A/N: Hehe, I am so glad that there are many of you reading this story! You have no idea how excited I am! Anyway, I'll be talking a little about this chapter and the next. I am going to have more Batman and Joker conflicts in the next few chapters, this chapter leading on to their actual declaration of 'war' against each other. I am having a lot of fun writing Batman and Joker, though I think I might have started to make Batman a little mean-ish. I'm still at an inner battle with myself to see if I should pair Aidan with anyone and if I do I can't choose. It would seem so cute for either guy!

To Fuyu Tenshi: Thank you so much for the review, and I'm really glad you like my story. Don't worry, you're not the only one who thinks Joker is utterly adorable. I am just madly in love with that man. I just wanna snuggle him, despite him wanting to push or throw me away from him. I've been thinking up a few scenearios of how I could get Joker and Aidan come together, like have Aidan start to like the man and have Joker express it in some not-so-scary way. If you got any suggestions it would help :)

Disclaimer: I don't own them, any of them (except Aidan Jaxon and story plot) even though I dream I do.

Enjoy! Note: No preview of next chapter because they're connected, I had to divide them :P

In the last chapter:

The bullets flew but none were able to penetrate the beast of a car. Batman rushed to his hideout but also took the long, winding way to make sure that if anyone was following him they would get lost. He had Aidan placed neatly in his lap, her head against his shoulder. Once he reached his not-so-little domain, he remained where he sat.

Aidan turned more toward Batman in her sleep, somehow finding his cool armour comforting. "I at least know one good thing about this situation," he said to himself out loud, "You stay calm when I'm near you,"

Chapter Four

The sun hadn't begun to rise when Batman had brought Aidan back to the penthouse and changed back to being Bruce Wayne. He sat beside Aidan on the bed, just sitting there and watching her sleep. Bruce noticed that – after switching from one side to the other of the bed – Aidan would turn toward him, following his movements. She was curled up on her side and looked completely peaceful.

Bruce had called Lucius a while ago, to ask him a few questions about Aidan. "Joker has no insight into Aidan's mind but she does to him, the only thing he could 'sense' is if she was near him or not," Bruce remembered Lucius saying, easing his worry about being exposed.

"Maybe it's because you're always so calm yourself," Lucius said to Bruce through the phone, referring to his curiosity about why Aidan always calmed down or was calmer when he was near.

Bruce sighed at the same time Aidan did, making him smile a little. He got up and moved to the other side to see if she was still following him and sighed again when he saw her turn over. He looked over at the clock on the wall; almost midnight. He looked back at Aidan and walked beside the bed. Bruce sat down on the floor and leaned back against the bed as he stretched out his legs. He took one last glance at Aidan before letting himself drift off to sleep, or get as much of it as he could.

--

Bruce woke up to the bright light from the sun that burned through his eyelids. He yawned and stretched but stopped when he felt something soft underneath him. He looked down without moving his head and saw the familiar blanket he had on his bed. He turned over to his right and saw Aidan's back facing him, also underneath the blanket like him, but was close enough that they were touching. He sat up in bed and saw Alfred looking at him oddly. Bruce raised a single brow at Alfred but the other man just shrugged his shoulders; he was just as confused as Bruce was.

Bruce quickly, but carefully, got out from bed while secretly sighing in relief when he saw that his clothes were still on out of habit from being with so many other women and waking up the same way.

"Would you like some breakfast sir?" Alfred asked as Bruce came up to him, his face still shocked at waking up in bed beside Aidan.

"You saw that I was sleeping on the floor right?" Bruce was still confused at how he ended waking up like that. He frowned when Alfred nodded his head yes. "How did I…"

"I don't know sir," Alfred interjected, not wanting to know anymore. Both of them looked back at Aidan again when they heard her turning over on her other side.

"Do I have anything that I have to go to today Alfred?" Bruce quickly changed the subjected, looking away from Aidan but still pondering on how things happened between the time he went to sleep and the time he woke up.

