Theme 98 - Festivity
Title: Home For the Holidays
Universe: General
Genre: Drama/General
Characters: Harley Quinn
Rating: PG
Word Count: 500
Summary: Whether you intend to or not, you often end up going home for the holidays.
***
Home For the Holidays
Harley sat listlessly on the snow-covered bench, looking out at the empty vista of the dark, freezing park. She had an icicle for a nose and her teeth wouldn’t stop chattering, despite the fur-edged hood of her costume. Some Christmas Eve this was.
Christmas was a time for family and loved ones. Sharing closeness and festive joy. Presents too, and lights and candy canes and maybe eggnog, but the Big Picture was the Sharing and Love. That was what all the Dear Abby columns and TV specials said, right?
She was supposed to be spending her Christmas Eve cuddled up with Mistah J by a roaring fire, giggling with anticipation at what he’d think of the present she’d found him in the GCPD evidence locker the last time she broke in. Who else had some confiscated high-tech-looking Bat-toys under their tree?
But then stupid Bat-brain had to come crashing in spoiling the festive atmosphere (how was she supposed to know his toys were microchip-tracker decoys?) scattering plans, chemicals and delicate explosive devices across the warehouse floor.
Puddin’ got super-mad about his Christmas Day plans with all those orphans being ruined, and in between the shouting, shooting and preparing to go and whack Batsy in the face with what remained of his explosive baubles, he’d kicked her out through the loading bay doors.
“Don’t come back till you absolutely have to,” he yelled after her. “Then wait another lifetime.”
She was sure Mistah J would let her make it up to him, but, painful as it was to know he was mad at her, it would be more painful not to let him cool off for a day or two first. Now she needed a place to crash, but her list of people she could turn to in her festive time of need was depressingly short.
Family were an obvious dead-end. If Harley remembered her boring last arraignment correctly her parents had recently changed their names and moved out of state. No dice.
Pammy hated Christmas and always got herself locked up around the holidays so she didn’t have to watch the trees and “tortured, unwanted poinsettias” suffer. Strike out.
Most of the other Arkham gang were either inside for the holidays too or working - Christmas was a busy time, whether it was bank robberies or poisoning giftwrap with fear toxins.
Harley sighed through chattering teeth. She had no cash, nada. Was she really going to be reduced to breaking into a motel and spending Christmas alone eating minibar snacks?
A shadow loomed over her park bench, and she gave it a half-hearted smile.
“Hey Bats. You got Mistah J then? He’s gonna be extra mad at me now…”
“He’s on his way to Arkham,” the shadowy figure said evenly, hand resting on a Batarang. “Care to join him quietly?”
“He won’t talk to me for a month, but I think I do.” Her smile became genuine and she stood up with wrists outstretched. “Thanks B-Man. Christmas at Arkham it is!”
Fin
***
End note: Hey hey, it's Harley's Christmas hat icon time! Yes this came out a little on the depressing side for a Christmas fic because, alas, Harls seems pretty satisfied with an Arkham stay for the holidays and that's about as positive an outcome as this series of events was going to lead to. But if it helps then I started something much fluffier involving her getting drunk on eggnog and Joker being dressed as Santa Claus and there's still time for that to be revived...
Universe: General
Genre: Drama/General
Characters: Harley Quinn
Rating: PG
Word Count: 500
Summary: Whether you intend to or not, you often end up going home for the holidays.
***
Home For the Holidays
Harley sat listlessly on the snow-covered bench, looking out at the empty vista of the dark, freezing park. She had an icicle for a nose and her teeth wouldn’t stop chattering, despite the fur-edged hood of her costume. Some Christmas Eve this was.
Christmas was a time for family and loved ones. Sharing closeness and festive joy. Presents too, and lights and candy canes and maybe eggnog, but the Big Picture was the Sharing and Love. That was what all the Dear Abby columns and TV specials said, right?
She was supposed to be spending her Christmas Eve cuddled up with Mistah J by a roaring fire, giggling with anticipation at what he’d think of the present she’d found him in the GCPD evidence locker the last time she broke in. Who else had some confiscated high-tech-looking Bat-toys under their tree?
But then stupid Bat-brain had to come crashing in spoiling the festive atmosphere (how was she supposed to know his toys were microchip-tracker decoys?) scattering plans, chemicals and delicate explosive devices across the warehouse floor.
Puddin’ got super-mad about his Christmas Day plans with all those orphans being ruined, and in between the shouting, shooting and preparing to go and whack Batsy in the face with what remained of his explosive baubles, he’d kicked her out through the loading bay doors.
“Don’t come back till you absolutely have to,” he yelled after her. “Then wait another lifetime.”
She was sure Mistah J would let her make it up to him, but, painful as it was to know he was mad at her, it would be more painful not to let him cool off for a day or two first. Now she needed a place to crash, but her list of people she could turn to in her festive time of need was depressingly short.
Family were an obvious dead-end. If Harley remembered her boring last arraignment correctly her parents had recently changed their names and moved out of state. No dice.
Pammy hated Christmas and always got herself locked up around the holidays so she didn’t have to watch the trees and “tortured, unwanted poinsettias” suffer. Strike out.
Most of the other Arkham gang were either inside for the holidays too or working - Christmas was a busy time, whether it was bank robberies or poisoning giftwrap with fear toxins.
Harley sighed through chattering teeth. She had no cash, nada. Was she really going to be reduced to breaking into a motel and spending Christmas alone eating minibar snacks?
A shadow loomed over her park bench, and she gave it a half-hearted smile.
“Hey Bats. You got Mistah J then? He’s gonna be extra mad at me now…”
“He’s on his way to Arkham,” the shadowy figure said evenly, hand resting on a Batarang. “Care to join him quietly?”
“He won’t talk to me for a month, but I think I do.” Her smile became genuine and she stood up with wrists outstretched. “Thanks B-Man. Christmas at Arkham it is!”
Fin
***
End note: Hey hey, it's Harley's Christmas hat icon time! Yes this came out a little on the depressing side for a Christmas fic because, alas, Harls seems pretty satisfied with an Arkham stay for the holidays and that's about as positive an outcome as this series of events was going to lead to. But if it helps then I started something much fluffier involving her getting drunk on eggnog and Joker being dressed as Santa Claus and there's still time for that to be revived...