Two-Face had moved you into the kitchen, that way you would be out of sight for when Joker arrived. You were crying quietly in your chair as Two-Face and Harley stared at you, wordlessly judging your every action.

Harley still didn't seem herself. She was staring through you rather than at you. She looked like she was in a whole other world. Two-Face, on the contrary, looked very present. He seemed to be relishing in this experience, drinking in your tears with that same crooked grin that had plagued your nightmares all these months. You wanted to look away, but you couldn't stop staring at him.

"Isn't this beautiful, Harley?" he eventually asked.

She gave a lurch, clearly snapping out of some daydream that you couldn't even begin to comprehend. "Isn't what beautiful?" she asked.

"This. Watching someone fear for their life. For their lover's life. Doesn't this just make you feel excited?"

She smiled tightly. "Yeah. It's very excitin'!"

"God, I haven't felt this good in years. Killing can get so repetitive. But this? This is the best change of pace I could've asked for."

He got up and began circling your chair. You braced for impact, unaware of what he would do each time he disappeared behind you. Surprisingly, no blow came. "I had to work for this catch. It didn't just fall in my lap like all the others. I had to outsmart the smartest criminal in the city. I had to actually plan. And now, I get to ruin two lives instead of just one."

He stopped in front of you, grabbing your chin and tilting your head up to look at him. Joker used to do this, and shivers ran through you at the memory. You couldn't believe that you wouldn't live to experience that feeling again. It felt like a bad dream. Something that could never and should never happen.

"You are my most prized possession, (Y/N)," he muttered. "The most valuable thing I've ever owned. And I'm gonna enjoy ripping you apart piece by piece."

"I'm not your possession," you said through gritted teeth, your body screaming in pain from the wounds already inflicted on it. You didn't know if you could take any more.

"No? You're tied up like you are."

You didn't really have a rebuttal for that, so you stayed quiet.

"That's what I thought. Joker made the foolish mistake of letting you go, but I will never let you go. You're gonna die here, (Y/N). You're gonna die in captivity. How does that make you feel?" He was breathing hard as if the idea were exhilarating.

"It makes me feel like shit, but I think you know that. All I can do is just trust that J will outsmart you just like he does everyone else." You didn't even trust that anymore. You just wanted to strip Two-Face of his confidence. Anything to make him less insufferable.

"He won't. I've thought this through too well."

"We'll see."

He chuckled, stroking your bottom lip with his thumb. You jerked your head away, disgusted at the action. You didn't know where that hand had been, and you didn't want to find out.

"Yes we will," he said quietly. He took a step back and assumed his position next to Harley, who was once again spaced out.

He rested a hand on her shoulder, prompting another lurch from her. "He's probably getting close now. You excited, you little devil?"

She nodded with another strained smile. "Yeah! Can I go wait by the door for him?"

"Oh, so you're very excited." He chuckled again, patting her shoulder. "Go ahead. Just act fast when you open the door. Greet him, maybe, but then go crazy. Where's your bat?"

"Right by the door in preparation for this."

"Good girl. Go ahead, now."

She did, seeming a little happier now as she walked off to wait for Joker.

   After she left, Two-Face reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun. He twirled it around absently, staring at you with an unplaceable expression.

   Your heart dropped. "What's that for?" you asked. You already knew. You were just praying you were wrong.

   "Just in case something goes south. I need a way to defend myself, don't I?"

   "Why would they go south? I thought you had all this planned out."

   "I do, and I'm confident in my plan. But you can never be too careful." He raised the gun at nothing, then jerked his hand as if he had fired at something. "It would be a little underwhelming of an end to your story, but killing both of you would still manage just fine. It's still revenge."

   You felt conflicted. On one hand, maybe it would be better for Joker to die quickly than for him to live a long life of psychological torture. But you didn't know if you had the stomach to watch his brains splatter the walls, his blood stain the floor. You had nearly crumbled due to a measly dream; you couldn't imagine how you'd handle the real thing.

