Harri put on the blindfold lLucius had given her after she got into the car. Before he pulled out of the garage, she began talking.

"This is so crazy," Harri remarked, feeling the car move but seeing nothing. "Bruce is the Batman...Adriana was Shade..and now the Joker is Arsenio's father. And looks like him! Things were so different a few days ago."

"All very true," Lucius commented.

"The craziest part..." Harri said.

"You just had a conversation with Gotham's most wanted?" Lucius asked at he made a turn on the road.

"Most wanted!" Harri burst out laughing, clamping her hand over her covered eyes. "Oh..Lord..help us..."

Lucius turned to her and she was shaking her head.

"The craziest part," Harri went on. "Is that..that man is...well quite frankly, he's hot."

"Oh Harri-" Lucius began to silence her but she jumped back in immediately.

"I mean, seriously! He's gorgeous!" Harri was laughing again. "The Joker! Sexy! Attractive! What the actual fuck..is happening? He looks nothing like all the videos and photos I've seen."

"Your sister and a doctor were kind enough to help him with his physical issues, although the facial scarring is something that he wanted to keep," Lucius told her.

"So why didn't he?" she asked.

"He did one laser treatment and changed his mind," Lucius told her. "The doctor tells me it should have taken a series of treatments to fully remove the scarring but he developed a skin picking disorder at the time...one treatment was enough. I believe he was pulling off the scar tissue for several days."

"That sounds painful as hell!" Harri exclaimed. "And now his face is scar free, which he didn't want?"

"I suppose," Lucius said. "He discusses these things with his doctor."

"Okay..." Harri said. "Now what?"

"What do you mean?"Lucius asked her.

"Maybe Bruce should meet him," Harri said. "To see that he's different now. I mean..he's clearly changed."

"He has changed," Lucius agreed. "However, involving Bruce...bringing them face to face...will never be a good idea. Bruce wants him dead regardless-"

"Maybe you're not giving Bruce enough credit. He wants him dead because he believes he hurt Adriana but once he sees that's not true-"

"It's highly unlikely that Bruce will ever see the Joker as anything other than evil."

"Even though he didn't hurt my sister?"

"Yes," Lucius said. "Even though he didn't hurt her, he killed someone very close to Bruce."

"Who?" Harri wanted to know.

"A very close friend of his," Lucius said. "Her name was Rachel."

"Rachel.." Harri said, weakly. "Bruce told me about her..he has her ashes...he said a building burned down."

"There was an explosion," Lucius told her. "She was abducted. Placed into a building full of barrels of gasoline along with a bomb-"

"Wha..." Harri felt all the air leave her lungs. The man she had just been speaking with, Arsenio's biological father, had done this.

"So unfortunately, Bruce will not be so open minded with this.." Lucius said.

Harri nodded quietly.

.

.

.

Harri held her wine glass in one hand and her cell phone in another as she sat on a couch. She texted her husband who kept repeating that he missed her and that she should come home at least for the weekend. She held the glass to her lips and began typing with her thumb as Bruce came into the room and walked over to the bar to pour himself a scotch.

"He's sound asleep," Bruce said about Arsenio.

Harri nodded and kept texting.

"Antonio wants me home for the weekend," Harri said.

"Well I'm sure he must miss you," Bruce said after pouring his drink. "You should go spend time with him. Arsenio and I will be just fine. We'll miss you of course but your husband needs you too."

"Okay," Harri said while sending another text. "I'll go, but I can come back next week."

"That's fine," Bruce said and took a swallow of his drink.

"And..." Harri said as her he texted back. "He's overjoyed."

"Good," Bruce said.

"Bruce...can we talk about something?" Harri asked and sat her glass down on the table in front of her.

Bruce cleared his throat. "Sure."

"So..you know I went to go and see Lucius earlier-" Harri said.

"Of course he didn't tell you where he's stowed away that criminal, but that's nothing to worry about," Bruce said, cutting her off. "I'll figure it out eventually."

"No..he didn't exactly tell me where," Harri said, knowing it probably wasn't best at this moment to tell Bruce that she had met the man. "But he did tell me that the Joker is the one who was responsible for you friend's death...Rachel."

