The_NewCatwoman
05-23-2001, 10:16 AM
Jason dug his fingers into the concrete floor of the hospital, allowing his anger to surge through his body.
No more heartbreak.
No more torture.
He smiled a sedated smile, evil rotting his core.
He felt whole, for once sure of his next actions.
Standing quickly, he wrapped his hands around Joker's neck, burning him like acid.
The Joker stared at him with warped eyes, laughing maniacally.
This would be a grand death.
Andrew sat, still on his haunches, muttering still, completely unoblivious to the merciless killing above him.
"Mum, I, I-I didn't mean to, I didn't know, I'm such a fool…"
"Now, you suffer, you relive all the pain you've caused me, you go to hell for all I care, I just want you to feel what it's like to be on the receiving end for a change!" Jason whispered, in a sick, menacing voice.
He joined his mind with the Joker's, fleshing into his imagination all of the things he'd had to live through.
Leaving Gotham, and his Daddy behind.
Living with Andrew.
Watching his mother die in the cornfield that birthed Superman.
The Bomb.
The Joker was still laughing, eyes wide, spit flying, skin frying, and still he laughed.
Jason's hands began to turn red, and blood poured out from between his fingers.
The Joker's head burst into flames.
Jason let go and watched the Joker fall to the ground.
Breathing heavily, he collapsed, falling into unconsciousness to the sound of the Batman, and the rest crowding around him and the two bodies of the Joker and Andrew Eric Tyler.
A gunshot went off, and sweet silence filled the air.
--#--
Caitlin reached up and touched her forehead, a fair amount of blood pooled into her hand.
She stared at it, then looked at Smiley.
"Look at what you did to me! You let him do this to me, to all of us. You deserve to die!"
Smiley stared forward, like a doe in headlights, lip quivering.
Caitlin stared deep into her eyes, fed off of her fear; all that was left was the quick and silent punishment.
"You deserve to die." She said her voice lowering slightly, "I hate you!" she screamed. Squeezing the trigger.
The explosion.
The momentum sent her back an inch.
Smiley sat dead against the shattered glass, eyes staring forward, frozen in her twisted glory.
Five people ran into the room, blurry objects that crowded around her.
One of them was crying.
Another bent down and slowly eased the gun from between her fingertips, her hands still raised, staring blankly into space.
The blur lifted her up into her arms, and carried her away, back to the land of civilians.
**
They all sat, not sure of what to say, in various places around the hotel room.
Bruce had pulled down his cowl, his head buried in his hands, eyes closed, he sat on the edge of the bed.
Selina sat across from him on the coffee-table, she also had her cowl down, and stared forward, face in a frown of thought.
Caitlin lay on the bed, yet still another I.V. stabbing her veins, she obviously couldn't handle morphine, Bruce knew she'd be in pain when she woke up.
Jason lay next to her, sweat pouring down his temples, no doubt having a nightmare.
They were both so pale, they couldn't have possibly, knowing everything… They knew it wasn't… something had to have happened to make them do something like that.
Bruce thought about it, he knew Jason, knew him very well actually.
But it wasn't this Jason he knew.
He knew the two-year-old who slept with a Barney™ night-light on, the two-year-old who made peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches for the monster under his bed at three in the morning, and who ate a stick of butter because he didn't know any better.
This boy, no man, he was almost eighteen now, who lay on the bed, hands dressed for the burns, whose father was on his way to Arkham at that very moment, and who had killed his own grandfather… No wrong again, the Joker wasn't his grandfather, Eric Tyler was. (Geez, I hope I got that right, I couldn't remember the name of the guy Harley married.) He didn't know this guy, it'd been sixteen years since he'd been carried away screaming.
And then there was Caitlin, all he knew about her was that she had a very habitual need to spout sarcastic answers to everything, and that she had an unusual capacity for compassion, always so quick to let someone off the hook because she felt sorry for them.
All information brought to him courtesy of Selina.
His own flesh and blood child and he didn't even know her birthday!
