It's getting worse.
The Joker and the Hatter's victim left Nightwing with an ominous message. He knows about them. He knows about their baby, and he knows that they have pressure points. The Mad Hatter's motivation for helping The Joker remains a mystery.
His attacks are escalating, pinpointing every aspect of their lives, every person they come into contact with, whether they're important or not. A co worker, an employee, a friend; an acquaintance from a memory long ago.
Harley pulled into Barbara's driveway. She fumbled around getting her keys and phone into her purse. Someone knocked on her car window, and she jumped a little. Peering out, she saw it was a police officer.
"Can I help you?" she asked, opening the door and getting out.
"Can I ask you to state your business?" He was a tall lanky looking guy a little older than her. His uniform fit him well, accenting his wiry muscles. He'd pushed his aviator sunglasses up into the top of his cropped black hair, watching her intently with brown eyes.
"I'm here to see me friend," Harley said cautiously, always nervous of law enforcement. He pointed at Barbara's house with a questioning look. "Yeah," Harley nodded, tugging her coat closer around her body, "that'd be the one." She took a step toward it.
"Does she know you're coming?" He stepped in front of Harley. Who he was clicked with Harley.
"The Commissioner assigned a security detail for her, didn't he?" she asked. The officer said nothing. "Well yes, she does know I'm coming. The eight month pregnant woman isn't going to be much of a threat, but keep up the good work." Harley patted him on the shoulder before walking to the door; he followed her. "Barbara," she called when she walked in, kicking her shoes off at the door, "your puppy followed me."
"My what?" Barbara stepped into the hall from the living room. She saw the officer. "Oh, right."
"Miss Gordon, you are supposed to alert us if you are inviting guests," he reminded her.
"I didn't feel like it." Barbara shrugged.
"Miss Gordon…"
"Officer Young," she mimicked. He frowned.
"I'll be outside." He said, heading back out the door.
"My father insisted I have twenty four hour guard if I was going to move back home," she explained to Harley's questioning look.
"Oh, that I understood," Harley told her. "I just don't get why you're playing hard to get instead of telling that officer you like him." She gestured back at the door.
"Sam? What? No." Barbara blushed.
"Yeah right." Harley rolled her eyes, grabbing Barbara's arm. "Tell me all about it." She pulled Barbara into the living room.
Dick dozed with his head in his hand as he leaned on his desk. Someone knocked on the door, and his cheek slid out of his hand.
"Yeah," his head snapped back up, "who is it?" He blinked his eyes open.
"Bossman Robin." Tulio stepped into the office. "That kid hasn't shown up to feed the elephants again today," he whined. "Mai is getting uppity because she can't practice or nothing."
Dick rubbed his eyes in response, nodding. "Alright," he said slowly, standing and grabbing his coat and hat. "But I don't understand why you'd come to me, you all know how to do each others jobs. Just feed the elephants, Tulio, it's not that difficult. I have my own work to do."
Tulio fell into step beside him as he strolled out of the office, yawning. "Work, eh? Because it looks like you were sleeping."
"I wasn't sleeping," Dick countered, glancing at the boy. Tulio stuck his lower lip out.
"Yes you was, I saw you."
"Well I didn't sleep last night."
"Did you catch the Joker?"
"Did you see it on the news?" Dick retorted. Tulio shook his head no, and Dick smirked. "You know, at least the others pretend that they don't know who I am."
"Who are you? I didn't even know! Are you Batgirl?" Tulio cried sarcastically.
Dick rolled his eyes. "It's not that obvious," he muttered, pulling his beanie tighter over his dark hair.
"It is and you know it. Anyone who knows Dick Grayson and Nightwing can connect them through that motormouth of yours."
"Alright, thats enough," he yawned. "Benitri sure has trained you to be snarky."
