Chapter Ten

"Viv, babe, wake up."

I was warm, and so very comfy, and I most definitely did not want to wake up. But Dick's voice in my ear didn't seem to agree with my plan for the morning. "Wake up, babe," he said. "We've got brunch in an hour."

"Mmmhmm," I murmured, cuddling into him further.

His chest shook against my ear, and the room filled with the sound of his laughter. "We've got to get home before Jay eats all the bacon," he cajoled.

"I'll survive without bacon for one day," I replied, still refusing to open my eyes.

"I guess I'll have to break out the big guns, then," he teased. But before I could figure out what that even meant, Dick shifted and pressed several hot, lingering kisses to my collarbone. My eyes flew open at the contact, but fluttered shut when he sucked on my pulse point.

"That's not exactly conducive to getting me out of bed," I told him, rather breathless as I dug my fingers into his hair.

"Maybe I've got you right where I want you," he growled. And then proceeded to kiss me senseless.

My shower ended up being rather short that morning, with Dick picking my clothes out. "I showered just before I picked you up last night, so I'm good," Dick assured me. "But I might change later, especially if I can convince my gorgeous girlfriend to go on a date with me tonight."

"Why, Dick Grayson, are you asking me out?" I teased, pulling him out of my apartment.

"Genevieve Thornton, I do believe I am," he grinned down at me. It wasn't quite as much of a distance as it had been the night before, since he'd picked some four-inch heels for me to wear. He said they always made my butt look good, and I had to agree.

"Well, if my boss will let me have the evening off, I'm all yours."

"I have an in with her. I'm pretty sure she'll say yes."

Selina did say yes, once she realized what it meant. "You're finally together, then?" she grinned happily, and far too knowingly.

She, Bruce, and Damian were the only ones at the table so far when we arrived, even though Dick and I were more than a little late. "Yeah," I told her, unable to keep the goofy grin off my face, and Dick hadn't stopped smiling since the night before.

"Ttt," Damian said, his disapproval clearly written on his face. But since he didn't say anything further, I counted that as a win.

"Congratulations, both of you," Bruce told me, smiling a little.

"Uh, don't tell me Dickiebird finally wore you down, Gen." Jason's voice behind us announced his arrival, with Tim and Cass trailing behind. "I thought you had better sense than that."

I laughed, but my mind caught on what he'd said. "Wait, 'finally wore me down'? What do you mean?"

To my consternation, nearly everyone in the room laughed. Well, Damian simply snorted in disgust, and Dick went flaming red, but everyone else laughed. "Precious, Dickie's been chasing you since the benefit. And he hasn't been terribly subtle about it, so I'm not really sure how you missed it for so long," Sel informed me

"Yeah, it's not like he goes around cuddling the rest of us," Tim said, grinning unrepentantly at the two of us.

"Or grabs our hands and won't let go," Steph said, suddenly appearing in time to steal Jason's bacon from his hand.

My mind was still a little slow. "I just… I thought that was just how Dick was," I said, adjusting my whole perception.

"It is!" he protested, but his siblings laughed at him.

"Only for Gen," Steph said, taking a sip of Jason's coffee. "Bleh, when did you start drinking black?"

"When did you start drinking my coffee?" he sniped back.

And that was that. Dick and I were a couple, and no one questioned it. Apparently, it had been inevitable, and I was the only one who hadn't seen it that way. But I didn't mind. I got the guy in the end, and that was all that mattered.

Sel was still over the moon by Monday. She was nearly as happy as I was about my new relationship. "I guess I'm going to have to start sending clothes to Dick's apartment, too," she mused, pulling into a parking spot.

I snorted. "I think it's a bit early for that. Technically, we've slept together, but only in the most literal sense. It's not like we're moving in together." We got out of the car and moved to the back.

"Precious, I love you. You know that." Sel handed me one box, taking another for herself. "But I never want or need to know about Dick's sex life. I've known the kid since he was nine. That's just weird."

I opened the door, propping it open for her. "You're the one saying I need clothes at his house."

"Excuse me for trying to help you prevent a walk of shame!" she exclaimed. "Especially since I'm the one who would witness it!"

I laughed. "You'd still know, if I was wearing something you sent to Dick's."

"Dick? What's that boy done now?" Doc Leslie joined us, motioning for us to put the boxes down in her office.

"He's dating our very own Genevieve," Sel cooed, all but pinching my cheeks in her determination to embarrass me.

Doc looked at me warmly. "Well, he couldn't have picked a better lady."

