Today
by Harley Moon
(inspired by Jefferson Airplane)

Today....I feel like pleasing you more than before....
Today....I know what I want of you but I don't know what for....

The Joker anxiously raked his fingers through his luscious green
hair.  She was several feet in front
of him, and yet her gentle radiance still permeated his soul like
water through a slab of rock.  She
was in her casual garb--a sleeveless white shirt tied in front,
allowing just an inch or two of skin
to be seen, loud red shorts hugging her well-toned hips and legs.
A red and black bandanna held her
hair back, which was fixed in a ponytail on the base of her neck.
She crouched on her hands and
knees, cleaning up after their pet hyenas while dinner was fixing
itself in the microwave stolen from
the 'home appliances' section at Mayfield's.

It had been quite a while since they had gone out....not since
they had escaped Arkham for the
umpteenth time....not since his rather cruel and remorseless
killing of Sarah Essen-Gordon.  In a fit
of temporary insanity, Commissioner Gordon put a price on the
Joker's head, and the masses have been
hunting him down ever since.  He and Harley have been in hiding
for months now.  It hasn't been
pretty, but it was better than having to endure long hours at
Arkham in solitary confinement.  And his
knee wasn't getting any better either.

His wicked grin curled into an unusual frown.  He was in one of
his moods again.  But it's for these
moods that Harley continues to stand by his side so vehemently.

"Harley girl," he called out to her from the doorway, "are you
busy?"

She looked up, her nose wrinkled in a rabbit-like manner from the
smell of manure.
"Uh...not really.  Why do ya ask, Mistah J?"

Joker strolled towards her in ease...or at least tried to.  "I was
just wondering whether or not you'd
like to go out tonight...."

Harley's smile was brighter than a million-watt bulb.  She dropped
her handbroom and dustpan and
immediately jumped into her lover's arms.  "Oh, do you really mean
that, puddin'!?"

Joker grinned as he settled his violet gaze on her.  "Of course,
pumpkin pie!  You just do so much for
me around here, I thought it was high time that I do something
-you- want to do.  So why don't you go
get dressed and we go out for a nice ride, hmm?"

Harley bounced excitedly from foot to foot and she ran to her
room.  Minutes later, she sprang out in
her jester's attire and swung her lavender purse from its strap.
Her
powdered face shone in the dimness as she scurried to the outside
world.  But before she could reach
the front door, Joker grabbed her by the wrist.

"Why don't you let -me- drive for a change?"

Harley raised a confused eyebrow.  "Are ya sure, puddin'?"

Joker smiled and patted her on the head.  "I'm sure."

She handed him the keys without argument, and he made his way
towards the car.  She didn't know just
why he decided to drive instead--usually it was she who had to
make their getaway possible.

The car ride was long and silent.  Harley didn't even know where
she was going, since the Joker had
blindfolded her with that bandanna she had on earlier.  She
twiddled with her fingers uneasily and bit
her bottom lip.  She was very nervous now.

"Puddin' are ya sure ya wanna go somewhere?  I mean, yer knee and
all..."  Harley
winced, thinking about how she jumped on him earlier and how much
it must have
pained him.

"Nonsense Harl, didn't I tell ya that I'd bounce back as good as
new someday?  It's been months since
I've enjoyed a breath of fresh air, what with rehab and all.  So
don't worry your pretty little head
over it, 'kay?

She left it at that.  She knew that he's not usually like
this...and she knew better than to question
him when he was in one of his 'moods'.....



To be living for you is all I want to do....
To be loving you, it'll all be there when my dreams come true....



"You can open your eyes now," Joker whispered to her.

Slowly, Harley Quinn opened her eyes and gasped at the sight in
front of her.  He had taken her to the
roof of the tallest building in Gotham.  The view dazzled her
senses and she smiled in child-like awe
and wonderment.  Her eyes twinkled like stars and the moonlight
bathed her in an iridescent glow.  She
twirled and spun her dancer's body, excited by it all.  A soft
laughter made her stop.  She turned to
her beloved, who was grinning to himself.

