Harley crossed her arms over her chest as she looked down from the window on the top floor of the Warden's tower in Arkham. People had slowly been gathering at the base of the tower since they'd gotten back. Behind her, Joker and Crane were discussing the food they'd managed to steal while Crane examined a vial of decay inhibitor and the supplies from the duffle bag. Harley watched as two more people joined the back of the crowd; she couldn't hear them all the way from the top floor.

"They're waiting for us to pass out the food," she commented mildly. Joker had sent John, Luke, and the other twins off with the food trucks. He hadn't told Harley what he was having the team do with them.

"It's going to be a long one," Joker said, glancing at her before returning his attention to Crane. Harley turned around to face him.

"Why?" She hadn't been surprised by his statement. "We got enough for everyone."

"We don't need everyone," Joker laughed, his back to her.

"We don't… What are you gonna do…" she trailed off as her gaze fell on the vial in Crane's hand. "You're not," she gasped. He looked away from her, as if to say he didn't have a choice in the matter. Joker just smiled.

"How nice of them to gather for us…" he sighed, reloading his revolver.

"But there's so few of us left!" She stepped toward them. "You can't just-"

"-I can, and I will," Joker snapped the last bullet in, and then spun the chamber, turning as he leveled it at Harley. "Who's going to stop me? You?" he laughed, watching her darkly. "That would be tremendously ambitious of you." She stepped back away from the gun.

"But they haven't done anything!" she defended.

"Well that's exactly the point," he laughed incredulously. "They don't do anything." Harley stared at him.

"But there's gonna be nobody left," she breathed. "Not even you could kill everyone."

"You doubt me, Dr. Quinzel?" He grinned darkly, still pointing the gun at her. She hesitantly stepped back further.

"But why? What happens when everyone's gone? What's the point?"

"Why do you care?" Joker growled, his face contorting in rage. "You won't be here to see it!" His shout was punctuated with a pull of the trigger. The bullet narrowly missed her head, and the Joker walked towards her. Harley yelped and flinched away. She backed away from him; her hands splayed out behind her to make sure she didn't run into anything, or to find anything to hide behind, her wife eyes focused on the gun.

"P-Puddin?" she gasped.

"I have had it with you," he snapped, jabbing the gun in her face. "Every time I turn around you've vanished; every time I give an order I have to say it twice because you've decided that you—" he laughed breathlessly— "get a choice!"

"Joker, stop," Crane pleaded behind him, but Joker ignored him with a smile, the gun brushing Harley's jaw.

"I should have killed you in front of him," he breathed, jutting his chin out at her, "and then shot him in the head as you bled out." Harley flinched away from his touch.

"But I did everything you asked, and ya got everything you wanted," she reminded him.

"I did, didn't I?" he beamed, dropping the gun away from her face and stepping back. He lazily tossed it on the couch, watching her with cold eyes. "The only disappointment of the day was you."

"Why?" she demanded. "I did everything ya wanted. All I've ever done was for you!"

"That is true," he mused.

"So why!?" She stood up straighter. For the first time, her eyes flashed with anger. "You wouldn'ta known about the inhibitor if it wasn't for me, so why did you keep the plan from me? Why do you always keep your plans from me? Why do you push me away? Why do you humiliate me? Why did you shoot him!?"

"Oh," Joker grinned, "someone's found her moxy."

"Guys, please don't do this," Crane stuttered, wringing his hands as he watched them. Harley grit her teeth. She stared at Joker a moment longer before shaking her head and moving past him to head toward the bedroom. In a moment the Joker had scooped up his gun again, and this time the bullet splintered the floorboards at her feet. She jumped, her heart skipping a beat, and the adrenaline started pumping.

"Don't turn your back on me again," he snapped. "This session isn't over."

"Stop. Shooting at me!" she cried, her heart rate settling back down to normal as she glared at him.

"Ohh, where's the Harley I used to love, huh?" He laughed, spreading his arms. "What happened to her?"

