"Now, come one, darling. I thought you'd be more excited to see your dear, old Dad." My father chuckles.
I stare at my father with wide eyes, my body frozen in terror while also trembling in apprehension. Our gazes meet, and for a moment, I hope to find some kind of hesitation, telling me that my father isn't actually going to hurt me. But I'm met with the same murderous gleam I'm sure all of his victims see. I continue to match gazes with my father until a blue-clad shoulder steps in front of me.
"And just what the hell are you doing here?" Kody questions through gritted teeth and a rigid figure.
I can't help but notice how she stands protectively over me and begins to reach into the hidden pocket of her dress. I glance at Kat as she steps slowly towards us, her posture insisting she's ready to fight at any given moment. This gives me enough courage to shake free of my frozen curse and bring myself to stand at attention.
"Answer me, Clown! How the hell are you here?!" Kody ask, earning a demonic smile and a gleam that insist she should already know his plans.
"Now, let's stay calm. I just came to talk." My father takes a step towards us, causing people to shrink further back and Kody to draw the gun hiding underneath her layers of midnight fabric. Shrieks fly as Joker pulls his own firearm, aiming for Kody's forehead.
"Kody, careful." I whisper towards her.
She brushes off the warning, keeping the gun firm in her hands and steady on her target. I notice how my father's men have taken a protective stance around him, each of them keeping their hands poised over their weapons. My heart flutters as I imagine the possible outcomes of tonight.
"Honestly, this is all overkill." My father laughs, his arm motioning to the terrified onlookers, and Kody with her weapon drawn. "All I want to do is see my beautiful baby girl. Catch up, maybe go for dinner."
I swallow hard, shaking my head rapidly despite the fact that my father can't see me.
"Not going to happen, you psychotic son of a bitch." Kody hisses.
"Oh, really? And just who are you to keep a father from his little girl?" Joker raises a mocking eyebrow.
Kody falls silent, not daring to talk anymore and indulge my father. He continues to gaze at her, his eyes repeating the question.
"Just as I thought. Alright, now, let's not make this harder than it needs to be." My father smiles, turning away from Kody, allowing her to relax slightly. "Hand over the girl, and then I'll be out of your hair. Pinky promise."
"Go to hell!" Kody spits.
Joker raises an eyebrow sarcastically. He turns to Kody with his sickeningly twisted grin more prominent than ever. "Darling, we're already here."
My body shakes harder at the words. I focus on breathing in and out, trying hard to control myself. I find it in myself to glance anxiously around, noticing how the hoard of my father's soldiers have scattered themselves around the room. I begin to silently pray that Jason or the boys will make an appearance.
"Lucy, sweetheart, don't keep Daddy waiting." My father sings.
I stand for a moment longer, every possible situation going through my head as I try to find a way for all of us to make it out of here in one piece. I find myself stepping out from behind Kody and making my way to the front of the stage. Kat makes an attempt to grab at me and keep me back towards safety, but I dodge her, giving her a knowing expression.
"Ah, there she is!" My father exclaims, adding a small skip to his step. "My angel! Look at you, aren't you just precious!"
I stand rigidly, glaring into my father's frame.
"Aww, smile, babe. Today is a good day. Why? Because you and I will finally be together. We'll be a family. Isn't that what you've always wanted? A family." My father says.
I let out a small inaudible gasp as I realize how far into my head my father has gotten despite not having seen me in two years. In that time, he's analyzed what he's assumed to be true, and has figured out the small ticks that make me. I clench my fist as I try to come up with the strength to answer back.
"The day I become part of your family will be the day I lose my mind." I retort.
My father's eyes go wide. "Exactly!" He shrieks, and my blood runs cold. He knows.
Marcus and Melody inch close to their mother as my father celebrates in the middle of the ballroom. I notice the people on the room move hesitantly back from him, but try to remain a safe distance away from the soldiers, guarding the perimeter.
"Now, come, darling." Joker commands.
