(Happy Halloween, everyone! Here's the Halloween special that I promised; I hope that it makes you laugh out loud and cause people to stare at you. During this chapter, I suggest you listen to 'Down' by Jay Sean and 'Enter the Circus' by Christina Aguilera.)

Chapter Six

The Lady in Red & the Clown in Purple

"NO!"

"Come on, Amber; it'll be fun."

"Never!"

"Please, please, please, Amber, dear? You might enjoy it."

Amber eyed the circus ride Joan and Gatsby were begging her to get on. It was called The Fire Ball. It swung its riders high up in the air, nearly to the point of making a full cycle, and then whooshed back down to swing the other way while the part that held the riders slowly circled around. Just the mere sight of it made Amber's stomach churn.

"And maybe not!" Amber answered Gatsby.

"Amber," Joan said sternly, "Do you think I got this tough by sticking to the less exciting rides? Going on the thrilling rides that scare you is good practice for working at Arkham."

Amber gazed at The Fire Ball nervously and bit her bottom lip. "I don't know…"

"Just close your eyes," Joan told her and took Amber by the hand.

"Hey, wait a minute! I didn't say 'yes'!" Amber protested, jerking her hand back but Joan kept a firm grip on it.

"You didn't say 'no' either," Gatsby giggled as he gave her a push forward.

"No! No! No! No! A million times; No! There; I said it! Does that answer you?"

"No," Gatsby said and burst into another fit of high pitched giggles. Joan and Gatsby continued to push and pull Amber into the line for The Fire Ball.

"Help! I'm being forced into this against my own will!" Amber shouted, but no one really took her seriously when they saw it was just two friends pulling another friend towards a ride. Much to Amber's misfortune, the trios' turn came too soon. She had to leave her top hat with the ride's operator and was told she could pick it up right after the ride was over. "If I'm still alive by then," Amber muttered.

"All aboard the Fire Ball, ladies and gentlemen," a voice announced on the loud speakers and was followed by the song 'Down' by Jay Sean and Lil' Wayne.

"Baby, are you down, down, down, down, down?

Down, down!

Even if the sky is falling down;

Down, down!"

The seating arrangements were divided into six sections and four people sat in each. Amber sat in between Gatsby and Joan. As soon as they were locked into their seats, Amber immediately wrapped her hands around the bars.

Joan, who had sat in the last seat to Amber's right, laughed and gave Amber's hand a pat. "I know you like this song; so if it helps any, just sing along with it and maybe that'll calm you down. Okay?" Amber nodded and tried to separate her lips from the thin line they had formed since she sat down.

"You oughta know

Tonight is the night to let it go

Put on a show

I wanna see how you lose control

So leave it behind

'Cause we have a night to get away

So come on and fly with me

As we make our great escape."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the ride is about to start, please keep your hands and arms in at all times."

"Oh geez," Amber wheezed as she felt the ride begin to move. Her hands squeezed the bars tightly, her knuckles turning white. The ride slowly moved to the right, then to the left and spun the seats in a spinning top motion. Soon each swing was getting bigger and faster.

"So, baby, don't worry

You are my only,

You won't be lonely

Even if the sky is falling down,"

Amber closed her eyes when the motions became too much for her to handle and she focused on the lyrics of the song.

"You'll be my only

No need to worry,"

The ride made a sudden sweep to the left and Amber felt her stomach flutter. "Start singing!" her mind yelled at her. She opened her mouth and quietly sung the words. "Baby, are you-." The ride rapidly began to plummet down and swing to the right. Amber's heart leapt to her throat at the sudden drop and she screamed the lyrics at the top of her lungs. "DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN! DOWN, DOWN !"

The ride changed directions and swung to the left, higher than before; even though Amber's eyes were closed, she could tell that she was being turned upside down! Geez, how long was this ride? Her stomach felt like it was rising and falling along with the ride and there were a couple of times when she could swear her butt lifted off the seat.

