Another three days passed and Pam still hadn't heard anything from Harley. Now she was beginning to worry. She sent messages every day after having failed to find Harley at the park, and prayed that she would answer at least one.

It's too quiet in the shop today. Come by?

My offer still stands, if you need a place to go.

I'm here. I'll wait.

Nothing. Briefly, Pam entertained the idea that Jay had done something to intercept their communications. And then she realized how neurotic that sounded. More than likely, it was Harley's own decision to avoid Pam at all costs. And Pam couldn't blame her. If she was having trouble forgiving herself, she couldn't even imagine how deep Harley's resentment ran. Even still, she couldn't shake the feeling that Jay may have been playing a significant role in the radio silence.

"Still nothing?" Selina asked, having taken a vested interest in Pam's dilemma, despite the fact she was still on vacation with her billionaire boyfriend.

"No. I'm worried about her." Pam paced around her apartment, circling the small coffee table until she banged her shin on one of the legs. She swore loudly and fell back onto the couch, rubbing her injury.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Nothing," Pam hissed, ignoring the throbbing in her leg. "Selina, I need your help."

"I'd love to help. But there's not much I can do from another country."

"How do I get her to talk to me? I've tried everything I can think of."

"Except actually meeting her face-to-face?" Selina pointed out. "You said yourself, you two work right next to each other. Go find her while she's at the parlor."

"But Jay-" And suddenly it struck Pam how much of a coward she was being. She'd been so afraid of her interactions with Jay bringing harm to Harley, that she'd unintentionally given him more power over the situation. She'd been enabling the very man she wanted to stop. Pam sighed and dropped her head into her palm. "I'm an idiot."

"I mean, yeah…. But why this time?"

"Because, Selina!" Pam stood up from the couch, beginning to pace again, her free hand gesturing wildly as she spoke. "Because I've been a complete coward. Because I'm letting Jay win. Because I convinced myself that I'd done all I could for Harley when really I was being too selfish to see what she needed from me."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Selina asked slowly, trying to catch up with Pam's stream of consciousness.

"I'm going to do exactly what you said. I'm going to find Harley and make her talk to me."

No more passivity. No more waiting.

Pam was so caught up in the heat of the moment that she banged her shin on the table again. "Damn it!"

"You okay over there?"

"Fine. I'll call you back."

"Okay, bu-" Pam ended the call, shoved her phone into her back pocket, grabbed her keys from the hook by the door and bolted out the front door of her apartment. It was late in the day, well after six, but Pam knew the tattoo parlor would be open for a few more hours. If she hurried she could still catch Harley.

She was a sweating, panting mess by the time she reached the tattoo parlor, strands of her red hair plastered to her forehead. She paused in front of the door, pushing her hair away from her face and straightening her shirt. Hoping she didn't look like a complete disaster, Pam shoved the doors aside and stepped into the shop.

It looked the same as the first time she'd been there, of course, but this time Tatsu sat behind the front desk. She looked up from a magazine she'd been reading when Pam entered, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Pam." It was a question as much as it was a greeting.

"Tatsu." Pam nodded cordially. "I need to speak with Harley, is she here?"

The woman shook her head. "No. It's her day off."

Right, it's Monday. Damn it.

"Do you know where she might be?"

"Looking for Harley?" Pam turned to see Chato walking towards them. He leaned against the front desk, tattooed arms crossed over his chest. "I'm a little surprised."

Pam stifled the urge to roll her eyes. "I understand that what I said at the party was unwarranted, but-"

Chato shook his head. "Nah. I mean…kinda. You did rip into her pretty hard, but it's stuff we've been trying to tell her for years."

Not everything I said was appropriate…or kind.

"Regardless," Pam continued. "I need to find her. Do you know where she might be?"

Chato shrugged. "Sorry. Maybe check her apartment? I have no idea where that girl spends her free time…Thought it was with you."

Pam looked down at her feet, her stomach twisting with guilt. It used to be. It should be. Chato's comment stung, whether he'd meant it to or not.

