A/N: Now that they're out of Arkham I figured we needed some fluffy times for a while. But just for a while. ;-)

What Love Is

By Semerket

Chapter 12: Free at Last

Spring - May

It had been a long night, but they had made it. After having Harley hot-wire a Chevy Volt (Ivy preferred environmentally friendly vehicles), and parting ways with the others, they stopped by one of Joker's old hideouts so that Harley could grab more of her things on the way to Ivy's place. The redhead flicked on the lights to her hideout and sighed with relief.

Home sweet home.

"I'm gonna take a shower, Red." Harley said sleepily. It was sometime in the wee hours. The plant hybrid's internal chronometer told her it was around 4am. Ivy nodded and went about checking on her babies. It had been too long since she had been able to revel in the company of her plants. Most of them were still alive in varying stages of health, but a few of the more sensitive exotic ones had, to her dismay, passed on to the Green. She would have to mourn their loss later as the night's activities had taken a toll on her energy levels.

Once Harley was done showering, Ivy had her turn scrubbing away the stench of Arkham. She allowed her flesh to return to its green hue as she enjoyed the water. Once she was out, she grew her leafy lingerie into place and scowled at the hideous rumpled Arkham uniform on the floor. She would burn it tomorrow. When she entered her bedroom, the lights were off and she could tell that Harley was already sleeping like the dead. Climbing in quietly behind the blond, she snuggled up to her and promptly nodded off herself.

When Ivy opened her eyes she could tell that it was early in the morning. Pamela's plant constitution preferred to rise with nature's cycles, but Harley was snuggled up to her and it felt delightful so she decided to lay there and enjoy it as she watched the blond sleep peacefully. Ivy did this often over the years on those mornings when she was fortunate enough to share her bed (platonically) with Harley. Ivy just laid there and made a mental list of things she would need to do for her plants until she heard Harley whimpering quietly.

Ivy ran her fingers through blond tresses; Harley had taken her hair out of their usual pigtails before going to bed. The blond whimpered more loudly.

"Shh. It's alright. You're safe now." Ivy whispered soothingly. The blond quieted back down, but continued to sleep fretfully. After another half hour she finally startled them both by letting out a loud yelp, waking herself up in the process. "Bad dream?"

The blond glanced around warily before relaxing, "I guess I forgot where I was." She punctuated her statement by yawning.

"Hungry?"

"Always."

[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]

Most of the food was either spoiled or expired from Ivy's five month stint in Arkham. Thankfully, her babies had been able to provide a nice assortment of ripe fruit. So fruit salad it was, until she could send Harley to the store anyway.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, Red." Harley spoke quietly as she peered over the redhead's shoulder. Ivy was slicing up an apple.

"Oh, I'm usually not asleep by the time you wake up, Harl. I had been awake for some time actually."

"So you mean all that time you spent in bed with me you were just pretendin' to be asleep?"

Her eyes widened briefly as she turned towards the blond. This was awkward. "Well... You were already sleeping soundly and I didn't want to wake you up by moving you off of me because you needed the rest more than I did... And it's not like I had anything else to do at the time," Ivy sighed as she started feeling pathetic. She tried to sound irritable as she chastised the blond. "You're very sensitive to the cold, Harley. I didn't want you to catch something." Blushing furiously, Ivy turned away and busied herself over the chopping board.

She found embarrassed Ivy to be very endearing. It awed her how confident she was with her sexuality when it came to everyone else. But Harley somehow had the ability to make her blush and stammer like a thirteen year old with a crush. Harley was touched. The blond hugged her from behind and whispered in her ear. "Well aren't you thoughtful." She kissed her green cheek.

The redhead sighed contentedly, "You should probably turn the news on. I'm sure we're all over it."

Taking her advice Harley grabbed the remote and surfed until she found the national news.

"I found it, Red!" The blond chirped excitedly as she plopped down on the couch and turned up the volume. Vicky Vale's professional voice filled the room.

