Title:The End Starts Today
Author: Jen Kollic

Disclaimers: All characters are trademarks of DC Comics. I make no money from this. Wah.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Notes: I'm sorry Harley. I didn't mean it. Much.

Spoilers: Big spoilers for Return of the Joker. (the uncut version) Passing references to various other toonverse cartoon/comic episodes/issues as well.

Chapter 2

Harley really hadn't been expecting things to turn out this way. Sure, she'd had a bad feeling about the whole thing, especially given her suspicions about what Mistah J had been doing to the kid during "father-son time". But hey, she and Red had kidnapped the other Robin that time and nothing that bad had come of it except all the attention Ivy had been giving him which had been really annoying but then again there were more important things to be worrying about right now, like the fact she was currently plummeting into a chasm. Harley certainly hadn't seen that one coming.

For the first couple of seconds Harley had been expecting Batgirl to catch her, what with her having the handy array of bat-shaped grappling hooks and all. This had been followed by the realisation that no, Batgirl was in fact not going to save her and 'oh fuck I'm plummeting into a chasm'. The latter would have been funny in a certain context, but given that Harley was the one doing the plummeting, not the one watching it, it was pretty clear the joke was on her and by the way she should REALLY be doing something to slow her descent because it wasn't the fall that killed you, it was the impact. Which was really much the same thing once she came to think of OH FUCK!

Strangely enough, after the initial burst of terrified shock, Harley found that she was reacting with a disturbingly indifferent detachment. Without even seeming to think about it, she stretched her limbs out to provide maximum air resistance as she fixed her gaze on a rapidly-approaching concrete pillar jutting out below her. If she could catch hold of that and flip herself up onto it she'd just have to worry about how she'd get back up the side of the chasm. Piece of cake.

Maybe that plan would have worked better if Harley had taken the speed of her fall into account. Although she managed to catch hold of the pillar, her left arm was wrenched out of its socket while doing so, which shattered the curious detachment and replaced it with searing pain and screaming panic. Harley scrabbled wildly at the mercilessly smooth surface of the concrete with her right hand, a soft whimper of terror forcing itself from her throat as she felt herself slipping inexorably downwards, her left arm uselessly slumping back to hang at her side. She didn't even have time to scream before she lost her tenuous grip and continued to fall, leaving smears of blood on the concrete from her torn fingernails.

The scream Harley did manage was abruptly cut off as she hit a ledge jutting from the chasm wall, her right leg crumpling beneath her with a horrible crack of bone as she struck it knee-first. For several long seconds, everything was a bright, stark white as the pain caught up with her, and when Harley's vision returned she was falling again.

And then something slammed hard into her chest, bringing her descent to a sharp, rib-cracking halt. Harley wasn't exactly sure how that had happened, for a few moments she even thought that Batgirl had caught her, and it was her arm, or possibly Batman's, that was pressing into her chest. Nope. She'd fallen across an iron girder, and was staring straight down into the depths of the chasm below. She still couldn't see the bottom. That was cheerful. Harley made no attempt to move, even if she'd had the strength she was in too much pain to even twitch. Instead she hung limply over the metal bar like a ragdoll, which was probably what saved her from falling further. She was somewhat relieved when she finally lost consciousness a few minutes later.

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It was quite possible that Ivy had never been more frightened in her life than she was at this moment, kneeling precariously on the pitted surface of the iron girder with one arm half-stretched towards Harley's motionless body. The abrasions across Ivy's bare arms and legs bore mute witness to her frenzied scramble downwards. But now Ivy couldn't bring herself to touch her. Harley looked dead, her body dangling limply across the thick metal bar like a marionette without strings. And Ivy couldn't bear the thought of touching her only to have her fears confirmed.

Beneath and around them, the vines were coiling about the girder, securing it to the chasm wall and ensuring that it wouldn't budge from the decaying concrete. Several more snaked beneath Harley's body, gradually raising and straightening her limbs (or at least straightening them as far as their current state would allow) until she lay flat against them. Harley didn't react in the slightest, not even showing any sign of pain as the vines slowly inched her unresisting body back towards Ivy.

Harley's skin was cold and wet; a mix of greasepaint and blood smearing across Ivy's fingers as she gently touched the clown-girl's cheek with a trembling hand. Biting her lip hard enough to draw her own blood, Ivy hesitantly slid her fingers beneath Harley's chin, feeling for a pulse at her throat. Even the snaking vines ceased their movements as she waited for what felt like an eternity.

Ivy would never be able to describe the relief which surged through her as she felt the faint beat beneath her fingertips. Letting out an explosive, sobbing breath, Ivy realised for the first time that she was crying, her tears scoring hot lines down her face in sharp contrast to the cold rain which was still beating down upon them. She had to get Harley out of here. Gesturing to the vines, Ivy watched anxiously as more curled beneath Harley's body, weaving themselves into a dense sling around her so that she could be kept still while she was lifted back up to the ruins of Arkham.

The plants didn't need to be told to be gentle; they already knew how much this human meant to their mother. Perhaps even better than she did herself.

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In less than half the time it had taken for the climb downwards, Ivy was back on solid ground and had moved Harley onto her back beneath the shelter of an overhanging wall. The sky was still dark and sullen, but streaked with lighter grey and a muddy purple towards the east. Ivy hadn't realised just how much time she'd spent looking for Harley, and didn't even want to think about how long the other woman had been down there. She was alive, that was all that mattered.

