Chapter ninteen - Just For Laughs

In my opinion this is the best chapter I have written. I actually got emotional when writting on scene in it. Anyway, the Joker is officially my new favorite character to write. He completely psycotic, but kinda funny to. 235 reviews for an update.

Thursday, October 21st 2:00 AM

Normal POV

The Batmobile pulled into the back of a warehouse located in one of the worst parts of Gotham. Batman and Nightwing quickly exited the vehicle, and were shortly joined by Robin, who pulled up on his R-cycle, and Starfire, who had flown. Batman turned to everyone, his face stoic.

"Robin, scout the inside of the building. I want to know how many we're dealing with before we rush in.

"Right," he nodded before taking off.

Batman then turned to Nightwing. "Find us an entrance point, there's no way we're going through the front door.

Nightwing wanted to argue that he was not under Batman's leadership anymore, but now wasn't the time to squable. He ran off to one side of the building, making sure to stick to the shadows.

"What shall I do?," Starefire asked looking up at Batman.

"Wait," was his only reply as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Starfire sighed. She knew Batman, and probably even Nightwing didn't trust her to do anything yet, but she guessed that came with time.

Nightwing was the first one back, appearing seemingly out of thin air at Batman's side.

"What do we got?," the Dark Knight asked.

"Two windows, one on the left side of the building and one on the right," Nightwing informed.

"Big enough to fit through?"

"Yeah, you'll be able to make your dramatic entrance."

A smirk came over Batman's face. He always had a thing for dramatic entrances.

Robin appeared not long after Nightwing. "We got about twenty inside, there all near the middle of the room and armed."

Batman nodded. "They're waiting for us to show up." He knew that the Joker and his gang would be expecting them.

"So what's the plan?" Robin asked.

"Me and you will enter through the building's left side, and you two," he turned to Nightwing and Starfire, "will enter from the right. No one is to engage until I give the signal. Does everyone understand?"

Eveyone gave nods.

"Robin let's go," Batman commanded and the two heros made their way to the left side.

Nightwing turned to Starfire. "C'mon."

The two quitely made there way to the right side, and crouched just outside the window. Nigthwing peeked inside and found that there were indeed twenty men, the Joker being in the middle of them.

"Nightwing," came Batman in his earpiece, "are you set?"

"Yeah, me and Starfire are ready," he replied.

"They're heavily armed, we need a distraction."

"I can create the distraction, and disarm them at the same time," Starfire replied.

"How?," Batman inquired.

"I am able to fire my energy at a rapid pace from my hands. I shall be able to get their attention."

"Hmm, I wasn't aware your people had such an abillity, but fine. Wait for my orders."

Nightwing turned to Starfire. "When you say disarm, you mean get their wepons from them, not actually take their arms off, right?" Considering who he was talking to, it was valid question.

She frowned at him. "Yes, I shall not remove their arms."

He turned back to the window. "Just checking."

"Alright Starfire, we're ready," Batman said.

"Very well." she replied. Starfire stood from her crouched position, and took flight, crashing in through the window.

All the men scrambled at the sound. They frantically aimed there wepons up at her besides the Joker, who just stood in place and watched her, looking very curious.

Before any of the men had a chance to fire, Starfire's hands began to glow with green energy and she began to attack them with a barrage of starbolts, aiming for the guns, knocking them form the men's hands.

Some men voluntarily dropped their gun, so that they could dodge an incoming starbolt. With the men sufficently occupied, Batman crashed in through the window followed by Robin, and Nightwing made his entrance from the other side.

The joker grew a huge smile on his face, as he expertly avoided the starbolts, seemingly without even trying.

"Hello Bats, you had me worried you weren't coming. Oh, and look, you found a new Robin. What is that, the third one now?" The Joker's head whipped around to Nightwing and Starfire. "And look it's Robin number one, oh how I have missed you. The last guy wasn't nearly as good." The Joker looked up at Starfire. "You even brought a new friend. "Hello," he waved at her, "as you probably already know, I'm the Joker, and these fine, upstanding gentlemen here," he motioned to the members of his gang, "are my pals. So, tell me how you met daddy Bats and the birdboys, I always love a good story."

Starfire's response was to bombard the Joker with even more starbolts, which he simply danced around. "How rude, I guess daddy Bat's didn't teach you your manners."

"Enough talking Joker it's time to return you to Arkem," Batman said coldly.

The Joker laughed. "Not today Batsy, gettem boys," He orderd his men.

