Chapter 12

Team

October

The small space echoed out with the dry wheezes of its captive, followed by low thumps from the erratic attack. The prisoner sputtered a call for help but was silenced by the clown's fists as he beat him again.

"Please, I don't know anything," the man heavily panted, thick blood oozing from his nose and mouth.

"No? A mobster like you doesn't know a thing?" the Joker toyed as he lightly smacked the man's face repeatedly. The man let out a sob as he lowered his head.

"Please," he cried. The Joker grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head up to face him.

"You're. Lying," he dementedly grinned down at him before throwing another hard punch to his face.

Rex and Ana stood by the door, wearing their clown masks, and holding their rifles. They were in the basement, in their new vault. The only furniture in this tiny windowless room was a chair that the victim was sitting on, a tin bucket and an old ratty mattress.

Ana silently watched as the clown tormented a member of Maroni's group. He wanted answers about the mob's recent activities and the newly discovered mole in his gang. The henchman appeared terrified, Ana knew that she would feel the same way in his place, at the hands of chaos incarnate.

The Joker's grin grew impossibly wide as he lurched forwards towards the prisoner and grasped the back of their head with one hand and revealed a knife with the other.

"I don't like liars," the Joker giggled as he pressed the knife to the henchman's cheek. As the tip pierced the skin, a small drop of blood trickled down their face. The man quivered as he let out a yelp, causing the Joker to giggle harder.

"Leave us," the Boss commanded whilst staring at his captive with wide excited eyes.

Ana and Rex looked at each other, before exiting the room. As Ana closed the door, she locked eyes with the pleading man knowing that this will probably be the last time she sees him alive. She's grown numb over the years when taking a life, a skill only learnt if in her profession for so long she assumed.

Ana and Rex silently took off their masks and walked down the concrete corridor, towards the stairs to the ground floor. Ana walked behind the brute, watching his movements.

"Does it make you nervous?" she smirked. Rex let out a sarcastic chuckle and turned around.

"Does what make me nervous?" he asked, twisting the rifle that was strapped around him to his back.

"The Joker's getting closer to the truth," Ana stepped towards him. "He's going to find out what you are," Ana growled.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rex scoffed.

"Sure you do," Ana squared up to the taller man. "The schemer," she aggressively prodded his chest, "The mole," she pressed again, "The pathetic coward," she whispered. Rex's smirk dropped.

"Listen bitch, I'm not the mole. If I was, you'd already be dead," he snarled as he leaned closer to her.

"I don't know why the Boss hasn't done anything yet, but when he does, I'll be watching from the front row," she darkly lowered her voice. "I'll watch him tear up that pretty face," she eerily smiled as she stroked Rex's cheek.

Rex let out an irritated growl as he fiercely slapped her hand away and violently shoved her against the wall. Ana let out a sharp inhale as her body slammed into the concrete. Rex harshly pressed his forearm into her and grabbed her throat.

"Watch your mouth, whore," he snarled as he gripped tighter. "There's no one here to protect you," he shook his grasp for emphasis.

"Do it," she wheezed, "Kill me. Then they'll see what you are," she coughed. Rex glared at her breathing heavily as he decided on his next move.

Ana let out a broken chuckle at his uncertainty. She grabbed his tensed upper arms to steady herself, and then swiftly gave one hard kick to his groin. He let out a groan as he keeled over.

As she was released, she watched him try to recover from the pain radiating from between his legs. She considered the urge to end his life at his opportune moment as she fiddled with a knife in her blazer pocket. She let out a sigh as she knew it would make the gang more suspicious of her too.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, before quickly walking away. As she moved up the stairs, she smirked and pulled out her stash of coke.

November

The van grumbled as it slowly made its way down the hidden alley towards the base. Ana, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced over to Duncan who was driving. He glanced back at her and gave a cheeky smile causing Ana to let out a playful laugh.

As they passed the gate, a henchman who was dressed in a thick coat and gloves stood up from a cold, misplaced chair and closed it behind them. The metal-wired gate scraped across the snow on the ground until it closed shut.

