As if not believing his own eyes, Joker reached out towards her, bloodied hand touching her face, leaving a smear of red behind. Not bothered by the blood at all, Harley reached up and covered his hand with hers, pressing it firmly against her skin.
"I'm real, puddin…."
"But…I….You…you weren't breathing….you were DEAD."
"I aint now, though. That's what's important."
Finally realizing that she was indeed here in front of him, alive and warm, not dead and cold, he quickly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. Harley wrapped her arms around his neck and straddled his legs, gently stroking his hair.
"Whose blood is this, by the way?"
"Uhm, let's just say Boomerang won't be hurting you again."
"Is there any of him left?"
"A little bit…though it's not really human-looking anymore."
Slowly standing, Harley grabbed his hand an pulled him towards the bedroom, and he followed like a lost puppy. She took him in the bathroom and pointed to the shower.
"Shower and then tell me about it. Don't wanna get the bed all bloody!"
"Anything for you, Harls….anything."
Leaning up, she gently pressed her lips to his in a light, quick kiss before smiling and turning to head back into the bedroom and change. A few minutes later she heard the shower running, and laid back down on the bed, pulling the sheet up over herself. It wasn't long before he came out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of loose-fitting sleep pants, and slipped into bed next to her. He reached over and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her over against his side, closing his eyes with a sigh.
"I'm so sorry for scarin` ya, Mistah J."
"Shhhh…..you're here, alive, with me. Let's not worry about it."
Curling into his chest, Harley closed her eyes and let herself relax. She felt safe laying next to her King, and according to him, she'd just cheated death. She let her finger trace over his tattoos, grinning when certain spots sent a shiver through him.
"Can I ask ya somethin`?"
"Of course. Anything."
"What were ya doin` with your gun?"
Joker tensed slightly, could he actually tell the woman that he'd planned on killing himself, rather than live without her? Sure, he'd told her he loved her and even asked her in a roundabout way to marry him, but knowing he had that high of a dependency on her scared him.
"I...didn't want to be without you. I CAN'T be without you. It's amazing and terrifying all at the same time…"
"You…was gonna off yourself?"
"Uh huh. Oh, I should probably clean all the glass off the floor in there, wouldn't want you cutting yourself."
Releasing him, Harley watched as he went to do just that, cleaning up every shard of glass that littered the hardwood floor. When he came back to the bedroom, he leaned on the wall.
"Maybe we should dress and go downstairs? I'm sure your friends wanna know you're alive."
At the mention of the squad, her eyes lit up, and she hopped out of bed. Not caring that he was watching, she threw on some clothes and turned to him, lifting an eyebrow. Blinking, he looked down at himself and chuckled before getting re-dressed as well. When the door to the apartment opened, Joker's henchmen looked over, and their jaws hit the floor when Harley bounced out first.
"Heya boys!"
He followed her out, patting one man on the cheek as he walked by. Downstairs, the squad had gathered in the bar area of the club, and Deadshot was playing bartender. Once everyone had their drinks, he lifted his into the air.
"To Harley Quinn. She was one bad ass bitch."
"Whatta ya mean WAS?!"
All four heads whipped around at the familiar voice at the bottom of the steps. When they saw her, Deadshot was the first to set his drink down and come around the bar, only to have the hyperactive blond jump on him in a hug. Instead of jealousy or rage, Joker simply joined them at the table, snatching Deadshot's whiskey for himself. When he saw the looks he was getting, he laughed.
"Don't know, don't care, doesn't matter."
After hugging the other members of their group, Harley sat down in his lap and took the shot out of his hand, downing it herself. Grinning, he leaned forward and let his lips rest on her neck, nibbling playfully and getting a giggle from his Queen. Pouring himself, Harley and Joker another shot, he shook his head and again lifted his into the air.
"Okay, to Harley Quinn, she's STILL a bad ass bitch."
Everyone chuckled and downed their drink, the empty glasses now gathered in the middle of the table.
"Good to know you are still with us."
Every eye in the room was drawn to Katana, as the sword wielding woman hadn't spoken hardly at all while they'd been employed by Joker. Tapping Harley's leg, said clown whispered in her ear and she nodded, letting him up. He vanished into his office, and returned after about five minutes, carrying four black bags.
