Disclaimer: YAY! Thanks to those who reviewed! So far so good, I got a good storyline for this and for those who are fans, man thank you. It does my heart proud. =D Wanna know the chick behind the fics? Search me on Facebook: Kitana Marie Robinson. Thanks again for the support! As usual, music is my inspiration for this fic =) Enjoy!
.PREVIOUSLY.
"Harley. Go."
"BUT RED..!"
"I'll meet you back at the apartment! GO NOW HARLEY! I HAVEN'T GIVEN YOU THIS IMMUNITY AS YET! GO!"
"But-"
"GO!"
The men they approached closer, with the crowds now fully moving out of the way to make space for them to close in on her. The large Caucasian man grinned as he yet again grabbed Ivy's arm, and all Harley could see was the rise of what seems to be a green pollinating substance that had everyone coughing excessively. She quickly realized as she passed one lady that started foaming at the mouth that she needed to get out of there as swiftly as possible. Donning a small black handkerchief she had hidden within the confounds of her bosom, she placed it over her nose and mouth and continued sprinting, watching around her as everyone she passed by began to shake and convulse violently before falling to the ground foaming at their mouths, much like the security guard Ivy had poisoned earlier. Behind the bartender that was about to fall face first on the bar itself was the emergency exit, which Harley hoped to God lead outside and towards freedom. She couldn't risk going back to Arkham..and damn sure couldn't risk being dragged off to Blackgate by the Bat himself. One thing was for sure though..
She hoped Ivy made it out without being caught..
..and hoped Bruce Wayne made it out alive.
-=============================Let it fall.
With her bag in tow and a deep breath she forward flipped up and over the bar, tipping over a bottle of Grey Goose in the process. One more flip prompted the door in front of her to kick wide open before she caught her balance and continued running down the dimly lit lonely hallway. She could hear them behind her—apparently they were informed of potential biological warfare and came prepared with military gas masks. They've done their research indeed and was more than well prepared; she'd have to remember to congratulate them—from a far distance of course.
The click-clack sounds of her black stilettos echoed sharply off the narrow white washed hallways as she picked up speed, her breathing getting heavier with each fleeting thought that passed in her mind. What was Ivy doing? Was she going to be okay? Should she go straight back to the apartment or wait and see what she can do instead?
"ENEMY SPOTTED. FORWARD!"
Here they come. Eight of them bombarding through the door and trudging down the hallway-these were no ordinary cops either—evidently Commissioner Gordon got pissed off and ordered in Blackgate military guards instead.
"Crap!" Harley murmured out of sheer panic, knowing she was going the OPPOSITE way where she originally wanted to go.
"CRAP CRAP CRAP!"
The hallway at a bend appeared to widen significantly, giving Harley a mental map of how she could plot a further escape. It seemed like an area where the crates of beer were normally kept for immediate replenishing, which was perfect for Harley who could simply wall jump from the crates to the side wall, roundhouse the leader causing the others behind him to stumble in an domino effect. Too bad she never counted on any of them being smart..for the second in command of the guards thought ahead and took the opportunity to dash forward in front of Harley, pushed her on to the cold concrete floor and proceeded to show what a M9 up front looks like—fully loaded.
Quinn cringed.
"Wh—what seems to be the problem boys…?"
"You're under arrest Harley Quinn for violation of your probation, breaking out of Arkham, Criminal intent, second degree mur-"
"Blah blah blah!" Harley interjected with a frown. "Don't you guys have anything else better to do?"
"Cuff her." The officer ordered to his associate sternly before clicking the hammer back on the gun. Harley smirked.
"Didn't yer mom ever tell you it ain't nice to be rude to a girl?" With swift mocked Catwoman like movement she quickly maneuvered a handstand in front of her assailant, grabbed a hold of his neck with her feet and reversed slammed him face first into the cold concrete ground, knowing the weapon out of his hand in the progress. With the first attacker down, it was now her versus the other seven who instantly went into a stance to defend themselves against Joker's mentally challenged assistant.
"Learned that one in Mortal Kombat!" She boasted with both hands at her side triumphantly. Six of the seven immediately fled towards hers and in no time at all, a fight ensnared between the narrow hallways.
Sure they had weapons but Harley had her agility and speed, and easily wall jumped from one man to the next, knocking each of them out with swift roundhouse kicks, neck snaps, pressure point techniques—the worse. The last of the original eight ran back the other way—apparently to warn the other soldiers of their coming demise. Harley Quinn shrugged her shoulders, grabbed her bag and decided to walk the rest of the way towards the exit up ahead. After all, she has the all clear now right? Nothing but pure silence..