"It's not so much training as experience," Tulio laughed, and they stepped into the elephant tent. Dick began shoveling the feed- a pungent mixture of grasses and fruits- into the massive feeding area. The three massive creatures lumbered over as he piled it up. Glancing over his shoulder, Dick ran a hand through his hair. Tulio sat on top of an overturned bucket, watching him.
"You just going to sit there and enjoy the show, or are you going to help me?" Dick asked with a smile, and Tulio laughed before leaping up to fill the water troughs. Dick continued to pile on the feed, when he was suddenly struck in the back, knocking him forward as he stumbled a bit.
"Bruce," Selina sighed, leaning against the table. He continued staring at the computer screen. "Bruce," she said again, knocking on the table by his elbow to get his attention.
"Hmm? What?" He glanced at her, his eyes a little bloodshot.
"You can't keep staying up like this," she told him, taking his hands from the keys and holding them in hers.
"It's just… it's Dick and Harley."
"What about them?" She was instantly concerned, moving closer to him.
"The Joker." He took one of his hands and rubbed his eyes before replacing it in hers. "I knew he'd be targeting them, but the analytical precision of this is making me… nervous."
"He seemed rash in the trial," she reminded him.
"This is different." He shook his head. "It's been months, and he's just been patiently waiting for something."
"Well that's… different," she agreed. Selina wanted to reassure him; she wanted to tell him that he'd faced this before and he'd be alright. The problem was, she wasn't sure that he had faced this, before. Bruce was used to the Joker targeting him. He could handle his own life in such drastic jeopardy. But can he handle the deliberate plotting against his favorite son? Selina thought worriedly.
"I need to figure out what he's up to." He sighed. "But I feel like I need to keep Dick at a distance from this. I can't have him getting emotional and unfocused because of this again."
"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Selina pondered. "He has every right to know what's happening, but I do agree that when it comes to Harley he's very sensitive."
"I'm just afraid of what he'd do if he stopped to consider how much danger Harley was in. The Joker is taunting them." Bruce glanced back at the screen. "He's trying to scare them."
"And you and I both know that, given the chance, Dick would have killed the Joker in their last encounter. Dick lashes out in fear. He's trustworthy, but he's rash." Selina agreed.
"I just don't know what he'd be capable of if he ever lost her," Bruce said seriously.
"You should go out there and talk to him," Harley said, laughing as Barbara glared at her.
"That is the worst idea. I can't talk to him!"
"Yes you can." Harley rolled her eyes. "He's just a guy. Take him some cocoa or something."
"But what would I say?" Barbara sat on the edge of the couch. "I can barely use sentences when he's here. He probably thinks I'm his boss's stupid daughter."
"You're not stupid," Harley laughed. "And he doesn't think that. I saw you talk to him. You were fine," she assured her.
"But?"
"But what?"
"There was a but in that!" Barbara pointed an accusing finger at her.
"But," Harley sighed. "You talk to him like you do Dick." Barbara looked at her in confusion. "Well, Dick made the moves on you and made it obvious he liked you. You're not making it obvious you like Officer Cutie. You're talking to him like you do Dick. Like a brother."
"He thinks I'm like his sister?!" Barbara cried.
"No! No, that's not what I meant." Harley giggled at her reaction. "Show interest," she emphasized. "You're his boss's daughter; he's going to be too afraid to make the first move."
"Of course he is. He's not as stupid as Dick was, nobody wants to date their boss's daughter…" she groaned.
"You don't know that," Harley countered. "He could want to, he's just too afraid. If he asks you, he's trying to climb the social ladder at work. But if you ask him, he's just dating a hot girl with a scary dad."
"Okay," Barbara shot to her feet, balling her fists. "Yeah, I'll just go out and talk to him… I'll just…" she trailed off, crossing the living room and stepping out the front door. Harley watched them talk through the window.
