Chapter 8

Joker stared at her a moment longer before one of the dogs beside her noticed his presence in the room and made to stand, but J rose his hand, giving him a silent signal to be quiet and stay put to which the dog obeyed at once. He needed time to think. He needed his cell phone; and where the fuck were Seth and Johnny? Joker exited the barracks, his shoulders hunched as he returned the gun to its hiding place and returned to the Loft. He retraced his steps, returning to the bedroom and spotted his cell on the dresser with a couple of texts from Seth. One explaining in code where he went and the other received seven minutes ago stating that he'd be home in ten minutes. Right on cue with three minutes to spare Joker heard the jingle of keys and the sound of footsteps in the lofts living area as he dropped the phone into his pocket and exited the bedroom, nearly colliding with Johnny as he shut the door behind him.

"Hiya Boss," Johnny said nervously at the look on Jokers face to which J landed a left cross to his face with such force that Johnny was out cold before he hit the floor. Seth watched as his friend went down and put the case of energy drinks on the countertop just in case as Joker rounded on him too.

"Before you knock me out too, you might want to turn on the afternoon news first, that way I can get hit for everything all at once. I hate getting company memo's piecemeal," Seth said sarcastically as he made his way to the bar and began stashing away the Corona Lite he had bought. Joker let forth a sinister chuckle that would have had anyone else trembling and begging for their life, but Seth had lived through far too much to flinch.

"Ah Seth, you've got golden ones." Joker sighed as he approached the bar and hunched forward, leaning his weight on the polished wooden surface.

"Want a drink J?" Seth offered as he dug two cold Corona's from the back of the bars fridge and offered one to his boss. Joker took the beer and twisted off the top, downing half of it before meandering over to the flat screen and stepping over Johnny to plop on the sofa, flicking the tv on and popping his feet up on the coffee table.

"Back to you Sandra….Thanks George, terror in Mid-Town last night believed to be linked to The Joker and his associates. Known Mafia family is slain in a gruesome attack overnight in Gotham's Mid-Town neighborhood, the death-toll is at fifty-four and rising as we get updates from Gotham PD, but one update has confirmed head of the Falcone crime family Salvatore Maroni has been slain. Gotham City Fire Department discovered the head of Mr. Maroni on a parking meter outside of his restaurant when they received a call to put out a five-alarm fire around midnight, a letter J carved into Mr. Maroni's forehead. No eyewitnesses have come forward as of yet and Chief of Police Gordon has expressed his doubts that any will." Joker viewed the footage from the news chopper and let forth a low whistle at the charred wreckage of what used to be Sal Maroni's restaurant, stores, and warehouse.

"Leave it to you boys to have all the fun without me," Joker sighed softly.

"Yeah boss, about that—

But Joker held up a hand as the anchor woman continued and Seth shut his mouth.

"Chief Gordon reports that footage retrieved from a surveillance camera nearby shows some grainy footage of an unidentified female assailant leading the attack last night which leaves the question; does The Joker have a love interest?" Sandra and George share a chuckle as a thankfully grainy and blurry image of Genevieve; hair flying and warpaint concealing her features as she rides the Gatling gun motorcycle, pops up on the screen. Joker froze mid-sip of his beer and Seth had the urge to just shoot himself and save his boss the trouble as the Gotham News Network thankfully switched to weather and traffic.

J rose from his place on the sofa, his expression unreadable as he stepped over Johnny once more and headed towards Seth, who stood his ground at the bar for what it was worth. He thought momentarily of his long-lost Brother Ritchie and the thought that they might be reunited in Hell sooner rather than later wasn't all that unappealing to him.

"So you let her run amuck?" Joker asked softly, and when he was quiet, it was never ever a good sign.

"J, after she healed you, she—

"Ah ta ta ta, 'healed me'?" He asked, interrupting Seth with a raised hand.

