A/N: 35 REVIEWS! WOHOO! EVERYBODY CELEBRATE! (Does Drunk Giraffe until sees unhappy faces) Oh... right... um... (Gets down and clutches readers' ankles) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE FOR GIVE ME! This chapter was effing hard to write! As a result, I'd like to thank 16 and My Purple Skies for reading through this chapter. It'd probably suck without their guidance. Also, I'd like to say, yes, the Joker saved Jenna, however, this is not, I will repeat, NOT a Joker/OC fan fiction. I will take the time to say My Purple Skies does a truly fantastic job with those though, and while I may occasionally read other Joker/OC fan fictions, none of them could hold a candle to her masterpieces. I was thinking about doing a Nolanized version of "The Killing Joke" in which the Joker tries to torture Jenna into insanity though. But, if I did that then I'd probably have to bring the rating up to M. So, vote on the poll or tell me you answer in a review or PM. Anyway, I'll try to have the next chapter out soon, likely before Friday, so review and tell me what you think!
Sending a Message
Jenna screamed as she toppled out of the cot she had awoken on, the Joker laughing at her mishap.
"Oh shut up," Jenna snapped, getting up off of the floor. She looked around the unfamiliar room. "Where am I?"
"Glad you asked." The Joker spread his arms out wide dramatically. "Welcome to my happy home." Jenna looked around; she was in small room, likely in an old warehouse, all the windows were broken, graffiti covered the walls, and the cot she had previously been laying on was dusty, making this far from a happy home in her opinion.
"Ok, never mind. I should've asked, why am I here?" The Joker grinned, licked his lips, and put his arms behind his back, rocking on the balls of his feet.
"Why do you thin-k?" Jenna rolled her eyes at him, not wanting to play his games.
"I just woke up and I don't know about you, but I don't think well when I'm drowsy so just shut up and tell me before I kick you so hard your voice'll be an octave higher for the rest of the year." The Joker just laughed and waltzed his way toward her, shaking a finger at her.
"See, that's why you're here." Jenna looked at him confused. "Listen, there are around 12 million peopllllllllllle in Gotham and of them, maybe 100 would talk to me like tha-t, much less with no help around, no way to defend themselves, and no idea what I wan-t from them," the Joker explained, twirling his hands. Jenna raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. In Gotham, people learned from a young age that back talking to powerful criminals would likely get you gutted. However, due to her being raised by a cop and an assistant district attorney, not to mention her rebellious nature, that lesson had flown completely over her head.
"So, I'm here because I fought back?" Jenna questioned incredulously. The Joker licked his lips and smiled, swaying a bit.
"Well, that aaaaaaaaaand, you remind me of someone." Jenna waited for him to answer. "Me." The answer was so ridiculous she almost laughed harder than the Joker ever.
"You? We are nothing alike!"
"Oh really?" the Joker asked. She shook her head him. He took a piece of paper off of the table and held it up, waving it around a bit. "Because I think we both share a fascination with a certain flying rodeeeeeen-t." Jenna looked at what he was holding and realized it was her collage of new articles about the Batman. Jenna closed her eyes, trying to keep her face from going red with embarrassment. "Not to mention a good deal of your classmates consider you a bit of a frea-k." Jenna opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow.
"How would you know about that?"
"School records are easy to get when you know how, sweethear-t," the Joker said, picking up a folder containing some of her school papers and flipping through them. "Also, judging from your office referrals and detentions, we share a disregard for rules and au-thor-i-ty, as well as a certain inability to no-t pick fights. You also don't seem to care so much about material things, judging from your ability to pack light when your aunt came to pick you up-uh."
"You saw us?" The Joker grinned.
"I was told by the dolts I sent to pick you up. According to them, you fight like a little Batman, which isn't exactly what people expect out of someone like you, is it? You also seem to have a slight disregard for your personal safety, given from your little outburst at Dent's fundraiserrrrr."
"Just because I'm brave doesn't mean I'm suicidal, there's a difference," Jenna argued.
"You'd still be willing to die a martyr if it meant you won, though. Sound familiar?" Jenna glared at him but couldn't help but shudder internally. This was just getting creepy. "The thing that really sets you, and Batman for that matter, from the rest of Gotham and myself is your sense of morality." Jenna frowned, confused by what he meant.
"The rest of Gotham? What exactly do you mean by that?"
