Harley lay awake, watching Jonathan sleep next to her. She lightly stroked her son's hair, trying not to wake him.
"Your daddy should have loved you." The blonde murmured, "You should be our heir, the crown prince of Gotham."
Looking over her shoulder she noticed her alarm clock, 1:30, it blinked. Harley sighed, rolling off the bed. She heads for the kitchen, already deciding to make herself some tea. She places the kettle on the gas stove, sighing.
"You know you should really sleep." A voice echoes through the kitchen, making Harley's heart stop. Harley spins around fast, snatching up a knife off the counter, getting ready to fight. The person the voice belongs to grabs her wrist, preventing her from burying her kitchen knife into his chest.
"What are you doing here Bats?" Harley asks, not lowering her weapon.
"I'm making sure that you're safe. You know Joker got out again."
"So? Checking up on me to make sure I ain't harbouring him?" Harley says, lowering the knife as the Bat loosens his grip on her.
"I'm here to make sure you and your son are fine."
"Well you managed to sneak in here and didn't find my brains splattered on the wall, so obviously I'm fine and I don't need you to watch my son." Harley glares at the dark knight. "Don't you have a city to save or something?"
"I have it covered."
"I'm sure you do." Harley sighs, placing her hands on her hips.
"I'm trying to help you Harley." Batman responds to Harley's abrasiveness.
"Well maybe I don't need your help."
"Harley, please since you've left he's become more violent and unpredictable. He's more dangerous than ever and I don't want you getting caught up in all of that."
"Since when have you cared whether Mr. J has tried to kill me?" Harley clenches her jaw.
"I've always cared Harley."
"Bullshit!" The blonde spat, shade of gray of the harlequin showing through.
"Tell me then, when have I ever showed that I didn't care about how he treated you? I warned you and told you that he didn't care and you never listened." Batman begins to slowly raise his voice.
Harley's fists were balled at her sides as she shook in anger. With a sigh, she unclenched her fists and tried to calm herself.
"You made me call him." She said quietly.
"What?" The dark knight asks. Harley looks up at him, fighting back tears of frustration.
"You manipulated me into calling him. You said he wouldn't believe that I killed you unless he was to see." Harley softly speaks. "You knew. You knew he wouldn't let me be the one to kill you and you knew he would hurt me."
"I didn't think he'd take it that far."
"What did ya think huh? That he'd just slap me around a little? It's your fault that he pushed me through that window."
"I didn't think it would be that severe." He confesses.
"No, you never think do you? You only think of the innocent. You know how many of us were practically tortured in Arkham by the hands of guards?" Harley places her hands on her waist.
"I had no idea about any of that."
"No you never do. Makes it just as bad as the rest of us doesn't it Batsy?" she shoves past him. "You broke yourself in. You can break yourself out. Night dark knight." Harley says as she disappears back to her bedroom, leaving the bat alone with his thoughts.
…
The computer screen Harley had up was all she had stared at that morning. It was an article that had appeared in some Gotham newspaper, about her.
"The Mysterious disappearance of Harley Quinn."
It was a tacky title she did think that much. The rest of the article essential matched the title but was slightly more colourful. It was a short text on the mysterious circumstances surrounding Harley's flight from Gotham.
"Harley Quinn is and will always be a terrifying figure in Gotham society. She started out as the Joker's psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, he would go on to manipulate her to break him out and she would go on to become Harley Quinn. Together they became the King and Queen of Gotham."
"God, I swear my Jonathan could write better." Harley sighs as she struggles to read the article.
"Almost 5 years now since she's disappeared, not a trace left of her."
"It's self evident that there isn't a trance, I disappeared you dumb broad."
"I haven't heard anyone use the word broad since the 1950's." Harley jumps at the voice. Looking up she see Stanley, wearing his usual navy blazer and brown loafers.
"You gotta start knocking Stan." Harley sighs, trying to steady her heartbeat.
"Sorry about that. I just heard the word broad and I couldn't help myself." He says, taking the seat across from her. His gaze goes over to her computer and he begins to shake his head. "Interesting story isn't it? The tale of Harley Quinn."
"Is it? I don't see anything interesting about it."
"Fair enough, I mean her back story is total bull. I mean what qualified psychiatrist would date a patient. If her story is true why the hell would they allow her to practice?"
"What do you want Stan?" Harley asks, not wanting to press the matter any further. His eyes pop up at her; slightly surprised she was swatting away his small talk.
"I was wondering if you were gonna go to the gala tomorrow night."
"I probably won't." Harley shrugs.
"I mean if that change your mind, I have a spare ticket." He nervously says, fairly certain she would shoot him down.
"You know I'm pretty swamped and I just don't have time."
"Its just one evening Harley, come on. You could use the rest you're always working." He says. The blonde sighs, thinking it over.
"Okay I'll come. Doesn't mean I'll date you. It's one evening and it's because I'm sure Jonathan would like to be babysat by Jess."
"Great, I'll pick ya up around 7 tomorrow night." Stan says, a stupid grin filling his face as he gets up to leave. Harley rolls her eyes and goes back to the article.
"Why can't men learn to fuck off." She mutters to herself, burying her face in her hands.
…..
"Do you like these earring better or these?" Harley asks, putting two sets of earrings in front of Jonathan.
"I like the sparkly ones!" He says, pointing to her diamond chandelier earrings.
"I think mommy agrees." Harley says picking up both sets, putting the studs away and placing the winners on her dresser. She walked across the room, opening the closet. She studies her wardrobe the dread setting in that she had nothing to wear.
