Incase you just skipped to the end of seeing a new chapter without checking, I posted two new chapters today where you probably didn't get the notification of it. Before reading ahead here, please go one chapter back to chapter 3 in reading what's going on without any confusion.
Thank you.
Everyone played pin the tail on Batman. Ivy turned around and missed Batman's butt on the sandbag. Riddler managed to get it. Harley, while blindfolded, turned around and tried to pin Scarecrow. Everyone laughed.
Harry even laughed at that hilarious scene. "Auntie Harley! You're targeting the wrong target! I haven't even gotten my turn yet!"
Harley then opens for blindfold. "Oh, my bad." She then takes off her blindfold and gives the tail to Harry. "Here you go."
"Thanks!" Harry said, getting in position while putting the blindfold on. "All right! Let's do this! Time to pin a tail on the Dark Knight!"
Harry spinned around and went carefully to pin the batman sandbag, but it was a little distracting since Harley kept making it difficult by yodeling. Eventually he did manage to pin something, and as he opened his eyes, he got the pin on the Batman sandbag. Mainly on the butt.
"You did it, Harry! You got the Bat-Donkey." Harley said.
"Yes! I did it!" Harry cheered happily.
"Well done," Scarecrow said. "Now, it's time for your presents."
Harley, Ivy, Riddler, and Scarecrow present their gifts to Harry. Harry noticed Scarecrow's is very big...while the others were different shapes and different heights. "Which one will you open first?" Scarecrow asked.
"Uh...I guess I'll save the biggest for last?" Harry answered, a little weary on what Crane brought him. "I'll start with Riddler, first. Then Aunt Ivy, Auntie Harley, and finally yours, Uncle Jonathan."
"Good choice." Riddler said. "Now riddle me this? What's always broken when talked about?"
"The answer is...silence," Harry answered.
"Well done. I've been working on that riddle since I was a child. You definitely have the intel I had at your age." Riddler said with pride. "Here's your gift."
"Thanks, Riddler," Harry said, taking the green wrapped gift with question mark prints on it before opening.
Harry opens the gift, and inside was a question mark trophy.
"Surprise! It's one of my patented Riddler trophies," Riddler explained.
"Whoa! I didn't know these things existed!" Harry said in amazement, looking at this trophy.
"But wait! There's more!" Riddler said, taping on the trophy. "It's your very own special cane inside! Retractable and has some special features."
"Awesome!" Harry said, taking out the cane hidden in the trophy. "I love it. Thanks, Riddler!"
"You are very welcome." Riddler said.
"All right, Ivy, you're next." Harley said.
Harry shyly looked at Ivy. "Before I open my gift, I wanted to say that these past few months have been a little hard for me without my uncle. Even so, I'm glad that you, along with Harley and Jonathan, have been looking out for me. Same with guiding me."
Harley was so happy, she kissed Harry on the head. "Thank you, Harry." She said.
"Indeed, thanks." Scarecrow said.
Harry blushed from that forehead kiss, looking at Poison Ivy that still has the present. "Okay. I'm ready. Whatever it is, I know it will be great."
Ivy hand over her gift to Harry. "Here, kid."
"Thank you, Aunt Ivy," Harry said, carefully opening it to see something plant-like.
As Harry opened Ivy's gift, it was revealed to be a flower plant, but not just any plant. "This special flower was made by my blood and a mixture of some ingredients I used at Ace Chemicals." Ivy said. "It's a special flower that never dies, and if it does, it gets reborn. I call it, the Phoenix Bloom."
"Oh, wow, Ivy...I am just speechless," Harry admitted, studying the flower carefully. "This is beautiful. I promise to take extra good care of the Phoenix Bloom."
"I'm sure you will." Ivy said. "And it will protect you as well."
"No doubt about it. Thanks, Aunt Ivy," Harry said, being grateful on his Phoenix Bloom flower. "Okay, Auntie Harley. You're up."
"Yay!" Harley said childishly. She then gives Harry her gift.
Harry saw it was a black and white diamond print box with a red lid and blue-ribbon bow on it. Carefully opening it and verifying it wasn't an explosive surprise bomb, the young boy's eyes became wide at what he saw inside.
Instead, what Harry found, surprised him very much. There were clothes. But not any clothes. There's a special green coat with a wild collar, and black pants, white gloves and a tall hat. They resemble the Mad Hatter from the Alice in Wonderland story. Something his uncle wore.
