It had come as a great surprise when Diamante hadn't put a bullet straight into his head the moment he came within view of the warehouse Law was instructed to meet at. A large part of him knew that Joker himself probably wanted to finish the job, tie up all the loose ends with his own two hands, but he supposed nothing was really stopping him from letting one of his trusted subordinates do it either. There was always the chance that he'd realized Law was of no further use for him and decided just to kill him off with a single dismissive word and not having to worry about it.
But he hadn't. In fact, he'd been given a rather tame pat-down in comparison to what he could have received. Sure, the shove against the wall hadn't been all that necessary. Law was more likely to walk in there and do every single thing Joker commanded rather than fight any of his people. He couldn't risk Summer's safety any more than he already was.
He wasn't stupid, though. After everything that he'd done to disrupt and destroy Joker's business, he had no doubt that he no longer wanted him back in the network. He probably just wanted him dead. A slow, painful, death. His only hope here was to somehow convince him that Summer should be allowed to live. It was feeble and on shaky ground at best. But he had to at least try.
Diamante had given him a stale glare, before shoving him inside the building. Despite not having set foot inside in years, he still could recall how it had looked back then. The room where Lao G had taught them to defend themselves on the streets. Where Jora had set up her makeshift medical room for the injured, and how only those given permission from one of the veteran subordinates could enter for aid. He could still see the fear, the twisted enjoyment, and the hopelessness in the eyes of the other runners from years previously, his gaze wandering along the barren walls and floors of the building. So much had changed since then.
And so much hadn't, he thought with defeat, stepping into the open-spaced, central room in the warehouse. His heart dropped at the sight of that malicious smile. His kneeling girlfriend, hair held in a tight, unforgiving fist to keep her head painfully upright. The track marks of tears on her cheeks.
The pistol held limply at his side. Non-threatening at the moment, but deadly should he choose to use it.
Summer broke into another low sob when he rounded the corner, seeing him finally but not in the circumstances they'd both hoped their reunion to be.
"So nice of you to join us, Law." Joker lilted in pure amusement, beckoning him closer with a tilt of his head. "Why not slink out of those shadows you've been striking at me from and finally face me. Like a man."
Law held Summer's stare, before pacing forward several steps. She looked relatively unharmed, though bruised and definitely not in an overly great condition. She looked thin and frazzled and scared beyond belief. He wanted to check her over for himself but there was no way he'd be able to with Joker standing there holding her.
The metallic barrel of the gun being pressed against the side of Summer's head made her startle in place and whimper several incomprehensible words. It stopped Law in his tracks, snapping his eyes back up to his former 'employer.'
"That's far enough." He said, perhaps seeing something in Law's gaze that he didn't altogether like. "I wouldn't try anything, you know. One little surprise and my finger just might slip."
Summer's terrified eyes widened a bit, feeling so much more at risk now that he was actually here. "L-Law-"
"Shut up." Joker snapped, fisting a mercilessly tighter hold on her hair. "Another word and I'll make him watch as you bleed out on the concrete."
Law's eyes narrowed, watching as she sucked in whatever cry she had been about to let out, her lips quivering to try keeping her terror in check, her whole body shaking. It wasn't working, but she was trying her damndest. He couldn't be more proud, given their situation.
"It's me you want. Let her go." He finally said, meeting the man's cruel eyes once again. The bartender held his hands out to either side, displaying his submission. "She doesn't have anything to do with this."
"Heh, sure she does, Law." Joker chuckled, a wicked grin in place. "She's got everything to do with this. That pretty face," he stroked the side of her pale face with the barrel of the gun, making the blonde close her eyes in fear, "is the reason you'll come crawling back to me, begging to work for me for the rest of your life, obey every command I ever give you, if it means I don't hurt her. Isn't that right?"
There wasn't anything he could say in reply, because they both knew the answer was yes. No matter how much he hated the thought of going back to what he'd done before, no matter how much he would hate himself for doing the exact thing he'd been running from for years, seeing Summer like this…
He'd do absolutely anything to make sure she didn't have to suffer through this anymore. Anything.
Joker laughed low under his breath, sporting a smug look. "See? I mean, honestly…Try and try as I did to make you infallible, you had to go and have the most cliche of weaknesses. A blonde bitch? Tch, please…"
Law growled, finding enough defiance in him to rebuke what he'd said with a glare.
"You really have disappointed me so much, Law. You had such great potential. Much more than most of the brats that came to me."
