At first, Joker hadn't cared about his damp shirt clinging to his arms, but after only a few minutes it bothered the hell out of him, so he changed into a new, dry one. A gust of wind passed through the opened windows in the bedroom and he involuntarily shuddered. It was pretty darn cold, but if it helped cool Harley down, it was worth it. He watched her as she lay there on the bed in front of him. She was still unconscious and even though she had a fever, she lay perfectly still. It was like a picture taken straight out of a fairytale. She was the beautiful, sleeping princess waiting for true love's kiss to wake her up. He stopped himself right there. It was silly. Childish, even. Still, it couldn't hurt to try, could it? Quietly, he made his way over to her side. He brushed some strands of wet hair out of her face and then brought his lips down on hers. Please remember.

She felt soft lips planting a kiss on her own and it was as if they merged together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. It was a perfect match. Meant to be. Maybe that's why she felt so warm? And dizzy. Blurry images flashed before her eyes in vibrant colors and she heard the sound of laughter. The images conveyed a sense of happiness and security to her. It was electrifying in a way. Her eyes fluttered open and focused on the face right above hers. She instantly recognized his eyes and that was all she needed.

A high-pitched scream escaped her mouth and Joker backed away, once again feeling a stab at his heart as he recognized the sheer horror in her eyes. Would she ever look at him the way she used to? Oh, how he missed it right now – the unconditional and eternal love shining in her eyes. Instead, he was forced to watch as she curled up and grabbed the pillow behind her head to use it as a shield of sorts. She wanted nothing more than to get away from him. Just like any other forgettable victim. But she was no victim and least of all was she forgettable. You just could not forget someone like her and Joker knew that better than anyone. He had tried to forget about her by letting her drown in that vat of acid, but he had failed horribly by ending up saving her instead. Oh, the things she made him do. It drove him mad and he hated it. But he still loved her. If only she could say the same about him.

"Can't you just leave me alone?" Harley yelled and started crying. She was scared out of her wits and soon realized she was feeling rather unwell.

"Please," Joker begged. That's right; the Joker – begging. Now there was a sight. And to make it even worse, he was being sincere about it. "Try to calm down. You're not well. I'm only trying to help you." As her pulse kept increasing, Harley's breathing became more labored. The dizziness was really getting to her now and it was hard to focus her eyes any longer. Unable to prevent it, she passed out before she had the chance to say anything more. Joker rushed to her side and placed his hand on her forehead again. If anything, it felt worse than before. He couldn't take this. The stress, the pain. It was all too much. He wished there was a way for him to just forget about it all. Nonetheless, he knew he had to pull himself together. Thinking it was best while she was still out of it, Joker helped Harley get dressed and ready to leave the house. There was not a moment to lose. He had Jonny pull the car up and they grabbed some useful gear before speeding off to the GCPD headquarters.


Bruce was on his usual patrol around the city late at night when the Bat-signal was turned on. What does Gordon want this time? It didn't take him long to get there, gliding from rooftop to rooftop. He landed gracefully on his feet in front of the signal, its bright light not so easy on the eyes. A figure stepped out from behind it, but it wasn't Gordon or anyone else in the police force. When his face came into the light, Joker flashed a silver-toothed smile and Bruce's heart stopped for a moment. "Been a long time comin', Batsy ol' friend." Bruce didn't hesitate one moment and Joker was not surprised when suddenly he was held by the collar and a big, black fist raised into the air, ready to punch some more of his precious teeth out, given there were any left. "Aww, I missed you too, but there's no need to get all excited. I already know I turn you on." The raised fist connected with his jaw and the pain was numbing. The clown laughed. "Is that all ya got? I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed. Come on, one more. Harder this time." Bruce didn't do it.

"I'm not here to play! Where's Gordon?"

