79 sparksChapter 4: I Dig A Little Deeper (Guess What I See?)
Trigger warning for attempted strangling and a syringe being used as self-defense. And for mentions of extreme bodily injury (nothing graphic).
The next month went by smoothly, with Joker's mood vastly improved since he'd started the new meds. But he'd apparently gotten a little too comfortable, slipping up more with his stories.
It was enough for Harley to start investigating. And what she found were names. Lists of victims whose bodies were never found, timed suspiciously near the disappearance of large amounts of money. What she found was one name in particular; Charlie.
A man that Joker had supposedly killed, along with his family, in the most gruesome of ways. A man she'd managed to find, by following trails that no one who didn't know Joker like she did would ever think to look at.
Charlie lived in Europe with a great deal of euros, and he claimed that Joker had let him live as part of an informant network. He as well claimed that the only information Joker ever seemed interested in was whether anyone had found them or not.
Charlie, who had being hunted by the mob before his supposed untimely demise. This one little discovery led to more, and more, and more. Three months after she'd first met the Clown Prince Of Crime, Harleen realized something she'd begun to grasp at that first night; The Joker was a fraud.
Harleen rushed in to the Asylum, responding to an emergency call. Apparently one of the new nurses had accidentally given Joker the wrong meds, some sort of experimental stimulant, and he'd gone on a rampage.
Casualties: 0
Injured: at least ten guards, 3 nurses, and a fellow inmate.
She found him with his back pressed against the wall, hidden in the med wing, scalpel clinched in his left hand. No one had been able to get near him, and there was talk of bringing Batman in if tasers didn't work. Hopefully, neither would be necessary.
"Hey, Joker." Harleen said softly, slowly approaching him. Glazed green eyes unsteadily tried to focus on her, pupils tiny prinpricks. "I heard you weren't feeling too well."
He just growled at her, raising the scalpel.
"Come on, there's no need for that." Harleen soothed, stopping midway between him and the door. "Do you recognize me? Doctor Quinzel -- Harleen."
"...Harley?" Joker asked, seeming confused. He shook his head violently, growling louder. "Stay away, toots, or else."
"I just want to help you, Joker." Harleen held up a syringe. "I have something that will flush those bad meds out of your system, but I need you to stand down. If you don't, they'll call the Batman, and you don't want that, right?"
"Batsy?" Joker faltered, pupils widening though still unfocused. "H-he can't see me like this."
"I know, you don't want your enemy to see you weak." Harleen agreed, trying to sneak closer.
"No." Joker shook his head. He mumbled deliriously. "Batsy won't like me anymore, if I'm not a challenge."
Like him? Harleen thought over the new things she'd figured out about Joker. What if... "Everyone thinks you hate Batman. Do you?"
"Hate?!" In his fog, Joker actually seemed surprised. He whimpered, shaking his head. "Batsy, Darling, dear -- never hate 'im. Nevah."
Focused on this newest discovery, Harleen forgot to pay attention to wear she was going, hitting into a rolling chair. The chair fell towards Joker with a loud clatter, making the clown's eyes go back to pinpricks. Pinpricks that lost all recognition as they zeroed in on Harleen.
Oops, was all she had time to think before he pounced on her, hands gripped around her throat, utter panic and rage flaring in his dazed eyes.
"J-Joker... Please..." She gasped out, trying to pry his hands off. It was no use, he was stronger than anyone she'd ever met. She grabbed the syringe, plunging it into his arm with all the force she could muster. His metabolism worked it through his body in seconds, eyes starting to clear. "Please... Mistah J..."
"H-Harley?" Joker still looked so confused, releasing her and scrambling backwards across the floor. "Oh God. I didn' mean ta, I swear, I didn't. Harley, I'm sorry, I-" he jumped up and ran, with not a single person daring to stop him.
"Are you alright, Doctor Quinzel?" Was asked about a million times, and each time Harleen simply answered that she was fine. But she wasn't.
No one knew where Joker was, and it was another month and a half before she saw him again.
Four and a half months after they'd first met, Harleen watched Joker get dragged in to the Asylum by Batman.
"He needs medical attention." Was the Dark Knight's understatement of the century. Joker was bleeding in a hundred different places, several bones were visibly broken, one of his eyes was swollen entirely shut -- and that was just what Harleen could see before the med staff rushed him away.