And that was the crux of the matter. Why had his life ended up this way? That was something he had never been able to figure out.
"I still don't get it." Law said, shaking his head in genuine confusion. "Why me? Out of all of the people you could have manipulated and used-"
"Why you?" Joker cocked his head and shook it back and forth slowly. "What, do you think you were chosen for some…special reason? You really think you're something meaningful to me? That you're more important than the family members you've murdered over the past few months? That somehow everything I've put up with from you has to mean that you hold some…sentimental value to me?"
Law squinted, not following what he was saying. He'd always wondered, but he wasn't making sense.
Joker seemed to sense his further confusion, because he just smiled wickedly. "You weren't any different from any of the other starving brats with nowhere else to go. You were one face in hundreds, practically a number without a name.
"But the one thing that made me look at you a little closer was your potential. You started to embrace the life of drugs and murder and every-man-for-himself, started to enjoy yourself. So I had the others put more responsibility onto you. Gave you extra training and attention. Bolstered your confidence and taught you how to lead. I fostered an investment to give me an edge over my competitors. Nothing more."
Summer shifted around on her knees, but Joker jerked her hair in his fists, causing her to give a yelp. Law flinched, wanting to rush at the man and protect her, but he resisted.
"And you know what you did? You up and ran. You turned your back and never thought twice about betraying me. My kindness, my mercy…it meant nothing to you, despite it all."
"Nothing you did to me was a kindness." He spat.
"Is that so?" Slowly the amused grin began to fade, replaced instead by a chillingly serious, tight-lipped frown of displeasure. "It was a mercy I ever told those thugs to bring you to me instead of killing you. I picked Baby 5 over you to be made an example of because she was quickly becoming worthless to me. You still held some value, even though I could see your loyalty wavering even then. She was supposed to have made you see reason. I was merciful when I even offered to give you a choice to come back, rather than kill this bitch and have Vergo collect you himself. In fact, just look at where my mercy has left me."
Law swallowed, seeing the cold fury in his eyes.
"A crumbling syndicate and no easy way of fixing it, a broken family, and the possibility of a large-scale betrayal in all aspects of my business…all because I decided to pay you a little more attention and expected you to pay me in kind for all that I'd done for you."
"I think I've done exactly that." Law practically growled low. "One more life, your life, and I'd say we'll be on even ground."
"So the only reason I've hunted you down so intently, Law," he started with a seething breath, "is because I can't have anyone who works for me thinking they can follow in your footsteps and take advantage of my mercy so easily. I'll make sure that this time, no one forgets…that I'm not someone you fuck with.
"So even if you beg and plead for me to let her go, to take you instead, just realize that neither of you are leaving this warehouse alive." Below him, Summer whimpered again, still trying to reign in her fear as much as possible.
Then, just as suddenly as it had disappeared, his smirk returned. It was small, but just as sadistic as before. "Besides, I hate leaving jobs incomplete. At least this way, I can tie up the last loose end I neglected to all those years ago."
Law frowned, not connecting the dots. Loose end…? Years ago…? Something stirred in him. Something he'd been asking himself since that day. What did he mean by-?
"Come on, you're smart. Think about it." He urged, almost eagerly. "I'm surprised you hadn't pieced it together beforehand. Funny how the most obvious answers lie right under our noses…"
Law was quiet for a long time, trying to figure out what Joker wanted him to say. He didn't like being in the dark. What did Joker know that he didn't? Apparently he was taking too long with supplying an answer.
"Let's ask your girl, shall we? Maybe she can come up with an answer." Joker lowered himself to a crouch behind her, his breath fanning against the side of her face as he spoke, causing her to shiver.
"Now, care to take a guess, girl?" He pressed the gun harder against her head, making sure she was paying attention. "What did I not quite finish all the way through years and years ago? I'll give you a little hint, since I'm sure you're still a little in the dark about all this…What do you think I did to take away everything Law held dear, hmm?"
Law felt a sinking feeling in his gut, and his hands clenched into fists. He couldn't have…It wasn't possible…was it? He…After all this time…
"Well?" Joker pressed, becoming impatient.
"You-" Summer sobbed through her fear and shaking. "You killed…his family…" Was her guess, fresh tears glazing her eyes and spilling over her eyelashes.
And the smile Joker split was absolutely maddening as he stood tall again. "I'll give her some credit, brat. She's not stupid."
