I'm going to edit this again tomorrow because I don't think it's at its best.
I played on a quote from the
Batgirl series where BG asks about Harley and Ivy.
I just loved it so much (but didn't add when HQ suggests there's something between BG and Supergirl. .


Chapter Two: Twenty Questions

"How about 20 Questions?"

"Okaaay… you do know I can't answer everything, right?"

Harley rolled her eyes but was still smiling, "Yeah, I know. I'm not going to ask who Batman really is or where your secret hideout is or anything. I'm not that dense."

Barbara nodded.

"Great! I'll start: what's your name?"

"Harley, I can't answer that. You said you wouldn't ask." She looked into the innocent baby-blue orbs seriously.

"Not your whole name, silly. I can't just call you Batgirl all night, can I?"

"Well, I'm not telling you who I am."

"Fine, I'll just call you BB."

The suggestion made Barbara all the more wary. It was too close to the truth. In fact, in grade school she really had been called that.

"Why BB?"

"You know," Harley stretched it out, "because I used to call you Bat Brat. Bat Brat, BB… It's a nickname."

"Oh, okay."

Harley 'hmmed', "My turn again, because you asked that. Um… how old are you?"

Barbara raised a questioning eyebrow, "Why? And that wasn't my question."

"You know everything about me, and it's unfair. You can just approximate if you want."

The redhead sighed, "Okay, I'm around your age, give or take a couple years. Is that okay?"

"Yup!" Harley was grinning as she started to pull off the hood of her costume, followed by her mask. She pushed her hand through her hair, smoothing out the crushed pigtails.

"Great, my question," Barbara felt herself actually start to relax, "Hmm… okay, why did you get into psychiatry?"

Harley huffed, "Bor-ring, but I can tell you that I wanted to know why my dad was such a jerk. I'm surprised you didn't know that. He was a conman and just a really bad father. Like really bad. But most of my family are."

She had known that Harley's father was a conman, but didn't know that Harley had gone into Psychiatry because of him. While the girl was still grinning like she didn't care, the smile didn't seem to spread to her eyes and for the first time, Barbara felt sorry for the psychotic psychiatrist.

Seeing pity in the redhead's face, Harley hurried on, clapping her hands together, "My turn! What's it like working with the Big Bad Bat?"

"Ah, yes. I think you put it best- like living with a really really scary dad." They both grinned and Harley laughed aloud, obviously delighted. "He's really not much different in everyday life as he is when he's fighting villains. He's brooding, he sounds evil and he isn't much of a talker."

Harley was grinning again, and joked, "I woulda taken him for a real yammerer."

Babs giggled and turned serious, clearly thinking. "Harls, why did you want me here? I know you're bored, but where's Joker and Ivy? Why not just make friends who don't have to fight you?"

Harley counted off her fingers as she answered, "Joker's not in Gotham at the moment. I don't know where he is because he wouldn't tell me. Ivy's in Arkham, so I can't hang out with her and me and Catwoman and I aren't on speaking terms right now. You're the only other girl I ever see, so I figured why not!" She threw her hands in the air for dramatic effect, but Barbara didn't seem so thrilled.

"And…" she encouraged.

"Lemme put it this way, BB. Do you really think it'd be easy for a crazy, obsessive murdering clown to make friends with sane folk? I had to set a trap just to get you to see me!"

Barbara nodded, understanding and again feeling sympathetic for the madwoman. Yeah, she supposed it must be hard for Harley. She herself had enough trouble making friends outside of the hero-world because of her above-average intellect. And the time constraints and secrets put a lot of strain on any relationships she started.

The questions got much less personal for a while, varying from hobbies to favourite color (there was no surprises with Harley) and Barbara became more and more comfortable, not even noticing that her guards were slipping. Harley was just having such a good time and her enjoyment (like her laughter) was becoming extremely contagious. It had been so long since she had spent social time with another woman. Batman wasn't a great conversationalist and Dick was being a… well, dick since she had broken up with him.

She was still laughing, holding her sides from telling a story about the most embarrassing moment in her life when she asked the next question for Harley, "Okay, okay, okay… Umm. You and Ivy, why aren't scared of her? I mean, wouldn't you be safer spending your time with a poisonous cobra!"

