Disclaimer: The Characters from "The Batman" are owned by DC Comics, Warner Bros., Bob Kane and God knows how many other people by now. This is a story done purely for fun and not to make profit whatsoever. Any original characters that may appear belong to the writer and can be used with permission.
Knightshade
Chapter 5: The Compromise
After reconciling with Bruce, Barbara spent the next few days in a haze. Actually, that wasn't exactly true. She had been in a haze since the first night Ivy visited her. It would just clear up enough for her to actually see in front of her every once and awhile. But after that last encounter the haze had thickened again and she really didn't know where she was going. She had an idea of what she wanted to do just no definitive plan yet. Of course to really do anything the first thing she'd have to do was to find Ivy again which made her feel like she was running around in circles and really wasn't doing much to help clear the haze.
Neither were classes for that matter. She had to at least keep up the appearance of being a dedicated college student and keeping up with papers and tests and reading certainly wasn't helping to clear her thoughts. At least she was able to fake her way through it enough to keep her grades up. The last thing she needed to deal with right now is her dad giving her grief over failing some of her classes. Not that she ever would fail just out of a sense of pride but it certainly wouldn't help matters.
She let out a heavy sigh as she reached her dorm room door. She fished her keys out of her jeans' pocket to unlock and open the door. When she stepped inside she spotted Kara working on her laptop on the computer desk near the door.
"Hey," Barbara greeted half heartedly.
"Hey," Kara repeated while keeping her eyes glued to the screen. She then looked away for a second as she added, "Oh there was a letter in our mailbox that I think is for you. It just said 'To Red' on it. I laid it on your bed."
Barbara followed the path of where Kara's finger was pointing to the dark green envelope sitting on her bed.
"Oh, um, thanks," she muttered as she walked over to the bed.
She slipped her backpack off and let it thump to the floor as she picked up the envelope which simply had "To Red" inscribed on the front of it in bright red ink, just as Kara had told her. As if to remove any lingering doubt who it was from she flipped it over to find the "Baudelaires" name stamped on the back. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder to Kara who seemed to her attention back to whatever she was working on. Barbara slipped her thumb under the single piece of tape holding the envelope shot and snapped it with a quick flick. She carefully reached inside and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. When she flipped it open to reveal a quick, handwritten note.
Red,
Meet me in the greenhouse tonight at 10. We need to talk. You can come dressed for the occasion if you want but I promise I just want to talk. Just show up. Please.
-Red.
Barbara stared at the note in quiet contemplation. Obviously she wanted to believe it, but her hero instincts kicked in again and she had to at least consider that it was a trap. But something about this note just felt so...genuine. Especially that "Please" at the end. In all the time she had known Pam she never really knew her to say "Please" that much. Almost never, actually. So seeing it there in print in front of her just seemed to add this hint of desperation to the note that made her heart ache a little. Maybe it was a trap she had to take the chance it wasn't if for no other reason then to bring an end to this thing one way or another. She just really hoped it was in a way that would be good for them both.
"So who's the letter from?" Kara asked behind her.
She jumped at the voice, having completely forgot that the blonde was even in the room. She quickly stuffed the letter back inside the envelope then turned around to face her friend with a forced smile on her face.
"Oh nothing really," she lied. "Just someone wanting me to meet them somewhere. Think they're crushing on me or something like that."
"Weird," the other girl remarked. "What are you gonna do about it?"
"Guess I'll go meet 'em and let them down gently."
Kara quirked an eyebrow at her. "That's...kinda dangerous don't you think?"
"Hey I'm a big girl I can take care of myself."
"Being commish's daughter I'm sure you can, but still, don't you think you need some help? I could go along with you if you want."
"No!" Barbara said a bit too quickly with a wave of her hands. "I mean, I'll be fine. I've got some mace and a few police submission moves I picked up over the years so I'll be ready for anything that might go wrong."
The blonde looked unconvinced but nodded anyway.
"Well...alright," she said uncertainly. "But if you ever do need help with something like this just let me know, okay? I may not look it but I've get some good upper body strength."
