Chapter 33

Batcave; October 1st, 23:09 EST

Alfred gently dabbed at the deep gash on the side of Damian's head with a piece of gauze, more than thankful the injury wasn't any worse than what it had been. He attempted to display a façade of calm and confidence for the young Wayne's benefit. However, his brow was furrowed with worry, his heart heavy with fear. He knew that the family that he loved was walking into a deadly situation, one that might claim more than one member tonight.

He internally shuddered just thinking about it. His current patient, however, was oblivious to the elder man's current state of distress. He was too consumed with his own anger about being left behind while the rest of the team was out there fighting Joker without him.

"I can't believe they left me behind again," Damian groused with a scowl fixed on his face, his arms crossed tightly against his chest. "This is what we've been working towards for weeks and I don't get to be there."

"Did you honestly believe that your father would allow you to go into Gotham to help capture the Joker with a head injury, not to mention the fact that you're still recovering from being shot?" Alfred replied with a frown as he worked to numb the area around the wound so he could stitch it back together.

"I said I was fine, but no one obviously believes me," he snapped. "Besides, how many times has my father gone out on patrol with injuries?"

"Your father is an adult," Alfred reminded him. "Unfortunately, he's also far too stubborn to make the right decision at times. He puts his life in greater danger by going out before he's fully healed. I'm afraid he's come very close to dying out on the streets of Gotham because of his choices."

"Why does he continue to do it then?" Damian asked, suddenly curious despite his anger.

"He is always afraid that a life will be lost if he doesn't force himself to go out there despite his own injuries," he revealed. "He's more concerned about the life of another than his own."

"What's wrong with that?" Damian demanded to know with a frown. "It sounds pretty honorable to me."

"It is, but at the same time it can be fool-hearty," Alfred explained. "He could very well get himself hurt even worse. He could be captured or killed, bleed to death from his previous injuries. What would become of Gotham then if Batman died?"

"Yah, but it's a risk he takes every night…we all do," Damian argued. "He could get killed tonight when he faces the Joker. That's why I should be there to help him so that he can come home."

"Yes, he could die tonight, but it's the motivation behind his desire to be out there every night regardless of his own health," Alfred continued as he began to stitch up the wound. "Master Bruce does it because of his unwavering belief in preserving life and a commitment he made to his parents after their death. Is the real reason you want to be there because you want to help your father, or do you only seek revenge on the Joker for shooting you?"

"He needs to pay for what he did," Damian bit out. "It's not fair that he's gotten away with it."

"He's not getting away with it…at least not after tonight," he told him, his eyes narrowed as he concentrated on his stitches. "Your father will make certain of that. He'll be taken to Arkham to pay for his crimes."

"Yah…great," Damian grumbled. "Jason told me all about Arkham and it's revolving door. Joker will be out by next week."

"Unfortunately, Arkham does have a difficult time keeping its inmates," he agreed, "but I guarantee you your father will be right there to stop him every single time."

"I think that Jason has been right all along," the young Wayne spat out. "Joker needs to die. If my father had killed him after what he did to Jason, then we wouldn't be going through this now. Tim wouldn't be under Joker's control and Diana wouldn't be his target."

Alfred released a weary sigh as he cut the thread and set his scissors aside. "Is that what you truly believe or is that what your grandfather has trained you to believe?"

Damian's scowl deepened. "My grandfather is not wrong, and neither is Jason," he stated with a venomous tone. "Men like Joker need to die. They don't have the right to live anymore."

Alfred slowly shook his head, sorrow permeating his eyes. "Then, the world is truly lost," he evenly told him. "When man makes himself the judge, jury, and executioner, then there's truly no room for justice, is there? Lawlessness and utter chaos will rule supreme and everyone can make the decision whether another life should be allowed to live or die."

Damian's shoulders slumped a little with Alfred's words. "That's why father doesn't believe in killing?"

