An Unhealthy Attachment

A/N - Wow, my subconscious must be constantly riddled with thoughts about TDK, because I have been having THE craziest dreams for the past few days. My first one was kinda "scary", because I was surfing the net and saw a lemon for Bruce/Rachel, and I was like "Ewww, no thanks!", but for some reason I ended up clicking on it anyway. All of a sudden I was Rachel, and I was completely naked (ack!) and standing outside of Wayne Manor. Yeeeah, 'cause that ain't weird... lol Well anywhos, it's raining, so I decide to sneak inside. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) for me, the doors are all open (great sense of security, Alfred!), so I sneak inside what happens to be Bruce's bedroom and he's sleeping naked on his couch. I scream (without waking him up somehow) and dive under his bed, and I see that he's got a friend unpacking in boxer shorts. According to his brief case, his name is Zit Fogleburg. Um...WHAT? Anywhos, Zit ends up discovering me, and Bruce crawls under the bed to get me, and I'm like "Omg, wtf, BACK OFF", and then he dies or something, and I'm like "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, BRUUUUCE!", and I give him a hug, and then...he turns into Mr. J. I only realize it's him, because I pull away and go "Ewww", because there's white face paint all over my cheek. XD And my clothes were back on by this point, so I wasn't cold anymore. lol

My second dream was a lot less weird, but no less deprecating for my insanity. I was waiting in line to sit in the Joker's lap (yes, you heard...er...read right), because apparently he was taking place of Santa Claus in the mall. Anywhos, once I hop in his lap, I start rambling on and on about what I want (and no, you perverts I did NOT say him, bwuahaha), and then I wake up...and I'm giggling. Now THAT was weird. I've never woken up laughing before. lol

But anywhos, I apologize for taking so long with this chapter, but for some reason it was just SO hard to write! Guess I should've mentioned beforehand how TERRIBLE I am at cranking chapters out that involve either love-makin', reunions, or looong, drawn-out stories. So yeah...stuff happens. Hopefully it was worth the wait! :)

CH 4: The Rebirth

"Get movin'."

Scowling at the thug over her shoulder, Rachel begrudgingly allowed him to goad her up a flight of stairs as the Joker giddily led the way. They were clearly inside an abandoned apartment complex, but why the goons had chosen such a dilapidated hell-hole to reside in was beyond her.

Finally stopping in front of a room with half its numbers missing from the door, the Joker dramatically gestured toward it before revealing, "This, my dear Miss Quinzel, is your new home."

"Gee, thanks" Rachel grumbled. "Why can't I just live where I did before my accident?"

"Because it's been taken up by new lodgers...you don't think-uh much, do you?" the Joker taunted. With a dramatic flick of the wrist, he pushed the door open while exclaiming, "Tah-daaaaaah! Pretty nice digs for a former crim-in-al, wouldn't you agree, Miss Quinzel?"

Positively speechless, Rachel entered the perfectly refurbished room and gazed around her, her mouth hanging open as she whispered, "It's...it's beautiful! You've even got furniture in here...it's almost like it's never been abandoned!"

"Yeeeeah" the Joker purred, "nice walls, too...buh-lood red."

Suddenly freezing at his words, Rachel held herself for support as she promtply turned away from him. Just as she did so, her eyes fell upon a row of trinkets until her gaze zeroed in on a golden object in the far corner. "What's that?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Oh, that?" the Joker innocently fished. "Hm, funny you should pick up on that, beautiful, 'cause that's the first key to your past." Now motioning for the thug to leave them, the Joker plodded over toward the object and lifted it up to the light.

To Rachel's breathless excitement, she discovered that it was a music box, the ornately trimmed glass shimmering as the Joker pushed back on the gold lid. Cocking her head to the side, Rachel smiled as a soft, whimsical melody began washing over her senses, her eyes closing as she sought to remember a face, a smell...anything that could possibly bring her back in touch with her past.

Suddenly snapping the lid shut, the Joker grinned at her while asking, "Did you have a nice lit-tle stroll down memory lane?"

"No, I...I found nothing" Rachel confessed, her teeth gnawing into her lip as she watched him place the music box back down. "Couldn't I just look at it a while longer?"

Irritated by her wide-eyed inquisitiveness, the Joker took her roughly by the shoulder and sat her down in front of the TV. The horrified look on her face caused him to grin, his serpentine tongue swabbing his lips as he continued to keep her in his firm grip.

"Y-you're hurting me" Rachel hissed, a wince tearing across her features as she struggled within his grasp. "Hey, are you deaf? I said you're hurting me!"

Growling, the Joker slammed her back so hard that her head cracked against the wall, his face now mere inches from her own as he snarled, "This doesn't even compare to the pain you'll be feeling when I'm through with you!"

Quivering, Rachel moved to give a feeble apology, but the Joker had already released her and had a seat in the beat-up chair by the lamp.