"You all did as I asked, and helped me get the man who attacked my Queen, AND helped me get her back. Here's your payment."
The bags were handed out to each person, and when Deadshot opened his, he coughed a bit.
"Damn, J."
"I may be crazy, but I'm a man of my word. Of course, if any of you would like to stay on, you're welcome."
Croc grunted and shoved the bag back to him, causing Joker to lift an eyebrow.
"I'm stayin."
Katana and Flagg both took their payment and left, one returning to his girlfriend, and the other going back to getting her own vengeance. Joker and Harley both leveled their gazes at Deadshot, waiting to see what his decision would be.
"I can't stay, but you ever need a guy to end up dead, you give me a call."
With that, he stood and headed out, and Joker looked over to Croc, who was still seated with his arms crossed.
"Well….welcome to the family, Croc!"
He smirked and got up, heading back to where he'd been living while working for Joker. Now alone in the club area, he looked down at Harley and smiled, leaning his forehead against hers.
"So loving today, Mistah J."
"Yeah, well, it's not every day my Queen comes back from the dead."
A grin curled her lips when he nibbled on her neck again, his hand resting on the inside of her thigh. Turning in his lap, Harley swung a leg over him and straddled him, her fingers lacing together behind his neck. His hands moved to rest on her waist, fingers gently pressing into her skin. Pulling him forward by the neck, Harley pressed their lips together in a kiss that started gentle, but quickly became more passionate. Joker let all of his happiness at having her in his arms pour out into the kiss, holding her close to his chest.
"Maybe we should go back upstairs, puddin…."
"Mm hm, I agree…."
Standing, Joker held her close to him, moving back towards the stairs. Giggling lightly in his ear, Harley wrapped her legs around his waist, holding on tight as he walked up the steps and back to their apartment. He carried her into the bedroom and sat her down on the bed with a grin and a wink. Once she was released from his grip, she laid back on the bed, one hand resting on her stomach. Lifting an eyebrow when Joker didn't immediately pounce on her, she propped herself up on her elbows.
"Somethin` wrong?"
"Course not, baby. You just cheated death….I didn't know if you..uh…"
"Have I ever said no to ya, Mistah J?"
A soft chuckle escaped the clown, and he shook his head, finally climbing onto the bed with her. She reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back down to her, meeting him with another kiss. Gentle hands undressed her, letting the clothes fall off the side of the bed. Harley tried to return the favor, but Joker caught her hands, causing her to give him an odd look.
"Not yet."
"But…."
"No buts, Harls, I promise, you'll enjoy yourself."
Pouting slightly, Harley let her arms rest on the mattress next to her head. It wasn't long before her King was pulling soft moans and giggles from her as he let his hands and lips ghost over every inch of skin, and every tattoo and scar he saw. Grinning against her skin when he felt her hand move down to rest on his head, gripping his hair lightly and pulling, silently asking him to move back up. He did just that, slipping from his place between her legs to look down into her eyes.
"Please, puddin….."
"Oh alright….since you asked so nicely."
With a grin that threatened to hurt his cheeks from being so wide, he stood up, slowly shedding his clothes. Harley sat up slightly, watching him, licking her lips as he dropped his pants and stepped out of them, leaving them forgotten on the floor. Climbing back onto the bed, Joker found himself pushed over onto his back, his Queen straddling him.
"I could be mean and tease you, Mistah J….."
"You could, but do you really want to?"
"Nah, not tonight."
With that, Harley adjusted her position and let him sink into her, letting a soft moan slip from her lips and into his ear. He echoed it, letting his hands rest on her waist, fingers again lightly pressing into her skin. He growled softly and suddenly sat up, moving back on the bed so his back was resting against the headboard. Giggling softly at the sudden movement, Harley leaned forward and kissed him, and once they settled again, she started moving, setting a slow, gentle pace. For once, he didn't try to speed it up or make it harsher, he simply let their forehead's rest together. The two of them lost track of time, and by the time they both reached their release, the sun was peeking up over the horizon.
AN: Here ya go guys! Chapter 9! Hope you enjoy this much, MUCH softer side of our favorite clown! Reviews make me happy!
