So I know I said I was going to keep going with this and I am! But as a sequel instead. So this will be the last chapter of Circus Initiation :) I hope it doesn't disappoint anyone.. as a side note I went back and reread my Harley chapters, i was so mean to her. I was trying to show that Joker picked and chose which people got what personality and what treatment from him. That was before suicide squad when i fell in love with her. This Harley in my story is based on the video game Batman: arkham knight I think but I could be wrong anyway she's a little more high pitched and less lovable i think haha. But anyway I apologize for any grammatical errors or misspellings..and I hope you enjoy.
(Scarecrow)
Five minutes. He kept checking the digital clock on Sebastians nice expensive desk and flexed his neck through the soreness of the punctures. In five minutes it would beep and push a needle into his skin on the left side. He would have to jerk his head back as far as he could at the right moment. He had missed the last two times. This time he was getting out. The clock read 2:59 a.m..one minute to go. He took a couple of deep breaths hoping he wouldnt get his jugular pierced in a matter of seconds. The small beep sounded and he jerked back as far as the collar would allow...
The needle still pierced him but not in the same spot. Jonathan braced himself through the pain and jerked his neck forward..the needle snapped off..still lodged in the safe part of his throat. With shaking hands, he pulled it out of his flesh and began to pick at the cracks on the collar..he obviously hadnt been the first to wear it.
It gave a click after a few minutes and Jonathan ran to the mans desk. He had watched him put the core in here somewhere..remembered the way it glowed and pulsed as though it were calling to him. He could feel it vibrating under the wood. Reaching for the drawer he found it locked. He stared angrily at the handle and pulled again ..harder..slower..jonathan released a breath and the metal handle began to groan and then...SNAP!
His dead heart began to pound away..that was not normal to snap off the metal handle and lock like that. It slid open and the pulsing fist sized core was glowing a deep emerald. Now to make his escape... oh no..the noise of the elevator coming down had him looking around for somewhere to hide. Jonathan ducked behind a desk and wiped the blood from his neck. The elevator opened and Samuel walked out and through the doorway to where his empty cage sat. Crane jumped up ,sliding into the elevator and pushing the up button at almost the same time.
"Hey!" Samuel yelled, startled for just a moment but it was all he needed. The doors dinged shut and up he went...
"Dad?" The oldest boy called at the sound of the elevator. "You didnt finish already?" Jonathan stood deadly still until the boy rounded the corner. Taking him by surprise, Jonathan swung the needle with all his might into the boys side. While he staggered against the wall in shock and pulled it out, Jonathan swung the front door open and collided with a Redheaded girl on the front steps...
(Riley)
"Ow!" She cried out as she was knocked to the cold, stone ground. Joker giggled above her and she got a good look at the man who had fallen on her. He looked familiar...
"Joker..," He gasped around his punctured and bleeding neck. "Run!" Joker grabbed the pulsing green object he must have dropped.
"The core..," He mumbled and shoved it into a coat pocket.
They both stood in time to hear a huge crash come from inside the house. Riley backed away to run..her flight instincts kicking in.
"Alex?" The clown asked him.
"She's not in there..we need to go. We're no match for them!" His hair was disheveled and falling into his panic stricken eyes.
The joker turned his attention on her and she flinched under his frightening gaze. She felt him slip the core into her jacket pocket.
"Take him and that to your house. Hide it somewhere good." He growled and he didnt need to tell her twice.
"I can help you." The man told the Joker but he was shaking his head making his green curls bounce lightly.
"You need to keep that safe. I have a feeling we're going to neeeedd it."
The man nodded and took hold of Riley's wrist before he dragged her past the front yard. Right before they rounded the corner to the street she looked back and saw the clown being lifted and thrown through the air! He managed to twist slightly and land on a knee and a hand instead of outright falling.
"Where is your home?!" The man half yelled and half drug her away from the bangs and sounds of fighting. Riley suddenly realized they were running the wrong direction and she laced her fingers through his. She lead the way..pulling him towards a not so expensive side of town with her heart in her throat.
When she reached her home she gave a huge sigh of relief that her mother still wasnt there and they caught their breath standing outside in the cold. Riley looked up at him.
"Who are you? You look familiar."
His fingers touched his throat gently and they came back wet with fresh blood.
"Dr. Jonathan Crane..former Arkham employee, at your service." He grunted a little sarcastically and Riley rolled her eyes.
