A/N If you'd like you may want to pull these three songs in order, trust me, you'll know when to play them. House of the rising sun, original version, Into you by Ariana Grande, then Let me entertain you by Robbie Williams. Yes some of these are older but I promise, worth the listen while you're reading.

Chapter two – Parallel

5 AM

The city is quiet, quieter than it's been in a long time. It's appropriate, though a city like Gotham never sleeps, not really. Yet this is the quietest moment, the sun still waiting behind the darkness, the moon has lost its hold on the night stalkers of the city.

The perfect time, the only time. To tempt fate.

"He's ready to roll, sir." A guard calls as he walks out of the cell. "He still ain't talking."

"Well I wouldn't expect him to talk." Commissioner Gordon stares at the cage where the clown resides. "He's probably not used to the teeth yet."

The guard grins and nods in agreement. Gordon watches him walk away, talking into his two way, relaying codes and overseeing security.

"I don't like this." A deep, guttural voice speaks from the shadows. "He's gotten out before."

"It's different now." Gordon turns, unfazed by the sudden appearance of the batman, years have given him the immunity to the sudden appearance and disappearance of the man. "Arkham is updated, new security, computerized."

"Computers can be hacked."

"Not these, not that easily. We've asked for help from the federal government, they've lent us some of their best hackers to build this system."

The vigilante only stared at him doubtfully.

"There is still human error to contest with." He replies darkly. "This isn't the old days, when all he cared about was blowing the place up. He's gotten comfortable, he has influence now, money, those things go a long way."

"The guards in his section won't be so easily swayed. Arkham has hired current military soldiers. They're getting paid handsomely for their transfer and they're men of honor, they've been run through every psychological test we can think of, they're young, they're healthy and I'm told most of them have special ops training."

"It only takes one." The bat warns. "He's done it before, for all his insanity, we both know he can be patient."

"Everyone who comes near him has to be screened, even the person who cleans the cells."

Batman glances at the cell. "I still don't approve."

There is a moment of silence and Gordon holds back from his comment, under the circumstances, it's inappropriate.

Then you should have killed him. Because it's all we have.

Instead he says. "He can't stay here, they can't control him. He's been here for four months and he's already got everyone controlled. He rules here and that isn't the point of his incarceration. He treats this place like he owns it and to be honest with you, I'm not sure he doesn't half the time. Arkham doesn't cater to him, they can contain him, if nothing else."

"Containment isn't a solution."

"Do you have any other options?" Jim held up his hands helplessly. "Because I'm listening."

"Maybe but I'm not sure yet, consider it a suggestion for later."

"Well for now all we have is Arkham, if we're lucky they'll find a drug that will actually dope him up."

Neither said what the other was thinking.

Because there was no chance of them curing the prince of crime.

The problem was something else and they both knew it, for all their labels of crazy, the clown wasn't crazy. Not in the ways that made him manageable. He was smart, too smart for anyone's good. He lacked morality, he lacked decency and because of that theology, he believed he was more evolved than the rest, he saw them all as animals and himself as one of the only humans.

Yet the years had changed him, it had changed all of them. Himself, the batman, even the clown wasn't immune to time and Jim could dream that there would come a day when the Joker saw his grave.

Not today, not anytime soon.

The justice system was a strange complicated affair, even now when things had changed so much. He hated to admit it, it wasn't actually better.

Life sentences, no death sentence.

That a villain like him could afford such a lawyer, who not only got that removed from the table but also, got him the insanity plea.

Again.

There was a time when the Joker couldn't even afford the clothes on his back, now, he probably had more money than Jim made in a year as pocket change.

Sickeningly unbelievable, not all of the money was dirty.

The joker was a business man at heart, for all his chaos, all his crazy he could strike deals. Good ones, ones that made stock brokers cross their eyes.

That was not including the heists he performed when the market was down, his clubs, the many varieties of them. His pale bleached hands were all over Gotham, in every level of the social ladder.