"Good," Bruce looked away from Alfred as he started to think when he noticed how early it was in the morning. "We're going to need some more clothes for her," he said with a far away voice, his eyes now distant in thought. He started to walk away without another word, leaving Alfred there to wait until Aidan woke up.

He headed over to his study and shut the door softly behind him. Bruce walked leisurely toward the chair behind his desk and sat down – or more like fell down – with a soft 'thud'. He turned toward the large glass walls and leaned back in his seat as he gazed out through the glass. "My main problem is to keep Joker away," he thought out loud. "My other problem is that if I leave her side she might lose her mind again,"

Bruce leaned more into the chair and started to think of how he could solver either one or both of his new problems. "This isn't going to be easy,"

--

Joker threw daggers at a large picture of Batman. His once 'full of life' face was now bored with a large frown instead of a smile. He threw the daggers with very little enthusiasm, not even caring if it hit the picture or not anymore. "Batman ruins everything," he whined loudly, pouting his lips sadly. "I can't even destroy anything, not even – not even a building without him being there to take away my fun,"

Suddenly his face lit up and that familiar smile returned to his face.

--

"Sir, I think you should see this," Alfred said, not even bothering to knock on the door.

Bruce left the room, staring at Aidan on the bed to check if she was still sleeping, and followed Alfred quietly to the living room. He reached over and un-muted the TV and quickly turning down the volume so it wouldn't wake Aidan up.

"We come to you live from downtown Gotham to show you this horrific sight that we presume to be from the 'Joker'," came the reporter's voice. Bruce leaned in closer out of reflex as he waited to see what was so important that Alfred just had to show him. The camera turned away from the reporter and zoomed out enough so that the whole building behind the report could be seen. Bruce's eyes narrowed and an angry frown appeared on his face.

"It seems that the 'Joker' has apparently declared war against Batman…"

Bruce looked over the building again, his anger rising even more. All along the edges of that one side of the building had headless bodies stuck against it. Each body's head was held by its owner's hand for they were all tapped to each other. Written right on the building with what looked to be still wet blood read:

IT'S JUST YOU AND ME BAT-MAN. YOU TAKE AWAY MY NEW TOY AND I'LL JUST TAKE IT RIGHT BACK. ALONG WITH A FEW OTHER HEADS. OH WAIT… THAT ISN'T JUST YOU AND ME, IS IT?

Bruce's hands clenched into tight fists, his knuckles turning white becoming a regular thing for him. "He's gone on a killing spree again,"

"What will you do sir?" Alfred asked with caring but worried words.

"I can't just give her to him…" Bruce shut off the television and leaned back in his seat despite him being so tense. "This just made things even more complicated,"

Just then Aidan began to stir from the realm of dreams and groggily pushed herself up into a sitting position. Bruce quickly walked over and sat beside her on the bed. Aidan held her head in her hands as she tried to ease the throbbing headache she was having at the moment. "Uhn…"

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked her with genuine concern, his hand resting on her shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Uhnn…" Aidan repeated, shaking her head softly.

"Do you remember who I am?" Bruce didn't really like her one-syllable noise responses.

Aidan nodded her head numbly before letting go of her head and looking up at Bruce with tired eyes.

"Do you think you can try and decode some of Joker's thoughts?" Bruce winced when Aidan shouted 'no' loudly into his ear. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close, practically shoving her face against his chest. The girl immediately calmed down, relaxing in Bruce's arms. "Can do you me another favour then?"

"Nhnn…" came her muffled reply.

"Answer me with words please," Bruce demanded, slightly annoyed with how Aidan was responding to him right now.

"It would depend on what that favour is,"

"Could you stay here and out of trouble? Even if you get really bored and want to pull your hair out because there's nothing to do, could you just stay here?"

"Off to your bat cave?" Aidan asked with a bitter tone in her voice.

Bruce sighed and pushed Aidan so he could look her in the eyes, his hands stilling holding onto her shoulders. "What's with the hostility?"