…but she was terribly hurt. Ivy had a basic knowledge of first-aid, and she knew enough to be aware that she was nowhere near skilled enough to treat injuries of this severity. She was trying hard not to look below Harley's waist, but the pale glint of broken bone kept catching her eye. Harley's right leg had been broken so badly below the knee that a long shard of bone had torn through both her skin and her costume, the bright red of the fabric now stained a darker, rusty crimson.

But that wasn't all. Harley's left arm was twisted back at an impossible angle, obviously dislocated. And even though she didn't react as Ivy gently probed her ribs, there were certainly several fractures there too. Strangely, it was her right hand which was the most distressing though. The palm and fingertips were badly torn and abraded, the nails broken and split, evidence of a desperate attempt to maintain a handhold. She must have been terrified. That thought was the worst.

Thoughts weren't helping though. Harley needed help, and she needed it now. Ivy was cursing her lack of foresight in coming here on foot, but she didn't dare leave Harley now, and there wasn't a (working) phone for miles. The vines would just have to keep carrying her. They were a slow and cumbersome mode of transport given that they weren't made for carrying people around, but they'd be able to carry Harley indefinitely, unlike Ivy. And also keep her more or less motionless and flat while doing so.

At Ivy's gesture, the vines coiled under Harley's body began to twist and twine themselves together as more creepers surged beneath the rough mattress they'd formed, raising it a few feet from the ground. Hardly the most inconspicuous way to travel, but since the area around Arkham was deserted Ivy didn't really need to worry about being seen. She just had to worry about where she'd steal a car from. And whether Harley would get worse (not die, she was not going to die) before she could get her to a hospital. Or if taking her to a hospital was even a good idea if Batman wanted her dead. (surely he either wouldn't have let her fall, or wouldn't have left her here if he didn't…) But she certainly had no time to waste on worrying now.

With a resigned sigh, Ivy made an impatient motion with her hand, and the living bier that the vines had formed shuffled forward awkwardly. It couldn't move much faster than a quick walk, which was extremely frustrating. Though it was better than nothing, and at least Ivy could keep up with it and make sure Harley didn't fall. Almost in the same instant that possibility occurred to her, two loose vines curled gently but firmly around Harley's chest and waist. Good babies.

For the next ten minutes or so, the only sounds were Ivy's footsteps and the slither of the vines, interrupted only by the occasional low rumble of thunder. Thankfully the rain was starting to slacken off as the storm died down, the dim, murky light on the eastern horizon slowly growing stronger. However, all thoughts of the weather vanished from Ivy's mind as a faint whimper broke the silence. Not Ivy's.

The plants had halted their ungainly movement as Ivy stopped dead, dropping to her knees by Harley's head as she saw her eyelids flicker and reaching out to gently touch the clown-girl's face. It was almost as if Harley had been waiting for the contact; as Ivy's fingers brushed her cheek, her eyes opened. But they were glazed and dull, staring vacantly ahead and not seeming to register Ivy's presence.

"Harley?" Ivy's voice was an urgent hiss. "Can you hear me?"

A faint frown followed by a slight nod was Harley's only response, her eyes still unfocused and distant. She made an attempt to sit, either not remembering that she was hurt, or not realising how badly, but a slight jerk of her right leg was enough to remind her. Ivy saw Harley's pupils contact almost to pinpoints as her mouth fell open in a silent scream of agony.

"Don't try to move!" Ivy ordered, much too late, unconsciously adopting the exasperated tone she so often used around Harley. "Just keep still, I'm going to get you help." she added, more gently.

The shock of pain seemed to have sharpened Harley's perception, her eyes now gradually focussing on Ivy's face. She made a few abortive attempts to speak, her face twisting as the efforts aggravated her broken ribs. And despite Ivy's attempts to shush her, Harley eventually managed to croak out a few hoarse, gasping words.

"Red? You found me…" She would have said more if Ivy's hand hadn't then been pressed firmly against her lips to silence her.

"Don't try to talk, you've been badly hurt." Ivy hated stating the obvious, but, well, this was Harley she was talking to. "Just be quiet and keep still, you can tell me what the hell happened here after I've gotten you to a hospital…"

"No!" Harley's sudden start of fear made Ivy jump. "Not the hospital! They'll find me!" Her blue eyes were wide and terrified as she gazed pleadingly at Ivy. "I can't go there!"

Well. It looked like Ivy had been right about Batman wanting Harley dead. But that didn't do anything to change the fact that she was still terribly injured. "Harley, you need medical attention. You're too badly hurt for me to patch you up, you'll most likely die if I don't get you to a doctor!"

"And he'll kill me if he finds me…" Harley moaned softly with a shudder of pain.

"Who? Batman?" Ivy gently laid one hand over Harley's. "Not in a hospital he wouldn't."

"He could! He's Batman!" To Ivy's surprise, Harley managed to seize her hand, the jagged edges of her broken nails biting into Ivy's palm. "It… it was really bad Red… you're the smart one, you can figure something out… I can't go to a hospital!"

Ivy could feel Harley's hand shaking as she clutched at hers. Maybe she already knew what had happened to the Joker, which would explain her terror. And, well, Batman (or one of his allies) had killed him, so maybe Harley wasn't over-reacting. If Batman really did want her dead then the best course of action would be to get her out of Gotham as quickly as possible. But she still needed urgent medical treatment…

…well, Ivy was supposed to be the smart one, wasn't she? Looking down at Harley with a sigh, Ivy gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"You're right Harl. I'll think of something…"