Sex and Shackles

by MyDirtyLittleSecret

Poison Ivy and Harley have their sights set on Nightwing. He's going to make the best kind of pet. Self beta-ed. Any mistakes are my own.

2. Chapter 2: Part 2

Part Two

Let me know that I've done wrong,
When I've known this all along,
I go around a time or two,
Just to waste my time with you.
Tell me all that you've thrown away,
Find out games you don't wanna play,
You are the only one that needs to know-
I'll keep you my dirty little secret,
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you`ll be just another regret,
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret,
Who has to know?
When we live such fragile lives,
It's the best way we survive,
I go around a time or two,
Just to waste my time with you,
Tell me all that you've thrown away,
find out games you don't wanna play,
you are the only one that needs to know-
I'll keep you my dirty little secret,
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret,
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret.
Who has to know?
The way she feels inside (inside!)
Those thoughts I can't deny (can't deny!)
These sleeping thoughts won't lie (won't lie!)
And all I've tried to hide
It's eating me apart
Trace this life back!
I'll keep you my dirty little secret,
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret.
(Just another regret)
I'll keep you my dirty little secret,
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret,
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret,
Dirty little secret,
Dirty little secret.
Who has to know?
Who has to know?

-Dirty Little Secret, By: The All American Rejects
/

Dick Grayson had been home for five days now. He had stayed mostly in his room since he returned. After two months in captivity, it felt strange to be able to move around on his own. He almost felt like he wasn't supposed to. The notion was really ridiculous. Yet, he felt the same about wearing clothes. He'd actually enjoyed being naked after a while. He managed to make himself keep pants on when Tim and Alfred came in to check on him. He could tell they were really worried about him. He couldn't blame them. Soon as he had gotten to his room in the Manor, he had slept nearly two days solid, in the nude and still wearing his collar. The third day, he had showered by himself (strange as well), he finally put pants on, and curled back up in his bed. The drugs were still circulating through his system. The sex pollen was gone, but the mind altering drug was not. He still felt compelled to go find Ivy. He needed her to take care of him. He felt lost and alone. He knew he had been independent for years, but somehow two months had vastly altered him.

He fingered the collar, trying to find the will power to take it off. He remembered abhorring the feel of it and the very meaning for why he wore it. Now it was his last connection to Ivy. He didn't know if he had the strength to take it off. He glanced over at Tim, who was sitting at the desk in Dick's room working on his homework. Maybe he should ask Tim to take it off. His hand fell away from the collar. He'd leave it on a little longer.

He was glad that Tim had taken to staying in his room as much as possible. Right now, he needed the closeness. He was tactile, but years of living with Bruce Wayne had made him suppress it. After spending so much time in constant company and contact, he needed to have someone near him. At least, until he settled back down and got back to acting like himself. He was thankful that Tim could be very perceptive at times.

"Hey, Dick? Do you know how to do this one algebra formula?" Tim asked.

Dick stood up and dragged a chair over to Tim's side. Perceptive little shit indeed, Dick thought with a smile. He knew Tim really didn't need his help. The kid was very smart. Dick knew he was being offered the chance for some much-needed closeness. If he sat so close that their legs touched and leaned into Tim when he pointed out advice, Tim didn't mention it.

Thank God for Tim.

/

It had been a week since Dick had returned. He was finally moving around Wayne Manor freely. Bruce could only assume that all of the mind-altering drug had finally worked itself out of Dick's system. He was not acting so out of character anymore. He was still acting depressed and wearing that damned collar. At least, Dick was fully clothed now, albeit leaving his shirts unbuttoned and loose at the cuffs. Bruce had tried a few times to approach Dick about what had happened, but the younger man didn't want to talk about it. Trying to mention that he needed to find Poison Ivy had only made Dick even more reticent in talking to Bruce. The older man had no idea why. Was Dick was just too ashamed of what happened to speak about it or if there was something else preventing him from opening up to Bruce? Bruce was running out of patience. Every day, Poison Ivy's trail was growing colder. It irked him to no end. Bruce finally decided to turn to his next best hope at gaining the information he needed from Dick.

That was why Tim was looking at him with that damned stubborn look.

"Talk to him," Bruce said curtly.

Tim frowned. "Why me? He's your son."

"He'll talk to you more easily," Bruce replied, sounding a touch annoyed about that. "We need to know what happened."

"So we can help him get over this weird sulk?"

"Exactly. I need to know if there was any permanent damage done to him. If he suffered some kind of psychological trauma beyond what we are seeing." Bruce explained.

"What makes you think he'll tell me?"

"He likes you. And you're not going out on patrol until you talk to him." Bruce said.

"Alright, I gotcha. I'll go talk to him." Tim sighed. He really didn't want to end up as the go-between in this crappy situation. Dick trusted him. The last thing he wanted to do was make Dick feel like Tim had betrayed him by blabbing his mouth to Bruce. But Bruce was right. They needed to figure out what was wrong with Dick. Seeing Dick act so weird was seriously beginning to creep Tim out. He hoped Dick would forgive him for going behind his back like this.

/

Tim found Dick in his room. Thankfully, Dick wasn't curled up in his bed. That would have made this talk so much more awkward. Dick was sitting on the loveseat with his legs stretched out in front of him, listening to the radio and staring out the window.

"Hey, Dick," Tim plopped down next to the older vigilante.

Dick glanced over and smiled. "Hey Timmy."

"Don't call me that," the boy scowled.

Dick smiled wider. He really loved picking on the boy. He liked getting a reaction out of Tim. The kid was trying to act so grown up lately. Dick wanted him to at least have something of a normal childhood for the remaining few years he had left.

"So, uh, how are you?" Tim asked carefully.

"I'm fine, Tim."

"You've been acting weird since you came back."

Dick snorted in amusement. "Yeah."

"Like moping and stuff."

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you miss them?" Tim asked cautiously.

Dick turned his head so he could scrutinize the other boy more thoroughly. He had a feeling Bruce had probably set Tim up to this. He couldn't really blame Bruce if he had. There was no way he was gonna tell Bruce even half of the stuff that had happened to him when he was with Harley and Ivy. He did need someone to talk to though. Tim was the closest person he had to him now. Whether he went and ran his mouth to Bruce didn't really bother Dick so much. At least, he wouldn't have to tell it to Bruce personally. If Tim was offering to listen though, Dick was grateful for that.

"I don't miss Harley," he replied. "She treated me like crap most of the time. She took out her boredom and frustration on me. My experiences with her…were pleasurable, but torture."

"Torture? She hurt you?" Tim clenched his fists as anger bubbled up in him. He was gonna beat that bitch clown's face in next time he saw her. He didn't miss the fact that Dick didn't say anything about not missing Ivy.

"Not in the way you normally think of torture. I just don't have a better word for it." Dick attempted to rectify his previous statement.

"What way then?"

"She was a kinky bitch," he quirked a sideways smirk.

Tim made a grossed out face. "Like whips and stuff?"

"Like choking and stuff," Dick corrected, and laughed at the younger boy's horrified look.

"Ivy never did that?" Tim inquired curiously.

"No. Ivy never hurt me, except once but I deserved that. I almost broke Harley's arm when she tried to steal my mask." The older vigilante replied. "Ivy treated me very well."

Tim frowned. "Is that why you got to keep your mask?"

"Mostly. I think Ivy just didn't want to know…," Dick frowned as he thought about that. He remembered the feel of her fingers on his face as she tore the mask off. He shivered as he recalled the awed look on her face and the desperate way they'd made love after that. The last time they'd made love, except he hadn't known that it was. "She liked things the way they were between us. It was uncomplicated, especially after she got rid of Harley."

"She was the one who turned in Harley?" Tim was incredulous.

"Yeah, she didn't like sharing me," Dick said absently, touching the collar on his neck. His mind was still hooked on those last few hours he'd spent with Ivy. Why had she chosen to leave him like that? Why hadn't she left some clue on how to find her? He'd thought they had something. Was it really the drugs that had made it seem that way? Had they really fucked with his mind that much? "Fucking drugs," he growled to himself. Then it dawned on him. "I could think then. She'd lowered the dosage. It couldn't have been the drugs…"

"You said she lowered the dosage?" Tim said breaking into Dick's train of thought.

"Yes," Dick replied.

"How much?"

Dick frowned as he thought about it. "I can't say for sure. Enough that I could start thinking more easily. I still answered to whatever commands she gave, but I was freer to move about on my own."

"And you didn't try to escape?" Tim asked in bemusement.

"No." Dick said, taken aback by the question. He honestly hadn't thought of it. He probably could have gotten away with the low levels of drugs in his system. He may have been tempted to return to Ivy, but he was certain he could have overcame that. The thought of escaping hadn't crossed his mind. He'd become used to the situation he had been in; even happy with it. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he thought about really trying to escape before he'd been found. He'd become content in the role Ivy had placed him in. He'd let himself truly become her pet. He believed he'd become more than that to her though. He wasn't about to tell Tim that.

"So were you really used just for-," Tim broke off, because he just couldn't get the word past his lips.

Dick grinned mischievously. "For sex?"

