Here it is- the final chapter.
***********************************************
"Uh, Bruce, I know I've been a bit off lately, but-"
"No, McGinnis, you're not hallucinating." *But I wish I was.*
Looking around he could tell Dick, Tim and Barbara were thinking the same thing. Terry stepped protectively in front of Matt; Judith did the same to a slightly annoyed Molly. BJ and Angelin slid into fighting stances. Random appear placidly curious; Bruce had gotten the impression it took a great deal to faze him.
Meanwhile Harley had bounced right up to the group. On the last bounce she leapt up onto the handlebars of the pogo stick and vaulted off before it had a chance to become unbalanced. There was scattered applause, especially after she stuck the landing.
"Mary Lou Retton, eatcher heart out," she said smugly, then chirped, "Hiya, Brucie! I was gonna kiss you but you're kinda old and scary-looking now."
"Age does have some benefits after all."
"Yeah- hey..... -Ooooo! Cutie!"
And before Terry could escape she flung her arms around his neck and jumped up; he caught her instinctively. As soon as she was securely in his arms, she kissed him. Thoroughly. His muffled squawk was almost drowned out by Max's and Chelsea's giggles. Tim looked over at Bruce.
"Should we help him?"
Bruce thought about it.
"...No. After all, part of growing up is learning how to handle awkward situations."
The look in Terry's eye promised retribution. He was clearly trying to figure out how to dislodge Harley without dropping her and having no luck. Finally she broke it off herself and looked over her shoulder at Bruce.
"You sure know how to pick 'em, Brucie! He's the best looking one so far!"
"Hey!" Dick and Tim exclaimed. Terry's lips thinned; that was the only warning he gave before opening his arms and letting Harley fall. She yelped, glaring up at him.
"You did that on purpose," she accused. "Don't you know how to treat a lady?"
"Yes, he does," Dana said coolly, appearing from the crowd and gluing herself to Terry's side. The glare she shot Harley said very clearly back off, sister, he's mine.
"Dana, what- oh. You. Of course."
Dana's father shoved through the crowd followed by Mrs. Tan, Roxy, and Roxy's husband. Roxy had aged, of course, but was still recognizable. She caught Bruce's eye, jerked a thumb toward Mr. Tan, and made a face.
"Who's the jerk," Tim muttered.
"Aaron Tan. Dana's father."
"Ouch. And tell me that isn't-"
"It is."
"My brain hurts."
Dana was trying not to let things get even more out of hand.
"Daddy, don't start. This is a celebration, remember?"
"You're right, princess, I'm sorry. This is a day to be with your friends- and family."
Terry looked like he'd been sucker-punched; everyone around him- including Harley- shot Mr. Tan glares of varying intensity. Random slipped up behind him and cleared his throat, making the older man jump.
"I'm sorry, was I looming? I try not to, but sometimes I just can't help it. Now, you were saying something?"
"I- YEEOOWWW!!! You little-"
Matt had taken advantage of Random's distraction to walk up to Mr. Tan and kick him in the ankle, hard. Dick, Tim, and BJ snickered; Roxy applauded.
"Hey! I'm making a grand entrance here!"
"Sorry, Harl," Roxy said. "My son-in-law is an idiot. If he opens his mouth again you have my permission to sew his lips together with baling twine."
"Mother..."
"Oh, all right, she can use fishline."
"Gaffer tape," Angelin suggested.
"Anyway, I came here to make an announcement." She stood up straight, put her left hand over her heart, and raised her right. "Everyone listening? Good. I, Harley Quinn, do hereby renounce the Joker and all his works. I am also retiring from the villain biz. My girls and I are dedicating our lives to making this city a fun place to live again."
"Oh God."
"We're doomed."
"Big time."
"No, he works out of- ow!"
Harley cleared her throat; everyone shut up.
"I also want to apologize to Batman when I see him. Right now, though, I have to apologize to Mr. Wayne for the times we shot at him, threw him off buildings- well, a building, anyway- poisoned him- oh, no, wait, that was someone else and it didn't work anyway 'cause she dropped the mug before she drank anything. Never mind. Anyhoo, I'd apologize for last month too, but I didn't know about it 'til afterwards."
"Last month? Miss Quinn, are you referring to the attack on the Wayne-Powers reception?"
