A White Glove's Hold

By Brian Barr

    Harleen Quinzel had been declared sane six months ago.
    So far, everything was good.  She was slowly getting into the 
self-confidence she had lost those few years passed when the Joker
stripped 
away to her insecurities.  She had calmed down to that normal and
soft-spoken 
woman she had been before.
    Her occupation was far from the asylum and she now worked at a
fancy 
restaurant in upscale Gotham.  The underworld was completely
isolated from 
her now as she threw all the letters she got from Ivy and the
others in the 
trash.  Luckily, He hadn't written.

    He sat in his new solid white room, thankful they let him take
the 
straight jacket off.  Also happy there was a window to look out
of.
    The door opened, giving access to a doctor and guard.  The
doctor was 
wearing all white and looked very intimidating.  They had to be
when dealing 
with these patients.  A dark sinister smile threw from his face.
    "Time for your medicine," the doctor said, yanking Joker's
green hair and 
shoving him against the wall as the guard handed him a syringe
from the cart 
that was behind him.  With a smirk, the man opened his mouth in a
demented 
smirk.  "Now, give me that arm."
    Joker grinned in amusement as his paint blended eyes stared
into his 
without fear.  "You think you're so great in here, don't you?"
    The doctor grabbed Joker's arm and shot the syringe into it.
Joker's 
smile grew wider from the sensation, causing the doctor to look to
him in 
confusion.  "What's so funny?"
    "Everything ... especially you."
    The man pulled the syringe from Joker's limb and threw it to
the ground, 
placing a bandage over the sore area with roughly applied force.
"Why?"
    Joker had a darkness held in that quivering voice of laughter.
"Well, 
you're working in an asylum for insane patients and—" He
stopped, holding his 
hand over his mouth as he felt chuckles oozing from his crimson
lips.
    "What?"  "The doc pulled Joker up by the collar as the guard
watched 
silently.  "Say it!"
    "You're the craziest one here!"  Joker laughed quite a while
following 
his outburst, his head drawn back as he looked up to the ceiling.
    "Shut up, you creep!"  He threw Joker down to the floor,
growing 
impatient. He walked over, not bothering to hold back anger.
"There's no 
surveillance camera in this room so I can destroy you down here.
No one 
would hear you."
    "Of course, my friend," Joker whispered wildly with anxious
eyes.  "That 
proves another point.  They won't see me kill off a lunatic like
you."
    "Shut up!"  He slapped Joker in the face.  "I'm not a lunatic
like you."
    "Me, a lunatic?  Very mistaken!  I am far more sane than you
realized."  
A dark grin formed at his mouth.  "In fact, I'm sane enough to
converse with 
a dead man."  Reaching his hand from behind his back, he pulled
out the 
syringe.
    The doctor's eyes widened in horror.
    "You should really keep an eye on your toys," Joker said with
a sneer, 
stabbing the doctor repeatedly in the chest.
    The guard watched, baffled.  Turning to the door, he broke out
in an 
instinctual sprint.  The ran ended, the guard pulling out his gun
as Joker 
jumped out in front of him.  Joker stabbed the syringe in the back
of his new 
victim's head before the guard could react.
    As he feel dead at Joker's feet, the psychopath jumped madly
about in 
steps and dances that were all his own.  He stopped to catch his
breath after 
all that exhilaration, feeling like a new man.  He walked toward
the dead 
doctor's body with a wide smile.  "Sometimes I don't know who runs
this 
place, Jeremiah or me."  This only sprouted his lively spirit once
more.  He 
looked toward the guard's corpse and merely coiled.  "I'm not even
going to 
speak to you."  More laughs were drawn as he busily exchanged
clothes with 
the doctor and marveled at his blood.

