A/N Okay, I wrote this chapter on a whim because I really wanted the Joker to have a taste of his own medicine, not just physically but emotionally as well. Enjoy!
Carlisle's POV
We walked through the halls in silence. Jasper and I were being escorted by a guard through the winding halls of the prison until we eventually came to a stop. To my right was Bella's cell. It definitely looked a lot let intimidating than the last one they had her in.
She sat on the bed, never looking up at us. Her knees were up against her chest and she was slowly rocking back and forth, her eyes glazed over. This was not good. I looked over at my newest son who appeared to be dealing with Bella's emotions well.
Perhaps it wasn't as bad as it appeared.
"I'll be back soon," the security officer said. "If she gives you any trouble, press the emergency button." He pointed to the small blue button next to the glass wall of the cell.
I nodded and watched as he continued down the hall, leaving myself and Jasper to talk to Bella.
She still hadn't looked up.
"Bella?" I call, walking closer to the glass. No response. Still rocking. "Bella, please will you tell us what you are feeling?"
Still nothing. I turned to look at Jasper, who was standing just next to me with his hands together in front of his still body.
"Is she…?" I trailed off.
"She's… not doing too well," he answered stiffly. He clenched his jaw. "I feel… confusion… hatred… anger… and sadness. Overwhelming sadness."
I nodded and turned back to the rocking girl in the cell.
"Bella, we're going to try to get you out of here today and back to our place to continue your treatment. Do you have anything to say about that?"
Still nothing. I pulled Jasper to the side.
"We can't allow them to come release her in this state," I tell him.
If they came down to let her out on the belief that she was sane and found her rocking on the bed it wouldn't help our case.
"I'm doing my best to calm her down," he assures me. "It seems that she's in a lot of pain, though."
I nod and go back to the glass.
"Bella, please," I beg. "We want to help you-"
"Why do you bother?" she suddenly snapped.
The rocking stopped and she was now staring me straight in the eye. There was so much resentment in those eyes, red from crying.
"What do you mean?" I ask calmly.
"I know," she said simply.
I furrowed my brow. "Know what?"
"Careful, Carlisle," Jasper whispered. "She's getting angrier."
"I know why you took me." She stood up. "You don't care about me. You used me to find the Joker. Don't even try to deny it."
I sighed. How would she know that unless… She must have had a run-in with the Joker when she arrived. How would he even know that?
Bella, that was true." There was no sense in lying about it. But there was more to it. "That was when we didn't realize who we would be helping. Once we realized it was you-"
"You still allowed them to take me back without lifting a finger."
I pursed my lips, heavily relying on Jasper to keep the situation controlled.
"Bella," I start, "If we could have done anything, we would have. That's why we're here today."
"You're good actors," she said softly, sitting back down. "Almost had me fooled."
"Did you happen to see the Joker today?" Jasper piped in from beside me. I looked up at him, unsure of where he was going with this.
He looked back at me with knowing eyes. I trusted my son. That much I knew.
"What's it to you?" Bella snapped harshly.
Jasper sighed. "Bella, you cannot allow that man to get back into your head. I can tell he is."
"Why do you care?" Bella asks, standing quickly and approaching the mirror to glare at Jasper.
"The Joker is… the most evil man I've ever come across," Jasper states. "He is completely devoid of empathy. Does possess and capability to show true emotions."
Belle grimaced. "That's a lie. He loved me, once."
"He wouldn't have been able to if he wanted to, Bella," Jasper says calmly, ignoring Bella's outrage. "He's the best actor of us all. The worst thing you could do now is let him back in. We're going to get you out of here, and we want you to stay out. If that isn't what you want ten we cannot force you. You can stay if that's what you'd really like. Being with the Joker, this is the only life you'll ever know."
Bella paused, nostrils flaring. Then, as if like a flip switched, she relaxed her muscles. Thank goodness for Jasper's gift.
"I want out," Bella finally said, looking down at her feet. "I never want to come back to this."
I put my hand on Jasper's shoulder. "Thank you, son," I whisper too low for Bella to hear.
"I'm going to speak to Amanda now, Bella," I said. "You will be out of this shortly. I promise you."
She didn't say another word, only stood in silence. I nudged Jasper for him to follow. They would never allow anyone who wasn't a guard or doctor to be alone with Bella now.
As we walked back down the hall in the direction we came, I placed a hand on my son's back.
"Thank you," I breathed.
"What for?" he asked.
"Calming Bella down at the end of that, before she blew up. It was good you were here."
He stopped walking and looked at me quizzically. "That wasn't me, Carlisle."
"Excuse me?"
"I wasn't trying to calm Bella down while we were talking. I wanted to gauge her reactions so I could know how to respond. I didn't control that."
I furrowed my brow. "She calmed herself down."
It was a statement, not a question, and Jasper nodded.
"She is stronger than you all think. I'm not sure I could live my life feeling as she did just then."
I shook my head. "You live through much more with your gift, son. I still am grateful that you came. You were the only one able to actually talk some sanity into her in that state without any help."
He opened his mouth to reject my praise, but I silenced him with a sad smile.
"By the way," I say, "you have lived your life like that. The entire beginning of your afterlife. I'm sorry you're being put through it again."
