The child couldn't understand it!

How does a family up and disappear, and no one knows what happened?

The thought has kept Grace Jones up at night for the past two months.

The last she heard, her BFFF, Josie, was in a car accident in that Goth city.

After that: nothing!

She's been spending all her computer time surfing the web, reading Gotham's news articles.

The Gotham Times, but they keep talking about some guy who broke out of someplace called Arkham...

Maybe the man who broke out of Arkham was the driver!

Grace Jones read the article and came across a photo.

The man in the picture had phantom green hair, ghost-white skin, and blood-red lips.
The man looked downright ghoulish, but that's not what caught Grace's eye.

No, it's not his appearance, well, not entirely...

Grace couldn't shake the feeling that she knew this man.

How?

How did Grace know this man?

Her father did business in Gotham; maybe she met him then...

But she always stayed in hotels watching tv...

Something about his eyes...

She knew those eyes...!

What was this man's name?

The Joker...

He looked like a crazy clown!

Josie liked clowns...
*****

'Did your grandparents die on the way to the circus?' Asked Gabrielle.

Joker watched his 'newborn' as she nibbled on the apple bits while she watched as he wolfed down a basket of fries.

'Yes.'

'That's funny.'

'No, it's not.'

'Yes, it is.'

'No, it's not.'

'Everything in life is funny, Kitten. Even death.' He laughed as she pouted; he pointed at her burger. 'Are you going to eat that?' She pushed her burger towards him. 'Thanks.'

'I thought I was Kitten!' Gabrielle whipped her head towards him.

'You sound jealous, Kitten.' He said with a grin.

'I'm not.' She said as her cheeks reddened. ' I- uh...kid, you don't eat much... Are you sick?'

'Oh, no. I don't want to get fat.'

'What do you mean?' Joker demanded. 'Who told you that you were fat?'

'No one, Miss. Peu says it's best if a dancer doesn't gain weight.' She watched him finish the burger in 4 bites. 'I've never seen anyone eat so much.'

'It's one of the side effects of my medication.'

'What are the other side effects?'

'Insomnia.'

'Insomnia?'

'Trouble sleeping.' Said Gabrielle.

'Oh, ok. I can't sleep either. And when I finally do, I can't stay asleep. What are the others?'

'Mood swings.'

'Is that's why you snapped at me earlier?'

No...

'Yes.'

'More.'

'Do you want to-'

'Yes!'

He sighed. 'Hunger. Muscles spasms. Anxiety. Akathisia-'

'Akathisia?' Both Gabrielle and Josie repeated.

'Restlessness. I'm always moving. Can we change the subject?'

'What are you drinking?'

'Absinthe.'

'Can I have some?'

'Too strong for you.'

'Are you saying that I am weak?'

'Well...'

'No, I'm not!'

'It's liquor. Alcohol.'

'You drink alcohol?'

'Yes?'

'That's bad for you; did you know that?'

'Yes.'

'Then why are you doing it?'

'Didn't Pop-Pop and Grammy teach you not to question adults?'

'Joker.' Gabrielle said with a scowl.

'What?'

She motioned towards Josie, looking at her strawberry milkshake.

'Oh...' he said quietly. 'How you feeling, Baby Doll?'

'I don't know.' She looked at him. 'At first, I was sad, but now... I feel...'

'Numb? Heavy?'

'A little bit of both. Before the rainstorm, I was sad. And I'm... kinda sad.'

'Are you kinda happy?'

'No!' She howled. 'I know I should be crying, but...'

'I could buy you a shot of bourbon-'

'No, you will not booze her up!' Gabrielle snapped.

'Sheesh! Don't have a cow, mom!'

'She's only 8; she doesn't need to start boozing for breakfast.'

'I still have some Vicodin; I can give her some of that or some of my clozapine-'

'What's that?'

'My antipsychotic medicine.' The little girl rubbed her forehead. 'What's wrong, Baby Doll?'

'My head hurts sometimes...'

'Why?

'Uh... I don't know. Maybe because of the accident or...'

'Or?!'

'When Robin slammed my head on the ground...'

Ivy may have mentioned that...

'Oh. Is that why you were out in the rain? Because you were running from Robin?'

'No, I was looking for you...'

Was she looking for me? He thought.

He didn't like all these... feelings.

'We should go...'

'Go?' She said as she looked up. 'But-'

'It's late,' he looked at his Rolex, 'I need to get you back.'

'Uh... ok...'

Joker looked out the window. 'We can't take my car. I think I saw a cape.'

'A cape?' Repeated the kid.

'One of the birds.'

'A bird?' Gabrielle said as she looked out the window.

The way held a menu up let Joker believe she had caught on. The kid, however...

'Oooooh, I love birds!' The girl exclaimed. 'My grandma used to let me come to her bird-watching clubs. What kind was it? Was it Northern Mockingbird? Or was it a Hermit Thrush?'

'An American Robin.'
****

'Aren't you going to answer that?' Colin asked as Robin ignored the beeping noise from his belt.

'No.' Was his stoic response. 'I already know who it is.'

