The Lego Batman Movie 2: Jokes On Me

Chapter 14

Batman pushes the doors open and he doesn't care who he talks to; he needs to ask somebody.

"WHERE'S JOKER?!"

The man at the front station desk looks up from his newspaper, pointing back down the hall towards the cells.
"Down that way, in the holding cells. Why-"

Batman doesn't stick around to chat. He runs at full sprint, just trying to reach-
"Batman stop!"
His heels scrape the floor and he flips around ready with a "Listen to me i'm going back there and there's nothing-"
But he sees Barbara and immediately rage comes over him.
"YOU!" He stomps forward and stops inches from her.
"What's the big idea?! Putting my one greatest enemy in prison? The one reason that I do what I do? Do you WANT to-"
"Bring peace and justice to Gotham City? Yes! Keep villians and criminals free-range on the streets? No. Batman, can't you see that? He threatens Gotham City's structural integrity on a weekly basis, at least! Sure we can repair the damages fairly easy enough, but that doesn't make the people of this city any less terrified of being hurt or terrorized!"

"Barbara, he's the Joker, not a Tornado! He's changed, he can't do anyone any harm! You don't need to-!"
"Bruce."
Batman lets out a dragon-hot breath of air escape his nostrils.
"He needs to pay for what he's done. At the very least until he manages to break out again. If you're so desperately set on keeping these criminals out of jail and in the heart of destruction, then you're not doing what's best for this city."

Batman's whole body trembles with the weight of it. She couldn't be....

"You're doing what's best for yourself."

As the world around him fades into the background of his mind, Barbara walks away, so horribly and emotionally confused about why she loves him so much, and why she doesn't, and what is she not seeing that will answer so many questions for them all.

**********

"Padre?....Dad?......Cmon, Batman, let's talk about this. Joker taught you how to express your feelings. And right now is a really good time to use them.  ......Dad?"

The door clicks open and a very dishoveled Bruce Wayne answers, loosely gripping the doorknob. His clothes are wrinkled, his eyes sore from crying, and his hair so much messier than usual.

"You're right, Robin. I.....i need some company."
Robin rushes into the room and hugs Bruce, hiding the tears that are sliding out of his eyes. Bruce pushes the door closed and squeezes his son in his arms, as Robin's every second comforts him more than he thought it could. Finally the boy pulls away, and Bruce takes a long breath, setting himself down in the chair across the room, as Robin sits criss-cross at his feet.

"I.......I feel terrible, Robin. I let her do it. I should have.....I could've.."
"Dad, you didn't know she would actually arrest him this time. There's nothing you could have done. He's not hurt, Papa. He's not dead, and he's not gone. He's just....heavily guarded. Don't let that discourage you."

Batman's fingers tap against the armrest so slowly, like his gears are starting to turn, but he's still to down to see what he needs to do.

Robin tries to think back. To find what he needs to say to get Batman on his feet.

".....hey Dad?"
"Yeah bud?"
"You know how sometimes......to fix a rightwrong.......you gotta do a wrongright?"
Batman gives a short chuckle. "Yeah?"
Robin looks up and they make eye contact.
"I think you need to do a wrongright. Just this once. If you're catching my drift."

Batman seems clueless at first, until Robin can almost actually see the bricks build themselves up in his eyes and finish the puzzle in his head.

"Robin.....are you saying......that I should......."
"Go on...."
".......break out the Joker from Arkam Asylum?"
Robin gives a sweet smile to his dad, before leaning up and whispering.
"But nobody has to know I said so, yeah?"
Batman snickers and nods, ruffling Robin's hair slowly but with just enough vigor to let the kid know his dad's got enough in him to do this.
"Yeah buddy. You're good in my book." He picks up his son from the floor and, like he usually does, lifts his goggles off his face to let the tears escape, and lets them settle back on.
"Thank you, Richard." He pulls the boy in for another hug, which Robin graciously accepts.
"Your welcome, Papa."

Batman lifts his head and looks on, the plan all materializing in his mind.

"Now, let's go break out that Clown."