After a whole month of consideration and editing, I decided to go with the title for this chapter, A Toxic Relationship. The original title, Venom and Poison, will be referenced in this chapter.

Enjoy!

Venom jumped across rooftops, climbed up some tall buildings before leaping off of them and using a tendril from his arm to swing himself forward into the air. He shot out two arm tendrils to grab a nearby lamp post and swung himself straight up onto a tall rooftop, perching himself on the edge of it.

'The Botanical Gardens should be around here somewhere.' Eddie muttered.

"Typical for someone who controls plants." Venom mused.

Earlier, Eddie had called Sean for the coordinates to Poison Ivy's location. The young CEO was already in Central City with Zatanna to see if Captain Cold or any of his gang of Rogues would be willing to join. Deathstroke was sent to Star City to fetch Malcolm Merlyn while Deadshot was sent to New York to fetch Black Spider.

Eddie couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that part, as he heard there was another spider swinging around in New York, but he'll come back to that.

"What makes you think she'll be willing enough?" Venom asked.

'Sean always said Global was working to stop pollution. Plus, I've busted a few companies that done a lot of damage to nature, she'll definitely join.' Eddie said before Venom leapt off the building, resuming the search for the next recruit.

5 minutes later

Eddie strode through the entrance of the Gotham Botanical Gardens, a cautious look on his face.

"Remember what we talked about back in San Quentin?" Eddie asked his other.

'Right, it's a 'you' thing, not a 'we' thing.' Venom answered as his host stared at the building.

The Gardens themselves had been abandoned for many years, due to a sharp drop in tourism for the city. Since no one had ever bothered to demolish the building, it was simply kept closed to the public by the local authority. With no one around, this gave the plants more time to grow and eventually overtook the entire building.

Taking a deep breath, Eddie entered the building.

Everywhere he looked, plants ranging from flowers, bushes, roots and other forms of plant life several times the size of what they naturally should be surrounded the area. It always amazed Eddie as to how big they could grow, but he focused on the task at hand.

He arrived at the centre of the building, taken up by a large bulb that was several times larger than Eddie himself.

The reporter looked around puzzled. He was sure his next recruit would be exactly where he was standing, so he decided to do the wise thing.

"Housekeeping!" he called out.

As Eddie said those words, he yelped as large vines bursted through the floor before pinning his arms to his sides. He felt the floor under him shake a little and the large bulb behind him started to vibrate and wriggle, as if it was about to jump off from its stem. Eddie watched in surprise as the front petals of the flower burst open, revealing to him a welcome sight.

Sitting on a throne within the plant, was the lovely eco-terrorist Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy.

Eddie never thought he'd meet Poison Ivy in person, but she was drop-dead hot.

She had all the features a supermodel would kill for: waist length crimson red hair, green eyes, and a medium shade of green colored skin. She had long legs with small vines wrapping around her upper thighs, wide hips, a thin waist and breasts that were at least D-Cups, possibly even DD-Cups giving her a perfect hourglass figure. She was wearing a red button-up shirt that only has two of the mid level buttons buttoned showing off a fair amount of her cleavage and her entire smooth stomach. She also had on what appeared to be panties made out of leaves, leading Eddie to believe that her bra is also likely made of leaves… if she were wearing one. He wasn't able to tell in the dimly lit room (design from Batman: Arkham Asylum because it's the hottest one yet). She gazed at her guest with her piercing green eyes, a seductive grin crossing her lips.

"Eddie Brock… what a surprise." the seductive eco-terrorist greeted in a sultry tone.

"Uh… a fan, I presume?" Eddie asked, doing his best to sound polite despite the current situation he's in.

"Very much so." Ivy stood up from her throne with a sultry grin and a chuckle, various flowers blooming with every step she took and long vines following her every move. She smiled, standing in front of Eddie and looking over his form and his flustered expression. "You helped save my babies from those filthy corporations that would harm them for their own gains. I wanted to meet you myself, but it seems you have met me first."

'I like this girl already.' Venom said with interest, but Eddie ignored him, though he was unsure whether he should be flattered or freaked out that one of his fans was a sexy, yet dangerous super criminal.

