Chapter 6 - Harley's secret

- Meanwhile, Industrial District -

"We're going 'til the world stops turning while we burn it to the ground tonight" Phobia sung in his head as his legs dangled over the edge of the rooftop, the two unconscious bodies of Harley's guards lying on the roof behind him. Beside them were their guns, their ammunition packs removed and tossed down to the street below, courtesy of Phobia. Removing his gas-mask, Eddie let out a yawn, stretching his arms backwards as he did so.
"Man, after a while, recon gets boring" he said to himself, swinging his head to the left to get his hair out of his eyes.
"Don't worry, kid. You get used to it" a voice suddenly replied from Eddie's earpiece, causing him to jump in fright and almost fall of the roof. Worriedly, he reached up to his earpiece and pressed the small button on the side.
"Umm...who is this?" he asked, failing to recognize the voice on the other end of the frequency.
"Oh right, we haven't met yet. Sorry for spooking you. I'm Oracle" the kind voice answered, calming Eddie down a little.
"Should I know you?" he asked again, still wondering who the hell he was talking to.
"Don't worry, I'm Batman's friend. I'm like his own personal hacker" Oracle explained, bringing Eddie up to speed.
"Oh, I see. Wait, how come none of us saw you in the Bat-Cave when Batman gave us the orientation thing?" he asked curiously, making sure that her identity was legit.
"I do have a life outside the Bat-Cave, kid. Alfred brought me up to speed on what you and your friends were doing" Oracle answered, putting the pieces together for Eddie to understand.
"Right, sorry. So, how do you know Bruce?" Eddie asked, reaching up to his head and moving his hair out of his eyes once more.
"I used to be Bat-Girl" Oracle explained, causing Eddie's eyes to widen with surprise.
"Really? But that means...Joker...you know..." he trailed off, worried about how she'd react if he continued. He'd heard about what Joker had done to her all those years ago, how he'd shot her through the spine, almost killing her. Until then, he hadn't had a clue about what had happened to her afterwards.
"Yeah, after that I was paralyzed from the waist down. So I decided to put my computer expertise to good use. I've been operating from the Bat-Cave ever since" she explained, finishing her story.
"Cool. So, what was..." Eddie trailed off, his attention caught by what was happening below him. A familiar figure was running down the street in the direction of the Steel Mill, a large sack swung over her shoulder. He easily recognized the black and red color scheme of her costume and her long blonde hair, put up into large pigtails. Harley Quinn.
"Eddie? What's happening over there?" Oracle asked, wondering why Eddie hadn't responded yet. Watching as Harley turned and began heading down another street, Eddie stood up on the roof, trying not to lose her trail.
"Nothing. I'll talk to you later" Eddie replied, reaching up to his earpiece and pressing the third button along, Raven's frequency.
"Charlotte, get your ass down to the Industrial District. I've spotted Harley Quinn and she has something in a sack. It could be dangerous" Eddie explained, tapping his foot impatiently as he awaited a reply from his sibling.
"Quinn? She won't be easy to beat. I'll be there as soon as I can" Raven replied, her feed going silent soon after. With his hood pulled up, Eddie placed his gas-mask back on, donning his second identity, the identity of Phobia.

