D: Hey, people, so glad that some of you are still alive. You guys got me worried. Before I go onto the story, I want everyone to give TheWeirdGirlFromDownTheRoad a hug (vitual hug really) because her amazing ferret Zack died. Joker, where the heck are you?

Joker: *runs into room, breathing heavily* NxS was chasing me, trying to get her hug and kiss before any of the other readers.

D: We have a reader in need of two hugs.

Joker: Better not be Sinario.

D: You'll have to give her a hug too, but no, it's TheWeirdGirl.

Joker: Oh. *hugs TheWeirdGirl, and holds on, patting her head while she cries* Don't worry, ah, WeirdGirl, I liked Zack; he was such a, ah, a nice ferret, despite how he kept running up my pant leg every morning! He'll be in the author notes just cause I liked him that much *glances at D*

D: Sure, if WeirdGirlwants a constant reminder of her ferret.

Joker: *smacks a kiss on WeirdGirl's cheek*

D: At least Shadow's not here...

NxS: And Sinario, the 3 was supposed to be a heart.

I remained on the couch, holding my head with both hands. The throbbing pulsed at a steady beat, but it was only a matter of time before it hurt more. I strained to hear whoever had answered my cell, but I could only hear a soft murmur responding.

My headache pounded, drowning out all sound for few minutes. I was slightly aware of Teresa sitting beside me, holding me up so then I didn't fall off the couch. The dizziness nearly drove me onto the floor.

Suddenly, the sound of sobbing pierced through the blood pounding in my ears, and it was followed by a burst of laughter. I recognized the Joker's laughter, but who was crying?

I forced myself to open my eyes and glanced in the direction of the kitchen, despite my dizziness. It took me a moment to realize that there were three Jokers bouncing out of three doorways. His real laugh helped me pinpoint that the Joker on my right was him.

"Hey, Shadow, having, ah, another headache?" he asked, ignoring Teresa.

I lost the sense of which one he was. "Which one?" I asked, stupidly.

The three Jokers cocked their heads to the side, and his laughter stopped. Then, he knelt down in front of me. "How many, ah, fingers can I holding up?"

"Total, or just one of you."

"Don't answer that. How many, ah, are you seeing of me?"

I felt so dizzy. "Seven…" I closed my eyes and felt my body suddenly go numb. I believe the Joker caught me before I hit the floor, but I can't be sure since I could feel nothing at that point.

There was something that kept me conscious, some smell on the Joker. I sniffed with my numb nose, and then I stiffened.

I couldn't escape it: my worst fear. The water was everywhere, even with my eyes closed. I wanted to scream, but it caught in my throat.

Paralyzing fear gripped me.

The Joker watched in horror as Shadow's face drained of color. Her eyes widened, and it seemed as though she was trying to speak, to breathe, but couldn't.

"Is she all right?" Teresa asked, oblivious to what was happening, growing worried.

"What gas does he use?" the Joker demanded.

"Fear gas. It reveals your worst fear," she said confused, still not understanding.

"Damn." The Joker stood up instantly and caught Shadow before she collapsed. He ran into her room, throwing her on her bed and closing and locking the door quickly. Then, he jumped on the bed, straddling her and gripping either side of her head.

"Shadow, Shadow, look at me," he ordered.

She responded by screaming.

The Joker clapped his hand over her mouth, cutting off her scream. Her blue eyes widened even more. "Focus, Shadow. It's me, Heath!" The Joker winced as Shadow gripped his hand – the one she had bruised many days ago – and she squeezed.

And then, she threw him off the bed. The Joker fell on the ground and groaned as he rolled to his feet. He ran to her desk and looked in the drawers for something, anything to distract her.

And to think that he had decided he liked the Scarecrow!

"Ah-ha!" he said. He had found her iPod, and just in time.

Shadow began thrashing as the Joker turned around. He leaped on top of her, holding her down and struggling to get her earbuds in. He had to rip the mic out and managed to place it safely on the nightstand. Shadow kept hitting him, but he ignored the pathetic punches as he turned her iPod on.

