AN: I hope you guys like this chapter, I worked hard on it. Please review after reading.

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Chapter Seven

The madman revealed

A week passed; Bruce Wayne left on a love cruise with the entire Russian ballet, the Batman caught Lau and brought him back to Gotham, etc…etc…

So you could say it was eventful week in Gotham. Barbara was excited when she heard the news that Batman had brought Lau back, now Dent could prosecute Maroni and the others.

They were in the Mayor Crimes Unit's building; she was standing with Harvey and her father outside of the interrogation room gazing at Lau who was sitting next to his lawyer. Rachel was questioning him, trying to convince him to spill about Maroni and the others. I was doubtful that anything would work on the accountant. After all for the Mafia there was nothing more despicable than a snitch.

Barbara tried to focus on the words that were being exchanged between Rachel and Lau, but she couldn't. Mainly because she had a huge headache and she was extremely tired as well. Spending all night working does that to a person.

"I'm going to go outside.", she told her father before walking out of the room.

When she walked out of the room, she slumped against the wall. Her hand pressed against her own forehead, it felt clammy against her hand. She swallowed slowly, her throat felt dry, and her body felt much too warm.

Her father walked out of the room with Dent and Rachel. They all looked happy and pleased with whatever agreement they had reached with Lau and his lawyer.

Gordon noticed that Barbara looked unwell and approached her.

"Junior, are you alright?", he said as he put his hand against her forehead as she had done herself minutes earlier.

"Junior you're burning up.", he said with a worried expression.

"Hey Babs, honey are you okay?", this time Rachel spoke; her voice was filled with concern.

Harvey didn't speak, but he also had an alarmed look in his eyes.

"I think I'm coming down with something.", she told them honestly.

The lieutenant put his arm around his daughter's shoulder and helped her all the way towards his office. He sat her in his chair, Rachel followed them into the office.

"Stay here.", he told her carefully before leaving her alone in the office with Rachel.

Rachel watched her friend with worry.

"Do you want me to get you anything?", she asked tentively wanting to make her friend feel better.

Barbara smiled at her friend's concern for her well-being.

"That's alright, Rachel. I'm fine, you have work to do. I'll be okay."

She reassured her friend, who smiled back. Rachel leaned towards Babs and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Get well soon. We need you, Babs.", she whispered gently in her friend's ear before leaving the lieutenant's office.

Barbara put her head on her father's desk and breathed in deeply. She tried to regulate her breathing, but to no avail.

Her father entered the room a water bottle in one hand and in the other some pills. He set the bottle and the pills in his desk. He touched her shoulder gently.

"Junior. C'mon, I have something that will make you feel better."

She raised her head to look at him.

"Here.", he said handing here two small caplets.

She put both pills in her mouth pushing them down with her tongue. She took the water bottle swallowing a mouth full of water. Feeling the pills go down her throat and into her stomach where in a few minutes they would probably take effect.

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Since Barbara wasn't feeling very well she stayed in her father's office, while her father, Rachel and Dent were all in court at that very moment. They were charging Maroni and his cronies with God knows how many counts of racketeering, money laundering, blackmail, etc.

She just hoped that Dent's plan worked. She paced her father's office relentlessly. She stepped outside of the office and looked around. People where sitting in their desks answering calls here and there. She recognized one of the officers, Anna Ramirez, she was a good friend of her father's.

"Det. Ramirez.", she says greeting the detective.

The woman smiles at her, "Junior, are you feeling better?", she asked with genuine concern for her boss' eldest daughter.

"Yes, I'm fine. Do you happen to know if the trial is over yet?"

She hoped Ramirez would know, she desperately needed to know how the whole thing had turned out.

"Yes, it was rather quick.", she tells the anxious redhead.

"Oh, and who did it turn out?", she asks curiously.

"It turned out well. Maroni and the other mob bosses, along with their middle management are all being held in police custody until they can post bail."

Barbara gave the detective a small smile, that sounded good… She was sure Dent would find substantial evidence to convict those bastards.

"If the trial is over, where's my father?"

"Oh, the Lieutenant, Mr. Dent and Commissioner Loeb where called by the mayor for a special meeting. Mayor Garcia wasn't very happy about the trial."

Barbara frowned, Mayor Garcia wasn't a bad guy, but he was too biased, that was one of the many reasons Gotham was how it was. He let himself be pushed by the mafia's strong influence. Babs didn't even know how Garcia had managed to get re-elected.

