"My head hurts," Ivy choked, her eyes going out of focus as she lay her head against the soft padding of the backseat. She was soaking wet from head to toe, dripping what felt like gallons of water all over the nice velvet, and Freeze and Bane were no exception. Freeze took up a great deal of space, and she felt compressed as she squirmed as far as she could against the side door. They were all breathing heavily, having just made a desperate swim back to shore before the authorities could come to search the waters. Ivy had had Bane leave the limo outside of the gates so as to not be closed off, and Bane was hurriedly barreling down an old dirt road that circled the Mountain Timothy, a regional landmark on the outskirts of Gotham.

The woods up here were highly abundant, the wildlife mixed with thousands of low hanging trees and plenty of wildflowers. It would have reminded Ivy of the truth to her views on paradise, had she not been shaking from the cold, breathing erratically from their death defying escape. There was no reasonable explanation for how they still lived. Freeze had explained, of course, as they had made their run for the car, that his suit had been constructed to withstand impacts of that nature, and that by allowing him to be on the underside during the collision with the water, he had been able to absorb the impact of the blow; otherwise, Ivy would not have survived. Bane himself was biologically durable, but she… she was fragile.

There was no denying that Freeze had just saved her life, in more than one way. She may very well have been shot to death, had the guards managed to get into the room in time. She had murdered six mammals and that most likely would have meant no forgiveness on the ends of the Arkham guards. Even now they would be carting away the bodies… those beautiful, beautiful bodies…

"You're fortunate," Freeze told her, resting his head against the seat in equal fatigue. "A fall like that would have done so much more than hurt your head…"

"So you've told me," Ivy breathed back raggedly. Bane, as always, said nothing, had said nothing, but his own breathing was hoarse, and even a man of his power and withstanding had taken a severe beating from what had just happened. "I assume you're going to explain why you neglected to mention you have a wife, now, as I just saved your arse!"

Freeze gave her a dark look, though in the blackness of the seat (they had not turned on the lights, to avoid being spotted by search parties) she could not see it. Though from such a frosty character, there seemed to be much heat coming from that glare.

"What does that have to do with anything? You've saved me, yes, and for that I'm not going to be forgetting you any time soon. I owe you the world. But is there an issue you would like to discuss with me concerning my personals?"

"Only this," Ivy replied, her own tone filling with venom. "I've killed for you, exposed myself completely. Do you think that after this, I'll be able to walk around as I have been? Poison Ivy revealed herself at the Flower Ball, as you will remember, and she revealed herself tonight as well, pruning away six mammals in the process. I am a wanted woman now, same as you. I think after all of this, I deserve to have some reward thrown my way."

"And what exactly is it that you expect from me?"

"Well, for starters," she soothed, placing her hand upon his bulky leg and moving it slowly towards his groin, "an frozen meal with hard ice cubes…"

Freeze snatched at her hand, forcing it away. She jerked her arm back savagely, fire raging inside of her at his rejection.

"I'm a married man!" he snapped. "I've told you this already. Her name is Nora. And I won't whore myself on anyone's behalf save for her own!"

"Whore yourself!?"

"You seem to know a lot about that," he added. Ivy sat in a stunned silence, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing.

"Excuse me!?" she snapped furiously, her green eyes suddenly glowing bright in the dark. The radial luminance burned through the dark and illuminated Freeze's face, and the cold one, even with little understanding of Ivy's biology, knew that he had hit a low. He backed away, suddenly feeling a little less invulnerable. She pointed a threatening finger into his face. "Now, you listen to me… and you listen damn good." Her voice had lowered to the most menacing of tones, a true hatred of bitter iciness that he himself should probably enjoy. "I have sacrificed a damn lot! I have given you so much! I have killed, and do you know why? Because I enjoy killing! Do you think it was needed!? Do you truly think I had to kill? No. No, as a matter of fact, I could have easily gotten you out of that crap hole without taking a single life! But I killed because it was fun, and because it gives me sexual arousal when I kill, Freeze! So don't, and I mean don't, ever assume that I am a balanced woman, that I can take being insulted like that! I've done things- BANE, STOP THE FOCKING CAR!" She screamed ravenously at Bane, and the titan jumped, slamming his foot upon the brake at once. The limo jerked to an abrupt halt and Bane and Freeze both went flying forward, hitting the wheel and back of the front seat, respectively. George the dead businessman lurched about and hit the dashboard. Ivy's fury alone kept her in place. She yanked hard on Freeze's neck piece and pulled the man slightly forward, the icy one stunned at her sudden strength, and he dared not make a move. Not yet… "I have done some of the most horrible things imaginable during my time on this planet, Freeze, and I have enjoyed it! Enjoyed it so much! Do NOT think that for a moment I wouldn't hesitate to put you through Hell and back, because I can, and you make sure that you don't tempt me! I have an attraction to you, Freeze, and guess what?" Her voice lowered to a deadly whisper. "It's an unhealthy one. It would arouse me to have you finger me right here in this dark back seat, but it would arouse me even more to cut off your fingers and let you bleed in pain as I used them to finger myself! Don't you think for a moment that I couldn't do it, either!"

