Life and Death
Chapter 11
"Paradise we found
It's the pathway of my life
No one can see
Emotions we live by
Sustenance we vie"
We Vie - Titiyo, Stakka Bo
"Would you be so kind and tell me on which floor Mr. Wayne is? I have an appointment with him. You'd help a lady out, wouldn't you?"
Ivy leaned over the counter, ensnaring the receptionist. His eyes were hopelessly locked onto hers as she leaned closer, letting her breath ghost across his face.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but there's no appointment scheduled for tonight. What was your name again?"
"Pamela Isley." She let the seduction drip off her voice, pheromones surrounding them. "It's very important."
He seemed to shrink in front of her. "With all due respect, Miss Isley, this is a private lounge. Mr. Wayne is not in tonight. I could help you contact Mr. Fox - "
"This cannot wait –" A gust of air touched her skin when someone entered the reception area behind her through the swing door. Ivy turned to glance at the intruder.
A small child in a torn dress stood by the wall, as if she wanted to melt into it.
Ivy scowled and her hand reached threateningly across the counter. "What is a kid doing here? You told me this was for refined clients!"
"I don't know, miss Isley, maybe she accompanied one of our clients –"
"Get her out of here!" Ivy hissed, glaring at him.
"I really want to help, but -"
The kid's eyes followed her every moment, watching them closely. Something about her was oddly familiar.
It can't be.
No, the thought was absurd. This wasn't one of the clown's clubs, not even his territory - or what would be his turf until the day Ivy took control over the entire city.
"Keep this a secret," she whispered into the receptionist's ear and he could only nod solemnly in reply, as she let her pheromones do the job. "Maybe I'll give you a kiss later." She withdrew, walking over to the kid in the other side of the extravagant reception area.
Normally she hated meat bags and their spawns, but this one had caught her attention. Something inside her always protested against leaving lost or hurt children on their own.
When she looked at this one, she couldn't deny it. The similarity to Harley in that faux innocent-looking little face was striking.
Harley. The thought sent a flicker of something through her, a slight discomfort. She shouldn't let her affect her any longer. Harley had made her choice. Ivy had decided to focus on her own goals and mission in life and put the human emotions aside, but every now and again the memories returned.
The girl stared at her; an intense, silent gaze, not showing any sign of distress. A familiar feeling pulsed through Ivy and she leaned down. "Are you lost? What's your name?"
"I'm Lucy," she mumbled. Her gray eyes had a certain way of staring at Ivy, almost shyly; with such a wide display of innocence it was almost comical. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides and her dress had dark stains. A smile hinted at her small lips.
A door opened close by and some men walked by. Ivy scooted closer to the kid – even if she didn't care about the spawns of meat bags, she'd rather not want this girl to get in the hands of the "fine" gentlemen that frequented this place. Certainly a fine place you built for yourself, Bruce Wayne.
"Who brought you here?"
"I found the way on my own," she replied, still smiling.
It was strange how she seemed so oddly relaxed, apart from her clenched fists. "Can you help me? I'm looking for my Mommy and Daddy. Some people took me away."
Ivy would rather just get this over with; get to Wayne and finish her business so she could go on with her plans without him being in her way. One step at a time, and the city would flourish in green, taking out all the meat bags. She would spare Harley, though.
"Let's get you out of here, Lucy." Ivy straightened up and led the way towards a different, more discreet exit in the building, giving one poisonous look of warning to the man in the reception.
A small group of formally dressed men and women passed them by. Ivy pulled the child aside and into a corner, sheltered behind big potted plants and seats, to keep her out of sight from the group.
She saw that something was slipping from Lucy's grasp, the reason why she was clinging onto it so tightly. The girl saw her stare and her eyes grew hostile for a moment, but Ivy made no attempt to take the object from her. Ivy finally realized that she was squeezing a piece of glass, and both her palms were bloody.
Then Ivy recognized the ink doodles at her temples and cheeks and it all started making sense. She leaned closer, barely able to contain her bewilderment.
"Jaylie?"
The girl's face lit up in a smile. Ivy felt a cold sensation fill her at the sight.
Jaylie leaned closer, inhaling her scent for a moment, just as enthralled with the pheromones as everyone else. "You're Poison Ivy, right?"
Ivy tried to stay calm as she quickly looked her over for injuries, but realized the blood was someone else's. "You've grown so much since I last saw you! Why are you out here on your own? Where's Harley?"
"I don't know, Aunt Ivy. I wanna go home." There was a whine in her voice now, with a hint of Brooklyn accent.
