When Harley woke up, she wasn't sure where she was. All she remembered was running from the cops and then being hit in the head. She didn't understand why they were after her. I mean, yeah, she had stolen a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread from the corner store, but she hadn't eaten in two days. Some days, she thought, I wish they'd just arrest me. At least in juvie you get a bed and three meals a day.

She paused, looking around her cautiously. It was dark, but she was in a bed somewhere. Maybe I am in jail. Or maybe I'm dead. Neither option seems bad at this point.

"You're awake." Said a low voice. Harley jumped, searching frantically for the source of the sound, and suddenly noticing she had an IV in her arm.

"Where am I?" she called out. "Who are you?" Out of the shadows, a tall figure stepped forward. He was clad all in black, and the sight of him made her stomach drop. Her worst enemy: Batman.

She swallowed, and sunk into the bed, wishing she could disappear. Great. So I am going back to juvie. "Are you going to arrest me, Batman?" she remarked, putting up her snarky defenses like she always did.

"No. You're not going back to Gotham's Juvenile Detention Center." He replied. That surprised her.

"I'm not? Why? I mean, it's not that I want to go back to that hellhole, I just want to know why they're letting me go."

He shook his head. "They're not just 'letting you go' Harley. The prosecutor wanted to send you to Gotham State Prison, and if you're not careful, that's where you're going to end up."

Harley swallowed, suddenly terrified. "So if I'm not going to jail, what's going to happen to me?"

Without warning, Batman reached up and peeled his cowl off to reveal: Bruce Wayne.

The shock was so great Harley almost passed out again. Instead her jaw dropped. Bruce Wayne is Batman. No way, he's a billionaire. Why would he be Batman?

"Well, Harley, if you'd like, I'm going to adopt you."

As if one shock wasn't enough for today.

As soon as she heard that, the insane rage she felt towards Batman, or Bruce Wayne or whoever this guy was for always chasing after her came back and her temper exploded.

"WHAT THE HELL?! OF COURSE I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU ADOPT ME! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TRYING TO RUN MY LIFE?! I'D RATHER GO BACK TO PRISON THEN BE WITH YOU, EVER SINCE MY MOM KICKED ME OUT YOU'VE MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL!" She screamed, limbs flailing in blind fury.

In one smooth motion, Bruce scooped her up in his arms and sat down with her on the bed. Confused and blindsided, she panicked, struggling in his strong hold.

Still sore and exhausted, she had no choice but to eventually stop her tantrum and sink into his embrace. She was silent for several minutes, and then she asked,

"Why do you want to adopt me?" her voice weak and small. Bruce smiled, the first time she had ever seen him do so.

"How old are you Harley?" he asked, blindsiding her again, always doing the opposite of what she expected.

"Sixteen." She answered.

"And how old were you when your mother kicked you out?" She squirmed, and buried even deeper into his arms. "Fourteen." She managed to choke out.

He nodded understandingly. "So you spent fourteen years with a woman who hated you and the last two running, committing crimes to stay alive. You have never known love, family, or even had a home. The only thing you own is that jester suit on your back."

Without warning, Harley Quinn burst into tears, reliving every moment she had been tortured by that witch of a woman, every night she had gone to bed hungry, being taken in and then betrayed by the Joker, running from hit man after hit man he sent after her, and never ever having a good night's rest.

"Shhh, Harley, it's alright. It's okay, that's all over now. You are safe now." He whispered, running a comforting hand over her back.

She continued to weep, clinging to her worst enemy like he was the only source of salvation for her.

"If you want, you can stay here. Stay with me, and Dick, have a real home and family. And… if you're good, you might even get to suit up alongside Batman and Robin."

That caught her attention. Harley wiped her eyes and sat up. "What? You mean like as a superhero?"

"As my sidekick. But you'd have to earn it. Following the rules, going to school," He replied as he pulled the IV out of her arm.

"Shit." She snapped.

"And watching your language." He chided, placing a small bandage over the wound.

"Actually, technically you're already adopted."

"What?" she cried, jerking her arm away from his grasp. "When? How?"

He smiled, standing up and settling her back between the sheets. "Just this morning, actually. You've been asleep for a few days. The courts declared your mother an unfit guardian, and allowed me to take custody of you. Since you're a runaway, and a delinquent, you didn't have to sign for consent. If you really hadn't wanted to, you would have become a ward of the state again, and I don't think you want that."

Harley shook her head vehemently, drawing the covers around herself protectively.

Bruce smiled. "I thought so. Now, get some rest. We'll talk more a little later." She yawned and nodded, sinking deep into the bed.

Bruce adjusted the covers over her before walking to the door. Just before he left, he turned back and said, "Goodnight Harley Quinn."

"G'night Bruce, she replied, sleepily.