Chapter 21

Arkham Asylum; September 23rd, 04:35 EST

"Where is Joker, Harley?" Dick demanded to know as he stood across the room from their prisoner.

"Ya really think I'm gonna tell ya, Wing?" she asked with an uninterested expression on her face.

Harley sat at a table in an orange jumpsuit, her elbow on top of the table and her fist propping her head up. It was taking everything she had to stay awake, the full effects of the alcohol finally taking hold of her. She drew nonsensical patterns on top of the table with her forefinger, refusing to make eye contact with her interrogator.

"Come on, Harley, I need answers and I need them now," Nightwing stated, a sharp edge to his voice as he closed the distance between them. "This has gone on long enough. I need to stop Joker before more people lose their lives."

He planted his fists on top of the table, glaring down at her in hopes of intimidating her into answering him and giving him the information that he needed to stop her psychotic boyfriend. So far, she had been infuriatingly stubborn at worst and disagreeable at best. It didn't help that she was still intoxicated and could hardly keep her eyes open. Unfortunately, they didn't have the time to wait for her to sober up.

"What makes ya think I even care what Joker's doing?" she said with a frown as she finally looked up at him.

Nightwing straightened up, her question taking him by surprise. "You two had a falling out," he stated, realization washing over him as his lips curled into a pleased smile. "What happened? Not paying any attention to you?"

Harley sat up in her chair, slamming her fist on the table. "He loves me!" she yelled with a snarl. "He just has too much going on that's all!"

Nightwing moved to sit on the edge of the table, staring down at her. "What happened, Harley?"

She focused on the table, her eyebrows knitting together. "He's just under a lot of stress right now," she tried to tell him, her voice beginning to lose the conviction that it had once held.

"Sounds like you're just trying to defend him again," he replied. "He doesn't love you, Harley…at least not in a healthy way or the way that you deserve."

"He does too love me!" she cried, tears flooding her eyes as her bottom lip began to quiver. "He's going to marry me someday and we'll be together forever!"

Nightwing shook his head, actually feeling sorry for her. She didn't stand a chance being under Joker's control, dangling his version of love in front of her in order to keep her right where he wanted her for his own sick purposes. They had to find a way to get through to her…to keep him away from her forever so she had a chance at a real life.

"Harley, listen to me," he said, his tone gentle as he sat down in the chair directly across from her. "Joker is just using you. That's all he's ever done to you—he beats you and uses you. He strings you along in order to get what he wants, but all he really cares about is himself."

"That's not true," she softly said as tears streamed down her cheeks. "He needs me…he…"

Nightwing reached across the table, taking her hand in his. "The only one he truly cares about is himself and his sadistic schemes."

Harley's expression turned furious, her posture rigid. "It's always about Batman," she venously spat out as she stared at his hand holding hers. "It's Batman this and Batman that. We don't even know if Bats is still alive or not, but still he's obsessed with breaking Bats. Batman isn't going to be able to handle Batwoman being taken from him."

"Joker is after Batwoman?" he asked her.

She nodded her head, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. "He knows if he can get Batwoman then he's be able to push Bats over the edge forever."

"How is he planning on doing that?"

"His new brain drug," she told him. "He wants to get control of Batwoman and all the big wigs in Gotham to do his bidding."

It was as he had suspected except for the Batwoman angle. That took him by surprise. Little did Joker know that Batwoman was actually Wonder Woman. He didn't know if Joker's new drug would actually work on her, but they couldn't be too careful. He'd hate to find out that he was wrong. He may have been able to make his drug potent enough for Metas.

"Where is he, Harley?" he asked her. "We have to find him before he can hurt anymore people. We'll bring him to Arkham where you two can be together if that's what you want."

Harley pulled her hand free, her lips twisting into a sneer as she crossed her arms against her chest. "I don't want him near me."

"That's a good thing because we're going to have to put you in protective custody," he informed her.

"Why?" she questioned him. "Joker don't even care I left. He probably doesn't even know it yet."

"The Penguin is after you," he revealed. "That's what tonight was all about. Penguin wants to get revenge on Joker for what he did to Bossworth by hurting you."

