Freak is an Ugly Word

White walls surrounded the bright room. The tiles on the floor were a pristine white cleaned with such precision that they sparkled and the contents of the room reflected off of them. An island sat in the middle of the room, its countertop white and a light colored wood for the base. The stove top was white as well and the counter tops it sat in the middle of were of the same hue and sat on the far side of the kitchen. Sunlight poured through the window reflecting brightly on the freshly clean floors and countertops.
Jessica was momentarily blinded by the room. Once her eyes adjusted, she gazed about the room in wonder. Never had she seen a room so clean or so white. Even the many hospitals room she had been in could not compare to this. It was simply amazing. Alicia had told her that she cleaned the entire house herself and Jessica simply could not fathom it. Everything was cleaned with such precision that one could eat off of the toilet if they so wished. It was very hard for Jessica to believe that a woman could clean a house that big by herself and still have time to be a mother and have a job on top of that.
Alicia had explained that she worked mostly from home and only ventured out when she had a house to show or errands to run. No matter where she went, she took her son with her. For once such as his age, he was very well behaved. A fact his mother did not let escape anyone’s attention. She practically shoved it done Jessica’s throat when she had inquired about it.
Staring at the woman as she, Greg and Alicia sat at the island in the kitchen, she came to the conclusion that Alicia did not care for her. Not in the least. Every time she thought Jessica was not looking, she would glare at the young woman. Jessica caught her doing so so many times, but never said anything, she was used to not being liked what was one more to add to the list. The only problem she had with it was why. Why did the woman not like her? Jessica had never done anything to her. She had just met her only hours before. Not being able to handle the heated glares anymore, Jessica excused herself saying she had to use the restroom.
Once Jessica was out of the room, Alicia quickly reeled on her brother. “Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she hissed at him afraid Jessica would over hear her. “She looks like a child!”
Doc ran his fingers through his hair. “I told you it was complicated. She’s older than she looks.”
Rolling her hazel eyes, Alicia asked, “What, is she sixteen or seventeen?”
“Nineteen.”
“Oh, because that’s so much better,” she sardonically remarked. “Have you completely lost your mind?” And on and on she went. Ranting and raving about how stupid and insane he was. Never giving him the chance to speak. Never letting him explain.
Not being able to take it anymore, Greg slammed his fist against the island’s countertop causing the cup of coffee in front of him to jump. “If you would shut up for one goddamn minute I’ll explain everything to you. Jesus fucking Christ.” Taking a deep calming breath, he related his tale to her. He went into great detail about all that had happened and tried his best to get his little sister to sympathize with Princess/Jessica. It did not happen as he figured it would not. Alicia did not feel pity for anyone.
“I don’t give a flying fuck how hard her life was. I don’t like her and I don’t trust her. Just you watch, Greg. She’ll leave you. She’ll leave you just like that other bitch did. Or she’ll turn out to be just like our mother.”
Jessica stood next to the doorway, leaning against the wall, and listening to what Alicia had to say about her. She did not want to come in and interrupt what she had to say. Apparently Greg did not like that last comment that his sister spoke for he started to yell at her. The argument grew louder and louder and still Jessica stood where she was.
“She’s not normally like this,” a male voice called to her. Jessica’s head shot up and saw that it was Alicia’s husband, Erik. “She’s just very overprotective of Greg. I don’t think she wants him to have any woman in his life. So, don’t pay heed to what she’s saying now. It’s just jealousy really.”
Shrugging her shoulders, Jessica pushed herself from the wall. “It really doesn’t matter. If she likes me, she likes me, if not, then she doesn’t. People like you or they don’t. There’s nothing you can do to change that.”
Erik smiled a small smile. “You’re right. You can never change what one thinks of you. Especially one as stubborn as Alicia.” He took a moment to study Jessica, taking in everything of the young woman. She was grotesquely skinny and small for someone her age. Her dark hair, though brushed, still had a ratted appearance to it and held no luster. Medium sized lips were set in a constant frown. The sad gray eyes that she had were ones of someone much older than she was. Someone who had been through much in her short time on the Earth.
