A Laugh In The Dark Ch4

"Holy shit!" I said slightly panting, "What the fuck is with you people and sneaking up on me? Ya try'in ta give me a heart attack?" He takes a few steppes closer into the moonlight where I could see him better. "I didn't know your kind had hearts. Let alone heart attacks." He says in a voice that almost hinted that his statement was a dark joke. I watched his lips move as he spoke them, fascinated at how they never showed so much as a hint of a smile or grin. It was like they were frozen into a permanent frown. Blushing as I realized I was staring I silently thanked the gods it was night and nearly pitch black so Batman couldn't see it.

I shake off my blush by rolling my eyes and turning my back to him. I looked back out at the city. I heard the slight shuffling of his boots and a moment later he was standing silently beside me looking out at the city as well. "Why did you come to Gotham?" he asked after a few minutes pretending to be looking out at something interesting in the distance. "I don't know," I mumble as the strands of my hair are blown this way and that by the wind, "Curiosity got the best of me I suppose. I wanted to see with my own eyes whether or not this town was truly damned." I said with a weary chuckle, "heh, turns out it is…but…that doesn't mean it will remain so."

I turn slightly to look at him only to find him looking back at me. Thank goodness it was dark cuse I believe my face must have gone a bright shade of crimson then. But instead of looking away I smiled gently at him. "Its because of people like you and Mr. Wayne and the men and women of the GCPD that I believe this city can be reclaimed from the scum who now have control." I turn away again and look back out at the city. "Maybe not tonight or the next or the next…but…it will happen, eventually."

I glance at him out of the corner of my eye and I quite nearly gasped at what I saw. "Is he…smiling!?" I mused in my head. He was, and not just a little smirk but an honest to goodness smile! "Thanks." he says turning to face me. "For…what?" I asked tilting my head to one side and perking my ears straight forward with interest. He leaned over placing a gloved hand on my shoulder, that smile never leaving his face. "For thinking there is still hope left for this city." he lowered his hand back to his side, the smile slowly fading into a sorrowful frown. "Not many people believe that. Most have already given up hope for her." With this he turns and walks slowly back toward the shadows, a few seconds latter he was completely gone. I was barely able to catch the sound of him jumping off the roof and gliding to the streets below.

I stood staring for several minutes at the darkness where he had disappeared. Then something dawned on me, a smell. A faint musky smell left behind by Batman. I had smelt it before, but were. Then it dawned on me where I had smelt it. The Manor. "Bruce?" I whispered aloud, "Could It be? Batman is really Bruce Wayne? I'm right aren't I?" I smirked silently to myself, and jumped off the building, allowing myself to free fall for a short while before opening my wings and gliding safely to the street.

Walking silently along random roads I watched as the panicked people around me scurried about, never stopping or paying me any mind. I was three blocks away from the building Batman and I had chatted on when I felt someone following me. I stopped, turned sharply and looked in all directions. No one was there. "Must be my imagination." I thought and turned back in the direction I was headed. That's when something hard and boney slammed into my stomach lifting me off the ground before slamming me back into it. Blinking through the pain that was turning the edges of my vision red I glared up and into the ever grinning face of The Joker.

"Hello again cupcake!" he said in an overly happy voice. "Miss me?" He began to laugh hysterically at this as he sat there on my stomach. "Oh yeah," I groaned trying to push him off, "tons. Get off me Joker." He grins down at me and shrugs, "Oh of corse, anything for you, friend." he said in mock politeness jumping off my stomach. He reached out a hand to help me up then, I hesitated, weighing the consequences of accepting his help and declining it. Either way it could very well end with me getting a fist in the face. Or worse, I flinched inwardly as I remembered the spiked baseball bat he had used the other night.

In the end I accepted his offer to help me up. I was both shocked and relieved when I found that was all he did. After brushing myself off I looked at him over my shoulder. "Three times I've ran into you. And all three times I end up flat on the ground with you sitting on top of me. Why is that exactly?" I ask in a low questioning tone, but he doesn't answer. I turned my full attention on him to see what the matter was. But he was no longer looking at me, but rather looking up at something above. Curiosity got the better of me and I followed his gaze. And there glaring down at us, or rather down at him, was Batman.

I froze, I had seen reports of battles being fought between these two, it was something I did NOT want to get in the middle of. "To late," I thought "I put myself in the middle of it the moment I meet them." I didn't know what would happen next. But what did happen I would have never guessed in a million years. Batman jumped off the building and glided down to the street. He than slowly and cautiously closed the distance between us, stopping about six feet away.

"What are you doing off Arkham Island Joker?" Batman asked, though his tone was so flat and void of emotion that it almost sounds more like as statement then a question. Shrugging Joker made a quick twirling movement backwards putting me between him and Batman. "Ah, come on Batsy," he whines peaking out at him from under my left arm. "Ya know me. I'm looking for laughs and giggles and…" he paused before jabbing me rather painfully in the side with his finger adding. "…HIM! I haven't maimed or killed anyone today. Scouts honor Batsy." he says holding up three fingers to his forehead in a mock scout salute. "I've been a good boy, honest!" Lowering his hand back to his side he began to giggle as he continued to look at Batman from under my arm.

