I do not own Batman, Alfred Pennyworth, Jervis Tetch (aka The Mad Hatter), or any other named character present. They belong to DC Comics. This was written purely for fun.

Back in the Batcave, Alfred stood before the large computer screen. His tired eyes were downcast on the expansive keyboard, watching as the feathers of his duster moved back and forth over the keys. They lifted up to the screen from time to time, making sure to monitor any progress in the processing of the Mad Hatter's blood.

He glanced over his shoulder at the bound villain. He was still cringing every now and then, but showed no signs that he was waking up.

Alfred returned his attention to dusting. It was all he could do to keep from dozing off. It had been an early morning for Bruce Wayne, and it was turning into a remarkably late night for Batman. He paused in his cleaning to gaze at the clock on the computer screen. It was nearing 3 o'clock.

As his shoulders slumped in an inaudible sigh, the machine made a "beep" noise. He blinked tiredly and shifted his eyes to the side of the screen. Beneath the words "ManBat Serum" appeared another set of words.

He read the words with vague interest. Master Bruce would certainly find the new information much more intriguing. He reached for the telephone to his right.

His hand came to a halt when he heard a noise from across the cave. He slowly glanced behind him toward the table as a soft groan reached his ears.

The feelings of exhaustion were instantly replaced as panic coursed through the butler's veins. Can't let him see me! He looked frantically to his left and right. He dropped the feather duster on the keyboard and swiftly moved toward where Master Bruce kept his numerous Batman costumes. He quickly threw on one of the capes and grabbed a black mask that covered his eyes. He allowed the cape to drape over his tuxedo.

He hastily and silently ran back to the computer, his wide eyes on Tetch's waking body. He turned back around to the monitor, desperately searching for—

Master Bruce's hat. His eyes landed upon Bruce Wayne's fedora, the one he had worn to his meeting that morning. He quickly snatched it up and threw it on his head. Lord, he felt ridiculous…but he couldn't afford to have himself recognized by one of Batman's enemies.

He returned his attention to the computer. He pulled up a window and quickly typed in a message, his fingers moving nimbly across the keyboard. He sent the short message to the Batmobile, notifying the Caped Crusader that their guest was regaining consciousness.

Another soft groan brought his eyes back to Jervis Tetch. The man didn't appear to be moving; he looked like he was just staring up.

With the panic slowly dissipating, Alfred cautiously began approaching the table. The oversized cape dragged across the ground, leaving very little room for his feet to meet the ground. Despite the cape, he was moving very quietly. He continued forward.

"…ugh…"

Jervis's closed eyes clenched and his mouth tightened into a frown. He drew a deep breath through his nose, pain shooting through his body. His head throbbed with a horrible headache.

He exhaled through his mouth and slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't see anything; the air above him was black. He blinked, mildly confused by the sight, but too disoriented to really put much thought on it. He was too groggy to hear the rapid footsteps somewhere in the distance—

A blanket of agonizing pain covered him, like a pulse from his head through his body, making him cringe. His eyes slammed shut and his body tensed to the point where it was shaking uncontrollably. He could barely feel the restraints across his body as he pressed against them.

Just as suddenly as the feeling came, the pain disappeared, leaving his body aching.

Jervis collapsed against the table he was tethered to, breathing heavily through his mouth. Memories of the past few days came rushing back, bringing a heavy feeling to his stomach. The large amounts of time in which he was unconscious didn't worry him so much as the times when he was awake and aware.

He opened his eyes, trying to push those thoughts aside and focus on where he was now. He couldn't see or hear anything. He only knew he was lying on his back—

A soft scrape of a shoe against the ground reached his ears. His eyes shot wide and his body went rigid. Someone else is here. He felt his pulse shoot up, a tremble coursing through him. Oh God, what if it's one of them?! He tried to lift himself up, but found himself restrained. He fought against the straps across his chest, arms, and legs to no avail. There now came the sound of rapid footsteps coming toward him. Terror seized him.

"Who's there?!" Jervis yelled in question, sounding beyond panicked. He continued to fight against the restraints and desperately tried to see something, anything.

"Calm down, Mr. Tetch!" a voice called out, still a little distance away. The footsteps never stopped. "Calm down!"

Jervis recognized the accent. He didn't remember anyone having a British accent…and they didn't call him Mr. Tetch. His struggling came to an abrupt halt, but he didn't relax. "Where am I?" he asked the unknown voice, still sounding clearly frightened.

The footsteps slowed to a speedy walk before coming to a stop. The Mad Hatter whipped his head to his left. He found a brooding caped figure standing a few feet away from him. His first thought was that it was Batman, but the person was much too small to be the Dark Knight. The cape hung loosely off of the man's thin shoulders. The man's face was slightly aged and narrower than Batman's…and the cowl was missing. A thin moustache sat over his upper lip. There was a black mask over his eyes, much like the kind he had seen on Harley Quinn. On his head sat a fedora.

