Bygones

Chapter 18

Since the accident and the destruction rained down on Westover, Harley has come to understand that everyone has weaknesses. It's not like she didn't know that, but it became more relevant. Despite all the best efforts, it's the one thing that will always bring you to your knees. It doesn't matter how strong you are otherwise. Weakness doesn't care. For some people, it's being busy; for others, it's money, alcohol, or online shopping. But Harley has seen Bruce's weakness, and she supposes it's also hers: love.

A person can have the best intentions, but the moment there's a hairline crack, it's only a matter of time before they fall to pieces. Harley knows that full well. She crumbled like a busted gingerbread house. It's been challenging putting herself back together. Her ribs are being restored, her eye is no longer bruised, and the loss of the baby is still sore, but it's all mending.

She's learned that everyone has an actual limit, including herself. The last thing anyone wants to do is lose sight of that boundary, those things we're willing to put up with before we break. But breaking isn't a bad thing or a death sentence, merely a call to defense. And when you share those cracks, the fractures with others, it's different from doing it alone. It becomes less of a wound and more of a therapeutic remedy.

And speaking of therapeutic, CC has been visiting the manor a lot with or without Dick Grayson (although the two have been seen more together than apart). Dick goes off with Bruce into the Bat Cave, where the two review reports and possible hideouts for Joker and CC...

Well, CC stays with her friend, bringing junk food, Harley's favorites, of course, and wedding magazines, which the blonde has come to loathe because "Weddings are expensive," she murmured, tossing the glossy edition aside.

The brunette was flipping through Metro Bride, marking pages, as she replied, "They are, but your wedding has to bear the impact of being costly. You're marrying the city's most eligible, richest, and hottest bachelor. It's expected."

Harley huffed at the word expected. "Like, who's expectations? Mine or theirs? Because, as far as I'm concerned, those phony, snobby women can stick it where the sun doesn't shine, preferably in a tanning booth with the setting on fried. It's my wedding, our wedding. Besides, isn't there a saying that says, blessed are those who expect nothing, for they shall never be disappointed?"

CC laughed and threw a piece of caramel popcorn at the girl. "No, you nut. That's not it at all. But Harls, don't you think you deserve to have the wedding of your dreams?"

A wave of grief hit Harley. Her heart clenched a little. "Sometimes it's not about what we deserve or dream of. Things don't always turn out the way we want them to or in the way we necessarily deserve."

CC noticed the sadness. She reached over and took her friend's hand. "I'm sorry. Have I told you lately that you're my hero? You're everything that I wish I could be. I can fly higher than an eagle. You are the wind beneath my wings," the girl sang at the top of her lungs.

The two laughed, which was terribly needed. Then CC did admit, "It takes a lot of courage to pick yourself up the way you have. That's kind of heroic in its own way."

The blonde wiped her eyes. "I don't know, Cee. Some days, I feel like I'm hanging by a thread and get terribly edgy out of nowhere, but I have lots of love around me. Bruce has been amazing. He holds me when I cry simply because it hurts him to see me sad. That's love, holding someone with a snotty nose and runny eyes."

She picked at the fringe of the plaid blanket on her legs. Then looked up and said, "I'm not a hero. Bruce is a hero, Dick is a hero, and so are you. CC, you were in the lab with students when everything happened. You had to keep them calm and contain all the chemicals. That matters. You're a sacrificer. You do things you don't want to do to make life better for the people around you, like taking classwork to Chelsea in the children's hospital every week because she has cancer. Or bringing snacks to all the basketball team's practices because that's who you are. A big heart. That's what makes you a hero."