Tim flushed. "Yeah, that."

"For Harley, yes. For Ivy, no. I was more like a dog and then later on a companion. We spent a lot of time just being together," Dick said wistfully. "It feels wrong, almost, not to have someone around me all the time." It felt weird to be doing things like showering alone. He hadn't been alone very much in the last two months. He certainly hadn't been alone while bathing. He actually missed being 'groomed.'

"Groomed?" Tim asked in shock.

Dick looked up. He hadn't realized he'd said that out loud. "Yeah…"

"As in like dog grooming?" Tim looked slightly sickened.

"Something like that. Ivy took pride in keeping me clean. She liked to groom me. I had a bath at least once a day when it was just us," Dick explained reluctantly.

He didn't tell Tim how she'd always been playing with his hair, brushing it or running her fingers through it. Or how she used to careful apply lotion to every inch of him after his bath. How that usually ended in a hand job for him or something better. He swallowed hard. Fuck, he missed her. He hated that he did, but he couldn't help it. No one had ever taken care of him like that since he was very little. He missed the attention, the feeling of hands on him, and never being alone. He'd learned to live with minimal contact, but the time with her had been wonderful for that part of him that enjoyed such things.

"Did she give you that collar?" Tim asked curiously.

Dick touched the tag with a bitter smile. "Sort of. It was a gift from both of them. It was Harley that put it on me."

"So why don't you take it off?"

Dick said quietly. "I can't make myself do it."

Tim frowned. "Can't? But…" He didn't really want to know the answer to the why for that question. "I can take it off for you. If you want me to."

Dick was silent for several minutes as he contemplated it. "Alright." He finally gave in.

He needed someone else to take it off. Otherwise, he probably never would. He forced himself not to flinch away as Tim reached over. Dick went still as the leather began to loosen around his throat. Then suddenly it slid away and was gone completely. Dick took a deep breath. There was no constriction around his jugular for the first time in weeks. He felt relieved and sickened at the same time. A shudder raced through him at the nonsensical feeling of loss that washed over him. He looked down at the collar resting in Tim's hand. He reached out and gently took it from the boy. The last link to Ivy was gone. It no longer held the sense of connection now that it lay in his hand. It was like the final spell had been broken.

He turned his head and buried his face in Tim's neck. He should have felt childish and foolish for doing such a thing, but right now he needed the comfort. Tim stiffened, clearly uncomfortable, but didn't push him away. He tentatively reached out to place an arm around his step brother's back. He allowed Dick to lean into him completely. Shudders rippled through Dick as he finally let his feelings catch up with him. He wasn't sure if he cried or not, but if he did, Tim pretended to ignore it.

"Everything's gonna be ok, Dick," Tim said, because it was the only thing he could think to say.

/

"He misses her. It's really obvious. You ask him anything about Harley and everything he says is spiteful. Everything about Ivy is spoken with almost reverence." Tim told Bruce over lunch that afternoon, after relating the entire conversation. He'd left Dick to nap after he calmed down. "At least, he let me finally take that collar off. That thing was creeping me out." He didn't mention how upset Dick was about it.

"This is more serious than I think you realize," Alfred remarked. "He seems to be exhibiting classic symptoms of Stockholm syndrome."

Tim and Bruce looked at the butler with quickly dawning understanding.

"Of course," Bruce sighed. "I should have suspected that. I had thought he was to smart to fall into that. It makes sense though. She showed him kindness. He was totally dependent on her. With the mind-altering drugs her kindness would begin to seem like real caring."

"So that's why Dick is defending her." Tim realized. "But if he's that attached to her this could get bad."

Alfred set down the tea tray. "Given the situation he was held in and the nature of their 'interactions' it may be more than a case of attachments…on both their parts."

"You're thinking he's in love with her?" Tim looked kinda horrified by the thought.

"It is not unlikely," the butler remarked, pouring the tea.

Bruce cringed. "People claim to be able to have sexual relationships without social or emotional attachments, but the reality is people are not capable of that. No matter the circumstances, sex is a bonding experience. It is highly possible, that Poison Ivy and Nightwing let sex become something more to them."

"It's so creepy hearing you talk about sex," Tim shuddered dramatically. "So what do we do then?"

"Watch him," Bruce responded simply. "We make sure he is not communicating or trying to locate her without us knowing."

"Perhaps this will wear off," Alfred suggested. "We can at least be grateful she gave Master Dick back to us unharmed."

"But not the same." Bruce sighed, getting up. "We need to find her. She needs to be brought to justice. Kidnapping and holding someone against their will is a crime—."

"She didn't hurt me."

They all turned to see Dick standing in the kitchen doorway, glaring at them.

"It doesn't matter if she didn't hurt you." Bruce said calmly.

Dick's scowl deepened. "I think it does. She wanted out of this life, so let her be out. She let me go and I'm fine. I don't want to find her if it means you are going to throw her back in Arkham. Leave her alone." He spun around and walked away, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Oh dear," Alfred said softly. "I think you should speak to him, Master Bruce."

Bruce knew he needed to. He'd been putting it off. He really had no idea how to talk to Dick about the situation. He had only been focused on finding Dick. He hadn't put much thought into what would happen after or how Dick would react. It had been hard to think about the future when all he worried about was Dick being dead in a back alley somewhere. Bringing him back home had been a huge relief. He supposed he had been foolish to think everything would just go back to normal. After nearly two months in captivity, of course, Dick wouldn't be the same.

He stood up and left the kitchen. He headed to Dick's favorite place in the Manor. He wasn't surprised to find Dick sitting in the window seat of one of the many windows that covered the living room's west side. The young man was staring out the window with a brooding look on his face. The sun was pouring across the fields, turning the grass to beautiful emerald green. Dew glistened on the grass where it hadn't yet been burned off by the morning light. The trees trembled in the slight breeze. It was a magnificent morning. To Dick, it probably looked like a fairy tale land after being kept indoors for so long.

Bruce had searched frantically during those months. He kept hoping he'd find Dick. He had a hard time considering Dick might be dead. Every day, he had checked all his sources for any clue of where the young man could be. He had hoped he wouldn't find a dead body that matched Dick's description in Gotham Police reports. As the weeks passed it was harder not to despair. Whoever had taken Dick had left almost no clues to go on. He'd only able to deduce that Poison Ivy had a hand in Nightwing's disappearance from a small number of plant scrapings he'd found on the warehouse floor. She had left no other trace. This time she had been very careful and thorough. He checked all the places that might lure her and found nothing. He waited for her to make an appearance or find some way to leave a ransom. She never did. She was behaving so out of character that it worried him even more.

Guilt had gnawed at Bruce's insides. He should have been with Nightwing. He knew the younger vigilante thought he was more than capable to be out on his own. For the most part, Bruce trusted that judgment. He should have known better. He should have known something had gone wrong earlier. As the guilt continued to consume him, Bruce had hunted more frantically.

His next best clue had come in the form of Harley Quinn. Someone had sent an anonymous call to the police matching Harley's description and the name of an arcade. Batman had picked up the radio chatter on his police scanner. He'd immediately responded. He found her easily and subdued her quickly. He had been about to leave her tied to a light pole when she'd spoken up. Normally, he'd ignore whatever taunts she made, but this time it wasn't a taunt.

"If you think you can track my movements back to your Birdie boy, you're wrong," Harley sing-songed at his back.

He'd whirled around and stalked back towards her. "What do you know about his disappearance?"

"Oops. Shoulda kept my trap shut," she giggled sheepishly. "Cat's outta the bag!"

"Tell me!" He snarled.

She cringed. "No way! Red'll will kill me for ratting her out when she gets thrown back in Arkham!"

He grabbed her by the front of her costume and shook her like a rag doll. "Tell me!"

"Hey, hands! Watch where yah grab!" She shrieked, terrified.

He jerked her face up to him and growled. "Where is he?" He was considering snapping her neck if she didn't answer. He'd never felt so furious or so close to losing control.

"Alright!" She cried, seeing the wild look in his eyes. "We have him at a safe house!" She spouted off an address.

"What were you doing to him? If you harmed him in any way-!"

"He's not hurt!" She gasped when his hand closed around her neck. "He's being used for sex! He's just a toy!"

Batman gritted his teeth at that. "You've kept him this whole time for that!"

"Y-yeah! He's good at it. O-One of the best," she wheezed out and grinned lopsidedly.

He dropped her without another word. He ignored her shriek of pain when she fell in a heap on the ground. He had a trail to pick up. The police would take care of her. The address had led him to what had been a safe house. There had been no one there. Signs showed that the place had been very recently evacuated. The stupid little clowness had played him. He'd kept searching, but found nothing. He was only partially appeased to know that Dick had not been harmed. Still, he had been held against his will by Poison Ivy and Harley. God knew what she had done to him. If Nightwing was being used as a toy he could only imagine some of the things they'd forced and subjected him to.

More weeks had gone by, and then suddenly Ivy had given Nightwing up. It made him suspicious of her motives. Dick's weird behavior only set off his worries more. She had done something to the vigilante while he'd been in her clutches. He was determined to find and capture her. No one messed with his kids. Right now, though, he needed to help Dick. He had no idea how he was supposed to do that. He was bad at this kind of thing. The Tony Zucco incident had only brought that home to him.

