Disclaimer: I do not own Suicide Squad or most of the characters within.
I know I was asleep for a long time. That's what it felt like, anyway. The sleep was mostly dreamless, although there were a few flashes of sound, a feeling of movement. I'm not sure whether those were dreams or reality.
Slowly, I feel myself coming back. As I become more aware, and I listen for any sound, any indication that the Joker is still close by. I hear nothing.
I struggle to open my eyes, and when they do open, bright light floods in. I wonder what time it is. My left arm feels heavy, and for the life of me I can't figure out why. I glance down out of the corner of my eye and see the clunky white cast. I remember now. The Joker broke my arm. I throbs as if in memory of that night, and I pull my mind away and try to focus on other things.
The walls are a dark, pretty forest green. The bed I'm lying on is noticeably softer than the one I...fell asleep on. I hear footsteps outside the door, and I close my eyes again, evening and deepening my breathing, hoping to pass for 'still asleep'.
The door opens, and I hear soft voices. It closes, and footsteps pad over to the bed. Now I know I'm not in the same place. The Joker's casino has no carpets anywhere in the building. Once again, I'm surprised to find myself referring to him as the Joker, and not puddin' or Mista J, or anything else I may have called him.
The person in the room pauses by my side, and I feel soft, cool fingers over my neck, then my wrist. The person walks to the other side of the bed, then gets in.
I stiffen, waiting for whatever comes next. The person speaks, pleading with me. "Please wake up, Harley, please. Please don't be like this forever."
I know this voice, and am instantly relieved. I open my eyes, turning as gently as I can onto my side. "I'm awake, Ivy."
She jumps, then hugs me tightly. I moan, and she releases me instantly. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?"
I sit up, careful not hurt myself. "No, you just hugged a few bruises." I lift up my shirt, revealing the dark, blue-purple splotches on my skin. I wince just looking at them. These are going to be very painful.
Ivy's fingers hover over the bruises worriedly. "I was wondering why you didn't call me, I got worried something bad had happened. I snuck into the casino, looking all over the place. I found your room, and..." Ivy trails off, looking haunted by the memory. "God, you looked so horrible, laying there, half your clothes torn off. Your face was swollen beyond belief, and the doctor I brought in said you had a pretty nasty concussion."
I struggle to take in all she's saying. "What do you mean "had"? Wouldn't I still have one now?"
Ivy bites her bottom lip like she does when she's really worried about something.
"Ivy..." I say, waiting.
She looks up at me. "Harley, you've been asleep for three weeks. The doctor said you had a very small chance of waking up after what you endured, how badly injured you were."
Her statement has me reeling. Three weeks. How can I have asleep for three weeks?
"What about the Joker," I whisper. I look back up at her. "What happened to the Joker?"
Ivy looks at me sadly. "I don't know, hon. He disappeared after what he did to you." She stopped, then narrowed her eyes. "You weren't thinking of going back to him, were you? Harley you can't seriously be thinking of going back to him! Not after what he did to you!" Her voice went higher and higher in panic, the idea of me going back seeming to terrify her.
I soothe her quickly. "No, no Ivy. I'm not going back. Not after what he did."
She relaxes, sinking back onto the pillows. Then she looked over at me. "Good. Then you won't mind that I told Batman all about what happened, and sent him after the Joker."
I take in Ivy's confession in shock. She sent the Bat after Mista J?
No, I tell myself. No, you can't go back to that. If you go back, there will only be more stuff just like this.
Coming out of my headspace, I shake my head. "No," I say. "It's probably for the best that you did that."
Ivy relaxes. "Good," she says, standing up from the bed, walking to the door and opening it. "Whenever you're ready, I've got food waiting downstairs."
As she opens the door, the smell of pancakes and cooking bacon wafts in, and I realize how hungry I am. Three weeks? Three weeks without food, and I didn't notice how absolutely ravenous I am? I must be losing my touch.
I sit up carefully, trying not to disturb any of the bruises. I place my feet on the floor and Ivy watches anxiously, ready to catch me should I fall. I put my hand on the bed upholstery, using it to pull myself to my feet. As soon as I do, the most colossal headache hits me, and I almost fall back onto the bed.
I try to remain standing before letting the pain take hold and collapsing back onto the bed, gasping, trying not to start crying from the amount of pain I feel.
Ivy is by my side in an instant, holding my head in her lap, shielding my eyes from the incredibly bright light coming in through the windows. I can hear her giving quiet orders to the only other humans in the world she trusts more than me, and soon the light disappears.
