"Don't. Don't you fucking dare, Ivy. You have no right to pull a fucking Edward Cullen on me and try to send me away because you're too dangerous to be around," Eve growled in annoyance. She couldn't believe what Ivy had just said to her. Give her up? Just break it off and vanish into the unknown, move away and never see her again and try to live a normal life? She knew it would be impossible, even if she wanted to do it.
"I'm an adult, right? I'm a grown woman and I can make my own decisions, and I knew that this would be dangerous from the start. I knew that there might be people who wanted to hurt me, because there are people who want to hurt you, and while I can't pretend to understand how their minds work, I do know my own." She still felt angry, but it was starting to simmer down, and she let herself pull Ivy into a soft embrace and hold her close, cradling her. It made an unusual change for Eve to be the more dominant one, but now wasn't the moment to dwell on that. "I love you, Pamela" – Ivy noted with relief that she had gone back to using her real name – "and I am not willing to leave you, even if it means putting my life at risk. Yes, that sounds like the most ridiculous thing in the world, but you are worth it, in every way. You might not think that you're capable of love, real love, but I know that you are. I trust you. It will be dangerous, but not all the time, and I know that you would never let anything happen to me."
It was perfect. It was exactly what Ivy wanted to hear. She had never received a true declaration of love, not before her Eve had come along, and now she'd gotten them several times over. Of course she wanted to keep her safe and sound – but equally, she couldn't bear the thought of letting her go even as she tried to convince her to leave.
Ivy relaxed into Eve's arms and inhale the scent of her, fresh and warm and comforting. She planted a small kiss on an exposed part of Eve's shoulder, where her cloak of moss had slipped down. "I'm so sorry," she whispered against her lover's skin.
Eve rested her head against Ivy's hair. "I'm sorry, too. It was an accident, I know that. I shouldn't have..."
"Perfectly understandable." Her voice cracked slightly, and Eve held her tighter.
They stood entwined for a long time, wrapped up in each other. Finally, the two of them broke apart and stepped back, but their hands stayed linked. Neither of them could let go of the other completely. Wordlessly, Ivy guided Eve over to an overgrown log, half-buried in snow, where she encouraged the moss and weeds to grow further and form a sort of cushion. They sat down together, and Eve drew her cloak around herself and tucked her feet behind her away from the cold.
"So," she began tentatively. "The question still stands."
Ivy didn't say anything. She wasn't really paying attention – she couldn't take her eyes off Eve, who seemed to have come to life, blossoming with love and loyalty and fierce determination. She wanted to cling to her and hold her close and never let her go.
"When do we leave?" Eve asked calmly. Ivy raised her eyebrows, and Eve smiled slightly. "Isn't it obvious? You want to keep me safe, but I won't leave you - frankly the very suggestion is ridiculous – and I will fight you every step of the way if you try and send me away from you. So the only solution, as far as I'm concerned, is for us to leave together. If you want to protect me from the…people you associate with, if it's too much of a risk for us to both stay in Gotham and still have a relationship, then we'll go somewhere else. But we go somewhere else together. Together, or not at all."
Words seemed to stick in Ivy's throat. Hadn't she been dreaming about this? This very thing, leaving Gotham behind, taking Eve far away to a place where they could live in peace, just them and the Green. It had felt like an impossible dream, but maybe now…she took Eve's face in her hands and looked deep into her ocean-blue eyes. "Are you sure that's what you want?" she asked tentatively. It felt like her entire body was holding its breath.
Eve's lips slid into a wider smile. "To leave the world behind, and just be with you? I can't think of anything I'd want more."
Their mouths came together in a joyful kiss, their arms sliding around each other. Bodies melded together in a tangle of limbs, and the log was left behind in favour of soft, cool grass that glistened with leftover snow. Any chills they felt were quickly overcome by the heat they made between them.
