A/N This is a crossover between the Batman: Arkham games and the Harley Quinn cartoon. It's set between Origins and Asylum in the game series and during a slight AU of season 4 of the cartoon where Nightwing doesn't die. Let me be clear that I do really like the Arkham games. I just think Harley from the Harley Quinn Cartoon wouldn't like being there much because of the tonal difference and how her counterpart acts. I haven't watched the Harley Quinn series in order or all the way through, so if I get anything wrong, please let me know. This is a two-shot, so expect the next chapter next week.

Trigger Warning: Torture and Foul Language.

Chapter 1

Harley Quinn was growing used to confronting her past deeds in various ways.

Whether it was highly detailed flashbacks, some mind games Joker cooked up, or some weird shit Dr. Psycho came up with, she was well aware that she had a lot to make up for since she decided to go hero.

(And maybe she was still making right some new screw-ups she'd made after going hero, but she was working on it okay. Give her a break.)

That said, of all the horrible shit Harley's done in the past… there were some lines she was sure she'd never crossed.

She doesn't recall ever waterboarding a kid, for instance...

So why?

WHY?

Is that exact scenario playing out before her very eyes right now?

Standing out of sight in the shadows (something she'd gotten pretty good at the more she hung out with Batgirl), Harley watched as someone who looked and talked like she had during the height of her cringey Joker obsession held the head of what was clearly a tied up teenage boy in a bucket of water and laughed as he struggled desperately for air.

This can't be right.

That can't be her.

She does not remember this.

She doesn't even remember anything like this in a love-blind romanticized way like she remembered Joker proposing to her.

So… dimension travel?

She observed the scene again, taking in all the details she could, and grimaced.

Yeah, dimension travel. Totally dimension travel, she'd definitely remember if she ever wore that butt-ugly naughty nurse costume. It was degrading to even think of wearing one. Really? A nurse? She was a fucking DOCTOR, thank you very much. After eight years of college and a three-year residency, there was no way she'd let anyone call her 'nurse' without knocking all their teeth out!

Dimension travel then! Awesome! That meant she could do shit like saving that kid and not worry about screwing up the timeline and pulling a Flashpoint! Fantastic! And…

Harley shook herself out of her stupor and her eyes widened.

… Oh fuck, the kid's not moving anymore!

Still-Evil-Harley seemed to notice this as well, as she leaned over the kid she'd been drowning curiously. "Aw, what's the matter, birdbrain? Done alrea-"

That was all she got the chance to say before Harley managed to come up behind her and bash her over the head with her baseball bat.

Still-Evil-Harley (though maybe she should call her Still-Evil-but-also-Eviler-Harley) crumbled to the ground like wet tissue paper, and Harley yanked the kid's head out of the water and began CPR.

Thankfully, it only took a few chest compressions before she was rolling the kid onto his side so he could choke up water and breathe again. Good, the kid, though a teenager still seemed pretty young, and hot as she was, he probably wouldn't appreciate possibly giving his first kiss to someone with the same face as his torturer.

Once she was sure the kid wasn't about to die, Harley flopped back on the floor and heaved a sigh of relief.

Baddie stopped, kid saved, take that Nightwing, she was so a good guy.

Then she heard a whimper and looked at his face to see the kid was awake and looking between her and her knocked-out counterpart with a horrified expression.

Harley immediately fixed her posture into the most open and non-threatening she could be. "Hey, hey, kid. I know what this looks like, but I promise, I'm not her. I mean, I am her, but I'm from another dimension and I'm a good guy here to rescue you, look!" she said, pointing down at her chest where her pink bat symbol sat.

The kid tilted his head and looked at the symbol with a conflicted expression, and that's when Harley noticed what was on his cheek.

"Oh, kid," she said, reaching out gently to cup his face and get a better look at the blistering red J burned into the boy's cheek.

This poor kid had been branded.

"What did these fuckers do to you?" Her eyes hardened, and she shifted her weight over so she could kick her counterpart. "How the hell are you still with him after he pulls shit like this?!" she snapped angrily.

