"You want to know how Bruce went back into time," Adriana said to Jack. "Why?"
"You ask a question with a very obvious answer," he said in response. "To erase everything I did. To erase the Joker. Save some lives if I can."
Adriana looked at him quietly. He meant what he was saying.
"Did you talk to Dr. Kapoor about this?" Adriana asked.
"'Course not," he said, almost laughing. "Not entirely sure he even believes Bruce's tales of traveling to the past."
Adriana was silent again.
"So," he said. "Will you tell me?"
She didn't answer.
"You won't be telling me a thing, will you?" he asked.
"Jack," Adriana said. "I know you want to do this because of Arsenio. So that he won't find out what you did one day-"
"Yes," he said. "But also because it was wrong. If I can fix it, why shouldn't I? Go back to the start...be a normal person. Get a job at the post office or waste treatment. Be normal. Spare lives. Bring them all back."
"This...may be a selfish answer," she said. "But I don't want to lose my baby. Even if it means saving lives."
"Why would you lose him?" he asked.
"Because if you were never the Joker we never would have met," she said. "I never wanted kids, Jack. Never. I was always so careful. Always took the pill, until I left Damien. I was taking so many meds for so long...what was one more? But when I met you I just...let down my guard in a way I never had before. I forgot about everything...all the risk. And I'm glad I did."
He considered everything that she was saying.
"Okay then," he said. "What if I go back to after you fell pregnant? I could save at least a dozen lives."
"Jack...first of all we don't even know exactly when that happened-" she said.
"I'm pretty sure I have a good idea of when," he said. "I could find you again and, you'd still have him. Although...the scars might scare you away."
He was making a joke, but she didn't laugh.
Adriana looked down at her hands.
"I'm sorry Jack," she said. "I can't help you. This isn't a good idea at all."
She didn't want to look up. She almost expected that he would be glaring at her or looking at her with even more disappointment. But when she finally looked up, he looked concerned.
"I won't ask you to help me with this again," he said. It was not a threat, but a promise. "Clearly...there is something more to this that is making you...uneasy."
"I'm sorry Jack," she said. "It's just..."
She took a deep breath.
"The way the Bruce went back into time," Adriana said. "He told me that someone helped him. This really...terrible woman. She's really the worst kind of person. She sent Bruce back into time, charged him half of his net worth. Then she...I guess gave him all types of potions and.."
Adriana blinked and shook her head.
"She's the one he had an affair with," Adriana said. "I can't help but believe that she planned it. It was like she was setting him up. Giving him awful potions to show him things in my past he never should have seen. I hate her. And if I ever see Twyla again I can't guarantee that I won't kill her."
"Twyla," he said the name. It was vaguely familiar. Her name and mention of potions made him remember it all. "We...called her."
"Oh..." Adriana said, remembering that night. She told them how to save themselves after taking in an extremely high dose of one of her potions. It had changed everything. "Yes...we did."
After a pause Adriana spoke again.
"I'm sorry.." Adriana said. "You said that you loved me, and I told you that I was going to leave Bruce and-"
"Don't," he said, raising a hand. "Don't apologize for that."
"I don't want to hurt you-" she said and he cut her off again.
"Do not worry about me," he said.
.
.
.
"It's possible," Bruce said to Adriana after she told him Jack's theory.
Someone had paid off his lawyer and wanted to recruit him. There was no evidence, there was no contact, there was nothing. Only the theory. And since Bruce had abducted the Joker immediately after the trial, no one had been able to make contact with him. Everyone believed he was dead.
"It's...something we won't ever be able to prove," Adriana said. "Unless the Catwoman knows something about it. I could ask her if we cross paths again."
"No," Bruce said. "I don't want you to speak to her again. Stay away from her."
Adriana raised her eyebrows.
"Please," he said changing his demand into a polite request.
"Well, sometimes she just shows up out of nowhere," Adriana explained. "I can't always avoid her."
"If she shows up, then leave," he said.
"She's not dangerous," Adriana said. "And even if she was...I can take her. She's skinny."
"As are you," he said.
Adriana rolled her eyes and smiled.
"Jack also had another...theory," Adriana said.
"What was that?" Bruce asked.
"He thinks you already know who the 'League' is," she said. "And you just don't want to tell me. Is that true?"
"No," Bruce said firmly. "It is not."
Adriana didn't believe him at all.
"Okay," Adriana said. "Well, I'm going to sleep now."
She was already in bed with the covers over her legs. Bruce was in their room collecting his clothing to sleep in. They had been sleeping apart for several nights. But now, his blood tests had come back. He was clean.He had agreed to complete rehab. Their problems seemed to be behind them. And Adriana did not care much about the League, as long as they stayed away from her son and husband, which they seemed to be doing. And if they were going to approach, she had a feeling the Catwoman would warn her.
Adriana reached over to Bruce's side of the bed and flung back the covers, indicating to him that he was to sleep in their bed tonight. He smiled, gave her a kiss, and walked around the bed to his side. Once he was in bed he reached turn off the bedside lamp. The bedroom was dark and quiet, and Adriana immediately felt drowsy and ready for sleep. But same time she was in need of touch. It had been well over a month since she and Bruce had sex last. However, more than that, she was tired. She drifted off quickly.
In her dream, she opened her eyes. She was sitting on Bruce's hips and he was kissing her. She warmth of his body under hers felt real. She sat up, pulling out of the kiss. As she did, she felt a warm hand coming around her waist. Someone else was there. She turned her head. It was the Joker. As soon as she recognized him, she began to kiss him. The excitement alone, woke her from the dream.
"Having a good dream?" she heard Bruce say and she turned to see him laying on his side looking at her.
"What...." she said breathlessly.
"You were moaning," he said.
Adriana shook her head.
"It's been a while for both of us," Bruce said. "It's only natural you'd have a sex dream."
"Right...right," Adriana said and noticed Bruce looking at her expectantly. He wanted to have sex, but she felt like she needed to bathe away her dream of two men at once.
"This seems to happen when we go a while without it," he said, remembering her making similar sounds months ago.
"I'm...so tired...I'm just going to try to get back to sleep," Adriana said.
Bruce smiled and kissed her forehead and then her lips.
"Alright," he said.