"I appreciate your help," Pam mumbled to both tattoo artists before heading for the door.

"Hey Pam," Chato called after her. She stopped and looked back over her shoulder, bracing herself for another scathing comment. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

She nodded, an unexpected smile growing on her lips.

Unsure of where to head next, Pam instinctively made her way to Barbara's coffee shop. After almost a week and a half of brooding, Pam decided she needed to see a friendly face. The sun was beginning to set by the time she reached the cafe. Pushing the front door open, Pam made a beeline for the front counter when she saw-

"Harley."

Harley turned at the sound of her name. A dozen different emotions crossed her face at once when she saw who it was that had called to her. Pam backed towards the door, almost unconsciously, as if to keep Harley from escaping. Which, if her expression was anything to judge by, she really wanted to.

"Hey Red." Her voice was quiet, but her use of the affectionate nickname filled Pam with hope. Abandoning the door, she crossed the coffee shop quickly, her heart pounding in her chest as she drew closer.

"Can we talk?" Pam asked, now close enough to see a few fresh marks dotting Harley's neck. Guilt, anger and fear passed through her all at once, but Pam pushed her emotions back. She wouldn't scare Harley away a second time.

Harley hesitated, her eyes flickering away from Pam's. She was gripping her coffee cup so tightly that the lid was starting to pop off. Pam caught a glance of Barbara over Harley's shoulder. She was watching them closely, sympathy etched on her face. Pam didn't need sympathy, she just needed a chance to explain herself.

"Harley, please." She looked up again and nodded once after a few moments of careful consideration. Pam couldn't help herself, she smiled in spite of the obvious tension in the air and motioned for Harley to follow her to a table in the far corner of the coffee shop. It was Pam's hope that the public setting would put Harley more at ease, considering the last time they'd been alone was the reason they'd fallen into this mess in the first place.

Harley took a seat across the table, thumbing the lid of her coffee cup nervously.

"I got your flowers," she murmured before Pam could speak.

"And my messages?"

Harley blinked, clearly confused. "Messages?"

"Yes…my…" Jay. I knew it. Intercepting her phone? Deleting my messages? "I've sent texts. I've been trying to reach you for over a week," Pam explained. Harley continued drawing random patterns on her cup, watching Pam with wide eyes. "I sent you a message asking to meet me at the park a few days ago. You never came."

Her statement was met with a blank stare.

"I waited for you for over an hour."

Harley's brows furrowed and she shook her head almost imperceptibly. "I didn't know. My phone… I lost track of it during the party and Jay found it all smashed up. I'm sorry, Red. I woulda come if I'd known that you…. Well, that you wanted to see me."

Pam was reveling in the warmth of knowing that Harley would have met her had she known, when the reality of what Harley was saying sank in. "Jay told you your phone was broken?

Harley nodded. "I couldn't find it anywhere, and Jay said he found it in the kitchen and the screen was all cracked and that he was gonna buy me a new one. I just got it this morning."

Pam reached into her pocket wordlessly, pulling out her own phone and laying it flat on the table for Harley to see. She scrolled through the dozens of messages she'd sent, watching Harley's eyes widen.

It made sense that Jay would simply switch Harley's old phone for a new one, presumably with a new number, rather than continue intercepting it to delete Pam's messages. Still, it made her blood boil to know that he could be so manipulative. So vindictive.

I knew it. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. The muscles in Pam's jaw twitched. But Harley just looked confused, her blue eyes narrowing.

"It's just convenient timing don't you think?" Pam clarified. "That your phone should 'break' right after I…After I said those things I did about Jay."

Harley frowned, finally catching on to what Pam was insinuating. "You think Jay broke my phone? On purpose?"

"I think he did a lot of things to make sure I couldn't speak to you."

Pam didn't explain further but, judging from the look of betrayal in Harley's eyes, she didn't need to. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, promising to come back to the topic of Jay's duplicity later, Pam continued in a level voice.

