Sweetie Pie Part 2

by TheClownPrincessOfCrime

After getting the boot from the Joker's gang, Harley Quinn discovers there are many, many more obstacles she must face in order to be successful in her insane line of work. Sequel to "Sweetie Pie."

20. The Music Room

A/N:

The wonderful OC Bonnie Hatch is on loan from my FF pal Lily Luna Lestrange III from her amazing fic, "Seven Words," (which I highly highly recommend checking out!) :) Also, Bonnie may be here, but her timeline isn't...so double fic readers, don't be confused with the liberties I've taken...they are separate stories!) ;)

---

"And in other news," the booming voice blared out of the tiny television bolted to the wall and seemed to carelessly echo off the walls. "Gotham City has been plagued for the third week in a row from heinous crime after heinous crime committed by the Joker's new gang of twin wildlings."

As Harley walked past the rec room, her ears twitched like a rabbit's as she heard the excited words coming from the program. She stopped and turned around slowly, her eyes fixated on the screen as a frown formed on her face.

"The Ying Yang Twins have continued their crime spree almost daily, terrorizing and almost completely destroying everything in their path," the newscaster continued. "They certainly are two of the most destructive criminals Gotham has ever had, and citizens are encouraged to keep as far away as possible."

Harley's teeth gritted as she watched the clips of the Ying Yang Twins laughing gleefully as they out-flipped and out-maneuvered the bullets that flew at them through the unsuccessful attempts from the police. A building exploded behind them, catapulting firey flames shot up all around while angry sirens blared in the distance.

After seeing both twins seductively blow a kiss at the news camera before dashing off, Harley angrily balled her fists up and aggressively kicked the back of the sofa so hard that a bit of feathers flew out of it like a fleeing flock of birds. Killer Croc, who had been innocently sitting on the couch was propelled forward with the force of Harley's angry kick, and he landed with a thud on the ground in front of them. He turned to her with fury in his eyes, but upon seeing the pure rage that shone through her baby blues, he quickly scrambled away, thinking he'd not risk getting in her way when she looked that furious.

"What the heck does he see in those girls?" Harley bellowed later on that day as she paced the dimly-lit room she was sharing with Dr. Leland. "I mean, what...what can they do that I can't do?"

Dr. Leland opened her mouth to speak, but Harley beat her to it.

"I...I'm just as good as they are!" Harley continued, her voice squeaking in pain. "I mean...I stole all those priceless diamonds the Joker used to pay for his new batch of toxins three years ago! That one got me locked right back up in here! And..." she gasped out, breathlessly. "M-me and...me and Little Blondie both almost got our kiesters kicked by Batman and his posse when Mister J told us to rob that museum months ago! We...we did it all for him!"

Dr. Leland opened her mouth again to protest, but Harley held her hand up. "And another thing!" she exploded. "We stole the Ocean Sapphire Diamond for that...that Jokester, and Sophie almost broke her freakin' neck doin' it! But did he thank us for it?" Harley didn't wait for an answer. "Of course not!"

Dr. Leland raised her pen to try and interject but was met with more of Harley's blubbering before she could even get a single word out.

"We...we were the best henchgirls that guy ever had!" Harley wailed as she banged her hands on the table. "How could he replace us like we're nothing?" Harley felt tears form in her eyes, and she suddenly softened. Her voice turned into a loud whisper. "I mean...I...I thought he learned his lesson the first time he tried to replace me when he thought he got all that cash."

Dr. Leland paused for a moment before she opened her mouth again. Once she noticed Harley sadly slink down into a chair, she figured it was a good time for her to try and do some doctoring of her own. "Harley," she began, calmly. "It's completely understandable why you feel so hurt by what the Joker has done. But-"

"But?" Harley countered, sniffling as she looked up. "But, what?"

Dr. Leland cleared her throat. "But," she went on. "Harley, you're back in Arkham again so we can help rehabilitate you. Don't you remember how good it felt the last time you passed your competency hearing and were declared clinically sane?"

Harley put her finger to her lip as she thought. She suddenly brightened. "Well...yeah. I got a really neat pink dress, and I got a smooch from Batman, so it wasn't all bad, I guess." She stood up quickly, causing her chair to tip over in her haste. She pointed a finger at Dr. Leland. "You may be great, Dr. Leland, but I'm wasting my time locked up in here! Meanwhile, the Joker's messing around with those two...bimbos, I can't find a single hair of Ivy's anywhere, and that crazy doctor over in the Juvenile Department is probably torturing those poor kiddos!" She sighed, heavily. "My little cutie's trapped there like a teeny-weeny little mouse, and I betcha she's so scared!"

Dr. Leland smiled. "Harley, I can assure you, Sophie's doing just fine. The last time I met with her she was very talkative and answered every question I had."

Harley raised her eyebrows. She had a hard time believing that, but she wasn't going to question it, now. "And...what about that horrible Dr. Floof?"

"If you mean Dr. Floofay...I-I mean, Dr. Fluffay," Dr. Leland cleared her throat, and Harley had to stop herself from bursting into laughter. "I can also assure you that he doesn't torture those kids in any way. In fact, because of him, they've had many children released early back to their families."

Harley shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, Dr. Leland. There's something about him that just rubs me the wrong way. Y'know who he reminds me of?" She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, feeling as if a cold wind suddenly pulsed throughout her body. "He...he reminds me of that awful guy we used to have, Dr. Bolton! Don'tcha remember him?" The horrific time she and the other inmates at Arkham had under the control of Lyle Bolton was something she'd never forget, and she wouldn't have wished it on anyone...especially not her poor "kid" who was stuck over there. "He reminds me of him exactly!"

Dr. Leland smiled, warmly. "I understand your fears, Harley. And, I know he looks vicious, but Dr. Fluffay only wants what's best for those kids and wants to help them. He's nothing like Bolton."

Harley raised her eyebrows, again. "Do you know him well, Doc?"

Dr. Leland almost laughed, herself. "Not well, but from what I've seen, he's just...different, is all. I know he comes off as strict and perhaps a bit mean, but he simply needs to establish his dominance over the kids...some of them haven't had any good, strong role models in their lives. He just has to start that way."

"But...but did you see the way he treated Sophie when we first got here?" Harley protested. "She was terrified, and he strapped her in that straight jacket like she was some sort of...some sort of psycho! She...she didn't deserve that!"

"Harley," Dr. Leland said, softly. "I know how protective you are of Sophie, and I understand it completely. But, you have to let the doctors in the AAJD do their work, okay? That's what they're there for...to help the kids however they can."

Harley sighed. "Yeah, I get it, Dr. Leland. But...but you have no idea what Sophie means to me. I mean, I'm...I'm all she's got in this crazy world. Her Mom's dead as a doorknob, thank goodness, and she doesn't have anybody else to watch out for her. Me and her...we're a team, y'know? She's like...she's like my family, and just knowing she's here, so close and yet so far, is frustrating and it sucks!" Harley frowned a little and she looked up at Dr. Leland with huge, puppy-dog eyes. "I wish there was some way I could see her, even if it's only for a second..." she let her voice trail off, and her bottom lip popped out further than necessary.

Dr. Leland smiled. "You know we can't do that, Harley," she answered in a sing-song voice.

Harley sighed, again. "Yeah, yeah. I'll never stop trying, though."

Dr. Leland smiled a little. "You know, speaking of Sophie...I told Dr. Fluffay that she might benefit from a bit more extensive sessions with me as well as her appointed psychologist, Dr. Martinez. She, uh...was causing a bit of a scene when Dr. Martinez tried to talk to her the first time." Dr. Leland paused, and Harley wasn't sure, but she was almost certain she saw Dr. Leland's eyes sparkle as if she had found something humorous in what she was saying. "Apparently, Sophie profoundly refused to speak to any other psychologist but you."

Harley brightened into a happy grin. "Well, in that case-"

"But, since you both know that can't happen," Dr. Leland interrupted, loudly. "Sophie agreed to at least speak to me once she found out I was also your psychologist. I had to convince her to speak to Dr. Martinez as well, but I think it'll do her some good to talk about her feelings."

Harley cracked a smile. She remembered when she and Sophie had first met, and how surprised Sophie had been at "Dr. Harley's" uncanny ability to get her to open up and speak about the difficult subjects she said she had never spoken about before. After getting to know Sophie better, Harley truly did believe that she had been the only person Sophie had ever opened up so much to. Knowing that, Harley wondered just how much success the other two psychologists would have with the strong-willed and sometimes stubborn kid. Harley knew Sophie could chatter and talk about anything under the sun without hesitation if she felt safe and comfortable enough, and it was something that Harley absolutely adored. Although, when it came to the most sensitive and emotional parts of her life, Harley wagered the likelihood of Sophie expressing herself in the way the other psychologists wanted her to would be like trying to chip ice from an ice block with a spaghetti noodle. Harley knew if Sophie didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't. She, of course, hoped Dr. Leland wouldn't be too disappointed by not making any "breakthrough" with the kid, seeing as she thought the doctor was one of the good eggs and she didn't want her to feel discouraged.

"Anyway," Dr. Leland continued. "Much to my surprise, Dr. Fluffay agreed to it, and I'll be seeing Sophie a few times a week, too. So..." Dr. Leland paused a bit and put her hand on Harley's shoulder. "I promise you I'll make sure she's doing alright, okay?"

Harley smiled, gratefully. "Gee, Dr. Leland. You sure are a great gal!" Her smile grew wider. "And hey, if you ever get tired of helping people out in here, I'd recruit you to join our gang in a heartbeat!"

Dr. Leland smiled, but it was more like a slight grin. "I'll think about it, Harley."

"So," Harley began, before gulping loudly. "Since you're gonna be seeing Sophie and everything...do ya...do ya think you can pass a message to her for me?"

"Verbally, no," Dr. Leland replied, gently. She noticed Harley's pigtails start to droop, sadly. "I have a feeling Dr. F wouldn't take to kindly to knowing you've been "talking to her," even if only through me. We can't take those risks."

Harley stared at the ground, her stomach dropping.

"But," Dr. Leland continued with a slight rise in the pitch of her voice.

Harley looked up, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"I'm not opposed to a little note-passing here and there. That way, you're not exactly saying anything to her."

Harley's eyes lit up like the Fourth of July, and she almost squealed in delight. "Oh...oh thanks, Dr. Leland!"

