The Batman let go of Eve as soon as he realised that she wasn't going to scream, and moved so she was forced back against the wall of the building beside them, into the shadows, where she couldn't run away. He stood over her, at least a foot taller than she was, but that included the ears of his cowl and the thick soles of his boots. Eve threw her head back and met his gaze head-on, determined to show him that she wasn't afraid. When she thought about it, the Batman wasn't as bad as Ivy. The worst he could do was injure her. He didn't kill people. There wasn't any risk of death from a slight brush of skin-on-skin. With this in mind, she stood defiantly between him and the wall.
He was growling at her now, in that deep, guttural voice that he clearly put on to sound more intimidating. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to find you again, Evelyn." His eyes narrowed.
"When did we get on first-name terms?" she shot back. After the initial shock of him grabbing her, the adrenaline had risen in her body and was now coursing through her veins. "What do you want?"
"I want to know what the hell you think you're doing. What did I tell you to do? Why have you kept up going to see Ivy?"
Eve knew then why he'd singled her out, tracked her down again – he had warned her about spending time with Ivy, the dangers of getting close to her, and she hadn't listened to a word he'd said. Well, scratch that, she had listened, but she hadn't followed his advice. She doubted he was used to people doing that.
"I know what I'm doing," she said at last. It wasn't exactly true, but she said it with enough confidence to make it seem believable.
The Batman wasn't fooled. Or, at least, Eve didn't think he was. It was hard to discern anything from his expression when she could only really see his mouth and impressive lantern jaw. "No, you don't. Ivy is incredibly unpredictable. There's a reason besides the obvious that she can't be part of normal society. She is crazy." He slammed his hands against the wall either side of her head to emphasise his point. "You don't know what you've got yourself involved in."
"And you do?" Eve was undoubtedly nervous, backed up against the wall without a way out, but still she stuck her chin out defiantly and didn't give in.
"I know a hell of a lot more than you do about her. You need to leave her alone, for your own good."
Eve frowned. "What if I don't? What are you going to do to me?" She crossed her arms. "You can't arrest me, I haven't done anything illegal. You could hurt me, but I doubt you would hurt an innocent woman. And short of physically restraining me and sticking me on a plane yourself, you can't make me leave Gotham."
She could tell when he clenched his teeth, as if he was trying to stop himself from yelling at her. His eyes narrowed into angry slits. "I'll give you one last warning. Give this up. Get away from Ivy. Forget about her."
Eve didn't say anything. She kept her arms crossed, her head up, her jaw set. There was something to be said about being in love, even if it was in love with a human-plant hybrid with homicidal tendencies, when even a threat from the Batman couldn't change your mind. She wasn't going to give up on what she'd discovered with Ivy. She could feel it; she was just on the brink, teetering back and forth on the edge of a breakthrough. She knew that if she kept at it, she might finally earn Ivy's trust and get closer to her than anyone before. No way was the Batman going to put a stop to her dreams, not now she'd already come so much further than she ever thought she could.
"No."
He growled, then, and for the first ever Eve felt as if the Batman really would hurt her, if it meant she did what he told her to do. The bulk of his enormous, powerful body loomed over her, blocking her escape. She swallowed hard and waited. There was a sudden flurry of black and a rush of wind, and she was free, standing alone in the alley, her hair fluttering in the wake of the Batman's vanishing act. Eve exhaled slowly, having not even realised she was holding her breath, and crossed her arms over her chest before setting off home. The promise of a long hot shower was still calling out to her, and she walked quickly, staring at the ground, not taking in anything of the world around her. Her mind was pitching and tossing. She needed to calm down.
The apartment was dark but warm when Eve finally arrived home. She switched the light on and shrugged her coat off, immediately spotting the bouquet of vivid blooms spread out in the middle of the coffee table. Pinks, oranges, reds, purples, and yellows jumped out at her, filling the apartment with their subtle fragrances. Confused, Eve wandered over to the table and picked up one of the flowers, inhaling the sweet perfume.
As far as she knew, there was only one way the flowers could have come to be there, and it didn't make thinking about what to do with her current situation any easier. It felt like Ivy was trying to coerce her, rather than letting her reach a decision on her own. Still, Eve put the flowers in a big jug of water and arranged them prettily on her bedside table, next to her beloved mimosa pudica, before heading off for the long-awaited shower.
Later, lying spread-eagled in her bed, Eve stared at the ceiling and thought.
Point one – she loved Ivy. She knew that now, there was no point trying to deny it to herself. Telling Ivy, if it ever got that far, was a different matter entirely.
Point two – because she loved Ivy, she didn't want to leave her and never see her again. Of course she didn't. Aye, Eve thought, stretching her arms above her head, there's the rub.
What to do, when the one you love could kill you at any moment? Ivy was not a normal woman, and she hadn't been for a long time. She was deadly, with an extensive knowledge of how to poison a person that went far beyond simply giving them a kiss goodbye.
But you know that, and you can stay on her good side, said a niggling little voice at the back of Eve's head. She frowned. Maybe she could do that – maybe she and Ivy would be able to coexist quite well, but what about her work? She'd promised Mortimer something big, and to deliver that she would need to actually go to work. Living with Ivy would eliminate that possibility. She'd have to give up her lab, her experiments, her notes, her – albeit somewhat tenuous – relationships with her colleagues…was it worth it?
That was the hardest question of all – whether all her efforts to get closer to and study Ivy were for nothing, or would be for nothing. Eve paused, frowning again. Her hand reached out and plucked one of the flowers from the vase next to the bed. She twirled the flower in her hands, stroking the silky petals, breathing in the delicate, somehow calming, scent. She felt better, but she still hadn't solved her problem.
Could she really, truly, justify giving up everything she'd been working on and built for herself since she came to Gotham, for the chance to be with the woman she loved, even if it turned out to be the stupidest thing she'd ever done? Even though there was no sign that Ivy loved her back, or ever would? Even though she would never be able to tell the world anything she found out about her? Even though Ivy could kill her with a single touch?
Eve sat up in frustration and picked up the flower once more, getting up to cross the room and throw the curtains wide. The sky was orange, clouds blocking the moon and cocooning the city in its own orange streetlamp glow. She opened the window and the night air rushed into the room, raising goosebumps on Eve's exposed skin and making the curtains flutter around her. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. Then she had an idea.
"I do it," she said to herself. She plucked one of the petals from the flower and sent it flying away on the breeze.
"I don't do it." Another petal, soaring into the sky. She kept going, the excitement building inside of her. Somehow, she knew, by the time she was done, no matter what she ended up saying when the final petal flew away, she would know what she was going to do.
Pluck. "I do it." Pluck. "I don't do it." Over and over, until at last she was down to the final petal. She took a deep breath, trying to keep the smile from spreading over her face.
"I do it."
That was it. The risks were there, but she knew she would always regret it if she played it safe. Standing by the open window, feeling the wind on her face, feeling free and bubbling with anticipation, Eve knew that she wouldn't give up this opportunity for anything.