The Rose and Her Thorns
Friday came, and Ivy was planning to rob a bank with Harley. Eddie whined, completely convinced that Steel had a death wish for him and that he should be going instead of Harley. The harlequin had glared at her friend, but said nothing in reguards to why she was going instead of him. The boys, especially Eli and Gabe, were unhappy with the whole ordeal, as they felt that they would be missing out on all the fun of a hiest.
Harley had beaten the sentiment that the cops were bad into the brains of the younger boys. Although, the lesson hadn't really stuck all that well with Sunni and the twins...
Friday, November 31st: 12:00 p.m
"Ivy! Come on! Don't leave me here with them! They'll kill me and feed me to the pack!"
Eddie was sitting on the sofa, most all of the children piled atop him. Jasper sat on his shoulders, chubby legs wrapped around his neck. Jaylon and Camden flanked him on either side, with Miles and Hayden sitting on the Riddler's lap. The poor man looked like he was about to be suffocated by toddlers, his red hair loose and hanging all around his face.
Ivy, now dressed in her leotard and stockings, rolled her eyes. "They will not Eddie! You're exagerating again."
Harley stood beside her best friend, smiling cheerfully in her jester's jumpsuit. The tassels on her headress replaced the normally bouncing pigtails and a coat of white greasepaint covered her face, but the clown's blue eyes still twinkled with that friendly light. "Yeah Eddie! I'm sure that the boys'll behave just fine for ya."
Jaylon hopped up, running over to hug Harley and Ivy. "We'll be alright." He pulled away and, with a completely serious face, said, "Get out there and go get some money."
Harley about fell over with laughter, even though Ivy didn't find it the least bit funny. The plant villainess pulled her friend out of the door, auburn hair shining in the afternoon light. Unbeknownst to Eddie and the others, Sunni and the pack had been watching the whole exchange without interest.
Eli turned to her, purple and black spiking the tips of his blond hair. "So, when are we goin' to go back and get the cars?"
Gabe nodded in agreement with his twin, blue eyes shining even in the bright light of the kitchen. Sunni pondered the question for a moment, her eyes sparkling with amber. "In about thirty minutes. We'll take the pack, say that we need to give them a walk. It won't take much of a poker face to fool Eddie."
The twins looked at each other, nodding in agreement. Eddie wasn't the genius he normally was when faced with taking care of eight boys. Even if it was for a short time only, the prospect still made Edward Nygma pull his hair out.
Speaking of pulling hair out...
"AHHHH!"
Sunni whipped around, sliding into a defensive stance as she gazed into the living room. But she soon relaxed and started to laugh at the ridiculous scene before her. Eddie was sitting on the couch, Jasper clutching a handful of his hair in his pudgy fist.
"SUNNI! GET IN HERE AND PULL YOUR THREE YEAR OLD OFF OF ME!"
The aforementioned fourteen-year-old jerked her head at Eli, who rushed off to pull Jasper off of Eddie. Gabe chuckled lightly, his slightly-emo styled hair waving. Steel and Snow trotted into the kitchen, tails wagging lightly.
Steel chuckled, the sound coming out as a rasping wheeze. I certainly like Jasper now.
Snow gave a sneeze of disapproval. Steel, be nice. Eddie's actually a pretty nice guy once you get to know him.
Oh and I suppose you know this because he scratched you behind the ears?
Snow's ears drooped, the small white wolf walking dejectedly towards Sunni. The teen gave Steel Ivy's patented look of extreme disapproval, which made the laughing grey would look at her with slight apprehension.
Don't laugh at her just because you don't like one of her friends. Now, where's Fang?
He's sleeping the Ivy's room.
Sunni nodded, striding into the living room to check on the others. Eddie was alright. His pride was wounded and his head was sore, but he was otherwise unharmed. Eli was holding Jasper up, the three year old pouting mightily. The others had calmed down and were spread on the floor, watching Invader Zim on T.V. Sunni continued on down the hall, tiptoeing quietly past the room where Howard was sleeping.
Just as Steel had said, Fang was curled up on the bed, snoring soundly. The scars on his muzzle were white and prominent, the bright flash of his fangs shining in the light of the bedroom. Sunni snickered, sneaking up on the sleeping alpha wolf. She waited until she was right next to the bed, grinning as she screamed out loud, "RISE AND SHINE FANG!"
The wolf leapt up, snarling fiercely. His amber eyes locked onto Sunni as she laughed, the depths of them showing the great black wolf's displeasure. What the hell was that for!
Come on we've got to leave.
Why?