Harley swiftly grabbed a piece of paper and began penning a note to her smallest friend, but she knew no amount of words could express what she wanted to. Still, she knew at least with Dr. Leland as their secret note-deliverer, they could communicate in some way, as long as Dr. F never found out. Even if it certainly wasn't the way either of them hoped for, Harley knew it was still definitely better than nothing.

---

The loud chatter of children's voices suddenly startled Sophie awake, causing Bonnie to flinch as Sophie quickly shook her head, trying to fully wake herself up. Bonnie stared at her, her face full of confusion as to how her new companion could have fallen asleep at their breakfast table. In her shock, Sophie had accidentally dropped a bit of the oatmeal mush from her spoon down onto the table.

Sophie yawned and rubbed her eyes, sleepily. "Sorry about that," she mumbled almost as if she could read Bonnie's mind. She quickly wiped the mess off the table with a thin, pathetic excuse for a napkin. "I can't believe I fell asleep, but...I'm...I'm so tired." She yawned again." "Last night Regina told me she was gonna cut all my hair off if I fell asleep."

Bonnie gulped and nervously glanced at Regina. She felt her throat tighten, but she was careful not to meet Regina's icy gaze. "Oh."

"I barely slept a wink last night 'cause I was so scared she would." Sophie yawned again. "I didn't wanna take any chances."

Bonnie took a drink of her orange juice and swallowed loudly. "I...I heard she keeps a razor blade in her sock...so she could do anything she wanted...if she wanted."

"A razor blade?" Sophie squeaked, loudly, suddenly becoming a bit more alert and awake.

Bonnie flinched again and shushed her.

Sophie felt her cheeks flush. "S-sorry, again." She gripped her spoon in her hand and glanced at Regina's table, too. "Boy, I wish I had a razor blade," she whispered, her teeth slightly gritted. "If I did, I'd love to cut more than just her hair off!"

Sophie angrily made a swipe at her own throat with her spoon, and Bonnie's eyes widened with the squelching noise that accompanied the motion.

"Th-that sounds like something the Joker would do," Bonnie stammered, quietly.

Sophie grinned and snickered. "Or, something he already did do!"

Bonnie's face went as white as a sheet. She gulped, trying to still her rapidly beating heart.

"That sure was messy," Sophie added, not noticing her friend's face turn paler as she continued speaking. She shrugged her shoulders, sighing. "But, I could never do somethin' like that, here." She narrowed her eyes into two tiny slits. "Unfortunately."

Bonnie gulped again, and suddenly felt overcome with strange curiosity as the color slowly began to seep back onto her face. "Wh-why not?"

Sophie then glanced at Regina, who, unfortunately, caught her eye at that moment. In an instant, Regina balled her fist up and pounded it into her other hand.

Sophie quickly looked back to Bonnie, whose face had finally regained its full normal color, again. "I...I dunno." This time, it was Sophie who gulped. "I mean, I could never do that without Harley, Ivy, or even Mister Joker."

Bonnie stared at her, her eyes wide.

"I need them," Sophie added, almost as if she was unsure as to what Bonnie didn't understand about that. "I mean...I'm nothing without them." She sighed, staring down at her spoon.

Bonnie was surprised because, at that very moment, Sophie didn't remind her of the insane pint-sized villain she knew...but she honestly looked scared and confused as she confessed her feelings.

"You have no idea how lost I feel in here," Sophie said. "Sure...I would love to be able to rip Regina's eyes out of her head, or slit her throat with one good swipe, or to make her eat one of my Apple Bombs after I light it, but...but I just couldn't do any of that. Not without Harley with me." Sophie felt a pain of sadness in her heart as she remembered how much she missed her jester-friend, and Bonnie noticed the pain in her eyes just then. "Never."

Bonnie bit her lip, almost as if she were petrified to say anything after seeing how hurt Sophie seemed, but she couldn't help her curiosity and will to understand. "But...but you're Sweetie Pie, aren't you?" she asked, softly. "I...I've read about some of the crazy things you've done." Bonnie gulped, hoping her next words weren't going to make Sophie angry. "You...you could do whatever you wanted to...even if you were alone."

Sophie smiled a little and felt her cheeks slowly start to blush at the nice compliment Bonnie had just given her. "Well, yeah. I may be Sweetie Pie, but I'm...I'm just Harley's side-kick, y'know? Without her, I'm not nearly as strong as I could be." Sophie's gaze dropped again to the table, and she sighed, honestly. "I just...I just can't be. I don't know how."

Bonnie was speechless, as usual, but this time, it wasn't because she was shy, scared, or nervous...but because she couldn't understand how Sophie thought she wasn't able to do anything without Harley. Since Bonnie was so used to working alone, she never had to worry about not doing something because of that fact. Sure, she sometimes questioned her abilities, but that never stopped her from being careless nonetheless and doing her thing to get her thrills. But, to hear how much lack of confidence someone like Sophie...who had such a vicious alter ego when she worked with the Joker, Harley, and Ivy be afraid of someone like Regina was a total shock to her.

Sophie ignored Bonnie's confused stares and spooned a bit of the mush into her spoon and ate it, although she gagged a little. She shook her head and took a long gulp of her orange juice. "Geez. I never minded oatmeal if Harley or Ivy made it, but for some reason, this oatmeal tastes like what I imagine an old sweaty gym sock would!"

Sophie was glad to have at least a change of subject, for she was now feeling embarrassed and stupid for admitting to Bonnie that she wasn't confident enough to even stand up to a "school bully," and Sophie herself didn't even want to be reminded of that.

Suddenly, they heard a squelchy splat, and in the middle of their table, their eyes fixed on a random splatter of oatmeal. Bonnie and Sophie both looked at the brown substance, then at each other, slowly glancing up to see why it had been raining oatmeal inside. Regina's wide, Joker-like grin greeted their stares while her friends laughed loudly. Regina nonchalantly spooned another glob onto her spoon and flung it over, causing it to land on the front of Sophie's pink AAJD suit. Sophie, for a split second, forgot just who had done the flinging. She angrily glared at Regina, who stood up quickly in retort. Sophie's face suddenly changed as she was hit with the realization that she had just given a "bad look" to the one person who hated her, and whom she honestly feared. As Regina approached their table, Sophie heard Bonnie give a gulp which was identical to the one she had just done herself.

A few orderlies were on guard the moment they saw Regina stand up, but she smiled sweetly and simply showed them some napkins she had in her hand. She slowed her walk and casually reached their table, napkins still gripped firmly in her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Sweetie Pie!" Regina sneered, still keeping the tight grin she had as she glanced up at the orderlies, who had since relaxed a bit. "I really didn't mean to throw that oatmeal on your shirt!" She suddenly slammed the napkins down on the table, causing both Sophie and Bonnie to gasp out loud. "I meant to hit your face," she snarled under her breath. "Next time I won't miss. Maybe I"ll even use my fist."

Sophie stared up at Regina, taking a slight glance at Bonnie, who still looked utterly terrified. "W-will you just leave me alone, already?" she pleaded, quietly.

Regina laughed a little as she balled her fists up and slammed one on the table. Sophie flinched, and Bonnie turned white once more. "Fat chance of that," she laughed.

Bonnie inhaled deeply, and Regina glared her brown eyes at her. Bonnie felt her blood run cold despite the anger she felt inside. Bonnie had tons of words she wanted more than anything to say to Regina, but she was never one for confrontation, so she held herself back from saying a word. But just barely.

"Oh? Do ya wanna say something, you red-headed freakazoid?" Regina spat at Bonnie.

Before either Sophie or Bonnie could even think about responding, Regina grabbed both their bowls of oatmeal and dumped them onto the table. "Oops," she said, chuckling as she walked away. "My bad!"

Sophie sighed as she looked at the fresh mess on their table. She frowned, sadly. "Gosh, I'm so sorry, Bonnie. I...I think Regina wouldn't give you such a hard time if it wasn't for me. I'm really sorry about that."

Bonnie was silent as she cleaned up her breakfast. "It's...it's fine," she mumbled, eventually. "I was...I was almost done, anyway." Even if that wasn't entirely true, Bonnie could see that Sophie was feeling quite bad about the whole situation and she didn't want to make her feel any worse than she evidently already felt.

Both girls wordlessly cleaned their table and let the squishy napkins fall back onto their metal trays with loud sloppy sounds.

"Boy, sure I wish she'd direct her attention to somebody else," Sophie said, sadly. "I really wonder why she hates me so much? I didn't even do anything to her!"

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. "Well...like I said, Regina's never needed a reason to pick on anyone." Her eyes scanned the mess hall until they focused on a smallish girl with light brown hair and gray eyes who was sitting with two other Blue Wing children. "You see that kid over there between those two other boys?"

Sophie's eyes followed to where Bonnie was pointing. "Yeah?"

"Well, that girl...her name's Daisy. She's been my roommate since we all got here. She, Regina, and I were some of the first kids at the AAJD. And...Regina broke her arm two weeks in."

Sophie gasped. "What? But...but why?"

Bonnie shrugged again. "Why not? She just...wanted to. Regina convinced the orderlies that it was only an accident, that Daisy just fell...but we all knew Regina was the one who spilled the water on the floor and pushed Daisy so she slipped on it. And...and last month, Regina squirted some super glue from the art classroom into Luna Laskora's shoes." Bonnie took a deep breath before she could finish. "They...they had to peel the shoes off her, and her feet had such horrible blisters on them for almost a month. I...I think Luna just started being able to walk normally, again. And...we all..." Bonnie gulped. "We all hope Regina will get released soon, but...but she keeps getting delayed 'cause of bad behavior." Bonnie lowered her voice to almost an inaudible whisper. "I kinda think those psychologists aren't doing their jobs very well if they can't seem to get her out of here! When her parents come to visit her, she always comes back and is extra mean to anyone she can find. I heard her say that her dad thinks she's always gonna be crazy, and her Mom just cries about where they went wrong and how she's a hopeless case, especially 'cause of what she did."

"Do you...do you know why Regina got thrown into Arkham in the first place?" Sophie asked, curiously.

Bonnie shook her head so quickly in response, Sophie was surprised her glasses didn't fall off her face. "No."

"She did a lot of things," came a quiet reply.

Sophie and Bonnie looked up to see a dark-haired boy standing beside them, empty tray in hand. "She attacked some girl in our middle school. The girl had to go to the hospital 'cause Regina went crazy on her and scratched her up so badly with her nails. Then, some boy pissed her off and she stabbed him in the arm with a pencil," he continued. "He had to go to the hospital, too, 'cause she stuck the pencil so far into his arm. Some of the teachers and like, half the school were scared of her. She threatened two of the teachers and said she was gonna slash their brakes on their cars and put rat poison into one of the teacher's kids' lunches."

