Chaotic, violent, insane.

These were all words Bruce would often use to describe the Joker, but none of them could even begin to describe the gut wrenching sight Bruce was currently laying his eyes upon.

Three weeks it had been since this all started. Bruce was accustomed to their usual games of cat and mouse, but he was a smart man- and he knew something was wrong the moment he'd heard about Joker's breakout from Arkham. He hadn't killed anyone.

Never in the history of his escaping, had the madman not given into his sadistic urges to kill. Never.

This could only mean trouble, Bruce had deduced that from the get go. Joker was an unpredictable force to be reckoned with, but he still had habits, patterns in the ways he manoeuvred. He knew from personal experience that if the Joker did something, irregular... He knew it entailed mass death and destruction.

His suspicions had been confirmed with the absence of Nightwing a few weeks later. After some interrogating and digging he'd found most of his allies to be missing. Jim, Barbra, Selina, Jason, Tim... All of them had vanished.

He knew it was him, it had to of been him. He was the only one of his enemies to know of his secret identity. But again, Joker wasn't behaving as he usually would. The clown couldn't resist stroking his ego by leaving a little hint that his crimes were in fact his doing. This time however, there hadn't been a trace of him since his escape. It was as if he'd disappeared along with his missing comrades, which Bruce speculated he had done.

It was constant late nights for the next two weeks, all time spent following leads and trying to gather any information he could. Of course all his of efforts had resulted in nothing. No, Joker wasn't going to make it easy for him this time.

Thank god for Alfred, he probably would've gone crazy if it wasn't for the old man's reassurance and assistance. But that comfort was short lived, as Alfred had soon been taken as well.

Bruce was trying to keep his composure, trying to remain the stoic symbol of justice Gotham needed him to be.

But even he couldn't stop himself from collapsing under the pressure. Becoming a paranoid insomniac, being more brutal with the thugs he questioned. He was desperate, and of course that was what Joker wanted him to be.

Always knowing exactly what Batman was going to do, always having the last laugh. He could easily manipulate the Bat, it only took saying the wrong thing for him to flip into a frenzy of violent rage. Joker loved it, being able to rile up his Batsy with little to no effort.

But of course it eventually got boring to the clown, as with most things. He needed more, craved more. Wanted to push Bats just that little bit further, make him snap and break his moral code. He often daydreamed about pushing Batman off the deep end, finally coaxing him to kill him. Of course he'd have the final laugh, he always did.

And he knew exactly how to get his Bat to do his bidding. He'd known how to get to Batman since the first time they'd fought, he could easily tell his most fatal weakness was his deep care for the people he loved. Joker hadn't acted on it straight away, no he enjoyed giving the Bat the illusion that he had some control over his actions.

But of course he didn't. Joker was far superior to those around him when it came to intellect, including his beloved Batman. He could easily outwit him, could easily foresee what he would do.

And with that knowledge, Joker concocted his most sadistic plan yet.

Batman had finally found a lead about Joker's whereabouts that actually resulted in something.

Leading him to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Gotham, Bruce couldn't help but feel untrusting of the information he'd been given.

Something wasn't right. After three weeks of dead ends it didn't make sense for Joker to suddenly slip up about his location.

Preparing himself for the worst, Batman hastily entered the forgotten building. The first thing he noticed was the sickening oder of dampness and blood.

He soon found the source of the repugnant smell, immediately wishing he hadn't. There, in a messy heap on the floor, laid his deceased loved ones. All of their limbs had been severed, thrown into a dingy bucket in the corner of the room. A huge smiled was carved into each of their lifeless faces, as well as a bold 'HAHA JOKES ON YOU BATMAN!' Branded onto their chests.

It was more than clear they'd been subjected to all variations of disgusting torture, torture only capable of being committed by a certain green haired psychopath he knew too well.

As he looked upon the rotting bodies of his tormented allies, an overwhelming emptiness washed over him.

This wasn't like his parents death, no this wasn't like anything else he'd been subjected to in his pain filled life. This... This was something new entirely. He felt new and cynical emotions hit him with the sudden force of a gunshot. He wasn't sad, he wasn't angry... He was strangely, content. For he knew now, that nothing else could ever affect him like the sight before him. He knew nothing else could weigh him down, he knew he'd reached rock bottom and he was perfectly okay with that. In fact, he welcomed these new sensations and ideas.

He wasn't going to kill the Joker, or bring him in by the book... No, he was going to make him pay.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the the shrill sounds of maniacal cackling. Joker soon made his presence known by stepping out from the shadows with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Such a beautiful sight, isn't it Batsy? Nothing like a happy family all together, hmm?" He again broke into fits of laughter only capable by a madman.

"Ah, but I suppose you'll miss them, won't you? Of course you will. Heavens knows why, cowards, the lot of them. None of them had the decency to die with dignity, no they all cried and screamed, I've seen animals with more integrity.

But I guess that's your fatal mistake, isn't it Brucie? Letting lowlifes like these latch onto you like leaches, draining you and playing on your foolishness to care for them. Pathetic."

His voice had accentuated a serious tone by the end of his monologue, feigning disgust at Batman's pitiful nature. However, this was short lived as he soon broke out into his signature laugh, one that would make even the most brave mens' blood run cold. But, his hysteria was soon interrupted by the cold and emotionless voice of Batman.

"I'm afraid, Joker, the only fatal mistake here is yours."

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A/N: Hey! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, this is my first work for the Batman fandom, although I've been a huge fan for aaages. I plan to update biweekly and reviews are really appreciated. Thanks :)