"Look, Harley, I-"

"You wanna talk about what happened at the party?" she interrupted.

"Yes."

Harley pursed her lips and looked down at the table, picking at its surface with a chipped nail. "You don't have to apologize."

"What? Yes I do. Of course I do." Pam reached out for Harley's hand, only to draw back at the last moment when she saw Harley flinch ever so slightly. Be careful. Too much too soon. "Harley, I stand by what I said about Jay. I think he's a terrible human being." Harley looked away and Pam saw her jaw twitch. "But what I said about you…I've never been more wrong about anything in my entire life."

Harley peeked up at Pam from the corner of her eye.

Choose your words carefully, Pamela. "I said things about you that I can't take back, Harley. I let my anger at Jay get the better of me, and I blamed you for his behavior. That was wrong. I was wrong. And I'm so sorry that I said what I did. I never wanted to hurt you." Pam reached out again, this time letting her fingers brush Harley's. Her gaze fell to their hands and then she laced her fingers with Pam's.

"I think…. Maybe you were right about some things though," she mumbled, keeping her eyes on their hands. "About me. I make Jay angry sometimes. I do stupid things."

"Stop," Pam said firmly, squeezing Harley's fingers. "You're not the problem. Please don't blame yourself. You deserve so much better."

Harley was silent, her lips twisted down. It was clear she didn't, or couldn't, believe Pam's words. Pam knew that getting Harley to believe in her self-worth would be a long and painstaking task. Now was not the time to push it, so they fell into a comfortable silence…the type that Pam missed from all those hours that Harley had spent in her shop drawing.

"I really missed the shop," Harley said suddenly as if she could read Pam's thoughts.

"You were…are still welcome there," Pam replied. "I promised it would be a safe place and that hasn't changed."

"But I never got your messages. I never saw you come by the parlor. I thought you were still mad at me," Harley mumbled, her entire body drooping against her chair.

"No, Daffodil," Pam said softly. "I was never angry with you."

The nickname caught Harley off guard, and it did Pam a little as well. But a moment later, her face melted into a smile that squinted her blue eyes and relief washed through Pam. She'd forgotten how light that smile made her feel. Slowly, she untangled their fingers and rested her hand on Harley's bruised forearm instead, alternating between drawing gentle patterns around the dark marks and the diamond tqttoo on her wrist. Harley watched Pam's hand, her expression an odd mix of wariness and contentment.

"Can you forgive me for what I said?" Pam asked, lowering her voice to what she hoped was a soothing cadence.

Harley didn't hesitate. A soft smile appeared on her face and she nodded earnestly. "Of course I can, Red."

Of course you can, Pam repeated. Because your heart is too big for your own good, Harley. I promise I won't abuse your trust again.

Pam cast a glance towards the counter where Barbara was still watching them from the corner of her eye. She caught Pam's gaze and offered her a smile and a subtle thumbs up.

"So, how have you been?" Pam asked, her attention returning to Harley. She didn't elaborate, but she knew Harley understood what she was really asking.

"I've been okay." She glanced down quickly at Pam's fingers again as they moved across her skin. "I gotta say though, it was really boring being cooped up in the parlor all week. I missed all your flowers."

"They missed you too." Pam smiled. "I've been talking with Selina, you know. She's dying to meet you."

"I really wanna meet her too! When will she be back in Gotham?"

"Soon," Pam replied noncommittally, recalling Selina's challenge to smooth things over with Harley before she returned. Mission accomplished.

Harley opened her mouth to speak when her phone chimed. Taking her arm away from Pam, she gazed down at the screen, her face falling as she read. Pam didn't have to see the message to know who it was from.

"I gotta get goin'." She offered Pam a sad little smile.

"Will you come by the shop tomorrow?" Pam asked hopefully, as Harley stood and gathered her backpack and untouched coffee.

"'Course I will…. Oh." Harley paused for a moment before reaching for Pam's phone, typing in her new number and placing it back on the table. Pam smiled, pocketed the phone and glanced back up at Harley.