"Boss, I swear to everything Holy that you were dead last night after those fucks ambushed us. You were bled out and Doc was working on you, but nothing was helping. Genevieve came out then and she did some kind of ritual and all of a sudden you were back with us; worse for the wear, but alive. I don't like tossing the word around much, but it was basically a miracle, and you know that I've seen a few in my time to be able to tell smoke and mirrors from the real thing and I'm telling you J, that shit last night was the real deal." Seth said while J began to pace the floor in front of the bar. He was trying to recall something, anything before the kiss last night, but it was fog. The thought of his lips on hers again was a distraction as he imagined being above her and inside of her, the smell of lilac and roses and so much tanned flesh an aphrodisiac if there ever was one and he wondered where the fuck all of this was coming from. He usually never had these types of appetites towards a specific woman; he would have the occasional hooker to relieve his needs and that would be that. What the hell had she done to him? All of this had started the night that he brought her here and it hadn't left him alone since; she was constantly niggling and naggling at the back of his brain and he didn't know why.

"I don't remember anything about last night," He finally confessed to Seth, carding his fingers through his hair in frustration as he took down a bottle of Jim Beam and took a swig, not bothering to use a glass.

"Well I'm not surprised, like I said, you were in pretty bad shape. There's one more thing that you should know though, about the girl." Seth said, wincing when J chuckled ironically.

"What else? Does she sprout wings and fucking fly?" He asked as he gulped down more of the whiskey from the bottle, half of which was gone now already, and he still didn't feel any better for his troubles.

"Not that I know of, although to be honest, I wouldn't put it past her. Its about the dogs actually," Seth said hesitantly, knowing how much Joker loved his damned mutts.

"Oh she's napping with them as we speak," J replied, finishing the bottle of Jim Beam and tossing the empty into the trash, swiping the beer Seth had just taken out of the fridge for himself. He shrugged and grabbed another, knowing that Joker was perplexed about the girl to say the least.

"I found her out there last night after I was helping you change and my heart almost went into my throat, but there they were, letting her pet them and play with them. I go and crack the door open to tell her to get her fool ass back inside and they turn on me, out for my fucking blood." Seth said exasperated. These mutts had seen him come and go on a daily basis for years and they hated him, this girl turns up and after seeing her once, they're in love. Seth wasn't going to admit it openly, but his feelings were a bit hurt.

"What happened then?" Joker asked him curiously, interrupting his sullen thoughts.

"She called them off and they went skipping back to her like I didn't even exist, but then she came back in with her dog, what's his name? Osiris?" Seth asked with a frown to which Joker snorted, the booze was definitely putting him in a better fucking mood than he had woken up in.

"Anubis. Right mythology, wrong God." Joker corrected with a smirk to which Seth chuckled and shook his head.

"What?" J asked, seeing that Seth wanted to say something else, but was holding back.

"Nothing boss," Seth replied, sinking a slice of lime into his Corona and watching the bubbles chase its acidity.

"Don't 'nothing boss' me, I know ya Seth. Fucking spill," Joker said with a wink, drinking this beer slower and letting a good buzz settle in.

"Well, I was going to say that Genevieve…. She's alright, you know? Like, she belongs here. You always know how to find people who are a good fit," He said awkwardly, unsure of exactly how to phrase it.

"Awe Seth stop, you're making me blush Pal," Joker replied half sarcastically while trying to read between the lines of what he was really trying to say.

"She's growing on me a little already to be honest. I think you'd have been proud of your girl last night; I don't think I've ever seen a woman do anything like what she did." Seth confessed with a far off look in his eyes.

"Growing on you? Careful Seth, that sounds like a tumor or mold." J said with a laugh, making Seth chortle and shake his head.

"You know what I mean J," he replied with a shrug.

"Oh yeah, I get it. She's pretty damn impressive from what GNN has to say. Was the motorcycle her idea?" He asked, having an urge to get up and go back to the barracks and fuck her senseless. This was bad. He needed a distraction; and hopefully Seth and the liquor would help, but he also needed a cigarette.

"Yep, it was. I had Cash and Switch do the welding and they had it done in record timing. J, she fucking drove that bad mutherfucker out of the truck while I was still doing at least 50 down Jefferson Avenue, then she turns that sucker on a dime, comes up the side of the truck and drives four car lengths ahead of me. I mean, as soon as we came into range of Maroni's turf she started weigh laying those fucks with the Gatling gun, just taking guys out like they were stick figures. She's got fucking potential J, like, the real deal, you know?" Seth asked animatedly while Joker pictured it all in his head.

