"Guys! It's been so long! I can't believe I haven't uploaded since 4 months ago. Time surely goes by way too fast. I know I say this every time but I have been pretty busy. Not only that, but I felt like I had written myself to a corner with the last chapter. I had the most massive writer's block, you guys have no clue. But the announcement of Jared Leto having his own Joker movie in the works really pumped me to continue on with the next chapter (Not like I was giving it up, because I will finish it sooner or later). Hopefully, when that movie comes out, it will inspire me to expand this AU of Pandaman. Also, the few people who kept asking me to upload a new chapter gave me the final push that I needed, so thank you for that. Anyways, enough about me. You guys are here to read another chapter! Please enjoy and don't forget to write me a lovely comment in the end. Even if it's the smallest thing like "great chapter", they really help me keep going with this." -Katmeroo

.

.

Twenty one

Eternal

.

.

Panne was given a simple gray t-shirt and a navy blue long sleeve jumpsuit which she only used it as pants, tying the rest around her waist. Marcus handed her a small pistol and looked at her in the eye.

"This is a PPK Walther. It's compact and is easy to carry or hide."

She felt the weight of it in her hand. She was used to bigger guns so this one was actually easier for her to handle.

"I like it." She said dryly.

"Good. You can keep it." He said as he turned around "It'll be your reminder of the Clown's demise."

Panne furrowed her brows at his words. Would she really want to be reminded of this horrible night? She already felt nauseous about the whole situation.

"There's a warehouse hidden in the back of this building. We will set our ambush there."

"Are you sure about this?" She asked him, putting the gun away in her waistband. He raised a single brow at her, curious as to why her sudden doubting. She continued "The Joker is really smart, he's not easily fooled. He's always a step ahead of everyone else."

"So, what? Is that supposed to stop us?" He glared at her. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"N-no... I just... I've never been on the other end of the situation. Always been behind the Joker, always succeeding, always surviving. I feel like we are on the losing end."

He sighed and softened his look "I understand your point and I get that it could be scary for you, but this is war. This man killed my twin brother. He has terrorized thousands of people, including you and your friends. He must be stopped at all costs."

She heavily nodded her head in agreement. "I get that but he's..." She got cut off.

"I see the look in your eyes, Panne. I know the look of pain when I see it and it is painted all over your face. Look at you!" He signaled at her tattoos. "Look what he did to you...Do you think you'll ever be able to overcome this part of your life?"

Panne stared at him without saying a word. She slowly lowered her head and closed her eyes. She remembered the words he had told her when they got back from blowing up the warehouse with Robin in it.

Love becomes desire. Desire becomes surrender and surrender becomes power. Then Panne Yuen-Da will be no more. There will only be Panda, and I'll make sure of that.

He had told her that she will no longer be the same person, and in a certain way she wasn't. Yet, she did not become the one he wanted to. She never reached over the wall to crazy land, much like Harley Quinn did herself. Panne felt a knot in her stomach and remembered that she was not alone. She was expecting life. Would she want to bring an innocent child into this world? A world of abuse next to someone like the Joker? No matter how far she ran away, he would find her. She couldn't let that happen. Her child needed protecting. This might be her only chance and she had to go all in.

"Besides... You are my secret weapon. He won't expect it. Now, come on, let's get ready." Marcus' voice broke her from her thoughts. "You can focus now on succeeding with the plan." She nodded and followed him around.

"Where the fuck is Frost?!" Joker yelled as he cleaned his bloody hands in Kevin's golden plated bathroom. He looked to his side where he had put the small metal case he managed to extract from him after clipping most of his toes off. Kevin eventually told him he had the Dyonesium hidden in a safe in his bathroom. Of course, after verifying that what he wanted was in the place he had told him, he shot the man in the head. He would've gutted him but that would've ruined his outfit so he opted for the "merciful" way. Joker closed himself in the bathroom and opened the case. His face lit up as multiple test tubes with a bright blue liquid inside smiled back at him. Stuck to the inside of the lid, was what seemed like a pendant that could hold a very small amount – but enough – of the Dyonesium. He looked at it closer as he held it in his hand, confirming it already had the substance inside.

Isn't this handy? – He thought as he placed the pendant in the inside pocket of his jacket, close to his chest. He went ahead to reset the combination lock of the metal case and proceeded to close it shut.

