He's outside.
Pamela's eyes shot open, her heart already beating fast in her chest. A quick glance at her alarm clock told her it was almost 4am. Harley was sound asleep besides her, sprawled out ridiculously, as per usual. Ivy quietly pulled the blankets off of her legs and transferred her weight onto the cool wood floor. Harley only stirred slightly when Ivy exited the bed, but the redhead held her breath all the same, waiting until the jester was still once more to exhale.
She took her robe off of its hook and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders, then padded quietly to their bedroom door, slipping out into the hallway and easing the door shut behind her. There was a light still on in the living room, meaning Selina likely wasn't home yet. Harley and Ivy had elected to sit out tonight's job, just wasn't substantial enough for all three sirens to get involved, so Catwoman had gone alone.
Ivy's plants were directing her to the large window in the kitchen. That was a good sign, she supposed. If Batman were here to arrest her he'd probably just come through the front. Not that he had any grounds for arrest…at the moment, at least. The Sirens were pulling mostly petty jobs these days, the threat of the arena rather than a stay at Arkham making some of their usually more eye-catching stunts less appealing. Harley and Ivy were now under the Catwoman umbrella that shielded them from scrutiny for most thefts. Ivy was beginning to understand and appreciate the benefits of the whole BatCat thing. He was probably here to see Selina. That made the most sense. He just didn't know she was out.
Ivy could see the silhouette of his cowl and broad shoulders looming in the window. She prepared her plants just in case his intentions were less than amicable. Vines spilled from their pots along the hallway and slithered dutifully at her feet, as if she was the mother and they were her ducklings. Batman didn't move once he saw her vines approaching- another good sign.
The redhead unlatched the window and swung it open. "Batman…a late night rendezvous? To what do I owe the honor?" Her words came out more sarcastic and less sultry than usual.
Batman didn't seem to be in the mood for games either. "He's back, Pamela."
Ivy cleared her throat, knowing instantly who 'he' was. "In Gotham?" She asked, obviously wondering why The Dark Knight himself had traveled to the outskirts of town to deliver her- a villain, a sworn enemy- this information.
Batman nodded. "He's going to come for her." His tone was clip like always.
Again Pamela knew exactly who he was referring to. The redhead shrugged, confident in her abilities even at 4am in a bathrobe. "Let him come. He doesn't hold a candle to me."
"She'll leave again." The Dark Knight intoned. "She can't resist him, Ivy, you know that."
"Well no one can resist me." Ivy scoffed.
"Except for Harley." Batman reminded her. "She'll relapse. You know she will."
The two stood there, watching each other in silence for another few moments before Ivy's jaw slackened slightly and she asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I need your help. I don't want him in the arena again. People at home don't need to see that." Batman explained.
Ivy narrowed her eyes. "So what are you asking me? To take care of him? I thought you were against that."
"The world is different now. Joker is a sacrifice I'm willing to make." Batman turned to leave. "Meet me at the docks"
"She'll never forgive me." Ivy told him, her voice smaller than usual.
"She doesn't have to know." Batman said over his shoulder, and then he was gone, swallowed by the night.
Ivy immediately started back towards her bedroom, stripping the robe off as she went. She silently crept inside, checking to make sure Harley was still asleep before she began the arduous process of growing a leotard. The redhead gripped the dresser and let out a whimper of pain as the leaves grew over her skin, finally settling into the shape of her famous costume.
"What er ya getting' all dressed up for, Red?" Harley yawned, sitting up slightly.
Ivy froze, the look of guilt on her face unmistakable. "I'm going out."
"Well I can see that, silly." The jester giggled. "I ain't that stupid."
"You're not stupid at all, Harley." Ivy snapped, making Harley jump a bit.
The blonde regarded the other woman cautiously. "Yeesh, Ives…Ok…sure, I ain't stupid. You ain't pullin' a job without me though, are ya?"
"No." Ivy shook her head as stepped into her boots. "I need to take care of something in the greenhouse."
Harley looked concerned. "Uh, oh. Got a weed problem, Pammy?"
"Something like that." Ivy admitted as she crossed over to the bed and cupped Harley's face in her hands. "Promise me you'll be here when I get back?"
Harley leaned forward and gave her a quick and awkward peck on the nose before pushing herself back into the soft pillows. With her eyes closed she said, "If I have ta be too patient I'm gonna need a present…like maybe some…special attention." She waggled her eyebrows, and even with her eyes closed she looked ridiculous.
"Deal." Ivy almost smiled.
She made it into the hallway and was almost out the door when she heard a window open and Catwoman slide through, carrying a backpack full of loot from that night's adventures.
"Where are you going dressed like that?" Selina asked before her boots even touched the ground.
"Can't you use the door?" Ivy asked, ignoring her question. "We have a door."
"Element of surprise." Catwoman replied absently, pulling her cowl off of her head. "Where are you going?"
"I don't see why it matters." Ivy tried to sound nonchalant.
