Protect Me From What I Want

I didn’t have to wait long before Bruce entered his apartment along with an older looking man. Immediately I panicked therefore I couldn’t form any coherent words and spoke only in vowels. Really I should have planned what I was going to say, but I was too consumed with the thought of The Joker finding me. Now, Bruce and the older guy were both staring at me with a mixture of different expressions on their faces and if you asked me now, I wouldn’t know why I had decided to come here in the first place.

“Harley?” Bruce questioned, expecting me to say something afterwards.

“I’m sorry,” I apologised feebly as I nervously fidgeted with my hands. In all honesty, I didn’t know why I was apologising. It felt necessary at that moment for barging into his house technically.

“What are you doing in here?” He asked as he slowly moved forward which made me take a step back. I was afraid he was going to attack me or something along those lines. I couldn’t decipher what tone he was trying to convey in his words. They sounded concerned but they also held a hint of irritableness.

“Please, don’t call the cops,” I begged.

“Alfred, get the phone,” Bruce ordered the older guy, who I now know as Alfred.

“Right away, Master Wayne.”

“No! No! Please!” I exclaimed as I rushed over to Bruce. “You’ve got to let me stay here, I’m begging you! They’ll send me back to Arkham and then The Joker will find me again. I don’t want that to happen.”

“Is this another one of your plans again? Has he told you to come up here and do this?” Bruce questioned as Alfred handed him the phone.

“No, it’s not. I swear down, he is searching for me as I speak because I ran away from him. I’m not sure if you’ve heard but his plan on destroying the new supermall just backfired. Long story short, I knocked him out and decided to run away while he was unconscious. But then he started chasing after me once he did get back up and now...both he and the cops are looking for me. I’m begging you, just let me stay here until I find somewhere else to go. Please?”

Bruce simply stared at me looking rather indecisive. He was at a loss of what to do and he was still wary on whether or not this was another one of The Joker’s games. “The police are probably on their way already, if the receptionist managed to see you. I’ll let you hide somewhere if they decide to show up.”

“Thank you, Bruce,” I sighed with relief before wrapping my arms around him in a hug. “I know it may seem a little weird for you and it is for me too, but right now I have no other option. I have no idea what he’s capable of doing if he gets his hands back on me. I’m really sorry, I really am. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know. Just please, don’t turn me in. I’m so scared. I’d never seen him so angry before. I shouldn’t have thrown that gun at his head,” I stated with my voice cracking up as tears began to fall. I made my way over to the leather couch and collapsed onto it with my head in my hands. “Now, I’ve made it worse for myself for running away. And I haven’t even thought about the consequences of my actions until just now. What’s he going to do? I know how relentless he can be and he’s going to stop at nothing to get me back.”

“All of Gotham knows what he’s like, but I promise you, I won’t let him find you. I’ll do whatever is I can do to help you get away from him,” Bruce soothed as he sat down beside me. His arm wrapped around me in a side hug.

“But what’s he going to do to the rest of Gotham if he doesn’t find me? I don’t want to be the reason behind him destroying Gotham again. I don’t want to be known as that person anymore. I wish I could just end it all. Ever since I met him, everything went downhill. And now, I’m stuck in this fucked up mess which I just can’t get out of. I can’t live with him because I know one of us is going to end up killing one another. I can’t live without him because I love him so much. I just want things to go back to normal and to the way it used to be. I wish I’d never have taken The Joker case. None of this would be happening and I wouldn’t be stuck in this cat and mouse kind of cadence. I really didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I never intended to torment Gotham alongside him nor have people fear me in such away. I was just lulled into a false sense of security. I’m a naive blonde who just couldn’t think for herself.”

Once Bruce noticed that I was now crying hysterically, he pulled me closer towards him and laid my head against his chest. My tears soaked his shirt as he gently stroked my hair. This was all I wanted. Just some genuine love and affection. The Joker neglected in ever showing it, no matter how much I gave to him.

Bruce broke out of the embrace when the sound of the elevator moving up could be heard. “Quick; you need to hide,” Bruce whisper shouted. He grabbed my arm and began leading me towards his bedroom. Once in he slid open a door which led to his wardrobe. Surprise, surprise, it was a walk-in wardrobe. He opened up a closet which revealed a lot of suits dangling from their hangers and then he slid them apart. Gently he ushered me into the small closet and covered me up with the suits before closing the closet door. “Stay hidden,” he ordered before I heard the sliding wardrobe doors shut and then the room became completely pitch black.

All I heard was the sound of my breathing reverberating off the sides of the closet. My breathing warmed up the small space instantly to the point where it felt like I was only breathing in carbon dioxide instead of oxygen. A small case of claustrophobia was also beginning to well up as the air felt like blankets wrapping around me. I was distracted soon after by the sound of muffling voices coming from the bedroom. I couldn’t decipher any coherent words, but I assumed Bruce was being questioned or warned or something of the sort. Shouldn’t they have been searching for The Joker rather than me? He was more of a danger than me as I showed no intentions of harming anyone.

It was at least ten minutes after before I heard the muffled voices disappear and light was finally let back into the room. The closet door opened and Bruce pushed away the suits instantly before pulling me out softly. “They’ve gone. You’re safe for now. Let me run you a bath and please just try and relax and forget about everything that is happening right now. There’s nothing that can be done right now, so it’s best to rest.”

I nodded meekly and was then lead into a bathroom which looked immaculate and pristine in complete contrast to The Joker’s bathroom. He turned the tap on and let it run while he quickly fled the bathroom, but soon returned holding a pair of sweat pants and a plain tank top. Both looked way too big for me, but I was happy nevertheless at the fact I had clean clothes.

“Thanks again, Bruce,” I whispered before he left the room again. He stopped and simply nodded in acknowledgement before continuing. I was finally completely alone amidst my own thoughts without any worries or paranoia. I undressed and climbed into the bath taking my time too, seeing as I had nothing to rush for. I felt safe once I was fully immersed with the warm water, but I knew it wasn’t going to last. I may as well enjoy it while it does last.