A/N: I have spring fever!! Hope you all are doing well, school's going to be out soon, woo-hoo! Thank you to everyone for reading, as always, reviews are deeply appreciated!

Reeniecat

* * *

Rachel was rocking Jacob in the old rocking chair Alfred had pulled out of a storage closet. She was softly singing the child a lullaby, hoping he would magically slip off into a restful sleep in spite of his wiggly, whiny resistance. Holding her son was wonderfully therapeutic--it was difficult to imagine anything bad happening in their world while the warm, squirmy little body was cradled in her arms. She smiled as she pressed her lips into the tangle of silky blond curls that she couldn't quite bear to cut off just yet.

The small boy was clearly drowsy from exhaustion, but defiantly clinging to consciousness. Jacob's large, chocolate brown eyes--so like his father's--just wouldn't close all the way. Stubborn creature, Rachel thought affectionately. Exactly like his father....

"Where's Daddy, Mommy?" Jake suddenly asked softly.

"He...had to go out for a while, sweetheart. He'll be back..."

"Want Daddy..." he said plaintively, almost crying.

"I know. Don't worry, he'll be back...Daddy'll come back." If she kept saying it, maybe it would come true. "Daddy loves you so much...." she whispered.

She gathered her little boy closer to her and kissed him, starting the song again as she comfortingly rubbed the small back. After a little more struggling, he gave up, and was finally breathing evenly, eyes shut tight, sound asleep.

Rachel continued rocking him, and Alfred treaded gently into the room, taking care not to make any noise. He carried a stack of bedding.

"Shall I prepare a little bed on the couch for him, miss?" he asked quietly.

Rachel nodded gratefully, and once Alfred had laid a small blanket and a soft pillow on the couch, she surrendered the sleeping child and covered him with the patchwork quilt that Alfred handed her. She tucked it securely around him so that he wouldn't be able to wriggle out from under it very easily.

"Thank you. I hope he can get some rest, he's been going ninety miles an hour ever since we got here...." Rachel spread her feet apart, leaned far back with her hands on her lower back and stretched painfully. She immediately had to press her hands over the lower part of her tummy as the baby inside her took its cue and helpfully shifted directly onto her bladder. She winced.

"You all right, mum?" Alfred asked observantly.

"Oh, yes. It's just that these last couple of months are murder...." the ugly word slipped out and she frowned. With Jack running around Gotham, armed, she thought it might bring bad luck. She pushed the thought away.

"It'd be nice to have his energy, though, eh?" asked Alfred as he surveyed Jacob's makeshift accommodations, thoughtfully placing a large pillow on the floor next to the couch in case he fell off.

"Oh, yes it would! I don't know what I'm going to do with two of them...."

"You'll do wonderfully, Rachel. You're a very good mother," Alfred said approvingly.

"Well, thanks. I feel like I've done a terrible thing, bringing him back to the city...oh, God, what if Jack doesn't come back...." The horrible thoughts and images that she had been determinedly shoving into the back of her mind ever since Jack had disappeared out of the bedroom window suddenly whipped through her, and she caught herself in mid-sob.

Alfred patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm quite certain Master Wayne will make sure everything comes out as it should. He's very good at that."

"Yeah, well, Jack's...not. He has a way of finding the most dangerous path to take, and then bringing a little chaos along with him, just to make it interesting...I'm afraid even Bruce won't be able to help him, now. And what if Jack does something terrible, himself? All the stress he's under. He could...."

"Well, it'll do no good to make yourself sick from worry. Why don't you come sit with me in the kitchen and keep me company while I make us some dinner?"

"Oh...that's a good idea. I'm sorry, I'm just...." Rachel's voice lost strength as she dutifully followed Alfred. After slowly lowering herself onto a seat at the kitchen table, she picked up a newspaper and idly scanned the front page. It was nice to see that there was no mention of Harvey, the Joker, or Batman--or herself, for that matter--very different than when she last scanned the headlines of the Gotham City News, two long years ago.

They were both silent for a long time, each listening...listening. For what, neither was quite sure...finally, Alfred spoke up.

"Miss Rachel...may I ask you a very personal question?" he asked politely.

"Oh, Alfred, you've known me my whole life, please--ask me anything," Rachel responded with a smile.

"What, exactly, is it about that man--Jacob's father--that you find so...appealing?" Alfred asked delicately as he sliced a potato.

Rachel laughed.

"You mean my husband?"

"Uh...yes, mum."

"Come on, isn't it obvious?" she asked teasingly.

"Ah, well--perhaps not so much as you might think," Alfred responded dryly.

"I love Jack. I...he's not like you think," she said thoughtfully, her voice now soft.

"I know it's hard to believe, but he's not the Joker, not anymore. He's a loving father--he'd do anything for his kids, and Jake adores him. He's a wonderful husband. He takes care of me without smothering me, he challenges me without hurting me, and he drives me crazy and makes me love every darn minute of it." Alfred put down his work and watched as Rachel's eyes took on a faraway look.

