"The man reeks of mental illness. I can taste his pathology... Goes well with my palette."
—Juditta Salem

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"Shit." Ember breathlessly murmured, her skull colliding with the soft roof of the Mustang as her hand impulsively darted upwards to massage the tender skin.

Joker let out a soft chuckle, tightening his hold around the tiny woman as he lifted her hips slightly upwards, hesitating slightly before easing her back down to meet his lap.

The abrupt action emit a chorus of sighs to fill the miniscule compartment, Joker's head rolling back as it lay lax against the headrest. His adams apple bobbed beneath the flesh of his throat with every simple sigh, eyes squeezed shut in ecstacy as Ember rolled her hips effortlessly against his.

The scenario proved quite difficult, given the lack of space and minimal leverage. A bare-faced Joker and a giddy Ember had taken a stroll down the dirt road, when the womans hand inched a bit too far up the mans thigh. Mere moments later, after parking the vehicle underneath a gigantic oak tree, (the hood actually up this time, surprisingly), Joker had tugged the woman into the back seat with him. Lucky for him, she'd worn a bright yellow sundress, barely grazing the tops of her knobby knees. She'd unbuttoned his jeans, inching them just below his hips to allow him freedom, but only just. Ember remained fully clothed on top of him, panties shifted to the side as her fingers rotated from the neck of his gray sweater to his curls.

Her mouth met his again, tongue tracing his bottom lip as Joker's hands attempted to brush the wild strands of hair from Ember's face. He failed miserably as the cramped space prevented her from being able to spread out a bit, her head nearly colliding with the roof with every movement.

She strayed from his swollen mouth, peppering hot kisses along the skin of his cheeks, jaw, and eventually dipping down onto his neck. Her lips were like wildfire, leaving behind blazing burns against his flesh as he practically squirmed beneath her.

The man drifted off into a euphoric state, feeling more at ease than he has in ages. Perhaps it was this gentle, raw, undeniably passionate round of lovemaking that calmed his nerves and ignited his senses. There was absolutely no rush in this instance, no race to the finish, not an end in sight. They simply enjoyed one anothers presence, enveloping themselves in all things each other as they sat conjoined in the cramped back seat of an old Mustang.

A soft tune played lowly in the background, something along the lines of a classic Foreigner song as Ember let out a contentful sigh, reconnecting her lips to his.

Bolts of electricity shot up each of their spines everytime she'd lowered herself back on to him. Her fingers tingled in anticipation as her legs trembled with extreme pleasure, simply enjoying the feeling of him between her legs.

Joker let his hands wander, traveling from the softness of her cheeks and dipping down onto her bare shoulders. His fingers laced with the thin straps of her dress as she swiveled her hips juuust right, emitting a moan to tumble from his parted lips. Lazy eyes admired the beautiful woman as his hands found refuge on her hips, fitting oh-so-perfectly against her skin.

Joker was one-hundred-percent certain that he could be wrapped up in this blissful nirvana for the rest of his days. As long as he had his Ember, all would be well.

Forty-six minutes later, the glowing couple returned to the disheveled home, approaching the building arm-in-arm as they exchanged several giggles.

A lit cigarette clung loosely to Joker's bottom lip, his right arm slung around Ember's bony shoulders. His boots sat unlaced, the ankles of his jeans tucked sloppily into the shoes as the pads of his fingers traced circles against Ember's skin.

The temporary tranquil state that both individuals currently reside in abruptly passed at the sighting of an unfamiliar man hovering the front porch. He was drastically thin, strutting a pair of khakis and a yellow collared shirt. A rather expensive camera sat in his clutch, held up to his face as he took photographs of the surrounding area.

Ember clearly felt Joker stiffen beside her, his fingers ripping the cigarette from his lips as he flicked it into the grass.

"Stay here." He lowly ordered, strutting towards the unknown man as he finally noticed their presence.

"Oh, hello!" The man greeted, thin lips tugged into a genuine grin. "I know this may seem a bit extreme, but I got an anonymous tip that the infamous Joker might reside here. Do you know anything of that?"

Ember practically face-palmed at the strangers comment, her chest heaving as Joker slowly approached the man. Although she could not see his face, she could practically picture the blood thirsty glimmer in his eyes.

The mans gaze settled upon Joker's scars, jaw falling agape at the sight when realization suddenly dawned upon him: This man was the fucking Joker.

"You have-ah, no business here, mother-fucker." Joker growled.

