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Pygmalion

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Chapter Nine

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"Jealousy is the tie that binds, and binds, and binds." ― Helen Rowland

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Why can't you listen to simple instructions?

I'm crazy, remember?

Yeah, we should know that …

Harley stood frozen in place. Her heart jumped around inside her chest, a million and one thoughts running through her mind. She felt the horrible urge to start running around, and her legs and her feet just itched to do so. But she remained rooted in place.

Running was not wise.

Words escaped her. Even if she wanted to speak, her brain was way too overloaded to process moving her mouth. The scene happening in front of her was so fragile, she was certain the slightest sound would cause the ultimate disaster.

And then Harley really would become the worst babysitter ever.

The silence allowed the blonde to analyze the situation. If the scene was not to terribly horrifying, there was a chance it could have been very funny.

Harley stood in the center of the room, her back facing one of the many walls of greenery that made up the barriers of the greenhouse that doubled as her best friend's home. Even though her golden pistols were nicely resting in the holsters under her arms, she made absolutely no movement to grab them.

Guns would only make the situation worse.

The mystical mistress of plants herself sat directly next to Harley. The redhead sat with her back rigidly against the chair back, seeing as her entire torso was strapped down rather tightly to the piece of furniture. Ivy's arms lay twisted behind her rather uncomfortably, her hands chained together—the chains linked to her feet as well as the metal grate of a floor beneath her form. Lastly, a rather prominently wide cloth wrapped around her mouth.

Normally, seeing as she was bound and gagged, the look in Ivy's green eyes would have been glaring daggers. However, of what Harley could see of Ivy's expression seemed to reflect the way. Her eyes were opened wide and her jaw was clenched.

It did not take knowing Ivy to know she felt a truly unsettling fear.

Harley felt the same way.

Well, it was more like nervousness, but Harley was still very much afraid.

Amongst the people standing in front of her, one stood hovering in the corner that lay closest to the room's entrance. An almost mist-like fog seemed to hover around the starkly white silhouette of the long-haired hooded man.

The cryogenics scientist looked rather serious, an almost frown marring his handsome features. Mr. Freeze glanced over to the person standing beside him, letting out a sigh that sounded almost bored.

"Do we really have time for this?" he asked in a drawl.

As if to add emphasis to his impatience, Freeze readjusted the package in his arms; the green-skinned little girl whom Harley had been looking after the last several days. Baby Flora was asleep in her father's arms, wrapped up in a special blanket. The partially metal and glowing fabric looked oddly baby-friendly despite its obvious cold-generating features.

The person to whom Freeze directed his question stood front and center in the room, standing out as prominent as always.

Bright neon green hair stood out even against all the vines surrounding them. Adorning a pair of broad shoulders was a long plum-colored trench coat. As the pale, tattooed individual turned around, light highlighted the natural indentations in the crocodile-skin material of his coat.

The moment he completely turned around Harley got a better look at him.

The nearly transparent white silk cloth of his button-down shirt gleamed with golden threads streaming through the fabric every so often. The piece was almost completely unopened, as if the stark black tattoos on his skin did not have enough space for breathing. Only a few stray buttons were fastened towards his stomach. Golden chains emerged from his belt loop and around his hip. Despite the unruly façade, not a single thing seemed out of place.

Steely eyes turning onto Harley for the first time, crimson lips remained closed as he smiled only ever so slightly.

His expression was annoyingly smug.

Harley felt his gaze fall directly on hers.

"You'll have to forgive him," the Joker muttered calmly, gesturing to Freeze. "He's just so impatient."

The blonde remained silent. She refrained from even blinking. An unsettling queasiness developed in the pit of her belly.

That only happened when she was nervous … really nervous.

Well, if you want to be nervous, this is a good time!

The Joker was not Harley's source of worry.

It was the baby that was in his arms.

Joker must have noticed Harley's attention turned towards the infant. He looked back down to the child, almost bouncing him as he adjusted him to the other side of his body. The infamous gang boss looked rather amused with the dark-haired infant.

Surprisingly, the baby in question did not seem to fear the homicidal criminal holding him.

Damian simply sat there, glancing around the room while sucking on his pacifier.

The clown let out a hiss that resembled a 'tisk' sound as he turned to glance over at the scientist in the corner. "Oh, Vicky … always rushing," he sighed, shaking his head. "Don't you want to find out who our last guest is?"

Joker nodded to the baby, raising a free hand to slightly tickle his chin.

Damian wrinkled up his nose and pulled away, but did not begin to cry.

Obviously, this child had nerves of steel.

More like titanium!

Yeah … just like his daddy …

Speaking of Daddy … we cannot let these two know who he is!

Most definitely!

Harley glanced down to her friend, attempting to silently share a look with the plant mistress. Ivy did not turn her head, seeing as the woman seemed too occupied with looking at the father of her child.

Obviously, assistance was not coming from her. She had her own problems.

Freeze let out a small sigh, a slightly amused smirk on his face as he rolled his eyes. "Proceed," he mused.

Joker smiled a little wider. "Good man," the clown breathed, sounding genuinely tolerant of the younger man.

As he turned around to face the two women, the green-haired man continued to coddle the infant he held, showing absolutely no sign of malevolence or ill will.

"So, ladies," he started before turning his gaze on Harley and Harley alone. "Who might this little one be?"

Harley swallowed.

No matter what she said … the result was not going to be good.

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"Not only do I not know what's going on, I wouldn't know what to do about it if I did." ― George Carlin

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Several Moments Earlier …

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You know … I think I said that I thought that phone call was strange …

But no … Leni could never be doing something like that …

Would you all just shut up right now?!

Harley did not restrain her surprise at the scene unraveling before her.

"He's … your … what!?" the blonde hissed.

Nor did she restrain her disdain.

The brunette teenager in front of her let out an exaggerated sigh. She did not push away the dark-clad young man holding her firmly, merely breathed harshly as she tried to smile. "It's a very … very long story," she huffed out softly.

Harley made a face. "I'd very much like to hear it!" she snapped under her breath, readjusting the baby in her arms.

The dark-haired infant only blinked. Apparently, Damian seemed content with wrapping his pudgy little fingers around Harley's pigtail.

Despite the bomb just dropped by the teenager before her, Harley was doing her very best to remain as quiet as possible.

The older sister of the infant in Harley's arms just announced that not only did she make a 'friend' while she was gone, but she made a very good friend. And considering the last conversation that Harley had with her most beloved niece, Huntress had been engaging in activities that were a little more than G-rated.

Do we gotta castrate somebody?

If he doesn't stop touching Leni, we might be forced to …

However, this news was a little more stressful with the addition of the other presence in the room. Those four individuals were lingering just yards above them.

The vigilantes that were currently dangling from the ceiling by the very vines that were attempting to kill them. Although her current group was hidden from their view, it was only a matter of time before the infamous dark knight freed himself and started looking around.

And seeing as Harley was currently holding (and looking after) the child of said vigilante, the blonde was in a little more of a pickle.

On top of the Batman only yards away from seeing his child—whom he had no clue even existed—on the other side of the greenhouse lay another pair of parents with their own custody problems. The strangely absentee Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze were on the other side of the building the last time she checked.

So was their three-month-old.

At least, that was where Harley left Flora less than a few moments ago.

If all of that wasn't enough, a dead ninja lay on the floor before them in a pool of its own blood.

Only a few moments before, Harley's adoptive niece (who also happened to be the elder sister of the baby Harley held) just dropped in carrying a possibly fatal bullet wound. Not only was the indigo-clad teenager ignoring the blaringly obvious wound on her ribs, she was currently being held in the arms of an equally gaudily-dressed young man whom the brunette decided to announce was her fiancé.

As in, someone she agreed to marry.

And this … was coming from the girl who had claimed a few days before that she had absolutely no time for the opposite gender.

No guys, huh?

Liar, liar, pants on fire!

Harley was a little more than overwhelmed.

Let's see … what do we got on our plate?

Bats, babies …

Baby-daddies, ninjas …

Dirty little boys with their mitts all over Leni!

Did we miss anything?

Leni bleeding out?

Oh yeah, that!