She punctuated her last statement by flexing her right arm and smiling. Barbara couldn't help but chuckle at the display.
"Yeah, I guess all that Kansas farm living's good for something, right?" she joked.
"You know it," Kara winked before her eyes seemed to glaze over a bit.
Now it was Barbara's turn to raise an eyebrow. Every so often the girl would do this and she could never understand what it meant. It looked like she was listening to something out in the hallway or somewhere but for the life of her Barbara would never pick up on it. She was always quick to snap out of it though and this time was no exception. In fact, most people probably wouldn't even notice it if they didn't know what to look for. Thankfully her detective skills sharpened enough for her to catch these moments but she was still far from figuring it out.
"Are you okay?" she asked her roommate.
"Oh yeah I'm fine," Kara waved off. "I just remembered I need to go to the library to finish something up on my paper. So I'm gonna go there and I'll see you later. Good luck with your...whatever it is."
"Yeah. Um, thanks."
The blonde nodded then quickly snatched up her laptop and backpack and practically darted out of the room. Whatever was going on with her it always seemed to involve the library. Maybe there was some kind of secret facility or something underneath it that Kara was a part of.
Or she could just like spending time in there. Barbara had to confess she had an affinity for libraries herself and had always thought about becoming a librarian should the whole detective thing not pan out.
She suddenly roughly shook her head with an irritated growl.
Come on Barb focus! She screamed at herself then looked down at the card in her hands. You gotta get ready because it looks like you're about to have a long night ahead of you.
That night, Barbara drove out to the greenhouse on her Batcycle and in full costume. She didn't really want to show up as Batgirl for fear of scaring Ivy off but also didn't want her cover to be blown anymore than it already was and her Batcycle was really the only way for her to get out there. She stopped the bike just in front of the old, broken greenhouse and quickly killed the engine. She pulled her helmet off and stared at the mostly forgotten building for a few seconds. The fight she had just had a few nights ago replayed in her mind as did its unfortunate ending. As painful as it was to remember, it just made her more determined to make the outcome of whatever was about to happen better than the that time.
With her mind set, she got off the bike and placed the helmet on the back off the seat before she made her way over to the door of the greenhouse. She cringed a little bit at the loud, irritating squeal it made as she forced it open. Shards of broken glass still laced the dirt beneath her from the years of decay and their fight and as she heard it crunch under her boots, Batgirl idly wondered how Ivy could walk around in here barefoot without getting tons of tiny little cuts all over them. Though she probably had her plants help out with that somehow.
Speaking of which... she mused as she spared some cautious glances at the plants growing over everything.
She walked to the middle of the greenhouse where the most moonlight spilled in to make a fairly illuminated spot. That way she could show Ivy she was here alone and ready to listen while at the same time allow her to see where an ambush might come from. Though given the fact that Ivy could have some roots just spring up and grab if she wanted it didn't make that much of a difference, but it wouldn't hurt to take the chance.
Alright. Here goes nothing, she thought nervously before she took a deep breath and said aloud, "Alright Red, I'm here."
"Hiya Red," Ivy's voice called back from the darkness.
Batgirl turned her head just in time to see Ivy walk out from behind a large shrub. She held her hands up as she slowly walked into the lit spot as well and was only about two feet away from the heroine. The two stared at each other uncomfortably for quite a bit. Although they had both practiced what they wanted to say in this situation, actually being face-to-face again seemed to make their minds go blank.
"So..." Batgirl said expectedly.
"So..." Ivy repeated unsurely.
Silence overcame them again but it was for a much shorter time now as Batgirl quickly let out a bemused chuckle.
"You know, I remember there was a time when neither of us would have trouble coming up with something to say," she remarked.
Ivy chuckled back. "Yeah well a lot has changed since those days."
"No kidding," Batgirl nodded before her smile faded. "So you're really not gonna fight me, right?"
"Believe or not I actually can be sincere when I want to be," the green girl insisted.
The redhead threw her hands up defensively. "Hey I didn't mean to insult you. I just gotta be careful, you know. Besides it's not like you can blame me after what happened last time."
