Chapter Text
Guy Kopski smiled as he watched his partner of three years, Harleen Quinzel, talk with her brother, Tyler. She was attempting to get ready and was in the process of painting her face whilst she complained about the benefit they would be attending. It was a masquerade ball to celebrate Commissioner Loeb’s many years of service and Harleen hated that she had to go to represent Arkham Asylum. He was happy to attend these events with Harleen because he knew that without him, she normally said something that would get her into trouble at work.
“Though because it’s a masquerade ball, no one will know it is me which means I can avoid all the board members of Arkham and their pointless questions that only Jeremiah Arkham would know.” Harleen complained as she finished painting her face and started on her eye makeup. Her brother groaned. By the sounds of it, Harleen had been sat complaining about tonight for a good while completely forgetting about the time zone difference between her and her brother. Guy ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the wall.
“Harleen, do you have any idea what time it is here in England? I know you haven’t lived in your home country since you were seventeen but come on. You can complain to me tomorrow about all the boring Americans... Although you live in Gotham City, blondie! I doubt your night will be boring.” Tyler pointed out. Harleen rolled her eyes at her brother, shaking her head. Her light blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun to keep it out of her face.
“It’s a benefit for a police commissioner, Ty! The place will be crawling with cops! Gotham may be filled with crazy people but no one is that crazy.” Harleen reminded him, putting the finishing touches on her makeup. Guy smiled, he was an extremely lucky man to have someone like Harleen in his life. Beautiful, smart and witty in a different way that only a few people understand. She was a brilliant doctor despite the fact that she is more focused on writing a book on the criminals of Gotham. Deep down, he knew that she all she wanted to do is to help the people she writes about.
“You have a guy called the Mad Hatter and someone dresses like a Bat to fight them. But you're the doctor of psychology not me. I'll talk to you tomorrow and you can complain about tonight all you want. Love you, blondie.”
“Love you too, Ty. Give my love to Annie,” Harleen said, hanging up on her brother. She smiled at Guy in the mirror, “you need to start ready or we will be late.” She pulled her hair out of the band and it fell free past her shoulders in loose curls. Guy knew talking to her brother always made Harleen a mixture of emotions. She was close to her brother despite them living in two different countries and speaking to him always made her feel homesick. Harleen had moved to Gotham with her family when she was seventeen. When she was eighteen, her father had died in mugging. Harleen had stayed in Gotham due to her scholarship to Gotham University but her brother and her mother had gone back to England.
“Come here.” He smiled. Harleen turned and walked over to him. She looked different with her face painted white, her eyes framed with black and her lips painted black as well. She looked mysterious and deadly. He wrapped his arms around her, his left hand on the black corset she was wearing and his right on her back between her shoulder blades. He held her close, breathing in her perfume and stroking her soft skin.
“What?” She asked, biting her lip teasingly. He knew by now that kissing her just after she had done her makeup always resulted in smudged lipstick and late attendance.
“I just wanted to tell you that you look beautiful. Tonight will be fun, we will have lots of alcohol and just enjoy ourselves. Now let me help get you in your dress.”
-
“Remember to blend in, no one can know we are there till I find the exact moment to strike.” The Joker explained to his men as they sat in the back of the van. All of them were dressed in tuxedos and suits with masks at the ready. He had been planning this for months, the exact moment to get rid of Commissioner Loeb. He was sick of having to abide by the Commissioner’s guidelines. The Commissioner and the GCPD needed to understand that this city was his and not theirs. The van stopped outside the back entrance of the Wayne Enterprises building where the benefit was being held. Most of his men were dressed like the cater waiters and would make sure that nothing happened to him. The Joker placed the wig on top of his head to cover his hair and placed the mask over his face. No one would know he was there until he wanted them to.
“Let's go have some fun.”
