I want to thank everyone who has favorited please don't hate me
Chapter 6
The Joker took his tray absent-mindedly, as he still tried to process his thoughts.
Then he took a seat at a table alone.
Even though he didn't want to, his head swiveled around the cafeteria, looking for any sign of Harley; for what seemed for the millionth time he came up empty.
Could it be possible that for all this time, she had somehow managed to stay under the Bat's radar; or could he have found her then dumped her back in the same place the Joker had rescued her from before.
He decided that the latter was most likely true, and thought that she was in need of his help again.
This didn't bother the Joker, because going back to get her would surely prove that he really truly cared about her; and on their way back to Gotham they could patch things up then everything would be okay.
But there were two problems with that plan.
The first one being that he needed to get out of Arkham first, and the second one being that he couldn't think straight to actually form a plan of escape.
During his search for Harley he saw that Ivy was sitting alone at a table at the back of the room, and that the top left side of her face was covered in a big bandage.
This brought him a little comfort but it wasn't long before his train of thought was interrupted.
"What the hell we had this gross Hashbrown thing for breakfast.
The Joker looked down to his tray and saw that it held the same thing he had refused to eat at breakfast.
The Joker heard one of the guards standing in one of the corners of the cafeteria give an explanation that he didn't need; because as he looked down at the thing that was supposed to be his lunch and remembered the first time he had heard anything about it.
The time it took to blow the hole in the wall seemed to be endless to him, but soon he was allowed entrance to the Bastille he now loathed more than Arkham.
He and his crew had to strike fast, because this prison was crawling with guards.
He took out a few of the guards but let his crew do most of the work.
Then he saw her, he saw that they had locked his beautiful queen in a cage like an animal.
He immediately took out a motorized saw, and began working on the door.
He opened the door and went in to meet her.
He could tell by looking at her that she was apprehensive, then it dawned on him what type of clothes he was wearing.
He didn't like the clothes he was wearing either, but when he escaped from the plane his tuxedo had been greatly tarnished; and since they now had to do a ground strike they had to blend in as much as possible.
He took off his helmet and looked at her, but he kept his emotions in check because the leader must stay strong.
He watched her look at him with obvious surprise.
He didn't blame her.
The plane crash was a close call, and watching the turbulence throw her from the plane; to have her back then lose her again was almost too much bare.
"Puddin!" Harley said quickly as she threw herself in to the Joker's waiting arms
Harley sobbed openly into his shoulder and in between sobs, told him how she was sure that she had lost him forever.
The Joker held his queen tightand told her that everything would be okay now, and that he was here to take her home.
Harley wrapped her arms tighter around the Joker's neck, as he picked her up bridal style and carried his lover to freedom.
The Joker sat in the back of his black SUV watching his lover revel in the softness of the leather of the seats against her limbs.
Harley was stretched out with her feet in the Joker's lap.
As the Joker watched Harley rest her head in between her interlaced fingers, he wished that he had more of a plan for what he would do when he got her back .
He cursed himself for not grabbing a few pillows from the bed that they shared.
It would be quite a few hours before they reached Gotham, and he wished that he could make the trip easier on her.
He watched her sleep, not moving a muscle so as not to wake her, but also trying to figure out how much damage had been done to her.
Then the Joker stiffed as Harley quickly opened her eyes, sat forward, and groaned as her stomach growled.
"What's wrong?" The Joker asked quickly as he leaned towards her.
"Puddin I'm starving."Harley muttered as she moved over to him seeking comfort.
The Joker wrapped his arms around her as he began to worry.
He told the henchmen driving to stop at the nearest gas station, wishing that he had chosen to come to her by helicopter.
But he knew that this would be a mistake knowing that the people who took her had no problem shooting a plane out of the sky.
After what seemed like an eternity the SUV stopped at the nearest gas station .
After the Joker sent one of the henchmen to get Harley's favorite snacks and some Grape sodas, the Joker went back to comforting his queen.
The Joker stroked his lover's hair and whispered sweet nothings in her ear as she grumpily swore under her breath.
A short time later the Joker rolled down the window and took the food from the Henchmen.
"Finally." Harley said, as she took the bag from the Joker pulled out her Grape soda and handed the Joker his.
Then Harley took a long drink from her bottle, then dug into a huge bag of Cheese Curls.
The Joker watched her eat a handful of Cheese Curls, then he moved closer to her so he could share the snack with her by eating the end that stuck out of her mouth.
"Mine!" Harley hissed as she quickly pushed the end of the Cheese Curl into her mouth.
The Joker sat back feeling offended that she had denied him a moment of romance after being separated for so long, but her gesture also confirmed that she had suffered much in the hell hole that the Bat had dumped her in.
What did they do to you in there?"The Joker asked as held her tighter to show her that she was safe.
Then he opened a bag of Coffee flavored M&M's and fed her one.
"Oh Puddin it was horrible the bed that gave me was as hard as a rock, and I haven't had a good night's sleep since I was first locked in that cage." Harley said, as she snuggled into the Joker's chest.
"Did they not feed you there either, my queen?' .
"They tried to feed me Puddin but the things they called food were completely disgusting." Harley said with a shudder.
"Was it any worse than the food they give us in Arkham baby?"
"It made the food in Arkham look like a dish from a five star restaurant.''Harley grumbled as the Joker fed her another M&M.
Harley's eyes narrowed as she felt mixed emotions up hearing the Joker laugh.
Hearing his laugh reminded her just how much she loved and missed it, but she also knew that he didn't believe her.
"I would like to see you choke that piece of shit down Mr..J, but you should know that it's not no porterhouse steak." Harley said coldly as she sat up then moved to the other window, and glared out at the pounding rain.
The Joker watched his lover then he pulled her back to his chest.
Harley let out a cry of protest as she felt the Joker pull her back into his arms, but when she looked into his eyes she could see that he didn't want to fight; and as she looked into his eyes she could see just how much he missed her.
She's the queen of Gotham City and now thanks to this little misadventure impromptu world savior.
