Harley began tapping her pencil nervously against her chin as she stared blankly at her final exam. She had studied the night before. It's just that guy had come over and they took a little break. Who was she kidding? They saw a movie. Harley figured that if she flunked, she could always pay her professor a visit after class... She glanced up at the clock. It was almost three. Harley jerked her head up at what sounded like a scream coming from down the hallway. She shrugged it off because after all, everyone knew about the myths and horror stories about professor cranes class. Nobody could prove it but all the students knew it to be true. On top of that, she was going to have to take that class starting the next month. There was a loud pounding on our classroom door. The professor answered it and next thing we knew, there was a gunshot and a lot of blood. Some of the girls began to scream. Harley couldn't stop herself from being a tad relieved that she wouldnt have to 'convince' her teacher again. She looked to the front of the room and recognized his face from the news. The joker. He had a large shotgun in one of his hands. He casually cocked the gun and closed the classroom door.

"Hello kids!"

Harley remained frozen as she watched him in front of the room.

"Now, the police should be here soon so I want to postpone arkham for as long as possible. Congratulations on your new careers as hostages!"

A few girls began crying and panicking.

"Don't worry, play along and you just might get to retell this little adventure. Now, first things first. I want everyone to come down to the front and take a seat."

He picked up the turn in box from the teachers desk and dumped out the papers.

"But as you come down, please be kind enough to turn in your cell phones, along with anything in your pockets. So come on down kiddies!"

The students began walking down the stairs to the front of the classroom.

A girl stopped after she turned in her phone.

"What do you want with us?"

The joker smirked.

"Let's call it a social experiment."

Harley stood up and got to the stairs but she just froze. After a few minutes, she found that she was the only one left. The joker was staring at her with a slightly amused expression on his face. He walked to the bottom of the stairs and turned to the class.

"Try anything and the janitor will be cleaning your brains off the wall."

The class nodded and the joker walked up the stairs with his gun leaning against his right shoulder. He approached Harley.

"Hi. Care to tell me why you look like bambi ran in front of a hunter?"

Harley gulped and managed to speak.

"I just froze up. I want to go down but I just can't."

Joker raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have some strange fear of stairs or something? Because I'm sure crane can fix that down the hall."

Harley shook her head.

"No. That's not it."

"Then what's wrong?"

"You scared me."

Joker let out a laugh. He rested his left hand on harleys shoulder.

"Listen kid... what's your name?"

"Harley. Short for Harlein. Harlein Quinzel."

"Listen Harley, do you really think I would do anything to hurt a pretty face such as yourself?"

"I don't know."

"Neither do I, but sometimes in life you have to take chances. And honestly, you've got nothing to lose. So how about this, you can hold my hand and I'll help you down so that you can join the rest of the class. Ok?"

Harley nodded and joker held out his left hand. Harley took it and walked down the stairs with the joker. He lead her to the group of students sitting on the floor and let go of her hand. Harley couldn't help but be slightly dazed. Her thoughts were interupted when her boyfriend, guy, scooted over to her and gave her a squeeze.

"Harley, are you ok?"

A hint of alarm in his voice.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me guy."

He embraced her but she let her eyes wander over to the joker sitting at the teachers desk. Harley felt guy crying on her shoulder. What a wimp. It wasn't like he had put a gun to her head or anything.

5 pm.

Some of the students had dared to take a nap in the last hour but whenever it happened, joker would walk up next to them and drop a textbook on the ground. A couple of kids asked if they were dead. But all of the students were starving. Nobody dared ask for food. One of the boys raised his hand. Joker looked over.

"What is it?"

"I have to go to the bathroom."

Joker let out a laugh and walked over to him. He reached inside his jacket and produced a collar.

"Get up."

The guy got up and stood shakily in front of the joker. The joker attached the collar around his neck.

"What's this for?"

The boy was terrified.

"Oh just a little insurance policy. The bathroom is right next door. If you try to run, or put more than 100 feet between that collar and me, you will be shocked with enough electricity to melt your eyes. And don't think about taking it off. It is triggered to activate if you enter the wrong code. Now, hurry up."

