...of flattery

CHAPTER ELEVEN

No pain. Good, I didn't want an especially painful death anyways. But something was odd, I could still hear and feel. I slowly opened one eye. J was standing there, gun in the air. He was biting his lower lip, holding in his laughter. I let out a sigh and he doubled over. I'm glad he was amused because I wasn't so happy.

"J, you're free, go. Stop this game. I just want to go home, take a hot shower and forget all of this happened." I screamed. His mirth suddenly stopped. He walked closer and held out a hand.

What was he doing? He certainly wouldn't be performing such a nice gesture, would he? I stepped closer. My mind was screaming no, but I wanted to touch his skin again. It had given me such a high before, and I really wanted to feel that again. Well, he did it before, right? I slowly reached out my hand and touched his finger tips. He didn't react. I slowly slid my hand down his and he seemed pleased. I reached the end of his palm and he started to grasps mine. It was a sweet gesture and I smiled. I guess that was his way of thanking me.

He smiled back and in one swift movement, my hand was crushed in his. I fell to my knees in pain. Little did I realize, he was grasping the hand that Mr. Bolton had fractured not too long ago. Now, it had to be broken. He crushed my fingers so much that my knuckles were rubbing against each other and beginning to pop, more than likely dislocate. My screams must have been heard throughout the island, but he never let up. I stared into his cold, unblinking eyes. His smile had yet to leave.

"Leave her go." I heard a raspy voice call out of nowhere. I jumped at the sound and J had released my hand. I sat on Arkham steps cradling it, wishing the pain would stop, the darkness enveloping us.

"Hello there. I though you would never come." He smiled and walk towards me. I scooted into the corner, trying to shield myself from whatever he planned on doing. As expected, it didn't help much. He pulled me to my feet by my hair. I reached my hand up to ease tension on my hair, struggling the whole time. My tears were flowing freely. He flicked open his knife and moved it to my mouth. The blade was flecked with blood. I started to pull away from him and in return he made a small nick on my top lip. He quickly shushed me. The Batman was moving closer. With each step, he made more cuts around my lips. I knew what was going to happen and so did our masked vigilante. I just hoped he could help me in time.

J bent down into my ear. "You and me and the Bats makes three." He sang, just loud enough for us to hear. He looked over towards him.

"I remember a situation very similar, Batsy. It's getting kind of old, isn't, hm?" He asked, licking his lips. I could tell he was excited. The knife dug deeper into the corner of my mouth. I felt small stream of blood run down my face. I closed my eyes and made a decision. The next chance I had, I would run. The opportunity presented itself when Gotham PD sirens were heard. They both turn towards the East, the source of the sound, and I jumped down the three steps.

Without a glance behind me, I ran towards the fence. There was no one at the gate, I presumed that he was called in once J was discovered missing. I guess I would just have to climb over it. My feet ached as I slid them through the chain link. I heard sticks breaking nd stones cracking, I knew he was close behind and I probably couldn't get away.

His thin fingers reached up in a fluid motion and yanked me down with such force. I was falling and the last I heard was his deep, unnerving laughter. Then it went dark.

"Damn it, Harley" He screeched. He pulled up her limp body by her shirt and pinned her against the fence. Her head was bleeding and she was completely unconscious. He flicked opened his knife again pushed it against her slack mouth.

The Batman had run up but the second he saw what the Joker was doing, he froze. "Listen to me. Let her go and I will do what you want." He growled; hands balled into fists.

"Oh, no, no, no. It's too late for that." In a swift motion, he cut both sides of her mouth. The blood poured heavily down her face and chest, staining her clothes. She didn't move.

He lifted her body, without difficulty, and walk over to the Batman bridal style. He paused for a moment, struggled with something in his pocket and slipped it down the front of her shirt, securing it in her bra.

"Bats, if you come after me, she will die. But you already know that." He smiled and reached her over to his arms. He tossed her unceremoniously and without concern. The Batman caught her and the Joker left with a laugh and salute.

The Batman looked at him with extreme hatred, but only for a moment; he had something more pressing to deal with. He gazed down at this poor woman. She was covered in bruises from her wrists to her neck. He laid her down in his Tumbler, applied as much pressure to the bleeding as possible and rushed her to the emergency room. Somehow, the Joker had escaped again. Hopefully, he wasn't going to claim another victim.

Pain. That was all I could feel. Was I in hell? No, it was too bright to be in hell. I could see the light through my clenched eyes. Then I heard beeping. My alarm? No, it was too slow to be my alarm.

The tears were falling uncontrollably. I called out but even I couldn't hear my voice. I tried again and again. Eventually, someone heard my plea.

"Oh my god, she is awake." This woman called out. The sound made me reach up for my head. It was pounding, I still couldn't see and I had no idea where I was. But I soon heard many feet shuffling through the door.

"Harleen, can you hear me? Are you in pain?" A mysterious male voice asked.

"Yes. My head. My face. Make it stop, please!" I begged as every tear I had came pouring out.

"Okay, we are giving you a sedative right now. Are you allergic to anything?"

"No!" I heard shuffling and I slowly open one eye. I squinted at the light and the sound, but it was too soon to be able to adjust. A hospital room. I tried focusing on the doctor, but he soon became blurry. Everything was blurry. Even sounds were becoming blurred and distorted.

"Can you turn lights…off." I mumbled as I feel into my drug induced stupor.

"Mr. Thurman, she is still out cold. We are medicating her for the pain."

"What exactly happened to her?"