As Duncan parked the van, Ana hopped out and surveyed her surroundings. She pulled her black coat tighter as she felt the cold creep in. The pair both made it to the back doors of the van, ready to unload.

Duncan glanced back at the henchman at the gate and noted how he had sat back down and was facing away from them. Satisfied the coast was clear, Duncan pushed Ana back against the van door. She chuckled as he drew closer to her and kissed her intensely. His hand was on her cheek whilst she wrapped her arms around his back. As they parted Ana let out an escaped giggle.

"What was that for?" she smiled.

"I just felt like it," he smirked as he pecked her again before they continued unloading the van. They hauled out two wooden crates from the back, and headed towards the entrance to the hideout, fresh snow crunching beneath them. Ana carried the lighter one, which contained hot-off-the-press power station uniforms that their favourite illicit merchant, Gabe, managed to acquire for them.

"It's a shame that we've had to push back the power station heist, again," Ana spoke, walking behind Duncan. The plan has been postponed twice now, first because of the mob attack last month, and the second due to the weather.

"We can't have everyone climbing up power lines in the snow," Duncan responded.

"The news is saying that it may snow well into the new year," Ana queried as they walked down the alley towards the front door.

"Yeah, I guess in the meantime we will just have to stick to smaller jobs," Duncan shrugged as he turned to face Ana and used his back to push open the entrance.

As they wandered in, the space seemed silent. Ana's eyes flickered around the room and landed on something strange lying at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh my god," she breathed, causing Duncan to follow her gaze to the mound on the floor. Allie appeared unconscious, laying on her front on the wooden floor, her feet were raised from the bottom step, and she had a gash on her forehead along with bruising around her eye.

"Allie!" Ana called as she dropped what she was carrying and sprinted over to her. Ana carefully rested her hand on Allie's neck and felt for a pulse. Before she could confirm if she was alive, Allie made a groggy moan as she woke up.

"Don't move, you've fallen down the stairs," Ana soothed as she stroked Allie's hair. Ana searched for answers on how this happened, her eyes frantically zigzagging up each step of the L-shaped stairs. At the top of the stairs, she locked onto a figure watching her. The Joker was leaning against the wall and sucking his scars, appearing unamused.

"I'm okay," Allie winced as she sluggishly pressed her hands into the ground and pushed herself up.

"Ana," Duncan lowered his voice as he also clocked the Joker observing them.

"I've got you," Ana breathed as she chose to ignore the Joker and help Allie stand up. Once Allie was up, Ana linked arms with her and carefully guided her to the kitchen through the door at the back of the room. Ana looked back at a confused Duncan and shook her head, signalling him not to follow her and to continue his job.

The Joker let out an empty scoff and went back to his space, down the corridor and towards the upper floor.

Ana sat Allie down on the ratty plastic furniture in the kitchen, grabbed a cold can of soda from the fridge and gave it to the shaky girl. Allie placed it against her head, hissing at the sting.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

"What happened, Allie?" Ana asked as she leaned closer.

"Nothing really, it was my fault," Allie muttered, not wanting to look at Ana out of shame.

"How?" Ana breathed.

"I don't know, I must have annoyed him. I should know better," Allie scorned herself.

"The Joker?" Ana searched for confirmation.

"Yeah," Allie sighed, briefly glancing up at Ana.

"Why did he push you down the stairs? I thought you guys had a 'special connection'," Ana recollected from a previous conversation the two women had.

"I thought we did, but it just feels like…" Allie trailed off, clearly not wanting to have this conversation out of fear of being mocked. Ana let out a sigh and rested her hand on Allie's knee.

"Allie, listen to me. You can talk to me. You've been here for a few months now, but I've been here for years. I've seen it all," Ana reassured. Allie stared at Ana's hand and then glanced back up at her.

"It's just… I think he's lost interest. It feels like he only wanted me to fulfil a need that he had temporarily, but now he's moved on to another project," Allie shrugged.

"The Joker can get fixated on ideas and think of nothing else. When the Batman disappeared, he was a mess. Completely obsessed with finding him and drawing him out. Nothing else mattered, not even food," Ana explained.

