Hey Guys! Sorry for the break but I needed time to refresh my brain haha!
But here it is! Chapter 10...
Pearl slammed the office door behind herself. "I can't believe you did that.. In front of everybody."
Joker ran his tattooed hand through his hair and walked round to his desk. "She knows I have a temper." He then directed his sharp eyes over towards her. "You know I have a temper."
Pearl rolled her eyes and marched over towards him. "That's you excuse, really?"
"Look-" The Joker sat down in his chair and pointed his index finger at her. "Our relationship is none of you damn business. So stay out of it!"
"Well I've made it my business." Pearl said unfazed by his sharp tone. "You need to sort yourself out Joker, otherwise you'll loose her."
"Spare me the lecture." He rolled his eyes and lent back on his chair.
Joker's nonchalant attitude was really starting to grind on Pearl's last nerve.
"Do you realise what you've done? Mhm? Do you?" She sat down in front of his desk and took a calming breath. "That woman – Your girlfriend, who you just hit in front of the half of Gotham is the best thing that's ever happened you! Are you that determined to ruin everything over a silly disagreement."
"Silly disagreement?" Joker threw his head back and laughed. "She called me a coward! I'm sick and tired of always having to justify myself to that dumb blonde! I can't even breathe without her wanting a fucking explanation!" He slammed his fist on the table. "It's about time she treated me with some respect!"
"Do you know how childish you sound?" Pearl snapped. "Respect? She worships the ground you walk on, the air you breathe! And it's about time that you realised that and stopped acting like a-"
"Like a what!?"
"Like an asshole!"
Pearl's hand quickly flew to her mouth, not realising what she had said, until after the words had left her lips.
Joker sat there completely shocked by her outburst. "What did you just call me?"
Pearl instantly got flustered. "Sorry, I'm sorry. That was completely unprofessional of me."
"I think you've grown too comfortable around me Pearl, hmm?" Joker tapped his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "I think that you forget who I am sometimes.. Am I right?"
"I will never forget who your are Joker, neither will Harley and neither will Gotham. You don't have to prove who you are all the time." She explained.
"Well clearly I do if you think you can talk to me like a naughty school boy." He growled. "I do things because I need to, not because I seek anyone's approval." Joker lent forward across the desk. "If you don't like they way I do things Pearl, then I suggest you find employment elsewhere."
"Don't push me away Joker, I've always been here for you. I'm not leaving now." Pearl said defiantly. "I can help you make things right."
"And who says I want to make things right Hm? I managed perfectly well without her before, I don't need her now." Joker retorted.
"The look in your face tells me differently. I don't doubt that you could live without her, not for a second. But you wouldn't be happy, not really."
Pearl reached across the desk and grabbed a spare piece of paper and a pen.
Joker opened his mouth to protest, but she held her finger up to silence him, there was no way Pearl was taking no for an answer.
Moving the paper round to face her, she tapped the ink on the blank page. "So any ideas?"
"Ideas about what?" He asked, not really paying attention.
"For an apology.."
Joker groaned in annoyance, but he soon came to the conclusion that there was no escape from Pearls wrath. He would definitely rather this than her shouting at him again.
"I'll just do what I usually do when she's in a mood with me." He shrugged.
"And what's that?" She asked, pressing the pen down, ready to write his next words.
Joker looked over at her and smirked. "S..."
Pearl began to write.
"E...X."
Pearl looked up at him, not at all impressed. "Take this seriously would you!"
"I am!" He laughed. "Works every damn time."
"Hitting her in front of Gotham and not putting the toilet seat down are two entirely different situations J." Pearl rolled her eyes. Now looking away from him, she began writing a list. "You'd be lucky if she even wanted to look at you after that."
"I don't regret it." He snapped, suddenly feeling a twinge in his chest.
"Well you damn well should!" Pearl narrowed her eyes back up to him and then back down to the paper.
Joker rolled his eyes and cocked his head to the side and looked at the paper. Once she was finished, Pearl passed it over to him to read.
Joker massaged is temple, squinting at the paper. "So, I gotta pick one of these?"
Pearl smiled and nodded her head from side to side. "Not one of them, all of them."
His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "You are joking, right?"
Harley quietly left the room, she looked back and saw Jade curled up asleep and Jonny still catching flies at the end of the bed.
She shut the door behind her and took a deep breath.
Harley wasn't going to let the Joker ruin her night. She was having a good time before all this drama, and she intended on carrying on with this night as if nothing had happened.
Straightening her dress, she walked down the stairs and slipped back onto the Club floor.
Walking behind the bar, Harley fixed her makeup in the reflection of the counter and plastered on her best smile.
If Harley stayed in shadows away from everyone, they would all think that she was weak, a victim... She wasn't about to let that happen.
"What can I get you?" Harley turned on her heel and asked the stranger who was now approaching the bar.
"Just a glass of red please." Said the woman now leaning against the bar.
"Sure, coming right up!" Harley smiled. She grabbed a bottle containing the deep red liquid and poured it into a glass.
"Hey, are you alright? That was quite a whack he gave you earlier."
