Chapter 14

Say what you wanted about Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, there was one thing both sides of his personality were in complete agreement on.

Family first.

Which was why, after his informants discovered it, Harvey was intrigued when he heard that Barbara Gordon was getting her legs back. He, like most of Gotham, knew what had happened to the girl, due to the fact there had been a lot of news coverage, her being the Commissioner's daughter and all.

This intrigued him, because Harvey had one sibling, a younger sister named Linda. Her daughter, his niece, had been in a serious accident at her school, causing her to be paralyzed from the waist down.

The problem was, despite hearing this news about Barbara, he had no idea if it was true or not. And he'd certainly never heard of any new procedures capable of giving someone their legs back. So he needed to investigate. Again, he had no idea where Barbara lived, which was the logical place to start. Ever since Joker shot her, Barbara and the Commissioner had done a good job keeping her residence secret.

Which was why it had taken him several days to find the place.

And really, it was ingenious, though the security system of the clock tower had been unbelievable. And it was really luck that he stumbled upon the secret entrance to…well whatever she called this room, he was calling it her lair.

He'd gotten frustrated with not finding anything in the apartment, and picked up a book to throw, only the book didn't move off the shelf, and opened the entrance.

The first thing he noticed was the massive computer system, which suggested that Jim's little angel wasn't such an angel. Then he found the batgirl costume, behind a glass case, which made him suspect that the female Gordon had, after her accident, become the fabled Oracle.

But it wasn't until he found a potted plant in a far corner that he got his first real lead.

Harvey may not have been a botanist, but he knew Ivy's work when saw it. The flower's distance and hidden location, combined with its unique appearance suggested nothing else.

Shame it was dead.

Ivy had gone to ground since her pardon, and he really couldn't blame her. He knew Batman well enough to know he'd hound the woman if he saw her. But…

Harley Quinn had been shot. Most criminals knew just how protective Ivy was of the blonde, and Harvey was willing to bet his lucky coin she'd show up at the hospital.

And he'd be waiting to question her.

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Barbara watched from a distance as Ivy looked out over her yard.

The green-skinned woman had, after Barbara had hacked the police database and found out what happened to Harley, stormed from the kitchen to her front steps.

She'd been sitting on them now for almost two hours, her hands clenched together in front of her, as she gazed into her yard.

Rolling her wheelchair towards the woman, she was no more than three feet away when Ivy spoke.

"I suppose you're wondering why I haven't stormed out of her to kill that damned clown yet," she asked, her voice filled with anger, tension, and regret.

Barbara licked her lips, "The thought had crossed my mind."

Ivy sighed, "I want to, I have since the first minute I discovered he'd laid a hand on Harley." She snorted. "He is everything about men that I hate, rolled into one sadistic package. But as much as I hate him, I care for Harley more."

Barbara frowned confused, and as her thoughts drifted to Ivy, the other woman answered them.

"Yes, killing him would spare her pain, physically at least. But…Harley is fragile, mentally. There's a reason he was able to so quickly seduce her to him, and over time, Joker has only enthralled her more." Ivy licked her lips. "Make no mistake, it is taking everything in me, NOT to go hunt him down. But if I did, if I killed Joker before Harley realized just what he was doing to her, I would be doing something worse."

"What?" Barbara asked.

"Breaking my word to Harley," Ivy answered simply. Sighing, she elaborated, "When Harley first came to me, covered in bruises, I was furious. I knew it wasn't Batman's work, if it had been, she would have been in Police custody. Not to mention she was sobbing as I held her. I demanded to know who had hurt her, I already had my suspicions. Before she'd confirm them however, she made me promise, fucking promise, not to go after him. I could have ignored it and gone after him anyway, I should have…But…at that moment, she needed my comfort more than his death."

Ivy gulped. "I promised her that, until she told me otherwise, I wouldn't go after Joker. As long as there is life in Harley's lungs, I let the Joker live. As long as she tells me to spare him, I let the Joker live. As much as I HATE that clown, I will not break my word to Harley. I'm all she has, and if I do kill him, she won't come to me. As fragile as her mind is, I'm afraid of what she would do if she didn't have me."