"You made her betray one 'a the only friends she had left and then shot him!" She fired back. Joker sneered at her furiously. It always came back to Dick. "We coulda left. We coulda just followed the plan an' got outta there, but instead you made me watch." Joker grit his teeth as he forced the gun in the air at her, threatening to pull the trigger again, his teeth grit furiously.

"Oh, boo hoo; a year ago if I'd have pointed you at him and said 'shoot' you'd have done it yourself! Don't act so righteous," he yelled across the room at her.

"And a little over a year ago, Nygma wouldn't be your pet you drag around on a leash," she snapped. "You were more than happy to use any information I got from being with Nightwing," she reminded him. "You even told me ta go see him!"

"You were supposed to get information out of him, not fall in love with him!" Joker shrieked in exasperation, waving the gun in the air. Crane stumbled away and knelt behind the couch, watching them argue.

"I've always loved you!" Harley shouted. "But instead you ignore me and hurt me and push me away! So what if I got feelings for a guy who was actually there? Who actually took the time ta see to my needs," she challenged.

"You do love him then!" Joker laughed, near hysterics. "You loved me, once, Doll, Back when loyalty meant something to ya!" Harley groaned in frustration.

"You don't get it, you're not even listening ta me! I do love you, you stupid clown, you just… you took the punchline too far this time." She crossed her arms as she turned away. "I wanna be alone right now."

"You've changed. My dear, it hurts me to say I don't even recognize you anymore." Joker panted and lowered the gun, watching her. "Fine. Get out of my sight." Harley sucked in a breath at his words and kept her back to him so he couldn't see the hurt in her eyes.

"Why don't you go get yourself another 'slut' if I disappoint you so much," she shouted before marching into the bedroom and slamming the door.

Joker screamed furiously, marching after her with renewed anger. "Because I don't want another one," he bellowed, giving the closed door a furious kick, "I want mine back!"

Half a dozen machines beeped out of sync around Dick's bed, the soft pop-hisss of the ventilator punctuating every minute of passing silence as Barbara sat, stone faced, her hands laced together in front of her lips. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, but her thoughts were miles away. Of course she couldn't help blaming herself, even though she knew it was nobody's fault but his own; he'd made his choice, but maybe, just maybe when they'd talked yesterday she could have convinced him to stay. She could've been a voice of reason, that he would have trusted if she'd spent more time with him, instead of avoiding him and the painful memories he brought to the surface. Just maybe… he might not have drifted so far.

"You should get cleaned up," Bruce said softly from the doorway. Barbara jumped at his voice.

"Bruce," she wiped her wet eyes quickly and sniffed a bit. She hadn't even noticed the tears forming. "I didn't hear you come in." She still wore her uniform, caked stiff with blood that still hadn't fully dried yet, even though it'd been hours. "I know I should, but I just… I don't want to leave him."

Bruce nodded, walking forward to where Dick lay, motionless and pale.

"He's been pretty touch-and-go, but he's been stable for about an hour now. I think," she rubbed her face. "I actually don't know how long I've been sitting here," Barbara confessed, and cleared her throat, watching their mentor quietly. She rested her elbows on her knees as she leaned forward.

By now, the members of the team still standing had met and assessed the situation, piecing together what had happened from the bits of information that everyone had witnessed. The damage was extensive, and though the death toll wasn't high, the price of losing so much of the decay inhibitor and their food supply was one that they'd be paying for months.

"I can't believe this. I want to be angry, but…" she trailed off. All she could muster was somber resignation. She'd seen him battered and bruised before, but this… this was hard to look at. Bruce nodded his head again, his lips pressed into a thin line. "We told him this would happen. We all warned him." She murmured.

