Midnight Rendezvous

It had been a really long night, but after what felt like eternity, it was finally starting to pay off.

Harley Quinn smiled to herself- her white teeth shining oddly against her face paint- as she fiddled with the vault lock. Thanks to years of working alongside Mistah J, she had been able to learn all sorts of unique tricks. Lock cracking being one of many.

For several long moments, Harley slowly twisted the gears and listened. Normally she wasn't one for patience, but when a bank job arose, she was usually able to curb her enthusiasm enough to get the job done.

The con-woman confidently removed her ear, from where she had been pressing it against the metal, and deftly turned the proper combination. The vault gave one last click of defiance, before the tumblers fell into sync, and the door unlocked.

Harley, who had been working on the safe for 20 solid minutes, squealed happily as she spun the vault's spindle with a flick of her hand, and quickly yanked the steel beast open.

With bright blue eyes she gazed inside, and instantly burst into peals of laughter.

There, piled taller than Bane himself, were hundreds upon hundreds of dollar bills. They were stacked neatly upon countless shelves, gleaming lush green in the light of Harley's flashlight as she danced deeper into the vault.

When Ivy had said the score was massive, she hadn't been lying! There was so much money that Harley could have bathed in it ten-times over, and still had enough to buy her and Mistah J a mansion and several high-end cars.

"Thanks, Red," she breathed between her giggles, as she began to put the wads of cash into the duffle bag she'd brought with her. "I owe ya one!"

Unlike most bank robbers, Harley always handled the money with care. She didn't just grab and toss it in. She was mindful. Each stack was placed strategically in the duffle, so it wouldn't bend, rip, or tip over. She was a wild card; that much was well established and undeniable. But when it came to a job, she had certain quirks. It had actually been a topic that the Joker had spent countless hours griping and teasing her about.

If there was one thing that her man was good for, it was a running gag.

Harley's bag was almost full by this time, and her spirits more than matched her loaded gym sack. She'd always been a 'glass half full' kinda girl, and the amount of cash that was sitting comfortably in her grasp was more than enough to make a manic depressive start dancing.

With a red gloved hand, she reached down for her last stack. As her hand lifted with the precious currency in her palm, a loud wailing noise erupted in the bank, surrounding her on all sides. Harley jumped at the loud sirens that were screeching in her eardrums, and quickly glanced at the spot where she'd taken her last stack from. A red dot, the size of her pinkie finger, was pulsing annoyingly in time with the nerve-wracking alarm.

The cash had been sitting on a panic button! The bankers had placed a perfectly good wad of bills on a damn buzzer!

"Ah fer the love of Pete! Can't a girl work in peace!?" Harley huffed, as she raised the duffle and rushed out of the vault. She had perhaps two minutes tops before the GCPD showed up. . . or worse, the Bat himself.

Harley sprinted towards the back exit of the bank, her platform boots clopping loudly against the linoleum as she skidded roughly and passed all the tellers' stations at high speed. The exit was within her sights! She was so close! So close!

"C'mon, c'mon," she muttered under her breath as she snatched the door and yanked it open.

It was 3:45 a.m., but this meant next to nothing in a city that never slept. It was technically the wee hours of the morning, but cars sped by, and stores were still open for business. Gotham was kinda beautiful that way. Always wide awake and painted red and black by the smog and pollution. It was romantic in a jacked up sort of way. And if you stayed in the sprawling metropolis long enough, its darkness and insanity was bound to rub off on ya.

Harley cursed frantically as she spotted the flashing blue and red lights of the cop cars. They weren't on top of her yet, but in a moment they would be.

The clown princess shifted her sight to her surroundings, in hopes of finding a way out of her predicament. She had parked her getaway car on the far side of the building so no one would know that she was crashing the bank. Only now, did she realize that she'd made a blunder.

"It shoulda worked," she moaned, before her eyes slipped to the street corner. There was a traffic light, with only a single car idling at the red.