    "He's free again.  Free again to kill."
    Batman's eyes looked angrily into Jeremiah's as Gordon watched
with other 
police officers.  Jeremiah was truly more meek now than ever.
"Well, uh, 
he's usually good at things like this-"
    "Things like this?  He was in a private low security block.
Last time I 
was here he was locked down the way he should have been.  What
happened?"
    "W'well, rewarded privileges-"
    "Privileges?  People like him deserve nothing!"
    Jeremiah stared at his desk silently as he shifted his foot on
the ground.
    Gordon stepped forward and signaled Batman over.  "Batman..."
    Batman walked towards Gordon who placed a hand over his
shoulder and 
dragged him to the side.  "You've got to get this guy back before
he does 
anything harmful."
    Batman shook his head.  "You know it's impossible with him."
    "Yeah ... that's what I hate."  Gordon's cell phone started to
ring.  
Reaching over it, he flipped it on and then it off without
speaking into it.  
Smiling, he turned to Batman's direction.  "That's the best way
to-"
    Batman was gone, leaving no traces behind.
    Gordon shook his head.  "I made a New Years resolution to
watch that guy 
carefully.

    Harleen let out a sigh of self pity as she looked around her
house 
decorated with Pierrot masks, some dramatic, others more comical
pieces.  
Even though she was over with the Joker she still found the masks
as a solace 
to her loneliness.  It seemed noone wanted to talk to an ex-kook.
Then 
again, no one really talked to her before she went crazy.
    Sipping her coffee from her mug, she pulled the newspaper she
found on 
her doorstep up to her thighs.  Her eyes froze as she looked at
the cover- 
Joker Breaks Out.  Reading further, her mind jumbled as she read
of 
yesterday's event.
    She threw the paper to the coffee table.  The tip splashed in
the mug as 
she picked up the remote and started to look at the TV. The was no
time she 
wanted cable more than now.  All over the screen, he was there.
If not him, 
it was some guy talking about him.
    Harleen turned off the TV and ran a hand threw her hair.  It
had only 
been a while, but it was driving her crazy...

    "It's good to be home again."  Joker moved his hand through
his two 
hyena's thick coats as they yapped around him in hysteria.  He sat
back in 
his throne and stuffed his tie behind his purple suit.  Looking
around the 
big old toy factory felt more vast and fun then the asylum's
closed up cells.
    His three faithful clown thugs sat at a table playing cards
silently.  
Each seemed to be very confused on the games rules, let alone what
they were 
playing.  The Saturday sun peeked in from the blinds.
    Joker brought his legs together in his chair as he looked
around.  
"Something missing here... oh yeah!"  Leaping to his feet, he
jumped out of 
his throne and started to look around.  "Harl?  Harley girl!"  He
started to 
whistle up and down, looking under the most smallest the
definitely unlikely 
places she could be.  Grinning to himself, he snickered playfully.
"Oh, I 
see, one of her games.  Well, here I come my little-"
    "Boss, what are you doing?"  One of the henchmen asked with a
raised brow.
    "Looking for my faithful Harley, who else?"
    The three looked at each other, holding back laughter in fear
of Joker's 
hidden rage.
    "But boss," a second one spoke up, "remember? Harley left the
funny farm 
a long time ago."   
    Joker rubbed his chin as he approached the second clown,
smiling as he 
saw the fearful expression.  "Oh, yeah.  Thanks for reminding me.
My 
memory's not doing well, you know?"
    "Oh, of course, boss," he said in return, creating a smile of
his own.
    "You know what?  This is the perfect time for a reward."
    "A reward!  Thanks, boss!"
    "Yeah..." Joker walked up to his face with a sneer as he
pushed him to 
the hyenas.  Immediately they jumped on him and began to maul on
his clothes. 
 "Find her!"  He shouted to the others who dispersed quickly.
"Find her now!"
    They all left Joker, except for the one still struggling to
rise in the 
hyena's excitement.  A frown crossed his cheerful manner as he sat
in his 
throne.  His vision traveled toward a mannequin dressed in the
same motley as 
his Quinn.
    "Harley..." He said to himself.  "I don't give up my play
things easily."