"Yeah," I said sarcastically rolling my eyes at him. "That's COMPLETELY believable." this earned me another painful jab to the side followed by "Shut up you." in an annoyed tone from Joker. Growling in annoyance I half turned looking down and back at him. "If you don't stop doing that I'm going to cut off that finger and lodge it permanently up your nose." He stared at me with an almost shocked expression, as if he couldn't believe what he just heard.

I couldn't stop the smirk that had started to form, causing my lips to curve slowly upward. The moment Joker caught sight of my smirk his face light up brightly with a grin of his own. Then he started to laugh. A long and rather loud laugh that seemed to shake every inch of his body as he staggered back a step clutching his sides. I watched him with quiet fascination as his laughing fit came to a sudden stop. Stepping forward again he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pointed at Batman. "You'd better watch out Batsy, there's a new bat themed goodie goodie in town. And this one HAS a since of humor!" he said cheerfully now pointing at me. "I'm Liking him way more than you already." he said this last bit in a slightly lower tone.

Glancing over at Batman I could tell, even through the cowl, that he was pissed. But what struck me as odd was the fact that he didn't seem to be as angry at Joker, rather his anger was directed at ME! "What the hell did I do?" I thought. His eyes shifted from me to Joker and then back to me. "Fine." he said finally, causing Joker to stop the giggling fit that had started. "Jace. The Joker is YOUR problem now. I'll have nothing more to do with him." With that he turned and crossed the street, entered an ally, and disappeared. Leaving behind me, who was now completely confused, and Joker, who's grin had vanished completely replaced by a hurt expression.

After a few seconds staring into the darkness of the ally anger flashed across his face. "You can't just up and dump me on someone else like that!" he yelled angrily, then in a lower voice that almost sounded edged with tears. "That's just not funny…just not right…" He then turned and began walking silently back in the direction of Arkham Island. After a few feet he called over his shoulder in a slightly bitter tone. "Well? Are you coming are aren't you? You heard Batsy…I'm YOUR problem now. You have to walk me home. Ya know…make sure I don't knock off a few 'innocents' along the way…" Rolling my eyes in annoyance, more at Batman than Joker, I jog to catch up and walk silently beside him, hands shoved in my pockets.

An hour or so latter we had crossed the bridge leading to the island. Neither of us said a word the whole way. As we approached the front doors of the Asylum we were greeted by a shriek of glee, followed by the woman in the jester outfit bounding down the stairs. Suddenly her foot catches on something sticking out of the ground and she tumbles head long into Joker knocking him down. Joker sat up with an annoyed growl. The woman was sprawled out at his feet giggling happily as she sat up. "Hey puddin! Welcome home! Ya've been gone a while, I was startin ta get worried." I glance down at her tilting my head to one side. "Well…that was an interesting greeting." I mumbled.

"Yeah? Well who asked ya…" the woman started angrily but stopped as she looked up at me realizing who I was. "H-hey! Your tha guy from a while ago! Tha vampire guy that nailed me in the stomach! That hurt like hell ya know!" she says now both angry and scared as she stands helping Joker to his feet as well. Joker opens his mouth to say something to the woman when he glances over at me noticing something I hadn't yet. "Hey…was your hair always like that? I certainly don't remember seeing that lovely shade of green before when I strangled you both times." I stared at him puzzled "Green?" I thought, "What's he talking about…" then I to saw it, as the wind blew a strand of my hair in front of my eyes.

At first I thought it was the dim light outside playing tricks with my eyes. But then the light over the asylum's front steps came on. I grabbed the hair in alarm, it WAS green! "What the hell?!" I say aloud trying to figure out what this was all about when another slightly more painful jolt ran through my body. I stare at the strand of green hair and the slightly trembling right hand holding it. That's when I notice my skin had become a shade paler than usual and the dark grey nails had gone completely black. My eyes shooting wide open as I realize these things; green hair, pale skin, black nails…they were all familiar to me. "Joker!" I thought with a start. "Did he do something to me one of the times I had blacked out? Injected me with something?"

I didn't think so. "Then what HAD happened to me?" I asked myself mentally. Turning to the woman I speak in the calmest voice I could summon. "Tell me. Is there a blood lab in this asylum? And if so is it still in working order?" She blinked at me but eventually nodded. "Yeah, in the basement. Mista J. and I never go down there. Gives me the creeps." she said wrapping her arms around herself shaking slightly. "Please take me to it." I say with pleading eyes. She blinks at me and shivers one more time. "O-ok…" she says nodding again "fallow me." she then climbed the stairs and stepped into Arkham, with me and Joker close behind.

A few minutes later the three of us were standing outside the doors leading to the blood lab. I open them slowly, reach in and flip on the lights. Everything was covered in dust and spider webs but still looked in working order. "Thank you miss..." I say realizing I didn't know her name. "Name's Harley Quinn, but ya can call me Harley for short" she said with a smile and a wink. "Thank you Harley." I say smiling back at her. Then stepping in the lab I turn and begin shutting the doors before either of them can try coming in. "I'm going to need some time alone. I want neither of you to disturb me till I come out." I say flatly. Joker opens his mouth to protest but I shut and lock the doors before he has a chance.