A/N: Hey people of cyberspace! This is my first fanfiction piece, and I would LOVE to hear what you guys have to say about it! Please, only constructive criticism if you do not find it entertaining. I really wanna make an awesome story for you guys, so any suggestions are fine by me :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, the Joker, Gotham, Studebaker, etc. I do, however, own Sofia Roselle, Lilly Morrison, Delanie Migliozzi and everyone else at the camp.

Sofia Roselle brushed her thick auburn hair once more before using skilled fingers to French braid it down the back of her head. It was going to be yet another hot day in Gotham, and being crammed indoors with hundreds of kids wasn't very helpful. Still, Sofia loved her summer job, and she loved the kids; and she had her boss, Bruce Wayne, to thank for that.

A few years ago, the philanthropist playboy had decided to take on a new project of building a summer camp for children to go to while their parents worked to keep them "safe and happy." to quote Wayne himself. The building was actually a place she would have liked to go to as a child though; there were many gymnasiums and indoor courts and fields where the kids could tire themselves out (much to the relief of their overworked parents).

On her way out, she snagged the keys off the kitchen counter and did a once- over of the apartment, making sure she hadn't left anything behind. Once she seemed satisfied, she strode out of the apartment.

Sofia unlocked her old Studebaker. It had been her first car, and despite her father's many offers to get her a flashier car, she couldn't bring herself to let this one go. She remembered saving up money from her job and then finally affording her dream car. Of course, she was sure that Mr. Wayne had tried to help her out there.

She remembered the day a two years back, when her boss drifted into what she called a "brooding session" where he would ask the most random questions. On that day in particular, he had asked her what she wanted most, material or otherwise. Being only 19, she of course responded with the car that had been her dream since she was 10. The following day, her billionaire boss decided to raise her pay immensely. When she drove to work with the new car, a smirk played across his handsome features as he said "Nice ride." with a wink.

Despite his many flirtation attempts, Sofia kept him strictly as a friend and employer, knowing he was just being playful. As his personal assistant, Sofia had become much closer with Bruce than many of the employees. She had assisted Bruce's butler Alfred in planning many parties and fundraisers at Wayne Manor

No doubt, her closeness to her boss had brought on the raise which paid for the car she now sat in. As she drove, she turned on the radio, but didn't really listen. It was more of a background noise to keep Sofia from feeling lonely.

She pulled into the lot outside of the structure, and as she walked in, was jumped by one of her favorite campers, Lilly Morrison. She thanked god that she had a whole week of vacation this summer to be with the kids.

"Hey, Lilly-pad." She smiled at the young girl, who in turn grinned back.

"Hi, Sofia! Guess what I got last night?" the child inquired.

After putting on a face to make it look like the question was difficult, she sighed. "I give up. What'd you get, kiddo?"

Lilly turned around to reveal a sparkly hair clip, not unlike the one Sofia had worn yesterday.

"Gorgeous, darling!" she lifted up Lilly and spun her around, and her heart filled with warmth as she heard the tiny child's giggles. She placed Lilly on the ground and walked over to chat with some of the other counselors. Upon arriving by them, however, she was only greeted with somber looks.

In this city, she wasn't even sure she wanted to know, but curiosity forced her to ask her best friend, Delanie Migliozzi (who was also a counselor).

"What happened?"

"Someone broke out of Arkham Asylum last night."

Sofia froze, already knowing the answer to her next question. "Who was it?" she whispered, not wanting any of the campers to overhear.

"The Joker."

Sofia could feel her heart racing in her chest as she remembered all of what he had done in the past months, including blowing up the protective custody area he was held in: the one where her Uncle Gerard worked as a cop. Suddenly, she was spitting mad.

"Can't anyone keep this creep locked up?!" she hissed. Her colleagues agreed with her, but had a better hold of their emotions. Without saying another word to anyone else, she stormed to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She had to hold it together, if not for herself, then for the kids. They couldn't see her like this; it would be too much for them, especially Lilly, whose father had been killed in the same explosion as Sofia's uncle.

She came out of the bathroom with a perfect poker face and tried to stay calm. It was highly unlikely that of all the places in Gotham to come to, Gotham Summer Camp would be the first. Although he was a raving lunatic, the Joker had yet to kill children, and Sofia seriously doubted that he would anytime soon, or anytime at all for that matter. No one could be that disturbed, not even the Joker.

Since his great escape, neither hide nor hair had been seen of the Joker. Sofia vaguely wondered if the whole thing had been a ruse to keep the media satisfied, but she doubted it greatly; even the press didn't want the Joker to be back. Sofia tried very hard to concentrate and keep up light conversations with Lilly. She was sitting down braiding the petite girl's hair when she heard a crackle from the walkie-talkie.

"Can you repeat that, please?" she asked into the microphone.

A rushed voiced answered her "All staff and campers to the main gymnasium, immediately." After hearing a strange beeping sound, the building's power went out. Sofia picked up her cell phone and used it to guide the children around the obstacles in the recreational room. While going down the stairs, Sofia bumped into Delanie and her campers.

"Lanie, what in the hell is going on?" Sofia inquired as some of the more "innocent" campers oohed at the curse.

Delanie simply shrugged. "If I knew, I'd tell ya. As long as the power's out though, we might as well go down to the gym and see what's up."

The rest of the walk was in silence. Many of the campers, Lilly included clung to the counselors in the dark. The short walk to the largest gym seemed to take forever. As they filed toward their destination, an eerie laughter resounded off the walls, echoing throughout the entire hallway and eventually bouncing into Sofia's head.

Up until this point, Sofia had kept her cool. There was always a reasonable explanation, she had come to find out, which didn't have to do with him. Now, though, Sofia was more afraid than she'd ever been in her life. She wanted to freeze, she wanted to turn around and run, leaving everything behind; because she'd heard that laugh before, on the news and in her nightmares. Sofia knew exactly who was in that room, and did not expect to live. She knew that once she walked into the room, she would come face-to-face with the Joker. Taking a deep breath, she slowly pushed open the door and prepared to dance with the devil.