"Someone else decided whether your grandparents had the right to live or not," the elderly man replied. "Your father swore to himself that no one would go through what he experienced nor would he take a life in doing it. He never wants to become the monster who took his parents from him…to do to someone else what was done to him even if they are a criminal."

Damian considered the butler's words for a long moment, trying to reconcile what he'd been taught by his grandfather and mother and what his father believed in. He was beginning to see that his father's beliefs may not be as wrong as he'd first thought. What right does man have to take another's life just because he feels it is justified?

Thoughts of his mother and grandfather caused his chest to tighten. He hated to admit that there was a part of him that did miss them. He couldn't help wondering what had happened to them and where they were, but then he remembered how they had pretty much abandoned him, and the bitter resentment returned with a heated vengeance.

"I still wish I could be there," he grumbled. "I'm still part of the team."

Alfred took a step back to admire his handiwork, dabbing a couple of droplets of blood that had formed. "I don't believe being left behind stopped you from showing up at the airport the other day."

Damian's green eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you saying I should go tonight?"

"I'm not suggesting anything," Alfred said with a slight twitch of his lips. "I'm merely saying I don't believe the apple falls very far from the proverbial tree."

Damian watched as Alfred turned to leave the medical bay, a devious smile appearing on the boy's face as the butler called over his shoulder, "I believe your uniform has been cleaned."

Gotham; October 1st, 23:30 EST

Batman and Batwoman stood shoulder to shoulder as they watched their son on the roof of the Gotham Gazette. His taunting words of "come and get me" followed by that hideous cackle that was so reminiscent of the Joker caused chills to race up their spines. It was so like the Joker and so unlike the Tim they knew and loved.

That was no longer their son standing on that rooftop mocking them and practically begging them to come after him. He belonged to the Joker now and his parents were more than determined to get him back no matter what it took. There was no other outcome that was acceptable to them than getting their Tim back.

"Let's go get him," Jason's voice came over their commlinks.

"We need him to lead us to Joker so we can stop this," Nightwing reminded him. "If we don't, it could be weeks before we get another chance like this."

"There's no telling how many other people Joker has brainwashed by now," Artemis pointed out. "We need to be prepared for anything when we finally get in there."

"You mean more than just Firefly?" Red Hood said.

"Exactly," Nightwing confirmed. "Who knows who else Joker has up his sleeve that we don't know about."

"Hopefully, he hasn't had a chance to brainwash any more people in Gotham," Batwoman told her husband. "I don't want to have to fight against Jim Gordon or Mayor Hill."

"I wouldn't mind taking a couple of swings at Harvey Bullock," Bruce grumbled.

Diana's head snapped to her left, staring at her husband in disbelief. "Do you remember him?"

Batman shook his head. "Not really," he confessed. "Just a faint memory of him mouthing off about something or other."

"Maybe your memories will fully return with time."

"I hope so," he said.

"Come and face me!" Red Robin yelled again. "I know you're out there!"

Diana took a step forward, Bruce's gauntleted hand swiftly snatching hold of her wrist like a vice-grip. "No," he firmly stated. "Let me go."

"Bruce, he's not going to lead us to Joker without facing off against me first," she told him. "I'm the one that Tim and Joker wants."

"I don't like this, Diana," he snapped. "There's something not right about all of this. He knows who you really are and what you are capable of and yet he's still calling you out. He has something that he thinks will overpower you."

"That's what I'm counting on," she softly said as she pulled her arm free and fired her grappling line at the same time, pulling away from him before he had a chance to react.

"No!" Batman growled, but it was too late. She was already flying through the air towards their son several rooftops away.

"Let her do this," Nightwing told him, his voice determined yet understanding at the same time.

"Something is wrong about this," Batman urgently stated as he pulled his grappling gun to follow her. "I can feel it in my gut."

Nightwing placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in reassurance. "She knows what she's doing," he assured him. "We just have to trust her. We won't let him get away with her."

Batman growled a curse under his breath, keeping his grappling gun firmly in his hand. His focus was locked on Diana as she landed on the roof several feet away from Red Robin. He tapped his commlink to make sure he heard every single thing that was said between mother and son.

