AN: And we're back with another chapter! Sorry about the wait guys. I've been pulling crazy overtime at work with all this madness going on. I'm still an essential worker. So I'm trying to write as much as I can but I'm exhausted.

Enjoy guys!

The plan was to only be gone for a few days, a week at the most. Between Harley opening her practice and Dick on the fast track for a promotion, they didn't want to risk upsetting their lives too much. Besides, they were both far too addicted to the hero lifestyle to give it up completely.

But they sure could give the Bat a run for his money.

Damian was right when he said it was a dress rehearsal. They had chosen a good time to vanish, during the chaos of the party and the revelation of Diana's pregnancy. It would be difficult to do again, but there would be other good times to go. The test was once they were gone. Dick didn't scrambled the gps half as well as he could have, the first major clue to the batfamily. He knew Tim would be able to get it quickly. The test was to see if he would tell Bruce.

Once that was done, a quick call to the precinct to cash in on the month of vacation days he'd stored up. Usually one would have to give a week's notice, but Gordon was so relieved that Dick was finally taking a break that he allowed him to do it without penalty. That's when Dick got an idea. He asked Gordon that, should Bruce or any of his brothers call, to say that he'd resigned. Gordon was, understandably, confused but acquiesced. He seemed to understand better than most the troubles of the Wayne family.

After that it was easy. They drove all night, switching on and off to sleep, and then the entire next day to get to Starling. During the car ride, they talked. And talked. And talked. About anything and everything, from a rousing philosophical debate to what toppings go best on pizza. They discussed politics and the weather in the same stretch of conversation. They learned about each other, just like Harley had wanted. And while Dick did discover that she had a few more screws loose than he had thought, there was nothing so earth shattering that they shouldn't be together.

Every word she spoke made his heart soar. He watched as her eyes lit up with fire when she spoke of things she was passionate about. He attended when they darkened when he asked a question that hit a sore spot. He marveled how they turned to steel when she defended herself. He loved how expressive her eyes were.

He loved her.

Finding a restaurant as loud and obvious as the Stardust Diner was piece of cake.

"Okay, what's the easiest way to not let them know where we are?" Dick asked once they were seated, looking around contemplatively. Harley chuckled, twirling one of her low pigtails around her finger. "Oh, look, I think they figured it out." He grinned and held up his phone, the bat symbol flashing on the screen. He quickly hit ignore and put his phone down.

"It took them…" Harley checked her watch and laughed, "26 and a half hours. The B-man's gettin' slow."

"Good news for us," Dick replied with a grin. "So what do you think? How should we tease them?"

"We could always post photos," she said with a shrug, pulling her brand new Samsung out of her bag. She loved having a smartphone and had become a little more than obsessed with selfies. "Crop out anything too incriminating, ya know? See how mista' 'Greatest Detective in the World' does with that."

"I love it, come here," he said with a grin, scooting over in his booth so she could sit next to him.

As Harley fiddled with her phone, his rang again. This time Damian's name flashed up on the screen and Dick's hand went on autopilot to answer it. He stopped short, and felt his heart pull as he had to hit ignore. He'd made a promise to his baby brother that no matter what, when Damian called, Dick would answer. It hurt him to break that promise now, but a squeeze on his hand from Harley brought his mind back into focus. Damian could punch him later, now they had things to do.

Looking behind him, he could see the neon liquor signs and nodded as Harley opened her camera. He wrapped her arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, smiling bright as she snapped a couple. He nudged her head just enough to get her to look at him, puzzled, and planted a kiss on her lips. She was a little shocked at first, but slipped her eyes shut and smiled into the kiss. She felt Dick's hand on her phone and when she broke the kiss saw that he had taken a photo of the it. She giggled and flipped through the ones they had taken and sent one to Dick.

"Right up on Facebook," he said with a grin as she went back to the other side of the table. "Hey I just realized… Are you on Facebook?"

"I'll find you, it'll be easier," she chuckled, navigating through the blue app and adding him as a friend. "And yes, you can tag me in it."

"Boop. Done," he grinned, showing her. It was a nice photo of them, and within seconds there were comments galore from all of Dick's coworkers. "Aw, Mike says you look beautiful, Lee."

"He's a sweetheart," she said with a grin as she put the kiss as her profile picture.

"Oh, his wife Anne commented too. She's inviting us over for dinner." Dick rolled his eyes as he spoke. "The game is on. Damian, Tim, and Jason all just liked the picture. So now that we have their attention…" He flagged down the waiter, grabbing the karaoke booklet from it's little holder in the booth. He didn't tell her that Raven also liked the photo, and he just knew in the pit of his stomach that she'd have something to say next time he saw her.

