Selina stared up at Bruce's face, so calm in his sleep. She wasn't sure if he dreamed or not, but wherever he went when he closed his eyes, it must be peaceful. Even before he'd nearly been killed, she'd had trouble sleeping. Now it seemed nearly unreachable, and she lay awake, watching him sleep. The sun was setting outside the windows, bathing the Gotham skyline in pink and orange, the city on fire in the light.

Without disturbing him, Selina slipped out from under his arm, the blankets rustling quietly as she stood and went into the bathroom. She didn't turn the light on. She could see herself well enough in the waning sunlight to lean closer to the mirror and smudge her eyeliner away. She glanced back into the bedroom and then quickly brushed more mascara in, dotting her lips with a gloss. Selina smiled at herself in the mirror and slipped back out into the darkening bedroom. Stopping by the windows, she couldn't help but gaze out over the city. When she was a child, all she'd wanted was to live like a princess; now here she was, the metaphorical queen of this dystopian empire.

Bruce woke a little, about to shift his position when he realized Selina wasn't there. He was instantly awake. Once he spotted her by the window, he relaxed a little, watching her. She'd grown too thin over the past couple of weeks, but she still struck a striking figure against the sunset, and Bruce smiled to himself. When Selina turned around and saw that he was awake, she smiled. It was small, but a smile nonetheless, and then it was gone.

"You ought to still be asleep, you know," she said quietly, her arms crossed over her chest.

"It's night, and bats are nocturnal," he told her, stretching as he sat up. Selina moved over to sit on the bed, watching him.

"Well you did stay up pretty late in the day," she commented, smiling at him halfheartedly.

"It was worth every second." He ran a hand through his hair. "Still can't sleep?"

"I got some," she lied, her voice quiet. He watched her carefully.

"Come here." He held his arms out to her. Selina crawled into his arms, tucking her face into his neck. Her hand slid into his hair as she hugged him.

"What?" she whispered. Bruce could feel the lashes of her closed eyes against his neck, and he felt her lip tremble. He kissed her head as he ran a hand through her hair.

"You looked like you were going to go run across those rooftops, so I had to hold you here."

"You think you can keep me here?" She teased, kissing his neck gently, her hand on his cheek. Her diamond ring was on her finger; the only thing she wore, pressed up against him in the fading light.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He traced his thumb along her side as he held her against his bare chest. Selina exhaled slowly as she licked her lip gloss off of his neck.

"Good. I'll stay as long as I want." She kissed his shoulder and rested her head there, her hand absently trailing over the numerous nearly healed stab wounds in his torso.

"What about what I want?" he asked quietly, kissing the top of her ear.

"I'll give you anything," she breathed, staring into the dark. The last of the sun's rays were disappearing to leave them in darkness. Bruce lifted her chin up and studied the shadows of her face.

"I want to see you happy."

"Well I hope the fact that I genuinely try is enough for you," she said quietly. The tears pricking her eyes was a sensation she was too used to, and too tired of feeling. She could feel the worry and judgement settling in, and she looked away from him. He grabbed her chin and made her look at him again.

"You're always enough for me."

Selina smiled wanly and stroked his cheek. "How are you feeling?" She changed the subject, her worry still sung in her voice.

"I feel fine." He caught her hand and kissed the back of it. "Peaceful actually. I'm sorry I haven't taken my breaks recently. I'll try not to make that mistake again."

"Good. You know that it upsets me. And I feel so selfish because Tim... Oh God, he needs you so much more than I do." Her arms tightened around his neck despite her words, and she pinched her eyes closed. "I love you, is all."

"You need me too." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "And while I desperately want to find a cure to bring Tim back, I won't pretend I don't work just as hard in the lab for you because curing you will mean you have one less thing to worry about."

"Then I'll just be left with the full time job of worrying about you," she smiled a little. Her hand on his chest pushed him down into the soft pillows, and she straddled his waist before lying down on his chest. Her head was tucked neatly under his chin. She'd grown lighter, too, in the past month, and that worried him a bit. Selina trailed a hand down his arm, feeling the contour of his muscles.

"Exactly." His fingers traced along her spine. "Since it's a full time job, you're overworking yourself."

"I have to, when you won't take your breaks," she swatted his chest, hating herself for feeling genuine anger over it before she took a deep breath and controlled her emotions.

