Welcome to part 8 of the Reflection Series! As always, I encourage you to read the previous stories first. Thank you so much for the comments and messages I have received so far, they mean so much to me. Please enjoy!

... Day 21 of chaos ensues after the mass attack on Arkham Asylum in Gotham. Approximately 35 criminals have been unleashed on the streets. The GCPD urge commuters and visitors from outside the city to proceed with caution...

"Please turn it off, Hope. I can't stand listenin' to it anymore.", Harley begged her sister. Hope clicked the TV off and tossed the remote on the bed. Harley sighed as she sat in the birthing tub in Hope's bedroom letting the water flow through her fingers as she moved her hands back and forth. Doctor White sat in a cushioned chair nearby and made scribbles on her clipboard and looked up every so often encouragingly. The contractions started last night just after she had gone to bed. She had been staying with Hope all week in Brooklyn as her due date was yesterday. She thought it would be much easier if she stayed with Hope in case she went into labor rather than having it happen in Gotham, basically alone. They had no idea how The Joker would handle the whole ordeal if it started while she was with him.

Speaking of The Joker, he was near impossible to live with right now anyway. Since the incident at Arkham, he was a ticking time bomb, exploding at the smallest annoyances. Without the use of his legs he was reliant on the help of others which was something he despised. The first day after that terrible night he had been sweet to Harley, sweeter than he had been since she got pregnant. Maybe he was in shock or maybe he realized how close he had gotten to being killed, but he held on to her as though his life depended on it. He had kissed her, held her, and whispered sweet things in her ear, that he loved her. However, the next day he seemed withdrawn and was lost in thought. He kept trying to get out of bed, but he was so weak from the nerve damage, he couldn't stand or walk without assistance. Felix, his most loyal henchman, had to stay with them and help him go to and from the bathroom, get dressed, and go up and down the stairs. He punched the wall at one point and mumbled and cursed to himself. The doctor said it would take months before he would have his strength back and that he would have to do therapeutic exercises every day. Harley helped him as much as she could or as much as he allowed, but he would get frustrated at her and yell at her to leave. She figured it was a blow to his ego, but honestly, she enjoyed helping him for a change. Something about seeing him so vulnerable made her feel special, like he needed her. It also scared her, because The Joker should never be vulnerable. The Joker is god. He wouldn't tell her exactly what happened that night. She was concerned to leave him in his current state, but he reluctantly agreed to let her go. He ordered that she had to return as soon as possible after the baby was born.

Another painful contraction strained her muscles and she moaned and gripped the sides of the tub. A water birth wasn't her idea. Hope said it would be calming and that it would help with the pain since she couldn't have an epidural during a home birth. Hope ordered the big inflatable tub and filled it with a hose. It even had a small heater attached to keep the water warm. The contractions were getting closer and closer together and after eight hours of labor with little sleep, Harley was ready to pass out. Hope kneeled by her and held her hands. Harley was completely naked in the tub and she noticed her sister's eyes sweeping over her body when she thought she wasn't looking and taking in every single mark The Joker gave her over the past two-and-a-half years. There was barely any space that remained blank aside from her face which was only graced with a Glasgow smile. Harley leaned forward folding her arms along the tub and resting her head as she pushed through another contraction. Then she started to feel the new sensation. "Um, I think I need to push.", she said nervously.

"Really? Okay, Harl!", Hope said excitedly as she clapped her hands.

Instinct kicked in and it was like she was having an out of body experience. It hurt like nothing she'd ever experienced before, but she stayed focused. Her mind focused on Him. Things were finally going to go back to normal. She would have her Puddin' back now. She heard Hope yelling for Matthew to come in, that the baby was almost here. It felt like hours had passed as she got lost in the process. The doctor watched with a mirror in the water and Harley was encouraged when she said she could see the baby's head. After a few more pushes, the precious girl was out and Harley cradled her in her arms. After a moment of silence, she cried and Harley cried too. She held her against her breasts and leaned back into the water. Matthew wrapped his arm around Hope and they both just watched in gladness and in sadness.

She held the baby girl as long as she could. The baby attempted to suckle and nurse and Harley looked to Hope as though asking for permission. "Go ahead, Harleen. She needs you right now." Sweet Hannah Joy and Harley stared into each other's eyes as she nursed for the first and probably the only time. It was the most intimate moment she had ever experienced and she would never forget it. Harley cooed and encouraged the blonde beauty. Although she was puffy, it was obvious she looked just like the twin sisters. Her hair was a light blonde, eyes were the same blue, but Harley could tell from her small involuntary facial expressions that she had her father's smile.