BOOM!
The sprinkler system was immediately activated, and all Harley could do at this point was to quickly turn around to see what the fuss was about. Definitely an explosion, and from the fiery smoke emerged not eight, but at least fifteen soldiers tossing tear gas and stepping through the rubble with heavy artillery, Tom Clancy style.
"Oh F.M.L!" The vigilante exclaimed loudly before making a run for it towards the emergency door up ahead. She could sense them getting closer to her, tossing tear gas with few cans hitting the back of her legs and her shoulders but she had no time to worry about that now. She could feel them getting closer, but knew it was difficult for them to all squeeze through the narrow hallway so that at least bought her a few seconds. Closer to the door she approached..and hurriedly she busted it open, pausing for a second to survey her surroundings. The rain fell heavily on her head, with the dark clouds looming over like a bad omen. The back alley was set up like that of New York City, and for a split second it seemed as though she had no way out, till she took a glance to her right. FREEDOM! Became the thought for the moment and with that in mind she dashed off to that direction, a bright smile crossing her lips as she made that turn towards the street.
Shuffle shuffle—thud.
Close….very fucking close. In front of her a crew of cops of all types from one helicopter hovering above the crowd of reporters and paparazzi waiting to get a glimpse of the frightened celebrities to squad cars and military vehicles lined up along the streets of Gotham, waiting for any other sign of trouble that might suffice. She contemplated about making a break for it directly through the cops and run as fast as she possibly could—but that proved suicidal. Why? Commissioner Gordon was there—and by the looks of it he was not at all pleased with the situation at hand. Excited shouts and screams could be heard from a distant and sure enough, more people began to gather at the front of the Black Label club, wondering what the fuss was about. Too many people, none of them helpful. Even more not helpful was this stupid fucking dog that kept on barking.
..Dog?
The brown and black Doberman barked madly at Harley, practically itching to rip her to shreds. Sure it was restrained by the leash one of the cops had, but even he himself didn't seem to mind the cop barking. Though those that were chasing her before hadn't arrived yet, she needed a plan to go somewhere else and lay low—she neede—
"What's wrong boy? This damn dog I swear..when we get back to the pound I'm putting you down!"
"Don't be so hasty Roberts, I think he's on to something. Let him loose and we'll see."
CRAP!
"OH COME ON!"
"There she is WE FOUND HER! SADDLE UP BOYS COME ON!"
Harley dashed off towards a small alley opening, just large enough for each person to fit through. Her dress was ripped and soaked through, her stilettos click-clacking through the foot race towards somewhere, anywhere that deemed safe from this damn dog who seemed very hell bent towards his mission. Heavy panting accompanied Harley's breathing and the bag was getting quite weary on her arms. The screams and yells of those behind her wasn't helping her situation at all, and at an instance, she felt as though she should just give up and go back to Arkham—that is, until she saw a way out.
The alley way ended there after and no sooner had it ended did she spot a rather large empty dumpster beside its exit. Dropping her bag immediately, she pushed the large green dumpster in front of the exit, hindering her attackers from coming any further. Most of them by that point had turned back to see if they could find an alternative route, and the large donut lovin' cop that tried chasing her with the dog certainly was having no luck. Still, she hadn't a lot of time on her hands. The guards she spotted earlier were certain to find her somewhere here so she needed to get away. No sooner said than done.
A slew of cops and K-9 units immediately gathered in the area where they chased Harley Quinn, thinking they've got her. Guns were raised towards the middle, hammers cocked back, some took cover behind trashcans and behind brick walls, others pointed their guns to the sky just in case she should jump from anywhere, but nowhere in sight was the infamous vigilante. The rain poured harder on their heads but no one budged. To the left of the unit a small pathway was made, and who else but the Commissioner walked through and towards the middle of the group, picking up the lone black stiletto that lay before them. The middle aged man let out a deep sigh before glancing at his watch and to his comrades.
"..Son of a fucking bitch."
No one within the space of the five minutes that they approached the scene seemed to notice the emergency ladder that quietly slid upwards a lonely rooftop.
-====Back in Arkham===-
"So then what happened?"
"Well considering that I lost one of mah shoes, I gotta change into something more comfortable. I had tah save Red y'know? She was counting on me—but if it hadn't been for him I probably woulda done so already. I wouldn't be in this jam."