"What I'm hearing is that I need to listen to you more." He smirked down at her, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Maybe. You're stubborn, it's one of your issues to work on," she looked up at him before kissing him gently.

"And running around dressed as a giant bat isn't something I need to work on?" His eyes were amused as he reached up to stroke her cheek.

"Mmmmm... You never joke about the cowl, it's kinda cute," she smiled a little. Selina turned her head to kiss his thumb. Her eyes were sleepy. His thumb traced her lips.

"Well it's not a laughing matter." Bruce watched her intently. It was the same unreadable look he had when he put his mask on. His look steady and set as he studied her face.

"I know," Selina said quietly, laying her head back down on his chest, listening to his heart. Reminding herself that he was human. He wanted to lift her face back up to where he could see it. Sometimes he couldn't believe she was here, how beautiful she was, and he just had to stare. Selina sat up, trailing a hand down his chest. "Please don't go back out," she said softly.

"You know what I have to say," he sighed, "you know what I always have to say."

"I know. I just have to try every time," she watched him, her face pained; her body silhouetted in the dark like a noir painting.

"And it never gets any easier." He kissed her softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled, watching him again without a word. He lay under her, where she could see every scar, every stitched gash in his torso, and his face; he didn't look old. She cocked her head at him a bit, her hands feeling over the sharply defined muscles in his torso. He looked aged. As if the years may finally be weighing on him. Her hands reached his shoulders and began down again; Selina closed her eyes, lost in thought. Bruce reached up and stroked her cheek.

"What's on your mind?"

"You. Always you. Though at the moment... how hungry I am," she smiled sadly, leaning forward to kiss him. She licked her lips. "We could make dinner," Selina ran her hands down his chest as she pressed herself against him. He placed his hands over hers.

"And what do you feel like having?

She sighed deeply, thinking for a moment. "I feel like flank steak and garlic mashed potatoes, or shrimp, or lobster- but I'd settle for a frozen pizza or something," she kissed his cheek.

"Frozen pizza it is." He smiled up at her. "Are you going to let me get up?"

"Maybe. Why don't you make me, big man?" Her lips turned up in a genuine smile this time, and she traced his smile with her finger. Bruce scooped her up into his arms and stood up before setting her back on the bed and kissing her forehead.

"What kind of pizza do you want?" He went over and pulled a pair of sweatpants on. "And when was the last time we restocked the pizza up here?"

"Um, I did last break when you weren't here. I had to drown my sorrows in something," she quipped, walking into the closet. She came back out wearing a sheer black and lace nightdress, smiling as she pushed herself up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Is this acceptable clothing Mr. Wayne? Or should I go change?"

"Completely unacceptable," he told her seriously. "If you want pizza," his hands found their way to her waist, "you'll have to change immediately."

Selina scoffed, pulling it over her head and tossing it on the floor so she wore nothing. "Better, my love?" She asked, kissing his cheek.

"So much worse." He pulled her closer. "You're lucky I didn't preheat the oven."

"You're lucky I didn't put my underwear back on," Selina chuckled, kissing his lips. She kissed him again, still smiling. "Though it is sexy when you tear it off," she whispered, her fingers in his hair. Bruce lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"So sorry to disappoint."

"No, you don't disappoint. You always pull through," she draped her arms over his shoulders, her fingers in his hair. Selina exhaled against his lips, never straying too far from them, even when she spoke. Her legs tightened around his waist. "You cheated and put pants on," she sighed with another kiss.

"That's because I thought you were hungry." His lips brushed hers before trailing along her jaw. Selina sighed quietly. She didn't seem into it, but then again, she never did anymore. She was perfectly happy pleasing him, but she wanted nothing in return. She was listless and slow. He kissed steadily down her neck, one hand holding her up as the other traced the ridges of her spine. "I thought they'd allow me to be productive long enough to get us fed." He kissed down her chest. "Clearly I underestimated you."

"Yes you did," she moaned, her hand on his shoulder as she leaned back. Her fingernails dug into his skin.

"I'm sorry I've missed our break days," he breathed against her skin. Selina laughed.

"Well you're making up for it now, aren't you?" She giggled, pulling him closer. She could feel her heart racing, her cheeks flushed, and she reigned herself in a bit, her breathing slowing. This wasn't how she should react, and she had to remedy it.

