The heart of the joker

Chapter 18

So jumping ahead again because my life isnt that interesting and a year later and I rarely have the flashbacks anymore and ive moved in with Bruce, things are good. 

I walk out of work with Ash behind me, 

"we should catch up over a coffee this weekend"

"yes! definietely, 12 o'clock, the coffee lounge?"

"yup! see you then"

I hug her and she hugs back tightly, 

"I miss you"I sigh, 

"me too, but im only a call away"

"i know"

We pull away and walk our separate ways, I close my bag and hug my coat to myself. Seconds later theres a hand over my mouth and im pulled into a dark and damp alley. I'm pinned to the wall, 

"hello pretty girl, what are you doin' out 'ere alone, eh?"a man says,

"let go of me!"

I reach up and punch him in the face heard enough for him to let go of me, but I cant run because he grabs my ankle and I fall to the ground. He crawls over me and starts opening my shirt, 

"no!! please dont! get off me!"

The man laughs and hes opened the front of my shirt, then hes yanked off me and I cover up quickly. Standing up I hear a gun shot and i flinch, inching backwards. A man reaches out in the darkness and grabs my hand, as i go to scream hes spun me round and covered my mouth, my back to his chest. The hold wasn't tight though, only enough to keep me still, 

"im not here to hurt you I promise, just don't scream or run..please doll"

My heart jumps but surprisingly not from fear, I nod. Slowly, he lets go of me. 

"Joker?!"

"hey darling"

i knew it was him, his voice was the same, as was his words, but he looked like the man on the bus, The Joker was Jack,

"you were the man on the bus?"

"yes"

"why?"

"because I knew somehing like this would happen again"He chuckles,

I laugh a little, then a pain shoots through my head again, I scramble in my bag for my bottle of pills. Once I find it it, i get them out but the bottle is ripped from me before I could take one, 

"Ja-Joker give them back, I need them!"

"no you don't. these arent good for you. stop using them."

"they stop the flashbacks, the pain"As I say it the pain hits me again and i fall to the floor, 

Joker catches me and I lay in his lap, he strokes my hair and this time it feels comforting not like petting when Bruce did it, 

"you just have to ride them out, they will only get less painful that way"

"sshhh! dont tell them its me! dont tell anyone just stay quiet and you wont get hurt, beautiful..."the figure whispered, but I could see the figure was a man now,

i swallowed and took a breath,

"okay..."i whispered back,

he put his hand on my cheek and rubbed it gently,

"good girl"

~~~

"JACK!!!!!"

the thug started laughing and continued, i struggled as best as i could, then the door burst open and then the man was pulled off me, i pulled my pants up and pulled the covers over my body, i was relieved to see The Man, he had the pervert by his neck and a knife at his cheek,