July 18th, 2008

WHO IS THE MYSTERIOUS 'JOKER'?

THE JOKER TERRORIZES GOTHAM CITY!

THE JOKER ESCAPES HOLDING CELL!

GOTHAM IS SAVED! JOKER RELOCATED TO ARKHAM ASYLUM!

'Blah, blah, blah, foolish headlines."

Juniper rolled her eyes at the stack of newspapers that remained on the doorstep of Mrs. Wilson's Flower shop. Somehow, even with the man locked up at Arkham, the paper still continued to find reasons to put his name in the titles. It was laughable, truly, Gotham's constant complaints of the demented clown, when in reality-they couldn't get enough of him, he was one of the most interesting things that had happened to the city. There were rules, however, rules placed, when he was locked away, that nobody ever spoke of, that were simply common sense. Some were simple, like, no wearing purple-lavender, or a mauve. Even a dark purple-It was practically propaganda for the crazed villain, he'd made it a symbol, of anarchy, destruction. Nobody could look at the color without thinking of the chaos he'd reigned on the city. Other rules were, not so simple, after all, it wasn't easy forget about the deaths of Rachel Dawes, and Harvey Dent. Gotham's white knight, in all his hero-like glory. And, the nights Juniper spent, the too-long walks down poorly lit alley ways, the freezing shock of anticipation that gripped her chest when she heard a noise, off in the distance, feet behind her. No, those days weren't easy to forget at all, but those were the rules, she had to, or else she'd spend the rest of her life, reliving those moments. It doesn't matter, she told herself, she would be considered lucky to have never actually been in his presence.

That didn't stop her haunting dreams, of brown eyes, rimmed in black, with depths so familiar-she just couldn't place them.

Juniper rolled her eyes, before kicking the rain-drenched, soggy stack of newspapers, away, and continuing up the rusty staircase-into the modest shop. The bell chimed, as she opened the door, and flipped on the lights. It was odd, that Mrs. Wilson wasn't already inside, arranging a bouquet, or stubbornly sweeping at the splintered, wood flooring. The answering machine, off in a corner, behind the front desk, blinked red at her. Juniper wasted no time in waiting around to answer it, and clicked the gray protruding button down, as she passed, barely listening to the context of the messages. She hummed to herself, the melody to a song that she herself couldn't quite place, and focused on evening out the lily stems, on a tacky corsage. The soft spoken lilt that hung in the air, made her pause, the scissors mid-snip, between her shabbily painted nails. Mrs. Wilson's voice cracked over the message, and Juniper worried her lip as she listened on, "June, dear, it's Edna, I'm with Mister Wilson, at the moment… and," The hesitation in the woman's usually confident voice made her anxious, Juniper grabbed for a plastic box, and stiffly the bundle of flowers inside. "Well," The old woman's voice took on a hushed tone, "He's had another episode," The girl let out a sigh, blowing her bands from her view. Kenny's 'episodes' were the everlasting symptoms of the experimental drugs, his previous doctor, Crane, had given him-before his whole 'Scarecrow' persona. No nursing home would take him, given his connections to one of Gotham's previous terrorists. The only place Edna could take him anymore, was Arkham.

"Anyway, I left the shop in a haste, and forgot my purse on the shelf, by the tulips. Be a dear and grab it for me? Oh! while your at it, bring some daisies along with you? It would just mean the world to Kenny, and this place is so very bland. I-" Juniper was already locking the door behind her, fresh daisies, and fitting, floral print purse, in her hand. Mrs. Wilson's message continued on, her voice distant, as though she knew the younger girl hadn't stayed to listen, but still addressing her, kindly. "You'll never believe it! He's here! The man, that did all those nasty things, The-uh-The Joker! That's it! They've got him wandering about! In the day room, with my Kenny, he's just staring off into space. It's a bit odd, truthfully-to see him not causing someone bodily harm-his eye's, theyhaven't left the window… Oh? Yes M-" The recording beeped, cutting her off mid-sentence as the elderly woman began talking to one of the staff members.

Juniper glared at the woman behind the bland, white desk, before taking the visitor tag, and quickly adhesing it to her blouse, above her breast. She rushed on her way down the wide, florescent lit, hallway, heading straight for the sketchy looking elevator, that made worrying clicking sounds, and screeched whenever the doors opened. The dreaded, generic music played, crackling over the intercom, Juniper clutched the bag to her chest, tightly, as she tried to think of something other than the snooty lady at the front desk. And, being in a, seemingly, endless building, crawling with serial killers. Yeah, maybe that was getting to her, just a bit. When the elevator door opened, she rushed from its confines, and headed straight toward the heavily guarded door, labeled, 'Day Room.' With a heavy sigh, Juniper showed the guards her visitor's pass, and impatiently tapped her foot as she waited for them to unlatch the heavy, metal door. She was surprised, when she stepped inside, and most of the patients, gathered around, appeared harmless, and almost normal looking. The girl spotted Edna, tucked away in the corner of the large room, that smelled strongly of bleach, and Lysol. Kenny was beside her, transfixed on a game of chess he was busy playing with a mumbling patient, he had a bright yellow band around his arm-Juniper bit the inside of her cheek, she felt pity for the old man, he'd be stuck here for months before they let him out, again. And then he'd just continue coming back. The elderly man looked up, his face brightening immediatel, and Juniper quickened her pace as he began to fuss, trying to get out of his chair to greet her. She was at his side in an instant, his long, frail arms wrapped around her side, in a kind, but brief, hug. Juniper felt herself smile, genuinely, for the first time in days.

