"Oh, you. You just couldn't let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You are truly incorruptible, aren't you? Huh? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever."

—Heath Ledger

Ember lay entrapped in the bulky purple duvet, her limbs tangled in the heavy material as her eyelids continuously flickered open.

The woman preferred a pitch-black room whilst sleeping, and the taunting blue hue of the computer screen disturbed her chances of falling into a deep slumber. She rotated her lanky limbs underneath the covers, burying the right side of her face deeply into the pillow as she squinted in the direction of the bright lighting.

The Joker sat hunched over his desk, a shirt absent as he aimlessly scribbled a felt pen against several sheets of paper. His outgrown curls framed the bare skin of his face, tickling the lacerations that mutiliated his cheeks as the tip of his tongue peeked gently through the slit of his lips in concentration.

"Babe," Ember throatily groaned, her voice laced with sleep as she buried herself deeper in the blankets. "Come to bed."

Joker ignored her request, head still hung low as he continued to jot whatever was in his jumbled head onto paper.

"I can't sleep with the light." Ember added, a hint of annoyance present in her tone as she eyed the theatrical man sat at the desk.

Once again, the Joker flat-out ignored her statement, intently focusing on his current task.

"Jo–"

"Go sleep on the fucking couch." The man snidely snipped, the tip of the pen ceasing to rotate as the muscles in his bicep visibly clenched.

Ember's brows knit together in indignation, her fingers lacing around the comforter as she tugged it over her head.

The irritating light disappeared underneath thick material, as well as a proper supply of oxygen. The woman immediately found it difficult to breathe beneath the comforter, and with a groan of detest, she ripped it from her face.

Several loose strands of hair fell into her eyes, courtesy of the static electricity between her hair and the blanket as she kicked the material from her legs. She mimicked a young child throwing a tantrum, her arms outstretching to claim her discarded clothing beside the bed as she hastily dressed. Once her body was fully clothed, she let out a dramatic exhale, tugging a nearby blanket from the ground, along with a vibrant purple pillow, before exiting the room.

Joker hadn't even glanced up to see her leave.

The irate woman trudged down the dingy hallway, eyes contorting into slits at the blue hue that illuminated the living room. Her toes caught onto blanket, which was partially dragging against the ground as she nearly tripped.

The living room sofa finally came into view once she'd rounded the corner, a wide-eyed Horton seated on one of the cushions as his gaze sat transfixed on the television. Ember let out a groan, tossing her head back in angst as Horton's stare shifted in the direction of the noise.

"Everything alright, Em?" He croaked, brows raised in curiosity as she shook her head.

"I can't sleep because Joker's too busy writing at his desk and is using the computer as a light. Figured I'd sleep on the couch, but it seems like you've already claimed that as well."

"You can sleep in my bed." Horton politely offered. "It's four, so I'm up for the day."

Ember's jaw fell lax at his response, brows raised in wonder as she struggled to comprehend his statement.

"You wake up at four?" She scoffed.

"Yeah. Always have since my Mom died." Horton simply replied. "She died at four in the morning. My body can't seem to sleep past that time anymore now."

Ember tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, nipping harshly at the skin as she struggled to formulate a proper response.

"Don't even try to apologize or anything, though. She wasn't a good person." Horton swiftly added, a genuine grin creeping onto his lips. "I'm serious. Go sleep in my bed."

"Thanks, Hort." The woman cooed, nodding curtly before crossing the room and shuffling into the bedroom she used to call hers. She snuggled into the sheets, finally falling into a deep slumber.

"Hey-uh, babe?" Joker called, gaze glued to the cracked coffee mug in his grasp.

"Yeah?" Ember shouted from the opposite room, not even bothering to budge from the sofa as she stuffed her face with freshly popped popcorn.

"C'mere, will yah?" Joker grunted from the kitchen, setting the broken mug onto the island counter a bit too harshly. The glass shattered upon impact, the crack splitting cleanly in half as the mug fell completely apart.

Ember jogged into the room, slightly startled by the sound of breaking class as her stare immediately settled on the pile of glass in the center of the counter.

"Everything okay?" She breathlessly inquired, diverting her glare from the broken glass to the bare-faced Joker standing beside the counter.

"I-uh, have a favor to ask." He muttered, lips tugging into a toothy grin as he lounged his elbow against the granite.

"Okay? Shoot." Brows raised.

"Would'yah be a doll, and-uh, dye my hair? I'm startin' to look like a douchebag surfer." Joker chuckled, prying several greasy strands forward as he went nearly cross-eyed to stare at the dirty blond locks.