Harley rolled her eyes as she huffed in anger. "I can take care of myself," she snapped.

"Obviously not," Nightwing countered. "You almost got kidnapped tonight. Now, tell me where Joker is so I can stop him."

Harley sneered at him, averting her eyes. "He's in the industrial park," she softly said.

"Where in the industrial park?"

"The old lumber mill," she revealed.

"When is he planning on going after Batwoman?"

She shrugged her shoulder with an air of uninterest, clearly indifferent to the conversation any longer. "Don't know…don't care. I'm done with him. He doesn't appreciate me. I'm my own woman now and I'm moving on without him."

Nightwing was somewhat taken aback by her sudden change of mind, but then again that was Harley. Her emotions could flip on a dime, but her loyalty to Joker had always been unwavering. He must have pushed her too far this time for her to give him up like this. He just hoped and prayed this wasn't some sort of a trap.

"Thanks, Harley," he told her as he stood to his feet. "We'll make sure that Penguin can't get to you in here."

"Whatever," she said. "I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone anymore."

"Still, I'm not going to let anything happen to you in here," he promised her, turning to head towards the door.

Dick glanced over his shoulder at her sitting there all alone at the table, her eyes filled with so much sadness. She looked so lost. Despite all of the pain, destruction, and devastation she had caused, he couldn't help but hope that maybe this was the time that she would finally break free from Joker and have a somewhat normal life…or as normal as life could ever truly be for Harley.

Gotham; September 23rd, 05:08 EST

Jason slipped inside of his apartment as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake Artemis and yet more than a little impatient to see her. Having her gone for two weeks had been more difficult than he'd anticipated. He'd missed her more than he cared to admit to anyone let alone himself.

Artemis had come to mean more to him than anyone in his life before her. The realization had startled him and, if he was honest with himself, scared him at the same time. He had never been in this situation before, unsure of how to respond or act, but he did know that he didn't want to let her go.

It had been hard to focus on patrol knowing that she was laying in his bed waiting for his return. Getting into the shower, he thought about the need to share his worry with her, but it wasn't exactly something that he excelled at. Exposing and opening himself up to others and sharing what he was feeling wasn't his expertise.

He supposed it was something that he had picked up from Bruce. He found it far easier to just ignore his feelings and focus on bettering Gotham then to delve into all the bitterness and rage from the past. He'd finally been able to reconcile a measure of it since returning to the Wayne family like the prodigal son.

Instead of being treated like the black sheep of the family, they had welcomed him with open arms, especially Diana. The next easiest had been Nicholas and Kaia. Their love and acceptance were unconditional, their innocence and excitement about everything irresistible to even the hardest of hearts.

Dick and Tim had been wary, but none more so than Bruce. Then again, Bruce had every right to be after everything that had gone down between them. While he still didn't wholly agree with Bruce's way of doing things in Gotham, he was learning to accept it and deal with it.

To him, having a real family…being accepted and a part of something bigger than himself meant far more to him than doing things his way. It was something that he'd secretly always wanted while growing up—a large family with lots of brothers and sisters, family dinners, a mom and dad.

Bruce hadn't been able to give him anything like that before Joker's attack that had taken his life. He knew that Bruce had tried his best to be the father figure that he'd needed, but he wasn't capable of providing that with as broken as he had been. It wasn't until Diana that he'd been able to actually be that man and father.

Bruce had been willing to give him a second chance and because of that he now had the family that he'd longed for. Because he'd been willing to meet Bruce halfway, he now had Artemis in his life. Now that she was back, he was going to hang on to her with all that he had.

Turning off the shower, Jason quickly dried off, tossing the towel into the laundry basket before making his way to his bedroom. He spotted Artemis sleeping soundly in the middle of his bed. He chuckled softly, never realizing she could be such a bed hog.

He silently made his way to her, devious thoughts forming in his mind of how he was going to wake her up. With a wicked grin on his lips, he carefully leaned over her only to be grabbed and thrown on the bed. Stunned, he found himself laying on his back with Artemis pinning him to the mattress.

