Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or Justice League.

I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. It has been a while since I could write something without it already being half written already. My schedule has been so cramped that I can scarcely keep myself awake due to how tired I am. I haven't had any time to work on this story until today. And I only have time now because I'm home sick with a fever, soar throat, and cough (Please don't be Strep Throat . . .).

Oh, and did I do something wrong? I have gotten little to no people looking at any of my stories the last few days and I was wondering if something was messed up with my account . . .

Anyway, here's the next chapter!

They're Us

Chapter 14

Misunderstanding

Poison Ivy hummed happily as she tended to her babies. The poor sprouts had wilted slightly during her stay in Arkham when she wasn't there to take care of them. Thankfully, however, none of them had died due to the pollution.

Her greenhouses, carefully situated in one of the lease polluted places in Gotham, was something that made humans nervous. The tall, gleaming glass walls, when they weren't broken by the Bat, were intimidating to the weaklings wandering through the park and any new people were quickly warned from coming near by their fellows.

Plant food was always welcome, however.

She had been slightly worried when she escaped the dark insane asylum, wondering if the Bat had hurt any of her plants while she was gone. He tended kidnap her babies so that he could find 'cures' to their poisons. Hadn't he learned that every time he found a cure her babies would invent a new poison?

To her surprise, however, the Bat had not been back since he had captured her. Her babies had reported that he hadn't even been seen around Gotham for a while, which was unusual. That normally only happened when there was a world wide crisis, and from what she had heard there wasn't one at the moment. So what could be keeping him away? What would be so important that it would shift his focus from protecting his city?

She would have to ask Harley when she saw her next. The insane human was one of the only ones she might call a friend, though she would prefer it if the other wasn't so attached to the Joker.

Now that clown was completely out of the box and Ivy had no intention of getting in his way anytime soon. None of the other criminals did either. He was the only who had come close to beating the Batman not just once but several times. And anyone who could to that was someone to stay away from.

Poison Ivy cooed slightly as she saw her Larkspur flowers perk up under her touch, the deep blue flowers shivering slightly as they leaned toward her. It was amusing to realize that humans actually keep these plants as decorations without realizing just how dangerous they were. After all, a simple touch, if held to long, was enough to start the repertory paralysis process. It was an unassuming but deadly killer. Just like her.

"I didn't know you like the color blue so much," a young, emotionless voice spoke from behind her, making Poison Ivy's eyes widen as she spun around.

Her eyes landed on the one thing that didn't belong, and it wasn't who she was expecting. A boy, probably no older than ten, but with a deadly feel to him was crouched on one of the support beams in the roof of the greenhouse. The plants around her whipped into action as the vines spun to restrain the intruder. It seemed that they had been taken by surprise as well.

As the first vine came sailing toward him the boy flipped agilely into the air, using it as a platform to send him spiraling higher and over the next few vines. He landed lightly on another plant before jumping again before it could react and snap shut. Spinning mid air the boy threw several tablets toward Ivy, making her gasp and stumble back as smoke began filling the room from the small explosions.

As the smoke cleared she realized that it had only been a cover. During the few seconds where she could not see the boy had slipped past her plants and was headed straight toward her. His small, lithe body wove with dangerous accuracy between the attacking plants, as if he knew every move that they were going to make and exactly how to counter them. A flip, a spin, a jump. It was like trying to catch a snake that was aware of the danger and kept slipping away before they could get a good grip.

Within a dozen feet of Poison Ivy the boy pulled out a small capsule and threw it. Ivy threw her arms in front of her as her babies automatically obeyed her and several large leaves blocked her from sight. However, the resulting explosion was too much for the thick leaves and it tore through them, sending Ivy tumbling back. Her shoulder hit a boulder with a hard smack, making her hiss in pain and fear.

Turning her eyes back in the boy's direction she saw him emerging from the smoke. Even her babies were shrinking back slightly as if they could sense her fear. The boy . . . he couldn't be human.

White eye's gazed down at her as he stopped just a few feet away, everything around them came to a halt. Her babies restrained themselves from attacking in case she got hurt, and the boy made no move to come forward. For the first time, as the smoke cleared, she could clearly make out what he was wearing.

A black cloak settled around his shoulders gave him the appearance of a shadow against the dark smoke, similar and yet different to Batman. Dark red and black peeked out from between the slit in the front of the cloak. Unlike Batman, who she had thought he might have been when he had first spoken, or even what she would have thought his kid (if he ever had one) would look like, this boy wore no cowl. His face was clear for all to see; the only thing blocking him from the rest of the world was the mask placed over his eyes. Black around emotionless white. Demons eyes. His hair, darker than even Gotham nights, hung around his head in a fashion not unlike a birds.

"What are you?" she whispered, clenching her hands in preparation to fight if she had to.

