P o s s e s s i v e m u c h ? Batmanxjoker

9- CAUGHT !

The air was cold and icy that night, a coldness that reached the bone. It was dark, ominous, quite fitting for tonight's atmosphere. The streets of Gotham's metropolitan were abandoned and ghostly quiet. Civilians were warned to flee the streets and retreat to the safety of their homes, a warning they heeded carefully. For they knew when the notorious came out to play, something dangerous was bound to happen.

Joker's henchman had the city hall cornered, the rooftops guarded by men, back doors securely watched, and windows manned by snipers. It was clear to see that Joker wasn't willing to let Scarecrow go. While his henchman stood outside waiting, Joker, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn sat in a vehicle only a few meters away, plotting and scheming. The plan was simple, not much thought had been put into it, but it was the execution that mattered.

Flashback at Ivy's house:

Harley: "So we walk in like we own the place, henchmen in front of us and behind. We bash a few heads and drag Scarecrow off."

Joker: "Yeah, yeah, that's great."

Ivy: "J, are you even listening, or are you too busy putting on makeup?"

Joker: "Sorry, I just gotta apply this lipstick right. I fight best when my makeup is applied well."

Ivy: "Is that so? I think that shade of red is nice but you'll be wearing a mask, so it won't matter. I think it'll help more if you knew the plan."

Joker: "Yeah pumpkin, I know the plan inside and out."

Harley: "Good, because if you stuff up I won't save your ass."

Joker: "WOW! such a nice older sister."

Feeling confident and fuelled with the premise of revenge. Joker followed the two women outside of the car. Henchman armed with machine guns and other weapons crowded around them forming a V-shape, protectively around Harley, Ivy, and Joker.

"You schmucks remember the plan?" Harley yelled to the men around her, the criminals grunted in unison as a sign of agreement. Harley, pleased with the answer told them to march forward, approaching the Gotham city hall. As they walked, the henchman couldn't help but mutter to themselves. They found it strange that Harley was the one leading them into battle instead of the enigmatic clown leader, they didn't mind it they just found it strange.

Did Joker's henchmen find it weird that he was wearing a clown mask when he usually just wore makeup? Yes, very much.

Did Joker's henchman find it weird that he hadn't spoken a word or made a single one-liner tonight? Also, yes.

Did they question it? No. They paid much attention to it but didn't have the nerve to bring it up. They all figured it was just another one of Joker's odd plans, one they would see unfold later. After all, as long as they were getting paid, what problem did they really have? As the group approached the entrance of Gotham's city hall, Harley ordered them to halt.

"Hey Puddin, you got something that'll blow the door open?" Harley asked turning to Joker. The clown smiled beneath the mask; he definitely did. Reaching into his pocket he found exactly what he needed, a small disk with a smiling clown painted on it.

The disk of death, I haven't seen this baby in a while. He smiled to himself. This should do the trick. He passed it to Harley carefully.

"Be careful pumpkin, place it on the door it'll stick. Tap it three times and then bolt." He warned.

Harley examined the disk, slightly skeptical. "You sure this will be enough power to blow those doors sky high?" Her tone screamed, "not convinced." Joker rolled his eyes but nodded.

Trust me Pumpkin, it'll give off a real bang. The joker smirked to himself. Harley walked up to the city hall main door, doing as Joker had instructed, she placed the disk on the door, it stuck perfectly.

Here goes. She breathed. She tapped on the disk three times and sped off like lighting back in the direction she came from. She dove back into the safety of her bodyguards.

Well? She thought impatiently after a few seconds of silence, is that i-...

A loud boom erupted from the door, the entrance exploded, the doors came right off. Dust and fire filled the air. Harley's hair blew back with such force, she was pleasantly shocked to see it had worked.

Mr. J was right, it sure did not disappoint. After the dust had settled and the fire died down Harley made the order, not wasting a second.

"Go, Go, Go!" She yelled adrenaline pulsing through her. A squad of ten men ran before her, going into the hall first, the trio of villains followed, accompanied by their little squad. Harley had her bat ready, Ivy possessed multiple seeds in pockets and her vine staff (a combination of a bamboo staff with thorns all over it) Joker had a pocket full of weapons and his trusty knife. Though he might not have been in his right frame of mind, he was very much so ready to wreak havoc. The many crooks and villains charged into the hall but were quick to stop as the saw many bodies that lay on the floor, some of their men and others they couldn't determine.

"I was expecting you to be smarter, but here you are right where I am." A loud voice spoke. Standing at the center with a trademark grin was no other than Scarecrow. He grinned at the trio, aware of their disliking to him. He stood around an abundance of Henchman who were also loaded with guns.

