Title: Hang 'Em High

Title: Hang 'Em High

Summary: The Joker isn't cruel – he'll never leave you hanging. Sort of an epilogue to The Dark Knight, from the Joker's POV.

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to DC. I'm just messing around.

Author's Note: MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS. Avoid if you haven't seen the movie yet!! Also, it helps when you read it to imagine the Joker's voice in your head. :)

They think I'm insane. I mean, I don't blame them – with a guy like me, insanity is all they can accept – but come on. See, insane's for people with daddy issues, and for mob bosses. Insane's too small for me. Too boring.

So I got rid of my name and killed a couple people. Who cares? Nobody's gonna miss them, and I guarantee you nobody misses me – except for maybe that girl in Barcelona… Ha. Hahaha. Ooh, and the Batman. He'll miss me. Yeah, he'll miss me before he knows it. Heeheee – just thinking about that – ahh hahaha – "intimidating" growl of his – heehahahaha!

It's just too funny.

Anyway. You know, everything I did makes sense; these people just don't get it yet. All those doctors, all those lawyers caught up in their own little world of self-righteousness and polite moderation – they just couldn't handle my particular brand of chaos – couldn't stomach the masterpiece that kept 'em glued to their television sets – and so they tossed me in this dump. Arkham Asylum, where Gotham's crazies go. How droll.

I'm not crazy. I'm not. They're the ones who're crazy. Putting all their hope in the hands of one All-American Hero – now, that was crazy, not to mention idiotic. It's so easy, turning a hero into a villain. Driving a person mad. I do it every day. How could Gotham be so naïve, pooling its hopes like that and making Harvey Dent its collective soul? How could anyone think that that was a good idea? They were better off with Batman, and you bet your balls they knew that. No one can corrupt a symbol – even I can't corrupt a symbol. But, boy. I'm having some fun tryin'.

They just don't get it. It's so easy to rip a hero to shreds, to knock him down and make him dirt. A tear here, a rip there, maybe a little stab right to the heart, and ta-da! You got pure madness in a thirty-year-old man suit, and all hell breaks loose.

Batman can't save Harvey, can't save Two-Face. He'll try, of course. But Harvey's beyond saving now. He can't hide what Harvey's gonna do before he's done with Gotham.

So. I win.

Joke's on you, Batboy.