"Seriously, it's insane," Harri said to Adriana over the phone. "But I guess it makes sense..I mean the man is clearly insane."

"Mhm.." Adriana said.

Harri, and everyone else around the country was still shocked by the verdict. It had been six days since the trial ended. The Joker was still being held in police custody and the sentencing wasn't for another week.

"I guess this means Gotham is going to be a lot safer," Harri said. "I mean they are going to be watching him like hawks."

"Right.." Adriana said, absently.

"So I was thinking..."Harri said, now sounding excited. "I should come visit you again! I want to come tomorrow-"

"What?" Adriana asked. She was still staying with Bruce. "I...I don't know..right now really isn't good-"

"Yes it is!" Harri said. "We can shop for a dress for my wedding-"

"I thought you had one-" Adriana said.

"I meant for you!" Harri said. "I want all my bridesmaids to wear whatever they want."

"Oh...okay but I really-" Adriana started to say.

"Oh, gotta go, I think I'm burning my bratwurst," Harri said. "Call you back in a little bit."

Harri hung up and Adriana sat her phone down on the couch beside Bruce's laptop.

"Everything alright?" he asked, returning to the couch with a scotch for himself and lemonade for her.

"My sister wants to come visit me tomorrow," she said. "Which is obviously a bad idea. I'm going to have to call her back in a few minutes to tell her not to come. I know she and my parents have been worried about me but she was kind of pushy, she wants to come see me. It's not going to work unless..."

"Unless, I let you go back home?" he asked and sat.

"Well yeah," Adriana said. "Everyone's so on edge about the resolution of the case... the police are watching everything closely..I'm sure it's safe."

"I don't know, Adriana," Bruce said. "I'd rather you stay here until I can do something about him to make sure you're safe."

"Do something about him?" she asked. "What...are you trying to say?"

"The jury's decision is not something I can accept," he said plainly.

"Bruce...that's...you can't do that," she said. "I mean...murder is still illegal even if it's him-"

"Vigilantism is illegal too," he reminded her. "Some things just have to be done."

"This is crazy," she said. "You shouldn't even be thinking like that-"

"Arkham isn't prepared to handle someone like him, we've seen it," he said. "He had access to outside communication, interaction with others, given therapy sessions, and was minimally medicated. If he's sent to the prison, most likely they will keep him strapped to a bed and heavily medicated 24/7 to avoid having to deal with him. In which case, he won't be able to plan or execute anything. However, if they send him to Arkham, anything is possible."

Adriana leaned back, a bit breathless. It sounded like torture.

"In fact," Bruce went on. "The only reason the sentencing is postponed and is taking so long is because they're trying to weight their options. To see which of these places could handle him better. Arkham has lost him, he's broken out before...but they have experience with him and have improved security over the past few months. The prison has little experience with him but would be cheaper. And likely more effective. Maximum security with all the sedatives that Arkham has, however they will use them more liberally on him, I assume."

Adriana knew there was nothing she could do. She couldn't control his fate.

"If they send him to Arkham..." Adriana said. "You're saying-"

"I am saying they will send him there for treatment," Bruce said. "Eventually they would transfer him to the prison. At least that would be the plan. But he would escape before then. It has happened before and he has only gotten worse."

Adriana closed her eyes for a few seconds. Bruce planned to kill the Joker.

"I think you should see your sister," Bruce said and sat closely beside her. "It will take your mind off of all the craziness going on."

"Here?" she asked and leaned back.

"Sure, I don't mind," Bruce said.

"That's kind of...I mean she'll have questions," Adriana said. "Like, why I'm living here? With you? I already told her we weren't seeing each other anymore."

"You could tell her we're seeing each other again," Bruce laughed. "That's the only plausible lie. Or you could tell her the truth, without exposing me."

"You're saying we should...what?" she asked. "Fake being together?"

"It would ease her mind," Bruce said. "You said your family was worried. Even though you are I aren't involved, you have my friendship and support. You aren't exactly lying to them in that regard. You are cared about and protected here. Let your sister see that."