This new title had given her a boost of confidence,and showed her that she was quite capable of taking care of herself.
She is a warrior queen and needed no man to protect her, but it was nice to know that a man actually gave enough of a damn about her to come after her the way the Joker did.
"Describe it to me."The Joker said as he began to lovingly stroke her hair again.
Harley had to take a deep breath in order to regain her focus, as her lover's fingers set her body a blaze.
Then as she heard him chuckle she knew that he knew what his fingers were doing to her, and she knew that he enjoyed it.
" Well for starters it was brown and shaped like bread but it had chunks of stuff in it.
I think I saw a chunk of pasta once, but there was no meat.
I think Ivy would have liked it but I don't think even she would have eaten that.
It kind of reminded me of fruit cake but without the fruit" Harley said as she wrinkled her nose and disgust.
The Joker let out his own growl of disapproval, as he found himself thinking about the only Christmas tradition that Harley didn't subscribe to.
"If any of those brainless guards had tried to feed that to me I would have shoved it back down their throat! "The Joker said as his hand that was draped around Harley's waist tightened its grip
.
He remembered himself momenterrelly and looked down to make sure he hadn't hurt 0her,then smiled down at her when he saw that she was laughing.
"I'm afraid there would be no shoving puddin because they served us the door in our cells, or in my case my cage; but to be fair I had already vented my displeasure quite a bit and the guards were most definitely certain that I didn't want to be there."
"That's my girl, daddy is sorry that he took so long." The Joker said as he placed a kiss on Harley's head.
"It's all right, but nevertheless non-conformity came at price."Harley breathed as she revealed her lover's display of affection.
"What do they do to you? " The Joker asks as he felt his anger spark again
.
Harley waited for a moment saving that spark of anger, knowing that he would happily teach the guards who hurt her a long and painful lesson.
It had been the thing he wanted to do since he had first entered the prison, and colonel Briggs was the first man on his list.
Harley hated him for the superiority he thought he had over her, and the torment he had put her through.
The violent part of her wanted nothing more than to watch the Joker teach him a long and painful lesson, and maybe at times she herself would join in after all it was her right and she knew how much the Joker loved watching her work.
But she also knew that if they stayed long they would both be caught and separated again, this time potentially forever and they both knew that they could not endure that; so they both made a quick escape savoring the fact that they were finally reunited.
"They fed me forceatives through a tube in my nose which went down into my stomach.
It was my punishment for not eating what had been previously served.
They had also mixed in my medications, which I was also refusing to take.
It was supposed to taste like strawberry they said, but it would taste more like the fluoride stuff they made you drink to strengthen your teeth in grade school."
The Joker let out an angry roar that made everyone else in the SUV stiffen, and Harley felt the car jerk ever so slightly as the driver swerved.
Harley loved how her mistreatment could make him so angry, but she knew for the sake of everyone else in the car; and for the sake of them arriving home in one piece her lover needed to be calm, or at least is calm as a man like him could be.
"It's okay Puddin we're back together now and nothing like that is ever going to happen again."Harley said, as she gently ran her fingers through his hair.
The Joker purred as his eyes slipped closed as he savored the sensation of his lover's fingers in his hair.
He never knew that he could miss something so seemingly simple this much, along with all the other things that she did.
The little things that he missed so much.
Her nails were shorter, and he knew by looking at them unpainted.
His queen had been stripped of her glory, and he would take great pleasure in restoring her.
But for now he missed the feeling of her long fingernails running through his hair.
The Joker opened his eyes again as he felt the sensation stop.
He looked down at his lover's eyes as they sparkled with pure happiness.
It was a look he could not resist as he tilted his head down and captured Harley's lips in a kiss.
"Puddin.''Harley moaned as she turned over in the Joker's arms so that it was easier to kiss him.
The Joker moaned as he felt Harley shift in his arms and wrapped his arms around her waist as he felt her arms around her neck.
He deepened the kiss as he felt her fingers get lost in his hair.
"My queen."The Joker moaned as he felt Harley lightly pull on his hair.
Harley moaned as she heard him use the title he had given her, but never used with her officially.
The kiss ended as the lover's sought air, and the Joker smiled as he felt Harley snuggle into his chest.
"Puddin I'm exhausted." Harley said as her eyes began to slip closed.
"I know baby rest now and when we get home daddy will make sure that you are fed well." The Joker said as he stroked Harley's hair.
Harley nodded as she placed her ear over the Joker's heart, so she could listen to its steady beat while she slept.
The Joker watched as Harley's breathing became steady, and then he had to admit that he was tired himself.
He had not gotten a good night's sleep since he realized that she was truly gone.
There were two things that The Joker found completely hilarious about Arkham
The first one being that the doctor's actually thought they were helping people.
The second and much more appealing of the two, was how easy it was to communicate and plan an escape.
Cell phones could be smuggled in because the guards never bothered to do cavity searches.
Most of the guards think that their measly paychecks didn't make ends meet, so for the right price they would pass along a message as long as they didn't see anything concerning in it.
He had waited a week but he had still received no word from her.
He checked his phone twenty times an hour as he waited for the answer to the text he had sent her two days earlier.
'Where are you?'
He never needed much to get a rise out of her, especially when she was angry with him.
It would usually consist of a screaming match between them, if it was when she was staying with the Cat or the Weed it would be a screaming match over the phone ; but if she was sent to Arkham the screaming match would happen by text.
While she was in Arkham and they were apart they would have the time to cool off from their fight, and remember how much they cared about each other.
Then if she was in Arkham the king of Gotham would free his queen from the dungen, and take her back to his palace where she belonged.
If she stayed with a so-called friend she would eventually realize that she missed her king, and her palace.
And when she returned the house filled with everything that meant romance to her.
Even if he found himself stuck in the dungun with his queen, he would still have the palace prepared for her by giving his henchmen exact orders; even though wanted to take care of it himself.
But he also loved leaving Arkham with his queen at his side, because even though he would never say it he never felt more powerful than when she was at his side.