"Baby, are you down, down, down, down, down?
Down, Down!
Even if the sky is falling down!"

The ride lasted for the entire length of the song. When it came to a stop and the seats were unlocked, Amber shakily got down and stood on unsteady legs. She swayed a bit as she walked to the ride operator and got her hat back. Joan and Gatsby were waiting for her at the exit.

Joan cocked her head to the side when she got a look at Amber's face. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'll let you know when the world stops spinning," Amber answered. She lifted her top hat above her head and with exaggerated grandeur, placed it on her head. "Let's keep moving." She took a step forward and the ground seemed to tip out from under her. "Whoa," she muttered and down she went.

Joan and Gatsby followed her fall with their eyes and looked at one another. "I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, the Fire Ball wasn't such a good idea," Gatsby said.

"Oh, go jump off the Eiffel Tower, Frenchie," Joan joked and pulled Gatsby's beret down over his eyes. Gatsby chuckled and adjusted his hat as the two headed over to help Amber off the ground.

….

"Are you sure you're okay?" Joan asked Amber a little later on. The trio was sitting on a park bench near the Big Top tent and enjoying some food and drinks.

Amber took a sip from the straw of her drink and nodded. "I'm fine now."

Gatsby glanced down at his wrist watch. "Well, well, well, it's almost time for the show to start. How about we head on into the tent?" As if to answer their question, a voice suddenly announced that the show would be starting in five minutes.

"I guess we should. We better hurry before the good seats are taken."

They got up from the bench and threw away their trash before they started walking towards the Big Top. As soon as they entered the tent, they headed for the front row and claimed their seats. "Alright; foot rests!" Amber joked and propped her feet up on top of the wall-like structure that separated the audience from the performance area.

"Amber," Joan scolded.

Amber took her feet off. "Just kidding."

Soon the tent was filled with people and the lights dimmed down until it was pitch black. Circus music began to play and a spotlight slowly began to illuminate a figure in the center of the ring. The figure was a middle aged man, whose outfit closely resembled Amber's costume except that his coat wasn't as long and it had tails. He stood with his head bowed and hands clasped in front of him.

Amber recognized the music that was playing through the loud speakers as 'Enter the Circus'. It seemed a bit of a creepy choice, but considering it was Halloween night, the choice was appropriate.

The Ringmaster's head suddenly jerked up and he spread his arms wide. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," his voice boomed out with the help of a head set microphone, "Step right up, step right up; come closer! You won't believe your eyes behind this curtain!"

The Ringmaster moved from his spot and went to one section of the audience. "Witness something you've never seen before, heard before, dreamt before; the most amazing show on Earth!"

An explosion of lights light up the tent and revealed the circus performers. Trapeze artists were swinging from one place to another, tight rope walkers walked precariously above the crowds' heads, dancers started their routines, fire breathers spewed flames, and other acts took up their music slowly began to change and blend into a slower melody.

The spotlights all moved to illuminate the upper region of the tent and revealed an aerial silk performer. Amber watched as she moved flawlessly through her routine and applauded when the act was over. Several minutes into the show, Amber noticed that a few performers, who wore masks during their act, were leaving for brief moments of time and then coming back with an entirely new attitude. She found it odd the way they stood around, as if waiting for something else besides their cue.

Her confusion was soon cleared up. All of the lights suddenly blinked out in the middle of an act and the music was cut off. The Ringmaster spoke into his microphone. "Uh, people we seem to be experiencing technical difficulties; please refrain from leaving your seats and remain seated."

As soon as he finished his announcement, the loud speakers let out a high-pitched screech and another voice was heard. "HA HAHAHA HA HA HA -cough, cough, cough … ugh… dumb flies…. Ahem… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Amber and Joan looked at one another with wide eyes. "No," Joan said, incredulously.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" the voice greeted on the speakers.

"Yes," Amber groaned and glared into the darkness.

