Freak is an Ugly Word

Constantly, Doc removed himself from the seventies orange couch to go and check on Princess. He had to make absolute sure that she was actually sleeping and not up, too scared to disobey Joker. He could understand her fear, Joker was a terrifying man, but that did not excuse what she had done. It had not been an attempt at suicide, but Doc could not help but be a little frightened at the prospect of one so young cutting herself up just to see if it hurt.

Doc blamed Joker for it. Joker had been nothing but “nice” to the girl, but that did not excuse fucking with her mind. Princess’ mind was already fucked up, anyone could see that, and Joker playing with it had only made it worse. If slicing herself up had been an attempt at suicide, Doc would have left with the girl. Doc may have tortured his patients, but he still had the doctor’s belief of the preservation of life. Mind games were okay, as long as no one died in the end.

After the seventh time of him getting up and checking on Princess, he heard the front door open. Joker’s cackles rebounded across the building, and he entered the room with a large grin on his face. His intense gaze cut across the room and landed on Doc, who was once again sitting on the horrendously colored couch. His eye twitched in annoyance when he did not see Princess sitting next to him.

Turning to the rest of the men, he ordered them to leave with a simple glare. They took the hint and left without complaint. Once they were alone, Joker turned back to Doc.

“Where is she?” he growled at the man.

“Sleeping,” Doc answered simply.

“Sleeping?!” bellowed Joker. “I told you to keep her awake.”

In his own anger, Doc stood up and got into the man’s face. Normally, Doc was an even tempered male, but he at that moment, he was very pissed. “It’s hard to keep someone awake after they cut themselves up and lose a significant amount of blood.” Being in Joker’s face was not the smartest or safest of things to do, but Doc was too anger to realize his folly.

The desire to punch the man in the face arose in Joker. Once the man’s words registered, the desire left him and curiosity replaced it. “Cut themselves?” inquired Joker tilting his head to the side.

“She broke the mirror in the bathroom and used one of the pieces to slice open her arm,” Doc explained to him.

“She wouldn’t have, uh, been able to do that if you had been, uh, watching her like I told you.”

Doc was fuming at this point. Sure, Joker had ordered him to watch her. Sure, Joker is a dangerous man and one not to mess with. But what the hell did he expect from him. He was not a fucking babysitter! Not to mention the fact that Princess was no longer a little child and had been taking care of herself for years. It was not until Joker got his hands on her had she ever once attempted to harm herself. Yes. Doc blamed Joker for Princess’ experiment on herself.

If he would have just left her where she was, Princess would have been fine. She would still have been living her hard life as a slave to the mob, but at least she was not hurting herself. Croc would have still been taking care of her and watching her every move. Protecting her from all those that wished her nothing but harm. But now, in the hands of Joker, there was no one there to help her. They were all too afraid of him. Even Doc would not dare cross him unless there was an absolute need to.

“Babysitting was not in my job description.”

Scratching the back of his head in annoyance, Joker mumbled a few incoherent words to himself. He was starting to get really annoyed with Doc. He had just given him a simple task. So easy, that even the dumbest monkey could do, and he had failed. Princess had managed to get away from him long enough to cut herself up.

Normally, he would have killed the man on the spot. Unfortunately for Joker, he trusted no one else to actually watch the girl. Some how, the others would mess up what he had done to her. They were all just as simple minded as she. Something would slip. Joker knew if it had been any other than Doc watching her that night, she would have been dead and he’d just have to start all over again. Something he did not want to do.

Princess was the perfect test subject. Her abused mind had already been messed up, so toying with it was even easier. He really was not trying his hardest with her nor did he have to. She just took everything he told her and believed it all. Even the bit about her brother. He had somehow actually made her believe that her brother had hurt her in some way. Never said what he did, but she had assumed rape. Just the simple word “naughty” had made her come to that conclusion.

Without a word to the man, Joker walked away. He really did not have anything to say, nor did he want to waste time thinking up something. His time was better spent working on the girl. He would get much more interesting results from that. Yelling at Doc would come to nothing. The man would just roll his eyes at him and walk away.

