Authors note: general disclaimer, I don't own any characters or anything to do with batman (I wish!)

Italics are character thoughts.

Any feedback is much appreciated x

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As Harley screamed in frustration she ran at him, as hard as she could. Her fury fuelling her actions and numbing the pain her body was feeling. As she reached the spindly figure she leapt up into the air, flipping herself over midair she swung the pipe heavily and came crashing down on nothing.

The Joker simply hopped out of the way, Harley's injuries were making her moves sluggish, predictable and easy to avoid. He blew a kiss at her and laughed before opening his jacket and purposefully slowly started taking odds and ends out, weapons, gags, the occasional rubber chicken all the while grinning at her, egging her on.

Harley snarled and tugged at the pipe, she looked down in shock as she realised she had landed with such force that the end of the pipe was now embedded in some of the debris. She heard a gasp come from the redheaded beauty who was struggling with her ties but watching carefully. She looked up just in time to see the Joker pull out two large guns and level them both at her. She left the pipe in the floor and stood tall in front of him.

He laughed and shrugged his shoulders at the blonde "Reckon either of these is real?" He grinned as he saw her ready her body, crouching down and rolling her shoulders in anticipation. He pulled both triggers simultaneously. Both exploded with a loud bang and he shrieked in delight as he watched Harley spring up into the air.

He stood holding the two smoking guns. One had a large extendable arm that had now retracted, taking the boxing glove away from level with her ribs. As she hovered in the air before she landing she felt a sharp pain to one of her legs and as she tried to land the jump it gave way and she landed awkwardly.

Ivy sobbed and pulled at her ties yet again, her wrists and ankles red raw and still they were no looser. She watched, heart breaking, as she saw the Joker pull out the two guns and fire. She closed her eyes at the sound of them going off and only opened them again when she heard a sharp intake of breath and opened them to see Harley, down, alive but hurt. "Harley!"

The Joker span round in delight "Ah the plant lives! There was me thinking you'd left the party too!" He made his way over to her agonisingly slowly, taunting the blonde by singing cruelly;

"Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through for you"

Harley had managed to stand and put all her weight on her good leg as she began to drag herself over to where Red lay sobbing hear heart out, blood beginning to pour onto the floor where her ties were cutting into her flesh.

Ivy wasn't one to be scared and every time she had faced death before she had no regard for life other than the life of her babies. Now she had tasted a slice of happiness and wholeness she wasn't ready to give in. Besides which, even if she gave in and let Joker torture and kill her, it just meant no one would be there to save Harley this time. That thought made her scream angrily at the Joker as he knelt down by her side.

The Joker reached out to brush some of the wild red hair that had fallen onto the weed's face. His hand stilled when he heard a familiar voice, familiar but the tone was far too serious to be recognisable.

"Get your hand away from her."

The warning preceded the sound of a ting then slice through the air. He turned his gaze to face the blonde and his mouth turned upwards.

Harley stood, bleeding, limp but determined. In her hands she held two pieces of broken glass from the wreckage of the warehouse. So sharp they were that they were cutting into her hands and her blood was dripping into the dirt and dust.

He began to stand up, delighted in this new found spirit in Harley. Normal by now she was a teary eyed, snotty wailing mess, begging for forgiveness and his love. This was usually the point he would walk away from her, lesson learned and wait for her to come crawling back. The blonde in front of him had guts. He was impressed. He reached over and as he stood to full height he brought up Tweedledee's machine gun with him. He checked it over briefly, before raising it in line with the blonde's head.

Ivy watched, eyes wide with fear as the two of them stood opposite each other like they were in some kind of western. Joker levelling the gun to Harley's head with a wide grin and Harley's eyes narrow and determined, gripping the shards of glass even harder causing more blood to spill out onto the already littered floor.

Harley quickly glanced away from his mocking eyes and met the fearful, loving emerald eyes. Something snapped inside of her and felt a primal, instinctive urge to save her love. No matter what. As her eyes clicked back to meet his cruel gaze she let a roar rip out of her as she charged. The bullets ricocheted out of the gun loudly and she leapt up into the air, twisting her body to avoid what she could as he followed her with the machine spitting out lead death pellets.

The Joker kept his finger down on the trigger and prayed bullets wildly trying to keep his aim at Harley who proceeded to leap all around like an annoying little bunny that needed to be hunted down. The first slice to his arm caught him off guard and he looked into the steely eyes that were once so blue and soft. He laughed as the blood began to pour and the pain set in, he simply switched the gun to his other arm and swung it round to face her.

Harley was stood nose to nose with the barrel of the gun and Ivy let out a bloodcurdling scream as she finally managed to tear a hand free of her cruel ties and reached out toward the blonde.

Harley heard the scream and her heart pounded in response. The Joker opened his mouth to say something and Harley's retort was to plunge the glass into his abdomen.

His eyes widened in shock as he felt the cool glass slide into his flesh. It didn't hurt at that moment so when the pain came later it was intense. As he began to stoop and falter he gently lay a finger on the trigger. It was enough to send a last minute spray of bullets toward the blonde.

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