Chapter 7: Laughter in the Dark

Hi everyone, I hope you are all aright! Thank you for all your messages and reviews! This week's title is from a book by Vladimir Nabokov. Enjoy!

"Honey, he means well. He likes you, he wants to protect ya. Just think of all the girls who get date-raped, nothing can happen to ya. He basically gave you unlimited protection!"

"I don't need his protection!"

I was walking down the streets of Gotham, the phone glued to my ear my ear. The rage was back and it was full on. How dare he?! How dare he treat me like this?! How dare he...

"Ugh!" I groaned. "You know Hailey, this isn't the 50s. I have a degree in psychology, I can defend myself, I'm not some helpless little damsel in distress!"

"Darling, the King of Gotham went through a lot of trouble tyin' to keep ya safe."

"Keep me safe from what?!" I snapped. "All I wanted was some sex!"

She giggled and I sighed.

"Why are you so happy about this?" I asked. "You were the one that wanted me to go out and have fun."

"I know, but the sexy Clown of Crime havin' the hots for ya is much much better." She gasped. "You could be the Queen of Gotham!"

"Oh really?" I muttered. "While the King is locked up in a straight-jacket?" I rushed through the busy streets. With all this free time I hadn't wanted to go home "I don't understand how he did this."

"He has pull everywhere." Hailey sighed dramatically.

"Well, actually I'd like to test that theory." The words had left my mouth before I'd been able to stop them.

"What?" Hailey sounded confused. "How?"

"I don't know." That was part of the problem. "I jut feel so stupid."

"You should feel flattered!"

I shook my head. "No. He doesn't get to control me like this."

"Ya might like it."

I closed my eyes, my rage was bubbling at the surface and I didn't want to snap at Hailey. When I opened my eyes again I saw a large sign hanging in the window of a costume store.

The Masquerade Party.

Dress up and Show up!

The ad also had details for the time and place and I took a mental note of it. But the Latin phrase at the bottom really held my attention.

Nemo Saltat Sobrius.

Daniel had a guilty pleasure for old Latin texts and this was from a speech by Cicero.

"Nobody dances sober." I whispered.

"What?" Hailey asked.

"Nothing. I have to go."

"Ok..."

I hung up, read the ad again and then headed inside. The costume shop was warm, dusty and crowded with all sorts of dresses, costumes, capes...there was even a batman outfit.

"Hello, dear!" An old lady came towards me. She had a friendly smile, wrinkled face and was wearing a long gown. "Can I help you?"

"No." I said automatically, because Harleen Quinzel did not need help and she was learning to understand the world by herself.

"Ok." The old lady turned away, probably busy behind the counter.

"Actually..." She turned back her smile unwavering.

"Yes?"

"I..." I stepped forward. "I want to dress to impress, I don't want to be recognized. And I need a mask."

"A mask, dear?"

"For the masquerade party. There's a poster in your window."

"Oh yes." The old lady smiled a large smile. "Well I have masks in the back would you also like to buy a costume?"

"Yes." I smiled. "I would."

"How lovely! Would you like to browse or do you have an idea?"

I reached out and touched a silky, light blue dressing gown. Trailing my fingers over the soft material.

"Oh I have an idea." I turned to the old lady. "Tell me, are you familiar with what a Harlequin

looks like?"

Getting the old lady to agree to something that wasn't a full-body costume had been difficult. As it turned out though I was a good negotiator and she was an amazing tailor.

The costume had once been a long suit, red and black checkered with diamond shaped patterns thrown in. The entire thing was made out of fake leather. I had thought that would make adjusting it to my wishes difficult, but the saleslady had managed.

Basically I was wearing a bra and very short pants.

Both items of clothing were tight, the top half pushing my breasts together, cutting low between them. The shorts barely covered my butt and the whole outfit was accommodated by fishnet stockings and high boots.

Honestly I looked cheap.

Everything concerning you is my choice, Harleen Quinzel.

I looked slutty.

You are mine.

I was perfect.

Because this was a masquerade party I'd also picked out one of the costume shop's masks. I'd chosen a black one, simple and elegant. It covered the right side of my face.

By all means, go ahead, whore around town, you won't find anyone who would directly defy my orders.

The mask made the outfit complete. Of course I looked stunning, but showing half of my body off to the world like this...I felt safe behind the mask. I'd pulled the shorts up pretty high to cover the large scar on my abdomen from the accident.