How did it get to this point?
Now she was a murderer, wanted by the police, both of them were.
Bruce squeezed his eyes closed even harder, don't think of anything like that, they're no more guilty than you are.
Dick sighed, wondering what to think now, no matter how much he couldn't stand Bruce, or his ties to the Dark Knight, the old guy didn't deserve this much.
Emily lay in a shallow sleep, her head resting on her dad's shoulder, still so innocent. Dick prayed she wouldn't have to be forced into the same situation that Caitlin had, no one should have been in the situation Caitlin was in.
Nobody.
**
(flashback)
Who's that man on the TV Mama?" a five-year-old Caitlin asked pointing at the screen.
"That's the Joker, he was one of the bad guys who used to hurt people a long time ago." Selina answered wrapping her arms around her little girl.
"He won't hurt me will he?" Caitlin asked.
"Of course not, Baby." Selina answered switching the channel to Nick Jr.™
**
"Daddy, who's that man, and why is he hurting all those people?" Jason asked.
"That's the Joker, he doesn't have anything better to do than hurt people."
"One day, I'm going to make sure he doesn't hurt anybody ever again."
"Atta-boy." Bruce said smiling.
(flashback ends)
**
Jason opened his eyes, they were met with nothing but darkness.
His body ached, and he was freezing.
His hands were engulfed in pain, as if fire ants were eating them alive.
He turned his head, Caitlin was staring at the ceiling.
Everyone was asleep, apparently they'd made it back to the hotel room.
No, there was someone else awake, Bruce, he sat at the end of the bed.
Jason sat up painfully, "Bruce."
Bruce didn't turn around, "I know Jason."
Jason, looked away before continuing, "How are we going to fix this?"
"We go see Mr. Blood in the morning." Bruce answered flatly.
Jason lay back, Caitlin turned to look at him.
It was as if they both knew what they had done.
He wrapped his hand in hers, hoping to lessen the pain.
"My gentle rose, must you wilt so quickly? And leave me so soon?" he thought.
She closed her eyes, praying for sleep.
Deep, calming sleep.
No more heartbreak.
No more torture.
He smiled a sedated smile, evil rotting his core.
He felt whole, for once sure of his next actions.
Standing quickly, he wrapped his hands around Joker's neck, burning him like acid.
The Joker stared at him with warped eyes, laughing maniacally.
This would be a grand death.
Andrew sat, still on his haunches, muttering still, completely unoblivious to the merciless killing above him.
"Mum, I, I-I didn't mean to, I didn't know, I'm such a fool…"
"Now, you suffer, you relive all the pain you've caused me, you go to hell for all I care, I just want you to feel what it's like to be on the receiving end for a change!" Jason whispered, in a sick, menacing voice.
He joined his mind with the Joker's, fleshing into his imagination all of the things he'd had to live through.
Leaving Gotham, and his Daddy behind.
Living with Andrew.
Watching his mother die in the cornfield that birthed Superman.
The Bomb.
The Joker was still laughing, eyes wide, spit flying, skin frying, and still he laughed.
Jason's hands began to turn red, and blood poured out from between his fingers.
The Joker's head burst into flames.
Jason let go and watched the Joker fall to the ground.
Breathing heavily, he collapsed, falling into unconsciousness to the sound of the Batman, and the rest crowding around him and the two bodies of the Joker and Andrew Eric Tyler.
A gunshot went off, and sweet silence filled the air.
--#--
Caitlin reached up and touched her forehead, a fair amount of blood pooled into her hand.
She stared at it, then looked at Smiley.
"Look at what you did to me! You let him do this to me, to all of us. You deserve to die!"
Smiley stared forward, like a doe in headlights, lip quivering.
Caitlin stared deep into her eyes, fed off of her fear; all that was left was the quick and silent punishment.
"You deserve to die." She said her voice lowering slightly, "I hate you!" she screamed. Squeezing the trigger.
The explosion.
The momentum sent her back an inch.