Earlier that day, Greg had taken her shopping with the money he had liberated from Joker’s stash. With the money he had bought her clothes that he deemed worth of meeting his sister, though the woman had still looked at her with such scrutiny, trying her hardest to find every fault the girl had. Jessica wore faded blue jeans that hugged her hips and flared out at the bottom. They were accompanied with a black tank top and a long sleeved white shirt to cover the bandage that took up most of her left arm. Her right hand he could do nothing with. On her feet was a simple pair of black sneakers with white shoestrings. A simple but nice outfit. Nicer than any Jessica had worn before.
Somehow Jessica had known no matter what she wore Greg’s sister would not like her. She had seen it in her eyes when she had first looked upon her. Never would she be good enough for her brother. She could only guess that’s how families were. Always seeing the faults in the significant others of the ones they cared about. But that was how people were. They always saw the faults first and never the good. Jessica had many faults. No one was perfect and she was far from it.
Silently the pair stood by the door listening to Greg and Alicia argue. The shouts and screams did not cease until Norman appeared. With the siblings so heavily in their banter they had failed to realize the man was standing in the same room with them until he joined in on the fray. With a few simple but effective words they ceased and stared at him incredulously. When Norman had finished what he had said in the matter, he cleaned off his horned rimmed glasses and replaced them back on his face.
Taking a deep breath, he continued to glare at the two until they shuffled their feet uncomfortably. “Now, let’s get down to business, shall we?” He set the leather brief case in his hands down on the table. Pushing the golden buttons the clasps shot open with a nice click. He pulled out a thick stack of papers stapled together in groups. Those he set in front of Greg. “I just need you to sign a few of these. There is no need to look them over. I have done so numerous times and you have nothing to worry about.” Norman was one of the few lawyers people could trust. The man did not lie nor did he cheat or steal. Honesty was what he lived by and he has lived a full honest life.
Jessica studied him from the around the corner. He was a short stocky man, just a few inches taller than her. The charcoal colored suit that he wore was tailored and fit him perfectly. Black loafers sat upon his feet with black round shoelaces. His undershirt was starch white and the tie he wore was of the same hue as his suit. His lips were thin and seemed to be placed in a permanent sneer. His nose was bulbous and flat reminding her of a camel’s nose. His small eyes were a striking blue in color. The fact that his glasses were so thick just made his eyes look buggy and overly large. The sight of him nearly made Jessica giggle in amusement and fought hard to hold it back.
Erik left her and went to his wife’s side. She appeared to still be upset until he whispered something in her ear. Her bright almond shaped hazel eyes widened and her full lips parted forming a shocked expression. Jessica had to admit, no matter what expression she wore on her face, Alicia was still just as perfect as her brother. It was highly evident that the two were related for they looked exactly alike. The only difference was that Alicia was a woman and her features were feminine while Greg was all man.
With scratchy handwriting, Greg signed all the necessary papers. Once finished, he handed them back to Norman and glared at his sister. How she was reacting toward Jessica disgusted him. She had been the one person he had thought would understand, but he had been wrong. Deep down he knew it was just jealousy on his part. Had he not reacted the same way when she had brought Erik home the first time? He had. He had been severely jealous that some other man could complete his twin sister in a way that he could not. In time, he would come to forgive her, but not then.
“Now that everything is in order,” Norman started briefly skimming through the papers he had Greg signed, “I’ll explain to you why your father left you, Greg, all the money in his secret account.”
“Just get it over with,” Greg harshly stated. “I don’t want to be here for too much longer.”
With a huff Alicia stormed out of the room. There was no way she was going to take that in her own home. Not having the heart to throw her brother out, she decided it best that she leave the room. As she walked through the doorway she spotted Jessica out of the corner of her eye. Erik had informed her that the young woman had heard it all, every bitter and hated remark she had made about her. If she had known the girl was standing there the entire time, she would have kept her mouth shut.