"Oi!" Harley hissed before Huntress could get out more words. Although Harley realized she cut off her own answers, she did not really care at that moment.

She was speaking to the newest addition to the room.

Before Harley did anything else, she needed to separate these two. "Do I need to get a hose!?"

Although the taller young man did not respond to Harley, he pulled his head up to look Huntress in the eye. Prying his mouth away from her skin, he smiled genuinely but looked concerned at the same time.

"How is it?" he asked, his half-gloved hand lifting away from Helena's thigh to make its way to her side. At the same time, his other hand came up to cup Helena's face gently.

At his attention to her side, the brunette hissed in pain. "Painful—it would be a lot better if you had gotten here sooner," she bit out, brow wrinkled with a mix of emotional and physical irritation. "What the hell took you so long?"

Huh?

What the hell are they talking about?

Did—did he just ignore us?!

Are they forgetting about all the blood?

With a smirk, the young man Helena called Jason lifted his hand away from her face, but not before brushing her cheek with his thumb tenderly. Instead of touching Huntress somewhere else, he brought his hand towards his own chest.

His fingers slid into the folds of his leather vest, removing something from a hidden pocket over his heart. Throughout the entire movement, he kept his eyes locked with the person before him. "You were the one who told me to take the long way," he teased, voice velvety soft.

The thing that he pulled out of his breast pocket was a small black case. Without hesitation, he looked over to the blonde that had just been yelling at him and held it out to her. "Could you take this?" he asked politely.

Harley paused and examined the item presented to her. Although she sensed no danger from this individual, experience taught her caution. Especially when it concerned strange objects. The long and flatter metal item resembled a slightly larger than average cigarette case.

However, Huntress spoke up. "Harley, we don't have much time," she huffed briefly.

The blonde reached forward, quickly snatching the item from the young man's hand as she took it. Immediately afterward, the hooded figure turned back to the girl in his arms. Without much effort, he grasped her under her arms to lift her up from the ground and sit her on the table. Huntress did not fight him, assisting him by pushing her feet off from the floor as he did so.

Once she was settled, he lifted Huntress's cape aside and used his strangely dexterous fingers to unlace the cloth around her waist. Harley internally seethed with anger, but when she realized that he simply wanted to look at Huntress's wound, she calmed down.

He glanced up to Harley, his strangely suiting red eyes serious. "You're the doctor, right?" he asked, hands still caught up in unfastening Huntress's clothing.

As in, we've had medical training …?

In our past life …

Harley nodded slowly. "Yes …"

"Could you measure out two units of that?" he asked, nodding to the case in her hand. He took out a pocket knife to slit the sutures Harley just made.

Harley blinked at the object in her hand, brow wrinkled. She came over and placed Damian down on the table next to his sister, making sure to place him far enough from the edge so he would not fall over the side. Thankfully the baby was old enough to sit up by himself, but Huntress reached out anyway to steady the infant once Harley released him.

Harley then turned to the case, unbuckling the almost belt-like clasp around the outside.

Strapped to the inside of the one half was a syringe with a few additional needle attachments accompanying the one already on the syringe itself. On the opposite side were a few vials of liquid, all completely clear in appearance and unmarked. Although there were no labels to give her any clues, Harley realized immediately that the liquid was a medicine of sorts, and she did not hesitate to do as instructed.

If it helped Helena, she needed to act quickly.

The blonde came over beside them, taking out what she needed from the small case before placing the rest on the table. As she took out the needle, Harley attached it to the end and pulled out one of the many vials. They were tiny, however dense in weight. Harley realized the material inside was not completely liquid. As she filled up the syringe, she flicked the side with her finger, checking to see if it responded correctly.

However, a hand reached out to prevent her from spraying the liquid out.

The hooded individual looked Harley apprehensively. "You don't want to spill that," he advised grimly.

Harley noticed that his hand was still a little bloody from taking out the stitches.

Although she hesitated, Harley eventually did as he said. Then, when she noticed his other hand was outstretched towards her, she carefully handed the syringe over.

Almost immediately after, Harley turned her gaze onto the teenager sitting on the table to look her in the eye. Harley was still so confused, and half hoped Helena would give her some answers. However, Huntress only held a knowing glance with the blonde, informing her not to ask too many questions. So, the blonde relented and turned back to the situation at hand.

In their line of business, Harley knew when and where to hold her tongue.

If she needed to know what was in the vial, the information would come to her.

Huntress held her bodice open with one hand, having passed Damian over to Harley once again. The teenager steadied herself with her other hand on the edge of the tabletop, as the young man in front of her bent forward, syringe in hand, to look at her wound.

"This'll sting," he warned simply, glancing up at her. The needle hovered only inches away from her skin.

Helena only nodded at his caution. "Just do it already," she gritted out.

Inserting the needle directly into the middle of the wound, Helena let out restrained hiss even louder than before. She clutched at the edge of the table with tense knuckles, closing her eyes tightly. As the young man started administrating the substance into Helena's body, Harley noticed that he allowed Helena to dig her nails into his shoulder.

Well, he can't be that bad …

As soon as he lifted the syringe away, he gathered the case from the table and disassembled the syringe and folded it back inside its holder. Immediately afterward, he grabbed a clean towel (from the items Harley gathered only minutes before) to wipe the blood from his fingers.

Wait a minute—is that smoke?!

Indeed, a faint cloud of heated air began to materialize from the younger female's flesh. Harley came in closer to the scene, examining Helena's side carefully, making sure to place herself in between the smoke and the baby. Curiosity got the better of her, and she wanted to know more.

An almost indistinguishable bubbling sound emerged from her skin, and Harley pulled the cloth aside as she saw the flesh almost knit itself back together before her eyes. Almost as soon as the skin reformed, the spoking and bubbling stopped.

The bullet wound disappeared.

Like nothing ever happened.

Eyes widening, Harley gripped Helena's arm as she looked her in the eyes. "What the hell is that?!"

Huntress only winced, avoiding Harley's gaze. "I can't explain now," she muttered, moving quickly to refasten her clothes.

As Helena redressed herself and hopped off the table, all signs of illness or injury were gone, and the younger female even pulled out the line feeding blood into her arm.

Harley would have been impressed, if she was not so startled. She turned to the young man wiping off his hands. "Is this your doing?" she asked, gesturing to the little black case he stuck back into his vest.

The young man merely shrugged. "Not exactly," he responded.

"Harley," Helena informed gently, reaching out a hand to Harley's shoulder. "I know you have a lot of questions, and I'm really sorry—but I just need you to do as I say right now. I promise I'll explain later."

The blonde bit the inside of her lip, glancing up as she heard a series of crashes above. Now was not the time for answers.

They needed to move.

"Okay," Harley agreed, face serious. "But you owe me."

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"The devil is not as black as we paint him."― Yiddish Saying

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Sometime ago…

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"Leni! I'm so sorry I'm late—I had a lot of studying to do today. I have this big test I gotta pass. Do you still want me to read you a story before you go to sleep?"

Pause.

Nod.

"Is something wrong, sweetie?"

Head shake.

"No."

Pause.

"Hm … are you sure?"

Nod.

"Okay, what story do you want me to read?"

Silence.

"You know, why don't we just talk a little bit instead? I think you're a little too tired."

Pause.

"No, I'm not sleepy …"

"What is it? You know you can tell Aunt Harley anything."

Pause.

"I got this today …"

"Oh? What a nice big tiger! It's even your favorite color—oh look, your name is sewn in right here. Where'd you get it?"

"… he sent it …"

"He?"

"… my grandpa."

Longer pause.

"Leni … have you seen Cat yet today?"

Head shake.

"No. I don't wanna see her. She doesn't like when Grandpa gives me toys."

Pause.

"… do you want to keep your new toy?"

"No—Cat doesn't like them …"

"But it's your toy, sweetie, not Cat's …"

Pause.

"If I keep it … then Grandpa will leave Cat alone, won't he? Last time I threw his present away, he got real mad at her."

Sigh.

"Is that what you're worried about? I'll talk to Cat, okay? I'll make sure nothing like that happens."

"… thank you …"

"You don't have to thank me, honey. You know I'd do anything for you."

