AN: Sorry for it taking so long to update again, very busy week yet again. Also, if there's typos and stuff, sorry, I was trying to get this up for you guys quick. I'll try to get another chapter up this weekend. As always, enjoy and please and review!! Thanks!

He had a pretty good idea as to where the man he sought was hiding. He was also pretty certain that it wouldn't be too difficult to get in there; it was even likely that the man he was looking for was probably waiting for him. That's just the way their relationship seemed to work: Batman had a reason to find The Joker and The Joker seemed to know and just wait for him to appear. As he stepped out of the shadows to cross the street and enter the Narrows, he saw him…the man he was seeking, face painted covered in makeup with his permanent smile and maniac glint in his eyes.

"Bats! I wondered when you'd come and find me," The Joker spoke with half a laugh as if he were talking to a long lost friend.

"Aah, because I enjoy your company so much," Batman said dryly.

The Joker burst into a fit of laughter, "That wasn't bad, not bad at all. I think I'm starting to wear off on you."

Batman wasn't in a mood to play these games with The Joker. He had come to find out one thing, and one thing only. Cutting to the chase, he asked, "Why her?"

The Joker froze in mid-laugh and just stared at Batman, "Her who?"

"You know who. Melanie Staples."

"What about her?"

"You know exactly what I want to know, so quit playing dumb," he growled taking a step closer, ready to throw him against the wall if need be.

The Joker took a step backwards. "I just need you to clarify exactly what you want to know about her. I mean, what's it to you anyways?"

"Why are you so interested in her? You follow her around, you call her, you go places with her. So why her?"

The Joker laughs and gleefully claps his hands together, "So you've noticed huh? Then maybe you've noticed that there is a connection."

"A connection? Like you can use her to get to someone else?"

"Bats, you're really not as bright as you seem. Although, it would be interesting to see what her father thinks is wrong with me…"

He wants to be cured? That doesn't make sense…if he wanted to meet her dad he should've stayed at Arkham. It was all over the news that an ex-profiler was coming to Gotham. There's another reason…I just have to find it.

The Joker was laughing his head off. He loved it when Batman didn't understand what he was trying to say. It made him feel like he was doing his job right. That's when he got slammed into the wall…Batman didn't like being messed with sometimes. Quite temperamental. "Why are you so obsessed with Melanie?" he half snarled.

"I told you, we have a connection. She understands me…sort of like you do. You know how you complete me? Well, she sort of does too."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not Bats. But you rarely believe what I tell you, so why would now be any different. Just wait and see. You'd better not going trying to take her from me though," he said with an evil glare as he licked his lips.

"If you harm her in any way, I will—"

"What?! Kill me?" The Joker laughed. "Now that one is funny! You'd break your one rule if I harm her?! I find that hard to believe. You'll never kill me because you believe too deeply in your rule."

"If you harm her, you will pay…and I'll be the one making you pay."

The Joker laughed again, "Riiight…you won't kill me, you're too incorruptible, so sorry but that's not really much of an incentive for me to behave myself, now is it Bats?"

"I don't have to kill you to make you pay. There are other ways," Batman replied as he let go of The Joker.

The Joker smiled and licked his lips, "If that's what you believe, Bats. But Mel's mine…she'll come around, just wait. And you won't be able to protect her."

"You're mad," Batman said as he turned away and headed away from the madman.

The Joker cackled, "All it took was a little push!!" as he watched Gotham's dark knight disappear into the darkness.

--

Back at the Batcave, it was almost six in the morning and Bruce Wayne hadn't slept at all. He was pouring of hundreds of databases on the internet trying to pinpoint some sort of common thread between The Joker and Melanie Staples so he could understand why The Joker wanted her.

Alfred appeared, "Master Wayne, if you really want to know about the girl, why don't just ask her yourself?"

"You really think she would tell me?"

"It doesn't hurt to try. And you wouldn't necessarily need to ask directly, you could at least get a feel for her thoughts by asking other questions which could lead you to understand why she would turn to The Joker," Alfred explained.

"Yes, Alfred, I think I like that plan. She shouldn't be able to figure out my secret then either. But how do I go about getting to talk to her?" he wondered aloud.

"You could have them over for dinner, Master Wayne," Alfred answered as if it were an extremely obvious solution.

"Ok, Alfred. Call them up and invite them over for this evening, around seven," Bruce said turning back to the computer to continue his searching.

"Yes, sir. And I'll leave you to your work," Alfred replied as he headed out the secret passage that lead back into Wayne Manor.

--

When my dad told me that Bruce Wayne had invited us over for dinner tonight, I had to fake my excitement because I had a feeling that Mr. Wayne was rather curious about the obvious relationship (I guess you could call it that) between me and The Joker. I didn't want this being brought up in front of my dad because he still didn't even know that I had even met The Joker, and honestly, I feared the worst when I would have to tell him. Plus I still didn't know exactly how I felt about the psychopath, and I felt I needed to get that straight before I told my dad.

I needed to talk to someone about it, someone I could trust. That's when I thought of Samantha. I half ran to the phone so I could call her, and she answered on the second ring, "Hello?"

"Sam!! I need to your help!" I gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong per say. More like I'm confused and I need someone to help me make sense of it."

"Ok…does this have something to do with Jay?"

"How did you know about Jay?" I asked.

"I called the other night and your dad said you were out at the movies with some guy named Jay," she explained. "I'm hurt you didn't tell me you had a date already," she teased.

"If you only knew…" I said.

"So tell me," she replied. And that is exactly what I did. I told her that Jay was actually The Joker and that he apparently liked me in some sort of twisted way. I told her about what he made me do that night and about him appearing after school. I also told her how confused I was about how I felt about him and that I had no clue what to say to my dad about him. She just waited patiently to get done with my story, only gasping and saying "oh my gosh" at all the right moments.

"So you always manage to get the crazy ones, huh?" she joked.

"Apparently," I said rolling my eyes.

"Well, as strange as it clearly is, it seems that you really need to decide if you like him or not. And you're going to need to decide that soon."

"Yeah, I know that much on my own. But I don't know how I'm supposed to decide. I mean I know it's very wrong for me to like him and I know that he is completely insane. But I can't help but feel a sort of connection and feel like there's something more to him that the insane freak he shows the world."

"I hate to say it, but from the sounds of it, you're falling for him, crazy as he is or not. He's like a magnet that you're drawn too, isn't he?"

"Kinda," I sighed. "Ugh!! I just don't know what to do!!" I exclaimed.

"It's alright. I'm not really sure anyone would know. Just go with it, see what he does and try to make some kind of decision, just be careful. But if he likes you too then odds are he won't really want to hurt you, but then again he is crazy, so that could change things," Sam said.

"Gee, thanks, that's incredibly helpful and really making me feel better over here."

"Sorry…I'm just saying. Look, Mel, just be careful until you figure it out."

"And telling Dad?"

"I'm leaving that one for you to figure out, just good luck with it."

"Thanks…I'll probably need that. I suppose I ought to get ready for that dinner we've got to go to."

"Yeah, ok. And have fun there! Thanks for telling me the truth, stay positive, it'll all work out, promise," Sam said.

"Thanks for understanding. I'll talk to you later," I said.

"Ok, bye!" she said before she hung up. I hung up the phone too and then turned to my closet to find something suitable to wear for dinner with Bruce Wayne.