T R A P P E D 2

1. Sane

*~Omniscient~*

One Year Later...

Bruce strolled down the dark hallways of Arkham, nodding his head at the security detail that stood at each corner of the hallways, as they returned a simple head nod. His phone had been blowing up for hours, forcing him to leave his home in the middle of the night, and come see what all the fuss is about. For months, he had been in and out of Arkham, visiting the one person who he never thought he'd be visiting.

"I'm here. What's the big emergency?" He asked, crossing his arms as he looked down at the doctor.

"We've reached a breakthrough, Bruce." Dr. Arkham smiled. "This news is so exciting and so incredible!"

"What kind of breakthrough?" Instead of telling him right off the bat, he decided to show him exactly what he was talking about. They walked further down the hallway, stopping outside of the Joker's room, pulling open the small door window. Bruce peered into the room, watching as Joker sat on the floor with his back facing the door, staring at the blank wall in front of him. "Just what exactly am I looking at?"

"Over the last few months, there has been a drastic change in the clown prince's behavior, and it seems as if he's become...normal." The doctor explained. Bruce was skeptical about what he had just heard, knowing that Joker has had a hard time adjusting to being in this asylum. Upon his arrival almost six months ago, Joker had sent a total of twenty three employees in the hospital, fighting them off every time they'd come near him. "He even went through his weekly therapy session, being very cooperative and opening up about all the things that he regret doing over the past few years."

"I'll believe that when I see it for myself. Open the doors." Bruce demanded. He didn't believe that Joker was cured, let alone sane, and he wanted to see if he could poke the psychotic bear. Dr. Arkham glanced at Bruce, giving him an uneasy look, but pulled his key out to unlock the door anyway. Bruce stepped into the room, hearing soft sobs coming from Joker, as he slightly turned his head to the side.

"Get...out!" He grumbled, going back to looking at the wall.

"Joker." Bruce's deep voice caught him by surprised, as he quickly turned around and wiped his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot red, and he had snot and slob running down his face, making Bruce shake his head in disgust. "Clean yourself up so we can talk."

"Is this about Alex? Is she okay? Is the baby okay?" He asked, as his voice leaked with so much desperation and concern, but Bruce was convinced that this was a part of his act.

"They're fine, but we're not talking about them right now. We're talking about you." He handed Joker some tissue, allowing him to wipe his face and blow his nose, before they sat down and started their chat. "The doctors said that you've reached a breakthrough."

"The noise...it finally stopped." Joker said, in a low, raspy voice.

"Has it really?"

"All the things I've done over the years, killing innocent people for my enjoyment...how could I?" Bruce saw the tears swell up in his eyes, as he continued to talk. "I was a monster. Scratch that, I am a monster!" He dropped his head down on the table, sobbing like a baby, as Bruce sat there completely shocked.

"Excuse me for one second." He got up and walked over to the door, knocking on it, as the doctor opened it. "What the hell did you do to him?"

"Aside from the dosages we were giving him, it seems as if it has had a real impact on his brain chemistry. Compared to when he was first brought in, the exposure to chemicals caused a serious trauma that changed his behavior; sending it well beyond behavioral adjustment. Now...he's back to the way he once was, finally feeling the guilt of everything that he's done wrong over the years." Dr. Arkham said.