Joke of the day

Those who have been reading my Batman beyond story have already heard that I was coming out with another story. While I was working on Batman beyond the Return of Catwoman, several parts of the story gave me ideas for new stories. It was becoming a bit hard to focus on just the one story so after I worked enough Batman beyond I started doing a little series I'm calling tales from Gotham city. I will say this now they're not as long as Return of Catwoman, each story is only going to be three or four posts at most. The following is part one of one of these stories called the joke of the day.

Originally I was going to post this on April 1 but then problems started and I just couldn't, I still hope you enjoy this, part two if you want to read it will be posted next week.

Tales of Gotham city

Joke of the day

Two months ago, inside the main water treatment plant of Gotham city, Batman and Robin are in heavy battle with Batman's arch nemesis....Joker. During the battle, Joker engages Batman with a knife in each hand but is still losing the fight and soon his plans to spread deadly Joker venom would fail. Wanting to stop Batman, Harley Quinn sinks up behind Batman and tries to stab him, but by reflects Batman grabs her and throws her over his shoulder sending her into an open water tank but as she fell she grabs some hanging cables hopping that she could hang onto them.

"Quinn! Don't move!" Says Batman

"Mr. J, help me!" cries Harley Quinn

Joker looks deep into Harley Quinn's eyes then at Batman and again at Harley Quinn and says.

"Sorry Harley, it's been a laugh" Says Joker then runs off.

Harley screams out Mr. J but as she screams her own body weight polls the cables out from the ceiling, sending her and the live cables into the tank.

Joker stops when he hears the splashing of the electrified water, looking at wall ahead he sees the dancing lights of the electrified water.

"Robin, the power now!" Screams Batman as he tries to pull as many of the life cables out before it's too late.

As the power goes down Batman looks back up towards where Joker was but sees that he's long gone.

Present-day April 1 8:30 AM Gotham city's First National Bank

Outside of the building, it looks calm and pleasant what you expect see for a bank. Inside, however is another story. Covering the floor of the entrance are over two dozen hostages bound and gagged. Behind the counters are eight thugs wearing clown masks, and behind them stands the Joker himself wearing his tailor-made green suit.

"Okay boys, let her go!" Says the Joker

Back outside, just as more customers are about to head in, a woman wearing a clown costume and with her hands tied behind her back, sprints out the front door and into the street.

"Mommy, what's that lady doing?" Ask a little girl

"I don't know honey, maybe a little gag because today's April fool's day?" Says the girl's mother

"Mommy, what's that behind her?" asks the little girl

The girl's mom looks down and sees a long piece of string tied to the back of the woman leading back into the bank. As she looks back to the bank, the Joker step out and says, "Well, isn't this a lovely day."

Then he pulls out a giant lollipop and hands it to the little girl.

"Now be sure to enjoy this day, my favorite holiday!" says the Joker then pats the little girl on the head

Joker steps back into the bank and the doors slams shut and lock. The door closes on the long string and pulls the pin on the grenade on the back of the clown suit.

5 minutes later, Bruce Wayne is watching the news and sees the report of Joker taking over the bank and the hostage executed in the middle of the street.

"Tim, get your suit you're taking a sick day." Says Bruce

"Do you think the Joker really is behind this?" Says Tim Drake a.k.a. Robin

"Only the Joker would dress a hostage in a clown suit sending them to their death." Says Bruce as they get onto the elevator

"But we haven't seen him since, well you know..."

Bruce knows full well what Tim is referring to.

"How is she by the way? You haven't really said anything about it."

"She's still in her coma..." he says cold and clinically," The doctors say she might not wake up. I was hoping that Joker would come out of hiding to see her, but two months nothing."

"Wow, who knew the Joker was so cold hearted. Wasn't she like his girlfriend or something?" Tim asks

"He has no friends; she was only one of his many victims!" Bruce says knowing it's the sad truth

After getting off the elevator and strapping on their suits Batman and Robin set out to stop the Joker's latest plot.

