Not a Laughing Matter

by Dragon with a Shotgun

The Vixen, or Cathy Wayne, is alone on one of her first nightly patrols in Gotham. Without the Batman to aid her, she is kidnapped by the Joker and taken back for interrogation. Desperate to get the information he wanted, Joker applies a... special kind of torture for the thirteen year-old.

Batman

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

A story about my OC having an exhausting night. I haven't made a Batman OC yet, so heck, I might as well now. She's going to be in a future Batman story that hopefully I will be trying to post up soon. But with school creeping up on me I am frantic. Oh well… THIS CONTAINS SPOILDERS OF MY FUTURE STORY! Enjoy!

Not a Laughing Matter…

The thirteen year-old girl sighed as she lowered herself to another building rooftop, bored and wishing that Tim could've tagged along. But he had math homework to finish at home, so she and Batman had to go out on night patrol without him until he finished it. The two had separated to cover more ground, but they still kept in touch. To be truthful, she was a little jumpy about this. It was one of her first times going out on patrol, well, at least on her own that is. She was always either with Bruce during these things, or sometimes with Tim if Bruce would let her.

Her name was Cathy Wayne, but she wasn't blood related to Bruce or Tim or anybody in their family. She was taken into the family when she was six, used to be an orphan on the streets. She had met Alfred first, when they were at a park and he happened to come upon her. She hadn't known about Bruce Wayne being the Batman, though, until she was eleven two years ago. But when she found out, she immediately wanted to be just like him and Robin, and she pleaded for Bruce to train her like he still did with Tim, and even though Bruce was at first reluctant, he finally agreed. Alfred had told him that Cathy would have found out about him being Batman sooner or later, and it would have been only a matter of time when she wanted to be like him. Alfred, though, still didn't like the idea of her being like Bruce, always putting her life at risk and getting in harm's way. He loved Cathy kind of like a… niece of sorts, and they were very close. He was always worried about her.

She had a unique relationship with the family, being sort of like Bruce's daughter, which she technically was his adopted daughter, and Tim's younger sister. Bruce loved her like he loved Tim, and he took care of them and showed his playful side every now and then. She and Tim were very close, always together wherever they went and always cracking up about things that one would think of. Actually, in the beginning, Tim hated the idea of having a little sister and having her follow him around. She had been so clingy to him, and she loved him even if he didn't. She remembered when she was six, when she had first started school, when some boys were picking on her, while they waited for Alfred to pick them up, because Bruce Wayne had taken a homeless kid off the streets. Tim had gotten so mad, and he beat up the boys and came home with bruises that lasted for a week. Since then, she and Tim had been closer and he loved her more than life itself now.

Too bad he wasn't here though…

When Cathy had first learned of the life-changing secret that Bruce and Tim had been keeping from her, about them being the heroes of Gotham and them being the ones who were fighting all the bad guys, she couldn't believe it. But she was then inspired to become like them, as already shown. So, she thought it over, and decided and making up her own hero name and making her own suit with the help of Alfred!

Now known as the Vixen when she goes on these nightly patrols, she wore a pale orange suit with black arm sleeves and heelless boots, a whitish chest and her mask had the ear-like structure of a fox, but not exactly overdoing the look. Only her hazel brown eyes, little nose, and mouth were visible, and her brown hair was tomboy cut under the hood of the mask. She was very athletic, and she was very smart. But she lacked experience, and she was determined to learn everything that Batman and Robin knew and could do.

"Let's see… no robbers, no police chases, nothing… What the hell am I supposed to do here?" she asked herself, plopping down on the edge of a building and letting her legs dangle.

Unfortunately, she grew bored quite easily, and being knew to the crime fighting job, she wasn't entirely patient with things happening. She hated being alone out here with nobody to talk to. There has to be something going on, a robbery, police call, someone locked up inside a museum after spending hours in the bathroom, anything! She couldn't just sit here and do nothing all night! She was going mad from boredom, and she needed to move, run, set a small goal for herself until she came across something. Anything to get her off her butt and make this night decent.

