Authors Note:

Well, this is my longest chapter to date, and my hardest chapter to write as well.

I like it, it's not the best...I have a feeling my best one will be my next one :)

Thanks all for reviewing, I appreciate it!

Please continue to do so!

Chapter 17:

One Week Later.

"Master. Wayne," Alfred calls from the hallway of Bruce's bedroom. Bruce is sitting down, with his head in his hands trying to drown out the sound of Alfred's footsteps. Alfred drops the two suitcases he was holding on to the floor while saying "In need of an aspirin, sir?" Bruce rolls his eyes and replies back "Alfred, now is not a good time to talk to me. I feel like I have been bashed in the head by a baseball bat."

Alfred sighs, puts the 'brakes' on his suitcases and walks towards the bed where Bruce is sitting. He whispers softly "Well, sir. This is the fifth time this week that you've gotten drunk and collapsed in the middle of street. (Pause) Are you still upset with what happened last week at the hospital?" Bruce takes his hands off his head to turn to Alfred. Bruce nods and then looks towards the hallway and asks with confusion scratched on his face "Why do you have suitcases?"

Alfred sits down next to Bruce on his bed, sighs and answers his question with sorrow "I'm resigning, Mr. Wayne." Bruce gets up off his bed, stands and asks with complete shock "What? Resigning? As in…. quitting?" Alfred too, gets up, nods and replies "Yes, sir. I believe that you need to be alone for a while…at least until you become, your normal self, once again."

Bruce chuckles at this and then screams with full rage "My normal self, Alfred? What? I'm not acting normal? Because I am! I am just a little stressed right now!" Alfred chuckles darkly at this statement and he replies back in a calm, but strict tone "A little stressed? No, you're way beyond the point of stress. You're obsessed with this man! I don't even believe you care about Miss. Dawes anymore…it's all about the Joker now."

Bruce bites his bottom lip and replies sourly "I am not gay, Alfred!" Alfred sighs and explains "I know that, Mr. Wayne. You're acting like a fool! I also know that this man has got you drinking yourself sick! Last week, you went to the hospital, and you saw an intimate scene between two lovers…" Bruce coughs sarcastically and interrupts by asking "Lovers? You think their lovers? No…. no! They're not that!"

Alfred raises his tone with bitterness "Whether you like it or not they are!" Alfred then swallows, calms his voice down and starts again "I am sorry for yelling, sir. I didn't mean to, it's just that you are very stubborn Bruce!" Bruce chews on his bottom lip for a second and then says harshly "Get out, Alfred! You're fired! And don't call me Bruce, your not my friend! Your nothing to me…. no one is…. not Gordon, not Rachel, not you…. no one!"

Alfred looks down at the white tiles and whispers, "You can't survive in this world without friends, Mr. Wayne." Bruce rolls his eyes and screams "Yeah? Well, watch me!" Alfred sighs and walks towards his suitcases, picks them up while saying "Well, good bye, sir." Bruce just stares at him, and then Alfred walks away, not once looking back. Bruce waits a few seconds for the front door to close, and when it does, se sighs, and whispers, "I still have Harley…." He chuckles to himself for a second, and gets up towards his kitchen to find the phone.

- - - -

"Now…for the hundredth time, Joker. What is your real name?" Harley taps her pen on the table of the interrogation room, waiting impatiently for the Joker to answer. He stares deep into her eyes and responds mockingly "For the hundredth time, doll face, I've already told you…its Bingo."

Harley rolls her eyes and asks "Like the dog?" The Joker sighs lightly and then lifts up his handcuffed hands while explaining "No, you see, Bingo wasn't a real dog, it's just a fake dog-ugh…. Harley Quinn." Harley stops taping her pen to say in an annoyed tone "Joker, for the thousandth time, don't call me that! Harley is fine, but Harley Quinn makes me feel like a…." She stops and the Joker interrupts by saying "You know…. I like the sound of your name, very promising."

Harley's eyebrow twitch in confusin while she whispers "Joker…" The Joker nods and asks, "What is it?" Harley suddenly starts to giggle…and the Joker asks irritated "What's so funny? Care to share the joke with the class?" Harley takes her cell phone out of her pocket and confesses, "The vibrations tickle me." The Joker bites his bottom lip and whispers out loud "Now, that's not very promising."

Harley answers her phone by saying "Hello, this is Dr. Quinzel, how can I help you?" Bruce is on the other end of the phone and he mutters sadly "I need to see you again." Harley sighs and asks with wide eyes "Bruce, are you alright?" The Joker's eyes widen at the mention of the Batman's true identity. It had been one week since that predicament, and well…Bruce had been visiting him ever since, making sure he wasn't making plans or anything.