Doc was one of his less fearless men. He did not find Joker as frightening as the others. Then again, Doc could be frightening himself. The other men were uncomfortable around him for reasons unknown to Joker. If he would have paid attention, he would have come to realize that it was Doc’s sexual preference that made the men uncomfortable. Though Doc was not gay, the men still viewed him as such because he had openly admitted to sleeping with men. Just like any straight men, they all believed that he wanted them.

Rolling his eyes, Doc made his way back onto the couch. The rest of the men started to pile back into the room and sat down where ever they could. Not one of them sat on the couch next to Doc, earning them another roll of his eyes. It was not like he cared what they thought. They were unimportant. He thought them all idiots. Just because he partook in the pleasures of male flesh does not mean that every single male got him all hot and bothered. In fact, it was the opposite. Most males disgusted him, like those sitting on the floor. All of them, he found repulsive. It was not because of what they do or who they worked for, how could he judge them on that when he worked for the same man and did similar things. No, it was the fact that they were all physically repulsive.

Each and every one of them had some physical attribute that Doc disliked. It varied from horrid eye color to the shape of their nose. Doc was not into emotional connections, just the physical. Emotions just got people hurt in the end, and he did not want to be hurt again. So, keeping with the initial physical attraction was to his best advantage. With just sex he could not get hurt. Well, he could, but who doesn’t like a little pain here and there?

One of the men made the mistake of turning on the sound of the television. “What do you think you’re doing?” Doc asked the man harshly.

“I’d like ta hear what they are sayin’,” the man snidely remarked.

“Well, I don’t, so turn the volume back down. Now.”

“No one cares what you like, faggot.”

Oh, how Doc hated that word. The word that had played on the lips of many a bigots. Yes, he was different, but he did not need others to point that out. He already knew that, and they were just stating the obvious making themselves look all the more stupid. A sick smile appeared on Doc’s face. “You do realize that when you get seriously injured,

I, the faggot you so called me, will be the one to work on you.” The man looked up at him, confusion on his face. He knew that, what was the point in saying so? “You never know. My scalpel might accidently slips and,” he let the sentence hang for a moment, “you won’t be able to walk ever again.”

Paling, the man turned down the volume. All of them now looked at Doc in a new light. No longer was he the “faggot,” but the man that could either cure them or kill them. They had better stay on his good side if they did not want the latter. They may not fear him as much as Joker, but they would think twice about what they did around the man. Doc stretched out on the couch and watched the once again silent television, the sick smile still on his perfect lips.

As Joker entered the room, Princess was still fast asleep on the bed. She was covered up to her neck, but her bandaged arm hung out settling next to her head. Her chest rose and fell in a slow rhythmic pattern telling Joker that she was indeed asleep. Scratching the back of his head in annoyance, he decided on what to do with the girl. She had disobeyed him all that’s all that mattered to him. Pets are not supposed to disobey their masters.
With a growl, he kicked the bed hard. “Wake up!” he bellowed in his frustration.

Princess, used to being woke up in such a manner, shot up. With groggy eyes, she gazed up at Joker. At seeing the man, she smiled slightly. The smile vanished when she saw that he was frowning at her. “Is somethin’ wrong?”

A cackle left Joker’s lips and Princess shivered. She could feel a hidden danger in the laugh. “Is somethin’ wrong?” he mocked her. “I’d have ta say somethin’ is wrong. Princess disobeyed Joker. Joker doesn’t like that. Not. One. Bit.” With each word he got closer and closer to her until he was sitting on the bed face within inches of hers.

“I’m-“

Joker shook his head, cutting her off. “No apologies, Princess. It’s too late for that.” Joker heaved a sigh and shook his head in mock disappointment. “I can’t believe my Princess. She didn’t listen to me. I’m so disappointed in her right now. Not only did she not listen to me, she cut herself up. Marred her pretty skin. Now, Joker doesn’t know if he can stand the sight of her.” With that being said, he turned away from her.

Tears welled in Princess’ eyes. She had done a horrible thing and upset the man. At the time, she had not realized that he would be so disappointed in her. She had not even been thinking of the future consequences of her actions. All she had wanted was to see if it would hurt her or not. Now, more than ever, she wished that she had not listened to that voice. It had gotten her in trouble.

