Ivy wound her way through the labyrinthine streets of Gotham City. The sun might have made her feel more alive, but the city at night was always…unadulterated. So few people rushing about, and so many secrets. The moon-loving flowers blossoming to worship their silver goddess. The scents carried on the breeze; jessamine, waterlily, and her beloved angel's trumpet. Some so subtle, only she could smell them. A nocturnal symphony of sweet humming as buds awoke and petals unfurled after a day's slumber. And there was so little noise to drown them out.

However, Poison Ivy was not alone on her walk this evening. A black figure stalked her from the rooftops, silent as the breeze and swift as a river. Ivy felt her spectator, but ignored the eyes as she reacquainted herself with her cherished flora. The skulking figure lingered in the shadows, cloaking itself in darkness.

Ivy turned down a dark alleyway. The wall on her right was covered by a creeping vine that stretched its fingers across the bricks. A brief flash of motion and the barest hint of a metallic clack came from the fire escape to her left. Her body tightened, fist clenched, ready to react. Tendrils curled up from the wall, fighting against the long-held grip on the stone. "Now Ivy, is that any kind of way to greet a friend?" Pamela relaxed as Catwoman dropped from the metal grate of the fire escape, falling in a smooth waterfall of black silk, landing silently against the concrete. She rose slowly, smiling at Ivy.

"Why were you following me?"

Selina shrugged. "I heard you got out recently, wanted to catch up. As for the following…" She flashed a Cheshire grin. "It's just fun."

"It's a good way to get yourself in trouble." Ivy relaxed.

Selina smirked, cocking one hip up. "Oh, I can take care of myself."

"Mm hmm." Pamela abstained from further comment.

"I really did just want to talk, find out what's going on with you and Harley." Catwoman leaned back against the wall.

"Harley's not with me."

"I know. But you two got caught together, served your time together, and got released together. I figured you'd at least know how she's doing."

Ivy shifted her balance to one side, suddenly defensive. "You could ask her yourself, you know where she is."

Catwoman made a disapproving face. "I can't stand dealing with that insane boyfriend of hers. All cruel pranks and Bat-obsessed escapades. No thank you."

"Jealous?"

Selina scoffed. "Me? Jealous? Please. Batman's heart is just for me. Even if he can't be man enough to admit it." She sighed, waving the topic off. "Whatever. What are you doing?"

Pamela shrugged. "Nothing."

"Nothing, Ivy? Really?" Catwoman was almost offended by the prospect.

"I've been busy taking care of my plants, they needed so much work when I got back. I was taking a walk about the city, enjoying the quiet and bonding with my nocturnal companions. I do prefer the city at night."

Selina pointed across the river to a familiar shape grappling between rooftops. "You're not the only one." She was quiet a moment, watching as Batman's distant figure glided behind a skyscraper. "I'll walk with you. We have so much to chat about."

Golden morning light filtered through the grimy glass of the fun house windows. Harley rolled over, expecting Joker to be sleeping next to her. "Morning, Puddin'." He was gone and the bed was cold. "Guess he wanted to get a jump start on the day. I better get movin' too, then." Hopping out of bed, she twisted and torqued her body, warming up her muscles and getting the blood flowing. Catching sight of the calendar, she smiled. It was March 30; in two days it would be the anniversary of when she first met her precious Mistah J.

Dr. Quinzel explored the halls of Arkham Asylum. Her heels clacking against the cold tile drowned out the quiet whispers and inane babbling of patients with every step. The corridor was dark, lit only by the light from the cells. Patients eyed her strangely from behind their glass walls, some performing lewd gestures, some muttering to themselves. One woman tended potted roses and all but ignored her. Harleen wondered why they allowed her shears, but trusted that the doctors knew what was safe. Ahead, she saw the silhouette of Dr. Joan Leland, the woman who was to be her attending psychologist until such a time as it was deemed acceptable to allow her free access to the hospital and its residents.

"Good morning, Dr. Quinzel."

"Good morning, Dr. Leland." They shook hands and proceeded down the hall. Dr. Leland explained about the patients and what freedoms Dr. Quinzel would have, how she would fit into the staff of the asylum. A whistling tune danced down the hallway. Harleen followed it to a cell belonging to the villain known as the Joker. He smiled wickedly at her. "Hiya toots."

"Hello, Joker."

"So you're the new doc around here, eh? I like what I see."