Bruce replies on the other end "No, I'm not. Alfred just quit, Rachel never wants to talk to me again, Gordon thinks the Joker is some type of angel ever since he started reading Machiavelli, and well…my life is going down the crapper." Harley licks her lips and then whispers, "I'll come over tonight alright? Is six okay?" Bruce replies on the other line by saying "Six is fine. Thank you, Harley."

She smiles into her cell phone and then says "Bye" while hanging up. Harley places her cell phone back into her pocket and then smiles while asking, "Okay…now…where were we?" The Joker clears his throat and asks with a real smirk on his face "So…ugh…you and Brucey…. hmm?" Harley's eyebrows narrow while she asks through a blush "No! Why would you think that?"

The Joker giggles to himself, rattles his handcuffs for a second and replies softly "Never mind, doll face. Now what I really want to know is…what's the time?" Harley lifts up her left wrist and examines the watch. She smiles and answers his question with enthusiasm "12:55 which means we still have 5 minutes." The Joker sighs and whispers softly "Be a doll and shoot me please." Harley chuckles and asks "What? Am I that boring?" The Joker shrugs his shoulders while admitting "Yes! Very! For the past hour you've been asking me what my real name is when I've told you that it's Bingo!"

Harley bites her bottom lip and asks "Bingo?" The Joker nods his head, snaps and says happily "Bingo! Now what's my prize?" He laughs and Harley sighs and says bitterly "Listen, my job is not a joke! Now answer my question or else I'll call in Gordon." The Joker's eyebrows rise while he says playfully "Oh come on, doll face. I'm just trying to have a little fun. Now, go ahead. I promise I'll answer your next question honestly…as long as it's not about my name."

Harley smiles and says happily "Good. Now…let me think…." Harley starts to tap her pen on the desk once again and the Joker waits patiently for her question. Harley's smile widens as she says "Okay…I've got one. You say you like Rachel…and Gordon's got me convinced that you love her…but how can you prove this?" The Joker sighs, licks his bottom lip and says back "I'm a man of my word. So, I am going to answer this honestly. And well…Rachel…." The Joker stops for a second and tries to think of an honest response.

He continues with a quick bite of his lip "Okay…here's the deal. Rachel is…. different. I can't prove that I like her, okay? I don't write poems, or send boxes of chocolates. But…for the first time in a really long time…I've felt something, even if it's small…. teeny even…. tiny…insy…. bitsy…. for someone else other than myself. Doesn't that prove it?"

Harley smiles at this and whispers back "Yes…it does…very well too." Harley raises her wristwatch to her eye view and then says to the Joker "Time's up for today. I will see you tomorrow." Harley then gets up and leaves the room along with her briefcase.

A few seconds later, Commissioner Gordon walks in and asks, "Have a nice session?" The Joker shakes his head and says "Can't you get me someone more…fun? Harley is just so…plain and boring." Gordon chuckles and changes the subject by saying, "Ready to talk to Rachel?" The Joker smiles a quick real smile and replies back "I thought I wasn't allowed to talk to her? I mean for the past week I haven't, what changed?"

Gordon pulls up the chair and sits down in front of the Joker while replying "I heard what you said about her, just now. I was in the listening booth, and well, it was really…kind." The Joker rolls his eyes and says "Yeah…well, I was just trying to get that Doctor off my back." The Commissioner chuckles and says with a wide grin, completely not believing him "Sure, you were."

- - - - -

"Bruce," Harley calls while knocking on the Billionaire's front door. She quickly glances towards her watch and sees that she is late. She scoffs to herself softly and then screams at the door "Bruce! It's Harley!" There is no answer, and Harley is starting to get frustrated. Suddenly, the door opens to reveal Bruce wearing very casual clothes unlike the other times where he only wears suites. Harley sighs and says, "I've never seen you so…comfortable before."

Bruce rolls his eyes, and moves his hand from his back towards his front to reveal a bottle of Smirnoff Vodka. He takes a large gulp and says sadly "Come in." Harley walks in, places her briefcase on the floor and then shuts the door. She softly giggles to herself as Bruce stumbles over to his white couch.

He lays on it and Harley stands in the same spot while saying "I think…maybe…you should stop drinking." Bruce eyes her carefully, scoffs and replies with a smirk "Yeah? Well…your not my Doctor, Harley, baby." He places the bottle to his lips and takes another large swallow of liquor.