Back inside the bank, the Joker spinning in a chair when he stops and asks one of his thugs, "what's the time?"

"It's coming to nine o'clock boss." Says the thug

"He'll be here soon, I know it!" Says the Joker

"Who, boss?" Asks the thug

"The ice cream man" says the Joker in a sarcastic tone." The Batman you idiot, who do you think I was talking about?"

Joker's second in command and leader says "Sorry Joker, but you said you wanted cheap guys." he then

jesters for the thug to walk away.

"I don't care if their school girls, as long as he gets the job done!" Says the Joker

"I got everything set up, like you wanted it!" says the second-in-command," What's next?"

"Now, we wait for a pointed eared shadow!" Says Joker as he pulls himself from the chair.

"You and your little gang wait here!" Joker laughs," While I spend some time inside that safe over there."

Unknown to the gang and the Joker was that Batman and Robin not only have already arrived but are now silently watching them from above.

"What's the play Batman?" Asks Robin

"You'll take the eight thugs, while I'll get the Joker." Says Batman

"Oh come on!" says Robin but in a whisper. "I want to get the Joker!"

"No!" Batman says to Robin in a demanding tone but still in a whisper, "He's mine!"

"Batman think about it..." Robin explains," He's expecting you not me. I'll throw him off his game."

"No Robin! That's an order!"

Batman then pulls out and throws a battering and hits one of the sidewalls. Joker's thugs notices it and goes to investigate, but as soon as they get close enough Batmen detonates it. Robin jumps down and begins his attack.

Just as Batman was about to make his way down, Joker second-in-command pulls out a bazooka and fires it at Batman. Batman jumps on the way, but is stunned by the explosion. Robin watches in horror as Batman hits the ground hard, then one of the thugs seeing it as a good opportunity punches Robin sending him flying and landing on his back.

Knowing he should never give up, Robin jumps back up and one by one brings down each thug until second-in-command remains. He then throws his own battering nailing the second-in-command to the wall by his shirt.
Robin heads for Batman to see if he was still alive. Checking his pulse Robin sees that Batman is fine, his suit protected him but he's out cold.

Robin looks up at the second-in-command then heads for him.

"Where is he" Says Robin in an aggressive tone." Where is the Joker?

"Oh man, I didn't sign up for this" says the second-in-command sounding very frightened." He's inside that safe, please don't hurt me.

Robin gets confirmation that he isn't lying as he starts hearing the Joker's laughter coming from the safe. Without thinking Robin turns and heads for the safe, as he enters he's smacked with a water balloon.

"What the hell?" Says Robin as he brushes off the water.

Robin looks up and sees the Joker standing behind what can only be a bomb tied to a trip wire that he stepped on.

"April fools!" Says the Joker just as the safe explodes.

Batman bolts to where the sound of the explosion and sees the burning safe and Robin, blown far back from the shock wave...He lay motionless...

10 minutes later Batman who is standing next to an ambulance looks down and sees his partner Robin covered in scrapes and bruises, but otherwise okay.

"You're lucky that your suit is fireproof" says Batman." otherwise you would've died there!"

"Yeah I'm okay Batman." Says Robin then taking another puff from the oxygen mask," I thought you'd be happy about this?"

"And what is it I should be happy about?" Batman says not sounding happy at all," you almost getting yourself killed?"

Then they both watch as what's left of the Joker is hauled away in a body bag.

"This is the last time will ever hear from the Joker!" says Robin, "After all these years, I never thought it would end"

"Well Batman it has!" Commissioner Gordon says appearing from inside the bank," Although, I never thought Joker would kill himself. It doesn't really fit.

Commissioner Gordon walks up to Robin, "Now Robin can you tell me again what happened. Most of these hostages are still in shock to say anything."

"Like I said before..." Robin says after taking in more oxygen," I walked into the safe, step on the tripwire which set off the bomb, and Joker said April fools. Oh and he threw a water balloon at me."

"Well, that sounds like all right!" says the Commissioner nodding along." One of the other gang members said he heard Joker earlier and said he sounded depressed."