"What color do you think mommy should wear Jonathan?" Harley asks, scanning her closet mostly consisting of pantsuits.
"Blue! Like your robe!" He says still playing with his batman figurine on the bed.
"I can't wear my robe to this event, I'd look silly."
"I don't tink you look silly." He argues looking up from his toy.
"Well thanks sweetheart." She says, smiling at he son who stared back at her with his wide blue eyes. Turning back to her closet Harley rummaged around a little more before finally deciding there was nothing. 'I wonder…" She says, staring at a small chest sitting in the corner of her bedroom. Harley makes a move for the chest. Harley begins clearing off the top, removing a lamp and some old cds that had piled up on the surface. She carefully opens the lid, its hinges slightly creaking.
Jonathan looked over, taking a sudden interest in what his mother was doing. He puts his toy down and manages his way off the queen size bed, making his was over to his mother and the chest.
"What dat?" He asks, trying to peak over Harley's shoulder.
"It's stuff I owned before you were born." She says, sighing as she begins to look over her past items. Before she knew it Jonathan was beside her, peering into the walnut chest. His little arms reached in, grabbing her old jester costume.
"What this?" He asks, running his hands over the black and red patches.
"That was a costume mommy used to wear a lot."
"Why?"
"Well…mommy liked to dress up with daddy."
"But why?"
"Cause it was fun. I liked to dress up and have fun." Harley says, pulling out her cork gun from the chest and placing it beside her away from Jonathan. "Here it is." She reaches down, grabbing a big white box sitting in the bottom. As she picks it up the blonde moves for the bed, placing the box on top of her duvet. Jonathan follows Harley closely as she moves for the bed. He once again climbs up onto the bed, curious to see what the box contained.
As Harley opened the lid the light caught the gleam of the sequin red dress that lay in the box. Harley sighs looking at it, it had been a present from Mr J for her first appearance of Harley Quinn.
"OOH! Pretty." Jonathan says, running his finger along the sequin. Harley smiles at the young boy as she lifted the dress from the box.
"You think mommy would look pretty in this?" Harley asks, holding the dress up against her body.
"Ya!" He says excitedly. Harley smiles, stripping the robe from her body.
"Hope to god my figure hasn't changed much." She mutters to herself as she steps into the dress. When she gets the tight dress across her hips, she sighs in relief, knowing it would be smooth sailing from here on out. As she slips her arms into the straps a knock at the door echoes through the apartment.
"Jonathan that's probably Jess. Could you go let her in and tell her to come to me?" Harley asks, realizing she would help zipping it up.
"Yup!" The four year old jumps off the bed and excitedly runs to the door. Harley listens as she hears the short exchange between the two before Jonathan interrupts the 17 year old to find his mother.
"Harley?" A voice calls from the end of the hall.
"I'm in my room Jess, can you help me into my dress?" Harley calls back. Holding the high neck up against her collarbone so it would not fall. The blonde smiles as the teen pops her head into the doorway.
"What can I do for you?" Jess says, shyly walking into Harley's room.
"Fasten the neck up for me, and then zip me up will ya?"
"Of course." The black haired teen says, walking over to the older woman. Jess takes the two ends of the halter dress and buttons the neck in place. She then goes on to zip up the open back dress. "Wow you look gorgeous Harley."
"Thanks Jess." Harley says, slipping on a pair of black heel and heads for the washroom. She looks at the dress in the mirror. She fixes the front, making sure the racer front was perfect. Harley grabs her makeup bag, grabbing a crimson lipstick to go along with her simple eye makeup.
"MOM!" She hears Jonathan call out as she finishes applying the lipstick.
"Coming baby!" She says, grabbing the lipstick tube and leaving the bathroom to find her son. "What is it?" She asks, as she walks into the living room.
"The buzzer went." He says, sitting on the shag rug playing with his legos. Harley stares at her son, not sure what he was talking about as their apartment didn't have a working intercom.
"He means your phone rung." Jess says, walking out of the bathroom. Harley smiles and nods, as she heads for her phone seeing a text from Stan
"Hey I'm out front in the car. Ready when you are."
"Alright, Stan is here. Supper is still on the stove it should be ready to take off in like…5 minutes." Harley says, looking at Jess who was currently one her phone. "Jess?...Jessica!"
"Yup sounds good." The teen says, glancing up at Harley. The blonde rolls her eyes and goes to Jonathan.
"Okay, I love you." She says, kneeling next to her son.
"Otay." He responds, trying to separate two blocks.
"And I'll see you in the morning."
"Otay."
"Love you." She repeats, trying to get a different response.
"Otay." He says, Harley rolls her eyes at him as well and kisses his forehead.
"Okay have fun you two." She says as she stands. She slips her phone and her lipstick into her purse as she heads for the door. "Bye guys." She says, opening the apartment door and leaves.
She spots Stan's car as she gets to the lobby doors and makes a run for it, trying to avoid the rain. She settles into the black two-door car quickly, closing the door behind her.
"Hi, you look-" Stan starts but is cut off by Harley.
"Don't go there. I'm here only to escort you to a work event as colleagues not as a date."
"Got it. Cause you don't have time for dates." Stan nods as he pulls onto the street.
"Do not push me Stanley." Harley warns, her accent slipping a little as she gives him a death glare.
"Okay I won't. I'm sorry I was only poking fun." He apologizes. "I'm a little nervous I've never been to one of these things. What about you?"
Harley stares out the window, not answering the question right away. She wasn't really sure how too.
"Yea, A few times…they're…fun." She says, smiling to herself.