"I knew you were here," Red Robin said with a grin. "Are all the others with you?"

"It's just you and me right here," she told him, not wanting to lie to him but knowing it was necessary. "This is what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Right," he drawled. "Whatever…they can't take me anyway."

"You're not yourself," she attempted to coax him. "You don't know what you're doing. You're under Joker's control."

"I would know it if I was under Joker's control," Tim spat out. "I'm doing this because I want to…because I finally chose the right side to fight on."

"What is it that you want?" she calmly asked.

"You…I want you," he stated with a spine-chilling laugh that reverberated through the cool night air.

"What do you want with me?"

"Well, it's technically not me that wants you," he informed her as he strode towards her. "Joker has been dying to meet you. He has plans for you. He wants to use you to finally break Batman."

Everyone immediately grew rigid as Tim closed the distance between him and Diana, his eyes focused solely on her. They prepared themselves for anything, knowing that Diana could handle herself and yet things could turn very ugly very quickly. It was something they hoped to avoid as each of them tightened their grip on their weapons.

"Where is Joker?" Diana demanded to know, prepared for whatever Tim had up his sleeve.

"I'm going to take you to meet him," he replied as his lips curled into a sadistic grin that made her skin crawl.

Diana decided it was time to try to reach Tim's emotional side, knowing his big heart hadn't changed in any way despite what Joker had done to his mind. "I know you don't want to hurt me," she softly said, wanting to use his given name, but fearing Joker was listening in somehow. "I know this isn't really you. Try to remember your life, your family…the special bond that we've always shared."

Red Robin stared at her for a long moment, his heart working to overpower his mind as he studied her. "Mom?" he whispered as he began to tremble from the war being waged inside of him.

"I'm here," she reassured him, reaching out to cup the side of his face. "Let me take you home. I want to help you."

"I don't…want to…hurt you," he managed to choke out, releasing a strangled gasp.

"I know…and it's okay," she gently replied. "I know this isn't you. We all love you and want you to come home with us."

Red Robin reached out to her, grabbing hold of her upper arms and squeezing tightly. It was like he was hanging on to her for dear life. "Please, mom…you have to stop me," he pleaded with her as tears began to trickle out from under his mask and down his cheeks. "Don't let me do this."

"You have to," she encouraged him. "It'll be okay…I promise."

Bruce felt a lump form in his throat as they talked, making it difficult to draw a breath as he waited for whatever was going to happen next. The bond these two shared was strong, the love and respect between them running deep. He knew this was something that Tim was going to struggle to reconcile with for years to come.

He braced himself for what was to come next, his gut twisting almost painfully as Diana willingly sacrificed herself in order to save her son. His heart shattered as Red Robin swiftly pulled something out and shot her in the neck, his own scream of anguish sticking in his throat as Diana slumped to the ground.

Memories of his parents being murdered right before his own eyes invaded his mind like a vengeful specter, reminding him all over again of all that he had lost that fateful night. It felt as if his whole world was being taken from him once again, threatening his very sanity.

"He didn't kill her," Nightwing reminded Bruce. "He needs to take her to Joker alive."

His words did little to soothe the wrenching ache in his hammering heart or the overpowering need to get to her. It was a deep-seated desire that seemed to grip every fiber of his being as he stared at the unimaginable scene playing out before him like a horror movie.

They watched as Tim knelt down before her, gripping her by the ponytail and lifting her head. "Get ready to meet your new master," Red Robin told her. "He's anxious to meet you."

"He shot her," Jason ground out as he watched Tim lean over, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder in a fireman's hold.

"I'm not sure it was an actual gun," Nightwing informed him as Red Robin shot his line and carried Diana away.

Batman and Nightwing immediately converged on the spot where Tim and Diana had just been, desperate to find evidence of what he had done to her. Batman arrived first, bending down to find a small gun, but no bullet shell. Picking it up, he examined it to find it held a needle and syringe.

