'You finally answered.' Bruce growled.

He'd trying to reach Richard for an hour; Damien's been driving him crazy about going on patrol.

'Yeah.'

That, yeah, doesn't sound right.

'What have you done?'

'Don't be so suspicious.' He said quickly.

'Just tell me.'

'Tell you what?'

'What you've done.'

'Nothing, I've done nothing.'

'The same nothing you said when you crashed my Porsche.'

'I didn't cause property damage!' He said weakly. 'I just, Well.'

'Well?'

'Barbara.'

'You told her?!'

'Don't freak out.'

'Do you realize what you've done?!'

'Yes.'

Oh, no.

'What is it now?'

'She wants to tell the others.'

'What?'

'She wants to tell Tim, Damien, and her father.'

'I see.'

'That's the same thing you said when I crashed the Porsche. You're mad.'

'Goodbye, Richard.'

'Josie, Josie,' said Joker as he seized the child by her shoulders, 'are you hungry?'

Josie turned away from him; she felt a tight squeeze on her right shoulder.

'What do you want to eat?'

Josie didn't want to look at him; she didn't even want to be near him.

'Josephine.' He growled sharply. 'Answer me.'

His grip got painfully tight.

'You're hurting me.' she fought to get out of his grasp; for someone so skinny, he was strong.

'Answer me, or I break it.'

She looked at him. 'Please don't hurt me.'

'Are you still mad?'

'Joker-'

'Stay out of this, Gabrielle.'

Josie felt tears forming as Joker let her go. 'No.' She lied.

'Look at me when I'm speaking to you.'

Josie glanced up at him; Joker looked aggravated, and his face shook.

'You hurt me.'

'You hurt me first.'

'No, you hurt me first!'

He paused, then laughed. 'Bird boy nearly cut you half a few weeks ago, and you're mad because I stabbed you with a tiny needle?!'

'I'm still mad at him!' She huffed. He grinned, looking much more friendly; Josie felt her face heat up. 'I don't appreciate that!'

'Are you hungry?'

'Maybe...'

'I know a great 24-hour diner. Great food, and we can get you some ice for that shoulder-'

'But you're in hiding!'

'Tch! It's down in the Bowery,' he laughed, 'everyone there minds their own business!'

'But what if Batman shows up?!'

'Don't you want to meet him?!'

'No!'

'Ugh!' He took her hand. 'Fine...'

The child couldn't understand it!

How does a family up and disappear, and no one knows what happened?

The thought has kept Grace Jones up at night for the past two months. The last she heard, her BFFF, Josie, was in a car accident in that Goth city.

After that: nothing!

She's been spending all her computer time surfing the web, reading Gotham's news articles.

The Gotham Times, but they keep talking about some guy who broke out of someplace called Arkham.

Maybe the man who broke out of Arkham was the driver.

Grace Jones read the article and found a photo; the man had phantom green hair, ghost-white skin, and blood-red lips.

He looked downright ghoulish, but that's not what caught Grace's eye.

No, it's not his appearance, well, not entirely.

Grace couldn't shake the feeling that she knew this man.

How?

How did Grace know this man?

Her father did business in Gotham; maybe she met him then.

But she always stayed in hotels watching tv.

Something about his eyes, she knew those eyes...!

What was this man's name?

The Joker.

He looked like a crazy clown!

Josie liked clowns.

'Did your grandparents die on the way to the circus?'

Joker watched his 'newborn' as she nibbled on the apple bits while she watched as he wolfed down a basket of fries.

'Yes.'

'That's funny.'

'No, it's not.'

'Yes, it is.'

'No, it's not.'

'Everything in life is funny, Kitten. Even death.' He laughed as she pouted; he pointed at her burger. 'Are you going to eat that?' She pushed her burger towards him. 'Thanks.'

'I thought I was Kitten!' Gabrielle whipped her head towards him.

'You sound jealous, Kitten.' He said with a grin.

'I'm not.' She said as her cheeks reddened. 'I- uh, kid, you don't eat much. Are you sick?'

'Oh, no. I don't want to get fat.'

'What do you mean?' Joker demanded. 'Who told you that you were fat?'

'No one, Miss. Peu says it's best if a dancer doesn't gain weight.' She watched him finish the burger in 4 bites. 'I've never seen anyone eat so much.'

'It's one of the side effects of my medication.'

'What are the other side effects?'

'Insomnia.'