"You mean Batman showed up?"
"No. Worse."
-===Harley's Recollection. Rooftop==-
She watched from the East side of the rooftop as the cops roamed about the area, searching for clues as to her possible whereabouts. Did they think that Joker got to her? No. Did they think that she disappeared into thin air? Certainly not, so where in blazes could she be?
Right under ya noses boys! Harley sneered with delight as she air clapped her hands with glee. It hadn't been the first time that Harley escaped from the cops; she'd done this plenty of times and even disguised herself at one point as one of them and slipped by them right under their noses—but this time was different. This time she'd gotten away with murder (though no fault of her own but by association) and the mere thought that she and Red had gotten away with it was an accomplishment in itself. Her smile and glee was short lived however as Commissioner Gordon's booming voice echoed over the megaphone, passing out instructions to his crew on the who what when and where. Curious to see even more further commotion and confusion set not too far from her location, she slowly peeked over the ledge to see the shiny semi balding head of the Commissioner directly below, walking back and forth from cop to cop with the megaphone in tow. "Man" Harley whispered with a slight grin. "Times like this I wish I were a pigeon."
"I want forensic evidence on this, on everything!" The man stated angrily, pacing back and forth among the tattered newspapers that seemed to follow him about. "My whole goddamn evening is ruined thanks to this little screw up and now I have to drag the whole Gotham police department in!" A passing cop no more than in his twenties proceeded to pass by his superior with a stack of papers in his hand—apparently reports for what the Commissioner had asked for earlier. With an eyebrow raised his superior stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a stern look. "JACKSON!"
"Erhm..Yes'ir?"
"What the hell are you doing now Jackson?"
"Giving you the papers you'd ask fo—"
"Nevermind that! Go see what you can dig up on this! I want all corners covered, all nooks crannied, all crooks canned and all goose cooked, you got that, Jackson?"
"Yes'ir I understand but what about these papers—"
"FUCK the papers, Jackson, this is serious this is a biological emergency, don't you understand that man?"
"Sorry sir! Yes'ir! I understand clearly sir!"
"Good! Now get to work! …..Oh and if that Batman shows up, tell him to come see me. He's bound to be around here somewhere. God knows we need the help somehow.."
BATMAN?
Like death's icy cold hand itself, Harley couldn't do anything but shiver. If HE showed up, it was most certainly all over, and definitely back to the loony bin for her for sure! Inching away from the ledge quickly, she reached over to her medium sized Ed Hardy bag and began digging-digging for what seemed like an endless amount of seconds till she wrapped her fingers around her most prized possession—besides her 'Mistah J' plushie of course.
The plushie story in itself was both a fun and a semi disturbing one, but when it involved Joker, then what can one expect? Deciding to use Harley's rear end as a target for points and heated pins as throwing darts, Joker couldn't help but put an even brighter smile on his face each time his little Harley yelled out in agony. Harley herself was sore—in more places than one and this seemed to be the 'calm before the storm' till the Joker was ready for round six yet again. It was the first time her Puddin's ever been pleased with her performance instead of being all about himself..so as a reminder and hopefully one day a repeat scene, she painstakingly created a plushie based off him. Needless to say when she showed it to him a few hours later, both the plushie's right eye and hers were a complete match—jet black.
Setting aside the costume she was most known for, she took her face paint and make up that would be apart of the process as well. The sirens blaring in the background seemed to grow louder and louder, and the anticipation and fear that the Dark Knight might show up at any moment not only annoyed the bejesus out of her, but in a small sense, frightened her as well.
It was a well known fact that the way how this mysterious man spoke was not always in a pleasant tone—even if at the rare times he tried to crack a semi good joke.
"B-man ain't gonna be smilin' now. Ugh, where's Red when I need her! Oh CRAP, come on..!"
One drop, then two and soon enough the rain fell and yet again resoaked Harley's dress. Frustrated with the matter of lack of clothing, she began to remove one of the straps then two, seeing as how she'd have to change into her other attire anyway—when something stopped her. Something odd. The rain hadn't stopped falling, indeed not for the pigeons nearby were still shivering on the power lines towards how cold it was. Rather, it fell around her..which only meant one thing.
"Going somewhere?"
Oh Crap in a hat..
She said not a word, only thing that was implied as acknowledgement to his presence was the immediate halt of the shuffling through her bag.
"Ya know.." Harley began, her head tilted downwards towards the bag in front of her.