"I want to help," he insisted.
Our heart to heart came to an abrupt end when my phone buzzed in my pocket. Alice. I handed the phone to Jasper.
"You tell her the good news while I go find Amanda," I said with a smile.
Jasper answered immediately but I didn't stay long enough to listen in.
Jasper's POV
"Carlisle?" I heard my love chime in over the phone.
"It's me," I said calmly.
Carlisle had already made his way through the halls to speak to Amanda.
"She's going to say yes!" Alice cheered.
I smiled at the glee in her voice. It had been missing for so long… Alice's pain was my pain. As was everyone else's, but hers struck me the most.
"That's good, my love," I say, starting my walk back to the front of the prison.
"How is Bella?" she asked softly.
"She was… in a state when we arrived," I admit. I could never lie to Alice. "But she quickly calmed down. On her own, in fact." I neglected to mention what I'd said to her. Bella being well was her own doing and didn't need any recognition.
"Well, in about half an hour Bella will be out of the hell-hole," Alice sighed. "I'm not sure what we're going to do, Jasper… Edward-"
"Edward needs to get a hold of himself," I interrupt. "For Bella's sake."
I understood why he was angry. Of course I did. He was angry for the same reason I was; we had caused all of this. I created the spark that set of Edward leaving Bella. We both felt equally responsible.
"Jasper, everything will work out," she assured me. "It has to."
Before I could respond, I heard soft laughter from the cell I was walking passed. I turned to my right and saw none other than the Joker, lying in bed without a care in the world, laughing to himself.
"I'll have to call you back, Alice," I say stiffly.
"Jasper, please, don't-"
I had hung up before she could finish. I needed to say something to this monster before we left and never saw him again.
"You must be one of the monsters…" he sighed, watching me as I approached his cell.
"Indeed, I am," I say sternly, stopping just short of the glass.
"What?" he laughed. "You come to yell at me? Kill me? I'm sure you could break the glass…"
I shake my head and my face turns into a hard glare, one that could scare off even the bravest of men. I noticed his façade falter for just a moment before the smile returned.
"You honestly feel no remorse, do you?" I ask. "For everything you've done. The people you've killed? For what you did to Bella?"
He shook his head gleefully. "That's the best part. I do what I want and feel nothing. It's a good life."
"It's about to become not-so-pleasant," I tell him.
I concentrate on how Bella felt when we approached her. Broken, angry, sad, remorseful… all the emotions pulsated into my body with such force I might have tried to block them out. But I needed to use them.
"What the hell are you talking about, cowboy?" the monster laughed.
I focused all of that energy on him, willing him to feel as I did. Forcing him to wrap around those emotions.
Suddenly, he let out a cry of pain and placed his hands on his ears as if to block out what he was feeling.
"You deserve to know what you've put Bella through," I say through gritted teeth. "You deserve to feel her pain, for once in your miserable life."
He was moaning; the sound grew louder and louder until he was clutching his head and bringing his knees to his chest.
"Stop! Please, stop! I can't…"
"Stop?" I mocked, still in deep concentration. "You didn't stop when Bella begged you. You never spared her feelings, why should I show you any mercy?"
He was snarling now, unable to cope with the pain and onslaught of new emotions he probably hadn't even thought about in years. I smiled through my own pain as I enjoyed the sight.
"Apologize to Bella right now," I ordered as calmly as I could. "And the pain will stop."
"She won't even hear it!" he called out in agony.
"I don't care!" I say. "Say it!"
After a few more moments in which I gradually increased the amount of pain I fed him, he gave up.
"I'm sorry, Bella! I am… sorry. Now please! Stop this!"
Just then, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Enough, son."
I unwillingly broke my focus to peer at the patriarch of the family.
"He deserved nothing less," I seethed, my mind still foggy from the whirlwind I'd put myself through.
He nodded. "Yes, but we must go now. Bella will be brought to the front room any moment now. We must take her home."
I sigh and remove myself from the spot I was standing statue-still. I saw the Joker's muscles relax. I couldn't be bothered to turn back to him.
Carlisle understood without needing any explanation, so I followed him wordlessly into the front room. Just before we left the hall I grabbed his arm.
"Carlisle… I do not know what came over me."
His eyes soften. "It's nothing you need to feel sorry about. I might have even done the same."
I could sense his unease as he spoke but I let him comfort me anyway.
"Can we… not tell Alice?" I ask.
"She most likely already knows," he told me soothingly.
I nodded.
"Jasper," he whispered. "I am proud of you, my son. For more reasons than one. Do not give the Joker power over you, as well."
I nod and follow him silently the rest of the way, where Bella and Amanda both stood, waiting for us, unaware of what had just occurred.
I didn't need them to know. I didn't need anyone to know.
I finally understood what Carlisle was shielding me from realizing.
The Joker was like a paradox of me in many ways. Able to feel nothing when I felt everything. We each suffered from this in our own ways. Like two sides of the same coin. Had I not chosen humanity, I may be in the exact same position as he is. As I was.
I was more grateful for Alice now than ever.
I just wanted to go home.
A/N Let me know what you think of mad-as-hell Jasper! Finally, Bella gets to go home… but that doesn't mean it's gonna be smooth sailing…
Let me know what you think!