November 4th 2016

Gotham City,

The Narrow's

Anna adjusted the backpack she carried as she navigated the streets of the Narrows. Her black converse sneakers were already soaked through since she'd given up dodging the puddles but she didn't care, she was free! She finally did it, she ran away for good. Sure she'd run away plenty of times before but those were attempts to see if her fosters really cared about her. They never did, they'd send the police after her and she would be transferred somewhere else. All she wanted back then was for someone to love her. To worry about her safety. To care if she was cold or hungry or hurt. But she learned the hard way that when you belong to no one, on one cares.

All that was over now because Anna was free. She just needed to keep out of trouble for 2 years then she'd be a legal adult and no one could tell her what to do again. But first she needed money. Her ripped black jeans were getting uncomfortable from the damp. It had been raining off and on all day and she needed a place to dry up and sleep. It would be dark soon and even she wasn't crazy enough to wander the city at night. Finally she arrived at her destination Rags 'n' Tatters pawnshop. She hit the buzzer and was let in after a moment. A chubby Jewish man with a wiry mustache sat behind thick bulletproof glass. Anna opened her bag and took out some of the jewelry she'd stolen from her foster mother's bedroom. As she saw it the jewelry belonged to her anyway since Nicole had bought it with the money she got for fostering Anna. Money she never actually spent on Anna.

She put 3 rings and a set of diamond earrings on the sliding tray figuring that would be enough to buy a room for the night. The man looked at the jewelry then at Anna, "You steal these kid?"

"No Sir, They used to belong to my mom. She's dead now." It was only partly a lie. Her mother was really dead, and the jewelry did belong to a mother of some sort.

"You buying drugs with his money?"

She shook her head, time to play Oliver Twist. "Just trying to buy some food and a place to stay. I couldn't take it at the home anymore. The things the do there, it just aint right and no one cares about you when you got no family. Please Sir, don't turn me in?" She made her eyes tear. The story she told the old man was true, only a few details were smudged.

The old man sighed, "What's your name kid?"

"Anna Ke…stenbaum." She remembered the last name from a JAP girl in school who was a total bitch. Firstly she knew better than to give her real last name. Second, she hoped the guy might be willing to help her if he though she was one of his kind."

"That German?" he asked.

"Yes Sir, Yetta fled from the Nazi's during WWII." She remembered the term Yetta from reruns of the Nanny.

He bought her act hook line and sinker. Then he did something she didn't expect. He slid the jewelry back "I aint taking you dead mothers jewelry kid." He counted out 5 one hundred dollar bills and slid them under the glass.

Anna was shocked. "Thanks Mister!"

"That aint a gift kid it's a loan. Go to the youth Hostel on Sutton and ask for Saul. Tell him Jerzy sent you. He'll make sure you get a hot meal and a bed. Then tomorrow you come here at 10am and be ready to work."

Wow money, food, a bed and a job? This went even better than she thought. "Yes Sir! Thank you so much um, boss?"

"You call me uncle Gerry, if anyone asks you're my niece. That'll keep the law away. Now get outta here, I'll see you tomorrow Hana" He winked at her. She smiled and walked out the door. She knew better than to allow herself to think he really cared. If she didn't pretend she was Jewish he probably would have taken the jewelry and ripped her off on the value or just kicked her out on her ass. It had nothing to do with him being Jewish and she wasn't anti Semitic or anything. But he was a business man and that's just how people were. If you didn't belong to them, they screwed you didn't matter if they were Jews, Muslims, Scientologists or Hare Krishna. No once really cared so she wouldn't either. She'd work for the old man till she paid off the loan and saved enough money to move on. They wouldn't owe each other a thing. But at least for now things were looking up.

November 4th 2016

Gotham City

The Joker's Penthouse

Harley was putting the finishing touches on her romantic dinner of porterhouse steaks with roasted potato's and steamed veggies. She knew the trek from Metropolis would give her plenty of time to cook and make things look nice but she was starting to worry. He should have been home at least an hour ago. She decided to push the worry away and focus on making the perfect romantic dinner. No need wasting her energy when it didn't need wasting. Everything needed to be perfect.

