It was nearly Christmas time itself, she had gone a while without thinking about it, but now that it was three days till, it couldn't have bothered Harley more.
This would be her first Christmas since she'd started her own gang and "moved on". The boys had been great, and they made some great hauls, but she had to admit, during the holidays they, as well as the money and underworld fame, were little consolation.
She didn't regret her decision, not one bit, but, as she had said in the past, there comes a time when a girl wants more. She hadn't thought about it too often, moderately infrequently at best, but "Mistah J" would still on occasion slip into her mind and tug at her heartstrings. Sometimes she would secretly rant about how unfair it was that she would be forced to think about the conniving creep, why couldn't she have success without strings attached! Still fewer times she'd wrote out something to say to him, crumpled it up and tossed it.
This was a great time, her and the guys were having the times of their lives, there was no need for some louse in her life, but Christmas spirit sought otherwise to convince that there should be a special someone to spend it with, a someone which had given her some of the best gifts of all, the trick punching glove mallet, moon shoes, the babies.
Glancing back at the closed door behind her she imagined the two large lumps of fur snoozing by the televised holiday blaze in the next room and she smiled serenely, if there was one part of her old life she didn't mind sticking around, it was them. She remembered when she first laid eyes on them, tiny bows around their necks as they licked at her face, tiny teeth nibbling into her palm. The babies were aptly named for how strongly she felt for them, mommy, and admittedly daddy, loved them very much and pampered the pooches whenever they could, just like real children. The thought brought back the image of the Joker in his Santa hat and silk purple pjs holding the box the pups had been hiding in, a large toothy smile on his face, all the malice and lunacy gone from his face in this one perfect moment, Harley remembered looking into her man's face and glowing, tears gathering in her eyes as she held her newborns in her arms...
The daydream was shortlived as the harlequin heard the outer door slam, the guys were back, and she realized that it wasn't just in her memories that tears had gathered. Swiping at her treacherous eyes and checking her makeup in a mirror mounted on the wall, Harley put on a smile and exited the room she had been sitting in, well, closet to be exact. It was her little "get away from life" corner, with only a few necessary things inside so she could just have peace of mind for a little bit. But now she had to put a good face on for her compadres, so, cheery as ever, Harley cartwheeled out as they settled down bags of goods and hunkered their tired frames into assorted couches and chairs in the living room. "So, how'd it go?" she asked merrily, standing in front of the TV so as no one could lose brain cells, or change the channel, before she got her answer.
Like usual, Lewis answered first, "We got the stuff, but no tree Harley, sorry". A frown overtook her previously perky expression and she dragged her feet as she moseyed closer to the group. "Aw shucks, really? But you got the lights and the snowman an' everythin'?" Sitting on the table in the middle of the room Indian style she stared at each as a child might a parent who said Christmas could be canceled. Guilt settled into all but Buster who sat staring at the floor while everyone else answered as to what they were able to retrieve.
"Well, at least we got somethin', start stringing when you get some air and I'll bake cookies!" They all smiled at that, though the prospect of more work had Nix grumbling.
Now, truth be told Harley wasn't the best chef, but she'd been practicing really hard this year to make Christmas cookies for the gang, they needed some incentive after all, and for all they knew of her cooking she could have been an Iron Chef, so either way it worked in the long run.
When no one else had much of anything else to say, Harley excused herself into the kitchen to do as she had promised, figuring it was best to get a head start knowing that their spirits needed a bit of lifting. First, the cheery jester removed her gloves, collar and wrist cuffs, not wanting them to get dirty and knowing that they would get in the way. Tying an apron around her waist she propped the cookbook open and peered at it thoughtfully, retrieving the ingredients from the fridge and realizing that they needed to make another shopping trip soon as all they had were the supplies for the cookies. Setting everything out she began to chew her lip as she cracked eggs, whisked flour and mixed everything together, soon rhythmic tedium was born and she began to daydream about another Christmas time.