"Breaking News update. Last night, we reported on a riot and mass escape attempt from Gotham City's Arkham Asylum; however, it was not clear at the time which criminals, if any, had successfully escaped from the infamous maximum security prison for the insane. The vast majority of escapees were recaptured before they made it off of the property; Batman and other caped crime fighters were undoubtedly very helpful in this regard. But unfortunately, there were some very high profile criminals that were able to slip away before police backup arrived. It is believed that they worked together to escape, which is a terrifying thought in itself. Here is the list as follows."

They showed a mug shot of each criminal, "Former district attorney Harvey Dent, also known as Two-Face, Jonathan Crane 'The Scarecrow', Harley Quinn-"

Harley bubbled excitedly, "I'm on TV!"

"Shhh!"

"They always pick my worst picture!" The blond grumbled.

"Harl…" Ivy warned in annoyance.

"…working along with famed eco-terrorist, Pamela Isley, often referred to as "Poison Ivy' who is believed to have masterminded the entire escape attempt, Edward Nygma, also known as the Riddler, Basil 'Clayface' Carlo, Killer Croc, and Victor Fries are also still unaccounted for. All of these criminals are considered armed and dangerous and should never be approached. If sighted, the public is encouraged to contact the Gotham City Police Department immediately at this number: 1-309434-25307197585. More information and updates can be found on the GCPD website and twitter page #gotta_catch'em_all."

"The public will be relieved to know that former psychiatrist and criminal mastermind, Hugo Strange, was recaptured after he was found wandering near an empty parking lot in a fugue state. He had severe injuries indicative of some sort of car accident and was unable recall any event prior to his arrival at said location. Arnold Wesker, known as the 'Ventriloquist' was also recaptured by police this morning when he was spotted outside a Toys-R-Us warehouse while trying to acquire another puppet…"

Ivy burst out laughing. "I knew he'd get caught! Pathetic fool!"

She handed Harley a bowl of fruit salad as she joined her on the couch.

"Hey! Waitaminute!"

"Hmmm?" Ivy murmured with a mouthful of food.

"Who was missing from that list?" The blond crinkled her brow as she munched on a grape. Her eyes narrowed at the TV suspiciously.

The redhead thought for a moment, and then her eyes widened, "Zatanna."

"How the hell did she do it, do ya think?"

Ivy shrugged noncommittally, "She probably just mind-wiped the relevant staff once she was feeling better. They won't remember she was ever there. She's tricky like that."

"Why was she even in there anyway? I thought she was a goodie goodie." The blond pouted.

Ivy grumbled, "I don't know about 'goodie goodie'. She always reminded me of Selina. Only disgustingly overpowered..."

"If I had magic powers I'd make pies fly into people's faces!" Harley chirped.

"She also dresses like a slut." Ivy muttered. She had a tendency to feel threatened by other beautiful women, though Ivy never possessed enough self-awareness to realize why she felt that way.

Harley spared a glance at Ivy's nearly naked self and giggled. Red could be so oblivious when it came to her own shortcomings. Though in all fairness, Ivy's exhibitionist tendencies were hardly a con.

Their ears perked up as they refocused on the news.

"The Dow Jones and Nasdaq lost a whopping two hundred points at the news of Arkham's prison break as investors are feeling less confident in dealing with Gotham based companies that lack environmentally friendly initiatives. On a more positive note, plant nurseries and costume manufacturers have noticed dramatic increases in their share value and the news of Joker's inability to escape kept the market from plummeting further."

Harley let out a guffaw, "Damn, Red! We broke the economy!"

Ivy smirked. She wasn't interested in the economy. She was interested in Harley at the moment. The blond was finishing up her food when she noticed Ivy staring at her. She grinned mischievously, "Whatcha lookin' at me for?"

"Oh, I think you know…" Ivy purred and Harley blushed prettily.

"Well maybe you should be doing more than looking…"

The TV had all but been forgotten.

[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]

The next few weeks would be simple. They only consisted of three important elements: food, sex, and sleep. Ivy surmised that they both had to make up for lost time, in Arkham and even before. At some point Harley had been able to slip away long enough to make it to the grocery store, but for the most part they had just stayed in and enjoyed each other's company. Living arrangements had never been discussed. Ivy had an unspoken expectation that Harley would live with her, and the blond happily went along with that expectation.