The boy, who Bonnie now remembered as being called Ruffeo was now speaking loudly and matter-of-factly as if he had no worry at all of being overheard, almost as if he were a teacher himself, educating his two pupils of something important.

Bonnie's huge brown eyes grew wide before she spoke. "And...d-did she do it?"

Ruffeo shook his head, and Sophie noticed the corners of his mouth start to twitch. "No. But, whether she was going to or not, she was taken away anyway 'cause they actually found a box of rat poison in her backpack."

Sophie narrowed her eyes, suspiciously. "How'd even she get it?"

Ruffeo suddenly broke into a full-on smirk. "One of the reasons why I'm in here, too. I sold it to her after I used it to try and poison my annoying little brother." He scoffed. "I mean, geez. I wasn't trying to kill him or nothing. I just wanted to make him sick, but..." he shrugged his shoulders. "They caught me with it and sent me straight here."

Sophie nodded her head, almost in awe, while Bonnie's eyes grew so wide it was a surprise they didn't pop out of her head. Ruffeo left them then, all while having a laughing fit as he thought about the idea of his kid brother choking on poison.

"Geez, I guess Regina really is kinda crazy, huh?" Sophie gulped to Bonnie the moment Ruffeo disappeared. "I should probably watch my back even more. I've dealt with some pretty crazy people in Gotham, but I can't let somebody like her take me out just 'cause she's pissed about some stupid sh-"

"She's been here one of the longest," Bonnie suddenly interrupted. "Like me and Daisy. And...and if you're lucky, they'll release her soon, then she'll be out of your hair." Bonnie stopped. "But...but she'll probably be brought back, anyway, even if she does get out."

Sophie had a feeling Bonnie was right, and, after hearing how ruthless Regina could actually be, she wasn't sure Regina would ever leave her alone since she seemed to make it her goal to pick on her for no good reason. Sophie felt like she was trapped. She was trapped alone in Arkham...in Regina's world. She was trapped without Harley, her main form of comfort and strength. Sophie suddenly wondered if Regina would eventually try to dispose of her, seeing as Sophie had no idea what Regina's endgame was. At least, Sophie could wish Regina would be released before Harley and Ivy broke her out and she would be saved from the torture of whatever Regina wanted to do.

Suddenly, a strange thought came to Sophie's mind. She almost stopped herself from asking, but in the end, she couldn't help it. She slowly tapped her fingers on the table before she spoke. "So, uh...why do you think you're not being released, yet, Bonnie?"

To Sophie's surprise, Bonnie shrugged her shoulders, almost as if she didn't seem to mind Sophie's question. "I dunno. Probably 'cause Dr. Chang can't analyze me like she wants to...'cause I don't lay on the couch and cry about my poor miserable life and how happy and grateful I am to be here like all the rest of the kids do."

Sophie could hear the sarcasm dripping from Bonnie's words, and she scoffed, sympathetically. "Oh, well, I know that. I also wouldn't tell Dr. Martinez anything." She broke into a huge grin and giggled, slightly. "She even had to run and grab Dr. Leland from the main building to get me talking." Sophie paused and rolled her eyes. "Dr. Leland seems great, and I don't...mind talking to her, I guess. But...but she told me I had to talk to Dr. Martinez, too...even if Dr. Leland is the only doctor I like around here."

Bonnie shrugged again. "Well, I don't like any of 'em. If the only reason why I'm not getting released is just 'cause I don't wanna spill my guts to Dr. Chang, then it's their loss and they can keep giving me room and board as long as they want!"

Sophie suddenly started giggling, loudly. "Boy, I bet you just wanna burn this whole place to the ground, don'tcha?"

Bonnie stared at her, dumbfounded.

"I mean," Sophie continued, smartly lowering her voice. "Isn't...isn't that what you do?"

Briiiiiiiiiiing!

The loud ringing of the overhead bell startled both girls and Bonnie was relieved that they wouldn't be able to finish their conversation at the time. Her head was already spinning from the information she had been told by Regina's ex-classmate and from constantly having to keep up a conversation with Sophie, who always seemed to have many different thoughts on many different topics at once. Although, the more they spoke, the more Bonnie actually found herself not minding Sophie's incessant chatter, and she concluded that it wasn't as grating as she had previously thought it to be.

"Rec-yard time!" came the shrill voice of one of the orderlies. "Make your way out to the yard - no pushing or shoving!"

They began walking together side-by-side without any protest coming from the firey-haired felon that they had somehow "buddied up" for the first time. Instead, Bonnie felt happy...or a feeling as close to "happy" as Bonnie could get to be walking next to her new acquaintance. As they cleaned their trays and followed the sea of blue and pink bodies that swirled around them, Bonnie's mind began wandering. Again, much to her surprise, she actually had a few topics she could have spoken about with Sophie, almost as if they were friends having a conversation at a sleepover. It was a feeling that gave Bonnie a bit of a scare. Bonnie had never been one to make conversation first with anybody. She'd avoided it at all costs for as long as she could remember, as she preferred the companionship of herself and no one else. But, for some strange reason, she felt a slight bit more open in Sophie's presence, and even if she was appalled at herself, she didn't mind too much at these strange new welcoming feelings about having a friend-like figure. "I guess I've never had the chance to actually have a friend, anyway," Bonnie thought to herself. "Is this what it feels like to have one?"

Once they both had almost reached the door, Sophie suddenly jolted forward as if someone had shoved her, hard. As she unwillingly stumbled and fell, Sophie's knee collided with the corner of the door frame with a deafening bang. Gasping in pain and clutching her leg, she noticed a bit of blood seep through her light pink pants exactly where her knee had met the door. Glancing up, she saw Regina and a tall, brown-eyed, blonde-haired girl snicker as they slapped a high-five.

"Have a nice trip," the blonde said.

"See ya next fall!" Regina added as she stomped down on the top of Sophie's non-injured foot, causing her to cry out in pain once more as Regina twisted her foot harder.

Regina and her goon didn't stop their cruel snickers as they walked away. Sophie could hear them continue to mock her as they went outside, and she felt her throat tighten. Without a second thought, Bonnie reached down and helped Sophie up from her place on the ground as the other children rushed past them without a single glance in their direction. Sophie quickly wiped the tears of pain and desperation that had accidentally seeped out of her sad, dark blue eyes.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked, quietly. Even if she knew Regina and her friend were nowhere in sight, the fear that Regina would come back and give Bonnie a taste of whatever she could do, next, was enough to keep her voice in a panicked whisper.

Sophie shook her head as she angrily looked down at her bloodied knee and felt the throbbing pain of her other foot. "No, I'm not okay!" she gasped, sniffling. "Oh, if Harley doesn't get me outta here soon, I really am gonna go crazy!"

Finally able to walk out together, the girls saw Regina and her blonde minion make fake crying noises and dramatically rub their eyes. They pointed at Sophie, then burst into loud, jeering laughter.

Bonnie shook her head, too, but was sure to not be too obvious in case anyone noticed. "Don't worry about them," she mumbled as comfortingly as she could. "They're jerks. That girl with Regina? Her name's Kemper...er...Lily, I think. And she's already been to the Black Wing three times. One time it was 'cause she told Dr. Martinez she was gonna break a glass and use it to cut anyone who tried to write stuff down about her."

Sophie smiled a little, sniffing again. "Ok, well. That is kinda funny."

Bonnie, who never smiled, didn't. She shrugged. "Either way, Lily's just one of Regina's annoying little minions. Regina's friends always rotate because they get released faster than Regina does, but Lily's been here for like a month and Regina keeps her around like a puppy. You're lucky it's only Regina who's terrorizing you, and she hasn't sent Lily after you, too. But..." Bonnie paused. "Regina seems to enjoy doing the dirty work herself. Lily's just her goofy little sidekick along for the ride doing whatever Regina tells her to do."

Both girls were relieved when they finally reached their tree in the corner of the yard, and they sat down near each other, relishing in the thought of being able to speak together without any interruptions in their quiet corner of peace.

Sophie sighed, loudly. For some reason, hearing Bonnie describe Lily's "goofy sidekick-ness" to her gave her memories of Harley as the Joker's sidekick, and herself as Harley's, which only grew her heartache, more. As tears welled again in her eyes, she wiped them before speaking. "Well, then, I guess it's only a matter of time before Lily starts unnecessarily hating me like Regina does unless Harley can get me out of here, first!"

Bonnie blinked and stared at Sophie. "But...but...you're...you're just gonna wait for Harley to try to get you out?"

Sophie took in a deep breath. "Well...well yeah. I mean, what else can I do? I just have to bide my time 'til she and Ivy break-in, here." She traced the bark of the tree with her finger. "And while I have to wait... even if I don't want to...if I have to talk to Dr. Martinez and Dr. Leland, I will...at least to make Dr. Fluffay happy so he'll leave me alone, too. He seems to enjoy torturing just as much as Regina does. The fewer people in here that are trying to mess me up, the better!" Sophie balled her fists up and felt her cheeks flush as she gritted her teeth together. "Y'know what? If it wasn't for those stupid Ying Yang Twins screwing up our heist in Metropolis, me, Harley, and Ivy never woulda gotten caught and we wouldn't even be in here in the first place!" Sophie banged on the ground with her balled-up fists. "We were having the best time with Ivy ever since we split from the Joker, but...but they ruined it!"

Bonnie blinked, hard. It was easy to tell that the root of Sophie's hatred wasn't just in do-gooders and law-abiders as she had previously assumed. Sophie seemed to also have a deep-seated hatred for the two people who were the cause of her entrapment in the AAJD. Bonnie could definitely relate, even if on a different level. On the other hand, she couldn't help but feel curious at Sophie's statement of how much of a good time she and Harley Quinn had after "splitting" from the Joker. Bonnie couldn't imagine anyone splitting from the Joker and living to tell about it, seeing as she was certain he wouldn't let his two blonde "jesters" get away without a scratch.

Sophie noticed Bonnie's look of deep thought after her statement, and she scoffed, knowing what she must have been thinking. "Eh...when I say split, I mean...when he...when Mister Joker kicked us out."