Inside of the safe, he also found some blueprints attached to a duffle bag. He examined it and smiled. It was a device prototype that seemed to work as a magnet to disarm people of their guns inside of a 30 feet radius. Inside of the bag where about 10 transparent plastic fully functional handguns that had no effect on the magnet.

"Ha ha haaa… Oh Santa, you shouldn't have!" He held one of the guns and brought it close to the light to see the visible inside mechanism "Seems that I've been a reeeally good boy to deserve all these gifts."

"Boss, we can't find Frost." Cooper told him through the closed door.

Joker felt his eyes roll almost all the way to the back of his head. He ran his hand across his forehead before hitting himself with the palm of his hand on the head repeatedly out of anger. He already knew where Jonny had gone. That idiot had gone without them. He grunted loudly as he put everything away and carried the bag as he kicked the door open.

"You three!" He pointed to three of his goons "Grab some of the explosives we have on our bags and tape them to each floor as we go down. Let's light this place up like the Fourth of July." He grinned wickedly.

Jonny parked the car in an alleyway just a few blocks away from the street Kevin had told them. He had taken Kevin's cellphone – or one of them – and snuck it with him before leaving unnoticed. He reached for his bag and grabbed a portable signal tracker Eyeball had worked on before he died. He turned it on and connected the phone to it. Marcus' phone number was easy to find on Kevin's contact list and he made sure to turn on the signal blocker from his end, in case they tried to track him too while he called.

After the third ring, he heard someone pick up the phone. Activating the tracker, he began to speak. "Listen here, Marcus, I don't know what the hell you expect to gain from kidnapping one of our own but let me tell you is certainly nothing good."

A low chuckle was heard through the line, followed by a deep voice "You really have some balls to talk to me like that, Frost. It's Frost I'm talking to, isn't it?"

"I'd say the same about you, stealing from the Joker like that. I can tell you are a pretty ballsy fella'." Jonny eyed the tracker screen, feeling as if he was getting close to locating him. "But…The Joker is feeling generous today and he will reward you with..." He glanced back at the big duffle bag with money "...A big amount of money in exchange for the girl."

Jonny felt his pocket vibrate as another call fought to be answered. He retrieved his personal phone and saw the words "BOSS" displayed on the screen. He went and hit the answer button because if the call went on to the voicemail he could as well just dig his own grave.

"The Joker? Reward me?" Marcus couldn't help but laugh. He knew Frost was full of it, but if it meant that it would bring the Joker to them then it didn't matter. "Alright, but I want the clown to give me the money himself."

"Deal."

That time was more than enough to track his location successfully. After hanging up, he put his personal phone on his ear. "Boss, I can explain..." He began.

"Oh, I heard enough, Jonny boy." The Joker's voice came through. "You better tell me that you have their position."

"And I do, it's only 5 minutes from where I'm currently at. Kevin had given us the right address."

"Well, too bad we can't thank him anymore. " He laughed " Well, Jonzo, let's make some heads roll. "

Jonny heard the call end and put his phone away. He'll be sure to bring them hell.

Panne had no clue how much time had passed since she had been taken away. Had it been hours? Had it already been a day? She found no point in asking. She was leaning against a wall, her hands crossed in front of her chest. She just wanted to get this over with.

"They are close! Everyone to their positions!" She heard someone yell before men started running around. Marcus suddenly grabbed her tightly by the arm "You listen to me." He pulled her to an empty chair in the center of the warehouse, placing her arms behind her and proceeding to wrap some ropes around. He did a very loose knot on the back.

"If you try something funny, remember I have my men already pointing their guns at you." He threatened closely to her ear before vanishing in the darkness of the warehouse. Panne could see her breath in front of her, she shivered on her seat as she held on tightly to the pistol on the back of her waistband.

Before she could think any further, she heard gunshots in the distance. The noise becoming louder and louder as it got closer towards the entrance of the cold warehouse. Suddenly, the doors flew open letting some light in the warehouse. Panne gripped tightly onto her pistol, not moving. Her eyes were big as she looked forward towards the opened doors who didn't seem to welcome anyone. Yet that didn't last long when very familiar masked men emerged from the sides of the entrance and pointed their rifles forward. A tall figure came from behind them dragging a big duffle bag. He wore a Batman mask that Panne immediately recognized. She knew that was Jonny.

