Life and Death: Chapter 23

"Tonight you presume too much
Too much, too much
And if it's the last thing I ever do
I'm gonna get you"
Jack The Ripper – Morrissey

J waited, lying on the hard surface that resembled a bed. The cell was always lit, but it didn't matter - day and night quickly lost their meaning. He only feigned sleep when it meant he could listen in to the guards. His body alternated between full alertness and a state of trance-like rest that let him be aware of the surroundings at all times. Deep sleep was something he was unable to achieve on his own nowadays.

He grinned dryly at the ceiling. Not only sleep.

He saw the shadow as soon as the thought formed, among the things hovering just right outside his vision. He was waiting for Harley to show herself, but she had been fussy lately and he couldn't remember why - maybe he had destroyed one of her favorite dresses. Oh well.

The sound of a child's giggle caught his attention, made him snap out of his drowsy state. He had never seen her before, she'd stayed clear of him, the little monster. As much as she annoyed him daily, he missed her. He wanted to bury his hand in her hair and feel it mold around his fingers. He remembered the outline of her skull; how easy it would be to tighten his hand around it and squeeze it. Easy to snap her neck, but something always held him back, and it amused him just as much as it frustrated him. Warped instincts, indeed.

"Oh, come on," he said, stretching his dry lips. "Hiding from daddy?"

Jaylie was sitting next to him now, her face so childish with those large eyes, and that face, some days expressionless, others always smiling. A baby-faced version of Harley, only quieter. Now she looked even more sullen.

"What's eatin ya, Princess?" He saw her now as he slowly sat up, she was sitting next to him with her plush hyena tucked tightly underneath her arm, five years old again.

He cupped her face with one hand to capture her expression, pulling her cheek up to a grin, but she didn't reciprocate. A tiny frown appeared between her eyebrows, showing her growing dismay. He reached out to press his face against her hair, his muscles relaxing. She smelled like he remembered, even if her appearance was hazy.

Maybe she didn't really exist, maybe she was already dead, like her brother. Why else would she be here? He let his head fall back as silent chuckles shook his body. This was like an acid trip on benzo, and he'd wake up tomorrow and meet Harleen Quinzel in therapy and he'd tell her all about how he had dreamed about their dead daughter, just to get a rise out of her. She'd probably order him restrained and sedated before frying his brains again. Oh, his fingers itched, the familiar feeling making his throat go dry.

Harleen. The comedy of it all was that the very thought of her name made his body react with cold sweats, brutal abstinence.

Jaylie had already moved away from him, a little smile growing on her face, she was disappearing out of his reach and he stood up but she just shook her head. "You lose, Daddy. I always win at hide-and-seek."

"Oh, no," he breathed. "Not this time, Pumpkin. Daddy's gonna get ya."

She giggled, and she was gone.

.

He laid back again as fragments blasted through his brain, a million different days and faces, time was hazy. His brain settled on one particular memory when the little monster was no older than five.

He had been working on some new schemes when he noticed Jaylie was creeping up on him, a grin on her small face.

"My, what big eyes you have," she said slowly.

"The better to see you with," he mumbled, remembering Harley had done a dramatic retelling of the tale for her bedtime story the other night. She slowly inched closer, careful of staying out of his reach. Her pigtails swayed when she tilted her head to the side. "What big ears you have!"

"The better to hear you with," he replied, still preoccupied with his phone. Giggling, she carefully threaded backwards.

"My, what big teeth you have -"

"The better to eat you with," he said with a sideways grin, and she waited but he didn't pay her any more attention. At last, she edged closer.

He pounced. She was quicker and his hand only grazed her arm before she got out of his reach. He could hear her light footsteps and it ignited something in him, the prospect of something running. It was natural to hunt it down.

And he could be patient, too.

He took another route around the penthouse, listening to her quickened breathing. He was the clown prince of crime, even with his genes she couldn't outsmart him. She was thinking of a good hiding place, and he just had to catch her before she managed to crawl into some tiny space he didn't even know they had, with the intention of staying there until Harley had forced every single one of his goons to look for her and he grudgingly had to admit defeat. He waited, letting her skip around in false peace for a few minutes longer, tracking the sound of her light footsteps.

