TWO
Harley skipped through the door of the penthouse that wasn't her's and went right up to Joker who was sitting at the table with his head in his hands.
The couple who owned the penthouse were shaking in the corner, too afraid to move.
The man had a gash just above his left eye and he had his arms wrapped around his girlfriend/wife, whoever she was, and she was biting her lip, trying hard not to cry.
"Hey, Puddin! Whatcha doing?" She asked, giving him a big, cheeky grin.
"Trying to decide how to set up a bar in this part of town." He replied, circling something with his finger on the table.
As Harley looked over his shoulder, she saw that he was looking down at a map of Gotham.
She frowned a little.
"Mista J, you got a lot of clubs dotted all over the city now, why d'ya need another one?" She asked.
He sighed loudly.
"It's called 'leaving your mark'."
She hopped up onto the counter and she heard him growl a little.
"Maybe you could um...leave your mark on me." She said, her voice like a cat's purr.
Joker looked up at her, his face expressionless.
"Not now, Harley."
He went back to looking at the map.
She thought he just needed some persuading, so she crawled onto the map and pouted at him as she layed right across it.
"Aww, you gonna ignore little ol' me?"
Joker suddenly stood, the chair flying backwards, his blue eyes widening so much it scared her.
She sat up, her bottom lip quivering slightly.
"What don't you understand, Harley? I. Am. Busy. I don't have time for you."
"But you-"
There was an almighty whack and Harley's head snapped to the side as pain blossomed just below her right eye.
Tears formed in her eyes and she slowly brought her hand up to her eye which was stinging now.
Joker sighed and reached out to her.
Harley recoiled at his touch.
"I'm sorry, Kitten, but you make me do this. If you just behaved...I wouldn't have to hurt you, would I?"
Harley sniffled and looked up at him.
"If you hate me so much then why did you come for me at the prision?" She asked, her teeth clenched.
Joker sighed again.
"I don't hate you, Harley. I love you. You just...you make me this way."
Harley was confused and it showed on her face.
Joker suddenly looked bored.
"I've told you I loved you but I am busy, Harley. Now, if you would be so kind as to LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!"
Harley flinched and hopped off the table, running for the door.
His words had started off quiet and calm but those last five words he'd shouted them at her, he'd scared her and now she didn't want to be anywhere near him.
Harley ran from the penthouse and found her way back to his club.
She knew he wouldn't be back here for a while yet so she ran upstairs, sat in his office and locked the door behind her.
She sank back against it and slid to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest as she chanted over and over again in her head;
"He loves me he loves me he loves me he loves me he loves me..."
Ivy had decided to stay low for a little while. Maybe take some time, get her head together.
She still went out, she just didn't attract any attention to herself by doing the whole hero thing. It didn't mean that she had given up, it just meant that she needed to decide on what kind of hero she was going to be.
Ivy had been a villain for so long, it was going to be a difficult transition.
But for now, she was in her apartment, watching the news, a big bowl of chips on her lap. It was night time after all.
Ivy's intercom buzzed and she glanced over her shoulder at the door.
Who could that be?
Slowly, the red head stood and stared at her door as though it had morphed into something she hated.
Walking over to the intercom, Ivy picked up the phone.
"Yes?" She answered carefully.
"Red? Can I come up?"
Ivy sighed and closed her eyes.
Why her? Why when I'm trying to get my head together, do you decide to come around?
"What do you want, Harley?" Ivy growled.
There was a pause, then Ivy heard her sniff.
"I just wanna talk. Please let me in, Red."
Ivy clenched her teeth together before snarling into the receiver.
"Fine."
Ivy pressed a button and hung up the phone. She then unlocked the door and left it ajar for Harley to make her own way in while the red head went back to the couch.
Ivy listened for footsteps and then the blonde appeared in the doorway.
Ivy glanced over her shoulder and frowned.
"Why are you wearing sunglasses?"
"The light hurts my eyes."
"It's night time." Ivy reminded her, that deep frown still in place.
"Oh...well, I like them."
Harley took off her coat and put it on the peg behind the door.
Ivy got to her feet, stalking slowly over to where Harley had hopped up onto the kitchen counter.
"Take the glasses off." She snapped.
"No."
"What are you hiding, Harley?" Ivy asked, her eyes going up and down the blonde's petite frame.
"Nothin'." Harley insisted, backing up into the cupboards.
Ivy placed both hands on either side of the blonde and lent in closer.
"Show me."
Harley sighed and reached up slowly to remove the shades.
Ivy stared at her and then hung her head.
A bright purple bruise circled her right eye, it was almost swollen shut.
"Hey, Red...it's not as bad as it looks."
"He hit you." Ivy said, anger coiling low in the pit of her stomach.
