Chapter 15: I smell a rat

"Harley, why don't you stop acting like a drunken stripper."

"You want to tell me what the hell is going on then? Because...I smell a rat."

Deadshot & Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad Extended Version (2016).

"I just don't understand!" Lauren was whining again and Harley tried to keep the scowl of her face. "Why am I being punished?!"

"Because you pushed Gracie in the dirt."

"Just because she's your favorite!"

Harley didn't disagree. Gracie was her favorite.

The little girl had forgiven her mistake of touching her and didn't mention it again. She continued talking to Harley exclusively and the special bond between the two remained intact.

"You could have just sent me home." Lauren muttered and kicked an empty can, sending it flying across the dirty street. "You don't have to walk me."

"That's too dangerous. Besides, Jodie and I agreed." Lauren rolled her eyes and Harley understood the young girl's frustration.

She and Jodie rarely agreed on anything, but when they had both seen how she had pushed poor Gracie during a performance they'd both agreed on sending her back to Neverland.

"Why are we taking the long way?" Lauren asked. "Is that part of my punishment?"

"Yes." It wasn't actually, but Harley as a new member on Rung 8 didn't want to entrust the younger girl with the real reason.

She just wanted to get her back so she could return to her work.

She had started singing with Porter and the crowd loved them together. Their voices harmonized well together and they looked like an attractive couple, even if they weren't. But looking at one another guiltily while belting love duets helped them out a lot, so they played this card quite often. The incident with Mistah J was two weeks ago and for the first time in maybe forever, things were looking up for Harley Quinn.

For the first time since Belle Reve she was gaining weight again. She didn't throw up after each meal anymore. After one week of vigorously cleaning and cooking and helping the younger girls with their studies she had been promoted to Rung five.

She was working her way up the ladder and she felt good about it and about herself.

Now on Rung 8 she was privy to the organization of Neverland.

And it's secrets.

"Gracie is always being treated like such a baby, but she's already six. I hate that. She never has to do as much as Rachel and me."

"That's why you pushed her?"

Lauren shrugged an didn't answer. She merely kicked the can again. The hairs of Harley's neck stood up as she was overwhelmed by the feeling of being watched. The longer way from downtown Gotham City to the outskirts where Neverland lay was safer because there were more people, but that was also what made it less safe.

"Lauren." She whispered. "Hurry along."

The young girl groaned dramatically. "Why?! You're acting so weird, Harley."

To protect the lower rungs Peter and Wendy had instructed to keep it to themselves, but the truth was, Hook's crew was after the Lost Boys.

Most of the young adults had been attacked during their guarding shifts. Two had been murdered. To avoid panic and hysteria it was being kept secret.

"This way." Harley motioned for Lauren to follow her into one of Neverland's safe-houses.

Peter and Wendy had a lot of them in Gotham randomly. Right now she and Lauren were in a former jewelry store. It was empty, with shutters on the windows and dust in every corner. Harley liked to duck into them every now and then when she was worried about leading them back to Neverland. The location wasn't exactly a secret, but there were certain entries and exits that only Rung 8 and 9 knew about.

"Harley." Lauren sat down in the middle of the store, crossing her legs and not being concerned about the dust all around her. Harley stood at the broken shutters peering outside. There didn't seem to be anything unusual going on. But she could feel it in every fiber of her body. Something was off.

Had she and Jodie been too fast to judge? Fine she had pushed poor Gracie, causing the girl to have a fit and ruining the performance, but still. She felt uneasy alone with an 11-year-old who could just barely fight.

"Harley. I want to ask you something."

There was a man standing on the other side of the store. He was just standing and looking around. Maybe he was waiting for someone. Or maybe, Harley thought, this is Hook and he's watching us. It didn't help the situation in total that nobody seemed to know who Hook was and what the man behind all these attacks actually looked like.

"It's about a boy. If a boy wants you to do something, but you don't really want to, would you do it anyway? Or well, maybe you do want to, but you know that it's wrong?"

"What?" She took her eyes from the man for a second.

"If a boy asks you to do something you know is wrong, would you do it anyway?"

The man was gone.

"Damnit!"

Maybe it had been Hook.

Maybe he had seen her.

Maybe he and is crew were surrounding her and Lauren right now.

"I don't mean anything big, like murder or anything. I just mean if he wanted you to push someone for example or find secret passages–"

"Lauren, we don't have time for this!" Harley snapped. "Come on, we need to go!" She barely waited for Lauren and exited the small store.

Lauren was flushed as she had hurried after Harley.

"It's just I really like him, but I know if something is wrong then you're not supposed to do it."