"Wow," Allie breathed.

"He's calmed down about that now, but sometimes he still speaks about it," Ana drifted off, then drew the conversation back to Allie. "So, if you aren't going to be so… involved with the Joker," Ana carefully chose her words, "You need to think, why are you here?" she explained.

"What do you mean?" Allie cocked her head to the side.

"Well, why did you choose to work here in the first place? It can't all just be about the Boss," Ana clarified.

"I'm not sure, it looked exciting, I guess. To be taken seriously even feared. No one ever takes me seriously," Allie fiddled with the label on the can of soda. Ana could understand why Allie struggles to be taken seriously, considering her sweet and bubbly nature. "When my J… I mean the Joker asked me to join his team, it was thrilling to be a bad guy," Allie let a smile escape. Ana let out a scoff in agreeance.

"Is that crazy?" Allie asked.

"No," Ana chuckled. "Everyone has a dark side, but only a few come face to face with it. If you do face it, you either deny it completely or accept it and let it be a part of you," Ana advocated. Allie nodded as she slowly understood what she meant, realising the Joker's offer to join the team was her moment of being face-to-face with her darkness and accepting its existence.

"When did you face yours?" Allie asked. Ana gave a little smirk and then flicked her hair as she contemplated her response.

"See my darkness was a little different. I accepted it, but it didn't become a part of me. It became me. I let it take over," Ana stood up and made her way to the fridge to grab herself a beer.

"How so?" Allie asked, watching her from across the room. Ana let out a drawn-out sigh before turning around.

"Before I met the Joker. Before the drugs. Before all of this." Ana signalled to the room, "I was working in Sales. Can you believe it? I had a steady office job, a decent salary, an average life. But there was this darkness inside me that I couldn't shake off," Ana shook her head and took a sip from her drink.

"It made me anxious all the time, to the point where my mind would just go into overdrive. Then I would get so sad that I could hardly move," Ana stared at the ground as she remembered the overwhelming feelings and felt a sudden weight in her chest.

"I turned to alcohol at first to try and take the edge off and to calm myself. But when that wasn't enough, I tried drugs. It's crazy how quickly things start to spiral out of your control when you get hooked," Ana laughed as she pulled out her stash from her pocket and started playing with it in her palm.

"So how did you meet the Joker?" Allie curiously questioned. Ana walked back to her chair.

"I had lost everything. A few arguments between colleagues, friends… family. They all left. I was alone, alone with a pile of coke. I was living in a shelter, I had no job, no money, I had nobody. Then I couldn't even afford the drugs," Ana placed her sachet on the table and sat back in her chair.

"The pain was so immense; I think I was going through withdrawal. My mind just wouldn't stop racing, and my body ached so much. I just wanted it to stop. I didn't want to die, but I just wanted the pain to stop. Just so I could breathe again," Ana exhaled her last sentence as she felt herself well up. She looked over to Allie, who was returning her gaze with her big puppy dog eyes. Ana let out a sigh.

"That's when I threw myself into the harbour," Ana simply stated, causing Allie to shift uncomfortably in her chair. "But the Joker saved me, he got Duncan to rescue me and offered me a job. But joining his team just allowed my darkness to take over again, but this time it's allowed me to grow and transform into who I am today," Ana leant back in her chair. "That person I was before doesn't exist anymore, even if I wanted her back sometimes," she mumbled.

"Wow, I had no idea," Allie lightly smiled. Ana snapped out of her storytelling.

"Well, you never asked," Ana smiled and winked. The women sat and chatted for a while longer, nursing their drinks. After the conversation started to come to an end, Allie carefully contemplated her next sentence.

"Maybe I'll get the Joker's attention again," she avoided eye contact as she spoke. Ana let out a condescending chuckle and shook her head.

"There's more to all this than just fucking the Boss, but if that's what you want to do then I'm not going to stop you," Ana lazily raised her hands as if she was at gunpoint. She didn't see the point in trying to convince Allie again. She liked the girl but knew that she would be wasting her breath.

Ana stood up and finished her beer. She rested her hand on Allie's shoulder and leaned in.

