Sorry I've been away for a while, but I hope you can forgive me, I'm going to wrapping this Story up now so the chapters may be shorter than usual, but I may think about writing a sequel to it. Thanks for reading.
Chapter 19: On the Run
Jester listened as the engine of the van she and the Joker were trapped in turned over and began to move off.
"Have you go something to cover your face?" came his voice through the wall again and she laughed slightly.
"No," she replied looking around for anything.
"Could you not just stick your head in your cleavage, they are definitely big enough?" he replied quickly and she could hear the grin in his voice.
"I'm offended," she said giggling slightly.
"What I like them big, big is good" he exclaimed and again she laughed. She heard him shuffling around in his compartment then she saw his brown shoe slide under the wall of the cubicle wall, under his foot was a dirty looking handkerchief.
"Cover your face with this," his voice said quietly, still in cuffs she bent down and picked up the cloth holding it to her face with both hands.
She heard him shuffle around again and then she heard something heavy hit the floor before she heard him kick something and then the van began to fill with a thick green gas.
"Hold on Jester," he said his voice more muffled than before. Though she understood his words, there was nothing much she could do to stop herself from rattling around the metal cubicle she was in. The gas had caused the driver to fall unconscious and possibly even die before losing control of the vehicle. The van crashed into something ahead with a metal crushing bang before it turned over. It must have flipped at least twice and finally came to a rest on its side. Jester had managed to keep hold of her makeshift gas mask during the crash. As soon as the van had settled, she struggled to her hands and knees.
"J?" she called out quietly.
"I'm coming princess, hold on" came his voice before there was a loud bang as the door to her cell was pull open and Joker stood there looking very proud of himself. He was stooping heavily due to the van being on its side. The ceiling was far lower than before.
He was free of his handcuffs and was now wielding a crowbar which he had used to break himself and Jester out, she didn't want to know where he had been hiding that. He still held a cloth to his mouth with one hand, as he dropped the crowbar to fish a set of keys from his pocket. He un-cuffed her quickly and took her hands as he dragged her to the back door of the van. Using his discarded crowbar he busted the door open and grabbed her hand pulling her roughly from the van.
"Stop!" shouted a voice from behind them and Jester and Joker turned back to look, a police officer lay in the doorway of the beaten van, he looked like he was having trouble focusing but he raised his gun at them nonetheless.
"I can't let you get away," he said and Joker laughed loudly before he turned and began to pull Jester with him.
The gunshot ripped through the air and Jester did not know she had been hit until she looked down at her calf. The blood was pooling around her fishnets and rushing down her leg. Joker had not noticed and continued to try and drag her away, his hand firmly in hers. As she collapsed he finally turned to her. She was staring at her leg and Joker looked around, any minute the cops would be here.
He released her hand and made off away from the scene. Jester gripped at her bleeding leg and watched as Joker ran, his purple coat tails flying behind him. The sirens of the cops were getting louder and she urged him to run faster. The officer in the van was laughing at her and she snarled at him. Quickly Jester reached out and grabbed the gun from his weak grasp, and without a second thought fired his own gun back at him.
Joker stopped in his tracks as he heard the rifle fire again, he could hear her soft whimpering. A noise which would usually sicken him or entertain him. But not her, not his Jester.
She watched as Joker turned back and ran back towards her.
"Leave you, idiot! The cops will be here any minute," she shouted looking at him like he was crazy.
"Shut up," he seethed as he reached her. He bent down and looped one arm around under her legs and other on her back and with very little effort at all pulled her into his arms. She looped her free hand over his shoulder the other keeping pressure on her wound. She looked at his face as he ran off again, carrying her in his arms.
"I love you, Jack," she said quietly as she looked away from his face.
"Me too" he replied with a laugh, she wasn't sure what that really meant but it pleased her nonetheless.
They ended up at her apartment and he sat her on the sofa heavily.
"What do you need?" he asked his famous smile nowhere to be seen.
"Under the sink, there is a first aid kit and in the cupboard above is a bottle of vodka. I need both," she said and Joker made he way off, he brought them back quickly and Jester grabbed them from him. She pulled off her boot and threw the item to the ground before cutting off her stocking, over the wound. She took the top off the bottle of vodka and poured a large glug over her wound, she hissed at the contact. Joker was watching her the whole time. She opened the large first aid kit and pulled out a pair of long tweezers.