"Everywhere I go, I see ya—even when I don't wanna see ya, I see ya. Anyone ever told you that you give people a headache..?"
"Heh..no not really."
"WELL YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET ONE!"
How a mallet the size of a bowling ball managed to fit inside her handbag, no one would have an answer to that one but effortlessly she grabbed it by its handle and proceeded to swing it towards the face of whom she THOUGHT was the Bat himself—only to be met with the surprised icy blue eyes of no other than BRUCE WAYNE.
She stopped within mere inches of his features—the only body part that moved was the hair on his head from where it WOULD'VE impacted. She glanced upwards towards the umbrella that she was holding, then frowned exasperatedly as she soon dropped the mallet on the floor.
"Mistah Wayne..well well. What a surprise eh? Fancy seeing you in a place like this huh?"
"It's not every day you see a woman changing near a grey tower by the sea." His response was cool, calm and strangely collected for an individual who almost had brain damage not ten seconds ago. The raindrops rolled off his suit like water on frozen butter—an indication that his outfit was no mere Men's Wearhouse discount special. The sirens below came accompanied with flashing lights, and with those lights came the hustle and bustling sounds of the streets, those that were crying out for the individuals inside the Black Label club, the chattering of the reporters and the confusion yet still of the police below. Above them on the double knotted power line the five pigeons cooed, they being the only witnesses to Harley and Bruce's whereabouts.
Harley herself blinked quizzically, mentally scratching her head as to what that statement of his could've meant. Deciding not to rack her brain around it, she shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant manner and went back to digging, pulling out the last item—a M.A.C. red lipstick before tossing the bag to the side. Bruce himself raised an eyebrow—obviously she didn't seem like herself or he'd watch and play along with the silly attempt of the woman trying to restrain him. Poison Ivy, yes but never Harley.
"Troubled?" His voice as smooth as the scotch he drank earlier and a mere question from his lips seemed as though he'd granted Harley the golden key to the city itself. Without hesitation he extended his right hand to her—much like an angel would to a sinner. Harley looked at him and let out a mocked "HAH!" before returning to her previous task.He grinned mischievously, knowing how to get underneath her skin.
"Seems like you could use some help. Trouble always follows you around like this? Even without Joker around this seems a tad much don't you thin-"
"Look are ya hear to turn me in out what? I don't have time tah deal with you, you're not on mah list as of yet. So wait yer turn and when I'm done I'll come back to you and maybe we can go out for ice cream or somethin' k?"
"Actually no I..wanted to say hi, see how was life and such. It's been a while you know."
"It has?" She asked meekly, knowing damn well it's been months since she last saw him.
"Indeed it has. I saw you dancing on the lower level and walked downstairs to catch up on 'old times'..you know, to show you no hard feelings but you suddenly got..preoccupied.."
"Yeah well you know, when yer popular.."
"Hm." He stooped down to her level, while holding the large umbrella over both their heads. He watched with curiosity as she assembled her make up in a specific order in accordance to what she would put on first before finally placing the costume in front of her person. Bruce smirked.
"O.C.D?"
"Wut?" Came the disgruntled response. She knew what the acronym meant indeed but the mere fact that he pointed it out so blatantly was a bit gnawing. "What's it to ya, bub? Dontcha have somewhere else to be like in a limousine or somethin'? I don't have time tah mess around Mistah Wayne, I got somewhere else to be."
"You mean at Ivy's house?"
Her rummaging paused.
"They got her, you know. You won't be able to rush in there, get her and come back in one piece. Security will be all over you like white on rice and pretty soon you'll be back in Arkham. I'm sure that's not what you want, Miss and I wouldn't want that for you either."
"What's with you huh? I'm tryin' tah not kill you and yer just agitatin' me to do it! You got a death wish or somethin' mistah?"
"No but my security does with both of you. I tried to stop them before they make an alert—but I—"
"So you were the one that alerted them about us?"
"Well no not exact—"
"LIAR!" Fluidly she swung her right leg out from underneath him, causing him to fall backwards heavily in the process. Her stance rose up and in no time at all she picked up the heavy mallet she was best known for and began aswingin'. With each angry thrust towards the now 'frightened' Bruce Wayne came a shout of obscenity, each describing what she's going to do with his body if he even tried to get away alive.
