Disclaimer: Batman and all related characters are the property of DC comics.

I don't want to be the only one!

By

Y. Honey

Chapter 4

Sugar and Spice.

0-0

Twin Drops Retirement Village used to be a fine place for the elderly to live at during their final days; an exclusive facility right outside Gotham but yet so conveniently located you could drive from downtown to the retirement home in less than thirty minutes. The home, as we stated, was pretty exclusive; so much so that there were only twenty single room apartments fit for two occupants, all placed next to each other on a large garden; Twin Drops also offered an infirmary, a pool, a gym a private movie theatre and many other amenities.

But the key point here is that Twin Drops has been deserted for years. The place was owned by the Falcone family, and after a gang war weakened them considerably, they abandoned all support to this place, closing it down and leaving it to rot. That was until Two-Face, always looking for anything related to the number in his namesake, decided to use it as one of his many hideouts.

Harvey had been discreet when he restored the place and if you looked at it from the outside it would still appear to be nothing but abandoned while inside it had been made functional again. It wasn't cleaned often considering Dent only used it for emergencies, but it had electricity, running water and decent enough furniture; the place was, in short, functional enough.

And it was here at Twin Drops, where a pair of women had decided to hide until their boss and lover was out of Arkham. Being forced to stay here, however, was not exactly the most enjoyable experience for neither of them.

They in fact found it so irritating, that one of them was literally one step away from burning the place down to the ground with her very trusty flamethrower.

"Spice, I don't think setting the place on fire is a good idea," An incredibly attractive blonde who wore an immaculate white and bright yellow sundress observed. "This is the only place we have left. Black Mask controls the rest of Harvey's safe houses, remember?"

"Don't mention that rat in my presence unless you're describing the most painful way to send him to the deepest pit of hell, Sugar!" The other woman, a fierce brunette just as attractive as her blonde companion, replied as she tossed the flamethrower to the side and straightened her black leather jacket. "I simply hate that we have to stay here! If Two Face were free, Black Mask would be nothing but a bloody stain in our walls by now!"

"I know, Spice," Sugar sighed. "I miss Harvey as much as you do, but that's not reason enough to destroy this place. Mr. Dent will want to have a place to stay when he comes back to us. Besides, it'll be dark soon and I'd rather have a roof over my head instead of sleeping on the street. Calm down."

"Calm down? B-but I… I can't calm down! I feel so useless!" Spice, evidently quite frustrated simply walked out of the apartment she shared with her blonde friend.

"Hey, it's not safe outside, our guys haven't come back!" Sugar called, hastily going after the short tempered brunette, catching up to her in the ample garden that separated the many apartments of the retirement village.

"Oh, please! You know as well as I do they won't come back. In his last call Two Face told them to split if something bad happened to his territory, and did you forget Batman ruined his escape attempt last week?" Spice, now visibly exasperated, inquired as she stopped and turned to face the blonde. "And don't forget Black Mask! It's a wonder Bruno and those other two stayed with us for as long as they did! For crying out loud, are you really that fucking stupid?"

Sugar stopped and bit her lower lip. She was as aware as her friend of the fact that they were alone now, and that the other members of Harvey's gang would not return until their leader was out of Arkham, but she had kept it to herself out of courtesy and to avoid alarming her friend, something Spice was obviously not interested in doing.

But that didn't mean Sugar liked to be insulted.

"I'm not stupid, Spice," the blonde replied trying to sound calm. "I simply don't speak without thinking of the consequences like a poorly trained parrot."

"Are you calling me parrot?"

"I don't see anyone else who fits that description around here."

"You want me to kick your ass, don't you?" Spice questioned. "You really are dumb!"

"We both know I'm the better fighter, why do you think you will be able to win?" Sugar challenged. "You should drop it now."

"You know, all your fake politeness really gets on my nerves," the brunette accused, not confirming nor denying Sugar's claim of fighting superiority over her. "And the way you smile like an idiot to even the Bat is disgusting!"