He appeared in a doorway just when she thought he had grown bored of their game and caught her like a snake while she squirmed. His mouth left a messy imprint on her forehead and he chuckled at her horrified face, her hand touching the blunt streak of red that had blemished her little doll face and the careful scribbles she had painted there earlier.

"Do I look like a grandma to ya?" he huffed as she gave up her attempts to get away from him. Enjoying her indignation, he flicked her nose.

"Bad wolf!" she squealed.

He had not been aware of Harley's presence until she pounced, a sudden movement that knocked the air out of him. They collapsed in a pile as he let her overpower him, and Jaylie rolled to the side to avoid getting crushed. He let Harley pin him to the floor, his arms and legs spread wide as she lay on top of him. Their little monster took advantage of that and stuck out her tongue at him, safely out of his reach. He narrowed his eyes.

"I got ya," Harley grinned, leaning in to kiss the side of his jaw, resting between his legs and using her body as leverage to keep him pinned down. She turned to nibble at his throat, and he groaned quietly.

"I'm gonna eat ya up whole," she breathed.

"Then you better swallow," he purred, turning them around with a sudden, rough movement and pressing her down into the floor. He leaned in to let his teeth sweep by her throat and she giggled deliriously underneath him. "You gonna leave me a mark?"

He sucked hard at her skin, hearing her moan softly in pain. He drew back to look at the purple-blue imprint right across her throat and she grinned.

"Er'body already knows I'm yours when they see me walkin' in with Jay."

"Can't hurt to remind 'em," he shrugged. Harley's body was already molding to his and he purred against her, moving up to kiss her hard. She bared her throat and his hand placed around it.

"Not in front of Jay, Puddin!" she scolded him, not looking overly concerned.

"She's grown tired of playing with the wolves," he smiled maliciously. Jaylie had stopped listening, her back turned against them, staring at something in her hand.

"Come to Daddy, Pumpkin." He put on his most innocent face, a wolf in sheep's clothing, because the game wasn't over until he won. Harley was still lying on the floor, her eyes focused on his throat.

Jaylie looked up at him, a tiny frown appearing between her eyes. He waited to see if she'd fall for it. He saw his old hammer in her hand, her eyes inspecting him for a moment. She had tried to rub the imprint of his mouth away from her skin, leaving a red hue behind. So vain, his little doll. He wanted to pinch her cheeks hard.

He tried to look friendly, but quickly lost interest in the act because she was not buying it, no, she was smart.

"Come on," he grinned at her. "Show me what ya got."

She inched only a step closer, extending her hand slowly to show a tiny tooth resting in her palm. He tensed a bit when she slowly parted her lips and a thin line of bloodied saliva ran down her chin.

Harley's mouth was agape. Jaylie looked confused at the tooth, then back at them for an explanation.

"Batsy?" she stuttered at last, tearing up.

"Ain't they supposed to lose their teeth at this age?" Harley mused. "Show mommy, Pumpkin Pie!"

Jaylie came closer, her face so confused it made him laugh at the idea of good ol' Bats punching the teeth out of five-year-olds for fun.

Harley pulled her down to lie next to her and they inspected it together. "How cute! You lost your first baby tooth!"

Joker made a face at Jaylie. "Do ya wanna get grills like me?"

She shook her head, then her eyes widened when he leaned in, set on messing up her little face, leaving another red mark. Using a sharpie on her was funny too, especially when it annoyed Harley.

"The tooth fairy is comin' for you, Baby!" Harley started tickling her and she giggled in protest, rolling around between them, and he snatched up the small tooth from the floor. It would be his keepsake.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by the sudden sound of shouting voices outside his cell, loud enough for him to hear. He sat up and stretched out, curiously trying to catch any words. There was a commotion alright.

Oh, it was about time. The restlessness brought him into full alertness, with irritation towards the bribed idiots who had taken this long. It wasn't rocket science to break into this place, even if there had been a few technical improvements since last time.

He tilted his head backwards and Harley-darley was there, her hands on his tense shoulders, working the bloodlust up.