"—AND I'M GOING TO CHOP YOUR NUTS OFF AND FEED IT TO MY BABIES WITH A BENDY STRAW!" Was the last threat before getting ready to slam the weapon. Bruce, in all his dodging and acting, couldn't help but let out that famous playboy millionaire smirk when he realized a slight wardrobe malfunction going on with her. He'd have to alert her about that later, for right now he was literally between a rock and a hard place—trapped on his side between the corner of the roof and a pissed off Harley Quinn.
"WHERE IS SHE?" She demanded, positioning the mallet over her head, her eyes now burning with rage as she stared down at Gotham's elite. Grabbing her right leg in swift response, he slammed her body forward with so much force, that the heavy mallet she had in her hand was thrown over the side of the roof, eventually hitting a nearby dumpster where a lone cop keeping watch stood. The cop jumped back, startled from the sudden noise, and proceeded to alert his comrades about his new discovery.
The fools looked up and about for any sign of the vigilante they'd been searching for the past hour, but not a sound or movement was to be heard or seen—only the wailing sirens and the gentle pitter patter of the rain was their only consonance.
"Crap..she must've tossed this as a diversion—she's still around here somewhere men! I want everyone spread out on ground! Air support, I want them now! Alert the commissioner! Alert the commissioner!"
Now imagine the peculiar sight with Bruce's hand over Harley's mouth, his other wrapped around her tightly as means to keep her absolutely still. His gaze casted down to the frantic officers below then no sooner did he lock his hand over her mouth did he release her, letting out a sigh before looking about the area.
He could hear them.
The distant rumbling sound of a chopper approaching the area—and quickly. His reason for keeping Harley out of trouble was not for her benefit—but to observe what she was up to exactly. She could lead him to Joker, and finally get his prayers answered that the madman would be brought to justice before anything could happen. ..That's if she were stupid enough to go back to him anyway.
"Come on. I came in through there." He pointed towards a shed like opening that lead inside the building they stood on top of—evidently it was an old rundown apartment that still proved useful for hideouts and crack addicts alike. No sooner did she gather her things without thought and forward flipped her way towards the shed that the overhead light of the chopper passed by, rendering the two undetected till further notice. Bruce sighed. Harley blinked moronically at the situation.
"..Alright uhm…what just happened back there?" Was the only form of 'thanks' she could spit out at that moment. Bruce exhaled heavily before turning to look at her with a half smile.
"Consider it a 'thank you for not killing me', miss. You looked like you genuinely wanted to have a good time down there. Far be it for me to rat you out on a situation you weren't apart of."
"….RED!"
"Now THAT you have to believe me on. I didn't turn her in. One of my body guards went through the back for security measures and saw a body lying there. They checked the camera and linked you two to the scene."
"Well we gotta get her back! We just gotta!"
"She'll be out miss, I promise."
"YOU DOUBLE PROMISE?"
Even at her age, he was still flabbergasted at how childishly she acted sometimes. It was easy to see how anyone could over look the fact that this woman had a with considerable amount of intelligence.
"You have my word."
The chopper light above them shone over the shed before resignating back to darkness. For a moment, no one said a word—only Harley's sniffling and shivering was heard within that confined area.
"Ya think they're gone?" She asked meekly, looking up at him with those big baby blue eyes of hers. Bruce shook his head, indicating no.
"Have a feeling they'll be all over that place and the surrounding area for a while. Best you stay here till things die down at least."
"Then why're YOU still here? They're not looking for you-its me they want yah know. Well..course ya know."
True. And he really didn't have a response to that one. In reality, either way he was screwed for if he went back inside they're surely going to question closely how he was the only one NOT affected by the poisonous gas Ivy let out (due to a mini bat gas mask gadget he always carried around for just such an occasion). Number two—he couldn't risk bouncing off from roof to roof without revealing or giving some hint as to who he REALLY was. So his quick response was?
"I like the danger. It isn't everyday this rich boy gets to live a little without being hounded by paparazzi."
More than anything he hated lying..but he has to think of something to tell to the curious seeking woman..and to find out what she's REALLY up to for..come on now, this was Harley we're talking about. NOTHING was normal about this woman to begin with. Yes, the man was known for misleading, but we must remember that he had a part to play—a part that he knew more than anyone that that was not his true personality. Everyday as Wayne was a day in acting—complete with the clinking of champagne glass and occasional kidnapping from the woman that sat next to him reorganizing her makeup. On another note, leaving her now would mean he'd have to go through the trouble of catching her in the act as Batman—and potentially getting an innocent victim hurt in the process. He couldn't risk it—not when he has her so close to him. He had to play it smart from here on end—he had to play it cool.