"Nothing wrong with being polite and it's much better than being a violent, rude fool like you."

"Heh, I guess you really want to fight, don't you?" not waiting for the other to reply, Spice threw a punch at her face, which the blonde was quick to dodge; following her momentum, the fierce brunette spun and followed her initial attack with a backfist that Sugar had little trouble blocking.

"Really, Spice?" Sugar mocked, grabbing the brunette's left hand and using her other one to quickly twist Spice's arm the wrong way, earning a grunt of pain from her adversary. "You know this won't work against me. It is because of these amateurish moves that Batman always defeats you."

"Shut up!" Spice yelled as she darted her head back, hitting Sugar in the right temple, forcing her to let go as she stumbled backwards. Taking advantage of this, Spice delivered a vicious knee to the side of the blonde, doubling her over. "Your skill means nothing because you can't fight dirty and that's why Batman always defeats you!"

"You want dirty?" Sugar growled, tackling Spice into the ground and placing her in a painful headlock. "How's that for dirty, parrot?"

"You shouldn't try this against someone stronger than you!" Spice muttered moments before bringing her elbow up, hitting the same spot her knee had hit seconds before, forcing the blonde to release her again.

"You're actually making me angry, Spice!" Sugar declared, her hand rubbing her bruised ribs.

"And you're really pissing me off!" Spice countered, her hand over her shoulder and neck, both quite sore from the way Sugar had twisted them. "You... you!"

"What? If you have something to say then do it already!" the blonde taunted.

"That's my line!" the brunette shot back. "Spit out whatever it is eating at you!"

Both women stared at each other in silence but then, at the same time, they screamed at each other:

"It's your fault we're in this mess!" Spice accused.

"You're responsible for this disaster!" Sugar indicated.

"Don't copy me!" the brunette demanded. "It is because I had to save your ass that Black Mask managed to kick us out of our turf!"

"Look who's talking, you would be dead if I had not covered your back when Mask attacked us!" the blonde recalled.

"Because of you Two Face will be furious!" Spice continued.

"And your actions will infuriate Harvey!" Sugar replied.

"Take that back, idiot!" the brunette demanded, her rage igniting again. "I would never do something to piss off my dear Two Face!"

"No, you back down, fool!" the blonde shot back, her temper flaring up once more. "Angering my beloved Harvey is the one thing I wouldn't do!"

The two henchwomen were clearly about to start beating the crap out of each other again, something that certain someone who had been watching most of the exchange, both of punches and words, could not allow; after all, she needed Sugar and Spice in top form, and they had argued enough already, no reason to let them continue with their idiocy.

"Ladies, ladies, no need to fight!" Harley Quin, clad in her black and red costume, said right then as she dropped down the tree branch she had been watching everything from. "Not when there is a chance for us to..."

Unfortunately for Harley, Sugar and Spice forgot their argument and immediately pulled their guns, which they kept concealed in thigh holsters, at her. Harleen had to admit they had managed to intimidate her a little, as Harvey's henchwomen had gone from stupidly bickering and fighting to have their guns pointed at her so quickly that even Batman would've been impressed.

"Girls, put the guns down, ok?" Quinn requested. "I've been through this scenario far too many times these last few days and it's not really my thing."

Sugar and Spice, who had reacted instinctively as soon as Quinn had interrupted them, didn't lower their weapons and kept their eyes on Harley; they could not relax at all while the Joker was probably around.

"Well, well... look who showed up, Sug," a suspicious Spice said. "Joker's woman."

"I wonder what she and her boyfriend want from us," the blonde responded. "Do you think his man wants to see ours?"

"If that's what they're here for, then they are wasting their time," the brunette answered.

"So, Harley, why are you here and how did you find us?" Sugar questioned.