    Bruce was nervous as his hands ran against the computer
keyboard.  It had 
been a week and Joker had already struck twice; once in a subway
and another 
at a mall. It seemed like no pattern this time, just purposeless
killing.  
Why was the killing so disorganized?  Bruce just felt it deep
down.  Batman 
felt it.
    "Well, sir, hard at work again?"  Alfred descended down the
staircase.
    "Of course, Alfred, what else?"  Bruce smacked his dry mouth
as he looked 
up and down the articles on his computer screen.
    "Sir, please, get some sleep."
    "Every time I sleep someone or many more could die."  Bruce
rubbed his 
cheek, noticing he was in drastic need for a shave.
    "Honestly, sir, it's as if you've transformed into some
vampire the older 
you get."
    "Personally, I like vampires, Alfred... Night calls to it
best."  Bruce 
held out his arms in a stretch.
    "Sir- GO TO BED."
    "Right, Alfred," Bruce said as he pushed his chair in.
"Besides, I think 
I know the best person to contact concerning the Joker."
    "Really?  Who?"
    "Who else?"  Bruce leaned closer to the computer screen and
clicked the 
mouse, producing Harley's photo.  "Harleen Quinzel, legally
declared sane 
October 9th, 1999."
    "Do you know where to contact her?"
    "I have all of her information right here."
    "Sir..."
    "I know, Alfred, I know.  But believe me, it's best to keep
tabs."
    "I guess so, sir.  Please retire now."
    "Right, Alfred."  He turned the computer off.  "Good night."

    Midnight reached the Joker's hideaway.  Sleep had not even
come close to 
invading his mind.  He was too busy thinking about Harley- pushing
Harley, 
kicking Harley, and manipulating Harley.  It was all of those lust
and power 
related things that made him feel more important than even his
underworld 
empire and the command of over millions of gases at his palms.
Lust, that 
dark yet delicious word.  Love?  Nah...
    "Hey, Joker, we found the good stuff on Harley."  The three
clods walked 
over to him with brown envelopes in the first one's hands, his
eyes noticably 
baggy under the grease paint from the tiring day.
    Joker leaned his cheek into his knuckle as he looked at the
records.  
Then, the dull look disappeared as his eyes lit up.  "Excellent!
Stupendous! 
 Looks pretty good, boys!"
    The trio looked at each other, grinning.
    Joker stood up from his throne and looked at the second clown
who quickly 
stood at attention.  Joker's eyes squinted with disapproval.
"Well, 
everyone, except you."  Then, he smiled with a fake shrug.  "I
guess I just 
don't like you today!"  He threw him in at the hyenas once more,
suffering 
from a sick prank of deja vu.
    The other two shifted thier curiousity on the boss as he left
the room.

    Harley covered her arms in the monstrous Gotham that gve a
strange dose 
of claustraphobia to her now.  It's once open and playful
atmosphere was now 
a gillotine held above her head.  She didn't want it anymore.
    Wait.  There, up in the sky along the range of the buildings
facing each 
other was The Batman swinging from one side to the other as if in
a speedy 
skulk.  The image brought fear to Harley's heart.  Even though she
was a 
rouge no longer she was still a hater of the dark knight himself.
    She found her feet moving faster along the pavement to go
further and 
further away.  She didn't want to deal with this, not now or ever.
Her heart 
raced until she finally cut a corner to an alleyway.  She ran her
left hand 
along the wall as she struggled to catch her breath.
    "Harley."
    Her essence seemed to jump farther than her body, looking
towards the 
caped crusader as he blocked the way out in the middle with a
garbage can 
along his side.
    "Harleen, please."  She said as she place her hand over her
stomach.  
Harleen Quinzel-"
    "Harley.  Harley Quinn."
    She felt as if she froze when he said that.  Frozed to death.
    "What do you know about Joker?"
    "I... I don't associate myself with him anymore."
    Batman took a strong hand and held her up to the wall.  His
eyes were 
unforgiving.  "Yes, you do.  You always will."
    "Please... leave me alone."  She felt his grip tighten and she
couldn't 
hold it in any long.  Those eyebrows curved.  Her sexy red lips
found charm 
in a growl.  She was Harley.  "You should learn how ta' treat a
lady, Bats."  
She kicked him in the groin, watching him let go and grab in pain.
Harley 
used the time to kick him in the face.  She watched him long
enough to see 
blood flow from his nose, turning to run away.
    "Your always going to be Harley Quinn!"  Batman outstretched
his hand 
after her.  Putting his other hand on his nose, he jumped at the
light sting. 
 Turning back to Harley's direction as she disappeared, he
sneered.  "Always."

