Arkham Days

He smirked leaning in his face inches from mine. Cautiously, my fingers rose of their own accord, and gingerly began tracing the jagged lines marking his face. I couldn't help but think of a snake as my fingers ran along his scars. How they look wet, but are actually dry? At first glance I would have expected his scars to grate against my finger tips, to be rough and unappealing, but it was just the opposite. Although the lines were in no way straight, and the surrounding areas were uneven, the skin was as smooth as a baby's. Cautiously, my eyes rose to meet his piercing stare.

"You -ah- see all the bells and whistles and intact." His eyes continued to pierce mine. I felt his hand against my face, the callused fingers stretching across my skin. Slowly, he brought his face into mine, his lips ghosting over my lips. A smile spread across his face as I took in a sharp breath. Then just when I thought he was going to go in for the kill, he pulled away abruptly and started laughing.

"I don't kiss." He cooed while patting my cheek. "Especially, with my toys."

"I'm not your toy." I narrowed my eyes reaching up and tearing his hand away from my face.

"Of course you are. Would I -ah- be here if you weren't?" I could feel my lips pursing in what I knew would be my best scowl. It made me angry that I couldn't evoke anything in him, but laughter. I would prefer him to hit me rather than laugh at me, I could handle pain better than humiliation.

"Of course if you want," he roughly tangled his hand in the back of my hair, craning my head in an awkward position. "I'll make an exception."

I threw my hands up against him pushing him away, but his hand remained firm in my hair while the other snaked its way around my waist arching my body against him. My hands had already formed fist that were beating against his chest. He jerked my head back his face leaning in and then traveling down, where I felt scarred lips press against my throat. His hand began making rapid circles around my back as though they were desperately seeking, some invisible zipper, while his mouth roamed along my neck. My hits didn't seem to phase him, or maybe he was just a masochist and this was only making things worse.

POP! I felt his actions cease as his breath hitched against my skin. POP! POP! The Joker sat up his hands sliding from me, as he slowly turned around, and then I saw it. Three small silver tubes, sticking from his back each with a cone-like bright yellow end. He let out a small groan before keeling forward and tumbling to the ground.

"Isn't that over kill? Did he really need three?" The rough voice of Croc broke my eyes away from the Joker's stilled form. I looked up to see Crane and Croc standing in the doorway. Crane's hand lowered taking with it an oddly shaped black handgun. He quickly handed the gun to Croc, marching across the floor to my bed and roughly handing me my shirt.

"Put it on quick." He turned his back giving me a brief moment of privacy. I looked up to see Croc staring from the doorway.

"Oh....right," he muttered following suit and turning around. I threw the shirt over my head pulling it down quickly, forcing my arms into their rightful place. I swear he has eyes in the back of his head! The second I pulled my arm threw the last sleeve, he swung around grabbing my arm and jerking me to my feet. He marched me to the door, where Croc stood for a moment, until he realized I was done changing and that Crane was already dragging me down the hall.

"Uh, boss?" Croc took a few quick strides to catch up. "Boss? What are we d-"

"Go back to your cell for now." Crane shot a menacing glance at me. "I have things to take care of." Croc glanced back at me, and I tried my best to shoot him a pleading look. It was bad enough being mad handled by one psychopath, I did not want to just be passed to the next. Crane, however, once again managed to get his way, and Croc turned and headed back towards his bed. Crane turned opening a door and tossing me through. I recognized the place immediately as the office Croc and I had hidden before. Crane turned and walked to a wall pacing back and forth.

"So is that the kind of thing to you enjoy?" He hissed, continuing his frantic movements.

"What?!" He had to be kidding, right?

"He was all over you."

"Ya, he was all over and forcing me."

"Looked like you were enjoying it."

"You're mad!" He rushed on me.

"That's the popular theory." His breath was heavy now as his arms held mine down against the desk. I winced as he forcibly applied more weight.

"Let me go." My arms pulled against his, trying to loosen his grip.

"There's a fee for my services, you know. I'm not doing this for free."
His hands tightened around my arms stilling their movements.

"What services are those?! I never asked for any services from you!" Out of the corner of my eyes I saw a shadow in front of the door, I know he saw it too. He looked at me a moment, before a smirk spread across his lips, and he sat up.

"Fine, have it your way." He pulled me off the desk and tossed me towards the door. Slowly the knob turned and the door slid open. My breath hitched and I could feel my eyes watering up as the malicious form of the Joker stood peering down at me.

"Nice -ah- try." The Joker opened his hands revealing the three small darts from earlier and tossed them to Jonathan's feet. The Joker reached up and patted his chest, a strange muffled sound coming off of him as his shirt puffed out with each hit.

"Padding?" Jonathan's eyebrow cocked up as he stared over me at the Joker.

"You can never be too careful with all these, ah, guards running around." Crane huffed a sound of agreement. I scrambled to my feet as I felt, the Joker's hands tangle in my hair pulling me up. My hands grasped at my head trying to pull my hair back closer to my scalp to relieve some of the pain. I felt the Joker shake my head as he looked over to Jonathan sending out some kind of wordless question. Jonathan shook his head bringing his arms up to cross them over his chest.

"Go ahead, she doesn't need my help." The Joker let out a small laugh as he began to pull me back towards the door. I struggled to pull myself away from him, looking towards Jonathan who looked too smug for my tastes. I wanted to smack the look off his face.

"Come along now." The Joker jerked more forcefully now, causing a cry to leave my lips.

"Fine!" I shouted at Jonathan. "I'll pay!" The Joker's movements ceased almost immediately as he turned around to face Jonathan a furious look on his face. Crane reached behind him pulling out a similar gun to the one I saw him with earlier, and aimed it at Joker.

"Night," Crane muttered as he started squeezing the trigger.

"You think the results won't be the same as before!" The Joker's voice broke out from behind me in an infuriated growl. POP! Another small silver tube stood jutting out of the Joker's bare arm.

"Can't pad your arms." POP! POP! I sighed with relief as the hands in my hair loosened and fell out, and the pain dissipated. I looked down once again at the stilled clown, noting the three shiny darts sticking out of his arm.

"You know," I started turning my head up to the armed man. "Croc was right. Three really is over kill."

"I know," he smirked, "but it's fun."

Author's Note:
Sorry it has been so long! I hope to get done with another chapter soon. I like this chapter, simply because I just read Brian Azzarello's Joker, and although the art is beautiful, I really don't like his depiction of the Joker. So I wanted an excuse to shoot him. At least once...or three...or six times, but it's totally out of my system now! Promise! Review and let me know what you think...I still haven't completely decided where the story is going from here.

THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!! I LOVE YOU GUYS (AND GALS)!