Several people stifled curses as they spotted the press starting to gather, although gather was perhaps too strong a word for the half-dozen people who had been sent to get a standard Graduation story for the human-interest segment of the news.
"Nah, I- well, okay, that too- but I meant when Mr. J went up to stately Wayne Manor to bump off Brucie."
"Why did the Joker go after Bruce Wayne?" another reporter asked.
"I dunno. See, the thing you gotta remember is- Puddin' was nuts. He was a malevolent psychopath. I think it was his old thing about the Ace Chemical plant. Wayne-Powers owns the land it was on, so Mr. J would have transferred his hatred for the old owners onto Brucie, holding him responsible for the accident, yadda yadda yadda. Who are you, anyway?"
"I'm Lauren Texada from W-"
"Yeahsurefine, pleased t' meetcha, go 'way. This is a private party- invitation only."
"But-"
"Scram, sister."
Harley produced a small remote from her sleeve. The reporters disappeared along with a large portion of the crowd. The remaining people tensed, each trying to figure out the best way of getting the remote without setting off whatever it controlled. Harley glared at them.
"Geez, I said I was reformed," she grumbled. "Now I'm gonna finish this. No more interruptions, okay? Great. ......... Where was I?"
"Apologizing," Dick sighed.
"Thanks, Dickie- that is you, right? Of course it is, I'd know that great butt anywhere. -Awww, yer blushing, that's so cute." Noticing Dick's glare, she cleared her throat once again and continued. "Apologizing. Right. Well, I figured just saying I'm sorry wasn't gonna cut it. Talk's cheap, right? And I oughta know. So I decided I had to do something to prove myself, but what? Then I said to myself, 'Self, who was the second greatest thorn in Brucie's side' Then I- ah, heck, I'll just show ya."
She hit the remote. Seconds later a hovervan with a large giftwrapped package suspended underneath appeared from behind the buildings, heading straight for them. Terry, seeing this, handed Matt off to Random and got to Bruce's side quickly. The package was deposited right at their feet; the side door of the van slid open and one of the Dee Dees poked her head out.
"Geez, Nana Harley, what took you so long?"
Bruce and Terry stared at each other.
"Nana-"
"-Harley?"
"I should've known," they chorused. Now Dick and Tim stared.
"Okay, that was just creepy," those two chorused, then shared a double-take.
"Never mind," the Dee Dee said, grinning. "Ready?"
Harley had been detaching some of the cables; she took one last look at the package and nodded.
"Ready! Better take a couple of steps back, you two."
They did, with more haste than dignity. This was, after all, Harley Quinn they were dealing with. The van rose, taking the lid of the package with it. The sides fell away revealing-
"Ra's?" Bruce gasped, incredulous.
It was, in fact, Ra's al Ghul- hogtied, wrapped in satin ribbons in various pastel hues, and a giant fluffy pink bow on 'his' head. Tim, Dick, and Barbara were all struggling to keep straight faces. Roxy, on the other hand, was grinning like an idiot. Even Terry's lips were twitching. They all avoided each other's gaze as long as they could, but finally Dick and Terry locked eyes and both exploded into laughter. Tim and Roxy followed suit, and after a few seconds Barbara joined them. Max frowned, confused at first; Bruce could tell when she figured it out by the sudden cackling. Bruce himself couldn't resist a smile.
When the laughter died down a bit, Tim looked at Bruce and nodded. Bruce was still a bit- no, a lot- leery, but thought that if Tim was all right with it, he'd take the chance. And although he'd never admit it, at the moment he was feeling decidedly grateful to her; she gotten Terry laughing again. He stepped forward and held out his hand. Harley blinked, then took it.
"Apology accepted, Miss Quinn. Just don't let it happen again."
Ignoring the implicit threat in his tone, she threw herself into his arms, squealing, and kissed him as thoroughly as she had Terry.
He wasn't feeling that grateful, even if she was a good kisser- *I did not just think that!*- so he grabbed her shoulders and forced her away from him. A few people in the crowd booed. Harley pouted. And Ra's managed to work his mouth free from his lilac satin gag.
"Ungrateful wench! I give you your youth back and this is how you repay me?"
Harley whirled on him.
