Hi guys, thanks for the lovely feedback on the last chapter. I hope you like this one: it's quite short but we're drawing to a close and I'm anticipating the next one to be a big one. Thanks for sticking with me and my slow updates, as I mentioned I've been working really hard on a book I'm writing, and that's taken a lot of my time. I doubt anyone will want to publish it, but you've got to try, right? I love this story, though, so I wanted to take my time over the ending and do it justice. We're not there yet, but it won't be long :)

"Fuck." Harley sat down on the kerb and put her head in her hands.

"What are we going to do?" Selina asked.

Dent, who was still beside the two women, simply shrugged. "You need to find the bomb, and soon." With those (not very helpful) words of advice, he and his men joined the fighting in the city square.

"Thanks for that Harv," Selina muttered sarcastically, before turning to Harley. "Where shall we-" she was interrupted by the sound of Harley's cellphone ringing. Harley pulled it out of her pocket.

"You had that the whole time?" Selina asked incredulously.

"I guess so."

Her friend scowled. "You didn't think to use it while we were locked up?"

Harley grinned sheepishly. "Oh yeah, that could've saved us some time. I forgot I had it."

Selina groaned, but Harley was preoccupied now. The caller ID on her phone said: JOKER. She pressed the answer button.

"Hey sweetie," she said.

"How's it going?" Joker didn't sound at all stressed, despite the gunfire and chaos that Harley could her both through the phone, and from the scene in front of her.

"Oh, you know…" Harley began, trailing off.

"What?"

Harley sighed, catching Selina's eye. "Well…the bomb's gone."

"Ok."

"And we don't know where it is."

"Uhuh."

"And the device to disarm it is lodged down the back of the bomb somewhere."

"…It doesn't sound like it's going great, Harley."
"We can handle it!" Harley protested, suddenly all too aware that she was the one letting everyone down. "You just focus on what you're doing. Selina and I will find the bomb."

"Do you want me to come and help?"

Yes.

"No! We're fine, we can do it."

"Ok."

Harley was surprised he gave in that easily, though his tone wasn't altogether convincing. She continued, "We can handle it. But if you have any idea where they might've taken the bomb, that could give us a head start."

"I don't, but you know who might."

Of course!

"You're an angel Mr J!" Harley grinned. "See you later baby, love you."

"Love you too."

She hung up, looking up at Selina. "I know how to find out where the bomb is."

"How?"

Harley grinned, dialing the number into her phone.

Crane answered on the second ring. "It's not exactly wise to call me on this number."

"The fact that you answered suggests that you're alone. You can talk?"

"For the moment. What do you want?"

"Thanks for calling Dent," Harley began. "You got us out of a real mess."

"Clearly not all the way out, if you're needing to call me again."

Harley rolled her eyes. "Jeez, you're such a Debbie downer, Crane. You need to lighten up."

"I'll get right on that. As soon as you ensure I don't get blown up today. How's that going, by the way?"

"That's actually why I called."

"Of course it is."

"The truck with the bomb has gone," Harley explained. "Any idea where it could've gone?"

Crane was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking. Then he spoke quickly. "There are a few places he might've sent it, one seems more likely than the others, but I can't guarantee it will be there."

"It's a start at least."

"It will be well protected."

"We can handle it."

Crane sighed. "I'm sure. I'll send you the location." He hung up before Harley could thank him. Hurriedly she pocketed the phone, the air suddenly feeling colder than before. She wasn't feeling so confident anymore, too much had gone wrong already. But she couldn't let herself be the reason the plan failed: she couldn't be responsible for Gotham getting wiped off the map.

"Does he know where it is?" Selina asked, rubbing her hands over her arms.

Harley nodded. "He's got an idea." As if on cue her phone buzzed, and she glanced at it. "It's not too far, come on."

"Do you think Bruce is alright?" Selina asked as they made their way to the bomb's location. The roads were pretty quiet, with most people either hiding in their homes or fighting with the others in the city square. The snow had completely stopped, but it was still bitterly cold, and Harley wanted to get this done as quickly was possible so she could go home. She thought longingly of her bed, lying safely in Joker's arms.

Maybe he could do that thing to my neck...

