my reviewers:
Beshineshi: Thanks for taking the time to review and thank you for expressing your opinion honestly and clearly! I must say I too thought of writing the story from Jay's POV but there are and will be certain points in which I have to go 'outside' her reach, such as other character's opinions or thoughts and I don't find it too handy to switch POV's all the time. Not to mention that Jay sometimes did and will do things she isn't consciously aware of, because of instinct. ANYWAYS...thank for the review! XO
Allthelovers: Big, big thank you for your lovely reviews, dear! I'm glad you enjoy my story till now and I hope I won't disappoint you!
Okay...these being said, back to the story! ENJOY!
"Well…" Jay began before licking her lips and sticking her gaze at the floor, thinking of what she should say next.
"Hmm…" the Joker let out dryly, blinking a few times and with his eyes fixed on her.
He watched her static, gentle frame, which for the untrained eye might seem very peaceful to the inside as well, but couldn't help but notice a few small things about her that told a lot. The Joker looked for a couple of moments at Jay's hands, at her fingers, at her nails. They were very short and bitten, two or three of them even had the color of dry blood at the edges, sign that the girl had bit her nails a bit too much.
He licked his lips and moved his gaze up, to Jay's mouth. The Joker could clearly see that the teen was pretty much kneading the inside of her lips with her teeth, ripping up tiny bits of flesh from them. Looking at her slightly bowed face and at her big eyes which kept moving around the floor, the Joker remembered one thing from shortly before. Jay couldn't look in his eyes for more than a second…and when she did, he could recognize something…something he hadn't seen in a long time.
The Joker's eyes kept moving from the girl's lips to her fingers, while in a deep contemplation. He thought of a few things before the girl tilted her head and spoke again:
"I was just wondering…" Jay started, her voice just a little above a whisper "if you have any justification…any goal…any thought for the things you do? Are you, like…maybe not but…still I don't understand why…and I'm wondering…" she licked her lips, moved closer to the cell and gripped one of the bars, trying in vain to look the man in his eyes "what makes you do these things?"
A silence then fell in the room. Jay simply had no idea how to express what she felt towards the Joker's action, but she felt she had tried her best, even though her speech was quite incoherent. But she thought that, since he was mad, the Joker could understand one way or another, what she meant. His answer may not be too clear or coherent either…but still it was an answer, and that was exactly what she wanted that moment from him in order to fill her curiosity. Jay needed just one thing…to her him speak to her.
The Joker looked at her between his lashes and before speaking, he licked his lips one more time and breathed in sharply
"Could you…" he said very softly looking for a moment at her fingers wrapped around the bar "…answer a question of mine first?"
The girl nodded her head quickly and anxiously.
"Do you often feel…" he paused as if searching for the proper words "all on your own, though surrounded by people?"
Jay widened her eyes as if asking a shocked 'What?', surprised by the unexpected question. Before she could even think of anything, the Joker continued:
"Are you scared when you think of how all alone you truly are?"
Jay slowly began moving away from the bars, with a strange sensation in her stomach
"What are you talking about?!" she asked breathing heavily.
"…when you know that barely no one gets you?" he kept asking, licking his lips, but not moving from his position.
"You don't even know me!" she said firmly though her legs were shaking and the strange feeling in her stomach grew "What makes you think such things about me?! You don't even know my name, let away…"
"Well if I'm not right…" the Joker began while starting to move along the front side of the cell "tell me that I'm wrong when I say that you never…you never found yourself crying in the middle of the night, for no apparent reason!" he then pushed his head between two bars of the cell and pierced her with his eyes.
Jay's mouth slightly opened in shock and she started breathing heavier. She stepped a few steps back again and looked at the man in disbelief.
"Tell me that I'm wrong! C'mon, say it!" the Joker said with a rougher voice "SAY I'M WRONG!"
Her heart began racing. Jay thought for a second…that was an ended chapter, a long ended chapter of her life…how could he by just one glance see what she had once put behind?
"You…" she stammered "You're wrong!" she whispered.
"LIAR!" he yelled out "LIAR!"
At the sound of the Joker's yell, Jay almost tripped and fell. For some reason, the lump came back to her throat and she felt a strange need to cry. Jay pressed her lips together, shut her eyes for a second and then, for the first time, she looked in the man's eyes.