"You have to do this right, it isn't Christmas without cookies and if you're going to botch each batch then I'll have to do it!" He had snapped at her, ripping the apron off and tying it around his waist. "Yes sir" she had said and left the kitchen feeling useless and pathetic. There was nothing to cry about this time, but she still had felt dreadful and had curled up alone on the couch to watch Frosty, blankets pulled close. Occasionally she had peered into the kitchen to see him fitfully mixing and pouring, all without a cookbook and wondered when he had memorized the recipe, always hiding when he turned her way for fear that he was angry. Somehow Harley had managed to doze off and was only woken when he lightly tugged a pigtail and whispered in her ear, "I'll eat them all myself if you don't get up".
"No, no, I'm here, I'm up!" She'd shouted, sitting upright far too fast and getting woozy. Putting a hand to her head she righted herself and looked over at her Puddin who had set out two glasses of cold milk and a plateful of decorative Christmas themed cookies; all frosted and decorated to perfection. A thrill had run through her as she picked up an evergreen and admired it, wonderment shining in her face as she rained compliments upon him. The Joker had smiled, a strangely human smile and snagged an angel for himself, which he dunked and bit the head and halo off of. They had laughed and cuddled late into that particular night, ate all the cookies and had terrible tummy aches later which they both managed to giggle over.
Slowly reality broke through and Harley realized that her right hand had cramped. Desisting her kneading of the dough, she stared at the brown blob and said a small prayer that she hadn't ruined it, frowning at the tan mass of goo in worriment. "Gotta stop doin that" she verbally reprimanded, taking the bowl over to a cookie sheet and plunking the stuff out and rolling it flat. The guys had set the cookie cutters aside from the decorations and she retrieved them from the table she had adorned a few minutes prior setting all three beside the dough. "Ok, first, snowmen" she announced, and promptly cut out four snowmen, put them on a separate sheet, re-rolled the dough and continued with trees and stars next till all the dough was used up. Sliding the tray into the oven she set the timer and went to the bathroom to clean up, removing her white face paint and such as it was getting uncomfortable. Harley caught sight of her outfit in the mirror and frowned, it wasn't Christmasy enough, and went to her bedroom to change into something that was. Clothes were tossed every which way until she found it, a loud "AH HA", accompanying her victory. It was a little red and white outfit she had worn when Joker dressed as Santa for one of their Christmas capers, the sleeves were cutely ruffled and faux white fur trimmed the hem of the dress and the short sleeves. Latching the belt across her middle she riffled for her red and black Santa hat, styled after her original jester hat, she found also the cute little elf shoes, complete with bells. After a moment or so of admiring the outfit, and shoving further flashbacks of the happy times since past when she had frolicked in this costume, Harley jangled back into the living room to snuggle her puppies. They had still been snoozing on their doggy beds when momma came to love on them, their sleepy whines of irritation not phasing her in the slightest. Finally Bud gave in and rolled onto his tummy for belly skritches and Lou began lapping at her face. So enraptured by her babies and their adoration, Harley nearly hadn't heard the 'ding' of the oven, that is, until she smelled the faint burning smell of failure. Leaping up, scaring her boys as she did so, Harley dashed into the kitchen and flung open the oven, nearly grabbing the tray without pot holders. Carefully she examined the cookies, thankfully they had not been ruined at all, just a shade darker than golden brown, and a slow smile slipped across her face. Her hair was loose now and fell over her shoulders as she bent over squirting liberal amounts of frosting on to each cookie, candies chaotically splayed across the ones that had already donned shades of green or red splattered upon them. Suddenly the door was opened and her gang was back, red cheeked and snow covered. "Man it's gettin like a blizzard out there" Lewis grumbled as the rest of the guys hung up their coats on the rack and knocked their boots. Buster was the only one not to do so, instead calling to Harley, "Hey, I promised a buddy I'd go for drinks with 'im mind if I head out early?"
