Chapter 29! Folks, 1 more to go.


In Harley's mind, everything in that moment happened in slow motion. She gripped the baseball bat tightly in her right hand, preparing to strike a blow. But just as she did, Harley felt the Joker's hands around her waist loosen and gently push her backwards.

His whispered words to her triggered the most beautiful yet dark smile on her face.

The dense wooden object swung round at such force that the Joker had to discreetly jump backwards to avoid being hit. Harley twisted her feet quickly and pulled the bat round with a powerful force.

A giggle erupted from her throat when she caught sight of Mark's face in the spilt second before the wooden object smacked him square in the jaw. The hard blow caused him to stumble backwards into his own men. Blood and the remains of the little teeth he had left from his pervious fight with J, sprayed across the room.

She didn't leave Mark much of a chance to recover from the hash smack before she went in for another. She hit him again but this time, directly into his chest.

A muffled cry of pain came form Mark when he felt the weight on his chest crush a few ribs. His henchmen reacted to the violence immediately, by firing blindly at the Joker and his men standing right in front of him.

J countered the fire by releasing off his own rounds from the revolver which he still clutched tightly. His free hand shot out and grabbed the collar of Harley's jacket, wrenching her back behind him before she got caught in the cross fire.

Mark fell to the ground in a heap, clutching his face tightly as he watched round after round of bullets being unleashed from both sides.

"Kill them!" Mark ordered, trying to duck and crawl behind his own men.

J rolled his eyes at the pathetic display that he was witnessing. The henchmen's bullets were way off target and frankly, the command 'Kill them' didn't hold much promise.

Harley pulled out her own custom made revolver and cackled along with the Joker as their ammunition imbedded themselves into the men's faces. During all the excitement, Harley saw Mark slip down the corridor, still cradling his battered face.

She tugged on the Joker's arm like a child. "Puddin', he's getting away." She told him.

With his eyes burning with the most dangerous fire, he whipped round to meet her. "Go." He growled.

Beaming at him, Harley nodded. "Cover me?" She asked, before kissing him quickly on the cheek and sprinting over to the same direction that Mark had snuck off to.

Bullets flew past her head, narrowly missing her skull. She ducked and dived behind other men, using them as a human shield as her Puddin' and his guys mowed them down with their own weapons.

She didn't look back as she ran down the corridor, Harley knew that if she did, she wouldn't want to leave him to fight the henchmen without her. He trusted her to do right by him and eliminate Mark... There was no way that she was going to let him down.

The corridor Harley snuck into seemed to go on forever, but the sound of struggling footsteps ahead only fuelled her desire to hunt down the man who was going to destroy Mr J's empire.

Smeared streaks of blood lined the converted container, Harley used these streaks as her bread crumbs, hoping to find her way back once she had taught him a lesson.

She screeched to a halt when she heard ragged coughs coming from up ahead. Harley knew that she was catching up and that she was catching up fast. She pulled the hammer back on her revolver, ready to aim and fire.

A door suddenly slammed in front of her. Harley picked up her pace, hoping to catch Mark before he disappeared into the darkness. Wrenching the door wide open, she gasped when she saw the moon cutting through the thick fog, which now lay across the Gotham docks.

Her breath danced in front of her face, only adding to the blinding white cloud that blinded her from her target. She clutched the gun even more tightly in her hand and made careful steps forward. She could just make out the silhouettes of the shipment containers surrounding her, using these as a guideline, Harley followed her instincts.

Her ears pricked up when she heard the familiar sound of gurgling coughs coming from her right hand side. She backed up against one of the rusty metal boxes and held her breath, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Harley slid her back along the cold surface, feeling the rivets press against her jacket covered skin.

The coughing seized and everything went deadly quiet. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when she heard the distant pattering of footsteps behind her. She froze still, hoping that if she didn't move, the thick fog would cover her.

Harley held her mouth shut with her free hand, trying to keep the visible signs of her breath at bay. The footsteps, became irregular, as if someone was taking long strides and then little ones. She craned her neck to the side slightly, looking over her shoulder.

She could just about make out a well built black figure coming into view. Her heart hammered in her chest, thinking it was Batsy, but as the man approached, she could tell that he was anything but.

