R!
The Joker was feeling good, and Harley couldn't figure out why. Normally she wouldn't think to question such a situation, but if he was going to snap she'd rather he do it now. He was busy piloting the helicopter and couldn't really do much to her, and in the time it'd take them to reach the rendez-vous point in Oregon he was likely to forget he was angry.
"Uhm, P-Puddin'?" she asked, nervousness clear in her voice "Why are ya so happy? I mean, if that was Robin we saw on the runway, then the Titan's musta beaten your bomb."
"That would indeed be true, my dim doll" The Joker agreed, still smiling "IF I hadn't rigged the bomb with a remote detonator. It doesn't matter if the Try-Ands stopped the bomb's main detonator, because I can still set it off. Think of it, harley. The Titan's are down there, so proud of having stopped my nuclear firecracker, so happy to be reunited with their friend- and then they'll here my lovely voice telling them 'Remote detonation activated- ain't it a hoot?'." The Joker paused to giggle.
" Fifteen seconds later KA-BOOM! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! Hooo, just think of the looks on their little faces! The anguish! The despair! The wounded pride and shattered hope! Why just the t-th-thought of it m-ma- makes m-m-me…HA HA HAHAAHAHAHaHHAAAA AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Harley giggled. She couldn't help it; the image of the little kiddy's shock was just too funny. "All their hard work for nothing, huh Mista J?"
"Oh no, Harley! All their hard work buys me one hell of a laugh! And that's what really matters- that's what the whole things about. Now, Daddy's feeling tense. How 'bout a neck rub?" The Joker stretched out his neck and moved his shoulders, inviting Harley to come massage him.
With a squeak of happiness, Harley jumped from her seat, eager to show her Puddin' what a special touch she had. She loved it when he asked for a massage- it showed that she could take away some of her angels pain, and that he appreciated her talents. She leapt from her chair to do as he asked, but glanced out the window as she rose.
The Joker had designed the Ha-Ha-licopter some time ago, for use in Gotham. Given Batman's habit of chasing after him, the Joker had modified the original design with mirrors that allowed him to see directly behind him. Harley saw the reflection of an orange girl, carrying a very familiar boy, gaining on them.
"Puddin'! We got company! Robin and that redhead are right behind us!"
"Oh, for-! Can't they just let an old clown have his fun?!" The Joker jabbed a button on the Ha-Ha-licopter controls. This triggered the launch of two small missiles, which rocketed towards the young heroes. Starfire swooped and dived, and managed to dodge both missiles, but only barely.
Robin noticed this and started thinking. "Star, I need you to get me close to the helicopter, close enough to jump on. Then, I want you to stay nearby, but not interfere."
Starfire nodded, but uncertainly. "As you wish, Robin. Please be careful- I do not wish to see you harmed."
Robin gave a tight smile "Neither do I, Star, trust me."
Flying close to the demented clown's helicopter, she tossed Robin thorugh the air. The Boy Wonder snagged a landing strut and pulled himself up. He was now level with the helicopters rear door, and managed to get it open. He quickly entered…only to be hit with a powerful punch from Harley Quinn.
"Hey Birdboy! Doncha know it's a federal crime to play stowaway?" she taunted, throwing a roundhouse punch at her opponent's head. "if you ain't careful, you'll wind up in that jail they got in Cuba!"
In the warehouse office, Cyborg and Batgirl worked at the computer, deactivating the Joker's bombs.It wasn't a particularly difficult task, merely time-consuming- as each bomb had to be selected and deactivated using a lengthy procedure. Therefore, they were able to talk.
"So" Cyborg said, trying to broach what he was sure was a painful subject "How are you feeling? About, y'know, Beastboy and Raven? I mean, it seems…well, it seems he chose her"
Batgirl shrugged. The BatClan had a long tradition of stoicism and denial of feelings, and right now she understood why that was. "Trying not to think about it. Will deal with pain when have time. Trying to focus on job"
She prayed that that would be enough to deter any further enquiry. The trouble was, Cyborg wasn't Batman or Oracle or Nightwing- in fact, he was more than a little like Alfred. He knew when someone had to talk about their feelings whether they wanted to or not.
"This job doesn't need focus" he said "And you know it. So how's about you answer my question?"
"Fine" the young girl said "Hurts. Hurts a lot. I…I try be good girlfriend, try be caring and warm like I always wanted. But no, he pick Ice Girl Keep thinking what I do wrong? Why her, not me?"
Cyborg decided to ignore the slight to his friend, since Batgirl was so obviously in pain. He tried to remember how he'd felt after his first disastrous crush- and what his mother had told him. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. I know for a fact that Beastboy really liked you- he said that you were funny and cool and great to be around. I guess that he just felt something special for Raven- some kind of emotional bond. Point is, you did nothing wrong."
