Smile...With Teeth

Chapter 22

~If you live through this with me,

I swear that I would die for you,

And if you live through this with me,

I swear that I would die for you~

~Hole~

It was late by the time Joker had made it back to the new house. He pulled his car up the drive and parked it in front of the garage. There was a remote to open the doors, but he hadn't grabbed it before he'd left this morning. He got out and made his way into the dark house.

He walked straight for the stairs, wanting to get this over with before he changed his mind. The entire place was quiet. He noticed the bags and boxes had been moved. He frowned, unsure if she had put everything away or burned it all in a fit of rage. Knowing her, it could go either way.

He walked up the large staircase and headed to their room. He stopped in front of the door and listened for any sound. It was quiet, except for her light snores. He hesitated, an uneasy feeling pushed through his gut. Would she wake up and attack him? Maybe.

He steadied himself and pushed through the door as quietly as possible. Flinching when the metal striker plate scraped along the doorframe. She didn't get up, so that was a good sign. He looked around the still dark room, she had cleaned up her mess. The floor was free of the broken items.

He looked to the bed and could barely make out the shape of her tiny body covered by all of the dark blankets. Good, Ace had helped her get what she needed. He moved further into the room. His feet moved soundlessly on the thick carpeting, as he made his way to her bedside table. He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and a small box as well.

He set the paper down and the box on top. He hoped she would like the surprise he had gotten her. He had to spend a bit of cash to grease a few palms, but he was almost certain she would like it. He looked at her sleeping form. Just a tiny outline in the blankets. The slow moving of her body as she snored away, was the only movement.

He turned and left the room, flinching again as the sliding metal sound of the door seemed to echo through the house. He moved to the room next door and went inside. He flipped the light switch and seen the still bare room and bed. Empty tubs and boxes were along one wall, guess she had unpacked. He almost felt a bit let down. He shook the feeling away as he stripped down to his t shirt and boxers and collapsed on the bed. He was asleep almost instantly.

Her voice woke him. She was yelling his name out in the hallway. Her feet were slapping through the house, echoing like gunshots. Joker rubbed his still clean face and sat up. He felt a slight bit better. And hey, today was his big day. That thought brightened him up immensely.

He walked over to the door and cracked it open enough to see the stairway. She was coming back up and calling his name. He couldn't tell if she was happy or still pissed. He opened the door enough for her to see him, and she had the dopiest look on her face. She walked over and held the paper in her hand.

"Care to tell me what this is?" she asked.

He looked at the paper and then back at her, "An apology."

He turned and walked into the room and she followed. He sat on the edge of the bare mattress and looked at her.

"Well, it's one way to apologize, I guess." She said tossing the paper onto the bed. "What exactly are you apologizing for?" she asked.

He looked at her like she'd grown another head. "Mostly locking you out on the balcony." He confessed and leaned back on the bed, looking for imperfections in the ceiling.