So me and the twins can grab the cars from the old house. It shouldn't take too long to get there on foot. Ivy and Harl took the Escalade so that's the only way we're goin' to get back to the mansion.
Fang growled, stretching and leaping lightly off of the bed to stand beside Sunni. He grumbled a little, but the alpha wolf strode beside his human packmate anyways. The pair went back into the living room, taking in what Eddie and the others were doing carefully.
Edward was laying on the couch, snoring gently with Jasper laying on his chest doing the exact same thing. Jaylon and Camden were also asleep, as they had woken up several times the night before. Hayden was lying on the floor next to Jaylon, curled protectively in the crook of his older brother's arm. Sunni smiled at the twins, dressed in black and ready to go. Eli was literally buzzing, hopping from one foot to the other at supersonic speeds. Gabe was standing calmly, dressed in a plain t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.
"You two ready?"
A manic grin split Eli's face. "Oh yeah!"
First Bank of Gotham: 1:00 p.m.
Poison Ivy floated confidently through the crowds of cowering buisnessmen and women, vines and plants sprouting all around her. This was it; Ivy's element. It was chaos and beauty, with murder and destruction mixed within. Plants flowered and bloomed all around the bank, binding and silencing the patrons and tellers within the lobby. Harley was bouncing around, carrying armfuls of cash with her normal perky smile.
In yet, something was off. There was a nagging feeling in the pit of Ivy's stomach. It balled and knotted and twisted her insides, making her want to scream out in frustration. Of course, Ivy hid it all under a sarcastic mask and cool smile. It wouldn't do to have her hostages sensing any sort of weaknesses in their favorite plant goddess. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling. No matter how much money Harley waved in her face, Ivy just couldn't get into the spirit of the heist.
"Okey Dokey Red! The cars all filled up, so let's scram before Batsy shows up!"
The auburn haired villainess nodded absently and looked back on the trapped patrons of the bank. Shaking her head viciously, Ivy ran out to the car with Harley, leaping into the driver's seat before the blond could. Harley might be her best friend, but Ivy wasn't about to trust her driving skills any time soon.
Suddenly, just as Ivy was about to pull out, a black Trans-Am, a Jaguar, and a Dodge Charger with a General Lee paint job shot past her, nearly broad-siding the Escalade.
"Hey! What the hell do those idiots think their doin'?" Harley was outraged, but Ivy was absolutely livid. People said they were crazy when maniacs like that were loose on the streets? Even though her foot itched to slam on the gas pedal, Ivy restrained herself. She had to get home and make sure that Eddie hadn't been devoured by wolves. Her fingers still clenched and un-clenched on the wheel as she pulled out, clearly displaying her irritation.
Harley smiled anyway, blue eyes sparkling. "Come on Red! What do you want to bet that the cops are on those ding-dongs' tails any minute now?"
Ivy snickered nastily. "Sooner than those idiots think they will be."
Twenty minutes previous...Home of the late James Anthony Amyx
Sunni, Eli, Gabe, and the pack snuck into the garage, looking at the dusty cars that still sat within it. The various vehicles may have had a thin coating of grime, but they still shone in the low light, highlighting their sleek beauty. The Jaguar sat their, purple with black racing stripes shimmering in the sight of the children. Incidently, they were the same shades of color that now were sprayed into Eli's hair.
Gabe smiled as he ran his hand over the Trans-Am. It was his favorite, reminding him of the old Smokey and the Bandit movie. The shining black paint tore through the matte color of the dust, adding a new dimension to the highlights in the air. What caught Sunni's eye was the General Lee. A perfect replica, the Dodge Charger brought back the memories of all the joyrides she had indulged in. That was how she had learned to drive, speeding through the streets of Gotham under the code name of Bandit. That was simpler time, one that resurfaced memories Sunni would rather forget.
Shaking her head, Sunni clapped her hands and shouted, "Boys! Start your engines!"
Eli grinned, ripping open the door of the Jaguar and hopping into the driver's seat. The idiot cops had left the keys to all of the vehicles on the key rack, so it was a simple task to grab the proper keys. Steel hopped into the car with him, perching his large grey rump on the passenger seat. Sunni had Fang with her in the General and Gabe was in the Trans-Am, so Eli jammed the key into the ignition and fired her up.
The roar of the motors was like a fine music to their ears, sweeter than any type of pop music you could get on the radio. Sunni smiled, cranking up the stereo and blasting Avenged Sevenfold out into the afternoon air. The radio screamed the metal, blasting Fang's ear drums, but soothing Sunni's soul.
