Chapter Nine - A Business Meeting

Their search, so far, had been fruitless. Nightwing, Red Robin & Robin scoured the dirty streets of Gotham, looking high & low for their brother & Harley Quinn. But no matter where they looked, there were no sign of either of them.

The three of them arrived at the Batcave at the appointed time to go over strategy & check in at the end of the night. Damian flopped with exhaustion down to the floor. "All of the warehouses are abandoned; he's not in one of them." He said, looking up at the two older men.

Nightwing pulled the mask from his eyes as he gave an exhale of breath that puffed out in exasperation. "He's not in any of the abandoned buildings, I checked every last one of them."

"The sewers are clean. Well, as clean as they can be." Red Robin made a face before he slouched down into a chair & put his face in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees.

"Who are you looking for, boys?" A purring voice from the entrance of the Batcave by the waterfall that concealed it from public view took the attention off of the floor all they were all studying. The three Wayne boys snapped their heads up to see Catwoman, hiding behind her goggles & under the black leather of her costume. Nightwing was the only one who rolled his eyes; the other two looked up at Catwoman with a slight amount of awe.

"Jason & Harley," Damian answered, which got him a slap to the back of the skull by Nightwing. "What!? It's true! We don't know where they are…"

Catwoman flipped down to where they were, smiling that crooked looking grin of hers. "I do," she revealed, her eyes flicking back between the three of them under the goggles. "They're not in the city. Is Bruce home?"

"What do you mean, 'they're not in the city'? If they're not in the city, then where are they?" Nightwing asked, ignoring her inquiry as to the whereabouts of Bruce Wayne. Truth was, none of them could really tell her. He was still busy locking up the assorted criminals who had escaped.

"I don't know where, exactly, but Riddler & Joker had found them. They're going to trick Jason into giving up Harley in trade for Joker, and then Joker's going to kill both of them." Selina looked calm, even though Harley was supposed to be a friend to her. She had been glad to find out that Harley had finally ditched Joker, but her new affection had been giving Bruce a lot of problems. Selina couldn't stand for that. The blonde haired gymnast had signed her own fate, as far as Selina Kyle was concerned.

"What?! We have to stop them!" Damian shouted as he jumped up from the floor. Tim also climbed to his feet in uncertainty. He looked to Dick, who gave a short nod.

"Damian's right, we can't let Joker kill either of them. We're sworn to protect them," Dick reminded Tim, who reluctantly nodded his head.

"So, it Bruce home or not?"

..::*::..

Jason finally returned, ignoring the barrage of questions Harley flung his way. He moved past her to head upstairs for the bedroom, collapsing onto the bed. Somehow, even with her nagging & incessant hands pushing at his bare shoulders to divulge in his secrets, he had fallen asleep.

It stung Harley. She finally got off the bed with a huff & headed for the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She grumbled as she shrugged her clothes off & began to fill the large bathtub, filling the clear liquid with some body wash she had found sitting in wait by the basin, causing lavender scented bubbles to rise to the surface under the chaotic flow of water from the golden tap. Once it was filled almost to the brim, she turned off the water & climbed into the hot water. It stung her skin, especially around her backside where the bruises were deeper from Jason grabbing & slapping at her flesh. But she made no noise as she slipped into the water & hid behind the wall of bubbles to try to relax & steady her heart from trying to break. She couldn't let it.

It wasn't long before she heard the bathroom door open & close. She didn't open her eyes, she didn't want to look up to see Jason, feel his rejection stinging her again. A few moments passed, before there was a disturbance in the water. She felt his naked body sliding slowly up her legs as he placed his hands on either side of her hips. She opened her eyes to look at him just as his lips met hers in a soft kiss. She closed her eyes quickly to mask the roll that was there before she lifted her arms to wrap around his neck & pulled him down to feel his weight on her chest.

There didn't need to be any words as he slowly pulled away from her to start kissing along her neck slowly, his hands never getting enough of her skin in his grip. He knew that anything he had to say at this point would only push her away from him. He couldn't afford that. Not with what The Riddler had offered. & so plainly, too. No confusing riddles, no annoying lyrical cryptograph. Just a plain command, Harley for Joker. Jason didn't care what Riddler wanted with Harley, his bloodlust for Joker made it an offer he simply couldn't refuse.

The thought that it was a trap never entered his mind, & he let Harley soothe his conscious by parting her thighs for him in the water so he could slide inside of her again. He was slow & gentle, his hot mouth trailing along her skin as he made love to her. Because he did love Harley, he was sure of that. & this might be the last time he had to show her that.

..::*::..

"Is everything ready?" Joker giggled as he finished up setting the final touches of the dummy that was meant to emulate him in the shaft of light of the empty warehouse, slumped over in the chair he was fettered to. It was quite the illusion, almost a perfect match for Joker. He was proud of his work.