Bonnie's mouth dropped open upon hearing those words. Sophie's ending explanation sounded more accurate than what Bonnie's imagination envisioned...that of Sophie and Harley loudly telling the Joker to go do "something" to himself as they gleefully cartwheeled away to freedom. Either way, the fact remained that the Joker must, at least how Bonnie saw it, not think very highly of either one of his tow-headed henchgirls if he could just so easily toss them out like an old pair of holey socks. Bonnie had read about the things Harley and Sophie had done, and to her, they didn't seem like two people who were so easily dispensible. "But, then again," she thought to herself. "You're no professional like the Joker is. So what the heck do you know about it?"

"Yeah," Sophie continued sheepishly, biting her lip as she noticed Bonnie's constant state of shock and confusion at her story. "He...he said we were the worst henchgirls ever. He said we were terrible and useless and told us to amscray. Then he found those two dummies. I just..." Sophie's voice trailed off. "I just...hate his new girls so much, I wish I could shove one of my Apple Bombs down their stupid little throats and watch them explode all over the place!"

Bonnie flinched as she saw the anger in Sophie's eyes.

Sophie crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "I wish Mister Joker coulda seen what he's missing when he kicked us out...but...but he's too busy with those idiots to even think about us, anymore!" Sophie continued to rant, her voice dripping with sarcasm on every other word, which caused her cheeks to turn a slightly darker shade of pink. Bonnie, who was too shocked for words, just listened, intently. Sophie calmed herself a bit. "I know it makes Harley really sad that he said those things about her...and he's the only one that can say that stuff about her. She just loves him so much, even despite that. Y'know what he kept saying? He kept saying we messed everything up for him, but that's a lie!" Sophie thought a moment as her eyebrows furrowed. "Well, okay. So...maybe sometimes I was a little clumsy, and maybe Harley was a little careless, but...but we did so much crap for him, we stole so much money for him, and he never even said thank you for it! Do y'know how many times we almost got ourselves killed for that clown?"

As Sophie stopped and stared at Bonnie, Bonnie still wasn't able to speak, even if Sophie had intentionally paused just for allowing her to. Truthfully, Bonnie didn't know how many times Sophie and Harley had almost gotten themselves killed, but the fact the Joker never thanked them was something she wasn't surprised at in the slightest. She didn't see the Joker as someone who would give out thanks and praise very often.

Sophie didn't hesitate at all when Bonnie didn't speak, as by now, she was used to it. She simply continued ranting. "If Harley would get me outta here today, I'd hunt the Ying Yang Twins down myself and give them a taste of their own medicine!" Sophie mumbled through gritted teeth.

Bonnie took in a deep breath. She knew to say anything against Sophie's fantasy of Harley Quinn breaking into the AAJD was risky since Sophie was firmly set on that idea. It seemed to be the only thing Sophie was living for, was the hope and idea that Harley would come through for her. Because of that, Bonnie tried to hold her tongue about having an opinion on it.

"I wouldn't count on it," came Bonnie's quiet, response. The moment the words escaped her mouth, Bonnie's eyes grew wide with horror. She hadn't realized she had spoken her inner thoughts out loud and she immediately gulped loudly.

Sophie narrowed her eyes. "You keep saying that, but...you don't know my friend like I do."

Bonnie swallowed, nervously. "W-well, maybe not, but, I...I still can't believe somebody like you...Sweetie Pie, is happy just to sit around and wait."

Bonnie had simply stated a fact, and she had no intention of insulting Sophie at all.

Unfortunately, Sophie didn't see it that way, and for a moment, a slight flash of anger shone through her eyes. "I'm not just waiting!" she shrieked, angrily, even if that was exactly what she was doing. "I...I just can't do anything else when I'm alone!" She was on high defense at that time. She gulped. "I just...I need Harley, that's all! I'm a...I'm a team player...I'm...I'm not a solo artist!"

Bonnie flinched again under Sophie's screeching voice, and she wasn't sure, but she was almost certain she saw a few tears form in Sophie's eyes as she bellowed.

Sophie regained her composure just as quickly as she had lost it, and she lowered her voice, much to Bonnie's relief. "I'm not a solo artist," she repeated, calmly. "I'm not like you, okay?" she said, almost in a whisper. "I-I know you work alone, but not me." Sophie sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "It's like I told ya before, Harley's part of my team and I...I need her! I...I can't do anything without her." She wiped her eyes quickly before she could finish. "Trust me, some of the only times I did anything big on my own was just pure dumb luck. I just...I just wanted to show Harley and Mister Joker that I was worthy of being in his gang and that I could be useful, so I just robbed a few places and got some money for them. And then...and then Thurston's was something I planned for months just so I could get some cash and get back to Gotham and see Harley." She took a deep breath. "So, ya see? Everything about me being Sweetie Pie was because of Harley." Sophie bit her lip and felt embarrassed as she tried to hide the tears she had in her eyes. "That's why I need her. She gives me strength and makes me Sweetie Pie." Sophie managed to smile, a little. "So, I know you can do stuff on your own when you're..." her voice trailed off. "The Ringmaster," she whispered. "But Sweetie Pie doesn't work alone." She took a deep breath and surprised her tears as she smiled a half-smile. "She always needs her partner."

Bonnie tried her best to understand Sophie's reasoning, but try as she might, she just couldn't wrap her head around it. Although before she was able to say a cautious word, a sudden cloud of dust suddenly surrounded them like a tiny, dusty tornado.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is," said a snarling voice from behind the dust.

Both Bonnie and Sophie coughed as they inhaled the dust into their lungs. They wiped their dry eyes and managed to look up, blinking a few times. They saw two figures outlined by the bright sun that was around them, making the figures look like lying halos of angels. Although, the two people standing in the light were far from angels.

"Loser one made friends with Loser Two! How sweet!" Lily sniggered, kicking a bit more dirt towards Bonnie and Sophie's faces.

Out of instinct, both girls stood up quickly, hoping not to get any more dirt in their eyes. Their sudden movement caused Regina to grab Sophie by the collar of her pink suit in order not to let it go.

"What's the matter, little Sweetie Pie?" Regina mocked, grabbing Sophie's face with her free hand. "Are you scared?"

Still gripping her face, Regina turned to Lily with a loud snicker as Sophie gasped under her hold. "I scared this crybaby good yesterday when I told her I was gonna slice all her hair off!"

Lily grinned and made a menacing move towards Bonnie, but Bonnie retracted back a little, nervously glancing at Regina as she still held onto Sophie. Bonnie hated that her new acquaintance was being made a target yet again, but she knew there was nothing she could do. Watching the other kids who had come under Regina's eye made Bonnie know better than to try anything funny, but she still didn't like how Regina was treating Sophie.

"You shoulda done it," Lily quipped, quickly grabbing one of Sophie's tiny pigtails and yanking it as hard as she could.

At that moment, memories from the night of her kidnapping came flooding back to her as she was reminded how one of the goons had also tugged at her hair in the same way. Sophie gasped and caught a glimpse of Bonnie standing behind them, a bit of fear in her own eyes that was mixed with anger. Sophie glared into Regina's eyes, but, unfortunately, Regina wasn't having any of it.

Regina tightened her grip once she noticed Sophie's sudden change in demeanor. "Oh, do you think you're gonna do something to me, kid?" she chuckled. "You pathetic little nobody?"

Regina loosened her grip on Sophie's collar and shoved her back against the chain-length fence. Regina was smart and had made sure the tree shielded them from the watchful eyes of the guards, hiding the bullying abuse of the two smallish girls in the corner. In a flash, Regina grabbed Sophie's throat and shoved her against the fence a second time, much harder. "If you ever so much as look at me in a bad way again or get any crazy ideas like trying to fight back, I'll rip your throat out! Ya got that?" Regina hissed, tightening her grip around Sophie's neck.

Sophie struggled to breathe as Regina tightened her hold. Sophie suddenly felt a rush of desperate fear as she was being choked, and before she could stop herself, she let out a quiet whimper as tears started streaming down her cheeks.

Upon seeing that, both Regina and Lily burst into loud, jeering laughter. So loud, that Regina couldn't help but release Sophie, who, in turn, crumpled to her knees in fresh tears.

"Ugh, you really are pathetic!" Regina cried, giving Sophie a good, hard kick in her ribcage, making sure her heel made an impact first. "They shoulda called you Crybaby Pie instead!"

For good measure, Regina grabbed Bonnie's arm and threw her into the tree, causing her to gasp in pain as she collided with it. She fell to the ground beside the now-embarrassingly-crying Sophie, who was clutching her throbbing side where Regina had kicked.

Regina shook her head and shoved Bonnie onto the ground. "Hey, Hatch. You're better off going back to being the loner loser you used to be before she got here!"

Lily and Regina slapped a high five and gleefully scampered off, taking backward glances at Sophie, who was still crying as she sat on her knees and at Bonnie laying on the ground.

"The Loser Twins," they heard Regina jeer, causing Lily to burst into laughter.

Sophie sniffed and wiped her eyes, smudging a bit of the dirt Lily had thrown at them onto her pink, tear-stained cheeks as she managed to fully sit down cross-legged. "A-are you okay?" she stammered quietly, guiltily looking at Bonnie, who had managed to sit up as well and sat beside Sophie in the same way.

Bonnie shrugged and rubbed her throbbing side where she had made an impact on the tree. "Yeah," she replied, quietly." She paused, slowly shrugging her shoulders. "It...it coulda been worse."

"I..." Sophie gulped, wiping her eyes again. "I really am sorry Regina keeps picking on you, too." She sighed. "I think she's gonna come after anyone I talk to, huh?" Sophie sniffed. "So... i-if you want me to stop talking to you, so she'll leave you alone, I get it. I can just-"

"No!" Bonnie interrupted, startling both herself and Sophie with the loud tone her voice produced. She felt herself blush as well, and she nervously cleared her throat. "No. You...you don't have to stop talking to me."

Sophie managed to smile another half-smile, which quickly turned into a grin. "Okay."

Sophie was relieved that Bonnie hadn't sent her away despite Regina constantly coming after her, as well. Sophie did feel horrible that Bonnie seemed to be getting some of Regina's torments, too, and she only hoped Regina would eventually tire of bullying them. Or, at least until Harley broke down the walls and she could get away from it all, thus allowing Bonnie to hopefully get back to her normal routine of getting to be ignored by everyone.

Bonnie took a deep breath as she noticed the fresh red marks forming on Sophie's neck where Regina had grabbed and half-choked her. "Are...are you okay?" she asked, honestly concerned. Her voice was a whisper, and Sophie strained to hear her.

