Young Justice: New Recruits

Chapter 8: The Punchline

When I awoke, my whole body was coursing with pain. My eyelids felt heavy and the only thing I saw when I opened them was blurry shapes.

"Oh thank god she's awake!" M'gann?

"I'm going to go get Batman." Dick?

"Kaira we'll leave you alone with her." Kaldur?

"Hey Amelia." Kaira smiled sadly.

"I'm so sorry Kaira. I was just so upset. I didn't want all of you to get hurt by my father. Instead I hurt you."

"It's alright. Besides you're the one who's lying in bed who had been passed out for 24 hours. I kicked your ass."

"Yeah I guess you did." I laughed.

"You are actually covered in bruises."

"Perfect." I groaned.

"Well so am I! You landed some good hits!" She laughed hard.

All of a sudden Batman walked in. No words needed to be exchanged. Kaira got up and walked out of the room, leaving Batman and I alone. I moved to sit up in my bed and winced at the pain those movements caused. Batman pulled a chair up beside my bed and pulled off his mask. I was now talking, not to Batman, but to Bruce Wayne.

"What were you thinking!? Kaira is your team mate and your best friend! You had no reason to attack her!"

"I know I was out of line! But you know my relationship with the Joker is a horrible one! I was not going to risk my teams lives for something that was between my dad and I! Besides the only reason you care is because Kaira got hurt. Just go and check on her!"

"Why do you assume I don't care what happens to you?"

"I am the daughter of your arch-nemesis! Besides ever since I met you, you have never treated me like how you treat Kaira and Dick. You spent time with them and talked to them but with me, nothing! I was just given the cold, stoic glances."

"I did not think that it would be wise for us to form a relationship like I had with Dick and Kaira. I will not deny that I was wary of you when you were first discovered. I thought maybe you were a part of the Joker's plans to kill me. But when I brought you and Kaira here and I saw that raw determination you had, I didn't  want that fire to die. I knew that if I tried to shelter you from the world, you would just grow to hate me and the world more. It was probably not the best way to handle the situation, but I'm really not used to the idea of parenting. I guess because I could relate to Dick's pain of losing his parents it made somewhat easier to talk with him. With Kaira she just started talking to me. Asking me about the Justice League and her powers. She was amusing and easy to talk to because she was so curious. You, it was a lot more challenging. You, like me, were very reserved and kept to yourself. The only time you showed emotion was when you talked to Kaira or when you would get extremely angry. I didn't in truth know how to deal with all that you had gone through. In truth I wanted to be a father figure to you, like I am to Dick and Kaira. I just didn't know how."

"Look I don't hate you Bruce. In fact all I really wanted was your approvel. I wanted you to recognize me as Amelia, not just as the Joker's daughter."

"I do see you for what you have become. A strong, independent, smart girl who can sometimes be too rash and violent. You are a good person, but the stunt you pulled yesterday has concerned me greatly. I am thinking about removing you from this mission because it is to emotional for you."

"No! I have to do it. If I am not allowed to kill my father, than please let me defeat him. I won't sit back and watch."

"I will need you to pretend to join forces with your father. You will tell him things about the Justice League that appear to be true but are not. You will wear your mask there, but take it off as soon as you make eye contact with your father. This will trick him into believing the he can trust you. The rest of the team and myself will devise a suprise attack and take him out. Do you know if your mother will be there?"

"Harley Quinn? Sure if she hasn't died from a STD or my dad hasn't killed her yet." I mumbled.

"Alright. We will execute the plan tomorrow night."

The next night I found myself walking down the streets of Gotham. I was so nervous, but I was also itching to kill. I knew these streets too well. Sometimes in nightmars I was taken back here. I saw my old house and walked up to the front door. I knocked on the door 3 times, waiting in a painful silence. As the door started to open, my heart stopped. In front of me stood my mother. Still a provocative dresser like before.

'Oh baby girl your father and I have missed you so much!" She said, hugging me.

I held back vomit and hugged her back. "I've missed you too, mom."

"Well come on in! Your father is anxious to see you."

I followed my mother through the house. Nothing had changed. It was still as horrible as it had been before. Dust and cobwebs clung onto everything and all the furniture was cheap and falling apart. Some of the floorboards had hooks in them. Harley led me into the kitchen where I was the bright green hair and I came face to face with the Joker. My father.

"Amelia Joker. My daughter." He said, grinning like the maniac he is.

"Father." I said simply, pulling off my mask, revealing my face.

"Look at her, puddin'! she's so beautiful!" Harley beamed.

"And powerful." Joker's smile widened.

"It has been too long. I am sorry. I must have made you believe that I was betraying you. I was actually undercover for 3 years trying to join the League and acquire information for you. I have discovered that my power not only absorbs other's powers, but also drains people of their energy and knowledge, even those who don't have powers such as Batman. I also have Batman's little sidekick Robin wrapped around my finger. He thinks w're a couple and I am this close to getting the little runt to spilling about his secret identity and once we find out his, we find out Batman's. Did I do alright?"

"You did marvelous! To think I ever doubted you! What a good joke!" Joker laughed.

"Come here, baby girl and let me look at you!" Harley said.

I took a few steps towards her.

"If I didn't know you before now, I would have never guessed you were our daughter. I mean you obviously inherited your beauty from me, but nothing else matches! Not height, hair, eyes! Nothing!"

"Do you want to know why that is mother? It is because though you both brought me into this world I will never truly be your daughter!"

As soon as those words left my lips, the team along with Batman burst into the house. Since both Harley and Joker were not anticipating the attack, they were taken down pretty easily. They were then picked up and transported to Arkham Asylum. I felt so relieved. Knowing that at least for now that my father could not find me. That I and my team were safe from him. I looked at Batman and smiled at him and for the first time, he smiled back. We all headed back to Mount Justice after that.