Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of the characters I have used, this story is a making from my mind only.
She had nothing left, her Puddin' was gone, he was the making of her, she was nothing without him, any life she had before him died with Harleen. No one cared about her, even Joker's henchman were paid to tolerate her but they still didn't treat her with any respect, she craved the kind of respect Joker seemed to radiate from people but it just never seemed to come. Evan as Harleen no one respected her, everyone always underestimating her, calling her dumb, she wasn't dumb, she was in love, IS in love.
There she stood, her eyes shut tightly, her feet balanced precariously on the edge as she looked down at where it all began, she was born at ACE Chemicals, and she'd die there too "I'll see you soon, Puddin," she murmered, her small voice bouncing through the skeleton of the building.
She took another step, her eyes slowly opening, her stare softening as she gazed down at the mesmerizing liquid below her. The acid churning away in the vat, it's generator stirring it, creating small ripples atop the surface.
Harley was about to jump when…"What are you doing?" Batman swooped down, pushing the girl back onto the ledge, horrified by what she was about to do.
"Go away, B-man!" Harley screamed at him,, standing up as she dusted herself down from the sandy floor. She glared at him "Come to gloat some more about offing my Mistah J?" Her voice broke hallway through.
"No." Was all Batman said.
"Well, too bad…." Harley realised what he said "no?! What do you mean, no?!" She was shocked, Harley was sure he would have "Well then," she recomposed herself before screaming in Batman's face "leave me alone!"
She shoved him with all her strength, barely moving him as he stepped back slightly, rebalancing himself "Didn't have you down as the quitting type." He remarked.
Harley gasped, a fresh set of tears beginning as her voice broke "I-" she was speechless "I'm not quitting, I'm not! She insisted as Batman kept the same expression "I just miss him SO MUCH!" She dropped to her knees in despair, bringing her hands to her face as she sobbed intensely "I've got nothing left of him, nothing!" She sobbed hysterically "aaahhh!" Harley screamed into the night, small hiccups escaping her in between sobs.
Batman stood awkwardly, he always knew how to speak to Harley when she was making those irritating remarks about him but never had she let her guard down quite like this before, he was rather confused, she was a criminal, he treated all criminals the same, with no sympathy, and certainly no guilt, yet, he couldn't help it.
"Calm down." He said firmly, Batman was certain if she didn't calm down soon, she was sure to pass out.
"What do you care, Bats, you don't care about me!" She whined "No one cares about me, only Mistah J did and now he-he-he's gone, aaaah, ih ih." She hiccuped "I'm better off dead, it's not like anyone would miss me." She babbled, walking towards the edge once more before Batman pushed her back again, banging her head on a pipe behind, better that than drowning in acid.
"Why are you so upset?" Batman knelt down in front of her, she stared at him in disbelief.
"Why am I upset?" She questioned "WHY AM I UPSET?!" Harley screamed "Because you stupid bat brain, I've lost my sole mate, my Mistah J, my-my," she teared up some more, her words garbled "my one true puddin."
"He's been dead before though, or at least, you thought he had been." Batman reasoned with her.
"Yeah, but that's different," she sniffled.
"How?" He pushed, waiting for her to tell him.
"Because IT JUST IS BAT-BRAIN!" Harley was lost for words, he infuriated her so much.
"Because you're pregnant?" He said bluntly.
"Wha-" Harley looked at him "How did you?"
"I saw the test, Harley" he admitted "your baby will have a better chance without Joker." Batman told her.
"I don't wanna talk about it," Harley said, getting pouty. Subconsciously her hand went to her stomach as she held her arm across it, she frowned sadly.
"Why not?" Batman looked at her, a little confused "Isn't a child something to live for, something in your life, something left of Jo…."
"I SAID I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT!" Harley screamed at him, hugging her knees into her chest as she began to rock slowly, then progressively faster "I wanna see J again, I don't care anymore, I need to see him, I need to see him, I need to see him, I need to see him." Harley repeated over and over again.
