The Rose and Her Thorns
The scene on the television screen was one that confused Edward for a moment. He had rushed into the living room as soon as he heard Ivy shout, ordering the others to stay in the kitchen rather harshly. When he reached the source of the loud scream, Eddie found Ivy standing in front of the T.V, absolutely livid.
"She deliberately disobeyed me! I can't believe it!"
Eddie stood next to Ivy, taking the now whimpering Howard from her arms. What he saw on the news made his eyes nearly bug out of his head. A picture of Sunni was suspended in the left hand corner of the screen, while the rest of the picture was taken up by footage from the previous night. A Dodge Charger painted in the style of the General Lee sped across the screen, slipping through the traffic like a hot knife through butter. Eddie could tell that the driver was small, but the windows were tinted, so he couldn't really make out any true physical features.
One of the reporters provided commentary for the footage. "Last night, police were baffled by the sudden return of an auto-mechanical maniac known only as Bandit. Bandit used to appear often around Gotham City, but activity from the street speedster has stopped the past twelve months. This was her comeback appearance, giving new meaning to the words 'Speed Demon'. The car never went under 100 miles an hour throughout the entire carchase, somehow swerving in and out of traffic without causing a single crash.
"Officer James Strong was on the case that night, saying that he never expected to be outsmarted and outran by a teen in a Dodge. We've found the Bandit's to be none other than late local millionaire James Anthony Amyx's oldest child, Sunni. She and Mr. Amyx's eight young sons disappeared three weeks ago after sending out a 911 call claiming that their father was dead. Police confirmed the statement, but were never able to locate the children. The Batman was even lending a hand in the chase of the child runaway, but he was found later in a construction sight, unconcious after being flung from the trunk of the car.
"If you have any information to the whereabouts of Ms. Amyx or any of her siblings, we urge you to contact the local police station. The number is..."
Ivy shut the television off with a vicious jab, nearly seething with rage. Edward stepped in between her and Sunni, who had moved to the futon after eating a cereal bar for breakfast. He held Howard carefully on his side, eyeing the furious villainess with care. "Ivy, calm down."
Instead, Ivy ground her teeth, her normally light skin darkening to a deep forest green. She gave off the scent of Lemon Pledge, only intensifying Eddie's growing fear. She only smelled like Lemon Pledge when she was angry, and judging by how she was acting, Ivy was more than angry.
"I will not calm down Edward. Now move."
Eddie stood firm despite his fear, cocking an eyebrow and saying slowly. "I'm not moving until you tell me why you're so upset."
Ivy scowled, clenching and un-clenching her fists. "Because...because...because I just am!"
"That's not an acceptable answer, Pam."
"Don't call me that!"
"Then give me an answer."
Ivy let out an exasperated squeal, venomous green eyes burning into Edward's relatively calm ones. This was a problem for Ivy; the man was growing a spine. Normally, that would've been reason to celebrate, but not when he was getting backbone around her. Then it was downright annoying.
"It's just...she's too young to be pulling crap like that and she could've gotten hurt."
Eddie nodded sagely, stepping forward and placing Howard back into Ivy's arms. "If you're that upset about it, don't kill the poor kid. I think her punishment was staying up that late."
The scowl on Ivy's face softened slightly, but it didn't fade completely. "No, it isn't. When she wakes up, there'll be hell to pay."
The man that towered over her smiled, leaning in and doing something that shocked the smaller woman; he kissed her on top of the head. Eddie whispered in her ear, saying, "I knew you'd see it my way eventually."
Ivy blushed again as he left with a wink, staring down at Howard in her arms. "Where did that come from Howie?"
Two-Face's Hideout: Tuesday-2:30 p.m
Two-Face sat in his seat, sucking on two different cigars and smiling trimphantly. Harvey still wasn't in control, but he was still bitching like a baby all the same.
"Face, what is it with you and Ivy? I mean, I don't like her either, but you're on like a vendetta or somethin'."
"Shut up you ignoramus. I hate that bitch! She's always tryin' to put the moves on us and kill us. I'm gonna put a stop to it."
Why did Harv even try? The former district attorney retreated back inside himself, leaving his counterpart to finish what he was doing. Two-Face grinned, his scars making him look like a demon in the low light. There she was. That girl...the Bandit...she was the one who'd had the nerve to steal gasoline from his SUV. And since he'd put a tracking device on that little General of her's, he now knew where she was at.
He looked at the Google Earth image of where the Charger was currently resting. It showed a large greenhouse, plants obviously thriving inside of it. Perfect. She was staying with green, red, and Itchy.
The segregated man pulled his cigars out of mouth, grinning in such a way that the scarred half of his face look like a demon's. He was going to get her, but was of two mind as to whether or not to kill Ivy. Dent reached into his pocket, removing the well-worn quarter that never left his side. He observed it for a moment, taking in the two different sides of the two-headed coin. The one side was shining, each letter of the word Liberty perfectly clear and visible. On the reverse side, the face of Lady Liberty was charred, scratches criss-crossing the coin's metal.