"Hmmm." Batgirl said "Still hurts inside. But thank you anyway."
"No sweat" the mechanical man said "And if you need a friend, I'm always here. Seems that's part of my job description: Mechanic, medic, fighter, metal shoulder to cry on. Heh heh heh."
Cassie gave a weak smile, glad to know she still had friends. She still felt more heartache than she thought was possible, but having friends to help her through it would make it bearable.
The fight was short and brutal, with no finesse or acrobatics. The Boy Wonder simply hit the clown girl with every trick he had, and finally succeeded in knocking her out. It had cost him though; his fighting style was primarily based on avoiding attacks rather than blocking them, and in the tight confines of the helicopter, dodging hadn't been an option. He'd lost a tooth, cracked two ribs, and sprained an ankle- but he continued on towards the cockpit area, determined to end this once and for all.
The Joker, however, was ready for him. Switching on the autopilot, he spun his chair around and leapt at the young hero, tackling him to the ground. "Hello, Robin! I'm SOOOO glad you could join us. I mean, part of the reason I came to this dreadful dive was to kill you- I didn't feel right leaving with the job undone. So why don't you just relax, lie back, and let me send you on to the big nest in the sky?"
"Sorry, Joker" Robin said, trying to keep the clown from closing his hands around his neck "I can't let you kill me today. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAA! Ooooh, actual banter from the Boy Hostage! I'm glad to see my sense of humor is finally rubbing off on you! I must admit, your green friend spoiled me a little- he kept making jokes even as I…well, use your imagination! I'm not sure I can go back to the terse replies I get from Tall Dark and Maladjusted back in Gotham! Oh well, maybe a second dead sidekick will make him more chatty! HAHAHAHAHA!"
The rest of the battle proceeded in silence, punctuated only by grunts of effort/ The two rolled around, trying to gain some advantage over one another. Normally, such a fight would have been over quickly due to the adults greater mass. However, the Joker was extremely thin- weighing barely over 190 pounds, just twenty pounds more than Robin. Moreover, the boy wonder was more muscular than the hateful harlequin, making the match more even.
Finally, however, Robin was able to gain the advantage by seizing the Joker's own cane and bludgeoning the clown with it. After ten solid blows, the Joker finally passed out. Robin sighed. The nightmare was finally over. He wearily headed to the controls, and began to pilot the chopper back to Jump City.
A/N
And that's just about it, boils and ghouls! There's an epilogue coming, and a quasi-sequel, which will describe the next year in the Titans lives. It will focus on Beastboy and the damage the Joker wreaked on his mind, but all the Titan's will have their moment to shine.
I know the final battle may not have been everything you hoped for, but I felt that it really wasn't appropriate for anyone other than the son of the Bat to take the Joker down.
I see a lot of people are reading this story, but only a handful post reviews (although they are all very faithful and VERY appreciated!). If you haven't said anything til now, please do so!
Before finishing this fic,I'm going to do something I promised myself I would never do. Weigh in on pairings wars.
Robin/Starfire: Obviously. They're more or less perfect for one another.
Beastboy/Raven: I see this working very well indeed IF Beastboy matures and Raven starts showing some respect for him. The comics show exactly this happening- yeah, they broke up but my guess is there's more there than meets the eye, and that a reunion is in the cards.
Starfire/Beastboy: I actually see this working well. At the start they would see one another as a second choice, but over time I think it could develop into a solid relationship. Very happy people who have quite a bit of depth to them. He provides the energy and earthly experience, she provides the intelligence and conscience.
Cyborg/Raven: I really see their dynamic as more brother and sister than anything else. They'd both find the idea of dating more than a little creepy.
Robin/Raven: Two overly serious people; one gloomy, the other a workaholic. I can't picture them together without the words 'Murder-Suicide' involved. Plus, they never seem interested in being close friends, let alone lovers.
Cyborg/Terra: I think this could work. Both know how it feels to be an outsider, both like many of the same things. In fact, most of the BB/T arguments could be made for C/T- he and Beastboy are very similar after all.
Cyborg/Jinx: As I said before, not yet. Neither of them are really ready- and even then, it's uncertain.
Cyborg/ BumbleBee: Is there any evidence to this? Or is it a race thing? Because they have zero in common. Seems like the metal guy got the shaft when it came to romance.
One last thing: so many stories feature the children of Starfire and Robin. Exactly how would that work? I mean, it's been a long time since High School Biology, but it seems to me that Robin's got a better chance at knocking up a Starfish than an alien. COme on people, there's willing suspension of disbelief and then there's just plain silliness. If you're going to have it, explain how it happened.
That's it. Oh, god. I feel so dirty.