"Well...yeah, but Red, I was thinkin' I could stay here with you for a while. Until he calms down."
Ivy went to move back.
"I don't think so."
But Harley circled her legs around the red head's waist.
"Aww, come on, Red. We had fun last time." She said, bringing her lips near the red head's.
Ivy backed off but Harley was keeping her right where she wanted her.
"Things have changed, Harley."
"Like what?"
"Just...things."
"Tell me."
"Can you just drop it? I don't want to talk about it."
"You used to tell me everything. What happened to us, Red?"
What happened to us?! Ivy wanted to scream.
He happened! He snapped his fingers and you went running. He hits you, he hurts you and still you love him! I offered you everything! I wanted to keep you safe, I wanted to protect you, and you would rather be someone's punching bag than be willing to accept the notion that we could actually be something if you just gave us a chance!
Ivy and Harley had made a great team but Ivy had begun to feel differently towards the little psycho.
It was all Harley's fault.
She was always flaunting it, taunting the other woman when she got the tiniest idea that she was slightly curious about her.
Once Harley had discovered Ivy's curiosity, she had run with it.
So yeah, they'd fooled around, they'd been together in more ways than one, but Harley would always laugh it off and treat it like it was all a game. It wasn't a game to Ivy.
But Ivy had played along at first and then Harley had told her she was going back to Joker. Said he'd changed, he would treat her different this time, and to his credit, he had treated her different; he'd hit her harder, hurt her more emotionally than physically, been an absolute jackass, could Harley see this wasn't the way to treat someone you love? No! Of course she couldn't. She was too twisted to even take notice.
"Red?"
Ivy realized she'd been deep in thought again and she shook her head.
Forcefully, she pushed Harley's legs apart and stepped back from her.
"Aren't ya gonna tell me what's wrong?"
Ivy glanced at the shiner that Harley had and inwardly winced.
"That is what's wrong." She said, pointing at the mark.
Harley put her hand up to cover it, as though that would make it better.
"He hurts you, Harley. It has to stop." Ivy said, her voice a little more pleading than she'd like.
"He doesn't mean it, Red. I get in the way and-"
"Oh for fuck's sake, Harley! I hear this every single time! 'He doesn't mean it, Red.' 'He loves me, Red'. How fucking delusional can you be?!"
Harley blinked and her eyes filled with tears.
Shit.
Slowly, the blonde hopped off the counter and walked past Ivy with her head down.
"Harls...Harley, I'm sorry."
"No...you're right, Red. I let him do all these things to me. I let him hurt me because I tell myself he loves me."
She then spun around, her blue eyes frighteningly wide.
"But he does love me, Red. He does. He just can't see it because in his mind, he's all mixed up-but so am I-so really we're great for each other!"
She moved towards the red head, her eyes looked unfocused as she babbled on and Ivy knew it was because of her ill treatment; of how twisted Joker had made her mind when she was one who was supposed to be curing him.
He'd done the cruelest thing possible...he'd made her fall in love with him when he had no intention of loving her, not really anyway.
"If I can make him see that we are perfect for each other, he'll love me again, not that he never did because some part of him does, he must-"
"Harley, stop!"
The blonde clamped her lips shut at Ivy's tone and looked straight at her.
"That is bullshit and you know it." The red head said calmly and with little to no venom in her voice at all.
Harley nodded her head slowly and Ivy watched her as she went and curled up on the couch like a little dog.
Ivy sighed and crouched down beside her, smoothing her hair back from her face.
"Why do you let him do this to you?" She asked, her voice soft.
Harley shook her head as her fist came up to her mouth. Ivy half expected her to start sucking her thumb, she could be so child-like at times but instead, she started clenched her fist and curled her knees up to her chest.
It was like she was trying to hide in the couch.
Ivy bit her lip, cursing herself for getting into this.
"OK..."
Harley's blue eyes looked up and into green ones.
"OK what?"
"You can stay here."
The blonde tilted her head to look up more and a small smile crossed her face.
"Really?"
Ivy rolled her eyes with a small smile.
"Well I guess at least this way I can keep an eye on you."
Harley sprang up and hugged Ivy tightly as she kept thanking her over and over again.
Ivy untangled herself from the blonde.
"I'll go make up the bed."
Harley's smile slipped.
"Aren't I sleeping with you?"
"I...don't think that would be a good idea."
Harley grinned at her.
"It was last time."
Ivy shook her head and chuckled.
"Maybe but it's not like that anymore, understand?"
Harley shrugged.
Ivy hadn't said it nasty or been harsh so Harley hadn't argued.
That didn't mean she wouldn't push her luck though.
Author's Note- What has Harley got in mind then? ;)