Chapter 40: Last Chances
Harley awoke feeling the overbearing warmth of fire. All around her the submarine and the dock that it had collided with were on fire. Amid the wreckage she spotted both heroes and villains, some in worst shape than others. She could tell that a few of her friends and enemies would be needing a trip to the hospital. Harley herself, seemed like one of the lucky ones. She only had a few minor cuts and bruises, with one of the most noticeable being a huge cut along her right cheek. She didn't have time to worry about herself however, as she turned her attention to Thomas in her arms. She had managed to shield him with her own body when the submarine crashed. He clung to her suit and was sobbing softly. He seemed alright, with only a cut or two on his arms and legs. She slowly got onto her feet, still holding her son in her arms.
"I want to go home...I miss my mommy and daddy." Thomas said, crying into her chest. The boy was too young and let's face it, too traumatized to even guess that Batwoman was his mother.
"Don't worry kiddo." Harley replied, stroking his hair. "I'll get you home. It'll all be over soon."
"I couldn't agree more!" a voice said, cackling. Harley barely had a second to react before she ducked and rolled to the side, missing the piece of steel pipe that smashed into the wall where she was just standing in front of.
"Hold still!" Joker snarled, twirling the pipe between his fingers. The clown was bleeding from a huge gash from his right leg as was his left arm.
"Please Joker!" Harley pleaded, her voice a mix of frustration and sadness. She didn't have the time to be messing with him. She still had to see if Abigal and Bruce were alright, especially since Abigal got dosed in the Joker's toxin, " Can't you just leave us alone!?"
"Where's the fun in that?"Joker answered, shrugging his shoulders, " To lead a bland ordinary life with a husband and some brats? Is that how you really want to live your life? I thought I showed you a better world worth being in, worth making!"
"I've been trapped in your world Joker."Harley said, gritting her teeth, " and there's a reason why I left it! I'm not ever going back into your madness!"
Harley clutched Thomas to her tightly as she ran to the front of the room, where the entire wall had collapsed and she could see the destroyed Metropolis dock outside. She had to escape and get Thomas away from the Joker, then come back and deal with the clown before searching for the rest of her family. Already she could hear police sirens, but only faintly. The sound of metal and crackling flames were mostly the only noise that filled the area.
"Never say never my dear!" Joker said coldly, running after her, though granted much slower due to his leg injury.
Using her only free hand, she climbed past the wreckage, with the Joker close behind her. She finally made her way out of the sub through the exposed hull, landing on one of the wooden docks nearby. The damaged wood creaked under her weight. She immediately started running, with the dock crumbling away underneath her very feet. As the last bit of the dock gave way she leaped onto the concrete pier. She didn't dare look back however, because she knew her and Thomas weren't in the clear just yet. She needed to get her son to the police, who surely would be arriving soon.
Her mad dash away from the wreckage was halted suddenly when she felt a heavy blow against the back of her legs. It caused her to cry out and tumble forward. She lost her grip on Thomas and he flew out of her hands, rolling a few feet away from her. He cried out in pain. Holding his freshly scrapped-up body. Harley turned her head to look behind her to see the Joker pulling the rest of his body onto the pier. Apparently he had thrown the steel piece at her as he had clung to the concrete, just barely managing to outrun the crumbling wood dock as well.
"It's all your fault Harley!" Joker growled, bending down to pick up the piece of steel once more, " Because of you Batman changed! Once I get rid of you and your spawn, I'll get the moody gloomy Bats back!"
"Enough Joker!" Harley yelled, getting back up on her feet and taking up a combat stance, " Why does things have to be this way!"
