Hey everyone! Life has gotten in the way of my writing… I got married had a baby and now I'm divorcing… I've been feeling down, but I remembered how happy writing used to make me… and how this story used to give me life. I re re-read the story again and it still gave me the feels once I looked past the very horrible grammar errors. I'm going to do my best to keep on writing. Since I'm not in college I do have some free time outside of work and outside my mommy duties… Thank you all so much for sticking around. Throughout these 2 years of absence I would continuously receive DMs asking me where I was, where the story was or if I had just given up… I really appreciate your continuous support! Without any further words….

Here We Go

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this story. They belong to DC Comics

Ch9: The Curse

"Are you sure this is the item you want to steal?" Tony tossed the picture back to Jokers desk with his face twisted in confusion

"A necklace?" Harley askes while her eyes were lost in thought about her lover's need to have this.

"Well of course!" The Joker said in a high-pitched excited tone. "It's not the jewel I'm after… we all know hoarding those things are more up Catwoman's isle. It's what comes with this jewel I'm more interested in" he patiently explained.

"We're going to snatch the chain?" Riley questioned in a joking manner while looking around to see if anyone else thought it was as clever as he thought… no one was impressed.

"Are you all idiots?!" The Joker screamed and rolled his eyes "I mean obviously, you all are just the right amount of stupid but geez…" he quietly whispered to himself while he shook his head in disbelief. "Is no one here aware of exactly what this rock is? No? Let me introduce you all." He grabbed the pictured and began parading it around the room with a smug tone to his voice. "This, my dear uneducated and uncultured swines, Is the Infamous Hope Diamond… I say infamous because the curse this jewel carries brings everything but hope… every single person who has owned this diamond has had tragedy strike…This precious stone is more than just any mundane jewel, I don't want it for any monetary value it possesses." The Joker slowly began to pace back and forth in front of his all-stars. His emerald green eyes catching every single pair of eyes as his tone eased up to a soft narration. "I'm sure even you idiots have heard of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI… they met their demise with the guillotine!" The Joker traced his index finger across his neck while a grim smile began forming at the corner of his red stained lips. "Princess Lamballe was beaten to death by a mob!" He threw his fist up in the air with excitement and his voice started to pick up in pitch "Surbaya…. Stabbed to death by her royal lover who had shortly before given her the diamond as a gift" The clown stopped dead in his tracks and a menacing giggle emanated from his throat. "Then there is the peculiar case of Evalyn McLean, who believed she could reverse the curse. She would host lavish parties where she would hide the gem in her estate and all the guest were invited to look for it. Not taking the curse seriously, it struck the family like it had not done so before…McLean's son was killed in a terrible car crash, her daughter died of a drug overdose, her husband lefty her for another woman and she eventually died in a sanitarium! This curse had a field day with them huh!" he began clapping and basically jumping from joy.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Tony stood up, shaking his rugged hands in front of him while his head copied the motion. "You want us to take this gem… make it ours? A gem with a deadly curse?" He kept shaking his head not understanding the logic behind this plan.

Harley brought her hand up to her mouth and her eyes widened lost in thought. She looked over at her mission partners, who all shared the same panicked look in their eyes

All of them were thinking the exact same thing…

They were doomed

"Pease stop shaking your head, you are starting to look like a wet dog" The Joker put a gloved hand on his broad shoulder and gave him a swift shove to sit him back down. "We need a little more excitement in our lives, and how exciting fighting with a curse would be!" The Joker dug around in his back pocket and pulled out his switchblade. He lowered his stance to make sure he was making direct eye contact with every single one of them. As he stopped in front of each worker he pointed the blade directly in their faces "Now, I don't want to hear a single peep from any of you. Understood?" I will leave you to Mateo, he will explain what the plan consists of," He straightened himself out and wrinkled his nose in disgust "I cannot bear to be in your presence any longer, my poor brain cells are dying catching your stupidity" The Joker spat in disgust, as he ran a thin hand over his hair and walked away without another word. The doors rattled, and a bit of sawdust flew out as the aged wooden doors slammed behind him, leaving them all in silence.