"I'm trying to." He strode over to the bed, pressing her down. "But you don't make it very hard for me to want to."

"Just doing my job," she gasped, cupping his face in her hands as she kissed him slowly.

"I thought we already talked about how you overwork yourself." His voice whispered across her lips.

"Do you want me to stop?" She sighed, her lips brushing his longingly. Selina wrapped an arm around his neck.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He ran his hand along her leg, kneeling above her.

"Bruce," she sighed desperately, her heart racing. She kissed down his neck, biting him between every few kisses, and pulled him down closer to her. "You don't exactly make this easy either," she smiled. He chuckled, pressing his hips against hers.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he repeated. Selina laughed and then groaned, clawing at his shoulder.

"Sure you don't have somewhere else you'd rather be?" She purred, pulling his hair as she kissed him. Something had changed in her demeanor; she was suddenly very energetic in her kiss; suddenly heated and passionate again. He leaned back a little, tracing her lip with his thumb.

"Nowhere."

"Good." Selina smiled and kissed his finger, running her hand through his hair. She pulled herself up to whisper in his ear. "Now how about you get those pants off?" He smiled, leaning back down against her.

"But I wouldn't want to spoil your fun." He brushed her hair to the side as he kissed her.

"I don't care if you take them off, I take them off, or if they just vanish into thin air," Selina gasped. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him hard. She bit his tongue and then kissed him again. "The fun doesn't start until the pants are off." She laughed, feeling her heart racing in her chest pressed against his. It was coming dangerously close to overwhelming, and God, she wanted to lose her mind with him. But she couldn't do that, not anymore. Selina let her hands trail down Bruce's chest as she kissed him slowly, turning a bit cold again; overcompensating for her overwhelming emotion. She wanted to give up, just this once. And that's exactly what she planned on doing. "Do your worst, Batman," she hissed against his lips, grinning as she pushed him back, pulling his pants down. Selina turned around on the bed and looked over her shoulder at him with a grin. "And don't spare the handcuffs, detective. I'm not holding back, and this is going to get rough." She purred, bending over.

"You're lucky I haven't killed you." Harley glared at Zucco before slamming the elevator cargo door shut in front of him and pressing the button to the top floor. She'd found it hard to keep her word to Dick; the mobster suddenly looked so smug to her. The whole walk back to Arkham, if he'd said anything, she'd stare him down until he took to walking behind her with his hands in his pockets.

The elevator was almost to the top floor when she remembered her panic. I don't know what ta do. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as the elevator lurched to a stop. "Puddin, I'm home," she called, pushing the door up and stepping out. He didn't respond, and she stared at the closed office door. "I was back out in Uptown," she tried again. Still nothing. She could just walk away right now, and nothing would change. Go back to the bedroom and pretend nothing had happened. She bit her lip. She'd promised herself she wasn't going to lie to him anymore. Sorry Dick. Looking down at her feet, she sighed quietly to herself. "Nightwing showed up."

"Who did what now?" he asked, shuffling out of the bedroom. The sleeves of his Arkham jumpsuit were tied around his waist, his white tank top practically blending into his pale skin. His hair was messy, his eyes still glassy from sleep. Joker ran his hands through his hair and over his face. "Why are you shouting?" Harley glanced at his closed office door then back at him.

"Oh," she mumbled. "Just updating you about my day." She beamed at him.

"Good I guess," he waved his hand dismissively. "God, who is shouting?!" he barked, rubbing his temples.

"Um," Harley looked around, "no one?"

"Don't talk back to me," he hissed, looking up at her darkly. Harley flinched back. He twitched and scratched at his ear. He ran his hands over his arms and looked over his shoulder.

"Puddin?" she asked uncertainly. "What's wrong?"

"She is. Isn't she? Aren't you?" Joker cocked his head at her. He looked absolutely livid.

"I'm what!?" she cried. He was starting to worry her, and she stepped back.

"What did you say?!" he shouted, pulling at his hair.

"I didn't say anything!" Her legs ran into the back of the couch. "You're startin' ta scare me."

Joker burst into laughter. "You said Nightwing," he reminded her, grinning. He didn't advance on her, but he scratched at his ear again and then covered them. "God damn it-" he shook his head so violently that he fell off balance, knocking the lamp off of the table. It fell with a crash and he screamed, scrambling away from it. Harley flinched.

