CHAPTER EIGHT

Author's Note- Hi guys, first of all, thank you so much for all your lovely reviews, they keep me motivated, you have no idea! And secondly, as I warned after the last chapter, this will be quite dark in the begining so you have been warned.

Ivy tilted her head to the side as she scanned the list of all potential abandoned facilities where she could grow her plants. They needed a lot of space and she planned that one day, Gotham would look like a freaking jungle if she had her way.

She smiled at the thought. She could just picture it now; vines running up and down apartment blocks, grass lining the side walks, flowers blossoming next to free flowing waterfalls and a giant flower throne that she would sit in and rule over all of Gotham with her plants.

The sound of the buzzer brought her out of her thoughts and she got up.

A small frown came over her face as she answered the door. Who would be calling round at this time of night?

Ivy's mouth dropped open when she saw the blonde shivering on her doorstep in the rain. Her platinum hair was soaked and tangled, her clothes were ripped and dirty, she had no shoes on her cut up feet, she had a deep gash running into her left eyebrow and as Ivy looked into her eyes, she saw nothing. They were just empty, hollow, void of any feeling at all.

Ivy felt tears behind her eyes at seeing her friend like this.

"Harley?"

A big grin came over the girl's face but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Hey, Red." She said, her voice throaty and like gravel.

Ivy blinked as she gestured to Harley to come inside. The blonde did and even her movements were slow and stiff, like a member of the walking dead, Ivy thought.

Ivy shut the door behind her and went to fetch Harley a blanket.

When she came back, she found the blonde on the couch shivering, so she wrapped the blue blanket around her shoulders. Harley flinched and Ivy sat down next to her.

"Harley...what happened to you?"

Harley looked around the room and twitched now and again as though she had electrical currents running through her body.

"Nice place you got here, Red."

Ivy licked her lips nervously.

"Thank you... Harley, I'll ask you again, what happened?"

The blonde looked at Ivy and her grin faded.

"So many rooms...didn't know which one to go into. So I asked and they put me into the one he stayed in."

Ivy frowned. "Who?"

"Joker."

"Where did you go?" Ivy asked slowly.

"Away...but I did something before I left." She revealed, that haunting grin coming back onto her pale face.

"What did you do?" Ivy asked but she was so afraid of the answer; she just tried not to show it.

Harley lent back against the couch, pulling the blanket tighter around herself as she looked up at the ceiling and seemed to go somewhere else.

"Harley!" Ivy snapped.

The blonde didn't seem to know anyone was talking to her.

"Harley, talk to me." Ivy tried again.

Harley brought her head down slowly and then rolled it back one way and then the other, almost as if she were doing neck excersizes.

"It hurt...a lot." She finally said distractedly, although what she was distracted by in here, Ivy had no clue. The celing had no patterns and the carpet was just plain old carpet.

It looked like she could see things that Ivy couldn't.

"What hurt?"

Harley tapped her head twice.

"Therapy."

"Therapy? What kind of therapy?"

"All pretty blue lights but so, so much pain. It's worth it though. It's what he wanted." She replied with a small smile.

Ivy thought about what Harley was saying and tried to piece it together.

Blue lights. Pain. What he wanted. Who?

"What who wanted?"

"Joker!" She squealed as though just his name brought her great pleasure.

Ivy glared at the mention of him.

"What did he want?"

Harley seemed to come back then and started speaking as though she were completely normal.

"I was never crazy enough for him, I know that. He wanted someone like him. Crazy enough not to know what's right and wrong; can kill without remorse, no fear and now...I am."

"Are what?"

"Crazy enough! I knew it would take a lot so I went back to Arkham and got myself zapped!"

"Zapped?" Ivy asked, her voice a little broken.

"Electro shock therapy! It worked! I don't feel anything now, well, I do but not much."

She said off handedly.

Ivy put her head in her hands, letting the tears fall but not so that Harley could see as she fought to keep her voice even.

"Then where did you go?"

"Joker's old club."

"And...w-what happened while you were there?"

Harley frowned a little.

"Well...it wasn't Joker's club anymore but there were people there, men mainly. They hurt me too."

Ivy swallowed as she spoke.

"How...how did they hurt you?"

"They touched me, made me do things to them and they did things to me."

Ivy sobbed, her body shaking and Harley looked at her friend with confusion.

