A/N: Hey there, beautiful people of fanfiction. So, I have absolutely no idea where this story is going. I'm just going to tell you that up front. Still, I appreciate all the support it's already gotten from you lovely bunch of folks here in the rogues fan group. Anyway, I'm going to be late for my Halloween party. In case you were wondering, I'm going as Harley. So yay.
As far as things to do went, the inmates of Arkham didn't exactly have a lot of options. As such, they were usually left to things like petty gossip, which was what they mostly found themselves doing over the next few days. Of course, the latest topic of gossip was the whole Harley dilemma.
"I'm just saying, the second she sees him again it'll be all, oh, I forgive you," muttered Two-Face, who was slouched in the couch of the rec room. Beside him sat Jervis Tetch, trying to ignore the drama that always seemed to engulf them by focusing on Through the Looking Glass. "She always does."
"The only riddle I've never been able to solve," Nygma replied, "is what Harley sees in that-"
"Can we please stop talking about Harley?" Jonathan scowled from across the room. It had been two days since he'd last seen her in the dining room, and he was starting to get worried. Well, more worried than he had been previously. She refused to eat and she wouldn't talk to any of the others. She was on a fast descent into darkness, and Jonathan feared what might happen if he couldn't stop her from falling.
"What about Harley?" An unexpected voice sounded from the doorway. The three men all spun around to see none other than Poison Ivy, hip jutted out to the side as she flipped her long red curls away from her face. "Is everything okay?"
Jonathan was immediately on his feet, and in a moment of great relief and desperation, he pulled her into his arms for a brief hug. "I've never been so happy to see you," he whispered, words for only her to hear.
When he had released her, the two returned to the array of couches and chairs. Ivy sat alone in an armchair, crossing her legs and throwing a not-so-subtle glare at Two-Face. "Welcome home," Harvey murmured flatly, scowling right back. In truth he was always a little relieved to see that she was okay. For him, Ivy would always be that one person he could never truly stop caring about.
"What's going on?" Ivy asked, ignoring Two-Face completely. Her pale green eyes flickered from Jonathan to Nygma to Tetch, but nobody spoke up. Before, they had no problem analyzing someone else's bad situation, but now that Harley's best friend was in the room it was a lot harder, knowing that anything they said had the potential to get back to Harley.
From the corner of her eye, Ivy saw Two-Face fumbling with his little coin. "Christ," he grumbled, slipping it back into his pocket. "Joker broke out and left Harley," he explained. "She's obviously a wreck, and Crane here has taken this precise opportunity to try and assert his love for her."
"I told you it's not like that!" Jonathan snapped. Ivy stared at him long and hard, but considering she didn't understand people at all she was unable to tell if he was lying. Then again, it didn't particularly matter to her. Ivy's one and only concern was, and always was, Harley's well being. And with the clown gone, maybe she could find a way finally get through to her.
"I'll try talking to her," Ivy murmured, rising to her feet. She stared at Jonathan for a second longer than necessary before heading back towards the door. She was able to easily slip past the guard, who was too busy reading some Hollywood trash magazine. God, no wonder it was so damn easy to break out of this place. She made her way silently to the cell block, lost in thought. She'd had to do this thousands of time, talk Harley off a ledge whenever Joker pushed her to the edge. It got pretty tiring after a while. But what else were friends for? She supposed it was just the hope that one day Harley would actually realize that she deserved better.
At last she arrived at Harley's cell. The blonde was curled up on her bed, buried under the covers. It made Ivy sad, really, because she hated to see her best friend in pain. Even if it infuriated her to know that Joker had such control over her. Even if sometimes she wanted nothing more than to grab Harley by the throat and strangle some sense into her. She still loved the girl to pieces.
"Harls," she called out, tapping lightly on the glass. The other girl made no sign of having heard. Ivy sighed, trying to keep her composure. "Harley," she tried again. "Please come out and talk to me."
Another few, silent moments passed, and then Harley finally rose and approached the door. Smiling, though not the brightest shed ever worn, Ivy beckoned over a guard to unlock the door. "Don't try anything funny," he grunted at Harley as she emerged from the cell.
Harley narrowed her eyes at his back as he walked away. "Like you'd be able to tell," she said under her breath.
Once they were alone, Ivy reached out to take her friend's hand. "Are you okay?" She asked sincerely. Her patience wore thin, however, as Harley launched into a grueling, detailed story about how heartbroken she was. Again. Ivy was growing so, so tired of this vicious cycle. She could feel herself snapping. "Harley," she said abruptly. Harley was cut off mid sentence, her mouth still open. "Look, how many times have we had this exact conversation?"
The blonde lowered her gaze to the floor, wrapping her arms tightly around her slender body. "A few…"
"More than a few," Ivy retorted. She knew she was coming off harshly, but she also knew she had a very small window of opportunity to break through the girl's thick little skull. It was possible; she'd done it before. Making Harley realize she deserved better was never the hard part. It was making her stick to her realization when Joker just so casually traipsed back into her life, spewing fake words of sorry and love. But with Harley locked up in Arkham, there was much less chance of that happening.
"I'm just sick of seeing you in pain," Ivy went on, her voice becoming much gentler. "I love you, you know? And every time you get hurt, it hurts me too. I know you care about him, even if I don't understand why. But I just need you to know that there are people here that love you. In the right way,"
Ivy couldn't stop her thoughts from trailing to Jonathan as she finished her little speech, the way he was always so protective of Harley. She'd always been able to see the way it pained him to watch her suffering. The master of fear was afraid of something, and that something was the anguish of Harley Quinn.
As for Harley, her own thoughts were all over the place. She knew Ivy's words were true. She's always known that much, at least. But when the heart latched onto someone, it was damn near impossible to release that grip. And for reasons beyond her understanding, her heart had chosen the Joker.
"Just think about it…" Ivy muttered, thinking this had all been a waste of time. She parted from her best friend and headed back to the others, wondering if Harley would ever find a way to snap back into reality.
With the redhead gone, Harley was free to return to her bed, where she was safe from all the rest of the world. Safe to cry herself to sleep. And for once, the tears were not because she had lost her lover, but because she was questioning if she had ever been right to love it at all.