The boy ran from the classroom and reappeared a few minutes later. Joker pulled out a small remote.

"What are you doing?"

"Proving that the collar works."

Joker pushed the button and the boy fell to his knees and began twitching until he fell over. Joker took off the collar and put it back in his pocket.

"Just making sure there aren't any heroic boyfriends out there."

He walked in front of the group thoughtfully. He was no longer holding his gun but nobody was dumb enough to try to take him on.

"Now, I know its getting late and you are all probably starving. Normally I wouldn't care, but seeing as I'm hungry as well, I say we order some pizza."

He walked over to the box of cell phones and plucked one out. Before he could use it, a police office began talking on a megaphone to the joker. The joker looked bored.

"Joker this is the gcpd. We have the school surrounded. Release the kids immediately."

Joker paused then dialed a number into the phone. He began tapping his foot while he waited.

"Hey jimmy boy, listen, the kids are getting hungry and when kids get hungry, they do things that get them killed. So we need you to bring over five large pizzas and some sodas. Pepperoni is fine. Meet by the front door in ten minutes and don't try anything."

He hung up the phone and stared at the screen.

"Who here is named Toby?"

A boy in the front cautiously raised his hand.

"Your girlfriend texted you. Wondering where you are. I'm going to tell her to turn on the news, ok?"

The boy nodded and joker sent the message before smashing the phone against the wall.

A few minutes later, the joker picked his gun back up and walked to the group. He eyed them happily.

"I need a volunteer. A girl. Preferably attractive. Any volunteers?"

Nobody raised their hands. After a few moments the joker spoke up.

"If you want to eat, I need a volunteer."

Harley slowly stood up.

"I volunteer."

Guy stood up next to her and tried to pull her back down. Joker watched this scene amused.

"Well, well, well, look at this, the little lovebirds. Looks like Harley here is off the market, what a shame."

Guy looked angrily at joker.

"Don't talk about my girlfriend."

Joker smirked.

"Let's see, overprotective check, idioticly brave check. Well, looks like you've got yourself a winner Harley. Honestly, I think you could do much better."

The joker winked at Harley and she blushed slightly. Guy shoved her behind him rather forcefully. This made Harley very annoyed. The joker even looked a little ticked.

"Now guy, if you would kindly prove that your not completely suicidal and move away from your girl, then I wouldn't have to blow your skull open and ruin her lovely outfit."

Guy stood his ground until joker cocked his gun and pointed it at him. Guy got nervous.

"Will she be ok?"

"As long as she does what she's told."

"Fine. But if you lay a hand on her..."

"You'll what? Let me shoot you?"

Guy was fuming but sat back down anyway. Joker smiled and held his hand out for Harley. She smiled to herself and took it. The joker kicked open the door and turned back to the class.

"And by the way, if any of you try to run, I'll blow her brains out, feel free to call your loved ones but I'd better not catch any of you doing it when I return. Well, all of you can call except you, Toby. Sorry about that. Be back in a minute."

The joker closed the door behind him. The two began walking down the hallway. After a few minutes he stopped and pulled Harley aside.

"What's wrong?"

"That ape protecting you, how do you feel about him?"

Harley paused and thought about it before answering.

"He's ok. I wanted to break it off for some time now but I get the feeling that he's one of the stalker types."

The joker smirked.

"I see what you mean. A girl as beautiful as yourself. And trying to be a doctor of all things."

He turned to her and kissed her. At first she was caught off guard but kissed him back. He set the gun down and wrapped his arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Harley retracted her arms and reached for the bottom of her top. She began to lift it up when the joker pulled away and stopped her.

"Not here, not now. Besides, we have food to pick up."

Harley bit her lip and nodded as he picked his gun back up. They continued walking down the hallway.

"When..."

The joker turned to her.

"I'll let you know."

After a few minutes of silence, Harley spoke up.

"So, I know this is going to sound cliche but why are you doing this?"

The joker wrapped his right arm around her waist and answered.

