Harley Quinn is the key.
After Nightwing and Quinn's talk in the warehouse, she'd allowed him to capture her. He'd never had assumed that she would do such a thing, and he regretted it the moment that he'd taken her down. He just wanted to give her a chance, but the time for chances is over. She's with the Joker now, and he can't go back to what it used to be.
With Harley Quinn in his custody, Batman hopes to solicit the Joker's location, and maybe even his plans from her. Nightwing refuses to leave her side, but sitting through the ensuing interrogation could prove to be torture for them both. The lines between Batman and Bruce Wayne are blurred; and Batman may not be able to differentiate between hurting for information, and inflicting pain for revenge in the name of his son.
Harley awoke with a start, gasping at air but keeping her eyes closed as she wrapped an arm protectively around her waist, and she curled up around herself. Her other hand kneaded her forehead. There was a throbbing headache at the base of her skull, her chest felt like there was some bruising, and the gash on her leg stung and itched. Other than that, she felt relatively unharmed. She flicked her eyes open and stared at the cave ceiling. Tossing her arm off her stomach, it landed on hard grating and clanged loudly. She rolled her head to the side and saw the cuff. Pushing herself to a sitting position, she examined the shackles and chains bolted to the floor on either side of her. They were attached tightly to both wrists, but there was plenty of slack. A quick glance around told her there was nothing within reach, though.
A ways away was a computer bank, the Batmobile, but the rest of the cave was blocked off from her line of vision. Four people had been talking around the computer but had stopped when she woke up. "Oh good. It's everyone I know and love," she stage whispered, getting slowly to her feet.
Barbara glanced over her shoulder at Harley and then looked down. They all seemed subdued. Even Damian looked remorseful, and that's when Harley spotted Dick sitting in the chair at the computer banks. His head was in his hands, and he didn't move, save for the occasional tremble of his shoulders as he cried. Barbara's hand rested gently on his shoulder. Damian watched Harley, his arms crossed over his chest.
Harley glanced away, her hands balling into fists at her side. The sudden urge to cry came over her, but she blinked back the tears. You did this, now face the pain, she scolded herself. She stared intently at the cave wall as she tried not to listen. She waited. Damian continued to stare at her coldly, and then his arms dropped to his sides and he began to walk toward her.
"Damian," Bruce began warningly, but Damian held up a hand.
"I'm alright, Father. I won't hurt her," he said earnestly, stopping just outside of her reach. He crossed his arms again. "At least not until you allow me to," he added quietly, staring at her hatefully.
"No one is hurting her," Bruce sighed.
"Oh I beg to differ," Damian whispered. He walked to where Harley had turned her head, leaning forward to look her in the face. He narrowed his eyes. "I think Dick is."
"Oh good, they sent the child," she mocked but put no real energy into the joke.
Damian whispered quietly, so Bruce wouldn't hear him. "When this child kills you, I want you to think about that-" he pointed at Dick sobbing in the chair- "every day that you spend burning in hell. Because that is the reason that I am going to break my promise to my father." He hissed, his light eyes furious and cold. She met his glare evenly, not looking at Dick.
"Go ahead. It would save everyone a lot of time."
Damian's eyes narrowed. "Look at him."
"I don't need to see what I've done." She returned her gaze to the wall and crossed her arms. "I have to live with it."
"You do. But isn't that you and the Joker's thing? Don't you want to enjoy the chaos and pain you've caused?" Damian asked innocently, raising an eyebrow. "Look. At. Him." She clenched her jaw and swallowed hard.
"Don't worry. I'll get my just rewards. So back off," she snapped. Damian's face twisted into a hateful scowl, and he suddenly lunged at her, grabbing her face and forcing her to look at Dick. At the commotion, he looked up and his reddened, hollow blue eyes met hers, and then he burst into tears again.
"Damian!" Bruce shouted.
"Do you see that?" Damian released her and spat. "That will be your legacy. When I slit your throat, every hero will know you as the woman who almost destroyed Dick Grayson and only when he has recovered, overcome this poisonous affair with you, will you be forgotten. After he rises again, no one will remember you." Bruce grabbed him by the arm and yanked Damian away from her furiously. Dick covered his mouth with his arm, closing his eyes and looking away from her.