My hair was open in it's natural curls. I would show him. He had no control over me. He could tell himself he was the King of Gotham City, but I knew he was just a deluded madman.

I took pictures in front of the large mirror and as soon as I had sent them to Hailey's phone she called me.

"Harleen!"

"What do ya think?"

She giggled. "Honey, it's very provocative."

"I know." I said as I readjusted the mask. "That's the point."

"Mr. J won't see you, you know."

"I know." I grabbed my keys and purse and headed for the door, grabbing my leather jacket. "But a lot of other men will and I'll be damned if any of them say no."

"Harley, this is amazing." Hailey laughed. "I'm a bit jealous of you."

"You should join me." The door closed behind me. "I'm going to Wonderland that's where the masquerade party is."

"I can't, Harleen."

I stopped in my tracks. The distance in her usually cheerful voice and the fact that she was calling me Harleen made me uneasy.

"Oh, ok."

"It's just not possible."

"Hailey, I don't even know what you look like, you know. You could send me a picture some time."

"Harleen! Get off my case!" She snapped and I jumped at her loud voice. "I don't want to!"

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." She said rather quickly. "Have fun tonight, ok? Lots of fun."

"I will." I deserved it. "Listen, if you ever wanna talk about anything–"

"Sure." She interrupted. "I'll call you, I know the drill, Harley-Baby."

Hailey hung up.

I stood in the crowded street, ignoring the looks of passengers and briefly drowning in a sense of loneliness.

Mr. J won't see you, you know. Haileys voice rang through my mind.

I missed her. I wanted to see her and talk to her in real life. And I missed him. I missed him more than I'd ever admit to anyone else but myself.

He wouldn't see me, but he'd probably hear about it.

All of Gotham would hear about it.

Wonderland was a luxurious club. There were chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, colorful fairie lights decorated the walls. The music was upbeat pop and the crowd was full of masked faces. Some women were wearing elaborate dresses, others showed more skin, like me. I was drawn to the dance floor immediately.

The crowd of dancing people parted for me and a man with green hair turned around to face me. His mask covered the upper half of his face. He was wearing a purple suit, with a long purple coat and green shirt. When he smiled his metallic teeth flashed in the colorful lights.

I was speechless and he held out his hand for me to take.

"What?" I whispered and he chuckled, pulling me close.

Mr. J didn't talk. He swirled me around and I let him. A smile spread on my lips as I felt my own excitement stir.

"How did you do this?"

It was wrong I knew that, I knew I ought to call the authorities. He had escaped Arkham.

The Joker smiled and pulled me closer again. He seemed taller somehow, but maybe it was the setting. Maybe it was the freedom.

Light from the chandeliers flickered across his face and that's when I saw his eyes. They were blue, but they were very dark. And the wrong shape. This wasn't Mr. J.

The shock must have been written in my face, because the man dressed as the Joker chuckled and danced away into the crowd.

My heart sank. I knew Mr. J would be laughing at me all the way from the insane asylum. All of Arkham would be laughing at me, more than they already were at this point anyway.

I turned away, ready to leave and bumped right into a man in a three-piece suit, with white gloves, a large flower on his chest and a purple walking cane. His hair was green, his teeth metallic, his purple mask covering the left side of his face. He was too tall also, but he bowed slightly with a smile that made me laugh. This Joker took his walking cane and threw it into the cheering crowd. Then he proceeded to dance around me, skipping around me in circles and rowing his arms enthusiastically. I laughed until I cried. He bowed and kissed my hand.

The next Joker came to the dance-floor. This one was shirtless and wore familiar dark-blue pants with Arkham printed on the side. His hair was green and the right length and his teeth metallic. His eyes were brown and he made me laugh as he whirled me around, around and around until he pushed me into yet another green-haired mans arms.

He was fully dressed, a shiny silver jacket, with a matching silver tie. Underneath a dark red shirt and black pants. His arms were around me, a strong grip, but gentle in its nature. The upper side of his face was hidden by a silver mask with red patterns on it. He looked so put together, so well ironed and when I looked up at him, I didn't recognize him by his eye color.

It was the vulnerability in his eyes. The way he didn't swirl me around for fun, but had a certain insecurity in his movements. He wanted to impress me.

Smiling I reached up to touch his face.

He was here. All of this was real.

Mr. J backed away. Pulling me with him. The crowd parted for him immediately like he was royalty and I supposed he was in his own way.

He led me further to the back of the club. The music was quieter here. Almost like a soft background. Mr. J led me to the bar and I sat down, surprising myself with a giggle.