"Well last time I didn't know...you were Batgirl!"
"Would it have made a difference?"
"Of course it would!" Ivy shouted, throwing her hands out wide.
She paused when she saw Batgirl tense up as if she were getting ready for a fight. Ivy brought her hands down and let out a soft sigh as she forced herself to calm down.
"Sorry I didn't mean to surprise you," she said sheepishly.
"I know," Batgirl nodded as she relaxed as well. "I didn't mean to get defensive either, it's just...well...occupational hazzard, you know?"
Surprisingly Ivy nodded back. "I do know. Now like I was saying, yes it would have made a difference if I knew you were Batgirl because I wouldn't have attacked you." She paused as she thought the statement over. "Okay that's not true I probably would have attacked you but that's just because I would have been pissed. Hell, I was pissed when I first thought about it."
"Well at least you can still be honest with me when you want to be," the younger redhead scoffed.
"Oh like you're one to talk about being honest!" Ivy shouted with an accusing finger that seemed to cause the plants around her to shake. "Least I'm not the one wearing the mask here."
"Okay, fine you have a point," Batgirl nodded then reached up and pulled back her cowl. "Is that better?"
A relaxed smile spread over the older girl's face at the sight of her friend's real face.
"Yeah that's a lot better," she mused as she took a step closer to Barbara.
For her part, Barbara stayed her ground and even found herself inching closer to Ivy.
"So...what exactly are we gonna do about...this?" Barbara asked, motioning between them.
"Funny you should ask. I've been giving it a lot of thought..." Ivy started.
Her hands suddenly sprung forward so she could hook her thumbs around the thread of Barbara's belt then pulled her towards her. The surprised redhead let out a surprised shriek and prepared herself for a struggle but quickly relaxed when she felt Ivy's hands gently rest on her slender hips. Well maybe relaxed wasn't the best word to use as she was still slightly tensed under the other girl's touch but it was different. It was a nice tenseness. One that sent goosebumps up and down her body. She could feel her heart rate increase as she looked up into Ivy's eyes and saw a newfound warmth in them. Though she was technically in a dangerous situation she didn't feel like she was in any danger. It actually felt kind of...nice.
"...and my earlier offer still stands," the older redhead told her. "Come with me Red. Together we can take down all those corporations that carelessly hurt Mother Nature. With your skills and my powers there's no one that could stop us!"
"That's not true and you know it," Barbara shot back, a little irritated. "There are plenty of people out there that could stop us. Besides I would have thought you'd figure it out by now that I'm not the criminal type."
"Yeah, yeah I know," Ivy sighed with a weak smile. "But you can't blame a girl for trying, can you?"
"Oh I totally can," the smaller redhead retorted and before she realized what she was doing she brought her arms up and wrapped them around the other girl's shoulders.
Now it was Ivy's turn to feel the goosebumps throughout her body. After imagining a scenario like this for so long actually having Barbara here in front of her like this with her arms wrapped around her and staring into her big, brown eyes so filled with hope and joy...it was almost intoxicating. Even if she was wearing that annoying Bat symbol on her chest. Still she could over look that because it felt so good to finally be able to touch her and be touched in return. It was a feeling she hoped would never end but knew that it would. And it'd be far too soon.
"Okay fine, no avenging Mother Nature," she said with a sigh but she quickly smiled again. "Then how about this? We just leave. No fighting. No Gotham. No police. No Batman. We just pick up and leave for some topical island somewhere in the middle of the ocean. It doesn't even have to be tropical it could just be an island and I could take are of the rest."
She punctuated her sentence by waving her left hand towards a barren bit of dirt in the greenhouse which then immediately grew a large patch of green, healthy looking grass and flowers. With her task done she returned her hand to Barbara's hip and look at her expectantly. For her part the other Red smiled back but it was the kind of gentle smile of someone about to soften bad news.
"It sounds good Red, it really does," Barbara started as she tightened her arms around Ivy's shoulders, "but you know I can't do that. I have friends and family here. Not too mention certain responsibilities."
