You stood side by side with Harley, both of you applying dark red lipstick to your lips. One of Joker's lower-level workers (perhaps a cook?) was fearfully holding a mirror up to the two of you so you could see what you were doing. Of course, you hadn't been the one to demand that he performed such a task. That was all Harley, since she couldn't be bothered to walk to her bathroom and apply her lipstick.

   You pressed your lips together, spreading the product around your lips. You smiled at yourself to see if any had gotten on your teeth, and when you saw that it had, you ran your tongue along them to clean them. It may have been unnecessary to get so dolled up for a walk, but you wanted to leave the house in style after being isolated for so long. If people were going to be looking at you, you wanted to at least give them something to look at.

   "Perfect!" Harley squealed at the sight of herself. She was clad in her usual pigtails, a sleek, red dress, and matching red heels. She utilized her dress' pockets, storing her lipstick in there. "We look amazing!"

You were inclined to agree. You were in your glittery, (f/c) dress from that morning with your hair in waves. Your makeup was bold yet classy: smoky eyeshadow and the aforementioned red lipstick. "We do."

"No, you do, baby," whispered a familiar voice as you felt familiar hands wrap around your waist.

You watched your face light up in the mirror as Joker hugged you from behind. You watched his blue eyes take you in from head to toe, as if you hadn't been in that outfit all day. However, it wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for him to blatantly check you out, regardless of the occasion or outfit. No matter how often he saw you, it seemed that your face and body never got old to him.

You reached up and touched the side of his face. "Oh, stop. Not in front of our guest."

"She lives here now. She's not our guest. She knows what she signed up for."

"I'm not sure I knew what I signed up for," replied Harley with a giggle. "I didn't think you two would be so...in love."

   Her word choice made him tense up. He pondered what she said in silence, and as the seconds ticked by, things grew more and more awkward.

   So, you decided to intervene and mollify the awkwardness. "We don't say that yet," you mumbled, a little disappointed that he couldn't just act like he loved you in front of Harley.

   "Oh, I'm sorry," she replied.

   You wormed your way out of Joker's grip and saw that her expression was of sympathy, not mockery like you had feared. No, maybe it even ran deeper than sympathy. Maybe it was...

   Empathy. Like she'd been here before.

   "It's okay." You ran your hands down your hair, attempting to flatten any flyaways. "You two ready?"

   "Yeah!" she chirped, skipping up to you and grabbing your arm. While her enthusiasm was still a little annoying, you discovered that it was also somewhat contagious; you could feel yourself growing more and more excited as the seconds passed by.

   "No, but I'm doin' it for you, doll," replied Joker. "I'll linger behind you both, just so nobody can sneak up on ya from behind. Remember, we walk around the block and that's it."

   "We know," you and Harley groaned at the same time.

   You both walked to the door. You hesitated in front of it, however; leaving the house was so prohibited that you felt like a felon just for leaving it. You were so conditioned to stay put that guilt was overtaking your body.

   "You got this, (Y/N)," whispered Harley, sensing your hesitation from beside you.

   But, alongside the guilt, there was exhilaration. You had always loved breaking the rules, and this was just another rule you got to break.

   So, with a flourish, you threw open the front door. There was a small bang as it hit against the house, which made you jump. With a chuckle, you shook your head at how jumpy you had become over the last few weeks.

   "Pussy," Harley teased at your flinch, causing you to push her playfully.

   "Girls, please," came your lover's voice from behind you both as he shut the door behind him. "This is no time for horseplay. Be alert. This is not about friendship, this is about safety. There's safety in numbers, not in friendship."

   Infected with Harley's overexcited, carefree energy, you scoffed and rolled your eyes. "Whatever, J."

   He put you back in your place real fast; his arm shot out and grabbed you by the waist, pulling you toward him. "Is that attitude I hear?" he growled in  your ear. "We can go back inside right now if that's what you'd prefer. I'm doin' this for you, you ungrateful little thing. I'm going against my better judgment just to make you happy. So, I'd like a little respect from my woman. Fair?"

   You could feel yourself subconsciously melting into his touch. He always knew how to make you shut up without even directly saying it. He was right, after all. You were taking advantage of his kindness and not giving him the credit he deserved. "Fair," you squeaked. "I'm sorry."

   "Good girl. Don't forget who has your best interest at heart, now. 'Cause we both know damn well it ain't her."