"I said he showed up in Uptown today," she said hastily. Joker turned on her, getting shakily to his feet.

"He showed up in Uptown today," he choked.

"Yeah." She watched him carefully. "I was at the place I stay at in Uptown, and he showed up."

"He showed up," Joker repeated, scratching his arms so angrily that he left red marks.

"I didn't know he was gonna, I swear." She stepped back toward him. "He hasn't even been in Uptown in a while."

"Been in Uptown in a while..." He looked down, shaking his head vigorously again.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly. She moved closer to him, peeking under at his face.

"I'm fine," he weakly pushed her away, taking a shaky breath. He glanced at her unsurely. "Did you speak to him?!"

"Ye-yeah," Harley stuttered. "I mean we fought… but we also talked."

"Of course you did," he spat, and then turned around as if to address a jury. "Of course she did."

"Puddin," she put a hand on his shoulder, "there's no one else here," she told him gently.

"Don't touch me." He pushed her hand away, stumbling back.

"You're… you're having some kind of episode. You need to calm down. Maybe you should lay down?" she suggested.

"No!" he shouted back, pulling away from her. "I'm not going to let you strap me down like- like I'm still in Arkham!" he screamed, rushing towards the elevator.

"Mistah J!" Harley was thrown off balance for a second, but she chased after him. Joker tried to pull the door down, but he fell and stumbled back against the wall and landed on the floor, staring at it. "Mistah J," she repeated quieter, cautiously edging into the elevator. "You need to try and calm down." She held her hands up in a sign of surrender as she knelt beside him. "Please." He stared straight at her, a dead look in his eyes. He didn't answer. "Please," she begged. He again remained completely still, staring into space. She hesitated, reaching a hand out to touch his cheek. "Puddin?"

"Don't call me that," he muttered. She swallowed hard.

"Let's… let's just… go back inside." She tried to carefully stand him back up. He followed her, his actions barely his own; he only responded to her guidance, still staring at the floor. She led him back into the bedroom, pushing him gently into the bed. "Just try and relax, okay?"

Joker looked up at her, nearly looking past her, and he sighed quietly. He looked away. "Kill him." Harley had been pulling the blankets over him, and she froze.

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me."

"You want me to..." She stepped back. "No. Why? Why?"

"Why do you see him?" he asked, staring at the wall. His voice was cruelly amused, and his face hovering on the cusp of a grin. He looked entertained.

"I... I don't know." She crossed her arms across her chest.

"And why can't you complete a simple task?"

"I'm sorry," she whimpered.

"So kill him. Bring back his head." She looked away from him.

"I can't do that," she whispered.

"And why not?" He remained still.

"Because... because I don't want to," she answered truthfully. "And I don't want you to kill him. But what am I supposed at do? Lock myself up here and die of boredom?"

"You think becoming a traitor is a good alternative?" he asked, smiling.

"I'm not a traitor," she breathed, hurt that he'd say it. "I never meant to see him again. You know that."

"Do I?" He grinned vacantly. Every word out of his mouth was backhanded and questioning.

"I'm not the one who killed all my friends and left me alone," she defended. He fell silent again, still smiling.

Kill him.

Harley pursed her lips as she waited for him to say something. She didn't know where to go from here. He remained silent, and it became unbearable. The guilt started gnawing at her. She really had tried to stay away from Dick, but didn't know what to do now that she realized she couldn't. Joker had every right to not forgive her for that; she just kept hurting him with this. He'd asked her to stay with him, but the moment she'd seen Dick again, she'd broken her word.

"Please say something," she begged. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. Be mad at me, scream at me, just… please say something."

"Bring him to me," he hissed. Harley blinked in surprise.

"I don't know if I'll ever see him again," she breathed.

"Are you lying to me, Harley? Harleen?! Doctor, are you fibbing?!" He grinned darkly, his eyes flashing. He shot up off of the bed, grabbing her face. "Tell me the truth, or I'll cut out your tongue," he spat. "Do you want to see him again?" Her hands reached up to grab his, but she didn't dare pull them away.

"He-he wants to meet again, and-and it's nice to have someone to talk to," she admitted, her eyes wide.

