"Hey Dana," Terry swooped in for a kiss, Dana giggled, startled but pleased by her boyfriend's cheerful mood.

"Hey Ter, what's up? You seem…"

"Happy?" Max interjected, staring at Terry hard, something about him was different but she couldn't put her finger on it, it wasn't just his mood that had suddenly changed. It was nice to see him in a good mood, but it wasn't just that he was happy- it was more like he was maniac.

"Mind if I join you?" A tall, red head appeared at their lunch table.

"Hey Claire," Dana smiled, then frowned, as she saw her boyfriend look at the new arrival, she felt her own good mood darken. The two had exchanged a look- and from the expression Max's face she wasn't the only one who had seen it, but Terry's arms remained firmly fastened around her waist, and after greeting Claire he had gone back to nuzzling his girlfriend's neck.

"Terry… not in front of everyone!" Dana tried to push him away, slightly embarrassed, she could feel a blush rising to her cheeks. It wasn't like Terry to be so affectionate in public and people were looking at them. Claire smiled at them, and twirled her spaghetti around her fork; there was a knowing look in her eye as she watched Terry manhandle his girlfriend. "Ter, enough." Dana pushed him away and stood up, "I need to go do some work in the library, Max are you coming?"

"Be there in a sec," A flustered Dana walked away, rigid and uptight.

"McGuiness, I don't know what's gotten into you, but you'd better cut it out!" Max told him sharply.

"What?" his blue eyes were innocent.

"Whatever McGuiness, this-" she indicated Terry and Claire, "I'm not covering up." Terry and Claire giggled as Max went chasing after her friend.

"So they think?" Claire crunched down a carrot.

"Yup," Terry smiled and leaned back, "if only they knew the truth." He grinned at her.

"So, tonight?"
"I'll be there, as soon as I get off work."

"Damn McGuiness, what do you do that keeps you out until all hours of the night?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," He grinned at her but she didn't smile at back at him. There was a lot about Terry McGuiness that needed puzzling out. Claire didn't particularly like puzzles- you couldn't beat a puzzle until it gave you all the answers you were looking for. Like, what did he do until all hours of the night? She knew he had some sort of after school job, and if she had asked around she probably could have found out what, but she felt no desire to talk to any of these pathetic, weak losers. And what was "Max" covering up about Terry? Max might have been acceptable, but she had so much fear. Claire hated people like that.

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

"Terry… Terry… MCGUINESS!" Bruce shouted as Terry worked a punching bag with more vigor than Bruce had ever believed possible, he knew Terry's injuries still had to be bothering him. "Take it easy, you still have patrol tonight,"

"I know," Terry took a long drink from a bottle of water. "Is that all?" He looked at Bruce.

"No, it's not." Bruce told him scathingly, "there's a report on the news I thought you should see."

"Be right there," Terry said, turning back to the punching bag.

"NOW McGuiness!"

"Alright, alright…"

"…And in other news, there are reports that new vigilantes have take to the streets, police got several different reports of Jokerz turning themselves in, saying that they had decided jail was safer than the streets. When asked to give a description of their assailants the Jokerz had no response. Only one commented that, 'Women in this city… stay away from them… they're never as helpless as they look.' Early speculation is that women are behind the suspected attacks. Numbers are still a little fuzzy, but its as possible that as many as forty different Jokerz turned themselves in last night, many with minor injuries, including broken noses and concussions."

"Look's like someone's doing my job for me," Terry grinned, "makes my life easier."

"Beating Jokerz senseless isn't a joke McGuiness, ruffians or not, they are citizens and don't deserve to be victims of assault."

"What are you talking about? I beat Jokerz senseless all the time!"

"When they're committing a crime!"

"How do you know these guys weren't? You heard the quote- maybe they attacked a woman and she fought back."

"One woman fought off forty Jokerz? Or did suddenly every woman in Gotham learn self-defense?"

"They should make self-defense classes mandatory at schools, y'know, for women, here in Gotham."

"Terry, don't change the subject. If you know something about this…"

"Bruce, when I go after Jokerz I have pointy ears, and I don't think they're mistaking me for a woman in that outfit. Maybe that should be my new angle… go out in drag and wait for muggers to come after me… or is that baiting? Or does that fall under being 'undercover'- oh wait, since when have you or any of the Bats listened to the law?" Terry smirked at Bruce, "I'll keep an eye for some female super-heroes while I'm out on patrol. Did Wonder Woman loose any of her Amazonians recently?"

"No, but that's a good thought, I'll check with her. It would explain why all the Jokerz victims were male."

"They were? Interesting… That seems a little biased, only going after the men, some of those girls can fight just as well. Remember the DeeDees?"

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

"I hired you and your men,"

"And?"

"And suddenly you don't have any men,"

"Look lady, most of the guys weren't part of my gang."

"You're all the same gang!"

"Sort of, but most of those guys were East Side, we're West Side Jokerz, and my men are all still here."

"I thought East Side was Tee territory," the lady scoffed.

"We were taking over new ground, the city's going to be ours."

"Just help me get the Bat,"

"You told me you had a plan for me, we're just the hired muscle. You're the brains lady."

"Some might aspire to more…"

"Lady, if I wanted brains I woulda stayed in school, but you know what? I got brawn, it works for me, and I got more brains than most, so they-" he indicated the Jokerz strewn about outside his "office"- "work for me. So quit your bitchen' and gimme the damn plans." She was starting to seriously regret this decision she decided, as she laid the plans out on the table, "I can't read this shit, you gotta explain it to me." She knew from the look his face he could probably read the plans no problem, he was just trying to make her suffer. His eyes were fixated on her chest for most of the lecture.