Still-Evil-but-also-Eviler-Harley was still too unconscious to reply.

Harley huffed but turned back to the kid. "I promise I dumped his ass ages ago, and if I see the version in this world I will bash his fucking head in," she assured him. She then rubbed a finger just shy of the brand. "And don't worry, there's some great plastic surgeons out there. I'm sure we can get you all fixed up. Heck, I'll blackmail Hush if I have to."

The kid, who likely hadn't had a kind touch since he'd been captured, looked up at her with wide blue eyes before he finally became overwhelmed and passed out with a sigh.

Taking that to mean he trusted her to get him out of there at least, Harley set to work on untying his restraints and using them to tussle up her counterpart. As she did, she couldn't help but notice the sheer number of injuries the poor kid had and how old some of them already were. Still-Evil-but-also-Eviler-Harley and her Joker must have had this kid for months.

And once the ropes were off, Harley took notice of something she hadn't before from the way the kid's arms had been bound to his chest.

Specifically, what the kid was wearing.

"Holy shit, you're Robin!" she exclaimed.

That explained why this kid was being held captive, and why Joker would even want to hold onto him as opposed to just killing him. Anything to fuel his obsession with Batman, and all that.

Harley would like to think that if this had happened in her world she, at least, would never go along with torturing a kid, even at her worst. Strapping a Robin to a rocket was one thing. It was short and quick, and there was no doubt Batman would save him so it was nothing personal. The kid was maybe a little traumatized but he'd be okay eventually. This was clearly prolonged malice and cruelty just for the sake of malice and cruelty.

Harley never crossed that line during her blind obsession with the Joker, and she had never been more grateful to Ivy for bringing her to her senses to know that now she never would.

"So, which Robin are you?" she asked aloud to herself, examining the kid. It wasn't Damian. He was too big to be the adorable yet awful little brat, and he lacked Talia's distinctive nose. It likely wasn't Dick either, there was no mistaking Nightwing's perfect ass, and this kid ain't got it. That knocks off Robins 1 and 5 whom she'd spent any real time with. It knocked out 4 too, on account of the kid not being blonde or a girl. That meant he was either Robin 2 or Robin 3, whom she hadn't gotten around to meeting.

Harley glanced around the room and took in the sight of newspaper articles reporting on the newest Robin on the block pinned to the walls in a clear taunt, complete with pictures showing off a boy with a shaved head in the Robin suit.

"You're Robin number 2, then," she concluded as she gently lifted the kid onto a nearby wheelchair to carry him out, and smiled to herself. "Hey, I'm getting good at this detective thing."

With one hand pushing the wheelchair and the other dragging her counterpart by the ankle, Harley started making her way out.

There was a certain Bat who was missing one of his Birds, and she was the good guy bringing him home.

Jason had finally lost it.

That was the only explanation he could think of as to why he was hallucinating getting rescued by Harley Quinn of all people in a bat costume.

If there was anyone he could see coming to his rescue (though that view was getting dimmer with each fake rescue Joker orchestrated to break him) it sure wouldn't be her. No way she'd go against her 'beloved Mr. J'.

Then again, maybe it was another fake rescue after all. One specifically made to make him think he was insane. The two Harleys were easy to explain away in that case. The one that got hit must be Clayface and the one 'rescuing' him was the real Harley. One who'd probably gotten her pink and blue bat costume as another way to entice Joker. That made sense… right?

It all had to be fake, but still… when was the last time he'd felt a hand on him that didn't bring pain? When was the last time someone spoke gently to him? And then offering to kill the Joker? For him? Even if it was fake, he would enjoy it while it lasted.

Those were the thoughts in Jason's mind when he passed out in Bat-Harley's arms.

But when he opened his eyes again, he was once again back in that damned wheelchair being pushed through the halls of the abandoned part of Arkham.

Stupid. Even knowing it wasn't true, it still hurt all the same.

Despite knowing what would happen, Jason tried to throw himself out of the chair.

Only to be met with no resistance and tumble to the ground.

Jason could only lay there stunned. Where was the barbed wire?