She then remembered what Bruce said about cussing… so she thought best to shut her mouth before he appeared out of nowhere and scolded her for it. He had said that she was too young, and that cussing wasn't very lady-like, curtesy advice from Alfred. Then again, running around on rooftops looking for trouble wasn't very lady-like either, wasn't it? Cathy stood up and walked along the edge of the roof, looking around with dull eyes and her arms crossed as she paused at the other side of the roof. She looked down at the streets and sighed loudly, even yawning a bit from trying to think so much about what to do next. The roads were quiet, but many cars still raced down the pavement with bright headlights blinding her every now and then. Some people walked down the sidewalks below, some in pairs and some alone, and even a group of kids passed by laughing and shouting at each other. She could also see one of two homeless people lying in the shadows away from the world. It was a pitiful sight, and she wondered why other people didn't seem to care about them as they walked by. She remembered when she was younger, when she hadn't had a home and was just like those homeless people. She was lucky that Bruce had brought her home that night, when she had been put to sleep by some gas he gave her so that she wouldn't know how to get to the mansion or Batcave, or remember anything that had happened the night before.

"Okay, c'mon… give me something to do…" he whispered as she tried to focus on something else, and then she reached toward her belt and grabbed the grapple hook. She pointed it towards the opposite building across the street, and she shot it and hit a pipe that stuck up, a chimney of some sort she guessed. She then swung over the street, and landed on the side of the building, climbing up on the top and again continuing to walk.

"You alright, Vixen? You've been quiet." Batman asked over the line, and she sighed with annoyance and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's too quiet out tonight." she replied back.

"Not every night is as eventful, Vixen. Criminals have their days, too." Batman lectured over the line.

Vixen sighed and nodded, than sat back down and let her head hang over the edge of the building she was now on, looking at everything upside down. "I know, I know… But still, it would be a lot more fun if there was a robbery or something. I mean, seriously! When you guys go out, you seem to have all the fun. But when I'm with you, nothing happens."

She heard Bruce chuckle on the other side of the line. "Maybe you're bad luck."

"Not cool, Batman. Not cool." she laughed as she cut the line, and sat up when she heard something. She frowned at the glass bottle that rolled across the roof and then come to a stop when someone's foot stepped on it. Cathy's eyes trailed up the leg of the figure, and then to the face that was hidden in the shadows. She frowned.

"Who are you?" she demanded, standing up and staring at the figure. It looked like a man, from the way he was broad-shouldered and tall.

"Ah, so I guess we've never met! Batman never properly introduced us, didn't he?" the voice was odd, not really high pitched, but seem to change in tone as he spoke although it was mainly amusement. Cathy tilted her head.

"And you're supposed to be…?" she trailed off as a question, putting her hands on her hips and studying the man. There was a dark and even highly pitched chuckle, not really loud but she thought that she'd heard it before. The man stepped out of the shadows, and her eyes widened slightly in surprise and shock.

The man's face was pure white, like he had painted it. There was a red fine line that stretched across his lips and over his cheeks that made him look kind of creepy with the way his grin stood out, and his hair even had a green shade and shined like he had gel smeared in it. Under his eyes was black smears, like paint as well and he was wearing a purple suit with a light green undershirt showing in the opening of the over coat, and a purple bow at the collar.

"You may call me… the Joker!" the man laughed, and he stepped towards her casually. But when she heard him mention his name her blood ran cold and she froze. Wait… did he say he was the Joker? THE Joker? The Joker that Batman had fought so many times and kept coming back?! The lunatic Joker?! That question was answered when a woman in a red and black suit appeared behind the Joker, smiling sweetly at her 'lover's' back before giving her a wicked grin. Harley Quinn… Great… On one of her first patrols and Vixen already has to go against the Joker and his girlfriend. How much worse could it get? But that question was, too, answered, when she was suddenly surrounded by shadows. The Joker's men gathered around her, and Cathy felt her heart jump with excitement and fear. She was barely just starting her training! How was she going to fight all of these guys?!

"Aw, Mista J. she's so cute. Are we gonna hurt her?" Harley cooed, hugging the man's arm and smiling a little at the young girl with a new expression. The Joker stared at the Vixen for a moment, and then he grinned and cackled like a hyena.

"Nah, doll face, it would be… wouldn't be humorous to kill a little girl."

Cathy tired her line, hoping to call for backup particularly Batman. But there was a static sound sizzling in her ear annoyingly. "Batman? Batman! Hello?" But all she heard was the static and laughter of the Joker as he saw that she couldn't contact her partner.

"Oh I'm sorry! Did I mention that this little thing-," he pulled out a device from his jacket, "-ruins reception? Dreadful thing, but I can't seem to find it in my heart to get rid of it! Haha!"

The other men chuckled, and she gulped. Okay… so calling Batman was out of the question. She guessed that she was left only to try to fight her way out of this. She let her body get into a defensive stance. She hadn't been in training for long, but she knew karate and she knew the basics of how to defend herself. Hopefully she could slip out of this and find Batman.

