No Place in My Heart for a Criminal Like You

Last night, The Joker said I’d look better with more make-up, so I’ll give him more make-up. It was a new day and I was currently staring into the mirror not satisfied with my appearance at all. I looked so dull and boring. I needed a change. A drastic one at that.

I was fully dressed in the new outfit and now all I needed was the right make-up to match. I grabbed the make-up kit lying on the sink and shoved my hand in pulling out everything I could. I started with some white foundation. At first, it was just one thin layer of white, but I got carried away and began coating my face layer after layer. Still, it wasn’t as white as The Joker’s because he plastered on greasepaint instead of foundation. After finishing off the white, I started with the black eye shadow. I outlined both of my eyes with a thick dark circle, smudging it making it looks as if I had been crying. I used the same smudging technique with the lips too, which I had covered with red lip stick, extending the lips into a short smile. Now that I was happy with the make-up, I started on my hair. It was too perfect, so I backcombed it so that it was messy and big.

As soon as I was satisfied, as if on cue I heard the bedroom door open and close.

“Harleyyy...” I heard him sing before the bathroom door began to creak open slowly. I was still facing the mirror, but he would have still been able to see my face by looking at the reflection. His face held a variety of emotions. Shock was clearly apparent, almost overpowering all of the other emotions, but there was also a glimmer of annoyance breaking through. I thought that maybe he was irritated with the make-up choice. Maybe it was too similar to his or maybe he just didn’t like the make-up in general. However, the smugness still remained evident in his face and he stared me up and down slowly. Without saying a word, he began circling me, fixation in his eyes. “Hmm...” He breathed almost as a growl.

“Do you like it?” I asked, uncertainly. “What do you think of the make-up?”

When he reached my front he pointed to himself and replied with a crooked smile, “You look just like me. At least people will know that you’re mine now and you work with me. Speaking of which, we’re going out to do some business. I need to get back what is technically mine.”

“Is it money again?” I asked with a sigh as we walked down the stairs to leave the manor. I thought he wasn’t a man about money, but he was proving me wrong lately. Although, he always seems to prove me wrong. It’s kind of patronising, in a way, how he always assumes that I’m the one in the wrong. Most of the time, I tend to stay away from correcting him or proving him wrong, because he often has mood swings over the littlest things. He definitely has delusions of grandeur; by the way he thinks he’s of a higher power than anyone else.

“No, my men,” he replied.

“Oh...what?” I had just realised that he had mentioned that his men were in jail, while The Joker and few others had fled over the barb wire. “Aren’t they in jail?”

“That they are, Harley. But not for long,” he explained briefly as we approached the van that his remaining men were already in.

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Eventually, we were parked across the road from the police station just as all the street lights began to switch on. The lights were on inside the building and you could just make out the silhouettes of people through the window. There seemed to be quite a few people in there and then this whole idea seemed to become a blatantly bad one. To me, this felt like a fool’s errand. How The Joker planned on pulling this off, I had no idea. And all just for a few men as well. I never thought he had any sentiment towards anyone.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” I asked, trying not to sound worried. I wanted to maintain this new persona that I was attempting to pull off and changing just my appearance wasn’t enough. If I wanted to impress The Joker I was going to have to alter my attitude too. “I mean, it’s just like running into a bull ring wearing bright red.”

“But sometimes, Harley, you’ve just gotta take the bull by the horns,” he retorted as he jumped into the back of the van.

“It just seems a bit too drastic. You could easily recruit more men.”

“It’s not about that. It’s about taking back what’s rightfully mine...Also, I’m pushing your limits, to test how far you’ll carry on with this Harley Quinn charade,” he admitted openly.

Charade? I pouted irritably at this. Once again he was patronising me, thinking I’m not capable of pursuing this role as Harley Quinn. I’d show him what I was truly made of. As I continued to pout at him, he handed me a small hand gun. I noticed that all of the clowns had larger guns or SMG’s which was kind of annoying, since I think I’m capable of handling those guns rather than the pathetic hand gun I was given.

As if reading my mind, he stated, “Just to be safe, Harley. Don’t want you misfiring or cocking everything up, hmm? Eventually, the time will come where I’ll allow you to handle other guns.” I felt just like a little kid, being told what I can and can’t have. I desperately wanted to say something, but I knew he wouldn’t have any of it. “You ready, puddin’?” I nodded bleakly with a sigh.

Warily, everyone in the van departed and headed across the road towards the police station. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought this was bad idea; I was just the only one who had the guts to say anything.

