"You got all dressed up for me, Puddin'?" She quealed, as he stepped out of the magenta ride, in a suit as white as his bleached skin, his golden bowtie and green hair glistening under the dim streetlights.

"Anything for you, Sugar." He winked at her and stretched his arm out to help her into the car, not that she needed it.

Harley sat shotgun, and bounced excitedly as J rounded the car and leaped lightly into the drivers' seat. Harley loved date night. Especially anniversary date night. J rarely made time for just the two of them. She felt lucky if he would even let her join him on his heists and robberies, and even then, a whole squad accompanied them. Just then she noticed something different, and tried to yell over the suddenly roaring engine.

"Where's your driver tonight, Mistah J?" Her eyes searched his ever-smiling face. They hardly went anywhere without a driver these days, with Batsy out in full force. They also hardly ever drove the flashy lamborghini, because J didn't like to draw attention to himself while he drove to and from business. A car this extravagant was easy to trace.

"There's no driver tonight Harls, because I wanted to show you how crazzzzy you drive me!" And he spun out the car in an empty intersection, his laughter ringing in her ears and piercing even the screech of the tires. Harley gasped, surprised, but joined in the laughter when the continued down the strip. Thier laughter mixed like two wild melodies in the quiet evening.

"Wait, but what about Batsy?" Harley asked, suddenly apprehensive. The last time her and J took a joy ride the Bat had caught them, caused them to crash into the river, and he had hauled Harley's ass back to Arkam. But that's another story.

"Oh, he's quite busy tonight, baby. Don't worry your pretty pink head about him. Tonight it's just you and Daddy." He reassured her. She giggled and grinned that cute devilish grin that lured him in all those months ago, she loved when he referred to himself as 'Daddy'.

Harley was so elated to have the promise of a full night with J, she couldn't help herself.

"Speed up, Pud, I wanna fly!" She clicked the roof window button, and artfully positioned herself halfway out of the car. Mad happy howls sprang from her lungs and she raised her arms over her head, as if she had just stuck a routine landing at the olympics and was receiving applause.

But her feet were in the way of the gear shift, and J became irritable. "Dammit girl! I can't drive with your legs everywhere!" He growled up at her. She looked down, in a dreamlike state, and said "Whaa?" Then her eyes flashed in realisation. "Oh! Sorry Puddin!" Giggling, she tried to move them out of the way, but this just positioned her ass near his face. This, he didn't seem as irritated with. The Joker let out a growl, and playfully slapped her sparkling clad cheek. Harley yelped and wiggled a little, teasing him. "That'ssss more like it!" He drawled out slowly, licking the scarred corner of his mouth. "Again! Again!" She yelled, looking down at her beaming prince, her arms still in the air, like a wicked winged demon. That's one of the other draws that J so appreciated about Harley: she is always up for a little pain, craved it even. He answered her pleas with a harder smack, swerving to just miss a lone, oncoming taxi. The car jerked unnaturally and Harley flew sideways, almost tumbling out of the vehicle, but J slammed on the brakes and he crashed back in through the rooftop window, her back hitting the dashboard. The strange position she ended up in caused both of them to laugh maniacally, and J sped up.

It was when the city lights became scarcer and scarcer that Harley began to wonder just where they were going. This wasn't the way to their club or usual hideouts.

"Don't you start asking where we're going, sweetheart. It's a surprissssse!" He must have noticed she was becoming curious. "Aw!" She pouted, and pressed her face against the window childishly, her eyes scanning back and forth quickly, trying to catch up with the speed of the car.

"Just one hint Puddin'? Puuuuhlease?" she asked, turning back towards him, batting her heavily makeupped eyelashes. J gave her the sly grin he gave her whenever she said please. When she said please it always reminded him of their chemical wedding, when she so willingly asked him to please make her his… Her complete and final surrender to him.

"Well… why did the Batsy get his hands on you when we crashed into the river last time, Harls?"

He said, a tad bitter. He still regretted his recklessness and how it had almost cost him more than he thought he could lose. He knew somewhere in his heart that he blamed himself for Harley's capture that night, but he would never admit to it. Harley had to know when it came to life and death situations that it was dog eat dog with them… But was it? All the effprt it took to get her back… Maybe he would be more careful to watch her from now on.

Harley scowled at the question. She was still sore from that experience. "He caught me because someone ditched me in a fucking sinking car!" Her cheeks blushed angrily under her bone white skin. The Joker grit his teeth, frustrated that she had misunderstood what he had been hinting at.