"Oh, shit!" came a startled cry behind him, and Jason looked up to see Bat-Harley standing behind the wheelchair looking bewildered. She then dropped something before hurrying around the chair to crouch beside him. "Are you okay, kid?"

Still with the act.

"You can drop it now," he said, glaring at her in a way he knew would get him slapped later but for now he just didn't care.

"Uhhhh, drop what?" asked Bat-Harley, looking confused.

"The act," said Jason bitingly. "I know this is just another of Joker's fake rescues. So drop it already."

Bat-Harley blinked, then gave him a deadpan look. "Robin, there are two of me. What part of this seems fake?"

"The other one is Clayface, duh," Jason snapped. "He loves faking rescues."

Bat-Harley's eyes widened. "Wait, you're telling me Clayface was in on this?" she asked, sounding aghast.

Jason had to give her credit, she was a better actor than he thought.

"What about King Shark? Was he in on it too? Dr. Psycho? Kiteman? Ivy? Please tell me not Ivy!" she all but begged.

"Drop! The! Act!" Jason hissed through gritted teeth and glared at her with all his might.

Bat-Harley just gave him a stricken look, before sighing. "Look, Robin, I know you don't believe this, but I am trying to get you out of here." She then brightened as something occurred to her. "Oh, I know how to prove neither of us is Clayface!"

Jason gave her a suspicious look. "How?" he asked.

Bat-Harley hopped to her feet and hurried around the wheelchair then came back dragging Clay-Harley by the ankle. Something she'd apparently been doing for a while given the amount of dirt and debris stuck in Clay-Harley's hair.

Bat-Harley crouched in front of him again once Clay Harley was in reach. "Here," she said. "Punch us both. If we were Clayface, you could feel it."

Jason stared at her. No way this wasn't a trap. "You want me," he said slowly. "to punch you?"

Bat-Harley nodded. "Give me your best shot, kid."

Jason was probably going to regret this later, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, he pulled back his hand and then socked Bat-Harley in the jaw.

Skin. Bones. Teeth. Not Clayface

Bat-Harley reeled back and rubbed where he hit her with a grimace. "Geeze, kid. Even looking like you've gone through a meat grinder you still hit hard."

Jason didn't answer her, instead focusing his attention on the unconscious form of Clay-Harley. Before they could do anything or pull a fast one, he punched her too.

He could feel the cartilage of her nose get crushed under his fingers. He could see the blood start dripping out in a way Clayface could never replicate convincingly.

Real!

She was real!

They both were real!

This. Was. Real!

Something was bubbling up inside him, and Jason again punched the unconscious version of Harley, the one who tortured him, the one who kept him tied up in the dark, the one who laughed when her 'Puddin' beat him senseless. He punched her again.

And again.

And again!

"Whoa, easy there, tiger," Bat-Harley said, catching his fist before he could really start beating her double into paste. "Trust me, I get it. I've wanted to beat Joker-obsessed-me over the head too. Ya'know, with a hammer, and all while saying, 'What! Were! You! Thinking?!'" She mimed out a hit along with each word, before taking a deep breath to calm herself and continuing. "But as much as she deserves it, your finger bones don't."

Jason didn't understand what she meant until he looked down at his fist and saw she was looking at his fingers which were swollen and bloody from all the times they'd been broken since he'd been captured. They had honestly been in that state for so long he'd forgotten about it.

Bat-Harley stood up and offered him a hand. "Come on, let's get you out of here and see a doctor who knows how to fix that-" she paused at the fearful look on his face at her words (Don't think about all the doctors here who were in on it. Don't think about how they only kept him alive just so Joker could continue his fun.), then amended, "-Or… just Alfred. Alfred can probably fix that too."

Jason's head snapped up hearing her say that.

Alfred?

He never said anything about Alfred!

Even with everything Joker had tortured out of him, Jason hadn't said a word about Alfred.

Most people don't even know Alfred existed, much less that he had any connection to Batman.

But if she knew…

"Holy shit, you're real!" Jason breathed.

Bat-Harley gave him a savage grin. "You're damn right I'm real," she said, reaching for the wheelchair. "So strap in kid, we're getting out of this dump."

