In Another Life IV

Chapter 6

She awoke to the sound of loud voices coming down the hall as a door banged open. The sound also startled Jack, who had drifted off to sleep next to her. "...just pulled off a heist worth half a million dollars and instead of letting me celebrate that, you nag me the moment I get home!" came Joseph Napier's angry voice. "Goddamn women, you're all the goddamn same!"

The door to their room suddenly banged open, and Mr. Napier stood there, with Crystal behind him. "What's all this I hear about you and Crystal, boy?" he demanded.

"Nothing!" retorted Jack. "Nothing happened!"

"He wanted it to, though, Joe!" insisted Crystal. "He tried to make it happen! He kissed me..."

"But he stopped!" cried Harleen. "Cause he doesn't love you! He loves me! And I love him! And someday when I'm all grown up, we're gonna get married!"

Mr. Napier laughed scornfully. "Wow, Jack, she's quite the passionate little admirer, ain't she?" he chuckled. "Too bad she's only four. Guess you're gonna have a long wait before you can get your rocks off."

"He'll wait for me," retorted Harleen, firmly. "He promised."

"Harley, please just...shut up," hissed Jack.

Mr. Napier grinned, kneeling down next to her. "What exactly did he promise, sweetheart?"

"That he'd marry me," she retorted. "And he won't break that promise, no matter how much that woman wants him to."

Mr. Napier slowly lit a cigarette, and Harley flinched. "You saying she wanted him to?" he asked, softly, holding the cigarette halfway between his mouth and Harleen's face.

"Y...yeah," stammered Harleen. "He told her she had to go, and she...she got angry and said she'd tell you that he kissed her unless he came with her. But he didn't. He loves me."

She started backward as the cigarette came closer to her eye. "Does he?" whispered Mr. Napier. "You ain't lying now, are you, kid?"

She shook her head vehemently, shying away from the cigarette. Mr. Napier slowly brought it back to his lips. "No. I can see you ain't," he whispered.

Without a word, he ripped out his gun and shot Crystal three times. Both Jack and Harleen were frozen in horror as the body fell to the ground, and Mr. Napier calmly stood up, wiping his gun. "Goddamn women," he repeated. "All the same – can't trust 'em. Hope you don't grow up to be like that, kid, but I don't think we need to worry about that. You ain't gonna grow up, after all."

He suddenly placed his gun against Harleen's temple. "And if it makes you feel better, kid, you are gonna be with your parents soon," he said. "I've told the boys to go over to your house tomorrow morning and bump 'em off too. Can't risk them squealing about the operation and pointing the finger at me. Too bad, really. You seem like decent people. Nothing personal, you gotta believe me."

"Dad...sir...please," stammered Jack, approaching him slowly. "Please don't...just put the gun down. I'll take her home to her parents, they'll leave Gotham forever, you'll never hear from them again, you'll be safe..."

"Oh, Jack, what's the first rule I taught you as a boy?" sighed Mr. Napier, turning to smile at him. "There's only one type of people you can really trust. Dead ones. While they're alive, they're so annoyingly unpredictable. You wanna be safe, you gotta leave no witnesses. Not even little ones."

He cocked the gun. Harleen was in a state of shock after watching Crystal being blown away. Her big, blue eyes focused on Jack, who was staring at her helplessly. She heard a shot, and her eyes shut.

And then opened, as she saw Jack Napier shoot six bullets straight into his father's head. To Harleen, the scene happened in slow motion – the blood spraying on her and Jack, the body falling slowly to the ground, and then silence, dead silence, except for their heavy, panicked breathing.

Jack stared at his father's corpse, his whole body shaking. Harleen stared at Jack. He stared back. And then he seized her in his arms, hugging her tightly, as he let out a sob. "Oh God, Harley!" he gasped.

She began sobbing uncontrollably, burying herself in his arms. Jack shushed her as the minutes ticked by. "C'mon," he whispered at last, kneeling down and wiping the tears and blood from her eyes. "Let's take you home."

...

Mrs. Quinzel opened the door to frantic knocking, and saw her daughter being carried by the man who had taken her away. Both of them were covered in blood.

"Harley!" she shrieked, seizing her daughter from Jack and clutching her tightly. Harleen began sobbing again, clinging onto her mother as if for dear life. Her mother shushed her, kissing her repeatedly.

"Harley!" gasped Mr. Quinzel, rushing to embrace his wife and child. "Oh, thank God you're safe!"

"You have to go," said Jack, urgently. "Take Harley and leave here. There are some people coming to kill you tomorrow morning."

"To...why..." stammered Mr. Quinzel.

"My...father sent them," said Jack, slowly. "To make sure you don't tell anyone about the heist. Although...I guess you can now. I guess it...doesn't matter. I...I don't know what's going to happen to the gang...but I know you gotta get outta here now."

Mr. Quinzel nodded, and hurried off to grab the essentials. Jack turned to go, but Mrs. Quinzel seized his arm. "How can I ever thank you for bringing my little girl back to me?" she whispered, tearfully.

"Oh...don't thank me, ma'am," he stammered. "Just...just look after her for me, will you? Take care of her. Make sure she feels loved. She...she is," he whispered, gazing at her.

He turned away. "No, Jack!" shrieked Harleen, holding out her arms for him. "Stay!"

"I can't, kiddo," he whispered, taking her face in his hands. "I don't belong here..."

"You belong with me," she whispered, pleadingly.

"I gotta go, Harley," whispered Jack. "If I stay, either the gang or the police will find me. I'll be a danger to you, you gotta see that. For your own safety, I can't stay."

"Jack, please!" she whispered. "Please! You can't leave me!"

"Hey, hey, hey," he whispered, stroking her cheek. "Remember what I said, right? I'll always be your friend. Me and the Joker," he murmured, reaching into his pocket and handing her back her clown doll. "We'll always be right here," he whispered, pointing at her heart.

"Please don't leave," she whispered, tears flowing down her face. "I love you."

He smiled, tilting her face up and kissing her forehead tenderly. "I love you too, kiddo," he whispered. "Now dry those tears and smile, huh? For me. What does Harley Quinn do?"

"She smiles," whispered Harleen. "She always smiles."

"That's right, Harley," he murmured. He kissed her nose again. "Goodbye, Harley Quinn," he whispered.

And without another word, he turned and left. "Jack!" screamed Harleen, desperately. "Jack, don't leave me! Please don't leave me!"

She broke down as her mother tried to comfort her. But she would never see Jack Napier again.