Her last statement was followed by a quick glance down at the yellow symbol on her chest. Ivy scowled deeply at it before her eyes darted back up to meet Barbara's.
"That's always going to come between us, isn't it?" she asked in an irritated tone.
"It doesn't have to," Barbara insisted. "Look you told me your plan now let me tell you mine."
Ivy seemed less than enthused. "I'm listening."
"Go back to Arkham and go through the treatments they want you to through. Once your prove you're not a danger to anyone anymore they'll let you go. Then you can have your life back and we can be together," she explained.
"Well I certainly like that last part, but what am I supposed to do once I'm out? Go to college so I can get a normal job and be like every other drone out there?" she asked indignantly then shook her head. "Sorry Red that's just not for me. I can't just ignore the suffering of plants all around me."
"Okay, then how about putting that passion to some good use for a change?" Barbara suggested.
Ivy gave her a look of disbelief. "You're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting, are you?"
"Depends, what do you think I'm suggesting?"
"That I become one of those goodie goodie heroes running around out there in tights."
Barbara smirked. "It's funny how much we think alike since that's exactly what I was thinking." She paused for a second. "Although I wouldn't exactly put it that way."
"Well, no matter how you put it I'm not doing it," Ivy insisted with a turn of her head.
The smaller girl rolled her eyes and moved her left hand from the green girl's shoulder to her cheek so she could turn her head back to face her. Despite the situation, Barbara couldn't help but snicker at the almost pouty expression Ivy had on her face.
"Is it really that much of a stretch?" she questioned. "I mean you were already trying to save the planet, right?"
"For plants," Ivy clarified.
"Which in itself is a good cause and you can continue to do that. Just leave out the whole 'trying to get rid of human beings' part."
"So you're saying I should just let those corporate pigs get away with poisoning the Earth?" she growled, her eyes flashing bright green for a second and the shrubbery around them quaking again.
"No, no I'm not saying that at all," Barbara said quickly in an attempt to calm her down. "I'm saying we can still take them down we just need to do it within the confines of the law a bit more."
Ivy scoffed. "Funny talk coming from a vigilante."
"That's police sanctioned vigilante to you," she shot back with a smirk as she gently tapped the other girl's nose.
"You know what I mean," she muttered, trying to still seem angry despite the blush coming to her cheeks.
Barbara chuckled again as she slipped her arm back around Ivy's shoulders to link her hands up together behind her back. They stood there silently for several seconds and just enjoyed the feeling of holding each other.
"So...what do you think?" Barbara asked nervously.
Ivy took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly in a long, almost defeated sigh.
"You're asking me to give up a lot, you know?" she remarked.
"Well you were asking me to give up a lot too," the smaller redhead retorted.
"Yeah I guess I did," the green girl mused as she drew Barbara even closer. "I guess we're just two selfish people."
"I guess so," the other girl nodded as her cheeks grew red from blushing at exactly how close they were getting.
"Will the other heroes out there actually trust me?"
"Hey, they trust me, I'll put a good word in for you."
"How about him?"
That made Barbara pause. Truth be told she still wasn't sure how Batman felt about this whole thing. He did say he trusted her judgement on the matter but actually having Ivy fight crime with them might be a little too much. Maybe she wouldn't exactly be a member of "the team," but even the idea of her working in an unofficial capacity might cause some...tension. No matter how she looked at it, it wasn't an ideal situation but it was better than how things were now.
"I'll handle him, you just do your part and go through rehabilitation. That will show you're willing to change, and trust me that's a big step forward," she explained.
Ivy glared at her for several seconds, her mind reeling with the decision ahead of her. Basically she had to decide which she loved more; Barbara or plants. After all the time she spent figuring out her feelings for the girl she would have thought this decision would be easy but if she agreed to the terms she wouldn't help but feel she was betraying her beliefs. But would it really be a betrayal if she just tuned down her actions? She would still be helping the plants she just wouldn't be trying to replace humanity with them. As she weighed the options in her head she supposed it was a good compromise. Especially considering what she was getting out of the deal.
She smiled down at Barbara and drew her ever closer so that their were mere inches apart.
