Chapter Nine: Surprise Encounters

Author's Note: Robbie and Jack Malone belong to Charlene Edwards, and are used here with her permission and my gratitude. Glares at the fictives in question They almost stole this note, the kleptos. I don't know how she keeps them in line!

Only one person in the world knows the exact details of the Joker's origin: the Joker himself. Although some of the details vary, most stories agree that he was a small-time criminal who fell into a chemical vat, altering his features and shattering his mind. To psychiatrists, unlocking the genesis is essential to curing him. To practically everyone else, it is irrelevant. He is a lunatic and a murderer, bringing death to almost everyone he meets.

"So you mean she just tore out of here like that?" Dawn asked. She had come home from school, and Xander and Anya were filling her in on what had taken place.

"Yeah," Xander told her. "It was freaky. I've never seen her like that." He sighed. "I hope she's okay. I hope they're okay."

"I'm sure they are," Anya told him. She had closed the shop early to be with him after Willow had opened the gate. (It's to wait for my friends, though. Not to wait with him!) "I mean, they've lived through worse- the Master- oops." Both Xander and Dawn winced, but Anya didn't notice. "Well, Angelus-"

"She sent Angel to hell and disappeared for the summer," Dawn said morosely.

"The Mayor- that one turned out okay."

"Yeah," Xander said, hope entering his face. "Yeah it did!"

"Adam."

"A little bumpy, and there was the First Slayer and the guy with the cheese, but yeah."

"Glory- oops." The unnoticed winces were even bigger this time as Anya continued.

"Well, this time she has Batman on her side, and nobody dies when they work with Batman. Well, his second Robin did when the Joker beat his head in like it was a melon and then blew him up, but nobody else did. Except Commissioner Gordon's second wife, who got shot by the Joker when Gotham was still No Man's Land-" She finally noticed the horrified looks Xander and Dawn were shooting her.

"Xander, a minute? Be right back, Dawnie!" She grabbed Xander and dragged him off to the kitchen.

"Just because we've broken up doesn't mean that you shouldn't stop me when you see I'm upsetting Dawn!" she hissed.

"You weren't just upsetting Dawn," he told her in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, well, she didn't leave me at the altar!"

Xander sighed, rubbed his head, and looked down. "You're right. I know. You're 100 right."

The rest of his words were cut off by the sound of a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" Anya called, taking the opportunity to get the hell away from Xander. ('Oh, I hurt you and I'm so sorry, boo-hoo-hoo!' Well, you don't know what hurt is, Mr. Harris, but you will, and soon!)

She opened the door. "We don't-" Her voice died when she saw who was grinning at her.

"Hello, hello, hello," the Joker purred. "May I come in?"

Anya felt a squeak escape her.

"I'll take that as a yes," he told her as he entered.

Anya shuddered as he passed. Her senses were most attuned to individuals full of rage and vengeance, but she was sensitive to mortals that had sold their souls. (He is one sick puppy! He's almost as creepy as a bunny!) He went straight, and missed the living room. (Maybe there's still time) She opened her mouth and started to scream. "XANDER GET DAWN OUT OF HERE NOW!" The Joker whirled and faced her.

"That wasn't very nice," he said in a chiding tone. "Not nice at all." Before she could do anything- teleport, launch an attack- he drew his gun and shot her. She heard the bang before she felt the pain in her chest. (Got me in the heart) she thought on her way to the ground.

"XANDER GET DAWN OUT OF HERE NOW!"

Xander was torn for a split second. If the woman he still loved yelled like that, then she needed him. On the other hand, if Anya yelled like that it meant something bad had happened. He dashed out of the kitchen and into the living room, making a choice. He would get Dawn out the door, and then go to help Anya.

"That wasn't very nice," he heard a voice say. "Not nice at all." There was a gunshot, and the sound of a body falling. Xander felt his world crash down around him. (Anya…) "No!" he screamed.

"Ah, there you are!" the voice said, snapping him from his horror. Xander turned and grabbed Dawn, barely registering the look of wide-eyed horror on her face. He pulled her to the kitchen and was halfway to the door when the door was kicked in. A large man in a bad suit charged Xander, punching him in the face. Xander was staggered, but countered with a punch of his own. He followed through by trying to grapple the man, who tried to do the same thing. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dawn grab a butcher knife.