"Just be careful," she softly smiled down at Allie, who returned her gesture and nodded her head.

December

"But I thought that's what you wanted?" squealed Allie as she was curled up on the floor of the lounge. The Joker stormed over to her and carelessly kicked her in the stomach, letting out a high-pitched giggle as he watched her squirm.

"Your interfering in my plans almost delayed our little power plant trip, again," the Joker growled as he loomed over Allie.

Other henchmen awkwardly watched Allie surrender to the Joker, as they tried to ignore what was happening and continue about their jobs. Ana and Charles were sat on a new sofa that a few of the men had found down the alley a few weeks back. Charles was wiring up a small device that sat on his lap, while Ana was carefully taking apart a circuit board for more components. Ana glanced over at the pair, knowing that she could not intervene.

"I'm sorry J," Allie cried. The Joker watch her as tears trickled down her face.

"Oh no," he cackled, "Oh shh shh shh," he mocked as he leaned down and wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Do you understand now?" he cocked his to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Boss," Allie nodded as she sat up properly.

"Good girl," the Joker smirked as he raised her chin with his gloved hand, "My sweet little Allie," he grinned at her. Allie's eyes suddenly switched from teary to excitement as she once again melted into his grasp.

"Yes J?" she asked with anticipation. The Joker let out a chuckle as he extended his hand out to her. Allie eagerly grabbed his hand and was helped up off the floor.

"Follow me," he purred at her, leading her out of the room and away from the others.

Ana watched as they left the room and headed upstairs.

"What the fuck?" Ana breathed.

"What was that?" Charles looked over at her, thinking she was talking to him. Ana snapped her head at him and realised she had spoken out loud.

"I just don't get them," Ana shook her head.

"You're not supposed to," Charles simply said as he delicately continued his work.

"But what is this thing that the Boss has about Allie? Is he just playing with her, or does he actually care?" Ana asked as she shifted her position to engage with Charles and encourage him to speak more.

"No idea," Charles shrugged. Ana let out an annoyed sigh as she watched him ignore her and continue wiring the device.

"You know, some of the guys think that because you've worked with the Joker for so long, you knew him before he… became the Joker," Ana pried.

"Do they now?" Charles uninterestedly spoke as he focused on connecting a copper wire to the base of the device.

"It's been almost 11 years, right? You must know the most about him?" Ana continued to push, but Charles simply ignored her questions. Ana looked around the room and leaned in.

"I mean, what was he like before all of this? Has he actually ever been romantic with anyone?" Ana asked. Charles kept silent.

"You know, he once told my old neighbour about a past time when he was in the army. I've heard a lot of different stories about his scars, but I've never heard that one before," Ana thought out loud as she gazed out of the room. She turned back around to see Charles staring at her.

"What?" she squeaked. There was a moment of silence as Charles hesitated.

"11 years is a long time. Of course, I know a thing or two about him," he started. Ana leaned in curiously. "But I'll take that to the grave," he smirked. Ana instantly sat back in aggravation and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Fine, suit yourself," Ana moaned as she reached into her pocket and took out her favourite powder. Charles looked down at her stash and then glanced up at her.

"How often are you using these days?" he asked.

"I don't know, a fair amount I guess," Ana shrugged as she fiddled with the packet, trying to open it.

"It's been a lot more recently, hasn't it?" he queried.

"I guess," Ana shrugged again.

"Have you ever considered stopping?" he continued to push.

"Yeah, I suppose," Charles could sense that Ana was immediately shutting down the conversation. He knew it was none of his business, plus he didn't want to get involved, but he couldn't stop himself.

"Did I ever tell you about my daughter?" he asked.

"Boy, you really are a quiet one. How have I never heard about your daughter?" Ana chuckled.

"Probably because she's dead," he abruptly remarked. Ana froze as she opened her stash.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" she started.

"Why? It's not your fault. It's that stuff's fault," Charles nodded to the powder in her hands.

