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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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Author’s Note: In all honesty, I’m flattered you guys are enjoying this so much! I was so worried about getting Joker right but it certainly seems you people approve!

CHapter Eight: The Calm before...
    Looking up at the clock as she ate her sandwich, Marie could swear time was speeding up on her. Granted, she had been eating her lunch slowly in a futile effort to delay her next meeting with Joker but it still seemed as if the end of her lunch hour was sneaking up on her. If she was honest with herself, the thought of another Q & A excited her just as much as it terrified her. A fact that severely bothered the Psychologist. Sure, she had enjoyed spending time with Selina and Dr. Crane but neither of them had a vested interest in getting into her head. Neither of them were looking to use her until she had nothing left to give.
    Thoughts of Harleen souring her stomach, the blonde set the rest of her food down on a napkin on her desk and got to her feet. As much as she didn’t relish getting in even deeper, Marie knew it wouldn’t do to be late. If she ever had to work with the criminal again, it would behoove her to try to keep good relations with him. Sighing, she took a deep breath before leaving her office and heading to Joker’s cell for their second appointment of the day. Her only solace was that it was bound to be better than the final meeting of the day.
    “Hey Doc, long time no see,” Joker purred from his position on his bed as she walked into his cell. The jumpsuit clad male was laid on his back, his hands clasped behind his head. A slight smirk curled his scarred mouth as his hazel eyes locked on her purple clad form. He must have been allowed his make-up again because even more stick figures covered his walls, each one more horribly mutilated than the last.
    “Oh yes, my world simply stops until I can see you again. All the colors simply turn gray until I see your face once more,” Marie found herself replying sarcastically, immediately angry with herself. Joker only laughed as he sat up, his eyes roving over her once again.
    “I’m flattered that you feel so strongly about me. Do you sweet talk all of your patients like this?” the clown asked as he slowly got to his feet and stretched languidly.
    “Shall we pick up where we left off?” the Psychologist asked, hoping to dodge the question. The grin that stretched his red lips told her otherwise, the scars on the corners of his lips making his expression look even more devious.
    “If you want. I do believe it is my turn,” purred the psychopath as he prowled toward her, quickly closing the distance between them.
    “Does your pulse speed up when you see me like mine does?” he continued, reaching out to touch the bruised left side of her face with gentle fingertips.
    “I didn’t know seeing yourself did that to you. Do you think you have narcissism?” the blonde snarked, inwardly kicking herself as the words left her mouth. She was supposed to cooly blow off the question, not sarcastically misconstrue the meaning. The former murderer only giggled slightly before giving her an impatient look, lightly smacking her injury a few times and making her wince.
    “That’s not, uh, what I meant and you damn well know it,” hissed the dangerous male, his tongue flicking out to lick his jagged scars as he locked his eyes on hers.
    “I....,” she began, ready to brush him off with her veil of professionalism when she was stopped by a hand lightly placed over her mouth.
    “Don’t deflect me Marie. If you answer this question, I will answer any personal question you ask,” Joker snarled, his hand pressing down on her mouth almost painfully before he slowly lifted it.
    “Y-yes,” she whispered in a quiet voice, her heart racing in her chest from both fear and his nearness. As soon as the word left her mouth, his lips were crashing down on hers in a possessive but surprisingly gentle kiss.
    “Mmm, I thought so,” he husked, his slightly minty breath hitting her mouth as he pulled back to rest his white forehead against hers.
    Trying to catch her breath, Marie panted as she pressed a hand against her thudding heart. There was a noticeable heat running through her veins, a heat that was collecting in the pit of her stomach. Doing her best to deny the insistent throbbing in her core, the blonde took a steadying breath to regain her composure. “Wh-when is your birthday?” she asked lamely, a bit surprised at herself for squandering her chance. She could have asked him for his real name or how he got his scars. Yet, it somehow didn’t feel right to get the information that way. Even Joker seemed a bit shocked by her question. Then he was chuckling as he pulled back just slightly to look her in the eyes.
    “I won’t count that one but I’m a bit surprised Doc. I fully expected ya to force my name outta me. Anyway, my birthday is April 1st. Kinda ironic, isn’t it?” the taller man asked before giving one of his horrifying, empty laughs, the sound sending an instinctual shiver up her spine.