"Get out of here!" he snapped to her, looking away from his opponent. He felt something crash down on his head. He collapsed, and his vision blurred. He couldn't move but he was not out. He heard more people enter the kitchen from the door, and heard them grab the screaming Dawn. He felt somebody grab him and drag him out of the kitchen. He was tossed onto something large and soft, probably the sofa, and felt a relatively light weight be thrown on top of him, probably Dawn. He heard Dawn squawk in protest and felt the weight move off of him.

"Get away from him!" he heard her yell. He heard a slap, and felt hands grab him, sitting him up. Then he felt cold and wet, and started to blink. Somebody had just splashed him with cold water, and the shock woke him up. He looked at Dawn, and saw a red mark on her cheek. He looked at the men standing in front of him. They had guns, so escape was out of the question.

"Whatever you want," he said slowly, "just don't hurt anybody else."

"Oh, please," he heard a voice say. It was the voice from earlier. The men stepped back, and Xander felt Dawn suddenly latch on to him. He looked up into staring green eyes. He felt his heart stop. (The Joker!)

"Now," the Joker continued, "for your edification, your 'Slayer,' one of her witchy friends, and quite a few of the Batty Bunch raided one of my hideouts. I had the foresight to leave behind a few little surprises for them, as well as a video camera that broadcast the fight for my private viewing pleasure as my usually nocturnal friends and I flew back out here to delectable little Sunnydale. Oh, your friends managed to beat a gang of demons that I hired for way too much money, which is why I triggered another little surprise and blew the place to smithereens."

Xander felt his blood run cold. Dawn's grip on his arm intensified, and started to hurt.

"Oh don't worry, Batsy has a disgusting knack for surviving situations like that." He leaned forward, and patted Xander on the cheek. "That's why I want you to give him and that friend of yours a message if they come back here: they can find my allies and me in Sunnydale High- the library, to be exact. I don't know why my help is insisting on the library, but one room is as good as another when they're all in ruins. We'll be there after sunset, so don't be late." He turned to leave, but stopped and turned back, as if he forgot something. "Oh by the way, if they don't show for whatever reason, I'll go on a killing spree. If they're alive it'll draw them out, and if they're dead then I will have cause to celebrate. Oh yes- this is usually the time when I kill somebody just to make a point, but since I already killed that girl at the door- and because I'm in a great mood- I think I'll play a little game." He put a hand in his pockets and withdrew two small rubber balls, one purple, the other green. One of the henchmen dashed off to the kitchen, and returned with three identical coffee cups. "Restrain him," he said, pointing at Xander. The henchmen grabbed Xander while the Joker neatly arranged the cups. He covered the balls with two of them, and started moving them around.

"The name of the game is 'Who Has To Die?'" the Joker told Dawn in a pseudo-carnival barker voice. "When I stop moving the cups, you have to pick one. If you pick the cup with the green ball, I shoot you. If you pick the cup with the purple ball, I shoot him. If you pick the cup with no ball, I let you both live." He flashed an almost roguish grin. "Get ready and- go!" He stopped shifting the cups, and started humming the Jeopardy theme.

Dawn felt her heart race. She extended her finger to one, and then stopped before choosing another. She lifted her finger, and pointed at the third one. (How can I choose?)

The Joker finished humming. "Well, have you made a decision?"

Dawn pointed at one of the cups.

"Is that your final answer?"

"Uh-huh," she told him. She could feel her voice shake.

"Well then, shall we take a look?" With a grand flourish, he picked up the cup. There was no ball. Dawn felt her body shake with relief.

"What?" the Joker exploded. "Of all the-" He turned to the cup-bearing thug. "Do you know how many times I've played this game?" he screamed.

"No boss-"

"Every time I've played I've always won! Always!" He stopped screaming, and quickly drew a gun. "Hugo, you are a jinx, and do you know what I do to jinxes?"

"No, please boss-"

BLAM!

To Dawn's surprise, the only thing that came out of the gun was a stick, with the word "BLAM!" written on a bright red flag attached to the stick.

"Gotcha!" the Joker giggled. Everybody in the room started laughing except Dawn and Xander.

"Put 'er there, Hugo," the Joker grinned as he extended his hand.

"Gee thanks boss," Hugo said, and took the Joker's hand. He immediately started twitching and convulsing. The Joker only let him go when smoke started coming out of his ears and nostrils. Hugo collapsed to the floor.