"So...then what?" Adriana asked. "When I tell them I'm pregnant, what will I say? That you and I broke up because I'm pregnant with someone else's kid?"

"Fine by me," Bruce said and stood up.

"Actually...she wants to go shopping for dresses...she likes going out a lot and shopping," Adriana said. "And I have to stay in all the time because you don't want me seen out in public yet."

"You can order from Nordstrom," Bruce said. "Anything you want, and they will bring it here within an hour. A tailor can come and everything."

"Nordstrom on demand...wow.." she said.

"Also Barney's..Saks..any of the individual luxury retailer's in town can come here," Bruce said. "Tell your sister that, and that she can have anything she likes. Maybe that will keep her in."

"That...is probably going to work," Adriana said.

"Good," Bruce said.

"She wants me to pick her up tomorrow," Adriana said. "At the train station."

"I'll send a driver," he said.

.

.

.

"I'm Harriet Navarro.." Harri said to the young man holding a sign with her name. Adriana told her someone was coming to pick her up, but she was surprised to see an attractive man in a suit and hat.

"Right this way," he said and took her luggage.

When Harri arrived at the hotel she was confused and called Adriana as they walked through the lobby.

"Hello?" Adriana said when she picked up her phone.

"A hotel?" Harri said. "I mean it's a nice hotel, don't get me wrong, but why can't I stay at your place?"

"I'm not there," Adriana said. "I'm staying in this hotel."

"Ohh...kayy..." Harri said. "See you soon then, I guess."

Harri followed the man into an elevator and watched him scan a card before hitting a button and stepping out.

"Enjoy your stay," he said to her as the doors closed and she went up.

When the doors opened she was in a hallway that looked different from the decor of the rest of the hotel. Much more modern and bright. She heard a door open and turned around to see her sister.

"Sis!" Harri said and pulled her suitcase. "What is this? The penthouse? You're paying to stay here? Why?"

"Harri," Adriana said and hugged her. "So many questions, can I at least get a hug first?"

Harri laughed and embraced her sister and then looked into the open door behind her.

"Damn this place is nice!" Harri said.

"It's Bruce's place," Adriana said and pulled Harri's suitcase. "He lives here."

Harri walked into the penthouse and looked around.

"Bruce?" she asked.

Adriana nodded.

"Wait, wait," Harri said. "You're back together?"

"Umm..yeah..for now, just to see how things go," Adriana lied.

"And what? You're living together?" Harri asked.

"Just for now.." Adriana told her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Harri asked Adriana.

"It's just a trial period," Adriana said. "Probably won't last but we're just seeing...how it goes."

Harri didn't look like she was entirely sure about the idea.

"Also..." Adriana said. "Bruce said we could shop from here. I mean I know you said you wanted to go shopping so..."

"Huh?" Harri asked. "That's boring...I don't wanna shop online. I want to try things on with you."

"No, he has a few places that can deliver within an hour or less," Adriana told her. "We can request whatever we want, however much we want to try on and they'll bring it. We can try things on and decide what to keep..."

Adriana picked up a black binder Bruce had left for them. She opened it and flipped through the laminated sheets.

"Nordstrom, Saks, Barney's, Louis...YSL... Hermes...Prada...Dolce... Burberry...Cartier...Chanel...Tiffany's...Bvlgari...any of them. And a few others, he gave me this list. And Bruce said you can get whatever you want-" Adriana told her.

"Hold, hold, hold, hold," Harri raised a hand. "Are you kidding? Are you..?!"

"No, Harri," Adriana said and Harri snatched the binder.

"Harry Winston?! Harry Winston?!" Harri shouted, looking at the list on the paper. "Graff?! He's going to let you just shop for whatever you want? Diamonds? Like...seriously? Graff?"

"Not just me, you too," Adriana said and Harri sat on the couch. Adriana knew that Bruce had mines that supplied diamonds to some of the fine jewelry places on the list, and was given a generous discount. But Bruce didn't seem to care either way how much they spent.

"There's spas listed too," Harri said. "Salons...makeup artists...trainers...nutritionists?"

"Yup," Adriana said.

"So that's how your skin is so healthy and glowing all of a sudden," Harri assumed. "You're getting spa treatments from home."