"Panne!" He removed his mask and ran towards her, yet her horrified look brought him to a halt.

"Jonny, don't!" She managed to yell before someone fired their gun close to Jonny's feet. Marking the distance between how close he could get to her. Jonny jumped back and raised his weapon towards the obscurity. "Shit." It was only light enough to see Panne in the center. Everything behind her was pitch black.

"Look Asshole! Here's your stupid money." He pointed at the bag with his own gun "Now give her to us unless you wanna end up like your friends out in the front." Jonny unzipped the bag halfway and grabbed a fistful of cash and held it in front of him. "You want it? Then let her go."

Marcus and his men walked out of the darkness. Half of their bodies visible. He chuckled drily at the picture in front of him.

"Slide that shit here." He said in an uninterested tone. "I got you surrounded so don't do anything you might regret."

Jonny stood his ground for a moment before proceeding to use his foot to push the bag so it would slide long enough and stop right in front of their feet. Marcus leaned slightly forward to catch a glimpse of the cash before switching his gaze back to Frost.

"So, where the fuck is your Clown Boss?"

"He had other important matters to attend, but he sent the next best thing and you are looking right at him."

Marcus snorted and turned to look at Panne, who looked at him from the corner of her eye "You hear that, sweetheart? He had more important matters to attend."

"I told you he did not care for me." Panne said spitefully as she gripped on to her gun so tight her knuckles had gone white. Something wasn't right in here.

"Oh, but that's where you guys went wrong." Marcus looked at the gang and waved his gun around "I asked for him specifically and I know he wouldn't miss this show for the world."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but the fact he isn't here works in your favor. I'm more of the merciful kind of guy, but he, on the other hand, not so much."

"You talk of him like if he were some sort of unstoppable force. He is just but a mere man with a severe case of megalomania." He pointed his gun at Panne's head "Now, you better tell me where the clown is hiding or she's a goner." More men came out from the darkness and surrounded the gang.

"You asked for money and we brought it."

"The money is just a bonus, what I really want is the Joker."

The tension in the room was excruciating. Panne shifted quietly on her chair, loosening the already weak knot with a lot of discretion. She could already get a bad feeling and she was readying herself to embrace whatever upcoming threat.

Marcus held on tightly to the back of Panne's neck as he kept his gun firm on her head. She squinted at the sudden grip, her mind racing at the thought of this whole plan going downhill. Joker wasn't here. Marcus wasn't her friend. She was just a pawn in this game and she had to survive somehow.

"You think I won't shoot her? That bastard took my only brother! You think I'll only be satisfied with stolen money?! Do you not know who I am?!"

Even though it felt like the more time it passed the worse things got, Jonny's features bathe in a confident smirk.

"Oh, I know who you are." He snapped his fingers "You are a dead man." He simply said as, behind him, Crybaby suddenly turned on a small powerful magnet contraption that sent the guns flying towards them. Jonny and the others ducked as their guns also were taken from them. Weapons hovered right in front of the vibrating magnet Crybaby held on tightly with both hands. Panne felt her own gun get pulled out of her waistband, the sudden movement shifting her to the side, making her fall with the chair against the cold floor.

"What the fuck?!" Marcus' eyes widened in shock as he found himself to be completely disarmed and didn't waste any time on making a run for the back exit.

Without any notice, from inside the money bag, the Joker emerged with a huge smile. "I'm here, bitches! And I brought favors for everybody!" Sitting straight up, still in the bag, he pulled out two of the plastic guns and began shooting to the men around him. His gang behind him also pulled out their plastic guns and engaged fire. Panne managed to pull free from the ropes and began crawling out of the way as she took cover from the gunfire. She could hear Joker's maniacal laughter but she daren't look at him.

They came back for her. He came back for her. Maybe she had thought wrong? She felt someone grab her arm and lift her up.

"Are you okay?!" Jonny yelled over the sound of gunshots. Panne nodded and gave him a quick hug.