In a split second, Harley had made up her mind. Before the idea had fully formed in her noggin, she was making a mad dash for the old Toyota and pulling out a gun from the bottom of her duffle bag. If the truth was to be told, Harley never really liked taking hostages. But special circumstances called for special measures. So without preamble, she stalked up to the car, swung the passenger side open, and hopped in with her gun pointed at the driver.

"Hey there!" Her greeting was happy, as the driver openly stared at her. "I hate ta drop in on ya like this, but I gotta hitch a ride. You don't mind do ya?"

The gun Harley was pointing at her hostage hardly gave room for refusal, but the woman in the driver's seat didn't make any move to indulge her guest.

"What are you-?"

"I'm Harley!" the clown said as an introduction and explanation, as she glanced at the flashing lights that grew ever closer. "Now ya gotta get us outta here!"

"But-"

"Push the peddle, babes," Harley commanded. In that split second, her voice dropped deeper with her anxiety, and settled temporarily in her natural register.

As her voice momentarily changed, the driver's face shifted into an expression of recognition.

"Wait. . . Harley? . . . You mean Harleen? ... As in Harleen Quinzel?"

Harley's eyebrows arched visibly, even though the skin around her eyes was covered by her mask. Many people were familiar with her name, due to the Joker's rep . . . but nobody called her Harleen these days.

In the dimness of the traffic light, Harley looked closer at the person she'd jumped in with and gasped. The woman had dark hair pulled into a professional bun, warm brown eyes, caramel colored skin, and a pullover hoodie that was two sizes too big for her.

Harley gasped again as she identified the woman. She'd have known that face anywhere! Even at 3:45 in the morning.

"Dora Silva!?"

The woman nodded, and the clown princess squealed.

It'd been almost seven years since Harley had seen her old college roomie. The nostalgia hit her like a ton of bricks, as she nearly jumped across the car to hug the stunned Latino woman.

When Harley finally released her death-grip, she was positively beaming. "Drive now, talk later!"

And with that, she slammed her own foot atop the driver's, and they hurdled down the street.

It had been an incredibly long night for Dora Silva. Being a graveyard RN at Gotham General, she very rarely had an easy night. But now, after nearly twelve hours on her feet, with four gunshot victims, a little boy with his face burned, and several stab wound patients . . . the evening had been particularly hectic. . . And that was before her car had been hijacked by a wanted Clown with a gun.

After Harley had slammed her foot on top of Dora's, they had shot forward. It was lucky that it had been a long stretch of road, or they most certainly would have crashed into one of the buildings at the end of the street. But luckily, Harley had lifted her foot off quickly and Dora had been able to slow down to take the turn.

Now the two were cruising in silence, as the old Toyota puttered along the littered streets of Gotham. Dora remained quiet as she tried to gather her thoughts. It was true that she'd heard of Harley Quinn. (You couldn't live in Gotham and not be acquainted with the Crime Bosses and Nut Jobs). But the woman never would have imagined that Harlequin was her old roommate. . . But now, looking at the evidence, she realized she must have been blind to have missed it.

That's what you get for living in Bludhaven for so long, Dora thought sarcastically. You leave Gotham for a couple years and you miss the skivvy.

"Where am I going?" The question effectively shattered the silence, and made Harley turn her light blue eyes to regard Dora.

"Oh crap!" Harley slammed the butt of her gloved hand against her forehead. It was a miracle that none of her face paint came off. It must have been baked to her skin. "Sorry sweetie! I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't give ya any instructions! Shame on me!"

Despite the strangeness of the situation, Dora found herself smiling tiredly. Her voice might have been higher and more nerve-wracking than it had been, but Harley's bubbly personality and bright smile hadn't changed. Though the wacky factor had been upped by several thousand.

"Just head back to your place, Dora-baby. I don't have anywhere ta be." Harley decided easily, shrugging her shoulders as she kicked back in the passenger seat. It had been long enough without the cops following, that they could be considered safe.

Dora lifted a dark eyebrow skeptically. "My place? Really?"

Harley nodded quickly, making the bobbles on the edges of her jester hat bounce energetically. "Uh huh! And while we drive we can catch up!"