Dr. Quinzel smiled at the man. He was handsome, in his own right. There was something about his smile, it was like looking at the face of a lion, just before it ate you. His eyes were an abyss of madness, a Carroll-esque rabbit hole promising adventure and folly. Harley was more than willing to plumb their depths.

"I need to get my Puddin' a present. Ooh, it's gonna have to be a good one. I hate shopping alone, and the last time I took the hyenas with me, it didn't go so well." She thought on a solution. "OH. I wonder if Pammy would wanna go with me." Harley scampered off to call Ivy.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Red, you wanna go shopping with me today?" Harley twirled the tip of a ponytail around her finger.

"I don't know, Harley, I've got a lot of work to do around here." It was true, there was much tending that needed to be done with the plants around the neighborhood still. But she also had plans to work on a few new things.

"Please, Pammy. I don't wanna have ta go by myself. We can go to the nursery too, get you something real fancy."

A newspaper headline caught Pamela's eye; the botanical garden had completed its seed vault of rare and exotic species and would soon be locking the doors. Ivy smiled to herself. "Alright, Harl, I'll go out with you." The idea of running a heist with Harley excited her, a return to the good days of just the two of them running the city. "We'll just have to make a stop tonight. So, what are you shopping for?"

Harley yelped with excitement. "An anniversary present for Mistah J."

Ivy's heart sank. Harley would spend the whole day fixated on him. "Well, do you have something in mind?"

Harley leaned against the wall, her fingers finding their way to the end of her ponytail again. "No, but if we just look, I'm sure we'll find the perfect gift."

The two women had been to several stores so far, but had failed to find anything that Harley deemed good enough. Ivy suggested they stop for an afternoon coffee. The weather had turned out to be beautiful, so they took a table outside. Harley tasted her drink, watching Pamela as she sat. The sun caught her hair and it shone like spun copper, her green eyes sparkling like pale emeralds. Ivy smiled up at the sun, reveling in its warmth and all Harley could think was, 'Damn, she's gorgeous.'

"Harley?"

"Huh?" Harley wrinkled her brow, confused.

"I asked you about Joker."

"Oh." Had she drifted off in thought? "What'dya wanna know?"

Ivy sighed, having to voice the question again. "How could you have ever fallen for him?"

Harley lit up. "He was charming and funny and a sweet little teddy bear."

Dr. Quinzel sat across the desk from the Joker. She had finally talked her way into being allowed a session with the man. But what did she have to say?

"You know," Joker leaned in, examining her closer. "I do believe that yours are the bluest eyes I've ever seen. That smile, simply ravishing. And brains too! Baby, you're the whole package." He purred.

Harleen blushed. "Well, thank you. But we're not here to talk about me. This session is about you, Joker. So why don't we begin with what first made you become captivated by clowns?"

Joker's face went blank for a moment as he stared into the distance, pulling up some memory buried long ago deep in the recesses of his mind. A sad look came into his eyes as he turned a small, melancholic smile. "It all started with a trip to the circus…"

"And he needed my help. He was all alone in the world, with no one to watch out for him or care for him. Mean ol' Bats nearly killed him. I was the only one who cared for him. I was the only one who wanted to help him. Nobody ever needed me like that before."

Harley stood at Joker's bedside. He was bandaged nearly from head to toe. Batman had beaten him good before sending him back to his cell in Arkham. "That's the last time he lays a finger on you, Joker. Batman's gonna pay for what he's done. I'll take care of you, and then we'll take care of him together." She bolted out of the room and down the hall. There was only one way to fix this mess, only one way for her to protect her sweet, wounded Puddin'.

"After we first met, he managed to get a rose and a note left on my desk. He was just…magic." Harley's face was shining, her smile broad, with bright, wistful eyes.

'Was that all it took? A rose? I've given the girl more than that and she hasn't lost her socks for me,' Ivy grumbled to herself. "I'm sure he was, Harl." Ivy sipped her coffee. "Catwoman came to see me the other night."

"What'd she want?"

"Just to get in touch. She heard we'd been released and wanted to see what we'd been up to, how we were doing."

"She asked you about me?" Ivy nodded in response. "Why didn't she come talk to me herself? She knows where I live."

Ivy's face soured. "She didn't want to have to deal with Joker."

"Oh." The dreamy look was gone from Harley's face and her voice small. "Nobody cares for my Puddin'."

"Well, Harl, that ought to tell you something."