Pause.

"Aunt Harley?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Is Cat my real mommy?"

Gasp.

Pause.

"Who—why would you think that?"

"Please don't lie. Ivy won't talk to me."

Sigh.

"I'm sorry, Leni. It's just that I haven't been allowed to tell anyone what I know. I don't think Cat would be happy if I told you anything."

"I promise not to tell anyone. Please tell me."

Sigh.

"Okay, sweetie, okay—yes, Cat is your real mommy. How did you find out?"

"I heard Cat talking to him—Grandpa. He said I looked like Cat's mommy."

Smile.

"You know, you are a very smart little girl, Leni."

"Why don't I have Cat's name? How come I had my other mommy and daddy?"

Pause.

Wince.

Sigh.

"I promised I wouldn't lie to you Leni and I won't, but I don't know a lot. There are a few things I do know though."

"What are they?"

"Cat, Ivy and I all lived together since I was your age. Sometimes Cat would leave for a long time, but she always came back. However, one day, Cat never came home. She was gone for such a long time. After a little while, Ivy and I were real afraid she would never come back."

"Then what happened?"

"Then one day she did come back again—like she never left at all. And she had a special someone with her."

"Who was that?"

"Why you, silly goose! Cat came to me and Ivy, and asked us to watch you for a little while. You were just so cute, we couldn't resist. That's why you're here with us now."

"Where did she go?"

"Hm?"

"When she was gone, where did Cat go?"

Pause.

"You see, sweetie, right after you were born, Cat had to go away…"

"Where?"

Sigh.

"I don't know. Ivy and I were taken away too after she left. But because she had to go away, someone had to take care of you, sweetie."

"You mean, my old mommy and daddy?"

"… I think they were really your aunt and uncle, Leni—your grandpa was your old mommy's daddy. You see, your auntie—the one who was your old mommy—had a little girl too. And this little girl was your age—but she died when she was still very little. Your mommy and daddy were parents without a baby, and you were a baby without parents. I'm pretty sure that's why they loved you so much."

"You mean, like why they both tried to stop that bad man from hurting me?"

Pause.

"Yes, sweetie, that's exactly the reason."

"But why does Cat not like Grandpa? He's always nice to her."

Sigh.

"When Cat had to go away, it was because she was sick, Leni. And the reason she was real sick had a lot to do with your Grandpa …"

"But why? He loves Cat."

Pause.

"How do you know that?"

"When he was with Cat, he feels the same as you do when you're with me. The same with Cat and Ivy too."

Longer pause.

"Feels? Do you mean that thing we talked about earlier?"

Nod.

"Mm-hm. Why would he make Cat sick?"

Pause.

"… I don't know, Leni. But I'm pretty sure he's sorry for what he did. I don't think he would care about you so much if he wasn't …"

"But Cat's still mad at him?"

"Yeah … she'll probably be mad at him for a long time …"

"But why?"

"Sometimes it's hard for grown-ups to forgive people."

Silence.

Longer pause.

"So, if Cat is my mommy, who's my daddy?"

Wince.

"Well … that is another very long story …"

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"Brevity is the soul of wit." ―William Shakespeare

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Present ...

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It took a matter of seconds for the shrieking vines to die down, and the group of Harley, Huntress and Red Hood instantly knew time was up. Another series of thuds told them that the bats and birds finally managed to free themselves.

Huntress took it upon herself to grab Harley and take her to a secret trap door that lead out of the main greenhouse. Before Harley got an explanation, Huntress closed the door behind them and Harley found herself alone… except for little Damian.

And her new acquaintance.

After a slightly awkward introduction between the two of them, they started walking. Harley found out that this one's name was 'Red Hood', and despite his hypnotic nature and charming smile, the blonde realized she did not like him.

As Harley looked at him closer, she realized he was younger than she first thought. She assumed he was around Helena's age, but upon closer inspection he looked younger than that. His body obviously did not care that he was only so old. Harley bit her lip as she tried to figure out the exact number. He could pass for early twenties in the right lighting, with his frame and physique.

Harley only realized how young he was because of her medical training.

Same training that helped her recognize Freeze was Flora's daddy upon their first meeting.

A brief flicker of an urge to maim the red-hooded newcomer subsided when he took out one of his pistols and shot another ninja.

After stepping over this masked woman, Harley realized why Huntress told her to turn on the greenhouse's major defenses; in case more showed up. Harley did not receive much information from her beloved niece before their separation, however she realized, after a few moments, that the newest member of their little group was quite forthcoming with explanations. So, that made up for it.

As vague as those explanations were.

Apparently, Huntress gave Red Hood instructions before they encountered Harley. Red Hood was to take Damian and head to a secret rendezvous point while Huntress did her best to distract Batman and co. and lure them away from the greenhouse. Last thing that Ivy needed was all of them sticking around inside her house.

However, seeing as Ivy's plants did not recognize Red Hood, Harley needed to escort him so the vines would not attack him on his way out. This was the reason for the two of them leaving through the trapdoor.

Once Red Hood killed another ninja, the subject of Huntress' movements over the time of Harley's time babysitting arose.

Unfortunately, Harley only received the story from Red Hood's perspective, so she did not receive the whole story. Some of the parts she needed to fill in herself.

The journey out of the greenhouse was a lengthy one, seeing as they were literally going in one big circle around the complex just to avoid being seen. Their sprint through the greenhouse only took a few minutes, even if the place was gigantic. So, yes, Harley filled in a lot of the details that were not voiced aloud, because their conversation consisted of a lot of Harley giving Red Hood questions and him either grinning or raising an eyebrow at her in response.

He was a young man of very few words.

Huntress and Red Hood only met less than a few days ago, but apparently, they spent almost that time either running into or away from one another. It all started when Helena was headed home after she left the greenhouse on the day she picked up Harley from the industrial district. Huntress encountered a dilapidated Red Hood half dead in an alleyway.

Red Hood claimed that a few things brought him to that alley; about a dozen thugs, a box of kittens and an asshole of a punk with an ax to grind who possessed a hobby of torturing helpless animals. Huntress appeared only upon chance, seeing as the group blocked her path home. Pissed off and sleep deprived, Huntress proceeded to kick the shit out of what was left of the thugs before dragging Red Hood off for medical attention.

The next few details were rather cryptic. The only explanation that Red Hood gave was while Huntress was patching him up, they got into talking. Then, for whatever reason that came over the brunette, Helena proceeded to suddenly 'take advantage' of Red Hood in his injured state—that was a direct quote there.

Harley frowned at this information. She severally doubted any advantage was taken with this individual.

That was when Red Hood announced his age; Harley had to admit she was impressed that a sixteen-year-old was that level headed.

After such an event with Red Hood, a mortified Helena ran away from the scene, and attempted to forget the event ever happened. Harley suspected the teenager's powers had a lot to do with her 'attacking' this young man. Not only did Helena have a lot of things to do, she had a brother to figure out how to protect. Too bad for the teenager, she and Red Hood's alter ego just kept running into each other over the next few days. The hooded figure admitted to following her around somewhat after locating her again, but only after he figured out that Helena was being followed.

By none other than those creepy ninja ladies that followed Cat the other day.

Motivated by gratitude (and probably lust, probably a lot of that), Red Hood stuck around Helena while she moved around the city. After he saved her life more than once, she finally relented in allowing him to just stick by her side while she performed her daily routine in her unmasked identity. Although Helena attempted to get rid of him several times afterward, Red Hood stood his ground and insisted that he stick around until she 'made an honest man' out of him.

Begrudgingly, Huntress agreed to his so-called proposal and she found herself with an impromptu yet very helpful partner on her escapades.

And they were numerous.

Apparently, Huntress decided to take it upon herself to find protection for her brother. Seeing as she was forbidden from contacting her first choice (daddy dearest), she went to another source. Red Hood did not know Huntress' new benefactor, but Harley had a sneaking suspicion she knew the person.

Seeing as Harley worked for that person too.

Harley needed to pursue that line of inquiry later.

And to trade for Damian's protection, Huntress was given a series of tasks that were a little unsavory—well, for normal people. For Huntress, it was just another day.

