Sane: A Joker fanfic

.26. Blood pact

"I love you Puddin, I love you so much," Harleen cooed as she kissed the jokers shoulders over and over. They were sitting in a warm bath together with the green haired mobster leaning back onto Harleen, who held him firmly against him. She noticed how tense he had been and pulled him away from the meeting room as quickly as she could.

He was hurting so much. This new information about his son, the son she never even knew he had, was hard to process for him. To be fair, he hadn't even known until very recently that he had a son. It was concerning.

"Puddin?" She whispered in his ear.

"Hm?" He hummed, not even bothering to move. He had found comfort in the warm water and had to admit that for once, Harleen had gotten it right. He needed this desperately.

"What are you going to do about your son?" She asked reluctantly, it might have been too soon to bring it up.

"I'll find him." He said.

Harleen smiled and felt her body warm up. She loved him so much, she was willing to do whatever it took to make him happy.

And even though she knew that his plans were typically sadistic in nature and would probably involve some sort of bloodbath, she knew that the child was rightfully his and that he'd be better off.

"What about Bruce?" Harleen asked.

There was quiet. The gentle sounds of the water and their breathing was all that could be heard. For several minutes, Harleen wondered if she should speak up again, but she knew if he had wanted to answer, he would have.

—————

"Thank you." Bruce said as he tapped the bottle of bourbon whose contents were being poured in a glass.
Frost had been told to serve Bruce until joker and Harleen would return from their moment of relaxation, something that was forced upon the joker by his fiancé.

"So you're the heck raiser, huh?" Frost smirked as he also sipped on the beverage.

Bruce smirked and kept studying his hands and arms.

"And you're the sidekick helping him with his clean getaways...it's impressive." Bruce complimented.

"Thanks, I'm more of his...top man. Second in command. The sidekick is the blonde he keeps on his arm. She packs a punch, I'll tell ya," Frost said as he looked down at his drink.

"It's my fault anyway. If I had rushed in after jack, prevented him from falling over that damn platform into that stupid acid vat, he wouldn't have turned out this way. All this time...he just needed a friend." Bruce looked up at Frost. "I could have been that friend."

"Boss....Doesn't make friends. I mean, look at me. I've been in business with him since his early days. I've seen him...change. And yet, during our heists or when push comes to shove, he'd sacrifice me in an instant to save his own ass. There's no honor among thieves or murderers..." Frost admitted as he downed his entire drink.

"I know where his son is." Bruce blurred out, making Frost choke on his drink.

"What?" Frost was flabbergasted at the confession.

"I shouldn't even be telling you..." Bruce sighed.

"No, you shouldn't." Frost replied.

"You took all my belongings when I was brought here. So I'm assuming you have my phone and my wallet." Bruce asked, to which Frost nodded yes.

"I will tell you everything you need to know as long as you and your boss, and everyone else associated with this operation promises to limit the bloodshed and NOT take lives." Bruce said.

"I don't appreciate you giving my men instructions," The Joker snarled as he stood at the door in just his Arkham pants. His hair was wet and he glared at Bruce hatefully.

"I was assuming you wanted to recover your son. I can help you do so but under my terms." Bruce explained.

"No killing. Got it." The joker said.

"Not just killing. The boy is still young, he can't be exposed to any violence, and he may not be able to understand the truth." Bruce replied.

"Then we make the parents fess up." Joker said.

"It's not that easy." Bruce said.

"Then how bout we make it easier and have you with us Brucey? Of course in all your Batman garb and glory, you can definitely do the convincing. Am I right?" The joker smirked.
Bruce remained silent. He was skeptical of the whole plan now.

"You were planning on...retiring. Right?" The Joker asked almost mockingly. "Then I think this is the appropriate way to do it. A proper send off of the bats! Whatd'ya think Bruce?"

Bruce looked up and sighed, he knew the joker had a point. This would be his one final good deed. After a few seconds, Bruce turned to Frost.

"Take my phone and input my password, which is kept in a small scrap of paper in my wallet. Go to my contacts and search Jake Rudolph. Open his page and you'll find an address along with other bits of information. Jake is the adoptive father of the boy.

We won't infiltrate the residence as they live in a gated community referred to as Vineyard Country. It's an exclusive neighborhood so we can take one of my limo's. It'll be discreet and clean, and when all of this is over, you and I..." Bruce looked at the joker, "both leave Gotham, for good."

The joker glared at Bruce.  He had put in so much time and work for these moments to finally arrive. He had conquered the heart of Gotham, the people loved him. He had them all fooled that he was still Jack, that he was still pure and good.

But the chain of events leading him here had skewed him and now that a completely different door had opened, he had lost all remnants of his sanity.

Jack was no more, and he would never be. Never again.

The joker watched Batman break the glass he was drinking out of and cut open his palm. He then extended his arm to the joker, who knew what he had to do.

Without a second thought, the joker grabbed a glass cup and smashed it against the table as well, grabbing a sharp piece and cutting his own palm open.

He brought his bloody hand up and both him and Bruce took the oath.