Ember took several steps forward, chuckling lightly at the thought of the Joker as a damn surfer. She had to admit, the sight alone was pretty pleasing to imagine.

"Do you need me to go buy you some dye?"

"No," Joker smacked his lips together enthusiastically. "Horton already did."

His arm extended, warm fingers lacing effortlessly between Ember's frigid digits as he tugged her in the direction of his bedroom. Horton had disappeared from the couch, excusing himself to smoke a cigarette several minutes prior as Ember followed closely on Joker's heel. She'd never dyed anyones hair before...

This should be interesting.

The duo filed into the bathroom, a box of flourescent green hair dye sat directly beside the sink as Joker lifted his somewhat stained t-shirt over his head.

Ember practically gawked at the sight of the muscles flexing in Joker's back as he tore the thin material from his body with ease. He'd discarded the shirt onto the floor directly beside them, a hand darting upward to ruffle his disheveled locks as Ember stood dumbfounded behind him. His chocolate brown gaze met hers in the mirror, a cheeky grin tugging at his scars as he observed her expression.

"Like what'cha see, doll?" He teased, ripping open the flap on the box as he dumped the contents onto the counter.

"Very much so." The woman confidently countered, earning a satisfied snicker from the madman as he drug a nearby stool to the sink. His bum collided with the wood, the legs screeching boorishly against the tile as Ember cringed.

"It's all yours, darlin'." He mused, straightening his usually hunched posture as Ember slid the latex gloves over her clammy fingers with difficulty.

"I've never dyed hair before, just a warning." She stated, snatching the cardboard box from the counter as she scanned the directions on the label.

"It isn't hard, babe." Joker assured the woman, right arm extending behind him to claim her knee. His fingers laced around the skin, applying a bit of pressure as he squeezed reassuringly.

Ember tossed the box back onto the counter, running her fingers through Joker's knotted locks as she openly cringed.

"Jesus, J. Do you ever brush your fucking hair?" She scolded, tugging at a particularly large knot as he winced in discomfort.

"Hardly."

Ember rolled her eyes in response, brushing through his tangles to the best of her ability before beginning to apply the bright green dye to his hair. Joker hummed an unfamiliar tune under his breath as Ember daintily applied the dye. A slight blush crept onto her cheeks when she caught him staring at her reflection in the mirror.

"Stop staring. You're creepy."

"I can't help it. You're just too damn pretty."

"Stop moving so much." Ember scolded, lacing her fingers in his hair as she tugged his head back to meet her hands.

"Oh baby," Joker growled. "I like it when you get rough with me."

"Knock it off or I'll dye your back hair green." Ember snipped, earning another genuine laugh from the man.

Ember lay back in Joker's bed the following night, soft snores emerging from her parted lips as she lay sprawl-eagle on the mattress.

The clown yearningly admired her figure, absolutely captivated by her sheer beauty as he shrugged the heavy material of his purple coat up the length of his arms, rotating the material onto his broad shoulders.

Several strands of newly dyed green hair fell into his eyes, his bottom lip pouting outward to blow them away from his face as he paced the room.

The man double and triple checked to ensure that he had absolutely everything he needed. It was nearly midnight, and his playmate would be waiting for him at the top of the still unfinished Prewitt Building by one in the morning.

His hands dug into his inner coat pockets, gloved fingers grazing over the several knives stowed in the deep pouch as he strapped his Glock 17 to his hip.

"Dum-dah-dum-dah-dum..." the madman muttered, gaze flickering over the written plan one final time before glancing over his shoulder to view Ember's sleeping frame once more.

However, she'd switched positions within the past several minutes, eyelids wide open as she glared menacingly in his direction.

"Where are you going?" She rasped.

"Nowhere." Joker quickly dismissed, muttering a strand of profanities under his breath. He was almost certain that he'd been quiet enough...

"Tell me." Ember ordered, quickly sitting up in the bed as her gaze raked his form. "You've got your face paint and suit on. You're up to something and I'm not going to sit here and suck my thumb while you're out causing mischief alone."

"Go back to sleep." Joker groaned, but Ember wasn't having it.

The sleepy woman crawled out of the warm, comfortable bed, dressing quickly in a pair of ripped jeans and a sweater as she tossed her hair into a high ponytail.

"Ready to go." She snickered, brushing past the stunned man as she headed towards the SUV parked right out front.

This fucking woman...

