Her heart beat, his heart beat and it was like they felt each other.
Her heart was good and pure. His heart was twisted and evil. A pure monster.
But they were each other's weakness.
Harley woke up with a start, her neighbour was banging down from above her head. Oh dear, she was having night terrors again. Harls grabbed a tissue from her nightstand, wiped her face covered in sweat and breathed deeply. As she closed her eyes, a pair of bright green ones filled her mind. She was dreaming of him again, every night now for a week. The same dream.
Every time.
Harley got up, pulled on her dressing gown and lent out her window for a cigarette. Yeah she was a doctor, but honestly after everything she had been through, who gave a flying fuck? She had nightmares constantly since those explosions caused by him. HIM. Oh god he consumed her every thought,
It was like a slow, painful but slightly enjoyable torture...
Every night for the past week she had been reliving those explosions in her dreams, it had been a month and it was now nearly February but she couldn't help but think about the last time she saw him.
-27th of December-
Right, ignore the alarm. Move. MOVE NOW. Harley was covering her nose with her coat to try and breath through all this smoke, the suffocation was so physical she wanted to collapse right there in the corridor but she kept urging her legs forward.
Okay, so down the corridor, down 5 flights of stairs, through the front door and RUN. But it would never be that easy, every single red code patient was free! They were roaming around...and probably armed by now. Harleen Quinzel was not going to die in Arkham Asylum that was for sure! Despite being terrified and injured Harley kept going past all the broken glass and debris, luckily she was moving away from the fire which was closer to her office the other side of the long winding corridor of Arkham. As she got to the fire exit her legs gave way "SHIT." Harley cried as she fell, oh god she was too weak for this, she could feel herself getting fainter...there was no way she was going to get down all those stairs but still she crawled to the fire exit and with all her strength pushed herself through the door. She collapsed again once she was through to the stairwell, with the door closed she could breath properly. The stairwell was quiet and filled with fresh air, Harley nearly felt the urge to go to sleep.
Harley breathed in and out hard, she felt her face, it was covered in smoke and sweat. Her legs shaking, she was exhausted, all Harley wanted to do was sleep but she couldn't allow herself that luxury otherwise she would die. Get off the fucking floor woman! Harls pushed herself off the floor once she regained some breath, she clung to the banisters as she urgently went down the stairs. One floor.
Two floors. Everything was quiet apart from the blazing alarms, she had yet to come across anyone. Anyone at all.
Three floors, nearly there!
Fourth floor... Scarecrow.
Harley barely had time to look up before she realised she was pinned to the wall by the almighty Doctor but this time instead of the handsome psychopath she came to know and love, there was a creepy sack face in place... it would be a good Halloween costume though! Oh shit, pay attention, you may actually die Harley. Curse her wondering mind!
"Ah Miss. Quinzel, what a pleasure to bump into you like this" His voice was the same...but croakier and more fractured. Harley couldn't help but stare into the gaps of his mask, into his icy blue eyes, he had one arm across her chest and the other on her arms, she was helpless.
"Oh, , I didn't see you there, I was sort of trying to escape from this horrid fire, I don't know if you noticed it or not..."
"OF COURSE I NOTICED IT. IT WAS A HUGE EXPLOSION."
"Oh...I'm glad you haven't been impaired by it then, was just checking... as a doctor of course."
Scarecrow leaned in to look at her further, as if he was studying her, probably exactly what he was doing.
"Of course, a good Doctor always checks on her patient's wellbeing. But the thing is , I'm not your patient."
Harley sighed, feeling fed up "Are you always this pedantic or is it just today?"
Scarecrow cackled "Ha-ha, always child. I never realised how impertinent you were till now. We really must do something about that..."
That's when he raised his gloved hand and Harley noticed all the syringes filled with bright green fluid, they were all wired up to his palm for him to control, oh jesus, that was going to be used on her!
"JONATHAN PUT HER DOWN". Harley filled with relief as she and Scarecrow looked round to see a suited Riddler standing just opposite them. "I mean it Crane, leave the girl alone."
