The Jester, The Clown and The Acrobat

Chapter 1 - Coming Together

DISCLAIMER – I do not own YJ or its characters. I only own the plot and my minor OC.

It had taken days of pestering, but finally The Joker had agreed to let Harley Quinn go to the circus for her day off. This wasn't just any circus, though. This was Haly's circus, home to The Flying Graysons – the best acrobats around. She had always secretly admired acrobats – oh, how she wished to soar through the air so effortlessly as they did. Not that she liked them any better than clowns, don't even believe that for a second, or she would hunt you down and-

It was at this moment that she stopped that train of thought, retreating from her mind to the present, and with it, the real world.

Stepping up to the ticket booth she asked, "One ticket to Haly's Circus please."

The man inside smiled and replied, "Of course, that will be $9.50." (AN: I have no idea how much the circus costs – especially in America – I'm British)

She handed over the money and received her ticket. Feeling giddy with glee to be there, she made her way to the seat assigned to the ticket. Sitting down, she felt happy, for it had a great view of where the acrobats would perform. She couldn't wait 'til then.

She checked her program that she had "borrowed" from someone outside. All right, she stole it, but she honestly couldn't be asked to wait to get inside just so she could buy it. The Flying Graysons were set to perform at the end of the show.

"Great," she thought, "It'll be fresh in my mind when I go home."

The show began to raucous applause as Haly himself took the stage. That wasn't surprising, as it was his job after all. No. What was surprising was the hint of worry she thought she saw flash over his face. Mind you, it was only for a split-second, so she took no notice of it.

"The knife-throwers and clowns weren't anywhere near as good as Mister J," she noted, "But then again, how could anybody even come close to being as good as my puddin'."

Finally, it was time for the last act- The Flying Graysons. Harley's heart filled with joy at the anticipation of finally being able to see them in action.

Then the lights all went off.

At first many audience members were confused, but the chatter stopped when spotlights started to shine on the platforms up high.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please put a warm hand together for the one and only – The Flying Graysons! Featuring John, Mary and their son, Richard "Dick" Grayson!"

This was met with the biggest applause of the night. And with that, they were off, flying through the air on the trapeze.

"They really can fly, can't they," thought Harley, awe-struck.

Then the ringleader stood with a spotlight to state, "For their finale, The Flying Graysons will be performing their famous routine, all without a net. For his safety, Dick will not be taking part due to his age."

A soft creaking could then be heard, only audible to the jester's attuned ears. Realizing what was happening a moment late, she could do nothing but watch as the ropes snapped, leaving the two parents to fall to their doom. The mother screamed for her child, who could do nothing but watch in terror as his parents died in front of him.

She could almost feel her heart breaking at the sight. No child should have to witness that, should have to go through that.

The boy seemed to remind her of someone important in her life, she just couldn't put the name to them.

A low laugh, evil in its own way could be heard in the silence – and it clicked. This boy reminded her of the most important person in her life – The Joker.

Thinking about it, she could see the connection the two had. Then she thought to herself, if the boy's parents were dead, he was an orphan. And if he was an orphan, he was up for adoption. She had always wanted a child, and here was one, available for the taking.

It wasn't exactly what she had come here for, but she would gladly take it – er, him.

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THE FOLLOWING WEEK:

John and Mary Grayson's funeral had come and gone, with Bruce Wayne himself paying for it. Harleen had gone and paid her respects, vowing in her mind that their son would be cared for.

It was now that the eight-year-old had been sent to Gotham Orphanage that Harleen had decided to make her move. She had reason to suspect that the playboy billionaire was planning on adopting him herself.

She walked through the stained-glass double doors and walked up to the receptionist's desk.

"Hello, Madam. How may I help you?"

"I am Harleen Quinzel. We spoke over the phone?" Harley replied uneasily.

"Yes, Miss Quinzel. You wanted to adopt one of the boys we have here?"

"That is correct. I was hoping to adopt Richard Grayson."

"Well, if you'd like to take a seat, we can get on to the details. Don't worry, it's just a little background info, accompanied by information on how you would care for him. We want to make sure that he goes to a safe environment."

"Alright then."

Half an hour later, they were done.

With no lying done by one Miss Harleen Quinzel thank you very much.

"Miss Quinzel, I am pleased to say that you seem like an excellent person to look after young Richard. We'll have to inform him of what is happening, and he'll have to get his things together, so expect him to be ready to go with you tomorrow."

"I shall come back then, then."

"See you tomorrow then."

And with those last words, she got up and left with a wave and a smile on her face.

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THE NEXT DAY:

"Are you ready Richard?" Harley asked in a small voice.

"Yes miss, I wanted to leave here the moment I stepped inside this шибан place," he said in an even smaller voice, heavy with accent, "Please call me Dick, everyone else does."

Harley dropped the confused look on her face to reply, "Okay Dick, you can call me Harley then." Her curiosity picking up, she followed up with, "What was that you said about this 'place'?"

"It's Bulgarian for f*cking," he replied. "I use it because my family and I are Romani, gypsies if you will. Romani is made up of several different languages, and I tend to use Bulgarian when angry."

"Well you shouldn't." Reacting to his bemused expression, she added, "You shouldn't be swearing at 8 years old, I'll have none of that alright?"

"Alright then mi-Harley." She beamed at him calling her that. "She has a nice smile," he thought.

"Come on then," she said. "Let's go to your new home."

They set off, through the city.

This is my first fanfic so please leave feedback of any kind. Also, if you spot any grammar or spelling mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me so I can fix them.