Two Years After Harley Quinn was born - Gotham

Harley Quinn had fallen upon hard times as of late. The Joker had been linked to what the press was calling "The Tattoo Parlor Massacre". Gotham PD had stormed the penthouse and arrested him, taking the Joker from the bed he shared with Harley. Currently he was being held at Arkham and it was too risky to attempt a breakout. If Harley was arrested she and the Joker would lose all of their properties and bank accounts. Harley Quinn and Jonny Frost were running Grin & Bare It the best they could but without the Joker around to inspire fear competitors had risen. Harley was holding on to the apartment building with all of her might but the strip club wasn't bringing in cash like it had before. Word had gotten around that the Joker was down for good this time. Penguin had already offered to buy Harley out but she held strong. Jonny and Harley pulled every job they could think of, desperate for cash. Jonny started hiring every girl that walked through the door but it seemed the prettier they were the more baggage they came with. Harley caught a girl stealing tips from other dancers one night and made an example of her. Harley dragged the stripper into the locker room and cut her throat in front of the other girls. No one lied about house fees or stole stage time after Harley's brutal deliverance of justice. A few nights later Jonny and Harley were poring over the books, trying to figure out how they were going to pay the property taxes on the building. The Joker's girlfriend was broke and if she didn't do something soon her empire would be taken from her. Other than Jonny the Joker's allies had abandoned Harley but what about Harley's friends? That was how Harley got the idea.

"Jonny," Harley looks up from the ledger "What if we had a special event that would literally empty the wallets of everyone in the building?"

"What are you cooking up in that crazy head Harley Girl?" Jonny wasn't sure if he liked where this was going.

"We advertise a special event for one night only Harley Quinn will grace the stage here," Harley bounces with excitement "I'll call in Pammy to do her thing and people will be handing us their wallets."

"Let me get this straight," Jonny rubs his temples "You're going to strip?"

"What," Harley glares at him "I got moves!"

"Jokes is gonna kill me," Jonny protests "I promised to take care of you while he's away."

"Jonny these is end times," Harley plants her hands on the desk in front of him "Have my back or get out of my way!"

"I'll organize the event and have the girls hit the street to promote," Jonny stands "Get Ivy onboard this won't be worth it without her."

Harley holds up her hand for a high-five and Jonny sighs as their hands touch. Nothing good would come of this.

In the following days the word is put out that Harley Quinn would be live, in the flesh for a once in a lifetime performance. It was surprisingly easy to secure Ivy's assistance she loved taking money from lecherous men. The night of the event Pamela arrives before the club opens to help Harley get ready and go over the details. Jonny had robbed a liquor truck the night before and he was stocking the bar with a ridiculous amount of booze. If everything went according to plan the Grin and Bare it would be drunk dry by morning. Poison Ivy and Harley had the locker room to themselves. Ivy wasn't happy about Harley stripping but she knew her friend was hard-pressed for cash. Harley had multiple layers of costume to change into and Ivy helps her. Harley strips off her street clothes and changes into a red G-string with a black and red harlequin patterned bra. Next came a plain black corset that went over the bra, Harley sucks her stomach in while Ivy laces it up. Harley slips on a pair of tiny booty shorts over the thong and checks her reflection.

"I still don't understand why it has to be you on stage," Ivy says in a clipped tone "Why not use your dancers?"

"All of Gotham's already seen them naked," Harley winks "Only Mr. J has seen me naked get the picture?"

"Men are pigs," Ivy hisses "Jonny said all the VIP tables are reserved your Joker's enemies are eager to degrade you while he's absent."

"That's where you come in Pammy," Harley starts squeezing into the Harlequin suit "I'm gonna need you on stage for a moment to do your dust thing."

"I am not pole dancing." Ivy says flatly, zipping up the suit.

"Of course not," Harley giggles "You're here to work up the crowd and keep them buying drinks and lap dances from the other girls all night."

"I suppose you'll want me to persuade the girls to part with all of their tips." Ivy goes to work on Harley's hair, curling it with a curling iron before pulling it into pigtails.

"No I'm not doing that to them," Harley pulls on the red and black hood over her hair "Makeup time!"

Ivy does Harley's makeup quickly, giving her a deep blush and smoky eyes with huge, fake lashes. Harley uses the Joker's favorite shade of cherry red on her lips and completes the "Classic Harley" costume with her mask. Jonny Frost sticks his head in the locker room to find out when Harley would be coming out on stage. The doors had opened and the strip club was filling up almost instantly.

"She's ready Frost tell the other girls to come back here and get ready." Ivy speaks because Harley is too busy admiring herself in the mirror. Jonny returns a few moments later with the rest of the dancers and they scurry around the locker room, careful not to attract Harley's attention. In all the hustle and bustle Jonny's phone rings and he goes out back to take the call. Ivy and Harley shrug, it was minutes to showtime. Jonny Frost comes flying back through the door with a terrified expression on his face.