"I know you think I'm crazy for defending her," Dick's voice broke through Bruce's train of thought.

Bruce walked closer. "Whatever it was she made you feel; it wasn't real, you know." He heard himself say.

Dick nodded. "I know that's what you believe."

"What happened?"

"They treated me like a pet and used me for sex. They fed me, bathed me, and even gave me a futon the corner. I was like a big dog," Dick told his foster father quietly. "Harley was the one who tormented me if you wanna call it that. Nothing too far, because Ivy stopped her."

"Why?"

"I don't know. She acted as if she cared about me. She let me keep my mask and kept Harley from harassing me too much." He rested his head against the glass. "When Harley disappeared the dynamics changed. I was Ivy's and I was…content. She kept me less drugged. I probably could have escaped. I didn't want to. We were…intimate. She treated me like a person again. Then she was gone."

Bruce could tell Dick was leaving a lot out of his story. He half wondered what Harley had done. He didn't really want to know though.

"I was happy," Dick admitted.

Bruce was surprised at that admission. "There is something to be said for finding freedom in captivity. It's not unheard of to revel in the lack of responsibilities or choices one normally has to make in their life."

"It wasn't like that," Dick said.

The older man didn't pry for an answer. He knew Dick would keep talking if he felt like it.

"I haven't been that close with someone in a long time. I mean, I've dated and I'm no virgin, but it was never like that. We were almost constantly together. Being around someone like that made me happy."

Bruce finally got it. Dick had always been the tactile type. He'd grown up being touched in order to learn the trapeze. He had been close to the circus people and his parents in a hands on way that most people were not. He had to trust and live close to the people around him in that life. Of course, he would miss that kind of attention and crave that kind of closeness again. Ivy had given it to him, not knowing how much he'd longed for that. So no wonder he missed her. He had grown attached to her and was so upset she had left him alone again.

"You have to let it go, Dick. It was all just an illusion. At best, she was using you," Bruce said as gently as possible.

"Yeah." Dick murmured, wrapping his arms around himself. He didn't bother to tell Bruce he that's not how it was at all. Ivy hadn't been pretending like she cared. No one could fake the honest sincerity he saw in her eyes when she made love with him. He certainly couldn't pretend to himself that what he felt for her wasn't real. He knew he was screwed. "I know it wasn't real." Bile burned in the back of his throat at having to lie like that. "It was just a rough few months. Just leave her alone. Ok? I'll be alright. You guys can stop worrying so much about me."

Bruce nodded. "Ok." He had no intention of letting up on his search for Poison Ivy.

Both of them knew things were very far from being ok.

/

"Dick, what's been up with you lately?" Barbara asked, concern and worry clear in her voice and expression.

Dick couldn't look at her when she made that face. Honestly, he'd been avoiding her as much as possible. She finally pinned him down here at the loft, while he was busy fine tuning his motorcycle. He really didn't want to be around her. He felt guilty and confused. A few months ago, he had been pretty sure he loved Barbara. Things had changed so drastically. He wasn't the same anymore. He kept his eyes resolutely focused on his motorcycle's motor. He pretended to keep on tinkering with it even though his mind was very far from it.

"It's been a month since you came back. I know Bruce talked to you about the Stockholm syndrome, but you don't seem like you're getting over it, "She continued.

He clenched his jaw, biting down on the irritated words that wanted to come out. He did not have Stockholm syndrome. He didn't give a fuck if Bruce or Barbara thought that's what was wrong with him. They wanted to believe that was what was wrong with him. It made it simpler to fix things in their minds. Barbara seemed to think he could just turn off what he'd felt during his time with Ivy. Maybe he could if it had only been him that felt something stronger than just attraction.

"I'm fine," he bit out instead.

"No, you're not! You're still acting like you miss her!" Barbara pressed.

He did miss her! Fuck, how he missed her! He curled his hands into fists. He didn't want to admit that to Barbara.

"It wasn't real, Dick," she whispered.

Fury burned through him. He straightened up and threw down the tool he'd been using. None of them got it! None of them wanted to understand. He'd crossed a line when he'd been with Ivy. Bruce had done the same with Selena Kyle, and they all knew how that had turned out. All of them knew what happened when you got personally involved with the villains. He had gotten to close to Ivy. He couldn't just let her go. He wasn't like Bruce, who just pretended to shut out everything. He couldn't do what Barbara wanted and just act like nothing had ever happened. They were the ones who wanted everything to go back to being fine. Well he wasn't fucking fine!

"All of you keep saying that, but none of you were there! You guys don't understand how it was for me or how I felt! Stop fucking assuming you get it!" He spat, glaring at her. She shrank back from him, completely surprised by the force of his anger. "You didn't see the way she touched me, held me, or took care of me! I was hers and I was fucking happy about it! None of you get that she actually did care about me!"

Understanding was beginning to dawn on Barbara's face. "You're in love with her," she gasped in horror.

Shit. Dick sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. The fight drained out of him instantly. He hadn't meant to say all that; certainly not to Barbara of all people. He didn't want to give his feelings away like that. But Barbara had gone and said the words aloud. Now it was real to him. Everything he'd been denying, ignoring, and avoiding was staring him right in the face. He knew what he'd been feeling. He hadn't wanted to put a name to it. He glanced up to find her staring at him anxiously.

"Yes," was all he could really say. It was too late now to take back everything he'd said.

"That's why you haven't been able to look at me." She realized sadly. "I thought you loved me. I thought we finally had something."

He couldn't stand to see the hurt on her face. "I thought so too. Honestly, I loved you Barbara," he admitted. "I didn't mean for this to happen. But I know I'm not imagining it and it's not some bi-product of Stockholm syndrome."

"But how could you fall for her! She's twisted and evil!" Barbara exclaimed angrily.

He smiled wanly. "No, she's not. She's lost and confused."

"Dick, you've got to let this go." Barbara said quietly, clenching her fists. "Even if you don't love me anymore, you can't love her. You just can't!" She spun around and hurried out of the room.

He sighed tiredly. He shouldn't have said anything to her. He should have kept his mouth shut. Barbara had always been able to get him to open up though. She was always the one finding the chinks in his emotional armor and digging at them until he caved. God, he hoped this wasn't the end of their friendship. They'd known each other since high school. He'd been in love with her since mid-way through college. Yet, somehow in two months, Ivy had been able to make him fall completely in love with her. She hadn't even been trying. He wandered over to his couch and sat down heavily. He flopped over onto his side and buried his face in the throw pillow. He was going to regret having run his mouth to her. He knew it.

/

It certainly hadn't taken the Joker and Harley that long to break out of Arkham this time. It had only been a little over two months since Nightwing had seen her last. Not nearly long enough for his taste. He would have stayed far away from this fight if he could have. However, Bruce was out of town on an unavoidable Wayne Industries business trip. Tim was stuck at home with a badly twisted ankle. So that left Nightwing and Batgirl to pick up the slack. Not exactly ideal, since the two of them had been avoiding each other since their fight two weeks back. On top of that, Nightwing had really only been back out doing vigilante work for a short time. He was still trying to get back into the groove of things. Needless to say, Nightwing was not in the right statement of mind to be dealing with the Joker and Harley of all people. That was probably why Harley had somehow got him cornered so easily. Distraction was a deadly enemy and Nightwing had let it get to him.

"Hey, bird boy, it's been a while," Harley smiled broadly. "I see you left your hair short."

Nightwing gritted his teeth angrily. She aimed at punch at which he caught easily. He used her own forward momentum to swing her around and slam her back against the wall. She gasped in pain. It was satisfying on such a deep level for him to finally return the torment. She laughed at the anger on his face as she grabbed onto his wrists.

"Come on. We had some good times, didn't we?" She asked, yanking him closer until their chests crushed together.

Her breasts rubbed against him as she breathed. The simple touch brought back memories of her naked. He'd admit that she had a great body. Not everything she'd done to him had been horrible…Suddenly he staggered. The clowness had hooked her heel behind his knee and yanked his leg right out from under him. It was such an easy trick and he'd fallen right for it. He went down in a heap with her on top of him. Her hands found his neck, and began to choke.

"You look better with a collar on," She whispered against his ear. "You should have stayed a pet."

He shivered as her body rubbed against his in a sensual slide. Sense memory was like an electric jolt down his spin—of being buried inside her while she choked him.

"Get off me," he rasped, grabbing her wrists and throwing her off.

She landed on her ass, wincing.

"Harley, quit fooling around!" Joker yelled. "We need to am scray now!"

She started to scramble to her feet, but Nightwing tackled her back down. She shrieked as he pinned her to floor.

"What's the matter, Harley?" Nightwing smirked nastily. "Didn't you ever want me to do this to you?" Leaned down harder on her wrists and shoved his thigh between her legs. Her pupils dilated with lust as she struggled to get away. "We kind of have some unfinished business, don't we? I think it's only fair I get to pay you back for all the good times you gave me." His face was only inches away from hers. She cried out sharply as he ground the bones of her wrist in his grip.