"What the—?"

Artemis silenced him with a toe-curling kiss, one that he readily returned as his hands slid up her bare back to grip her long, red hair. Finally retreating, the Bana-Mighdall Amazon sat back on his abdomen. "Took you long enough to return home," she said with a smirk.

"I thought you were asleep," he replied with a narrowed gaze as his hands came to settle on her hips. He couldn't help appreciating her perfect form as she hovered over him, making it more than difficult to think straight. Two weeks had been pure torture.

"I need to teach you to assess your environment before you make your move," she taunted him.

"I know how to assess my environment, but it doesn't help when there's a gorgeous red-head lying naked in my bed waiting for me," he countered.

Her smirk broadened as she lightly ran her fingers over the muscular contours of his chest. "Gorgeous, huh?"

"Oh, very much so," he quickly confirmed with great enthusiasm, his eyes fluttering closed against his will as her hands began to roam lower across his abdomen.

"So, did you miss me while I was gone?"

"Maybe…a little I guess," he teased her, his lips quirking in amusement.

"Maybe? A little you guess?" she heatedly stated, folding her arms against her ample bosom as she glared down at him.

"Did you miss me?" he tentatively asked.

Artemis looked to the side, refusing to meet his inquiring gaze as she fumed. "No, not all," she told him, her chin lifted in defiance.

Jason swiftly sat up, nearly knocking her off his lap as his mouth collided with hers. He kissed her breathless, more than relieved to have her back in his arms and in his bed again. It had been far too long since he'd last seen her and was more than determined to make up for lost time.

"Yes, I missed you," he breathlessly murmured as he kissed along her jaw to her ear, his arms wrapped around her body and keeping her pressed against him. "I couldn't stop thinking about you…wondering where you were and what you were doing…wondering if you missed me too."

Her eyes fell closed as she tilted her head to the side, giving him more access to her. Her hands found his hair, gripping it as he thoroughly kissed and nipped along her throat and collarbone. She gasped as he paused to suck on her pulse point, her hands tightening their grip on his hair.

He abruptly flipped her onto her back, desperate to make love to her. They'd had precious little time together last night after she'd returned before he had to go out on patrol. Now, he was going to make sure that she knew just how much he had missed her.

Artemis gazed up into his handsome face, her hand coming to rest against his cheek. "I guess I sort of missed you too," she teased him as she wrapped her long legs around his waist.

"You definitely missed me," he murmured with a grin, brushing his lips against hers. "You couldn't wait to come home to see me."

Artemis rolled her eyes, a chuckle escaping as she ran her hands over his back. "I don't think I'd go that far. I mean—"

He effectively silenced her with his lips, deciding to show her just how much he'd missed her.

Wayne Manor; September 23rd, 07:22 EST

Diana exited the guest bedroom feeling better than she had the day before. It felt great being home again despite the fact that she hadn't been able to sleep in her own bed with her husband. She was confident that would come in time. She just had to be patient. Hera knew that she'd had to be patient with him long before he'd let her into his life, and she could do it again now. She'd wait forever for him if she had to.

She stopped by Nicholas and Kaia's rooms, knowing that they'd still be asleep at this hour. It had been an eventful and exciting evening for them with their parents' return, staying up a couple of hours past their usual bedtime so they could spend some time with them.

Today, she was hoping to catch up with the older kids and especially Damian. She worried about how he was handling everything with his mother missing and his father returning with no memories. They also needed to tell him what had occurred with his grandfather.

Her anger simmered in her veins as she thought about Ra's escaping Themyscira without a trace. She was anxious to begin the search for him, but she knew that would have to wait for now. They had far more pressing issues that needed to be dealt with.

Diana stopped outside of her own bedroom door, wondering if she should check on Bruce. She bit at her bottom lip as she contemplated her actions. Her desire to see him and know that he was safe almost won out over logic which told her that he needed his sleep.

It had been a daunting several weeks for him and he needed some time to recover. Without his memories, he'd hopefully rest like he should instead of pushing himself to go into Gotham or study every file in the computer down in his Batcave. Of course, it was still Bruce deep down regardless of what he could or couldn't remember.

