They have a job to do.

Well the night was a partial success. One last hurrah for Bruce and Selina, and they managed to clean up the Mad Hatter's mess on the way out. Harley is still shaken by the Joker's advances; she can't dwell on it, she has more important things to tend to.

The excitement of the night isn't over. As anyone who's dealt with blackout drunk people knows- getting them home is half the struggle. Things like making sure that some of the most well trained martial artists, detectives, and heroes Gotham has ever seen don't choke on their own vomit seems to be the job for Nightwing and Harley Quinn tonight.

The drive back to the Manor had been a disaster. Tim had insisted upon riding with Steph, so Barbara had switched over to Dick's car; Bruce sat in the passenger seat staring out at the headlights in a drunken stupor. Jason had argued with Barbara over anything they could possibly argue about while she tried to keep Damian awake in the backseat. Dick was especially worried about Damian. Tim and Stephanie spent the entirety of the ride making out in the backseat while Cassandra looked on in horror, and Selina cheered them on in the front seat, watching and narrating to Harley, as they didn't seem to care. Harley had swerved only once- to tell Steph to put her shirt back on.

Once Harley and Dick had gotten their passengers through the doors, Alfred helped haul them up to their bedrooms. Dick helped Bruce out of his jeans and dumped him into bed; Selina followed, and they'd started giggling before Dick could even shut the door behind him. Harley made sure to separate Tim and Stephanie into their own bedrooms, to avoid any regrets, while Dick and Alfred made sure that Damian would be alright. Jason collapsed on the couch downstairs and Dick just left him there; Harley managed to get Cassandra to bed, but not before she'd thrown up all over Harley's sleeve and her shoes. Alfred stayed to clean it up as Dick wrangled Barbara into her bed- he'd had to leave when she'd pulled him down with her, and Harley made sure she wouldn't fall out of her bed.

The foyer seemed intensely quiet, and Dick could hear Bruce and Selina's laughter coming down the staircase.

"I suppose no more adventures for the caped crusader tonight?" Alfred sniffed, looking between Dick and Harley. They were a haggard pair. Dick's hair was disheveled, his bangs stuck up with blood at his scalp and bruising forming on his neck and face. His t-shirt was torn and bloodstained at the collar where his bloody nose had dripped; he'd put on the jacket that Harley had used on her arm. It had all but healed already, anyway. The braid in Harley's hair was a flyway mess, and her shirt was torn and sullied. She'd kicked her shoes off and was walking around in socks.

"No, I suppose not," Dick yawned, wincing and rubbing his jaw.

"I saw the story on the breaking news. This Hatter business is all over, then?"

"Yeah, Al. You should get some sleep," Dick smiled a little at the old butler. He scoffed and looked at his pocketwatch.

"It is nearly four thirty. That is when I generally wake up and feed the dogs, two of which, I am not supposed to be responsible for-" he eyed them pointedly- "and then I begin chores. I suppose my chores today shall include cleaning up vomit and God knows what else- and making hangover-compatible meals. I suggest you two get some sleep, as you'll be the only ones waking up not hung over or drunk. Enjoy the quiet."

"Thank you, Alfred," Dick smiled. He bowed and walked away into the dark, and Dick ran a hand through his hair. "We should get to bed. I don't want to deal with any of my family until late late tomorrow."

"It's okay. I don't think there's a hangover cure in the world strong enough to make them want to deal with us in the morning." Harley rolled her shoulders to get the tension out. Dick rubbed her shoulder.

"That was beyond stressful for me too- are you alright? Did the Joker hurt you? And I don't mean this," he stroked a thumb over the almost healed scar on her arm. His other hand moved to her cheek as he stepped closer to her. "Did he hurt you?" Dick asked, his thumb tracing over her cheek. "What happened?"

"He kept trying to… to kiss me." Harley visibly shuddered. It was strange how something she used to crave above all else was the thing of nightmares to her now. "And I kept trying to push him away. I just kept pushing him away." She was gesturing the action, getting noticeably upset. "But he wouldn't leave, and he kept asking me why. Why I left. Why I didn't love him. If I could love him again. And I kept saying no. Just no. And then he snapped." She paused. "He put the knife on my stomach and tried to get me to reopen the vents." She wrapped her arms over her belly protectively. "I made my move, and you showed up."

