Song: Sweet Disaster by DREAMERS
Amy thought things couldn't get much better than they were at that point in her life. Weeks ago, when she slept with the fucking Joker of all people, she really felt like they had a connection. Since then, that feeling had only been cemented. He was a little lost sometimes, but she was always able to get him back on the right path. She didn't know what he was doing while he was away for hours "on business," but gift horses... She knew she would get a gold star for naivety at this low point in her life, and even though she knew it, she still couldn't question her and Freddy's fairy tale.
J was Freddy's hero from day one, but one specific day was a real turning point for their relationship. And it started out absolutely horrible. It could have been her and J's breaking point, but instead, further reinforced their family bond--all three of them.
Amelia was looking for Freddy throughout the house one day. She kept calling him for dinner, and he wasn't coming. She knew he was probably off playing with J or bothering him in his office, like he usually did when J was home, so she headed for J's office.
She heard a quiet little voice from the room, and she knew Freddy was in the office with him. Then she heard the lunatic start screaming at the top of his lungs. "I TOLD YOU I'M BUSY, BOY. GET OUT OF MY OFFICE THIS FUCKING INSTANT!"
Before she could turn the handle on the door, she felt it already turning. What she found was a terrified little boy getting ready to run for his life with the start of a full on cry beginning in his sparkling eyes. She wasn't happy at all. Unacceptable!
She saw Freddy bunch up a piece of paper and throw it on the floor in the hallway before darting past her to her room. "Honey, Freddy, wait." She followed him down the hallway, but before she got to his room, she heard the door slam. She figured she would let him cry it out for a minute and find out what happened from J--or give him a big, fat piece of her mind.
Walking back towards his office, she saw the crumpled up piece of paper on the carpet. Out of curiosity, she picked it up, unwrinkled it, and looked at it. What she found just served to tick her off further.
She slammed the door to his office open, determined to let him know how she felt about his random outbursts and his general instability. Freddy deserved a hero 100 percent of the time, not 90 percent. Either he was all or nothing, and she would make sure of it.
She found J sitting behind his desk, looking at a stack of papers. Without looking, he announced, "I'm destined to never... get anything done... in my own fucking home!" He looked up during the last part to make sure whoever barged in knew that he meant business. When he saw her, wearing a face of fury, his attitude changed only slightly. "What do you need, Amelia?"
"If you ever talk to him like that again, pregnant or not, I will beat you into next Sunday." He began to talk, and she cut him off. "No, you listen to me here. We're giving you something no one else in this world will. We're giving you a chance. But that little boy? I'm warning you. Don't ruin your relationship with that boy. That's the one relationship you have that isn't tainted by your criminal past or your murderous tendencies.
"You didn't trick him into loving you. He doesn't fear you like everyone else. He only sees you as the man with crazy green hair who bought him a bed and promises to keep him safe from his nightmares. He looks up to you, J!
"You need to think long and hard about why you're keeping us around. We already know. You need to realize it." With that, she threw the crumpled up picture at him, and it hit him in the chest. He looked shocked at her outburst. He looked like he didn't know whether to go off on her or to just keep quiet. He chose right. He kept quiet. She turned to walk out of the room. "That's what he wanted to give you." She slammed the door behind her, furious with him because of how he talked to Freddy and furious with herself for letting Freddy get attached to someone so quick to go off on him.
The picture that she looked at before she walked into the room was just about the sweetest kids drawing she had ever seen. In it was three stick figures holding hands in front of a huge house. One was very small, the next was a little bigger with long brown hair, the last was the biggest, and this stick figure had bright green hair. At the top, in little boy handwriting was the question, "Will you be my daddy?" He must have had Howard help him with the writing, because she knew he didn't know how to read or write at all yet. She had to remember to thank Howard for that.
She knew Freddy idolized him, but she didn't know that he was looking for a father. She thought back to the day that he asked her to be his mommy. He probably just figured that was how one got new parents. You just ask. It was adorable that he took it upon himself to find his own parents. She just loved the little boy. It also made her upset. The fact that he even felt that he had to find his own parents just wasn't what little boys were supposed to be worried about. They were supposed to be inherently loved, comforted, supported, taught, and nurtured.
She knew she was trying her hardest with him to give him everything he needed to be a thriving little boy, but she sometimes questioned J's influence on him. Sure--it was funny that he imitated J and called Howard "slave." Sure--it was funny that he gave J back as good as he received in their joking arguments. But was all this really ok for a growing little boy? Especially for one that had seen so much death, who had been kidnapped and locked in a room for four days, who had been abandoned basically on the doorstep by his parents and left to fend for himself. Amy told herself that she was doing the right thing by keeping him here, where it was safe while there were bad men trying to get her, but she still didn't know.
The room she walked into helped to better assuage her guilt. He had an amazing room. There was a race car bed, toys and stuffed animals everywhere, and a huge TV hanging on the wall. There were two dressers of clothes and a closet packed full of more clothes and shoes. He had a computer and tablet sitting atop a desk with a large bookshelf next to it jam-packed with every book a five-year old could imagine. He loved his room, the books, the toys, the new clothes and shoes. He didn't take a bit of it for granted, and she was so proud of him for that.
He was laying with his face down in his pillow on top of his bed. She could hear his muffled sniffles. She quietly walked into his room and sat on the edge of the bed. She put her hand gently on his back and gently asked, "Want to talk to me, baby?"
"No."
"Please, honey. Turn over and look at me."
After a couple more sniffles, he finally rolled over to look up at her. His red face and wet eyes just about broke her heart. "I didn't m-mean to make him-m mad. I had a p-p-resent, mommy."
Amy told him, "I know, sweetie. It was such a great drawing. You are just the sweetest little boy. Don't worry. He will calm down. He was just busy, and I'm sure he loved your picture."
That deep, dark, raspy voice cut in, "I did... love your picture, Freddy."
She turned around to see J standing in the doorway holding the wrinkled drawing. The look of vulnerability written across his face told her everything she needed to know. He got her speech loud and clear. He had the right reaction to Freddy's drawing. She blew out a gasp of relief. She didn't know how much she wanted Freddy's picture to go over well until she saw J standing there.
He walked into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed next to Amy. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, buddy." J laid his hand on Freddy's arm and continued, "Of course, I will be your daddy. And I'll be the best daddy I can try to be." He looked over at Amy, and she saw the flicker of doubt cross his face.
She didn't let him doubt himself. She told him, "You'll try your best. And that's what good daddy's do."
She looked down at Freddy and a smile began to pull his lips up at the sides. He tentatively asked, "Really?"
"Of course!" J's lips pulled up at the sides, too. "Even though you can't keep up with me in tag. I'll let that slide for now."
Freddy jumped up and threw his arms around J's neck. J looked at her over Freddy's shoulder and mouthed, "Thank you."
He pulled Freddy back by his shoulders and exclaimed, "Let's go see what the slacker made for dinner!"
That night, the three of them ate dinner together around the island. Amy was happiest that night when they acted like such a normal family.
So a couple nights later, while Amy was contemplating just how happy one person could be, she didn't realize she should be contemplating just how miserable one person could be. Just how terrible could one life get? At what point did one just give up?
A/N: So my lovely readers, this chapter now marks the beginning of the end. There's still quite a few chapters left, but we may or may not be departing from this happiness, fluff train. I will tell you this--it is all well worth it. We have ups and downs for all three of them left still, but that's all I will tell you. Please let me know what you think if you get a chance.
Until next time, lovelies! Ta!