Haly Martha Grayson.

Today the Waynes mourn the death of a family member who had become part of their lives in such a short time. She, like her mother, had come into their lives in the most unexpected way, and had been loved by them all. The Joker took her away from them, and that thought hangs heavy over everyone's heads on this day.

Unbeknownst to them, the Joker stole their daughter with the intention of pushing Dick and Harley further towards the edge, and raising their child as his own, and as they mourn her, she grows further and further away, nearly impossible to reach.

Dick straightened his tie in the mirror. Their bedroom was silent in the dark, the curtains drawn to block the glare on the snow. Harley moved around behind him in the bathroom, pulling her dress on. He moved aside to allow her to pull her damp hair up in the mirror. Dick watched her. Her cheeks were hollow, her lips pale, her eyes dull and reddened- and Dick watched her sweep blush over her cheeks, smooth lipstick over her lips, brighten her eyes with makeup and disguise the redness with a cover-up. She exhaled slowly as she put her glasses on. Dick looked down at the floor. Her makeup couldn't hide the pain in her eyes completely, and it stood out against her beauty like a police siren in the night.

Dick cleared his throat a bit. It'd been painfully silent since the moaning, the gasping; the crying had finally stopped. It had been harsh. It had hurt. It had been violent and agonizing and empty; they'd laid in silence afterward, neither one speaking. Dick never once shut his eyes, and Harley couldn't sleep for more than ten minutes before screaming herself awake in terror. Each time, Dick had calmed her back to sleep quietly, and each time, she'd woken up wailing again.

Walking back into the bedroom, Dick tore his tie off. He tossed it on the bed, unbuttoning his black shirt at the collar. He sat down on the bed, his head hung and his hands clasped with his elbows on his knees. Harley followed him, her steps soft on the hardwood floor, hugging herself tightly.

Why do we have to do this? Haven't we been through enough? Why must we endure this punishment? Dick closed his eyes against the tears. What have either of us done to deserve this?

A knock came at the door and Selina poked her head in. Dick looked up, and her eyebrows knitted at the sight of the bruise on the left side of his face and the cut taped up under his bangs.

"I… We'll be late. Come on," Selina whispered, taking Harley's hand. She hugged her tight, tears welling in her eyes.

"I don't know if I can do this," Harley whispered, her body stiff.

"I know. I can't… I won't make either of you. It will be short. Bruce isn't the most caring when it comes to hugs or gifts or giving gratitude… but he knows how to take care of the people he loves… in the most productive way possible. It will be short." Selina said, and Dick watched her. Harley nodded.

"Okay," she breathed. She instinctively reached back for Dick.

Dick stood, taking Harley's hand in his, his fingers cold. "We'll be down," he promised quietly, and Selina nodded, leaving them alone. Dick looked at Harley for a moment. He knew that this was an emotional breakdown waiting to happen, but maybe it was necessary.

"I can't do this alone." Harley looked down at their hands. "Don't leave me, okay?"

"I won't." Dick kissed her forehead.

Downstairs, Jason stood beside Ivy, one hand in his pocket. They were never really publically affectionate in front of the family yet, standing a bit away from each other. Ivy glanced at Barbara, and they looked away from each other irritably, red hair falling over opposite shoulders.

Tim leaned against the railing with his arm around Stephanie's shoulders, and Damian, wearing a freshly steamed suit, stroked Titus's head. Damian still didn't look well, pale and peaked, but he could at least stand. The dog stood nearly as tall as him, sitting calmly. Cassandra put a hand on Damian's shoulder, and he gave her a half smile before looking down. Bruce opened the door for Selina as Alfred pulled the car to the front.

"Are they coming?" he asked quietly, and Selina shrugged.

"I gave them a choice."

"Selina-"

She turned on him. "Did you go to Jason's funeral!?"

"Bruce!" Jason mock gasped. "I'm offended!"

"You don't know the pain of losing a child," he snapped.

"Exactly," Selina glanced at him. "I think that that is-" She stopped when Dick and Harley began coming down the stairs. Wally sprinted out of the kitchen, sliding across the floor, and yapping up the stairs at them. Clark trotted out after him, both of the cats weaving between his legs. Dick patted Wally's head and pushed him away, walking out with Selina to the car. He and Harley got into the back seat, sitting closer to her. The rest of the family followed, getting into their cars. Harley squeezed Dick's hand tighter, staring dejectedly out the window and sniffling slightly as she tried not to cry.