The men charged, and the combat began. Some scrambled for there wepons, but were held off from them by a fury of starbolts. Nightwing witdrew his bow staff and began his own offensive.

One particulary large man charged at him, throwing a haymaker, but Nightwing was able to block before punching the man in the throat with lighting speed, before sweeping his legs out from under him with his bow staff. With that man down, Nightwing charged at an incoming man. Leaping into the air, Nightwing's knee made contact with the man's face, knocking him to the ground.

From the air, Starfire continued her assault, but occasionally glanced at Nightwing to check and see that he was okay. She was actually quite impressed with his agillity and strength. He wasn't quite as strong as Batman, but was much more agile than his mentor, flipping and summersaulting around the room to avoid hits. She guessed he had incoperated his acrobatics from the circus into his fighting style, and it was pretty amazing to watch.

On the other side of the room Batman was picking off the men like flys, while Robin was fighting one on one with a much larger opponent, and winning at that.

Nightwing and Batman found each other in the middle of the room. Standing back to back, they combated all attackers in perfect sync with each other.

Both Starfire and Robin had to take a moment to watch the utterly amazing display they put on. Nightwing would duck just as Batman's leg would swing over his head and make contact with a hintchmen's jaw, or Batman would drop to a knee so that Nightwing could ramp himself off the Dark Knight's back into the air to pounce on a group of men. It was as if they shared one brain.

The fighting continued another five minutes, and a few of the Joker's henchman were left standing, but with the area cleared, everyone noticed something. The Joker was gone.

"Starfire," Nightwing called from the ground as he hurriedly looked around the room. "Do you have a visual on the Joker?"

She looked around the room, but didn't see the white faced man anywhere. "No, I do not see him," she called back.

Just then a manical laugh echoed through the building, and the sound of the warehouse electrical breaker could be heard clicking off, sending the room into complete darkness, besides the glow of Starfire's eyes and the faint moonlight that shined in through the windows.

Nightwing turned on his night vision and scanned the room, but by the time he spotted the Joker standing thirty yards in front of him, holding a machine gun with a crazed grin on his face, it was to late. The Joker oppend fire, and almost instantly Nightwing felt a bullet rip through the kevlar in his suit and plundge straight into his chest. A second later another made contact with his right shoulder, followed by one more in his left quad.

Nightwing dropped to the ground like a rock. He felt a dim burn, and then... nothing.

?, ? ? -?

Normal POV

Richard awoke, or was he awake? If he was awake then why couldn't he see anything besides endless blackness? And why couldn't move his body in the slightest. Maybe he wasn't awake afterall, maybe he was dead. No, he wasn't dead, he could hear things around him, although they were vague.

He could hear people talking, but couldn't understand the words. Just by the deep tone, he knew Bruce was near, and he was also pretty sure Babs and Tim were as well. There was another sound, one much closer than the others. It sounded like a girl crying, and he had just became vagely aware his hand was being held. He reconized the smoothness of the persons hand almost instantly, it was Kori.

She was crying because... wait what had happend? He reflected for a moment and then it hit him. He'd been shot by the Joker. Was everyone else okay? He wanted answers, but he couldn't ask.

The sounds around him began to fade, and once again he was consumed by a blacker darkness.

...

...

...

Hours later, or was it days? He really wasn't sure, but he could once again hear a voice. It was just one this time, but he was able to make out the words now.

"Richard please, you cannot leave me. I need you," came Kori's voice.

'I'm not going anywhere,' he wanted to say, but his mouth wouldn't work.

"I love you to much to lose you. Please, you must wake up," she begged.

'I'm trying, but I can't,' he attempted, but once again failed. Right then, he was once again swallowed by the empty blackness of his mind.

...

...

...

Alot of time passed before he heard anything else. Or did it? He'd really lost all sense of time at this point.

"Hey, son," Bruce greeted.

'Dad?'

"I just want to say some things I should have said a long time ago." There was a long pause before he said anything else, and Richard could hear silent sobs. It couldn't be his father, could it? Batman doesn't cry,... but maybe Bruce does. "We fight and argue, but I hope you've never doubted that I love you. I've always thought of you as my son, even after you left, and I swear if God will just let you come back then things will be differnt. Just please wake up. We need you... I need you son."

Richard felt like crying. Why couldn't he just wake up?

The sounds faded and like always, and blackness took over.

...

...

...