Between kisses, Ivy broke away and stared down at her lover's flushed face. "Stay with me," she whispered, her voice the only sound. Her hands, pinning Eve's wrists to the ground, tightened their grip ever so slightly. Just months before, she wouldn't have had to ask; she would have made Eve do whatever she wanted. But this woman had changed her, and now she waited for a response before going any further, her heart hammering in her chest.
"Like I said," Eve whispered back, "together, or not at all. I'm not done with you." She strained her torso up to meet Ivy, planting tiny kisses along her neck until she reached her favourite spot, the patch of skin just below Ivy's left ear that made her shiver and moan when she traced her tongue over it. It tasted of pollen and honey and…well, she knew you couldn't really taste love, but she could taste the faint sheen of perspiration, feel the heat rising within Ivy's body only millimetres away from the tip of her tongue, relish the goosebumps that erupted across Ivy's skin wherever she touched her, and she knew. She knew the love was there, bubbling away on the inside, and she knew that she wanted to make Ivy feel that way for the rest of her life.
"I want…" she began, trying to articulate her thoughts, but the words dissolved into a sigh of longing. Ivy's lips were making a trail down her body, her hands pushing the cloak of moss aside along the way. Gently, she parted Eve's thighs, and when Eve looked down she was rewarded with the best view she'd ever had.
Ivy's eyes, the pupils so dilated there was almost no green left, and something within them that reminded Eve of a lioness waiting to pounce; her scarlet hair wild around her shoulders; her talented fingers splayed across Eve's thighs, holding them apart, thumbs gently stroking the soft skin; her lips just a hair's breadth away from where Eve wanted them most. Without breaking eye contact, Ivy raised one eyebrow questioningly.
Eve was no longer pinned down, but she couldn't have moved even if she'd wanted to. She felt utterly exposed, and utterly at ease. Breathless and trembling with anticipation, she nodded her head.
Lips met, and the world fell away.
Later, finally, blissfully sated, they lay entangled on the grass and melting snow, sheltered by an enormous oak tree. Eve was sleepily playing with Ivy's hair, plaiting the curls together or letting her fingers comb through them. With a happy sigh, she nuzzled her head against Ivy's shoulder and draped one arm across her stomach. "Do we need to pack, or something?" she murmured drowsily.
Ivy thought for a second before answering. "There's a lot of things you'll need to do before we go, but I can help with some of it, if you like. For example, convincing your landlord to let you have your security deposit back." She smirked.
"Oh, God, I hadn't thought of all that," Eve groaned, rolling off Ivy and sitting up. She stretched her arms above her head and arched her back. "I'll have to give my furniture away, or put it in storage, or something too. Close my bank account, officially resign from my job, sort out my taxes…" She counted the items on her fingers, then sighed. She'd been so caught up in the romance and intrigue of it all, and she really didn't appreciate being brought down to Earth with such a bump, especially right after wonderful sex when all she wanted to do was sleep in her lover's arms. "Yuck. Reality is no fun."
"Aw, poor baby," Ivy purred. She shifted her body so she was behind Eve and wrapped her arms around her, holding her close. "Well, like I said, I can help with some of it. I have connections." As if to emphasise her point, a tendril of a vine worked its way up through the grass and entwined itself around Eve's foot, tickling her and making her giggle.
"I think," Eve said slowly, gently disentangling herself from the vine, "that I'm going to go home and sort out what I can. Everywhere's closed for Christmas Day, but I can pack my suitcase and hunt down my paperwork ahead of time."
"Will you need much stuff?"
"I'd like to bring some keepsakes, at least," Eve mused. "And maybe some chocolate." They both laughed, and Eve felt herself growing excited. They were actually doing it, making plans and figuring out the logistics of running away from the world together. Her hand went up to hold the pendant around her neck, and she stroked the cool metal of the ivy leaf between her finger and thumb. She liked the way the chain was just long enough for the leaf to sit over her heart.
