Disclaimer: Nothing of mine, all of DC : - )

Author Notes: A rather quick update this time, but again, to help further the plot and keep things moving, we have ourselves a mini-action chapter : - ) Have to keep things interesting!

So, therefore, I will give you all an idea what to expect. Expect the Scarecrow at some point, Clayface, and yes, the debut of the Joker XD

Enjoy!

As always your reviews, comments, suggestions etc are very welcomed and greatly appreciated!

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Chapter Four: Darkness Falls

Both Harleen and Melissa stared at the television in disbelief. Of all the people who could have been kidnapped, for it to have been Harleen's friend was uncanny. How did that happen? Why Summer? That doesn't make sense! Just a random attack or was it planned? Thoughts swirled through Harleen's mind as she tried to figure out some logic to why Clayface would have kidnapped Summer. In the end, all she ended up with was that it had to have been random - it just didn't make sense otherwise.

"We've got to do something," said Harleen determinedly.

Melissa stared at Harleen as if she had grown a second head. "What?" she asked, her eyebrows arched. "Do something? Harley, are you insane?"

"Maybe." Harleen's eyes were still focused on the television, where Mike was giving the latest update on the kidnapping. "Maybe not. I can't just sit here, Melissa." Harleen finally looked at her friend, her gaze worried but determined. "Who knows what he could do to her?"

Melissa still stared at Harleen. "Next thing you're going to tell me is that you've joined up with Batman and are out rescuing damsels in distress on the streets of Gotham."

"That's never going to happen," said Harleen, her gaze shifting back to the television. "When I go out on the streets as a masked vigilante, then we'll know the world has ended. That's not for normal people like us."

"But going after some psychopathic clay monster is?" asked Melissa incredulously.

Harleen ignored the question, trying to take in everything Mike was saying and the background, so that she could formulate some sort of plan. The truth was, Melissa was right, but once Harleen was obsessed, or focused as she called it, on something, there was no swaying her.

"This sort of hero stuff is for people like Batman. It's what they do," continued Melissa in an effort to dissuade her friend from going after the psychopath. "The police, all of them. If we go wherever it is they are, we're only asking for trouble!"

"Fine," said Harleen after awhile, standing. "I'll go by myself then." Harleen walked towards the door, slowly, biding her time. She counted silently in her head. One…two…three –

"Sheesh Harley, don't do that!" said Melissa, standing. Harleen grinned. Melissa was so predictable. "I'll go, if only to keep you out of trouble."

"Yay! Mel!" Harleen threw her arms around her friend, hugging her. "Now that's the spirit!"

Melissa just shook her head. "Seriously, Harley, sometimes I think you're as loony as the rest of them."

"Nah, just stubborn, determined, and adventurous," said Harleen, still grinning. Her mood had changed drastically, but that was the way Harleen was. If she got her way, everything always looked bright. Though in this particular situation, what they were about to do, wasn't exactly smart.

"That's what you said," smirked Melissa.

Harleen laughed. "Come on, think of it this way. How often do two college students get to go out at night and rescue someone? We'll be famous! We'll be on the news – "

"As dead bodies," interjected Melissa.

"- and everyone will know us!" continued Harleen, pointedly ignoring Melissa's comment. "There might even be a reward! We'd be rich!" It was one of those moments where a cartoonist could have come in and drawn stars for Harleen's eyes as she daydreamed.

"Write a book on those psychopaths and get rich that way. You won't be dead."

"Oh stop being such a downer, Mel, seriously," said Harleen shaking her head. She winked, nudging her friend. "Book writing is for those who don't have a sense of adventure. Why sit in a dusty old room writing on paper when you can be out doing stuff?"

Melissa just shook her head, a small smile on her lips as she slipped on her shoes and bundled up. "Why do I let you talk me into these things?" she sighed.

"Because you're my best friend, that's why!"

Melissa zipped up her coat as Harleen put on her shoes and coat. "Let's go before I talk myself out of this."

Harleen grinned and grabbed Melissa's wrist. "This is much better than studying for some boring exam!" laughed Harleen as she tugged her friend out of the room.

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The docks. A place where smart people didn't go at night. In Gotham, the criminals ruled the night, as well as most of Gotham. However, this was the place where Summer was supposedly held, last seen nearby this area, according to Mike Engle and Gotham News Channel 4. Therefore, this was where Harleen and Melissa headed to. They parked Melissa's car a little ways away, with Melissa praying that no one would steal it, and began walking through the dimly lit streets between the dark warehouses. The warehouses loomed up on either side of them and the moon shone down, illuminating the water in the distance. Something howled in the distance and a chilly breeze swept down the lane, stirring paper and other garbage along the ground. Harleen shivered and hugged her arms around herself, starting to think that maybe this hadn't been the best idea. Of course, she'd never admit it – she was far too stubborn for that.

They walked for a long while, Harleen and Melissa huddled against each other as they moved. The night sky was clear, and the air had a bite to it that forecasted snow. Other than the occasional howl or rustle of garbage along the lane, the night was silent, and that usually meant, at least in movies, that something bad was going to happen. Harleen really didn't want to stay to find out, and as they walked, she became more resolved to turn back.