Once it was playing, the Joker lay on top of her, holding her limbs down so then she wouldn't thrash. He knew that you shouldn't hold down someone who was having a seizure, but with Shadow, it was the only thing keeping her from actually hurting herself more than was necessary.

Time didn't matter to the Joker. It took forever for Shadow to calm down, but eventually, she did. It was gradual; her thrashings becoming weaker and less frequent. Finally, she sucked in air through her nose, and her eyes closed. The Joker watched her for several seconds before registering that Shadow had fallen asleep instantly.

He climbed off her slowly as to not disturb her uneasy sleep. Anger shot through his veins as he straightened his vest. He reached into his jacket – which Shadow still wore – and pulled out his favorite object from those pockets. He walked toward the door, feeling his anger boil. He unlocked the door and slipped out.

Teresa stood up from where she had sat on the couch. "Is she all right?" she asked anxiously.

"Where is he?"

"What about-?"

"WHERE IS HE?"

Teresa nearly fell onto the couch. She was too scared to speak so she pointed in the direction of the kitchen.

The Joker instantly moved in that direction, slamming into the door which was half-open. His eyes located Crane, who looked to be cooking something, and he immediately jumped on him, pulling him down to the floor. The Joker clicked his switchblade open and quickly placed it in Crane's mouth, pulling his cheek taut. He held one of Crane's arms behind his back, pulling it up in an awkward position.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" he demanded. "What does your fear gas do?"

"It's a powerful psychotropic hallucinogenic derived from a Chinese flower-," Crane began to answer, calmly.

"In English!" the Joker yelled, forcing down the urge to slice open the Scarecrow's mouth.

"It causes the victim to see their worst fear."

The Joker growled. "If you value your life, Scarecrow, you're going to have to find a cure to that gas."

"There is a cure," Crane answered, "It's just a matter of getting the materials." The Joker jerked Crane's arm, and the Scarecrow gasped. "Ask Teresa to find the materials; she knows what I need."

"Call her," the Joker whispered, dangerously.

Crane, despite the knife in his mouth, still remained calm. "Teresa, Shadow accidentally got a whiff of my fear gas. She needs the antidote."

Teresa had appeared in the doorway when the Scarecrow said her name, and she nodded, understandingly. She disappeared just as fast.

The Joker turned his head and caught sight of Crane's mask over on the counter. "And you won't be seeing that mask of yours again until Shadow's recovered, and possibly not even after that."

I didn't know where I was, but I did know that I wasn't conscious.

There are times in dreams where people believe that it is reality, but there are some people who could tell the difference. I was one of those people.

I was standing in a dark alleyway on a cloudy night. No moon, no light, except for the light that came filtered in through the mouth of the alley.

I heard footsteps, rapid footsteps. I turned, thinking they were coming behind me, but I only saw a brick wall. Facing forward, I jumped when I saw that there was someone running into the alley.

The stranger ran to the wall, placed his hands on the brick wall, and was breathing heavily. "Make it stop," he exhaled. He put a hand to his head, wincing. "Shut up, you…you…whoever you are! Stop talking to me!"

I stared at the stranger. Was he insane or something?

"That isn't what I want!" the stranger argued to no one in particular. "I wanted nothing more than a happy life."

"You wouldn't have gotten it with Jeannie, Heath."

My eyes widened. Was I seeing my own version of how Heath became to be the Joker? My imagination was going off on its own, and I was completely aware of it.

Heath shook his head. "Stop it!" he shouted.

"Turn around, Heath."

He did, and his eyes widened in horror. He stepped back, his back colliding with the brick wall. The left side of his mouth…it was already scarred, and his right…was covered with blood. It was like he had just cut it, except the scar had formed already.

"Leave me alone, whoever you are."

"I, ah, can't, Heath."

"Yes, you can. Go away."

"Keep, ah, denying who you were meant to be, Heath Ledger." A dark figure appeared at the other end of the alley, standing there with his back to the light. "Come, my dear friend, come and embrace who you, ah, are meant to be."

Heath shook his head, pulling a knife out of his pocket. With a glance, I recognized it as his switchblade.

