The Rose and Her Thorns
Sunni let lose on the throttle, tearing out of the Gotham City slums. Her new Avenged Sevenfold cd was blasting, rattling the windows as she passed the cars at 150 miles an hour. The sound of the heavy metal and the chest-rattling bass of the drums made Sunni nearly purr with pleasure. This is what she needed! Action, adventure, and adrenaline pumping through her veins at the thought that the Batman or the police force could be on her tail at any minute! It was exhilirating.
The loud squal of sirens made Sunni grin and growl at the same time. This was it; her element was now in full force. Gunning the motor, she picked up the pace, screaming in between two double-decker buses. The radio squawked, alerting the teen to the fact that the cops were trying to get her to come in. Lifting up the reciever, Sunni cleared her throat before hitting the button and calling out in a gruff voice.
"This is Bandit answerin' the county mounties. What do ya'll want?"
The radio buzzed with static, another gruff voice speaking. It was clearly male, with a tone that was obviously pissed off. "This is Officer James Strong. Pull over and surrender immediately or we will open fire on your vehicle and stop you forcibly."
Sunni laughed, slamming on the brakes and turning sharply down a side road. "Well that's gonna be mighty hard for you ta do now ain't it sonny Jim?"
Laughing again into the mike, she sent the cops onto another wild chase, screaming through Gotham like an atomic bomb on wheels. People lined up on the sidewalk as she passed, staring in awe at the driving prowess before them. It was truly amazing, made even more so by the fact that the driver known only as Bandit was really fourteen year old Sunni Amyx. The heavy metal playing in the car reverberated through the streets as Sunni passed through them, making the civilians on the sidewalk scratch their heads in wonder.
The chase lasted well into the night, slowing only when Sunni felt that she needed to ditch the losers. She saw her oppurtunity at an abandoned construction sight, eyeing the pile of dirt that was heaped just in front of a trench that ran through the center of the vast area.
She picked up her mike, chuckling into the speaker. "Well boys, it's been fun, but I'm going to call it a night."
Officer Strong called out, screaming his lungs out. "DON'T YOU DARE YOU LITTLE...!
But it was too late. Sunni had already veered into the sight. She headed straight for the dirt ramp, watching the cops try to follow her in the rear-view mirror. Up into the air she went, spying a dark shape flying towards her in the night. Her stomach dropped to the floor, watching as a bat-like figure landed on the trunk of her car. It upset the equilibrium slightly, but not enough to make Sunni crash. No, she merely swerved a little bit on the landing, having a slight problem regaining control of the behemoth Dodge.
The Batman held on for dear life, clutching to the side of the car so he wouldn't die. Sunni could've screamed, but she didn't because she didn't want Batsy looking up and seeing who she really was. Instead, she slammed on the brakes again, sending the Caped Crusader barrel rolling over the hood of her car. The po-po had been too scared to try and make the jump, as they were avid Dukes of Hazzard watchers, and most were utterly convinced that Bandit was some kind of female Bo Duke.
Sunni put the car into reverse, heading towards a seemingly abandoned building that was just out of the police force's sight line. There was an SUV parked out front, so she might as well siphon some gas off of them.
Quickly, she shut the car off, pulling a specialized tube from under her seat and kinking it. Leaping out, Sunni opened the gas cap and stuck one end of the tube in, keeping it kinked as she did it to the other side. When she unkinked the hose, it sucked gasoline from the other car, feeding it into the General Lee. It shouldn't have taken long, but all the same, Sunni was nervous. Something about this place made her uneasy.
A gruff voice made her hide behind the General quickly, her eyes glowing amber and her hair darkening to a pitch black. Her sensitive ears picked up on the conversation, and she didn't like what she was hearing.
"What the hell is this?"
A smaller voice came floating up, obviously scared of the rougher one. "I dunno boss. It wasn't here a second ago."
The tube was ripped from the cars, a horribly scarred hand reaching just into Sunni's sightline. The same gruff voice as before spoke, his tone laced with murder and psychosis. "Find the little theif. Bring whoever it is back to us so we can...dispose of them."
Sunni had to hold back a vicious snarl at the last sentence, crouching underneath the Charger and going as low as she could. She caught sight of two pairs of legs, both clad in dress pants. But while one was normal, the other had different fabric on each pant leg, forming a sharp contrast that the teen knew all too well. One of the men was Harvey Two-Face. That explains why the gruff voice said "us" instead of "me" and "we" instead of "I".