"Babs and I went to the mall of shopping today. She thought it would be good for me to get out of the house" said Kori, but Richard could tell she was talking in between tears."I purchased you a red hoodie, I know it is you favorite color." There was quite for a moment, then he heard her breakdown and lay her head on his stomache. "I miss you so much, why will not wake up?"

'Kori, I'm trying, but I'm lost. I can't see anything.'

All he heard for a while after was just the sound of her crying. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to make her feel better, and it was killing him when he couldn't. He was actually pleased when the darkness came for him this time. Atleast he wouldn't have to hear how much he was breaking her heart.

Moday, October 24th 1:00 PM - Wayne Manor

Normal POV

Kori sat in a chair at her boyfriend's bed side. She watched him with her bloodshot eyes, praying to X'hal that he would just wake up, but so far all her prayers had fell on deaf ears.

She'd cried everyday since the accident, and hadn't slep more than a few hours since, due to the nightmares to she was having. To make things worse, the Joker was still out there. While everyone was ducking the gunfire, that had apparentally been directed and Nightwing, he had escaped through one of the broken windows, and still hadn't been located.

Her only comfort was that she had contacted Raven and the rest of their group would be there later today. Maybe Raven could get in his head and bring him back. That hope was the only reason Kori hadn't lost her mind yet. Sighing, she laid her head on Richard's stomache, tilting it so that she could see his face. She watched him, and listend to his breathing for hours, only being interupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in," Kori droned, setting up to see who it was.

The door opend to reveal Raven, along with the rest of her friends, Bruce, Selina, Tim, Alfred, and Babs. Kori darted to Raven with speed that could rival The Flash's. "Raven thank X'hal you are here. You must heal Richard, he was shot, and..."

"Kori, relax," Raven instucted. "We've been feeled in on the details, and I'm going to do everything I can, but you and everyone else is going to have to leave the room.

"But Raven,..." Kori attempted to protest.

"I'm not going to be able to focus with all the emotions around me. I need an empty room."

Kori sighed and hung her head. "Very well, but make him wake up," she pleaded.

"I'll do my best," Raven promised.

"C'mon Kor," Vic said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and escorting her from the room, everyone else falling in behind.

They waited in the living room for over an hour, no one saying much of anything. Bruce was always a tough person to get through to, but since Richard had gotten shot, he'd been especially closed off. He didn't even seem to notice Selina stroking his hand, due to how lost in thought he was.

Gar didn't even say anything during the time, which was probably the longest he'd went without talking in his entire life. If his friend wasn't upstairs on the verge of death, he'd be totally psyched that he was in the same room as the legendary Batman, but he just didn't have to heart right now.

Vic sat in the middle of Kori and Bee, allowing both girls to lean their heads on his shoulders. He was doing his best to comfort Kori, but he was well aware there wasn't much he could do besides just be there for her.

Tim sat quitely to himself off in the corner. He didn't know Richard as well as everyone else, and yet he found himself wishing he could have taken the bullet for him. Alfred stood the entire time, occasionally glancing at the staircase, hoping Raven would emerge from it with good news. Although he was hiding it well, he was crying on the inside. Richard was like his grandson, and if he didn't make it, he wasn't to sure what he'd do.

Everyone's head turned toward the stairs when footsteps were heard drawing near. Raven enterd the living room, but by her facial expression it was impossible to tell what she was feeling.

"Well?," Bruce asked standing.

Kori sat up straighter and clenched her hands into fist as she anticipated the news.

"Well," Raven began as she centerd herself in the middle of the room. "I have good news and bad news. The good news is I know where he is, but the bad news is his conscientious is trapped within his own mind, and I can't get through to him no matter how hard I tried, and he's becoming more distant."

"So, what do we do?," Bruce asked.

"He isn't going to wake up on his own. I'm gonna have to send someone in the get him."

"You can do that?," Bruce asked.

She nodded. "But who ever it is has to share a bond with him strong enough to awaken him, and that narrows it down to one person." Raven looked over at Kori. "You're the only one that can do it."

Both Babs and Bruce were kind of hurt that there bond with him wasn't considerd strong enough to wake him, but now wasn't the time to sulk.

"Me?," Kori asked, already feeling the preasure. What if she messed up? Or made things worse?

"You're bonded to each other by something I can't quite explain." She glanced back at the staircase. "We need to get started now before he slips to far away, and we lose him forever."

"Then let us start," Kori said. She couldn't live with losing him, especially if she knew there was something she could do to save him.

"Can the rest of us come?" Gar asked.

"Yes, I shouldn't have to concentrate to hard for this."

