It was all going to turn out okay. It had to. He would make sure of it. That’s why he told himself he was here. To make sure no real harm came to her.
Jack Napier* all but owned the magic shop now. Despite the robbery on his first shift, he had proven a knack for getting people interested in magic and selling the large, expensive starter kits. These days he had mostly free rein on the shop, and spent much of his time there, alone and working.
*see Gotham Girls #18It had been perfect for the Joker.
Jack hadn’t meant for it to go the way it did. He meant to get himself into Arkham Asylum to have a chance to tell the Joker off himself. To meet the man who scared off the woman he loved. The extra money he brought in from an occasional night shift as an asylum janitor was admittedly also nice. But the plan had been to face the Joker head-on and make him see how wrong he had been. To avenge poor Harley. Instead…
Several Months AgoHe’d had to undergo a psychological evaluation along with his interview, but few enough people wanted to work at Arkham that they let him in without much hassle. The tests were clean enough and they were overbooked. His first night shift, Jack followed the route given to him to the letter, and proved at least a promising employee. His second brought him close enough to the solitary section that he couldn’t help a detour. The other patients could wait another ten minutes before their filthy rooms got cleaned.
The Joker’s cell was walled off on three sides, with a thick glass wall on the fourth so he could always be observed. The vents were small enough that a dog would have trouble getting through, let alone a grown human, and the only other source of sound inside was a small grate in the glass. As Jack approached, the Joker sat up from lounging in his bed, and motioned for him to open it.
“Well come on up, who’s the new Curious George?” He asked, looking Jack square in the eyes and then around his long, pale face. “He sure is a handsome fellow.”
“I came here to see you,” said Jack, puffing out his chest under his uniform.
“That sounds familiar,” the Joker muttered, and then grinned. “Autographs are five bucks apiece, I’m afraid I’m too broke these days to be a more noble celebrity.”
“I don’t want an autograph. I wanted to – I came here to make sure you suffered.” The words had sounded so right in Jack’s head, but somehow wrong when they came out his lips.
“Oh,” the Joker shrugged. “The other fan club. What did I do to you, then?”
“You hurt Harley.”
The Joker’s eyebrows went up. “Has my sweet little bird flown away so fast? How do you know Harley?”
“From school,” Jack told him. The Joker was watching him so carefully, and the details started to come out. Jonathan Crane’s psychology classes. A chance meeting when Harley stole from him – that made the Joker chuckle with what sounded like pride. When he finished his story, Jack just waited for the Joker to say something, suddenly aware of how long he’d been talking.
“I did hurt the poor girl,” Joker admitted, his hands folded behind his back. “But you see, I’m going to make it up to her. Soon, in fact. What’s your name, boy?”
“Jack...Jack Napier.”
The green eyes narrowed, and the Joker prompted, “middle name?”
“Alex?” Jack stared back.
The Joker pressed his two hands and his long nose against the glass. “No it isn’t! It can’t be! Jack A. Napier? That’s far too good!”
“My parents had a sense of humor,” Jack mumbled with his hands stuck in his pockets.
The Joker laughed, long and happy and staring endlessly at Jack. “You lucky boy. And what do you call yourself?”
“Call myself? Well, Jack.”
“No, no.” The Joker waved his hand dismissively in the air. “When you’re my henchman! So many options! Jackanape? Jack-in-the-box? Black Jack?”
Jack swallowed, and his fingers reached for the faded bit of cardboard still strung around his neck. “I thought about Jack of Hearts...one time...not that it means I’m going to be your - “
“Well, I suppose it works,” The Joker stroked his chin and interrupted. “It’ll do, anyway. You’re hired!”
Jack left for the rest of his shift baffled, but with his directions to follow.
NowHe’d been following orders since then. Each week or two he brought paper and pen to the Joker in his cell, and retrieved a message for Harley. The notes got more frequent, and soon they came with instructions for Jack – how to make certain bombs and chemicals, asking for inventory from the magic shop. Jack followed every order and set his eyes steadily on the future.
