Toreador

[Deleted]

Harvey looked at the bottle of painkillers the doctor from the hospital had prescribed him.  it was oxycontin.  He sighed, the pain was kind of immense, but he just put it behind his mirror in his bathroom like he did with all the others.

Instead he opted to go ahead and listen to something and distract himself.  He went to his record player and put on a rather beat up looking record.  As instrumental music began playing Harvey turned away from it, and went to his wet bar, he began to pour himself a scotch.

Soon his voice began to fill his home, even projecting out of his balcony door, which was open.  He had always had a deep voice and his singing voice was something very few knew of.  His mother had been a vocal coach with specialization in opera.  He'd learned from an early age how to boast his voice forward.  His home was filled with his own voice performing a song from Carmen.

His voice was full, rich, and robust despite the state he was in.  The volume of it was probably faltering a little, as he has spent the last couple of days using it at high volumes, but it managed.  he was able to shake the nose injury and still sing without it affecting it much.  He moved to the kitchen, carrying his scotch, absent mindedly staring into the fridge for a moment before he turned back toward his living room.

[Deleted]

There was a loud gunshot right before Harvey turned around and the record player sparked and died a small puff of smoke rose to the ceiling. He gave a smug grin and cocked his head to the side a little when Harvey turned around somehow he'd gotten in through the balcony. In his hand was his infamous .44magnum fluttering in the breeze from the open window was a flag attached to his gun that simply read "BANG" with a comic book style explosion word balloon outlining it in red.

He'd been busy the past several days and he was ready to set things in a bigger motion. His gun was aimed directly at Bullock and without a vest there wouldn't be much left of him should the Clown Prince pull the trigger. He smiled this time knowing he had the upper hand.

"I always hated that song. AhEHEH!"

[Deleted]

Harvey turned to him. Murder ran across his eyes. He stood there in nothing but his boxer briefs. He looked to his record player and then back to Joker. It was one thing for the guy to blow him up two days in a row, but another for him to interrupt him in his home. Harvey went to great lengths to keep the location of his home out of public records. He looked down to his scotch and downed it before doing anything else. He threw the glass down, shattering it.

His hand nearly shook with rage. He did not move beyond that.

"What the hell do you want?"

[Deleted]

The Joker motioned for him to move to a chair.

"Sit down Bullock. I think it's time for our chat and look at you! You've gone and all buffed up! No more coffee stains or donut jelly. I bet your shorts are even clean now. Heehee! You must have the ladies chasing you like cats in heat! Hmm..I wonder..."

He let out a seemingly knowing chuckle that he made an inside joke.

"I like you Harvey. You should be on top not under Gordon's thumb. He's made you weak and soft. You're a shadow of your former self in more ways than one. I miss the old you. Gotham needs that, and I'm going to help you restore your former glory, L.T....well you're still drinking, so that's a good start. You keep doing that, just lots more of it, 'kay? HeeeHaHahAhAHAHAHA!"

[Deleted]

This time she didn't care what Harvey said. She had tossed together a bag of stuff, some of the stuff including a bottle of wine, amongst other errata, told Charlotte she'd be back in a while, but to text her if she needed anything, that she'd just be across the park.

And so she's rewrapped her ankle, and started hobbling her ass to his place. It was when she was 3/4 of the way there, she could hear him singing. A bit on the nasally side, but with his nose, she understood. Entirely. It was only when she heard the boom, and the immediate cease of music did she start hoofing it up the stairs. That was not what she just heard. Fishing his key out of her pocket, she dropped the bag before his doorstep, holding the knob (it squeaked sometimes) as she opened it.


Catching a snippet of a conversation, she inwardly swore, and did her damndest to make it to his room. The door was half-open, the balcony door open as well. Fuck. It was to his closet, where she grabbed his shotgun first, thankful to the powers that be that he was a creature of habit. Slipping his .45 into the back of her jeans, she made sure two were loaded into the shotgun, before grabbing several more shells from the box near the door.

This was not fucking happening.

Making her way to where the voices were, she shook her head. Eyes narrowed, she came up behind Jack, shaking her head. She hated that he wore purple. Then again, she had no real claim over it since she swapped to black, but still. He knew better. He fucking knew better.

Raising the rifle, it wasn't hard to aim it at the clown.


One swift motion and she had pumped it, hopefully getting both of their attention.

"Looks like someone started the party without me. Jack, WHAT THE FUCK?"

This was not a Selina Harvey had ever seen. Nor had the Joker. And it wasn't because she wasn't in cat-themed leather. Or jeans and a jacket, tall boots. It was because she was armed (for one) and pissed as all hell (two.) And maybe three, she was on a first name basis with the Joker.

