Sorry for the long delay :( I gave it my best, though, hope you like it... Writer's block truly is a bitch.

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Strong arms around me, holding me tightly. The smell of gasoline in my nostrils and bodyweight pressed down on me. The taste of paint on the tip of my tongue and heaven in my ears.

I sighed in delight. There was nowhere else I'd rather be, but right here, in his arms. His loving, possessive...

My eyes opened immediately as I lost the ground beneath me. In shock, I noticed two men pick me up and carry me. I needed a minute to process the fact that I woke up and that this was reality. But once I did...

»Get the fuck away from me!« I roared and kicked.

The two men rumbled something and held me tighter.

My mind raced as I calmed myself down for a second, only to have Harley take control and snap all over again. She, unlike me, was much stronger and animalistic. She was a fighter, while Ana was merely a survivor. A thinker. Not Harley, though. She acted on impulse.

So, it shouldn't have been a surprise when I did a crocodile death roll and broke free from their grasp. Immediately, my mind went into fight-mode and I grabbed the closest thing to me. A dusty old wooden baseball bat lay beside me in the abandoned house I found shelter in.

It truly was stupid of me to think I was safe anywhere in Gotham, especially since martial law was in order. So I had to take matters into my own hands.

I spun on my feet and slammed the bat to the first guy that came near me. I heard his jaw crack and he dropped to his knees in pain.

It only fuelled my taste for blood further, so I went for the second guy at top speed. He looked surprised that such a short girl could pack such a hit, and he soon got a taste of it as I hit him square on the nose. It broke and blood gushed out of it. He swung at me instantly, but thankfully, Bane's training kicked in.

Use your physique to your advantage, I heard in my mind, his very words he said as he once trained me.

So, I ducked down and leaped underneath the guy's extended arm as he tried to hit me, ended behind his back and swung my bat again. This time I didn't stop and kept hitting the back of his head until he lay motionless on the floor. I knew he was merely unconscious, not dead. But that was enough for me.

I glanced at the other guy, who got back to his feet. Something about the expression on my face told him to get the fuck away or he was gonna end up like his pal.

He ran out of the room and I finally caught my breath. I felt adrenaline coursing through my veins and it empowered me.

I left the room soon after. I had no idea which part of the house I was in and I simply wanted to get out. But the more I walked, the darker it got.

I kept thinking of what happened yesterday. I got sadder and sadder the more I thought about Joker, caught by the police.

I held the bat tight enough to turn my knuckles pale. The room I was in now was completely dark and I cautiously stepped forward.

Suddenly, I felt something slippery beneath me and I lost my balance and fell. I banged my head hard against the stone floor and my eyes shut on their own.

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When I woke up it was already morning and the room was dimly illuminated. I tried to push myself up, and noticed I was lying in a pool of blood. There was an unknown man next to me, lying on the floor, dead. His gut was cut open and blood seeped from him to the floor.

I pushed myself up in disgust, looking over my body. My entire right side was bloody red.

I stumbled through the house until I found a bathroom and cleaned myself as best as I could. The right part of my body was still stained, despite my attempts to get the blood completely off. All the hair on the side of my head was stained, a mixture between brown and dark red, with my natural blonde color shining dully through.

I must have looked like a proper mess, but shook it off, grabbed my bat and searched for an exit.

It was much easier to find, unlike the night before, and I was out in no time.

But as soon as I took a step outside, a small group of mercenaries stared right at me. They were passing by, but stopped as soon as they saw me.

Well, shit.

I swung the bat by my side, but it didn't help not even one bit, as they took control of my body effortlessly and dragged me to the unknown.

I didn't try to escape, because I knew exactly how serious these boys were. Bane trained them well and it would have meant certain death if I tried anything stupid.

I wondered why they took me. Probably to take me to Bane. But then again, how did they know who I was? If that was even the case... I had to make sure.

»Where are you taking me?«

»To the courtroom. You will be judged as every Gothamite according to your crime and receive a verdict.«

»What? Wait, there's been a mistake. I'm not from Gotham and I'm not a criminal, either!«

One mercenary merely smirked and another one said:

»Tell that to the right side of your body.« »That blood isn't mine.«

»That's even worse,« somebody else said and I scrunched my face.

»The bat doesn't really help your case, either,« they told me.

»Look, there's been a mistake. Take me to Bane,« I argued, even though I knew seeing Bane was like having a death wish. It would not have gone well, especially since I escaped.

They didn't even respond, which made me even angrier.

»I worked for him. I was a nurse in the sewers.«

»Tsk, yeah, right,« a man smirked and it made my blood boil.

»I wanna see Bane.«

But from then on, they stopped speaking. I knew damn well that I was still headed for the »courtroom« and my suspicions grew smaller as we entered an old, historic building with dirty marble floor.

Mercenaries were all around us and I remembered. This was the city hall, Bane's new nest. Which meant he wasn't far.

I still didn't know if I wanted to see him or not. I wondered if he'd kill me immediately, without even saying a word. Somehow, that thought made me sad. Not because of me dying in that scenario, but because I thought we were better than that. It felt like we had history, some unresolved emotions I didn't dare admit we both had.

Mercenaries were all around, in the corners of the »courtroom«, while common folk created a circle in the middle, yelling. They got so riled up they started throwing curses at me, as the men dragged me in. They had no idea who I was and yet they chose to mark me as a »whore«, »dirty little bitch« and a »spoiled rich slut«.