"It's okay to cry," Dick whispered. He wanted her to let it out, but he also didn't want to be the only one; tears ran down his cheeks, his face calm and relaxed, yet he still cried.

"If I start, I don't think I'll stop," she breathed, glancing over at him. Dick shook his head.

"You won't," he agreed, and then covered his mouth with his hand, stifling a sob. His dark hair hung over his face. Harley tucked herself into his side, closing her eyes; she could already feel the tears starting. Bruce looked away, hating seeing his son in so much pain- and Selina looked down. Dick wrapped his arm over Harley's shoulders. Her hands grabbed his coat as she bawled into his chest, unable to say anything. Dick closed his eyes tight. It was a long, agonizingly quiet ride to the cemetery. Bruce parked the car along the edge of the cemetery, he glanced back at the two of them.

"We're here," Selina told them gently. Harley sat up, hiccuping her tears to a stop and wiping her eyes that were rimmed in red and smeared mascara. She looked out the window at the snowcovered ground and headstones. The scattered trees were bare and swayed ominously in the wind. Black coats peppered the sidewalk. Harley could recognize Ivy's red hair walking next to Jason, Lilly's familiar skip next to her parents, and Gordon with his hands in his pockets. Dick got out of the car, his fingers still wound with hers. He wiped his eyes and more tears fell in their place as they walked with the rest of the crowd. Dick looked straight forward, his face pale, and his features rigid as tears dripped off of his nose.

Harley walked beside him, her eyes wide and brimming with tears. The wind bit at her cheeks, and every now and again she'd sniffle. Eventually, everyone made it to the black awning. Dick and Harley obediently sat in the chairs under it. All three headstones that already bore the name Grayson fit beneath the awning, beside Dick's brother; the gaping hole. Harley couldn't bear to look at it; it was so small. Even worse was the tiny sized coffin that the priest stood before. Harley stared at her lap, unable to bear the thought of it being so close. Of her being so close. Of her daughter, who she'd never seen, who'd never had a chance. Barbara placed a small pack of tissues in her lap. Dick looked at Barbara, down at he and Harley's hands wound tightly together- anywhere but at his daughter. Her hand seemed small in his, a scar visible just under her cuff, white against her already pale skin. Her fingers were bare. His engagement ring- not there. The piece of string from the safety net? Missing. He hadn't had time to return her ring after the Joker had left it in their bedroom, and as for the net- neither one knew what the Joker had done with it. It had disappeared.

"…and we'll now say a prayer…" the priest was saying, but Dick had hardly heard him. He couldn't take it anymore. Beside Harley, Dick broke into silent sobs and bent his head down so that no one could see; he hid it as best he could, but his brothers could still see his shoulders slumped and trembling, his hand shaking in Harley's as he tried to swallow the pain and the tears and the crushing realization all at once. He held tighter to her hand, biting down on his lip to silence himself. Harley grabbed a tissue with her free hand, holding it up to her mouth as she tried to cry quietly. The priest was talking, but she couldn't hear. She squeezed her eyes closed, turning her body in toward Dick's as she wept. He wrapped an arm tightly over her shoulders, pulling her closer to him and leaning his head against hers.

"The wedding in two days, less than a week till Christmas, then… we're going to be parents." Harley leaned her head back to rest on his shoulder, turning so her nose nuzzled his neck. "We're going to be parents," she repeated, smiling.

Dick smiled back at her and stole a kiss from her lips before resting his lips against her shoulder. His hands worked out a knot in her back. "I'm nervous," he whispered against her skin.

Jason couldn't look at Dick anymore. He'd seen his brother in so much pain before- but never like this. He'd always been under the impression that Dick didn't cry, least of all in front of his entire family. Sure, a few times when it was just Bruce, or just Jason… but this was different. He didn't know how to help. Dick continued to sob with his head bent, hiding it from them. Tim watched him, his eyes wet, and Stephanie cried into his shoulder. Harley looked so broken beside him. They both were.

"Me too," Harley admitted. "What if something goes wrong? What if the Antitoxin screws everything up? We don't even have a doctor anymore. What if I'm a bad mother? What if she doesn't like me?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing is going to go wrong," he said, a bit forcefully. She could feel him tense up a bit, but then he relaxed and continued to massage her back. "And you're going to be an incredible mother. She'll love you. You're her mother." Dick smiled, kissing behind her ear.