He wasn’t doing this for the Joker. He was doing it for Harley. It was bad for her right now, but the Joker would have gotten someone else to help him if Jack had refused. This way, she had a friend on the inside. This way, when the chips were down, he’d be there to rescue her.
Jack put a final touch on a set of magic rings and put them down on a pile of modified tricks. It would be ready soon. Everything was in place. And this time, he wouldn’t miss his chance.
*****
The sun had fallen behind the taller buildings by the time Harley sent all her Scouts home and locked the door. She was still humming the songs they’d been singing all day, thanks to the musical DVD that one of the parents had donated. In fact, the Harley Scouts’ Castle (she had let the girls decide what to call their playroom) was quickly filling up with dolls, games, old videos and playclothes from parents grateful to be rid of them. Many of the older girls brought in things they had outgrown, and found new enjoyment in helping the younger Scouts play and explore. Harley’s tiny business was becoming a thriving little community, and she took more pride in it every day.
As soon as she had closed everything up tonight, though, Harley remembered why she should still be afraid. Across the street stood a familiar figure, tall and lean and white, and coming closer. Harley felt her teeth and fists clench all at once, and she stood her ground as Jack Napier crossed the street.
He had taken off the copycat purple suit he wore to their last meeting, but he could never shake his uncanny resemblance to the Joker, with his long nose and pointed chin, and dreadfully pale skin. “Hello, Harley,” he said, with audible effort to keep his voice from shaking.
“Hello, Creepface,” she said back, and folded her arms. “What do you want?”
“Just to talk.” Jack swallowed under Harley’s glare, and she didn’t let it up. “And to give you a message.”
“Is that why you’ve been stalking me?” Harley demanded.
“Following,” Jack said. “Finding my courage.”
“You know that’s not sweet an’ all, right? You know it makes you a creepface?”
“Yeah, I figured that out. Harley, Just let me walk you home? You’re going to want to hear what I have to say.”
Harley glared at him, and then started to walk in fast, furious steps. It took Jack a minute to catch up with her, but he tried so hard that she didn’t order him away. Ivy’s advice snaked through her head - if he followed her all the way home, then he’d already be in trouble.
“You haven’t changed a bit,” Jack tried to get her to smile. “I didn’t know if you’d remember me.”
“You kidding? You were way too cute to forget before you became a creepface stalker.”
Jack sighed, and stopped his small talk. As much as he did love to see her again, it wasn’t making his job easier. “He’s coming back,” he told her, knowing they didn’t need a name. “It’s all in place. He wants to see you.”
Harley stopped cold to glare at him better. “So you’re the one been sending me all those creepy letters? What, did you think
that was gonna make me like you? Seriously?”
“No. I mean, yes, I sent them. But, I mean you love him, don’t you?” Jack looked at her and then looked away in shame. “He needs you now.”
“Well I’m through needing him!” she stomped along the sidewalk and tried not to listen any longer.
“He’ll be at 319 Hudson Street,” Jack continued anyway. “And I’ll be there, too. I’ll be watching you.”
“You’ll be what?”
“Watching – looking out for you,” Jack clarified too late.
“Yeah, sure. Of course. I’m not gonna be there.”
“We’ll be expecting you. 319. 9 o’clock tomorrow.” Jack finally turned and walked away, leaving Harley only a minute from her home.
She pounded her feet on the sidewalk, refusing to think about this news, and only letting her mind focus for now on Bonnie and Clyde’s dinners, and Ivy’s stories from the lab, and plans for her scouts. She didn’t want there to be any more room in her head for the Joker.
*****
“Yay, Sissy back!” The room in Waynetech Labs was bright, lit with vitamin-D lamps and stuffed with potted and hanging plants. Ferak was ecstatic each time Ivy came back through the door, as she had gotten used to seeing.
