* J *

Part Twenty-Seven: Chapter 200: Harley's Decision

"All around the mulberry bush the monkey chased the weasel. The monkey thought it was all in fun. Pop goes the weasel. All around the mulberry bush the monkey chased the weasel. The monkey thought it was all in fun. Pop goes the weasel. All around the mulberry bush. The monkey chased the weasel. The monkey thought it was all in fun. Pop goes the weasel..."

Jake sighs and rubs his temples. He just wanted it to stop. Ivy and Freeze both look over at him. They know he's struggling. Ivy no longer uses her pheromones on him. Jake is willingly a part of things. He wanted to help his brother. But so far, none of them have come up with a solution. It was frustrating for Jake. Especially with the annoying voice in his head. It sang constantly and it was so distracting.

"Jake?" Ivy says, but he just keeps rubbing his temples. "Jake?" Ivy says a little louder. But Jake continues rubbing his temples. Ivy scoots off her stool and walks over to Jake. She lightly touches his shoulder and he jumps a mile. "Are you alright Jake?" She asked in concern.

Jake sighs, "Yeah, I'm sorry. "...mulberry bush the monkey chased..." He won't stop singing. It never stops and it's affecting my ability to think clearly. "...all in fun. Pop goes the..." I don't know what to do about it." He runs his hand over his forehead. He looked so exhausted, like he hadn't slept in a week.

Ivy sits next to him. "I was there when J first became the Joker. It took him quite some time to not feel like a freak, an outcast. The chemicals made the voices much worse. He probably felt much like you do now. But then, he decided to embrace the clown and listen to the voices. He let them lead him. And by doing so, he became the most powerful man in Gotham."

Ivy pauses a moment to let Jake absorb her words. Jake could only concentrate for a few moments at a time. She wanted him to be able to process everything.

"But he's used to the voices. I medicated mine for twenty six years. "...the weasel. All around the mulberry bush the..." I can't take this," he looks down and shakes his head.

"Yes you can Jake," Ivy persists, "Stop holding it all in. Just let it out. Let out the anger. Get mad."

A deep growl comes from his stomach, he grabs a glass container and hurls it across the room. It shatters into tiny shards and glitters upon the floor. But that wasn't enough. Jake had more anger inside of him. His fists ball as his insides rage. He thrusts his fist down on a laptop, shattering it's keys and causing a large spark, then the screen went black. Jake grabs the laptop. He brings it over his head and slams it across the countertop. Once. Twice. Three times. Then the laptop was no more.

Jake stood there, his face red and his breath racing. Ivy tries to gain eye contact. She had more to tell him, she felt it was time to tell him. "Jake, before J ended up here, he tried to ensure that the Joker would carry on. You see, if the Joker dies, this city will rip itself apart. J controls so much stuff and so many politicians. If people thought he was dead the underworld would be like rabid dogs on rotten meat. They would take everything that J's built."

Ivy watches Jake's expression carefully. His forehead wrinkles as he ponders Ivy's words. The cogs in his brain ground together. Ivy knew she was getting through to him. "So you see, it's imperative that the Joker stays alive and in action. When J found out about the tumor he started trying to have a child, but it never happened. So he came up with a different solution. Jake, you have another brother. A half brother. Your mother had an affair with Thomas Wayne. Father of Bruce Wayne as in Wayne Enterprises."

Ivy gave him a moment to think. Finding out he has another brother is a huge shock. "What's his name?" Jake asks.

"Jason," she says.

Jake faintly smiles, "Jack, Jake, and Jason. "...The monkey thought it was all in fun. Pop goes..." Valerie was rather fond of J's, wasn't she?"