"Come in and we can fix up your neck and so I can hide this thing." She unlocked the door with shaky hands and let them in. Her cat growled at them from the back of the couch but made no move towards them.
Jonathan had walked right past her..grabbed a random washcloth from the laundry pile and dabbed either side of his neck.
"Do you think Joker can handle himself?" She whispered to him..he was terrifying ,that clown, but she knew her best friend loved him..knew they were sort of..together, and he had stayed so they could get away. Her hand reached into her pocket and pulled out the glowing shape..she knew just where she could hide it..under the loose floorboards beneath her bed.
"Absolutely not..we're going to have to call in help and lay low." He grabbed her cordless home phone off the wall, leaving a little smear of blood there. She mentally reminded herself to wipe it off before her mother showed up.
"Kane " Jonathan said into the reciever. "Wake up! Never mind how I got the number..,!" Riley left him to scream into the phone..his voice had started to get raspy. She instead hurried to the hiding spot so even he wouldnt know where it was. After the core was safely tucked away it finally hit her where she knew Jonathan from. That news story of his remains being found in a box..or some of them at least. She bit her lip and pictured the way the core had been glowing and pulsing in her hand. Something big was going to happen..she could feel it.
(Alex)
I walked beside Seth along the back way to his rich neighborhood up in the hills..I was starting to regret not calling a Taxi or an Uber. The closer to his street we got the more he flexed his fingers causing them to glow at odd times.
"Im sure this machine is somewhere in my dads basement lab..we're just going to have to get around him and my brother somehow..."He sounded completely nervous and I felt it but one of us had to keep it together.
"No problem." I tried my hardest not to squeak. Hopefully they couldnt snap my neck with a flick of their fingers.. as we neared his mansion sounds of breaking glass and crunching metal reached our ears followed by grunts and yells.
A long cry of pain sounded very close by and Seth began to run.
"That was my brother!" He yelled back to me and I followed him rounding the corner into what I was sure used to be a fancy driveway. It was pure chaos inside..I saw Seth running up to the people fighting. As I got a little closer I realized with a horrible sinking feeling that it was Jack standing on one end of the destroyed and crumbled pavement. Part of their home was engulfed in flames in the background behind him and the smell of smoke finally hit my senses. Seths hands began to glow defensively and I rushed to Jack while he kept his brother busy. He didnt seem too shocked to see me there.
"What have you two been scheming, hmm?" He said playfully, still gripping his knife and I realized some of the red on his face was also blood and not just paint.
"We were going to destroy the machine..and Seth..," I turned to Seth and saw he had his brother restrained..his glowing hands had bent the metal rods from the porch into makeshift hand and feet cuffs. I wasnt sure if he could just get out with his own abilities..but I didnt plan to stick around and find out.
"Come on." I said to Jack.."lets go." I tugged him but his eyes were on Seth.
"They'll just follow us." He growled. Suddenly the front door was ripped away off the hinges with a crack of splintered wood. His father stepped out..no, his father hovered out a few inches above the ground but he was definitely not walking.
His hands were pulsing and suddenly the metal was being unwrapped from his brothers fists.
Seth looked like he could probably piss his pants all over again and I was surprised I already hadnt. There was no way he could do this alone and when would the violence stop? When someone died?
"Stay here." Joker said firmly and left me standing there..he ran up to Sebastian while Seth went for their father. The destroyed yard erupted into more chaos. Seth was thrown into the stone fountain with such force it crumbled and the water line broke spraying us all with water droplets. The earth suddenly started to rumble as Sebastian started to pull boulders from the ground causing small earthquakes before he threw them in Jack's direction one by one as though toying with him..then he smirked and threw one at me..I gasped and dove just out of reach of the boulder. Three more inches and it would have crushed my ankle. They couldnt do this..how were they supposed to fight when they were clearly at a disadvantage?!
"Alexandria!" I looked back towards the street and saw Kane squealing to a stop with Maroni in the passenger seat and Alfred in the back. He jumped out of the drivers seat and rushed to me. Maroni and Alfred were staring lost in the moment of watching the destruction happening before their eyes. Kane reached me and pressed a gun into my hand before running off and firing a warning shot at Sebastian. The elder brother backed away from Jack and Kane handed him an extra weapon as well. I made my way to Maroni and Alfred as Seth was dodging and desperately trying to keep his father busy.
