I don't own anything from the DCAU, unfortunately. The only things I own are the characters I created. :) Again, this is the second "part" to Sweetie Pie, so if you want, you can take a look at that story, first. :)

The bright neon clown face on the outside of the rundown building pathetically flickered on and off. It was in obvious need of some good old fashioned TLC. The cheery clown had a gigantic overly exaggerated grin, and the bulbs blinking every so often gave the impression the clown was missing his two front teeth.

That particular night was calm, not a sound could be heard. A tiny black stray cat meowed, wandering towards the building without a single care in the world. It calmly sat down beside the front door and began licking its paw.

Suddenly, a huge heavy brick came crashing right through backside of the clown's mouth, completely knocking out his "teeth." The cat hissed and darted away, narrowly missing getting hit by the flying object.

A second later, the peaceful night was shattered by two loud, frightened shrieks coming from inside the building, followed by the deafening sound of things breaking.

Harley and Sophie, who were both holding on to each other for dear life, screamed in unison and jumped out of the way of the flying chairs which were being thrown at them. They barely missed having the chairs slam into their terrified faces. The Joker's intense fit of rage was clearly evident, judging by the force of which he hurled dishes, books, furniture, and anything else he could get his gloved hand on at his two henchgirls.

His eyes were filled with fury as he stopped to catch his breath. "You are two of the most worthless pieces of crusted brown residue on the bottom of my shoe that I've ever had the misfortune of knowing!" He screamed, his eyes blazing red with anger. "Even the hyenas are more useful than you two...and I'd rather clean up the crap they leave on the floor than have to deal with you anymore!"

"B-but, Puddin'," Harley stammered, reaching her hand out to try to ease the anger. "We just-"

The Joker growled and grabbed a nearby iron and lifted it over his head, ready to pitch. Sophie gasped and grabbed Harley's hand, yanking her away of the path of the deadly projectile.

Sophie's eyes were filled with fear. She and Harley had made him angry before, loads of times, in fact. But she'd never seen him angry like this before.

"P-please Mister Joker," Sophie said, gulping nervously. "W-we try our best-"

Joker glared at Sophie and balled up his fists so tightly, his knuckles throbbed. "You try your best?" He snarled, grabbing Sophie roughly by her face. "You should talk. The last good haul you came up with was months ago! But what since then, huh?"

Sophie gulped again, unable to speak a word.

"Nothing, that's what!" The Joker shouted. "That was the only good thing you've really ever done for this gang!"

Sophie was silent as she pondered what the Joker said. She wanted so desperately to impress him and to make him see she was a real henchgirl, not just an annoying little brat. Although by only pulling off one decent job, she felt she would never be able to.

"Aw, com on, Mister J, lighten up, will ya?" Harley said seductively, rubbing her fingers slowly down his arm. The least she could hope for was that he would ease up on his anger with a little persuading. But she wasn't that lucky, this time.

The Joker immediately let go of Sophie's face and grabbed Harley by her tassels. "And you? You're worse than ever. You haven't brought back anything worthwhile in who knows how long! Neither one of you are pulling your weight around here! You make me do all the work, you never come up with any sort of useful ideas!" He bellowed. "Why, I'm surprised you both don't float up to space because your heads are just full of air!" He let go of Harley's hat and slammed his fists on the table in fury. "I could go downtown right now and pick out the next two girls I saw, throw some discounted Halloween costumes on 'em, and they'd surely be more useful than you two!" He glared at Harley. "Especially, you, Harley!"

That was a blow to Harley, and she gasped, clearly hurt by his harsh words. "Oh Mister J, you know that's not true! I betcha I'm the best henchgirl in all of Gotham City!"

The Joker glared at her and felt the fire inside burn hotter. "If you are the best there is, there's no hope for the world!"

Harley's feelings really began to get hurt, then. "We are the best henchgirls in Gotham, Mister J. We're the best ones for you! I'd bet my life on it!"

The Joker closed his eyes and put his hand to his temple. "Can I get that in writing?"

Harley sighed heavily. "Aw, come on, Puddin'. You just need to relax, a little. Take a deep breath, calm down, and don't lose your temper over nothing."

The Joker was aghast at Harley's words, and they only infuriated him more. He angrily knocked over the table, sending it flying across the room. Then he shoved aside more chairs and stacks of papers, sending them scattering every which way. "You're the reason I even have a temper, you brainless, bumbling, blonde... bimbo!"

Sophie had expected Harley to start crying after hearing the Jokers words, but she was pleasantly surprised that Harley had kept her cool.

"I want you two out of here before I count to three!" The Joker yelled, his teeth tightly clenched. "I want you out, and I never want to see your pathetic faces again!"