   You pressed your lips together as you squirmed uncomfortably. There were so many possible outcomes to this face-off, and few of them were favorable. Even fewer of those favorable outcomes were realistic. You had never felt more dread in your life, and as your stomach continued to spill little beads of crimson, you prayed for Joker to get in some car accident on the way over. It sounded extreme, but you knew that he was so stubborn that there was no way he'd turn around or change his mind. At least if he crashed, he could die oblivious, somewhat happy, and best of all, away from you. You wouldn't have to see it. You could die knowing that he passed as humanely as possible, and maybe you could even see him again in whatever existence followed your earthly one. You were aware of how fucked up this all sounded. It wasn't every day you were wishing death on the man you loved.

You didn't respond, and Two-Face didn't say anything more. He just continued to play with the gun. He clicked the safety on and off. He pointed it at you, then pointed it at himself, staring into the barrel. You felt very unsettled by all of this. It looked like he was losing his mind.

Maybe it was just his alter-ego taking over and leaving Harvey behind once again.

As he had the gun pointed to himself, you blurted, "Do it."

He looked at you, and just based on that expression, you knew it was the alter-ego that you were dealing with. You really had meant what you said, but you regretted saying it. The last time his alter-ego had taken over and you had mouthed off, his name was carved into your stomach.

But, he didn't start toward you. He was clearly too preoccupied with thoughts of Joker. Instead, he just said, "That'd be no fun."

You almost retorted but caught yourself. You had gotten lucky once. You probably wouldn't get lucky again.

More silence. It stretched on and on this time, off into what felt like infinity. The only sound that could be heard was your ragged breathing, an auditory demonstration of your pain. The physical demonstration was splattered across your hand, your arm, your stomach. You looked like a partially cleaned-off Carrie, and you felt just as scared as her, too.

Eventually, Harley's voice disrupted the quiet from the living room. "He's here. Be ready!"

You tensed. Immediately, you began to cry again. You could no longer live in the delusion that he wouldn't show up. He was here, and that was a reality you could no longer hide from. You would die, and he'd be hurt so profoundly that he wished he were dead.

Two-Face pointed the gun at you, placing a finger to his lips. You quieted instantly, biting your lip to stifle any audible sobs. You knew he wasn't threatening death upon you. He was threatening violence. He was threatening to make your death that much more painful. Maybe with a shot to the heart so that you'd slowly bleed out. Or maybe one in the arm or leg. Not enough to kill you, but enough to drive you crazy.

Once he saw your cooperation, he lowered the gun again.

You could hear the door open from where you were bound. You desperately tried to listen in, to see if Joker had picked up on the fact this was a trap. But you couldn't hear anything. Since Joker wasn't exactly a quiet talker, it would be reasonable to assume that Harley had jumped on him as soon as she opened the door.

You felt your heart break, tears silently rolling down your cheeks.

Two-Face seemed to be listening too, looking pleased when he heard nothing. "She works fast," he commented quietly.

Maybe a minute went by, and you were expecting to hear Harley call out for Two-Face at any minute. To hear her deliver the worst news of your life, to say those fateful words:

We got him.

Alas, they never came. You wondered if she would manage to haul him into the kitchen herself instead. The thought caused a lump to form in your throat. You didn't know if you could handle seeing Joker, limp and unconscious, caked in his own blood.

Alas, that didn't happen, either. What actually happened nearly shocked you to your core:

Eventually, both of them walked into the room. Both were completely conscious, completely alert. He had a gun pressed to Harley's back, an intimidating sneer of satisfaction on his face. She, however, looked terrified, and you couldn't help but relish in that terror.

You let out a big breath of air. He had done it. He had figured out that this was a trap. And with that, you burst into tears of relief.

Joker looked over at you, and your eyes met for the first time in what felt like weeks. Those damn blue eyes could heal all wounds. You felt better by just looking at them, causing you to smile weakly at him.

"(Y/N)," he breathed, eyes scanning over your injuries. He looked broken at the sight, which caused you to break even further. You didn't want to cause him any pain, but a part of you was relieved that he even cared at all. You hadn't been feeling that way as of late.

