Chapter 2

Thunderheads rumbled in the distance, threatening Gotham with thick rain as the police cruisers pulled up to the front step of Arkham Asylum. Jervis Tetch had, of course been raving like a lunatic the entire trip, but that was to be expected.

Gordon took the time to look over the grim and ominous exterior of the asylum as he pulled the villainous Mad Hatter from the car and began to march him up the front steps. The building itself was enormous, its gothic architecture including three or four stone gargoyles that leered down over the tall double doors that led into the front hall of the building. Two or three of the barred windows shone light out into the darkness, most likely offices.

Gordon turned his attention to the main doors, which opened as two solidly built guards; both armed with police-issue Beretta 9mm handguns, stepped out into the chilly air to greet the police commissioner.

"Found him, huh? How'd you pull that one off, chief?" One of the guards asked, folding his burly arms across his chest.

"How do you think?" Gordon replied, not stopping to chat as he led Tetch into the dimly lit corridor just on the other side of the doors. He heard them close behind him as he approached the attending Warden of the facility, a man named Jonathan Meeks. The Warden smiled as Gordon approached, gesturing beyond the open security door that led toward the holding cells.

"So nice of you to join us again, professor. We've kept your room just the way you left it." Meeks took a moment to look past Tetch into Gordon's faded blue eyes. "I'll take it from here, commissioner."

Gordon nodded and shoved Tetch toward Meeks, who placed both hands firmly on the Mad Hatter's wrists. He nodded to the Warden and turned to leave.

"Give my regards to the Batman, won't you Commissioner?" Meeks called cheerfully as Gordon exited the building. Once he was gone, Meeks turned his attention back to the Hatter, who looked utterly disinterested. "Shall we?" The warden said, shoving Tetch down the hall as the security doors slid shut behind them.

Once in the main holding area of the asylum, Meeks led Tetch into an interrogation room. A soundproof interrogation room, with no cameras.

"Did you get the items I asked for?" Meeks asked, working quickly and quietly to remove the handcuffs from the Hatter's wrists.

"Of course I did. They're stashed in an alleyway near the University."

"Excellent. It will be no time at all before I'm able to make my grand return and give Gotham City, as well as The Batman, exactly what they have coming to them." Meeks grinned, pacing the length of the room like a caged animal.

"Well, go on, back to your cell. I can't have the guards catching you out and about; I'd lose my job!" Meeks laughed as he opened the door to the holding cells and watched as Tetch did as he was told.

Meeks followed and locked the cell door behind the Hatter before continuing down the row to another cell. This door had no bars on it, just a thick steel plated door with a small window set into it. Smeared upon the glass in what appeared to be blood, was the crude outline of a smiley face.

Meeks grinned menacingly as he slid the lock of the cell door open, then calmly turned and walked away.

"Looks like the joke's on you, Bats."

While the Batman had hung up his cowl for the night, across town, things were just beginning to heat up.

Shards of glass lay strewn along a stretch of sidewalk, glittering like diamonds under the moonlight. No alarm had been tripped; which meant that either the jewelry store didn't have a security system, or the perpetrators had disabled it already.

Another lone, shadowy figure sat perched like a gargoyle on the rooftop across the street from the broken storefront window. He stood, readying himself for the inevitable brawl that was about to ensue. It was no matter to him though. He had been trained for this, long ago. Trained by the best. Trained by the Batman himself.

The man called Nightwing flung himself off the rooftop, twisting and twirling in the air with the grace of a bird. He landed silently in front of the broken window, stealthily examining the dim outlines of shadows within the jewelry store. Five of them, no clear-cut ringleader. This was going to be a cakewalk.

Nightwing withdrew a few of his customized wing-dings from a pouch at his wrist and flung them into the shadows. He didn't make a move until he heard both of his targets hit the floor. He sprang into action.

A flying straight kick to the jaw of one of the men sent him crashing to the floor. This was followed by a quick pivot and a roundhouse to the head of another. With the two already writhing on the floor from the impact of his projectiles, that made four down. He quickly turned to face the only one left on his feet and easily dodged a right hook, then ducked under a left cross, coming back up with a firm uppercut to the man's chin, knocking him out cold. By now, two of them were back to their feet. One of them rushed him and was easily dispatched with a fireman's carry takeover that sent him crashing through one of the jewelry cases. The other man turned and ran.