"First of all... girls, could you drop the aggression levels a little bit, please?" Quinn tried, making her voice sound as polite as possible. "Joker's not here, I'm alone, ok? I just wanted to talk to you both and I found you after talking to Bruno, he told me where you were. I had to threaten him with Joker venom before he spoke so don't get angry at him, the guy's pretty loyal to your boyfriend."

"As it should be," Spice said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"And how do we know Joker's not hiding somewhere?" Sugar added.

"Mr. J had to leave Gotham today," Quinn told them. "I went to our little love nest this morning and Lex Luthor was there. He told my puddin they'd have fun in Metropolis if he made some Joker gas for him. Since Batsy often helps the Blue Boy Scout, Mr. J figured he could get him there. In short, Joker's not in town and that is why I am alone."

"I think she's telling the truth," the brunette nodded at her friend. "Remember the news this afternoon about the sky in Metropolis turning green?"

"They said only the clouds turned green," Sugar corrected. "They also said Superman was looking into it."

"Well, since that is cleared, can we talk now?"

Two Face's henchwomen exchanged a glance and a nod; that done, they lowered and put their weapons away. Then, both motioned for Harley to follow them and not too long after, Quinn was in what used to be the retirement Village's restaurant, sitting in a nice table with the other two girls.

"This stuff is really good," Harley appraised, enjoying the cold beer she had been offered. "I've never tried this brand before."

"That's because Old Brew is mostly sold in Star City," Spice informed as she opened herself another can. "You can get it here but only two places carry it."

"We only drink it because Spi here insisted that we tried it," Sugar added. "Harvey liked it so much that we always keep a few around."

"I knew Two Face would love it," Spice boasted.

"Well, it's good," Harley said as she finished her drink. "Anyway, I still haven't told you why I want to talk to you."

"I haven't forgotten about that," Sugar said. "Enlighten us then, Quinzel; what is it that you want with me and Spice?"

"Black Mask stole something from a friend of mine, and I'm looking for people like us who are willing to help her."

"Black Mask?" Both henchwomen were clearly very interested now in what Harley had just said.

"Yeah, I promised my friend I would help her hit Mask hard; I heard about what he did to you so I figured you would like to join," Harley smiled brazenly. "Well... are you in?"

"Only if we can kill that piece of shit!" Spice said harshly.

"I agree with her," Sugar added. "If we do this without Harvey's consent, we two are the ones who kill Black Mask, any objections?"

"No, none at all, you can do anything you want with him!" Harley assured. "But… could you let Alice have a piece of him? Just a little piece will do."

"Who's this Alice?" Sugar asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"She's the Hatter's bride, of course!" Quinn replied. "They can't get married yet because she's too young but I know she's really in love with him."

"Jervis managed to get a girl?" Spice was having a hard time believing Harley's claims. "I thought he killed all girls he approached?"

"Ah, but Alice is different! She's a very clever girl!" the former psychologist declared. "And she's actually the friend I told you about. Black Mask stole a lot of money from her."

"That's why she wants to go after him?" the brunette scoffed. "Money?"

"Mask also burned something very precious to Jervis, I know that is the main reason why she wants to get Black Mask; she says she's doing it for the money because she's too shy to admit her true intentions." Harley clarified.

"Really, what did Mask burn?" Spice asked.

"An original, unpublished manuscript written by Lewis Carroll," Quinn answered.

"I imagine Tetch was not happy about that," Sugar, being familiar with the Hatter's affection to the Wonderland author, guessed.

"Oh, he was out of his mind for almost a minute! I can still hear him scream," Harley joked, pointing at her ears and making a silly face. "He really went ballistic when he heard about it!"

Harley's gesture earned her a giggle from Sugar and an amused laugh from Spice; this was clearly what the Joker's henchwoman wanted and as she noticed how the other two relaxed around her, she couldn't help but feel happy and satisfied that things were going so smoothly with Harvey's girls. Quinn also noticed that unlike Alice and Lark, Sugar and Spice actually seemed to be interested in having her around, something that really pleased her.