The other woman gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?" Barbara asked.

"Harley is obsessed with Joker. If he is killed before she realizes what he's done to her, and she isn't killed at the same time, I truly believe it would push her over the edge. At least, if I'm not the one to kill him, she'll come to me, and I can do damage control. But without me…she'd be lost, completely."

Barbara didn't know what to say. This was an insight into both Ivy and Harley, and the relationship they had with each other.

Suddenly, Ivy shot up, scanning the yard. "Something's here that shouldn't be," she growled, stepping angrily off the steps.

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Fawkes knew he should have stayed the England.

The phoenix had, since he know had a name to go on, been attempting to deliver a letter to the woman known as Poison Ivy. Dumbledore always preferred the diplomatic approach, as you were less likely to be betrayed when your peons worked for you willing, rather than forcibly.

The phoenix, having been influenced by Dumbledore's steady fall from the light due to their bond, didn't think anything of it. And was simply planning on delivering the letter as asked. Sadly, things don't always go as planned, even if you're a phoenix.

The first problem was that he couldn't flash directly to the woman. His flashing ability depended on his fire, and wherever the woman was, it was behind rather uncommon fire wards.

Fire wards were uncommon for a few major reasons. The biggest had to do with the fact that most magical's used fire in their homes. Whether it was for cooking, light, potion brewing, or simply floo travel, fire wards prevented any fire from being inside them. Oh, there were some places that had them, usually smaller buildings such as greenhouses or storage sheds.

But this entire property was surrounded by them.

While annoying, it wasn't really that big a deal to the bird, he enjoyed a good flight every now and then. He didn't mind the numerous plants either…at least, not until his leg was grabbed by a tree.

Soon, other branches grabbed him, and without the ability to use his flames, the phoenix was helpless. He couldn't even burn prematurely! So if he died…that was it.

It was at this point that the red and gold bird began to panic.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" a feminine voice asked. The branches holding the swan-sized bird began to lower, until he was face to face with the woman he had been sent to deliver his message to.

He trilled, hoping to get her help, but for some reason the branches tightened as he did so, so the bird stopped.

Walking forward, the redhead snatched the letter from his claw and opened it. Reading it, she snorted. Looking back at him, she said, "It's really a shame that you chose to bond with Dumbledore. And I'm afraid I know how the familiar bond works, so I know you're not exactly a light phoenix. And while I have no doubts about the defenses of my home, I've got too much on my plate at the moment to deal with the numerous attempts the old fool and his followers are likely to make, once you show them where I live."

She grinned, and the look sent chills down the phoenix's spine.

"For what it's worth, I'm not the least bit sorry."

Suddenly the branches began to tighten.

And soon, Fawkes blacked out, never to fly again.

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After instructing her plants to turn the phoenix to mulch, Ivy began the walk back to her manor. She truly didn't feel sorry for killing the phoenix, perhaps if it had been un-bonded or bonded to someone she trusted, the woman would have let the bird live.

As it was, the bird was too much of a risk to leave alive.

Not to mention that Dumbledore would probably go insane when his beloved bird didn't return.

It was a win-win situation.

Stepping back onto her porch, where Barbara was waiting, the other red-head asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Peachy," Ivy told her sarcastically. "Dumbledore apparently knows who I am now, or at least enough to send his bird after me." Sighing, Ivy said, "I'm going to go up and change, then go see Harley. I don't know how long I'll be gone."

Without waiting for a reply, Ivy stepped into the manor, leaving Barbara behind her.

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I'm going to be honest, I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter, namely Ivy's reaction to the news of Harley's injury, but after several attempts, this is the one I liked best, and I just want it over and done with as it was so frustrating to write.

Also, Harvey isn't going to have to big a part in this, but his niece is. And if you're wondering how he found out about Barbara, people have overheard Jim talking about it to various people, and word got out, especially as I imagine that in a city as dirty as Gotham, there are cops on the take, Harvey's probably has his own officer's in his pocket.

Please Review and Checkout the Challenges in My Forums and the stories I have up for adoption, posted under the title Please Adopt Me!