"Should I accept these friend requests?" she asked as Dick told the waiter which songs they wanted to sing. She held out her phone so Dick could see that all the remaining three BatBros all wanted to be friends on Facebook.

"Couldn't hurt," Dick said with a shrug.

The videos of them singing went up, and again he got another flood of positive comments, though not another call from Batman. For a moment Dick worried if Batman was already on his way. He didn't get to worry long, as a text from the Green Arrow froze him with a fry halfway to his mouth.

Oliver 10:33

You better not be on Bat business in my city, Nightwing.

Well that's not good, Dick thought with a groan, dropping the fry and staring at his phone for as he debated his answer. He could lie, get Oliver to yell at Bruce and give away their location. Or he could tell the truth and buy another hour or two. Worried that the hot-headed Arrow might not believe the truth, he settled for it anyway.

Dick 10:35

Just taking a little vacation, GA.

I promise I'm not trying to crowd in on your turf.

Oliver 10:36

You better not be.

If we can't come into Gotham

You can't come into our cities.

Got it?

Dick 10:36

I'm just here chillin but received and understood.

I'll pass the message along to the bat.

"Yeeaaahh…" Dick sighed as he shoved his phone into his coat pocket. "Next time how about we choose a city that doesn't have a member of the Justice League watching over it."

"Do we need to leave?" Harley asked, already finished with her dinner and grabbing her coat and bag.

"Probably not a bad idea…" He waved the waiter over and grabbed his wallet.

They didn't want to pay for a hotel room that night. Even thought it was November 1st, it was a reasonably warm night, and the back of Harley's little Nissan became nice and big when the seats went down. They blew up the air mattress and arranged their nest, but before Harley could climb in Dick stopped her, saying he wanted to take a picture. Of course she pointed out the distinct road signs which were visible in the background no matter what angle he took the photo from. She suggested moving the car, but Dick just waved her off. If the Bat was on to them (and he was sure he was) then he'd give another clue. So he angled the shot to show the least distinctive sign and gave it a simple caption.

"Night under the stars with my girl," he spoke as he typed, watching her eyes light up at his words.

They got ready for bed quickly after that, not able to do much other than change into simple sleeping attire and brush their hair. Dick wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close until her head rested on his chest. She took a deep inhale, breathing in the musk that was so him. With strong arms around her, she felt safe and at peace. Her arms snaked around his middle and he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"Wanna really fuck 'em up?" he asked with a mad grin. She nodded eagerly, watching him fiddle with Facebook and change his relationship status. "There. If that doesn't get Bruce in a tizzy, nothing will. I'll change it back when this is all over. Promise."

"Don't," she found herself saying before she could stop. He looked at her wide eyed and she just smiled. "I mean why would you?"

Even though she was laying down, the kiss he gave her swept her off her feet. She could feel every ounce of passion he poured into it and arched into the kiss, making him latch onto her more desperately. While her hands threaded into his hair, her hands roamed down her side, squeezing her waist and then her thighs. Electricity jolted down her spine and made her gasp. Dick took his chance to weave their tongues together and pulled another moan from her lips. Slowly he ground their hips together, letting her feel how hard he already was.

It seemed to excite her for only a second before she pushed him violently away and scrambled to the other side of the car. She was hyperventilating, her hands having a white knuckle grip on her hair like she was trying to hold everything together. Not wanting to make it worse, he stayed where he was, watching, waiting, and feeling his heart harden as he did so. He just knew this had something to do with the Joker, something he did to her during their time together that made her afraid. He scowled internally and vowed right then and there that the next time he saw the Joker, he'd make the clown regret ever having been born.

It took a few minutes for Harley to come back to herself. Her eyes welled up with tears when she saw Dick waiting so patiently. Unable to control herself, she pulled him close again and sobbed into his chest as he held her. Every cry just hardened his convictions to maiming the Joker at their next encounter. He just stroked her hair, whispering sweet nothings to her until they both eventually fell asleep like that.

The next morning came far too soon, the sun streaming directly onto their faces at the crack of dawn. Harley pulled the covers up over their heads to get a few more hours rest. It worked until Dick woke up, and then woke her up with soft kisses on her neck. This led to an intense make out session that steamed up the windows of the car. This time he was cognizant of any possible traumas and always slowed down when he felt her tense up. She would egg him on to be a little rough, but he made sure to balance it out with enough love to remind her where she was and who she was with. It wasn't a difficult thing to do, after all the Joker was all skin and bones, and while Dick wasn't fat, he was muscled and strong and warm. His body pressed against her felt so different, so good, that she didn't want to let go. The longer they went, the more she relaxed, until it was almost 10 o'clock and they realized they had to get back on the road.