"God, you can be such a child sometimes," he mused.  "But I guess
that's why I like you so much." He
strolled to her side and wrapped his arms around her waist from
behind.  "You seem to view everything
from a child's eyes--everything seems innocent and beautiful to
you, like it was the greatest thing in
the world to you.  You take everything so light-heartedly...I'll
admit it's nice to have you around
whenever..."  He sighed, resting his chin on her shoulder.  "Can
you see those really bright lights
over there?" he asked, pointing a finger at the horizon.

Harley squinted and strained her vision.  "You mean the red ones?"

"Yes, that one," he answered.  "That red light....that's where the
new Ritz Gotham is.
Word on the street is that tonight there's a big party celebrating
the one million dollar
grant given to the police department by the U.S. government,
claiming that they'll need it in order to
make sure that post-No Man's Land Gotham can strive to be safer
than its unfortunate predecessor.
High-class snobs from all over are going to be there for the grand
re-opening of one of the most
luxurious hotels in the world.

"Wow," Harley breathed.  "So when are we gonna go ova there and
trash the place?"

Joker sighed once more.  "We're not."

Harley turned to meet her love.  "We aren't?"

"Nope."  He sat down a few feet away from the ledge of the
building and pulled Harley down into an
embrace.  "Tonight, it's just you and me, baby."

He held her as if it was for the last time, and Harley felt her
breath leaving her body.  Her head
found the perfect spot on his shoulder and she relaxed and began
to think about things....



Today....you'll make me say that I somehow have changed....
Today....you look into my eyes, I'm just not the same....



"Are you okay, Mistah J?"  Harley asked hesitantly, breaking the
silence.

Joker raised his head.  "Sure, never been better.  Why do you
ask?"

"I.....I dunno, I just thought that it was kinda weird coming out
here, ya know....not
committin' some heinous crime and all...."

The slap or verbal curse she was bracing herself for never came.
Instead she heard the faint sounds
of car horns blaring into the night.  Her eyes began drooping
sleepily, and her vision became blurry.
She felt as if sleep was trying to subdue her, but she fought back
and tried to blink it away.  But
when she opened them, she looked into the most beautiful eyes she
would ever behold.  And now those
eyes were staring sternly but softly at her own periwinkle blue.
Something about him wasn't
right....but she dared not question him again.  She had suddenly
remembered....he was in one of his
moods....



To be any more than all I am would be a lie....



"Dammit, you're right," Joker said, fixing his gaze on the city
unfolding itself before him.  "We
should be trashing that place."



I'm so full of love I could burst apart and start to cry....



"Let's go, Harley!" he yelled.

She ran to the car as fast as she could, wondering just how it was
that he had gotten so far ahead of
her.  He still insisted on driving though.  She sat motionless in
the passenger seat, the city flaring
past their purple roadster.  She fought back her tears, now
regretting saying anything in the first
place.  All she had wanted was a quiet night alone with her
beloved, and now he was intent on
ransacking a hotel full of hypocritical socialites who could care
less whether they lived or died.
Plus, he was in one of his moods.....

Harley kept beating herself up inside.

She shouldn't have said anything....



Today....everything you want I swear, it will all come true....



"You like diamonds, doncha Harl?" he bellowed at his companion,
trying to make his
voice distinguishable amidst the clamor and ruckus of people being
scared shitless at the two
psychopaths in the room.

"Puddin', look out!" Harley shouted from across the ballroom.
Joker was attempting to rip a diamond
necklace off a woman's neck, when he was suddenly pulled off the
screaming female and punched in the face by a strong arm.  He
didn't have to open his eyes to know who
it was.

"Long time no see, Commish!" he said in his delirium.  "How's the
family?"

The graying officer gritted his teeth and then proceeded to give
him the beating of his
life.  "Murderer," he rasped before settling another blow into the
Joker's gut.

The Joker smiled nonchalantly.  "And you realize this -now-?"

Gordon had to be held back by his men as the Joker laid down in a
pool of his blood.  He struggled to
get up but was stepped upon by another familiar face.

"Batsy!  Haven't seen you around, either!  How's that new little
Bratgirl of yours, hmm?  Willing to
let me have a crack at her, eh?" he winked.

The caped menace grabbed him by the collar of his purple suit.
"You little piece of
scum..." he spat.

Joker laughed his patented maniacal laughter.  "Oh come on Bats,
I'm pretty sure she's a pain, I can
get her off your case just like I did that Jason Todd kid!"

