And when I'm lonely and tired I’m holding on, 'cuz now i’m out of your fire.

"YOU'RE NOT MAD?"


"NO."


"OH THANK GOODNESS! I WAS WORRIED YOU WOULD HATE ME OR SOMETHING FOR A MINUTE! I'M SO HAPPY. WE CAN STILL HAVE LOADS OF FUN, YOU'LL SEE!"


"OF COURSE, HARLEY! WE WILL."


"I REALLY DID MISS YA THOUGH."


"I MISSED YOU TOO, SWEETHEART. BUT I'M BACK, AND I WON'T BE GOING AWAY AGAIN."


She breathed a sigh of relief as she rested her phone down on her chest, the knots in her stomach slowly undoing themselves and letting her fall back into a state of normalcy. Since the other night she had been dreading this conversation, but she knew it was one that she had to have. Especially after what had conspired only a night ago in this same spot.

If she closed her eyes, she could still see him. It was a different face from the one she remembered, sure, but it was the eyes and voice that gave him away. The same eyes that had her consumed for so long, the voice that would whisper to her everything she wanted to hear in the darkest corners of the night, alone together, just him and her. The real him. His face had been so close to hers, it would have been so easy to give in to the feeling that she had been sure she would never feel again. Only a matter of inches.

'What's wrong with you!?'

Her eyes opened, the flush of remembrance that had surged through her body now replaced with not one but two voices reprimanding her, making her blush for an altogether different reason. It seemed for the first time (at least the first time she could recount) that Harley and Roxy had agreed on something. She couldn't say she was surprised by it.

She would not take the blame for allowing a moment to swim in the memories of what was. It hadn't all been bad, she knew that. He had been good to her sometimes, whether it was in a shared crazed adventure of murder and destruction, or the more intimate moments away from the goons. The side of him that she knew he never showed anyone. Where his passion had turned to her instead of his obsession with the Bat. A true passion that left her trembling under his touch and craving for more when they finished. Her hands gripped the phone tighter as she thought, only to be broken again by the sound of grumbling inside her own head.

"I know. I know. He's nothing but trouble." She said to herself, grumbling at the fact. But could it couldn't be helped. It never could. No matter how hard she tried, there was always going to be something attached to him, something crazier and more unhinged than even she was. Shaking her head she sat up on the couch and breathed, letting her pink skin turn back to the pale peach as she relaxed, pushing thoughts of him out of her head. "At least he took it bettah than I expected it." She said out loud, trying to appease both her voice, and the other in her head. "And I didn't give in! That's worth celebrating, right?" She took the lack of response as a good sign as she picked up her phone again, this time the smile on her face due to a completely different man in her life. A better one. she was reminded.

And she couldn't argue with that.

She did not waste any time in telling Wade what had happened. Omitting the part of the almost kiss - that was something he did not need to know. She hadn't lied to him when she said nothing had happened, that was the truth. But somehow she felt that telling him that the Joker had leaned in to more than likely cement what their relationship was back when they were together in Gotham wouldn't sit well with the man who had only just threatened to gut him with his blades. Despite her best efforts, she got a thrill at the thought of violence and knew that such thrills would be satisfied later after their shared mayhem, but for now it was suppressed with the rest of the emotions that she had felt since she had discovered her puddin' was back.

Next was Ivy, whom she knew was on alert the moment she told her that he was back. If there was anyone who knew of the tremulous history of Harley and the Joker, it would have been her, seeing that she was her saving grace on more than one account. She was calmed with the other woman's words of encouragement, and once again vindicated in her actions. As much confidence as she liked to express to the public, Harley still needed a the validation of the people closest to her in life, to know she was on the right path. She didn't kid herself into thinking she always made the best decision, but knowing that she finally did had put her at ease.

She had done right. She knew she had. Ivy was proud of her, and Wade loved her. There was nothing else in this life that she could ask for. Things had been going so well for her now that she was settling more into her role she shared with Roxy. And now she had a slice of Gotham to roam and play in. She was stronger than she ever was, happier than she knew possible. Life was good. Great even. Even with a giant clown-shaped wrench thrown back into her life, she had handled it better than she ever could have while in Gotham. She could go to bed wrapped up in the arms of the man that was her equal, her perfect fit, knowing that everything was right.

But why even after reaching perfection was she still thinking and dreaming of him?