"So you do want to see him again. You don't like me? Am I not good enough for you? You don't care anymore, do you?! Not since that bat-brat came into play. Well well well, two can play in this pissing contest," he laughed, a horribly shrill and ominous sound she always heard when he was about to blow away one of his own goons or torture his next victim. In this case- her. Joker pulled a pocketknife out of his pocket. "Hold still," he growled, gritting his teeth in a grin.

"Puddin," she gasped. She pried his hand off her face and backed up until she hit the wall. "Please. I do love you. Please I'm sorry."

"You've got a funny way of showing it." He grinned cruelly, strolling across the room towards her. He grabbed her neck, pushing her against the wall. "This is all your fault. If you had any self control, I wouldn't have to punish you," he laughed.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, her hands clawing at his. Her mind flashed back to a darker night, another man holding her to a wall. She struggled against him. Joker caught her hands and pulled them above her head, holding her there. He was deceptively strong, overpowering her as he delicately brought the knife up under her chin.

"Shhhh shhh shh," he chided quietly, grinning. He watched her until she fell still, only trembling a bit, her lips shut tight. "Don't. Move." His hand loosened, and there was a brief moment where she thought he may let go- before he brought the knife back and slashed just under her collarbone. She gasped in surprise and pain, trying to free her hands again. His hand was quick as he cut her again, and then released her hands and let her fall to the floor, blood dripping from the 'J' slashed over her heart. He laughed cruelly and leaned down to look at her. "Sorry, Puddin," he purred, grabbing her face to make her look at him. "If you're going to betray me again, he may as well know who he's up against," he grinned and released her, laughing as he walked out of the room.

Harley whimpered, trying to look down at the gashes. She touched around it gently but cried out at the pain it caused. Her fingers came back bloody, and she stared at them. You're making a mess. She let out a sob as she stood up and stumbled to the bathroom. She froze at the sight of herself in the mirror.

Her eyes were red. Black mascara ran down her cheeks, flushed pink. The red blood stood out the most against her stark white skin, the deep color of the sliced flesh a sharp contrast against the white. She sank onto the toilet seat, crying harder as she stared at the blood on her hands. She'd never be able to see Dick again. It'd always be with her. The constant reminder of who she was, where she belonged, who she belonged to.

"I know we're not supposed to be here," Jason called, "but let's not get too excited that we're back early or they might send us back out." He helped the woman pick up the canned vegetables she'd spilled across the floor. They'd gotten back from their supply run with time to spare, and everyone was excited to utilize it. Jason had finished checking in and was overseeing the last of the unloading. Once the truck was taken to be prepped for the next trip, he headed over to the elevator. He scooped his helmet up along the way, having taken to wearing his mask around more often especially around the tower. He's still wore the helmet on Arkham or city patrol, but tended to wear the mask more often on supply run, and almost always took his helmet off when they were unloading if it was still on. As soon as the doors were closed behind him, and it was moving, he leaned against the back wall of the elevator. Dick had taken Selina and Steph off a lot of rotation, which he totally agreed with, but it meant the rest of them were working a lot more. The break days were too short and far between it felt like.

The elevator stopped, and Jason opened his eyes. It wasn't his floor, but he didn't bother to put his helmet on; he knew whose floor it was.

Ivy stepped in, glancing at him with her mouth set in a hard line. She moved beside him and stared straight ahead as she crossed her arms over her chest. The fabric of her short gray tank top was pulled up higher, and Jason stared at the stretch of bare skin above her jean shorts.

"I heard you were back early."

"Hmmm?" Jason swung his eyes lazily back up to her face; she was staring at the elevator doors as they went up. "Yup." He'd given her a comm so that she could keep up on what was happening since Bruce didn't trust her out of the tower alone. She ended up spending a lot of time by herself, or with Selina, and occasionally Kate. "Are you stalking me?"

"Don't flatter yourself." The elevator stopped on his floor, and she stepped out. She knew the way to his room, so she walked forward without him. She barely noticed people' eyes that followed her anymore. It was such a common occurrence with the way she looked, but she was aware of his and smiled to herself.

She pushed the door to his room open and headed straight for the sink. "You know," Jason said as he shrugged off his jacket, "when I said you could keep a few plants in here, I didn't mean a whole greenhouse." Ivy smirked at him as she filled the watering can up. Her room was a veritable jungle, and Jason had let her take over his unused kitchen table with a few plants. Flowerpots of varying fawna covered the table in front of the bay window overlooking the city. Ivy turned the sink off and walked over to start watering them.

