"It happened again" Harley said, breaking the silence as she lay in the bed, her cheek resting softly against the bare skin of her lover and friend.
"What's that?" Ivy trailed her finger through Harley's blonde hair.
"The dream, it happened again" Harley nuzzled herself even closer into their embrace "he was alive, I can still hear him calling my name out"
"It was just a dream, Harl. The Joker is dead, he'll never hurt you again"
Harley sat up, facing Ivy with a concerned look on her face. Pamela lifted herself up to face her, gently moving a piece of hair out of Harley's face. Leaning forward, she planted a soft kiss on her pink lips.
"If I could enter your mind and stop these dreams I would"
Harley's face broke into a smile, a small giggle escaped her lips.
"You probably wouldn't like what's inside" she placed a finger on the middle of Pamela's forehead, pushing her back slightly "it ain't all sunflowers and cherry trees like in your head. I got some weird shit in here - and a lot of aardvarks for some reason"
They say in silence for a moment, Ivy thinking about how the light hits Harley's skin, and Harley thinking about how aardvark was a weird word.
"I'm hungry" Harley said, getting up from the bed suddenly, the dream all but forgotten.
Ivy rolled her eyes and followed her into the kitchen.
Harley opened the fridge as Pamela leant on the counter. Their apartment was small, though it looked smaller with all of Harley's stuff left on the ground. Underwear and plush toys littered the small living room. There wasn't enough room in the kitchen for the both of them, but that didn't stop Harley from trying to sneak up on Ivy when she was cooking. Thoughts of last night entered Ivy's head. When Harley squeezed herself in there to wrap her arms around the cook.
"You're distracting me, do you want me to burn the place down?"
Harley blew into Ivy's ear and whispered "if you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen, daffodoll. I'm bored - come play with me"
"Ok, so we got ketchup and beer" Harley's voice broke Pamela out of her daydream.
"Yo Red, I think we need to go shopping"
"Or we could order in and watch a movie. Mighty ducks two is on tv later" Pamela moved away from the counter and picked up her phone, already knowing what Harley's reaction would be.
The fridge door slammed shut as Harley rushed over and jumped on the couch.
"That's the best one! I hate those Iceland bastards"
Harley quickly moved some pillows over to make room for Ivy.
"Sit down Red, this movie is the bomb-Bae. Get it? Because of the coach -"
"Yeah, I get" Ivy interrupted her, laying down next Harley "just shut up and put the damn tv on"
Harley huffed slightly because she really thought she nailed that joke, but that left her mind when she turned the television on.
"What's this garbage?"
"The news, that thing people watch when they want to know what's going on in the outside world" Ivy said teasingly "not all of us can stay in our make believe worlds, Harl"
Harley was about to make a comment about how she cared about the outside world sometimes when something on the news caught her attention.
"Breaking news, we take you live on the scene as it appears we have a hostage situation down at Walmart. What's happening Steve?"
"Walmart, what kind of idiot takes hostages from Walmar-"
"Shhh" Harley interrupted Ivy "I'm trying to learn what's going on in the outside world"
The camera switched the a reporter standing outside of the store.
"Thank you, Jessica, it's happening here. According to reports, a group of mad men entered the building two hours ago and opened fire. They have created some sort of barrier in the frozen food section and have taken 23 hostages"
"Is there any word on that these people want"
"According to the police, they want 15 million dollars" the reporter paused before continuing "and apparently a signed photo of Antonio Banderas"
"Oh, I love that guy. Spy kids is an amazing movie" Harley commented as the drama unfolded before them.
"Steve, do we have any idea who is behind this vicious and unusual attack?"
"50 bucks it's someone we know" Harley joked
"It's always someone we know, but I'll take that bet" Pamela hit Harley playfully "now shush"
"No word yet as to who is behind this -" The reporter paused for a second, obviously being told something through his earpiece.
"Come on, be penguin or someone"
"No, be a nameless criminal"
"We now have confirmed reports that the infamous joker is behind the attack. This is the first time he's been spotted since -"
The screen went black as Harley turned to Ivy, clutching the remote, and with a strained smile on her face.
"Hey, at least I won $50"
"Harley? Harley are you okay?" Ivy knocked on the bathroom door, Harley had been in the shower for about half an hour. Granted, that wasn't unusual for Harley, but Ivy was particularly concerned because of the news that the joker wasn't dead, and was in fact back in Gotham.
