The Scars Left Behind
This is the Sequel to the Harlequin and the Bat and The Harley and The Ivy.
Important notes: I do not own Batman or any portion of the franchise. I give all credit to DC Comics and respective owners. Except the characters I wrote in my profile.
Warning: Psychological scenes to come.
Chapter 14
*March eighteenth*
(Bill's POV)
Bill was again working on his gadgets and gizmos, his head was pounding and his stomach hurt; luckily his hands were spared as to continue working with Waller until the time was right. "So where were you for the last three days?" Killer Frost asked by the doorway.
Bill stopped what he was making and thought back to three days ago.
*Flashback to three days ago*
"Urgh! Crap! Gah!" Bill was being knocked around by: Dick, Harley, Bruce and Ivy…granted they all took it as a training session. "Urgh…Is everybody happy now?" Bill groaned in pain lifting himself up using the stairs
"I know I am." Harley panted
"Thanks for the training session." Dick answered rubbing his knuckles
"I guess this makes us even for what happened." Bruce answered
"What about you Red?" Harley asked her best friend
Ivy looked at Harley then Bill, as she walked over Bill thought 'Oh crap…she still hate's me. Well at least I told her what happened with Louise…I know I didn't do anything wrong. But still…'
Ivy knelt down and looked into Bill's helmet eyes; she lifted his helmet shielding the others from his face and kissed him right on his lips, unmoved by the scars he had hidden from them. "I forgive you Bill…but next time: tell all of us next time you're going to do something crazy. Hmm?" Ivy asked
"Have you got five minutes?" Bill semi-joked
*Flashback to two days ago*
"Dad, come on!" Venus said running through the park with Tim
"Just like you isn't she?" Ivy asked her boyfriend
"What do you mean?" Bill asked
"The energy, determination, the intelligence…" Ivy began to list off
"Whoa, whoa, whoa; wait a minute! She got the intelligence and determination from you! I don't know what she's gotten from me." Bill demeaned himself
"She certainly is a daddy's girl though…she misses you." Ivy laughed the turned solemn
Sighing Bill confesses something to Ivy "I miss you two as well. It kills me every day…I want this to end Ivy…No more Suicide Squad. Just: I, back with you and Venus…" Bill said stroking Ivy's hair
"I'm sure we'd both liked that." Ivy spoke lovingly "I haven't had a real family since that time with the plant clones…whoops!" Ivy spoke not realising that she had a previous family.
"A: plant clone family? Is there something you're not telling me, Pamela Isley?" Bill asked tilting her head towards his eyes.
"Oh…there's plenty I'm not telling you." Ivy spoke playfully, tracing her finger down Bill's helmet.
"Well I guess I'll have to work at it…Oof!" Bill replied before being tackled by Venus
"You're it dad!" Venus called out racing off with Tim
"Hey, I haven't been it since I was seven!" Bill shouted with joy.
"Go on; I'll join you later." Ivy smiled but then felt Bill grope her posterior.
"You're it!" Bill sped up and raced towards his daughter
"You'll regret that Bill!" Ivy said summoning her vines
*Flashback to one day ago*
The middle of the night Bill, Ivy and Venus are the only ones awake.
"Do you have to go?" Venus cried as her father wiped her forming tear
"I'm sorry Venus…I have to; I've been gone too long. I promise to come back home." Bill spoke comforting her.
Sniffing and trying to hold back her tears "Okay…" Venus smiled
"Venus head back inside…I'll be back soon." Ivy told her daughter and she went inside. Getting into one of Bruce's cars Bill and Ivy drove back to the New Suicide Squad HQ. Seeing as the old one was now compromised "I hope your plan goes well…Harley and Bruce, may have words with you on how to work it."
"It's going to work…the method is crazy but it'll work." Bill said turning on the radio.
The midnight DJ spoke softly as he announced the next song. "Alright ladies and gentlemen; back with her new underground release, it's Cassidy: with her newest album: Quenching the Fires."