"Smartest move you've made all night." Nightwing remarked, pressing a pressure-sensitive switch on the palm of his right hand, launching a grappling hook toward the fugitive's feet. It wrapped firmly around his ankles and he fell in a heap to the concrete. Nightwing quickly turned back to the other two men, who were on their feet again and both coming at him simultaneously. He allowed them to get close, then executed a perfect somersault over them, cracking their heads together as he went.

All five of the thieves were now incapacitated and Nightwing took the time to cuff each of them. He left them in a pile outside the jewelry store and signaled a passing police cruiser to come and collect them. After a brief thank you from the cops, He ascended once again to the rooftops of Gotham City.

On the roof of the Natural History Museum, Nightwing ran into a surprise.

"Evenin' Bluebird." A familiar female voice echoed out of the shadows. He turned, searching for the source and the silhouette of an old adversary greeted him.

Her face was pale, with blood-red lipstick and a black domino mask covered her dazzling blue eyes. Her golden hair hung in loose pigtails on either side of her head. She wore a simple tube top with a zippered front and a pair of jeans, both bisected down the middle in alternating red and black patterns.

"Harley Quinn. What do I owe the displeasure?" Nightwing quipped, preparing himself for a face-off with the notorious criminal, but being careful to not make it look too obvious.

"Don't tell me you're not happy to see me, Nightwing." She replied with a devilish smirk.

"The only place I'll be happy to see you is in jail, Quinn." He remarked, narrowing his eyes.

She giggled, taking a few steps toward him. "That's not what you said last night, Bird Boy."

Nightwing placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back gently, making it clear that he didn't want her near him. "Last night was a mistake."

"And the night before that?" She teased, playing her fingers up the length of his outstretched arm.

"It's been a rough week, what can I say?" He said, taking his hand from her shoulder and gently taking her by the hand.

"Why don't you tell me all about it? I am a psychiatrist, after all." She smiled seductively as she played with the zipper at the front of her top, moving it up and down. Nightwing tried to fight it, but couldn't hold back a smile as he closed the distance between them and kissed her, savoring the taste of black cherries.

"You know we can't keep doing this." He said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What's the matter, Bluebird? You afraid Bats is gonna find out?"

He was silent for a moment, running the scenario through his head. What if Batman did find out? What was he going to do about it? Besides, it wasn't like Batman hadn't had his trysts with outlaws in the past. Talia, Selina and who knows how many others. Batman wasn't in any position to judge him.

"What about the Joker?" Nightwing asked sincerely.

Harley chuckled a bit "People always figure me for some dumb bubble-headed blonde. Truth is, I'm fully aware that Mr. J's a psycho. He's brilliant when it comes to his little gags, but not when it comes to the stuff that really matters. I hate to speak ill of my puddin' but the fact of the matter is that I could outsmart him any day of the week. He'll never find out. Besides, he's all locked up, nice and cozy at Arkham. Now are we gonna talk shop all night?" She paused and finally slid the zipper all the way open, allowing the flimsy tube top to fall to the concrete rooftop. The chilly Gotham wind bit at her bare flesh, exciting her as she took a step back from Nightwing, allowing him to get a good long look. "Or are we gonna get down to business?"

Behind the mask of Nightwing, Dick Grayson was wildly conflicted. He knew this was wrong. Harley Quinn, the same Harley Quinn that had helped the Joker commit dozens, if not hundreds of crimes. How many lives had she destroyed? How many families had she ripped apart?

How many people had she killed?

That single thought put Dick's mind back to work and helped him evade the distraction of her beautiful body glistening in the moonlight.

"How many people have you killed, Harley?" He gruffed, studying her reaction.

She froze and went wide-eyed. She had been expecting a lot of things once the clothes started to come off, but that wasn't one of them. Why would he ask that now, of all times?

"No one. Not directly anyway. I've seen Mr. J put down more guys than I can count, but I never took part in any of it beyond being a spectator. I'm in this thing with Joker for the laughs, Bluebird. I'm in it for a good time, not to kill people."

Harley took a silent moment, standing there atop the Gotham Natural History Museum, naked from the waist up, to really study this man. Nightwing. Who was he really? Had she even bothered to care up until now? Up until a month ago, Nightwing hadn't been anything but another pain in her ass. But now? He seemed to be fighting with himself about something. About her?

Harley smiled and took a few steps forward until they were only a couple of inches apart. For the first time since they'd started this little romp of theirs, she would have killed to see behind that mask.

"Look, Nightwing. I know this thing between us has got to have your moral radar all fucked up." She paused, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh. "Don't tell anybody this, but since Mr. J got locked up last year, I haven't pulled a single job. No heists, no kidnappings, nothing. There's no interest in it for me anymore. I'm thinking about going straight."