"Until tomorrow then," she said, resisting the urge to grab Harley and pull her back into her seat. She folded her hands on the table to keep them still.

Harley giggled and the sound made Pam's heart flutter. "You sound so serious, Red. It's not like I'm never comin' back."

I can only hope.

Harley grinned again and headed for the door, offering a final wave just before she left. Pam didn't move to get up from her seat, opting to stare down at the wooden table instead. She'd successfully reestablished her relationship with Harley. So why did she still feel like she'd failed?

Because she's still going back home to that monster. Because she's still trapped.

"How'd it go?" Pam's head shot up at the sounds of Barbara's voice. She hadn't heard the other woman wheel her way over to the table.

"Well, I think." Pam tried to sound more convinced than she felt.

"She'll be okay if she has you, Pam," Barbara said, placing a hand on Pam's shoulder. "Don't give up just yet." She smiled and then wheeled away, leaving Pam to ponder her words.

/

Harley didn't show up the next day, but she did send Pam a message explaining why.

so many clients today! rose lady is back can i come by tmrw?

Anytime.

:-)

Pam set her phone down and busied herself with organizing the latest shipment of supplies she'd received that morning, trying to ignore the disappointment that hung over her like a dark cloud.

Unfortunately, Harley didn't show up the next day either, only this time, Pam received no explanation for her absence. She checked her phone relentlessly, keeping it in her back pocket instead of the office like she usually did. But no messages came and she was kept busy by an unexpected rush of customers.

After closing her shop for the evening, Pam made the short walk to the tattoo parlor. Floyd was there to greet her this time.

"How's it goin, plant lady? Lookin' for Harley?"

Floyd cocked a single brow and smirked when Pam's only reply was a slightly flustered, "Y-yes."

He shrugged and shook his head, his knowing smirk fading. "Sorry, she left with Jay a few hours ago. No idea if they went home or not."

Pam nodded, dejected. "I see."

"For what it's worth," Floyd began. "She's been bouncing off the walls since you two started talking again." Pam just nodded again, unable to force a smile. "It's annoying as hell…."

She waited, sensing a 'but'.

"But I'll take hyper Harley over a mopey, depressed Harley any day. That shit was freaky."

Pam bid Floyd a goodnight shortly after and headed back to her apartment. There was no point in searching for Harley if she was out with Jay. She'd just have to wait to see if the blonde showed up at the flower shop tomorrow.

By the time Pam arrived home, an enormous thunderstorm had rolled into the city. She shut her blinds as lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the silhouettes of the towering buildings that loomed over Gotham. The clouds above were dark and ominous, and a torrential rain poured onto the streets below. It battered Pam's windows, drowning out the sound of the television that she'd turned on. Pam huddled on the couch underneath a heavy blanket, cradling a cup of tea in her hands to warm them. It didn't help matters that her apartment's heating system had broken nearly a week ago and her landlord, Mr. Nygma, had still neglected to send someone to fix it. Eventually, Pam gave up on trying to watch TV over the sound of the rain. Pulling out her phone, she checked her texts again. Nothing. Maybe she'd put too much hope in their meeting at the coffee shop. Maybe Harley was still hurt. Maybe she'd told Pam what she wanted to hear to avoid further confrontation. Maybe she never intended to continue with their friendship. Maybe she—

Stop it, Pamela. You're being absolutely ridiculous. There has to be a rational explanation for why she hasn't contacted you. Maybe Jay again….

Releasing a heavy sigh, Pam reached for a book on the coffee table when a knock on the door drew her attention. She stared dumbly at the door for a few moments, unsure of exactly who it could be visiting this late in the evening…with a pouring thunderstorm outside. Throwing the blanket off, Pam crossed to the door, opening it just a crack at first to keep out the cold. And then she recognized the figure shivering on her doorstep and threw it wide open.

"Harley, oh my god." The blonde was drenched from head to toe and shivering fiercely. Her lip was split, blood still oozing down her chin; a dark bruise was forming around her right eye and she cradled one arm close to her chest.

