Deck of Rogues: Karaoke Night

By: Sky Lark Turner

(A continuation of The Deck of Rogues Series)

Summary: What happens when the Rogues take a night off? They take over a karaoke bar, of course! Anything can happen with enough alcohol and a microphone!

Rated: K+ - for mild language and a pinch of adult content

Genre: Humor

Disclaimer: Joker: Who came up with the idea of a karaoke night out, anyway?

Vampyra: Who came up with the idea of you in the first place?

Joker: Uh, well DC Comics and Warner Bros owns Batman: The Animated Series... And the songs belong to a bunch of talented people that can sing…..

Vampyra: Wow, he actually knows something...

Joker: Yeah, yeah, whatever... On with the booz!

Part 1: Harley's Happy Ending

"Sing! Sing!" the Joker cried bouncing up and down at his table. "Oh, come on somebody get up there!"

Vampyra stood up from her chair next to Joker, her usual corseted gown traded for a skintight clubbing outfit, a Bloody Mary in her hand. "Okay, who's first?"

The Rouges looked around at each other. All were scattered across the table of a half empty bar. Before the tables, was a well-lit stage, currently empty and microphone without a speaker.

"Harley!" Joker called. "Sing us a song!"

Harley turned to look at the Joker. She was amidst the Scarecrow, Mad Hatter and Two-Face, all of who had turned from their own tables to talk with the now single Harley.

"Who made you the boss?" Harley sassed back. She had gone solo after Joker had admitted he was till in love with his ex-fiancée, Vampyra.

"Why you little…" Joker scowled at Harley.

"Easy, J," Vampyra leaned on the Joker's shoulder. Her high heels brought her to the same height as his tall frame. "It's our night off, remember?"

"Come on, Harley," Two-Face casually flipped his coin. "Sing us a song…"

"Yeah!" Scarecrow and Mad Hatter chimed in. "Please, Harley?" Soon the rest of the Rogues were cheering for Harley, even Poison Ivy, who shared the table with her.

"Aw, all right," Harley stood in her traditional Harlequin leotard. "Just hold yah horses!" Daintily, she strutted over to the karaoke machine's jukebox o pick out a song, making to a point to press her porcelain face against the glass, and innocently throwing out her curved figure.

For all her child ness, Harley was turning into quiet a femme fatale without the Joker. Her naive virtue gave her a playful edge withal of the men she encountered.

Vampyra looked around at all of her fellow Rogues, who had noticed Harley at the jukebox. She gave Ivy a raised eyebrow, which was returned by an annoyed look, and turned to Harley. "Hey Harley, you may want to pick a song before the boy start drooling on their shoes."

Harley glanced over her shoulder to see almost the entire room staring al her. Even the lone bartender, who had remained at his post despite the odd crowd, was staring as he absent-mindedly cleaned a glass. "Sorry…" she gave an innocent smile and hopped up on stage.

On the background, a woman's voice came along with faint drums and a guitar. "Oh, oh, so much for my happy ending…"

Harley gazed up at the television screen for the words, hand folded behind her back, looking quiet small. In a shy but beautiful alto voice she sang:

"Let's talk this over, it's not like we're dead.

Was it something I did? Was it something you said?

Don't leave me hangin', in a city so dead.

Held up so high, on such a breakable thread.

You were all the things I thought I knew, and I thought we could be…

You were everything, everything, that I wanted.

We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it.

All of our memories so close to me, just fade away…

All this time you were pretendin', so much for my happy endin'

Oh, oh, so much for my happy endin'. Oh, oh…"

Harley put her hand on her hip. More confident, she began to sing out even more.

"You've got you dumb friends, I know what they say…

They tell you I difficult, but so are they…

But they don't know me, do they even know you?

All the thin's you hide from me, all the shit tha' yah do

Yah were all the thin's I thought I knew, an' I thought we could be!"

Harley started to dance with her singing and began to sind the song in her usual improper English. Most of the men were cat-calling and hooting, Joker the loudest with a "That's my Pooh!". Vampyra shot Ivy a look, who gave a shrug.

"Yah were everythin'! Everythin'! Tha' I wanted….

We were meant tah be! Supposed tah be! But we lost it…

All of the memories so close tah me, just fade away….

All this time yah were pretendin', so much for my happy endin'!

It's nice tah know tha' yah were there, thanks for actin' like yah cared, an' makin' me feel like I was the only one.

It's nice tah know we had it all, thanks for watchin' as I fall.

An' lettin' me know we were done!

He was everythin', everythin', tha' I wanted…

We were meant tah be supposed tah be! But we lost it…

All of our memories so close tah me, just fade away…

All this time yah were pretendin', so much for my happy endin'!

Oh, oh, so much for my happy endin'!"

Harley bowed as she received a standing ovation from the Rogues. Even Poison Ivy and Vampyra started clapping for their sister in crime.

Harley looked delighted. Her black lips parted in a huge smile as she hopped down from the stage and skipped back to her seat.

"Bartender!" Joker cried to the lone civilian in the entire bar. "Another bottle of Jack!" He tossed an empty Jack Daniel's bottle over his shoulder, letting it shatter on a vacant table.

Next to him, Vampyra had finished her Bloody Mary and was working on a large margarita. "Having fun, J?" she asked as the Joker popped the lid off another Jock Daniel's.

"You kidding?" Joker slung his arm around Vampyra. "This is black mail for the next ten years!"

Vampyra laughed and looked towards the stage.

"It's my turn!" Killer Croc yelled making his way to the jukebox, passing in front of the stage. He was moving slowly from the three bottles of vodka he had downed.

"Back off, Lizard- Man!" the Mad Hatter was up on stage, barely recognizable without his top hat or buttoned trench coat. His large bow tie was undone along with the top few buttons of his high-collared lime green shirt. "It's my turn!"