All That Jazz

When it got dark, I snuck downstairs to grab some food and my iPod. To my dismay, the house was empty and dark, except for the flickering of flames in the fireplace. The Joker was stretched out on the couch, a book open on his chest. I leaned closer to read the title, careful not to make any noise and wake him. I’ll be damned; he’s reading The Notebook. With a shrug, I crossed to the CD player and unplugged my iPod.

“SHUT UP!!!” heavy metal screamed through the speakers, startling me and a scream burst out of my lips. The next thing I knew, a barrage of gunfire rent the air and the stereo was silent.

“What the fuck was that?” The Joker yelled.

“That was me unplugging my iPod. I didn’t know the stereo was on.”

“Are you ok? I didn’t hit you did I?”

“No, I’m good. I’m just glad that damned thing is dead.”

“What were you doing down here?” I heard him drop the book on the floor and put his gun away.

“Getting my iPod and some food.” I walked past him into the kitchen and flicked on the light. He followed me, his eyes squinting in the bright light. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“It’s alright, dollface.” He watched me rummage through the fridge, not doubt looking at my ass. “Wicked right hook, by the way. My jaw still hurts.”

“Good.” I said, grabbing butter and cheese from the fridge and setting them on the counter. I dug through a cabinet and pulled out a loaf of white bread.

“Giving up the health junk?” he asked as I undid the twist-tie.

“Yeah, I want to gain a few pounds. Maybe then you’ll quit staring at me when I bend over.” I smirked at him.

“Aww, don’t ruin my fun.” He whined.

“Chill, we’re just out of wheat bread. I’ll run to the store tomorrow.” I buttered two slices of bread and pulled out two slices of the pepperjack cheese. “Are you hungry?” I asked begrudgingly.

“Yeah, I didn’t eat dinner earlier.” I put the sandwich together in the pan and listened to it sizzle. Grabbing two more slices of bread and cheese, I buttered the bread and set them on the counter.

“How many triangles do you want?” I asked as I grabbed paper plates off the top of the microwave. I set them down and reached over for the pan.

“What?” The Joker asked as I flipped his sandwich over.

“You know, do you want it cut into two triangles or four? It’s how my mom made ‘em for me.”

“Uh…two’s fine.” He watched as I flipped his sandwich into the air and caught it on a paper plate. I cut it in half with my spatula and handed it to him. “Thanks.”

We ate in silence, both of us still slightly mad at the other.

“So…your dad was a waste of space?” The Joker asked quietly.

“He was actually pretty cool when we lived in Egypt. He didn’t start drinking until we moved here.”

“What was he like?”

“In the beginning he was very loving, and a devoted husband. He was a great dad.”

“So he treated you well before he started drinking.” The Joker surmised.

“He used to call me his little soldier. He taught me how to survive with nothing but the clothes on my back, with next to nothing. He taught me all about weapons, how to use them, clean them, field strip them. He even made me run drills.” I smiled faintly at the memory.

“And then you moved.” I nodded.

“When he started drinking, he would tell me all of these terrible things about the war. He would give me all these guilt trips about being a girl, and he’d tell me how much he’d never wanted a daughter and he wished I was a boy.”

“That’s cruel.”

“You get used to it after a while. You learn to just…let go.” The Joker looked at me with a shallow look in his eyes. “I take it you know what that’s like.” He sat staring down at the table, finally giving a nod after a moment.

“You’re a very surprising person, Astarte.” He said, smiling up at me. I smiled back; shocked he had used my Egyptian name.

“So are you.” I said.

“Can you do something for me?” The Joker asked, bridging his hands, resting his elbows on the table.

“Sure…what?”

“Tell me something about Egypt.” He asked; a twinkle in his eyes. I thought to myself for a second, unsure of where to start. I jumped up and grabbed his hand, a thought forming in my head. I led him upstairs to the library and we walked up the spiral staircase in the corner into the attic. Looking around the dark room, I spotted a window at the far end. With The Joker following, I crossed to the window and climbed out into the roof. I lay back on the cool shingles and waited as The Joker settled himself next to me. “What are we doing out here?”

“I’m going to teach you Egyptian astronomy.” I said, with a slight shiver. He held his arm out to me. I scooted close to him and wrapped his arm around me, tucking his hand close beneath my chin. “Ok…let’s see what we got.” I looked up at the sky. “Oh, that one! You probably know it as Orion, but…”

We spent well over an hour up on the roof before I fell asleep with my head on his chest. I’m guessing he fell asleep too, because when I woke up, I was cold as hell and I could see the sun rising, the stars shimmering faintly above The Joker and myself. I snuggled closer to him to get warm, and he woke up.

“Next time we’ll bring a blanket.” He groused, his eyes still closed. I smiled and snuggled into him, my head swimming with the memories of my childhood.

~~~~

‘Meet me after dinner.’ Read the newest addition to my collection of joker cards. I looked down the dinner table to see The Joker, seated at the other end of the table, watching me intently. As usual, we were all seated at the long dining table eating dinner like a family. The Joker had an amused look in his eyes as he watched me watch him. I couldn’t help but wonder what he had in mind for me today. Since I’d brought up how he felt about me, things had…picked up a bit. I had in fact, gotten to kiss the man who became The Joker. My heart stuttered at the memory of his lips on mine. Without his makeup, he was very handsome. I didn’t even notice the scars anymore. As much as he tried, he couldn’t hide the fact that he was very self-conscious about his scars. It took me almost a week to convince him to let me see him without his makeup. And when he showed up outside my door with no makeup, I got to see a side of him that no one else has. He was actually shy! Not hopelessly, can’t-even-look-at-you shy, but the cute kind. I think it was safe to say that he was one of the cutest men I’d met in my lifetime. And I got to see a real smile! As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t stop thinking about that smile! The worst part was The Joker knew it.





AN: Sorry it's so short! I'm editing the next chapter because I'm not happy with it the way it is now...so it could be a while. Don't hate me! The wait will be worth it, I promise! As always, please review!