Harley turned her head back round to face forward, hoping that the man approaching would be fooled by her ignorance.

She could practically hear his heavy breath when he got closer, his shoes clicking against the ground as he slowly closed the gap between them.

Harley turned around in an instant, pointing her gun into the forehead of her figure in front of her. His face still wasn't in view, but she couldn't help but let out a short gasp when she felt another barrel pointing against her own head.

"Mmm... I'd know that sound anywhere." Purred the man, now stepping into the moonlight.

Harley saw the glint of his silver grill and her whole body relaxed, easing into a smile, she lowered her gun. "You sacred me half to death!" She shouted, but was soon silenced when the Joker removed his barrel from her forehead and instead, shot his hand out to clasp her mouth shut.

"Shhh... You don't want our little game to end prematurely do you?" He asked in a whisper.

Harley shook her head in response. She grabbed his wrist lightly and pulled it away from his mouth. "What are you doing out here?"

J shrugged. "Can't let you have all the fun."

Harley rolled her eyes and giggled. "Did you manage to bring my-?" She was cut short when the Joker growled and pushed the bloody, wooden baseball bat into her hand. Harley had abandoned it earlier, and if truth be told, she didn't want to end Mark's life with just one shot.

"I'm always picking up after you." J retorted, pushing her back against the cold surface. He leant into her ear, tickling her skin with his hot breath. "Can you hear it Harley?" He asked. "His heart beating a mile a minute, his breath becoming short and heavy? Oh, tell me you can."

Harley shivered at his words. "Yes Puddin', I can."

"Really Harls?" Joker asked again, pressing the entire length of his body up against hers. "Because if you can, that means he's right around the corner..."

With his face so close to hers, Harley looked up into his ice cold eyes. "Then what are we watin' for?"

He grinned and abruptly pulled away, Joker pressed his own back against the container and slowly began to edge himself along it, getting closer and closer to the corner of the container with every step he took. Harley followed, keeping up with his pace.

Joker turned the corner first, brandishing his gun in the most powerful way, leaving Harley to admire his stance before adopting the same posture. But to their disappointment, nobody was there.

"Nuts." Harley muttered under her breath.

J knelt down on his knees, spotting a tiny puddle of blood on the floor. He pressed his fingers into the red liquid and then rubbed them together. "Still warm. He can't be far."

"Puddin'?" Harley tapped his shoulder, trying to attract his attention.

"What?" He snapped, raising himself up.

"Look." She pointed ahead. Joker squinted his eyes and could just make out that the shipment container door was open slightly. He moaned, cocking his head to one side, the Joker approached it.

"Now what do we have here?" He extended his hand and pulled it open further, allowing the moonlight to creep through the gap and light up the small space.

He pocked his head through and whistled aloud. "Smells like something died in here!" J chuckled. "Mark hopefully!"

Harley ducked under his arm to take a look, but instantly recoiled when she smelt the foul aroma coming from inside. "Gross."

She stepped forward, daring to go inside, but the Joker pulled her back. "What do you think your doing?" He asked, raising a brow.

"Checking it out?" She replied slowly.

"No." He snarled. "It's a waste of time. C'mon." Joker started to drag her further away, but he stopped in his tracks when he heard scuffling coming from inside.

Harley's eyes widened at the sound and before the Joker could even react, she had wrenched herself free from his grip and jumped back into the black abyss.

"Harley!" He yelled, not caring if anyone heard him.

She turned her head round briefly. "I'm just taking a peek!" Harley cried in defence.

"Harley..."

She sighed and dropped her bat loosely on the floor, dragging it behind herself as she made her way back to him. "Alright, alright..."

"Good girl." He said, watching her bottom lip stick out in a defeated pout. Harley stopped in her tracks when she heard more rustling coming from the back of the container. Her eyes lit up and she swung her head back round to the source of the noise.

"Don't." Joker warned, his voice dropping to a dangerous level.

Harley bit her bottom lip, her eyes shining in excitement. She let out a short breathless chuckle and dove back into the container.

"Harley!"