So that explains the people on the floor. Joker scowled from underneath his clown mask. That fucking bastard! He growled. He very much wanted to go right up there and slap that goofy grin off the stupid shrink's face, he wanted to yell at him and curse at him with every word possible. But he resisted the urge, he didn't want anyone to hear his voice. Besides, there would be time for that later.

"Yeah, yeah. We know this was a plan and you were hoping we wouldn't be as dumb." Harley remarked sarcastically.

"But we really don't care, we've come for you and won't leave until we get you." Ivy threatened.

Scarecrow raised an eyebrow. They're here for me? Well, what an interesting turn of events. He hadn't expected them to come, in fact, the whole reason he here was an idea completely separate to the Joker. He had his personal reasons for being here. He had crashed the city hall on his own merits, not in the precedent that Joker would come. Although, seeing the clown gave him some excitement, even if he had tried to kill him.

"I'm sorry but I'm here for other business, maybe next time." Scarecrow smiled. The trio had barely gotten enough time to act when he had ordered his men to start shooting. Everyone in the room scattered, seeking a place for cover, some slower than others. Bullets flew around the room, hitting and ricocheting off objects. Scarecrow took this as his chance, he took a bodyguard with him, running into another room. Joker had noticed, whilst behind a pillar, only a few spaces away from Harley who used a desk as a shield.

"I'm going after him," Joker yelled at Harley. Harley was hesitant but agreed.

"Take Ivy, she'll protect you!" She couldn't leave just yet, while there were so many goons.

"Ivy!" Joker yelled, she spotted Ivy from across the room, blocking attacks with her plant powers. She looked back at him and nodded, understanding he needed her assistance. She used her vine power to carry her across the room and grabbed Joker's hand lifting him. She carried them both across the room, where they both ran in the same directions as Scarecrow. They spotted him quickly, he hadn't gotten far. Ivy threw her staff it hit the security guard square in the back of the head and knocked him out, he fell to the ground. Scarecrow tsk'd, ignoring his unconscious guard.

"Nice shot!" Joker laughed, feeling confident.

"You'll like the next one." Ivy smiled. Using the remainder of her vine, it sprung up, wrapping its self onto Scarecrows' legs. She lifted him, his glasses fell off as he was dangling in the air.

"Going somewhere, babe?" Joker remarked.

*********🐧🐧🐧

As Batman slowed the batmobile against the curb, he could tell he was late to the party. The doors of city hall had been blown away, flames extending outside. A few lifeless bodies even lay about.

"What the hell happened here?" Batman muttered. Joker must have been in some fight. Batman got out of his car making his way outside. He hesitantly walked, apprehensive of any dangers as he got closer to the building, he could hear the crisp sounds of bullets firing. The conflict inside was still very much alive. He frowned, not believing it was wise to run headfirst into such conflict.

Gotta find another way in. A back door perhaps. With his trusty grappling gun, he grappled to the top of the building, now on the roof he used his night-vision goggles to see any criminals on the prowl, just as he had predicted two thugs stood at the back entrance of the door.

Easy work. Batman thought. He glided downwards, A shadow was cast over the two men, but too little too late. They didn't notice until the vigilante was upon them, he took them out with ease and was quick to tie them up. Batman walked in through the back door, silently tiptoeing around. With his night-vision goggles not only could he see many objects in the darker clearer but here could see the heat signatures of many people in different rooms. In the main entrance, he could see many heat signatures, at 30, most men but one woman.

Ivy or Harley Quinn. He figured. In the other room, four heat signatures, one of a woman and three of men. That must be where the Joker is. He didn't see Joker as the fighting type, he usually had his henchman do the dirty work for him, so there was a chance the clown might be inside there. Regardless of dirty work or not, there were two unidentified people in that room with Joker, Batman knew not what kind of power they had or whether he was walking straight into an ambush. He would have to tread carefully. Batman headed straight for the ceiling, it would be harder to see him coming if he was not on the ground. Whilst on the ceiling he moved quickly to the other room, carefully, preserving himself like the shadow he was. Sure enough, his deductive reasoning led him to the right answer. The Joker was in this room. But his choice of company was strange.

Batman watched in confusion as a man in a clown mask with the same purple suit as the Joker was yelling at an annoyed scarecrow, who hung upside down from a vine.

What is going on here? Bruce questioned. He couldn't tell if the man in the purple suit was the Joker, he wore the clown's trademark hunch and green dyed hair but he couldn't see his face, for all he knew it could be anyone.