-
Harleen had been here for nearly two hours and was bored out of her mind. The room was packed with masked men and women getting drunk and enjoying themselves. Masks gave everyone a sense of anonymity which allowed a lot of people to act like morons. She could recognise some of the staff from the asylum even under their masks. She could spot Commissioner Loeb who seemed to be loving all the attention from the benefit for the GCPD. Despite the fact that he was probably one of the most hated men in Gotham that wasn't constantly fighting the Batman, she knew the rumours that he often took bribes from the criminals of Gotham to overlook their activities or let them off from their crimes. The only person not wearing a mask was Bruce Wayne and didn’t seem to mind that everyone could see who he was. Bruce Wayne was a tall and well built man, with dark hair and dark blue eyes. He was always friendly to her whenever they met. She really liked his butler, Alfred who was also from England and often would come round to the Wayne Manor for tea with him whenever she felt homesick or had a bad day. I should go round soon, it’s been a while. Harleen looked up at Guy, grateful that he was here by her side. Guy was a tall and muscled man with tanned skin, dark hair and grey eyes that look like the sky during a thunderstorm. He was doing his residency for his MD at Gotham General Hospital in the children’s cancer ward. She met Guy Kopski when she was already in her first year of medical school and had helped him decide which area of medicine he should study. Harleen was glad to have someone like Guy in her life, someone normal and stable. He gave her life the slice of normality she needed within the chaos of being a doctor at Arkham Asylum. He looked handsome in a simple black suit with a red tie and a black and red mask covering his eyes to match her dress.
“I would recognise that blonde hair any day.” Thomas Elliott's voice sounded behind her. Harleen smiled and turned to hug her friend. Doctor Elliot was a renowned surgeon and worked with Guy at the hospital. He was a couple of inches taller than Guy but they were a similar build, he had red hair and bright blue eyes, a tanned complexion and was an extremely friendly man even if he did have a bit of temper. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a white mask.
“Thomas! I’m so glad you’re here.” Harleen smiled up at him. He let her go and shook hands with Guy.
“Couldn’t miss this a chance to see the two of you outside the hospital. But you, my dear, look bored. Mind if I steal her for a dance?” Thomas asked. Guy was not much of a dancer and never had an issue with her dancing with others at these things.
“Not at all. I think I spotted a few of the doctors from the hospital. Don't wear her out and keep your hands to yourself, Tom!” Guy joked as he walked away. Thomas led her to the dance floor, the classic music getting louder and he started to waltz with her slowly. His hand on the small of her back and he held her hand softly. His touch was familiar and friendly. He smiled at her as they danced.
“How is work?” Thomas asked. Harleen laughed softly, shaking her head.
“Why does everyone want to know about work?” She asked. Everywhere she went at the moment since Jonathan Crane, her mentor, tried to poison Gotham with a fear toxin. It was due to his recommendation that she had her job at Arkham Asylum but everyone wanted to know what Crane had really been like. She had no idea how many times she had spoken to several GCPD officers about him. Crane may have been her mentor but she had always got the sense that he wished to be something more. Now he was a patient at the Asylum, the only patient of Doctor Arkham who took it upon himself to try and make his friend sane again.
“Because you’re the new exciting doctor that was the student of Doctor Crane before he went Scarecrow. But I guess that’s all everyone wants to talk about.”
“You think? I can’t remember the last time I was asked a question that wasn’t about the asylum or Crane. I just-”
“Want to work in peace. I understand. How are you though?” Thomas asked. Harleen sighed.
“I’m bored, Thomas. Guy is barely at home at the moment. Doctor Arkham won’t trust me a patient of my own. I have probably had a session with every single patient in that asylum. Only a handful of them have I had more than once. It just makes me restless. I want excitement, I want to something to make my life feel like it has meaning. Get what I mean?” Thomas nodded.
“You should have become a surgeon. Plenty of excitement there,” Thomas joked. Harleen laughed as the music stopped, “you still dance beautifully. I’m sure that will be the first of many.”
“As long as I can have the next dance?” A new voice sounded beside them, it was soft, sexy and made her want to smile. There was something so familiar about his voice but she couldn't place it. Harleen looked up at the owner of the voice. He was tall and slim, wearing a black tuxedo with a white shirt, bow tie and white gloves. His mask was a full faced one that looked a skull with little black cracks along it with golden swirls around to emphasis his eyes and jawline. He had painted the skin around his eyes white to blend it. He had beautiful green eyes that she just couldn’t look away from, it was like he was staring into her soul.