"So…sane huh?"
An odd conversation starter, but one never the less. Harley's smile returned the moment she heard the word 'sane'.
"You bet yer popsicles I am! ..Or was anyway…till I went back to Joker again. Oh well—beats being part of society huh?"
"I suppose. Though you do have a lot of people wondering why the attraction."
"Like I told B-man before, Joker's tha' only one that ever listened tah me for a change. Imagine having to sit there and listen tah other people's problems all day! 'Oh my God, I'm depressed because my wife left me. Oh no, I killed a man. Oh no I can't get it up for my girlfriend so she's gonna leave me for my best friend.' It's exhausting!"
Bruce shook his head and chuckled lightly. As deadly as this woman was, whether she believed it or not she had a quirky sense of humor about her. More than anything though he wanted to get back downstairs and calm his guards nerves—surely they must be searching frantically for him by now.
He watched as she picked up the white face paint and proceeded to dip her index and middle finger in the substance, smiling to herself as she did this. Bruce shrugged. Harley paused mid air right before she touched her nose.
"S'matta with you?" She asked, eyeing him up and down in the process.
"A woman such as yourself shouldn't cover up her looks."
"Yeah well whats it to ya? Mistah J likes it."
" 'Mistah J' isn't here. Look, all those times I've seen you without it, I thought you looked fine the way you are. You don't need to change for anyone—everyone knows who you are."
"Yeah but Puddin' doesn't like to see my face—says it makes him puke and anything Puddin' wants, Puddin' gets. So hmph!"
"So what does everyone else think?"
"Who CARES about everyone else? Mistah, the only guy that ever touched me besides Joker is B-man—and all he does is slap the cuffs on me and hauls my carcass to the loony bin. You think I want that tah happen? No. That's why I gotta hurry up and change before he comes."
"He doesn't know who you are?" Bruce asked with a little bit of playfulness in his tone. Harley continued.
"Nah he knows—he just always calls me 'Quinn'. Quinn this, Quinn that, Quinn don't touch anything. Blah blah blah.."
"Maybe he's saying it for your own good."
"B-man? HAH! My own good? HAH HAH! The only thing that man cares about is sending us good bad guys to Arkham and try and lock up the key! Ain't no tellin' how many times me and Red have been there, not tah mention tha' fact how many times we got put back. Nah. Batman is just trouble to us. We're just here to make the world..a little bit funnier that's all. Though now..if he were around, I'd tell him I wasn't laughing when it was my turn.."
Bruce's acting skills kicked into high gear.
"Oh? But you always seem to be your happy go lucky self—even if at the expense of others. What do you mean by you weren't laughing this time?"
"…" The thunder rumbled gently in the background, followed by two flashes of lightning. The rain continued to beat lightly against the half broken window pane behind them and with each time mother nature decided to light the area with her glory, Harley's features with her semi smeared black eyeliner and cold wet skin were highlighted—her big baby blue eyes that casted down to the dirty concrete floor emphasized as well. His eyes casted down to her hands as she repeatedly opened and closed her palms—a sure sign of mental distress. The back of her hands though looked as if they have slice marks on them from some sort of accident. He already knew what happened..the unthinkable he knew wasn't unstoppable. He'd watched her fall from the windows…and did nothing to save the woman who had him tied up for her 'Mistah J'. How does a hero whom to others believed was a superhero, didn't feel so super when he couldn't save a woman in distress? The thought crossed his mind to offer his apologizes..but he wasn't ready. Definitely not as Bruce, and even harder as Batman.
"Miss..?"
She rose up suddenly and pushed him backwards onto the cold concrete floor, her eyes slightly watery from her trying to fight that the oncoming tears that were begging to be released. Biting her bottom lip, there was a short pause as Bruce with all his confusion looked up at her as though she was even more off her rocker. "He pushed me.." She stated with emphasis, drawing blood to her bottom lip before blinking moronically, trying mentally to get a hold of herself. "He..through the window…down..down.."
Bruce relaxed, but the Knight within cringed with guilt. He wanted to cover his face with the mask and disappear into the world, into the night that knew no remorse..but he couldn't. Seeing anyone in anguish, even Harley herself was enough to take his memories back to that night..