Bruce lifted a heavily gloved hand and gently untangled Dick's hair from the tube hooked over his ear. He was still in his uniform as well, the cowl pulled back from his head. There was a dark bruise blossoming over his nose where Scarecrow's fear toxin canister had burst, and it punctuated every weary line etched in his face. "His hair has gotten long," Bruce commented quietly. Barbara watched him, opening her mouth to speak again. He cut her off. "We did warn him." Bruce agreed. "But he only listens to his heart. He always has." Her stomach twisted at his words, and she shook her head as she looked down. "It feels like yesterday he was just a bright-eyed kid," Bruce mused, studying Dick's pale, chiseled features. Where did the time go? How did he lose so many of those years? He paused, dropping his hand. "If I could go back… I don't think I would choose this life for him. For any of you."

Barbara smiled at the floor. "You didn't," she told him. "You have to know that."

"I know."

"I just… I don't… understand," she looked up again. "The Dick I knew never would have…" he didn't betray them, that may be too harsh a word, but she was at a loss for a gentler synonym. He'd gone against their advice, against their protocol.

"Maybe he's not the Dick we knew," Bruce said thoughtfully. "We've all changed in ways we never could have predicted. We had to adapt to a world we never could have seen coming."

"But— why her?" Barbara's voice cracked.

Bruce looked over his shoulder for a brief moment, an eyebrow raised. "You never should have let him go."

"I know." She murmured, staring at Dick's pale face in the dim light. "But Harley freakin' Quinn?"

Bruce crossed his arms, turning to Barbara as he leaned against the end of Dick's bed. "If you'd have told me a year ago that Jason would get caught up with Pamela Isley, I would have actually laughed. Me. I would have laughed."

Barbara smiled a tiny bit, closing her eyes. "I'm not sure which is more far-fetched, honestly," she agreed.

"In my humble opinion… neither. They're smart women, and good men." The corner of Bruce's lip pulled up. "It is… surprising that he and Harley found each other," he turned his head to look at Dick, pondering for a moment, "but in a cold world, we find warmth where we can, and we hold tighter than ever to the ones we love."

"Those are soft words, coming from you," Barbara commented quietly. Bruce shrugged.

"Maybe I've changed, too."

She was quiet for a moment, her gaze falling to Dick again. "We talked about her. Right before he left to go to Arkham," she watched him breathe slowly, "about how guilty he felt for going to see her. He said he felt like he was failing us. He knew better. But he still did it anyway. He may have grown, but he's hardly changed. He'll always be a lovestruck little kid. I don't think he could've chosen between us or her if he tried, and I didn't want him to, I just..." She rubbed her face tiredly and ran a hand through her hair. "I just wish he'd been more careful. I wish…" Bruce waited for her to finish her thought. "I wish he had chosen us."

He nodded sympathetically. 'You know, the first time Dick met you, it was all he could talk about for weeks. 'Batgirl' this, and 'Batgirl' that, and 'did you see what Batgirl did?' every damn night in the Batcave, bouncing off the walls and talking about how… excited he was that someone else had joined the fight, and that we weren't… alone anymore." Bruce chuckled, looking down at his boots crossed in front of him where he leaned against the bed. "You were too old for him, out of his league, and much, much smarter than him." He smiled a little at her, his eyes shining. Barbara laughed, nodding as her cheeks flushed.

"I remember. The only cape he hung onto more than yours was mine," she smiled back at him. "God, that was so long ago…" Bruce nodded again.

"I think he was just excited to have someone new to share all of the secrets with, someone that wasn't me." His eyes drifted to the floor in thought. "Now, the first time that I met Catwoman—" he paused. "Have I told this story?"

"No, I don't think so," Barbara giggled softly, touched by his honesty in the quiet moment.

"The first time I met Catwoman, she was robbing me blind," Bruce looked up at the ceiling with a small smile. "And she was without a doubt the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen." His eyes returned to Barbara, and he shifted a bit in his stance, his arms still crossed over the bat on his chest. "I was taken immediately. And Dick…" he briefly glanced at him. "He knew. He could tell, he… He never stopped rooting for us. And though it would be many, many years before we ultimately got together, he never stopped believing in us. In me. In… love."

Barbara sighed sharply, pursing her lips as tears threatened to well in her eyes. So rarely was Bruce this heartfelt, at least with anyone but Selina; she hung on his every word as she listened. Bruce looked at Dick again, his brow furrowed and his jaw tight.