Hope took a picture on her phone. "I know I shouldn't. But I would rather have one of the two of you together and regret it later than never have one and regret not taking it.", she shrugged. The all remembered The Joker's demands that after the baby was born, Harley was to have no contact and the baby would never know who her true parents were. Hope knew she was taking a risk by documenting the moment.

After a couple of hours Harley handed Hannah off to her new parents as the doctor assisted in cleaning her up and getting her back into comfortable clothes. After a few final checks, she left and the three of them remained gazing at the sweet new life. Hope helped Harley into bed where she crashed into a deep sleep for the next several hours.

She woke up in Hope's bed in the early morning hours. She looked at her phone to see that The Joker texted her during the night. "When are you coming home?" She didn't know how he always seemed to know everything, but it didn't surprise her anymore. She texted back, "Soon. I'll ask Matthew to take me home when they wake up."

She slowly got up, feeling sore and took a long shower and cleaned up the constant bleeding she would experience for the next few weeks. She went downstairs to find Hope sitting in the recliner quietly talking to Hannah and feeding her a bottle. The baby was wearing a pale pink sleeper with a bunny appliqué over her heart.

Harley leaned down and kissed the baby's head. "Why does she smell so good?", she asked with a smile.

"I love the smell of new babies.", Hope whispered. "But this baby smells extra nice.", she giggled.

After drinking some coffee and having more Hannah time, Harley received a threatening text from J telling her to get home. She sighed and looked to Hope. "I gotta go." She handed the baby girl back and looked at her one last time after kissing her soft forehead and her tiny fingers. "Thank you.", she said to Hope. "You'll never know how much this means to me. To know that she is safe with you is a weight off my shoulders. Maybe one day he will let us talk again. But I will miss you." They hugged and held back tears. Hope kissed her scarred cheek and assured her that she would always have a safe haven with them if she needed. There was so much more to be said, but Harley had to leave.

The duplex they had been staying in for months had been quiet all week without his Harlequin. She could never stay quiet for long. Either she was singing, talking to herself, or baby talking to her one remaining hyena, Bud. Her voice always had the same effect on him. It grated on his nerves because it distracted him. But when it was gone, he missed it. That awful Brooklyn accent made her sound like such an idiot, but she wasn't. She was naive and immature, but she wasn't dumb. She understood him and his ideas. His Ha-ha-Harley was one of a kind.

Although normality had begun to seep back into their relationship, things still weren't quite the same as they had been. He had been playing a dangerous game with her these past nine months. He pushed her hard, making her doubt his feelings for her. She could have given up and left him, but he had to put her through this trial to test her devotion and make her see what life would be like if she ever tried to make that fateful decision to leave him for good. Not that she would last long. If she ever did chose to truly leave him, he wouldn't hesitate to kill her. The only hard part would be deciding how to do it. He'd imagined the ways so many times whether it be with a blade or bullet, starvation or drowning her with Drano, feeding her to piranhas or forcing her to eat her own teeth. He started to feel a stirring inside during these thoughts when he heard the car pull up and a car door close. She was home.

He heard the hyena excitedly greet her as she walked through the front door. He swiveled around in his chair to face the bedroom door. Her pace up the stairs to their bedroom was slow. She hesitated outside the door and he smirked to himself. She was deciding if she should knock or risk barging in. A small sigh escaped her mouth and she rapped lightly on the door.

"Yeah."

"Can I come in?"

"Yeeeeessssss.", he drawled.

The doorknob turned and Harley chewed the inside on her scarred cheek as she made eye contact with him. The silence was palpable as the couple stared at one another. She looked exhausted. He eyed her from head to toe. She wore baggy sweatpants and a black oversized souvenir t-shirt from Las Vegas. Her stomach was considerably smaller, but still looked quite swollen.

"Can I lay down, please?", she asked timidly.

He gestured to the bed in a sarcastic manner. She looked down and toed off her Converse low tops before hitching the small overnight bag further up on her shoulder. She made a trip to the attached bathroom first where she spent a considerable amount of time. When she came back out she shuffled over to the bed and carefully crawled in, sighing when her head hit the pillow. He continued to watch her.

"Everything... okay then?", he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harley yawned and nodded. "I just need to rest." Her heavy eyes watched him before they started to roll back in her head and before long she was breathing heavily. He stood shakily from the chair and grabbed a cane he had been using to amble around. He was slow, but determined to get well as quickly as possible. He shuffled to the bed and drew the faded purple comforter over her small, tired body. He leaned down and breathed in her scent. She always smelled sweet like vanilla. Bud was soon pawing at the door and he pushed it open before jaunting into the room and curling up on the floor next to Harley.