~And then I come to find everything's O.K.

Seen this all before but that was yesterday.

I try to make it through the messes that I've made

So I can enjoy the life here that I've made~

~Staind~


The last time Joker had been inside Gotham General, it had looked different. It was not this shining new building. The city really should be grateful that he had delivered them a clean new facility. The last one seemed older, full of the ghosts of all the people who had died there since its construction however long ago. This place was ready to be filled with new ghosts. The thought brought on a bout of giggles he had to suppress.

He had woken up from his nice nap earlier with a phone call from Ace. Apparently, his brilliant wife had rescued herself. He had gotten up and showered, he couldn't show up to the hospital with paint on his face and hands could he?

He dressed in a plain T-shirt and jeans, pulling on a hoodie even though it was mid-summer. He grabbed the things that his wife said she would need for the baby, she had packed the bag and had them ready for weeks. He loaded the car and started the quick drive to the hospital.

He parked and got out of the car, the only thing he was bringing up with him right now was her bag. It had her phone and wallet and of course, her .22. He felt better knowing she had it within reach. He had made his way up the stairs, not wanting to be locked in an elevator with random people, plus cardio was good, keeps the body strong. He pulled the door open on the fifth floor and stepped into a small waiting area. There was a row of chairs against one wall, and a set of double doors to go through. He walked over and hit the call button.

A disembodied voice answered. "Labor and delivery, can I help you?"

"I need to get to room 523, my wife is there." The door buzzed loudly and he moved inside.

"Sir, you will need these." She handed him a paper gown and mask. He put them on without argument. "She is being prepped for delivery now."

Joker's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he nodded and moved to the hall the nurse pointed him to. Near the end was room 523. He pushed open the door and saw people moving everywhere. His eyes were only for his wife who looked a bit nervous, her small body surrounded by wires and tubes.

He moved towards her and tossed her bag on the chair that sat against the wall.

"You okay?" he asked.

She smiled. "I'm good, I got pain medicine about an hour ago. I was scared you wouldn't make it in time." She said.

He moved the mask from his face and kissed her. The relief he felt made his head spin. He pulled away and once the paper mask was back in place, he spoke.

"I cleaned up and headed this way as soon as Ace called. I grabbed the baby stuff you said you'd need, it's in the car."

"I love you." She said with a goofy smile on her face.

His eyes shot her direction, then moved back to the chaos of the room. "Yeah, well, I don't hate you." He said, watching the people move around. She laughed, the sound was amazing.

Joker was pulled out of his happy place by the doctor moving up to talk to Peach. "We need to check you again to see if we are ready to push." He explained.

Joker watched as the doc stood next to the bed, one hand on Peach's knee, as the other began to reach under the blue paper blanket. What the fuck was he checking? The doctor moved back and smiled. "We are ready, I could feel the head low, and hopefully a few pushes should do it. Are you ready?"

Peach nodded. Joker wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but it felt exciting, the buzz in the air was almost tangible.

Joker watched as she pulled her knees to her chest, she pushed, her eyes closed in concentration. She squeezed his hand after she finished the first push, but all he could focus on was that this was happening. Everything was about to change. Better? Worse? Who knows? He felt excited.

Then as if by magic, the doctor pulled a small crying baby from behind the blanket. The blood covered baby was placed on his wife's chest. He watched as she was crying and touching it. It was horrific, the globs of whatever stuck to the baby. Joker had seen death regularly, but birth? It was brutal.

A nurse was talking to him. "What?" he asked.

"Did you want to cut the Umbilical chord?" she offered him a pair of scissors with a weird angle to the blades.

He moved to where they held up the long stringy flesh. He cut it with no issue, besides the strange rubbery texture of it. The doctor was barking orders to the nurses and he moved back up to watch his wife.

The nurses finally took the baby and started to clean it up. He watched what they did, watched as they pushed a tube down it's throat to suck out whatever was in there. They sucked stuff out of it's nose as well. He watched them clean the blood from the tiny body, weighing and measuring. They poked and prodded, smearing something in it's eyes. This looked like torture. It was a strange dance the nurses did around each other.

Finally they had put a diaper on it and wrapped it up in a blanket, only the face visible. The woman handed the baby back to Peach and Joker moved back to her side. The majority of the nurses had left already. His wife smiled up at him.

"Would you like to hold her?" her voice was soft.

Joker took the small bundle from her. He was looking at the sleeping face. This had all happened so fast. A nurse put a plastic bracelet on Peach then one on him.

"It matches the babies, so we know you are allowed to hold her." Joker nodded and watched the sleeping baby again.