However, along the way of their adventures, they ran into an interesting group. Red Hood neglected to mention that he was once the apprentice of an all too familiar dark knight—the same one that happened to be biologically related to Huntress.

Apparently, Batman was looking for Huntress's new fiancé and partner in crime. Upon discovering Huntress's link to him, he decided to try and capture her to find out the whereabouts of Red Hood. When Huntress defied him, and ran, she was once again followed for several days, only by Batman's alter ego.

Helena's unknowing father attempted to wait out the information he wanted.

Red Hood was currently clashing with his mentor. Despite the lack of details, Harley got the impression that he up and left for some strange reason. So, while Red Hood decided to help Huntress, Batman and his little group were following Red Hood to drag him back with them. Red Hood was following Huntress, and Batman followed him.

Such irony.

That was when Harley inquired about why Batman cared so much.

Red Hood's explanation was thus; first off, Red Hood was not yet a legal adult (sixteen, remember?) and Batman had the rights to keep him under house arrest. Harley then asked why and how Batman could even do that (as in legally, in the real world). Red Hood then explained that he was officially adopted by Batman's alter ego several years before.

At that point, Harley had to prevent herself from falling down a set of stairs.

The blonde almost had a heart attack after hearing this newest morsel. All the voices in her head then started freaking out again.

Their words sounded a little like this;

Wait a minute …

Leni said he was her fiancé …

But Batsy legally adopted him?

But Batsy's also biologically Leni's daddy…

That means that he's her brother …

Oh shit.

Where are our toys?!

The blonde did not hide her shock at first, and was revisiting those ideas of hurting Red Hood. The maiming involved an abandoned factory, duct tape, a rusty knife, lots of blood and screaming, some detached limbs and a merry tune.

He would never be able to father children when she was done with him.

That was when Harley connected the dots, and realized Red Hood did not know her dearest niece's third identity—the one she never had to begin with.

So … Helena neglected to mention that? She just happened to forget the part where the person she agreed to marry was actually her brother? There was no way Helena would withhold that information if she wanted Red Hood to know.

Well, Harley was not about to tell him.

Harley calmed herself down when she realized that the two were not even siblings, not technically. They did not have the same biological parents, so the only thing that would have made them related was Helena's third identity—and that one did not even exist in the real world. If it was, that would only make them adoptive siblings.

However,aAs creepy as it was, there was nothing that made them family in either blood or society. So, Harley found herself accepting the news (at least for the moment).

This was where Huntress' little bullet wound came up.

Red Hood actually shot her, but on Huntress' own orders.

The hooded teenager had an anonymous benefactor of his own, and this was the one who supplied that special, freaky medicine that healed Huntress so quickly. Harley was certain he left out several crucial details to his story at this point, because he only glanced over how he got the very odd medicine, but the essentials were all the same.

Huntress knew she could be healed afterward, so she set up a plan.

The teenager was tasked with gaining the trust of a certain individual. The idea was to shoot Huntress, protecting that individual and hence, get that trust.

Unfortunately, right after the gunpowder went off into the air, the big bat and crew appeared. And Batman wanted more answers after Huntress took a stray bullet for a crime boss—the one he was currently investigating.

Although Huntress did her best to lose the troupe, the lack of blood left her sloppy and she was followed by more than one specimen. The ninjas that had been tailing her for days finally received the information they wanted (Damian's whereabouts), and it prompted Huntress to move.

Huntress came straight to the greenhouse because she knew the ninjas would be heading there anyway, so she had no time to give forewarning.

When the time arrived, that Harley found Helena, the bats and birds had been circling the greenhouse.

Unfortunately, Red Hood only found out about his old friends' presence on the scene when he was retrieving the reason for the current situation; Damian. He was picking up the baby when the very father of the child burst through the ceiling. Once he had Damian, Red Hood came to help with Helena's wound.

That was the exact moment one of the ninjas decided to sneak up on them—if Red Hood had been any later, he would not have been able to shoot the intruder.

Because at that moment, they had more than one problem.

At that moment, the major ones were the four masked figures that crashed into the greenhouse. And why try to lure them away?

The other problem they had; Flora.

The other infant Harley had been watching was not where Harley left her. The original plan of just getting Damian became altered with the arrival of Flora's father. Freeze's presence was not good, and Huntress saw him enter the building by means of making his own door. After all, there was a reason Ivy refused to leave her home for over a year.

So instead of just taking Damian, Huntress altered the plan to retrieve Flora as well. But while Huntress was distracting the ninjas, Red Hood could not stealthily retrieve the little girl along with the little boy; Flora was not with Damian when he opened the loft to retrieve the children.

Somehow, in the small amount of time from when Harley left the two children, and Red Hood came to pick up Damian, someone had taken Flora.

Who this person was remained a mystery.

Harley confirmed to Red Hood that she indeed left Ivy with Freeze, and the young man explained that Huntress and himself could not find the plant mistress when they entered the main greenhouse.

Nor did they see Freeze.

Mother, father and child were all absentee.

In their line of work, Harley realized that this was a big red flag. Obviously, someone was something afoot. She knew that she needed to do something, and she desperately wanted to look for her friend.

But first things first.

The only thing that comforted Harley were the facts; if Freeze did abscond with Ivy and Flora, Harley realized there was a very small chance he would harm them. Freeze was one of the least violent Arkham patients she remembered reading about.

But she needed to get Damian to safety.

Then, and only then, could she go off looking for Ivy.

Thankfully, Harley's newest ally could drive.

However, that did not mean they had their fill of obstacles.

HxJ

JxH

"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said." ― Peter Drucker

HxJ

JxH

Does anyone else hear that …?

Yeah—those are voices …

That's us …

No—the ones outside our head!

Usually, when anyone weird put their hands on her, Harley acted first and thought second.

A hand over her mouth would be bitten.

Sadly, Harley restrained herself the moment she realized her newest ally reached his hand out to silence her. While swiftly walking through the long corridors of the chambers surrounding the main greenhouse, they got closer and closer to their destination of Ivy's garage. Just as the blonde went to turn a corner, a hand reached out and yanked her back.

Red Hood pinned her to the railing and covered her mouth. Harley had an impulse to fight, but it instantly died the moment she saw that the young man was not even looking at her when he brought his hand up to cover her mouth.

Instead, his blood red eyes were trained on the path ahead.

Harley's brow wrinkled when he looked to her, and silently raised a finger to cover his mouth. From his suddenly blank expression and stiff posture, she realized he sensed a potential threat.

More than likely, the threat lay beyond that corner.

So instead of resisting, Harley simply nodded silently in confirmation. Red Hood reached up to the side of his head to press the button on his head-piece. The rather bold red helmet reformed around his face, and he pulled his hood up over his head.

To get to their destination, the pair were required to take quite a few detours and secret passages. Thankfully, Harley knew all of them and they got through them as quickly as they could. What slowed them were a few stray ninjas, and the fact they were trying to be discreet and quiet.

More than one entity in the greenhouse was looking for them.

Walking along another balcony, what hindered their movements were the vegetation in this section. The mostly evergreen trees were tall and strong, but lacked the coverage of some of the other chambers offered. Harley pulled the blanket around Damian even snugger when she realized it was cooler in there than even the main greenhouse. Red Hood stopped Harley as they came upon a set of stairs to lead them down to the ground. The garage was close after this room, and then hopefully Harley could be free to look for Ivy.

Harley saw her younger compatriot withdrawal one of his pistols, the black and red metal gleaming with silver flames even in the faint light of this sector. Red Hood stayed close to the ground after he used a hand signal to tell Harley to wait where she was, slowly creeping towards the stairs he pulled Harley back from.

They had little coverage; the fir and pine trees surrounding them lacked the winding and creeping foliage of vines from other spaces. Thankfully, Ivy installed a little hedge maze along the pathway of the balcony, seeing as this one was constructed from the very trees that littered the space instead of metal. Harley pulled herself closer to the ground, steadying herself on the living bridge covered in a layer of thick bark. As she gravitated towards the prickly pines, the scent of tree sap made her nose itch—these genetically altered trees were used for ingredients in Ivy's experiments after all. She was almost certain they were used for some hallucinogenic potions too.