Smiley sat dead against the shattered glass, eyes staring forward, frozen in her twisted glory.
Five people ran into the room, blurry objects that crowded around her.
One of them was crying.
Another bent down and slowly eased the gun from between her fingertips, her hands still raised, staring blankly into space.
The blur lifted her up into her arms, and carried her away, back to the land of civilians.
**
They all sat, not sure of what to say, in various places around the hotel room.
Bruce had pulled down his cowl, his head buried in his hands, eyes closed, he sat on the edge of the bed.
Selina sat across from him on the coffee-table, she also had her cowl down, and stared forward, face in a frown of thought.
Caitlin lay on the bed, yet still another I.V. stabbing her veins, she obviously couldn't handle morphine, Bruce knew she'd be in pain when she woke up.
Jason lay next to her, sweat pouring down his temples, no doubt having a nightmare.
They were both so pale, they couldn't have possibly, knowing everything… They knew it wasn't… something had to have happened to make them do something like that.
Bruce thought about it, he knew Jason, knew him very well actually.
But it wasn't this Jason he knew.
He knew the two-year-old who slept with a Barney™ night-light on, the two-year-old who made peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches for the monster under his bed at three in the morning, and who ate a stick of butter because he didn't know any better.
This boy, no man, he was almost eighteen now, who lay on the bed, hands dressed for the burns, whose father was on his way to Arkham at that very moment, and who had killed his own grandfather… No wrong again, the Joker wasn't his grandfather, Eric Tyler was. (Geez, I hope I got that right, I couldn't remember the name of the guy Harley married.) He didn't know this guy, it'd been sixteen years since he'd been carried away screaming.
And then there was Caitlin, all he knew about her was that she had a very habitual need to spout sarcastic answers to everything, and that she had an unusual capacity for compassion, always so quick to let someone off the hook because she felt sorry for them.
All information brought to him courtesy of Selina.
His own flesh and blood child and he didn't even know her birthday!
How did it get to this point?
Now she was a murderer, wanted by the police, both of them were.
Bruce squeezed his eyes closed even harder, don't think of anything like that, they're no more guilty than you are.
Dick sighed, wondering what to think now, no matter how much he couldn't stand Bruce, or his ties to the Dark Knight, the old guy didn't deserve this much.
Emily lay in a shallow sleep, her head resting on her dad's shoulder, still so innocent. Dick prayed she wouldn't have to be forced into the same situation that Caitlin had, no one should have been in the situation Caitlin was in.
Nobody.
**
(flashback)
Who's that man on the TV Mama?" a five-year-old Caitlin asked pointing at the screen.
"That's the Joker, he was one of the bad guys who used to hurt people a long time ago." Selina answered wrapping her arms around her little girl.
"He won't hurt me will he?" Caitlin asked.
"Of course not, Baby." Selina answered switching the channel to Nick Jr.™
**
"Daddy, who's that man, and why is he hurting all those people?" Jason asked.
"That's the Joker, he doesn't have anything better to do than hurt people."
"One day, I'm going to make sure he doesn't hurt anybody ever again."
"Atta-boy." Bruce said smiling.
(flashback ends)
**
Jason opened his eyes, they were met with nothing but darkness.
His body ached, and he was freezing.
His hands were engulfed in pain, as if fire ants were eating them alive.
He turned his head, Caitlin was staring at the ceiling.
Everyone was asleep, apparently they'd made it back to the hotel room.
No, there was someone else awake, Bruce, he sat at the end of the bed.
Jason sat up painfully, "Bruce."
Bruce didn't turn around, "I know Jason."
Jason, looked away before continuing, "How are we going to fix this?"
"We go see Mr. Blood in the morning." Bruce answered flatly.
Jason lay back, Caitlin turned to look at him.
It was as if they both knew what they had done.
He wrapped his hand in hers, hoping to lessen the pain.
"My gentle rose, must you wilt so quickly? And leave me so soon?" he thought.
She closed her eyes, praying for sleep.
Deep, calming sleep.