His eyes dipped down to your exposed stomach. He read the letters engraved there, and his expression darkened. He whipped around to face Two-Face, gun pressed to Harley's head now, and snarled, "What the fuck did you do to her?!"

You watched Two-Face's expression change back to that stoic, analytical lawyer. This shift was a blatant attempt to save his own ass. He needed to be his calmest, most persuasive self in order to get out of this alive, and he knew it. The alter-ego wouldn't cut it. Harvey might do the trick.

"Nothing unsavory," he said with a cool smile, as if this was just an everyday occurrence. The innuendo made Joker growl loudly. "Just wanted to mark what was mine."

"Say something like that again and the bitch gets it," hissed Joker.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on. Let's all calm down."

"Calm down. HA! Calm down! You're holding my woman hostage, she's bleeding, and your fucking name is carved into her stomach! AND YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?!"

   "This wasn't supposed to be this way," said Two-Face calmly. He pointed the gun at you, causing your breathing to hitch. "Just so you don't get trigger-happy. If you make one wrong move, your bitch gets it. Understand?"

   "Don't call her that." Joker's hand trembled as he held the gun to Harley's head, clearly restraining himself from doing something drastic and potentially dangerous to you.

   "I can call her whatever I want. Because I have the power. Not you, J. Not anymore. You're gonna do whatever I ask because I have the power. Do you understand?"

   Joker didn't respond. He just stood there, trembling, unsure of what to do. Following orders could be bad. Not following orders could also be bad. He was stuck, and you could tell just by the hesitation on his expression.

   Two-Face teased the trigger with his finger. "I said, do you understand?"

   "Yes," Joker said quickly. You knew he was never one to submit to any orders under any circumstance. So, despite the situation, you felt a slight tug on your heartstrings. He did care.

   "Good boy. Now, lower your weapon, please. Place it on the floor."

   Hesitantly, he did. Harley lowered her gaze to the floor, clearly ashamed of her fuckup. She patted the pocket of her dress, seemingly checking for something.

   "Like I said, this wasn't how it was supposed to go," said Two-Face. You stared into the barrel of his gun, feeling yourself disappear into that gaping hole. The more you could escape reality, the less you would think about dying. You thought of all the mechanisms that made the gun fire. What were they? How did they work? Was this a revolver or a pistol? You didn't even know. What kind of criminal were you?

   "Harley was supposed to knock you out. We were supposed to tie you up. You were supposed to watch as your precious (Y/N) was tortured and then eventually murdered," he continued. "But, things don't go according to plan all the time. I have to live with that. So, that's fine. Besides, I may not have you physically tied up, but I'm restraining you just the same."

   He waved the gun in your general direction, causing Joker to let out some choked noise that you weren't sure had a name.

   "Maybe we can reach some sort of truce here. But you're gonna have to follow my every instruction and trust that (Y/N) will live. No matter how dangerous my instructions sound, you'll need to trust me. And you're gonna have to swear that you'll never bother me again," he said.

   "I swear it," mumbled Joker begrudgingly.

   "Good." Two-Face suddenly whirled on Harley. "You're awfully quiet! May I ask what happened to our plan?"

   "I don't know," she whimpered, finally meeting his eyes. "He answered the door with a gun. I only had a bat, so I couldn't do anything. I guess he just saw through everything."

   "Likely story. Well, either way, I have no use for you if you can't even knock someone out. J, maybe I should've let you shoot her! Regardless, I'll deal with you later."

   "I'm sorry."

   "That's not enough, unfortunately. You cost us the mission. You pulled a (Y/N)."

   "Keep her name out of your mouth. She's a fantastic criminal," Joker cut in harshly.

   "We both know that's not true. Even she knows that's not true."

   "That's obviously not true," you said with a small chuckle, attempting to find the humor in a humorless situation. Joker looked at you sadly, hearing how weak your voice was.

   "Exactly. So, please, let's not defend something not worth defending."

