A/N: This is the final installment of the series from Young Gods and Toxic Love. This is currently rated T, but it's possible that it'll go up as the story progresses. This isn't going to be a very long story, but I couldn't keep you guys waiting any longer. Thank you so much for your support for the first two stories and I hope you enjoy this one too.
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Chapter 1
Technically, Bruce Wayne should've been in his office at Wayne Towers in Gotham. He should've been dealing with his various franchises and business deals, but he wasn't. He wasn't doing anything of the sort. Instead, he was in bed with Selina Kyle, in broad daylight. However, in Bruce's defence, she had been out of town on and off for almost five years, at one point she'd been gone an entire year. She'd be around for a few weeks, disappear for a similar amount of time and when she did disappear, no one knew where she went. Whatever she was protecting obviously wasn't that important and Bruce wouldn't push her whilst she was back and they were on good terms.
He knew that it was partly his fault that they were so on and off with their relationship, but he did have a reputation to maintain and if Selina wouldn't settle down with him, he wasn't about to wait for her. Bruce ran his hand up and down Selina's back, keeping her pressed against him and he kissed her forehead. Out of all of them, she kept coming back and he kept going back to her.
"You're not getting soppy on me are you, hero?" Selina smirked.
"You wish," Bruce chuckled. "Just happy that you're back."
"It certainly felt like you were happy for me to be back," Selina purred and kissed him deeply before she rested her cheek on his bare chest again. "It's time for this Kitten to find her way home. I have a few things to sort out in Gotham, I'll be around for a few weeks. I'll come here, rather than you wander over to my place."
"Any particular reason?" Bruce said with a slight frown.
"Yeah, the gutter folk and down and outs don't appreciate play boy billionaires paying visits," Selina chuckled. "Plus, this bed is much nicer to roll around in."
"True," Bruce nodded and watched as she tried to untangle herself from his limbs. He pulled her back down and kissed her once more before she finally got out of the bed. He let his eyes run over her nude form and he smiled to himself. He watched her slip back into her underwear and then she wiggled into her cat suit.
"That ass," Bruce mumbled.
"So much nicer than anyone else's, right Brucey?" Selina laughed. She tucked her hair into the hat and attached her whip to her belt. She leaned over to give him one last kiss before she scrambled out of the window.
"See you around, Selina," Bruce said brightly and propped himself up against the head of the bed. Catwoman looked at him and raised an eyebrow before she dropped out of the window and disappeared towards the city. He knew better than to argue with her, but he would find out who she was protecting and why she was protecting them. Someone in Gotham had to know what was going on.
"Master Wayne? Are you as decent as that wretched thief will allow you?" Alfred called through the door.
"Yes, Alfred," Bruce said and rolled his eyes. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath as his oldest friend walked in and put a mug of hot black coffee on the bedside table. Alfred had healed very well after the Joker's attack and despite Bruce's best efforts, Alfred had refused to retire. Not that Bruce didn't want him around anymore, but he couldn't bear the thought of Alfred being hurt because of his enemies and feuds.
"So Miss Kyle is staying this time?"
"No, Alfred, she's got her own business to take care of," Bruce answered.
"And you have many," Alfred muttered. "You're needed in Gotham. The telephone hasn't stopped ringing this morning and there's only so many times I can use the excuse of the bathroom for you, Mr Wayne."
"I'm going, I'm going," Bruce said with a sigh.
"She comes here, makes a mess, eats my food and then disappears without so much as a goodbye," Alfred huffed. "I don't know what you see in that woman, I wouldn't call her a lady. She's a thief, a liar. She crosses you and you just smirk and thank her for it."
"Alfred."
"And then she puts on that ridiculous outfit and pounces off into the night-"
"Alfred-"
"-And steals thousands of pounds of feline memorabilia and you just laugh it off!"
"Alfred, enough, I get it, you still don't like Selina," Bruce laughed gently.
"Now that Thalia woman, she was-"
"Worse than Selina. Come on, let me get to work before you complain anymore," Bruce said calmly. "You Brits really don't do anything but complain do you?" Alfred went to answer back but just sighed and walked away.