Harley shot her a glare. "I'm fine. Occupational hazard."
"Sorry I didn't mean to pry, I just don't like to see a man hit a woman." She explained, handing over money to pay for the drink.
Harley ran it through the till and looked up at her. "That's life." She shrugged.
The woman took the drink from Harley and frowned. Feeling pity on the beaten down blonde, the woman asked Harley to come over and join her.
"You wanna, maybe come join me? I'm here with a few friends and you could sure use some cheering up." The girl pointed towards the table which she appeared to be sharing with a group of girls.
"Um I'm not sure, I'm supposed to be working.."
"You can see the bar from were we're seated. C'mon, pleaseee." The woman begged.
Harley looked around. Pearl wouldn't mind so much, especially after what had happened.
"Okay.. Fine." She smiled in defeat. Grabbing the open bottle and a handful of glasses, she followed the girl towards the table.
"Guys, this is Harley." The girl pointed at her friends. "Harley, this is Bex, Amy, Livvy and Courtney."
All the women smiled up at her. In a strange way they all looked the same, Harley could tell almost immediately that these were the 'cool kids' from high school that everyone gossiped about.. Bonded for life but can never seem to break out of their clique.
"Pleased to meetcha!" Harley waved. She was desperately trying to consume all the names she'd just been given, it was no surprise that she had forgotten them already.
"Why don't you come and sit down and join us?" One of the girls asked.
Harley nodded enthusiastically and sat down. It was nice to be in the company of people who didn't know her, who wouldn't judge her.
She wanted to forget the humiliation from earlier, and this was exactly what she needed in order to do that.
The table was soon littered with empty glasses and bottles and as the night progressed, the music got louder and so did the laughter. Since there was no sight of the Joker of Pearl, Harley decided to really let her hair down.
Harley stood from her seat and looked around the club floor, catching the sight of a glass cage an idea quickly formed in her head.
"Harley? What's up?" Amy asked, following Harley's gaze towards the cage.
Ignoring her comment Harley lent across the table and grabbed her hand. "C'mon, let's dance!"
"No way!" She recoiled. "The cages are only meant for the dancers Harls."
"Well.." Harley looked around. "I don't see any dancers and we're the next best thing! Besides aren't we meant to be having fun?"
Amy nodded her head from side to side and refused again. Harley pouted and then asked the other girls.
"We can't Harls, your only allowed in the cage if your employed by the Joker. Those are the rules." Bex said, leaning over the table to grab her drink. "Sorry Hun."
"Rules? Pfft." Harley waved her hands dismissively. "If you girls are all too chicken then I'll go myself."
Even though the girls had only just met Harley, they knew that once she got an idea in her head, there was no use trying to talk her out of it.
Harley flashed them a wink and moved out behind the table and approached the cage.
A few shallow steps led her towards the door, she climbed them slowly letting the music that was playing quickly fill her eardrums.
Everything around her became fuzzy her only focus being the cage ahead.
Harley reached out and took a hold of the heavy golden door handle. Pushing against it gently, it opened inwards. She ran her fingers down the glass door and shut it behind herself.
The music seemed louder inside the box of glass, it was as though all the oxygen in the air was taken up by this loud heavy beat.
Moving over towards the center of the cage she circled the golden chain which hung from the ceiling. Harley let her fingers tiptoe around the metal, feeling the groves under her fingertips.
Harley noticed that the chain wasn't attached to the ground, she slowly lifted it and tested the weight in her hand and pressed the cold metal against her skin.
Taking a deep breath, she released it and began to circle the chain more quickly than before.
The faster the music got, the faster she got and before she realised, Harley was under a trance, her heels were now tapping in sync with the beat blaring out of the speakers.
She quickly found a rhythm and started to freely dance around and against the chain.
The outside world was blocked off from her now, nothing mattered anymore.
Unbeknownst to Harley, all the eyes that had previously witnessed her humiliation earlier had now drawn their attention back to her, but this time it was a different look... It was a look of admiration.
They were watching her twisted and turn her body around the chain, using her flexibility as gymnast to her advantage.
Harley never felt freedom like this before, it was truly indescribable.
The growing crowd around began to cheer and applaud as she danced. Her energy was so contagious that the people around her had also started to dance around her.
It was as though Harley was a magnet, pulling everybody around her closer.
I'm really sorry but for not writing replies to my wonderful reviewers! I love you guys so much but I wanted to concentrate on the chapter and not leave you guys waiting longer than you have!
If you have any questions or you just wanted to chat, my PM is always open and you can always message my Tumblr account - mabelmadnessss.
I know some of you are concerned that my updates haven't been as frequent as they usually are but never fear I will continue this fic if it's the last thing I do. I have so many ideas of were I want to take this and I hope ya'll ready for the ride!
I love you all so much, I can't even get over the amount of Follows and Favs this story and my previous stories have gotten. You are all truly incredible and I love you all so, so, so much!
And a special thank you to the kindest human being ever, RoyalFlushGang for helping me with this chapter and helping me through my writers block!
- Mabel Madness x