Ivy leaned forward, pressing her impressive bust against Eddie's chest and ran her finger along his jawline. "So, what brings you to my humble abode? An interview, perhaps?"

Eddie was about to answer when he noticed that the atmosphere was thick with a foreign scent which he was sure wasn't there before and it seems to be originating from Poison Ivy herself. He felt his senses dulling for a few moments before he suddenly came back.

'Don't get too steamy just yet. We have an offer to make, remember?' Venom hissed.

Eddie slowly nodded, making a mental note to himself to thank Venom for his immunity to toxins later before facing the seductive eco-terrorist standing before him.

"Well, that and… I came to see you because… you're something special. Something more." Eddie breathed out, pretending to be under the effects of the pheromones.

"Really? How so?" Ivy asked with a smile. It wasn't often that she was complimented besides when she used her pheromones on someone.

"I can tell you're not like the other crazies at Arkham. I know you're trying to raise a sort of public awareness to help the environment in some way. I've taken down the very companies you tried to take down when you failed because, well, I'm a nature fan too. You could say I kinda helped you out. I even got a full page spread on you back home." Eddie said sheepishly.

"That was all for me? You shouldn't have." Ivy said with that grin ever so present, though Eddie couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or genuinely thankful.

"Well, I'm just a big fan of your work, Pam." Eddie said. Ivy's lustful stare turned to a look of genuine surprise. "I read about your past studies on plant life and I realized how much you loved the Earth, which was why I decided to bust those corporations you mentioned earlier to help you. That's why we're alike in a way, but the only difference is you choose to waste your power for the wrong reasons."

Ivy's curious look quickly shifted into a glare as she leaned back and crossed her arms. "Well what would you expect? I was dealt a bad hand."

"True, but that doesn't justify you taking the law into your hands and killing people, Ivy. I mean, I understand your love for nature, and I appreciate the fact that you're fighting to keep her alive, but the way you're doing it is not helping your cause at all." said Eddie, knowing the woman's history in wanting to get things done and her way trying to go about it were not going to work.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. As far as she's concerned, she is getting rid of the ones responsible for nature's destruction.

"You may have killed the people that hurt nature, but what about the ones who worked under them to earn money to cater for their families? Mothers and children waiting for their husbands/fathers to come home safely. Grandparents waiting for their kids and grandkids. Have you ever taken the time to think about that?" asked Eddie.

Ivy opened her mouth to retort but stopped in her thoughts, all she wanted was to stop the instigators of destroying plant life and that was it, she never did give much thought about the aftereffects and would shrug it off. But now the thought of her breaking up happy families made her feel no different from her sworn enemies, perhaps it was why Batman and his partners do everything to stop her, recalling his anger when he saw the people she had turned into bark and suspected he personally knew one of them well.

"…so what would you have me do then, let them continue to harm nature?" she asked quietly.

"I'm not telling you to do that, but I suggest you not make yourself out to be a psycho when it comes to protecting nature. The companies that dump toxic waste, pollute the air, and the water this planet gives are marketing off your actions. All they have to do is make a big enough smoke screen surrounding your attacks and paint themselves as the ever tragic companies being hurt by some crazed lunatic with a radical hippy complex. Your reasons, no matter how well-meaning, are swept under the rug by some shady media they give funding to, and keep the general masses in the dark. The best way to fix the planet is to use the media to tell your story and show the world what these companies have been doing for years. What they're trying to hide. How this could hurt the next generation and the generation after that. Make them question if they want their own generation to live in a world where the air is so disgusting it hurts to breathe where it was once clean enough to take deep breaths without consequence. Where the water you drink has to go through countless filtration systems where it was once clean enough to have straight from the tap of the faucet. Show them the painful truth without the crazy looking plants you make in the background, which are hogging all the attention, and I'm sure your voice will be heard on the matter when it counts." said Eddie since he knew all about perceptions and how to get people to see things from his or someone else's perspective when necessary.

"This is a lot to take… but with what I've done in the past, I doubt they would listen," the eco-terrorist looked unsure of herself.

"I get you, but you can give it a try. That's why I feel you shouldn't be treated like a criminal, you just needed to follow the right path." Eddie said, feeling the vines softening their grip as Ivy took all this in.

