This was inspired off of another series I had read. It is my very first Dark Night and it has that same Joker and his daughter theme but a bit different. I'm sorry if it's not great but it is my first It is the first time I have every written a fic with this kind of Joker. Wish me luck and here is Chapter 1.

CHAPTER 1

Artemis Napier was sprawled out on the bed trying to ignore the beeping of her alarm. She dreaded opening her eyes. It would be the same routine as every morning. Her and her mother Jessica would get into a fight about something that happened as far back as several years ago, they would shout, she would storm out, then go to school and refuse to talk to anyone about what was bothering her. Artemis's best friend Damian had pretty much given up on trying to get her to talk about it. He knew the two didn't get along at all, he was practically family.

Damian came walking up the steps to her room calling her name. Artemis mumbled to herself. She heard her door open and looked up at him. He had short black hair that was spiked up with white highlights, a black pinstripe shirt that had a pair of black fuzzy wings printed on the back, a pair of dark blue jeans that had rips in the knees, and a pair of black and white checkered shoes.

"Wake up, wake up, listen to the singing birds in early morning as we trudge on to another day," he said looking at his cell phone.

"What," she asked. He said a lot of weird stuff like that.

"Mean's get your ass up and moving so we can blow this popsicle stand. You're mom is bitching about you and me eating all the chips last night," he said flatly. I chuckled a bit. I then crawled out of bed and into my bathroom. "Hey, I found a place for us to live," he said through the door.

"Oh really where," I asked. We had been looking for a place to live so I could get away from my mother and Damian could get away from his drunk foster family. His mother insulted the poor guy all the time and his dad was just past out most of the time. His foster sister was the head cheerleader at their school.

"Gotham City. It's the Narrows but it's better then here."

"True that."

"Anything on finding your dad yet," he asked. Artemis just sighed.

"No," she said, "All the information on him has been deleted."

"Try police files," chuckled Damian.

"Don't even joke like that," she said coming out of the bathroom. Her long dirty blond hair was tied back in a half pony tail held up with a clip, a black shirt with a white button up over it, black jeans, and black and white converse shoes. She put on her purple pea coat and picked up her back pack. They came down stairs to see Jessica with her blond hair tied up in a messy pony tail, a pink bathrobe, a white night gown, white house shoes, and a cigarette hanging out the corner of her mouth.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to join the living. Tell me your highness what brings you among the living."

"I have to go to school mom I will see you if I come home," she said trying to ignore her.

"Dammit! Again Jack!....Artemis," she said sighing at her name. Artemis looked at her mom in shock. It was not the first time Artemis did not promise coming home but it was the first time her mom had accidentally called her by a different name, a guys name no less. "Look, whatever Artemis, I don't have time to try and keep up with you. Just be careful."

Artemis wasn't paying any attention, however, she was looking at the creepy clown on the news holding up a picture of a baby.

"I'm going to find her," he said laughing like a maniac, "I'm a man of my word." What he said next Artemis may never know. Her mother changed the channel.

"I hate the news," said Jessica. Her face had paled at the sight of him.

"Was that the Joker," asked Damian eating an apple.

"Who," asked Artemis.

"Joker, he tormented Gotham for a while but they caught him. Supposidly he has a kid out there somewhere. Poor kid, it will suck when he finds her."

"Yea, that's right! It was about a year ago wasn't it," asked Artemis remembering seeing it on the news.

"Don't you kids need to go to school or something," snapped her mom. The two exchanged looks and left. When the door shut Jessica went into a panic attack. He was back!

She ran for the phone to call up the police. Jack was back and he wanted his daughter. He wasn't going to get her if it was the last thing she would do. She picked up the phone but heard nothing. No disconnection signal, no constant beeping, nothing. She hung up the phone and slowly backed from it. She went for her car keys but they were no where to be found. She tore the house up looking for them. She slumped to her knees crying.

Jessica did not much care for Artemis, but her mother instincts where overpowering and she had to get Artemis out of danger. Sure she wasn't a great mom but she still had to rescue her before it was to late.

The sound of insane laughter rang behind her. Jessica slowly turned around and saw her biggest fear staring her right on the face, and in his hands, the car keys. He lifted them up.

