When Joker woke the next morning and sat up, he looked to his side to see Harley sound asleep. A wide grin curled onto his lips at seeing finger-shaped bruises littering her skin, and at the feeling of scratch-marks practically covering his back. Getting out of bed, he re-adjusted the blanket to cover his Queen fully, and stepped into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror caused a whole new grin to curl onto his lips at some fingernail marks on his chest, as well as actual bruises on his neck, and rope-burn on his wrists.

"Well then….I'll have to let her take control more often…."

Grunting, he pulled on his clothes, hissing at the pleasant sting the cloth caused on his back. Moving out into the living room, he started to go through the things they'd stolen the previous night. Separating it by value, he found himself in possession of some very expensive jewelry, nice guns and expensive clothes. Catching sight of the pile of things Harley had taken from the first store, curiosity got the better of him, and he wandered over to it.

Going through it, he chuckled at seeing that she'd seemingly just grabbed random items. A few in particular caused him to lift an eyebrow, and he reached down to run his fingers over them. Staring him right in the face, were quite a few things that were definitely baby items. The implications of what those items could mean suddenly hit him like a train and his eyebrow knit together.

"Gotta quit overthinkin` things, J….there's no way."

Taking those items over to the table and laying them out, he stared at them for a few moments. Two little onsies, one pink and one blue, a few pacifiers and other random things taunting him. A few minutes later, the bedroom door opened and Harley emerged, rubbing her eyes, and freezing when she saw what he was looking at.

"Mistah J?"

"Something you wanna tell me, Harls?"

"Oh! Oh no! No no! I just grabbed random shit I promise!"

Standing, he walked over to her, posture stiff, as his hand pressed her back against the wall by the neck. Harley took a deep breath and stared up into his eyes, unable to read his emotions. At the feel of his hand on her neck, her eyes widened a bit, and she gulped slightly.

"Not scared, are ya?"

"N…No, Mistah J…."

"Bullshit."

The growl in her ear caused a slight whimper to escape her, and she closed her eyes. The clown tightened his grip a bit, pressing her a bit further into the wall, speaking directly in her ear.

"I'll say this once. I am NEVER going to be fatherly material, so just forget about it."

Releasing her from the wall, Joker made his way out of the apartment and downstairs. Moving over to the couch, Harley sank onto the couch and eyed the knife sticking out of the table between the two articles of clothing. Picking one up, she held it to her chest and sighed, leaning back against the couch and closing her eyes. Downstairs, Joker was pacing his office, a million and one thoughts running through his head. He'd known that Harley had at one point wanted a family with him, but he didn't know that thought was still in her head.

Grumbling to himself, the King of crime punched the wall near the door, his mind going back to his reaction upstairs. The look of fear, and sadness, in Harley's eyes when he'd pinned her flashed before him and he sighed. He didn't even honestly know why he reacted the way he did, especially just from the sight of the tiny clothes. Flopping down onto the gold-toned couch, he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in…."

The door opened, and none other than Croc entered the office, arms crossed.

"Boss."

"What is it Croc?"

"You gotta give me somethin` to do. I'm bored."

Looking over, he got up and paced again, thinking out loud, before he clapped his hands together, turning to face his newest henchman.

"When the club opens tonight, you'll be our bouncer. If anyone fucks up, you throw em out, and feel free to rough `em up a bit."

A deep chuckle escaped the mutant man and he nodded, turning and leaving the office and heading back to his lair. Seating himself again, Joker didn't move from his spot until the club opened, and Harley failed to make an appearance. Grumbling, he stood and made his way back upstairs, nodding at Croc across the bar, letting him know he was to watch over the club until he got back. Entering the apartment, the woman was nowhere to be found until he entered the bedroom. He leaned on the door frame, watching her sit on the bed and stare at an apparent wedding dress she'd stolen the night before.

"Back already, puddin? Not having fun downstairs?"

"Not that many people here yet…..what're you doin?"

"Nothin` really. Just lookin` at it….it's pretty, aint it?"

Scratching the back of his neck, he moved around and sat next to her on the bed, not able to help but notice the small pink onesie that had taunted him in the living room laying on the pillow. When his hand brushed against her leg, she scooted away slightly, causing him to lift an eyebrow and look over at her.

