Black Rose

Chapter Twenty Two

Rosalie's POV

    I sat in shock and awe. The necklace was beautiful and thoughtful, but more importantly, he was opening up to me. I was afraid to move in case it would scare him from continuing. He looked like he was in physical pain and I almost didn't want him to go on, but he did.

    "I don't remember much from my life before I became this, but I will sum up what I do know. I grew up with an abusive father who killed my mother while I watched. He was a drunk and during one of his drinking rampages, he beat her till she died. I grew up poor and always trying to make ends meet. My mother's version of this necklace was not quite as expensive, but it was special and had been passed down three generations. She always told me that the girl I would marry would get the necklace." I couldn't control my heart racing when he told me this and luckily he did not notice or I would have been embarrassed. "My father pawned hers after she died so he could get boozes." My heart ached and I reached for his hand. I don't care if he continued or not, I just wanted to give him comfort.

"I was married and we were still poor. I had to take on risky jobs in order to make money to support us. Especially since she was pregnant. She died while pregnant in a fire that happened in our apartment. I stopped caring and took even riskier jobs. I went on a heist that went wrong. Batman had swooped in and wanted to stop us. We ran. We just happened to be at ACE Chemical plant. While running from Batman, I fell into a vat of acid. My skin burned and when I came out, my memory was weak and I could not stop laughing." I felt a stab of jealousy before feeling sadness. I didn't look at this man with pity, but with understanding. I knew what it felt like.

"So I start a life a crime and become quite popular. I start creating an empire, but then I get thrown into Arkham Asylum. I meet a young Psychiatrist named Harleen Quinzel. She was the epitome of normal, smart, sexy, and completely sane...till she met me." I don't know if I want to hear him go on. I really am starting to feel sick hearing about other women. I listen though because he is finally opening up to me and that's the most important thing. Much more important than my petty jealousy.

"She fell madly in love with me. I did not love her at first. I put her through hell and yet she still wanted me. She even fell into a vat of acid for me. She became just like me. She became Harley Quinn" Ignore the pain Rosie, just ignore it. "We were together for two years. I was abusive. She would screw up in the tiniest of ways and I would beat her to a pulp. Love quickly turned into annoyance and I started distancing myself. In response, she became clingy trying so hard to hang on."

"She decided to try and make me jealous and I caught her with one of my henchmen. I can't remember what happened but I came to and saw the man dead and Harley nearly was. I left her there and handled business out of town for a few days. I came back and she was gone." He has no emotion in his voice and I don't know how to feel. I'm jealous, I feel sorry for her, feel sorry for him, I am just a jumble, so I stay silent.

"I didn't look for her. Maybe I should have, my possessiveness told me to but I knew how it would end if I found her. We would be in the same cycle of love and hate and she would end up dead. It was the only time I felt guilty for what I did to her, so I let her live." He finishes his story and waits for my response. So much is going through my head.

I decide jealousy would be the safest emotion to side with. He wouldn't want me feeling sorry for him or her. "Do you want me to jump into a vat of acid for you?" I ask quietly.

He looked shocked and quickly replied "No! Never. Please do not ever do something that stupid." He looked fearful.

"I hadn't planned on it, I just wanted to know if you wanted it or if you wanted me to be more like you." I reply. Sure, I might just do about anything for him but not when I have two more lives counting on me.

"I love you for exactly who you are and have no desire to change you. Fuck, you are crazy enough without the acid, you would be such a handful." He winks at his joke earning a shove on his shoulder from me. "No baby, not only that but when you go into the acid, there is a high probability that you won't make it. I won't let you anywhere near that place."

I absolutely adored when he got protective with me. It was sexy and it made my heart flutter. So I showed him how much he meant to me, how much it meant that he confided in me, and how much it meant that he loved me back.

I was only wearing my necklace when I woke up in the morning. I took in my surroundings and realized we fell asleep in the fireplace. Mr. J was asleep next to me, a rare thing for me to awake before him. I try not to move much so the morning sickness stays away so I slowly turn so I'm facing him, his arms staying around me. I start tracing his tattoos and he moans pleasantly in his sleep. I smile at the reaction that I caused.

I feel so much like a young girl. His love for me has me feeling alive and giddy. Almost like my life before him was all in black and white and now he has colored my life. This is what it must feel like to have love returned. I know one thing is for sure; I will do everything in my power to keep this feeling.

I moved to straddle him and start kissing from his chest and up his neck. He moans in response and I feel hands on my hips. "Mhhm, I should sleep in more if this is going to be my alarm clock." He says huskily.

I smirk and go for his lips. His hands move the side of my face as he deepens the kiss causing me to moan. I hear something causing me to sit straight up and I see a man. I quickly assess his emotions to gauge his intentions and all I feel is overwhelming lust making me sick.

"Oh man, sorry boss." But he does nothing to leave or even look away from me. Mr. J has me wrapped in blankets in no time. He notices my discomfort at the man's feelings and he turns deadly. I see his expression go cold yet manic. Gone is the man I was kissing and in comes the Joker, and at this moment, nothing is sexier. That thought has me confused, I know the intruder will die, he must be one of his low ranking henchmen. Yet all I can think about is the burning jealousy my man is feeling that is causing him to go dark and...sexy.

The Joker starts laughing and that's when the man starts noticing he is treading dangerous waters. "Do you like what you see?" He says and swoops his arms dramatically, putting me on display. I make sure the blankets are tight around me.

The man looks unsure of what to say not wanting to offend and leave with his life. "You have a beautiful woman, Mr. J." He says staring at the floor.

"You want her? Go and get her." Joker says. What? I look at him worried and he laughs at me. The man takes a hesitant step forward and ends up with a bullet in his head. I felt relieved that J wasn't getting rid of me. I start walking upstairs to get some clothes on and he is right behind me.

One we are in the room, his hands are gripping my shoulders tightly most likely leaving bruises. "You. Are. Mine. No one else sees you naked. Just me." He is growling his words sending shivers down my spine...the good kind.

"Only you. I'm yours." I whisper seductively, which seems to surprise him. He recovers quickly and smirks.

"You liked that, huh?" He is getting closer to me, he still is in his dark place. I would embrace this any other time but he regrets it so much when he comes back and sees the damage he has called me.

"I loved it, but honey, come back to me." I put my hand on his cheek and he flinches and looks down. His grip on my shoulders loosen and I am in his arms. He's back. My Mr. J is back. He pulls back but still holds me, his hands gentle on my shoulders. He is looking at me as if I am the most amazing thing in the universe.

"How? How do you do that? It is like my anger melts away and I am filled with calm." I am not sure. I don't think it is anything I do and it is simply what happens when two people are in love but I don't tell him this because even for me, it is far too cheesy. Instead, I just smile and shrug.