The Shootist.

The Shattered Shootist Does What The Bat Wouldn't.

It's been a week since the Jokers escape from Arkham and I've taken on extra patrols to be sure that the Joker is still in hiding. But from what Dick and Bruce tell me I need to stay on my toes. Funny I don't remember relaxing since Joker escaped. And to top off my worry meter. Barbara and I have already made efforts to start our family. And tonight we're supposed to have dinner with Jim. Anyway, once I closed up shop and drove to Wayne Manor, walked into the batcave, changed into my Shootist attire I got on my bike and headed out on patrol.

(Barbara's POV)
It was close to ten o'clock and Daniel was still out on patrol and I knew that he was doing the double patrols to make sure that everything was okay before he came home. Dad was sitting in the kitchen as I put the finishing touches on dinner when my phone rang. "Hello?"
'Barbara.'
"Honey, how much longer are you going to be out on patrol?"
'I'm on my way home now.'
"Okay, good. See you when you get home."
'Okay. Love you.'
"Love you more." I hung up and put my phone down.
"On his way home is he?" Dad asked. I nodded. "Well, at least he's making time for you honey."
"Dad how long have you known that Daniel was part of the Bat Family?"
"Bruce actually told me a week before your wedding."
"Oh. Well I'm just surprisesd your so relaxed about it." The door bell rang right after I said that. I approached the door and opened it. "Yes?"
"Ohh, so new boy is married to you? How good for me." The Joker aimed a gun at my stomach and fired a round into my guts. "Don't mind if we come in do you? Good. Ha, ha, ha, ha." He looked to his six lackey's behind him as I gasped for air as I was bleeding out. "Get the Commissioner. He's coming with us." He knelt down between my legs and tore my shirt open and unzipped my pants. "I'm going to really break new kids mind."

(Daniel's POV)
I arrived at home and just got off the elevator and I saw bloody handprints on the door of me and Barbara's apartment. I ran in and found Barbara still breathing but unconscious. I gently picked her up and ran out of the apartment and took her directly to the Gotham General. She was taken into surgery and I sat in the waiting room rocking back and forth in the chair. I was worried out of my mind for Barbara. I knew that the odds of our kid surviving were less than zero. So I worried more about Barbara. Bruce and Dick came up to me.
"Hows Barbara?" Dick asked.
"Still in surgery. No word yet."
"Who did this Daniel?" Bruce asked.
"Boy you got some nerve asking that." I said standing up and getting right in Bruces face. "Who do you think it was?!" I screamed at him. "It was the Joker. He shot my wife. My Barbara in the gut and took her father to torture him." I wrapped my right hand around his throat. "You should have put that dog down long ago."
"Daniel." Dick said getting my attention as the doctor approached us.
"Mr. Boyce." The docotor said as I approached him. "We were ble to retrieve the bullet and stop the bleeding . However we weren't able to save the fetus and there is a very good possibility that your wife will never walk again."
"What are you saying Doc?"
"The bullet severed her spine and she's now paralyzed from the waist down." I wanted to slug someone or drill them full of lead.
"Can I see her?"
"Yes of course. Nurse." A nurse led me to a room where I saw Barbara laying in bed with tubes and wires coming out of her. I could barely contain my rage as I looked at her. "There's one more thing." I looked at the doctor. "I found evidence of sexual assault." After I heard that my brain shut down. I was on auto pilot to say  the least. I left the hospital and headed to the batcave and got dressed in my Shootist outfit and after getting my Sharpes rifle and the Henry rifle I headed to Cobblepots. Bats tried to stop me but I shoved him aside as I got on my bike and headed to the Iceberg Lounge.

I reached there in less than thirty minutes and walked in and found Cobblepot in the center of the room. "Daniel. What do I owe the pleasure?" He asked.
"Where is Joker?"
Cobblepot looked me in the eye and found no emotion there.
"WHERE IS JOKER?!!!"
"Holing up in an old circus outside of town." He said in a complete panic as he wrote the address down on a napkin.
"You tell him that I'm coming. And I'll come looking for you and finish what I started." He swallowed hard as he saw that I was serious. I left and headed to the abandoned circus and pulled grabbed my Sharpes and got into position and loaded a tranquilizer round. Bruce drove up and headed inside the funhouse. I sat out there in what became a rainstorm and waited. When I saw Jim Gordon. I knew that it was almost time for me to put my plan into motion. Batman chased Joker to the inside of the funhouse which was wide open and clear. I had a clear shot at Bats and Joker both. I fired my first tranq round and loaded another round and shot the Joker. Once he fell to the ground unconscious I left my spot and went right to The Joker. I picked him up and carried him to the bike but before putting him on the back I hogtied him and then put him on the back of the bike. I then headed to my shop and set everything up. I even tied Joker to the work bench. When he woke up I had the knives, handsaws, hatchets and a very interesting looking device. "Morning. I trust you slept well." He tried to talk but found that I had cut out his tongue. "That's good to hear." I pulled the hatchet first then checked the sharpness of the blade. "We're going to have some fun." Joker looked at me as I looked at him. His eyes were slowly filling with honest to god fear as he saw nothing but cold dead eyes. "You see. I'm not the kind of man that tortures. I find it a rather barbaric custom. But if there's only one thing your kind responds to. It's barbarism." I buried the hatchet in his rib cage. He tried to scream out but no noise came from his mouth. "You shot my wife. Possibly paralyzing her for life. You murdered our unborn child. And decided to be creative or stupid and rape my wife as she laid there bleeding out on the living room floor." I pulled the hand saw. "I'm going to show you what that feels like." I started sawing off his arms one section at a time. After I did that. I put the hand saw down and pulled a bowie knife and started carving the flesh off his left leg. "Getting the point. Please speak up I can't hear you." I pulled my revolver and aimed it at his private parts. "Speak up or I'll give you a reason to speak up." He had panic and dread and fear painted on his face. "Oh right. No tongue. Sorry." I shot his dick and balls off which caused him to scream. Or try to anyway. "Mr. Joker. If you won't lay still I'm afraid I may have to sedate you again." He tried to plead with me to stop. "I'm sorry. But your making this difficult. So nighty night." I injected a powerful sedative and tranq mix of my own design.