If Jervis hadn't been so panicked, he would have laughed. The poor excuse for a disguise looked like it had been thrown together. He simply remained frozen and stared at the unknown man, his eyes darting from feature to feature.

"Where am I?" he asked again.

The caped man hesitated a moment, looking off to his side at something Jervis couldn't see. He gazed back at the bound villain. "You are under the care of Batman," he finally replied.

Batman.

The Mad Hatter stared at the man for a few silent moments before he breathed a relieved sigh and collapsed back against the table. He returned his eyes up to the darkness above him. "So long as I'm not there, anyplace will do…" he mumbled to himself.

In his peripheral, he saw the man cock his head slightly. "…what exactly happened to you?" he asked slowly and apprehensively.

Jervis's eyes shifted to the man without moving his head. "I don't quite know myself," he answered softly. Another wave of pain overcame him, making him wince again. When the feelings passed, he looked back at the man. "All I know is that I've either been unconscious or a stark-raving homicidal lunatic for the past however-many days."

"So you've been aware of your actions?" the caped man asked.

The sandy haired man's eyes returned to the darkness, a deeply concerned look appearing on his face. "Oh, yes," he replied sadly, "I most certainly have."

Alfred stared down at the villain with thoughtful eyes, an eyebrow unconsciously rising. He had expected a criminal to be somewhat proud of their feats. This man didn't sound remotely proud; he sounded like he regretted his actions…

"…It was…" Jervis began reflectively, breaking Alfred from his thoughts. "…it was almost like I was watching myself, outside of my body." He closed his eyes, his brow furrowing as the graphic images displayed in his mind's eye. "It's all like some horrible nightmare."

Before the butler in disguise could respond, the silence that hung in the air between them was interrupted by the sound of an approaching motor. The Batmobile pulled into the Batcave and came to a halt. The Dark Knight jumped out of the vehicle and turned toward the table where the Mad Hatter lay. He faltered in his step when he spotted Alfred, dressed in one of his capes and wearing his hat. He raised an eyebrow, but continued toward the table.

"Nice outfit," the Caped Crusader said discretely to the caped man as he passed him.

"Only the best for you, sir," Alfred shot back in a mild-mannered tone that dripped with sarcasm.

Batman suppressed a grin and looked down at the Mad Hatter. Jervis stared up at the Dark Knight with uneasy eyes. The two just exchanged stares in an uncomfortable silence before the villain blinked. "I suppose I should thank you…" he finally said.

"For what?" Batman asked solemnly, remaining motionless. "I haven't done anything to help you yet."

"That's not quite true," Jervis countered, lifting a finger. "You've somehow managed to—" He stopped short when he cringed again, taking a hissing breath in through clenched teeth.

Batman's brow slightly furrowed at the sight. He waited for Jervis to open his eyes wearily before he spoke again. "Do you have any idea what happened to you?"

The Mad Hatter's eyes strayed to the darkness above him. "I have a vague idea, though I am fairly certain that you may already know more than I."

The Dark Knight raised an eyebrow. "Tell me what you know."

Jervis's eyes slowly closed, focusing past the slaughter to what he did remember. "I had just finished pouring a cup of tea and had just settled in with a book when I heard a thump at my door…"

His blue eyes lifted from the text, a curious expression on his face. He leaned slightly to his left to get a better look at the front door. He stared at the threshold for a few seconds in silence before he closed his book and rose to his feet.

Cautious steps were taken toward the door. He briefly broke his stare to reach for the ax propped up against the wall.

His fingers had barely brushed against the wooden handle when another loud THUMP sounded, followed by the slam of the door hitting the wall. His head whipped back around to the door in time to see a young man bring his foot back down to the floor.

Jervis's wide eyes remained on the trespasser for a single moment. He felt his heart beating in his chest and his senses heighten. In a swift movement, he grabbed the ax and took off down the hall, away from the man. Over his own rapid footsteps he could hear three more pairs of feet racing after him.

A rough grab was made at him, catching him by the collar of his shirt. A choked yell escaped from Jervis as he was jerked back. His brow furrowed and he grit his teeth, feeling his panic quickly escalating into pure rage. He whirled around and slapped the hand from his shirt, angry eyes locking on the man behind him. He took a swipe at him with the ax.

The man jumped back away from the madman, looking clearly alarmed. He let out a yelp when the heavy blade sliced his arm open. He made a grab for the blade of the ax.