Ivy strokes my hair, talking to me soothingly, and the pain soon disappears. As it ebbs away, I roll onto my side, facing away from the windows. The curtains may be closed, but there are still some slivers of light coming through.
The blood stops its annoying pounding in my ears, and I hear Ivy start talking again.
"If you want, I can have them bring the food up." I almost start laughing. As it is, a small giggle escapes me.
I can almost hear Ivy smiling. "What? I know how you like to eat, and you've been asleep for three weeks. And if you were with him all day, God knows if you even ate. So it's probably been three and a half weeks since you ate anything."
I shake my head slightly, smiling. "Nah, I had breakfast." As I speak, I sit up once again, trying not to do so too fast.
Ivy glares at me, sitting back and crossing her legs. "You had breakfast. That's it? You had breakfast that day, and you didn't eat anything at all after that?"
I grin, looking away from her. Ivy whistles. "So three and a half weeks without food." She pauses, then gets up and goes to the door. "Yeah, you need to eat."
She disappears into the hall for a moment, and I can hear her speaking to the only other humans I'm likely to find within a 50-mile radius. She comes back in, leaving the door open.
I look at her. "I'm not feeling all that hungry, Ivy."
Ivy snorts. "Yeah, sure you aren't. You were starving a moment ago, and that suddenly just disappeared?"
"With the head-killer I just experienced? Yes." I wince, the idea of the pain it caused almost as bad as the real thing.
Ivy winces too. "That I can believe. Just nibble on some toast, and I'll be happy." I nod, willing to try. After I finish speaking, there's a knock at the door and two young men enter.
I'm not even sure whether the two brothers can actually be called "men", they're so young. The older one, Ed, walks in carrying a tray filled with food. It smells nice, and my stomach rumbles, but the idea of eating makes me feel nauseous. His younger brother Al comes in after him, carrying plates, cups, plastic silverware, and napkins. They both smile at me, and I smile back.
Ed is sixteen, and Al is only fifteen. They're so young, sometimes I wonder how Ivy could bring them into all of this.
But this is Gotham, or fifty miles outside of it, and being here, where they aren't in any danger, is probably better than being spies for the Penguin or human shields for the Joker. Anything is better than one of those options, and even the ones I don't want to think about.
Ed and Al leave, and Ivy shoves some toast at me. "Pushy," I mumble, taking a small bite of the crispy bread. She smiles as I slowly start taking larger bites, my stomach taking over from my mind.
"Hungry now?" She teases, and I make a face at her. I reach for another piece and continue eating. We soon finish the small platter, and I feel like doing something. I move to get up, and Ivy pushes me back down. "Don't you remember what happened the last time you tried to get up? I'll get you a coloring book or something, but you're not leaving this bed until the doctor says your concussion has gone away!" Ivy looks more than a little pissed, and the little potted plant on the bedside table is reacting to her rage.
I hold up my hands in a placating gesture, sinking back into the pillows. "Fine, fine. Coloring book and the doctor it is."
Ivy looks relieved. "I'm going to go kidnap our doctor again, and you are going to stay put. I'll have Ed or Al bring you something to do." Ivy leaves, and as soon as she does, I put my feet on the ground. I brace my hand against the bedpost as before, pulling myself to my feet. I do it even slower than the last time, trying not to trigger the calamitous headache from before. I take deep breaths, struggling to hold myself up. I hear a sharp breath behind me.
Something light hits the bed, then someone is beside me, holding my arm and keeping me steady.
"Geez, are you trying to pass out again?" Ed asks, disbelief coloring his voice.
I take a shaky breath. "Not really. I just don't want to stay in bed all day. Or for the next week."
Ed snorts. "That I understand. But what about when Ivy finds out I let you walk?"
I raise my eyebrows at him. "Who said she's going to find out?"
He sighs. "Al will tell her, little tattle-tale that he is." He pauses. "Al isn't really a tattle-tale, I suppose. He's just not very good at keeping secrets."
"So don't tell him I'm walking."
"I'm not very good at keeping secrets from him."
"So tell Ivy to be pissed at me, and I wouldn't stop trying to walk about, so you just stayed with me to make sure I didn't hurt myself."
Ed rolls his eyes, considering. "Fine. But if I end up with a plant trying to strangle me, I blame you."
"Fair enough." Ed helps me to the window, not letting go until I'm firmly seated on the sill. He then walks to the bed and tosses something into my lap.