[Deleted]

Harvey was about to say something to the Joker when Selina walked in carrying his shotgun. His heart just pounded. He just wanted to do everything to her at that very moment. Yell at her for not going to get help, praise her for being such a bad ass, chide her for putting herself in danger, kiss her for asserting herself, lecture her for being so gung ho, and well, love her for that look on her face.

Harvey's hands were in fists at his side and in his sling. His eyes full of every damn thing he'd ever felt, but the hatred was too strong to falter, even with Selina being present. Harvey wanted to take the chance and disarm Joker, but that gun was a little to powerful for that to be a wise move. Had it been anything less he would have, but that .45 would blow him away to Valhalla.

"You want to see the old me? Give me that gun, and I'll put one right through your head, freak."

[Deleted]

He glanced behind him to originally give her a greeting but did a double take when he realized both barrels were aimed at him.

"Oh hi Selina, I just....... SELINA! You have a..a...gun! Why are you aiming it at me!??"

He spun around arms up but he realized that but his back to Harvey so he stepped to the side where he could see them both. He noticed she wasn't in the attire he was used to seeing her in and started to chuckle then laugh hard he bowed over and put his hand on his ribs holding a hand up.


"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHEEEEoooohhhOH! OHHH! Talking about cats in heat! HeeheeeHaHaHaHaHOOO!!! You...*snort* heehee really need to put a collar on this one Harvey. *snickers* now.....*aheh Selina we don't want to be shooting a shotgun indoors now. Ahehhehheeee"

Selina and Harvey oh he couldn't get over it. Catwoman dating a cop. For the moment his entire plan just went out the window. this was a moment to cherish As he finally gained control of himself and stood upright still holding his side waving his gun between the other two in the room.

"So...how long have you too been...? *snickers* You do have a thing for bad boys don't you Selina? *giggles*"

[Deleted]

She had such tunnel vision that she had failed to notice that Theo was in his boxers. And with that damn cast on. Fuck. Flicking her gaze back to the clown, she shifted her forefinger from where it was, to curling it around the trigger. She had been partially bluffing. Now she wasn't.

"Get out. It doesn't matter, Jack. We have an understanding." She was more than calm after yelling, her voice tainted with something vile.

...and then he started to laugh. It didn't matter he was being punny. Or hinting at cats. The whole situation was already a clusterfuck, and if he found out tonight, at the lips of the Joker, well, the Joker would have hell to pay.

Then again, Harvey Theodore Bullock was not a stupid man. Stepping to the side, the gun still trained on the clown, she nodded her head toward the door. "GET OUT. SHUT UP, AND GET THE FUCK OUT, JACK." Her eyes went wide, and her hand shifted on the gun, her left holding it on him, her right going to the back of her jeans.

"Actually, you're right. We don't want a shotgun shot indoors. But this .45 is perfectly. Fucking. Fine. " She was smoothly in control, thumbing the safety and cocking that as well, it being lowered to a rather delicate place. "I'm thinking Harley might miss those. They are fun, you know." She spat.

She wasn't going to indulge him in any answers. He could sit and laugh all he wanted. As soon as he got out.

"I have a thing for you getting out of here, unless you'd rather deal with one of those 'bad boys' I know. Now." Her patience was wearing thin. If he didn't move, she'd make him dance. Her gaze flicked to Theo's for a second, hoping he'd understand what she was trying to say.

[Deleted]

Harvey was even more angry now. Harvey Theodore Bullock was no stupid man, indeed. That had always been a gimmick. When people think you're a bumbling brute then you can still pull a fast one when they're not looking. The fast ones were all being pulled on him right now.

She's... She's...

He could only watch, frozen at the two of them. Of all the people he had to hear it from, of all the people that had to be standing in his living room right now it had to be Joker. Harvey was hurt, deeply, but he only made up for it with the nearly impossible amount of rage that surged through his veins. He could feel every bit of the adrenaline within his body just moving like lava to the tip of a a volcano. Had he been the Harvey he once was he'd be having a heart attack at this very moment.

Her gaze caught him and he only looked at her, the rage barely softened. His attention went back to Joker. Harvey could not even speak. His eyes were dark and could only imagine all the ways he wanted to kill the clown. Finally he was able to say something.

"You just got what you wanted, I'm back."

The color of Harvey's tone was one that hadn't graced him in the last few years. The enforcer had returned. That terrible, hate filled man stood, born anew right there before him.

[Deleted]

The Joker looked to Harvey and his evil grin emerged as well as a glint in his eye and he nodded casually putting away his gun and pulling out a rod which extended into his pogo stick as he slowly made his way to the balcony walking past Selina giving her a smug wink.

"So you are! That's so good! You'll be needing it Harvey Bull. I'll alert the boys on the streets to be ready. We've really missed you since you've been Gordon's lap dog. aHaHa! and Selina....you used to be so much fun until...."

He held up his hand beside his mouth whispering.

