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Laughter in the Dark	By : FlameWolf666 Category: DC Verse Movies > The Dark Knight Views: 9317 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Dark Knight or the Batman franchise. This story is just for fun and no profit will be made from it.

Chapter List
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Author’s Note: I am so sorry about how long these updates have been taking. I lost my muse for a bit and took a bit of a break from chaptered works. I feel more refreshed now and am having fun again!
Charles_de_Mercania: Goodness me, I’m so glad you’ve been liking it! I never expected a thorough analysis! As for my language, born and raised in MI. Maybe I just have a unique way of perceiving language? Who knows! I’m just glad everything comes across clearly! As for her weapon, you’ll just have to wait and see! :3

Chapter Twenty-Four: Dark Dealings

    To her horror, she was back in the warehouse; a monster that no longer even resembled Roger looming over her. His lips were twisted upward into a horrifying rictus grin that stretched up to his ears and his skin resembled the color of white facepaint, his veins standing out in clear definition. His nose had bulged outward and had gained a red, bulbous, fleshy look. Even his hair was wild and green, his blue eyes blazing coals of insanity in the darkness surrounding them. Drool dripped thickly from his lower lip and he released a cackle that made her want to both vomit and piss herself from fear. That sound had been nothing but sheer, murderous insanity and rage. “I couldn’t wake ya up for a while my pet. If it weren’t for the fact you were breathing, I would have thought you were dead,” the thing in front of her wheezed, sounding like he had quite a bad lung infection.
    “No! You aren’t fucking real!” she found herself screaming, unconsciously curling into a fetal ball to protect the unborn child she carried. As much as she dreaded it being his, she would do everything in her power to prevent harm from coming to it.
    Once again, all her limbs were bound but her clothes were missing; allowing her to see her former boyfriend had been very busy. Her body was littered with cuts that were formed into words, some old while others were new enough to still be bleeding. The words were all names directed at her, mostly common slurs directed at most women but there were some that were unique to him. One in particular brought back horrible memories, ‘Bitchish’. While that would mean nothing to the normal person, it caused cold dread and nausea to wash through her. Bitchish was something Roger came up with to describe her when she didn’t want him around or simply refused to give into what he wanted. It was, of course, a mix of bitch and selfish. Not too creative but it didn’t have to be to have devastating effects on her.
    Crunching of dirt on concrete brought her attention back to Roger and she had barely enough time to shield herself before he was kicking her hard in the stomach. “You’re not any fun when you’re unconscious like that,” he snarled, ignoring her denial from earlier. Then he was fisting a hand in her sandy blonde locks and pulling her to her feet. She only spat in his face in response, earning a hard slap that felt like it was full of razor blades for her insolence. To her horror, when he pulled back she saw he had indeed embedded blades in his hand. That was when she felt warm, sticky blood dripping down her face and she began to scream.
    “Marie! Marie! Crane, get the fuck out of here!” screamed a familiar voice as the scene began to fade.
    “The fuck we will... She needs us just as much as she needs you,” came the mixed voice of Crane and Scarecrow. Then she felt two pairs of arms shaking her as three voices called her name, drawing her slowly back to reality.
    “No you fucking bitch! I just got ya back! You’re not going to leave me alone in the fucking dark again!” screamed Roger’s voice as she slowly opened her eyes.
    When she saw only blurs and didn’t now where she was, Marie began to panic; backing away from the pair until a whiff of their scents came to her nose. “Jack... Jonathan...,” she gasped, shaking slightly as her vision slowly cleared.
    “Yes, its just us. You’re here and safe,” came Jack’s soothing midtone as a much skinner feeling male wrapped her in his arms.
    “Which is reality? Am I really here or is this the coma I’m in during breaks in torture sessions?” she gasped out, her heart pounding against her ribs as her vision cleared entirely and she saw her new but already familiar room.
    “Shhhhhh, shhhh. If you calm down enough to think rationally you’ll find your answer,” came Crane’s baritone, his bony hand moving through her burnished hair.
    Taking a deep breath, she found he was right. There were several things that had happened in this reality that simply didn’t make sense over in her too real nightmare. Like her knowing about her pregnancy without once experiencing morning sickness over there. “Its so fucking real and it keeps growing and changing when I come back; as if on a time continuum of its own,” she whispered, shaking as her morning nausea began to hit her.
    “Its just your mind using your memories and imagination. Though the fact these dreams are so real is highly disconcerting. We’ve seen your nightmares before and I will admit they’re usually vivid but these ones with Roger almost seem to border on night terrors,” he observed as Joker let out a sigh.
    “Thank you once again Captain Obvious. Its probably from her recent kidnapping,” the criminal rasped, running a shaky hand through his dyed hair. It was at that moment Marie realized she had accidentally called him his real name and she felt more fear flood her system, only increasing her nausea.
    Thankfully, she felt the sting of a needle in her arm; giving her instant relief from her roiling stomach. “Joker... I’m so sorry...,” she whispered as she pulled away from her friend and former patient. When she turned to look at at her lover, all she saw was a slightly rueful expression on his make-up free face.
