Chapter Five - Brotherly Betrayal

The thrill of the hunt always excited Joker as he climbed stealthily into the apartment Harley had once called a home. Would she spring out at him at any moment? Or maybe her hero, would he pop out from behind a door to throw his fist into Joker's already deformed face again? The thought made Joker laugh quietly, which would have given his position away anyway. So Joker wasn't so good on the hunt. The climb through the window was a nice touch, but upon looking around, he was surprised to find that the apartment had already been ransacked.

"We've been bamboozled!" Joker howled as he looked around at the destruction. He threw on a light switch, only to hear the click, but no lights. He flicked it maniacally before he realized that no one had been there to fix the breakers he had thrown the night before. "Must I do everything myself?!" He demanded loudly as he slumped forward to the breakers & flipped them again. Lights flooded the apartment, causing him to shield his eyes before he blinked, looking around. His goons threw open the front door behind him & he sagged again.

"Be quiet, will you!? This is a sensitive matter!" Joker seemed agitated, even more so than usual, so his goons stayed silent as they followed behind him through Harley's desolate apartment. Knick knacks stayed behind; there were signs that she hadn't lifted everything to move, just the bare essentials. He moved into her bedroom & threw open a drawer, pouting heavily. "She took her panties!" He cried before he heard a crunch underfoot. He looked down & saw the smashed picture frame, causing his head to cant to the side before he pulled his foot away to look down at it curiously.

He dropped down to crouch as he gently picked it up with a white gloved hand, lifting it to his face. Harley had loved this picture of him, she had been so happy when he let her take the picture in the first place. To find it crushed on the ground had almost caused a feeling to rip through him. He wouldn't let it. Someone else had done it, he could tell by the dirt caked boot print smudged on the glass.

"Boys, our Harley has been kidnapped. We have to find her, before they ask for a ransom!" Joker shouted, causing his goons to snap to attention to listen to him.

"I've got bad news for you," came a voice by the same opened window Harley had crept through last night, the one in her bedroom. Joker looked up, still clutching the frame. "She wasn't kidnapped." Red Hood grinned behind his helmet before he dropped down into the room & crossed his arms over his chest. "& she's not yours anymore."

"Ha ha HA! Then tell me who does she belong to now?" Joker questioned as his fingers dipped into the pocket of his purple suit jacket.

"Me," Red Hood answered, causing Joker to howl with laughter. He slapped his knee as he doubled over, causing Jason to glare behind his mask. His fists clenched before he dropped one to his side, drawing out a gun & aiming the barrel at Joker. "I've waited far too long for this," he growled as he pulled back the hammer to hear that all too familiar click.

Joker stilled from his laughter, a grin spreading across his face just before a shadow loomed up to throw Joker into shadow, coming from directly behind Jason Todd. Jason spun & pulled the trigger of his gun, just narrowly missing Batman, who fell into the room with his foot outstretched for the center of Jason's chest. Jason fell under Batman, his gun being knocked away.

"I won't forget this, Bats!" Joker giggled loudly before he tucked tail & ran with his goons, only to find Robin blocking the door. "Why?!" Joker cried out like a spoiled child. "Why must you always have this stupid brat with you?! Is this the one I killed?" He asked, seeing Robins eyes narrow in a glare under the black mask that concealed his eyes. Jokers men fell easily under the gymnastic fighting style of Robin, but he was no match for Joker, who was far too familiar with the way he fought. He kept Damian at bay with a series of flash bombs & gun shots from his own pistol while he backed up towards the window of the apartment.

In the bedroom, Batman & Red Hood were throwing punch for punch, both angling for the gun. Jason wanted to retrieve it, & Bruce wanted to make sure he couldn't get his hands on it. "You can't stop me from killing him!" Red Hood shouted just before taking a punch to his already sore solar plexus.

"I can, & I will. You'll be no better than him. I taught you better," Batman countered, just before Red Hood landed a punch on his exposed jaw.

"He escaped!" Robin shouted, standing above the fallen bodies of the three goons who were tied up with grappling nets, pointing to the window.

