A/N:Just a reminder - Samantha Clark was created by JasonToddLover. The character cannot be used by anyone else without permission.

Neptune's Daughter

By

Part 17: Springing Into Action

As soon as Ivy left with Elizabeth and Tim, Bruce sprang into action. He leaned towards Dick and whispered in his ear so no one else would hear him.

"Dick, rush to the cave and get the universal drug antidote. We need to hurry if we're going to save Samantha and the twins."

Dick did as Bruce instructed. He raced to Bruce's study, shutting the door behind him for privacy. It was the best way to get to the cave. If he had used the clock entrance someone might have noticed. He opened the bust of Shakespeare and turned the switch. After the bookcase slid aside into its hidden pocket, Dick raced to the opening and slid down one of the old bat poles. It would have taken forever to wait for the clock to open and there was a chance that someone else might discover their secret.

Dick made sure not to hit the quick changing mechanism. He didn't want to end up wearing his old Robin uniform. Dick raced over to the medical bay and grabbed a couple of the large white wafer-like tablets. He placed them in his pocket then went to the bat poles and was quickly reversing his course, the cushioned lift propelling him back up to Bruce's study. He can remember the countless times he and Bruce slid down these poles, racing to the bat-mobile to speed out of the cave to assist Commissioner Gordon on a case. Never did he expect to be sliding down the poles to help his brother at his wedding. His wedding ceremony to Babs was next month. He hoped theirs would be a quieter affair.

Once back in Bruce's study, Dick raced to the chapel. He found they had moved Samantha to a small room off to the side and laid her on a couch. Damian was helping Bruce to keep Samantha calm.

"I told Jason to take care of the guests," Bruce said. "They wanted to call for an ambulance. Wally wanted to rush her to a hospital. We told everyone that she just collapsed from the excitement."

"I brought two," Dick said. "I don't know how she'll respond to the antidote," having learned earlier of Samantha's true heritage.

Bruce took the two tablets from Dick and placed one in Samantha's mouth. It dissolved quickly. After a few minutes he placed the second into her mouth as well. They waited for a response. Waiting was the hard part, but there didn't seem to be any affect.

"It's her Atlantean DNA. She needs a different kind of antidote."

"Wait, Father, something's happening," Damian stated.

A bubble began to form around Samantha. It was as if her own healing mechanism had kicked in to save her life. Then the bubble floated away from everyone, heading out into the chapel, which was now deserted. Bruce, Damian, and Dick quickly followed.

"Where is it going?"

The bubble seemed to know to avoid running into anyone. It floated down a back hallway and out to the garden. The bubble continued through the trees and out to the pond. Bruce remembered Samantha finding the pond during the time when Tim was thought to be dead. When Bruce was a boy, him and his parents would take a picnic lunch to eat by the water.

The three watched baffled as the bubble hovered over the water of the pond, then sank beneath the surface.

"What now?" Dick questioned.

"We get Tim back from Poison Ivy and Elizabeth Goodfellow."

"Right," Damian concurred.

All three raced back to the Manor. Alfred approached the others.

"Sir, Master Jason, Miss Sasha, and I took the liberty in escorting the guests to their vehicles. Many requested that Commissioner Gordon be called."

"There's no need for that," Bruce stated. "We'll take care of this ourselves." Bruce nodded toward his three remaining sons.

"Where do you suppose they took Tim?" Jason asked.

"The one place Ivy has tried to occupy before," Bruce answered as he headed to the clock and once the clock was open, all of them entered and headed down a flight of stone steps.

Alfred hurried to the kitchen and dismissed the extra staff that had been hired for the occasion. He was discreet in redirecting the staff through an old servant's entrance to avoid them seeing his charges suddenly disappear.

PETPETPET

Poison Ivy and Elizabeth Goodfellow arrived back at the greenhouse. Ivy had a delicious grin on her face.

"Oh, this is perfect," Ivy stated. "Wayne's billions will be mine."

"And what about me?" Elizabeth said. 'You said Timmy would be returned unharmed as my husband and that I would get his fortune."

"Of course he will," Ivy purred. "He's a boy. I have no interest in boys."

"You lied," Elizabeth realized. "You had no interest in helping me. I wanted to marry Timmy. You could have grabbed the priest, too, and have him marry us."

"You heard the deal, the deed had already been done. You were too late, little girl."

"I won't let you use Timmy as a pawn!"

Ivy grabbed the girl by the throat, her nails sinking into her flesh. "Do you know why I wear gloves? Just one scratch is all it takes."

Elizabeth's face turned an ashen color and her breathing became labored. Mold appeared around the scratch. Elizabeth's eyes bulged and her lips turned blue. Her tongue swelled in her mouth, completely blocking her airway. Small sprouts grew where the mold and the scratch had been.

"Because I'm poison," Ivy whispered into the dead girl's ear. She dropped Elizabeth's dead husk on the floor. She would dispose of her body later, turning her into compost to feed her plants.

Tim helplessly watched in horror and revulsion. He struggled against the thick vines that held him. As Ivy approached Tim, she replaced the glove she had removed without Elizabeth noticing.

"Now my sweet little chick-a-dee, just relax. Mother nature will take good care of you." Ivy blew a powdery substance into Tim's face.

Tim fell into a dreamy state, his mind filling with images and colors he had never seen before. And Ivy smiled as she put her next step of her plans into action.

Continues with Part 18