Disclaimer: I don't own Bats or the Joker...yadda, yadda, yadda....Only putting a disclaimer here...

If the two girls seem..."Mary-sue-ish" ...I don't care. Honestly.

By the way, the Joker is going to be Jack Nicholson's version...But looks like Ledger's. So he's kinda dark and badass, but still funny.

But enough of me being bitter. Enjoy the story!! =]

Fenari lived a normal life. She was a normal 18 year old senior in high school. She had a normal best friend…Well…As normal as best friends come. She got along well with her family. She got good grades, and was well liked by most of the kids at her school. She hated all of it.

She hated waking up at the same time, going to school and seeing the same people, coming home at the same time, doing the same work, day in and day out. Oh, and sometimes she even got the same opportunity to go to the same places in the same city.

The city of Gotham wasn't one she enjoyed. No. It was too…corporate. Everything was too …dull. The buildings….The sidewalks….The roads….The jobs….Even the air. The only things that didn't seem to be dull were the people. Oh, there were so many variations of people in Gotham. Small time criminals, businessmen, people that just blended in with the scenery, psychos, Batman…Yes. Batman. He had his own category.

Fenari didn't believe he was some whack job looking to release some steam at night. She believed that he was cleaning up the city. Or, at least trying. Opposite Batman, there was Him. He also had his own category. He wasn't crazy, nor was he a small time criminal. He didn't blend in, his makeup made sure of that, but I guess he was a businessman of a sort. Fenari was referring to the Joker.

The man had very…unusual methods, but he had a point to make. He was trying to get the people of Gotham to realize that they were corrupting themselves. They deserved everything they had coming to them. Each and every one of them had something to hide. Something they never want people to know. That deep down, they were as ugly as he was.

Take her family for example. Her family, the Castelletti's, was a powerful mob in Italy, and an underground one in Gotham. Her father, Salvatore, was the head of this mob. Yes, Fenari didn't approve of this lifestyle…But there wasn't anything she could do about it. I mean, she couldn't complain. Her home was the size of a small apartment building; it rivaled Wayne Manor, she had maids that cleaned, she had a cook, and a doorman. But…Fenari wasn't spoiled. She worked for everything that she had.

"Fenari. Can you please snap out of it, and focus? Feeny…" Said a voice. Fenari snapped out of her thoughts, and looked at her friend, Evelyn, and smiled to let her know her attention had returned.

"Sorry…" Fenari said, sighing.

"Feeny, I know you hate it here…And once you and I graduate, we're out of this city. Away from these people, away from the noise, away from it all! We just have to wait a little bit longer." Evelyn said, reading her friend's thoughts. "But, please focus...Can you please do what I asked?" Fenari sighed, and then responded,

"Yes, I told you last week I'd come to your recital. I promised. I always keep them, and you know that. What time am I supposed to be there?" As Evelyn started to give Fenari the directions and times, her mind started to wander again. But, she stopped it and paid attention at the important points. When Evelyn had finished, she left to get ready. Fenari sighed again, and then lay back on her bed. Her small bulldog, Alkemy, jumped up and laid his big head on her stomach, looking at her. Fenari absently petted Alkemy, and just thought.

"I need to get out of this place…Away from this city…" And as if Alkemy knew something his owner didn't, he nudged her hand in response, and smiled.

The air was cold, and dry, as Fenari and Evelyn walked down the dark sidewalk back to Fenari's home. The only thing that lit their path was the occasional street lamp. Fenari couldn't stop complimenting her friend on her performance at the theater. Evelyn had been dancing before the two had even met. And that was a long time ago. "Feeny, why did we both walk to the theater again?" Lyn interrupted as she shivered slightly.

"…Because we're morons…" Feeny said dryly. Her breath came out in small puffs of smoke as she spoke. They heard quick footsteps behind them, and they turned their heads to see behind them. Four large men were right behind them, and had them dragged down the alley adjacent to the corner they were about to cross.

"Hey! No!! Let go!!" Lyn screamed. She struggled against the two men that held her, and Fenari was doing the same.

"Stop it!! If you don't, I will seriously kick your ass!" Fenari screamed, her adrenaline kicking in. She managed a quick punch to the guy's jaw that was in front of her. In response, the guy growled, and shoved Fenari up against the wall behind her. Her head hit it and she saw stars for a moment.

Lyn's screams were muffled by a white rag that was shoved into her mouth. Soon after, Fenari's threats were silenced by a rag as well. It tasted like gasoline. The man that had pushed her came close to her face. His breath smelled of alcohol, and he looked covered in oil. "I'm going to teach you obedience. I'm going to enjoy this. And then after, I'm going to make you watch your friend die." He clenched her jaw tighter, and the other man that had her hands, laughed a little.

"Oh look, she's going to cry." It was true. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she fought them. She had to stay strong and she wouldn't break her dignity for these thugs. Lyn's cries turned to panicked screams again, as she saw a blade come in contact with her throat. It rested gently on her throat as the man undid his belt. Lyn's muffled screams rang higher.

Fenari was in a similar, if not worse, situation. One thug was roughly kissing her neck, and biting. Hard. She knew if she got out of this alive, she was going to have cuts and bruises. 'Where the Hell is Batman when you need him?!' She thought frantically.

