Author's Note- Hey guys, so I've written A Queen's Heart In A Joker's Hands, King Takes Queen and now this one, The Queen's Pawn. This will be the third story in this series.
Hope you all like it.
Feel free to review.
I own nothing, all rights go to their respective owners.
THE QUEEN'S PAWN
ONE
Ivy had said she wanted to turn her life around. She had vowed to take down Joker and his crew. She had tried. Many times, but Harley always stood in the way at the most crucial of moments; begging her not to do it, to spare Joker.
When Ivy asked why, Harley would shrug and say she loved him.
Ivy would crumble at the sad, pathetic expression on the blonde's face and walk away, feeling defeated.
Batman had accused her of not wanting to change and had left her to her own devices. In truth, Ivy preferred it.
Bat Boy, as Harley called him, could be kind of a buzzkill. Ivy had other ideas how she wanted to change, but Batman would remind her that 'people have rights' and 'we don't get to decide who dies and who lives'. Well why the hell not?! If someone was evil, why did they even deserve to have rights anyway?
Ivy shook her head.
It all seemed pointless to her.
Was she fighting a losing battle? Was all this worth it?
But then she thought of the woman who had given her life to save Ivy's when Joker had tried to shoot her, and just like that, Ivy knew why she wanted to change-why she should change.
Ivy studied the gun she held in her hand.
She wouldn't be backing down this time. She wouldn't care what Harley said or how much she cried or begged.
Joker would be gone from Gotham before the night was through.
Donning her long red leather coat, Ivy pocketed the gun and headed out.
She wasn't going to the club. He wouldn't be there.
Tonight was Friday and for Joker and Harley, Friday night was date night.
They'd be out somewhere, speeding up and down the streets of Gotham or terrorizing some restaurant into giving them the best of everything for free.
Harley had once said that she found that kinda thing 'romantic.'
Ivy would call it egotistical; using the power that Joker knew he had to intimidate people and install fear into them just so they would do whatever he wanted.
It didn't take her long to find them. They were indeed in some swanky restaurant ordering people around.
Ivy was standing in a dark alley across the street but she could clearly see what was going on.
Joker and Harley were seated right in front of a window; Joker held a gun in his hand and with his other hand, he was eating some kind of pasta dish while Harley also ate something similar and kept looking at the staff who all waited near the bar that sat back a little way.
They all had that same fearful look on their faces and it made Ivy's blood boil.
Poison Ivy. A champion of the people. Huh, who would've though it?
Pushing the ironic thought aside, Ivy pulled the gun from her pocket, clicked off the safety and stepped out of the darkness, aiming the gun straight at Joker's head.
One bullet through the glass and the bastard would be dead.
Gotham would once again belong to the people and no would ever have to be afraid ever again.
Suddenly, Harley looked up and straight into Ivy's eyes.
The psycho's red lips parted in shock and she glanced at Joker to see if he had seen Ivy. He hadn't.
Ivy paused.
Would she alert him? Would she throw herself in front of him like she had done so many times before?
Ivy waited, sweat coating her brow and making her palms slick as she felt yet another chance slipping away from her.
Harley looked back at the red head, sadness in her blue eyes.
My God, she looks like a kicked puppy! Ivy thought irritably.
Harley slowly but imperceptibly shook her head at Ivy.
The red head licked her lips as the raised gun shook in her hand.
One shot. Come on. That's all it's gonna take.
Harley glanced at Joker again.
He was yelling at some of the staff now.
Harley's attention went back to Ivy.
'PLEASE'. She mouthed.
Ivy closed her eyes and bit the inside of her cheek so hard that she tasted blood.
She lowered her gun and slowly opened her eyes.
Harley looked like she let out a small breath and gave her a grateful smile.
Ivy angrily turned away and headed back down the street.
Another chance to take down the Joker. Gone.
Ivy pulled her coat tighter about herself as it started to rain.
Why had she hesitated?
Because Harley saw you. She saw what you were about to do and she stopped you. Like she always does.
Ivy hated that Harley was the only reason that Joker wasn't dead yet.
She was the only thing standing in the way of what Ivy knew was the right thing to do.
She could rid Gotham of the Joker and his evil reign of terror. Everyone would love her for it. They wouldn't see her as the evil plant lady that had once wanted to wipe out the whole of humanity for the sake of all the plants in the world.
Ivy hated Joker.