"How long until Gordon and Batman show up?" I asked Alfred..all this noise was bound to have woken several neighbors even if they were farther apart up here in the hills.
"We shouldnt be here when they do." Was all Alfred said firmly.
"But we cant just leave them here to come after us..or others!" I had to yell over the rumbles and crashes behind me. We had to do something...and fast. There was a yell of pain and Seth fell back..bloody and beaten to the ground. He panted, covered in sweat and looked up as his dad stood over him. Surely he wouldnt kill his own son? Kane and Joker were both trying to get close enough to Sebastian without being knocked out themselves..
It was up to me. I had to do something! I looked around frantically and saw Seth's backpack where he dropped it on our way running to the scene. I hurried to it and looked inside..there were about twenty sticks of dynamite all taped and wrapped together in one giant bomb..and something else..a fresh syringe filled with a glowing green substance. Seth kept an extra on hand...the bomb was for the machine..no more machine no more powers. I picked it up in a shaky hand and I hesitated. I could level the playing field..up the advantage. The noise and booming shakes of the earth faded away as I slowly uncapped the needle...
(Seth)
This was it..the end. He had fought as hard as he could but his dad was stronger..he hurt all over and could feel his heart racing out of his chest. His dad looked down at him as the destroyed fountain rained down above them. Suddenly something else caught both of their attention immediately. A piercing female shriek broke through the early morning cold and Seth's heart sank. It was Alex screaming..had his brother gotten to her? Was she dying? Had he really failed so quickly?
"Foolish girl took a dose herself." His father said out loud more to himself than to Seth. He sat up and winced at the shooting pain down his leg..she didnt!? He watched her scream and writhe against the pavement and the memory of the first fire in his veins came flooding back..it only lasted a few minutes but he pitied her as he watched her in agony. She had done it to herself... he took her distraction to his advantage and kicked his father to the ground. Seth flexed his glowing fingers and lifted him into the air before tossing him into Sebastian. They collided with a yell and rolled a few feet away. The two old men by the car were surrounding Alex on the pavement and he just had to be patient..it wouldnt be long now.
(Alex)
The fire was going away..leaving my veins and I focused on Maroni and Alfred above me.
"What have you done?" Maroni muttered and I suddenly felt..strong. I sat up and flexed my fingers like Seth had..to my relief they glowed as well but not green like the others..it was more of a blue green a different tint. I located Sebastian and Samuel and raised my arm..testing the waters of the energy i could feel inside me. It pulsed and was pleasantly warm. The lightning like static energy that shot from my palm required more force and energy than I realized but it flew from me with such speed and force; they only had time to dodge before it crashed into the stone side of the building. It shattered with a loud rumble and bits of rubble rained down on them along with the fountain water. Here's to not getting myself killed, I thought and joined Seth.
(Joker)
He went to run to her side as she screamed on the icy black pavement but Kane held him back.
"Wait..look." His eyes frantically found her again and she had gone quiet..before slowly sitting up. She was okay! Relief flooded his system and then..she stood. What was she doing? Her arm lifted and..and..
"Move!" Kane yelled and dove for safety, yanking Joker to the ground with him. They turned in time to watch the ball destroy the stone home and they had to cover their eyes from the pebbles falling from the sky. When the rocks had stopped they both looked up. It was a sight to see.
Pants pisser and Alex were facing off head to head against the rest of the Bastionnes. They were all glowing and he couldnt believe what she had done..that she changed herself somehow. Now she was going to get herself hurt.
"Kane..," He said. "We have to get her." He looked to the Russian but he was already nodding his head.
"Yes..let us go, before the police and her father witness this."
They made it to Maroni and Alfred still by the car and watched Maroni take a shotgun out of the trunk before slapping a few grenades into the other twos hands.
"Make use of them." He said, leaning on his cane heavily. Butler and I will be here with the getaway car."
"Might need it." Kane said and Joker turned back to find his Alex fighting to the best of her new abilities. She was handling the older brother quite well.
"I taught her that move." The russian had chuckled as the boy was pegged to the ground with her knee firmly on his back. She looked up and looked around until she saw him..she gave a sheepish half smile and he could read her lips from there.
'I'm sorry. I love you.'
Before he could he even nod or say it back, Seth had been thrown roughly to the dirt and a sudden shock of green energy flew from Samuel's fingertips and the next thing he knew it had hit her from behind exactly where her heart would have been. Her smile faded and he watched her fall..fall to the ground with blank eyes and a dead stare.
