A/N- Sorry for the long wait for the update. I couldn't focus on this story for a while. Between trying to figure out how I'm gonna do the sequel to 'The Tide' and applying to Sam Houston (which I got into...Psychology major, here I come!) there was no time to focus. But now that I'm on break, I can sit down and work on my stories. Only one more chapter until this is over, and that chapter may be up later tonight...it just depends on how much I'm willing to focus. Enjoy the chapter!
The Joke
The hours after learning about the Joker's return seemed more like days to Harvey and Two Face, both waiting for further information with baited breath. The whole of Arkham had fallen unusually silent within the last two hours, it was as if the inmates were afraid of what was about to happen.
"What makes you think something's happening tonight?" Harvey asked, his voice coming out just above a whisper.
"Because, Harv..." Two Face sighed, he felt like he was dealing with a five year old instead of a grown man. "Whatever ace the clown has up his sleeve is being played tonight. That is, if Harleen plays her part."
"Why do I always get this feeling that you know something I don't?"
"Because I'm an insane criminal, just like our clown friend, whereas you are perfectly sane and law abiding." The former lawyer explained, rolling his left eye at Harvey's silent mocking. "I understand the Joker...to a point, that is. And he's gonna lay down his cards tonight because, as he said, his experiment is ready for its debut. And tonight, my wonderful other half, is opening night."
Harvey just stared at the off white padded wall, Two Face's words sinking into to his half of the brain. It didn't make sense to him, but he knew the criminal made perfect sense to himself. The silence continued for a few more moments before Edward began yelling out riddles to break the unnerving silence, everyone knew silences disturbed the Riddler.
"Shut up!" a guard yelled after a few minutes, causing Harvey and Two Face to burst out laughing.
For whatever reason, Harvey was growing restless and jittery. He had taken to pacing up and down the cell to try and shake off the feeling that had gripped his gut, Two Face deciding to engage Edward in a conversation. The latter only accomplished the goal of pissing off the guards that were stationed in their wing.
"Penny for your thoughts, Harv?"
"Shut up! You sneering in my ear doesn't help me calm down," Harvey snapped as he leaned against the back wall of his cell. "Why the hell am I so bothered by that fucker being back in here?"
"Because, as I said two hours ago, it's opening night and the curtain is about to go up." Two Face sighed as he bounced their head off of the padding.
"You really need to stop talking to him," the blonde stated, chewing on his bottom lip.
"What makes you say that?"
"You're making references to the stage, need I say more?"
Whatever the criminal was about to say was lost under the blares of an alarm and running feet.
"What's going on?" Edward's voice sounded over the noise.
"Hell if we know!" Harvey shouted back, growling at the idea of being left out of the loop. "You're the Riddler, you figure it out!"
The chaos on the other side of the metal door continued for minutes before all fell silent again, causing Harvey and Two Face to slightly panic. Whatever had happened must have been contained because the only sound they could now hear was that of a pair of calm footsteps.
"What do you think that was about..." Harvey began before gun fire sounded in the corridor.
"The fuck?!" the Riddler yelped, making a very amusing image of his huddled in the far corner of his cell appear in Harvey's mind.
The shooting went on for a few more minutes before silence shrouded the wing again, Two Face growing annoyed at it all while Harvey grew more and more cautious. For a brief second the former lawyer felt like he had during "quality time", a sense of fear and panic settling in his stomach just before the storm began.
'How bad do you think the silence is bothering Nygma?' Two Face asked as they waited for something to happen. 'He's probably muttering to himself right now just to hear some noise...Do you hear that?'
Harvey strained to hear what his other half was referring to, and within a few seconds the sound of whistling reached his ears. The whistling grew louder as the owner walked closer, another set of footsteps following the first. Two Face and Harvey stalked up to the door and leaned against it, their left foot tapping as they waited.
"Who's there?" Harvey called through the door as the whistling passed.
"Is that Harvey? Or is it his better half?" the mocking voice of the Joker sounded from the other side.
"How did you get out?" Two Face questioned, both him and Harvey impressed.
"The same way you're about to. You two might wanna move away from the door." They did as they were told, pressing their body as far into the padded wall as it would go. "It's all yours, Harl."
