Darkness and Ivy

A/N: Salina - this is how I found the name spelled on the internet.

The night was dark, damp and raining. Helena stood outside the New Gothem herbarium, waiting for Sheba. Her new friend at New Gothem High. You see Helena and Sheba were both loners, both coming from broken families and homes.

You see Sheba only lived with her mother and little sister. Her father left years ago for no reason. When Sheba spent the night at a friend's house that night the apartment blow up. Her mother and little sister both died in the explosion. The New Gothem Police Department said it was a gas leak, but Sheba knew different she knew something that no one else in new Gothem knew about her mother. Something so different that Sheba wouldn't be able to show her face in the city again.

Helena's life wasn't like that. Helena had a beautiful, loving mother, Salina Kyle. A blonde, green-eyed ex-secretary who was a meta-human. At night Salina Kyle left and Catwoman came out to play. Catwoman was Queen of the Criminal underworld. What people didn't know was that Salina Kyle and Catwoman were one and the same. When Helena was younger, no older then ten, kids picked on her because she didn't have a father. That night when Salina came home, Helena ran crying to her mother and told her everything that happened at school. Salina just shook her head, went into the kitchen and made a short dinner of leftover fish and rice. She then handed Helena the bowl, her dinner, and began telling Helena her story. The story of Batman and Catwoman. Two mortal enemies, who became lovers. The story of Salina Kyle and Bruce Wayne. Salina told her how when she was Catwoman, she fell in love with Batman and Batman fell in love with Catwoman. Then, she told Helena that when she found out she was pregnant that she ran, mostly because if word got out in the criminal underworld that Batman had a daughter with Catwoman they both be hunted down and in serious danger. With this story it explained a lot to Helena. Why they moved around, why their apartments or houses were expensive, why they had a bundle of money, and why they check in with Barbara Gordon, the city mayor (and Batgirl) of New Gothem every month.

Helena hated that part of her life. She hated moving around and leaving her friends, but she knew why and she accepted that. As Helena walked to the Herbarium doors and handed the ticket guy her ticket, she looked back one last time to see if Sheba was coming, but Helena didn't see her new friend anywhere in sight. So she pushed open the glass doors and walked though.

As Helena walked though the plant filled hallway, she stopped once in a while to smell the flowers. Roses, jasmine, lilies, petunia's, ivy, plum flower trees, irises where all around her. As Helena reached the double wooden doors to enter the plant filled room of the beyond, Helena stopped and looked at the Poison ivy that surrounded the door frame. It was exquisite, and mesmerizing. The dark green leaves made Helena want to reach out and touch it.

"Ah, ah, ah now, no touching."

Helena pulled her hand back from the ivy; she almost fingered and turned around quickly. She noticed the woman she hadn't heard walk up behind her earlier. The woman was as mesmerizing as the ivy, lean and tall with long ruby hair that framed her oval face and exotic green eyes, which held care and elegance. The woman's hair also clashed lovingly with the woman's tight emerald dress that shown silver when the light hit it against it right.

The woman gave Helena a smile. "May I ask the name of the young lady who my ivy caught the attention of?"

Helena looked at the door and back at the lady. "Helena...Helena Kyle."

The red haired lady gave Helena a look over. "The bright one." she whispered.

"Excuse me?"

The lady looked startled. "The bright one. Your name's meaning is 'the bright one' in Greek. Anyway," the redhead held out a perfectly manicured hand. "My name is Ivy Green."

Helena shook Ivy's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"No, the pleasure is all mine. For such a beautiful girl came here to admire exquisite plants, is a sure sign of luck. Especially on such a beautiful night as this."

Helena shook her head. "There is nothing beautiful about tonight."

Ivy looked Helena into her sapphire eyes. "Isn't there? Come walk with me."

Helena and Ivy walked though the grand wooden doors into the herbaria. The smells of trees and flowers filled Helena's senses and made her sway on the spot.

Ivy looked down. "The fresh air of plants does that to a person. Tonight is so beautiful for a rainy night because rain gives plants water and with the water plants make food for themselves and in return plants give us food and oxygen to breathe." She bent and sat down to smell the baby's breath and biennials that were sitting next to some J.F.K. roses. "Other time plants are just there to give us something pretty to enjoy and smell. They are an excellent creation all their own."

Helena sat down next to Ivy and turned towards her. "I know, sometimes I wonder what it be like to be a plant, other times I wonder if it be too boring."

"It wouldn't be boring it be amazing. The people you meet, the things you see. It is a wonder to understand how plants truly manage to live the life they lead."

Helena and Ivy sat there looking at the roses that were growing millimeter by millimeter in front of them. Helena turned around when she heard approaching footsteps. "Sheba, how lovely for you to join us." Helena said sourly. "Since you're a half an hour late anyway."

The exotic Chinese girl let out a couple of breath and pulled down her baby blue knee high dress. "I'm sorry, I'm late. I forgot to hand an invitation to someone."

Helena glared at her friend, thinking Sheba forgot to give one of her boyfriends of the week on invitation. "I'm so sure, who is it this time?"

"Helena, be nice. Those catty remarks won't get you anywhere in life."

Helena turned her head to the left just in time to see her mother walk though the doors and stroll down to Ivy, Sheba and her. Salina looked great that night, in a long black gown that hugged her curves in the right places. Helena remembered that gown; Salina said that Helena's father bought her the dress when they went out to a function for the Wayne Enterprises. She hadn't worn it since because she had no place to wear it too.

Helena shot her mother a smile, then picked herself off the ground and gave her a hug. "Mom, it's great that you came tonight. It's been a while since you got out of the house."

Salina looked at Helena and then at Ivy. "I know, girls why don't you run down the hallway and get a drink. I need to talk to Ivy."

Helena looked between her mother and Ivy Green. "You two know each other."

Ivy stared back at Salina without a second glance to Helena. "We are aquatics."

Salina starred at Ivy back. "Helena, go now."

Helena and Sheba did as told. Salina took a couple of deep breaths. "Stay away from my daughter Poison Ivy." She finally said as low as she could without drawing a glance from the crowd that was starting to fill the room.

Ivy flinched as Salina said her name, all she needed was Batman to find out she was back in town. "I'll stay a way from her when she becomes Princess of the criminal underworld."

"Over my dead body." And with that said Salina stalked away from her opponent and/or prey.

That night things went well, Poison Ivy and Catwoman stayed well away from each other. Even though Helena wanted to talk to Ivy again. Two months later things changed. The news spread though the underworld that the Queen Salina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman was dead because the Joker killed her to seek revenge on Batman. The other thing was that the Queen left behind a daughter, her heir. A half meta-human. The down side was the girl; Helena Kyle was now the protégé of Barbara Gordon, once known as Batgirl, now know as Oracle. Together, Barbara trains Helena to be like her father to take over the streets of New Gothem City and protect it the best they can.

Poison Ivy finish reading the Criminal Gazette and tossed it over her shoulder, she then smoothed down her dark green bodysuit and slinked away into the shadows. Now was time, Helena was confused. It was perfect time to start planting thoughts of betrayal into the pretty teens head and have her become what she was supposed to become long ago. As you said before, Salina, over your dead body. Ivy thought as she walked out into the night