"He drugged her," Batman announced, a small measure of relief infiltrating his voice, but it wasn't enough to calm the way his heart was pounding against his chest wall. "We need to keep up with him. I don't want her with Joker longer than necessary."

"We won't let her," Nightwing assured him.

"When we get there, Joker is mine," Batman hissed, seething as he fired his grappling gun.

"We need to stick close to him," Nightwing told the others as he too fired his grappling line.

"This is going to get very nasty," Artemis agreed as she and Jason mounted their cycles.

"I'm not letting Joker hurt this family ever again," Jason stated with resolute determination.

Artemis cast a sidelong glance at him as they started up their cycles, the fine hairs on the back of her neck and on her forearms rising up in response. She knew that whatever happened tonight was going to be a defining moment. It could either strengthen this family and draw them even closer or it could completely tear them to shreds. She prayed for the former as she tore off down the alley after her lover.

Batman was relieved when Tim finally arrived at his destination with an unconscious Diana. It seemed that Joker had circled back around to this area to set up shop in an old auto repair shop. It fit with Tim's description of smelling oil or grease when Joker had been holding him hostage.

"Everyone get into position," Batman barked the order. "I want that place surrounded so we can converge on it as quickly as possible."

Bruce watched as Tim carried Diana inside, his chest clenched so tightly it almost hurt to breathe. They needed to get inside as soon as they were sure that Joker was truly inside waiting for their arrival. He moved to cover the front entrance, a Batarang in one hand and a Batbomb in the other.

"We need to be careful," Nightwing informed the team. "We might not have Diana's help in taking down the Joker if she's still out. We don't know what Tim drugged her with."

"Whatever it is, she should be able to metabolize it fairly quickly with her Amazon physiology," Artemis reminded them.

"Should be is the problem," Batman rasped something dark and vicious. "We don't know what he shot her up with. We need to get in there before Joker can do anything to her."

"We have to make sure he's really in there first," Jason stated. "We don't want to crash the place if he's not even in there yet."

"Don't worry," Nightwing said. "We'll get her out of there. Let's just be sure when we close the net around them that Joker is caught with the other fishes."

"I brought you what you wanted," Red Robin announced, his voice coming over their commlinks.

"Well, it's about time," Harley Quinn replied. "I want some time with her before puddin' gets her. I owe her for nearly breaking my jaw. I almost lost my tooth because of her."

"I was told to bring her to Joker, not you," Red Robin stated, clearly following the orders that he was programmed with.

"Joker wouldn't mind if I spent a little time breaking her in for him," Harley tried to tell him.

"I'm not letting you touch her," Red Robin insisted.

"Give her to me or I'll introduce you to my baseball bat, Red Bird," Harley demanded.

The bone-chilling sound of the Joker's laughter filled their ears. "Well, it looks as though the bird came through for me after all."

"Go!" Batman growled the order, everyone moving as one unit as they converged on the auto repair shop from every side.

Batman ran straight for the front door, barely pausing long enough to kick it in with his boot. There was no way in hell he was letting that sadistic clown lay a single finger on his wife. He'd already taken his son. He wasn't about to let him take his wife too. He would save them both before this night was over.

He could hear the Joker's unnerving cackle reverberating through the auto repair shop, further inflaming his rage. The pounding of his boots against the concrete thudded in unison with the hammering of his heart as the sound of the others infiltrating the hideout brought a small wave of relief. They were finally going to end this.

"Hang on, Diana," he growled to himself.

He hurtled over a motor that had been left lying on the floor, his cape flapping behind him. He followed the shouting that told him that Joker was sending his men to intercept them. He was more than eager for a fight. He was anxious to take out his fury on Joker's men before finally unleashing it on the clown.

"Joker!" Batman roared like an enraged animal as he raced into the enormous garage in the back, immediately spotting the shock of green hair.