"Sounds promising," He agreed, his eyes narrowing as his thoughts shifted and new ideas presented themselves while he scrapped others that he had initially planned.

"You called her 'My Girl' a few minutes ago," Joker said suddenly, breaking one of his own rules and lighting a cigarette in the loft and turning on the exhaust fan over the bar, hoping that would help suck out the smell of smoke.

"Yeah, I mean, I didn't want to assume anything, its just that you two have seemed, uh kind of close since she's gotten here." He replied, unsure suddenly if he had said something to piss J off.

"No, you're right. She is my girl. We just haven't gotten to that point yet, but it won't be long now. And Seth?" He asked as he finished his beer.

"Yeah boss?" He said with a frown.

"I don't fucking share. What's mine is mine, you and the boys need a reminder of that?" He asked pointedly, all of his good naturedness flying right out the window just as quick as it had come.

"No boss, I know that. All of us do," Seth assured him, looking Joker dead in the eye so he wouldn't have any doubts.

"Good. I'm going to grab a shower and get dressed, do me a favor and get sleeping beauty off the floor, would ya?" He asked, motioning towards Johnny Frost as he walked back into the bedroom and shut the door.

He stripped off his pajamas and tossed them into his hamper, pausing when he saw a pair of lacy panties in the hamper he had newly placed for Genevieve's use and growing semi-hard almost instantly.

Oh, she's under my skin for sure….. But it feels right too.

"You're in deep Jackie-boy," He sighed out loud as he strode into the bathroom nude and shut and locked the door, just in case she woke up and came back to the room.

As soon as he was done showering, he carefully shaved his face and dressed in one of the suits she had made for him recently, spritzing on some cologne and trying not to wince when he looked in the mirror as he caught sight of his scars. He shrugged, making his way back out into the lofts living area and seeing Johnny laid out on the sofa dead to the world while Seth channel surfed through Comcast. He made his way out into the garden and slowly back into the barracks to peek inside, but Genevieve was nowhere to be seen. He frowned and moved on through the kitchen, finally spotting her running around the edge of the pool with Hades and Persephone; the Mother and Father of his pack. Joker slid the door open and stepped outside slowly hoping not to startle her into falling into the pool.

"Oh Hi! How are you feeling?" She asked breathily as Hades made to snatch the rope toy she was holding out of her hands. Her greeting took him off guard, he wasn't used to people talking to him like he was a person. He hadn't had that experience in years.

"I'm uh, fine. I see that the pack likes you," he said, watching as she tossed the rope toy across the agility course and they all went after it simultaneously, barking and yipping and tussling around one another.

"Your dogs are amazing J! I love them!" She said happily, making her way over to him to watch as Hades and Anubis began a game of tug-of-war in earnest.

"Well I was hoping that I could pull you away from them for a while," He replied, clearing his throat. He was talking differently; this was Jack's voice, which was deep and rich. Not the Joker's normal clowny tones. Genevieve seemed to notice the difference too as she cocked her head to the side and jammed her hands into her pockets.

"Sure, what are we doing?" She asked curiously, following him back inside through the kitchen, the barracks, and out to the garden.

"Going for a drive. You might want to change," He said looking her over with barely disguised amusement as he took in the sight of her leggings and sweater, both of which were covered in dog hair. She blushed slightly and tucked her hair behind her ears; a sure sign that she was feeling awkward in her own skin, which was nothing new for her.

"Any suggestions?" She asked suddenly, realizing that she had no idea what he had in mind.

Nothing at all would be nice….. He thought unbidden, outwardly frowning at her.

"Why do you ask Doll?" He said curiously.

"Well….. are we robbing a bank or dumping a body?" She asked him in all seriousness to which he roared in laughter, unable to help himself. Damn Seth if he wasn't right about her; this girl was really one of a kind.