"I can't share information with anyone but her family, I'm sorry."

"I know. Do you have any idea when she will be well enough to leave? I mean she has been here for almost a week and she is still in a coma."

"We don't know for sure, but we are weaning her off the morphine. If she wakes up and her pain is bearable, then we know she is onto recovery."

"Can I go sit with her?"

"Of course."

He entered the room and quietly slid a chair over to my side. He reached down and held my hand.

"Harley, I am so sorry. You were right, he was too much." He pressed his warm forehead on my hand and began to sob. I took a deep breath.

"Dr. Thurman?" I asked a few moments later.

"You're awake, you're okay!" He yelled out to the nurses.

"Ya mind not yelling, my head is killing me. What happened?" I asked.

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"Umm…" What did I remember? I quit, I admitted a patient, and I found J dead. I must have passed out or something. The tears were coming again. "I found the Joker dead. Did I pass out?"

"No. Harleen, he had switched places with the security guard and took you hostage. You can't remember that?"

"No…" I paused a while "Wait. I remember we went down to patients belongings." I scrunched up my eyes in concentration. What happened next? "He had me find his things, the room was torn apart. Then we went outside, and I fell off the fence. That's it."

"What about Batman, he was there." I thought a bit more and nothing.

"No, I just remember getting on the fence and falling. Do I have a concussion?"

"Ummm, yea. You have been out for 8 days. And you sustained a few other… injuries." He looked like he was ready to cry again. I lifted my head and I saw an ace bandage wrapped around my hand, yes the one Lyle broke and another one around my chest. I guess I bruised a rip. Over all it wasn't that bad. What was really bothering me was the taste in my mouth.

"Can you get me something to rinse out the taste?" Before I even finished asking he was gone and back with a small container of mouthwash, a glass of water and a can of coke. I grabbed the mouth wash poured it into my mouth.

It immediately started burning and leaking down my cheeks. What the hell? I spit it back into the container and rubbed my face. A look of horror crept over his face, clearly realizing his mistake. My expression probably matched.

I felt stitches on both sides of my mouth, extending up towards my jaw bone. I continued to trace them, in disbelief. Why hadn't I felt that before? I pressed on them and I still couldn't feel them all that well. Was that the drugs they were giving me? From the feel of it, they were huge.

"Gett…get me a mirrorrr." I managed to stutter out.

"No, you don't need to see that right now." I tried to pull myself up but I was still too weak and sore.

"Did, did….. he … do this to me?" I didn't need to ask, I knew exactly what happened. I was crying again.

"Yes. The joker held you hostage and… cut you when you were knocked out. If you were awake, they said you would not have survived." I was crying again. I was glad I wasn't awake. What a horror that would have been. How did he survive this? He obviously didn't have medical care do to the intense scar tissue. Another thought hit. From this day forward, everyone would look at me and think of him. He made sure of that.

It didn't take long for the police to interrogate me. In fact, Thurman told me they NEEDED to talk to me the night it all happened. I am glad my personal well being concerned them. I was expecting a surly detective, like the ones I have met so many times in my line of work. Instead, I met Commissioner Gordon.

Contrary to his appearance, he really was a caring soul. I just had to wonder what they wanted with me. I mean, I guess I was part of his escape but I think it was made relatively clear that I was his hostage. My face alone…

"Dr. Quinzel, I am Commissioner Gordon. I need to ask you a few questions regarding the Joker. Is alright?" He asked. His voice was calm but his body langue showed how truly worried he was.

"Ask away." I mumbled, still suffering from a splitting migraine. The morphine was taking care of everything else, but the dosage must have been off.

"Do you have any clue where the Joker is headed or any of his future plans.?"

"No." He didn't stress the matter.

"When you were attacked, the Joker had slipped something onto your person. It was a playing card. A phrase was typed onto the face. Does `Find him when you want to find me' mean anything to you?" He asked, from what I could make out of his face, he looked worried there was something he wasn't telling me.

"No…he was supposed to kill me, why would he expect me to find him? And why would I?" I answered slowly.

"We are not sure. Do you have or previously had any connections to the Chechen?" The Chechen was a former mob boss that was presumed dead after J's-Jokers last run in with the mob. I had to stop calling him J.

"Of course not. I thought he was dead."

"As did we, but it looks as if he has assumed another identity and is now working under the Joker. We found his DNA on the card."

"As I said before, I have no connection to either of them. I was only the Jokers psychiatrist for a few days." I was starting to feel my body drifting off again. I guess the medication was doing its job.

"Well, thank you for the help on that manner, Dr. Quinzel. We do have many more questions for you, but I can see that this is not the best time. I wil-" His voice faded as it had before and I fell into a dreamless slumber.

Author's Note:

Finally, I got a chance to update. This is one of my better chapters, I think. Let me know what you think and no cliff hanger this time. Yay!

Once again, a very special thanks to all of my reviewers. I am still upholding my review for a review policy. To those who have yet to receive one from, don't worry, their coming.

Oh, I almost forgot. Today the game Batman: Arkham Asylum was released. I attended the midnight release, which was the most fun ever. I may post up pictures of my sister and I in costume on my profile, so keep an eye out. This game is just so amazing, so amazing that I blew half of my life savings on a PS3 so I could play as the Joker. Yes, I am obsessed, which no one said was a bad thing.

Very Special Thanks To:

Black Beloved

Blackmoonlite

Chrisse11

Nixie-doodle

poison-ivy-76

Rachael C.