It was all that bitch in the mirror’s fault. She had done this! Only she was to blame. She did not like Joker and wanted Princess away from him. That bitch had known that Princess cutting herself would upset the man. Now, Joker was mad at her and she could only blame her reflection. Of course, trying to explain that to the man would only make her seem crazy, so she kept her mouth shut about the topic.

“I jus' wanted ta see if it would hurt,” whispered Princess.
Her soft spoken proclamation brought a smile on Joker’s lips. A smile that he forced back when he turned to her. “And did cutting herself hurt Princess?”

“No. It felt good.” She gazed at him and tilted her head to the side. “Why? Why did I like it?”

“That’s because you’re a freak, like me!”

“Freak is an ugly word.”

“Yeah, yeah it is. But! It can be the perfect word to describe people. People like us. We’re freaks, Princess. There’s nothing better to describe us.”

He was so close to her Princess could feel his hot breath against the skin of her face. She shivered and goosebumps arose on her flesh. It was made worse when his leather gloved hand rubbed her upper arm. It traveled up her arm to her neck, making her release a soft sigh. The leather of his gloves left a strange yet enjoyable sensation on her skin. It was a feeling that would forever haunt her. So smooth, yet the tiniest of ridges in it. His thumb trailed across her jaw line to the lobe of her ear and gave it a little yank. A small moan left her.

“Princess is going to be a good girl from now on, isn’t she?” A nod from the girl was the reply to his question. “She ain’t gonna cut herself up anymore, is she?” She shook her head. No longer was she able to find the ability to speak with his other hand now caressing the side of her face. “Princess is going to be a very good girl for Joker, right?” She nodded once again.

Of course, she was going to be good. Never again did she want to see Joker’s disappointment. It had hurt her to see him like that. Had tore at her insides, opening wounds she could not recall where she had gotten them from. No. Never again would she listen to that voice in her head. It was bad, so very bad. Made Princess slice herself open and made Joker look at her that way, a way that she could not stand. A look that she felt would kill her if she witnessed it again.

Soft flesh sat between her teeth as she bit down on the crook of Joker’s neck. Princess had not even realized what she was doing, having been so deep in her own thoughts. What she had been thinking was now gone and she could not remember what it was. His jacket was now gone and her tiny trembling fingers were working on the buttons of his shirt. Joker’s airy and seemingly wheezy chuckle filled her ears as she finally got the last button undone.

Joker was still chuckling at her as she worked on the button of his pants. Somewhere along the lines, Princess did not know when, he had taken off the leather purple gloves and was digging his nails into her back. Only when he started to slowly drag his nails across her back did she remove her teeth from his flesh. She inhaled sharply and shuddered.

When Princess finally managed to get his pants undone, Joker stopped her by gripping her wrist tightly. Her gaze fell on his face and she pouted. He nearly laughed at the sight. What a fool she was. So easily manipulated. Joker did not need this. Did not need the sex. It was just another method he was using to mess with her head. It had been the easiest method by far. She responded so well to it, and all the other methods he had used. She truly was the perfect test subject.

“Now, now Princess,” he chided. “None of that now. Princess hurt herself and needs her rest. She must have time to heal.”

“But,” whined Princess.

“No buts. Time for Princess to get her beauty sleep, not that she needs it.” A dark blush formed on her cheeks and he chuckled at her. Releasing his hold on her, Joker shoved her back onto the bed. “Sleepy time for Princess.”

She nodded, resting her head on the purple covered pillow. “Will ya lay with me ‘til I go ta sleep?”

Joker nearly frowned at the request, but held it back. “Sure. Yeah, I’ll lay with Princess ‘til she goes ta sleep.”

Resting his head on the extra pillow, he laid himself on his back with his hands behind his head. He was not planning to fall asleep, so there was no reason for him to try and get comfortable. There was still too much for him to do to fall asleep. Since starting his little escapade on the city, he could not recall the last time he closed his eyes and slept. It had to be a few days. He was not tired in the least, so why should he care when he fell into that blissful darkness called sleep. He could rest when he was dead.