"I bet you aaaaall thought that I was in Arkham; locked up tight and not able to get out and have fun? Weeeeell… I'm supposed to be in Arkham…" The lights all came on and there stood the Joker in the center ring, dressed in all his purple glory and holding a microphone. "But I'm nooooooot," he sing-songed happily. The Joker let out wild peals of laughter as people began to panic at the sight of him.

The performers that Amber thought had been acting so strangely brought weapons into sight. This only caused the audience to scream in terror. Amber face palmed herself. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening," she whispered.

"And now ladies and gentlemen…" The Joker paused when he saw a little boy and girl in the front row, gaping at him. "And miniature ladies and miniature gentlemen; the real show will start!"

"You crazy clown!" the Ringmaster shouted as he strode over to him.

The Joker leaned forward and grasped the man's head set microphone. He pulled it towards himself and spoke into the mic. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me."

Amber slumped in her seat and proceeded to bang the back of her head against the chair cushion. "Why," Bang! "Me?" Bang! "Why," Bang! "Me?"

"For our first act, ladies and gentlemen; we'll have the Ringmaster shot out of a canon!"

Amber sat up straight and gasped when the goons grabbed hold of the Ringmaster and began to drag him to the brightly colored cannon. "Somebody stop them!" she thought, but no one was brave enough or stupid enough to try.

The Joker stood next to the cannon, one arm lazily slung atop it and watched as the Ringmaster was stuffed inside. The man wriggled and writhed around but couldn't get his broad shoulders unstuck. Clearly the cannon had been designed to hold performers much smaller than him. The Joker giggled and knocked on the man's head to get his attention. "Sticks and stones may break your bones… but what about a flying shot out of a cannon?" The Joker pulled out a zippo lighter and held it to the fuse.

BOOM!

The Ringmaster shot out of the cannon, flew across the tent, and ripped past the tent cloth, out into the open. The crowd cringed when his screams of terror came to a sudden stop after his fatal fall.

The Joker twirled around to face the audience, grinning from ear to ear. "Now that we got rid of that stiff shirt, I'll be needing a new assistant! Who would love to have that honor? Hm?" Silence engulfed the entire audience. Amber could have sworn she heard crickets chirping. "Alrighty then; I'll just have to choose a new assistant myself." He turned on his heel and dashed towards the platform that held the spot light. He clambered up the platform steps and roughly pushed the spotlight operator out of the way. "Step aside!" The Joker swerved the light onto the audience and slowly ran it over them. "Who will the lucky person be?" he asked into the microphone.

People started ducking left and right to avoid the lime light; some even crawled out of their seats and got down on the floor. Joan, Gatsby, and Amber were just about to follow their example. Joan and Gatsby laid down on their bellies, horizontally. "Move over, I have no room to lie down!" Amber told Joan.

"I can't move!" Joan replied.

"What do you mean you can't move? Just scoot your gypsy butt back!"

"I can't! Gatsby's behind me and he can't move either!"

"Why can't he-?"

Amber's eyesight was suddenly blinded by a bright light and she instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes. "Well, lookie here! Not only is this volunteer dressed for the part, but she's also raising her hand! We have ourselves a new assistant!" the Joker said with a showman's air.

Amber's heart plummeted to her stomach. "Dear Lord, please tell me he's not talking about me," Amber prayed.

"Come on down, Miss Lady in Red!"

"Why do you hate me, Lord?"

Amber looked down at Joan and Gatsby. Their faces were apologetic to her. She carefully stepped over their bodies and out into the aisle, the spotlight following her movement. The Joker grabbed the spotlight operator and shoved him back into his chair. "Don't get lazy on the job; got it?" The man quickly nodded. The Joker slapped him on the back. "Atta boy."

The Joker slid down the ladder and landed on the ground. He spun around to face Amber as she walked into the ring. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's give her a big round of applause!" Of course, the only hands clapping were the Joker's and the goons. The Joker jerked Amber over to him and put an arm around her shoulder. "So, Miss Lady in Red, how are you liking the show so far?"