Dick turned around in surprise as the elephant's trunk wrapped around his waist. He dropped his shovel and laughed, his feet barely touching the ground; Tulio sprinted across the tent in alarm, but Dick held up a hand. "No, it's okay," he smiled, patting the elephant's trunk. "Una and I go way back." The old elephant set Dick back on the ground and trumpeted at mention of her name. Tulio looked at him for a bit before shrugging and continuing to shovel food.
"Tulio!" Yvette walked into the room. "Your brothers are looking for- oh hi Robin."
"Hey, Yvette," he smiled, playing with the elephant. It followed him when he walked to her, and he planted his hands on his hips. "Everything running smoothly today?"
"Yeah, except Mai is trying to make everyone as angry as her. She's ready to strangle that kid you hired's throat if he ever shows up." She shrugged. "Something about how she's above feeding her horses and the elephants. Vlad and I are starting a pool on whether or not she and Toby come to blows." Dick sighed.
"Damn, I was hoping we could avoid a Mai-Meltdown, today." He yawned again. "I'll go talk to her. Where is she? In her tent?"
"Nope. Bothering the brothers on the trapeze. That's why they sent me to get Tulio. They know he annoys her enough to get her to leave."
"Hey!" Tulio paused mid shovel.
"Right," Dick said, already on his way to the main tent. He pulled open the flap and stepped inside, letting his eyes adjust to the dark. Mai stood by the net as she looked up at the trapeze. Dick walked towards her, "Hello, Mai, how are you doing today?" he asked politely, smiling.
"I am hours behind on my practice," she told him, not skipping a beat. "And I lost my slot for the main tent. I expect that kid to be fired."
"He doesn't have anywhere else to go, Mai," Dick said quietly. "You could always feed the horses yourself."
"He was hired to feed the animals. I was not."
"Stop saying 'hired' and 'fired' like this is a business. It's not. I won't let just anyone come in here. This is a family, and we've all got to help each other out. You can't blame everyone else because you can't practice. You can pull your own weight, you know," Dick yawned, looking up at Benitri and his two brothers on the trapeze.
"If I can't practice, I can't perform," she snapped, storming out of the tent. Dick rolled his eyes, following her.
"Mai," he said calmly. "I'm only asking you to feed your horses. Hey," he caught her arm. "I can show you how." She suddenly stopped.
"Oh now he's here." Mai didn't wait; she marched toward the boy. With a groan, Dick followed.
"Damian," Bruce sighed. "You don't have to lurk in the doorway."
"I didn't know Selina was down here," he said in a curt voice.
"She is allowed in here too." Selina was sitting on the table, her legs draped across the chair Bruce was in.
"I know that," he snapped, turning his nose up as he strode into the Batcave.
"Don't you like me, Damian?" Selina asked, playing with one of Bruce's hands.
"When you two are in here together, it makes me nauseous," Damian retorted. Bruce blushed, but Selina laughed.
"Do we embarrass you?" she asked, leaning forward to give Bruce a kiss on the cheek. Damian scowled.
"I'll just leave, then," he muttered, walking back towards the elevator.
"Don't go," Selina laughed. "I promise to keep my hands to myself." She held them up in the air. Damian turned on his heel.
"Father, Pennyworth was looking for you. I wasn't entirely sure why."
"Alright." Bruce reluctantly moved Selina's legs and stood up. He held out his hand, and Selina took it. Damian watched them with distaste. "You can stand there with that look on your face, or you can get in the elevator," Bruce told him. Damian frowned and then reluctantly followed them into the elevator.
"Was that weird? Was I weird?" Barbara asked.
"It's fine," Harley assured her. "It was a good idea." She continued mixing the potato salad together.
"Thank you for helping." Barbara cut the sub buns.
"Well we want him to think you can cook more than frozen meals and ramen." Harley put a scoop of salad on a plate. Barbara finished the sandwich and put it on as Harley poured a glass of cocoa.
"I feel ridiculous," Barbara muttered, looking at the plate of food.
