Salvatore Valestra awoke suddenly in the middle of the night to see a man in a bat costume bending over him. He tried to scream, but Batman clapped a hand over his mouth. "Where is Dr. Quinzel?" he hissed. "Take me to her."

Sal nodded in terror and slowly got out of bed. Batman followed him out of the room and down the hall, and then up the stairs to the attic. "Open the door," snapped Batman.

Sal obeyed, unlocking it with trembling hands. He stepped back, shaking in terror, and let Batman into the room. He saw Harley sleeping on the floor, a smile on her lips. He approached her slowly and lay a hand on her shoulder. Her smile widened and she whispered, "Mr. J."

He shook her gently. "Dr. Quinzel?"

Her eyes opened, and she started in terror when she saw a man dressed as a bat bending over her. "Don't be afraid," he said, soothingly. "I'm here to rescue you."

"Rescue…me?" stammered Harley.

"Yes. To take you away from these criminals and back to safety."

"Oh…right," said Harley, slowly.

"Can you stand up and come with me, or do you need me to carry you?" he asked her.

"No, no, I can stand," said Harley. Batman helped her to her feet and escorted her from the room, with Sal following behind them.

Harley went slowly down the stairs, her mind confused and disoriented and a million feelings assaulting her at once. The strongest of which was panic. She didn't want to go with Batman. She wanted to stay here. She hadn't got to say goodbye to Mr. J. She might never see him again if she went with Batman. She couldn't bear that.

Without fully realizing what she was doing, Harley stalled on the stairs, and tripped Sal up. He fell down the steps with a rush of swearing and noise, and landed at the bottom with a loud bang, which was exactly what Harley was hoping for.

An instant later, three doors banged open, and Jack, Chuckie, and Buzz rushed out of their rooms into the hallway, all armed with guns.

"Holy shi…" began Buzz, stunned at the scene before him, while Chuckie just gaped at Batman in astonishment.

Jack's response was far more practical. He aimed at Batman's head and fired. Batman dodged out of the way just in time, leaping forward to attack Buzz and Chuckie, who had begun firing at him.

Sal had dragged himself behind the stairs and was now cowering there, watching the battle. Jack noticed him and smiled grimly. "Ain't afraid of a guy in a Halloween costume, huh, boss?" he shouted, firing a round at Batman. He paused to reload, while Batman punched Chuckie in the face, sending him flying into the wall, and threw Buzz down the corridor.

Batman turned to face Jack, who was pointing his gun at him again. He smiled. "What's a nice rodent like you doing in a place like this?" he chuckled.

"Rescuing your hostage," snapped Batman, grabbing Harley around the waist. Jack cocked his gun.

"Put her down," he muttered, his face suddenly deadly serious.

Batman didn't respond, except to rush toward the window. Jack saw what he was doing and raced after him, reaching it just as Batman burst through the glass. But before Harley knew what she was doing, she had caught hold of the windowsill. Because of the sudden and unexpected resistance, Batman lost his grip on her and fell down out of sight – Harley remained hanging from the ledge. She suddenly felt strong arms grab ahold of her and pull her back up and into the room. She threw herself into those arms and began sobbing, at the fright she had had, at the confusion, and now at the warmth and safety of being in his embrace, in the relief of being near him again. She wasn't being torn away from him forever. He was here.

Jack shushed her gently, stroking her hair. "You ok, Chuckie?" he asked, as he slowly got to his feet.

"Yeah. Gonna have a bruise, though," muttered Chuckie, feeling his skull.

"Buzz? You all right?" called Jack down the hall.

"Yeah, yeah, I will be," muttered Buzz, hobbling over to them.

"Sal, got tired of cowering in fear like a little girl?" said Jack, smiling at him as Sal emerged from beneath the stairs.

"I told you she'd be more trouble than she's worth!" snapped Sal. "You should have let the Bat take her – I don't wanna deal with the nightmares she brings anymore!"

"Aw, c'mon, Sal, who's afraid of the big, bad bat?" chuckled Jack. "You gotta admire his style if nothing else!"

"This ain't a joke, Jack!" snapped Sal. "What are we gonna do about her?"

"Eventually, we're gonna get fifty thousand dollars for her ransom," retorted Jack. "But if you meant what are we doing in the immediate future, I'm gonna guard her tonight. You can all go back to bed. I'll handle any future flying rodent attacks!" he chuckled.

He dragged Harley into his room and shut and locked the door. She was still shaking, so he went over to his bedside table and pulled out a bottle of whiskey, pouring her a glass.

"Thanks," she murmured, drinking it slowly. "And thanks for…rescuing me."

"Just business," he muttered. "You ain't worth anything if the Bat steals you away, are ya?"

He poured a drink for himself. "Why didn't you wanna go with him?" he asked, quietly.

Harley shrugged. "I don't trust strange guys who wanna dress up in bat costumes," she said, forcing a smile. "They gotta be crazy, right?"

He grinned. "Good point," he chuckled.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I think you got a few screws loose yourself, Mr. J, but at least I know your kinda crazy," retorted Harley. "At least I'm…comfortable with it."

He nodded, sipping his drink quietly. Harley sipped her own, studying him. He had obviously just rushed out of bed, and hadn't had time to dress – he was only wearing a pair of boxers and an undershirt. Harley could see his bare arms, thin but toned, and the strong definition of his chest…

She found herself breathing more rapidly, and her heart was pounding. He didn't seem to notice. "You can have the bed," he said, nodding. "I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Oh…yeah…fine," stammered Harley, feeling her body throbbing with sudden, overpowering desire. With that same, almost uncontrollable urge, she approached him and gently lay her hand on his chest. She felt him suddenly flinch, but she couldn't read his expression as she looked up into his eyes.

"We could both…I mean…" she stammered.

He looked down at her. "We could both what?" he asked quietly.

"Sleep…together. On the bed. It's…it's big enough," she added hastily. "We wouldn't have to be touching…"

He stared at her, as her fingers slowly danced over his chest. Harley felt he must be able to hear the hammering of her heart, and she knew her face was flushed under the merciless gaze from his burning, intense eyes, which she was dying to have examine every inch of her. He suddenly laughed. "That's enough booze for you, sweets," he said, taking the glass from her. "It's given you silly ideas."

He then picked her up like a child and carried her over to the bed. He lay her down, bending over her, and for an instant, just an instant, their eyes locked, and Harley gently raised herself up for his kiss. She was sure he was going to kiss her, and then…

He drew away and left her, heading over to the sofa and lying down. "Goodnight, Harley," he murmured.

"Goodnight, Mr. J," she whispered in disappointment.