And even though she never said it he knew she felt the same way.
But that was one of the things he loved best about their relationship .
He knew that this time would be different.
He had left her in the Smiley car as it went into the river ,which he knew she would be furious over.
His plan was simple.
He would let the bat have her momentarily, because he knew that he wouldn't let her drown.
Then he would take her to Arkham like always, and the Joker wouldRescue her then do something extra nice for her as a way of apology.
But he knew something was definitely wrong when three days passed and he received no text from her, because the longest she had ever ignored him was one.
He spent weeks scouring the web searching every blacksite where villains chose to communicate, trying to find any information on a new place that villains might be sent to.
However his search came up empty.
When the internet proved fruitless he sent his gang out to scour the streets sniffing around for any type of word or rumor that might lead him to her.
The reward was a king's ransom and one favor that had no expiration date, it was a good deal from a man like the Joker.
But even with a reward as great as that finding her still took time, and time without her did not do well for the Joker.
He knew why he had been separated from her, after all the answer was rather simple.
The Bat had blamed him and Harley for the death of his Robin, and even though he claimed to be solely for justice; the Joker knew that he had taken Harley from him out of retaliation.
As the week spread into a month The Joker felt a new type of madness creep in
sleep became almost impossible for him, and when he did sleep all he could see was Harley begging for his help, as she was being held in the tight grip of the Bat who laughed darkly before he threw her down into the seemingly unending hole.
Then the only thing that was left of her were her pleading cries for her Puddin.
Which would end the dream and send the Joker jerking up right in his bed.
The aftermath of the dream would send the Joker into a violent rage, and he would smash whatever happened to be near him.
Which scared any henchmen brave enough to enter the house after a long day of searching, right back out into the street to look for more information.
Eventually his madness became so volatile that no one dared to see him, and at his wits end the Joker preferred the solitude wanting only to see her
Until one day he came to him.
The Joker sat forward shaking his head slowly.
He was tired but he couldn't bare to sleep again, instead he sat there cursing himself for leaving her to be alone with the Bat.
Sure Arkham wasn't where he wanted to be, but at least they would have been together; or maybe this was all going to happen this way anyway, and the Bat was determined to separate them forever no matter what it took.
The Joker cocked the gun that held, as he heard footsteps enter his office.
"It's me."Johnny Frost, The Joker's number one guy said as you walked into the room.
Only Johnny dared to speak so informally because he knew that out of all his henchmen he was the one that the Joker respected most.
"Where is she?" Joker asked as he fixed Johnny with a death stare.
Then the Joker let out a sigh of relief that radiated through his whole body, as listened to Johnny give him the news.
The Joker would never show this much emotion around anyone else but Harley, but he knew that Johnny could be trusted and in this moment relife was all he could feel.
He also knew that Johnny would be the one to find her, out of all his henchmen Johnny was the smartest so he was happy that Johnny would get the ransom because out of all his henchmen Johnny worked the hardest, and who better to give a king's ransom to than your number one guy..
When Johnny asked the Joker what he should do he was told to bring the car around, and that they were going for a drive.
The Joker laid back on his office floor and let out the happiest laugh he had let out in quite a while.
He was unfazed by Johnny watching him, and unfazed by the knives that surrounded him.
After all these knives would be a worthy punishment after thoughtlessly leaving his queen behind
The Joker tried to settle down into the sea and rest with his queen, but he found it hard because of his five foot four stature and the lack of pillows
.He also kicked himself for not bringing food with him as he felt Harley shift in his arms and whine in her sleep as her stomach growled again.
But after he jumped from the plane and landed on the ground unharmed, he frenziedly gathered his group; and return to Gotham get more more cars, then once he got information that she was back at Belduerve he quickly made his way there d[etermine not to screw it up this time.
Now with things put right again he could finally let himself sleep.
Hours later The Joker was awoken by his henchmen, as they told him that they had arrived back in Gotham and at the house he had requested.
The Joker was still tired but otherwise happy to be back home, and with the woman he cared so much about.
He moved ever so slightly so as not to wake her up, but he found that to be easier than he first stopped because Harley was still caught in a deep sleep.
Harley had never been known to be a light sleeper, but still the deepness of this sleep worried him.
The Joker slowly got out of the car and caught Harley as her body reclined backwards ever so slightly, as he no longer held her.
The Joker carefully scooped Harley up into his arms, and carried her bridal style towards that house feeling relaxed as her head leaned against his chest.
"Mmmm Puddin where are we?" Harley asked, waking from her sleep.
"We're home baby.
Don't worry all that's over now and soon everything will be like it was before."The Joker whispered softly, as he carried Harley to the porch
Once her eyes had adjusted to the light Harley expected to see the Joker taking her towards their penthouse apartment .
But was pleasantly surprised to see that he was carrying her to the safe house, which look like any other house on the street; and even had a small yard out front
They had only stayed at this house twice since they had been together, and Harley had loved both times.
She liked the penthouse fine with its ambiance, spectacular views of the city, and status.
but in her heart she gravitated more to this charming little house with its four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
It had given her the home-like feeling that she had craved since her childhood.
And even though she knew the Joker didn't like it being in this house gave her the hope, that one day he would truly settle down, commit to her, and they will be a crime family; with plenty of children ready to take up his mantle
Even now as he walked her to the porch she could not help but look out of the front yard and see a small swing set, and her pushing a baby girl with blonde curls and blue eyes on the swings; as the girl squealed to go ever higher.
While the Joker tried to teach his young son with his brown hair and chocolate brown eyes to drive a child size version of the smiley car around the yard.
all this spread out before her eyes, almost as if Enchantress had granted her another beautiful glimpse into what she truly wanted.
She looked on at the yard unable to stop herself from reveling in this moment, but also thankful that the Joker didn't notice because it would only cause a fight between them.
Then she shuttered briefly as she heard Diablo's voice in her head reminding her rather forcefully that none of what she saw was real.
