"He's insane."

"A disgrace."

"A lunatic."

"He's not human."

Funny thing. He's not human. A loud cackle was heard, one of mirth and amusement at the words the voices had been shouting at him over the past half hour or so. His lunacy filled laughter only added to his own disadvantage as the voices started getting rather lose tongues. That wouldn't do, now would it? He stood up from his seat and walked towards the front door. Or he tried, so to speak, he bumped into something along the way. Something his poor vision couldn't recognize in his current state. A thoughtful frown found its way on his face and edged a confused impression inside his eyes before it vanished. He would have to throw whatever he ran into out as soon as he felt like it.

"Silly creature can't even walk straight." A voice said.

"Just look at that face, all mangled and torn." Another voice commented. He started giggling at the pitiful state he had found himself in. He looked down at his hands, bloodied and dirty.

"A normal human being would have died." A voice started. A female this time. He felt the soft touch of a hand caress his left cheek. "Just what are you?" The voices were starting to get louder. His head was hurting. Why was it hurting? He shook his head to rid himself of the incessant sounds of whispering and shouting. Unfortunately, his attempt at relief only resulted in a bout of dizziness.

"I'm…" He started, working his dry mouth into forming the words he had been wanting to throw back at the voices. To answer them and clarify what they couldn't understand. The thing was, he didn't understand it either.

"A pitiful monster." A voice spit out, venom dripping from each word. Such nasty words. He shook his head once more.

"I'm not…" He swallowed thickly. "I'm not a monster." He managed to say before laughter filled the silence born out of anticipation. Only, it wasn't his.

"Silly silly silly."

"Thinks he's a comedian."

"Silly."

Joker had taken refuge in one of his hideouts and the voice, Jack, who had started bickering at him had brought some friends along for the 'ride'. At first, Joker thought sleep would be the best option and it was, for a couple of hours until Jack woke him up. He wanted to go for a walk, but it was noon and he really wasn't in the mood of being seen. He pressed his forehead against the front door, it was made of metal and cool to the touch. It felt so nice. He looked at the shadow he was creating on the door for a moment longer before closing his eyes.

"It's time to go, Joker." Jack's voice sounded from behind him, but he knew it was all in his head. Joker just chuckled wearily. When had he started to feel so bad anyway?

"You think he's going anywhere?"

"He can't even stand!" A particular loud voice shouted mirthfully.

Wait. How had he gotten on the floor? Joker looked up at the door in confusion, feeling betrayed somehow. He resigned and sat back, positioning himself against the door so he could relish the coolth of it for a bit longer.

He sat there for an unknown period of time, dozing and absently listening to the fight inside his mind. The voices were yelling at him, but he pretended they were talking about someone else, preferably doctor Annoying. But he wasn't really following anything they were saying, he was merely hearing them. Joker finally fell into a light slumber against the door, dreaming of bars and men forcing him to wear a red hood after being told of the death of someone he ought to know or at least recognize by name, but didn't. The announcement of the news brought forth an immense wave of grief and pain, but he couldn't even begin to comprehend why. Heck, he had trouble placing the emotions in the first place.

"Mistah J!" Harley's voice sounded from a distance he would rather keep. The annoying squeak in her voice lingered unpleasantly and he felt something on his shoulder, but the feeling along with the muffled sound of shuffling faded away, leaving him in a place he should remember. Looking down, he was entranced by the swirl of green liquid inside various vats. Even through the red hue, the green was as clear as the black shadow across from him. Its pointy ears were turned towards him and only then did he see the shadow was looking down the railing and towards the liquid he had been enchanted by. Joker looked at the vat underneath the black clad shadow. He took a step back at what he saw. There was a person inside. He was being pulled along with the current of the vat's automatic stirring. A mechanism he wasn't sure was needed if the liquid was what it smelled like. Chemical waste. Joker could only stare at the figure underneath the surface, a bright red object was pulled over the person's head, Joker noted. With a start he realized that person was him. The red object was the hood he was currently wearing. There was no warning for what happened next. The red hue disappeared to give way for green and his body felt like it was on fire. It was burning him alive. He fought to concentrate on the feeling of trying to orient himself and find which way was up. He tried to relax as much as the pain allowed him to. When his eyes flicked to a shadow above him, he opened his mouth, attempting to speak.

"Bats." He tried to say, but it came out as a gurgled sound. Ingeniously, Joker jumped up and gripped the edge of the vat. He was not going to be drowned. Not this time.

"You're going to save us?" Joker heard Jack ask softly.

