Out of the Belfry, into the Fire

Fancy Meeting You Here!

Three months earlier...

It was more than thrill, which caused Harleen Quinzel to tingle as she stepped out into the bright sunshine from her apartment— her very own apartment!

How long had it been?

Meh pretty long ago aside from for one day some months before!

So all in all, too long.

Way too long for a person to call an Arkham cell a woman cave.

She did not know if it was for old time's sake or forgiving charity that Bruce Wayne still helped give her a fresh start after the fiasco of her last release from Arkham with kidnapping his silly girlfriend. With what little Arkham could afford on its own, which was pretty miniscule because of its reputation, Wayne Enterprises had helped with rehabilitated inmates before. Whether out of kindness or just a way to help keep crazies from going backwards in their quest for sanity it was sweet, really.

What wasn't sweet was that not even Bruce Wayne could get Harley her old psychiatric license back. Her own reputation destroyed all hope of that. No one wanted an X-criminally insane screwball hench-girl to treat any other mentally unstable person. She would be more than willing, and in fact, honored, to perform her job properly this time. Humbled, even! In some ways, she almost felt it would be the best way and the only suitable way to make up for her past.

Regardless of the odds against her she was not going to let herself be daunted by such things, though. She had promised herself to do some good with her life when she got out again, and no one was going to stop that. For now she would just have to be satisfied with working as an assistant secretary for some computer place associated with Wayne Enterprises. At least it was for medical technology and not for something stupid.

But that had started last Monday. Today was Saturday of that same week. She had worked loyally and dignifiedly from 8 to 4 from Monday to Friday. Today, she was going to have a chance to restart that day she had strolled into town on roller-skates with a pair of hyenas. She felt much saner today than she had all the way back then.

Park trees blew lovely swirls of red and orange leaves her way as though greeting her and encouraging her on her new adventure.

Not as though they were literally doing that, of course. She wasn't crazy, after all. She was the picture of sanity.

Her hair, she allowed loose for the weekend, hung over the collar of her polka-dotted, stylish new trench coat— fun but not too goofy. Beneath her coat she wore a simple dress, which was allowed a little swoosh as the trench was left open. It was not too chilly for October. Her boots may have been thrift-bought but they were swank after the toes had been re-varnished.

The park seemed a good place to go for a happy, sunny day. A hotdog from the hotdog stand was a good start.

Yum!

Maybe she ought to get a new pet.

She could not help but notice someone walk by with a poodle, and she sighed after her old babies that she reluctantly gave up to the zoo where they had been taken from originally anyway.

Where was the pet shop again? thought Harley tapping her chin thoughtfully as she recreated a scene from the not-too-distant past when she and the Joker in a race with the Batmobile had crashed through the corner of one and let the dogs out.

She almost spoke it out loud, but she was sane, after all, and no one needed to hear her talk to herself on her first day out on the town, right?

She spun around and was just about to go into the park when she suddenly heard a honk behind her.