“Everybody stay calm. We’re taking over the station,” The Joker exclaimed as he burst through the double doors of the police station, flailing his shotgun around. Instantly, every officer in the lobby of the station jumped up, reaching for their guns. “Ah tah tah tah tah. Let’s not make any drastic decisions, hmm?” The cops soon stopped reaching for the guns, when they realised that they were outnumbered by masked goons and were now being held at gunpoint. Even I was aiming the gun at a brunette behind the reception desk. It was tense. Guns were clearly visible in the holsters of the officers and they could easily just whip it out quickly and shoot in one fast motion. One false move and I could possibly die. The thought made me edge closer to The Joker, knowing that he had a lot more experience in these kinds of situations and he knew exactly what he was doing which made me feel a lot more secure. Although, the adrenalin was pumping through my body and I’ve never felt so sickeningly excited before in my life.

“Joker, just calm down and put the gun away. Just tell us what you want!” The officer, whom The Joker was aiming at, yelled.

“I’ve came to retrieve something of mine. I need the keys to the jail cells.”

“What?”

“I need the keys to the jail cells,” The Joker replied again simply.

“It’s not in my power to do that.”

“Oh, I think you can. Where are the keys?”

While The Joker continued to hassle the cop about the keys, I noticed the brunette’s hands moving underneath the desk. I automatically assumed that she was attempting to call for back-up or something along those lines, so as a reflex I snapped, “Don’t move! Keep your hands where I can see them! Get out from behind the desk!” It felt good. I liked it a lot. I liked being the one in control and seeing her follow by orders so terrified and without a fight. For so long I’ve been forced to follow The Joker’s rules and commands, so being able to be the one in control felt like some of the pressure had been lifted.

“What’s all the commotion?!” I heard someone holler to my right. In panic, I quickly grabbed the girl and placed the gun to her temple making her scream as I turned towards the direction in where I heard the voice. Commissioner Gordon was standing at the doorway, with shock in his eyes as goons began aiming at him too. I turned my head instantly, so he didn’t notice that it was me as I felt ashamed to reveal my new facade to him. “Harleen?” He pondered unsurely. “Is that you?” I gritted my teeth at the name and the fact that he had noticed my identity.

I turned my head back slowly, grinning almost evilly at him as I nearly screamed, “Oh...yeah. Just call me Harley...Harley Quinn!”

“What...happened to you?” He asked grimly, clearly upset at this new role I had taken.

“What happened to me? Mr J opened my eyes. Harleen was a weak, naive girl. I didn’t understand the world as well as Mr J did. Mr J helped me see the world for what it really is. So now Harleen is dead to me. It’s Harley Quinn now. Isn’t that right, Mr J?”

“Mmhmm. I like to see it as…proof. Proof that everyone has an evil streak running through them. I have a negative view on human nature in general. The only thing that’s refraining these people from releasing their inner demons is society and it’s rules. I, on the other hand, am more observant and intelligent, and I saw this wickedness within everyone behind all of the rules. I encouraged the darkness within me and if I didn’t, I would be who I am today? Now, people need a guy like me to show them how the world really is. It’s a dog-eat-dog world where only the strongest survive. Harley, here, was a perfect, ah, example of one of the many schemers who failed to see the evil and needed me to show them. Now, she’s been…transformed. I did it to the infamous Harvey Dent and now I’ve done it to her. I could do it to anyone if I was given the time.”

“That’s enough!” Gordon exclaimed. “What do you want?!”

“I just want my men back.”

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Eventually, after enough threatening, The Joker was given the keys and lead down towards the jail cells, all the while holding hostages. I’d never felt so exhilarated and accomplished before. After retrieving all of The Joker’s men, The Joker tied all of the officers to chairs, me helping, as for them not to chase or follow him back to the hideout. We left the officers tied to the chairs in the station, until they were eventually found and released by another officer.

All of the goons were packed into the back, leaving very little space for them to move at all, while me and The Joker sat in the front; him in the drivers seat and me in shotgun. I couldn’t stifle the little squeal that broke-out; I was just too happy.

“I love you, Mr J!” I screamed, grabbing The Joker’s face to turn him around and kiss him on the lips. This time he kissed back. Maybe it was a reward for a job well done. I was surprised that he didn’t mind me kissing him in front of his men as I thought he would be ashamed to show any affection towards another. But he didn’t break away and instead, deepened the kiss, probably smudging both of our make-up even more than it already was. When I broke away, he licked his lips extensively with a arrogant smirk on his face.

Only until the van started and the adrenalin began to fade, did I notice that I had just openly admitted that I loved him. I wasn’t too bothered by it, but I also realised that he never said it back. Not that I was expecting him to. I didn’t mind that he never expressed to me in words that he loved me. I didn’t need to hear it, because I already knew that he did. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he loved me and the fact that I knew this made me share the same arrogant smirk that was plastered across his face.