- With Harley -

Gasping for air, Harley ran into an alleyway, dropping the sack to the ground as she did so and placing her hands on her knees, doubled over as she regained her breath. Peeking round the corner, Harley sighed in relief, she hadn't been followed by any of Two-Face's or Penguin's men. Collapsing against the wall of the alley, she slumped down, hitting the pavement as she landed in a sitting position. Reaching into her jacket, she retrieved a pack on cigarettes, opened the pack and pulled one out. Placing the pack back in her jacket, she retrieved her lighter and flicked the side, a small flames emerging from the top as she held it to the end of the cigarette. Holding it in, she released the smoke into the air, calming down as she let her head lean back against the bricks of the wall. Sighing, she took a second to look at her new outfit. Since Joker died, she'd changed her appearance drastically. Instead of her previous getup, she now wore a Steampunk-esque ensemble. On her head, she wore a dark red top-hat with a skull and crossbones buckle on the hatband. Pulled up onto her forehead was a pair of Steampunk goggles with tinted, red visors. She had a black mask covering her eyes, defeating the purpose of the having the goggles. Heading south of her head, she wore a half red and half black corset with a short, ruffled dress attached to the bottom. Covering her corset was a matching jacket, compete with copper buttons and white, frilly sleeves. A pair of black fingerless gloves covered her forearms, all the way up to her elbows. Reaching her legs, she wore a pair of black tights with visible straps attached to her...undergarments. Finally reaching her feet, she wore a pair of black and white boots with copper studs lining the sides. Sighing, Harley brought the cigarette back to her lips and sucked in another mouthful of smoke. She didn't understand why she kept on getting dolled up like this; it wasn't as if she had anybody to dress up for. Not anymore that is. Wiping away a surfacing tear, Harley blew into the air once more, polluting it with the nicotine-infested fumes.
"Didn't your mom ever tell you? Smoking kills" a muffled, deep voice said, announcing his presence and simultaneously scaring the hell out of Harley. Quickly standing up, Harley looked back the way she'd come, staring at the figure who stood at the end of the alley. As he slowly emerged from the darkness, Harley scowled at the young vigilante, anger flooding her mind as she remembered what he'd previously done to her and her "lover" all those months ago.
"You. What the fuck are you doin' here?" she ordered, throwing her cigarette to the ground and stomping on it, grinding it into the gravel as she moved the toe of her boot left and right. As if on cue, Harley heard a thud from behind her. Spinning around, she saw a young, female figure blocking off the other end of the alleyway, a pair of metallic wings spread out from her back.
"Same reason as me" Raven answered, flexing her shoulders and causing the wings to fold back in, now hidden behind her back. Narrowing her eyes and gritting her teeth, her eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, watching as they slowly started closing in on her, blocking off her only exits. As she turned back to Phobia, she gasped as his gaze rested upon the sack lying a few feet away from her.
"What's in the sack, Quinn?" he asked, slowly kneeling down and reaching out to it. Reacting quickly, she grabbed Phobia by the shoulders and head-butted him in the face. As he staggered, she grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed it into the wall, sending him back onto the ground.
"Hey, leave him alone!" Raven called out, running towards the busty blonde and causing her to turn around. As she threw a punch, Harley blocked it, reached down, grabbed the sack and swung it to the left, hitting Raven around the side of the head. As Phobia tried to stand back up, Harley ran for her life, running round the corner and out of sight. Using the wall as support, Phobia regained his footing, clutching at his head as the throbbing in refused to subside.
"Are...you okay?" he gasped, looking over to Raven as she picked herself up, wiping away the blood from the side of her mouth.
"I'm fine. Where's Harley?" she asked, rubbing the red side of her face from where the sack had made contact.
"She went this way. Come on, she couldn't have gotten far" Phobia instructed, getting a nod from Raven before they ran out of the alley, hot on Harley's trail.

- The Steel Mill -

"OPEN THE GATE!!! OPEN THE GATE!!!" Harley called out as she got closer and closer to the Steel Mill's entrance, two guards dressed in red and black painted prisoner uniforms guarding the gate. Hearing her orders, the guards unlocked the padlock to the chain which held the two, large, metal gates together. Pulling them open, Harley ran inside, watching her as she continued to run.
"WHAT ARE YOU DUMBASSES WAITIN' FOR?! CLOSE 'EM!!!" she ordered, not even bothering to stop as she ran towards the large, rusty door, surrounded by the burning debris of outdated carnival props. But before the guards could even close the gate, Phobia and Raven took a running start and busted it open, knocking out the two guards simultaneously as their heads collided with the hard metal. Pausing to observe their surroundings, the two of them watched as many guards in the same uniforms started to surround them, each one holding various melee weapons such as rusty poles and baseball bats. Looking through the crowd of inmates, Phobia's eyes narrowed behind his visors as Harley painstakingly tried to close the door behind her, one hand doing the all the work, the other still holding the sack.
"Go after her. I'll deal with these goofballs" Raven reassured, getting a nod from Phobia as he ran through the crowd, arriving at the door just before it closed. Pulling it open the best he could, he slid through the small gap and disappeared inside the Steel Mill, leaving Raven on her own against the assemblage of prisoners.

