Brink of Madness

Snitches Get Stitches

Rue's house was outside of Gotham, right in front of the woods. There were no other houses; Rue had the road all to herself. It was a nice two story brick house. Joker must pay her well. Harley went up and rung the doorbell.

"Well look what we have here," Joker said as he opened the door. A smile spread across Harley's face.

"Hi," she said.

"Did you miss me?" he grinned.

"Just a tad," she smirked as she walked inside.

"Hi Harley," Rue waved from her couch. A guy was sitting next to her with his arm around her.

"This is my boyfriend Joey. Joey this is Harley."

"Nice to meet you Harley," he smiled.

"Pleasure to meet you too," Harley smiled. Joker grabbed her hand.

"C'mon we have work to do," he said dragging her outside.

"Make sure you're back in time for my lasagna," Rue called out. They walked into the woods that filled Rue's backyard. She noticed that there were targets set up.

"The last part of your training is learning how to shoot," he said handing her a gun. He took another one from under his jacket for himself.

"What exactly is the training for?" She asked. He started laughing.

"Oh I'm not going to ruin the surprise," he grinned. She rolled her eyes. "Have you ever used a gun before?" He asked.

"What would I use a gun for?" She replied.

"I don't know. You seem like the crazy type," he smirked. She glared at him. "Let's begin," he said and showed her how to properly hold the weapon. After two hours of shooting and the Joker yelling at her, she was a pretty decent shooter.

"I think I did pretty good," she said. She sat down against a tree.

"Eh, you were okay," he grinned and sat down next to her. He watched as Harley stared into the distance.

"What's on your mind?"

"It's just weird to think how far I've come. When I first met the new you I hated it; I couldn't stand to be around you but I was fascinated at the same time. Now here we are, sitting under a tree engaging in small talk," she smiled.

"If it makes you feel any better I didn't expect you to come stumbling back into my life either," he grinned. Her eyes glanced down at his scars then back to his eyes.

"Puddin," she said. He grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her. She smiled and kissed back. She drew her mouth away from his and kissed his scars. He picked her up and put her on his back.

"Ah! Where are we going," she giggled.

"Back inside for Rue's lasagna," he said. He set her down on the porch. They walked inside and instantly smelled Rue's masterpiece.

"How'd the training go?" Rue asked from the kitchen.

"Great," Harley said as she walked into the kitchen. Rue started laughing.

"What's so funny?" She questioned. Joker just stood there and grinned.

"I didn't know training involved making out," she continued to laugh.

"What makes you say that?" She blushed.

"Harley you have face paint all over your mouth," she continued laughing. Harley's eyes grew wide and she viciously tried rubbing it off.  Joey and Joker started to crack up.

"Mind your own business Rue, we want Harley to feel comfortable," he said. Harley looked confused.

"Of course J. Harley could you come with me to the dining room to help set up the plates," Rue asked.

"Yep," she replied and followed her.

"Harley you need to be careful," Rue warned her as soon as they reached the dining room.

"Rue I'm already swimming in danger," she chuckled.

"No this is serious. J has already marked you as his own. The next one will be more permanent," she said.

"Wait what do you mean?" She asked.

"Whenever I signed up to be one of J's henchmen I kind of knew that I was going to be his property. I was the only original henchmen to survive his original heist. The only mark I got was a bruise on my shoulder from J hitting me after I sassed him. Then after the bruise went away, he did this to me to make me prove my loyalty," she said. She rolled up her sleeve to reveal a scar on her shoulder. It was carved in a letter J.

"Oh my gosh," Harley whimpered, "Do you think since he kissed me that means?"

"That he'll give you a permanent smile? Probably. Harley, you're too good to be owned. Please be careful," Rue said. Harley nodded.

"What are you ladies gossiping about?" Joker appeared in the doorway.

"Just about how romantic your kiss was," Rue laughed. Harley offered up a fake smile.

"I see," he licked his lips, "Harley go wait in the kitchen. I need to have a talk with Rue."

"Okay," she glanced at Rue and walked out. Joker lunged at Rue's throat. She didn't dare try to wriggle out.

"Oh Rue, why do you have to go and try to give away my secrets?" He glared at her. His hands were tight around her throat.

"It was a mistake; it won't happen again," she gasped. He grinned.

"Who are you loyal to? Me or Harley?"

"You of course," she gasped. Her face was starting to turn blue.

"Good choice," he said and let her collapse on the floor. She sat up and tried to catch her breath.

"I'm still going to keep you around Rue, but you stabbed me in the back. Now it's my turn to return the favor," he said. She watched in horror as he pulled out a knife and inserted it a little bit left of her spine.

"Mmmph," she muffled her scream into her hand.

"Good girl Rue. I always liked you," he laughed. He took the knife out as tears streamed down her face. He grabbed a napkin and pressed it against her wound. "Next time you interfere with one of my plans you're dead," he whispered and got up. "Harley we're leaving!"

"Where's Rue?" Joey and Harley said from the kitchen.

"She's fine, now lets go Harley," he grabbed her hand.

"No," she glared at him, "Where's Rue?"

"You leave with me now or I finish the job," he growled. She silently followed him out the door and into her car.

"Why do you hurt everyone who cares about you," She asked.

"No one cares about me," he grumbled.

"Rue does and you hurt her. You hurt me too," she said.

"Rue had it coming and you need to be reminded of where you stand," he smirked. She sighed and the rest of the drive back to her condo was silent.

"How are you getting home?" She asked.

"He's here to pick me up," he pointed across the street at a black car.

"Joker please," she started to say. He leaned over and kissed her.

"Don't worry about anything. Everything will be alright in the end," he said. She nodded as he got out of the car. The Joker grinned as he walked away from his project.