"You've got me all freaked out tonight

Somethin' you're tellin' me, what? I don't know

You don't wanna break me down
You don't wanna say goodbye and
You don't wanna turn around
You don't wanna make me cry but
You caught me once
Maybe on the flipside I could catch you again"

Lana Del Rey - "Flipside"

The rest of the week everyone that worked at

Angelo's club was buzzing about the presence of the Clown Prince of Crime. Even though we had decided to keep it under wraps it certainly didn't stop the number of witness' gossiping. How could you miss a spectacle like that?

Of course, no one dared to approach me about the matter in fear of Angelo's wrath…other than Lady Eliza.

For some reason, she had gained a solid interest in the matter and I wasn't all too sure if it was out of curiosity or jealousy. Maybe both. Though honestly, there was nothing to be jealous about. She can trade lives with me if that's what she truly desired.

Being stuck between a rock and a hard place I'd love to just preform my act and then toddle off to my luxurious home without a care in the world. Sleeping with senators, mayors, and other various forms of politicians and millionaires.

She even claimed to have a fling with Bruce Wayne once but from what I've seen of the man, he doesn't strike me as the type to have rendezvous with show girls. But I let her gloat if it made her shut up about The Joker.

Not by much though.

The next week that Joker was to arrive was to be a complete surprise to everyone, including myself. He never specified what day of the week he'd visit which was probably on purpose. It kept everyone on their toes. Especially Angelo.

"Miss Butterfly?" Arnie nearly shook as he approached me backstage.

I had just finished a set and was pinning up my hair from the heat. It was a hot one tonight in Gotham. "Yes, Arnie, dear?"

"He's here."

I immediately froze at those words, a rush of apprehension washing over me. I thought I'd be more prepared but who was I kidding? I stood up to face my loyal bodyguard.

"You want a shot?" I gestured to the counter of my vanity.

"Oh, Miss, I just-"

"Arnie, I need a shot and I don't want to do it alone." I demanded.

A small smile creeped up on his large mug. "Of course."

Sometimes, I'd dare to say that Arnie was one of my best friends. I hummed with content and poured the rum in two shot glasses. I handed my bodyguard his and we clinked them together before throwing them back. My face twisted with the bitterness so I washed it down with Lady Eliza's lime seltzer she left opened on her vanity. I didn't think she'd really mind, nor did I care.

Arnie was silently trying not to laugh. I couldn't help but grin, "Maybe I should stick to wine, huh?"

"Whatever is going to get you through this, you should stick too."

I nodded to him, "Solid advice."

"Olive?! Where's Olive?!" I heard a familiar frantic voice call.

"I'm right here, Angelo."

Angelo looked extra flustered tonight. I wondered what the clown could have possible done already. His face red as he spoke, "Looks like you'll be entertaining upstairs tonight."

I felt a little confused but he quickly helped me find my way back. "The Joker's requested one of the private booths on the second floor." Angelo's eyes shifted to the ground. "Although requested may be a poor choice of words."

It broke my heart to see my man so distraught over one person. Almost made me consider just accepting Joker's offer and be done with it.

Now it was my turn to rest my hands to his face. "I know he's unsettling…a bit bad for business…if I just-"

Angelo firmly clasped his hands around mine. "No. Absolutely not." He turned away, running a hand through his slick, black hair. "There's more to this than just some stage gig. He's scheming something and I don't like that he's involving you."

I wasn't sure what to say. Even if it was true, I had no real unusual qualities. Really.

Sort of.

Nothing that I believed would interest such a man.

"Okay." Angelo said to himself before turning around pointing a serious finger at me. "Okay, you have to get more information out of him tonight, Olive. You have too."

I was shaking my head, "I mean, I can try. I can't promise anything."

He clenched his fist as if he was about to add something but thought better of it and looked at his wrist watch instead. "Get out there. Arnie, escort her."

Arnie nodded and we locked arms as we made our way to the stairs.

"Good luck." Angelo bobbed his head.

I gave him a wink.

With each step I could feel my heart plummet deeper and deeper into my stomach. My fingers began to quiver along Arnie's thick ones. However, instead of squeezing my hand for reassurance, he let me quake.

That was so like him. He probably wanted me to ride out the fear, to find my own inner strength. Arnie always had a funny way of teaching me things.

As we entered the second level, our ears were bombarded with heavy bass music that vibrated through the tiles. Everything looked so foreign to me. The second floor was never a place I went or wanted to go. More so, Angelo's shady deals happened up here.

We glided across the open floor plan to a few private balcony rooms hidden in the far back. From outside, you couldn't see in. Once inside, you had a terrific view of the lower level's stage through the ten foot tall glass railing. It basically acted like a fake wall with velvet curtains added in case you really wanted a room for more secluded entertainment.

It was definitely a unique aspect.

We halted in front of room 05. Arnie glanced at me, "Ready?"

I inhaled and exhaled deeply before answering, "Ready."

He only had to knock once before a familiar, burly man opened the door. This was definitely the oaf named Tommy.

"I've brought Miss Pendragon." My bodyguard gestured to me. I forced a cute smirk.

"Oh, ah the Butterfly! Boss!"

"Yes, Thomas, I know. I'm not even ten feet from you." The Joker said uninterested, fixated on the current show beyond the glass.

Tommy waved me in and ushered me to take a seat next to Mister J. He thoughtlessly closed the door on Arnie only to stand in front of it. The clown still hadn't moved from his spot during any of this. He seemed to be lost in his own head.

"How thick do you think this glass is?" Joker finally spoke after a few awkward minutes of silence passed.

What an odd question, "Hmm, I'm not sure. Standard tempered glass I would think, Mister J."

