"Ivy!" called Dent, who had rushed to the circus right after Jeannie's show had finished. "Ivy, are you here?"
"Yes," muttered Ivy. Dent saw her sitting in the dark, curled up with her plants.
"You should have stayed – it was an amazing show…" Dent said, approaching her and reaching out for her hand. She pulled it away, glaring at him.
"Ivy…they're just small-minded people," he said. "You can't let what they say bother you."
"It's easy for you to say that," muttered Ivy. "But you have no idea what it's like to be me. To be…a freak."
"You're not a freak," said Dent. "That's their word, not yours, and words don't matter anyway. They can't hurt you…"
"No, not physically," agreed Ivy. "But mentally, you hear them in your head all the time, beating you down, breaking your spirit. Anytime you reach out for happiness, you have their voices in your head telling you that you don't deserve it…"
"But you know that's not true," said Dent.
"Do I?" she demanded. "The last man who said he loved me was only interested in using me as an experiment. How can I believe I'm worthy of anything after being treated like that?"
"Because you're an amazing woman," said Dent. "Beautiful and strong and talented…"
"Those are just more words," muttered Ivy. "And you just said words don't matter."
"No," agreed Dent. "But actions do."
He slowly bent down and kissed her gently. She responded briefly, but then drew away. "No, Harvey, I can't," she said. "We can't be together…"
"Why not?" he asked. "You know I want you, and I know you want me. You're here in my heart, so who's to stop me if I decide that you're my destiny?"
She smiled. "You think it's that easy?" she murmured. "That we can just decide to be together and that life will be perfect? You'd grow to hate me, Harvey. Every contemptuous look or word from your peers, every door shut in your face forever because of me…the loss of your reputation, which is everything you have…you'd resent giving that all up for me, eventually. And I can't ruin your life like that."
"I'd give it up gladly for you, Ivy," he said. "I'd give up everything gladly for you. Why can't you understand that nothing else matters to me, especially not that world of rich snobs?"
"Because it matters to everyone," she murmured. "It matters to J – that's why he's doing all this with Jeannie. Everyone…wants to feel accepted. And you'd never feel that with me, not anywhere. You don't belong with us freaks, and with me, you wouldn't belong to your high society anymore. I can't make you into an outcast of both worlds – you don't understand how terrible that would be because you've never experienced it. You just have to accept that we're not meant to be. It's not written in the stars…"
"We can rewrite the stars," he interrupted, taking her hands. "It's up to you and me, Ivy. That's all. And if we decide to be together, the world can be ours tonight. We'll just make a new one together."
She smiled sadly. "I love your idealism, Harvey," she murmured. "But it would never work out. We're bound to break, and our hands are tied. So please let's not discuss it anymore…"
They were interrupted by the rest of the circus entering the ring. "Guys…you're early," said Dent, slowly releasing Ivy's hands.
"Well, we were going to congratulate Miss Lind on her performance, but J wouldn't let us in the room with the rest of the social elite," explained Crane. "He basically said we shouldn't be seen in polite company, because he doesn't want to remind them of who he used to be."
"You see?" said Ivy. "Even J, who sought us all out, is abandoning us now for high society. You'd do the same, Harvey, eventually."
"No, I would not," snapped Dent. "I've been in high society, and it's a waste of time. J will see that, but it might take him a little while."
"And in the meantime, what are we to do?" sighed Clayface. "Just put up with these protestors demanding an end to our existence?"
"No, you don't have to put up with anything," retorted Dent. "You have to fight back."
He stormed out into the street and found a policeman walking his beat. "Officer, clear these protestors out of here," he said.
"Uh…but Mr. Dent, sir…they have the right to a peaceful protest…" began the policeman.
"They do not have the right to intimidate and harrass people on private property," interrupted Dent. "So get them out of here. That's an order."
"I take my orders from Commissioner Gordon, sir," retorted the officer.
"I'll just go have a word with him then, shall I?" asked Dent.
"No, Harvey, you don't have to fight for us," said Ivy, laying a hand on his arm suddenly. "You're right – we have to stand up for ourselves. If we're attacked, we fight back. We're all more than capable, and we don't need the cops or anyone else to do it for us."
She turned to face down the protestors. "You should all get out of here right now," she murmured, softly.
"Or what, freak?" demanded one of the protestors.
Ivy shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she muttered, raising her hand.
Plant vines suddenly burst through the ground in the midst of the protestors, seizing them and crushing them in their grip. People began screaming, even before Ivy shouted, "Johnny, full strength fear gas, now!"
A cloud of yellow gas descended on the protestors, and the screams became even more hysterical, but their escape route was blocked by Mr. Freeze shooting a wall of icicles from his gun, leaving sharp shards of ice which couldn't be overcome.
"Now shut up and listen, all of you!" shouted Ivy. "As you can see, your ridiculous jibes and protests, rather than demoralizing us, have made us stronger, have made us into warriors, which we have become thanks to every sharp word and harsh glance that you have flung in our direction! We will not be broken down to dust, for we are glorious! We're not scared to be seen, and we make no apologies! We are brave, we are bruised, we are who we're meant to be! This is me!"
Among the chaos and panic, Ivy turned to Dent. "And I know I deserve your love," she murmured. "There's nothing I'm not worthy of."
She kissed him passionately amidst the screams. "You know we'll probably get dragged off to jail for this," commented Jervis Tetch, as he saw the police hurrying over.
"Worth it, though," said Crane, smiling. "Plus we have a pretty good lawyer on our side."
"Yes," agreed Tetch. "But the Joker is not going to be pleased."