Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, DC does.
A/N: (*slams head onto desk*) Jeez, how long has it been? And- HOLY COW, SINCE WHEN DID I GET 5,700 VIEWERS?
TheClownPrincessofCrime: Yeah, Harley just needs a hug (and her…babies). And Bonnie...well, she just needs her top hat.
meganshmegan: I will!
"I don't have to ask you again, Quinn."
In response, Harley stuck her tongue out. Moments later, however, the hatred in her pupils subsided when she felt too tired to have it spark in her eyes again, and she rolled her eyes to the ground in a huff. She began to slouch back, yet a shiver racked through her body when she did.
Batman lowered his head as he looked at the woman. Harley, no longer looking like her happy-go-lucky and violent self, yawned as she supported her head with her rested arm, and she certainly did not look like she was going to talk any time soon.
Wanting to get at least some reaction out of her, Batman darkly remarked, "Harley, if you hadn't upset the Joker, then you would not be in this situation now. He left you behind for a reason."
That did it. Harley's once glassy expression replaced itself with a burning, alive one, and her knuckles' sudden rigidity was infectious throughout her entire body: up her arms, down her shoulders, and to her chest. Then, the vibrations wandered up to the back of Harley's neck, and the feeling sprinted down her spine. The feeling locked itself there, and Harley's paralyzed back and heart were paved with shivering ice.
"So why do you like the girl that has caused you so much trouble? She's a part of the reason why the Joker abandoned you."
Harley's electrified eyes would have had enough power to magically summon her mallet to smash the Bat's head in.
Her strained, pressured vocal cords finally got the words out. "Are you kidding me? I love that girl! Sure, Mistah J wants to keep her all to himself, but Rings wants to spend more time with her Mama Harley! She always has that relaxed, happy look on her face when she sees me around, even though she's not much of a smiler!"
The Batman groaned. If the Joker was "keeping her to himself", then he must have been smothering the child with fake affection since day one. Based on what Quinn said, Bonnie Hatch also must have been aware of this, and seeing the doting Harley should have been a relief to her. If Hatch liked to be under the radar, then she must have wanted to hide behind someone in her situation. Cowering behind Harley could have done the trick for her. But still...
There was still the fact that hiding behind Harley could have made her situation worse. If the Joker was manipulating the girl enough, then there was the chance that she could have confused Quinn's sweetly patronizing fondness of her with the Joker's "tough love". Still, there was also a large chance that that was not the case, and Bonnie was still fighting to protect her mind-and her life.
But if she was resisting the Joker's manipulation, then what could have made Hatch keep her leftover sanity? Was it the Clown Prince's reputation of being a manic psychopath? Hatch definitely knew of it, and she could have been too intimidated by him to listen to his lies. Or was there another person involved in the mix, giving Hatch hope? Or was Hatch simply too young to understand the Joker's methods of control?
Taking all of this into account, Batman said, "After all, she is afraid to be living with people like you. A new life of crime can lead to less euphoric reactions than you think, doctor."
Quinn fumed.
"One: I haven't been a shrink in who knows how long!" she yelled. "And two: FYI, Bats, Bon loves crime! And she loves us! She's real happy to be living with us, and tall the perks that come with her new life! She doesn't have to run back and forth stealing from shops anymore! She can get all the matches she wants with me, Puddin', and the gang. They all love 'er!"
She gave a long, happy sigh. If she was wide awake, Harley would not have said a word to the B-Man, but Harley was too drunk with sleepiness to care.
"So you're going to spoil her silly?"
"Yup…" Yawn. "We wer such good parents that we decided that we were all gonna take her to the circus. Wanna come?"
The Bat's eyes narrowed. I got her.
"Yes."
Seeing colors of all kinds, Bonnie Hatch's eyes fluttered open. Groggily, the girl began to move, and her hand faintly ran over the pillow.
As her thoughts became less woozy, a searing ache on a part of her face became more prominent. Wincing, she rolled over the bed until she was looking over the edge of the bed, looking at the ground. It was brown and unfamiliar, just like the rest of the room.
It wasn't her room at all...
Paling, Bonnie's cracking neck screamed in pain as she craned her head to look at the ceiling. The ceiling was a lazily painted gray.
Yup, this was definitely not her room.
The girl sat upward, and her feet touched the strange floor. It didn't feel stable, so Bonnie's feet tapped on the floor a couple of times to make sure she wouldn't fall through the planks. She eventually deemed it safe to walk on, so she finally got up.
