Chapter 11-

Harley sat quietly in the front seat of the car Jack had gently sat her in before running as fast as he could to get into the driver's seat. After he had burned rubber pulling away from the not so abandoned doctor's office, he had taken her hand almost desperately and had yet to let it go. And as they sped through Gotham, Harley fought with herself from asking a question she had been dying to ask since waking up to Jack curled into a ball on the ground crying.

"Jack." Harley let slip and bit her lip when he looked away from the road to look at her, the look in his eyes was frantic as he took her in, as if he were afraid this would be the last time he ever got to do so.

"Yes, doll-face?" Jack asked looking back at the road in time to swerve around a slower moving car.

"Can I ask you a question?" Harley asked nervously.

"Of course, baby." Jack told her throwing a smile her way.

"What happened back there?" Harley asked. Jack was silent for a while, and Harley began to think that Jack wasn't going to answer her question.

"Honestly, I don't know. I've heard stories, rumors, that Crane was creating a toxin that would force a person to be faced with their worst fears. But I never thought…" Jack faded off with a harsh breath through his nose, his grip on both the steering wheel and Harley's hand tightened as they flew through a red light. "He made me believe you were dead. That instead of stitching you back together, he had been cutting you open and pulling your insides out." Jack pulled over to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes. "You blamed me for your death. You said… You said…" Jack rested his head on the steering wheel and Harley could see his tears falling from his eyes.

"What did I say?" Harley asked shifting in her seat so that she was as close to him as she could get in the car, Jack shook his head as he squeezed his eyes closed. Harley removed her hand from his, causing Jack to look at her with fear, and wrapped her arms around him. "Please tell me what I said, Puddin?" Jack wrapped his arms around Harley and pulled her into his lap, squishing her between him and the steering wheel. "How can I help you if you don't tell me?"

"You said you hated me." Jack whispered into her hair.

"Oh, Puddin." Harley whispered pulling away from him just enough to be able to cup his cheeks watching as he closed his eyes an just enjoyed her touch. "My poor Puddin." Harley pecked his lips lovingly. "Don't you go listening to that bad man. I love ya, always will no matta what happens." Harley told him before pulling him into a passionate kiss. She moaned when she felt Jack run his hands down her side, but her moan quickly turned to a hiss when on of his hands brushed against her freshly stitched side.

"Shit." Jack hissed pulling his hand away from her side while lifting her shirt enough to make sure he hadn't damaged the new stitches. "I'm sorry baby, Daddy forgot you were hurt. Let's get you home and to bed." He said as he carefully slipped her from his lap and back into the passenger seat.

"But isn't the Laugh Factory now being watched by the police?" Harley asked as Jack went to put the car back into Drive.

"Yes, but we're not going there." Jack told her pulling away from the side of the road and began speeding towards their destination.

"Where are you going then, Puddin?" Harley asked taking Jack's hand in hers when he turned onto a road that she recognized, but couldn't place where.

"I told ya, doll-face," Jack said coming to a stop in front of the house she and her mother lived in, "home." Harley looked at him suddenly afraid he was gonna leave her, she watched as he turned the car off and felt him slip his hand away from hers.

Fear gripped her a the nightmare she had had before waking up to Jack crying on the floor flew from the cage in the back of her mind she had shoved it into when she saw the distress Jack was in. The fear that the strong and seemingly fearless Jack would realize how weak and afraid she really was, the fear that he would leave her because of how weak and afraid she was. Because why would someone like Jack want a scared weakling like her when he could be with someone strong and unafraid like Selina Kyle.

Harley began to hyperventilate as her mind was pulled from reality, the car melted away leaving just her and Jack standing in a void of blackness. Harley reached out to Jack who was walking further away from her. She tried to follow him, but her legs wouldn't move. "Jack!" She called for him, thankful when he stopped and looked back at her with a smile. She couldn't help the smile the found it's way onto her face when he turned and began to walk back towards her.

"Harley." Jack breathed out when he got back to her, reaching out to cup her cheeks with both of his hands wiping the tears that had fallen from her eyes. "Harley, Harley, Harley." Jack said, his hands slipping from her cheeks to her neck where he applied just enough pressure for it to be slightly uncomfortable but not enough to block her airway. "Harley, Harley, HarleyHarleyHarley." He continued shaking his head removing his hands from her neck to run them through her hair. "If only you were stronger. Daddy can't have a weak girl by his side, he can't constantly stop his important work to keep saving your sorry ass."

"I'm sorry, Daddy, I'll get stronger, I promise! Don't leave me. Please." Harley begged.

"Daddy wants to believe you, Harley, but he can't. Because you told your father the exact same thing. Promising you'd be a good girl and never tell anyone about your playtime. And what did you do?" Jack asked.

"I told." Harley whispered as Jack backed away from her.

"How can Daddy believe his baby girl when she breaks her promises." He told her vanishing into the void, leaving her alone. Harley cried and fell to her knees, burying her head into her hands.

"I'm sorry, don't leave me, Daddy. I didn't mean to tell. I'm sorry, please, I'll be better, I won't break another promise! Please come back!" She screamed and looked up with wide, teary eyes when she felt gently hands take hold on her face. But she saw no one there.

"It's okay, baby, Daddy's here." She heard Jack whisper as one of the phantom hands moved from her face to begin petting her hair. "Come back to me. Whatever you're seeing, it's not real." Slowly the phantom hands began to take form as Jack slowly began to appear in front of her.

"Puddin?" Harley asked blinking as he began to flicker in and out of existence.

"That's it baby, fight your way back to me." Jack's form stopped flickering as the void began to fade as her bedroom came into focus with Jack kneeling in front of her.

"Hi." Harley said softly as she cupped Jack's cheek with her hand happy that he hadn't left her, that he was still there with her.

"Hiya." Jack said with a relieved smile. "You wanna tell Daddy what you saw?"

"You left me." Harley whispered as tears begin to fill her eyes.

"Oh baby," Jack said sadly as he quickly sat next to her on her bed and pulled her to him. "Shh, shh. Daddy would never leave his baby girl."

"Not even if she's too weak and scared?" Harley asked meekly as she snuggled as close as she could to Jack.

"Don't you go listening to that bad man, Harley-girl. I will never leave you. And if you're taken from me, I will do everything in my power to get you back to me. I will make the streets of Gotham run red with the blood of anyone who stands between you and me." Jack vowed to her.

"But you brought me home." Harley whispered.

"So that you can rest." Jack told her brushing her hair from her face.

"And what will you be doing as I rest?" Harley asked afraid of what the answer would be.

"Waiting hand and foot on my baby girl as she heals." Jack informed her with a smile, only for his smile to vanish when he saw the shocked look on her face. "Did you really thing I was just going to drop you off and leave you?" Harley looked away in shame, because yea that is what she had thought. She heard Jack sigh before gently laying her down on the bed, Harley gripped his arms fearing that he was really going to leave her now. "I'm not going anywhere." He told her gently removing her hands from his arms so that he could slip beside her and wrap his arms around her. "Sleep." He ordered.

"What about my mom?" Harley asked.

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it. Now be a good girl and sleep." Jack ordered and Harley closed her eyes, but she didn't fall asleep.