"Does a rocking horse have a wooden—never mind. Yes, yes my Clown Prince, everything is ready." Riddler skipped out into view of the otherwise pitch black warehouse, twirling his staff expertly in his hands before striking it down to the cement with a clang. "Do you think he'll buy it?"

"If there's one thing I know, it's how stupid those Bird Brains can be," Joker assured Riddler. "It could be a scarecrow in a purple suit for all he would care."

"Good! Good!" Riddle exclaimed as he moved away from the dummy & back into the darkness of the warehouse. "& just in case things don't go as planned, I have a safety!"

"Oh?" Joker wondered aloud, following after Riddler in the dim light. Riddler held up a detonator in his hand & lifted his finger to point at the red button.

"Everything goes KA-BOOM!"

"I like ka-boom…" Joker said with a wicked grin before he scampered off to the corner to wait for Jason Todd to bring him back his Harley, & to walk right into the trap he had carefully laid.

..::*::..

"Get dressed; we have to go to Gotham. I have a business meeting & I don't want to leave you alone," Jason commanded Harley after he helped her dry off from their bath.

"What should I wear?"

"Your costume," Jason told her before he moved over to take her chin in his fingers & pulled her tightly to him so he could kiss her lips passionately before he let her go.

She moved to follow his command, pulling on the leather of her costume as quickly as she could with Jason's prompting. "I'm going, I'm going," she muttered after she finally set the corset around her chest.

Finally she was dressed, & he pulled on his helmet. She gave a brief goodbye to the hyenas, promising them fresh meat when she returned later, causing Jason to feel a stab in his heart. He couldn't do this to her. He watched her petting Lou, who turned to look at Jason as if the hyena knew what he was about to do. He opened his mouth to tell her to stop, that they weren't going, but he heard the laughter of Joker ringing in his psyche. He couldn't let this chance go. He grabbed Harley's bicep & tugged her to him so that he could pull her out of the door.

"Hey, c'mon! What's the rush?" Harley grumbled as he forced her down the porch stairs.

"I don't like to be late," Jason said coldly, & Harley felt another painful jab to her stomach. Why was he being like this to her?

He finally got Harley to get on the back of his motorcycle so he could rev it up after turning the key in the ignition & then turned away from the cabin to race towards Gotham.

He hated how elated Harley sounded in his ear as she enjoyed the high speed, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist & her lips next to his neck. He could feel her heated breath over the cold wind that snapped at them from the high speeds they were traveling, as if the weather itself was telling him to turn back, to not do this to Harley.

His jaw set as he pushed the motorcycle on faster & faster.

..::*::..

Finally the motorcycle pulled up in front of the abandoned warehouse, & Jason killed the motor so that he could climb off after Harley. He grabbed her bicep roughly again & pulled her towards the warehouse. "Jason…?" Harley asked in a shrill voice, she could tell something wasn't right. He didn't answer her, instead tugged her into the darkened warehouse. Towards the back, he could see the shaft of light, so he headed in the dark for it.

Finally the figure of Joker loomed up in the chair; Jason could make out the green hair, the purple suit & the red that splattered the front of his shirt & jacket. Behind his helmet, Jason grinned before he threw Harley forward towards the chair.

Harley yelped as she hit the ground heavily on her knees before she began to scuttle backwards for where Jason was. "What are ya doin'?!" She demanded, but she saw Riddler come up from the darkness behind the still form of Joker. "That ain't Joker, you've been tricked!" Harley hissed. She'd know Joker anywhere, the arms were too bulky & the legs were proportioned all wrong.

"Shut up," Jason hissed to her as he watched Riddler approach.

"Oh, it's him alright. From the tippy tippy tip toes to this magnificent green head of hair. I'm glad you considered my offer. Harley for Joker." Riddler laughed before he moved, quickly, to grab for Harley. "He's all yours!" Riddler called before he started to drag Harley backwards in his arms.

"You betrayed me!?" Harley screeched as she started to struggle in the arms that held her fast like vices. Edward's hands held her tight, his bony fingers prodding into her flesh as his grip tightened even more. "You did this to me!"

That's when the fourth voice rung out, causing Jason's heart to fall. "You can't blame him, Chickpea. He never wanted you; he's always been after me. Come here; let me protect you from the Big, Bad Hood." Joker grinned & Jason's stomach lurched forward as he did, reaching for the mannequin in the chair. The head flopped back to reveal the dead eyes of the dummy. He had been duped, tricked. He should have seen this coming.

"Harls!" He shouted out, but there was a loud bang in the back & the sound of an engine roaring to life. No! Jason's legs pumped to bring him towards the back of the warehouse where he had heard the noises; he had to get to her. That was around the time that the warehouse exploded, sending Jason flying into the harsh concrete wall from the blast. He dropped to the ground as the inferno began to rage behind him, getting closer & closer. He found the back door that Joker & Riddler must have escaped through & cursed heavily to find it locked.