"Must be..." Adriana said nervously.

"Damn...he must really be trying to get you to stay with him," Harri said. "Seriously..with a list like this, I don't think we'll even get to go out anywhere while I'm here."

"That's totally fine by me," Adriana said with some relief.

They put Harri's things into the guest room that Alfred had prepared for her. Once they were done Harri began exploring the penthouse.

"Indoor pool," Harri smiled. while looking through the glass. "You must go swimming all the time."

"No...I haven't tried it out yet," Adriana told her.

"Wow," Harri said. "I'm going to swim here tonight."

"Are you hungry?" Adriana asked. "The chef should be back from shopping soon. Or Alfred could make you a snack."

"I wanna shop," Harri smiled. "Let's start with Graff."

"Great," Adriana said. "We can eat afterwards."

Adriana and Harri looked online at the Graff website and began to look over the selection. They were both indecisive.

"Do you think Antonio would be offended if I got a whole new engagement ring?" Harri laughed.

"Probably," Adriana laughed back.

"I'm joking," Harri said. "This stuff if so expensive...I feel bad buying any of it."

"We don't have to keep any," Adriana said. "We can just have them bring stuff to try on."

"Good point," Harri said.

Adriana called the store and read off the list of things she and Harri wanted to try. The sales person was incredibly friendly and assured her that once their security team was assembled the jewelry would be en route.

"Security?" Harri laughed when Adriana got off of the phone.

"Well...there's..." Adriana began to look over their list. "That blue diamond you want to try on just for fun. I'm sure that thing is worth the security team."

Adriana introduced Harri to Alfred before he left for a trip to the bank.

After the chef returned and made them lunch, the doorbell rang. Harri jumped up and let in the team of security and two women who were carrying cases. They set up a beautiful display of the jewelry, and Harri couldn't believe her eyes.

"Can I try that one first?" Harri pointed to the blue diamond.

"Of course ma'am," the woman said to Harri.

Harri put on the ring and stared at it like she was in a dream. Adriana looked at the ring and could see the unbelievable blue hue..it sparkled like nothing she had ever seen before.

"Want to try?" Harri asked Adriana.

"Actually, I want to try that necklace," Adriana pointed.

After almost half an hour of trying things on and taking pictures on her phone, Harri was content. This was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

"Are you interested in any of the pieces?" one of the woman asked with a friendly smile after they had tried everything on.

"Oh..ummm..." Harri was not sure she felt comfortable with taking any of the pieces. They were all so beautiful and pricey.

"I like this bracelet," Adriana said and pointed to a gold and diamond cuff.

"I'll have it packaged for you," the woman smiled and retrieved a box.

"Pick something," Adriana encouraged Harri.

"Um...I don't know," Harri said. "I love that blue diamond but-"

"She'll take the ring," Adriana said to the woman before Harri could protest.

"Adriana...no," Harri said. "I can't"

"It's okay," Adriana said.

"Wonderful!" the other woman said. "And the size is perfect so we wont have to make adjustments."

"Great," Adriana said.

Once the jewelry team was gone, Harri put the ring back on.

"I..." Harri was speechless and she rotated the ring in the sunlight. "Is it even safe to wear in normal life? I mean...maybe people would assume something this grand is fake right? And I won't get mugged?"

"You should wear it, it looks great," Adriana said. "You'll be fine."

Hours later they were in the middle of shopping for clothes. Harri had picked out many dresses for Adriana but was having a lot of fun trying them on herself. The sun was beginning to set and Adriana was beginning to get sleepy as she sat watching her sister trying everything.

"Try this one one," Harri said and tossed a light pink dress on to Adriana's lap. The three women who had delivered the clothing had left and were returning in thirty minutes.

"Oh..." Adriana sat up, noticing the dress looked small. "I'll just get it, it's cute."

"No, you have to try it," Harri insisted.

Adriana stood up, took off the loose t-shirt she had been wearing, and turned around to put the dress on. It wasn't as small as it looked, the material was slightly stretchy. It had a silky sheen and had a beautiful lace design around the bust.