Dora questioned Harley's choice of venue, but didn't say a word as she decided to take the scenic route home.

"Uhhh. . . is the gun really necessary, Harleen?"

"Wha!?" Harley seemed to have forgotten the gun she was still holding in her hand. "Oh! You mean this old thing?"

"Umm, yeah, that'd be the one." Dora said uncomfortably.

Harley wiggled her eyebrows at the RN with a snicker. "Don't worry, sweetie. It's not real! See?" To prove her point, she aimed the gun at the roof of the car and pulled the trigger. A loud popping sound resounded in the small space and a gob of birthday confetti exploded all over the floor and seats. It would have been pretty, if the tassels of color hadn't meshed together to form a festive puke shade.

As it settled, Harley laughed comically at Dora's strained expression. "Sorry for the mess, babes! Hahahaha, you shoulda seen your face when this sucka went off! You looked like you were gonna have a heart attack! Ya gonna live, sweetie?"

Dora shook her head, that now sported several strands of the rainbow confetti. "Well, I thought you were discharging a loaded gun in my car. I doubt I could have made a happy face during that."

"Hehh hehhh~! Sorry! Didn't mean ta scare ya, D!" The old nickname rolled off her tongue like water. "I woulda put it away sooner, but I forgot! I just use it for show, ya know. That way I can take a hostage and never actually hurt 'em!"

Dora's brain hurt as she tried to understand the unstable logic that Harley presented, before they both fell silent again. It had been so long since they'd been roommates. . . and obviously everything had changed. It wasn't something that Dora had ever expected would happen, and yet here she was. . .

"So," Dora began finally. "Long time no see. . ."

"I know right?! It's been foreva!" Harley jumped into the conversation immediately. She leaned forward in her seat; her large eyes gleaming with excitement as she stared at the dark-haired woman. "How the heck are ya, Dora!? I mean it's been what? Six years?"

"Seven," Dora corrected with a small laugh. The situation was insane, so she decided to just roll with it. She was too tired to fight Harley, and didn't quite have the heart to drive to the police station. . . So she stopped thinking about it and just relaxed into it all. A person only lived once, right?

"I'm doing good, Harley. Just same old, same old."

"Ah c'mon! Don't give me that!" Harley cried, flabbergasted. "Ya gotta give me some details, sweetie! Ya practically dropped off the face of the earth after college!"

"Yeah, sorry about that. . ." Dora had no idea why she was apologizing to a woman that had kidnapped her at gunpoint. Internally, the RN was laughing her ass off. "I moved to Bludhaven for a job offer after I graduated, and kinda lost all my old ties. Though I did look you up when I got back to Gotham this year."

"Ya did?"

Dora nodded. "But I couldn't find you. Not on social media, or practicing your psychiatry. It's like your name got wiped off the books or something."

Harley snorted, "You have been gone a while, huh, D? I've been off the books for ages!"

"Hahah, I know I missed a lot of updates in the newspapers," she agreed. "So what happened . . . if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, I graduated like you did, and started my internship at Arkham. Don't let 'em fool you with the bright campaign posters, sweetie. The place is craptastic. Anyway, I worked for about half a year, before I found my true calling in life." Harley grinned before shrugging widely. "Turns out, psychology wasn't fer me after all."

"What changed your mind?"

"I met the love of my life!" Harley's voice grew even higher pitched as she cooed, making Dora's ears ring. "My puddin' was a patient over at Arkham and we fell in love while I was treating 'im. He helped me see the truth, and the rest is history!"

"The love of your life? . . . Do you mean the Joker?"

Harley's blue eyes practically sparkled. "You know my puddin'!?"

"Only by reputation. . . You two are actually quite famous, Harls." Dora didn't say more on the subject, though her stomach rolled at the implications of Harley's relationship. She'd heard horror stories about how the Joker had beaten and abused the petite Harlequin. It was only now that Dora realized that those stories had been about her friend.

"We do get around," the clown princess agreed, before she asked curiously. "What about you, Dora? You got a man?"