    Marie could only nod, honestly wondering if that really was his birthday. It seemed a bit too convenient, given his moniker and persona, and yet he really had no reason to lie to her about something so simple. “So, why’d ya start, uh, working at Arkham?” the killer asked, both of arms wrapping loosely around her thin waist to hold her close. This question gave her pause and she honestly wondered just how much was safe to tell this man. What could he use against her later?
    “I... I guess it started when... when I was really young. Something... happened and I... I became fascinated by how the criminal mind worked. I thought that maybe, if I could help some of Gotham’s most infamous criminals that I might make a difference in the ridiculous murder rates,” the blonde replied haltingly, being very careful not to give the man holding her too much that he could use later. With what she already said, she had a suspicion he had more than enough.
    To her relief, instead of pressing for more details, he merely nodded before giving her an expectant look. “You know Doc, I’m starting to think getting myself stuck in solitary was the best thing that happened to me,” the killer purred as he brushed his fingertips against her injury once again. These whispered, gruff words caused her heart to lurch in her chest and liquid fire to flood her nethers. Licking her dry lips as she panted slightly, the flustered female desperately tried to regain control over her traitorous body. There was no way in Hell she was attracted to this mad man; this person who had killed hundreds, if not thousands. All this burning lust simply had to stem from a lack of intimacy with Roger. She and him hadn’t been intimate in years and she often felt very little sex drive after an encounter with him.
    “Do you enjoy reading?” the young woman asked, hoping to dispel the building sexual tension.
    “I love comic books. My favorite superhero is Purpleman,” the painted male joked, obviously making light of the fact that there were currently all kinds of comics being made about him and the Batman.
    “I like to read Stephen King for the most part but I really read a bit of everything,” Marie replied, not the least bit phased by his sarcastic answer. Joker only looked in her eyes for a few minutes before getting a vaguely apologetic looked on his decorated face.
    “Hmmm I could tell that the moment you opened your mouth. To be honest, I enjoy Dickens and a bit of Poe. I don’t mind reading other things but give me ‘Cask of Amontillado’ any day,” he replied, the expression from earlier disappearing so quickly Marie could have sworn she had imagined it.
    “Is that your favorite Poe story?” the blonde asked, a bit of excitement slipping into her voice despite herself. One of the first authors she had come across had been the deeply disturbed Poe. Unfortunately she had quickly found that a very small number of people actually shared her appreciation for the quirky author. It wasn’t long before she languished for anyone that shared her love of his writings, someone to discuss them with her.
    “Ah ta ta ta ta, naughty, naughty Doc! It’s my turn to ask you a question now,” Joker scolded semi-playfully, a deadly seriousness in his greenish eyes. Then he was drumming his fingers on his chin in an overly dramatic thoughtful look.
    “What are your hobbies?” he purred, seeming to have no issue at all with the continued lack of space between them. In fact he was so close she could vaguely feel the movement of his ruby lips against hers, a fact that greatly disconcerted the suit clad female.
    “M-my hobbies? I haven’t thought about them in years. I used the draw a lot, used to enjoy anime and music. I enjoy watching a variety of movies as well as reading but I haven’t really had time to pursue any of them,” she replied, being careful not to go into too much detail once again. Joker could easily use something as small as her favorite books against her, using them as a jumping point for discussion. Once she started openly conversing with him, it would only be a matter of time before she dropped her guard.
    “Anime huh? Didn’t think you’d be the type,” the murderer teased, reaching up to play with a dark yellow lock of her hair. Marie’s hand rose of its own accord and removed her hair from his loose grip, surprising her greatly. Right now her heart was beating too hard to breathe, let alone allow her to move.
    Instead of being angry like she secretly feared, the clown only smirked at her. “To answer your earlier question, it’s one of a long list. You still need to ask your personal question from earlier. Tell you what, I’ll, uh, make you the same deal as this morning. I will answer your question if you answer one of mine,” he offered, both his arms wrapping around her waist loosely and his hands resting on the small of her back.
    “I...,” the Psychologist began, unsure if she really wanted to risk what he could ask.
    “Come on Doc, isn’t this about building trust?” Joker chuckled, making rage surge hotly inside her.
    “Yes but I refuse to let this become an opportunity for you to gain information on me. I think I have had more than enough of this Joker. You continue to disregard any personal space and seem to have a preoccupation with inappropriate contact. Unless you can promise to be more behaved, I will have to cancel our evening appointment,” Marie bit out, letting her doctor’s training take over fully as she shoved all her unwanted feelings into a lockbox that laid in a dark corner of her mind.