Crossing his legs, the Joker leaned back in his seat before purring, "Sooo, I guess you're won-der-ing when I'll tell you about your past, hm?"

Surprised by his sudden change of mood, Rachel warily nodded as she rubbed the tender spot on her head. "Yes" she admitted, "that would be nice, considering how you've taken me to Gotham against my will."

The Joker grinned. "Ooh, do I detect some good old-fashioned resentment, Miss Quinzel? I suppose I don't have to tell you what happened..."

Positively livid, Rachel slammed her fist against the arm of the couch amidst her frustration, her eyes ablaze as she shouted, "Look, I don't know who I am, I'm in a strange, frightening place surrounded by strange, frightening goons like you, my body aches, my mind is still cloudy from those damn drugs you gave me, and I'm so scared that I could just curl up in a little ball and cry! Now with that said, would you please just cut the crap and fill me in!?"

Although a tirade like this would've normally sent the Joker rushing for his knives, he found that he could feel nothing but amusement at the mixture of terror and rage on Rachel's face. With his scarred lips curling up into a wide grin, laughter bubbled within his throat until it escalated into a fevered burst of giggles.

Furious at the Joker's reaction, Rachel moved to give another long-winded speech when he suddenly reached into his blazer pocket, his laughter sending a shiver up her spine as he withdrew a crumpled piece of paper. "Here we are" he purred, "just what the doc-tor ordered..."

Snatching it before he could change his mind, Rachel hurriedly unfolded the parchment with trembling fingers. Now lifting it up to the light so that she could discern the writing, she gasped as she read:

My dearest Harleen,

Please don't be frightened or lose heart, because you know that your father and I will always believe in you. After your bank heist with the Joker, Batman kidnapped us and is holding us hostage until you show yourself, so I am sorry to say that this isn't a note inquiring about your health. I obviously can't say too much since he's dictating practically everything I write, but please know that your father and I love you very much.

Love Always,

Mom and Dad

Trembling, Rachel lowered the note before gazing over at the Joker, her blue eyes glimmering with revulsion as she whispered, "H-how can this be true? I thought your other note said they were killed in a gang crossfire..."

The Joker rolled his eyes. "I know what I said, Miss Quinzel, but I happen to say I whole lot of things. There was no need to let that fuh-oxy nurse know the truth about Gotham's belov-ed bat."

"Well how did you get this?" Rachel pressed. "This doesn't seem like something I'd willingly share with just anyone..."

The Joker grinned, his tongue laving his lips in an almost lascivious manner as he agreed, "Just anyone, no, but you and I...we had something spe-cial. You'd tell me anything since I'd always get the joke."

Choosing to ignore the suggestive look he was giving her, Rachel furrowed her brows before asking, "Then if all of this is really true, what did Batman do to my parents? Was I able to rescue them in time?"

The Joker giggled. "Nope-uh, not by a long-shot, beautiful. The Bat had a trap set up in some abandoned warehouse with your parents inside, but what you didn't know was that it was rigged to explode as soon as you'd enter. Long story short, the Bat won."

"Then...that was my accident?"

The Joker nodded. "Yep, you guessed it, kid...and people say blondes aren't smart!" Giggling at his terrible joke, he then leaned back in his seat before sustaining, "I was a few blocks away to make sure everything went off without a hitch, so when I saw the ex-plosion, I was able to call in my men to get you out of there before it was too late-uh."

Feeling a strong sense of gratitude wash over her, Rachel stared back at him in amazement as she realized he really must have a heart underneath all those scars and make-up. "Then you were the one who saved me" Rachel surmised, a smile stretching across her lips despite her desire to cover it. "I must admit that I didn't believe you capable of performing such a good deed, but perhaps I was wrong..."

Curling his lips into a disgusted scowl, the Joker rose to his feet before announcing, "Alriiiighty then, times up beautiful, no more twenty questions -- I don't do well with discussing feelings and other girly crap, so I think I'll just slip on out before you start crying, or something."

"But what about Batman?" Rachel pressed.

"Well what about him? He's a rat who can fly."

"No, no, that's not what I meant" she irritably persisted. "After all you've told me tonight, do you honestly just expect me to lie down and go to sleep? I need to see Batman and straighten things out once and for all."

The Joker smirked. "Uuh, I don't think you wanna do that..."

"Why not?"

"Well for one, you don't have your memory intact...wouldn't wanna make an ass of yourself, hmm?"

Frowning, Rachel spat, "I don't care! I can't just wait for a stupid memory to come when the man who killed my parents is still running free! Now either you help me find him, or I'll go hunt him down myself!"

