Here's my full fledged story! The beginning sounds kind of clunky but it gets smoother as the story progresses. I'm no good at starting a story. Enjoy!

-Claire Napier

Warning: If boy on boy-ness bothers you, leave now. Thank You.

Another day, another anonymous note made of magazine clippings. Batman was fairly used to this, so he didn't expect too much. A robbery, maybe a kidnaping, but most of the common criminals in Gotham weren't gutsy enough to pull it off. The whole protecting-the-city thing was becoming monotonous in his opinion.

There hadn't been any activity from the real criminals for quite some time. Last time he checked, they were all safely in straitjackets at Arkham.

Poison Ivy, The Scarecrow, Two Face, Harley Quinn...The Joker.

Sighing, Batman got out of the Batmobile and looked again at the note:

Meet me on the roof of the Aquarium. Important.

It was vague, but he was obligated to look into it anyway. He walked into the deserted aquarium casually, but on his guard. Criminals were crazy after all.

The aquarium was dark inside, the moon provided just barely light enough to see. The glass cages were cleared of fish and there definitely was no shark anymore. The glass to the shark tank was still broken and he could see shards of it on the floor. It felt as if the place had been frozen in time.

While he was walking, he felt a sudden chill. Upon looking up he saw the large hole in the roof that the Joker had made last time he was here. Batman laughed a little.

That was a long time ago, but he remembered it clear as day.

He glanced towards the end of the hall to find the stairs. From experience, he knew that it would take some time to climb the stairs. Opting for the quicker way, he fired his grappling hook and pulled himself through the hole. He landed on the roof and looked around. At first he saw nothing, but then he caught sight of a purple suit.

The Joker was standing on the very edge of the roof, overlooking the dark ocean. Batman was surprised. The note seemed very unlike The Joker. It was more Riddler-like than anything. He was beginning to suspect something.

He took a step forward and heard gravel crunch underneath his shoe.

The Joker spun around and grinned at him.

"Batsy!-..."

Before the Joker could finish his sentence, his face went suddenly blank. His body went slack and his eyes fluttered shut. Everything happened quickly after that. The Joker had blacked out completely, resulting in him falling over the edge. Batman hesitated for a split second before he finally dove in after the Joker.

As he was falling he tried to convince himself why he was saving his arch enemy. He was dropping rapidly towards a pitch black ocean with god-knows-what lurking beneath, all for a man that did nothing but make his life complicated. Batman finally convinced himself that it was only because he didn't want blood on his hands. It was a flimsy excuse, but it worked at that moment.

Batman gasped as his body was submerged in the icy water. He scrambled to the surface as quickly as he could, so as not to lose sight of the Joker. Waves slammed against his head and neck, shoving him under again and again. He looked around as best as he could and soon found the Joker floating on waves nearby. A strange relief swept over Batman as he slowly swam over.

The relief quickly dissolved when he saw the Joker's body start to sink beneath the waves. Batman's body was starting to ache with cold and it was becoming harder and harder to take a breath, but he dove under to grab the Joker's arm. The extra weight caused him to struggle to the surface. His lungs felt as though they were about to explode before he finally broke the surface. He swam for what seemed like hours against the harshness of the current. Finally they got close enough to land that the waves began pushing them towards it. Wheezing, he drug them both to the dirty shore and collapsed on the sand.

As much as he wanted to rest, he knew that he couldn't shut his eyes. He needed to get himself to the Batcave as soon as possible. When he stood up he noticed something odd about the Joker. His right leg was bent at a very unnatural angle. Never a good sign. It would be wrong to leave him here. Wouldn't it?

Against his better judgement, Batman decided to take the Joker to the Batcave to recover. His brain was waterlogged and groggy, making this thought the only one that seemed to make sense. The way he saw it, he had no choice.

Summoning up his last ounces of strength, he picked up the Joker and journeyed slowly to the Batmobile. He set the Joker in the passenger seat and drove along the quiet roads to Wayne Manor. Before he drove all the way there, he made sure that the Joker was unconscious. He may have been exhausted, but he knew what was at stake. He was risking everything for this man.

Batman parked and hobbled into the Batcave, the Joker hung precariously over his shoulder. Startled by the noise, Alfred Pennyworth caught sight of them and rushed over. Batman was breathing heavily as he gently laid the Joker on the floor. He looked weakly at Alfred with an almost sad look in his eyes and dropped like a dead weight to the ground.

"Sir!"

Alfred moved to help Bruce, but stopped when he saw the Joker. He was confused to say the least, but he was required to attend to Bruce's guests.

He worked as quickly as possible, attending to Bruce first. Bruce was extremely cold and his body was in shock. He kept muttering something about falling into the ocean. Easy enough to fix. It didn't take a scholar to figure it out.

