Summary: The team meets Joker for the first time and everything goes wrong.

Warning: Blood, Violence, not very nice language, awkward sentence structures, lousy-ass action scenes, very lengthy and meaningless descriptions and weird paragraphing

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Well, except maybe the crappy story.

Read if you dare!

Wally had a bad feeling about this. A really, really bad feeling.

"Why aren't you enjoying the show?"

The chalk-white, lanky man in front of them laughed manically at his own statement, lips stretched impossibly wide with a blood-red grin. Beside him, Artemis flinched. The creepy happy circus music was really grating on his nerves. He could tell it was affecting the others too.

"Let them go, Joker." Kaldur stated coolly, his face betraying no emotion. M'gann was hovering behind, slightly perturbed by the hysterical clown. Conner was holding her hand tightly. Robin had gone quiet as soon as they arrived, and now his face almost as pale as the maniac's. Wally stole a worried glance at him.

The villain stopped suddenly, but the laughter seemed to echo in the large, red and white circus tent. The sound buzzed in the air, mingling with the broken sound of circus music playing. Then Wally realised that it was the possessed people who were laughing, tittering away behind the smiling masks that were strapped onto their faces.

Joker clicked his tongue critically, " Fishboy, that is no way to treat your elders! Didn't your momma teach you anything about respect?"

He turned to Artemis and suddenly gave a delighted cackle at her startled expression, "What's the matter, Blondie?" his footsteps tapped in time with the merry rhythm of the music and the ghosts of giggles as he began to walk in a circle around them, his crazed gleaming eyes still fixated on Artemis. Suddenly, there was a flash of white and Artemis yelped, leaning sideways and bumping into Wally. His blood froze; the Joker had lunged forward and back so fast, they didn't even see him.

"You…" he whispered as he continued his path around their tense, nervous group, twirling a lock of Artemis' hair between its fingers. "You, my dear, have such beautiful, beautiful blond hair. So frightfully blond."

Artemis turned ashen and shrunk towards Wally when the Joker gave her a smaller, more sinister grin. Then he turned, and jumped in mock surprise when he saw Robin who, if possible, looked even paler than before.

"Ah! There you are, Boy Blunder. Not hiding behind Batsy's capey today, are we?" Letting loose a high-pitched shriek of delight at that statement, he doubled over, winded with giggles. He had made a complete circle and was now back in the position where he started.

Then, quite suddenly, the Joker straightened, frowning. Everyone except Robin jumped. He looked even more menacing with his lips twisted downwards.

"You poor, poor, children. What has Batsy done to you now? Rubbed off you all with his sad, sad seriousness, has he?" Without warning he strode up towards them again, and halted in front of Kaldur. No one moved, no one breathed. Wally wanted desperately to turn and run, but his feet seemed glued to the ground and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move.

"My my, dear leader," Wally heard M'gann stifle a gasp at the soft click. Joker was grinning again, a gun angled right in front of Kaldur's forehead. Point-blank. Silver eyes stared back with unnerving calm into a pair of beady, glassy ones.

"Why." The laughing people were climbing over the circus ring, the masked acrobats coming down the rope ladder.

"So." The sheer numbers were overwhelming. And they were all giggling away.

"Serious?" the bang was loud enough to make his bones rattle. Wally squeezed his eyes shut, then reopened them.

The Joker was laughing again, the small flag sticking out of the gun trembling as he shook with hysteria. A cacophony of his discordant laughter, the people's muffled giggles and the cheery musical tune reverberated throughout the tent, ricocheting off the stands and walls.

Wally shook himself out of his trance. Kaldur looked dumbstruck, the rest wore similar stunned looks, and Robin had gone all rigid. Then at the corner of his eye, Wally saw his friend's expression turn horrified and his mouth opened into a silent shout—

The next thing they knew, there was a white flash and sharp pain shot through Wally's leg. He crashed to the floor with a strangled yell.

"Kid!" The flag was sticking out of his thigh and it felt like that entire area had been set on fire. He tried not to cry out again.

Faintly, he heard Conner snarl. Artemis was down beside him, gripping his arm tightly. Joker was humming shrilly along to the gypsy melody. His possessed minions had somehow, while they were distracted, surrounded them.

"Well then, children," Joker's voice drifted across the cackles. Stop laughing, he wanted to shout at them, stop laughing, stopstopstop-

"Enjoy the show!~" Everything moved at once. Kaldur, Conner and Robin. charged. Artemis lugged him to his feet and they pushed through an oncoming throng of laughing clowns.