'Who is it?'

'Three guesses who.'

'Why don't you want to talk to him?'

'He'll only try to talk me out of it.'

'What did he say when you mentioned Gagsworth?'

'Jason Todd.'

'Who's that?'

'Someone who can find Gagsworth.' Robin turned in the ginger boy. 'They grew up together.'

'Do you think he's got, Josie?

'No.'

'Then why should we waste-'

'He's one of Bruce's orphans.'

Colin raised an eyebrow as they stood behind an apartment, watching an abandoned clinic.
The silent alarm was triggered an hour ago, and a man was seen creeping.

Initially, Robin wrote it off as addicts looking for a fix...

The clinic was a mile away from where he encountered... her.

They needed to find the girl; Robin was compelled to find her!

'Robin, we've been here for 30 minutes.' Colin said, annoyed, 'we've seen nothing.'

'What do you want to do?! Give up and home?'

'Well, actually,' he said, turning red, 'I was going to suggest grabbing something from the diner down the street...'

Robin looked at him, annoyed. 'What?'

'Maybe if we had something to eat, we could come up with a plan to get your brother-'

'He's not my brother.'

'To help us. I mean, they are friends...'

'Meaning?'

'Friends tell each other things that they'll never anymore else.' Colin offered. 'I tell you stuff that I'll never tell anyone else.'

'We're not friends, Wilkes.' Robin said dismissively.

Colin was surprised that the remark stung him.

He glanced at Robin as he pushed himself off the wall. 'But you are right; we need a plan.'

Colin looked at the clinic, wondering why on earth Josie would be here.

'Colin!' Robin's voice hissed as he grabbed him and quickly covered his mouth. 'Don't move!'

Robin pointed to a man dressed in a purple suit, his skin was ghostly white, and his hair was bright green.

The two boys exchanged glances, then turned back to watch the man scurry over the purple Cadillac.

'Is that who I think it is?' Colin whispered.

'Yes.' Robin looked at him. 'If I catch him, it would prove that I am the true successor!'

'What about Josephine?' Colin demanded quietly. 'We have to find her-'

'Then you find her!' Robin took a dagger from his belt. 'I'm going after the clown.'
****

'Do you think the Joker will be alright?' Asked Josie as she and Gabby walked through the alleys.

Joker suggested that they split up; he would meet them somewhere that they called the spot.

'Do you think Robin will hurt him?'

'No, I'm more worried about the boy.' Gabby said.

'Why?'

Why would anyone worry about him?

'I know what he's capable of.'

'What is he capable of?' Josie asked.

'Why didn't you tell me you're Joker's kid?' Gabby said as she turned to her.

'I wasn't sure if he even remembered who my mom was.' Josie said. 'But my father's name was Joseph Kerr, and he's called Joker. I sort just ran with it...' she looked at her. 'What is he capable of?'

'I used to sell... product for him...' Gabrielle said quietly. 'He can be pretty merciless if you cross him.'

'Are you a prostitute?'

'No, I'm not, you cheeky brat!'

'It's okay if you are-'

'I'm not! Did Ivy tell you that?!'

'No, she just thinks you're a young woman with daddy issues.' Gabby folded her arms and looked away. 'What did you sell?'

'Stuff like Chicle, Big Rush, Cotton-'

'That sounds boring...'

'I wish it was boring...' Gabrielle sighed.

'Are you his girlfriend?'

'We're friends with benefits...'

'What does that mean?'

'Well, we do girlfriend boyfriend stuff with each other, but we're just friends.'

'Oh...'

'You'll get it when you start to like boys!'

A hot blush stained her cheeks. 'Boys are the enemy!' She said hotly.

'Josephine Kerr?'

She and Gabby turned to find a ginger boy standing in the alleyway.
He was wearing long-sleeved red and black, blue jeans, and black sneakers.

It took a second, but Josie soon realized she knew him.

'Colin?!'

'Colin?!'
****

Robin had been aching to face the clown since he arrived in Gotham.

Catching and defeating his father's greatest adversary would prove he's more than worthy of the cowl.

More so than Drake!

His father would trust him now...

Maybe...

There's no telling with Bruce...

Knowing him, he'd probably scold him for running off on his own!

He shook away thought and stalked after the clown.

The man had no kind of self-preservation!

How did everyone in Gotham have such a hard time with him?

The clown crept into the clinic; Robin slipped in behind him.

'Why would the clown break in a place like this? ' He wondered aloud.

Was he hiding here?

The place looked like one strong wind from destruction.

Maybe there's something here he's trying-

'So, you're the new Robin?'

The voice caught him by surprise!

'My, my, aren't you out late?'

He just barely dodged a right hook.

'YOU!' He said as he regained his footing.

'And on a school night, I know Batsy raised you better than that!'

'I'm taking you back to Arkham!'

'You and what army?' He said with a grin.

He resisted the urge to shiver.

'I don't need an army to defeat you.'

He laughed; Robin felt a chill run down his spine. 'Funny, Jim Gordon once thought the same thing.'

A flash of pain in the back of his head, then darkness.