Somehow she had the feeling that this being was a completely different animal then Batman, and that terrified her. A bat she could deal with; but this boy was something else.

"That is not important," the boy spoke, a low, insane cackle braking from his lips.

Ivy froze. She knew that cackle . . . but it couldn't be . . .

"I have a few questions that I need answered," he stopped laughing and his eyes seemed to bore straight into her soul, "And I have the feeling that you might know the answers."

Ivy stiffened. "What do you want?"

The vines shifted uneasily, slithering slightly closer to her, ready to strike at any moment.

"Have you been in contact with any criminal organizations in the past few weeks?" he boy said, taking a step forward as Ivy pulled herself to her feet.

What? "No."

"Really?" one white eye became slightly bigger in disbelief, "I find that kind of hard to believe, given the evidence that points toward you."

Ivy hissed, her eyes going even wider. Someone had framed her? Who would dare . . .

No. Not possible. They wouldn't . . . at least she didn't think that they would.

But the cackle, the fact that it was a criminal organization that she might have been in contact with . . . Joker.

Was it possibly that Joker had a son? One who was turned against crime because of his father? Ivy hated to admit it . . . but it was possible.

And wasn't that a scary thought.

"I'm not the one you're looking for," Ivy spat, "Why don't you go talk to your father, you little brat! What every you think I did, I didn't!"

The boy stiffened, his eyes suddenly narrowing in a deadly glare, and Ivy found herself comparing it to Batman's glare.

A child who resembled both Batman and Joker . . . terror swept through her, making her knees go weak. Who she make it out of tonight alive?

"You don't know anything about my father," the boy said, his voice going cold.

Ivy sneered, letting her vines come closer to help with a getaway if needed. She would hate leaving her children behind . . . but they would survive. She might not if she stayed.

"I know enough to that the clown is the one who set this up! Whatever he framed me for, I didn't do it!"

How ironic that she was pleading not guilty. Most of the time she had done was she was accused of.

The boy was silent for a few seconds before he straightened. Ivy stiffened, wondering if he was about to strike. However, his next words made her freeze again because they were so unexpected.

"You're right," the boy stepped back, "You are not who I am looking for."

It was her moment of astonishment that made her too slow to react when the boy's arm shot out from beneath his cloak and threw another small capsule at her, hitting the slight puddle at her feet. Before she could pull back the capsule reacted and with a crackle ice exploded from the tiny oval, encasing her within seconds.

Before it could cover her head completely she heard the boy speak one last time.

"I wonder what Batman will think when he finds you."

Then everything went black.

0~o~0

Harley Quinn was not what you would expect from a former physiatrist. She wasn't what most people would expect, actually. She was a criminal and the right hand woman (she liked to think) of the Joker, the most influential criminal in Gotham.

But, though she and the Joker might be unpredictable, the other criminals weren't.

That was why it was such a surprise when she opened her door and found a pale, shaking, and dripping wet Poison Ivy standing outside her door, her leafy dress was drooping and slightly singed.

"What happened?" Harley asked in concern. Her friend never came over unless there was an important deal going down that might support her. She had a tendency to avoid Joker like the plague and Harley knew that Ivy would never have come when there was a chance that Joker was here unless it was bad.

And the haunted look in Ivy's eyes confirmed that, yes, it was bad.

"Joker hasn't had a son in the last ten or so years has he?" Ivy asked, her eyes flicking to the shadows around her as she came inside.

Harley's eyes narrowed, "He had better not."

From the look the Ivy gave her, it seemed that Harley was going to have a talk with her puddin' soon. She might even have to bring her hammer. Yes, the heavy one should do it.

0~o~0

"Hello Son," Luthor said, keeping his voice calm and steady but wondering if the boy in front of him could hear the racing of his heart beneath his ribs.

Earlier he had checked the records for any trace of the boy but the only thing he had come up with was MATCH, the project that Cadmus claimed they were still working on . . . unsuccessfully. But that project was supposed to be purely Superman's DNA, nothing added. Either they were lying to him or something much bigger was going on, and he hated not knowing.

The boy gapped at him like he had never heard the word before (he might not have, Luthor's mind whispered traitorously), ". . . What?"

Shoving his thoughts aside Luthor strode forward, keeping his face calm as he looked into the bright blue, innocent eyes. "I know this is probably terribly confusing for you. It certainly is for me, finding out that I have a son that I had no idea existed," Luthor slid onto the end of the bed, the opposite side that the still slightly dizzy boy was on, "Would you care to explain?"

The boy only stared, as if disbelieving, and then suddenly huffed, leaning back. A shield slammed down over his eyes, protecting him from hurt.

What had happened to make the boy look like that?