"Harley, what are-?" Joker skidded to a stop and turned around to see what was taking the girl so long. His jaw dropped in astonishment. He dropped the bags of money and started to reach for his gun.

Nightwing was on his feet in an instant with Harley in front of him. "I wouldn't do that."

"You little-!" Joker spluttered. "How dare you mess with what's mine!"

"Wrong!" Nightwing snapped. "See, Harley and I have a bit of history. I guess she didn't tell you what she was doing the last time she was out, did she?"

Harley squeaked in horror. "Don't you tell-!"

"Tell him, what? That you, me, and Ivy had a hell of a time shacking up together. Or that I probably satisfied you more than he ever will. Because we did have some good times, didn't we Harley?" He grinned crookedly, pulling her back against his chest and sliding a hand down her throat. She whimpered and squirmed in his grip. "You'd get so jealous when Ivy got more affection from me. Because you wanted me all to yourself, didn't you? You never once worried about your dear Joker." Nightwing locked eyes with the Joker, who was seething by now.

"Harleeeeey…," the Joker snarled. "Is any of that true?"

"Heh heh," she smiled weakly. "Maybe a little."

"You—you, argh!" Joker yanked out his gun and pointed it straight at Harley's chest. The clowness' eyes widened in shock at the barrel of the gun leveled at her breast. He was so enraged that he didn't even see Batgirl jump down behind him and knock him out. He was slumped on the floor before he even realized he'd been hit.

Harley shrieked in anger and struggled to get free. Nightwing let go without a word. She gasped as she hit the floor. She spun around on her knees to glare up at him. "We're even now," Nightwing said, brushing his hands together as if wiping any lingering trace of her off his hands. "He'll never trust you again. You'll always know that I am a better lay than he ever will be, and you'll never have me again. So I get the last laugh." Nightwing gave her a jaunty grin.

She curled her hands into fists and grit her teeth in fury. "I'll get you back for that!"

"Yeah, yeah, save it sister," Batgirl sighed and slapped a pair of cuffs on her. "I'm sure you and your puddin' over there can work things out when you're back in your cells at Arkham."

Outside, police sirens wailed ever closer. Nightwing and Batgirl waited until they burst into the warehouse before the melted away into the shadows. Neither spoke as they leaped across building tops until they were several blocks away. They finally stopped to catch their breath on the roof of an old theater.

"That was a pretty cruel thing to do," Batgirl remarked, glancing over at Nightwing.

"Maybe, but I feel like it's only fair."Nightwing replied.

"Did you have to tell the Joker that you slept with Harley?"

"She slept with me. There's a difference. I didn't have a choice in the matter." He corrected evenly. "And I don't care if the Joker knows. He's not gonna tell anyone else. There's no way he'll admit to anyone that she cheated on him and never once thought of breaking him out. That just makes him look like a loser."

"Still-."

"You just didn't want to hear about it."

Batgirl scowled. "No I didn't."

"It happened, Barb. And pretending it didn't, doesn't change that." He snapped.

"Or the fact that you're still hung up on Poison Ivy!" She spat vindictively.

"That's none of your business," he said coldly.

"It is if it interferes with your job," she retorted.

He scowled at her. "I think I just proved it didn't back there." He turned around, "I'm done with this conversation." He jumped off the edge of the building.

Batgirl watched him go with an angry frown. She spun around and left off the other side of the building.

/

Another month slipped by, and things didn't get any better. Dick felt grumpy and agitated all the time. He missed being touched. He missed more than anything the constant sex. After getting it every day, sometimes several times a day, he was going through withdrawals. It sounded stupid to be getting agitated over something like that, but he was like a drug addict twitching for his next fix. He couldn't go to Barbara for help. There was no way he was gonna try to sleep with her anymore. He'd be lucky if they maintained their friendship after this.

So he began to sleep around. Guy or girl, it didn't really matter. He found whoever he could that was willing to satisfy his need for touch and sex for a night. It wasn't that hard to find people either. He was Dick Grayson, son of billionaire Bruce Wayne. It was the list of people who didn't want to sleep with him that was short. Soon his 'sexcapades' were getting more tabloid headlines than Bruce's, which were not even true more than half the time. There were speculations in the gossip columns and such that he was having a nervous breakdown, or he was going through a mid-life crisis early.

The days slipped by slowly to him. When he wasn't getting laid or working on his growing motorcycle business, he threw himself into being Nightwing. His life was beginning to revolve around his nightlife. He knew it was unhealthy. He had to find any way possible to forget about Poison Ivy. When he wasn't trying to forget her, he was trying to find her. He chased down every underground contact he had. He watched for any sign of her in the places that might attract her attention. He even checked in on Arkham a few times, but none of the other villains had heard anything about her. The futile search only made him more edgy. He felt like he was going to jump out of his own skin. The sex he was getting didn't help. There was something missing from it that he just couldn't get from anyone, but Ivy. Things just weren't working for him. He decided he needed to find someone who could give him some stability for a little while until he could get himself back together. The only problem was who…

The who came in the form of the Flash. The Central City vigilante had shown up in Gotham chasing after some mob boss who'd fled when Flash came calling. Batman and Nightwing had given the Flash a hand in rounding up the mob boss. Nightwing hadn't been able to keep his eyes off the red-suited man. The guy had a great looking body. For the first time in a while, Nightwing found himself really lusting after someone. He slipped the man a note as they shook hands good bye and parted ways.

Two nights later, Nightwing crouched on top of an air conditioner unit on the roof of a bank waiting for the other hero to show up. He had no idea of knowing if the Flash would come. It was a pretty odd request from someone Flash really didn't know all that well. The wind suddenly whipped up hard and then died down. Nightwing blinked and the red-suited man was standing in front of him with a big smirk.

"Hey there, Nightwing. I got your little note. Very cute. Real high school tactic," the Flash teased.

The younger vigilante rolled his eyes behind his mask. "I couldn't exactly ask you to meet me here in front of Batman. Not with the subject matter I need to discuss with you."

"Subject matter? This sounds pretty serious. Why can't you discuss it with your Daddy?"

Nightwing kept his patience, though just barely. "I know you heard about my kidnapping a few months ago."

The Flash sobered up. "Yeah. Batman was pretty worried. He contacted me and Boy Blue in Metropolis trying to find any information. He thought you might have been moved out of Gotham. I had nothing to give him. He told us you'd been found later on."

"Did Batman tell you who had me?" the younger vigilante asked curiously.

"Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Didja get any threesome action?" The Flash winked at him.

Nightwing chuckled. "That's about the only action I didn't get."

"What! I was just joking!" The Flash stared at him in stunned disbelief. "They seriously used you like that?"

"Yeah. And that's part of my problem." Nightwing admitted.

The other man looked confused. "You lost me. What's wrong with you?"

"I've got this addiction…," the younger man started carefully.

"You're a sex addict now," Flash interpreted with an amused smile.

Nightwing nodded. "I've been sleeping around, but it's just not helping. I feel like I'm losing control of my life. Everything revolves around finding someone to fuck and this," he tapped the bird on his chest. "I need something stable. I need someone I can rely on to…sleep with until I can get myself under control again."

"You want me to have sex with you." The Flash clarified slowly.

"I know it sounds kind of crazy," Nightwing sighed, rocking back on his heels. "But I can't keep spiraling like this. I feel like I'm losing my mind. I just need someone steady for a little while. I'm not asking for a relationship or anything permanent."

Flash crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot as he thought. "Why're you asking me? I mean, I'm one of the biggest womanizers around."

"Bull shit," the younger vigilante smirked. "No guy blows that much hot air unless they are compensating for something. I'm not saying you're completely gay, but more likely swing both ways like I do."

Flash's eyebrow ticked at being called out so easily. "Still your Batman's kid. If he finds out-."

"I'm not his 'kid' anymore. I operate on my own and sometimes lend him a hand. I don't take orders from anyone, but me," Nightwing snapped irritably.

"Alright. Alright," Flash waved his hands in surrender. "How often are we talkin'?"

"However much you want to." The younger man smirked, leaning closer to the other vigilante.

"I've gotta pretty big appetite." The older man grinned wickedly.

Nightwing sat back on his heels. "Even better. Whenever you feel like it just show up. You can meet me here." He handed over a slip of paper with his address on it. "Just gimme some warning before hand."

"You're acting like I already agreed to this." Flash frowned.

"You did when you asked how often," Nightwing smiled wolfishly.

"Jeez, you're an arrogant guy."

Nightwing laughed. "Says the king of arrogance."

"Yeah, yeah. Real cute. Fine then, you've got yourself a deal. No strings attached," Flash put out his hand.

Nightwing reached down to grasp it and shake. "Deal. No strings what so ever. Just sex."

"Sweet deal. When do we start?" Flash gave him a big smile.

Nightwing pulled him into a biting kiss. "Right now…"

The Flash had him pushed up against the door to the roof before he even realized they were in motion. He grunted against the impact of his back slamming against the hard wooden surface behind him. A groan escaped him a second later as Flash ground his hips against Nightwing's, revealing just how hard he was already. The younger vigilante smirked. He'd known he had Flash the second the word sex had left his lips. He'd been hard since the Flash had given him that first cocky grin. He rubbed his equally stiff erection against the older vigilante's.

