Chapter 10: Harvey & Harley.

"My name is Valiant." Valiant said. "I know Bruce Wayne."
"Y-you know Bruce!?" Harvey stammered. "How is he? Is he okay? Has he changed because of me!?"
Valiant held his hand out. "Easy, he's fine. He misses the old you."
Harvey looked down at the table. "I miss him too."
"Don't feel down Harvey." Valiant said. "I understand what it's like to have a second personality."
"Come on, do you have a side where you fly off the handle and try to kill anyone near you?" Dent asked.
"Actually, yes." He said to Dent's surprise.
"When I get really angry, I lose control and see red. Everyone becomes my enemy, it's sickening. Then once I come to my senses, something or someone ends up damaged or hurt. I nearly destroyed the Iceberg Lounge earlier this evening."

Dent gasped. "That was you!?"

Valiant sighed unhappily. "Yes it was. That was the result of me not being able to control my anger. I've read about you Harvey. You're not a bad person; we're a bit alike."
For the first time, Dent smiled.
"Look Valiant." He started. "It's not about suppressing your anger and keeping it locked away. I learned that the hard way. The fact in the matter is, that anger will always be there, but you can learn to adapt to it and control it. It is something I was never able to do, but you still can."
Valiant's lips parted. He couldn't believe that Harvey was saying this to him.
"Thank you, that was exactly what I needed to hear." He said. "You really know your stuff huh? I thought you were a lawyer."

Unexpectedly, he laughed.

"Well I may still be like this." Dent said. "But being a lawyer is more than interpreting the law."
Valiant smiled. "True."
He paused for a few minutes, and then spoke:

"I think you should let Grace see you again."

He gasped.
"Grace! Oh my God Grace! How is she doing!? Is she alright?"
"I haven't looked for her yet, but I'm sure she'll be fine." Valiant replied.
"Please! Look for her, and make sure she's okay!" Dent requested. "I still love her! And I want to see her again!"
"Harvey, this conversation isn't going to last much longer. I managed to pry the good side out of you, but only for a short while." Valiant said. "It a few minutes you'll degenerate back into Two-Face."

Dent gasped, but Valiant continued.

"However, I will do it, I'll see Grace and make sure she's alright." Valiant said. "Trust me Harvey, I'll ask Bruce to help me find a cure for you. You will get better, I swear it!"
"Looks like i'm not going to have the time to ask how his bad side came about...But maybe I don't need to. He's told me a lot already..."
He noticed that Harvey had started to sweat. Time was up.
"Th-thankk—ARRRGGHHH!"
He grabbed his head again, and soon reverted back to Two-Face again.
"What did you do to me!?" Two-Face yelled. "ANSWER ME!"
Valiant shrugged. "Nothing much."

In an instant, Two-Face flew at him, tackling him to the ground. Yet he wasn't able to hold him for Valiant kicked him off easily.
"Calm down double talker." He said, brushing himself off. "I didn't poison you or attack you, just wanted to talk to your other half."
He gasped.
"How did you—?"
"Not telling." Valiant said. "That's not for you to know. I'm done here. Ciao."
He opened the steel door and exited. Before Two-Face could attack again, he slammed it shut, keeping him locked away.

Barbara Gordon sat in her room, looking up at the ceiling. She had to tell her father that she was over a friend's house helping her with 'summer classes,' which was a big lie. Nonetheless, he bought it, getting her off the hook. Barely.
But she couldn't stop thinking about that moment with Bruce.
"He said it! I can't believe he said it!" She thought, enthralled.
"It's like I'm living in one of my dreams…" Barbara muttered.

For years, she had thought it was a long shot. A REALLY long shot. The age difference, the different social statuses, everything. But at the same time, they shared many other things. Both fought crimes together, they spent time with each other more, and they with Tim and the new member James fought together. Now it was a reality, and she still couldn't believe it.

But with that great happiness came a large fear.
"Dick…" She thought. "When he finds out…what will he think?"
She remembered that night when Dick Grayson quit being Robin, and never saw him for a long time after that.
However, she didn't believe that Bruce had manipulated her into becoming Batgirl. She had done it herself. She had stolen his costume and wore it herself at a rally to help free her father from a framing charge years ago. Bruce wasn't within 10 feet of her when she made her choice.

