"You're a fast learner," Bruce said to Jack as they went into Wayne Manor.
"Since we're speaking about weapons," the Joker said. "I will take that as a very high complement."
"It was intended to be," Bruce said as they made the lengthy walk to the kitchen. "Archery training is what helped me most with using a grapple gun. Adriana had no training whatsoever and she's just as skilled at it as I am, however."
"Could have fooled me," the Joker said. "She always pretended to be a horrible shot while working for me."
"She could qualify as an expert marksman with very little effort," Bruce told the Joker as they kept walking. "All three of us could."
"Bruce," Adriana said and Arsenio stopped hitting an upside down pot with a large wooden spoon. "Jack..hi."
The Joker nodded in greeting and then smiled at Arsenio.
"Hi Dak," Arenio said and then tapped the pot lightly. Adriana could see he was having fun playing drums but was trying to be polite since they were talking.
"Hello, Arsenio," the Joker said to him.
"Daddy," Arsenio said and extended both his arms to Bruce, still holding the spoon.
Bruce lifted Arsenio from his seat and hugged him. Adriana didn't know why the Joker as there or what he and Bruce were doing together. There was no mention of the three of them meeting up today.
"Where are you coming from?" Adriana asked, noticing the soil on Bruce's shoes.
"The archery field," Bruce told her. Bruce owned the field which was a five minute drive from Wayne Manor.
"Together?" Adriana asked, noticing it seemed like Bruce and the Joker were becoming friends.
"Daddy, awwo!" Arsenio interrupted and said to Bruce.
"Yes, we fired arrows," Bruce said. "When you're bigger I'll take you and you can learn too."
Alfred then came into the kitchen and paused before greeting the Joker. It was the first time he'd seen him since learning the truth about who he was.
"Mr. Hayden," Alfred said.
"Good to see you again," the Joker said to Alfred.
"Whatever you are making smells great," Bruce said to Adriana. "Unfortunately, I have been asked on a last minute business dinner. Knowing this client, it could go late. I have to head out in about twenty minutes."
"Oh..." Adriana said, knowing he had just enough time to shower and change.
Bruce turned and handed Arsenio to the Joker before walking over and giving Adriana a kiss on her cheek. Adriana smiled while holding the tray of garlic bread that needed to go into the oven.
" I'm going to have a shower and then I'll be off," Bruce told her.
" Alright sweetheart," Adriana said nonchalantly.
Bruce left them and went to get ready to leave.
"Dak, potty!" Arsenio said after a moment.
He was being potty trained as it was an almost effortless process so far.
"There is a restroom down this hall," Alfred said and pointed. "Third door to the right."
"Thanks," the Joker said and took Arsenio.
Once they were gone Alfred and Adriana stared at each other for a few seconds.
"Are you as weirded out as I am?" Adriana asked Alfred.
"I supposed we should be relieved that things are going well," Alfred said.
"Right but...I didn't expect them to practically become friends," Adriana said.
"That, my dear, is something no one would expect," Alfred said. "Will he be staying for dinner?"
"No!" Adriana exclaimed louder than she had anticipated to.
Alfred looked at her for explanation, but she couldn't explain. She didn't want him around...because she wanted him around so badly and it was wrong. She wasn't sure how she had lost control again. Things were going great and she finally had started to feel like she didn't want him anymore and then...there it was again. She couldn't control it.
"I mean...I don't think he should," Adriana said.
Alfred offered no contest to her statement.
When the Joker and Arsenio returned, Adriana was relieved that the Joker said goodbye to them both and left after handing the baby to Alfred. When Bruce returned to the kitchen he greeted Adriana with another kiss. She placed the bread into the oven.
"Jack leave already?" Bruce asked.
"Yes," Adriana said.
"I'll be late," Bruce spoke about their usual nightly meetings at the warehouse to work on the shrinking mountain of work.
"How late?" Adriana asked. She did not want to be alone with the Joker, she felt too weak.
"Hour or so," Bruce said and Adriana fixed his tie.
"Okay," Adriana said.
"Daddy, I go you!" Arsenio said and Alfred put him down and he walked over to Bruce.
"Unfortunately, little guy," Bruce said. "I have a very boring dinner...with none of the foods you like."
"Oh..." Arsenio said and Bruce picked him up.
"Maybe you can come with me to the office for a few hours tomorrow," Bruce offered and Arsenio nodded.
.
.
.
Adriana stood outside of the warehouse by her car. She was ten minutes late. The car that Lucius had given to the Joker was also parked there. She didn't want to go in. Her mind spiraled around, back and forth, telling herself that she didn't want to go inside but then telling herself she was being overly dramatic.
Again, it felt like she was losing her interest in her husband romantically and she was distracted by a man that she knew she couldn't have. Maybe she needed them to stay away from each other. For good.
Adriana went into the warehouse and walked down the metal stairs and over to the setup of computers. The Joker looked up at her and murmured a word of greeting before looking back at his screen.
He seemed totally calm and unaffected by her presence. She knew for a fact that she had it far worse than he did. He wouldn't understand what she needed to ask of him.
"Jack," Adriana said and sat her purse down on the table.
"Hm?" he asked and looked up.
He looked at her expectantly. Deep colored eyes, highlighted by the simple long sleeved grey shirt he was wearing. His facial hair looked a few days grown out. He was so striking that she knew she needed to get away.