Everyone rose and made their way up stairs to Richard's room. Once inside Raven turned to Kori. "Lay down beside him, grab his hand

and close your eyes," she instructed.

Kori walked over to the bed and did as instructed, laying down beside and clutching his hand in her own as she shut her eyes. "Okay, listen carefully," Raven said as she came up beside the bed. "After I put you to sleep, your gonna see snapshots of Dick's life. Just remember, whatever you see is nothing more than a memory, and you won't be able to enteract. Eventually you'll find Dick, and when you do, you have to convince him to come back with you, and that probably won't be to easy, but just keep trying. Are you ready?"

"I am," Kori assured.

Kori felt Raven place two finger on her forehead, and she almost instantly fell asleep. After a moment she became aware of loud cheering surrounding her. Kori opend her eyes to find that she was in a giant circus tent and two acrobats were performing in front of her. One was a man in red tights, and the other a woman in yellow.

She became aware that there was a another figure standing at her side. She looked over to see a small boy with black spikey hair in green tights standing next to her. Although he was much younger, she would reconize those electric blue eyes anywhere. There was no doubt the boy was Richard.

She smiled brightly, and leaned down, attempting to hug him, but her arms faded right through the boy as if she were a ghost. She then remembered Raven telling her she wouldn't be able enteract, so she dejectedly stood and returned her attention to the acrobats. She watched as they climbed to the top of latters on opposite ends of the tent.

Her eyes widend in realization. Kori knew what was about to happen, and as much as she wanted to turn away, she couldn't.

The two acrobats jumped, attempting to swing to each other, but the rope snapped. The crowd gasped, and Richard screamed as their bodies collided with the ground. Kori only flinched in utter horror.

She watched as the medical staff rushed to them along with Richard, who was quickly drug away.

Kori couldn't watch him cry. She shut her eyes tightly, and all the sound of the crowd faded around her, shortly being replaced by only the sound of water droplets and the screeches of bats. She reopend her eye to find herself in the Batcave. Off of the far side of the room she found Batman and a young Robin standing in front of the Batcomputer, a image of what appeared to be a younger version of the Joker on it's screen.

She walked closer so that she could hear what they were saying.

"Who is he?" Robin asked, looking up at his mentor.

"He call's himself the Joker. He's a sick, sadistic man," Batman replied.

"We're going after him?"

Batman nodded. "He killed Gotham's maymor, three judges,..." Batman hung his head, "and Rachel, he has to be stopped."

The scene in front of her began to change and the next thing she knew she was standing on a rooftop with a teenage Robin and Batgirl sitting on the ledge in front of her. She frowned and approached them to see what they were talking about.

"It's been quite tonight," Robin commented, looking down into the city streets.

Batgirl shrugged. "I don't mind. With Batman being busy with all the Justice League stuff, we've been working ourselves to death, I could use a break."

Robin chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I could to." He then turned to Batgirl with a cheeky grin on his face. "Got anything you wanna do to pass the time?"

Batgirl grinned. "I have something in mind," she replied seductively before leaninging in and placing her lips to his.

Kori growled and turned away, so she wouldn't have to watch the ensuing makeout session. "We do not show affection while in the suit, my glormax," she mutterd to herself as the scene once again shifted and she found herself standing in Jump City High's lunchroom.

She saw herself sitting at the table she used to sit at before she had met Richard. She was picking at her food, looking completely dejected. She'd forgotten how miserable she used to be. Suddenly Richard approached the table and took a seat. She watched, a light smile playing on her face as the scene unfolded just as it had that day. She honestly believed at this point that she had fallen in love with him at hello.

Kori watched as he led her away from the table, and into what became her Knew life. She had expected the scene to shift after, but instead everything just began to fade out into blackness, and she found herslef standing in the middle of a pitch black room. Wherever she was it looked and felt more solid than the other places had. She actually felt like she could reach out a grab something, that is if there was anything to grab.

Kori suddenly heard what sounded like breathing coming from behind her, so she quickly turned and found Richard sitting on the floor of the dark room with his knees drawn up to his chest and his head resting on top of them.

"Richard," Kori exclaimed, as she rushed to him, dropping to her knees at his side.

His head didn't move from his Knees, and he made no acknowledgment he had even heard her.

"Richard, I am here," she said, slowly reaching out to him. She was delighted to find that she could physically touch him, but she also took note that his skin was as cold as ice.

She wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to warm him. "N'laene, you must hear me. Please, everyone is waiting for you to wake up."

