Harley had just been sitting at her desk, reading the paper (the headline was Joker Still At Large), when she heard a ton of loud noises coming from down the hall. She ran out of her office, wondering if someone else had escaped. A copy cat attempt. There were a ton of police everywhere, surrounded by doctors. She pushed through them all and gasped at what she saw. Her Joker was hanging limply by the collar, held up by Batman. Tears poured out of her eyes as he saw that damn bat's hand loosening it's grip. He was going to drop Joker on the hard floor! She fell to her knees, catching Joker carefully in her arms, cradling him against her chest. The tears wouldn't stop. She was relieved that he was alive, that he was back. But, he was in such a bad condition. He was stuck back in these walls again! Harley looked up at Batman sharply, giving him the dirtiest look she could muster. The shock on his face was hilarious. She looked back down at her half-lover and whimpered, "Joker?" Maybe he was conscious enough to hear her.
He was out.
He woke up in a cell. He was in a straight jacket and in the familiar Arkham inmate clothes that were worn and uncomfortable. He stared at the ceiling not wanting to get up. He really would rather die than be here. But, suddenly the Joker thought of something. Harley. Of course. She would be here back in work now. He hadn't seen her in a few days and oddly missed her. Well..not really missed her just missed looking at her. She was nice to look at especially with no clothes. He didn't move from his bed but just thinking about it made him excited again. He then started to remember what happened. He'd been betrayed and Battie had taken him back to hell-on-earth. His deep hatred was violent. He wanted Batman's death to be slow and excruciatingly painful.
"Please! You have to let me see him!" Harley argued her case, presenting all her work to Dr. Leland.
The older woman looked over the work, then turned her eyes back to the young woman, "Harleen, I'm not sure this is a good idea. He's too volatile right now. After he gets caught by Batman he becomes even more violent and angry." Not to mention the Joker seemed to have odd feelings about Harleen. It was too risky.
"Call me Harley, Dr. Leland." She had been telling everyone to do that. It suited her better. "Now, if you notice all my data suggest that Joker just needs to talk to someone he trusts! If he is removed from my presence for too long, he'll revert to his old ways! We can't let that happen, not when he's making so much progress."
It took a lot more convincing than that, but she managed to get another session scheduled. It was in three days. Three agonizingly long days. When she was back in her office she pulled the picture out of her purse, holding it tightly in her arms. All she had to do was live through three more days without his voice. Her imagination could hold her for that long.
He was led out of his cell by three guards. The chains around his ankles were heavy and made it hard for him to walk. Every step was a gargantuan effort. They refused to tell him where he was going. Finally they took him to a heavy security room. No windows just one door that could be bolted from the outside and had fifty billion locks. He was lead into the room and chained to the floor. He could barely move. He sighed, deflated. Another session. Would they let Harley see him? He hadn't seen her in what seemed like forever. It was painful just thinking about it. He shook his head trying to be numb again. He was getting way too attached. His thoughts returned back to ways he could kill Batman. There were endless possibilities.
Harley walked into the room moments later. She was wearing a nice mini-dress today and some sort of hooker-ish shoes. The heels clicked on the cement floor as she walked over to her chair, which was right in front of him. Her heart was thumping hard in her chest. All the desire was pooling in the pit of her stomach, like there had been no time between then and now. Thank God the room's camera didn't have audio. No need for introductions. She couldn't stand to see him covered in chains. He hadn't done anything but try to live a free life! "How do I get those damn things off?"
The guards thankfully had left by the time she uttered her words. He grinned, "Harley! I missed you. You gorgeous girl." She had already started trying to get his straight jacket off. He frowned, "Kitten, there's a camera..." He always loved the dangerous excitement of doing things right under people's noses.
"I'm just gonna take the tape out later, Puddin'." She paused for a second. Where had that name come from? No matter, she kept going. "Besides, it's not streamed directly to a tv, so no one's going to be watching. It's my job to give the tape to people to review." She grinned, carefully placing the chains on the floor. They rattled a bit. Thank God this cell was pretty much sound proof. She was getting closer and closer to him every second.
Smart, smart girl. His smile was back. "We've only got an hour. A lot can happen in an hour," his voice became smugly masculine. This was going to be fun. She was struggling with undoing his straight jacket. He'd watched them put it on so many times it was easy to tell her how to get it off. Once she finally pulled his last arm free he ripped it over his head. His desire was strong and running wild. He stood up and grabbed her shoving her against the wall. He kissed her well ravishing her thoroughly. God, she was addicting. His brand of venom.