"Let that be a lesson to the rest of you!" the Joker snapped to his now terrified thugs. He turned back to Dawn and Xander, and glowered at them. "I should pick one of you to kill, but the fun has just gone out of it!" He stalked off toward the front door.

After Xander heard the front door slam, the Joker's men started withdrawing to the kitchen. Their weapons were still trained on Xander and Dawn. Within a few minutes, they were alone again.

"Get down," Xander told Dawn. "Stay away from the windows."

"But-"

"Do it!" he snapped as he raced to the front door. (I hope the Joker's right. Hopefully they're ALL alive. God, if you really are there, let them be alright!)

He got to the front hall, and stared down at Anya. She was lying still on the floor, and her eyes were wide open. Tears filled Xander's eyes as he knelt down beside her. He closed her eyes gently, and then wrapped her in a hug. Then he heard somebody start sobbing. (That's not Dawn, that's way too deep to be Dawn. Oh wait- it's me.)

"You can let go of me, Xander."

(Sounds like Anya. It can't be! Get a hold of yourself, Harris. Stop hallucinating!)

"Xander!" He could feel the body squirm. He looked down and saw Anya. She looked extremely impatient. He let go of her, and she stood up. He followed her up. As he stood he saw Dawn also in the foyer. She looked like she had been crying, but now she looked as shocked as Xander felt.

"You were dead," he heard himself say through his absolute shock.

"No, I wasn't. It takes a lot more than bullets to kill me now." She glanced down at her blouse. "Now it's ruined," she muttered. "Do you know how much I'm gonna have to pay to replace it?"

Xander was good at jumping to conclusions. He was so good that he even jumped to the right ones now and then. "You're a vengeance demon again, aren't you?"

Anya nodded. "D'Hoffryn made me an offer after you left me," she said evenly. "It's not like I had anything better to do with my life."

"Oh, man," he muttered as Anya stalked past him. "Oh, man."

The plane ride back to Sunnydale was filled with more conversation than the one to Gotham. Giles and the Scoobies were busy catching each other up, although the stories weren't exactly complete. Willow did not fully reveal the details of her trip into dark magic. Buffy didn't discuss her relationship with Spike. (Whatever it is.)

With the exception of Batman, the Gotham Knights also talked. Unlike the Scoobies, they were quiet. Their conversation was conveyed through body language as much as words.

Nightwing nudged Robin.

"So I heard that Miss Summers kicked your scrawny little butt when you sparred," he smirked.

Robin scowled. "She's a meta," he muttered.

Nightwing punched him on the arm. "No excuses! She beat you. And so did Batgirl right before."

"Yeah."

Nightwing's smirk turned into a grin. "Lil bro got beaten by two pretty girls in one day," he mocked.

"Shut. Up."

"Sore loser," Batgirl laughed.

"You know Rob," Nightwing continued, "at this rate I'm gonna have to buy you a special training uniform: a harness, assless chaps, and a jock 'cause if you're gonna keep getting spanked, you should at least be dressed for it."

Robin shot Nightwing his best Bat-glare. "You've been spending way too much time with Roy," he growled.

Batgirl looked at Robin speculatively. "Nah," she told Nightwing. "His chest is too skinny for a harness, and his butt is too skinny for the chaps."

Robin shot her an indignant glare. "You've been spending way too much time around Dinah."

"I guess you're right, Batgirl," Nightwing agreed, ignoring Robin. "Besides, I've seen him naked and he can't exactly fill out a jock yet either."

Batgirl snickered.

"You are both dead," Robin quietly snarled. "I mean it. Not even Batman will find your bodies."

Further comments in that vein ceased when they noticed Batman glaring at them. That LOOK spoke volumes: 'You will pay for this display of unprofessional behavior.' The three younger crime-fighters sunk in their seats. It was a good thing that their guests were too busy catching up to pay attention to their little conversation. The inevitable workout would be even more intense if they had.

After they landed, Batman sent the Scoobies out of the plane before he and his people joined them. Buffy stared at the group that emerged a few minutes later. She remembered 'Matches' and 'Candy.' Buffy knew that the two new guys were Nightwing and Robin, but she would never have been able to guess.