"Depressed?" Says Robin, "What could Joker be depressed about?"

"Harley Quinn..." Says Batman

"That's what the thug said he was depressed about." says Commissioner while looking through his notes." Joker randomly on about missing her, and stuff like that."

"If that's true," says Robin, "then maybe that trap I stepped in was meant for you Batman."

"He wanted me inside that safe with him, his last laugh." Says Batman

"Well I guess we ended up with the last laugh huh B man?" Says Robin

Batman looks at Robin with a slight puzzled face and but drops the thought.

"I think we should get going." Says Batman, "Can you handle things Jim?"

The Commissioner turns around to look at the bank then turned back at Batman only to see they're both gone.

The Commissioner then looks and sees a horde of news reporters hassling and taking photos and videos of terrified hostages.

"Hey you guys get away from them!" The Commissioner says to the reporters

Inside the Batcave Batman sits in front of his computer with an unsatisfied look on his face. One by one he goes through photo after photo of his deceased nemesis, Joker.

"Why would you kill yourself?" Batman says to himself." You only pretended to like her, so why would you kill yourself for her?"

Tim Drake then returns from putting away his suit.

"Are you still going through those photos?" Tim asks with a huge grin on his face." You need to find a hobby."

"What?" Says Bruce

"Never mind!" says Tim," So what is it you'll think you'd find?"

"Something that makes sense." he says, never taking his eyes off the screen," By the way, how are you feeling Tim?"

"Oh I'm fine B man!" answers Tim, "usually am tehee hehehe."

"Wait, what did you say?" Asks Batman

Robin stumbles for a second while trying to remember

"What, I said I'm fine." Says a confused looking Tim

Bruce thinks for a minute then remembers that Robin said before the explosion Joker had grown a water balloon. He didn't think much of it, but now he's starting to think that maybe Joker has more to this final act.

Bruce then asks Tim to sit down while he takes a blood sample. After placing the blood sample into the computer Bruce and Tim wait for the results.

"These early results indicate that you have been exposed to something Tim!" Bruce says while trying not sound worried. "But the computer cannot tell what it is."

"Is there anything it can tell us?" Says Tim

"It's definitely a new form of the Joker venom..." Bruce with an indecisive look

"Well you do have to hand it to Mr. J, he's a genius!" Tim says returning to a grin

"Wait, what?" Says Tim with a confused look

"You just called the Joker Mr. J!" says Bruce, "I think you should lie down."

"I think you're right B man, I mean Bruce, I'll go lay down"

As Tim heads for the medical center of the Batcave, he begins chuckling under his breath like he was remembering a joke.

"What's wrong Tim?" Says Bruce

Tim says nothing as he continues chuckling, but every second that goes by he chuckles harder until it becomes full-blown laughter. The Laughter continues to intensify as if Tim was being exposed to laughing gas, until he gets to a point where he can barely breathe and he falls over.

Bruce jumps up to attend to Tim as he continues laughing on the ground.

"Tim, what's wrong?"

"Bruce (stops to catch his breath) help me!!" Tim says as tears begin to pour down his face from the intensity of the laughter.

Bruce sees Tim's whole body trembling as his laughing continues. Bruce looks down and sees something different about his clothes. Before, Tim's clothes were just a little tight something you expect for a 16-year-old but now they're barely hanging on, it's as if he's rapidly losing body mass.

"Oh God Tim, what has the Joker done to you?!" Says Bruce

10:30 AM inside the Batcave, Alfred comes down from the elevator hoping to hear some good news from Bruce about Tim.

"Master Bruce..." says Alfred with deep concern for young Tim, "have you found anything helpful for Master Tim?"

Bruce coming out of the darkness answers, "no but I'm still looking."

Alfred looks over at Tim who is strapped to a table unconscious but every once in a while he lets out a small giggle.

"Oh my!" says Alfred trying to cover up his extreme shock," He looks smaller than when I last checked on him an hour ago!"

"That's because, whatever Joker had exposed him to is still affecting him!" Bruce says trying to sound calm," If I hadn't sedated him, he would have continued laughing until his heart gave out.