"And what makes you think that I wouldn't follow your advice?" asked Ivy as she stared at Eddie.

"I can tell you're still a good person, you just didn't have a good start, but there's still the chance of living better than before. All you have to do is trust us." said Eddie.

As Ivy continued to stare at the reporter in front of her, there was a feeling growing in her chest that urged her to trust him, for she could see the truthful look in his eyes. However at the same time she remembered all the times she had trusted someone to help her only for them to betray her in some fashion.

"You don't actually believe I'm like those amateur reporters wanting to get a big scoop for themselves, do you?" Eddie asked.

"I've trusted people, but most of them would go back on some of our deals." Ivy said as she looked away, leaving both of them in silence.

"You gonna do it, aren't you?"

Ivy's head perked up as she stared at the reporter in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"You're gonna kiss me and watch as I choke to death, is that it?" Eddie assumed. "You can trust me. Just try it and see for yourself. We promise you, we'll never do anything to hurt you like the people who used you. You can believe in us."

Ivy's stomach was fluttering. The one person who actually understood her motives was goading her into poisoning him. But he was going to be truthful to the end.

It was then that she made her choice and leaned towards Eddie and spoke just two words.

"Thank you."

And crashed her lips into his.

After a short second, she pulled away from him. She tensed up anxiously as she waited for him to begin suffocating from her poison, but he merely stood there in her vines with a warm, yet flustered smile. She looked at him in shock.

"That wasn't so hard wasn't it?" Eddie asked.

"How can you be alive?! The poisons could have killed you!" she yelled in shock, yet she was relieved that the only person who understood her was still breathing.

"One of the perks of having an alien inside of you." Eddie said with a shrug.

The black mass began to engulf his body again. As it reached his waist, the vines sensed the mass before letting go of their captive, who dropped to the ground harmlessly as the mass fully formed into Venom, who loomed over Ivy.

"Venom. Should've known." Ivy scoffed. "I suppose you're here to bite my head off as well."

"If we wanted to eat you, we would've done so if you fed innocents to your children. Besides, we're not vegetarian." Venom mused as he retracted back into Eddie.

"Gotta be honest with you, dying from being kissed by a hot plant lady wouldn't be such a bad way to go, but you didn't give us a chance to hear our proposal." Eddie reasoned.

"How do you insist on helping me?" Ivy asked with a look of confusion.

"Would you believe me if I was friends with the CEO of Global Tech?" Eddie asked, causing Ivy to look at him in shock.

She never thought that the Eddie Brock was friends with the Sean Ashburn Kruger, who in turn also shared the same goals with hers, which was why it was the only corporation she had no intention of attacking.

Before she could ask, her shock deepened as the tendril with Venom's face emerged from Eddie's shoulder.

"We know what you're thinking. You still have that Bat problem, don't you?" Venom mused with a grin, with Ivy thinking the symbiote had read her mind or something. "Surprise, we've got that problem as well with the entire League."

"Well, that's what Global Tech's for." Eddie said. "Sean's got all the good stuff to help you out."

"Really?" Ivy asked with a glimmer of hope. "Name it."

"For starters, they can keep the JLA off your back, pay you, give you a place to stay, and even give you a nice greenhouse in the backyard. Mainly the mansion Sean made for us. They even got scientists and chemists that can just help you have real human kids. And you can find a good man for yourself instead of controlling or using them for once. You can still have your other powers, but that one little negative aspect of your life will be taken out of it." Eddie explained with Pamela looking shocked and yet hopeful all the same.

Judging by the tone of Eddie's voice, he meant it.

"And while you're at it, you can even put your plants to good use in bed." Venom said gleefully.

"Hey, shut up! You're making us look bad!" Eddie scolded his symbiotic partner.

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"We doing this again?" Eddie asked irritably, earning an amused giggle from Ivy, who took a moment to ponder the proposition given earlier.

If she worked for Global Tech, she wouldn't have to worry about the interference of the Batman or the Justice League, the company would also put their fundings into her goal to clean the earth and save nature as a whole while putting rival companies that harmed it out of business.

As for the part of being given the ability to have children once again, it would take some time, a bit of research into all things biology, and maybe a bit of her own genetic material along with what she knew about it.