"It won't solve anything, it won't change the past," Bruce reminded Jason, for what felt like the millionth time. It probably was. Jason grit his teeth & spun, running straight for Damian before he launched himself through the window to take after Joker. "Stop him!" Bruce commanded, & Robin quickly followed suit out of the window, using his grappling hooks & cape to sail through the night.

Batman knelt down to the ground to pick up the gun & opened one of the drawers in Harley Quinn's apartment so he could drop it inside, just as a voice sounded against his ear.

"Batman, I have Harley. We're en route to Arkham. Do you want me to wait for you?" Timothy Drake sounded over the communicator. Bruce wasn't surprised to hear a shout in the communicator, coming from Jason Todd, before they all heard the helmet strike the concrete, cracking. He winced, but placed his fingers to where his ear was.

"I'll be there."

..::*::..

Harley woke up, dizzy & confused. She felt like she was moving, but she couldn't see anything, despite how hard she tried. She was blindfolded, gagged, & her hands were tied behind her back. On top of that, she could feel at her fingers & the bare skin of her shins & ankles, net was draped over top of her for good measure.

She fought against her restraints; she rolled & twisted, but only managed to tangle herself deeper into the biting rope of the nets. Despite how hard she flailed, nothing was relenting until she felt the car pull to a stop. She heard the door in front of her open & close, before she could hear feet on gravel. She'd know that sound anywhere.

The back doors of the van opened & she felt rough hands gripping at her bicep to tug her out & to her feet. She stumbled forward, trying to catch her balance as she cried out against the gag. "Get that net off of her before she hurts herself," she heard a deep rumbling command. Again, she'd know that sound anywhere. That was none other than Batman. She felt the net finally becoming untangled from her body, but strong hands grabbed her. She felt a circular metallic object press into her back; she knew that to be the muzzle of a gun.

Hands lifted to the side of her face to tug the blindfold off of her so that she could look up to see the cold eyes of Batman. "Jason's sorry he couldn't be here to say goodbye," he said before the guards at either arm tugged her away from him towards the entrance of Arkham, Batman following close behind her. He was surprised to see the slump in her shoulders. The usual kick to her step was gone; she usually wasn't so depressed to come back to Arkham. They had to hurry though; Jason Todd could make an appearance at any moment to try to stop them. If he really had entertained feelings for Harley. Batman could tell the sound of the shout at hearing Timothy had captured Harley that it wasn't the shout one made when finding out that their plans had been compromised. It was something else entirely.

Once inside Arkham, Batman turned to the guards at the front door. "I want her on twenty four hour watch, treat her like Joker. & do not, under any circumstance, let Jason Todd or The Red Hood into the facility." He spoke quietly so that Harley wouldn't hear. They had to keep her under the illusion that this had been a set up; so that they could start to quell any obsessive feelings Harley had started to grow for Jason. Bruce knew how Harley worked, knew that she craved attention & once she got it, she was like an addict & would do whatever it took for more. Arkham really was the best place for her.

Bruce had no qualms with escorting the dejected Harley Quinn back to her familiar cell, & even was the one to turn the lock & key, so to speak. He flicked up the power source that would surge through Harley's cell door to maintain its integrity before he stepped back to the cell to look at her sitting on the padded floor. "It's for the best, Harley," he said softly to her before he turned to walk away.

..::*::..

Damian had caught the brunt of Jason's anger. The current Robin was bruised, bloodied & beaten, lying in an alleyway as he backed up from his enraged brother. "Jason, stop…" He begged, looking up at Jason, pleading for him as he lifted an arm in peace while the other wrapped around his chest.

"Why? Why did Tim go after Harley? Why did you let Joker escape? Why!?" He demanded loudly as he crouched down & grabbed Damian's hair tightly in his fist.

"Jason… She's no good…" Damian choked out as he winced heavily from Jason hauling him up by the hair.