Once she got lower, she heard what alerted Red Hood.

What are they doing here?

How did they even get in here?

Just be thankful it's just the two ...

Once closer to the ground, Harley delicately poked her hand through the hedge to part the branches. These guys responded to the blonde, recognizing her and assisting her in her efforts. She kept the rustling as quiet as possible as she made herself a hole in the greenery. She saw Red Hood watch her, but he refrained from stopping her.

Apparently, that was permission to proceed.

Finding herself sitting down to the floor, Harley needed to stay cautious as she inched herself closer to the edge of the balcony. Despite the foliage, she could still fall if she was not careful.

Damian could fall as well.

That was when Harley saw them; the source of Red Hood's alert.

Two very interesting figures.

"I can't believe you talked me into this," hissed the taller of the pair.

A restrained laugh came from the other figure. "I didn't ask you to do a thing, Pixie-Boots."

Pixie-Boots?

That's a new one.

The dark-haired young man turned to look at his redheaded companion. He let out a grunt as he slammed an electrically-charged baton into a fern that was getting a little too friendly. The capeless individual's brow wrinkled, and Harley realized he was glaring even though she could not see his eyes from beneath his mask.

A frown marred his lips. "Like I had a choice," he bit out.

Harley blinked as she looked at the young man standing only several feet below her. An opportunity to observe a specimen like this only came along every so often. And in this instance, she got two!

What a treat!

As electricity surged through a branch, it shrilly hissed and exploded sizzling tree sap all over the floor. The acid bubbled and created a small crater in the concrete, but the greenery finally released the baton's handler.

Harley scanned his image, going through her memory bank for a match. She was almost certain she remembered this one.

This one is …

What's his name again?

Nightwing?

What kind of name is that?

I don't know! I just store the information; I don't process it!

The youth in blue was the first to make it onto the scene.

Harley grinned as she watched him flip over backwards to avoid another branch. He had some skill. Once landed on his feet, he continued to speak to his companion.

"Like I'm not supposed to follow you when you start spewing nonsense?"

The lean yet muscular form of the youth known as Nightwing stood up from the ground to bring his full form into view.

The sleek boots formed to his uniform, the footwear designed to mesh with the rest of the outfit. The stark black material laced with almost flame-shaped stripes of a luscious electric blue looked literally melded onto his form. The electric blue color was fascinating; it shifted as he moved so that the intensity of such a color only revealed itself at certain angles. The fabric was flexible, yet durable. Harley noted a series of reinforced areas all over the expanse of his body for more armor.

Adorning his chest was the prominent bird-shaped symbol that defined his name, in the same color as the flames wicked all over his limbs.

As he stood up, Harley noticed the intricacies of the mask on Nightwing's face. It lined his jaw around the sides, adding to his disguise and protection. It certainly added to the definition of his structured jaw line. The device held mechanical elements, seeing as the entire span of his eyes were hidden from view by a screen-like element.

Harley had to admit that this one seemed a lot like her present companion; dark hair, broad shoulders, a tall muscled physique and a youthful aura. Once he could stand up straight, she could see that he had a little bit of a wider (wider, not fatter) frame than the person standing next to her, although he looked a little shorter.

The blonde wondered if Nightwing was older than Red Hood.

A deeper and technologically altered voice piqued up before Harley observed more about Nightwing. Despite its tone, it was oddly feminine.

A flash of bright orange came into Harley's vision.

Hey, look at that!

Well, if Batsy's got enough sense to have a girl sidekick, he can't be all that bad …

He's also Leni and Damian's daddy, so we gotta thank him for that …

Oooo, another redhead!

The second addition to the room was shorter than Nightwing, yet her costume left the impression of a larger figure with the addition of the floor-length cape. Her heeled boots made a subtle click on the cement floor as she landed in a crouch after flipping out of the way of one of the branches attacking her. Batgirl stood up straight to turn to her companion, and Harley blinked while observing this figure.

She and Leni could be twins …

Yeah right—she's got red hair!

No, I meant her figure!

Although moderately tall, the shapely hourglass figure of this youth only seemed to be magnetized by the incredibly tiny mini skirt around her hips. It was a dress, but fit more like a tunic. The length of her skirt made the tininess of her waist even more defined, despite the almost corset-like belt wrapped around her middle.

The material of her "mini dress" itself was a bold magenta, a pink so deep that in certain lights is seemed almost purple. The color itself was deep enough to be mistaken for black, the true color only seen intermittently as she moved around. The black leggings and knee-high boots underneath her outfit were the deep jet black that matched her cloak and cowl.

The pointed ears on her cowl made her silhouette taller, even though she stood several inches shorter than her companion. The bright orange of her hair fell out from the back of her cowl, a hole specifically cut out for such a purpose. Harley thought it was rather inconvenient—would not her hair just get in the way? However, as the young woman got closer, Harley noticed her hair fibers were much too perfect to be real.

A wig—just like Leni …

Hm … so she chose that color to go with that outfit … interesting …

Well, that other thing is not like Leni …

Batgirl stood up straight, cloak falling away from her front to reveal the daunting bat symbol positioned over her chest. Young as she may be, and Harley was certain she could not be older than Helena, the volume of the swollen assets one could call breasts were nothing to sneeze at.

Damn those are big.

Wouldn't those be awfully uncomfortable with all that flying around …?

How does she stand up straight …?

Sure don't envy her …

Well, there's only so much you can restrain those before they start to hurt …

The redhead placed a hand on her hip as she cocked her head to the side. "Nonsense?" she echoed, sounding more irritated than before.

Nightwing let out a sigh and Harley almost felt him roll his eyes he made it so obvious. Before answering, he took the initiative and placed himself incredibly close to his female companion. His face came down to hover in front of hers. When his words finally came out, they were darker and hushed.

The grimness radiated off him. "Yes, nonsense—what are you even doing?" he bit out insistently.

Harley's nose wrinkled, feeling herself shiver from the dramatic change. The tone darkened rather quickly, too quickly for such a vague conversation. Training made her realize another, hidden conversation laid silently beneath the one spoken. It made Harley wonder what they were really discussing.

Hm …

Fascinating …

I sense repressed sexual tension …

That's irrelevant …

Yeah, you always sense that!

Batgirl only snarled as she punched a branch that came up to bite her shoulder, needles flying everywhere as she retracted her hand. As Nightwing lowered his head down to hers, Batgirl instantly retracted away from him. Only a little while ago, she seemed perfectly content to be close to him, but it changed within nanoseconds. The redhead jerked away from her comrade quickly, almost like she anticipated him touching her.

Her body flinched, reminding Harley of patients with physical abuse trauma. However, this did not seem like the case with these two. Nightwing did not give the impression of abusive; he made absolutely no move to strike her. If anything, he was doing his best to prevent physical contact while getting as close as possible.

As Batgirl whirled around to walk down the passageway, she glared at the ground before her. "Will you just shut up and help me?!" she hissed, her feet making definite, exact clicks against the floor.

That was not fear …

More like anger …

But she definitely does not want him touching her …

However, a just as the redhead took the first few steps, a newly freed hand reached out to grab her upper arm. Nightwing almost literally yanked her back to turn her around. Harley almost jumped as she saw him slam Batgirl against the wrought-iron fence of a wall that divided the space from the outside.

Well, that escalated rather quickly!

The redhead instantly did her best to pull away from him.

Her voice changed from irritated to alarmed, almost scared. "D—Nightwing, let go of me!" she practically begged in a hushed tone, her voice breaking.

With both of his batons powered off and returned to their holsters on his back, Nightwing pressed both of his hands the wall behind her, arms on either side of her head.

"You are not walking away from me," he gritted out angrily, the emotion in every word.

Batgirl refused to look at him, doing everything to turn her gaze away from the young man in confronting her. She let out a noise that sounded a mix between a gasp and a sob, relentless with her force as she pushed against his shoulders to wriggle out of his grasp. She ducked down to escape from under his arms, and was successful in getting away for just a few seconds.

Nightwing was not as quick, but made up for it with his strength as he grabbed her wrist while she tried escaping.