"Will you hold my leg down please?" she asked looking up at Joker, who did as she had asked without question. Jester took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from her face smearing her greasepaints in the process before she pushed the tweezers into her leg. She let out something close to a howl, and pulled her hand away, leaving the tweezers still in-bedded in her skin. She closed her eyes and took another breath and Jack just stared still holding her leg steady.
She opened her eyes again and moved her hand back to the tweezers. She began to dig into her leg, her face grimaced and she hissed but she did not scream or even whimper. Though tears washed down her face like a waterfall, washing away her make-up somewhat and revealing her scar more prominently than before.
Jack just watched on in silence his face unreadable as she finally pulled the bullet from her leg and threw the piece of metal to the ground in disgust. She then dowsed her leg in alcohol again before taking two large gulps from the bottle herself. She then wiped her leg a few time with a cloth before applying a pad and wrapping her wound with a bandage.
She lay back and he released his grip and looked at her as she sighed and shut her eyes.
"Why did you come back for me?" she asked without opening her eyes. Jack stayed silent, he wasn't sure he really had an answer to that question.
"I don't know," he said slowly and she let out a laugh not dissimilar to his iconic one.
"The feelings mutual," she muttered, opening one eye to look at him. Finally, he cracked and a smile taking over his face as he laughed along with her.
"How long till they find us?" Jester asked as she pulled her boot back on her foot and stuffed her ruined stocking in her pocket.
"No idea, but its more fun this way," grinned Joker laughing again, she looked at him a strange smile on her face. Scarlett honestly couldn't think of a time she had been happier. Sitting there with a hole in her leg, waiting for the cops to find them and watching him laugh, she was content.
She closed her eyes again and pushed herself back further into the sofa. Jack watched her and rubbed his face, most of his make-up was worn away now.
"You should sleep Jester," he muttered to her and she hummed a response her eyes still shut.
He stood and she peeked an eye open to watch him walk down the hall.
"Are you coming to bed or not" he called and she opened her eyes again to see him standing in the doorway of her bedroom.
Groggily she stood and hissed as she placed weight on her injured leg. He watched as she limped her way towards him. He let her go ahead of him, watching as she crawled onto the bed and somewhat collapsed. He shut the door behind him and made his way over to her. He sat down on her bed and swung his legs up. He reached out for her and pulled her close, she responded happily snuggling into his chest and closing her eyes again. He stared down at the woman in his arms and wondered how on earth he had got this far, how he had he for the first time in a long time developed a human connection with someone.
She was in love with him and he could not deny the happiness she brought him and the urge to always keep her safe, by his side he felt. He took a deep breath and she opened one eye and looked up at him, she gave him a small smile and he smirked. Before she snuggled back down and closed her eyes. He absent-mindedly stroked her tangled hair, and looked off into the middle distance. He felt her go heavy and her breathing turn light, he looked down at his sleeping beauty and chuckled. He place a kiss to her forehead and wrapped his arms more tightly around her, before he too shut his eyes.
When Scarlett woke it was early morning and she was still wrapped in Jack's arms, they were both fully dressed and their make-up was equally smudged. She refused to move though she knew the cops would be baring down on them at any minute. But moments like this with Jack were so rare, so against her better judgement she snuggled back down into his chest and breathed in his scent.
"I'm not going anywhere, you don't have to squeeze so tight Jester," said his groggy voice and she smirked slightly as she looked up to his face.
"Should we leave today, go somewhere else" Jester asked and Joker moved to sit up slightly still holding her to him.
"I suppose that's what being on the run is?" said Joker and Jester smirked again. She pulled herself from his grasp and stood stretching out her slightly sore muscles. She pushed her hair out of her face and turned to him.
"Where are we going to go, maybe we should split up. I mean they will have identified me by now, they will be coming for me. But you, they have nothing, they don't even know your name, who you are. If we split up they would never find you" explained Jester looking at the man sitting on her bed.
"No, we stay together," he said simply before he stood from his seat.
"But..." she began but he shot her a look that could freeze blood and she snapped her mouth shut. She simply watched as he turned and walked out the room.
She heard him switch on the TV as she moved to the living room, with some difficultly.
"Harvey Dent has died, Gotham's White knight is dead and reports are saying that he was killed by Batman himself. Police Commissioner Gordon has yet to comment on this devastating news but a memorial service has been organised for next week. In other news..." said the voice of a TV of a news anchor Jester had not seen before.
Joker stood suddenly as there was a loud bang from outside, and Jester looked to him and then the door.
"POLICE OPEN UP!" shouted a voice through the door. Both Jester and Joker broke into manic laughter.