The Joker And The Fool

9(.2) the Gotham War

9.2 

Diana had never given Zsasz the opportunity to say goodbye to her niece. She had greatly underestimated the importance of Elizabeth towards Victor. She did not like to think that Elizabeth meant anything at all to Victor, after all she was hers and hers alone. Elizabeth shared nothing with Zsasz, while Diana's blood was in her veins. Nevertheless, Zsasz became incredibly upset with Diana when he learned that Diana had sent her away with her parents. After she had brought Elizabeth and her parents to the airport in metropolis, she had opened a bottle of wine at home. And when she was drunk from two bottles of wine, she decided to throw away some of Elizabeth's belongings. While Victor had been in the bar with some of Diana's workers, he noticed that she had slipped past them through the backdoor. She carried two large boxes with her. So, when he went outside to see what she was doing he noticed that she was indeed throwing away Elizabeth's belongings.

"Diana?" he asked as he walked through the kitchen, "Diana?" he then asked again when he stood just before the backdoor.

He would have looked around the corner to see her standing in the alleyway beside a large dumpster. He then noticed that one of the boxes carried a blue stuffed animal. He recognized it as the octopus which belonged to Elizabeth.

"Hey, what are you doing? Those are Liz's.'" he said as he put a hand on Diana's wrist to stop her from throwing away the boxes.

She did not speak, but she slowly turned to look at him. When he saw her eyes, he realized that she was drunk. They were blurry and tired.

"Where is Liz?" he asked her, but he already knew where she was.

"I already alerted Jen that she would not be working for me anymore." Diana then said, "From now on I will not hear you speak of her again." she then commanded him.

"What did you do?" he then asked, it was clear that he was angry.

His grip on her wrist had tightened and he showed her large eyes. He was angry because he truly cared about Elizabeth; she was the only child who never seemed afraid of him. But she was a child that lived amongst monsters. Elizabeth reminded him that beside the monster, he was a man.

"She is gone, she went with my parents." Diana merely said.

"Are you insane?!" he asked her as he suddenly pushed her away.

The boxes she had carried fell to the floor. One box remained intact, the other fell apart and several toys lay now upon the street. He looked at it for a moment as he seemed to be somewhat insecure and even sad. Diana immediately bent down to take the toys off the street. Those she did pick up; she threw away immediately.

"I am responsible." she told him as she was doing so.

"How are you responsible?" he asked her angrily, "You are just selfish."

She stopped for a moment as she had picked up the box and placed it on top of the dumpster. For a moment she sighed. At any time, she would have crudely disregarded him. But it must have been the wine speaking that evening. She wanted to explain herself, she wanted him to know that she had done it to protect her child.

"If she would have stayed here, she would be killed." Diana said, "Or I would die and there would be nobody for her."

"I would have been there for her." he told her.

It was true he thought of himself a friend, even a father to Elizabeth. He felt as if Elizabeth was his family; after all she always called him "uncle". If the time came that Diana died, he would have taken care of her like she was his own. He would have saved a life instead of taken it.