Moments later...
"Hey, Mr. Joker wake up." He slowly opened his eyes and found tape on his mouth and felt something in his stomach. "Good your finally awake." He Looked up and found he was hanging upside down from suicide point on Arkham Island. "Welcome to your final performance. I stopped the bleeding from your ribs, privates and arms however I'm afraid you have a bomb in your stomach. I put it there of course but it's a very special one. There's a shaker trigger on this bomb. And I made the bombs explosives by mixing C4 and Nitroglycerine and a dash of syntex." His eyes widened as he realized that he was just moments from death. "I cut or shoot the rope holding you. You panic and and start moving around which sets off the bomb. So I'm going to do this." I pulled a knife cut the rope and drew my right holstered revolver. And carefully aimed it at the Jokers gut. When he was about to hit the water I fired and once the bullet struck the Jokers gut. He blew to pieces. After I went to my shop and cleaned up and burned the evidence that I had anything to do with the Jokers disappearance. I tossed the bones outside of Gotham City Dog pound smiling as the dogs fought over the bony remains. I then made my way to the hospital and sat beside Barbara and never left her side. I changed into some clean clothes before even heading to the hospital of course.
Jim came in about a day or two after being admitted courtesy of what Joker did to him. "Hey, Daniel."
"Hey, pop." I replied.
"Any change or improvement?" I shook my head. "Oh. Well, keep me posted." I nodded as Jim left. And after another hour I fell asleep.

(Barbara's POV)
I heard heart monitors and oxygen machines as I slowly started to gain consciousness. After blinking a few times. I looked to my right and found my Daniel sleeping in a chair and noticed bags under his eyes as if this was the first time he had slept in days. I moved around a bit but had a slight hard time trying to sit up. But I found the beds remote and adjusted the bed until I was a little higher. I smiled at Daniel as I knew he had stayed by my side after going home from time to time. Then I said, "Hey, Daniel. Peacemaker!" I shouted and he woke up with a start.
"Barbara." He rocketed his arms around me and I smiled.
"Good to see you too."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. I am. And I can tell that I'm paralyzed. But there's nothing I can do about it." He slid onto the bed and laid next to me.
"How can you tell?"
"I can't feel anything below my waist." I said giggling at his ridiculous question. I hugged him and kissed his cheek then lips.
"Barbara. I think there's something that I should tell you."
"What is it?" I asked him.
"I killed the Joker."
"What? How?"
"I killed the Joker and I can't remember how. I was on some sort of autopilot after the doctor told me that there were signs of sexual assault." I hugged him tightly as even though I didn't agree with how he went about it. He cared about me enough to tell me the truth as to what he did to The Joker.

Over the next few weeks Daniel attended my physical therapy seessions with me. He even helped me design a wheelchair for me to get around the batcave or our apartment. He has since apologized to Bruce for losing his cool before he lost his self control after hearing that the doctor found evidence of sexual assault. He and I began in a sense solo careers. As in he would go out and patrol the streets and I'd remain at his gunsmith shop and relay information as needed.
We even went to many specialists in hopes of once again trying to have kids of our own. And when we found one. A long procedure later. Everything was fixed. All that we needed to do was test the results.

One year later...
Daniel and I have apprehended many criminals and villains of the city. And he was on his way home, where I was putting the finishing touches on our late anniversary dinner. But I have a surprise for him that I'm sure he'll like.
The apartment door opened and I heard, "Barbara I'm home."
I wheeled into the foyer, "Happy Anniversary Peacemaker."
"Happy Anniversary Barbara." He crouched down and kissed me and put a necklace around my neck. And it was a beautiful ruby encrusted crossed revolvers one. One revolver had his initials the other had mine. And what made it more cute was that the revolvers were surrounded by a giant heart.
"Come on." I led him to the dining room. "I was going to wait to show you this. But I can't wait any longer." I handed him a long rectangular box. He smiled and opened it. Then pulled out two pregnancy tests. Looked at me then back at the tests.
"Is..." He started. "Is this for real?" He smiled as I nodded and he sat in a chair at the table as I wheeled up to him.
"It's very real." I smiled as he put the tests away and I gripped his hands and put them on my stomach. "We're going to have a baby." He was smiling from ear to ear. "Two in fact." I added and that only made him smile more.