"NO!" He yelled and was consumed with so many emotions but the greatest one won out of them all..fury. He ran to her and checked for a pulse in trembling hands but there wasnt one. He was afraid..he couldn't remember being afraid in so long.
He looked up and pointed the gun at Sebastian. Joker pulled the trigger. Samuel threw up his hand and the bullet stopped short just before it reached Sebastian's forehead. Seth took that moment to lift one of the metal pipes and send it flying towards their father. The metal pierced the mans back with an audible squishing sound exactly where he had hit Alex. Samuel Bastionnes eyes went wide and then he dropped like dead weight.
"What have you done?!" Sebastian yelled and went for his younger brother. They rose into the sky far above the rest of them and Joker just had to hope pants pisser could handle himself. He looked down at her..and got a sudden idea. There were faint sirens in the background but they would be gone before they arrived. He lifted her easily and carefully carried her to the car. Kane got into the front, Maroni into the passenger side leaving Joker and Alfred to hold her across their laps in the back.
"Go to the redheads..Rileys!" Joker snapped to Kane and they squealed off down the road. He closed her eyes and couldn't seem to stop petting her hair. She would be okay. He had an idea but they needed the core.
(Riley)
She was pacing back and forth from down the hallway to the kitchen and back again..it was almost daylight. Her mother would be getting off of work in a few hours and she would have to hide the ex doctor.
"They'll be okay." He said from the shadows of the living room couch. The cat had decided he liked the strange man and was purring next to his head. She turned and found his eyes reflecting in the dark...like the cats. Riley shivered slightly.
"Are you cold?" He asked suddenly and the question took her off guard.
"I..Im fine." She said. A sudden bang at the front door and it swung open. Alex's bodyguard held the door open and Joker carried in a limp Alex..too limp.
"Is..is she,?" Riley started to squeak.
"Grab the core." Kane told her and she nodded, running off and fetching it.
"Is she dead?" Riley asked when she returned and handed it to him.
Jonathan had stepped closer examining her paler than usual flesh and nodded. "Come on." He said gently to her. "Give them space to work."
Jonathan slipped a warm hand into hers and led her to her bedroom.
Riley allowed him to lead her more out of shock that her best friend was dead.
"He will bring her back." He said matter of factly.
"How?"
"Kind of like how he brought me back." He dropped her hand and looked around her painted walls.
"You are quite talented." Suddenly he released a poof of gas in her face! Riley squealed and felt herself falling. Dr. Crane caught her just before she saw black.
(Joker)
He had to make this work without the machine..but it wasnt the machine that brought people back. Thats what Samuel had wanted them to think. It was just this thing, he held up the glowing core and it seemed to glow even brighter the closer he brought it to Alex. He held onto it tighter..it was like it was pulling away from him. Suddenly it blazed so hot he had to let go but it didnt fall to the ground. Kane and himself watched it fly up and then hover over her chest. It began to descend where it sank beneath her skin without so much as a blemish..and then.. Alex shot straight up on the couch with her eyes wide open.
(Alex)
I was on Rileys sofa..had I dreamed it all? Dreamed...dying? My chest felt strange. A purple gloved hand rested over my own and I looked to my left at Joker. I took the moment to study his face..his eyes. He brought me back...I didnt say a word just brought my lips down to his and kissed him, kissed him like it really would be my last time. I tried to stay strong but my voice broke.
"I love you." I said to him. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tighter than he ever had.
"I love you so much, Doll. I really thought I had lost you."
"Almost." I sniffed and then we were kissing again. I didnt even care if Kane was watching.
Suddenly, a heat formed in my chest and I broke the kiss to tell them something was wrong. A sudden shock of energy bursted from me! The aqua wave hit Joker and Kane, flinging them all the way crashing into the kitchen! It flipped the coffee table and the cat ran hissing and spitting. Joker laughed from the kitchen floor.
"What was that?" Kane grunted as he stood. Scarecrow came running in at all the crashing sounds.
"Thought the police had found us."
I lifted my glowing hand in front of the three of them and the coffee table flipped itself back upright. They all stared a moment and suddenly it irritated me. I just wanted to go home and sleep.
"Where's Riley?" I asked everyone.