   He gestured at Harley, who was busying herself by looking at the fountain in the mansion's front yard. You knew she was doing that to mitigate your embarrassment, which you were thankful for.

   "You're right."

   "Who takes good care of ya?"

   "You, J."

   "And who do you belong to? Me or her?"

   "You."

   "Perfect. So that means you'll do exactly as I say without a bit of attitude. Got it?"

   "Yes!"

   Your tone started to grow a little impatient, since you just wanted to get going and enjoy the feeling of finally being outside again. But, your resolve immediately disintegrated as he looked at you challengingly, waiting for an apology.

   You were quick to give one. "Sorry."

   He nodded, satisfied. He gently ushered you forward so that you were side-by-side with Harley once again. "Now get walking."

   You did, both of your comrades following suit.

After a few seconds, your embarrassment began to bloom as you realized that Harley wasn't saying anything to make this experience a little more palatable. She was just walking next to you, gaze trained on her shoes.

The silence was driving you crazy, since that meant your scolding was at the forefront of everyone's mind. So, you figured you should just call attention to it yourself so you could move on with your day.

A quick glance behind you showed that Joker was far enough away so that he wouldn't hear you if you whispered. Not that it mattered too much, but you figured it would've been a little less awkward to address only Harley as opposed to the both of them.

So, you just went for it. "That was embarrassing," you whispered.

Seemingly relieved to have the elephant in the room being addressed, she finally looked at you, smiling. "Don't worry about it. That's just how he is. I've been there, sistah."

It felt weird to commiserate with someone about your shared experiences with a man, but you rolled with it anyhow. "He's scolded you like that?"

"Oh, all the time. I don't mind it, though. Just shows he cares, I guess."

You smiled at her interpretation. It was here that optimism like hers could be useful. Amidst all your embarrassment, you hadn't even been trying to interpret his stunt for what it was. "Yeah, true. I hadn't thought of it like that."

"Well, you should. It's pretty obvious he cares about ya. More than he ever cared for me."

At this point, you had passed the mansion's front yard. Near you were a few apartments that hadn't actually housed anyone since you had moved in. You figured the close proximity to Joker and his crew wasn't exactly a selling point to those places, which explained their vacancy. Harley was looking at these run-down apartments as if this was the first time she had seen them, despite only arriving yesterday. Probably to make this conversation a little less awkward.

"Oh." You didn't really know how to respond other than that, so you didn't. You did, however, join her in staring at the scenery you were familiar with, but hadn't seen in a while.

Somehow, you realized, Gotham looked even more shitty when you hadn't seen it in a while. You noticed more trash on the ground than you would have prior, and there was this certain smell of smog and sewage that you had previously been immune to. It was so rotten that you periodically grabbed the breast of your dress and brought it to your nose so you could smell something sweeter. You figured your perfume wouldn't last long in an environment like this, so you had to make the most of it while you could.

All of a sudden, Harley whipped around, seemingly to make sure that Joker was still a way's away. When she saw that she was, she turned back to you and said, "He's bullshitin' you, ya know."

Immediately, your heart dropped. You didn't know what she was going to say, but your mind raced with all the horrible possibilities. Was he cheating on you? Was he faking your whole relationship? Was there some ulterior motive in being with you?

You tried to calm yourself enough to speak without a quivering voice, but you were unsuccessful in your attempt. "W-what do you mean?" you asked.

She smiled at your weak voice. "Oh, stop, it's nothin' bad!" She nudged you. "Ya gotta chill!"

You took a deep breath, your anxieties having been eased some. "Okay. What is it?" You were pleased to find that your voice came out stronger that time.

"There's no way he's not in love with ya. I don't care if he's sayin' it or not. He definitely is, and I want ya to know that. Because I know you're in love with him, too, and the fact that y'all don't say it kills ya."

You couldn't help the blush that creeped onto your cheeks at the very idea. You wanted nothing more than for him to love you, but it felt so impossible that you tried to put your desires in the back of your mind.

"No, he doesn't," you replied. "If he's not saying it, then that means he doesn't."

You knew that wasn't the case, but you were admittedly fishing for more details on the matter. You wanted to hear just how much he loved you, even if it wasn't coming from him. An outside perspective was enough.

"Oh, come on," she said. "He does. He's just afraid of what that means for his whole bad guy image."