Aidan grabbed onto one of Bruce's hands and placed it against the side of her face, sighing, as she looked him in the eyes. "Sorry, that hostile-sarcasm was from…" she let the rest of her sentence drift away as she stared at Bruce with sad eyes. "I won't go anywhere,"

Bruce reluctantly pulled away from Aidan and started to head to the elevator. He nodded to Alfred before the doors closed behind him as he got inside the elevator. Bruce fixed his suit, remembering just then that he hadn't changed out from the ones he had on yesterday. He smiled at the few guards standing around, not wanting to see their faces when they saw he was wearing the same suit, and quickly made his way to the parking lot.

As always, Bruce walked into the empty parking lot and took quick strides toward his car of the month: a slick, black Pontiac solstice. He slipped into the driver's seat with ease and pulled out of the parking lot without much trouble. He drove off, of course going off the speed limit, and rushed toward what Aidan kept referring to as his 'bat cave'.

He went through the motions like always: change into the other suit and gear up to go in his 'tank'. Batman zoomed toward the building he saw on the news and just like as he saw it, there were headless bodies everywhere and some were even along the floor.

Batman passed by the crowd easily since they all moved to the side, half from respect and adoration with the other half from fear and obligation of duty. He jumped onto the cement floor and started to walk toward the building for a closer examination. He noticed many of the officers standing back and watching him, unsure of what should they do. He knew they wanted to take him in but they didn't want to because they didn't want to deal with Joker.

He decided to ignore them and then looked up at the side of the building. He saw that the blood was still wet and because of that the message was gone as the blood slid to the ground. The smell was strong and almost metallic but it didn't seem to bother him at all. Batman bent down and poked at the pool of blood with two fingers. He started to look around to see if there were anything else, clues or anything, that would help him to find Joker.

Batman knew that Joker wouldn't stay in the same place he had found him so he needed something to start off from. He looked up then and saw something sparkle in one of the dead bodies' hand. As much as he didn't want to, Batman threw one of his bat-shaped daggers at the rope holding the body up and stepped back as it fell to the ground.

Many of the people in the crowd shouted in surprise and a few looked a bit disturbed at what Batman had just done. Batman ignored their gasps and bent down to grab the object that caught his interest. In his hands he held a small, old looking clown doll with a tiny dagger in its hands. Batman frowned as he stared into the small clown's plastic eyes. "I see you trying to get me to come to you through some help,"

"Oh, far from it Bat-man," came Joker's voice.

Batman glared at the small clown for that was where the voice had come from.

"I just wanted to – to call so just uhm, so just relax there for a bit buddy," Joker's eerie laughter could be heard on the other end. Batman would have so gladly just squeezed the stuffing out of the small clown he held but restrained himself to hear what Joker had to say, out of curiosity.

"I want – I want my toy back," Joker's laughter ceased and he sounded almost serious when he spoke. His frequent stuttering not really helping his speech.

"She's not a toy Joker," Batman retorted.

"She isn't? Oh, but – but she is!" Joker retorted back, laughing even harder than before. "Don't ruin my fun!" came Joker's sudden deep half roar half growl.

Then the sound of a click was heard and Batman no longer heard any more words from the Joker. Batman once again felt the need to squeeze the stuffing out from the small clown doll but held himself back. He rushed back to his large vehicle and zoomed back to the headquarters. He held the doll securely within his hand as he rushed toward his equipment.

"Could use this to track him," he mused to himself out loud. Suddenly his communicator that was connected to home started to beep loudly. Batman reached over and pressed the small button, "What?"

"I think you should turn to the news again sir," came Alfred's worried voice from the other side.

Batman switched on the screens and quickly made it to the news channel. He frowned when he saw Joker's face on the screen.

"Hello people of Gotham! This – this is a live broadcasting!" He danced and skipped around with the camera, making the screen seem a bit shaky, as he twirled around the dark room. "All you oth – other people can just uh… can just turn off your TV's 'cause this is just for Batman so… Buzz off!" Joker roared out the last bit, his smile breaking for just a moment. "But I'm sure you're all very naughty boys and girls and… and are still watching right now,"

"What is he up to?" Batman asked himself out loud, becoming slightly impatient as he waited for Joker to get to the point.

