One Short Day in Arkham City

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"When Mr. J kills Batman, we're gonna get married! It's gonna be so cool!" – Harley Quinn, Batman: Arkham Asylum

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It had been another crap day in Arkham City, thought Harley Quinn, as she made her way back home to the Steel Mill. Not that there had ever been a good day in Arkham City, she reminded herself – every day she had been in this dump had gone from bad to worse. Arkham Asylum had been a dump too, but at least that place contained fond memories for Harley of her and the Joker's courtship. And everybody hadn't been trying to kill each other there either, which was always a plus.

Arkham City was a whole different ballpark. It was like a war-zone, with every freak fighting for a piece of the turf. Every time you went outside, you took your life into your hands. Not that Harley was particularly worried about that – she could take care of herself. And everyone in here knew she was Joker's girl, and most were smart enough not to mess with her because of that. She had gone out to do some business for Mr. J – meeting with one of his spies in Penguin's gang to get some info. But the unreliable jerk hadn't showed. He always might have been caught by Penguin and killed, of course, in which case Mr. J would not be pleased. And Harley would have to be the messenger in giving him the bad news. She hated the thought of upsetting him, especially in his condition.

She felt tears come to her eyes when she thought about the Joker. Mr. J's condition kept steadily deteriorating every day they had been in this hellhole – he put on a brave face for the guys, but Harley saw him in private struggling to walk, coughing when laughed, choking up blood. It was agony to watch, especially since in her heart of hearts, she had this terrible feeling that Mr. J wouldn't get any better. That this was the end of the Joker. And if the Joker died, there was nothing left for her to live for.

She wiped her eyes, shaking her head and trying to dispel such thoughts as she reached the door of the Steel Mill. She also had to keep up appearances in front of the guys. It was important for their morale to think the Joker was fine, or if not fine, at least had some hope of recovering. If they didn't think that, chances are they'd desert to go join up with Penguin or Two-Face, like rats fleeing a sinking ship. Harley knew a lot of the guys would resent working under a woman if she had to take over. It was important for the continued safety of both her and Mr. J that they didn't even consider that as a possibility.

Though frankly if it hadn't been so important to Mr. J, Harley wouldn't really have cared. If things had to end, she would rather they ended alone together, with her and Mr. J dying in each other arms. It didn't matter to her whether it was at the hand of some random thug, or Batman, as she knew Mr. J secretly hoped. As long as they were together at the end, that was all that mattered to her. As long as they only parted at death, like those wedding vows promised, that was the only really important thing.

Harley had always wanted to marry the Joker – it had been a dream of hers from almost the moment they met. And the Joker kept putting off the proposal, never mind the actual ceremony. Once he'd said he'd marry her after he killed Batman, but that hadn't happened yet, which was unfortunate for a couple reasons. Harley had always hoped that one day her puddin' would pop the question – he was a random and unpredictable guy, after all. But that hardly seemed likely now.

It didn't really matter in the end, though, she thought. Harley already thought of herself as his wife – closer than his wife, even. They were soulmates, destined to be together for always. And even though Harley wasn't a particularly religious woman (she had been raised Jewish, but had long since lapsed), she didn't care if both of them went to hell after they died, as long as they were there together. After all, their whole relationship they had been battling Bat-devils – hell couldn't hold any worse terrors than that. And as long as they were together, they could fight them. As long as they were together, it would be just as good as heaven.

She forced a smile with great difficulty and opened the door to the Steel Mill. She was surprised to see the entire huge area of the loading bay in total darkness. Her mind instantly panicked – maybe Penguin or Two-Face was trying to cut off their electricity, maybe this was some kinda trap…

"Boys!" she shouted, reaching for the bat at her belt. "Hey, idiots! Who turned off the power?"

She was suddenly seized from behind by two sets of arms, as another person shoved a bag over her head. She screamed and struggled, fighting like mad, but another person had seized her legs and lifted her off her feet. She was carried someplace and then dumped on the ground, and then she heard a door slam and lock.

She ripped the bag off her head and looked around. She was still in the Steel Mill, locked in one of the rooms off the loading bay. Her heart raced in a mixture of panic and fury and anxiety as she wondered what the hell was going on, and if Mr. J was safe. If this was a trap by one of the other gangs, he could be in their clutches right now, and God only knows what they'd do to him.

She beat against the door furiously. "Lemme outta here, you jerks!" she shrieked. "Ain't you got the guts to fight a girl?!"

There was no response, and Harley's panic was not lessened. "Mr. J?" she cried. "Mr. J, where are you?! You better not be hurting him, you hear me?! Or you don't wanna know what I'll do to you when I get outta here! I'll…I'll saw your legs off and dump you in the incinerator! I'll beat you to a bloody pulp until you beg for death! I'll…I'll…"

Her panic and worry was overriding her anger, and she felt tears of desperation come to her eyes. "Mr. J!" she sobbed. "Mr. J, please! Please be all right!"

She sank down on her knees, collapsing into tears. Her sobs echoed off the cold walls of the steel mill as she drew her knees up to her chest, rocking back and forth. If she had thought this day couldn't get any worse, she had been very, very wrong.