Harley was already moaning in his ear, trying not to be too loud. That goal was soon lost as her moans got louder and louder. She was so glad this room was sound proof. If the guards heard anything odd she would have been in so much trouble. Good news! The Arkham rags were much easier to get off than his full-blown costume. She marveled at his amazing skin, tracing patterns across his chest. So uniquely beautiful.
He pulled her hair free from its entrapment. He didn't like it up. It covered up her bad girl side. He pressed his nose into her hair. The sent was intoxicating. He kissed fragile jaw line while cupping her breasts. He really wanted to rip all her clothes off. He was losing it. Really. He lifted her slightly so their hips matched. His hardness invading her. He ran his hands down her arms to her wrists. She was so beautiful. He raised them above her head. "Keep them there." He started pulling down the straps of her summery dress. He wanted it her right then up against the wall. His hands were shaking with the effort of trying to hold back. He couldn't rip anything...she would be found out. He growled in frustration.
She stood almost perfectly still, not daring to move. He might get angry. Obviously he was trying to figure something out, So, she leaned in a busied herself by kissing his neck. His skin was so soft. Even softer than hers! It had to be the best thing she had ever kissed. And boy had she kissed a lot of things in the past. Her breathing was getting more erratic as she pressed herself against him. She started to move her hips back and forth. Everything was spinning again.
He groaned when she moved against him. Rubbing a very throbbing, sensitive place. He was going to melt and die. He finally gave up and kissed her again harder. His lips bruising. He suddenly slowed. Everything was too frantic and too fast. He wanted the first time to be slower. He wanted her to beg him to finish it. However, they didn't have enough time. He tore his mouth away and spared a glance toward the clock. Shit. They had five minutes now. Shit shit shit. He pressed his forehead against hers trying to calm himself down. She was still pressed against him which wasn't helping at all. He could feel her warm skin, her breasts rubbing scandalously against his bare chest. Her hips, her long legs, bare arms, beautiful shoulders. Her eyes were a murky blue. She looked dazzled. He smiled and pressed his lips to hers again. He loved kissing her.
Harley had no clue what time it was, nor did she really care. He would take care of everything. When it was time to stop, they would stop. God, what was she going to tell the others she had found out? Well, she could always make up a story. He had said before that he sometimes didn't know what was right about his past and what was wrong. She was still breathing heavily, gasping for air between kisses. Then, they had to stop. It was horrible, but they had to. It would take a few minutes to get all his chains and stuff on correctly and to calm down. She already couldn't wait for their next session.
He finally stepped back, setting her back on her feet as if she were a breakable doll. He moved back and sat down in the chair pulling on the straight jacket resigned. He sighed heavily and looked at her. She looked completely dirty. He grinned. "We'll get to the final act one day, Harlequin. Don't worry, I won't leave you hanging." He laughed softly. He was so unbearably hot and stiff. When he finally had her it would be like rocketing to the moon he was sure. You'd think that after coming so close twice he would get tired of it but it only made him more obsessed with finally consecrating.
She grinned and giggled a little, helping him get everything back on nicely. It was like playing a demented version of dress up. After they were done getting all of his chains back on she fixed her own appearance. He said she was pulling the good girl mask back on. Maybe he was right. She could be a bad girl at heart after all. She had never had the chance to find out. Standing on her tip-toes she managed to pull the tape out of the camera. No way was anyone ever going to see this. "I'll try to schedule something a little sooner..." There was no way she could wait that long. This was getting unbearable.
He grinned even more at her last comment. "That's good, sweet. Try to do that." He froze as he heard the door's lock turn. They would drag him away now. He had five more seconds of alone time. "Don't think about me too much, Harlequin. You know it's not good for you to miss out on sleeping." He knew her so well. The real Harley that she kept away from everyone else was his and no one else's. The guards walked in. The shorter one grunted like an imbecile, "Get up." The Joker complied only to show Harley he was behaving. He liked to think she loved it when he misbehaved.
When the guard weren't looking, she blew him a kiss, waving goofily. She sighed as soon as he was out of sight. Why did people always have to ruin their fun? She shrugged off the question. It was time to talk about how the tape had gotten damaged somehow. They would believe her. They always did. All those other doctors were the real idiots. They may have actually earned the grades they got in college, but they had no ability when it came to reading people. That's why all the patients at Arkham stayed insane. There was no one to cure them.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
It was summer and some how his angel had gotten him from his prison. How in the world she was able to convince the big bosses to let him go outside in the courtyard was beyond him. As soon as the warm air hit his face he felt much better. He wasn't in a straight jacket today just handcuffs. They couldn't let him be without anything at all. He was number one on the most dangerous patients list. Sudden violent emotions and all that. He rolled his shoulders and walked to the bench they pointed at. The guards stood by the doors and would be able to run to Harley's rescue if she screamed. He sat down like a good boy and waited impatiently.