There was a scientist in the room with Ferak, who only smiled, continued to measure her blood pressure, and corrected her, “Sissy
is back.”
Ferak started to wriggle away from the tests, but with visible effort held back her excitement until the woman gave her a nod. “Sissy Ivy, Ferak is a good girl!” She beamed with pride, though she still had to count on her fingers to help her remember all of her articles.
“Yes, you are,” Ivy chuckled. She sat down on the long stretch of mossy rock that Ferak adored for a bed, and admired it all. Much of it had been Ivy’s ideas for how to make sure Ferak was comfortable. But Batgirl had been right, and the execution here was far better than Ivy could ever have given her. There was more space just in this room than in Ivy’s backyard, and she had surveyed the outdoor areas and exercise and testing rooms that Ferak was using. And though she had been only warily greeted at first, Ivy had become a welcome member of the treatment team in a short time.
She knew someone here had to be pulling her strings. Someone was making sure that Ivy had her clearance, and she knew who it was. Just not what name she was using. But Ivy was determined to find out. She had been coming for a few weeks now, and intentionally staggering her visits to be around different workers. Not entirely legally, she had gotten her hands on a list of the lab’s employees, and she checked them off as she met each person. This one was too tall. That one’s voice was too high. Half the list were men. None so far were Batgirl.
Ivy tried to put her search out of her mind long enough to visit with Ferak and spend some quality time. The plant-girl was blossoming under her new caretakers, truly taught new things, learning manners and speech. “We hope someday, when we’re sure she’s not carrying anything dangerous, she can live on her own,” one of the scientists had assured Ivy only a few days after Ferak arrived. Since then, they had gotten Ferak to dress in soft, comfortable clothes, and today she was practicing eating at the table. Ferak’s diet consisted mainly of sugar drinks - she had grown very fond of fruit punch - but she was eager to learn how to be like others.
“Like being here, Sissy,” Ferak still giggled at the brilliance of her nickname. Ivy smiled and humored her. “Like Sissy being here.” The wordplay was good for her.
“They’re treating you well? Not like Darkwood?” Ivy asked her as they lunched together.
Ferak nodded. “Much better, but miss Papa. Where did he go?”
“He went away for a long time,” Ivy said. “You really don’t want to see him again, trust me. He hurt you bad. You want to stay here, where they take good care of you.”
Ferak nodded her agreement again and lunch ended, the scientist in charge tapping gently on Ferak’s arm. “Come on, honey, Dr. Campbell wants to run a few tests now,” she said. Ivy followed them out, and the woman gave her a tired smile once she had handed Ferak off. “She’s a charm, but she’s a handful.”
Ivy smiled back and walked through the hall with the woman, herself a doctorate named Jones. “It means a lot, what you’re all doing for her. She’s thriving.”
“Just a bit of love and light,” Jones responded modestly.
“Still. They weren’t even giving her that much under Darkwood,” said Ivy.
They talked a few minutes about Ferak’s schedule, so Ivy knew when she could visit and when would be too busy. By the time they reached the visitors’ entrance, Ivy had talked the conversation around to staff. “There are still a few people I haven’t met here, I was hoping you could tell me why?”
“I’ll do what I can,” Dr. Jones agreed pleasantly. Ivy went down her small list, and got some simple descriptions - “he broke his leg a few weeks ago, poor man,” - “she’s had a baby, I’m not even sure she’s coming back from maternity,” - “he was fired ages ago, what’s he still doing on record?”
Finally, Ivy reached the last female name, and Dr. Jones’ eyes narrowed in concentration. “Renee Montoya? Can’t say I know her, no. But I don’t know everyone. If she’s in the security department, one of their boys ought to know.”
But the man in charge of the lab’s security shook his head at the name. “I don’t have a Montoya. Sure you’ve got the right list there, Sweetie?”
Ivy turned and walked away without answering to that. She had the right list. She had her clues gathered. This was just going to need a little more investigation, and Ivy couldn’t wait.