"He's...got an illness, Alfred. He's damaged, there's no question of that. But he's doing his damnedest to control it. He has more courage than anyone I've ever known, well, except maybe for Bruce, but even Bruce hasn't had to overcome the kinds of things Jack has. And...I don't know, he makes me laugh. He's a heck of a good kisser. And he makes me feel safe, I know that sounds bizarre, but it's true. Things aren't perfect, but no relationship is...I wish you could get to know him, I think you'd understand, then."

"I'm sure I would. And, I hope to. Get to know him, I mean. Someday." Alfred wasn't entirely sure he meant that, but it seemed the kind thing to say.

"Yes, although, if he...I mean, when he comes back, he's going to want to get the hell out of this town as fast as possible. And I can't blame him for that..."

"No, mum. A perfectly reasonable desire, I would say."

"Yes. I wish we could stay, just for a normal visit, but that's never going to be possible...."

"Oh, I don't know. Things could work out in the end."

"You're a real optimist, aren't you, Alfred?" Rachel asked with a wry smile.

"Have to be, mum, working for Master Wayne. If I started looking at the dark side of things, I'd never get out of bed in the mornings."

"Right...well, I..."

The front doorbell rang. Alfred hastily checked the security monitor--a uniformed police officer was standing at the door.

Rachel's stomach turned a somersault as she struggled to her feet.

"Oh, Alfred! What if Jack's been...."

"Now, don't jump to conclusions, mum! He could just be here to check on you. Or perhaps Master Wayne or Commissioner Gordon has sent a message for us. Let me go find out, and don't you worry, all right?" Alfred made his voice as soothing as possible, but he, himself, had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He headed for the door, leaving Rachel to nervously fiddle with her wedding ring as she watched the monitor.

There was a door in the back part of the kitchen. It lead to a hallway, which in turn lead to the service area around back of the penthouse, where trash was taken out and deliveries made. Rachel thought she heard something in the hall, a faint rustling noise, when there was a sudden cry from the living room. It sounded like Alfred.

Rachel gasped and started to dash toward the door, when she was shocked to feel a scratchy, woolen-clad arm came out of nowhere and roughly grab her around the neck. She instantly felt a hard object pressing into her lower back.

"Jack?" she asked hopefully.

"Not quite," said a familiar voice.

* * *

The Joker took an erratic route driving toward Bruce Wayne's place. He hoped he could catch a glimpse of Dent scuttling around on his way to the same destination, while also managing to avoid traffic signals, panhandlers, cops, carjackers, Batman, and every other goddamn obstacle that fucking Gotham City was likely to throw at him.

All he wanted to do was to get back to Rachel and Jake, scoop them up and get them the hell out of this rotting shit-hole of a town and take them back home, although he supposed he'd need Bruce's help for that. But at least he could make sure they were safe....

He did finally catch a red light, and irritably came to a stop; he didn't want to risk attracting the attention of some well-meaning traffic cop, not that he couldn't have dealt with it, but he didn't have the time. Or the patience. He was just pondering which direction would be the most fruitful for his Dent-hunting needs, when he heard the dull thud of something heavy landing on the hood of the car. At the same time, an opaque black cloud wafted over the windshield, totally obscuring his vision.

"Oh, fuck," he thought as the view instantly cleared and he then heard a sharp crunch as the passenger side window was smashed in by a Kevlar-clad fist. The masked man reached in, opened the door and slid into the now glass-covered seat.

"I would have just unlocked the door for ya, Bats," the Joker stated mildly.

"Drive."

"Anywhere in particular, maestro?"

"Home."

"'K."

The pair drove in silence for a few minutes, until the Joker couldn't stand it anymore.

"So? Did you manage to confirm my story, or are you planning to throw me in your little rabbit cage again as soon as we get back to the house?"

"You were telling the truth," Batman agreed flatly.

"Well, don't be overcome with joy, or anything. You could say something positive, a brief word of encouragement, a 'hey, pal, way not to run the mob!' type comment. Or something."

"It's a cold day in hell when the Joker tells the truth, if you ask me..."

"Aw, come on, can't you give me a break? I thought we were getting to be buds, you know? We were just this side of slapping each other on the back, buying each other beers and talking baseball stats..."

"Not really."

"No? Damn. I was looking forward to going to a couple of double-headers with ya...."

"I think I'd rather hang out with a rabid skunk."

"You're a hard man, Bats. No breaking through that steely shell of self-righteousness, is there?"

"You told the truth regarding Harvey's accusation, I'll give you that."

"Gosh, that's encouraging," the Joker smirked sarcastically.

"But, something that he apparently didn't know and that you didn't bother to mention--you had Maroni murdered. Rachel might find that news to be a bit discouraging," Batman stated coldly.

"Excuse me?"

"You paid to have that Jamaican gang gun him down."

The Joker stared straight ahead, twisting his mouth into a sneer of disgust.. Damn Scalini...couldn't he have found a contact for Batman that only said what needed to be said? Apparently he should have been more specific....

"Yeah--so? What's the big deal, he was gonna go down sooner or later anyway, I just worked the timeline for my convenience."

"It just goes to show that you haven't really changed at all. No respect for justice. Human life means nothing to you. I don't think Rachel quite comprehends that."

The Joker looked at his companion with a sour frown.