"You sure she's here?" whispered Melissa, her breath coming out in a puff of air.

"It's what the report said," whispered Harleen in return.

Then sound of voices caused both girls to halt, their eyes widening slightly as they glanced at each other, and then to the warehouse in front of them. The door cracked open slightly, spilling out a thin beam of light onto the pavement. Harleen and Melissa looked around quickly and spotted a large stack of crates nearby. They dove behind them, peeking around the edges to see what was going on.

" – for a walk!" came the angered voice from the doorway. "Act a bit more professional, won't you? Honestly." The door opened wider and the Scarecrow stepped out. Harleen and Melissa both stifled gasps, staring in shock. That was not something they had expected. "Mud pie, that's all you are," muttered the Scarecrow as he stalked past Harleen and Melissa's hiding spot. "Don't take my advice, nooo, of course not! Who's the licensed psychiatrist, huh? Yes, me, quite right, and who knows fear better than me! Not you! Wasting the precious supplies." The Scarecrow muttered a few other things, some along the lines of, "Get your own guinea pig," and then he was gone, disappearing into the shadows.

Melissa and Harleen looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "Now that was interesting," whispered Melissa.

"What's the Scarecrow doing here?"

"Don't know, don't care, don't want to find out," said Melissa. "We going to do this?"

Harleen really didn't want to anymore, especially now that the Scarecrow was involved. That meant that there was a chance that other criminals could be lurking around that area. Of course, she had known that before even suggesting that they go after Summer, but her stubbornness had clouded that judgment, therefore ending in them winding up in quite the predicament.

Harleen really didn't want to admit she was wrong. Therefore, she did the not so smart thing, and beckoned for Melissa to follow her. They crept towards the open door, peering around the edge into the warehouse. It was filled with huge, metal cylindrical canisters that rose almost all the way up to the ceiling, where lights hung from the beams. The floor was cement, and the light barely filtered down between the canisters, leaving just enough room for someone to pass through. However, as Harleen and Melissa slid inside, the warmth of the warehouse a relief from the outside air, they noticed that two of the canisters off to the right looked like a massive bulldozer had shoved through them. They were twisted and bent away, as if shoved aside to make way for something extremely large to pass through.

Harleen gulped, her heart rate increasing a little, but they had already come this far. She really wasn't cut out for this hero business. All she wanted was to graduate college, secure that internship, become rich and famous, and settle down with a family one day. Yet life seemed to love to throw her curveballs, and this one was a doozy.

"What do you think did that?" whispered Melissa, her eyes focused on the damaged canisters.

"Something big, that's for sure," whispered Harleen. They began moving forward, trying to stay hidden behind stacks of crates and the high walls of the canisters. They heard voices and moved towards the source, finally reaching an open area where a small group of thugs stood around, arguing with one another. Harleen and Melissa crouched down behind a stack of crates, peering just over the top in order to watch what was going on. Then they saw her. Summer. She was sitting only a few feet away, tied to a chair and gagged. Her head was dropped low over her chest, her blonde hair falling over her closed eyes, and Harleen sincerely hoped she was just unconscious, and not the other possibility. Beside Summer, there were several other individuals bound and gagged, some unconscious, and others still struggling to get free. Scarecrow's test subjects? wondered Harleen.

Suddenly a shot went off, the sound echoing through the large warehouse, and both Harleen and Melissa jumped, falling backwards. Their hearts pounding, they stared at each other. "W- w- was that a gun shot?" whispered Melissa, horrified.

"I – I don't know, I think so." Harleen swallowed, hard. Her hands were shaking as she took a deep breath and then crawled back to the crates. The crowd of thugs was moving, except for one man, who now lay on the ground in a pool of blood. Harleen choked back a gag, the sight of blood causing her stomach to turn. Beside her, Melissa had already emptied her dinner on the floor, and Harleen had to move away in order to not see it.

"Sorry," whispered Melissa as she moved to crouch next to Harleen again.

"It's okay," whispered Harleen, trying to find a clear shot to Summer. "We've got to get her untied, somehow, but – "

Suddenly the warehouse began to shake, almost as if it were an earthquake, and the canister behind Harleen and Melissa shook dangerously. In the next moment, several things happened. The canister was shoved away with a terrific force as Clayface barreled through into the open area, obviously enraged. He batted away thugs who dared stand in his way. Then the crates in front of Melissa and Harleen exploded, literally, in a shower of splintered wood. They screamed, unable to stop themselves, and covered their heads from the falling debris. Clayface turned and moved over to them, his toothy grin even more menacing in the dim light. "Come out to play?" he sneered, and reached for them just as an unearthly laugh filled the warehouse, chilling them straight to the bone. Clayface froze, and he scowled. "Joker," he spat.

Joker!! Harleen's eyes went wide and both she and Melissa bore looks of pure horror. They had heard all the stories, seen all the video footage, and neither of them wanted to experience a run-in with the infamous criminal master-mind. Taking advantage of Clayface's distraction, both Melissa and Harleen scrambled to their feet and took off running. Something huge and black dropped in front of them and they screamed.