Luckily his helmet had a filtration system filtering air, smoke inhalation wouldn't be a problem, he reasoned. Then again, what would that help if he was roasted alive? The only exit he could discern was the one he had entered through with Harley, behind a wall of angry, ripping flames that licked at everything it could to set fire. He heard another small explosion before the skylight ripped through. He looked up to see Nightwing swinging inside on his grappling hooks. Jason silently cursed, why hadn't he thought to bring his own? Because he trusted Riddler, trusted him to hold up his end of the bargain. Now Joker had Harley & she would never, ever trust him again. His jaw set as he looked to Dick. "Need a hand?" Dick asked, holding his hand out to his brother. Jason nodded before he took the extended hand & Dick zipped them up through the warehouse the way he had exploded inside, landed them safely on the roof.

..::*::..

Jason stood outside of the warehouse, looking at the charred remains of his bike. He grit his teeth before he looked over at Dick. "I need help," he admitted, looking back down to the bike.

"I know." Dick nodded in agreement before he reached for Jason again. Jason heard the click of handcuffs, & jumped backwards, his hands going immediately behind his back. "Come on, Jason. You know you need to be locked away."

"I think I've had enough betrayal from one night & from my brothers in a lifetime," Jason spat at Dick, who frowned. Jason shook his head & turned. "Dick, I swear to anything that will listen, if you follow me or get in my way of getting Harley back, I'll fucking kill you," he said over his shoulder. Dick paused, hearing the ferocity in Jason's voice.

"She's no good for you, Jason."

Jason sighed & stopped, turning to face Dick from five yards away, the billowing smoke rising up out of the warehouse as the flames began to try to consume the bricks. "I wish you all would stop telling me what was good for me. None of you know. So go, go back to your own life. Leave me to mine. Until you feel what Harley makes me feel, don't fucking tell me whether she's good or not," he growled before he ran off into the night, leaving Dick standing alone by the explosion.

..::*::..

"This most certainly is not good news," Batman rumbled as he looked to Dick while the flames finally died down in the warehouse that had lost its' roof, from a light rain that had appeared to soak Dick through, making his teeth chatter slightly. Not that he would ever show weakness in front of his mentor.

"Selina said that Joker planned to kill both of them, I'm assuming the explosion was meant for Jason. That means…"

"Harley is in danger. Let's find them, & quickly, before Jason does & they slip through our grasp again."

..::*::..

"There, there, Pumpkin," Joker soothed Harley as he brought her into his hideout, his bony arm wrapped around her shoulders tightly as he guided her. His hand waved dramatically as the goons snapped to attention around, greeting their Hench Wench. "You know it wouldn't have worked out," Joker continued, lifting his free hand to run his gnarled, bony fingers slowly down her cheek where some tear trails remained. "I'm willing to overlook this whole thing, as long as you promise never to run away again," he finished, reaching up to ruffle her hair in a show of affection so rarely shown by the twisted maniac. But he knew he had to keep Harley this time, at least until he found the perfect time to kill her, so he had to give her some of the things she wanted.

Harley managed to keep the wince off of her face as she turned away from him, looking to her goons. "Come on, Harls, cheer up. I got a special party planned, just for you," he sang slightly as he spoke to her, trying to lift her out of her dark, depressive mood. He placed his finger on her nose with a light amount of pressure before he pulled away to lead her into the warehouse, showing her the room he had designated for her. Most of her things from his old hideout had been moved, including some things from her own apartment. She didn't question how he had gotten it. Next to the bed on the nightstand was the picture of him that Jason had crushed, displayed in a new frame. "You're also going to need to change. You know I hate anyone looking at what's mine. Your old costume is in the closet for you, muffin. Don't keep me waiting long." His last words were a warning, but Harley could barely process anything, so the target missed. Instead she moved to the bed to flop down on it, curling up instantly into the fetal position with her back to the door.

Joker's brows furrowed as he watched her, knowing how out of sorts she was. His fists clenched at his hips before he crossed over the room to her, grabbing her roughly by the arm to yank her out of the bed. She didn't fight as she stumbled out of the bed, standing up to look away from him. "Snap out of it!" Joker howled, his white gloved hand reaching back to deliver a blow across her cheek with the back of his hand. She was numb, she didn't play his game. She didn't cry out like she once had, she didn't try to struggle or pull away. Her head snapped to the side with the force, & silent tears slipped down her face, but otherwise she remained the same. Joker got even more enraged at seeing her just standing there, taking his abuse. But she had always taken his abuse, just never like this. The woman standing before him looked broken. He shoved her away from him & turned on his heel with a sneer. "Just… do something, Harley," he growled, not even knowing what he was trying to say before he slammed the door to her bedroom.