Disclaimer: I do not own Batman.
The first thing she knew in the morning was that she had a splitting headache.
Bonnie was on the same bed she was on a few days ago—well, it felt like a few days. Luckily for her, a clock conveniently hung on the wall. The girl looked up.
11 a.m. She remembered it being 4 a.m.
The headache gave her another sharp pain, and a sudden thought intruded her mind. It was that familiar voice in her head demanding her not to leave, and it told her not to worry at the same. Despite herself, she listened to that little voice, since everything was going to turn out to be a lose-lose situation, anyway.
On the one hand, if she stayed in the room, then he would eventually drag her out of there and torture her in some way. And on the other hand, if she tried to escape, then he would eventually find her and do something even worse to her. Based on those two choices, it was clear to Bonnie that she would rather face the lesser evil than face the Joker's wrath.
…But where was he? It was awfully quiet.
Her neck made a cracking noise as she stretched her arms off the bed, and she winced sharply. Her eyes drooped when she saw the closed door.
Where's a knife and a teddy bear when you need 'em? she thought, as she tried to shake her head.
Instead, Bonnie just breathed, still not comprehending that there was still bear stuffing on the floor.
Her heart pumped loudly when she moved her legs off the bed, and she took a deep gasp of air. It took her about twenty seconds to realize what she was going to do. She was now only a foot away from the door. Why was she doing this?
She was just being curious. That was it. She wasn't running away or anything.
Maybe he wasn't here. Maybe he was in another room. Maybe he was waiting right outside the door.
With that thought, shivering overtook her, and the curiosity killed her hand when she put her hand on the knob. It was like there were dozens of needles puncturing her hand as she held on to it. It was like the liquid from the needle that rushed and penetrated her arm in the orphanage…and her other arm…and her body…
Bonnie shook the memory out of her head, and she started to attempt being as guarded as possible, even with those distorted thoughts swarming her mind. She put her chin up, scornfully, as if someone even prouder was there.
Bonnie twisted the doorknob, expecting the worst. Maybe she was on television right now, or at least, having a camera watch her. Maybe she was going to fall forever through a trapdoor outside. Maybe–oh, just get it over with, and stop being dramatic!
The door flew open by her hand. Her heart leaped into a roller-coaster. It then dropped back to where it was when there was no one in sight. Bonnie's eyes were still broad with specks of caution. She saw and heard nothing amiss.
It was a long corridor. It felt eerily like the corridor outside of her old room, and it even had a lone lamp that flickered with its silent cobwebs. The only thing that was noticeably different was that there was only one other door in the hallway, and it glared at her grimly. This place suddenly did not seem like the abandoned warehouse that she assumed, but it rather resembled an abandoned house.
Her head turned to the right, and she saw a roughly painted wall with a shadow overcast it. Her head turned to the left, and she saw the Joker staring down at her.
Bonnie jumped back. He towered above her, and it was then that Bonnie realized how weak and small she looked compared to him. Physically, she wouldn't stand a chance.
Even with this, Bonnie's eyes calmed.
Wait, why am I calm? she thought. I'm not supposed to be calm! Actually, never mind, be calm, Bonnie, because that's the best emotion you can come up with right now.
She didn't stay that way for long. The quiet caution in her eyes was replaced with doubt that questioned the rest of her sanity. She didn't even feel like she could trust herself at all. And if she couldn't trust herself at the time being, then she couldn't trust herself at all, and if she couldn't trust herself at all, then...
Oh, no, I need to go into that asylum now, Bonnie thought, nearly hyperventilating. Batman, please fly in here, and get me there now. Do it now. Do it now. Do it now. Do it now. This feels so terrible! Why do I have to feel this paranoid right no—?
Then she saw it.
The Joker didn't look angry.
He was happy.
He didn't say anything. He just had this serene hint of a brewing darkness in his eyes that Bonnie didn't know how to react to.
The Joker laughed. To Bonnie, it wasn't the laugh of a madman, though. It was an amiable laugh, for if someone heard it, that person would deny that that laugh belonged to him. It was like the man was playing some game with her, but she didn't know what it was.
As the girl considered him, the Joker just continued smiling.
Oh, this is just too cute! the Joker thought, sadistically patronizing her in his mind. Big, innocent eyes on a little girl who's considered a pyromaniac to the public! Harley's going to get a kick out of this…
The girl shifted uneasily. She was just looking at him, and she didn't know what to do.