Even the rich.

"You want to talk to him don't you?"

"I do."

"Okay, I'll leave you two to it then." Jim sighed.

He didn't want to be here for this, some might want to but he was in the same room with two of the most dangerous men in Gotham. He wasn't a fool, batman was just as dangerous as Joker, they were just lucky that he was on their side.

He took one more look at the Joker, who was tightly wrapped in a straight jacket, restrained and awaiting his escort.

He smiled at him, the bruises on his face from his initial imprisonment all but gone now, the silver of his teeth making him look, more threatening.

When Gordon was gone the Joker finally spoke, addressing his old friend.

"Come to see me off Batsy?" He leered, wishing he could get closer to the bars. "I'm touched."

"Then feel flattered, I'm coming with you." Bat growled.

Leaning his head back, Joker laughed hard. The sound echoing against the stone walls.

"You know they're going to stick you in a cell right next to mine."

"Not today." He retorted. "But I won't let your goons attempt anything, we both know they'll try."

"And we both know they'll fail." Joker agreed, grinning. "How's the little boy, your, sidekick."

"Leave him out of this."

"You know, came this close, this close to ending his little life. You know you surprise me Batsy, bringing a boy into our mix, something I need to know old friend?"

Batman said nothing and the joker laughed again.

"Getting old there? Having those thoughts about death? Well my friend let me be clear, when I get out, which I will, we both know it's going to happen. You aren't wrong, no computer system in the world is going to hold me back. When I get out I'm going to finish the job, I'm going to take a crowbar to his skull and your future, your legacy will be back to square one."

Still, the bat said nothing but he knew he was getting to him, he could see the tension in his eyes.

"And when I'm done with the boy wonder, I'll seek out the other one, your first protege, Nightwing. I'll end him too. How dare you change the game for us, weren't we having fun? Just the two of us, you bring in boys who don't have a clue."

"That's what makes you and I different Joker, I see the value in people. I see the benefits of trusting someone."

"You trust these boys to become your future? What's the matter batsy, feeling the ticking clock of time, that, oh what do women call it? Your biological clock ticking away on you. Maybe you can't have them, little rugrats to crawl around the batcave, to grow up and take on the new generation of villains. My offspring."

"You sound hypocritical." He mused. "You judge me for taking on someone, yet how many have you set into the world?"

"The difference is bat, is that I let my children go free. I don't hold them down, I create them, I give them the nourishment their little chaotic minds need and then I let them go learn for themselves."

'How's that played out for you?"

"Oh listen to us, bragging about our kids like we're in a sitcom. Questioning each others parenting skills. We must be getting old."

"I don't consider myself a parent."

"There see, that makes me a better father than you. I acknowledge mine, your poor boys. No wonder Nightwing took off, didn't get the daddy connection did he?"

"How many of yours are dead?" The bat taunted quietly.

Joker smirked. "Like I said, I let them learn their own lessons. You got to let your kids fly batman, you can't control them once they're all grown up. So a few of mine have died, sad but a risk every father takes when he brings a new life into being."

"They had a chance before you tainted them."

Joker shook his head. "No, a chance was the thing they never had. Not in that world, not in that thing you want to belong to called normal. Yes, mine may die but they die free, they die knowing who they are, what they are. If they're part of our world they should be in our world, not theirs."

"Maybe if you took the time to 'raise' one of those poor souls, they might actually succeed."

"Aw, giving me parenting tips there batsy?" Joker shook his hair out. They'd let it grow out, he could at least guarantee at Arkham, he'd get a decent haircut. Well half decent.

"No, just stating an obvious flaw in your thinking."

"What? You saying I should settle down?" He raised an eyebrow, what was left of it. "Gonna set me up with someone?"

Batman's mouth twitched sourly. "I don't think a woman like that exists and no, I think the last thing you need to do is settle down. Not that It will matter for a while."

"Well, maybe you aren't wrong. I sadly doubt there will ever be someone who can be at my side. I don't think even I could create such a woman."

