A/N:In which Pam meets more of the Squad and confronts Harley about her relationship with Jay. Feelings ensue.
"My name's not really Harley, you know."
"Oh? What a coincidence. My name's not really Red." Pamela dodged the gardening glove that Harley threw at her and continued watering the lavender.
"Paaaam." Harley whined, clutching at the edges of the seed order magazine she'd been perusing. "I'm bein' serious!"
Pam stifled the amused smirk that threatened to surface and donned her best apologetic expression. "So what is it then?"
"Harleen." Harley pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes as if daring Pam to judge her for her answer. "Harleen Francis Quinzel."
"That's…quite a unique name."
Harley threw her hands up in the air, the magazine fluttering onto her lap. "Unique? Please! It's an awful name, my parents didn't even give me a chance!"
"It's no more awful than Pamela."
Harley pondered that for a moment, squinting at Pam with her bright, blue eyes. Finally, she shrugged and said, "I guess that's true. Looks like we were a match made in heaven, Red." She rocked back in the stool she sat on and spread her hands in the air. "Pamela Lillian Isley and Harleen Francis Quinzel. Gotham's dynamic duo. Queens of unfortunate names."
Pam just rolled her eyes and pulled a pair of clippers out of her apron pocket, moving over to the roses.
"Anyway," Harley continued, picking up the magazine again. "I changed it as soon as I could. Harley just fits better, dontcha think?"
"A name does not a person make," Pam replied, beginning to trim a few dead stems off the rose bushes. A rose by any other name would-
"In that case, why don't you officially change your name to Pamb-a-lamb?" Harley challenged, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Not if I want to be taken seriously by anyone."
"My point exactly! No one takes Harleen Quinzel seriously! She sounds like she belongs in a circus!"
"And Harley Quinn doesn't?" Harley's jaw dropped. "I'm teasing, Harl."
Harley huffed and looked away. "So mean today…" she mumbled, loud enough for Pam to hear.
"Am I being mean?"
"Pam from yesterday wouldn't have made fun of my name!"
Pam blinked, trying to determine if Harley was actually offended. After a moment, she decided the best course of action would be to apologize, whether it was necessary or not. "I'm sorry." Banter wasn't Pam's strong suit. She knew she could be abrasive. It was entirely possible she'd pushed the conversation too far.
Harley perked immediately and smiled at Pam. "S'ok, Pammy. I can't stay mad at you. Besides, I know you were only teasin'."
Pam nodded and returned to the roses while Harley went back to the magazine. For nearly a week, Harley had been spending her lunch breaks in the flower shop. She'd even met Mrs. Pembroke, who had been wary of the blonde at first, upon learning of Harley's connection to the tattoo parlor. But she'd warmed quickly to the girl's charms, just as Pam had.
Pam enjoyed Harley's company, she looked forward to her daily visits and yet…Everyday, Harley came into the store sporting new bruises, and it began to worry Pam that she was facing the brunt of Jay's scorn…because of her. Jay didn't care for her. And Pam knew that he was probably still bitter about their confrontation regarding his music. She imagined it wasn't sitting well with Jay that one of his employees, and girlfriend no less, spent most of her free time in the shop of his 'nemesis'. Part of Pam felt guilty for the marks she saw decorating Harley's skin. The other half wanted to skin Jay alive. And the last bit wanted to wrap Harley in her arms and never let go. She looked up, studying the deep purple bruise on Harley's cheek that she'd obviously tried-and failed-to cover with makeup.
Pam knew she should speak up. Say something to let Harley know that she could help, that she was willing to be a safe haven for the other woman should she ever need it. But she was worried that pointing out the marks would scare Harley off, or make her throw up walls. It would be better to wait until she'd established a deeper sense of trust with Harley. Then again, the longer Pam waited the more likely it was that Jay would continue to hurt her. And who knew how long it would take before he did damage that was irreversible.
"Hey, Red," Harley said suddenly. "You should get some of these."
Pam moved around to Harley's side, peering at the picture she was pointing to.
"Daffodils."
"Daffodils," Harley repeated almost reverently. "They're pretty."
Pam nodded, her eyes flickering to Harley's soft blonde hair and then back to the yellow petals in the picture. "I could find some space for them here." Harley looked up at her just as Pam reached out to brush a stray curl behind her ear. She let her fingers trail along the bruise as she drew away, her gaze locked on Harley's.
I'm here. I know. Let me help you.
A flicker of panic passed through Harley's eyes. Her face tightened and she forced a small smile, quickly returning her attention to the magazine. Pam sighed and went back to the plants. They were easier to care for than humans. Humans were complicated, they kept secrets, they lied, they hid. They were so small in the grand scheme of things and still capable of causing so much damage and pain. There were nuances to dealing with people. Plants were simple, there was a routine in caring for them.