Harley shook her head and looked very happy and a little nostalgic as she replied, "Oh, Ivy can't hurt me. She gave me a special shot once so we can play and I won't get sick at all."

Barbara's face echoed her curiosity, "You mean you two…"

Harley looked at her, oblivious, "What?"

"You and Ivy are… well… friends…" her brows were raised suggestively and thought her tone would give away the suggestion.

"Yeah…?" Obviously it didn't work.

"Y'know… friends like…"

Finally she caught on and her lips became circular, "Ohhh… Well we cuddle and we've kissed, but we haven't done the naughty. Just messed around some. I'd be worried that Mister J would find out and try to kill her. How 'bout you? Ever kiss a girl and done that sort of thing?"

Barbara shook her head as if shocked that it'd be suggested. "No way. Not even a kiss. Why? Have you?" she quickly turned the question around on Harley again. She really didn't want to discuss her personal life (or lack thereof).

"Of course I have! Y'know how I told you that I slept with my college professor to pass with flying colours?" Barb nodded slowly, "Well, it sure wasn't a he!" She cackled at the shocked blush that had overtaken every inch of the other woman's face (at least as far as she could see).

Harley had doubled over with laughter, not helped by the Batgirl's loss for words and was slapping her knee until she couldn't breathe anymore. She coughed hard a few times and leaned back in her chair, trying to catch her breath again. "You're hilarious, BB!" she beamed. "Okay, last question, okay, have you ever wanted to be with a woman?"

The blush that had receded made a dramatic comeback as Barbara denied the suggestion. This little get together was getting much too uncomfortable for her likings, more personal than any of her discussions with anyone since college, at least. "Oh no, no, no, no! Not at all, nuh-uh. No. Just really no."

When the furious head-shaking ceased, Harley had a grin and a raised eyebrow, her eyes once again glittering with joy, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

Resolute about changing the subject, Babs asked with mock-surprise, "Shakespeare? Really? You know Shakespeare?"

The tactic worked and the red and black clad blonde looked at her with confusion, "Who? That's from a tv show I saw."

Not long after that, Batman's voice found its way into the room, first asking Barbara if she was alright before requesting she meet him outside. Now.

"Well, this has been… kinda fun, Harley," actually, it had been plenty of fun and the blonde knew it, "but I guess this is where we go back to hating each other."

Before she got up, Harley grabbed her arm with startling force, "Wait! How about next week?" Her voice was strangely desperate, "Here, I got this mobile so that I can call you and we can organize something else together. Please?"

"I'm sorry, Harl, I don't think I'd be allowed to-"

"Pretty, pretty please with cherries and whipped cream on top?"

Barbara shook her head and the villainess tried another approach. "Look, I'll give you my number and if you don't call in a week I'll… I'll kidnap a bus of kids! No, wait, I'll shoot the Commissioner. He's a pal of yours, right? I'll shoot him." Beneath the pleading there was a dangerous level of truthfulness which reminded Barbara that this woman was indeed insane.

"Okay, fine." Her stomach was curling from the promise. It hadn't been that bad, and it definitely wasn't worth risking her father to deny Harley a little fun.

The clown perked up and she pulled a red and black card from seemingly nowhere. "Great! Great! Okay, fantastic! Here's my number. Don't try to trace it or it'll destroy your computers." Babs took it and headed for the door which was now unlocked (since when?) and waved a cautious farewell.

"BYE!" Harley yelled after the disappearing woman before flipping and cartwheeling about. She was literally bouncing off the walls she was so ecstatic. Not only had BB not tried to arrest her, the girl laughed with her and played a game and had fun. Now she wanted to start deciding what to do for next week.

Leaving the bag of food stuffs, Harley sprinted through the open door and slipped through a ventilation shaft (just in case the Batman had decided to try and catch her while she left). All the while she couldn't help cheering and grinning like crazy.

Batman was leaning against the batmobil when Barbara appeared from the building, intact with as emotionless a face as she could pull. He immediately started asking about what had happened, but Barb wasn't going to give too much up, though she had to tell him that she'd be seeing Harley again. The outrage was evident, but she knew it was because he cared and promised to be safe. "Why," he asked, and she simply told him that if she didn't, the madwoman would shoot her father and she couldn't risk it.

They drove off in silence towards Wayne Manor.