This time, as the Sirens made their way through the forest, both Catwoman and Harley gave Ivy a comfortable lead. Harley kept stumbling because she wouldn't let her focus drop from Pam's back even to look where she was going. Under normal circumstances, Selina might have been marginally interested in this exchange since she very firmly believed Ivy was a better option for Harley than The Joker was, and a professionally and personally fulfilled Poison Ivy was better for everyone…but these circumstances were anything but normal, and presently, Selina was about ready to punch Harley if she tripped over another root. To be fair, whatever was going on between Harley and Ivy had almost successfully distracted her from the rather brutal demise of her only romantic entanglement, so Selina supposed she couldn't complain too much…

"Hey, Kitty?" Harley ventured at a volume she was sure Ivy couldn't hear.

"I swear to God, Harley, if you ask me 'are we there yet' again…"

"Nuh uh." Harley shook her head, keeping pace with the cat burglar. "I just had a question…about what you said earlier?"

"The buddy system is for your own safety…" Selina began to explain before Harley cut her off.

"No. You said you an' Red loved me in different ways. What did ya, uh…what did ya mean by that?"

Selina glanced over at the other woman, her brow furrowed. "Well, like, I'm your friend, but Ivy's your…girlfriend."

Harley pulled on a similar questioning expression. "But you guys are both my girlfriends. You're my best girlfriends. Wait…" the jester looked over at Catwoman, her eyes large with worry. "Do ya not love me as much cuz Red's my BFF and you're just my BF?"

Now it was Selina's turn to stumble over a root. "Goddamn it!" she cursed, prompting Ivy to glance back over her shoulder.

"Careful." The redhead told them. "The terrain through here is rather uneven."

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock!" Selina volleyed back. She waited until Ivy was facing forward again before continuing with Harley. "I don't love you as much because I'm not in a romantic relationship with you."

"Oh…" Something seemed to click for Harley. A look of relief washed over her and she smiled. "You mean cuz I kiss Red n' we have grown-up sleepovers n' stuff."

"Right." Selina nodded before it struck her how strange the nonchalant tone Harley had used was, and 'adult sleepovers'? Could she really be that childish? "Wait, Harley…do you not consider you and Ivy's relationship to be romantic?"

"What?" The blonde looked legitimately surprised as a blush spread through her cheeks. "No way! Mistah J's my fella. Red's jus my special friend." She winked.

Oh, God…and Catwoman thought this was a shit show before. "You mean Ivy never does anything romantic for you?"

Harley giggled and knocked Selina lightly in the shoulder. "Well sure! Red's real romantic. She made these special flowers for me that have these cute little yella petals that look like my pigtails. Ain't that cool? She calls em' her Harlequins and she figured out how ta make em' with all her sciency stuff."

Selina was going to stop her there, but the blonde continued to happily gush about the "friendly" nature of Poison Ivy.

"N' even though she don't really eat all that much cuz'a the plant stuff she makes me yummy breakfast in the mornins and she always lets me eat it in bed and even when I spill and it n' get everythin' all sticky she don't hit me she just sighs real loud and only yells at me when Bud and Lou rip up er' flowers."

Catwoman again tried to interrupt her, but the attempt fell on deaf ears.

"N' she puts roses on my pillows so they smell real nice when I go to sleep n' she makes me this fancy shampoo so my hair always smells like flowers cuz that's how she smells n' I like the way she smells. She's a real good kisser too, you know, and she gave me that special potion so her kisses don't hurt me and she never hurts me otherwise. Like, sometimes Mistah J. can play sorta rough and I tell im' to stop and sometimes he don't stop but Red…" her smile widened and she began to sway dreamily. "Red makes me feel real good and she whispers things when she's doin' it like how pretty I am n' how she knows I'm smart even though I pretend like I'm not. N' afterwards she lets me choose if I wanna be the little spoon or the big spoon cuz sometimes I like that she makes me feel safe and sometimes I wanna help her feel safe. It's nice cuz I know she's strong n' real pretty n' like a genius n' she could prolly have grown-up sleepovers with anybody but she chooses me! N'—" Harley was cut off when Selina cuffed her upside the head. "Hey!" The blonde complained, rubbing her skull where it now throbbed. "What was that for?"

"Jesus, Harley. Wake up!" Catwoman was now struggling to keep her voice at a volume that Ivy couldn't hear. "Weren't you a psychiatrist? What the hell is your problem? You just described a more romantic relationship then I've ever had!"

"Huh?" Harley furrowed her brow. "No. I got a romantic relationship with Mistah J. Red don't love me like that."

"Yeah, you're right." Selina almost laughed at Harley's stupidity. "Joker is an abusive prick and it sounds like Ivy is giving you relatively healthy alternative. You did hear her last night, right?"

"You mean when she…" Harley blushed the color of Ivy's hair and once again stared up the path at the other woman. "I thought that was jus' what BFFs do. Like on TV."

"What the fuck have you been watching, Harley? The L Word?" Selina resisted the urge to hit her again.

The blonde and the brunette nearly ran into the redhead before they realized she had stopped in the middle of the makeshift trail.

"It's Bane." Ivy whispered. "Bane is the stagnant selection."

Selina's blood ran a few degrees colder. "Well…I guess it could be worse, right?"

Ivy nodded. "It could be a lot worse, but he's—" She stopped when Harley leaned forward and pressed a wet kiss to her cheek. Ivy narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Was that an apology?"

Harley bit her lip and nodded.

"We're going to need a solid plan." Catwoman brought them back to the task at hand. "Believe it or not, Bane is a brilliant strategist. He learns as he goes and is able to make adjustments mid fight. I've seen it."

"He relies heavily on his venom." Harley told them in a nearly accent-less voice. "Even though he's still stronger than roughly 10 men without it, he is psychologically weakened because he perceives himself to be in a weaker state. No venom pack could last him this long. He's either presently going through withdraws or he's already through them. Either way, if we play smart and get him back peddling at the beginning, he won't have as much time to make adjustments."

Both Ivy and Catwoman were staring dumbly at the blonde. "Are you OK?" Selina asked.

"Jus peachy!" Harley grinned, her Gotham upbringing evident once more.