(Music playing: Seether – Gasoline)

There were ten of them, all closing in on the teenage heroine, ready to show her who was boss. The first guy to approach her had a clown mask covering his face, his expression frozen into a demented, painted smile.
"You might as well give up now, girl. I don't want to have to hurt you" he warned, crossing his arms in a contented manner.
"Go easy on me. It's my first time" she responded before kicking him straight in the junk. Dropping to his knees and clutching his groin in agony, she brought back her fist and socked him straight in the forehead knocking him unconscious. Looking up at the remaining nine, her eyes widened as they started coming at her all at once.
"Shit" she exclaimed, running over to the ladder near the wall and trying to climb up onto the catwalk. Reaching the top, the second guy, wearing another demonic looking clown mask, grabbed her leg and tried to tug her back down. Grabbing the metal guardrail, Raven swung her free leg back and kicked him in the face, causing him to lose his grip on the ladder and fall back down, losing consciousness as his head made contact with the solid ground. Finally arriving at the top, she ran along the catwalk as more of the men started to climb up after her. Turning around, Raven stopped next to where there was a gap on the railing, where a second ladder had been placed. As the third guy approached her, wielded a rusty pipe, he took a swing, only to have Raven leap back slightly and dodge it.
"Mind if I borrow this?" Raven asked, pulling it out of his hand and taking a swing of her own, hitting him in the side of the head and knocking him off the catwalk, sending back down to ground level with a loud thud. Raven quickly raised her pipe in self-defense as the fourth guard swung his own pipe at her, creating a loud clang as the metal object made contact. With the fourth guy stunned briefly, Raven raised her pipe above her head and brought it down, knocking him out instantly. The fifth guy may have been unarmed, but he was still as dangerous as the others. Taking aim, Raven brought back her arm and threw the pipe forward at him, hitting him straight in the forehead and causing him to fall backwards whilst running, creating a comical effect and causing two of the guys to trip over his body.
"Wow, Matt was right. That was a useful skill" she thought, remembering the lesson Matt had given them on using ordinary object as projectiles. Coming back to reality, Raven continued down the catwalk as the men continued after her, two of them getting back on their feet after tripping over her previous target. Running up the steps, Raven saw a crate containing two assault rifles, both of them looked unused, meaning that they were probably still loaded.
"C'mon, Charlotte. You're better than that" she thought, shaking off her previous idea of using them against her attackers. Instead, she grabbed the crate and tipped its contents over the side of the guardrail, sending the guns to the ground. Running back over to the steps, she smiled to see that the guards were making their way up.
"Hey, think fast!" she warned before tossing the crate down the steps, hitting the sixth guard in the chest and causing him to fall back down the stairs, taking the seventh and eight guards with him, knocking all three of them out. Two guards remained, both stepping over the bodies of their allies and continuing to give chase. As the ninth guy came at her, she blocked his punch, grabbed him back his head and slammed his right temple into the guard rail, leaving a tiny trace of blood on the rusting metal. However, before she could react, the tenth guard punched her in the stomach, sending her to the grated floor. Suddenly, the guard paused, hearing the sound of sobbing coming from the young hero as she clutched her lower body in pain.
"Why would you do that? I'm just a kid" she sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Hearing this, the guard's once angry expression turned to one of regret.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" he tried to apologize before Raven kicked him in the knee. Pouncing back up onto her feet, Raven brought her leg back and snap kicked him in the face, causing him to jerk backwards and go unconscious. Breathing heavily and wiping away her forced tears, Raven took a minute to observe her handiwork, her eyes darting to each of the unconscious guards.

(Music ends)

"Oh God, Eddie" she remembered, running back down the catwalk and sliding down the ladder. Stepping through the gap Phobia had left, she entered a large warehouse area, the sight of flames flickering through the caps in the cracked windows and iron walls. Ahead of her on a platform was an electric generator with a large crane hook hanging above it from a thick, metal chain. In front of the platform were multiple crates just like the ones she seen on the catwalk, all filled to the brim with various weapons and attachments. However, scattered around the room were the bodies of multiple inmates, either riddled with bullets or bruised badly, a couple with guns by their side. Hanging above her was a rope ladder, leading to a doorway up above the ground floor. Hearing voices coming from inside the room, Raven started climbing up, pulling herself into the room as she reached the top. Looking inside, her jaw dropped as she saw what was happening.
"What the hell is this?" she asked, her face frozen in confusion.