Turning on her heels, she faced Jessica and folded her arms across her chest. “So, I guess you heard everything I said.”
Indifference was the girl’s expression when she gazed into Alicia’s hazel hued eyes. “I did,” she confirmed.
Alicia glared down at the young girl. Though she was sending the most hate filled glare she could muster the girl never waivered in her own stare. “I meant every word I said.”
“I know.”
“I’m not going to apologize.” At this point Alicia was trying to anger Jessica. Give herself more of a reason to dislike the girl. It did not work.
Jessica just sighed. “Then don’t,” she flatly stated. “I don’t care if you like me or not. I’m used to not being liked. I can count the people that like me on my fingers.” Jessica crossed her arms over her chest and took a step toward Alicia. “You want to know the reason why I don’t care what you think of me, hm?” Not waiting for a reply, she answered it herself. “Of course you do, everyone always wants to know. It’s because you’re not important. You don’t matter to me. You can look down on me all you want, I know what I am. I know why I am what I am. Just remember one thing, looking down is a lot easier than looking up.”
Eyes narrowed in anger, Alicia took a step forward closing the gap between her and the smaller woman. Her body was taut and rigid in her anger. “I don’t need some little whore,” she started jabbing her finger in Jessica’s chest, “giving me life lessons. Now,” Alicia lowered the volume of her voice to a near whisper not wanting Greg to hear her, “you listen to me, you little cunt, I want you to stay away from my brother. I want you to walk away and disappear forever. He doesn’t need someone like you in his life. If it’s his money you want, I’ll gladly give you some as long as you keep away from him.”
Breathing quick, heart beat erratic, and body tensed ready for anything, Jessica glared up at the woman. The red haze was starting to consume her vision and she heard laughter in her head. A dull pain shot through her hands when her nails bit into the flesh of her palms. The pain helped reside the red haze and the laughter died down. Jessica took a deep shaky breath trying to calm herself down, remembering what happened last time she had grown upset. It was a horror she did not want to relive.
It had become so easy for her to anger. Never before had she gotten so upset over such a thing. It had taken a harder push than what Alicia had just given her. She did not like the change in her. A fear that she might actually snap and physically hurt someone once again rose in her chest. That was something she did not want. She knew what pain felt like. Had felt it so many times before. Never did she want to inflict such physical harm on another being. The thoughts of doing so had to stop.
With quick silent steps Jessica left Alicia standing where she was and entered the kitchen. Her body was still tensed when she stood next to Greg’s side. Placing a shaky hand on his left shoulder she caught his attention. “I want to leave!” she whispered urgently in his ear.
The frown already placed firmly on his face deepened. “What did she say to you?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s not the reason I want to leave, I am. Can we go, please?”
The urgency in her voice and eyes caused Greg to quickly agree. Something was wrong that much he could tell. What is was he did not know. The only he could guess was that it had something to do with what she had told him the previous night. Her other persona must be bothering her.
He had heard her and Alicia arguing, sound carried well in that overly large house. By what Alicia had said to the younger woman there was no way Jessica could be anything but upset. If her confession was true, which he did not doubt for one moment, then “Evil Princess,” as she liked to call her, would be trying to force her way out once again. Greg did not know the ways of the mind and could not come to a conclusion as to why the girl was developing another persona. The only possibility that he could come up with was stress on her mind.
For years Jessica had been forced to do things and have things done to her that were horrid to think about. She had bit back her anger for so long that it had developed a personality of its own. This other person had lay dormant for years until Joker fiddled with her mind. This undoubtedly had caused even more stress on her already frizzled mind unleashing something that would have otherwise stayed caged.