"So Red, I was thinkin' that maybe I should get a new look or something…" Harley suggested from her seat on the couch, while Ivy watered one of her plants near the television.

"Why's that, Harl?"

"So I'd look more like your sidekick." Harley's identity was so tied into the person she was with and after the past week she was ready to change her colors to green and black and start calling herself Chloro-Phyllis or something, which actually managed to be worse than Harleen Quinzel. It sounded like some sort of STD.

"But I like you just the way you are." Ivy set her watering can on the coffee table and crossed her arms.

"Nonsense! I could die my hair green and…"

Ivy grimaced, "Harley, I don't want a sidekick. I want an equal."

"Well good luck with that!"

"Harl…"

"Fine." She pouted.

Moving to stand over the blond, she leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. "Good. Then it's settled."

Straightening up, Ivy turned to move away when Harley popped out of her seat and caught her by the arm. Ivy turned to face her.

"Well, ya know," Harley titled her head as she studied Ivy, "If this relationship is gonna work then there's gonna have to be some compromises."

Compromise? Argh! She had never considered that part of the relationship. Ivy raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms and braced for impact. "Such as?"

Harley giggled and drew Ivy in close. Moving her arms up so that they rested around the redhead's shoulders, she leaned her forehead against her lover's and looked her in the eye. "I want us to do couply things togethah…"

A flash of green danced across the redhead's eyes as she gazed into Harley's bright blue eyes with extreme interest. "Couply things, hmmm?" She smiled seductively. Though in all fairness, most of Ivy's mannerisms could be described as seductive.

Red was being adorable so Harley leaned in and kissed her, but before she knew it they were on the couch and things were getting carried away. She stopped Ivy. "I'm sorry, but we can't."

"Why?" Ivy didn't bother hiding her annoyance. Ivy didn't bust out of prison only to be cock-blocked!

"Because, silly, we're going out today!" Harley giggled and poked her on the abdomen playfully, "And if I don't stop ya now then we'll nevah make it out the door."

"Harley?"

"Yeeeees?"

"Are you trying to use sexuality to get your way?"

"Yeeeees." Harley giggled, "Is it working?"

"Maybe." The redhead sighed. "But I don't see why we can't just have marvelous sex all day."

"I wanna go out sometimes! I mean plants are real great, Red. But I need sunshine too, ya know what I mean?"

Ivy nodded. "You're not a prisoner, Harl. You can come and go as you please… so long as you come back." The hybrid gave her a pointed look.

"I said we, Red. As in us." She gestured to the two of them.

"I don't know. I was planning on studying the day cycle of my nightshade hybrids and the variances pertaining to…" She trailed off as her excuse sounded lame even to herself.

Harley could sense her lover's resistance. Ivy had never been a fan of change and she had been a recluse for so long. The blond drew her in and snuggled up to Ivy. She gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Red?"

Harley was holding her. It was difficult to concentrate. Ivy sighed. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well," She said shyly, "We can see the Batclan versus the Central City Speedsters?"

"Batclan?"

"Gotham's baseball team."

"How come the Rodent gets a baseball team named in his honor? What about us?"

"The football team is called the Rogues." Harley chuckled, "Where have you been, Red?"

"Here."

"Yea, well they're playin' the Metropolis Supers."

"I see."

"So then football?"

She answered curtly, "I dislike sports of all kind, Harley. Just pick one."

"Yay! I love you so much, Red!" Harley kissed Ivy excitedly and dashed up the stairs.

"Maybe this won't be so bad." Ivy went in the direction of her laundry room to grab some clean clothes.

When Harley came back downstairs Ivy almost fell over. "What are you wearing?"

"Ta da!" She spun around to model. She was wearing a full face of white make-up with a black harlequin mask and a red and black jester hat. She was also wearing a Gotham City Rogues jersey- apparently the team colors were black, green, and purple. Harley's jersey was predominately black, with green and purple trim, but Harley had animatedly explained that sometimes the jerseys were purple. Harley was wearing black jeans and a pair of red converse to go with her ensemble.