Alfred walks over to check on him. As soon as he gets close, he can see that not only has Tim had become thinner but was taller. His hair is now much longer then it was before and even the color was changing. If he was standing up, Alfred suspected that it would almost brush the back of his neck.

Alfred then slowly pulls off the blanket covering his body and sees the other developments.

"Oh my God!" Alfred lets out from the shock of seeing Tim developing breasts." How can this be?"

"The Joker venom he was exposed to is causing an extreme cellular response..." Bruce says coldly as if this doesn't affect him." It started as soon as it made contact with his skin, and now it's forcing his body to transform."

"Transform?" Alfred said trying to figure it out," Transform into what Master Bruce?"

"It's transforming him into a female!" Says Bruce, "Every minute that goes by, he changes more and more."

"Why would Joker do this to him?" Asks Alfred angry that Joker would do this, "Transform him into a female?"

"That trap that Tim walked into was meant for me." Says Bruce, "Joker wanted me to go through this, not him!"

"Master Bruce, you can't blame yourself for the Joker did!" Alfred places his hand on Bruce's shoulder. "The madman responsible for him is dead; the Joker has finally paid for his crimes."

Without missing a beat Tim jumps up from the table, (with the sudden weight loss the straps were too big to hold him) and says, "No Mr. J is not dead, he would never leave me."

Bruce tries his best to calm the panic looking Tim.

"Tim you need to sit down and calm down." Bruce says walking over trying to hold him," I'm here and I'm not leaving."

Tim looks around with sweat pouring off his face, sees that he's in the Batcave.

"Bruce?" Tim says like he can barely recognize him, "What's going on I feel so....Happy and sore."

He then let's out a few more giggles and drops to the floor. Bruce and Alfred pick him up and placed him back on the table.

"Master Bruce?" says Alfred with a worried look." Looking at him now and listening to what he was
saying earlier..."

"The Joker venom is transforming Tim, into Harley Quinn" Says Bruce as he looks down at Tim's face while it appears to becoming paler. "I must find a cure quick, he's changing faster mentally than physically, but physically he's catching up."

Then both Alfred and Bruce watch Tim's body as this seems like with every breath he takes in, he becomes more Harley Quinn and less Tim Drake.

Sometime later Bruce had gone upstairs to grab something he was gone for about 5 minutes, by the time he came back Alfred had passed out from exhaustion and Tim was gone.

"Alfred!!" Bruce screams out, "Where's Tim?"

As soon as Alfred opens his eyes and sees that Tim was gone from the table, he bolts up, "I'm sorry Master Bruce! I didn't think if I rested my eyes nothing would have..."

Before Bruce could say anything the sound of giggling echoing through the cave tells him that young Tim hasn't left or more accurately, young Harley Quinn is still with them.

Woo hoo, good to have you writing again. I love this new story already, can't wait to read more. Your writing has improved too, congrats.

thanks! they says that practice makes perfect and I have had lots of practice.

The next part of the return of Catwoman should be posted soon.

well now you've got me craving the next part of this too lol. good job

I'm sorry to tell you all but my computer has borkendown and will not work for me again. Don't worry all of my stores including the ones I haven't posted were saved before. I am already saveing for a new one. It will take awhile but I am not done not yet.


If any of you has an loptop that they want to sell then that will speed things up.

I'm back!!!

"Alfred?" says Bruce as he stares into the darkened part of the cave." Go upstairs and lock the door please."

"But Master Bruce..." says Alfred in a concerned tone. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see if I can get through to him somehow." says Bruce as he slowly pulls his mask on.

As Alfred heads for the elevator, he stops upon hearing a familiar sounding giggle. Bruce steps in between Alfred and the elevator and waits.

"Tim?" says Bruce as he tries scanning the darkness surrounding the elevator." If that's you, you need to come out, so I can help you."

"I don't need any help B man!" a voice says coming out of the dark, sounding like a cross between Harley Quinn and Tim Drake." All I want is to see my pudden again, I can't live without him!"