"You really are an addict," the Flash smirked. "You're willing to do it right out here on the roof top? What if someone sees?"

Nightwing gasped as the older man pinned his wrists to the door on either side of his head and bracketed him in with his much larger frame. Yes, Nightwing thought fuzzily. This is what he needed; loss of control. How could he not have realized it sooner? "Anywhere. I don't care. Just please…," he moaned huskily as Flash rubbed their hips together again.

"And they say I'm the horny one," Flash chuckled darkly.

Nightwing's back arched, trying to create more delicious friction. He didn't even try to struggle against the hold on his wrists. Already his mind was hazy with lust and yet oddly he felt calmer than he'd been in weeks. He sighed happily when his lips were caught up in a rough, searing kiss. He opened his mouth immediately to let Flash sweep his tongue inside and taste him. The older vigilante's tongue was hot as it ran across the roof of his mouth and swept over Nightwing's tongue. In fact, the body heat coming off of Flash was unusually high for a normal person. But then, this man wasn't normal. Nightwing could only deduce that the man must burn probably triple the number of calories as a normal human. That was probably what made him so much warmer. It felt good to Nightwing, especially since they were out in a cool, breezy night doing things that were better left indoors.

Flash broke the kiss, allowing them both to gasp for some much-needed air. He moved in closer to Nightwing until their chests pressed together. Nightwing whined softly as their cocks aligned again. It'd been a while since he'd let a man dominate him like this. He found that he liked it ten times more than the last time he'd allowed it. He tried not to think of how fucked in the head that meant he had become. Flash pulled Nightwing's wrists up over his head and captured them in one hand. He used his now free right hand to trail down the expanse of the younger vigilante's chest, stomach, and all the way down to his waist line. He barely had to search to find the seam between the top and the bottom of Nightwing's costume. He fumbled for a moment with the clasp on the utility belt, but snapped it free seconds later.

"Wait!" Nightwing gasped before the older man dropped the belt. "Second pocket, lube and condoms."

Flash grinned. "You are prepared."

"I didn't think you say no." Nightwing gave him a toothy smile.

The older man looked slightly annoyed. He shrugged the feeling aside in favor of lust. He definitely wasn't one to turn down sex, especially when offered with no strings. He fished out the packet of lube and condom before dropping the belt to the ground. He tucked the condom into the edge of Nightwing's glove where it wouldn't fall free.

"Handy," Nightwing smirked at his terrible pun.

"Lame," Flash shot back.

Nightwing chuckled then sucked in a quick breath as Flash yanked his bottoms down without any warning. His dick bobbed free, twitching in the cool night air. Flash wrapped his gloved hand around the straining erection and began to jack Nightwing in long, almost too rough strokes. Nightwing moaned huskily as his back arched again and his head tilted back against the wall. The older vigilante leaned in to bite and suck at the expanse of Nightwing's throat that wasn't hidden by the black costume collar. Nightwing shuddered, caught between the sharp edges of pain and intense pleasure forming a potent mix in his lower body. His breath came in quick pants as the heady sensations began to overwhelm him. He growled in irritation when Flash's hand left his dick for a moment. When the hand came back a second later it was glove free. The feeling of calloused finger tips sliding over his cock had him coming almost instantly.

"Come on, Birdie." Flash whispered gruffly into his ear, dragging his thumb over the head of Nightwing's cock before digging his nail into the slit. The younger vigilante shuddered hard at the rough treatment. Another quick, twisting pull on Nightwing's length had him coming hard a second later. He cried out sharply as his orgasm shuddered through him. Flash watched with lusty satisfaction as the younger man rode through his orgasm. Normally, guys didn't turn Flash on as much as girls. Nightwing was an exception. The younger man was too fucking hot to be running around in nothing but a skin-tight suit fighting villains. Flash waited until every last drop of cum had spilled out before taking his hand away and shaking off most of the spunk. He held his hand in front of Nightwing's face. "This stuff's pretty thick, Birdie. Been holding back for a while?"

"Guess so."

"You mind cleaning it off. I'm not a big fan of jizz." Flash explained honestly.

"Fair enough," Nightwing said, before tilting his head forward to suck one of Flash's fingers into his mouth.

The older vigilante's eyes widened as that agile tongue swirled around his finger licking it clean. His cock throbbed hard as Nightwing sucked hard once to make sure all the residue was gone and then switched to the next finger. The younger vigilante repeated the same actions on each finger. He grinned as Flash began to unconsciously rock his hips against Nightwing's, trying to relieve the ache beginning to build there. Nightwing dragged the flat of his tongue across the palm of older man's hand.

"All clean." Nightwing declared with a jaunty smile.

"Good," Flash said as he ripped open the lube packet with his teeth. He coated his fingers clumsily and tossed the packet away. His fingers found Nightwing's hole a second later and rubbed across the pucker before pushing in two fingers in at once. The younger vigilante gasped, trying to force himself to relax enough to accept the intrusion. Flash thrust his fingers in gently stretching. He prepared Nightwing as fast as he dared. He was quickly losing control of his lust though. The tight heat surrounding his fingers was tempting. He wanted to be inside there—now!

Nightwing sensed Flash's growing impatience. He used Flash's iron grip on his wrists to pull his legs up and wrap them around the older man's waist. Flash's eyes widened in amazement as the younger man shimmied his body down until he was perfectly aligned to be taken. The older vigilante pulled his fingers free and reached down to yank down his tights. Flash groaned heavy in the back of his throat as his finally freed cock nudged over that waiting pucker.

"Condom…?" he grated out, rocking his hips so hard the head of his cock nearly slipped inside Nightwing. He didn't want to wait for even a second longer.

"Forget the fucking condom…ahh!" Nightwing gasped, as Flash's cock breached him.

Flash dug his fingers into the younger man's side and thrust up into him in one long, smooth push. Nightwing's whole body went rigid as he was filled. They both took a moment to adjust when Flash finally sank balls deep inside Nightwing. Flash groaned at the constricting heat around his cock, tighter and softer than any silken glove. Oh, it was good, so good. He couldn't wait to move any longer. He rocked his hips back and pushed back inside with a smooth glide.

Nightwing couldn't hold back the almost continuous whimpers as Flash rocked into him with long, deep thrusts. He was fully hard again in a matter of moments. There was something so relieving and fucking wonderful about letting himself be used this way. He rolled his hips as best as could given his position, trying to make the thrusts go deeper and find that perfect spot…

"Unnh!" He groaned, body snapping taut as Flash found that place inside him that made his nerves sing. "Yes, yes, yes right there," he babbled helplessly as pleasure swamped his senses.

Flash smiled fiercely as he set an even faster, more brutal rhythm, making sure to strike that spot as often as possible. Nightwing was a whimpering, writhing mess in only a few minutes. He didn't really care. This was what he needed. He dropped all of his defenses. The show of vulnerability only seemed to heighten Flash's lust. He pressed Nightwing back hard against the door until the younger vigilante was completely trapped between Flash's body, hands, and the door at his back. Nightwing whined breathlessly as the new position trapped his cock between their stomachs. The continuous rocking motion of Flash's abs was adding blissful friction against Nightwing's dick. The gratification in Nightwing was reaching new soaring levels. He felt like he was jumping off buildings. It was the same feeling of ecstatic freedom. His orgasm was like a building storm inside him getting ready to strike.

Flash was desperately close to finishing too, judging by the jitter in his hips and thighs, and his loss of rhythm. Suddenly, Nightwing was there. Climax took his breath away with how quickly and ferociously it swept over him. Flash captured his mouth in a messy kiss, swallowing up the shout that the younger man could not have held back. He barely had the presence of mind to kiss back as his body was overwhelmed with a rush of ecstasy. He felt heady and nearly faint with how good he felt. Flash thrust into him wildly a few more times. Then he was coming just as hard as Nightwing. It was the younger man's turn to swallow up Flash's cry of completion.

They stayed in the same position, trembling slightly as their bodies started to come down from their orgasmic highs. They breathed wetly into each other's mouths, foreheads pressed together, as aftershocks rippled through them. Flash released Nightwing's hands, who let them drop with a grateful groan. He slid his slightly numbed arms around Flash's neck and pulled the older vigilante in for a sloppy, biting kiss. They traded a few more kisses before Nightwing finally levered himself up enough to let Flash's now limp cock slid free of his body. Both shivered as cool air reached exposed sensitive areas. Flash steadied Nightwing as he lowered cramped legs to stand a tad shakily. They both cleaned up carefully and readjusted their costumes.

"This is going to be a good deal," Flash smirked as he smoothed down his red top. The scent of musk, sweat, and sex clung pleasantly to his costume. It wasn't the first time he'd have to wash his costume because of that smell.

Nightwing gave him a sly smile. "I'm glad you accepted it."

"So anytime I want it right?" Flash asked.