"Everybody," Matches said, "these are my boys Robbie and Jack, and you remember my daughter Candy, the sole comfort of my old age. Boys- the luggage."

Robbie and Jack grabbed the luggage. It looked heavy.

"Want help?" Buffy asked.

"No," Matches told her. "They got it."

Robbie and Jack glared at him.

"How come Candy ain't helping, Pop?" Jack asked.

"Told you he loves me more," Candy grinned.

"It's cause she's a girl, ain't it?" Robbie asked.

"It's cause she ain't been up the river!" Matches told him.

"I'm the good one," Candy told the Scoobies.

"That ain't what I read in the john at the arcade," Robbie snickered.

Matches smacked Robbie on the head. "Ow! Pop!"

"Watch yer language!" Matches snapped. "Now, if you all agree, I think it would be best to get a cab back to town unless you wanna walk. I assume that we'll wanna meet at the Magic Box?"

"Uh, sure," Buffy managed to say. Matches' and his family's performance gave her a total wiggins.

When they got to the Magic Box, they were surprised to find it closed.

"Let's go home," Buffy said. "That's where they'll be- I hope."

"We can stay here if you think that would be better," Matches said.

"Yeah," Jack chimed in. "Place like this is ripe for anybody that wants ta break in. It needs some protection."

Matches walked over to his younger son and smacked him on the head.

"What are you doing, scaring your cousin like that? And don't talk like that- we ain't here on business!"

"Sorry, Pop," Jack muttered, rubbing his head.

"Oh come on Uncle Matches," Buffy grinned, pulling him in the direction of her home. "I mean, the last time you were in town you never even got to see my place, and I really wanna show it to you."

"Aw, that's sweet," Matches smiled at her. "I'd love to see yer home, my niece."

"So would I," Robbie added, coming up to Buffy and taking her arm. "So, uh- you just live alone with a bunch of hot chicks? You wouldn't happen to know any more, would you- y'know, any single hotties?"

He sounded horny. Buffy saw Matches raise his hand. She heard the smack.

"Don't use yer cousin to get girls, boy!"

"Aw Pop!" Robbie whined.

"Don't 'Aw Pop' me!" Matches shot back. "You've been spending way too much time with your friend Roy."

"Told ya," Buffy heard Jack call from behind her.

"You know what your grandpa would do if he heard you talking like that?" Matches continued.

"Whatever he did ta me, he'd do double to you," Robbie told him. "He blames you for us turning out like you."

Buffy heard Willow whisper to Candy. "What would your 'grandpa' do?"

Buffy heard Candy whisper back. "You don't wanna know."

When they finally arrived at the Summers house, Buffy went to the door and knocked. "Who is it?" She heard Dawn ask.

"Dawn, open up," she told her sister.

The door opened and Dawn launched herself into Buffy's arms. She started babbling. "OhthankGodyou'realivetheJokerwashereandhesaidheblewyouupandheshotAnyabutshe'sokayandhekilledoneofhisthugsforbringingacupand-"

"Whoa, girl, slow down!" Buffy interrupted.

"The Joker was here," Dawn said slowly. "He came in through the front door, and he had his goons bust down the back door."

"I think we all better go inside," she heard Matches say as he came up behind her. "It ain't smart to talk business on the street."

Dawn peered around Buffy to look at him. "Is that who I think it is?" she whispered to Buffy.

"Believe it or not," Buffy confirmed.

The group entered the house, and as soon as the door closed Buffy saw Matches and his two boys undergo instant metamorphoses. Their outward appearance stayed, but their demeanor had completely changed. They were Batman, Nightwing, and Robin now. (I so have to learn to how do that) Buffy thought.

Batman moved into the living room, and Buffy was right behind him. She saw Anya cleaning some wounds on Xander's face. "Xander? Anya?" Buffy asked as she went to them. "What happened?"

"Buffy!" he yelled. He broke away from Anya and immediately started hugging Giles. "Tara! Will!" he called as he enfolded them as well. "Giles! Giles?" Buffy turned, and noticed that Dawn was already hugging the stuffing out of him.

"Xand," she said, snapping her fingers to get his attention. "What happened?"

"It was- who are these people?" Xander asked her.

"Guess."

Xander's eyes widened. "You mean-"

"Yeah. 'Matches' is Batman, Nightwing and Robin are 'Robbie' and 'Jack', and I think you can tell which one is Batgirl, or 'Candy.'"