'Insomnia?'

'Trouble sleeping.' Said Gabrielle.

'Oh, ok. I can't sleep either. And when I finally do, I can't stay asleep. What are the others?'

'Mood swings.'

'Is that why you snapped at me earlier?'

No.

'Yes.'

'More.'

'Do you want to-'

'Yes!'

He sighed. 'Hunger. Muscles spasms. Anxiety. Akathisia-'

'Akathisia?' Both Gabrielle and Josie repeated.

'Restlessness. I'm always moving. Can we change the subject?'

'What are you drinking?'

'Absinthe.'

'Can I have some?'

'Too strong for you.'

'Are you saying that I am weak?'

'Well,'

'No, I'm not!'

'It's liquor. Alcohol.'

'You drink alcohol?'

'Yes?'

'That's bad for you; did you know that?'

'Yes.'

'Then why are you doing it?'

'Didn't Pop-Pop and Grammy teach you not to question adults?'

'Joker.' Gabrielle said with a scowl.

'What?'

She motioned towards Josie, looking at her strawberry milkshake.

'Oh.' he said quietly. 'How you feeling, Baby Doll?'

'I don't know.' She looked at him. 'At first, I was sad, but now. I feel...'

'Numb? Heavy?'

'A little bit of both. Before the rainstorm, I was sad. And now, I'm kinda sad.'

'Are you kinda happy?'

'No!' She howled. 'I know I should be crying, but.'

'I could buy you a shot of bourbon-'

'No, you will not booze her up!' Gabrielle snapped.

'Sheesh! Don't have a cow, mom!'

'She's only 8; she doesn't need to start boozing for breakfast.'

'I still have some Vicodin; I can give her some of that or some of my clozapine-'

'What's that?'

'My antipsychotic medicine.' The little girl rubbed her head. 'What's wrong, Baby Doll?'

'My head hurts sometimes.'

'Why?

'Uh, maybe because of the accident or...'

'Or?!'

'When Robin slammed my head on the ground.'

Ivy may have mentioned that.

'Oh. Is that why you were out in the rain? Because you were running from Robin?'

'No, I was looking for you.'

Was she looking for me? He thought.

He didn't like all these feelings.

'We should go.'

'Go?' She said as she looked up. 'But-'

'It's late,' he looked at his Rolex, 'I need to get you back.'

'Uh, ok.'

Joker looked out the window. 'We can't take my car. I think I saw a cape.'

'A cape?' Repeated the kid.

'One of the birds.'

'A bird?' Gabrielle said as she looked out the window.

'Oooooh, I love birds!' The girl exclaimed. 'My grandma used to let me come to her bird-watching clubs. What kind was it? Was it Northern Mockingbird? Or was it a Hermit Thrush?'

'An American Robin.'

'Aren't you going to answer that?' Colin asked as Robin ignored the beeping noise from his belt.

'No.' Was his stoic response. 'I already know who it is.'

'Who is it?'

'Three guesses who.'

'Why don't you want to talk to him?'

'He'll only try to talk me out of it.'

'What did he say when you mentioned Gagsworth?'

'Jason Todd.'

'Who's that?'

'Someone who could find Gagsworth.' Robin turned in the ginger boy. 'They grew up together.'

'Do you think he's got Josie?

'No. He's dead.'

Colin raised an eyebrow as they stood behind an apartment, watching an abandoned clinic.

The silent alarm was triggered an hour ago, and a man was creeping.

Initially, Robin wrote it off as addicts looking for a fix.

The clinic was a mile away from where he had encountered her.

They needed to find the girl; Robin felt obligated to expose her!

'Robin, we've been here for 30 minutes.' Colin said, annoyed, 'we've seen nothing.'

'What do you want to do?! Give up and go home?'

'Well, actually,' he said, turning red, 'I was going to suggest grabbing something from the diner down the street.'

Robin looked at him, annoyed. 'What?'

'Maybe if we had something to eat, we could devise a plan.'

'A plan?'

'Yes, she must have family or friends. Friends tell each other things that they'll never anymore else.' Colin offered. 'I tell you stuff that I'll never tell anyone else.'

'We're not friends, Wilkes.' Robin said dismissively.

Colin was surprised that the remark stung him.

He glanced at Robin as he pushed himself off the wall. 'But you are right; we need a plan.'

Colin looked at the clinic, wondering why on earth Josie would be there.