Deciding to let him sleep, Diana headed for the stairs, heading downstairs to the kitchen. She was eager to spend some time with Alfred and to catch up on all that had happened while they had been away. She swore Nicholas and Kaia had grown so much while she'd been gone, but then again it had only been a couple of weeks.

Hearing a strange noise, she stopped in the hallway, wondering who could be in the library. She knew all the boys were still asleep after their night of patrolling. Alfred was definitely making breakfast if the delicious smell wafting from the kitchen was any indication.

Diana silently made her way towards the library peeking inside to find Bruce standing before the grandfather clock with his hands on his hips. He was dressed in workout shorts and a tee-shirt and, despite having his back to her, she could tell he had a frustrated expression on his face.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, curiosity winning out as she entered the room.

Bruce turned around to find Diana walking towards him…his wife. That was still something that he was trying to grow accustomed to, but he found it becoming easier. She was absolutely beautiful in every way imaginable, from her spirit to her outward appearance. He was definitely finding himself attracted to her. That was something that hadn't been forgotten.

"I was trying to figure out how to get down into that cave," he confessed with a huff of annoyance. "I know we came through here yesterday, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to get back down there. I tried moving it, but it won't budge."

Diana couldn't contain the smirk that formed on her face as she came to stand beside him. He was most definitely still Bruce in every way. "Why do you want to go back down there?"

Bruce noticed the amusement dancing in her eyes and the smile on her face. He found it enchanting to say the least. "I need to find out all I can about being Batman," he replied, determination in his voice. "I'm sure there's a lot that I must've missed, and I want to get caught up as quickly as possible."

"Here," she said as she moved to stand between him and the clock. "You just need to set the hands of the clock to ten forty-eight."

A frown formed on his face as he watched her move the hands of the clock to the appropriate time, his irritation growing when the clock easily slid aside to reveal the secret entrance to the cave. He should've been able to figure it out on his own. He should've remembered how to get down into his own cave in his own home. He felt useless and vulnerable. He found he hated it with a passion.

"Why does the clock have to be set to that time?" he asked her as she began to lead him down into the dimly lit cave.

"I'm afraid that it was the exact time that your parents were murdered," Diana softly said, stopping at the bottom of the steps to turn to face him. She reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it affectionately. "I'm so sorry, Bruce. I know this has to be very painful for you to learn, but it's the reason that you became Batman. You poured all of your rage and pain into trying to keep anyone else from having to go through what you suffered and to save your city."

Bruce shook his head, his lips thinning into a grim line. "It's okay, Diana," he attempted to reassure her, trying to hide the pain that suddenly swelled up inside of him like a thunderhead and stole the breath from his lungs. Unfortunately, he could never hide his pain from her. "I have to know if I'm going to get my life back. How were they murdered?"

Diana slowly released a breath as she searched for the right way to tell him, but was there a right way to tell the man that you love how he had witnessed his parents' murder? "You were eight years old," she began. "Your parents had just taken you to a movie when a man with a gun met you in a dark alley. He shot your parents before your eyes."

"Zorro," Bruce murmured, causing Diana to look up sharply.

"What did you say?" she questioned him.

"They took me to see a movie about Zorro," he repeated, lost in a memory that was struggling to fully form in his mind's eye, but refused to. It was like a hazy film laid over his memories, keeping him from fully seeing them or remembering the events.

"Yes…that's right," Diana confirmed, tears beginning to brim in her eyes. "You remember."

"No, not everything…just the fact that I saw some movie about Zorro," he said, pausing to release a ragged breath. He attempted to swallow back the painful knot that had constricted his throat, but it refused to budge. It felt as though a black cavern had abruptly opened up in his chest.

Without a second thought, Diana threw her arms around him, pulling him into a fierce embrace. He readily returned her hug, loving the feel of her in his arms. It felt so natural…so real like coming home. He found that he never wanted to let go of her.

"Hopefully, you'll be able to recover more memories soon, but I'm afraid many of them are going to be very painful for you to relive," she replied. "I'll be here with you through it all, Bruce. You won't have to go through it alone."