During her girly time with Lisa she discovered something she was positive her Puddin would love to see. Apparently Dr. and ex Mrs. Thurman was planning on adopting baby Anna. Not only that but when their relationship hit the bricks, the ex Mrs. Thurman never threw away any of Anna's things, Including a baby album with pictures they'd taken of her in the hospital. Harley inspected the album one more time making sure she cut out all the faces of the Thurman's from the pictures. Her man was a jealous one and she figured he would only get upset if he saw their faces next to his long lost baby girl. As she inspected the album she couldn't help the warm feeling she felt when she looked at the baby. She wished she could hold her and smell her little tennis ball head. Then it hit her, in a weird way, Anna was kind of her stepdaughter. She and the Joker weren't married or anything but they couldn't see the future without each other and were committed to one another till death do they part. He had gone through hell and back to rescue her from Waller twice! Most guys would have just walked away and never looked back; but not her Puddin.

What was marriage anyway? A piece of paper from a judge or a priest saying these two people is stuck with each other for life? And that piece of paper could be totally thrown out if the couple ever got sick of each other. What was the point? What they had together was worth more than any bullshit government sanctioned dead tree.

As for Anna, she was 16. They had no idea what her life had been like but She definitely needed a mother figure as well as a father. Harley promised to be the best kind of step mom ever! She would take Anna shopping, help her get away with bending the rules once in a while. Talk to her about boys, or girls depending on her preference, no judgment. She wanted them to be best friends. Anna would be the daughter she never had.

Harley heard the ping of their private elevator and ran to hide the album. It was a surprise after all and she wanted to bring it out at the right time.

The Joker stepped out of the elevator and onto the multi colored wood floor of his foyer and inhaled. "God! I missed that smell!" he shouted. Harley totally got off on the domestics and he totally got off on her getting off on them. It was great having a woman to take care of him. It would also be great to have her help take care of Anna, After all what the hell did he know about teenage girls? He doubted waterboarding was suitable punishment for breaking curfew. But Harley would know exactly what to do. She was his soul mate. He knew the moment he first laid eyes on her back in Arkham that she was the one.

The Joker stared at the corner of his cell rocking back and forth on the rickety cot these medical Muppets called a bed. The whole place stunk like piss and shit since hardly anyone came to clean up after the criminally insane. He was condemned to isolation until they could drum up another head shirker brave enough to take his case since he'd driven the last one to a Roman bleed out. 'Harvard educated weeney.' He thought to himself

That was when he heard a new sound over the screams of the other inmates. A 'click clack, click clack' that was getting louder then stopped right in front of his bulletproof cage. The sound of metal grinding against metal was next then a light thump. He hadn't turned around but he was getting tempted to take a peak at that was happening.

"Hello Mr. Doe," said the voice of an angel. He turned his head so quickly he heard something in his neck pop.

"What are you?" he asked in wonder. Sitting in a rusty folding chair on the other side of the glass was a wet dream in a doctor coat. She looked like Marilyn Monroe and Traci Lords had a baby. Top it off with the black- rimmed glasses and red button down shirt that was only slightly too open for a professional dress code and he was amazed he didn't nut his pants like a 5th grader then and there.

"I'm you new psychiatrist, Dr. Quinzel." He could smell her perfume through the air holes in the glass, she smelled like vanilla. For the first time in years he felt… nervous talking to a girl. He'd been in this hellhole way too long. He didn't know what to say.

"They didn't bring me my meds today." Fuck! Really? That's the best you could come up with? He chastised himself for his lack of game.

"That's because I told them not too. I'd like to work with you sans medication for a while then see for myself what the best route would be. I'd also like to get to know the real you, not the doped up version."

"You look a little young to take a loon like me on, what happened, you loose a bet?"

She smiled. "Actually I requested you personally. You were a key study in my dissertation and when I was given a position here I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

"Did they inform you of how the position became available?"

"They did, Dr. Armstrong committed suicide."

"He couldn't take the blood and gore that comes with me. The stories I told him…" He started making a clicking sound with his tongue and stood to his full height. The he held his hands up and placed them on the glass looking down at her. "The blood was too much. He told me when he went to sleep at night all he saw was blood. So I recommended he take a nice hot bath and let the blood run free. That then the dreams would stop. You really think you can do better than him?" He tilted his head to the side not blinking once.

Dr. Quinzel didn't falter on bit. "Women see much more blood than men do Mr. Doe. If blood is the worst you've got then I think I've been up for the challenge since I was 11."