Harley covered her face with the palm of her hand,and let out a low moan which unfortunately for her the Joker did take notice of.
"Are you alright baby? " The Joker said, if he looked down at Harley with obvious worry.
"Sorry Puddin. It's just been a long trip, that's all. Harley said with a weak smile.
The Joker knotted as he still tried to keep his emotions in check, but hoped that once he had her home and settled things would return back to normal.
The Joker opened the front door with his thumb print, then carried Harley over the threshold as the door swung open for them.
"I'm going to need a moment alone, boys. " The Joker said as he carried Harley over to the couch.
Harley watched in delight as the henchman took their cue leave but stay close by, in case they were needed again.
Then the Joker gently sat Harley on the couch, then handed her the remote to the TV.
"Sorry I didn't have time to make the house all romantic like you, like baby, but daddy was in a rush to get you home."
"That's okay Puddin I'm just happy to be back with you." Harley said, with a big smile.
The Joker placed a light kiss on her forehead, as he let her hair down.
Then he asked her the time.
When she told him that it was a little past seven a.m, he told her that he would make her a nice breakfast steak and eggs.
Harley took her espresso machine from the foyer, and went into the kitchen to plug it in with the rest of the appliances.
As she did she took note of the jokers clear curiosity.
"This thing is amazing Puddin and you know how I love a good cup of coffee"
"Where did you get it?'
"I guess you could say it was a prize of sorts, because the woman pulling the strings said that we could have one thing that we wanted except freedom.
I had to remind her of how we work our asses off, but eventually she conceded that we did do a good job.
So she let me have that espresso machine, and a few of my other teammates got what they wanted too.
The Joker eyed Harley curiously as she happily watched the cup of coffee brew.
Then when it was finished Harley skipped into the living room careful not to spill her coffee.
Once she left the Joker smiled and shook his head at the wismy that he missed so much.
But he still sensed change in her, and he wasn't quite sure what it meant.
Once she was settled on the couch Harley turned the TV onto Gotham City news, just see if the city have been alerted to their King's return
She knows that if brainless and overrated town cryers did know anything it would definitely be the top story.
But as she watched the top story be something she couldn't care less about breeze past she turned the TV. off.
"Harley I check the TV and no one knows we're back yet." Harley said, as she walked into the kitchen.
"What makes you think anyone would? " The Joker said as he looked up from the steak he was preparing.
"Puddin I was chosen along with the rest of my teammates because I possess a certain type of skills that this woman could find useful,I know because I read the file she had on me.
. I also know that she would not be willing to let me go so soon if at all.
So I thought that she might have enlisted the help of the Bat, to get me back since he's the one that put me there in the first place."
The Joker slowly left the stove, and walked over to Harley.
Then he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, but not enough to hurt her.
"No one is going to take you away from me again, do you understand?"
The Joker didn't speak again until he felt Harley nodding against his chest.
"If anyone tries to take you away from me again I will make a long slow example out of them and that includes anyone who tries to stop me."
"It's okay Puddin your Harley's right here, and she's not going anywhere.
But you need to know that the supers have flipped the board, and put down a new one which means that we will be forced to adapt."
The Joker's response was a long and low growl .
But Harley let him be because she knew that it wasn't directed at her, just the situation in which they found themselves .
She knew that in time he would come to see reason.
"I'm going to go take a bubble bath, because showers in that place were few and far between.
She watched the Joker growl in anger and mutter under his breath that those guards are only zookeepers, because at least there Arkham they were allowed to shower at least once a day.
Later Harley got out of the bath when the water turned cold, and put on her favorite fluffy red robe, and a pair of matching fluffy red bedroom slippers.
Then she ran a brush through her light blonde hair.
She felt greatly refreshed now that she wants against smells like French Vanilla, and did not fuss over putting her hair up because it was nice to just let her flow free for once.
As she exited the bathroom smelling the heavenly scent of freshly made breakfast, and quickly made her way to the kitchen.
"Puddin this looks amazing."Harley said, as she took the seeds of the Joker and pulled out for her.
She also smiled happily as she looked at the candles in the middle of the table that were usually reserved for when they had dinner.
"Breakfast is almost ready, I just need to pull the Honey Glazed Croissants out of the oven."Joker said as he walked over to the oven.
"Awww Puddin you only make those on holidays and my birthday.''Harley said she couldn't stop grinning.
"Baby if I ever got control of this city your birthday would be a city wide holiday, and it would be the law that everyone in the city give you a gift." The Joker said is he cold the croissants out of the oven and finish setting the table
"Oh Puddin no one's pours on the charm like you do." Harley giggled happily and she dug into her plate food.
The Joker watched his lover eat, liking how she savored her meals, but this time he chuckled because she was a bit more ravenous with her eating then last time.
Then The Joker ate his own plate before it got cold.
After breakfast the Joker put the plates in the sink deciding to wash them later and as he took his seat back at the table, Harley walked over and sat in his lap
"It feels so good to be home." Harley said as she laid her head on The Joker's chest.
The Joker said nothing, instead choosing to take a long sniff of her hair.
But when Harley turned to look into his eyes he knew he didn't need to, because when she looked into his eyes he knew that she could see the words that were too hard for him to speak.
"I missed you too Puddin and I know how you feel, being without you nearly drove me crazy." Harley said as she snuggled deeper into the Joker's chest.
It was in that moment The Joker could longer hold back his need for her, and he was happy to be alone with her as he hungrily pressed his lips. against hers.
Harley returned the kiss liking the new intensity that she felt in it.
She could feel that he really did miss her and that maybe things would change.
Eventually the couple came up for air, but their eyes still sparkled with the blissfulness of the kss.
"I'm definitely ready for that bear skin rug and bottle of Grape soda now Puddin."
"What a coincidence because I've been craving French Vanilla and if I don't have it satisfied soon I'll go completely insane."The Joker said in his subductive voice that was meant only for her
"Oh Puddin" Carly said and she burst it out laughing
.Then the Joker picked her up bridal style and carried her to their bedroom
A few days later the Joker set his office phone to his ear while he ran his fingers through his hair.
