*J* (the continuation)

Part Thirty-Three: Chapter 252: Discoveries

"Something is wrong," the Joker says, his eyes distant.

"It's nothing to do with Harley J," Ivy tells him, "Ace was shot breaking you out of Arkham, but he's fine," She motions to where he and Jake were.

"No! Something isn't right," the Joker shouts and looks back to Ivy. He quickly gets out of the bed and erratically shifts his weight from one foot to the other. As if he couldn't decide which direction he wanted to start pacing.

Jake hears the Joker and looks up to see him on his feet. He could see that he seemed to be confused, perhaps even afraid. He can see Ivy trying her best to calm him down. He immediately abandons Ace's leg to help Ivy get his brother subdued. He doesn't know what sort of frame of mind the shock therapy had left him in. He feared that he could become violent, as it could be a natural reaction to his obvious confusion.

"J, it's ok. They gave you shocks. Just calm down," Ivy says.

"J," Jake says as he approaches, "why do you think that something's wrong?"

The Joker sweeps his hair back with a sigh, "I don't know. It's just a gut feeling." Then the Joker's eyes meet with his brothers. The identical eyes staring back at him had changed. It looked as if a completely different soul had invaded his brothers body. The Joker's forehead creases and his head slightly tilts as he examined Jake. He saw a broken man. A man whose very beliefs had been shattered by a truth he couldn't fathom. The Joker could see the very weight of it all bearing down on his shoulders. "Is there something you want to share with me Jester?" He finally asks.

Jake's eyes immediately flutter to the floor. "There were a few snags busting you out of Arkham," he shrugs, "I took a nasty hit but it was nothing a few stitches couldn't fix. But everything is fine now."

The Joker's eyes narrow, "No it's not. Is it?"

"Ace took a bullet tonight. It's not like that was part of the plan or anything," Jake motions to Ace sitting and bleeding everywhere.

"No. Don't you dare use Ace as your excuse," the Joker points his finger at him, "He's been shot before. It comes with the job. So just tell me what's going on."

"Leave him alone J," Ivy says, "he's not used to all this stuff."

The Joker turns his head and points at her, "You stay out of this. He doesn't need you to fight his battles for him. And he's a doctor. Gunshot wounds and blood come with his job too," he rolls his eyes. He returns his attention to his twin. He slowly circles Jake, taking in every essence on display before him. "You're keeping something from me brother."

"I-it's nothing J," Jake says as their eyes meet again.

"I call bullshit," The Joker stares, his mouth parted. "Do you really think you can lie to me?"

Jake looks away, "Just leave it alone J."

"Oooh," the Joker smiles, "Mr. Difficult hum? Fine, I know an easier way to get the truth," his eyes shift to Ace, "Ace. What has my brother so glum? What happened tonight that he's not telling me about?" Ace's head snaps up to look at his boss. His mouth parts and his eyes shift to Jake, as if looking for his permission to divulge such personal information. But Jake only stares at the ground with a furrowed brow. The Joker quickly wags his finger at Ace, "No, no, no. Don't go looking at Jester. You work for me. Remember?"

Ace's posture straightens. He would be loyal to the Joker until his dying breath. So without hesitation the words came out, "Mr. Jester had to kill a guard tonight. He acted fast and it saved my life sir."

"What?" Ivy draws in a breath and looks to Jake.

The Joker's head snaps back to Jake. He cups his chin and raises it until their eyes meet. "Ahh, there it is, hidden behind the shock and disbelief. Regret." He pauses a moment and could see Jake's eyes grow glossy. Tears were forming. "As a doctor you give life. To take one simply goes against the natural instincts hardwired into your brain. Ironic, isn't it, that the complete opposite applies to me. So I shall say this to you in a manner that is befitting to a doctor's mind," he clamps a hand on Jake's shoulder, "You can't save them all." The Joker watches as a tear rolls down Jake's pale cheek. He gently brushes it away with his thumb.