"It's great to see you, kid." He smiled at her before handing her his gun "Here, you shouldn't be disarmed." She took it without hesitation and turned to see all the bodies on the floor but none them were Marcus. She saw the Joker finish off the last man inside the warehouse before he shifted his head to the side to look back at them. "I'll go finish off that coward while all of you clean up this mess. Jonny! Come give me my gun." He said as he threw the empty plastic guns on the floor. Jonny fished out Joker's personal gun from the duffel bag and handed it to him. "Here, Boss."

Panne went up to talk to him "J, I'm glad that- " She got caught off as he scrunched his face and waved his hand before pointing at Jonny. "The only reason we are here, it's because of this poor excuse of a monkey you see right before you."

Panne looked at Jonny and then back at him. "But I thought you'd at least- " She once again got interrupted by him "You thought what? That I would come and save you?" He threw his head back and did an exaggerated laugh before straightening back again. His face no longer amused.

"I'm waaaay behind schedule because of this annoying detour and if we miss our opportunity of retrieving Harley, I swear I'll nail you both in a coffin and bury you alive!" He growled at them before turning away and heading back to the exit where Marcus had escaped.

"Panne, don't listen to him. Come on, let's go. " Her friend patted her back, hoping she would come with him. She stood in the same spot, breathing heavily. She was seeing red. Her free hand a tight fist.

"Panne?" Jonny called out to her, noticing her expression. She turned her head to him and gave him a small smile.

"I'm gonna go help him, he shouldn't be out there by himself." She began walking towards the exit door. "I know where Marcus is heading, I'm just gonna give J a head's up!"

"Are you sure about this?!"

"Don't worry about me, Jonny." She gave him a reassuring smile before sprinting out.

"Please be careful."

Marcus had managed to arrive at the alleyway that headed towards the streets. He rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Boy, you are quite the runner." He heard the Joker's voice behind him. He quickly turned around to see the Clown about 5 meters away. "If you didn't catch that, it was sarcasm." He smiled.

"Shit!" Marcus jerked back and continued running. The Joker aimed with his gun and shot him in the leg. Marcus groaned and fell to the ground. The Joker walked his way to him and without warning shot both his knees. It all happened too fast for Marcus to even react. He made a sound between a gasp and a choke before he could curse loudly. The Joker crouched next to him with a big smile on his face.

"You know, I shot your ol' pop's knees too. There's something about shooting kneecaps that I enjoy. Maybe is the fact that your victim can't run away."

Marcus breathed hard through his nose. "W-what you did to Kevin?"

"Your ol' pop Kev, well... I shot his knees, I cut his toes off, I sliced him here and there, shot him in the head... You know, the usual stuff." The Joker said casually as he tapped his chin thoughtfully. He straightened himself and aimed the gun at Marcus' head.

"I really wish we could have more quality time, Marc-T, but you know... I'll just kill you the same way I did your kin."

"Drop your weapon, J!" Panne's voice filled the air. She stood a few meters from them, holding her gun with both hands. The Joker looked at her slightly surprised. "Drop your fucking weapon, don't make me say it again." She took a few steps forward as she held the gun firmly. The Joker raised his hands after he cautiously dropped his gun on the ground.

"Is this a Déjà vu?" He gritted his teeth "Because this feels awfully familiar to the time you had me taken by the Bats to Arkham!"

"That time I wasn't strong enough to pull the trigger, but this time will be different."

"Different?!" He smiled wickedly "Ohhh, Panda bear." He began to wiggle his finger from side to side as he made a disapproving sound "No, no, no, no, nooo. There's nothing Daddy hates more than a traitor, you know this. So you better think your next actions very very carefully." He told her in a sing-song voice. "Let me guess…Is this you trying to be a hero now?" He pointed at Marcus behind him "Has this idiot brainwash you?" He did not let her speak "Hah! I knew you were weak, but to get this low? Wow, this is pitiful." He shook his head as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Shut the hell up!" She growled at him. "I'm tired of your bullshit. I'm tired of it all. Tired of having this fucked up relationship with you. Thinking that someday you and I might get along. That someday I will stop being your second dinner plate instead of helping you go on to rescue your stupid little princess no matter how many times they tell you she's on another castle!"

