Helllloooooooo! It has been a month since I posted that last chapter to Strange Is What We Aim For and I have been frantically working on the next installment! This is the prequel to Strange Is What We Aim For. I never explained how Marissa and the Joker met or how they got involved with each other and I know that a lot of you were curious. So here we go! Hope you guys all enjoy chapter one of You've Set Your Heart On Haunting Me...

"Ooooowwwww!" I yelled. I shook my hand frantically in pain. "Dammit!" I set the hair straightener that I had just accidentally clamped on my finger down on the sink. The middle finger on my left hand burned as I shoved it under the cold water rushing out of the faucet.

"Marissa! Are you okay?" my step-mom, Carey, called from downstairs. I huffed angrily. It was her fault I had burned myself. She was the reason I had to rush to do my hair and make myself presentable to go to my stupid step-cousin's stupid birthday party.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I hollered back. I held my hand close to my face and inspected my finger. I had a nice long shiny mark on my skin already. I grumbled some more as I gave myself a once-over in the mirror. "This is as good as it's gonna get," I said staring at myself. My short brown hair fell just to my shoulders. I pushed it back out of my heavily eye-lined eyes. Somewhat satisfied, I clomped down the stairs in my heeled, knee-high boots over black skinny jeans. Up top I had on a tight black shirt with studded shoulders. I'll admit, I did not have very impressive boobs. However, I did have one hell of an amazing ass. That was really my only feature that I was okay with.

"Is that what you're wearing?" my step mom asked. Damn it.

"Uh-huh," I said carefully. She did not like my edgy choice of clothing. After a long pause I got an answer.

"Okay," she sighed.

"Yes!" I yelled triumphantly. That got a laugh out of her.

"Have fun at the party," she said.

"Like that'll happen," I mumbled as I stepped out the door. My dad was already out in the car waiting. I had turned sixteen three months ago, and in Gotham you couldn't get a license until you had had your permit for six months. I couldn't wait until I didn't need to be driven around anymore.

"Is that what you're wearing?" my dad asked when I got in the car.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm not a slut or anything!" I said.

"No, it's just a little…dark," my dad said.

"Well, I like dark," I retorted.

"Okay, okay. Didn't mean to offend," my dad said.

"It's okay," I said, knowing he was trying to apologize. We talked normally on the way to the party. Ugh. The party. I did not want to go, but my step cousin had invited me. I really had no desire to stand by myself amongst a bunch of football players and bitchy plastics. But I was being a good person and making an appearance. We pulled up to the Hilton Hotel. Freaking spoiled brat, having his sixteenth birthday party in a five-star hotel.

"Bye honey. Try to have some fun," my dad said. I smiled weakly.

"Okay, I'll try. Love you," I said as I shut the car door. I took a deep breath of the cool August air as my dad pulled away. This was going to be a long night.

I entered the hotel and was grandly directed to the party hall by the Hilton staff. I pushed open two heavy wood doors and was assaulted by multicolored laser lights and pounding music. "And here we go," I said to myself. I spotted Shane talking to a group of people against one of the walls. Everyone else seemed to be grinding on the dance floor. I walked over to Shane and his "posse."

"Hey, happy birthday Shane!" I said, trying to cover up how awkward I felt. Several people's heads turned to look at me. I could never decide what was worse, the strange looks I got, or the looks I didn't get at all.

"Oh, thanks! Glad you could make it!" he yelled over the music, then turned back to his audience. Really, I dragged myself here for that? I tried embarrassingly to fit myself into their conversation, but I obviously wasn't wanted there. So I spent the next half hour awkwardly standing in the corner by myself. Finally, I couldn't take the humiliation of fitting in with no one anymore and walked unnoticed to the back of the room. I didn't want to have to walk by all those hotel workers again, knowing that they'd all stare, wondering what had happened that was making me leave the party so early. I pushed open the emergency exit door and stepped out into the cool night air. Looking around I saw that I was in the alley between the Hilton and some other big important building. I crossed my arms and leaned back against the rough bricks. The music was pumping so loud I could still faintly hear it from outside. Jesus, I hated those people. I would just have to wait a few hours for my dad to show up again to take me home.

I had been standing outside for maybe five minutes when a door a little further down from the one I had come out of slammed open. I jumped, startled, and turned my head to see who was there. A man with a long trench coat stepped outside. I couldn't really see him because it was so dark, but I had a bad feeling all of the sudden. The man slowly turned his head in my direction.

"Hel-lo beautiful," he said in a strange voice. I had heard that voice somewhere before, but I couldn't think of where.

"Hi," I said confused and now slightly worried. He started to saunter over to me. I pushed myself off the wall and started to slowly back myself to the door.

"What's a pretty little girl like you doing out here all by yourself?" the man asked, still in that strange, somewhat high-pitched, but still frightening voice. Then it dawned on me. I had heard that voice before on the news.

"Holy shit," I breathed, turning and running for the door. I gave a short yelp when two hands grabbed my waist, spun me around, and pushed me into the wall.

"Recognize me dollface?" he asked.

"Oh God, oh God," I was so going to die.

"Was it my scars that gave me away?" the man asked.

"You're the Joker," I managed to choke out. Duh.

"Very good sweetheart," the Joker said happily. "You wanna know how I got 'em?" he gestured to his scars.

"Huh-uh," I said shaking my head. He chuckled that eerie laugh.

"Oh come on, it's a good one," he protested.

"That's okay," I said, trying desperately to keep my arms from touching him.

"I promise, it's an enthralling story," he said dramatically. Then he pulled out a switchblade from nowhere. My eyes widened.

"No no no!" I whimpered and started to struggle. I was not going to be killed that easily. If I was gonna go down, I was going down swinging. I slid down the brick wall, trying to duck under his arms. He jerked his arms down and caught me by the waist again, laughing.

"A little fight in you. I like that in a woman," he said. "I think I'll take you home with me. You could be fun to play with."

"What?" I shrieked. "No! Shane! Help!" the Joker continued laughing.

"They can't hear you doll face. It's just you and me," he taunted. I groaned as he pulled me away from the wall, pushing me towards the end of the alley. What an idiot, I thought. He's taking me right onto the main street where I can yell for help. Just then, a black car pulled up to block the entrance to the alley. Someone in the front reached back and opened the door to the backseat. I literally went ballistic. I went from calmly cooperating to a total spaz in less than a second. The Joker laughed again, finding my fear amusing.

"How would you like to have some scars just like mine, hmm?" he asked. He brought his knife up to my face. I instantly froze. "That's a good girl."

He shoved me into the back seat and got in next to me. The guy driving looked in the rearview mirror as he pulled away from the curb. "Who is she?" he asked.

"Just something to entertain me for awhile," the Joker replied grinning devilishly at me. I pressed myself up against the door, trying to stay as far away from him as I could. Sitting in that car, I truly thought I was going to die soon. It never crossed my mind that the Joker and I could be together for quite some time.

Yay! I'm really excited for this story! I hope you all like it. Please please review and let me know what you guys think!

On a side note, I got the title of this story from one of the lyrics in the song "Nearly Witches" by Panic! At the Disco, just to give the band credit.

And as always, I do not own any Batman characters!