The smaller voice answered now, the high pitch quavering with fear. "Yes Boss."
The normal legs ran off, leaving Two-Face alone with himself and...himself. The shining shoes turned towards the Charger, but stopped for a second, making it seem as if Dent was admiring the car. He grunted, striding off, the smell of cigar smoke and gunpowder floating behind him. Sunni sighed in relief, waiting until Two-Face was gone before emerging silently to inspect the damage. Surprisingly, there wasn't any, other than the fact that she'd barely gotten started on the siphon before the goons came.
Gas would have to wait for later though. She needed to get the hell out of there and fast!
Quickly, without enough noise to alert a mouse to her presence, Sunni opened the Charger door and leapt in. Now came the hard part; how was she going to get away without letting Two-Face know she was leaving? She shook her head, turning the key and bringing the General back to life with a roar. Screw ninja-mode, she wanted to go home! Sunni roared out of the old building, back onto the streets of Gotham before the mobster and his gang had time to realize that she was there.
The gas tank was running a little higher than it had been, just full enough to get her home. Sunni gunned the motor again, heading across town at speeds that would put a racecar driver to shame. But soon, the same black shadow was on her again. Sunni looked up half expecting to see the Batman leaping back onto her trunk. Instead, she saw a media helicopter, a spotlight and camera trailed onto the General.
Shit! Ivy was going to have her head if she caught sight of her on the news! The teen snarled again, clutching at the rubber wheel with all her strength and willing the car to go faster. She slid in and out of traffic, trying to lose the chopper somehow. Catching a glimpse of a covered building, she sped into it, listening as the helicopter flew overhead and doing another 180 to go out the way she came in. Finally! She was free!
The rest of the way back to the house was rather uneventful, Sunni pulling into the driveway at about two in the morning. Ever so silently, she wheeled the car into the shed and turned it off, slipping out and back into the house. She probably needed a shower and smelled like gasoline and leather, but Sunni was happy all the same. She'd gotten her joyride and she'd outsmarted the Gotham police force, Batman, and Two-Face all in the same night!
Tiptoeing through the house, Sunni made sure everyone was asleep before going off to bed, flopping on the floor after changing back into her pajamas. Tired but satisfied, she fell into a deep slumber that was only broken hours later by an irate Ivy.
The next morning...
Ivy awoke, the sun streaming through her window and a slight pressure on her stomach. Opening her eyes slightly, the plant goddess looked down, staring into two seperate pairs of eyes. Jasper and Camden were awake, the younger of the two resting his rather impressive body weight on her stomach.
Smiling, Ivy sat up, pulling the younger boy closer to her. "G'mornin' champ. What's the matter?"
Jasper pushed off of her easily, his super strength overpowering his green caretaker easily. "The others are still asleep and we're hungry."
Raising a delicate brow, Ivy pulled Camden up closer to her as well, speaking with a soft note of humor. "Isn't your sister up?"
Camden pouted, shaking his head and looking up at Ivy with sad puppy dog eyes. "No. She's still snoring and I don't wanna wake her up because she's scary when she's mad."
Ivy nodded, slipping out from under the green silk sheets and grasping the boys' hands. She knew exactly how they felt. "Why don't I make you some cereal and I'll see if I can't wake the others up for you?"
Jasper looked up at her, grinning toothily. His caramel hair was tousled and messy, and his face still had a bright red patch where he slept, but Ivy thought that he'd never looked more beautiful. She smiled back, the little three year old melting under the warmth of it. Camden smiled too, putting a single pudgy digit to his lips as they passed the others rooms. The older woman had to stifle giggles at the boys and Harley, sprawled over each other in positions that were bound to be uncomfortable.
They entered the living room, Eddie snoring on the futon while Sunni slept on the floor beneath it. Ivy frowned as the sound of gasoline assaulted her nose, but she shrugged and dismissed the thought. She and the boys went into the kitchen, Ivy dragging out some recently acquired Honey Nut Cheerios and some Fruit Loops. Making small bowls of the rather sugary cereal, she passed them to Jasper and Camden.
"Sit here and be good. I'll wake up the others."