The Joker laughed at her remarks. "Well played Mario reference, that was good." He cleared his throat "But come on...Cut the crap, Panda. Grow up!" He did a finger gun to his head "You want me to be real honest with ya? Do you know why I'm trying so hard to bring Harley back?" He spread his arms wide at each side "Because you will never fill up her shoes!" He yelled at her loud and clear "She's all that you are not. She's chaos, she's fun, she has no stupid boundaries. I got rid of all of that! And for me to do that successfully, she had to want it. And you, Panne…" He pronounced her name spitefully "…You don't want it... And just like you, I'm sick and tired of your bullshit."

Panne felt a lump on her throat as her stance began to weaken. She wanted to remain firm and threatening, but his words were cutting into her thick skin.

"So why don't you go ahead and do it?" He hit his chest several times with the palm of his hand "Come on! Shoot me right here. Do it!" He took steps towards her and Panne involuntarily stepped back.

"Don't you fucking take another step or I swear I will!"

"Oooh Panne, you better shoot me right now and you better make sure I'm dead." He grinned wildly, his smile ironically irradiating anger. "Because if you miss this one chance, well, heh…" He chuckled to himself before fiery piercing orbs burned through her. "I swear to God…" He pointed to the sky briefly before curling his hands into fists, making his way slowly one step forward at a time. "...I will lock you up in a dungeon, and trust me I got plenty of those. I'll wait out the 9 months and whenever you are ready..." His eyes darkening as he continued to spit venom "… I'll cut you open myself and extract the child with my bare hands. Your corpse left there to rot and your name with all that you were to be forever erased from this world."

Panne stared in horror. Stupefied by the words of a monster. His true nature uncovered, without the smiles and laughter. His words were heavy and dark, filled with poison and nothing but evil.

"You wanted a monster, so here I am! Is that what you want, Panne? Is this how you wanna end it? Then pull the trigger." His chest touching the barrel of her gun. "Get it over with." He was that close to her and she did not even notice. Hypnotized by his cursed look, tears unwillingly staining her cheeks. "DO IT!" He suddenly yelled at her making her snap back and realizing what was taking place. Before she could do anything her gun was snatched from her hands and a ringed fist connected to her face, making her fall back to the ground. The Joker turned back to look at Marcus who was crawling away. He walked hastily towards him and pointed the gun to his head.

Marcus looked at him straight in the eyes as he took in a shaky breath, knowing it might be his last. "You are nothing but dirt in this world. A piece of shit! You are absolutely no-!" A loud bang was heard and Marcus' brains were splattered all over the pavement. The Joker fixed his hair back before sighing loudly. This had taken a turn he was not expecting.

He heard footsteps getting closer and when he turned back he was suddenly slammed against the floor. Panne lounged at him and began wrestling for the gun. A war cry erupted from her, managing to smack it from his hand making it slide a bit further from them. They both looked at the gun and began crawling towards it. Panne reached out and barely touched the gun before feeling him grab her ankle, stopping her from fully grabbing it. She broke free from his grip and kicked him in the face before he latched onto her foot again and pulled her towards him, pinning her right beneath him. He locked both his hands on her throat and began squeezing hard. She was still reaching out for the gun as she felt it on the tip of her fingers.

"Oh little Panda, remember when you let the Bats have me? All I could think of was strangling you until the light left your eyes." He laughed as he gripped tighter. "Seems like wishes do come true." She began to turn all sorts of colors as oxygen was taken from her. Out of desperation she threw her arms around and clawed at his face making him stagger back and loosen his grip on her neck. She took this opportunity to impulse herself to the side and grab the gun successfully. The Joker roared as he reached out to her hand but she was faster than him and as soon as she aimed to his body she pulled the trigger.

Everything happened so fast. She gasped at the sound of the gunshots, shooting him twice on his chest. He pulled back, his body resting on his knees. He looked down and touched his torso, coughing blood right before falling to his side. A puddle of his blood forming around him.

Panne's hand shook vigorously as she sat up next to him. She dropped the gun and moved closer on her knees until she was hovering right above him. The Joker choked on his own blood as he felt her hot tears land on his face. He slowly reached out to her and wiped off her tears with his bloodied hand, staining her cheek with red. He curled a corner of his mouth into a smirk before forcing his throat to speak "I knew you'd be the death of me…heh…heh..."

