His Harley had been missing for weeks. Joker pretends to be unconcerned by day and combs Gotham by night, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. The night she disappeared was business as usual, they fought and she left to spend the night with her friend, Ivy. She never made it to Ivy's house . He was the last person to see Harley Quinn. The Bat hadn't seen her, Joker had paid for that intel with his own blood .Starting a fight with Batman just so he could ask what the Bat knew about his missing lover. Inconceivable! Joker tells himself he wants to find Harley so he can kill her for making him feel this way, so embarrassed of his feelings he conducts the search personally. Normally he'd pay someone to do this kind of work.

His casinos and nightclubs were suffering from the lack of his personal touch. Joker had to get back to work but first Harley had to learn not to run away ever again.

Tonight he'd be paying Ivy a visit after the clubs shut down in the wee hours of the morning. He showers and gets ready for the night, dressing in designer jeans shirtless with a black duster. He ends up using makeup Harley left in his bathroom to cover the black eye Batman gave him. He gets in his slick sports car and drives to his most successful strip club, Sirens of Gotham and parks behind the building. John Frost is waiting by the back door of the club and the moment they step into the club John is in Joker's ear, talking numbers and business. Joker had no mind for business tonight and no desire for company.

"Take the night off, Johnny." Joker takes off the long black coat and throws it at Frost. He didn't need to be told twice Frost would dodge Joker's volatile mood and spend the rest of the night drinking for free. Joker greets his high society regulars and takes a shot with a group of dirty cops in the VIP section. Having done enough schmoozing Joker retreats to his throne at the back of the club, it was up on a platform so he could see everything. All of his establishments had one.

He slumps into the armchair and watches the crowd, telling himself he's not searching for Harley's face. His mind wanders and his eyes roam until they focus on a beautiful blonde with two-toned pigtails and her back to him. Joker is up on his feet and through the crowd in a flash, he grabs the girl and spins her around. Clearly she wasn't Harley but why was she dressed like her?

"Please don't kill me," the fake Harley cries "She made me do it!"

"Who?" Joker shakes the girl. No one in the crowd reacts, they politely ignore the altercation and carry on drinking.

"She's in your office," the girl blubbers "Just don't kill me!"

Joker grabs her by the collar and delivers a few savage punches before dropping the girl.

"Thank you," he laughs, stepping over her "I've been wanting to do that for weeks!"

Joker snickers all the way back to his office. He had a pretty good sense of who was in there and why. When he walks in the room appears to be empty and he sighs, settling down behind his desk.

"You can come down now." Joker puts out two tumblers and starts mixing white russians. The cat woman drops from her hiding spot and lands behind him.

"Been a long time, Prankster gangster," She purrs "I see you haven't lost your edge."

"Give me one reason I shouldn't drown you in milk after that stunt you pulled." Joker hands her the drink.

"Well Jokes, I had to get your attention," she takes a sip of the frothy liquor "But I also know you value discretion. Did you kill her?"

"Nah I just beat the living shit out of her," Joker raises his glass to the Cat "Like I should do to you."

"But Jokes, Now you know I know about the job," Catwoman raises her glass as well "and I'd like to apply."

"You want me to hire you to find Harley," he pretends to be thinking about it "I know you know where she is, tell me how you know before I put the cat in a bag."

"No wonder she's always trying to leave," Selina slinks to the opposite side of Joker's desk "I'll never understand why she loves you."

"Are you trying to piss me off or deflect?" Joker plants his hands on the desk, ready for the Cat to try and escape him.

"Relax." Selina finishes her drink and pushes the empty tumbler across the table for a refill. Joker glares but he makes her another Russian "I was out last night and I saw something...wrong...just..wrong."

"You saw Harley." Joker clenches his fists.

The Cat drains her glass and pulls up her hood and goggles.

"You'll have her back soon," Cat opens a window "Keep in mind she may not be...herself."

Before Joker can throttle Selina and ask her what that means she's gone, into the night. Joker finishes his drink and looks at the clock. 4 AM what was the point in being boss if he couldn't cut out early? He ducks out one of the many secret exits and heads to his car without a word to anyone.

He drives around Gotham until the sun starts to rise, then he heads for Ivy's house.

She was living in an old mansion on the outskirts of Gotham, taking a break from her eco-terrorist career. Joker didn't bother with subtlety, he came screeching up her driveway and parked at the front door. He'd sent plenty of goons her way but they'd all certainly met the kiss of death. More men for Ivy's graveyard. He sits in the car for a moment, exhausted from work and wearing last night's clothes. He pulls a bag out of the backseat and starts rummaging through it. A brick of c4 falls out along with a few knives before he finds the pill bottle he was looking for and a clean shirt. Why didn't he wear a shirt out last night? Harley and her drama was literally driving him crazy. He pops a handful of the pills for energy and peels off the black duster, changing into a T-shirt with a Batman logo. He puts away his bag of "Joker gear" and gets out of the car giggling at his fashion choice. The front door cracks before he can kick it open and Ivy's maid, a round hispanic woman sticks her head out.

"Miss Ivy out back in greenhouse she no want you inside." she snaps the door shut.

"Really?" Joker contemplates using the c4 in his car as he trudges through the morning chill to Ivy's greenhouse. He kicks the door open and shatters the glass, feeling satisfied as he steps through the empty space and into Ivy's territory. The greenhouse is standard issue Ivy, all kinds of mutant plants twist out of pots and around trellises. The mistress of poison herself stands with her back to him, fiery hair reaching down past her waist. She was still in her pajamas tending to her plants.

"Hello, Joker," Ivy faces him "Harley's not here."

Joker comes to stand next to her and hangs his head.

"I know." He was starting to feel dizzy, when was the last time he ate? Maybe it was time to call Frost and get some rest.

"You look terrible," Ivy traces a finger around his black eye "Did you take a Bat-beating searching for Harley?"

"Be careful, Pamela." Joker starts to sway. Maybe he popped too many uppers?

"Seriously Jokes you're exhausted," Ivy turns back to her plants "If I didn't know better I'd think you actually love her."

"Just when you were starting to grow on me," Joker grabs Ivy by the throat "Tell me..."

He doesn't finish his sentence. Hunger and sleep deprivation take over and he drops, paler than ever. Ivy groans and kneels by the fallen clown prince.

"I should kill you for what you've done to Harley," Ivy hisses "Sadly I need you alive to find her."

Joker's eyes crack open and he grabs Ivy's arm with what little strength he has left.

"I want her back," he pants "I miss her." Joker abruptly passes out again.

"So do I," Ivy brushes green hair out of his face "I'll help you for now sweet prince."

Ivy has Joker moved to one of the many rooms in her house. She gives him an injection to counteract the speed pills that literally almost broke his heart. Ivy stands over the bed, waiting as her dangerous house guest heals. This wasn't his first visit since Harley's disappearance and certainly wouldn't be the last.