Instead of Batman's raw, deep voice, she heard a less raw, voice, which seemed to have a slight hint of a knowing quality to it. Everything this voice said was deliberate. As if the person whom the voice belonged to thought deeply about his choice of words before speaking.

"Excuse me…Gentlemen…You four look a little lost. Do you need directions?" It said. Fenari tried to look toward their savoir, but a hand still held it firmly in place.

"It's the Clown. Listen, you freak, if you think-" Before the thug that had been kissing Fenari could finish his sentence, a blade had connected with his forehead, and blood sprayed on Fenari's face. She jumped, and screamed slightly. The white rag had little speckles of red on it, and she heard Lyn start to panic even more. She had ended up on the ground, because the two men holding her took off running. Lyn's cries got louder when she pulled the rag from her mouth and threw it down.

Fenari glanced at her friend. Her tights had ripped in several spots, there was dirt on her face, and she looked so scared. Fenari almost cried again, but held it together.

The last man remaining still held Fenari. He pulled out a gun, and had it aimed at the 'Clown' the thugs had referred to. Fenari still couldn't see him, but she saw the fear increase in Lyn's eyes. The fear was from the gun and the other man that didn't appear to want to hurt the girls…At the moment. The man holding Fenari reconsidered shooting the 'Clown' and instead turned the barrel to Fenari's forehead.

"Come any closer Clown, and I'll blow her head off." The guy threatened. Fenari was breathing hard and quickly through her nose. The tears fought to pour down her face again. But she still wouldn't let them. She was not a crier. She was scared for her life, yes. Shaking because of the fear, and the cold.

Lyn was fighting herself to do something. She could try to help her friend, but that might result in Fenari getting killed. She could run, but then she would feel complete and total remorse later, or, she could sit there helpless. The latter seemed safer, and she looked at their savoir and noticed he seemed to be thinking something over.

"How about a magic trick?" He said. All three people in front of him looked at him oddly. Well, Fenari just furrowed her brow. She couldn't look in that direction still. "I will make everything before you vanish. Don't. Blink." In a flash, another knife had left his hand, and found its way into the center of Fenari's captor's forehead, like the first. Again, more blood hit Fenari's face, and the grip that was bruising her jaw relaxed, and then vanished completely. She was shaking terribly, and the thug's grip was the only thing that had kept her on her feet. Now that it was gone, she dropped to the ground, tearing the rag out of her mouth.

Now, she was able to turn and see hers and Lyn's…'hero'. Her eyes widened again as she saw the Joker. 'Of course it was the Joker, you idiot. Who else would people call 'Clown'? Honestly, I think we're losing it, Hun.' Said her inner thoughts. She stood on shaky knees, and without her eyes ever leaving the Joker, she found Lyn, and they both stood in the middle of the alley, holding each other up for support.

"Now, uh, what…are you two lovely ladies doing out here in the middle of the uh, night?" He turned his head slightly, and a grin appeared on his face, "You could get…hurt." Fenari arched an eyebrow. She and Lyn had been through enough crap that night, and didn't need to add anything else to the list.

"Listen, we…" Fenari's voice came out hoarse from her throat being dry. She cleared it and continued. "We don't want any trouble. You saved our lives. If there was anything… we could do to repay you…"

"What are you saying?! He's….the Joker! Do you know what he's done!?" Whispered Lyn quickly to Fenari.

"I know who he is. But I think you're forgetting that he has a lot of knives…That magically find their way to foreheads of those he doesn't like. Shut up." Fenari whispered back. She looked back at the Joker, but he wasn't anywhere to be found. "Where did he…." Instead, she saw a small Joker's card on the ground in front of them. She tentatively approached it, and on the back, it said in very awkward letters

"I'll be looking for that favor later

-J"

"…He doesn't know where to find us, right? He doesn't even know who we are…" Lyn said from Fenari's side. Fenari looked at her friend, the dried blood on her face glistening from the light post in front of the alley.

"I hope he doesn't…But the Joker knows a lot of things that he shouldn't…Come on…We're sitting on that sidewalk and I'm calling my Father. We're telling him what happened, and he'll handle everything. Knowing him, those guys that ran off won't be around much longer. You're staying at my house tonight. No way am I leaving you alone." She said with a small smile. She looked at her friend and saw that she was still shaken about the recent events.

But Fenari's mind had automatically blocked out the almost rape/murder. It was how she coped with things. Her emotions would kick in later. This is how she and Evelyn differed. Evelyn had reactions right then and there, and they were the appropriate reactions.

Fenari, on the other hand, had odd reactions. She laughed when she should cry, was angered when she should be enjoying herself, and she was very impulsive. It wasn't A.D.D….but it was pretty close. Any event, good or bad, would later hit home. If she were to rob a bank, she wouldn't think about the repercussions. If she ended up in jail later, she would then start going ballistic.

The two girls went over to the streetlight, and sat huddled underneath it. Fenari called her Father, and then the two waited for their second savior that night.

I'd like some reviews...Just so I know how I'm doing. Please? There's a cookie in it for you. *holds up cookie*

~Killjoy