"You just don't know him like I do. If you saw the side of him that I see, then you'd get it. He's such a softy when he wants to be. He just doesn't like other people seein' that side of him, makes him feel vulnerable, ya know?"

"Ah, yes. The world held at bay for a man's ego."

"Oh, Pammy…" Harley sighed.

The night air was crisp and the moon hadn't yet risen above the trees, allowing ample darkness for the women to hide in. Ivy walked amongst the trees and plants of the botanical gardens with a strange air about her: like a queen around her adoring subjects. Harley saw it frequently with Ivy, but it was always fascinating to watch. It made perfect sense to her though, who wouldn't be enraptured by the air of such casual sophistication? Pamela was old school sexy, and there was no competition for her.

Harley fell into stride with Ivy. "Hey Red, you gonna tell me what we're here for?"

Ivy smiled over her shoulder at Harley. "They have a seed vault here. They've recently completed their collection of rare and exotic species and are about to lock them away until some damnable apocalyptic event or some such humanistic rot. They think they can stop nature, they think they can control the weather with their foul smoke or their chemicals." Ivy sneered, her voice growing louder. "They may wound the Earth with their burns and their machines, but they have no control over her. I hear her voice, they have no idea the strength she has. Humanity is nothing but a speck of dust, a fly in the ear of this great living spirit of nature. I will make them pay for their hubris before the earth reclaims what is hers."

Harley tapped her softly on the shoulder. "Pammy."

Ivy's attention refocused, she realized she'd lost herself in passion. She ran a hand through her hair to settle herself. "Those seeds do not belong in a vault, locked away like prisoners, held hostage until humanity decides they've killed enough of their kin and need to replenish their abattoirs. They belong in the earth, growing strong, healing the scars of this planet. They were meant to bloom, to feel the warmth of the sun, to dream beneath the silver light of the moon. They were meant to grow, Harley." Harley nodded at her with assurance. "They need to be saved."

Harley pursed her lips in resolution. "Okay. So we gotta get 'em out. How are we gonna get in? You got a plan?"

"That's why we're here. I want to find out exactly where this vault is located and figure out the best way to get in and out."

Harley nodded. "Whatcha need me to do?"

Ivy smiled softly. No hesitation, Harley was completely on board. "I need you to keep an eye out for me. Help me find any new additions from the past year or so, anything that looks like it might lead down to a basement or cavern."

"Gotcha. You wanna split up or you wanna search together?"

Ivy thought. "I think we should split up, but stay close to one another, in case we come across anyone or anything that might be trouble."

"'Kay, you wanna start at that big building over there first?" Harley pointed to the main building on the grounds. It consisted mostly of tourism offices and a small exhibit on botany and ecology.

"No. We should start there." Ivy indicated a smaller building off to the side. "The science building. If the seed vault is anywhere logical, it will be beneath that building."

"There's gonna be guards in the labs."

Ivy nodded. "Most likely, yes. And outside the building. There are a lot of dangerous chemicals and experiments in those labs, so they'll keep the exterior guarded as well. We'll have to come around the wide way, up through the row of greenhouses for cover. The guards won't go inside them, it's too stifling. We might have to deal with one or two of them walking outside the greenhouses, but if we go slow and stay quiet, we should be able to get past them without incident."

"And once we get inside the lab building?" Harley asked.

"I remember the layout well. They might have moved a lab here or there, or changed a patrol route, but I should be able to maneuver around them fairly easily. We'll have to be extra careful deeper inside though, I don't know what kind of security they'll have around the vault."

"Slip in, recon security and layout, slip out?" Ivy nodded in confirmation. "Should be easy."

"That's what I'm hoping." Ivy waved Harley to follow as she set out toward the greenhouses.

The lock was easy to pick, but Ivy still didn't feel comfortable with being exposed for so long. Once inside, they could discern the interior. Two rows of planter boxes that ran the length of the building, each box about ten feet long with a central aisle roughly eight feet wide. Harley went up one side of the middle while Ivy took the lead across from her. Harley watched Pamela with a gymnast's eye as she moved, she was surprisingly agile for having had no athletic background. Her lithe body moving fluidly with each step and stretch as she crouched and slunk forward with long, low strides. Ivy held up a hand to hold still.

