Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Batman or any DC comics characters

Chapter 4

It was quiet at Arkham Asylum. Most of the lights were still out to allow the inmates to sleep; they wouldn't be turned back on for another two hours. The Joker lay in his cell looking at the ceiling blankly. Occasionally he would look out into the hall at the dimly lit clock, impatiently waiting for the lights to come on so he could have breakfast. As he turned to look again he noticed the dark figure standing just outside of the Lexan glass that made up his door. He turns back to look at the ceiling again and rolls his eyes. "It's a little late for you to be out isn't it, Longears? I mean when the sun comes up won't you just spontaneously combust or something?"

"Not Hardly." Batman says in his usual tone.

Joker snickers a little. "Well one can always hope. So what brings you here, are you looking for something or did you just come to chit-chat?"

"A little bit of both…Mr. Blake." Joker sits up on his cot and stares at The Dark Knight. "Mr. Edward Morgan Blake."

Joker begins snickering again then breaks out into full-fledged laughter. "Is that what's been keeping you up nights? Really Batsy, you need to find a new hobby." He stops laughing and glares at Batman. "You really do!" Then he erupts in laughter again falling back on the cot holding his stomach. "Ha, sometimes I just kill myself."

Batman grins coldly. "One can only hope."

Joker stops laughing again. "It was funnier when I said it."

Batman stops grinning. "Just one bad day led to all of this?"

Joker yawns. "Oh stop trying to psychoanalyze me…I'm psycho enough as it is." He begins snickering again.

Batman leans closer to the glass. "But what do you think you're wife would say?"

Joker glares at Batman then laughs again. "She'd say, Let me out of this coffin!" After a moment of hysterical laughter he speaks again. "Don't try to evoke some emotion about my dead wife because I have none and don't try to reach out to old Eddie Blake, he died when his wife did."

"It doesn't have to be that way. You could have had a very successful career as a stand-up comic, especially with that look."

Joker laughs again. "Oh no Bat-Brain. Don't you see? Life's a joke, just one big joke."

"What?" Batman asks.

"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Joker is the only thing that makes sense." Joker snickers again. "Besides I make a much better Joker than I do a Comedian."

Batman shakes his head and walks away as the Joker falls onto the floor laughing.

A/N: Thanks for reading my fanfic. Hope you enjoyed it. Please comment.