"That is enough," Bruce hissed at Damian.
"She deserves it!" he retorted, crossing his arms.
Harley sank down and sat crosslegged. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply in and out through her nose as she tried to calm herself and slow her heart rate. Every word Damian had said felt like a physical blow. She wanted to cry and tell them something to make it better, to make it hurt less, but didn't. It's easier this way, she told herself sadly. It's easier if they hate you. She took one last fortifying breath before calling out, not bothering to open her eyes. "So who's next?!"
Batman looked at her for a moment, and then turned to the rest of them. "Go upstairs," he commanded. Barbara put a hand on Damian's shoulder and went to the elevator, but Dick didn't move. "Dick-"
"-I'm not leaving her," he snapped, taking a deep, shuddering breath. He glared up at his mentor seriously, his face streaked with tears.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Bruce asked quietly. Dick glanced at her, and then nodded.
"I'm sure."
Barbara and Damian stepped onto the elevator, and Batman pulled his cowl over his face. Harley pinched her eyes tighter, holding her breath. She heard his heavy boots cross to her.
"I don't want to hurt you, Harleen. You're sick. We can get you help," he said earnestly. She heard the soft rustling of his cape sweeping the ground.
"How many times do I have to say it?" she sighed. "I've made my decision; there's no going back."
"Yes there is," his voice was gentler now. "I don't think this is you. I think you're concealing something. If you give up the Joker now, I have the power to hide you. To send you away… with Dick. You could start over, Harley. You can go back. A clean slate."
"It's too late. I have things set in motion that there is no stopping." She breathed in a jagged breath, clenching her fists tight against her legs. She could see the life he offered and wanted it. It would have been easy to say yes, but she forced herself not to listen. Not to look at Dick. Not to think. "Besides, I lost his trust, and I need to prove myself." She took her own comfort from her words that she knew no one else would understand.
"Why do you need to prove yourself to him?" Batman asked.
"In case you didn't notice, I'm kind of easy to replace," she muttered.
"Then why go down that path at all? Why lower yourself to his expendable standards?" he pressed, kneeling down in front of her. Despite all the pain that she'd caused his son, Batman knew that she wasn't in control of her own actions. Not completely, anyway. She was an Arkham patient, after all.
Harley smiled and let out a small huff of laughter. "You'll see."
"How about you tell me right now," Batman said, scrutinizing her face. She opened her eyes and glanced at him, shaking her head with an amused look. Batman nodded slowly. "Would you like to think on it? Because I'd rather not hurt you."
"Sorry, I try not to think these days." She shrugged.
"Please Harley," Dick said, his hoarse voice barely carrying across the Batcave. He looked up at her, praying she'd meet his eyes. She ignored him, staring at the edge of Batman's cape.
"Last chance," Batman said darkly, standing slowly. He glared down at her. "Tell me where the Joker is, or what he's planning."
"My last chance was ages ago," she said with a wicked smile. Batman grabbed her by her hair and dragged her to her feet.
"Want to re-think that answer?" he growled angrily.
"Are you going to make me?" she asked playfully.
"Yes," he answered seriously, pulling her hair to make her look at him. "You know what I want. Answer me." She raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Batman threw her down to the floor, her head hitting the cold stone and the chains clattering against it, and he twisted an arm behind her back. It strained painfully on her shoulder.
"I thought you only got this intimate with Selina," she mocked through the pain.
"Where is the Joker? What is he planning?" Batman demanded again, putting more pressure on her arm. As he did, he pressed on the back of her leg with his knee where the wingding had torn her skin. She cried out.
"You're the detective, figure it out," she hissed. There was a sharp snap as her arm popped out of socket. Harley sucked in a breath before clenching her mouth shut and trying not to make a sound. When Batman dragged her back to her feet, every motion of her arm shot a jolt of pain up her shoulder.
"Tell me!" he roared, gripping the front of her costume and shaking her violently.