"Thank you," he whispered as he buried his face in her hair.

The jasmine and vanilla scent of her hair filled up his senses, overwhelming him with a peace that he sorely needed in that moment. She grounded him, gave him a touchstone to find his way back to in the middle of the fogginess that consumed his brain. For some reason, holding her like this felt as natural to him as breathing.

They held each other for several long moments before Diana finally released her hold on him, wanting him to come to her when he was fully ready and not before. She would not push him into anything that he wasn't ready for, fearing that he might end up pushing her and their family away in the end.

"What exactly did you want to see down here?" she asked him.

"What's the best place to get caught up on what's been going on while I've been away?"

"Follow me," she said, leading him up the stairs of the platform. "This is where you keep all your files and information about Gotham or any other criminal activity going on in the world."

"I built all this?" he questioned her as he looked around at the expansive system.

"You did, but Tim and Barbara have added to it over time," she revealed, taking a seat next to his larger command chair.

"And who is Barbara?"

"She was Batgirl," she explained. "She is Commissioner Gordon's daughter. She was Batgirl for many years until Joker shot her, paralyzing her and putting her in a wheelchair. She's Oracle now. She organizes everything we do, researches and tracks down criminal activity through technology."

Bruce simply nodded his head, trying to absorb it all as he stood behind the large chair. He lightly ran his fingers over the black leather, something trying desperately to break through to the surface…like being plunged far beneath the ocean and wrestling to break the surface for much needed air.

There was a sudden flash of a memory that assaulted him out of nowhere. He was sitting in this chair in his uniform with his cowl off. Diana was seated firmly in his lap. They were talking about something…and laughing. She had made him laugh about a mission that hadn't gone well for her. He had told her about his day, her head coming to rest against his shoulder. He had stroked her hair as she ran her hand over his chest, lifting her head to kiss him with passion so fierce.

Diana watched him, knowing he was lost in some sort of memory. "What do you remember?" she pressed.

"Sitting in this chair…with you," he replied as his fingers ran along the arm of the chair before taking a seat in it.

Diana dipped her head, her cheeks growing warm. She wondered which memory had resurfaced, hoping it wasn't one of the numerous times they'd made love or any of the other countless things they'd done in that chair. While she wanted him to remember that aspect of his life, she couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable about it for some reason she couldn't explain.

Bruce looked over at her, noticing the pink flush that suffused her face. He gave her a mischievous smirk. "Something I should know about this particular chair…princess?"

Diana's head shot up, her eyes widening. "Princess?"

"Yah, princess," he replied, studying her as he tried to gage her reaction.

"Why did you call me that?"

"I don't know," he confessed as he thought about it. "It just seemed right. I'm sorry if I offended you. I won't call you—"

"No, it's okay," she interjected, stopping him from continuing. "You always called me princess. In fact, you started to call me that not long after we met. At first, it drove me crazy, but then I realized it was used as a term of endearment, not some sort of insult."

"Good," he said. "Now, how do we start up this computer?"

"I was thinking maybe we should wait until the boys can give us an update," she ventured. "It'll be less time consuming then reading through two weeks of files."

"I suppose you're right," he decided with a frown.

"How about we go upstairs and have breakfast first?" she suggested. "The boys will be up in a few more hours and then we can get a full run down of everything that's happened while we were gone."

"How soon are we going to the Watchtower?"

"We can go this afternoon after we've had a chance to talk to the boys."

Following her to the stairs, Bruce had a difficult time keeping his attention on the options and not her posterior. "Honestly, I think going to the Watchtower can wait," he decided. "I think that Nicholas and Kaia should come first. We need to spend some time with them. They're more important than regaining all my memories right away. Besides, I think it's important to also spend some time with Damian. I don't want him to get lost in the middle of everything that's going on."

"I think that's a great idea," she agreed, loving how he put his children first just like he always had before all this had happened. It gave her a glimmer of hope. "It seems like your memories might be coming back on their own. You might not even need J'onn's help after all."

"I'm sure I have duties on the Watchtower that have been neglected while I've been gone," he replied. "I should make an appearance up there sometime this week."

