No Place in My Heart for a Criminal Like You

I could tell that today wasn’t going to be a good day and I had hardly taken five steps into Arkham. I didn’t know how to explain to Gordon and the head nurse what happened between me and The Joker. I knew there was a high chance that I was going to lose my job because of it and also the very little respect I had from anyone. I would become even more of an outcast and anti-social human being. What was so bad about The Joker taking me away again? At least then I wouldn’t be lonely…Am I seriously suggesting that I’d be better off with a sociopath, insane, clown freak?

There were a few police officers still examining yesterday’s events nearby what was once The Joker’s cell. Commissioner Gordon was among them. Also, a few workmen were already preparing to re-construct the knocked down wall.

“Commissioner,” I called out, attracting Gordon’s attention. I beckoned him over from the crime scene towards my office. Now was the time that I tell him the truth about the rape incident. I ushered him inside my office to talk to him privately.

“What is it, Harleen? Are you okay? What happened last night?” He questioned frantically.

“I’m sorry; my house had a power-cut that’s all. Nothing too bad. I would have called when the power was back on, but it was too late at night,” I replied.

“That’s good to hear. I was scared that The Joker might have done something terrible, after finding that Joker card in your office. Speaking of which, it is now down in the police department to be examined and searched for any blood matches on the writing or any fingerprints.”

“Okay.”

“What did you want to talk to me about, Harleen?” Gordon asked.

I nervously fidgeted with my fingers, twiddling my thumbs frantically. Taking a deep breath, I mentally prepared myself for my confrontation. “I need to tell you something, which may come as quite a shock to you…This is hard for me to say…but here it goes…I…” I lost my voice and I couldn’t think of any more words to say. Now was just not the time to tell him. I’d have to tell him over the phone, that way I wouldn’t see his reaction and he wouldn’t see mine. “I’m ready for a new patient,” I lied terribly.

“Are you sure you’re ready for a new patient already? This might be a bit too overwhelming for you,” he stated.

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Harleen? Are you sure you’re okay?”

I nodded fearfully. What if I don’t tell him in time and The Joker takes me away? Was he going to kill me for not telling Gordon? Wait…How was he to know that I hadn’t told anyone? What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him…or me. At least I hoped he doesn’t know. Besides, I was still going to tell Gordon, but just a little later than anticipated.

Gordon smiled at me before leaving my office, knocking over an Arkham guard in the process. The door swung open and knocked him on his back. Gordon quickly rushed over to help him up. The guy was weedy looking, with lanky arms and legs and pale white skin. His eyes had dark rings around them, making him look as if he hadn’t slept in awhile. Once Gordon had apologised, the guard nodded and then scurried off down the corridor.

Later on, as evening approached, I had just finished typing up all reports on the sessions that I had with The Joker, even though it was kind of pointless now that he’s escaped. But I had nothing else to do. I tidied files, my desk, drawers and I finished all paper work. There was nothing else for me to do in Arkham, now that all my work was finished. I decided that now would be a good time to go home.

As I walked through the corridors of Arkham, I saw the head nurse walking my way. This was my chance to tell her about The Joker. I open and closed my mouth, trying to find the right words to say, but nothing came out. She smiled and nodded as she passed me, but I still didn’t tell her. I mentally kicked myself. I saw that same guard that had been knocked over, leaning against the wall, supposedly guarding the room he was standing next to. Every now and then he would look up to stare at me. There was something about that guard that made me feel suspicious about him. He looked edgy and as if he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. I ignored him nevertheless and continued on walking out of Arkham.

Thankfully, it wasn’t raining this time I walked home, but the weather was still gloomy and miserable.

By the time I had reached home, it was pretty dark. I immediately locked my door after I had entered to prevent The Joker from breaking in to my house again. I wasn’t taking any risks tonight. I really should lock my door every night anyway, since my street was pretty rough and dilapidated. I think I had the nicest house on the street though.

I sat down in my armchair, trying to conjure up the guts to talk to Gordon and spill the beans. I bit my nails nervously.