"Heya, Red," A weak smile appeared but she winced when the movement spread her split lip. "Can I come in? I didn't know where else to go."

Pam didn't reply. She stepped out into the rain and pulled Harley inside, careful to avoid touching her injured arm. Quickly, she led Harley to the couch, setting her down on the cushions and draping the heavy blanket over her shoulders.

"Wait here." Pam hurried to her bedroom and grabbed a soft t-shirt and old pair of sweatpants. It wasn't much, but getting Harley out of her torn, wet clothes was her priority. She rushed back to the living room, her heart breaking at the sight of the small, shivering figure huddled on her couch.

"Come with me," she said softly, helping Harley to her feet and leading her into the bathroom. She turned on the showerhead, cranking up the heat of the water until the little room filled with steam. Carefully, wordlessly, she helped Harley lift her wet t-shirt over her head.

She tossed the garment aside and placed her hands on Harley's shoulders to steady her. Pam's eyes drifted down to Harley's bare torso. Droplets of water ran in rivulets down the swell of her breasts, which were covered by a black bra with the little red diamond pattern Pam had grown so used to seeing. Her eyes followed the trail of water down to Harley's taught stomach, her smooth pale skin seeming to glow in the low light. Realizing too late that she'd stopped what she was doing to stare openly at Harley, Pam snapped her eyes back up to the blonde's face, only to find the same look of longing mirrored in those deep blue eyes.

Her hands still rested on Harley's shoulders and, slowly, she let them fall, the backs of her fingers trailing down her arms. Harley's breath visibly hitched, but her eyes never left Pam's. In fact, she seemed to lean closer the longer they stood in silence, like a flower reaching for sunlight. It wasn't until Pam's fingers brushed along her injured elbow that the moment was shattered. Harley flinched away, breaking the intense eye contact.

Pam blinked and shook her head, disgusted with herself for becoming distracted by…less than chaste thoughts, when Harley was so injured. Now was hardly the time or the place.

"What happened?" she asked, gently pulling the arm away from Harley's chest to examine it more closely. It was bruised and swollen. Not broken, from what she could tell, but severely sprained near the elbow.

"I…Me… and Jay…We…" Harley was shivering so badly, she kept tripping over her words. Pam shushed her and murmured, "Later." Harley's answer was a weak but genuine smile.

Setting a towel and the dry clothes on the bathroom counter, Pam pushed Harley towards the stream of hot water. "Take as long as you need, I'll be right outside the door, alright?"

Harley nodded and Pam took her cue to give the girl some privacy. She shut the bathroom door behind her, sagging against it and releasing a shaky sigh. She'd grown used to seeing bruises dotting Harley's body, but this was different…worse. It looked like Jay had actively been trying to…Pam couldn't finish the thought. Rage flooded her body until her limbs began to shake. She busied herself by gathering what few medical supplies she could find, all the while imagining punching Jay square in his wide, toothy smile the next time she saw him.

After nearly thirty minutes, Harley emerged from the bathroom dressed in Pam's clothes. Her hair was damp, it hung loosely around her face in blonde, pink and blue waves, and not her signature pigtails. Pam's breath caught in her throat when she saw her. She'd always thought that Harley was beautiful. But seeing her like this, long blonde hair curling around her cheeks, falling into her blue eyes, Pam couldn't help but stare.

She was still cradling her arm, but the shower seemed to have done wonders for her morale. She smiled shyly at Pam and joined her on the couch, where she was waiting with the first aid supplies she'd managed to scrounge up. Pam started with her split lip, dabbing a bit of white ointment into the open wound. Harley winced and Pam placed a hand on her cheek to keep her still.

"Jay did this to you." It wasn't a question. She moved on to a small cut on Harley's cheek, just below the bruise that swelled around her eye.

"Yeah."

"Another argument?"

"Yeah. I said some stupid things…I asked him about my phone and he got angry…..." Harley explained, keeping her eyes downcast. Finally, she murmured so quietly that Pam almost missed it. "Angry about you."