"I know you miss your uncle, so maybe these clothes could help you remember him." Harley said.
Harry was completely speechless. He did his best not to cry in front of the adult Arkham inmates and just hugged Harley Quinn immediately.
"...I love it," Harry managed to say, his voice trembling a bit. "Thank you, Auntie Harley."
"You're welcome, Harry." Harley said, happy to see him smile.
After the young boy finished his hug, he decided to put on the costume immediately to see how it looked on him.
This was a very neat surprise to me. I felt overjoyed with what Auntie Harley made for me. First, a cool trophy and weapon from Riddler, a wonderland-like flower from Aunt Ivy, and now a mad-tastic new outfit from Auntie Harley! And I haven't even checked Uncle Jonathan's large gift yet...but I was about to, after I tried on my new outfit. Granted, it might have been a little too big for me on the first try, but I eventually outgrew it.
Scarecrow pushed his gift towards Harry. "All right, boy, it's time for my gift. You'll scream in delight." he said, as his gift was a huge gift.
"Just a moment! This new Hatter look is a bit big on me!" Harry called out, already hurrying back with the pants and sleeves slightly bigger than him. He nearly tripped over. "It's still awesome, though!"
"You'll grow into it eventually." Scarecrow said. "Now... open your gift."
Harry noticed that this present from Scarecrow/Crane was big. As if the size of an actual person. Despite a little weary, the young boy opened the box where it made him gasp jump in surprise...and trip backwards to land on the floor.
Something wasn't inside the box, but rather… 'someone' was inside. The person walked out of the box and Harry's heart was pounding fast and tears were dropping from his eyes. He sees the man who adopted him. Jervis Tetch, A.K.A. Mad Hatter has return.
"Hello, Harry... Long time no see."
Harry stammered, his tears going down while still on the floor. "Uncle...Jervis?! Is it really you? How...?"
"Thank Crane and Quinn." Jervis said. "Since your birthday was coming up, they hatched a plan using Harley's manipulation as a psychiatrist, Scarecrow's fear toxin, and my mind control to fool the guards at Arkham. They managed to bust me out yesterday, and I hid at Crane's hideout till your birthday to surprise you. With help from Ivy's plants, of course, for distracting the guards."
Harry looked at his uncle and aunts on that statement, whom were all smiling. "You all planned this together in getting Uncle Jervis...for me?"
"You bet," Harley said.
"You were miserable after Jervis was sent to Arkham." Ivy said.
"It took us a while to compromise a new plan to bust him out, until we learned about your birthday." Scarecrow said.
"We also managed to use one of your ideas to help out, Harry," Jervis explained, helping the boy up back on his feet. "We used your chip designs in leaving most of the guards living out their best dream or worst nightmares."
"And it actually worked." Harley said.
Harry turned his head at that in surprise. "They did?!"
"Yes. I had a chance to look back on your notes, verified the right circuitry to alter, gave them a try during the plan of having me out of Arkham, and it worked out in the end," Jervis explained, taking the hat off Harry just to rub the young kid's head on a job well done. "In some way, your daydreaming technology idea managed to prove beneficial. Perhaps one day become your own successful Mad Hatter as I ever hoped. You already seem to dress the part."
"Exactly." Harley said.
"So...I actually did managed to make you proud?" Harry asked.
Mad Hatter chuckled, going down to hug the boy. "Oh, Harry. I'm always proud of you."
"And so are we," Scarecrow said.
Harry looked over his family and smiled.
Harry and his uncle Jervis were finally reunited. Harry had the best birthday ever thanks to the criminals. With his uncle, Harry feels complete again.
After months of being apart, it didn't change the bond my uncle and I had. My first birthday with an actual family became very memorable to me. I had a great memory to look back at and some new gear that will come in handy in the future.
I also got the other cool gifts from a controlled Cat Woman, Bane, and Two-Face who were tardy to the party...due to handling the Batman. But I'm not complaining. I already got the best gift I could ever ask for. That's right...my new cane weapon!
...Just kidding. It's my uncle, Jervis Tetch aka Mad Hatter.
Soon, Catwoman showed up being fashionably late for the party to arrive with her present for the Hatter's kid.
"Here, Harry. Sorry that this took too long to get." Catwoman said, walking forward and giving it to the boy.
"You kidding me? This was totally worth the wait!" Harry exclaimed happily, looking at this rare gift wrapped together. "Plus, you were dealing with the Dark Knight. Understandable."