"I'm going to be honest. With you being Batman, I expected more than this."
"I'm only getting started. I have you for as long as I want. Until I turn you over to the police, no one knows you're here." He growled, gripping her dislocated shoulder tightly and pressing his thumb into the joint. She whimpered and closed her eyes.
"Let's face it," she sucked in a breath through her teeth and let out a strangled noise, "no one would come for me anyway."
Dick dropped his head in his hands again. What have I done?!
"If you don't think the Joker will come for you, then why protect him? Where is he?" Batman demanded, pressing harder on her shoulder. Her face contorted in pain.
"Well he isn't there, so you can stop with the thumb," she taunted, opening her eyes to glare at him. Batman backhanded her across the face and sent her sprawling on the ground. She reached the end of the chains and the cuffs dug into her wrists. Unable to break her own fall, Harley landed on her hurt shoulder. She howled in agony as she tried to blink back the tears; she curled in on herself.
Dick bit back his protest and ran both his hands through his hair, the tears welling in his eyes again. He spun around in the chair and covered his ears.
Batman grabbed Harley by the arm that dangled uselessly disconnected from it's socket, and dragged her back to her feet. "Where is he!?" he demanded. She was beyond yelling at the pain, but she couldn't stop the tears anymore.
"The Batcave was a lot more fun the last time I was here," she attempted to joke but couldn't focus entirely.
"You'll never have that again," Batman snapped. "We were probably your last shot at a family and you blew it. Again. I read your file. You don't even think you have a family." He growled, bracing one hand on her shoulder and pulling her arm.
"I'm sure it was an interesting read," she hiccuped through the pain and tears. It felt like every muscle in her body was tensed against the pain. Batman dropped her arm and grabbed her by the throat, pulling her face close to his.
"Answer me, Quinn."
"I don't think you asked a question that last time," she choked out, her hands grasping at his.
"You know what I want to know!" Batman roared, lifting her off of the ground entirely. Harley couldn't manage to say anything, but she forced a half smile at him as her face turned redder. He threw her to the floor again, and this time she felt the skin at her hairline split as she hit the rock. Spots flashed across her vision, and she suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous. Harley gulped in air as she tried to blink to focus. "Talk," Batman snapped, his boot pressing down on the wound on her leg. She cringed away and groaned. He pressed harder, digging his heel into the cut. Her groan was choked off, and she feebly tried to pull her leg away. Batman bent down above her and grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. "Where is the Joker, and what is he planning?" He repeated darkly, watching her carefully.
"Don't worry about it B-man." She flashed her teeth in an attempt at a smile. Batman looked genuinely remorseful for a moment, before his hand shot out. She felt a rib snap under his blow as he pulled his hand back quickly, and then grabbed her face again. She tried to gasp in pain but felt winded.
"Where is the Joker, and what is he planning?" he repeated.
"Asking again doesn't change the answer." Her voice was breathy.
"Then I'll try again later," Batman snapped, unlocking the cuffs restraining her and grabbing her by her hurt shoulder. He dragged her across the Batcave to a door, opened it, and then threw her into the dark room. "We'll talk again soon, but for now, think about your answers for when the time comes."
When the door slammed closed, Harley was plunged into complete, swallowing darkness. The kind of darkness that becomes disorienting after a while. Breathing through the pain, she popped her shoulder back into place. She curled into the fetal position as she started to sob. All of her injuries were a nagging throb while her headache had turned excruciating after the fall. Batman's anger and ferocity, while not entirely unexpected, had still come as a surprise. She couldn't explain why she had thought she'd be spared from it.
You knew what you were getting into, she reminded herself. You knew what you would have to give up. She had known the moment she planned to admit herself into Arkham. Dick going to see her there and still loving her had just been a distraction. She tried to focus on what she was doing and why she was doing it, but her headache made her disoriented. She reached back to feel the stickiness of blood in her hair. After blinking a few times, shaking her head, and her breathing getting more shallow, Harley found she was unable to fight off the lightness creeping over her. It was a relief to pass out.
