The Heart of Batman | Bruce Wayne

Green Arrow

"Who took her?" I growled.

"J-J-J... Joker!" He stuttered in fear.

It was him!

The clown at the circus.

"He's in Arkham", Nightwing glared at him.

What does he want from her?

We entered the warehouse silently. They were muffled voice coming from somewhere further inside. We split up and I went straight to the source.

Joker paced back and forth, his hands crossed behind his back with a serious expression on his face, staring down at the floor and thinking.

"What happened?" Ro mumbled, flattering her eyes open, slowly waking up in a chair.

Joker stopped pacing, lifted his head up from the floor and looked at her.

"Sleeping Beauty... Finally!" Joker exclaimed happily. "You inhaled too much of the sleeping gas. I thought it might need a kiss from a prince to wake you up."

"Who are you? And what do you want from me?" She asked, looking around inside one of many Joker's hiding places, her eyes finally laid on Joker.

"Too many questions Princess", Joker stared at her.

"Let me first introduce myself. I'm the Gotham's Prince of Crime. The one and onlyー", Joker was about to present himself in a theatrical way. The only thing missing was the audience.

"Give me a break", Nightwing commented as he grabbed one of Joker's henchmen from behind, silenced his mouth and pulled him into the dark.

"Did you hear something? It must be b-rats", Joker shrugged. "They always spoil the fun. Especially the big one, dark or brooding or scowling all the time."

"Where was I... Ah, yes", Joker pulled up a chair and sat on it backward.

"I was planning to ask your boyfriend for ransom. He wouldn't want a pretty face like yours to get ruined."

"My... boyfriend?" She asked confused.

"You're dating Bruce Wayne?" Joker asked but got no reply in return. "I kept my eye on you two love birds for a while."

"He's not my... We're not..."

"Don't be shy! You can tell everything to your uncle Joker", he scooted closer with his chair.

He sighed deeply. "I know everything about love. You see, Harley and me...", Joker mused. "Bruce Wayne if you're interested?"

"Sit down, Princess!" Joker yelled at her and she slowly returned to sit in her chair.

"I know everything about Bruce Wayne and the men like him. First, he takes you out to fancy restaurants, fancy dinners. All that glitz and glamour, the spotlight... So tempting to a poor girl like you. He easily seduces you and takes you in his bed. The next morning, you wake up alone to find out in the newspapers he is with a next blonde bimbo."

"He's not like that...", she mumbled.

"Of course not. I'm messing with you", Joker burst into laughter. "If you only saw the look on your face", Joker continued laughing.

"Nah, he's one of the good guys. An old-fashioned guy. If you are into it. Boring, if you're asking me. And unlucky in love. The media always twists the truth. But one thing is true: he surely knows how to pick them."

"But you... You're not a blonde or a bimbo. You're something special. And you are just rich as him. Aren't you, my dear?"

"I'm not your dear", she said as I grabbed one of Joker's henchmen from behind, silenced his mouth and pulled him into the dark.