Disclaimer: Not mine.
Harley Quinn put on her make-up, crying on the inside. What did it matter? Doing this would never win the Joker's love, so why did she do it? Easy, because she was hopeful.
"Harley! Hurry up!"
"Yes Sir, Mista J!"
She put on her costume, heart breaking. He would never love her. Even after all the times she risked her live for him, being put in Arknam for him, he would never love her.
As Doctor Harleen Quinzell, she had often asked herself how women could put themselves through an abusive relationship. Now she knew. It was the separation from friends and family, the feeling like all they had was their tormentor. In this case, he was all he had. He had made her a criminal.
She stopped for a moment. No, he wasn't all she had. She had Ivy as a friend, and she could probably get her life back together. He had subtly brain-washed her, making her insane. Why hadn't she listened to Ivy and just left the clown?
Anger flooded Harley. She was NOT a bad person at heart! She had been mildly separated from her loved ones because of her work, and then he had separated further her through his manipulation. She screamed and punched her mirror, barely registering the shards of glass that fell around her. She threw her costume off and wiped off all her make-up, almost scrubbing in an attempt to separate herself from it.. She put on REAL clothes and walked out of her room.
"Harley?! What are you doing?!"
Harley punched the Joker in the mouth. "Leaving." The word was like a growl. The Joker jumped back, eyes wide with shock. She grabbed her purse and snapped her fingers, Lou and Bud following. As she walked to her car, she threw out all her weapons. As she got into her car, she could see the Joker looking at her, shock still on his face. She started the car, flipping him off. Lou and Bud jumped in, and she drove off. Harleen Quinzell was back.
--
The Joker walked into Harley's room, looking at the broken glass, the bottles of foundation on the floor, and her costume, laying in a heap. He slowly walked over to the costume, falling to his knees. He picked up the costume and held it to his chest. Harley... He had pushed her away. He had lost the one small light, the one person who loved him in the world. And she wasn't going to come back this time, no matter what he did.
--
Harleen's life wasn't easy after that. When she had turned herself in she had been placed in Arknam for more treatment, and it soon became clear to those around her that she was a different woman. To people who knew her before the Joker, she was the same old Harleen. She eventually married and had a child who in turn had twins. She never told them that she had once been the Joker's henchwoman, but twin took after her, joining the Joker's gang. She lived in constant fear that the Joker would use them to hurt her, but Batman saved them.
She looked up into the sky as she lay in her deathbed, the same sky that she had looked into and daydreamed about her life with the Joker. A shaky breathe filled her lungs. "Good-bye... Puddin'."
--
My note: I found myself in an emotionally and mentally abusive relationship, and I was drawn to the parallels of Harley's and the Joker's relationship. My ex did the exact same thing to me. I never saw it as abuse until I got out. He almost destroyed my life, and I'm slowly picking up the pieces. If you ever find yourself in this situation, leave.