His words made her bawl as she looked down on him. "You made me do this…" She managed to say with a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Harley couldn't…do it." He swallowed hard "…But you did." He coughed harder, blood splattering on her face. She wiped it with the back of her hand along with her tears. She looked at him and grabbed his hand and kissed it hard. "You were gonna hurt me…You were gonna hurt us…" Referring to the life she carried. "…You made me do this, J." She repeated, convincing herself that it was indeed his fault. He made an expression she couldn't quite figure out. It was hard to tell if it was emotion or physical pain. His eyes looking at her, but distant at the same time "Y-you were indeed this Joker's punchline... heh... Jeannie..." And with those words, his head shifted to the side slightly as his eyes lost all life. They stared blankly at Panne as she reached out to grab him. His last words were directed to that special someone he had before he became what he was now. She did not know for certain who Jeannie was in his life, but at least she took in comfort that he passed away thinking about someone that made him happy because she knew that whoever she was, he truly loved her. She held him by the shoulders and began cradling him back and forth. She sobbed hard as she leaned her face against his own.

"You made me do it, J… I had to, I'm sorry…" She said between sobs. He was finally gone and she couldn't grasp it. A world with Joker was all she had known since she was nineteen. She had fantasized a world without him so many times, yet now that it had finally happened, she felt nothing but grief.

"Panne!" She heard Jonny's voice in the distance, but she didn't lift her head to see him. Frost and the gang came up the alleyway as soon as they heard the gunshots but found themselves face to face with nothing but a heartbreaking scene. They saw a dead Marcus and Panne cradling the Joker, who also seemed lifeless, on a puddle of blood. Jonny felt his heart drop. Was the Joker dead?

"No, no, no…" He said to himself as he ran towards them.

"What in the bloody hell?!" Clayton exclaimed, placing his hands on his head as to keep himself together. The rest of the gang couldn't believe their eyes. They were all in shock. Who would've thought this be the Joker's demise.

"Panne, let go of him we have to take him to a hospital now!" Jonny knelt beside her as he tried to pull her from the Joker.

"It's too late, Jonny…" She wept.

"H-How did it happen?"

Confused, Jonny looked at Marcus who to the best of his knowledge, was disarmed. He looked back and saw Joker's gun further back on the ground. He turned to look at Panne who had bruises on her face and neck, that weren't there before, next to the gun he had given her. Jonny wasn't the smartest lad out there but he was able to connect the dots rather quickly to solve this puzzle.

"Panne…You didn't…" He looked at her warily. She rocked back and forth, still holding the Joker close to her, shaking her head.

"I had no choice, Jonny…I had to…" She almost whispered. Jonny covered his face with both hands, regretting ever asking her. What was he supposed to do in this situation? Panne had to be punished. Killed actually. That was the code of the underworld. He couldn't let that happen.

"The fucking Marcus did it, didn't he?" Clayton said with a shaky voice. Hard to tell if he was angry or sad.

"Yes." Jonny blurted out without hesitation. Panne's eyes widened at him as she knew her friend was protecting her from any consequences and this made her cry harder. "We can't stay here any longer we have to get him out of here. Who has the money bag?"

Crybaby walked forward, dragging the bag behind him "Here…Boss."

They all looked at Jonny as he stood up from the ground with a disapproving look on his face.

"Please don't call me that."

"Too soon?" Baby asked.

"Yeah." Jonny replied dryly as he took the bag from him and zipped it open. Cooper and Clayton walked towards Panne and carefully retrieved the Joker from her hands. They carried the clown from both ends and slowly placed him inside the bag. Jonny zipped the bag all the way up and the twins proceeded to carry it.

"The van is right around the corner." Another goon said as he pointed the direction towards it. "I'll go grab it and pull up right here so we can all bail before the cops get here."

Jonny grabbed Panne by her arm and scooped her up bridal style. Her eyes following the bag where Joker had been placed.

"I am free" she thought. But why doesn't it feel that way? Why don't I feel at ease with myself? Why does it hurt so much to have put an end to my nightmare? Was this a dream? Is it the fact I'm carrying his seed? Will my child be as corrupted as its father?

So many questions left unanswered.

It was bright and sunny outside the window. He leaned against it as he could sniff the smell of homemade dinner. He turned to witness the presence of what he thought was an angel. She had a soft light irradiating from her as she worked in the kitchen of the house. When she looked at him and smiled sweetly he saw that it was his wife, Jeannie, who was singing a beautiful melody.