"See, that's the truth about Gotham you and Batsy absolutely refuse to accep-t. You both seem to think that these people are really good deep down, when in reality, they'd become cold blooded killers in a heartbeat if it meant they lived one. Second. Longer." Jenna raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well, I happen to disagree," she said. "I'll admit many Gothamites might choose to be bystanders and not stand up against injustice, but they wouldn't actually kill each other. They're better than that." The Joker shook his head at her, as though disappointed.
"Oh Miss Jenny Dawes, don't try to find humanity in a town like this; you will be disappointed ev-er-y ti-me." Jenna grimaced in her head at being called 'Jenny.' No one had called her that since her mother's death.
"What proof do you have of that?" she argued, not wanting him to have the last word.
"How many of your classmates from school have actually called you to see if you're alright?" Jenna didn't answer. "Considering you and your aunt had targets painted on your heads, you would think people would worry about you. But, no, they don't care. They just look out for number one; themselves." The Joker wet his mouth again and took out a cellphone, Jenna's stomach lurching when she realized it was hers. "You seem to be getting a lot of messages from someone named Danny, though." Jenna's eyes widened. "Boyfriend, by any chance?" Jenna couldn't stop herself from gaging at the thought of dating. "I guess no-t. Whoever they are, they certainly seemed des-per-ate for an answer. But, I don't think I want to spoil the surprise just yet." Jenna looked at him, realizing what he meant.
"They all think I'm dead don't they?" The Joker grinned and nodded slightly. Jenna sighed through her nose before remembering something else. "… What about Rachel?" The Joker licked his lips and put on an overly dramatic, clearly false saddened look.
"I'm soooooo sorry to be the bearer of bad neewwwssss, but she went pew," he said, imitating the sound of an explosion and motioning with his hands for effect. Jenna put her hand over her mouth and sat back down on the cot, trying to keep her self from crying.
It couldn't be true, she thought. It couldn't be.
The Joker sat down next to her and moved to put an arm around her. "Listen, I want you to understand that–" he was cut off by Jenna's fist colliding with his nose.
"YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!" Jenna screamed. She jumped on him and started pummeling him with all her might. However, she didn't get in many punches before the Joker pushed her off of him with a surprising amount of strength. Jenna jumped right back up and was about to jump at him again when he brought out his switchblade and flicked the blade out. Jenna faltered and looked between him and the blade rapidly. The Joker noticed this and smiled. Jenna, realizing how vulnerable she was, glanced around for an escape. She found one in the corner of the room behind her. As Jenna started backing away, the Joker lunged and Jenna took off running for the door. She slid over the table in her way and ran into the room, slamming and locking the door behind her, thanking every god and goddess she knew for the lock. She turned to look for another way out of the room but there were no other doors and the windows, though broken, were barred. She turned at the sound of the Joker slamming himself against the door, trying to get in. Noticing the broken glass on the ground, she picked up a triangular shard and held it like a dagger. The door burst open and she whipped around, and shouted, "Stay back!" pointing the shard at him. He stopped, looked at her and the piece of glass… and laughed as though it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen.
"You really are scared of me, aren't you?"
"Considering how many people you've killed without a second thought, I think I have a reason to fear for my safety." The Joker just chuckled.
"No no no no no. You're too fun to kill," the Joker drawled, twirling his knife in his hand. "However, that won't stop me from roughing you up a bi-t," he admitted. The Joker lunged at Jenna faster than she believed was humanly possible and the next thing she knew there was a cut on the back of her hand and the shard of glass had tumbled from her grasp and shattered on the floor. Jenna screamed and grasped her hand, trying to stop the bleeding. The Joker sauntered toward her and Jenna backed up against the wall, trying to put as much space between herself and him as possible. The Joker stopped, looked her over, and nodded toward the first aid kit on the wall. "There's bandages and disinfectant in there." And he turned around and left her.
Jenna stared at the door the Joker had exited through. She still didn't understand him and his reasons and doubted she ever would. She shook herself a moment later, remembering the cut on her hand. She opened the first aid kit, wincing as she sprayed her hand with the disinfectant, and bandaged it up as tight as she could, before securing it with a safety pin. She exited when she was finished, knowing that since the Joker could get at her in that room once, it was better to try and find another hiding spot. Jenna entered the room she had awoken in and saw a sliding door that she'd probably been too drowsy and distracted to notice before. She walked over to it, slid it open as quietly as she could, and saw a colossal hill of money in the middle of the warehouse. She closed the door behind her and someone immediately grabbed her arm.
