‹ Prequel: Falling Apart
Status: Completed! ❤️️
Broken Pieces
t h r e e
Over the next month or so, things went back to relative normal for Adelaide. She was back at her job, back in the mansion with J, and back to being much happier about her life. She hadn't really realized just how much she'd missed him and their life together until she'd gotten back to it.
There were still plenty of things she was working through, of course, but J was helping her in any way he knew how and for the most part, things were better than they ever had been. She couldn't believe she'd left him in the first place. She could barely remember why she had. She was so consumed by him and so absolutely in love with him that she had no idea why she ever would have thought that she'd need to leave him to make herself better. There was no better for her that didn't include him.
One thing that was different since she'd been gone was that J had seemingly gotten much more involved in the Gotham crime scene once again. He'd been pretty inactive as long as she'd known him, but it seemed that her leaving had sort of caused him to fall back into everything. She wasn't totally sure how she felt about it. On one hand, she obviously knew it wasn't a good thing, but at the same time it was also who the Joker was deep down. It's who he'd always been. She couldn't exactly ask him to reverse his whole nature for her. She knew he'd try if she asked, but she just couldn't bring herself to say anything about it.
It wasn't anything huge; just a few robberies here and there, and she knew that the waitresses at the clubs were being trained to pick-pocket the men they danced for. It was just basic "Joker" stuff, and there wasn't really anything she could do about it. Mostly, she just worked harder at her little good deed system that she'd developed before and pretended like she didn't see any of it happening. Maybe it made her an awful person, but none of it mattered to her enough to risk losing him.
One night after she'd been back in the mansion with J for almost two months, she woke in the middle of the night and was unable to go back to sleep no matter how hard she tried. She did everything she could, but she just couldn't seem to clear her head for some reason. Finally, giving up, she ventured down to J's study, where she was sure she was going to find him. He was there, most of the buttons of his shirt undone, leaving his chest gleaming in the dim light. He was studying something on the desk intently.
"J?" she whispered, causing his head to whip up.
"Oh. Hello, pet. I didn't hear you coming," he told her, folding the papers on the desk quickly.
"What's that?" she asked, sitting in a chair across from him and motioning to the paperwork that he clearly didn't want her to see.
"Nothing, love," he said casually, but she shook her head.
"What is it?" she insisted, and he sighed as he stared at her. She could tell that he was trying to decide whether or not to tell her. Finally, he seemed to lean towards 'yes'.
"It's a plan for a bomb."
"For where?"
"Your sister's facility," he said matter-of-factly, looking her in the eye.
"Why?" she asked him, and he shrugged.
"Because they don't do any good there. They only hurt people, Adelaide," he told her, and she could tell that he felt very strongly about it.
"I want in."
"What?"
"I want to help. You're not the only one that place hurt, J."
"Are you sure?"
"Completely. I have a few conditions, though."
"Oh yeah?"
"We need to get everyone out first."
"Deal."
"I get to come when it happens."
"Deal."
"When are we doing this?" she asked him, and he chuckled lightly.
"As soon as possible, preferably," he said, and she smiled at him from across the desk. She couldn't believe what she'd just agreed to, but at the same time it felt like the completely right thing to do. It would give them both closure and save so many other people from having to deal with the awful things they did there.
As she stared across the desk and into J's eyes she couldn't believe she'd gotten so lucky with him. There were so many things about them that shouldn't work, and sometimes she had no idea how they did. But she really had no idea what she'd do without him.
There were still plenty of things she was working through, of course, but J was helping her in any way he knew how and for the most part, things were better than they ever had been. She couldn't believe she'd left him in the first place. She could barely remember why she had. She was so consumed by him and so absolutely in love with him that she had no idea why she ever would have thought that she'd need to leave him to make herself better. There was no better for her that didn't include him.
One thing that was different since she'd been gone was that J had seemingly gotten much more involved in the Gotham crime scene once again. He'd been pretty inactive as long as she'd known him, but it seemed that her leaving had sort of caused him to fall back into everything. She wasn't totally sure how she felt about it. On one hand, she obviously knew it wasn't a good thing, but at the same time it was also who the Joker was deep down. It's who he'd always been. She couldn't exactly ask him to reverse his whole nature for her. She knew he'd try if she asked, but she just couldn't bring herself to say anything about it.
It wasn't anything huge; just a few robberies here and there, and she knew that the waitresses at the clubs were being trained to pick-pocket the men they danced for. It was just basic "Joker" stuff, and there wasn't really anything she could do about it. Mostly, she just worked harder at her little good deed system that she'd developed before and pretended like she didn't see any of it happening. Maybe it made her an awful person, but none of it mattered to her enough to risk losing him.
~~~~~
One night after she'd been back in the mansion with J for almost two months, she woke in the middle of the night and was unable to go back to sleep no matter how hard she tried. She did everything she could, but she just couldn't seem to clear her head for some reason. Finally, giving up, she ventured down to J's study, where she was sure she was going to find him. He was there, most of the buttons of his shirt undone, leaving his chest gleaming in the dim light. He was studying something on the desk intently.
"J?" she whispered, causing his head to whip up.
"Oh. Hello, pet. I didn't hear you coming," he told her, folding the papers on the desk quickly.
"What's that?" she asked, sitting in a chair across from him and motioning to the paperwork that he clearly didn't want her to see.
"Nothing, love," he said casually, but she shook her head.
"What is it?" she insisted, and he sighed as he stared at her. She could tell that he was trying to decide whether or not to tell her. Finally, he seemed to lean towards 'yes'.
"It's a plan for a bomb."
"For where?"
"Your sister's facility," he said matter-of-factly, looking her in the eye.
"Why?" she asked him, and he shrugged.
"Because they don't do any good there. They only hurt people, Adelaide," he told her, and she could tell that he felt very strongly about it.
"I want in."
"What?"
"I want to help. You're not the only one that place hurt, J."
"Are you sure?"
"Completely. I have a few conditions, though."
"Oh yeah?"
"We need to get everyone out first."
"Deal."
"I get to come when it happens."
"Deal."
"When are we doing this?" she asked him, and he chuckled lightly.
"As soon as possible, preferably," he said, and she smiled at him from across the desk. She couldn't believe what she'd just agreed to, but at the same time it felt like the completely right thing to do. It would give them both closure and save so many other people from having to deal with the awful things they did there.
As she stared across the desk and into J's eyes she couldn't believe she'd gotten so lucky with him. There were so many things about them that shouldn't work, and sometimes she had no idea how they did. But she really had no idea what she'd do without him.