Ivy was dressed conservatively in comparison. She had on a simple green turtle neck and a pair of blue jeans and sneakers. She had already used her powers to make her flesh a normal color and applied some red lipstick to cover her naturally green lips. "Harl…" Ivy laughed, "You are hilarious."

"I know! And since we're seein' the Rogues no one will recognize us because everyone will be dressed up." Harley giggled.

[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]

Ivy had paid little to no attention to the game itself. She had no idea what was happening and it was difficult to follow. It was as though they made the rules up as they went along. It figured it would be a man game- boring with ridiculous rules and objectives. Every time it would start to get interesting everyone would fall down or stop, and begin lining up again. And who could forget all the shoving? There was so much shoving. It was like watching paint dry.

Harley, however, was prime time entertainment.

Ivy just watched her girlfriend during the game. Harley was so animated and excited. Every so often she'd get too loud and Ivy would urge her back down into her seat by grabbing her belt loop. Ivy laughed for over ten minutes when she saw the mascot. It was a purple Batman knock-off with a ridiculously cheap, glittery, black cape. Sequins? The mascot's gloves and boots were green as was the underside of the cape. It was like the Vegas edition of the Rodent, but with a villainous scowl. And never mind that the cheerleaders were some bizarre hybridization of herself and Catwoman, but with pig tails… She ought to kill them for that. Yes, a giant Venus flytrap bursting forth from the center of the stadium to devour the bouncy airheads. Now that would certainly make this game interesting! But then Harley would be disappointed.

Halfway through the game Harley ordered some disgustingly overpriced beverages from a vender that was making his way through the stands. Ivy happened to turn around for a moment and she got a good look at the people sitting behind her. Well, it was really one person that caught her eye. She did a double take as she stared into the face of her morbidly obese, male doppelganger. The burly fan had worn fake vines and painted his face green. She was fairly certain the fake leaves and vines were formerly Christmas decorations. He had bright red lipstick on and a matching wig that Ivy suspected belonged to a Raggedy Anne costume. He was also wearing some sort of green dress that was clearly about to burst from the considerable strain his large body was inflicting upon it.

Ivy slowly turned back around in her seat, unsure how to respond this affront. Harley had noticed too apparently because she was incapacitated by laughter as she spilled her beverage all over herself. The blond's laughter was contagious and she found herself laughing as well.

"Aw, Red. You mean you don't wanna say 'hi' to ya twin sistah?!" Harley managed between fits of laughter.

Ivy was trying to stop laughing, "Hush!"

"If it's any consolation." She whispered mischievously, "I think you're the pretty one."

She laughed and stuck her tongue out at the blond. "I should hope so. Otherwise we might have to take you back to Arkham."

As the game went on and Ivy's interest continued to wane, she began to take notice of more of the fans. There were a lot of Catwoman wannabes of varying degrees of quality as well as quite a few Batmans and Robins. She managed to spot a whole group of Harlequins sitting together and a few Two-Faces, which were really just people that painted half their face black and the other half white. There were also a few Riddlers. She spotted one Scarecrow and over a dozen more of herself. Though none were quite as magnificent and horrifying as what was currently seated behind her. She glanced back. Oh Gaia, it was dancing now.

There were a few Metropolis fans sprinkled about the stadium as could be expected for a visiting team. She even saw a Superman and Wonder Woman couple. The Supers were, as the name suggested, red and blue and thoroughly handing the Rogues their asses. Ivy could care less of course, but Harley was moping something fierce as they exited the stadium. It was late afternoon and the temperature was beginning to drop slightly as the sun began its downward descent.

"Harl, it's just a game." The blond crossed her arms. "Would it make you feel better if I bought you a stuffed version of the Vegas Rodent?"

Harley laughed. "Nah. But ya know what would make me feel bettah?" She batted her eyes dramatically as she sidled up to the redhead.

Uh oh. Pamela could hear the question before it exited her mouth. "You'd like me to take you out tonight? A fine dinner, and perhaps drinks at the Iceberg Lounge?"

Harley squealed and squeezed the redhead, "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeees! Ohmygoshyesthatisogreat! I was actually gonna suggest we go get ice cream cones, but your idea is way bettuh!"

Ivy sighed. What had she gotten herself into?