The pain came suddenly. A dull ache in my head. Forming bruises. Nothing I hadn't endured before. Eventually I could move, starting with my fingers and toes and working up to my limbs and head. I sat up slowly, feeling weak. Ivy and Riddler fussed at me.
"Move," I told them, "just leave me alone."
"Harley, you'll have concussion. Just let me-"
"No, Ed! Back off," I warned. He looked back at me sympathetically, his green eyes glassy as if he'd been crying.
I had to prove it to them, all of them, that this would not break me. I was not weak, even though I was pregnant. The baby wouldn't stop me from being Harley Quinn.
But Jack would not leave it alone.
"Get out of my way, Ivy!" he demanded.
"Fuck no! You could have killed her! You're not getting near her ever again!"
"Red, it's fine. I'm fine. Just help me up."
Ivy sighed heavily but wrapped an arm around my waist and helped me to my feet. Then I nudged her away and wobbled on my feet, getting my balance. The baby still kicked gently, so I took Ivy's hand and put it against the bump.
"Feel that?"
Her face lit up with pride and relief.
"Oh Harls," she smiled, "a fighter like her mother."
"Exactly."
Jack hovered behind Ivy, his hands running through his messy hair. I knew it wasn't him, not Jack, who hurt me. But I was angry at him...so angry. Rage pulsed through my body. How could he tell me I'm weak? I was in control of my mind, always suppressing my other half. One little word and he flipped like a switch. But I was pathetic?
"Leave us," I said. Ivy and Riddler both tried to protest, but I was not ready to argue. "I said go!"
Riddler grabbed Ivy's hand and lead her away while she glanced back at me longingly.
Jack stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the floor.
"Guess I'm lucky, hm? We're both still alive, no thanks to you."
"Harley-"
"Look, I know you're split and that's not your fault. But for everyone's sake, you need to learn to control yourself. One word sets you off, a word! We tread on eggshells around you. I don't know what to do anymore. If you can't stop this, I can't stay here."
His head snapped up and he gazed at me with regret. He knew my threat was real. I would leave.
"This is what I was afraid of. You're constantly at risk around me."
I was torn. How could I punish this man? A man I loved, I shared a bed with, carried his child. And he loved me, he truly did. But he had to fix it, to learn control over his mind. And his motivation for that would be the possibility of losing me.
"You're right. I am. Maybe I should go right now," I said darkly.
His brown eyes flickered with pain.
"I never used to be like this, did I?" he questioned.
"No. I think you sit on the fence of two very different personalities, taking part of each. And now you either fall onto one side or the other."
I crossed over to him and took his hand, placing it on my belly. The baby kicked and he smiled.
"She's strong," he remarked.