Joker merely groaned in detest, filing out of the room to follow the giddy girl as she practically skipped through the eerie house.

"So," Ember began, shuffling into the vehicle as Joker latched his seatbelt. "Where are we going?"

The man nearly grunted in response, igniting the engine as he wet his lips.

"You'll see."

The duo drove in silence for nearly the entirety of the ride. Joker's left leg bounced irritably in place, his bottom lip tugged between his teeth as he grew more and more excited by the second. The adrenaline was nearly overwhelming, and he hadn't even seen his little beau's face yet.

Ember eyed the man suspiciously, growing rather anxious at his overly excited stance as he turned into the parking garage of the Prewitt Building, which was still under construction.

"Who are we meeting, Joker?" The woman softly inquired.

"Since you don't know how to stay in the car, follow me." Joker muttered, fiddling with the hem of his overcoat as he climbed from the vehicle.

Ember followed suit, the fresh, brisk Gotham air filling her lungs as she struggled to keep up with Joker's abnormally large strides. Even though it was the first of April, Gotham was still surprisingly chilly, especially at night. It seemed as if the sun barely shone in this gloomy city at all.

"Slow down, Joker." Ember called through short pants, skipping into the elevator as he selected an unfinished floor near the top.

"We're already late." He snipped, hands thrust deeply in his coat pockets as he avoided the womans gaze. She knew quite well that he did not want her here with him, but that was just too damn bad.

They were a package deal now.

Once the elevator finally dinged, signalling that they'd arrived at their desired floor, Joker had retrieved a shiny switchblade from his pocket, snapping the blade into view as Ember stiffened beside him.

"Stay behind." Joker sternly ordered, blade glimmering in the moonlight as Ember audibly gulped.

She followed orders, keeping a fair distance behind the theatrical man as her eyes wandered the scene.

"Oh, you came." Joker suddenly cheered, his tone bright and enthusiastic as Ember halted in place. She took refuge behind a thick steel beam, peeking around the corner to try and decipher who Joker was talking to.

"You wanted me, here I am." Batman's deep growl emerged.

Ember's blood immediately ran cold at the sound.

She shouldn't be here.

"I thought we could have a nice liiiittle cha-t." Joker mused, loudly clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he circled the Batman, whose feet sat planted firmly on the ground.

"I-uh, know who you are, Batsy." Joker taunted, still circling Bruce Wayne as he toyed with the open blade, shifting it between gloved fingers.

"Ickle-little-Brucie." The clown hissed, a round of vociferous laughter tumbling from his lips as Batman's lips parted.

"How?"

"Well," Joker sang, pausing his actions as he stood firmly in front of the man in black. "As it turns out, we've both sunk ourselves into the very same girl, haven't we?"

"It appears so." Batman monotonely replied, concealing his disgust for Ember's poor choice in men as Joker simply snickered.

"You must'a knocked a few screws loose when you fucked her brains out, Brucie, for her to fall for me."

Joker new quite well that Ember was listening to every word that slipped off of his scarlet tongue, but in this moment, he simply did not care. He had a plan to uphold...

"You're disgusting." Batman accused, but was ultimately silenced by Joker's sarcastic laugh.

"Listen," he spat through a fitful of giggles. "That's not what I'm here for. I'm here to-uh, offer you a bi-t of a reprieve, if you will."

"A reprieve from what?" Batman countered, growing impatient with the Joker's antics.

"It's simple," the madman's bloody scars curled into a hearty grin. "You join me, and I won't tell the world your identity. Kapeesh?"

"I'd never join you. You and I are nothing alike." Batman scowled, fingers contorting into fists at his sides.

"That's where you're wrong, bucko." Joker giggled. "You see, you broke your one rule the day you killed Harvey Den–"

Ember let out a gasp at Bruce's next action, her palms clamping over her lips to silence the noise as he took handfuls of Joker's coat between his fists. Ember watched, wide-eyed as the mans feet rose from the ground, Batman raising him higher and higher as the switchblade tumbled from his grasp.

"Enough!" Bruce exploded, tossing Joker's body onto the ground like a ragdoll as he kicked the blade out the open window.

"Oho, Batsy wants to play." Joker giggled, but was ultimately silenced by the toe of Batman's boot, which had collided rather harshly with the theatrical mans ribcage.

Joker let out a low grunt upon impact. He attempted to scramble to his feet, but somehow, he'd allowed Batman to get one entire step ahead of him. Ember horrifyingly watched as Joker took a boot to his painted face, neck snapping backwards as that haunting laugh emerged.