- Earlier -

Phobia slid through the gap in the door, arriving inside the immense interior of the warehouse, freezing as he caught the attention of multiple guards, two of them wielding guns. He could only watch as Harley ran over to the rope ladder hanging from above.
"Stop him, you fatheads!" Harley ordered as she began to climb up the ladder, making it harder due to her other hand still holding onto the sack. Phobia froze as the men with guns aimed at him, the others cracking their knuckles, preparing for battle. Looking around for some sort of advantage against them, Phobia was distracted by a small clink. Looking beneath where the ladder hung, he saw Harley's lighter; it must've fallen out of her pocket as she was climbing. Reaching for his belt, Phobia retrieved his scythe, jumping in fright as one of the guards suddenly called out.
"He's got a weapon! Take him out!" he called, causing Phobia to leap to the left, dodging the swarm of bullets by millimeters. Quickly, Phobia brought his arm back and threw his scythe forward in a boomerang fashion, causing the blade to puncture the metal casing of the lighter, causing a flash of light to fill the room. Temporarily losing their vision, Phobia ran forwards, grabbed one of the guns from the guards and slammed the butt of it into his forehead, causing him to fall back against the same metal guard rail of the platform, going unconscious. Pulling out the gun's ammo clip, Phobia concentrated and threw it straight at the other gun-wielding inmate, hitting him straight in the eye. Staggering, the inmate's finger tightened around the trigger, causing him to open fire on the remaining unarmed inmates. Regaining his vision, he froze in horror as he observed the scene. Every single inmate had been taken down. All except him. Looking to the left, he didn't even have time to scream before Phobia hit him in the face, knocking him down to the floor. Looking up to where the ladder led, he saw a doorway attached to what looked like a small office. All of a sudden, Harley Quinn appeared, crying out in anger as she saw what he'd done to her men.
"OH FOR THE LOVE OF CRAP!!! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE?!?!?!" she screamed, disappearing back inside the office and covering the doorway with a large piece of sheet metal.
"Us?" Phobia thought out loud, heading over to the remnants of the lighter and picking up his scythe. Placing it back in his belt, he started climbing up the rope ladder, smacking his fist against the sheet metal as he reached the top, trying to move it out of the way. Then, with the second attempt, he hit the metal once more, sending it back it to the floor. Painstakingly pulling himself up into the office, his eyes darted around the room, the only source of light being the bright, colorful Christmas lights placed around the windows, the flickering light on the ceiling and the moonlight shining through the poorly boarded up window, revealing the dust particles traveling through the air. Standing on the other sight of the room, the light from the windows projecting her shadow onto the wooden floor in front of him, was Harley.
"GAH, DO YOU EVER LISTEN?!?!?!" she screamed, walking over to desk placed on the left side of the room, covered in what Phobia hoped were coffee stains and surprisingly neat piles of papers. With these papers was a metal drawer which previously belonged in a filing cabinet, Harley reached for this drawer and emptied the various papers onto the ground.
"CRAP!" Phobia thought as Harley raised the drawer above her head and threw it at him, missing him as he moved his head to the left. Angered, Harley reached for the desk lamp beside the piles of paper and pulled the plug from the wall.
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!" she screamed, right before throwing the desk lamp in his direction. On impulse, Phobia dodged to the left and hid behind one of the wooden support beams, peeking his head out from behind it to observe Harley's next move.