"I feel like he lost that the minute he started dating me, no?"

"That's probably when it started to falter, yeah. But, there was still some semblance of evil there. And if he ever said he loved ya, that last bit of evil would be gone. He would have to face the fact that he's not a monster. He's a person."

"To most people, that's a good thing."

"Yeah, but you know our J. That's never a good thing to him."

You could feel your stomach turn at the word our. You didn't want to call her out, not while she was being so informative. So, you simply nodded and turned your head away, allowing yourself to stew in your emotions in silence.

To Harley's credit, she was extremely socially aware; she noticed your change in mood instantly. "Oh, sugar, I'm sorry. I forget I have to watch the words I say when I'm around people sometimes. Ya don't exactly get social trainin' when you're runnin' amuck and bein' a villain."

You smiled dryly, that apology not doing much to ease your discomfort. After all, if she was saying he was hers, then that meant that some part of her believed that she still had some form of attachment to Joker. And you were not a huge fan of that fact. "No, but I'm sure they do when training to be a psychiatrist."

She pondered your quip for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, they do. But you kinda tend to forget all that when a manipulative guy is making you fall in love with him. You become a whole different person."

"He didn't manipulate me." This answer came a little too quickly, and a little too out of nowhere. You figured you were subconsciously projecting your insecurities about his character into the conversation to prove the legitimacy of your relationship. You had no reason to suspect she was even questioning it, yet the defensive answer still came tumbling from your lips anyhow. Embarrassed at yourself, your cheeks colored.

She looked at you knowingly, her psychiatrist background leading to her grasping your insecurities quickly. Funny how she didn't forget how to spot insecurities, but she forgot not to call someone's man hers. You felt your suspicion in her rise a little, just as it had started to lessen.

"Never said he did," she said after a bit of silence. "If anything, you manipulated him. He's not the same guy I knew."

You looked behind you at Joker, who was diligently monitoring your surroundings, eyes wide with what looked like fear.

Maybe Harley was right. Maybe you had unintentionally manipulated your lover. After all, when had he ever been afraid prior to the Two-Face situation? Somehow, your very existence had altered his character, all without you ever intending to. For some reason, you felt a little bad about this. You hadn't gone into this relationship trying to change him.

Harley kept talking. "Oh, yeah, not at all," she mumbled, as if you had responded to her prior statement. "He never cared about my well-being at all. He just wanted me because I was useful."

The bitterness in her voice was so obvious that it made you slightly uncomfortable. If she was still bitter, then that meant she still cared. And you did not want to house a woman who cared for your boyfriend in any way besides platonic.

To some extent, you admired her candor. You admired that she wore her heart on her sleeve. But, her openness also made you anxious. Because now that you saw this side of her, you wouldn't be able to relax with her living here. You trusted Joker, but you were starting to not trust her. If she still cared about him, what would she try to pull to make her feelings known?

"I don't think he wants you for that reason," she continued, starting to have a full-blown conversation with herself at this point. "I think he just genuinely wants ya. It's sweet."

You assessed her, and that unflattering, bitter vibe was completely gone. Scrubbed clean. Instead, she looked genuinely happy for the authentic love you had found. It disturbed you how carefully she could bury her true emotions.

You knew right then that you'd have to watch your back around her. That woman was capable of anything.

"Thanks." You were a little confused as you kept walking because, despite the fact that Harley may or may not have been hung up on Joker, you didn't hate her as much as you expected to. You didn't know if you liked her, but you definitely didn't dislike her. You wanted to dislike her so badly, but her support of you made it difficult.

"You're welcome!" she said cheerily. You knew that she knew something was wrong, but that she just simply wasn't questioning it.

By this point, the group of you had taken a left and were now venturing down an adjacent street. Immediately, you took notice of a couple walking together, hands intertwined. They noticed you at around the same time, and they looked both confused and terrified. After all, it wasn't every day that the Joker's girlfriend and ex-girlfriend were walking together, seemingly in an okay place. What was probably even more confusing was that after months of being off the grid, Harley was even back at all.

You smiled at the way the boyfriend protectively stepped in front of his girlfriend as you passed by. Something about the terrified look in his eyes just made you want to hurt him. With being cooped up in the mansion all these weeks, the itch to kill had grown more and more intense. But now, with fresh meat staring you right in the face, it was becoming unbearable.

