take me in- throw out my heart

so we burst into colors and carousels.
fall head first like paper plans in playground games.
next thing, we're touching.

----

The wince.. he noticed it distinctively. As well the fact she knew about his wounds. The nature of them. And she even knew where he was and what he was doing. All very interesting considering the lack of power meant also a lack of communication. He'd stare at her with that one eye, blinking a few heavy times before searching for something to say. He was picking and choosing his words carefully, despite the fact he knew well enough that he had enough control over Harley even in his current state to dare call her out on things. His voice etched like gravel as he took that sinister tone, or atleast tried through the sore and broken throat of his. "You sure seem.. to.. ah.." He'd pause and feign a sign of pain again, gathering himself up with a slight cough before speaking. "Know a lot about what Batman's up to.. what without television or.. radio." A dead stare her direction, a look of utter murder coming across his face to show he was displeased with what he was imagining.

She curled into herself a little bit more, almost pushing him away from her as she tried to escape him, but she was tired and it showed on her face. She hadn't slept since the fall she took from the Earthquake, and even then it was only a few hours. She refused to sleep when he was unconscionable, she was tending to him at all times. And even when she dared to curl up next to him, she couldn't bring herself to sleep. She was too distracted by the different moments in his breathing to even bring herself to remain sleeping. She had just laid next to him until the sunlight had peaked up. "I wasn't with ya when I fell --- where do you think I'd end up?" She looked down, she tried not to snap at him. The fact that she was so tired made her such a bad liar. "When the building was collapsing he grabbed me . . .and I was separated from you."

"Annnd then... I suppose he held you under penalty of death to tend to his wound that you knew so well about, and go searching for this mysterious woman. Yes.. Harley.. clearly you were under arrest about him." He'd actually sigh and give up his hold on her, falling back into the pillow with a pathetic groan of annoyance at merely thinking of Harley being chummy with Batman. She could have contained him, kept him controlled until she atleast found him. Turning his head to the side and looking at the flicker of a candle, he'd clearly brood in his beaten state, trying to ignore the blonde's presences now while he settled his disgust down to a tolerable level. The ungrateful clown remained tight lipped, trying to busy himself by moving his left arm. He'd give a quiet murmur of the shock he received from the attempt, shuffling it away and planning immediately how to proceed with the current state of Gotham. He imagined Ozzie was already putting his fat little fingers on everything he could. And there was the perpetrator of all this mess. Joker felt a surge of jealousy at the thought of the chaos they had spread.

Her eyes narrowed in on him, as he asked her under what penalty Batman held her under well she tended to his wound, she knew she had no excuse as to way, she helped him. Joker had mess with her emotions so badly then, that even now she couldn't understand why she had helped Batman. She could have left him there with a bullet in his shoulder, allowed him to rot and die under that building, but then what would Joker have done, he'd already unknowingly answered all the questions she had about what would happen if she'd just allowed Batman to rot. She moved from him, crawling to the foot of the bed like the good girl she was, or was trying to be. Her back turned to him she allowed her face to bury against her knees, hiding herself from him. Because the worst part of her day with Batman was on the tip of her tongue. "When he played the Joker is dead trick on me. Then he was, he made me believe ya where dead again. And it wasn't a mystery woman Puddin', we've heard the name before. Dr. Arkham told it to us. The woman who made him hire Strange did this. Talia." She turned her head and saw that he was messing with his left arm, she'd go as far to grab it and get him to stop moving it, "It was probably strained or dislocated at one point, let it rest!"

He didn't like being told what to do, when she grabbed his arm he'd dare to actually fight for a freedom from the restraint. Sadly, he wasn't strong enough at the time to fight with his *nurse* and returned to his uselessness on the bed. He'd give a look of disbelief at the thought of his death, calming himself as he controlled himself from lashing out in anger at her giving up on him. How dare she submit to The Bat? What was the old saying, fool me once, shame on you? The follow up statements half sunk into his addled thought process, before he'd draw on this Talia again. She was a wild card, and he hated not being in control of the deck at hand. He'd have to meet this Talia one way or another, that much was certain. Once more submitted to in-operation, he'd devote his gaze once more to the blonde. Silence remained upon their sanctuary, before he'd draw a deep sigh and finally speak to her again. Voice calmed, he'd chilled his speech as he seemed to speak off hand. "I guess we're even kiddo."

She gave him this look as he fought with her, that little blonde with her dirty matted hair would stare at him, silently asked the question of who was he trying to fool. Harley was much stronger then him for the time being. Amazingly enough she'd done quiet well without the Joker, as much as she hated to admit it, she wasn't completely helpless when she didn't want to be. But then again, she'd done all of this for him. She'd stolen, lied and cheated just so she could asure that she was safe. She was too relieve that Joker wasn't dead to make threats against the Batman. She could no longer sit up thought, she started to roll, she slinked down back curving under his purple jacket. Her normal attire when she wasn't in her costume that the pair where just at home under the jacket, her short top and short short little boy underwear. She did however have a pair of his socks on as well. She started to lay down next him. Her hands feeling over his left side, checking him over for any over tenderized, swollen or bruised parts of him. Pouted features asked the question, as she forced herself closer to him, she was like an electric blanket, her body always seeming too hot for the climate around her. "Whatta mean we're even Puddin?"

He didn't fight off his blonde blanket, letting her come to crawl towards him and slink about prodding and checking on him. He'd never admit to Harley how helpful she had become, how dependent he had become. It was like a weakness, something he detested. And yet Harley had pulled him from the wreckage, nursed him back to relatively good health, patched his bruises and repainted him, and then finally waited diligently by his side. And for what? Love? Brooding, he'd accept the crawling and cuddling of his Pooh without rejection, hearing plead for an answer now as he'd stare blankly at the ceiling while allowing her to feed off his crazy as always. The humor in what he said wasn't loss to him, nor the layered levels of his comment. Joker's voice was quiet and private, as always just for his Harley Quinn's ears. "I've saved your life, now you've saved mine." Letting the statement hover over them, he'd shift his weight into her, allowing her finally to rest after all her work. Harley was free to go to sleep, The Clown Prince was going to be A-Ok.

She normally remained stuck to him, never once coming out from behind his coat when things got bad. she was always content to remain in the background, but she'd proven once again she was his greatest ally she'd never let anything happen to him, if she could help it. She'd waited because she loves him, she did all this because she loves him more then she loves herself. She'd been moments away from taking her life because of Batman's game, or whatever it was it. The recent events had proven that to anyone who had doubted it, there was probably no doubt in Batman's mind that this girl love Joker, monster or not. She needed him to not reject her, she was searching for a reward for a job well done. And she got it when he allowed her to cuddle and nestle against him. Her face pushed up against his neck, too tired to even climb in under the covers with him. She wrapped her arms over his torso, a hand moving against his, right over that shievled black heart. There was a small sleep deprived giggle that came from Harley when he spoke, "That's right Puddin.", Eyes drifting shut as that little Harlequin finally was overtaken by the sandman.

----

a/n; it's been too long --- so basically what happened. earthquake happened thanks to Talia, Joker and Harley got separated, she ended with Batman and helped him. Because it was that or rot. Joker and Harley found each other, he was hurt pretty badly so she's nursed him back to health.

his face supposed to be painted in this, but like you try finding a good picture of him laying down in Joker make up.