"What did the Joker want?" Batman asked, stepping forward.

"Yup, that's you," Xander muttered. "He said that he blew you up, but I guess you survived, so he wants you and Buffy to meet him at the library at Sunnydale High tonight after sunset. If you don't show he'll go on a killing spree."

"Is that all?"

"Well, except for the part where he killed one of his own guys." Except for the revelation about Anya, Xander described the encounter in detail.

"Why would he kill one of his own guys?" Dawn asked. It was a general question.

"He's insane, Miss Summers," Batman told her. He looked at Xander. "The body?"

"I've got it stashed in the basement," Xander replied. "I didn't wanna do anything with it until after dark.

"You didn't call the police."

"What would I tell them?"

"The truth," Nightwing said. He frowned. "That wasn't much like the Joker. He usually kills somebody to make sure a message like that gets through, and I'm not talking about his men. At least one of you three should be dead."

Buffy didn't miss the way Xander glanced at Anya, or Anya's wince.

"What happened?" Batman (who apparently didn't miss either) asked them.

"He shot me in the heart," Anya admitted. "Long story short, I'm a vengeance demon again. D'Hoffryn made me the offer after Xander stood me up at the altar."

Buffy felt shock. "What? Ahn-"

"Did you have to say it like that in front of everybody?" Xander moaned.

"Why not?" Anya shot. "Why shouldn't they know? Why shouldn't the whole world know that Xander Harris is a-"

"ENOUGH!" Batman barked. He felt his temples throbbing. Banter was bad enough, but unprofessional behaviour in the face of duty was inexcusable. "I know that Sunnydale High was destroyed, but I was unaware that it was rebuilt."

"It hasn't been, yet," Xander told him. "My construction company is supposed to start at the end of the month. Anyway," he hastened after Batman glared at him, "it's located right on top of the Hellmouth. The library is literally right on top of it, which we know because we've had to close that sucker several times."

"Noted."

"Does this scream 'trap' to anyone else?" Willow asked. "Just saying."

"It is a trap, Miss Rosenberg," Batman told her. "There is no question of that. However, the Joker will follow through on his threat if we do not appear."

"I agree," Buffy nodded. "I gonna go get Spike. He's gonna want to be in on this, and we're gonna need all the help we can get."

"No."

"I'm sorry?"

"You are not to contact Spike."

"I'm sorry, did we or did we not agree that the leader would be the person whose town we were all in? Since this is Sunnydale, it would be me."

"No. We didn't."

Buffy quickly remembered their 'agreement.' She had put that idea forward, but come to think of it, he never actually agreed. (That son of a BITCH!)

Batman started speaking before Buffy could formulate the proper words for her fury. "Spike is an unknown factor. Unknown factors are the last thing we need when facing an opponent as unpredictable as the Joker."

"What about us?" Buffy demanded. "Are we 'unknown factors?'"

"You and Miss Maclay aren't. The rest of you are. The only reason the others will be coming is because it would be counterproductive to stop them."

"Fine," Buffy said acidly. She looked him straight in the eye. "You just remember something: I don't bring people in if I think they'd get in the way. Whatever else Spike is, he's a hell of a fighter and he loves beating on demons. Gotham is your city and I respect that, but this is my town and I know how things work around here. We don't have wackos. We have demons, and vampires, and robots, and all kinds of creepy-crawlies descending on us on a regular basis. Spike is a gun, and we need him. I like it even less than you, but that's the way it is."

They stood glaring at each other for several moments. "Fine," the Batman eventually growled. "Bring him in. Let's be clear, Miss Summers. I have dealt with the supernatural, but you have dealt with it more. I will defer to you where the supernatural is concerned, but only where the supernatural is concerned."

"Fine by me," Buffy retorted. (Who does this ass think he is?) she silently fumed.

They met shortly after sunset, gathering at the chain fence that surrounded the ruins of Sunnydale High. The Gotham Knights were dressed in their uniforms. Anya had given them the key to the Magic Box, where they had set up a temporary command centre. Batman didn't want to risk anybody seeing superheroes at the Summers house because Buffy's ID was still a secret. He respected that. Anya and Dawn were at the Magic Box, and the others went to the high school to confront the Joker, Dala, and whatever else awaited them.