As Scarecrow and Riddler stared each other out, a certain Poison Ivy walks right through them and catches the scene. "Now, now boys, what seems to be the problem?"
She stares at both of them through her half lidded eyes,
So sexy, so alluring. Wait, Harls you're straight, concentrate!
Ivy looked at Harley up and down, then between Crane and Riddler.
"Are you two fighting over little miss blonde? Common guys, bros before hoes."
"Hey!" Harley cries, she wasn't a hoe! Ivy looks over to her in amazement "I'm helping you idiot, shush."
Oh. Right.
Scarecrow sighs "I suppose she's more trouble than she's worth...for now." And with that he turned around and stalked off towards the F block of inmates, probably to pick someone else as a test subject. Riddler looks at Ivy then Harley slightly shaking his head
"Thanks Ivy, he's been in such a bad mood since Becky broke up with him."
Ivy laughed "Of course, she's the only woman ever who has willingly dated him, and that was barely dating! Just try not to kill Doctor Barbie over there kay?" with that Ivy gracefully danced her way to the gardens.
"Uh thanks Edward, you saved my life." Harley felt exhaustion hit her and then remembered where she was.
"Edward, we have to get out of here, it's not safe. I don't mean just the inmates, that fire is spreading!" With that, they both looked up the stair well and saw the flames slowly catching up with them.
"No problem doll face, he's been irritating me for some time, wanted to return the favour" With a smile he grabbed her arm and they set off to the stairs.
"I'm more surprised Poison Ivy saved me too." Harley pondered out loud.
"Oh I'm not the only one he's annoyed, Cranes been winding up Ivy for a while now."
Riddler laughed as they both quickly walked down the stairs to the main door. Harley thought about this for a minute "What about?"
"Doesn't it seem obvious?" Exclaimed Riddler "PLANTS. Always with her bloody plants, he talks all the luscious green outdoors and how well the plants are growing. He's permitted outdoor walks, she isn't...for obvious reasons."
Harley silently chuckled "Ah yes I'm aware." Then suddenly something dawned on her "Edward, can you tell me, is Joker okay?" This caused both to stop, Riddler looked at her in shock and something else...disappointment?
"Miss Quinzel...Joker is the one who did this, he planted all these explosions. He escaped as soon as they want off. He tipped some of us off though, just so we were prepared to get our things. Now he'll think we owe him *pfft*."
Riddler scorned and kept walked down the stairs, Harley stood rooted to the spot. Bu-bu-but.. he was meant to be taking her. No he couldn't have left her, no.
Riddler turned round to see she wasn't following but stood still with silent tears flowing down her face, he rushed back up the stairs until he was standing in front of her, hands against her arms
"Oh Harley, did you ever think he actually liked you? He was just using you for his own entertainment. It was all an act, a show for himself. Please don't cry, he isn't worth your tears."
Harleys eyes snapped up towards his, they were also a wonderful green, not quite emerald but more like grass.
Slowly without realising, their heads were moving towards each other, inching closer until she could feel the warmth of his lips on hers, not quite kissing but if they were a fraction of an inch closer...
"No Edward." Harley stepped back, resisting all urge to kiss him. "I can't kiss you, it would be wrong."
Riddlers face went red "Harley is it wrong for a man to kiss a woman when he has feelings for her, no matter who he is, if they like each other that's all that should matter." He was staring at her so intently, her heart beat so loud she could feel it in her chest...
Harley fled. She couldn't, it was all too much. She ran past him down the stairs, out the door until she could see the main entrance. She kept running until she could feel the cold air on her face, then she ran into a black, slightly cushiony wall. Harley fell straight on her ass, slightly disoriented she looked up. BATMAN. HOLY FUCK.
" Dr. Quinzel, are you alright?" He said with a raspy low voice. She nodded, feeling the blood rush in her head as she faced the big black wall the Batman was. He grabbed her by the waist and put her over his shoulder as he took her outside to the ambulances and thousands of police and S.W.A.T vans outside the asylum. How does he know my name?
Then everything went black, it had all become too much for Harley.