"Harley…."

"It's okay, Mistah J. I get it. You aint` a family kinda guy."

"It's not….I…ugh!"

Blinking and looking up as he stood, pacing back and forth in the room, mumbling incoherently to himself. Staying quiet, his Queen simply watched him, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts, lest he lash out at her. She let him pace for a good twenty minutes, before cautiously reaching out and putting a hand on his arm. He turned to her, and instead of sitting down on the bed, he sank to his knees in front of her.

"It's not that I don't….want….I mean…."

"Puddin, it's okay."

"No, no it's not."

Looking at him curiously, Harley tilted her head and put an errant strand of his bright green hair back in place, getting a small smile from him. His arms wrapped around her waist and he laid his head on her chest, closing his eyes at the feeling of her fingers combing through his hair. With a soft sigh, he adjusted himself, wrapping his arms tighter around her waist. Joker divulged things about himself over the next hour that he'd never told anyone before, things that made Harley want to cry and strangle people all at the same time.

"That explains things…."

"Uh huh."

"I'm so sorry puddin."

"Don't. I don't want sympathy."

Pressing a kiss to his forehead, Harley smiled down at him when he looked up at her.

"How `bout we go downstairs? I'll even do your favorite dance."

Gathering himself, he let his wide smile curl his lips and nodded, standing up and smoothing out his clothes. Kissing her forehead, he moved back downstairs and seated himself out in the open in his VIP booth. When the music changed to one of his favorite songs, he grinned again, seeing Harley sauntering through the crowd towards him. She didn't climb up into her cage as expected, instead, she walked right over to Joker and climbed the stairs to his little couch. Growling lightly, he adjusted himself in his seat, leaning forward. A hand on his chest stopped him from moving and pushed him back, his Queen giving him a wink and turning her back to him. He ignored, to the best of his abilities, all the eyes that were on Harley, and leaned back.

"You know the rules, puddin. You shoot anyone, you lose."

"Mm hm. I know our little game."

Leaning down, she pulled her King into a bruising kiss, releasing him a few seconds later and heading down into the crowd. Eyes landing on her intended target for the night, she moved over and pushed the stunned man down into a chair, again locking eyes with Joker. He grinned and leaned forward, folding his hands under his chin. As the music sped up, and Harley concentrated more and more on teasing her intended target to see how riled up Joker would get, the man got a bit too bold for the clown's liking. His grin dropped slightly as he watched the other man's hands land on his woman's waist, growling when she just giggled and wagged a finger at him.

It was another agonizing three minutes before the song ended and she stood up straight, preparing to walk away. The man she'd been focused on reached up and pulled her down into his lap with a slightly drunken smile.

"Well, hi there!"

"Hey. That was a pretty hot show there, toots."

"Thanks. Now lemme go."

"Awww, don't you wanna have a little more fun?"

Smile dropping, the woman grunted as he tightened his grip on her, attempting to put his lips on her neck. He got a punch in the side of the head in response, but it only made him try harder. Joker growled again and stood, catching just about every eye in the bar as he walked over to the man in question, slamming a hand down on his shoulder from behind. The sudden touch caused him to jump and loosen his grip just enough for Harley to get out of his lap.

"Enjoying yourself, are ya?"

"Oh! Hey there Mr. Joker! Got some damn fine entertainment tonight!"

"Ohhhh don't I know it."

The man stood, stumbling forward slightly, and turned to face the clown behind him. He leaned forward and whispered something into Joker's ear, and that's when his Queen saw the murderous intent in his eyes. She grinned and stepped back, watching as he made a show out of laughing and flinging his arm around the customer's shoulders. In a few seconds, he drew his gun, pressed it to the man's temple and pulled the trigger, the body hitting the floor not too long after.

"Cmere baby."

Dancing over to him, Harley wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her into yet another bruising kiss. A soft groan escaped her and she dug her nails into the back of his neck, getting a low hiss from him. The mental picture of her sitting in front of the dress upstairs flashed in his mind, and he grinned against her lips.

"Let's do it."

"Do what, Mistah J?"

Leaning forward again, he whispered in her ear, pulling her tight against him.

"Get married."

AN: Chapter eleven everyone! Enjoy, and be sure to leave reviews!