"Harley?"

Harley snapped back to attention, momentarily lost in her thoughts. "Sorry, what?"

"Do you think Bruce is alright?"

Harley looked over at Selina as they walked, a smile spreading across her lips. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you care about Bruce all of a sudden? If I recall rightly, you were never a big fan of the Batman." Harley was only teasing, she already had some idea of why Selina was so interested, but she couldn't help but tease her a little.

Selina, who was the best liar Harley knew, suddenly seemed to blush. "I don't care, I'm just…curious." Harley could tell even Selina realised now unbelievable that sounded.

"You like him!" Harley squealed childishly, pretending to be more shocked than she was.

"No I don't!"

"Oh please," Harley laughed, going back to her usual voice. "I've known for a while, or at least had an idea. It's ok! If you want to date Bruce you can. You should. You two would be perfect for each other."

"How so?" Selina didn't sound so certain, but she wasn't denying it anymore.

"You're both strong, intelligent…stubborn."

"I'm not-" Selina cut herself off, realising that by arguing her point, she was in fact making Harley's more true. Harley smiled.

"Bruce deserves to find someone. Especially after…" Harley trailed off.

"After you dumped him for Joker?"

"Actually I cheated on him with Crane first. It got a little messy."
"I remember."

Harley thought for a moment. "Crane's a good guy too. If you're not set on Bruce, you should go out with him!"

Selina stopped walking and raised an eyebrow. "So my choice is a guy you slept with and then dumped, or a guy you decided not to sleep with…and still dumped. Wow. How will I ever choose?"

Harley grinned. "It's a toughie. Just don't go for the clown. I'd have to kill you."

"No worries there," Selina replied with wide eyes. Harley laughed, and the two of them continued on through the silent streets.

"Over there," Harley nodded around the corner of the building she and Selina were hiding behind. Selina peered around then stepped back, nodding. The truck wasn't far away, and Crane had been right, it was definitely well guarded. There were around twenty of Bane's men around it, all with guns or knives. Harley was good, Selina might've been better, but even the two of them together were not skilled enough to take down that many armed men. Harley leaned back against the cold brickwork, her mind racing.

"What do we do?" Selina asked, and Harley was too busy thinking to register that her friend was now looking at her as though she were the one in charge. Harley looked around the corner again, just in time to see the truck begin to move. The shutter outside of the building it was parked in front of had opened up, and the truck rolled inside, the shutter closing behind it. All but a couple of the men remained outside, guarding the door.

"Damnit," Selina muttered from beside her. "How are we going to get past them?"

"You're good at climbing, right?" Harley asked.

"Catwoman," Selina answered in response.

Harley nodded to the roof of the three story building which the truck had driven into. "There's a skylight up there, should be easy enough to open. If you can get to the second floor, you can use the fire escape to get to the roof."

"What about you?" Selina asked.

"I'll figure something out. Even if I don't, you can get in and disarm the bomb."

Selina nodded. "Ok, but there's still the fact that there are a ton of guys between me and the building: I can't climb if they're shooting at me."

Harley grinned, she already had an idea about that. She nodded to a store they had passed on their way over. It sold musical instruments. Selina looked at her questioningly. "I'm not sure now is the time to try and learn the recorder, Harley."

Harley rolled her eyes playfully. "Just wait here."

She disappeared, and Selina kept her eyes on Bane's men outside the building. None of them heard the sound of Harley smashing the window to the music store, and soon she had returned, holding a bell a little larger than her hand. Selina was more confused than ever, but as Harley moved to a man-hole cover, Selina started to get a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Oh no," she groaned.

Harley smiled, despite her racing heart, and lifted off the heavy cover. The smell that she was met with was enough to make her take a few steps back, but she didn't have time to be squeamish. Harley lay down on the cold ground, and lowered her bell-holding hand into the sewers. She rang it as hard as she could, mimicking the pattern she remembered hearing back at Arkham.

It took less time than she would've expected before she heard the splashing. Hurriedly, Harley lifted her arm out of 'snapping-height', but kept ringing the bell, her eyes fixed on the water below.