"That monster!" Harleen hissed at Batman's retreating form. "How can anyone just beat someone bloody like that?"
"That ain't Batman's doing." Professor Crane called out, surprising her. He was standing by the bars, staring at the bloody spot the Joker had laid in before being taken away. She knew him well enough to see the disguised horror in his eyes. "I know first hand that the Bat is willing to go to extreme measures to protect civilians, but the amount of force necessary to that to the clown? Batman stops when you're no longer a threat, not when you're a bloody pulp."
"Are you saying someone else hurt him?" She asked, eyes narrowing.
"God, I hope not." The Professor shuddered. "The sheer amount of violence necessary to break one of his bones is hard to think of, honestly, but that?" He shuddered again.
Harleen gulped. Then her gaze, and her resolve, hardened. Batman better not have been the one to do that, or she and him were going to have to have a little talk.
Joker healed fast, and she was able to visit him after only a few days. She wasn't allowed to be his psychiatrist anymore, unfortunately, but Doctor Leland had called her in to tell her that she'd still be in charge of his meds; he was refusing to let anyone else even handle his food.
"Heya, Mister J." She smiled, sitting down next to the medical bed. It was weird to see him injured, wrapped up in gauze and eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. "I brought your meds."
"Hello, Doctor Quinzel." He muttered, not a hint of a smile on his face, not even looking at her. "Thanks."
"What did Batman do to you?!" She blurted before she could stop herself. To her surprise, Joker chuckled quietly.
"Oh, my dear, he barely did anything at all." Joker laid back, eyes closed. "I was... Distracted, and having some concentration issues from being off those meds you give me. Let's see... I mistimed an explosion, I've fallen off a few buildings, got hit by a truck, was attack by Sewer King, and all of this was after one of my regular fights with my Darling."
His pupils were the widest she'd ever see them, a small, genuine smile lighting up his face. "He was in top form this time, Har- Doctor Quinzel. He must have finally caught up on His sleep or something, what a sight to behold! And the way He fought off those alligators, how I wish I wasn't so foggy at the time, ah could've payed more attention."
"He saved you?" Harleen asked, feeling somewhat bad for calling Batman a monster. But only somewhat. There was silence for a few minutes. "How did you and Batman meet?"
"When He first stopped me from takin' ovah da city." Joker answered, squinting at her. "I thought everybody knew that?"
"I meant how you actually met."
"Oh." Joker didn't even try to defend the lie. "Sorry, Doctor Quinzel, but I can't have all mah secrets gettin' out."
"Stop calling me that." She snapped, a bit harsher than she meant to. "You haven't called me that since the first day we met, and now it's all you're calling me!"
"I didn' think you'd wanna hear one of my nicknames." He muttered, surprised. "After, well... I'm sorry about strangling ya, I wasn't myself."
"I know you weren't, and I forgive you, Mister J." She sighed, thinking. She smiled slyly, "As for my keeping a secret..."
She leaned close and whispered in his ear all the things she'd figured out these past few months, from Charlie to the rat to everything else. When she sat back, she couldn't help giggling at the utter shock on his face.
"See, Mistah J?" She smirked. "I can keep a secret as goid as da next goirl!"
"Ya really won't tell anyone?" He asked with a frown. After her nod, he broke into a wide grin. "Alright, Harls, ya wanna story? I'll give ya a story. It all started back when I was a regular ol' smalltime crook (hard ta believe, I know)..."
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Comments carried over from AO3 (6)
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Not much of a Joker-and-Harley fan, but I enjoy this setting! Truly brings those Animated series vibes with the way they're talking, and I'm always fond of seeing the headcanon that Harley was Jonathan's best student. That never gets old, and I think it adds a lot to their dynamic! :)
Thanks! I loved that scene in the animated series where Jonathan was raving like a lunatic as he gets dragged down the hall, only to switch to civil and friendly long enough to return Harley's cheerful greeting.
I wasn't much of a Harley/Joker fan until I started reading fanfics where they were pretty much platonic soulmates, and now I'm hooked on the idea. Good Person Joker is my favorite non-canon interpretation of him.
"Good evening, child". They were ADORABLE XD
That scene cracked me up, and honestly what convinced me too that they knew each other beforehand, as teacher-and-student ^^
Oh that's great! I've definitely seen some pretty interesting non-threatening versions of him (including some from old canons) or even a healthy Joker/Harley.