"I think he's always chosen us. And I think he'll always be a lovestruck little kid at heart." Bruce frowned slightly, and Barbara covered her mouth as a tear fell down her cheek. "I don't think I'd want it any other way. It… I think it breaks my heart that this ended the way it did," he cleared his throat a bit self consciously, uncrossing his arms and standing up straight again. "Anyway. You should go get cleaned up and get some rest, Barbara. I'll stay with him now."

She nodded as she stood, putting a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Thank you," she murmured with a small smile, wiping the tear away from her cheek. To her surprise, Bruce opened his arms for a hug, and she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tight to try and dispel the heartache.

"Go get some rest, kiddo," he repeated, and she nodded, slipping out of the cubicle and down the hall, leaving him in the silence among the beeping machines.

"This is a mess," Robin muttered, stepping over the wreckage of what was once his motorcycle. Debris was still smoldering in the garage. Titus walked gingerly through it. The blast from each of the small charges had blown their vehicles to twisted heaps of metal, but at least it hadn't taken out the foundation of the building. Damian caught Jane's arm when she stumbled over a piece of unidentifiable black metal. "But at least a few were safe," he commented, walking towards Nightwing's motorcycle that had been pulled in from the street. "The ones that we had out, anyway." Damian got on and adjusted his cape to the side so Jane could climb onto the back.

They took off for Downtown, keeping a slower pace so Titus could keep up beside them, running happily with his tongue flopping from his open mouth. The sun was beginning to rise over Gotham; it hadn't lifted over the horizon yet, but the light was slowly pushing the darkness away. The closer they got to Downtown, the thicker the air became.

"How are you holding up?" Robin asked Jane over his shoulder. She wore a blue fitted jacket, probably pulled out of Stephanie's closet, with the hood pulled up around her unruly hair. A hand-me-down fabric mask was over her eyes.

"Well I didn't lose a motorcycle, so I think I'll be okay." She peeked around his shoulder to watch where they were going.

"I meant in general. You seem to be adjusting well, but if there's anything that Spoiler has taught me, I should assume the opposite of what I think is correct when it comes to women." He smirked as they headed towards the residential neighborhoods.

"Oh God," she laughed. "Did you just say 'when it comes to women?' Please never say that again." Robin chuckled.

"It's apparently true," he smiled.

"First off, I am one woman, not women." She rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder. "And second, how many women have you actually talked to that you don't consider family?"

"Counting or excluding situations in which we were speaking professionally?" he smiled a little broader. He was enjoying the fresh conversation.

"See, now you're just proving my point," she told him, and her arms tightened around his waist as she turned to look back at Titus trotting along beside them.

"Excluding family and professional conversations… You'd probably be in the top three," Robin laughed quietly.

"I would like to meet these other two girls and hear what they have to say about said meetings with you." She grinned as she watched the houses they passed.

"Well that would be a feat," he smiled a little. "If you can figure out how to communicate with an Infected, I think the labs would like to know."

"Oh I will, and then I'm going to have a conversation with these mystery women." Titus ran level with the bike for a moment, his tongue lolling out before he fell back a little.

"Be my guest," he sighed, parking outside of the residential areas. Titus ran ahead of them and then returned to the bike. Jane got off and scratched Titus's head.

"So what are we up to today?" she asked.

"Damage control," Damian sighed, starting towards the first house in the neighborhood. "Combing the streets for leftover Infected, and re-settling citizens into their homes."

"Okay," she said quietly. "And what do we tell them if they ask about the extent of the damage?"

"We tell them the truth; we don't know yet," he glanced back at her. "Are you up for this?"

"Yeah." She looked at him before staring back at the building in front of him. "It's just probably not going to be a good thing if they recognize me as the daughter of the man who initially had zombies- sorry, Infected in the sewers."