"Harley…" Dick hugged her tight, stroking her hair. "God if I'd known- I would have shown up sooner- I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's all his fault. And we can keep pretending we're okay afterward, but we're not." She stepped back to look up at him. "We keep letting him get into our heads. You can't sleep and have nightmares, and don't even try to tell me you're okay. And I'm trying so hard not to worry, but he's just everywhere. And I'm so tired, Dick. I'm tired of being afraid, of letting him win. I'm tired of even when he's not here, him beating us. I just want to be able to be happy and live without it being dictated by the Joker."

"Harley…" Dick caught her fluttering hands, making her look at him. "We can be happy! We just have to stay positive," he bit his lip, his eyebrows knit together worriedly.

"It's just so hard when he ruins every happy moment," she sighed. "I mean, did he have to crash the parties- forget the strange coincidence we planned them in the same building which happened to be where they were going to be- but I was actually having a really nice time."

"Hey, that's-"

"It was really nice just being able to hang out with all of them and not worry," she rambled on, not hearing him. "They were all acting ridiculous, and for a while I forgot my problems, you know?"

"You should be able to forget th-"

"-It was just easy to forget and be happy for a while like I was a part of it because sometimes it just feels like we're drowning in all of these bad things, and everyone else is having all of these happy things-"

"-We can be-"

"-I mean, Barbara is so going to date Sam, and that's really good for her, she's moving on with her life. And look at Steph and Tim now starting their little relationship over. And sometimes I just get so jealous of Cass because she's never afraid and always knows what she's doing- turns out she's a little insecure, but that's a different matter. And Damian is finally going out and living his life. His play was awesome, and he's finally making some friends and opening up like a normal eleven year old boy- he's eleven by the way-"

"-He's what?"

"And Jason just does whatever the hell he wants, and blows up anyone in his way. And Bruce may be all grouchy, but look how much better he is. And with Selina. And just look at her. She's just having the time of her life. All happy and engaged and just-"

"-Harley!" Dick cried, catching her face in his hands. "I didn't- wow that was a lot to take in. Harley," Dick shook his head and stroked her cheek. "You aren't happy? Why wouldn't you tell me that?" he sounded genuinely hurt as he watched her. "I mean, I know this is about the Joker, but it's more personal than that. This isn't- is this because I haven't proposed to you yet?"

"What?" Harley blinked like she just realized what she'd said out loud. She blushed. "Oh no, I am happy! There's just been a lot going on lately..."

"Harley…" Dick shook his head and looked down. He laughed ruefully. "Harley Quinn, you crazy girl." Dick stroked her messy hair. He grinned and dropped down on one knee tiredly. Shaking his head again, he pulled out a small silver ring, sparkling with rubies and black sapphires in a custom setting. "I know things are stressful lately, and I know that sometimes… well sometimes things are scary or desperate, but we have to keep our heads up. When we keep our heads up, that's when we fly. That's when we're above the fear and the suffering." Dick smiled and laughed a little, the blood on his hairline holding it away from his face. He held up the ring. Harley put her hands over her mouth. "You told me once that two people get engaged when they couldn't be happier, and it killed me because-" he bit his lip- "I'm never happier than I am with you. I know things are bad right now, but I'm still as happy as can be. I love you, Harles. Now, if I ask you- are you going to say yes this time?"

"Are you going to ask me this time?" she interrupted before waving him on.

"Will you marry me?" Harley took her hands away from her face, and Dick saw she was crying. She nodded.

"Yeah. I'll marry you," she breathed, smiling down at him.

Dick grinned, that same stupid, lopsided, goofy smile she'd fallen in love with. He slipped the ring onto her finger as he stood, holding her tight. He closed his eyes, still beaming. "I love you. We'll be okay, I promise."