"It's a little rude to stare, kid…" he said, almost out of nowhere.
Bonnie shrank in size, thinking, I'm going to get it...
"Don't feel bad, Ringlet, I have a surprise to show you." He flashed a grin: half-dangerous, half-genuine. Bonnie tensed up inside.
Is it the joke that's going to kill me? she thought, lungs shriveling.
The Joker finally gestured to her to follow him, and she didn't hesitate to go to her fate.
They walked. The lamp above directly beamed down at their footsteps, and Bonnie heard the clock ticking, along with the slight buzzing from the vent. As Bonnie tensed up, a high-pitched voice echoed around the bend of the corridor.
The Joker continued to stare down at Bonnie. Even though she didn't peer back at him, it was like the girl's only company was a camera pointed at her, being questioned by something imperceptible. But this camera didn't ask, "Where is the bomb?" or "Why do you do the things you do?" This camera asked, "Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you?" and "How long does it take for you to crack under pressure?"
Someone practically punched her heart at the next moment. Her hand was grabbed swiftly by—oh, it was him.
He smirked.
He thinks I'm weak now, doesn't he? Bonnie was nearly nauseated by the thought. Oh, what wonderfully sick irony of watching the news does to so-called mankind…
Fortunately for her—or unfortunately—he didn't necessarily think she was weak. In fact, she was quite funny to him, really.
the Joker only recalled two or three sentences—no, they weren't even sentences—out of the girl's mouth, and she was perhaps the most entertaining person other than Batsy and maybe Harls he's seen in a while. And now that he thought about it…
"You do talk, right? I remember hearing some words out of your mouth a few hours ago…" the Joker began, expecting a non-verbal action like nodding. Instead, she answered.
"Yes," she said. Bonnie turned her head to him, feeling like she had no choice.
The Joker chuckled, "Good, because you just can't expect me to talk to a wall…"
Bonnie, no matter how hard she tried, could not blink.
"So, Bonnie, ever ran into the Bat?"
Bonnie's stomach knotted up and froze in its place. Even though she should have been thinking about her life, there was something inherently wrong with the Joker saying her name in such a conversational way. It almost made her feel nauseous by how normally he said it.
Lip quivering, Bonnie whispered, "No."
"No?" the Joker said, grinning. "Aw…how unfortunate. But of course…Bats wouldn't want to hurt a cute, little face like you, would he?"
What was oddly nice to Bonnie was that there was a mocking tone in his voice. He was being strangely genuine, but at least he was saying it with his own flair—not in a normal way.
'I'll just give you a brief overview of him, kay, Rings? Of the Batman..." he said, his voice reeking of pleasure. "He really likes beating the hel—heck out of the rogues, more specifically, me. He doesn't like killing because it's against his little 'moral code', but if I'm seriously injured…eh, no harm done."
Then Bonnie almost surprised him.
She nodded.
What, no shriek or flinc—? She flinched. Thought so.
"But don't worry. He's a tremendous person. He's always looking out for me and he can…keep up with me. He'll just adore you." The Joker winked.
Bonnie's pace slowed down a bit. He was bluffing, right? Or saying some sort of half-truth? Because Batman did have a reputation of beating up—oh.
He won't beat me up, right? she thought, tucking in her lip. The Batman has more standards than that, right?
The Joker went on, "Oh, of course he will, he has a soft spot for kids. Say, how old are you, anyway?"
Back to me. The girl's lips were concealed from view.
"Twelve," she said quickly, her lips popping back out.
"Ah, being twelve, how wonderful it was. Not that I remember any of it." Bonnie couldn't feel her hand anymore when he constricted his grip, but she still paid attention to the sound of his voice.
"Even if I don't remember it, you should still go on and enjoy your little childhood," the Joker said. "Go on and enjoy your innocence. Be happy."
Innocence? What did he mean by that? Well, sometimes she could be a little stupid, but...
Oh.
He said for her to be happy.
Why did he want her to be—?
He beamed at her. Oh. He wanted her to smile.
Why?
It was quiet again. He gazed at her the whole time.
Bonnie panted when another figure dived at her into an embrace.
"She's so CUTE!" The figure had a squeaky, feminine voice. Bonnie already had a feeling who she was.
The woman held her shoulders after she ceased the hug. The first thing that Bonnie noticed about her was her baby blue eyes.
Harley Quinn.