And maybe that private greenhouse wouldn't be so bad after all. But she felt there was more to this deal.

"Besides, we wanna help Harley too." Eddie added. "We don't like seeing women being treated like dirt like Joker does. We can prove once and for all that that pasty son of a bitch doesn't care about her and, hey, maybe you can get a shot at tearing that bozo to pieces. She can even get a spot at Global once we fix her so the company around you won't be boring in the slightest. Sean doesn't like seeing good talent wasted."

That actually sounded good, all of it. Not just the killing the Joker part, but finally freeing her friend from the clown's influence once and for all.

"Deal." She says. She waves her hands and the plants retract, soon leaving nothing but a regular empty building.

"Now that that's settled…" Venom said before retracting back into Eddie and then morphing into his humanoid, muscular form. "We can show you that the world isn't as ugly as it looks, if you join us."

He stretched his large clawed hand outwards for Ivy to take. "Together, we can clean the earth of its true filth, as Venom and Poison."

At first, Ivy hesitated, but then placed her hand on Venom's, who held it tightly.

"Venom and Poison." she mused. "People are going to love this."

Eddie's Mansion

Wonder Woman softly landed on the front yard before walking towards the building. She just hoped there weren't any of Global Tech's men guarding the place, otherwise that would add more hostility between the company and the Justice League.

The real reason she was here was to see if she could find anything that could at least convince her teammates to leave Eddie and Venom to their business.

She saw that the living room was repaired after the League's "visit", and she was surprised at how little effort Global Tech's people put into this.

Going back to the task at hand, she went upstairs to one of the rooms, which she guessed was Eddie's room before entering.

She looked around to see everything was well-organized before something caught her eye.

On the nightstand was a notepad, no doubt belonging to Eddie whenever he had a big scoop.

Diana knew better than to invade someone's privacy, but it could lead to anything useful, so she picked up the notepad and opened it.

She flipped through the pages, smiling as she looked through the ones centered around average citizens, frowning as she looked through the ones that were centered around interviewed criminals, coming across one in particular identified as Cletus Kasady, checking over the… colorful details of the murderer's past before moving on.

She continued to flip through the pages until she landed on one. One centered around Sean Ashburn Kruger, smiling as she looked through his past and accomplishments.

Sean Asburn Kruger

- born to Tom Kruger and Mara Ashburn

- father Tom came from a long lineage of patriots

- at age 11, sisters Dawn and Sarah were born

- at 14, parents killed in car crash (killer and reason currently unknown)

- all three temporarily watched by uncle Travis Halsey, Mara's brother, who would go on to win a lottery a month later

- sent crazy uncle to Stryker's after attempt on sisters' lives

- established Global Tech with lottery money shortly after

- developed advanced tech for military and medical purposes, combating pollution, etc.

- turned down contracts from shady companies like LexCorp

- at 16, ordered the death sentence to psychos that escaped justice

- is currently at war with Arkham Asylum when facility refused to hand over its prisoners

- supports vigilantes with zero compunctions about killing despite distaste for violence

- has strained relationship with Justice League

- agreed to launch a new task force to do what the League won't

Wait… what?!

Diana made a double take at the last part. A task force. She heard about those. Batman, and by extension the Justice League, faced teams such as the Suicide Squad at the wrong place at the wrong time before it was ultimately dropped by Cadmus.

But she began to think there was more to this…

What if this task force had a different mission in mind? What if it isn't programmed to fight the Justice League one day like Cadmus believed?

Taking one look at the notes, one thing came on her mind: if the League finds out about this plan, they'll try to make a move on Global Tech and shut it down along with everything Sean… or even Eddie, stood for. Even if they fail, their future attempts will put them on the public's blacklist.

And so she came to her decision.

She put the notepad in the drawer, hidden away before making her way out of the mansion. She needed to find and talk to either Sean or Eddie about this task force they're planning, but she had a feeling they wouldn't be in a good mood after what the Justice League pulled on Eddie.

Back in Gotham

"And then Zatanna started freaking out when Sean said Circe was gonna join!" Eddie said with a laugh as he and Ivy stood on top of a tall building.