"You said you're gathering people like us," Sugar recalled then. "What exactly did that mean?"

"Oh?" Harley smiled and patted the other two on the shoulder. "It's easy, girls! Let me explain, ok?"

"Yeah, do explain," Spice, who had also been wondering the same thing as her partner, requested while she leaned back on her chair. "Because you've never tried to contact us before and I'm really interested in knowing why you suddenly had this urge to find people like Sugar and I."

"It's actually all pretty simple! And it's all based on who we care for! Look, you know I love my pudding, right?" Harley started and when both her interlocutors nodded, she continued. "Well, I started thinking and realized there were others like me here in Gotham. I did some research, talked to a few people and voila! I had a list of all the women who love men like my Mr. J!"

The blonde and the brunette once again looked at each other, apparently wondering what Harley's point was.

"C'mon, don't you love Two Face?" Quinn asked.

"Of course I love Two Face," Spice admitted proudly. "But I don't see how that makes us alike. Don't forget my Two Face is far more serious and reliable than your Joker."

"Hey, you don't know the Joker as I do!" Harley complained. "Just 'cause he gets mad at me when I don't get his jokes doesn't mean he's not reliable."

"If you see it that way," Spice said as she took another sip of her beer. "But I guess I can see why you claim you and I are similar when it comes to the man we love."

Harley smiled at that. "Thanks! I knew you would agree with me!"

It was then that the Joker's henchwoman noticed how the other blonde had not uttered a word since she asked the duo if they loved Two Face. That was not exactly strange since her notes mentioned Sugar was the quiet and deadly one while Spice was the loud and lethal one. Still, Sugar not expressing her love for Two Face was not going according to her plan and that worried her a little.

"Something wrong?" Harley asked. "Don't tell me you don't love Two Face?"

"I like Two Face well enough," Sugar answered. "But my heart belongs to Harvey Dent; he is a true gentleman who knows how to treat a lady right at all times."

"That's because she likes all that romantic crap and stuff," Spice offered. "Don't get me wrong, I like Harvey a lot, but he's too damn soft for my tastes."

"There is nothing wrong with Harvey being soft and gentle, Spi!" Sugar complained. "I think it's much better than all the S&M… things you and Two Face do when the coin lands on his side!"

"You just don't know how to have fun in the sack!" the brunette accused. "A little rough love never killed anyone."

Harleen chose to stay out of that topic and instead opened another can of beer while she watched the two women talk. The psychologist in her quickly realized the nature of the obsession driving the women in front of her was particularly similar to her own, but the interesting twist was that each one had apparently fixated on a different side of Two Face to the point that they would not entirely respond unless the side of Harvey they loved was addressed when talking to them, which explained why Sugar always referred to Dent as Harvey while Spice called him Two Face. This realization, however, was quickly buried as Harley simply decided that it was incredibly cute how they had found each a side of Harvey to be in love with.

"Hmmm… girls?" Harley called, hand up to grab their attention, not that she didn't enjoy listening to their conversation, but she did have a schedule and had to make sure Sugar and Spice were participating in the 'take down Black Mask' party she was organizing. "Why don't we go back to the previous topic? I'm sure you don't want to talk about your sexy times with your boyfriend while I'm here, right?"

"As if you don't do crazy stuff with the clown," Spice smirked. "I bet he rides you like a motorcycle!"

"Which is fitting considering your name," Sugar added, failing to hold back a giggle at her joke.

Much to her surprise, Harley found herself blushing at the other henchwomen's affirmations, which were not that far off the mark. "Girls, not funny and not the place, we're not supposed to talk about our men's performance in bed until all of us are together! You're spoiling the topics of conversation for our sleepover at Ivy's!"

"All of us together?" the other blonde asked.

"Sleepover at Ivy's?" the brunette continued.

"What are you really planning, Harley?" both henchwomen asked in unison, their tone of voice quickly turning so cold that it made Quinn feel particularly uncomfortable.