"Mister Wilson, you shouldn't strain yourself. How are ya' feeling?" She asked, before, politely, handing Mrs. Wilson her bag, she waved off the woman's gratitude with a pat to her arm. Kenny nodded, turning his attention back to his game, when it was his turn to make a move. Juniper plucked a daisy from the bundle, and presented it, twirling it between her fingertips, for him.

"June, what would I do without you to brighten up my day?" Kenny adjusted the glasses on his nose, and took the flower, his face breaking into a wide grin. Juniper laughed, handing him the bundle, and watching the surprise light up his eyes. The man had needed a distraction. So had she.

"How's that boyfriend of your's doing, June? He hasn't been by the shop, lately. Is everything alright?" Juniper sighed, nodding slowly towards the older couple. Damien, her boyfriend. Juniper felt herself grit her teeth. He was kind, and sensitive, and handsome, and supportive, and probably the man of any girl's dream, but, at times, Juniper couldn't stand to be near him. She loved him, she did. As much as she could love someone, given her past experiences, with the repulsive emotion. Juniper appreciated the caring man, from a distance, and knew that better would never come her way, because he was truly a great guy. He loved her. Sometimes, she just felt, suffocated.

"Yeah, he's great, just.. busy, y'know?" They smiled, understandingly. It's not like she was being forced to date him, and she could leave him, but he was happy, and Juniper knew that no matter how hard she tried, she'd never be the girl she'd been. Happiness had evaded her for years-eleven to be exact. No matter how great Damien was, there would always be an emptiness in her chest, a sinking feeling in her stomach. Because, the only person she'd even been in love with, had been presumed dead, when she was just a girl, who'd thought it was only a silly crush. Jack.

How wrong she'd been.

Juniper began to back away, slowly, as she lied through her teeth to both Edna, and Kenny, about why she had to leave so soon. It was getting hard to breathe. Sudden memories flashed behind her eyelids when she blinked, memories of him, the wild blonde hair, the golden brown, narrowed eyes. The smile. Juniper's throat tightened, her eyes watering, the empty feeling in her chest felt as though it would swallow her whole. She was at the metal door, standing in front of it, she hadn't remembering crossing the room to it, but there she stood. Someone, someone had a hold on her wrist, it wasn't a tight grip, it wasn't even threatening, if she'd still been caught up in her head, she wouldn't have even noticed. The touch, it seared her, chills ran up her arms. She was in a room full of mentally estranged people. Briefly, Juniper looked around the room for a guard, every single one of them had seemingly, disappeared, even the other patients had busied themselves with various frivolous tasks. Slowly, she was being turned, in the hands of a stranger.

The color black clouded her view, and Juniper wondered if she'd gone blind. There was a pause in time, her heart stopped for a moment, the sudden realization that she was going to die had her freezing, a gasp caught in her throat. His arms were around her waist, holding her-much too intimately, especially since the guy was fucking insane. Juniper felt a wave of shame fuse with her body's reaction to him, her torso pressed into his, without much persuasion from him, at all. The way he was staring into her eyes, searching, it made her uncomfortable, more so that his seemed so lifeless, and black. How he still had on his makeup, she wasn't sure, but the green from him hair had faded, almost entirely-the mass murdering psychopath was a blonde. Juniper found that she liked the way the curls rested at his shoulders, unkempt, and so similar to-. She cleared her throat, wondering why the fuck she hadn't screamed yet. And then, "Juuuuu-ni-per… Is that my darling Juuuuu-ni-per?" Juniper found herself nodding, bewildered, and she knew that it was shown on her face, transparent as always.

"Don't tell me you forgot-ah about little old me?" She thought back, knowing there was no way she would have ever forgotten meeting the lunatic stood before her. But, there was nothing, Juniper had never been in his presence, and until now, she'd been proud of that fact. His eyes were traveling over her face, drinking her in, there was nothing innocent about the way they roamed over her, but she found that she didn't mind nearly as much as she should. A smirk tilted the corner of his mouth, the action had no malicious intent, and Juniper found herself questioning why it seemed so familiar. "Hm. You haven't changed ooo-one bit, honey." Honey? Juniper frowned up at him, her head quirking to the side, at some point, her hands had placed themselves on his forearms. The girl's jaw dropped slightly, she was embracing the Joker. But, as she tried to pull away, he locked his hands behind her back, only serving to trap her closer to him.

"Now, now, let's not run away from the past, alriiiight?" He nodded, as though he were trying to get her to understand, a mock frown masking his face when she didn't respond. The ridiculous pout on his mouth, brought the ghost of a smile to Juniper's, and she leaned away, her torso bending back to create some form of space. He simply edged closer. "Come on Joo-ny," Juniper's entire being froze, her eyes widening, to the size of saucers. No. No. There was a chuckling noise that escaped from him, as thought he'd barely been able to hold it in. He rested his forehead against her's, and she saw it then, the doe-like brown, entwined with the raging black, then, she saw it. Jack. Jack was alive. Jack was here. Jack was the Joker.

"Don't you remember?"