"Listen, Dr. Frank N. Furter, I didn't ask you to do this! You just waltzed into my home, kidnapped me, and threw me in that slime pit of yours over and over! And you didn't do it because you thought I deserved a second chance or wanted me as your new partner! Oh, no, you just did it to screw with Batman! Well, guess what, sweetcheeks, I ain't playin'. I'm through being at the beck and call of some whack job with a Master Plan, I'm through playin' second fiddle to guys with half my brains, and I'm beyond through with the whole world-domination, murder-spree, poison-whoever-annoys-you crap! That's all, that's the end, that's IT! And I sure as hell ain't takin' orders from a guy who thinks women are only useful for producing heirs but isn't above stealing his own daughter's body just so he can live a bit longer!"
Cheers, applause, and a few "You go, girl!"s greeted this tirade. Bruce nodded approvingly at the last part.
"How dare-"
"SHUT UP, RA'S!!! I listened to you yammer for three weeks, so you can listen to me now! Besides, you're a pretentious twit and that whole Veronica Lake/hair-falling-'seductively'-over-one-eye thing has been over for a hundred years!"
"I think I'm in love," Terry gasped, cracking up again.
"Thanks, cutie, yer sweet. Now, Ra's, here's the deal- I turn you over to the Commish, 'cause I'm one of the good guys now. From now on, me, Pammy, and the girls are gonna be nice, honest, respectable thieves, just like Catwoman used to be. We call ourselves The Sisterhood and we're sorta rob the rich, give to the poor types. 'Course, we're gonna keep half the take; girl's gotta eat, y'know. But the other half'll go to some worthy causes in the form of anonymous donations. Real do-gooder types, that's us. Now ain'tcha sorry you messed with this dumb blonde? Bye!"
The Dee Dee dropped a rope; Harley grabbed it and was gone before anyone could grab her.
***********************************************
Dick, Tim, and Barbara joined Bruce and Terry on the terrace of Wayne Manor, ready for some comparative peace and quiet.
"Harley reformed? How likely is that?" Dick asked.
"She means it," Tim responded quietly. "She's really going to try going... well, relatively straight."
"Maybe, but if 'Pammy' is who I think she is, "straight' may not be the best choice of words."
Terry bounced a bit of scone of Dick's head. Barbara rolled her eyes.
"Bad, Grayson- and I thought she'd died years ago."
"So did I," Bruce said.
"Maybe she went underground," Terry suggested innocently. This time Dick bounced a bit of scone off Terry's head while Bruce and Barbara glared.
"We need to figure out how much of a threat this is," Bruce growled. "We could have a very serious problem on our hands."
Each of them mulled over the prospect of Harley Quinn becoming a major threat without the Joker around, even if she was working with Ivy again.
"Nah."
"I can't see it."
"It could happen- right after I put on my old Robin suit."
"Now my brain hurts."
"It does seem unlikely at the moment," Bruce conceded, "however, she does know who we are and thanks to the Lazarus Pit she's now younger, more agile, and possibly stronger than any of us except Terry."
"That's true," Barbara mused. "She could decide to reveal our secrets, or blackmail us."
"Not really her style," Tim pointed out. "Remember the Pulaski case?"
"I don't," Terry said, "but I don't think she's planning on blowing our covers any time soon."
"No offense, McGinnis, but you only just met her," Dick shot back. "What makes you so sure?"
"Her apology. She stood there in front of a huge crowd and clearly stated that she wanted to apologize to Batman when she saw him, but was apologizing to Bruce first. Then when the press showed up she gave them a believable story, and it even happened to be true. I did some checking- Wayne-Powers does own that property."
"You may have a point," Dick nodded. "But... trusting Harley Quinn?"
"Who said anything about trusting her? I just don't think she'll tell." Terry snickered. "Sorry. I just keep remembering the look on Ra's' face."
"Oh, yeah. That's gonna give me warm fuzzies for months. And Bruce, I still can't believe you said that!"
"It's true."
"Did I miss something?" Tim cocked his head.
"Not really."
Terry snickered again.
"Just after you went to talk to Mrs. Drake, Ra's started yapping again. Bruce told him to shut jup and that Harley had him pegged. Then he said, and I quote: 'Oh, and by the way, Ra's, pastels really don't suit you.'"
Tim gaped. Bruce calmly poured himself another cup of tea.
"Then we agree that Quinn isn't much of a threat just now," he said. "Terry and I will continue to monitor the situation. If it looks like it's about to change we'll have to deal with it, but for now I think keeping an eye on this... Sisterhood will be enough. Agreed?"
