"She's still alive!" Dr. Leland yelled. "Joker, your baby is still alive!"

"What the fuck did you say?" The Joker loomed over Joan Leland, a mixture of rage and hope on his face.

"She's still alive, Joker. Dr. Kovack cut her out of Harleen and gave her to me. I couldn't just let her die...I got her breathing, then I dropped her off at the children's hospital. She's still there. Please don't kill me."

The Joker stared at Joan in shock. Without a word, he used his pistol to shoot Dr. Kovack in the head, and quickly began untying Joan.

"You better be telling the truth, woman," the Joker growled. "Where is she?"

"Parish Children's Hospital," Joan sobbed. "She's in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, room 314."

"Go check it out," the Joker ordered, nodding to one of his henchmen.

The room was silent, except for the sound of Joan sobbing, as everyone waited for the henchman's return. Finally, the man ran into the room, out of breath.

"There is an abandoned infant in room 314. A little girl," he panted.

The Joker turned to Ivy.

"Call the hideout in Gotham. Get the men to bring Harley here, but don't breathe a word of this to her. I have to be sure, before anyone tells her."

Ivy nodded, and scurried away to find a telephone.

"They're on their way," she reported back a few minutes later. "Harley had to be sedated again. She should be waking up just about when the plane lands."

The Joker nodded. He turned to Deadshot, Killer Croc, and Boomerang.

"You'll never hear me say this again," the green-haired man whispered, "but I need your help."

"Anything," Deadshot replied.

Killer Croc and Boomerang nodded.

"Get me into that room safely."

The trio nodded.

The Joker signaled for his men to gather around. He roughly pushed Joan towards one of the men.

"You're in charge of her," he ordered. "The rest of you, we are going to that hospital. Ivy and I will be going straight to room 314. I want you to shoot anyone who tries to stop us. Got it?"

The group left the prison in Belle Reve vans, and drove straight towards the hospital. When they were halfway there, the Joker noticed a familiar car in the rearview mirror.

"Goddammit!" He screamed, pounding the steering wheel with his fists.

Batman's car was gaining on the van. The Joker floored the gas pedal, and within minutes whipped into the parking lot of the children's hospital. He and Ivy were out of the car in seconds, and were soon surrounded by Deadshot, Killer Croc, Boomerang, and the henchmen. They were all surprised, however, when Batman opened the car door and got out with his hands up.

"I'm not here to fight," Batman said. "I want to help."

"Haven't you done enough?" Ivy yelled, clenching his fists. "You're the whole reason this happened to Harley! You're the one who handed her over to Waller!"

"I didn't know what was going to happen," Batman growled. "Waller said she was just going to try a new treatment on Harley. I only found out what happened when I hacked into the prison database after your attack. I had no idea that she planned to do what she did. I would never have let her do something so evil."

"Why should I trust you, Batsy?" The Joker asked, putting his hand over his gun. "I should kill you right now for what you let happen."

"I can't tell you how sorry I am. I want to help, Joker. We need to call a temporary truce."

The Joker sighed and lowered his hand. He stepped forward, and extended his hand to Batman. A small smile crossed the masked man's face, and he shook the hand of his greatest enemy.

"Now," Batman said, "let's go get your daughter."

The Joker and Batman lead the group into the hospital. A security guard stepped forward, but shrunk back when he saw Batman. They attracted the attention of everyone in the hospital as they made their way to the third floor. When they arrived outside room 314, the Joker hesitated for a moment.

"It's okay," Ivy whispered.

"I don't want to meet her without Harley. She deserves to see her first. And we need to make sure that she's…you know, the right baby."

Ivy pursed her lips and nodded. She turned to a nurse that was hovering near the group, and ordered her to find a lab tech.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Joker, sir?" The nervous lab technician asked.

"Verify that the child inside the room is mine," the Joker ordered.

The tech nodded, and quickly drew a sample of the Joker's blood, and then scurried into the room where the baby lay. After he drew the baby's blood, he went down to the lab to complete the test. An agonizing fifteen minutes went by, and the Joker paced back and forth in the hallway. Finally, the technician, out of breath from running, burst through the door from the stairwell.

"It's a match," he said. "Mr. Joker, she's your daughter."

Ivy let out a squeal of delight, and hugged the Joker. She quickly realized what she was doing, and stepped away, smoothing her hair.

"She's alive," the Joker whispered. "How far out is Harley?"

"About an hour," one of the henchmen replied.

The Joker nodded.

"Now what?" Boomerang asked.

"We wait," the Joker smiled, throwing his head back and laughing. "She's alive, everyone! My little princess is alive!"

When Harley arrived at the hospital, the Joker and Ivy met her at the front doors. She was still groggy from the sedative she had been given.

"Where am I?" She asked.

"Parish Children's Hospital, in Louisiana," Ivy answered. "Sweetheart, Joker has something to tell you."

The Joker gently took Harley's hands in his own, and smiled.

"Our little princess is alive, Harley. You were right. Joan Leland saved her."

It took Harley a minute to process what the Joker had said, but when she did, she let out a piercing scream.

"I knew it," she yelled. "I just knew it. Where is she?"

"On the third floor," Ivy replied.

Harley grabbed the Joker and hugged him tightly and kissed him passionately. She then turned to Ivy, and gave the redhead a hug.

"Thank you both, so much," Harley whispered. "Now, let's go meet our Little One."