"At least I didn't bring any poisonous ones up here." She glanced over at him as he sank onto the couch. "Besides, you wanted to me to be helpful."

"And how is my room smelling like an Earl May helpful?"

"There are not that many plants in here," she defended.

"There are at least a dozen plants on that table! And some of them are the size of trees."

"You're exaggerating." She set the watering can on the floor beside the table. "Either that or you mask is distorting your vision."

"I can see through my mask just fine." Jason grinned.

"I'm starting to doubt that."

"You could just say you want me to take it off," Jason chuckled. This was now his preferred way to get under her skin. She glared at him, grinding her teeth together.

"Only if you want to."

Jason burst into laughter as the door to his room opened. "Oh sorry," Steph apologized, seeing Ivy. "Heard supply was back early and thought I'd see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat before next shift change." She smirked at Jason, her Spoiler hood down around her neck. "But I can see you're busy."

"Go away Steph." He threw a pillow at the door as she ducked behind it and closed it.

"So she'll wear her mask off," Ivy said, "along with Selina, Kate, and Dick. But you won't take yours off?" He hadn't. At first it had been because Bruce had wanted to try and maintain their secret identities, but then it had just gone on too long. He was actually scared of how she'd react if she saw his face at this point. He'd known from the first time he'd seen her that she was older than him- closer to Bruce's age than his own- but with his helmet, she'd been unable to tell, and even with his mask he looked older. Besides, having break only every few days hadn't really brought many chances to move forward any sort of relationship between them.

"Well they want to, and I thought you said it was if I wanted to."

Ivy crossed her arms. "I'm starting to think you're avoiding it." She hadn't really thought about what life in Gotham would be like, but it wouldn't have been this. Everyone was so busy. The only time she got to see Jason was his breaks, and Batman had put him in charge of taking her to check on the Gotham food production capabilities. She got the impression that in spite of Selina and Jason, Batman didn't trust her yet.

"Why would I be avoiding it?" he challenged.

"I don't know. Why won't you take your mask off?"

"Maybe I have a horribly disfiguring scar," he suggested.

"Well, maybe I want to see it."

"Is this you asking?"

"Ye-maybe." She glared at him. "If I am?"

"If I say no?"

"Just take your damn mask off," she cried.

"Maybe later."

"Let me see your face." She moved toward him, reaching for his mask, but he grabbed her arms.

"Nope." He laughed as she tried to twist around to grab the mask. She fell onto the couch beside him, and he pinned her arms.

"Stop being so stubborn," she complained.

"But that's what you like about me." He smirked, holding both of her wrists in one hand, and she still couldn't free them.

"Let me see."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!" She glared at him. "Okay fine." He sighed and released her wrists. Ivy paused for a second before slowly reaching up and taking his mask off. He pursed his lips as she studied him.

"You're…" He was young, and… pretty. If he cleaned up and shaved, she could picture him in a tie in suit. While his jaw and brow were heavy, his blue green eyes were light and teasing, as if amused by her reaction. "Hideous," she finally said. He chuckled, running a hand across his jaw.

"I tried to warn you. I'm pretty much the real life Phantom of the Opera."

"Just so ugly." She smiled when he laughed.

"Well aren't you the charmer. I thought you were supposed to be a master at seducing not offending."

"I am," she defended, "just not with you."

Jason let out a brisk laugh. "I'll take that as a compliment." Ivy studied him.

"Why?" She couldn't understand why she couldn't seem to get to him. He'd seemed interested, but over the past month nothing had happened. It was refreshing to have a challenge instead of the men that she usually faced; not that they lasted long anyway. She wondered if she would have killed Jason too if he'd been like them. But he wasn't just hard to win over, he seemed genuinely uninterested at this point. It hurt. She couldn't win him over, and couldn't help but wonder if he didn't like her. There's never been someone who hadn't found her attractive since she became Poison Ivy, and it wounded her to think he didn't like her. "Is it a good thing to... not like me?" She sounded weak in her own ears. She'd never needed confirmation before. It was something the human her would have asked for. And she was never sure how human she was anymore; but this felt very human.