Now it was Dick's turn to be surprised. "You really mean that, Harley? You're really giving up crime?"

She nodded, not sure whether to be proud of herself or depressed at leaving behind the life she had known for so long now. Would she be able to make it on her own, without Joker?

She was lost in thought when his hand found her chin and turned her gaze to meet his. She was met with a kiss. Not just a kiss, but a real kiss. One with passion and fire and, god help her, meaning. It was the first time in her life she had ever felt this way over a simple kiss. When he finally pulled back, Harley found herself light-headed. She fell against his chest and leaned there for a moment.

"I'm proud of you, Harley."

She shot up and off of him, a mixture of confusion and shock played across her perfect blue eyes. Had he really just said that? Proud of her? No one had ever been proud of her before. Not Joker, not her parents, her teachers, no one. She looked him up and down, her mind swimming with a billion conflicting thoughts.

This time it was Nightwing who closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, feeling her quiver under his touch. He kissed her again as she wrapped her arms around him and parted his lips with her tongue. Her bare flesh pressed up against him and he snaked a hand down the length of her back, cupping her butt and hoisting her up into a sitting position as her legs found their way around his waist. Together, the two of them stumbled backward until Dick's back pressed up against a solid wall. They stayed there for a moment or two, each of their mouths exploring the others, steadily rocking up and down against one another.

Eventually, she lowered herself onto the ground and planted her hand firmly between his legs, gripping the most intimate p[arts of him as he let out a hiss of pleasure. She smiled and began running her fingers up and down the length of him until finally unfastening his belt and removing the pesky clothing that stood between her and her trophy.

It wasn't the first time she had done this, but it still surprised her how big he actually was, especially compared to the Joker, who unfortunately wasn't exactly gifted in the physical department. She smiled up at her former adversary one more time before taking him into her mouth, slowly encasing the entirety of him between her lips. He let out a moan and gripped a handful of her golden hair, tugging firmly as she let out a small noise of her own.

Faster she went, enjoying every small noise that escaped him as she swallowed the length of him over and over again. There was a degree of control here that she had never had with Joker. He would never trust her enough to allow anything like this. It was all ropes and gags and bruises with Joker. But this, this was different. This was new and exciting. She wanted more.

She withdrew and pushed Him back against the wall, quickly and skillfully shimmying her pants down past her ankles and kicking them off to the side. She then walked seductively toward him, a devilish smile on her face.

Dick couldn't help but let a smile out himself. He had been in relationships before, of course, but there was something different about Harley. Sure, there was the danger aspect and the element of worry that they would be caught, but that wasn't it. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. She just seemed… right. Even after everything the two of them had gone through as enemies, being here with her, like this just seemed to make sense in some strange way.

He squatted down slightly, grabbing hold of both her legs and hoisted her up so that her thighs were wrapped around either side of his neck. He ran his tongue along the inner portion of her leg, savoring the little moans that came from her as he inched closer and closer to his target.

Harley found herself stunned. They had never done this before. She sat upon Nightwing's shoulders, his tongue playing along the inside of her thighs and it was driving her crazy. One of her hands was tangled in his hair while the other occasionally raked up his back. What had gotten him in such a playful mood tonight? Normally she had to take the initiative and instigate things between the two of them, but this was something altogether new.

Her train of thought was instantly derailed as his tongue plunged into her, bringing a loud moan from her that echoed off the adjacent buildings. She gripped the back of his head tightly, trying with all her might not to fall, but he held her firmly as his tongue did little circles inside her, always coming back to the same spot that brought cries of ecstasy from her.

Harley managed to open her eyes and glance upward, finding the rungs of a ladder worked into the side of the wall. She gripped them with both hands and hoisted herself up further, allowing him to go even deeper. She bucked against his mouth, her shrill moans growing louder and more intense by the moment. Just when she thought that she couldn't possibly take anymore, he stopped and lowered her onto the ground, holding her even after her shaky legs were back underneath her where they belonged.

He guided her onto her back and hovered over her, his dark bangs hanging over his eyes. How she wanted to know, to see who was behind that mask. She studied his expression and found that the hesitation, the reluctance that she had grown used to over the past month, wasn't there anymore. In its place was only desire.

He slowly positioned himself over her and allowed one more passionate kiss before he slid into her, fast and hard. She screamed into his mouth, rolling her hips up against him and gripping the back of his head with both hands. She pulled her head back as he continued his pace, continuing slowly but firmly and smiling with each moan he produced from her.