"Mr. J-Joker, s-sir, I'm sorry to trespass—"

"You fucked up, kiddo." Joker seethed, inching closer towards the younger man as he toyed with the hem of his gray sweater.

Before the stranger could react, Joker had him in a headlock, applying the perfect amount of pressure to his neck to knock him unconcious as Ember let out a startled squeak.

The collared-shirt man collapsed onto the dirt, his neck kinked at a drastically uncomfortable angle as Ember scurried towards the Joker.

"I-Is he dead?" She stammered, palms cupping her gaping mouth as Joker let out a snort.

"No-t quite, buttercup." He mused.
"Here-ah, help me, will yah?"

Ember swiftly nodded, bending her knees to mimic Joker's actions as she laced her hands around the strangers legs. Joker cupped his armpits, effortlessly lifting him from the ground as Ember followed suit. Joker retrieved the expensive camera, slinging the strap over his shoulder before nodding curtly.

"I'll go backwards." The theatrical man monotonely stated, trading positions with the woman as he opened the front door with his elbow. The task proved rather difficult, but once he had successfully unlatched the door, the heel of his boot came into contact with the wood, swinging it open broadly to allow them entrance.

Horton and Grim stood silently in the kitchen, both busy with miscellaneous tasks as Joker and Ember noisily entered the premises.

Horton's brows raised at the scene. Grim's expression, however, remained unchanged.

"Whose that?" Horton called through a mouthful of food, slowly rising from the bar stool as he crept towards the couple.

"Some fucker who was-uh, tryin' to take pictures of the place. Said some guy tipped him off about the Joker livin' here." Joker explained, his feet shuffling backwards as he glanced over his shoulder, careful not to run into anything.

Horton's ever-changing eyes widened, more blue than green in color today as he followed closely behind Ember. Her palms began to sweat, posing difficulty for her to maintain a firm grip on the unconcious mans skin.

"What'cha gonna do, boss?" Horton stupidly inquired.

Joker merely grinned—a devilish one at that—his scars tugging up so tall that they nearly met his eyes. They'd arrived at the only door on the left side of the dingy hallway leading to Joker's bedroom. Ember's pulse quickened, the memories of laying behind that door, waiting to die seemed much too vivid...

The mans elbow came into contact with the circular handle, twisting it with a bit of a struggle before it finally flew open.

Ember's stomach churned at the sight of the quite large room, the floor stripped down to the concrete flooring that lay underneath, splattered with dry blood. She began to feel woosy, her head spinning as the mans legs tumbled from her grasp.

Joker let out a disgruntled sound, brows knitting together in confusion as he tossed the mans body into the center of the room like a fucking rag doll.

Horton and Ember stood in the doorway, the womans face severely paling as she began to feel extremely anxious about being in this room again. In this room, the scarred-face man standing before her's demeanor shifted. In this room, she didn't have any desire of kissing him, of holding him or touching him or loving him. No–In this room, she feared him. She felt the tension and the anger and the hatred.

"Shu-t the door, Hort." Joker ordered, dipping his hand into the front pocket of his jeans to retrieve that vibrant purple switchblade of his.

Horton obeyed his orders, closing the door tightly behind him as he stood directly beside a quivering Ember. He could feel the anxiety radiating off of the woman, and he hoped that Joker would notice and let her leave.

Unfortunately, the Joker was oblivious to this. In fact, he actually enjoyed seeing Ember squirm, even if it wasn't in the sensual way he was used to.

The man on the floor stirred back into conciousness, his eyelids blinking several times to adjust to the bright lighting.

Joker hovered tauntingly over the man, blade glimmering beneath the artificial lighting as sinister giggles tumbled from his lips.

"Wakey wakeyyy." The man drawled, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as they stood planted on either side of the strangers legs. His free hand tugged at the camera attached to his shoulder, bringing it to his face as the haunting click of a photo being taken sent shivers down Ember's spine.

Ember cowered against the door, heart hammering in her chest as she suddenly felt very ill. She wasn't quite sure what Joker had in mind with this man, but she didn't exactly want to find out...

The man let out a petrified shout, pulling his knees to his chest in an attempt to shuffle backwards and away from the man. Even though he looked drastically less terrifying without the haunting greasepaint, the man knew quite well of Joker's capabilities.

"P-Please d-don't hurt me—" Khaki-boy cried, only to be silenced by Joker's high-pitched cackle. The sound alone sent violent shivers down Ember's spine, her blood beginning to curdle at the sound.