He flipped it, watching as it swerved through the air. A scarred hand reached out, catching the quarter with practiced ease. He took in the side that was facing him, his grin widening. He called out to his goons, ordering to get the cars and all the guns ready. Not even the idiot musclemen could break his good mood now.
The coin was scarred side up.
Ivy's House: 3:00 p.m
Eli came running into the kitchen from the living room, his eyes wide and happy. He and the others had started to follow Jasper and Camden's example of calling her Mom, and it seemed to come naturally to the boys. "Mom, can we watch a new movie?"
Ivy looked over at him, quirking a single eyebrow as she cleaned Miles' face. "It depends on which movie it is."
"Mom, it's just Over the Hedge. So can we watch it?"
Ivy tapped her chin with a slim finger, seeming to think it over for a second. Then she smiled. "Of course you guys can. Why don't you wait for a moment so Harley, Eddie, and I can watch it with you?"
Grinning, Eli dashed over at supersonic speeds and gave Ivy the green woman a hug. "Thanks Mom."
"You're welcome sweety. Now go get Harl and Eddie."
With that, Eli ran off, trying to the harlequin and the Riddler. Ivy watched him leave, a smile still plastered to her face. This was amazing. She looked down at Miles, kissing him on the top of the head as she did so. His chocolatey brown hair smelled like her's and felt like silk. Miles giggled slightly. He hadn't had a concussive burp bought in almost a week thanks to Ivy's careful diet, and now he was happier than ever.
"Come on Miles. Let's go watch the movie."
Miles patted her face lightly as Ivy waltzed out of the room. The green villainess giggled right back, kissing his fingers and tickling his stomach as she entered the living room. Eli and Gabe were standing before the T.V., putting the DVD into the disc player. Jaylon and Camden watched impatiently, the older one of the boys floating into the air and doing somersaults to occupy himself until the movie started.
Eddie was lying on the futon, Howard resting in his lap and Jasper tucked under one arm. Harley preferred to sit on the armchair, Hayden bouncing happily on her knee. Sunni and the pack were gone on a walk, Sunni leading them with power and authority. Ivy's smile never faded as she looked on the sight. She finally had a family to love.
She waltzed up to the futon, saying cooly, "Can I sit next to you three?"
The man on the couch grinned with charm, his dark eyes twinkling with amusement. "Of course you can M'Lady. Jasper, give Ivy some room."
The three year old scooted in closer to Edward, giving Ivy enough room to flop down with Miles right next to him. Kissing him on the forhead, Ivy whispered, "Thanks Champ."
"You're welcome Mommy."
Miles squirmed out of Ivy's grasp, preferring to sit on his older brother's lap. The movie started, drawing all the attention of the children, and Harley, away from Ivy and Eddie. Leaning back into the plush fabric of the sofa behind her, Ivy closed her eyes, stroking Miles' hair as he watched the movie before them. This was so peaceful.
Too bad that the peace was about to end.
At about four, Sunni came running in, fully transformed into the killer wolf child that she normally was. Her eyes were wide, the amber orbs reflecting both anger and fear. The wolves were right behind her, growling and snarling viciously.
"We need to get out of here! NOW!"
Edward was the first one to rise, his long legs carrying him with ease over towards the frightened teenager. He grasped her shoulders, holding her firmly as he asked Sunni what was wrong. She whispered something in his ear that made Edward panic. He straightened quickly, grabbing Howard from where he had rested the small boy on the couch.
"We've gotta hide the kids."
Ivy leapt up, holding onto Miles and Jasper as she stood. Her eyes were sparkling with fear. "What's wrong Edward?"
"Two-Face is coming."
Blanching, Ivy dragged the boys to the kitchen door, calling for Harley to follow them too. "Come guys, into the greenhouse."
They all followed without a sound, Camden trying to turn invisible as Jaylon clutched onto his hand. The adults lead them to a specially constructed hidey-hole behind Mel, the Venus Flytrap giving them plenty of cover and shelter. Ivy handed the babies to Sunni and the twins. Jasper ran up and hugged Ivy fiercly, trying not to crush her.
"Mommy don't go!"
Tears started to well in Ivy's eyes as she motioned for Edward and Harley to leave. She hugged Jasper back, looking over his shoulder at all the others. "I'll never leave you baby. I just have to get rid of a man okay? I promise I'll never willingly leave you."
Jasper sniffled a little, but he let her go and turned back to Sunni. The girl looked up at her caretaker, her amber eyes sparkling. "Be careful."
Nodding, Ivy ran off to help Eddie and Harley. The wolves were standing in the kitchen, forming a wedge-shaped defense around Ivy as she passed. The green villainess didn't notice as she burst into the living room just in time to see Two-Face to burst through the door.
The scarred man chuckled at her, sucking on a Havana cigar and carrying a Tommy-Gun. Edward was being held at gunpoint by a thug, although the man was desperately try and escape. Harley was surrounded by goons with AK-47s, her blue eyes wide with fear.
Two-Face spoke, his voice low, gruff and menacing. "Well if it isn't Poison Ivy. Wanna play sweetcheeks?"