"Are you going to Scarborough fair?
Parsely, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Remember me to one who lives there.
He once was a true love of mine."

She was breathtaking. Her voice soft and silky, sounding like an angelic harp. A child's laughter joined the scene. He saw a small boy running around the kitchen table with a paper plane in his hand. The boy who was never born.

"Jack!" Jeannie's voice caught his attention "You are home." She turned off the stove and covered the pots, before walking over to him. She wore a white gown that made her look like she floated. She turned to the child "Sweetheart, come to say hi to daddy! He's finally home." Jeannie motioned him to come closer. The boy ran towards his mom and hid behind her shyly.

Jack looked at the both of them, not really sure what was going on. He looked around the house that seems familiar to the apartment he once had but only better. "Where are we?" He asked, taken aback by the smoothness of how his voice had come out.

"We are home, silly." She smiled broadly and cupped his face "We've been waiting for you for years."

"Jeannie, I don't-" He began speaking but got caught off as he took a glimpse of himself in a mirror on the wall. He could barely recognize himself. He had fair skin, dark brown hair, eyebrows, and teeth. No tattoos. No makeup. It was his old self. The one that haunted his nightmares. The one he had buried so deep within himself that he could no longer recall his face.

"Jack." Jeannie called to him.

"Don't call me that." He said as he didn't break gaze with his mirrored self. Jeannie joined his reflection, her smile no longer on her face.

"Dear, I've been worried about you."

"Why's that?"

"You haven't been holding up very well since we parted." She caressed the back of his neck softly "I thought you could start over."

"I did start over." He turned his head to look at her "I started from scratch. I built an empire. I triumphed. I've been great without you." He said sternly as he tried to not raise his voice. Jeannie's face was overcome by sadness. She took a step back and turned to grab her child and lift him up in her arms. She cradled him as she continued her singing. The small boy's head resting on her shoulder.

"Tell him to make me a cambric shirt.
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Without no seams, nor needlework.
Then he'll be a true love of mine."

"Why am I here, Jeannie?" Jack asked as he ran his hands through his hair. An annoying habit he had developed over the years whenever he felt anxious. She didn't answer to him.

"Why am I here, Jeannie?!" He yelled as he walked towards her, startling the child, making him cry. Jeannie hushed him as she put him down and told him to go to his room. The kid ran away as soon as he touched the floor. She turned to look at Jack, gasping loudly as she took a good look at him. He no longer looked like Jack. He was pale and had green hair.

"Oh, Jack…"

"Jack is dead." He said between gritted teeth.

"No, he's not." She shook her head, a pearly tear ran across her freckled cheek. "I wanted you to love again, Jack." She smiled sadly "So you would be happy one more time."

"How?!" He waved his hand around "You died, Jeannie! And you took Jack with you as well! He will never come back."

She moved forward and cupped his face, rubbing his cheek with her thumb. He closed his eyes to her touch, almost succumbing to it. She whispered close to his face "Promise me something, Jack." His bright eyes connected with her green ones and she smiled broadly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into an embrace.

She whispered something in his ear as she held on to him tightly. After some time, he pulled back, his features being Jack once more and not the Joker. "Oh Jeannie, I miss you so much."

"Promise me, Jack."

He looked down for a moment before daring to look back at her beautiful face. He nodded lightly.

"I promise."

Her smile in full glory, she went in to give him a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I know you have things to attend to, and I don't expect you to change entirely or at all, but at least I'll be at peace that you will keep this oath." She pulled from the embrace and returned to the kitchen. "Now go, Jack. I'll always be here waiting for you, but right now it's simply not your time."

He looked at her, sadness in his heart. He turned to the main door and right before heading out he heard her sing one last time.

"Tell him to find me an acre of land.
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Between the salt water and the sea strands.
Then he'll be a true love of mine."

Panne held her knees tightly against her chest. She did silent sobs, her eyes and nose puffy and red due to all the crying. Jonny rested a hand on her shoulder and occasionally rubbed her back whenever her hiccups grew louder. They were all sitting in the back of the van, surrounding the big duffel bag that held the Joker, as one other team member drove away. They were beginning to head back to Gotham where they planned to bury him.

