Chapter 21

"So those people at the Hospital are magical terrorist, from Great Britain?" Alfred summarized after Bruce relayed the conversation he'd had with Zatanna to him.

"Yes," Bruce confirmed, leaning back in his chair. "But that's not what's worrying me."

"Oh?" the butler asked with a raised eyebrow.

The dark haired man didn't take his gaze off of the computer screen in front of him. "I had no idea why they would be at Gotham General, so I asked Zatanna if she had one. The only thing she could think of was Harley."

"Dr. Quinzel? My word, what would they want with her?"

"Zatanna only said that she had a close friend who is rather important magically," Bruce told him. "When I asked her who, and what these Deatheaters would want them for, she refused to tell me. What disturbs me is that, to my knowledge, Harley is only close to two people."

"Joker and Miss Isley," Alfred supplied.

"And as far as I'm aware, neither are capable of magic." Bruce sighed, and rubbed a hand over his face.

While Zatanna and Doctor Fate were magic users, they were rather selective when it came to information. Neither supplied information unless they felt it prudent. That meant that, when in came to magical information and threats, he was nowhere near as prepared as he would like to be. And despite having access to Atlantean magic information due to Aquaman, apparently the Atlanteans didn't interact with the land magical at all, unless they really had to.

And the idea of Harley having a close friend who was magical….was not a happy thought.

The Dark Knight was pulled from his musings as his Justice League communicator went off. Answering it, he asked, "What is it?"

"You need to get to the Watchtower," Superman said through the communicator. Bruce could hear the stress in his voice.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Diana...she had a fight with Cheetah and...she's in the infirmary Bruce, no one knows what's wrong with her."

"I'm on my way," Bruce assured the other hero, even as he ran towards the transporter.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"So I think we should visit my dad," Barbara supplied.

Ivy looked up from the table, where she was working on one of her projects. She gave the other woman an incredulous look. "We?" she asked. "What do you mean we?"

Barbara shrugged. "We are having children together," she explained. "I think he should at least find out before he shows up and I have two kids on my hip."

The green-skinned woman looked down for a moment, before asking, "And how are you going to explain the fact that their other mother is Poison Ivy? I really don't think it's a good idea for me to be there, not until I'm sure he won't shoot me."

"He wouldn't shoot you," Barbara defended her father.

"Barbara, I'm a newly pardoned super-villain," Ivy said, looking up. "One with a history of using pheromones to seduce and control others. And while we both know I'm not doing that to you, your father is the Police Commissioner. He's going to be suspicious first, justifiably at that, before you convince him that you're here, and having children with me, of your own free will. Even then, I'm sure he'll want to shoot me. Grinning she added, "I mean, I am having children with his little girl."

"Smart ass," Barbara grumbled.

Ivy chuckled lightly. "I try."

Sighing, the former Batgirl asked, "Then what do you suggest I do about him?"

"Go talk to him, show him you're walking again. And don't mention me...at all, otherwise you're likely to end up in the hospital undergoing god knows how many test as they try and figure out what I've done to you." She looked back down at her notes. And then she grabbed a few chemicals she'd gotten out before mixing them.

"That doesn't help me explain my involvement with you," Barbara protested.

"You're right, it doesn't." Ivy didn't look away from what she was doing. As she finished mixing her latest concoction she finally looked up at Barbara. "Baby steps. Let's make sure he's grateful you can walk, and sure your alright, before we toss in me and the twins." Pulling out a large jar, she added, "Maybe by then he won't want to shoot me," before filling the jar with her concoction.

"What is that supposed to do?" Barbara asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"This is...well, you really don't want to know."

"Ivy?" the other woman growled.

"Did Batman ever tell you about the time I was turning humans into trees?" she asked.

"He did," Barbara growled. "I understand you were using a spa of some kind to lure people in."

"I was," Ivy said fondly. Shaking her head she continued her explanation. "The process I used was rather long and complex. This," she held up the now sealed jar, "is a modified serum that will rapidly speed up the process."

"And why are you making it?"

The green skinned woman shrugged. "I'm bored," she admitted. "Even if I never use this, it calms me just to make it."

Barbara gave her a worried look. "Just how often to you create weaponized chemical solutions?"

"Probably more than I should," Ivy admitted. "Though to be honest I prefer developing new flora, but that takes longer." She walked over and opened a door that apparently led to a walk-in closet. Barbara noticed there were numerous concoctions shelved in it. Ivy placed this latest concoction on one of the shelves, before walking out. "If you want, you can take the car and see him today."

"What?"

"Your father, you can take the car and see him today," Ivy supplied.

"Oh...thanks."

Ivy rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go see if Harley and Hermione have killed each other yet," she said as she shed her lab coat, revealing her leafy coverings below. "The keys are in the ignition."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Hey Alfred," Dick Grayson said as he greeted the old butler.

Alfred merely raised an eyebrow. "You know you do not need to ring the bell Richard," he lectured lightly. "You are always welcome here."

"I doubt that," he said, a little glumly. "Bruce isn't here, is here?"

"Master Bruce has been called away to the Watchtower," the butler supplied. "Are you staying for long?" he then asked, a little hopefully.