Joker kept his back to the Dark Knight despite his demand, Red Robin on one side of him with Harley and Firefly on the other. Dozens of Joker's thugs were grouped in various spots throughout the expansive garage just waiting to take on the newly arrived BatClan.

Artemis, Nightwing, and Red Hood were standing on the perimeter, obviously chomping at the bit to get this fight started, but for some reason, they seemed frozen in place. It caused Bruce's fear to suddenly spike, making him wonder what had happened that kept them from engaging with Joker's men.

"Joker!" Batman screamed again, his chest heaving with the fury pumping through him. "Face me!"

A sick, sadistic chortle filled the air as Joker slowly turn around, to reveal an unconscious Diana held against his body with his arm. Her head was lolled back to rest against his shoulder, the barrel of a gun being held to her temple. "Batsy!" he cried with glee. "Well, isn't this a wonderful surprise?"

"Let her go!" Batman snarled as he a threatening step towards them.

"Far enough, Batsy!" Joker told him, waving the gun in his hand at Batwoman. "I'd hate for this gun to accidently fire and blow your girlfriend's head off."

Batman glowered at him with barely contained rage, glancing at Red Robin to see if there was any sign that his son was still in there. He knew that Diana had briefly been able to get through to him on that rooftop, but it hadn't lasted long enough before Joker's drug had taken over his mind once more.

He needed Diana to wake up, to do something to help them get out of this and put a stop to Joker before any more people got hurt. "This is between you and me, Joker," Batman growled. "You don't need Batwoman or Red Robin. You've got me. Let them go."

"My but I've missed you, Batsy," Joker wistfully replied with a huge grin on his face. "Everyone believed you were dead, but I knew better. I never gave up hope that you were still alive and now we're all together again. Too bad your girlfriend isn't awake to enjoy the party."

"Let her go," Batman angrily demanded again. "You've got me…I'm here. You don't need her or Red Robin."

"Oh, but why let them go now?" Joker asked, turning his attention on Artemis. "We've got the whole gang here…except for the little brat, but I guess she'll do. She's a hot one, isn't she? Maybe we can get to know each other after I have a little fun with Batwoman here."

Artemis scowled as Joker looked her up and down. "Come over here and I'll be more than happy to introduce you to my fists."

"She's a feisty one!" Joker gleefully exclaimed. "I like that fire, ginger. Goes with the red hair. I bet you're quite an animal in the sack."

Red Hood took a couple of steps towards Joker, ready to slice him from stem to stern. Artemis shot him a warning glare, silently telling him not to provoke the Joker into doing something reckless. They couldn't risk Diana's life over Jason's jealousy or his foolish need to defend her honor.

"Ohhh, hit a nerve there did I, Hoodie?" Joker taunted him. "Want me to reenact how I killed you for your girlfriend here?"

"Just give me five minutes alone with him," Hood hissed, his every muscle drawn taut with an overriding need to get his hands on the clown that had taken his life.

"Still holding a grudge, I see?" Joker said with a frown. "You know it probably wouldn't hurt to see a therapist…get some of that aggression out."

"Why you, son of a—" Jason ground out, pointing his gun at Joker's head.

"Stop!" Batman growled, afraid that Jason would accidently shoot Diana. "End this now, Joker."

"Or I will," Batwoman interjected, her fist flying up to connect with Joker's jaw.

Joker stumbled back as all hell broke loose, Diana breaking free from his hold on her. She immediately turned her attention on Red Robin, hoping to get through to him again only for him to run straight towards Nightwing who was racing to intercept him.

"Hey, sweetheart!" Harley exclaimed. "I owes ya for almost breaking my jaw."

Harley swung her baseball bat, connecting with Batwoman's jaw. Diana's head snapped to the side before turning a haughty glare on Joker's girlfriend, taking Harley by surprise as she suddenly snatched the baseball bat out of her hand and tossed it aside.

"Wait!" Harley cried, holding both hands up in self-defense. "I just want to be friends."

"Too late," Batwoman ground out as she stalked towards her.