"Jonny, I don't feel too good." She turned to her friend as nausea began to stir her empty stomach. She felt incredibly sick. Jonny tapped the driver's shoulder "Hey pal, pull over as soon as you can."

"Is he really dead?" Clayton spoke out of the blue as he felt the van come to a stop.

Panne snapped her head towards him "H-He died in my arms." She clarified.

"I know that, lass! But I mean…" He reached over to unzip the bag, unzipping a couple of inches down before Jonny stopped his hand from opening it any further.

"Have some fucking respect, would you? You put him in the fucking bag yourself, you know that he's gone."

"I just can't bloody believe that after all we've been through, he fucking died by some wanker who wasn't even the Batman!"

"I agree with ya, brother." Cooper joined the conversation.

"Now you too have something ridiculous to say." Frost snapped at his Australian friend.

While the three men argued, Panne stared at the exposed hint of green that came from inside the bag. Now she wanted to make sure herself that he was indeed dead as she had claimed. She moved forward and reached for the zipper, lowering it enough to uncover his face. His eyes were closed and he had dried blood smeared from his mouth all the way down to his neck. Jonny and the rest halted their argument as soon as they noticed what was taking place. Panne touched the Joker's hair lovingly. She smiled softly as a melody flew from her lips and before she knew it she was singing softly.

"Tell him to reap it with a sickle of leather.
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme…"

The men looked at each other confused, but none did anything to interrupt her.

"…And gather it all in a bunch of heather.
Then he'll be a true love of mine."

They all stared at the Joker's peaceful face, never thinking they would ever see him this way. Panne turned to look at her teammates, her eyes barely opened as they were slightly swollen by her mourning.

"I have to confess some-" A loud ragged gasp broke her sentence and everyone snapped to look at where the sound had come from. The Joker gasped for breath as he jerked forward as if he had been shocked back to life.

Panne shrieked and threw herself back, pressing herself against the wall of the van as much as she could. Her eyes as wide as she could ever have them at that time. Everyone else did the same as they yelped and screamed. The twins pointed at the Joker as they stuttered incoherent words.

"HE'S ALIVE!"

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

"SHIT!"

"BOSS?!"

"JESUS CHRIST!"

Different reactions coming from all the gang members present. The Joker coughed uncontrollably and Jonny surprised as he was, went to help him. He continued to unzip the rest of the bag so he could fully stretch. "Y-you are b-back!" Where the only words he could blurt out. Joker cleared his throat and quickly looked down to his chest and began patting it to try and feel where he had been shot.

There was nothing. Like it never happened.

He felt little pieces of glass from the inside of his pocket where, fortunately for him, one of the bullets had gone through. They were the remains of the Dyonesium pendant he had put in his pocket before leaving. The bullet destroyed the pendant, releasing the liquid to be absorbed by his body. He felt his smile broaden into a shark-like smile, not being able to hold back his laughter. It had worked just as he wanted it to.

Panne, on the other hand, could not withstand what was taking place. Her heart was racing and her head was spinning. She covered her mouth to prevent any sort of sound to escape from her. As if that way the Joker wouldn't spot her. He turned to look at Panne who was at arm's reach and evidently reached over to take her hand in his. She wanted desperately to pull away from him, but she no longer had the strength to do anything.

"You really thought you could get rid of me, Doll?"

"H-how?" She said in a broken whimper.

His iconic smile filled the small space of the van as he gave her a small squeeze. His eyes looking intensely into hers, more alive than they had ever been before.

"We are gonna have so much fun together, you and I." His voice certain "I promise." A mischievous smirk curling his lip.

She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to stare at him any longer. Thinking that if she tried hard enough, she would wake up from this nightmare.

Was he not human? Was he something much greater than all of them? Was he truly the Devil himself? This was the very moment she realized that no matter how hard she tried, there was no escaping the Joker. This was a battle, she had already lost.

"And there you have it folks! I re-read this thing a thousand times and could still find errors and couldn't help to re-write some things. I am aware that I must've left some here and there but if I kept re-checking, I might've never posted this chapter on time. Regarding the song Jeannie and Panne sang, you can look it up as "Scarborough Fair" the Celia Pavey cover on youtube. It's a beautiful song and thought it would tie in nicely with the heavenly scenario. Please tell me what you guys thought of this in the comments! Thank you! Until next chapter!" -Katmeroo