"Anytime. Just gimme a heads up. And next time, we're definitely doing this horizontal on a bed." He rubbed his back where it ached a little from the abuse.

Flash chuckled. "Yeah, my thighs are gonna ache tomorrow. And you're not as light as you look."

"Well, hey, I gotta go before someone (Robin) catches me up here," Nightwing sighed, reaching down to swipe up his utility belt and clip it back on.

"No problem. I'll catch you later…"

A gust of wind whipped up out of nowhere and then Flash was gone. Hopefully, this will all work out for the best, Nightwing thought. A steady was exactly what he needed for a little while. He hadn't felt this loose and relaxed in months. Why hadn't he thought of this earlier? He shrugged to himself before checking his costume over one more time. He cringed at the cum stains standing out white against the black. So much for any crime fighting tonight. He was going straight home to wash himself and his costume. He walked to the edge of the bank roof before jumping off and gliding in the direction of the warehouse district.

Behind him, the clouds drifted away from the moon and the rooftops seemed to brighten in the pale wash of light. A black and red cape flickered against the night sky for an instant on a higher roof top overlooking the bank. A small shadow moved to the edge and disappeared out of sight as well.

/

Being with Flash, worked out better than he had expected. Within a few weeks, he felt calmer. He didn't feel like he was gonna lost it anymore. He'd found that what he needed (besides Ivy) was to be dominated. During his captivity, he had apparently developed quite a kink for it. Or perhaps he'd just gotten used to being used and had begun to enjoy it. Either way, he felt calmest when Flash was pinning him to the bed by the wrists and fucking his worries away. He let himself be a creature of pleasure again in those moments. Flash certainly didn't complain about their sexual encounters. He seemed to get off on dominating, so it worked out for the both of them.

They didn't exchange their real names. They kept their masks on during sex. Talking was kept mostly to bantering and meaningless small talk. Neither wanted intimacy from the other. It was an easy arrangement that both could appreciate. They even managed to hide their 'deal' from Batman. After all, Flash was harder to catch than a slippery eel. Even with Batman's extensive network set up throughout almost every security camera in Gotham, the tapes would never be able to film the Flash at the speeds he went.

Of course, Tim figured out what was going on. Damn kid, followed Dick around like a puppy. He was far to nosy and intelligent for his own good. Dick had no idea how the little brat figured it out for sure, but if he could than Batman could. So he and Flash were even more careful with their arrangement after that. Barbara seemed to finally come back around almost as soon as he stopped sexing up everything on two legs that came near him. She seemed to think he was finally getting over everything. She was very far from the truth. He didn't try to correct her. He was just glad to have her back as his friend. She still meant a lot to him.

Months went by more quickly. Before Dick knew it nine months had slipped by since the day he'd last seen Ivy. He'd not heard even a whisper or a rumor about her. He realized finally that she must really be gone for good. Where ever it was that she'd escaped to he hoped it had worked out for her. He felt a little more carefree finally. He was nowhere near fully letting her go. If he caught even a hint of her whereabouts he'd drop everything and chase that lead. There was nothing though. He was settling back down. He still worked his nightlife far to much, but things weren't as bad as before. It was less of an escape now than it had been.

"I think this is the last time," he said to Flash, when the vigilante showed up one Tuesday night.

Flash looked somewhat disappointed. "Really?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be ok now."

"Well, let's make this last one really good, huh?" The older man grinned. "I gotta say I'm gonna miss our arrangement though."

Nightwing huffed a laugh. "Me too. The sex is great. But I can't keep using you either."

"True. Besides, there's this girl I'm starting to get pretty serious about. I don't think she'd like it if I keep running off to fuck some guy." Flash sighed.

"Nope," the younger man remarked, beginning to shed his suit. "Let's make this one last…"

They spent the whole night together. Nightwing watched the sun come up from the bed on his knees with Flash buried deep inside of him. He watched the sun break over the buildings as he came across the sheets of his mattress. Behind him, Flash came with a broken off shout. It was the perfect ending for their fuck buddy relationship.

/

It had taken Pamela Isley four days to get to a small city about an hour away from Orlando, Florida, called Lakeland; the city where her older sister now lived. She probably could have made it in less time, but she had avoided all the major highways and tollways. She had done everything she could to make herself as untraceable as possible. That meant sticking to back ways, doing the speed limit, and stopping only when necessary.

She had stopped in Richmond, Virginia to ditch any evidence she had left of Poison Ivy. She went to a department store in the mall and bought a whole new wardrobe of clothes. The clothes made her look like a proper lady again. With the change of clothes, came the change of identity. She replaced her driver's license, social security card, and birth certificate with her new ones. She was now Payton Ives. She looked over the little information she had on the lost Payton Ives. The girl had been a second cousin of hers. The girl had been kidnapped many years ago when she was very young and was never found. Ivy was not an optimist. She knew the girl had to be dead. She had chosen to become Payton, because the girl had looked like Pamela. It would be an easy role to step into since she had known Payton when they were children. All she had to do was claim that she'd escaped whoever had captured her, had amnesia until very recently, and when she finally remembered who she was she returned home to Florida. Simple, really.

Ivy made it down to Florida with no problems. It almost seemed to easy, but she wasn't going to say a word against it. She hoped that whatever higher power out there was being lenient with her since she was trying to start over. She spent the first night in Lakeland at a cheap hotel. She told herself it was because it was to late at night to go visiting. Really, she was scared to face her sister. She was not a coward though.

The morning of the fifth day of her escape from Gotham found her standing in front of a plain white door. It was the front door of a beautiful block built one story home. The house belonged to one Patricia Isley, Pamela's sister. The red head stood in front of the door for almost 5 minutes. She was trying to build up the courage to knock. She hadn't seen or talked to her sister in 5 years. Not for lack of trying on Patricia's part. Her sister had even gone so far as to send her letters in Arkham. Pamela had been to ashamed to read them, let alone reply to any of them. She and Patricia had been so close growing up. They'd been each other's best friends. At only, eighteen months apart in age they had been each other's everything. When their father died it had been just them and their mom. It made them even closer. They hardly left each other's sides. They had even gone to college together to study botany. Pamela even knew the exact date they had drifted apart. The day Pamela had left for her internship in Gotham. Now she was back home in Florida, hoping that her big sister could forgive her for everything.

Raising her hand to knock on the door was the second hardest thing she'd ever done in her life. The first had been leaving Nightwing behind in Gotham. She trembled at the thought of him lying on that bed, staring up at her with those beautiful blue eyes. She swallowed down the sick feeling trying to overwhelm her again. She took a deep breath and grasped her resolve. She knocked on the door.

Waiting for the door to open had her nearly running back to her car. She had to remind herself that she was stronger than this. She had faced Batman! She shook her head. She was not that person anymore. Never again…

The door opened to a pretty strawberry blond woman. She wore a simple button down green shirt and brown pleated skirt. She looked like the proper, conservative mother. She was a little plump around the middle that came with having babies and living comfortably. She looked wonderful. Pamela nearly cried at the sight of her.

"Patricia."

"Pamela?" the other woman gasped.

The redhead nodded slowly.

"Oh my God! Pamela!" Patricia cried, reaching out and pulling her into a fierce hug.

There was no way Pamela could have stopped herself from crying at that moment. They stood on the porch together sobbing into each other's shoulders as they hugged each other close. After about five minutes, Patricia pulled herself together enough to usher her sister inside.

"Oh, Pam! It's been so long. I missed you so much!" Patricia smiled through watery eyes.

Pamela smiled back. "I missed you too. I'm so sorry I never wrote or called you back all these years. I was just to ashamed to speak to you."

"It's alright, Pamela. But how did you get here? Last I heard you were-," she broke off abruptly. "Well, let me get you something to eat and drink first. I'm sure you're hungry. You can tell me everything after that."

"Thank you," Pamela whispered.

"Come on in. Sit down. The children are in school so we won't have to worry about being interrupted for a few hours." Patricia ushered her sister to the kitchen table.

Pamela asked after the children as Patricia made lunch. They spoke very little as they ate. When lunch was finished and cleared away, Patricia sat Pamela down in the living room on the sofa.

"Alright. Now that you're comfortable tell me what happened." Patricia said gently.

Pamela told her sister everything, starting from the beginning of her internship in Gotham. She explained how she had gotten involved with an activist group, getting caught up in their enthusiasm and twisted sense of justice. The group had brainwashed her as they injected her with toxins and poisons that they believed would create a superhuman that could protect the planet. She had nearly died twice from it but had survived and found that she had transformed. Afterward, she felt it was her personal duty to fight the environmental destruction taking place in Gotham.

At first, she had tried the passive-aggressive approach the activists used. Nothing worked, so she had become more and more frustrated. She finally snapped when Harvey Dent plowed up that field to make Arkham and had nearly destroyed a very rare rose that only survived there. She had become Poison Ivy, out for revenge because the earth could not strike back. Poison Ivy's twisted rantings and warped views of environmental justice had consumed her until she had become truly lost. She spoke of fighting Batman and Robin. She told Patricia about teaming up with Harley and becoming even more embittered by greed. At one point, she had tried to reform, but it had not worked. When she'd found out that she couldn't have children it had thrown her back into madness. The hope of having a family of her own had been her last saving grace. With that hope stripped away from her, she was lost once more.