She blinked heavily, the clear image of Joker towering over her not too long ago overcoming her sight. Ember could clearly see him standing dreadfully close, his leather gloved fingers gripping painfully onto her jaw as he shouted at her, demanding that she look at him...

Her hips began to ache at the memory of him straddling her, having zero regards for her well-being as he ground his hips against hers, that damn knife pressing against her flesh.

If her paper plane pendant wouldn't have fallen out of her shirt at the precise time, would she still be alive? 

Ember reentered the scene at hand, eyes immediately widening at the sight of Joker straddling the mans hips, a nearly identical scene to the one she'd just visualized. The blade was deeply buried in his left cheek, Joker's nose grazing his as he lowly demanded answers from the man.

The woman flinched when an arm unexpectedly laced around her waist, tugging her closely to its host as she quivered in her sandals.

She molded into Horton's soothing embrace, her anxiety somewhat settling at the innocent gesture as she balled a handful of his thick cotton t-shirt between her fingers.

"Answer me!" Joker boomed, his voice bouncing off the concrete walls with ease as Ember instinctively flinched.

"I-I'm sorry, sir! I don't know who told me! It was an anonymous tip!"

Evidently, Joker was not satisfied with the individuals answer.

Ember's eyes flickered shut at the nauseating noise that filled the void. Joker must've impaled the man somehow—somewhere—but she wasn't about to find out where. A whimper fell from her chapped lips as each index finger met her ears, pressing them closed to lessen the noise as she began to violently tremble.

Horton tugged on her arm, applying pressure on her front to urge her backwards as she blinked several times, her eyes slowly adjusting to the lighting as the man continued to scream. Joker's menacing laughs ricocheted off the walls, horrifying the woman as she stumbled from the room.

The blonde boy slammed the door closed behind them, arms naturally darting outwards in an attempt to catch the woman as her knees suddenly buckled, sending her to the floor.

The palms of her hands met the flawed wooden floor, a cry falling from her lips as she swallowed a mouthful of bile. It took quite a bit of self control to not vomit all over herself after what she'd seen.

It was wild, really, how quickly the Joker's entire demeanor shifted. Just an hour prior, she was riding him in the backseat of the Mustang, swallowing his breathless sighs as she was exposed to his most vulnerable side. Now, over sixty minutes later, he was an entirely different person. The color in his eyes had completely altered, nearly black in appearance, versus the typical soft brown color she so loved.

"Ember!" Horton cried, his hands meeting her shoulders in a weak attempt to soothe her. "C'mon. Let's go outside."

Ember shakily rose to her feet, grimacing at the horrifying sound of Joker's laugh as it bled through the thick drywall.

She nearly collapsed a second time at the sound, pure fear resonating through her bones as Horton curled his arm underneath her legs, lifting her into his arms as he carried her quickly from the house.

Grim still stood in the kitchen, brows raising at the sight of Horton holding Ember as they fled from the building, Joker's menacing cackles fading into the background.

Horton set Ember down on a nearby tree stump, several yards away from the front door as she breathed in the fresh Gotham air.

The outside air instantly calmed her, enveloping her completely as she struggled to clear her head of the haunting thoughts of the Joker. There was something absolutely mesmerizing about the fresh air, as well as the location of the hideout in general. She loved the sound of the trees swaying in the wind, along with the comforting scent of the area itself.

Horton rummaged through his jean pocket, fishing out a crinkled teal and white tinted pack of cigarettes, as well as a vibrant purple lighter.

"Can I have one?" Ember croaked, rubbing her clammy hands together vigorously as the blonde boy simply nodded, placing a cigarette into her trembling hands.

"You gonna be okay, Em?" The boy cooed, placing the cigarette between his lips as he swiftly lit it.

The woman merely nodded, mimicking his actions as she, too, placed the cigarette between her dry lips, cupping her palm around the end as she struggled to light it with the wind.

The duo sat in silence for several minutes, inhaling the smoke deeply into their lungs as sporadic gusts of wind sent Ember's locks astray.

"How do you still love him after seeing him like that?" She whispered.

Horton stood several feet in front of her, the toe of his boot digging into the dirt as his gaze sat glued upon his feet.

"Because I didn't fall in love with Jackson like you did. I fell in love with the Joker, just as he is." He monotonely replied.

