When the Joker pulled the yellow bus loaded with cash into the factory's garage, he walked into the assembly room with his newly acquired shotgun rested on his shoulder, and was happy to find Harley there. She seemed to have grown weary in waiting for his return, as she was lying across one of the tables on her side, her eyes shut as if sleeping. But when he tried creeping up closer to her, despite his stealth, her eyelids peeled open, gazing up at him as he stood above her.

"Welcome back," she said, a small smile coming across her face at the sight of him, "Sooo, how'd it go?"

"Just..." the Joker answered, setting the gun down on the table, "dandy."

He then stripped off his jacket that he wore as part of his facade and tossed it to the floor. From his peripheral vision, the Joker noticed Harley checking out his toned forearms as he rolled up his sleeves above his elbows.

"So, where are them other guys?" Harley then asked.

The Joker answered by cocking his new toy and aiming it right in Harley's face. He shut one eye to steady his aim, then pulled the trigger, sounding a low, "Pow!" as the gun gave a hollow click.

"Ah," she said with a smirk, "I see.

"So now what?" she then asked, yawning and stretching out on her back across the table in a way that made the Joker groan.

After a calming breath, the Joker was able to answer, licking his lips, "Well... the MOB will meet up soonnn. After they hear their CASH is gone. Heeheehee."

The Joker giggled at the thought of all those big bad mob dealers huddled together, all hot and bothered. He totally got off on lighting a fire under people's bellies, dismantling any powerful form of order operating in society. And unfortunately for the Mob, that currently meant them. Not for long though.

"Where's that big guy?" Harley next inquired, looking around, not seeing Ronan anywhere.

"RONAN," the Joker replied, "is out to see WHENNN the Mob's next get-to-gether will beee." He then squatted down so that he was looking at Harley at eye-level. "I, uhhhh, enjoy CRASHIN' partieeesss. Hehehehehehe." he added with his twisted clown grin that struck fear into the hearts of many.

Unlike those many, though, Harley smiled back, very sweet, almost adoringly, crinkling her own scar on her left cheek. Her hand then rose and inched closer and closer to... the Joker's scars!

Before she could reach them, the Joker rose back up to his feet, clearing his throat. "Hughum, so, uhhh... hehem... Yer lookin kindaaa. Tuckered out. Therrre." he pointed out, noticing Harley's lazy eyes and wide yawning.

With a sigh, Harley rose up to sit upright, then hopped off of the table and went for the exit.

"I guess I should be headin' off then," she said, craning her back and pulling her hood back over her head. But Joker quickly intercepted her.

"And where are YOU goin' ta go?" he asked her as he stood in her path, "It's a BAAAAAAD, bad town out there, ya know. FULL o' crazies, heheheh."

"Why should I be afraid o' them," Harley retorted, "when I'm here the worst of 'em now?"

"Why don't you, uhhhh, let ME set you up someplace?" Joker suggested, "I got all the BEST connections 'round these parts."

"Ya mean even better than the connections I got?"

"Heh," Joker smirked, "I, uhh, may not be able ta blow up the whole state... But I can surrre find a good place to... lay low. And catch some "Z"s."

"Hmmm... Okey-dokey then," said Harley with a shrug, "Where to?"

"This wayyy," said the Joker, holding the door open for her, "dearest."

The two stepped out into the back alley. Once they were out, Joker got out his phone and dialed up Ronan.

"Bring the car around," the Joker ordered as soon as Ronan answered the call, "Me and the GIRL... need a little... cat-nap."

Before Ronan could respond, Joker hung up on him and stuffed the cell back into his jacket pocket. As he kicked away a nearby crumbled soda can, he found a half-empty carton of cigarettes lying on the ground.

"Hey, uh, FIRE-fly," he said to Harley, who was standing leaned back against the building, shaking the carton in his hand, "Got a light? Heh."

She looked at the pack in his hand, then up at him, saying, "Only if ya share with the class."

The Joker licked his lips as he drew out two cigarettes, letting Harley take one while he let his dangle from between his lips. Once she lit hers up with her trusty matches, the Joker leaned in to touch the end of his cigarette with hers, allowing hers to ignite his.

Harley blew the smoke out in rings, then said, "Mmm, sweets to the sweet."

Speaking of which...

Her mentioning of "sweets" prompted Joker to fish out his bag of candy from his pocket. After dumping a few Skittles into his hand and dropping a couple into his mouth, he held his hand out to Harley.

"Sweets for MY sweet?" he said.

Harley smiled at the Joker's show of generosity and picked out one of the tart candies and sucked it between her lips.

"Mmm," she mumbled between chews, "Tangy."

Just then, Ronan pulled up into the alleyway. Once he stopped, he immediately hopped out of the driver's seat to open the rear passenger doors. The Joker smiled as he patted the top of Ronan's head, telling him, "Good boy. Here's your swee-tee," as he fed a Skittle to Ronan.

"Beat him when he's BAD... Give him treats when he's GOOD," Joker said to Harley as he gestured her to enter the car first, "And your MUTT... stays good and loy-al."

Once Harley was inside the car, the Joker climbed in to sit beside her. On Joker's command, Ronan drove away.

holy shit! a new chapter! can you believe it?! cuz i sure as hell can't :P