And with that, she pushed him hard against the glass, breathing madly as her eyes bulged, her hands positively shaking uncontrollably, and whether it was rage, insanity, or the most likely mixture was uncertain. Freeze sat there in stunned silence, looking in horror at that crazypath sitting beside him, and truly in that moment he questioned just what he had allowed himself to be dragged into.

Ivy turned in her seat and faced forward, but after a second, she slammed her fist against the door and opened it, stepping out into the cool darkness of the forest outside. She opened the front door instead, where George sat, and pulled the corpse from the front seat. Freeze watched in horror, for the lights suddenly came in the front, and when he saw the horribly rotten, poisoned corpse that she now pulled from the car, he felt vomit lurch into his stomach, and he could only watch in stunned silence as she pulled the dead man out into the road and slammed the door shut behind her. Darkness overtook the interior once more, and Bane nor Freeze dare made a movement, nor spoke a word.

They both could see her shadow outside, as she tossed the dead man onto the floor, and then saw her lower herself as well, vanishing from view. Freeze, afraid of what he may witness but curiosity getting the better of him, gently pushed his way to her side and lightly pulled the handle, pushing one hand against the door so as to not make a sound when he pushed it open slightly.

Even though he could not see her, as she was a little ways up, he could still hear her. And what he heard made his already frozen interior even more frosty, more unwelcoming to the senses of desire. And indeed, dark, evil desire was name.

She seemed to be moaning. Moaning, and from the wet, squishy sounds, kissing something. It sounded as if she were making out with a man in the darkness… but the only man out there was the corpse that had apparently been sitting in this car for the longest time.

"Come on, come inside of me," she was whispering to it, and Freeze, in horror, suddenly heard what sounded like a zipper. He could not tolerate it anymore. He kicked the door open and stepped out into the darkness. The moonlight was heavy as always tonight, and it illuminated the scene quite well. She had opened a front part of her outfit, and it was quite obvious by her silhouette's movements, in addition to her suddenly heavy breathing and sighing, as to what was happening.

"What are you!?" Freeze screamed at her, backing away in horror from the scene.

"Shut up!" Ivy cried, and truly she was crying, her voice shaking with tears as she made love to the corpse. "Just shut up! No one loves me, no one gives a damn about me, do they!? George, here… oh…. Oh, George here has never given up on- on… oh my goodness…." She moaned loudly. "George has never given up on me. He loves me… he's always here…"

"He's dead!" Freeze roared, his own tears falling, as he had never witnessed such horror, such abomination of sexuality, such a horrendous, inhuman act of consummation. "He's a corpse, a dead body! This is…. This is necro- necro-…" He could not finish the sentence, for it came then. His food, frozen into several ice cubes, suddenly emitted from him as he turned on the spot and vomited the cubed ice all over the ground. It was so very painful, so very painful indeed! Never had this happened before, not since his transformation had he had to vomit anything. And now that it came out, his stomach was riddled with pain and his throat felt as if it were being torn. He fell to his knees, breathing raggedly himself as he suffered. This is inhuman! THIS IS SO INUMAN! WHAT IS SHE!? JUST WHAT IS SHE!?

"Yes…suffer, Freeze, suffer!" Ivy scowled, laughing insanely, as wickedly as she could, positively amused wand fit to giggles. "Suffer as I do when you reject me! Suffer as I do, when I see mammals alive, Freeze! All of them deserve to die! All of them!"

