I own nothing! Sorry for the wait on this chapter. School is killing me. Haha. Thanks for everyone's continued support and reviews! Hope you enjoy!!!

Chapter 12

Bruce spent the next few days away from Buffy. His thoughts were hard to keep under control. He consulted with Lucius Fox about what Buffy had told him about the world. Lucius said he had heard rumors of strange creatures the government would never make public, but not in much detail. He soon found himself surrounded by old books and web pages, trying to make some sense of it all. Buffy had taken a flight back to London after talking with Gordon a bit about strategies, set on figuring out a way to help the Joker without having to kill him to make him stop. It was strange that despite his murderous exploits, she couldn't find it in herself to truly find it okay to kill him.

"Buffy, this man was involved with you. Do you think it is still okay for you to try and stop him? He is, after all, just a man spiraling towards his own destruction."

"Giles, he's a genius. And that makes him even more dangerous. He just does not care what happens to anyone, himself including. And he is not a demon. Just human. I have to try and find a way to stop him before I just give up and say okay let's kill him," she answered mockingly. Giles frowned at her sarcasm.

"Do you know what triggered this change in him," Giles asked seriously. Buffy bit her bottom lip and turned from him.

"I don't really know for sure. He was there the night of the fire, the vampires running around everywhere. And then, after I was expelled and mom thought it'd be jim-dandy to move to Sunnydale, his mother barred us from communication with one another. I didn't know that until very recently. They all thought I was a delinquent. I get from him, that's the point he turned on humanity," she began to choke on the words. "Everything's a mess Giles." He put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her over onto his.

"It always is, but we find a way. If we can erase his memory beyond your entrance in his life, he would be a different person then, correct?"

Buffy pulled away from him, slightly pained by the words. She thought for a few seconds, before nodding slowly.

"Willow…," She said following his train of thought, "she could give him a new life. She could bring Jack back…"

Giles touched her cheek.

"Not Jack. Just someone new."

"Get her to it. I'll head back out to Gotham tomorrow. He's incarcerated right now. Away from everyone. Now would be the best time. Just, tell her to make it a believable lie. Something, almost dignified. Something…," she trailed off.

"Befitting of an old friend?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"You know this will erase only his memory. He would almost most certainly have to stay in prison the rest of his days."

"At least he wouldn't be of harm to anyone or himself. We'll just have to tell the staff it's a new treatment. I doubt anyone will want to go running in and tell him he's the Joker and should be off killing people." Giles smiled, and they all assisted Willow in her potion making. When she was done, there was a purple and green swirled mixture in a syringe. As Willow continued to chant, the mixture mixed together into a brown liquid, and she gave the signal it was ready.

"Inject him with this. The process should take about an hour to complete. He'll be asleep during this time. When he wakes up, he won't know who he is. The memories will slowly build themselves up, like waking up from amnesia. Over the next several days he'll adopt a new persona. As long as no one avidly tries to force him to remember the past, this will work. Buffy, I'm sorry it's not more permanent, but it's really one of the highest level memory erasers I have come across. Without of course, consulting the Powers, but I doubt they'll get involved."

"Yea, I know," she replied taking the syringe, "Thank you for this. It's really, really appreciated."

Buffy arrived back in Gotham early in the morning two days later. She went straight to Bruce, who despite reservations agreed to inform Gordon that the Joker was to be left in isolation undisturbed for a week, no psychiatrists and no police officers. She then had them arrange for her to visit him before the lockdown, in which no one was to interrupt them, and to have the visitation held in his cell and not the meeting facility room. Gordon had grave disputes with the later part, but agreed after much convincing. The staff was informed that the Joker would be receiving new experimental treatment and may exhibit signs that he was losing his mind (more so than average), but would remain much calmer and easier to handle. With Gordon overseeing the whole operation, no one protested and were actually pleased that they would not have to drug him every day.

She arrived very early the following Monday at Arkham, alone. Bruce felt very nervous about this idea, but Buffy had insisted she wanted to do this by herself. She was ashamed to admit that she was embarrassed by what the Joker might say to her, and how Bruce under his Batman costume might react. The attendant led her to his cell, opened it for her, and closed it behind her very quickly. She was stuck inside the cell, behind a cold wall of steel with a shut peep hole with a madman. What a stroke of luck, she thought rolling her eyes. He had been asleep, but rolled over as the door slammed back shut. His eyes widened at the sight of her inside his cell, and he merely continued to rest on the cot. He took his hand and stroked the pillow seductively.

"Plenty of room here," he whispered, "though I wasn't expecting it to be you joining me on this cot anytime soon."

"Someone else in mind?"

"Jealous-uh?"

"Hmph. This isn't a social visit. I'm here on business."

"You're always so straight forward. I like that," he answered sitting up; and that's when she did something he didn't expect. She sat down next to him. She felt him shift, she'd actually made him nervous. He quickly made up for it by licking his lips softly, and reaching his hand up the back of her shirt. She went to pull away, but he wrapped his other arm around her and held her close.

"Ah, no no no. You're in my personal…space," he said leaning in at her.

"Jack stop, please," she said almost blushing. He pulled her on top of him, fixing her legs to straddle either side of his lap. She could feel him hard against her.

"Fuck me right here, Buffy, do it. You know you want to. I want you just as much as I ever have. Please, just let me own you," he continued, his hand loosening around her and finding her thigh. Heat rose on the back of her neck. It was now or never. She leaned in on his ear, cupping her mouth around it gently.

"I'll always love you…I'm sorry, Jack," she whispered as she dug the syringe into his arm deeply, kissing his cheeks as he passed out onto the cot.