Bruce leaned against the bar, and nodded.

"And that's...one of the predominant reasons why you hate him and want him dead," Harri said.

"There are countless reasons, Harri. But that one is up there," Bruce said. "No one is safe as long as that man is alive. He has killed so many, Harri. And on top of that...what he did to my wife..your sister...only God knows what she was dealing with and had to put up with regarding him."

"Well..not only God," Harri said.

"Hm?" Bruce asked.

"Lucius knows...maybe you should talk to him."

Bruce began to stand up straighter, and even though he wasn't saying anything yet, Harri could see how his attitude was changing, He was becoming angry.

"What did he say to you?" Bruce's voice darkened.

"Well-" Harri started speaking but Bruce interrupted.

"Because whatever it was, it doesn't matter. That monster harmed my wife, likely repeatedly-"

"Bruce he-"

"And I don't care what she said to Lucius because the truth is obvious! He is a disgusting, vile, and clearly perverted man who took advantage-"

"Bru-"

"I can't even imagine what she went though! But I can do something about this! I can make him suffer like he did her-"

"Bruce-"

"I will kill him, mark my words!" Bruce was shouting, but fortunately Wayne Manor was large enough that no one else could hear him. Alfred and Arsenio, peacefully out of earshot.

Harri was now quiet. She had tried to speak so many times but she was now learning, no matter what, Bruce simply did not want to hear it . He would not hear anything other than what he already believed he knew.

"Mark my words," he repeated.

Harri nodded quietly and Bruce turned back to the bar to pick up his drink again. She was fairy confident that Bruce would never find the Joker, especially after he was finally relocated away from Gotham. Lucius had been doing an excellent job at keeping him hidden so far. He was safe.

But she could see Bruce's anger and vengeance eating him up inside. He was still doing an amazing job as a father and ever since learning about who Arsenio's father was, he wasn't treating the baby as though he was the offspring of his worst enemy...in fact, he was more loving than ever. He would protect his son at all costs. He loved him more than anything.

She began to wonder if Bruce even needed to know the entire truth. His anger would likely lessen over time as he adjusted to his life without Adriana, right? Or maybe it would grow worse...years going by, wondering where the monster who he believed assaulted his wife was. Whether he was still alive, still in custody by the team hired by Lucius.

.

.

.

The following night, Harri packed a suitcase for the weekend she would be spending in Chicago. Once she was done she bathed and got into her bed. It had been a long day caring for the baby while Bruce had gone to work, a rare occurrence these days.

Neither she nor Bruce had mentioned their disagreement or discussion of the Joker at all that knew he didn't want to hear anything anyone had to say.

She laid her head on the pillow and began to think. She began to remember. She thought back to around the time when Adriana would have become pregnant, and tried to remember her interactions with her.

.

"Bitch," Harri said over the phone. "I've been calling you since yesterday."

"Sorryyy," Adriana apologized. "I was busy."

"Busy with what? Working at the precinct?" Harri asked and pulled a toothpick between her teeth.

"No...no I wasn't working," she answered.

"Oh!" Harri said. "It's the guy!"

"What-"

"Don't what me," Harri said. "I can hear it in your voice, just be honest."

"Okay..fine...we were busy yesterday afternoon..and last night...and this morning-"

"Ahhh!" Harri shrieked. "So when do I get to meet him? Come on, you're spending a lot of time together."

"Harri," Adriana sighed. "Never. You're never going to meet him."

"Why?" Harri asked. "We all have bad boys once or twice in our lives..."

"Once or twice Harri?"

"Okay, I've had my fair share," Harri said. "All the more reason I should meet your boyfriend. I mean you sound so happy. Every time I used to call you , back when you were with Damien, you sounded like a fucking frog."

"A frog?" Adriana was laughing. "A fucking frog though?"

"Yes!" Harri said seriously. "Just all croaky and tired and unhappy..and old."

"Old!" Adriana said.

"Yes!" Harri exclaimed again. "You you sound..young and fun and happy and...I don't know. Different from how I've ever heard you. I think this guy may be a keeper even if he's a drug dealer or whatever-"

"Wait I never said he dealt drugs, Harri," Adriana said.