"Yeah, I had to deal with Batman. Thankfully, his Lantern buddy distracted him," Catwoman said.
"Lantern buddy?" Harry asked, sounding confused.
"It's a long story," Catwoman shrugged. "Open it up."
Not questioning further, Harry opened the gift to see a gorgeous crystal gem that was see-through white.
"Whoa..." Harry muttered, never seeing a jewel like this before.
"This special crystal is glowing multiple colors like a rainbow. It was beautiful when I saw it with my own eyes." Catwoman said.
Harry looked at the crystal again, as he turned it over and around on how it works. "...It doesn't seem to be doing it now. And I was honestly hoping for some Wonderland magic. Oh, well. I know it will do something if I wait patiently and not lose hope."
On command, the crystal turned blue that made Harry almost drop it in surprise. Thankfully, he kept a hard grip on his present.
"It responded to you," Jervis said.
"Was it your sentence?" Scarecrow asked.
"I...I don't know!" Harry answered honestly, starting to feel a little freaked out. "Normal jewels don't do that. This isn't radioactive, is it?"
His fear was showing through the crystal that turned from blue to yellow.
"Wait, you were shaking, like... fear," Scarecrow said.
"You're saying yellow is fear?" Harley asked. "Makes sense. There is that phrase, skin turning yellow."
"Skin turning yellow is a serious medical problem, Auntie Harley. Not a random phase," Harry corrected, trying to calm down. "At least, we know it works."
"Plus, it's blood that was in the metaphor, blood turns yellow," Scarecrow said.
"Oops," Harley said childishly.
Harry decided to place the gem near the trophy and weapon gifted by Riddler...only to get a mad idea for later. Something the Riddler noticed that made him grin with interest.
"I know that look, boy," Riddler replied, folding his arms.
"Huh? What look?" Harry asked, getting out of his train of thought.
"Oh, nothing," Riddler said, raising his hands up. "You just look like you have an idea."
"Actually, I was," Harry admitted putting the gem back. "But I'll work on it later."
Bane has given Harry a teddy bear, but it has bunny ears. Hatter sent him home before he could realize he's been controlling him.
"Well, it's the thought that counts," Harry said, looking at the teddy bear with bunny ears. "I can make this work."
"Well, it's a little hard to control. I had to get him to use his venom that makes him dull sometimes." Hatter said.
"I don't mind," Harry shrugged, grabbing the bear. "Is that everything with the gifts?"
"Almost. There's one more gift you haven't opened yet," Jervis said.
"There is? Who?" Harry asked.
Jervis smiled, bringing out his hat to take a small circular gift from it inside. "I was originally going to give it to you on your unbirthday, but now seemed like a good time."
"An unbirthday?" Harley asked.
Catwoman then smacked Harley on her arm. "You know what he meant." She said.
"Ooooooh, okay then," Harley said.
Harry chuckled. "Only you would give me a Wonderland-themed gift on a Wonderland date, Uncle Jervis."
Harry opened the gift and inside was a special-looking pocket watch.
"Happy Birthday, Harry," Jervis said.
Harry's eyes nearly sparkled with glee when he saw his gift. The pocket watch was silver and hard engraving on the top. There was a rabbit moving with his name on it...Well, part of it.
"Harry T.?" Harry asked.
"Yeah...I was going to put 'Lewis', but ran out of time," Jervis said sheepishly, rubbing his neck. "Sorry about that."
"I actually like it. Gives a subtle way of saying I'm a Tetch," Harry admitted.
"I guess that makes you legally Harry Tetch." Catwoman pointed out.
"It has a very nice ring to it," Harry agreed, winking at his uncle before opening the watch to see the inside. "Oh, cool! You even engraved a message on the inside top, too. 'It's very easy to take more than nothing.'...This was said by the Mad Hatter from the story."
"That is correct," Jervis said. "It's my favorite quote."
"What does it mean? I never understood that quote entirely," Harry said.
"It means, it's better to take what you can before it's gone, rather than have nothing," Jervis explained.
"Huh..." Harry said, looking at the engraving with interest. "Still, Uncle Jervis, this has been the most hat-tastic present. Thanks."
Everyone chuckled a little as Jervis hugs his nephew. "You're welcome, Harry." Jervis said.
This was very memorable. Not just for me, but also my chosen family. And believe me when I say that the gifts I got from them eventually come in handy in the future. Specifically...my teenage years. But that's a story for another day.