Authors Note:

This is my longest chapter yet, and I am pretty satisfied with it.

I hope you all ignore the mistakes that I have probably made, I have no time to edit it.

Pleas review :D

Thanks so much!

Chapter 20:

"So, why did you become a psychologist?" Bruce asks Harley while watching her sit down on one of the many benches in the park. He sits down himself and then she replies with a small smile on her face "Other than the fact that I needed to prove to everyone…including myself that I could be successful. I guess because I find people like the Joker…interesting."

Bruce chuckles at this and asks "Interesting? Really?" Harley nods and says to him "Yes…why? You have a problem with that, Mr. Wayne?" Bruce smirks at the question and answers, "No, I respect your opinion, it's just that…how can you handle it? I mean you talked to him for the past week. How do you not lose your head? He makes me…." Harley interrupts him by asking "Crazy? Yes, I know. He drives me crazy too."

Bruce's head tilts to the side as he asks slightly confused, "Then why do you stay?" Harley shrugs her shoulders, smiles and whispers "Sometimes we have to do things that we don't want to do…to pay the rent." Bruce laughs at the last part and Harley continues "But of course you don't have to worry about things like that. Do you?"

Bruce shakes his head and whispers, "I've been blessed." He bites his bottom lip, looks towards Harley and says with a smile on his face "Listen, Harley. I know you have better things to do right now than hang around with a sad idiot like myself, but I really appreciate you doing this." Harley looks down at the bench but Bruce taking her hand in his and grasps her attention once again.

She looks at him, smiles and he continues, "I've been a mess. The Joker really got into my head, the way he took everything from me. Now, all I have left is you. I don't know what I'd do if he took you away from me too." Harley sighs, automatically feeling guilty for not telling him the truth.

She slowly shakes the thought away, pouts sadly and replies back sweetly "That's really nice, Bruce." Mr. Wayne shakes his head, let's go of her hand and then asks, "Harley, are you alright?" He reaches out to hold up her chin as he asks, "What's the matter?" Harley wipes away a tear from her left eye, smiles and says "Nothing. Don't worry about me."

Bruce sighs and whispers, "Just because I'm rich doesn't mean that I'm not educated. I know that something is bothering you. Now, what is it?" Harley smirks, and tries to think of something to cover up all her lies. So, she smiles and says, "I'm just thinking about how horrible it must have been for you." Bruce nods slowly, clears his throat and answers, "It was horrible. But you know what? It's not anymore. I'm doing…better. Rachel will soon realize that she doesn't like him, and it will all be over."

Harley licks her bottom lip and asks questionably "It will all be over? What? She is going to be with you? Is that what you think?" Bruce nods, chuckles nervously while asking "Wh- why? You don't think that will happen?" Harley sighs and replies back bitterly "Of course not! Bruce grow up! The Joker is not some phase…. he's a man. What about his feelings? You think he is going to let Rachel walk away?"

Bruce's eyebrows knit as he asks baffled "What are you talking about? The Joker has no feelings!" Harley sighs and whispers, "Underneath that make up, there is a man! A man with feelings. Even if it's feelings of anger, they are still feelings!" Bruce shakes his head and Harley continues, "Everyone has feelings about everyone! Like…an example. I have feelings for you…"

Bruce swallows hard and asks confused "You have feelings for me? You…like me?" Harley rolls her eyes and says harshly "No, you dummy! I, usually, have compassionate feelings for you. But right now, I feel like I want to throw all the compassion out the window and replace it with disease!" Bruce chuckles at this and asks "Why are you so mad? This is stupid."

Harley gets up from the bench; looks at him angrily while answering, "You know what Bruce? Call me when you regain your logic." She bites her bottom lip and continues "If you want to wait until Rachel stops liking the Joker, then, honey, your gonna wait forever. Because once you go clown, you never come down!" She walks away from Bruce and he watches her in shock.