It would have been for the better if it did so. Be that as it may, it was now free and moved about Jessica’s mind whenever it felt like. Luckily enough it had decided to only surface when she was angered. She was the type of person that did not anger quickly, but had been finding reasons to be so more and more often. Greg was going to try and change that. Maybe, just maybe, if he made her happy enough, her other darker side would dormant itself once again and bother her no more. One could only hope and hope was all he had. If all else failed, he would take her to Arkham.
Admitting her to the asylum was the last thing that he wanted to do, but if the need arose, he would do so in a heartbeat. He had heard many terrible things about the place. They were mainly from the time that Jonathan Crane was there. Crane’s experiments on the patients were known to all of Gotham, and not just because of the incident in the Narrows.
After he had made his allegiances known to everyone, they had broadcasted the horrors of his homemade toxin. Now, everyone in Gotham had another fear to add to their list considering his drug had hit the streets. People inducing the drug into themselves now ran rampant in the streets. If they were caught, they were sent to the hospital for detox, and then sentenced to spend a lengthy time in either jail or Arkham. Mostly the latter depending on how long the drug had been in their system. The halls of Arkham were now overflowing.
Taking Jessica’s hand Greg gave Erik and Norman his apologies and led her toward the door. Alicia was still standing where Jessica had left her, glaring as they left the house. Before he walked out the door, he sadly shook his head at his sister. He was deeply disappointed in her reaction to the girl whose fingers were entwined in his. Of all people, he would have thought that she would be the most understanding. He had been proven wrong, something that he did not like.
Alicia had always been the one to understand him the most. She had always stuck by his side no matter the terrible decision he had made. Always was she there to comfort him when he needed it or to lend a helping hand. This time, however, she had been closed minded and hateful. Never had she reacted that way to any lover or potential lover before. There had always been a smile on her face as she told him that she thought they were “nice.”
In place of that smile was now a frown. Her unreasonable hatred toward the younger woman had ripped a large hole in his heart. He could not fathom as to why Alicia had reacted in such a way toward the girl. What could have caused it? It mattered little to him. Jessica was there to stay. She needed him and he needed her. In his heart he knew she would not use him as Alicia believed she would. Jessica had not even known about his money until that day.
One day he will make his sister see Jessica differently. Alicia will come to realize that Jessica is not the type of person she had made her out to be. Jessica was a very loyal person and had proved that much, though it was with a man that should not have earned it. She would not abandon him as Michelle had done before. She was not that type of gal. Besides, he no longer had a best friend for her to leave with.
As they stepped outside the grip Jessica had on his hand tightened and she subconsciously moved closer to him. He had noticed she did this every time they stepped out into the open. Her eyes frantically scanned the area making sure that there were no people about. When this had first happened, Greg believed that she was fearful that Joker might come and snag her. After hearing of his capture earlier that day while they had been shopping it had not ceased. It had dawned on him that it was not Joker she was afraid of, but the mob. She had not needed to tell him so.
Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, he walked her to the van he had liberated from the hideout as well. Joker was no longer going to need it, and most of the henchmen were either in prison or Arkham as well. There was no a single soul that was going to miss that dirty raggedy van. A rust bucket is what it was. It color was, as Jessica had dubbed it, shit brown and there were spots of rust near the bottom of the vehicle. Some spots were rusted so badly that it had eaten completely through the metal. It ran terribly, but it ran. It got them from point A to point B without stalling. That was a plus in Greg’s book. One plus in the pool of negatives.
When they reached the banged up vehicle, Greg opened the door for her and Jessica jumped into the passenger seat. Instantly she buckled herself in. Being used to walking everywhere, it was hard for her to feel safe in any hunk of metal. Once she was secure, she closed her eyes and gripped the armrest of her seat so tightly her knuckles turned ghastly white. When the engine roared to life and the van started to move, her grip, if it were possible, grew even tighter.
The entire ride to the hotel was in silence. Greg would have turned on the radio but the speakers were blown and all that came out of them was white noise. Some people believed that the sound of static was relaxing, but Greg found it annoying. It grated on his system and made it hard for him to concentrate for a headache would ensue. He already had a headache and did not need a bigger one on top of it.