Damian stared straight at the ground, listening to the sounds of grieving around him. He wished he had his sketchbook, a pencil- anything to distract him from this. He'd rather be tortured. He'd rather have been stabbed than go through this. Cassandra stared out at the snowy expanse of cemetery around them from under the tent, lost in the silence and anguish.

"You're right, this is your fault." Her voice was furious. "This is your fault if you're viewing it as a problem." She poked his chest. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't exactly sign up for this, but neither did I. I didn't plan on adding a baby onto the list of all the current complications in our life, but I accepted it, and hell, got excited about it. And you know what? I thought you had too."

Dick stifled a sob and gasped shortly, the cold air burning his throat. I'm so sorry Harley. Selina cried quietly beside Bruce, shivering against his shoulder as he watched Dick and Harley. Bent together and sobbing, they seemed so disconnected from the rest of them. Bruce silently put a hand on Dick's shoulder. He wanted to convey everything that he felt- that they were not alone. That everyone around them was there. Everyone was with them to help. He just wanted Harley and Dick to know that they still had a family.

"I'm not saying give up Nightwing, or the cowl, or whatever it is you want. But Nightwing isn't your whole life. And that is not encouragement to worry excessively about me," she warned. "I'm fine with you being Nightwing, but not all the time. You can't just run off like you used to, every night, no backup, not a care in the world. Because I do care."

Dick covered his face, choking on his own tears. He held Harley like he never wanted to let her go.

"I should have known," she choked out, her voice thick with tears. "I was his psychologist I should have known he'd… that he'd-" She gave up, closing her eyes. "It was my fault. The turning from him, planning against him, not loving him, it's all my fault she's gone."

He coughed a bit, begging for the service to end. Looking up and seeing the tiny coffin beside the rest of his family, Dick burst into tears that he couldn't hold it in anymore, weeping openly. He stroked Harley's arm under her coat, closing his eyes.

"Nightwing isn't the one I said yes to marrying."

Yet it wasn't Harleen Quinzel and Dick Grayson mourning their daughter.

It was Harley Quinn and Nightwing.

"Do you? This is the first night Batman has left the city, don't you think Joker might be using that to his advantage?" she pressed. "The circus is a place you love, and he knows that. You shouldn't just run into it blind."

Harley winced internally. It hurt because she'd had no idea how right she was. Instead she'd yelled it at Dick, pushing him away even more. She'd pushed both of them exactly where the Joker wanted them, angry and hurt.

"You don't 'have to go'," Harley insisted. "You have to be Nightwing. The cops in this city aren't completely useless; they did a number on me a time or two, and they have a massive head start on you. Gordon can take care of this. You just want to be the one to handle it; you won't trust anyone else to do it." She sighed. "Sometimes you're just like Bruce."

Harley hid her face in Dick's shoulder, her makeup completely ruined. Dick and Bruce had done nothing but try and help her and support her despite everything she'd done. It was her past that had come back to do this, not theirs. If I'd never met him… then I'd never have met Dick. Harley bawled harder that while her past may have cost her her daughter, it had gained her her fiance. Her heart felt like it was ripped in two by the confliction.

"It'll be okay," Dick choked, again swallowing his tears and quieting himself. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to reign himself back a bit as he held her. "It's okay."

"Just hold on."

Dick closed his eyes and then looked up at the tiny casket in front of them, his jaw clenched tight as he held Harley, still sobbing into his shoulder. He rubbed her arm gently. She held tight to him, trying to control herself. She felt a tap on her shoulder and glanced up through her tears at Selina.

"Would you like to put a flower on her casket?" she asked the two of them, a crimson rose in her hand. Harley glanced around, realizing the service had stopped. Dick nodded and mopped the sleeve of his coat across his eyes, taking the rose from Selina.

"Thank you," he choked, looking down. He stepped forward and dropped the rose gently on the smooth surface, just as he had done at Harley's funeral all those months ago. He closed his eyes and looked down, holding Harley in his arms as he turned away. Harley moved with him, turning her face back into his shoulder. She was still crying, but the sobbing had stopped. Instead, she was filled with even emptier feeling.

"A girl?" Harley slowly started to smile. Steph gasped, grasping Tim's arm, and Selina beamed.

"Superman it was supposed to be a surprise!" Dick shouted, before running his hands through his hair. He grinned. "A girl!"

"A little girl," Barbara practically squealed.

"Well, would you look at that Grandbat." Jason clapped Bruce on the shoulder. Bruce looked just as stunned as Dick.

"We're having a girl!" Dick cried, suddenly grabbing Harley around the waist and twirling her around, still beaming proudly.