Ivy stood up. "Let's go." She elegantly approached the exit with Jaylie closely trailing behind her. Her phone was already in her hand, sending a hurried message to her former friend.
"I'm going to call Harley when we get outside. Don't worry."
From behind a voice called out. "Hey, you. Who's that girl? You came in without her."
Ivy turned around in all her grace, snarling quietly, while simultaneously pushing the child behind her back. An expensively dressed, older man stood before her.
The man in the reception stared back and forth between them but did nothing to get the client off her back. So much for charming him… Ivy's voice was hard. "I'm taking this kid home."
"She's not yours, is she? If you take her away I will have to call the police."
I know what you really want. When the client took a step forward, Ivy quickly advanced on him, grabbed a hold of his meaty neck before covering his mouth. The toxins on her hand smeared his lips and he fell to the floor, convulsing. The receptionist reached for a hidden button underneath his desk but Ivy was faster, as she spun around and sealed his mouth with a deadly kiss. "Sorry, but I can't let this get out."
Jaylie seemed completely unfazed by the acts she had witnessed, gazing at Ivy with something similar to admiration as Ivy dragged both the bodies behind the counter. In a way she was much like her mother, only quieter.
The unmistakable sound of gunshots and crushed glass startled them both. Ivy scooped Jaylie up in her arms and headed towards the fire exit. "Let's get out of here right now, honey. Something tells me your clowns are coming."
If Batman decided to show up now, the situation would get very messy.
The girl immediately perked up, the closer the shots came. Ivy felt an instinctive reluctance to bring the eager child into the crossfire where her parents no doubt were, and decided it was better to bring her outside – it was what anyone with common sense would do, and definitely not the parents in question.
Leaning the tired child on her hip, she hurried down the hallway and found the fire escape that would allow her to take Jaylie to the street, where she would be safe both from any eventual Bat encounters and loose bullets. Two costumed men suddenly blocked the way.
Ivy glared at the AK-47 carrying freaks in front of her, holding tighter onto Jaylie.
To her annoyance she noticed more of them entered the room and blocked her path - they must already have infiltrated the building. Another, more alarming sound coming from the floors above her caught her attention - was the Bat here now?
Then, the Joker strolled past them as if he owned the place. He was flanked by the guy Ivy recognized as his bodyguard, and her irritation grew. That freak can't go anywhere without his personal assistant, can he?
She stared coldly at the Joker.
He grinned at her, a dangerous, sickly smile. "Now, now, plant, are you taking a liking to my kid? Too bad, I already called the dibs on her."
Jaylie squirmed, turning to Ivy. "Aunt Ivy, please put me down."
"Off you go." Reluctantly Ivy did so, but a part of her wanted to keep the girl from running back to that immature, psychopathic clown. Him as a father? The part of Ivy that remembered her own broken childhood wanted to stop her, but that would mean taking the Joker on and she was outnumbered and in an unfavorable environment. She had better things to do.
The clown had destroyed several of her plant projects as collateral damage over the years, but the payback would come another time.
Jaylie ran towards him, and the moment she reached him he pulled her close with one harsh, quick movement. He lifted her up and her arms wound tightly around his neck, her legs around his waist, clinging to him.
He supported her weight and she beamed at him, with more happiness than Ivy ever had seen in a child. "I'm back, Daddy!"
"That you are, Princess," he said darkly. His hand ran through her matted blond hair, then swept over her cheek with the smudged heart. For a moment they remained just like that, and Ivy wondered what happened to the lunatic in him.
His eyes turned to Ivy a moment later, the same eyes she detested, but something felt different.
"Where's Mommy?" Jaylie impatiently required, looking all around for her beloved Harley.
"She ran off looking for you," he said with a roll of his eyes, as a very upset Harley Quinn pushed her way violently through the henchmen and rushed over.
"Jay!" Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks as she more or less smashed her body into the Joker's, who barely managed to keep his balance from her force. A moment later she had her daughter in her arms, cradling her and rocking her intensely as she covered her face with smudgy kisses. "Mommy was so worried for you! Where have you been, baby?"
Ivy hesitated, torn between leaving now or talking to Harley again. The henchmen around them started moving away. If she left now, she wouldn't have to face her former friend. She had almost left the room when Harley called out for her.
"Red… Thank you for takin' care of my Jay. We were going crazy without her." She laughed a little. Jaylie had almost fallen asleep on her shoulder and the Joker was busy issuing orders to Frost, giving them the illusion of privacy.
Harley gave her the same wide, carefree smile she used to, taking a few steps forward and grabbing Ivy's hand. Blinking away the last tears through black-smudged eyes, she said: "You should come by and spend some time!"