"What, insane?"

"Oh, that just hurt." Joker grinned.

People assumed that's what he wanted, someone who was crazy and yes that was exactly what he wanted but not the sort of crazy they were thinking. He wanted smart crazy, he wanted HIS sort of crazy. Wild and free, a woman who could stare him in the eyes and smile at his threats, grin at his aggression, laugh at his violence.

So far, that woman did not exist, anywhere and he'd resided that she never would.

And though he called his creations his children, he had no plans to ever actually reproduce.

Batman stepped away, back into the shadows of the corridor.

"You know, they'll eventually get you in here too. I've always said it, how many times has this city turned on you? Remember our first game batsy?"

"I remember." The shadows say, an excellent effect. "But I just don't care anymore."

Laughter fills the prison's corridors and the guards know it's time to move him.

It takes almost an hour, security check after check, scanning for his men, the ones who are obvious, the ones who aren't.

The bat in position, even Nightwing, specially flown in for the occasion.

The joker should feel flattered by all the attention but he doesn't.

Arkham, god not again. How did they expect him to do business when he was locked up in that loony bin? It was nearly impossible to get anything done with a IV full of drugs that made you stupid.

Handle him? They couldn't even approach him.

How were they going to handle him?

They moved him into the transport truck, every part of him bound, even his mouth was silenced, though poorly.

He didn't know these cops, probably hand picked by the commissioner.

It didn't matter, he'd get free, sooner better than later but he doubted Frost would be able to get this done in time.

The truth was, his men didn't know he was being moved today.

Even he hadn't known that he would be transferred.

They'd changed the schedule on him.

He wasn't due for Arkham for another year.

At least, that's what they'd said.

He sneered, should have known they were bluffing. Something else for his list.

The streets were relatively empty, the creatures of the night turning in for the ones of the day to take their turn in the game.

Six police cars escorted the truck, the batman keeping easy pace with them. Joker could hear the sound of his bike outside.

They were taking the long way, idiots.

There was a much shorter way to get to Arkham but he supposed they didn't want to risk going by his haunts, the boys would move quickly, Frost realizing what was going on the instant he saw these cops.

They passed by a residential area, mostly apartments, nothing high class but not the ghettos either, he couldn't see outside but he had an idea of where he was.

They pass a twin apartment complex, where up high on the roof of one of the buildings, there was a young woman, busy with her hands pressed against the ground and her legs high in the air. Doing a walking handstand.

Headphones in her ears, she was oblivious to the commotion downstairs, even if she'd looked, she couldn't know where they were going.

Cops were this way all the time.

She went from a handstand to a flip, once, twice, three and then stood straight, arching her back and doing a set of cartwheels across the length of the roof.

She was light, quiet and even if she thudded, the people who lived on the top floor wouldn't hear her, the concrete was thick.

Harley Quinzel was up early, earlier than most of her neighbors. Every day she was up here, doing the favor of watering the garden while she practiced.

Her only time of privacy.

Her watch started to glow and she sighed, feeling like she hadn't gotten much training in today.

She popped her neck, grabbing her things, taking a look over her shoulder.

The sun was just now rising on the horizon. Gotham was beautiful at this hour, just touching the buildings with light, a sight that could always settle her mind and give her focus for the day.

Harley made her way back down to her apartment. A one bedroom that faced the east side of the building, she lived alone, no pets, her furniture was currently all second hand. A small sofa bed, a chair, coffee table her mother had given her from the house. A TV that was about the size of a toaster. No kitchen table, just the counter and a few bar stools.

The largest things in the room were three bookshelves. One full of trophies, her glory days when everyone thought she'd be a professional gymnast, that she'd participate in the Olympics and be famous.

She looked away from that, that had never been her want, her dreams lie elsewhere. The second shelf housed books, as many as she could pack inside. All sorts, every subject.

The third was the one she lingered on, like she did most days.