Why not scratch that itch? The whole point of this walk was to make a statement, wasn't it?

Without a second thought, you reached into your dress' pocket and pulled out your trusty handgun. You aimed right at the man's head, then fired.

He hit the ground, revealing his girlfriend in all her glory. They say there are three different responses to fear: fight, flight, or freeze. This girl was definitely a member of the "freeze" category; she was just staring at you with wide eyes. No survival instincts whatsoever.

As you put a bullet in her brain too, you realized that in some sick, twisted way, you were doing her a favor. A girl like her was not cut out for Gotham. You had given her the best possible death: a painless shot to the head. You knew that other criminals would have seen her weakness and tortured her until she unraveled. You were truly a merciful woman.

You smiled a little at the irony.

Harley squealed, jumping up and down. "Get 'em, girl!"

You felt Joker's arms snake around you from behind, much like they had done earlier. "I have to admit," he whispered in your ear, "I missed seeing you do that, Trouble."

You felt a shudder rip through you, your grin widening. Finally, you were Trouble once again. You weren't a coward. You were finally in the open again, and you were Trouble. Trouble to anyone that crossed your path, even Two-Face.

Joker seemed to notice your shudder, for his grip on you tightened. "Yes," he purred, "let it move through ya. I want you to feel powerful again, doll. Let this feeling consume you."

You did, shutting your eyes and letting this newfound power move through your veins. All of your fears were muted out by this feeling of victory. You were finally in control of others' lives again, and you were finally in control of your own, too.

He nuzzled his head into your neck, placing slow, soft kisses on your neck. "This was a good idea, (Y/N)."

"I know. You've gotta stop doubting me," you giggled.

"And you've gotta stop gloating."

"Oh, let her gloat!" said Harley, waving him off. "This is probably the only time you've ever admitted you were wrong."

"And even now, he's not saying it outright." You grinned teasingly, reaching up and caressing the side of his face. "Can you say it for me?"

He growled at the embarrassment of such an admittance. "Keep dreamin', Trouble. Now, come on, let's keep going."

You three were in higher spirits the rest of the walk. It was a little silly how two simple kills, ones that took no effort at all, caused all your fears to melt away. They allowed you all to instantly slide back into your old selves and dwell on something besides self-preservation. With all the anxieties of the past few weeks, this change of pace was most certainly welcomed.

You felt empowered. Like you had made the right decision in coming out of hiding. Like you did stand a chance against Two-Face after all.

That is, until you arrived back at the mansion.

As you three approached the front door, you noticed two small pieces of paper on the ground. Without even knowing what they were, your skin paled. Last time a mysterious paper had shown up at the house, it was a death threat.

Joker, clearly thinking the same thing you were, bent down to grab them.

"Careful, it could be laced," you warned him quietly, just as Frost had done previously.

And Joker didn't listen, just as he had done back then. He took the papers in his hands, his pupils dilating instantaneously. With force, he opened the door with his J key and pushed you and Harley inside.

"What was it?" you asked hoarsely as he shut the door behind you. You were almost certain you didn't want to know, but you knew you had to know.

Without a word, Joker held the two pieces of paper up to you and Harley.

It was then you realized that they weren't pieces of paper at all.

They were Polaroids. And each one contained a photo of the three of you walking, evidently taken in the last half hour or so. In each photo, your head had an X through it. Written on the bottom of the first Polaroid was the word "Hello". Written on the bottom of the second was the word "there".

Hello there.

Joker flipped one of the Polaroids over, showing the backside to you and Harley. It read:

Trying to spook me with good ol' Harley? She's nothing. You can keep my sloppy seconds. Hope to see you all soon <3
-TF

And with that, you fell to the floor and violently threw up your lunch.

Even when you thought you were winning, you were still losing. Nothing was making Two-Face waver. He only seemed to be getting more confident.

Despite the situation's unpromising appearance, you knew you had to keep getting out there and showing yourself. You couldn't hide anymore; he would know his photos were what drove you away. You had to appear unaffected by his threats, or else he'd just keep torturing you. Maybe your confidence would spook him... Maybe you could call his bluff.

Or not. Maybe all this would do was give you some cool points for running straight into danger. But, like you had said before, it was better to run into danger than just wait and let it come to you.

Either way, you had to persevere.

Despite your fears and doubts, you would persevere.