"What's all my fault?" he asked, watching in fear as Harley reached under the desk and fetched her red and white striped baseball bat, her mouth forming into an angry frown, her teeth ground together.
"MISTAH J'S DEAD!!! YOU TOOK AWAY THE ONLY THING GUY I'VE EVER LOVED!!!" she answered, running over to him and taking a swing at Phobia's face, tears of both sadness and rage seeping from her eye sockets. As he fell backwards onto the floor, a loud crack was heard as the baseball bat made contact with the support beam, leaving behind a big dent.
"I had nothing to do with Joker's death. I'm sure Batman did all he could to save him" Phobia tried to reason, but to no avail. Harley raised the bat above her head and brought it down, just missing Phobia as he slid back, the bat hitting the ground just beneath his crotch.
"IT'S HIS FAULT TOO!!! IT'S ALL OF YOUR FAULTS!!! YOU, THE BAT, CATWOMAN, THE DEVIL, THE STUPID RAVEN CHICK!!! " she continued, bringing the bat down between each word, only for Phobia to move back each time, the bat barely missing him. Feeling his head hit something solid, Phobia looked back to see that he'd reached the window on the far end of the office, a dead end. As Harley brought the bat down once more, Phobia rolled out of the way, causing the bat to break through one of the wooden floorboards, getting stuck. After a three attempts to try and get it out, Harley lost her grip on the bat and raised her boot above Phobia's head. Bringing it down, she was stopped by Phobia as he grabbed it with both hands, the sole just inches from his face.
"Leave my friends out of this...it's not their fault. You're just...in...denial. Just...calm...down" he choked out through gritted teeth as he held the boot away with all his might. Then, with one burst of strength, he shoved the boot away, causing Harley to lose her balance and fall back onto the floor. Rolling onto his front and pushing himself back up, Phobia backed away to the wall as Harley did the same. Reaching down, Harley picked up a pair of scissors which had previously been lodged in the floor. Turning to the wall, his eyes widened to see a dartboard hanging on it, a photograph of Batman pinned up over it with multiple holes showing where the darts had made contact. Turning back to Harley, he gasped to see her coming at him, the scissors in her hand.
"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" she screamed, causing Phobia to duck as she drove the scissors at his face, ironically lodging them in the dartboard's bullseye. Moving out from under the dartboard, Phobia jumped back as Harley swung the scissors out in front of him, the metal blades just missing him. After taking multiple swings, Phobia grabbed the scissors and pulled the out of her grasp, sending them sliding across the floor. Angered, Harley resorted to punches and started taking multiple swings, each one blocked by Phobia as he raised his hands in self-defense.
"Harley, listen to me. Joker's gone, there's nothing you can do to bring him back. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life in a homicidal rage?" he asked, praying that he was getting through to the heartbroken harlequin. Hearing this, Harley's punches began to slow down, until they became nothing more than gentle pats.
"I...I...I DON'T KNOW!!!" she sobbed, ceasing her "punching" and dropping to her knees, her hands covering her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. Looking from her to the other side of the room, Phobia's gaze rested on the sack she'd been carrying earlier. Taking his chance, he ran over to it and picked it up, infuriating Harley as she stood back up.
"PUT THAT DOWN!!!" she cried, mascara stains emerging from under her mask. Slowly, the two started to walk in a circle, not taking their eyes off one another.
"What's in here, Harley? Money? Guns? Explosives? Stop me if I'm right" Phobia ordered, opening the top. An expression of fear crossed over Harley's face as he reached inside.
"PLEASE, STOP!!!" she begged, her voice now frail and weak. But Phobia ignored her pleas and pulled out the first thing he could get his hands on.

