Title: The Harley's Joker
Rated: PG13
Summary: When an odd circumstance happens, Joker is cursed with an unusual feeling for himself- love for his sidekick. Now feeling the depth of emotion that Harley feels for him, the Harlequin has to deal with the whacked out, psychotic, murderous clown whose heart beats only for her.
A/N: This is the end! I feel like I have plot holes. And that this story turned into something I didn't think it would. And now I see how OOC I was... but eh. It was a fun story to write, and I hope you had fun reading it!
Chapter Seven: Alls Well that Ends Well
Joker started chortling, then it turned to full out belly laughs, which became sort of breathless. He went down on his knees with his laughter, thumping the ground with a fist. He felt his foe's strong hands grab his shoulders and lift him up. Joker went to his feet.
Harley gasped, blinking in the darkness. She couldn't see anything. The man Joker hired to help them fumbled with a flashlight and turned it on, darting it around the room. It finally caught on The Joker and The Batman, both starting at each other.
Tears were running down Joker's face, and he tried to catch his breath, but had little to no success.
"Joker." Batman greeted.
"No no no no..." Joker shook his head. "It can't be you! You are dead! I... I am going madder, if it is at all possible."
"Nice to see you too." Batman sarcastically said.
Joker wiped the tears of his cheek, keeping his arms within the tight circle the Dark Knight made around them. "Oh we do have a lot to catch up on. Why don't you-" Violently, with all his might, he pushed the bat in the chest. "SIT DOWN!" the clowned yelled.
Batman fell to his back, spasming in pain and trying to catch his breath.
"Oh, still not feeling well?" Joker tsked. "You should have stayed home in bed! I hear DEATH is HARD to GET OVER!"
Joker rushed to his enemy's side and kicked him in the chest. Batman tried not to cry out with every blow, but was having little success. After a few more kicks, Joker stopped and squatted down, his arms resting on his knees.
"I guess death is not forever if you are a legend." Joker cackled and pushed Batman down by his shoulders. "I will just have to kill you all over again."
Lightening quick, Batman reached out and grabbed Joker's ankle. He pulled, and the clown went down on his back hard. The wind was knocked out of him. Joker felt Batman reach up and grab his shirt, and then he was lifted up and shoved back down to the ground.
"Oof! Hahahaha! Maybe you got some fight left in you after all." Joker comented, then used his shocker to make the Bat fly off him. "Maybe not."
"I have enough fight to take care of you."
"You know I missed our little chats." Joker laughed lightly. "Though most of the time they don't go anywhere."
Joker reached into his coat and pulled out a gun. Batman rolled out of the way of the bullets, knocking into Harley's legs. She went down. Joker winced as his love hit the cement ground hard, but she twisted the bottom half of her body and twisted into a standing position.
"Hey!" She exclaimed and vaulted over the Bat. "Watch where you're going!"
Then Harley noticed the main breaker on her right side, reached over and pulled the switch. The basement flooded with light, blinding the Dark Knight. He raised his hands against the light and Joker took this opportunity to grab him. With both hands on the Batman's shoulders, Joker lifted him up in the air.
"I have never seen you so weak. It's taking the fun out of this for me."
"Fun is just beginning."
Joker began to feel hot, then he noticed that Batman's suit was emitting a heat that was enough to scald his hands. He let the Bat go, who dashed ti the right side of the room and grabbed Harley Quinn.
Joker screamed in fury and took his gun out again, ignoring the stinging feeling in his fingers. "Stop stealing my stuff!" He fired the gun and caught the Batman in the shoulder, but it didn't slow him down.
"Let me go!" Harley yelled, but Batman didn't listen. He disappeared into the twisted halls of the school.
Joker cursed. He was tempted to just run and leave Harley behind. Yet there was a pulling feeling in his gut, and he figured it was concern. So he tore off after the theif.
"Batsy! Oh Batsy!" He called out, fear actually thudding in his heart. Harley was in trouble. His Harley was in trouble, and it was the only thing he could think about. The only thing he could process. And he got angry. "Where are you?!" He bellowed, gritting his teeth.
"Around." Was the reply he received. "I want to torment you."
"Listen Bats I know things didn't end well last time we met," Joker snarled, "-but she is not a part of this. Let her go."
"Why? Do you love her?"
Joker froze. It clicked in his brain. "What did you do?"
"I called in a favor. You might remember her. Herminia."
Joker remembered everything. It was like a switch was turned on, and all of that night came rushing back just by hearing her name. His head colliding into the floor. The bushy haired demon straddling him, the fear and excitement running through his veins. His heart feeling like it was two sized too big. Then one all-consuming thought, Harley. His love. Who was in danger right now.
"This is all a lie?" Her small voice sounded.
"No!" Joker answered. "It's not." He began walking down the hall, listening.
"It kinda is." Batman countered. "I had her draw from your heart. For a laugh."
"You are terrible at jokes." Joker muttered darkly, then kicked a door in.
He felt someone get hit on the other side of the door then barrelled right into the room. Batman was just about to get to his feet, breathing heavily. He wasn't going to make it much longer.