He imitated a game show buzzer, "Eeeeeeeernt! Wrong! You got caught by Bats because someone can't swim." He laughed hysterically after saying this, and nudged his pouting girl. "Cmon! Daddy's sorry he left you, hm?" He looked at her with his most sincere stare, "I'll make it up to you tonight Harls, promise." Her heart fluttered, but she knew it would go to his head if she let him off that easily, so she sat up straight in her seat and crossed her arms like a whiny kid. "You bettah." That Jersey accent weighing heavily on her tongue. Mr. J chuckled, she could be so adorable and annoying.

"We're here, honey." He says as they pull over on a shoulder of the road. Harley looked outside, only to see they had parked on the biggest bridge in the city. "What are we doing here Puddin'?" She asked, a bit nervous. He enjoyed keeping her guessing, and she was so easily amused. Jokes leaped out of the car giddily, and peeled off the white jacket in a jerky, desperate motion. He wheeled around the car hood and opened Harleys door for her. She "oo-la-la-ed" at his old fashioned habit, and stepped out of the car to stand next to him.

"Daddy's going to teach his little girl how to swim."

"Don't look so scared, Harls! Where's your sense of sport?" He laughed, wickedly, taking her trembling hand and leading her to the bridge railing. Her mind flashed to the first time she teetered on a ledge with Mr. J. Tonight was the anniversary of Dr. Quinzel's death, and the birth of Harley Quinn. This memory reminded her how far she had come, how brave and free her love had made her. "Let's do it!" She almost lunged over the railing on her own, but J's arms wrapped around her. "Easy, baby, this time we fall together." His voice was husky and his smile was loving, a rare expression of his, belonging only to her.

"Oh, Puddin'." She breathed, her eyes welling up with happy tears. Jesus christ she could be so soft sometimes. He thought. He wanted to hear her scream.

He swung her into his arms, honeymoon style.

"You want this?" She asked, repeating his words from their first plunge. He chuckled at this and said, "Careful Dr. Quin-zellll… I might fall-" And they toppled over the side in mock pretence "- In love!"

Harley shrieked in terror and glee as the air rushed passed them incredibly fast. The wind rushed past her ears furiously but she could still make out J's laughter as it fell away from them.

"HOLD ON TIGHT, HARLS! WE'RE COMIN' IN HOT!" Flames and sparks lit up the abyss above the falling two. "I can always count on you to lighten things up Mistah J!" Laughed Harley, knowing he had just lit some kind of explosive. Sparks hissed against the water as they splashed into the freezing river.

Harley was jostled from J's embrace on impact and reached around blindly in the dark water, and she felt herself sinking. At Least… She thought she was sinking. She was unsure which way was up or down, until she opened her eyes and could make out the dull twinkle of fireworks above her. It was slowly blurring and fading. She began to panic, reaching her arms up to the disappearing lights.

Jokes came up choking, due to the fact that he had entered the water laughing hysterically. He splashed around playfully, still laughing through his sputters. "What's wrong baby? Catfish got your tongue?" The remaining sparks hissed and silenced against the water. He swam in darkness, obliviously singing to himself. Then, a sudden panic hit him, and he looked down into the depths below him. He had hoped she would have figured out swimming was just moving your legs and arms… But she was clearly not catching on. "Shit. Stupid!" He cursed to himself. He dove down.

"Stop please!" Her voice sounded strange and unfamiliar, like when she worked at Arkam and she was hiding her Jersey accent.

Pain rocked through her. She was being shocked. She liked it, and she couldn't understand why she was hearing herself protest. Was this a memory? She was watching herself, so it must be. She was strapped down to the table, bright lights were surrounding her, she still had her glasses on, and she was shaking. Definately a memory.

"I just want to die…" She watched herself breathe weakly after the doctor removed the shocking device from her temple. "Please... " The doctor wasn't J. She wished it was J. It would be more exciting if it were him… less painful. "Miss Q, you know we can't kill you. We are teaching you that you have no power here." He had a nasally voice, and she wracked her brain trying to figure out which doctor this was. She couldn't remember. A large plastic tube was shoved down her throat and she felt herself gag. "You think you can kill yourself here? Slowly starve yourself?" His voice was calm yet angry, it frustrated her. It was nothing like J's rambling excited voice. "I say when and if you die. Me." Tears left her eyes as food was forced into her. She just wanted J…

The joker came up for air, his mask dripping down his face messily. He was empty handed. "Harley, you stupid bitch! Swimming isn't that difficult!" He punched at the water angily. He wasn't mad at her really… He shouldered the blame and inwardly cursed himself for his carelessness. He had just been having too much fun, what with the fireworks and his little doctor clinging to him… He knew he had let her down. He had told her he would teach her to swim. She trusted him, and he would never understand why.