Then, he would have plenty of time to do that.
Princess cuddled her self next to him, laying her head on the crook of his arm. Though she fought tooth and nail not to, slowly her eyes closed themselves. It was hard to fight back sleep when the body so desperately wanted and needed it. When she finally allowed herself to sleep, Princess dreamed. Dreamed of faces and images of the people and places she had once known before Joker had warped her mind. Happy times, pain filled times, and times that had no emotion attached to it. She did not like these dreams. She wanted to wake up, but her body would not allow her to do so. She was stuck seeing them until her mind was fully rested.

Joker stared down at Princess as she shifted in her sleep. A strange feeling overtook him. No, it was not strange. He knew the feeling very well. It was… boredom. He had grown bored of Princess. No longer did she interest him. He had already done what he had set out to do. It had taken a measly two days to do so. Now, he wanted a new pet. A new mind to train. He would not be able to do that unless Princess was gone.

Well, it would be interesting to see what her reaction to the new pet would be. No, he already knew what her reaction would be, and it would not be interesting in the least. She would just mope around and stare at him with her puppy dog eyes. Princess would never get the nerve up to do anything but just that. She had been too beaten down.

Pathetic is what she was. Utterly and totally pathetic. Never would she be able to stand up for herself. Now that he had spent a significant amount of time with the girl, he believed that spark he had saw in her eyes would never ignite. One day, it would just go out and it would be as if it never were. There was nothing he could do to change that, so why bother trying?

Getting rid of her was his only option and he was going to do just that. As carefully as he could, so that she did not wake, he slipped his arm from under her head. Once that feat had been accomplished, he stood and started to redo all of his buttons. That task took him minimal effort and he was out the door, jacket in hand, heading to the living room.

When he entered the living room, now donned in his purple jacket, all eyes were on him. Well, all except for Doc’s. Doc, who was lying on the couch, was still angry at the man and did not want to see him. It was unfortunate for him that Joker had decided that he was going to be the one to get Princess out of there. He could not very well do it himself. Princess might wake and then there would be the whining and the begging, things that he did not want to deal with. He might lose his temper and kill her. Like he cared whether she lived or died, he just did not want to put out the effort. She was not worth it.

Joker flopped himself on the end of the couch, Doc moved his legs not wanting the man to touch him, and rested his head in his hand, elbow placed on the arm rest. “I’m bored,” he stated to them all.

Smiles grew on most of the men’s faces. They believed that they were all about to go out and do something. Something that Joker would find fun, as would they all. Already they were shifting in their many positions on the floor, ready for some action and excitement. All of them were itching to go out.

“Get her out,” Joker commanded. The smiles fell and disappointment ensued. That’s not what they were hoping for.

“What?!” exclaimed Doc. He gazed at the man, mouth open in shock.

“Get. Rid. Of. Her.” Each word was said between gritted teeth. Though he had a smile on his face, they all knew that he was angry. He was staring at Doc through narrowed eyes.

“Let me get this straight,” started Doc. “You mess with her mind, make it to where she worships the ground you walk on, and now you want to get rid of her. Throw her away like rotted meat?”

“Yep. Now, get rid of her.” A malicious smile spread on his face. “Get rid of her or I’ll give her to them.” He pointed to the men on the floor. Many of them looked very gleeful at the prospect.

Doc stood from the couch. “Fine, I’ll get rid of her,” he whispered and he walked off. He mumbled “sick bastard” as he passed Joker.

Joker cackled in response. Abruptly he stopped when he realized that the men were staring at him in disappointment. “What?!” he shouted at them. He knew why they were upset. They had wanted their turn at Princess and now they could never have it. Joker had dangled a piece of meat in front of hungry dogs and just when it was within reach, he had snatched it back.

Tired of their stares, Joker stood up and walked away. As he ambled through the building, he passed Princess’ room and gazed through the open door. Doc was standing before the bed, studying the girl, trying to decide the best way to get her out without waking her. He did not know how heavy a sleeper Princess was and did not want to chance rousing her.