There were several seconds of tense silence where they stared at each other; the boy's jaw was clenching so hard Luthor could almost hear the grinding teeth. Clearly he was doing something wrong, but Luthor was not an expert in children. Politicians? Scientists? Traitors? Sure, he dealt with them by the dozen. Teenagers? The most he could recall was his own youth; and even then he wasn't the most typical of children.

The boy took in a shaking breath, clearly trying to break the silence, "I don't believe you. You can't be my f-father because my-my father is S-"

"Superman?" Luthor interrupted, nodding slightly even as his eyes narrowed. So the boy did know about his heritage. How . . . interesting.

The boy's eyes widened even further, "How . . ."

"A blood test," Luthor told the other briskly, his back straight, "The resemblance was . . . uncanny. That was also how I found out about the other slight fact about me being . . . your father."

Luthor's voice hitched slightly. His own father had not been the best and every time he thought about that concept he couldn't help but wonder if his life would have turned out differently if it were not for his own misguided father's ideals.

Confusion swam in the boy's eyes as he blinked, swaying slightly as if the information was too much for him to handle.

"Tell me," Luthor said, "What's your name?"

If everything was as he suspected, if the boy before him was MATCH . . . Cadmus would have a lot to answer for.

The boy was wary, his eyes darting around as he mentally debated. Finally, after almost a full minute, he deflated.

"Conner," the boy said, his eyes earnest, hopeful. "Who are you?"

Conner, Luthor silently tested the name on his lips, an invisible but slight smile making its way up his face. A good name, though unexpected. He must have escaped longer ago than I thought to have already chosen one fore himself.

"Nice to meet you, Conner," Luthor held out his hand and, after a moment of hesitation the boy took it in his slightly stronger grip, "My name is Lex Luthor."

0~o~0

"Honey, I'm home!" Joker announced as he walked through the back door of their temporary hideout, "And I have a present for you!"

Usually upon coming to the hideout Joker would be greeted by a squeal and a hug from Harley, but the unusual silence that was his reply today made him pause in confusion. He glanced around. Nothing was broken so Bats couldn't have found them yet, but Harley wasn't there.

"Sweetie?" he questioned again, his voice echoing his slight panic, "You there?"

The door suddenly slammed shut behind him, making Joker spin around and raise the present meant for Harley into the air as protection. What he saw, however, made him pause.

"Harley?"

The red and White female clown was leaning against the door that he had just come through, one of her larger hammers being hefted up and down in her hands. Her face was completely blank but it was her eyes that made Joker want to step back. What had he done wrong? Wait, why was he thinking like that? He was in charge! She should be cowering from him!

Her sharpening glare made him back down quickly.

"Hello puddin'," Harley practically purred. The handle of her hammer smacked against her palm once, twice, three times . . . "When were you going to tell me that you had a kid?"

Joker blinked, blinked again, and then started cackling, partly in relief and partly because, yes, it was kind of funny. Him, a kid? As if!

"Goon one Harley!" Joker said, still chuckling, "But, uh, where did you hear that one?"

Harley's eyes narrowed further and Joker suddenly stopped laughing. In her eyes . . . this was no joke.

"Maybe I'll just have to jog your memory," Harley's eyes glinted and her grip on her hammer tightened as she raised it into the air, "With this!"

Wide eyed, Joker found himself, for the first time in his life, running from someone who was not the Bat.

Who knew Harley hit so hard? He kind of felt bad for the Bat, now, and himself.

But . . . he still didn't know what she was taking about. He didn't have a kid!

Did he?

0~o~0

I hope you all liked this chapter. As I mentioned in my last update, I am no longer updating regularly but I will try to get another chapter in before Christmas if I can. My idea light bulb is back to flickering again, but not repaired. I'm starting to wonder if I should put my 'Circus Idea' in here or just bring it to an end in the next few chapters. By the end though, no mater what happens, Justice League Batman will be left in total confusion, I can guarantee that.

As for the circus idea . . . what do you all think of a new story based on it? I've got the general outline (without an ending but its mostly done) and it would be similar to this one but not a crossover. The possible summary would be as following:

Richard never became Robin. Wally ran away from home. Artemis went with her sister. M'gann left Mars earlier and her uncle never found out. Conner escaped Cadmus after a fire with the help of some 'birds' . . . Several years later Bruce Wayne watches the Daring Danger's do a performance at the circus, but is there more to these teens than he suspects?

So, yah. If you would like a story like that PM me. I would also need a Beta reader for it. I would appreciate some feedback.

As for the Reviews that I got . . .

Though I am not including any romance into the plot, I think I can plug in a scene that will freak out Green Arrow . . . and probably Red Arrow too (grins).

You want more Robin? Then give me ideas! I beg you! I love Robin too, but for the life of me I can't think of anything that might happen to him that would alert the Justice League of his presence . . . or any one else for that matter. He is rather good at staying low, after all. Even if he is bored.

Anyway, see you next time and keep reading!

(Updated: 12/17/2015)