Harley looked around, but could see no sign of a guard, nor hear anything other than the slight wind. They held still for a long moment, Ivy listening and staring out the glass walls. Harley, convinced that there was nothing to watch for, quickly bored and began looking around at the various plants. In front of her were some pretty yellow flowers, and some spiky mottled green grassy plants across the center row. A suspended tray spilling over with vines hung above the aisle. A plant a couple boxes ahead caught her eye. She ran up quietly to get a better look. Ivy glanced over her shoulder and frowned, but Harley didn't notice. Her attention was focused on the flowers. The petals were blood red in the dim light, with black centers. They were perfect. Harley felt around for the nameplate. Sparaxis tricolor var. 'Red Reflex' Harlequin Flower. Harley squealed. "Pammy." Ivy waved her hand without turning around. "Pammy, Pammy. These are perfect." Ivy huddled down, pressing closer to the planter box. She glared at Harley, trying to shush her. "Red, come see these. It's a harlequin flower. It's perfect for Mistah J."

"Harley." Ivy called in a strained whisper. "Harley, quiet."

A flashlight beam shot across the greenhouse side, settling in roughly Harley's position. "Who's there?"

"Crap." Harley shot to the ground. Pamela growled to herself before rushing to Harley's side. "I'm sorry, Pammy."

Ivy shook her head. "Just go." She watched the flashlight beam brighten as the guard came up to the side of the building. The fog on the windows was too heavy for him to see through. They could see the beam dance as he went along the side and down to the end, where the door was. A pressure shift whipped through on a cold gust as the guard opened the door. He swore under his breath at the heavy air and thick heat. Ivy grabbed Harley's shoulder and pulled her down to hide between the narrow ends of two planter boxes that was only just enough room for the two of them to fit together. The layout of the greenhouse was wholly against them. It wouldn't take long for them to be found out; they had to get out quick. Ivy ran through the situation: there were only the two doors at either end of the building. They could run to the far end, but they'd have to pick the lock, leaving them in the open. Ivy looked at Harley eyeing the window; she could the girl's mind working. She squeezed Harley's shoulder and whispered as quietly as possible, "No." Busting out a window not only put both of them at risk, but would ravage the plants with the prolonged exposure to the cold air. They'd have to sneak past the guard to get to the unlocked door.

Pamela poked her head around the edge of the box—the guard was walking up the center row. They might be able to get past him if they went up along the outside rows. Ivy signaled to Harley the plan. She would go up the outside of the boxes next to them, and Ivy would run across and up the opposite wall.

Ivy waited for the flashlight beam to swing wide and bolted across the center aisle. She held still, halting to see if the guard noticed the movement. He hadn't. Ivy waved Harley forward, watching as she slid around the edge of the box. She took a slow, deep breath and turned along the corner. They each moved as silently as possible, smoothly melting from shadow to shadow. Harley made no hesitation, trusting her body to move swiftly without a footfall. Ivy did not have quite the confidence of her companion in that regard and froze behind a box to let the guard pass. The glow of his light brightened as his footsteps drew nearer. Ivy held her breath while he passed. She waited until he was at the end of the next planter down before letting the air out of her lungs. The path was clear to the door. It was at least thirty or forty feet, but it should be easy going. Ivy shifted her body to make the move toward the door. She felt her hair pull gently, catching on something. A trowel fell off the lip of the planter and landed with a resounding metallic clash against a concrete paver. Shit.

The guard spun around, his light falling on the box Ivy was hidden behind. Harley turned at the door, heading back to help. Pamela jumped up and was face to face with the guard across the planter box. Harley ran harder straight for her. Ivy bolted for the door, throwing an arm up behind her. "GO!" She shouted to Harley. Vines lashed out from above, coiling around the guard. He screamed as his feet lifted off the ground.

They ran until they reached the edge of the gardens. Hopping over the fence, they took a moment to catch their breath. "I'm sorry, Pammy. I ruined the whole plan."

Ivy contemplated her for a moment. She looked absolutely heartbroken, shoulders hunched, her eyes down, practically wringing her hands. "It's fine. We made it out okay. I can go back in a few days."

"But they'll put up more guards, and it's gonna be more work for you. I'm really sorry that I screwed things up."

Pam placed her hands on Harley's shoulder and waited for the girl to look at her. Harley looked up and saw no malice in her green eyes. No speck of hatred or disdain or even disappointment. "Harley, it's okay. Really. Let it go, hun." Harley sighed, but her chin lifted and her shoulders squared. "Now, let's get out of here before they start poking around."