"Tim you need to snap out of this!" Says Bruce as he tries to get through to what's left of Tim." This isn't you."

Stepping out of the dark is what looks like Tim Drake only slightly skinnier, definitely taller than he was before, and a pair of size a cup breasts. His hair is now much lighter and almost touching his shoulders. He still has the same face, but now has light blue eyes.

"Then tell me B man..." says the feminized Tim Drake." Who do you think I am? Because I can tell you who I know I am; I am Harley Quinn like! Just my pudden likes it."

"Listen to yourself Tim" says Bruce, "You're smarter than this, and you can't let the Joker win."

"I'm not Tim!" says the feminized Tim sounding more like Harley." I mean look at me, I don't really look like the kid. Oh and for the record, the Joker is a genius he can outsmart you any time. That's why I love him!"

"You're not her!" Bruce says in a much more aggressive tone." If you really think you're Harley Quinn, then let me ask you something...."

"Ask me anything B man." Tim says now sounding just like Harley Quinn." But after, you let me get go, so I could find my pudden. He must miss me so badly now."

"When was the last time you saw him?" Bruce says with confidence that this is going to work.

"Let's see umm..." says Tim, "It was about a few hours ago. I had just taken down some thugs, and I was going to take care of him then..."

"Then he blew himself up inside the safe!" says Bruce, "That was the last time you saw him."

"No, it was at the water treatment plant!" Tim says very confused, "No wait, I did see him in the safe but that was after. After I fell in the water then, I don't know."

"The real Harley Quinn fell into the water tank." says Bruce, "The real Harley Quinn is still in a coma at Gotham general."

Tim looks down at himself and begins to panic.

"No! This isn't right!" Tim screams out." This isn't my body, what's happening to me......... WHO AM I?"

Tim lets out then collapses from the shock and begins crying. Bruce rushes over to Tim and picked him up and carried him back to the table.

Two hours later, Tim pulls himself off from the table. He looks down and confirms that he wasn't dreaming before and the he is transforming into Harley Quinn, body and mind. Looking down, he can barely see any of his old self: he has a body of the 20 some year old woman and not the body of the 16-year-old boy.

Tim looks over and sees a robe on the chair. As Tim's slips it on, he notices how soft smooth his skin is now. Upon standing up from the table, his long blonde hair began getting his eyes, blinding him.

"Damn this hair!" Tim says to himself while brushing the hair from his face. "How does she deal with it?"

"She usually ties it up." says Bruce over by his computer, "I'll have Alfred bring you a hair tie."

Tim walks over to Bruce, while walking Tim notices his new hips and how they moved.

"This is going to take some getting used to..." Tim says as he walked over to the computer, still holding onto his hair, "So I take it that water balloon wasn't water?"

"I'm afraid not." says Bruce while scanning trace amounts of the formula."How are you feeling now, Tim?"

"I'm not sure..." he hesitates then continues. "It's hard to keep things straight, I know I'm Tim Drake *a couple seconds pass* I know I'm Harley Quinn."

"Don't worry Tim..." says Bruce as he turns around to look at Tim but sees a young Harley Quinn. "We will find a cure before it's too late."

"How do you know that's not too late already B man?" Tim says and ending with a smile then realizes what he said, "I mean Bruce, how do you know that's not too late to save me?"

"Don't lose faith, Tim." Bruce says that turns back to the computer, "It will never be too late save you."

"You know I will try." Tim says trying to make a confident face but ends up just showing concern. "In the meantime is anything I can do?"

"As of right now, not really." Bruce says calmly. "You should be hungry by now; your body is burning fat and calories at an accelerated rate. You should go up stairs and fix yourself something to eat."

Until that moment, Tim did not notice that he was in fact hungry. It was too focused on trying to stay himself.

"You're right Bruce..." says Tim then prepares to head upstairs. "While I'm up there, do you want anything?"

"No thanks." says Bruce

"Okay, see you in a few B man!" Tim says sounding exactly like Harley Quinn in a playful girl voice. "I mean, I'm sorry I said that."