"Listen, I had to do it. Didn't have a choice. So, don't go making me out to be some kind of monster. I did it for Rachel--and for Jake."

"How's that?" Batman asked dubiously.

The Joker stared at the street ahead of him, but his mind went back two years....

"When I took them to Mexico, it was to save 'em from Maroni. I had to get them out of the city until I could figure out what to do. You know what was going on--you were there. He was hell bent on using them to get to me, and he...he'd have hurt 'em, one way or another."

"So, I took them where he couldn't find us. But I knew Rachel wouldn't be happy there for long, away from her home, her job, and dear ol' Harvey. I knew she wouldn't be happy--with me. So, I promised her. I promised her it was only for a little while, and that she could go back as soon as it was safe. But I began to realize that it never would be safe as long as Maroni was around. And I knew she'd never believe what Maroni was capable of, so I had to make it safe. And, I did." His voice was gravelly.

"Honest, Bruce...I never thought in a million years that she would want to stay with me. I couldn't believe it when she said she didn't want to go back...."

And, thank God she didn't go, he thought. You can't trust anyone these days, damn Maroni surviving the hit like that...when he thought of what could have happened if Rachel had returned to Gotham, it made his stomach lurch.

They were silent again for a while, when Batman spoke.

"So...you did it to save her and Jacob. Not for revenge?" Batman asked suspiciously.

"Oh, look, I was done! None of that stuff mattered anymore...I just...I just wanted to start over. I thought I might wangle a couple of rolls in the hay with Rachel and get to spend a little time with my kid before they left forever, and then I'd quietly drink myself to death. Maybe fall into the ocean and get washed away with the driftwood. Perfect ending, you know?"

"Quite an ambition."

"Well, it worked for me. Until Rachel said...said that she, you know...loved me."

Even now, just saying the words felt uncomfortable, especially when he was talking to the Bat, but he kind of liked the sound of them. He grinned slightly and glanced at his passenger.

Batman shifted uncomfortably in the seat.

"Well, it's nice that your murderous impulses are reserved for protecting the people you care about. Too bad there's only two of them in the entire world."

"I'm warming up to you, Batsy!" the Joker announced cheerfully.

"There's good news. I still don't trust you."

"Yeah, and you probably never will. But, I'm tellin' ya, I'm just trying to take care of my wife and kid. If everybody would just leave us alone, I'd be fine."

"I would love to leave you alone. But for now, we just need to get Harvey under control...."

"He's probably already gotten into the house, you know," Jack said bleakly.

"Yes. But, he won't hurt Rachel, not yet. He wants to let her see him kill you, first," Bruce informed his driver.

"Lovely. Ya know, other than his pathetic ideals and wanting to take Rachel away from him, I never had anything against Harvey. He was nice to my son."

"Well, he's a different person, now," Batman said wearily.

"So, people can change, but only for the worse?" asked the Joker with a cynically raised eyebrow.

"People are one thing. I don't know what you are."

"I'm just a guy, Bats. Like you. We just live by different rules."

"You have no rules."

"Sure I do, well, one, anyway. It's called 'fuck with my family--you die.'" The Joker shrugged as he rounded the corner to the rear area of the penthouse.

"What the hell..." he said as he saw a man in a suit disappear into the service door.

"I think we found Harvey," replied Bats. "Pull into that area in font of that container."

"Here? Why?"

"Yeah. You'll see."

The electronic eye on the bat cave entrance allowed the hidden door to slide open, and the Joker nodded as he drove in.

"Cool set-up!" the Joker noted with real admiration as he glanced around the surroundings.

"Wait'll you see Wayne Manor when it's rebuilt," Bats said with a slight smile.

"Ha...you planning on inviting me to the housewarming?"

"Sure...I'll seat you in the straight-jacket section with all the other Arkham escapees."

The Joker gave a begrudging grin as they got out of the car. He noticed the deep indentations that Batman's boots had left on the hood of the vehicle, in addition to the broken window.

"Hey, Alfred's going to kill you, Bats. Look at the mess you made of his car."

"He'll get you first for stealing it." The Joker gave him a look of mock fear.

They walked toward the security monitoring system, and Batman tapped at it, getting a view of the penthouse's front door. The Joker craned his neck over Batman's shoulder.

"And, what the hell is that?" he exclaimed, his voice raw, as he saw a uniformed police officer walking away from the door with a blond-headed bundle swathed in a quilt in his arms.

"It looks like...."

"That bastard's got Jake..."

"Wait, Joker, it could be legit...something could have already happened...."

"Bullshit. That guy's one of the mob's dirty cops, I bet Harvey's got him on his payroll now...he's kidnapping my son, and that means Harvey's gotten to Rachel by now...."

The two men stared at each other, the Joker a razor-sharp coil of wire, ready to spring.

Batman headed to his own vehicle.

"Take those stairs, they lead into the kitchen, which is where Harvey was headed...I'll be back as soon as I have Jake," he instructed hastily.

Without a second thought, the Joker turned and raced up the stairs to find his wife. He wanted to go after Jacob, but...Bats could deal with that easily. He trusted him to find and reclaim his son.

The Joker would take care of Harvey.