They agreed. After a little more conversation Dick, Tim, and Barbara left. Terry cleaned up then headed to the Batcave.
"Not so fast, young man."
Terry whirled, startled by yet another unexpected voice.
"Superman? Geez, who isn't showing up today?"
"Stalker sends his best wishes," Bruce said from the door to the study.
"What scares me is you might not be kidding."
"What worries me is that I'm not. But that's beside the point. I've asked Superman to patrol for you tonight."
"Huh?"
"I assume you had some sort of plans with Dana if you finished in time."
"Uh, yeah... sorta. Nothing definite."
"Good. You have reservations at 9 at Waterstone's, the Bentley has a full tank, and you may need this."
He handed the stunned young man a credit card. Terry's mouth opened and closed a few times but no sound came out.
"And you'll want to call and tell her so she can have a chance to get properly dressed before you show up."
"Oh! Yeah! Thanks!"
Terry turned toward the stairs.
"Oh, and Terry-"
He turned back. Bruce smiled slightly.
"Happy Graduation."
And there was that incandescent grin, and then Terry was gone. Clark chuckled, shaking his head.
"That was a nice thing to do. You could ruin your reputation."
"He deserves it. And it is his Graduation Day."
"I know. I was watching this afternoon, by the way. Who'd have thought it'd be Harley Quinn who snapped him out of his funk? But I'm glad. The boy could use some adversaries that don't want him dead for a change."
"True. They'll keep him on his toes, anyway."
"They'll do that, all right. Well, I'll talk to you after patrol," Clark said as he left. Bruce waited until Terry came back downstairs, wearing a fresh shirt and tie with his suit.
"Do I have to give you 'The Talk'?"
Terry laughed.
"No, Dad, I know it."
He was opening the door when he hesitated and turned around, his expression serious again.
"Bruce- thanks. For everything."
He left. Bruce, knowing he couldn't be seen, let a gentle smile spread across his face.
************************************************
That's the end of the first Sisterhood story. I left some plot threads dangling- some of those were even deliberate. The next story, Father's Day, is in the works right now. Dick and Bruce haven't quite buried the hatchet yet, and Terry will have a few things to say about that...
***********************************************
"Uh, Bruce, I know I've been a bit off lately, but-"
"No, McGinnis, you're not hallucinating." *But I wish I was.*
Looking around he could tell Dick, Tim and Barbara were thinking the same thing. Terry stepped protectively in front of Matt; Judith did the same to a slightly annoyed Molly. BJ and Angelin slid into fighting stances. Random appear placidly curious; Bruce had gotten the impression it took a great deal to faze him.
Meanwhile Harley had bounced right up to the group. On the last bounce she leapt up onto the handlebars of the pogo stick and vaulted off before it had a chance to become unbalanced. There was scattered applause, especially after she stuck the landing.
"Mary Lou Retton, eatcher heart out," she said smugly, then chirped, "Hiya, Brucie! I was gonna kiss you but you're kinda old and scary-looking now."
"Age does have some benefits after all."
"Yeah- hey..... -Ooooo! Cutie!"
And before Terry could escape she flung her arms around his neck and jumped up; he caught her instinctively. As soon as she was securely in his arms, she kissed him. Thoroughly. His muffled squawk was almost drowned out by Max's and Chelsea's giggles. Tim looked over at Bruce.
"Should we help him?"
Bruce thought about it.
"...No. After all, part of growing up is learning how to handle awkward situations."
The look in Terry's eye promised retribution. He was clearly trying to figure out how to dislodge Harley without dropping her and having no luck. Finally she broke it off herself and looked over her shoulder at Bruce.
"You sure know how to pick 'em, Brucie! He's the best looking one so far!"
"Hey!" Dick and Tim exclaimed. Terry's lips thinned; that was the only warning he gave before opening his arms and letting Harley fall. She yelped, glaring up at him.
"You did that on purpose," she accused. "Don't you know how to treat a lady?"
"Yes, he does," Dana said coolly, appearing from the crowd and gluing herself to Terry's side. The glare she shot Harley said very clearly back off, sister, he's mine.
"Dana, what- oh. You. Of course."
Dana's father shoved through the crowd followed by Mrs. Tan, Roxy, and Roxy's husband. Roxy had aged, of course, but was still recognizable. She caught Bruce's eye, jerked a thumb toward Mr. Tan, and made a face.