"Ring her up and let's take her home!" the Joker commanded his men, and he leaned up against the wall patiently for the show to begin. Surely if this was Batman's partner, then she must have been a decent fighter. Might be a good show if she's anything like that overgrown bat. Think about that little bird he carries around, Robin. What happened to that boy anyway? It wasn't like the Bat to dump a partner and trade him in for a new one. Maybe he could get some information out of her later when she was beaten enough to tote back.

Cathy tensed when the men approached her, and she blocked one of the men's fist swinging toward her, her arms crossing. She then struck him behind the knee with a good solid kick, and he knelt down and she brought her knee under his chin, making his jaw snap closed and he fell backwards. Another man charged at her, and she ran at him, hit the ground, and slid between his legs before jumping back to her feet behind him. She then turned around and kicked him from behind in the groin, sending him yelping and staggering away.

Then an arm locked around her neck, much like whenever Tim held her in a headlock when he gave her a noogie. But this was harder, rough and certainly not as carefully held around her neck as Tim's arm, considering that it was thicker. She choked and kicked out her legs, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. The man laughed at her, until she threw her head back and hit him in the nose. He yelled out in pain and dropped her, giving her a chance to throw up her fist and punch him in the jaw. Another man spun her around and punched her across the jaw. She grunted and stumbled back, wiping blood from her lip. She felt a tooth coming loose, and she growled at the pain that struck her mouth as blood slipped down her chin.

But then a fist caught her in the gut, and she choked and knelt down. She held a hand to her stomach, feeling her stomach churning and her heart throb from the shock. The man then pulled her up and held her up by the back of her shirt.

"Damn…" she muttered, not caring anymore if it wasn't lady-like, and she let her legs go limp in the air.

The Joker gasped and made a clicking sound with his tongue, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Now, now, dear, there is no need for such harsh words!"

Cathy growled and came up with the best insult she could to try to shut him up. "Go find a room with your girlfriend!"

Harley gasped and her face reddened terribly, but the Joker only laughed at the girl's weak attempt to insult him. "Got anything better than that, foxy?"

"Yeah," Cathy snapped, "This!" With that she swung her feet up and locked them around the man's neck and then pulled down so that she flipped him over. She landed on the ground on her feet and watched the man tumbled into the Joker, knocking both him and Harley down onto the ground. Cathy then tried to make a run for it, and she jumped off the building. But something grabbed her leg and she was pulled back, thrown onto the ground and sent tumbling. Then she jumped to her feet, and punched the man in the nose, making him cover it but try to his back. But she ducked and kicked him in the knee, making it pop before he went down.

But before she could try to run again, something covered her mouth, and she tried desperately to get free of the arm that held her still across her chest. She kicked out her legs, frantic until she felt herself drifting away, darkness trying to engulf her. She weakly tried to stay awake, but she was just so tired, sleepy as whatever was on the rag was breathed into her lungs. She whimpered, and her flailing became weaker, and soon, she went limp in the Joker's arm with a last sigh before she passed out.

Sighing with annoyance, the Joker dropped the girl onto the ground and brushed himself off.

"Now that that is taken care of, put her in the car and let's scram before Bats shows up!" The men who were wounded got back up and nodded, the two that hadn't gotten a chance to fight hurried over, one slinging the Cathy over his shoulders and taking off towards the ladder where the car was parked below.

Harley grunted, having been dazed by the crash of the man with her and the Joker, stood up and walked over to his side, frowning irritably. "That little brat! What are ya gonna do with her, Mista J.?"

The Joker chuckled and grinned deviously as he fixed his jacket sleeve around his wrist. "I guess I'll just have to go with the flow!

A few hours later, Cathy's eyes were trying to open. She wanted to wake up, but her body was just so weak, so… numb. And cold too, and it felt like she was lying on something hard and metal, which was also cold. She couldn't really open her eyes, but she could smell the scents of… deodorant or something mixed with something else, she couldn't quite tell. Her senses were blurred. At first, she had hoped to be in a hospital, and that Bruce and Tim and Alfred were beside the bed. But the surface she was laying on felt nothing like a bed, no cushions or the scene of laundry cleaner. That smell you first notice in a doctor's office wasn't there, and there was no beeping sounds of heart monitors. But after a moment of her awakening, consciously, she was able to open her eyes barely. What had happened? Where was she, or how did she end up here? Her memory was a blur, but she could remember seeing the Joker, and having a fight, but she forgot everything else. A groan escaped her, and she tried to open her eyes more. Her mouth was dry, and she swallowed, and could now feel her mouth watering up thankfully.