Bonnie clutched her neck as she walked to the door. Her boss could have been waiting outside. Then again, was it even possible to leave the room? He probably locked the door.
Despite that possibility, she speedily opened the door. The boss wasn't there.
Strange, Bonnie thought. I should look around.
Bonnie stepped out of the room. This hallway was darker than the other one from the building she was getting used to, and her footsteps created sounds that bounced off the walls in foreboding echoes.
Bonnie cringed as she took more steps. More echoes resounded off of every step she took, and the girl was certain that somebody-whoever was there-was going to hear her. She really hoped that nobody would.
Unfortunately for her, a chill racked down her body when she heard familiar, out-of-control laughter, and the laughter almost seemed to be drawing her out.
Bonnie sighed, and she walked more hastily with each step. Bonnie almost collided with the dead-end wall, but she nevertheless steered herself to the left-wing.
Second door. Bonnie stopped there. Should I go in?
She covered her mouth so he would not hear her short breaths. This proved to be useless.
"Enter, for ye must face thy DOOM! HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"
Bonnie's throat cut itself off, but she eventually mustered up the courage to meekly open the gateway to her "doom".
The Joker, who was blowing bubbles out of what seemed to be a 1950s' pipe, wore a set grin. He had thin glasses perched on his nose, and he placed an old newspaper on his lap.
"Ah, young Bonnie!" the Joker exclaimed. "So wonderful to see you here!"
The girl closed the door behind her, and she tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Hi, boss," she said, nodding. Narrowing his eyes, the Joker made a smacking noise with his mouth.
"Kid, you don't HAVE to call me 'boss' right now," said the Joker. "Jeez! The guys aren't here right now, anyways."
A shudder racked through Bonnie's body.
No, thought Bonnie. We can't be alone. The henchmen must be here, and Harley, too…
Smirking off the girl's apparent distress, the boss said, "Yup, not another soul here. Mommy can't be here right now, either, Ringlet. She wanted to play with the hyenas in the zoo."
Bonnie pressed a knuckle on her chin. Surely he did not mean that he kicked her out? What if the Batman got her?!
Bonnie bit her lip intensely as she struggled to understand the euphemism. Being at the "zoo" could have meant she was in the asylum, or maybe she could have been...could have been...
She gazed at the Joker for an answer. He just winked in response.
The Harlequin of Hate went on, "…And I called the guys. They're getting the day off. Roc, Clubs-Kenny had the nerve not to answer today-Larry…all of those people!"
Bonnie's legs turned numb.
"…So, it's just you and me for a few days, kiddo. Maybe even longer, since Bats is on the move. Oh, well, we'll make some time of crime off it!"
Like a flick of a switch, the girl's legs lost their remaining strength and energy, and Bonnie's throat clogged with burning bile. Being with him with other people was terrifying enough, but completely alone? She wouldn't last ten minutes, if she was lucky!
Trying to get rid of the cracked strain in her voice, she croaked, "Where…are we, sir?"
The Clown Prince faintly smiled-trying to hold in his amusement-until he finally broke out into hysterics. Tipping over the chair in his laughter, he kicked the table with the blueprints in front of him.
"HA, HE, HAAA! Now that's a funny story," the Joker exclaimed. "We had to leave the old place since a little birdie flew through the window. You hit your head on the way out!"
Bonnie awkwardly rubbed her sore temple. Was that what happened? She had a feeling that he was lying, but she was too exhausted to think about it. Still, even if he was lying, it probably wouldn't matter. After all, it was only a little lie, so she let it slide.
The Joker patted on the wooden chair next to him.
"Sit down, kid. We've got planning to do."
Bonnie hesitated, but she sat down.
The boss flattened the blueprints on the table in front of him. Crayon was scrawled all over it (and there was an unpleasant drawing of Batman), but the notes, lines, and the setting were all drawn in a structured fashion.
He swiped his glasses off, and he slipped on a grin. "How would you like to go to the circus?"
Elsewhere in the city, a beautiful, yet mentally ravaged woman was shoved inside the back of a white van. The five doctors nearby were yelling all sorts of things as the woman struggled in her straitjacket.
Clawing and kicking at the psychologists, she screamed, "HEY! I HAVE RIGHTS, TOO, YA KNOW! IS IT A CRIME TO BE NICE TO A DAME? IS IT?"
And the doors slammed shut on her.