    “Joker...,” she whispered, realizing right then he didn’t kill Crane only for her sake. Anyone else would have been dead.
    “I don’t really give a fuck about anything but you not being trapped in a dream like that. I know far too well what you’re going through feels like,” he snarled before tugging her into his still bare arms.
    Crane only watched, his eyes black as Scarecrow lurked just below the surface. The thing that shared his body was strangely concerned for the female but didn’t shove his way into control. If he wasn’t so aware of the dark being’s emotions, the former Psychiatrist would think Scarecrow was up to something. ‘She is in pain...,’ the beast rasped, his aura sending off the fact he wanted to hug her again.
    ‘I suspect she has PTSD but this seems like its been a long term case. With how good she is at Psychology, I’m surprised she didn’t catch it,’ Jonathan found himself replying, his brow wrinkling as he noticed the entity’s language was improving. It was almost as if the thing was becoming more than just rage and fear simply because of its... his care towards Marie.
    ‘Sometimes its harder to see what’s wrong with yourself,’ the entity whispered, watching the pair with more than just a little envy. Crane could only blink in surprise at the thoughtful comment. He honestly hadn’t thought his other half was capable of such deep thought.
    Marie, who was unaware of the internal dialogue Jonathan was having with the entity sharing his body, found herself comforted by Joker’s unique scent. “You really do depend on both of us don’t ya... You must really trust Crane. Just how long did you two know eachother?” he whispered, his arms tight around her to keep her close. ‘Me not being able to wake up must have really shaken him up,’ she mused to herself.
    “I would say about three years. One alone was spent gaining both their trusts. That type of hard work and determination to show I had good will towards him really built our bond,” the blonde replied, unconsciously reaching a hand toward her former patient.
    The dual man immediately reached forward, grabbing her offered appendage and giving it a squeeze. “I guess we’ve come to balance eachother out in a way,” the former doctor murmured in a soft, shocked voice, as if this information had just dawned on her. The naked villain holding her only sighed before nodding and motioning the chemist to join them, an offer the taller man took advantage of in seconds. Despite allowing this action, Joker barely bit back a growl; watching the woman in his arms. He wasn’t surprised when she immediately relaxed, even began to smile. This got the wheels turning in his head.
    Minutes later and they were dressed and downstairs, preparing for the criminal’s next attack. After the whole nightmare incident, all three of them found it hard to sleep so they decided they should make the most of the time. At the moment, Marie found herself helping her beloved wire some homemade explosives while Crane mixed more. “Alright babe, the green wire goes in here and the purple wire goes here. Also, you can mold this gray shit into anything ya want. Why not make yourself a few spades?” he instructed, gesturing to the Plastic Explosive with a purple clad hand.
    “Er, are you sure its safe?” she asked, eyeing the clay-like substance. From what she had heard the stuff was pretty volatile.
    “Yeah, just don’t drop it or get it too hot,” the murderer replied in a nonchalant tone as he formed his into various letters. Marie could only grimace before gingerly forming some Spades.
    “What do you mean she got away!” screamed a crazed, female voice, causing sleeping pigeons to take flight in fear. Inside the building, an enraged Harley paced back and forth while Hatter and March watched.
    “She was so nice, my little Alice. No screaming or calling me filthy names in that sweet voice of hers. I... I couldn’t... even if she was the wrong Alice,” came the befuddled, half lucid reply as the lapine next to him pursed his furry lips in anger.
    “Ya leave him alone naow! Ah donnae need t’deal wi’ him bein’ upset later,” the creature burred in a thick brogue, his mismatched eyes glittering with clear malice.
    “The two of you are fuckin’ useless! What good are ya to me if ya can’t even do the one thing I expect you to,” the pigtailed murderess hissed, pacing due to her extreme agitation. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go! The interloper was supposed to be dead and she was supposed to be back home with her Puddin’.
    Heaving a frustrated sigh, Harleen ran a shaky, black and red nailed hand through her flaxen hair. “I have any choice but to find Croc. Lord only knows if he’s still human enough to even listen. Hatter, you’re the only one he can stand. I need you to tell me where he is,” she growled, insanity clear in her blue eyes. The madman in front of her could only blink before cautiously nodding.
    “Be careful when you go to see him. He’s gotten more territorial as well as violent and doesn’t really like unannounced visitors,” the hat wearing killer advised before giving her the information she sought. As soon as she was gone, he was pulling out a phone and dialing a number.
    Joker was putting the finishing touches on some more traditional explosives when ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane began to blast from his phone. Rolling his hazel eyes, he pulled out the burner phone before opening it and pressing it to his ear. “What do ya want Hatter?” he hissed, his hazel eyes narrowing as he listened to the other end of the conversation. Marie, who had been helping Crane ready costumes and fill balloons with the Smilex/Fear Gas mix, stopped her work to watch; apprehension filling her. If it was Hatter, Harley must be making a move and she felt fear fill her stomach.
    “No you can’t fucking talk to Marie! You will tell me what that bitch is up to,” came her lover’s heated reply, letting her know things weren’t going well. This was followed by another beat of silence as the violent male began to pace.