"Well cupcake, the way I see it, I was going to arkham anyway so why not go out on a bang? And to prove a point of corse."

Harley nodded.

"I guess that makes sense. Like if you've got nothing to lose you just go for it?"

"Exactly. But there's more to it then that. You see, we aren't going to be here forever. And if everybody's gonna die anyway, why not have fun while your still around?"

"That sounds cool. But I could never do that."

"And why not? All you have to do is relax and let go. Then you just see the world for what it really is and you can do as you please. Most people think that things will get better. But in reality, nothing gets better. It simply gives the illusion of getting better while its still rotting inside."

"Are you saying that people are lying?"

"Oh yes. Everybody has something that they keep hidden. If that's not a good example, I don't know what is."

"But I'm not hiding anything."

"Of corse you are. It's just up to me to figure out what. So please don't spoil it for me."

They finally reached the front door and joker whispered to Harley.

"Don't move, run, scream, or let them know that your enjoying my wonderful company. And this is nothing against you. Ok?"

Harley nodded and joker put the barrel of the shotgun against her head. He moved his arm from her waist to her right arm. They walked over to the front door where a pizza guy was nervously waiting.

"Unlock the door."

Harley twisted the lock and opened the door. The pizza guy handed her the pizzas and drinks. She closed the door and locked it back. Harley and joker then walked down the hallway out of sight from the front door when joker removed the barrel from her head. He smiled at her.

"You make an excellent hostage."

6 pm

Harley blushed and they went back to the classroom to find all the students were still there. Guy breathed a sigh of relief and Harley walked ahead of the joker to put the food on the teachers desk. Joker smacked her butt and Harley turned around alarmed and noticed the jokers smug expression was aimed at guy. Harley had to work hard to surpress a giggle. Her cheeks turned red though. She set the pizzas down and began walking over to the rest of the class. The joker spoke up and Harley turned to face him.

"Why don't you be a good girl and sit by mr j?"

Harley looked away and felt her cheeks reddening further with embarrassment. The joker raised an eyebrow expectingly.

"Ok."

Harley walked over to the teachers desk and took a seat on top of the desk. Joker began walking over to her. Guy stood up and the joker paused.

"Get away from her you freak!"

The joker smirked.

"Listen loverboy, this doesn't concern you. So why don't you sit back down and keep you big mouth shut."

Guy was fuming with anger. He kept standing as the joker set the gun down by the pizza and sat down at the desk. Harley looked over at him.

"Harley, you've been such a good girl thru this somewhat traumatic experience, why don't you sit on my lap?"

Guy was ready to punch him in the face. As Harley smiled and slid off the desk to walk over and sit on the jokers lap. She wraped her left arm around his back to hold on and smiled at the joker. The joker began petting the back of her head. Guy boiled over.

"Harley, get off that sick clowns lap, now!

Harley got annoyed and instead tightened her hold on the joker.

"No."

Guy walked in front of the other students.

"It wasn't a question. Get over here this instant."

The joker smiled wider.

"Oh what's wrong? You don't like me holding your girl?"

Joker grabbed harleys face and pulled it close to his. He then passionately kissed her. Guy was ready to burst with hatred while the rest of the class were counting their blessings that the joker wasn't attracted to them. Harley unwrapped her arm from around his back and instead wrapped both arms behind his neck. Joker moved one of his hands up the back of harleys shirt. They were interrupted by guy when he ran over and pulled Harley off of the jokers lap by the back of her hair. Harley screamed in pain as she hit the ground.

"What the hell, guy?!"

Guy responded by grabbing Harley arm and pulling her up. He shoved her so that her back was against the wall. Guy then forcibly kissed her. She pushed him away and he responded by pinning her hands above her head. He pressed his lips against hers again and began moving his right hand up the back of her tank top. He pulls away from the kiss.

"Please don't."

Tears formed in harleys eyes.

"Your such a tease. You make me wait four months only to make out with a murderer?"

He pressed his lips back on hers and unhooked her bra. Harley closed her eyes knowing what would come next as she flinched at the loud gunshot and blood splatter on her face. Guys body fell to the floor and Harley could only stare at it wide eyed. The joker looked In the direction of the dead body and frowned. He then shook his head in disappointment.