The noise of her heels clicking against the walk way told anyone around that Harleen Quinzel was near. She had opted for a much more light weight outfit, because Gotham was going through some sort of heat wave or something. Red and white checker shorts, a white tube top, and shiny red heels. She loved red and white. They were the best colors in her opinion. She sent the guards away with one flick of her wrist, walking straight towards the bench. Good. They had listened to her suggestion of ditching the straight jacket.
Joker grinned as he saw his girl walk...no strut toward him. Her hips swung seductively and her shorts were so short they should have been illegal. Her long legs tapered down to her beautiful ankles which were tucked into a pair of red high heels. His heart beat a little harder. She was divinely attractive. No wonder she had had boys falling at her feet all her life. But, Joker was no boy and he wouldn't just be one of her flings. No. He was determined to shape fate. He was destined for her.
She had forgotten how he looked without all the chains and the straight jacket. Well, that was a lie, because she knew what he looked like without much clothing. However, she had forgotten how good he could look with clothes on. His body was always in just the right position, casual but threatening. A wry smile spread across her lips. This was going to be so much fun. She sat down next to him on the bench, "You have no idea how much persuading this took."
He pursed his red lips, "I bet you are super good at persuading, sweet." She had always persuaded people all her life to believe this and give her that. It must be second nature to her. He admired that. She had a gift for fooling the idiots. That was always good. She didn't look so tired today. Which was good...but more bad. It meant that she had been sleeping which meant that she hadn't been thinking about him very much. That made him sad. He liked to be thought about. He held out a pale arm examining it in the sunlight. He would never be tan. Forever pale, alabaster, white.
Harley smiled at his arm in the sunlight. It was like a marble statue. Beautiful to only those that can appreciate it. She ran her fingers, red nails flashing in the sun, along his skin, glancing over her shoulder to make the sure the guards really had left. Thank God they had. They would have had to face her wrath if they hadn't. "Something wrong?" She asked, not at all the way a psychologist did. The way it came out was genuine. She really meant it because she cared about him. Not about money or some stupid book.
"No. Just thinking about the usual freak stuff," he said quietly. He would always be different. But, that's what made him better. He always stood out from the crowd and in the spotlight where he deserved to be. "What have you been up to lately, Harlequin? Seeing any guards. They all look like they want...you." He stopped himself from saying what he was going to. Polite. Be polite. He chuckled. Being polite just like being patient was ridiculously hard.
"They're all idiots." She sighed, rolling her eyes. Her fingers still danced across his skin. She loved to touch it. "Seriously, I think almost everyone else in this building is an idiot! They're all blind." It was so aggravating. They were all stuck on outside appearance. "I've had a few invites, of course, but..." she paused, shrugging. "I don't know."
He got a little bit angry at the "few invites." He couldn't believe she had ever considered them. He made himself relax though. "Would you have accepted any of them?" he asked, uncaring. Seemingly uncaring at least. If she had even considered one of them he thought he would personally kill the guy. He couldn't imagine her liking any of them. Especially since they didn't see the real Harley.
A chorus of giggles filled the air, "No! They're all a bunch of block heads!" The thought of even trying to go on a date with one of them was hilarious. They were complete idiots. The conversation (if there was one) would be all about something stupid like sports. Everything would be predictable and boring. Not like things were with the Joker. "I don't think I'd be able to put up with any one of them for longer than I already do."
He sighed with relief. That's good. Very, very good. He lowered his arm back to his side. A nice breeze swept through the courtyard which helped with the heat.
There was a minute or so of silence as Harley pulled together enough courage to ask the next question. "Have you-um-ever had any...girlfriends?" She looked over at an exotic flower, unable to look him in the eye.
He paused, "What is your definition of girlfriend?" He thought back trying to remember. The past was always fuzzy to him and easily forgotten. He made up things most of the time but mainly he just didn't think about it. Not many people asked about the Joker's (in)famous history.
"Someone you had sorta intimate relationships with." She shrugged. The term "girl/boyfriend" was so vague. It really depended on the person when it came to defining what a "girl/boyfriend" was. Her eyes still lingered over the plants, refusing to look back at her Puddin. What if he had really loved a girl? Could he ever be able to like her as much?