Ember sighed, taking a rather long drag off her cigarette before ripping it from her lips.

"I'm in love with both."

Horton's stare instantaneously met hers at her proclamation.

"You love him?"

Ember avoided his glare, nodding plainly as she twirled the lit cigarette between her slender fingers.

"He told me he loves me, too."

Horton's stomach did sumersaults at her statement, the cigarette toppling to the dirt as he crushed it beneath the sole of his boot.

The news wasn't entirely a shock to the man. He knew how the Joker felt about her, he could tell simply by his actions. Around Ember, the Joker wasn't himself. He was calm, collective, romantic, and even somewhat sane.

"Congratulations." He grumbled, pacing in circles as his palms sat planted on his hips.

"I'm sorry, Horton." Ember whispered.

He did not reply.

Ember finished off her cigarette, discarding it into the dirt as she awkwardly sat upon the tree stump. She'd finally calmed down quite a bit, her pulse returning back to normal as the violent trembles ceased.

That was, until the Joker decided to make an appearance.

Both Horton and Ember's necks snapped upwards at the deafening sound of the front door slamming closed. Ember's throat went dry at the sight of him, still dressed in that darling set of jeans that clung oh-so-nicely to his legs, the ankles sloppily tucked into the top of his unlaced boots. The sleeves of his fading gray sweater were rolled up past his elbows, the heavy material bunching slightly. Her eyes trailed down the length of his arm, stomach fluttering at the sight of the tattoo that circled his wrist. However, her heart plummeted when her gaze suddenly met his hands, which were tinted pink.

She was pleasantly surprised to see an absence of blood on his clothing, the evidence of his apparent kill invisible to her as he skipped in their direction. His stained hands, however, proved that he did, in fact, kill someone.

"Why'd yah-uh, run out on me, doll?" He giggled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as she openly shuddered.

"Needed a smoke." She blandly replied, eyelids squinting as she glared up at him.

The irises of his eyes had returned to that familiar brown color, gleefully glaring down at her as his scars tugged up the length of his face.

"I've-uh, got a bi-t of a surprise for yah." He winked, fingers lacing around the width of her wrist as he effortlessly tugged her from the tree stump.

"O-Okay?" Ember stuttered, glancing in Horton's direction as Joker pried her from her seat. Horton, however, completely avoided the pair of them, his back turned as he stared into the distance.

Joker tugged her along the deeply cracked sidewalk, thrusting the front door open so violently that it routinely collided with the already damaged drywall behind it.

Ember flinched at the noise, still a bit jumpy from earlier as she noticed Grim's absence from the kitchen.

"Don't worry," Joker began, as if he could read her thoughts. "Grim cleaned up all the little pieces."

The woman grimaced at his choice of vocabulary, desperately attempting to push away the grueling thoughts of the collared-shirt man chopped up into itty-bitty pieces...

Joker halted in front of the door, spinning on his heel to face the cowering woman as a devilish grin tugged at his lips.

"Ready?" He sang, bottom lip outstretched by the tip of his tongue as he scanned Ember's expression. She was petrified of him, and it was fucking riveting.

Ember merely shrugged, words momentarily failing her as Joker's arm disappeared behind his back, fingers lacing around the circular handle as he sharply twisted.

Joker pressed his back cleanly against the door, outstretching an arm to offer her entrance as she shuffled into the room.

Her eyes flickered over the area, not entirely certain what she was supposed to be seeing, until it suddenly came into view.

Ember's heart lept into her throat, the feeling in her legs vanishing entirely as her jaw fell ajar.

On the very right concrete wall, sat a not-so-simple statement, which covered a large area of the surface.

An inhumane sound fell from her parted lips, palms instantly clamming up once more as her eyes widened.

"I love you" was etched cleanly into the concrete, flourescent red in color as several of the letters bled down the cracks of the wall.

It was undeniably written in blood.

The palms of Joker's hands met her shoulders, blood-stained fingers applying pressure to the skin as he gently kneaded her tense muscles.

His nose tickled the tip of her ear, warm breath fanning along her skin as goosebumps immediately littered her skin in response.

"I love you."

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A/N: Thoughts on this chapter? Haha.

I have a question: What are your guys views on the amount of sex in this story? Too much? Not enough? Just right? I don't want you guys to feel like there's too much, even though they are adults, and adults tend to have sex... a lot. Lol.

Lots of exciting things coming your way. Stay tuuuuned

xo. Allie