Then one day about six months ago, Patricia had sent a letter to her while she'd been imprisoned once more in Arkham. It was the first letter she'd read from her sister in years. It was the letter that told her that their mother had passed away. The letter saved Pamela. It made her realize that her mother had died thinking her daughter was nothing but a mad woman. She was so ashamed of herself that she hadn't even known her own mother had been ill for so long. Her mother had passed away without Pamela even saying goodbye to her. What must her mother of thought of her? What must Patricia think of her? She realized that day that she didn't want to be Poison Ivy anymore. She snapped out of the madness she had somehow let herself fall into. She wanted to be Pamela Isley again.

So she had plotted with Harley to break out of Arkham. She knew no judge would ever believe her change of heart. She'd be imprisoned for life even if she did prove that she was remorseful of everything she'd ever done. Her only hope was to escape Arkham, this time for good, but she couldn't do it alone. She needed Harley's help.

It became more than just escape though. Just when Pamela decided she needed to break free a new, yet familiar vigilante had returned to Gotham. Nightwing. Poison Ivy wanted him. She had always wanted him. Ivy wanted one last thing before she quit Gotham for good. So she and Harley made plans to capture him. It took more than three months of careful planning for them to escape from Arkham this time.

Pamela stopped her story there. It was more than she had ever told anyone, even the psychiatrists at Arkham. She needed to gather her thoughts so she could talk about what happened next. Just thinking of Nightwing made her want to cry. Every mile driven away from Gotham had been like a knife through her heart as she realized just how in love with the vigilante she had become.

"It's ok if you don't want to say anymore, Pam," Patricia said kindly, rubbing Pamela's arm gently.

Pamela shook her head. "No, I want to tell you. It's just hard because I'm most ashamed about this."

"Pam, it's alright. I'm sure it can't be as bad as everything else," her older sister soothed.

Pamela laughed sadly and blurted out. "Harley and I managed to kidnap Nightwing."

"What!"

"Yes, the vigilante. We captured him and kept him as a pet." She explained. " I wanted him so badly, Pat. You can't even imagine. I can't even really explain why. It was the visceral need to own him."

"But you kept him as a pet?" Patricia was wide-eyed.

"Well, more like a sex slave…"

"Oh my God, Pam!"

"I know! It was crazy. Harley and I kept him naked and used him whenever we felt like. We even gave him a collar. We kept him chained and drugged so he couldn't escape. I never meant to let Harley stay for very long, so when I got tired of her I turned her in. Then I had Nightwing to myself," She spilled the truth. It was cathartic to confess it all. "I wanted to keep him, Pat. I loved him…ever since he was Robin. He is so beautiful, you have no idea! I knew when I saw him return to Gotham that I had to have him, even if just for a little while. He gave me a way out. A reason to hold onto being a better person and fixing my life."

"Pam, what are you talking about?" Patricia asked worriedly.

Patricia took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

Patricia's mouth dropped open. "Oh…oh, Pamela. Are you…are you sure? I thought you said you couldn't have children!"

"I took a test a week ago. It was positive. I don't know how Pat. It shouldn't be possible."

"Pamela!" Patricia pulled her into a tight hug. "Does he know?"

"No. I am too scared to hope. With so many toxins and immunities in my body, I still may not be able to keep this baby. I didn't want to tell him…" She admitted guiltily.

"Is he ok?"

"He's fine. I left clues for Batman to find him. I'm sure he's safely back home by now." Pamela answered.

Patricia pulled back and looked at her sister seriously. "You didn't hurt him?"

"No! Never! I couldn't ever…," She gasped, "He helped me realize I could get out as I wanted. He gave me the courage to leave. He made me feel beautiful again."

"Pam, oh honey, you've got it bad." Patricia smiled sadly and put her arm around her sister's shoulders.

She nodded, wiping tears away. "It was so hard to leave him. I didn't even tell him I was going."

"What are you going to do now, Pam?"

"That's why I'm here, Patty. I need your help." She smiled. "I want my old life back. I want to be a better person. I've got my new identity made. I just need to find a job and a home. Can you help me?"

"Pam, I will do everything I can for you. You have to swear you're going to change, Pam. No going back to being Poison Ivy. This is a big risk for me and my family. I love you dearly, but I can't protect you if things go bad like that again," Patricia answered carefully.

"I swear to you, Patricia. I am done with Poison Ivy. Never again. I swear it to you, and my baby," Pamela whispered fiercely, as her hand settled of her belly.

"I believe you, Pamela. We'll get it all figured out." Patricia smiled brightly. "I just want my sister back. I have missed you so much."

Pamela hugged her sister hard. "Thank you so much!"

"I'm your sister, Pam. I'll always be here for you." Patricia hugged back.

"Even after everything I've done?"

"Especially after everything you've done. I forgive you, Pamela."

Pamela struggled to hold back her tears.

"I'm sure Nightwing does too," Patricia whispered in her ear, and Pamela burst into tears once more.
/

/

Starting her life over as Payton Ives turned out not to be very difficult. Patricia owned a small chain of flower shops in Lakeland. She was opening a new shop and needed a manager. She gave that position to Payton. Another girl, Jennifer, was hired on as an assistant (she mostly dealt with all the customers). Payton enjoyed her work, growing and cultivating beautiful flowers. It felt so good to just grow things again for no other reason than to bring out its beauty. She felt calm and stress-free for the first time in years.

She stayed with Patricia and her family for the first few months. She got to finally know her niece and nephew, Paige and Patrick. They had been a little leery of her at first. She couldn't really blame them. It was hard to get over the fact that their aunt was considered a 'super villain' in Gotham. They kept her secret though. Once they realized she was not evil, they came to like her a lot. Paige was particularly fascinated with Payton's growing baby bump. Paige was the first to feel the baby kick. When Payton felt the next kick she dissolved into tears. She felt like she'd cried more in the last few months than she had in years. It had taken a while for the tears to stop this time though. She was so happy and excited she could barely contain her feelings. Yet, she was sad, because she couldn't share it with the one person who mattered most.

All in all though, the past four months had been kind to her. She was so happy to be a part of her family again. She finally found a perfect, two bedroom apartment to move into not far from the flower shop. It was only a two block walk to work. Everything she needed was located close to her. Even though she found a place for herself, Payton still spent most of her time at Patricia's house. Mondays had become their 'sister hang out' day. The kids were in school and the flower shop was closed. They spent the mornings chatting and drinking tea. Occasionally, they went out to the movies or ate lunch at the little diner near the flower shop. This morning, however, they were spending their time at Patricia's house.

"So Pay, how's the manager position working out for you at the flower shop?" Patricia asked, setting down a cup of tea on the coffee table in front of her sister. She sank down into the couch beside her sister. The TV was turned on to the news, but neither was really paying it much mind.

"Very well," Payton smiled. "It's wonderful to watch my flowers grow. Everything is more peaceful."

"Good. Jennifer said she loves working with you. I guess you're more easy going than I am," Patricia chuckled.

Payton smirked. "I wouldn't say that."

"Oh, my favorite show is coming on!" Patricia exclaimed as the theme song began to play.

"Honestly, Pat, why do you watch this gossip?" Payton rolled her eyes.

"It makes my life seem so much better when I can watch the rich and famous suffer a little," the older woman winked. "Not to mention, I'm still young at heart. So don't pick on this poor, divorced woman for wanting to get a look at all the cute young, rich men."

They both quieted as the gossip show began and the hostess began to talk. Payton didn't really pay attention as the hostess began to talk about recent celebrity goings-on. She perked up when Bruce Wayne's name was suddenly mentioned.

"—held a recent charity event for the Gotham Children's Hospital. The event was a huge success raising a million dollars for the hospital. Of course, all of Gotham's high society showed up in style-," the hostess was saying.

Payton nearly dropped her tea when the video footage panned to a black haired, blue eyed young man that she knew all too well. How could she not? She'd had his body to herself for almost two months. She'd never forget that last night when she finally got to look into his eyes. Her heart hammered in her chest as he appeared to be laughing with the red-haired girl she knew to be the Commissioner's daughter. She briefly wondered if that was the girl he was in love with that he'd mentioned. He looked very dashing in his black tux. He'd actually kept his hair styled exactly the way she'd cut it. It was hard to imagine he was one of the rich boy types. Brief memories of other times she had seen his face in the newspaper and other TV shows crossed her mind. She knew his face now, just not his name.

"Pay, are you alright?" Patricia gripped her arm gently.

"Who is that, Pat?"

"That's one of Bruce Wayne's adopted sons. His name's Dick Grayson. I would have thought you'd know who he is," the older woman said.

Pay covered her mouth with her hand. It was all falling into place. It was ridiculous and almost impossible to believe, but could it be possible Bruce Wayne was Batman? Dick Grayson was Nightwing. That much she knew for sure. It only made sense that he was recruited into being a vigilante. Bruce Wayne would have all the money and resources necessary to pay for all of Batman's expensive toys.