"What do you want?" He asked and his low voice shivers down my spine in a good way.

"Vodka Tonic."

He nodded towards the bartender. A tall man with dark hair. Without a word or any further instruction he prepared two drinks for us and set them down. Then he left.

I looked at the crowd.

"You instructed all of this?" I wasn't really looking for an answer, but he nodded anyway and sat down beside me. He reached for his glass and held it out towards me so we could clink our glasses.

"You wrote the invitation."

He didn't reply.

"You..." I gripped the cold glass and took a slip. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"I can't tell you all of my secrets in one evening, can I, Darling?" Mr. J leaned in closer, but he didn't touch me.

My heart was racing in my chest and I drank some more.

"Nobody dances sober." I said and set the glass down. "But I did. So that theory was disproved"

A smile appeared on his face, lightening up his face. "That's only half of the quote." He leaned in closer and I could feel his breath on my face. "Nemo enim fere saltat sobrius, nisi forte insanit." Mr. J reached out to twirl one of my curls between his finger. He did this skilfully, almost artfully. Then he leaned forward, brushing my ear with his lip in the lightest touch. "Nobody dances sober, unless he happens to be insane."

"Are you saying I'm insane?"

His smile was charming. "Takes one to know one."

I couldn't help it and had to laugh. I slid off the bar- stool, spinning around so he could see my short outfit from all sides.

"So what do you think?"

Mr. J actually laughed. "It's not exactly fitting for a ball, is it?"

Again I had to giggle. "Hailey said it was provocative."

Confusion shown in his face. "Who's Hailey?"

"Oh." I wasn't supposed to tell him this kind of information, but we were crossing all sorts of lines anyway. "The best friend I told you about."

Mr. J frowned. His confusion made me insecure and I was swept by a wave of tiredness all of a sudden. The drink, I thought. My glass was empty and I couldn't remember when I'd last eaten.

He was watching me, as he sipped his drink. Finally he leaned forward and smiled at me. It was a genuine smile, one I'd never seen on his face before.

"So, Darling, what's your name?"

I faltered. His eyes were blue, but he was still wearing his silver mask. I couldn't be absolutely sure.

My cheeks flushed red.

This wasn't him.

Disappointed flooded through me. It was as if I had opened a door in the depths of my soul and all of my hopes and dreams came flooding out, crushing through the very center of my being. One thought repeating over and over again:

He doesn't care about you the same way as you care about him.

Whatever this was, the different Jokers, the masks...it was a game to him. It always had been.

"Miss?"

Oh no. I was going to cry. I turned around, stumbling slightly. The alcohol was clouding my mind. Making me dizzy.

He doesn't care about you the same way as you care about him.

The joke was on me I knew it. Everyone at Arkham knew it. Probably everyone in Gotham.

I rushed outside. Too whirled up to feel cold. Tears were streaming freely now.

Stupid girl, I thought to myself. Stupid, stupid girl.

Outside I tore of my mask. I was done with this. All of this.

As of tomorrow I was reassigning. This, whatever it was, was over. I was done. I had reached my breaking point and I was finished with this man.

A whistling sound made me turn around. There he stood in his silver suit. I stood there captivated and I wanted it to be him so badly. I wanted him to be a sane guy and me to be an unbroken girl and I wanted us to have met under met under normal circumstances.

We stepped closer to each other and again our eyes met. He was no longer wearing his mask. It was him. Somehow he was here.

All words had left me. I didn't know what to say. But it didn't matter because Mr. J, the real Mr. J, my Mr. J stepped forward and pressed his lips against mine.

Fireworks erupted inside of me at this touch, however light it was at the moment. Like a moth to a flame I was drawn to him. He pulled me closer and his hands on my naked skin sent all sorts of feelings through me.

I was not done. This was not over. Game or no game...I was in. I was head over heels absolutely in this situation and as I wrapped my arms around him I held on for life, because his kiss made my knees so weak.

This would end badly, of course it would, but as I melted in his arms I realized the one thing Hailey had been trying to explain to me all this time:

I was in love with him.

Admitting that made me free and it was the freedom I searched and longed for more than anything else. I was done pretending. I was in love with him and I was not prepared to fight it any longer.

During the kiss I heard him chuckle and I had to giggle too. Of course we were protected by darkness, but still; in every way possible I had taken off my mask and the amazing thing was: He had done so too.

Anyone else a fan of Latin?