One Bad Day

Rescue Mission

Joker's POV

I don't exactly know how I got Bats to agree to help me, but somehow I had. I guess he cares about me afterall. It's strange seeing him sympathetic towards me and my...family. There I was, standing in the batcave, Bats most secret place, and I'm not even snooping around. I just stand and listen to a stradegy plan. I give input where I can. Its kinda weird to be standing here making a battle plan with the Bat. Us, working together, who would have thought that would ever happen? Certainly not me. But alas, here I stood. And I was grateful.

"The Riddler is going to hit us with gas," Bat says, "I have a protective mask. I can get you one as well."

"No need," I hold my hand up, "his gas doesn't work on me."

"It doesn't?" He looks at me strangely.

"I'm immune to most toxins due to the concentration of PH760-9 in my blood. I'm immune to my Joker venom, as well as Riddler's gas, Scarecrow's fear toxin, and even Poison Ivy's deadly kiss. Harley has these same immunities."

His eyebrow raises, "Well that certainly explains a lot." I just smirk.

Frost speaks up, "I need a mask. I, unfortunately, am not completely immune. I have a high tolerance to boss's Joker venom, but not completely."

My thoughts were on Harley. Has that bastard fed her? Is he treating her as a pregnant woman should be? For some reason sweat was starting to pour off me. I was starting to feel a bit shaky. Dizzy even. I roll up my sleeves and lean on the table before me.

"Boss, you ok?" Frost says, taking my arm to support me in case I fall.

"I...I'll be fine," I nod and he lets my arm go. "It's because of the drugs. I haven't had a shot in two days. I'm going into withdrawls from it. Its nothing that I can't handle," I sigh. It certainly wasn't my first rodeo when it came to withdrawal from abruptly stopping a psychiatric drug. Everytime I break out of Arkham I go through this.

"Joker, you've worked with the Riddler before," Bats says and brings my attention back to the plan. "You've been in his inner workings. What is the best time to strike him?" Batsy questions me.

"Riddler's house has a custom made alarm syatem," I begin, "Nygma built it himself. He considers his home impenetrable, and it basically is. When he's home his security only consists of about six guys. But at the meeting, we're looking at five times that, and that's just the ones that will be in view. There will be that many more in disclosed locations with high powered rifles with sniper scopes. And then double that that are just a short phone call away."

"Don't you have more men? Any Ideas on how to hit him when he's at home?" Bat looks at me.

"Burn the motherfucker down."

I suddenly put my hand over my mouth. Bats furrows his eyebrows at me. Who said that? Did I say that, or just think it? I had to have said that because they're both staring at me. Fuck, the voices were returning. Frost looks at me cautiously. I know he's worrying about my voices coming back and making me crazy again. I was too, at first. But now I realize that Jack wasn't ready to take on the Riddler, only Joker could do that.

"Well, while I can see that that might work, I don't kill people, you know that," Batman glares at me.

I glare back, "And you're aware that I do."

"As long as I'm helping you you don't. Promise me that Joker."

I grasp the table, "I can't. If they hurt Harley..." I look down and shake my head, unable to even finish my sentence.

"I can't let you kill anyone."

Then I hear my voices and fight to not let the words come out of my mouth. "Kill every last one of them."

"Yeah, it'll be fun. We haven't had fun in a long time!"

"They took your wife and unborn child, they deserve to pay."

I look up at Bats, "Well, then you will just have to stop me. The medication that I haven't had in two days prevented Joker from...from being the Joker. But without it, he's going to inevitably return."

"Do we need to get you the medication?" Bats asks seemingly genuinely concerned.

I shake my head, "I can't fight Riddler like this. Jack is...complex...not equipped. I have to go to that meeting with rage in my veins, not compromise. Compromise will only get me or Harley killed. In fact, I need to get this spray on tan off. My mere appearance is one of the Joker's greatest strengths. Do you have any lemons?"

"I can have Alfred bring some down," he nods.

**********************
Two dozen lemons later I'm standing in one of the 12 bathrooms in Wayne Manor. My face has returned to it's natural color of eggshell. I stand there staring at my reflection. It really was pointless to continue with trying to supress the Joker. If I wouldn't have been taking an antipsychotic I might have pay more attention to the mistake of a big wedding. I could have prevented all of this. It's all my fault and everything that happens to Harley is my fault.

I couldn't stop thinking about Harley and the baby. Were they ok? Had Riddler or anyone else harmed them in any way? Harley's strong, she can withstand a lot. But the child inside of her...I don't know how strong it is. I just couldn't shake the feeling inside of me that something was wrong.

"Yes, it is all your fault because you let that pansy Jack be in control of us."

"He really hasn't done very well, look what he let happen to Harley."

"If you would have just killed her none of this would be happening."

I growl in frustration and punch the mirror. It shatters and I'm left staring at broken fragments of myself. Ironic how true that was. I glance at my hand and see a few blood spots on my knuckles. I turn on the water and wash them away. Hope Bats isn't too mad about the mirror.

I grasp my head. I didn't mean to bring harm to Harley, but that's exactly what I've done. If anything happens to her... I won't deserve to live. And I might just give myself the punishment, the judgement, the reckoning I deserve. My only hope is that Riddler fears me enough to not hurt her. Having information he wants isn't enough. He should know my temper. He should know how I might react if Harley is harmed.

I exit the bathroom and find. Bats and Frost in the main living room. They both look at me with recognition. Almost as if they're relieved to see my lifeless white skin again.

"Welcome back boss," Frost nods his approval.

"I uh..." I glance at my bleeding knuckles, "I kinda broke a mirror," I look at Batsy.

He looks at my knuckles, "Thats alright, I'll have Alfred tend to your knuckles."

"No, he can't, I have to myself. My blood is poisonous. It eats through gloves." I explained and Batman attentively pay attention. Damnit, I'm telling him too much. He's going to devise a way to defeat me.

"Thats exactly what he will do you moron."

"Lets kill the Bat now! Its the perfect time for it!"

"But we like the bat..."

I close my eyes and pinch the vridge of my nose trying to combat against the voices in my head.

"I think the best way to catch Riddler off gaurd is to show up early," Bats speaks, "But we show up with every goon you can rally to your efforts. How many men can you get Joker?"

"How many would you like?" I shrug.

He looks up at me quite seriously, "An army."