It's a coloring book, with a package of colored pencils and crayons.
Damn you, Ivy.
Ed smirks at me, then leaves the room. I sit on the window sill for half an hour, absently coloring in the book Ivy left me. I don't realize until I've filled an entire page in that it's a Disney Princess coloring book.
Double damn you, Ivy. Disney? Really?
The first page of the book is Cinderella, dancing with her prince. I could never keep the prince's names straight, even when I was a kid. But it doesn't seem to matter now. The way I've colored it in, Cinderella has a really nice harlequin dress, with a cool red and black headband. Her prince - Philip? - is dressed in a dashing purple and green suit. There's a bat signal in the sky behind them where I guess a normal spotlight used to be located. I sigh. This used to be my past. How did this ever happen? How did I move on from being that little girl, playing the backyard with a sister whose name I can't even remember? How the hell did I move on from being Harleen Quinzel, into Gotham's most dangerous criminal's girlfriend?
That's a good question.
I'm startled when someone speaks, but there's no one in the room. Well, that's impossible.
"Ed? Al?" I call tentatively. But neither responds. I sigh, frustrated. Then an idea occurs to me. "Well, now I know it isn't that little pipsqueak, or his brother who was talking."
Still, there's no response. Now I definitely know it's not either one of them. Al wouldn't be able to keep hidden this long, and Ed would most definitely respond to the word "pipsqueak". So who the hell was speaking?
I don't know why you're freaking out. It's only me.
I jump. Who the hell is talking?
Instead of wondering indirectly who's talking, you could just ask who it is.
I finally realize. The voice is in my head. And here I was thinking I'd gotten past all that.
Alright, fine. I think. Who are you?
Sweetheart, you've known me your entire life. I don't know why you're so shocked that I've finally made a reappearance.
I gasp. It can't be her. The Joker destroyed her the day I became Harley Quinn.
Obviously, he didn't, Harleen said wryly. I'm here to help you back to sanity.
I shake my head. This can't actually be happening. "What if I don't want to be sane again?" I whisper. "What if I don't want to be you again?"
You don't have to be me, you just don't have to be who the Joker wants you to be.
I open my mouth, about to reply, when I hear rapid gunfire. I jump, shocked. Ivy doesn't allow guns like that here. Only for the older Winchesters, and that's just because they insist on keeping guns for Ivy's safety. I look out the window, worried.
I see big men in black ski masks come through the courtyard. They look around, pointing their guns, trying to see something move so they could shoot at it. It didn't take much to figure out that these were the type of men who liked killing. As soon as they've cleared the courtyard, one of the bigger ones, the one that seems to be in charge, gestures behind him. In walks another man, and my stomach drops.
It's him. It's the Joker. He's come looking for me.
He throws a grin over his shoulder, and another big man follows him into the courtyard, holding a struggling Poison Ivy tightly. The Joker approaches her, and slides his hand over her cheek. She stops moving, her breath coming in short gasps. Ivy's terrified.
The Joker's hand moves down her cheek and onto her throat. In one move, he's slammed her against the stone wall, holding my best friend in a choke hold. I hear him scream a question at her. "WHERE IS SHE?"
I'm on my knees, banging on the window, pleading for him to stop. I'm sobbing, because he's killing my best friend and there's nothing I can do to stop him.
He doesn't hear me.
There are more gunshots, and Ed and Al's older brothers come in shooting. Sam and Dean will stop at nothing to save, Ivy, I know that. I relax slightly, but then my door bangs open.
I spin, terrified that some of the Joker's goons have found me.
It's only Ed and Al, come to look for me. There is clearly fear in Al's eyes, but Ed has it hidden more carefully. I can see that on the inside, he's terrified. But he's not going to show it in front of his brother.
"We need to leave," he tells me, and I nod numbly. Quickly he grabs my arm, dragging me out of the room and into the hallway. Al's looking for anyone who might try to stop us, though there doesn't seem to be a soul in the building. Gently, I tug my arm away from Ed, walking forward throughout the house, heading only for the front door. I stop right behind it, watching as the Joker interrogates what is left of Ivy's staff. Sam and Dean are dead on the ground with bullets in their heads. Ed sees it right after I do and just before Al. He slaps his hand over Alphonse's eyes and drags him behind the door where he can't see the sickening sight.
It doesn't bother me, though I have the feeling that it probably should. For multiple reasons.
