The Joker sat silently in the dark, slumped in a chair. Lucy lie sleeping on his chest. His finger absentmindedly twirls one of her curls around his finger. His eyes stare, unblinking at the wall. He was afraid to put her down. Afraid that she would be taken from him again. And what if he couldn't get her back this time? He can't imagine going back to a time in his life without her in it.
And it wasn't just him being paranoid, he had a very validated reason for his fear. Jason wasn't just some run of the mill villain. Jason managed to be him for almost two years. And he did it good enough to fool everyone who didn't know. Even Bruce. Even Jason's crimes as the Red Hood reflected his ability to plot and scheme with meticulous detail. Something that he learned how to do from the Joker.
But the Joker realized something else. Jason was even faster than he was. Plus he was trained to fight by Batman. And the bat definitely taught him how to fight dirty. And like Batman, Jason had a suit to protect him. And it was full of gadgets. The Joker knew that taking on Jason would be equivalent to fighting a Batman with no hangups about killing.
Then the Joker realizes that Wayne Manor was once Jason's home. Which meant he knew every way in or out. He realizes that Lucy isn't safe here any longer. He had to take her and leave. Besides, Bruce had been deceiving him all this time. He was basically compromising Lucy's safety. The Joker couldn't believe how easily Bruce betrayed him. Apparently he didn't mean quite as much to Bruce as he had thought.
In that moment of realization an image flashed through the Joker's head. Her. The wife whose name he refused to remember. Jeannie. She had betrayed him too. And how he felt in this moment was exactly how he had felt then. Hurt and angry. So hurt he killed her. And if Bruce walked in right now, he can't speculate that he wouldn't want to kill him too.
His fist slowly clenches and his teeth gnash together. He wanted to break everything in the room. Perhaps the entire Manor. He wanted to hurt people. He wanted to kill. With a growl he stands and lays Lucy on the bed. He then starts gathering and packing Lucy's things. This, whatever this was, was fucking over. They were leaving. He had to keep Lucy safe.
There's soon a knock on the door and Frost walks in, "Uh boss...Your brother is downstairs asking to see you."
"Brother?" The Joker quickly looks up, a chill runs down his spine.
"Yeah, Mr. Jester says it's an emergency," Frost notices that the Joker is packing. "We going somewhere boss?"
The Joker sighs, "Show him up."
"Yes sir," Frost nods and leaves.
The Joker rushes to the window and looks out. At this point he couldn't rule out Jester betraying him either. They hadn't exactly been on the best of terms with one another as of late. For all the Joker knew, he had teamed up with Jason and brought him here. A knock at the door draws his attention away from the window.
The Joker crosses to the door. He opens it and slides through the crack and into the hall. Jester stood there wide eyed and nervous. The Joker cocks his chin in the air slightly, "How the hell did you find me? Have you finally realized that you need me dear brother? Have you and your consorts decided to apologize and end this little defiant streak?" The Joker smirks.
"There's no time for petty bullshit J," Jester shakes his head, "It's Harley. Jason has taken her."
The Joker grabs Jester by the lapels, "What?!"
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