Maybe, just maybe.
It had now been half an hour since Batman had received a call telling that the Joker had, once again, escaped Arkham. The Dark Knight had been looking for him all this time through the streets of Gotham, scared of what the criminal could do to the city now that he was free.
It generaly only took ten minutes for the Joker to strike after each of his escapes...and it had been now – Batman looked at its watch – thirty six minutes. What was he doing? Was he planning something terrible in one of his hideout? Had he been hurt?
While Batman's brain was busy worrying about the Joker – well, he was not really worried about the Joker, of course, but rather about what he was doing. It was not as if he cared for the criminal – the vigilante suddenly noticed something lurking in the shadows... definitly a human figure. A man.
The figure moved closer to Batman, who immidiatly pulled off a batarang from his pocket, ready to shoot. Batman's teeth clenched when he recognized the green hair and the bright purple suit. The Joker. But something was...wrong.
Usually, the Joker was all bouncy and full of life, especially when he saw Batman. But here, he was strangely...quiet. And...was he carrying something in his arms?
Without any more thoughts, Batman pinned the Joker against the wall. He would not let him the time to use whatever he was carrying against him. "B-bats..." the Joker stuttered, struggling to breath."R...realese m-e..."
He then looked at Batman, and the vigilente's eyes widened. The Joker actually had a...begging look in his emerald eyes.
"Please." The Joker added.
Batman hesitated for a few seconds, then he relaesed the Joker who fell on the floor like a rag doll, still carrying whatever he was hiding under his long pruple coat, almost in a protective fashion.
"What is going on with you?" Batman growled, grabbing the Joker by his hair – he didn't trust the psychopathic clown at all.
The Joker giggled slightly.
"I'm bearing a child," he said, looking straight into Batman's blue eyes.
The Dark Knight felt his eyebrow twitch under his black cowl.
"What?" he asked angrily – he was not in the mood for the Joker's nonsense.
The Joker giggled even more, and finally, he shown Batman what he was hiding :
A baby.
A small, tiny little baby, which shouldn't be more than two or three mounths. The little thing was peacfully sleeping in the Joker's arms. The whole situation was, to say the least, surreal.
Batman felt angrier and angrier. He punched the Joker in the face.
"WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO WITH THIS BABY?" he barked. "YOU...HEARTLESS MONSTER!"
He knew the Joker didn't care if he killed men, women or children, but really. Hurting a child that young. No one but a monster could be that cruel...
"I'm not a monster." the Joker hissed.
Batman then noticed that the Joker was hugging the baby tightly against his own body. Was he trying to use it as some kind of shield?
"And I'm not –uh – planning anything with that baby. I don't plan, anyway."
the Joker added.
"Then what?" Batman growled.
The Joker licked his ruby red lips, biting his inner cheeks.
"I uh..." he said, clearly uncomfortable, which was completely out of character according to Batman.
"I found it on the street, freezing to death. I took it."
"Why?" Batman insisted, still not trusting the Joker.
"I don't know!" he spat, hugging the baby tighter. "I told you. I don't plan. I just do things."
The Joker looked at the baby, and as impossible as it may sound, Batman thought he saw a little spark of...fondness in the Joker's eyes.
"I...uh...I don't know," the Joker repeated, now petting the baby's hair. "It might have reminded me of..something. Maybe. Of –uh- of a life I might have had, or, ah, wished I have had."
Batman could tell it was not easy for the Joker to talk about his feelings like that. He wanted to believe him. To trust him. The way he was looking at that child...there was no way he was faking that.
"Joker..." he said more softly, forgetting for a moment that he was facing his most dangerous enemy. "I'm...deeply sorry about what may have happened to you in the past."
he sat besides the Joker. "I told you before, if you need any help, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."
The Joker smiled slighly. He wished he could just talk about his past, or what he remembered of his past, to Bats. But it was so difficult to accept that the man he was before was still there, somewhere. It was so much easy to simply forget, and to let himself sink into madness...
"I'll think about it..." he shrugged, careful to not let Batman notice about his inner conflict with himself. "For now she's the one who needs some help." he said.
"She?"
"Oh, Bats! Can't you tell she's a little girl?" Batman raised an eyebrow. All babies looked the same at this age.
"What are you going to do with...her?" he asked.
The Joker bit his lips again.
"I want to keep her." he finally admited.
Batman, to his surprise, actually felt sorry for his nemesis.
"...You know it's impossible." he said. "Not with the life you're living now."
"I know that!" he barked, his eyes wet now.
He took a breath and spoke again, more calmly this time :
"But- uh. Y'know... It...would be nice for once to – uh- to have a happy ending or some shit like that."
Batman listened carefully. He didn't think he would someday see this side of the Joker. So...he wasn't completly heartless after all...
He heard the Joker sniff. Then the clown wiped his eyes, leaving a dark tray of eyeshadow on his white glove. Batman did as if he had not noticed that he was crying.
"Bats...?"
"Hm?"
"Can you take care of her? You're the only person I really trust...I'm not asking you to actually keep her, but at least to find her a nice familly..."
he laughed bitterly "I know I have no right to ask you anything after all I've done but-"
"Don't worry, I'll do it."
The Joker stared at Batman, then he closed his eyes and sighed.
"Thank you." he smiled, genuinely.
He then kissed the baby girl on her forehead, and gave her a bit reluctantly to Batman. The baby woke up, and started to cry.
"Erm..." Batman said, not knowing what he should do. "I'm not sure she likes me..."
The Joker grinned. Batsy was so cute holding a baby like that.
"I think she's hungry" the Joker said.
"How do you know?"
"A mother can feel that kind of things."
Batman almost laughed at that. Almost.
"We should go, then," he finally decided. "I will give you something to eat, then I'll find her a family. I've heard that Bruce Wayne is looking for another child to adopt."
"Bruce Wayne...?" the Joker purred. "Really?"
He knew about Batman's true identity of course, but he didn't want him to know he knew...anyway, Batman, HIS Batman, was going to take care of his child...That meant a lot for him. They were almost like a couple, now!
"Yes. Is it ok for you? You can trust Wayne, you know."
"Oh, I know," the Joker laughed. "Bruce Wayne will be a perfect father for Rose."
"Rose?"
"I decided to call her like that. You don't like it?"
Batman liked it, but he was not about to tell that to the Joker. They were NOT a couple trying to find the perfect name for their baby.
" I'll tell Wayne to keep this name,"
he simply said.
The Joker nodded happily.
"Well then..." Batman said. "Time for us to go... " The Joker kissed Rose one last time. He really didn't want to be seperated from her, but he knew he had no choice. Batman saw the sadness in the Joker's eyes. He placed his gloved hand on the Joker's cheek, not even thinking about what he was doing.
"You are free to visit her whenever you want," he told him.
"Yeah...I'm sure Wayne will love that."
"Trust me. He won't mind."
He smirked.
"I trust you, Batsy."
Then the Joker saw Batman and Rose leaving. Two minutes later, he was all alone in this dark and cold alley, feeling more depressed than he had ever been.
Tonight, after hours and hours trying to find some sleep, he would dream about him waking up next to Batman, with their little Rose sleeping between them two. When he would actually open his eyes, he would, for the first time since he became the Joker, think about what would his life be if he decided to give up on crime.
And he thought that maybe, just maybe, it would worth it...
