Authors note: general disclaimer, I don't own any characters or anything to do with batman (I wish!)

Italics are character thoughts.

Any feedback is much appreciated x

The headbutt was unexpected. The bone chilling crack was nauseating. Blood poured from the blonde's nose and her eyes rolled to the back of her head momentarily. The force of it had split the Joker's head and as the blood ran down his face he laughed gleefully.

Batman had managed to slide his hands free of the vines which had loosened when Ivy went down. Being careful that no one was watching he signalled to Selina and they began formulating an escape.

"P-Puddin'?" Harley was dazed and found it hard to keep herself focused. As she reached out to him he swung behind her and grabbed her in a choke hold. He was holding her so tight she was struggling to breathe.

He grabbed her face with his free hand and yanked her to look up at Selina and Batman. "I spy with my little eye something beginning with B!"

Batman noticed their attentions and stopped his movements quickly. The pair looked down warily at the maniacal jokester. Harley was blinking rapidly like she was losing consciousness.

"B-Batman?" Harley was starting to see spots she couldn't breathe or swallow and it didn't feel like he was letting her go anytime soon.

"Wrong! Guess again!" He gave her another squeeze for good measure.

"B-black?" She was wheezing and trying to gulp down air.

"Nope!" He released his grip and delivered a swift punch to her ribs, she went to double over but he held her up by her throat.

"Bastard! Bitch! I don't know! Please!"

He laughed cruelly and shouted up to the pair suspended from the ceiling "Hear that? And here was me thinking you'd all made friends while I was away!" He leaned in close to her ear and sneered "And you did make friends didn't you Pumpkin?" He used his thumb to wipe some of Ivy's green lipstick off her mouth.

She shook in his grip "P-Puddin' I did it for you, I-I caught them...Selina and Batman f-for you, I called you..."

He sniffed the air around her and laughed "I smell with my little nose something beginning with B..." He slammed his fist into her face and whispered "Bullshit."

Her cheeky face was unrecognisable under all the blood and as she spoke she spat globules out "No please! Mistah J I did! I had them all wrapped up for you and I called and left messages but she-she broke my phone!" She pointed up at Selina and received a hiss in return.

What a spineless little bitch! All that talk about love and she's just grovelling now!

He threw Harley to the floor and placed his foot on her neck, pressing down until she began to choke. "I spy with my little eye...betrayal...belittling...bad, bad Harley. " He tutted menacingly.

She turned to him baby blue eyes wide with shock "No! I did! I caught them for you! I did it for you!". His gaze turned nasty as he let go of her, she began crawling backwards away slowly. "Then why are you backing away Pumpkin?"

She looked at him nervously "I promise...I did it for you." She stumbled over some of the debris on the floor and landed awkward and painfully.

He kept approaching with narrowed eyes like a predator stalking his prey. He stood over her, drowning her in his dark shadow. "Oh Pumpkin." He said disappointedly.

As she looked up all she could see were the whites of his eyes and the gleam off his teeth. "Y-Yeah?" She tried to smile nonchalantly at him.

His voice deepened and sobered unusually "You think I need you to wrap them up for me? You think I need your help? You think I can't do this without you?" He began screaming at her "He is mine! He will be mine! If I want to kill him I will! When I want! I don't need him tied up and ready for me?!" His spit was flying through the air as he got angrier, he glanced up at Batman hanging there and screeched "It's not even funny you stupid little bitch!" He wound up to kick her when a root came flying out of the debris, sweeping him off his feet and he landed with a crash on the floor.