"Of course we will," she murmured. After a second, she started laughing. "It took getting your entire family wasted for your proposal not to get ruined."

"For once, Bruce couldn't interrupt," Dick agreed, laughing with her. "And they're not my entire family. They're our entire family." Harley beamed up at him and gave him a kiss. She started giggling and broke away.

"We're engaged," she giggled. She was practically bouncing with happiness. "I take full credit though; I brought it up."

"You can't take credit because you brought it up! But seriously, is that what you've been so worked up about?" he took her hand, leading her up the stairs.

"No. Yes. Maybe. A little." Harley wrinkled her nose. "Well Barbara told me you were going to propose again when we had that big fight, and then I guess I got worried because I ruined it, and I thought you wouldn't want to propose anymore, and I didn't want you to propose because I wanted you to-" she cut off, biting her lip and looking up at him. Dick laughed and smoothed the crease between her eyebrows.

"What on earth could make you think that I would ever give up on proposing to you?" Dick smiled, stopping at the top of the stairs to look at her.

"I don't know." Harley blushed. "I just didn't think you'd want to, and I know it's stupid, I just… I know being engaged isn't really going to change anything at all, and it wasn't even worth worrying about. It just seemed- well I thought- Getting married means you're with me forever, and I didn't know if you… and I know you've said that-"

"-My biggest mistake, Harley, would be letting you slip through my fingers." Dick traced her lips with his thumb, smiling. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I don't care how long or short it is. As long as you're there." Harley beamed.

"Good. Because you're stuck with me forever and ever now."

"Forever and ever," Dick agreed, leading her down the hall to the bedroom. He closed the door behind himself and shrugged his jacket off. "Now lets hope nobody dies of alcohol poisoning tonight."

"Alfred will take care of them," Harley assured him. She started giggling. "Mrs. Richard Grayson." Dick smiled at her over his shoulder, taking off his bloodstained t-shirt and attempting to wipe his bloody nose up a bit.

"Should we tell them tomorrow? Provided they all wake up at a semi-decent time?" he asked, walking into the bathroom and flicking the light on. His nightmare from before seemed distant and forgettable now. Harley followed him in and wet a towel.

"Let your future wife help you." Harley smiled to herself. Dick laughed.

"Thank you," he said quietly, smiling down at her. "You're going to be Mrs. Grayson," he looked at her thoughtfully, his eyes shining.

"Or you could be Mr. Quinzel," she offered with a smirk, cleaning up the blood on him.

"I don't know. How does Dick Quinzel sound?"

"Ew, no." She wrinkled her nose. "Harley Grayson," she tested it out. Dick smiled lovingly at her.

"Much better," he said quietly, and he took her hand. He looked at the ring on her finger and smiled broader. "Harley Grayson," he repeated.

"Mrs. Harley Grayson." She put the towel down. "Mr. and Mrs. Grayson… and family." She beamed. Dick watched her, enjoying her happiness.

"You know, I guess I lied. I said that I couldn't be any happier than when I'm with you, but… This is different. I'd say I'm definitely happier now than I was before." He bit his lip, stroking her cheek gently.

"Just wait till we have to start planning the wedding," she warned, but couldn't stop smiling. The word wedding made her start giggling again. "We're going to have a wedding. With cake and stuff."

"We'll have to act like civilized people," Dick warned with a smile. "At least for the ceremony."

"Don't ruin my fun, fiance."

"Sorry," Dick laughed, wincing a bit as she cleaned the cut at his hairline.

"Sorry," she apologized. She hummed for a bit. "It should be a spring wedding," she suddenly declared. "So Haly is old enough. And of course we have to tell everyone tomorrow." Harley giggled at the thought. "How should we do it?" she pondered. "See who notices first? Oh, and we'll have to go to the cemetery to visit your parents to let them know the good news. Do you think we should incorporate the dogs in the ceremony?" She set the towel down, smiling up at him. Dick laughed and shook his head.

"I'm not sure. About the dogs, I mean. The rest of it sounds perfect," he smiled, leaning back against the counter.