Amber turned her gaze on the Joker. "Well, it didn't suck until the clowns came in," she dead panned. Of course the Joker laughed like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard, but Amber did see that he had clenched his teeth at her remark.

"How marvelous, an assistant with a sense of humor; ha ha ha!" The Joker pulled Amber in like he was giving her a big side hug and used the hand grasping her shoulder to reach up and give Amber a painful flick on the ear.

"Ouch!" Amber said involuntarily.

The Joker brought the microphone up to his mouth. "Tell everyone here your name, sweetheart." He shoved the mic into Amber's face, nearly hitting her nose.

"Amber Johnson."

"Would the audience like to see Miss Amber assist me with a magic trick?"

Cricket. Cricket. Cricket….

The Joker pulled a gun out from his back waist band and the goons aimed their weapons threateningly at the audience. "Let me hear you people!"

[Insert the loud and obnoxious cheering of people who are being threatened if they don't obey.]

"That's more like it!" The Joker replaced the gun behind his back. "Does anyone have a pencil?"

While the Joker's attention was engaged, Joan and Gatsby crawled on the floor, up the steps, and towards a small open flap in the wall of the tent. Those that saw them were quieted by a simple finger over the lips gesture. When they successfully slipped out of the tent, Joan and Gatsby hurried over to a hot dog cart and hid behind it. The entire fair grounds were empty due to everyone being inside the tent to see the show.

"Do you think any of the goons saw us?" Joan asked, breathlessly.

"No, no, no; I don't think so. Oh, what do we do? What do we do?"

Joan's attention was caught by a few spotlights set up near the center of the grounds. "Gatsby, I know you're an art teacher and all buuuut…"

"But what?"

"How good are you at shadow puppets?"

…...

"No one in this entire crowd has a number two pencil? Are you joking me?"

If it wasn't for the fact that Amber was standing so close to the Joker, she would have laughed at his comment.

"Fine! I'll move on to something else." The Joker pulled out a pair of hand cuffs and slapped them onto Amber's left wrist and then slapped the other end onto his right wrist. The cuffs closed with a schink.

Amber's green eyes widened and she lifted her hand up, jiggling her hand a bit. She looked at the Joker. "What the heck, man!"

"Oh, keep your shirt on; it's for my next act."

"Would that next act be 'Ways to Get a Girl Really Mad and Kill You'?"

…

Outside the tent, Joan and Gatsby had lifted one of the large spotlights onto a platform and were now lowering it down. "Okay, just ease it down, Gatsby; gently," Joan instructed.

"Yeah; gently, gently. I got it, I got it, I-Ouch! Mother Theresa!"

"Sh! What happened?"

"You've got it on top of my left foot!"

"Sh!"

"You try 'shushing' yourself up when you've got a large thing of metal crushing all your toes! Why did we even have to move it from where it was in the first place?"

"SHUSH, Gatsby! If we had turned on the light where it was then it would have cast a glow or a shadow on the inside of the tent and attracted some unwanted attention. Now, lift with me. One, two, three; shift your foot."

The spotlight was removed from off of Gatsby's foot and lowered back onto the platform floor. Gatsby hobbled over to the edge and sat down, massaging the injured foot. "Oooooh; my poor, poor foot."

…

"Joker! Take these off of me right now!" Amber ordered the Clown Prince of Crime.

The Joker tugged on the handcuffs and Amber was moved closer to him. He looked her directly in the eyes and gave a dark smile. "I do believe we're not in Arkham anymore…I don't have to listen to you."

"Why are you here?"

….

Meanwhile; Joan had switched on the spotlight and aimed it's beam high into the cloudy sky. Gatsby was manipulating his hands into all kinds of shapes, trying to find the right form.

"How about this one?" Gatsby asked Joan.

Joan cocked her head a little to the right. "Uuuh… it looks more like a bird."

"Alright, alright. How about this one?"