That day the pace was a bit more leisurely. Knowing almost for certain that the Bat would catch them actually made them relax. There was no more rush to put as much distance between them and Gotham as they could. Now they just focused on having some fun and making as winding a route as possible. Dick took them on back roads and side streets, making sure to have Harley live stream on a section of road going east and then immediately turning around to get on the other side of the road going west. It was a fun game, though they knew it would have to soon come to an end. So they found a very tourist-trap stretch of highway and parked in one hotel before grabbing their bags and going to another. Dick had a feeling it wouldn't throw them off for a second, but he could hope.

They strolled into the motel just after 7 that evening, fingers laced together as they approached the front desk.

"Hi, can I help you?" the girl asked cheerfully, standing up a little straighter.

"Oh yes you can… Shirley," Dick said with a smile. "Do you have any vacancies? Preferably on the third floor close to a staircase?"

Shirley knitted her eyebrows together but checked the computer anyway. "Can I ask about the specificity?"

"Well…" Dick's expression turned nervous and he ran a hand through his hair. "See the thing is, we just eloped and neither of our families approve." Harley caught on to what he was doing quickly and laced her arm through his to cling a little closer. "I had a friend who was a criminal justice major in college and he said that if you're trying to hide from someone, third floor near the stairs is the place to be."

"If you say so…" Shirley said with a smile, clacking away at the keys. "As it happens, I have room 303 available, it's by the stairs. Can I get a name?"

"Can't you put us as unlisted?" Harley asked, making Shirley cock her head in confusion. "Only I read on the internet that if you ask to be put as unlisted then yous guys can't give out our name if someone asks."

"I've never heard of that, but I can put a note that says to tell anyone looking for you that you're not here," Shirley said with a helpful smile. "Unless the police come, of course, then we have to tell them."

"Not without a warrant…" Dick said with a shrug. Harley elbowed his side and he coughed. "At least that's what my friend said."

"The police aren't after us, but my brothers might be," Harley said with a sigh. Dick arched a brow at her and she continued, "You know how overprotective they are."

"Aaahh… Do you think they'll actually do the whole 'he's a married drug dealer' thing they threatened me with?" he asked, knowing exactly how his brother's thought. Or rather, he knew how Jason and Tim thought. He doubted Damian would be talking to anyone.

"A name?" Shirley asked again.

"Mike Wilkinson," Dick answered with a smile.

"That's what I'll put the reservation under, but I need your actual name, driver's license and a credit card," Shirley said with a knowing grin. Dick gave her the required documents and in a few more minutes they had their key cards. "Enjoy your stay!"

Once in the elevator, Harley pushed Dick against the wall and kissed him hard, making him gasp into the kiss from shock. Before he could drop his bag and grab her, she let go and skipped back to the other side of the elevator, a sly grin on her face.

"So where did you really learn all that stuff?" she asked casually.

"At a seminar," he replied, crossing the elevator in one stride and grabbing her waist. "All about what to tell a woman when she comes in saying she's running from an abuser."

"Are we running from abusers?" she joke, dodging his kiss and nuzzling into his neck instead.

"Feels like it, doesn't it?"

The elevator dinged and they walked down to the room, finding it exactly where Dick wanted it. The room itself wasn't fancy, but it had a bed and a shower so it was good enough. Harley tossed her bag on the bed, about to jump in it and fall right asleep, but Dick grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall to kiss her soundly. She returned the kiss with just as much passion, grabbing the front of his shirt to pull him closer. He grabbed her hips, detaching his lips from hers to press feather light kisses to her neck. She moaned at the sensation, her eyes flying open and hands darting into his hair. She pulled him back, a playful smile on her face.

"I need to shower," she said with a giggle, pushing him back and shoving her hands up his shirt. "And so do you."

His sweater came off in one swift motion and she pushed him towards the bathroom so forcefully he almost tripped over his own two feet. As he stumbled back she let go, taking a step back to admire him. Her eyes raked over his bare torso, lingering on his pecs, his abbs, the myriad of scars. Guilt flooded through her as she was sure she was responsible for some of them. He didn't let her feel guilt for long as he came up and kissed her neck again. He fumbled with the buttons on her blouse until he decided they were just too much hassle and ripped the shirt open. Mother-of-pearl buttons went flying all around the room as she shrugged her shirt off, letting it just drop to the floor as they continued towards the bathroom.

