"Ah, Hatter, it's good to see you, and with such a lovely lady at your side," Oswald Cobblepot greeted Hatter and Alyce, bowing with a flourish and kissing Alyce's hand.

Cobblepot grinned broadly and gave her a wink before shaking hands with Jervis, who put his arm possessively around Alyce's shoulders and gave the Penguin a look. Alyce raised a dark eyebrow at this display of "I'm the alpha male, not you" type of thing Jervis put on. He really did like to be in control, which she didn't mind – some times. It was okay for the moment since she was new to the whole being a criminal thing. Still, she didn't want to appear completely submissive.

"Hello. Nice to meet you, Mr. Cobblepot," Alyce responded kindly, despite Jervis' controlling display of affection.

"The pleasure is all mine, my dear," the Penguin said in a smooth voice, eyeing her a little. "I don't believe I caught your name."

"Alysyn McArthur, but please, call me Alyce."

The pudgy bird-like man continued eyeing her, which made her a bit uncomfortable. She leaned into Jervis a little, and he cleared his throat, getting right down to business.

"Oswald, we wanted to see you about getting rid of some antiques for us. My Alyce helped me procure some very valuable items, which I'm sure will yield us a large amount of funds."

The Penguin walked behind his desk and took a seat before replying, "I'm afraid the Market is bad for that kind of thing right now. Can't help you. Why would you need all of that extra cash anyway? After the bank and jewelry store heists you pulled earlier today, you two should have enough for a mansion with all of the amenities."

Jervis' eyes widened. "How did you know about those?"

"You made the news, Jervis. How in world did you manage to get lackeys with the ability to hurl fireballs? Your lady, perhaps?"

Cobblepot turned a sly grin towards Alyce, who blushed a little.

Jervis, who'd taken his arm from around her, stood proudly and replied, "Why yes, actually."

He grinned and glanced Alyce's way before going on, "My Alyce has a wondrous gift that she has gladly decided to share with me. She can do a Wonderland of frabjous things."

"Good for you, Jervis," Penguin said as if he didn't really care. "If you wish to plan over dinner, please keep it down. Don't want anyone eavesdropping, you know, and I certainly don't wish to be inspected for underworld dealings. I'm lucky I don't get in trouble for harboring you people in my restaurant."

"Guess the socialites that come here bring good business to the neighborhood," Alyce commented off-handedly.

"Not just that, but it's also a good place where the authorities and the Jabberwocky clan can keep an eye on us. It's best if we sit in the usual spot," Jervis added, giving a respectful nod to Cobblepot. "Hopefully, the vigilante doesn't know we're here."

"Very well," Cobblepot said with a nod in return. "I'll inform Chickadee that you are here with a companion. She'll get your table ready."

He pressed a button on the intercom and told his head waitress, Chickadee, that the Mad Hatter and Alyce were in need of a table. She responded with a chipper tone, stating that it would be ready in less than five minutes.

Penguin then pressed another button on his desk, and said with a grin, "If I'm not mistaken, I do believe Pamela and Harley are here as well. Have fun, Jervis, Miss Alyce."

Cobblepot gave them a curt nod and dismissed them from his office. Upon exiting, Hatter and Alyce were greeted by Chickadee – a black bodice, fishnets, and mini-skirt-wearing blonde woman of impeccable beauty – who led them clear to the back of the Iceberg. There was a raised eating section that was mostly closed off by large "ice" columns surrounding the twenty-five by twenty-five foot area.

"Hiya, Alyce!" Harley bubbled upon seeing Alyce enter into the darkened eating area.

"Hi, Harley," Alyce replied with a small smile and a wave.

She then looked at Poison Ivy and said with a bigger smile, "Hello, Pamela. How have you ladies been?"

"Oh just wonderful!" Quinn replied a bit sarcastically. "Mistah J kicked me out again, so I've been staying with Red. We've been having fun."

"Yes, I keep trying to tell Harls here to stop being controlled by that clown, and move in with me, but she won't listen. The moment 'Mistah J' calls for her, she'll go running back to him," Ivy said with some heat and a glare that pointed at an imaginary figure.

Alyce figured that that figure was the Joker. Jervis had told her over the past week that the Joker was a bit…abusive, treating Harley like some toy, rather than his lover. Though Harley puts up with it with Pamela's help and her own proclamation, "He just does it for a laugh. My Puddin' don't mean anything by it." Alyce was glad that Jervis isn't that controlling. She would definitely have to hex him often if he was…

"By the way, Alyce, do you think you could stop by sometime and do those wards you were talking about? I have some deadly nightshade and monkshood for you," Ivy asked after a moment.

"Oh! Wonderful! Perhaps I can stop by tomorrow?"

"That would be fine," Pam agreed.

"Cool! We can hang out for a while!" Harley piped in with a large grin.

Alyce nodded and smiled. "Sure. It might be fun."

Jervis grinned and added, "A ladies' night, er, day."