If you want a semi-canon good bond for them, the Lego Batman movie is a blessing. It's super fun and made by fans who used bunch of references, Harley/Joker as a cute platonic couple is fantastic in this universe!
I'm glad you like it! Platonic Joker/Harley is surprisingly fun to write. Though, if I didn't ship Batjokes and Ivyquinn so much, I'd ship healthy Joker/Harley in a heartbeat.
Jonathan was a psychology teacher, Harley was a psychology student, it just makes so much sense that they knew each other. And their friendship is always so adorable and fluffy!
Awww, look at that lovely former-teacher and favorite-student reunion! Surely Jonathan wasn't expecting to meet her again in *these* conditions, but... that was enjoyable! And for sure it melted his heart, somewhere under all the layers of burlap and fake coldness ;)
Also, I love Corvin, I think bonding Jon with a demon is a great idea. You bring it there very well, you were right to use your concept in this story too! It makes Jonathan more interesting, honestly :)
Thanks! And IKR? I love fics where Jonathan has a demon. I honestly can't see him without it now, it ironically humanizes him. And Corvin came out so much cuter than I meant, lol.
Corvin is very cute indeed!
And I get why this headcanon is so popular... after all, you could say Jon sort of *is* a demon, to an extent. I mean, in canon he transformed into the Scarebeast, a monster-version of him, even if he was unaware of this second personality. He truly is a sort of Dr Jekyll / mister Hyde. Gotta love that scary, old professor XD
It's like, technically I should hate him, but he's such a an interesting character! And I love Scarebeast so much. Though, is it true that in canon, Scarebeast is a cannibal? (I really hate that kind of stuff)
You preach to a choir there, Jonathan is on my all-time top 5 favorite DC characters ;)
Well I won't recommend you read the Scarebeast issues, then. To his sort of 'defense', Jon was actually manipulated and turned into the beast against his will (by a doctor working under Penguin's orders. Creepy stuff honestly). I always have a problem with how edgy some canons get, but let's not consider it cannibalism (yuk, disgusted noise upon writing that word) since he technically turned into a *monster*, he was no longer human when he attacked, bit and killed people under his Scarebeast form.
Sorry, you probably wanted other references than this specific arc of his... But he pretty much was the victim in the whole deal!
I've recently taken to reading the comics. While there are some very interesting plotlines, I really hate how graphic some of them are. I especially hate how psychologically disturbing some of them are. I've read over a dozen by now, and there's only like two I'd be willing to reread, despite liking a lot of the plots.
I find the idea of Jonathan getting turned into a beast without knowing/against his will really interesting, but I don't like the bit about killing/biting people. Same problem I have with my love for werewolves, now that I think about it.
I fully get you! Both for the werewolves thing and the not-liking some disturbed storylines.
I'm not sure what fics of mine you read, but there is a deep-rooted hatred for the reboot in every single one of them XD. Plus for unecessary edgy arcs, that honeslty tend to ruin characters (Like Riddler. Current canon!Riddler is definitely ruined for me, while he was wonderful in the previous continuity)
If you want good Scarecrow stories, there's definitely the comics that prolong the Animated Series, in which among others he cries when Robin!Dick brings up his former love for teaching. It's beautiful ^^
I know it's a classic, but Long Halloween never gets old. Scarecrow doesn't have a main role in it, but his appearances are striking and he is buddy with Mad Hatter. Scarecrow: Year One may be relatively recent, it's a great story line (the ending is utterly disappointing, but his backstory-telling is nice, and the aesthetic very neat). Among others ^^
I didn't read it, but I saw parts of that one storyline where Scarecrow tries to return to teaching and becomes hyper protective over a student. I like the idea that (fear experiments aside) Jonathan's actually a really good teacher.
Is Long Holloween the one where Scarecrow, Penguin, and Mad Hatter get tricked into what's basically a haunted house by Batman?
And is the whole Mad Hatter/Scarecrow/Riddler Dork Squad friendship canon?
Good teacher Jon for the win <3
That's the first issue of Batman: The Dark Knight Annual, with the three of them in the haunted house. Not too much plot, some traumatic childhood memories discussed, good designs and a spooky halloween ambiance (because it indeed occurs on Halloween). It's relatively good, even if I believe it could have been much better with proper humor (I mean, three villains locked in a haunted house? that sounds like the beginning of a joke!), and instead it comes off dark and gloomy. Typical New 52.