She felt him start to pull away from her neck and, fearful what kind of look he'd give her body, she pulled him up quickly for another kiss. His hands roamed, thumbs swiping by the underwire of her bra and making her shiver. It was obvious to him what she was trying to do and would let her 'distract' him until she felt comfortable. The last thing he wanted was to push her too far and have her close off again. So instead he ran his hands all over her body, threading his fingers through the belt loops on her jeans and pulling her in closer.

"You are beautiful," he whispered against her lips, locking them together again in another passionate embrace. "So beautiful… I love you."

His words made them both jolt back and stare at each other. Dick had been holding those three words in for weeks waiting for the right moment and his heart had just spoken for him. Harley stared at him wide eyed, her mouth slightly agape and he wanted to kick himself. He'd been trying so hard not to make her recoil and his thoughtless (if true) words had undone all his hard work.

Harley's brain stopped when he spoke. It had been so long since anyone had said that to her. The Joker certainly never bothered, not even as a manipulation technique. The last person who 'loved' her had been her boyfriend back in college. The boyfriend who used her for her money, cheated on her, knocked up her best friend, and then dumped her two days before he ran off and married said best friend. Those words had her jaded, cynical, and she took a step back so she could look into Dick's eyes and see if he was sincere.

The honesty in his eyes shocked her the most.

"Really?" she asked softly, her lips twitching into a small smile of their own accord. She wanted so desperately to believe him.

"Really," he affirmed, gathering her up in his arms again. He opened his mouth to continue, but she pressed a finger to his lips and smirked.

"If you're about to say you've been in love with me for fifteen years I'm gonna have you committed," she joked, a chuckle playing at her lips. "I got my license back. I can do that."

"Just so long as you come bust me out," he grinned right back, rubbing their noses together in an eskimo kiss. "And just for the record, it's probably been for the last month or so, not fifteen years. I've just been asking you to run away for so long because I always thought you deserved better than this life."

"I've always gotten exactly what I deserved," she muttered, her expression grim as she thought back to all the abuse she took from the Joker.

Dick knew where her mind was going and honestly had no response for it. His brain went to lightening the mood, so he lifted her up easily before dumping her in the bathroom tub and turning the shower on. Ice cold water hit her and she screamed as she finally got over the shock of being picked up. She scrambled out as fast as she could, stumbling into his waiting arms, already soaking wet.

"You deserve a shower," he said with a smirk, undoing her leopard print bra with one hand. "Let's get you out of those wet clothes."

He tried to kiss her again, but she had other plans. Rather upset about being so unceremoniously soaked, she lifted her leg up around his waist just to get a better angle to dig her heel into the back of his knee. He buckled with a shout, just off balance enough for her to push him directly into the cold stream of water without crashing his head into the tiles. He pulled her down with him, however, so by the time they landed she was on top of him getting the full blast of the cold right on the small of her back. She tried to smack him, but he easily grabbed her hand and pulled her down for another solid kiss.

It turned into quite the task to get their wet jeans off, but once they were tossed over the edge of the tub, along with Harley's bra and both sets of underwear, there was a moment where they just stared at each other. While Dick was fine showing off, Harley seemed a little uncomfortable baring herself to him. She felt vulnerable, and squirmed under his loving gaze.

Trying to get her more comfortable, he helped her to her feet and grabbed the shampoo supplied by the hotel. Turning the water to a more bearable temperature, he rubbed the soap into the long blonde locks. He diligently worked it into a lather and gently detangled her curls as he did so. He never realized how intimate washing someone else's hair was until that moment, but the look of content serenity on Harley's face made him sure that he'd do it again. Once he was done he pulled her close to his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist, and dipped her back into the water to rinse it out. It earned laughter from both sides as she arched into him, grinding their hips together and feeling his member throb against her thigh. Once the water from her hair ran clear he lifted her back up and playfully kissed her nose.

They shared another lingering kiss, her lips now much more confident against his as she tugged sharply on his hair. He pulled back with a hiss which gave her the opportunity to sink her teeth into his shoulder. The act left a loud red mark, which she ran her tongue over to soothe the irritated skin. He gave a full body shudder as her tongue danced over a sensitive nerve and he pulled her close. She gave a small giggle and pressed the conditioner into his hand with a smirk.

"You best finish what you started," she said, turning around so he could easily reach her hair.