"Alright Red, you've convinced me. I'll do my best to be a good girl from now on. But there's only one way to seal this deal," she whispered huskily.
"I think I know exactly the way you're talking about Red," Barbara whispered back as wrapped her arms even tighter around the taller girl's shoulders.
As the gap became smaller and smaller they each closed their eyes just before their lips finally met in a kiss that they were both prepared for. For once. They stayed lipped locked for several seconds and just enjoyed the feeling and taste of each other. Though their need for air was fastly approaching, neither of them wanted to break the kiss for fear that this perfect moment might some melt away if they did. Eventually though they gave away to their lungs demands and broke apart for air. They stayed close to each other, however, and just stared into each others eyes as they were bathed in moonlight. While they would have liked for this moment to last forever they both knew it had to end sooner rather than later.
"Well...guess it's time to take me in, huh Red?" Ivy remarked with a sad smile.
"Yeah, I guess so," Barbara sighed as she slowly slid her arms off Ivy's shoulders.
She reached into her belt and pulled out her Bat-Wave communicator and was about to put in a call to the police station when Ivy's hands suddenly shot up to just behind her head.
"What are you-?" Barbara asked in confusion.
"Hey, if you're punching back in you have to wear the uniform, right?" the green girl smirked before she pulled the cowl back over her friend's head.
Batgirl shook her head slightly in amusement as Ivy pulled her hair out through the hole in the back of the cowl. She reached up to adjust it better and continued to smile in amusement.
"There, just like a superhero should look," Ivy teased.
"Thanks, mom," Batgirl teased back the switched on her communicator. "Hey Commissioner, this is Batgirl. I've found Poison Ivy in an old greenhouse outside of Gotham U. I have her detained so if you guys could send a wagon to pick her up I'd certainly appreciate it."
"Uh, right Batgirl. I'll send one out right away," Commissioner Gordon's slightly surprised voice answered back.
She nodded and put the device away then looked at Ivy again who had a devious smile on her face.
"Do does daddy know about this little secret of yours?" she remarked.
Batgirl's eyes narrowed a bit as she frowned.
"What do you think?" she asked in a low voice.
"I think he'd be very interested in knowing what his precious little girl does with her nights."
"Ivy. Don't," she warned with a hard glare.
The plant girl suddenly threw her head back as she burst into an uproarious laughter. She took a few steps back as she continued to laugh for several seconds while Batgirl just placed her hands on her hips and glared at her some more.
"Oh come on, lighten up!" Ivy insisted as she lightly punched the hero in the right shoulder. "I remember a time when you used to be able to take a joke."
"I can take a joke!" Batgirl shot back defensively. "Just not about that."
"Fine, fine," she relented, holding her hands up in defeat. "I won't tell Daddy Commish about your little...nocturnal activities."
The smaller girl let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"Now, I guess it's time for me to assume the position, huh?" Ivy asked as she turned around and placed her hands behind her back.
Batgirl took out a pair of Bat-cuffs from her utility belt and quickly, but carefully, slapped them over her friend's light green wrists. Ivy jumped a bit from the sensation but then looked over her shoulder at the shorter girl with a mischievous grin.
"Didn't know you were so good at using these things Red. That might come in handy later," she teased.
A blush came to Batgirl's cheeks as she titled her head away to try to hide it.
"Hey...come on," she muttered sheepishly.
"Just trying to keep the situation light."
"Well, let's just go wait for the cops outside."
"You're the boss, Red."
They made their way back out the front of the greenhouse and waited for the police to show up. It was a much shorter wait than they had thought as within a few short minutes a police van pulled up next to them. The officers stepped out and carefully took Ivy from Batgirl's care. They were surprised at how docile she was as they led her into the back of the van but they knew better than to press their luck. As one of them got in the back to watch over the criminal the other turned back to Batgirl.
"Good work catching Ivy, Batgirl," the African-American woman remarked with a stip of her hat.
"Yeah, it was nothing," the redhead tried to wave off.
The officer looked behind her to the broken greenhouse. "Nothing, huh?"