…But he had to bring himself back to current speed. She repositioned herself on the floor and ran her fingers through her soft blonde hair, 'tsk tsk'ing lowly under breath as she shook her head slightly about her soaked dress. Her disposition was confusing, yet one could understand why she switched from hot to cold. Bruce only knew her as Harley Quinn, and regardless if she was in costume or not, she still had a role to play and an image to uphold—even if not a very likable one. For a few more seconds he watched as she continued to play with her hair, tsk tsk about her attire and constantly shifting her feet about before settling back in the relieved mood she was previously. He'd have to worry about that later..and surely couldn't ask her to speak about that little incident of hers now. Surprisingly still, it wasn't long before this new silence was broken—seemed as though conversation was making progress. Her eyes shifted to him and with a slight smile, she decided to be the more dominate one in convo.
"Yer probably wondering why tha' costume huh..?" Funny enough, he wondered that while they were back inside the Black Label club. She had features only unique to her own, yet covered it up constantly with white make-up and harlequin get up. Harley continued. "Its like..a personality thing ya know? I once knew a gal who was different from everyone else. Nice gal, ya know? Real model looking type that looked like she stepped out of tha' magazines or somethin'. She was in Arkham with me some months back but her deal is that she liked tah' be different, like wear hairstyles, or even different colored socks each day. Elle Oh elle I remembah' one time during break we had tah' all line up and she got scolded for wearing like three socks on one foot cause she wanted tah' represent her country or somethin'. HAH! Man they gave that gal tha' business but she was laughin' through it all. Its people like that that I can connect with yah know? People like B-man."
The conversation in question shifted unexpectedly in the end, but Bruce knew he had to play his cards right in order not to slip up. Never judge a book by it's cover he had to remember, for despite her seemingly airy personality, this woman could pick up on anything with the drop of a hat if she wanted to. Right now, he was having a bit of a hard time figuring out if she was testing him either for confinded trust..or what he was ACTUALLY doing here.
"Oh?" Came his response, his right leg straightened whilst his left bended. "I assume you're talking about—"
"Batman."
"Yeah."
"Yeah him. Ya know as much as me and B-man don't get along I..I dunno I kinda understand where he's coming from ya know? Everytime I see this fella I can't help but laugh. He's clumsy really—stubborn as a mule and he's always yellin' at me to do stuff I don't wanna do. 'Hurry up and tell me where he is, Quinn! No tricks, Quinn! Where's Robin Quinn?' blah blah blah..!" The thunder rolled violently outside, causing her to jump slightly at the sound. Her head turned sharply outside the window, letting out a sigh that the rain was still falling heavily. She continued, her gaze now focused on a grey tower ahead.
"For tha' both of us its like a personality freedom really. Who knows who that man really is, or WHAT he is, but the costume when we put it on..makes us feel invincible personality wise ya know? It'd take a rock to break any of us down—call us freaks of nature but what people like me call it is paradise. I can't imagine havin' to hang up my costume and go back to society. Society doesn't care about us and we don't give a damn about them. You got it made."
"Made? What do you mean by that?"
"Oh yah know.." She removed her gaze from the tower to his dark blue eyes, tipping her head to the side as she did this, her nose slightly crinkling."Pretty stuck up rich boy like you owning everything 'round here. You don't hafta worry about a thing! No money problems, no woes, nothin' like that. You got it easy! People like me, even with a degree, I still have tah' struggle.."
"You chose to struggle."
"No. I chose to LIVE. Getting up and leaving it all behind was tha' BEST decision I ever made and if I had to turn back tha' clock and change anything I wouldn't change a damn thing! Not even Batman"
She paused and placed an index finger to her lips.
"..Yeah. Not even Batman."
He tipped his head back casually, a low 'Hmm' sound emitting from deep within his throat. He sounded as though he moaned, and in that five seconds that Harley's attention focused on him, he looked simply immaculate. The shadows of the rain fell upon his features, and as he proceeded to loosen his tie and let it drape around his shoulder haphazardly. His muscular tone wasn't necessarily hidden by his clothes, but rather complimented him very well, as well as the dark colors he'd chosen for the occasion that night. Harley couldn't help but shake her head slightly and with a grin, she snapped back to reality.
"Can I ask you a question?" His head was still tipped back, but the question itself seemed both casual and highly curious.
"Shoot."
"..I barely heard you say anything about The Joker. Is it that you don't want to, or is Batman the topic of your interest tonight?"