The nurse left and Joker handed the baby back to his wife. As soon as she pulled the baby close, it started to whimper. He watched as she moved her gown and pushed the baby up to her breast. The baby latched on and was quiet again. Peach had leaned back face pulled in pain.

"The nurse warned me she would be hungry." She said.

"You need anything?" he asked.

"They are bringing me food soon. Will you bring up the stuff for the baby? They said I might be able to leave as soon as tomorrow."

"Fine, but when I get back, we talk." He said.

She nodded.

Joker left the room pulling the gown and mask from his body. He hurried down and to the garage and pulled all out the things she said she had needed. It had only taken a few minutes and he was back in the hospital, on his way to the fifth floor again. He was buzzed in and moved back to the room to find his wife eating, the baby lying on her legs.

He set the things down and moved back over to her. He slid the chair next to the bed and picked up the baby. He was no expert, but he didn't think it wouldn't be good to have it covered in crumbs. He sat down and held it as he rocked the chair back and forth.

"Talk." He said.

His wife looked at him and sighed.

"I met your upstairs neighbor." She said.

Joker looked at her, confused. He looked away from her, his hand touching the small hand that peeked from the blanket.

Peach continued to talk. "Bruce Wayne grabbed me from the parking garage, drugging me. I had run into him earlier in the elevator. I woke up in a fucking Plexiglas box." She paused.

Joker was biting on the inside of his cheek so hard he tasted blood. His vision flashed red, the grip of the baby's hand on his finger calmed him slightly.

Bruce Wayne had locked his pregnant wife in a box, like a fucking animal. He would kill him.

Her voice continued. "When I woke up, he talked about saving me from you. He drugged me again and I woke in a small cell, it at least had a bed. He tried to have dinner with me and I tried to bolt out of the door. He shoved the metal cart he used for the food into my side, hitting my stomach too."

Joker's eyes flashed to hers. She smiled. "I got out, I hurt him a little too. But the best part, when I got here, I called the GCPD and filed a police report, I told them how he drugged me and bruised my poor pregnant belly. They said they are looking for him now."

Joker laughed. Oh, she was so good. "Where did he keep you? Were you at the apartment?"

"No, I didn't tell the police yet, but he had me out in the Palisades, some cave system. The part we were in looked fancy, like Batman, type digs." She said.

Joker thought about that, had she been in the Bat's base of operations. He was almost jealous.

"I want Bruce to suffer." Her voice was soft but sure.

Joker looked back at her, "He will."

She took another bite of her cold sandwich, chewing slowly. Finally, she smiled at him. "We need to name her." She said.

Joker looked down at his kid. The tiny fingers still wrapped around his finger.

"Any ideas?" he asked, having no real preference.

She thought about it, then blurted it out. "Kayla Jade."

He nodded.

She broke the silence again. "He thinks you have me brainwashed. He had no idea about me, except my name."

Joker frowned, he had all kinds of thoughts running through his head. If Bruce knew her name, then he had figured it all out. That meant if the police questioned Bruce, he would spill Joker's secret. He had some things to do. His big plan was supposed to happen in a few hours. He looked at his watch. Less than twelve hours to go. That might not be enough time.

He stood, handing the baby to his wife. "I have to take care of a few things. I brought your bag up, all of your things are inside. I will call you in a few hours."

He leaned down and kissed his wife. She smiled, attention still on the baby.

He left quickly, he had to get some things ready. If the cops picked up Bruce, Joker had no doubt Bruce would try to defend his actions by turning tattle tale and giving the cops Jokers real name. He could kick himself for feeling a sense of fair play and using his real name to meet Bruce. It ended up putting his Peach and the tiny Jelly bean in danger.

He was speeding down the dark mostly empty streets of Gotham, heading to the familiar Apartment of his nerdy go-to guy, Cliff. Once he pulled into his building, Joker first texted Red the address, telling him to be there in a half hour. Then he used the code Cliff had given him to access his place. Once he was in the apartment, Joker used the burner phone to send out a 24 hour delay of the plan.

Cliff came around the corner, "Joker, I didn't know you were coming over."

"I have a small emergency, you got time?"

"Follow me." He said opening the secret room again.

Joker did love the hidden room, it was like a James Bond movie. He watched Cliff turn on the dim lights and the computers whirred to life. After that was finished, Cliff turned back to him.

"What can I do for you?"

Joker relayed the information he had just found out from his wife. The abduction, the small room, and finally the police involvement. Cliff was nodding, listening to the entire problem before finally speaking.

"Do we need to kill Jack?"

Joker smiled.


Awww...it's a girl ;)