((Sorry about the extremely long wait on this one, guys. Hope you all enjoy! Thanks to all my reviewers/fans!))

3. Stockholm?

As Qwinn's eyes locked with Joker's, her mind flashed back to the time she'd first seen him. Her mother had taken her out of the house without informing her father. They had just gotten out of the bank and were heading down the street when someone's shoulder bumped into Qwinn's. She had looked up to yell at the man, but she lost her voice when she saw his face; a white painted face, black around the eyes, and bright red lips that extended with seemingly large scars that began at the corners of his mouth. He had glared right back at her and for a moment it seemed that everything had frozen around them.

"Didn't I tell you not to gag her?"

Qwinn was brought out from her reverie when Joker spoke, his attention now focused on his henchmen. She had a feeling she knew what was coming next.

"Sorry boss, we didn't want her to scre-"

The henchman's words were cut short when Joker pulled a gun from his purple suit and shot both of the men that had ridden in the back with Qwinn. She hadn't flinched, her prediction having been correct.

Joker sighed and climbed into the back of the van, moving to Qwinn and removing the gag. He picked her up and flung her over his shoulder, carrying her out of the van and into a building nearby.

"Three, two-" an explosion sounded from outside, shaking the building a bit, "one."

He didn't say anything to Qwinn just yet, humming some odd tune as he carried her through the halls. She had plenty to say to him, though she knew well she couldn't voice most of those things.

"I'd ask what the point of that was, but I think I should be more persistent in finding out exactly why you kidnapped a sixteen-year-old home-schooled nobody. So, why did you kidnap me?" Qwinn asked, trying hard and somehow managing to keep her excitement from showing through her voice. She couldn't help but crack a tiny smirk. He couldn't see her face at the moment anyway.

"Why? Why indeed. Don't be impatient, you'll find out soon enough," the Joker replied before suddenly dumping her hard on her rear onto a metal fold-up chair.

Qwinn glared up at him when he stood in front of her. She wasn't the least bit afraid of what he might be plotting. He was hardly predictable.

"I think it's been "soon enough". Are you going to tell me now or do I have to pry more?" Qwinn asked before smirking slightly. "You are a man of your word, after all."

"You make a very good point. But I don't recall saying that I was going to tell you. I said you'd find out. See, I'd prefer…" the Joker pulled a knife from his violet jacket and held it out for her to see, "to show you."

"Bah, screw your technicalities…" Qwinn muttered before sticking her tongue out at him. She didn't have time to retract it, as Joker caught it with a gloved hand and held it tightly in between his fingers. Qwinn merely looked annoyed up at him.

The Joker grinned down at her, lowering the knife to her tongue. She could taste the metal of the blade, warm from being tucked inside his jacket. She glanced at it before looking up at him expectantly. If he was going to cut her tongue off, he should just do it. That most certainly wouldn't kill her, so there wouldn't be any revealing of her true nature. Not to mention the only emotion he'd have to savor was her annoyance. Dragging it out was pointless as far as Qwinn saw it.

The Joker seemed to share her opinion. He glared down at her, though the look in his eyes seemed a mixture of annoyance, disappointment, and...Was that interest?

Qwinn didn't have time to study the emotion, for the blade suddenly cut into her tongue, making her flinch. It wasn't a deep cut, but enough to bleed for quite a while. Joker pulled the blade away from her face for a moment. She broke eye contact with him to turn her head and spit blood on the floor. She was about to do it again when he grabbed her face and turned it back to him. Suddenly, he was down to her level, his face merely inches from hers. Just what was he trying to pull by cutting her tongue and invading her personal space anyway? Not that she minded…

Joker raised the blade up again, this time holding it by her cheek.

"You wanna know how I got these scars?" he asked.

"Your father was an alcoholic and got so bad one night that your mother tried to defend herself with a butcher knife. Didn't work and he asked you "why so serious" and cut your mouth open," Qwinn recited as if she'd heard the story a thousand times. "Or, your wife got in too deep with loan sharks, and they cut her like that," she nodded towards his face. "So you used a razor to cut yourself, but she left you because she couldn't stand the sight of you. The funny part of that story is she told you to stop worrying and to smile more and now you're always smiling."