She blinked slowly at first, to make it easier to blink rapidly. When she got most of her vision cleared, she looked around. She was in a dimly-lit room, and it was actually a little comforting to her. The light made her feel a little like she was in her own bedroom, which she kept lit dimly whenever she was relaxing. Above her, the ceiling was made of glass, so she could see the stars and moon. She would've thought it was pretty if she wasn't so confused. But there was something about this empty room, though, that gave her the creeps. It was too empty, too dark, too cramped. But then she noticed why she was feeling so cramped. Her wrists were tied above her head, and her legs tied together. She had a strap over her hips, probably to keep her from moving too much. She felt vulnerable, and now even fright was beginning to creep up on her, and her body instantly started to panic. She grunted, testing the strength out on the ropes. They held tightly, and they actually hurt on her wrists.

But still feeling sluggish from whatever drug was on that rag, she took a moment to let her thoughts return to her. She began to remember again walking around on patrol, then talking to Batman, meeting Joker, and getting into the fight. Then she guessed that she was drugged and put to sleep for a while until she was restrained. She needed to get out of here. She needed to get back to Batman. But how?

"Ah, I see that out little guest is awake. How delightful!" that annoying voice sang, making her jump and she looked around for the source. She spotted the Joker leaned up against the wall, playing with a yoyo and grinning like a lunatic. She gulped, and tried to break free again, but to no avail.

"Oh no, no, no! We don't want you to leave! Now, my dear, I wanted to ask you a few tinny tiny, harmless little questions." He spoke casually, or about as casual as you could get out of the Joker, as he leaned over onto the table beside her. He put the yoyo in his pocket, and he grinned at her.

Cathy glared at him and turned her head away so that she looked at the wall to the other side, an annoyed look on her face as she tried to hide her fear. "Go jump off a cliff." He laughed and his grin grew bigger, but it wasn't in amusement, it was almost wicked as he stared at her.

"Now, let's see… You want to get out, and I want to know where Batman is. Maybe we can make a deal! You tell me where old Bats is, and I just might let you go. How about it, sweetheart?" He propped an arm up on the table beside her, and she huffed and turned away. She knew that Bruce would stay quiet during this, and that was what she was going to do. She didn't say a word, and kept staring in the opposite direction.

The Joker hummed in thought and glared at her. He didn't have all night and he was really wanting to see the Batman for very top secret reasons. This girl was probably going to be hard to talk to, and he needed information soon. He looked at his watch. 2:00 am… Hm… He still had time for some torture tests before he went out to cause a scene to make the Batman come to him instead. He would have done so already, if he hadn't have wanted to surprise the Bat.

"C'mon, kid, I really need to know where my buddy, the Bat, is. I have something that I want to give him and I'm sure that he would be delighted to have what I want to give him!" When she didn't reply, he began to get frustrated. "Tell me where Batman is!"

She then looked at him. "I don't know where he is." And at this, she was being truthful. When she and Batman had separated, she didn't' know where he was going to be. He was going to call her later and tell her where he was for a check in. But he hadn't told her anything about his location, so she never knew.

The Joker, though, wasn't buying it. He slammed his fist onto the metal table, causing her to jerk. "Don't push me, girly! Tell me where he is!"

"If you want to see him so badly, my cell phone's in my back pocket. It's the one with the pink case and has a picture of your ugly ass face as the screen-," she didn't finish her insult and she gasped when his hand slapped her across the face. There was a silence, and she spat out one of the loosened teeth that had been knocked loose from the fight. It landed on the table beside his other hand that rested on the edge. He looked down at it for a split second, and then back to her face.

"Is… is that all you've got? Pretty pathetic..." she spat, gritting her teeth and glaring at him. He was about to hit her again, but he stopped himself. He realized that she was toying with him, trying to get him to give up. If he gave up, he would have killed her, and probably will whenever he got what he wanted. He wondered. Batman never had an attitude like this, and he wondered why this girl was like this being young and also being trained by Mr. Tall Dark and Serious. He'd expected a little bit of Batman to be seen in her.

"Hm… I wonder how I could make you talk…?" he wondered aloud, sighing and leaning again over the edge of the table.

He then began to think of ways to make her talk. There was cutting, which only needed a simple knife to use. He could cut her deeply without hitting a vein until she was crying in agony and told him where Batman was. But that was a messy job, and he just got this jacket cleaned, and unless he gagged her, there would be much screaming. There was boiling, which he could heat up a giant pot of hot water in only less than an hour. Do her one limp at a time, letting the pain ease over before it sizzled. Nah… he didn't want to waste water on a little girl like this. Let's see… there's also breaking her bones. He could start with the fingers, then the toes, then moved to the legs and arms. Then he could break her ribs. But… that would be physical strength taken away from him as well, as bones could be hard to break.