"Who's the jerk," Tim muttered.
"Aaron Tan. Dana's father."
"Ouch. And tell me that isn't-"
"It is."
"My brain hurts."
Dana was trying not to let things get even more out of hand.
"Daddy, don't start. This is a celebration, remember?"
"You're right, princess, I'm sorry. This is a day to be with your friends- and family."
Terry looked like he'd been sucker-punched; everyone around him- including Harley- shot Mr. Tan glares of varying intensity. Random slipped up behind him and cleared his throat, making the older man jump.
"I'm sorry, was I looming? I try not to, but sometimes I just can't help it. Now, you were saying something?"
"I- YEEOOWWW!!! You little-"
Matt had taken advantage of Random's distraction to walk up to Mr. Tan and kick him in the ankle, hard. Dick, Tim, and BJ snickered; Roxy applauded.
"Hey! I'm making a grand entrance here!"
"Sorry, Harl," Roxy said. "My son-in-law is an idiot. If he opens his mouth again you have my permission to sew his lips together with baling twine."
"Mother..."
"Oh, all right, she can use fishline."
"Gaffer tape," Angelin suggested.
"Anyway, I came here to make an announcement." She stood up straight, put her left hand over her heart, and raised her right. "Everyone listening? Good. I, Harley Quinn, do hereby renounce the Joker and all his works. I am also retiring from the villain biz. My girls and I are dedicating our lives to making this city a fun place to live again."
"Oh God."
"We're doomed."
"Big time."
"No, he works out of- ow!"
Harley cleared her throat; everyone shut up.
"I also want to apologize to Batman when I see him. Right now, though, I have to apologize to Mr. Wayne for the times we shot at him, threw him off buildings- well, a building, anyway- poisoned him- oh, no, wait, that was someone else and it didn't work anyway 'cause she dropped the mug before she drank anything. Never mind. Anyhoo, I'd apologize for last month too, but I didn't know about it 'til afterwards."
"Last month? Miss Quinn, are you referring to the attack on the Wayne-Powers reception?"
Several people stifled curses as they spotted the press starting to gather, although gather was perhaps too strong a word for the half-dozen people who had been sent to get a standard Graduation story for the human-interest segment of the news.
"Nah, I- well, okay, that too- but I meant when Mr. J went up to stately Wayne Manor to bump off Brucie."
"Why did the Joker go after Bruce Wayne?" another reporter asked.
"I dunno. See, the thing you gotta remember is- Puddin' was nuts. He was a malevolent psychopath. I think it was his old thing about the Ace Chemical plant. Wayne-Powers owns the land it was on, so Mr. J would have transferred his hatred for the old owners onto Brucie, holding him responsible for the accident, yadda yadda yadda. Who are you, anyway?"
"I'm Lauren Texada from W-"
"Yeahsurefine, pleased t' meetcha, go 'way. This is a private party- invitation only."
"But-"
"Scram, sister."
Harley produced a small remote from her sleeve. The reporters disappeared along with a large portion of the crowd. The remaining people tensed, each trying to figure out the best way of getting the remote without setting off whatever it controlled. Harley glared at them.
"Geez, I said I was reformed," she grumbled. "Now I'm gonna finish this. No more interruptions, okay? Great. ......... Where was I?"
"Apologizing," Dick sighed.
"Thanks, Dickie- that is you, right? Of course it is, I'd know that great butt anywhere. -Awww, yer blushing, that's so cute." Noticing Dick's glare, she cleared her throat once again and continued. "Apologizing. Right. Well, I figured just saying I'm sorry wasn't gonna cut it. Talk's cheap, right? And I oughta know. So I decided I had to do something to prove myself, but what? Then I said to myself, 'Self, who was the second greatest thorn in Brucie's side' Then I- ah, heck, I'll just show ya."
She hit the remote. Seconds later a hovervan with a large giftwrapped package suspended underneath appeared from behind the buildings, heading straight for them. Terry, seeing this, handed Matt off to Random and got to Bruce's side quickly. The package was deposited right at their feet; the side door of the van slid open and one of the Dee Dees poked her head out.
"Geez, Nana Harley, what took you so long?"
Bruce and Terry stared at each other.
"Nana-"
"-Harley?"
"I should've known," they chorused. Now Dick and Tim stared.