"Ya, fine, whateva, but yer missin' out!" She said cheerily, he didn't say anything but the door open and closed. No one else seemed bothered by it and took similar seating arrangements as before. "Next time Harls, lets say we do this earlier ok?" Came Kenny's voice as he grabbed the remote and switched the channel, the hyenas chuckling as some Christmas themed cartoon came on. Harley soon came skipping out with a plate of cookies, a dopey smile on her face as she presented them. Each male's jaw hung a bit open as she stood there, not one of them realizing just how attractive their boss actually was out of the get up, but too respectful to make any direct comments. "Well fellas, tell me watcha think!" Lewis, Kenny and Nix each grabbed a cookie, eyed it's childlike appearance and took a slow bite. No one spit it out, but there was a thick silence as she stood, hands on hips, watching. Slowly her smile began to fade, little by little as they simply chewed, Lou nibbling at Harley's shoe while Bud tried to go back to sleep. Lewis nodded "These are pretty good" he said, Kenny nodded muttering "good", while Nix shrugged, "No Julia Childs, but edible."
Harley smirked and gave a small laugh, "Thanks," she brightened up and grinned gregariously, "glad you like 'em!" Laughing a little more she bent down and scratched Lou's ear. A surge of holiday cheer blossomed inside as she again felt memories on the haze of her mind and she felt awkward with her gang here suddenly. "If you fellas want the night off you can skidaddle, thanks for the lights and everything." They shrugged and looked at one another figuring that was a cue of some sort and each re-donned their winter gear and headed out saying their thanks to the boss.
Christmas was three days away, but it already felt like it was here.
Harley smiled, though sadly, and plopped down on the couch that was still warm. Her lap was soon filled with hyena heads and she pet them both absentmindedly letting all the thoughts that she had been fighting filter in, defeat shimmering in her eyes.
That green haired, pale faced, grinning gargoyle surfaced instantaneously to mind and anger tinged her once delightful disposition. "If I have any more mood swings I'm gonna be a playset" she mumbled to herself, kicking her jingling feet up onto the table and slouching deep into the cushions. It was all that murdering maniac's fault, he did one good thing and it stuck with her, no matter how much she told herself that she didn't need him or how terribly he had treated her. Truth be told, she didn't see her life as having been that bad, maybe that made her crazy, but she missed those moments when she could just share a silent joke, or curl up tight next to someone in bed, or know that there was someone who would always be there for her. Sure he'd smacked her around a bit, but their relationship wasn't like the average joe's, no one could understand them, but them, and that's what no one understood.
Kicking the table she growled under her breath, scaring her babies, "No! No, I'm not gonna do this to myself!" She said angrily, narrowing her brows and hugging her pets close. Shutting her eyes tight she tried to list ten reasons why it was a lot better living like this, even if she could have listed twenty things she only got to three before nostalgia once more settled in her gut. That's when a swift knocking was heard at the door, the guy's had probably forgot something and Harley debated whether she actually wanted to get up or not. The answer was not, and she yelled "IT'S OPEN!" Toward the door and kissed each hyena's head. "The old days are over", she said, as if comforting someone other than herself and figuring that if the guys were here she'd ask them to stay, at least to stave away the ghost of Christmas past.
"Hey, why dont'cha stay awhile..." she had started saying, turning her head to the side to look at the entrants, but her words ceased as she saw not three, but one figure, a tall figure, one covered in white but what fragments of color that did poke through were purple in shade. Her eyes were open wide, her jaw slackening as she gazed up into the shadowed face, a large, broad brimmed fedora masking it. The babies jumped off her lap and nuzzled the knees of the intruder and Harley rose too, arms crossed and facial expression going from shocked to upset.
"What'er you doin here?" She asked angrily, the figure doffed his hat and was indeed revealed to be just who she suspected, the Joker. "What is it punkin', am I not allowed to drop by?"
"How did you find me?" Harley retorted, nearly cutting him off as she did so.
"You know Buster's always been loyal" he chided, petting each of the hyenas and making his voice a little high pitched as he told them how much he missed them. Harley wasn't surprised that Buster had given into his old boss, but she did feel a bit betrayed and sat down hard on the couch, unable to think of anything else to say except, "Get out".
"But I come bearing gifts!" He said cheerily spreading his long arms out wide, his green eyes lighting up merrily as his slightly dampened hair fell into his face.