Both girls gasped in pure horror. This was something neither one of them had expected to hear. Harley felt like someone had punched her in the heart. Sophie was also in shock. She never thought the Joker would actually kick them out onto the streets. She had just gained a place to call her own, a real home there, and in an instant, she was back to where she had started from.

"W-what do you mean, Puddin'? Y-you can't be serious!" Harley stammered, her eyes filling with tears, finally.

Sophie didn't blame her then, as she felt her own tears begin to form.

"I am serious!" The Joker screamed. "And don't call me Puddin'!"

Before they knew what was happening, two of his thugs tossed the girls out onto the street like two sacks of potatoes, followed by their respective "bag of tricks." The thugs chuckled loudly and slammed the door, locking it behind them.

"But..." Sophie whimpered, taking in a huge breath. She looked from Harley to the hideout, unsure of what to do next. She took in a big gulp, her eyes still as wide as saucers. "Harley, what're we gonna do now?"

Sophie had spent a few years of her life on the streets before meeting Harley and the Joker, but she had become jaded by the fact she'd had a warm bed and a roof over her head, and the thought of reverting back to her old ways scared her to death. Although, Harley seemed unusually calm about the whole situation, and Sophie wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Harley stood up, brushing the powdery brown dirt from her costume. She reached down, giving Sophie a hand up as well. "Listen, cutie. Don't you worry one teeny weeny little bit about this. Why, if I had a nickel for every time Mister J kicked me out, I'd be richer than Bruce Wayne by now! I know how he works. Sure, I guess this time we really got on his last nerves, but he's gonna cool down in no time, and when he does, he's gonna take us back, no problem. I give it a few hours, tops. Just wait and see. Everything's gonna be A-OK!"

Harley and Sophie tried as best they could to entertain themselves as they waited outside the hideout for the Joker to open the door, open his arms, and welcome them back. Sophie was optimistic of this scenario, because Harley so firmly believed it. Although, as the hours dragged on and on, Sophie began to get restless. Harley kept reassuring her, telling her that they just had to wait a little longer. Although, as they heard the rumble of thunder in the distance, Sophie bit her lip, nervously. A few minutes later, when the heavens opened up and it began to downpour, they realized they had a big problem. Harley's headpiece drooped from both from sadness and from wetness. Sophie carefully held a tattered cardboard box over her head, trying to shield herself from the rain, but it was proving not so useful as the rain slammed down harder and harder. The weather seemed to fit their moods to a T.

Harley slowly walked over to the door, almost as if she was silently pleading for it to open. Suddenly, she angrily tore her headpiece off and threw it. It smacked into the middle of the door with a sloppy squelch. The rain continued to pour, drenching Harley completely. She sighed heavily and slowly sank to her knees, sadly. Sophie's big, ocean-blue eyes filled with sadness as she saw her friend's immense pain. She opened her mouth to speak, but the cardboard box she was holding broke down the middle, sending a huge stream of rain dripping down her head.

"Harley?" Sophie said timidly after a second, tossing the box away having given up on keeping herself dry, "I think...uh, I think we're gonna need a different plan."

Harley and Sophie trudged down the dark, rainy streets of Gotham, dejected. Sophie was upset about losing the only comfortable home she'd known in years, and Harley was upset about losing the Joker. They didn't speak, although Harley did give a few sniffles here and there. Harley took her soggy headpiece and wiped her eyes, smudging her make-up even further. Sophie smiled a little and slipped her hand into Harley's, hoping to give her a little comfort. Harley returned the smile and wiped the fresh tears which had formed in her eyes, once more.

"Thanks, sweetie. I was just...I was just so sure Mister J would calm down and let us back in," She sighed heavily. "Now, I'm just...drawing a blank. I wouldn't know what to do if...if it hit me smack in the face!"

Suddenly, as if on cue, a stray newspaper blew directly into Sophie's face. She gasped, sputtered, and tore the newspaper off. "Bleh! Stupid paper!" Sophie angrily started to throw the paper on the ground, but Harley shot her hand out to stop her.

"Hey, wait a sec!" Harley cried, grabbing the paper before Sophie destroyed it. "Lemme see that!" Harley peeled back the paper and held it carefully. Her eyes scanned an article, and suddenly, her face brightened and she burst into a huge grin. "Oh, this is great!"

"Great?" Sophie asked, wiping her face. "I just got smacked in the face with a newspaper. What's so great about that?"

Harley giggled happily and grabbed Sophie's hand, excitedly. "Just you wait, sweetie! There's a friend of mine you just have to meet!"