Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/11971848. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character_Death, Underage Category: F/M, Multi Fandom: DC_Cinematic_Universe, Batman_(Movies_-_Nolan) Relationship: Joker_(DCU)/Original_Character(s), Joker/Original_Female_Character(s), Rachel_Dawes/Bruce_Wayne, Bruce_Wayne/Original_Character(s), Bruce_Wayne/ Original_Female_Character(s), Jim_Gordon/Barbara_Kean, Martha_Wayne/ Thomas_Wayne Character: Original_Characters, Original_Female_Character(s), The_Joker, Joker_ (DCU), Scarecrow, Batman, Jim_Gordon, Bruce_Wayne, Martha_Wayne, Thomas Wayne, Alfred_Pennyworth, Rachel_Dawes, Harvey_Dent, Barbara_Kean Additional Tags: Original_Character(s), Original_Character_Death(s), POV_Original Character, Minor_Original_Character(s), Major_Original_Character(s), Original_Character-centric, Original_Female_Character(s)_-_Freeform, POV Original_Female_Character, Past_Joker/Harleen_Quinzel, Scars, Abusive Parents, Crimes_&_Criminals, Crime_Scenes, Killing, Gotham_City_- Freeform, Gotham_City_Police_Department, Gotham_Academy, Bruce_Wayne_is Batman, Protectiveness, Young_Bruce_Wayne, Kid_Bruce_Wayne, Protective Bruce_Wayne Stats: Published: 2017-09-01 Chapters: 2/? Words: 1339 ****** War of Hearts ****** by jess_(jess_m) Summary Jenna was never the focus on any attention in her life. She was the quiet, boring girl who never spoke out once. That was until she met the Joker. He opened her up to a world beyond the abuse she endured from her stepfather. He showed her that she didn't have to take the pain and suffering and that she could be more. But what happens when the pair start to get a little too reckless? Will Jenna be able to make it out of Gotham alive, or will she be locked up in Arkham for the rest of her days? Notes I do not own any characters or plotlines originally found in the DCU. The Joker is Heath Ledger. Rip.   Come to me In the night hours I will wait for you And I can’t sleep 'Cause thoughts devour Thoughts of you consume ***** Prologue ***** I wasn’t supposed to fall for him. My life was supposed to be that of everyone around me: Finish school Get a job Get married Maybe have a kid or two Live life Of course, my dear reader, I understand what must be going through your head after reading this first sentence. Oh, this is another one of those cheesy romances. The girl falls for the guy and it all ends happily. A stereotypical love story. That would be where you are wrong my beloved reader. For this is not your everyday love story. In fact, this is not even a love story. This is a tale of crimes, rapes, abuse, murders, and a madman as well as the woman he corrupted. No, this is not a love story. This is a horror story. Now, I bet you have some questions and I shall try my best to answer all of them, but first, you must be wondering why you have received this journal. This confession of all my deepest worries and worst fears. Well, the answer to that is simple. You, my lucky reader, are one of the three people I still care enough to regard. So, read on at your own risk. ***** Welcome to Hell ***** Chapter Notes Yes, I know Gabe's name is stolen from the Percy Jackson series. It just worked. I don't own him either TW: Abusive stepparent and cat calling ahead Our story begins, as any horror story must, on a cold a dreary night. It was a Friday night and Gabe had just led one of his legendary five-hour long poker games. Which meant two things; he’ll be drunk as hell, and he’ll be horny as hell. His friends filed out of the tiny one bedroom apartment. He stumbled over the mess of garbage they left behind humming some tune that I couldn’t recognize. “KATHY!” He bellowed. “COME TO DADDY!!” My mother barrelled into my room and pulled ten dollars out of her bra. “This is all I have, go somewhere. Anywhere.” “It’s Friday night. Everywhere will be packed.” I told her desperately. “Find something!” She snapped. “KATHY!! DON’T MAKE ME WAIT!!” “Coming dear! Listen, Jenny, you know how he gets you have to leave.” “No! I’m tired of leaving you!” She smiled softly as tears rimmed her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. My own eyes reflected back at me in her. However, her strength and persistence were undeniably my favorite traits in her. She soldiered on through conditions that would make anyone fall to pieces. “My little bug,” she placed her hand lovingly on my cheek addressing me by the nickname she had so often called me as a child. “You must leave. I will not allow him to hurt you as well and I can’t stand to allow you to hear what he does to me.” All of a sudden, the sound of a thousand bulls rang in my ears from just outside my room. Gabe slammed the door and entered as though he were a one man army. His eyes gleamed red in the dark room as he slapped my mother and she fell to the ground. I stood up in an attempt to seem threatening. He just glared at me and wagged his finger. “Don’t even try, sweetheart. Mommy and I are gonna have a little alone time. Interrupt us and you’ll get more than a friendly slap.” He grabbed my mother by the hair and kicked opened the door, slamming it behind him. I took deep breaths as I clenched my fists. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to kill him. The things he did: nobody should be allowed to do that. He hurt my mother. He deserved a fate worse than death. I sighed as I stared at the ten dollar bill in my hand, now wrinkled. I grabbed my hoodie and put on my boots. I grabbed a five dollar bill I had saved and took off. To whoever is reading this, my name is Jenna Louis. I am currently seventeen years old. I live in Gotham City, New York with my mother and stepfather Gabe Bourgeois. I have shoulder length white hair (with dark roots that I can’t seem to get rid of) and brown eyes. Gabe has been abusing my mother since I was ten years old. Two years after the crash. Two years after the darkness. Two years after I saw my mother cry for the first time. Now, I’m lucky if there’s a single night she goes without crying. My life was once good, my future held nothing but hope. The world was a happy place filled with love. Little did I know all that hope was contained in my father. He brought light to the family. After the crash that all quickly faded away. My mother had nothing saved up and the life insurance did nothing but allow us to keep the house for a year longer. Eventually, the money ran out. Eventually, my mother became desperate. Eventually, my mother did the one thing I never thought I would see her do. She married an awful man for his money. He made sure we didn’t sleep in her car (which had soon after been reclaimed by the bank because she couldn’t pay bills). He made sure we ate each night. He made sure my mother didn’t have to work three jobs and could actually see me. But it came at a cost. Every day when I came home from school, he was playing poker with his friends. He ordered my mom around like she was his own personal slave he had won. He used her for sex. Friday nights and weekends were filled with him beating her into his own sick and twisted fantasies. My mom sent me away because not only were the sounds of his selfishness horrific, but she learned fairly quickly that I will always try to stop him and he doesn’t like being stopped too much. The first time was when I was eleven. I bolted in the room thinking my mother was in pain (which she was) and got a sight no eleven-year-old should bear witness to. He beat me so hard that night, bruises riddled my arms and stomach the next day at school. The second time, I was thirteen. I had been in my room, listening for a good half an hour before storming in on them with a baseball bat. Then, I was more developed. Then, he could see me as a woman. So, he did as any pig would do: he molested me. The third time, I was fifteen. That was the first and last time my mother yelled at me to get out. She wanted to save me from what he would do. After that night, she began to send me away when he got into one of his moods. She gave me all the money she could and made me wander the streets for the night. The streets ended up being safer than what was supposed to be my home. I made friends. People knew me, and people would take me in until it was safe to go home. However, Friday night was the worst night I could be sent out. Everyone was having parties and nobody would want to have to deal with me in the midst of having fun. So, I wandered the streets with my hood up aimlessly. “Hey gorgeous, want someone to show you a good time?!” A guy on the steps to apartments cat-called. “Fuck off,” I sighed, with a roll of my eyes. I recognized him, I didn’t know his name but he was definitely one of the regulars to be sitting outside trying to pick up women. “I’m tryin’ to but I need you under me.” I chuckled. “Ya know there’s a reason why no woman wants to sleep with you.” His friends guffawed waiting for me to insult him. “No woman can handle my gigantic-” “You’ve got tiny hands. Every woman knows tiny hands equals a tiny…,” I trailed off and looked at his crotch as all of his friends barked out laughs and high fived each other. I smirked and carried on walking. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!