   "She'll always be worth it to me," said Joker firmly.

   Two-Face pretended to gag. "Whatever. Let's change the subject." He finally moved the gun from you to your lover, who did not look fazed in the least bit. "Now that you're unarmed and vulnerable... I could do anything I wanted to you."

   You cried harder, struggling against your binds as if you were volunteering yourself. "Don't do anything to him," you wailed. "Stick to your original plan."

   "Plans change, don't they?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of Joker. "Mine sure did. If they hadn't, he would've been restrained and you would've been bleeding even worse than you are now."

   "Do that, then. Please."

   "I can't. I can't keep him at bay and torture you at the same time."

   Two-Face trailed the gun along Joker's jawline. "So, I'll just have to settle for second best: killing you and having her watch, then sending her on her merry way. I need what I do today to have an impact. If you're both dead, what kind of impact would that have?"

   You began to thrash around wildly at the mere mention of the worst case scenario. It was hard enough to have to watch Joker suffer before you died. It would be even harder to endure that suffering as your life, your reason for existing, died before you.

   Two-Face looked over at you crying crazily in your chair, and smiled. "Yeah, this'll do. This may even be better than plan A."

   Joker growled. "I'd like to see you try."

   And with that, his arm shot out in an attempt to grab the gun away from him. Two-Face easily eluded him, pointing the gun at you now. "I know your weakness, J," he said softly. "If you don't willingly accept this punishment, she dies instead. And I think you know she'll be able to move on much easier than you. In reality, I'm doing you a favor."

   "Fuck you," croaked Joker. He didn't attempt to fight again, however. He just stood there with his shoulders slumped, that resignation that you could so vividly remember from your dream. You kept crying as your worst nightmare unfolded before you.

   "Always having to get the last word, even in death." Two-Face held the gun up to Joker's head. "But I don't think you realize just how merciful I am. I'm going to kill you now, and I'm going to do so quickly. (Y/N) will live, and I won't be bothered again by either of you. It's a win for everyone involved. A lesser man would've taken his sweet time with you. But I feel like I've made my point."

   "You have," said Joker. "You have made your point. So kill me. End it all right now." His eyes darted to the side, looking at Harley. She looked back at him with empty eyes, her hands stuffed in her pockets. You couldn't figure out what she was thinking.

   You looked at your rock, your favorite person ever, making sure to remember every inch of his face before he died. Those pale blue eyes that said more than his words ever could, those full lips that you had loved to kiss, those silver teeth that had lovingly nipped the skin of your neck in the dead of night. Just watching this man, the man you were always meant to be with, be faced with death... It made you want to be faced with death too. You couldn't breathe, and all you could do was hope that this feeling was death being merciful and claiming you when you needed it.

   Then, a gunshot rang out.

   You squeezed your eyes shut, unable to will yourself to look at what had just occurred. Your throat felt about as wide as a pinhole; air was barely getting through as you wheezed loudly, imaging the gruesome sight of Joker laying dead before you. You couldn't do it. You couldn't look.

   Then, you felt hands on your shoulders. You screamed in agony, squirming away from the touch. You refused to let anyone who had just slaughtered your one true love touch you.

   "Hey, hey. It's me. It's okay, baby. It's me. Calm down. Look at me."

   It was Joker's voice. For a moment, you were wondering if he was speaking to you from beyond. Unbelieving, you opened your eyes only to be met with the face that you loved. Joker was alive, Joker was okay.

   Your eyes were so wide that they nearly bulged out of your head. You felt disoriented, entirely confused at what had just happened. You looked around, dazed, searching for answers.

   You got them when you saw Two-Face's body crumpled on the floor and Harley holding a gun.

   The pieces fit together in your mind. You began to sob hysterically with relief. You could breathe again, and you were sucking in air so fast that you suspected you might faint. Harley had changed her mind, and you were reunited with the person you loved.