The joker was about to get out and just call for one of his men to bring a boat so they could drag the river, when he spots a little bleached head resurfacing.

"Harley!" He growled, and swam to her a bit wildly. "Harls, dammit. Wake up!" He slapped her cold porcelain cheeks. Her makeup streaked face puckered and she whimpered, and he breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, knowing she was at least alive. He hooked one arm around her securely and pulled her with him as he swam to shore.

Harley felt like she was back in her body, and not an outside observer anymore. But nothing made sense. She was on the floor of her cell. I need to get up, she thought. But her legs were shaky and she was sweating. She recognized this feeling as a withdrawal of some kind. She had never believed that the Asylum mistreated their patients so, until she became a prisoner herself. They had given her meds inconsistently, causing her mental state to get even more fucked up than it had been. They eventually stopped shock treating her, when it proved to have no effect. Much unlike her first shock experience, she learned to relish the pain, and she openly asked for more. She would laugh and scream when they threatened her with it, because these threats triggered her hallucinations, and she saw her tormentors as the crowned prince of pain himself. She had completely flown the coop, and she knew it. Voices haunted her ears, only heavy doses of medication dulled them. Her identity as a professional Dr. of science deteriorated and a more youthful and impulsive personality ruled her. She thanked the Joker for setting her free. Someone was trying to sober her up, she could feel the cold water on her face… the yelling… was it real? She hugged her knees and snuggled further into the corner of her cold cell.

"Jesus just let me rest… can't a girl detox in peace?" Something whacked her in the back. "Ow!" She yelped, swatting back. Then she felt a rush in her head and looked around her cell, panicked. The walls were collapsing in on her. "Mistah J! J! Please… Puddin'.." She whimpered. Then everything was dark.

He couldn't help but chuckle when she had taken a swing at him. He had just hit her back a few times trying to get her to spit up the water she had inhaled. She was always feisty, even when she was passed out. "Baby, daddy's sorry, he didn't mean to yell. He was just worried." He cradled her to him, but she felt all wrong suddenly. A few moments ago she had been shivering and angrily muttering as he tried to wake her. Now she went completely limp, and cold. Something was really wrong. "Harley. Baby?" His chest felt tight and he cursed himself for not bringing a driver. They would need help. How could he be so stupid? Time to act. He got up with her still cradled against his chest. As he walked, he put his ear by her nose, listening and waiting for air. She was breathing very slow and shallow. Also not a good sign, but better than no breathing. "Wake up for me, Harley… It's J… Please…" He wasn't one to beg. But he had lost her too many times and he figured asking couldn't hurt his chances. But his desperation turned back into anger when her breathing hitched and stopped completely. "For fucks sake! I SAID WAKE UP!" Two feet from the car he set her down and started doing CPR.

She was alone. There wasn't anything. Not even a cage surrounding her. Just pitch black and deafening silence.

"Hello?" Her voice squeaked.

Nothing. The silence screamed at her.

She moved forward, searching for a light source, but all that stretched before her now fast moving feet was nothingness.

"Help me!"

"Can anybody hear me?"

"You're alone." The darkness said.

Panic crushed her chest. She couldn't breathe.

Filthy river water gushed from her mouth after the fourth set of CPR.

"Finally.." Hissed the dripping clown. He left unconscious gasping Harley on the pavement where he had set her, to open the car door so he could put her inside. He quickly dialed a number.

"We're coming home. Have that doctor we hired last time come over. Now." He demanded, in a "I am the boss" tone of voice that he liked to use on his minions.

Picking up the limp and whimpering Harley, he tried to calm down by whispering to her. "You'll just ride shotgun okay? I know the back is comfier but i can't reach you back there…" He knew how soft he sounded, but no one was around. There was no one to impress or make a point to. He got in the driver's seat after loading her in. He pedalled to the metal, and in an urgent jolt, the car lurched to its highest speed. He was moving as fast as they had earlier, but this time was menacing… God help anyone who might get in the way.

Harley's head fell into his lap on a sharp turn, and he let her stay there, even while it was difficult to shift gears. He wanted her close, where he could keep tabs on her. Her pink and blue hair fell over her face and he gently moved it out of the way and tucked it behind her ear. This simple gesture seemed to cause her to stir, yet a freaking punch in the back hadn't.. She whimpered and stretched, her arms almost hitting Joker in the face, and she moaned a little. "Harls?" He asked, glancing at her attentively, his eyes flashing as he looked to the road to her and to the road again. Confusion contorted her face and she blinked up at the man of her dreams blindly.

"Who are you?" She asked.