Jason cringed away from the wheelchair the second she did, making Bat-Harley pause. "What now?" she asked.

Jason just looked at the bloody barbed wire still tangled in parts of the chair. Bat-Harley followed his gaze, did a double-take, and looked appalled. "Holy-! Is that-! Shit!" she sputtered as she realized what that chair had been used for and promptly kicked it away. The chair went clattering down the hall before hitting some rubble and toppling over. "Remind me to come back and burn that thing sometime," she said in disgust.

Jason couldn't help the breathy laugh that escaped him hearing that. "Can we just burn this whole place?"

Bat-Harley looked around, then shrugged. "Honestly, I'm forever shocked someone hasn't done it already. Maybe we can bribe Firefly." She then frowned and glanced at Jason. "Was Firefly part of this?"

Jason shook his head. "I'd be a lot more burned if he was."

"True," Bat-Harley agreed. She then reached down, and asked, "Can you walk?"

Jason reached up, took her hand, and let her pull him up.

Only to immediately crumple as soon as he put weight on his leg that Joker made sure to keep broken so he couldn't run away.

"Guess not," Bat-Harley said, catching him and slinging his arm around her shoulders to steady him. She then looked around. "If we're where I think we are, there should be a security office just out of this wing and around the corner."

A security office? That close? Safety was that close?

Jason wanted to cry at the injustice of it all.

But out loud all he said was, "So?"

"So, the guard always stationed there is an ass, and he plays video games on the job," Bat-Harley said.

Jason's face pinched in confusion. Well, if the guard was an ass, then he was probably on Joker's payroll, but he still didn't get the context in this scenario. "So?" he asked.

Bat-Harley grinned. "So," she said, "He smuggled in his expensive douchebag gamer chair. It's got better wheels than that old piece of junk anyway."

With that, she took off down the hall with Jason hobbling along beside her and the unconscious other Harley once again being dragged by the ankle.

One concussion on an asshole guard later (something Jason has no complaints about since he recognized that guard, he was indeed one of the ones on Joker's payroll), Jason was sitting in a far more comfortable chair being wheeled through Arkham's halls.

The entire time, Jason was forcing himself to stay awake. He was still exhausted from nearly drowning and all of Original-Harley's other 'treatments' not too long ago, and being alert was a strain.

Still, he forced himself to keep his eyes open to not miss a minute. Loathed though he was to admit it, he was actually starting to hope this was real.

Past fake rescues hadn't gone nearly this far out of his prison. It wouldn't do for Jason to be caught on camera or for some of the few non-corrupt Arkham staff to spot him and say something.

Somewhere along the way Bat-Harley had managed to steal one of the guards' electric batons, and it was perfect for jabbing any guard or prisoner that Jason so much as flinched at or hinted at being in on Jason's captivity. She'd given Jason her baseball bat to carry for her but also so he could defend himself as well.

Being given a weapon was also something that had never happened in previous fake rescues.

God, he hoped this was real.

Because if it wasn't, then Joker may have found a way to finally break him, and he refused to be broken over Harley Fucking Quinn.

"I am so disappointed in you, Two-Face. Then again, you are the jerk who wanted to let the guards use flamethrowers on the inmates even before you went villain, so maybe I shouldn't be too surprised at how twisted you can be," she scolded Harvey Dent as she electrocuted him. He'd made a comment as they passed clueing in Bat-Harley he was in the know. Because of the way Bat-Harley was dragging her somehow still unconscious counterpart behind her she wasn't immediately seen, making the inmates and guards think Bat-Harley was Original-Harley and this was all part of Joker's scheme. Bat-Harley didn't seem to mind much, as them shooting their mouths off let her know who to poke with her buzz baton.

As Two-Face slumped to the floor of his cell, Bat-Harley huffed and went back to pushing Jason along. "Seriously, is there anyone in this place that didn't fuck you over, kid?"

Jason shrugged tiredly. "Mr. Freeze," he offered.

Bat-Harley paused hearing that and muttered something about sending Mr. Freeze an apology basket since he was still alive in this world.