"Okay, that was just creepy," those two chorused, then shared a double-take.
"Never mind," the Dee Dee said, grinning. "Ready?"
Harley had been detaching some of the cables; she took one last look at the package and nodded.
"Ready! Better take a couple of steps back, you two."
They did, with more haste than dignity. This was, after all, Harley Quinn they were dealing with. The van rose, taking the lid of the package with it. The sides fell away revealing-
"Ra's?" Bruce gasped, incredulous.
It was, in fact, Ra's al Ghul- hogtied, wrapped in satin ribbons in various pastel hues, and a giant fluffy pink bow on 'his' head. Tim, Dick, and Barbara were all struggling to keep straight faces. Roxy, on the other hand, was grinning like an idiot. Even Terry's lips were twitching. They all avoided each other's gaze as long as they could, but finally Dick and Terry locked eyes and both exploded into laughter. Tim and Roxy followed suit, and after a few seconds Barbara joined them. Max frowned, confused at first; Bruce could tell when she figured it out by the sudden cackling. Bruce himself couldn't resist a smile.
When the laughter died down a bit, Tim looked at Bruce and nodded. Bruce was still a bit- no, a lot- leery, but thought that if Tim was all right with it, he'd take the chance. And although he'd never admit it, at the moment he was feeling decidedly grateful to her; she gotten Terry laughing again. He stepped forward and held out his hand. Harley blinked, then took it.
"Apology accepted, Miss Quinn. Just don't let it happen again."
Ignoring the implicit threat in his tone, she threw herself into his arms, squealing, and kissed him as thoroughly as she had Terry.
He wasn't feeling that grateful, even if she was a good kisser- *I did not just think that!*- so he grabbed her shoulders and forced her away from him. A few people in the crowd booed. Harley pouted. And Ra's managed to work his mouth free from his lilac satin gag.
"Ungrateful wench! I give you your youth back and this is how you repay me?"
Harley whirled on him.
"Listen, Dr. Frank N. Furter, I didn't ask you to do this! You just waltzed into my home, kidnapped me, and threw me in that slime pit of yours over and over! And you didn't do it because you thought I deserved a second chance or wanted me as your new partner! Oh, no, you just did it to screw with Batman! Well, guess what, sweetcheeks, I ain't playin'. I'm through being at the beck and call of some whack job with a Master Plan, I'm through playin' second fiddle to guys with half my brains, and I'm beyond through with the whole world-domination, murder-spree, poison-whoever-annoys-you crap! That's all, that's the end, that's IT! And I sure as hell ain't takin' orders from a guy who thinks women are only useful for producing heirs but isn't above stealing his own daughter's body just so he can live a bit longer!"
Cheers, applause, and a few "You go, girl!"s greeted this tirade. Bruce nodded approvingly at the last part.
"How dare-"
"SHUT UP, RA'S!!! I listened to you yammer for three weeks, so you can listen to me now! Besides, you're a pretentious twit and that whole Veronica Lake/hair-falling-'seductively'-over-one-eye thing has been over for a hundred years!"
"I think I'm in love," Terry gasped, cracking up again.
"Thanks, cutie, yer sweet. Now, Ra's, here's the deal- I turn you over to the Commish, 'cause I'm one of the good guys now. From now on, me, Pammy, and the girls are gonna be nice, honest, respectable thieves, just like Catwoman used to be. We call ourselves The Sisterhood and we're sorta rob the rich, give to the poor types. 'Course, we're gonna keep half the take; girl's gotta eat, y'know. But the other half'll go to some worthy causes in the form of anonymous donations. Real do-gooder types, that's us. Now ain'tcha sorry you messed with this dumb blonde? Bye!"
The Dee Dee dropped a rope; Harley grabbed it and was gone before anyone could grab her.
***********************************************
Dick, Tim, and Barbara joined Bruce and Terry on the terrace of Wayne Manor, ready for some comparative peace and quiet.
"Harley reformed? How likely is that?" Dick asked.
"She means it," Tim responded quietly. "She's really going to try going... well, relatively straight."
"Maybe, but if 'Pammy' is who I think she is, "straight' may not be the best choice of words."
Terry bounced a bit of scone of Dick's head. Barbara rolled her eyes.
"Bad, Grayson- and I thought she'd died years ago."
"So did I," Bruce said.