Then there was the Joker. That was a bit more complicated. He had a broken leg and he was barely breathing. To Alfred, it looked as though there had been medical problems even before the incident. Just being cold wouldn't cause all of his problems. He wasn't sure what exactly was wrong with him yet, but he intended to figure it out. No matter who it was, Alfred wasn't about to leave someone high and dry.

After making sure both of them were comfortable (and far away from each other) he left. For a moment he paused. Leaving Bruce's worst enemy alone in the Batcave perhaps wasn't the best idea. But then he remembered the broken leg. It would be rather difficult for him to do anything. He would just have to remember to tell Bruce to wear the Batsuit when he was in the Batcave. Tedious, but necessary. And the Joker just wouldn't be allowed to leave. He would have to be watched almost constantly.

Alfred sighed.

He would leave that job for Bruce.

.CN.

"Wait! No-OW!"

The Joker sat up and clung tightly to his leg. Fire was shooting up and down his shin and he couldn't get it to stop. Blinded with pain, he tried to look around and figure out where he was. That's when he caught sight of the Batsuit, lit up under a spotlight.

"Ooh very subtle. Odd dream I'm having though..."

The Joker tried to stretch his leg only to be met with more pain. He winced and laughed to himself.

"Maybe not a dream. So, Batman's hideout? Heh."

He attempted to get up, but his leg prevented that from happening.

"Aaaaah!"

The Joker laid back down,grumbling to himself. How ridiculous. He was in Batman's Batcave and he couldn't even wreak havoc on it! Not funny at all.

"Nice try."

The Joker smiled and sat up. It was almost pitch black, but his eyes had adjusted enough for him to see a brooding figure in the corner.

"Hey, it's the best I can do with an apparently busted leg. So tell me dearest, why am I here? Not that I'm complaining, but this seems a little careless for you."

No answer came.

"Eh-hem. I said, why am I here?"

"You fell off a roof...broke your leg. I couldn't just leave you there...no matter how much you deserved it."

The Joker let out an uneasy laugh before continuing.

"Hee hee. Aww honeycakes, I'm touched! But you're smarter than this. Arkham always has a room for me. Why bring me here? You brought your archenemy to your secret hideout? Poor form, Batman. I'll have to deduct points."

There was silence for a moment while Batman gathered his excuse together.

"I couldn't think. I was cold and wet..."

"Ooh naughty."

A loud laugh echoed through the cave.

"I don't need to explain to you," Batman hissed.

The Joker heard a swoosh, then it was quiet again. He knew Batman was still there, but he liked the fact that he was trying to fool him.

"Trying to cheat a cheater...you make me smile."

Batman growled to himself and walked out the door, slamming it. Alfred was waiting outside. They both stood just looking at the ground for a while, not knowing how to justify the Joker being on the other side of the door.

"What are you doing, sir." It was more of a demand than a question.

"I don't know," Batman replied.

Alfred walked past him without another word.

Batman leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. He had to be careful with this. One wrong move and his entire world would crumble. He coughed and groaned.

His throat was burning, the taste of salt water lingering in his mouth. He brought his hand up to his throat and tried to rub it, but he couldn't through the mask and cowl. Another discomfort he would have to suffer while in the suit.

"Hmm mmm hmm...fly me to the moon, let me plaaay among the stars...let me see what spring is like on...a-Jupiter and Mars..."

A voice seemed to be coming from the Batcave. Batman looked at the door and leaned his ear against it.

"In other words...hooold my hand...in other words...baby, kiss meee..."

The Joker was singing. He was singing...in the Batcave. And Batman thought he'd seen it all. Sitting there listening seemed wrong to him. Yet, he didn't move.

"Fill my heart with song and let me siiing for-ever more. You are all I long for...all I worship and adore...in other words...pleeease be true...in other words...I love you."

Instead, he listened to the rest of the verses. Then the reprise. Then the encore. He couldn't bring himself to move. He was almost asleep when he heard the Joker's sing song voice very close to his ear.

"Goodniiight Batman."

Batman jumped and felt the panic take over. He swung open the door and ran through, prepared to fight. But he found he didn't have to. The Joker was lying on a makeshift bed with his eyes closed. Scared beyond belief, Batman shut the door and barricaded it with as much furniture as he could. Batman sat against it and closed his eyes. The Joker's whispery voice haunted him long into the night.

Yay! Hope you liked it. Please do leave a review if you feel so inclined. If not, then I hope you got something out of it. Next part soon!

Love, Claire Napier

P.S. The song the Joker is singing is called "Fly Me To The Moon" by Frank Sinatra. Classic.