She huffed and frowned at the ceiling. "I'd be tickled pink if you could come up with a way."

His eyes snapped open and he paused in mid-thought. Then a broad, devilish grin spread across his face, his eyes lighting up dangerously as an idea struck him. Tickled pink? Hm… now there was something that could get a few words out of her without making a mess. Besides, he'd always loved the sound of laughter. It was perfect! It was an idea that made that grin that had appeared on his face grow even bigger until it looked too big for his face. Also tickling was a very useful technique used by many to get what they wanted, so he couldn't think of a better torture. Cathy looked up at him with bored and annoyed eyes, but when she saw that twinkle in the Joker's eyes, a frown appeared on her face and she arched a brow.

"What?" she blurted, feeling uncomfortable by that creepy look on his face.

"Tickled pink, eh?" he said, studying her body for a moment.

She frowned as she retraced what she had said, and when she realized what she said, she gasped. VERY bad choice of words… Why did she say that? WHY did she say that?! God… This was the Joker, the JOKER! He was the master of laughter, or torture, of… well… evil. Her eyes grew wide and she struggled against the ropes again. This reaction from her only provoked the man.

"I'm… I'm not ticklish." she then said flatly, trying to keep the fear in her voice hidden. But the man chuckled and stood back up straighter.

"Oh? You're not?" he inquired, cracking his knuckles. The sounds made her shake a bit and she forced herself to put on a serious face.

"No, I'm not." He then grinned again. He heard that hitch in the end of the statement, and he poked her in the side. She didn't move, but he saw her pupils constrict noticeably and her jaw twitched. He hummed in interest and this time scribbled his fingers up and down her side. It was a soft touch, almost not even touching her. It was feather tickling, and it was almost worse than normal tickling because you know exactly what was coming next. But knowing what he was thinking of doing and seeing his hand, she obviously tensed up. She looked away, and he saw the corner of her mouth twitch.

"Oh, this is going to be fun." he said, making her eyes widen before he began to scratched his fingers on her sides with more force. Not too much force to exactly hurt her, but to at least earn anything from her that could clue him to her more sensitive areas. Her breath hitched, and she clenched her jaw shut, gritting her teeth in order to keep the frown on her face. But he could see that the corners of her lips were fighting, trying to turn up. A smile was barely visible even as her eyes were shut tightly. He wasn't at all satisfied, and he wanted to get something out of her now. So he moved one of his hands to her stomach, and his fingers scratched at her sensitive skin. Her eyes snapped open for a moment before she shut them again, her whole body jumping in surprise before she forced herself to keep quiet, although a small squeak escaped. Her skin was covered in goose bumps.

The Joker grinned. "Hm… maybe we need to try something else…" he murmured, trailing his fingers roughly up farther, and then he dug his fingers under her arms. An uncontrollable giggle erupted from the Vixen's barely opened mouth, and she turned her head again. Then he knew exactly what to do. He called for one of his men to come in the room, and one appeared through the doorway and shut the door when he entered. He then walked over to the Joker's side. The Joker told the man what the plan was, and then man laughed at him about the idea, but when the Joker glared at him and pulled out a gun from his jacket, he nodded quickly and went to Cathy's side. The Joker, on the other hand, sat on the table at her feet.

Oh great… now there's two… Nice going, Cathy… That was all she told herself for a moment. How was she going to get out of this? She tried tugging on the ropes again, and she sighed and dropped her head back. She badly wanted to get out of this, but… in a way, if it made any sense, she was glad that Batman wasn't there to see it. It would have been humiliating. Don't get her wrong. Bruce had tickled her and Tim before, they'd had had their fun. But being in their crime-fighting uniform, what would he say? What would Batman have to say to this?

Her thoughts were interrupted by something prodding the area not exactly on her back, but close to under her ribs on the sides. Not having saw it coming, she began giggling and arching her back and wriggling against the ropes. But then she felt her boots being pulled off. She cried out in horror and laughter when the Joker then began to scratch his fingers up and down the bottoms of her soles, making her legs jerk and the ropes rub against the table's edge.

"NO! Hehehe-Hahaha! Stop! Please! Cut it out! HAHA!" she demanded through her laugh, trying to frown and make a unamused face but when the henchman's hands found their way to her stomach and ribs she screamed and a large grin began to work its way on her face. She didn't want to laugh, she didn't want to smile. She wanted to go home, she wanted to be away from this place and the Joker.