"Hey, don't cry, Red. I'm ok!"

Ivy got up quickly, spinning round and looking down at the mess that was her friend.

"No you're not, Harley! Look at you!" She cried, tears still falling down her face.

Harley's smile faltered, becoming unsure.

"Alright, I look a little beat up but honestly, I'm fine."

"You are far from fine, Harley! You got yourself into this for him! You lost your mind and people hurt you because you didn't know what time of day it was! All for him! Do you think he even cares about you?!"

Ivy crouched down in front of her friend.

"You understand what happened, don't you? You were attacked, Harley. Those men you told me about, they forced you to do things you wouldn't normally do, all because you don't even know your own mind anymore." She explained, using a quieter, but no less harsh tone.

Harley's eyes suddenly darted to the left and she frowned.

"She doesn't mean that." Harley whispered.

Ivy frowned. "Doesn't mean what? Who are you talking to?"

Harley looked at Ivy then and smiled, tapping her head.

"The voices."

Ivy's green eyes widened.

"Voices?"

"Yeah, they started talking to me after the electro shock therapy and they haven't left me since. They've actually been really helpful!" She said cheerily.

Ivy wiped her face where the tears had dried and sniffed.

"Maybe er- maybe you should get some sleep. You can take my bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

Harley jumped up, a bright smiled on her face.

"Thanks, Red."

She only nodded as she watched the blonde find Ivy's room and shut the door behind her.

Ivy let out a breath and let her head rest on the couch.

When she'd first met Harley, she's still had her own mind, just about; but now that woman was gone; replaced by voices and thoughts and feelings that wasn't her own. Was there a way to get her back? Ivy wondered.

Her lap top was still on so for the rest of the night, Ivy researched everything that Harley had told her. The electro shock therapy, the voices in her head after the therapy, and if you could reverse it or if there was any type of drug that could stabilize her mind.

What would she do if nothing could be done to help her?

She would be a patient in the same place she'd been the doctor again, helping those patients.

Irony could be so cruel but there was no way that Ivy would let that happen. Hadn't Harley been through enough?

Ivy let Harley stay as long as she needed and tracked her progress each day. The only time she seemed to know what was going on was when they spoke of Joker and day by day, she learned to put on the facade of a normal person but Ivy and Harley herself knew the truth.

Harley kept asking when she could go and see Joker but Ivy kept saying he was busy. He couldn't see her, not yet. Harley wasn't ready and Ivy didn't know how the Joker felt about Harley or even if he missed her at all.

Maybe it was time to pay the Clown Prince a visit...

A glass was hurled against the wall, shattering to pieces as Joker's goons ducked and tried to shield themselves from the shards.

"Where is she?!" Joker roared.

The thugs looked at each other untill one stepped forward.

"We've looked everywhere, Joker but we can't-"

Joker pulled out his gun and shot the thug in the head.

"I've had enough of this...I want her back and if you can't find her, you'll end up like him." Joker warned calmly, pointing with his still smoking gun to the dead man on the floor.

They all nodded and then shuffled nervously out of the office.

Joker let out a breath and smoothed his green hair back.

Where was she? It had been too long since he'd seen her. Harley was a little live wire that much was for sure but she wouldn't leave him just like that! She adored him! She lived for him and he was coming to realise that in his own, sick, twisted way, he lived for her too. He smiled when he thought of her. She was crazy and he loved crazy. But right now, he wanted that crazy back. He didn't care who he had to kill to get his point across, he wanted his Harley Quinn back and people would continue to die untill she was returned to him.

A light knock came at the door and he turned, foolishly hoping to see the blonde standing in the doorway. Instead, a red head stood there. Still beautiful but not the woman he wanted.

"Ivy, what can I do for you?"

"I want to speak to you about Harley." She said.

Joker's blue eyes widened.

"Do you know where she is?"

"I do."

"Oh thank God! I've missed her so much! Bring her to me, I need to see her."

Ivy shook her head slowly and shut the door behind her.

"I need a few things to be cleared up first."

Joker frowned at Ivy.

"Go ahead."

"The night she went for a walk...I was the last one to see her. You didn't see us leave the club and I made sure of that. You have to understand something here, Joker."

He waited expectantly.

She looked him right in the eyes as she stepped towards him.