"Damnit, Bee—talk to me!" he snapped, his voice coming out more hurt than angry this time. "I'm not going to let you ignore me!"

Harley suddenly felt awkward, and glanced over to the person beside her. Although she did not watch him do so, Red Hood slowly crept over beside her to get his own view of the scene. Supposedly, these people were at one point his comrades—he might have known more about the situation than Harley. The blonde wanted to ask later.

When she looked back to the scene, Harley felt a sudden guilty notion from watching.

It almost felt … wrong.

However, a part of her (the gut instinct that was rarely incorrect) knew that watching would come in handy later—for whatever strange and bizarre reason that turned out to be.

Batgirl's wrist remained in Nightwing's grasp, although she held her body away from his as far as possible, her arm lagging behind her. Completely turned away from him, a curtain of her hair came down almost as if to hide her face intentionally.

"Let go of me," she almost sobbed in the best demanding voice she could muster. Although when the words left her lips, they sounded pathetic and weak. "We can't talk about this here."

Like she no longer possessed any strength.

Nightwing did not let go, but he did not tighten his hold either. Concern laced his words this time, but remained dark and hushed. "You've been missing for days—when else am I supposed to talk to you?"

While speaking, he took a step forward towards her form.

Although he remained calm, Batgirl instantly stiffened and pulled her wrist from his grasp. "Are you really going to ignore me after what happened?" he asked.

Silence lingered in the air so awkwardly after this, thick enough that Harley almost felt it.

Well, they definitely slept together …

And now she regrets it …?

No, it's deeper than that …

The blonde glanced over to the young man beside her again, eyeing him silently. His hood remained up, but he lifted his helmet from his face again to look at the scene closer. Harley raised an eyebrow at him to inquire.

Red Hood did not flash a devious smile, and his eyes did not radiate mischief. His mood matched the scene as he looked up to Harley.

She focused on his lips as he only mouthed his next message, "Trouble in paradise."

Harley could not hear the next words exchanged. Nightwing came up to whisper something into Batgirl's ear, and she visibly stiffened even more with each syllable uttered. He was much more gentle when he reached out to touch her again, this time to grasp her around the waist, but she only jerked away once again.

She looked ready to break down. After pulling away, she visibly weakened, but it was not from the effort to get away.

It was from forcing herself to pull away.

Silence filled the space again. Batgirl began to head towards the exit, practically dashing as her figure disappeared. Nightwing stayed still for several moments after she left, looking like he was debating his next move.

Then, he turned and began to walk in the opposite way than his comrade left.

Harley bit her lip.

No, no, no …!

Not that way, idiot!

She went the other way!

Go after her!

Harley had no idea, but her heart went out to the pair. She did not even know them, never even spoken to them, and yet the scene affected her. It just seemed so sad.

Nightwing took several steps in his direction, practically dragging his feet along the ground.

The blonde perked up when she heard a faint sound beside her. "Other way, Dicky-Bird," Red Hood muttered under his breath.

Ha!

See, he's not dumb!

We might like him after all!

But Dicky-Bird?

We gotta figure that one out later!

Harley cracked a grin. He could not be that bad if he agreed with her.

Then, almost like he heard them (and Harley hoped that was not true), Nightwing stopped.

The blonde restrained an 'eep!' as she pulled back from her viewing station and covered her mouth with one hand, and used her other to reach around Damian and place a pacifier into his mouth. Red Hood only raised an eyebrow at her, but backed away the same.

She could not see, but Harley heard Nightwing's footsteps as he walked away.

Harley saw Red Hood smile, the taller individual still able to see the scene below. "Finally," he breathed, his voice audible as he stood.

Picking herself up, Harley made sure not to linger as she followed him down the stairs. Harley was not certain which direction Nightwing finally took, but he was gone from that small area. Thankfully, the little road block of teenage melodrama headed in away from them, so now they were free to slip through the secret doorway with ease.

Harley knelt to open the door, feeling the metal click beneath her fingers. She stayed crouched, the door only being several feet tall; one of the reasons it usually remained unnoticed. After slipping through, she held the metal door open while her companion followed suit. As she stood up, she looked around the next corridor to scan for threats.

Once she began walking, Harley found herself walking faster to keep up with the teenager.

He was just so damned tall; his long strides easily outran her.

"What was that about?" she finally asked. The question had been nagging at her in the back of her mind ever since they left the last building.

She could not see his expression of a reaction; he put his helmet back on when Harley was looking away. However, he did answer her.

It seemed he knew what she was talking about; "You're in the dark just as much as I am," his muffled response came.

HxJ

JxH

"Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill." ― Buddha

HxJ

JxH

"Oh shit—who are they!?" Harley hissed in a whisper, glancing over to the young man beside her.

Harley found her back pressed up against another wall, however this time she kept herself there instead of another forcing her into that position. Internally, she seethed with annoyance. Somehow, she kept turning up in this situation the whole day. However, she pushed it away in light of a more important thing; the situation at hand.

After making it through the last corridor, the pair successfully made it almost all the way around the greenhouse. Yes, the scenic route was both long and almost redundant (without defenses in effect, Harley simply would have gone the other way and been there in a minute) but they finally found themselves all the way at the end of the giant circle they traced. It landed them in one of the warmer greenhouses.

Although not tropical, these plants only thrived in warmer climates. Their other most notable detail that the greenery in this section was … not as green.

Instead, a vast rainbow of multicolored blooms littered the space. Flowers of infinite variety crept up the walls and hung from the ceiling. More flowers cluttered the ponds that made up the floors, the only thing keeping Harley's feet out of water was the metal grates that made walkways through the space.

Colorful trees of every size and shape littered the space, roots embedded deeply underneath the water. Their flowers in addition to their leaves seemed to glow from the fluorescent pigments they emitted. The color seemed even more psychedelic due to the simulated light coming from the ponds beneath their feet. Light danced in waves, reflecting the ripples formed from the delicate floral-themed fountains streaming in more water.

"My best guess?" came the almost sarcastic whisper from the young man whose shoulder pressed up against her own.

Harley looked up to Red Hood, who stood almost identically to her with his back against the wall. This wall was made up of vines woven through a wrought-iron series of bars, flowers sticking out to cover most of the parts that were not alive. The vines themselves pulsed as they rustled around, practically dancing in place. Part of Harley relished in the movement, it letting her know at least something around her did not wish her harm.

Harley raised an eyebrow at her companion at his last comment.

Really, sarcasm?

Now?

While walking, they moved as swiftly as possible. Their last little road-block (the one made up of the two most sexually repressed teenagers she ever encountered) sidetracked them for longer than expected. So, when they entered the 'Floral Room', they might have turned the corners without heeding caution.

Thankfully, the group of intimidating individuals at the end of the hall did not see them while they froze and jumped behind the corner again.

Once fully out of sight again, the pair turned to each other to figure out what to do next. At Red Hood's response, Harley gave him a glare but did not speak.

Without opposition, the teenager continued. "Freeze's men," he answered.

Harley looked forward again, biting the corner of her lip nervously.

She was afraid he might say that.

Harley only got a quick glance at the small group, but she could see that they all wore thick hooded parkas and heavy combat boots, accompanied by gleaming chrome weaponry. The other hints indicating their allegiances was the stark whiteness of their uniforms, the balaclavas around their faces and the high-tech googles wrapped around their heads under the fur-lined hoods.

Unlike their leader, they wore a multitude of layers to insulated their body temperatures.

Did you honestly think he would travel alone?

No … but I hoped he wouldn't stick around …

Freeze's men?

Nothing good about that.

As Harley readjusted the special package in her arms, her thoughts radiated towards the other infant she had been caring for, the one currently missing. That child's parents were also missing. And that information made Harley pause to think about her next course of action.

The blonde realized that her friend was potentially in trouble when she realized the plant mistress did not respond appropriately to people breaking into her home. When her newest comrade confirmed Ivy was missing, it only made Harley worry even more. And Harley realized that it was a distinct possibility that the source of mother and child's absence was none other than the father of that child.

Harley's suspicions became intensified as soon as she realized Freeze's men were present.