If it had not been for Doc scratching the back of his head and muttering to himself, Joker would have thought something else. Whatever Doc had been thinking or not thinking, Joker did not care. He just wanted the girl gone. Gone and away from him. His time would be better spent doing something else rather than messing with her feeble mind. Oh yes, he had definitely made the wrong choice when picking her.

Doc could feel the man behind him. Could feel him silently commanding him to hurry up and get rid of Princess. Well, Doc was going to take his sweet time in the matter. He realized that Princess would not be waking any time soon. She had lost a significant amount of blood and her body needed to recuperate from it. So, let the man stand there and glare at him. Doc could care less.

It was only after Joker had walked off did Doc finally decide it was time to go. Piling what little clothes she had on her chest, he lifted her into his arms, covers and all, trying not to wake her. She was much lighter than he had anticipated. Having tried to become a doctor, he knew it was not healthy. She needed to gain some weight. A task he doubted would ever happen.

Doc froze when Princess moaned. He relaxed when she did not wake, but cuddled into his chest gripping the fabric of his shirt. As quickly and quietly as possible, he got her out of the building. His eyes cut across the nearly vacant parking lot, searching for the van that they had previously used to go get something to eat earlier that day. It was easily found and he briskly walked to it.

After he reached it, he shifted Princess so that he could open the side sliding door. Once the door was securely opened, he placed her in the row of seats directly behind the two front ones. All the while this was going on, Princess was still fast asleep.

Once Princess was in place, Doc shut the door and jumped in the driver’s seat. He had no need to search for the keys, they were he had last put them, in the visor. They fell into his lap with a jingle when he pulled it down. He picked up the keys and found the correct one and started the van. The engine roared to life. Placing his foot on the brake, he shifted the vehicle into drive.

Suddenly, Doc felt a hate toward Joker. Hated him for making him do this. Hated him for what he did to Princess. Doc liked the girl. She was sweet and kind. She did not deserve what happened to her. Joker was sick and twisted. He did not care who he hurt, and never would. He had no empathy. His heart was a black hole. Dark and unfeeling, sucking the life out of everything around it.

But what could Doc do? He had been sucked into that hole and was now trapped. Once you were in the Joker’s circle, the only way out was death or to be caught by the cops. Neither one of those options sounded appealing to Doc. Princess was lucky. Joker was just letting her go. Then again, she had never been in the circle, just a victim of his sick games. She would be better off without the man. Maybe, just maybe, her mind would be able to reverse the damage done to it out of the presence of the man. Maybe, if she were lucky.

Sitting at a red light, Doc tried to decide on where to take her. He could always take her back to the Narrows where she had come from. No. That was not a good idea. She would just be back in the hands of the mob. They would once again throw her on the streets and force her to sell her body. Doc was not comfortable with that idea. It was the reason why she was where she was in the first place.

His second option was just as appealing as the first. Just leaving her somewhere in the middle of Gotham, as far away as Joker and the Narrows as possible. Even in the nicest part of Gotham she could end up dead. The wicked lay everywhere within the city limits. She would be in trouble no matter where she ended up.

The third and fourth option he wanted nothing to do with. Killing her was not something he could bring himself to do. He had never killed anyone before. Torture was his thing, not killing. Then, there was turning her over to the cops. It was the safest of the choices, but there was one problem. In doing that, he would have to turn himself in. Even if he left her at their doorsteps, he would be spotted. Doc was a wanted man and all it would take would be one fingerprint run and he would be locked up for a very long time, another thing he did not want.

Looked like option B was the one he was going to have to go with. The light had long ago turned green and he stepped on the gas peddle. Driving into the night, he searched for the best place to drop the sleeping girl off at. Not many of his choices looked very appealing, but he was going to have to pick one.

The roads in Gotham were not the greatest. Large potholes were randomly placed throughout the street and he could not avoid a single one of them. It wasn’t until a very large one that Princess stirred. Groggily she sat up and looked around her. Doc’s heart stopped.

Shit.

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So, there's the end of 11. I hope that all of you enjoyed it. Let me know. Review and rate please. Thank you all so much!