"Robin! Get back here!" he heard Kaldur yell after the boy. Wally managed to glance around momentarily. Robin had appeared to have ignored the call as he turned and leapt over the bunch of zombies. The laughter intensified, resonating like a thousand bells in the tent.

He heard Kaldur starting to shout over the noise at Conner to follow Robin but his orders were cut off as the crowd engulfed them. The 'performers' each wielded either a sharp craving knife or a spiked club.

Suddenly Wally collapsed onto the ground.

"Wally—" His leg was throbbing and wouldn't hold his weight. With a heave, Artemis managed to get them both to the entrance of the tent, beside the stands. Her face swam into his line of vision. She was tapped his face.

"Wally. Wally, are you still with me?"

He grunted to show that he was still conscious. His ears were ringing. "Get... it... out..."

"The-"

"Yeah, I don't care." he bit back a wince. "Just do it!"

"Ok... on three." He nodded slowly, clenching his eyes tightly.

"1... 2... 3-" it came out. His leg felt like it was bathed in acid for a moment before it finally ebbed a little.

Sighing in slight relief, Wally opened his eyes to a pair of concerned, ash-grey orbs.

"Thank-"

"Artemis! A little help would be very much appreciated!" Came a call from Kaldur. They both looked up to see the team getting smothered by the giggling maniacs. There were just too many and because they were just innocent civilians, the heroes couldn't hurt them.

M'gann and Conner had been cornered into the stands, with Conner protecting M'gann while she attempted gather up the people and take them out with her mind, Kaldur and Artemis were fighting at the foot of the stands, dodging and blocking hits. Robin was taking on Joker single-handedly on the far end of the tent. Through his pain-tinged vision, Wally could see his pale face contorted with fury and defiance.

He tried to stand but his bad leg caved under him. It hurt so badly.

"Sit this one out, Wally. Recover." With that, Artemis darted off into the throng of brightly covered, knife-wielding zombies.

Then he returned his attention to the duelling Clown Prince of Crime and Boy Wonder.

"Ahhahahahahaha!" The Joker positively screamed with laughter as he leaped down the stairs of the spectators' stands, towards the empty ring. Robin was close behind, face pulled into an angry grimace.

Without warning, the madman stopped and swung something, some pole, at their teammate, his best friend. He twisted and fell over the footboard of the stands.

"One little, two little, three little birdies~" Robin was on the ground, either dazed, or unconscious. Wally knew he had to help but his leg had, for some weird, frustrating reason, not completely healed yet, even with his enhanced healing capabilities. The room was beginning to twist. He was helpless.

"Argh!" On the other side, the team was being defeated by the giggling civilians. Their hesitation to injure was costing them.

Whump.

Robin had just gotten to his feet, only to fall again when Joker hit him again, this time on the shoulder. He staggered forwards and tumbled over the performance ring and into the arena.

"No..." he tried to yell but his voice was stuck in his throat.

Joker burst out in song as he jumped into the ring and and landed above Robin. "Four," Smack, "Little," Thump, "Five," Crack, "Little," Thwack, "Six," Crack, "Little," Smack, "Birdies," Crack.

"R-Robin!" His hoarse cry drew the attention of M'gann, who was trying to contain the possessed victims. She dropped them, with all intention to go help Robin, but more pounced onto her and she went under. Conner made a sound akin to a wounded bull and began to swat at the zombies

Wally struggled up, leaning heavily against the wall. His head buzzed and black spots blinked in and out of his vision. His canary yellow costume was almost completely soaked with his blood. What was wrong? Why weren't his super-healing abilities kicking in?

A few of the zombies had noticed him and they were coming over, their demonic giggling muffled by the masks. He hopped weakly on one foot and nearly screamed in frustration.

"Blasted leg! Move, dammit!"

He still couldn't run, Robin and the team were getting beaten to a pulp, they were going to lose-

Suddenly, there were three snapping sounds and then a small black arrow appeared on the neck of each of the zombies advancing towards him. They went down like puppets whose strings had been cut. More airy snaps and several of the 'clowns' and 'acrobats' keeled. The crowd around his teammates thinned.

"Are you okay?" He looked up to see the owner of the black arrows. The young man was standing on top of the stands behind him, a crossbow in his hands

"Ro- Red Arrow!"

The red-head nodded. "Yeap."

He shot more of the arrows and soon, the team had fought themselves out of the insane thicket. The colourful, circus people lay on the ground, some still quivering with giggles.

"Red Arrow!" M'gann exclaimed. They all looked worse for wear; Conner's shirt was shredded and there were a few healing slash marks on his arms, Kaldur had been stabbed on the shoulder and was leaking dark, purplish-red blood, Artemis had bruises from the clubs blossoming all over her face and forearms which she used to protect herself and M'gann's cape had been all sliced and torn up and she had a cut on her leg which was bleeding.