Unbeknownst to Batman's presence in the room, the villains continued their chat.

"J, I'm surprised you came all this way, do you really care about me?" Smirked the psychologist, despite being in such a compromising position.

"ZIP IT Shrink! The whole reason I'm here is because of something you did to me!" Joker snapped, he hated seeing scarecrow taunt him. Acting so normally, when he was the reason the Joker was stuck like this.

Scarecrow furrowed his eyebrows, staring at his ex. His plan that had been foiled nearly a day ago failed miserably. Why was the clown so worked up?

"The mind control didn't work, so what's the real reason you're here huh? I didn't think you were that petty or did you miss me?" Scarecrow joked, though deep down he wished it was true.

"SHUT UP!" Joker yelled throwing his hands in the air, "I actually cannot with you." It was then on after that statement that the room that two people though completely different realized the same thing.

Joker didn't sound like the Joker! Scarecrow squinted due to the lack of glasses, he hadn't noticed at first, but the clown prince of crime was wearing a mask, a cheap gimmick was all that had run through the psychologist's mind at first. But now when he thoroughly analyzed it, the mask wasn't the only thing. Nothing about his former partner was the same. Scarecrow looked at his height, he was shorter standing at the same height as Ivy, his body didn't fill his suit too, it was baggy and kind of swallowed him. And after replaying Joker's words in his head Scarecrow noticed the lack of deepness in the Joker's voice, his voice came out as soft and squeaky, heck even bitchier!

Something's happened to him. Scarecrow said internally, the pieces suddenly began to fit in his head. My toxin, it did something to him, it might not have been mind control but it definitely did something. Scarecrow suppressed a chuckle. Somewhere along the lines, a change had happened in the Joker's body and now he needed the scarecrow's help. Scarecrow laughed out loud suddenly.

"What did the toxin do to you?" He chuckled, finding irony in the situation. The Joker needed his help! The Joker and Ivy looked at each other, Ivy couldn't see his face but beyond the mask, she was certain he reciprocated the same look of shock she did.

How does he know? How the hell does he know? Was I too obvious?

Batman who had watched the whole situation unfold was beginning to understand now, he too was very alert in the changes that had happened to Joker, and the conversation that commenced between the Scarecrow and the Joker had confirmed that the clown was indeed the clown. Scarecrow had even confirmed the crook's story, he and Ivy were working on a toxin in the lab and somehow it had hit Joker.

But what was it? Is it a danger to Gotham? Batman couldn't be too certain, sure the clown was alive and functioning to a normal capacity but there was no telling what the toxin was.

Scarecrow continued to laugh, Joker's silence had just very well told the psychologist what he needed to know. Joker stayed quiet trying not to blow his cover anymore.

"Come on you're coming with us, Scarecrow," Ivy growled, speaking on behalf of the Joker.

Batman decided it was now time to step in, as much as he didn't like the Scarecrow, he wouldn't let two mad criminals like Joker and Poison Ivy take him away. He slid down from the ceiling, his presence commanding attention.

"No, he's not!" Batman growled at the three villains, "because all three of you will be headed straight for Arkham asylum."

"Batman!" Joker squeaked a little too loudly. He unconsciously jumped behind Ivy as the dark knight stared at him.

Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit! What is he doing here? He panicked. Throughout their whole plan, they had failed to take into consideration that maybe the Batman might have shown up, to be fair Joker was too caught up in his teenage angst to be thinking about it.

Joker shook as hid behind Ivy, avoiding eye contact. His usual charismatic and playful attitude he exuded with Batman was gone, he couldn't even look in the same direction. He felt very vulnerable around Batman.

"What are you doing here?" Ivy questioned, threateningly.

Batman's glance turned to all three. "I should be asking you the same thing." He retorted.

Ivy scowled at him but stood her ground. She turned to J and whispered to him. "J, you need to get out of here, I'll take care of this." She warned. God forbid if he sees you like this!

Joker couldn't agree more, but still, he did need Scarecrow.

"We can't leave without Scarecrow. But Basty doesn't look like he wants to move." Joker commented, in fact, Batman looked like he was ready to pummel them all to a pulp

"You leave that to me, now go!" Ivy reassured. Joker tiptoed backward, but Batman was quick to notice.

"You're not going anywhere, Joker!" He yelled. Ivy quickly acted she yeeted Scarecrow across the room, hoping one of his bones had broken so he couldn't walk. He let out a pained groan.