"Ohhhh it looks gorgeous!" Harri exclaimed. "But...did you get your boobs done? Did he pay for that too? I'm surprised you'd get plastic surgery."

"No-" Adriana said but Harri was already feeling her chest. "I didn't."

"Are you pregnant?" Harri asked immediately and looked down at Adriana's abdomen which didn't look much different. "Why are your boobs so big?"

"No...I'm-" Adriana began to lie. "Not. Not pregnant."

"We need to get a pregnancy test," Harri said. "You're all glowing and you're like a cup size bigger."

"No-" Adriana said.

"Can we get a pharmacy to deliver?"

"No-" Adriana tried again.

"Now that I look from this angle your tummy does look-"Harri said and pinched the fabric so that it fitted against Adriana's body more tightly.

"Okay!" Adriana stopped her. "I'm pregnant."

Harri was quiet with her mouth open, and then she began to smile.

"Really?" Harri looked like she would cry. "Why...why did you say no? How far along are you? Oh my gosh..."

"Almost nine weeks," Adriana said. "I just...wanted to wait."

"Did you tell mom and dad? We can call them-" Harri said.

"No...I didn't want to tell anyone because..." Adriana looked for a lie. "It's risky...I was going to wait til three months to tell anyone."

"Oh...is something wrong with the baby?" Harri asked.

"No..no...just..." Adriana said. "Complicated. I just want to wait."

Harri threw her arms around Adriana.

"Okay sis, we'll wait to tell anyone," Harri said. "But I have a feeling everything's going to be fine and your baby...perfectly healthy."

"Thanks."

"So..." Harri said. "Is that why you moved back with him, and you said you guys are trying to make it work? For the baby?"

"Uh...wow...um.." Adriana realized she had made things worse. Now Harri thought the baby was Bruce's. "No...not at all-"

At that same moment, Bruce came through the front door and looked around at the explosion of designer clothing in his living room. There was clothing and bags on the tables, floor and chairs. An entire couch was lined with bags of things Harri had accepted from Burberry.

"I see you two have been enjoying yourselves," Bruce said.

Harri was a bit flustered when she looked at him. She felt like she was in the presence of a celebrity.

"Hi..." she stammered. "I'm Harriet...Adriana's sister."

"Pleased to meet you," Bruce said and took off his coat. "Bruce Wayne."

"I know," Harri smiled and Bruce walked over to her, taking her hand gently with his and admiring the blue diamond.

"Graff," he smiled and nodded. "Good choice."

"I...hope it's not too much.." Harri said.

"Not at all," Bruce said. "It suits you."

"Really?" Harri said, feeling even more flustered as he spoke.

"Yes, it looks beautiful with your skin," he said. "I hope you two have been enjoying yourselves."

"We have," Harri said.

"That dress is fantastic," Bruce said to Adriana.

Harri could see that is was now Bruce who looked flustered. He thought Adriana looked amazing.

"Thanks.." she said.

"She told me about the baby," Harri said.

"Ah," Bruce smiled. "I've been telling her for a while that she should."

"I'm sooooo happy for you guys," Harri said to Bruce.

Bruce looked a bit confused and Adriana looked like she was about to speak. She needed to correct Harri's misunderstanding.

"Actually, Harri, I was about to tell you-" Adriana started to explain.

"Thank you," Bruce said and walked over to Adriana. "We're happy too."

Adriana looked at Bruce in shock. Her body froze as he wrapped an arm around her and gave her a kiss.

"I'm going to go have a shower," he said and looked at Harri. "Have fun."

Adriana watched him leave and then stared after him in shock and confusion even after he was gone from sight. The plan was always to eventually tell her family that the baby wasn't Bruce's and that would be why they broke up. Bruce's lie hadn't changed anything and the plan would still work, it just caught her off guard.

"Adriana!" Harri beamed and Adriana looked at her. "I mean, I've seen him on TV and all but I didn't know he was soooo..."

"So what?" Adriana asked, wondering how she would ever fix this lie.

"I mean...he's really really hot," Harri said. "Damn. Your kid's going to be gorgeous."