I'm not surprised. But it was still painful to hear. Not for the first time, their relationship had brought harm to Harley. But this time, she'd made a different choice. She'd come to Pam for help, and there was nothing Pam would not do for this girl now to keep her safe.

"About me?"

"He said he didn't like me hangin' around your shop so much. Called you a bad influence." Pam snorted. "And when I told him that wasn't true he-…... I think you were right, Red."

Pam stopped dabbing at Harley's cuts and tried instead to read the blonde's expression. Her brows were furrowed over dark, stormy eyes, and a rueful smile played on her lips. "I don't think he really loves me anymore."

The tears that Harley had so desperately been trying to hold back suddenly spilled down her cheeks. Immediately, Pam pulled her into a tight embrace, one hand tangled in her waves of damp blonde hair, while the other moved soothingly up and down her back.

"It's alright, Daffodil," she murmured, her lips brushing Harley's ear. The blonde sniffled quietly and hid her face in the crook of Pam's neck. They sat together in silence for a long time, until Pam's legs went numb from their folded position on the couch, but still she didn't move. It wasn't until Harley pulled away of her own volition that Pam allowed herself to shift on the couch.

"Do you want to know why I really moved to Gotham?" she asked quietly, tucking a lock of hair behind Harley's ear. Her eyes widened slightly and then she nodded once.

"I moved because I couldn't stand being in Seattle anymore," Pam began, deciding it best to start from the very beginning. "I was born there and raised as an only child. My father was…distant. My mother controlling. I grew up in a place that made me feel like I was trapped. Like there was a limit to my potential." Pam paused and looked down at her lap. It had been a very long time since she'd spoken openly with someone about what Woodrue had done to her. Selina knew. Her parents knew, but that was hardly a consolation. The Seattle Police department had been privy to her story as well of course. But relaying her experiences to a clinical ear hadn't exactly been therapeutic.

But this was Harley. This was a woman who could very easily commiserate with Pam's own experience. And maybe, telling Harley her story, would help her begin to untangle herself from Jay.

"When I was still a student," Pam began again. "I became fascinated with one of my professors. Jason Woodrue. He was a very intelligent man. Charismatic. Commanding. And he was so passionate about the subjects he taught." Harley was watching her with owlish eyes. "I was everything he wasn't. Quiet, shy, insecure. I couldn't connect with my classmates. I'd never been able to connect well with people in general. But I connected with him. He took me under his wing, made me believe that I could do great things. That I was worth more than I thought I was. He said things that made me feel beautiful, smart. Powerful…And he meant none of them."

Harley had reached out, perhaps subconsciously, and was now playing with Pam's fingers. She took strength from the intimate gesture, hoping that she was really reconnecting with Harley, and pushed on with her story.

"He lied to me, he told me all the things he knew a sheltered little girl like me wanted to hear. And when I was entirely under his influence, he took me to his private lab. He told me he wanted me to be a part of his latest experiment. The talented, intelligent doctor wanted to share his work with me." Pam trailed off, the words stuck in her throat. The feeling of Harley's hand in hers was the only thing keeping her from being consumed by her memories. "He held me down and covered my mouth when I tried to scream."

Harley was shaking again, her eyes fixed on Pam.

"And he raped me." The look on Harley's face could only be described as one of horror. She gaped at Pam, a choked sob escaping her lips. The words hung in the air, heavy between them. Saying them out loud after months of silence felt somehow liberating. And they'd clearly reached Harley. Her face had paled and her pink lips trembled.

"And when he was finished with me, he didn't say a word. He didn't need to. In that moment, he'd taken everything from me. My pride, my security…I felt broken. I felt like a fool for believing he actually cared for me. I wasn't sure what to do, or if I should tell someone. He didn't threaten me to keep quiet. He must have believed a timid girl like me would never speak up for herself." Pam paused again, trying to read Harley's expression. Their experiences didn't exactly mirror each other, but Pam found it hard to believe that every time Harley and Jay had been together was consensual. And he manipulated her in the same way Jason had. "It took me a long time to decide to tell anyone what had happened. I wasn't sure anyone would believe me and what's more, if they would sympathize with me and not Woodrue. He was the great and respected professor. I was just an nameless student. I started with Selina and she convinced me to tell my parents. My mother tried to pretend it hadn't happened and my father all but disappeared from my life, like he was ashamed to be associated with me."