Long Halloween on the other hand, is a story by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale that focuses on Batman, Harvey (pre-Two Face) and a mysterious killer whose first murder occurs on Halloween. It's a noir detective genre, with heavy investigation plot and every major rogue making at least an appearance during the full year over which Bruce, Harvey and Jim Gordon try to catch that killer. It's a long story, but truly one of the best comic books you can read without having to check for references first. Even people who don't like DC much but enjoy detective stories can have a great time with this one. And Scarecrow rides a horse at some point: that's super badass, but I admit he isn't the main focus XD
Feeling like that'll be a disappointment but... no, the Dork Squad isn't canon. Jonathan and Jervis often work together so it's safe to assume they're friends at least in the main continuity, Jonathan and Edward worked together too (though a lot less), and that's about it. While the Sirens are a canon trio (even if Catwoman being friend with Harley and Ivy comes up later in the main continuity, while Harl and Pamela were buddies even back then in the Animated series), the Dork Squad isn't.
But given how fast writers create alternate universes, I don't doubt they might be buddies somewhere XD
Now I kinda want to read Long Holloween. As well, I love the Harvey-Bruce friendship. Adds depth to the whole Twoface storyline.
That was a great story!
Joker and Harley's bond is definitely touching there, glad they found each other :)
I wasn't thinking you'd make her fall into acid in this verse, but that was a well-written scene, and it's nice to see Joker rushing to help her out.
And awww, the energy in that drawing is lovely! Harley looks mischievous, adorable and up to no good! Plus it's cool that you mixed her post-reboot looks with her original outfit. Good job!
Original Harley will always be my favorite, but I just fell in love with the dyed hair thing. It took me just under and hour and a half to draw all her different outfits, lol.
I wasn't going to have her fall into the acid, but I thought it would explain her similar abilities to Joker in the previous fics. Though she was affected much less, thanks to Joker pulling her out (which was such a fun scene to write, showing how much he's bonded to her at this point).
These are good aesthetic choices!
And it's cool to make them share the dive-into-acid but in a sort of 'positive' way, for once. Nice idea :)
It's supposed to be a positive version of Harleen going to a life of crime, after all, so I thought it would be fun to turn a moment that's traditionally one of the most abusive (Joker tries to turn Harley into a copy, thinking she probably won't survive, and she goes along with it) into something more good-natured.
That's a great point of view you bring up, and I love this bond for your characters!
Oh and, the accents coming and going depending on how they want to "appear" is a nice touch :)
Also, regarding the canon events: to be fair, even if I'm not a Joker fan, I dislike the "pushing Harley into acid" reboot story. Initially, she simply joined him out of love (that was not positive though, as he *indeed* was abusive), I think there was no need to change their early partnership by making Joker dump her into a van of acid. I stick with her first origin story in my verses because I prefer it, but I must say it was pleasant there, to read a reboot-inspired villain origin for her that has a positive side! Very refreshing ^^
Original Harley will always be my favorite, and I haven't really seen many other versions of outside of fanfics, but my sister is OBSESSED with Harley. I've heard pretty much everything related to reboot Harley. I still prefer the concept of Harley just being hyper athletic/strong on her own merits, rather than mutated.
And, honestly, what are the chances that she'd be able to survive just like he did? It feels a bit like they were trying to basically make her female Joker, rather than Harley Quinn. But it was still fun to play with the concept, and lets me explain her fourth-wall breaking abilities.
Yeah I agree. She's better as her own character rather than basing her abilities out of chemicals. Same for Pamela, same for Jervis to some extent. I much prefer when they're skilled people who worked hard, rather than mutants with sort of supernatural strength / abilities.
And still fun to read about the concept ^^
I like the version where Poison Ivy starts off as a regular person, but then becomes a plant mutant for some reason or other. I only recently found out about Mad Hatter's connection to chemicals and utterly despise it (I really hate drug addiction storylines). I like the version of Jervis whose main strength are his mind-controlling cards, his technology skills, and his ability to seem weaker than he is.
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I love how this all tied together! And the bits about why their accents change were really insightful into who they are.
Thank you, I'm glad you like it! I love writing accents, especially to show mental states, even though I'm not the best at it.
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