The wound that had slowly healed with time was suddenly ripped apart to create a fresh sore. The pain from years ago broke loose, and wracked his body. He wasn't sure quite what his body language was outwardly saying at the moment but he couldn't have cared less in that moment. And the absolute worst thing? The enjoyment, the pure delight in his eyes at seeing Law's shock…it was…too much.
"You bastard…" He whispered, venom dripping in each word. "I'll kill you." The pure contempt he held for this man had doubled, if not tripled, in a matter of seconds. He had singlehandedly ruined his entire life. Everything that had gone wrong, a good 15 years of his life was tainted, destroyed, because of this one man in front of him. Without much thought he took a step forward, intent on killing him with his own two hands.
Without hesitation, Joker cocked back the hammer of the gun at Summer's head, causing her to cry out in terror. The sound made Law stop in his tracks, his blind rage subsiding enough to remember that one of the last things he held dear was still living and breathing, but not if he gave into his hatred.
"There's that defiance you've always had." Joker said, the serious expression returning to his face. "I've done so many things that should have made you unquestioningly obedient to me, but still you look at me with that disgusting spark of rebellion."
With no warning, Joker turned the gun towards the bartender and fired the gun. Summer screamed, jerking out of reflex and causing pain as her hair was yanked in the process. Law stumbled back, his shoulder flaring with pain as he dropped to the ground. Blood started pouring from the wound down his sleeve, dripping onto the floor steadily. He grit his teeth, his eyes shut, as he tried compartmentalizing the pain.
Noise to their left, the way Law had come in, made them all turn their heads. Well, all except for Summer, who could only swivel her eyes to see what was going on. She was still sobbing, unable to stop now that Law had been shot. It was too much for her to handle. Part of her just wanted to pass out, but the other wondered if she'd ever wake up if she did.
Fast footsteps against the smooth concrete echoed through the empty building, growing closer and closer. Joker smiled and chuckled.
"Ah. Our second guest has arrived."
Law frowned, not expecting him to have anyone else here. His shoulder pulsed and burned with the wound, the warm of his blood a stark contrast to how cold his arm felt right now. The moment he saw the clumsy, blonde-haired man appear from the doorway, he felt even more defeated than before. Had he not known better, the bartender would have thought he was simply living out an extremely vivid nightmare of his own creation, where one thing after another continued to go wrong in the worst way possible.
"Law?" Corazon asked in surprise, apparently not having been expecting to see him here. Or perhaps his injured state was the surprise. Instead of waiting for a reply, which Law wasn't sure if he could honestly provide at the moment, the bar owner turned to his brother and then glanced down at Summer. His eyes widened, and he walked closer, slowly, so as not to set the man off for any reason.
"Hello, dear brother. You're right on time." Joker said nonchalantly, his aim against Summer's head never wavering.
"Doffy…" Corazon started, swallowing past his uncertainty and facing his kin. "You've gone too far."
"I'm only protecting what's mine. I've spent too long and too hard getting to where I am now." He said evenly, unperturbed that his brother was now here. "I'm not going to let this brat ruin everything I've accomplished."
Corazon shook his head slowly. He hadn't realized just how far his brother had fallen. Just how insane and mad his reasoning was for the things he did. A part of him—a small part, granted—still loved him. He could remember the way they'd been as children. But something had changed along the way. Perhaps something Corazon had failed to do. Perhaps this was all of his fault.
"I can't just sit back and let you keep doing this anymore." He said, taking another step, and then another, until he was standing in front of Law protectively. "I've spent too long pretending you weren't who you were. As if never associating with you again would somehow take away the fact that you were my responsibility."
"Responsibility? Last I checked, you were never my keeper." Joker quipped dismissively.
Corazon winced, itching for a cigarette about now. "You're my brother. Doesn't matter if you're the older one, we're supposed to look out for each other, make sure we're not making the worst decisions of our lives. Right?"
Joker chuckled, as if not believing what he was actually hearing.
Corazon sighed. "When it all comes down to it, none of this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't left you. After dad-"
"We're not here to talk about him." Doffy said with contempt.
The bar owner realized his mistake and nodded. "I've done a shit job of being your brother up to this point, but let me try to make up for not being there when you needed me. Just please…put the gun down." He gestured to Summer. "Let them go. They've got nothing to do with this."
"Cora-san-" Law grated behind him, pressing his hand against the wound to try to staunch some of the blood flow.
"This is on me, Law. Don't interfere." The bar owner said without turning around.
Law was about to say something to deny that fact, but Joker laughed darkly, gaining both of their attentions and holding them.
