A/N: I own nothing. Batman is property of... People who are not me (DC comics). This is a one-shot I wrote for a Batman RP that I'm a part of. In it, Ivy is pretending to be reformed and is totally miserable. She's working at a plant reaserch company named A New Leaf.
Pam sighed. The eroded letters on the cracked sign reflected the crippled state of what she once called her home. The green woman stood outside the wrought iron gates of Robinson Park, urging herself not to go in. Pam had volunteered to work late that night, the R&D lab techs eager to get the new project ready. She walked the short disdance from A New Leaf to her apartment. Most woman were too afraid to walk the streets of Gotham at night, and for good reason. But not Pam. Fear wasn't in her nature. She took a deep breath and did what she had promised herself she wouldn't do.
Pam walked past the old gate and into the park.
The temptation to go home had been overwhelming. Pam knew she shouldn't have returned. The constant threat of her parole being canceled and then, Ivy shuddered, being thrust back to Arkham... How she longed to go home. There was a sharp stinging sensation tugging at the corners of her eyes. This was no longer her home. Her "home" was several blocks away, a beautiful penthouse suite. Lovely, yes... But not the same. It couldn't even compare. Ivy cringed, fully grasping just how bad an idea it was to come back here. Returning to the Park was a gateway, and she had past the threshold. Pamela closed her eyes and drew another deep breath, trying to capture all the old sensations. Orchids. Conifers. Lillies. Daisies. Maples. Ferns. Roses. Everything was there. Just as she'd left it. Everything but my children.
The moment the thought entered her mind, Ivy was furious with herself. She felt the tears start to sting at her eyes. How dare her mind betray her like that? Pam placed her fingertips to her eyelids and willed the tears to stop. After a moment, they complied. Well, she thought to herself. Everything else is just as it was. Pam was calmed by the gentle crushing sounds the gravel made under her footfalls. For a moment, Ivy toyed with the idea of taking off her shoes and deviating from the path for awhile. She quelled the urge and sped her pace, now trying to run from the memories rather than embrace them. Pam realized she wasn't alone.
A few yards ahead of her walked a young woman. Pam didn't think much of it. Continuing her waltz down memory lane, Pam gently and elegantly streched her right arm out. She slowly ran her hand up and down each tree as she passed. The feel of bark under her palm was a feeling she'd missed so much... Ivy scowled. Had she become so terrified of being deemed 'relapsed' that she would deny herself a pleasure as simple as a walk through the park? Pamela was literally snapped out of her thoughts. A loud SNAP rang through the air. Pam looked around for the source. She watched the woman ahead of her. The woman grabed hold of a leaf on one of the bushes that ran along the path. Leaf in hand, the woman continued walking. The poor plant tried its' best to hold onto the small, green leaf but sure enough, as the woman walked too far away... SNAP. The plant fell back, defeated. The woman droped the leaf to the ground. She latched onto a new leaf on the bush beside her. Seconds later... SNAP. Pamela twitched. Perhaps the woman didn't realize just who she was walking infront of. Perhaps she didn't realize just what she was doing to the poor plants. Pamela closed her eyes. It's not worth it. It's not worth it. She told herself. SNAP! "It's not worth it" She growled under her breath. Pam's hands became tight fists as she waged her internal war. SNAP. Pam huffed. A few moments went by and... SNAPSNAPSNAP! Pamela dove her hand into her bag. Pure determination on her face as her hand found its' target. A small, pink lipstick tube sat in the palm of her hand. True, she missed the gold tube she had it in before. The new tube was actually an MAC Fresh Moroccan Ruby Red, the original product removed and Pam's "special" homemade lipstick in its' place. As much as Pam loved the gold, she couldn't announce to her parole officer during a random search that she still had a tube of her favoite lipstick left. She smeared some on and dumped the tube back in her bag.
Pam hurried her stride as she saw the woman reach for another leaf. She grabed the young woman by the shoulders. "Let it go!" Pam yelled. Not that anyone was around to hear. The woman complied, dropping her hands to her sides. Pam pushed her lips onto the other woman's. When Pam pulled away, the young woman finally got a good look at her assailant. "You're-- You're--!" Was all she was able to scratch out before the poisons started taking effect. The woman fell to the earth.
She didn't look like much, Pam thought. From the tacky, revealing clothing Ivy guessed she was a prostitute. There were needle marks up her arms and no personal information in her purse. Looking the body up and down, Pam figured no one would be looking for her. Now the only question was what to do with her? The park was quite vast. It would be easy enough to bury her somewhere... Ivy pursed her lips. No. If the body was found and a chemical anaylisis run, she'd have the police at her door in a matter of minutes. And Batman even quicker. No, the body would take more thought to get rid of than that. Unless... A grin worked its' way across Ivy's beautiful lips. Her home videos had been confiscated by police after she was arrested last... Something about personal evidence revealing malicious content and deeds... The grin became an all-out smile.
She had been wrong before. This would be worth it. Ivy cast a glance down the path, littered with the leaves the woman had so carelessly plucked from their mothers.
Oh, so worth it.