'Colin!' Robin's voice hissed as he grabbed and quickly covered his mouth. 'Don't move!'

Robin pointed to a man dressed in a purple suit, his skin was ghostly white, and his hair was bright green.

The two boys exchanged glances, then turned back to watch the man scurry over the purple Cadillac.

'Is that who I think it is?' Colin whispered.

'Yes.' Robin looked at him. 'If I catch him, it would prove I am the true successor!'

'What about Josephine?' Colin demanded quietly. 'We have to find her-'

'Then you find her!' Robin took a dagger from his belt. 'I'm going after the clown.'

'Do you think the Joker will be alright?' Asked Josie as she and Gabby walked through the alleys.

Joker suggested that they split up; he would meet them somewhere that they called the spot.

'Do you think Robin will hurt him?'

'No, I'm more worried about the boy.' Gabby said.

'Why?'

Why would anyone worry about him?

'I know what he's capable of.'

'What is he capable of?' Josie asked.

'Why didn't you tell me you're Joker's kid?' Gabby said as she turned to her.

'I wasn't sure if he even remembered who my mom was.' Josie said. 'My father's name was Joseph Kerr, and he's called Joker. I sort of just ran with it.' she looked at her. 'What is he capable of?'

'I sell products for him.' Gabrielle said quietly. 'He can be pretty merciless if you cross him.'

Josie thought of her shoulder, and that was because she didn't want to talk to him.

'Are you a prostitute?'

'No, I'm not, you cheeky brat!'

'It's okay if you are-'

'I'm not! Did Ivy tell you that?!'

'No, she thinks you're a young woman with daddy issues.' Gabby folded her arms and looked away. ' What did you sell?'

'Stuff like Chicle, Big Rush, Cotton-'

'That sounds boring.'

'I wish it was boring.' Gabrielle sighed.

'Are you his girlfriend?'

'We're friends with benefits.'

'What does that mean?'

'Well, we do girlfriend-boyfriend stuff with each other, but we're just friends.'

'I don't understand.'

'You'll get it when you start to like boys!'

A hot blush stained her cheeks. 'Boys are the enemy!'

'Josephine Kerr?'

She and Gabby turned to find a ginger boy standing in the alleyway.

He wore a long-sleeved red and black hoodie, blue jeans, and black sneakers.

It took a second, but Josie soon realized she knew him.

'Colin?!'

'Colin?!'

Robin had been aching to face the clown since he arrived in Gotham.

Catching and defeating his father's greatest adversary would prove he's more than worthy of the cowl.

More so than Drake!

His father would trust him now.

Maybe.

There's no telling with Bruce.

Knowing him, he'd probably scold him for running off on his own!

He shook away thought and stalked after the clown.

The man had no kind of self-preservation!

How did everyone in Gotham have such a hard time with him?

The clown crept into the clinic; Robin slipped in behind him.

'Why would the clown break in a place like this? ' He wondered aloud.

Was he hiding here?

The place looked like one strong wind from destruction.

Maybe there's something here he's trying-

'So, you're the new Robin?'

The voice caught him by surprise!

'My, my, aren't you out late?'

He just barely dodged a right hook.

'YOU!' He said as he regained his footing.

'And on a school night, I know Batsy raised you better than that!'

'I'm taking you back to Arkham!'

'You and what army?' He said with a grin.

He resisted the urge to shiver.

'I don't need an army to defeat you.'

He laughed; Robin felt a chill run down his spine. 'Funny, Jim Gordon once thought the same thing.'

A flash of pain in the back of his head, then Robin fell into darkness.

Robin was dumb!

He should've called Batman or the cops!

Any adult with a gun!

Colin would find Josephine Kerr first; then, he would save Robin.

She was more important than the Joker and Robin's pride!

Voices behind an old apartment building made him stop.

'What does that mean?' Asked the girl's voice.

The voice, it sounds familiar.

Could it be Josephine's voice?

'Well, we do girlfriend-boyfriend stuff with each other, but we're just friends.' Said another voice.

That was definitely a woman's voice.

'Oh.' replied the girl's voice.

He crept closer to the voices and spied people; a young woman and a little girl.

They seemed to be waiting for someone.

The woman had dark hair in a messy bun and wore black leather, black jeans, and black boots.

She made him think of that stupid vampire show that the girls at the orphanage loved.

'You'll get it when you start liking boys!'