Hatter and Alyce took their seats shortly thereafter in a booth on the other side of the room from Harley and Ivy's. Alyce smiled humorously at the upholstery on the booths and dining chairs, which was an ice-blue color. The tables looked like flat sheets of ice that had icicles hanging off the corners. Upon further inspection, she saw that the tables were really made of some type of frosted glass and molded to look authentic. She was amusedly impressed.

"Wow. The Penguin must have struck it rich to make his club so…classy-chic," Alyce commented once they were situated comfortably across from each other.

Jervis raised a red eyebrow. "'Classy-chic?"

"Yeah. That's the only way I can describe how this place looks. It's neat. I like it. Good atmosphere."

Jervis grinned, and looked at her warmly for a minute before he said, "I'd like to let you know once again how happy I am. You performed, dare I say, magically today. So far, the devices are working without any signs of fail."

Hatter's compliments made Alyce smile. She, herself, was quite happy with her work on his devices. Like Jervis said, so far, they hadn't shorted out because of too much energy. Hopefully, they never will with the thin layer of hematite – a grounding stone – she attached to the cards to keep the energy stabilized. Of course, Jervis had added an extra part as well to further increase the control cards' stability.

"Thank you, Jervis. It was really no big deal. Quite simple, actually," Alyce replied, her cheeks flushed pink from embarrassment. "Erm, when shall we test the other ones I helped you with?"

"You mean the devices with all the other lovely spells you placed on them?"

Alyce nodded.

"Soon. First, I want to get rid of those antiques. Get them out of our hair since they are really of no value to us, and they'll only be in the way if they remain at the hideout."

Furrowing her brow in thought, Alyce said, "Well…we could just give them to the police."

Jervis looked at her as if she'd grown an extra head.

When she saw this look, Alyce continued, "I'm serious, Jervis. If we can get those old trinkets outside police headquarters without being noticed, I can blink everything inside the front door and blink back out before any of the cops realize what they just witnessed."

"You've got a good point there, my dear. Very good. That's what we shall do then. It should confuse them long enough for us to make our exit," Jervis replied, smiling and looking quite impressed with her train of thought.

Alyce took a sip of her ice water as Chickadee came back to place their order.

"So sorry it took me so long to get back over here, guys," Chickadee apologized, looking flustered. "Busy night."

"I understand. Why don't we start out with some drinks? Alyce?"

"Yeah, I think I'll try the large strawberry-kiwi daiquiri. Made with rum, please, not vodka," Alyce said.

"And you, Mr. Tetch? Your usual?"

Jervis nodded. "Yes, please."

"All right. I'll get your drinks A.S.A.P.," the bombshell waitress said before trotting off to get the drink order in.

Alyce gave Jervis a curious look. "What's your usual drink?"

Jervis grinned. "Long Island Iced Tea."

"You're braver than I am," Alyce replied with a smile, before picking up the menu and looking it over.

Five minutes later, Chickadee returned with the drinks and the Wonderlandian couple ordered their meals. The waitress said it'd be about a half-hour, so Hatter and Alyce continued to talk.

"So, do we really need all of that cash and jewelry we stole today?" Alyce asked, sipping on her daiquiri.

"Why?" Jervis asked carefully, giving her a strange look. "Do you have something else in mind?"

Alyce grinned. "Actually, yes, I do."

"What?"

"Why not confuse the police and the Jabberwocky even more? What if we pull a 'Robin Hood' on the city of Gotham? It would create temporary chaos, and make the citizens look at us in a slightly different light."

Jervis scratched his chin as he thought this over, then, "Yes, I like this idea. It can cover up the bigger, more sinister plan I have in mind, hiding our true intentions."

He grinned devilishly here, making Alyce smile in return. She had an idea of what he had in mind for the Jabberwocky…and possibly, Theresa. Jervis had said that her ex-friend would pay for what she did to her, and Alyce had to agree that she deserved some payback. She just didn't want to kill her friend turned adversary unless it was absolutely necessary.

******

The following day, Alyce went to the address Ivy had given her before she left the club with Harley. When Alyce pulled up in the cab, she noticed that the place was an abandoned greenhouse facility located on the edge of the city. Several maple and pine trees, with a few birches, surrounded the area here and there. It was the perfect place for a plant-woman like Pamela to do her thing.

Alyce got out of the cab and motioned for the cabbie to find a secluded area and wait for her command to pick her back up. She was flattered when Jervis made a small adjustment to one of his devices after they'd gotten back from the Iceberg. He'd made it so that she could control a cab driver to take her to Ivy's, rather than risk using the Jeep, which could have been spotted by a witness during one of the petty heists they'd pulled. Alyce wore a blue riding hat that had white, purple, and dark blue feathers inside a fancy silver pin that was attached to the hatband. This hat looked like a miniature version of a Victorian top hat, but was made for the Renaissance period. A spare main controlling unit that Jervis had tweaked was placed inside the hat, just like his was.

She had to admit that this made her feel rather special. Jervis even said that he didn't allow others use of his inventions unless he felt them worthy enough. They were few and far between. The only time he'd allowed someone to use his devices was when the Joker requested them, and that had ended up badly. It took over three months before Jervis had come out of his coma-induced state. This incident that Jervis had told Alyce about made said woman look at the Clown Prince of Crime with a slight sneer, rather than annoyance, which she had done towards the end of the tea party. It appeared that Jervis trusted her completely, and Alyce had to admit that she trusted him equally. She felt truly comfortable with him.