Batman slammed the Joker against the wall with such force that
several small cracks
appeared on it.  The Joker just mocked him, his laughter acting as
his personal anesthesia against the
broken bones in his body.  "Okay Bats, I missed you too.  So, are
we off to merry old Arkham or do we
have to stay awhile and--"

The sounds of a shrieking woman distracted him.  The Joker looked
beyond the cowled figure before him
and saw Harley being manhandled brutishly by three young police
officers.  The next thing anybody
knew, the Joker was on the other side of the room, using his
almost superhuman strength and taking on
all three officers at once.  A knife slipped out of his sleeve and
he pierced the belly of one of the
young men with it.  More police came to seize him but he was
already many steps ahead of them, as he
had taken his moll in his arms and disappeared into the emergency
stairwell.  A crew was sent to
follow them as Commissioner Gordon radioed for a swat team to
surround the area and choppers to
descend onto the roof of the hotel.  The Batman had vanished long
since, although many caught sight of
an open window....


Today...I realize how much I'm in love with you....



"M-M-Mistah J..."  Harley's voice trembled with fear.  They were
on the roof, with
nothing but 87 stories of air in front of them.  He set her down
gingerly and narrowed his gaze at the
helicopters in the distance.

"Don't worry, Harl, I won't let them get to us."  Harley didn't
like this.  Even -he- sounded unsure
of himself.  "There's no way in hell I'll be taken back to Arkham.
I'd rather die than spend one more
day in that wretched place."

"Same here.."  If he hadn't been in one of his moods, she probably
would've been shoved to the floor,
how stupid that comment sounded.  But she wasn't thinking clearly,
and neither was he.  He never does
when he was like this.  She then caught a flash of light in his
eyes.  He had an idea.

"Think we could make it?" he asked, pointing to the roof of
another building.

Harley surveyed the stretch of space.  "No way, it's too far!"

"No one said this was going to be easy, my sweet," he hummed.  He
grabbed her hand and ignoring
Harley's squeals of protest, he began trying to gain some
distance.  She followed him blindly of
course, as she always does.  Just as he was prepared to run for
it, the door to the roof was being
rammed against--the police were right behind it, threatening bad
things if they didn't open the door.
Suddenly a harsh beam glared upon them.  They shielded their eyes
from the copter's spotlight, and
realized to their surprise the Batman reemerging from the shadows.

"There's nowhere to run, Joker," he scowled.

"Don't make a move!" they could hear Gordon's voice yelling into
the bullhorn.  "You are under
arrest!"

Joker looked to the sides, considering his options.  Harley
tightened her grip on his hand.

"What do we do?" Harley whispered.

Joker glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes.  "Here, keep
this with you..." he said as he
reached inside his coat.  Batman's eyes widened--Harley knew this
wasn't a good thing.

"He's going to open fire!" Gordon yelled amidst the ruckus of the
copter blades whirring in the night
air.  Batman darted out of the way as bullets rained from the sky.
Joker immediately took Harley and
tried to run out of harm's way.  Suddenly he felt something graze
his side.  It stung like hell.  He
collapsed on top of Harley, whom he was shielding the whole time.
The gunfire stopped as soon as they
saw their man was down.

Harley looked meekly at the face of her lover, which was twisted
in pain.  His clenched hand was
slowly loosening its hold on the object he had taken out of his
jacket.  It was a ring.  A blood red
ruby was set in the middle, with little diamonds encircling it,
and it was set on a silver finish.  He
slipped it clumsily into her hand.

"Was....afraid that they'd....confiscate it if they caught
us...had to give it to you...I
know...you like diamonds...."  Joker smiled as his eyes drifted to
a close.  He didn't see the tears
sliding down Harley's cheeks....



With you standing here, I could tell the world what it means to
love



"Leave her alone," he warned menacingly as he was being taken to
the ambulance.  He and Harley had
been apprehended by the Batman once again.  It wouldn't be the
last time of course, but this
particular moment would be different.

"I said, LEAVE HER ALONE!" he lashed out at the news reporters
hissing at his
girlfriend.  He kicked the air and tried to break free from the
chains that bound him.
"You wanna bother someone for an interview for your meaningless
programs, go ahead, ask me, but leave
Harley out of this!  She was an innocent bystander, this was all
-my- idea!  If you don't quit
harassing her, I'll make sure to learn the names of your kids and
where they go to school, and trust
me, I won't make their deaths pretty!"