    Harleen finally reached her apartment.  Feeling safe, she
locked the door 
and leaned against it.  Her eyes looked vaguely into space.
    The phone rang.  It made Harley step back as soon as her six
sense kicked 
in.  When logic came back, she was free to go.  A sigh of relief
was drawn as 
she moved towards it.  Taking slender digits to pick up the phone,
she 
brought forth a radiant personality in one word.  "Hello?"
    "Well, throw me in blood and give me a bath!  If it ani't old
Harlikins!"
    Silence drew from Harleen's end, finally gaining strength.
"W-who's 
this?"
    "Oh, now, Harley poo.  Why play games on the phone with old
Mister J?"
    "Mr. J... I mean, no, please, leave me alone."
    "Alone?  Well, that must be the wind!  I know it's been almost
a year 
since our last rendevous, and I just learned that it's been half a
year since 
you've been declared legally sane!  But that's only legally, my
dear.  
Inside, there's a dangerous, lovestruck buffoon!  Do who know who
that is?"
    Harley's innocent ears listened intentively to the phone.  It
was against 
her personal rules to talk to Joker.  Against her morals.  But she
still had 
to talk anyway, glued to the phone.  "No."
    "You!"  Joker said in ridiculous certainty.  "You, my dear
lovable Harley 
Quinn.  My lovely in witty diamonds of black and red."
    She moved her hand in her hair.  She didn't realize how
dependant she 
was.  "Mister J..."
    Joker become silent for a second, but his voice came back.
"Do it in 
that cutesy little voice you always do for your boss, okay?"
    She tried to dig it out, finding herself failing.  "I can't."
    Joker laughed a bit and then spoke up again.  "See,
Harley-girl?  With me 
the world is an array of purples and greens and reds and yellow
and blues... 
but alone, your world is just black and white."
    "Why are you doing this to me?"
    "It's for your own good, kiddo."  Joker seemed to look at his
watch.  
"Gotta' go, Harl.  Me and the boys are gonna' do some
gag-shopping.  If your 
looking for some laughs, come on down.  You know where to go."
    "Mistah J..." the voice seemed so hurt.
    "That's the spirit, Harl!"  Joker exclaimed in a motivational
shout, 
faking ignorance to the pain in her voice. Truly manipulative.
"Head down 
when you have the chance."  With that, the other line was hung and
Harley 
cried aloud to no one.

    It happened early that evening.  The exact time is never
important in 
Gotham City.
    There was no organization.  There was no JOKE.  Joker was
actually 
stressed out.  It brought even more stress to say it, but it was
true.  HE 
needed HER?  It had to be someone else's prank, but Joker knew it
wasn't.  He 
needed her for support, feeling good, and more reasons...
    "Boss, we're ready to go!"
    Joker awoke from his grasping thoughts.  He was in the back of
some club 
but didn't want to bother remembering.  Back here, out of the neon
lights and 
smoke machines, it was dim and lifeless other than the four back
there as 
they placed a series of bombs around the area.
    Joker waited, sighing as he sat on the floor.
    "This palce is gonna look great once it's remodel!"
    "Yeah... great."  Joker took his index finger and traced
Harley's face on 
the dust of the floor.  Standing up, he brushed himself off.
"Let's go see 
the explosion from a safe roof."
    "You're not going anywhere!"
    Joker looked up to his right, watching Batman enter.  "Oh
great... BATS!"
    Batman lunged forward from the darkness and towards Joker who
stepped out 
of the way, allowing his thugs to step in.  Penetrating punches
and blows 
eventually knocked Batman down.  As he laid on the floor he swept
one down 
with a grabbing hand.  He kicked another one in the groin as he
distracted looking at
the 
others.  Batman stood up and rubbed his neck, deepening his stance
as he 
heard the last one yell as he charged onward.  Batman moved in a
mocking yet 
solemn manner out of the way, letting the clown ram his head into
the wall 
and fall, temporarily knocked out.
    Joker started to run out.  "Don't worry about him, kids- that
bat's been 
in my belfry for years."  The other two ran quickly behind him,
followed by 
their late partner groping in pain.
    Batman turned to the bomb.  Great, the hard part.  There was
always a new 
surprise in Joker's explosive arsenal.  Batman bent down and
looked at the 
arrangement of the wires.  They seemed so simple, too simple.
Taking his 
hands warily in skill, he moved about detaching wires carefully.
It wasn't 
long before he reached the final wire.  Sweat dropped from his
forehead as he 
kept his gaze on the job.  Slowly, he lifted the pliers from his
utility belt 
and-"
    The timer froze, concluding with it's screen numbers quickly
fading out.
    His lips showed no relief or pride.  They did, however, hold
another 
remote feeling.  Disappointment.  Where was all the work and the 
determination?  What happened to Gotham's greatest criminal?
    Batman remembered placing one of his bat-tracers on Joker's
van outside 
during his arrival.  Pulling his scanner from his belt, he
marveled at the 
blinking red dot as it moved on to it's unholy den.
    They were about to have an unwanted guest.

