Broken Can Be Beautiful (Jared Leto's Joker Fanfiction)

Red Thread of Fate

A/N hey darlings! My story has been pretty intense as of late and I wanted to add something a little light but also full of love. The Red Thread of Fate is one of my favorite stories and I knew I wanted to include it in this book. I think it fits Lisbeth and Hatter very well. I would like to dedicate this chapter to my own Red Thread Ladies, nikkiiiigirl and Louisa532 ❤️️❤️️

Hatter was lying next to Lisbeth on Joker's large bed. The Doc had finally convinced him to let him stitch up his head; he had just finished and headed home, asking Hatter to call him if any problems arose with Nursey.

She was lucky. The Doc had put an oxygen mask on her but besides her breathing being a little shallow, he couldn't detect anything being too seriously wrong. He figured she would wake up very confused and sore but that was about all.

Hatter felt extraordinarily fortunate that him and Lisbeth had made it through this with their lives and, relatively speaking, quite minor injuries.

He had laid back his head and felt himself starting to nod off when he felt Lisbeth start to thrash beside him. He opened his eyes quickly and leaned over her. Her eyes were big and panicked as she tried to claw the oxygen mask off her face.

Hatter put a hand to her cheek, murmuring gently. "Lisbeth; it is okay. It is me, Brandon. I am here; I am next to you. Please calm down. It is just an oxygen mask to help you breathe. If you lay still, I will take it off."

He saw understanding and recognition start to dawn on Lisbeth's face and she started to still. When she was completely calm, Hatter reached around and took off the oxygen mask. Lisbeth looked at him, tears welling in her gray eyes. She reached up and touched his face. "You're alive!" She gasped out.

He smiled down at her. "We both are!"

Lisbeth couldn't help but smile back. "He, he didn't kill me.." she exclaimed in a raspy voice.

Hatter pushed her hair back, caressing her gently. "Nope. He didn't." He said before pausing. He really didn't want to mention what Boss had said about the grooming and shaping; he didn't want to kill the look of happiness and hope in her eyes. "He cares about you too much."

Lisbeth's face broke into an even wider smile. Hatter loved that smile and he would do whatever he had to do to keep little Nursey's illusions of J's feelings towards her alive.

"And even better news, my lady!" Hatter added, "Boss gave me to you!"

A look of confusion and concern crossed over Lisbeth's face, causing Hatter to laugh out loud. "What I mean is I am your bodyguard, my lady, your companion. When Boss isn't with you, I will be!"

A look of joy took over Lisbeth's face and she flung her arms around the boy next to her. "I love you Brandon." She whispered.

"I love you too." He whispered back, grinning into her hair.

Lisbeth sat back in the pillow then, looking seriously into Hatter's eyes. "While I lived in Japan, I heard a legend..." her story was stopped by a sudden coughing fit, which caused her to hold her neck in pain.

Hatter put a hand on her shoulder, concern shadowing his face. "Please rest your voice, my lady. We can talk later."

Lisbeth shook her head no. "I want to tell you this now. I am fine, I promise." She cleared her throats gently.

"In Japan there is a legend. It started in Ancient China. About a red string. Our bodies are filled with red threads that flow through us, connecting our organs and keeping us alive; pumping blood to every part of us. The pinky is the smallest and weakest part of our hand but our heart is directly connected with our pinky. But this is not where that thread stops. It goes from our heart to our pinky and then flows out into the world. Connected to this thread is the  most important person or people in our life that we are destined to meet. It is fate. These people may be our lovers or our closest friends. This thread may become quite tangled which causes us to not find a person for a long time, but we should not be worried because this string will never break. We will always find our soulmates in the end."

Hatter smiled down at Lisbeth, her story tugging at his heart.

Lisbeth gently took Hatter hand in hers, twining their pinkies together. "It has taken awhile but I am glad I finally found you."

Hatter felt tears start to fall down his face, mirroring the ones on Lisbeth's cheeks.

"We will always be connected my dear Hatter."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my lady."