"Don't hit me!" Harley pleaded with her. "I haven't recovered from the last time ya hit me."

Diana didn't get a chance as someone hit her in the back of the head with a crowbar. She spun around, her fist connecting with one of Joker's thugs. He dropped to the ground just as Harley jumped on Diana's back, attempting to put her in a headlock.

Diana swiftly threw her over her head, Harley flying into Firefly who was trying to burn Artemis to a crisp. The pair tumbled to the ground, groaning as their heads connected with a thud. Artemis grinned at Batwoman before lunging at a couple of Joker's men running towards her.

Batwoman turned to look for Batman, finding him fighting his way towards Joker who was running towards a table filled with contraptions of some kind. They quickly found out what they were as he began throwing firecrackers, causing everyone to duck before they realized what it actually was.

Nightwing didn't allow the distraction to keep him from trying to save his brother. He took a swing at him, hoping to knock him out without hurting him too much. He'd already been through a lot as it was without adding insult to injury. He just wanted his family back to the way it was before all this had happened.

Red Robin jerked back at the last second, narrowly avoiding getting hit. He came up with both fists only to have his move expertly blocked by his opponent. "Come on, Rob," Nightwing growled as he used his escrima sticks to hold his brother's attack at bay. "Work with me here. Fight the mind control."

"This is the new me," Tim insisted.

"Well, I don't like it," Nightwing stated as he shoved him backwards. "I want my brother back."

"I don't want to come back," Red Robin yelled as he attacked with a vengeance, forcing his brother on the defense.

Nightwing swiftly countered each strike as Red Robin continued to force him back towards a corner of the garage. He wasn't about to let himself get trapped in the corner. "Rob, fight it!" he yelled at him. "Help me out here, man!"

"Join us!" Red Robin insisted as he spun on his heel, lifting his boot to kick him in the gut.

Nightwing caught him by the heel of his boot, flipping him into the air. Red Robin turned the unexpected flip into a somersault, coming up on the balls of his feet. He struck with amazing speed, lunging at his brother and tackling him to the ground. He grabbed Wing's arms, pinning him down as he leaned over him.

"You're good as dead," Red Robin seethed as he glared down at him.

"Do it," Nightwing challenged him, unafraid of his brother.

He stared at him, his mind in a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts as his heart tried to override his mind. "Don't force me," he bit out. "Join us."

"Never," Nightwing stated.

Red Robin threw his head back and screamed in rage only to suddenly collapse on top of Nightwing who grunted with the sudden weight on top of him. He looked past his brother to find Robin had arrived, Harley's bat in his hand. "You didn't have to do that," Nightwing groused as he rolled an unconscious Red Robin off of him.

"You're welcome and I owed him," Damian snapped.

"You know you're not supposed to be here," Wing reminded him as he scrambled to his feet and began binding Red Robin's wrists together before he could awaken.

"Save the lecture," Robin spouted off. "I want Joker."

"Good luck," he told him as he nodded in the direction of the Joker. "You've got about three or four others in line ahead of you."

Robin turned to find Batman stalking towards Joker with Batwoman closing in from behind him. They had him cornered, but that usually never lasted long when it came to the Joker. Before Robin could get ten feet towards Joker, his thugs were there to intercept him.

He wasn't about to let them slow him down now that he was this close to Joker.

"It's over, Joker," Batman darkly rasped, the wraith-like grate of his voice like nails scraping over metal.

"Oh, this is far from over!" Joker gleefully replied as he clasped his hands together. "In fact, I think we're just getting started…don't you, Firefly?"

A ring of fire suddenly surrounded them, separating Joker, Batman, and Batwoman from everyone else and enclosing them in their own private circle of hell. Joker's insane laughter only added to the rapidly growing tension that permeated the garage of the auto repair shop.

Matters only grew worse as Firefly threw balls of fire at a couple of small barrels of oil. Deafening explosions caused the entire building to shudder and shake, everyone diving for cover as Firefly threw another ball of fire at a gas tank sitting in the corner.