Harley was about to respond, but just then there was a loud banging sound and screams on the street.

The store they'd just been in had exploded.

The Joker was in a foul mood.

He drank, he took drugs, he spent his nights with Jester, he was making more money than he had in a while.

But he was so miserable.

He hadn't expected to be this hung up on Harley Quinn.

Most of the time they'd been together she had annoyed him. She was loud, whiny and always had so many demands. But the amount of time they'd spent together had made her grow on him. Now where she had been loud it was too quiet, where she'd had demands he felt the loss of having a purpose. The package he had set aside for her weeks ago lay underneath his bed. He had taken it into the new house, unable to part without for whatever reasons.

"Boss?"

Ah Johnny. The one who seemed to read his mind whenever he was having one of his moments.

"What?"

"You wanted to know about anything weird going on downtown?" Johnny didn't wait for him to confirm. "One of the stores just blew up. You know, one of theirs."

The Joker had instructed him to keep tabs on Harley Quinn. Mainly for entertainment reasons. If she was going down, he wanted to see it to laugh at her.

"Which one?"

"The burnt out jewelers." Johnny muttered. "Maxwell I think?"

"Maxime." Mistah J. muttered.

"Do you want me to bring the car around?"

He had gotten himself a new vehicle after Harley had demolished his Vaydor. He had stolen so many cars, causing havoc in the GPD, but it hadn't been as fun as he'd expected.

"No." He didn't want to drive there, he didn't want to see her. After all he didn't need her. He told himself this every day, over and over again. He was the strong one, he wasn't dependent on anyone's affection. The Joker did not need Harley Quinn in his life.

"Darling!" In her whirlwind manor Jester swept into the room. "There you are! Look, what I bought!"

She twirled in front of him, showing off a short blue dress.

"Great." He sighed.

Johnny retreated form the room, as always knowing when he wasn't needed anymore.

He didn't like Jester.

Mistah J didn't care, it wasn't like he really liked her either. She was merely means to an end. Someone to fill the void Harley had created by being a lying, cheating whore.

"What's that?" He muttered as a flash of silver caught his eye. His hand shot out, gripping her wrist.

"It's a bracelet." She laughed nervously. "Are you ok, love?"

"Did I buy you this?"

She laughed. "No, this is has been with me since I was a teeanger." She grinned. "Do you like it?"

It was a simple charm bracelet, but there was something confusing him. The simple M engraved in one of the charms. Jester saw him studying the letter and gently ran her free hand through his green hair.

"Don't worry, my love. The M is from the jeweler who made it. Not an ex."

But that was precisely what he had had been worried about. His hand gripped her wrist a little harder, it would bruise later he was sure of it. This girl bruised ridiculously easily.

"What his name?" She looked confused. Obviously he had no reason to be upset and he loosened his grip, giving her a sweet smile. "Maybe I want to buy you something of his to match."

"Aw, honey." Jester leaned down to kiss him quickly on the lips. "That's sweet." She muttered as she moved away. "Sadly he went out of business a few years back." She paused and then explained:

"His name was Maxime."

"We're ok, Wendy, really."

Lauren swatted at Wendy as she pressed against her forhead gently, and looked deep into the girls face. Peter was checking Harley for any sign of damage, taking hold of her arm gently and turnng it around to examine it from all sides. Harley had given up to stop them from checking them. She knew them well enough to know that their worry for them outweighed everything else.

"This is too much." Wendy muttered sounding frantic. "We need to relocate."

"Darling." Peter let go if Harley's arms and pressed his wife's shoulders gently. "Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" She snapped and Lauren flinched looking at Peter and the Harley with large eyes. "They could have died, Peter!"

"But they didn't." He said soothingly. "They are both fine."

"Get the others." She muttered. "I want everyone here and then we're leaving."

"Where should we go?" Peter asked.

"Anywhere." Wendy muttered. "Anywhere but here it's too dangerous." Her eyes were burning with rage and tears. "I can't loose anyone else!"

"Lauren." Harley said in the gentlest tone she had. "Honey, go to the tent."

"But–"

"Now."

Lauren left and Harley turned to Wendy. She hadn't seen her this hysterical before. Even after Kaitlyn and Kurt had been shot.

"Wendy." She whispered. "You said there's no way to relocate everyone at once. You said we would have to split up."

"I know what I said Harley! But we can't continue staying in our usual spots, it was blown up! I want everyone out of Neverland right now! Get them packing and have them leave the premises in an hour!"

Before Peter or Harley could say anything she had already stormed off. Into her own bedroom Harley was sure of it.