Now it was Sophie's turn to shrug her shoulders, but she let out a tiny giggle, much to Bonnie's surprise. "Yeah. I mean, that wasn't the first time I've been strangled like that, anyway. When Scarecrow's guys kidnapped me, they-" Sophie stopped suddenly, and her eyes grew wide. The story almost came out so easily, it startled even herself that she just spoke about it so openly.

Bonnie's eyes grew wide, too, and she stared at Sophie, curiously.

Sophie could tell Bonnie was itching to know the end of her thought, and something made her continue, even if it was difficult to talk about. Sophie swallowed. "Wh-when Scarecrow's guys...kidnapped me," she continued, quietly. "I thought they were gonna kill me and Harley when they tried to strangle us. It...it felt almost the same as what Regina just did to me...although, she wasn't nearly as strong as his guys were, that's for sure."

Bonnie's eyes remained as wide as saucers. "S-scarecrow kidnapped you?" she squeaked, her voice now in a louder whisper.

Sophie bit her lip, nervously. "Y-yeah," she mumbled, staring at the ground. "He did. Or, well...his goons did." She looked up, and Bonnie saw a tiny, sliver of fear in her eyes.

"Why?" came the breathless, curious question from the redhead.

"W-well," Sophie began, shakily. "He...He got super pissed at Harley for making jokes about him, so...so he wanted to teach her a lesson. He planned to kill me. I...I think." She gulped, her hand drifting back to her throbbing throat. "And well, his guys really roughed us up a bit before they took me. I'll never forget how much that hurt. I think Scarecrow woulda been pissed if they really had strangled us to death, but it still felt like they were going to! " She managed a small smile as her hand reached up to her neck. "Regina and Lily have nothing on them, that's for sure." Her smile faded as the memories grew more vivid. "Me and Harley...we...we tried to fight back, but it was us against a ton of them, so there wasn't much we could do."

"Th-then what happened?" Bonnie stammered.

Sophie gulped. "Then they...they took me back to Scarecrow's lab, and he did some horrible, horrible tests on me for almost a month."

Bonnie's eyes about popped out of her sockets. "He did?"

Sophie shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Yeah. He...he stuck me with so many needles and did so many tests on me. It...it was the worst feeling ever."

Bonnie gasped as Sophie lifted her long sleeves and showed the scars all over her arms. True, the scars were slowly fading, but Bonnie could see just how many pricks Scarecrow had made, and it made her stomach churn just thinking about it. Like any well-educated street-smart Gothamite, she was quite aware of what Gotham's criminals like Scarecrowwere capable of doing, too, and to be sitting next to one of his surviving "victims" was eerie enough as it was, but to see the aftermath of the crazed scarecrow was something entirely different in itself. Bonnie was speechless as she stared from the scars to the sapphire blue-eyed girl in front of her.

"It was...it was pretty scary," Sophie admitted, seeing the petrified look on Bonnie's face as her mouth seemed to be cemented in a horrified gape. "One of the scariest things in my whole life, actually." Sophie took in a deep, calming breath. "He woulda killed me if he had the chance, I'm sure of it. He almost did. But...everything was alright, in the end, 'cause Harley found me and saved me." Bonnie noticed Sophie's eyes were now sparkling almost with joy as she remembered. "That's how I know Harley's gonna come for me, 'cause that's just what she does." Sophie suddenly burst into a bright, happy, dimpled grin. "No matter how long I have to wait, I know she's gonna come, just like last time! You just wait and see!"

Bonnie closed her mouth as she contemplated what Sophie said. Bonnie now knew why Sophie was so set on the idea that Harley would come to her rescue...simply because she had done so previously. Sophie had trust in Harley that Bonnie herself, unfortunately, didn't have for anyone, so she couldn't really "get" it. Even still, Bonnie figured a person like Sophie would keep this idea in her head. It seemed that Harley Quinn was the only person Sophie truly trusted. Bonnie could tell it was why Sophie was so convinced it was only a matter of time before her knight in shining armor...or her guardian in black and red, rather, would storm the castle walls and save her. Bonnie couldn't ever understand why, because she never counted on anyone. On top of that, after hearing what Scarecrow had done to her made Bonnie realize that Sophie had to be stronger than she came across. Bonnie simply figured, just like Sophie had said before, that as Sweetie Pie was missing her counter-part, perhaps that was why she was so meek in the AAJD...because Sophie knew...or thought she knew she couldn't be anything without her partner, Harley Quinn.

Sophie sighed. "Y'know what sucks the most, though?" She didn't wait for Bonnie's answer that she figured wouldn't come, anyway. "It's the waiting. It reminds me of when I lived in the orphanage. Just waiting to be adopted." She scoffed. "That sure was a bust."

"Orphanages," Bonnie bitterly thought to herself. Boy, did she truly understand the resentment in Sophie's voice. Before she could stop herself, she found herself mumbling a response. "Yeah, I know. I was in one, too. Orphanages really suck."

Sophie suddenly brightened, and she gasped. "Oh! You were in an orphanage, too? Which one?" Sophie was suddenly very curious about her "friend" whom she realized she knew next to nothing about. She noticed Bonnie's jaw tighten, and, not wanting to scare her, she swiftly continued. "Well, I was in Little Gotham's Home for Girls down in the Southside." Sophie noticed Bonnie's breathing go back to normal and she sighed with relief. "I...I was there since I was four after my dumb Mom split." She rolled her eyes. "I kept getting adopted and dumped back again for years, so I just ran away when I was nine."

Bonnie couldn't believe Sophie had also been in an orphanage as well, and listening to Sophie's story made her interest grow. Sure, she knew Sophie obviously wasn't a direct...product of the Joker and Harley, but she now had a seed of curiosity planted inside of her about just how Sophie came to be with the Joker and Harley Quinn in the first place, especially if she had also been a Gotham orphan. Bonnie wasn't entirely certain, but she was pretty sure the Joker wasn't one to go out and adopt random orphans out of the goodness of his heart.

"I don't even remember how many times I got adopted, even if it never stuck," Sophie added with a sigh. After a few seconds, she bit her lip nervously before she continued. "Hey, Bonnie...were you ever adop-"

"Yeah." Came the stiff, interrupted reply. Bonnie softened a bit before speaking again when she realized she might have sounded a bit rude. "Her...her name was Beatrice Hatch."

"Was?" Sophie asked, her voice squeaking.

Bonnie nodded, then took in a deep, steady breath. "She...she died in a fire."

Sophie's eyes grew as she registered what it meant. "Oh." She swallowed, hard, and had a slight bit of nervousness as she asked the next question. "D-did...you start it?"

Bonnie was taken aback by the straightforward, yet honest question from her blonde neighbor, and for a moment, Sophie bit her lip and had to catch herself from not immediately bursting into panicked tears. She wondered if she hadn't gone a step too far with asking such a personal and possibly insulting question to a girl Sophie could easily tell wasn't one to just go blabbing their life stories to their peers. By that time, Bonnie knew that Sophie's questions were only natural - after all, Bonnie hadn't really told her anything about her past life, so she wasn't angry with Sophie's questions or possible assumptions about that night.

"I-I mean," Sophie continued, quickly. "I just asked 'cause you're..." she bit her lip. "'Cause you're...y-you know."

Bonnie completely understood why Sophie would automatically assume Bonnie had done the "worst." She herself would have probably assumed the same thing, all things considering. "N-no one knows how the fire started," Bonnie mumbled, truthfully. "But, she's gone, due to...due to circumstances beyond my control." Bonnie felt her mouth go dry as she finished out her sentence. "When she...when she attacked me...I...I didn't have a choice."

Speaking about Beatrice was something Bonnie didn't enjoy, and luckily, Sophie seemed to get it. Bonnie wasn't being unkind or harsh with her tone, she simply never spoke about that part of her life with anyone, so she knew Sophie better not be expecting some sort of all-out therapy session right then and here from her because she certainly wasn't going to give it. To her surprise, Sophie didn't question Bonnie's vagueness, and Bonnie suddenly very much appreciated it.

"She sounds like a real piece of work." Sophie smiled, sympathetically. "I probably woulda killed her, too...and I woulda enjoyed it!"

Bonnie wanted to protest that first of all, she didn't kill Beatrice on purpose, it was just something that happened, and, unlike the Joker's gang members, wasn't one to just kill for kicks, but Sophie was too fast for her mouth to say a word.

"If it makes ya feel any better," Sophie said, smiling a little. "My real Mom was no picnic, either. After all the crap she put me through even in just four years was more than enough for one lifetime."

Bonnie saw a bit of sadness creep into Sophie's normally bright eyes the more she spoke about her mother.

"Y'know, I think she woulda sold me to the circus if she coulda gotten money for me." Sophie scoffed, wiping her eyes, quickly. "Actually, she probably woulda sold me even if she didn't. I guess that's why it was easier for her to just throw me into the orphanage and dash way. I got adopted and returned so many times, some of the other girls started calling me FedEx." She looked at Bonnie, and Bonnie could definitely see the sadness in her eyes, then. "They were right. I was just like a package that nobody wanted. A Return-to-Sender. But, then." She suddenly brightened as if a light had been shown behind her eyes. "Once I...accidentally met the Joker and Harley, she gave me a home. I was like the package that was finally delivered to the right address."

Bonnie couldn't shake the broken look in Sophie's eyes when she was talking about her own mother. It made Bonnie realize that Sophie didn't have a good childhood either, and she began to feel a slight bond with her simply because of that. They were obviously both damaged young children and possibly equally damaged preteens, too. Seeing the look in Sophie's eyes when she spoke about Harley, too, gave Bonnie a better understanding of their bond, as well, and she finally got it. Even if Bonnie had never had such a "motherly" figure in her life, she concluded that the reason Sophie must have felt so devastated and lost without Harley Quinn was because of her own mother's abandonment and knowing she didn't have anyone left in the world. To Sophie, Harley was the only "mother-like-figure" she'd ever had, and Bonnie could sympathize with that, even if she didn't know what it felt like.

Bonnie was especially relieved that Sophie didn't question anything she had said about Beatrice, her "mother." That was a subject she didn't enjoy talking about at all. Bonnie welcomed any change of conversation where she wasn't the main point of it, so she inquired about Sophie's background a little more. "Where...where is your Mom, now?" she asked, softly.