Dick Grayson.

He looked like he was doing just fine. She wondered if he missed her at all. Had he gotten over whatever attachment he might have had to her while he was under her captivity? For a moment, the young man's face turned towards the camera. His eyes were so blue under all the bright lights. His smile was open and sincere. She remembered when he had smiled at her like that. He was gorgeous, and she was still desperately in love with him.

"Pay, you're scaring me. What's the matter?"

She scrambled to think of something that covered up her reaction. "I met Bruce Wayne once when I was dating Harvey Dent."

"But why were you asking about Dick Grayson?"

Payton turned back to the TV, pretending to pay attention to it again. Her hand drifted to her growing belly. "He reminded me of someone else."

The older woman frowned. Her sister wasn't telling her something, but she wouldn't pry. Payton would tell her when she wanted to. She'd just have to wait.

"Dick Grayson's been the focus of a lot of gossip lately," Patricia remarked offhandedly. She didn't miss the look of worry on her sister's face.

"Why is that?"

"There were a lot of stories about his recent many varied 'sexcapades.'"

"What is that?"

Patricia laughed. "You need to pay more attention to social media. He was sleeping around with pretty much anything that moved. It was turning into quite the scandal. He was even getting more gossip media coverage than Bruce Wayne. It's hard to trump him."

Payton's eyes blazed as she imagined him sleeping with other people. No one was allowed to mess with her Bird. He belonged to her. How dare he!

"There was some speculation that he was having a nervous breakdown."

Payton turned her head to regard her sister. "Why would they say that?"

"He looked like crap. He'd lost weight, didn't look like he was sleeping, and other things like that," Patricia explained. "They'll probably talk more about it here in a minute when it comes back from commercial since they just talked about Bruce Wayne."

Waiting for the commercial break to be over was more tedious than usual to Payton. She hoped they did talk about him. She was starved for any news about him. But if he was acting so erratic maybe she'd had more of an emotional impact on him then she'd thought. Maybe he did miss her, and that's why he was behaving this way. Or perhaps he was just sleeping with anything that walked, in hopes of wiping any memories of her away. She frowned. Either way, she'd obviously gotten to him more than she'd realized.

The TV Show suddenly came back from commercial. The hostess sat at her desk with a snapshot portrait of Dick Grayson on the left side of the screen. "We're back with more Celebrity Gossip News. Still focusing on Gotham's socialites, Dick Grayson has recently stepped down from his limelight. Yes, that's right. The young man whose reputation as a playboy was quickly beginning to outmatch his own stepfather has quit his promiscuous behavior. He has not been seen out on the town, or on the arm of any guy or girl in more than a week. There is tons of speculation as to why he started his illicit activities in the first place. He certainly didn't keep it a secret. More recent behavioral analysts claim that Grayson was acting neurotic due to substance abuse or some other equally harmful addiction. His now sudden lack of activity has left gossip mongers, like myself, wondering just what is going on in his head. If he was on drugs, did he finally break down and get help? Maybe he was starved for attention or was trying to steal some of the spotlight away from his very famous stepfather, Bruce Wayne. Whatever it was that might have driven Grayson seems to have ended very abruptly. So ends the playboy reign of Dick Grayson after three short months. I'm sure there are many out that are mourning their missed chance of a night spent with such a handsome, rich man."

Payton was wondering the same as the hostess on TV. Why had he stopped sleeping around so suddenly? Had he found someone new to pour all of his intense focus on? Had he finally forgotten about her or stopped missing her (if he ever had)? She wrapped her other arm around her belly. Beneath her hand, the baby kicked and made her smile. Soon as she got a chance she was going to go dig up every scrap of information she could find on Dick Grayson.

/

Finding information on Dick Grayson wasn't very hard to do. She remembered the story about him as soon as she found the Gotham Times that had first published the article about his parents' deaths. For a city as bad as Gotham this story had been particularly tragic. Here was a boy whose life had been ruined in one night by a petty con man, because the circus had stopped in Gotham. She ran her fingers over the printed picture of the sad little boy. The look on his young face was one of total devastation. She remembered looking at that picture when it was first printed. It had been her first stay in Arkham when she'd read this story. The tragedy had touched her even back then. A child should not lose their parents in such a gruesome manner. She studied the second picture of little Dick Grayson in his circus outfit standing proudly between his parents. All of them were smiling. They all looked so happy. She recalled the look on Nightwing's face when Harley had asked if he was a circus freak. They had been so close to the truth. Only now did she realize that. No wonder he'd looked almost panicked.

The next article she found was about Bruce Wayne adopting Dick Grayson. She studied the picture of the tall, darkly handsome billionaire. Now that she knew the truth it was easy to see Batman hidden in the jaded man's eyes. She found some gossip tabloids that talked about Dick in brief blurbs as he grew up. She found a story about Tony Zucco being caught by Batman and Robin. She could only imagine how Dick must have felt to finally catch the man who'd murdered his parents. She found a list of his high school graduation class, with Barbara Gordon's name not far behind. Commissioner Gordon's daughter had to be Batgirl. That bright red hair was a dead giveaway. Seeing the girl's name once again in Dick's college graduation class list only confirmed what she had suspected. Barbara Gordon had to be the woman Nightwing had mentioned he had loved. Her hands curled around the old newspaper, crinkling the corners, as a sharp stab of jealousy swept through her. She had some satisfaction in knowing that Nightwing had not returned to Batgirl. His promiscuous antics were more than enough proof of that. She was sure whatever they might have been was over. She did feel sorry knowing that she was probably responsible for his erratic change in behavior. She'd never meant to hurt him. She'd only ever wanted to keep and love him.

'You can't just put a collar on a person and own them!' He'd yelled at her.

If only it could have been true though. She chuckled sadly. He was so glorious when he was in a temper. All of that anger and intensity had been sexy. It was like having a tiger on a leash inches from clawing out her throat; exhilarating and breathtaking. Yet, his intensity was even more devastating to her when it was out of passion, not anger.

Oh, how she missed him.

The baby in her womb squirmed and kicked. She knew it would be a boy. She already had his name picked out. It was a good, strong name. The next kick was harder and it made her smile. He'd be a fierce warrior like his father. She covered her mouth with her hand and leaned over the stack of newspapers in front of her. Tears glittered in the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wanted to see him again. Looking at his face in a newspaper or on the TV was not enough; nowhere near enough. She wondered if she would ever see him again. She hoped one day he could forgive her. She prayed maybe he might even come to love her.

More than anything she hoped fervently that he would find her.

/

Nine months flew by faster than Payton could have believed. She woke up one morning to a painful contraction. Excitement shot through her. She rubbed her hand over her now very swollen belly. Her baby would be here soon! She called Patricia, who barely heard Payton get the words out before she'd dropped the phone and rushed to her car.

The next several hours were a blur to Payton. Patricia had rushed her to the hospital soon as the contractions began to get closer together. Labor was so much more painful than anything Payton had ever endured. She never could have gotten through it without Patricia. Her sister stayed with her the whole time, clutching her hand and coaching her on how to breathe. Through the worst pain, she wished fervently that Nightwing was there. She wanted it to be his hand she was hanging onto and his warm voice whispering encouragements in his ear.

Finally, after several long hours, and late into the afternoon, her baby was born. It was a boy, just as she had known. He had a thatch of black hair atop his little head. When he opened his eyes to look at his mother for the first time, Payton began to cry. He had the deepest twilight blue eyes.

"Happy Birthday, William," she whispered. "You look just like your father."

"Oh, Pay, he is absolutely beautiful." Patricia put her arm around her sister's shoulders and hugged her tight. "Congratulations! You're a mommy!"

She smiled happily and caressed William's cheek. Congratulations, Nightwing, she thought. You're a father.
/

/

Nightwing woke up one afternoon, about a week after breaking it off with the Flash, feeling like something important was happening. He had no idea what that might be. He'd dreamt about Poison Ivy for the first time in several weeks. It had been a dream about the last time they'd made love together. He smiled gently, remembering the expression on her face when she'd really looked into his eyes the first time. He reached out to pull open the top drawer of his nightstand and take out the item that he always left there now. His fingers curled around the black leather collar that he had worn for two months. He thought of those months as his time when he 'belonged to Ivy'. He rubbed his thumb over the soft, supple leather and gazed up at the skylight above his bed.

He wondered how she was doing. Was she happy where ever she had ended up? Did she have someone else by now? It had been 9 months since they'd been together. It didn't seem like it had been that long. The memories of her were still strong in his mind. He wondered if he would ever see her again. He desperately wanted to find her, but her trail had long since gone cold. There had been no leads in months on her whereabouts. All of the previous leads had been fakes or led to dead ends.

The subtle subconscious itch that something important was happening came back. He knew it had to do with her. He didn't really know how he knew, but he could just sense it. He hoped she was ok. He rolled over on to his side and stared at the collar in his hand. Slowly, he drifted back to sleep. When he dreamed it was of him and Ivy, living together in a two-story house with a big yard and a garden out back. Their son was playing in the yard on his tricycle. He had black hair and blue eyes, just like his daddy.

/
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