A/N: This is my peace offering. Two (maybe three!) updates in one day, more than ever before. I really love you guys and appreciate your efforts to keep me writing. I know I can be difficult at times, but you and rehab have helped me realize that my stories deserve updates. Please forgive and review!

And I still no ownage. :(

Warnings: Joker's POV (he won't let even me call him Jack), uncontrolled, massive fury, and Bolton and Batsy bashing. I also couldn't find the episode lock-up (which I don't own either) because I wanted my dear Jonny's panicked words upon his return to Arkham, but I did them from memory. Hope it is close. :) and review!


Chapter 11

Joker

"No! No, I promise, I wasn't going to do anything wrong, I just can't be here anymore! Please!"

Joker's blood was very close to boiling already (how dare Batman use that kind of tactic against them? It went against every rule, ever. They had rules! Batman couldn't get them, even after escape, unless they were caught doing "bad things". He couldn't just waltz in using knockout gas and drag them away in chains!)

So yes, Joker was close to exploding, Jonathan's desperate pleas from the hallway made him want to leap in there and carry him away, and he was powerless to stop Jonathan's terror, which was weird, because he usually reveled in others' terror.

"Please, let me go!"

Lyle Bolton made Joker want to slaughter babies.

He just stood outside Joker's cell, watching Jonathan get dragged down the hall with a nasty smirk on his fat face, probably imagining what he could do to him now.

Joker's blood temperature rose a little higher, just watching him.

"Please, let him go."

Joker twitched a bit as the hoarse voice that had been stuck in here an entire year floated out. Harley? And she was sticking up for Jonathan?

"Please!"

A low, sinister laugh rumbled from Bolton's diaphragm and Joker lost it. He lashed out through the bars of the cell and managed to take a huge chunk of flesh off Bolton's bare arm with his nails before ten orderlies were on him, restraining him from the howling Bolton.

Suddenly Bolton was less than a foot from Joker's face, cheeks flushed in anger, breath foul and muscles spasming.

"Oh, you're the one they all talk about," he hissed, seizing Joker's arm and twisting it until it popped. Joker spat at him and Bolton looked infuriated. "I'll have fun with you. Welcome to Arkham."

Joker just laughed as he was dragged away to his first solitary confinement.

Jonathan

Ok, he was terrified. He was on the brink of trying to attack a security officer so that maybe he could get shot and die. He couldn't stay here, he couldn't, Bolton would have no mercy. Jonathan was his favorite plaything, and he didn't hold back even when Jonathan had been "good".

It was going to be torture.

But seeing Joker take a chunk out of him had been strangely satisfying, and if Jonathan didn't know better, he'd think Joker did it for him.

Good thing he knew better. Jonathan was sick and tired of getting his hopes up.

He shot Harley a shut-up-before-you're-hurt look and turned his attention back to his personal devil, who was stalking toward him, murder written all over his face.

"Please," he just managed to whisper before Bolton got to him and shook him hard enough to dislodge his brain a bit.

"You are so very ungrateful, Crane," Bolton hissed into Jonathan's ear, hot breath making Jonathan retch quietly. "I was so nice to you, and you had to go run away. Now you get to know what pain really is."

"No, please," Jonathan tried and received a slap to his face for his efforts that echoed down the hall and caused abrupt silence to follow. It knocked the wind out of him and he gasped for air, fighting desperately to keep tears away.

"Bolton, enough," Batman's voice was sudden and sharp and Jonathan flinched as Bolton threw him to the ground and turned to the masked vigilante.

"With all due respect, sir, are you questioning my discipline?" Bolton demanded, voice silky smooth. Jonathan shuddered.

"No, I am questioning your use of violence that I could hear on my way to solitary," Batman replied, voice threatening and deadly. "I would suggest a little less force when you deal with patients, especially those smaller than you."

"He needed to be subdued-"

"That was not a request."

Batman shot an unreadable look to the cowering Jonathan before turning and making his sweeping exit. Bolton seethed and Jonathan tried to make himself invisible.

Bolton shot a glance to the cells surrounding him, then finally down to the cowering Jonathan, a sadistic smirk on his face.

"Everyone," he announced, not taking his eyes off Jonathan. "Lights out is early tonight."