"Sleeping in her bed..she was very tired." Scarecrow answered and I got up to go check on her. As i walked to her bedroom I realized I didnt feel too different..besides my chest feeling a little heavier on the inside. She was neatly tucked into her bed and I gave a sigh of relief..now I could sleep easier. I walked back to the living room and noticed the sunshine streaming in through the windows.
"We have to go. Her mother will be home any minute." I said around a yawn..wait, there was someone else missing.
"Where's Seth?" I asked.
"He took on his brother," Kane said by the front door. "We dont know if he made it or not. We had to get you out of there."
"We have to go back and check!" How could they just leave him behind? After everything he did to help us..
"You need to go home, Alex." Kane replied and I realized it was three against one. Kane and Joker weren't going to let me out of their sights now and Crane would just go along with them.
"Then ill go on my own." I said firmly and yanked the front door open..Joker slammed it before I could even take a step further.
"You are..NOT going anywhere." He growled and his face looked furious but I could see behind his eyes..the hidden panic. He was afraid..
"Well someone has to go." I said softly, accepting the defeat this time for Jokers sake.
"When we were leaving we could hear the sirens..the police and I'm sure your father were there." Kane said. "I can drive you home and you can watch the news."
"I second that." Joker said and opened the front door for me. I walked out onto the porch where Alfred and Maroni were waiting in the early morning chill. The frost covered grass crunched under our shoes and I didnt fight anyone. I got in the car next to Joker and then after a twenty minute ride we were home...
I went right up to my room and turned on the television to flip through all of the news stories but there wasnt anything about it yet. Jack had barely taken his eyes off of me like he was worried I would drop dead again in a minute.
"Hey." He said lightly and grabbed my arm..the heat suddenly rose in my chest and I tried to warn him but it was too late. There was a ZAP and he had stumbled a few feet away from me as the invisible force tried to unbalance him. He rubbed his hand as though he had gotten shocked.
"We'll have to work on that." He muttered quite seriously.
"Im sorry...I didnt know what else to do. I had to try to save us." I hoped he could understand. He went to touch me again but thought twice.
"I would have done the same." I watched him lick a scar for the first time in a long time.
Suddenly there was a light tapping on my balcony doors and I ran to it. It was Seth! I mean I hadnt opened the door yet but I just knew it was him! I yanked it open and was almost blown away by a powerful gust of icy wind. He limped in and I shut out the cold.
"Are you...okay?" If he was here..did that mean his brother was dead too? There was a cut bleeding above one eyebrow and his clothes were ripped at random places. He was covered in dust.
"I think Ill be okay." He looked at Joker for a moment then back to me.
"Im going to borrow your shower." Seth muttered and left the room. I let him go..he needed a little time to himself. Surely Gordon would be on him soon with questions about his property and family. Joker and I watched the news report finally stating it was faulty wires that started the fire and a freak earthquake had ruptured the cement and fountain. The family had yet to be located. Did that mean Seth took care of their bodies? I looked back at the bathroom door feeling a whole new kind of pity and respect for him.
For now I was just trying to relax and be thankful I was alive..sort of. I mean my heart was still beating and I felt warm and alive. The way Jokers fingers caressed my neck as I laid my head in his lap made me feel alive. He went down farther and lightly brushed one of already hardened nipples.
The bathroom door swung open in a burst of shampoo smelling steam and Joker removed his hand. I sat up and observed Seth..he just looked sad and tired.
"You can crash here on the couch." I told him and gestured to the extra pillow and blanket.
"Thanks." He said. "But I better get going to the police station so they can get a story on paper."
"Do you want us to come with you?" I asked, but he shook his head.
"Get some sleep, Alex. Everyone almost lost you today." I nodded and he left the same way he had come in..through the balcony. I turned back to the couch and watched Joker stand up to shrug out of his coat. I watched every movement and my heart soared thinking of how far we had come since the bus bench that night. How well we were getting to know each other. I felt..lucky.
(Joker)
She was such a doll...a beautiful dark haired dollface and she was watching his every move. Joker approached her and grabbed hold of her waist. He flung her over his shoulder and she laughed as he walked her to her bed. The warmth of her body was comforting and she smelled like her..intoxicating. He breathed her scent in deep before dropping her to the mattress.