Slamming on the gas pedal, Sunni and the boys squalled into the streets of Gotham, passing cars left and right. The fourteen year old laughed her head off, calling out to her brothers over the car radio.
"Hey this is Bandit calling out to the Speedster and Smokey. What is your status?"
Eli's voice replied her, rough and older-sounding over the heavy rock. "We're doin' just fine my Bandit buddy. You better watch yourself though. We've got the Plant Lady and the Harlequin comin' up on our right."
Sunni looked at the road, swerving to barely avoic the Escalade as it pulled out of First Bank of Gotham. Her heart nearly leapt into her throat, panic causing her to revert to her animal instincts. The teen growled ferally, barking orders into the radio. "We've gotta get back before they do! Smokey, what's our ETA?"
Gabe came in, calling out that they had twenty minutes to get home before Ivy and Harley could beat them. Eyes glowing, Sunni snickered, growling fiercely, "Let see if we can do it in fifteen."
The trio of cars sweeped through the streets, making dangerous corners and swerves throughout the city. Barely avoiding cars, trucks, and pedestrians, the kids made their way home. Their stunt-like driving brought them the attention of the media, the news-crews lining up on the sidewalks to get a load of the new threat to their lives. The cops, being too slow to catch them, were far behind the group. They were trying to rely on tips to cut them off, but they always took an unexpected turn somewhere and set them off on another wild goose chase.
Sunni had never felt more alive. Her eyes glowed, Fang growling with some sort of perverse pleasure next to her. This chase was a kind of heaven that the teen hadn't felt in a long time. The next news crew was just around the corner, and Sunni got a bright idea. She called out over the radio, ordering the boys to roll down their passenger windows. Mentally, she called out to the pack.
Come on guys. I want you to howl at the reporters. Howl and snarl like you've never done before!
And they did just that. As they passed, the pack stuck their heads out. Their voices raised into a cacophony of angry snarls and howls, sending the reporters scurrying away in terror. Sunni cackled at the pathetic weakness of their city's media.
Soon, they had lost all of the media, leaving them to go home as they pleased. They sped towards the greenhouse, roaring into the driveway with almost five minutes to spare. Quickly, they pushed the cars into the shed just off the building, covering them with tarps and sealing the doors behind. Running with all their might, the kids made it into the house, finding everyone still asleep.
Sighing with relief, Sunni flopped onto the floor next to Camden. The pack curled up around her, falling asleep almost as soon as they dropped. Seeing this, the twins decided to follow suit and lay down next to her, using Snow and Steel as pillows.
"That was fun."
The sentence was simple, but it summed up everything that had happened in the span of thirty minutes perfectly. Not that it did any good. No one was awake to hear it. Sunni soon drifted of into oblivion with them, dreaming of street races and car chases.
Harley and Ivy's Arrival: 2:00 p.m.
Ivy leapt out of the Escalade, lightly prancing in the door. Harley was still in the back with the money, playing with the piles of green paper. She thought that the harlequin should quit being so silly, but none of Ivy's opinions mattered where Harley's fun was concerned.
Entering the building, Ivy was confronted with a sight that melted her heart. They were all asleep. Every single person in that building was asleep, including the wolves. What really impressed Ivy was that Edward was in the center of it all, snuggled up with Jasper, Miles, and Hayden. His red hair was tousled and sweaty, but she could see how his thin arms were draped protectively over the little boys atop him.
Ivy didn't know how long she stood there, but when Harley came up behind her and squealed, the magic of the moment was lost. "Aren't they so adorable Red?"
A smile. "Yeah. They are Harl."
Silently, the women lifted the boys and placed them in bed, allowing them to finish the remainder of their naps in comfort. They left Sunni, the twins, and the wolves, preferring to keep all of their limbs intact. Harley smiled at Ivy, whispering that she was going to go take a shower and wash all the gunk off of her.
"Go on ahead Harl. I think I'll just stay here and watch T.V."
With that, the blond skipped down the hall, pulling off her tousled headress as she went. Ivy shook her head, smiling at her best friend. She really was a harlequin. Her gaze went back to Eddie as he slept. Watching him sleep made Ivy realize how incredibly tired she was. Ever so carefully, the plant villainess leapt up onto the couch, lying down in the space between Eddie and the back cushion. The man she had always known as Riddler or Nygma smiled in his sleep, shifting to a more comfortable position with his arm wrapped around Ivy's shoulders.
Now smiling herself, Ivy drifted off to sleep, knowing that this was what it was like to have an actual family.