A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's been a couple days since I've updated the story! I've been crazy busy with work and getting ready for school, but I just finished the third chapter and wanted to post it. I hope you guys enjoy it! Thanks so much!
After Harris was pulled into the apartment by the Joker, he went straight for the island that separated the kitchen from the living space. He had several papers in his hands, and quickly spread them out.
"What do we got, Harris?" The Joker asked, leaning over all of the paper work.
I sat down on one of the barstools that lined the island, and looked over the paper work myself. I didn't know what any of the papers meant, but I did make out a few familiar names and places.
"Boss, it's bad. It's really bad. They have her locked up in this shit hole in Louisiana. It's called—"
"Belle Reve." I finished Harris's sentence for him. I knew exactly what type of a place Belle Reve was, and exactly who ran it. I put my head in my hands, and pulled on my hair.
"How do you know?" Harris questioned, sneering at me when I looked up from my palms.
"Because, I used to work there. It's the lowest of the low. I wouldn't wish for my worst enemy to be put in that place, but they put Harley in there? My God…"
"You used to work there? How long ago was that, Jennifer?" The Joker questioned, using a sing song voice, but I could tell he was worried, and he was terrible at hiding it.
"Yes, I used to work there. It was years ago, when I first got my license. I got my degree, and started applying anywhere. I was willing to take anything, and since I was living down there at the time, I decided to take whatever they threw at me. And it was Belle Reve. I worked as the on call Nurse, administering drugs and helping with patient sedatives as well as for those that were unable to bathe themselves or care for themselves properly," I flinched at the memory. "But there are some truly evil people that work there, and that run that facility. It is absolutely terrible. Some of the guards are... well most of the guards are corrupt. They've been known to rape the female prisoners." I barely whispered the last part, so afraid that this would set the Joker off.
"What was that last part?" He quipped, leaning in to hear me better.
"Some of the guards there have been known to rape the female prisoners…the few that are there. I don't know for sure if it happens anymore, but when I worked there, there were a few instances. There was one guard…he was so fucking horrible. His name was Griggs…he was the Commanding Officer so to speak, and he raped one of the females on staff…I had to get out of there after that, and that's when I moved back to Gotham with Harley."
I looked over at Harris who looked about three shades paler than when he walked in. I didn't know if it was just for show, or if he really did feel terrible about what I was telling him and the Joker. I glanced at the Joker, and what I saw on his face could not be described as anything other than rage. I knew I shouldn't have said anything about it…but I had to tell them.
"We need to get down there…immediately. Pack the bags, Harris. We're leaving tomorrow morning. Get the boys ready, too." Harris didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed the papers and information that littered the island, and immediately left the apartment to get ready.
"You don't think this…this Griggs is still working there, do you?" Joker asked me, sitting down in the stool to my right.
"I don't know, honestly. Judging by what he had gotten away with before, I'm sure he still is. He's the type of scum bag to take advantage of the benefits of working a government job, all while being corrupt as ever. If he is, when you get there… you need to kill him, Joker."
The Joker looked at me then, and I couldn't tell what he was feeling. Maybe a small hint of surprise had been written on his face, but it quickly was wiped away by his laugh. Tears started to run down his face he was laughing so hard.
"You're supposed to want to help people, Nurse. Not kill them. And what do you mean, 'you'? You're coming with us."
"Well, this guy…he's pretty fucking terrible to be honest. I don't think even a Nurse with even the highest of morals could see good reason to keep him alive. And…I am?" I didn't even try to contain my disappointment at the Joker telling me I was coming with him and his henchmen. I wanted to know where Harley was when I came to the club, not go on the rescue mission with him. As much as I cared for my sister, I wasn't about to enter a life of crime just so I could get her back. Killing people wasn't exactly on my agenda, though I was sure it was going to be on the Joker's.
"Then he's dead," The Joker made a bang motion with his hand, acting like it was a pistol. "And we might need ya. If you worked there already, they may let ya back in."
"What are you talking about?" I decided to ignore the look on his face, a look of devious planning. "That doesn't mean anything if I worked there. I don't anymore, they won't let me back in. You're the one that has to figure all of that out. Leave me out of it."
"Would you kill for your sister?" His voice suddenly went a few octaves lower, and I couldn't contain my shock, so I just stared at him. "That's too simple, would you die for your sister?"
I didn't know to answer that question properly. I was of the mind that, yes, if someone was threatening my sister's life, I would kill them. But was I really possibly ready to die for Harley? When she had left me for the Joker, essentially? Left everything she ever knew and cared for, for the man sitting beside me? The man that I was forming an uneasy 'friendship' with?
"I would kill for her. I know that. I don't know about the dying for her part. She didn't exactly warm me to her when she ran off with you, and gave up everything she ever knew for a life that she had no knowledge about."
Joker remained silent, likely taking in what I had said. I truthfully hadn't even taken in what I had said. I wasn't so sure that I had even said the right thing, but then again, I didn't think he would have taken kindly to me lying.
"You think that I just made her fall in love with me? Do you think that she just did whatever I asked?" He questioned me, leaning dangerously close to my lips. I pulled back slightly, uncomfortable with where he was taking his questioning.
"I don't know…when she came home from work every day that you two had had a session, she wouldn't stop talking about you. Patient confidentially was out the window," He looked mildly surprised at that, possible wondering what I knew about him, "Sorry. But I always wondered what it was about you that made her fall head over heels. I don't think that she truly knew what she was doing, she was so entrenched in her feelings. Obviously that's not your fault, but I'm sure you were no saint during those sessions."