He shook his head, "No. Not really. There was this hooker once..but it's not like we saw each other very much. People tend to avoid me at all costs which is probably a good idea." He thought back. He had never really had anyone before...not that he really cared about. It was a liability to care for someone especially when you are the Clown King of Crime. Anyone that you could possibly care about could be used against you and the Joker had always prized himself at being invincible.
This new piece of information was bittersweet. So, he hadn't ever loved anyone really, but he had gotten it on with a hooker. A freaking hooker! She was silent for a bit. "Well, they're going to love the report today." Man, they were going to get a kick out of the hooker confession. A hooker! Was that the type of girl he liked? Would he only like her if she was a slut? Did she already act like a slut? God, this was horrible.
He took her hand. He ran his fingers across the translucent skin on the underside of her wrist. "It was a long time ago though. I barely remember it." She wasn't very pretty and he had only done it maybe twice? It was a very long time ago and Joker was pretty sure human diseases didn't affect him anymore. He had never been physically sick before with a cold or virus or anything. He was healthy as a horse.
She nodded along, still a little worried. Was he only using her for her body? Just like every other guy she'd ever been with? No, he couldn't! He knew the real her. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she stared at the brick path. Something told her he wasn't like every other guy. She had never reacted this way to any other man. Nope, she had already talked this over with herself earlier. Harley was in love with the Joker.
Their time was running short. He knew it as if he had some kind of internal clock. He kept her hand in his. Harley's hand was so tiny and petite. So...feminine. He examined her hand closely. She had a scar near her middle finger. "What is this from?" he said repeating the thought out loud.
Harley looked at the scar as if it was the first time she had seen it, "Nothing." She shrugged, looking away again. If she looked him in the eye he would know how painful that memory was. It was one of those memories she tried to keep int he back of her mind. No one else had asked about the scar. Why did he have to see it? She knew why. He could see everything about her.
He tsked. "So, you just have a scar for no reason. Come on, kitten. You can tell me anything." He pressed finger to the imperfection as if he could make it disappear.
She sighed a little and looked back at him, unable to hid the pain in her eyes. "When I was in high school, I dated this jerk." All of her boyfriends were jerks back then. "In the end, I found out he only wanted me for my body and he wasn't going to wait that long for it anyway. One night he decided he was done waiting." She looked down at the scar, willing it to go away. All of her other painful stories could be hidden, but this one was visible to the outside world.
The Joker's fists clenched his nails bit into his skin. "Did he rape you?" he asked softly. He would castrate the man then kill him very, very slowly. How dare anyone touch her. He was so angry it was almost painful.
"Yeah, I guess you could call it that." There weren't really any other words for something like that. She couldn't rip her eyes away from that stupid scar. It would always be there as an ugly reminder. She had tried everything to get rid of it and nothing had worked. The surprising things was, she could tell him this and not feel scared. He would be able to keep her safe. The Joker was powerful. Everyone but Batman was scared of him.
He really, really was going to castrate the man. "Harley, why didn't you stop him?" His anger was all consuming. It made him more focused, more based in reality than usual. Everything seemed sharp and defined now.
She flinched a bit at those words. How many times had she asked herself the same question? Countless times. "I tried...I really did." Her eyes were watering now. All the edges were blurring and everything was swimming. "I couldn't. He was too strong..." Her shoulders shook.
The Joker hadn't been to angry before but now he was fucking livid. He put a hand under her chin making her look at him. "What's his name, kitten? Just tell me." He was going to kill him. The first thing he did he was going to kill him.
The tears spilled out over her eyelids, "James Thomson." She shut her eyes tightly, the memories trying to flood back into her mind. That bastard should watch out now. It was obvious that her Puddin was mad now. Whatever. That jerk deserved to get punished for what he did. God knows how many other girls he raped.
Joker really tried to calm down. It just didn't work well for him. He wiped her tears away carefully. It was hard to touch her in handcuffs. Plus, he didn't want to explode in temper and it was hard for him to be gentle when he was angry. He was going to kill that son of a bitch. Death by fire sounded good.
After a minute or so, Harley had regained her composure. Taking a deep breath, she continued on. "So...I have no idea what to talk about now." Everything sort of paled in comparison to that confession. "Any favorite colors?" She let a half-hearted laugh out at the sheer lameness of the question.
"Colors are all the same. Much too dull. Splashes of color would be nice for a change. Reality is mindlessly boring," he smiled. The smile wasn't a good one. He couldn't smile happily when he was angry. Anger was an emotion that blocked out everything else. A guard knocked on the glass door and without permission opened the door. "Time's up," he said uncermoniously. He glared at the Joker seeming to be jealous. Now, that made the Joker really smile.