"So, I can have my dear little brother by my side to support me again? That's what you're offering? Yourself in exchange for their lives?"
Doffy's tone left Corazon concerned, but he just nodded, trying to remain outwardly confident. Perhaps if he was given the object of his anger, his brother who abandoned him years ago, maybe he'd toss the others aside so they could escape.
Law scowled. "Don't-"
"Shh."
The crime lord's head tilted, considering the man standing in front of him. His laugh slowly died away, but the smile never faded. In a flash, the gun was no longer pointed at Summer's head, and instead faced Corazon.
"I stopped caring about you a long time ago, Rosinante."
Everything seemed in slow motion in that moment, as the first few bullets were fired at the blonde man. Law's eyes widened, watching as Corazon fell to his knees, clutching at his chest as three spots of red began pooling on his shirt. Even the sound of the shots seemed far away, muffled and unfocused.
The scream that Summer lets out is barely audible to his ears, and he gripped onto Corazon's arm, trying to keep him steady. But the man's dead weight was too much for him to handle and he collapses to the ground, blood slowly growing in a pool beneath him.
This must be hell, Law thought to himself, numb to everything currently happening to him. Shachi. Penguin. Summer. And now Cora-san. The only things he held dear in the world. They were being ripped from him too, one after another.
So when he felt himself grabbed by his injured arm and dragged away from his boss and practical father, he didn't care. He could barely even find it within himself to fight back as his ribs were kicked in several times.
Summer wasn't sure how much of what was happening could possibly be real. The gunshots directly next to her ear had shot out her right eardrum, and it rang with a painful ache. Somewhere, someone was screaming, but she couldn't quite tell who. Corazon fell to the ground in a splatter of red, and Law's eyes were the size of dinner plates, watching with shocked disorientation as his friend was shot multiple times.
In all the panic, Joker flung her to the side roughly, not caring that she hit the floor with a sob. She was barely able to bring her hands up in time to stop herself from falling flat on her face. They'd uncuffed her before Law had arrived, no doubt knowing she wouldn't put up any sort of fight even if unrestrained.
Dizzy and unsure of what was happening, ears ringing painfully, she looked over and watched as the gang leader ripped Law away from Corazon and tossed him onto the floor further away, kicking at him brutally and murmuring something she couldn't quite decipher. Law looked too dazed to even defend himself. There wasn't anything Summer could do for him, so she decided the one thing she could do.
Despite her bruises and the pain it caused, she dragged herself over to Corazon's body, eyes blurry with tears. His eyes were closed, but she could see he was still shallowly breathing.
"Cora…zon…" She sobbed, hand reaching out to hover over the three gunshot wounds littered about his chest. Shaking and terribly afraid of what she'd see, part of her wondered if the bullets had exited out of his body.
How ridiculous. They were going to die here, all of them, and she was worried about something like that? Maybe it was knowing that she had nothing else to lose, and part of her knew that bullets needed to be removed before they could be treated. This was at least something she could control before her life was ripped away from here. Funny, part of her still hoped they'd make it long enough to see a hospital again.
Hoping it wouldn't cause him too much pain, she dragged her shaking fingers down his side and under his back, trying to find any exits wounds that might be there. It was warm and sticky and sickening to think about, but necessary, she kept telling herself. Through the fog of her one task she could accomplish, she could hear Law crying out in pain, grunting with each assault on his person. She was so sad. Sad that she couldn't do anything to help him. That in the end she'd been all but worthless to him. How much of a coward could she be, unable to even look at him as he was beaten to death? What kind of girlfriend was she?
When in reality, she was just too afraid of having to watch him die.
Her fingers grazed something solid at Corazon's waist, hidden under the jacket he was wearing. She brushed over it again, and her fingers closed over the hilt of a pistol. Her eyes widened, and a sudden clarity came over her mind.
She'd never shot a gun before. She'd never had to. It wasn't something she'd ever wanted to do. Wanted to have to do.
She whipped around, seeing that Joker had his back to her, focusing entirely on making sure Law felt as much pain as he could before killing him outright. Summer looked back down at Corazon's hidden gun as she withdrew it from his waistband, gazing at it with fear and a strange sort of calm she'd never experienced before. As if her veins grew cold and the blood slowed. Maybe this is what they meant when they said adrenaline often saved lives in crisis situations.
Summer turned, holding the gun up towards the man attacking the man she loved, her hand shook noticeably.