"You heard the boss. No complaining. I do not tolerate nonsense. Yes, this is a bit creepy dealing with a verified curse, but we all knew that we were in for some crazy shit when we decided to join The Joker. We will all die serving him, may it be by a curse or a bullet, we all share that fate. No cowardice. Only cowards die pointless deaths here. May your deaths not be pointless." He poetically struck his fist to his chest and Harley noticed his eyes shined with a little gleam of pride. She smiled up at him with admiration and her fears faded away as every word he spoke ran in her ears as an anthem of valiance. She jumped up and wrapped one arm around his wait in comradery

"He's right dudes!" Harley squealed "Mr. J chose us because we are the crème de la crème! The best of all he's got! We might be hella dumb, but we are not cowards! We are strong and talented, and he chose us! He handpicked us over those dummies down there! Not only are they dumb… they're talent-less" Harley pointed down towards the direction of The Vault, where the rest of the henchmen were training "We can not let down my puddin!" Harley let Mateo go and spun on the ball of her feet in a graceful pirouette.

"Yes!" Riley stood up and clapped and was soon joined by everyone in the room.

"OK. OK! Settle down, shut up and pay attention" Mateo turned to everyone in the room and smiled "Who is ready to steal a curse?"

…..

The night was dark and cold as the sky was covered in dark storm clouds, not easing up a bit to let the moonlight through. This moonless night was a perfect night for a small group of hoodlums with a mission and bad intentions. A dark van parked a block away from Gotham Natural History museum and quietly opened the back doors to let a small group of darkly dressed individuals into the night. They ran around the area making sure they were alone, and no psychotic vigilantes dressed as bats had followed them.

"Clear." Riley quietly spoke into his communicator as he continued to scan the area for any changes. Everything in this alley was dark and quiet. Everything was undisturbed, from the overflowing trash cans, to the small rain puddles that had formed in the dark concrete. Not a single homeless person in sight, not even a stray cat roaming around. Everything was going perfectly according to plan. The Joker snapped his fingers and pointed to the nearest building and began making his way up the fire escape slowly, making sure that every step he took was quiet enough to keep the undisturbed neighborhood just that… undisturbed. Harley followed closely behind him stepping just as he did and the rest of the team following close behind them with Mateo being the last one sporting a large shotgun he protectively held against his chest ready to fire at any moment.

As soon as they all reached the roof the team broke into a sprint in unison, they swiftly but careful let their feet brush the ground, barely making an audible tap with each time their feet collided with the ground. As if on cue, the skies began to thunder, giving them more room to run a little faster without having to be so careful on staying quiet. Their speed accelerated as the edge of the building came closer and closer, and they looked as if they had no intention of stopping. Harleys heart skipped as her feet reached the end of the building and all together they jumped. Riley let out a soft grunt as he had to push off with a little more effort than the others as his small frame would not be able to catch up with rest of the team. Harley's heart dropped as they flew in the air and she had to force herself to open her eyes to be able to catch herself as the neighboring building was fast approaching. They landed with a soft thud, but they didn't have any time to catch their breaths, as they still had 2 more buildings to jump across to reach their destination.

With each jump Harley became less and less nervous and she was able to allow herself to keep her eyes open and slowly her tension eased up while she had to force herself not to cheer every time she began her flight in between rooftops. Her worries fell as fast as the rain approached. The wind began to pick up which made it a little harder for them to reach the beginning of the next building each time. Luckily for them, they soon reached the building right next to the museum, and they happily slowed down and had but a second the catch their breaths.

The Joker fired a grappling hook he had previously stolen from Batman. A subtly whooshing sound came from it as it reached out to the dome shaped roof on the museum, and soon it connected to the stone tiles and gave them a sturdy passage to the top of the building. As soon as both ends were safely secured Harley was the first one on the tightrope. Gracefully putting one foot in front of the other she swiftly made her way across. The way she walked that rope, so gracefully her strides resembled that of the elegant dance of the floating feather, slowly falling and twirling with the wind. But Harley was not falling she did not struggle with her steps even once, making the whole trip seem so effortless.