Once he parked the van and they reached the hotel room, Jessica instantly ran into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She stood before the sink, her hands resting on the cool white, with flecks of gray, marble that made the countertop. Her strong gaze was kept on the silver facet out of fear of her reflection. It had become a habit to avoid her reflection at all costs.
After several minutes alone, Greg decided to enter the room with her. She heard him enter but did not look to him afraid to let her gaze wonder anywhere but the facet. He stood behind her, towering over her small frame. Being nearly as tall as Joker, Jessica’s head only came to about the center of his chest when she stood at full height. She liked taller men, but, then again, just about every man was taller than her.
Never did they say a word to each other. Just stood there in silence. Her afraid to speak, him not wanting to impose on her thoughts. Just his presence alone comforted her. Made her feel safe. It had been a long time since she had felt truly safe. Something in her had always rejected all others. Her body, a small piece of her mind, or her heart. Nothing wanted to push him away. There was just something about him that she had to keep close to her. Something that made her want him to stay. A something that she could not explain and she didn’t want to try.
Closing the gap between them, Greg rested a comforting hand on her left hip and gave it a little squeeze. She responded by leaning back and resting her head on his chest. His right arm crossed over to her chest, while his lest hand traveled across her rest, pulling her closer to him. Almost instantly her arms wrapped around his right one and hugged it as close as possible to her.
“Don’t leave me,” she begged him.
“I won’t,” he reassured her. “Don’t leave me.”
Shaking her head she replied, “I won’t. I need you.”
That was something he needed to hear. Confirmation that she really did need him, that he was not just imagining things. Leaning forward, Greg’s warm lips found her neck. When they touched her skin, Jessica sighed in content. Her left hand left his arm and traveled to his face and then ran her fingers through his hair. He spun her around and their lips met for their first kiss.
As they kissed, he started to strip her of every article of clothing she wore and she kicked off her shoes and socks. When she was bare, he spun her around, her back to him once again. “Don’t turn around,” he whispered huskily in her ear. She obeyed and shivered against the cold gust of air that came through the open door.
With her eyes closed, still afraid to gaze upon her own reflection, she heard the rustle of clothes as he removed them. She wanted badly to turn around but refrained from doing so, she was still as obedient as ever. It was only when his hand ran up her thigh that she knew he was done. Warm and gentle it was, though the calluses made it rough. A shiver of delight ran through her and goose bumps rose on her flesh.
For the better part of a minute, Greg’s hands roamed her body. She was skinny, too skinny. Her ribs poked out of her flesh as did her spine and nearly every other bone in her body. She was very malnourished. When he had taken her out to breakfast that morning, she had explained that she only ate once a day for if she ate more, she would get sick and vomit it back up. That was something he planned to change. He was not going to let her live through life as grotesquely skinny as she was.
It was a big turn off for him, but it had been so long since he felt the pleasures of the flesh from another they at the moment he could overlook it. When his fingers pushed inside of her she whimpered and her back involuntarily arched. Everything about her was so small. Greg had no idea how she had survived being a prostitute or the beatings she had told him about. It had been evident that it was harsh on her body, that much he could see. Just on her back alone he had already counted six scars, not counting the cut that Joker had given her which was healing nicely. All of them were long and skinny being made from the same blade. He wondered who could have done such a thing to her.
Jessica had never informed him of Andy and would never. He was not important nor did she ever want to think of the man again. She had escaped him and would never see him again, she hoped. The only time she wanted to see the man again would be at his funeral. She would pay to see his body lowered to the ground. It would give her great satisfaction to spit on his coffin just before the dirt was thrown on top of it.
In slow rhythmic motions Greg’s fingers moved inside of her. She bit her lower lip to keep from moaning giving her room only to whimper. When he stopped, she groaned in protest. He leaned her over the cold counter of the sink and spread her legs further apart. “Are you ready?” he asked giving her hips a little squeeze. Not trusting her voice she nodded in response. “This might hurt a bit.”