As soon as I had finally managed to build up the courage, my mobile began ringing as I reached out for it. I pulled back immediately, mostly in shock. When I recovered from the shock I looked at the screen to see who was calling. It read ‘withheld’. I contemplated whether or not I should answer for a few moments, but then figured it might well be Gordon calling.

I finally decided to answer it. I slowly pressed the green button on the phone to take the call. I could hear breathing on the other end of the phone before I started speaking. “Hello?”

“…Harley, Harley, Harley Quinn,” I heard a low voice sing into the phone. I immediately recognised the voice and shut my eyes tightly, regretting picking up the phone.

“What do you want?”

“A bit hostile aren’t we? If anyone’s going to be hostile, then it should be me…I thought we had a deal, Harley,” he said so low, that it sounded like a growl. “A little birdie told me that you have yet to tell both Commissioner Gordon and head nurse. Now, since you didn’t play your part of the deal, it’s time that I get involved. You’re not cooperating with me here, Harley. I’ve been as nice to you as possible and all I asked was one…little…favour.”

“And I’m still going to do it! I promise!” I exclaimed.

“I wanted you to do it today, puddin’. It’s too late now.”

“I’m going to do it today! I was going to do it over the phone.”

“Hmmm,” he mumbled unconvinced. “Well as I said, it’s too late now.”

“What do you mean, ‘it’s too late’? You didn’t give me a time limit!” I screamed.

“Let’s keep this snappy, puddin’. If I were you I’d get out of that house as soon as possible.”

“Why would I do that?” I asked confused.

“Trust me, get out of the house.”

“No. I’m not leaving. I know what you’re capable of.”

“I’m actually trying to help you, now get out of the house,” he ordered his voice getting a tad angrier and louder.

“No.”

“GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!” He roared down the phone, making me pull it away from my ear. When I didn’t answer, he continued again still slightly angry, “fine, it’s your life, not mine.”

Without a second thought I ran towards my door, still holding the phone to my ear. When I tried to turn the handle, it wouldn’t budge and I remembered that I had locked the door after I had come in. I began to panic as I picked up the keys. As I unlocked the door, I heard The Joker whisper, “Good Girl.”

As soon as the door was open I raced down my pathway until I reached the sidewalk. “Okay, what happens now?”

“Just wait…and watch the fireworks,” he replied. "Everything burns."

“What?” I asked confused as I turned around to look at my house.

My whole view consisted of burning hot, angry flames, accompanied with the sound of a loud explosion, sounding much like the thunder clap I had heard the night before. I stared in awe as I watched everything I owned just disappear instantly as they were engulfed by the raging fire. Pieces of debris and rocks fell around me as they came falling down from the sky like hail. I let my phone fall from my hand and onto the floor, shattering into pieces across the stone paving. I let a single tear fall from my eyes as I saw my whole life come crashing down in front of me.

Through the crackling of the flames, I heard footsteps coming from my right. When I turned to look at who it was, it wasn’t the person who I thought it’d be. A man with a clown mask on was walking towards me and I didn’t have to think about who he was working for. I instantly turned around and started briskly walking away from him. As I sped up slightly, I heard the footsteps behind speed up too. As I turned the corner of my street, I was too busy watching the masked man behind me to see another masked man around the corner in front of me. I walked straight into him. I screamed loudly and before he had a chance to grab me, I kneed him in the groin.

As he keeled over in pain, I took this as my chance to run. As hard as it was, since I was in high heels, I managed to run quite fast down the road. It seemed like more and more masked men were chasing me every time I looked back. I saw an alleyway and thought I’d be able to lose them if I turned in quick enough.

Running into the alleyway was a terrible idea. I didn’t have a clue where I was since it was so dark because there were no street lights around. And I didn’t manage to lose them since I could still hear the clowns chasing after me. I ran and ran nonetheless.