"There's no way in hell she's going anywhere with you." Kody interjects, resuming her position and aiming her gun for my father's forehead.
"Fine then. If you won't come willingly, then you'll come by force." My father gives a stiff snap of his fingers, and I'm instantly bombarded by towering goons.
I let out a yelp and begin struggling as the men grasp my arms hard and drag me towards my father. Screams fly from various directions as the spectators watch in terror. Kody stands frozen, surprised by the commotion while Kat lunges for me but is restricted by another guard.
I continue to struggle, twisting and fighting, causing the men to tighten their grip. I let out another sharp, yelp as I'm thrown towards the ground in front of my father. I hiss as my knee smacks the floor, but the sound quickly dies as a cold, rough hand closes around my throat and lifts me into the air.
I choke out a straggled breath as my father clenches my throat. I kick furiously as my feet leave the ground. I try hard to fight against my father, only causing him to tighten his grip. My body quickly begins to lose power. I bring my hands up to claw his, while watching his menacing smile grow wider and wider.
"Put her down!" I hear Kody command from behind me. "Put her down, or I'll kill you!"
"Go ahead! If I die, she dies!" My father laughs, tightening his grip and making me expel a loud choke, signifying that he could instantly snap my neck.
My eyes flutter as my vision begins to go black due to the lack of oxygen. I still find myself silently praying that something will happen despite the fact that my thoughts are hazy and fleeting.
Just as I begin to pass out, a large crash sounds and screams fly from all around. My father loosens his grip startled, but I'm still unable to escape.
"Joker, put her down." A deep, familiar voice commands from behind me.
"And just what are you going to do?" My father laughs, his grip tightens, and I let out a painful cough.
"Look, I really don't want to do this. Because if I kill you, then I'll have Batman on my ass, and I already have enough to deal with." The voice continues.
My body begins to feel heavy as everything shuts down. The scene around me begins to fade, and my hearing cuts out. I can feel myself going limp, but before I have a chance to fully black out, the pressure dissolves and feel myself fall towards the ground.
I collide with the cold ballroom tile, instantly arching my body as I take in a large breath. I begin coughing violently, my chest aching. Despite still feeling weak and hazy, I'm able to register the large body falling hard beside me, a bright red arrow protruding from his neck. I suddenly become aware of the mass chaos around me. I feel the vibrations of various heavy objects, must likely bodies, hitting the ground.
I try hard to push myself up and back onto my feet, but my bones are still heavy. I muster the strength to drag myself off towards the side of the ballroom and out of the eye of the storm. As I trudge slowly to safety, I feel a pair of arms wrap themselves securely around me, picking me off the ground and tucking me securely into a broad chest. I fidget anxiously but settle once I realize who has picked me up.
"Arsenal!" The voice belonging to the figure shouts.
"Get her out of here!" The voice from earlier shouts, followed by the loud, painful exclamation of a man.
"Come on, Lucy. I'll get you home." The figure whispers as I tuck my head further into its chest, knowing that I'll have the imprint of a lightening bolt to deal with later.
I feel the world around speed by, accompanied by a hard, cool rush of wind, then everything is still. I let out a painful sigh as I notice the familiarity of the bat cave.
"Lucy!" My name is instantly called and a hoard of footsteps ensues.
I feel myself being transferred from one pair of arms to the next, and I look up to notice Jason pulling me into his chest.
"Are you ok?" He ask, glancing down at me.
I reach a hand up to cup his cheek, opening my mouth to answer and instead releasing a painful breath that brings tears to my eyes instantly.
"Her vocal chords are definitely damaged." Kody's voice says.
"Kody, baby." I hear Dick sigh. There's a moment of silence as they share an embrace.
"Joker had her in a strong grip. Her neck is bruising." She points out.
"She probably won't be able to talk for a few days." Another strong voice adds.
"Thank you, Conner." I hear Kat say quietly yet gratefully.