Two yellow eyes came into view. Sharp teeth. Scaled skin. Killer Croc looked up at her curiously from the darkness, with an expression that looked a little like shame on his face. Was he embarrassed? He had come running to the sound of a bell, just like an animal.

"What do you want?" He growled.

"The plans changed, everything's happening today." Harley grinned. "I rang the bell because it's feeding time. There are some guys at the end of the street whose services are no longer required."

Croc looked at her blankly, so Harley spoke slower. "There are some guys over there who you can eat."

He understood that alright: Croc's mouth stretched into what she assumed was a grin, and he disappeared under the water. Selina stepped closer.

"How's he going to get out?" She asked, looking at the small hole Harley had been speaking down. "He's not going to fit out-"

Selina didn't need to finish her sentence, because the air was suddenly filled with the sounds of screaming and gunfire. Harley and Selina ran back to where they had been standing before, and chanced a look around the corner. It appeared Croc had literally punched a hole through the concrete of the road, and littered all around him were limbs and bodies. A few men were still attempting to fight him off: others were dead or running in the other direction. Harley smiled at her friend. "Ok kittycat, time to see what you can do."

Harley thought Selina had undersold herself with 'Catwoman'. 'Monkeywoman' might've been more appropriate, or 'Spidergirl' perhaps, because she was up that wall before Harley could even begin to imagine what route she might take. While Croc was laughing and chewing on some guy's leg, Selina was already halfway up the building, and by the time he reached the ankle, she was out of sight.

Harley didn't have to wait long before Selina arrived and opened the door.

"I thought you'd disarm it without me," Harley said.

"I don't need that kind of pressure in my life," Selina replied with a smile. The two of them headed towards the truck, where Harley saw three men on the ground.

"I did deal with these guys on my own though," Selina added.

"Spoilsport."

Harley opened the door of the truck with a smile on her face.

Unfortunately, the smile soon faded. The bomb wasn't there. Instead they found Ivy, bound and gagged in the back. Selina swore loudly, kicking the truck in anger. Ivy's eyes widened at the sight of them, and she began making sounds under the gag.

"What are we going to do?" Selina asked, "We don't have time to search the whole city."

Harley didn't answer, stepping into the truck and towards Ivy.

"What are you doing?" Selina asked.

"Untying her," Harley answered simply.

"Why?"
Harley paused, turning around to Selina. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because she's crazy?"

Harley raised an eyebrow. "Have you met my boyfriend?"

"Good point, but Ivy wants to kill you."

Harley shrugged. "So do most people I meet. She's on our side, and I can't just leave her here. Besides, she hasn't killed me yet."

"Because you've always had Joker or Crane around. She's scared of them. She's not scared of you."

"Selina, I'm doing this."

Selina held up her hands as if to say 'Your funeral', but made no further comment. Harley stepped closer to Ivy, kneeling down in front of her.

"I'm going to untie you," she said quietly. "Please don't make me regret it."

She couldn't tell what Ivy was thinking, but took a chance and freed her. Slowly Ivy got to her feet, rubbing her wrists. She pulled the gag off her mouth, eyes never leaving Harley.

"Thank you." Her voice was cold, but Harley comforted herself in the fact that she hadn't been strung up with vines yet. Maybe Ivy was a little scared of her? Harley turned to give Selina a big 'I told you so' smile, and then realised why Ivy hadn't tried to kill her yet. Selina had picked up one of the guns Bane's men had been holding, and was pointing it square at Ivy. She was smiling. "Nice to see you again Ivy. Bye now."

Ivy scowled. "You think that thing would stop me killing either of you if I wanted to?"

Selina shrugged. "I'm not sure," she pulled back on the hammer of the gun. "Shall we see?"

Ivy gave her a cold smile. "Not today." She turned to leave, then looked back at Harley. "I heard one of them say the bomb was at city hall."

Harley raised an eyebrow. "Why would Bane keep it there? That's where all the fighting is."

"Maybe he wants to keep it close. If you've done your job right then he can't trigger it remotely, correct?"

Harley nodded. Ivy continued, "Perhaps he's planning to set it off in person. I'd hurry if I were you." She turned and left, and Harley watched as Selina lowered the gun. "You know how I said you have really bad taste in men?" She asked.

