Legend

It felt like my shoulder was on fire, and not a nice little candle, either. An inferno. So I was down an appendage and the fight hadn't even started. The good news was that the tracker had been activated. The cavalry would be on the way to rescue my sorry ass again. The Joker stopped and dropped my feet when we got to the chair. He tsked and bent over to wipe the tears from my face. "What hurts, pretty?" he cooed.

"M-my shoulder," I said. The pain in my voice was real but the weakness was not.

"Shouldn't have tried to escape," he said reprovingly.

He hauled me up more gently and dumped me in the chair, stepping back and studying me. He prodded my shoulder and I screamed. He nodded, stepping back again. I slumped against the back of the chair, limp all over, and, I hoped, defeated-looking. I could use a minute to recover.

He prowled around me, and I felt his fingers delicately stroking my hair, my uninjured shoulder. The top of my breast. Down my arm to my hand. He wrenched off my brass rat and tossed it away. I drew breath to protest, and he slapped me. "That belongs to your past, pretty," he hissed. "You're going to be remade, a brand-new toy for the Joker." He straddled my lap and I couldn't wipe the grimace off my face at having to be this close to him again. He still emitted that weird odor. I'd probably never forget it. "Never forget that I can do what I want with you," he said in my ear, then started to play with my hair, touching my face, gripping my neck, groping me as he worked his way down my torso. Then he sat there, straddling my lap, contemplating me. "You see, pretty, a man likes to have companionship, and Harley's in the pokey. Besides, you can see the wear and tear on her some, and I'm of the opinion it's time to look for the future. I've been busy picking up the reins of my empire again, but I've become aware of the need for an heir." I couldn't stop the full-body wave of disgust I felt. He poked my shoulder again and I whimpered and tried not to cry. "You're seeing the little Wayne, living with him, probably wondering if he'll make an honest woman out of you, fucking him every chance you get, knowing that if you get knocked up you'll be set for life. So what's the difference, really? I'm not as rich as the Waynes--yet--and to you, I'm sure one cock is the same as another. I come in you instead, you don't put up an excessive fight--you know I like it when you play hard to get, though, pop out a few mini-mes, and maybe I'll keep you around even when you start to sag." He nodded, and I tried not to throw up again. Then he stood up and gave me the hardest backhand I'd ever felt. I couldn't control the tears and wails as my shoulder smacked against the chair back. He let me sob, then snapped his fingers to get my attention.

"I own you," he said malevolently. "Do you understand?" I nodded once, looking away, and slumped, using my free hand to wipe tears and snot off my face.

"Please, will you loosen the zip tie on my ankles?" I asked submissively. That maniacal grin spread across his face and he grabbed my face, making me look him in the eye. I made sure to look defeated.

"Do you promise not to try to escape?" I nodded. "Say it," he commanded.

"I promise not to try to escape," I whimpered. It was true, I wasn't going to try to escape him again.

He was satisfied and crouched in front of me with the knife, still bloody. I cringed, and he showed it to me before quickly cutting the plastic tie. I almost swooned at the feeling of blood circulation, then the pain from it hit and I almost fell off the chair from it. He clapped a hand on my good shoulder to keep me in it. When I started to recover, he wrenched my knees apart and stood between them. "Not that I don't trust you right now, but I don't trust what you'll do when when you feel a little better. The fight in you is delicious, pretty, but this time, I'm going to insist on having my way. And while I"m not going to fuck you right away, I do need to soften you up, make you more receptive to me. You're too stubborn, too unaccustomed to a man's authority. That Wayne kid has no idea how to handle you. So we'll have our first session, then, depending on how that goes, maybe I'll have you suck my dick. But if you even think about using your teeth, you won't have them long enough to have a second thought." Then he hauled off and drove his fist in my stomach, followed by another hard slap. His grin grew and the front of his pants twitched. Just when I thought I couldn't be any more revolted...He stepped away from me, then as his fist started to swing, I tucked my useless hand into my waistband and kicked to take care of that unpleasant stirring erection, then kicked again when he buckled. A wheezing gasp escaped him. I stood up. He looked at me in agony, his hands locked over his groin. I smiled.

"It's my turn now, Joker. And this time I want you conscious for every little bit of it."

***

When my backup arrived, the Joker was a heap on the floor and I was searching for my ring. The door burst open and Damian elbowed past his father, running in and right to me, just as I found my ring. "Sweet pea," he said, sounding like he was going to cry. My eye was swelling shut and my face was swollen from the slaps.

"It's my shoulder," I cautioned as he came in for a hug. His face darkened dangerously and he whipped around, cat fast, to glare at the Joker. His dad was bent over, looking at him. He shook his head.