Sophie smiled a little wider. "Well...she's gone, too. Dead as a doornail, apparently." Sophie rolled her eyes. "I kinda wish I coulda popped her off myself, but somebody else beat me to it!"

Bonnie watched Sophie burst into giggles.

"At least I did get to knock off my two adoptive parents who thought they'd found their perfect daughter," Sophie continued. "They adopted me after..." Sophie gulped back tears as she remembered that memory. "After I had to leave the Joker and Harley for a while." She inhaled, then grinned. "But, causing that accident sure was fun! I made sure nobody would ever find the Thurstons again!" Sophie giggled. "That was one of my proudest solo moments, I gotta say! I got rid of the Thurstons and that boat captain and his wife." She began giggling again. "They never knew what hit 'em after I planted my trusty Apple Bombs on the boat!" Bonnie saw the childish grin suddenly turn evil. "Those crocodiles probably ate well that night, 'cause I heard there was nothing left of any of them."

Bonnie didn't flinch this time after hearing about her murderous adventures, even as she noticed Sophie's giggling intensify as she recounted the incident. Hearing that Sophie killed her two parents, as well as a few other people, didn't shock Bonnie in the slightest...not after knowing what the Joker and Harley Quinn were known for. She figured under their influence, Sophie was capable of the same, so to Bonnie, getting rid of four people seemed like child's play, and she wondered if the Joker even batted an eye upon hearing what Sophie had done. "Maybe he told her she could have killed more people," Bonnie thought to herself. "Maybe he wasn't even impressed that Sophie had done what she had. Maybe he was disappointed that she hadn't killed a whole boat of people!" Bonnie erased that thought from her head. She wasn't exactly the most confident person, so she quickly changed her thinking. Since she worked alone, she didn't have to answer to anyone. The only influence she had was her own - the things she had done while she was the Ringmaster were her own doings, and she didn't have a "boss" to answer to - just herself. If she felt like she didn't "do" something to the best of her ability, the only person who would feel bad about it would be herself.

Sophie suddenly took in a deep breath and stared at Bonnie, wide-eyed. "Um..." she began, uncharacteristically quietly. "So...so you really work alone, B?"

Bonnie bit her lip, nervously. Now she could tell Sophie was a bit more curious about her, and she was a slight bit on edge as she was used to. Although, Bonnie decided that she truly, honestly liked Sophie, which surprised her. She didn't even mind the new "nickname" Sophie had just given her. Even still, Bonnie was a bit cautious in her replies, but, she wasn't too opposed to answering her companion. "Yeah. I...I do."

Sophie hugged her knees to her chest. "Wow," she breathed, almost as if she were speaking to herself. "So you mean...you really don't have a partner at all? Like...ever?"

Bonnie was silent in confusion, as that was exactly what it meant to work alone, but before she could answer, Sophie went on.

"I've worked alone sometimes," Sophie mumbled, again, almost as if she were trying to make herself feel better. "But, I absolutely couldn't do it all the time." She laughed, sheepishly, and made awkward eye contact, almost embarrassingly with Bonnie. "I just...I just get scared kinda easily, so if I would have to work alone the whole time, I doubt I'd get many things done. I love having somebody to watch my back for me! You always know you can rely on them to help you in case you get into some trouble. I can't...I can't imagine not having somebody with me."

Bonnie really couldn't understand this, as she absolutely preferred working alone and couldn't imagine having to worry about anyone else. She was just so used to relying on no one but herself that she didn't feel the need to want anyone else with her. Both girls were in shock at the other's working situation, but even if they didn't understand it, they could respect it.

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders after awhile. "I guess...what works for one person doesn't have to work for another. I...I like working alone and I couldn't ever imagine working with someone else."

Sophie giggled. "Well, but look at it this way. If you did have a partner, they could distract Batman so he wouldn't try and stop you!"

Upon hearing his name, Bonnie gritted her teeth. "I prefer not to even see him," she said, her teeth tight. "He's too high and righteous to even care about me. He sure didn't help me when I needed it."

Sophie gasped. "You needed help and he didn't help you?" Her voice was a loud squeak, and Bonnie's ears rang a little.

Bonnie shook her head to stop the ringing. "No," she said flatly. "He didn't come when it was clear that somebody needed help. He's just like the rest of the people in Gotham. This city's just as bad as the man the admire so highly. Batman tries to save this city, but he can't." Bonnie sighed. "Gotham can't be saved. There are too many corrupt people around here."

From her current demeanor, Sophie could sense that Bonnie hated Batman almost as much as she did. Possibly even more. "Yeah. He's a nuisance, that's for sure. Y'know, if he'd just take an extended vacation, then we could all have fun without him getting in the way." She giggled. "Then again, even if he did get out of our hair, we still have Batgirl and Robin and Nightwing in his place." She rolled her eyes. "Of all the people to emulate, you'd think those guys would choose someone better! Like, the Joker or Harley, for example. Or Ivy! She's so cool, too! But, the good guys are so boring, don'tcha think?" Sophie didn't wait for Bonnie's response, she just shook her head. "Once Harley gets me outta here, I feel like robbing ten banks just 'cause I feel so... unaccomplished right now. What about you? I betcha you just wanna burn down everything once you get outta here too, right? I bet it's really fun, huh?" Sophie inhaled a breath so she could speak more. "I never really burn stuff myself, I just have my Apple Bombs, or sometimes my exploding gumballs, or sometimes my gumballs with the Joker Toxin I borrowed. But, I bet being a firestarter is pretty awesome, isn't it?"

Bonnie wasn't sure if Sophie was going to continue with her thought. She waited before she answered, and even then, she wasn't sure which part she was supposed to answer, first. In the end, Bonnie decided on answering the last of Sophie's points. "Yeah, I...I guess. Well...it's...it's thrilling for me."

That was exactly true for Bonnie - starting the fires gave her a rush. Finally, something gave her control over her life, seeing as Beatrice had controlled and abused her for years, and she'd been stuck in the orphanage for a spell, as well, having to listen to orders and directions from her superiors. When she was the Ringmaster, her escape from reality, Bonnie didn't have to care about anyone in Gotham anymore. Sure, she knew out of some bad luck, there had to have been some casualties caused by her fire-starting, but she wasn't like Sophie, Harley, or the Joker in that she didn't intentionally kill anyone. The idea of people dying because of her was just something that came with the territory, but she tried not to dwell too much on it.

Sophie grinned. "Yeah, I have so much fun when I'm out doing bad things, too. Watching things blow up when I throw some of my Apple Bombs is so awesome! And, Harley and I aways do such fun gymnastics tricks. I taught her to throw me like we did when I was in cheerleading, I can get over almost anything! And Mister Joker has his cool flowers filled with Joker toxin that is always so much fun to see!"

Bonnie knew very well what the Joker had, seeing as it was always all over the news. She recalled a semi-recent story on the Trio that she had seen on the television while she had been sitting alone in the orphanage. The Joker and the Girls had robbed an armored car and caused a wreck that backed up traffic in Gotham for hours. Bonnie remembered the look of the bodies in the stretchers as the camera panned the scene. Bonnie would never forget it. Each of the three men had huge, bulging eyes with massive, maniacal grins on their faces, which had turned blue from being forced to laugh until they couldn't breathe. Laughed themselves to death. Bonnie knew it was no laughing matter, but the giggle that escaped Sophie's lips told her that perhaps she just had a different sense of humor than her blonde friend.

"And," Sophie continued, after ceasing her laughter. "Ivy's got her crazy plants. Watching her control them is something I wish I could do!" Sophie's eyes glazed over. "Oh, if I could blow up our side of that stupid fence to get over to the main building, I would!" She angrily kicked the chain fence that they were sitting near. " I dunno why they have to keep us all apart from the older inmates!"

Bonnie scoffed a little. "They think they're protecting us or something. Just another thing Dr. F and the rest of them wanna control."

Sophie frowned. "Yeah, I know. Maybe I can convince Dr. Leland and Dr. Martinez that I'm sane enough to see Harley at some point."

Bonnie scoffed again, but not unkindly, it was simply at the ridiculousness of her statement. "I doubt that. Dr. F made it very clear, even from our first days that nobody was ever allowed to meet the other inmates. I guess they don't want us to have tea with Killer Croc anytime soon."

Sophie's eyes grew wide, and she suddenly burst into giggles. Bonnie didn't know what was so funny, but by that time, she knew it didn't take much to set Sophie off.

"I could imagine having tea with Killer Croc in the sewers! I bet that would be super gross, though. Hey!" Sophie's voice suddenly grew louder the more excited she got. Bonnie flinched at the sudden increase of volume. "Speaking of the sewers, did you hear about those kids a few years ago? I think they were called the Under-"

Briiiiiiiiiiiing!

The loudspeaker angrily interrupted.

"Pink Wing, lunchtime!" yelled an orderly. "Get a move on!"

"Oh!" Sophie cried, interrupting her thoughts as she stood up. "I'll wait a bit for them to call the Blue Wing, okay? I wanna walk with you."

Bonnie felt her cheeks redden. "Is she serious?" she thought to herself. "She really and truly wants to be in my company all the time?" Bonnie still couldn't fathom this foreign idea of having a...friend.

"I'm super hungry today, so I hope we have something good!" Sophie continued with a giggle.

Bonnie almost scoffed a third time but held it back. She suddenly wanted to reply with something witty almost automatically. She was oddly feeling a bit more talkative than she had ever felt before, and she attributed it to the fact that she found herself finally, honestly...enjoying talking to Sophie. Even if they had been discussing a few personal bits here and there which never made Bonnie comfortable, she didn't care. Then again, she noticed how easily Sophie had told her about her own messed up life, too, so Bonnie felt a bit better knowing she had found someone with a very similar story to her own. Almost. Sure, Sophie always spoke way more than necessary and had enough energy to fuel a nuclear power plant, but Bonnie felt a slight bit of a feeling she assumed was good, knowing that she had something of a friend. It made her feel very good, in fact.

"It's Tuesday. We'll have Mystery Meat for sure," Bonnie mumbled.

"Mystery Meat?" Sophie repeated, her eyes wide. "What's in it?"

"That's the mystery," replied Bonnie immediately. "Who the heck knows? It reminds me of a piece of dried shoe leather. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what it is."

Upon hearing the very idea of being fed...and eating dried shoe leather suddenly made Sophie burst into loud, shrieking giggles. "Could you imagine that?" she chortled. "Do you think they would really-"

Suddenly, without warning, Sophie gasped, mid-sentence. Regina had appeared in front of them, her fists clenched.

