Smile...With Teeth

Chapter 21

~ Suddenly, I believe you are the one for me

Graciously you move through my closed heart's artery

Can I escape with my blue fallen reverie?

Why can't it all be true?

Why can't it all be true?~

~Serj Tankian~

By the time Peach had made it home, Joker had gotten over his panic attack and even packed all of his important things. He would of course leave a small emergency stash as always. He tucked the bit of cash, a burner phone and the charger in a pop-tart box and put it back under the floorboard.

Joker was getting the dogs fed and watered when Peach found him.

"What time tomorrow do I get my gift?" she asked.

"First thing in the morning." He said without turning to her.

He was sitting on the floor, playing with Punch. Judy was lying next to him, watching Peach stand in the doorway. Joker would reach over and stroke her fur. Peach watched, feeling amused that the devil dog only liked Joker. They were kindred spirits.

"I saw the van in the back." She said.

"Good."

She narrowed her eyes at him. He was being short with her and she was unsure why. Ace had texted he was acting strange, she turned to leave the room, figuring it was nerves from the moving.

Joker let out a breath. He had become too complacent with her touchy feely attitude. He needed to get a bit of himself back before she devoured him completely. He pushed Punch away and stood. The dogs stayed in their room. Joker was feeling impatient, he wanted to go. He started to load up the van, his things all packed in black garbage bags. He tossed them in the back. All except his suit, that was hung up neatly. His room looked sparse again. It was odd. He moved upstairs and started grabbing all of Peach's boxes and plastic bins of junk. He placed them gently in the van.

She was getting out of the shower when he came back for the last of it all. She was in her room, digging through a duffel bag, wearing a towel. He stood, holding the small plastic tote box. She started to dress, and Joker couldn't force himself to look away. He didn't think watching someone get dressed would be so enticing. She turned when she was finished and caught him watching her. She was startled at first, then a smile crept along her face.

She walked over and closed the door to her bedroom. The click of the lock spurred him back to moving. Oh, how he hated her. He looked at his watch. It was almost 4:00 AM. His lawyer had given him the gate code, and had told him the keys would be in the mailbox by the gate, same code. It was all very high tech. Joker laughed at the thought.

Codes were useless against explosives. But this was a classy part of town. Joker himself, would probably be the only one making explosives in his neighborhood. He liked that idea. He knocked on Peach's door.

"Let's go." He said then turned to head down to get the dogs.

She was out and locking the door. She took Punch in her car and Joker kept Judy with him. Joker had the directions and led the way to their new place. It was pretty far out there. It was almost an hour drive, and they had to stop to let the dogs piss and for Peach to get gas in her car.

It was almost 6:00 am when they finally pulled up to the gates of the new house. It was huge. Joker put in the gate code, watching the thing open as he got the keys out of the locked mailbox. He pulled the van up the long driveway that curved in front of the porch.