"He thinks I pushed him?" Bruce looked up at Alfred. "That's what he thinks? I didn't push him! He tripped, I tried to catch him but he fell."
Alfred shook his head, "hard to believe sir, if just one of those things hadn't happened, we wouldn't have the Joker causing havoc in our streets."
Bruce flicked idly through the pages of the diary, reading odd sentences. "He's bisexual? I never would have guessed, he always seemed very… well, nothing, you know?"
Alfred smirked at the opportunity to show that he knew more than his employer, "well sir, he obviously was very in love with this Jeannie woman, maybe he still is?"
Bruce grunted and continued reading, "Finally we have his back story, the real one. Not one he came up with off the top of his head. It says here that the church they got married in was 'the one in the centre of town' he must mean St Georges. I'll go down there in the morning and see if I can find any records. I'll see if I can find the apartment fire report, and Jeannie's hospital records if I can. Do a search for 'Jack Napier."
Alfred took the diary from Bruce, and started flicking through it himself, "sounds like a good idea sir. This poor man… I wonder what happened to his brother? Maybe you could find him?"
Bruce nodded, grunting that it would be a good idea. He started typing hurriedly into the computer, he seemed to be getting quite exited that he may be able to find out who the Joker really was.
/
Joker was asleep, sprawled over the bed.
Harley was sitting on the little armchair in the corner, reading her new favourite book.
She looked over at her Mr J and smiled as she heard him start to stir. He mumbled in his sleep.
The same things as normal: cheese, Batman, Jeannie. He always went on about that woman. But he refused to talk about her.
Whenever she asked he would freak out and get all violent. She chuckled and went back to reading her book.
She woke to find herself covered in clothes, "what the heck? Mr J, sir? What are you doing?"
Joker was upturning the room, clothes everywhere, bed messed up. "Where's my wallet?" Joker snapped, "I don't know sir." Harley flinched.
Joker's body suddenly softened, "oh thank god… it's here. I found it."
He opened the wallet and a small smile appeared on his face, it disappeared after a few seconds, he located his trousers and pulled them on, shoving the wallet into the back pocket as he did.
"Why do you always get so upset when you can't find your wallet? … If you don't mind me asking."
Joker shrugged, "All my money's in there. Obviously." He laughed, looking over at Harley, "yeah, but Mr J, you don't care that much about your money."
Joker frowned, large lines appearing on his face, "shut up and make me some food."
Harley rushed into the kitchen, trying to quell her curiosity with this menial task.
/
Bruce leant back on his chair, a large grin on his face. "Alfred! I've found it." He yelled as the man walked down the stairs, holding a mug of hot tea.
"What would 'it' be?"
Bruce ran his hands through his hair, "'it' would be everything. Birth certificate, adoption papers, newspaper articles, marriage certificate… and death certificate." Alfred turned his head, "death certificate? For Jack or Jeannie?"
"Both, Jeannie in the fire, and Jack was missing assumed dead. Nothing about the baby though."
Alfred picked up the diary, flicking to the last page, "but Jack says the baby died too."
Bruce shook his head, "I mean I can't find anything about the baby, hospital records… Nothing."
Alfred shrugged, "maybe they deleted the records when the baby died?"
Bruce grunted, it was not something they would normally do. "I've even found out about Jacks brother, Nathan. He had his last name changed to Maize, he is a rather successful psychiatrist in England. Got a few books out. Bestseller is about how to cope with childhood trauma… 'Suppose he's had a lot of experience with that… But I don't really think it'd do much good to tell him about the Joker, we all know what he's like with psychiatrists."
Alfred frowned in disagreement, "no psychiatrist has known the Jokers childhood before, he does, and in fact he was there."
Bruce leaned forward, and started typing into the computer, "good point, I'll see if I can get him to come to that convention that's on in a couple of weeks. I'll be able to talk to him there."
Alfred chuckled, "you should read his book on childhood trauma, give you a topic of conversation."
/
That dream, the same dream as always.
Every night.
Every night he watched that pretty blond woman sleep next to him.
Every night he looked down and smiled at the woman's bloated, pregnant stomach.
Every night he placed his hand on the lump, and whispered "My two angels…"
Every night he would get out of the bed, then scream as a giant bat flew at him, knocking him backwards.
Every morning he would wake up, short of breath and drenched in sweat.
That morning he raised his head to see Harley holding his wallet.
"Harley! What are you doing? Put that back! NOW!" he screamed at her, voice filled with anger.
Harley, looking shocked and scared, threw the wallet back on top on Jokers trousers, and backed into the corner of the room.
Joker sprung up, advancing on her, "how dare you go through my things, after all this time I'd have thought you would have leant that!"
He raised his hand as if to strike her, then let it drop to his side.
He looked at his hand and sighed, before giving Harley a playful tap on the shoulder.
An indication he was in a good mood.
Joker walked across the room and sat on the armchair in the corner.
"… Why's there a sonogram picture in there…?" Harley whispered, unable to stop herself from asking.
He didn't answer; just stared at the floor, face expressionless.
"… Mr J…?"
He suddenly looked up at her, "I dunno, just is."
Harley stepped a little closer to the madman.
"Then why have it…?"
Joker shrugged, "makes me happy, when I look at it."
The girl smiled, "that's the same reason I have my little monkey key ring."
Joker looked up at her, disapprovingly.
She continued talking.
"We all need something to give us a smile, I'd never expected yours to be a baby picture though. I'd expect it to be a joke toy or a Batman doll with no head, not a baby picture."
Joker chuckled, "it's not mine."
Harley giggled, "I guessed that. You'd not make a good father, I used to think you would, but nah."
Joker smiled at her, slightly angered by the comment.
"You can't say that."
She huffed, "it's true."
Suddenly Joker was standing, screaming in Harleys face, "Don't say that! Don't ever fucking say that!"
He pushed her hard into the wall and stormed out.
Leaving Harley shaken and confused.