"Tell me where the Batman is and I'll consider it." The Joker sang, pinching her behind her knee. She yelped, but couldn't move. The henchman's fingers danced across her stomach, sides, ribs, and underarms. The Joker's were scratching against under her toes, and she then again shut her jaw, gritting her teeth and making sure that she couldn't laugh. Her eyes closed tightly, her body was tense to keep from moving. She tried to fight the sensation, tried to force herself to ignore the tickly feeling.

But then the Joker growled and told the man to get out, saying something that he was good for nothing. She had to admit, Bruce tickled better than that man had been doing. But she wouldn't admit that of course. So the madman turned to Cathy again, and sighed.

"Let's see… Ah! I know!" So he shoved her boots back on her feet and went back to her side. "We need to find that one spot on you that makes you tick. Now where is that spot, I wonder…"

Cathy took in a deep breath and huffed, looking away in embarrassment and anger, her cheeks flushing and her eyes collecting a frustrated hint. Joker chuckle darkly at her, and then tried barely trailing his fingertips up and down her sides. The reaction was almost immediate, and she arched away from his touch. Then he tried drawing imaginary circles with his finger around her belly. She tried to suck it in, hoping desperately that he'd stop but knowing all too well that he wouldn't. Then he leaned over with his other hand and placed both near her hips, just above where her joints connected. Her breath caught in her throat and she brought her legs up more on the table. He continued his exploration, and even used a pencil to carefully drag across he sides and under her arms. He wasn't trying to hurt her. He was mainly trying to see what area was more sensitive. He knew that if he found that one spot that was a little, even barely, more ticklish than the others, that would trigger her senses and would make the rest of her body more sensitive. He had to find that spot to start things up. He was just warming up in the beginning.

"You k-know, for someone w-who's violent, you sure h-have stupid torture m-methods…" she commented, hoping to get him to talk more than he was tickling her, distract him from his thoughts. The feathery touches were enough to make a giggle pip up every now and then, but since she was little, she just hadn't been as ticklish.

He grunted, and scratched the pencil down her ribs. "Stupid, but effective."

"Ugh… come on, just kill me already…" she muttered, but then she suddenly let out a yelp, one that was quite different from the others she'd made. The Joker lifted his gaze and stared at her for a moment, and then he poked her in the neck again. She instinctively ducked and looked away. Oh no… not there… Tim always used to tickle her neck, and she used to go hysterical. She felt the men's fingers wriggle against her skin on her neck, trying to find that special spot that got her fired up. He guessed he found it when she gasped and giggled.

"Stop… C'mon, don't you have anything better than this?" Seriously, cut her, drown her, anything besides this! Why was it that tickling was the most effective torture method? What was it about tickling that made it even worse than pain if extended for a long amount of time?

The Joker didn't answer, but he did dig his fingers into her neck again, and after a split second of doing so, he roughly scratched his gloved hand up and side her side. The reaction was different from before, now more hysterical and loud. She cracked up and her grin suddenly appeared again, and he grinned in triumph as he continued to tickle the places he'd already done so, and getting a bigger reaction this time now that the senses were on fire.

"STOP! Please, stop! Cut it out, you creep! Ahahaha!" she cried out, pleadingly trying to beg him to stop. But then the Joker grabbed the pencil and went back to scratching up and down her sides and stomach. Her nerves screamed and she squealed in uncontrollable laughter. She needed to get out of this, but her mind so overwhelmed by the tickling and she couldn't focus. Tears began to stream down her cheeks over her mask.

For Joker, this was actually fun. He could never get the Batman to laugh, but getting a student of him definitely was close to it. But then again this was a young thirteen year-old girl. So maybe there was no gain in this. She seemed pretty tough, though, with how long she'd gone without telling him anything he wanted.

"Okay, Okay! I'll tell! I'll tell! Please just stop!" she blurted, and he immediately stopped and looked at her still grinning face. After a moment she took in a deep breath and continued in a panting and worn out voice, "He's at home looking up new jokes that would put you to shame and out of business."

Joker growled. "No more games, kid!"

The Vixen gasped and burst into another fit of giggles when he again began to tickle her again. How much longer was she going to have to go through this? She felt faint, and she wondered how much longer she was goin got be able to fight this. If she passed out, then the Joker might have other plans. If she fainted, he'd probably either kill her, or use her to get to Batman.