Qwinn took a deep breath, having recited those tales quite fast. The Joker seemed baffled for a moment. He lowered the knife and stood up. He looked at her now with curiosity. The interest she thought she'd seen before was back. She smirked up at him.

"Why so serious?" she asked, letting her excitement finally slip through again.

"…You have Stockholm, don't ya?" the Joker finally asked. "It's a little soon for that, don't ya think?"

Qwinn frowned then, turning her head to spit out more blood from her tongue. "It's not Stockholm syndrome, I can promise you that. I just pay attention."

"Look at me…" he said as she went to go spit again. He didn't have to ask twice or yell at her like most of his other victims. She locked her cold grey eyes with him as soon as he'd gotten the words out. This girl was either lying about having Stockholm or really wasn't afraid of him at all.

As if she could read his mind, Qwinn said, "Any more tests of my bravery or are you convinced that I'm not scared? Is that what this is all about? Some mob-brat calls you a reject circus clown who puts Grandma's make-up on wrong and you kidnap her because she isn't afraid of you? I'm surprised that even got back to you."

"It was one of my former flunkies you told that to. You're a very peculiar girl, Qwinneth," Joker replied, sitting on the ground in front of her.

She smirked when he said her name. Music to her ears, even though she hated the name. "Call me Qwinn, please."

"Qwinn please? That's a very odd nickname," Joker said, though he was clearly just trying to get a rise out of her now. Her lack of fear and seeming knowledge about him intrigued him. How did she know the stories he'd told people about his scars? Why wasn't she afraid of him? He was damned sure he'd find out soon.

"Haha, very cute…" Qwinn spat out more blood off to the side. "Mister J."

"Mister J?" Joker asked, puzzling over her nickname for him. He thought about it and determined he didn't mind it. "I like that," he confirmed with a nod.

"Good, because that's what I'll be calling you most of the time from now on."

"You plan on living past tonight?"

"Oh I know I will. I can tell by the look in your eyes. You might be unpredictable, and maybe I'm wrong, but for now, you have no intention of killing me."

"You're very perceptive for a sixteen year old nobody."

"I pride myself in being weird, thanks."

Joker was silent for a while, studying her carefully. For once, he didn't know what he wanted to do with his victim. Could she even be called that? She seemed to enjoy his presence. She wasn't scared like all the others. She never trembled, never averted her gaze other than to spit away from him. She only glared or smirked at him, the latter being a completely new reaction out of all the people he'd caught and threatened. Her lack of concern for her life and her obvious interest in him made him feel the same towards her. Where did she get so ballsy?

"Daydreaming?"

Her voice broke through his thoughts. He blinked a few times before shaking his head.

"You've really thrown me for a loop, kid. You're confusing," Joker said, standing up.

"Why? Because I admire you and show no fear of dying? There, I said it. I wasn't lying when I said it wasn't Stockholm. I've liked you and what you do since-"

"I ran into you before I robbed that mob bank!" Joker suddenly shouted, the memory hitting him full swing. He remembered her eyes and how they'd locked with his. She wasn't afraid of him then, he realized, just as she wasn't now.

Qwinn smirked and nodded. "Indeed you did. That's what I was about to mention…"

Joker pulled the knife up again, moving towards her. She half expected to get stabbed or given a Glasgow smile to match his, but instead he started cutting loose the ropes around her ankles. Once her legs were free, he moved behind her and cut her wrists free.

"I like you, Qwinn. You've got potential. I want to see that bloom. I'll let you live…" He walked around the chair and stopped in front of her. He bent over and put his face dangerously close to hers again before she could stand up. "For now. Don't disappoint me. I'm really quite tired of dealing with normal people. I'd like to see another wild card, like me, show up in the deck."

"And what would you have me do? Blow up a bus filled with innocent people?" Qwinn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"See! You're already on the right track!"