"Um… well… you see…"

"Spit it out!" Spice demanded.

"If we are to help you, we will need an answer." Sugar rejoined. "Tell us more about what you implied about women like us."

"Well, it's simple, you know?" Harley started, and continued when the other two nodded. "Like I said, there're more of us than just you two, me and Alice. I already spoke with Lark and she's in."

"The Penguin's bodyguard?" Sugar wondered.

"You know her, Sug?" Spice asked.

"Not in person, Spi," the blonde answered. "But I've heard she's very effective at what she does and that she's loyal to Cobblepot to the death. That said I doubt she loves him in a romantic way."

"She's in denial, just like Alice," Harley pointed out. "Unlike us, those two have yet to accept their own feelings."

"I still think Lark isn't in love with Penguin," Sugar insisted.

"Also Penguin and Two Face don't always get along," Spice informed. "Why should we hang out with her? Hell, why should we hang out with you or with this Alice?"

"Spi has a point," the other blonde said to Harley. "Our men, as you call them, have rarely, if ever, worked together. Their only shared goal I can think of is their desire to kill Batman."

"Lark and Alice both hate Black Mask as much as you do," Quinn said with a devious smile, happy that she had some common ground for Harvey's girls, Lark and Alice to stand on since that would make them all get along much easier. "Lark wants to help Alice bring Mask down, and she has no trouble with you at all. I don't have a problem with you; Alice doesn't have a problem with you."

"And we care about that, why?" Sugar and Spice asked.

"Ooooh, please you two! I thought we were making progress here, weren't we, girls?" Harleen sighed. "Listen, even if our boyfriends don't get along, it doesn't mean that we have to fight like they do. Ivy and Joker hate each other's guts but she's still my best friend. So I thought, wouldn't it be nice if all of us got to hang out together and be friends? We're the ones who normally get away when Batsy crashes our parties, and it would be nice if we could have someone to talk to when we're alone, like you are now. If we're all friends, we can do that and we won't be lonely, right?"

"She does make sense, Sug," Spice said after a moment spent considering Harley's words and finding them reasonable. It was true how the henchwomen managed to escape most of the time after facing the Bat, ending up alone until their boss was free again. "Making friends with the others means we would have someone to crash with at least for a night or two in case of emergency."

"Agreed, Spi," Sugar conceded as she tapped her chin with her right index finger; like her friend had, the second blonde also found Quinzel's idea to be quite sensible and particularly appealing in the advantages it could bring. "We would certainly benefit from what she's proposing."

"Does that mean we can be friends?" Harley, expectantly, asked.

Two Face's henchwomen exchanged a quick glance, a nod and then extended their hand to Harley Quin. "Yes, we can be friends," both said at the same time.

"I'll give being your friend a try," Spice continued, her hand squeezing Harley with a little bit more strength than necessary. "I think it sounds fun, so why not?"

"I'm willing to be your friend as well," Sugar offered, her soft smile never wavering during her polite handshake. "I'm convinced it can be a good experience for the three of us."

Before Harley could answer, though, she found herself between her two new friends, who had left their seats and now stood at her left and right.

"Now that we are friends, when can we go after Black Mask?" Sugar asked; one hand on Harley's shoulder. "That's the reason why you came to see us in the first place, is it not?"

"Indeed, when do we get to murder his ass?" Spice seconded, resting her elbow on Quinn's other shoulder. "That'd be the best way to bond with Lark and that other girl."

"Lark's gathering the info we'll need for the job; she said it would take her a few days to get it done," Harley answered. "Don't worry, I'll let you know when and besides, waiting for a bit won't kill you, ok? Besides, it gives me the chance to find the others."

"Others?" both Sugar and Spice asked.

"You were serious about that?" Sugar inquired.

"Yup, I think I'll go see Eddie's girlfriends next!"