She turned to face him briefly. "If I'm right and Mark is in here, you can thank me later." Harley said, giving him a wink.

"Get back here right now! Or so help me, I'll -" Suddenly there was a loud bang. It wasn't a bullet, but it sounded like a heavy object coming into contact with a solid one. Harley's brows knitted together when she realised that the sound didn't come from the back of the container, but from the front. Her breath left her body when she saw the Joker's eyes roll to the back of his head. He stumbled backwards and another bang was heard when his body slumped against the metal box.

"Puddin!" Harley shouted, scrambling over scattered objects to try and get back to him. "No! Puddin!" She cried harder, feeling her heart strain against her chest.

Just as she was about to reach the container doors, they slammed shut in her face. Leaving her locked inside in complete darkness. Harley slammed her fists against the door and kept calling out his name, in hope that he could hear her.

"PUDDIN'!" She screamed again before breaking into a loud sob. "Puddin'..."

After what felt like hours of calling his name, pleading, crying and praying that he would be okay, Harley voice became hoarse and scratchy. She leant up against the wall and slowly slid down to the ground. Chocking on her own tears as her mind began to imagine what must of happened. She had never seen the Joker go down like that before. Not even without a fight... And it was all her fault. If she had just listened, just this once...

"Please be okay, please be okay.." She mumbled to herself, pulling up her knees and wrapping her arms around them.

Soon Harley began to feel light headed, the intense smell and the lack of free flowing oxygen began to take it's toll. She had tried to break down the door with her bat but as predicted, nothing happened. Not even a bullet could penetrate these metal walls. She now had her head tilted back, trying to suck in as much air as possible, while attempting to listen out for any sign of movement outside.

After a while, her eyelids grew heavy. Her body trying to preserve what little air that was floating around her lungs. Harley's head dropped forward, as the darkness claimed her.


Joker let out a rough groan as he came round. His body was propped uncomfortably against the metal container that his girl had disappeared into and as his eyes adjusted to the thick fog, he saw Mark standing tall and proud over him.

"Well Mark, that wasn't very polite." J groaned again, rubbing the back of his head. He frowned when he felt warm liquid running down the back of it.

"Now that your bitch is out the way, it's just you and me." Mark stated, wiping his own flowing blood away from his mouth.

J's eyes darkened. His whole face changed into something that even the devil himself would back away from. "Where is she?"

Mark smiled and gently placed his hand on the lock holding the container doors closed. "Locked away. Like you should be, but you and I both know that prison cells can't hold you. So I'm just going to have to take justice into my own hands.."

J laughed. "Oh kid. You've picked the wrong kind of criminal to play judge, jury and executioner with."

"I'm not playing games Joker." Mark replied. "Y'know, this business deal wasn't to keep the peace between our two forces right? It was just a ploy to keep you under our noses... But it soon came to our attention that you've been tainting our name by association, and we just can't have that anymore."

Joker shifted his position slightly. "You keep saying the words 'we' and 'our', like your dear old pops is still alive..." He giggled.

Mark's jaw tensed at his mocking words. He pulled his foot back and then threw it forward, letting his blood-soaked shoe tip make contact with the Joker's stomach.

J clutched his body tightly and produced a maniacal laugh. "You're really getting a kick out of this, aren't you?"

Three more sharp blows hit J, He grunted, not in pain, no the Joker was used to that. The noise he made was a noise of annoyance and frustration. Whilst playing possum to Mark's pathetic school boy kicks, Joker dropped his right hand to the floor, gently running the palm of his hand over the ground, trying to eel for something, anything to make this shit Mark regret the day he was born.

His fingers grazed over loose rubble, Joker couldn't help but grin when his cold pale skin came into contact with a rather large stone. He reached out further for it, grabbing it and slipping it tightly into his palm.

"Oh Mark." J chuckled. "Oh Marky, Marky, Mark... Can I ask you something?"

Suddenly, the kicking stopped and Mark bent down slightly, collecting blood in his mouth, only to spit it out right next to where the Joker was sat.

"What!?" He asked.

"How does it feel?" Joker raised his head slightly, flashing his metal grill.