Jason decided he didn't want to know.

Things seemed to be going smoothly until they arrived at one particular cell that seemed to be glowing pink.

Bat-Harley's let out a little gasp at the sight of it.

The sole occupant of the cell caught sight of Bat-Harley and immediately threw herself against the glass. "Harley!" she cried desperately. "You have to help me!"

"Whoa, Ivy," Bat-Harley said, shock coloring her voice. "You look… Daaaamn..." she trailed off, and when Jason glanced up at her, it was clear she was checking out Poison Ivy and what little of her Arkham inmate uniform she was wearing. She then physically shook herself and looked back at Jason. "Kid, I need you to be honest with me right here, right now. Was Ivy involved?"

Poison Ivy seemed to notice Jason for the first time and looked confused. "Wait? Robin? Harley, what's he doing here?"

Bat-Harley winced, then turned her attention back to Poison Ivy. "Joker's been keeping him here for months, Ive," she said, her tone accusatory. "So I need someone to tell me if you knew!"

Now Poison Ivy was looking just plain concerned. "No, I assure you, I had no idea. I stay away from anything the Joker plans, you know that, Harley. I'm more surprised you didn't know yourself, but I'm glad there are still some lines you won't cross for him."

Bat-Harley seemed to scrutinize her response, before looking at Jason for confirmation.

Jason wracked his weary brain for any hint that she'd been there, then shook his head. "I never saw her, and they never used anything of hers on me."

Bat-Harley looked back and forth between them, nodded, then walked over to the door to Poison Ivy's cell and swiped the master key card she'd stolen from her counterpart.

The cell opened, and Poison Ivy stepped out and stretched with a satisfied hum. "Oh, much better," she said.

"I'm getting the kid outta here," Bat-Harley said. "And going forward we're probably going to hit more than I can get past on my own. Mind helping out? 'Cause when I'm the sanest and most responsible person in the room, you know we've got problems, and since I found him that's been the case."

Poison Ivy pretended to consider it, before saying, "Oh, I suppose it's only fair since you helped me." She glanced at Jason and added, "Besides, I have no issue with Robin, and he looks far too close to being fertilizer to stay here, and Batman has been on a warpath since he vanished."

Jason blinked at that last bit in disbelief.

Bat-Harley sighed in relief. "Thanks, Ive. Knew I could count on you."

Then, she reached down, grabbed her counterpart who was finally starting to stir, and flung her into Poison Ivy's newly vacated cell and then locked it tight.

"Harley?" gasped Poison Ivy, having not even seen the other blonde until that point and was now looking between the two Harleys in bewilderment. "What the-"

"I'm from an alternate universe. One where Joker and I are so fucking done it's not even funny. This one though, well, you said it yourself, there's not much Joker does that she wasn't aware of. She crossed a line I won't," was all Bat-Harley said as she began pushing Jason's chair away.

Jason leaned out so he could look back and see the fallout.

Poison Ivy hovered by her former cell for a long moment, giving the Harley inside a look of incredible disappointment before turning and walking away.

Inside the cell, Original-Harley groaned as she came too and noticed her surroundings. "What the- Hey, where am I?" she squawked nasally through her broken nose, then she noticed them leaving and recognized Poison Ivy. "Wait what's going on? Ivy? Red? Come on, let me out of here! Red! Pammy!"

Poison Ivy didn't look back.

"Sorry about that," Bat-Harley said softly, looking at her in sympathy. "I know it must be difficult to watch her destroy her life for someone who will never actually love her."

"Agonizing, she never listens, no matter how I try to tell her she deserves better than him," Poison Ivy agreed. Then she looked at Bat-Harley and asked, looking at her outfit, "What changed for you? Did you and the Bat…?" she asked leadingly.

Jason shuddered at the mere thought of what Ivy was implying. Brain bleach now, please.