The Joker took Harley's hand and, along with Ivy, they made their way to the elevator. When they arrived on the third floor, Harley hesitated before stepping out of the elevator. She turned to the Joker and looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"Mistah J, I'm scared," she whispered. "What if I mess up? What if I'm not a good Mommy?"

The Joker gently took Harley's hands and smiled down at her.

"Harls, you're going to be perfect."

Harley and the Joker walked hand in hand down the hallway. The Joker's henchmen lined the hallway. Ivy, Deadshot, Killer Croc, Boomerang, and Batman stood outside the baby's room, smiling. Just before the couple walked into their baby's room, a young doctor stopped them. The Joker's henchmen raised their guns, and the doctor shrank back.

"I-I just wanted to warn you…" he mumbled.

"Warn us about what?" The Joker asked, glaring at the doctor.

"I'm Dr. Carlson. The infant, your daughter, I mean, is my patient. I just wanted you two to be prepared for when you see her."

"What's wrong with her?" Harley asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Nothing is wrong, Ma'am," the doctor reassured her. "She's just very tiny. She weighs three pounds, and is about twelve inches long. She's connected to a lot of machines keeping her healthy. She has a mask on her face to help her breathe, a few IV lines, some monitoring equipment, and a tube in her nose for nutrition."

Harley cringed, remembering the force feedings through the tube at Belle Reve.

"Is she gonna…Is she gonna be okay?" Harley asked, squeezing the Joker's hand.

"We have every reason to believe that she will be. She has a long road ahead of her, the stay in the hospital alone will last about two months, but she's a fighter."

Harley smiled.

"Can we see her now?" She asked. "Please?"

The doctor nodded.

"Of course. You won't be able to hold her just yet, but you can certainly spend as much time with her as you want. Talk to her."

Harley looked up at the Joker, and he nodded his approval. Harley opened the door, and stepped inside. Her excitement got the better of her, and she broke free of the Joker's hand and ran over to the enclosed bassinet where her daughter lay. She squealed when she looked at the tiny baby, and the infant's little eyes popped open. She and Harley stared into one another's eyes for a long moment, and Harley began to cry.

The Joker walked up behind Harley, and wrapped his arm around her waist. He took a deep breath, and laughed when the infant shifted her gaze to him and flailed her tiny arms.

"What's her name, pumpkin?" The Joker asked.

"Calliope," Harley whispered. "I mean…if that's okay."

"Calliope," the Joker repeated. "I love it! Everyone, come meet Calliope!" He shouted into the hallway.

Ivy, Deadshot, Boomerang, and Killer Croc stepped into the room. They admired Calliope, and each gave Harley a tight hug.

"Congratulations, Dollface," Deadshot smiled. "You too, man."

He shook the Joker's hand and smiled.

"Makes me miss Zoe."

"You can see her," Batman's voice thundered through the small hospital room. "I'm going to pretend I never saw you. Any of you."

"Wait just one goddamn minute," Harley growled. "You're the reason this happened! You're the reason my little Calliope is hooked up to every machine in the goddamn hospital."

"He didn't know, sweetheart," the Joker whispered, taking Harley's hand. "He had no idea what Waller was going to do. He just wanted our princess to be safe."

Harley deflated.

"You really didn't know?" She asked, looked up at the masked man.

"I didn't. And I wish there was a way to apologize for what happened, but nothing I say will make it right."

"Just promise me one thing," Harley put her hands on her hips.

"What's that?" Batman asked.

"Please, just keep her safe. No matter what, please keep her safe."

"I can do that." Batman promised.

Harley nodded. She placed her hand over the incision on her lower stomach, and looked down. Then, she wrapped her arms around Batman's neck and hugged him tight before kissing his cheek with a loud smack. She turned to look at the Joker, fear lighting the edges of her eyes, but he was too busy staring into the bassinet to notice.

The next two months were long for Harley and the Joker. They had the henchmen find them a hideout in Louisiana, but spent most of their time in the hospital room with Calliope. The couple watched as their daughter grew and developed into an active, charming baby. After nearly a month, the doctors allowed Harley and the Joker to hold her.

The first moment that the nurse lay Calliope in Harley's arms, the woman had been unable to contain her excitement. She had let out an excited squeal, and Calliope had begun crying. The Joker had laughed, and cooed at the infant until she stopped, her brilliant blue eyes following her parents' every movement.

Calliope seemed to calm the Joker. He only struck Harley a few times in the two months the baby was in the hospital, and while he continued his business dealings, he seemed more forgiving, less likely to shoot first and ask questions later. Harley noticed the change, prayed that it would last.

At first, Harley was unsure of how to be a mother, but she quickly learned with the help of the nurses. The Joker watched, falling deeper and more in love with the woman and their child every day, as Harley blossomed into a patient, caring mother.

On the day that Calliope was released from the hospital, Batman chartered a private plane to transport the parents and their baby back to their home. When they touched down in Gotham, Batman stood and shook the Joker's hand a final time.

"You know that once we part ways today, our truce is over, right?" Batman asked.

"Oh, I'm well aware, Batsy," the Joker replied.

"Stay out of trouble," Batman growled.

He was out of the plane and gone before the Joker or Harley could respond, so the couple linked arms, and made sure that Calliope was comfortable in the carrier that Harley wore on her chest. Together, the couple stepped off the plane, and into their new lives.

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who has read and/or reviewed! I am now taking requests for stories with the pairings Harley/Joker, Harley/Ivy, or Harley/Deadshot. Please let me know what you want to read next!