He was hauled to the ambulance, awaiting treatment for his wounds.

The local news broadcasted that temper tantrum.  Most everyone
thought that the Joker was mad.  But
very few caught sight of what was behind him...a jester-clad young
woman smiling through her tears as
the Joker warded off her aggressors....



To go on from here, I can't use words they don't say enough....



"Harley..." he mumbled in his heavily-sedated state.

A warm hand held his.  "I'm right here..."

A smile crossed his face.  "Good....honey, I'm sorry they got
you...."

"It's okay," was the reply.

His head swayed as if he was listening to a song in his mind.
"Harley...I didn't want this to
happen....you know that, right?"

"Yes, I know."

"Good....I hope you know that all I really wanted tonight was a
nice quiet evening with you....but
somehow I couldn't shake off the idea of those well-to-do egotists
and their prized jewels...but I
just wanted to get you something nice...I know you like
diamonds..."

"Really?"  the voice inquired.

"Yeah...this wasn't supposed to happen...dammit I hate the Bat...I
hate Arkham...but I hate not having
you with me...the most....you know how it is...how I feel,
Harley....no one else knows...no one else
would believe me if they knew....but it doesn't matter....at least
you're here now..."

The Joker then drifted off into a dreamworld of nightmares and
demons with batwings.  His closed eyes
would twitch every so often, more so when the hand left his.  But
he was still running scared in his
subconscious.  His deep sleep was not stirred by the sound of a
door opening.

"How is he, Dr. Leland?"

"He'll be all right, Bartholomew," the good doctor answered.
"He's hallucinating
though....he thought I was Harley."

Doctor Bartholomew shrugged it off.  "Just a side affect from the
sedatives--it'll wear off in
time....though with the Joker I would be surprised if anything
merely 'goes away'.  That lunatic cost
the life of a rookie officer tonight, did you know that?"

Joan Leland pursed her lips in disdain.  "No, I hadn't heard
that."

"Well, you should've seen the outburst he displayed on national
TV--he kept threatening the reporters
to stop questioning Harley Quinn.  Can you believe that, he acted
as if he was actually defending
her."

"Maybe he was," Dr. Leland mumbled.

Dr. Bartholomew shook his head in displeasure.  "I doubt that--the
Joker is an animal, plain and
simple.  He doesn't care about anyone but himself.  He probably
didn't want the reporters questioning
Harley because he didn't want his private life to be revealed."

"Of course," Dr. Leland said with a defeated sigh.

Dr. Bartholomew rifled through a notepad he held in his hands.
"Well, I'll be leaving
now to check up on Miss Quinn...are you coming, Dr. Leland?"

"I'll be along shortly," she responded.

With that, he left her to the comedian.  She couldn't help but
look once more at his
unhappy state, couldn't even begin to imagine the dreams that
haunt his sleep.  What
made it even more unusual was his voice uttering the word "Harley"
over and over, trying to clutch the
hand that was no longer there, needing a savior to release him
from his suffering.

Joan Leland frowned.

She understood....she understood finally, just why it was that
Harley Quinn stood by his side....



Please please listen to me, it's taken so long to come true....



His mood was gone.  It wasn't very often that he got very
emotional, or touchy-feely.  That is why
Harley tried to take advantage of it when she could.  His
intelligent mind was usually at work with
ways to burden the populace, but whenever he was recovering from a
serious injury, near-death
experience or traumatizing ordeal--such as his injury caused by
Commissioner Gordon--he always seemed
more toned down, more gentle.  As much vigor as the insane Joker
added to her life, Harley liked the
reserved one more.  The reserved Joker was more romantic, more
aware of his hidden feelings for her.
But this side of him rarely saw the light of day.  It had been
months since she had seen him so calm
and reposed as he was before they were caught.

But that side of him was gone now.  When he finally awoke from his
tranquilized
condition, he was his laughing, maniacal self again, the self that
people everywhere
feared.  It would be quite a while before he gets into one of
those moods once more....



And it's all for you....all for you....



And somewhere in a corner of Arkham, a woman curled in a fetal
position on the floor, her arms
strapped to her sides, her little girl voice crying the night
away, before settling into a
drug-induced sleep....


The End