Suddenly they heard a voice; "Hey you guys, turn on the TV."

One of the officers spoke. Det. Stephens who was standing close to the small televison set leaned up and turned it on.

Suddenly all the officers and detectives crowded around the tv. Barbara and Ramirez did the same to see what was all the commotion.

They were all watching a news report;

"I'm Mike Engel and this is a GCN special report…We've received breaking news from downtown Gotham. One of the many batman imposters was found murdered. He was found with a noose around his neck, even though we have just learned that this was not the cause of death. It seems the man had been dead for a couple of hours. The man has been identified as Brian Douglas…"

The image flickered from the blond anchorman to a man dressed in a poor imitation of the bat-suit; he was being lowered down from a building. Barbara immediately recognized the building, that's were she worked.

"The building may be familiar to most; this is where Mayor Garcia and Harvey Dent's offices reside."

The image flickered again to Mike Engle, the anchor, as he spoke again.

"The police have found a video in the roof where the man's body was thrown. We warn you the image is disturbing."

The image flickered from the anchorman to what looked like a home video. The man who had been hanging from the side of the building was now sitting in what looked like a storage room. Barbara got a better look at the man; middle age, over weight. He looked like most of the guys that Barbara saw every time she walked home from work. His hands were tied behind his back; the man's face was bloody, and it looked like he was beaten up pretty badly.

"Tell me your name.", the man who was holding the video camera spoke.

His voice sends shivers down Barbara's spine.

"Brian Douglas.", the man who was tied up spoke as well, he sounded defeated.

"Are you the real Bat-Man?", the menacing voice behind the camera asked teasingly.

"N…no.", the hostage stuttered out.

"No? No?", the voice whined before continuing, "Then why do you dress up like him?"

Upwards a purple gloved hand emerged playing with what looked like a Halloween batman mask.

"Woo hoo hoo hoo!", the voice giggled evilly while swinging the amateur's mask around.

"Because he's a symbol that we don't have to be afraid of scum like you.", the man…Brian said trying to seem brave, but he failed miserable; his fear was palpable.

"Yeah…you do Brian. You really do! Yeah…", the man behind the camera got closer to his hostage and began rubbing his face in a painful way. Brian whimpered in terror and tried to pull his face away from his captor.

"Shh…shh, shh..", the man petted Brian's face while cooing him.

Brian's captor stood up and walked away, again maintaining the distance between captor and hostage.

"So you think Batman's made Gotham a better place? Hm?"

Brian didn't answer him, instead he looked away.

"Look at me…LOOK AT ME!"

Barbara flinched and jumped slightly at the ferocity and anger in the man's voice.

Then the captor turned the camera on himself, Barbara gasped loudly and she heard some officers and detectives do the same, including Ramirez, who looked away from the television screen for a couple of seconds before looking back at it.

The man's face was covered with scars and makeup.

Along the corners of his lips two long scars went upwards in a mocking Chelsea grin. His lips and scars were accentuated by bright red lipstick. His whole face was covered with white powdery make up, and his eyes were covered in black kohl and eye shadow, reminding Barbara of a raccoon.

Then the madman began speaking again.

"You see this is how crazy Batman's made Gotham. You want order in Gotham? Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in. Oh, and everyday he doesn't, people will die…starting tonight. I'm a man of my word.", the man licked his lips before laughing hysterically. Brian's screams were barely audible next to the homicidal maniac's creepy laughter.

Then the video stopped, Barbara took a deep breath. Who exactly was this madman?

Barbara had a faint idea of who it could be, but she felt the need to verify her hypothesis.

She turned to Ramirez, who looked just as frightened as she was, except the detective was trying to hide it, but was failing miserably.

"Was that the…?"

Babs was interrupted by Ramirez who verified Babs' assumption.

"That was the Joker."

The Joker…The Joker…Joker

That word ringed in her mind

Barbara wasn't going to lie to herself and pretend that she wasn't afraid of this man, she was very much afraid. No one had ever been able to scare Barbara in her whole entire life the way this man had in a couple of seconds through a tv screen.

When she got home she took a hot shower to try and stop her constant shivering, even though she knew it wasn't because of the cold.

That night as she slept her dreams were not plagued by the Batman as usual, but by a man with a painted on smile and dark wild eyes.

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