“As long as the lady doesn’t mind, I don’t.” Thomas said just as the music started up again. This time the musicians were playing something a little darker and a little sexier. A song that she shouldn’t be dancing with a stranger.
“Of course not.” Harleen smiled at him. Thomas nodded, walking away despite the anxious look she could see in his eyes. This was not the first time a stranger had asked her to dance at a benefit but there was something about this man that was dark, mysterious, dangerous and sexy. Harleen felt his hand on her waist and he gripped her hand tight. As he pulled her in closer, his hand slid from her waist to the small of her back. His eyes never left hers as he started to dance with her along to the song. He was talented at dancing, he knew exactly how to lead her and even put a few spins and dips in their dance.
“We’ve never met, have we?” Harleen asked. She felt his laughter more than heard it.
“No, I don't believe we have. I think I would remember those eyes and that smile.” Harleen looked away, biting on her lower lip softly.
“What's your name then?” Harleen asked, wanting to know if she actually knew the man under that mask.
“Tell me yours.” He demanded.
“Why do you want to know my name?”
“Same reason you want to know mine,” he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “intrigue.” She laughed softly.
“I'm Harleen,” she smiled, “and yours?” This time he laughed.
“If you make a deal with the devil-”
“The devil? And what makes you the devil? Aside from the narcissistic personality and the voice that sounds like you could charm the coldest of hearts.” Harleen interrupted him. His voice made her want to melt and listen to anything he had to say, despite the voice in her head that told her to stop and walk away. But there was something about him that pulled her in. There was something that Harleen hadn’t felt between herself and someone else that wasn’t Guy in years - sexual tension. She had no idea if he could sense the tension between the two of them. But she found herself longing for him to keep talking and dancing with her.
“Ooooh so academic.” He teased, purring in her ear softly.
“Well yes, I am a doctor.” She admitted.
“Oh really? At Gotham General? I did wonder how you knew old Tommy boy.” I wish I could see who was under that mask because if he knows Thomas, then I must have met him at some point.
“I met Thomas at med school, but I’m not a doctor at Gotham General.” She said, shaking her head.
“So where are you a doctor?” He asked. Harleen sighed.
“Arkham.”
“How delightful? I know Arkham well.” Harleen frowned slightly. Do I know you?
“How?” She asked. He laughed softly in her ear, it was mocking and dark, sending shivers down her spine. But it was so familiar and she recongised it but she couldn’t place it.
“If I told you that, Harleen,” he stopped dancing as the song ended, leaning in and whispered in her ear, “I would have to kill you.” Harleen looked up at him and laughed softly.
“You’re funny. I just wish I knew who you were.”
“You already do. Save me a dance for later, Doctor Harleen.” He bowed her head to him and walked away. Harleen bit down on her lower lip. She walked back to the edge of the dance floor where Guy and Thomas was waiting for her. She couldn’t tell whether Guy was frowning at her due to his mask but the fact his jawline was tensed, she knew he was not happy.
“Who was that?” Guy asked, his tone short and she knew he was irritated. Harleen looked back into the crowd, trying to spot him amongst the masked faces.
“I don’t know.” But I wish I did.
-
As the Joker walked away from his dance with the intoxicating Doctor Harleen, he tried to focus on the real task at hand. But the pretty blue eyed doctor kept pushing her way into his mind. It had been the black and red dress similar to a Harlequin design that hugged her figure with a slit up the left side that caught his attention. Her light blonde hair had been left free flowing and she had worn long gloves over her elbows with her dress. The white face paint had showed off her defined cheekbones and jawline, her full lips had been painted black and a black mask had framed her eyes. Her large blue eyes had been so inviting to him, showing him all kinds of things she was capable of. There is a monster inside of her wanting to come out. She can spot the darkness in others because she is capable of so much herself. He shook his head as he walked up to one of his men who was in a full faced white mask like all the waiters and bartenders were. He couldn’t tell which one of them was under the mask but he knew the moment he said the word, the fun would begin.