"He's down for the count, Alex. The police are on their way. Stand down, Damian." There was a moment of silence where the only sound was the bubbly sound of Joker's breathing. I could hear the sirens and carefully stepped close to Damian, hugging him lightly with my good arm and resting my head on his shoulder. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, I was really starting to ache. He gently put his arm around me and stroked my hair.

Iron Man burst in just ahead of the cops, and he looked around grimly. "You ok, Alex?" he asked.

"Not really," I said, trying to smile, shuddering instead. "I'm going to need the hospital this time."

He clanked over to the Joker and looked down. "There's not even anything left for me to do," he said, sounding disappointed. Bruce nodded, and they had a low conversation which I didn't bother to try to track. I was really feeling bad now and started to shake. The sounds of sirens were killed, there were many car doors opening and closing, the excited sounds of police as they came into the warehouse and took it all in--the dead henchman, the Waynes, Iron Man, the wreck of the Joker, and me. Detective McIver took control and came over.

"Give me a quick run down on what happened here and you'll be in the ambulance as soon as possible," he promised, and I told him about the incident on the bridge (minus mention of Alfred's little additions), how I hurt my shoulder, the henchman, the Joker hitting me, me beating the hell out of the Joker. "You're kind of scary, Barnes," was all he said as he motioned the paramedics forward. Damian helped me ease onto the gurney and I was briskly wheeled out. I kept it together until I was alone in the ambulance with the medics. I told them where it hurt, then spent the drive to the hospital crying, trying not to scare the medics. I was whisked into the ER of some hospital, watching the strips of lighting whip by as I was wheeled down a hall. I manged to tell the doctor that there was something wrong with my shoulder, I'd been run off the road, and that I'd been beaten a bit before I passed out.

When I woke up, it was nice and quiet and I felt floaty, but a strong undercurrent of pain was waiting to suck me in. A nice older woman leaned into my vision. "Alex? I'm Dr Hamilton. You're in a recovery room in the hospital after having surgery for a fairly serious injury." She told me that I had a badly bruised midsection from both my seatbelt and the blows the Joker had landed but that there wasn't any damage that needed medical attention. I'd landed badly on my shoulder, breaking the bone on the concrete. There were screws involved, other stuff, but I didn't pay much attention, and she let me go back to sleep again.

When I woke up again, I was in a different room, still the solo patient, curtains closed, monitors beeping softly. The drugs were much better in this room, and I felt somewhat optimistic. My good hand was very warm. I looked down to see that Damian had fallen asleep in the chair pulled up to the bed but was still clutching my hand. Aw. I ran my thumb over his fingers and watched him twitch. I did it again and his free hand brushed his nose. "Honey," I said softly, or tried to. I had to clear my throat, which is what woke him up.

"Sweet pea," he said tenderly, raising my hand to his lips and kissing it. "How are you feeling?"

"No pain. Medication is an excellent medical achievement." He sighed and scooted closer.

"So you broke your shoulder, they had to screw it back together. You'll be out of commission for a bit, Petal." I chortled. "Lots of bruising, but they treated it with a tissue accelerator, and they also treated the ligature marks on your wrists and ankles so they don't scar." He paused and muttered in Arabic.

"Will you teach me those cuss words someday?" I fluttered my eyelashes at him. "I'd love to know what you're saying." He stared at me a moment and laughed.

"I'm sorry I messed up our trip," I said humbly. "But I'm going to be ok, you can probably catch the flight. What time is it, anyway?"

He signed and checked his watch. "Two fifteen in the morning. And if you think for a second I'm leaving you when you're in the hospital, you're on too many drugs, Alixzandrya god damned Barnes." He was kind of roaring at the end of that.

"Geeze. You don't have to yell, honey. That London deal is important, you said."

He sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. I took the moment to enjoy how adorable he is. He tried again. "Sweet pea. You are the love of my life, and I am not traipsing out of the country when you've just come out of surgery after being brutalized by that fucker again." His voice was perfectly calm, but there was an edge about him that usually meant mayhem. I patted his hand.

"You're the light of my life, darling, and I really appreciate that you're here. I'm not questioning your devotion, I'm just saying I'll be ok. So if you needed to go you could. We can Skype."

"Alixzandrya. Dad went to London, left after you came out of surgery and they said you were going to be fine. The rest of it can wait until you're able to enjoy it with me. We will not be Skyping because I am going to be by your side." My eyes welled up but I didn't have a free hand to wipe. Damian did, though.

The moment was broken by the arrival of a nurse. Damian got up and stood away while the nurse checked everything. After she left, there were many things I wanted to ask Damian, but I couldn't help falling asleep instead.