dark places | wayne

four :: her parents

4:07 am
Jack's Apartment

When she got home, the sun began to brim the urban horizon of Gotham. The sky was a soft orange and she enjoyed it for the single moment before she entered the same open window she'd left through.

"Good morning, darling." She looked up to see Jack, sitting on the foot of her bed. His head was down, reading some picture book.

"Jack." She greeted. She relaxed her shoulders and went to the vanity.

"Where'd you go to?" He asked gently, setting the book down and looked at her. She looked at him in the mirror, careful not to look at the unpainted scars.

"The roof. I needed to get out." He nodded and she sat down. She pulled out her paints and powders.

"You mean get away?" He asked, his wickedness vanished for once. It was replaced with kindness.

"Yeah." She needed to clear her head of the Batman.

"I'm sorry about your parents. Harley just told me about them."

"Eh. It was my choice to move away."

"I didn't mean move away. I know." He spoke gently. She turned in her chair to look at him.

"Harley told me that today's the day you ran away and, you know, extinguished them."

Now it made sense why he was being so nice, but his compassion didn't end the burning feeling that seized every inch of her.

"She has no right to tell you that. It's my business, not her's!" She took a breath and calmed herself, she let herself get worked up. She let it get to her.

"Excuse me." She apologized for the outburst. He nodded.

"Murder is a hard thing, Winnie. You take someone away that breathed and thought, hoped and cried. You took it away. But the thing is, it gets easier the more you do it." He whispered. She choked back tears and stood. She paced the floor, focusing on not crying. She couldn't cry.

Villains don't cry.

"Come here." He said and embraced her. He wrapped his arms around her and she cried into his shirt. It was the most human thing he'd ever done for her. "Use this pain, Winnie. Use it to fuel the fire inside you. Don't let it burn you." He whispered.

"You know Batman was the reason why I was put in Arkham. He locked me up, he drove me insane." She pulled away and wiped her eyes. She clenched her jaw.

"He'll pay for this." She said.

"Yes, he will. We'll find a way." He left her to dress.

She painted her hands black and stood from the seat. She took out a black, long sleeve cocktail dress and applied day makeup. She pulled on combat boots and put her hair into two braids.

She lifted her dress and pulled on a thigh holster with a loaded hand gun attached to it. She smoothed her dress over it and left her room.

She sat at the table and Jack and Harley came in within minutes, both suited and ready to go.

"You should start wearing a mask, or paint over that face. You'll get caught someday." Harley said, adjusting her hair. She had her jester outfit on, without the hat. She traded the hat in for pigtails, years ago.

"And anyways, you're not pretty enough to go without a mask." She added. Winnie sunk back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Harley watch it." Jack said, crossing his arms.

"Excuse me?" Harley retorted.

"It's the anniversary, lay off her." He said boldly. Winnie stood from her seat and looked in the hall mirror.

"Why? She's not special. We all feel pain, she's no different. She doesn't get special treatment."

"Maybe not, but she's our equal. Treat her like it, baby face." He said.

"I'm going to the Warehouse." Winnie said quietly from the door. She slammed the door and Harley began to fume.

"I hate her! I want her dead, Jack!" Harley yelled at the man like the lunatic she was. "I want her dead." She snarled. Jack walked calmly to her and she put her hands up to stop him. He took her wrists and pulled her against him.

"It's her or me." Harley yelled into his dark purple suit.

"She's an asset to us." He whispered.

"She's an asset to you." She mumbled. He pushed her away violently.

"I'm going to the Warehouse. Come over when you grown up." He said calmly.

"Where have you gone? You're not yourself anymore." She paused. "She's taken your insanity and replaced it with a compassion."

He opened the door.

"She's replaced nothing, only revealed it." He turned to look at his lover. "She's an asset, darling."

He closed the door behind him and dialed Winnie's number. It rang as he strolled through alleyways as to not be seen.

"Hello?" She greeted.

"Hello, darling. It's Jack. A man called me this morning. He wanted to see the club tonight. Will you be there?"

"Of course. Who was it?"

"Mister Bruce Wayne. He's that billionaire. He has deep pockets, I assumed you would be available."

"Right you are." She said indifferently. "I'll wait on him tonight." She said and hung up. She smiled at the thought of new income. It took her mind off her parents...