"Well from the little you tell me, I have to make assumptions," Harri shrugged. "You're not proud of his profession."

"Whatever," Adriana said. "Stop referring to him as my boyfriend. He's not."

"Then what is he?" Harri asked. "Friend with benefits?"

"Why does it need a label? It's just..something that's happening for now."

"Can I ask you something?' Harri asked. "Serious question?"

"You're going to ask whether I say yes or no, so go ahead."

"Fine," Harri said. "Are you happy?"

Adriana was quiet.

"It's a simple yes or no.." Harri said.

"Okay..." Adriana said with pause. "Yes...I'm happy."

"Okay so why do you seem so..ashamed of your boyfriend then?"

"Harri," Adriana said and Harri could finally hear some emotion in Adriana's voice. "It's just really...really complicated. And I know that long term it could never work out, it could never actually be anything. And it sucks, okay! Because he tends to be a fucking horrible person 99.9% of the time!"

"And the .1%?" Harri asked.

"The .1%," Adriana said, and Harri could hear it in her voice, that she was trying not to cry. "It figures, his .1% is the best I've ever experienced and probably ever will. And it just so happens that..he and I can never be. Not really...and I'm just trying really hard Harri to not catch feelings for this man, alright? I don't want to feel anything, so that way when it all comes to an end I'll be alright. And it works, because I don't think he wants to get too close either. He and I don't even have to talk about it..it's like we both know what this really is..it's physical and that's it. That's why I don't want to keep talking about it and who he is and what he does or whatever. The less I talk about him the better."

"Adriana," Harri said meekly.

"Yes?"

"Don't you think..just maybe...if you can't even talk about this guy without getting in your feelings and being so worried about caring for him or whatever...maybe, just perhaps, you already do have feelings for him?"

Adriana was quiet for a long time.

"Harri..." she said, her voice sounding forcibly composed. "I have to go."

.

Harri sat up in bed as she remembered the conversation. It was something she had nearly completely forgotten about until this moment. She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and began to write.

.

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.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said to Bruce, who was taking the band off of a cigar. Alfred hadn't seen Bruce smoke anything in ages, but supposed he was picking up cigar smoking again,

"Yes, Alfred?" Bruce said.

"Harri asked me to give this to you once she was gone," Alfred said and handed Bruce the letter.

Bruce sat the cigar down on top of the neat row of cigars in the box.

"Thank you," Bruce said and looked at the simple folded sheet of paper. "Have you read this?"

"I have not," Alfred said.

Alfred had already been told about the Joker being Arsenio's father. He knew exactly how angry and hurt Bruce was about it all.

"Would you mind?" Bruce handed the sheet back to Alfred.

Alfred looked down at it and realized that Bruce wanted him to read the letter to him aloud. It was an odd request but Alfred did as Bruce wanted. Bruce picked the cigar up again and tilted up and down between two fingers as Alfred unfolded the paper and began to read.

"Dear Bruce," Alfred started. " I could not think of any other way to get through to you other than writing a letter. Please don't take this the wrong way but there is no other way to speak to you. You simply are unable to hear anything that anyone says to you right now."

Alfred paused, being that Bruce now look very tense. Bruce looked him in the eyes and told him to continue.

" I will get straight to the point. I have been thinking a lot about my sister, and remembering a lot. As far as I know, you and she we're not together and not in close contact around the time when she became pregnant. The time when she was involved with the Joker. I remember that time. Because she and I were speaking on the phone all the time and were in close contact. And I just have to tell you, that she was happy. I do not have any other way to say it. I spoke to her on the phone and asked her very directly if she was happy once and she said that she was. But she knew that the man that she was involved with could never be a serious partner for her. She was emotional, she was distraught, it seemed the only thing that made her unhappy at that time was the fact that she knew that her relationship would not last. Because, and her own words, the man that she was involved with was a horrible person 99.9 percent of the time. I have to believe that she was referring to was the Joker. I needed to tell you this because you will not allow anyone else to. Regardless of what you think she cared for him, and I now believe that he cared for her too-"

"Stop," he told Alfred. " Just stop."