"What!? No! That's- it's not- no." He leaned his head back and rubbed his eyes as he sighed. Ivy reached a tentative hand toward him.

"Then what?" She ran her hand across his chest. "Do you not find me attractive?"

Jason groaned. "That is definitely not it." Ivy beamed. He still had his eyes closed so he couldn't see the relief on her face. She'd been worried he'd found her too strange, too green, too old, too... not his type. Too inhuman. Her smile turned sly. She bet she could be his type.

His eyes flew open when she straddled his waist. "Wha-"

"Then if there's no problem," she whispered in his ear, her hands trailing down to the waistline of his shirt.

"Ivy," he gasped and grabbed her hands. "No." He held her back. "No."

"But you-" If she could blush, her cheeks would have been bright red. The rejection stung. Maybe he did see her as the monster she really was. "You said you wanted me."

"I do," he sighed. She was there, right on top of him. And God did he want her.

"But then why? Is it me?"

"No. I'm clearly attracted to you."

"And it's clearly not you, so what is it?"

"It's... Ivy... I don't..."

"You don't what? Want to do this?" She was getting angry. She would barely admit to herself that he was part of the reason she'd been okay with coming to Gotham.

"I do."

"Then what?!"

"I don't want to be one of those guys!" he cried. He stared at her and took a deep breath. "I don't want you to think," he said slowly, "I'm one of the guys who just wants you because you're hotter than any other woman who walks in the room. Yes, okay, you succeeded at seducing me a long time ago just like every other easily manipulated man. But... I didn't want you to think that's why I wanted to be with you. I don't just want you for sex and... I didn't," he groaned. "There's just no non dorky way to say that." He rubbed his eyes, leaning his head back against the couch.

Ivy stared at him. All men were pigs who took what they wanted, consequences be damned. She'd always found it the biggest deterrent to wanting to keep her humanity. She wanted to protect nature above all, but she'd found causes in protecting women and children. Harley and Selina were the only people she'd found for the longest time who'd cared about who she was more than the body she had to offer. Until now.

She grabbed his face, pulling it up to kiss him hard. Jason gasped in surprise but couldn't help but kiss her back. She clung onto his shirt, and his hands trailed up to her shoulders. Suddenly, he pushed her back, sucking in a deep breath and staring at her with a mix of pain and confusion.

"Did you just poison me?"

"What?" she cried. "Oh my God!"

"You just poisoned me!" he accused. Ivy stood up in a panic as he listed to the side clutching his chest.

"Oh God, oh no. I didn't mean to!" She put her hands over her mouth. "You just said those really nice things and I got really excited. I'm so sorry." She moved back over to him, and he smirked through the pain.

"You got excited? You like me." He fell down across the couch.

"Stop talking and let me kiss you with the antidote," she demanded. She leaned down over him.

"You like me so much you lost control and poisoned me." He put a hand on her shoulder, the other still clutching his chest.

"Do you want to die? Just let me kiss you!"

"And you wanna kiss me again." Ivy rolled her eyes and pulled his face up to kiss her before he could say anything else.

"You moron," she accused as he started coughing. "I could've killed you."

"I always knew you'd be toxic for me," he laughed and coughed at the same time.

"I'm so sorry." she cried. Jason laughed harder. "This isn't funny!"

"Yeah it is." He grinned up at her. "Oh come on, Buttercup," Ivy's stomach jumped at the nickname, it'd been a long time since he'd used one, "it's hilarious."

"What if you'd died?"

"Then you would've felt very bad."

"Jason!" she objected, but he pulled her back down to kiss him. His hand cupped her cheek gently.

"It's okay," he whispered. "You make me lose control too." Ivy smiled, relaxing. She climbed back on the couch, lying above him. "Gonna give me another heart attack?" He grinned.

"How about something much better?" She placed her hands beside his head as she leaned above him, adjusting her hips into place against his. Jason clenched his jaw to hold back a moan and grabbed her hips.

"Do I need to get some rubber that's immune to your charms?" he asked with a grin.

"Stop talking." She grabbed his face. She kissed him softly this time. "You know," she broke off the kiss to murmur against his lips, "you're the one who said I'm the hottest one in any room."

"And you know it," he chuckled.

