Cassidy woke up with a start. The back of her head hurt and when she tried to sit up her abs screamed in protest. She had been laughing really hard. She was in an old warehouse. She was lying down on a bed. Cassidy slowly got up. She swayed and almost fell. She reached up and touched the back of her head; it was swollen and hurt to the touch. Cassidy limped over to the door and tried the handle. It was locked. Cassidy would have melted through the door if it weren't for the video camera in the corner. The red recording light was on. Cassidy didn't want the Joker to know about her powers. She heard movement from the other side of the door and she rushed over to the bed. When she got there she almost passed out but she fought to stay awake. She didn't want to be vulnerable when the Joker came in. Harley came in first, Cassidy almost lost it but she restrained herself.

"Mr. J what are we going to do with her?"

Joker leaned down and kissed her. Harley giggled.

"We, my love, are going to put on a show."

"Oh, goody!"

Bruce was getting worried. Cassidy hadn't turned up for classes after lunch. Barbara had called Bruce before the bell for classes had gone asking if Cassidy had come home.

"Bruce! Is Cassidy at home?"

"No, why?"

"She's gone."

"Explain." Bruce let Batman come out a little.

"We went out for lunch like we planned and we had some extra time so Clare and I decided to go shopping. Cassidy didn't want to so she said she would go to the bookstore down the street and met us there in 20 minutes. We got there and she wasn't there."

"Did you call her? She may have gone back to school."

"Bruce, her…her cellphone was on the ground along with her backpack. There were outside an ally way."

"I'll be right there."

"What show?" Cassidy struggled against the rope she was bound with. A new bruise was forming on her face and the blood was drying on her chin from the split lip she got when Harley punched her in the face.

"This one," Joker laughed and turned the camera on.

Bruce got back from looking over where Cassidy had gone missing. Her backpack had her wallet and all her valuables in it and her cellphone was still there. This wasn't a mugging. Bruce sat down on the couch, as he did the T.V turned on. Bruce sighed and retrieved the remote from under his leg. He was about to turn it off when the Joker's face appeared on the Gotham News Channel. Bruce turned up the volume and called Alfred.

"Helllloooooo ladies and gentlemen! Joker and Harley here! And we bring you a message from your favorite brotherless, little brat." The camera turned to reveal Cassidy tied to a chair. She had dried blood all over her face and a black eye forming. "Say something to the camera gorgeous!"

A thump was heard in the background. "I thought I was gorgeous pudding',"

"You are Harley dear. Now let her speak."

"What do you want from me Joker? Money?"

"Noooopppppe! Things were just getting quiet around this old town and I remember you livened it up before!" Laughter from off camera. The look on Cassidy face was devastating. The Joker was using her for some sick fun almost a year, a week shy, after her brother's murder.

"Now, ask for help."

"Commissioner Gordon I…."

"NOPE! Wrong answer. Ask BATMAN for help!"

"Never." Cassidy voice lost all emotion. Suddenly she burst forward and lunched herself off camera. She and Harley rolled on screen a second later with the latter screaming profanities and for her "Mister J!" to help her.

"Little brat!" The camera showed the joker face again. "Please stay tuned after these messages. Heeeheeheehahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" The screen went blank.

Cassidy was tied to the bed. Harley was icing her side.

"You need to learn your place, little girl."

The screams were horrific.

Bruce couldn't see, he was beyond angry. The Joker would dare capture a 13 year old girl and torture her a week before the 2nd anniversary of her brother's death.

"Bruce, Batman will save her right?" Dick had seen the whole thing. "I want to help!"

"No Dick, you're too young. I will handle this." The doorbell went.

"I shall get it, sir."

Alfred came back in with the commissioner.

"Do you have anything?"

"No, Bruce I am so sorry. Have her parents be notified?"

"I tried Commissioner. But they have not picked up but I shall try again" Alfred left the room.

"I….I don't know what to do. What do I do Jim? He doesn't want the money I am willing to pay, whatever the amount might be and it is a week before her…" Bruce trailed off and sank onto the couch, his head cupped in his hands.

The commissiner wished he didn't know how to comfort him so well. But seeing a million kidnapping cases, he knew exactly what to say.

"Don't blame yourself Bruce. The Joker is crazy. How were you to know he would kidnap her?"

"I should have known."

"Why? You have never come in contact with the Joker before," Jim was confused.

"Oh, never mind I…." Alfred took the liberty of coming back in the room at that moment.

"I am afraid I can't reach the Pennington's Master Bruce,"

Cassidy allowed the tears to stream down her face. The clowns were laughing. It had been 6 days since her capture. Only one day until she turned 14. There was dried blood on her legs, so much that she couldn't see her skin. She was lightheaded and pale. Cassidy knew she was starving to death and that she was anemic. She couldn't last much longer. They gave her water, but that was it. She would have escaped days ago but the Joker had place a security camera with a constant feed to the police and occasional updates to the public. A few days before, the Joker had installed a T.V in the corner. Cassidy was scared to find out what it was for.

"ALLLLLLLRRRIGGGHTTYYYYYY! Let's see what's onnnnnnnnnn!" The Joker turned on the T.V. On it was a black and white picture of a private boat.

"NO! You…You…no," Cassidy recognized the boat. It was he parents.

"I didn't want to capture you but your parents….Oh Harley dear could you set up the feed to Gotham News. Split screen please, love. Anyyyyywayyyyy, see your parents called e a freak and a menace to the whole city. I am NOT a FREAK!" Joker's face became scarily angry. "I find the best way to get back at someone is to go after the things they love, as you know from experience. I am going to kill you, my dear but don't take it personal. It's just business."

"You know why I never called you a freak. Because I don't have the right." The Joker looked confused and intrigued. "No one should have the right to say what is abnormal or not. But you are a crazy bastard. So…" Cassidy looked dead into the camera and uttered the words no ever thought she would say. "Batman, get me out of here."

"You have won my respect. I won't kill you. But…" The Joker and Harley stepped forward. They had very thin, strong knifes in their hands. "We must leave our mark."

Screams.

Silence.

Midnight.

"Oh, oh, oh. Mister J, Can I press the button? Pleasepleaseplease!" Harley was jumping up and down in anticipation.

"I will take this one Harley. You can have the next." With that the Joker pressed the button. The ship with Cassidy's parents blew up.

A/N- Finally updated! Sorry that took so long. I know this seems like a cliffy but its not. If you all remember forever ago, Cassidy was in tharepy so w can finall get back to that. The next 2 or 3 chapters are kinda filler but they establish important relationships. I will get those up as soon as I can. I am in the midst of exams. Anyway, I hope you liked it! Told you she was messed up. Just i ncase it wasn't clear, Cassidy's parents died on her birthday just like her brother. I skipped more of the Joker/Harley part then I wanted to but I couldn't split the chapter again. I am thinking of writing a version of Cassidy remembering it later in life, also more from Bruce and all her friends points of view. I will do a separate fanfic for that. If you guys want to see that just let me know.

~Kasei