Breaking Point

Chapter 3

"Harley, Harley, Harley," Joker sang as he gazed up and down Harleen's body. Harleen felt his predatory gaze rake up and down her body and she hated it.

She tried to communicate her disgust but it only came out as a small whimper due to the vise like grip the Joker held on her throat. She saw Joker smirk at her inability to talk. 'He's enjoying this!' she realized with a start. Harleen knew she had to escape the Jokers grasp or she was likely to die. She then realized that she could still move her legs somewhat. She had to make him loosen his grip.

"Joker..." she mumbled catching his attention as he was staring blankly at her.  She watched the Jokers blank eyes fixate on her and saw the light return to them. He smiled at her, a laugh bubbling up in his throat. He threw his head back and laughed. Harleen cringed away from the loud laugh. He brought his face close to her and whispered, "What was that, Harrrrrrley?" Harleen glared at him, hating what he was calling her, hating the rolling of the r off his tongue.

She could feel his hand loosen slightly and knew she had to move now. She brought her elbow up and rammed it into Jokers upper arm causing him to release the vise around her neck. She dropped a few inches and landed on the floor, clutching her throat as her breathing finally returned to normal. She could see the Joker in front of her holding his arm. She looked up into his eyes, which were dark with rage and fury. She watched as he reared his other hand back and brought it down across Harleen's face.

"You damn bitch!!!" The hit felt like thirty pounds of bricks. Harleen fell to the floor, clutching her check. She knew she had to get Joker out of this room or she was going to die by his hand.

Harleen stood shakily on her legs and backed up towards the wall. She stole a quick glance at the small camera placed in the corner of the room. She knew the guards were eagerly waiting to enter the room to detain Joker, but they also knew that Harleen wasn't going to just give up that easily and let them in. Harleen inched toward the small stone colored panic button set inconspicuously on the wall. She knew Joker hadn't seen it yet or he would've kept her from nearing it. Joker was prowling the space in front of Harleen, and she knew that he was probably thinking of what to do next.

The answer came quick enough as Joker threw another punch in Harleen's direction, but this time, she was ready. She brought up her hands catching the punch despite the screaming pain it sent through her arms. She gritted her teeth to keep from screaming and she managed to twist Jokers arm causing him to shout. Joker looked up at her, his face a mix of surprise, and awe.

Harleen glared at him and screamed, "You don't get to control what happens here, I do!!!" And with that she hit the panic button, and watched as the guards grabbed Joker, and hauled him to the wall opposite her. One of the guards grabbed his gun that would have a tranquilizer in it. Joker laughed. And laughed.

"You think you're in control? Well, my Harlequin, you're not. From the moment you stepped into this room, you've been mine. And the games only just started." The guard tranq'd Joker and Harleen watched as he slumped into the the guards arms, smiling. As two guards carried Joker to his cell, another came up to her.

"You alright, Dr. Quinzel? Did he hurt you?" Harleen's brain was jumbled she just nodded her head no and made her way to her office. Once inside her office she closed and locked the door and went into the bathroom that was connected to the office. In the mirror stood someone Harleen hardly recognized.

Her glasses were crooked, her cheek bright red and starting to bruise, her hair falling from her ponytail in strands, and there were small bruises around her neck where the Joker had been holding her. She gently touched her neck, remembering the way the Jokers hand had felt around her neck. 'It felt........good,' Harleen thought, but deeply regretted ever thinking it as she knew that this was not the her that she needed to be right now. She needed to be the perfect psychiatrist. But she found it hard to put herself back into her professional mode. She washed her hands and then went back out to her office.