When the last call was done the Joker stretched as he put the phone down.
And as he did he smelt the delicious scent of food cooking coming from the kitchen, and he felt his feet lead him there thinking only about what was waiting for him.
However he came to the kitchen unpleasantly surprised his henchmen standing in line and holding out paper plates, although he was not a bit surprised to see that Harley was doing serving; as she loaded down each henchman's plate with one Collar Roll one Fried Mushroom Ball , and one Ham And Deviled Egg Sandwich.
The Joker cleared his throat which quickly made everyone turn and stare wide-eyed and his direction, which pleased him because it meant he had in most total control of his house.
The henchmen grabbed their plates and tried to scurry from the kitchen, only to hear Harley call them back for a piece of chocolate vanilla swirl cake wrapped in plastic wrap.
Henchmen looks from the Joker to Harley then back to the Joker, which made the Joker laugh hysterically and made Harley smile brightly.
"It's okay you guys can take it just get out of here afterwards." Harle said expertly, reading the Joker's body language.
The Hitchman made a mad dash , for the cut pieces of cake which lay on the cake display. Then they express their thanks to Harley and quickly left telling the Joker that they will be
in touch.
The Joker watched them all go and narrowed his eyes as they all fled.
Then he turned to Harley with his hands on his hips, but his look had softened to that of one would give to a child who just drew on the wall with a crayon.
even raised an unseen race eyebrow for extra theatricalism.
The whole scene made Harley laugh so hard that she slowly sank to the floor as she doubled over with laughter.
The Joker watched his lover lay on the floor savoring the manichal yet bubbly laugher he had missed so much.
The Joker took Harley's hand and helped her off the floor.
Harley smiled as her laughter stopped.
"Did your business meeting go well, Puddin?"Harley asked as she fixed him a plate, with a piece of lemon meringue pie for dessert.
"It wasn't so much a business meeting at more sounding the alarm."The Joker said as he took his seat at the head of the table, while Harley took his plate in front of him.
"I'm guessing this has something to do with my time in Belderve."
The Joker nodded as he ate his Collard Roll.
"When the rest of the villains realized that you weren't in Arkham,They offered their assistance to me".
"That was surprisingly generous of them."Harley said as she ate her ham and deviled egg sandwich.
"It was all just an act of good business, I think they could see the winds of change blowing even if I'm not ready to accept it yet
.I'm afraid this is a change you will have to adapt to quickly Puddin, because it has become glaringly apparent that the supers have flipped the board,and put down a new one.
"I know that's why I sounded the alarm, after all in good business, business partners look out for one another.
However I'll just talk with business does not excuse you from your punishment."The Joker said with a smirk, which sent Harley running from the kitchen giggling as she went.
Ah so Daddy's little monster wants to play does she?
Well you know Daddy's always in the mood for a good game.``The Joker said with a laugh as he slowly got up from the table, deciding to give his queen a head start.
The Joker went from room to room calling Harley's name in a sing-songy voice.
Then when he became tired of playinging he went where he knew she would be.
The Joker walked into his bedroom deadening his feet, so as not to alert her to his arrival.
Then he walked over to their double-sided walk-in closet, and pulled back the sliding door with a dramatic flourish.
The Joker looked down to see Harley sitting under his coats on the floor, and couldn't help but laugh at the mischievous look in her eyes clearly stating that she was about to make a run for it.
"No no baby I'm afraid the game is up and daddy wins as always."The Joker said with a laugh, as he swept Harley off her feet.
Harley's lips protruded into a pout as the Joker lowered her feet down to the floor, which only made the Joker laugh.
The Joker quickly turned Harley so that her back was facing his chest.
Then he began to mercilly tickle her rib cage.
"Oh Puddin no not that!" Harley said quickly as she started to laugh.
Her laughter egged him on as he continued to tickle her until she could barely breathe
"P-P-Puddin P-P-P-Please!" Harley said, as she tried to catch her breath.
"Oh does my beautiful captive want mercy?"
"Y-Y-Yes." Harley said as she tried to catch her breath.
" Say it, say it." The Joker said in that seductive voice that was only meant for her, as he turned her to face him; and gently pulled her bottom lip down.
"Please."
'God you're so good."The Joker said as he pulled Harley in for a passionate kiss.
Then when the two lovers came up for air Harley settled herself into the Joker's chest.
"has Goldilocks been giving away all Papa Bear's food? "
" I'm sorry Puddin."
"What have I told you about feeding the henchmen out of our own pocket. "
"That if you do it once you'll never get rid of them, but I just wanted to show my gratitude, after all they worked very hard to get me out."
"They can get drive thru and I gave them big enough payouts this time that they could even have one good meal at a five-star restaurant and still have plenty leftover to be comfortable for a while.
The deal was that you only cook for me. "
"Oh is that so well you didn't seem to mind when Johnny would line up with a plate when I dished out my cooking, speaking of which where is Johnny his food is getting cold. " Harley grumbled, not taking kindly to her food going to waste.
Harley felt the Joker step in against her back, and she still knew that she had said something wrong.
But when Harley searched her mind to figure out what it was, she came up with the complete blank.
"Puddin, where's Johnny? "
Harley knew she should not have asked this question, but she also knew that she had to know the answer.
The Joker gave no answer, his only response was him holding Harley tighter but not tight enough to her.
Then Harley's eyes widened as she came to the only rational explanation, as to why Johnny would not be with here with them now
."No-No-N-N-Nooo!"Harley wailed as she felt her legs get out.
Losing Diablo was almost more than she could bare.
He was a teammate turned friend she had barely gotten to know him, and she definitely didn't want him to die.
But Johnny was different; he had been with her since she first became Harley Quinn,and even though he was a henchman and would often be ruthless when The Joker commanded it; he had a sweet shy kind side yet he was also smarter than the other hinchman, which Harley found refreshing.
