*J* (the continuation)

Part Forty-Five: Chapter 341: Precaution

The Joker sat behind his desk. His eyes are bloodshot, he's not slept for days. A glass of scotch was planted in his hand. It's already past midnight. There's a knock at his door. Frost then walks in and approaches the desk, "Sir, you wanted to see me?" He asks.

"Did you tighten the security on Alexis?" The Joker looks up at him. The look on his face was a rarity. Nervousness.

He was nervous because he knew that Jester, Jason, Julia, and Harley knew about Alexis and him. Which opened the door for retaliations against him. He also feared them finding out about the baby. There was no way he could relax knowing that that would essentially put a bulls eye right on his unborn child. He couldn't lose another one.

"Yes sir, just as you ordered. We have a dozen clowns on her at all times. We added more cameras to the building and to the penthouse," Frost assures him.

"Good," he nods, his mind seeming to drift off, reeling with the possibilities of everything that could go wrong.

"But sir, it's you who needs more security," Frost swallows, hoping that his boss's current half drunk state kept him calm as he disagreed with him.

The Joker's eyes find Frost again, "No. Focus on Alexis," he tells him, "she means more than you can possibly know." He couldn't tell Frost the whole truth, not yet.

"Yes sir, but as your number one, it's my job to put your security first. I took an oath to protect you. Jason is planning to kill you," Frost sees fit to remind him.

The Joker rolls his eyes, "I know precisely when he will strike. Put all efforts on Alexis. That's an order."

"Sir I realize she means a lot to you, but you've never gone this far with security on a woman before," Frost says nervously.

The Joker glares at him, trying to remain calm, "I have my reasons. Trust me."

"Of course sir, but as I said, it's my duty to put you first," he says knowing that it would piss him off.

Still glaring the Joker rasps, "No, your job is whatever I tell you it is."

"May I offer an alternative sir? If you and Miss Kaye were together it would be easier for me to focus my efforts on the both of you," he says.

The Joker's eyes fall down on his hands. Perhaps Frost was right. He knew he was a bit too involved to see things as clearly as someone who was standing outside of a situation. "Perhaps you're right on this," the Joker nods.

**********************

Alexis lie sleeping in her bed. It seemed as if being pregnant made her sleepy all the time. Plus, morning sickness was wiping her out completely. She wasn't exactly sleeping soundly. So when the side of the bed slightly dips down she jumps. Half from being startled, half from reflex.

"Shhhh," she can hear a tender voice say, "It's just me."

She quickly reaches out and cuts on the lamp. She relaxes when she sees it's only the Joker, "J, baby you scared me to death," she tells him as she relaxes enough to exhale. "What are you doing here? Did you knock? I didn't hear a knock."

"No, I have a key and the passcodes," he says softly and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Oh, right, I guess you do," she smiles and looks over at the clock on the nightstand. "It's the middle of the night, is everything ok?"

The Joker gently pulls back her covers as he stands. "I'm sorry for startling you. Is the baby alright?"

"The baby's fine. But is something going on?" Alexis wonders noticing the apprehension on the Joker's face.