She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "I dunno..I guess I can't over tha' fact that I got that close to Batman and had him tied up for a change. Ya see, I was tryin' tah impress Puddin' by changing a teeny tiny thing in his plans. He wanted tah' make tha fishies smile when they ate up the Bat but couldn't figure out how so what I did ya see.." She positioned herself in front of him now, her hand motions that of excitement as she recollected her tale. Mentally Bruce wanted to just stick his finger in an electric socket somewhere. "I made up a phony balony story, sent it to tha' commish knowing Batman would see it too, got him at tha' dock, used one of Puddin's props, drugged him, and hung him upside down in a tank FULL of piranhas! It was genius I tell ya, ya should've been there it was great!" Her eyes lit up with glee, her hands clapping at the mere thought of successfully capturing the bat and hanging him by herself. She recalled it took a good amount of strength to drag his sleeping body in the elevator up to Aquacade and string him up like a piece of meat.
"Uh huh.." He mumbled incoherently before clearing his throat. "So what did he make of the situation?"
"'Course he didn't like it. I mean who would huh? I did though..it was kinda fun seeing him all strung up like that, not as much as I woulda liked tah be strung up like that."
"By him?"
"Yeah sure why not? Would be fun for role reversal once in a while. Gotta keeps things fiery ya know?"
"Does he know that?"
"Know what?"
"That you want to do that?"
"Do what?"
At times this woman can be such an airhead..but then again she was blonde—even if not a real one.
"Does he know you have an interest in him?"
Harley's eyes WIDENED.
"Whaddayamean interest? That man strung me up and handcuffed me so many times I jus' think it was about time fer some payback is all! Nothing big ya know hah hah! Let's not…let's not get carried away here me and B-man? Hah! Might as well ring in Amageddon while we're at it!"
Bruce grinned.
"Come on, you can tell me. I mean, look around you—no here but us. We're both grown adults..for the most part and we don't have anything else to do until the cops clear the area. Might as well enjoy each other's company till then. Tell you what, you tell me, and I'll tell you a secret about me that you can hold over my head."
"Sorry handsome..no dice."
….
He tipped his head back again, dropping his left leg to the ground and raising his right. Tilting his neck to the side and grunting slightly when it made a small popping sound, he relaxed his body and watched aimlessly as the raindrop rolled down the window pane. He knew she was looking, carefully studying his 'Sure I don't care' facial expression as though it didn't bother him one bit that she didn't engage fully in that part of the topic. It sure would've made for a good time passer..but oh well.
"..Veronica and I never got along." His blatant sentence caught her attention, as she immediately recalled the rich red head she encountered at a Christmas party. Bruce continued. "She always wanted to try and control the things that I do..the things that she think I should say in public. Heh..even that day you saw her in the department store she was controlling then too. I didn't need that in my life..my life is my own, I made it to where I want it to be. So you know what I did?"
Harley shook her head, indicating no.
"..Told her she wasn't worth my time and walked off a couple days later. She kept on complaining about other women being constantly behind me. She honestly believed it was my fault that she got kidnapped by you, even though she dropped the charges later on. I could never understand her mindset, but for some reason I could understand yours. I trusted you, and I still do. Even if you are a bit..off. Miss..if media ever got out that I actually TRUST someone like you, it could ruin me financially. My investors would question my logic, and my decisions in terms of Wayne Industries. They don't understand trust..only the word 'money' That's why I didn't bother running after Veronica or made a fuss when you threw her in the car. I knew you wouldn't do anything to hurt her, and even so I know you'd be spilling milk over it. You have a heart, believe it or not. It's just up to you to find that heart again, Miss."
"What makes you think I got one in tha' first place huh?"
"Well you're here with me aren't you? Screw society as you say, and the rich masses behind it but yet you're sitting here with me haring shelter from the rain and from the authorities. Think about it, Miss Quinn, you must have some reason as to why I'm still here with you. You haven't chased me away as of yet, though you tried earlier. I see someone in distress, I come to their aid—even if they don't always accept it. That's who I am, ma'am, and I won't change face for anyone. I won't judge you.. and you have my word no one will know. I promise."
"Promises promises. Curiousity killed tha' cat ya know."
"But satisfaction.." He pulled himself up closer to her, about a shoulder-to-elbow's length away from her personal space. He turned his head finally to meet her baby blue eyes, that which widened at this sudden movement. "Brought him right back. So satisfy this cat."
Harley opened her mouth slightly to say something..but rejected the thought. For once in what seems like a long time, someone was listening to her. To HER. To..her..
"….I got this..problem…"
[I WAS going to continue typing but I like cliff hangers. =D Review as always will ya? YA? Yaaaaah..]