Harley walks over to the couch, sits down and asks, "Bruce are you drunk?" Bruce laughs at this and places his bottle down on the floor in front of him while replying "No! Of course not! Batman doesn't get drunk! Harley sighs and picks up the bottle of Vodka and walks into the kitchen while asking "Have you eaten anything today?"

Bruce stretches and answers her question loudly "I had some Smarties…and then some M&M's…. and a few rice crispy bars. Man, they were…good." Harley opens up Bruce's fridge while asking "Did you have anything that wasn't made of sugar?" Bruce chuckles to himself, looks down at the floor and then asks "Hey! Where did my drink go?"

Harley returns to the couch, moves Bruce's legs over and sighs out "I'm not letting you drink anymore! I don't know why you called me over…what? To watch you act like this? No. Bruce, I want to help you." Bruce flashes her a smile, and stretches his legs over Harley's thighs while saying "Your off work, Harley, baby…relax…have a drink."

Harley looks at him for a second with narrowed eyes. She bites her bottom lip and asks daringly "Bruce…. why did you invite me over?" Bruce sighs and mutters, "I'm lonely." Harley clears her throat and asks irritated "That's the only reason? Your lonely?" Bruce sighs, takes his legs off her and then moves closely to her on the couch.

He smiles widely, grabs her hand in his and continues "You know…Rachel doesn't want me…Gordon hates me…Alfred quit…Wayne Enterprises would fire me if I didn't own them…. and well…. you're here. So, it's just you and me, sweetheart. You, me and my Vodka bottle."

He looks down at the floor again and asks confused "Hey! Where did it go?" Harley let's go of his hand and says, "Bruce, I'm not someone's last resort." Bruce looks into Harley's eyes and asks sadly "You don't want me either?" Harley licks her lips and replies softly "Bruce…it's not that I don't want you. You're my friend, right?" Bruce smiles, nods and mutters, "What if I don't want that?"

Harley's eyebrows scrunch upwards and she asks, "You don't want to be my friend?" Bruce shakes his head, and moves closer to her while replying drunkenly "No…what if I want more?" Suddenly, Bruce grabs her head and kisses her passionately. Harley stops him after a few seconds, gets up off the couch and says "No! I can't!"

Bruce looks down at the floor again and says with pathos "You don't want me?" Harley doesn't respond so Bruce asks angrily "Why is it that no one wants me?" He then crashes his head in his hands and Harley responds "I do want you…. just not like this." Bruce looks up at her and yells "Get out!" Harley jumps up in surprise as Bruce keeps yelling "Out! Now!" Harley gulps, and runs out the apartment, slamming the door, and forgetting her briefcase.

- - - -

"What's wrong with him?" The Commissioner asks the Joker's guard that evening. The Joker's guard replies with full honesty "I don't know, sir! He's having some type of anxiety attack! He slept through most of the afternoon and when he woke up he started yelling things like 'I need to see her'! It's horrible! I don't know what to do!"

The Commissioner peers through the bars and watches the Joker rock himself while screaming to him "Gordon, I need to see her! Now!" The Commissioner's eyes widen and then he grabs onto the bars and asks, "See who? What's the matter, Joker?" The Joker licks his bottom lip and screams out "I need to see her! Now! Something's wrong with her! Let me see her!"

The Commissioner gasps and says to the guard "We need a doctor! I am going to go call Harley! Don't let him out of your sight!" Gordon quickly leaves and the guard is left there watching the Joker scream out in pain. The guard tries to level with him by saying "She's alright…Rachel, is fine." But the Joker gets up, walks towards the bars, and grabs onto them while screaming angrily "No! I saw it! She's not! Let me out of here! I need to see her! I need to!"

The guard sighs and desperately reaches into his pocket to take out his keys while saying "Okay, move back. I am going to let you out, all right? Just calm down." The Joker moves back, and shivers largely while the guard opens the gate. When he does, the Joker takes the back of his head in his hands and twists the head to break the spin. The guard falls, straight to the floor, dead and the Joker laughs uncontrobally while saying, "Never trust a Joker." Then he reaches into the guard's hands, takes out his car keys, and quickly runs towards the nearest exit while screaming "Now. Where's my little bunny?"

Authors Note:

Thank you so so much for reading!

Please review and let me know if you liked it or not.

Thanks so much!

Btw, I know Rachel wasn't in this chapter...but I promise that she will have a MAJOR part in the next one's.

Take Care Everyone!