Fours years had found Jack Quinn to be a very active child, and his inquisitive nature inspired Harley to purchase educational workbooks from the bookstore downtown, and she would tutor him everyday, leaving room of course for recess before lunch.

Harley knew his cleverness was from The Joker, and as each day passed, she noticed that he had inherited his features, as well: the shape of his jaw, the slight curl in his dark hair. All of this was of The Joker, save for Jack's deep blue eyes.

One evening, Jack sat in the kitchen as he scribbled in the last page of one of his coloring books as Harley cleared the table of their dinner. "Jack, it's time to get ready for bed," she told him as she lifted his now empty bowl of macaroni and cheese. "Let's go upstairs and get a bath."

Jack put down his purple crayon and looked at his mother. "May I wait till Daddy gets home? Please?"

Harley came over to him with a small glass of milk. "Now, baby. Daddy may not be home for a while. He has to work late tonight," she told him as she caressed his hair.

"But, Mama," he whined again. "Daddy always reads to me when I take a bath."

Harley smiled, saying," I know, sweetie, but-" She was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. Jack shot up out of his chair and hid behind the sofa.

The Joker stopped halfway to the kitchen as he noticed his son trying to be tricky. Harley watched as he slowly crept around the couch and sneaked up behind Jack, roaring as he picked him up and put him under his arm.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed, making Jack squeal with laughter as he tickled him. The boy squirmed in The Joker's grip and kicked his legs with every guffaw.

Harley watched, smiling, but soon interrupted them. "Daddy, Jack needs a bath..."

The Joker stopped and put his nose to Jack's hair. "Phew!" he said, crinkling his nose, playfully. "You're right; this kid stinks!"

Jack giggled as his father set him on the floor again and he immediately started tugging at the tails of his purple coat. "Daddy! Daddy! Can we keep reading Treasure Island?"

The Joker smiled as he took off his coat and Harley grinned as she took it from him and watched them walk upstairs together. "You know it, kiddo..."

"And-and will you do the voices?" Jack asked excitedly.

"No, not tonight," his father joked.

"Daddy, no! You have to do the pirate voices!" Jack declared, as if they were a crucial part of the storytelling.

The Joker chuckled. "Don't have a conniption, son. You know I'll do the voices..."

As they entered Jack's room, Harley could hear her son's question, "What's a 'nip-shon,' Daddy?"

"It's what Mamas have when little boys don't take a bath," came The Joker's answer.

Jack was soon playing with his bath toys as The Joker sat on the floor beside the tub, balancing the book in his lap as his son splashed.

"The old fellow's fury was awful," he read from the aged tome he had taken from a pawn shop. "He sprang to his feet, drew and opened a sailor's clasp-knife, and balancing it open on the palm of his hand, threatened to pin the doctor to the wall-Jack, what are you doing?"

The Joker relayed this question when he felt a considerable amount of warm water splash onto the floor beside him. He looked up and saw that Jack was rocking back and forth, making his bubbly bath water splash against both ends of the tub and over the sides.

"Makin' waves, Daddy," he said, plainly. "I'm on a pirate ship..."

"You're not on a pirate ship, Jacky," The Joker pointed out with a grin. "Ease up on the waves..."

He parted his lips to continue reading but felt another wave crest over the side of the bathtub. "Jack..." his father warned in a deep tone.

Jack knew that he needed to pay attention when The Joker held that particular timbre in his voice and immediately ceased his imaginary, high-sea adventure and instead played with his green rubber duck once again.

The Joker smiled as he glanced at the book and yawned. He looked at his pocket watch and then at his son. "You've been in there for half an hour, kiddo. You wrinkled up enough?"

Jack looked at his fingertips and nodded energetically. "Yep, yep, yep!" he yelled as he bounced on his bottom.

His father put aside the book and rolled up his sleeves. After this, he put a generous amount of tear-free shampoo in his hand and proceeded to massage it into Jack's hair.

"Daddy?" he said after a short moment of silence.

"Yeah?" he asked as he grabbed a small red plastic cup and filled it with warm water.

Jack rubbed his eyes and sleepily asked, "Why do you work so much?"

The Joker smirked. "I have a very busy job," he replied as he rinsed Jack's hair. "I travel alllll around the city…fixing stuff."

"Like what?" his son asked him through a small yawn.

The Joker paused, not really sure how to answer. He and Harley had talked about not hiding anything from their child, but some small portion inside him wanted to keep certain aspects of his 'business' out of the house.

He cleared his throat. "Well, son, I go to banks and museums and I do jobs with Uncle Maroni. Remember him?" Jack nodded. "Well," The Joker continued, "he finds jobs for Daddy that they can do together."

Jack looked confused and said, "What if Uncle Maroni can't find stuff?"

"Then Daddy goes out and finds some stuff," his father answered truthfully.

"Like what?" continued Jack's line of questioning.

The Joker put down the red cup and looked at Jack who was looking back at him with his mother's blue eyes. He licked his lips. "It's time for bed, Jacky Boy," he said as he ran his fingers through his son's clean hair.