Dora's skin turned pink, as a genuine smile crept to her lips. She did indeed have a man, though she wasn't sure what she should tell Harley.

"Yeah, I've got a boyfriend. . . We actually just got engaged a month ago."

Harley's eyes almost popped out of her head, before she let out an earsplitting squeal. "OHHHH DORAAAHHH! Sweetie! I'm so happy for ya! What's his name!? How did you two meet!? Tell me everything!"

Dora laughed at the intense show of excitement, before she decided to indulge her passenger.

"Well, his name is Richard, and we met back in Bludhaven when I first moved there. He was brought into the ER with a concussion after falling down some stairs. . . He ended up asking me out to dinner when I was taking his vitals. . . and as you say, the rest is history."

"What does he do fer a living?"

"He's a lawyer." Dora rolled her eyes when Harley made a pouty face. "Don't look like that, silly. You asked me, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Harley waved her hand dismissively, before her eyes grew brighter. "Ohhhh! Dora! You wanna drink? I've got some Starbucks Bottles with me? I never go on the job without having some coffee in my bag! Though when Bats tackles me, they usually break. It's why I normally have a thermos instead. But I didn't do my dishes yesterday, so I didn't have one ready fer tonight!"

Throughout her jabbering, Dora had fought laughter. She really was the same lovable blabbermouth.

"I'm good, Harleen."

"Ahhh, c'mon, sweetie!" Harley whined as she pulled out two glass bottles of Iced Vanilla Frappuccino. "It'll be just like old times! You remember when we used ta go get joe at 3 in the morning, and try to cram and study for our classes?"

Dora finally accepted the drink with a sigh, though smiled over the brim as she admitted to remembering.

"You always got the strong stuff," Harley recalled popping the cap off hers. "And I'd get the Fraps cause the normal mocha was too bitter for my delicate tastes."

"Hahaha, the coffee was the only thing that you had delicate tastes in, Harls! With men you were a beast!"

"Still am, babes!" Harley snorted good-naturedly. "You oughta see the clown I date now! Makes all them other rough riders seem like a joke!"

"I'll bet," Dora tried not to cringe as the Joker's evil face flickered in her mind.

For a long time, the two women drove around Gotham- both laughing and sharing memories of their days in college. The parties they had attended, the drinking they had done, and the men they had dated- it all seemed so long ago now. Almost as if a whole other life had passed since that time.

Both Nurse and Clown had changed rather drastically since their youth. Dora had been a quiet, shy woman during her school days, which had faded when she jumped headfirst into her career. . . and Harley . . . well, Harley hadn't been a criminal. But in spite of their transformations, Dora found that deep down, they both still had roots that matched.

Dora, though she had originally been taken hostage, found herself driving aimlessly, as she reconnected with her old friend. And she realized that she was actually a bit sad at the prospect that it might be over soon.

"Hey, D?" Harley asked as they drove into the nicer part of Gotham. "Do you still watch that one show? Ya know. . . with the magical alchemist guys?"

"Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"Yeah! That one!"

Dora laughed as she took a sip from her coffee. "Yes. I love to rewatch it once in a while. I've been trying to get Richard to watch it with me. But he's more into stuff like Death Note, so I have to do Fullmetal by myself."

Harley sighed as she drank her own beverage, her eyes going dreamy. "I'd watch it with ya! I liked that one. It had that yummy guy that made my mouth water. . . What was his name?"

"You drooled over a couple guys in that show, Harls," Dora teased, tugging on one of her bobbles playfully.

"I know, but he was my favorite character! He was really ripped and had darker skin. . . amazing tattoos. . . Ohhh! And he was a damn good fighta!"

"Oh, you mean Scar the Ishvalan?"

Harley squealed despite herself and snapped her fingers. "That's the one, sweetie! OH my Lanta! He was divine!"

"Hahah, Scar is an amazing character," Dora agreed.

"Oooohhh! And what about that one show with the sexy Butler guy who could do absolutely anything? You always called him Bassy!"

"Black Butler," Dora substituted. The woman was surprised that Harley remembered as much as she did. It was quite flattering actually.