As the soft rock played, Bill felt the music flow through him; the pain and fear being extinguished from the vocalist's past, Bill looked at Ivy who was driving and asked "Who's the artist? She's good."
Ivy was stunned and almost lost control of the car "Seriously? You don't know who Cassidy is? She's a Singer/Songwriter who enjoys burning everything in her sight!" Ivy explained almost losing her cool.
"Remember: I was in Arkham, we didn't get many radio stations being played through Happy Hour!" Bill defended "Besides I thought that burning things was Firefly's M.O."
"She's the one who made Firefly…granted he was already crazy to begin with…" Ivy explained as the music continued
"How crazy: stalker crazy, ex-boyfriend crazy or dedicating an entire shrine as a room crazy?" Bill asked
"All of the above." Ivy answered as they arrived to the destination "Promise me…" Ivy begun "Promise me you'll be safe." Then she finished
Bill sighed knowing that in The Suicide Squad's line of work safety isn't their number one priority. "I promise." answering her request.
*end of flashbacks*
Bill turned to Killer Frost and answered "Sorting some stuff out, that's all." Bill answered turning the radio on.
The morning announcer gave his good mornings and welcomed Gotham to the station.
"Good Morning Gotham! This is your local Radio DJ with exciting news! Here with us today celebrating her new release is Cassidy!" the DJ opened on his standard high note and pressed on
(No-one's POV)
A single person was listening in on the radio; his suit and helmet were black as soot and grey as ash, bottles of flammable gasses were neatly stacked in a corner away from any heat source. He listened intently to the words spoken. "So Cassidy, why did you return to the public eye in so long? Your fans and our want to know." The DJ asked as the floor was now open to Cassidy
"Well it's kind of a personal thing but…I had to take my hiatus because I was afraid I was burning out." Cassidy spoke trying to keep Firefly out of it
"Yes…you were afraid of burning; weren't you?" the figure spoke holding an old picture of Cassidy in his hands
(Harley's POV)
"Hey Harl…what are you listening to?" Ivy asked as she saw Harley listening in on the radio
"*shush* This is research." Harley shushed her friend as she listened intently
"Well that could never happen to you Cassidy. I mean you're the biggest name in the underground and mainstream. Tell us what brought this baptism by water? Rumour has it that: you left the music scene because of a person called "Firefly". Any of this true?" The DJ explained his research.
"Well…that's kind of personal. I just hoped I would return to music and hope that my fans will accept the new me." Cassidy explained
"Sounds like she's scared." Ivy explained
"She is…Firefly might be after her again." Harley explained.
"So what are you going to do?" Ivy asked
(Bill's POV)
"Well, thank you Cassidy for this enlightening interview, and we hope that you're career takes off once again. And to kick it off is your single: Quenching the Fires." The DJ sounded off as the song played.
"Enjoying a burnt out star Hyde?" Deadshot joked
"I don't know…you still enjoying eating Killer Frost's peanut butter when she's not looking?" Bill answered knowing full well what he just said was a lie.
"What?! You keep eating my peanut butter?! I'll kill you Floyd!" Killer Frost yelled at him
"He lies! Hyde, you bastard! ARGH!" Deadshot shouted out to no avail and then got an icicle in his backside.
'Ha-ha, serves you right Floyd. Not a bad song though…' Hyde thought to himself as he continued working on his device.
(Harley's POV)
As the song ended Ivy seemed a bit confused since Harley didn't listen to that much music. "Enjoying your research Harl?" Ivy asked
"Ah come on Red. She's not that bad…besides it reminds me of the song me and Bruce danced to." Harley said slumping herself down on the settee. Harley sighed with a glowing smile "*sigh* Such good memories…"
"Same here Harley…" Bruce called out from behind the door. "I take it Bill left again?" Bruce asked
Ivy nodded "It's getting wearisome, I haven't been this stressed since that cloning escapade a few years ago." Holding her head in her hands.
