*J* (the continuation)

Part Thirty-Eight: Chapter 286: What Will Always Remain Pt. 1

The ice made a clinking sound in the crystal glass as Bruce brought it to his lips for a sip. He normally only drinks when he's been injured and needs something to dull his pain. But, when one goes out night after night, obtaining one injury after another that require anesthetizing, doesn't that pretty much make them an alcoholic? Normally, Bruce would like to say no, but lately he wasn't so sure. A part of Bruce said to just drink, drink to any damn thing he wanted. But a larger part of him said that his woes were to blame for his drinking. Sometimes the woes were nightmares about his parents, or about bats swooping in and attacking him. But the current plague to his psyche was his knowledge about Jason's intent for revenge over the Joker.

It wasn't like he could warn J. If he told him that Jason was alive he knew J would go after him. And it was more likely that J would would get to Jason before Jason could get to J. That and J would no longer trust Bruce. Keeping a secret of that magnitude from him would be looked at as a betrayal. And the Joker did not accept betrayal. He killed people who crossed him for far less offenses. And then there was Lucy to consider. J would never let him see her if he betrayed him. Bruce couldn't sacrifice his access to her. On the entire planet, only she and Jason shared his Wayne blood.

There was no way he could work on talking Jason out of his need for revenge. He didn't have a clue where to find Jason. He could be anywhere, perhaps not even in Gotham City at all. He didn't have a single lead. He couldn't put word out on the street because there would be too much of a chance that the word would reach J. And he already knew better than to waste his time trying to talk J out of killing Jason. His hands were tied and he was walking a tightrope over jokerized piranha infested waters.

It seemed as if his relationships wirh all parties involved, was running on borrowed time. Taking that into consideration, he knew he had best make the best of what time he had left. He needed to go visit Lucy while he still could. He hadn't seen her since she had been in J's care. Mainly because he wanted her to have the time to settle into her new home, and new parents. So he gulped down the last of his drink, and pulled himself together the best he could being half drunk... Ok, he's way beyond only half drunk. Hopefully noone at the Joker household would notice. It was well before 5:00 o'clock, which was considered an inappropriate time to be drinking, much less drunk.

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Bruce arrived at the Joker's current place of residence. It was a quaint little cottage in a good part of town. He was promptly greeted with guns in his face the second he exited his car and started up the walkway. The clowns of course knew the billionaire playboys face, and wasted no time notifying the boss of who had come calling. Moments later Frost was at the front door.

"Mr. Wayne, do come in," he politely said and moved aside to let him in. "This way sir," he said and led him through the living room, then a short hallway. He then reached out and opened a door. Instantly Bruce could hear toy train whistle almost drown out by Lucy laughing in a high pitched giggle. Frost stepped aside and motioned for Bruce to go in.

Upon entry, he immediately noticed the toy train track lining the entire room. But by no means was it just on the floor in a boring old oval. Oh no. It went up over window seals, up, around, and under furniture, across bridges, and through tunnels. The train was a 20's era circus train. The cars of the train carried scale sized circus animals. In the middle of the floor, with the track making a large circle around him, sat the Joker with Lucy laughing in his lap. In addition to his designer suit, he wore a striped train conductor's hat. His smile was brighter than Bruce had ever seen. His blue eyes sparkled like diamonds. Bruce couldn't help but feel a pang in his chest.

"Bruce," the Joker smiles up at him, "what brings you by while the sun is still shining?"

Bruce rolls his eyes with a slight smirk, "Ok, that one was funny."