"Well, we were supposed to have dinner a week ago, so maybe we can start there? Why? Were you hoping to pull a heist this soon into your contract?" He asked, literally unable to not flirt with this woman.

"I'm not gonna lie, it does sound intriguing, but then I'm so conflicted because I haven't eaten since breakfast, so dinner would be great. Gimme ten?" She asked, flirting back. Ooof, dangerous territory.

"Find me at the bar," he replied, watching the sway of her hips as she made her way back inside to change.

Genevieve clipped her hair up into a messy bun and took a quick shower, slipping into a dark purple bra and panty set, black dress pants and a beautiful lace and velvet plum colored blouse of her own creation. She slipped into her ankle boots again, spritzed on some perfume, and finished off the look with a quick smoky-eye and liquid matte lipstick in a nearly nude shade. She let her hair down in its black and purple waves and didn't think she looked half bad as she stepped out of the bedroom; seeing that Joker was alone in the loft and Seth and Johnny had cleared off. He turned towards her when he heard the door open and his breath caught at the sight of her; he wanted her. Had to have her, there was no question of that now. Genevieve saw the shift in his eyes and read the emotions there and was momentarily stunned; she had never had a man look at her that way before, and there was a part of her that liked it.

Joker took out his keys and turned one in the lock that released the elevator that led down to the parking garage.

"After you," He said, waving her ahead of him into the elevator. They rode down in silence, each lost in the heady presence of the other, but not admitting it openly as the doors opened and Joker disarmed the alarm for his black Lamborghini, which was parked next to dozens of other mouth-watering vehicles in prime condition. He went ahead of her and opened her door, some dormant chivalry that his Father had instilled in him long ago surfacing within.

"Thanks," Genevieve said softly as she got in and he shut the door, coming around to the drivers side and getting in beside her.

Joker pulled out of the garage and headed down the road along the abandoned pier, giving her a view of the nearby ocean at sunset as he headed out of the Narrows and hopped onto the expressway heading out of Gotham. Without taking his eyes off of the road, he flicked the cars stereo on, which connected seamlessly to his collection of music on his phone; and Kashmir by Led Zepplin began playing in stereo surround and he caught Genevieve's smirk from the corner of his eye.

"What?" He asked, the tone of his voice guarded in a way as he wondered if he had just shown his age a little too much.

"I love this song; I love all classic rock really, but I haven't been around anyone else that listened to it besides Dad." She said softly, memories of her and her Father locked up in the shop after hours with the radio blaring as they sewed in otherwise companionable silence leapt unbidden into her mind and she took a deep breath; she had buried Victor's memory inside of her as deep as she could, but every now and again something would pull him to the surface and she would have to shove everything back down into the hole again just to keep herself level. J seemed to know what she was thinking, so he changed subjects at lightning speed.

"So there are a few places where I can show my face outside of Gotham, no questions asked because I own them and the people that work at said establishments; so that limits us to Thai food, Italian food, or Mediterranean," He said, weaving in and out of traffic seamlessly as he sped ahead to avoid idling behind cars for too long.

"I can help you there," Genevieve replied as she admired his driving prowess.

"Help me? Help me how? Aren't you even curious about them 'Vieve?" He asked, his tongue making its way out to flick at the scars on either side of his mouth; The Joker's clowny tones battling with the deeper dulcet tones of Jack Napier.

"Are you curious about mine?" Genevieve asked, rolling up her sleeves and showing off the myriad of thick and crisscrossing keloids, gauges, and gashes.

"You did them yourself," He replied with a shrug, wondering why she had asked and where she was going with this.

"I did some of them on my own, not all of them. Were you ever going to ask about them?" She persisted curiously.

"Eventually," He confessed with a shrug as the next song came on and Sweet Child Of Mine began, much to Genevieve's delight.

"Look, they're just scars. Everyone has them to some degree; ours just happen to be on the outside," She replied with a shrug of her own as she caught an unreadable expression on his face. She resisted the urge to reach out and touch him then; to lay her hand on his knee as he drove the way that her Mother did with her Father countless times as he was driving.

"So when you say that you can help me with them, what exactly do ya mean?" He asked her skeptically.