"Home again, home again, jiggedy-jig," Xander muttered.

"How exactly did you blow up this place?" Robin asked.

"With a lot of hard work," Xander told him. "Watch your step when you're in there. There're still pieces of Mayor everywhere."

"Okay."

Just then, Spike joined them. "The place is packed," he told Buffy. "Vamps, thugs, and the odd demon. I practically tripped over a few on my way out."

"Were you seen? Batman asked him.

"Of course not," Spike snorted. "I was a pro at this a century before you were born. The Joker and Dala are there. Thanks ever so much for making me have to see her again, by the way. They've got Rack with them."

Giles and Willow gasped. "The black magic dealer?" Giles asked.

"The same."

"Explain," Batman said.

"Rack is a very powerful and very evil sorcerer," Giles told him. "He offers aspiring magicians a path to quick, easy power. He addicts them to it, and eventually starts stealing their souls a piece at a time when they come in for their fix. Kent Nelson fought him more than once before Rack disappeared. I wasn't aware he came here."

"Giles, everything but the Loch Ness monster has come here," Buffy reminded him.

Unnoticed, Willow began to tremble. (If I hadn't stopped going to him, I'd have become addicted and he would have started stealing my soul.) She felt a burst of resolve. (I am not gonna let him do to somebody else what he tried to do to me!)

"Suggestion?" Batman asked.

"We- we can fight him," Tara said slowly. The Scoobies looked at Tara in shock. They hadn't expected Tara to say that. "We can hold him down, at least long enough for somebody else to take care of him." Tara swallowed. "And- and if he starts the ritual, well I know a spell that can shut him down safely. It might not stop the ritual completely, but it will slow him down enough so that he can be stopped."

"What spell is that?" Willow asked.

"I never taught it to you," Tara replied. "I'm sorry, but it never really came up- ever."

"Very well," Batman said before Willow could respond. "In that case, then let's go."

The group broke into teams, as smaller groups stood a lesser chance of being spotted. Batman led Buffy and Willow, while Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl were the second group, and Xander, Tara, Giles and Spike the third. Nightwing's team would take the sewer access, and the Scoobies would take the delivery dock.

Buffy thought that entering the ruins of the school was easy, almost too easy. Thugs and vampires were around, but skirting past them was easy. (The shoe is so gonna drop soon.)

"The doors to the library are unguarded," Batman told her and Willow after he scouted ahead. Hopefully, the others would be in position by now.

Batman glided to the doors, and motioned for Buffy and Willow to join him. He threw them open and strode into the library.

(No wonder there isn't much of a welcoming committee) Buffy thought. (They're all here!)

Somehow, their enemies had managed to fill the library with most of their minions. In addition to the goons and vamps, Buffy saw quite a few nasty looking demons. "Ah Batsy," she heard the Joker drawl. "Right on time."

In the centre of the room, right where the Hellmouth monster sprung of the ground, were the Joker and Dala, and a creepy-looking man that had to be Rack. Assembled on a small altar in front of them were the three stolen artifacts. Beside the altar was a body covered by a white sheet.

"Don't tell me that you and little miss kills-the-vamps are the only ones that got out of my warehouse, Bats," the Joker smirked. "That's too bad. I'll have to fix it."

"What do you mean, 'the only ones that got out of my warehouse,' Joker?" Dala demanded.

"Oh, didn't he tell you?" Buffy smirked. "Mr. Funny here left a welcoming committee for us. When that didn't work, he had the place blow up. It's a good thing we're heroes, and always escape the bad guy's traps."

"WHAT?" Dala shrieked. She vamped out, and spun to face the Joker, who was giggling nervously. "YOU BASTARD! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ALMOST DID?"

"It was a good joke," the Joker protested weakly. "Besides, I knew they'd get out okay, they always do-"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" The thugs turned their guns on Dala, which attracted the attention of the vamps. The demons looked anxious to fight. Who they fought probably didn't matter.

"Dala," Rack said calmly, "I've already completed my initial preparations. No human in this building can actually die until the ritual has been performed, or else it will be ruined." Dala glared at him, and shot a murderous look at the Joker, but she stood down. "Good girl," Rack murmured, and then looked at Willow. "Strawberry. Been a while since you came my way. I missed you."

Buffy saw Willow become pale, but she quickly put on the resolve face. "I know what you are now," she told him. "I'm not gonna let you do that to anybody ever again."

