This idea randomly popped into my head late at night. Thank God for Sobe's! It took me a while to finish this to the point where I liked it and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I kinda think that it feels a little rushed, but mostly I like it. Reviews are always welcome (and appreciated)! I know I have my other story to finish from like forever ago, but writer's block sucks! Tell me what you think, flames are welcome as well! Thank you and I'm going to bed! (PS: I prefer Private Messages so I can reply, but anything's fine!)
Rain fell outside the walls of Gotham's Police Station but inside everyone was bustling about, trying to rush and contain one of Gotham's worst crimes all year. Bruce Wayne walked down the crowded, colliding hallway and towards Commissioner Gordon who was waiting for him in front of the room that held the "guilty" one. He dodged past security officers and investigators and stopped in front of the Commissioner. Without a word, Gordon handed the file into Bruce's leather gloved hand.
"She's in there." Bruce glanced down at the file and sighed heavily at the name that was typed there.
"Of course she is," he skimmed the rest of the file before tucking it under his arm and looking back up at the Commissioner. "Motives?"
"None that we could find, but with her who knows?" Batman nodded thoughtfully.
"You want me to interrogate her?" Bruce guessed. Gordon nodded once; always businesslike.
"You got it. Get it out of her."
"What exactly is 'it' that I'm supposed to be getting out of her?" Gordon shrugged.
"Whatever her reason is for lighting every single fire station in Gotham on fire." With that Gordon walked back into the chaos that currently was the Gotham Police Station. Bruce sighed and waited a moment before going in and interrogating the criminal, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with her today.
After a minute or two of waiting, he pushed open the door to the clean interrogation room, barely taking notice of the crudely drawn pictures and "ha-ha's" that apparently had been written by a permanent marker she had somehow found. He finally brought his dark eyes up to meet her baby blue ones.
Despite the fact that she was sitting in cuffs in a police station, Harley wore a grin from ear to ear, obviously proud of herself.
"Hey Bats, fancy seeing you here!" Batman's face was formed into a permanent scowl, and it didn't look like it was going to disappear anytime soon. The sarcasm, however, didn't disappear from Harley's voice. She put on her best innocent-little-girl face and said in a small voice, "What? Something on my face?" As for Bruce, his scowl turned from etched to carved into his face.
"Quinn," all it took was one word and the tone of Bruce's voice for Harley's grin to waver, just a bit. However, that bit was just what Bruce was looking for. All he needed was to see some kind of remorse in Harley to know that Harleen Quinzel was still in there somewhere, she may be in there deep, deep down but she was still there; Bruce knew it, he had faith in her. "So I'll get right down to it, why exactly did you light all of the fire stations in Gotham on fire?" Harley pretended to consider it for a second, then grinned like a little kid with an A+ paper and shrugged.
"I was bored," Bruce glared at her but that just widened her smile. "What? Us girls can't have fun once in a while?" Bruce shook his head in something like disappointment, something the harlequin didn't understand; she thought this gag was definitely grade A, the best she had ever done! But Batman just stared at her with disappointment and, could it be, pity on his face. Pity for her? Screw being confused, she was just getting mad! She didn't need any giant bat feeling pity for her! Just as she was about to voice her outrage, he interrupted her inner thoughts with a statement that left her insides squirming.
"And I had such high hopes in you Harleen." Confusion again took residence on the young lady's make-upped face as the most dominate emotion.
"High hopes? For what?"
"Getting your 'little problem' cured," Now she was really confused; since when had she had any problems?
"Little problem?" She formed the statement into a question and Bruce knew that he had her.
"Yes this sudden psychopathic attitude you seemed to have gained over the past few years. You do realize that you've been institutionalized at Arkham," he looked down at the file, "twelve times in the past two years right?" Harley just smirked.
"And escaped every time!" she exclaimed proudly. Bruce rubbed his temples in frustration.
"Yes, and it's that kind of behavior that has us wondering what to do." That caught Harley's attention, just as Batman knew it would.
"What to do about what?" Her voice caught a touch of worry, but just a touch. Bruce knew that he had to go further.
"About the danger you pose to yourself and to everyone else." Apparently Harley had no doubts that she was a threat to others, because all she said to that was,
"And how exactly am I a threat to myself?" Her eyebrow was raised in an obvious show of confusion. Batman opened the file again and read aloud.
"Patient shows suicidal tendencies. When separated from the other patients and left alone for long periods of time, patient gets anxious, even sometimes hysterical. Upon checking in patient exclaimed, 'Mister J will come for me, just like he always does' despite the fact that The Joker (Mister J) had been institutionalized two weeks prior to her own. Patient shows obsession with other patient (The Joker) to the point of when she is not near him for more than an hour, she starts threatening to kill herself. Patient has had to be force fed eight times and has had to take medication to get her to sleep." Batman looked up from the file and was shocked to find tears in Harley's eyes. She blinked them away quickly and said
"Sorry, I had something in my eye." She may have fooled herself, but Bruce saw that emotional part of Harley that he was looking for. He really hated to do this, but someone had to bring her back to reality.