Still no movement.

She tried again and again to get through to him, but he wouldn't move.

"Richard," she said much louder, the panic and frustration creeping through in her voice. "I cannot lose you, and you will answer me this instant."

His head shot up, and looked around frantically before he locked eyes with her. "Kori?"

A huge smile plasterd itself on her face and she tackeld him onto his back, laying on top of him.

He looked utterlly stunned. "How are you here? Is this even real?"

"It is real N'laene, Raven sent me here to get you," Kori said, unable to hide the gleefulness in her voice.

"Raven? Are we still in Gotham? What about the Joker?" He had so many questions.

"We will discuss everything when we are out of your head."

He nodded and looked around at the endless balckness. "How do we get out?," he asked, not seeing anyway.

"Close your eyes and hold onto me," she instructed.

Richard raised an eyebrow, but complied, shutting his eyes and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Kori shut her eyes as well, and began to will herself to wake. She could feel the hardness of the black floor fade away, and the softness of the bed appear under her. Opening her eyes and setting up, she found that she was back in the bed room, which was now dark and empty besides Gar, who was asleep in cat form at the bottom of the bed, probably supposed to be on watch incase they woke. She guessed she had been out for a few hours, even though it didn't feel nearly that long.

Kori felt her hand being lightly squeezed and her head darted down to Richard to find him blinking his eyes open. "Kori?," he said weakly once she came into his vision. "Are we awake?"

She beamed a teary eyed smile and rammed her lips into his. "Yes my love, we are back, she murmured against his lips"

"How long was I out for?," he questioned once she broke away.

Kori absently stroked his hair as she talked. "Four days. I was begining to fear you would not wake."

He tried to set up, but a pain in his shoulder and chest, along with Kori's hand pushing on him, forced him to lay back down. "Do not try to get up. Even though Alfred removed the bullets you are still damaged."

"What about the Joker? Is everyone else okay?," he asked.

"Everyone is fine, I assume they are asleep, but it upsets me to tell you that during the gunfire the Joker managed to escape."

"Damn it," he snarled.

Kori glanced down at the green cat to make sure he didn't wake, and then back at her boyfriend "Do not worry, the Batman will find him," she assured. "You must rest."

He sighed and tried to relax his body. "You know I missed you? Sometimes I was able to hear you talk to me, but it usually was only briefly."

She blinked twice. "You could hear me?"

He smiled lightly. "Yeah, I want my red hoodie first thing in the morning."

She smiled down at him. "You may have it, but only if you promise to not try to get up."

He rolled his eyes, but smiled regardless. "Always a catch."

She laid her head down on the pillow beside him, close enough where her lips brushed against his ear when she talked. "I thought I was going to lose you, talking to you was the only thing that calmed me."

"I'm glad you did, I tried to answer, but I just couldn't."

She wrapped her arm over his stomache. "It is the okay." She laid there a long time, just stroking her hand across his stomache before she said anything else. "Richard?"

"Yeah?"

"You do realize you are going to be on a leash from now on, yes?," she asked somewhat playfully.

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so, but what about patrol and stuff? I have to do those things."

"I have been thinking, and I have came to a decision," she replied.

"On what?"

"What your family does, it is noble, and I wish to be apart of it on a more perminate basis."

"Kori, it's to dangerous. I mean, I just got shot," he attempted to reason with her.

"We may protect each other." She said simply. Glancing at his face, she found that he had not waiverd, so she continued. "How would you feel if I were to die?"

"It would kill me, that's why I dont't want you to do this," he argued.

"Well try to understand, whatever pain you would feel in my loss, I would feel twice that if I were to lose you. My love for you is deeper than your's is for me because, as I have explained, my people feel emotions much more deeply than humans. I need to be there with you."

He sighed. "I don't know, I..."

"Shhh N'laene," she said putting a finger on his lips. "We will discuss it when we return home." A loud yawn escaped her, and she began to blink her eyes rapidly.

Richard wanted to continue to argue his point about how dangerous being a hero was, but he knew she probably exhausted from the worrying about him, so he only threw his arm over her and gave a soft kiss on the temple. "Go to slleep, I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

She tightend her grip on him, and gave a small smile before shutting her eyes and drifting off.

Richard just caressed her hair as he trailed off in thought. The Joker was still out there, and he was sure that things still weren't over. When it came to the Joker, they never were.

One more thing. I need an idea for a filler chapter, so either tell me in the review or personal message me something you would want to see. Remember to review.