"We'll figure it out." Harley brushed his damp hair off of his forehead. "No matter what we do will be perfect."

"We should get to bed," he cleared his throat, squeezing her hand that she hadn't even noticed he was holding. Harley skipped toward the open bathroom door, pulling him along by his hand. She smiled back at him.

"I'm so happy," she squealed. "In case you haven't caught on." She remembered how the Joker had made her feel, how his attention made her feel, and it was nothing compared to this. That had been a lie, and now she knew she was truly happy.

"I can tell," Dick smiled at her, squeezing her hand. "I'm glad." I'm glad I make you happy.

"Good because if you weren't happy, that'd put a bit of a damper on my mood." She kissed him on the cheek. She skipped over and changed into a t-shirt and pajama pants.

"I'm sure it would," he yawned. "So how was your party?" Dick asked, dropping into bed in his boxers and a clean t-shirt. He didn't even bother with the covers.

"It was fun." Harley laid down facing him, propping her elbow in her pillow and resting her head on her fist. "We went to the club first, but it got boring pretty fast. They carded Steph, I'm pretty sure guys have a fetish for pregnant ladies, and the bartender was trying to get really friendly with Selina. Cass didn't start to enjoy herself until we went to a fight club. The odds were always against her, so we made a boatload of cash. So when we got back to the casino, we just went to the hotel instead of gambling."

"That sounds… fun?" Dick shook his head, pulling it out of the pillow. "Getting drunk has never really been my idea of a good time, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. Jason got the dancer to give Damian his first lap dance. As a ten-eleven- year old." Dick groaned. "I'm a terrible chaperone, apparently."

"It's okay. Steph was trying to bring a stripper home- there were two and they were dressed as Batman and Robin. And Cass cried. Twice, so…" Dick stared at her incredulously.

"Who's idea was it to have Batman and Robin strippers?!" he cried, laughing.

"Barbara's." Harley rolled her eyes. "Steph kept calling the one dressed as Robin her new Tim."

"Of course she did. Well hopefully now, she doesn't need a new Tim." Dick smiled a little. "Tonight was one hell of a mess, but… it was a success."

"Major success," Harley agreed. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the nose, giggling. Dick closed his eyes and smiled, wrapping an arm around her as he laughed, tucking her against his chest. He pulled the blankets over them, kissing her cheek.

"I know you're happy, but it's really about time we slept, Harley," he laughed again, kissing her cheek. "We'll probably have a lot to do tomorrow."

"You mean if they all even get up tomorrow. Fine. Goodnight." She kissed his shoulder with a sly smile. Dick rolled his eyes and laughed in exasperation.

"Harley!" he whined, smiling. "I'm tired…" his lips brushed hers as he smiled. Dick kissed her playfully, but it grew more fervent as it went on. He finally broke away from her passionate kiss, panting slightly. "I'm tired," he repeated, less forcefully than before.

"Then go to bed," she breathed, her lips brushing his. She ran her fingers through his hair.

"Harley…" he breathed, and a weak moan escaped his lips. His hands fell to her hips, and one slid to the small of her back, pulling her closer. Her fingers tightened in his hair, pulling his face to hers so she could kiss him hungrily. After a long time, she broke it off, nibbling his lower lip before asking.

"Still tired?"

Dick shook his head, his eyes closed, his lips following hers. He inhaled deeply, taking in her warmth, her scent; his hand moved to cradle her face, and he kissed her slowly. She felt him smile into the kiss, and he pushed her down on the bed, his strong arms on either side of her head as he held himself above her. His eyes shone as he smiled lovingly. "No," he whispered, smirking.

Harley pulled his shirt off over his head. She kissed up his chest and along his neck before gently biting his ear. "I didn't think so," she breathed. Dick shuddered a bit, moving his hands to tug her shirt off as well, his abs tight to hold himself above her as he kissed her gently. One of Harley's hands was still playing with Dick's hair as the other trailed down his arm to his elbow. "Well if you're not tired," Harley moaned as Dick kissed down her neck. She grabbed his face and pulled it up so she could look at him. "How about a workout?" She smirked.