Bane was shaking in his seat, his body trembling with mental torment. He wanted to run. Run as fast as he could and not look back, but simply throw himself into a bonfire or perhaps off of a cliff face when he could drown…drown into nothingness, escaping this nightmare… he beat his head against the steering wheel, screaming for the first time in a long while, losing all of his willpower to comprehend the severity of the situation… he hated her! He hated her, and he loved her! More, he desired her more than he loved and hated her. She was an object for which he had come to associate with breath itself, because the two of them shared the same repulsion, matched perfectly well by the fact that they not only acknowledged their repulsive natures, but enjoyed the fact that they knew of their evil and still continued to live within it. She was what he wanted in a woman: pure evil, because it was the only life he had ever known, and it made him feel joy that nothing else could.

Ivy finally stood up, allowing the corpse of the man to slip out of her, feeling relaxed now. The sex had allowed her to take her mind off of Freeze, for that was the purpose of George: he was always going to be there for her, to take her mind off of it all… dead body or not, he made her feel alive. He made her feel wanted. Not like Freeze. No… no, Freeze had to enjoy only the company of his wife. His damn wife… Nora, he had called her…

Nora…

Such a beautiful name, and she could only imagine how beautiful she must be in reality. A man of his tastes, of his power… surely he sought only the best. But she, Ivy, was more beautiful than any other woman in the world. She was perfection, not Nora! She was the goddess of the planet, not Nora! She was the dream of all men, not Nora! Nora, that worthless mammal who had poisoned the mind of the Ascended Freeze….

She wanted him! She had killed for him, had enjoyed taking those six lives back at Arkham (Edward having been a personal treat for herself)… and she would always be willing to kill for a man like him… if only Nora had never existed…

If only Nora could die…

And then, her heart skipped a beat. Realization hit her hard, and she suddenly became very much aware of the way the trees moved in the wind of this night, how the moon bore down upon her, and almost seemed to smile at her, as it issued the secret message to her mind…and to her black heart… and to her unpurified soul…

Truly, she thought to herself, gasping as the realization. What!? You mean… you mean that truly? You mean that so seriously, don't you?

Yes, the moon seemed to say, and she could almost see it nodding at her.

And… and do you think I could do it?

Why not? This world, and all that is in it, belongs to you, to do with as you please, goddess… never ever forget that. If you do, then you are worthless and undeserving to call yourself Mother Nature, for Mother Nature rules over the Earth and commands that what is hers be administered without question… you kill because it is your right to kill… it is your right to experience pleasure from killing. So if you want something, and it brings you joy, is that not a double incentive to kill for it? Take what is yours, because the world has no right denying you of it… take what is yours, and enjoy it forever…

Yes… yes you're right, she whispered in her mind, connecting the pieces of the front of her suit that opened to reveal her body. Yes, I could do it. I could KILL her… if I murder Nora… then I would have so much pleasure… and I would be happy. My happiness is all that matters. And not only that, but without her… without her…

Just what could happen, without her? What wondrous dreams could come true, what emotions would be brought to the surface?

Without her, he would need someone in her place. A replacement queen…

She smiled deliciously. Oh, my goodness… just when I thought I couldn't get any more evil…. Oh, thank you, Mother Nature… thank you so much…

She turned to face Freeze, who was leaning against the wheel of the car, breathing hard in a vain attempt to get his respiratory system under control, frozen tears whisking away as they fell…. Ivy walked towards him, and the frozen one looked up in fear. Strength and brutality, they meant nothing. Mental subjugation and an insight to true evil… it was far worse.

She crouched down, and placed her gloved hands upon his face. He did not struggle. Half of him hoped she would kiss him. If he died here… at least he could forget the horror of what he had witnessed just now quickly… Hell would be for a better distraction…. And even that tormented him.

"Victor," she whispered, testing her hypothesis that the ascended one preferred his false name (of course, if that was what he had chosen to be, then she must simply respect it). "Victor… I'm… I'm sorry…"

She began to cry again, but this time, they were false tears. She hung her head low, her soaked red hair brushing lightly against his armor as she cried, faking a shaking in her arms for maximum effect. "I'm s- so sorry… I'm a bitch. A fool… you love her, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Freeze demanded, his voice gruff and pained. Blue blood was dripping from his mouth. The vomiting had damaged him quite a bit. Ivy looked, her eyes getting puffy from her fake show, directly into his face, admiring his features.

