Chapter 10

Harleen stepped off the dirt track and onto the public footpath that led towards the lake. Long grass tickled the tops of her wellington boots as she walked ahead, trying to stay under shade that the overhead trees provided. The weather was beating down on her now, scorching through the thin material of her clothes. She fanned her face with her right hand, trying to get some sort of relief, but instead she seemed to just be waving the humid air instead of cold.

"Ugh, I should've brought some water." She muttered sourly to herself. Bud and Lou however didn't appear too bothered about the heat despite their thick fur, they were just happy scouring the ground for new smells and hunting for butterflies to chase.

Harleen let out a sigh of relief when she saw the glistening sight of water ahead, her whole body instantly relaxed at the sight. The promise of glistening cool water made her slow steps kick into overdrive. She picked up her pace, never taking her eyes off the inviting lake.

Finding a tree nearby, Harleen sort out the shade and threw her exhausted body underneath it. The cold grass pressed against her skin as she placed her palms to the ground.

Now sitting, she watched as Bud and Lou charged into the water. Cornered off behind the low trees sat the RAF base, barbed wire surrounded the huge stretch of land, isolating the active runway from civilians and anyone else who had no business being there. The lake used to be the focal point for the community, but since the government took it over, people were frightened to go near it. Low flying aircraft almost grazed the treetops as they came to and from the base, the noise thundering through the ground underfoot. Anyone else would've plugged their ears or walked away but not Harleen, she loved the sound hammering through every inch of her body, and the vibrations rattling her bones.

Taking a deep inhale of fresh country air, Harleen leant back, lying down completely on the cool grass beneath her. She sighed running her fingers through her untamed hair as she watched the clouds move in between the gaps of the overhead leaves. Humming the song that she heard earlier on the wireless, Harleen lifted her left leg, gently rolling up her slacks to her lower thigh, repeating the same action on her right leg she felt the warm sun imprint itself across her skin.

"Looks like I've got myself a stalker." A smooth deep voice interrupted from behind the tree that Harleen lay under. She gasped, quickly easing herself up to her elbows.

"Who is it?" She asked, already knowing full well who the rich voice belonged to.

Jack smirked, running his right hand through his thick brown hair. He moved forward slightly, still not revealing himself to Harleen who lay concealed by the willow tree. "Guess…" He teased.

"Well…" She giggled, biting her lip "Let me think...you can't speak properly and your manners are awful…"

Jack feigned hurt. "I can speak just fine!" He replied, putting on the thickest southern accent that he could muster. Harleen laughed again, causing a wide grin to appear on Jack's face.

"And you also seem to have a terrible obsession with my two dogs." Harleen continued, trying to stifle back another giggle. "And trees come to think of it."

"I can't help it if I'm irresistible." Jack stated, reaching his hand out to run it against the coarse bark that the two of them.

"No you can't." Harleen replied. Her eyes suddenly grew wide in the realisation at what she had just said. Silence consumed them both as Jack continued to lean against the tree, he moved forward slightly and caught a glimpse of Harleen's face which blushed red with embarrassment.

"We don't have all thing green stuff where I come from." Jack explained, continuing to run his right hand down the roughly textured bark. "Never seen so many shades of it."

Harleen giggled and turned her head slightly to the side, feeling his deep blue eyes staring at her. "Where do you come from?" She asked gently.

Jack chuckled. Moving, he pressed his back against the tree and slid down to a sitting position, almost mirroring Harleen's. "A dingy little city called Gotham, if you ever get bored with the shades of green, good ole Gotham has plenty of grey."

"Sounds much like London…" Harleen said. "Have you lived there your whole life?"

Jack nodded. "I thought about leaving, but there's no place like Gotham. It's not perfect, but it's mine." He paused, looking down to his right hand side, Harleen's hands were gently grazing the grass as she listened to him speak. Jack outstretched his own hand and place it inches from hers. "I used to live in an apartment just on the outskirts of the city centre, but I had to give it all up to come over here…"

"You gave up our whole life?" She asked quietly. "For a war that has nothing to do with you?"