"What did she tell you about me?" He had completely ignored everything I had just said, but one detail. And it was inconsequential as well!
"She didn't tell me everything. I know your real name, and just a few small other details, but not much honestly. She would always describe how you were looking at her that day, or how much progress you seemed to be making, even if you weren't really making much progress at all. She thought that she was honestly making you better. Until one day," I paused dramatically, for effect. "She comes home and tells me that you asked to get her a machine gun. A fucking machine gun. And she agreed to it, is the crazy part. I tried talking her out of it, but she wouldn't have it. Anything for her puddin', she said." I tried to hide my disdain, but it was coming through full force now as I remembered the details of that day. "I tried to stop her. I really did…because I knew what would happen. She would lose everything. We would lose everything."
I decided to end it there, not wanting to continue for fear of making the Joker even angrier. He had sat in silence throughout my entire reverie, just taking it all in. I had never spoken to him this much before, and honestly it was getting easier and easier the whole time, only because I was the only one speaking.
"Anything for her puddin'…" He whispered in a hushed voice. He glanced over at me, a grin on his face. He was back to his old self. "I'm glad you shared all of that with me, really I am. I'll admit something to you. I barely had to do anything… she was all mine as soon as her name rolled off of my tongue. She was in love with me from the get go, poring over my files all day and night, finding out anything she could about the poor soul in front of her. Oh, I ate it up, too. Until, one day, I realized that maybe I wanted her for myself after I got out of Arkham, maybe I could keep her, as a pet of course. I didn't think I would get this deep with her, but I started to realize she was just as psychotic as me, maybe more." He laughed his deep, breathy laugh at that, and I was taken aback. I leaned back farther in my chair, realizing how close he was leaning in to me.
"She wasn't psychotic…before you got into her head, that is." I sourly stated.
"Oh, that's what you think, anyway. But I saw something in her that no one else saw. So when that night came, the night that my little pet gave me what I asked for, I performed an experiment on her. To see how far she would last…" He trailed off, letting it sink in what that meant.
"Wait…you didn't—!" I cried, but he cut me off immediately.
"Oh, yes, I did. I wanted to see how well she would perform. And my, oh my did she do well. She looked up at me on that operating table, I remember it like it was yesterday, and said, 'You think this is gonna hurt me, Mistah J? Well I can take it.' And so I went to town!" At the word town he slammed his hands down on the table and laughed as loud as ever. I stared at him, blinking the tears that were in my eyes away profusely. I couldn't believe this selfish prick and what he had done.
"I can't believe you, you are disgusting! Why would you do that to her!" I screamed at him, standing from the bar stool. As soon as I did so, he did the same.
"Because, there was no other way! I had to know that she was for real! That she really would die for me! And I found out that she would, oh yes, she would." He took a few steps closer to me, and I stepped back in sync, not wanting him to get closer. I was getting so angry, I was afraid I would lash out, and then where would I be? Dead. And I would be of no help to Harley.
"You are so sick. I knew that you had to have done something to her, but I never would have thought you would have shocked her. I need to leave, I really do. I can't do this anymore…" I started to head towards the door, but the Joker grabbed me around the waist, stopping me in my tracks.
"I don't usually ask nicely, but just this once I'm going to. Would you pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, please help me get Harls out of Belle Reve? I promise I won't tell you anything else about what I've done to her…unless you ask of course." He laughed at this, and I ripped his arm away from me when he was distracted. He immediately stopped and growled.
"That's not asking nicely. You don't mean a fucking thing you're saying…I don't trust you. But if I do this, you have to let me see Harley more," I saw him beginning to protest, so I cut him off. "If you don't agree to it, then I'm gone. You'll never see me again, which I know you couldn't care less about, but Harley will. I'll tell our parents that you killed Harley, and that it's over," I really didn't want to involve my parents with anything, especially since I hadn't spoken to them in months. They lived in Midway City, and after Harley had run off with the Joker, they had more or less become recluses. They didn't want anyone knowing that they were her parents, which in turn made me resent them. They had still reached out to me in the few years since, but on this last dry spell of no communication, I had decided to almost call it quits. But the Joker didn't need to know any of that.
"If you help me with this, you can see Harley as much as you want. You can live at this club if you'd like, I don't care. Just help me get her back." He sounded desperate at this, so I decided to relent.
"I'm not going to live here, ever, but thanks. And I will do this, as long as you hold up your end of the deal. Otherwise, you're on your own."
The Joker surprised me then, doing something I had never thought him capable of. He wrapped his arms around me, hugged me, then let me go almost immediately.
"I never say thank you, so that's as good as it's gonna get." He said, not meeting my eyes.
I was still in shock, unable to move. He didn't seem like the affectionate type, so he had thrown me completely off guard.
"Fine." I didn't know what else to say, and just stared at the ground.
"We're leaving pretty early tomorrow, so let me show you where you can sleep for tonight." He said, turning towards the door where he had thrown the baby clothes earlier. It was a spare bedroom, and as soon as he walked in, he picked the clothes up again. When he stood up, he tossed them over the shoulder of his dark purple button up, that wasn't buttoned up, and left the room.
"Goodnight." He said as he shut the door to the bedroom, and with that, I was alone with my thoughts and the darkness. I couldn't help but ask myself what had I gotten into, over and over in my head.