"Yeah?"

"You also have really bad taste in friends."

Harley smiled. "You know you have to include yourself in that comment, right?"

"I'm the exception to the rule."

"Uhuh, so, back to city hall?"

"I guess so."

Harley watched as Ivy stepped outside, and immediately a long green vine appeared as if from nowhere, wrapping around her and pulling her gently out of sight.

"Do you think she's going to keep her word and help us?" Selina asked.

Harley had no idea.

"So…the building is on fire."

Harley nodded. She hadn't been expecting this. As they rounded the corner and caught sight of city hall, behind the mob that were still fighting in the square, they realised the building was ablaze. It wasn't completely wrecked: Harley could see most of the fire seemed to be contained to the top floors, but she still wasn't overly thrilled about heading inside. Still, it wasn't like they had much of a choice. The bomb was in there, so that's where they needed to go.

Unless Ivy was lying and sending us into a trap.

Let's not think about that right now.

The two women ran to the main doors, dodging the attacks of Bane's men and a few cops who didn't seem to realise that the two women weren't part of the fight. Harley could forgive them: most cops probably didn't think it likely that Catwoman and Harley Quinn would be on their side. In the entrance foyer Harley saw the most beautiful sight: Joker, beating someone to death with a baseball bat.

Ok, the baseball bat bit might not have been so beautiful, but the sight of Joker made it perfect nonetheless. He turned when he heard them come in, wearing an expression of curiosity, as well as a smile for Harley.

"Sweetie?" He began. "What are you doing here?"

Harley flung her arms around his neck, and he dropped the bat, holding her tightly, and lifting her a little into the air. She kissed him gently on his lips, enjoying just for a moment how soft they were.

"Ahem," Selina coughed. "Not now, Harley."

"Right," Harley replied, moving out of Joker's arms. "Bane moved the bomb, it's here somewhere."

Joker looked around. "Well that's great. I wish I'd have known that before…" he trailed off.

"Before you set the building on fire?" Harley guessed. Joker grinned in response. "Ok," Harley bit her lip. "We need to find the bomb, before the building goes down. And before it goes off. And just hope that the backpack with the device for deactivating it is still jammed inside. Simple."

"What could possibly go wrong?" Joker asked, holding up his hands casually. "Come on." He motioned for the women to follow, and they headed for the stairs. "There's a secure room on the next floor, if the bomb's anywhere, it's got to be there."

Harley nodded.

They were halfway up the stairs when the building started to shake. "Is it the bomb?" Harley asked, her heart racing. Was this it? Were they too late?

Joker listened intently. There was a sound Harley didn't recognise: like something heavy breaking. "No," Joker answered above the noise. "The fire's weakening the building, we need to be fas-"

The ceiling above them began to cave in, and Joker grabbed Harley's hand, pulling her out of the way just in time. It collapsed just inches from where the two of them fell. A few seconds later the dust settled, and the stairs down were now completely blocked. Harley jumped to her feet. "Selina!" She yelled. No response. Harley looked helplessly at the pile of debris where she and Selina had just been standing.

"Selina!" Harley called again.

"I'm ok," came Selina's voice from beyond the rubble. "It missed me. Are you ok?"

Harley felt herself physically relax: she had been so sure her friend was dead. "Yes. You go back, we'll get the bomb."

"Are you sure?"

"No time to talk about it, just go."

"Good luck," Selina replied.

Harley turned, Joker stood behind her. His face was covered in dirt, blackened with smoke, and his clothes were dirty and torn. He had a cut on his arm that was bleeding pretty heavily. Harley looked down at her own ripped and blackened clothes. She had several cuts on her legs and arms, though nothing as deep as Joker's. She took Joker's arm and pulled at the sleeve of his shirt: ripping it unevenly. She hastily wrapped the material around his bleeding arm, pulling it tight.

"Ow," he said sarcastically.

"Oh don't be a baby," she grinned, securing the make-shift bandage in place. She looked at the pair of them and smiled. "We look a mess," she muttered.

Joker stepped closer, lifting her chin so he could kiss her once on the lips. "Always perfect to me, baby," he replied. Then he took her hand. "Come on, we need to finish this."