Currently, as helpful as this new information was, it was also a little premature. No matter what Harley discovered, she had another problem.

Glancing down, Harley gazed into the bright blue eyes of the baby. He stayed quiet as he suckled his pacifier, visibly breathing ever so softly. She felt the light tickle of his breath against her skin, and the way his little chest moved in and out. The small movement, and the feeling of his little heartbeat beneath her hands, the sheer softness of his body reminded her of how delicate he really was.

He was a baby.

A defenseless baby.

And Harley needed to get him to safety.

The presence of Freeze's men did not alarm Harley, it was where they stood that was the problem.

Their current destination was just on the other side of the room, a small door the only thing separating them. The vehicle would probably get Red Hood and Damian to safety, but it seemed that another delay was inevitable. And that delay was the group of hooded figures looming in the hallway.

Harley knew they needed to get past the group, but the group of menacing figures appeared like could take down dozen hockey players easily.

And they had guns that shot ice—literal ice, not just metaphorical there.

Hundreds of thoughts ran through Harley's brain. She needed a solution; she needed to come up with a way of solving this.

Can't go around …

No … already tried that … how do you think we got here?

Over?

Nope … they'll see us—why do you think we didn't use that originally …?

Can't go through either …

Nope … baby, remember…?

Then what do we do …?

… recalculating …

You are no help!

I am trying—what are you doing?!

Will all of you just … shut up!?

A jingling of metal drew her attention, and Harley glanced over to her companion. The young man withdrew an ammo magazine from one of the numerous pockets decorating his outfit. As he discharged the one in the weapon on hand, he used the newest to reload. He pulled back the automatic firing pin to ready himself for battle, and Harley's eyes could not help but be distracted by the red and black beads wrapped around his wrist.

The silver crucifix attached to the end glistened in the light.

"Why do you wear that?" she suddenly asked quietly.

Harley knew it was not the proper time or place, but the words fell out before she could stop them. When they finally left her lips, she did not try to take them back. She simply looked up to the holes in his helmet where she knew his eyes laid behind.

As he moved to reload his second pistol, he glanced over to her silently. He stayed silent for a few moments, proceeding to adjust his weapons. After a few moments, he answered her.

"You mean, aside from being a good Catholic boy?" he asked, only half sarcastically.

Harley nodded. "You wear it pretty boldly for using those so quickly," she said, gesturing to his weapons.

Staring straight ahead, he took several more seconds before finally answering her. "It's a reminder," he replied, not even pausing to ask what Harley spoke of.

"Of?" Harley asked, her tone in no way harsh or forceful, instead filled with innocent wonder.

Another click from his weapons, and he placed the one in a holster under his shoulder. "A promise."

Harley felt the strangest feeling overcome her. That answer was filled with so much emotion, so many different possibilities. She did not know much about him, but she did know that normal young men his age did not speak with such depth. Harley also knew that one did not develop that way by having an easy life either.

Her eyes looked over to the scars that decorated his body. They littered his arms and shoulders, his neck and fingers. All bare skin seen was marked.

She looked around in front of her as the next words fell from her lips in a whisper. "Do you love Leni?"

His only response was a simple tilt of his head to look at her.

She took him aback.

Before he spoke again, Harley cut him off. "I don't have many people I love," she confessed, keeping her gaze ahead of her. "I choose the worst people to love—other people like breaking them."

The silence lingered again before he broke it, "People say that we are what we love," he spoke darkly for a moment. "And we love the people that we are."

Harley contemplated those words, analyzing their double meaning.

However, another question broke that line of thought; "Anyone break you?"

This time, she looked at him with tired eyes. Until that point, she did not realize how exhausted she felt. The air around her felt heavy. It was hardly the time to bring any of this up, but Harley absently felt the need to continue. If she said it, maybe the weight around her would leave as the words did.

"Yes," she finally answered.

Red Hood subtly nodded and without skipping a beat muttered, "Yes."

It was not a question.

Harley's brow wrinkled. "What?"

"You asked me if I love Helena, right?" he said as if it was the simplest thing to utter. He neither paused nor wavered in his next breath, his words as poignant as they were bold. "The answer is yes."

Harley did not restrain her small, genuine smile. "Really?"

He looked her in the eye. "More than anything."

And that was good enough for Harley.

Hook … line … sinker …

Enough to knock anyone out …

He's telling the truth …

We might have to let him marry Leni now …

Her smile grew with her next words. "And why is that?" she asked, the playful teasing side of hers emerging. "That you love her."

A raspy chuckle emerged from his throat. "What a question," came his normal mysterious and seductive tone.

Harley shrugged, grinning as she felt the air around her lighten. "I am the shrink, you know."

Another chuckle. "Well if you are, then you know there's really no answer to that question," he said simply. "We humans are unpredictable and illogical beasts. If I knew why, then it's not really love, is it?"

Smart …

Too smart …

Yep … gonna have to keep him around …

Taking in a deep breath, Harley stood up straight as she smiled even wider. She felt her body surge with energy, her heartbeat picking up as a cleansing sensation ran through her system. There was a way through this, and she could do it.

A maniacal smile emerged on her face as she looked at him from the side, "You ready for this? Cause things are gonna get really crazy really quick."

Harley heard a click from his gun as the bullets slid into place. "Sounds like a blast."

HxJ

JxH

"Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like." ― Lemony Snicket

HxJ

JxH

"Pammy!?"

The plan was simple enough. Since they had no means of moving their roadblock, Harley and her newest family member (Harley could not officially call him a nephew just yet, but she was working on it; weddings were so difficult to do on the fly) decided to get the roadblock to move itself.

Their predicament laid within the idea that Damian was still so fragile—being a baby after all. She and Red Hood were durable enough, so removing Damian from the current situation was necessary. To do that, they decided to pull the whole 'distraction' plan.

Red Hood listened to Harley's plan very well, and he followed through with her instructions quite nicely. After sending him up to one of the catwalks, she told him to fire off a few rounds in the direction of the small group standing in their way. The teenager effectively got their attention, beckoning them in his direction.

While he took off to avoid their icy blasts, Harley grinned as she saw the men begin to run off after him. Now all Red Hood had to do was get them to Ivy's girls (Lilith, Circe and Dolores) and trap them inside that little area before he backtracked to make it back to Harley.

In the meantime, Harley set out alone to take Damian to the next room. Once he was securely in his car-seat would she head back to make sure Red Hood was not eaten himself.

All Harley had to do was sneak up on the poor fool left behind by his friends.

As she felt the back of her pistol collide with his head, she heard a satisfying crack. He fell over onto the floor, unconscious before his body landed with a 'thunk'. Harley put her own gun back in its holster as she bent down to retrieve his weapon.

The gleaming metal pulsed with the same blue glow that she saw on Freeze only a little while ago. It first occurred to her that keeping it was a good idea, seeing as that just leaving it there would not help her once he woke up (she did not kill this one yet). However, she realized that ice might not have been the best with a normal baby.

So instead of taking it, she bashed it against the floor. Once the glowing liquid's container shattered, the gel-like substance trickled out and onto the floor, seeping down through the bars to the water below. The water underneath the grate almost instantly seized up, and a small section started to harden. Too bad it did not last long; the heated water melted the ice away rather quickly.

With the ice gun broken, Harley picked herself up to get going, however stopped dead when she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

And it was the form of her missing friend.

With an 'eep!', Harley pulled herself back and redirected her path.

As Harley entered the small alcove of flowers, she mentally cursed herself for not realizing something earlier; the thug left behind. There was a reason one stayed while the others left. The small group was only in this space for a reason; and that reason turned out to be none other than Poison Ivy herself.

However, Harley highly doubted that a normal welcoming into a home was to render the hostess unconscious and tie her to a chair.

The redhead sat alone in the center of the space, sitting on a little chair with her head slumped forward. "Pammy!" Harley repeated in a whisper as she rushed over to her friend. "Are you okay?"

Long magenta hair veiling her face, Harley did not notice until upon closer inspection that her friend was unconscious; she could not answer.

