Title: Everyone Screams on Halloween

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me.

Warnings: Violence, torture, deaths (actual and implied)

Characters/Pairings: Nolanverse - OFC, the Joker, Jim Gordon, Jim Gordon Jr., Barbara Gordon (child)

Written For: Teithiwr as part of the August fix exchange for the batmanjoker community on livejournal.

Prompt Used: "What the Joker gets up to on Halloween."

Notes: All I know is what I've seen in the movies. Sorry if anything is inaccurate. I'm assuming Jim is older than his sister Barbara, since the actor playing Jim Jr. is older than the actress playing Barbara.

Summary: Trick or Treat? How about both . . .

She hated Halloween. Children running around past bedtime, pointless pranks which were never amusing, money wasted on candy that if not eaten would rot in someone's kitchen for the next ten months . . . the old woman smiled as she handed out lollipops to the two ghosts standing on her doorstep. They ran off without giving thanks, one of them carelessly knocking a pumpkin onto its side.

She frowned. Setting the tray of treats aside on the nearby hutch, she stepped out into the chilly night and righted the mistreated vegetable. Her back ached as she stood up and headed back into her house. Pausing on the front porch, she turned to look out at what was once a lovely, up-scale neighborhood. Now the manicured lawns were covered with gaudy decorations and candy wrappers. Bushes shaped like squares were obscured by damp toilet paper. Children, teens, and accompanying parents ran back and forth, uncaring of the gardens they trampled. Crossing her arms over her chest to ward off the cold, she stepped back into her home.

Someone screamed two houses down. She ignored it. Everyone screamed on Halloween.

Closing the door behind her, she clicked off the porch light, indicating to the treat-seeking tots that this particular candy store was closed for the night.

She had barely taken two steps into her living room when a fist pounded at her door. She paused and listened. It was getting late. Perhaps they would become impatient and move on.

The pounding began again. The woman bowed her head and smiled at her misfortune. "One more," she decided as she stepped back towards the door. She picked up the candy tray from the hutch where she had left it. "One more."

She opened the door. The smile she had encouraged began to falter. Four men stood on her porch, three wearing masks. She squinted through the darkness at the fourth. His face was white. Dark circles encased his eyes. A jagged red line stretched across his face.

The unmasked man stepped forward. The woman recoiled a bit as he raised a long tube to rest under his chin. Clicking on the flashlight, the woman immediately recognized the illuminated face.

"Boo," the Joker whispered before breaking into hysterical peals of laughter. The woman shrieked as the other three men lunged around the laughing figure to grab her arms and drag her inside. Flicking off the flashlight, the Joker followed them into the house, quickly closing the door behind him.

The porch light clicked back on.

The door opened to reveal a princess and a fairy. A young mother stood by the mailbox, glancing at her watch every now and then. "Trick or Treat!" the two girls shouted, raising their pumpkin baskets.

"Well, aren't you just the cutest children I've seen all night!" exclaimed a voice above their heads. The girls stared up at an oddly dressed woman. Her hair hung down into her face, obscuring black eyes and a pale face. An ugly olive green dress clung to her slight frame. Striped socks and brown shoes peeked out from under the skirt's drooping hem. Bare hands were covered in black, white and shades of red.

"Do you like my costume?" the woman asked, noticing their stare. "I made it myself."

Before the girls could respond, a handful of candy was dropped into each bucket. The girls' eyes grew wide and their arms sagged with the sudden weight.

"Thank you!" they squealed together before dashing back to their mother. Excited shouts echoed back to the figure on the porch. As the children scampered back into the street, the mother raised a hand in a parting gesture to the porch. The woman waved back enthusiastically.

Jim Gordon held tight to his daughter's hand as they walked along the sidewalk. His son strode several steps ahead of them. The girl was an angel; the boy was a fireman.

Barbara tugged on her father's hand. "He's walking too fast!" she complained. "I want to walk ahead too."