"Wow, she's amazing" Mateo blurted out, as his eyes widened in awe at the jester girl who was now off in the distance.

"What?" The Joker turned to his right-hand man, his eyes bulging out in a mix of anger and jealousy "What did you say about my lady?" The Joker pulled his handgun that had been tightly tucked in the back of his pants. He raised it to aim directly at Mateo's head

"Uhm..." Mateo struggled to find the words to explain his attraction to the girl, as he never had intended to let those feelings bubble to the surface.

"Mateo only meant that her skills are valuable to the team, and we are glad that you, our benevolent leader found her" Riley cut in, allowing his face to switch into a worshiping declaration for their boss.

"Right…" The Joker squinted his eyes in suspicion, not sure if he was going to believe him or not. His dark green eyes hungrily searched for Mateo's hazel eyes, looking for that familiar honey tint in them he had had seen countless of times, looking for that stern and obedient look he knew he could trust… but when their eyes met, he couldn't find anything.

"Puddin? Everything ok?" The tension was broken by Harleys sudden high-pitched tone in their ears, startling them back to focus on the mission.

"Yes pumpkin, be right there" The Joker muttered through his teeth, reeling in the waves of anger and desire to kill back in. Without a second more to lose he tightly pocketed his weapon and copied Harleys movements across the rope, even though not as gracefully, he still made it safely across without a single stumble.

While the rest of the team hooked on their safety harnesses and connected themselves to the rope, in case they fell, Harley and The Joker made their way around the dome searching for the right spot to lift open a glass tile and make an entry way for them to climb in.

The Joker pressed his face against the glass and almost immediately spotted the familiar glistening of the Hope Diamond encased in its glass box.

"Here" He instructed, and Tony sprinted into action. One would think that a guy with such large and buff hands, there was no way we would be able to be gentle with them, but Tony was a man of many talents, he pulled out a small pocketknife from inside his boot and very carefully used his brute hands to slowly lift the thick piece of glass, carefully not to let it fall. As everyone stepped back to give him room, he pivoted and gently placed it on the ground beside them, where it would lean against its sisters.

Mateo lowered a thick rope down the hole and when it was close enough to the ground tied it around Tony's muscular torso, he was going to serve as a force against gravity, as he was the only one strong enough to support the team to go down and help them back up. Riley went down first, tightly holding on to the rope as he wrapped his slender legs along with it and just let himself go, letting the rope be this only salvation from a facing most painful death. Seconds before he collided with the ground he tightened his grip with his hands and legs around the rope and slowed down his body and landed on the polished linoleum floor without more than a soft thud. The rest of the team jumped down, one by one copying the young henchman's actions and soon everyone but Tony was inside.

"This is it!" The Joker slowly approached the case and pressed his hands on the glass, bringing his body closer to get a better look at it. "Its simply majestic… worthy of a mad king like me!" His silent laugh sounded more of that of a warning hiss of a snake, bringing shivers to Harley, as she had never heard his laugh this way before, it was a bit cynical. The Joker lifted the case, half expecting an alarm to go off, but to little surprise the room remained as silent and undisturbed as it had been before their entrance

"This place is a joke" Riley scuffed while rolling his eyes. "We have not come across a single security measure, not a single alarm, or guard … nothing! They are basically given us this gem…it was so easy!" Riley's face lit up and a grin of

"Too easy" Mateo raised his shotgun in front of his chest and aimed in front of them, slowly walking in a circle trying to find anything or anyone who lurked in the shadows "I know you're there! Show yourself!" Mateo walked onwards as his eyes adjusted more to the darkness and a silhouette of a man was finally clear to them in front of them

"Took you all long enough" The man half laughed as he stepped out of the shadows and into the little light the nighttime sky was able to show as the clouds kept shifting in front of the moon.

"Bruno?" Harley stepped closer, her face twisted in a hard scowl full of confusion and disbelief.