"...youknowho tamed you. HeeHeeHeEEEEe Well, I've had my say here's to fun times ahead! Toodles!!!"

He hopped on the pogo and made way for the balcony leaping over it & activating the engine thrusters on it as he laughed maniacally away. To his this night could not have gone off better and Selina helped him do it unintentionally.

[Deleted]

What the hell. She'd caught his glance, but was still confused. It was a quick flick of her wrist, and the gun was en-route to his good hand.

Whatever had just transpired between 'old' and 'new' Harvey she hadn't understood. But she did catch that he understood who she was now. And it wasn't even that he'd found it. But by who. There was a reason Jack and her had come to an understanding years ago. He didn't fuck up her life, and she didn't mess up his fun. So when he finally started to leave, she rolled her eyes at him. Pogo stick. Whatever.

And she was still fun. Keeping the shotgun trained on him, she could feel the adrenaline coursing hotly through her veins.

[Deleted]

Harvey caught the gun and almost instantly shot it as Joker left the balcony, the engine in his pogo stick dying and puttering out. A team of officers in plain clothes moved to meet the Joker as he came back to the Earth. Harvey made it to the balcony watching the scene below.

"He'd been targeting Gordon and trying to get bats' attention this whole time since he's been back. It was only a matter of time before he'd come after me. I felt that after the crime scene got blown up. I knew it was true when he fucked with head quarters."

Harvey put his hand on the balcony, leaning against it, watching his hunches pay off below.

"he was discouraged that he didn't get at Gordon, I knew he would be. He's got a one-track mind when it comes to the Commish and Bats. They wouldn't come out to play, I used it. I saw what he used the other day, that rocket pogo, that's been his strength in getting away. The key was eliminating that from the equation."

Harvey sighed.

"I can't believe I pulled this off."


Harvey finally looked to her, his face expressionless with a twinge of apology.


"I didn't mean for you to be involved, but you insisted on coming over. I couldn't risk the plan. I'm sorry you had to be here for that."

[Deleted]

He crashed hard skidding on the pavement and bouncing a few times with "oof"s and yelps of pain. He moaned dazed as he looked up and the police encircled him some unleashing chap jabs and whacks at him. No one would care & he was used to them. Eventually he was cuffed and thrown unceremoniously into the back of a paddy wagon and hauled off to Arkham. he sat in the paddy wagon and sighed then smiled to himself and began laughing and kept on all the way to the asylum as they would soon find out, the joke was on them.

[Deleted]

She just blinked.

Lowered the shotgun.

She thought she had been helping. Four flights of stairs with her ankle. Thought that she'd helped him, accidentally, by invoking something he never should have had to witness.

Her biggest secret. Blown by a clown. By the Joker, of all those who could've delivered the hard-kept secret. He was a good actor, too, as every ounce of fury bled from his face into an impassive mask. She swallowed hard, realizing she had honestly been played. For a good cause, yes. But she'd truly been the wildcard, and something he'd needed to maneuver around. But Jack was being hauled to Arkham. And here she was, feeling blank. And not understanding what the Joker had been referencing, at all.

Empty. Her heart pounding, she leaned against the door frame, head tipping back. What she wouldn't give for a smoke. And a drink or five. Her right hand dragged through her hair, left still on the shotgun.

Looking at him, she tried a grin. She felt about half of it actually make it to her lips. "Nicely played, Detective. I can see why you got your promotion." She paused, clicking her tongue. "Not based on your fashion sense, though." It was cold out, and they both knew it.

[Deleted]

Harvey was letting the realization that she was Catwoman just sit at the back of his brain. He was truly hurt that he even had her involved, he had not planned for her, but he couldn't bare telling her not to come over. She would have taken it badly, but he also had no idea when Joker would decide to show. The clown, unfortunately, had perfect timing as did Selina.

He picked up his pack of cigarettes and lit two himself. He offered the other to her. He had a feeling she was not going to want to peck the one from his lips like she'd been doing for so many years, and she could probably use a whole one anyway.

Harvey's expression only saddened at her words.

"I tried to tell you not to come over. I tried to tell you to stay home, but I know what I did to you was wrong, Selina. I know that. I am sorry. I wish I would have been more adamant to keep you from this. All fault is mine to bare."

Harvey sat down on one of his chairs as the car took off with Joker. He'd have plenty of reporters at the lobby of his building within twenty minutes if word got out. If it stayed quiet he might have a chance at a peaceful night, but then again, there was Selina.

"What he said, the way he spoke. I don't even care if its true, Selina. I'm just... I wish you had told me yourself, but then again, you didn't expect all of this."

Harvey should have been feeling like he won right now, but he had lost so much in the process that he could not even appreciate the fact that Joker was off to Arkham and, at least for the moment, things were safe. Time had only been bought, within days someone just as terrible would be doing things again just as terrible.

The vicious cycle.