"Harley, the Commissioner and board are debating whether or not to put you in a high security facility far away where you will be highly medicated at all times. If you show that you regret anything and start behaving better, I may be able to get them to drop the idea." Harley's face showed the internal struggle that was present inside her mind, whether to listen to the B Man or whether to laugh in his face. She chose neither.
"But, what about Mistah J? If I start 'behaving better' then that means I won't be able to be around him anymore, right?" Bruce knew that this was going to be the most difficult part; Harley's obsession with the Joker. He nodded and Harley turned her face into a full on pout. "Well then my decision's final, I'm not leaving my Puddin!" She crossed her arms as best she could in handcuffs and looked away. Bruce actually growled in frustration.
"Harley, the Joker doesn't love you! The Joker doesn't love anyone! He beats you and tortures you and threatens to kill you and yet you can't comprehend that he's dangerous?" Harley merely shrugged.
"You don't know what goes on behind closed doors," Bruce looked at the file and read aloud again, this time from a hospital report.
"Patient came in with bruises on arms and stomach and cuts made from something like a razor or knife. Patient had severe head trauma and a broken leg in three places. Patient should remain in bed for two weeks until leg and trauma starts to heal. When asked how it happened, patient responded 'I fell down some stairs', an unlikely cause." Bruce looked up at Harley again. "And I noticed that under all that makeup you have a black eye. How'd that happen? Did you run into a door?" Harley's eyes narrowed at the sarcasm in his voice.
"Mistah J doesn't abuse me, he loves me and I love him!" Bruce's patience started wearing very thin. Before he knew it, he was yelling.
"THE JOKER DOESN'T LOVE YOU! NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU CAN CONVINCE YOURSELF, YOU CAN'T LIE TO ME!" Harley burst into tears, her makeup smearing on her gloves. Batman lowered his tone, but he kept it strict. "The Joker abuses you and you still go back to him, can't you see that he's just using you Harleen? When he doesn't need you then he'll kill you. You're worthless to him, but not to everyone. There are people out there who care about you Harleen."
"The Joker loves me, he does! He's the only one who loves me and I love him!" Harley wailed.
"What is it going to take for you to see him for who he is Harley? Is he going to have to nearly kill you to show you he doesn't care?"
"Stop! Please stop!" Harley cried
"Wait, he has tried to kill you hasn't he? And he's abused you, and he's raped you! What do you need to show you how he truly is?" Bruce finally broke her, she was sobbing openly now and was shouting.
"No more! No more, please just leave me alone!" Harley buried her face in her hands and sobbed shamelessly. Bruce was angry with himself for getting too worked up and making her cry, but he hoped that he had been able to bring her back to reality. He left the room, giving the harlequin some privacy. Gordon walked up to him hopefully and Bruce shook his head. Down the hall, there came loud shouts and a bang of a gun being fired. Gordon rushed off to see what the commotion was and a few minutes later Gordon was rushing past talking to someone quickly on a cell phone. Behind him two guards were dragging a hunched figure with green hair between them. The Joker looked up and grinned madly at the sight of Batman. Batman gestured that the guards could leave and they did, leaving Batman alone in the hallway with the Joker.
"I came in to collect my charge. What is it that my little Harley has done this time?" When Batman narrowed his eyes, the Joker's smile turned mocking. "What's the matter Batman?" Batman growled.
"You better stop messing with her mind Joker; otherwise it'll be you in the high security prison." The Joker just smirked.
"She likes the abuse; she's like me that way." Before Batman could say another word, Harley came flying from the room and ran straight into the Joker's arms. The Joker stroked her blond pigtails and stared mockingly at Batman over her shoulder. He spoke into Harley's ear quietly. "What did he do to you Harley, my poor little harlequin?"
"Oh Mistah J it was terrible! He was so mean to me, he made me cry!" The Joker tsk-tsked at Batman.
"Poor Harley. Well, I've come to take you home with me." Batman stepped forward.
"You won't be taking her anywhere Joker, and you're not going anywhere either." The Joker just laughed manically.
"You'll stop us?" he got out between laughs. "Oh, that's funny! But seriously" The Joker sobered up, pulling out a gun and putting it up to Harley's temple. Batman saw her eyes widen in fear and her body stiffen, maybe now she could see what he was talking about. "If you don't let us go, I'll kill her. And if you even start to pull out a weapon, I'll kill her. And if you call that Commissioner of yours, I'll kill her. And you wouldn't want her blood on your hands now would you?" Bruce tried to see a loophole, but found none. The Joker could pull a trigger much faster than Batman could restrain him. Reluctantly, Bruce stepped back and allowed the Joker to pass with Harley in tow. As he watched them leave, he saw Harley place a kiss lightly and tenderly on the Joker's cheek.