Chapter 7

Author's Note: All right guys, here's the last bit of flashback before we get back into the bulk of the beast. I'm rewriting chapters as I go and have up to Chapter 10 written currently, so I may take this opportunity to slow down and finish my rough draft. Anyway, enjoy!

About a week later The Joker returned to Arkham; the reports stated that he'd surrendered willingly by walking into Gotham PD Station, unarmed, hands in the air. Their next session was scheduled for the following day; Harleen made sure her red shirt was washed.

Her heart sored to the ceiling when he came in, but she tried to remain calm. Their eyes met and he winked at her as the guard brought him in and sat him down on the couch in his shackles. Her heart pounded in her chest now; was he really going to pretend their last session didn't happen? Because she was fine with going back to the way things were before.

"I requested that my patient not wear these during our sessions," she said to the guardd. He looked at her questioningly but she just stared back, her gaze cold, almost angry. Finally, he removed The Joker's chains and left them alone.

"New guy?" The Joker asked her once the door closed.

"Mhm. Cash was promoted to a full time officer at GCPD. I'm surprised you didn't run into him during your little adventure."

"Is that what it takes to get a promotion in Gotham? Letting a known genius criminal run right passed you?" He laughed, "That explains a lot about our boys in blue!" She laughed with him, her hand raised to cover her mouth, but she caught his eye, almost scolding her wordlessly, and lowered her hand back to her lap.

There was a silence for a moment, then she finally decided to ask what she really wanted to know.

"What made you turn yourself in?" she asked him, looking at her notebook instead of him. He didn't answer her for a moment.

"I was home sick is all! The bed in my cell is oh so cozy, and I must say with winter coming I really could use another snug jacket!"

"J, it's me," she said to him softly. She touched his knee and it tingled where she her fingers brushed him through his black "Arkham" sweatpants. He almost pulled away, but then their eyes met again and he started to feel calm again; he wasn't lying after all, he had been home sick. But not for Arkham.

"I came back to get you," he told her finally. Her heart stopped for a minute and she stared at him in disbelief.

He stood from the sofa and kneeled down before her on one knee.

"What are you…?"

"Harley, I've never felt that anyone gets me the way you do. A true understanding into the mind of a clown genius. I never thought I would be capable of caring for anyone." He reached into his pocket to pull out a black ring box and presented it to her. Inside there was a man's ring finger, tattooed around the bottom with a celtic knot ring. Wait a second…

"This is…my father's finger?"

A twisted grin spread across the Clown Prince's face, which caused her stomach to flip…and she loved it.

"Run away with me tonight Harl's. Stay in your office after eight o'clock. I'll come for you."

Her heart raced, her brain shorted out, unable to answer him. 'Well Harleen? You wanted to be with him. Wanted to completely change your life. Here's your shot.'

"I can't! I…I'm your therapist..." She said as her eyes began to well with tears. A pained look crossed his face.

"But Harley, I thought you loved me. I thought you were different than these other asshats running around this hell hole. Maybe I was wrong, maybe you're not as special as I thought…"

"I'll be there," she said sternly. His face spread into a wild grin all over again.

"Splendid! Glad to hear you make the wrong decision, my dear. There's hope for you yet!"

He stood and walked away from her, knocking on the door, cutting the session short. She quickly stuffed the ring box into her jacket pocket before he was replaced by Dr. Serrano.

"What happened? Your sessions aren't going well now?" she asked her, her tone almost frantic and accusatory.

"Something must have happened when he escaped. I'll be staying late tonight to review my notes." It was perfect.

"That a girl. Don't give up! You've come closer than anyone else." If she only knew.

That night Harley paced her office, wearing jeans and a blue button up this time, her mind racing. How did he find out who her father was? Let alone find him! And the finger? What exactly was he planning?

She was glad her office was carpeted or anyone outside the door would hear her heels clicking back and forth on the floor. Finally, there was a large explosion, and the sounds of chaos ensued downstairs. Her heart raced all over again as her eyes darted to the clock on the wall, watching the second hand tick passed the twelve. It was exactly 8:00P.M.; if there was one thing The Joker was, it was punctual.

A few moments passed that felt like an eternity; the second hand ticking sounded seemed to match her heartbeat and drowned out the screams and gunshots outside her office. Soon enough her door was busted down and three men charged in, two grabbed her arms, the third knocking everything off of her desk. She was laid down and strapped there while a fourth man rolled the electroshock kit in. What the hell was this?! She started to struggle and fight until she heard a new voice at the door.

"Don't be naughty now doctor!" The Joker cackled. She became still and looked up at him as the other men left the room. She heard the electroshock kit power on and begin to charge.

"What are you going to kill me, Mr. J?" she asked him, calm now – if this was how it ended, him torturing her to death well, she found an odd amount of comfort in that. Their eyes met and he saw that look again. That loving look – his home.

"Nooo nooo, I'm not going to kill you." He said circling the electrodes around her temples. "I'm just going to hurt you, really….really bad."