She watched him with lust filled eyes as he undressed her piece by piece. After a few minutes he gazed down at her feeling a possessive urge to conquer and then he undressed himself. Their warm flesh made contact as they embraced one another and his fingers found the hot slick spot between her legs. Joker watched her face change to pleasure and he played with her clit..pinching and rolling it gently between his fingers. The most delicious whimper flowed past her lips and he smirked his ruby smile down at her.
"I love you, Alexandria Faith Wayne." He growled above her.
"I love you too..Joker." She smiled mischievously.
He wrapped a hand around his hard throbbing cock and lined himself up with her hot entrance.
She wrapped a leg around his waist baring her beautiful pussy to him and he finally sank into her. The moan she let out made his heart pound faster in his chest and he kissed her beautiful, soft lips.
"Promise you wont go looking for trouble anymore?" He said before burying himself in her. "Today can never happen again."
She looked up at him and nodded her head.
"I promise." The next hour was filled with their sounds of pleasure and the rocking of her bed.
(Scarecrow.)
He went back a few days later to the piles of rubble that was the Bastionnes place. He entered the home and took the keycard he had swiped from Joker to power up the elevator. He hoped the underground hadnt caved in and the doors dinged open to reveal a pristine lab still running from the generator.
He wanted a peek into this madman's files...and take what he could before the younger son came back. With his bag stuffed full of paperwork he stepped back out into the sunset. Where to go? The redhead crossed his mind..her mother did work the night shift apparently..
He made it to her property and saw no cars out front. He reached for where she had grabbed the hidden key the previous day and found it neatly placed. Using it, he let himself in. The cat came right up to him and began to purr around his legs. Scarecrow walked to her empty room and pushed the bag full of files under her bed. He would come back later and look through them all. He straightened back up and a little gasp came from behind him. He turned to see the redhead standing in her doorway with only a towel around her slender body. His eyes studied the wet flaming hair that clung to her neck and shoulders.
She turned and bolted. One second he blinked and she had gone! Maybe he would have to spray her again so he could get a full nights sleep. He was faster and tackled her onto her sofa before she could think of grabbing a weapon. She looked frantically to the kitchen at the knife just sitting there next to a few pieces of fruit. Perhaps she was going to cut up an after shower snack.
"No..no." He whispered in her ear and relished the feeling of her body shivering under him. "There will be none of that. Not even from me."
She didnt say anything until her voice finally shook underneath him.
"Are you going to hurt me?"
"No." He said and lifted his weight off of her. Jonathan watched her as she slowly sat upright and fixed the towel around herself before he could see anything.
"I was just going to ask if I could stay the night. While your mother was away."
She eyed him up and down.
"Why should I? You attacked me with some kind of..gas!" She suddenly glared up at him.
"I did it for your sake..and your friend is just perfectly fine by the way." He held up his hands and backed away from her so she had a clear pathway back to her bedroom. Riley rose and shuffled past him before entering her room and slamming the door closed. He assumed she was going to just leave him there but after a few minutes she came out in the shortest pajama shorts and tank top he had ever seen. Had she meant to show that much skin in front of him? She threw down the extra pillow and blanket on the couch.
"Be gone by daylight." She grumbled and turned to go.
"Riley?" He called softly and she turned. "Thank you." He made a point to look her up and down a moment and watched her blush before her eyes hardened again. She nodded once before walking away and Scarecrow settled on her couch. The cat jumped up to sleep as well and he finally closed his eyes.
ONE MONTH LATER..
(Alex)
Oh my god!" The new girl I had been training, Samantha, gasped and was looking horror struck behind me. It had been an extremely slow night at the cafe/diner and I was showing her how to refill the Ketchup bottles and napkin dispensers, clean the tables, etc. I paused and turned at the low voices. I watched Jack, Jonathan and a few of Jack's new muscled team come in. I watched him purposefully sit in my section all made up in suit and paint looking like he didnt have a care in world. I watched him briefly check his pocket watch to my delight before he put it back and then he turned his head in my direction. My breath caught as it always did when he looked at me so intensely and I briefly studied his green hair and white face. I already knew what he would smell like ..sweat, gasoline, sometimes a hint of blood behind the faint cologne he started to wear recently. Just the sight and smell of him was enough for me to want straddle his lap..even right there in front of his new friends, the thought of them sitting there and watching Joker undress me had me wet between my thighs.
With my heart in my throat I took a cautious step in their direction, my eyes only seeing Joker. Samantha suddenly grabbed my arm and broke me from my slight trance.