Alyce walked the couple hundred feet towards the first of two greenhouses, both of which were overgrown with vegetation. She also sensed something else about the place. As if it were alive somehow. She continued on carefully. When she came to what appeared to be a large wall of nothing but thick vines, the vines pulled aside as though a curtain was being drawn back. This revealed an open doorway to which Alyce cautiously entered.

"Hello, Alyce. Glad you could make it," Pamela's voice said from inside the room she'd just entered.

Looking around, Alyce could see plants of all shapes, sizes, colors, and some plants that looked wild and exotic. Those were the plants Alyce could swear were alive.

'I think I may have stumbled upon the garden of talking flowers,' she mused to herself, giving Pam a small smile.

"It's not a problem. We made an agreement. I try not to go back on my word."

"How loyal of you," Ivy replied with a raised eyebrow and a small grin.

She paused for a moment, before going on, "Before I show you around, I need to give you something."

She then produced a syringe from inside her forearm glove and waved it a little. Alyce gulped nervously.

"Don't worry," Ivy said, seeing the witch's reaction. "It's a formula that will make you immune to all of my toxic babies and chemicals I use."

Alyce relaxed. This was nice. Apparently, Pam liked her well enough to keep her well being in mind.

"Oh, well, thank you," she replied, taking in a deep breath as Ivy readied an area on Alyce's arm.

There was a small pinch a moment later, then pressure as Ivy pressed a cotton ball on the place the needle had stuck. Before the plant-lady pulled away, she frowned, looking at the scar on Alyce's left shoulder.

Looking from Ivy's own forest-green eyes to her shoulder, Alyce said somewhat darkly, "Jervis didn't do that to me. My best friend turned adversary did that to me."

"Okay, I wasn't sure," Pam said, giving her a stern look.

"Don't worry, Pam. I don't let him control me too much."

"Good. I've been trying to tell Harley that she needs to wake up, but she's the most stubborn person I think I've ever met."

Alyce couldn't help but grin. It sounded like either a: Pam was a mother-type figure, or b: the woman liked Miss Quinn in another type of way. She could tell that Ivy might swing both ways; just by the way she looked at and acted around the bubbly clown-woman. This didn't bother Alyce, so long as she wasn't the one being come on to by the plant-lady. That would just be creepy.

"Where's Harley?" Alyce ventured to ask.

"Joker came calling for her. I guess they're working on something to do with laughing fish. Sounds stupid, in my opinion, but Harley's all excited about it," Ivy answered with a roll of her eyes. "I suspect she'll be back in the next day or two, providing they don't get sent back to Arkham."

"Heh. That's a place I hope I don't ever end up in. Jervis tells me it's so normal that it's maddening."

Ivy grinned. "You have no idea. And the guards treat us like animals. Especially the newbies who try and prove their worth by heckling and unnecessary force."

Alyce frowned. "Sounds like some of them could use a lesson in manners."

Ivy laughed. "I knew I would like you, Alyce. Shall I show you around my humble abode before you begin doing your thing?"

"I'd like that very much. This place looks and feels…interesting," Alyce answered with a smile.

Pamela showed her around both greenhouses. The second one housed some of Ivy's more dangerous plants aside from the creeping vines, which Alyce had discovered were the curtain covering the entrance to greenhouse one. Greenhouse two had a man-eating venus flytrap, a set of poison-spitting exotic flowers, and a few other weird plant-creatures that Ivy had created. The woman really was a genius in botany, and Alyce loved the tropical, jungle-like atmosphere. There was a lot of energy here that she could work off of while putting up the cloaking and defensive wards.

After a forty-five minute tour of Ivy's hideout, Alyce began the warding process outside. First, she put up a cloaking ward that made the "abandoned" greenhouses appear like the surrounding forest. She needed Ivy present for this so that, after the ward was in place, she could connect the plant-lady with the ward so she could see the greenhouses. She was about to start on the defensive wards when Ivy stopped her.

"No need for the defensive wards, dearie. My babies can take care of intruders."

"All right," Alyce replied, her energy only about half drained.

'Thank the gods she's happy with the cloaking ward. Would be kind of embarrassing if I just passed out after placing all of the charms.'

"Thank you, Alyce. I'll go get the plants you asked for."

A few moments later, Ivy came back carrying a small pot that held a plant with little purple flowers on it, as well as another plant, also with purple flowers, only these ones were bigger with a different shape.

"Normally, I despise people who sabotage plants, but in your case, I don't mind because I know their sacrifice will be put to good use," Ivy said seriously as she handed the plants over to Alyce.

Alyce nodded. "Yes, they will. Thank you, Pam. Good luck with whatever you're doing."

"You too. C-ya, Alyce."

With a small wave from Ivy, Alyce headed out of the plant-lady's newly cloaked hideout and summoned the controlled cab driver so she could go back to Jervis and get to work on making some potions.