Prologue- Past Tense

Harleen Quinzel always knew, even when her worthless father walked out on her at the age of six, that she would be someone special. An independent woman with a successful career, someone to be respected, treated well, even feared. She would be famous. When the doctor told her she'd need knee surgery after she fell off the balance beam when she was fifteen, she knew it wouldn't be by being a world-class gymnast. So she switched plans though it took her awhile to figure out. But her sophomore year in College, the Rogues and Batman took Gotham by storm, and Harleen knew that the first person who got close enough to one of them would be her ticket. Psychology was her best class so she thought up a plan where she would work at Arkham with some of the biggest names in insanity, write a tell-all, and transform that into a brief stint on radio until someone noticed how well her face would translate to television. It was perfect. And the plan was going along perfectly...

Until she met him.

The Joker was the biggest name of big names, so she was naturally the most interested in him. But she never anticipated just how amazing he would be. He was the first man she didn't figure out in a minute. He was the first man who actually intrigued her. It didn't take long for that intrigue to turn to obsession and that obsession to turn to love. And thus, Harley Quinn was born.

Harley Quinn had all the white picket fence dreams that Harleen never understood. Harleen only saw success in her future; Harley imagined a happily ever after with the 2.5 children, her Mister J and the hyenas.

When Harley found out she was pregnant the first time, she was surprised. No one else would've been considering the lack of birth control, but that's what happens when you're insane and in love. She bounded over to her Mister J, pigtails bouncing, knowing he'd be excited as she was. His reaction hadn't been what she was expecting. His face betrayed no emotion as he walked to a nearby drug store, stealing all the pregnancy tests and shooting the clerk for good measure. He returned and threw Harley down the stairs until the plus sign became a negative. Harley learned that those tests still worked when you pissed blood.

The next time Harley found herself with child the Joker didn't bother with the tests and the stairs, he just aimed every heavy blow to her stomach. The time following that Harley booked an appointment as she and the Joker were broken up at the time, and Pammy insisted he'd use the child to control.

The fourth time, though, the forth time she kept the child that turned out to be children.

They were all she had left of him.

The only odd thing about Amy Dennis was her refusal to date. When the pretty blonde had arrived in the small town, pregnant and taking the open school counselor position, most assumed she'd been looking for a fresh start in the quiet town. As Miss Dennis wasn't too quiet herself, it became well known that a fresh start for her and her twin girls was exactly what she was looking for. The woman was known for her chattiness about everything except the girls' father. When he was mentioned she immediately closed up refusing to say anything more then he'd died. After a long enough time had passed, many men made a play for the single woman, but she refused them all. No one else understood, didn't she want a father for her children?

Of course, if anyone in the small town had known that Amy Dennis was Harley Quinn, they may have better understood her refusal. Though, that would've opened a whole new set of questions.

Harley found that the house was lonely when the girls went off to College, and couldn't have been happier that they were graduated and back, "taking some time off until the plunge into the real world." However, Harley couldn't shake the feeling of loneliness because even though they were back, the girls seemed distant. They were always off on their own, and whenever she saw them they were giggling in a familiar way that sent chills down her spine.

One day, she was reading the latest romance novel by her favorite author, entitled Mad Love. She enjoyed it as she always did, but the source of the material was obvious and the doomed insane clown plotline was too close to home to be comfortable.

"Mom." The light voice made Harley jump, and she turned to see her pretty blonde twins.

They'd taken after her in looks almost completely, which Harley was secretly thankful for; it would've been hard to explain naturally green hair. They did have their father's height and sharp features. "Deirdre, you scared me half to death."

Deirdre was the leader of the two; she possessed a sharp wit and graduated with a double major in chemistry and psychology against her sister Delia's art degree. She cocked an eyebrow at her mother and expressed her wicked wit. "Only half? How disappointing."

Harley was not amused, but Delia giggled softly, tossing her blonde tresses behind her ears. Deirdre continued, "Mom, Delia and I wanted to let you know that we're going to live in Gotham."

Harley paled but didn't let any emotion but curiosity show, "Why Gotham? Dee-Dee, it's so far away." Harley often referred to her girls as Dee-Dee, in reference to them as a unit and singularly.

The girls began to pace around their mother, the way a villain does when they've captured the hero. Deirdre continued to be the spokeswoman, "Do you remember that book I was so excited about?"

Harley did, Gotham's Most Notorious—the Rogues, the book she'd been planning on writing until she became chapter 22 (which no doubt infuriated Two-Face). Deirdre had loved the book, quickly developing an obsession on the topic, making her mother nervous. This grew to out-right panic when Deirdre's thesis had been on her favorite Rogue, the Joker. As it did with everything else, Deirdre's obsession rubbed off on Delia whose thesis had been titled, "Grotesque Humor: A Tribute to the Joker." It'd been protested against, which she argued made it all the greater. All of this ran through Harley's mind but she kept her reply to a simple, "Yes."

"Well, Mother," Deirdre's eyes connected with her mother's and the violet flecks within the blue seemed to more brightly than usual. "We've found it strange that you never talk about father or your past, except to say you loved him dearly and you lived in Gotham, but couldn't stay after he passed on."

Delia spoke, her face so close to Harley's ear, she could feel the breath, "When I worked on my thesis, I studied the Joker's face for hours, his lips, his teeth, his eyes, his nose—my nose. The Joker had my nose."

Deirdre had moved to be on the other side of her mother, "Or more accurately, we have his."

Fear, like a dead weight, dropped to the pit of her stomach.

The twins slowly moved to face their mother, but stayed on opposite sides. Delia spoke, "It all fit, so well."

Deirdre took her turn, "Of course we don't have any other family."

"No wonder you refused to move on after dad."

"Who could replace the Joker?"

"What mortal man could follow in the footsteps of his greatness?"

Harley could no longer stand it, "Stop it! Just stop it you two, you're better than this, better and stronger than me."

Deirdre smirked, "Can't argue with that."

She placed a previously hidden unmarked canister on the coffee table in front of Harley, who was too familiar with the contents of unmarked canisters. "No one has ever been able to duplicate the Joker's laughing gas, but I think I figured it out. So answer our questions or be the first human test subject, Mother."

"Don't you dare threaten your mother!" Harley screamed, nearly rising from her seat.

Deirdre cocked an eyebrow, "I think I just did." She pointed her concealed gun at her mother, and Delia followed suit, smiling broadly. "Now sit down, mommy dearest."

Harley sat.

When it was finished, Harley was exhausted. Deirdre picked up her canister and replaced it and her gun. She smiled at her mother and hugged her, kissing her right cheek, "Good-bye, mommy."

She walked away as Delia bounced over to her mother as well, hugging her and kissing the other cheek, "Love ya." It was said in a tone worthy of Harley Quinn. The door shut behind them.

Harley felt cold, too cold to even sob. She was alone again.