No Rest For The Wicked | Jonathan Crane, Harleen Quinzel

Chapter One - Never A Quiet Night In Gotham

Chapter One - Never A Quiet Night In Gotham

It was late in the evening when Jonathan Crane, aka, The Scarecrow, was interrupted from his experiments with his chemicals, by a timid knock on his door.

Ignoring it at first, thinking, or more so hoping, he had just imagined it, he went back to his work.

After a moment, though, the knocking sounded again, this time louder, and seemingly more desperate, causing Jonathan to sigh as he put down the test tubes.

"Whatever idiot has stumbled across my door is in for quite the... scare." Jonathan muttered to himself, and, with those words, he exited his lab and approached the front door with an dark smirk upon his face.

Glancing out the peek hole, however, Jonathan's smile immediately vanished.

"Oh, Harley..." He murmured pityingly as he pulled open the door, looking down at the woman wearing nothing but her black and red harlequin outfit, which was torn and stained with blood.

She had no mask or makeup on, and her face was cut and bruised, along with the rest of her body, and her blond hair was matted in blood. Large blue eyes looked up at him timidly.

They were filled with unshed tears.

"...h-hiya, Johnny." She muttered, playing with the strap of the small bag she carried at her side, which was slung around her shoulder.

"Harley... you know what I'm going to say..." Jonathan breathed, shaking his head as Harley nodded her own weakly.

"Y-Yeah, I know... I know what everyone's gonna say, I've gotten so used to it..." Harley choked, rubbing at her teary blue eyes.

Jonathan looked down at her sympathetically.

"Yet, you still stay with him." He stated, to which she merely nodded once more.

"I... I know... I'm stupid... I just... I need a place to hide... from... him... I ain't going back this time..." She mumbled, to which Jonathan sighed.

"You're free to stay here..." He offered, earning a somewhat happy smile from the clown girl, though, her eyes held pain.

"...t-thanks, Johnny. You r-really are a sweetie." Harley smiled, to which Jonathan rolled his eyes and stepped aside, allowing Harley to step in.

Though, when she took one step in, Jonathan's eyes widened as he was forced to catch her.

It seemed she was weakened, as if it wasn't obvious enough, and her legs had given out from underneath her, causing Jonathan to curse under his breath as he pulled her into his arms.

"Sorry, Johnny..." Harley apologized weakly, assuming that the cursing was because he had to catch her, and now carry her bridal style, but, that was not it.

Jonathan was cursing because of what Joker had done to Harley.

Of course, Jonathan was one to bring great pain and suffering to others, yet, seemingly unlike Joker, he had respect for a partner, if he ever had one.

Never would he even think to lay a hand on a woman, especially one that he claimed to love, or one that loved him as much as Harley loved The Joker.

"I'm not mad at you, Harleen. I'm mad at the clown for what he's done to you." Jonathan explained, managing to close the door with Harley in his arms, her head on his shoulder and her shaking arms around his neck.

"You're sweet." She murmured the compliment once more, causing Jonathan to chuckle lightly.

"So you've told me." He replied softly, carrying her upstairs and into his room, which, seeing as he had no spare room, she would have to sleep in.

Whereas he would take the couch.

He was, after all, and he prided himself on it, a gentleman.

Setting her down on the bed, he looked at her ripped and bloodstained attire before walking over to his closet and pulling out an old t-shirt, which would be long on Harley and would serve as a nightgown.

Turning back to her, he handed it to her and wordlessly turned around, gazing out the window as she changed from the harlequin outfit and into his clothes.

Glancing back at her when he heard the bed creak, he found her curled up under the blankets.

With a sigh, Jonathan walked over and sat beside her on the bed, watching as her bright, though, now dull with sadness, blue eyes opened to glance at him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He inquired, to which the blond shook her head.

"No. No, I don't... maybe tomorrow...?" Harley suggested hopefully, earning a curt nod from Jonathan, before he sighed.

"Well, I'd better be going then-" Jonathan was cut off as, when he made to get up, Harley grabbed a hold of his hand, restricting his movements.

"No... please, stay?" She begged, causing a light blush to cross his cheeks.

"You want me to sleep... with you?" He repeated, earning a look from Harley as she tugged him onto the bed beside him.

"Stop being dirty minded and lie down, Spooky." Harley demanded, and Jonathan sighed, getting comfortable under the covers as Harley cuddled up to him.

Turning off the lamp beside the bed, Jonathan found himself falling asleep while twirling a strand of the already dead asleep Harley's hair.

He had always felt sympathy for her, and friendship, but, maybe something more as well?