Another gunshot rings out and Kara's body hits the ground with a dull thump. I can hear him, Mista J. His breathing is heavy, his shouts becoming more and more hoarse. I step forward, away from the door and out onto the doorstep. He hasn't noticed me yet, though a few of his men have. Ed stares at me as if I'm an idiot. He's not wrong. I make a gesture with my hand, telling him to take Al and go. We have a staring contest, and after a moment of battle of the wills, I win. Finally, he nods. Hand still covering Al's eyes, Ed pulls his younger brother away from the door and down the hall. He glances back at me and I can just hear Al's faint whispering, asking why I'm not coming.
Ed doesn't answer. He leads his brother away. I wonder if I'm ever gonna see them again.
Crazed laughter echoes from the courtyard and my attention whips back to Mista J. Again, he's holding Ivy in a way very dangerous to her health. She has ta be too distracted ta focus, because none of her plants or pets are attacking her captor.
"Where is Harley?" He snarls, leaning in close to Ivy's face. I know what's going to happen before it does. Ivy spits in his face, lips lifting into a snarl of her own. "Like I would ever tell you, you pathetic clown. Harley is safe now."
Mista J glares at her for just a moment, expression unreadable. Then everything changes so quickly I feel as if I have whiplash. He spins away from Ivy, releasing her from his hold. Ivy collapses to the ground, coughing and spluttering, trying to regain her breath. Mista J is laughing, mad giggles issuing from his blood-red lips.
"Safe from who, Poison Ivy?" He asked, his laughter punctuating the words. "Lil' ol' me?" His angry manner returned in an instant, worsening my whiplash. His eyes were wide and angry, promising death if Ivy continued to hide his prey. I stood rooted to my spot on the doorstep, realizing that I'd taken a step back inside. Mista J probably wouldn't see me from here.
"Why exactly, Ivy, would my dear Harley Quinn have anything to fear from me?" He asked, his voice dead quiet. Shivers crept up my spine, and I flinched further away from the door. The rest of the courtyard is silent too. Silent enough to hear a pin drop. Or to hear the snick of a penknife opening. Something shiny was suddenly pressed to my friend's throat and I struggled to control my breathing.
"Harley is my love, my princess, my Queen. She rules beside me. She has nothing to fear." Mista J's penknife traced the contours of Ivy's neck and collarbone, skimming the edges of her jaw and finding its way to her delicate, rose-colored cheek. "Unless, of course, she was trying to leave me." He pauses, the sharp blade pressed against the edge of her lip. "But why would she do that? I love her. She loves me. Unless, of course, you somehow convinced her I'm dangerous. But why would you do that, Ivy? Aren't you supposed to want what's best for your best friend?" The blade follows the underside of her lip to the corner of her mouth. To my horror, the knife slips into her mouth. Ivy's eyes are wide with terror, but there's nothing she can do.
I fall to my knees, shaking. My head aches and all I want it to do is stop. I want time and the world to just stop for a moment so I can catch up. My mind feels confused. Ivy's always told me Mista J was bad for me, bad for everyone. I never really listened. I was too caught up in my emotions, focusing on how he made me feel.
Mista J makes me feel...good. There are those nights, the ones that made sure I was sporting bruises in the morning. Like the one that had sent me here. But Mista J has a temper is all, right? He really does love me, he just...can't find the right punchin' bag.
But do you really want to be somebody's punching bag? Harleen interjects, and I grit my teeth. She's not helping my headache. He's the Joker. You know he doesn't care for you, he doesn't love you!
"Yes, he does," I whisper, forcing air out between my teeth. "He does love me, I know he does. He's jus' not very good at showin' it."
Does someone who loves you rape you?
That wasn't Harleen. That was my own thought, an' I hated myself for thinkin' it. "My puddin' loves me, my puddin' loves me, my puddin' loves me," I whisper to myself, rocking in my seat. "He loves me, I know he does."
It is my mantra.
Slowly, the rockin' stops. My mind is pulled back to reality again. I make my decision and pull myself to my feet. I stumble to the door, leaning heavily on the wooden frame for balance and look out. Ivy's on the ground and Mista J is kneeling beside her. I can see blood on the ground, though at this point I can't be sure who it's from.
I totter outside without another thought. "Puddin'!" I call out happily, holding out my arms towards him.
He looks up, acid-green eyes focused on me, utterly devoid of any expression. I pause in my mini journey, staring at him worriedly. "Is everythin' okay, puddin'?" I ask.
Slowly, a grin slides across his face. He holds out his arms and I rush into them, relishing in the warmth. "It is now, Harles," he whispers near my ear.