"Maybe she went underground," Terry suggested innocently. This time Dick bounced a bit of scone off Terry's head while Bruce and Barbara glared.
"We need to figure out how much of a threat this is," Bruce growled. "We could have a very serious problem on our hands."
Each of them mulled over the prospect of Harley Quinn becoming a major threat without the Joker around, even if she was working with Ivy again.
"Nah."
"I can't see it."
"It could happen- right after I put on my old Robin suit."
"Now my brain hurts."
"It does seem unlikely at the moment," Bruce conceded, "however, she does know who we are and thanks to the Lazarus Pit she's now younger, more agile, and possibly stronger than any of us except Terry."
"That's true," Barbara mused. "She could decide to reveal our secrets, or blackmail us."
"Not really her style," Tim pointed out. "Remember the Pulaski case?"
"I don't," Terry said, "but I don't think she's planning on blowing our covers any time soon."
"No offense, McGinnis, but you only just met her," Dick shot back. "What makes you so sure?"
"Her apology. She stood there in front of a huge crowd and clearly stated that she wanted to apologize to Batman when she saw him, but was apologizing to Bruce first. Then when the press showed up she gave them a believable story, and it even happened to be true. I did some checking- Wayne-Powers does own that property."
"You may have a point," Dick nodded. "But... trusting Harley Quinn?"
"Who said anything about trusting her? I just don't think she'll tell." Terry snickered. "Sorry. I just keep remembering the look on Ra's' face."
"Oh, yeah. That's gonna give me warm fuzzies for months. And Bruce, I still can't believe you said that!"
"It's true."
"Did I miss something?" Tim cocked his head.
"Not really."
Terry snickered again.
"Just after you went to talk to Mrs. Drake, Ra's started yapping again. Bruce told him to shut jup and that Harley had him pegged. Then he said, and I quote: 'Oh, and by the way, Ra's, pastels really don't suit you.'"
Tim gaped. Bruce calmly poured himself another cup of tea.
"Then we agree that Quinn isn't much of a threat just now," he said. "Terry and I will continue to monitor the situation. If it looks like it's about to change we'll have to deal with it, but for now I think keeping an eye on this... Sisterhood will be enough. Agreed?"
They agreed. After a little more conversation Dick, Tim, and Barbara left. Terry cleaned up then headed to the Batcave.
"Not so fast, young man."
Terry whirled, startled by yet another unexpected voice.
"Superman? Geez, who isn't showing up today?"
"Stalker sends his best wishes," Bruce said from the door to the study.
"What scares me is you might not be kidding."
"What worries me is that I'm not. But that's beside the point. I've asked Superman to patrol for you tonight."
"Huh?"
"I assume you had some sort of plans with Dana if you finished in time."
"Uh, yeah... sorta. Nothing definite."
"Good. You have reservations at 9 at Waterstone's, the Bentley has a full tank, and you may need this."
He handed the stunned young man a credit card. Terry's mouth opened and closed a few times but no sound came out.
"And you'll want to call and tell her so she can have a chance to get properly dressed before you show up."
"Oh! Yeah! Thanks!"
Terry turned toward the stairs.
"Oh, and Terry-"
He turned back. Bruce smiled slightly.
"Happy Graduation."
And there was that incandescent grin, and then Terry was gone. Clark chuckled, shaking his head.
"That was a nice thing to do. You could ruin your reputation."
"He deserves it. And it is his Graduation Day."
"I know. I was watching this afternoon, by the way. Who'd have thought it'd be Harley Quinn who snapped him out of his funk? But I'm glad. The boy could use some adversaries that don't want him dead for a change."
"True. They'll keep him on his toes, anyway."
"They'll do that, all right. Well, I'll talk to you after patrol," Clark said as he left. Bruce waited until Terry came back downstairs, wearing a fresh shirt and tie with his suit.
"Do I have to give you 'The Talk'?"
Terry laughed.
"No, Dad, I know it."
He was opening the door when he hesitated and turned around, his expression serious again.
"Bruce- thanks. For everything."
He left. Bruce, knowing he couldn't be seen, let a gentle smile spread across his face.
************************************************
That's the end of the first Sisterhood story. I left some plot threads dangling- some of those were even deliberate. The next story, Father's Day, is in the works right now. Dick and Bruce haven't quite buried the hatchet yet, and Terry will have a few things to say about that...