He nearly swooned. This cat had claws and she would be with him for an hour every day. But this Mr. Doe crap had to go right now. "Ok Kitten, I approve. But before we go any further, no more Mr. Doe," he locked his jaw and twitched as the name they'd forced upon him.

"Hospital policy, Mr. Doe." He bared his teeth at that abysmal name. "But, if you give me your real name, calling you Mr. Doe would just be rude."

"They gave me that name because they want to break me. But you don't want to break me. You want to help me, don't you?"

She thought for a moment "That's correct, but I will not call you by that other name."

Now they were getting somewhere, "How about a compromise? They have me listed as John Doe, I prefer the Joker. So how about you just call me 'J'? That way everyone is happy."

She nodded, "Alright then, Mr. J it is."

He grinned at the memory of how they first met. Who would have thought that 3 years later they'd be where they are now. She ran from the kitchen and into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist.

"You're home! I was starting to get worried!"

"No worries kitten, daddy had to stop and pick something up for his best girl."

"You're the best Puddin, but first dinner, it's already on the table."

She pulled him into the dining room and he showered her with praise over the meal she made. As they ate they filled each other in on everything they'd learned about Anna. Harley had studied every detail of her file and suggested they track down the social worker responsible for her case. It would save a lot of time rather than hunting the different foster homes she'd stayed in. He agreed to her idea and she excused herself to get his surprise.

"I knew it was really hard for you to see her almost all grown up in that first picture so I thought this would be nice." She reentered the dining room with something pink and plush behind her back. "The ex Mrs. Thurman saved this for you." she handed him the baby album.

The Joker was stunned. Hours ago he'd been depressed that he would never know what Anna looked like as a baby. Now he held dozens of photos of her first month on earth. She had been so small and weak. The first pictures he could hardly see her under the number of tubes she was attached to. There had even been cotton pads taped over her eyes. But as the pictures progressed the tubes lessened. There were little notes with how much she weighed and how long she was. One note said 'Anna opens her eyes for the first time!'

There she was, his daughter with Jeanie, and his Harley rescued the baby album from the woman you dared to think herself Anna's mother. He also noted Harley had cut out the Thurman's faces. The woman really did think of everything. It made what he did next so much easier.

"Stay here Harley, I need to do something really quick."

He excused himself to the sound system in the sitting room where he played Billie Holiday's 'I'll be seeing you.' Then returned and took both her hands in him.

"Baby, what you did for me with this album is more than anyone in this world would do for me and I was a fool not doing this the moment I broke you out of prison. We are one in the same harley. I can't and won't live without you by my side. You are the light of my life, the sugar in my coffee, the Adrian to my Rocky…" Then he shocked her more than he had when he fried her brain 2 and a half years ago back in Arkham. He got down on one knee and took a little black box from his pocket. Inside the box was a rose gold ring with a huge black diamond in the shape of a heart. The heart had 2 slightly smaller round black diamonds on both sides and under it was a row of tiny black diamonds that framed the whole ring. The pinkish gold metal swirled in a vintage design that made the ring look more like a piece of art than a piece of jewelry.

"Puddin…" Harley's voice was just above a whisper. Was this really happening?

"Harleen Quinzel, Harley Quinn, love of my life, will you marry me?"

"YES!" she squealed and bounced her legs like a maniac. As he slipped the ring on her finger all the patronization she made against the institute of marriage totally went out the window.

"Oh my God! This is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen!"

"I passed by Harry Winston and knew you had to have it."

"You bought me a Harry Winston ring?"

"Bought, smashed the window with a hammer, same difference sugar."

"Baby that makes it even more special! When do you think we can do this? I mean, with everything going on with finding Anna I would hate for our wedding to get in the way of that. I know what finding her means to you."

"Which is why I was thinking we'd do it tomorrow night and once we find Anna I promise to take you on one hell of a honeymoon. I wanna find my daughter and introduce her to her step mother, not her dad's girlfriend. Waddaya say kid?"

"I say lets do it!"

Hey people! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

As you can see Anna might just be a chip off the old block with her manipulation of the Pawn shop guy. 10 points to anyone who knows who he is without using Google! That would be cheeting!

Coming up will be a whole bunch of drama when Joker discovers his daughter is now off the grid. Please keep reading and let me know what you think!

Thanks again!

~SL