Hey,

Sorry this was late works always a bitch and I want this chapters to be perfect.

We're nearing the end of this one guys but I am thinking of writing a further story, but in the POV of the joker?

How does everyone like that idea? Let me know.

Anyway back to the story.

Enjoy

Nessa

Chapter 24

Harley felt the warmth of the Joker behind her in the bed and smiled to herself; usually by the time Harley had woken up he was already somewhere else, most likely his office. But today was different; today he was snoring softly in her ear as his arm was clamped protectively over her form. It was the rare moments like these that Harley truly cherished, because most of the time Mistah J was so concentrated on all things Batman that she slipped under the radar a little. It wasn't really his fault though, all he had really ever known was Batman and being alone, it was hard to break old habits.

She turned slowly, trying to be careful not to wake her lover, and looked at his pale face as he slept. His usual make up was absent of his face and without it Harley saw just how beautiful he really was. His face was smooth, the tattoos that once were raised and sore were now faded and old, she knew that he had them for many years and dip in the chemicals a few months back faded a few of them slightly. The little star on the side of his face was the one that seemed to take the brunt of the chemical. She had offered to fill it back in for him the night he gave her the little heart under her eye but he refused.

Harley smiled fondly, remembering the night she received her tattoos, how her Puddin' went wild on her body as she was a sketch book, how he made sure everyone knew exactly who's she was.

"Will it hurt?" She asked in a small voice, watching skeptically as he dipped the needle in the black gel.

"Plain is pleasure, pleasure is pain my dear. It will hurt really good." He grinned, his silver grill gleaming under the soft light of the candles she had set up. She had wanted the lights on but the Joker insisted he didn't need them, he knew her body better than anyone, he could map it out blindfolded.

When the needle first touched her naked leg she hissed, it dragged across her skin and the feeling was intense. It felt as though someone was continuously poking her with pins across her skin, it hurt even more when J went over it again, filling in any crevices the ink may have sunk into you. Once the first tattoo had been finished Harley observed it, how the ink gleamed in the candle light as if it were wet, how J traced it with his fingers and the burn was so good she moaned.

He had carried on, doodling randomly all over her body, each one hurting less and less than the one before. Finally she leant up and traced the small tattoo on his forehead, his warning to those around him who dared to trust the man they saw. "You want one here?" his finger lightly grazed just above her jawline and she knew he had a plan, but honestly she could never refuse him even if he was just winging it, she nodded, keen to make her Puddin' proud.

He smiled and began to work, humming a nursery rhyme of some kind to himself and Harley tried her hardest not flinch; she didn't want ruin the design. The face tattoos hurt the most, they felt like running a red-hot brander down you face and letting acid drip into it, and Harley knew exactly how that felt. But yet it hurt so good. Once he was happy with his work he took a step back to admirer his art, before grabbing a mirror and finally showing her his handy work. Just under her eye was a tiny little heart, it was inflamed and red right now but she knew once it died down she would love it. Right along her jaw line 'ROTTEN' was written in an odd font she had never scene.

"What does this one mean?" She pointed to the word, being careful not to touch or irritate it.

"You're fucked up Harls, you ain't no good for anyone but me anymore, you're like a rotten apple of society but daddy loves you." He purred and Harley laid back, relishing in the feeling of the Joker's body stinging her newly drawn tattoos.

"Harls, if you don't stop staring at me, I'm going to rip those pretty blue eyes out." The Joker growled next to her, not even opening his eyes whilst he threatened her.

"Sorry Puddin', you're just so hot when you sleep." Harley giggled and turned around, slipping out of her side of the bed.

"Where ya going toots?" She looked round to see ice blue eyes watching her as he leant up on his elbows in the bed. He was so good looking in the morning. Before he put on red lips and tamed his hair, he looked raw, human. She knew that no one else would ever see this side of the Joker; even in Arkham he managed to obtain his usual scary look. She was the only one that would ever see him like this; she was the only one he didn't wear a mask for. That was the reason Harley knew he loved her, although he had never said it, had said he was unsure what love was but he knew he couldn't feel it, she knew he did, because he wouldn't have kept her alive if he didn't.

"I'm gonna go get us some coffee, y'do want some right?" She raised an eyebrow and him and he grinned the grin she loved, nodding at her as he sat up in the bed and watched as she wrapped a silk dressing gown around her slender body.

The floor outside the bedroom was cold and Harley cursed herself for not wearing any slippers, but the house had a sense of calm in the mornings that Harley loved. She knew that in a few hours there would be so much noise and movement she would be struggling to think, let alone be able to enjoy her silent time.

She hummed softly to herself as she started to prepare the coffees, thankful for the time that Quinsel had gotten a job as a barista in high school, as using the machine could be pretty daunting. She made a frothy heart on the top of Mistah J's latte and sprinkled chocolate on her cappuccino, smiling when she was done with the drinks. She really didn't give herself enough credit for her coffee making skills.

Being cautious not to spill a single drop or ruin the pretty design she sauntered up the stairs, flicking the door handle down with her foot and placing the cup down on J's side of the bed. "Whatcha readin' Puddin'?" Harley looked at the Newspaper in his hand and the excited glint in his eye, "Is the bats dead or something?"

"Even better Harls, they brought a rare diamond into the Gotham Museum yesterday." The Joker beamed, shoving the paper in her face just as she was about to take a sip of her coffee, she moved the cup before any could spill on her.

"Yeah so? We always get weird and rare things in the museum, never made you excited before?" she shrugged and finally got her fill of her coffee, sighing as the hot caffeine trickled down her throat.

"This diamond is special Harls, it's called the harlequin stone, get it? That's the best joke ever!" He howled at the ceiling and Harley looked at the picture of the gem again, it really didn't look that special.

"Well why is it so good Mistah J? You want to buy tickets to see it or something?" Harley was confused, they really had no need for diamonds or such around the house and J wasn't the type to go and admire things he couldn't have.

"No silly, we're going to deploy our new team, this is going to be our test run." He grinned at her and Harley finally got it, this wasn't about the diamond, this was about seeing if their new team was reliable, before they went after something big like the bat. "Plus the diamond is literally made for you Harley! It's perfect." He whoops and Harley giggles along with him.

This was going to be fun.

A/N Please review, feel free to ask questions in reviews or PM me, I don't bite. If you have suggestions please do the same and I will try to fit them in without ruining the plot. :)