- - - -

"What the hell was that?" Rachel screams once she sees the Joker walking down the street. She approaches him quicker and asks again "What is the matter with you?" The Joker keeps on walking and then he says in his normal 'Joker' voice "You know…for a woman who has just previously been raped, you walk awful fast." Rachel sighs and keeps on following him while asking, "Why did you leave?"

The Joker ignores her questions until finally he walks to the nearest bus stop and he stands there, leaning against the bus shelter. Rachel rolls her eyes and asks bitterly "Are you so afraid of your feelings, that you're ignoring me?" The Joker grinds his teeth and mutters "Go away, Miss. Dawes." Rachel shakes her head, and whispers "No, Jack. I'm not going anywhere without you."

Suddenly the Joker flips around and grabs Rachel's wrists strongly and says through clenched teeth "You heard what I said. Now, go, do it!" Rachel bites her bottom lip, trying to concentrate the pain coming from her wrists somewhere else. She closes her eyes and whispers softly "Please let go of me."

The Joker does so, and then he turns around again and leans against the bus shelter again in complete silence. Rachel watches him for a few seconds and then suddenly he starts giggling to himself. He looks down at the ground and whispers, "Why do I even bother? I should have left you in that hospital and then gone and blown it up!" Rachel's eyes widen as she mutters confidently "You wouldn't have done that. You like me. You told me. You told Gotham!"

The Joker chuckles evilly at this, turns around and says angrily "I lied! Don't you get it, beautiful? It was all a plan! A plan to get you to hate the Batman and a plan to get Batman to go…wacko, like me!" Rachel stares at him for a second in confusion and then he grabs her head in his hands and continues "What? You don't believe it? Think you're so beautiful, that a person, like me, would fall for you? Well, Narcissus, I don't need you anymore! You were a good fuck, and a nice toy for a while, but now…your nothing to me!"

Tears form in Rachel's eyes and the Joker let's her go and says, "Go back to Frank. Pretend like this never happened. Be a pathetic waitress again and live your life in this disgusting tiny suburb and die alone, just like I will! All right, pumpkin? I've had enough of you and your feelings, and your needs….ju-just get away from me!" Rachel wipes away her tears from her eyes and takes a step towards the Joker, and he chuckles thinking she still doesn't believe him. So, he takes a step forward and when he does Rachel kicks him as hard as she can in his private area.

The Joker falls down to the ground in pain while Rachel screams angrily "Don't you fucking talk to me again!" She lifts him to his feet and he paints softly from the pain and Rachel punches him in the nose as hard as she can. The Joker falls down to ground, this time gripping his nose in his hand. He laughs and says, "I've always wanted a nose job." Rachel rolls her eyes and screams, "You think this is funny, Jack? This is not funny! You have ruined my life!"

The Joker gets up slowly, holding onto the shelter strongly while saying "Oh honey, this is destiny's fault. Not mine." Rachel stomps her foot and yells "Shut up! Now, listen to me." The Joker chuckles at this and Rachel asks loudly "Are you going to listen to me?" The Joker shakes his head, takes a step towards her body and whispers directly into her ear "You know…if we weren't in a public place, I'd rip you apart."

Rachel rolls her eyes, grabs his hand in hers and whispers, "Just whom are you trying to persuade? Yourself or me? I don't believe you, Jack. It may have been a plan, but I know that you love me!" The Joker squeezes her hand and asks huskily "And just how do you know that, beautiful? Feminine intuition? Any of that crap?"

Rachel shakes her head as the Joker starts to look into her eyes. She breathes in deeply and answers "I know because…. this morning, I was awake. I was pretending to sleep. And every few seconds you would…" She takes her hand and glides it up his back while continuing "…touch me…softly…. and stroke my hair, and do small things that only Jack could do, not the Joker."