Not just because he was an egotistical, evil, selfish prick, but because he treated Harley like absolute shit.
He hit her when he lost his temper. He beat her when things didn't go his way and he had no one to blame and the worst thing he could ever inflict on her had been to twist and warp her mind until she didn't believe that Harleen Quinzel, Gotham's finest psychiatrist, existed.
Only Harley remained now, and the only thing she was known for was being Joker's girlfriend who was handy with a gun or mallet.
He had reduced her to nothing.
As the rain beat relentlessly down on her, Ivy looked up at the two huge iron gates with the words 'Arkum Asylum' emblazoned on them.
She always found herself back here. She didn't understand why.
Maybe it was because this was the place where Harley had lost herself and Ivy felt drawn to it. She had thought it was because of something else a while ago, that the people inside were broken, like she was; so maybe she was right on both accounts.
She had wondered why she didn't end up in some garden or plant life center, it was more fitting to who she was, but no, she always ended up here.
Looking up at the roof, the rain pelted her face.
Maybe she should go home. Sleep some of the rage off. It should help, then she could start fresh tomorrow. Come up with a new plan to take out Joker without Harley getting in the way.
But instead of turning back and going home, Ivy soon found herself sitting on the roof of the asylum. She'd been here a few times on her own but the one time that had stayed with her was when she had told Batman that she'd wanted to change and he'd vowed to help her.
That promise was well kept, wasn't it?
"Red?"
Ivy looked up with a start and found Harley balancing perfectly on the roof.
"What do you want?" Ivy muttered, turning back to look out over the city.
Harley moved closer. She walked as though she were walking on level ground and not perching precariously on a rooftop.
"Just wanted to come by, say thank you for not killing Mista J."
Ivy seethed with anger and her fists curled under her crossed arms.
She didn't want Harley to thank her, to remind her that she'd failed. Again.
"Sooo...how ya been?" Harley tried.
Ivy just shrugged, her folded arms now resting on her knees.
Harley looked up at the rain.
"It's uh...it's not good being out up here y'know."
"And why's that?" Ivy mumbled, not really caring about Harley's answer.
"Well...you're getting all wet. Maybe you should-I dunno-maybe you should go home."
"I don't feel like going home." Ivy snapped.
That wasn't true. She was tired and upset and she just wanted to go home, crawl into her bed and pretend that this night hadn't happened.
Harley tilted her head slightly, as though she didn't understand.
"Why?"
Because I wanna sit here and hate myself. Because somehow I feel like sitting in the rain and being freezing cold is kind of like a punishment, and that's what I deserve for letting Gotham's people down by not killing your boyfriend.
Ivy could say all these things and Harley wouldn't understand. She was too twisted.
Her mind too messed up to see the difference between right and wrong.
So instead she answered;
"I like the rain."
It wasn't a complete lie. When it wasn't freezing cold, she did like the rain. It felt soothing sometimes.
Harley nodded and a big smile spread across her face.
"Me too! I'll sit with ya!" She exclaimed as she sat next to Ivy.
Ivy sighed and closed her eyes.
"Harley, no. I'm fine."
"Nah, I don't wanna leave you alone. It's not good being alone, Red."
Ivy shook her head.
"Harley, just leave...please."
The blonde looked a little hurt and she stood back up.
"Oh...okay, I guess I'll just go then."
Ivy put her head down.
She didn't need the guilt of rejecting the twisted little weirdo weighing on her mind as well.
"Oh and Red?"
Ivy looked up at her, eyes tired.
"Thank you again...for what you did or didn't do." She added with a little nervous laugh.
It was strange how just those three little words were all it took to bring out Ivy's anger.
She glared up at Harley.
"Don't thank me. I don't feel great about what I did."
Harley shrugged.
"Maybe not...but I'm really grateful to ya, Red. I know you wouldn't really hurt him."
"Don't delude yourself, Harley. He got lucky this time and all the other times before but trust me, the next time I see him...I'll kill him, whether you're there or not."
The smile slipped from Harley's face and she looked...fearful? Ivy had never seen that look on her before.
She turned and did a back flip off the roof and landed perfectly on her feet on the second roof below. She did this until she reached the bottom.
Ivy sighed and went back to looking out across all of Gotham.
Next time...there was always a next time.
Author's Note- Promises, promises, Ivy, but will she really go through with it or will the Caped Crusader talk her out of it? Highly doubtful but then this is Gotham, anything could happen! ;) Stay tuned!