"As you will, Master Bruce," he said and shut the door behind him. After he showered, Bruce dressed into one of his suits and headed out to his car. He headed into the city and watched the people around him. They all scurried around in their lives trying to stay out of the way of the cities gory underworld, those that were brave enough to dip their toes into the clubs, bars and street crime, often came out burned or terrified. It certainly took a special type of person to get involved with that world. He looked in his rear view mirror and saw cars pulling to the side of the road. He checked his wing mirrors and couldn't see any flashing lights or hear any sirens. Then the reason became apparent. A shimmering purple Lamborghini sped up towards the back of his car. In the driver's seat was the Prince of crime himself and Bruce reluctantly pulled to the side as well. He didn't want to start a fight that would end up in half of the rush hour traffic dead and slumped at their steering wheels.
The damned Clown.
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Joker sped through Gotham, ignoring red lights and other cars. He had more important places to be and everyone understood the consequences of getting in his way. He pressed his foot down and took the final turn before the club with a bit of a skid and finally slowed down to park outside the Grin and Bare It. His baby, his money-maker. He had an affinity for the building that he struggled to have with any human around him. Well, except for three. Maybe four if you counted his reliance on Frost as a relationship. But sometimes he had to clear his head and take a drive when the pressures of his life got to him. He jumped out of the car and let one of the goons park it in the hideaway. He strolled into the entrance of the club and saw Frost waiting for him.
"Are they sorted out?" Joker asked.
"Well, Jack is," Frost smirked. "I don't think the other two are getting much further than when you left."
"For the love of-!" Joker snarled and walked passed his right-hand man. He headed down to the gym and ignored the henchmen as they scrambled to attention at the arrival of their boss. He wrenched the door open and frowned when he didn't immediately see Harley. He did however see Jack playing with his toys at the bottom of Harley's aerial set. He was sat with another child and Joker tilted his head. He moved forward and Jack spotted him. He dropped his toys and ran to his father.
"Dad!" Jack squealed. He threw himself into Joker's arms and the Clown gave his son a quick hug before putting him back on the floor.
"Who's ya friend, Junior?" Joker asked.
"Lena," Jack answered as if that solved all of his father's questions. "Momma's up top."
Joker ruffled his son's hair and finally looked towards the ceiling. There she was. His pale skinned angel of death and chaos. She was lounging on the silks like she was born to be up there, the material was wrapped around her in such a way that she was held horizontally, but very securely as she had their little daughter on her stomach. Harley Quinn. She struck fear and lust into the hearts of all that laid eyes upon her. She was beautiful, athletic, deadly and the Joker's loyal companion. Their relationship was still toxic, they hurt each other and loved each other in equal measure, but they both kept it far away from the children. The one request he granted Harley was to keep their children out of their fighting.
Lucy Quinn was only two years old, the spitting image of her mother in pretty much every way. But she was unrestrained chaos and if she wanted something, she damn well got it. Lucy was a daddy's girl and craved his attention, she did however love spending time with her mother on the silks and it was the only time the toddler was every truly calm. In truth, it was also the only time Harley was calm too. Having her babies close and up off the ground helped her feel secure and safe. In an ever-changing Gotham, she had to make sure her babies weren't in the firing line.
"Harley," Joker said loudly. "My Queen, you need to come down from there."
"Dada!" Lucy squealed and Harley grinned as she came out of her little world. She peered down at him and wrapped Lucy safely in her arms. She slowly twirled her way down the silks towards the floor and when she was almost down, she let Lucy leap at her father. Joker caught his daughter and pressed kisses to her cheeks.
"Daddy! 'ipstick!" Lucy giggled and cuddled against him. Harley flipped down onto her feet and ran her hands through her long hair. Joker ran his tongue over his grill and shifted Lucy onto his hip. He hooked his hand around Harley's waist and pulled her against him. He kissed her hard and bit her bottom lip. She whimpered against his mouth and he broke the kiss.
"Puddin'," Harley grinned.
"Now, Harley," Joker said carefully. "How have we acquired a third child in the forty minutes I've been out?"
"Oh Ivy dropped her off," Harley said. "Said we needed to look after her for a couple a' hours whilst she sorted out some plant toxins."
"Who is she?" Joker demanded.
"I dunno, Red didn't wanna tell me, somethin' about me not keepin' secrets," Harley shrugged. "The names Helena. She's quite cute, but don't talk much. Not like Lucy."
"We're going out with Jack and Lucy, Harls, we can't drag around… the other one," Joker sighed. "That's why I told you to get dressed up and ready."
"Terrorising Penguin can wait a couple of hours, puddin'," Harley sighed. "Besides, this one needs a bath and we all know she will not stay put in the tub for me."
