Summary: Return of the JokerAU. After Tim is captured and tortured by the Joker, he is rescued before Joker can brainwash him. Not by Batman, but rather a more sympathetic member of the Dark Knight's rogues' gallery. The circumstances of his rescue lead to even more complicated unforeseen events, and Tim must now live the rest of his life with a condition that is irreversible. Fortunately, his family and friends are there for him until the end.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. DC has the pleasure of owning the characters in this story.


"You."

On the rooftop in Crime Alley, Poison Ivy stared at Batman impassively, undaunted by the obvious rage in his eyes and snarl. Nightwing and Red Hood both stared at the scene before them in shock and fury. Mostly fury in Red Hood's case. Standing next to Ivy was their little brother. Sweet Timmy, who was looking down at his bare feet in shame and sorrow. But this was not the Tim they knew, or at least, not on the outside. His skin, once pale as the moonlight, was now a spring green color and his once blue eyes were now a piercing green. His Robin suit was in tatters and much of his skin was showing as he was nearly naked, his mask gone. There are cuts and bruises all over him. His blood is dark green. He smelled of cut grass and fruit, but he looked so uncomfortable. His insides felt like gravel. He felt sick in the moonlight. His skin itched so much.

God his skin...

"What did you do?!" Batman growled.

"I saved his life," Ivy said simply. "No thanks to you."

"What do you mean?" Batman said, eyes still narrowed. "You weren't the one who-"

"No," Ivy said, disgusted by the insinuation. "You know me better than that."

"Than who...?" Batman trailed off, noticing the look in Ivy's eyes. "Joker."

Tim gave a whimper, while Ivy nodded solemnly. Dick ran his fingers through his hair, evidently distressed, while Jason cussed fiercely.

"I'll fucking kill him," Jason swore.

Ivy snorted. "A bit late on that, child."

The silence that followed was deafening. So the Joker was dead then. The revelation was so sudden that it didn't even seem real. The Joker had been a part of their lives for so long. Ivy had killed the Joker, and Tim... she...

"And this was your idea of help?" Bruce said in both anger and incredulity, referring to the third Robin's current condition.

"If you knew what the Joker had in store for him, you'd have done the same thing," Ivy said simply, before looking deep into Batman's eyes. "Bruce."

Bruce jaw clenched and his fists tightened. He looked like he wanted to attack the eco-terrorist, until his eyes fell on his son, and felt like a rock had hit the pit of his stomach as he saw the boy's face. He looked so broken, so sad. He couldn't lose control. Not here, with Tim like this.

He glared at Ivy. "Leave."

Red Hood looked at Bruce incredulously. "The fuck?! B, she-"

But Batman sent him a glare that shut him up, and looked back at Ivy. "Leave, Pamela. Now."

Ivy didn't argue. She walked away to the edge of the building, a long root curling its way up the side of the building. Stepping on it, Ivy gave one last glance to the Batfamily, her eyes softening when her eyes met Tim's, before she vanished into the alleyway.

Once the plant princess had gone, the three vigilantes looked to their youngest, their expressions and demeanor going from fierce and furious to soft and worrisome.

"Tim?" Bruce said gently, putting his hand on Tim's green shoulder.

Tim flinched and whimpered, inching away from Bruce. He couldn't look at him. He couldn't let them touch him. He was poison. He was a freak. He... he...

"Oh, Timmy..."

Dick was instantly by his side, arms wrapped around Tim as he pulled the into a hug. Tim tried to wrench himself free from Dick's grasp, afraid he would contaminate his older brother. But soon, he melted into Dick's arms and started sobbing.

"Dick, I feel... it burns. I don't like it. It burns so much, Dick."

"Shhh. It'll be okay, Timmy. We can figure this out."

"I'm a freak," Tim sniffled.

"No. You're just different now," Dick promises, rubbing soothing circles into Tim's back. "You're just different now, and there's nothing wrong with that."

broke down. Jason reached into the hug to try and brush the tears away. His face was so distressed that Tim buried his face into Dick's shoulder, unwilling to look his family in the eye. He couldn't let them see his face. See him weak. He was trained to be better than that. Jason sat on Tim's other side so that he could rub Tim's back, continually cursing Ivy, the Joker, and Gotham as whole, cursing them all to hell.

Bruce, meanwhile, would be forever haunted by the site before him. Dick, despite his reassurances, was no longer happy and bubbly, but rather pale and scared. Jason was so angry and hateful towards the world right now, and very little Bruce could do would quell him. And in their arms was his youngest son, looking so scared, confused, and broken, afflicted with a curse that, as far as he knew, was incurable.

But he needed to be strong. His sons needed him, and he was going to get them through this.


So, Poison Ivy is a lot nicer in this than she is in most incarnations, and Jason is here, as the Red Hood but back with the Batfamily. Tim's now part-plant, and in a constant state of pain. So many possibilities along the horizon.

What do you all think? Should I continue?