Comic Relief

7.

7.
The next few days Joker still hadn't woken. He hadn't moved other than breathing and the occasional twitching. Every morning Bruce went to check on him, see if he had improved at all and check his levels. No one commented on his behavior - the constant monitoring of Joker and just generally how helicopter-y he was being - not wanting to upset him or make him not trust them. The family had discussed everything with each other in private, sometimes Alfred even joined in these little secret meetings just to listen in. Every time there were mixed opinions.
While Alfred didn't hear anything that would change his mind, he still found it helpful to hear the others' thoughts on the matter. Oftentimes he'd talk to one of the family members one on one after the meetings were over. He was there to reassure them that it'd be okay, or tell them what he thought.
Not only did he have to deal with the family, but he also had to deal with Bruce. Recently Bruce had been locking himself up in the library. He'd always have a stack of books next to his seat, but he'd almost never be reading them. Most of the time when Alfred found him he was staring out the window into the garden, or reorganizing the shelves in a new order before changing his mind and switching everything back. Or, on nights where the house was unusually quiet, he'd just be sitting in the chair and staring off into space.
The butler didn't question this. He knew that Bruce was smart, he knew that if he needed help he'd come to him. However, he also knew Bruce was stubborn.

Alfred shook his head. He put away his cleaning supplies and moved to the medicine cabinet of his room. Currently, he was on Joker watch duty. Bruce had instructed him to take care of the clown. Although that made his nerves act up, he didn't protest.
Alfred gathered the usual supplies: the meds, the food, the cleaning solutions. He put everything on a metal tray and began his journey down the long stairs to the cave. The dripping and occasional squeal of bats distracting him, he kept his eyes on the plate, reading all the labels of the bags again and again. All the bags were different, some of them were just plain liquids while others were actual medications that Bruce hoped would help heal and possibly 'fix' Joker. He thought to himself as he continued to carefully walk down the steps.
Joker was, well, Joker- everyone knew who Joker was and what he was like, especially Bruce. So the fact Bruce thought he was even somewhat fixable was baffling. While Alfred didn't exactly approve of Bruce's ideology on this, he learned not to question it. Well, he didn't question it to Bruce's face, that is. To himself he thought about it and all the ways it could go wrong and what a bad idea it was nearly every time he entered the cave.
As he thought, he absently watched the ground beneath him shift with each step forward. He didn't bother to look up until he got to the cell and began entering the code. That's when he dropped the metal tray and jumped back, his face turning pale and his eyes wide. Staring back at him, blankly, were two acid green orbs with pin-pricked black pupils. The face they belonged to sickly white, dark rings surrounding the eyes, pink scars across the surface of his skin. Strands of messy gray and green hair stringing down.
He stood there, not moving. In the cell, Joker did the same. The clown's face never changed, but his eyes- those horrifying eyes- followed every move Alfred made. Just watching.

"Oh dear God.." Alfred muttered, quickly turning and sprinting away up the stairs. He never once looked back.  He rushed around the house, finding the library where Bruce was. Heavily breathing and sweating slightly, and pale as a ghost, he slammed open the doors.

Bruce jumped, looked over his shoulder, and raised a brow at his butler. "Alfred? Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." He put his cup of tea down and stood up, stepping closer to the shaken man.

"It's him." Alfred breathed. "He's awake."

**************

Alfred had begun to explain what had happened; the butler had gone into the cave and entered the cell code before realizing Joker was awake and watching him. It was horrifying.