Just…stay steady. Just this once. Don't be afraid. Please.
Her desperate pleas to her own body slowly began to take affect, and after several slow breaths, Summer's hands lessened their shaking…
Pain. Kick after nasty kick and all he knew was unending pain. Law couldn't quite tell where the emotional pain ended and the physical began, but it all mixed together into the worst feeling he'd ever had the displeasure to experience. Somewhere along the line, Law's own sense of self-preservation kicked in, and he reflexively started trying to ward away the attacks.
"Should I slaughter you just like your pathetic family?" Joker growled above him, his face blurry and spinning as Law's mind couldn't keep up with everything he was experiencing. "Or should I take my time and skin the both of you alive?"
The kicks suddenly stopped, and Law's shirt was gripped with a fierce strength, dragging him up to his feet. Only to be tossed back to the ground, his head striking against the concrete. Law ground out a strangled cry, feeling more and more disoriented and confused as to what was going on. He was being attacked. That much was obvious. But the signals going through his brain were firing off in all directions, unsure of how to respond to the assault. Where? When? How? He couldn't focus enough to be able to tell.
"Answer me, brat!"
"AHHH!" Law cried out as a sharp knife was plunged into his stomach. The pain was searing, and intensified as the blade was yanked from his body.
"If I'm cruel enough to kill my own blood brother, what do you think I'm capable of doing to a nobody like you?" The blade slashed it's way across his body, creating a long, straight cut. His shirt was ripped in two and red blood began to seep.
"B-bastard…" Law ground out, trying to inch his way backwards to escape the man. It was futile, even he knew it, but any resistance he could manage was enough for him.
Joker smiled again, standing straight and stepping harshly on Law's ankle, stopping him from moving any further. His boots pressed the bone painfully against the concrete, and with just a little more weight pressed on it, they both knew it would shatter.
He put the knife away and retrieved his gun from his waistband where he'd tucked it, cocking back the hammer and pointing it towards the man lying on the ground. Law stared up into the barrel, no doubt the last thing he would see before nothing at all.
"You know, there was a time when I considered bringing you into the circle. Making you my family. You would have had a branch of the network all your own to lead, you could have made millions without so much as breaking a sweat." He mused to himself, cocking his head to the side. "But…well, we all know you wouldn't have accepted that, right?"
Law, a strange calm washing over him, shook his head, expression evening out into acceptance. He'd fought for so long, it felt almost relieving to finally know it was about to be over. He wouldn't have to worry anymore. And hey, if there did turn out to be a heaven somewhere, maybe he'd see Summer again after all.
"I've never worked for you. I only did…ngnn…" A sharp pain went through his chest, making him grit his teeth, "…I was only loyal to myself. And the…family I lost. You never could have replaced them."
Joker's eyes flashed with some sort of…understanding? He wasn't sure how to accurately read that expression, but Joker lifted the gun a litter higher, aiming at his head instead of his chest.
"You and I…we're more alike than you-"
BANG.
Law's eyes snapped shut and he startled painfully, waiting for the final millisecond of pain to come, but it never did. Flecks of blood splattered his face, warm and cooling against his skin in an instant. He opened his eyes just in time to see Joker collapse to the ground, a sizable, bloodied hole where his eyes used to be.
Law's chest pounded with each hard beat of his heart. His gaze swung over to Summer, who slowly lowered the gun in her hands. She…she had…
Joker lay unmoving, blood pooling on the concrete rapidly. The air was still, eerie. Law was too struck by the sight of the man he hated, finally dead, to move at first, but then the blonde's eyes widened, and she let the gun slip from her fingers where it clattered to the floor. "I…" She sobbed, staring at the man she'd just shot with horror as her body began to shake again. "I just…"
Dazed and almost numb, Law found strength to drag himself over to her, for the first time in months cradling her face in his hands. She was cold and pale, but alive. She was alive. "Summer-"
"I just…killed him…" She choked out, her breaths beginning to come out faster and shallower. "Oh my god…I killed someone…"
"No." He said with force, placing himself in between her and the view of Joker's body. She was panicking, going into shock. Her actions had been borne of self-preservation but now that her mind had caught up with the adrenaline, she was horrified by what had resulted. "You saved me. That's what you did."
She was wracked with a terrible cry, and let all of her pent up emotions out at once. His shirt was quickly stained with her tears, but he didn't care. It was just surreal to be sitting here, with her in his arms. He couldn't have asked for more.
