~Maeve's POV~

"Here we are, little bird."

"Here we are..." Jason trailed off, and closed his eyes for a few moments. "I hate this place so much."

"You can stay here if you want, Jason. You don't have to go inside." I assured and he shook his head.

"I'm not leaving you alone in that hell. And if Dickbird finds out I left you alone, he'd kill me like he killed that Talon."

"Damn right I will." Dick called out and jumped down from the Arkham gate. "Why isn't B here yet?"

"We couldn't reel him in." Jason shrugged. "Where's your mask?"

"Hell."

"Figured."

"I'll take over for now. You just worry about getting B inside this hellhole, Jaybird." He sighed and I ran up to hug him tight. "I'm okay, funny girl... I swear it."

"Thank you, bird boy." I whispered and felt him nod.

"I'll find a way to get B and the rest here. Shouldn't take me more than one or two hours max." Jason said, kissing my cheek and put on his helmet. "If you feel the ground shaking, it's not an earthquake. It's Plan B."

"Got it." Dick laughed and held me tighter when Jason left. "I'm so glad you're both safe, my funny girl. I was so worried!"

"Baby's been kicking up a storm since I left with Jason. I've never been so tired in my life!" I exclaimed and smiled when he placed a hand on my belly.

"After tonight, we're taking a break and build the home of our dreams... A well deserved break to live the life we promised each other years ago when we were young and stupid." He promised and kissed me. "I'm done being someone I'm not, Maeve... I tried so hard to be someone who was always able to protect you and you almost slipped through my fingers... My reason for living almost slipped away again because I tried so hard to be someone I wasn't for so long."

"I think we were both trying to be something we're not." I chuckled and gestured to my outfit. "As much as I hate to say it, dressing up like this and the face paint always brings me a weird sense of comfort because it's secretly part of who I am... just like the circus is a part of you. We've both been suppressing that for far too long, haven't we?"

"I believe we have. But not anymore."

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"Bruce and the rest are on their way. The trail stops in Arkham South, so we have time."

"The Cloudburst?"

"I couldn't stop it in time... But I saw Ivy contain it with that old tree in the Gardens." Jason explained. "I was about to cut the wire when it went off. I think Scarecrow knows I'm working with you, Mom."

"I've got bigger problems right now." I sighed and pointed at the trail of blood in front of us. "Dick sent a sample to Babs, we're waiting to see if it's Tim's or Joker's."

"Yeah, and you're not gonna like what she found." Dick rubbed his temples and I raised an eyebrow. "It's Tim's blood which is good for us so we can track him... but it has an almost lethal dose of Joker Venom mixed with fear toxin."

"Tell me you're kidding, Richard."

"Do you see me cracking jokes?"

"How much anti-venom you have in that belt?"

"Enough to kill three horses."

"Okay... looks like I'm officially returning to my roots." I grumbled. "Jason, hide somewhere until Bruce arrives. Dick and I will get captured in the meantime which will cause Joker to reveal his grand plan and then we kill him."

"Sounds like a fucked up plan."

"I'm improvising!"

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~Bruce's POV~

"That's enough, Joker!"

Never in my life did I expect to see Maeve and Dick hanging from chains while Tim was unconscious and strapped down to a stretcher with a green streak in his hair.

"DAD!" Maeve yelled and swung to kick Dick awake. "Dad, get Tim!"

"Turn around." The Knight ordered.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"You really have no idea... do you, Bruce?" The Knight removed his helmet and my eyes widened.

My son... my son is back.

"Jason? But... but you're dead!"

"Oh, let's not be too hasty here!" Joker called out and appeared next to Maeve. "It seems your precious little girl left out one key detail, Brucey!"

"You knew?"

"We both did for years." Dick admitted. "We've been trying to get him to come home for a while but things were more complicated than it seemed to be... even Babs and the Team knew but we were sworn to secrecy."

"Lost for words, Dad?" Jason taunted with a small smirk. "I expected more outta you... hell, even Talia had a better reaction when she brought me back."

"But the bomb... I was about to-"

"Don't you dare start lying now! You hesitated! I saw you hesitate!" He yelled. "How long did you wait until replacing me? A week? A year!?"

"Jason, it wasn't like that!"

"We trusted you! And you left us to die!"

"That's not what happened!" I defended and he raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know it was you and Maeve in there. I thought it was an illusion... that's why I held Dick back when I did."

"You always told me to focus on what I want to achieve and it'll happen. But you know what I want now?" Jason asked with a laugh, pointing the gun to Joker who was behind me. "I want you to pay for what happened to me."

"Father, we are above Joker's hideout. Give the signal." Damian said through the comms but I took them off and threw it in front of Jason who didn't hesitate to break them with his boot. 

"You left us in that abandoned wing in Arkham with him."