Napier laughed, the sound erupting deep within his chest. "It has everything to do with us, the US government are just too scared to get involved. But give it time and we will...you can't avoid the inevitable." Using his free hand, Jack pulled out his cigarette case from his shirt breast pocket. "A billionaire you've probably never heard of set up a campaign for volunteers to come over and help the Brits battle the skies."

"A billionaire?" Harleen repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah...jumped up little brat got commission handed to him on a plate without even working the rank system, so now we gotta salute and call him 'Sir' just because he threw some money at the right people." Jack said bitterly. He paused for a moment, shaking his head from side to side. "Sorry, staying cooped up in that place can get to you. Which is why I decided to come for a walk, just to clear my head. But it seems my day just got better."

Harleen smiled, feeling warmth spread through every inch of her body. "I used to come here all the time before the land was brought by the military... I don't think I'm technically supposed to be here."

"Oh Harley, I knew you had a bit of rebel in you." Jack smirked, letting the corner of his mouth turn up slowly. He opened the silver plated cigarette case in his hand and removed one, tapping it out against the silver surface. "Where are my manners," He said, leaning over so he could finally face Harleen. "Do you want a smoke?"

Harleen turned her head to meet his intense gaze, all words left her mouth as soon as her eyes sort out his. His thick brown hair was slicked back, besides a stray unruly lock tickled his forehead. She couldn't seem to take her eyes off it, her fingertips itched with the temptation to smooth it back with the rest of his hair.

"Harley? Smoke?" Jack repeated with a grin playing on his lips as he saw her crystal like eyes catch the dappled sunlight.

"What happened to your uniform?" She asked, noticing that he was now wearing dark navy blues instead of his more neutral colours from last night.

He chuckled. "Rebellious and observant." Jack shuffled round gently to get closer to Harleen. She took in the sight of him fully now, he wore a light blue shirt accompanied by a black tie. His dark navy jacket was slung haphazardly over his left arm, along with a unworn peak cap. The shirt he wore was neatly pressed and tucked into a pair of dart creased trousers. "The pen pushers at base didn't want us to look different from the other boys, they said 'We must show a united front and not set you apart from the rest." He mocked in his best British accent.

Harleen giggled. "That, Mr Napier was the worst accent I have ever heard."

"Worse than my real one?" Jack teased. His eyes briefly wandered down to her slacks, taking in the sight of her fair complexion. He smiled, running his eyes up and down them slowly.

"It's growing on me, just never say the word tomato in my presence." She joked, not noticing his distracted eyes.

"Tomato? You don't want me to say the word tomato?" Jack taunted, lowering his voice into a deep whisper.

"No!" She giggled, playfully nudging him on the arm with her elbow.

Jack gasped playfully, remembering the gently nudge that he had given her last night. "Don't start something, you know i'll finish Harley." He teased, placing a warm hand against her slender shoulder, giving her a soft push.

There was something in the way he said those words that melted against her. She fixed her eyes onto his, watching the dust blue orbs dart around her face until they settled upon his hand on her shoulder. Halreen followed his eyes to his hand, feeling him squeeze her skin covered by her thin top. Jack moved his thumb, running it up and down the smooth material, feeling the contours beneath his fingertips.

Harleen's breathing became short as he continued to run his hand across her arm. But it was short lived when he abruptly pulled away and cleared his throat. He looked away for a moment, focusing on the lake that caught the light in the most hypnotising way, giving the impression that tiny diamonds were being carried by the current.

Jack turned back, flashing Harleen the most charming smile. He let out a short laugh, reaching for his cigarette case once more. Breaking the silence that was previously filled with Harleen's heavy breath, Jack murmured, "Did you want that smoke?"

"Oh...err." Harleen stuttered, breaking out of her deep trance. "I don't... I don't smoke - that is, I've never tried it before."

"Wanna try?" Jack suggested raising a brow. He held out an unlit cigarette and teased it in between his fingers.

"You're a bad influence on me Mr Napier." Harleen giggled, cautiously taking it from his hand. She looked up at him as her fingers brushed his delicately, the feel of his skin on hers sent delicious chills down her spine.

"You have no idea." He muttered, raising the corner of his mouth into a slow, lingering smile.