"I'm not sleepy..." Jack whined, his eyes drooping as he was helped out of the tub.

"Of course you're not..." The Joker agreed, wrapping him in a big purple towel.

After Jack put on his pajamas, his sleepy head resting on The Joker's shoulder as he did, he was put into bed, the sheet pulled up to his chest. "Daddy?" Jack asked, groggily.

"What is it, kiddo?" he whispered back.

"Can I sleep with you and Mama?" he asked pitifully.

The Joker shook his head. "Now, Jacky. We've talked about this. You're a big boy now and you can't keep sleeping with us."

"Please?" he whined. "I'll go right to sleep; honest..."

"No, Jack..."

"But, Daddy," his voice cracked with sudden tears. "I'm scared..."

The Joker creased his brow and sat on the edge of the bed. "Why's that?" he asked calmly as he caressed Jack's temple with his thumb.

A small tear crept its way down his tiny cheek and he lazily wiped it away as he said, "I keep seeing a monster..."

"No monsters in your room, kiddo. Remember? We checked..."

"Will you check again? Please?"

His son's quivering voice gave The Joker no choice but to humor him, as he usually did every few nights before bed. "Okay." He got up and opened the closet wide and showed Jack. "No monsters here..." He traversed to the side of the bed and, kneeling down, he inspected underneath, saying, "None here either..."

"Check the window!" Jack suddenly said.

The Joker shook his head, but noticed that this was the first time he had asked to check the window for any potential signs of monsters.

"Nothing..." he concluded.

"No, Daddy..." Jack said, weakly. "I saw a monster in my window..."

The Joker could sense the impatience in Jack's voice, but he coolly turned off the lamp at his bedside. "Close your eyes, little one," he said quietly. "Nothing is gonna bother you tonight."

"Daddy, please..." he whined, faking his sobs to win a pinch of last minute sympathy. "I have to sleep in your bed or the monster will eat me!"

"Nice try, kiddo," his father with a grin as he kissed Jack's forehead. "Night night..."

"Please!" he finally pleaded through tired, hasty tears as The Joker closed his bedroom door.

He had been through several of Jack's temper tantrums, as they usually happened at bedtime and ranged in different subjects, from monsters to wanting to play with his blocks, or even wanting to have a few cookies. At first, The Joker found them agitating, but as Jack grew older he found them amusing.

He went back to the kitchen where he plopped himself down at the table and slouched in a chair. Harley turned from her dishwashing and smiled at him as he pulled down his sleeves. Another loud hiccup of a sob emitted from behind Jack's door and Harley heard The Joker let out a small chuckle. "That kid is something else, Harls," he told her.

She walked over to him and he gently pulled her into his lap. He could smell the lemon scent on her hands from the dish soap and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Our son," he murmured to her. "Just asked me what I do for a living."

Harley's throat tightened and she gulped. "Oh? What did you say to him?"

He sighed. "I told him that I went all over the city...no details or anything...not like I lied to him, right?"

"I guess..." she said, quietly.

"Well, what did you want me to say, Harl?" he asked her, annoyed. "That Daddy goes around bombing bank safes and trading weapons in alleys?"

"Puddin', we agreed that-"

"I know...what was agreed...sweetie. I just...I don't know. I just have a feeling -"

"He's too young to know?" she finished his thought.

He shook his head in denial. "No! It isn't that. I..." The Joker groaned in exasperation as he pushed Harley off his lap. "I'm tired..."

She rolled her eyes and returned to her dishes. "As always..."

He raised an eyebrow as he stood up. "Excuse me?"

"You're always conveniently tired when the conversation backs you into a corner..." she replied, haughtily.

The Joker frowned at her as he slowly approached her. "You spiteful, little..."

She lightly gasped as he grasped her arm and whirled her around to face him, making the plate that she was holding fall to the floor and shatter.

Harley stared at him, her bright eyes wide as he glowered back at her. He loosened his hold on her arm and leaned into her, placing his hands on the sink counter behind her. His sneer relaxed and his lips then rested themselves on hers, gently parting them with his tongue as she dropped the dish towel.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she kissed back, letting her lips press harder as he growled approvingly.

"Dirty girl..." he whispered, making her giggle as he lifted her onto the kitchen counter.

Harley reached down and unzipped his pants, but stopped when she heard a meek voice beside them.

"Mama?"

They both stopped kissing and The Joker immediately zipped his pants again and turned away to hide his apparent excitement. Harley wiped her lips and adjusted the strap of her tank top that had fallen. "What is it, honey?" she asked him.

"I heard a loud noise," he commented, rubbing his eyes while holding his favorite stuffed elephant.

The Joker took a deep breath and turned to his son. "Mama dropped a plate, kiddo. Just an accident..."

"Oh..." he said, sleepily, and just stared blankly at the broken plate just inches from him.

The Joker realized he was too close and sauntered over to Jack and picked him up and rested him on his hip. "Come on, Jacky. You and Humphrey need to sleep."

Jack hugged his prized elephant and shook his head. "We're not sleepy."

"Yeah, I know..." his father said as he caught a glance at Harley's amused smile.