"I'm sorry."

"Not good enough."

"Now wait a second, Acey... why don't we talk about this!?" Joker pleaded and we both turned to see Maeve holding him up by the throat with her legs.

"Give me the key." She ordered and tightened her grip. "Now, Joker!"

Joker slowly pulled out the key and she grabbed it with her boots before climbing up the chain to unlock them and landed with ease.

"And I learned that from my Mama." She grinned and tossed the key to Dick. "What have you done with Tim?"

"What I never achieved with you... turned him into me."

"You're lying."

"Am I? Explain the green streak in his hair." Joker grinned and we all froze. "You're too late again, Acey. I won the game."

"No. You don't get to win... I'm the one that's supposed to win!" Maeve yelled and ripped one of his stitches. "I always win!"

"Maeve that's-"

"Take one step and I blow your brains out." Jason warned, stepping in front of Maeve and pointed the gun at me. "Bruce... I'm willing to forgive you for not saving us... but why on God's green Earth is he still alive!?"

"You two never understood." I sighed, removing my cowl as Dick rushed over to try and wake up Tim. "No matter how many times I tried to explain it, you both never understood."

"Ignoring what he's done in the past. All the graveyards he's filled, the thousands who have suffered and the friends he's crippled... I thought I'd be the last person you ever let him hurt."

"Dad, look at Tim." Maeve sighed and wiped her tears. "If any of this happened to you, all of us would've searched the planet for this asshole and send him straight to hell because he took you away from us... why is it so hard to just-"

"It's too damn easy, Maeve." I admitted and Jason lowered his gun slightly. "You don't understand, none of you do... After Arkham, all I wanted was to kill him for destroying my daughter and taking my son from me. Not a day goes by where I don't wish he was in an unmarked grave somewhere after giving him the same torture he gave everyone for over two decades!"

"Aww, so you do think about me. I'm touched, Brucey." Joker cooed and Maeve ripped off another stitch.

"If I allow myself to go down into that place, I'll never come back."

"Oh, please!" Jason scoffed. "We're not talking about Scarecrow, or Penguin, or Dent! I'm talking about him, just him. And doing it because... because he took me away from you."

All of a sudden, Tim started laughing but it wasn't his normal laugh.

Joker...

"No..." Maeve whispered, letting go of Joker and ran to the stretcher. "Tim... Timmy... you can still fight it, baby wing. You can still come back!"

"A huge part of this is your fault, Bruce. You do know that, right?" Jason wondered. "All of this could've been avoided years ago, B. Joker set up Mae's bounty and found out your identity months ago... it's your fault you're losing another Robin to that demon."

"Jason!" Artemis exclaimed, dropping down from a vent with Jade and Harley. "Drop the gun, Jaybird. Bruce isn't your target and you know it."

"It's his fault, Artemis!"

"We know... believe us, we know."

"Holy shit! Jason!?" Kate yelled and broke the window. "You're alive!? But Mae-"

"Alive and kicking, Katie. Alive and kicking."

"Todd. Nice to see you again." Damian nodded and tossed a vial of anti-venom to Maeve. "Make sure Drake doesn't die."

"A smile..." Dick trailed off and turned to Joker with wide eyes. "THIS ASSHOLE CARVED A SMILE ON HIM!"

All Maeve had to do was nod and suddenly Dick, Harley, Artemis and Jade tackled Joker to the ground.

Jason was right. All of this was my fault.

It has to end tonight.

"Come on, Tim!" Steph cried as he broke the restraints and laughed again. "You're not Joker, Tim! You're my dumbass best friend!"

"I know you hate me, Jaylad." I used his old nickname and Jason's eyes began to water. "I'm not killing him... but I certainly won't stop anyone who does."

"Oh, Timmy! Why don't you help Daddy!" Joker yelled and Tim pushed Maeve onto the floor and threw a smoke bomb, giving them the opportunity to escape.

"Mae!" Harley yelled and immediately helped her stand.

However, Maeve pushed her away and removed the spiked jacket and shock collar she was wearing and grabbed several guns before turning to me with a blank expression.

"Do I ask for forgiveness now or later, Bruce?"

"Make him suffer."

"Good... because we're not holding back this time."

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~Maeve's POV~

"Come out and face me, Joker!"

"You sure you want that, Acey?"

"I've never wanted anything more in my entire life." I said and Joker slowly appeared holding a hatchet. "You made me into this... the carved smile that'll never go away, the acid washed hair, the Venom that I'll never be able to get rid of."

"Oh, boo-fucking-hoo, Ace. It's always the same sob story with you." He rolled his eyes. "Besides... I can't die!"

"Why don't we test that theory?" Dick called out and stood behind Joker.

"Batsy won't let you, Dickie."