"Even I have the decency not to force myself on an inocent girl, let alone in public."

He spat on guys body. Harleys knees were shaking she let herself slide down the wall until she hit the floor. Joker walked over to her. Harley looked at the joker towering over her. He got down to her level and held the shotgun so that the barrel is facing the ceiling. Harley begins lightly shaking.

"How are you holding up, cupcake?"

Harley closed the space between them and wraped her arms around his neck letting her head rest on his right shoulder.

"Thank you mr j."

"I'm going to go back to the desk now."

Harley nodded and wrapped her legs around his waist as the joker stood up. He went over to his seat and sat back down. Harley pulled her head off of his shoulder and kissed him. He set the gun down and kissed her back. She pulled back from him.

"Is it time yet?"

"Almost, my dear. Almost."

Harley smiled and kissed him again. The joker gently set Harley on top of the desk and picked up the pizzas. He handed the boxes to the group of students. They eagerly opened them.

"Now, I don't want any of you to start eating until we come back. And when we do, I don't want to hear any crying or screaming or talking, got it?!"

The students nodded and closed the boxes. The joker walked back up to Harley sitting on the desk. He pushed her blonde hair from her shoulder. She smiled at him. The joker then whispered to her.

"Now it's time."

While Harley would later go on record saying that today was the best day of her life, the other students were having the worst day of theirs. But it wasn't because of the hostage situation, anyone living in Gotham came to expect it would happen eventually. But it was because of the all too exiting show they had to sit through. First, they saw their teacher get murdered. Then, they saw their classmate be put into a negotiation for pizza. Then things really picked up when that same classmate was suddenly ready to pounce on their captor. It wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't been the joker of all people! Then her pyscho boyfriend nearly had his way with her right in front of them. If it weren't for the joker and a shotgun, who knows what would have happened. Then after he got his head blown off, they were finally told they could eat as soon as they returned. But the worst part of it was, nobody tried to speak up or stop any of it. And they could, with their little blonde classmate practically glued to his lap, his gun was right there on the desk. They could have run up and grabbed it. They could have prevented all of this. When they first realized what their classmate was going to do to Harley, a few girls looked away or to the comfort of their boyfriends. But joker had an expression that practicially screamed that he knew this would happen. He even fumed with anger for a few minutes while staring at the students and the gun expectantly. It was only when he was sure that nobody would help that he grabbed the gun. Harley may not have seen it but after he killed guy, he shook his head in disappointment at the class. When later asked if they didn't because of fear, they denied it and said it was because they were hopelessly drawn into the excitement. Unfortunately for them, joker knew this as well.

(student pov) 8pm

Joker scooped up Harley and set her down on the ground. The two left the room. Everybodys eyes went to the gun on the desk right next to the box of cell phones. The students looked at each other waiting for someone to stand up. Nobody did. Instead they chose to shift their focus on the dead body laying in the middle of the room. One girl in the back stood up and walked to the desk, stepping over the body of her classmate. She reached the desk and went for the box. She found her cell phone and began dialing 911 before realizing the police were right outside. She instead called her sister, Mary. She pushed send and put the phone to her ear. It rung twice before her sister answered it.

"Hello?"

"Mary?"

"Sarah? Is that you? It's almost nine. Ive been cramming for my history final."

"Mary, you know that I love you, right?"

"Of corse Sarah. What's wrong?"

Sarah felt tears welling up.

"Nothing. Nothings wrong. Your gonna graduate soon, right?"

"Yeah, in a few short months, I'll be a college girl!"

"Mary, am I a good person?"

"Um yeah Sarah of corse you are. It's not like you've ever killed anyone or stolen a car."

"Even if I let something very bad happen?"

"Sarah what did you do?!"

"Nothing."

Sarah turned around to meet the stares of her classmates.

"Well that's good. Geez Sarah don't scare me like that ok?"

"Ok, take care of yourself kid."

"Ditto fishheart."

