* J *

Part Twenty-Three: Chapter 166: Confessions

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you @Louisa532 for adding to the thought bank.. You're amazing!

The Joker sat, locked away in his office, his head in his hands. He's been in the same place, in the same prone pose, for three full days. He's been like this because he was trying to work up the nerve to handle a situation that must be dealt with. He felt he had put it off long enough. He couldn't wait forever, as his time was running out. He didn't fully understand why it was presenting itself with such difficulty. It required very little planning in relation to all his other plans and schemes. It should have been simple, but he was spinning it into a dilemma.

The Joker's fists ball, and he slams them down on the desk in anger. It was his own cowardice that was aggravating him. It wasn't as if it was completely uncharted territory for him. He's committed this frightening act before, it had just happened so long ago, almost half a lifetime ago. It had happened to Jack, but the Joker still remembered it as if the experience had been his. Perhaps it was the confessions that were required to accompany the act? Maybe that was what had kept him locked away for three days.

With a sigh his hand slides open his top desk drawer. His fingers float across things as he searches for something specific. Small, hard, cool to the touch. His fingers find what he's looking for, and he removes it from the drawer. He twiddle it at eyelevel, just taking it in carefully. With a sigh he lowers it and sticks it into his pocket. He moves his chair back from his desk and stands. He then straightened his suit, grabbed a file, and slowly walked for the door.

He crosses the hallway and gently turns the knob to his bedroom. He slips in the door and tip toes across the room. Once he's by the bed he feels around in the dark for a lamp. He turns it on and Harley shifts in the bed. She raises her head with squinted eyes.

"Puddin?" She softly asks.

"I'm sorry my dear, I didn't want to wake you," the Joker says as he gently sits on the edge of the bed. "But I do need to have a talk with you."

Harley sits up in the bed, "Sure thing Mistah J," she nods.

The Joker draws in a breath and nervously rakes his hair back. "It has come to my attention that they could use you against me in court. If they ever manage to get me in a courtroom that is."

"I'd nevah say nothin about you puddin," Harley says.

"I know, it's just they'll find a way to make you. There's only one thing to do to make you untouchable," he looks up, meeting her eyes.

"An what's that?" She seems to nervously ask.

The Joker reaches into his pocket and pulls out a platinum ring with a beautiful purple dimond mounted on top. "If you marry me they can't force you to ever testify against me," he says holding the ring out for her to see it.

Harley's jaw drops and she finds herself snatching the ring from the Joker's fingers. She quickly worked it onto her ring finger. "Oh puddin! It's beautiful!" She holds her hand out and admires the ring.

"Soooo, yes? You'll marry me?" The Joker asks. He's surprised how easy this had turned out so far. However, asking Harley to marry him was the easy part. The harder part was telling all his secrets. His first wife had kept his own child a secret from him. Jack never kept a thing from her. The Joker knows Harley tells him everything, it's just he with buried secrets. Harley had a right to know the truth.

"Well duh! Of course I'll marry ya!" Harley squeals.

The Joker knew she might change her mind on that once she's heard what he has to say. "I feel a husband and wife should have no secrets," he twirls his wrist. "So, I'd like to take this moment to come clean and tell you everything I've kept from you."