"Eddie?" Spice frowned. "Who's that?"

"I think she means the Riddler," Sugar offered. "I know he's fond of hiring henchwomen, are you really sure some of them qualify as his girlfriends, Quinn?"

"Sure I am! Query and Echo fit my requirements perfectly," Harley assured. "And I'm seeing them tomorrow!"

"Well, whatever, that's not important," Spice interrupted. "What's important here's just how you plan on contacting us once you get all of us and Lark's got the info we need?"

"By phone, of course," Quinn stated. "You do have a cell phone, don't you?"

"Who doesn't?" Sugar answered. "Alright, I'll give you my number."

"And I mine," Spice completed. "Call us if you've got something worth sharing."

"Perfect," Harley smiled while adding the number of the other two. "I'll call ya both when Lark's done so we can get to work."

"We'll get some guns in the meantime," Sugar informed. "Nothing against Lark but I prefer to use our own instead of relying on the Penguin's weapons."

"Suit yourselves girls," Harley conceded. "I normally don't use guns so I don't really care about that. Anyway, I think I should go. It is late and I have an early day tomorrow."

"You can stay here if you want to," Sugar offered. "We have plenty of room."

"Yeah, what do you say?"

"It won't be necessary, my car's parked nearby and Greenvale is not that far from here," the former psychologist informed. "I've got a house there, so you could go with me if you wish."

"Nah, we're fine; this place'll be safe for at least a couple days more before we ditch it," Spice stated. "After that we might go to my brother's or to Sug's old house."

"Ok, fine then," Harley was already at the restaurant's door but she turned before leaving and stared at Sugar and Spice; she couldn't leave without an answer to a question she'd had since she arrived to Twin Drops. "Before I go, can I ask you two a question?"

"Sure," the two henchwomen said.

"Why were you fighting when I got here? You do get along quite well, so… why?"

"Stress relief," the brunette answered. "It's a nice way to burn it off."

"Spi's right. Sometimes the only way we can fix our differences is with a good, old fashioned fistfight," Sugar explained. "It is quite unfortunate and barbaric, I know; but on the other hand, I must admit it does kill stress rather quickly."

Surprised by the answer and how serious Sugar and Spice had been while delivering it, Harley couldn't stop a loud laugh. "Sorry… heh… it's just that… I wasn't expecting… that."

"Not everyone likes to laugh like a madwoman to get rid of tension," Sugar observed.

"Our method works for us, got a problem with it?" Spice growled.

"No, no… of course not," Harley finally managed to stop laughing and brought her hands up to appease the other two. "Just try not to fight for a few days, ok?"

A few minutes Later…

As Harley, now sans costume, drove back to her comfy house in Greenvale, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. She had most of the girls in the bag already and was certain that she could easily convince the rest to join her. That would show Ivy not trusting her ability to make new friends! Sure, Alice and Lark still hadn't truly become her friends, but they would get there. Harley knew they would.

Quinzel stopped at a red light and glanced at the list she kept on the passenger's seat, only four girls left to recruit. Harley was fairly sure Query and Echo would not be a problem and she felt confident that Iris Phelios would agree to participate. The last one however, Harley knew it would be very difficult to approach given the man she followed.

"Becky Albright," Harley muttered as she stepped on the gas. "I hope she doesn't dislike me the way doctor Crane dislikes the Joker, it would make things quite… complicated."

0-0

Next Chapter: The mistress of fear, Becky Albright.

Notes: I'm sure most of you know Sugar and Spice from their appearance in the quite subpar film Batman Forever, but they have shown up (once so far) in the first issue of the comic book prequel to Arkham City. Since that is not exactly canonical as far as being part of the comic book universe goes I wasn't sure to include them, but I like the pair and this story was a nice opportunity to write about the two. Writing them was not as easy as I expected, though; making them similar to Harley in their devotion to Harvey Dent but at the same time giving them different mannerisms was a little tricky. I hope it turned out well.