This was unreal. Never before had he taken this much control of her. Everything was so much more intense and real tonight. What was this? Why was everything so different? Why was she feeling this way? Before, it had simply been fun. A way to pass the time and get her rocks off until Joker broke out of Arkham again. But tonight? Tonight was the first time she had forgotten all about the Joker. She was giving herself to Nightwing. Allowing him to dominate her in ways Joker never had. Tonight, she could give a fuck less about the Joker.

She sat up and shoved him backward into a sitting position and climbed up into his lap, raising herself up the length of him, then plunging back down, allowing him to fill her to the brim, letting out shrill cries each time. She went faster and faster, her screams growing louder with each moment.

She felt herself tighten around him and threw her head back, screaming loud enough for half of Gotham to hear as she came. She froze in place, savoring the moment, but then felt him began to sway his hips, thrusting into her from beneath like a jackhammer.

"Oh, God, don't stop! Don't stop!" She yelled, feeling another powerful wave of ecstasy hit her like a ton of bricks. At the same time, he rolled his head back and let loose, feeling himself explode inside her. He let out a growl of pure pleasure and shuddered as she lowered herself upon him one final time, then leaned over his prone body to plant another passionate kiss upon him. He enthusiastically returned the gesture as she pulled herself up off him, bringing one final noise of pleasure from both of them.

"Holy shit." Harley panted, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "You really know how to rock a girl's world when you put your mind to it, don't you, Bluebird?"

Dick smiled as he composed himself and got his suit back where it belonged. "Glad to be of service."

Harley giggled and began scanning the rooftop for her clothes, finding them piece by piece. She got dressed quickly and skipped back over to face him, kissing him again. She couldn't help it. For some reason tonight, she just couldn't get enough of him.

"I suppose you've got to go save the city now, don't you?" She pouted, placing her hands on his broad, muscular chest.

"I suppose I do." He replied. He didn't sound any more pleased about it than she did.

Dick fought internally with himself for a few silent moments, struggling to decide whether or not he was going to do what his brain was telling him not to.

"Harley?" He turned to face her. She turned, her beautiful blue eyes shining like sapphires in the moonlight. She waited patiently for him to continue as she adjusted her top. "I want to see you again." He stated, drawing another smile out of her.

"Just can't get enough of me, can you?" She teased, crossing her arms playfully across her chest.

"No, I mean really. I want to see you again. I want more than just… this."

Harley cocked her head in confusion, then cracked an even bigger grin. "You askin' me out on a date, Bluebird?"

"No! I mean… maybe. I don't know. I just want… more."

Harley's smile faded as she understood the gravity of the situation. There was something happening between the two of them that she hadn't predicted. The Bird-boy was developing feelings for her. She almost laughed, then took stock of her own feelings. She looked him up and down, really seeing him in his entirety for the first time.

"But please, Harley, please, you have to promise me you won't go back to him. You have to promise me that you're done with that life. I don't want to go back to chasing you. Not after everything that's happened." Nightwing spoke gravely, sincerely.

Harley was silent, a thousand thought swimming through her head, each of them seeming to pull her in a different direction. Was she really done with the life? Could she really leave Mr. J behind? She had serious doubts.

She felt his hands come to rest on her shoulders and she looked up to meet his eyes. Suddenly, it felt like she could do anything. Joker was a distant memory when she looked at Nightwing.

'Damn it, Harley, pull yourself together!' She thought to herself. 'You're acting like a teenager with a crush! You can do this on your own. Don't do it for him, do it for you! Prove to yourself that you don't need the clown! Prove to yourself that you can live a normal life!'

Harley looked back up at Nightwing, resolute as she spoke.

"Alright, Nightwing. I promise. On one condition."

"Name it."

"I leave behind my life, my friends and my home; I want something from you."

"What?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"I want to know who's behind the mask."

Dick instinctively stepped back from her, shocked at her proposal. He couldn't. There was no way he could trust her with that secret. It was too important. Or was it? He wanted to trust her so badly, but he couldn't let go of her past. What if she double-crossed him? What if the Joker found out? He struggled with himself for what seemed like an eternity before finally coming to a decision.

"I have your word that this stays between us?" He asked her, still hesitant.

"Cross my heart." She smiled.

Dick paused, letting out a sigh. He reached up to his face and pulled off his mask tossing it at her feet, totally exposed to her. He just hoped he was doing the right thing. He looked up to meet her gaze, his naked eyes finding hers. He studied her expression, finding confusion and surprise.

"Okay, so who the hell are you?" She asked, planting a hand on her hip.