Batgirl looked where she was looking then shrugged. "All in a night's work."
"Right. Well, take care. We'll make sure Ivy gets back to Arkham safe and sound."
"Thank you."
"Um...you're welcome," the officer said unsurely before she stepped into the cab of the wagon.
Sirens filled the night air as the wagon drove towards the asylum. Much to the irritation of the driver and passengers, however, it also filled the inside of the wagon. The officer riding in the back with Ivy tapped on the small, caged window separating body from cab.
"Hey Jamieson, why don't you kill the noise and put the radio on?" he requested.
"You got it. Just don't blame me if we get stuck in traffic with a dangerous criminal," Jamieson replied as she turned off the sirens and switched on the radio.
Ivy shook her head at the two and was about to tune out everything else when the song on the radio caught her ear.
I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you
I know you were right, believing for so long
I'm all out of love, what am I without you?
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong
She let out a loud, annoyed groan and banged her head against the side of the wagon's metal wall.
"Can you please change it to something else?" she pleaded with the officer sitting across from her.
"Nope," he said gruffly.
She groaned again as she leaned forward in defeat.
Oh Red is so gonna pay me back for this,she thought determinately.
Back at the greenhouse, Batgirl watched as the wagon disappeared beyond her view into the busy streets of Gotham. Although she knew where it was headed there was still a feeling of helplessness and the unknown as she stood there. She let out a deep sigh as she walked over to her cycle and picked up her helmet. She stopped before she put it on when a bit of motion from the bushes caught her attention.
"You can come out now, I know you're there," she called out.
Just as she expected, Batman came stalking out of the shadows and walked over to her. She gave him an indignant look when he stopped in front of her.
"So what happened to trusting me to handle this?" she asked pointedly.
"I said I trust you, not her," he shot back.
"You think she would have attacked me?"
"I'm not sure what she would have done, which is why I wanted to be here to back you up incase something went wrong."
Being that that was the closest he'd likely ever come to fully admitting he was worried about her, Batgirl relaxed a bit and gave him a soft smile. It disappeared rather quickly when she realized how long he might have been there.
"So...what exactly did you hear?" she asked sheepishly.
"Nothing. And before you ask, no I didn't read your lips either. I wanted to give you your privacy," he revealed.
"Well, I do appreciate that," she said honestly then looked back to where the wagon had driven off. "So do you think she'll actually turn around?"
"I've seen stranger things happen," Batman answered cryptically. "But I think having someone there to support her will go a long way to help."
"Well, I'll certainly be doing that," she remarked in a determined tone.
"I know," he said as he laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "And despite any misgivings I might have about this whole thing, I'll be there to support you."
A relived smile spread across her face and she looked up at his slightly less grim expression.
"Then, I guess you won't mind if I make reformed Ivy part of the team then, huh?" she quipped.
Batman just stared down at her. "Don't push your luck."
It is amazing how quickly someone can slip back into a routine. Within only a few days of returning to Arkham, Ivy found herself back into the same old rut she had been in before her escape. Same old stale food, same old dingy surroundings, same old therapy sessions, same old plastic door cell, and most irritating of all, some old itchy, disgustingly orange inmate uniform. That was what she hated the most out of everything because she could tune out the rest of craziness around her but the itching was constant. She was convinced the uniforms are what caused most of the inmates to regularly escape, not some need to get back at Batman or the citizens of Gotham. It was certainly always a bit factor in her escapes.
The worst part is they wouldn't let her change out of it. She wasn't allowed to make her usually leafy dress for fear of her using it to escape or injury the guards somehow. Which, to be fair, she would probably would. At least before she would have. Now she was trying to play nice, but they weren't making it easy.
Baring the dress, she had no problem going all natural but again the higher ups in the asylum refused on the grounds that it might...entice some of the other inmates and the less than reputable guards. Of course, that problem could be solved if they just gave her a normal cell. But apparently since she was a meta-human criminal they had to make one whole wall of her sell a giant peep show that made doing the most mundane things kind of embarrassing and that wasn't even getting into going to the bathroom.
