The Joker And The Fool

8(.3) The beginning of an end

8.3 a death in the family - part I

Diana did not know of it, but Tommy had contacted his mother several times in the past months. He did so because he began to fear his sister more and more. And he had now decided that he would have to take Elizabeth away from her. He wanted to protect his child, yet bear no responsibility towards her. One of the most vivid memories he had ever had, was that he used to hide under his blankets at night, by order of his mother. Whenever she and Diana had fought, his mother would take him under her protection. In fact, whenever there was any type of danger, his mother protected him. Only him. She had always said that Diana envied him and that she was a mistrustful and dishonest child. Jane had always expressed her fear for Diana towards Tommy, for she knew Thomas would not agree with her. A child like Tommy at the time, could not help but agree with his own mother's complaints. When Thomas once found a brochure of a boarding school, she had intended for Diana to leave for, he had left the house for more than a week with Diana. Jane had always known that Diana would replace her worth, that was initially why she hated the child. But one cannot say she always tried to feel the motherly feelings she had for Tommy for Diana as well, she just did not. And she did not want to. She did not ever remember feeling as happy with her child as the day she held Tommy for the first time. She considered him her only child. Through his accomplishments he had never been able to fully satisfy Jane, but for some reason she would ignore such things. Jane's strong demand for Diana to have some sort of prestige came forth merely from jealousy. She wanted Diana not to be what she herself could not become. She wanted her not to succeed. She knew that Diana would never accomplish to live up to Jane's standards. It was some sort of punishment. And still Diana was able to amaze Jane with her antics each and every time. And every time Diana had accomplished something, Jane would ask for more and more. Hoping that one day Diana would show her that she had failed. No, Jane had never loved that child.

For the first time in an awfully long time Tommy dared to acknowledge his regenerated addiction. He had confessed to it towards his mother. But this was not what had disappointed her in him the most. What had disappointed Jane, so she told him, was the fact that Tommy had contacted Diana. Tommy had seen and heard more than a few things of Diana's business that would make any decent grown man become ill. He confessed that he was too tired and that for some reason he felt the same way Jane felt about Diana, but about Elizabeth. He knew that Elizabeth was a good child, he had cared for her most his life. Her amnesia had been a gift to him, for he knew she did not recall the trauma that was inflicted upon her by her mother and himself. But for some reason, sometimes when he looked at her, he could not help but imagine she was his sister. Whom he had feared through most of his childhood. For she too had never truly eyed as if she was evil. Yet she was, she was evil incarnate. No, she was not incarnate, she was just evil, neither living nor dead. Elizabeth had shown visible disturbing behaviour, though Tommy had not been made aware of this by Diana's hands. He blamed himself for this, for he had brought Elizabeth within the reach of his sister, of whom he knew that she was unable to have children herself. And within Diana's reach everything was corruptible. And everything she wished, belonged to her. That is what Diana had expressed towards him: she felt that Elizabeth was rightfully her child. The moment he knew that Diana wanted Elizabeth, was the moment he should have run away. But he had not. And yet he could not help but indulge in the comforting soothing anaesthesia that was brought to him by the drops. This new drug that he had never come across but within the borders of Gotham City, it had thrown him right back into his continuous loop of drug abuse. And the worst thing was, Diana saw it, yet she did nothing to help. Then only out of disparity he would reach out to his own mother again. He needed help and he wanted help.

That, he felt was the most scaring thing. That even though the effects of the drugs were visible and even though it was obvious that it would one day kill him, his sister never showed any concerns. He thought, if he were choking on his own vomit, she would simply stand there and look. That feeling of mistrust revisited a nostalgic feeling of utter fright. That feeling of hiding underneath the blankets. Jane had accomplished for him to give her his personal phone number. Sometimes when he was high, she would call him to check on him, he rarely ever replied to her. And when he did, he was mostly inaudible to her. But she could do nothing still. She did not fly to Gotham the way she did when there had been much publicity for Diana's story. She did not even tell Thomas of it. They had a quite happy life as it was, without their children. Jane did not intend to revisit that. She would not admit it; but she hoped that her children would not outlive them. She hoped that she would be rid of both of their troubles.