Joker frowned at her, before looking down at the steel piece in his hands, " This is all I have. This is the only road I can take."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Harley stared at the clown while the Joker looked down at himself, apparently lost in thought. Overhead the sounds of thunder filled the sky, before the pair were pelted with rain. The torrent was slow yet consistent, and soon both of them were soaked to the bone. The fires around them battled against the rain, fighting for existence. In a way, it reminded Harley of both her and the Joker. Always fighting, but the only difference now being that their fights were different. Harley was fighting for her new life. Her family, her friends, her children...Bruce. Joker however was fighting for a life that was changing around him, something he didn't like or knew how to adjust to. Everyone around the Joker was moving past him, to a life where he wasn't a part of it, and that was unacceptable to him. His persona, his ideals, his very life revolved around his never-ending battle with the Dark Knight. His world was consumed with thoughts of beating the Bat, and nothing else. And to Joker, it seemed like that was Bruce's world as well. Until recently. It was just as Batman said, he didn't need the Joker anymore, and Joker didn't know where his place was in the world. The only course he saw in front of him was to take away the things that took the Caped Crusader from him. It was the only way he saw that could get the act back on track.
"Look Joker..." Harley said, taking a deep breath. She couldn't keep doing this for years to come, constantly looking over her shoulder, worrying about her kids and her husband because the Joker was out there, "Let me help you."
"What?" Joker replied, raising an eyebrow.
"We can't keep doing this. YOU can't keep doing this. To Bruce, my family, or me. Do you really intend to keep pulling stuff like this for the rest of our lives? Till you kill us or one of us kills you?" Harley continued, glaring at him, "This isn't the only path before us. Look at Crane and Waylon. They moved past their issues and pain, and have become better. You can too. You don't have to alone...let us help you...I admit when we first met when I was doctor I wanted to heal you for the wrong reasons. To further my own career, my own glory. To have " I cured the Joker" in my resume'. I didn't do it because I genuinely wanted to help you. I do now."
Joker didn't say anything, his eyes downcast as he listened to Harley's speech. Capitalizing on his silence, Harley continued, " Let me be clear. I do not love you anymore. I will never go back to you. However, as much as I hate it, I do care for you still Joker. I want to help make you better. To see a life outside an Arkham cell. To have a life outside the violence and madness. Let Bruce and I help you. Together we can cure you."
As she ended her plea, the Joker looked up at her face. His trademark grin wasn't on his face, replaced with sadness. Harley looked into his eyes and it seemed like he was pondering her idea, like deep down he wanted to be saved. However, he turned his eyes away and then turned his back to her.
"I'm sorry...but no." Joker answered her grimly, " It's much too late for that..."
For a few moments only the sound of the fire and the rain filled the air. She stared at the Joker's back, waiting. She noticed his hand grip the steel piece tightly before he turned and faced her. He rushed towards her, the steel piece held high over his head. Harley instantly reacted, flinging two baterangs towards the clown. He smashed away one of the projectiles, with the other one stabbing him in his left shoulder. The Joker ignored the baterang, swiping the steel at Harley's head. She ducked as the steel piece whizzed by her, before she delivered three quick blows to his stomach. The clown grunted, doubling over. Harley landed an upper-cut to Joker's chin, causing him to stumble back.
Before the Joker could regain his footing, Harley surged forward. She jumped into the air, spinning and landing a kick to the Joker's chest. The Joker was forced backwards onto his back, the steel piece he was wielding flew out of his hand and skidded across the concrete, before falling over the edge and into the water below.
Harley didn't give the Joker a chance to recover. She pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. She started delivering punch over punch to his face. She screamed in anger and pain, never stopping the punches. Blood coated her fist and the ground around them, but still she continued the blows. After awhile the clown stopped resisting, silently letting her pummel him.
"Harley that's enough!" a voice yelled out, snapping her out of her rage. She looked towards the origins of the voice, seeing Batman carrying both Thomas and Abigal in each arm.
Her rage was instantly replaced with worry at seeing him and her daughter. Bruce looked alright, minus a huge cut along his side. It looked as if he had pulled a piece of wreckage from his body, but Harley didn't ask. Her eyes turn to her daughter, fearing the worst. Her skin was pale, though not as much as the Joker's, which was a usual symptom of victims of the Joker's laughing gas. Her fingernails and lips were black however and there was also a green streak down the left side of her hair. She noticed that Abigal's small chest was slowly rising and falling. She was alive at least. Perhaps she didn't get enough of the Joker's gas to affect her to a deadly degree. Her eyes were shut though, and it seemed she was out cold.