Over the years he had become like a brother to he was the only guy that Harley was allowed to even get remotely close to other than the Joker, because the Joker knew that Johnny knew his place and would never try to steal his queen.
Harley continue to sob as the Joker held her
.She was both surprised and grateful for this, because it was something he had never done before.
Usually the only two emotions the Joker ever allowed was humor and anger.
There was no call for sadness with the Joker and when Harley felt this emotion The Joker would always pull away leaving her to deal with it on her own.
It was in these moments that she would turn to Johnny, because he understood that his role as number one guy also sometimes meant being a sympathetic ear for his boss and his boss's lover.
The Joker let out a confused growl as he felt Harley pull away.
Then he watched her take a few deep breaths, as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
Then the Joker smirked as he watched Harley's eyes blaze with fury
."It's all that damn Bat's fault I can understand why he took me away from you, but why did he have to take Johnny too?!"Harley screamed as she picked up her plate picked upa French Vanilla scented candle off her nightstand, and threw it against the wall.
The sound of breaking glass giving her a somewhat sense of relief, at least for the moment.
The Joker hung back letting Harley deal with her rage alone just for a moment, because he knew when it was this out of control a fight was unavoidable.
And that wasn't something he wanted at the moment.
The Joker knew that it was okay to approach her again, as he watched Harley sink to the floor and slowly curl up in the fetal position.
The Joker slowly made his way over to her, and then picked her up bridal style and carried her over to the bed.
Then he carefully laid down with her so the two lovers could lick each other's wounds.
"He tried to save me twice, I guess that was just one too many."Harley muttered as she snubbed into the Joker's chest again.
"What?"The Jokers asked quickly as he moved his head slightly away from Harley's.
"It was the night you punished me for erasing your mind."
Harley was silent for a moment, because she knew this was one thing the Joker absolutely hated talking about.
She felt bad for what she had done.
She wished she could take it back and even though she knew he loved her so much,she also knew that he had never quite forgiven her for that; and part of her worried that he never would
"Finish it. " The Joker growled.
Then Harley took a deep breath as she drove back into the past.
"It was during the riot and She was trying to get out of Arkham.
She knew the Joker was coming for her, and more importantly she knew that he would not be happy with her.
She had almost made it to the stairwell that would lead to the next floor down, when she felt too burly arms grab her from behind.
"Get off me get off me get!"Harleen screamed as she felt the arms lift her off the ground and slam her down on the table.
Then she felt a man's hand firmly place itself over her mouth.
She thought for sure that The Joker had found her, and that she was as good as dead until she heard someone whisper to her.
"Hey, open your eyes and look at me. "
She had hoped that it was one of the orderlies, or maybe even one of the other psychiatrists Someone she didn't know; anyone that could help her escape.
No one knew that she had smuggled in the machine gun, the cameras watching their therapy sessions had no sound so they didn't hear him ask, and more important to her at the moment they didn't hear her say yes.
She just wanted to get out of here and the thought of leaving town all together sounded pretty appealing to her at the moment, but mostly she just wanted to forget that any of this ever happened.
She slowly opened her eyes hoping against hope that the person who had caught her could somehow help her get out.
But when she opened her eyes fearful tears clouded her vision as she saw a tall burly man with brown hair that was slicked back and a beard.
His eyes were brown like the Joker's but kinder Harley looked at his navy blue suit, and thought that under any other circumstances this man would be quite handsome.
Although not as handsome as the Joker.
Harley admonished herself mentally for even thinking such a thing, after everything he had done how could she still find him handsome.
Then she was pulled from her thoughts as she heard the man speak.
"Hey I said look at me but not like that, he would have my head if he knew you even glanced at me like that.
You are his girl after all, or at least he wants you to be."Johnny said as he scrutinized Harley's face.
"Yeah I see why he would want you."Johnny said, as he quickly made sure that Harleen was secure on the table.
"Oh sorryI guess I should introduce myself.
My name is Johnny, Johnny Frost.
It's a weird last name I know but what can you do?
I'm sure that all these introductions and formalities may seem a bit crazy at the moment but as I'm sure you've already gathered Mr. J is big on respect, and since he wants you to be his girl you get the most respect aside from him; especially from me since I'm his number one guy.
We talked about you a lot Mr. J and I, he thought it was hilarious that they were having a woman try to pick his brain
.Oh no offense of course once again the Joker would have my head number one guy or not.
We talked about you a lot more than I thought we would, and as we talked I could tell that Mr J was falling hard for you.
Even if he can't admit it to himself.
However you committed a major sign of disrespect, and that will not be without punishment .Johnny said as he looked Harleen in the eye.
He watched her mentally digest everything that he had just said, then he watched her eyes widened with fear as she started to comprehend the last part of what he said.
Then Johnny became a little nervous as he saw two tears roll down her cheeks.
"Hey no crying now Mr. J doesn't really care for that sort of thing, if you want to make it out of this alive you got to pull yourself together.
He's pretty mad at you right now, but if you remind him how you helped him; and don't show too much fear, you'll gain his respect and he'll let you live.
After the punishment is over you can decide if you still love him or not.
If you doYou'll find him I'm sure.
Although bringing a machine gun and helping him break out of this hell hole is more than enough proof of love to me, but then again Mr J's always been a little different.
But I think you knew that already. " Johnny said with a laugh.
Blink once if you understand everything I just said."Johnny said S as he looked into Harleen's eyes.
"Good that means that you'll survive the night, and whatever else happens afterwards is up to the two of you.
But if I can be honest I'm rooting for you two.
Mr J's been missing something over the years, he even said so to me.
As his number one guy I tried to figure it out and find it but I came up dry.
Then when he talked to me about you I knew that you were the one he was missing.
So here I am doing my job as the number one guy and trying to help.
Good luck kid.
I really hope this works out.
I got to go over there now kid.
He'll be here soon, and he won't be happy that I spilled my guts.
Harleen blinked saying that she understood, and Johnny gave her a friendly smile as his thanks.
Then he walked away as he heard the Joker coming towards the bed.