"You let Joker escape!" Jason yelled into his face, his eyes glowering & full of hatred behind his red eye mask. "You think I care about Harley?! You let Joker escape!" He tossed Damian heavily to the side before he stood up, his hands curling into fists at his hips. "I'll pay you all back for what you've done to me. Starting with Joker, but you'll all pay," Jason promised before he walked away from Damian & moved for his motorcycle, still outside of Harley's old apartment building. He started it up with a roar & took off into the streets, his helmet carelessly thrown to the side.

The loud sound of a cape was like music to Damian's ears as he slipped from consciousness, knowing that Bruce had finally come for him. Bruce stopped to pick up Jason's helmet before he stooped down to pick up Damian, the Batmobile roaring into action beside him after he hit the button on his utility belt.

"Alfred, Damian's been hurt. Meet me in the Batcave."

"Yes, Master Wayne."

..::*::..

Jason was like a wild man, scanning the streets for any sign of Joker he could find. But there were none, it was as if he, once again, vanished into thin air. He finally found himself back near his hideout. He needed to get some rest; he needed to take a shower. He pulled his bike up into the warehouse after the loading bay doors & wondered idly if that was how Red Robin had found his way inside. Jason's own brother had snuck into his hideout like a thief in the night & had taken the only playing card Jason had left against Joker. That wasn't the worst of it. He stepped over the small pool of blood made by Harley's crash landing onto the concrete floor as the hyenas came out of hiding to greet the familiar Jason, & looked to his computer. It had been completely demolished.

Jason let out a mighty bellow of anger as he picked up his chair & threw it at the system, causing more sparks & glass to fly through the air before he moved into the living area. He took off the jacket he was wearing, caked in the blood of Damian, & tossed it onto his chair before he pulled his shirt up over his head.

It had been a long day. It was going to be an even longer night, he just knew it. The hyenas followed him, yipping & cackling for his attention. Much like their owner, their Harley, they so craved his affection. He let his fingers brush through the thick spotted coats at the back of their necks, giving them a small sign of his acceptance over them before he moved off for the bathroom. The larger one, the one he knew as Lou from the dangling charm on his collar, tried to follow him inside. Jason actually didn't mind it, it was nice to have the company.

When he got out of the shower, dressed in only his black boxer briefs with his towel hanging around his neck, was when he realized just how empty the warehouse felt. She hadn't even been there twenty four hours, but Harley had made this place seem like it was teeming with life, bursting with energy. He moved to lie out on the small bed & put his head against the pillow she had slept on. It still smelled like her. He growled, realizing what he was doing before he rolled, putting his back to that damned pillow. Damn her. Damn her, damn Joker, damn Batman, damn Red Robin, damn Robin, & damn Jason Todd, too.

The hyenas gave soft whines as they curled up onto the floor next to the bed, lifting their eyes to look up at him every time he moved, their warm brown eyes begging him. He knew what for, they missed her too. His hand slipped from the bed to run his fingers across the tuft of fur on the back of Bud's neck as the hyena whined Jason off to sleep.

..::*::..

She kept telling herself that it wasn't so bad, & the more she told that to herself, the less she felt it. Harley had curled up on her bed, about the only thing she could do inside her own personal Hell, hugging her small pillow to her chest as she silently cried. At least the vent above her, connecting her cell with Joker's, was silent. She remembered when that was her most cherished part of her cell, so she could fall asleep listening to his maniacal laughter, & him telling her repeatedly to shut up. That & the carvings of his name all around her into the cement walls. She needed a new room.

It really wasn't so bad. At least Pamela, or Poison Ivy, was in the cell next to her. She couldn't hear what Pamela was up to, she was always cooing to those damned plants of hers, but it comforted Harley to know that she was there, right next to her. Her fingers played at the collar of the black t-shirt she was wearing. It smelled like sweat, blood & fear. But it still held the scent of Jason Todd. Like cigarette smoke, sulfur & brimstone, & the heady scent of his cologne. The mixture of scents had easily become her favorite scent in the world.

But he had turned his back on her, set her up to be brought back to this place. She thought he cared about her, but clearly that wasn't the case. It brought the tears to flow anew; she pulled the pillow into her face to silence the soft sobs.