Harley looked up at the clock after a few minutes of silence and began packing up her things with a heavy sigh.
"I should get goin'," she said, stuffing her sketchpad into her backpack and placing Pam's magazine on the front desk. "Hey, Red? Wanna come with me to the coffee shop after work? I was gonna invite Babs to my party."
"You're inviting Barbara? You hardly know her."
"Well, what better way to get to know her than a party?"
Pam pondered that logic for a moment. "Fair point."
"So," Harley drew out the word, rocking back on her heels. "Will you come with me?"
"Of course I will."
Harley grinned and practically skipped to the front door. "Great, see ya Red!"
The door chimed and Harley was gone. Pam didn't have time to continue brooding over the situation with Harley because as soon as she left, three anxious looking young men took her place. Pam found it slightly amusing that the boys had decided to travel to the flower shop in a pack, as if they were afraid to be caught in there alone, and she spent the next hour helping the tallest one find the right roses for his girlfriend. The other two boys followed them around the shop like sad puppies, casting glances Pam's way every time they thought she wasn't looking. But Pam didn't miss a single one. She couldn't help herself from toying with them; releasing her hair from its bun and fluffing it occasionally, or shifting so that the green sweater she wore rode up on her hips. The game was over once one of the boys tripped over the watering hose while staring at her and almost toppled headfirst into the shelf of rose bushes. Eventually, the tallest boy made his purchase and Pam waved the boys out, shaking her head as the younger two stumbled out the door in a daze.
Fortunately, the shop was quiet for the rest of the evening, and as soon as the clock struck six, Pam was out the door. She waited outside the tattoo parlor, debating whether to meet Harley inside. But then she risked encountering Jay. If he really was releasing his frustrations with her on Harley, then Pam knew it would be best to keep her distance…. for now. Luckily, she didn't have to wait much longer. Ten minutes after Pam had locked up her shop, Harley stepped out the front door of the parlor. Her face brightened when she saw Pam and she bounded down the three small steps in front of the building, launching herself at the red head and throwing her arms around her neck. If Pam hadn't grown so used to Harley's inclination for touch in the past week, she would have been too startled to respond. Even still, it took her a few seconds to decide if returning the hug right outside the tattoo parlor was a good idea.
Throwing caution to the wind, Pam wrapped her arms around Harley's waist, pressing her nose into blonde hair and breathing in the scent that was so uniquely her. Harley's body practically vibrated against hers and she pulled away much too soon for Pam's liking.
Pam cocked her head in a wordless question as Harley took a step back and adjusted her shirt. Why the hug?
Harley giggled, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth. "I missed ya!"
"It's been five hours."
"I know! That's way too long!" Harley didn't wait for a response. She grabbed Pam's hand and dragged her down the street towards Barbara's coffee shop. Pam decided not to question Harley's blatant displays of affection…even though they made her heart pound and her head spin. Even though they made her feel warm all over in a way not even tending to her plants could do. It couldn't mean anything, Pam reminded herself. Not with Jay in the picture.
As they walked, Harley talked animatedly about a client she'd been tattooing who had asked for a rose design. The success of which Harley attributed to the hours she'd spent sketching in Pam's shop.
"You ever thought about getting a tattoo, Red?"
Pam had, once. Back when she was a teenager and she'd had a particularly prickly argument with her mother. The thought of coming home with a tattoo, or multiple piercings, just to see the shock on her mother's face had been incredibly tempting.
"No."
"Well, I think you'd look great with one."
"I wouldn't know what to get," Pam protested, disconcerted by how much she liked the idea.
"Ivies, duh!" Good point. "And I know just where you could put 'em. Here…" Harley traced her finger from just below Pam's right shoulder blade and dragged it slowly to the front of her right hip. "…to here."
Pam couldn't suppress the shudder that ran down her spine. Harley didn't seem to notice, or at least if she did, she didn't let on.
"I don't know," Pam said slowly. "It's not exactly a decision that should be made flippantly."
"Well, if you change your mind, let me know. I know this great tattoo parlor." Pam chuckled when Harley gave her an exaggerated wink. They made it to the coffee shop a few short minutes later and Barbara greeted them again with unreserved enthusiasm.
"Welcome back, ladies."
"Babs!" Harley bounced towards the counter and all but pounced on top of it. "Come to my party next weekend!"
Barbara blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"
"My birthday party! Come to it. I'm inviting you!"
Barbara looked at Pam, bewildered. Pam just shrugged and offered a sympathetic smile.
"You want me to come to your birthday party?"
"Yeah! You don't have to get me anythin', don't worry about that. Just come and hang out with me and the squad! Please." Harley pinned Barbara with her best puppy dog stare.
"I'll be there," Pam offered and Barbara looked a little more relieved.