Pictures, both in photo and children drawings. Her niece and nephew.

They'd spent the weekend with her, both of them. A rare treat for all of them. Their mothers didn't get along but they both trusted Harley with Jenny and Nicky, and the two half siblings didn't get the chance to interact together often.

Wasn't like Barry ever went to see his own kids.

She shook off the thoughts of her brother and walked into her bedroom.

The room was even less impressive than her living room, a double sized bed, two dressers that she'd had to bring up by herself, a nightstand and a walk in closet full of gently used clothes.

Harley wasn't exactly in the position to be filling her closet with nice new things from boutiques, though, she hoped soon that would change.

She stripped down and got changed, she'd take a shower at work.

As she changed, she noticed her answering machine was blinking angrily at her. She hadn't checked it since Friday.

Sighing she walked over to it and pressed the red button.

You have seven missed calls.

"Hi Harleen, it's your mother. Thank you for taking Jenny and Nicky, I'm sure they had a great time with their dad and aunt."

"He never even showed up." She yelled at the machine. "He was probably out with his friends drinking all weekend."

She deleted the message.

"Hey sexy, it's Paul, I had a great time on Friday..."

She deleted that one too.

"Hey Harley, it's Jack, I haven't heard from you in two months, I was wondering if you were busy this weekend."

Delete.

"Hey, it's me. Look, I'm sorry. I just want to talk, please call me."

She hesitated then pressed delete.

"I'm sorry, I know I messed up."

Delete.

"Harley, I know you're home, please answer the phone. I'm sorry, really I am. We need to talk."

Delete.

"Okay, I get it, you're angry with me, I deserve that but we have to work together and I won't lie, I miss spending time with you. Please just give me a-"

She deleted that one too, more angry at that call than the rest.

"You want to call me now? Let me guess, your girlfriend dumped you and you're after a quick tumble with Harley Quinn, well Danny, sorry this ride is closed for you. Permanently."

She grabbed her jacket from the couch and her helmet, slinging her change of clothes and wallet onto her back, the red and blue backpack extravagantly bright.

Jenny had begged her to buy it for herself.

"It looks like the acrobats at the circus when you took us aunty Harley, please get it, the colors look so pretty on you."

She made it to the elevator and headed for the parking lot.

All her neighbors had cars, not her, she owned her one and only splurge.

A Harley Davidson motorcycle.

She'd fallen in love with it when she'd passed the dealership and she couldn't help herself.

Her mother disapproved.

"Harleen, a lady should not be riding around on a dangerous machine like that. It's just not, safe or proper."

She smirked and made the joke she always made when she thought of the first time her mother saw her pull up in the thing.

How about I ride it side saddle then?

"Hi baby." she said to the bike. "Lets go."

Slinging her leg over she cranked the engine, loving the feel of power as her baby came to life.

It was painted a very dark green, almost black, her favorite color, though she would have liked a lighter green, she didn't have the money to change it yet.

"Soon." she murmured and left the lot.

The roads were empty, Gotham was quiet, though she knew from experience it wouldn't stay this way for long. There was only ever a short lull in traffic.

The city of Gotham was only taking a nap.

A earbud in her left ear, her other clear so she could listen to the traffic noises, she decided to take the short way to Arkham. She'd be there early but that way she could shower and change in peace.

Instead of music, she was listening to a woman talk, teaching her how to pronounce words without the gritty, obvious accent she had.

She mentally corrected her words, pushing that part of her past down deep, she normally managed to hide it well enough but when she got mad, which that bastard would definitely do when he saw her today, well it slipped out.

She drove unafraid, picking up the speed and playing with the curbs.

She loved this, the freedom of just driving.

Her blue eyes picked up on every change, she loved racing the invisible riders who she imagined in her head.

Funny, a therapist who still had imagination.

The bridge to the Narrows was in her sights and she sped up some more, the engine purred and she laughed in delight, ignoring her audio tutor for a moment.

