A/N: This is my first Batman fic, my baby if you will. Reviews are loved, but just knowing people read this will make me all giddy.
Contrary to popular belief, The Joker was not crazy. A little goofy, yes, but not crazy.
The first time he was called crazy, he laughed and slit the man's throat. That was before he had his own style – knife in the mouth and swish the cheeks are cut and everyone is smiling.
But when he was dragged into jail the first time for the murder of aforementioned man, he decided that maybe being crazy was best. He could plead for innocence (like that would work) or face The Chair. Or…
"Insanity?"
The Joker eyed the judge. Mid 50's, probably had a wife at home. By the looks of his robes, his money was going elsewhere. Kid or two in college. Definitely a weak point.
"Yes, insanity," The Joker said, licking his lips absentmindedly.
His psychologist – some girl about 30 – stood up. "During my sessions with Mr. er.. Joker, I have come to the conclusion that he suffers from acute schizophrenia, most likely caused by past trauma."
The judge looked at The Joker, then at the psychologist. "And – in your medical opinion – is he treatable?"
The psychologist looked from The Joker to the judge and nodded.
"Aloud, please," the court reporter said, and the psychologist responded with, "Yes, I do think that with medication and regular therapy, he could be treated."
The judge nodded, clearly uninterested in this case (a common murder by a common man, how many of those does he see every day?), and said that The Joker would be drugged on medication and prodded by someone he didn't know to answer personal questions he'd rather not talk about, then his gavel hit his sounding block and it was all over.
And when The Joker looked back the next day, when he had wounds on his cheeks because his psychologist had told him to cheer up and she was lying there with a matching grin and bruises all over her face and neck, he decided that pretending to be crazy might not be so bad.
Because really, who isn't afraid of a crazy man?