03

Once upon a midnight dreary, Mr. Bruce Wayne did something eerie and traveled to Belle Reve to pay a visit to the infamous Harley Quinn. He stood silently in the hallway of the locked interview room, wondering if, perhaps, he should have come as Batman instead. But, no, Harley would have viewed that as a threat. It would driven her into a rage, and he would have gotten nothing out of her.

Not that there was any guarantee he would get anything out of her now. Besides, he was here more for the purpose of research more than anything else. The appearance of Harley Quinn in Gotham was more sudden and recent than that of the rise of the Joker or even Batman himself. Bruce wanted to how it had happened.

"I have to say, Wayne, I have no idea how you got clearance for this, but I'm not happy about it."

Bruce looked up at the clickity-click sound of high heels approaching and grimaced when he saw that it was none other than Amanda Waller. "It's good to see you, too, Amanda." Amanda was one of the many government agents his work at Wayne Enterprises had brought him into contact with. Neither of them was particularly fond of the other.

"Just what the hell are you doing here?" Amanda demanded, standing beside him.

"I have an interest in abnormal criminal psychology," Bruce recited the excuse he had rehearsed with Alfred just earlier that day.

"Ha!" Amanda laughed humorlessly. "Quinn defines abnormal."

"I just don't understand it," Bruce wondered aloud genuinely, frowning. "How does someone like Dr. Harleen Quinzel end up in the arms of the Joker?" He placed a careful emphasis on the word doctor. Despite everything he had seen from her, he couldn't help but respect Harley for who she had once been.

"That's what happens when the psycho outwits the psychologist." Amanda shook her head, sighing. "And it takes a special kind of crazy to love a man like him."

"I know."

"That's right," Amanda agreed, casting him a sideways glance that made him wonder just how much she knew about him. "No one knows him better than you Gothamites. Except, maybe, her." She nodded at Harley. "Enjoy your visit, Wayne." She buzzed him inside the interview room and locked the door behind him.

Harley looked up as Wayne entered the room, which was sparse save for two metal chairs nailed to the floor. She was handcuffed to hers. She smiled sweetly at the handsome billionaire. "Well, if it isn't the prince of Gotham himself. To what do I owe the pleasure, Brucey boy?" She collapsed into a fit of giggles and hung her head. How could he be the prince if Mr. J was the king?

Bruce flashed her a small smile. "My queen," he said, bowing stiffly. He knew how important it was to her that he play along. He couldn't help laughing as he sat down across from her. He'd never thought he'd hear himself say those words, to her least of all, but that only seemed to please her more.

"Very good, Mr. Wayne," Harley purred at him. "I'll be sure to tell Mr. J you were real respectable when you came to visit."

Bruce raised his eyebrows at her. "You're in contact with him?"

"I will be," Harley promised, winking playfully. "Do you really think he'd just let me rot in this pit?"

Bruce frowned. "No, not at all," he lied. He cleared his throat and decided to change the subject. "So, Harleen -"

Harley cut him off. "Harleen ain't running the show no more."

"So you prefer Harley then?" Bruce asked her.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," Harley giggled, rolling her eyes at him.

"Right." He peered at her over steepled fingertips and went on. "So, Harley, would you like to talk about your relationship with the Joker - tell me what you like about him?"

Suddenly, her gaze began to shift back and forth from one corner of the room to the other. Her smile grew nervous. "What's that, you think he wants to talk about Mama and Pop-pop?" she asked, speaking to no one. "He thinks my puddin did in his mama and daddy?" She locked eyes with him. "Is that why you're here, Bruce?"

Bruce felt his spine go rigid. She was trying to turn the tables on him. She was analyzing him as he analyzed her. She wanted to know which of her games would work on him. Or maybe she wasn't as right about Harleen as she thought. He changed the subject. "Tell me, Harley, what kind of help have you been getting here? Are you on any medication?"

She burst out laughing. "Wha, I'm on meds? I probably should start taking them."

Bruce frowned. "So you aren't getting any help then?"

Harley leaned forward in her chair as far as her handcuffs would allow her and grinned at him provocatively. "I ain't in here for help," she told him in a sultry whisper. "I'm in here to be punished. Do you want to punish me, Brucey boy?"

He bit his tongue to keep from snapping at her. She was no fool. She may have even been smarter than him. She was talking him in circles. Still, though, he had to try. "What do the people here think about your relationship with the Joker?"

"Pfft!" she scoffed. "Who cares what those pussies think?"

He tried a different approach. "What do you think about your relationship with him - do you ever wonder how you got there?"

For the first time since Bruce had seen her, Harley frowned. "I know how I got there: I fell in love."

Harley sat silently in the semidarkness of the room, her head aching and her skin slick with cold sweat. The room was freezing cold decorated with pictures of the victims of John Wayne Gacy, plush purple carpeting, and an enormous flat screen TV. She rested her head against the cool leather of the sofa as she tried hard to block out the music from the nightclub that shook the floor below her feet. Normally, she would have been downstairs dancing for the crowds, but tonight she felt like shit heated over. So she had opted to stay up in the penthouse while Mr. J tended to his business. Her welcome back party would have to wait for another night.

She flicked through the TV channels and stopped on the Gotham City News network. The spotlight of a helicopter followed the Batmobile through the crowded streets of the city. Apparently, there was some sorta car chase going on. She looked up when she heard the front door open. The Joker stood in the doorway framed by two henchmen with their pet hyenas, Bud and Lou, trailing after them.

Harley smirked at him. "Check it out, puddin," she gestured to the TV with the remote. "Batsy Boo is on the news again."

"Yes," the Joker said, sitting down beside her. "Too bad it has nothing to do with us."

She draped her legs across his lap and wound her arms around his neck, shaking her head. "I cannot wait to smash his melon with my hammer."

The Joker looked down at her, smiling quizzically. "You want revenge?" he growled at her playfully.

She looked up at him. "Who wouldn't?"

"Oh, I knew I'd picked a hot one!" Joker laughed, grinning at his henchmen. He turned his gaze back to Harley. "You want your vengeance, then vengeance you shall you have. It is time to start plotting our revenge against the Batman!"

"Oh, what should we do to him?" Harley laughed excitably. "Bash his skull in or -"

Joker cut her off, shaking his head. "No, my dear. It needs to be bigger than that. Much bigger." He got to feet and began pacing, back and forth. "We need to remind our young Batman who the real King and Queen of Gotham are. We need to make him kneel before us."

Harley was beaming. She just couldn't believe how smart her puddin was. She could already tell he was coming up with an amazing, master plan. "And if he doesn't?"

He grinned at her. "Then we rain hell on Gotham."

A/N: Thank you to everyone for the awesome reviews. I hope you've enjoyed what I've written so far. I've been working hard to find tie-ins from the comic books, while still staying true to the movieverse. Please, let me know what you think.