    Then she was turning around and stalking to the door, rage, fear and a hint of her lust from earlier whirling within her. Just as her purple nailed hand came to rest on the metal knob, she felt a firm hand on her shoulder; the former criminal behind her spinning her around to face him. A mixture of amusement and irritation was on his make-up coated face as his hazel eyes looked into her gray ones assessingly. Then he was shaking his head as he let out a loud bark of his cold, empty laughter. “I’m not going to force you to answer,” he assured, making her raise a blonde brow incredulously.
    “You sure as Hell coulda fooled me earlier,” she returned, her irritation breaking through her professional facade. The male before her went from playful to angry in an instant, making fear spike through her heart.
    With a speed that was terrifying, the dangerous male was on her; one of his hands coming up to wrap around her throat. Yet, to her surprise, the grip stayed loose; as if it was a mere warning. “Most would consider the information I forced from you earlier harmless,” he hissed, his mid-tone voice holding a dangerous, raspy edge.
    “No information is harmless with someone like you,” she replied before she could stop herself, more fear flooding her system as his hand tightened slightly.
    “Ask yer damn question,” Joker snarled, his nails scratching lightly at her pale skin as he glowered down at her.
    “Were your parents together?” Marie asked, not daring to hesitate out of fear of what he would do. Absolute silence followed her inquiry, making her feel extremely anxious that she had asked the wrong thing.
    “At first...,” he answered curtly before reaching behind her, opening the heavy metal door and shoving her out of his cell.
    Marie could only stare at the door, the wheels already turning in her head. From the information she had received, she could already make some assumptions. Yet, as afraid of Joker as she was, the Psychologist couldn’t bring herself to abuse his trust like that. While he would gladly do the same to her, that didn’t mean she had to bring herself to his level. Sighing in frustration and stress, the blonde merely went back to her office. From the looks of things, the criminal was already ramping up his efforts at prying open her carefully placed guards. She was honestly thankful that she only had one more session with him, a session that would end with her informing him that she was leaving. Something she was sure would go over like a lead balloon.
    Once she entered her office, she saw the remains of her sandwich and her stomach lurched sickly. Clasping a hand over her mouth, Dr. Jovian carefully took the leftovers and tossed it into the trash can across the room. Once it was gone, she noticed something small sitting on her chair. Time seemed to freeze and the world seemed to go gray as her body slowly moved toward the piece of furniture. As she got closer, she saw it was a small scarecrow doll with an absolutely horrifying face sewn onto it. Just seeing the thing sent a chill of terror down her spine and she picked up in a ginger grip.
    The lightly stuffed object only flopped in her grip, something white sticking out of the hand-sewn jacket it wore. Picking out the note with careful fingertips, Marie gingerly placed the doll on her desk as she sat in her chair to read it. ‘My dearest Dr. Jovian, I saw a man leave your building the other night and couldn’t help but wonder if it was your dear ‘boyfriend’. If I see any new injuries on you, that man’s days will be numbered. - J. Crane.’ Just reading that only made her fright worse. She knew full well what would happen if Crane decided Roger had outlived his welcome and she felt a sick terror bloom in her stomach. She could only hope that Joker had some sort of connection with the former Psychiatrist and that he would be willing to stop any violence that was bound to happen.
    Once again she found time moving in a way that bothered her but this time it was moving far too slowly. She didn’t like her chances of convincing Joker to help, especially when she told him she was leaving his case. There was also the problem of Crane simply ignoring the ‘Clown Prince of Crime’ and killing Roger anyway. After all, his alter ego was highly unpredictable and not easily controlled. Taking a steadying breath, the blonde glared at the clock as it continued to crawl towards the time of her final appointment. Her final appointment... just thinking about it both filled her relief and deep dread.
    Her entrance into his cell was much more quiet than her previous ones, the green haired male sitting on the edge of his bed and glowering down at his clasped hands. “What happened to you?” he asked in a gruff, dangerous sounding voice, not raising his head to look at her as she stood in front of him. At first she was confused about what he meant but then realization hit her like a ton of bricks and she swayed in place. It was something she didn’t remember well and everytime she tried she began to enter into a helpless panic.
    “I... I...,” she stammered, her hands shaking as the small teen she had been at the time slowly starting to slip forward.