"Yes, baby its really me… I've missed you and your sweet ass" Bruno began to devour her with his eyes as they began to slowly trace her body in that skintight suit "I hadn't seen you in the costume in person… damn television doesn't do you justice baby" He laughed and brought his eyes back to her face and took a few steps forward

"One more step and I shoot" Mateo stepped in front of Harley closing the space between them

"Step aside Mateo," The Joker joined the trio in a few short strides while Mateo lowered his weapon and bitterly scowled at the former guard "If anyone is going to kill this cocksucker, its me." He raised his revolver to Bruno's temple and pressed down on the hammer

"Don't you want to hear what I got to say?" Bruno's lips spread in a crazy grin and his tone heavy with tease.

"What could be so important that we have to pause your execution?" The Joker closed his eyes and lowered the gun

"You really didn't see me? I followed you this whole way. I broke all the security measures, all the alarms, all the cameras, were taken down, even the guards were taken care of. Joker, you and your team are pathetic. You claim to be the Clown Prince of Crime, but all you are is a joke. I am your worst nightmare, I am mightier and stronger willed than Batman himself." He slowly began pacing around them as his tone became louder and louder and soon it was just a few octaves lower than a holler. "I am going to be Gotham's savior. I will do something Batman never had the balls to do." Suddenly with a quick step forward he lounged at Harley grabbing her the arm and spun her around to make her his shield and pointed his handgun to her head.

"Bruno, you are insane, let me go this instant "Harley shook her body violently trying desperately to get free, the wild movements throwing her jester hat off her head and her face soon was hugged by her shiny blonde hair. All these efforts were futile as Bruno only tightened his grip on her, until Harley could feel her whole arm turning purple and she became tired. She stopped her wild movement, and her heart beat in her ears and her breath, coming in and out of her lungs, accelerated in quick pace. As soon as she calmed down, Bruno raised his gun to the ceiling and fired 2 warning shots, shattering the glass above them.

"Whoa Whoa!" Riley Took his own gun out of his pocket and aimed ready to fire more than just the bullets from his eyes "Let her go! We will not hesitate to kill you"

Suddenly a body fell through the hole in the ceiling, landing with a loud thud and filling the ground around them with a thick pool of dark blood. Harley's icy blue eyes bulged out of their sockets and she let out a blood curling scream as she recognized who the body was.

"Tony" The Joker shook his head and kneel down to get a closer look at his dead henchman "I was going to kill you anyway, see you in hell buddy" He straightened his body and shot Tony's limp body a few more times in the head to ensure his death. "What do you want" The Joker half sighed in annoyance, not phased by the fact that this man had a gun to his woman's head or the fact that one of his best workers had just been killed.

"You took everything from me!" He screamed, making his voice echo through the grand and ancient room. "You made me loose my job, you took my girl from me!" Bruno walked over to the glass box containing the Hope Diamond

"Boss we probably should get this wrapped up" Mateo stepped into his workers view and pointed to the sky above them "All these gunshots have probably gotten Batman's attention, he'll be here any minute now."

"Is that so, little guy?" Bruno looked down at the young criminal and laughed "Then, I guess since you're leaving, you won't be needing this." Bruno pulled Harley backwards with him and walked over to the glass case. "This diamond is MINE!" Bruno laughed as he used the gun to break the glass. He cleared the glass out of way and encased his hand around the cold stone.

"You have no idea what you have just done!" The Joker bent over in laughter.

"What's so funny?" Bruno turned to shoot daggers at The Joker with his eyes

"Nothing. Alright team, that is a wrap" The Joker raised his hand and motioned his arm in a circle signaling his workers that it was time to go.

"Puddin'!" Harley called out to her lover in a half-panicked screech "Wait! What about me? Aren't you gonna save me?" Harley began to struggle against her captor.

"Sorry pumpkin" The Joker shrugged his shoulders "It's survival of the fittest babe, show that you are fit!" The Joker ran off and the rest of the team followed. The only one who showed any hesitation was Harley's only friend in the squad, Riley

"I believe in you Harl. Sorry I can't stay... See you at home" Riley turned and sprinted to catch up with the rest of the team mates.