"You won't believe me if I tell you." She said with a sigh, looking frustrated.

"Then show me," He replied lightly, his eyes alight with an emotion she couldn't exactly read.

"Right now? I don't think now is a good time, seeing as your driving." Genevieve said nervously, biting her lower lip.

"My multitasking abilities are much better than most," He assured her, which made her snort derisively.

"Okay," She replied when she had composed herself.

"So?" He prompted her impatiently, drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel.

"So?" She asked with a raised brow and a smirk, bumping her shoulder into his and jerking her chin in the direction of the rearview mirror, signaling him to look at his reflection. J looked at her in surprise at her playful gesture; nobody had willingly touched him in years. They had thankfully reached a momentary lull as the expressway had narrowed down to one lane due to construction and Joker looked up into the rearview mirror at his reflection only to nearly collide with the car in front of them; his foot slipping off the brake as his eyes widened in shock.

"J!" Genevieve gasped, using her telekinesis to slam on the brakes and simultaneously reach out and grab his bicep in a vice grip.

His scars were gone…

"Are you okay? Shit, I'm sorry! I told you that you'd never believe me." She said, swallowing anxiously. Had she angered him? Would he forgive her if she had?

"What is this? What did you do?" He asked, his voice back to the quiet and deep baritone. Jack had taken over again.

"Um, my Mom used to call it a glamour. I can still see you as you truly are, but to you and everyone else, the scarring will be gone. I can hold a glamour for about twelve hours at a stretch; fifteen if I really push it. Mom was a lot more powerful than I am because she had more experience, she could easily hold the same glamour for about a week. It's easier because I didn't change your entire face, I'm not too good at that yet, but I've been practicing. I figured that the most recognizable thing would have been your scars, so that's what I removed temporarily. I can put everything back to normal whenever you want though, I just wanted you to know that I could help if you wanted a bit more freedom than you normally have," She rambled, realizing that she still had his arm in a death grip and releasing her hold on him awkwardly, her cheeks flushing as she cleared her throat. He studied her for a moment in silence before taking the next exit at random and driving into uptown New Haverton; the shopping and fashion district of the Suburb.

Genevieve made a face as she studied some of the clothes in the window displays; their gaudiness and overall mass manufactured quality making her wrinkle her nose at them. She must not have realized she was making a face because when J began to chuckle richly beside her she quirked her brow at him questioningly.

"Your expression was priceless; you don't really hold any cards close to your chest do you?" He asked her, looking more curious and amused than insulting. Genevieve laughed for a moment before she shrugged and settled back against her seat once more to study his hands on the steering wheel; so dexterous with wiry strength, they seemed to have a life of their own as she studied the flex and release of the muscles and tendons on the black leather.

"So, the same question remains 'Vieve. Mediterranean, Italian, Thai, Japanese; ladies choice." He said, gesturing to the restaurants up and down the avenue.

"Mediterranean sounds nice, it's been forever." She finally decided as he rolled up to a valet on their left and she unclipped her seatbelt, nearly opening her door before one of those sinuous hands gently tugged her arm, causing her to turn to him and barely contain a gasp as her eyes met his; he was inches away from her and she had cause to wonder once again if he was a magician or perhaps part cobra, so silent and quickly he moved.

"What?" She breathed as a grin crawled across his face in amusement.

Why, oh why was she so fun to play with? Why was he flirting with her? Why did he need to have his hands on her? Why wasn't she fucking terrified of him? She could still see the scars, even if nobody else could, even if he couldn't himself. Why the fuck didn't he disgust her? She knew what he looked like, knew what he had done, and knew what he was capable of doing.

"A lady should never open her own door," He replied, Jack still present in the forefront and Joker hanging back to watch the proceedings bemusedly. Joker was so, so quiet when she was around…

"At least chivalry isn't dead," She replied with a grin as she sat back and took her hand from the door handle.

"No….. Although I may have strangled it a few times here and there." He said with a wink, making her blush and shake her head. J exited the car and paused, looking around as he made his way to the passenger side; but nobody was giving him a second glance. He opened Genevieve's door and handed her out as the Valet approached them.