Bruce walked slowly to Dick where he still sat in the chair, his elbows on his knee, and his head in his hands. He gently put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" Bruce asked quietly. Dick didn't respond for a long time.
"No," he finally answered honestly, lacing his fingers in front of his lips. "I'm really not." This is all my fault.
"Dick," Bruce whispered, "there's nothing else we can do."
"It was a mistake, capturing her." He looked down, rubbing his sore eyes. His voice was thick. "For some reason, I can't stop thinking about her in that yellow sundress when she first came here to meet you all."
"She's not the same person."
"What scares me the most about that is that I don't care." Dick said quietly, staring vacantly at the desk. His eyes were listless and hollow.
"What do you mean?" Bruce frowned down at him.
"I still love her. And I hate myself for it. I shouldn't have betrayed her like that, but what choice did I have? It was her or you. You know I'll always choose you." Dick looked down, biting his lip as he closed his eyes slowly. "But because of that… for giving her up like that; I deserve every torture that you put on her. It was my fault anyway," he said quietly.
"No," Bruce snapped. "She betrayed you. You need to see that. You cannot keep being blinded by this. She used you to her advantage and betrayed you. All of us. You can keep lying to yourself, but she isn't going to change her mind."
Dick hung his head lower, biting his tongue. He could have responded so many other ways, but hearing it from Bruce… how could he not listen? "Maybe," he whispered, his eyes still shut tight.
"There is no 'maybe', Dick. She has been given so many chances, but she still sticks by the Joker despite all he's done."
Dick looked up at Bruce. "Well why can't I stick by her despite all she's done?"
Harley had no idea how long she'd been left in the dark room. Within about ten minutes of waking up, she'd lost all sense of direction. She couldn't find the door, there wasn't a handle on the inside. Everything felt like smooth rock. She couldn't tell if it had been an hour or a day, and had resigned to curling up on the cold floor once again.
And then the door opened. She sucked in a ragged breath, her body going rigid, as she blinked through the intruding light. A figure hurried into the room, and she recoiled in surprise when Dick knelt in front of her.
"Get out of here," he snapped frantically, trying to pull her to her feet.
"What are you doing?" she hissed in shock before shuddering away from him as her head pounded with every word she said and move she made. The headache was still excruciating.
"I don't know," Dick whimpered, finally getting her to her feet. "I really don't know. God I'm so sorry…" he touched the back of her head gingerly, biting his lip. "Bruce finally went to sleep. You have to get out of here." He said urgently, and then kissed her softly. Harley gasped in disbelief. "I hope someday you can forgive me." He dragged her to the door. Harley tried to pull herself to her feet.
"Dick," she objected. "I don't want you to get in trouble for this." She tried to free herself from his grasp. He bit his lip again, his eyes flitting nervously around the Batcave. He wore his pajamas, and his dark hair was disheveled; he didn't look completely alert. Suddenly, he threw her over his shoulder and raced to the tunnel that led from the Batcave, ignoring the pain from the stab wound in his side. Putting her back down, he took her face in his hands.
"Run. Just run." He kissed her again, his hands shaking.
"Why couldn't you just hate me?" Harley pleaded. "Please." A tear streaked down her cheek. "I don't want to hurt you again. It's better if you do."
Dick wiped the tear away from her cheek and held her tight for a moment. "I can't. The pain is worth it if it means I get to see you. I'd rather be hurt a thousand times over than never get to see you again." He trembled, swallowing hard. As he reluctantly let her go, he pushed her down the tunnel. "Run!" She stumbled forward a few steps before she caught herself and turned to look at him.
"Dick…" Her voice was desperate.
"Go!" he cried, his face white as a sheet. She took a step backward, still not turning away from him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I forgive you," he breathed, his words near-frantic. Dick glanced over his shoulder to check that the Batcave was still empty. "Harley run!" he urged, pleading with her. She took a few more steps back as she stared at him, shaking her head slightly. With a shuddering breath, she mentally berated herself. Tearing her gaze away from him, she turned and started running. Dick watched her run until she disappeared into the darkness. Turning around and looking at the empty Batcave, he walked slowly toward the elevator, still in a daze.
What have I done?