Dick licked his lips. "No. I just stopped in to ask...have you seen Barbara? She wasn't at her apartment...and the Commissioner slammed the door in my face when I asked him about her."

"Miss Gordon is away having a procedure to repair her legs," Alfred explained. "I'm afraid I do not know where, nor when she will return."

"She's getting her legs fixed?" the former Robin asked, a little shocked.

"So she has claimed."

"Well then I guess...could you call me when she gets back in town?"

Alfred took a breath, before replying, "I will."

"Thanks Alfred," Dick said happily.

He was already imagining what he and Barbara could do with her legs repaired.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"She's been poisoned," Bruce informed his fellow league members. "It must have been on Cheetah's claws. Whatever it is, Jonn's doing his best to slow it down but..."

"But what?" Wally West, the Flash, asked clearly worried.

"I can't identify the poison," Bruce admitted tiredly. "I've taken a sample that I'm going to take down for the Bat Computer to analyze, but I truly don't think we have the time for it to complete it's analysis."

"What can we do?" Clark Kent, Superman asked.

"We need someone who's an expert on poison and toxins, specifically rare and unique ones," Bruce explained. "We need Poison Ivy's help," he admitted reluctantly. "But since her pardon, I have no idea where she is. More importantly, I have no idea what we could do to convince her to help."

"We'll worry about that after we find her," Clark told his friend, before looking worriedly through the glass observation window to the infirmary. He could clearly see Diana writhing in pain as the poison worked it's way through her body.

They didn't have much time to waist.

Picking up his communicator, he opened all frequencies, before speaking through it. "Attention all Leaguers, we have a Priority Alpha Emergency. If anyone knows the location of Pamela Isley, Alias Poison Ivy, we need it ASAP."

He waited a moment, fully expecting he'd have to fly out and search for the pardoned villain. He was immensely relieved when he heard a reply back. "This is Zatanna, I know where Ivy is."

Clark looked at Bruce. "Just in case, get that sample to your computer. I'll go with Zatanna to get Ivy."

Bruce nodded, and turned to run to the transporter. As he did, Clark lifted the communicator back up to his mouth. "Zatanna, I'm outside the Watchtower Infirmary. Come get me, and then we're going to get Ivy."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Barbara was just pulling up to Ivy's gate, heading out to see her father, she suddenly Superman and Zatanna were in front of her. She slammed on the brakes, thankful she'd been going relatively slow as she was still in Ivy's drive.

"What the hell?" she demanded. Slamming the car into park, she jumped out and asked angrily., "What are you doing back here Zatanna, and with Clark of all people?"

Clark was clearly surprised to see Barbara, let alone see her walking. But he didn't question her. Instead he said, "We have a priority Alpha Situation," he explained. "We need Ivy's help."

Barbara was shocked. Priority Alpha meant a Leaguer was in a life or death situation. "Who?"

"Diana," Clark explained. "Where's Ivy?"

"Right here."

The group turned to see Ivy and Harley walking towards them. Harley might not have her signature outfit on, but she was carrying a large mallet, clearly prepared for a fight. Ivy held her hand to the blonde. "They're here for my help," she told the blonde, "Not a fight."

"Well I don't trust 'em," Harley said, obviously suspicious.

Ivy smirked slightly, but she turned to Zatanna and Superman. "What can I help you with?"

Superman took a breath before explaining. "Wonder Woman's been poisoned. We can't identify with what, nor can we stop it."

Ivy opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Barbara thought frantically, 'Please help. Diana's a friend.'

The green skinned woman paused, and briefly glanced at Barbara, who gave her a pleading look. Sighing, she said, "Fine. Take me to her. I'll do what I can."

"Red?" Harley questioned.

"I'll explain later Harls. Head back up to the manor, I don't know when I'll be back." She then looked at Zatanna. "You'll have to take me to the Amazon, since I don't know where she is."

Zatanna nodded. And without hesitating, the magician grabbed Ivy;s arm, and the two vanished with a light crack.

"Clark," Barbara said, "keep me updated."

"I will," he assured her, before he took off into the sky.

Alone, Harley Glared at Barbara. "Ya know she's doin' this for you." she said. "If anythin' happens to her, I'll kill ya."

Barbara believed every word out of the blonde's mouth. Still, she said, "The League won't harm her, not if she's helping them."

"We'll see," Harley said, before hoisting her mallet over her shoulder, and walking back up towards the manor.

Not really feeling like visiting her father now, Barbara climbed into the car to take it back up to the garage. Besides, she knew how to access the Watchtowers camera's on her laptop. It was the best way to keep updated.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

So this is the beginning of a short little story arc that enables me to do a couple things, the most important of which is negotiate a...for lack of a better term, a pardon for Harley. It took me a while to come up with the idea, hence the long wait between chapters. But I didn't want Harley to simply be pardoned like Ivy, for one thing, she doesn't have the connections or...mental stability for such an easy route. It will do a few other things, and solve a couple of other issues I was working out, but...I hope you enjoy what's coming up.

Please Review, Check Out the Challenges in My Forums (Link on Profile) and the Stories I have Up for Adoption Under the Title: Please Adopt Me!