Stepping away, he wraps his arm around my waist. "Whaddya say we go home, hmm?"
I smile at the thought. "Okay!"
Walking out of the courtyard, I don't see Ivy's head lift from it's place on the ground, hair soaked in her own crimson blood.
Poison Ivy's POV - WARNING: It gets a bit graphic here, so read at your own risk.
"Whaddya think, sweetheart?" The Joker growled close to my ear. "Shall we put a smile on that face?"
The knife was placed inside my lips, and I watch as Harley backs away from the door in fear. I'm glad. Maybe this is what it will take to get her away from him.
A sharp pain interrupts my thoughts, cutting into my cheek from the corner of my lips. The Joker's insane grin is both lightning up and darkening his features, eyes intent on their work. The pain is so much.
God, it hurts so much.
I fall onto my side, the knife jerking out of my skin and scraping my cheekbone. My eyes are unfocused, hazy. They see my faithful Sam and Dean lying on the ground with bullets in their heads. Beautiful Kara, who had such a wonderful love of the Earth and nature, curled up right next to them.
The Joker grunts in frustration, leaning forward to finish the job. The point of the knife touches my skin where it left off, then moves. The Joker takes hold of my jaw with one hand and turns my head so the unmarred cheek is facing him. The same procedure takes place. Knife slid into mouth, pulled against the corner of lips until the skin breaks. Blood leaks out of the wound, but the Joker ignores it. The blade carves ever deeper into my flesh, but I'm too exhausted to scream. I try only feebly to move away from the monster, but I can't.
He's too strong.
Nothing can stop him now.
But wait. Yes, there is. There is something that can stop him. A someone. But she isn't here. She's long gone.
Except she isn't.
Distantly, I hear an uncertain voice call out "Puddin'?"
The Joker freezes and so do I. I know that voice. But she's supposed to be long gone. Away from here, away from harm. But there she is, long, colorful blonde hair in tangled strands hanging around her face. She stares at him, then at me. She doesn't understand what's happening. The Joker is still leaning over me, preventing her from seeing what he's done to me.
Harley frowns. "Is everythin' okay, puddin'?" She asked, uncertainty ringing in her voice.
The Joker stares at her for a moment further before pulling himself to his feet. He's left the knife on the ground in front of my face, carefully concealing it from Harley. He opens his arms, stepping in front of me so she can't see.
Harley steps into the hug. He whispers something in her ear, though I can't hear what it is.
"Whaddya say we go home, hmm?"
Harley's voice answers, much more brightly this time. "Okay!"
And just like that, I've lost her. I've lost her again. She was so close this time, so close to giving him up. But once again, she's fallen into his trap. I don't know if she'll ever be able to escape.
The Joker has wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her toward the exit. I know she's already forgotten about me. That was the point. He wanted her to, and my friend is a slave to his will. Neither of them glance back at me, and the goons filter out behind them, carefully swerving around my staff and I.
The Joker has left me to die. And Harley doesn't even remember that I'm here.
I hear their vehicles start, driving down the road back towards Gotham. I lie in place for a moment, then force my limbs into motion.
He's got her again and I can't just let him have her. I won't. I try to move onto my knees, but even they can't take the pressure. My arms collapse beneath me, and I don't attempt to move again.
There is someone else with me now, I can sense it. Their feet pound against the ground as they race towards me, but I can't find it in me to care.
Harley's gone. For good this time. And I don't think that even the Bat will be able to bring her back this time.
A/N: *hides in uppermost bunk of bunk bed beneath pillows and heavy blankets* I'm BAAAACK!
This is a freakin' LONG chapter, geez. I didn't mean for it to be this long, but then I got really inspired. I might have to change the story because of this. Oops.
I really seem to like ending chapters with tortured and abused women passing out, don't I? That's not a good thing, nor is it a thing to laugh about.
I hope I played Ivy and the Joker okay. This is really the first time I've ever done Ivy, and the Joker is HARD to portray. So let me know how I did!
Also, a big thank you to everyone who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed this story. It means the world to me, you have no idea.
I will continue to try and keep up with chapters, but I'm afraid that I can't give you an actual schedule as I would like to. I have high school to keep up with and one of the houses I stay at has no Internet, so it's not like I can upload.
SO PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH ME!?
Anyways, review to tell me how I did!
Love you all! BYE ;3
Alright, so. New thing. I changed the ending of this chapter a little, took somethings away and added another thing. The actual next chapter should be coming soon, though so see ya later!