"I'm sorry." Peter whispered. "It's just so hard for her. Loosing Kaitlyn and Kurt..." He swallowed, obviously struggling to get the words out. "She can't handle anymore loss. And you're so important to her, Harley. She could never cope with losing you like that."

Harley understood. She felt the same way about Wendy.

"The others are still downtown." She said. "Gracie, Rachel..." Porter and Jodie, she thought.

"We will all find each other again." Peter pressed her shoulders gently. "I promise, but Wendy is right. Neverland isn't safe anymore and we need to protect the Lost Boys. Can you round up the ones that are here? Help the younger ones pack?"

She nodded in a daze.

"Tell them they have one hour time, the older ones look out for the younger ones." She nodded again.

"Go Harley." He hugged her. tightly "Look after yourself."

She knew deep within her heart that she couldn't do that.

Even if it killed her, she wasn't going anywhere without Gracie.

Gracie was skipping ahead.

She was happy enough, because the performance had been great after Lauren and Harley had left.

Jodie had a terrible headache. She was so fed up with this preteen, hormonal behavior. The jealousy, the pettiness. She wasn't the biggest fan of Harley, but she would never jeopardize their work the way that Lauren had.

And Lauren wasn't a small child, she was 11 years old. She ought to know better.

"She's 11 years old, Jodie." Porter seemingly have read her mind said. "Don't worry about it. We made a lot of money today, it's a good day."

It was.

Gracie was happy, the other kids that were with them had done an amazing job with their dancing and singing.

"It was just so...I don't know..." She rubbed her sweaty forehead. "The entire thing seemed so planned, right?"

Porter was frowning, obviously not catching on.

"They were doing their performance and it was like..."

"Like she was waiting for a signal and then pushed Gracie?" Rachel mutttered and Jodie spun around.

"What?!"

To be honest that was what it had seemed like. But what signal should Lauren have been waiting for?

Rachel sighed. She looked tired and annoyed.

"His name is Ronan." She explained. "And he's older, like...14 or something."

"And he told Lauren to push Gracie?" Porter sounded incredulous, almost amused even. "Why?"

"Not why." Jodie muttered. "Who?"

The name Ronan was one familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. She had heard it before. She was sure of it.

"Ronan." Rachel repeated, shrugging her shoulders.

"Is he one of us?" Porter whispered to Jodie.

"No." She muttered as rage boiled inside of her.

There was no Lost Boy called Ronan and if Lauren was secretly meeting some boy that wasn't from Neverland...

"Shit." Porter whispered realization dawning on him. "He's one of Hooks?!"

Rachel looked guilty and Jodie was about to respond when a earth shattering sound made them almost jump out of their skin.

It was an explosion.

There were a total of 15 kids in Neverland.

They were confused and tired and had all been forced to pack as little as was possible.

Peter and Wendy weren't around and Harley being the oldest had told them what to do. Some of the younger ones were crying. There were a few older ones looking out for them. But Harley didn't know what to do. She wished Porter or Valerie were here. Even Jodie would do a better job.

"But where should we go?" One of the teenagers, Paige, asked. "I don't get it."

"No one's been attacked in Neverland." A boy called John threw in. "Why do we have to leave?"

"Peter and Wendy think it's for the best." Harley said not for the first time. "So, divide into groups of five. Take care of each other and get out into the streets."

While they had been packing she had established a list of places they could stay for a night or two. She was sure this relocation process wouldn't take longer.

"What about Porter?" Aiden asked, he was surprisingly pale. Harley wanted to wait for Porter and Jodie too and was torn. The hour Wendy and Peter had given her was up.

"He will find you. I'll stay and then tell him where you are."

"But what if you get hurt?"

"I won't." Harley promised. "Things will be fine." Wendy's panicked stricken voice was in her ear. "But you need to leave." She put her hand on Aiden's shoulder and looked into his wide, blue eyes. "Aiden, you need to look after the young ones and take them somewhere safe. Can you do that?"

He locked his gaze with hers and then nodded once.

"Yes. Come with me, kids."

Harley closed her eyes as they left. Children leading children to a safer place felt like a risky plan, but Hook's crew was escalating from knives to guns to explosives.

Neverland truly wasn't safe anymore.

Following Aiden's example, another group of boys took off to a nearby empty shelter. She was down to six girls. Lauren with a defiant, unhappy glare was among them.

"Harley, I don't want to leave. Neverland is my home."

Those were the last words she spoke before the first bullet hit her in the head, killing her instantly.

Everyone screamed as more bullets followed. Harley tried to get them to safety, but she couldn't tell where the shooters were. She was left alone, screaming and sobbing among the dead bodies. Blood pooled around her feet, it was all over the walls, all around the floor.