"Uh… I believe he's taking a nap." Bruce hit him again. He wanted straight answers, but all he got was a moan that did not correspond to the situation at hand. "Ooh, that's the spot!" Bruce grabbed hold with both his hands and slammed the Joker down with his back flat against the roof. He was now directly above his opponent, pinning him down in place. He should have known better. "Look, if you want to be on top, that's fine with me." Another blow to the jaw. This time it did hurt and Joker thought it was high time to get to the point. "Okay, get your shit together and hear me out, okay?" He put his hands up to show there were no tricks up his sleeves. "It's only sleeping gas, they will all wake up in half an hour or so." Bruce had a hard time believing what he was hearing. If Joker hadn't killed anyone, which was usually the case, then what was he doing here?

"So why are you here?"

"You're not going to believe this, but…" He would rather not say it, but he had to. For Harley. "I need your help."

Bruce wanted to laugh, but he contained himself. He didn't even as much as make a face. Had he heard right? "You need my help?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes. Yes, I need your help." Do I really have to repeat myself?

"What makes you think I would ever help you?" Joker knew the Bat would say that. He was all too predictable.

"See, that's exactly what I told Frost! I said: 'What makes you think he will help me? After all I've done to him, there is no way he would and you can be certain that he would never help her either.'" Bruce loosened his grip somewhat as he realized what this was all about.

"So this is about Harley?" Finally you get it!

"Yes, this is about Harley and if you don't help her, then…" He stopped suddenly and exhaled through his nose. Bruce saw something in his eyes. He had no idea what to call it, but it was something new. Something he had never seen before. He got to his feet, letting the Joker do the same.

"What's happened to her?" Bruce asked, still wary and untrusting of Joker, but a feeling in his gut that told him that his arch-enemy was actually, for once, being serious. Perhaps more serious than he had ever been before?

"She's lost her memory. She doesn't know who she is and she doesn't know who I am." He pointed to himself. "And to top it all off, she's very sick and I can't handle any of it."

"How come she lost her memory?"

"I don't know," Joker said, growing tired of all these questions. "All I know is that Black Mask is responsible and I'm going to find him. In the meantime, I want you to find a way to bring Harley's memories back." Bruce never thought he would ever see the Joker this desperate. He was no doubt out of his mind if he thought for even a split second that Bruce would ever help him. This was the man who had killed one of the most important people in Bruce's life and his girlfriend was partially responsible for it. And now he wanted him to help her.

"And if I refuse?"

One determined step at a time, Joker approached the caped crusader who was both bigger and taller and a creature who instilled fear into all of the city's criminals. This night however, Joker hoped to instill some fear in him. "If you refuse… If you don't help her… Then I will make you." Bruce let the words sink in and thought long and hard about it. What the Joker was asking was a favor he was undeserving of. For all the pain that he had caused, Bruce had suffered greatly. He knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. He knew what that loss could do to a person. It had sent him down a dark path. He too, had caused pain because of it. If the Joker was to experience the same kind of loss, how much pain would he inflict upon the world and how many would suffer? Despite everything that he had done, it was a risk that Bruce was not willing to take.

"I believe you."


A/N: And the plot thickens! I know this is really short, I'm sorry about that, but I kind of felt like it was best to end it there and I'm running on a tight schedule right now. College has me studying every day of the week and next Friday I will have my first exam. It will be about phonology. I'm studying English to become a teacher, so when I hear all of you say that you think my writing is good, it really means a lot! Also I'm sorry for not having replied to any of your reviews until now. I got notifications sent to my email, but for some reason I couldn't see them on here. :/ That was also why I wanted to post this short chapter in order to tell you guys just how much I appreciate your reviews! One thing I've noticed is that a lot of people feel bad for Joker and I completely understand why. I feel the same way and it's what I felt when watching Suicide Squad. It's just so interesting, because as far as live-action performances go, this is the first Joker who we can actually say that we feel slightly sorry for, because it is so evident that deep down he actually does have feelings for Harley and it's just so nice to see that side of him. :)

Anyway, I will write whenever I have the time to, I promise! I know what I want to do next with this story, so hopefully that means I will be able to finish the next chapter quite soon! :)