"She was having a hard time, and her love for that stuff just got out of control. Then one day we found her on the floor of her bedroom, covered in vomit. She had OD'd," Charles recounted as he kept strong eye contact with Ana. Ana looked away and swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Well, I'm sorry that happened to your daughter, but that won't happen to me, besides I always have an EpiPen nearby just in case," Ana spoke proudly. Charles held his stare as he observed her naivety.

"Isn't that already a sign that you've gone too far?" he asked. Ana's face slowly dropped at the realisation. She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat, looking away from her apparent mirror.

She let out a long exhale through her nose.

"Shall we get on with these converters?" she decided to change the subject and continue with her work. Charles nodded, letting out a grunt before going back to wiring his device.

Ana glanced back at the older man and put her stash back into her pocket.

Christmas

"Well, happy Christmas," Duncan scoffed as he looked down at his watch striking midnight and squinted up into the night sky, seeing thousands of flickering snowflakes float their way towards the empty streets of Gotham.

"What's so happy about it?" Ana grumbled as she strolled beside him, pushing her freezing hands into her coat pockets as her boots crunched along the snowy pavements.

"Oh cheer up," Duncan mocked as he lightly nudged her.

"It's been almost 3 months since I lost my flat, and I'm still living with the Joker," Ana skimmed the vacant streets for any eavesdroppers.

"Yeah, but at least a few of us are there too," Duncan corrected.

"True," Ana nodded her head as she glanced at her lover. "I suppose I do have you," she cheekily smirked.

"That's very true," Duncan chuckled as he stopped and turned to face her. Ana halted in her tracks as she addressed him.

"It's funny how much can change in a year," Ana stepped towards him and placed her hands on his covered chest.

"This time last year we were just having some fun," Duncan reminisced.

"And now…" Ana started as she looked up at him. He looked down at her and gazed into her eyes as the snowflakes started to scatter into her hair and fade away.

"And now," Duncan softly squeezed both of her upper arms and smiled. Ana felt a smile escape, causing her to lightly chuckle. Seeing her softer side return again churned these mutual feelings of admiration and vulnerability. Duncan was proud to be the one that she opened up to, especially in times of uncertainty.

He pulled her into a kiss, wrapping his warm arms around her back as she move her hands up from his chest to below his jawline. They deepened their kiss, feeling the intense heat from one another whilst small flickers of frozen snowflakes fell onto their faces.

As Ana leaned back, feeling a sudden craving tingle in her fingertips, she felt sad. She pulled away and took out a sachet of cocaine from her coat pocket. Duncan confusingly looked down at her hand.

"You don't need it," he breathed.

"I know, I've been thinking recently," Ana sighed, their cold breath dancing together in the snowfall. Ana stared at her stash and gave a final long exhale, then turned away from Duncan and walked towards a gutter that was slowly being shrouded with snow.

Ana looked down between the grates, into the darkness hiding the sewers beneath. With one final hesitation, she flipped her hand upside down, dropping her sachet down the drain and out of her reach.

Duncan watched in disbelief as she turned back and casually strolled toward him.

"I've got you," she smiled.

New Year

The hideout was filled with music, laughter and chatter. A rare sight, as the henchmen were all gathered in the lounge, celebrating the turning of the new year. Ana and Allie were dancing together as some unfamiliar but catchy song was playing whilst Charles, Duncan and George were laughing on the sofa as they drank one-too-many beers. Other henchmen were standing around chatting or playing blackjack around the table with Rex as the sly dealer.

The team were having the time of their lives. The music rang into the night as the alcohol flowed freely, and the pizza arrived promptly.

As the evening drew closer to midnight, the party started to shift. Ana leaned against the lounge doorframe, holding her glass of red wine. She dazedly observed the room, watching the blackjack game get rowdy and other conversations get louder and mannish. Her eyes flickered to a passed-out Duncan and Allie on the sofa, with Allie resting on his arm as they were taken over by their overpowering drinks. Ana shook her head and let out a chuckle.

Deciding to leave the party, Ana grabbed an untouched bottle of red wine from the kitchen and headed upstairs.

Ana was starting to get used to the hideout and its new location. A while back she found a pleasant secret on the top floor, up a hidden staircase, leading to the attic.

