𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬 (𝐄𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧)

𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐠

He carefully pulls her to her feet, having been a long time since he's seen her. The last time he saw her, she was malnourished and chained up to a cage. Both of them are speechless, unable to stop smiling.

"How are things," he asks with a beaming smile, guiding her to the bench and sitting with her and Boo. "I mean, how have you been? It's been so long."

She laughs. "Oh, well, you know.. it's going," she answers awkwardly. She mentally facepalms herself, thinking she's been hanging around Bella for far too long. "Um, how... about you? I didn't know you got released."

He smiles at her and nods. "Yeah, uh, it's been a year already. I actually went away a few months ago, but you know how that is, so I came back. Took the entire family with me, and everything."

"Hah! Tell me about it," she responds, playfully smacking him in the chest, which he laughs it off.

"Yeah, well.. How about you, though," he questions, being one of the first people to know about her disappearance. "I know you left for a while there. What brings you back?"

Harley pauses, looking forward as she thinks of how to respond. "Uhm, well, my mom died two days ago, so..."

He stares at her, only now noticing how much she's aged since he last saw her. A year really does make a difference. "I'm sorry about that, Harleen."

She shakes her head as she tries to stop herself from bursting into tears. "It's okay," she replies with a small but genuine smile, Boo fast asleep on her lap.

He doesn't seem to buy it, so he reaches in and embraces her tightly. Harley smiles and returns the gesture. They stay silent for a moment, sinking each other in before they finally pull away.

"Do you wanna take a walk with me," she offers kindly, breaking Boo from his nap as soon as she stands up off the bench.

Floyd smiles up at her, also standing. "Sure."

Harley and him start walking around the park, taking in the fresh air while Boo lays comfortably on the blond's alabaster arms.

"So, what happened to you after you left the Reve," he questions, referring to the hellish prison known as Belle Reve. "I remember you took off without a word."

She sighs and looks around at the people of Gotham who take a stroll in the park. "Well, I actually didn't even know I was leaving.. And after I did leave, I wasn't allowed to contact anyone here in Gotham. It was "against my parole deal,"" she finishes with using air quotes. "Plus, even if I could, I feel like I shouldn't have.. I just needed to work some things out with myself, you know? I needed to find myself again.. like without the Joker an' stuff."

He nods in understanding. He understands completely. When he left Gotham, he felt the exact same way. All he wanted to do was have a fresh start with his wife and daughter. She's not wrong for feeling that way. "It's understandable. Speaking of, how are you holding up now that it's been a year since Batman.."

The Joker's death wasn't a secret. Taboo, maybe, but secret it was not. When the entire world found out about Jack Nieper's sudden death, people went into a frenzy, blaming all of it on Batman and going as far as sending death threats his way. To them, the Joker was the face of change, a man who's life purpose was to riot against the government and help the poor. And he was that change in the beginning... but then he lost himself in the process and turned into a murderous, drug dealing, lunatic criminal.

Still, with all that being said, people still respected him. In fact, they still do, even a year after his untimely death. People went as far as rioting the streets of Gotham the day he died and having a full-on parade two months later, on his birthday.

Harley scoffs, immediately irritated. It's not personal. She just doesn't like to be reminded of what Batman stole from her. No matter how much she's fallen out of love with the Joker and moved on, he was still her first love and will always have a place in her heart. And you can't tell her otherwise. If he were to rise down from heaven and ask her to throw herself off a cliff to be with him, she probably would...

"Alright, alright. I got it, okay? I know what Batman did to him," she answers back, having forgotten that going back to Gotham meant being reminded of her ex lover all over again.

He turns to her, his eyebrows knitting together into a worried expression. "Harls, I know you hate to hear it, but Batman saved the whole city. When he found you guys heading out of the club, the Joker was gonna gas the entire city."

By now, they have stopped walking, having a full on conversation in the middle of the park.

"He was gonna make them laugh," she replies, genuinely believing that the Joker meant no harm when he intended on contaminating all of Gotham with his infamous laughing gas. "Which is every clown's job."

Deadshot gives Harley a funny look. "Well, I can't get into a debate about it. I wasn't there."

Suddenly, her face relaxes into a soft smile, and she lightly smacks his shoulder. "We have quite a bit in common, Floyd."

He is about to ask her what she means, but he just smiles. "It's good to see you again, Quinn."

Harley smiles back. "Good to see you, too."

Several minutes later, she is seen strolling through the city, heading back to her motorcycle as the day is disappearing. Boo lays comfortable in her arm, barking at anyone who gets too close to his new owner.

Gosh, what a day, Harley thinks to herself, sighing as she reads off a piece of paper in her other hand. It has Floyd Lawton's number written on it. It's always nice to reunite with old friends.. Smiling brightly, she stuffs the piece of paper into her pockets.

Then, something catches her attention. A gorgeous, lengthy, black dress sitting on a marble mannequin behind the showcasing glass of a ridiculously expensive store. Her eyes widen at the sight, her mind screaming at her to get it.

She's definitely thinking about it. She frowns as she digs a hand into the pockets of her jeans and only pulls out just enough money for a night at a hotel.

Well, I barely have any money, no food, or a place to live, she thinks to herself as she continues to eye the dress, but that is one heck of a dress.. Her face wrinkles into a thinking expression as she debates with herself. Food and shelter or a new dress...

Just buy it. You don't have to rationalize everything, a little voice in the back of her head tempts her. There she is! It's the annoying girlish voice that likes to pop in at random times of the day, or 'the adorable lil redhead stress ball,' as Harley Quinn calls her.

Hmm, alright, she finally decides. It'll be good for the economy.

FIN