I stopped running when I saw too bright lights advancing towards me in the distance. Then I heard the revving of an engine as it came closer and closer. When it was close enough, I could make it out to be a large white van. The person driving it was also wearing a clown mask. I shrieked as loud as I could when the van made no signs in stopping. I shielded myself as if it would actually prevent me from getting hurt. I heard the screech and rubbing of tires as the van tried to come to a stop. Eventually, the screeching stopped and thankfully, I was unharmed.

As the driver of the van started to exit the vehicle, I spun round to walk in the opposite direction. I had forgotten about the clowns behind me, who now all were standing in a row of five all clutching either a gun or a knife. I turned around again to face the drive clown who was now moving towards me. The process of turning around continued for awhile, going around in circles, until the driver clown reached me, brandishing a knife.

“Puddin’. My little sugar dumpling, muffin baby, pumpkin pie.” I immediately knew who the driver behind the clown mask was. “Stop spinning, you’re making me dizzy,” he ordered as he grabbed my face with his thumb and index finger, making me form a pout. “I’ve come to take you home.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I told him viciously. He slowly took his clown mask off with a lick of his lips, revealing a painted, evil smirk, but it immediately changed into a grimace. Without warning he quickly grabbed me by the neck and slammed me against the brick wall to my left, my head ending up colliding against it. I gasped in pain and lifted my head to reach the back of my head, but The Joker just grabbed it and pinned it to the wall.

“I offer you a place to stay after your house…tragically burned to the ground. No charges. And this is the thanks I get? You are a very…very bad girl. You need to learn some manners. And trust me, after you stay with me you won’t even remember what bad is. Are you going to be a good girl for me?” He asked, maliciously.

I nodded my head, scared for my life. He loosened his tight grip around my neck, but still kept me pinned against the wall. He moved his mouth closer to my ear to whisper, “So, seeing as you have nowhere else to go I’m taking you home with me. When you get there, I want you know that it is my home. Meaning that you will have to do. Every. Little. Thing. I tell you to do. You try to escape and there will be severe consequences involving me and boys here,” he explained as he waved his hands towards the row of clowns. “Now, I want to hear you say that you’ll be a good girl for me and that you’ll agree to come with me…Say it.”

I looked over to the row of clowns, knowing that if I was stay with The Joker that they’ll be there too. I didn’t want to share the same home as a bunch of strangers. I really wished I wasn’t in that situation and that I was somewhere else. My day dreaming was cut off when The Joker grabbed my face and turned it towards him.

“Don’t look at them, look at me. Look at me,” he repeated. “Say it,” he ordered again and I heard the flip of the switchblade, from behind him. I knew better than to deny him again.

“I’ll go with you and I’ll be a good girl, I promise,” I agreed. I heard him put the switchblade away in his pocket.

He smiled before turning and saying to his boys, “Boys, get in the van!”

They all obeyed him eagerly, not wanting to upset him. Once they were all in the van, The Joker pulled out the same duct tape that he had pulled out the previous night.

“What are you doing with that?” I asked and then immediately after he aggressively stuck the tape down across my lips.

As he grabbed my wrists and began taping them together, he replied, “Don’t want you attracting attention with your screaming now, do we? And we don’t want any fights in the van now, do we? Hence the duct tape, puddin’. Do you still mind me calling you puddin’? Or is it just when we’re in front of other people that you don’t like it? Either way, I’m still going to call you it, defeating the whole purpose of the question,” he rambled on as he finished wrapping the tape around my wrists. His hands then started towards my hips. I moved away from him, not knowing what he was doing.

I mumbled a, “What are you doing?!” But it wasn’t that understandable. He still managed to comprehend what I was trying to say though.

“Don’t worry, puddin’. I’m only trying carry you to the van,” he explained. He then darted towards my hips again and then picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder. I screamed as I struggled to get away from his grip. I kicked and flailed, but he was just too strong. “Be a good girl, be a good girl, be a good girl,” he kept repeating quietly as he carried me to the back of the van. He then opened the door and harshly threw me in. I was thrown in the middle of all the clowns and they stared down at me scarily. It felt as if I was the one who was the freak.