Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. All you Yu-Gi-Oh fans, I updated. :D And you too LxLight fans. Haha, but it's a song...Which is strange for me. I just want to see what people think of it I suppose. Anyways. Read and review as always!

Oh and excuse the lack of pagebreaks. I think it flows better without them in this chapter. If it annoys you well...Sorry? But don't expect me to change it. Heh.

Laughter with an 'S'

Bruce loomed over the edge of Alfred's beside and stared quietly at his sleeping butler. Slowly, he could feel the edges of his mouth lift into a warm smile.

Bruce didn't dare think about what things would be like if Alfred was gone.

In an instant, the smile was replaced with a hard frown. Bruce leaned back in his chair with a worried sigh. He pinched the space between his closed eyes and shook his head. "Joseph… How could he have done something like this? How long has he known my secret?"

Bruce felt as if he could cry out in sheer desperation but refrained from doing so. "He's the Joker! Joseph…" His voice fell into a hoarse whisper. "My God…"

Outside of the hospital window, Joseph, still dressed in the Joker's clothes, silently closed his eyes in deep regret. He had unfortunately given in to the Joker's manipulation, and he would have killed Alfred if it wasn't for…

If the Joker hadn't stopped him.

And now he's caused Bruce so much pain! Part of him wanted to apologize and throw himself at Bruce's feet, and the other part…

Would only laugh.

"I can't see him anymore…" Bruce concluded firmly. "I can't… He knows who I am. What was I going to do with him anyway? I'm not gay. I—"

"I love you."

Bruce's heart swelled into his throat. He had confessed that to Joseph, hadn't he?

To the Joker…

Bruce suddenly felt disgusted with himself. He had professed something so pure to a psychotic murderer!

"Someone like the Joker could never feel love." Bruce hissed. "Which means Joseph was only playing around with me."

Joseph flinched, hearing every word Bruce had said. "Bruce…" He softly whispered. The actor quietly turned away from the window and hugged himself.

He suddenly felt so cold.

Joseph… Cooed a voice.

Bruce held his head in his trembling hands. On Alfred's chest was a heart carved into his flesh with a small cigarette burn in the middle. It was obviously a sign from the Joker. Joseph could never…

"He could…" Bruce whispered to himself. "Because he is the Joker. He'd kill anyone that got in his way." His mind was plagued with memories of each time he and the actor kissed. Every passing moment Bruce felt his head spin faster and faster until nothing made sense anymore and his memories blurred into one giant nightmare.

What was Joseph to him?

And… What did that make the Joker?

Bruce unclenched his teeth, not wanting an answer.

Bruce…

Joseph could feel his face grow hot against the cool tears streaming down his face. An arctic breeze froze his insides and crystallized all of his empty sorrow.

Joseph, you don't deserve this kind of pain. Come inside. It's warm in here.

How Joseph ached for warmth.

But why did this voice sound so poisonous?

Should he…?

Trust it?

Bruce flinched when he suddenly felt phantom arms wrap around his shoulders. They felt so strong, something Bruce didn't have anymore. They felt comforting and reassuring.

Which was exactly what Bruce longed for.

Bruce, don't think. Be happy that Alfred is alive. Let me take over.

The edges of Joseph's fingers tingled. Something warned him not to give in. Something terrible would happen, he knew it, but—

You'll be safe. It doesn't hurt here.

The voice was so alluring.

And just how Adam took the poisonous apple in the Garden of Eden, Joseph surrendered control.

And, just like Adam, he regretted it.

Bruce could feel himself being pulled away. His vision grew dark around the edges and soon he was filled with the sense of security and warmth. He closed his eyes and turned away from what happened next.

Batman quickly got up out of his seat, took three large steps to the window, looked one last time at Alfred, and then jumped outside.

He knew he was here. Batman knew he would be there waiting for him.

"Jo—"Feet crushed the soft grass beneath and Batman looked around.

The Joker was gone.

Batman was torn between growling or sighing. He wanted to see him, wanted to speak with him. Bruce was too traumatized to look at the burn more closely.

It wasn't a cigarette burn.

It was a question mark.

The Joker was asking Batman who he was going to pick.

Him or Joseph?

But the real question, hidden between the lines, was so much harder to answer.

Him or Bruce?

Two people can't share the same body forever…

Batman wanted to make sure that the Joker wasn't going to do anything dramatic to receive a quicker answer from him. Batman didn't want innocent people dying for his indecisiveness.

But truly, Batman could give no answer without talking to the Joker first. It was a strange conclusion, but he knew nothing would feel right if he didn't do it.

And, as Batman accidentally stepped on a Joker Card carefully placed on the damp blades of grass, he realized that's exactly what the Joker wanted.

He picked it up and gave an unblinking stare to the jester smiling before him.

"Am I truly so predictable?" Batman asked the card with a hint of a smile on his lips.

The Joker quickly ran back to his hideout to make the necessary preparations. He looked at the sky and his feet stilled themselves.

There was no Bat Signal.

Oh how that was about to change.

The Joker grinned to himself and relished in the feeling of laughter tickling the back of his pale throat.

The play had taken a different turn, but the Joker was still going to have his scene.

All he needed to do was light up the sky with his favorite thing.

Chaos.