Hi! Welcome back and thank you so much for reading! Once again reviews are welcome and I gladly will accept questions, comments, or criticism. I tend to thrive on it. I will admit I was torn between Joker's dark side and his comical side. I hope to have touched a bit on both. Anyway...I do not own DC Comics, the Justice League, or any of it's characters. Please enjoy!


"Well, well, well..." Joker and at least ten of his goons surrounded me the minute I landed. His purple and green suit stood out in sharp contrast to the dark gloom of the factory. He tugged on his lapels and began to stalk his way around me. "I expected Batsy, and I have found myself one of his super friends. And how, may I ask, did you happen to discover the location of my hideout?"

I remained silent and he snarled. "Harley, that stupid girl!" He reached into his jacket and pulled out his long barreled pistol, pointing the mouth directly at me. His goons followed suit. "Now, I know that you can probably block my bullet, but I am positive that you can't block all of our bullets at once." I stared him down. "I've faced worse than you, Joker. If you think that this plan will actually work for you, you are as insane as everyone says. Your goons aren't going to make any difference."

"Insane? This plan? If you wanted insane, my dear, you only had to ask!" He turned to the henchman nearest him. "Bring out the brats."

It felt like an eternity before the henchman dragged out two girls of about eight and five. They clung to each other desperately, and the look of fear in their eyes made me want to hurl. They were dirty and bruised and I refused to imagine what might have happened to them in a place like this. Joker leaned forward and grabbed the face of the younger girl, squeezing her cheeks between his fingers. Her blonde hair was snarled and her gray eyes grew wide as he tightened his hold.

"Now, I have a game for you...whoever lives wins!" My stomach continued to churn. "The rules are simple. There aren't any! Now, the objective is simple as well...evade the bullets fired by my dear henchmen! Now, Wonder Woman, I'm not forgetting you! You have a part as well! Let's see if you can avoid the bullets aimed at you and save these precious children!"

Joker turned his gun from me to the older child. It seemed as if the world had slowed around me as his gloved finger pulled the trigger. I leapt in front of her, arms crossed and manacles brandished, ready to block his shot. I blinked curiously as a paper with the word BANG fluttered to the floor instead of the usual ammunition of choice. In a daze, I completely missed the goon to my left as he placed a bullet into my thigh.

I gasped as the pain rippled through me. I had been grazed before, but never had a bullet actually hit me. The Joker laughed obnoxiously. "Didn't see that one coming, did you? Does it sting, hmm? You are going to have to try harder!" The gunman behind me stirred and I turned toward him, ready to block, only to find that his gun was filled with blanks. Joker's pistol went off again and this time a live round actually fired. The bullet sank into the back of my right arm. Panic filled me as I felt blood begin to trickle from the wound. Maybe coming here wasn't the best idea. Taking a deep breath I grabbed the girl hiding behind me and flew toward the Clown Prince of Crime. Whatever happened I needed to get the girls to safety.

With a bellowing roar, I knocked Joker to his feet before grabbing the younger girl from his grasp and shoving them through the nearest exit. "Run. Don't stop until you are out of the building. Get out of the Narrows and go to the police station. Do you hear me?" They nodded and took off just as another bullet sunk itself into my shoulder blade. I screamed and tears poured from my eyes. I was in completely over my head. Hera, help me! Another bullet bit into my side and I fell to my knees.

In training with my sisters I had been hacked with swords, cut with daggers, slashed with spears, shot with arrows, and even once stung by the bite of a whip but I had never felt pain such as I was feeling now. I could sense my wounds trying to heal, but with the exception of the bullet which had hit my side, the bullets were still in my body. The world seemed to go slightly fuzzy and I felt a foot on my back shoving me to the floor. "Really, Wonder Woman, with powers like yours I thought you would have been a challenge..."

I knew I should be able to throw this measly mortal man off of my back, but I couldn't even find the strength to raise myself off the floor. The cement beneath me felt cool on my body and every wound began to pang in time with my heartbeat. A voice in my head that didn't seem to be my own whispered sleep, sleep, sleep. Was this why Bruce was always so worried? Is this what death felt like? How was I taken out so easily by a coward such as the Joker? I had fought tougher criminals...

Joker's face drew near to mine and I could smell his foul breath as it erupted from behind his yellowed teeth. "I think I will put your head on display after I kill you. It will look fabulous on my mantle, don't you agree?" His scars were more jagged up close, and you could see where his face paint was beginning to rub off. He is only a man, Diana. Get up! Are you really going to let a man defeat you? I listened to the shank of a knife being drawn.

Suddenly the pressure eased and I sensed that Joker was distracted. I heard loud thuds surrounding me and through my haze I watched as several of his goons plummeted to the ground cradling arms or legs. "Ah, Batsy! How nice of you to drop by! Two guests in one night! You do know how I love to entertain!" A series of gunshots rang out, but I hadn't any opportunity to see who won as my world finally faded to black.


When I came to I was in the Batcave, hooked up to a monitor in Bruce's home trauma center. Alfred stood to my left, adjusting some sort of bag filled with liquid hooked to a post. "A-Alfred?" My voice was rough. When he turned toward me he flashed me a weak smile. "Miss Diana, it's a pleasure to have you rejoin us."