There was the sound of fumbling and a slight click before the door swung open to reveal the Joker, orange jumpsuit and all, and a grinning Doctor Quinzel. The clown swiftly entered the cell and freed the ex-D.A. of his straight jacket before motioning for him to follow. The three made their way through the corridors of Arkham, pausing only when a guard got in their way.
"What's going on here exactly?" Harvey demanded as they jumped into a navy colored Honda.
"What's it look like, genius?" the doctor spoke up as they took off, her baby blues looking at him through the rearview mirror. "We're bustin' ya out!"
"I can see that." Two Face snapped as his left hand dived into the jumpsuit's pocket, only to grip his lucky coin. "But Harvey is having a difficult time grasping the current events,"
"Then I'll hit him with some knowledge," the grinning face of the clown was now staring at the former lawyer. "Harley has come outta her shell finally, helped me break outta the madhouse, and helped you get a start on showing Gotham your true face. Are we caught up now?"
Harvey grumbled something under his breath before turning his attention to the window, his blue eyes watching the passing buildings.
'What did you get us into, Two Face?'
"Well," Two Face was jolted out of his thoughts by Doctor Quinzel's voice as the car came to a stop, the Joker exiting the car and going around to the trunk. "This is were you two spilt...um, what I meant was that..."
"We know," Two Face chuckled as stretched his back, sighing at the slight pop in his lower back. "What's gonna happen to you, Doc?"
"First off, it's Harley Quinn now...no more of this doctor bullshit." She gave him a smile at his snicker. "Second off, I think I'll stick around and help out Mistah J. What about you two, what'll you do?"
"I'll try to accept everything that's happened and start over," Harvey answered, running the coin between his fingers. "Two Face'll probably get into the game and...well, you know."
There was a tap on the glass window as the Joker pointed to an imaginary wrist watch, earning a giggle from the young blonde in the driver's seat.
"You love him, huh?"
"What's it to you?" she snapped.
"Nothing. But if he hurts you or you wanna place to escape for a while, look us up." Harvey offered as he gripped the door handle. "We lost a friend once to him, we don't wanna go through that again."
After another quick farewell, Two Face emerged from the backseat of the Honda only to be bombarded with a duffle bag full of stuff and a neatly pressed navy suit. The confusion only grew for the two as they saw the group of men behind the grinning clown.
"You didn't seriously think I was gonna just throw my friend out to the wolves with no equipment, did you?" the Joker laughed as a place a revolver on top of the suit. "You'll find bullets, a fair sum of money, and a few more items in the bag. As for these goons...well, they are your men so you'll learn their names soon enough."
"You are really something else, y'know that Chuckles?" Two Face said as stuck his hand out for the Joker to shake. "See ya out on the playground,"
"Same goes for you." The two shook hands before the Joker made his way to the passenger side of the car. "Oh, and Harvey? Try not to ruin your better half's fun,"
The laugh echoed long after the car had disappeared around the corner, Two Face turning to face the warehouse the clown had dropped him off at. There were four men in the group he had been left with, each one looking just as confused as he felt.
"Let's get inside before anyone sees us out here," Two Face ordered as he glanced around the street they were standing on. "I don't wanna be sent back to Arkham before I did anything."
Two Face followed his henchmen inside, a smirk creeping on to his face as he looked around his new home. The warehouse had already been furnished with the basics, most likely done because of the Joker. As the ex-D.A. walked around the place, his men set to work on finishing setting up the place.
"You're room upstairs and to the right, Boss." A young kid instructed, his brown hair sticking up in every which way. "We'll finish up setting up the downstairs while ya do what ya need to."
Harvey thanked the kid as he made his way up the stairs, entering the room that was to be his. For being in an abandoned warehouse, the room was quite classy; an elaborate king size bed, an oak dresser, and a few more pricey items making up the room. The blonde changed into the suit the clown had given him, amazed at the perfect fit.
"And you thought knowing him wouldn't get us anywhere," Two Face scolded as he adjusted the maroon tie, giving himself a once over in the floor length mirror. "Shame on you, Harvey."
'So I was wrong. I am human and allowed to make mistakes.' Harvey justified, shrugging the jacket on to his shoulders. "He does have style, doesn't he?"
The two chuckled before leaving the room and leaning against the rail, looking down on the men now playing cards in the makeshift dinning room.
"Alright boys," Two Face announced as he walked down the stairs, smiling at the attentiveness of his men. "Break time's up. We have plans to make."