"No, stay here," Gordon countered. Calling out to his son, he said, "Slow down! Let us catch up."

Jim Jr. turned around, but continued walking. "I'm scouting out the area," he said.

"You can scout just as well back here," Gordon said, motioning for his son to join the group. The younger Jim bowed his head and paused, waiting for his father and sister to catch up.

Barbara tugged on her father's hand again. "Daddy, I'm tired," she whined. "Carry me?" She lifted her arms.

Gordon smiled down at her. "Aren't you getting a little old for that?" he asked.

Jim smirked. "Mom told you not to wear those shoes. You're too stubborn for your own good."

"I'm not stubborn!"

"And you smell funny."

"No I don't!"

Gordon stopped. "Enough!" he stated. "Jim, stop teasing your sister." Bending down, he scooped Barbara into his arms. She settled herself against his hip and stuck her tongue out at her brother. "I think it's about time to call it a night," he continued.

"Aw, come on dad!" Jim shouted. "Just one more street."

"No."

"One more house! Please!" he pleaded. "Look, there's one right there with the light still on."

Gordon looked to where his son was pointing. A two-story ranch-style home sat on a well maintained lawn. Two tall trees stood at either end of the yard. The porch steps were flanked by large, bright orange pumpkins. The porch light cast a welcoming glow across the yard. Gordon looked back down at his son. "Last house," he agreed.

Jim grinned his thanks and took off towards the house before his father could change his mind. Gordon followed after him, holding his daughter close to his chest. Her halo dug into his neck with each step.

Jim jumped up the steps and rang the doorbell. "Trick or Treat!" he called.

Gordon stood at the foot of the stairs, watching his son. He could hear footsteps approaching the door before it was pulled open to reveal an older looking woman in an ill-fitting dress. She grinned down at the boy. "Well, hello -" Her eyes spotted Gordon and she paused.

Gordon nodded to the woman. "Good evening," he said politely.

The woman's grin grew as she stared at Gordon through locks of tangled hair. "Good evening," she returned. "Commissioner."

Gordon's stomach twisted at her voice. Something about it struck a familiar chord in him. He watched as his son held up a Frankenstein bucket. The woman grabbed a handful of candy, but paused before she dropped it into his bucket.

"You know," she said to him. "It's getting rather late and I'm thinking I might call it a night soon. But I still have so much candy left, even with all the little customers I've seen this evening. So I think -" her eyes flickered to the officer "- if it's okay with your father, I'd like to give the rest to you."

Jim turned to his father, eyes wide and pleading. Gordon shrugged off his unease and smiled at the generous woman. "I'm sure we'll find someone who will eat it," he said.

"I certainly hope so," the woman replied, as she dumped the rest of the candy into Jim's bucket, filling it to the top.

"Wow!" Jim exclaimed. "Thanks!" he said. He picked up one and looked at it. "What are they?" The wrappers were plain white paper, with no labels or markings.

"Homemade treats," the woman replied. "Sugar-free," she stated for Gordon's benefit. To Jim, she added, "But still exceptionally delicious."

"Thanks!" Jim said again before turning to his father. Gordon reached out a free hand to pat the boy's head as he stepped past him. Nodding farewell to the odd woman, he turned and followed his son out onto the street. He heard the door open and close behind him.

The light clicked off.

Jim reached into his bucket and pulled out one of the candies. Unwrapping it, he discovered a soft, brown candy. He smelled it; it was chocolate. Gordon reached out and took the candy from his son. "No eating until we get home," he said, placing candy and wrapper into his pocket.

"Aw, come on dad -"

A shriek sounded out. Barbara clutched to her father's neck. "What was that?" she asked.

"Probably someone pulling a Halloween prank," Jim stated, matter of fact.

Gordon listened as the scream came again. Loosing his grip on his daughter, he let her slide down to the ground.

"You're such a know-it-all," she retorted.

"Probably because I do know it all," he said. Barbara giggled at the absurdity of her brother knowing anything.