"A-alright. I'll come."
Harley whooped and beamed at Barbara. "Great! So, hey, can I have another 'Harley'?"
"Sure thing," Barbara chuckled, already wheeling towards the espresso machine. "Pam? The usual?"
Pam nodded, preparing to set some money down on the counter when Harley stopped her.
"Oh no you don't, Red. I promised to pay this time." Before Pam could react, Harley reached into her backpack and pulled out a small diamond patterned wallet. She scrounged around inside and laid a few dollar bills on the counter just as Barbara returned with their drinks.
"Thanks, Babs. See ya next Saturday!" Harley turned to lead the way out of the shop, but stopped so suddenly that Pam bumped into her.
"Harley-"
Harley scurried to one of the tables in the corner of the shop where a young woman with dark hair sat across from a man who put Harley's tattoos to shame. They covered every inch of his face, most of them forming a skull pattern that darkened his temples and eyes.
"Chato! Tatsu! What are you two doin' here?" Harley asked, setting her drink down at their table and hovering over the pair. Tatsu glanced at Harley from the corner of her eye and continued sipping her tea.
"It's a public coffee shop, loca. We're allowed to be here."
"Of course you are, I just never took you two for sit down, coffee shop, sorta people."
"Tea," Tatsu corrected and Chato just shrugged.
Pursing her lips, Harley grabbed Pam's wrist and dragged her forward so that they stood shoulder to shoulder.
"This is, Pam!"
"Pamela."
She extended a hand, which Chato shook. Tatsu-who Pam now realized was the same woman she'd seen the day she'd gone to complain about the music-simply stared at her.
"I know you," Chato said. "You run the flower shop next door."
"I do."
"I should come by there sometime. Pick up something nice for my old lady."
"You're welcome anytime," Pam said, straightening her sweater sleeve where Harley had ruffled it. "I can help you find whatever you need."
"You know, Jay's got it in for you," Chato said matter-of-factly, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Good." Let Jay come at her with all he had. Pam wasn't afraid of him. In fact, for as non-confrontational as she tended to be, she felt more than prepared to fight Jay tooth and nail should the moment ever arise.
Harley made a nervous noise somewhere between a squeak and a whimper, but Chato just bobbed his head. He didn't smile, but something in his expression told Pam that she'd earned his approval.
"You both work with Harley?" Pam asked.
"We do."
"And are you still comin' to my party next week?" Harley questioned.
"Sure."
Silence. Not the most talkative pair.
"Well, Pam and I gotta head out now," Harley said, clearly bored and probably eager to avoid further mentions of Jay. "Don't get too crazy, kids." Taking Pam's hand again, she led them out of the coffee shop and onto the streets of Gotham. They wandered aimlessly for a while, sipping their coffees, before Harley suggested they head to the park.
It was just as polluted as the first time Pam had been there. Trash bins overflowing with garbage, litter crammed between dead flower stems, cigarette butts lining the sidewalk…
"Yeesh, this place really is a dump," Harley said as she tried to stuff her empty coffee cup into an already full trash can.
"Unfortunately…"
"I bet you could do something about it, Red!" Harley had successfully disposed of her paper cup and she slammed the lid of the garbage bin down to keep it there. "Make up a petition or somethin' to clean up the park.
Hm. A petition. A meeting with the parks and recreation department. A movement to clean up the entire city. Green for Gotham. Something like that. It's an idea…
"Not a bad thought, Harley," Pam admitted, tossing her own cup into the bin when she was unable to find a recycling can.
Better fix that too.
Harley practically glowed at the praise. As they walked, Pam kept her eyes fixed on the other woman's face, watching her expression shift as she described working with Chato and Tatsu in detail. The afternoon sun cast shadows on Harley's face, darkening the purple bruise on her cheek. After a while, Pam stopped listening to her talk and simply focused on the mark, her mind whirling with the possibilities of exactly how it had gotten there. What had Jay done to her? Where were they when it happened? Why? Running through these questions made Pam angry all over again. She had to find a way to broach this subject. Considering they were alone in the park, it seemed as good a time as any to try to find out a little more.
"So how is Jay?" Pam asked suddenly, interrupting Harley's stream of consciousness. Harley's smile slipped and she began playing with her fingers..
"He's doin' alright," she began. "We haven't had a lotta customers lately, and business is slowin' down. It's made him a little grumpy."
"Grumpy?"
"Yeah. He got into an argument with Floyd the other day…and Chato stuck his nose in too, and things got kinda rough." Harley smiled wanly. "Everyone's just a little stressed at work right now. It'll clear up."
"And how are things between the two of you?" Pam continued, careful to keep her cadence neutral.
Harley hesitated a beat too long. "Good!"