Sarah hung up her cell phone and tossed it in the box of her classmates phones. She walked back to the group and stood in front of them.

"How can you just sit there?! You didn't even call your friends when joker gave us the chance!"

Sarah stormed to the back of the group and sat down on the floor. Some of the students looked away in guilt.

(Harley pov)

As soon as they left the classroom Harley began hungrily kissing the joker. She reached up her tank top and pulled out her already unhooked bra. She tossed it aside while the joker picked her back up and she wrapped her legs around his waist yet again. The joker walked for some time before stopping. Harley pulled away.

"Harley?"

"Yes, puddin?"

"What do you bet that those kids wouldnt try and stop any situation?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh you'll see, my dear."

9pm

The joker opened a door that Harley didn't recognize. They went inside. It took Harley a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. The only light came from camera monitors. The joker set her down to type something into them and all the monitors changed to the classroom. The joker turned back to Harley.

"Now where were we?"

"Same place we were before we had to pickup the food."

The joker turns to the camera.

"Remember when I told you that I was trying to prove a point?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Look at that. I'm allowing them to leave but their all still here."

"What do you mean?"

"I left the gun, on the desk, next to their phones. I didn't say I would hurt you if they left. There's absolutely no reason for any of them to be there. But yet they are. When I started this little experiment, I wasn't sure what would happen. All I did was bring a gun, hold a classroom hostage, get a specific person to be put in temporary peril and after a couple of hours give them plenty of opportunity to stop the chaos."

"Did you have this all planned out?"

"Of corse not. Just up to getting the pizza. Everything after that could have been stopped by any of your classmates."

"Anything could have been stopped?"

"That's right my dear. When your late ex was attacking you, the gun was sitting there. It almost killed me to wait those three minutes I did. After I saw that nobody was going to help you, I took the liberty of blowing his brains out. Shows you just how rotten people really are, doesn't it?"

Harley looked at the monitor in silence. The joker walked up behind her.

"But you my dear, you were the one wild card. I had no way of knowing you had a boyfriend when you first volunteered. I had no way of knowing how intelligent you are. And I certainly had no way of knowing what your ex was going to do. I just edged him on. I honestly thought he was going to grab the gun. When he grabbed you, I gave your peers the perfect opportunity to stand up and save you but if it weren't for me..."

"They were actually going to let guy do that to me?! They are nothing but frightened idiots! They deserve to die, what if I got killed?! Would they have done something then?! I don't think so."

The joker spun harley around so that she was facing him.

"Now here's my proposition. Your free to go. If you choose to leave, fine I won't bother you ever again. No harm will come to you or your family. You can go on with your happy little life as if this never happened. But if you choose to join me, you will be giving up everything. You will be mine and you'll do everything I say exactly as I say. You'll probably be locked up frequently but you'll be the one and only girl in my life. You will be my harley. So which will it be?"

Harley looked between the joker and the camera feed. She bit her bottom lip.

"Give up everything?"

The joker stroked her cheek.

"Wouldn't I be enough?"

Harley paused.

"I love you."

"I know."

Harley turned to the monitor.

"You kill a lot of people. Don't you?"

"Yes."

"Would I have to kill people?"

"Yes, but as long as your loyal to me, it shouldn't be a problem."

Harley turned back to the joker and smiled.

"Looks like I'm all yours mr j."

"Good to hear. Now, don't you think all of Gotham should know about the results of our little experiment? Say, by sending this recording to every news station for example."

"I was thinking maybe we could do that, but save a copy. Ya know like a home movie."

The joker smiled and kissed harley.

"Good idea."

"Thank you mr j."

The joker pushed a button and a tape popped out. He pocketed it and led Harley out the door.

"Where are we going?"

"Home of corse."

"But what about the police?"

"We're not going out the front door, Harley."

They run down the hallway and up the stairs. Eventually they open a door to reveal that they have reached the roof. The joker pulls out a button and pushes it. Harley turns to him confused.

"How are we going to get off the roof?"

"Our ride should be here any minute."

A helicopter pulled up and the joker led Harley inside. The copter flew away.