Another pair of hands grabbed at Jervis's shirt collar. His enraged eyes shot to his left at the second of the three assailants. He continued to struggle against the man fighting for the ax as he brought a leg up and swiftly drove the heel of his foot into the second man's stomach. As the breath was forced from his body, Jervis threw his shoulder into the man, knocking him off his feet.

The Englishman released the ax, sending the bleeding man stumbling back. He whirled around to find the third man—

He felt the breath drain from his body as knuckles were buried deep into his stomach. Through the searing pain, he felt his knees buckle beneath him. He collapsed to the ground, an arm wrapped around his bruising stomach and the other pathetically trying to lift himself.

Rough fingers grabbed at his sandy hair, yanking his head up. A strained noise escaped from him, sounding like a mix between a yell and a cry. He was hardly able to feel the grip on his locks release and a firm hand press against his forehead to keep his head up. His arms were grabbed and held behind his back, another arm around his chest to keep him upright. His blurred eyes managed to focus on two very angry looking young men, one bleeding. His eyes slightly widened when the other pressed a sickly-sweet smelling rag over his nose and mouth. He felt his muscles loosen and his eyes rolled back into his head. His eyelids fell as his body slumped over, blacking out…

His eyes slowly began to flutter open, his head beginning to clear. He took a strained breath, an ache in his stomach from where he had been punched.

"…e's waking…"

"…care of…"

"…es, sir…"

He didn't even get the chance to open his eyes when he felt a needle stick him in the arm. He cringed slightly before he felt something being released into his veins. He opened his eyes, instantly blinded by a bright light above him. He squinted through the light, his blue eyes darting around to find something, anything, that told him something about what was going on. His eyes, however, were still far too unfocused to see anything clearly, as they would remain until he was set loose in Gotham.

"Each time I started waking up," Jervis said, his eyes still closed, "they would inject me with something and I'd pass out again. It wasn't until I found myself rampaging around Gotham City I realized I had been released."

Batman and Alfred stood in silence, listening to every word of the horrific tale. Alfred turned and glanced at the brooding masked man next to him a few moments after the Hatter had finished speaking.

"That second voice…" Batman finally said, breaking his silence, "describe it to me."

Jervis's brow slightly furrowed in concentration, trying to hear the voice again. "Um…" he began slowly, "he sounded…a little aged. Not old, mind you, but not young either. Sounded American… Articulate? Scholarly, almost…"

"And the other voices?"

Jervis's eyes opened slowly and he glanced up at the Dark Knight. "Hesitant," he immediately said. "Unsure of what they were doing…young; I'd say early twenties."

"And these younger voices," Batman pressed, "did they sound like juveniles on the streets?"

"Oh, no," Jervis replied, "not like any ruffian I've ever heard. No, they sounded almost like the older gentleman."

"If 'gentleman' is what you'd like to call him," Alfred slipped in, looking off toward the computer.

A silence fell over the three men for several moments before Jervis spoke up. "So what do you know already?" he asked quietly, his blue eyes lifting to the Dark Knight.

The masked man stared down at the bound villain. "I know you were injected with something, something that stimulates aggression. I'm analyzing your blood as we speak—"

"You took my blood?" the Hatter asked, a look of concern appearing on his face.

"A sample, yes," Batman confirmed with a slight nod. "I've been running it through my computer. You have been injected with a new kind of serum, I believe, one that triggers aggression and—"

"—and slightly mutates," Jervis concluded.

Batman blinked. "Correct," he said.

"Speaking of the computer," Alfred cut in, bringing the eyes of the Caped Crusader and the Mad Hatter to him, "another component has been isolated."

Batman's eyebrow cocked in interest before he turned and glanced over his shoulder at the massive screen. His eyes widened slightly, then narrowed in confusion. "That can't be right…"

"What?" Jervis asked, now sounding nervous.

The Dark Knight's eyes returned to the Hatter, studying him intently. Jervis felt himself shrink back against the table under the vigilante's scrutinizing eyes, but he stared right back at him.

"My thoughts, too, sir," Alfred said, still staring at the words on the screen. "He isn't showing the classic symptoms."

"…it may be right." As Alfred turned to look at the masked man, Batman moved to the piece of technology. He began typing furiously, running with a hunch. A few seconds later, the computer let out a ding noise. "A little modified, but essentially the same drug," the Caped Crusader said at last, still studying the screen.

"And what exactly is this drug, pray tell?" Jervis asked, growing peeved that he was being kept out of the loop.

"Fear toxin," Batman finally unveiled.

Jervis's eyes shot wide. "Jonathan's fear toxin?" he heard himself repeat.

"Well, his anti-fear toxin, to be more precise," Batman explained, bringing a gloved finger to his chiseled chin. He studied the chemical compound on the screen with intent eyes. "It looks like it may have been mixed with another one of his specific toxins: the one that triggers when adrenaline is pumping." In a swift movement, he returned to the Hatter's side and gave Alfred a sidelong gaze. "It's beginning to look like we're dealing with a very talented chemist of sorts…"

"And a thief," the butler added wryly.