The figure approached slowly, looking menacing as it came. "Put the knife away, Heath, you, ah, know it won't protect you from the likes of me."

"Stay away from me!" Heath yelled.

"Shh, not so loud," the figure said. The figure reached into its jacket pocket, leaving its hand in there.

"Stay where you are!"

"Didn't, ah, I say to not be so loud?"

"Stay away," Heath said. He was panicking, sweat dripping down his brow. I wanted to help him, but for some reason, I couldn't move. The figure continued to approach, ever so gradually.

"Ya know, Heath, you and I are quite alike," the figure said.

"I don't know who you are."

"Really? That's fine; you'll, ah, learn who I am soon enough. At least Jeannie's out of the way."

"I didn't try to get rid of her."

The figure stopped in its tracks, laughing. "You told me the same thing with Shadow."

I was included in this?

"Who's Shadow?" Heath asked, trying to pretend he didn't know.

"You know pretty well who Shadow is, Heath. I seem to know her better than you do. I've seen a different side of you, and one day, you'll be able to witness it."

"I don't know a shadow."

"Sara…dear reader and loner Sara, recognize her?" The figure laughed as he moved toward Heath again. He pulled something out of his pocket and clicked it open. He held it up into the light where both Heath and I could see what it was. "This is the same knife, Heath…"

Heath's eyes continued to wide, and I thought I saw black spots appearing around them.

"Keep watching, Heath boy." The figure leaped forward and grabbed Heath by the front of his jacket. "Black, Heath?" he said in a teasing tone. He giggled. "Purple looks so much better on you. I would, ah, know."

I knew who the figure was, but Heath seemed too afraid of him that he just didn't seem to get it – though it could have been because he didn't know.

"Ask me, Heath," the figure ordered, "Ask me who I am. I want to, ah, to tell you, but I won't until you ask."

Heath struggled to speak, and the figure threw him against the wall. I heard a crack, and Heath whimpered in pain. Now, I knew I wasn't seeing things. White splotches appeared on Heath's face, on his cheeks, his nose, and his forehead.

"Who…are you?" Heath whispered.

"What?" the figure asked, teasingly. "I, ah, didn't hear you. Speak up!"

"Who are you?" Heath demanded.

"I'm you, and you're me." The figure burst out laughing. "Here I am, Heath, the one you are meant to become, ever since your father – our father sliced open the left side of our face. Can you guess what your name will become?" The figure pressed his arm against Heath's throat, suffocating him. "The name came from one of the things that dear Shadow called us. Heath Ledger, lose that name; let no one know what it is. Let only Shadow know; you will become me to find her. It's the only way."

Heath struggled to free himself, but to no avail.

The figure grinned. "You're finally getting, ah, it, Heath boy. Tell me, what did Shadow call you when you were younger?"

Heath choked, trying to speak but being unable because he was being choked. The figure moved his arm so that Heath could speak.

"C'mon, ah, tell me."

"Joker…she called me 'Joker' when she was mad at me."

The Joker smiled at his former self, grinning ear to ear. "Shadow's here right now, Heath. She's witnessing how you became me. Of course, there's a limit to the actual truth. Don't be afraid to tell her the truth when she asks." The Joker glanced at me, and his smile vanished. "All for you, Shadow," he whispered.

Shadow's hand twitched.

The Joker, who sat next to her, holding her arm so that the Scarecrow could inject the antidote into her, looked up and searched her face for any reaction.

Her hand twitched again.

The Joker chewed on the inside of his cheek, nervously. He hoped that Crane hadn't decided to poison Shadow because then, he wouldn't be able to stop from blaming himself. Of all people, Shadow was the only one he considered valuable, the only person he could ever love and care for. For her, he would always place himself in danger to protect her…then again, when had he not?

Crane removed the needle and covered Shadow's arm with a patch. "It will take awhile to activate, but she should be fine."

"Should…that's, ah, the keyword, isn't it?" the Joker asked, averting his eyes from Shadow to meet the Scarecrow's icy blue ones.

The Scarecrow stood up. "If anything, I'd say that you have nothing to worry about, which shouldn't be hard for someone like you."