*****
The clock on the wall ticked and chipped down Harley’s patience. She had gotten back from work hours ago, and Ivy still wasn’t home from wherever she had gone. She must still be at the lab with Ferak, and Harley had no one to talk to but herself. The TV blared quietly but she wasn’t paying attention, only letting half-hour chunks go by one by one before her decision had to be made.
To go, or not to go? To face the Joker again and let him have it, or to prove once and for all that he had no power over her? She thought it would be an easy choice, but she kept being unable to quite make it. Harley decided to stay away, only for her heart to flare up in anger at all he’d put her through. So she determined to go and tell him off herself, only to realize how hard it was to think about him without a few lingering fuzzy feelings.
“Damn it, Harley, you’re not this stupid!” She yelled at herself and sunk deeper into the couch. Clyde stuck his nose up into her hand, and Harley stroked his muzzle absently. “You guys love me, right?” She cooed, and the hyena looked like he was nodding. “So what do you think I should do?”
Clyde hopped down off the couch to retrieve Bonnie from their water dish. Harley sat up to watch her two pets sniff and growl softly at each other in their own language. Finally, both Bonnie and Clyde sat themselves down in front of Harley and stared up.
Harley stared back and raised her eyebrow. “Y’know you two aren’t normal pets, don’t you?” she asked, and stroked Bonnie’s ears. “Alright. What is it? You’re smart, you tell me.”
Bonnie whined and cocked her head to the side.
“Weren’t you listening?” Harley sighed, and started to talk the problem through. “That Jack guy and Mister – and the Joker, they wanna see me tomorrow…I shouldn’t go, right? He’s just gonna hurt me again. He’s always been dangerous, I was just dumb.” She curled her legs up close against her chest. Clyde licked her hand, and Harley continued. “I mean if he’s got out I should tell someone right? But…But I’m still scared. He knows where I live. He knows where I work, he knows about the Scouts. What if I tell the cops and he gets away again and he hurts them instead?”
Bonnie put her paw up by Harley’s hand and barked once – it sounded so much like laughter, but Harley had gotten used to that.
“So I can’t go tell anyone. And it’s about the same if I just don’t show. But I can’t just walk into a trap either, I’m not gonna be that dumb.” Harley thought it all over again, and a small, bright smile started to spread on her face. “So maybe I show up when they’re not expecting me. Don’t wait till tomorrow, just crash tonight!” She jumped up and started rooting through the house to find what she needed – costume, weapons, cell phone.
By the time she was ready to go, Bonnie and Clyde were at the door expectantly. “What’re you waiting for you guys? We’re not going for walkies, I’m gonna go fight the Joker.”
Both whined together, and despite Harley’s best efforts, followed her out the door. They glanced back to make sure they didn’t go to far ahead, sticking by Harley’s side as she walked.
“Okay, fine, but be careful. Hide, or run away, or whatever when we get there. I don’t want to see my babies hurt either,” she warned them, and headed out into the night.
*****
Renee had been up for only an hour or so when her doorbell rang, and the coffee was making its way into her blood well enough to face company. She pulled a t-shirt over the cotton undershirt she slept in, and threw on a pair of sweatpants. The bell rang again before she could finish, and Renee hopped toward the door with her foot still caught in one pant leg. “I’m coming, give me a second!”
Her heart almost stopped when she opened the door. Poison Ivy stood before her, dressed respectably in a deep green suit jacket and smart pencil skirt. Renee felt instantly slobby, ugly next to the sight of her. She swallowed, and hugged her arms over her chest. “Can I help you?”
“You know who I am?” Ivy asked. Renee nodded. “Good. So I don’t have to waste any time introducing myself. I’ve...become responsible for a young woman in your lab. I’ve been looking into the people who work around her. For her safety. You are Renee Montoya?”
“Yeah, that’s me. Here, come in.” Renee stepped aside and let Ivy into her home, still swallowing too hard. So she hadn’t found her identity yet...