The Joker stares at her for a second; he smiles a real smile and asks confidently "That's what you got? Wow…Princess, I thought lawyers were supposed to be smarter that that!" Rachel sighs and whispers, "I know you do, I can feel it. You just can't say it…because, you are who you are and I understand that. But…" The Joker places a finger on her lips to shut her up and then he says bitterly "Your making me really angry right now, you know that pumpkin?"

Rachel smiles and tries to play the confident card by saying "I thought you liked anger, Mr. Joker." The Joker licks his bottom lip and says "Your…ugh…re-really…. tempting me right now." Rachel giggles at this and decides to play the provocative card by saying "No…now I'm tempting you."

Suddenly, Rachel starts to tease his finger with her tongue and the Joker's eyes go wide. He moans softly at the thought of her tongue doing the same thing somewhere else. He clears his throat, slams her against the bus shelter and says "You think that I want you, beautiful?"

Rachel shakes her head, and then moves her lips to his scars. She kisses the one on the right and then whispers "Listen to me, Jack. I know you don't want me. I know that you need me." The Joker takes her by her hair and shoves her face to be centimeters away from his. He tightens his grip on her hair and crashes his lips to hers after saying "I do need you."

- - - -

"Did you get lost?" Frank asks the Joker and Rachel as soon as they come into the small suburb house. Frank keeps on stirring the noodles he is making as Rachel responds, "No, we just went for a walk, nothing else." The two of them walk into the kitchen and the Joker sits down on one of the kitchen chairs while asking "Pasta?" Frank nods, keeps stirring and then he gasps while saying "Oh, Jack. There's more thread for your cuts in the cupboard behind you."

The Joker nods, winks at Rachel and then says, "I'm good. I think the thread I have on now will last me through the day." Rachel takes a good look at him and realizes that he actually had threaded his scars together to make them look new. She clears her throat and says to Frank "You need any help with anything? It smells great." The Joker licks his bottom lip while Frank replies, "Well, it would have been nice two hours ago. What the hell were you two kids doing walking for two hours?"

The Joker giggles at this, puts a strand of his curly hair behind his ear while saying "Nothing to interest you, Frank. We were just talking…. in French." Rachel chuckles at this and Frank asks, "You two know French?" The Joker chuckles again, and says while peering at Rachel "We know it very well." Rachel blushes, gets up from the chair and walks towards Frank while asking, "When is Alice coming home? I haven't seen her in a long time."

Frank nods, sighs and whispers "Well, she's at the restaurant now. Uhh… Rachel that reminds me. You think maybe I should call the cops? Tell them you're alright?" Rachel's eyes go wide, and the Joker gets up off his chair and says quickly "No, the Joker's probably got them tapped. And then he'll find her…and we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

The Joker's dark eyes look deep in to Frank's eyes and suddenly those eyes make him feel uneasy. Rachel clears her throat, takes the Joker's hand in hers and whispers to him "Calm down." The Joker raises his eyebrows at her and Frank sees that she is holding his hand. He smiles, clears his throat and grabs three plates from the cupboard while saying, "Help me out, Jack. Go to the cupboard to your left and grab three forks and three knives for our lunch."

The Joker let's go of Rachel's hand and does as he is told while saying, "Thanks for the food, Chef. And for the…. you know…ugh…thread… of course." Frank nods, places the three plates on the kitchen table while saying to Rachel "You should have seen this guy this morning, Miss. Dawes. Blood dripping all over his lips and chin, not a nice sight." Rachel shakes her head to take the image out of her head. She gasps softly to herself realizing that that's why Frank had believed him.

She sits down at the table again as the Joker places the forks and knives were they belong beside each plate. He has one knife left that he quickly places into his pant's pocket and Rachel's eyes widen at the gesture. The Joker chuckles at this, sits down and Frank asks, "What's so funny?" The Joker shakes his head and mutters "Nothing you need to worry about, Frankie."