Diapers.

Not money.

Not guns or explosives.

Just...diapers.

He looked back inside the sack, a quizzical expression hidden underneath the plastic of his gas-mask. The sack was filled with stuff any mother would need, jars of baby food, formula, a bottle, you name it. He looked back at Harley who was breathing heavily.
"What is this stuff for?" he ordered, narrowing his eyes at her.
"I...I..." Harley stuttered, trying to think of a good excuse. But the small cry coming from the corner said it all.
"Oh, now look what you did!" Harley groaned, heading over to the corner of the room and pulling away a sheet of black tarp. It had been camouflaged so well, Phobia hadn't even seen it. With the tarp removed, an old crib was revealed; Harley leaned over it and reached inside. When she turned back around, she held a small baby in her arms, small cries coming from its mouth as Harley slowly rocked in back and forth.
"Shh...shh...there there. It's okay. Mommy's here" she said softly, almost sounding normal. As for Phobia, he was still frozen in surprise. Watching as Harley took care of the child with ease.
"What the hell is this?" a voice asked, causing both Phobia and Harley to look towards the doorway. Standing there, her face frozen with confusion, was Raven.
"You tell me" Phobia replied, turning back to face Harley as she continued to rock the baby. As he awaited a reply, the baby's cries started to die down, until it finally drifted off to sleep, tiny, soft snores whispering from its mouth as it was placed back in the crib. Sighing with relief, Harley turned back around to face the two intruders, her arms crossed and her eyebrows furrowed.
"Whose baby is that, Quinn?" Raven asked, her and Phobia standing side by side, blocking off her exit.
"Who do you think?" Harley retaliated, heading over to her old nurses uniform from back in Arkham Asylum, when Joker took control and turned it into a madhouse. Beside it was a light green box, picking it up and reaching inside, she retrieved a small, white, plastic stick. Tossing it over to them, Phobia caught it in midair and brought it to eye level. It was a pregnancy test, a positive pregnancy test. And from the look of it, it was taken a while ago. After him and Raven exchanged surprised expression, they looked over to Harley who had a small grin on her face.
"Wait...you...and Joker..." Phobia stammered, still finding this information hard to believe.
"And the last horse crosses the finish line" Harley commented, relieved that they were smart enough to figure it out for themselves.
"But...when?" Raven asked, curious at how she and Joker pulled off this endeavor. Let alone in Arkham City.
"It happened two months before Mistah J...died. I took the test the next day and it came up positive. I never even told him" Harley explained, choking a little when mentioning her dead boyfriend.
"Why didn't you tell him?" Phobia asked inquisitively, crossing his arms.
"I wanted to keep it a surprise for when he killed the Bat. But he never did. I only gave birth a couple of weeks ago" Harley continued, turning away from them to hide her resurfacing tears and wipe them away.
"And you've looked after it all by yourself?" Raven asked, amazed at Harley's ability to actually care for something.
"First, it's a him. Second, no. I had my boys help me whenever I needed something. I sometimes leave them to babysit when I have to go grab some stuff. I get deliveries from this guy in Park Row every week or so" Harley continued, nodding to the sack of diapers and etc.
"You leave dangerous criminals to look after a baby?" Phobia asked, one eyebrow raised, but still hidden behind his mask.
"Hey, these guys aren't the same psychos they were when they were first put in here. This prison changed them, made them look out for other people instead of just themselves" Harley amended, giving Phobia a look of antipathy, almost disappointed that he was that prejudiced towards the inmates.
"Sorry. Your baby, does he have a name yet?" Phobia apologized, trying to change the subject to a more calming matter.
"No. I haven't thought of one yet. I was going to let Mistah J choose" Harley continued, looking down at the baby in her arms with a smile. Raven couldn't help but smile at this touching scene, the fact that Harley still had a hint of kindness underneath her mentally painted outside.
"Well, we better be going. Sorry we bothered you" Phobia mentioned, nodding to Raven before the two of them headed back over to the rope ladder.
"Wait, you're not going to tell Batman, are you?" Harley asked, her once cheery voice now turning into one of worry. Stopping in their tracks, Phobia and Raven looked at each other. They'd completely forgotten about the others and how they'd react. Looking back over at Harley, Phobia could see how worried she really was. He could see her it in her eyes. And it was all too real.
"Give us a second" Phobia insisted, pulling Raven into a miniature huddle.
"What do you think? Should we tell Batman?" Phobia asked, getting a shocked expression from his sibling.
"Are you crazy? Social Services would take it away from her in a heartbeat. Think about it, Eddie. That baby's father is THE JOKER. And its mother is HARLEY QUINN" Raven explained, looking over her shoulder at Harley as she observed their discussion.
"Why would they take it away? Our dad was the Scarecrow. And your mom's Poison Ivy" Phobia retaliated, reminding Raven of her real parents.
"First, Ivy left me at an orphanage after I was born, so I wasn't technically taken away. And second, only ONE of your parents had a criminal record. That's why you got to stay with your mom. This baby has TWO criminals for parents" Raven explained, making it easier for Phobia to see where he'd been wrong.
"So what do we do? Keep this a secret from Batman?" Phobia asked, not even believing the words as they spilled out of his mouth.
"We have no choice. You and I both know Harley can be a bitch at times..." Raven said, before Phobia cut her off.
"A year ago, she tortured me and cut me across the cheek with a knife" he reminded, his eyes narrowed behind his visors.
"Granted. But this is her baby we're talking about. We can't have it taken away from her" Raven continued, getting a sigh out Phobia as he looked back over at Harley. He knew she was right. Dispersing from their huddle, the two of them looked back over at Harley, clutching her baby to her chest as if she thought they were going to take it there and then.
"Don't worry, Harley. You're secret's safe with us" Phobia said, answering her earlier question. Immediately, a smile spread across Harley's lips.
"Thank you. I owe you one. Do you need help or anything?" she insisted, her voice submerged in gratitude.
"Actually, have you heard of anybody around here called Stainless and Steel?" Raven asked, getting Harley to narrow her eyebrows.
"Yeah, those two keep picking off my men like their lambs to the slaughter. What about them?" she asked again, guessing where this was heading.
"Well, we're all looking for them. Could you keep an eye out for them if they ever come through here?" Phobia requested, getting Harley's mouth to shift into a smile.
"Sure. I'll tell my boys on guard to keep their eyes peeled" she accepted, getting identical smiles to appear on Raven and Phobia's faces.
"Thanks. Good luck" Phobia bid before him and Raven climbed back down the rope ladder, leaving Harley by herself in the dusty office. Turning around, Harley placed the baby back in the crib. As his eyes slowly opened, Harley ran her finger across his cheek, caressing it affectionately.
"Don't worry, sweetie. I won't let anything happen to you" she reassured, getting a small gurgle from her offspring as he looked up at her.