Her King

iv

Billie wakes up with a jolt, sweat running down her body and her head throbbing. She dreamt of the moment she got separated from him. The man she loved. For ten months, she's been having this dream. She can still feel the pain from hitting the tree that night.

The way they were torn apart will haunt her until the day she dies. He had only wanted to protect her. Why didn't they see that? Groaning, she rolls over and gets out of the bed with a slight limp in her step. She's exhausted.

She goes to the shower, standing beneath the spray of the warm water with a sigh. Every time she stands in the shower, she's instantly reminded of the times she'd stay beneath the spray within the arms of her lover. How he would touch her with care and trail lines of kisses along her neck. They always felt so soft and warm. Smiling, she rinses herself off and blinks away her tears.

By now she thought she would've gotten over this. The crying and the sadness. But no, she can't think of anything else. Just him.

Stepping out of the shower, she gets dressed and walks to the window. It isn't much of a window. It's barred and nailed shut. All she knows is that it's early in the morning. Only the slight light tells her that.

Humming, she sits on the window sill and stares aimlessly out the window. It's raining. She can hear it. She can feel it.

Sighing, she brings her knees in closer. She's so exhausted and she doesn't want to deal with anything. But sadly, she knows there's gonna be more tests, there always are.

She isn't sure how long she's been staring at the window, she figures it's about eleven considering they're calling her in for tests.

As she sits there, all she can think of is that last moment she had with him all those months ago. He tried to keep her safe. He really did. But when he put those rings on her fingers, he must've known that she was either gonna be taken or he was gonna die. But that doesn't excuse the fact that he lied to her. He knew she had magic. He saw her use it all those times. Why lie? Why try and suppress it?

She thinks about when she first encountered him. She thought he was the ugliest human being to have ever existed. Yet now, his beauty is like no other. She had hated him. When hey first met. She hated him. With every fiber in her body, she hated him. But now, she's so madly in love with him that it's sickening.

It's funny to think that he was always so fond of her. From the moment she caught his eye at that dentist office, he thought she was the most gorgeous human being. He still thinks so. He thinks she's probably the most beautiful girl in the world.

As Joker settles into another sleepless morning, he remembers her smile. The way she would look at him. The happiness that seemed to radiate off of her every time she was around him. How could he forget? She made him feel so warm. So loved.

"Jay". "Yes"? "We gotta get going if you wanna get there on time". "Yeah. Let's go".

His mind goes back to Billie. He thinks he could cry. This isn't a feeling he can say he's used to. Loneliness? Yes. But sadness? No. Never.

Billie is completely silent as she complies with every test. She turns every gun into a snake. Every grenade, a snake too. Snakes are dangerous. Completely so. But to her, it's just fun.

She continues with the tests and says nothing. With a long sigh, she finally lays back in bed and smiles at the familiar feeling. She'll never quite get used to that. The feeling of his arms around her even though no one's even there. She's going insane. That's what it is. She's going insane and there's no saving her.

Saving her.

Oh she wishes.

Wishes that her beloved would walk through the door and save her. But no. She's completely alone.

Joker is too.

No matter how many goons surround him, he feels completely alone. He isn't whole. He's weak with and without her. But he thinks it's much worse when he's without her. All he wants to do is cry and he can't remember the last time he cried. Probably never. Not even when he was normal. There was nothing to cry about then.

"Jay"? "What Nate"? "Why didn't you tell her"? "I had to keep her safe". "By lying"? "You just don't understand. If I had told her and she went around using her magic, they would have found her sooner. But I'm getting her back". "Why? So she can be taken again"? "I have the right to her as well as my son". "They aren't property. You don't have the right to anything". "And what was she to you"? "My friend. The only family I had in this shit hole. The only one who was ever nice to me. You treat me like trash, but she treats me like a real person. She cares about me. My bad for wanting her back. You didn't see her that day she found out she was pregnant. The only thing she worried about was you. She had so much trust in you and you fucked every last bit of that up". Joker can't even get mad at that. "That's fair. You're right". "I know I am. I have one request. You go get Billie and you tell her the truth. Everything from beginning to end". "Okay". "Now get your shit together and go save her".

"Billie".

Her attention is brought back to the task at hand. She isn't supposed to be thinking about him. Not again. "I'm sorry. Can you repeat yourself"? "Make the gun go away". "How"? "Be creative". Consider 'Creative' her middle name.

Without another thought, she turns the gun into roses. Her favorite flower. The flower that symbolizes her love for him. Just like that love, the flower is dying.