"Kat, are you ok?" Tim speaks seconds later.
Jason cast his eyes back on me, and we stare at each other for a moment before I try escaping his grasp.
"You want to get down?" Jason clarifies. I nod.
Jason waste no time setting me down on my feet, but as soon as I meet the ground, the events of tonight crash into my body, and I find myself hitting the ground hard. My vision instantly blurs, going dark. The last thing I notice is Jason's concerned face as he drops to his knees beside me.
—————Time Skip————
I wake the next morning, my whole body aching. I'm instantly reminded of last night, and my hand flies to my throat. I flinch at the pressure. I turn over in bed, expecting to find Jason beside me, but instead I'm met with emptiness. For a minute, I find myself wondering if he went after my father. I shudder at the thought that one of them could be dead somewhere.
Instead of dwelling on the idea, I crawl out of bed, stumbling slightly before finding my balance. I decide the best thing to do is take a shower and scrub last night from my body.
I walk carefully towards the bathroom. Upon entering, I flip the light switch, then turn on the shower. I shed my clothes before stepping into the steaming water and allowing it to wash away all my pain. My muscles relax under the stream, and I can feel my spirits lifting. Afterwards, I emerge from the shower, wrapping the fluffy towel around me. I walk towards the mirror, jumping back as I notice the severity of the bruises. Almost my entire neck is purple and blue. My father's fingertips are clearly defined. It's then that I notice the exhaustion and pain also evident in my eyes. I run my finger over the dark bags that accent the redness that defines my blue orbs. I mange to pull myself away from the reflection and instead focus on my hair.
After brushing my wet hair into a braid, I step out of the bathroom and into the closet. I grab a pair of comfortable clothes, slipping them on, then exit the closet. I step back in surprise as I notice the tall red head sitting quietly on my bed.
"Good morning." Roy smiles as I walk towards him.
I smile back, placing myself on his lap and leaning in to hug him. My arms wrap tightly around his shoulders while my head moves to rest in the crook of his neck. I close my eyes, hugging Roy tighter as a way to show my gratitude.
"How are you feeling?" He ask as we pull back.
I bring a hand up to my neck, signifying that it still hurts, and Roy nods.
"You should have seen Jay last night." He says while shaking his head. "It took almost all of us to calm him down, make sure he didn't do anything idiotic. He really loves you."
I smile and nod, but it's then that I notice the deep cuts and small bruises that are present on Roy's face. I bring my hand up to cup his cheek, my thumb running across one of the cuts.
"Your dad doesn't go down without a fight." He smirks. I cast my eyes down. "But it's ok. The good news is that your dad is back at Arkham, awaiting transfer to Belle Reve."
I cast my eyes back towards Roy. My heart flutters and my body eases at the news. While my father will not be fully gone, at least he'll be farther away. Maybe, Jason and I can get some peace.
The door opens behind me, causing both Roy and I to shift our attention. I jump from Roy's arms and run into Jason's as he makes his way through the door. Instantly, I'm tucked protectively into Jason, his arms wrapping securely around my small frame. He runs a calming hand down my back before pressing a kiss to my temple.
As I stand here in Jason's embrace, I feel myself filling with hope and comfort. Something inside of me is sure that no matter how many times we may be attacked like this, we're both going to be ok. I smile as Jason voices exactly what I'm thinking.
"You're going to be ok. We're going to be ok."
————————————
Wow!! Another update before the end of the month! Who is she?
Hello everyone! How are we? Are we shocked at the fact that I'm releasing a chapter so earlier because I am. And how do we feel about our recent Joker appearance? I, personally, found this chapter to be exciting. It was a thrill to write, and I hope it entertains you all as much as it entertained me. Now, for the boring updates. Small reminder that I am a high school student, and my schedule is very busy, so while this update was fast, I can't guarantee the rest will be. I thank you all again for your patience and support. Hopefully, the update won't take too long. Once again, I would like to thank you for everything. You all are the best!
Until next time