A/N: Ah, at long last! The penultimate chapter. Finally, I've run out of excuses to drag this story out. Chapter title is based on a song by Weezer, because I think the lyrics in the bridge (starting with "I wish I could get my head out of the sand"; look it up!) is cute for these two.

"Good morning," mumbled Eddie as Harley walked into the kitchen, today dressed in a simple red sundress that she had gotten the day before. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look at her without thinking about her kiss the night before. Of course, it didn't help that the dress gave him a fantastic view of her legs.

"Good morning," she replied, her voice cheerful. He wondered if she felt even a little bit awkward from the night before, or if it had really just been spur of the moment for her, and if she had actually managed to forget it, as she had suggested they do.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, trying to keep a conversation going to hide that he had most certainly not managed to forget. How pathetic would she find it if she knew that he had not only wanted it to go farther, but also that he wanted more for their relationship in general!

"I slept pretty good," she said, sitting next to him at the table and looking over his shoulder at the crossword puzzle he had just finished. It had been his eleventh that morning, which was much slower going than he was used to. She consumed his thoughts to the point that concentration was growing more and more difficult.

He started another puzzle, hyper-aware of her eyes on him. He could hardly keep his hands from shaking, and the answers came to him in twice the time they normally did. He feared that he would take up to five minutes on this one, and knew that he would not be able to complete the puzzle book that morning, like he normally did.

"Hey, Eddie, I have a question," she said suddenly. "And you can say no if you want to. It's just, since I'll be staying here for a while, and we had so much fun yesterday, I was wondering. I'd like to try doing some schemes your way, so do ya think maybe we could team up for your next one?"

He looked up at her, surprised. She wanted to work with him again? And, even better, she wanted to try things his way? Overcome with joy, he couldn't hide the eagerness in his voice as he said, "Of course! That would be wonderful!" He hesitated a moment before saying, "If you like what we do, we could work together more often. Perhaps we could...form a partnership?" He practically held his breath, hoping she wouldn't laugh in his face at his suggestion.

"I'd love to!" she said, a large grin breaking out on her face.

~X~

Harley was ecstatic that her plan had gone even more perfectly than she had hoped. She had planned to bring up the possibility of working together again, and, if he agreed, subtly hint again and again that they worked well together to gauge his reactions. If, by the end of their heist, he seemed to agree, she would ask to work together on a full-time basis. However, as soon as she had asked for the one chance, he had immediately asked her for a partnership. Everything was going fantastically!

"You know what I've been thinkin'?" she asked later that day.

"What's that?"

"I was thinkin' that I need a new costume," she said. "I like my old costume plenty, but...things were different back then, and that identity was created specifically for...well, you know." She hated bringing up anything to do with her old relationship; she didn't want to remember it or remind anyone of it. "So, I figure I should probably reinvent myself."

"I like that idea," he said. "I like your old costume as well, but I understand what you mean. I'm sure there are some painful memories attached to it."

"Well, I'm gonna fix that right up!" said Harley, a smile brightening her face. "By the time I'm done with this outfit, everyone'll know I'm workin' for someone new!"
"Harley," he said, surprised. "You're not working for me. You're not my henchman or anything of that sort. You and I are equals. You are working with me."

"Eddie," she said softly, feeling tears prick at her eyes. She had not expected him to say something like that. She had not expected anyone to say anything like to her, at any point in her life. Even with Ivy, who was all about female empowerment, she was nothing but a sidekick, along for the ride. Never had she been valued as an equal. Never had someone told her that there was a difference between "working for" and "working with". "I...thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."

"Well, it's the truth," he replied simply. "You're a former psychiatrist. It should be obvious to anyone how intelligent you are! I would love to hear what kind of ideas you have, and your opinions on what I come up with. On top of that, you're faster and stronger than I am. You add a strength to my operations that I would not have on my own. I can't see how you would think I could possibly see you as anything less than my equal."

It was unavoidable, she realized. She was, without a doubt, going to fall very much in love with this man. She knew this, and she knew that pursuing it would be impossible, given how different they were, given how wonderful their friendship was, given her past that no man would want to have to make up for. Still, she was going to fall in love with him, and she didn't care what that meant; she was never going to leave his side because he didn't just make her feel like she was worth something. He made her feel like she was priceless.

~X~

The next few days were marked by a quiet business. Eddie was hard at work, formulating his plans. Occasionally, he would read things off to Harley, explaining where he was going with it and asking her if there was anything she thought he should change. She would tweak things every now and then, but more often than not, she was in agreement with him. When she wasn't listening to him, she was in and out, collecting pieces for her new costume, and working on it in her room. She refused to let him see anything, as she wanted it to be a surprise.

They fell into a comfortable rhythm with one another throughout those days, and became closer and closer. Their awkwardness seemed to be diffused, at least for the time being, as they became focused on their tasks. Both were content with their partnership and comfortable with one another; this could definitely work out.

Really, it seemed as though nothing could upset their new friendship. Though their sexual tension and kiss had not been forgotten, it was easier to push those things aside and be happy with what they had.

Eddie still occasionally wondered about what he had overheard and if she was ever planning on acting on those desires, or if those desires even still existed, but he was willing to let that go for now. After all, he was happier than he had ever been. He could ignore absolutely anything in favor of spending time with Harley.

In fact, he could even ignore the very obvious fact that he was no longer interested in her out of curiosity and basic desires. He could ignore the very obvious fact that he had developed strong romantic feelings for her. He knew that nothing could really come of it, and that if she ever made a move on him, he would have to pretend that he was happy with the fling as it was, and if she never made a move, he would have to continue to pretend that their friendship was all he wanted.

Because, really, to say that he wanted more would not only be met with rejection from her, but would also be asking too much. The closeness that they had developed already was more than he could have ever dreamed of, and certainly more than he felt that he deserved, given the fact that he had only begun to really notice her because he had thought there was a chance of sleeping with her. If she wanted to be his friend, and his partner in crime, he would be satisfied with that.

He could continue ignoring his feelings for her if it meant that that friendship would be preserved.

A/N: It's short, but it's building up for the ending.