"What do we have here?" The Joker asked as he walked over to the bed, and put the light over her head.
Then he let the light shine brightly in Harleen's face.
"I did what you wanted, I helped you.''Harleen said quickly as she tried to do what Johnny had said.
"You helped me?
No, you helped me by erasing my mind.
Taking what itty bitty memories I had!
Is that the type of medicine you practice, doctor Quinzel?" the Joker asked as he walked over to the electroshock machine and turned it on.
Then the Joker walked over to the bed
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I didn't want to do it.
Dr Arkham made me, I tried to speak up for you I really did." Harleen said quickly, as she tried to think of any way she could get out of this punishment.
But as her wide blue eyes stared at him she could clearly see that he was lost in his own thoughts and therefore unreachable.
She was grateful that he didn't notice her fear at that moment, because as Johnny said it would not have served her well.
Then Harleen summoned her courage and asked what her punishment would be.
"So what are you going to do are you going to kill me Mr. J?"
"What? "The Joker asked as his favorite question brought him back to himself.
."Oh, I'm not gonna kill ya.
I'm just going to hurt ya really, really bad." The Joker said as he rubbed the paddles togther
Harleen heard a leather snap, and knew that he had picked up one of the restraints from the bed.
She vaguely wondered if he had chosen to whip her instead, even though it went completely against his MO.
The answer to the question was nearly as strange as the question itself, as she felt the thick leather strap being shoved between her teeth.
"I wouldn't want you to damage those pretty little cat pearl teeth, when the juice hits your brain."The Joker said he simulated where the paddles would be put.
She found his statement greatly confusing, because she thought he would like nothing more than to watch her teeth break like glass under the sheer force of the electro shock.
Then her eyes closed tight as the electricity surged through her mind.
She didn't know how long it lasted; the only thing she was certain of was the pain.
The pain that made that hurt so bad it made her want to scream until her throat bled .
Then when she could take no more she felt her entire body sleep into the release of darkness
It was a relief that it also brought fear, because she knew that he didn't know much about this; and she vaguely wondered if he had given her too much.
But as her brain maintained a few seconds of focus she heard the Joker speak..
Well Johnny boy that was fun, but my work here is doing and we better be off before the police get here.'The Joker said, as he casually walked from the asylum while the chaos still swirled within.
Harleen awoke with her back against the cold bed.
She felt dazed, confused, and alone.
She did not know where she was but an intense feeling inside her said that she shouldn't be here.
She felt around in the darkness, careful not to fall and injure herself more than she already knew she was.
She finally felt her hand brush a door handle, and quickly pull the door open.
her fear peaked briefly as she felt an open space in front of her.
carefully ran her fingers along the wall hoping to find a light switch, but instead her hands came in contact with the railing of a staircase.
She quickly took the stairs downward and as she did she noticed that she was barefoot..
She also knew that the stairway was pitch black so she reminded herself not to move too quickly.
After what seemed like forever she reached the doors the asylum, and quickly rushed out into the daylight.
What she thought would be welcoming turned out to be anything but, as the sun sent a feeling searing pain into her eyes.
Her head throbbed briefly as the sensation reminded her of something familiar yet it was still something she couldn't quite place.
She saw the sign for the bus stop and decided to walk over to it, thinking that driving would definitely be too dangerous.
She swamped down on the bus stop bench grateful that it wasn't too hot
.She tried to fight off a wave of dizziness but she had no idea where it came from.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the bench hoping that the wave would pass.
After an unknown amount of time Harleen was startled up right by the shrill honking of the bus horn.
Harleen quickly boarded the bus as she tried to ignore the frightened looks that she got from the bus driver and other passengers.
Once on the bus she took she went to the back of it where there were no people to disturb her.
Then she slumped down into the seatand let her head rest against the window.
Her eyes were starting to slip closed and she felt grateful for the coolness of the glass, but as she thought of the glass the image of her biting down a leather strap as a thousand volts coursed to her brain past before her eyes.
Harleen screamed as her eyes flew back open, gaining a few disgruntled murmurs and shouts from the passengers on the bus.
Harleen ignored this, only caring about finding out what happened to her.
Then she watched tears string down her face, as another wave of dizziness once again made her world fade to black.
While out she dreamed of a man in a Navy blue pinstripe suit, telling her that he was rooting for the two of them.
She had no idea what he meant and just when she was about to ask, she had footsteps coming and knew that she should be deathly afraid.
But she also knew that her life depended on the ability to hide it.
Harleen was startled awake by the bus driver telling her that this was his last stop.
But as you look at him she saw the Joker's face, and heard the last words he had said to her before he subjected her to electroshock.
Harleen quickly rose from the seat, and ran from the bus so distressed that she forgot to pay,as the memories of what happened to her slowly found a place like the pieces of a puzzle.
Sometime later Haleen entered her apartment, and slowly closed the door.
Then locked the door with a shaky hand.
Harleen still in a daze went over to her couch still in a daze and flopped down,
Then she took the nearest pillow and pressed it firmly to her face.
When she was sure that she could not be heard she finally allowed herself to feel everything that had happened to her, releasing cries of anger and anguish one after another.
When her throat began to feel raw she slowly charged to the kitchen for a glass of water, but as she did. fresh tears sprang to her eyes.
How could he do this to me, how could he make her feel the way that he made her feel then subject her to that?
Just as she had finished the thought a new wave of pain her
Oh God this pain is unbearable Harleen thought as she gritted her teeth firmly against it. How could one human being subject another human being to something like this, and then be okay with it?
No human being should be treated like that and the fact that another human being would treat someone like this would make them un human. Harleen said as she guzzled down the water then threw the grass back in the sink not caring about smash.
Then she walked back over to the couch, flopped down and curled up into the fetal position.
No wonder he had the word damaged tattooed on his forehead, Harleen thought as his tatoo began to make much more sense to her.
How many times has he been subjected to that?
And what and what did he mean by I stole the last memories that he had left?
Oh God no wonder he wanted to subject me to that, he wanted me to truly understand what I did to him.
