Chapter 22: Sparkling Waves
" Seagulls!" Harley yelled, scaring a flock of the birds away and into the air. Laughing like a kid in the candy store as she kicked at the sand, feeling it between her toes.
"Geez Harley. When was the last time you went to the beach?" Dick asked as he pulled out his sunglasses from his blue swim-shorts.
"Well, I honestly haven't been since I was a child." Harley answered, blushing a bit as she realized just how childish she was acting.
"Well then that just means we have to build dozens of sand castles to make up for that!" Tim smiled, rushing past Harley and towards the water. Before Harley could react, Bruce picked her up and carried her over his shoulder towards the ocean. Harley squealed in surprise and mock anger, lighting hitting Bruce's back to let her go.
"No Bruce wait! I'm not mentally prepared for the water! It might be cold!" Harley pleaded, struggling in vain against his iron grip on her waist. Bruce did not reply, only chuckling as he entered the ocean up to his knees, "Bruce let me down! I mean it!"
"Whatever you say dear." Bruce said, smirking as he released Harley, causing her to fall into the cold sea water. She got back up on her feet, shivering slightly in her black and red bikini.
"You dick!" Harley yelled, tackling him and dunking him underwater.
"Yes?" Nightwing asked from the shore as he was sitting alongside Barbara.
"Not you!" Harley replied before she shrieked as Bruce pulled her underwater with him. Dick just laughed at their antics, much to Barbara's annoyance.
"What!?"Dick asked as he noticed Barbara's scowl.
"How can you be so casual with her!?"Barbara spat, glaring daggers towards where Bruce and Harley were swimming, "She's a lunatic and you and Tim are acting like she now part of the family."
"Because she is Barb." Nightwing stated simply, " She has earned our trust and she seems to be making good on her word on turning over a new leaf. Besides, the mere fact she can make dark and gloomy Bruce smile is amazing. I've never seen him this happy."
"She could be using him! What if she is still working with the Joker!?" Batgirl growled, " She could be tricking him with her sweet innocent lovey-dovey act."
"You honestly think she could trick the World's Greatest Detective?"Dick asked incredously, " Growing up in his house Tim and I couldn't even get by with a simple white lie. He could always see right through us. Made brushing our teeth at night all the more awful."
"To be fair you two aren't that hard to read anyway." Barbara stated, cracking a small smile, "But I guess you're right. I've never met anyway who could pull the wool over Bruce's eyes. I doubt Harley would be the one to finally do it."
"Exactly," Dick smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "Look if you must, keep an eye on her every now and then, even if I don't think it's necessary. Just don't get between Bruce and her. Those two deserve a little happiness, and god knows a Bruce who can lighten up now is very refreshing."
"I hear that." Barbara agreed, laying her head on his shoulder as the two watched Bruce, Harley, and Tim horseplay in the water.
Later that night the Bat family had a bonfire on the beach, roasting marsh-mellows and listening to Tim tell terrible spooky stories and Dick trying to get everyone to do sing-alongs. Sadly, only Harley would join in. Oddly enough, Barbara and Harley talked among themselves for a bit and realized they had a-lot in common. They liked the same rock bands and they both (secretly) liked My Little Pony. Despite her previous misgivings about Harley, Barbara was beginning to think that perhaps Harley Quinn really has changed. Dick had revealed to her that Harley was pregnant with Bruce's child. Maybe carrying the Batman's kid changed her. Harley being pregnant definitely became apparent as she rushed away from the group, vomiting up all she had just ate. Bruce followed after her, gently rubbing her back and glaring at the rest before they quickly turned their heads away.
"Awwww...I like Smores."Harley pouted, wiping her mouth, "Just not coming back up though."
"You ok Harley?" Bruce asked, concerned.
"I'm preggars Bruce."Harley answered, giving him a "duh!" look, " This is as ok as it will get for me."
"So I'm guessing you don't want anymore hotdogs or marsh-mellows huh?"Bruce questioned and Harley gagged in response.
They called it a night after that, quickly cleaning up and retiring to Bruce's beach-house nearby. Today's events, while fun, tired everyone out. Pretty soon, they were all out like a light, except for the Bat. He gazed down at a sleeping Harley in their bed, gently brushing the hair away from her face with one hand, before turning his gaze to what lay in his other. Bruce stared intently at the small black box, which contained a ring that belonged to his mother. He had planned on proposing to her tonight, but Harley getting sick kinda put that plan on hold. That, and what was waiting outside his beach-front property.
Bruce's serene face was replaced by his stoic all-too-recognizable Dark Knight look as he placed the black box in the nightstand beside the bed. He quietly exited the house and made his way to the beach, where three people stood waiting for him.
"Clark." Bruce simply acknowledged as he came to stand before the red and blue clad superhero.
"Bruce." Superman greeted back in the same manner, "I'm guessing you know why we are here."
"So you two agree with him on this?" Bruce asked, turning to the two other people standing in front of him.
"Honestly I don't know what to think on this. Superman just kinda dragged me along on this little intervention." The Flash answered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"The way you have handled this whole Harley Quinn situation is wrong Bruce."Wonder-Woman replied, crossing her arms in anger.
"We've been watching this whole thing and reading your reports on her from the WatchTower." Superman said, "It doesn't matter if she has supposedly changed. She still has to face justice for her past actions. You can't simply ignore the law Bruce because you've grown attached to the Joker's henchwoman."
"She is her own person now. Joker no longer has a hold over her." Bruce replied, furrowing his brows.
"That's besides the point. She still has crimes she needs to atone for. She needs to go back to Arkham."Wonder-Woman stated.
"Not to mention Batman that we don't know her mental state. She needs to be watched and tended to by professionals."Flash interjected, although he didn't even look at Bruce as he said it.
"Taking her back to Arkham will only destroy any progress she has made to returning to a normal life. She can do more good on the streets and repay for her crimes that way instead of being confine to a room. Besides, Batman got the approval of the Gotham courts to release Harley into his care. You have no legal grounds to take her back to Arkham."Bruce explained, calmly and coldly.
"I'm a reporter for the Daily Planet Bruce. So researching and doing a little digging comes naturally to me. I know Wayne Enterprises donated campaign money to the Gotham judges for their re-election. You have basically bribed them and you know it." Clark replied, glaring at Batman.
"Perhaps you should do a little bit more digging before passing judgement Clark." Bruce countered, " I only contributed money to the judges who share my view that there are other ways to rehabilitate criminals than just locking them in a cage for a couple of years. The criminal justice system is broken and needs to be reformed, and the people I give money to agree with that. Not every criminal needs to be punished by just a blanket verdict of a few years in jail. We need true ways to rehabilitate people, not just putting them away and hoping they will be good when they come out. We all know this." Bruce said.
"It doesn't matter what we think the law should be. We need to follow the law as it is." Superman replied, "And Harley needs to face the law, no matter if the law is a good one or not."
Bruce sighed before replying, "You'll always be a boy scout huh Clark."
"And you'll always be a loose canon Bruce." Clark quipped back, Bruce simply turned his back on the trio.
"Come back when you have legal authority. Until then, Harley stays with me." Bruce said, "and if you come back to me and try to take her you'll have a fight on your hands."
"If we come back Batman we will bring the rest of the Justice League as well." Wonder-Woman warned to Bruce, who was walking away from the trio.
"You do that." Bruce replied without even looking over his shoulder back to them, "I'll just take them down as well."