"I mean… I mean… you love your wife so much. Nora… she has a beautiful name, and I… I'm just a jealous idiot… I wanted you, for myself… you were such a beautiful man, and when you rejected me… I just couldn't t-take it… Yes, I make love to dead bodies, but it's because I have no one else…. You're an understanding man, aren't you? Don't you understand? I'm desperate…" She sobbed harder, making sure to stay on subtle terms but also to give it only the slightest degree of exaggeration. Something she had noticed, when it came to true despair interloped by tears, was that true crying actually did sometimes have a way that sounded as if it were being faked. It depended upon the grief and the size of the woman, and she was sure that this could work. Freeze did not know what to say. He simply sat there, staring in silence as he tried to comprehend what she wanted to convey.

"I…"

She put a hand over his lips, shaking her head. Shut the hell up until I am finished, you stupid bastard!

"I know you love her… and I realize that… that I can't always have what I want… I admired you for you, not for any hope of being with you, even though I want to be… so… so what I'm saying is… I understand…"

"You understand?"

"Yes, I do!" she sighed dramatically, passionately, grinning at him (though she looked more deranged than happy). "I understand! This is true love, the bond between husband and wife! What could be more beautiful!? And I'm the selfish little bitch who tried to stand between that! Well, not anymore, alright! I killed for you and I saved you from Arkham, but I'm going to bring it one step further…"

"You…you are!?"

"YES!" Ivy cried out, standing tall and looking skyward, winking at the moon. "Yes, I am! I'm going to save her! I'm going to save Nora! I promise it! You and her are going to be reunited, and I won't let anyone come between me and that goal. I will kill so many people just to reach her, and ensure that you have your wife! That's my promise! I swear it." She turned and reached out her hand, giving him a soft, assuring face, her features calm and collected. She looked genuinely sorry and genuinely inspired. Freeze, staring in amazement, took her hand without argument and stood, facing her as well.

"You're serious?" he whispered.

Ivy grinned, nodding vigorously. "Yes! Yes, I am! I promise you, this, Freeze, Mother Nature shall bear witness to all of these things. Don't you worry about your wife, Victor! Ivy is going to rescue her. And I shall poison every man, woman, and child who dares to stand in my way! These lips are the deadliest weapon, and they'll be used in your honor, in Nora's name!" She threw her arms around him and pulled him close. He looked startled. "You have my word…"

"Ivy…"

"Poison, love," she said, pulling back without removing her arm around him as she used one to wipe her tears. "Call me Poison."

"Poison, then… I truly appreciate this…"

"Oh, my dear, it's my pleasure, and believe me, I know all about pleasure. I'll get your frozen flower back in one piece. And I'll even remove some of the scum of Gotham in your name. I saved you because I love what you are, who you are. You have my word that I shall serve you towards the end of our goals. We'll take Gotham by a storm, and we will rise above all others!"

"You think so?"

Ivy licked her lips. "Oh, I know so… I can't wait to show you my garden, and the true lengths of my power. It's going to be beautiful."

"You truly are yourself," Freeze acknowledged, nodding. "A poisoned interior that is sweet as can be."

"Oh, no, I assure you," Ivy replied in a deadly voice. "I'm as bitter as they come. Come on, love, come into the car and let's get on the road. The sooner we can get your wife back to you, the better."

"Of course," Freeze nodded, moving at once for the door. Ivy stood there for a moment, smiling darkly as she examined the forest about her. This was perfect. Freeze would lead her right to where Nora was hidden… and then she could kill Nora. When Nora was dead, Freeze would be all hers. He may claim to be immune to the pheromones, but she could fix that. It may be forced, at first, or perhaps she would have to find a way to limitlessly induce him with the pheromones… but she would have him! Nora Fries would die tonight, it was all that Ivy cared about. She was going to win…

Nora, baby doll, enjoy your last moments… because Ivy is coming, and when she arrives, you'll die. Because you have to die.

And she turned around, prepared to open the door to the car. She cast one glance at the businessman's corpse, still lying upon the ground… and in that moment, she severed her ties with the man. Blowing him a kiss, she smirked as she climbed back into the car, leaving him there.

Sorry, George, you were fun, but I've gotten me some fresh meat who will stay fresh. I'll miss you… but honestly, I can do better.

And with that thought, she slammed the door shut behind her, and Bane revved the engine, driving away from the spot as the dead body lay illuminated upon the ground, awaiting the scavengers who would come to eat from it… and subsequently die, when they too swallowed a mouthful of Ivy's poison. Soon, their bodies would pile up and the scavengers who came to eat them would die as well, and the cycle would continue, a spiral of death of Ivy's making. The last days of the mammals at hand.