Continuation of the Joker's Arc, with Batman scared for his daughter's future. REVIEW!

She smiled as she heard the criminal's ragged breathing as he ran across the rooftops. Good. He should be winded. And he should be afraid. Because she was coming for him.

Batman and Dick were busy apprehending the leaders of the drug ring transporting chemicals used to make drugs, possibly dangerous poisions and hallucinagens.

She'd been told to hide in the shadows, to stay a background figure, to come out only if they needed help. Batman and Dick were handling taking down the ring. But the buyer- this man- had started to flee, unoticed, and she'd lit out after him, now.

He wore a long trench coat that billowed out in the wind, he was wearing a hat, and she'd never seen his face. But he was her prey, now, and she as going to get him. She didn't know if he'd completed his purchase and gotten the chemicals or what, but either way, he was involved with this.

She leapt onto yet another rooftop, cackling, feeling ten feet tall. She was eight, now, winter was coming, but the roofs weren't yet slippery. She had him. She'd been slowly gaining on him this entire time, and now they were on the same rooftop, she was feet from him.

At the last second he whirled, backhanding her. She ended up on her back, on the ground, wind knocked out of her. Before she could scramble away his heavy, military style boot was pressed firmly on her chest, and she was staring down a gun barrel.

This was it. She was going to die. If someone was shooting for her blindly, her kevlar armor would protect her, but here, at point blank... One shot to the head would be enough.

She heard a familiar laugh, the man pulled off his hat to reveal... The Joker. She froze, looking at him, terrified. No. He wouldn't really kill her, would he?

He smiled and lowered the gun. "Sorry about the scare, kid." he said, grinning at her.

She said nothing, just staring a him, catching her breath.

"Well? No hello for Uncle J?" Joker asked, sounding disappointed. "Ah well. I could kill you right now, sweetheart. But I won't. You know why? Because I like you." he whispered the last sentence, leaning close to her. His breath smelled like a mixture of honey and alcohol.

"That's right, little bird. You're Uncle J's favorite." he punctuated the last word and she gasped as she felt a stab in her upper arm, a needle entering her skin...

He looked down at her remorsefully, like he was in pain. "Sorry about this, kid."

Something icy cold dripped into her veins as she laid, taking a shuddering breath, struggling to stay concious. Her vision was blurring now as she saw the bleached, white face grinning down at her.

"Nothing personal. But I want a clean get away, and the big bad bat won't let that happen if I take you with me. And this is the only way you'll stop chasing your favorite Uncle."

His voice died in her ears, she stared up at the Gotham sky, studded with thousands of diamonds and the silver pearl... no, that was the moon, wasn't it? Her breathing grew ragged, and with a start, she realized she was alone on the roof. But the next thing she knew, everything was black.

"Sparrow, this is Batman. Do you copy? Sparrow?" Batman's voice grew more desperate. He and Dick had zip-tied several criminals, but he'd found Sparrow wasn't at her post.

Finally, his wrist computer beeped. He had her pinpointed. She was located two blocks away, and her tracker wasn't moving.

"Found her. Robin, let's go."

"Don't you want me to stay with them until Gordon gets here?"

"No- come on." he said sharply, in a tone Robin knew he wasn't supposed to disobey. He obiediently followed his father, launching his grappling hook and taking to the rooftops.

Batman was only sharp with his prodigy because he had a sinking feeling somethin waswrong. He leapt from roof top to rooftop, powerful frame landing with surprising grace each time. Still, it was nothing compared to Robin's wiry frame that seemed to float with praticed ease...

Now wasn't the time to analyze technique, though. On the rooftop he was approaching, he could see her lying, motionless, on the ground. He approached, he felt his heart jump to his throat. On her chest, held there by his daughter's own gloved hand, was a single playing card. A Joker.

Bruce Wayne looked at her sleeping form, now, concerned. The toxicology scans had shown nothing in her bloodstream but a large dose of a seditive, which wold explain why she'd been out for going on four hours.

But she'd tangled with the Joker- and she'd lived. She hadn't gotten a scratch on her, aside from the jab from the needle of the syringe, which the Joker had left beside her. Like he WANTED him to findit, to analyze the chemicals.

But there was nothing, nothing but a seditive. Either the Joker was playing games, or there was something the scans weren't picking up, something that would hurt his little girl... Either option was equally as bone-chilling.

Letting his victim live was already uncharacteristic of the Joker, but it could've been a wannabe trying to frame the crazy clown...

Scarlet moaned, and he quickly looked down at her. She could tell him what hapoened, he knew it, and he stood, taking her hand, waiting. She moaned again, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Are you alright?" he asked, trying not to betray how worried he was.

"Mmmm... Joker... where?" she asked, lookin around, confused. He felt his heart sink- she'd just confirmed his suspicions it HAD, in fact, been the Joker. Meaning he was planning somethng, DOING something...

"You never should've left your post." he said firmly.

"I... couldn't let him get 'way, Dad. Figured he was just some guy, I didn't get t' see his face..." Scarlet slurred.

"And if the fight had gone south? If Dick and I needed you?" he asked angrily.

"Bu' it didn't, Dad..."

"But if it had?"

"Jus' like IF I told 'bout Zucco, my parents wouldn't be dead." she muttered, eyes closed. He knew what she was referring to. He'd told her not to go down the road of ifs, and now she was using his own words agains him...

"You took that out of context. You were stupid. He could've killed you." Batman said firmly. "No patrol for two weeks."

Her eyes flew open and she looked at him angrily. "Not fair! I thought he was the buyer, thought he might know sometin'..."

"I don't care. You made a misake, you'll be punished for it." he said firmly. But really, he'd need those two weeks to organize a schedule where she was either always with him or Robin on patrol. The Joker hadn't killed her, meaning he wanted her for something... The Joker was playing games with his little girl. And he didn't like it.

Scarlet looked at him, eyes burning with unvoiced anger at his punishment. "Fine. 'Least I'm Joker's favorite..." her eyes fluttered closed, and she turned away from her father so he back was to him, facing the wall of the batcave infirmary, leaving Batman reeling, chilled to the bone by her words.

She was the Joker's favorite... but she didn't understand what the psychopath was capable of when he grew bored of playing with his favorite toys.

So yeah... pretty dark. Reviews!