"I...I think you were right," she said.
"Oh.." he said with a slight smile creeping across his face, making his dimpled apparent. "What was I right about this time?"
He didn't know what she was about to say. He was just happy she was admitting he was right about something. His smile was almost breaking her spirit. She glanced at his computer screen and looked at the passing frames of his face when it was painted and scarred. She looked away and back at him.
"You were right to stop talking to me," she said. "Before I suggested that we play nice and talk like...normal people. Now you're hanging out with my husband and becoming friends with him and it's weird."
Adriana looked back at the screen. The image in front of her represented something she would never get back, and something that she should never want. She was a married woman. The image represented a time of freedom, wildness, self discovery and an almost feral sensuality.
"Ah...so I shouldn't be so friendly with Wayne," the Joker said.
"Or me," she said. She knew she needed to stand her ground. "I think...we shouldn't be around each other anymore. Obviously with Arsenio...it will be difficult. So maybe we can cross paths when absolutely necessary but-"
She stopped speaking when the Joker het up his hand with only his index finger extended upwards, asking to interrupt.
"Yes?" she asked.
"So, when does this start? I assume after we are done with this project," the Joker said, seeming to immediately accept the proposition with no problem.
It hurt. Adriana couldn't take it. It shouldn't hurt for a man that she shouldn't have feelings about to accept that they should not be around each other so easily.
"It needs to start now," Adriana said firmly.
The Joker frowned.
"And how exactly does that work?" he asked and looked at the computer and then back at her.
"Bruce and I can do the rest," Adriana said. "Including the field work."
"Those are planned to be three man jobs," the Joker said. "Has Bruce changed them?"
"Well..." Adriana said. "No...no I actually haven't talked to Bruce about this yet. But...maybe you could talk to him..tell him this is too much for you and you want to back out. You could tell him that it's getting too be too difficult to look at all of this...stuff from your past and-"
"So, allow me to get this straight," the Joker said. "You want me to tell your husband I am a coward."
"He won't think that," Adriana said. "He'll understand."
"May I ask why this is suddenly so urgent?" the Joker asked. "Why it can't simply wait two or three weeks until we finish this work?"
Adriana was quiet and thought of how to say it. The truth was her only option to make him see her urgency.
"Because you are ruining my marriage," she said bluntly.
The Joker frowned again. From his view, her marriage looked fine.
"Well, I'll try not to do that anymore," the Joker said, almost sarcastically.
"It's not funny, I'm being serious," she said to him. "You-"
"This can wait a couple weeks, Adriana," he said, sure of himself.
"No!" she exclaimed raising her voice. "I..."
He waited, knowing that he was right. She knew that she was the one who was right.
"I keep thinking about you," she said. "I can't get you out of my head. I can't even have sex with my husband without thinking about you. You...you've messed up my mind, okay! This is your fault. I thought things were getting better but they're not."
"My fault," he repeated her words slowly with a darkness his voice.
Adriana had nearly forgotten her own words. She hadn't planned anything. She just blurted everything out.
He stood up in front of her and suddenly she didn't feel so bold or angry. She felt small, vulnerable, and her heart was racing. It was desire.
"You make it sound as though I've done some horrible thing to you," he said.
"No..." Adriana said. "It wasn't horrible...it.."
"At least you can move forward," he said, his tone almost bitter. "You have found a husband, who you clearly love. Right?"
"Yes-" she said.
"Then be happy," he said. "You are not alone."
Adriana looked at the Joker as he turned away from her. He continued talking even though he faced the expansive empty part of the warehouse.
"You know something," he said. "I never minded being alone at all. It was actually quite nice. Not having anyone. And now..."
He turned back to her.
"You've destroyed that," he said. "Being alone never felt like anything in particular before you ruined things. It felt like nothing. Not good..not bad. The good old days before I met you. It was perfectly fine to be alone. Now it feels...eh...just a massive hellish...shitty...void. I am fucking empty. Do you know how long a day lasts when you're a void? All I have to remind me I'm really here is Arsenio. And even he...doesn't know who I am to him. If I died today, he would forget me by his next birthday."
Adriana could not utter a word. His words came out so sharply but with an openness she had never heard from him before. Despite that pain, he sounded strong and capable of coping with it all. He didn't sound depressed. He didn't sound emotional. He mainly sounded impatient with her. He sounded like a realist.
She felt like he had enhanced the original version of herself and she missed the feeling he gave her. He had taken her to a place she wanted to return to and be in forever. He felt that his original self was gone and was left unreplaced. Working on changing all images of himself did not help that feeling. He felt that he had faded away into nothing, and he blamed her. He talked to Dr. Kapoor about it regularly. He was sure that was the only way that he was able to express it to Adriana so clearly.
"So forgive my lack of sympathy for your..." he said and turned back to her. "Marital problems."
He walked past her and back over to his computer.
Adriana didn't know what to say. Her problems felt small. She did not feel empty. Her life felt full and whole...complete. She had love, family, and her child.
"If you don't want to be in my presence anymore then so be it," he said. "However, I am completing this project. If anyone is to step down, it will have to be you."
Adriana said nothing and sat down in front of her computer. She turned it on and began to work quietly.