"Uh… butterfly."

"This one?"

"… Chicken head."

"This?"

"… What is that?"

"Never mind. How about this one?"

"More like a moth."

"Oh, for goodness sakes! How am I supposed to make a shadow look like a perfect imitation of a bat! I want to call Batman; not Mothman!" Gatsby noticed a black piece of paper was stuck to the bottom of his shoe. "Ugh! Get off, get off!" He started kicking his foot around, trying to make it unstick.

"What is it?"

Gatsby continued his little cancan dance. "It's some piece of Halloween decoration. It must have some gum on it."

"Halloween decoration?"

"Yeah, it's a bat-shaped cut out. Jeez, get off of me already! Off, off, off!"

"Gatsby."

"It's stuck really bad."

"Gatsby."

"I might as well try ignoring it and keep trying to make a bat shape with my hands."

"Gatsby!"

"What?"

"Bat-shaped cut out."

"Yeah; so?"

"Gatsby… bat-shaped…"

Gatsby stood silently, blinking at her for a moment, then the information began to sink in. "Oooooooh."

….

"You know, I kinda feel like sawing someone in half; what do ya say, audience? Who wants to see me saw someone in half?"

"Joker, why did you come here?"

"I don't feel like answering any questions, nurse." The Joker turned his back to Amber and faced the audience. "How about we have a little fun; hm?"

"Sounds like a good idea," said a gravelly voice from behind the Joker.

The Joker's bow wrinkled at the sound of the voice. "Geez, Nurse Amber, you should gargle some salt water for that sore throat. You know, you kinda sound like-," the Joker turned around to look at Amber and found Batman glaring at him. "Oh…"

"Hi," Batman rasped and rammed his fist in the clown's face. What escaped Batman's notice was that Amber and the Joker were handcuffed; so when the Joker went flying backwards from the impact of Batman's fist, Amber went flying with him.

"Agh!" Amber screamed as she was yanked off her feet and landed horizontally on top of the Joker's back. The end of her red coat flew up and covered her head. Amber lifted her free hand and pushed back the fabric from her eyes. "This is just peachy," she thought.

The Joker groaned loudly from underneath her. "Geeeeeeez; how … much … do you weigh?" He promptly received a jab in the back from Amber's elbow. "Ack! Watch where you stick that knife!"

Amber's anger rose at the insult. "How the heck did Harley ever fall for you?"

The Joker rolled over underneath Amber to be face up, which shifted her position to where she was lying across his stomach. "My good looks and charming personality were too much for her," the Joker answered, smiling cheesily. Amber rolled her eyes and scoffed. The two of them sat up and saw that the Joker's goons were keeping Batman busy by fighting him. Since the goons were too occupied with distracting the Batman, the audience was taking the chance to escape.

"Aaaaaaw; there goes my audience," the Joker whined.

Amber shook her hand under the Joker's nose to get his attention. The handcuffs made a loud clinking noise. "Joker, unlock these handcuffs, now!"

The Joker stared at Amber with his lips slightly formed like an 'O', and his eyebrows lifted in confusion. "You think I have the key?" he asked.

Amber's arm fell slack onto the dirt. "You don't have the key?" she shouted angrily. The Joker flashed another cheesy grin.

"Joker!" Both heads turned to see the Dark Knight running towards them.

"Aaand that's our cue to start running, sweetheart," the Joker said. He jumped to his feet and took off in the opposite direction. Amber was jerked onto her back and drug on the ground a few inches before the Joker whirled around and grabbed Amber's arm. "Come on," he urged and began running again.

Amber was nearly thrown off balance but regained her footing in time to avoid eating dirt. She dug he booted heels into the soil and pulled on the handcuffs as hard as possible. The Joker's run was brought up short and he came back like a purple yo-yo.

"What are you doing?" he asked with annoyance.

"I'm not running from Batman; are you crazy?"

The Joker gave her a look that clearly asked, "Have you forgotten who I am?"