"I'm not going to fail this time." He muttered through gritted teeth. Joker pulled himself up with his arms, trying to get out of the sticky chemicals. It had eaten through his skin, bleached it white. He smiled at the familiar sight of his green hair as it fell in front of his eyes.

"No. Joker, look down." Jack told him. Joker ignored him though and scraped his feet on the inside of the vat, trying to get some sort of leverage on the slippery, metal, surface.

"Almost." He muttered. He turned quickly and hoisted himself onto the rim where he sat stiffly, trying not to fall forward and into the enormous bowl of green waste. He looked down, wondering why Jack wanted him to look.

"You see that?" Jack asked. Joker narrowed his eyes, searching for something, anything. "Those weren't our eyes." Again this? Joker sighed and manoeuvred himself away from the contents below him, jumping off of the metal bowl where he hit the hard floor.

"Mistah J!" Again, Harley's voice. Joker growled in frustration, looking around. Oh, how he wanted to hit something, or a certain someone. If only he knew where her voice was coming from.

"You see that?" Jack asked again. Joker looked around. His reflection was nowhere to be seen. "It's not you. It's me who has come back." Joker felt a push against his shoulders. This time, he was prepared and turned around to grab the hands. His piercing green eyes bore into brown orbs filled with determination and devastation. No. The devastation he saw was his own.

"If you wanted a one-on you should have just asked. No need to attack me from behind." Joker told the brown haired man. "Who are you?" He asked at last.

"Jack." Jack told him. Joker shook his head and laughed. The sheer hilarity of the situation was getting too much. Joker felt tempted to just kill the man before he had another chance to speak. But Jack was faster. "I'm Jack Napier." He told him. Joker's laughter died down fairly fast after that.

"Please, Mistah J!" Harley. Joker felt Jack's hands pushing him backwards where he felt a railing dig into his lower back. Looking over his shoulder, Joker saw the same chemical-filled vat he had just escaped from. How had he even gotten up there again?

"Harley!" Joker called out, pushing back against Jack's strong hold. "Harley, pooh!" He yelled almost angrily. Why wasn't she there yet? Joker kicked out at Jack, but he dodged as he if knew what he had planned to do.

"Can't you see?" Jack asked, tearing his hands away from the Joker. Joker took in the other's appearance, taking note of the dark brown suit he was wearing. Looking down at himself, Joker noted the absence of his own purple suit. "I'm you and you are me." Jack said. Joker didn't laugh. He didn't feel like it. He turned away from Jack and closed his eyes, trying to come to terms with the sudden silence inside his head. Two warm hands rested on his shoulders, lingering for a while before pushing him down for a chemical bath. This time, Joker didn't fight the green substance. He became one with it. Entwined with it as it swallowed away the shadow of Jack lurking above the vat for a little longer before turning. Joker watched Jack's coat hovering above the water, never touching it. Accepting this was his fate, Joker closed his eyes and floated away from what he hoped was existence.

Joker opened his eyes blearily looking at the ceiling. He heard the sound of shuffling, but he paid it no attention. He was more concerned about the state of the ceiling. It was barely holding up! How had he ended up there anyway?

"Mistah J?" He heard next to him. Joker turned his head to the left and smiled. He remembered now.

"I'm sorry, miss. But you're wrong." He told her. He sat up on the bed he couldn't remember getting into and regarded the room silently. He shook his head and closed his eyes in exhaustion.

"You had a terrible fever. It broke last night." Harley told him to which Joker looked up with raised eyebrows. Impressive. He had no recollection of feeling ill. Well, he had felt bad before passing out on the floor, but not feverish. He stood up and headed for the door, Harley followed him with her eyes. Blue orbs full of concern and love. Joker felt bad suddenly, not physically, but mentally. He had broken this woman. He had manipulated her mind into loving him. "Where are you going, puddin?" She asked. Joker turned away from her and considered his next words. He decided it didn't matter anymore so he turned back towards her calmly. She flinched away although his movements were anything but aggressive.

"Not mister J, not pudding," He told her carefully. "I'm Jack." He watched her eyes carefully, looking for anything, "Jack Napier." He added. When Harley could only stare at him with a mixed expression of uncertainty and perplexity, Jack turned away from her and walked out of the room.

He never looked back as he walked straight out of the abandoned building and into the night.

It wasn't Joker. It was Jack. Jack had come back.

A/N: Alright, so this can go either way right now. I either leave it at this (my initial intentions) or I could continue this and drag it on where Batman/Bruce finds him and has the choice to help Jack or bring back Joker. (I have no concrete plans on who's going to end up staying so you guys might as well have a hand in that too)

That is, if y'all want me to continue this.