I deserved it, and I know that the only thing that saved my life was the fact that I brought in that machine gun.
Harleen thought as a million thoughts ran through her head at once.
Each one demanded to be dealt with first.
Why does my brain feel like this, is it because of the electro shock because I'm trying to take in so much information at once? Harleen thought as her mind continued to race
.Then her mind settled on one lone thought.
"Dr Arkham."Harleen whispered as her blue eyes widened.
She knew that he had to be dead, and since the Joker was so angry with him she could not help but picture him being cut up into multiple pieces left for the GCPD to find.
The thought turned her stomach, and she had to take a few deep cleansing breaths in order to keep down the water she had just drank.
Harleen hugged the pillow tightly, as she cursed herself aloud, for allowing herself to be so thoroughly duped.
How could she have let a man trick her into throwing away everything she'd work so hard for?
How could she still manage to fall for him, even after she knew how bad he could be.
Then came the biggest question.
What was she going to do now?
The truth was she had no clue,And even more to the point she had no clue why she wasn't sitting in an interrogation room at GCPD right now.
the one thing she knew for certain was that she had been unconscious for hours,So the GCPD could haveAlready wrapped up their investigation there;And when they saw that she was unconscious perhaps left her for dead and would maybe call the coroner to come collector.
That thought sent a cold shiver down Harleen's spine.
But as she gave it some more thought there came a sense of relief.
For all intents and purposes she was thought to be dead, and no one knew of her involvement with the Joker's breakout from Arkham.
She could just move to another state and pretend this whole thing never happened.
The thought was very appealing to her,But before she could pack a suitcaseShe remembered Johnny's words.
Those words sounded even more appealing even though she didn't want them to.
But the more she thought about it the more appealing they became to her.
After all she understood him better now, and that was what she wanted wasn't it?
Then she thought of Dr Arkham, and his over abundant tendency to mansplain things
how she was never taken seriously as a doctor by him, just because she happened to be a beautiful blonde.
How his gaze or touch lingered just a bit too long, especially when he was supposed to be her superior.
He made sure that it was nothing she could concretely take to human resources, but she knew his plans for her if an opening ever arose.
Then there was the cruelty with which she treated his patients.
Harleen had never quite forgiven him for being so cruel to Pamela.
Harleen was well aware of how he liked to occasionally flirt with danger, And how he also felt safe enough to do it whenever the mood struck him.
However this time it seemed he had gone too far and paid the ultimate price.
As Harlene thought all of this over, she came to a realization that she never thought she would.
She was glad he was dead.
the realization of that thought set in in like a cold bucket of water being dumped over her head
It scared her, because she had never before thought this way.
She had wonderedShe wondered if it had something to do with the electroshock.
Then as she thought it over more, she got a clear picture of the Joker slowly cutting Dr Arkham to bits;And she could not help but laugh.
It was a bubbly and slight maniacal laughter.
She knew that she should be scared of this laugh yet t his had brought her more joy than she had ever felt in her entire life.
Then she is out about her life as it was, and what it would turn out to be.
She immediately saw herself as an undervalued employee at a dead-end job, and that was just not something she wanted.
She thanked the Joker, for giving her this sense new clarity.
She thanked him for showing her what it was like to be free, then setting her free.
She looked at her life and knew that she wouldn't be leaving much behind.
Then she's out of the Joker who was a smart, self-made man of means,and a man that she still found incredibly handsome.
The things he did now didn't matter to her, she simply wanted to be with him no matter what that meant
She even dared to think that she could help, after allhis escape from Arkham to be much longer without her.
Then she heard Johnny's gentle guiding voice in her head again.
"If you love him you'll find him I'm sure. "
Harleen let out of sigh and she slowly climbed to her feet.
She knew that finding him wouldn't be easy.
But she also knew that being with a man like him definitely wouldn't be easy either.
She knew that her life from here on out would not be easy.
But she also knew that love never is..
Harleen grabbed her air fryer off her kitchen counter,
Then left her apartment not even bothering to shut the door..
She walked down the stairs considering the fact that her new life neededa new name.
She pursed her lips as she thought long and hard about it,Then she remembered the moment that the Joker asked if her friends ever called her Harley.
Her response have been shy and minimal.
"I don't really have many friends."Harleen said a bit nervously as she tucked a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ear.
"Well you do now. "The Joker said ,with a friendly smile.
Harleen smiled dreamily as she remembered the memory,, and how it had made her heart flutter was happiness.
The waiting would be torture for her
Oh how she long to see him after being apart from him so long already.
She longed to see his silver teeth stretch into a friendly smile,and his brown eyes light up when he saw her.
She loans to hear him call her but her new true name.
She knew now that she would live forever by his side, and they would have whatever happiness The Prince of Crime and his new queen could find.
She had never been giddy before, but now she savored the feeling.
She wanted to go to him this very moment, but she also knew that things had to be done right.
She knew he would respect her for that.
So she could wait just a little longer.
"And the rest as they say Puddin is history." Harley said as she snuggled into the Joker's chest.
She waited on his response and was pretty sure, that he wouldn't be too happy about what Johnny has said to her.
Instead she was met with silence.
"What are you thinking Puddin?"Harley said is she looked into the Joker's light brown eyes.
This was one of the rare moments that Harley could not instantly see into his mind, it was a moment that she didn't care for at all.
" I'm trying to figure out how you would triple a king's ransom."
"Oh my generous king." Harley said as she hugged The Joker tightly.
The Joker smiled as he felt the air leave his lungs.
But when Harley looked at him she could see that the smile had not reached his eyes, and she knew the reason why.
"It's okay Puddin your secrets are safe with me."Harley said as placed a loving kiss on the Joker's head.
The Joker waited until Harley was where he could reach her, this when her lips lingered above his he pulled her to him for a heart melting kiss.
And there you have it RIP Johnny Frost I hated to do it but I didn't see him at the end of the movie and everyone puts them in their stories and I wanted to stand out