"There are plenty of other League members to help cover our duties," she pointed out as they reentered the manor, Dick coming around the corner with a crying Nicholas in his arms.

"What's wrong?" Diana asked.

"He woke up and couldn't find you or Bruce," he revealed.

"I'm right here, Nicholas," Bruce reassured him, taking his young son into his arms and holding him securely against his chest. Nicholas buried his face in the crook of Bruce's neck, tears wetting his skin. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere."

Nicholas wrapped his arms tightly around his father's neck, clinging to him with all his strength. "I…I thought…you left again," he cried.

Diana brushed away a tear as she watched her son with his father, wanting nothing more than to take away his fear and heartache. She rubbed her son's back, leaning in and kissing the back of his head. "We're not going anywhere, Nicholas," she told him. "We're staying here at home with you."

Diana glanced at Dick who was clearly affected by the scene playing out before him and yet there was an unmistakable fear in his eyes that piqued her curiosity. "What is it, Dick?" she pressed. "Did you uncover something on patrol last night?"

"We know where the Joker is hiding out," he revealed. "We got Harley and she ended up spilling everything. We now know who he's targeting."

"Who is he after?" Bruce asked.

Dick's gaze fell on his surrogate mother, not wanting to say too much more in front of his little brother. He was already upset as it was without finding out his mother was targeted by Joker. "He's after her," he said, nodding at Diana.

Gotham; September 23rd, 10:13 EST

Joker stood with one arm across his chest, his other elbow resting on top of it and his chin propped up by his fist. He stared at his latest test subject, contemplating how soon he could unleash his newest weapon on Gotham. He was more than ready to put his plans into motion.

Firefly looked exactly the same as he always had, but now there was a vacant look in his eye, one that hadn't been there before he'd been taken by his men. He was almost like a blank slate awaiting programming. It was exactly what the Joker had been looking for.

All he needed was to get his hands on the top officials in Gotham, inject them with the mind controlling drug and then they would be his to control. Batman wouldn't know what had hit him…wouldn't be able to figure out what had happened until it was too late. By then, he'd also have Batwoman under his thumb, finally breaking Batman once and for all.

"You're sure he's ready?" Joker asked his head scientist.

"He's completed every task that we've ordered him to do with skillful precision," Doctor Grissom told him.

"Perfect…absolutely perfect!" Joker squealed with glee as he clasped his hands together. "Tonight, I'm going to send him out on a special mission to test him. If he passes, we can go after Batwoman next."

"Boss! Boss!" one of Joker's thugs yelled as he ran into the room.

"What is it?" Joker demanded to know with a fearsome scowl. "Can't you see we're in the middle of something highly important here?"

"Harley's been nabbed," he told him somewhat breathlessly. "She's back in Arkham."

"When did she leave?" he cried. "I didn't even know she was gone!"

"Yesterday," he said.

Joker began to yell obscenities, grabbing anything he could get his hands on and throwing it across the room. "It's her own fault for getting caught," he shouted. "She never should've left. Why did she leave?"

"Don't know, but I found out that Penguin tried to take her when Bats' boys broke it up," he continued. "He's out for revenge on you for Bossworth."

Joker waved a dismissive hand as he began to stalk around the room, his mind racing with how he was going to get her back. "That wasn't personal," he complained. "I couldn't care less about Penguin. I just needed a test subject and Bossworth fit the bill."

"What do you wanna do about Harley?" he asked.

"Well, we have to get her back," Joker spat out as if the answer had been more than obvious.

"You want me to take the boys and go bust her out tonight?"

Joker paused in his step, rubbing his chin as he thought about his options. His gaze fell on Firefly standing to the side, staring blankly back at him as if awaiting any further orders. Joker's lips spread into a wicked smile that seemed to stretch from ear to ear.

"I think that would be the perfect test for our newest ally," the clown informed them. "Let's have Firefly get Harley out of Arkham tonight."

A/N: Things are heating up all around for everyone!

UP NEXT: The Batclan goes after Joker. How will Batman handle being out in the field? :)