"It ends tonight, Jack." Bruce added as the rest of the family appeared seemingly from the shadows. "I thought I could help you, rehabilitate you so Maeve could have the father she deserved... But now I see it's too late for that. I was ten years too late to help you from falling into that pit of acid that turned you into this."

"It's too late for that, Bruce." He sighed and my eyes widened. "It's far too late for me."

"I can't fucking believe this!" I exclaimed and started laughing. "You've tortured me for twenty three years, set a fucking bounty on me and my baby, killed my Robin, turned Tim into Joker Jr and now you have a change of heart!? Where the hell was all this thirteen years ago when I died!?"

"I wasn't dying back then."

"Oh, you absolute sociopathic narcissist!" Harley added and stood next to me. "All it takes is to have a foot in the grave to have a change of heart? See, I've dealt with you long enough to know when you're bluffing... you don't care about your soul. You just care about the punchline."

"I'm a jokester after all." He grinned and Jason shot his leg. "Oh, Jason! You up for round two? Acey, hand me the crowbar... I'm gonna show all of you how to-"

Dick bared his teeth and tackled Joker to the ground again.

"No more!" He yelled and started punching him.

"I... I hit your wife a lot harder than that, Dickie."

"FUCK YOU!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Tim appear with a gun pointed in my direction.

"Tim!" I yelled and he pulled the trigger, a red 'BANG' flag appearing making him laugh maniacally. "Tim, I swear... Dick and I gave you enough anti-venom to kill an army! You can fight it, baby wing... I know you can."

"Mae, watch out!" Jade yelled and pushed me away when Joker managed to throw the hatchet. Jason widened his eyes and joined Dick on his attack on Joker.

"I've had enough of you!" Dick yelled and began to rip off what was left of Joker's face but froze when a second gunshot was heard followed by laughter.

I glanced at Tim to see he redirected his aim to Joker's chest which now had the flag in the middle.

"That's not funny..." Were Joker's last words as he fell limp on the ground.

Tim dropped the gun and started laughing with tears streaming down his face.

"Tim!" I exclaimed and pulled him into my arms. "I've got you, my baby wing... I've got you."

"M-mom." He choked out as Bruce crouched down in front of us.

"It's over, Bruce." I whispered and he nodded. "He better stay dead this time."

"Tim..." He said and Tim turned to hug him. "I'm so sorry... to all of you. I'm so sorry."

"It'll take time to forgive you, but maybe I'd like to try." Jason admitted and placed a hand on Tim's shoulder. "I wanna go back home... if that's okay."

"First we take down Scarecrow, then we'll all go back home." I smiled slightly and stood up. "Steph, Cass, Damian. I need you to take Tim home. Call Alfred and tell him to set up an anti-venom treatment and to stitch up his face. It's fresh so it shouldn't leave that bad of a scar... I'll call my old surgeon in a few days once I'm sure the Venom left his system."

"We'll stay with Kate and help Harley burn the body." Artemis called out and hugged me. "He's staying dead this time."

"No, I'll stay." Jade butted and hugged me as well. "You need to go back to my daughter, mouse."

"And you?"

"I'll make sure Maeve's bounty is erased from everyone's mind and the Court of Owls won't bother any of them again."

"Go home, Mom." Jason said. "You've done more than enough tonight."

"I'll stay with Mom and help her." I waved it off and he nodded. "I want you home before I get there, Jason Peter Todd."

"You have my word."

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"I can't believe this day is finally here..."

"If I weren't pregnant, I'd be piss drunk and celebrating by now." I laughed as Harley threw a lighter setting Joker's body aflame. "And to think he loved us once."

"He adored you, Maeve. You were his favorite creation." She sighed and we both sat on the floor of what used to be his circus. "You were his entire world until his love for you drove him insane."

"I don't believe that, Mom."

"Joker loved you in his own psychotic way."

"Mom, you're a psychiatrist. You know sociopaths don't love. At least not in the way it's meant to be." I shrugged and placed a hand on my belly. "But now I can sleep a bit easier knowing that the little acrobat is safe from Joker."

"You found out the gender yet?"

"Nope. I have an OB appointment in three days to find out... there's a betting pool going on about the gender and everyone and their mothers are in on it."

"Who started it?" Harley laughed.

"Zatanna. I think she's more excited about this than anyone else." I smiled and stood up to grab a fire extinguisher. "What are we gonna do with the ashes?"

"I say let the place burn down, Mae. Let the GCPD and the fire department find the burnt body if they wish it."

"We need to talk about-"

"As much as I hate interrupting when you're bonding with your mother, we have a small situation." Dick's voice run out through my comms and I stepped away.

"Talk to me, birdie."

"B's compromised... I hate to say it because you deserve to rest, but you're one half on the plan."

"Plan? What plan?"

"He's activated protocol Failsafe."

"I'm on my way."