* J *

Part Twelve: Chapter 70: Welcome To The Madhouse

When Ivy awoke she found the Joker's side of the bed empty. She hadn't heard him get up. She stretched with a yawn and looked at the clock. It was already past ten and she couldn't believe that she had slept so late. She sat up on the edge of the bed and slid into the Joker's purple silk robe that was hanging on the back of the door. She ventured out of the bedroom and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. The chef smiled up at her as he made a batter of some sort.

"Morning Miss, I wasn't sure if you wanted breakfast or not, so I took the liberty of saving you some of the Kiloches the men didn't devour. Shall I reheat them for you?" He politely asked.

"What's a Kiloche?" Ivy curiously asked, having never heard of such.

"It's something that I discovered on a trip in Texas. It's a dish that originated in Czechoslovakia. It's a sausage link wrapped in yeast dough and baked. It's very similar to a pig in a blanket, only larger," he explained.

"I appreciate it, but I'm not really hungry this morning. I'm still full from that amazing dinner last night. Have you seen the Joker this morning?" Ivy asks and pours herself a cup of coffee.

"No, I'm afraid I haven't. He spends most of his time upstairs in his office," he tells her.

"Thank you," she smiles and takes her cup and starts back up the stairs.

She approaches the Joker's office and reaches out for the doorknob with a smile. She opens the door and before she even gets a good look at the Joker, a knife flies past her head and lodges in the wall behind her. She drops her coffee and the cup shatters at her feet, hot coffee splatters across her feet and she winces.

"What the hell J?!" She shouts and stares at the Joker with a gaping jaw.

The Joker growls, "Don't you know how to knock? And what are you doing traipsing through the house in nothing but a robe? Do you know how many men are in this house at all times? And half of them aren't above rape. Their fear of me is the only thing saving you." He stands up and starts for her. Ivy can't help but notice the white residue on the corner of his desk. He grabs her by the arm and she can see how dialated his pupils were. "Go put on some clothes." Ivy jerks her arm away and just stares at him. "NOW!" He shouts in her face and points to the bedroom. Then he slams his office door in her face.

Frost, who heard the boss yelling, rushed up the stairs to find Ivy staring blankly at the door that just slammed in her face. He sighs and crosses over to the wall and pulls the knife out of it. He gently reaches out and takes Ivy by the wrist and pulls her away from the door. He moved her to a spot that was a blind spot to the cameras.

"Never ever try to go in his office without an invitation," he warns her in a hushed voice. "In this house it's just better for your health if you knock on all closed doors from now own," he adds, "Boss don't like people snooping around."

"But I wasn't trying to snoop! I was just going to say good morning!" Ivy protests a bit louder than Frost was comfortable with.

He quickly puts a finger to his lips to get her to keep her voice down. "I'm sorry Miss Ivy, boss takes his plans very seriously. Nobody ever sees them. And the only part any of us ever know about them is our own parts. So don't ask too many questions, boss hates that. I know you think he was being unreasonable, but I assure you, he hasn't made it this far in the business with just good luck. Nobody can plan like he does and secrecy is the biggest element to his success. Boss is anything but careless, so try not to be too mad at his outburst. Trust me, it could have been a lot worse." His eyes fall down on the robe she was wearing, with nothing underneath.