"We need to stop him before he blows all of us sky high!" Hood hollered.

"I got him!" Nightwing yelled as he took off towards the flame-throwing villain.

Firefly wasn't about to be stopped, blasting Nightwing and sending him flying backwards into a large pile of debris. Nightwing cried out as the sharp end of a rusted steel pipe pierced his side, stealing his breath. He squeezed his eyes closed against the shock of pain that shot through him, fighting to stay conscious.

"No!" Hood screamed as he raced towards Nightwing.

Artemis swiftly grabbed a Batarang out of Robin's hand, throwing it at Firefly's head and knocking him out. "Hey!" Damian yelled, finding his hand empty.

"Those things really do work," Artemis muttered her breath.

"That's enough, red!" Harley cried, running at Artemis with her baseball hat held in both hands over her head.

"Bring it, crazy chick," Artemis dared her as she conjured her battle ax, releasing a warrior's cry as she began to race towards Harley.

Harley skidded to a stop, shrieking at the sight of Artemis running towards her with the huge ax. "Ah, hell," she whimpered, dropping her bat and holding her hands up in surrender.

Batwoman inched closer to Joker, coming up from behind him while Batman tried to keep the clown's attention on him. "It's time for you to go," Batman told him. "Arkham has a cell waiting for you."

"And I intend to go out with a big bang," Joker announced with a spine-tingling laugh.

In the blink of an eye, Joker threw his arms out pointing one at Batman and one at Batwoman. A powerful gun slid out of each sleeve to fit neatly into each hand. He immediately fired, shooting at Batman and Batwoman at the same time as the fire continued to blaze around them.

Red Hood appeared out of nowhere, flying through the fire. He crashed straight into Joker, slamming him into the ground. He began pummeling him with his fists, beating him with every ounce of the rage and resentment that he'd been harboring in his heart.

Joker cackled and grinned as blood pooled in his mouth and poured out of his broken nose. "Do it!" he begged. "Take what I took from you!"

"I plan on it," Jason growled, enraged.

"This is great!" Joker crowed, pausing as he coughed up blood. "You're going to become just like me!"

Hood pulled his fist back, ready to pound his face in again only to suddenly stop. Joker's words struck an unexpected chord deep inside of him, realization casting a bright light on all the darkness that had consumed him since that fateful day. He glanced at his fist covered in Joker's blood, his chest covered in blood spatter.

He glared down at the deranged clown. "I'm nothing like you and I never will be like you," Hood hissed, hitting him one more time and silencing for the time being.

Batman held his shoulder, cursing at the burn of the bullet that had managed to penetrate his Kevlar. He could feel blood oozing beneath his uniform. He immediately looked to Diana who was standing several feet away from him. He quickly ran towards her, wrapping his arms around her despite the searing pain in his shoulder.

"It's over…it's finally over," he murmured as he held her close.

"I know," she whispered, returning his embrace.

"We need to get Wing back to the cave right away," Hood announced as he approached. "He's going to bleed out if we don't get him help soon."

"Contact Oracle and get the GCPD here to take everyone away," Batman ordered him as he released his hold on Diana. "Where's Red Robin?"

"He's out cold," Hood replied. "Robin decked with a baseball bat. He's gonna have one hell of a headache when he wakes up."

"Let's get everyone back to the cave right away," Batman said as he made his way towards Nightwing who was lying on the ground, doing his best to stay conscious as he held his side. "Transport Wing directly to the med bay and alert Alfred. Get Leslie too."

"How are we going to get Tim back?" Jason asked.

"We'll figure it out," Batman replied as he glanced back over his shoulder to find Diana holding her abdomen. "Diana?"

A faint smile formed on her face. "I'm okay," she tried to reassure him as blood seeped out from between her fingers.

A/N: WOW! What a fight! I hope you all survived it.

UP NEXT: Injuries are mended, memories are restored, and a son is returned to them, but what will it take for the emotional wounds to heal? :)