"Its fine Tim." says Bruce, "I know you can't help it. Just try to focus on who you are."

As young Tim heads upstairs, Tim kept on repeating to himself over and over again "I am Tim Drake. I am Tim Drake. I am Tim Drake."

Bruce lets out a deep sigh and continues his work.

Several minutes later Alfred appears next to Bruce.

"What is it Alfred?" asks Bruce still working on his computer. "It is something wrong with Tim?"

"In a way Sir..." Alfred still keeping his calm manner, "For the past several minutes, he has been up there consuming everything he is hands-on. I mean I've seen him eat before, and I still see young Tim up there but...."

"But what Alfred?" asks Bruce

"The little of what is left of Tim that is still in there, to me seems to be dimming!" Alfred now sounding very worried, "I pray you find a cure soon."

"I hope so too Alfred" says Bruce." I hope so too.

At that moment they are interrupted by the sound of what could only be Tim walking back downstairs. Bruce and Alfred look over to see Tim, but instead of a 75% Harley Quinn and a 25% Tim Drake from before, they see an almost complete Harley Quinn wearing a light blue spring dress.

"My God!" Alfred lets out in a shock, "What happened to you upstairs?"

Bruce tries his say something but is too shocked for words.

"Well..." says Tim while trying not to smile too much. "While I was upstairs and after I was done eating, I decided to go find something other than that robe to wear. It was just getting weird walking around up there wearing nothing but the robe; I went looking around for something. I knew my old clothes wouldn't fit so I went up to your room Bruce and started going through the clothes from your one night stands I believe and found this."

"Out of all the clothes in there, you choose that dress?" asks Bruce with a confused face. "I'm sure there must have been other things that could have fit your figure."

"Kind of." says Tim, "But I just like this one. The way the blue matches my eyes; don't you think it does Bruce?"

Bruce and Alfred then share a look for a minute. Then Alfred says good day and heads back upstairs and tries not to stare at Tim who smiles as he walked by.

"You need to stay focused Tim." Bruce says in a demanding tone. "We can't lose you, not when I'm so close to the cure."

While Bruce was talking, the young girl formerly known as Tim began walking around not really getting anywhere but mostly just looking everything, like it was new. Trying to get her attention, Bruce continues to say, "Tim?" no response, "Tim?" he sighs, "Harley Quinn?" She jumped around to face him.

"My name is Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel!" the young woman says as she began walking towards Bruce. "Who are you and what is this place?"

Bruce was afraid of this, he knew that Tim was regressing into Harley Quinn but he had a theory about what would happen next. Most likely in the evolution of Tim Drake to Harley Quinn, Tim would have to regress into Harleen Quinzel, the woman who became the Harley Quinn that he knew. Although she was never a solid person, she was a professional psychiatrist before her encounter with the Joker.

"Dr. Quinzel, I need you to listen to me..." says Bruce as he quickly pulls his mask back on he gets up from the chair. "I need you to tell me what you remember about the Joker."

"You're, you're Batman!" she says with high excitement like she's never met him before. "Joker, I'm going to have a session with soon. When you ask him why am I here?"

"I want you think hard about this." Says Bruce now with the mask on. "You have had many sessions with Joker do you remember?"

"What are you talking about?" says Harleen then starts flashing through the memories of her sessions with the Joker. "Wait, I did see him. But what happened after?"

Like a terrible flood, Harleen begins flashing on all the memories of the crimes of Harley Quinn.

"Oh God! What did he do to me?" Harleen cries out as tears begin to flow then she fell to her knees. "I can't believe the things I've done for him. Wait, how is it I have such a clear mind now? What's happing to me Bruce?"

Realizing that she ended that sentence with Bruce, she realized that she knows at Batman is Bruce Wayne and begins to wonder how she know that. Then like with the memories of Harley Quinn, memories of Tim Drake came through. Then she realizes the truth.


"I'm not Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel am I?" she says then looks up at Bruce. "I'm Tim Drake, your partner Robin."

