My first Jonathan Crane/Harley Quinn story. :D I read others of them in the past but NEVER thought I'd do one. It will come as no surprise that he is very protective of her as much as Ivy is of the adorable harlequin over her abusive on-off boyfriend, Joker. A few years ago, I read a great oneshot where the clown tosses her out AGAIN and she takes the hyenas with her so she goes to stay with none other than Professor Crane - who has secret feelings for her and loathes her obsession with the Joker. But eventually Harley does choose the Master of Fear over the Clown Prince of Crime. :) Unfortunately, that story no longer exists, and I do not remember the name OR the author. But I never forgot about it, and that is what inspires me here.

We begin the story with Harley's Holiday, the fantastic ep in which we see that adorable moment between her and the good professor. :D Who can forget his rant?

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Batman or this animated series I've loved since I was a toddler. And much thanks to Arleen Sorkin and the late great Henry Polic II for bringing these wonderful characters to life.

Chapter One

Dr. Leland read out the most wonderful news in the world to her as Harleen Quinzelle sat before the good woman, excited and ready to explode with joy. She'd passed her competency hearing and all, and starting tomorrow, she would be released back into society.

Mentally sane and sound.

"WHOOPEEEEEEE!" Harley shrieked, finally jumping up and around the room, buzzing in and out in her excitement. "Yay, yay, YAY!" After all this time in this rathole-hellhole, she was free to go soon. Tomorrow she would be back at her and Joker's old hideout to retrieve the babies and they would go out to have some fun and celebrating. She would probably get a fun job someplace, too, like as a schoolteacher or maybe a model, then get married and have babies - to think of all the possibilities!

And then she remembered the other woman in front of her and ceased her moment. "Um, uh, I mean, thank you, Dr. Leland," she said nervously, standing straight and blushing madly red. But the good therapist smiled sweetly.

"That's okay," she said kindly. "You have every reason to feel proud of yourself, Harley."

Then they both jumped at the sudden harsh bark outside the office, crystal clear: "Unhand me!"

Joan sighed and shook her head, standing from behind her desk. "I just wish the other inmates could make your sort of progress," she said to Harley, who was actually too preoccupied to pay attention, stepping closer to the front of the door to see who was coming up, handcuffed and in full costume - save for the mask - and "escorted" by none other than Batface and Birdbrain.

"I am the Master of Fear, the Lord of Despair! Cower before me in witless terror!"

Harley smiled and waved at him when he stopped in front of Leland's office upon seeing her, returning the smile. "Hi, Professor Crane," she said.

"Good evening, child." But that polite demeanor was gone as quickly as it came as he went back to screaming at the cowled man in black. "Worship me, fools! Worship me!" He continued his tirade about his status as the God of Terror even as the orderlies came to take him away; Red from her glass cell was watching with a rolling of her eyes. Harley closed her eyes briefly; Professor Crane was another she always liked and cared about. Ever since he was first brought to Arkham for poisoning the board of Gotham State and various others in it, a failed revenge for his disgrace. But that was not all; he had been her professor for a short amount of time before he was fired for his illegal experimentation, yet she never spoke to him personally outside the classroom.

In Arkham, however, and sometimes outside, she found the courage and the two began to become good friends. Yet he also did not approve of her relationship with her puddin', just like Ivy.

The former harlequin jumped when the Batman turned his fierce attention to her. "I hear you're getting out tomorrow," he stated bluntly.

Harley huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "You got a problem with that, B-Man?"

He surprised her by holding his hand out to her, a sincere handshake she did not mistake. She had been a psychology intern and expert once to know he meant it. "Congratulations."

She took it, chewing her lip nervously. Somehow it wasn't so bad. "Alright, so I made mistakes, but I promise I'll do better outside." She almost jumped when his grip tightened on hers and he leaned in, lips slightly pulling back as he growled.

"For your sake...I hope so."

~o~

"So, Jon, the clown's girl is out for good," Nygma noted as soon as the Scarecrow walked into rec time and sat beside him. Tetch had not yet come, but he would soon, and it wouldn't be long before he asked one of them to a game of chess. The Riddler himself snorted and shook his head as he engrossed himself with both his crossword puzzle and his attention on the Master of Fear. "Let's hope she does better than me - IF Joker doesn't snag her back."

Crane scoffed and leaned back against the couch. He highly doubted his friend from the start; Edward tried to lead his own life outside these walls, joined a toy corporation and used his costume as marketing means, and he just could not change to make anyone happy. It's precisely what the Rogues of Gotham will not do, myself included - but Harley...