"Good evening Sir, if you'll just step this way, Faraj will get you seated." He said as he took the keys and J handed him a tip. Apparently Genevieve's 'glamour' was still firmly in place as the man named Faraj greeted them just as amiably and lead them to a private alcove decorated in a fusion of Greek and Moroccan flair. Faraj left them menu's and the wine and spirit lists along with crystal goblets of water before returning to his post at the entrance. J for his part kept his eyes open, looking around at the waitstaff and their fellow diners before Genevieve tentatively reached across the table and placed her hand on his arm to get his attention. He stiffened momentarily, but relaxed once his eyes met hers and he met no malice or fear there; no repulsion or hatred.

"Listen J….. I know that you don't know me, and this is really, really out of the ordinary for you, but I would never put you in a compromising situation; so you can relax. Everything is working fine, and it'll stay that way for the evening. You can trust me," She said it all so earnestly that he was taken aback; studying her eyes and the honesty he found there.

"What is all of this? What do you want?" He asked quietly, still glancing around and leaning forward towards her so he could speak in a near whisper and she could still hear him.

"I could ask you the same question… why'd you save me?" She asked, noting how he shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, avoiding her gaze as the waiter came to their table to inquire about drinks.

"We'll take a bottle of Chateau Petrus and a couple of Mediterranean Sours," He replied as Genevieve took a sip of her water.

"Are you trying to get me wasted?" She joked when the waiter departed to lighten the mood; things tended to shift intensities whenever they were in the same room…..

"Damn, I keep forgetting how old your not," He replied with a grin and she shook her head.

"Well, I am at least 19 now, thanks much. Besides, girls mature faster than guys." She said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes with a smirk.

"I became acquainted with my Dads liquor cabinet when I was twelve." J said, voice dripping with irony.

"That's not a sign of maturity," Genevieve laughed.

"Hacking the code on it sure as hell was; with two teenage boys in the house Dad was taking no chances." He retorted, letting down some of his guard and letting some of his past slip.

"Did he ever find out you did?" She asked curiously, her eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Sent me off to military school for a year after that," J replied with a nod.

"Yikes! Did you ever break in there again after you came back?" She asked curiously.

"No. I didn't really want to after I came back; I continued on in military school and went to medical school, both of my own volition." Jack was still talking now, and he wondered belatedly why he was telling her so much.

"So that's where you learned medicine…. But I can't imagine you taking orders from anyone," Genevieve confessed with a shrug.

"I put up with it so I could learn what I wanted to know. Sometimes I didn't mind following orders, other times I questioned them, and there were times out on the field where the orders changed because the guys that could pull rank on you were dead or incapacitated and they weren't as pushy when you were trying to save their asses," He explained softly, his eyes taking on a faraway caste as he lost himself to memories from another lifetime.

"I didn't mean to pry, I'm sorry." She said finally, seeing the look in his eyes and the almost haunted expression on his face.

"Nah, its fine. I just haven't really thought about that part of my life for a long time," he shrugged nonchalantly, and Genevieve changed the subject.

"So, I've been meaning to ask; why all the purple?" she murmured, cocking her head with a curious smile.

"It's my favorite color," he replied as the waiter brought their wine and cocktails.

"We'll have the Moussaka and grilled veggies," J ordered without a glance in the waiter's direction as he sipped his Sour.

"It's my favorite color too, I'm just surprised you like it so much. It's been the highlight of my career working on your wardrobe," She confessed with a smile, sipping her own cocktail and enjoying its sweet tartness.

"Just how did you get involved with making my clothes?" He asked with genuine interest; he honestly would have owed Victor a quiche and a good bottle of brandy had he been alive. Seth was right. Genevieve had grown on him. She flushed scarlet and cleared her throat, eyeing the lime green hues of her drink as she stalled.

"The answers definitely not in your drink," he whispered, nudging her leg with his foot beneath the table; causing her blush to run from pink to scarlet.

"I was twelve when it happened, I actually guilted Dad into it, but I had been planning on asking to work on your account for months. He's the one that slipped up and gave me the perfect opening actually," She reminisced with a smile.