"WOW!" Bruno shook his head " I was ready to kill every single one of them, I was ready to take a bullet if it meant I would get to keep you, and they just left you like a stray dog on these city streets" Bruno laughed and pulled her along through the dark hallways until they reached the main entrance of the museum. Harley remained silent as she was in shock and couldn't process what exactly happened moments before. As they found themselves by the front door, he pushed his body though the glass doors to peek around. He looked left and right and through the dark and empty streets, and all that was heard were the faint cries of police sirens that were surely heading their way. He knew that he needed to move and move quickly. If the police were going to be there soon, it only meant that Batman and the Robins were already there.

The skies rumbled in thunder once again and like a gunshot fired to start a race, Bruno took off with a sprint dragging poor Harley behind him. The rain had picked up and it became harder too see through the darkness and the rain. Bruno squinted his eyes through the heavy rain, but his focus shifted and combined with the friction of the run and the water coming down, he loosened his grip on his hostage, allowing her to wiggle free.

"Shit! Harley!" Bruno turned and tried to reach his arm after her, but it was a second too slow. Without a second more to lose Harley yanked her arm away from him and turned away from him, sprinting as fast as her legs would allow her. But the skies were not feeling merciful that night as the rain only fell faster and heavier as if they intended to slow her down. Harley could hear footsteps behind her and even though her lungs felt heavy and full, as if they were going to explode, she didn't have the luxury to stop. She had to push and then push some more. And eventually she could no longer hear any footsteps around her, just in time for her to reach a darker alley to her right and she slowed down to a trot until she reached the dead end. She leaned on the brick wall and allowed her arms to support her weight. Her body hunched over as she struggled to inflate her lungs and sharp pains shot through her ribs while her breathing was heavy and loud. So loud that it became the only thing she could hear. She couldn't hear the thunder in the skies above, the faint sound of the falling rain, or the footsteps that followed her into the alley.

"Well fancy meeting you here" The voice of a woman startled Harley making her jump a little, making the woman laugh mockingly.

"Jessica?" Harley stepped closer to her as the rain still made it a little hard to see

"It's time you paid Harley" Jessica pulled a gun in front of her with her hands tightly gripping the weapon. Harley concentrated and focused on her eyes. Stern, cold and emotionless they were, and with that, Harley could tell that she wasn't going to think twice about shooting. Still, Harley wasn't scared. All she could feel was pity for her. This anger she felt in her heart and the hatred towards Harley was completely misdirected. The only one to blame was Bruno.

"I am tired of explaining that I have never done anything to you Jessica. We barely even know each other. You hate me because the man you are interested in doesn't have the time of day for you… honey that isn't my fault. And to be honest, you could do so much better. Life will bring a man who is 100% down for you, someone who will not be interested in anyone else but you." Harley slowly walked towards her, making sure not to hide her hands as she didn't want her to think that she was going to attack her, and she only stopped when the gun touched her chest. "Not only in a sexual way, but in a romantic way. He will do anything for you, just to see a smile on your face. He will have eyes for none, except you. That is what The Joker is to me. He is my sunshine as he brightens up even the darkest of my days. He is my compass because I am lost without him and he guides me to where I'm supposed to go. And he is my rose, the most beautiful thing in my life. It will happen for you one day and your mind is going to be blown and everything will make sense. You will see what true love really is. But, that will only happen if you leave right now. Shoot me and we both die, Mr. J will never allow you to live…"

"But that would only happen if he even cared about you" A second voice interrupted. They both turned to see a broad figure approaching them and as he came closer Jessica's pursed lips turn ed into a gleeful grin. "Harley, baby, He left you back there. I took you hostage, put a gun to your head and he walks away. I don't believe that's love hon." Bruno joined them and pinched Harley in the cheek, only to have his hand smacked away by her.

"You are wrong" Harley spat out as her nose flared in anger.