Red Arrow checked the pulse of one of the fallen zombies and cast them a quick glance, "Where's-"

"Looking for your birdie?" Came a jeer from the other end of the circus tent. Joker was standing, straight as a pencil, his sinister, bright red grin once again stretched across his face.

He began to swing something, a bloody crowbar, round and round in his hand. Then they looked down and saw-

"Rob!" His best friend lay slumped on the floor at Joker's feet, unmoving. His gut twisted horribly.

Red Arrow stood. The two men stood facing each other, one smiling and one expressionless. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Then the madman pulled a mock scowl, "C'mon boy, turn that frown upside down! You're at the circus for goodness sake!"

"Let him go." Gritted Wally angrily. He could hear the blood pounding in his eardrums.

"Who? Whatwhenwhere? How? Hahahahahaha!" Joker lifted the crowbar and before they could yell, he brought it down on the kid at his feet. Then again, and again.

"The circus is coming to town, the circus is - urkk!" He keeled over in mid-hum, three black arrows sticking out of his chest.

As the villain went down, Wally rushed over to Robin as fast as he could, hopping and tripping. Artemis and the rest were close behind; Red Arrow and Kaldur sprinted towards Joker, who was cackling and attempting to get up.

His friend, his best friend was lying on the dirt floor, all banged up by the madman, all broken and silent-

"Robin! Rob, speak to me!"

This was messed up. So messed up. All the noise just phased out as he picked up Robin, tried to pick up the pieces-

This was not how it was supposed to be, things were not supposed to go down like this... He could hear Joker, giggling drunkenly as Kaldur and Red Arrow tied him up... Wally wanted nothing more but to smash his face in for what he did to Robin...

"M'gann, where's the ship?"

"She's coming. I'm getting her to call Captain Marvel-" a small sound cut short M'gann. Robin took a rattling breath as he regained consciousness, body jerking in Wally's arms as he coughed wetly.

"Rob? Can you hear me?"

Robin struggled to part his blood-stained lips. When he spoke, he sounded so weak, so small, as if air was leaking out of his lungs along with his warm red blood.

"KF… your…leg… "

"This is not a time for you to be worrying about others, Rob! Oh God—" Wally felt horror seize him as Robin continued to cough, blood spraying out from his mouth and onto his Kid Flash uniform. The warm wetness began seeping through the fabric of his uniform. He was injured, and very, very badly so. They had to get help or –

Robin made a squirming movement, as if he wanted to get out of Wally's arms. He screwed his face up into a painful grimace and gasped weakly, "Don't… understand..."

The boy stiffened, then went limp in Wally's arms.

"Robin!" There was no response. He cursed vehemently.

Conner spoke for the first time. "M'gann, where's the ship?"

"A minute more, she's flying her fastest already-"

"Okay." Wally laid Robin down on the sandy floor. Artemis checked his pulse.

"Wally, his… his pulse really weak." He wanted to scream. This was all wrong, his best friend was dying and there was nothing they could do, nothing...

The blonde's voice lulled him out of his trance, "Should we do CPR? Wally!"

He could still hear Joker's laughter ringing in his head and the circus music was still playing (the said villain was on the floor, all tied up and being interrogated by Red Arrow and Kaldur who were trying to free the civilians from his mind control.).

Pull yourself together, Wallace.

"No." He said, his thought process still feeling strangely splintered. He indicated at the slightly sunken left side of Robin's torso, "His ribs are broken, we might risk injuring him even further."

"So what do we do now?" The question struck a chord in Wally's brain and he quickly snapped into action.

"Staunch his wounds before he bleeds out." Conner and Artemis nodded and set to work immediately.

Hang in there, Rob, just hang in there...

A/N: Um... Yeah, so hi? I'M BACK HAHA.

Ok, so anyway, this... thing has been on my mind for a while, it started out really small, as a one-shot, but then something happened and it exploded:P I'm not quite sure what I'm doing, so do bear with me if this story turns out crappy. Which it probably will.

I'm not going to lie, but I'm really, really not happy with this piece. I mean, I've got the plot in my head and everything, but I just can't seem to write coherently enough. You'll see more of this incoherency as we move on into the later chapters.

Once again, not very realistic, and I don't really do much justice to any of the characters:(

Tell me what you think. Next chap should be up in a few days, I'm just looking it over and editing it now:)

Ok imma shut up now.

~Crash

Ps: HAHA OMIGOSH I spent the entire A/N whining:P SORRY:/