Jessica nearly scoffed at him. He was treating her as if this were her first time. It was far from that. She was about to inform him of such, but pain erupted through her body as he pushed himself in. In her surprise she cried out. From the pain her eyes started to water and overflowed into tears.
Seeing her tears Greg felt a pang of guilt. He had been trying to be as gentle as possible, but it seemed that it was not enough. It was the same with all the women he had been with. It always hurt at first. He was not so much as long, but wide and width is what counted. Jessica was a lot smaller than the previous women and must have hurt her a lot more. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, after leaning over, into her ear. “We can stop if you want.”
Violently Jessica shook her head in response. She did not want him to stop. Her body would later regret the decision, but at that moment it did not matter. She wanted it, wanted him. When he pulled out slightly and thrust back inside of her another wave of pain washed through her but not as strong. With every thrust her body became more and more accustomed to him and pleasure came in waves.
It was not long before she climaxed. Her halfhearted attempts at being quiet were not working so she gave up. Several orgasms later and when she became her loudest, Greg reached his peak. With one last deep thrust he climaxed and she was left with his body on top of hers still leaning against the now sweat covered marble countertop.
“I’m tired,” she sniffled. Unexplained tears were falling from her eyes.
Lightly chuckling, Greg answered, “Then let’s get you to bed. You can take a little nap, okay?” When she did not respond, he gazed down at her. Already she was falling asleep. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slowly growing heavier.
Pulling out of her, he gently lift her into his arms and carried her to the freshly made bed. He set her upon it and pulled the covers over her. Her only response was to roll over and snuggle into the pillow her head lay on. Soon her breathing grew rhythmic as she slept.
He left the side of the bed and headed into the bathroom. Gathering all the things he required, he readied himself for a shower. A knock came at the door of the hotel room and he growled in annoyance. Not bothering to cover himself he walked to the door and flung it open. Standing before him as a woman and what he guessed was her male companion. Both of their gazes instantly went down and the woman blushed. “Can I help you?” Greg asked crossing his arms against his chest.
“Um, I, we, uh,” the man stuttered apparently forgetting why he was there. “Uh, no,” he finally managed to spit out.
Wanting to play with them Greg smiled his million dollar smile. “Are you sure? I’ll be glad to help you two out any way necessary.”
If possible the woman’s blush deepened. Her blush was so dark it took a purple hue giving her the appearance of a plum. Her male companion decided it was best that they leave. Gripping her arm tightly, he pulled her to their room which so happened to be next store. That gave Greg the clue as to why they had knocked on the door.
Shutting the door, he crossed the room to the bed. Seeing Jessica sleeping peacefully left him feeling exhausted. He concluded that he would just go to sleep as well. A shower could wait until he woke up. That way she could join him if she so wished.
Crawling on the bed and under the covers he lay on his back. Jessica rolled over and cuddled into him. Staring up at the ceiling, his arm wrapped around her, his eyes slowly started to close as he drifted into sleep. There was much for him to do, but he would worry about that later. Right then, he was happy where he was.
The first thing he was going to do was have a talk with his Sister Dearest. The way she had acted was abhorrent and he planned to tell her so. He was not going to sit by and let her treat Jessica like that. Alicia had acted like a child and he expected better from her.
Rolling over he pulled Jessica closer to his body and snaked her other arm around her waist. “’Night, Princess,” he mumbled under his breath.
“’Night, Doc,” sleepily she responded.
Another knock came from the door, but went unnoticed. Both had fell into a fitful sleep and could no longer hear anything from the outside world. Too wrapped up in their dreams and each other. Dreams and each other were all they had.

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Decided to update early. Will have another one out Friday. Hope you all liked. Let me know. I know I don't have a lot of smut incorporated into the story, but that's just how it goes. I just don't think I'm all that great at it. Any suggestions at making it better, just let me know. I will take them all in with the utmost consideration. Thank you!