Hello friends,

Sorry for a little slow update but had a smidge of writers block. it's gone now.

This is just a fun Chapter to ease the tension a little.

Enjoy

Nessa

xoxo

Chapter 21

"Fuck this!" Harley hears from the floor below her and the sound of glass breaking echoes through the hideout. The Joker storms into the room, his hands and nose dyed green, a stony look gracing his face.

"What's wrong puddin?" Harley looks up from where she is applying her lipstick, getting ready for her day out with Ivy.

"This damn toxin ain't going right. The dye just won't mix with the rest of the formula." He growls and switches out of his now green lab coat and into a fresh one, this one's embroidery reading with Dr. Carson.

"Why don't you just take the dye out then?" Harley asks as if it the most simple of questions.

"Because then it won't be green! Really Harley why do I keep you around?" He tuts and walks into the bathroom, running the faucet and scrubbing at his nose and hands.

"'Cause I am charming and witty. Plus I look good hanging off your arm." She calls at him and stands up, pulling down her top so that it stops just before her jeans start, leaving a little mid drift exposed.

"Yeah yeah, well you don't understand. It need to be green or the whole thing is ruined, it won't be Joker toxin if it ain't green." He muttered and looked at her, pouting in annoyance.

"Want me to get Ivy to have a look, she's real good with this stuff?" She offered him, already knowing the answer.

He turned his nose up and shook his head hard, "No way am I letting the overgrown plant anywhere near my toxin. She'll probably make it smell like peonies or something. Keep the weed away from me." The Joker still hadn't warmed up to Harley's best friend and as much as she tried they just didn't like each other.

"But she could help you make sure it was right. Perhaps you could use a plant to make it green… are you sure you don't want me to ask?" Harley knew he would give in once he realized she was right, but he'd never admit it.

"If it helps you sleep at night then have plant woman look at the formula but I find out she's up to anything sneaky I will cut her from her own sneaky roots." He growled and walked from the room. Harley smiled fondly at his back and softly giggled, he was an impossible man.

She finished off getting ready and headed down stairs in search of food before she went out, knowing that there would be no time for food when everyone saw her and Ivy coming. Now that everyone knew the new and improved, bleached Harley there was no way of leaving the hideout in silence. The last thing Harley needed was for her ex-fiancé to swoop in again.

"Hey clown girl, you should really lock the front door." Ivy made her jump as she waltzed into the room, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

"I don't see much point, there's enough men and guns in this house to stop an oncoming army so one little Batsy won't cause an issue." Harley shrugged and offered some of macaroni she had just made to Ivy, who shook her head in refusal.

"Well there are other people than Batman who want the court jester you call boyfriend, and most of them won't hesitate in killing him the way Batman would." Ivy looked annoyed at the mere mention of J, this was going to be harder than Harley thought.

"Yeah about Mistah J, I kind of have an itsy bitsy favour to ask you…" Harley swirls a piece of hair around her finger, giving red major puppy dog eyes.

"What?" Ivy looked at her best friend suspiciously.

"He's trying to make his new toxin green but it just keeps exploding in his face and you're really good at this kind of stuff. Could you, y'know, take a look." Harley batted her eyelids persuasively.

"Absolutely not, I am so not helping the pale faced creep in anything that could possibly be used against me." Ivy turned her head away in defiance.

"Aw c'mon red, it would be really helpful, and he may even be so thankful he don't hit me for asking ya. Please, please, please." Harley begged and Ivy could feel her resolve slipping. The mere mention of the clown hitting her Harley made her blood boil and if she could do anything to prevent him from hurting Harley then really, she couldn't say no. But then again she could never say no to Harley anyway.

"Ugh, fine, but he has to watch his tongue." Ivy crossed her arms like a child, sulking and Harley hugged her enthusiastically, running from the room the get her beloved clown.

...

"Now Puddin'," She looked at the Joker, his face stony and unemotional, "Red." She looked at her best friend, glaring at her lover. "You two have to promise to get along just for the time being. Ivy is doing you a favour J so no calling her weed, and J has promised not to use his toxin on you in the near future so you gotta trust him Ivy, okay?" She looked between the people she loved most in the world, both of them nodding unenthusiastically, as if it the last thing in the world they want to be doing.

They got to work, both them discussing chemistry and science whilst Harley sat on the workbench, swinging her feet too and fro, watching the pair carefully for any sign of a fight. Within fifteen minutes to toxin was turning green with no problem and Joker actually looked fondly of Ivy, he loved people who useful to him. Harley glowed with the knowledge that she had managed to break down at least one brick of the wall the two had built to keep each other out; she was making progress.

"Thanks we-Ivy." The Joker said curtly and Harley could see it caused him pain to have to thank her but she did help him and the Joker was nothing if not courteous.

"No problem, you're actually pretty smart." Ivy said as if it was a shock but everyone knew that J was actually a complete Einstein, he just used it for fun rather than science. "Anyway I should probably be going, I have a date with rare plant tonight and I am hoping a wild Batman might appear." Ivy winks at Harley and saunters from the lab, leaving the Joker glaring at her back.

"So… Does this mean we can give your toxin a test run?" Harley lifts her eyebrows playfully and winks at the Joker, he smiles fondly and pinches her cheek.

"Not tonight Harls, but I love your eagerness." He kisses her cheek softly and then yanks her arm, tearing her from her perch on the bench. "Now leave me to do some work and I might just buy you something nice." He smirked at her and shooed her from the room, locking the door once she was out.

Harley poked her tongue out at the door and headed to the kitchen to make dinner, she was already hungry and the thought of burgers was making her mouth water. She started to grill the meat and prepare the salad for inside when the men came back from their training session, all swarming the kitchen and whooping at each other. Harley tried the maneuver around them but they were taking up too much room. She climbed to the top of the island in the middle of the kitchen and whistled at the men, silencing them.

"Excuse me boys but I am trying to cook so if you could all vacate this area that'd be great." She made her voice sound sweet, dripping with sugar, and all the men stumbled from the room. None of them wanted to challenge the queen.

She hopped down and continuing preparing dinner, whistling again once it was cooked to call of the men to grab their food, like they were dogs. She proudly watched as they all sucked down burger after burger, glad she had saved a few for herself and J to enjoy, which she was going to take to him as soon as she was satisfied that the boys weren't going to break something.

It was exhausting being a mother of twelve.

A/N So although this is a fun Chapter there is some setting up for the future here as well. Please review