“You haven’t been at work in a while, have you?” Ivy continued single-minded, as she walked in and didn’t sit down. She was looking at Renee so carefully, and Renee turned her face away, even knowing that her cowl usually covered it. “Something going on?”
“I’ve been on a leave of absence,” Renee recited the excuse she’d had ready since Bruce Wayne’s higher executives had noticed her paycheck. “Medical issues. They’ve got all the papers and stuff.”
Ivy stepped a little bit closer, and Renee didn’t look at her eyes. “You look fine to me.”
“I get that a lot. Do you want coffee, or tea, or something?” Renee offered, anxious to get out of Ivy’s scrutinizing gaze, if not for her to leave entirely.
Ivy sounded distracted as she agreed, and Renee left for the kitchen. She watched her walking, she listened carefully to what she could get of Renee’s voice. There was a grace even in that short walk, an easy elegance that she couldn’t hide even if she were trying. Ivy slowly walked around the living room, and her breath was as tight as Renee’s.
There were pictures up - photos, cheap paintings. A group shot of Renee’s squad in the GCPD. A recent birthday, Renee and a red-haired woman in a wheelchair, caught on camera spraying each other with champagne. Ivy couldn’t help a chuckle.
“Here.” Renee stepped back into the room without a sound, and Ivy’s hidden grin widened. Renee handed her a shaking cup of coffee, black but sweet. “There’s milk if you -”
“It is you.” Ivy ignored the coffee and stepped closer. “I wasn’t sure. But nobody else just sneaks up on you like that.”
“Listen, I’m happy to talk but, but I think you’ve got the -”
“Don’t even, you know you can’t fool me.” Renee had turned away again, and Ivy reached out for her arm. “I know you too well. Batgirl.”
Renee was silent. Slowly, she turned around and met Ivy’s expectant eyes. Her first words caught in her throat, and Renee shook her head as she waited for more to come. “Ivy I’m sorry.”
“Why? I figured it out...that was what you wanted, wasn’t it? I proved myself. Or something.” When Renee only kept looking at her, Ivy muttered an explanation, “or maybe I shouldn’t listen to Harley.” She paused again, and Renee still didn’t speak. “If you want I’ll just go.”
“I wanted to tell you.” Renee reached out now, too, her hand finding Ivy’s and holding it tightly. “I’m...it’s a relief, in a lot of ways, that you know. But it’s such a risk, Ivy, you have no idea.”
“So tell me.” Ivy started to sit on the couch now and took Renee with her.
Renee took a breath and leaned into Ivy, feeling a long white arm slide around her back. It had never been Renee in this position of the two of them, needing comfort and help. It felt good. “If it was just me I would have told you myself. After all we’ve done...I trust you for that. But it’s not. That’s not where the danger is. The danger is anyone who doesn’t need to know finding out the others. Batman, Robin, Oracle...” Renee trailed off, and looked back up into Ivy’s eyes with more of her usual strength. “You have to promise me you won’t go looking for them. I’ll believe you.”
“I promise.” Ivy’s finger stroked across Renee’s bare cheek. “What do I care who Batman is? I just wanted to know you.”
Renee gave a dry chuckle and felt herself leaning into Ivy’s shoulder. “Your coffee’s getting cold.”
“I don’t really drink coffee.” Ivy settled into the cushions more comfortably. “This isn’t a bad place, for an apartment.”
“Well, we can’t all be as lucky as you,” Renee answered back. “I’m not here a lot...mostly I’m sleeping, or I’m Batgirl. But if you want, when I am around...it’s, well it’s been a long time since I could just have a girl come over. Leave the house to Harley for a while. Stay with me.”
Renee turned her face back toward Ivy’s, and she kissed a ‘yes’, then another, and another.
