Smile...With Teeth

Chapter 19

~I admit it...what's to say...yeah...

I'll relive it...without pain...mmm...

Backstreet lover on the side of the road

I got a bomb in my temple that is gonna explode

I got a sixteen gauge buried under my clothes, I play

Once upon a time I could control myself

Ooh, once upon a time I could lose myself, yeah~

~Pearl Jam~

Joker sat on the roof of his home. This was the only home he'd had for years, besides Arkham, of course. He would miss it when he moved. Maybe he'd keep it for emergencies. He watched the sun setting. The filthy air causing the sky to be filled with purples, pinks and green. He had found a stale pack of cigarettes and had brought one up to smoke.

He hated the idea of smoking, the habit was disgusting, but the swift kick of nicotine was what he needed right now. The rush making him almost feel light headed. He welcomed the feeling. He leaned against the large A/C unit and just watched the neighborhood he lived in. The Narrows, home to the filth of Gotham. The trash of the city, paying what they could afford to live in the shitty side of town.

He was feeling antsy, like a caged animal. He had worked so hard to keep mostly under the radar. He was being good, so good. The payoff was just a few days away. He just had to make it a few more days. It had been torture holding back the worst of his urges.

He used to spend the small amount of free time making bombs. That was fun but he couldn't do that, the temptation too strong to use those bombs. Joker knew himself better than that. He would have not only blown up a building, but blown his cover as well. That would not do.

He figured that lack of freedom is what had pushed him closer to her. His mind had been preoccupied with thoughts of her. Wondering what she was doing when she was not with him. Brain flashing pictures of her sweaty naked body under him at the most random times. He had been getting used to working, sporting a hard on.

He was not some randy teenage boy, he was The Joker. He didn't have those kinds of distractions. But not letting himself be the Joker let other parts free. Right? Yep, he knew that was the problem. After Friday, he would be back to normal, well, normal for him. Until then, what's done was done. The girl had gotten herself under his skin. He would just trap her there.

As if his thought called her, she pulled her car into the back gate. He moved to sit on the edge of the flat roof, watching her movements. She was still so tiny. She had her crazy hair pulled into two Dutch braids. She moved out of his line of sight. He assumed she had moved into the building.

He moved to the door to go back into the building. He stepped inside and down to the bottom of the stairs. This gave him a slightly obscured view of her door. He could hear her humming something. She moved to her door, unlocked it and went inside. He frowned as Punch followed her. That dog was useless.

He walked over to her open door and stepped inside. The dog noticed him immediately and moved to whine for attention. Joker knelt down and scratched and petted the traitorous mutt. When he stood again, she was watching him.

"Where were you? I checked your place." She asked.

"Up top." He said pointing up.

"I fed your beast downstairs." She said as she walked into her room. He watched her kick off her heels, causing her to lose a few more inches. She picked up the heels and walked into her closet. Joker smiled knowing she never said anything about him messing up her perfect little system.