Close enough. Ivy thought. Now she turned to Batman, eyes blaring with determination and anger. Batman ran at her, Ivy mirrored his behavior, she swung her vine wildly at him. Which of course he dodged well. Ivy kept swinging at him but could not manage to land a blow. She discarded the plant, choosing to run straight at him instead. Fists flew and kicks were exchanged as the two made contact, Ivy was a strong fighter but unfortunately, Batman was stronger. Joker watched in horror as batman was beginning to overpower her.

CRUDBUCKETS! I can't let this happen! The clown thought quickly. He edged closer to them despite his trembling nerves. Ivy who was on the kneeling on the floor trying to divert Batman's boot from hitting her skull, pushed against his weight with all her might but was failing. Just as Batman was about to knock her lights out, Joker lunged at the hero, knocking them both to the floor. Ivy collapsed on the floor tired but relieved.

"Joker!" Batman yelled annoyed, he couldn't believe the Joker had caught him like that, but in typical Batman fashion, he was quick to react. He grabbed the Joker and with a hard fist, Batman punched his lights. The Joker became limp.

"Ivy? Joker?" A voice yelled. Harley ran into the room, looking frantic and coming to help grill Scarecrow. Her attention immediately diverted as her gaze fell onto her best friend who was on the floor, seemingly lifeless next to the Dark knight.

"What did you do?" Harley screamed angrily at Batman. She looked around even more surprised, Scarecrow was knocked out on the floor, and so was Joker, Ivy was panting for air and Batman was glowering at her.

What the fuck is going on here? She had just come from a tiresome battle only to find out the plan was a bust and Batman was here. Harley lifted her bat.

I still have a few swings left in me. Even if she was tired. She ground her foot into the floor. Here we go.

"Wee-oow- wee-ooo!" The loud pulse wail of police sirens could be heard, coming from outside the building.

"The fuzz is here damnit!" Harley groaned. We need to get outta here now unless we want one ticket straight Arkham.

Batman too felt a slight level of panic, he thought the police wouldn't get here as fast as they did but he indeed was wrong. He needed to flee the scene before the GPD came busting in here, they would probably have back up, a lot of back up not to mention that the police department weren't big fans of him, with the exception of commissioner Gordon, however, that wasn't enough to save him. People still had mixed opinions on the Dark knight's vigilantism. He wasn't exactly a legal superhero

If only I had more time. Batman huffed. He looked at Harley Quinn who was helping Ivy up, he didn't bother to stop them.

They probably won't make it out fast enough. But neither would Batman if he just stayed here. Batman looked at the unconscious Joker.

I need to know what that toxin was. He knew he couldn't get all information he needed if the psycho clown was back in Arkham, but he couldn't just let him go.

What to do? What to do? Damn the GPD has probably blocked off the most exits, I'll end up trapped. He would either leave with or without the clown.

Batman grunted in annoyance at the only idea in his head.

I'm gonna regret this aren't I? Batman thought already regretting what he hadn't even done. Batman lumbered over Joker, picking up the clown, he did something he never thought he would, he swung him over his shoulders, ready to take him to his Batmobile.

"What the heck are you doing?" Harley yelled. Batman only gave her a look of silence before using his grappling gun to shatter the window. Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy could only watch with shock as Batman disappeared into the night with the Joker.

"He's got, Jack." Both women gasped, they didn't have much time to mourn however since the loud clambering boots of the GPD could be heard outside the door. Harley looked at Scarecrow who now seemed to be stirring.

"Forget him, we need to get outta here," Ivy said, Harley agreed. Ivy soon dug into her pocket, pulling some seeds out.

"What are those?" Harley asked, Ivy gave back a tired smile before replying.

"I like to call them jack and the beanstalk." She threw the seeds on the ground, then spat on them, a loud rumble erupted through the room as a huge beanstalk grew, breaking a hole into the roof. Both women jumped on it making their escape to the rooftops and leaving Scarecrow for the GPD to handle. Now on the roof, both women lept across the rooftop to rooftop, knowing the had to be quick on their feet. Harley glanced briefly back at the building.

I'll get J back. She promised herself, I'll get him back.

*****

Batman honestly had no idea what he was thinking, when he put a sleeping Joker in the passenger seat of his Batmobile, he had no idea on what possessed him that night and he certainly didn't have any idea on what he was going to do if the clown woke up. Batman adjusted the seat belt placing it around Joker before hurriedly getting to the driver's seat, he put his foot on the gas and on drove, trying not to think about what he had just done or look back. He only had one thing in mind and that was to get to the one place he knew as a sanctuary and that was the Bat cave.

"Alfred's going to kill me."