The little girl had long waist-length blonde hair in two bushy pigtails and bushy bangs that hung past her nose.

She wore a pink long-sleeve shirt with a yellow duck on it, jeans with holes in, but that could have been the style, and old white sneakers.

Colin couldn't see her face due to the bangs.

'Boys are the enemy!' Said the girl hotly; apparently, she had no patience for boys.

'Josephine Kerr?' He tried.

They turned him; the girl moved the bangs from her face and-

The girls at the orphanage said Josie was funny-looking, but she was far too pretty to be Josephine Kerr. He hadn't really looked at her when they spoke.

Her eyes.

'Colin?'

Does she know me?! He thought.

'Colin?' Said the woman. ' Who's Colin?'

'A kid from the orphanage.' She said to the girl.

'Are you Josephine Kerr?'

She nodded slowly. 'What are you doing here?'

'What are you doing here?!' He growled.

'Nothing.'

'Everyone's been looking for you.'

'They have?!'

'A lot of kids are disappearing.'

'I know.' Josie croaked indifferently; she seemed unfazed by the news.

'I thought Zsasz got you.'

'He almost did.'

He almost did.

'When?'

'On the night I ran away.'

Probably mere seconds after her run-in with Robin.

'How did you get away?'

'There was a lady named Ivy; she saved me.'

'Poison Ivy?!'

'Poison Ivy?' She repeated.

'Ok,' said Gabby as she grabbed Josie's hand, 'we need to go.'

'Wait a minute!' He said, jumping in front of them. 'You can't just leave!'

'Why not?'

'There's danger. A lunatic is on the loose!'

'I know; he attacked me!'

She thinks Zsasz is the scariest person in Gotham.

'Listen, Batman's-

'Not going to save you.'

Colin felt his heart sink as his hair was ruffled and a gun at his back.

'Don't be scared.' Colin said calmly.

'I'm not.' She said as she rushed them but stopped short. ' Is he dead?'

Is he dead? Is who dead?

'No, but he knows that he's lost the fight.'

'His head is bleeding.' Said the woman.

Colin turned to see Robin lying on the ground; the woman checked his pulse.

It took everything in Colin not to transform.

'He's still alive.'

'How did you get him?' Josie asked as she swatted down.

'Dr. Strange.'

Josie stuck out her tongue at him. 'Big doo head.'

'Now,' Colin felt the gun jab him in the back, 'who the hell are you?'

'He's from the orphanage.' Josie said as she grabbed him. 'He's been looking for me.'

'Hmm.' he turned Colin around to face him. 'Why are you looking for my Little J?'

My Little J? Colin wondered.

'He was worried about me!' She said.

'He's with Robin.' Joker put the gun under his chin. 'I should kill him.'

'No!' Howled Josie. 'Please don't.'

'He'll tell!'

'But I thought you wanted me to meet Batman.'

Joker raised an eyebrow. 'And how will killing him prevent that?'

'If you kill him, I'll tell Ivy.'

Joker laughed maniacally as Colin mentally groaned.

'That's your plan?! Tattle on me to mama Ivy?'

Mama?

'Well, Mama Ivy,' she repeated firmly, 'will see you as cuckoo-'

'She already does!'

'And it will make her nervous. What if she decides you're too cuckoo or dangerous to be around?'

'What are you getting at?'

'What if she tattles to Batman?' Josie said.

'And what if I don't give a damn?'

'Yes, but what if Batman gets so mad that he kills-'

'He ain't got balls!' Joker laughed again. 'If I can kill a Robin and get off scot-free, then I sincerely doubt wasting this ginger-'

'What if Batman gets mad that he decides not to meet me, just to spite you?'

'You know, he is that petty. I honestly wouldn't put it past him to do that.'

'Please,' she said, giving him puppy dog eyes, 'don't kill him.'

His eyes widened, and his cheeks reddened as he looked away, making Colin wonder about their relationship.

Were they together?

They couldn't be!

Joker's usually with that Harley woman.

But she's been a ghost since he first got busted.

And the clown, despite being a monster, was a man, and even monsters have needs.

The thought made Colin want to spit up.

'This will come back and bite me in the ass.' He muttered as he shook his head.

'No, it won't.'

'If it does,' he turned to Josie, ' you're going to get it! And you,' he grabbed Colin by his shirt, ' watch the company you keep.'

The butt of the gun on his head caught him off guard; the last thought before he faded into unconsciousness was Josie's screams.