"What's going on? Where's Bruce? Did Joker get away?" I tried to sit up and intense pain immediately flooded through me. Alfred eased me back down. "Take it easy, Miss Diana. You were wounded in the fight against the Joker. As for Master Bruce, I wouldn't recommend calling him down here until he calms down."
"That bad, huh?"
"Bad would be an understatement. Not only did Joker escape, but Master Bruce was forced to bring your broken body all the way back to the Manor. You were barely breathing and left quite the mess in the Batmobile, if I do say so. All this on top of Miss Barbara...well, we all know that his coping skills are desperately wanting. I removed three bullets from your body. It was quite the nerve-wracking experience with my patient being in such critical condition."

I slowly shifted my limbs, taking inventory of my body. The wound on my side had almost completely healed, but the other wounds were still stitching themselves back together. Now that I had laid back down that pain had stifled to a dull throb, but I felt sickened nonetheless. Bruce was going to be furious. Not only had I overstepped my bounds and fought his villains in his city, but I had lost. Even worse, Joker had escaped. "Thank you, Alfred, for stitching me up. I should be perfectly fine in a few hours."

Alfred's smile brightened a little bit. "As long as Master Bruce doesn't find out you're awake, yes?" His eyes grew watery. "I should never have let you go, Miss Diana. I knew that Bruce wouldn't like it and I've fought alongside him long enough to know that Joker is a wild card. I apologize for putting you in harm's way."

"Alfred, I always respect your opinions, but I would have went after Joker had you approved or not. After seeing the emotional stress he put the commissioner, Dick, and Bruce through I would be heartless if I hadn't. It isn't your fault."
"I should have at least warned you that he doesn't play fair."
"When do they ever?"

"Our conversation was interrupted as Bruce's thundering steps sounded down the Batcave stairs. "Alfred, when Diana wakes up I want to-" He stopped mid-sentence as he seen me trying to prop my self up into a sitting position. His blue eyes were icy and his face was unreadable. "Alfred, I think Diana and I need a few moments to talk. Would you mind preparing us some dinner?" Alfred nodded before quietly exiting the Batcave. This wasn't going to be good.

I had been witness to Bruce's anger many times since I had joined Man's World, both as Bruce and as Batman. I had never, however, seen him as angry as he was at the present. My skin crawled as his glare refused to waver. "What in the world were you thinking?!" His words were quiet, but chilling. He leaned back against the table containing Alfred's medical equipment and crossed his arms across his chest. "I had a lead and I wanted to help you!"
"Joker isn't someone to trifle with, Diana! He could have killed you! Then where would we be?"
"He wouldn't have killed me, Bruce, we already talked about this!"

"Oh, really? Is that why my Batmobile has brand new bloodstains, courtesy of one Diana Prince? You were bleeding out right in front of my eyes!" The pain returned and I realized that I had tensed my back. I forced myself to relax and our blue eyes met. Had I really been that close to death? I was blessed by the goddesses, had they failed me? "How long has it been?" It was then that I noticed how haggard Bruce appeared. "It's only Sunday, Diana, but it's been the longest Sunday I've seen in a long time." I finally forced myself to sit up. "I'll heal, Bruce."

"You had no right to interfere! This is my city and you should have asked me before you made a move!"

"Ask you? To avenge a friend? You're delusional. If you sit back and do nothing when you have the opportunity to help you are just as guilty as the criminals themselves! I do not regret what I did and I would do it again in a heartbeat!" His eyes flashed. "What am I supposed to do with you, Diana!? You are irrational and stubborn. You could have gotten yourself killed tonight, let alone those two little girls."

"I'm irrational and stubborn?! You need to take a look in a mirror, Bruce! You are arrogant and foolish. You can't handle these villains by yourself and yet you refuse aid from those around you who are willing and able! You won't be able to fight them alone forever!"
"I have help!"

"And look how far it has gotten you! One is broken-hearted and the other is just broken!" Bruce was silent and I panicked. I had gone too far. I should have just taken the brow-beating and suffered my consequences, but now it was too late. "Get out. We're over, Diana. Get out and stay out of my city."

I didn't see Bruce again on my way out of the Manor. Alfred led me out the door with great reluctance. "He didn't really mean it, Miss Diana. Pretty soon Master Bruce will regret his words spoken in anger and will wish for you to come back."
"I don't know, Alfred. I said some pretty awful things."
"Give him time. He loves you, and when you love someone you can learn to forgive any wrong."

"What should I do now? Bruce was right about dating teammates. Next League meeting is going to be awkward and terrible. He is going to hang this over my head and never let me forget my words." Alfred didn't respond, there was nothing left to say. I walked away with a heart-wrenching sadness in my heart that grew heavier with every step I took.


Gotham's streets slowly turned black as the setting sun dipped beyond the horizon. No stars shone in the night sky, but to Gotham natives, it was no surprise. There was so much pollution inside the city limits that you couldn't really see past the smog. This night, however, was different. It wasn't just the smog obscuring the light. The darkness seeped into every corner, every niche. Even the streetlights seemed dimmer than usual. Few pedestrians walked the streets...only the foolish or the brave would walk the streets at night...and even they sensed the change in the atmosphere.

A blackness rose from the oldest, brick-paved street in the Narrows, and with it a consciousness. The brightest ray of hope had just departed from the city and soon, just as the sunset, all remnants of light would vanish. Then the end would dawn.


Thank you for reading! I'll try to get out the next chapter in a week or two.