"You'd be surprised how effective the mask is," he replied, pulling his weapon out as he pushed the door open. When he called out a hello, there was no response. "Come on," he gestured for her to take out her weapon and follow. Jane pulled hers out with a frown.

"You know I'm still not good at using this. I'm just as likely to shoot you on accident as my target."

"Please don't tranquilize me," he said quietly, stepping into the house. They went room to room, making sure it was clear of people and Infected before they met in the front hallway again. "Alright, let's hope that the rest of patrol is just like this," Damian commented, holstering his weapon. He glanced at her and did a double take, tugging a strand of her curly hair out of her mask where it'd gotten trapped. "Let's go," he went to the door again, holding it for her before closing it behind them. Titus greeted her, wagging his tail.

"Thank you, Sir…" she trailed off, hoping he'd fill in the blank with his name as she walked through the door. He didn't, proceeding to the next house.

"You don't have to call me Sir," he smiled at her, pushing the door open at the front step.

"Yeah well don't get used to it," she told him. She reholstered her weapon as she stepped back onto the street. Robin was already up onto the door of the next house. He smiled down at her.

"Bored yet?" He unholstered his weapon again and then nodded at the next house. "Think you can handle one on your own?"

"Walking through an empty house? I definitely need supervision for that."

"Well. If you need me to hold your hand," he smirked. Damian whistled shrilly and pointed at Jane. Titus trotted over to her, and she scratched his head.

"I see what you mean by alone now," she laughed. "That's okay, he'll be a better partner anyway."

"Hey. Someone has to keep an eye on you," he watched her for a moment and then disappeared into the house. Titus sat down and licked his nose, looking up at her.

"Come on." She headed over to the next house. Pausing, she pulled out her gun before heading into the building. "Hello?" she called. "Is anyone here?"

"You think you can just come in here and start yelling?" an old man shouted from the living room. When she walked in, he was staring at the TV, turned off, his back to her. Empty bird cages lined the walls, and the room was decorated with pictures and figurines and throw pillows and even books about birds. "Well? Did ya come for my stuff? You can't take my stuff. There may be zombies, but I still got rights," he said gruffly, watching her reflection in the TV.

"No I'm not here for your stuff," Jane assured him. "We're just checking on everyone. Making sure everyone's okay and that there are no Infected around. Is it okay if I come in?"

"Ain't no Infected in here," he sniffed. There was a crash in the kitchen.

"Is… Is someone else here?" Her hand tightened on the gun as she faced the kitchen.

"Just my wife. You're a new one, aren't you? The Bats don't pick up new ones."

Titus growled at the kitchen door, stepping in front of Jane a bit.

"Sir… was your…" She had a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. "Can your wife come out here please?"

"Nope she's gotta stay in there. Don't want her biting nobody," he chuckled and stood, leaning heavily on his cane. He smiled at her. "You're younger than the other Bats, aren't you?"

"Yes and," she glared at him, "when I asked if there were any Infected in here, that included your wife."

"Don't want you to steal her away," he narrowed his eyes, smiling. "You're a snippy little thing."

"Well no offense, but you're a little creepy." Her eyes glanced around the place. "But it's still a little dark out, so I'll cut you some slack."

"Snippy little bully, ain't you?" He chuckled. "Mean little thing."

"The words say insult, but your tone says compliment. You're very confusing." She glanced back at the kitchen. "And, I'm sorry, but I don't think keeping an Infected wife in your kitchen is allowed."

"You gonna steal her away from me, you pushy little thing?" he croaked, poking her with his cane in a shaking hand. "Take her away to the crazies?"

"Jane?" Robin said, stepping in the door. "Sir? Is everything alright?" he asked, looking between them. The old man smiled broadly.

"My wife's maiden name was Jane, you know," he smiled up at her.

"Your wife's last name was Jane?" she asked. "Well that's a strange last name."

The old man laughed gruffly, and Robin looked between them.

"What is going on?" he asked quietly. There was a crash from the kitchen, and Robin's head snapped up.

