Divination (Joker x Batman x OC)

Chapter 138

Lucius picked up his phone while adjusting his tie, getting dressed before heading in to work. His cell phone rang and he answered it.

"Alfred, good morning," he said. The call was unexpected but welcome.

Alfred sounded tired . Lucius could hear the fatigue in his voice. As Alfred spoke and Lucius listened quietly, Lucius' wife walked by him and gave him a kiss on the cheek with a smile and began fixing his tie. He grabbed her wrist gently, stopping her, as Alfred's words hit him.

"Thank you... for letting me know," Lucius said wearily.

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The elevator opened and Lucius stepped into the medical facility. He could hear a beeping sound as the microwave stopped. He walked into the dining area and saw the Joker opening a soda.

"Hmm...Lucius," the Joker said as though he was trying to remember his name. "No one is here yet but me."

"Do you have a moment?" Lucius asked and gestured towards a couch against the wall in the room.

The Joker could see that Lucius was there to see him, no one else.

"Is this regarding my relocation?" the Joker asked.

"No...I'm afraid not," Lucius said as the Joker walked over and sat.

"What then?" the Joker asked and took another drink as Lucius sat beside him.

Lucius reached forward and took the drink from him and sat in on the small table behind him, beside the couch. The Joker was perplexed about why Lucius would just take his soda from him but let it go.

"I'm.." Lucius said, struggling to speak. "I came to deliver some..unfortunate news." 

The Joker could see that it was something serious, but he didn't know what it would have to do with him. The Joker had a hard time imagining what bad news Lucius could possibly have. He had only ever spoken to Lucius once before.

"Okay?" the Joker looked at Lucius' face.

The Joker could tell Lucius was distraught but was sure that whatever was bothering him was likely not that bad. He wanted him to come out with it, whatever it was.

 "What's the matter with you?" the Joker asked him, finally, seeing the man struggle to tell him.

Lucius look a breath and looked the Joker in the eyes.

"Adriana," Lucius began to say and the Joker suddenly showed a bit of interest in what he was saying. "Passed away this morning. Dr. Kapoor thought I should be the one to come and let you know."

The Joker heard Lucius' words very clearly, but the connection was not made. He replayed the sentence over and over until he was sure he understood. But once he did, it made no sense. It happened over and over again.

The doctor didn't want to tell him this news himself? He sent Lucius, who the Joker barely knew, instead. Was this true? Was the doctor so upset by this that he could not come to tell him, himself? The Joker couldn't accept it.

"Where is she?" he asked Lucius. "Is she sick? The hospital-"

Lucius reached forward and gave a reassuring squeeze to the Joker's forearm, not saying anything.

"No.." the Joker was shaking his head, frowning, trying to comprehend. "She was here. Yesterday evening..she was in the storage room, the refrigerated one."

Lucius nodded. Lucius' silence was breaking him. He was quiet while he waited for the Joker to accept the truth of what he had just been told.

"This makes no sense," the Joker went on. "She was just here-"

"I know," Lucius said, his voice cracking.

"Where-" the Joker wanted to ask again. Where was she? He needed to see her, to talk to her about this. He needed her to explain this nonsense to him herself. Senseless...Where was she?

"I'm so sorry," Lucius said, his voice struggling but sounding a bit stronger.

The Joker was still shaking his head, he realized. When he noticed it, he stopped. Every few seconds when he realized what he was told, yet again, he wanted to talk to her. She needed to tell him something, a few words about this, what it meant. But then he came to the realization again...the one he feared would break him..he would never be able to speak to her again. But that made no sense, because he had just been speaking to her hours ago. Her voice, her face, still extremely vivid and clear in his mind. That couldn't be all there was that was left of her.

"No," the Joker said and stood up. "Take me to her..or call her-"

"I can't do that," Lucius said.

"Now! Call her!" the Joker said, raising his voice as Lucius stood and held him by the shoulders.

"She's..." Lucius said, barely keeping it together himself. "She is gone. I'm...sorry...I wish I could change it. But I can't. She is gone."

"No.." the Joker said again much more weakly. "I just...I just need to ask her something. I just need to talk to her for a minute-"

Lucius was nodding now, his eyes filled with tears. He understood but there was nothing he could do, nothing anyone could do. 

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"Breaking news," the news reporter said. "We've received word that the wife of Gotham's own Bruce Wayne, Adriana Wayne has died at approximately 5:15 this morning. No details surrounding the cause of death, but stay tuned and we will be the first to let you know."

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"It has been two days since the shocking death of the wife of Bruce Wayne," another reporter said a few days later. "Bruce Wayne has been released from police custody after almost 48 hours as his wife's death has been ruled accidental, we will keep you updated on any further details-"

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"You know he did it," an officer said to Commissioner Gordon. "They brought him in bruised. He's been hit in the face, clearly she was fighting back."

"He drowned her in the tub," another officer chimed in.

"You've seen the autopsy report," Gordon said to the men, wanting to silence them. He was hurting and hated hearing the gossip. He had known Adriana very well and was still shocked that her autopsy report was on his desk. "Drowning was not the cause of death."

"He paid off the coroner," the first officer said.

"The body is being sent to a second of her family's choosing," Gordon informed them. "According to the report, brain damage and convulsions. There was no water in her lungs."

"I still think he did it," the second officer said.

Gordon shook his head. The report came in and he let Bruce Wayne go. He knew that Bruce would never be capable of such a thing. He listened as the officers continued to theorize about how Bruce Wayne paid everyone off to hide his wrongdoing. Inside, he wept for the man.