A/N- Thanks for all the reviews! Oh, and Evil-you know who you are ;)-Jo's mother wasn't killed when she was really little or anything like that. Jo went to live with Catherine when she--Jo--was about eleven herself. Jo's mom has only been dead seven years. I know that I haven't said that before, and I'm sorry. That was my mistake. Please keep reading? Thank you for the thought provoking review though. I really did have to do my math there for a second. I thought that I'd pulled a Flint (Harry Potter joke. If you don't read HP, then a Flint is a mistake.) Anyway, on with this chapter.

Chapter 7- Conversation

"Put her in here," the Joker said as Harley hauled Jo along with her.

Harley threw the young girl into a small, dingy room adjoining with the rest of the hideout. The room had no windows and no furnishings.

"Let me go!" Jo shouted, leaping to her feet.

She hit the door just as it shut in her face. She pounded her fists against it.

"Let me out of here, you maniac!" she yelled.

Joker chuckled. "Well, she's got guts, that one," he said, turning away. Harley followed him as he took a seat in a ratty recliner in the middle of the room.

They had switched hideouts, just in case the Bat had found any evidence connecting them to their other hideout, which had been in very close proximity with that candy factory.

"She's bein' rude, Mistah J. I would've thought that she'd have more manners than that," Harley said, placing a gloved finger to her lips in thought. Joker chuckled again.

"She's trying not to make herself an easy victim. Problem is, she just doesn't realize that she's already been victimized. Ha!"

Joker sighed, then turned and headed toward another adjoining room.

"Uh…where ya goin', Mistah J?" Harley asked.

"Spain. Where's it look like?" he replied over his shoulder. "I'm going to bed. Even we maniacs have to sleep!"

"But…whatcha goin' do to the girl? Doesn't she need to be taken care of tonight?"

"I'll deal with her in the morning. Night," Joker said, shutting the door to the room.

The henchmen shrugged and headed off for a room they had been made to share. Harley would share with Joker, when she was ready to sleep and when he was ready to let her in. But Harley didn't want to sleep yet.

What was the daughter of her puddin' like? Harley turned and headed for the room Jo had been locked in. She took out the key, unlocked the door, and entered. The short-haired girl looked up from where she sat.

"And what do you want?" she asked.

Jo's knees were pulled up to where her chin rested on them. Her hair was slightly matted and her eyes looked tired.

"Uh…hey, kiddo. Um, is there anything you need…before I go to bed?" Harley asked.

Jo arched an eyebrow at the madwoman. "Why would you care?"

Harley shrugged. "Just thought I'd asked. Look, kid, we haven't been formerly introduced."

"I know who you are."

"Yeah, but we still haven't been formerly introduced. I'm Harley Quinn," Harley said with a bow.

Jo eyed her darkly, but replied, "Joanna Ker."

"Ker?" Harley asked, shutting the door--which was currently unlocked--and sitting on the ground. "That's a funny name. Wasn't your mom's name different?"

Jo straightened out her legs. "Yeah. Her last name was Massa. Mom named me after Da…my father."

"I don't get it."

"Most call me Jo, Harley. Jo Ker."

"Joker," Harley laughed. "That's funny! Your mom must've been some kind of woman, huh? Especially if she caught Mistah J's eye."

Jo shrugged.

"What? Did you never get to meet her? I thought you had."

"Yeah, she's only been dead seven years. She was just Mom, though. Or at least, that's what she was to me…"

Jo lost interest in the conversation suddenly. She looked sadly to one side and sighed. Then, remembering the presence of the madwoman, she said, "I'm tired. Can you leave now?"

Harley nodded, her eyes dim. She stood, but before she could leave, Jo found herself asking Harley the same question that she had asked Batman.

"What's he going to do to me?"

To her despair, she got the same answer.

"I don't know, kid. Sorry."

Harley turned and left. Jo heard the key turn in the lock. Outside the room, Harley rested herself up against the wall. That kid wasn't so bad. And whatever Mistah J was planning wasn't that good.

"Harley!" the Joker's voice rang from the makeshift bedroom.

"Comin', Mistah J!" she replied, walking slowly toward the room.

End Notes: Okay, I liked this chapter. I figured I'd just put that age info into the chapter as well. It seemed to fill in some gaps. Anyway, I hope you liked it as well. Please R R! Thanks!