Batman walked a tiny bit away from Harley, keeping an eye on her as he contacted Barbara "Oracle," he began.
"Where are you? After you caught Harley, you just vanished. Bruce, are you listening to me? Bruce?"
"I'm with Harley Quinn now, she's taken Joker's death even worse than I thought she would."
"Well, how did you think she was going to take it?"
Whilst Batman spoke to Oracle, turning his back on Harley for one second, she ran past him, jumping into the vat before he could stop her, she survived it the first time, but Joker emptied the vat, he stopped her from drowning and only when her skin had been bleached, not burnt, did Joker get her out.
"Noooo." He screamed, reaching out his hand to grab her, he heard a splash and his heart dropped not both of them, not in one single night.
"Bruce, what's happening? Bruce, what's wrong?"
"I gotta go." Batman said quickly
She felt the familiar sensation as the acid came in contact with her skin, the chemical burnt her throat as though she had eaten a thousand chilli peppers all at once, her body begged to return to the surface, but she just swam deeper, the pressure suffocating her as she got closer to the bottom of the vat, she could feel again, no more nothingness, no more of life, no more of anything, she was ready to face her Joker again, to cause mayhem in hell together, they were going to rule the underworld as king and queen together again, finally reunited.
He yanked his earpiece out of his ear, not wanting to melt a piece of metal to his face, before quickly dive bombing into the tank, he turned on his detective vision, searching for her small body in the large expanse of chemicals.
His suit was made to withstand exactly these kinds of elements, however it wouldn't last long before the acid would start to eat through to his flesh. Then, bingo, he saw her, performing involuntary turns along the bottom of the vat as the acid played with her unconscious form.
He took a deep dive, holding his arms underneath her shoulders as he swam to the surface, dragging her out.
Batman lay Harley on the floor, checking her for any signs of life "don't you dare," Batman grunted, giving her rescue breaths. She inhaled deeply, a strangled breath escaping her as she gagged, coughing violently before falling unconscious and collapsing back on the ground.
Batman carried her, grappling up to their previous location so he could talk to Oracle. He rested Harley down in the corner, handcuffing her to a railing, he wasn't going to take any chances.
She looked terrible her clothes were all melted into shreds, her cheeks were flushed bright red from both her acid bath and all her tears and her makeup had come off so he could now see the enormous bags under her eyes, it looked like she hadn't slept in months. Her arms and hands got most of the damage, the leather gloves melted slightly into her flesh, causing blisters to appear all around her fingers but fortunately she was pretty well covered. He took off his bat cape, covering it over her as he tried to protect her modesty.
"Batman, Batman, can you hear me?" Oracle repeated "Bruce? Bruce, are you there? Bruce, please resp…"
"Hi, Barbara," Bruce came back on the line.
"Oh, thank God. Your suit, it's readings spiked, I thought you, well.. What the hell is happening there?"
"I'm fine, thanks for your concern. Can I get a med pack sent here?"
"If you're fine then why do you need a med pack?"
"Just send one to ACE Chemicals, I'll fill you in later." Batman snapped.
"Sending one now."
Whilst he waited for the med pack, and whilst Harley was unconscious, he began to peel the melted gloves off her hands, revealing the true extent of her burns, she was lucky it wasn't worse, he supposed she wasn't going to see it that way, she wanted to die in that tank, she was going to be furious that he saved her.
"Someone order a med pack?" Tim appeared, surprised to see Harley "It's for her?"
"What are you doing here?" Batman asked, taking the box from Robin "I didn't need you here, I had it handled."
"What's SHE doing here?" Robin gestured to Harley sitting in the corner, her head slumped over as she slept in her unconscious state.
"Just leave her, okay." Batman ordered "I'm fixing her up and then I'll drop her back to Arkham ."
"Fine." Robin frowned "I guess I'll see you at home then." And with that, he flew back off into the night.
