"Harley?"
Crane was hovering in the doorway looking sheepish.
"Crane?"
He entered the room and closed the door.
"I just...came to see if you're alright."
"Did they tell you?" I sighed.
"Uh, yeah."
He came over to the bed and sat beside me.
"A baby will ruin everything," I said. He gingerly put his arm around me.
"Listen, if you keep her, she'll be part of our family. We'd protect her, no matter what. You know that, right?"
"Her?"
"Oh, well, I guess I can just imagine you with a baby girl," he smiled.
"I don't deserve friends like you guys. I've done nothing for you and yet-"
"You've done everything. Listen, I know I warned you about him before all this, I said he was using you...but I was wrong. I can see it - he loves you."
"You really think so?"
Crane sighed and stood up again, "I really do."
"Thanks, Crane."
He shrugged, "what are friends for?"
He shuffled back to the door, but stopped before he left.
"You deserve someone who loves you like that," he said without turning around. I didn't know how to reply, but he continued, "but don't let him take advantage of you, Harley, don't ever let him do that. You're strong, remember that."
Then he left.
I sat there grasping the last echoes of his words. I'd never considered Crane to care so much, to know the right things to say. He'd always been a scruffy, awkward man. Why did he care so much now?
The Joker left. He left the house, he left me, but no one knew where he went. He hadn't cleaned up the mess he made either. Ivy had made it disappear while Riddler stopped me from going after him, and then from punching the walls.
For hours I sat staring out of the window at the setting sun, then watched as the last light left the world and darkness consumed everything. The glow from the city made it too bright to see any stars, which was sad, because I really needed to see a star.
No one bothered me that night, they all left me alone. Well, not completely alone if you counted the slowly forming embryo inside me.
When I finally went to bed, I lay awake for a while, with a hand on my abdomen. I knew she wasn't fully formed. I knew I wouldn't feel her heartbeat or a small kick. But I could feel her there, the DNA forming, made half of me and half of...her father.
I guess I really wanted it to be a girl.
The next morning we all sat at the table with Falcone. All, that is, except the Joker. But there were three other members with us that I didn't know.
"Is the Joker joining us?" Falcone enquired, sounding annoyed.
"Eh, no. He went to see a guy about the investigation, a friend he has in the GCPD," Riddler lied perfectly. Falcone grunted in response.
"Coulda let me know. Anyway, some introductories are required here," he said, gesturing to the new faces, "this is Damion Lorenzo."
Damion was in his 40's at most, but still held a head of dark hair. He was clean shaven and wore a brown suit. He nodded at us.