"How does what feel?" Mark leant down further, confused by the Joker's words. Within less than a second, the Joker raised his arm. Holding the heavy, firm stone in his hand, he smashed it across Marks face, causing the man to fall backwards instantly. He crumbled to the ground , more blood covering his face.

"How does it feel to have your head smashed in?" Joker asked, raising to his feet gently, he stood over Mark's shuddering body. Blood flowed like a river from his face. But to J's surprise, Mark was still breathing.

He sighed, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head. "Some people eh? They just don't know when to die."

Harley slowly came round when she heard scratching coming form the other end of the dark cage. Her eyes flickered open, hoping that this whole night was just a terrible nightmare. But when her blue orbs opened to a different kind of darkness her heart sank all over again and the vivid memory of her Puddin' being separated from her.

Her fingers brushed over the collar that he had given her earlier that night. It wasn't just a strap of leather to Harley, it meant so much more. "Please, please, please be okay." She begged.

Still hearing the scratching , Harley shakily pulled herself up to her feet, using her bat as support. Her legs wobbled under the strain but she eventually managed to put one foot forward in front of the other and stumble towards the source.

Wooden crates were scattered along the floor, containing scraps of past stock. She gingerly climbed over them and ran her hands along the wall as a guide. The noise got louder and louder and soon, she was hearing more than just frantic scrapping. Tiny high pitched whimpers joined the noise. Harley looked around, trying to find the source.

Squinting her eyes, she focused in on a tiny wooden box which had tow breathing holes cut through it.

Through curiosity and need of a distraction, Harley knocked her knuckles against the surface. The sharp whimpers became more erratic and a gravelly noise followed closely behind. Harley lifted the lid cautiously and placed it down carefully on the floor, and when she looked inside. Her already broken heart, broke that little bit more.

Inside sat two tiny animals, Harley first through that they were dogs but taking a closer look, she saw some distinct markings. They cowered in the corner away from her, bearing their tiny teeth and snarling dangerously.

Tears slipped down her cheeks when she saw the condition they were in. "Oh." She sobbed. Not caring if they tried to take a chunk out of her hand, she reached down into the small confined box and gently picked up one of the pups. "It's okay, it's okay, Shhh.." She cooed, trying to calm the shaking ball of fluff.

Harley raised the pup higher up into the air. "What's your name then? Hm?" She smiled, trying to comfort herself and the scared baby animal in her arms.

"Oh, is this your brother?" She peeked back into the box at the other pup, it began to whine and whimper at the separation of his brother. "Awh sweetie, C'mere." She said, reaching down and scooping it up.

Harley smiled when they instantly began to nuzzle each other in her arms, she cradled them gently. "Don't worry babies, Mamma's here, she's got you."

They began to rub their little bodies against her chest and neck, rubbing their faces all over hers. More tears spilled form her eyes when she felt them gently lick away the salty liquid that had fallen down her cheek.

"When we get outta here babies, I'll give you a steak so big, you'll gain weight just by lookin' at it." She giggled, stroking the wiry hair on their backs. Her eyes saddened slightly. "If we get out of here..."

Eventually the pups grew tired and fell asleep against her chest, she carefully placed them back in the box and smiled sweetly when they curled around each other like cats.

Harley shrieked and jumped back slightly when she heard the container door rumble. She clutched her bat tightly in her hand and stood in front of the crate containing the pups, protecting them from what ever might enter.

The door rattled and then slowly, it creaked open. The light from the moon blinded Harley and she covered her eyes.

"Who's there? Stay back!" She shouted, preparing to swing her bat.

"God, you're so dramatic." Joker chuckled, extending his hand towards her.

"Puddin'!" She cried, dropping her bat on the ground she raced towards him and jumped into his arms.

Not being able to resist, he embraced her tightly and swung her around. "You been crying, you daffy dame?"

Harley nodded into his neck. "I thought you were hurt."

"Nope," The Joker dismissed. "But I know someone who is, or will be very shortly..." He set her down on her feet and grinned down at her. "Wanna play some more?"

Her grin matched his as she beamed up at her green haired saviour. "Definitely."


Chapter 30 en route! If I can get my butt in gear, you won't have to wait long!

- Mabel x