"I bet – I bet you're wondering what my point is, hm?" Joker blinked his eyes like he had a twitch and licked his lips repeatedly for a bit, staring right into the camera. "Well, I – I think that… the whole reasoning behind… behind a good joke… is that… is that it shouldn't have to be explained!" The camera in Joker's hand began to shake as he laughed uncontrollably, the eerie laughter sending chills down the spines of anyone watching.

Joker started to turn the camera around so that he was now behind him but not much could be seen in the dark room. One could tell that the Joker was moving around from the camera shaking up and down for a while. He didn't seem to want to say anything else as he walked around. The sound of a door being opened was heard and then followed by the sound of it being closed. Then the sound of muffled cries and sobs were soon heard, making Batman fist his hands.

"Can somebody turn on the lights please?" came Joker's calm voice, or as calm as the Joker can be.

The lights flickered on but the camera quickly swung around to show Joker's face again. He gave the camera a large smile, letting the camera linger there for a while, before turning it back around to reveal several people in the centre of the room. "I know – I know, it's a little low and not really my thing but since you've got something of mine then – then I'll have something of yours,"

There in the centre of the room, tied up and gagged was Commissioner Gordon and the rest of his family. They all looked up at the camera, begging to be saved through their eyes. "Now, I wouldn't want to disappoint the poor Commissioner and his family if I were you. You wouldn't want to uh… hurt the poor guy's feelings by not saving him! You have to save everyone, don't you?"

Suddenly the screen went black and it was the end of the Joker's message. Batman turned and moved away from the desk before he could slam his fist against it, not wanting to risk hitting anything there and damaging it. He went back to the communicator and pressed on the button with doing it hard enough to make the button stuck. "Alfred, did Aidan watch it?"

"I'm afraid so sir,"

"Is she still there?"

"She right…"

Alfred's voice disappeared and Batman's worry began to rise. He waited for a few seconds, as patiently as he could. After a few more seconds, he couldn't wait anymore and shouted out Alfred's name.

"I'm sorry sir," came Alfred's shaky voice, "She was right here…"

Batman moved away from the communicator and turned back to the small clown doll. He picked up a small device and started to fiddle with it, his eyes going back and forth from the clown to the device again and again as he fiddled with the device. As soon as the device would make a loud beeping noise when he would move it close to the clown doll he dropped the clown, device still in hand, and headed out.

--

"Tick-tock, tick-tock," Joker tapped a finger against Commissioner Gordon's head, loving the sound Gordon made whenever it would hit his finger against it. He smiled at Gordon when he glared at him angrily, trying to shout at him despite the gag in his mouth. "Tick-tock, tick-tock," Joker repeated, still smiling as Gordon still tried to shout things out at him. "I'm sorry? I can't really hear you because you've got uh… got something in your mouth,"

Joker leaned his ear close to Gordon's mouth, pretending to try and understand him. Gordon went to try and head butt him but Joker pulled away fast, shaking his finger at Gordon. "Tut, tut, tut; you should never try to get your host angry or else they might go for the other uh… guests," Joker's smiled widened at Gordon before turning his attention to Gordon's wife who sat beside him. Beside her were their young son and daughter, curling away from Joker and toward their mother.

Gordon finally managed to spit the tight gag around his mouth, taking in a deep breath when he did. "Stay away from her!" he shouted protectively, glaring daggers at Joker who only smiled back at him.

"You know… it is so funny how one tiny, little, minuscule man can – can have so much power with the right leverage," Joker stepped closer to Gordon's wife, placing his thumb and forefinger at her chin and lifting her face up to look at him. "I wonder how far the Commissioner here would swallow his pride just to see his precious little woman out of my hands, don't you?" he said to her, grinning when she tried to look away.

Joker jumped away from the woman, his face lighting up like a child who was given permission to do anything he wanted. "Let's have a fun little game while we wait!" he suggested, clapping his hands eagerly. "I am going to… separate! I am going to separate you from your family," Joker gestured with his hand for his goons to take the other three into different rooms. "Then… I will place a bomb in each room and a bomb at the locked door," He glared at one of the goons who was still in the room with him and the man immediately left.