    Harleen cringed up to the corner of her living room.  What
happened to 
that strong woman with the stinging blue eyes?  Her fingers danced
across her 
tear drizzled cheeks.  "No, not because of him," she told herself.
"I was my 
own person, my own spirit, just like the old times.  But just like
the old 
times, I'm completely miserable..."
    All of this over one phone call.  The phonecall.
    She looked at the shards of the mirror that she had just
smashed in her 
subsiding rage.  She looked to see her, sighing when all she could
see was 
the grinning angel in bells.
    Then she realized she was seeing herself.

    Joker seemed to become a statue as he sat on his throne,
feeling the 
power still in it but the fun deeply drained.  His mouth didn't
crack a smirk 
at the ignorance trailing from the simpletons even in a normal
game of pool.  
Pulling his head under his folded arms, he wished that the world
could fade 
away, at least for a while.
    The smashing of a window came high from the rooftop.  Batman
glided 
calmly down, spiraling a bat-ring to a large toy plane on the
roof.  The 
plane fell down, drawing the trio's attention to get out of the
way.  It 
crushed the pool table.
    "Oh, come now, Bats, not you again!  Don't you see I'm too sad
to come 
out today?"
    Batman smirked.  "Don't worry, Joker.  I can injure you just
as much 
inside."
    "Unlike your death, which will be loud and gruesome!"
Whistling from his 
fingertips, he stepped back as his henchmen went to do the work.
    They flew to Batman, knocking him repeatedly with hard blows.
It didn't 
take long to see blood stream but Batman remained standing.
    "Hell, what is he made out of?" one of them shouted as he
slammed two 
clasped fists on Batman's bending back.
    Batman snatched the guys arm.  "Here, let me show you."
Batman took a 
knee to the man's stomach, a force so strong the guy started to
vomit blood.  
Putting his hand in the clown's blood,  Batman took his fingertips
and shoved 
it up his nose, suffocating him.  "See?  Same stuff as you."
    "You're even more psycho than the boss!" another one shouted
as he looked 
at the battered Bat.  Before he could say more, Batman grabbed the
him and 
the last one, slamming their heads together and removing them from
reality 
for a while.
    Joker looked towards Batman and felt a feeling alien to him.
What was 
it?  Fear?  He was actually fearing the Bat of all things.  Just
great.
    "It's over!"  Batman shouted as he approached.
    "He was right ... you are crazier ... crazier than me."
    Batman shook his head with a smirk.  "You're not crazy at all,
Joker, but 
you sure are driving a man farther over the edge than necessary."
    "Hey, Bats, lets talk this over, mono-"
    Batman lifted Joker up violently with his gripping hand.  "I
prefer my 
options only.  It's over, Joker.  Over again."
    Joker closed his eyes as he expected Batman's closed hand to
redesign his 
face.
    The loud "clank" sound was heard in the darkness of his shut
lids.
    Batman fell quickly, his grip loosening from around Joker's
neck.  
Staggering around, Joker looked at the world which now seemed so
fuzzy.  He 
turned toward Bats on the ground, knocked out cold.  His eyes
slowly lifted 
from the black cape to the black and red spandex hovering over.
Rubbing 
through his green hair, he kept going up until he looked into
forever 
beautiful and naive blue eyes.  A lead pipe was bounced lightly up
and down 
her thigh as she grinned.  "Opps."

End