"You know, I was always jealous of you. You were so confident. Never one to run away from a fight. I ran away." Joker cocked his gun and pointed it in Batman's face. "But now you have given me something to fight for. You made me stronger. Congratulations."
"I also made you weak." In a surprising move, Batman lifted a rope. "You have a choice. Arkham for both of you, or Arkham for one of you." He dropped the rope a bit, and Joker could hear Harley scream. He had her tied up, dangling out the window. "Choose."
"Is this some part of revenge thing?" Joker asked. " I know what I choose. The 'or'." Joker shot the rope, pushed a surprise Batman through the window, and reached for the falling rope.
He almost missed it.
Almost.
Harley jerked violently in the rope, causing her to lose her breath. He pulled her up and grabbed her around the waist. Joker sat down and then sat next to her, breathing heavily himself. Joker looked over at her.
"Never say I don't do anything for you."
Harley grinned so wide Joker could see all her teeth. "Oh Puddin'." She leaned over uncomfortably and kissed him.
The clown broke away, looked out the window, and laughed. Harley knew that he just realized something. "He's gone!" A smile to compete with Harley's showed his happiness. "And back."
Harley's smile dropped. "Yeah. Whoopee."
"Batman was not good at this revenge thing. He must have given up to save the hostages. He wouldn't be able to resist that. We should go before the cops come." He turned to leave, but weas stopped by Harley's cough.
"Ahem..."
She still had the rope around her.
"Oh." Joker took out a knife and began cutting the coils. Harley stayed still, worried that if she moved he would slip and stab her- but he was being careful.
"Is it a lie?" Harley asked, not able to resist. As soon as she said it, she remembered what happened when she asked questions before, and went silent again.
Joker sighed, knowing that he was not going to be able to avoid this. "No. Not anymore." He looked up at her, the insane eyes serious for once. "I admit. You are a pain in my ass. You interfere with everything. Sometimes I'm afraid that your head is so loose that it will fall off your shoulders, and sometimes I wish it. But I love it."
Harley felt tears hit her cheeks.
"Relax. I am not going to harm you. Well, unless you hurt me first." Joker smiled, the manic glint back in his eyes.
"I guess your stuck with me." Harley said, feeling the rope falling off her. "Oh Puddin'!" She wrapped her arms tightly around him and he sighed again. "I love you so much! This is the best day ever!"
Joker rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Yeah, yeah..."
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News reporters kept asking him what happened, how did the hostages escape from the Joker, why did it all go downhill for the clowned prince of crime, and where was he? Vicki Vale was the most persitent, and was the one closer to the truth. She reported that the Batman could be back.
Gordon agreed with her silently, but didn't respond to her questions. The Batman he saw was a hurt, broken man, not ready to be re-exposed to the world. James Gordon was going to keep his secret.
Jeremiah Arkham walked out of the pre-school with his arm around his wife, head bowed low so not to get the attention of the reporters. Gordon noticed that he looked embarrassed, like he was so ashamed that this could happen to him and his own. The other two Arkham employees also refused to give statements to the press, eager just to get home.
After the last police car drove off, the last of the lights faded, and everyone was gone except for him, Gordon looked up at the night sky.
"It is a fine evening." A gruff voice said behind him.
Gordon turned around to see the bruised hero. "Yes." He looked back up to the sky. "Do you think we'll ever stop him?"
"I will. One day."
Gordon smiled. "Just you alone? Out of revenge?" But he didn't get a response.
He was use to that.
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"Nine months ago, he could have killed me. He very nearly did. Joker had me beaten, broken down into the ground, poison running through my body... I was lucky that I rolled into the river. I know I almost drowned. But if I had stayed... he would have won." The billionare lowered his eyes. "I never wanted that to happen again."
Alfred shook his head and he helped Bruce clean his wounds. "I told you to run."
"I couldn't, Alfred. I had him where I wanted him. I had him hurting." The injured man sighed. "I had Harley Quinn. He was going to walk right into my trap."
"Which trap is that sir? The one where you drop her, then turn and kill him as well?" Alfred angrily said. "You are not that person."
Bruce felt tears burn in his eyes, but he refused to let them drop. "I realize that now. To tell the truth... I'm glad Joker pushed me out of that window. It made me remember something."
"What is that, sir?"
"That I am not going to stoop to his level." Bruce set his jaw in a tight line and his trusted friend dabbed some iodine on a cut. "That no matter what he does, how close he comes to killing me again... I will never be the one to deal the killing blow to him. Or anyone."
"Did it feel good sir? To know that you could have ended that sick woman's life?" Alfred asked.
Bruce shook his head and regretted it- the sharp pain behind his eyes nearly made him pass out again. "No. It didn't."
The butler closed his eyes, momentarily. Here was a man. A good man, despite his flaws. Yet no matter how good and noble this man was, there was another man who would always be a thorn to his side. A man who was barely even a man, a man who delighted in causing pain. Alfred did not know where the crazed duo would have run off too, but he hoped that Joker and Harley Quinn would be gone for awhile, and let this good man lick his wounds.
Alfred nodded his head. "Very good."
THE END