"Out," Jonny roars at the dancers "Everyone but Harley and Ivy out right now!"

The girls pick up their makeup bags and flee to the customer's bathroom to finish their makeup.

"What the hell Jonny?" Harley straps on a pair of impossibly high red stilettos.

"That was J," Jonny says frantically "He's been released from Arkham and I have to go get him right now!"

"Yay my Puddin!" Harley bounces up and down in the heels. Ivy holds her shoulders and shakes her.

"We need Jonny here to bounce and work the bar," Ivy turns to Frost "What now big man?"

"I called in Monty to cover for me," Jonny pauses by the back door "Just hold it down until I get back."

Ivy and Harley hear Jonny floor it out of the parking lot then they hear the customers catcalling Harley's name.

"Go," Ivy says "Even with Joker free you need to see this through."

Harley kisses Ivy's cheek then she steps up onto the platform that would rotate and place her center stage. Harley lets out a giggle of excitement as the music starts, then the lights cut and the platform rotates. The stage lights up and the audience applauds as Harley does a lap around the stage, moving in the huge heels with ease. She'd spotted Monty behind the bar, he'd been the Joker's right-hand man before Frost took his place. There was certainly bad blood between the men. Harley yanks off her hood and crouches at the edge of the stage, crooking her finger for a man sitting at the stage to come closer. Harley turns her back and cracks a grin.

"Unzip me would ya?" Harley lets the man unzip the back of her suit and laughs as cash rains down on the stage. That was Ivy's cue. Pamela comes sauntering out and helps Harley get all the way out of the suit. While the audience watches Harley twirl around the pole, Ivy discreetly blows pheromone dust. The bar gets crowded and Monty struggles to keep up with making drinks. All of the lap dance booths and private rooms were occupied, Ivy had done well. Harley drops the corset and climbs to the top of the pole. She gives the audience a wink and a smile before performing a drop and landing in a split. Ivy hops off the stage and works the crowd, convincing everyone she spoke to that they needed to buy dances and drinks until their bank accounts were empty. An hour later the ATM ran out of cash. Unless they had a credit card or cash left, Monty weeded out everyone with empty pockets. Harley was about to pop the hook on her bra when she looks up and sees Jonny come through the front door with the Joker. Harley and her Puddin lock eyes then he cracks a smile and waggles a finger at her. Harley jumps down from the stage and runs into his arms.

"Did you miss me?" the Joker runs his hands down Harley's back.

"Depends on how hard you sock me." Harley grabs a shot off of a waitress moving past her with a tray. Harley throws back the shot and braces herself. "I'm ready make it quick."

"Harl I'm not going to hit you," the Joker kisses her "You did well while I was away."

Poison Ivy watches Harley and the Joker, feeling her heart break every time they kiss. Her job done, Ivy leaves quietly without being seen.

"Jonny helped a little bit," Harley winks at Frost "How'd you get em to release you?"

"Case fell apart," the Joker sighs like it was a sad thing "The only witness was a little boy and his story changed so many times such a pity."

"Can we go home," Harley asks "These morons will spend everything they have whether we're here or not."

"One moment baby," the Joker walks toward the bar "I have one last item on my to-do list."

Monty looks up nervously at the Joker approaching him. Other than being a slow bartender, Monty couldn't think of anything he'd done to piss the Joker off.

"Hey boss," Monty was sweating "Can you believe the night we're having?"

With absolutely no warning, the Joker comes across the bar at Monty. He wraps his hands around Monty's throat to keep him from speaking.

"I know you ratted me out," the Joker yells "How does the saying go...I remember now rats die!"

The Joker breaks a bottle and uses it to slash Monty's throat. No one seems to notice as he gurgles blood and drops behind the bar, bleeding out. Harley and Jonny exchange looks, Jonny's eyes question her. The Joker had been incarcerated because Harley left that child alive on the tattoo shop job and the Joker knew it. Monty didn't even know his boss had pulled that job, the Joker had killed him to shift the blame from Harley. Only the Joker knew what Harley had done and now Harley knew he knew. Trembling, Harley takes the Joker's hand and they walk into the parking lot together. Jonny trots off to pull the car around leaving the Clowns alone together. "Oh Harl there's just one more thing!" the Joker cocks his arm back and punches Harley in the stomach. She doubles over, completely winded.

"Mr. J?" she chokes out, blinking back tears.

"Pull another stunt like this," the Joker whispers in her ear "And you're going in the river."

"I'm sorry the club was going under and the building was next." Harley doesn't know if the Joker was referring to her stripping or leaving a witness at a murder scene.

"It's done Harl," Jonny rolls up and Joker opens the car door "Let's go home baby."

Author's note: It was high time for a mini-chapter so I banged this one out. Next chapter is in the works I'm 700 words in. I'm juggling way too many projects right now I appreciate your patience and all the follows and reviews. Thanks for reading please R&R. Any suggestions for mini-chapters are desperately needed.