Blushing horribly, I protested. "You're just saying that because you've known me since I was tiny."

"You're still tiny," Sel poked. I stuck my tongue at her.

"No, you're a good kid; that's why I said it. Now, do you have any more boxes in the car?"

"Oh, yeah. Our coat drive was a smashing success," Sel crowed.

It took the three of us about five minutes to empty out the back of Sel's car, then we settled into a nice chat with the good doctor. She told us what supplies she was getting low on, and how she was worried for the kids on the streets more than usual. "This fall has been pretty cold already," she sighed. "And that's usually a sign of a very harsh winter. I'm just not sure these coats are going to be enough."

"I just wish there was some way to get them all off the streets safely, with someone they could trust," Sel suggested. "I mean, even Bruce and I can only adopt so many of them."

I choked back a laugh. "Between your cats and his orphans, Wayne Manor might as well be Wayne Home for Strays."

"You can't forget Damian's animals," she added with a wicked grin.

"He would be furious if you called any of them strays," I replied.

We talked some more with Doc Leslie, promising to send the new supplies by Wednesday. She walked us out to the car, or rather, she started to. "Harley, what on earth have you done to yourself now?" she said, exasperation bleeding out of her every syllable as she hurried to help the jester bleeding out in her doorway.

"She stopped a guy from snatching a little girl on the street," her friend said, pulling her in to the exam room Doc Leslie indicated.

I'd frozen when I had seen the two-thirds of Gotham's Sirens. Even though the buzz around town for the past few years had said that they'd all turned a new leaf and were more on the side of the vigilantes (I mean, Catwoman was now working with Batman, so that meant something, right?), I was still more than a little wary. But when Harley Quinn let out a giggle and waved at Sel, my wariness ratcheted up to full-on worry.

"Hiya, Kitty, what're ya doin' here?" she slurred, head lolling onto her shoulder.

"Harley," Sel sighed, going to help wrangle her suddenly boneless limbs onto the bed. "Who was the kid?"

"Yeah, who's th' kid?" Harley repeated, but looked at me.

"Harley, Ivy, this is my new assistant, Genevieve. Please don't scare her," Sel introduced, like it was a normal thing to introduce me to reformed(?) supervillains.

"Hiya!" Harley waved, or tried to. She nearly hit Ivy in the nose, instead.

Ivy didn't even flinch, just wrapped her hand around the other's wrist. "Hey, kid," she said, barely sparing me a glance. "Kitty hasn't scared you off yet?"

"More like Broosh," Harley laughed, then groaned. "I a'ready go' stabbed, Doc. Why ya stabbin' me 'gain?"

"I'm sewing it closed, Harley," Doc explained patiently. "Did she also hit her head?" This, she aimed at Ivy, with a bit of concern.

"No, I think it's just the blood loss."

"We're gonna go now, before Gen's more traumatized," Sel announced, nudging me toward the door. "Feel better, Harley. Take care of her, Ivy."

Ivy simply shot her an unimpressed look. "I'm not letting the idiot kill herself. She'll be just fine."

Sel bundled me out the door quickly and into the car. It wasn't until we were back on the road that I spoke again. "How do you know them?"

"I used to be a street kid, Precious," she said, like that explained everything.

Which it didn't. "So did I, and I knew to stay away from them."

"Well, you were still a more law-abiding-ish street kid, whereas I was not," she told me hesitantly. "I may or may not used to have been a thief, and I knew them from those days. We were actually pretty good friends, once upon a time."

"So, did you know them when Harley smashed the Joker with a piano on GCPD's front steps?"

Sel laughed. "I did. Harley was on the biggest high for days after that. That came out wrong. She wasn't on drugs, just-"

"Just the natural high of beating the crap out of her abuser? I get it."

"Yeah, Ivy and I were pretty happy for her. And even with a broken clavicle, she still managed to be so happy. Apparently, it's therapeutic to smash the crap out of the guy who used, abused, and manipulated you. Who knew?"

AN: I'm sorry I've left you hanging for two weeks with no Gen in sight! I've been fighting allergies or a cold or something that's been sucking all my energy, so it's all I can do to make it through work lately, and then sleep all weekend long. But I'm feeling better, and LordGrise, thanks for the soup recipe! It sounds yummy, I might just make it for dinner tonight! Anyway, here's some fun Harley and Ivy for ZileRacer. I'm not sure how much they'll fit into the story in the future, but we got them in here! Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to those of you who review. Reviews are love!