After several moments, she seemed to collect herself enough to look at him again. "I…you're bleeding." She said sadly, gently running her hand over his ruined shirt.
"It's alright." He cooed, lowering his forehead to hers. There was such a mix of emotions going through him in that moment, he didn't know quite what to say or do. He found that his own body was shaking, matching her rhythm. Perhaps from blood loss.
He glanced over at Corazon, who hadn't moved an inch this entire time. He didn't know if he was alive or dead, but there wasn't much Law could do to help at this point either way. It hurt too much to look at, so he focused back on her, swallowing back the sorrow that threatening to make itself audible. "Everything will be fine."
A commotion somewhere nearby garnered their attention. Summer's head snapped to the left, and she sobbed again. Still moving on adrenaline alone, Law gathered her closer to his chest and grabbed the gun that she had dropped, holding it ready for whoever came around that corner.
They grew closer, loud voices echoing in the warehouse. He couldn't tell what they were saying, too distorted and too many to distinguish.
A large group of men swept in from the entrance, and Law held Summer tighter against him, holding up the gun at the ready. There were too many for him to take on, considering there was only one or two more shots in the gun—honestly, he couldn't quite remember at the moment exactly how many were left. It was more for show than anything, but they passed them by without much thought, disappearing in separate directions and ignoring the three survivors on the floor.
"What's…going on?" Summer whispered, watching as the men disappeared.
"I don't know." Law answered honestly, deciding to put the weapon on the ground. Apparently they weren't in any danger. If these people weren't here to kill them, better not to provoke them into changing their minds.
Another person rounded the corner, this one standing out from the rest. Summer had never seen someone quite so large. He was a good six and a half feet tall, at least, and build like a lumberjack. He sported a large white mustache, and dressed in a neat suit.
Law's eyes widened, recognizing the man after a moment. "Newgate?" After all these years, the former king of the streets was the last person Law expected to see in front of him today. "Everyone said you were dead."
"For awhile, I thought I was." He gruffed without a smile, stopping a few feet away from the small group. He looked them over, eyeing Joker's body with distaste. "And so the imposter has fallen." He muttered to himself.
Then, he turned to Kidd who stood somewhat behind him. Law was no longer really surprised by anything going on anymore. He'd experience too much shock in the past half hour to feel much of anything right now. "Get them some medical attention, brat."
Law locked eyes with the redhead, who scowled in his direction before leaving to do as he was told.
"When you're in hiding long enough, you begin to realize just how many people will forget you. It's hard to think you're actually alive when no one knows who you are anymore." He continued, in response to Law's question.
So. This is who he had to thank for getting him out of Vergo's hands. The bartender didn't know if that was a blessing or a curse, now that everything was…over? Was it really?
"What do you plan to do with us?" He asked in genuine curiosity.
Law had still been a part of Joker's network, and if Newgate was retaking his thrown as king, he'd want to clear out all of Joker's former sympathizers to show that he wasn't going to tolerate anything having to do with the man. In the older man's eyes, that could include him.
Newgate watched him with a wise gaze. "I have no interest in you lot." He said evenly. "So I suppose the better question is what do you plan to do? You've been causing quite a stir these past few months. For all I know, you could be looking to continue doing so."
Immediately, he shook his head. It caused him to sway on his knees a bit. His blood loss was getting worse, but at least he knew medical attention was coming soon. "I want nothing to do with this life anymore. I want a clean slate. To start over."
Newgate nodded slowly, considering what he'd said. "Fair enough. I won't interfere. I have you to partially thank for helping me reclaim my position anyway. It's the least I could do to return the favor."
Law nodded, relief and an overwhelming joy washing through his body. Despite the pain, he couldn't have been in a better state than that moment. He was actually..free of all of this. No more reason to keep an eye behind him all the time.
A distant siren of the ambulance snapped him from his own thoughts, and he realized that Summer was leaning more heavily against his body than before. He looked down, noticing that she'd passed out during the conversation, most likely from having run out of adrenaline, leaving her exhausted and unable to stay awake any longer.
"Get yourselves all cleaned up. Looks like he put you all through the ringer." Newgate said with humor, before turning and stalking through Joker's former headquarters, looking for any more of Joker's network within.
"Thank you." Law whispered to himself, holding Summer close and feeling his own consciousness beginning to slip. They'd survived. His body was drained, physically and emotionally, and he just wanted to sleep. He held on just long enough to see the paramedics enter the room to help them.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