"A thief…" Jervis repeated quietly, bringing the disguised men's eyes to him. The Mad Hatter's head turned and he gave Batman a worried look. "This guy took Jonathan's toxins?"

Batman remained motionless as a sense of dread subtly blanketed over him. "I can't be sure until I go and investigate," he replied in a flat voice, "but first thoughts point to yes. Two young men broke into the Langstrom laboratory to steal the ManBat serum; chances of the same happening to the Scarecrow are pretty high."

Another silence hung in the air over the three. Alfred looked back and forth between the hero and the villain as the two stared at each other.

Jervis's eyes slightly widened when he realized what Batman was waiting for. "Oh no…" he began in an incredulous voice, "I can't tell you where Jonathan is staying."

"You can," Batman began in a low voice, "and you will."

"Jonathan will have my head if he finds out I told you!" Jervis protested.

"He's not going to find out," Batman replied, sounding anything but reassuring. "Besides, if someone broke into his home like they did with Langstrom and you, he could have been hurt." He paused when Jervis's face softened in reflection, allowing his words to sink in and try to be comprehended in his chaotic and unstable mind. "I know Crane is your friend…"

The Mad Hatter's eyes fell from the Caped Crusader. "He is…" he agreed softly. He sat in a heavy silence, considering. "If I tell you," he finally began at length, "you can't tell him that I told you." His eyes shot to the vigilante, hardened and coated with a thin layer of madness. "You have to promise me that you won't tell him," he said firmly, "and that you won't take him to Arkham."

Batman raised an eyebrow, but continued to stare down at the criminal. "And if I do?" he ventured to ask.

Sandy eyebrows lowered over Tetch's hostile glare. He slowly pressed his body against the straps holding him down, only managing to close the gap between himself and the Dark Knight by a few inches. "If you do," he began in a low and vicious voice, "then I will find a way to control whatever is wrong with me, and I will use it against you."

The Caped Crusader remained completely motionless, his face rock hard. He received threats on a daily basis; he was plenty used to it. Such a violent threat from the Mad Hatter, which still had to be taken seriously, didn't seem probable. In his peripheral, however, he saw Alfred squirm slightly.

…maybe it was probable. Whatever was in his blood did increase his aggressive behavior… While the Mad Hatter was not considered to be one of the stronger villains, he was definitely one of the most insane. He was well aware of the violent mood swings he experienced. With an unstable mind, that added chemical element made Jervis Tetch incredibly dangerous.

"…very well," Batman finally said. No chances could be taken…not with a new villain on the loose. He didn't want an enraged Mad Hatter to get in the way of his investigation. He had nothing on Crane right now, anyway, besides the fact that he escaped from Arkham Asylum a few months back. Of course, Jervis had done the same…

He saw Alfred shoot him a look, but the vigilante's eyes remained fixed on the Hatter. "So long as I don't find him doing anything illegal, I won't take him in." He paused when Jervis's brow remained hard and he continued to glare up at him. "…and I won't tell him anything about you. Deal?"

A smirk slowly spread across Jervis's face, but his eyes kept their angry appearance. "Deal," the Mad Hatter replied.

Once the location was given, the Caped Crusader turned to take his leave. "I'll be back soon. Perhaps a brief interrogation with the Scarecrow will yield more clues."

"Just make sure Jonathan is alright," Jervis remarked, more concerned for his friend's well-being than the Batman's investigation.

The Dark Knight turned and gave the Mad Hatter a brief stare before glancing over at Alfred. "Keep an eye on him. Sedate him if he gets out of hand."

"Yes sir."

Turning back around, Batman continued walking toward the Batmobile. He felt the deep frown on his face and a weight on his shoulders. First a conversation with Kirk Langstrom…now he was going to break into Jonathan Crane's new laboratory. His eyes lowered to his utility belt and his fingers reached into a certain pocket. He had to make sure he had the antidote to the Scarecrow's fear gas, in case the lanky man did infect him.

He lifted his eyes back up to the dark vehicle and he took a deep breath. What a night this was turning out to be…

A/N: Jervis has finally woken up! Horray! Not much action yet, but there will be some before this thing ends, I promise. We have to get through the investigation first.

Something has to be said: I am a working college student. My time is starting to become a little strained. I will keep trying to get these chapters posted every week, but please, don't hold your breath. The chapters are going to start getting longer probably around chapter 6, so I will need more time to work on them. Really, though, I will try to keep posting on Saturdays, but my school work has to come first.

Thank you so much for reading! Feedback is always welcome!