Little Miss Gotham

Chapter Twenty Four

A few days later:
Saturday
December 3, 2016

It's been almost a week since my incident. But I've been able to calm down and settle back into how things were in the beginning. My dad seemed more pleasant than usual. Either he was cheating or just really happy that his plan was working so well. My mother was leaning back towards the alcohol but she was still happy about my acceptance Harvard. This Wednesday would be the annual tree lighting near City Hall which I had to attend. It's a week later than usual but given everything that happened, it needed to be pushed back. But everything was finally at a calm. 

I sat across from Joker in his newly renovated living area. His apartment looked more like a Penthouse. When you walked in, there was actually a finished kitchen to the right and gray stone floor. His bedroom to the left corner and was on a lifted section and still didn't have any walls. Then across the room in the far right was a his living area which was actually neat and not in the middle of the floor. There was a fireplace and nice TV installed. I assumed he must have robbed a bank without telling me.

We sat at opposite ends of the glass coffee table on the fluffy carpet, each of us holding a few of cards that neither of us could see. I had more cards and he was down to one. 

"Do you have any threes?" I asked, biting my lip to try and hide my smile. I wanted to laugh at how miserable he looked. His face had never looked so bored. Then, he rolled his eyes and exhaled. 

"Go fish."  Joker murmured.

I sighed and leaned back on the chair behind me and frowned. 

"I'm kidding." he added, throwing down the card. "I don't want to play this stupid game. I've got things to do tonight, pumpkin."

The sun that hid behind the clouds all day as snow covered the streets of Gotham was finally making an appearance as it set against the edge of the the world and shone bright orange rays through the city. I stood up and followed him to the glass wall he stared out of as he buttoned his maroon shirt. I slid my arms around him from behind, embracing his warmth as I placed a kiss on the curve of his neck which I knew he loved. I heard a light growl escape as he exhaled and grinned.
"What could be more important than spending another night in bed with me?"
Joker turned around and cupped my face.
"My business deals come first." Joker said, flashing a fake smile and patting my cheeks before letting go and walking around me. I frowned and watched him walk away.

"Plus, I need to figure out my plans." Joker added as he returned to his alcohol index in the kitchen.

"What plan? The Suicide Squad has just been meeting with the majority of criminals. It's only a week or two before each of them has gained the criminals of each section of the city's trust. I'm pretty sure Deadshot has been assigned to the borough I live in." I explained. Whenever my parents weren't home and I wasn't occupied, I'd take a peek into my father's office to get as many details as I could.

"My plan. The one that keeps me from getting sucked into Harley's part of the plan." he sighed, pulling his suspenders over his shoulders after taking a shot of a clear liquid. "As far as she's concerned, I know nothing of her motives and I'm the puppet in her little play." Joker said, moving his fingers in the air as if motioning puppets hanging from strings. He laughed and took another shot but instead, he put a pill in this one. "But I'm gonna get outta town when all of this goes down. So do me a favor doll and get some more details from Mister Gotham so I know when I should leave."
My heart sunk a little inside and I couldn't hide how I felt.
"Well you don't have to leave, pumpkin. Just hide for a bit."
"Harley's gonna want me there on the big day. She already said it's her Christmas surprise for me!" Joker laughed. I sighed and looked away as I thought to myself. He was right. He shouldn't be in the city when this happens. "But don't worry. Daddy will come home with a nice Christmas present for ya' and we'll have plenty of fireworks for New Years Eve."