*****
It was late, but Harley knew that wouldn’t be too much of a problem. In a perfect world, it might have meant sneaking up on Jack and Joker in their sleep, but she knew how little the Joker slept. She used to wonder whether it was because of the accident that scarred his body up, or if he had just always been one of those people. If he hadn’t escaped Arkham until evening, she could be pretty sure that he’d napped beforehand, and he’d be up all night getting his plans together.
“Least something useful came out of living together,” she muttered.
She weaved her way through the streets until she found the right place. The magic shop. She should have known. It really was perfect. The front was closed up and locked, but Harley crept along the side of the building to find a back entrance.
“…work, very nice work indeed. I just might make a proper hench out of you yet!”
“Yeah, thanks…I figured that might be cool.”
The Joker’s voice tut-tuted , and Harley crouched under a small window, closed but old and creaky enough to let the sound through. “Not ‘cool’, that’s a terrible word, an ordinary, unimaginative word. This is why no one likes you.”
Harley brought her head up closer to the window, so just her eyes and pigtails were showing. She wore her mask since she was out in public, but it wasn’t going to be any help if she got herself spotted. But she had to peer up, standing on her tip-toes to get a sense of what was going on. The Joker had already taken over Jack’s look-a-like suit and abandoned his Arkham uniform, and he was standing over a pile of magic tricks on the table. Harley saw rings, cards, rope, a saw and box to another side, things that all looked perfectly normal, but she couldn’t believe they were.
When the Joker took the next item off the pile, it confirmed it; he fiddled with a small magic box, the kind one would vanish a coin or marble in, until he jumped at the shock of the joy buzzer that appeared out of thin air. He laughed, and it crinkled through the cracked glass to Harley’s ears. “You might have learned something after all. It’s a good first course. But tell me there’s more substance? I haven’t gotten free again just to show these people a good time!”
“Yeah, back here,” Jack nodded, and turned toward the far wall. He opened a door that had been hidden behind a curtain, and led the Joker through.
This was her chance. Harley looked down to check that Bonnie and Clyde had gone somewhere else, trusting their training to go home if they had any trouble, and just content that they weren’t going into danger with her. Then she pressed her hands to the glass and pushed with all she had in her. A few tries, and the window snapped open, and Harley tumbled through into the back of the shop.
“Alright Harley, get some evidence and get yerself out,” she said, and hurried to the table. She avoided the joy buzzer, but picked up other assorted tricks, looking around for something to store them in until she could use them against the Joker. The playing cards nicked her finger, and when Harley dropped them they clattered to the floor, stiff and loud. She didn’t have time to stand still. Her finger was bleeding, but she tried to keep going – but when she picked up the three magic rings, she felt them starting to shrink. Her wrists had gone through two of them, and truly like magic they closed, trapping her hands and making her yelp. “Come on, get off!”
When Jack and the Joker came back out into the room, Harley could do nothing but stand there, frozen to the floor and sheepishly waving her fingers. “Hi-hiya, boys.”
The two men looked at one another, and the Joker smiled like she hadn’t seen for ages. “Well, what a lovely surprise! It’s a good thing we’re prepared for company…Jackalope, why don’t you show our guest inside?”
*****
Ivy hadn’t left the apartment when Renee’s phone rang. Renee reached over her across the bed to answer with her voice lighter than it had been in a long time. “Hello?”
“I’m coming up. You’re not going out tonight, right?” Barbara’s voice came through.
“No, I told S- Spoiler to try out a round and I’d be on call.” Renee reached for her shirt and sat up quickly. “You’re already here?”
“Yeah, buzz me in. Everything’s okay, right?”
“Oh yeah, fine. I’m fine. I just…have company.”
Barbara was quiet for a beat, and then more excited than ever. “You have a girl over, don’t you! It’s your mystery girl, isn’t it, I knew it! Come on, I want to meet her!”
Ivy sat up now, too. “Who’s that?”
“My best friend,” Renee answered with her hand over the receiver.
Ivy chuckled, smiled and kissed Renee’s jaw. “Okay. I can play nice.”