Frank rolls his eyes, takes one of the plates from the table and puts pasta in it while saying "I haven't been called that since high school. What's the guy's name that used to call me that? Johnny…that's right. Johnny Napier, some Scottish kid." The Joker suddenly clenches his fists together and he gets up and asks through clenched teeth "You know that asshole?"

Frank places the plate on the table, grabs another and asks while laughing "Hey, I wasn't that mad that he called me that." Frank places the pasta on the table again and asks puzzled "You know him?" The Joker looks over at Rachel and mutters softly "No." Frank sighs and whispers while pouring the last plate of pasta, "He was a strange fellow. I say was, because you know. His even stranger kid killed him with a shovel. Poor guy."

The Joker licks his bottom lip while muttering, "Maybe he deserved it." Frank chuckles nervously, sits down and starts eating while saying "He probably did." Rachel stares at the Joker for a second and watches him eat slowly. She takes a bite and then says to Frank "This is really good." Frank smiles and then the Joker says, "I was wondering if I could stay the night… I won't be a bother, I just need a place to stay…. until you know…. it's safe."

Frank nods, swallows his food and replies "You can stay in the guest room, with Rachel. That is if she doesn't mind." The Joker looks over at Rachel with his eyebrows raised up. She smiles, shakes her head and whispers, "No, I don't mind." The Joker moves his hand under the table and places it on Rachel's thigh while asking Frank "You have sound proof room's right?"

Frank chuckles at this and Rachel sits there in shock. Frank smiles and says, "You're a funny man, my friend." The Joker smiles a real smile and speaks "I've been told." Frank laughs again and Rachel chuckles at the hidden irony. Frank swallows down some of his pasta while saying "You're a good kid, Jack. Saving Rachel like that…I just don't know why you would do something like that. Putting you own life in danger."

Rachel rolls her eyes and continues eating with the Joker replies "We all do what we can, sir." Rachel picks up her plate and puts it in the sink while saying "I am full. Thank you, Frank for being so nice to me. Ugh…. Jack…when you're done. I need to talk to you." The Joker eyes her carefully and once Rachel gets out of the room Frank asks, "So, what's going on with you two? You like her or what? She likes you, she's been giving you the eye all day."

The Joker giggles at this and says, "Rachel's not my type." Frank shrugs his shoulders while mumbling sarcastically "Beautiful? Young? Smart? No, she's not your type at all." The Joker looks down at the floor and remembers what he said so he asks baffled "The eye? What eye was she giving me?" Frank clears his throat and says somewhat softly "You know…. the eye. The one saying, 'hey…I think you're cute.' You know?"

The Joker eyebrows knit as he laughs hysterically at this. Frank places the finished dishes into the sink and he asks "What?" The Joker stops laughing and replies sarcastically "Yeah, I bet she thinks I'm real good looking with these…" he points to his threaded scars while continuing "…. pretty things on my face." Frank sighs turns on the warm water and says "Their not too bad. I wouldn't wish them on anyone, you know? But…ugh… you're still alright with them."

The Joker eyes him carefully for a second before asking "Are you gay?" Frank laughs at this, shakes his head and replies "No, of course not. I've got a beautiful wife, Alice. No children though, we could never reproduce. Maybe that's why we took in Rachel, thought of her as a kid, and now you…. your sort of like a son to me." The Joker looks down at the floor trying to get rid of all the painful memories his father gave him as a child.

Frank washes the dishes while continuing, "I know you think it's strange. But my wife, and me, we get lonely sometimes. So, it's nice to have you two here. Stay as long as you want." The Joker smiles a real smile and says, "I'm going to go see what Rachel wants." Frank nods and utters, "Yeah, you better. These women you know? Never have patience." The Joker chuckles, walks towards the kitchen's exit and before he leaves he stops, turns around and whispers to the man before him "Ugh…Frank…thanks." Frank giggles to himself as the Joker walks towards the guest room to find Rachel.

Authors Note:

Alright? Not alright?

Please let me know in a review.

Take Care!