"So it's easily breakable." He muttered to himself while he lightly rapped a knuckle against it. Then, as usual, his whole demeanor changed when he whipped around with a grin. "How about a drink, Chrysalis? I haven't ordered anything yet. I'm quite parched."

I concurred, "Sure, Mister J."

He showed off his metal grill to his henchman. "Tommy, my boy, one-" Blue hues flashed towards me.

"Vodka seltzer." I answered for him.

Back to the frumpy man. "-for the lady and whatever top shelf whiskey you find. On the rocks."

Tommy nodded, maybe a few more times than he needed too, before exiting.

With just the two of us in the room, The Joker seemed to come alive. He clasped his hands together onto the table. His metal grin gradually becoming a simple tug of the lips. "Did you know a man free fell about 22,000 feet once, and survived. He broke glass quite similar to this one. Maybe thicker." He tapped his knuckle again.

"Oh?" I was slightly interested…slightly worried.

"Although this distance is much shorter, you're more likely to receive a more fatal injury."

I clenched my fingers, "Why's that?"

He looked all too happy to tell me as he peered behind himself. "Well, you'd certainly be impaled by several of those chairs and you might break your neck if you caught the edge of the stage juuuuust right."

He brought his full attention to me and I could detect a now accustomed urge to vomit. My stomach was all tied up in knots.

The clown propped both forearms on the table as he bent in my direction. Suddenly, like an unpleasant saving grace, Tommy was back with our drinks. Joker looked a little irritated.

"I have your drinks, boss." The goofy man gave a lopsided grin.

The Joker smoothed back his electric green hair and forced a smile, "Thomas, you do realize there is a door for a reason, don't you old boy?"

The oaf didn't quite understand. "But I have your drinks."

I could see the man next to me start to boil, and nobody wanted that. I interjected. "I think what he means," I eyed The Joker who remained perfectly still. "is that you forgot to knock."

At this point, I heard Joker fiddling with the barrel of his gun. He was counting bullets.

Tommy chuckled stupidly, "Oh! Of course! I can knock! I'll just-"

I had to act fast. I stood up to assist the henchman with the liquor. "No, no. No need for that. Just place the drinks on the table and be on your way."

I practically pushed him out the door as I flashed him a sweet smile, "Just remember next time, alright?"

He nodded with eager enthusiasm and determination. Poor fool.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, I leaned my back against the door. The Joker laid his gun on the dark wood with a crooked, metal smirk plastered on his face.

"Did you really think I'd shoot him?" He asked with a hint of amusement.

I smoothed out the end of my high-waist skirt. "Maybe."

He contemplated this for a second, "Mm, maybe." He let a mocking laugh escape his painted lips. "But in this fine establishment? Never."

I took it for what it was, a joke. Seating myself back down, I gave a little joke of my own. "Well, I appreciate your restraint."

"And I'd appreciate your acceptance of my invitation." Some how, his smile seemed more deadly. "But we can't all get what we want, now can we?"

I found myself taking a very drawn out sip of my drink. Did this mean that he'd whack Tommy when they left the club? I was starting to feel sorry for the big ape.

And I could pick up the undertone of annoyance. I attempted to clear the air, "Angelo sa-"

Joker dismissed me with a wave, "Bah, why do you wish to talk about things that I don't wish to talk about."

I was miffed but before I could begin again he interposed, "Did I ever tell you I use to be an entertainer, just like yourself?"

This caught me off guard. He had me attentive.

"No…" I hesitated.

"It's all a bit hazy." He whirled a tattooed hand around. "Mind you, this was before my acquaintance with ACE." He chuckled.

I had heard this story before, or rather a rumor like that. That The Joker was an ordinary man before his dip in the vat. But they were just stories. No one really knew Joker's past.

"What was it that you did?" I inquired, leaning forward.

Again, he smiled meeting my face. We must have been inches apart. "I told jokes, of course." He sniggered a little.

I furrowed my brow, "So a comedian?"

He dodged my question with more detail. "I distinctly remember a crooked cop who came to see almost all of my performances. He was a tall, stocky man. Well built." The clown tasted his drink. "Well aged, too. Salt and pepper hair. His nose was a bit crooked. Angled a little to the right…"

He said his last words very carefully while watching the color of my skin drain.

"W-with a mustache…and a dimpled chin…" My whole body felt like it would be thrown into convulsions.

Joker's blue eyes lit up, "Oh! So you know him?"

Hot tears spilled over onto my cheeks. I could barely whisper, "My…father…"

"Yesss!" His hands came down hard against the table top. "How funny he was lead investigator to Dr. Freud's untimely end." His fingertips began a leisurely decent up my thigh.

Back to Freud. I was whisking my head back and forth. His whole entire story was bullshit. He wanted to get at me. He wanted to hurt me.

His breath fell hot onto my ear as he murmured, "Seventy stab wounds, was the final count, and not one was in the official statement, Chrysalis."

His fingers were still on the move as I tried to process what was happening. Then my blood froze cold. I suddenly realized what his target was.

I tried to be quick, but he was much quicker. A sea of pain burst from gut, instantly making me lurch into his lap. He had swiped one of my butterfly knifes with which he impaled in me.

He twisted it mercilessly as his free hand removed the pins from my hair. "Nothing personal, my little bug."

I began coughing up blood. Panic set in as I gasped for air. I couldn't seem to get enough. His fingertips glided softly through my now loose locks, stroking.

Joker looked at me fondly, "You have to understand, some people just need to be sent a message. I'm a very impatient man."

He finally removed my knife. It made a sickening sound as it left my body. He set it on the table, pulling a handkerchief from the inside of his suit jacket.

His touch was surprisingly gently as he dabbed at my mouth. "I like your hair better down." The clown mumbled and my vision started to spin. I could hear him tutting "You're a mess." before I was completely enveloped in darkness.

Managed to pump out another chapter. Hope you enjoyed! :)