"Which one?" Joker cooed and touched Lucy's chin. "This one? I don't know about my little Princess needing a bath, but my Queen… now she definitely needs a scrub."
"Yeah?" Harley smirked. A lot had changed for the Clowns over the years since Jack had been born. Their son was now almost 7 years old, their daughter 2 and they showed no signs of calming down whatsoever. If anything, having children had made them more likely to lash out and kill someone. They weren't perfect, the Joker's temper occasionally got the better of him and Harley made their lives unnecessarily complicated, but they worked and their two children didn't want for anything. Harley had seen to making sure that they had everything they could possibly need and heads rolled if it wasn't quite right.
Joker treated Jack like a Prince, he gave the young boy more responsibility than strictly needed, and he put pressure on him to watch him cope. The little boy was growing to look more and more like his father, his hair was slowly turning a shade of green and he carried himself with the same swagger the King had. But Lucy was his golden child. That beautiful little girl had been born with the cord wrapped around her neck and the doctor had had to use forceps to pull the baby out of Harley. He'd once thought that Jack's birth had been traumatic, but he hadn't been ready for his daughter's entrance into the world. Harley had been very sick afterwards and it had been touch and go as to whether she'd survive, but she'd come back stronger than before and being surrounded by her two children had made her fight. She was back on form these days and her name carried the same power as it had before the children.
"Where'd ya go, puddin'?" Harley asked with a small smile.
"Out?"
"No, just then, when you were thinkin'?" she said calmly.
"Imagining the Bat's head on a stick," Joker lied. He kissed her one last time before he moved away with Lucy. Life had definitely changed him. It had made him crazier having his two heirs dependent on him. But he found strange peace when he was alone with Lucy. His daughter's chaotic and lively mind silenced his. He guessed this is what Jack had done for Harley and why she was so protective over him when he' first been born. It was the closest he got to clear-thinking.
So he took his little daughter up to the apartment for a bath whilst Harley took care of Jack and Helena. His little family was important to him. The Bat had been pushed down a few notches as they'd grown and, whilst he'd never tell Harley, he was as happy as a murderous psychopathic clown could get. He had a city to terrorise, business was good, he had his badass wife slaughtering those who crossed them and his two children that were everything he needed them to be for Gotham's future. Jack would one day take his place, he had to be ready for their kingdom and as much as Harley pandered to the boy, he wasn't as kind. Lucy was their princess, she was the precious one and Joker didn't find Harley's jokes about her being surrounded by boys very funny at all.
Joker had Lucy washed and dressed in record time. He put his little girl in a pink dress and brushed her thick long white hair, he put her little shoes on her feet and then let her run to Harley. He watched as Harley wrapped her arms around her daughter and lifted her up, Harley put the toddler on her hip and held Jack's hand. Helena was sat quietly on the sofa, swinging her little legs and smiling politely at the two adults.
"Lena, do you want a sammich?" Harley asked.
"Whatsa sammich?" Helena frowned. Before Harley could answer, there was a bang from the kitchen. Harley and Joker immediately went into defensive mode. Harley held her hand out and put Lucy down on the floor. Jack dragged the two younger girls into one of the small rooms and locked the door behind them. Joker picked up his crowbar and Harley her bat and gun. They walked silently to the kitchen and burst through the door.
Nothing.
Apart from a note.
"You took everything from me, so I'm going to show you exactly how it feels to lose it all.
Keep a close eye on the kids.
Especially the girl
From, your failed project"
"Jay…" Harley muttered. "It's… who the hell is this?"
"I'm going out, you stay with the kids," Joker snarled and crushed the paper in his hands. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lock the windows, I'll leave Frost with you."
"Puddin', tell me what the hell is goin' on!" Harley demanded. He spun round, grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the counter of the kitchen.
"Do as you are told, Harley!" he spat. She felt her lip twitch upwards in anger but he tightened his grip on her neck and she tried to gulp a lump in her throat. "I will not tell you twice. You and the kids stay here, I swear to god, if any of you leave, I will beat you to a pulp. This isn't a game."
"What have you done?" Harley whispered.
"Nothing that concerns you," Joker sneered. "Now, do as you're told and I won't have to worry your pretty little head. Go. Get the kids and do not let them out of your sight. I've got someone to take care of."
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A/N: the second chapter may take a few days to come through, I wanted to give you guys this starter chapter as a thank you for all your support.
Please drop me a review! The more reviews, the faster you get your chapters haha!