   Joker pressed his lips to yours to silence your cries. You kissed back ferociously, your tears wetting his face. You moaned in contentment. Everything finally felt right in the world. You had only been apart from him for a few hours at most, but it had felt like days. You felt like you weren't really yourself without him. If that made you codependent or toxic, you didn't care. Love and obsession can coexist, and they most certainly did in your case.

   He pulled apart, holding your face in his hands for a moment. "So beautiful. Come on, let's get you fixed up. We might have to stitch up that hand, but everything else seems like it'll be okay with some gauze."

   You nodded, at a loss for words as he unbound you from the chair. You looked at Harley, who was awkwardly staring at Two-Face's body, tapping it with her toe.

   "Harley?" you asked, your voice hoarse from all the screaming.

   She looked up at you, flashing an uneasy smile. She was clearly worried about how you'd react to her now that you were free.

   Oddly enough, her betrayal didn't matter. In fact, it had almost been a good thing. It had brought you close enough to Two-Face to finally end things, even if it had caused some minor injuries and a fair amount of trauma.

   So, you smiled back at her. A warm, genuine smile. "Thank you."

   She looked surprised by that statement. "No problem."

   Joker had finished untying you at this point, and he helped you stand up on wobbly legs. As soon as you got your bearings, you dove into his arms and gave him the tightest hug you'd ever given. He held you with the same tightness, burying his head in the crook of your neck. You felt so at peace that you couldn't even be bothered with your wounds, which were aching due to being pressed against the fabric of his clothes. No pain would measure up to this relief, this feeling of closeness that you had been deprived of for these few hours.

   Eventually, you two pulled apart. He turned to face Harley, opening his mouth as if he were about to speak.

   "No, save it," she said, holding up a hand to silence him.

   Miraculously, he listened.

   "I'm so sorry for what I did to you both," she said. "I held onto such resentment for J that it made me act out in ways I normally wouldn't. I don't act like this normally. I'm..."

   She seemed to be getting choked up. She took a breath, blinking back tears before continuing. "I'm not ever fake like this. If I don't like you, I'm makin' that clear. If I'm out to get you, I'm makin' that clear. I didn't give (Y/N) a fair fight. And for that, I'm sorry."

   The tears escaped her eyes no matter how hard she tried to blink them away. "(Y/N), I really did like ya. I think you're an incredibly sweet person, and a better match for J then I ever would've been. And that's why I double-crossed Two-Face. I just couldn't bear to watch you die for a crime you didn't commit. It's not your fault J treated me badly."

   She looked over at Joker. "And as for you, I want you to know that I forgive you. I see how you are with her, and I know that she's who you're meant to be with. We weren't meant to be. I'll always love you, but I need to let go and quit fixating on all the ways I came up short. The reality is that nothing I did could ever be good enough because I wasn't (Y/N). I wasn't your soulmate. I need to stop beating myself up, and I need to stop beating you up. We just didn't... We weren't a match. And that's okay."

   She cried harder now, clearly unconvinced of her own words. You weren't surprised that she still had love for Joker, but you were surprised she was admitting it. Oddly enough, you didn't feel any jealousy. In fact, you felt respect for her. It took a lot to own one's feelings, especially when they were as awkward as hers.

   You walked up to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Harley—"

   "No. I don't want you to say anything." She gently removed your hand from her shoulder. "I just wanted to say my piece and leave gracefully. This was my piece, and I'm gonna go now. Trust me, I won't be coming back. I'm gonna go back into hiding. It's where I belong."

   And with that, she left the room silently. You heard the front door open and close, and she was gone.

   You felt oddly empty watching her leave. Like a friend had just walked out. She hadn't been very friendly during your relationship with her, but she was clearly more than just the ditzy psychopath everyone painted her out to be. She had feelings. Deep, complex feelings that she couldn't express. You wanted to understand her, and maybe help her.

   But, you knew it would be better for her to leave, at least for now. You already had a lot on your mind, and her presence would've just strained things more.

   Joker ripped you out of your thoughts by pulling you to him again, kissing the top of your head. "Let's go home," he said lowly.

   "I'm already there," you whispered in reply.