"Are you insane!? Make Brett go see what they want!" Brett was the new cook in the back but I just gave her a reassuring smile.
"It'll be okay. You can hang in the locker room until they're gone. If it'll make you feel better." She didnt move..instead I could feel her eyes on me as I walked up to them. The new guys looked me up and down appreciatively and Jack stood, just him standing to full height and looking down at me was arousing. I could hear Samantha's nervous squeak from there but I just smiled at him. Jack leaned down putting his warm gloveless hand lightly on the small of my back and gently kissed my cheek in front of everyone.
"Good evening, Doll." He growled, obviously in a good mood tonight.
"Thats who you were talking abou..,?" One of the new men started to ask Scarecrow but he obviously kicked his leg under the table for him to shut up.
"How is your friend?" Jonathan asked me and I knew he was talking about Riley. "Is she not working tonight?" I wasn't sure when they had become acquaintances but she had asked me about him, too ,a few days ago on the phone.
"No, the last week she's been at an art fair thing out of town. It was required for the art college she's going to next fall." I told him and then I was back to business.
"What can I get you guys to drink first?" I asked Jack directly. He smacked his lips in thought before sitting back down heavily.
"Coke for everyone. Go ahead and order boys..we have work to do." I took all of their orders and gave them to Brett. I made their drinks and carried them back all under the disbelieving eyes of Samantha.
"He t..touched you." She whispered just to me.
"I think I'm his favorite waitress," I shrugged it off. I didnt feel like talking about all of it with her. "He comes in a few nights a week and tips very well. He's very polite to me." I said, hoping me saying all that would ease her nerves.
"Order!" Brett said from the back and I took them their food. After I set the others down I gave Jack his last. The others were attacking their plates but he was looking up at me.
"Need Ketchup?" I teased him and he smirked back at me, a private smile he gave to me often in the bedroom. He looked to Samantha very briefly and chuckled before taking my hand. He raised it to his lips and gave me a firm kiss there and a small smear of red.
"That would be lovellyyy...thank you." He growled. His boys had slowed their scarfing to watch his strange manners and I turned to go grab a ketchup bottle so no one would see my flaming face. No one except Samantha..I had to go grab a just filled ketchup bottle from our side table.
"You..just..he..," She squeaked.
"Its ok, Sam. They will all leave when they're done." I said calmly and went to top off their drinks... I came back and helped her finish our side work. I let her handle the man in the suit coming in for a late night coffee. Once he was gone Jack and his company stood to leave. It was near one a.m now and he was hanging back as the others left the store.
I walked up to him and he handed me a one hundred dollar bill.
"For your time. Ill meet you outside. I want to personallyyy walk you home." He growled at me, sending shivers down my body. He kissed my cheek again and left all the while I could hear the jingling of the pocket watch chain.
I hurried to sweep the floors and put the chairs up on the tables so Samantha could mop. I told her goodbye and exited the store. He was standing outside with his hands in his pockets and I took a moment to admire him. His broad shoulders and scary appearance made me feel safe..knowing none of Gothams general criminals or citizens would dare approach him. I stepped cautiously up to him..the ice was slippery today and I had made the mistake of wearing my boots with little traction on the bottom. Brett had thrown some salt on the ice to help with balance but I still slipped a little.
Joker's rumbling chuckle had my heart fluttering and he grabbed me around the waist to keep me from falling.
"Thanks." I beamed up at him, genuinely happy. "I love when you come into the cafe."
"I am your best tipperrrr." He growled playfully as we set a slow pace across the icy street.
"Oh shit!" I suddenly said...feeling the rising heat in my chest. "Get back...it's gonna happen again. I cant control it still!" I felt the energy blast from my body. A streetlight above us shattered and blew out..the glass raining down on the pavement. I took a couple of deep breaths and then straightened back up. He had been thrown a few feet away from me but Jack managed to stay standing this time. It was strange..knowing I had died and had been brought back to life..that I had these random bursts of energy that would throw him from me..break things..and scare people. I just wanted to go back to my normal life.. we had talked about leaving before.. but I was hesitant to leave the dark city still. He came back to me and lifted me clean off of the road and into his arms.
"Let's get you home." He said firmly and he let me trace his scars lovingly with my fingertips all the way there.
THE END...FOR NOW. THERE IS A SEQUEL IN THE WORKS.