Ivy squeezed her hand, then withdrew. "I don't have time for socializing, Harls."
She hated seeing the childish disappointment in the blonde's face, her bottom lip quivering.
"That trick might work on him, but not on me. I have things to do."
"I don't want you to go! And Jay loves you too! We missed you!"
Maybe the pleading did work a little, but she would never let her know that. Once she had vehemently protested all of Harley's life choices, but things were different now. Ivy sighed, then leaned forward, wrapping her arm around Harley's waist, feeling her body heat and being mindful of Jaylie's form clinging to her.
It was not enough, not ever enough. It had been many years since they first met, and that time had passed.
"Just do what makes you smile, Harley."
She turned and left, but she couldn't deny the heaviness in her steps.
x
x
During the ride home, Jaylie was too exhausted to even notice what was happening. When they arrived to the penthouse and Harley took her to the bathroom to wash her off, she still didn't react. Harley brushed her washed hair and tried to engage her interest, but still nothing.
She carried her to her room and changed her into pajamas. "Your hyenas missed you," Harley smiled, glancing at the stuffed animals adorning the bed.
Sharp sobs ripped out of Jaylie's chest as she sat in her bed, arms around her legs, her face stern.
"Baby... Mommy's here. Mommy won't let anybody hurt you ever again." Harley untangled her limbs before pulling her to her chest, wrapping her arms around her body.
She carried her to the master bedroom, sitting down on the large bed with her daughter cradled against her chest, so she could feel her heartbeat. Her crying got louder, more uncontrollable.
"Hush little baby, don't you cry." Harley rocked her back and forth. "Momma's gonna kill for you the whole damn world..."
The sobs seemed to hold up for a moment before they continued. Jaylie leaned her head against her chest, trembling.
The Joker entered the room, not paying them any mind. Harley watched absentmindedly as he put his holster away and carelessly slipped out of his shirt, all the while texting on his phone. Their routine of settling down for the night rarely ever happened, but it brought them all a sense of stability after the last chaotic days.
"And if they don't laugh at our jokes, Momma's gonna stab out their goddamn throats..."
Jaylie's sobs lessened slightly, and her hands grasped Harley's shirt.
Joker sat down on the other side of the bed, only wearing slacks. He eventually finished texting and turned to look at them. There was something churning behind his gaze, something wild and uncontrollable that needed and would find an outlet through blood, but not tonight. Joker always paid his enemies back, tenfold.
Harley leaned closer to him, placed Jaylie between their chests, and kissed him. "If you grow up with his smile, Momma's gonna be so proud of you."
Jaylie hiccuped, finally calming down. Harley wrapped a strand of her hair between her fingers and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Time for bed, baby."
There was something in the air that couldn't be explained nor articulated. Jaylie mumbled against her chest: "Did you wash the blood away, Mommy? It got all over my dress."
Harley blinked. Something was nudging at the edge of her mind, a familiar feeling of an intruder wanting to rip through, breaking through her mind. She was lying on a cold, white floor with bars in every direction, raising a trembling hand smeared with blood from between her legs. It dripped and it wouldn't stop.
Then, she was lying on a hard surface, seeing the man who was her entire world lifting something out of her. It didn't move and she knew it was because her own body couldn't keep it alive.
She inhaled sharply.
Then, there was something else, and it was breathing in his bloody hands. Something had changed within her that day five years ago, when death became life at the hands of this cold-blooded man.
Joker craned his neck, growling, before tugging on Harley's arm and pulling her down with him into the bed. His constant battle of domination with her voices would never stop. Jaylie lay between their chests, and exhaustion was starting to cloud her mind.
He stared at the ceiling as he addressed his daughter. "You're not gonna leave my sight for a while. I've gone through enough trouble for the both of you loony tunes. I'd have much less trouble if I killed you both."
Harley let her hand run over his scarred bicep, feeling the cold skin slowly heating up. She smiled, already forgetting what she had seen in her mind. "You'd do anything for us, wouldn't you Puddin'?"
He didn't need to reply. The evidence was right there between them. It was a fact they both knew, it had been his decision from the start to let her live.
"I killed a man myself, Daddy," Jaylie sleepily interjected, snuggled up against Harley's chest with her back pressed to the Joker's front.
His silent giggles rocked them both. "I know you did, Pumpkin."
He tightened his arm around Harley, pulling them both closer to him. Surrounded by the feeling of complete safety, Jaylie finally fell asleep.
To be continued. Reviews are loved!