Her laughter began to grow fainter, and she took sharp gasps of breath to try to control herself. The ropes at her wrists were hurting, and her neck was sore from having squirmed so much. Her cheeks hurt from the smiling. But then when she opened her eyes again, she noticed something in the glass above her. It was a figure, and for a moment she was hit with embarrassment as she continued to laugh. Oh no… not Bruce… Not Batman… But this figure seemed… smaller. Just then the figure did something, and the glass broke, sending shards falling onto the floor and alone with the intruder. The Joker yelled out in surprised and ducked, and Cathy shut her eyes to shield them from the glass. Then she opened her eyes again, and couldn't' have been any more surprised. Robin stood there in his red suit and black and yellow cape. His mask covering his face covered part of his eyes, but it was clear that he wore an expression of confusion and anger.

"Bird Boy!" Joker laughed, grinning. "Where's Batman?"

"Not here." Tim replied harshly before punching the man in the jaw and sending him staggering backwards and tripping over a small table with a crash. Tim then looked at the panting girl on the metal table and rushed over, cutting the ropes and helping her sit up. If she hadn't had looked so tired and helpless, he would have thought that it was funny. But now he felt sorry for her, and he made sure his little sister was breathing okay before turning to the Joker. But the man had disappeared through the doorway and more men came in. He frowned, and looked at Vixen. She didn't look like she was in any shape to fight, and he knew that she had no strength left. So he picked one of the smoke bombs from his belt and threw it on the floor in front of the men. When it went off and the room was full of smoke, Robin went to Vixen and picked her up in one arm.

"It's okay, sis… I got ya." he murmured before he then grabbed his grapple hook and shot it at the support beams and they were jerked up out of the smoke and out of the building. All the while he could hear the Joker cursing as they left.

About thirty minutes later, Tim was still carrying Cathy in his arms as he walked down the now dark empty street, her head leaned against his chest and her breathing becoming evened out and a normal pace. She had just gotten through telling him what had happened to her, about how she had met the Joker, about how she tried to fight the gang, and how she ended up on the metal table almost passed out. When she suddenly asked why he was out in the city instead of at home doing homework, he simply told her that he finished it. After a long moment of silence, Tim rested his chin on her head, and he couldn't help but smile in amusement for a moment.

"So… the Joker tickled you?" he summed up. He felt her tense up in his arms and she groaned as she nodded stiffly. He chuckled and grinned at the sheer thought.

"Oh, wait till Bruce finds out about this." he chuckled.

Cathy then looked up at him, and for the first time, he saw something in her eyes that he had never seen. Of course he's seen something like it before but this was much more intense, pleading. Her eyes were watering up from fear and terror. Normally, Cathy was a spirited little girl who was playful and energetic, had an attitude and could live with an embarrassing situation depending on what happened. But this was different. He could see the sheer dread in her hazel eyes, and the pleading expression etched in her features. He didn't like the way she was looking at him. It was sad, a look that he didn't like seeing her have. It made her look so defenseless, so mentally vulnerable.

"Please don't tell him! Please… Tim, don't tell him… please…" she buried her face in his chest, and he heard the pleading tone in her voice. His amusement vanished, replaced by pity and guilt for making her react so.

"Okay, okay… I… I won't." he assured, rubbing her back soothingly.

She looked up at him again. "Pinkie promise…?"

He widened his eyes. They hadn't made a pinkie promise in years, and he looked at her smaller hand, her one little pinkie finger sticking up. He smiled, and nodded. "Yeah, pinkie promise." And he let her pull on his pink with her own, to keep him from having to let go of her. He could see the happiness and relief in her eyes, and she smiled at him half-heartedly.

"But what are we going to tell him? Ya know he's gonna wanna know about what happened to you to be so worn out." Tim exclaimed, and watched as she made a thoughtful expression before it turned suggestive.

"You got back early and raced me?" she said, and he thought it over a little bit. Then he smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, okay. We'll tell 'em that." he agreed, and she hugged him.

"Thanks, Tim…" she sighed, snuggling up against chest. He gave her a squeeze with his arms and she kissed his cheek. He grumbled and rubbed his cheek against his shoulder, making her giggle and kiss him again, earning the same reaction. That started an all-out playful session of her trying to love on him and him trying to avoid it. But he didn't want to drop her, which put him in a disadvantage. Then he ended up falling over and she was nuzzling on him and playfully pecking his cheek while he tried to push her away.

"Cut it out, sis! That's gross!" he said, even though he was actually enjoying the attention and seeing her happy face again. He then grinned and wiggled his fingers into her side. She yelped and erupted into a fit of giggles. But him being below her, she was able to tickle him as well, and he laughed when she dug her fingers under his arms.

