9

The agreement had been mutual, twice a month. No more, no less.

Jasmine and Rachel made the arrangement that once in the beginning of a month they would meet for coffee, and later in the month they would meet for a nice dinner. Neither had the time or inclination to lavish time on a friendship, but each knew the other would be there and ready if something happened. For all of her independence, Jasmine felt better knowing she wasn't without womanly support if she really needed it. Their acquaintance did prove a handy tool in conversation with Bruce, either to shut him up, or to goad him in repartee.

Several weeks went by and she didn't hear anything from her father. It was disappointing, but not entirely unexpected.

The Joker, however, crashed into her world once again. This time, he was waiting in her apartment.

She opened the door to see a figure at her table, and her hand instantly flew to her gun. He flicked on a flashlight, giving an eerie look to the face paint. "Boo."

"Dang it! That's a great way to get yourself shot."

"Ah, I'm not dead yet, so…" He clicked off the flashlight as she turned on the overhead. His eyes blazed crazily from the black circles. He watched her hang up her coat, and eyed the two handguns strapped in the concealed holster. "What'd you find?"

She crossed her arms and frowned. "Just what you wanted me to. I'm still waiting on a source, but I figured out your connection with my dad."

"So you just need some proof?"

"I need answers, and all I'm getting are questions, Jack." She sat across from him, glaring. "What exactly happened with you and Unit 40? I need to know, and there was nothing but the letters to say that…"

"Something Baaaaad happened. Something bad happens, always happens," he muttered. She slapped the table to get his attention and he laughed. "I wouldn't do that. I'm very touchy, kiddo."

She pulled the army knife out of its sheath, and jabbed it between his hands, narrowly missing a thumb. He stared at it for a second, and then she jerked it free, setting it in front of herself. He started gnawing on the scars. "Tell me what happened."

"A mission was compromised." He shrugged, sending the purple coat into ripples. "We were after a mob group, and something tipped them off. They were waiting for us, and well," He ran a hand along the edge of the table thoughtfully. He sounded normal for the moment. "Some of the team never made it out. We also lost some information to them that was sold, it nearly started a war. That's when the government decided Unit 40 should be disbanded. National threats and all, plus the organized crime element, it just didn't sit right with anyone." He shifted his weight, and started bouncing his legs uneasily.

"I wasn't really happy being told all my hard work as a bomb tech and so on was being passed off as a rumor. I wasn't happy with a lot of things, so I went hunting my own answers. I won't bore you with all the pesky details, but it took a while. The information leak lead right to Zeke, found out he was in their back pocket for most of his life." He tilted his chair back until it looked like he should overbalance. "Don't shoot me for that, I know how close he is to you all. Touching really, how Uncle Zeke looks after the Richards."

"Let me guess, no one believed you, you went to Zeke and it went nowhere really fast." She picked up the knife and started balancing it on the tip of her fingers, feeling the weight of it pressing into her skin. It was one of her creepier habits, playing with the old weapon when she was alone. Seeing how it would react to certain motions, certain angles, how it balanced. Her eyes unfocused for a moment, replaying something in her mind. "Yeah, I know how Zeke plays his cards."

He leaned forward abruptly, crashing the chair into the floor and dropping his elbows on the table nosily. "So…I came to the right person."

"Yep." She stopped messing with the blade. "Go on; finish telling me your story."

"Well, Zeke may never raise a hand against your father, but he didn't bat an eye at teaching me a lesson. It nearly killed me, but I learned something alright." He laughed suddenly, harshly. "Let's just say he didn't stop with me. He found my brother in Oklahoma, sent some experts to work on him. I haven't spent a peaceful night since."

"Wait, your brother's mixed up in this?"

"Like pancake batter."

She slouched back, her mind trying to connect some dots. "You're chasing your brother, he's the Joker. You're just covering for him."

He clapped his hands sarcastically. "Give the girl a gold star!"

"Why?" She asked, disbelief clouding her face.

He went still suddenly. "He has a wife, some kids. Do you think they need to know their dad had gone on a crime spree? What would they do if word got out? A crazy uncle, and in-law, they can survive that. A crummy dad, you never really know what to do with that. Some people find a way, but I don't think they're the type that would. Say what you want, I know types." He closed his eyes and rubbed them slowly. "He's got a pretty big life insurance policy. It's only a matter of time before something goes wrong, and he doesn't go home. If he dies in crossfire, they'll get the money. Zeke saw to it there was a special clause stating if Chris dies while in a criminal act or lending help to a criminal act, his family won't see a dime. Believe me when I say without any financial support, they will crumble."

"Zeke's forcing your hand, keeping you on a leash." She said slowly.

His face split into a grin, the red making his teeth look yellow. "He already took care of that when he carved my face, no. Now he's just seeing how far I'll go before I give up or break or kill Chris myself." He eyed her as the wretched smile faded. "You don't seem surprised at what I've told you."

Jasmine stood and started coffee in the pot. She watched it perk; grateful Jack was giving her time to think her words through. "I went to Zeke for help once when I couldn't reach my dad. I found out something connected to a crime syndicate that was recruiting underage teens for some of the less savory jobs. My boss was sick; I thought Daddy or one of his friends would know what to do with what I found. I was such a rookie, a blasted, green idiotic rookie!" Jasmine started shaking, and held her arms tightly, watching the dark liquid drip into the glass container. "Zeke was the one recruiting. He took care of me himself, said it wasn't personal, but he wouldn't let anyone else touch me. I told everyone, I told them over and over, and no one listened. Dad least of all."

She reached up for two mugs, but her hands were shaking too badly to hang on and one fell. Jack had come up behind her and caught it, setting it softly beside the coffee pot. He took the other one out of her stiff fingers and put it down too. Then he wrapped her in a hug and let her cry. "I'm sorry, kid, I didn't know."

She sucked in a shuddering breath and shook her head. "How could you? You weren't around."

"What did he do to you, besides leave your hide to hang?" He asked gently.

For an answer she pushed the hair back from the left side of her face. The scar was pale, with purple where it hadn't faded yet. Someone had been very careful in carving it, making sure to be clean, while the final mark would be nasty. Zeke had wanted it to heal, had wanted her to live with it, looking at it every day. Jack hadn't mattered, he could have bled to death and Zeke wouldn't have cared. But Jasmine need to live with the knowledge her father's best friend was a criminal who had carved her face and turned her family against her.

"What did your family say when they saw this?"

"Nothing. They've never seen it. All they know is I was mugged and ended up in the hospital. Dad was gone anyway." She forced herself to calm down and poured some coffee, praying the strong beverage would steady her. "What's the next thing you need me to do?"

He gave her a confused look, dropping the cup from his stained lips quickly. "Huh?"

"You wanted me to research Unit 40, and then said you'd give me another step. What next?"

He tapped his fingers on the cup and looked antsy. "I think…I think I have a friend you need to meet. I think it's time to shake Gotham up a little."

Jasmine groaned, wishing she had gone to a movie instead of coming home.

The chapter you've been waiting for! Comments welcome, good and bad.