The bridge was the place to be fast, to let go and loose herself in the moment of speed.

It was lowered, she grinned, straight shot.

The hair that stuck out of her helmet blew wildly behind her and everything else disappeared.

Only her and the road.

Her fun was however disrupted by the sound of sirens coming up behind her.

She looked back in the mirror and saw six cop cars following her, she was going fast but not fast enough to earn that sort of attention.

Then from behind she saw the transport truck, it clicked.

New patient.

From Blackgate more than likely but something else. Right in the corner of her rear view, something black and sleek, a bike but not just any bike.

Her heart sped up, thudding in her chest and she gripped the handles tighter.

The batman.

In her time at Arkham asylum, she'd heard the vigilante visited, questioned prisoners, even made deals with a few but she'd never seen him in person, not even the bat mobile or his bike, which was steadily catching up to her.

She hit the gas and the impulse took her over.

What are you thinking HARLEY she screamed at herself.

"Hey, you have to see this, some idiot is trying to race the bat on a bike." The driver of the truck called to the back.

"Oh man, it's a chick." His passenger called, both of them laughing.

Joker mildly curious as they continued on their way.

There was no way to look outside but he knew they were on the bridge, almost there. No rescue, damn it.

Harley sped on, keeping the bike steady, the good officers of GCPD were now talking over their radios, giving Joker a fully running commentary of the apparent excitement outside.

Well at least the ride wasn't a complete waste.

"Oh, she passed him."

"Nope, he's catching up, there we go. He's overtaken her."

"God, she's crazy."

"Did you know a bike could do that?"

He wished he could see what was going on, looking at the back of the helmet the guard wore was definitely not entertaining. Watching someone racing the bat and potentially crashing, that sounded like entertainment.

"No way, she's beating him."

He's gotta be letting her win."

"No, she won. Look, she cheated."

That made Joker grin, he could appreciate cheating to win.

Harley hadn't cheated, she'd just seen a quicker way in and she'd taken it. She hadn't really been trying to race the bat and she doubted he would take the time to race her but she'd gotten so caught up in the moment, she couldn't help it.

They reached the gates of Arkham and she flashed her security badge first, she waved at the front guard who was shaking his head, laughing at her antics.

Luckily the guards were used to her flying speed.

She drove the bike to the staff parking and dismounted, adjusting her bag and running in through the employee entrance, with a new inmate showing up, there was no way she was going in through the main entrance.

The transport truck stopped and the doors were opened, guns on the Joker who'd at least managed to get out of the straight jacket during the ride.

Didn't tighten it enough boys. He hissed in his head.

That didn't help the extra restraints though, those he couldn't get out of.

They lowered him out, the batman walking beside him, keeping silent.

"Hear you had yourself a little fun batsy." He said in a muffled tone, the thing over his mouth almost off.

Batman didn't answer.

"Lost to a girl." He laughed as he was dragged through the doors.

The main foyer was almost empty, only three guards who all rose from their seats, no doctors, no visitors.

They'd chosen this time for security reasons, less casualties if something went wrong.

The glass doors opened and an older man came through to greet them.

Joker sneered, Dr Stevens. The newest chief of the Elizabeth Arkham asylum for the criminally insane. successor to Dr Alyce Sinner, who was probably housed in her own little cell.

"Joker, welcome home." Stevens said dryly.

J laughed biting off the last of the thing over his mouth.

"Thanks, dad." He teased, glancing over at batman, he spoke directly to him. "He's my four step parent here."

"Funny Joker, funny." Stevens sighed. "Come on, we've got a surprise for you. Batman, I'm not supposed to let you past these doors but considering the patient, I'll make an exception."

"Aw, you get to take me to my room batsy." he laughed, letting his head fall back.

They led him to the security elevator, not the one the visitors or doctors used. Interesting, they kept the panel out of his sight, putting in codes.

So the rumors were true, they'd updated again.

"Joker, you can thank the Wayne Enterprise for the upgrades that were made, just for you." Stevens said, a hint of bitterness in his tone.

