Adopted by Joker

Chapter 4

"I bet you were a great dad, Mr. J." I say and he looks at me.

"Why do you say that, Kendrick?" He asks and I shrug.

"Just the way you speak so gently to Ella. You seem to really have a thing for kids." I say and he nods but doesn't say anything. Ella then comes out of the bathroom.

"Did you wash you hands, Ella?" I ask her and she nods. "Good job."

"How about that pizza and ice cream?" Mr. J asks and Emma's eyes light up. She smiles really big and he then offers her his hand and she takes it. He walks us to a big kitchen area and there is pizza and ice cream waiting for us. Ella squeals and lets go of Mr. J's hand as she runs to the table and sits.

"You already had it ready. See? That's something I imagine a father would do." I say as I walk to the table. I leave Mr. J standing there and I take a seat next to Ella. Mister J soon joins us and Ella starts to tell him a funny story about the time one of the orphans got his head stuck in the fence. Mister J laughs loudly as the image that Ella painted for us. I soon join Mister J in laughing as she continues to tell the story. She stops and looks at me confused.

"What is it, El?" I ask as she furrows her brow. Mister J looks at her as she looks back between the two of us.

"You two have the same laugh." She says and I look at Mister J and I see a look of confusion on his face as well. He looks at me and studies me. He opens his mouth to say something and then we hear a loud crash and the room begins to fill with a thick gas.

"Kendrick!" Ella shrieks and I grab her out of the chair and hold her close. I see Mister J grab three gas masks and he throws one to me as I sit Ella on the table. I put it on Emma's face and he tosses a second one to me, but it's too late. I've already started choking on the gas my vision blurs as the gas burns my eyes and I begin to cough violently as I fall to the floor.

Then I hear a thump next to me and Ella shrieks. I look to see a black and yellow blur pick her up. I drag myself over to them and bite their ankle. They yell and I feel myself being drugged away. Then a black and gray blob grabs me as a black blob begins to fight Mister J. I try to call out for Mister J, but I end up squeaking and choking more.

'I can't breathe! I can't breathe!' I start to panic slightly trying to get away from whatever has me. I feel them hold me closer and then there is a jerk and I feel the cool night air on my face as I start coughing more. I feel someone pouring liquid on my face and I squirm away as I kick at them. I don't know who they are or what they are pouring on my face.

"Hey. Hey. It's ok. It's just water." I hear a gentle voice say. I feel the liquid being poured on my face again and this time I don't move. I feel it washing the stinging out of my eyes and nose. I finally open my eyes and see the caped crusader's sidekicks. Batgirl and Robin. I stare at them not knowing how to react to them standing in front of me.

"Where is Ella?" I ask as I find my very deep raspy voice. Woah. My voice got deeper with that gas. I hear a small sniffle and I look to my right. I see Ella standing there with her gas mask on hiding behind a bush. I get up and go over to her. I kneel in front of her. I remove the mask and she wraps her arms around my neck. I hold her close.

"I thought you were going to die." She whispers with a tearful voice. I sighs and shake my head.

"I will never leave you, Ella." I say and I feel her small framed body shake as she lets out little sobs. I look at the two 'heros' and I guess it was harsher than I meant to be because they both flinch. I hear the sound of sirens and I look and see that Mister J is sitting on the ground in handcuffs with the Batman's hand on his shoulder. My heart breaks as I see his face.