The scream came one more time, followed by a choked sob. The children fell quiet as their father stepped forward. Turning back, he shot a stern look at Jim. "Stay here," he said. "Watch your sister."

With that, he ran in the direction of the screams. Three houses down and one over, he found a woman kneeling over two small figures. She was rocking back and forth, mumbling something behind hands that clawed at her face. Slowing, he took in the scene before him. "Ma'am?" he asked, approaching the woman. "I'm a police officer. Is everything alright?"

As he stepped closer he saw that the two figures were young girls. One wore wings like his daughter. The other sported a large pink dress. A small crown lay several inches away. Neither was breathing.

Gordon knelt next to the closest child, eyes quickly running over her body. Red welts rose and fell across her neck and chest. They spread out from her mouth in a large ring and ran up her cheeks to disappear into her hairline. Blood seeped out of her mouth and along her neck where her small fingers had clawed at her skin.

He checked the other girl; she was the same.

The woman mumbled something. Gordon turned his attention to her as he pulled out a cell phone. Quickly punching in 911, he placed a steady hand on her shoulder. She shuddered at the touch. "Ma'am," he said softly. "Can you tell me what happened?"

The woman suddenly convulsed under his hand. She fell back, landing hard on the pavement. Her hands fell away to reveal the same markings the children displayed. Groaning and choking, she clawed at her throat. Gordon dropped the phone and reached out for the shuddering woman. "Can you breathe?" he asked. She shook her head wildly, hands reaching up to push him away. He fought her, trying to move close enough to help. She jerked twice, then arched up and away from Gordon. Then she fell back against the pavement and lay still.

Gordon sat back, stunned. He gasped for air as he tried to process what he had just seen. A small, tinny voice sounded from somewhere to his right. "Are you there? Hello?"

"Daddy?" a voice called behind him. Whirling around, he spotted Barbara several yards away. Jim trailed behind her.

"Get back!" he shouted at her. She paused, frightened. "Stay away," he called. "Jim, keep her back." Jim nodded and took his sister's hand, his other still clutching tight to his Frankenstein bucket.

Reaching down, he picked up his phone. "Hello?" he called.

"This is 9-1-1, can you stated the nature of your emergency?" the woman asked.

"This is Commissioner Gordon," Gordon returned. "I need a bus to the corner of Lincoln and Marshal Avenue. I have three females, all dead. Possible homicide . . ." His voice trailed off as he spotted something white in one of the girl's hands. Reaching out, he plucked it from her bloody fingers. Turning it over in his hand, he found it was a blank square, slightly crumpled on each edge. Reaching into his pocket, he produced the candy he took from his son less than five minutes ago.

The wrappers were the same.

"Jim!" Gordon shouted, whirling around. The boy jumped at the fierceness of his father's voice. Gordon advanced on him. "Drop that!" he said, motioning to the bucket full of candy. Before his son could register the command, Gordon pounced on the bucket, pulling it from the boy's grasp and throwing it across the lawn. Taking his son's shoulders, he shook him lightly. "Did you eat any?" he asked. The boy gasped, tears forming in his eyes. "Answer me," Gordon said, kneeling. "Did you eat any candy?"

"No," Jim said weakly. Barbara hid her face in her brother's arm and sobbed.

"Are you sure?" Gordon said. "You didn't eat even a single piece? Something when I wasn't looking?"

"No," the boy said again.

Gordon sighed, relieved. Standing, he pulled his children close and pressed the phone back to his ear. "Are you still there?" he asked.

"Yes," the woman replied. "The ambulance is on its way. ETA two minutes."

Gordon bowed his head. "You'd better send another, along with any squad cars in the area."

Clicking the phone shut, he turned to his children. Barbara was crying. "Daddy, what's wrong?" she asked. Gordon stared down at her. He had no answer.

A scream pierced through the night.

A/N2: Feedback is appreciated!