"I heard she turned Wonder Woman into a pig once!" Ivy laughed along. "I couldn't stop laughing in my cell for a week!"

A few seconds later, the two recover from their laughter as they looked over the city. Eddie had just explained to Ivy that he and Sean had planned on forming a task force to get their hands dirty unlike the Justice League, with the goal of killing psychopaths like the Joker and fixing the justice system the League blindly followed. Ivy seemed a bit surprised at the idea, but she decided to ask either way.

"So… what gave you the idea to form this team of yours?" Ivy asked after what seemed to be an hour of silence.

Eddie's smile faltered as a frown formed on his face, sighing as he looked over the view of the city. "I'll be honest with you. I used to look up to the Justice League, but that all came crashing down after one incident. Between that and other incidents over the past few years I've found myself coming to realize something: scum like the Joker need to die. They've been allowed to hurt people for far too long. I'm tired of families being torn apart because normal people are too weak, incompetent, or obstructive to handle these bad guys and the 'heroes' are too soft or stuck on their morals. I won't lie; I was a lot like them. I was highly idealistic, but that was because I always had people shielding me away from the harshest realities in my career. Could you imagine a world without a Joker, forcing countless people living in fear? A world without rich psychopaths ruining countless lives only to get out of their punishment with their money? I mean, how many of these same criminals have probably caused untold damage to the earth and by extension nature itself to get what they want? I'm sure the government wouldn't mind sanctioning us. Maybe a group of super powered individuals working with the government would put 'em in a good light and show they're doing something to keep the public safe beyond broken promises and an endless cycle."

Ivy stared at the reporter, taking in his words. It was true, the villains she tended to work with on several occasions would end up causing more damage to nature than the companies she tried to destroy. On another serious note, it was only a matter of time before that slime Joker would try something against her her by poisoning her children if she ever attempted to take Harley from him.

She had to admit, the whole proposal sounded rather interesting. But on another note, she couldn't help but feel a shred of sympathy for the reporter.

"Now that you mention it, we are that much alike." Ivy said.

"Really?" Eddie asked in surprise.

"Of course. We both had goals to help the world in reasonable fashions, but a few years of experience might as well change all that." Ivy replied. "If this is the only way to break this cycle, then I'm all for it."

'Annie was right. We do have a perfect match.' Venom mused after remaining silent throughout the whole conversation.

As the silence went on, Eddie's phone suddenly went off. Reaching into his pocket, he took out his phone and listened to the police scanner he had installed a year ago in his early crusade as Venom.

"Calling all available GCPD units. This is Commissioner James Gordon calling for immediate backup. Scarecrow and his gang are attacking the Bank of Gotham at the Kingston district and have taken hostages. The place is on lockdown and we are in need of backup. STRONG backup!"

"Scarecrow…" Eddie muttered with hate. "What's that nightmare-worshipping rag doll up to now?"

"I know Crane. He's never interested in money or luxury. He's probably going to waste it on more chemicals for his toxins." Ivy replied as the black ooze formed around Eddie, transforming into Venom.

"Maybe we should give him a fright of our own." Venom said before turning to Ivy. "Want to prove yourself tonight?"

Ivy's grin almost matched with Venom's.

Bank of Gotham

The security guards lay on the ground dead with looks of pure terror frozen on their faces, while the hostages were being held at gunpoint by masked thugs.

The leader of the bunch was a scrawny man that wore a hood over his head and a noose around his neck while wearing what looked like a gas mask under a burlap sack with an open mouth with stitches attached to the lips along with glowing yellow eyes. On his right hand was a device strapped to it and four syringes with a glowing yellowish liquid in each needle strapped to the back each of his fingers.

The self-proclaimed master of fear paced back and forth on the upper floor as his henchmen kept guard.

"Why do we keep doing this, boss?" one of the goons asked. "I thought grabbing cash was never your gimmick."

"I'm running a little low on Fear Toxin as of late, and I fear that its effects are getting too redundant." Scarecrow (Arkham Asylum version) replied, his sewn mask mouth stretching with his words as he raised his gloved hand and showed off his syringes. "You know the cost of chemicals and experiments these days."