Camden nodded, but Jasper grinned and said enthusiastically, "Okay Mommy!"
Ivy froze. Did she really just hear that? The normally cool seductress that was Poison Ivy flushed, her brain going into overdrive. They had only been living with her and the others for a week or two, how had they come to see her as a mom that quickly? Camden's voice startled her back to the present, the little boy's tone laced with worry.
"Mommy are you okay?"
Ivy turned back to them, grinning with false brightness that she prayed was convincing. "I'm fine baby. Eat your breakfast."
They both nodded, appeased by her smile. Trembling slightly, Ivy went back into the living room, plopping down on the futon with Nygma. He was still snoring quietly, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he dreamed. Ivy now took the time to study his features fully, as she hadn't truly looked at the man before her with much scrutiny.
His face was actually quite handsome, with finely carved cheekbones and creamy white skin. His bright auburn hair was falling in wisps around his face, and although he needed a haircut, Ivy thought it made him look even better. His nose was straight, but not to large for his face, resting just above a pair of thin lips. His svelte form wasn't pudgy or soft, but neither was it well-muscled. It was a balance between the two; simply put, Edward Nygma was built like a long-distance track runner.
Despite all her attempts to distract herself from what Jasper had said, Ivy felt tears pooling in her eyes. God, why did everything have to be so confusing nowadays! She lay back on the futon, being careful not to touch Eddie. The man whom she had previously thought was asleep shot up, looking at her with some amount of concern. "Ivy? What's wrong?"
The small woman said nothing, but she curled up on the futon next to him, tears now fully flowing down her face. Rather akwardly, Eddie gathered her up into his arms, hugging the distraught Ivy fiercly. "Ivy, what's the matter? Why are you crying?"
A small whisper escaped her lips, but to Edward, it was perfectly audible. "They called me Mommy."
Eddie still held her in his lap, his bare chest slightly rough with goosebumps. "Why are you crying then? I seem to remember a certain someone who always wanted kids."
Ivy managed to laugh slightly. "Sorry. I'm just confused. And nervous. What's going to happen to them if we get caught?"
Sighing, Edward buried his face into her hair, taking in the distinct floral scent of the silky locks. "You've already asked me this question Ivy. They'll be fine. Just live in the now, and don't worry about tomorrow. Everything's perfect, so take in as much of it as you can."
"So says the man that's always planning his next move whether it's a scheme or what he's going to wear."
"That doesn't count."
Ivy sat back up, drying her eyes. "Thanks Eddie. I needed that."
The Riddler smirked. "You seem to need that a lot lately."
Frowning, Ivy hopped up. "Shut up and watch the boys. I'll wake up Harl and the others."
Saluting, the man spoke in a ridiculous imitation of a Turkish accent, saying, "Ya bul!"
Later in the kitchen...
The others sat around the table, Ivy carefully feeding Howard his bottle while Harley fed Hayden and Miles. The later of the two was frazzled, as Hayden had been spitting out fireballs all morning. "Geez Red! What've ya been feedin' the kid? Hot Tamalies?"
Ivy smirked, watching the smaller blond in her arms suckling happily on his formula. "No I haven't Harl. His powers just act up sometimes. Give him some milk and they should calm down."
"Okay, but if it doesn't work and my eyebrows get singed off again, it's on your head Red."
"Whatever Harley."
Fang and Snow came trotting into the kitchen, followed closely by Steel, carrying their new collars proudly. Eli smiled, his hair sporting the deep red color that Sunni had bought at for him at Hot Topic. "Well don't you three look cool."
The alpha male drew himself up proudly, trotting towards the other boys with an even more precise movement. Ivy stood, still carrying Howard, and knelt towards Steel. The large iron-grey wolf still eyed her warily, but he didn't do anything. The villainess extended a hand, gently stroking Steel behind the ears.
"You're all good wolves. You deserve the collars."
With that, the giant canine relaxed, panting and wagging his tail happily. Ivy smiled and stood up again, stepping through the menagerie of chairs and children. Edward looked up from the paper, his dark eyes following her as he asked languidly, "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to check up on the news."
Ivy soon disappeared into the living room, the pattern in the kitchen going back to normal. It was normal, that is, until a loud yell echoed from the living room.
"OH MY GOD! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?"