Joker grinned, looking at the closest guard.

"Dad doesn't like spending money on me, he thinks I'm blowing my life away on girls and booze."

The slightest twitch of a smile appeared on the young man's face but he hid it away quickly.

Ah youth, so easy to corrupt.

One, two, three, four floors.

The doors open and they're in a long polished corridor with nothing else, glass on either side, probably bullet proof and on the other side another elevator.

Waiting for him, were four guards. All of them standing at attention, no SWAT gear, revealing that they were all physically capable.

"Oh, new toys." Joker said gleefully.

"I don't think so Joker, these boys, won't be like your others. They don't play back."

"Aw, what happened to Cash? He was fun."

"Luckily for Cash, he's going to be enjoying retirement."

"Croc finally get the other limbs huh?"

They reached the guards who quickly moved to take control of him, they didn't even seem phased by anything about him. They adjusted his restraints, this time they were tight, very tight.

"He's undone his jacket." The one on his right said, glaring at the cops. "No one catch that?"

"I did." batman said roughly. "They were never in any danger."

"Only takes one mistake." the guard said disapprovingly.

"We got him from here boys." the head guard said and motioned for the other elevators. Dr Stevens smiled politely.

"I'm sorry, only personnel from this point."

"Aw, daddy, can't I have my friend come up to my room to play?" Joker said, actually managing a sincere looking pout.

"Oh, I was going to let him come up but I can't have the police up there, it upsets... the others."

One of the guards muttered something under his breath. "The bat's gonna rile them up bad."

The head guard came to face joker, crossing his arms and smiled at him.

He was tall, broader built than Joker was, dark blonde hair, almost brown, brown eyes that looked broken. Like he'd seen such horrors that you couldn't imagine, tawny skin, like a really, really good tan and a scar going across the front of his ear.

"I'm Jimmy, I'm the leader of this team, before we escort you to your room a few new rules. You mess with me, I mess with you. Second rule, I have no issue in roughing you up if you try anything stupid, you stay cool and we're all cool, third and this is probably the most important one. Dinner's at six."

Joker raised an eyebrow at Stevens.

"Where you get this one, he's fun."

"Iraq." He said simply.

Military.

"Oh dad, you got me G.I Joe's."

They didn't turn him around until a password was put into the system and then they drug him into the second elevator.

No music, nothing for him to annoy them with. He looked at the bat instead who was carefully glaring at him.

He flashed his new teeth at him.

Batman had finally gotten angry enough to do some damage, finally he'd lost a little of that control.

At the cost of his face, which he wasn't happy about but well, a fair trade he supposed.

All over a boy, all over that little boy who he'd been so close to killing.

Never mind, next time, next time.

A/N so lets get the obvious out of the way, in this story, robin is not dead, yet. I'm doing that to try and salvage the two story lines. Where Joker kills him and Harley has a hand in it. You'll see but I wanted to keep the teeth thing. Also, I know the style of the chapter is different than what you might be used to from me if you are reading chaos but I just could not help myself. I had this scene in my head and it actually played out like this, with the music and all. The rest of the chapters are going to alternate between Harley and Joker from now on. If there is a change I'll let you guys know before hand.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter, I had fun writing it. Please as always review, can be one word or entire paragraphs, I love them all. Thanks for your support, I know this story is still a baby but I promise to make it as amazing s I can. Your input on what scenes you'd like to see would be really helpful.

Also, I wanted to give anyone who didn't know a little trivia. Gotham is apparently in New Jersey, figures huh? I've been trying to map out Gotham and all that so I can mention places but having a hard time of it. Any help in this department is also appreciated.

Anyway, love you guys, I write these stories for you. Chaos is a lot more about the emotional outcome than the story telling itself but this one is the story, so yes those fans of chaos. The flashback scenes will be present in this story IN DETAIL! So enjoy the roller coaster ride and have fun, see ya later!