Chills immediately coated Ember's spine, her knees beginning to wobble as she contemplated jumping inbetween them and breaking up the fight herself.

"I'd never join you." Batman sneered, lifting the clown from the ground by the nape of his neck as he drug him to a nearby open window.

Ember violently shook in place as Batman hung Joker over the edge of the building from the shoulders-up. She feared that she may projectile vomit at any moment if Bruce didn't let up on the man.

"You're garbage." Batman scolded, delivering a punch straight to Joker's jaw.

Joker continued to enthusiastically cackle beneath the man, a free hand digging into his coat pocket to claim an additional switchblade.

Batman's gaze darkened the moment he'd fished it from his pocket, his fist coming into contact with his jaw once again as Joker began to see stars.

It had been a real long time since he'd been truly beaten like this...

"D'you want to kill me, Batsy?" Joker mused, a sinister grin tugging at his lips as his now bloody teeth were on display. "I dare you."

Batman's left hand claimed Joker's neck, fingers lacing around the skin as he constricted the madmans airway. Simultaneously, he'd managed to get ahold of the second switchblade, which was now currently lodged in Joker's side.

Although white-hot pain began to sear through the clowns vision, he continued to cackle, writhing beneath the dark knight as he struggled to breathe. Adrenaline coursed through his veins at the scenario, a mixture of pain and pleasure resonating through his body as Batman twisted the blade deeper into Joker's left side.

"Stop!"

Both men instantly froze at the female voice that had emerged.

Batman craned his neck, glancing over his shoulder to see a severely cowering Ember with Joker's Glock 17 held tightly in her clutch.

Joker raised a perplexed brow at the sight, mentally slapping himself for leaving an additional pistol in the glove compartment as his girl pointed it directly at Bruce's face.

"Bring him back inside." Ember confidently ordered. When Bruce did not immediately comply, she waved the gun several times, inching closer to the duo as her bottom lip quivered.

Batman lifted his weight from Joker's legs, dragging the limp man by his ankles back onto sturdy ground as the switchblade still sat lodged in his side. Crimson-tinted liquid began to coat his dress shirt, his breaths emerging in short spurts as he lay motionless on the ground.

"Ember–" Batman began.

"Shut the fuck up, Bruce!" Ember exploded, legs spread apart, just as Joker had taught her to stand. "Get away from him!"

Batman tossed his arms up in mock surrender, backing away from a bleeding Joker as Ember shuffled towards the painted-face man. Her features contorted into that of disgust and concern when she observed the switchblade that was still screwed into the mans side.

"You're going to fucking regret this, Bruce." Ember sneered, gun still pointed at the mans head as she bent her knees, her free hand lacing around Joker's torso to assist him into a standing position.

The weakened man stood to his feet, complexion severely paling underneath his paint as Ember held him close to her.

"You have twenty-four hours to tell Gotham who you are, otherwise I'll come to Wayne Manor myself and shoot you in the fucking head." The woman boldly threatened, slits for eyes as she glared at Bruce.

"Joker is not a good man, Ember. He's corrupted you!" Bruce argued, but the woman wasn't having it.

"Y'know, you're such a fucking hypocrite, Bruce. How can you stand there and call him a bad man when you're not any better yourself?"

"Ember–" Bruce stuttered, inching towards the trembling woman, who held a half-concious Joker up with some difficulty.

"I fucking mean it, Bruce! Twenty-four hours!"

"C'mon Em, are you really going to–"

The woman applied an ample amount of pressure to the trigger, a wave of vibration coursing through her arm as it involuntarily jerked upwards from the kick.

Batman stumbled backwards several steps, wide eyes lowering to his left arm, where a bullet had managed to wedge itself perfectly between the gap of his armor and into the inside of his elbow.

"Fuck off, Bruce." Ember spat, flicking the safety back on the gun as she tucked the firearm into the waistband at the back of her jeans.

Her gaze immediately diverted to a woozy Joker, whose weight nearly toppled her over completely. She hadn't even seen Batman leave.

"I need to get you to the car, okay baby? Can you walk?" The woman began to panic, her heart thumping thickly in her chest as she slung Joker's arm over her shoulders.

The man did not reply. Instead, he merely nodded, dragging his feet along the ground as a severely shaken Ember led him to the nearby elevator.

"Stay awake, baby. Please stay awake." She cried, vision blurring as they clambered into the elevator.

Her fingers shakily met his side, fresh blood slicking her skin as she suddenly felt very nauseous.