"Please don't take her away," the old man said quickly. With Jane, an amateur, he could joke. Robin wouldn't sway easily. "She's so small, see, and she doesn't have the speed the rest of them do, she just doesn't. She's old. Can't she just stay here?"

Robin watched him carefully, and then he shook his head. "I am deeply sorry, sir," he said quietly. "She cannot."

"Oh please, Robin, can't you find it in your heart to spare her from Arkham?" He hobbled closer to them. "Isn't that just so cruel? I'll keep her locked down in the basement where she won't get out and hurt nobody. Please."

"We have a secondary location for Infected citizens, Sir. She won't end up in Arkham City." Robin put his hand on the man's shoulder. "I'll make sure she's well taken care of," he assured him. The old man looked down dejectedly and then quickly hobbled away from them.

"No! I can't let you steal her away. My wife's a rare little songbird, always singing, always happy-" he gestured to the bird paraphernalia around the room- "Robins are cocky little bastards, and I'm not going to let you or your pushy little Bluejay steal her away from me."

"Sir…" Robin looked at Jane, at a loss. Communication never was his strong suit.

"Sir," Jane stepped in front of him, "We don't enjoy having to do this, and I know exactly what you're going through. My father and brother are both Infected. They were both taken away too. So when I say that your wife will be taken care of, you can know that I will make sure she's as taken care of as my own family and as comfortable as possible," she assured him. "We don't want to steal her or imprison her. We want to get her better as soon as possible."

The old man watched her sadly, and then nodded to Robin, who disappeared down the hall. A photo hung on the wall amongst the paintings of birds, and the man stroked his wife's young image, smiling brightly out at him. "Thank you," he said quietly to Jane. "You know… Blue Jays are aggressive and smart things. They don't get along well with other birds. But… When a predator is near, they release a warning call to tell all of the other birds, whether they get along or not, to hide from view. They're heroes in that respect." He smiled sadly at the picture. Robin stepped outside the house to flag the GCPD down to bring a truck.

"Yeah well, I'm fairly certain I do the opposite," Jane muttered, remembering hiding under the table. She hadn't even commed out in case the Joker heard her.

"You're still a hatchling though!" The old man smiled. "You don't even have your mask yet. You haven't grown into your wings, but you will. My wife… I know her time is up. But you remind me a lot of her. You have plenty of time, don't you?" He smiled as Robin returned.

"She'll be well taken care of, sir. We can promise you that." The old man smiled in thanks, and Robin glanced at Jane. "We've still got work to do. Thank you for cooperating, Sir. Good day to you."

"Any time, kid," he smiled sadly, and then winked at Jane, following them to the door.

"I'm sorry about your wife," Jane told him. "I hope the rest of your day gets better."

"Oh they'll always get better," he nodded, waving at them from the front step as the two of them started down the street again. Robin glanced at her with a smile.

"Not bad for a recruit," he commented, and then caught her hand when she swung at him. He laughed and quickly let her go. "Sorry. Force of habit."

"Well, like smoking, it might be a habit that causes you serious harm," she warned. "Although I might have just been called worse; I'm not sure. I think I was just compared to a bird, but you were compared to a mean one so that makes me feel better."

"Not a bad name, either," he laughed. "I didn't choose it. And your reflexes are getting faster, I'm impressed," Robin smiled.

"Apparently he was right. You are a mean Robin," she told him. Titus nosed between them and looked up hopefully to see if either of them would pet him. Damian ran a hand over his head and down his back.

"If you ask my brothers, they'll agree," he commented, scratching Titus's ear.

"Some of them don't really have room to talk," Jane mused. "Anyway, what's next… Sir?" She grinned. Robin looked up at the next house.

"More of the same." He ignored her comment. "We have to clear the city, block by block, and then bring the citizens back." Jane gave him a mock salute.

"Do I get to take Titus as my partner again?"

"Yep. Remind me to teach you his commands sometime," he whistled shrilly and pointed at Jane, and Titus obediently went to her side. Damian smirked at them and then jerked a thumb towards the next house. "Go get em, Bluejay."