Mad Love

Chapter 31 (the fanale)

I have been in charge for over a month now, the joker is obviously dead considering that he hasn't killed me yet. Nick reminds me about how he could always return at any time but I'm starting to believe that that's a bunch of bull s**t. I actually killed him and don't regret nothin. He deserved to die more than anyone else. I thought about this while sitting in the jokers office behind his desk.
"Hey boss, should we go collect the debt from penguin yet?" One of the stupid henchmen  interrupted my thoughts.
"Yeah yeah sure, go ahead." I brushed him away, rubbing my temples and feeling a headache coming on.
"So the joker really is dead huh." He asked, still not leaving the room.
"Yeah?" I was beginning to get annoyed. It has been a month, THE JOKER IS DEAD.
"Sorry, I know you get that question a lot. I just can't believe he's gone is all. Batman couldn't even kill him and then you snap one day and then boom he's dead, just like that."
"I killed the joker, get over it."
"Don't you wonder about it, even a little bit?"
"THE JOKER IS DEAD! I KILLED HIM, HE IS GONE. THE END." I slammed my hand on the table. The henchman flinched but did not leave.
"Why are you still here?" I asked in almost a whisper, laying my head on the table.
"It's the joker. He always had a plan. I kinda miss the old guy, don't you?"
"I'm glad he's dead." I muttered.
"What?"
"I said, IM GLAD I F***ING KILLED HIM, HE RUINED MY LIFE AND HE DESERVED DEATH MORE THAN ANYONE!!! NOW PLEASE GET THE HELL OUT OF MY OFFICE AND COLLECT THE GODDAM DEBT FROM PENGUIN!!!!!" The henchman ran out of there after I screamed. No body seems to believe that I, Harleen Quinzel, single handedly killed the joker. It's not a hard topic to grasp. He is gone and he is never coming back.

Two weeks later:
Controlling Gotham was becoming harder and harder every day. More debt to collect, more loose ends to kill, and more of my men dying in stupid bar fights and batman swooping in and putting them all in jail. How the hell did the joker do it. I can hardly keep my temper anymore. I needed some fresh air and just a few hours away from the craziness.
Hopping on the jokers old motorcycle, I made my way to one of the taller, but less used buildings in the city. It began to rain again once I climbed to the roof, but I kinda liked the rain. It was only misting for now but I should probably go back inside before it got any worse. I went a floor down to an old storage room. It was very dark and I couldn't find a light switch any where. Luckily there were giant windows that looked out into the city on the opposite walls in the giant room.
"I love this room too, it reminds me of home... Oh right, I forgot I don't live there anymore because you killed me."
I jumped back, stifling a scream. It couldn't be!
"I-I killed you!"
"My dear, you'll find that I'm very hard to get rid of." Lighting flashed. The joker's silhouette dashed across the walls. Purple and green were all I could see.
"What do you want from me?"
"Oh many things, some of which you simply can't repay me. But I'd like to see you try." He paced the floor and stopped to look at me, as if he were thinking for a moment. "You know, we're very much alike, you and I."
"Why in gods name do you think we're alike in even the slightest way?!"
"Because, like me, it only took one bad day to send you completely on edge. You came out of that chemical vat a changed person, rather amusing I might add. You seemed to let go of everything sane left within you and turned into a full on lunatic. Killing me, taking my place? And I thought I was crazy, haha!"
"I'm done with this. You've turned me into-"
"Me? A nice improvement, you should be thanking me. I took that lonely, desperate physiatrist and turned her into something feared by everyone, even bats! Hahahahahah!" He wiped away a tear. He also pulled something out of his jacket, a gun. "However, I'm afraid I'm going to need to take my place back now. But I must thank you for keeping my seat warm. It's been a nice vacation." I held my ground, inching my way towards my backside where my gun was hiding.
He began shooting, I dogged as best I could, one clipped me on the side of the arm. I gritted my teeth in pain but shook it off.
Pulling out a gun from not only my back pocket but also my boot, I began firing back like a maniac. The joker was better at dodging than I and before I knew it my guns were kicked out of my hands and I was pinned to the ground. The joker laughed hysterically.
"You know Harley, you've never ceased to amuse me. I think your aim is getting worse, hahaha!" I punched him, causing him to release his grasp on me. I rolled out from underneath him and ran for the roof. Maybe I could throw him off of it if he got close enough.
It was pouring rain outside now, we were very high up. The drop would kill the joker for sure, unless he was some kind of invincible clown or something.
The joker was on the roof faster than I was. He kicked me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me and pushed me backwards, making me hit my head on the concrete. I screamed in pain as he dragged me towards the edge of the roof. Pretty soon I was dangling over it, I was at his mercy, even though he had none.
"I believe we've been in this situation before. I, the one about to drop you into a vat of toxic experimental chemicals, and you, begging for my mercy. It's such a refreshing feeling, you should try it sometime, that is... Assuming you survive the fall, hahaha!" The joker let out a laugh that could be heard for miles. I was terrified. To know that the joker had no conscience whatsoever was not a good feeling. He was going to kill me. "Wait. How did you know that there were going to be experimental chemicals in the factory that you dropped me in?" I needed a way to stall him.
"I don't believe that is a relevant question for this situation, maybe next time Harls." The joker grinned, but I could tell that he realized that I knew more than he thought.
"You said we were alike, that it only took one bad day for us to completely loose it. What was yours?" He didn't respond, but glared. "It was the chemical factory wasn't it? You've been there before. What happened to you that was so bad it made you loose your conscience, your emotions, your memories? What caused you to turn into a monster?!" I was crying now, but I didn't really know why. Out of fear most likely, but not out of pity. The joker looked shocked at what I had said. His grip tightened as he continued to hold me over the side of the building. He was in deep thought.