"I'm not that fine, Red" Harley's voice came from the other side of the door. The door creaked as it opened. Both Ivy's jaw and the towel draped around Harley dropped. "Actually, I am a bit tired. Maybe we can go to bed"
"Okay, anything for you" Ivy said, a smile encompassing her face as she reached her arm forward to lead Harley to the bed.
A few hours later, Harley quietly slipped out of bed. She made her way across the room and into the small bathroom. She turned the faucet on and allowed the cool water to pool into her cupped hands, before gently slashing it onto her face.
Staring at her reflexion in the cracked mirror, she realised how sad her eyes looked. Small strings of hair had fallen across her face, causing tiny droplets of water to run down her cheeks.
Instinctively she reached down and grabbed the small gun that was in the open drawer. She walked out and stood over Ivy's unconscious body. Lifting the gun up, finger caressing the trigger, she closed her eyes and squeezed.
/click/
Nothing happened
"No ammo, of course" Harley whispered as she turned around and walked out of the room.
Pulling her hair up in two pig tails, she grabbed her clothes and a box of ammo that was lying on the ground and sat down.
She stayed there for a few minutes before she walked out of the apartment.
Ivy was up not long after, reaching over to pull Harley closer, her fingers met nothing but empty sheets. Sitting up, she turned her bedside lamp on, looking around for her Harl.
"Harls? Are you here?" She said, in a slightly raised voice, in case Harley was in the kitchen, eating some sort of beer and ketchup midnight snack.
But there was no answer, so Ivy got out of bed, quickly slipping the dress she left on the floor over her naked body. She made her way outside, but was only met by the glow of the television. It was the news, it had been put on mute but the banner below read clearly "Joker at large, again"
Ivy took a deep breath, and looked to the ground next to the television. The costume, Harley's costume, it had been there for weeks, completely unused. But now, it was missing.
"Oh no" Ivy grabbed whatever clothes she could find before running out into the dark streets.
A kiss or two on the right cab drivers cheek had gotten Ivy where she wanted to be. Squad cars lined the streets as curious on lookers gathered around police tape.
"Pull around the back" Ivy ordered the driver. They drive slowly around the back of the store, she expected there to be less cops, but when they pulled up there were only a few and they were all unconscious.
"Harley" Ivy muttered "thanks for the ride, now stay here until I get back"
The man did nothing but nod lovingly in her direction.
Ivy quietly entered the building, moving past the bargain bin clothing and towards where the barricade was.
When she got there, her heart sank. It was exactly what she was worried about, Harley, who was in her bed a few hours ago was now in the Jokers arms.
A fury burned within her, she couldn't let this happen, not again. She stood out from the shadows and grabbed her. Pulling her love away from the monster she yelled "what are you doing? He's going to kill you"
Harley pushed her away, now standing between the two of them with a look of both annoyance and confusion on her face.
"What are you doing? Aren't you happy for me? Puddin's alive and he says he's sorry about the bomb thing"
"Don't you get it?" Ivy said, her anger rising as she saw the jokers smiling face over Harley's shoulder "He's always sorry, he always says he loves you but be never means it"
"Hey, that hurts" the Joker said, his voice sounded offended, but the sickly grin never left his face"
"Yeah Red, don't be like that" Harley looked hurt. Ivy realised she had a gun in her hand.
"Shoot her, baby, then we can run away with the millions" The Joker said, using the voice he knew made Harley weak at the knees.
"Really, Puddin'?" A smile stretched over Harley's face as she raised her gun at Ivy for the second time that night.
"Harley no" But Ivy knew, at that moment there was nothing she could say to make her realise what he was. Then, it dawned on her.
"Harley, you thought he was dead, you were crying for weeks. Now it turns out he's been alive for months, and the first thing he does is ask for money and an autograph. He didn't look for you, he didn't even ask for you" She chose her words carefully, but if this didn't work she didn't know what she was going to do.
"Hey!" Harley said indignantly "yeah, what's with that? I like Zoro as much as the next person, but what about me" Harley turned at pointed her gun at the Joker, a look of surprise on his face as his plan backfired "What about me, Puddin'!"
"You know I love you, Harls" the Joker stuttered "I was about to get you, I swear to God"
"You were?" Harley said uncertainly, moving her arms back so the gun was facing Ivy again.
"He's lying, can't you tell" Ivy was desperate, she could see the woman she loved slowly being lost in the crazy that was the Joker.
"I don't know anymore" Harley said softly, she kept spinning around from left to right, from one target to another. Finally she stopped.
"I'm sorry, I love you" She then took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and shot.