"Oh?" J prompted her.

"Yeah, he had forgotten my birthday you see, so I had him right where I needed him. I started sewing at Dad's shop when I was nine years old, and I began handling professional accounts by the time I was ten. I kept asking him, well, kind of begging him to work on 'the purple mans account', but he kept refusing; telling me that you were elite clientele and off limits until I really perfected my craft, which was crap because I had a lot of repeat clientele of my own that were high-paying accounts as it was. We were swamped all summer and well into October that year and my birthday had come and went so fast that I had nearly forgotten about it myself until my Cousin Geo reminded me when he dropped by the shop with a card. My Dad literally looked like he felt like shit for forgetting, so of course I take advantage of it. He comes to the back of the shop and says that he's so sorry and we were going to close up early and go to my favorite restaurant and go to the mall and that I could have whatever I wanted," She recalled, smirking.

"So you asked to work on some of my orders?" J frowned incredulously.

"No. I asked Dad for the entire account; you were literally my twelfth birthday gift. I didn't want anything else," She confessed, avoiding his gaze for a moment while the waiter served their dishes to them.

J processed that information for a moment thoughtfully as he recalled all of the creations he had ordered over the years and had given all of the accolades to his old pal Victor when it had been this insanely beautiful and talented woman all along.

"So you've been with me nearly since the beginning…how ironic," He murmured as the waiter set down their dinner. Genevieve nodded and shrugged; recalling that J had only pulled off a few good heists here and there according to a couple of years of sporadic GNN reports before she had gotten his account from her Dad….

"Ah, before I forget," J pulled out a small case and slid it across the table to her. Genevieve frowned for a moment before opening it and finding her insulin pen and a fresh needle head.

"You know, most guys go with flowers." She joked; making him snort into his drink.

"I'm not uh, really used to this to be honest." He said truthfully as she discreetly injected under the table.

"Business meetings or First Dates?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with a surprising amount of endearment. She didn't really know what it was about this insane one-of-a-kind man, but they clicked. It had happened for her instantly with that first phone call.

"This is not a first date, it's the third or fourth at least." He said, clearing his throat and serving them each a glass of Chateau Petrus.

"Uh-huh, and why don't I recall these other dates we've had?" She asked with a scoff as she cut into the moussaka.

"Well, I think you were distracted by my chivalry the first time. You know; full moon, a midnight encounter, archery, a romantic late night drive back to my place," He teased, causing Genevieve to roll her eyes and chuckle into her napkin in an effort not to choke.

"Oh wow, I guess I did overlook that one. Was that arrow in the shoulder an excuse to try to get to second?" She asked, giving his leg a soft kick under the table as he shook with silent laughter.

"Damn, see? I can't get anything past you." He replied as though at a loss for what to do with her.

"And the second date?" She prompted him, eyebrows raised.

"Okay, okay. I guess this can qualify as the second," J said, hands raised in mock-surrender. Genevieve smirked and shook her head, finishing her Sour and taking another bite of moussaka as J dug into his own dinner at last.

J opened her car door for her again when they had finished dinner, stepping out into a breezy starlit evening; just one of dozens of couples enjoying a Saturday in autumn.

"So, where to now?" He asked her as he slipped into the driver's seat once more, flicking through songs and settling on Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana.

"Wherever you want," She replied with a shrug, secretly just wanting to be in his company no matter where it was they happened to end up.

"Trust me, you don't want to leave it up to me. When I'm not robbing banks and blowing up buildings, I can be pretty boring." He joked, enjoying the sound of her laughter once more.

"Seriously though, if you could do anything right now, what would it be?" She asked him curiously.

"Seriously? You really want to know?" He asked her conspiratorially, shifting a bit closer to her as they sat parked in the nearly deserted valet lane.

"Mm-hmm." She replied, unable to help herself as she snuck a quick glance at his lips; the memory of their one shared kiss forefront in her mind as he moved closer.

Jack paused momentarily before cupping her cheek in his slightly trembling hand, moving forward to claim her lips with his own.