"It's going to be o-okay." She sobbed, but she wasn't so sure. She'd never seen Joker like this before.

The woman had managed to half-carry her love to the SUV in the parking garage on the lower level. Through hefty sobs, she was able to pry the back doors open and guide Joker into the vehicle, where he promptly collapsed onto the ground in the center.

"I'm going to get you home, baby." Ember stated, not even sure if Joker had heard her as she rounded the vehicle and clambered into the drivers seat.

The van peeled from the vacant garage, thick tears clouding Ember's vision as she steered with one hand and dialed Horton's number with the other.

Luckily, the blond boy managed to answer on the third ring, voice groggy and laced with sleep as violent cries wracked through the womans chest.

"Ember? What's wrong?" She could clearly hear the bed springs squeaking in the background, Horton's tone immediately shifting to that of immense worry at the sound of her cries.

"J-Joker's h-hurt!" She sobbed, glancing over her shoulder to view the bleeding man who lay barely concious on the van floor, eyelids slowly flickering open and closed as he struggled to stay awake.

"Hurt how?" Horton requested.

"S-So much b-blood!" Ember sobbed, Joker's blood oozing onto the flourescent green plastic floor boards, the liquid contorting into miscellaneous shapes inside the material.

"How far away are you?"

"T-Ten m-minutes." The woman sniffled, speeding down the familiar roads.

"Okay. I'll meet you outside with the medical kit."

Obscene sounds slipped through Ember's lips as she accelerated the van, desperately trying to get home as soon as possible so Horton could tend to Joker.

Please don't die please don't die please don't die.

"W-We're almost home baby." She confidently called, glancing over her shoulder to see that Joker's eyes had finally fluttered closed.

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no!

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the SUV bounced along the rocky path, a frantic Horton waiting by the tree stump along with a particularly large box.

Ember thrust the vehicle into park, unlatching her belt as she jumped from the seat and circled around to the back doors.

"He's u-unconscious!" She stuttered, pulling the doors open widely as Horton pried open the side double doors, eyes widening at the sight of Joker.

"Fucking hell," he murmured, climbing into the cramped space as he dug through the massive box of medical supplies. "I need your help, Em."

The woman merely nodded, following suit as she, too, climbed into the crowded space.

"We need to get his coat off."

Ember nodded, assisting Horton in removing Joker's heavy overcoat (with much difficulty, given the fact that the knife still sat wedged in his side). Finally, once they'd rid his clammy body of the coat, Horton's fingers laced with the buttons of his dress shirt, tearing them open rapidly as several stray buttons went flying.

The woman let out a cry of terror at the sight of the wound in his side, bleeding steadily as Horton ripped the shirt open as much as he could.

"I'm going to take out the knife. He's going to bleed a lot, so don't panic, okay?" Horton instructed. "But I'm going to give him some morphine first, just in case he wakes up."

Ember nodded curtly, words currently failing her as she sat at Joker's right hip, her fingers claiming his hand as she squeezed tightly.

Horton fished a bright yellow tourniquet from the container, lifting Joker's left arm as he tightly wrapped the band around his bicep. A filled syringe sat snug between his teeth, stubby fingers tightening the band so that Joker's veins would begin to protrude.

"One, two, three." Horton lowly counted, injecting the most prominent vein with morphine as Ember visibly winced.

Once empty, the blond boy discarded the syringe into the box once again, letting loose on the elastic so that it fell limp along Joker's skin.

"Look away." Horton dryly ordered.

He didn't have to tell her twice. Ember immediately craned her neck, her hold tightening on Joker's unresponding hand as she squeezed her eyes shut. The tip of Horton's tongue prodded outward, claiming the left corner of his lips as his brows knit together in concentration. Once the blade was removed, Joker would surely lose quite a bit of blood.

"It's going to be okay, buddy." Horton murmured, talking both to himself and an unconcious Joker as he gently tore the weapon from the mans side.

Surprisingly, only a small, steady stream of blood emerged, a lot less than Horton had envisioned as he promptly cleaned the bleeding wound with antiseptic wipes before beginning to stitch it up.

"Keep your eyes closed if you don't like stitches." He informed Ember, threading a needle with purple thread as his steady hands met Joker's side.

"Stay with me, baby. Stay with me." Ember muttered, holding Joker's limp hand to her chest as she kept her eyes tightly sealed.

Horton adequately sealed the wound shut, cleaning the area an additional time to ensure that it would not become infected as he shifted his weight forward towards Joker's face.