"Yes you are my partner." Bruce then helps Harleen up from the ground. "I told you, you need to stay focused Tim."

"That's not my name!" she corrects him." Although I know I'm really am Tim Drake 16-year-old boy, right now I am Dr. Harleen Quinzel 23-year-old woman."

"No Bruce." she says and grabs his hand to try to comfort him. "Tim is not gone, he's still here is just I'm in control and I will help you get him back."

"You do know that if we succeed you will vanish?" says Bruce returning to a calm state.

"I know Mr. Wayne." says Harleen while forcing a smile. "This isn't my body. I don't belong in it. I should return it to Tim."

Bruce returns Harleen's fake smile with a real smile. Then they head over to the computer to discuss the situation further.

Half an hour later

Bruce and Harleen continue trying to analyze the situation and find a solution to restore Tim.

"If there's anything I can say about the Joker, is that he can be clever at times." Harleen says while staring at the computer screen. "He is a very peculiar case."

Bruce turns and looks at her and thinks that Harley Quinn is slipping out. Right now, Harleen is pretty much done changing physically her hair has grown so long that even in a ponytail it still touches her shoulders. Her face has no trace of Tim Drake left.

"Oh no Mr. Wayne, I'm still Harleen!" she says trying to reassure him. "I remember all things Joker said to me turning me into Harley Quinn. The lies and things that where truth but for some reason, there not affecting me."

"Why is that Harleen?" Bruce asks

"I'm not sure." she says, "I think maybe it's because of Tim. His psyche is almost shielding mine. It can't last though, because soon there won't be enough of him for anything."

"Then we've better hurry Harleen!" says Bruce.

"Okay Mr. Wayne." says Harleen

"You can call me Bruce." he says then sits back down at the computer.

"That's another thing Mr. Wayne..." says Harleen trying to sound professional. "We can let me get too comfortable like this. The stronger my personality gets, the weaker his becomes. At this point though, I'm not sure there is enough to save."

"We will save him end of discussion!" says Bruce with much confidence

"I know you don't want to hear this Mr. Wayne..." she says sounding very sad but knowing she needs to say this, "But you have to think about it, the only one who could reverse this, died. In a couple of hours, any trace of Tim Drake will be gone forever."

Bruce silently continues working on the computer. Harleen knew that saying that wasn't the best idea but she also knows it needed to be said. One way or another, he has to face facts he might lose another partner.

Then on the screen a little window playing the news coverage of the bank begins playing.

"What's that?" Harleen asks

"I programmed the computer to bring up anything that the Joker is mentioned in." Bruce says while trying to forget the last conversation.

"What's the point?" she asks, "What can you learn from this they don't worry knew?"

Bruce watches it on mute and tries to think of something, something that he was missing. He knew he was missing something but couldn't figure out what was until...

Alfred comes down to check on Bruce and Harleen only to hear Bruce's Revelation.

"Wait, right there!" says Bruce as he pauses the video on the frame of the hostages being let out.

"No.... how can I be so stupid?!"

"What is it Mr. Wayne?" Harleen asks then looks up to see what he was looking at. "Wait that can't be, but it is."

Alfred leans forward to look at the screen and sees a quick shot of what could possibly be the Joker, escaping the bank and civil clothes.

"I don't understand!" says Harleen looking very confused before quick flash of being very happy but then confused again. "Tim watched him die. How could give escaped?"

Bruce turns and looks back at the screen pieces together what happened.

Back in the bank just before the showdown the Joker heads inside the safe, but unknown to Batman at the time, was that after he entered the safe, he quickly undressed himself then puts on the clothes belonging to a dead hostage that was already in there. Most likely upon entering the bank they killed him then placed his body inside the safe. Then hearing the commotion of the fight outside, the Joker took the body and placed it on a chair behind the bomb. The chair has some sort of homemade arm attachment, which is connected to the tripwire at the door. Joker steps the arm of the dead man to the arm attachment, then very carefully places the water balloon inside the hand.