Suddenly, the men placed me on a seat in the middle of the circle, not so gently, might I add, and left.

I looked around, to the crowd of people and saw my wooden, bloody bat slowly roll toward me as one mercenary threw it back to me. I watched it stop as it touched my shoe and wondered how many skulls I could bash open with this thing.

Once again, Gotham proved itself to be as dirty and corrupted as I always knew it was. Its people were even worse. Yelling names I didn't deserve. They judged me, but who were they to judge? Like they knew how many times I saved their own people, from the time Joker tried to blow up two ferries and I saved them all. But no one cared about that. No one even knew it happened anymore. They were just animals, screaming around me.

I felt disgusted to my very core.

As I was lost to my thoughts, a very clear and surprised voice brought me back to reality and I felt like cold water was poured over my back.

»Mrs. Harley Quinn... I never expected to see you here.«

Oh, god, I know that voice. But who...?

I looked straight up, and saw non other that doctor Jonathan Crane look down upon me from his high stool, clearly the judge in this case. There were piles of paper around his throne of justice, two mercenaries with guns on both sides.

I looked up directly at him, to see him wearing the glasses I remembered so clearly, and as his steel blue eyes bore into mine I could just feel his icy stare deep in my bones.

That luscious dark brown hair hadn't changed a bit, falling over his glasses and full lips in light curls. This man's cheeks were sharp as razor. Gotham's fall truly brought out the raw beauty of doctor Crane.

I remembered the deal we had clearly. I could still hear his exact words in my head. He seemed like a man of honor. I hoped he'd kept our deal.

»I am just as surprised as you are, doctor. I see you took my advice about the west wing,« I smirked and it took him only a second to return the smirk.

He remembered how I most likely saved his life by telling him how to escape Arkham before Joker got to him. The darn west wing of the building.

»So, the notorious Joker's girl finally got caught. Make no mistake Mrs. Quinn-, you are Harley Quinn, are you not?«

»I go by that name often.«

Very well. I won't tell him your name, he said.

Not to anyone, I repeated and he forced a smile.

Not to anyone, he promised.

I knew he was testing me. But I was ready to play his game.

»Which other names do you go by?«

»There are many.«

»Indulge me.«

»Many men in this room know me as Dog, but that's a whole other story.«

»Are you aware, Mrs. Quinn, that every Gothamite is on trial for their crime against the freeing of Gotham?«

»I was not until now.«

»Then you understand now why they brought you here.«

»Dragged, more rather,« I corrected him and continued in a more feisty manner:

»And I do not, actually. I am not from Gotham. Therefore I do not deserve to be judged for such crimes.«

»Shut up, you whore!« A man yelled from the audience, and Crane banged with his hammer.

»Silence!«

I felt myself become anxious. It had nothing to do with Crane or the man's previous yell. But something in the back of my mind made me grow restless. And yet, I had no idea what it was.

»Can you prove you're not a Gothamite?«

»I can, because you won't find any evidence of me ever being here. No birth certificate, no dental record, no criminal records, not even a lousy school report. I am a ghost in this town.«

»Well, that might as well be because Harley Quinn sounds like a very made up name.«

»It is, but then again, whose name isn't?«

He allowed himself to form a small smile at my answer, before resuming:

»You might have simply changed your name. It doesn't prove your involvement with the city. Or rather, the lack of it.«

»Doctor Crane, I have no reason to lie. English isn't even my first language, which I'm sure you can tell.«

»Many would beg to differ. Your English is extraordinary if it truly isn't your mother tongue.«

»Thank you.«

»You are welcome. But that brings us back to point zero. And these men that have gathered here today want justice, Mrs. Quinn.«

The crowd roared at his words, and I became more and more nervous. But I just couldn't put my finger on what was the cause of it. Because I knew for sure that no Harley Quinn would ever be afraid of a lousy little trial such as this.

»So do I. I am not the criminal here. I want the liberation of Gotham as much as the next man.«

»Well, you did play a big part in the destruction of Arkham Asylum, I know that from my personal experience. Or can you deny it?«

»I cannot and I will not. But I do not see that as a crime.«

By now I knew exactly what the crowd wanted to hear. Even though it was a complete and utter lie and bullshit I gave it to them:

»I helped free all those poor people from being trapped unwillingly in that damn institution. Don't they deserve a chance to live just like we all do? Free from the chains that the rich had put on us. The corrupt?!«

»Yeah!« The crowd roared, and it brought a small smile on my lips.

But somehow, my instincts got worse and I knew something just wasn't right. I had to end this, and get out. Quickly.

»And yet you worked with a man that single handedly brought terror upon Gotham and chaos unlike any other.«

»Which man are you talking about? I have more than one in mind,« I dared say, even though I knew admitting it didn't exactly help my cause.

»This is a courtroom, so you will be judged in order to reach justice. I will be the one to give you the verdict.«

The crowds cheered and roared on.

»I thought this was Bane's city,« I argued.

»Bane has no authority here, this is merely a sentencing hearing. Now, given the nature of your crime, I will give you the power of choice. Death or exile?«

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Raise your hand if you went to see Dunkirk! I loved it, it combined three of my favorite things: Nolan, Murphy and Hardy. Let me know if you liked this chapter and if you want more :)