As she climbed up the wooden stairs, she saw across the room a large hole in the sloped ceiling that revealed the crisp night air. With her glass and bottle of wine in one hand, and Winston resting on her in the other, she walked underneath the jagged hole and perched herself on some old forgotten boxes.

Pouring herself another glass of wine, she contemplated how she may have the best view to welcome in the new year. Winston began to purr as he curled up on her lap.

"Good boy Winston," she smiled as she stroked the cat. She felt her hand shudder unintentionally, recognizing it as a symptom of withdrawal she shook out her hand and looked up to the blank sky.

"Evening," a familiar raspy voice reached out behind her. Ana looked back and watched the Joker stroll into the attic.

"Evening, Boss," Ana nodded and sipped her wine.

"What brings you up here?" the Joker asked as he strolled towards where she was sitting.

"Thought I'd get a view of the fireworks," Ana raised her glass to the gaping hole in the ceiling. The Joker glanced up at the starless sky and nodded. "Not joining the party?" she asked, aware that the Joker hadn't attended.

"I don't do parties," he grumbled as he sat down on an old wooden trunk beside Ana and looked up at the night again. He noticed the bottle of wine on the floor and immediately picked it up and took a large swig. Ana didn't take any notice.

"So, what's your uh… new year's resolution then?" he jested as he cocked his head to the drunken girl.

"I don't know, perhaps a new outlook," Ana looked down at her drink, "I stopped using, you know," she slurred. The Joker raised an eyebrow.

"Is that right? Well, I'll be. I wonder how long you'll last?" he scoffed as he swigged the bottle again. Ana let out a grunt as she also wondered about this too.

"What about you?" she asked leaning back on her arm and taking a gulp of her beverage.

"Another year, another 365 chances to upset the established order with pandemonium?" he giggled.

"You do that every year," Ana laughed, noticing that her inhibitions were lowering from the wine but didn't much care as the Joker seemed to be in a tame mood tonight.

"It depends on the outlook," the Joker grinned as he raised his finger to emphasise his point. "Blowing up hospitals and tussling with the mob, same old antics, same old chaos. But what if it was something new, something they never thought possible," he tilted his head eying Ana as she watched him.

"Well, here's to a new outlook all around then," Ana lifted her glass jokingly. The Joker lifted his bottle slightly in response before they both took a sip.

"Here's something I never thought possible, you and Allie," Ana smirked. The Joker let out a chuckle at the drunken girl's candidness. "What's that about?" she grimaced.

"Similar to you and dear old Dunkin Donuts, I imagine," the Joker shot back. Ana froze as she had not realised the Boss knew about them. She went to speak but couldn't think of what to say.

"But maybe not," the Joker giggled, "Just another jester," he looked up at the open ceiling.

"Jester?" Ana questioned.

"You know, I thought it was a good idea at first, a good hand to play," the Joker scoffed, "But now, I don't think I had the right cards," he looked down at the bottle before taking another sip.

"She could be a great member of your team, you know? If she wasn't completely distracted and infatuated with you," Ana locked eyes with the Joker. The Joker let out a cackle towards her bluntness

"Ah, a member of my team, my gang, my squad, a loyal bunch, aren't you?" he smirked eying Ana up and down.

"Of course, boss," Ana let out a scoff as she finished her wine. She glanced at her phone in her blazer pocket and saw it declare 23:59. She reached out her empty glass to the Joker, signalling him to fill her glass with her wine. He rolled his eyes and obeyed, pouring hers to the top.

"Any minute now," Ana nodded to the sky.

"And here we go," the Joker watched.

As the clock struck midnight, the neighbouring streets of Gotham rang out in cheer and celebration. The starless sky started to whistle as fireworks were launched, followed by loud piercing explosions across the sky. Reds, greens, and yellows flashed, illuminating the night, and filling the attic with bright colourful hues.

Ana and the Joker watched the show. Ana knew that she had chosen the best seats for the firework display. Feeling proud of herself, she glanced over at the Joker.

"To opportunity," Ana toasted, raising her glass at the Joker.

"To anarchy," the Joker smirked as they clinked their beverages together and went back to watching the fireworks.