"It matters because if I have to split my scores with you two, you have to return the favor." The brunette explained, setting her backpack down on the table.
"I remember our deal."
Selina looked her friend up and down once more. "You know they're opening the selection process again, right?"
Ivy sighed. "It is that time of year again."
"Mmm…" Catwoman nodded, never breaking eye contact. "Are you taking care of yourself?"
"Do I look unwell?" Was Ivy's retort. When Selina didn't answer Ivy continued what should have been a quick journey to the front door.
"Wait." Catwoman stopped her again. Ivy heard some rustling and turned around, Selina was digging in her bag and eventually produced two gold bracelets. "Here." She tossed them to Ivy who caught them, her skeptical expression never faltering. "If you need it, those are worth plenty."
"Thank you…" Ivy told her, clearly not fully understanding the gesture.
"Harley's not going?" The brunette raised an eyebrow.
Ivy shook her head. "Not this time."
Selina nodded as if she understood, but Ivy knew there was no way she could…unless Batman had told her about Joker too…
"Goodbye, Ivy." Catwoman's word's had a strange finality to them.
"I'll see you when I get back." Ivy twisted the door's handle. "Harley can make her own breakfast. Tell her there are toaster waffles in the freezer."
Catwoman gave her a small salute. "Will do."
/
Poison Ivy sat with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, rocking back and forth. Although the broken bodies of Batman and Catwoman sat just in front of her, she didn't look at them, but through them, rather. Her vision was glazed over, her eyes glassy, face puffy, her costume shedding leaves with each movement. This was not the Poison Ivy people had come to know.
"Bury me, bury me, bury me…" she repeated over and over again, and then, every so often- "I DON'T WANT TO GROW BACK!" She'd rock some more and then ask, "Kitty?" In a voice that sounded more like Harley's than her own. "Pretty Kitty, Pretty Kitty…"
Ivy had quickly unraveled after unmasking Batman. She'd paced for a bit, obviously waiting for Batman to wake up, but when he didn't…her posture changed, lost its confidence. She began to shake. Just occasional tremors at first, a twitch every few steps…but then it escalated to an itching on her scalp that no matter how hard she scratched, how deep she pressed her finger nails, she could not satiate.
Soon after, the laughing began. It wasn't high and maniacal like Harley's; it was a chuckle that came from low in her throat. It was…villainous, like the evil queen in a fantasy film. Her eyes lost their glow and her roots retracted back into the ground, no longer able to understand the signals they were receiving from her.
And now Ivy was rocking. Between her mumbling she'd occasionally reach a hand out to touch Selina's face, but always retracted it before she made contact, hissing "poison" each time. "A late night rendezvous? Oh change the record, Harl! No man can take us prisoner. If you had a middle name, it would be welcome." She spoke in broken, bizarre phrases, rattling them off one after the other. "There's no time to panic, there's no time for anything, in fact…it costs money to raise a family, and I meant it when I said I wanted a family that loves me," she stood up, her voice less dissociative and more frustrated now, "I just wanted it on my terms. Hey!" she whipped her head around, "She's got a point, Harl. Oh, please, call me Poison Ivy."
Her own name seemed to remind her of something because she suddenly stopped moving and looked down at the unmasked Batman. "I won." She said, her face lighting up with realization. "I won! I am Gotham City's greatest adversary, I defeated Batman! Batman is dead you sorry meatsacks…Weak man, weak MEN, all of you! All of YOU!" She grabbed a camera that was flying too close to her face with her bare hands and began thwacking it against the tree trunk behind Batman and Catwoman.
/
Oracle and Supergirl watched the scene in horror. Both motionless, the only sound in the room (other than Ivy's voice) being the occasional buzz of Barbara's cellphone on the desk.
"Is he…?" Kara eventually ventured.
"I don't…" Both girls were too in shock to fully articulate much of anything.
"Ivy is…"
"Sick." Barbara finished Kara's sentence. "Where's Superman?"
"I don't know." Kara whispered. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't…" Barbara swallowed. "I don't know." Then suddenly, as Barbara watched Poison Ivy smash the camera against the tree, its mechanics sparking and fizzling, she did know what to do. She knew what she had to do.
Oracle leaned forward and switched the precipitation from rain to snow, then slowly eased the arena's environment from 20 degrees F to a much more pleasant 65 degrees, and then warmer, until she'd created the conditions for a tropical storm.
Ivy didn't stop when the thunder began, and she didn't stop when the first bolt of lightning flicked across the sky.
If Barbara timed it just right…3…2…1…she directed the energy of the storm into a focused bolt and it streaked downwards, connecting with the tree just as yet another merciless swing of the camera from ivy hit the trunk. And then simple science prevailed. The moist tissues of the tree served as a conductor for the electricity, blowing the trunk apart. Ivy was hit hard with a chunk of wood, blowing her back a good 10 feet. And there she lay, immobilized for just long enough for Oracle to send a second strike.