"Just making sure. I can't be with someone who doesn't have good taste." She smirked and locked her legs around his waist to hold herself upright. She leaned down to kiss him, her hands moving down to undo his pants. His breath gasped past his lips, and he quickly pulled her tank top off. She frantically pulled his shirt off as well before he pulled her back down to kiss her desperately again. They weren't trying to win each other over anymore. They needed each other.

Ivy's hair fell down around them as he unclasped her bra, pulling her back down against him as she worked his pants down past his hips. Jason's comm crackled to life.

"Jason, shift change time. Get your ass to Arkham," Dick's voice came through the comm in his ear.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Jason complained, staring up at Ivy.

"Nope, sorry," Dick laughed. "Trust me, Selina is just as pissed. You guys can vent to each other." Jason didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"Ten more minutes?"

"I want to say yes, but Selina is already out there. Bruce won't like it."

"But you're going to say yes anyway?" Jason asked hopefully.

"Sorry kid." Dick laughed. He could hear Jason groan before pausing again.

"I've been told to warn you to watch your back."

"Oh I believe you," Dick agreed, walking across the bridge into Downtown. He glanced down the streets to the left and right, the sun just breaking on the horizon.

"And that's just from Ivy. You don't want to know what I have planned for you," Jason warned.

"Mmhm," Dick said sarcastically, watching over his shoulder as he walked further into the populated area of Gotham. It was spooky in the early morning, as dead as the rest of the world with no one out and about.

The main comm line beeped, and he switched it. "I stopped for a quick meal, but Batwoman starting Gotham shift," Kate updated as she left the tower.

"Supply run all ready to head out," Cass added quietly.

"Good and good. Robin, in for break?"

"Yes. Don't worry, Nightwing, I'll feed your dog for you," he responded. Dick laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thanks, Robin. Red Hood, are you about to your post?"

"No, but I'm in the elevator. I promise."

"Good. Stay safe, everyone." Dick muted his comm again. He couldn't help feeling giddy, after talking to Harley yesterday. He'd known that he missed her, he just didn't know how much. Still, there was a nagging doubt in the back of his mind on whether or not he'd actually see her again. What if she didn't come back?

Dick kicked a pebble down the street. Their conversation about Zucco had bothered him. Never mind that the man who killed his parents was still alive, which he'd hoped he wasn't; but Harley had posed a question he'd deliberated so many times in his youth. They all had, everyone under Batman's employ; wondered if there would ever be a time when killing was the justified, righteous, correct course of action.

The answer was always no.

Now Dick could see the difficulty. He'd always believed that the world wasn't so black and white as some people, even as Batman, saw it, and everything in his life reflected it: Damian's upbringing, Jason's twisted past; the death of his parents bringing a new family, or even his walk-the-line career as a vigilante. Was it any wonder that the woman he now loved conformed to that pattern? His heart beat for her, and he knew that she could and would easily stop it.

He was nearing the populated neighborhoods now. It was past the time of day when the crop workers and farmers went to the small fields growing food in the parks, and the streets were quiet.

Just then he heard the patter of bare feet on concrete, and he stopped. It was so faint he wasn't even sure he'd heard it, but when he began walking again, there it was. Dick spun around in time to see- no one. There was no one there.

He turned in a circle again. The sun rising on the horizon was starting to heat the pavement, and Dick quickly pulled his hair up into a loose bun to get it off of his neck. No sooner had his hands fallen back to his sides than a scream sounded somewhere close by.

In fact, from directly below him.

Dick looked down at his boots in shock, staring into the darkness through the holes in the rusty manhole cover. in a split second decision, he planted his boots firmly on either side of the cover, slipping his fingers through the holes.

"Bats I may have a situation here," Dick commented, straining with the weight of the metal. He pried it up, grunting as he tossed it aside.

"Do you need backup?" Bruce asked, instantly alert.

"I'll let you know if I do. I heard a scream from the sewers, it sounded young. Could just be a kid fallen and trapped." Dick jumped down the hole, landing in the rain water washed down the gutters in the storms before.

"I'll inform Batwoman in case she needs to respond."

"Of course," Dick muted his comm, and then he pressed the button on the side of his mask that turned on his night vision. His hand hesitated over the gun in its holster, but he pulled out his escrima sticks instead. If the conversation with Harley had had any effect on him or not, it had certainly reminded him that he was far too reliant on the gun. He wasn't a killer.

Dick started forward into the dark.