The Joker giggled. "Ah, Miss Quinzel, you never change, do you? When will you learn that you can't just erase everything with some mag-i-cal little visit? The Bat wants you to find him, 'cause it's human nature to desire the upperhand. Seeing you so bent out of shape will just bolster his ego, beautiful...it'll make him feel goood." Licking his lips, the Joker began to play with his medium-sized switch blade, his pointer fingers supporting either end as he steadily moved it back and forth. As Rachel watched on with a morbid fascination, he grinned down at her while sustaining, "In a world full of people spurred onward by the thought of winning, you'll soon discover that they will do an-y-thing to keep from losing. Take the Bat, for example: he saw how successful we were becoming in our craft, so he decided to put a hitch in our dynamic duo by causing you to lose what you loved most...your parents. With you soon out of the way, I was easily defeated and carted off for a de-light-ful little vacation at Arkham Asylum." Giggling at the memory, he now trained his predatory eyes upon Rachel's silent form, the actions with his knife ceasing entirely as he revealed, "In the long run, Miss Quinzel, I truly believe that we'll find out who are friends really are. With a helping push from our lit-tle friend disaster, man becomes primal...panicked, and only worried about their own survival. When it's just down to you and your closest confidant, you'd better buh-lieve that your safety isn't the one they're concerned with."

By now Rachel was visibly quivering, her head shaking as she insisted, "But that can't be true, because there are those who are inherently good..."

"Humans are inherently evil, Miss Quinzel, and it would seem that I'm the only one willing to embrace what I truly am." Now turning in order to make his leave, the Joker leered at her over his shoulder before purring, "Pleas-ant dreams, my Harley Quinn...I hate to just leave you after our lit-tle chat, but I've got people to maim, places to destroy. Tah-taaah!"

Watching him egress the apartment with wide eyes, Rachel then glanced over toward the clock on the mantle as she realized what she must do.

--

"Hey, thank God you're finally awake...you had us all worried sick, and far more so than usual."

Collette's lips turned upward into a groggy smile. "Murray, if you're sick, you shouldn't be working...you should know that by now."

Mirroring her smile, the orderly touched her hand as he asked, "Is there anything I can get you? Water? Food? A personal masseuse?"

Chuckling despite the pain, Collette nodded once before agreeing, "Actually yes, there is one thing you can do for me if it's not too much trouble..." When Murry gave his eager assent, she urged, "Harleen Quinzel...tell me where she is. What's happened to her?"

Murray appeared to be rather flustered, for this was obviously a sore spot amongst the entire hospital. Shaking his head, he regrettably confessed, "I-I dunno, but I swear to you that we're doing everything in our power to get her back. We've released a code red kidnapping alert, but so far we've come up completely empty-handed."

"Well what about England's neighboring countries?" Collette pressed. "I was under the impression that her captor wasn't a native..."

Murray sighed. "Look, can we just drop this for now? It's not good for your vitals to be worrying about something you have no control of, so just lie back and get some rest."

"Rest? Murray, I've been out for what feels like days! Why on earth would I need some rest when I was practically hibernating!?"

Sighing, Murray briefly reflected on why this was exactly why he wasn't married, his hand patting her own as he agreed, "Alright fine, I'll go get someone to come in and keep you company, but in the meantime, please just try to relax."

As Collette watched him leave, she scowled because she had the distinct feeling that he wasn't coming back. One way or the other, she would find Harleen, and that much she was sure of.

--

Slipping into a black, long-sleeved shirt and pants that she'd found in her closet, Rachel then put on an equally black set of footwear before surveying herself in the mirror.

'Hm, well that doesn't really scream intimidating' she thought, a frown gracing her lips as she continued to gaze back at the small, innocent-looking blonde standing before her. 'I suppose I could use a more convincing disguise...'

Taking the bottom of her shirt, Rachel ripped it up the front and took out a large strip that ended just beneath her breasts. Folding it over twice, she then cut out two holes for her eyes and placed the band directly over top of them, her nimble fingers tying the bandana-like mask into a knot until it stayed firmly in place.

Although this was a slight improvement, Rachel still felt like something was missing from her ensemble. As she gazed back at her reflection, the Joker's nickname for her suddenly came to mind... Harley Quinn.

She frowned.

Harley Quinn? But what did that even...? Oh! Harlequin!

Grinning over her discovery (not to mention the Joker's great sense of irony), Rachel opened up the mirror in order to sift through the medicine cabinet. Finding liquid black eyeliner and a tube of harlot-red lipstick, she quickly set to work on transforming her 'girl-next-door' look into something far more memorable.

After coloring in her lips with the vibrant red, Rachel took the eyeliner and drew a pattern of four small diamonds in the shape of a larger one by her right eye. Now gazing back at herself with a sense of accomplishment, Rachel couldn't help but grin in triumph. Tonight was the night that Batman would pay for his reprehensible deeds once and for all...

A/N - Dun dun DUNNNNNNN Hahaha, Rachel's an ee-diot! Since she only has the Joker's story, I suppose it's only natural that she'd believe him, but she's still a fool. :-P I'm guessing that chapter seven will be the true turning point of the story, because this time around I'm actually PLANNING what I'm writing. Wow! A new record for me! :-D Maybe by the next time I post I'll have some more freaky dreams to share, hehehe.