Still she was desperately trying to change her ways, pay her debt to society and get a clean bill of mental health so she could be with Red again. So for now she spent most of her days laying in bed and staring up at the ceiling as she thought about all the things they could do together once she was released. The park was a must. Whether it be just a walk through it or a midday summer picnic they were definitely going there. After being cooped up in these dingy walls for...who knows how long, she would need to feel the grass under her feet again and drink in the beauty of nature. The only thing better than being out there would be to be out there with Barbara. That was certainly a happy thought.
One that was quickly interrupted by a guard banging on the door to her cell. She let out an irritated groan and she sat up to glare at him.
"What?" she snapped.
"Package for you," he replied, holding up a small manila envelope. "You know the drill."
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered.
She got up off the bed and stood in the center of the cell and raised her hands as guard slipped a gasmask over his face before he stepped inside. He held his tazer stick trained on her as he made his way over to the bed and dropped the envelope on it. They both continued to glare at each other as he backed out of the cell and quickly slammed the door shut. Ivy waited until he was gone before she plopped back down onto the bed and picked up the envelope. Although it was addressed to "Poison Ivy," it was written in a familiar red ink. She ripped open the top of the envelope and reached inside to find a smaller, green envelope marked "To Red". She stared at it for a second then chuckled as she turned it over to find the "Baudelaires" stamp on it. She tore that one open as well and wasn't surprised to find a small, folded note inside. She flipped it open and smiled as she started to read it:
Dear Red,
Hope everything's going as well for you as they can. Sorry I haven't made it out there yet to visit you but you know how hard it can be with being the Commish's daughter and all. My dad's got eyes everywhere. But I promise I'll come see you as soon as I can and until then I hope this small present can tide you over. Obviously they're not gonna let me give you a real flower but you get the idea.
Thinking of you,
-Red
Ivy raised an eyebrow at the end of the note then picked up the manila envelop again and shook out the other object inside. Sure enough it was as a small, velvet rosebud with a green plastic steam. She smile softly as the gift as she caressed the fake petal. Even if they were fake they still felt real and for the time being that would have to be enough.
"Thank you Red," she whispered softly as she slipped the rose behind her left ear.
She laid back down again and folded her arms behind her head to stare up at the ceiling once more.
"This is gonna be hard, but I'll see this through to the end. For her," she vowed as she gently stroked the rose behind her ear.
The End.
Author's Notes: Hey look up there! Those words say "The End". That means this fic is finally totally finished! Whoooooo! So you're probably wondering what I'm gonna do next, huh? Well I'm gonna...take a break.
Yeah I know you guys probably don't want to hear that but I'm going to take sometime off and enjoy the rest of my summer. There is a HUUUUUGE stack of DVDs and comics I need to get to before I even think about doing anything else. Of course that's not to say I probably won't write anything during the rest of the summer as I get a ton of ideas that need to get out before my head explodes but I won't be writing another multiple chapter story until September. Even when I do get back to writing longer stories it'll be over in the Teen Titans section for a story introducing my Green Lantern character Alisha who's actually already appeared in the Christmas fic I put up over there. This will just explain where she came from and all that good stuff. So be on the look out for "Girl in the Limelight".
In the meantime I'm sure I'll write up a few more Kim Possible fics for my "Maternal Instinct: Spotlight" fic and I'm sure there are plenty of people who will be happy to hear about that. I might also have a few more fics for my "The Batman" universe here. I mean, at the very least I need to do a sequel to this one cause I can't leave it like this, can I? Nope I can't. Gotta get Babs and Ivy back together again because they're just so much fun to write together. How will that happen exactly? Well I'm still working on that. Let's just say I have some very interesting ideas. Yes indeed.
Oh the song I used real quick there was Air Supply's classic, "I'm All Out of Love". It just seemed appropriate for that scene and it's always fun to use it. At least I think so. Hopefully you guys thought so as well.
Okay I better stop this rambling before this thing becomes as long as a Spoony vlog. I hope you all enjoyed this fic and I'll see you all in the Teen Titans section in September. If not sometime before then.
Later.