Peter and Wendy. She thought. And so she wiped her tears away and ran to save them.

Ronan.

Ronan.

Ronan.

The name bothered her. Something was very wrong.

"It was Maxime's jewelry store." Porter muttered. "Didn't you send Harley there?"

She had sent Harley and Lauren there.

To keep them safe.

"Jodie, wait!"

She did not wait, she ran straight into traffic to cross the road to where the rubble of the former store and former hideout place was scattered. Gracie was right beside her. Her eyes wide in terror. Police sirens rang in the distance and the thought of Valerie made her hopeful. Her sister could help she was sure of it. Gracie was crying and whimpering.

"It will be ok." Jodie said automatically, willing things to be ok. Willing things work out for them.

"Dammit Jodie, don't just run into traffic!" Porter was beside her, Rachel was clutching his arm, terrified.

"Have you lost your mind?"

Ronan. She thought. Where do I know that name from?

There was a crowd of onlookers. Husbands and wives clutching each other, students with coffee cups, people were staring shocked, wide-eyed, wondering what had happened, who had targeted this building and then Jodie spotted him. He was gaunt, tall, with dark long hair, messy, dirty and the haunted look of hunger in his eyes that Jodie knew all too well.

And he was looking at the burning building with a smile.

She stepped towards him.

"Ronan?" She muttered. "Are you Ronan?"

He blinked, his eyes were dazed and turned to her. The skinny frame and the boyish face made it hard to tell, but she would guess he could be 14. Or younger. The grin he gave her was the grin of someone who had seen darkness and had learned to revel in it. It sent shivers down Jodie's spine.

"You must be Jodie."

Her hand shot out around his neck almost instantly, gripping him tightly.

"Jodie!" Porter was by her side immediately, pulling her off the boy.

"We're in public." She let him go and the boy coughed, laughing.

"He did this." Her voice shook. "He manipulated Lauren and he blew her and Harley up. This is Ronan."

The boy laughed again. "It's Andy actually. But Captain Hook made me change it." His voice was icy, cold, broken.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Porter snapped.

"What do you want from us?"

"I was told to wait here." Ronan said. "And wait for Harley and Lauren to come back outside and then blow this place up." He chuckled and that's when blood started dripping from his mouth.

Porter and Jodie looked at each other and then she stepped forward, pushing away the boy's jacket. There was blood seeping through his shirt. Some shreds had been thrust into his upper torso. He was still standing and still smiling.

"Why did Hook tell you to change your name?" Jodie asked crossing her arms in front of her chest. "What's in it for him?"

Ronan cackled, a rattle came from deep within him and he began to sway.

"You just don't get it do you? Hook is a woman." He coughed. "You've all been played."

And then he collapsed onto the floor and died. And Jodie remembered why the name Ronan was so familiar. She felt like lying down beside the corpse and dying as well.

"Jodie." Porter was sweating, some of the girls standing near by were crying. "We have to get out of here, we have to get to Neverland."

"No." She was acting on pure instinct now, the same instinct that had told her not to return home that summer night. The night her father had murdered her mother. She pushed the memory aside. "We can't go to Neverland." She lowered her voice. "It's not safe."

"What?!"

"Don't you have a safe place around here? The abandoned house you and Alison used to make out in?" Her eyes bore into his and he shrunk back.

"Eh...yeah...I mean...I–" He was flustered.

"Everyone knows you two were doing it, Porter." She rolled her eyes. "Take us there, now."

The crowd was moving closer. People had noticed the dead street boy on the ground and the police was seconds away. The Lost Boys knew how to move inconspicuously, knew how to blend into a crowd and become invisible.

They followed Porter as he led them just a few streets away. The girls with them were quiet, panic stricken. Jodie's heart went out to them, but she couldn't hold their hands right now. She had to focus. They were her sisters. She had to keep them safe the same way Valerie had kept her safe all those years.

The group was quite surprised to find the old abandoned building already occupied.

By Aiden and a group of six-year-olds. At first the boy was ready to fight of what he thought were intruders, but upon seeing Porter he flung himself into his arms.

"You found us! Harley said you would!"

"You saw Harley?!" Jodie was surprised by the relief she felt. "Are she and Lauren ok?"

"They're at Neverland." Aiden explained what had happened, the packing, how they had left so quickly. How Peter promised they'd be reunited.

"Porter." She muttered and the two of them went outside.

"What the hell is going on, Jodie?!" He ran his fingers through his blonde hair. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I think Harley's in trouble."

"She's in Neverland." He said in absolute conviction, in the same way Aiden had. In Neverland nothing bad would happen to Harley. She safe just by being there. Trouble didn't exist there.

