Harley's cab dropped her off at the front door of Wayne Manor. She'd stopped off at her place in order to change into her standard red and black leathers rather than showing up at Bruce's doorstep looking like a ninja.

Alfred opened the door to the house before she could even knock. The white haired butler was attired in his usual dark suit. Harley could never shake the impression he looked like an undertaker. Joker had been right about one thing, there were too few smiles in the world today.

"Good day, Miss Quinn," the elderly man said in a British accent. "Master Wayne will be with you in a moment. He's taking an overseas call and asks that you wait in the library."

"Sure thing," Harley accepted.

As she walked across the polished floor of the entryway, she suspected the slickness of the floor might be enough to slide from one room to another.

The library was filled floor to ceiling with books. A ladder on rollers allowed for access to the volumes higher up. One entire wall was composed of glass windows, allowing in what light was available for cloudy Gotham. A fireplace, several plush chairs, and a lamp created a comfortable space to spend the day lost in the pages of a book.

A grandfather clock, taller than she was, stood between two of the bookcases. Harley stepped closer to get a better look. She noticed a thumbprint on the brass of the pendulum near the top and thought it odd for Alfred to have missed it. Deciding to give the butler a hand, Harley took hold of the pendulum and tried to brush away the print with the corner of her sleeve. To her surprise, the pendulum pulled down and made an audible click before the entire grandfather clock slid to one side.

Harley looked at the stone steps leading down into the unknown. Small lights had been installed along the edge of each step to prevent anyone from being lost in the darkness as they went downstairs. Harley had no idea of the final destination, but she shrugged and started down the stone staircase.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, a red beam lanced out from the wall and passed over her up and down.

"Identity confirmed," a computerized voice announced from concealed speakers. "Deactivating security measures."

Lights switched on in sequence, illuminating a massive computer terminal, a black car she instantly recognized as the Batmobile, a dock where the Batboat was secured, and a landing pad holding the Batwing.

Harley put her hands on her hips, boiling with rage at Batman because he'd built a secret headquarters underneath her fiancé's house.

A final light switched on over a computer console on a rock ledge to her left. She thought it strange because the computer was colored black with red diamonds painted in groups of three all over it. She wondered why a computer would be decorated in her colors in the Batcave. A second question came to mind as to why the automated defense systems would recognize her and disarm. As long as she was here, Harley decided to do some poking around to see if she could find the answers to those questions.

The computer activated at her approach, the monitor displaying a single line of text requesting an access code. Purely for fun, Harley typed in the word Puddin', and was shocked when Access Granted appeared on screen.

Deciding to see what Batman had on the Joker, Harley typed Joker's name into the search window at the top of the screen. A multitude of files appeared on screen, and Harley had to think a moment about which one to read first. She scrolled through the list, looking for anything of apparent significance. She found one file labeled Confession and selected it.

"Why don't you tell her the truth?" Batman demanded.

Harley jumped up from her chair and looked around when she heard Batman's voice, but she calmed down a moment later when she realized it was coming from the computer. She pulled out the stool on wheels, previously hidden under the computer desk, and sat down to listen.

"What truth would that be?" Joker asked. Harley's heart thrilled to hear his voice again. "I know so many truths, but most of them are lies. Besides, what do I care if she knows anything?"

"It's good she's here," Batman's voice went on. "Your plan to blow up Gotham would have resulted in the destruction of Arkham as well. If I hadn't gotten her out to find you, your plan would have killed her too."

"What's your point Bats?" Joker sneered. "She's bungled my plans enough. It's about time I got a sidekick I can count on."

"You never cared about her," Batman pointed out. "You never thought about her as anything but a pawn in your sick games."

"A guy has to get his kicks somewhere!" Joker shouted. "You were always good for a laugh."

Harley stabbed a key with an index finger to stop the computer playback. Tears welled in her eyes. It just couldn't be true, could it? Harley shook her head. It had to be a lie, but it didn't explain why Batman would have such a recording. It served no purpose she could think of. She knew there had to be more. She searched the recordings and found one marked with her name and Poison Ivy. Selecting the file, she played the recording.

"Looks like you win, Harley," Ivy's voice said in resignation.

"Why did you do this, Red?" Harley heard herself ask from the computer. "Weren't we friends? Couldn't I have gotten you some money if you'd just asked?"

"My condition renders me immune to toxins, poisons, the pain and suffering of others," Ivy replied. "I care about plants, and you're only human."

"What about all our friends back at Arkham?" Harley heard herself ask, a detectable quiver in her voice.

"What friends?" Ivy snapped. "Humans are useful tools or useful fools. You were both."

