A/N: Seriously, I should not be working so hard on this story. Someone stop me before I get out of hand.

A few weeks later, Harley was pleased to find herself back on the streets, back in her familiar jester costume, and back into everything she shouldn't be. It had been a few days since her escape from Arkham, and so far she had managed to avoid capture and pull off some very fun robberies. She was having a blast, stealing things just for her and nobody else, but she knew she was going to have to stop and carefully plan her future soon.

She had nowhere to go. Ivy hadn't believed her escape plan would work, and had opted not to try and come with her this time. She had vowed never to go back to the Joker for anything, even though he had all of her possessions in his hideout (assuming he hadn't thrown them away- again). Each night, she had hidden somewhere new, with only a large purse she had grabbed from a street vendor filled with her loot and the necessities she had stolen.

Of course, she had made it her first priority to steal a new costume, identical to all the ones in the past, and the makeup to go along with it. With that, some food, and all the valuables she had taken, she was doing alright, but she couldn't live on the streets forever. It was dangerous out there, even for a hardened criminal like herself, and it was hard to avoid capture without a proper hideout.

However, the more pressing matter at hand was a new display at the museum. Several ancient artifacts were on display, and there was a necklace that she simply had to have. Breaking in was easy enough, as she had done it enough times, and when she made sure the guards were properly knocked out, she entered the room and began planning how to take it without tripping any alarms.

It was just as she had managed to delicately pick up the necklace and put it around her neck, ready to show it off the next chance she got, she heard footsteps and whistling nearing the room. Had she missed a guard somehow? Panicking, she dropped down below a display, trying to hide in the obvious spot.

~X~

Little did she know, it was none other than Edward Nygma, in the market to steal a miniature sphinx that had been rumored to be here. He was not fond of break ins, as they were much more physical and left much less chance for him to flaunt his intellect, but he couldn't resist having something like that on display in his hideout, so he had come to the museum, surprised to find it incredibly easy to get in.

He suspected that he was not alone in robbing the museum tonight and when he saw the top of a red and black cowl drop behind a display, his suspicions were confirmed. And, of course, it was obvious that Harley was the perpetrator. He was immediately reminded of the conversation he had been trying to forget.

What to do, what to do? He had become overly confident when no guards had tried to stop him, and had done nothing to mask his footsteps, even allowing himself to whistle a little tune. She undoubtedly knew that she was not alone, and she would have to come out and assess the situation eventually. Contact with her was unavoidable at this point, and he decided it was better to take the plunge now.

"Like two ships passing in the night, it appears our paths have crossed," he said, speaking in that strange and pompous way he was famous for.

"Eddie?" he heard a familiar feminine voice say, before seeing Harley's face poke out from her poor hiding spot. When she saw that it was him, she broke into a large grin, saying, "It is you!" She bounded over to him, pulling him into a tight hug.

He felt his face heat up, blushing at the sudden contact with her. "Y-yes, it is," he managed to stammer as he tried to mask his nerves. He could hear her voice in his mind, repeating over and over again, it would be fun getting him in bed.

When she at last pulled back, she looked up at him, still grinning. "What brings you here?" she asked, before gesturing to the large necklace she wore, as if to answer her own question.

"A similar reason," he replied. "There was something rumored to be on display that I simply had to have." He showed her the small statue, and she smiled as if she understood. "So...how have things been since you escaped?" he asked, not knowing how best to continue the conversation but not wanting it to end just yet.

"It's been alright," she replied. "I've just done a few small heists, nothing big just yet. I gotta get settled before I can work on any real plans, ya know?"

"Are you working alone now?" he asked. He had assumed (and also hoped, a bit) that her relationship had still not been repaired, but there was always a chance that she had gone running back as soon as she was out.

"Me and Mistah J aren't seeing each other anymore," she said simply, but he could hear the hurt in her voice and forgot, for a moment, her comment at Arkham and his nervousness and curiosity regarding it. He could think only of how he wanted to help her in whatever way he could.