"If you couldn't fool the world, and you couldn't help yourself, I don't think she will fare better," he stated, picking up a new edition of a psychology magazine, one of the few. "We don't give ourselves up for the world; they know nothing about us -" He stopped himself there. "But I hope Harley does manage to stay away from the Joker." From the beginning, he always knew she was too good for that madman - because he was nothing like them, just existing simply for his own entertainment. Everyone in the gallery, himself and Isley notably, wondered what she even saw in him, and it angered him to no end that she still didn't see she was just a pawn for the clown.

"You have my two cents on that, boys."

"Dr. Isley," Jonathan stated as the striking redhead came to perch herself in front of them and pick up the remote for the television overhead, flipping through until she found a channel on home and garden, ironically.

"I always told her that she needs some self-esteem, but how does she keep repaying me?" Pamela hissed. "Running back to him. I just hope now that she is out, she steers clear away from him completely."

"Hope it'd be someone who doesn't beat her till she has a black eye and bloody nose, and so on," Edward concurred. His green eyes steered their way from the vixen to the former professor, and Crane knew what he was implying.

"Nygma," he warned, "don't go as far as to point your finger at me to become full-time protector. I have welcomed her before -"

"And it was me doing the majority," Isley cut in impatiently, narrowing her eyes. "It would be nice if someone else tried to do the job I could never do, Jonathan." Her clipped tone immediately changed to sugary sweet in a split second. "You're the doctor of psychiatry; she was your student, wasn't she?"

Crane nodded. For a time, yes. She was one of the best he had, and he had seen her more on top than the others. He always wanted to talk to her outside the classroom, but it would have been inappropriate for obvious reasons. He never truly paid attention to physical appearances, but Harleen Quinzelle was full of life that he did not ever remember encountering in his life - until he was fired, and then met with her again when he was placed in Arkham Asylum. To even THINK she threw her potential away for that psychopath! The one word I will appropriately use for the clown.

"Oh, Jon," Nygma said, breaking him out of his thoughts, "you're blushing."

"I beg your pardon?" he demanded, glaring at the Puzzle Master, who shrugged with one shoulder.

"When a man blushes and thinks of a woman at the same time, it can mean only one thing."

Scarecrow reeled backwards, baring his teeth defensively. What Riddler was implying - "Nygma, that is absurd! Harley is nothing more to me than a remarkable young woman who would have had a promising future if not for that monster called a beau," he stated angrily, knowing she could have had someone better if she didn't let her foolish heart get the best of her.

Edward chortled and shook his head. "Say it as it is, Professor," he said, "but I know the signs when I see them, being the romantic I am. Wouldn't you agree, Pamela?"

Isley snorted. "I agree Harl deserves better, as I told her for years, but does she EVER listen to me? Not at all. Jonathan," she said sweetly, yet again, "if you ever get out of here, would you do the honors?"

He sighed and shook his own head. Every time he would get out of Arkham, the Batman would always bring him back. Reality check, there was nothing for him if he ever wanted to become a "good tax-paying citizen" yet again. His research was all he would live for, and he would not give that up.

But with Harley? He'd have to think about that.

~o~

Well, she didn't last a day out of Arkham. She had been having so much fun, even got a new dress and paid for it - except she never went out the door before the alarm rang, but she wouldn't let them take her new dress!

All she wanted to do was to start fresh with her babies, like she wanted, but NO! Society didn't want her to be happy. So, she had to snatch rich girl Veronica Vreeland along with the babies so she could try and get away from the heat - but B-man, Bird Boy, GCPD and the army were on her tail, the last of them led by Veronica's general father. But how could she explain with her past that it was all a misunderstanding?

Her "hostage" seemed to like her and understand why she did what she did; it was only her first day out of Arkham, so yeah, the idea of being back in so soon set her into panic mode. But after the incident with Boxy and his gang, here she was back in, but not too long, Leland said. Harley hoped so, with more good behavior, and given Miss Vreeland dropped the kidnapping charges.

What made it better: the Batman gave her the pink dress she bought and wanted! How could she repay him other than with a kiss? He might be the problem between her and her Mistah J, but he was cute and thoughtful nevertheless.

When she passed by Red's cell and others for hers, she paused by to see a certain auburn-haired man sitting in his chair and reading a psychology text, looking up and seeing her when she passed by. She smiled at him, and he returned it just like yesterday.

The cover image for the story is a wonderful image I found on deviantart. :) I knew for a long time that it was the cutest thing ever, that it was perfect to fit this story and what will come in the future. Read and review, and don't fear that I will not continue. :D