If you're prone to temptation

You better not stare

She'll spin you up and spit you out

She'll leave you running scared

Black Widow / Nikki Lane

Pam was late. Not that I minded, working over the addicts reminded me of my clinic hours at Gotham General when I was a resident. Made me feel young. They were a diverse crowd, but most of the problems were the same. Once the rampant dehydration became clear, I sent Sam and his choice of followers back out for water, and electrolytes. They returned with several cases, which they had taken time to carry in through a side door as to avoid suspicion. The cases were nearly empty already.

Many of them had infected cuts or lacerations that I cleaned with white liquor and sutured without pain medication. Most of them didn't seem to mind though, their own supply enough to dull the pain. I kept that in mind. High pain tolerance was a hell of a good thing to have on your application in this field. Though my heart ached for some of them, I wasn't running a charity. I was setting a net. J always called it meat-shopping, because that's how he treated them, like a sack of meat meant to do his bidding for six hours and disappear. If I wanted this to go well, I needed them around for a while, and good pay and decent treatment were a good way to ensure that.

Checking for concussions was my next concern, but mostly unfounded. More than one of them had a turned eye from the intravenous drug usage but didn't seem too torn up when I explained I could not reverse it, and that to do so would require surgery. One even kindly explained that he was used to it by now, and didn't mind much anymore.

It wasn't hard to convince the mismatched group to partake in the physical examination. The ones who were too dope-sick to be swayed by the promise of hot food were instead offered a small amount of cash. The first twenty or so had shaken in their boots being examined but soon after they calmed. I was pleased to see that I was correct in picking Sam as my go-boy. He was the healthiest of the lot, though his drinking buddies weren't far behind.

I worked through the room all night, and in the Morning, I sent Sam out for breakfast, soap, and cleaning supplies, and called Pam, instructing her to bring the rest of my cash, and a supply of weapons, and clothes. Then it was time to begin cleanup.

I gathered the weaker-looking of the group, the waiflike women, shaking from fear, and older men with skin that turned pea-green when they exerted themselves more than a shambling walk. Around twenty of them in total.

I led them out of the welcome lounge that was slowly coming alive that morning, out past the halls and to the stairwell, where several men and women had come from the night before for examination.

"Alright," I spoke softly but attempted to keep the same sternness of a teacher, who just knows you could be doing better if you applied yourself. "I am considering moving into this lovely building." a shudder of shock and upset traveled before I continued. "Relax. I'm not kicking anyone out. In fact," I tilted my head, offering a smile to the youngest of the crowd, a tiny thing of about sixteen if I had to guess, wearing rags. "I would like to offer everyone here a job." Now distrust, uncertainty. "I am offering you each two hundred dollars a day, to clean this Hotel. Top to bottom."

Now hushed voices spread through the group.

"However." I raised a finger, and smiled more honestly now, sensing that they would comply. "If you finish to my satisfaction within a week, I will triple it."

Louder this time, with smiles and excitement.

"What the hell is going on?" Pam asked, looking between my place on the stairs and the group, duffel bag slung over her arm. Behind her, Sam arrived, carrying several large boxes of doughnuts. "What are you doing? Opening a soup kitchen?"

"Pamela." I smiled tightly, "Thank god you're here, we have a lot to discuss, and I need a ride. Before we go, let's pay these people for their first day of work."

"Work?"

I didn't answer the question, only crossing to her side and removing the small black backpack,

"As a show of good faith. I am going to pay you for your first day now. However, if I return to see you have abandoned your post– and stolen my money– you will be punished."

As I handed the cash to each of them, I explained that Sam would be bringing in the supplies they needed shortly, and asked them to clean the Honeymoon suite first, as it would be my bedroom and base of operations. They seemed excited enough, though they remained fearful.

Outside, I felt Pam's eyes on me, as we went back towards her car, through the rotting fence into the alleyway. Inside, she let me have it.

"Are you insane?!"