"What cloning escapade?" Harley asked leaning upwards
"And which one? The one: where you pretended to be married to that Arkham doctor? Or the one where…oh no…!" Bruce asked innocently; then it suddenly hit him like a frick-tonne of bricks
"Oh no? Oh no what, what's wrong Bruce?" Harley asked as both Ivy and Bruce were deadpanned
"Harley…there's something I need to…" Bruce started but then the Bat-Caller sounded
"Looks like you're on the clock." Ivy spoke
"Yeah…I guess we are…" Harley spoke softly as she exited the room 'I thought we were past this stage Bruce.'
(Bruce's POV)
As Harley left the room; Bruce stayed and grabbed Ivy's arm. His sight almost pierced through Ivy's soul but she spoke "Bruce…I'm sorry…I'll do what I can to fix this, I promise."
"I know you will; I trust you now Ivy…but I hope that it doesn't destroy the wedding or your friendship with Harley…" Bruce spoke with trust and also a twinge of fear.
"I'm hoping that too Bruce." Ivy answered as Bruce released her to don his Batman Suit 'My god, how could I forget about that?!' she thought to herself.
(No-One's POV)
*Outside Gotham Radio Station*
Cassidy exits with her chaperone; her blonde hair has now lengthened down to her shoulders instead her iconic short cut hair, her clothes were more casual than her black leather jacket, the short-cut length jean shorts and biker chick boots: a calm blue long sleeve t-shirt, black long length jeans and soft coloured trainers…in fact everything about her was opposite of her old lifestyle. "Harry…how'd you think I did?" Cassidy asked feeling relaxed after the interview but still a little wound after that DJ asked about her personal life; so she asked her chaperone for his opinion.
"Miss Cassidy, it isn't my place to give opinions." Harry answered honestly "But if you insist, I thought you did well." Harry answered readying the door for her.
"Thank you Harry…I'm glad that Frank hired you after…" Cassidy smiled as Harry opened the door but then almost let loose her small secret.
"Think nothing of it Miss Cassidy." Harry quickly answered as he entered the driver's seat when Cassidy entered the car
They drove down to Cassidy's home, gazing out of the window she lamented over her past thinking of the person she was once was. 'I was a fool…such a fool…' Cassidy began to cry and sniff.
"Miss Cassidy?" Harry asked looking in the mirror to see her crying
"*sniff* I'm fine…I'm fine." She said wiping her tears away.
"Very well…what the Hell?!" Harry answered then saw a fireball aim straight towards them. He swerved dodging the fireball but ended impacted into an alleyway.
Harry fell unconscious and Cassidy groaned being woken up by the heat being generated by an outside source. She awoke and saw it: the yellow and orange flickers, the gradual raising heat surrounding her. 'No…no…' she thought as her final scream was "No!" she tried to open the opposite door by crawling backwards, she fell onto the streets and looked at the sky, seeing the flames touch the stars. She tried to calm herself trying not to imagine herself on fire, or being surrounded by it as she was just moments ago.
"Hello Cass…did you miss me?" a figure asked the songstress in a muffled dark speaking voice.
Cassidy looked at the figure; he was clad in a charcoal black body suit with a black modified gasmask, the eyes were bigger than a normal gasmask that made the wearer look: insect like. There were two large jetpack like wings attached to the back of the suit; modified that they could carry five people. In his hand looked like a flamethrower with the candle-end still lit. "G-Gar…?" she asked in short shallow breaths.
"Come on Cass…" the figure held out his hand towards her but she recoiled.
"No! No get away!" Cassidy screamed as she ran from the burning figure "Stay away from me Garfield!" she ran out of the alley.
"I won't Cass." The figure shouted activating his jetpack picking her up and flying her off "And the name's Firefly!"
To be continued
I hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter as I have writing it.
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The next chapter coming up soon.
Thank you
Happy New Year's Day everyone, I hope everyone has a great day.
Respectfully Yours
GhostKaiser23