The room that Harley found herself in was what Ivy considered a sort of 'sitting' room. The small space was decorated with antique metal furniture suitable for an outside garden, but the pieces themselves looked like they were better suited for inside. A few couches sat in a semicircle, gathered together for discussion. The side and coffee tables were speckled with stained glass, and everything was of course in a floral theme. Harley liked the space; the furniture literally looked like flowers made of metal and bent for humans to sit upon.

Unfortunately, she did not like her friend sitting in the center of the room like that.

Harley instantly placed little Damian down on the first couch she found. She needed both her hands free. She wrapped the blanket around him tightly, and secured it to the arm of the seat. The furniture was not baby-friendly, and she wanted to make sure he did not fall to the floor.

Once she knew he was secure, Harley rushed over to Ivy. She lifted Ivy's head up to examine her, warmth and movement letting her know she was in the very least alive. Harley attempted to lightly pat her face to wake her, but the redhead could only groan. The gag around her mouth not only limited her words, it seemed it had a restraining purpose as well.

Harley remembered the tie; it was used on suicidal patients so they did not bite their tongues off.

The blonde went to undo it, but the gag was held together with a metal lock at the back of Ivy's head.

Harley's eyes traveled around to the back of her friend's form where she saw the other things holding her onto the chair. Ivy's arms were awkwardly linked up behind her and securely chained to the iron chair back. Harley would have simply taken Ivy and the chair with her (to find something to free her) but the chains around Ivy's wrists looped around her midsection, and then trailed down to her feet. Oddly, Ivy was missing her shoes, her bare feet secured to each other in addition to being linked to the grated floor beneath her.

"Damnit," Harley cursed under her breath as she bent over, quickly scanning each lock.

Maybe she could pick them.

Harley spotted a gleaming bit of metal in her friend's hair. Instantly, she grabbed the hair ornament and broke off a piece of the metal. It was long, thin and sturdy—Ivy would forgive her for mutilating her hair piece later.

Heart racing, Harley worked as quickly as possible as she worked at the lock. Normally she was very good at it, but in that instance, she was rushed.

She only had so long to do this.

Harley did not need to assume who did this to her friend. From the guards at the door, everything became clear to her. Freeze obviously … did not come just to talk to Ivy. The location of the cryogenics scientist remained a mystery to Harley, but she knew that there was a reason he left Ivy in that place.

He would return; if not for his men, then for Ivy.

Harley finally felt the metal slide into place only a second before she heard her friend moan. The blonde looked up, peering around to see Ivy's eyes opening. "Pammy!" she whispered. "Are you hurt?"

Harley realized her friend could not give a vocal response, but she half hoped for a shake or nod of the head.

For several moments, Ivy blinked as she stared out at Harley. The blonde knelt to examine her friend. She reached her hands up on either side of her head, using her fingers to open the redhead's eyes wider to assess the damage. Ivy did not look injured, but she wanted to make sure.

Something made her lose consciousness.

Harley paused in her examination of her friend when she heard Ivy let out a noise. She placed herself in front of the redhead, wanting her to see her. "Ivy?" she asked this time.

Green eyes focused onto the blonde, and as soon as she was competent, Ivy jerkily nodded to the side. She made a sound of trying to speak, but was immediately throttled from the restraint.

"What is it?" Harley questioned.

Ivy locked eyes with her, gaze serious as she thrust her chin forward behind Harley.

The blonde caught on; Ivy was trying to point out something by the door.

The second she connected the dots, Harley stood up to turn around.

She took in a very deep breath that she started to hold as she saw the newest presence in the room.

Crimson lips spread wide in a smile to reveal silver teeth. "Hello, Harley," growled the deep voice of the figure looming by the doorway.

Before she could fathom a response, Harley felt her body take a step back involuntarily, her hand lingering on her friend's shoulder.

Uh-oh …

Not good, not good, not good …

THIS IS BAD!

He's back …

Harley only stood silent as the shadowy figure came into the light, smile intensifying as he cocked his head to the side.

"You know, dollface, you are a difficult woman to track down," the clown practically sang, raising a finger almost as if to scold her.

Harley felt herself step back, her body moving before she had time to come up with an idea. Before she knew it, the newest addition to the room was slowly trailing after her as she circled around the very uncomfortable-looking Ivy still sitting between them.

"You don't call, don't write—you were at least supposed to leave your number or something …"

Harley opened her mouth to speak. She did not know what she would say, but she knew she had to say something. However, what cut her off was a completely different source than the green-haired man in front of her.

The noise was oddly disturbing, despite nonthreatening in any way.

Both Harley and Joker's heads snapped in the direction it came from. Harley's eyes widened, and she felt her tongue fall back into her mouth.

It felt like she swallowed it.

She looked back to the clown, however he moved quicker than her. "Now what do we have here?" he voiced as he took a few steps to the side.

A hallow feeling formed in the middle of her stomach as she saw him close in on the little ball in the corner.

Not … good.

Not good.

Not good!

Before she could act, Joker picked up the baby. Damian's pacifier was missing, and the source of the small sound the infant made only moments before. As the clown held Damian at his hip, he raised one of his hairless brows at the baby, looking more curious than anything.

"Hello there," he greeted the child, like it could understand him. "What's your name?"

The feeling inside Harley intensified. Millions of things raced through her brain. From the buzzing voices, to images of what would come, the multitude of things she thought about seemed almost infinite.

She needed to do something.

Harley only vaguely processed the things she saw in front of her as events unfolded. She heard speaking, and saw a stark white figure in the corner. She only absently processed Freeze's presence, seeing as Harley's focus was on the baby he held.

Two babies, both being held by notorious criminals. Ones that may or may not wish them harm.

There was absolutely no way to keep Damian safe if these two learned the identity of his father.

Batman.

The vigilante who may or may not have been in the building at that very moment.

The same man who was also responsible for dragging both Joker and Freeze off to jail on at least one occasion.

Shit.

Even if Harley told the truth and said he belonged to Cat, he still would not be safe. Cat was notorious in her own right; she had her own enemies. That, and there was the fact that Cat was infamous for her flings with the baby's father.

The dark knight.

Even as the clown spoke to Freeze, Harley realized that getting the baby away from him would be next to impossible. But how was she supposed to explain Damian? Joker wanted to know who he was, and what he was doing there. Joker would not be happy without an answer.

With Ivy tied up, her bodyguard still missing and babies being used as literal shields, Harley was running out of solutions.

But she knew she had to do something.

And Joker still wanted an answer to his question.

Harley stared at him as he closed in on her once again. "Who might this little one be?" he asked, merrily looking at Harley.

The blonde felt her mouth moving, immediately regretting the words falling out. "He's mine," she stated plainly.

It seemed even the infants quieted at this.

The only response came from Joker as his tone suddenly dropped. "Come … again?"

The sound made Harley's insides quiver some more. However, it seemed that she was a glutton for punishment, because she proceeded to dig her own grave.

Harley stared at him in the eye. A maniacal smile emerged on her face, determination in her eyes as she glared at him. "You heard me," she almost sang. "He's … mine."

This … is not going to end well …

HxJ

JxH

(Author's Note:

If this chapter isn't long enough ...

I want to thank everyone for reading this. I am deeply sorry about the delay. I am sure that more than one of you are affected by the season.

I wish to make a word of caution. I am aware that the last chapter seemed a little odd to many of you, but I assure you that I choose to give you certain scenes for a reason, and it is for more reasons than me liking the character. Of course I like the characters-I like all my characters. Even the horrible characters I learn to like, seeing as disdain for characters reflects in one's writing.

And as for the last chapter, I focused on Huntress because her presence is going away for a little while. Her character is important to the story, but from now on she is only going to be momentarily popping up from time to time whenever she is needed. Consider the things I have told you as food for thought as to what she is going to be up to.

Although I am giving you a lot of directions to look, I do have a reason. This is Harley's story, and she has her own problems, thoughts and feelings. What is going on in the world around her is just as important as her dealings with Mr. J.

Speaking of which-yes, he's back! Please go easy on me. The last few chapters were all a build-up for this chapter. And to be honest, I added more scenes just to give you more of him.

Thank you again for reading, but please do not expect a chapter this long with each update. Hands are hurting from all the typing ...)

HxJ

JxH