AN: Thanks for the reviews! Hope you enjoy the next installment, and as always keep the reviews coming...it's great motivation. :)

I was sitting on a metal table as Batman moved around me, cleaning and bandaging my injuries. He didn't say much at all to me, and he wouldn't look me in the eye. So as he was bandaging my sprained ankle, I asked, "So you were watching us in the park?"

"Most of it," he replied without looking up.

"Then why didn't you stop me from killing those people? I mean you were there, you could have stopped the whole thing!"

"I didn't know what was happening in the woods, I wasn't close enough to see exactly what you were doing."

"That's bullshit!" I shouted.

He looked up and his gaze met mine. "Bullshit, huh?" he said calmly.

"Yes, it is," I spat, getting angry, "You were watching, and could've figured out what was going on. You could've stopped The Joker, saved me, and no one would be dead right now!"

"So you're saying that it's my fault you decided to kill them?"

"Hell yes it's your fault. You were right there and you just remained a silent witness to the whole damn thing. You're no better than The Joker!" He just stared at me. I could tell that my final words had hit him hard. I was really too mad to care and now I had someone to blame, so I continued, "You're supposed to be Gotham's Dark Knight, cleaning up Gotham's streets by night. Except you're not. You're not a hero. You're just a, just a—" I couldn't finish my sentence. I couldn't seem to think of a powerful enough word to use.

Batman spoke, "You think I want you to join The Joker? You think I want him to win? I may not be the noblest person to walk these streets, but I'm doing the best that I can to make this a better place. But at the same time, I'm just as human as you are, so you can't turn all your guilt into blame that you put on me."

"You still could've done something…or tried. But I guess you're just too much of a coward; otherwise I wouldn't have become this animal."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I should've done something. But you are not an animal and you will not become one either," Batman said as he thought to himself Maybe she should know that I wasn't there the entire time…that I got summoned by Gordon to hear some interesting information that I'm gonna have to look into.

"Yeah, whatever," I replied, hanging my head. I was still pissed with myself for doing that and shocked that I actually did it. It was like a really bad dream.

"Now that you're all cleaned up, we can get you home," Batman said with a smile, "But I do want to ask you one more thing."

"Oh, just great," I said rolling my eyes.

"I think you need to discuss this stuff with your dad. He has a right to know and better he find out from you than from someone else, especially with the decision you've got to make now."

"Did you miss the fact that I don't really have a choice with The Joker?"

"I know you've got to go with him either way, but you do have to decide if you'll go without a fight."

"I'm a fighter, so obviously I'm not going down without one," I said as I glared at him.

He just returned the cold stare, and said, "Fine, your choice. I just thought he might prefer to hear it from his daughter instead of the news."

I got down from the table and turned my back on Batman. "Can we just go?" I asked, clearly ending the conversation about telling my father.

"Fine," he said as he approached to show me the way out.

--

I didn't sleep at all that night. I pretty much sat in my darkened room listening to all my favorite tunes and found that they all seemed to describe me pretty well at the moment, especially "Animal I Have Become" by Three Days Grace. I was also doing a lot of thinking…to tell my dad or not to tell my dad, that is the question.

Before I knew it, I heard him out in the kitchen. I sighed deeply and decided to go out there to talk to him, at least about some of it. I slid into the seat across from him. He looked up, "Morning, Mel. You're up early."

"Morning," I replied with a small smile. "Uh, Dad, we need to talk," I began.

He looked at me in udder shock. "You're pregnant aren't you?"

"What?! No!!" I exclaimed.

Dad leaned back in his chair, sighing with relief. "Sorry, go ahead with what you wanted to say. Didn't mean to jump to conclusions."

I just looked at him like he was crazy. "Ok…" I started slowly, "You know that guy Jay?"

"What did he do to you? He didn't rape you, did he?"

"Dad! Seriously? Quit being so over-protective and let me talk!"

"Sorry, I just care about you, you know?"

"I know, but good grief, I'm not that stupid!"

"I know. Yes, I remember him, why?"

"Well, his name isn't really Jay. Honestly I'm not sure he even has a real name, but that's sort of besides the point. Anyway, Jay is actually The Joker, and I—"

Dad interrupted, "You've been dating The Joker?! Let's have him over for dinner, I would like to talk to him a bit."

"Dad, are you crazy?" I asked.

"No, I'm not. You know I came here to study him, and how perfect is it that my daughter would end up dating him? I can study him closer now. So do you love him?"

"Dad, the guy is nuts, he's a homicidal maniac who gets his kicks out of blowing things up. And you're glad that I'm 'dating' someone like that?!"

"Mel, he's human too. Yes, he's clearly mentally unstable, but he's not incurable. He clearly has a heart if he's willing to date someone like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, I'm just saying there has to be a touch of sanity left in the man if he's willing to partake in a normal activity like dating."

"Well, I wouldn't call his dates normal," I said, rolling my eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's put it this way, it's not dinner and movie with him. More like, an abandoned warehouse and some gasoline."

"Hmm…interesting. It's as if he wants to share his talents with someone…"

"Or maybe he sees potential in me and it's not even love that drew him to me."

"That's a possibility too. Invite him over for tonight, I want to meet him myself and get a better feel of this 'relationship' he's got with you."

"Ok, Dad, but I really don't think it's a great idea to invite a criminal over for dinner," I said with a touch of sarcasm.

"Not so sure it's a great idea to be dating one either," Dad replied with a wink.

I rolled my eyes at him, "Guess I'll go call him then."

"Sounds like a plan," Dad said, turning back to the newspaper.

I shuffled back to my room, grabbed my cell phone off the desk and punched The Joker's number.

He answered on the first ring, "Yes?"

Damn caller ID, probably knows it's me. "Umm…interested in having dinner here tonight?" I asked.

"Time?"

"Err…6:30-ish."

"Sounds lovely my sweet," he said with a laugh. Then he hung up. I closed my phone and threw it onto my bed as I slumped down on the floor. This is not working out how I wanted. Sure, Dad took it better than expected, but I don't need him to get all buddy-buddy with that whack-job either!