Amber rolled her eyes. "Forget I asked," she muttered.

"Please run?"

"No." Amber folded her arms over her chest and glared.

"You leave me no choice," the Joker sighed. He quickly picked up Amber and slung her over his shoulder. The Joker glanced back at Batman and started running for the tent exit.

"Joker, put me down!"

"Not a chance!"

Whoosh!

The Joker felt something wrap around his legs and pull them out from under him. He hit the dirt and dropped Amber on the way down. The Joker looked at what had caused his immediate stop and saw a rope with a metal bat twisted around his ankles. "Where does he get all these toys?" the Joker wondered aloud. A tug at his arm warned him that Amber was picking herself off the ground and standing.

Amber took one quick step away from the Joker and felt the resistance pull her back. The Joker was still lying on his belly, right hand cupped under his chin, and looking up at Amber with mock curiosity. "Having issues, buttercup?" he asked.

"UGH!" Amber cried in frustration and kicked the dirt with her boot. "Get up and turn yourself in to the Batman so I don't have to suffer being in the middle of a fight between you two!"

The Joker was silent for a moment and then burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "Turn myself in to Batsy? That's a good one!"

What the Joker didn't realize was that while he was rolling on the ground, laughing, the Batman was getting closer and closer… and he did not look happy. At the sight of Batman's expression, Amber's thoughts began to flash through her mind at top speed.

That's not a happy face! Does Batman have a happy face? No, he has mean face and angry face; and then there's really angry face! That's his really angry face! I'm gonna get hurt and all because of that stupid, purple, clown, pimp!

Amber tugged at the small chain that kept the handcuffs together. Break, dang it! Where's a can full of spinach when you need one?

The Joker's laughter had subsided and he opened his eyes in time to see Batman standing over him. "Oh nuts…"

Batman grabbed a fist full of the Joker's shirt and yanked him off the ground. He lifted him up to be eye level. "I'm taking you back to Arkham!" he growled.

"Spare the innocent bystander!" Amber yelled in a panic as Batman raised his fist.

Batman paused and stared at the young woman that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere from behind the Joker. "Ma'am, please leave; you could get hurt standing this close."

"I can't do that, Mr. Dark Knight."

"…Why?"

"Because I can't find the strength to break free from the Joker," Amber explained sarcastically. The Joker whooped at her joke and went limp in Batman's grasp. Batman gazed at the handcuffs and Amber could almost see the light bulb go off over his cowled head.

"Oh," Batman replied.

…...

A few hours later, a bruised, dusty, and very much drained, Amber stood in front of her apartment complex. She climbed the stairs to her floor and dug out the keys to her door. The moment she entered the living room, Amber collapsed onto the sofa, sending a small dust cloud billowing up into the air. When she went back to work tomorrow, Amber promised that 'it was on' between her and the Joker.

"It is so freakin' on from this moment on!"

…

The Joker was thrown into his cell, slightly disoriented from being tazored. "Have a fun night, Joker?" the Riddler asked haughtily.

"Why yes I did, Quiz Boy. Lots of fun. Why? You jealous I was able to get out?"

The Riddler was silent.

"How come you didn't take me with you, Puddin'?" Harley whined.

"I, uh, I had some business I needed to attend to. That's not fun for you."

"But I thought you said you had lots of fun?" Katherine asked slyly.

The Joker glared at her from across the hall. "I only said that to make Nigma jealous!"

"Sure ya did, clown boy, sure ya did."

The Joker sent Katherine a death ray with his hand and hopped into his bed. He got under the covers and put his hands behind his head, ready for the Sandman to visit…but not until he did something first….

"I go loo-oo-ooony
As a light bulb battered bug,
Simply loo-oo-ooony,
Sometimes foam and chew the rug-!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

(I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I wish I could have done more but I ran out of ideas and received only one suggestion { thank you Evangeline Evergreen} please leave me some reviews! I love to hear from my readers!)