"Thought we'd take a little peak now, didn't we?" the Joker whispered in her ear. Jenna yanked her arm out of his grasp and punched him across the face in response. She heard the sound of guns being cocked and switchblades being flicked opened and turned to see the sight of several goons, all holding weapons pointed directly at her.
"Now boys, what did I tell you about how to treat her?" the Joker scolded them, shaking his finger as though talking to children. "She's our guuuueeees-t, and therefore she should be treated as such."
"If this is how you treat your guests, I'd hate to see how you treat your hostages."
"And that means, no-t pulling weapons out on her, ok?" The Joker continued, ignoring Jenna's outburst. The goons looked at each other but put away their guns. "Good. Now, get the place cleaned up, we have company coming over," the Joker told them. Jenna was about to sneak away when the Joker grabbed her wrist again. "Now, don't go wandering off, sweetheart, or I won't be so gentle with you next time." Jenna glared at him but decided that escaping would likely get herself killed at the moment. The Joker smiled at her and strolled over to the hill of money and climbed up it, joining a tied up Asian man who Jenna recognized as Mr. Lau, money launderer for the Mob. Jenna heard car doors outside and moments later, several mobsters, including the Chechen, leader of the Russian mob, himself, entered the warehouse.
"Not so crazy as you look," the Chechen told the Joker surveying the pile of bills.
"I told you I'm a man of my word," the Joker said, sliding down the pile to the ground. "Where's the Italian?"
"Couldn't come. Said he had to meet with someone." The Chechen noticed Jenna. "Who's the little bitch?" Jenna narrowed her eyes at him.
"She's my guest and I advise you to not talk to her like that, she's got bi-te," the Joker warned him. Jenna turned and directed her glare at the Joker, but he ignored her and amused himself by picking up stacks of bills and throwing them at the unfortunate Mr. Lau.
"Joker man? What do you do with all your money?" the Chechen asked. The Joker turned to him, grinning.
"You see I'm a guy of simple taste. I enjoy dynamite, and gunpowder, and gasoline." At that one of the Joker's thugs appeared and poured gasoline over the bottom of the hill. The Chechen moved to stop him but was stopped by the Joker pointing a gun at him. Jenna's eyes widened, realizing where this was going. "And you know what they have in common? They're cheap."
"I thought you said you were a man of your word," the Chechen asked through his cigar.
"Oh I am," the Joker assured him, plucking the cigar out of his mouth and blowing on the sparks a bit. "I'm only burning my half." With that, he threw the cigar onto the gasoline and ignited the whole pile. In just about any other situation, Jenna would've laughed and cheered at the look on the Chechen's face, but considering the Joker, his thugs, the Chechen, his men, and his dogs were all there, she figured it would bring her unwanted attention. "All you care about is money, this city deserves a better class of criminal. And I'm gonna give it to them. Tell your men, they work for me now. This is my city."
"They won't work for a freak," the mob boss hissed in response.
"Freak. Why don't we cut you up into tiny little pieces and feed you to your pooches and see how loyal a hungry dog really is," the Joker said, pulling out his knife and throwing it to one of the Chechen's men. The thug and a friend of his grabbed their former employer and dragged him away, Jenna watching them in wide-eyed horror. "It's not about money, it's about sending a message. Everything burns," the Joker said to himself, pulling out Jenna's phone and dialing a number.
Alfred was right about this guy. All he wants is to burn Gotham to the ground with whatever he can get his hands on, whether it be gasoline or goons, Jenna thought to herself, trying to block out Lau's muffled screams.
Jenna tried to hear what the Joker was saying over the roars of the flames and Lau's screams through his gag, but was unable to hear anything until the Joker spoke. "I had a vision of a world without Batman. The Mob ground out a little profit and the police tried to shut them down one block at a time. And it was so… boring. I've had a change of heart. I don't want Mr. Reese spoiling the secret but why should I have all the fun? If Coleman Reese isn't dead within sixty minutes, I blow up a hospital." Jenna's jaw dropped. The Joker hung up and headed for the door, motioning for his goons to follow. One of them grabbed Jenna's arm, which led to her maneuvering her own arm out of his grasp and pinning his arms behind his back. "Be careful with her," the Joker called back. "She's… feisty." Jenna rolled her eyes at the word choice and upon feeling another goon prod the barrel of his gun into the small of her back, released the goon she was holding. They marched her out to a bright yellow school bus and boarded, seating her behind the Joker.
"Where are we going exactly?" The Joker smirked.
"To visit an old friend in the hospital.