Dala ignored all of this. Her gaze was fixed on the Joker. "I only told you to just lure our targets here," she snarled. "Not have them bring their little trained minions!"

"Oh, like I control what they do!" the Joker snapped back.

"I swear, if they stop the ritual-" she cut herself off with a yell and turned to Batman. "You may as well call your allies out, Batman," Dala snarled. "I can smell Spike. The stench of those cigarettes clings to him no matter how he tries to hide it."

"I can smell you too, Dala," Spike spat as he emerged from the shadows. "The crazy ones are always distinctive."

"You would know," Dala viciously purred.

"Oh, you're one to make 'sire' cracks, you bloody bint," Spike snapped. "Speaking of which- Dru may be crazy, but at least she's too smart to be outwitted by a human pulling one of the oldest tricks in the vampire-killing book. I mean- letting a human torch your sanctuary? Come on- any vampire that allows that to happen is too stupid to live, figuratively speaking."

"How dare you!" Dala hissed.

"Anyway," the Joker interrupted, "look what I have here, Bats!" He bent down and pulled the sheet away, revealing a decaying body that was wearing a funeral suit. "Sure, he smells a bit- but that's what you get when you lock your kid in a box for years on end, hmm?"

Buffy could swear that she heard Batman growl like an animal.

"You. Will. Not. Touch. Him. Again."

"Really?" the Joker smirked.

"It is time," Rack suddenly announced.

"So it is," Dala agreed. "Attack! Neutralize them, but don't kill them!"

To my kind reviewers RogueFanKC, Damia- Queen of the Gypsi's, Doza, Allen Pitt and theICEBear:

I want to thank you all for taking the time to read and review this story. I hope that I continue to justify the time you spend reading and reviewing.

RogueFanKC: Hey buddy! I'm glad that you love my story. I'm loving 'Apokolips Deferred'! I'm glad that you like the Batman-Buffy dynamic. That's precisely what I'm going for with them- half respect, half aggravation. As for Alfred, I've always felt that the whole Bat-operation would fall apart if he wasn't there. I'm sure that the Bats would agree.

Damia- Queen of the Gypsi's: I love that name. No, Batgirl isn't a Slayer. At this point, there are only Buffy and Faith. She might just be a Potential, though.

Doza: The reason that the Gotham Knights are "a peg or two above the Scoobies" is that they pretty much do this for a living. The Scoobies are much more about having 'normal' lives. Yeah, Buffy loses to Batgirl and Batman but if she ever spent some serious training time with Lady Shiva or Richard Dragon, I think that she would wipe the floor with Batman (at least)- but that's a big if. As for Batgirl's speech patterns- she will never really be a public speaker, but she has been getting a lot better lately. Her reading skills still leave much to be desired, though. Oh- don't worry. While there is some Xander/Batgirl interaction coming up, I think that I've shown where Xander's heart lies.

Allan Pitt: I think that Batman would get irritated with the Scoobies in fairly short order, which is why I have him constantly have him get them back on track. As for the results of the sparring, that is what I'm going for. Buffy may not be a Bat but she's no slouch. I wanted to strike a balance and be respectful to all involved. I hope I succeeded with that.

theICEBear: I'm glad that you like the story, and I'm sorry that you feel that way about how I am mixing the universes. You are completely correct in that both sets of characters need to be equal. The problem with putting these two universes together is that they function differently. Whedonverse vamps and DCU vamps are two different creatures. Because vamps are infinitely more central to the Whedonverse than to the DCU, I am going with that portrayal of them and their abilities, and that makes me put Buffy at that level as well. As written, Batman has taken on enemies as powerful as Buffy, or more so, and won. Batgirl has been trained as a living weapon since she was an infant. Buffy is superhuman, and very well trained, but she has only been training since she was fifteen, and she's twenty. That's only five years. Even then, she's always balanced that with a semblance of a normal life, which most of the Bats have not. As I told Doza, I fully believe that with some serious training Buffy should be able to wipe the floor with Batman, but it's a question of whether or not she gets that training. I hope that you continue reading. As far as fights go, I have two big ones coming up, and I hope that they show the Bat/Scooby equality.

To all readers: if you like my story then please send or keep sending your reviews. I am open to constructive criticisms, but no flames please.