"Did he hit his head?" Horton inquired, taking Joker's smeared, painted face between his palms.

Ember's eyes finally opened, a small squeak falling from her lips as she nodded.

"H-He g-got kicked in the head."

Horton's thumb met Joker's chin, tugging gently on the skin to pry his lips open as he hovered over the mans body.

"He's got blood in his mouth, but I don't see any missing teeth." Horton informed, continuing to thoroughly inspect Joker's face and head. His fingers rotated to the back of Joker's skull, fingers becoming slick with blood as he dug his way through the clowns matted curls.

"He's bleeding from his head a little." He added.

"Why'd he pass out?" Ember wondered, chewing anxiously on her bottom lip as Horton pried one of Joker's eyes open to inspect his pupils.

"Probably from the pain. Joker's no pussy, so he must've really been hurting to pass out like this." The henchman explained. "I've seen him like this only once before. I was sure he was dead that day."

"Is he going to die?" Ember croaked, chest immediately tightening at the mere thought of losing the one good thing she's ever had.

"No. He's been in much worse shape." Horton assured her, concluding his inspection of Joker's face and head as he grabbed several additional antiseptic wipes, daintily cleaning his head wound.

Both Horton and Ember's gaze raked down Joker's bare torso, eyes agape at the sight of fresh, purple bruises that littered his skin.

"Who the fuck did this to him?" Horton gawked, fingertips grazing against the destroyed flesh as Ember gulped.

"Batman."

Horton's neck immediately snapped upwards at her response, slightly taken aback by the name that slipped through her lips.

"Batman?"

Ember slowly nodded.

"Fucking Joker..." Horton trailed off, shaking his head.

"What?" Ember pried, curious as to what Horton could be referring to.

The blond boy simply let out a chuckle, chewing mindlessly on his bottom lip as he took a seat on the blood-stained floor beside Joker's legs.

"Joker's a pretty tough dude, Em. I've seen him beat the shit out of guys twice his size. Batman, however, seems to be the only guy who Joker'll let his guard down for. I'm just surprised he let it go so far."

"He could've died." Ember cried, growing rather furious with the unconcious man at the idea that he might've actually allowed this event to occur.

"His mind works in an interesting way for sure." Horton chuckled. "Don't worry, Em. He's going to live."

Joker stirred awake several hours later, twenty minutes following the sunrise as his side began to heavily pulsate.

"Fuck." He groaned, eyes blinking several times to adjust to the light as his gaze settled upon an exhausted Horton, sitting at his feet with red-ringed eyes.

"Mornin', sunshine." Horton mused, lips tugging into a satisfied grin as Joker stared dumbfounded at the man.

Suddenly, the slight twinge in his side intensified, his head growing fuzzy as everything began to spin.

Joker lurched sideways, hanging his upper half out of the open double doors on the side of the vehicle, emptying his stomach onto the dirt quite violently as greasy strands of green fell into his eyes.

Horton immediately came to his aide, fingers tugging Joker's hair from his face as he continued to vomit up all the blood he'd swallowed last night. The pain in his side intensified from the violent action, which only made him want to vomit even more.

His hexagon-print dress shirt still cloaked his torso, all of the buttons undone as his bare chest sat on display. Once he'd thrown up virtually everything in his stomach, he let out a dissatisfied groan, easing back into the vehicle and onto his back as his fingers met his bandaged side.

Horton took a spot beside the man, daintily inspecting the bandaged wound as Joker let out an involuntary hiss.

"Give me some morphine, will yah?" Joker croaked, his throat on fire from all the stomach acid that traveled through it.

His loyal henchman nodded curtly, shuffling through the medical supply box as he filled a clean syringe with fresh morphine.

Joker's neck craned up, glancing in the direction of the bench to his right. Ember lay soundlessly across the cushion, hands folded underneath her head like a pillow as she slightly snored.

"She saved your life." Horton confirmed, wrapping the very same yellow tourniquet around Joker's arm as he searched for the perfect vein. "You would've bled to death up there if you would've gone by yourself."

Joker hastily swallowed, adams apple bobbing in his throat as he continued to view the beautiful, sleeping woman above him. Horton injected the morphine into Joker's blood stream, not even earning a wince from the man as he nodded in nonverbal thanks.

"She's like my fucking guardian angel, Hort." Joker chuckled, feeling immediately at ease as the pain subsided in both his side and head.

"I won't argue with that one. She's really saved you, hasn't she?" Horton grinned, discarding the empty needle into the box.

"In more ways than one, mate."