Disclaimer: I do not own Batman.
How Do You Solve A Riddle Like Harleen?
Written By: Casey525
Edited by: bleachfanficfanatic
Chapter 1: Taking Out The Trash
The sound of furniture shattering glass echoes off concrete walls followed by screams of agony. The last is cut short as Joker stands above Harley's limp body. Wiping his bloodied switchblade on his pants he glares down at her with cold dead eyes. In a frigid, low tone he says to the unresponsive body, "You fucking bitch, you unfaithful little whore!"
He circles her like a shark before grasping her by the collar, her head lolling to one side as he screams in her face, "You were supposed to be my queen! We were going to rule Gotham together!"
He drops her, Harley's head bouncing against the hard ground. His lips sneers and he snarls, "The whole time? The whole time?" Viciously he kicks her to punctuate each word, "The. Whole. Fucking. Time?!" He stops, looking down at the hard drive which he'd caught her with, the reason for his rage. Leaning down he caresses her cheek and whispers, "Whatever your plan was it failed. You're done for sweet cheeks." He smacks her face before standing and shouting, "Frost!"
Johnny Frost enters without flinching. He's trained himself to not react to the destruction going on around him. Eyes straight he doesn't look down at the still body on the floor. Harley really got it this time.
"Yeah boss?" he asks clasping his hands in front of him waiting for orders.
Walking past the man Joker hands him the drive saying, "Get rid of this." As he walks away his thumb hitches behind him toward the direction of the prone woman. "And that."
Despite his best efforts Johnny can't keep the shocked look off his face and before he thinks better of it asks, "Gid rid of…Miss Quinn?" He sees the boss whirl around and instantly regrets the question. The look in his eyes is more fierce than he's ever seen it and he knows if he's not careful he'll end up just like Harley.
"Did I fuckin' stutter Frost? Get that whore out of my face, now!"
Frost nods and Joker turns back around making him exhale. The bathroom door slams as Frost kneels down. Placing hands under her knees and back he stands cradling her to himself, her blood staining his jacket and pants. He grimaces looking at her face; the boss really did a number on her.
As he's walking down the stairs a slight gurgle makes him start. Looking down at the woman in his arms he's shocked to see her chest rise and fall shallowly.
"She's alive after that?" Johnny assumed she was dead, that the boss had finished her off. But now that he knows she's alive, if barely, he can't bring himself to kill her. He owes her for taking the brunt of abuse meant for him for stupid shit the boss went off the handle about. Things that were usually out of anyone's control let alone his own but Harley would distract the Joker, she'd say some asinine thing and take the brunt of the abuse even though Johnny was twice as big as her. He's often wondered why she would do that.
Now he's between a rock and a hard place. He'll admit it, he's too fucking scared of the boss to go directly against his orders, but maybe there was a loop hole. He hurries to his car, popping the trunk as he walks and puts her in. She may be alive but the boss don't know that and there are eyes and ears everywhere. If he slips up now they'll both end up dead for real. Taking off down the street he goes to the one place he thinks he can find help of a sort: the Iceberg Lounge. It's a big risk but it's the only option he's got.
"I'm probably gonna regret this," he thinks carrying the still unconscious woman inside.