Pam closed her eyes as she continued, focusing on the feel of Harley's warm hands in hers.

"By the time I spoke with the police, they told me that the evidence was 'inconclusive'. I had no proof but my own experience and that wasn't good enough for them. It was my word against his. The case was dropped before it even had a chance to get off the ground. Woodrue was never condemned for his actions and for the next year, until I graduated, I had to spend every day looking into the eyes of the man who had taken everything from me."

"Oh Red." Harley's voice was barely above a whisper.

"It took me a substantial amount of time to realize that I could still fight back. That what he did to me couldn't stop me from reaching my potential. I realized, eventually, that the only way I could prove that he hadn't broken me was to become everything I thought I could never be. So I completed my program, I obtained my doctorate and I moved away from Seattle to start a new life. One where he couldn't haunt me in every dark corner."

The silence that hung over the room was palpable, it rang in Pam's ears. Harley was crying again, but this time Pam knew the tears weren't for her own sake. She hadn't told Harley her story for sympathy, but even still, it gave her no small amount of relief to realize that her experience had affected Harley in some way.

"All of this to say, Harley…...I understand what it feels like to lose your dignity to someone who's made you believe they care about you. And I also know it's possible to regain that self-respect, that freedom, and live outside their abuse. You're here. You're safe now," Pam said, brushing a few tears away from Harley's cheek with her thumb. "That's all that matters. He can't hurt you anymore."

Harley lunged forward, throwing her good arm around Pam's shoulders and burying her tear stained face in her neck. It took Pam a moment to respond, but when she did, she closed her eyes and melted into Harley's embrace, breathing in her clean scent and allowing herself to feel everything the memories brought.

"That's why you got so mad at the party?" Harley said suddenly, pulling back just far enough to look into Pam's eyes. "Because what Jay said made you think of him?"

"In part," Pam admitted, although her anger had extended to much more than Jay's resemblance to Woodrue.

Harley leaned forward again, gripping Pam tightly in another quick hug and murmuring, "I'm so sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Pam insisted, removing herself from Harley's grasp and grabbing the roll of gauze for her arm. "Nothing Jay said, and nothing I've shared, was your fault."

Afterwards, Harley watched Pam bandage her arm in uncharacteristic silence, taking in everything that had just been said. Pam didn't speak either. Her body felt heavy with everything she'd revealed. It was freeing, but equally draining. She could only hope that some of her words had gotten through to Harley. She could only hope that the parallels to Jay were clear. When Pam was finished bandaging her arm, she paused, considering what to do next in regards to their sleeping arrangement. It made the most sense for Harley to sleep in her bed while Pam took the couch, as tiny and uncomfortable as it was. Harley's well-being was more important than one sleepless night.

Still, the idea of spending the night in the same bed with her flitted through Pam's mind and the heat that had rushed through her in the bathroom returned. But Pam would never suggest it, especially not now, when Harley was still so vulnerable. Acting on her rampant emotions would be taking advantage of the blonde's current state. Silently admonishing herself, Pam stood and gestured towards the bedroom.

"You can use my bed. I'll take the couch. If you need me just-"

"Red, would you…" Harley trailed off, biting her lip and staring hard at her toes.

"Yes?"

"Could you stay with me tonight?" She caught Pam's surprised expression and quickly added, "I just…after everything you told me and…with the storm and all. I don't wanna be alone…."

A little stunned that Harley had suggested just what she'd been thinking, Pam nodded slowly and laced her fingers with Harley's, guiding her to the bedroom.

"Of course I'll stay."

Thank you for reading...until the next update.