"Man, you watched so many of those anime shows! And I'd go on drink runs across the street, while you'd change the DVD's." Harley breathed contentedly. ". . . We had some good times, didn't we?"

"Yeah, Harls. We did. . . Though I didn't think you'd remember so much of it," Dora admitted with a soft smile, as she turned onto her street and slid her car into her normal parking space.

"You were my roomie and best girlfriend, D," Harley commented cheerfully. "Of course I'd rememba!"

For a moment the two women were quiet, before Dora took her key from the ignition and turned to look at Harley.

"What now, Harls?"

She seemed to consider this. "Now. . . you go get some sleep and I get back ta my man," the clown princess said easily, reaching down to unzip the duffle bag. Harley grabbed one of the thickest wads of cash and proffered it to Dora. "Here, sweetie. Something for the trouble I caused ya tonight."

"Harley, I can't-"

"None of that, babes. It's a gift, from one friend to another." Harley pressed it firmly into her hands with a warm smile.

When Dora's fingers closed around the cash, Harley leaned forward and placed a quick kiss to her cheek. It was a simple gesture that the blonde had done countless times in the past. It was a goodbye to a sister and dear friend.

"Let's do this again sometime," she suggested lightly. "Perhaps we could have a girls' night out soon! Just you and me!"

Rubbing the lipstick off her cheek, Dora laughed with a nod. "I'd like that Harleen."

Harley winked at her, "See ya around, Dora!" Then, she opened the passenger door and jumped out with the duffle bag.

As the tired RN watched, the clown princess sprinted off into the new dawn, before disappearing completely. It was around 5 a.m. now, and the day-population of Gotham was beginning to rise; unaware of the bank robbery that had taken place not two hours earlier.

Dora Silva slowly exited her Toyota and began the trek towards her condo. Her feet were lead as she shuffled to her door and found it to be unlocked. As she closed the door behind her and placed her purse and keys down on the kitchen table, she called out to her fiancé.

"Hey Dick, I'm home!"

From the bedroom a muffled greeting met her tired ears.

Knowing him, he'd just gotten back from Patrol Duty with Bruce and Barbara. Lucky for them, they both were night owls and would be able to get several hours of sleep in between their other jobs.

Unhurriedly, Dora stalked into their shared bedroom, thumping the wad of cash next to Dick's nose, before face planting into the bed next to him- not bothering to take off her shoes or clothes. She was pretty much dead on her feet.

"Where'd the money come from," Dick asked, already half asleep, as he placed a hand to her waist.

"Long story, Nightwing," Dora mumbled back teasingly, before leaning over to kiss him. "Can you get it to Bruce next time you see him?"

". . . Why Bruce?"

"It's concerning a bank robbery that happened a couple hours ago. I figure he'll be looking for it."

Dick's eyes shot open the full way as he regarded his girlfriend. "What the hell happened to you tonight?"

Dora sighed as she snuggled into her superhero with a soft laugh, "Just catching up with my old roomie. . . who just so happens to be Harley Quinn. . ."

Dick sighed painfully, as he fought the wonderful embrace of sleep. ". . . Guess it's story time in the Grayson household."

"Do you really want to know?"

". . . Did you rob a bank?"

"Haha. No, Dick."

"Then spill."

Dora chuckled as she pushed the dark hair from Dick's forehead. "Well, it started with a botched bank job and a crazy clown jumping into my car . . ."

A/N: My half of a trade for my amazing friend Rhoder over on Deviantart who wanted Harley Quinn and his OC! 3 I had a blast with this story!

To all the anime nerds reading (you are awesome!) lol Fullmetal and Black Butler references for the win!

Special thanks to EEstelle for being my Beta Reader! Sweetie you are the greatest! Thank you so much!

This was so much fun to write! I just hope that everyone else can enjoy it! (And yes, Richard is in fact Dick Grayson aka Nightwing/Robin. I couldn't help adding one of the Bat family in there somewhere!

Thanks for reading, guys!

~Lyn