"I just don't know if we should keep this up." the thug insisted. "You want more drugs instead of just kicking back while the Bat keeps tossing us back in jail."

"Maybe you're right." Scarecrow said in a jovial manner. "Why don't you test out this last dose of Toxin and the rest of us call it a night?"

The thug stood there with a nervous expression as his boss stared him down with a glare.

"Thought so." Scarecrow snarled. "Get back to work. Batman and the police will be here any minute."

In the vault, three thugs were gathering as much money as they could and loading them into large bags.

"Man, this is our biggest score yet." The short one said excitedly.

"Heh, this is way too easy." The tallest of the group gloated.

"Ain't easy with that sack-wearing psycho we're working for." the last one said in a whisper. "I just wanna be away from that freak before this is over."

"It ain't him you should be afraid of anymore. It's the new guy from San Francisco." the tall one said.

"New guy?" the shortest said in confusion.

"You heard of Venom? I've been watching the news the past week and this huge freak with teeth kept coming up. Hell, he's even nastier than Croc. I heard he bites people's heads off." The tall one said with veiled nervousness.

"What the hell is he, anyway? A circus freak, lab experiment, alien?" the short one asked.

"That…" a calm menacing voice from behind. "…and your worst nightmare."

The criminals froze in fear which was a huge mistake on their part. Startled by Venom's sudden appearance, they could do nothing as Venom efficiently knocked them all out with well powered blows to their heads. All three fell with resounding thuds and moved no more.

The thugs outside continued to watch the hostages until they heard a scream from the vault.

Turning their attention away from the hostages, they saw one of the men crawling from the corner of where the vault was before suddenly being dragged out of view, followed by the sound of fists pounding before he was suddenly thrown to the wall.

As the thugs waited for the attacker to come out from the corner, the ground suddenly bursted as Venom leapt out.

The men opened fire on Venom, who rolled out of the way and shot three tendrils out of his back, yanking the guns from three of the thugs before grabbing them around the heads and slamming them into the floor. Venom ran up, ripped the gun from another thug and ripped his head right off with his teeth. Venom shoots a tendril out to grab a nearby bench and whacks the rest of Crane's men with it, sending them crashing into a wall, all the while Scarecrow and his thugs observed the scene.

"Bad night, Johnny?" a female voice asked playfully behind them.

Crane and his goons turned to see Poison Ivy sitting on a vine swing that stuck to the ceiling, smiling serenely.

Before the goons could fire their weapons, Ivy quickly blew a cloud of yellow dust at the thugs, making them cough before vines sprouted from their bodies and engulfed them in green cocoons, while the other three were grabbed by vines that sprouted from the walls, leaving Crane all by himself.

"Venom and I were hoping to exchange a few friendly words with you." Ivy said as she sauntered over to the master of fear.

Scarecrow glared at the redhead. "And you two couldn't do this 'friendly exchange of words' without decimating my men? It's pretty hard to find such expendable pawns these days, you know. For that matter, how did Venom persuade you to work for him? Threats? Blackmail? Charm?"

"What can I say? It's a toxic relationship." Ivy said with a grin.

"Speaking of which…" Scarecrow said as he whipped out a giant hook with a chain connected at its end. "You wouldn't mind if I take a few samples of your children, would you?"

Ivy glared. "Be my guest."

Scarecrow spun his chain hook at Ivy in which she quickly used several vines to block the attack. Ivy dashed forward and ducked from a punch he threw at her. When she got close, the Green champion delivered a series of punches towards his chest before pushing him back across the floor.

The Scarecrow then saw his opponent rushing towards him, which caused him to spin his chain hook around as a form of defense. The act was successful as Ivy was knocked back a bit, yet she recovered by performing a handspring. The plant woman then ran at him with compacted vines striking his front.

Crane's reaction time was rather slow at this point as Ivy started lashing her vines at him as he was struck several times across his body. The fear doctor flailed on the onslaught and tried to recover. Yet her onslaught wasn't done as Ivy leapt into the air and wrapped her legs around his neck before punching his noggin a good number of times. Once done, she whipped her hips around in order to toss Crane away as he slammed against the balcony.