Then he grabbed her and brought her into a very tight hug, sitting up so that he was on his rear while they sat in the empty street. He brought her close to his chest and growled playfully as he tightened his grip around her.

"Can't… breathe… Tim…"

"What's the magic word?" Tim urged, and he began to give her sloppy kisses on her cheek and ear, making her giggle and squirm at the new form of tickling, and then she squealed when he blew a raspberry in her neck. She let out a delighted laugh and she struggled against his hold, hands against his chest pushing.

"Please?" she grinned, and he again blew a raspberry in her neck.

"Nope." he chirped, continuing to kiss her and tickle her with his fingers in her side.

"Please Timmy?!" she squealed, and he suddenly froze in surprise. She hadn't called him Timmy since she was little… overcome with affection and happiness, he then grinned and hugged her again, a bear hug that sent them both toppling over and her giggling madly.

"Ah, that'll work." He watched as she grinned back and hugged him back. Tim chuckled and kissed her cheek one more time, allowed her to do the same to him, and then they just sat there, hugging each other and giggling as they poked each other every now and then. But Cathy tackled him to the ground when he continued to tickle her, and she hugged him as tightly as she could and listening to him complain about not being able to breathe.

"If you two are done with your cuddling, Alfred's going crazy at home worried about Cathy."

The two jumped, and looked up at the figure wearing black and smiling at them with amused eyes. He leaned against the Batmobile, and the siblings grinned at each other before Robin stood up, jerking the Vixen up off the ground and swinging her in the air. Batman smiled, proud to see the young man so protective and loving of his little sister as she sat on his shoulders. But then he frowned, and studied the girl.

"Why didn't you answer when I called? Where have you been?" The two suddenly lost their amusement, and they looked at each other in uncertainty for the shortest of moments before Robin smiled at Batman.

"She fell asleep on the job and when I found her we raced for a bit. She didn't hear you." He spoke in a sure tone, one that didn't slip a single trace of amusement or nervousness. Batman studied the smiling girl on Robin's shoulders.

"Sorry…" she said timidly, and Bruce couldn't help but sigh knowingly and smile slightly.

"Alright… But make sure you get your sleep, Vixen." Bruce warned, and he turned and got into the Batmobile.

Cathy looked down at Tim, and she smiled thankfully at him, which he returned with a grin and wink. She giggled and hugged his head, nuzzling her cheek against his spiky black hair as they followed the Dark Knight to the vehicle.

Cathy was glad that she had such a loving brother, and a trusting one at that. She was sure of one thing. She was much happier that he had come to save her than Bruce. Tim was younger, and he understood her more about things that had to do with immature subjects. Bruce always got into detail and explained everything, and probably would have said something about her needing to overcome her weakness. Tim? He still couldn't believe what the Joker did. It was a little odd, that was for sure. And it was pretty immature for that full grown man to use tickling as a method of torture and interrogation. What did Joker want to give to Batman? That was what really bothered Tim. He felt sorry for Cathy to have to have gone through that. She was for sure very exhausted from that experience, and Tim hoped that she wouldn't have to go through that ever again.

Well… maybe not EVER again… He still needed to get her back for pranking him a couple of days ago.

Meanwhile back at the Joker's hideout…

"How could you fools let them get away?! Do you realize what you cost us?! I REALLY needed to know where Batman was, and if you would have caught them, I would have probably had my answer!" The Joker was shouting at his men, his eyes narrowed and his hands balled up into fists.

Harley was standing behind him, and she looked back at the big box that her lover had planned to give to the Batman. It was wrapped in purple paper with a big green bow, a little tag saying To: Bats From: Joker. She herself didn't really know what the Joker had planned to give to the Batman, only that he was very excited about doing so. He never told anybody what it was, so she thought that maybe she would peek for herself. She walked over to the box and, after looking over her shoulder to make sure he was distracted, she lifted the top off the box and looked inside. She saw a big container, looked like profane gas can, and a lot of wires hooked to it. Then she heard the beeping, and she looked at the clock with numbers on it and frowned.

"Mista J.?"

"What?!"

"What's that beeping noise?"

The Joker turned around to see what she meant, and then his eyes grew wide and he gasped dramatically and began to back up. "Harley, you fool!" was all he said before he turned to run for the door. But the beeping them stopped, and smoke suddenly flooded the room and before he could get to the door, he felt sleepy and lightheaded. The sleeping gas went into his systems, and he yawned before collapsing, along with everyone else that was in the room.

Well… Yup… odd story… but oh well. Just wanted to try it out. Review please!