    “Afraid to answer that one? Okay, tell me about your parents then,” hissed the furious criminal, his clasped hands beginning to shake between his thighs. His tongue flicked out to lick at his scars rapidly, drawing her gaze to the quick movement.
    “M-my parents? They were together until...,” she whispered, halting when she got dangerously close to revealing some very personal information about herself.
    “Hmmm, I suppose that’s about the same information I shared with you...,” he sighed, his posture unwinding slightly as he looked up to lock his eyes with hers.
    “I gotta say, I wanna know more about the woman under the professional mask. From what I’ve seen, I have to say I like her a lot,” the killer continued, his gaze growing more predatory as he slowly got to his feet. Then he was closing the already small distance between them, his eyes moving to her injury once again.
    “Joker...,” the Psychologist began in a try at a stern voice. Instead of sounding stern, however, her voice just sounded weak and breathy. To her horror, he only smirked at her in a rather possessive manner.
    “As much as I like a fighter, this chase is beginning to get tiresome. The more time I spend with ya, the more, uh, I want ta actually learn about ya. I don’t feel that way about a lotta people. Ya should, uh, feel honored,” the painted male rumbled, impatience tinging his slightly nasally voice as he gripped her chin and took her lips in a breathtaking kiss.
    Despite the pulsing, aching need this started deep within her core, the suit wearing female tried to shove herself away from the much stronger male; breaking the kiss despite the deep want to continue. His lips were surprisingly soft and held a shocking gentleness that was a sharp contrast to his reputation.   A fact that both confused her and set her on her guard. With Joker, it was hard to tell if he was being genuine or if it was a play to get closer to her. Besides, she had no business getting involved with someone as unstable as the villain in the first place.
    Unfortunately, Joker was not pleased by her pulling away from him. “Don’t fucking pretend you don’t like this. I can smell it all over you,” the irritated man snarled, taking a deep inhale of her scent as if to prove his point. Then his arms were wrapping around her tightly as his dead, angry orbs locked with hers.
    “I want you Marie. I wanted you from the moment your scent met my nose. The moment I tasted you, I knew you were mine. I probably don’t, uh, have to tell ya that when I want something I fuckin’ take it. Give us both what we want,” the clown rasped before giving her lips a hard nibble.
    In an instant, she was shoving away from him and pressing her back to the door. Her large breasts shook as her chest heaved from her panting. “No, no I refuse to let you make me into what image you see fit! I refuse to become like Harleen! Joker, I had hoped to get through the session before telling you this but you leave me little choice,” gasped out the frightened female, flinching as he began to stalk toward her once more.
    “Harleen was a weak minded little fool. She ate everything I fed her and more. She didn’t last her first day with me,” the gray clad man whispered, his voice holding an odd edge as his once again met her eyes.
    “Joker, I’ve had myself taken from your case,” the blonde announced, her hand on the knob of the door as she prepared for the explosion. To her shock, the colorful killer froze in place; his head tilting to the side as he seemed to absorb her statement.
    “You can’t fucking leave,” he whispered in an oddly soft, quiet voice, barely audible.
    “I’m sorry but I cannot allow this to continue. This has become less like a doctor / patient relationship and more like a twisted courtship. As a doctor, I cannot allow you to become so attached to me or vice versa,” she replied, slipping into her professional persona to mask the terror she was currently feeling. She had been expecting a nuclear explosion, not this quiet stillness.
    “You can’t fucking leave,” Joker repeated, in a much louder, raspy voice, fury beginning to burn in his green orbs. It was then that her heart sank to the pit of her stomach and she began to fumble with her only portal to safety. In seconds he was on her, tearing her away from the door to press her against a wall; his hand resuming its place around her neck.
    “Not when we’re so fuckin’ close, not when things were just starting to go somewhere! No! You can’t fucking leave me!” he screamed, bringing the guard standing outside charging in. Fighting like a wild animal, the painted male clawed, kicked and bit at the guard as he was pinned against the cold stone wall.
    Giving the pinned, snarling criminal a frightened glance, the blonde ran out of the cell. The guard soon joined her, shutting the door quickly behind himself. “Marie, ya won’t fucking get away. Ya may think you’re safe but I wouldn’t, uh, sleep too soundly tonight,” came a bitter snarl that was muffled by the steel. Giving the door a fearful look, the twenty-eight year old simply fled to clock out and get to her car. As she drove home, Joker’s words came back to haunt her and she honestly found herself afraid of what awaited her at her apartment.
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Laughter in the Dark