He slowly backs out of the vault to make sure the water balloon stays in place. He then peeps out to check on the situation, he watches as young Robin attacks the last thug. While he's distracted, Joker drops to all fours and crawls over to the hostages.

"And with the chemicals in his eyes, Tim wouldn't have been able to face clearly!" Harleen says very clinically. "But I know Tim heard him say April fools."

"A simple tape recorder tied with the bomb." Bruce sounding very angry that slams his fist down, "I should have thought of this, the possibility that he wasn't dead!"

"But why?" said Alfred. "What could he possibly gain by doing this to Tim and faking his death?"

"Nothing." says Bruce still sounding very angry. "There's nothing to gain from this. He did it for a laugh."

"No Mr. Wayne..." says Harleen while trying to concentrate on the situation but finding it very difficult. "You know him better than I do. He never does anything without some sort of purpose. Think about it Bruce, what does he gain from this situation?"

Bruce then focuses.

"A distraction!" Bruce says then jumps right back onto the computer. "Let's say I was the target, and then it would be Robin trying to find a cure for me clearly unaware that he's alive. I have been so focused on find the cure that I given him the time he needs."

"The time for what?" says Harleen, "What is he planning?"

He completes what he was doing on the computer then shows everyone a photograph of Gotham's main water treatment plant.

"The last time I fought him was at this place." says Bruce, "We stopped him before he could do anything, but now looks like he's back to finish the job."

"Isn't that?" Alfred asks

"Yes..." answers Bruce. "That is the same location where the real Harley Quinn had her accident, causing her to be hospitalized."

"Now that we know what he's done what he's up to I can stop him!" says Bruce sounded very confident. "I will go while you stay here Harleen."

"No Mr. Wayne!" she says trying to remain focused. "You shouldn't try this by yourself. You need back up, I have all of Tim's memories I could fight with you."

"No Harleen!" he says as if he was giving a straight order. "I need you to stay here and keep what's left of Tim alive for us to save."

Harleen quickly moves away and puts her face to a wall. Bruce thinking that she went over there to cry takes a step in a direction, but then realizes that he was breathing in knockout gas. Everything begins to get woozy and Bruce falls to his knees. He looks down and sees that at some point Harleen must have gotten into the armory it took a smoke pellet.

"You wouldn't understand Bruce." she says turning back around knowing the gas was clear enough. Not sounding at all like Harleen Quinzel but instead now sounding exactly like the Harley Quinn. Bruce has always known, "I was helping before, but seeing that he is alive was just too much. I'm sorry Bruce to be the one to tell you that Tim Drake is dead. I am now Harley Quinn!"

As Bruce slowly loses consciousness, he watches as the newborn Harley Quinn giggles and laughs to herself and skips around the Batcave without a care in the world.

"I'm coming for you pudden!" says Harley Quinn as she walks away from the unconscious Bruce.

Then everything becomes black.....

Very good stuff, can't wait to see what happens next. great to have you back dread

First let me say that I get a great feeling every time I check the views hear, so I thank you all for that. Next I promise that I will post the next and maybe the last part of Joke of the day Sunday, so look forward to that. Now as you guessed the bad news, my internet will be shut off Monday so I will be gone for an unknown amount time. Don't panic now; while I will be without the internet, I still have my brother's computer so I will continue working on all my stories. So see you all Sunday, hopefully.

sorry to hear you're having troubles again. will always be looking forward to your next piece of work though ^-^

Thanks for that. Sorry to say I won't be posting the next part today. My editor has been very busy. I've checked into it and I may not be gone for long, a week or two at most. So keep an eye out, the next time I'm here, you will see the punch line.

Well I"m back on the web. I cant post the last part now because my editer is so cought up with her job as a zombie that she hasn't had time to do it. that tommower I"m going to tie her down and convince her to do it. In lest violent news ive been writeing my own halloween tail. I"ve been working hard on it but I might not have ready by halloween. To tell you all the truth I've been here for a little while but I didn't want to say anything. Me my brother and our mom all lost or jobs and are now job hunting but that has not stop my work.