"And where do you think you're going, you bubble-headed-blonde bimbo?" Regina asked, gripping Sophie by the collar of her shirt.

"I...I..." Sophie began, thoroughly confused. "I'm going to lunch."

"Blue Wing, lunchtime!" came the loud, shrieking voice of the orderly.

By that time, a group of the other children had begun to gather near the tree. They were all so curious as to what as about to go down that none of them made any effort to go inside the building.

"I think I need to get in a few good hits on you before you can go anywhere, don't you?" Regina asked, throwing Sophie to the ground.

Sophie landed with a thump. She shook her head, and stared up at Regina, a teeny bit of bravery leaking into her heart. "Will you just lay off me already?" she asked, her voice shaking, but still laced with a smidgen of anger and a smidgen of strength.

Beside her, she heard Bonnie let out a small gasp that was luckily only heard by Sophie.

A few of the other children who were watching the scene also gasped, but much louder than Bonnie had done. Sophie saw Regina's eyes spark with rage, and she felt her stomach churn.

Regina wasted no time in yanking Sophie roughly off the ground and shoving her face against the tree. "You think you're so tough, do you?" she cried, making sure the other kids could hear her, too. "This kid is supposed to the dangerous, insane Sweetie Pie, huh? Gimme a break! Just look at her!"

Regina pushed Sophie's face into the tree with divine force and hatred in her grip. Sophie felt the rough bark roughly scratch her cheeks, and a few tears slipped from her eyes upon impact.

"You see?" Regina added, shoving Sophie's face harder with brute force. "She may work for the Joker, but look at how pathetic she is! If she's scared of me, the rest of you better open your eyes and see that! She's not the one you all should be scared of! It's me!" With that, Regina threw Sophie to the ground and kicked dirt into her face. "If you're so hungry, eat this!"

"Children!" the voice of an obviously perturbed orderly echoed out through the air. "What is going on here?"

In a flash, Sophie was on her feet. She wiped her dusty, swollen face and coughed. The orderly took one glance at Regina's huge smile and Sophie's scratched up face to know what as really going on and who was to blame for it.

"Foy, this is again non-tolerable behavior from you. Your TV privileges have been revoked for minor misconduct!" the orderly said, gruffly.

Regina's mouth dropped open. "But-"

"Unless anyone would like to speak up in your defense?" the orderly continued, looking directly at Sophie.

Glancing from the orderly to the open-mouthed Regina, Sophie had no idea what suddenly came over her. Maybe it was the sudden memory that Regina had given her of the first overly-tense situation she'd had with Harley and Scarecrow, she wasn't sure. But, before anything else happened, Sophie burst into laughter just like when Harley had cracked her joke in the heat of the moment. Sophie simply couldn't help herself with her laughter.

"Nope!" Sophie blurted out through giggles, and with that, she grabbed Bonnie's clammy hand and pulled her away towards the building, giggling just loudly enough for Regina to hear even as they rushed inside the building.

As the orderly angrily scolded Regina once more, Regina's furious gaze never left the back of Sophie as she dashed inside, her playful laughter bouncing off the walls.

Sophie hadn't noticed Regina's infuriated glare as she pulled Bonnie into the lunchroom, weaving in and out of excited whispers that came around them.

"Y-you're really gonna get it, Sophie," Bonnie whispered, nervously, as she and Sophie sat down a little while later - trays in hand. Regina had yet to come into the mess hall, and Bonnie had noticed.

Sophie shook her head and took a gulp from her cup of ice-cold water. "But, she started it," Sophie pointed out, using the plastic knife to try and cut a piece of her gray, mystery meat.

Bonnie was much too nervous to eat, and she felt beads of sweat form on her forehead. "B-but Regina's gonna be so pissed." She gulped. "You...you got her in trouble...again!"

Sophie put down the knife and fork, seeing as it was clear there was no way to cut the piece of gray rubber no matter how hard she tried. "I didn't do anything!"

Now, it was Bonnie's turn to shake her head. "She's not gonna see it that way. I...I think she's gonna-"

Bonnie never finished her sentence, as she cut herself off in a horrified gasp. Regina had materialized behind Sophie, her face twisted into an evil grin. She looked up and made eye contact with Dr. F and the rest of the orderlies, who were perched at their main table just far enough for them to see, but out of earshot. Regina smiled widely and gave a little wave to Dr. F before sitting down directly beside Sophie. She, too, took a gasp as she noticed her mortal enemy casually take a seat next to her. Sophie felt her heart race, wildly, but Regina, keeping her gaze firmly glued on Dr. F, patted Sophie's shoulder. Sophie flinched, and Bonnie gripped her plastic fork in her hand, tightly.

"Hi." Regina's one word was calm, cool, and collected, which only fueled the fear that Sophie and Bonnie shared. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Both Sophie and Bonnie gasped, loudly. A few kids from the table behind them could be heard letting out a gasp, as well.

"Wh-what?" Sophie stammered, breathlessly. "Y-you're sorry?"

Regina nodded. She picked up Sophie's plastic spoon off her tray and twirled it in her hands. "Oh, yeah. I'm really sorry!"

Sophie stared at Regina, utterly dumbfounded.

"I'm really sorry for you that you got me in trouble again," Regina continued, her voice slightly lowered.

Regina carefully slid the spoon under the table, away from the prying eyes of the adults in the vicinity. Sophie heard a snap - the sickening sound of the spoon breaking. In an instant, Regina put one hand around Sophie's trembling shoulder, and in the next moment, Sophie felt a sharp pain in her side. Gasping quietly and glancing down, she saw the dagger-like piece of broken plastic in Regina's hand as she pressed it into Sophie's side. The pointy end was sharp enough to penetrate even through their flimsy AAJD attire almost as if they end was sticking directly on her. Sophie gave a terrified glance at Bonnie, who immediately knew what was happening.

"You're gonna wish you never got yourself locked up in here, you useless excuse for a criminal," Regina hissed in Sophie's ear, pulling her close for a "hug" while jamming her makeshift shiv into Sophie's side, harder.

Sophie gasped out in pain, but Regina shushed her. "If you so much as squeak...either one of you-" she gave a warning glare at Bonnie, who was already pale with fright. "I'll cut out your heart right now without a second thought!"

The kids at the table behind them were transfixed on the scene before them. They knew Sophie's fear and unwillingness to fight back only proved that Regina was the most dangerous person in the AAJD without a doubt. After a few seconds, Regina let go of Sophie's shoulder and removed the tiny dagger from her throbbing ribcage.

"Just remember who you're dealing with, kid." Within a second, Regina lifted the side of Sophie's shirt and made a nice slit in Sophie's side where the dagger had previously been. The cut wasn't deep, but it was deep enough to draw a bit of blood and cause Sophie to gasp in shock and pain.

Regina dropped what was left of the spoon to the ground under the table and stood up, smiling at Dr. Fluffay, who hadn't noticed a thing. "So, now that we're friends," she said loudly, this time, enough for more tables to hear as well as the adults. "Let's shake on it, huh?"

Sophie had clutched her side as a few drops of blood seeped onto her hand, but she didn't move to return the gesture.

"Now now, Miss Quinzel," Dr. Fluffay finally said loudly, causing the room to fall silent and watch Regina's every movement. "Miss Foy made a nice effort to befriend you, despite all your previous qualms with each other. Isn't that nice of her?"

Sophie said nothing, she just removed her hand from her side and wiped it with a napkin. She placed the red-stained article onto her tray.

Regina's outstretched hand remained in the air. "Aw, c'mon! I bet even your sorry excuse for a partner would shake my hand...even if she is more pathetic than you are."

Sophie's ears perked up. "Wh-what did you say?"

Regina chuckled. "You heard me. I said, your silly little jester partner is even more pathetic than you are! I bet you learned how to be a joke of a criminal from her!"

Sophie slowly stood up. "She's...she's not a joke."

Regina laughed louder. "Yeah, right. Everybody knows Harley Quinn is just the Joker's punching bag. Without him, she'd be nothing. She's the worst criminal in Gotham City if ya ask me."

Sophie felt her cheeks go slightly pink as she heard the cruel words Regina said. "Take it back."

Regina grinned. "Take it back? No way. I'm just telling the truth. It's no wonder you're such a crybaby loser yourself when you work with someone as stupid as Harley Quinn!"

Sophie gritted her teeth. "I said, take it back!" Her voice was a bit stronger, angrier than before.

"I won't take back what everybody knows is true!" Regina snicked. "It's not my fault you pledged your allegiance to that ignoramus who can't do anything right!"

Sophie balled her fists up and took one brave step forward. "Take. It. Back," she demanded. "Or else."

Regina snorted with laughter. "Or else what? Whatcha gonna do about it? Cry at me?" She turned to the other children, who were staring, wide-eyed at the whole thing. "Look here, everyone. Seems like somebody finally grew a backbone. Sweetie Pie here sure as heck didn't learn it from Harley Quinn, though! Everybody knows Harley's a loser. A useless. Pathetic. No-good. Lousy -" Regina turned back to Sophie, her grin as wide as Texas as she stared at Sophie's crimson face. "Good-for-nothing, worthless piece of sh-"

Regina wasn't able to finish the last word in her venomous speech before Sophie's face instantly turned from pink to red in half a second.

"Shut up!" Sophie exploded with such rage, it was like the entire mess hall shook with her words. With the last word in Sophie's outburst, she grabbed her metal lunch tray and forcefully smacked Regina straight in the side of her grinning face.

There came a loud cracking sound upon impact. Sophie's lunch had splattered down onto the table, but the sounds of the squelching didn't come from the food. It came after the sound of cracking, which had been Regina's nose. Blood gushed out of the newly broken bone like a waterfall - Sophie's furious hit had ensured her nose cleanly snapped the moment the back of the tray had met Regina's face.

In an instant, all the children squealed and jumped from their seats and formed a tight circle around both girls. In her shock, Regina had been knocked to the ground from the force of Sophie's blow and she clutched her throbbing nose, her eyes wide.

"Don't you ever talk bad about Harley Quinn if you wanna survive another day!" Sophie screeched, her teeth clenched tightly. She smacked Regina on the other side of her face with the tray until Regina was gasping and choking on the blood that was now smeared everywhere. "You may threaten to kill me, but I promise you, I will kill you if you so much as think anything bad about her again!"