"What are your plans for getting out of here?" he asked.

"I dunno," she answered, shrugging. "I've been playin' this whole thing by ear. Thought it would be more fun this way. I was just hopin' the guards would still be out when I left so I could make a run for it."

"Well, I happen to have a getaway car outside that I certainly don't mind sharing," said Edward with a warm smile.

Harley's eyes widened in surprise before her usual carefree grin returned. "I guess my playin' it by ear really paid off!" she said. "But since I now have a much faster way out, I don't have to be as careful leaving!"

"What do you-" he started, but was unable to finish the question as she took off running, making sure to trip several alarms as she did so, laughing hysterically all the while. When he realized exactly what she was doing, he bolted behind her, trying to keep up as they made their for the exit.

"Geez, Eddie, you're so slow!" she called, looking back over her shoulder at him. It was true that she was in much better physical shape than him, and it didn't help that he hadn't been expecting to have to make a run for it like this. She slowed down a bit to grab his hand, then picked up speed again, dragging him along behind her.

~X~

They had been driving for a few minutes before Harley finally managed to calm down and stop laughing. "That was so much fun!" she said. "Seriously, Eddie, that was great. Thanks again for the ride, by the way. I really appreciate it."

"Oh, it's nothing, really," he said with a small smile. She was hit for the millionth time that night by just how attractive she found him. Of course, she had always thought he had the classy, handsome dork thing going for him, but tonight, it had seemed all the more obvious to her, and she was sure that this had something to do with a certain conversation she had had with Ivy not long ago.

She hadn't meant anything serious by it, and she knew that, yet the entire evening, she had constantly had to disguise the fact that being around him made her feel off balance, even a little bit shy. She never let on that she was feeling this strangely, but it was always in the back of her mind, and for reasons she did not understand.

After all, he wasn't the only guy she had talked about. Granted, he was the only one to fully "pass the test", but that didn't change too much about it, especially considering she had no intention of actually acting on what she had said. She didn't think that she would feel like this around anyone else, so it didn't make one bit of sense that her insides were all aflutter just because she had expressed interest in him once upon a time.

"Where would you like me to drop you off?" he asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Where are you staying right now?"

"Oh...nowhere in particular," she said with a shrug. "I've been lots of places, but I haven't found one of my own just yet. You can drop me off anywhere."

"Don't tell me you've been living on the streets!" he said, surprised.

"Just till I can find somewhere. I've been lookin', it's just been a slow process."

"Do you not know how unsafe that is?" he asked. When she merely shrugged again, he said, "Well, uh..." He coughed. "I do have some extra room. You could stay with me for as long as you needed, if you'd like."

Her heart skipped a beat at his words. Again, she could hear own voice, rattling off his good characteristics and expressing a desire to spend a night with him. To accept his invitation could end up being a very bad idea and yet before she could stop herself, she said, "Aw, do ya really mean it, Eddie? That'd be great!"

As they continued their drive, she tried again and again to push the thoughts out of her head. If she was going to stay with him, she would have to learn to practice self control and keep her hands to herself. But, really, how hard could it be?

~X~

He should have known better than to invite her to stay with him, but the thought of a young woman like her spending her nights alone on the streets was too much for him to bear. Being spotted by almost anyone could end badly for her, ranging anywhere from landing her back in Arkham to landing her dead in a dumpster. His overwhelming urge to help her had only grown upon hearing that, and he had had no other choice but to invite her.

But now that he really had time to think about what he had gotten himself into, he felt incredibly uneasy. They would be alone in his hideout for the whole night. Would she make a move and attempt to "get him in bed", as she had said she wanted to do? And what would he do if she did? He was the sort who had all the answers, but this answer was one that he couldn't hope to grasp.

A/N: Thanks again to my lovely fiance, Daniel, for helping me make Eddie sound like the geekass nerd that he is.