    Before the villain could descend into the tirad she knew was coming, the blonde was placing a hand on his suit covered shoulder to get his attention. When he turned to look at her, the expression on his painted face was so angry it took everything within her not to jump back. Instead, she held out her purple nailed hand for the small, black phone he held in a death grip. The clown pursed his red lips in response before very reluctantly handing the small object over. Giving the killer a reassuring grin, the former doctor pressed the phone to her ear. As soon as it met her head, she could hear the confused man on the other end stammering uselessly and murmuring something about Alice. “Hatter, easy. Don’t you remember me? It’s Marie, not Alice. What did you want to tell me,” she soothed in a gentle voice, grimacing at the expression on her lover’s face. He looked absolutely livid.
    “M-marie... yes... Harley came by. She’s gone to look for Croc. If she can get his help, there will be no stopping him,” the criminal on the other end informed her, his voice sounding small and sad.
    “Thank you so much Hatter. I’ll see you on Friday for tea,” she replied before closing the phone.
    “You will do no such thing! That man is dangerous!” came the snarl of a pissed mid-tone in her ear as purple gloved hands plucked the device from her own.
    “Oh, and I suppose you’re perfectly safe to be around. Look, if you give me a weapon I can handle myself perfectly well. Though I really doubt he’ll hurt me anyway. As long as you’re polite and remain calm, he seems to be fairly harmless,” she sighed, turning to place an affectionate kiss on Joker’s make-up coated cheek. The villain stiffened for a second before wrapping his cotton clad arms around her and releasing a deep sigh.
    “You know what I mean. I may be dangerous to other people but you know damn well I won’t hurt you. Hatter... All it will take is you telling him you’re not Alice at the wrong time. He normally doesn’t take it well when his victims contradict him,” the killer holding her whispered, his hands twitching on her lower back as her rested his lips on the top of her head.
    “It would still behoove me to make friends with him. Just give me a knife or something before I go so I can defend myself if I need to,” she reasoned before giving him a light kiss and backing out of his arms. Then she was heading back to Jonathan to continue helping him, not seeing the thoughtful expression the murderer had on his visage.
    It was only after everything had been set up and Marie had changed into her persona of ‘Black Spade’ that Joker thought to ask what Hatter had wanted to tell her. “Oh, shit I can’t believe I forgot. Harley went off to look for Croc,” the still inexperienced villainess informed him, grimacing slightly at the fact she had let something so important slip. The man across from her seemed just as horrified as she felt, actual fear coming into his normally dead gaze.
    “Fucking Croc... Christ she must be desperate,” he whispered in an unsteady voice, running a hand nervously through his lime green hair. Then he was fixing her with a haunted look, his tongue flicking out to lick nervously at the scars stretching up from the corners of his mouth.
    “I don’t want ya to leave my sight this mission or for the next few days. Croc has been... getting worse as time goes on, spending more of his time in the sewers. If she can even get through to him, we may be in some real shit for a while,” he informed before grabbing her and pulling her close to his side.
    Soon she found herself stuffed into a van as the goons in the back began to put on clown make-up of their own. As much dread as that filled her with, the ex-doctor knew better than to ask what they were doing. If it was anything to do with children, she would be much more likely to get cold feet and she had a horrible suspicion it would be just that. Closing her eyes, she grasped at the cold distance she knew she needed for this job. She had to cling onto whatever disdain she held for humanity like a second skin. She had to let it become her and slip fully into the persona of ‘Black Spade.’ If she didn’t she would be a definite liability to the people she cared deeply about. After all, what did she really even owe these strangers anyway? Most of these people probably wouldn’t even blink if they saw a crime happening that they could easily stop. Hell, no one had bothered to help her or her family. Why the fuck should she even care for them?
    When she reopened her eyes, they were cold and dead like her lovers; holding nothing but intense hate for the world and its inhabitants. Beside her, Joker watched her closely; a proud but sad expression on his visage. “I wanted to save this for your birthday but things are gettin’ dicey and I ain’t about to risk your life again,” he grumbled as they pulled up to a back alley of a hospital. This got her attention and Spade looked over at her lover as the van was put in park and the engine shut off. With a strange glimmer in his eyes, the purple clad criminal opened his blue lined jacket and reaching into an inner pocket to bring out a beautiful butterfly knife. The closed handle was deep purple lined with sterling silver, a tiny spade near the latch.
    “Joker...,” she whispered, her heart clenching with happiness as she took the weapon from him.
    “It ain’t much but it’ll keep ya safe until I finish your main weapon. This was just meant as a solution to up close combat,” he explained, his words making her heart nearly stop as realization filled her.
    “Did you... did you make this?” she whispered in an awed voice, barely restraining her urge to fling her arms around his neck when he nodded.
    With some difficulty, Spade shoved her warm feelings to the back before allowing her bitterness to come to the forefront again. With a curt nod to her lover, she got out of the car and began directing henchmen to grab balloons as well as where they were supposed to go. As grateful as she was, it could wait until the job was finished. Pulling out a walkie, she pressed a button as she co-ordinated with Crane on the other end of the city. Whatever they were doing, it was bound to cause all kinds of chaos.
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Laughter in the Dark