Bat-Harley seemed to agree and let out a gag. "Aw, no, gross! Not even during my biggest hate-boner revenge plans against Joker…" She paused and looked considering. "Though, now that I think about it, doing that is probably the one thing that would actually hurt him emotionally, so maybe… But yeah, no, and I'm not gonna considering that would be a huge breach of etiquette between doctor and patient, and I ain't doing that again. Besides, even knowing who he is, I'm still, like, ninety percent sure he fucks bats."

"He does not! He's scared of-" Jason started to exclaim to the last bit before the rest registered. "Wait, you're giving Br-Batman therapy?" he asked incredulously.

"We started recently," Bat-Harley said with a shrug. "Mostly over the phone since he's in Blackgate right now."

Both Poison Ivy and Jason were gaping at her now. "How?" asked Jason.

"Oh, weird story," said Bat-Harley. "The Joker got voted mayor and then busted Batman's secret ID for tax fraud."

Jason just stared at her gobsmacked. There was so, so much wrong with that statement.

"And he hasn't broken out yet?" Poison Ivy had to ask.

"Batgirl offered to bust him out, but he went along with the arrest as a statement that no one is above the law," said Bat-Harley. "Said he trusted the Batfam to handle things while he's gone."

"And how is that going for you?" asked Poison Ivy, now amused.

Bat-Harley grimaced. "It's going," was all she said.

Fortunately for her, that was when guards finally noticed them and started shooting before she was forced to elaborate.

The three of them ducked behind a corner. "Take Robin and go, I'll handle this," said Poison Ivy, moving to step back out and fight.

"Wait!" said Bat-Harley, reaching out and catching Poison Ivy's wrist and swinging her back around.

Then to Jason and Ivy's surprise, Bat-Harley leaned up and kissed Poison Ivy right on the lips.

When she pulled back, the blonde beamed. "You asked what went different for me? It was my you. My Ivy didn't give up on me, and finally made me see sense." Bat-Harley then reached into the utility belt of her costume and handed Poison Ivy a baggy of seeds. "Knock'em dead, Ive. Well, maybe not literally. I'm still trying for the hero thing."

Poison Ivy reached up to touch her mouth, before taking the seeds with a smile. "I'll see what I can do," she said as the seeds were already starting to sprout in her hands. "Now go."

Bat-Harley grabbed the back of Jason's chair and sprinted away.

As they came out at the employee parking lot, Jason had to ask, "So wait, you and Poison Ivy?"

"Love of my life, and total relationship goals," said Bat-Harley as she clicked the car keys she'd stolen from the same guard they'd gotten the gamer chair from and listened for the beep. "We put in the work, even with me doing my good guy thing, and her still trying for world domination."

"Oh, good," said Jason for lack of anything else to say, and exhaustion starting to creep up on him again. "Fuck the Joker."

"Fuck his ass with a radioactive ice pick, and not in a fun way," Bat-Harley agreed, finding their ride and helping Jason inside.

As she buckled him in, Jason could feel the exhaustion creeping up on him once again. Each blink seemed to cause a longer gap in time than the last.

'Blink.' Bat-Harley was shutting his car door.

'Blink…' Bat-Harley was already in the driver's seat next to him starting the engine, and making sure the radio had appropriate car chase music.

'Blink…...' They were speeding down the road away from the asylum with the creepy forest surrounding the road seeming to come alive and grow to cover their exit as they sped past the angel statues at the gateway.

'Blink…...' They were across the bridge. The sun over Gotham City was blazing up ahead.

'Blink…...'

Jason didn't reopen his eyes after that last blink and fell into the most fitful sleep he'd had in a long time.

A/N This came to me after watching some episodes of Harley Quinn and then playing the Arkham games. Mostly from that episode where she goes into Bruce's mind and yells at his memory of her past self obsessing over the Joker ("Get a room! And some self-esteem!). I just had a thought that if she was that disgusted by what her past self did, she'd probably be even more disgusted by what Arkham-Harley does.

And if I was writing her taking a crack at her Arkham self, I also couldn't resist the chance to save Jason Todd. He's currently at the point of his capture where he hasn't totally given up yet, but will still be mad at Batman, but since Harley's taking him home he'll have a better chance to reconnect with his family than most Jasons do.