"Get. Out." The former moll repeated forcefully, "You don't even wanna wish me a 'Merry Christmas'?" He asked pouting his lower lip a little, his eyes twinkling with hurt as he slumped his shoulders and stood dripping onto the wood floor.
"Only if it'll make you leave" Harley answered flatly, not even looking at him.
"Alright, I see you made cookies, guess you really don't need me anymore." Sighing, whether out of theatricality or actual sadness, the Joker leant forward and put a small box on the table, he then gave the boys a bone and stepped outside to push a much wider and longer box into the room.
"By the way, decorations look great, too bad there isn't a tree" she gave him an extra scowl for the last remark and, tipping his hat to his ex-Harlequin, the Clown Prince exited, closing the door behind him.
Harley's eyes flitted over to the babies fighting over their present, drool dripping from their jowls, and then to each of the packages. Curiosity was eating her up inside and she began to have a terrible internal debate on whether she should open the presents or not. "Definitely shouldn't", she told herself as she picked up the smaller box, "but what the heck, what's the worst that could happen, I blow up into a million little pieces?"
As she ripped off the wrapping paper she found a small black box revealed, removing the lid she found a key, a single silver key.
Scrunching her face up in puzzlement she rose, took the key out and tossed its container over her shoulder, heading toward the larger box. This one she unwrapped a bit faster, egged on by further inquisition, and found it was a hefty wooden trunk with stickers of the Joker's insignias and depictions of the clown and his gal as well as card suits and the like. Rolling her eyes she found it was latched shut, the lock obviously requiring a key, and she was soon jiggling the key in the lock until a happy little clicking noise was heard. Sliding the lock off she braced her hands on the sides of the lid, ready to push it open, but stalling, her heartbeat rising as she took short breaths through her lips. "okay, just do it" Harley told herself, pushing the lid up in one quick motion, then shrinking back. Wincing her eyes shut she waited, when only silence followed, she carefully opened an eye, and when it focused on the contents of the box the other one quickly joined and the largest smile she had smiled in a long time donned her unmade face.
There within was a mountain of memorabilia, from old gadgets they had used, such as her first pop gun, to the scrapbook with the newspaper clippings of all their past crimes together. It even had the plushie dolls she had found of them. Unbidden tears began to collect and flow down her cheeks, pure joy radiating from her as her fingers delicately brushed over each object she saw, each precious treasure she had abandoned when she left, all of her grand collection.
Suddenly with a burst of happiness she ran outside into the snow, uncaring of the cold that seeped into the shoes and dampened her feet, flinging herself at the man who she knew would be standing there, waiting, arms open for her as she leapt forward and encircled his neck with her bare arms.
"You missed me" Harley cooed, burying her face into his neck as she continued to grin.
He didn't say anything, just put one arm around her waist, and the other against her head. Sure he wasn't perfect, sure she was supposed to be on her own, but just one last Christmas together couldn't hurt, not when he'd known exactly what she needed, would always know what she needed, and deep down she knew this romance, though it could easily be denied, would never really disappear forever. Just like the Christmas spirit, it might not be able to last all year, but it always resurfaced when the first chills bit at your cheeks.
Looking up into his pallid face Harley adorned it with kisses, red lipstick smudging onto his narrow features and high cheekbones, his smile never fading as he returned many of the same affections, sweeping her into his arms, Harley giving a small yelp as he did so, and carrying her back inside, admonishing her gently "You'll catch your death running out into blizzards like that".
"Sorry Mistah J" she answered obediently, kicking her feet cheerily, it may not have been exactly Christmas yet, but to her happy little heart, it might as well have been. Harley realized now how fortunate it was she had given the guys the night off as she gave the Ace of Knaves a naughty look and whispered "Thank you Santa" into the Joker's ear. The madman chuckled as he drooped his green tie on the wreath adorning the door, "I think you've been extra naughty" he said narrowing his eyes. "Oh I have Daddy, I have" she said digging her fingers into his green locks and the twinkling of bells on the wreath on the door as it shut echoed their low laughter.