“Really?” Renee looked at her again as Ivy dressed in her soft green suit, and then took her hand away. “Okay Babs…I’ll be right there.”
By the time Barbara let herself into the apartment, Renee and Ivy had made themselves presentable and straightened up the living room to boot. Ivy was settled on the sofa with a glass of water this time, and Renee stood to make sure she was the first one Barbara saw. She moved over with a nervous smile and a greeting. “Just don’t freak out, okay?” She said. “She knows. About me, not about you.”
“She does? Why does she…” Barbara peeked her head around Renee and caught sight of Ivy’s bright hair. “Renee, you didn’t!”
“You promised not to freak out,” Renee reminded her.
Barbara wheeled into the middle of the room, and Ivy stood to greet her. “Yeah, but you didn’t tell me it was Poison Ivy!” She stared between them and landed her gaze back on Renee. “Are you insane? She knows? Of all people?”
“Babs, Stop it, I’m not stupid.” Renee reached out her hand and Ivy took it, the two standing together. “Ivy, this is Barbara.”
Ivy had been studying Barbara’s face since she saw her, and now let out a small breath. “Aah, I get it. I do know you. You were Batwoman. Now it makes sense.”
“So what, half the city knows that,” Barbara snapped.
“Only the smart half.”
“Babs, do you want something to drink?”
Barbara turned up her nose. “No, but I’ll join you in the kitchen,” she said, and left for the relative seclusion.
“I’m sorry,” Renee whispered over her shoulder as she went after her friend, leaving Ivy to sit alone again, looking thankfully more amused than upset.
As soon as Renee joined her, Barbara began her lecture. “What’s she done to you? You can tell me. She’s, she’s tricked you, or hypnotized you, or whatever it is, that’s what she does, Renee!”
“Since when? When was the last time Ivy even stole?” Renee challenged.
“You tell me, you’re the one who’s supposed to be bringing her kind in!” Barbara’s voice was increasingly high and hysterical, but she batted away Renee’s supportive touch. “You’re the one who’s been running around with her. What, is that why you trust her, cause you’ve been sleeping with her?”
“No. I’ve – I’m with Ivy because I trust her. Because she’s changed. I’ve seen it. I’ve watched her. She’s not a criminal anymore.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“Well, exactly this reason,” Renee admitted. “But I told you she was changing. You should have seen her when we rescued Ferak. She was noble, just as much a hero as any of the rest of us.”
“Still never done her time,” Barbara said darkly.
“She’s not dangerous. Please, Babs, if you can’t trust her, can’t you trust me?” This time Renee forced her hand to stay on Barbara’s shoulder. “Please. She’s not going to find out about Oracle, about anyone else. I won’t let her. I…Babs, I’m in love with her.”
Barbara turned away and started to leave the kitchen. “I do trust you. But I don’t trust that you aren’t making a big mistake.”
“So what, you’re just going to leave?”
“Tell Steph to call me for help. You can take the whole night off.” Barbara was almost at the door now, and pointedly not looking at Ivy as she left. “I’ll call you later,” she said to Renee, and let herself out the door.
“Bye,” said Renee to the empty space. Ivy had stood again and come up to her, and Renee gratefully squeezed her hand. “That went well.”
“No kidding. Listen, I’m sorry.” Ivy gave Renee a little more room. “I can back off. Maybe you’re not ready – “
Renee stopped her words with another, desperate kiss. “I’ve never been ready. I’m not the kind of person who’s ready for this. But I want it. Not to mention if you leave now, I just drove away my best friend for nothing.”
“Well, when you put it that way,” Ivy agreed. She stayed, and though the atmosphere felt more bittersweet, they made the best of their time
*****
They’d left Harley with her hands behind her back on a chair in the room, alone to keep the surprise of what was in store. She had struggled for the first few minutes to get her hands out of the magic cuffs, but whatever Jack had done to them was too strong. Instead she just had to wait it out, half-heartedly struggling just so she could say that she had, with the Joker’s welcome-back kiss still tingling on her lips.