"Just between you and me, clown boy, I don't want Harley anywhere near you but that's not my call to make. She loves you, even if she can't see how wrong it is."

He narrowed his eyes at her and waved the gun he was holding towards her face threateningly.

"Who do you think you are to make that call?" He snarled.

"I'm her friend and I'm not afraid of you."

That crazy look entered his eyes again.

"You should be."

Ivy chuckled humourlessly.

"No. I have no need but you should know what happened to her, Joker. She changed, for you."

He frowned, not understanding her.

"Meaning?"

Ivy looked at Joker, keeping her expression stoic.

"She's crazier than you...she's everything you've ever wanted to be, Joker and she did it...all for you. That's how I know she's crazy." She added under her breath.

Joker grinned at Ivy.

"I can't wait to see her."

Ivy nodded. "You will. She'll want to come to you but Joker, I'm telling you this now; you hurt her and I'll come for you."

Joker laughed at that threat. No one feared Posion Ivy untill she unleashed her powers on them, only then, did they regret the choices they'd made.

Ivy walked towards the door.

"One last question." She said as she glanced over her shoulder.

"Anything." Joker drawled.

"Do you love her?"

Joker put a hand to his heart but to Ivy, it looked like he was mocking his own words.

"More than life itself."

Ivy looked him up and down and then nodded.

"We'll see."

Harley was bouncing up and down like an excited child.

"I can't wait to see him!"

Ivy ignored her friend. She was scared of how he'd treat her once he got her back. How could she save Harley from getting beaten or worse? She couldn't. She could only be there when everything went to shit and she was sure it would.

But then Harley was a different girl now. Maybe she could handle it. Hell, maybe she'd end up killing him before he killed her!

Ivy shook her head. She shouldn't have gotten involved; with Joker and his club or Harley. She had been doing fine on her own and now she felt responsible for someone, for whatever reason that was.

"I'm ready!" Harley yelled as she popped out from behind the screen in the lounge.

Ivy smiled at her friend.

"You look great. Shall we go?"

Harley nodded and skipped out the door while Ivy followed behind her.

They both reached the club and Ivy took a seat in one of the booths while Harley went upstairs to Joker's office. Ivy rolled her eyes as she looked up at the office and then turned her attention to one of the male dancers in the cage.

Harley walked into the office as Joker turned around and opened his arms as she ran to him.

"Harley!"

"Puddin'!" She squealed as he picked her up and spun her around.

"Where have you been?!" He asked as he smiled at her.

She still had her arms draped around his neck.

"I did it, Puddin'. I did it all for you." She said, happy tears shining in her bright blue eyes.

"Did what?"

"I wasn't right for you a few months ago, I see that now but Mista J...I'm different now.

I can be the girlfriend you always wanted me to be."

Joker didn't understand what she meant and Harley could tell he was confused.

Instead, he grinned at her.

"Show me."

She chuckled and clapped her hands together. She then untangled herself from him and looked to the door where she knew two guards waited.

"Jerome!" She called.

He came inside and looked expectantly at her.

She reached inside Joker's coat, took out his gun and walked up to Jerome shooting him in the head. Blood sprayed back onto her porcelain face and she laughed as Jerome's body hit the ground with a thud.

Then she turned back to Joker and gave him his gun back.

Joker stared at her in disbelief untill she growled like a cat and kissed him deeply.

When she pulled back to grin at him, he grinned back.

"God I love you." He breathed.

She grinned and kissed him again.

Then she looked at the couch that overlooked the club and winked at him.

"Send everyone home. I've missed you and I think I need to show you how much."

Joker chuckled and left the office to give the orders to close up.

Ivy frowned as she was ushered out of the club along with everyone else.

Joker returned to his Princess and found her lounging on the couch in her underwear.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered as he dropped to his knees beside her.

"You love me?" She asked but there was challenge in her voice.

Joker nodded.

"Then show me."

She wrapped his tie around her hand and pulled him onto the couch with her.

He smiled as he hovered above her, nudging her knees apart with his own.

"Am I your Princess, Mista J?" She asked, her eyes locking with his.

He shook his head slowly as an easy grin crept onto his face.

"Oh no baby, you're my Queen and together, we're going to rule this city."

Author's Note- Ok, so it looks as though Gotham has it's King and Queen.

Please review guys. I'll upload the next chapter soon. X