"You can either go take that cop food, or you can spend your Saturdays putting puzzles together with your dad." Barbara glared at her before grabbing the plate and cup and walking to the front door.
Harley watched from the window as Barbara met Officer Young in the yard. She smiled as she watched Barbara give him the plate; she could see the blush on Barbara's face from where she was.
She glanced to the other side of the yard and did a double take. George? Harley hurried over to the door. When she flung it open, Barbara and Officer Young had noticed the man as well.
"Hello?" Sam stepped between Barbara and the man. He stopped and looked at Sam's voice, and Harley saw it was George, the janitor from Arkham. Sam took a step toward him.
"No stay back!" Harley called. The two of them turned toward her, and George lunged at them. His teeth clamped down on Sam's arm. Harley hurried over and grabbed George by the shoulder, throwing him onto the ground. She stood with one foot on his arms pinned to his back as he writhed around, making snarling noises.
"Are you okay?" Barbara grabbed Sam's arm and looked at it.
"Yes. Who is that?" He looked down at where George was flailing around, making moaning noises.
"An old friend," Harley muttered.
"Mai, wait-" Dick groaned, following her towards the small boy that the circus had adopted. His only job was to feed the animals, and though he could speak fluent English, he often spoke German. He stood with his head bent to the ground as Mai stormed up to him.
"Where have you been!? You have a job to do!" she snapped. The boy, Erik, continued to stare at his feet. Dick frowned. "Are you listening? I haven't been able to practice! The horses are starving!" she pressed. He still didn't move, and Dick ducked a bit to look at his face. It was white as a sheet and his pale eyes were wide open, his mouth moving slowly as he tried to form words.
"Mai, hold up a minute," Dick said, gently pulling her behind him. He knelt in front of the boy. "Erik," he said quietly.
"Wir sind alle verrückt hier," the boy breathed.
"What?" Dick asked, touching his shoulder.
"Wir sind alle verrückt hier." Erik said again, looking up. A grin spread across his face, his unfocused eyes bloodshot. Mai stumbled back in shock. "Wir sind alle verrückt hier!" he repeated. "Wir sind alle verrückt hier, wir sind alle verrückt hier!"
"Can you say that in English, Erik!?" Dick grabbed his shoulders, and Erik reached up to his face.
"Wir sind alle verrückt hier," he whispered, and Dick recoiled away from the boy's hands, covered in blood. He grabbed his small fingers, examining his scraped wrists.
"Shit. He's lost a lot of blood already, Mai go call an ambulance-" Dick tore his jacket off, shivering in the cold as he tore the sleeves off, tying them around Erik's wrists.
"Wir sind alle verrückt hier." His voice was a whisper, barely heard, yet seen in the air with his frosted breath.
"I know, Erik, I know," Dick scooped him up in his arms and started walking quickly toward the offices, where a small medical station was.
"Wir sind alle verrückt hier," he laughed, wheezing. His unfocused eyes stared straight past Dick's ear.
"It'll be alright."
"You two," Damian spluttered, fleeing from the elevator. Selina laughed.
"Damian, don't go. We're sorry." She pulled Bruce out with her.
"No," he said flatly. Selina giggled, and Bruce smiled.
"Sir," Alfred stepped into the library. "If you would follow me to the kitchen." He was holding a cleaver in his hand.
"Alfred what is going on?" Bruce asked. Selina, Damian, and he followed Alfred into the kitchen.
"I believe this one is yours."
"June?" Damian asked in disbelief. The girl's head snapped toward them when she heard his voice. Alfred had tied her into a chair. Her face and arms looked like they'd been clawed, and her nose and fingers looked frostbitten.
"Do you know her?" Bruce asked. June ignored everyone but Damian, rocking the chair in her frenzy.
"You… you," she choked. "You're one of them."
"I met her once." Damian looked shocked.
"I'll kill you!" June cried, causing Selina to jump and Alfred to raise his cleaver. "You're one of them."