"You two shouldn't be here," the gruff voice of Batman managed to break through their screams. Harleen and Melissa stared at Batman, having only seen him on television and in the newspapers. He seemed far creepier in person, and they began backing away. Then Batman's attention was drawn to a point somewhere behind them. He glanced at the girls and said, "Get out of here, now!" As he took off towards whatever had caught his attention, Harleen and Melissa both took off running, not wanting to stick around for whatever would happen.

"Wait, Summer!" cried Harleen and turned to go back.

"Stop, Harley! Batman's here, he'll rescue her. We need to get outta here!" cried Melissa, tugging at her friend's arm. Melissa won the tugging battle, and Harleen starting running beside her again. They turned corner after corner, darting around the canisters and crates, trying to find their way out of the maze. They rounded a corner and next thing they knew, they were on the ground, having barreled right into someone.

Harleen gasped when she realized who it was. "Summer! Thank god!" Harleen threw her arms around her shaken friend, who looked like disgruntled.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," muttered Summer, rubbing her head. "That'll teach me to stick my nose where it doesn't belong." They helped each other climb to their feet.

"What happened?" asked Harleen, momentarily forgetting that they needed to keep moving.

"I was in the park, overheard some people talking, went to investigate, then I wind up here, all for the sake of a story," grumbled Summer, clearly not too pleased. "How about we get out of here, then we can catch up."

"I agree, let's go!" said Melissa. "Come on Harley." She pulled Harleen along and the three girls began running, though Summer was at a slightly slower pace, due to the period of unconsciousness she had experienced after being kidnapped.

Suddenly, a large stack of crates shook beside them and they began to fall towards the girls. The three girls dove out of the way, in separate directions, and Harleen found herself trapped between a pile of crates and a canister wall. "Melissa! Summer!" she yelled over the din. The sound of shooting echoed through the warehouse, along with that eerie laugh, and then yelling only added to the commotion. Harleen scrambled to her feet, coughing from the dust that had been thrown up when the crates had crashed. She began moving again, trying to find her friends, and backed up against a canister wall when Clayface barreled past. Harleen swallowed, her heart thundering in her chest.

She heard yelling voices coming closer, and then there was an explosion of some sort. Insane laughter filled the air close by, and Harleen had a sinking feeling that wasn't the good kind of laughter, but rather the dying kind, the kind that the Joker was infamous for inducing prior to a grisly death. Harleen hid behind a large wooden crate. Where did Melissa go? Where's Summer? I've got to find them! This can't be happening! Harleen rarely had a major panic attack but it felt like one right now as she frantically searched the warehouse for her friends. Why oh why did I ever think it was a smart idea to try and rescue Summer? That's for the Batman to do! Not normal people like us. Melissa was right, this is crazy!

Haze filled the room, making it darker than it should have been, and Harleen could barely make out anything past the canister behind which she hid. Sounds of fighting filled the air farther out in the warehouse, where Harleen assumed Batman was fighting one of the villains.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" cackled a voice behind Harleen and she froze, her eyes widening. Her breath caught in her throat as she turned around slowly, staring up in shock at a figure whose face she had only seen on television stood before her. In the eerie lighting of the warehouse, the Joker's pure white skin seemed to glow with an inner light, his ruby red lips glistening around a wide grin, and his dark green hair even more vivid than she recalled from seeing it on the television. He carried an air of magnetism around him, seemingly drawing in everything around him, just by his mere presence, including Harleen. He wasn't a large man by any means. Instead, he was lean and wiry, the complete opposite of what Harleen would have expected, with a reputation such as his. He struck fear into the hearts of even the most dangerous of criminals, and Harleen knew that this man who stood before her, his violet eyes piercing through her as if he could see straight to her soul, was most likely the most dangerous criminal psychopath the world had ever seen.

"Cat caught the mouse, seems to me!" laughed the Joker, his grin widening if that was possible. Harleen had no idea why she was not running or screaming, or doing something that would make sense. She could only stare up at him in fascination, her heart beating rapidly, but this time, not out of fear. She could not understand it, but the Joker seemed to draw her to him, and she was helpless to follow. "So serious! Laugh a little!" The Joker lifted a purple-gloved hand to the orange flower on his lapel, but before anything happened, a large shadowy figure – Batman - knocked the Joker away.

The Joker's laugh echoed throughout the facility, but rather chilling Harleen to the bone, she felt something else run through her. The closest thing she could compare it to was the rush she felt after coming off a major rollercoaster. Was she…thrilled? That, in itself, scared her, and she didn't know what to do.

In the end, it was Summer suddenly appearing in front of her, shaking her shoulders, and saying something that Harleen didn't quite understand that snapped her out of it. "Harley! Harley, come on, we've got to move!" Harleen didn't speak as Summer yanked at her arms, pulling her to her feet. It was as if she were in a dream, moving without thinking, as Summer pulled her towards what must have been the exit. Even as they passed through the hole in the warehouse wall where the earlier explosion had taken place, Harleen's eyes were fixated on the shadows where the Joker had disappeared.

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Dun dun dun…. *insert suspenseful music here* and our dear Harley gets her first glimpse at her future

Sorry about the shortest of the chapter, but you had lots of action! XD

Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading :- )