"That's right!" She realized. "He doesn't know how I became Batgirl!"

This thought made her feel a little better, yet she still had to tell him eventually.
"Ugh, I'm thinking when I should be snoozing…" She thought. "I'll deal with this tomorrow…"
She rolled over in her pillow and fell asleep.

Valiant Warrior sighed. "Well there's the easy part…now I gotta talk to a girl hampered with Domestic Violence, and a clown."
Valiant walked deeper into the Asylum, passing inmates as he looked, until finally he reached one with a girl standing there, looking up and out her windows with bars.
He opened the steel door and closed it behind him.
"Are you Harley Quinn?" Valiant asked.
The girl turned, and he saw a girl with blond hair in two puffs on the sides of her head.
"Oh its you…" She muttered.
"Jeez, what a cold reception compared to her usual banters." He thought.
"Look Harley—"
"Don't even start with me." She interrupted. "You almost killed Mr. J! Not even the Ba—"
"I'm not Batman." Valiant snapped. "And I didn't mean to lose control like that."
She huffed, and turned back around. Not expecting the next response...

"I'm…sorry."

She froze, turning back around.
"W-what did you just say?" she asked, astonished.
"I'm sorry." Valiant said. "I lost control of my anger and threatened the lives of everyone in that club earlier tonight. And I didn't want that. I never want that, and for that I'm sorry."
She folded her arms and stared at him for a brief minute.
A smile broke onto her face. "Apology accepted!"
Valiant gasped. "W-what? That's it? You forgive me?"

She giggled. "You ain't like the Bat at all. The Bat never forgave an enemy like ME. You're weird, but I like it. You're alright."
He sighed. "Well…thanks I guess."
"So what is it you want this time? A date?" Quinn asked.
"No no!" Valiant held his hands out. "I just want to ask you…why do you still stay with the Joker after all he's done to you?"
Now it was her turn to sigh.
"You're not the first to ask me that ya know'." She replied. "He's all forgiving! I love him so much and I'm always there whenever he needs me! We're perfect!"
Valiant's mouth dropped open. "What!? Perfect!? That's the total opposite of perfect! That's erroneous in so many ways!"

Harley giggled again. "Surprised at my honesty?"
"No, by your stupidity…"
"But he knocked you out of a window! And you had Batman in your grasp that one time!" (Watch Mad Love if you don't know what he's talking about)

"Bah, he left me a flower in my cell after it was all over!" She quipped happily. "So it's all better now!"
Valiant/James had never met someone with a low self-esteem such as this person. It was astounding that such people like her could even exist!
"She's not a bad person…" he thought. "Though she's not exactly naïve either…I feel like they've been 'together' once…"
"You're pretty interesting…"Valiant said. "Though not completely in a good way…"

She bowed. "Why thank ya' mister!"
He nearly face palmed, but decided to keep quiet.
"So tell me Harley…" He started again. "Out of all the villains, how did the Joker catch your eye and not anyone else?"
"Why that's simple!" Harley answered. "He was the funniest and bestest to be around!"
"Isn't she supposed to be a college graduate psychiatrist?" He thought, nonplussed. "What, no good grammar?"
"Why though Harley?" He pressed. "What makes him stand out?"
"Well, he shared with me so many secrets and stories about his life—"
"Most of which are questionable…" he thought.
"And he understands me too!" She added. "I mean, don't we have a little bit of crazy in all of us?"

Valiant hadn't thought of that. Nor had he even fathomed the idea until now.
"A little crazy in all of us? Like what, we all need that day where we just be incredibly reckless and destroy everything? Guess she really is a psychiatrist…though a quirky one."
He turned and walked to the steel door.
"Thanks Harley, that's all I needed to know." He said.

"Hey wait a minute buster!" Harley protested. "You're not gonna use what you learned to get me aren't you!?"

Valiant turned and smiled.

"Don't you remember? I'm not the Batman." he said as he walked out.