"Legally? Yes."

She glared at me. "You could have been killed! That many–"

"Don't forget who you're talking to," I growled. "A handful of drug addicts and old alcoholics weren't going to be able to take me. You saw them, Pam, half of them can barely stand on their own."

Pam blinked at me, lips tightening, before she replied. "Why are you paying these people Harley? I thought you were going to work for Sionis?"

I pulled a face. "Well, I was gonna…"

"What did you do?"

"Not my fault, the bastard propositioned me!"

"You killed him?!"

"No." I rolled my eyes. "I bit his fuckin' nose off."

"You…." There was a long silence, as she dug through her purse, to retrieve a blunt. "I can't fucking deal with this Harl. What the hell are you doing?"

"Right now? Going to see Jervis. You're coming too. I have a job opportunity, and I don't like repeating myself."

"You want me to… work for you?"

"I want you to do a job for me. Think of it as contract work. Like uber. But for crime."

She sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"I told you. I'll explain once we get to Jervis's apartment. Pam, please don't push me right now, I haven't slept in almost thirty hours. And, like I said, I don't like repeating myself. Now hand me the bag, I need to change before we get there."

Jervis wouldn't answer the door. Usually, I would assume he was busy working, but frankly, I wasn't coming back later, and he could change his fucking schedule this once. I picked the lock. He'd get over it. Pam was aghast but followed me inside, anyway.

The reason he didn't come to the door was clear immediately once we entered his bedroom. He was busy. Having his life threatened.

The chain I still wore on my shoulders found itself wrapped around Johnny's throat in a second, jerking him to the ground, where he worked to unwind the chain frantically.

"Jervis, over here. NOW." He was behind me in a second, and by the time Johnny was breathing again, he had a gun pressed into his temple.

He looked up at me tiredly, and I took a deep breath. "I still love you, Johnny. But if you threaten my friends again, I'll take something from you."

Still gasping, he tried to speak. "Will… you… just–"

"No."

"Harl-"

"Blame him. Not me. He's the one who escalated it. He's the one who felt the need to make this what it is."

"And what is it, Harley? A war?"

"No." I laughed. "This is me ghosting him. He proved he isn't worth my fucking time."

"Harley-"

"Shut up!" I pressed the gun closer and his mouth snapped shut, though he still only looked tired. It burned me that he seemed to sense I didn't want to shoot him. "You can tell him it's fucking over. I'm done. If he thinks I'm some fuck-doll he can just send for and I come running, he's got another thing coming."

He only shook his head, looking away again. "He doesn't think that, and you know it."

"Well, I think I'll start believing his actions, not some secret meaning he's assigned to all of them."

"He misses you, you know? Badly."

I flinched, glancing back at Pam who was tending Jervis on his couch. Turning back to Johnny, I knelt beside him, putting the mask back on as quickly as it slipped. "Funny way of showing it."
"You know J. He's a funny guy."

"Yeah? Why should I care?"

"You shouldn't. Doesn't change that you do." Looking into his eyes I knew that he knew that feeling well. I wondered to myself how much suffering he would let the clown put him through before he walked away. As if J would allow that. "Harley, will you please, just listen-"

"Goodbye, Johnny."

He opened his mouth to protest again before he seemed to think better of it, and his eyes fell back to the carpeted floor, and he sighed out his response."See you around, Harley."

I brought the gun down on the back of his head, leaving him unconscious.

"Jervis." I spun, to the man who was still slightly hysterical from the attack, with his eyebrow split from what I was sure was a hard hit from the other man. "Jervis." When his frantic eyes met mine, I sighed. "We'll talk about why we came later. For now, you need to get packing. I want to be out of here before he wakes up."

"W-where am I going?"

"Your apartment is compromised. You're gonna have to leave either way, but I'm offering you a place with me. Nothing glamorous, yet, but I'm sure you can fix that."