"I'm not a liar" she said, being somehow disgusted of her own words that moment and shaking.
They looked each other in the eyes for some time. Afterwards the eye contact was broke by the Joker who began laughing hysterically.
"Oh, dear…" he let out between loud giggles "You're so cute!"
After a few seconds, the Joker got a grip and said, still smiling
"You know, love…I really have no idea how they call me around this unit. Probably most of the things they say are true…" he paused to lick his lips "but I'm not stupid…I can see!" he then started laughing again.
"See what?" she asked in what she wanted to be a revolted tone.
"Hmm…" the Joker said before giggling a little bit and continuing "Assuming I'm wrong, tell me…do those people around you, do they tell you to go back to sleep when you tell them you have a dream?" he asked in a whisper.
"Wh-…what?" Jay asked in confusion "What do you…what do you mean through that?"
The Joker smiled a sly smile. He looked in Jay's eyes, but she once again planted her gaze on the floor, breathing sharply.
"You know…you remind me of someone" he whispered.
He gazed upon her for a short while before adding softly:
"Come here! I wanna say something to you…"
At the sound of his words Jay felt her stomach do a flip. She looked up at him and blinked a few times. She was frightened indeed, but was very curious about what the Joker meant through that call. With heavy legs, Jay slowly walked to the bars.
The Joker looked down at her, licked his lips then leaned closer to her right ear. So close that Jay could feel his warm breath on her skin and his upper lip almost touch her ear lobe. Jay felt disgusted by the fact they were so close to each other and at the same time she simply couldn't back away from him.
"Stop shaking of fear" the Joker whispered in her ear "There's no point in being afraid of who you are"
Jay froze that instant. Whatever did he mean through that? The Joker remained in that position for a couple more seconds then turned her back to her, going deeper in his cell.
The girl let out a surprised gasp once the feeling of warmth next to her face was over. She shut her eyes and thought for a second, with a look of loathing on her face.
The Joker probably felt something closer to that, because he spit on the floor of the cell once he was deeper inside. He then once again turned to Jay
"And your question was…?"
Jay opened her eyes and wrinkled her nose even more.
"Why did you kill those people?" she asked in a calm tone of voice, supporting her entire body on the bars of the cell.
Before the Joker could react in any way, the girl flinched at the sound of a noise. From where she was right there, she could hear doors opening and footsteps, deep inside the unit. The cops returned to MCU, and surely, her mother as well. Jay felt as if she had just woken up from a dream. She quickly returned to her standing position and looked down at her clothes, trying to adjust them.
"I…" she said, addressing the Joker, as if trying to explain herself to him for having to leave,
"Don't justify yourself to me…" he said sitting back on the bench, as if scolding her.
Jay looked at him one more time, and then began to depart, trying to remember the exact way to her mom's office. She had passed the sleeping guardian when she heard the Joker's voice one more time, feeling a strong jab in her stomach.
"You can put my knife back on the table now…"
The girl was left speechless. She turned her head to look at him and saw the man staring at her.
"It's my favorite one so if you could please…" he added, licking his lips.
Jay slowly moved her hand to the back of her knee and pushed her fingers inside her boot. She took the pocket knife out and walked to back to the table next to the guardian, placing it on its surface. While doing so, the Joker followed her with his gaze the entire time and once the knife was out of her hand, he returned his focus to the floor.
She didn't look back at him, she couldn't find the power or the courage. Jay simply ran out of that part of the unit and stopped when she was between usual walls once again. Jay supported herself on one of the walls with her left hand, breathing heavily and running her fingers through her hair.
What did just happen? What did the man mean? How come he knew? Why was her body shaking so badly in his presence? Jay went out to look for the Joker in order to understand what was going on inside his head, now instead she couldn't understand what was going on inside hers.
She only wanted things to be clearer…but now it looked like they were foggier than ever.
A/N: I'll update as soon as I can folks, hope you liked the chapter! Don't be afraid of being honest in your reviews! Speak your mind, I can take it ;)! OHH...and I almost forgot...there's a GOOD reason why the Joker spat on the floor near the end...you'll find out why in future chapters ;) But till then...can ya' guys guess why? XOXO