Pam stopped walking and reached for Harley's hand, forcing her to turn around. She studied her shoes, seemingly unable to hold Pam's gaze. Gently, she rubbed her thumbs across the back of Harley's hands and laced their fingers together, in a quiet attempt to soothe her. She knew Harley didn't want to discuss her relationship with Jay. But she showed up to the flower shop with new bruises so often that Pam couldn't keep quiet anymore. Not with a clear conscious anyway.
"Harley," Pam sighed. "You don't have to lie to me."
"I'm not lyin', Red." Harley looked up, her eyes just a little too wide. It gave her a wild look. Like she was a caged animal backed into a corner. Which, Pam guessed, probably wasn't far off. "Things are good."
It's now or never, Pamela.
"This is good?" Carefully, she cupped Harley's cheek, gently running her fingers over the bruised skin. Harley flinched away, pulling her eyes away from Pam's and looking down at feet again. "Harley, I know he hurts you."
"It's not like that." Harley bit her lip and pulled her hands away from Pam's. "He doesn't mean to. My Puddin just gets a little rough sometimes. But he loves me, really."
Harley sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as she was Pam. "This isn't love, Harley."
Pam half expected Harley to retaliate, maybe even angrily defend Jay, but instead she just ducked her chin to her chest, still refusing to meet Pam's gaze. Pam bit back the frustration that threatened to surface. How could Harley be so deluded?
"He always apologizes," Harley murmured.
Pam's gut twisted with anger...pain…. sympathy. She corrected herself; Harley wasn't deluded. She was caught in an endless cycle of abuse and manipulation at the hands if Jay. She was trapped.
Carefully, so as not to startle her, Pam reached for Harley's hands again, lacing their fingers together. Finally, Harley looked into Pam's eyes again, her own shining with unshed tears.
"Your relationship with Jay is not any of my business, I understand that," Pam began, squeezing Harley's fingers reassuringly. "But if there ever comes a time where you feel like you need some place to escape to…my shop, my apartment, they're both open to you. Anytime. No one can hurt you there."
Harley's lower lip trembled and, slowly, she leaned forward until her face rested in the crook of Pam's neck. She could feel the warm tears dripping onto her skin as Harley wound her arms around Pam's waist. They stood in silence, wrapped around one another for what felt like an eternity. Harley clung to her, not unlike a koala, her smaller body fitting against Pam's like a missing puzzle piece.
Pamela didn't say anything, simply rested her chin on top of Harley's head and stroked her fingers through her hair. Not for the first time in her life, Pam wished she was more capable of providing comfort; of understanding the intricacies of interactions with other people. She couldn't say that she understood Harley's dedication to a man who abused her, but she wanted to. She wanted so badly to be able to help. Finally, Harley sniffed and stepped away; the sudden lack of warmth hit Pam square in the chest.
"Thanks, Red," she mumbled, her voice still choked with emotion. Pam could only nod in response. They continued through the park in silence, Harley lacing her arms through Pam's and resting her cheek against her shoulder. They walked slowly enough to keep the position from being too awkward to maintain. More than once, Pam closed her eyes and pressed her lips against the top of Harley's head, wishing that their situation was different. Wishing that she hadn't had to confront her friend about the abuse she was facing at the hands of her boss and boyfriend. That she could wrap Harley in her arms again and shield her from anything painful. And hoping that this moment was enough for Harley.
Eventually, they wound their way back to Pam's apartment and once again Harley rejected her offer to come inside. This time however, before she left, Harley smiled sadly and asked, "Why are you so good to me, Red?"
Because you're my friend. Because I care about you. Because no one should have to suffer through what you do. "Because you deserve it, Harl."
Harley's expression softened, her smile turning into something a little more hopeful. Before she could respond, Pam leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She heard Harley's breath hitch and her hands came up to rest on Pam's waist, fingers twisting in the soft fabric of her sweater.
Harley blinked her eyes open when Pam pulled away, her mouth opening but apparently incapable of forming words.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Pam offered.
"Y-yeah." She had never seen Harley so flustered and it filled her with an odd sense of pride. Maybe she wasn't imagining things after all. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Hesitantly, Harley turned away and disappeared into the darkness. Pam watched her go and suddenly it hit her like a ton of bricks. Her chest tightened painfully with the realization that it wasn't just friendship that made every moment spent with Harley feel special. It was something much deeper than that. Something much more complicated. Pam was falling for her.
She plodded up the stairs to her apartment, feeling like her feet had turned to lead. Turning the key in the lock, Pam went through the motions of preparing for bed mechanically, her mind spinning with her newfound realization. Eventually, Pam curled underneath the bedsheets in her darkened room, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Sleep didn't come easily, but when it did, Pam's dreams were haunted by a pair of sparkling blue eyes and ringing laughter.
Thanks for reading! Until the next update...