The Joker sniffed.

"You care for one person, and that's not even yourself," Crane continued.

The Joker stood up suddenly and grabbed Crane by his jacket. He had changed clothes while Teresa was out retrieving the materials needed for the fear gas antidote.

"What do, ah, do you care?" the Joker demanded, angrily.

"This isn't like you," Crane said, calmly. "You were just a happy man back in Arkham."

"Things, ah, change sometimes."

"For some people, but you are one who doesn't seem to be in for the changes."

"I love changes," the Joker insisted.

"I'm a psychologist, and I tend to research how people interact with one another, in particular people's fears." Crane narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was thinking. "You, Joker, happen to be the strangest of cases."

The Joker narrowed his eyes.

"My fear gas had no affect on you. It makes me curious," Scarecrow continued on as calm as ever.

"Maybe because I don't have a, ah, a worst fear, Scarecrow."

"What about losing Shadow?" Crane pressed.

"Wouldn't that have, ah, registered with your fear gas?"

"It's supposed to."

"Shouldn't you two have this argument somewhere else?" The Joker and Crane turned their heads toward the doorway where Teresa was standing. "She is trying to sleep," Teresa pointed out.

The Joker released Crane's jacket, which Crane straightened casually. With a look at the Joker, Crane moved around him and left the room, passing by Teresa. Teresa stood there in the doorway, tapping her foot.

The Joker glared at her. "I'm not, ah, moving," he growled. "One thing I won't tolerate is, ah, someone who thinks, ah, I'm leaving my girl alone."

Teresa matched his angry glare as she pulled the door closed. She stopped halfway though. "Three o'clock," she told him. "That's when I'm coming back."

"Why?" the Joker asked, suddenly curious.

"You'll see." She closed the door with a smirk.

How irritating! The Joker sat down next to Shadow, rubbing his face. His scars tingled as he glanced over at the sleeping Shadow. Feeling exhausted, he lay down next to her, turning on his side so then he could watch her sleep. If anything, at least she was breathing steadily.

That and his arm laid over her stomach allowed him to drift into his own tormented sleep.

D: Poor puppy…image if you were insane and your sleep was troubled all the time. That's why puppy doesn't sleep all that great.

Joker: Oh, shut up, D.

NxS: *smacks his nose* Be nice.

Joker: *rubs nose* Of all people, you had to let NxS be your beta reader.

D: She enjoys it, and I like knowing my beta reader personally. The only thing is that she beats me – with words – to get my job done. As if I wasn't moving fast enough before I asked her to be my beta reader. My writing looks better after she edits it though, so it's nice. It's something I can deal with.

Shadow: I find it funny how the readers caught on to NxS's gal pal idea.

Joker: *eyeroll* As if it's turning out for the best at the moment.

D: It gets better.

NxS: *giggles and smiles smugly* Oh, hey, D, don't forget to ask Sin-

D: Oh, and Sinario, did you know that your cat's been taken by the Joker? He's had her for the past…two or three author notes. It's more of something NxS was wondering when she came to my workplace to berate me during my 15 minute break.

NxS: I didn't berate you, I just teased you because you had to work and I got to read Batman stuffs *smiles innocently*

D: All right, Shadow, Mistah J, give the line.

Joker: What line?

D: *glares* You know what line.

Joker: *sigh*

Joker&Shadow: Keep reviewing the story. If not, we'll both come after you and kill you off.

Joker: And no one is, ah, allowed to call me 'puppy' in any of their reviews. That's against the rules.

Shadow: I certainly don't like how anyone would do that. Besides, my beloved puppy, you've been such a caring, casual guy lately.

Joker: Just cause you haven't been around lately.

D: He's rubbing off on me.

NxS: And you've been spoiling him. Silly puppy. *dances off happily*

D: *whispers* What happened to hugging WeirdGirl?

Joker: *whispers* I, ah, gave her another hug and then had to let her go before Shadow entered the room.

D: So fangirls, we'll have to wait for the author notes at the beginning of a chapter to get those special gifts from the Joker out.

Shadow: *confused* What special gifts?

Joker: I'll give you one later.