Chapter Text
Late in the evening, when most of the people of Gotham have already taken shelter in their homes and just waited for the morning to rise, hoping not to wake up to a Super-heroic shape hole in the middle of their living rooms.
There was a bus leaving a lady in a pink dress and a leather jacket, well it wasn’t any bus stop it was just at the entrance of Gotham leaving behind an asylum by the only path visible by the only sign just atop her saying: ARKHAM ASYLUM THIS WAY.
Anyway this particular just started walking into what the naked eye would describe as the ‘unknown’ which would be a correct assessment if you don’t take into account that the person we are talking about is the previously known ‘Clown Princess of Crime’, now probably going just by Harley or less well known as Harleen.
Harley was walking with purpose to the other side of the city, most precisely Chinatown, her first priority mostly because she already got a great deal from a landlord that gave her a great price, and since working with Amanda Waller gave her ‘enough’ experience to work in a government agency she will start working for Gotham city, which in this case was just shuffling papers in an annex building to the city hall, she accepted due to the other only option was keep working for Waller only difference when finishing if she was to return it will be to freedom and not behind bars.
Still, she was dedicated to leaving that life behind and the more she strays from people like her or the Joker, she will continue on the path of the good.
At least that’s what she hoped for when on a calm Thursday night in which nothing should happen she was yanked from her feet to the roof of the five-story building next to her, to meet the gaze of the one and only Batman, standing tall in front of her.
“Quinn” growled Batman.
Harley cleaning some dust from herself answered “Hey, B-man, you have a new suit, it looks dark and brooding”.
The Dark Knight maintains his eyes on her for a while before asking, “Where are you going?”
“Well, I’m going to Chinatown not only to receive the keys to my mini-apartment and to buy whatever groceries are there to make a proper meal for my first day tomorrow”, she straightens up putting her hands in her jacket.
“And since you asked nicely, and you know you help the helpless, I would need a ride there if I want to get there before midnight, umm … please?” She mumbles the last part.
The Dark and brooding figure in front of her just grumbles “Alright, but don’t press any buttons or flick anything, … people have died from doing that”.
She smirks and adds, “Really… JaJaJa…sorry, I just thought that THE BATMAN would have more precautions for their copilots. But it’s alright… noted… well, we better go”.
She walked to the fire escape, while The Dark Knight proceeds to jump off the building in the supposed direction of the Batmobile.
When Harley finally gets to the street level, she sees that the car is already parked in front of her.
What surprised her the most is that this vehicle looked more classic than the previous bat mobile she had seen, the other one was more bulky and flashy altogether.
The door opens when she approaches and Batman just says “Get in”.
She does it appropriately and admires the array of buttons and levers to press, pull, whatever.
And immediately the car starts the journey to Chinatown, the bat in silence looking sideways from time to time and the ex-clown just has a big smile while she shouts her excitement out when the car starts getting to not-so-permitted speeds.
It was a really fun experience which makes her first night out of Arkham just that more exciting and probably just a transition for her to hopefully keep staying on the right side of the law and letting the last reminiscent of her old live burn with her shouts of excitement in the bat mobile.
A little later, the bat received a peck in the shoulder, causing him to look quickly to the passenger side.
Harley slouched back a little and looked sheepish for a moment before locking eyes with him saying, “Um… first I forgot to say, thank you, … you know for the ride, but also for the dress… which is majorly the ‘thank you’ for… Umm… because belief or not, it was the only clothes that were stored for me”.
Batman reduces a bit the speed, still maintaining the dangerous acceleration, to look at her and then continues to look at the front. “What happened to your other clothes?, I don’t think they would have left you with nothing”.
“Well it was ‘this dress’” pointing at it, “or the tattered suit I had when I was captured”, she said swiftly.
“I understand, Harley” The Dark Knight responded gravely.
“Well thank you for your understanding… and I think… yeah … turn to the right in the next street and … it’s the one with a restaurant on the bottom” Harley indicated, keeping her eyes strictly at the window.
Once they arrived in front of the building, Batman parked in the alley in front of the restaurant. They both get out of the car and proceed to cross the street, and she turns to face the Bat prior to entering the restaurant.
“As I said before, thank you… B-man” she turns a bit to the side thinking about her next words for a moment, then she added, “If you ever need help, don’t forget that an ex-criminal trying to turn her life around is leaving somewhere up there I still don’t know where or if even got window privileges… ugh … I HATE Gotham real state”.
That last comment earns a small smirk from the eternal Stoic figure, which goes unnoticed by the female in front of him.
“I’ll make sure to take you up on that offer someday”, he said, continuing with, “I was going to ask you if you could invite me in after you get your keys, I have something rather private to tell”.
Harleen was astonished by the proposition, not that she wanted to pass it on, so she responded affirmatively with a nod and turns back to the restaurant to get the keys.
After 4 minutes of waiting, Batman still kept his position in front of Harley’s building. She gets out with a huge smile on her face.
“Firstly, sorry for the wait, they are really nice people and I wanted to make a good impression and to ask what place is there to buy groceries at this hour” looking at the time it was barely 9.
She guides him to where the door to the upper levels of the building, and she follows the owner's directions.
While they were walking up the stairs she fills in the bat some more of her conversation on the restaurant “… and when I told them it was for my lunch of tomorrow, they told me they could do it for me these first weeks while I try to ‘find my footing’ you know that actually was a huge relief… now we have to find the room with the three in the third floor”.
And here it is once they get in Harley lets out a gasp ensued by the small living room with a small TV sitting atop a table that could barely hold it, an old sofa to the other side, a hallway to the right that probably lead to her room and bathroom, and she did not forget to notice the reasonable size kitchen.
“And this is why I love old buildings they may look ugly on the outside but at least they have a better space organization than the modern ones, I don’t want to live cramped up in one of those places and not that I could pay it with the misery I’m going to earn”.
Batman hovers around the couch, Harley permits him, and she proceeds to sit beside him, but still with space enough for her to sit between the arm and the back of the couch, he turns and relaxes his posture to sit more comfortably.
“So… what were you wanting to talk about?”, she asked. “Harley, I wanted to know if you could give me an explanation of how the Joker operation fully worked, I understand that is a chapter of your life you want to forget, I read your file after our conversation during your ‘Operation: Butterfly’, YOU want to change.”
He straightens his posture and carries on, “That’s why I want to know if you are truly prepared to open up about it, I entirely acknowledge how hard it could be to revive those moments, but I promise I will be there, and you will only need to tell me about his operation nothing else, you will not be required to act upon anything”.
“Thanks, bats… Now. About the proposition… I want to do it, you just said it was a close chapter, yet I don’t think the same. THIS what you are asking I think will allow me to finally close it, but just one thing…” Batman leans a little, “I want to be there when it all ends, please”.
Batman is silent for a full-on minute.
He answers the idea with: “Alright, Harley, that is acceptable” offering a hand.
They proceed to shake hands.