"Any time now, Mistah J," she breathed. "We're waiting."

He stepped closer to the cell door, waiting to see what the night would bring.

.

.

.

June Moone ran down the white hallway, guided by the buzzing emergency lighting that lit the way with an eerie glow. Why her first instinct had been to return to the floor she came from she didn't know – it was closer than heading for an unknown exit where anything could be waiting. She had been trapped in a collapsed cave on two occasions, but she had not felt any semblance of fear then compared to this. If she at least had a flashlight, she would feel safer.

Maybe this was just a regular power outage. It was not rare in this city and places like Arkham were prepared for this sort of thing. She ran until she was back at the maximum-security floor, without meeting a single person on the way. Only silence and the sound of her footsteps accompanied her.

When she returned to Jaylie's cell, she was met by two guards in a rush. "Miss Moone, you need to leave immediately."

She glanced at the glass wall to see Jaylie slowly sitting up from her sleeping position, blinking confusedly at the strange lighting.

"What's going on?" June demanded.

"We don't know yet, we're awaiting orders from headquarters. Head to the emergency exit now."

"We can't leave her here!" She stood in front of the cell. "Last time this place was under attack, twenty inmates died. I am not leaving a defenseless child to die."

"Miss Moone, we got it under control –" one guard began as he received an order in his radio. The two of them approached her as if to physically force her to leave and June reflexively tightened her fingers, wishing for the first time in her life that she was back. How easy it had been, the simple, yet body-tearing turning of a switch, and the world was at her feet, the rooms fragile like paper.

"I take full responsibility for her," June said. "Ms. Waller has authorized me. I'll guard her while you follow your orders."

They exchanged a look. She knew what they saw – a small, hysterical woman unable to defend herself, and June hated to think that they were right.

"We need to get to the assembly point now," one of them muttered, the stress evident in his eyes.

The sound of an explosion coming from far away made floor shake and the guards tried to communicate with someone through their radio. Jaylie watched them intently.

"I'll stay with them until backup arrives," one of them said at last. "Go." Still looking hesitant, his co-guard left.

"Please, let me save her," June begged and to her shock, the guard stepped closer, swiped a card in the panel next to the cell, and pressed in an eight-digit number. There was a soft 'click' and June watched in perplexion as he started undoing the manual lock, without a moment of hesitation. The heavy, bullet-proof metal door got a small opening. Jaylie looked like a cat about to pounce, sitting crouched on the other side.

The guard turned and left in the next moment, and June called after him: "Wait, we need your help to get out!" He ignored her, walking faster.

June opened the door and Jaylie stood up, her eyes alert. The thought of caution didn't even strike June anymore; she couldn't see what Amanda Waller had said. This starving, tiny twelve-year-old was not a threat in the slightest, even if she allegedly had no 'moral conscience' and a 'history of violence'.

"Take me to my parents," Jaylie asked calmly.

"We need to get to a safe space until this is over!"

"No," the girl bared her teeth, her stare unyielding. "I need to find them now. Where are they?"

"I don't know, I -" June tried to think. "They are in here somewhere but - maybe in the other wing, where they keep other maximum security patients. But what if you get hurt? I won't take you to them if they -"

Jaylie looked solemnly at her. "If I don't go, I'll die." She smiled a little. "And I'm bored."

June considered her options. She doubted the girl was safe even if the invaders were on her parents' side. Bringing her to two convicted murderers' floor in the middle of a riot was one step worse, and she had no idea if said murderers had any intention of protecting her at all, or the opposite. But Jaylie was already walking down the hall. Not wanting to be left alone in this horrifying place and not wanting Jaylie to go off on her own, she found herself following. It was a useless instinct, but it was all she had.

They passed down the empty halls at Arkham at a quick pace. Despite not knowing the way, Jaylie walked one step ahead of June, quick and silent like a mouse. The sound of gunfire somewhere in the building didn't even make her flinch but June tensed up. Dread spread through her body; this place was about to become a war zone.