"Looking for these, Doll," he asked. Jessica slowly started to scoot back as far from him as possible. He took a step closer and she started to panic. She picked up the pace and lifted herself from the floor. He chuckled with a smile on his face. It was always on his face, from ear to ear, literally. His purple pea coat, blue shirt, green vest, the material was more expensive, but the look was the same. And clown make up on his face. His lips and scars where blood red making him look more terrifying. Jessica looked around her for a weapon. She found the fire poker and lifted it aiming it at the Joker's neck. This only made him laugh harder. He grabbed the poker from her jerking it from her grip. He swung it at her hitting her square in the gut. Jessica fell to her knees coughing and trying to catch her breath.

She felt an iron grip grab her by the hair and lift her from the ground shoving her into a chair. "I'm only going to ask you once, darling," he hissed, "Where. Is. My. Daughter."

"You stay away from her," said Jessica in a shakey voice. The Joker smiled, this was going to be fun!

………………………………..

Artemis and Damian pulled up to the school in Damians kick ass green van! Okay it was a piece of shit, but if he actually took the time to get it fixed it would be a pretty good van. Right now it got him from A to B and that was all that was important.

"Arty, D," came the irritating voice of Damian's foster sister. Kayla was blond. There was no other way to put it, she was just blond. She had the look of perfection, some thought, and she was a total bitch, every one knew. Boys wanted her, girls wanted to be her, and they all secretly wanted her to die. Artemis pulled out a picture she had draw yesterday and showed it to Damian.

Kayla was hanging from a rope dead and it said 'here lies Kayla Stranford, she's their problem now'. Damian cracked up. "You're going to Hell, you know this right?"

"Yea, I know," said Artemis, putting on a fake smile as Kayla came bouncing over to them.

"I'm running for school president," she said as she came up to them, "isn't that just the most!"

"Oh, yea, that's great," said Damian with fake enthusiasm.

"You guys are, like, totally voting for me," she said sticking a button on them. Artemis smiled at her.

"We sure will," she said smiling at the squealing harpy. They watched as she bounced away in complete happiness. Damian and Artemis's friend Joey came over. His hair was long and brown, he had on a dark green shirt with a black long sleeve under it, and a pair of baggy black jeans and a black hoodie that seemed to drowned him.

"What was that about," he asked, removing his black hat and replacing it again.

"I just told Damian's sister I was voting for her," said Artemis.

"Dude, I thought you where voting for that one smart chick," he said with confusion dancing in his lazy red eyes.

"I am," said Artemis, "I just want to see what she will do when Mary Belle wins.

"Who is Mary Belle?"

"That one smart chick," said Damian, shaking his head.

"Oh, okay. Hey, did you guys hear that the Joker broke out of Arkham," said Joey with a big smile like it was the greatest news in the world.

"Yea," said Artemis, "right where Damian found us a place to live. I don't know why you are smiling, that's terrible news."

"Aw, dude, you found us a place!"

"Sure did, it's in the Narrows but we can afford it," said Damian.

"I'm only smiling because it's like a major slap in 5-0's face! The government let him out, man, the damned government!"

"Stop shouting," said Artemis, "you're attracting attention."

"Sorry," he said sarcastically. Artemis punched him lightly in the arm. The school bell rang for class to start.

"I got to go," said Artemis, "if I'm late for math class again I got detention, I don't have time for detention."

"What!? What do you do after school," asked Damian, "what do you have planned that you can't do detention? Nevermind, I got to get to Gym class. I'm thinking of skipping though."

"Don't do that," said Joey, "we got an assembly after first hour!"

"Why bother going? They are just going to send us to lunch after."

"So what! Come sit with me and Arty! Anyway I got to go, I have English class and I'm totally blown man! I'm sleepin!"

"Uh-huh," said Artemis, "Whatever you guy's I'm gone." She turned around and left for class.

First hour was uneventful. Joey slept in his class, Damian decided to ditch then come back for the assembly, and Artemis was off in her own little world drawing on her note paper pretending to take notes. Then second hour came. Joey, Damian, and Artemis all gathered in the back of the class with their other friends. The teacher was not there yet so they just talked to each other until the assembly. But when the intercom came on it was not the droned, monotone voice of Ms. Happy, it was a wicked and evil voice.

"Evening, Newport High School," the voice hissed with complete happiness, "we're having a little, uh, assembly. You're teachers will be joining you in the theater room. Let's all join them as we play a little game of which one of you Newport ghetto rat's is Artemis Napier!" Their came an unpleasant laughter and the intercom cut off. All eyes fell on Artemis.

……………………………

So there is your first chapter. Sorry that it was so fast pace. I wanted to get all the boring stuff out of the way first so we can get interesting. Next time: Joker will be making a special visit to Artemis's school!