Chapter 17: Would You Live for Me?

"Question...Would you die for me?"

"Yes."

"That's too easy."

"Would you...Would you live for me?"

"..."

"Hm?"

"Yes"

"Careful. Do not say this oath thoughtlessly. Desire becomes surrender. Surrender becomes power. You want this?"

"I do."

"Say it. Say it. Say it. Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty..."

"Please."

"God, you're so...good."

The Joker & Harleen Quinzel Suicide Squad, Extended Cut (2016).

Neverland was in flames.

Mistah J wasn't entirely convinced of this Jodie girl. But he had to admire the fact that she ran straight into a burning building screaming for Harley.

He did the same.

Johnny was reluctant at first, but then followed.

"The fire's higher up." Jodie realized. "They probably have her on the plat–" She stopped dead in her tracks and stopped talking as she saw the crumpled bodies of six teenage girls on the ground.

"Shit." Johnny muttered.

Her chest rose quickly up and down.

"Lauren." She whispered and made a move to kneel down beside a very young looking girl.

"Don't." The Joker gripped her arm rather gently and pulled her back up. "There's nothing you can do anyway. They're dead."

She was shaking, tears trickling down her face and he looked at his henchman who was pale and seemed to rendered speechless.

Jodie wiped her tears away, pulled her arm from the Joker's grip and bellowed:

"Harley?! Are you here?"

Johnny looked impressed and followed, also yelling out Harley's name.

It was clear that Harley wasn't anywhere down here. This part of Neverland was wide and open and he could see smoke coming from the highest point of the factory.

He went straight for the ladder, ignoring the fact that Johnny called after him,warning him not to climb up there.

This was where the smoke was coming from, he knew that but he also knew that if Harley was up there she wouldn't be able to get down by herself.

He had been played and he had to make things right.

Even if it meant running into Peter and Wendy.

Even if it meant running head on into fire.

Harley could hear voices.

Her head lolled to the side.

Breathing had become more and more difficult and she was so tired.

But then she heard it again and she thought it was people yelling out her name.

That couldn't be right, could it?

There was no one left who would come for her.

Her eyelids fluttered open.

She was so tired.

She was done fighting.

She knew Gracie was safe. She knew Mistah J would avenge her.

It was time to let go.

"Harley!"

His voice jerked her awake and she opened her eyes, eager to see him again.

"Shit, Joker are you crazy?!"

That voice sounded familiar too, but she couldn't place it in her delirious state. Her eyes fluttered close again.

"Harley." His voice was gentle and he cupped her face in his hands, stroking her bruised cheeks gently with both of his thumbs. "My Harley."

"Boss we need to get her out of these ropes!" That was Johnny and he sounded pretty hysterical. "Now!"

She opened her eyes again and met his. Mistah J had leaned his forehead against hers. She smiled at the familiarity of his blue eyes.

"Are you real?"

He laughed and it warm, happy laughter. Not like the sounds that had poisoned her mind these past few hours.

"Yes, I came to save you."

"Yeah so how about you get out of the fucking way, Romeo, so we actually can save her before we all burn to death?!"

"Jodie?" She gasped as Mistah J growled and moved aside and she could see the other girl clearly.

"Hey Harley." Jodie swallowed obviously trying to hide her discomfort at seeing Harley so messed up. "We came to save you."

"That's nice." Her eyes fluttered closed again.

"Shit." She heard Jodie mutter and then she was being moved. They were tearing at her arms that felt like the were about to fall off. She groaned and tried to fight, but there was no strength left in her.

"You're hurting her!"

"I'm saving her!"

Finally the pressure stopped and Harley fell down. Mistah J caught her,embracing her in his arms immediately.

He put something around her shoulders. His jacket or a blanket she didn't know. She didn't care. She was warm and safe and breathing was too exhausting.

"Johnny." His voice was strained. "Get the...camera."

"Boss we have to go, now."

Harley was being moved. She couldn't work. She couldn't even stand.

"No." Mistah J groaned and pulled her towards her. "Come on Harley." He coughed. "We have to go..."

She shook her head.

She was done.

She wasn't strong enough.

"You go, Puddin'." She touched his cheek. "You go and avenge me, ok?"

"I'm not going." He whispered, kissing her head softly. "If you die, I'll die here with you."

Tears burned in her eyes, from the smoke or emotions she couldn't be sure.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Harley." He kissed her lips. "I love you so much. This is all my fault."

"I forgive you, J. I'll always forgive you."

"Oh for fucks sake!" Jodie snapped. She had found the water bottle, poured it over her shirt and pulled that over her mouth. "Get both you asses down that fucking ladder right now! No one else is dying tonight, got it?!"

Harley was in and out of it.

They had used the ropes to tie her to the Joker's back. Jodie went first, then Joker with Harley and Johnny was right behind them.

All of them went slowly, step by step and by the time they reached the end the ladder fell apart and went up in flames.

Jodie pushed them on and on.

When they arrived outside of Neverland Valerie was there with an ambulance. They gave all four of them oxygen-masks and gave Harley something against the pain.

Her hand that wasn't ruined was grasping the Joker's as if she were afraid he'd vanish. He was glued to her side, watching the paramedics with a distrustful eyes, as they bandaged her wounds and hooked her up to an IV.

Jodie sat on the floor with an oxygen-mask to her face. She watched Neverland burn to the ground and thought of Lauren and the last time she had seen the girl.

Valerie sat beside her sister, holding her hand and looking at the damage before them.

"It was the name Ronan." Jodie whispered, lowering her mask. "Do you remember? Alison asked me before she left. She said, do you know who Ronan is? Do you know what Peter and Wendy have planned?" She stared at the flames before her. "And then she was gone."

"Use the mask." Valerie said. "You inhaled a lot of smoke."

"I think they killed her, Valerie."

Her sister said nothing and stroked her hair. She knew Jodie had lost her home tonight. Again. Again she had been betrayed by the people who had sworn to protect her.

"You saved Harley." Valerie whispered, handing her the mask, urging her to breathe it in. "She's your sister now, right?"

Jodie nodded.

Peter and Wendy had lied. Had used them all for their own little game, but Jodie believed in Neverland, She believed that people deserved second chances no matter what they had done. She believed that Harley was her sister and that together they could rebuild what Peter and Wendy had destroyed.

The Joker ran his fingers over her hair gently.

She wasn't sleeping, she was in and out of it, opening her eyes every now and then and looking at him wide-eyed, worried he would go away again.

But the Joker wasn't going anywhere ever again.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her temple gently.

She pushed the mask aside.

"Can we go home? Please?"

"Of course baby." He kissed her uninjured hand. "I'll take you home and everything will be fine again, I promise."

She smiled a goofy smile, her eyes fluttering closed again.

"I want Jodie with us. And Gracie. My sweet Gracie."

He didn't know who Gracie was and he didn't care. All he cared about was having Harley back with him, safe and sound.

"Sure, baby."

"Promise?" She sighed.

"Yeah, I promise."

"Promise what?" A cold voice sneered. "Not to kick her out because you believed some lie?"

The Joker groaned and Harley smiled.

"Jodie..."

"Hey Harley, how are you?"

"So fluffy." She muttered.

"They gave her pain meds."

"Thank you, genius." She snapped at him. "I wouldn't know what I'd do without you."

He scowled.

"Jodie." Harley whispered. "Jodie, come with us? Come home with us?"

"Of course." She took hold of her hand and pressed it gently. "I won't leave you alone with him."

Harley smiled, finally drifting off to sleep.

"Boss?" It was Johnny. He looked sickly and was clutching the camera. "I didn't watch all of it." He handed it to the Joker. "It's bad. It's really bad."