She led Jaylie through the enormous building, a labyrinth of hallways, towards the floor where she knew the Joker had been contained at some point. There were no guards in sight as they quickly took the stairs - all the elevators had stopped working. The sound of the gunfire faded as they entered Arkham's most enclosed, maximum-security area.

Their attention was momentarily captured by an inmate passing by further away, evident by his dark blue attire. June realized that there must have been a central lock-up somewhere. A dead guard was lying outside the entrance to the closed area, still wearing his weapons and belongings - a gunshot to the head. Jaylie stopped and thought for a moment before she bent down and picked up a card and his baton from his uniform. Then, with the same almost bored expression, she swiped the card and with an ominous click, the door opened. She walked straight into the corridor and June followed.

June pretended she was in a dark cave, that this was nothing unusual, even her phone still had no service. She couldn't suppress the feeling that if she had done something, anything, all those years ago, they wouldn't be here now. If she had got the authorities involved instead of listening to a desperate child's pleas, they wouldn't be running around here looking for the most dangerous patients as if they somehow could solve this situation.

Someone screamed nearby and June flinched, but Jaylie only stopped momentarily, then continued. They finally stopped in front of a cell with a number on the side. There was no way to look inside of it, the door only had a minimal opening in the lower half. Judging by the two dead guards outside of it, this cell belonged to someone of importance.

Jaylie reached out to release the manual lock from the outside, as the electric one had shut down and didn't respond to her repeated swiping of the card.

"Wait. Don't go in there."

June had never met the resident of this cell, but she had watched the news and heard the stories. Clinically insane. Violent and unreasonable. Responsible for the death of a psychiatrist with his own hands while heavily sedated– Even worse, if the person on the other side was not the one Jaylie was looking for, they would be in even worse danger.

A scraping sound from the other side made them both perk up. Jaylie turned her head to look at her, then pulled the heavy door open with all her might. She walked straight into the cell and June took a few stiff steps in after her, torn between running for her life and following her.

She relaxed for half a second before she saw the person standing in the corner. Her throat constricted and every muscle in her body tensed. She grabbed Jaylie's arm, but she didn't react.

The Joker stood there, dressed in Arkham's standard blue attire. His neon hair surrounded his face in messy strands, his manic expression enhanced by the dark shadows underneath his eyes. June's grip tightened when he took a step in their direction, his lips stretching to reveal teeth.

"Daddy's been waiting for you, Pumpkin," he breathed.

Jaylie broke free from her, rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. He wound one arm tightly around her shoulders, locking her in his grip. One of his hands moved through her hair, tilting her head upwards and watching her intently. For a few seconds, they seemed completely transfixed on each other, his chuckles filling the room as they studied each other. Jaylie smiled up at him.

Then he turned his head, and his eyes focused on June. She saw it in him; whatever was left wasn't human. Her instincts battled each other, to leave the girl here with the maniac and flee, or try to get her out. In the end, she found herself staying in the same place, watching them. Maybe she was going insane, too.

"Where's Harley?" he drawled, curling a lock of Jaylie's hair between his fingers.

"I don't know." Her face was pressed against his chest, she was completely relaxed. "June was gonna help me find her."

"Ah, you brought me a gift…" He chuckled, tugging at her hair as his grin grew. "Aw, you shouldn't have. Your little friend has been very helpful."

June took a step backwards as Jaylie turned her head to look at her. There was a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Go, or you'll die."

The Joker didn't waste any time to emphasize that statement. With a few long steps, he was already on his way to her when June turned and ran for her life. She heard his violent laughter behind her, fading out with the sounds of gunshots in the distance.

She had just reached the stairway two corridors away when she almost collided with a woman dressed in white. Her pale hair was arranged in a messy bun and she wore a white doctor's coat on top of a blue shirt. It took June a few moments to notice the bloodstains on it.

The woman reached out a hand and smiled wide. "I'm Dr. Quinzel, your new psychiatrist. It's nice to meet you."

.

TBC.

Author's note: As always, your comments are really appreciated, so be sure to leave a review!
To the anon who asked me about my Nolanverse story: as much as I would like to continue it, I am not really into that right now. This story is my main focus and the story I love the most, so this one will be my priority. Thank you for reading!