"Well go ahead, I can take it." He could help but smile down at her, proud of her commitment to him. As a last second decision, he took off the belt binding her feet and folded it in half. He held it in front of her and she obediently put it between her teeth to bite down on. Without warning the shock ran through her; her eyes rolled back and her body tremored but she felt a switch flip inside her mind. Any doubts or thoughts of what was socially right or wrong surged from her brain and were replaced with what SHE wanted. Then everything went black.

The Joker looked her over as she lay there; the belt in her teeth clunked to the floor as she went limp. He unbound her arms and picked her up bridal style - this was his bride now after all in his mind. He carried her himself all the way downstairs and placed her in the back seat of his purple sports car.

She awoke about an hour later and looked around, not recognizing the cream leather seats around her.

"Where…?"

"Ace Chemicals." He reached his hand out to her from the passenger side door and she took it; he had to catch her as she stood, feeling woozy, her head throbbing.

"Not as fun on the receiving end of shock therapy, is it Harls?"

She didn't respond as she took in her surroundings, noting that his outfit had changed to black dress pants, oxfords, a maroon dress shirt, and a silver jacket.

He walked her into the darkened, abandoned chemical plant and into one of the main offices where they met with few more henchmen and a vaguely familiar looking man who was tied to a chair and gagged, looking pale from the blood leaking from his haphazardly bandaged left hand.

"You….have my father?" she asked him, in awe of the lengths he'd gone. Her tone wasn't even upset, just impressed. He placed a pistol was placed in her hands and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Prove to me what you said, Harley," he whispered to her, letting his red lips brush her ear. "You want to kill him? Do it, baby. Kill him."

A second thought didn't cross her mind; which just felt like static and instincts right now. Her eyes met with her father's, though he was obviously too drunk to even recognize her.

BASTARD! Her throat was suddenly sore. Had she screamed that out loud? A shot rang through the office and her father's head went limp, bleeding from the bullet she'd placed between his eyes.

The Joker's crazed laugh rang through the room next and he circled her, clapping.

"How do you feel, Harls?" he asked, looking her right in the eye.

"…Free."

A grin crossed his face again, nearly giddy with excitement over his creation before him.

He took her hand without another word and lead her out into the main part of the plant, up the flight of metal stairs, and across the balcony to where he himself had been "baptized."

Understanding of the way his mind worked? Check. Able to kill without remorse? Check. Spunky attitude and sense of humor? Check and check. And God she was beautiful; a great starting point for any relationship.

They stood together over the vat of chemicals where he'd been born and she looked from the soupy acid below her back up to him, her eyes questioning him from behind her glasses.

"This is last thing I needed you to do for me. So we can be equals. Then we can finally be together, Harley."

She nodded, not saying a word just looking at him with those eyes. He could look into them all day.

Or maybe not…he was having second thoughts suddenly. Could he really take on a partner? That he cared for? It sounded like a hassle now. But he'd come this far…maybe he would just kill her["Would you die for me?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"No no, that's too easy…would you….would you LIVE for me?"

"Yes."

"Careful." He placed a finger over her lips. "Do NOT take this oath lightly." He placed his tattooed smiling hand over her mouth. "Desire becomes surrender and surrender becomes POWER." His finger brushed down her lip. "Now say it….say it! Pretty pretty pretty pretty-,"

"Please," she squeaked, almost begging him. What was she doing? What if this killed her?

And what do you have to go back to Harleen? A life in Arkham behind the glass for aiding a psychopath? Take the leap, for once in your miserable boring sham of a life.

"You are so….good," he praised her, his silver teeth sparkling in the low light as he looked her over. Not that she needed the encouragement.

Her eyes never left his as she backed up and opened her arms, falling back gracefully into the vat of chemicals. It was like she was flying until she hit the chemicals, then her whole body burned like she was on fire for a few seconds. She gasped in pain, causing her lungs to fill with the acid liquid and her head pulsed as everything was black.

The Joker watched her in the vat for a moment, staring at her lifeless form floating below him. Well, that was that. He turned to walk away and made it halfway across the balcony before he stopped; something pulled him back to her and he gritted his teeth as his gut wrenched, already missing her by his side.

Dammit J.

He stripped off his jacket and threw his pistol aside before swan diving into the vat after her; immune to the burning sensation he should have felt.

He cradled her there in the chemicals and looked over her; even as a breathless lifeless corpse she was beautiful. His lips touched hers for the first time and he swore he heard fireworks; he breathed into her mouth and felt her lungs inflate, then deflate. Then he pulled back and waited a moment.

Suddenly her eyes flew open and met his as she gasped for air, the sensation of him breathing her new life into her quickly jump started her still heart. The world was hers theirs now, nothing would stop them.

The chemicals burned her skin still but she was only vaguely aware of the pain as his lips came crashing down onto hers. She lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his hair as their melted clothing swirled around them in a purple whirlpool. He pulled away from her and broke into a hysterical laugh at the realization that Gotham now had a queen as well as a king of crime; unexplainable joy washed over him at the thought of her by his side forever.

They would be unstoppable.