Dick fully intended to finish what he started as his eyes raked over the elegant arch of her back, down around the curve of her butt, to the soft angles of her strong legs. As he squeezed the conditioner onto her hair and massaged it in, all he could think about was having those legs wrapped around him. Though something about her posture made his hands pause in her hair. She wasn't relaxed. Her arms were wrapped around her middle in what he was sure she thought was a calm pose, but they were tense, and her shoulders were stiff and high on her neck. Upon closer inspection, he could see razor thin scars criss crossing all over her back. He very nearly saw red. Those were whip scars. Slowly he went back to conditioning her hair, trailing his hands father down her head and hair. When his hands got close to her neck, he felt her go completely stiff and pulled his hands away in an instant.

They knew the Joker had abused her. They knew he beat her. God only knows what else he did to her. One thing was clear, that man (if one could even call him that) had traumatized her. No wonder Bruce felt so guilty all those years. The problem then arose that, while Dick knew she was scared about him being behind her, he had no idea how to turn her around without scaring her even more. Everything that came to mind, pulling her shoulder, grabbing her arm, even just telling her to turn around, it all could come off so wrong. So instead he finished running the conditioner through her hair, giving her a good scalp massage before gently tilting her head back so the water could rinse. When he did, he saw that her eyebrows were knitted together, eyes squeezed shut, like she was trying hard not to picture something. He had no idea what to do.

At a loss, he pressed a soft kiss right between those furrowed brows and instantly felt them loosen. Her eyes fluttered open and then focused on him, and she smiled softly. She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her. He grabbed both of her hands with his and gave them a light squeeze, just to try and remind her who was actually there. Sighing, she turned her head into his neck and breathed in deep, the rush of air tickling his neck, and all the stiffness in her muscled relaxed at once. She all but melted into his arms as a content smile danced across her lips. The heat from the water was going to both of their heads, and even Dick felt a little light headed.

"You look tired," he whispered, not wanting to break the spell just yet.

"I am tired," she whispered back.

"Bedtime?"

"Yeah."

Moving slow, he disentangled an arm and turned the water off. She still leaned on him, her back pressed nearly flush against his chest, and he found he didn't want to let go just yet. Instead he stood there with her as the last of the water ran down the drain. The steamy heat lay heavy in the room, almost cocooning the young couple in a blanket of peace. Dick felt himself starting to sway, nearly falling asleep on his feet, and had to shake himself awake. Harley looks like she was already asleep on her feet, and so he carefully scooped her up bridal style and stepped out of the tub. He set her down on the counter, the cold tile jolting her awake as he threw a towel over her head.

Once they were dry, Dick ordered some room service and a movie before setting up his phone charger and collapsing on the bed. He'd never realized how exhausting running away was. At least now they knew for next time. Propping himself up against the headboard to do some channel surfing, he watching Harley as she sat at the vanity, brushing the tangles from her wet hair. She usually took such care to make sure that her hair was silky and straight, but now, without any product, it was starting to curl. She seemed to realize it too, because soon she stopped brushing and started scrunching her hair in an attempt to make the curls do what she wanted them to do. Smiling, Dick leaned his head back, eyes closed, and thought about the future. Again the longing of a wife and family pulled at his heart and he could see himself ten years down the road, sitting on the couch with maybe a kid asleep on his chest and Harley scrunching wet hair as she came to join him and watch a movie. It was a diluted fantasy, he knew, but one he craved all the same.

A knock on the door brought him from his musings. Harley was up in a second, securing her robe before opening the door for room service. The porter pushed a cart in and left quickly, leaving the two alone again with… not so amazing smelling food but they were hungry. Of course they didn't expect much from a highway hotel, and what they assumed were burgers did hit the spot, but it was still questionable. Once the diner was consumed and the cart pushed back into the hall, they snuggled up on the large bed and settled in for the movie.

"Have you ever seen 'Vampires Suck'?" Dick asked, a smirk playing on his lips as he started the film.

"Never," Harley answered with something akin to mock fear in her voice.

"It's a Twilight parody," he clarified, watching her smack her head into her palm. "What? It's hilarious!"

With a roll of her eyes, Harley snatched the remote from Dick's hands and paused the movie before tossing it away. Before he could say anything, she straddled his lap, opening her robe just enough to make his eyes gloss over with lust. She leaned forward and caught his lips in a searing kiss, his hands latching onto her hips and pulling her close. The kiss broke far too soon, but they both gulped down air as they stared intently into each other's eyes.

"I don't wanna watch a dumb movie," she whispered against his lips, smirking a bit. "I don't wanna sleep neither."

Next Chapter Preview:

"How could you just leave us like that?! We're your brothers! … You didn't even say goodbye..!"

AN: Hope you enjoyed guys. I'll update again when I can~