She didn’t know what time it was when the door creaked open, and the Joker popped his head inside, complete with a floppy old-fashioned hat to take off and hang on a flagpole in the corner. “Honey, I’m home!” He grinned from ear to ear and bounded over to her chair, planting a television kiss on her cheek. “Oh, you have no idea how I’ve missed you, my little Harley-pie!”
“Whadda you want?” Harley asked him, her voice strangely level and soft.
“Why, exactly what I’ve got! My Harley back by my side,” He tapped his fist against her shoulder, “A loyal henchman keeping guard for our privacy…our own cozy retreat. All of that plus a thousand ideas to paint the whole town red again, it’s almost like a brand-new start.”
Harley watched the sincerity in his face, and it made her shiver. She put on a smile, though, and cocked her head. “Yeah, brand-new…so, Puddin’, do you maybe think you can untie me now?”
He clicked his tongue and wrapped the edge of her pigtail around his finger. “Poor sweet Harley, you know I can’t do that. Not until we get you better!”
“Better?”
“Of course! After what that horrible woman did to you, brainwashing you out of loving me! But now that I’ve got you home, we’re going to get you well and happy again, you’ll see!” The Joker clapped his hands, and Jack came in, bearing the kind of magic box that people disappeared in. “Help me out then, Jackie, be a dear.”
Harley swallowed hard. The Joker had gone to inspect the box, but Jack was behind her now, fiddling with her bonds. By the time he got her free from the rings, Joker was holding open the front of the box, and Jack pushing her forward into it. As soon as she could squeal and struggle, she was locked in; the door had three panels, and quickly the bottom two were fastened tightly, leaving only Harley’s head visible.
“Don’t you worry, Punkin, it’ll all be better now that your Joker’s in charge again,” he grinned and stroked her chin.
“No, sweetie, I’m okay, you’ll see okay?” Harley tried to smile, but her big blue eyes couldn’t fake it. “Just lemme out, and it’ll be great again, it will, I promise.”
“But the treatments aren’t ready yet, Harley! You didn’t give us enough time! Although I don’t blame you for being so eager to return,” Joker told her, and stepped back. “This is just to keep you nice and cozy until tomorrow night. And then, we begin.”
There was a sound from the front of the shop, and Harley, Jack and Joker all looked toward the door. When the clanging and crashing came along with a high-pitched bark, Harley’s face lit up. “Babies! In here!”
The two hyenas crashed through the door that Jack had left ajar, barking and raising their hackles toward the men.
The Joker stepped back and put up his hands. “These are yours? My goodness Harley, you do take after me!”
“Get him!” Harley called out. Bonnie and Clyde pounced, and drove the Joker clean out the door, barking and laughing and snarling as they went.
Left inside, Jack took another frightened look at the canines, and moved fast. He went to Harley’s side and fumbled with the locks on the box, long enough for Bonnie to come back into the room before they popped open. He reached out his hand, and Harley batted it aside and stepped back out herself.
“Go,” Jack told her, barely able to speak and backing away from Bonnie. “Just go!”
“No thanks to you!” Harley yelled back at him, whistled for Clyde, and ran. She and the hyenas were out the door and halfway down the street before she slowed even a little bit, only grateful to have gotten out tonight, and not ready to think about what would happen next.
When the Joker came back into the room, dusting off his now-torn jacket, Jack looked toward the open door and cleared his throat. “I’ll go after her.”
“No.” Joker clapped his hand on Jack’s shoulder, and sadly shook his head. “Not yet. We’re simply too early, that’s all. No therapy works if the patient isn’t ready for it. But soon…very soon, we’ll get her back.” He leaned forward closer to Jack’s ear before he retired, and said, “No thanks to you.”
Jack swallowed, and the Joker left him alone with his tricks, in his shop, alone.