He nodded, standing, and making his way towards the bedroom. Pam turned to me, opening her mouth, and I shook my head. "Not yet, Pam, the man was just attacked. It can wait. We can talk back at the hotel. I need to make some calls. Wait for him, I'll be back in a couple minutes, if Johnny wakes up, shoot him in the leg." I handed Pam the gun, turning my back without another word.

Outside, I tilted my sunglasses down my nose before I called an old friend.

"Harley?" Waylon's familiar accent was a balm for my nerves, and I smiled.

"How you doin' big guy?"

"Jesus, Harley, I should be asking you that. Have you seen-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. J's been a busy busy boy."

Waylon chuckled. "Is that why you're calling? I thought we were square after last time?"

"We are," I assured, "This is more of a favor of my own."

He stayed quiet for a long minute. "Harley… I don't wanna fight J. I'll lose."

I snorted. "I'll deal with him on my own. No, this is much more important. I need some muscle. Preferably Narrows born. Preferably desperate. And homeless. If you can manage."

He chuckled. "You planning something?"

"Aren't I always?"

"I guess so. I'll see what I can do. Text you tonight, okay?"

"Thanks, Croc."

I could hear him rolling his eyes as he ended the call. Now to ruin my fucking mood. I pulled up the contact info I needed, pausing before I called to look up, glad to see Pam and Jervis making their way to her car. They gave me a look and I held up a finger to tell them to wait.

I lifted the phone again, clicking the much more familiar contact information.

He picked up before one ring was finished. " Hello, Dear."

"You crossed a fucking line sending Johnny after Jervis. That's the second you've crossed since I've been gone. I should have killed him. Next time? I will."

"Oh? Is that where you are?"

"Only for the next two to three minutes. Johnny will be waking up within a couple of hours. Go easy on him, by the way. He was outnumbered, and caught off guard."

"Why would you think I'd be mad at him?" He giggled.

"Because I know you. You love to find an excuse to beat that poor man, you sick fuck ."

The other side of the phone was quiet suddenly I recognized the sound of him scrambling for shoes, and grumbling under his breath. "Oh, stop. You'll never make it here in time. We're already leaving you loon."

"What are you, scared? " He growled. "Stay and fucking fight, you coward."

"I would, but J. Every time we fight I wake up beside you. Maybe it's getting boring. So. I think I'll go."

"So, is that it? You're just fuckin' done with me now?" There was a new note to his voice, and if I was a fool I would think it was pain.

But I wasn't a fool. Right?

Regardless of what I told myself, the change affected me, my chest ached, and I felt tears in my eyes. "Stop…" I begged.

"Come home." He demanded.

"J–"

"This is ridiculous. Everything was fine. We were fine. We were fucking fine and you still fucking ran. Why? Am I that scary, Harl?"

"It's not… I don't… This isn't fair. You aren't being fair."

"Come tell me to my face." He sounded gruff now, softer.

"No," My voice shook with barely contained emotion.

"Please. I miss you." Even softer.

"Stop."

"Harley, I–"

I ended the call. I couldn't listen anymore. Pussy. He's an unfeeling psychopath. Stop letting him manipulate you. I made my way back to the car, through the alarmingly clean parking lot, turning on a mega-watt smile as I climbed into the backseat. Jervis sat beside me, looking at me with sad eyes.

"What did he say?"

I tried to play off that I didn't know who he meant, but when it became clear they could see through me, I gave in. "A whole lot of nothing. Don't worry. I won't let him hurt you."

"I don't think Joker sent that guy," He offered.

"You would be wrong. That's his right-hand man. Who else would have sent him?"

"He said… he said that he needed to know where you were before tomorrow. He seemed… scared. He said that… Joker was going to do something bad if you didn't come back."

"Like what?"

"He didn't say."

I only rolled my eyes forcing my smile to stay steady, even as I felt my heart drop. "He was trying to scare you, J is all about messing with your head. Don't worry about it. I'm sure it's nothing."