The Fault in our Scars (originally known as 'Maybe Baby' by Alex Snape)

Chapter 13

Four years later

"Dad! Look what I caught!" Jack yelled as he bustled over to his father.

The Joker was conversing with his men about a hit that they had been tailing, and Ringo turned away and rolled his eyes when his Boss turned around to give his attention to his son.

"Whatcha got there?" he asked.

Jack slowly opened his hands to reveal a small, brown lizard. "Can I keep him, please? I can put him in a jar with holes in the lid."

The Joker grinned, but shook his head. "Jack, if you were that lizard, would you want to live in a cramped jar?"

Jack's smile slowly faded as he said, "But...I caught it."

"I know," The Joker continued. "Lizards are fun to catch. I used to be eight-years-old, too...but, I happen to know a thing or two about...being caged up. You follow me, kiddo?"

Jack gave him a curious look. "Were you in jail, Dad?"

The Joker licked his lips and sighed. "Arkham isn't really a prison, son, but...I was locked up just the same...doesn't feel good."

Jack took another look at the lizard in his hands and then gently set it on the ground.

His father chuckled. "Good boy, Jacky," he said as he ruffled his son's hair. "Your mom's fixing lunch. Why don't you go wash up?"

"'Kay!" Jack shouted as he ran to the front door. "Mom! I caught a lizard!" he announced as it slammed behind him.

Harley, who was relaxing on the sofa, tossed her magazine on the floor. "Keep it outside, mister," she scolded. "I told you: no reptiles in the house."

Jack plopped down on the kitchen floor and pulled off his shoes. "Dad told me to leave him where I found him...said he didn't want to be in a jar..."

"And he's right," Harley agreed, picking up her son's muddy shoes and placing them by the door.

"Hey, Mom? What's Arkham?"

His mother looked at him with wide eyes. She never expected to hear that word come out of her son. "Who...where did you hear that name, Jack?"

"Dad told me that Arkham wasn't really a prison," he explained as he climbed into one of the dining room chairs. "What is it, then?"

Harley gulped as she went to the refrigerator to retrieve essentials for her son's bologna sandwich. "Well, honey...he's right...in a way." She paused as she set the mayonnaise jar on the table. "It's just a place that...Dad had to go to from time to time..."

"Were you ever there, Mom?" Jack asked with inquisitive eyes.

"Do you want milk or orange juice with your sandwich?"

He looked down at the dark grooves in the wood of the table as he sneered. His parents always avoided answering any questions he had about themselves, like how they had met, why his Dad watched the news so intently, and why he always had to work at night.

The Joker's face paint had been explained as merely part of the job description and Jack didn't chance springing any further questions on that subject.

"Milk, please," he muttered, once again let down.

The front door opened and Jack turned to see his father sauntering to join him at the table, and he smiled at him as he draped his purple coat over a chair and sat. "What's for lunch, kiddo?"

"Bologna and cheese," Harley responded for him.

"Again?" The Joker asked. "You keep eatin' all this deli meat, son, and you're gonna get the gout..."