"Children, children!" orderlies yelled in the background, trying their best to break through the tight circle of opened mouthed kids. "Enough of this! Let us through! Quinzel!"

Sophie ignored the cries on the outside of her protective shield and held her glare at Regina. "You're lucky the only thing I broke is your nose! Next time I'll break more than that!"

Regina's red-stained face was already swelling as she sat up, frightened tears now forming in her eyes. "I-I'm s-sorry," she sputtered, still clutching her gushing nose as she stared up at Sophie.

"Not as sorry as you're gonna be!" came Sophie's reply, gripping the tray harder still and continuing to whack Regina on each side of her face as hard as she could despite Regina's pleas of mercy.

"Mercy is for the weak!" Sophie screamed, kicking Regina into her chest until she was gasping and choking for air. Sophie made sure the side of the tray hit Regina square in one of her eyes as she slammed it into Regina's face more times. "Harley taught me that!"

Finally, Dr. Fluffay's fuming, equally red face appeared through the wall of children, and he managed to grab Sophie by her middle and snatched the tray out of her hands. Two orderlies rushed over to the now loudly sobbing and thoroughly damaged Regina as Dr. Fluffay flung the metal weapon away like a frisbee, just barely missing a group of Blue Wingers in a scared huddle clear on the other side of the mess hall.

"Violent misconduct!" Dr. Fluffay barked, his voice as loud as a thunderclap. He nodded to the orderlies helping Regina. "Take Miss Foy to the infirmary, immediately! I've got to deal with this."

"Whatcha gonna do? Send me to the Black Wing?" Sophie asked, her rush of adrenaline making up for any or all fears she might have had. "Eh, it was worth it." She was mimicking the first remark Regina had made when she'd gotten the same punishment on Sophie's first day. Regina, who had heard the remark, said nothing.

Before Dr. Fluffay dragged her away, Sophie gave one last glare towards Regina, who quickly looked away in honest fear as the orderlies led her to the infirmary as quickly as they could manage.

The grip on Sophie's arm that Dr. Fluffay had was enough to yank it clean off, but Sophie, at that point, could feel nothing. She was too worked up to feel anything but anger and hatred. Still, something inside of her wanted to burst out laughing as she remembered the look of terror on Regina's face. Sophie didn't have much time to bask in the glory of giving Regina a good, proper beat-down before she was snapped back to reality as Dr. F dragged her towards the long staircase she knew all too well.

"This wild one's going to The Music Room," Dr. Fluffay bellowed to a few of the orderlies as they stood in the hallway holding cups of tea. "She needs something to calm her down."

One of the orderlies nodded. "Oh, that'll be nice. She'll really enjoy that and get some relaxation! I think The Music Room is the perfect place for some quiet meditation and reflection."

Dr. Fluffay grinned, his eye narrowing. "I couldn't agree more."

Sophie had no idea what The Music Room was, as Dr. Fluffay had never mentioned it before. To Sophie, a "music room" didn't really sound like a punishment for violent misconduct. Sophie was honestly surprised she wasn't being sent to the Black Wing, as she had assumed that was the "worst" place the "naughty" ones were sent and had semi-mentally prepared herself for it, already.

"The Music Room?" Sophie suddenly repeated, curiously, as Dr. Ffluffay yanked opened the door to the stairwell and thrust her in front of him. "What's so bad about a room with music in it?"

Sophie had to hold onto the handrails as Dr. Fluffay violently shoved her forward and down the stairs she'd only recently come up. Dr. Fluffay didn't speak, he only pushed her until she had reached the bottom basement - the Black Wing. Confused and shrugging her shoulders, Sophie started to make her way towards the cell she had assumed she was going to be locked in. Before she made it very far, Dr. Fluffay grabbed her by the back of her collar and jerked her backward.

"You're not going back in that cell, Quinzel. Oh, no. You don't deserve that cell. As I said before, you're going to The Music Room."

Sophie stared up at him, then glanced at where he was looking. There, in front of her, was the weird door she had seen on her first trip down. There was no window on the door, only the sad, faded picture of a guitar on the front where a window should have been

A grin suddenly burst onto her face, and Dr. Fluffay noticed. He chuckled as he opened the door. "Are you looking forward to your time in The Music Room?"

As soon as Sophie noticed the sound-proof walls and random musical instruments strapped to the wall, she giggled loudly in happiness. "I love music!" She stepped inside without a single drop of hesitation, and couldn't help but grin back as Dr. Fluffay stepped inside, as well, closing the door behind him.

"I'm very happy that you seem to be so content with your punishment, Miss Quinzel," Dr. Fluffay said, walking over to a harmonica that was mounted on the wall. "Because you're gonna be here for a while. A long. While."

At first, Sophie giggled again, this time, sounding almost as if she were back to her normal self. "Are you gonna serenade me with your impeccable harmonica playing, Dr. F?" She snorted with laughter. "If that's true, that is a worse punishment than being locked up in that cell!"

Sophie continued to giggle so much that she barely noticed Dr. Fluffay wasn't putting the harmonica to his mouth, but instead, he held it up like a television remote.

"Do you take requests?" Sophie giggled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "'Cause I think I-"

Suddenly, Dr. Fluffay pressed a button on the harmonica which resulted in a loud beeping sound surrounding them. In an instant, all of the instruments flipped around into the wall, disappearing into thin air. Sophie stopped giggling immediately, and she looked around, curiously.

The doctor pushed another button, and the walls where the instruments used to hang opened up, and a huge machine slowly inched forward on its moving platform. He pressed another button, and the machine turned "on." The hair on Sophie's arm suddenly stood up as the sound of the machine activated. It sounded like electricity...as if someone had harnessed lightning and put it straight into that machine.

Sophie felt her mouth go dry, and the color drained from her face when she heard the sound of a third and final beep from a button on the harmonica remote. At that moment, Sophie felt the floor vibrate, and she gasped and stepped back towards the door as she saw the floor open up much like the walls had done. To her horror, she watched a long, child-sized table slowly slide up. Hanging on the side of the table was a pair of funny looking headphones that were near some things that made her stomach churn even more - straps. Straps for tying someone to said table.

Gasping, she took a second step backward, and, upon seeing the maniacal look Dr. Fluffay had on his face, she frantically tried to open the door and escape. To her horror, the door was locked.

"You're not going anywhere, Miss Quinzel," Dr. Fluffay said, seizing her by the back of her shirt and jerking her back. "I thought you wanted to go to The Music Room because you love music? Isn't that what you said?"

"No!" Sophie gasped again, trying, to no avail, to free herself from his strong grip. "Let me out of here! Somebody, get me out of here, please!"

"Shouting will get you nowhere, my dear. These walls are doubly sound-proofed," Dr. Fluffay said, chuckling as he shoved Sophie onto the table as hard as he could. "As well as, in case you've already forgotten, the entire floor is."

Sophie struggled and tried to fight him, but Dr. Fluffay had obviously more strength and skills, and before long, found herself strapped tightly onto the table before she could even blink.

"None of the other doctors or orderlies actually know about the real Music Room, of course," he told her. "This is my personal favorite room of the Black Wing, I'll admit. But, it's real function isn't for music, even if that's the word on the street. After all, if they did find out what was really going on, here...well, they certainly wouldn't approve."

Sophie began to feel an eerie, frightening feeling that something very bad was going to happen, and being strapped down onto the table gave her a shock of chills as she remembered being in a very similar situation with the Scarecrow. "Help! Somebody, help me!" she cried out, feeling her heart pound in her chest.

Dr. Fluffay grabbed the weird headphones from the top of the table and snapped them onto Sophie's ears, causing her to yelp in pain as they clamped down on the side of her head. They were so tight, she had no chance to shake them off even if she had tried to.

"Just some headphones so you can listen to music. You said you loved music, right?" Dr. Fluffay asked, reaching behind him. He then produced something that looked like a tool found at a dentist's office - a short piece of wood. Sophie continued to scream as loud as she could, in hopes somebody could hear her even if he'd told her that no one would. Grabbing Sophie's face, the doctor forced her to stick the piece of wood into her mouth. "If I were you, I'd bite down on this," he said. "Wouldn't want to injure yourself, would you?"

Sophie gagged on the strange mouthpiece but did as she was instructed. She now had no chance of screaming for help, but then again, she believed Dr. Fluffay about how well the room, and the entire floor, for that matter, was soundproofed. She knew then that even if she did cry out for help, no one would come. Tears rolled out of her eyes like two faucets as she watched Dr. Fluffay walk over to the machine and start to turn dials.

"Obviously, our other simple methods don't work for someone like you, Miss Quinzel," Dr. Fluffay said. "You continue to think you have the right to do whatever you want and hurt innocent people who are just trying to make their lives better. I mean, how can we even be certain that any extra therapy sessions would even work on you?" Sophie watched him turn a dial slightly, and she felt her stomach churn. "I suppose we can still allow you to have your sessions upstairs, but, since we're already here." He turned some dials to their maximum capacity. "We might as well have a little fun, huh?"

Sophie choked on her gag as she cried harder. She was stuck, trapped, just like she had been when Scarecrow was torturing her. Now, it seemed to be Dr. Fluffay's turn, and he seemed as if he was going to enjoy it just as much as Scarecrow did.

"I guess you're gonna get a little therapy session with me."

With that, Dr. Fluffay switched the machine on, and Sophie felt the horrific electric current shoot throughout her body before she could bat an eye. The doctor watched her shake, convulse, choke, and be utterly tortured with the electricity in her body. He turned the dial to "off," and, grinning, he switched on some classical music from an old radio next to the machine. Then, without another word, he shocked Sophie again, and again, and again until she couldn't take it anymore. Humming along to the song, he cranked the power up, down, up, and down as he continued to shock her until Sophie finally lost consciousness. Then, just for good measure, the evil doctor shocked her once more and gave a sickening laugh.

"Hope you liked that song," he said, laughing one final time before shutting off the machine for good.

Setting the harmonica remote on top of the table beside Sophie, Dr. Fluffay grinned as he slowly opened the door. "See you later," he said, even knowing Sophie had long been passed out. He walked out of the room and turned back to the table where his victim was. "For our next session. Hope you wake up, soon, Miss Quinzel. Would hate for you to miss it."

With that, he shut the door and locked it with a click, leaving Sophie alone, unconscious, and strapped to the horrific table she would soon wake upon, not knowing what awaited her: weeks and weeks of repeated torture over, and over, and over again.