“I think it is about time the real entertainment arrived.” The Joker ordered. He looked around the room and saw all his men pull out the weapons they had brought with them. They fired shots into the air and he removed his mask and the wig, dropping the wig and leaving the mask on the table. People started screaming and running the moment the shots were fired.
“Everybody calm down!” He shouted, people stopped screaming and running, clearing a way in the middle of the room for him and his men to enter. All the different masked people made it difficult to spot anyone of interest, he could not spot the real man he came to see as he walked into the center of the room. However, the alluring Doctor Harleen was watching the events with her large blue eyes and a look of surprise and deep interest. A man that must only be the doctor’s partner was holding onto her like he was scared that she would run up to him. Stop clinging onto her like that, she doesn’t belong to you, pathetic.
“Where is Commissioner Loeb? Hand him over and no one else needs to get hurt.” Silence fell after his order. People looking at each other, trying to figure out what they should do. The Joker smiled, the silence before the chaos was one of his favourite things. Someone moved through the crowd and stepped into the space, removing their masks. The Joker smiled as Commissioner Loeb approached him. Time is over with your games, Loeb. I know you’re having me followed and I am sick of trying to move under your gaze.
“What do you want, Joker?” Loeb asked. Though his voice was strong, the Joker could see the fear in his eyes and on his face. He was scared that the Joker would reveal his own criminal activities. But what he had planned was so much worse. The GCPD officers were a lot easier to spot now with their masks removed, they looked tense and ready for fight. You would be stupid to start a fight here, I have more men and none of mine are in tuxedos.
“I just want to talk. I know normally, I do not get involved with politics and other people’s crimes but yours are starting to get into my way-”
“I do not know what you’re talking!” Loeb interrupted, the Joker laughed. His laughter bouncing off the walls and echoed in the hall.
“You need to stop lying to everyone. Remember last week when one of my men paid you off to look the other way when my men raided the Gotham City Bank? Or last month, when you ‘misplaced’ the security footage from the GCPD when I managed to ‘escape’. We would be here for hours if I listed all your criminal activities,” he placed a hand on Loeb’s shoulder, his other hand had a knife in it and he pressed it against Loeb’s face, “I just want you out of my wa-”
“BOSS! THE BAT!” The Joker span to face Batman and smiled.
“Sorry Bats, you’re too late.” He waved his hand at him, showing him and the room the hand buzzer. Loeb fell to the ground, his mouth stretched into a smile as he laughed, his eyes bulging as the toxin reached his heart. The room had erupted into chaos, the Joker’s men fighting the Bat and several of the police officers that had removed their masks in order to be able to fight his men. He spotted Lieutenant James Gordon and Detective Harvey Bullock, the two lead officers on most of his crimes. Other guests were running and screaming trying to figure a way out of the room before they got caught in the cross fires. One of his men handed him a gun as he waited for the Bat to come and fight him. He enjoyed these moments, the chaos that ensued from something he had planned and he lived for it. By killing Commissioner Loeb, he had opened the door for a new Gotham and he hoped that this one would be so much more entertaining. He turned, throwing his head back and laughing at the beautiful mess he had designed. He stopped spinning and looked up to see Bats standing in front of him. He opened his mouth to say something but the Bat grabbed him and punched him in the stomach.
“You’re so full of surprises, it’s like you let me kill Commissioner Loeb. You knew that he was just as crooked as all of us.” The Joker laughed, trying to aim the gun at the Bat. The Bat grabbed his wrist, twisting it so the gun fell out his grip. Batman kneed the Joker in the stomach, winding him and he fell down to the ground. He looked around the room, most of the people had left the room apart from the few officers that were arresting his men. He didn’t see the point of continuing the fight that he clearly wasn’t going to win. If he hadn’t gotten distracted by the doctor, he could have been gone several hours before.
“You will pay for murdering him, Joker, but for now, you are going back to Arkham where you belong.” The Bat informed him, as he grabbed his arms and handcuffed him. Bats pulled him up off his knees and he looked around the room. He noticed that his mask had gone from the table. He smiled, licking his lips. Now this is going to be so much fun.