"Don't cross the line. You can't." Bruce stated coldly.
"He'll never stop! He'll always come for us!" Harley said, getting off the clown and standing before her husband, "We can't risk this anymore."
"I know..."Bruce answered. " I'll handle it. But I can't let you do this. You've come so far Harley."
Harley was about to continue the argument but Bruce gently gave her Thomas and Abigal. Her words died in her throat and she cradled her children. Silent tears ran down her cheek and she hugged her children close. She turned to see Batman walking towards the Joker. She wondered if he was really going to do it, but she didn't want to see it, didn't want her kids to witness the outcome of this long struggle. She turned away and started walking, never looking back.
Upon hearing the Dark Knight's footsteps against the concrete, the Joker tilted his head up, flashing him a bloodied smile, " Wanted to finish me off yourself eh Bats? Didn't want to give that honor to Harley."
"I didn't want Harley to have your blood on her hands. She's come too far, has too much to lose, to have it all taken away by you." Batman growled, getting on one knee as he knelt by the clown.
Joker laughed painfully, gazing up at him, " And you don't have everything to lose as well?"
"I do, except for one thing." Batman replied, placing a hand on each side of his neck.
"Oh? And what's that?"Joker asked, smiling and giggling.
" I won't lose Harley to you. She'll be free...and safe. My children will be safe."Batman replied as he started to squeeze, " I'm willing to lose to you...for them."
At that Joker started laughing manically, before his laughs became more guttural and labored. The sounds of his coughing started filling the air. Batman tried to filter out his struggled breaths, just trying to focus on squeezing his fingers tighter and tighter around the Joker's throat. Joker's breathing slowly started to get softer and quieter. He was almost done. That was when thoughts of his family and friends filled his mind. Thomas, Abigal...Harley. The Justice League, everyone still needs him. He knew after he killed the Joker he would turn himself in. He would forever be away from the ones he loved. Sure they would be safe, yet still hurt. His children would grow up without a father, Harley, without the one who she loved and who saved her. Gritting his teeth in anger, his grip around the Joker's throat lessened and the clown started breathing normally again.
"You aren't chickening out are you Bats?" Joker asked between coughs, "Come on...come on you're so close!"
"No." Batman stated, "There is another way."
"What!?"Joker screamed in anger and confusion.
Batman did not respond to the Joker. He grabbed the clown's head between his hands and started turning it slowly to the right. The Joker started struggling this time, grabbing at his arms and trying to stop him, but Batman would not be stopped. The sound of Joker's bones grinding against each other filled the air. Bruce had to be just right on this. Too much and it would kill the clown. A loud crack filled the night and Batman let the Joker's body fall to the ground. The Joker's eyes looked from side to side, with a panicked look on his face. Still he did not move from his position on the ground, or better yet, he couldn't move.
"What-What have you done to me!?"The Joker screamed, "I can't move!"
"You've been paralyzed from the neck down Joker." Batman answered, getting up from his kneeling position and turning away from the clown.
"You-You cheated!" Joker yelled, his face a mask of rage, "Finish the job Bats! Don't do this to me! Don't rob me of my final act!"
"The show's over Joker." Batman replied, never turning to look at him, "You're done."
"Please Batman! NO!"Joker pleaded, but Batman didn't listen. He simply started walking away from the Joker.
By now the police and emergency services filled the Metropolis Docks. Batman watched as Crane was lifted into the back of a ambulance, more damaged than the others. Grodd, Sinestro, and the few others of the Legion of Doom who weren't injured during the crash were loaded into swat vans, their destination a maximum security prison. He spotted Harley with Thomas and Abigal off the side, surveying the scene. Both of their kids were asleep in her arms and Harley simply stared at the scene around her. Today was too much for her it seemed. Bruce walked up to her and silently put his arm around her, holding her close.
"I'm glad you chose us Bruce."Harley said, but didn't look at him, " We will need you, always."
"And I will always need you and the kids as well Harley." Batman replied, as they watched the police surround the Joker's body, with the clown still screaming out into the night.