Batman sat the box down on the floor, rummaging through the supplies to find bandages and a breathing mask. He retrieved the mask, placing it over Harleys head and hooking it up to the in built oxygen tank on the inside of the lid, Harley wheezed deeply into it, it was not the sound of healthy breathing but she did just swallow half a gallon of acid, so considering, she didn't actually sound too bad.
Harley stirred, her eyes fluttering open as she saw Batman wrapping bandages around her injured hands, she had officially reached a new low in her life. She rolled her eyes, adjusting her position and reaching for the oxygen mask only for Batman to push her hand back down "I'm still here," Harley mumbled defeatedly through the plastic mask.
"Yep," was all Batman said as he finished off, twisting the last remaining inch of bandage around her arm and taping it.
"Why are you doing this?" Harley questioned, shaking Batman's cape off of her body only to realise she had hardly anything on underneath, she blushed a bright shade of red.
"I'm trying to help you, Harley," Batman sighed, putting the cape back on her.
Starting to become fully aware, Harley yanked the oxygen mask off in annoyance "I don't need your help." She tried to shout, finding her voice a little quieter than usual "I would be with Mistah J right now if you hadn't interfered."
"You have a baby to bring up, Harley," Batman told her firmly, sitting beside her.
"Oh B-man," Harley rested her head on Batman's shoulder "my baby is dead." She said, silently sobbing.
"Not necessarily," he tried to reassure her "you weren't in the acid as long as you think, it could have survived."
"No, BAT-BRAIN," she yelled hoarsely, coughing "it died long before then, I made the mistake of telling Mistah J." She bawled "he beat me up, not even for fun, but because he didn't want no baby, he said it was fine just me and him, we didn't need nobody else, and now I have no one." Harley cried.
Batman was speechless "Your burns shouldn't scar too bad." He said.
Harley wiped her eyes for the millionth time this evening "So, where do we go from here? You taking me back to Arkham?" She questioned.
"No." Batman said solemnly, feeling bad about lying to Robin. Harley's eyes lit up "You need to build your own life without Joker."
"So, where are you taking me?" She asked again.
"I'll let you come back to Gotham." Batman told her, knowing he'd regret it as he slowly turned the key in her handcuffs.
"Thanks, B-man," Harley smiled slightly, dusting herself off "you won't regret this, I promise."
"What are you gonna do?" Batman asked her slowly, still suspicious of her motives, barely an hour ago she tried to blow him and herself up so you couldn't blame him for being mistrustful.
"Well, it's like you said isn't it, I need to make my own life without my puddin, however hard that may be. I've gotta do it." She wasn't completely better, not by a long shot, she still had an awful long way to go but she could do it "I've got some friends down in Coney Island, I might stay with them for a bit, give Gotham a lil break from me."
"Good luck." Batman sent her a small smile, it was only brief, blink and you'd miss it, but Harley saw it.
"Thanks." She replied.
ONE YEAR LATER
Harley sat on the edge of the pier, her legs dangling over the edge and her hand caressing her delicate baby bump as she ate her hot dog. A carousel spun behind her, it's lights creating pretty colours across the water as she saw the reflection of her lover making their way towards her in the water.
"You ready to go?" Ivy placed a hand on Harley's shoulder for support.
"Yeah," she stood up, throwing her hot dog wrapper in the trash can "hang on," Harley smiled, for a split second seeing a green star in the sky.
"I'll be with you again my love, but just not yet."
Author Note: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, this is set just after the DLC Harley Quinn's revenge. When I finished the game, I just really wanted to write a fanfic about it so there it is.
I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed as it's always really nice to hear feedback, both good and bad :)
To those of you who are reading Crazy In Love, I am still working on that, I just wanted to do this quick one-shot then the next upload should the next chapter for that, providing I don't get any other one-shot ideas lol
Have a nice day….
Bubblebean98
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