As the Scarecrow tried to get back up, his shoulders were harshly tugged before he was dragged down to the lobby.

Before the master of fear could get up, he could hear the sound of heavy footsteps behind him before his neck was grabbed by Venom's strong hand as he stared him down with a hungry look.

"Scared, Johnny Boy?" Venom asked.

"I should ask you the same thing." Crane said before quickly jabbing the needles on his fingers into Venom's arm, cackling as the liquid entered the outstretched limb.

His fits of insane laughter slowly came to a halt when he noticed that the Lethal Protector seemed to be undisturbed by the show of hostility and was actually smiling serenely. "Performance issues?"

"WHAT?!" Dr. Crane shouted in outrage. "You should be on the ground squirming like a bug!"

"Maybe you forget the fact we're called… Venom."

The Lethal Protector grabbed Crane's wrist and tightened his grip until the device the syringes were connected to became dented, snapping his wrist in the process, causing Scarecrow to scream in pain as the remaining drops of Fear Toxin ran down his arm.

"No! No!" Scarecrow screamed in terror as Venom licked his chops.

"Oh, yes." Venom hissed as he leaned closer…

Minutes later, police began to swarm the bank, arresting all the remaining downed men, hefting them up, while the other cops attempted to remove the other thugs from their plant prisons.

Detective Harvey Bullock searched the perimeter for anything left behind as the other cops tended to the hostages, while Commissioner Gordon looked for the leader of the foiled heist, stopping next to a young woman who had a look of shock on her face.

"Ma'am, where's Scarecrow? Did he get away?" Gordon asked.

"He's dead." the woman simply stated.

"Excuse me?" Gordon asked, shocked.

"You still remember when Venom came to Gotham a week ago? He came in here and killed him. We all saw it." the woman explained. "You want to know the strange part? Poison Ivy was with him. They stopped those men and killed Scarecrow. They… they saved us."

Gordon stood shocked at the information given. He never thought Venom would be working with a dangerous eco-terrorist to stop an even dangerous criminal. But he felt there was more to this than anyone thinks.

"Ya hear that, Commish?" Bullock spoke up. "Venom and Poison Ivy. Working together to stop a junkie that uses a drug that puts shrooms and marijuana to shame. Think it'll catch on?"

"That's the least of our worries." Gordon said before turning to the woman. "Where did they take his body?"

"They took it to the vault." the woman said. "I don't know what it looks like by this point."

Nodding, Gordon gestured for Bullock and two rookies to follow him to the main vault.

As soon as they reached the vault, they prepared their guns as one of the rookies turned the knob and opened the door.

Only to widen their eyes as they saw Scarecrow… only he had seen better days.

The man was obviously mangled as both arms were twisted into bad angles with some bone protruding in a spot or two, both legs looked to have been snapped repeatedly, his clothes were shredded, his gas mask was dented and a piece of burlap sack was torn from the side, exposing a scarred eye, and he was covered in blood that was clearly his own.

What was more disturbing, and shocking, was the large roots that sprouted from the ground and positioned him in a crucified manner, making him look like his namesake.

"Jesus…" Bullock whispered in disbelief, trying his best to hold in his lunch as he took in the sight. "This is even worse than when we found him hanging from that fan years ago."

"Except he's got one hell of a calling card on him." Gordon muttered with narrowed eyes.

On a rooftop observing the scene, Venom and Poison Ivy smiled at their work before turning to each other with grins.

"This looks like the beginning of a… beautiful friendship." Venom said.

And done! Sorry for the long wait. At least you got to see Venom and Poison Ivy in action, and you got to see Scarecrow be the first of Batman's Rogues' Gallery to be bumped off by the Lethal Protector. And I hope you got that little hint at the beginning~ (but I'm not telling).

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A little more in depth, so to speak. Shows that despite their jaded views, Eddie/Venom still believes in the possibility of second chances, and we managed to get a glimpse of Eddie's… complicated history with the Justice League during his conversation with Ivy, which will be explained in future chapters.

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman has discovered their plans to start their own team that's willing to get their hands dirty. Will she tell her teammates, or will she keep silent and look for Eddie for answers? What do you hope to see next during Eddie's stay in Gotham? Leave a review and stay tuned!