*J* (the continuation)

Part Forty-One: Chapter 301: Lineage

The Riddler unlocked the door to his lab. He was not very happy about Jason seeing it. He doesn't trust him, nor like him. Edward didn't take kindly to being blackmailed. But Jason had him right where he wanted him. And it wasn't just him, it was Oswald too, only Oswald had absolutely no clue. Edward had to protect him, so allowing Jason access to his lab was unfortunately necessary.

Edward allows Jason inside. Jason thought it was rather dimly lit for a lab. Maybe the Riddler's tinkerings didn't require so much light. Who knows, maybe he had some experiment going on that bright light could corrupt the results. Honestly, it didn't matter one way or the other, it was plenty of light for him to analyze the child's DNA and run a computer search for relatives.

Edward walks over to the counter and fishes around for a few things. He turns to Jason and holds his hand out. "Give me the sample." Jason reaches inside of a pocket on his pants and pulls out a Ziploc bag with the lock of Lucy's hair. He gives it to the Riddler, who holds it up to the light. He smiles, "Ah, a red head."

Jason stares at him, "Don't fuck this up, it's too risky for me to obtain another sample."

"Relax, I know what I'm doing," Edward puts on a pair of gloves and removes the hair from the bag. He turns to the counter and starts working. "So, why are you so sure that this child isn't the Joker's?"

Jason sighs and reclines his weight against the counter, "The chemicals that made him made him sterile," Jason answers.

"Really? So the clown is shooting blanks huh? Would it be wrong of me to say that that's a slight relief?" Edward smirks. He glances in Jason's direction to find him staring down at the floor. The weight of the world seemed to rest on his shoulders. "I apologize. I wasn't aware that the clown's reproductive system was of such importance to you."

"His isn't," Jason barely whispers.

Then it hit Edward why the subject seemed to trouble Jason. If his skin was white, his hair green, and his lips red like the Joker's, then it was likely that those chemicals were in him too. "Oh," Edward looks away, "the same applies to you too, doesn't it?"

Jason replies with a nod, "The same chemicals turned me into this."

"I'm curious to know how that came about," Edward says as he turns his attention back to the DNA test."

"I was a fool who agreed to it," Jason answers.

Edward glances at Jason once more with a raised eyebrow, "Why would you do that?"

"He made it sound like a good idea," Jason scowls.

"So it was J's idea?"

"Sure as hell wasn't mine," Jason rolls his eyes.

"And what did J get out of it? He's not known to do things unless it's for his benefit," Edward says and bends over a microscope.

"Damn right he had his reasons. And I had mine," Jason shrugs.

"Well, considering the dirt we have on each other, I see no reason not to tell me why you let him turn you into...this," Edward says with a slight undertone of genuine concern.

Jason folds his arms across his chest. "One night, as the bat was turning him over to GCPD, he collapsed. The cops could have cared less, it just made their job easier. But the bat insisted that he received medical attention. The hospital found a brain tumor. Not cancerous, but deadly all the same."

"The Joker is dying?" Edward's head pops up in surprise.

"He was..."

"Was? Like, he was, but now he's not?" Edward asks.