"Am I though?" Bruno cocked his head to the side in question and shot her a devilish smile "Here," He dug The Hope Diamond and wrapped the chain around her neck while Harley immediately felt the weight of the immense rock. "I want you to wear this, and only this tonight. We are going to have so much fun. Jessica you can come along too… I know you get wild under the covers." Bruno gave her quick eye down which made Jessica hungry with desire, and all she did was nod in agreement. They both became distracted with undressing each other with their eyes that they didn't notice Harley anymore.

This is the perfect moment to run! – Harley thought but her body was frozen in place. She yelled at her legs to move, but they wouldn't budge, she demanded her throat to scream but all was silent. She couldn't even close her eyes to blink. She was a prisoner in her own head. She felt a slow burning fire start at the center of her chest, where the stone rested on her body. It quickly spread to her stomach and legs and her arms until she could no longer feel a single inch of her body that wasn't burning. Harley's mind began racing at a thousand miles per second until she could no longer have a single thought, and the last thing she was able to feel was a heaviness and darkness take over her body. This weight soon became unbearable and she collapsed. Bruno had signed his own death sentence, and he didn't even notice. The curse was active once again.

"Oh well, she died" Jessica cynically laughed and turned to look at Bruno who was already kneeling in front of Harley checking for a pulse. Jessica shifted her weight onto one hip and rolled her eyes.

"Harley? Wake up" Bruno cleared her blonde hair out of her fair face and his eyes desperately searched for any signs of life.

Suddenly, Harley's eyes shot open, but they were different. Her usual warm glance was replaced a pair of emotionless eyes and the icy blue tint in her eyes was barely visible as her pupils were overly dilated.

"Harl…" Bruno began to ask but his words were cut short as Harley let out a loud and piercing screech that echoed through the empty streets. Harley kicked Bruno right in the chest making his stumble back and forced him to land on his back, smacking the back of his head hard on the wet concrete floor, knocking him unconscious. Jessica raised her gun one more time and didn't hesitate to shoot. Harley's focus was so centered that everything seemed to go in slow motion, allowing her to catch her opponents' moves before they struck. She heard the gun fire before she saw the bullets fly; She turned and ducked just in time to feel the bullets just fly by next to her face and struck the brick wall behind them. Jessica's eyes widened in fear as the jester girl let out another war cry that cut sharp through the air. She knew that there was no way to beat her, so she turned on her heels and booked it out of there

Big mistake

As soon as Jessica's back was turned Harley grabbed her by the hair and pulled her all the way down to the ground.

"Please! Please! Let me go… ill stay away from Bruno… Ill leave you two alone… promise" Jessica begged as she stretched her arms defensively in front of her.

"You must be more derailed than I am to think I could ever have feelings for someone so worthless as him…" her eyes lost in insanity shot another wave of panic through Jessica as she knew exactly what came next.

Harley grabbed Jessica's gun and forced it up into her mouth.

"Don't you worry sweetie you will now both be together… forever." Harley half smiled and looked into Jessica's eyes, as she didn't want to miss the moment her life drained from within them… and she pulled the trigger with no hesitation. A red fountain ran down Jessica's mouth and nose and her eyes sat still, she was dead within seconds. The blood splashed warm all over Harley, but she barely even seemed to notice as she turned away and dropped the gun towards the now dead girl.

"One down, one to go." Harley muttered, and she turned to Bruno, who was still laying on the ground, but was beginning to shake awake. Harley strode over and dropped to her knees right beside him. She stared long and hard at his face, she traced his furrowed eyebrows with her thin index finger and then moved down to the scowl stamped on his lips…even in sleep it looked like he couldn't find any peace. Harley turned her body and managed to pull a long knife she always carried hidden away in the inside of her boot.

She turned her head up into the dripping skies above her and let out one more holler. Harley then lowered the knife with a force into Bruno's chest in and out. His screams of agony could be heard down the block, but the more she dug around in his thoracic cavity, the more silent he became. Harley didn't stop until all she was able to hear was the constant sound of the rainfall and the sloshing sound of the liquid organs that once belonged to Bruno. Harley hadn't realized but, she was almost covered from head to toe in her victims' blood and the rain was not heavy enough to wash her clean.

"May you never rest in peace" Harley spat as she walked away, leaving her first kill behind.