"You, Commissioner, will be given only three bullets and faced with six doors and the bombs are paired up… The wrong door has a bomb but the right room has a bomb so… if you get the wrong door then it will cause the right room to go boom!" Joker clapped his hands as an effect and laughed excitedly. "If you get the right room then… you have sixty seconds to get in, get the bomb off of them without making it explode, and get out,"

Joker pulled out a small revolver and opened it up to place three bullets inside. He smiled at Gordon before throwing the gun in front of him. "I could just shoot you," Gordon pointed out, glaring at Joker as one of the goons untied him.

"You could but you shouldn't," Joker reached into his pocket and pulled out a detonator, "Only because I got this fancy little thing here that – that could just blow up your whole family,"

Gordon picked up the gun and stood up to his feet. He stared at Joker in the eyes and stole a glance at the detonator in Joker's hands.

"Come on, tick-tock Commissioner!" Joker stepped aside and let Gordon walk out of the room. As soon as Gordon was out of the room Joker rushed over to the door at the side and opened it to reveal several television screens. He sat himself in front of them and watched excitedly as Gordon was lead into the round room with six doors. "Where's popcorn when you need it?" Joker mumbled to himself.

--

Batman drove through the streets and held the device tightly in his hands. Every now and then the device would beep but they were low and very spaced out between each beep. Meanwhile, he kept a watchful eye out just in case he might see Aidan walking about on the streets even though he highly doubted that himself.

It had been minutes since he started to look but the minutes seemed to be like hours as they passed him by.

Suddenly, the device started to beep and they were much closer than before. He increased his speed and listened closely to the sound. The beeps became closer and closer and Batman noticed that he was reached the 'old' part of Gotham City. The place that was once large factories that shot out black smoke from their wide chimneys. This area of the City was basically left alone as the City became more technologically advanced, having no need for 'human hands' anymore.

The device was now beeping rapidly until it sounded like one long beep. Batman looked up and smiled ironically to himself when he saw the large sign that indicated that he was standing right in front of an old toy factory. "Mhm," he grunted, a little annoyed at himself for not thinking of this place before.

He walked with silent steps toward the building, not even bothering to find some way to sneak in. Batman swung the front doors open and was greeted with the dark and nothing else. Suddenly he heard a noise behind him and spun around. "Aidan!" he said in a shouted whisper. He rushed to her and grabbed onto her arms. "I thought I told you to stay put!"

"But!" Aidan protested, looking up into Batman's dark eyes, "But!"

Batman turned around and started to walk. He kept one hand holding tightly onto Aidan's arm and kept her behind him, hoping no one would see her. He took a glance back and noticed she hadn't changed out from her dress. "Stay quiet," he ordered her.

"I didn't come here willingly you know," Aidan whispered, edging closer to Batman's back and clutching onto his cape. "He kept calling, I had to come,"

"You didn't have to do anything," Batman shot back, his grip on her tightening in anger.

"You have no idea how much it hurts, trying to block him out," Aidan explained, coming as close as she could to Batman without having them trip over the other's feet.

"Be quiet," Batman bit out harshly to her and Aidan immediately ceased any other thoughts of speaking. He wanted to just leave her back there, but he knew that someone would have found her or she would have not listened to him again and would walk about and then be caught. So Batman kept his grip on her arm firm, not really realizing that his grip was almost bruising.

Suddenly, that all too familiar laugh started to echo and bounce off the walls. Batman stopped walking, making Aidan bump into his back, and glared at the spot in front of him. Joker sat, looking very relaxed with his one leg over the armrest and his back leaning against the other armrest. "You're finally here! And you didn't miss a thing!"

"Miss what?" Batman inquired.

Joker pressed a button beside him and several television screens turned on behind him, showing images of several doors and Gordon standing square in the centre of it all. "He hadn't done anything at all! He just – just stands there… very boring," Joker waved his hand not caring about it anymore and pressing the button again, turning off the television screens.

"So," Joker started, smiling at Batman, "I see you've brought a present for me,"

To be continued…

End Chapter