Jodie was filled with a dreadful, sickening feeling.

The same feeling she'd had when she suspected Alison had left.

The same feeling she'd had when she'd heard her dad raping Valerie for the first time.

But she wasn't helpless anymore.

She could do something about this.

"I'm going to go and help her." She explained. "You need to stay here with the kids."

"What?" Porter crossed his arms in front of his chest. "No, that's crazy. You can't go by yourself."

"Well, we can't leave them alone." She nodded towards the broken home. "Harley would never forgive us if anything happened to Gracie."

Wow, she thought. She really has become my sister.

Porter was obvious torn and looked back and forth between the house and Jodie. "

They have explosives, Jodie. You can't go alone."

But they couldn't, they wouldn't risk the kids. T

he answer was clear in her mind and she stepped back, getting ready to vanish into the city. "I'll get help."

"Who?" Porter asked, but it was too late, because Jodie had already vanished.

She was going to find the one person she never had wanted to see again. The one man she prayed still cared whether or not Harley lived or died. She was hoping against hope that the Clown-Girl had been right. That he had truly loved her, however long ago and however briefly.

And that this love would be enough to save Harley Quinn.

Harley was shaking.

They were dead.

All the girls had died. There was blood on her shoes, on her clothes, in her face.

Oh Lauren, she thought and sobbed. I'm so sorry.

She had pressed herself against the wall, willing to merge with it, willing to vanish from sights of wherever Hook's Crew was.

She knew she had to get to Peter and Wendy and save them.

She wiped her hand over her face, flinched at the sight of blood on the back of her hand. She neeed to get a grip and stop crying.

Gracie was safe. She was with Jodie and Porter and the others.

The other children had left. They were safe too.

Now all she had to do was get to Peter and Wendy and then the three of them would sneak out of Neverland and start over somewhere new. They would find the Lost Boys and reunite. They would get revenge. Once she was out of the main area she could breathe easier. She needed to get to the secret passage way so that she could sneak up to the platt-form and to them.

It had only been an hour ago that Lauren and Harley had arrived back at Neverland.

An hour ago that Wendy had been so upset. She was probably sleeping.

Or maybe she and Peter were hiding, having heard the shots and knowing there was nothing they could do.

Her mind spun as she tried not to think of the worst possibility.

That maybe they were in trouble.

That they were hurt.

She sobbed as she finally found the secret door way and wrenched it open and hurried up the stairs case.

She paused before entering their bedroom. She couldn't hear anything. No strange voices, no cries or moans of pain. So she decided it was safe enough to peek inside. She crept out of the closet and found the bedroom empty.

Peter and Wendy weren't here.

But there were pieces of paper strewn across the room, on the dresser, the bed, covering the floor. It was a name written in neat handwriting on each piece of paper, Harley read it over and over again.

Ronan.

She picked up one of the sheets and traced the name. She didn't understand why Hook and his crew had done this. She didn't know who Ronan was and at this point she didn't care.

"Harley?" She jumped, startled at the presence of someone else.

But when she looked up she was hit by a wave of relief.

It was Wendy.

"Wendy!" She hurried towards her, throwing herself into her arms. "You were right! It's not safe! Hook's crew...they..." She sobbed. "They killed the girls! They killed Lauren!"

"Oh Harley." Wendy patted her back awkwardly. Harley hadn't even noticed the pistol in her hand. "My poor girl, come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"Come on, Peter's waiting."

Harley would have followed Wendy anywhere.

To the end of the world.

And if Wendy were actually leading her to her own certain death, Harley would follow her.

Peter stood at the edge of the platform, looking down at the dead bodies. He looked sad, but not as traumatized as he ought to.

"This is a shame." He said.

"It's Harley's fault." Wendy's voice was cold. "I gave her an hour to get the girls out of Neverland."

"What?" Harley frowned and felt herself get cold all over.

"Take off your clothes." Wendy pointed the gun towards her. "Now."

Harley froze. She didn't know what to do.

Peter was still staring at the dead girls. He didn't seem bothered by what his wife was doing.

Wendy stepped towards her, her eyes were narrowed to slits and then she hit Harley so hard with the pistol that the clown-girl crashed to the ground, her mind spinning, stars dancing in front of her eyes momentarily.

Peter turned around, a sadistic smile on his face.

"Nice." He told Wendy, who giggled and then kicked Harley in the stomach.

"Now." Wendy said, hugging her husbands waist, pistol still in hand as they looked at Harley lying on the ground and gasping in pain. "Let's have some fun."

Oh boy, this was an emotional chapter. Any thoughts? Any theories on who Ronan is?