Harley pushed her stool away from the computer, not wanting to hear any more. Fragments of memories, lost since the car accident, pulled themselves out of the darkness of her mind and into the light where she could see them again. The painful recollections fused together with the fierceness of crazy glue, denying her the ability to wipe them away. Joker had never loved her. Ivy had never been her friend. Everything she'd thought had mattered to her was melting away and she couldn't keep it from happening.

She turned her back on the computer only to find Bruce standing a few feet away, a grim expression on his face.

"I remember now," Harley announced. "You're Batman."

Bruce nodded but didn't say anything.

"You had this information all the time!" Harley shouted as her pain transformed to rage. "I was trying to kill you! Why didn't you tell me?"

"You went through so much pain the first time," Bruce answered, his voice slow and soft. "I'd hoped you wouldn't have to go through it a second time."

"But, I hired assassins," Harley protested. A tear traced down her cheek. "What if I had succeeded?"

"It was a chance I was willing to take to protect you," Bruce replied.

Harley threw her arms around Bruce's neck, crying on his shoulder. She didn't know if the tears came from the sadness of what had happened or from the joy of finding someone like Bruce. His strong arms encircled her slender waist, holding her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Harley," Bruce whispered to her.

"I'm not," she sniffed. "I've got you."

Bruce took hold of her chin, turning her face so he could look in her eyes.

"Till death do us part," he promised before covering her lips with a tender kiss.

***

Harley strolled past the numerous thugs holding guns, completely ignoring the firepower being aimed in her direction. She blew a bubble with her gum, letting it pop loudly in the old and spacious courtroom.

"What do you want?" demanded a rough voice.

"Hiya, Two-Face," Harley greeted when she saw the former District Attorney walking toward her. The left half of the man's suit was black while the opposing side was white. Because of an attempt on his life, Harvey Dent had severe acid scarring on his right hand and the right side of his face. Damage to his mental processes had led to a split in his personality to match his appearance, creating the crime boss known as Two-Face.

"Don't make me ask twice," Two-Face growled. He flipped a coin in his right hand, catching it as it came down again. Harley could see one side was standard metal, but the other side of the coin had been covered in scratches.

"I thought you liked doing things in pairs," Harley mentioned. "Oh well, I have some info for you. Remember awhile back, you had a shipment of guns and someone ripped you off?"

The coin flipped again, ringing metal the only sound in the room.

"I found out the guns were taken by Penguin," Harley informed him. "Earlier today, his people chased the Joker goons all over Gotham, so most will be tired. If they don't expect trouble, many of them won't reload when they get back to the Iceberg Lounge. If you wanted to express your displeasure with him taking your guns, now would be a good time."

Two-Face tossed the coin, and it landed good side up.

"What's this information going to cost me?" Two-Face asked.

"Not a thing," Harley denied with an innocent smile. "I just want you to deliver a message for me. When you see Penguin, give him my fondest regards."

***

Harley waited on the rooftop across from the Iceberg Lounge. She was wearing her Batwoman armor and red wig. It felt different and familiar at the same time. Harley figured she'd have to get used to it.

Batman glided down from the sky and landed softly behind her, his red lined cape of midnight black draping around him in a cocoon.

"Following me?" Harley asked without averting her eyes from the street below.

"After you went to meet with Two-Face, I was curious," Batman admitted.

"Penguin was behind my car crash," Harley explained. "I don't know why, but it doesn't really matter. All I know is that he ordered it."

"The Wayne family has had a long standing feud with the Cobblepot family for generations," Batman told her. "Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin, thought he could hurt Bruce Wayne by killing the one person he loves most."

Harley felt funny hearing Batman talk about Bruce like he was a different person, but after thinking about it, she decided she liked it because she was getting two men for the price of one. One man was a billionaire, and the other was a superhero; Harley didn't think she could've picked anyone better.

A screech of tires brought her attention back to the street below. Five vans pulled up in front of the Iceberg Lounge and unleashed dozens of heavily armed men clad half in white and half in black. The gunmen rushed the restaurant and kicked open the front doors. Gunfire could be heard inside as Two-Face's men battled with those belonging to Penguin.

"I suppose you want to break it up," Harley guessed.

"No," Batman denied. "We can't stop all the crime in Gotham, and I figure Penguin has this coming."

"I called the police," Harley mentioned. "They should be able to keep this from getting too out of control."

"You do know police response time in this part of Gotham is notoriously slow?" Batman questioned.

"Yeah," Harley answered with a knowing smile. "Ain't that a shame?"

Turning away from the edge of the building, Harley put her arms around Batman.

"I have a question for you, soon-to-be-husband-of-mine," Harley said with a playful grin flicking across her lips. "How many kids you wanna' have?"