"How about this," Ivy said. "We have Christmas together, and ring in the new year, then you go home to sort everything out. We'll be apart for a little while" – she paused to lean over and kiss Eve's forehead – "but it won't be for long, and then…we'll be together." She swallowed hard. "If you'll have me."
Eve twisted around so she was kneeling between Ivy's legs, her hands on her shoulders. "Well…if I absolutely have to, I suppose I can manage living with you for the rest of my life," she said with a wicked grin.
So it was decided. They spent their last few days together in the home they'd made for themselves, in the heart of Robinson Park, beneath towering trees and sparkling stars and gently swirling snow, just enjoying their own little part of the world before they moved on to pastures new. Eve packed up all her experiments, making sure the results and notes she'd written down over the weeks were all kept together in her secure file; she washed her old clothes as best she could in the bathing pool, letting them dry hanging from a tree; she and Ivy feasted on fresh fruits and berries each morning and curled up together in the hollow of the oak tree each night. They made plans and worked everything out, making sure the moment when they would next see each other wasn't too far off.
And then it was time to leave, even if only for a short time. When morning dawned, Ivy was greeted by the unusual sight of Eve being awake before her, fully dressed in a strange outfit of faded blue jeans, a white jumper, scuffed trainers, and her cloak of moss wrapped around her shoulders like a poncho. She smiled.
"Are you ready?" she asked, rising from the grass in one smooth motion.
"As I'll ever be," Eve replied, and then she paused. Her mouth made a moue of discomfort. "Pamela, will you…will you walk me home?"
It sounded so childish at first, something kids say to their crush when school ends for the day, but it made Ivy smile. Without speaking, she closed her eyes and concentrated hard on something.
Eve watched, open-mouthed, as the beautiful green tint to Ivy's skin began to recede, leaving only the colour in her lips and nails behind. When she opened her eyes again, they were looking at her from a face that appeared completely and utterly human, and completely and utterly beautiful.
"So that's how you get around the city without everyone attempting a citizen's arrest," Eve said, awestruck.
Ivy laughed. "It's certainly helpful. I used it to get a job once. Never doing that again." She waved a hand across her body and down, causing the leaves she wore to multiply until she was wearing something resembling a floor-length gown with long sleeves. It covered her almost completely, but did nothing to hide her curves. Eve couldn't help but stare. "Shall we?"
They walked through the park in silence, neither of them feeling the need to speak. It was a bittersweet time, that walk – they held hands and wandered through the melting snow that still clung to Gotham's streets, rarely encountering anyone else. Eve knew she wouldn't enjoy being apart from Ivy and back in her old apartment, but the best was yet to come.
They arrived at her building, and Ivy immediately pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'll miss you," she whispered in her ear. "Be safe?"
"I will." Eve kissed her softly, picked up her bags and unlocked the door. With some admiration, Ivy watched her climb up the stairs and out of sight.
Eve's apartment was a cold hellhole full of cobwebs, dust, and junk mail, but thankfully no dirty dishes that she'd forgotten about before leaving. With a shiver, she dumped her bags on the couch and walked quickly around the place turning on all the radiators and putting the kettle on to make tea. Ah, tea. She'd missed tea. Suddenly weary, crashing after the adrenaline rush of putting their plans into action, she flopped down in an armchair and dozed off.
Hours later, Eve woke up thoroughly disoriented. The apartment was warm, but pitch black, and she bumped into several bits of furniture before finally turning the lights on. Silly her for leaving the curtains shut. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, then went and fetched her laptop from the locked dressing table drawer. There was nothing in the fridge, and no point buying any groceries, so she was going to treat herself to pizza. Maybe some ice cream, too, what the hell. Her leave-of-absence pay could stretch to that, and then some – she'd barely spent any money for weeks, except on the essentials.
While waiting for the pizza, Eve took a quick shower, thanking the gods of financial stability that she'd set up a direct debit to pay her rent and utilities ages ago and, as a result, the hot water hadn't been shut off. Feeling clean and refreshed, she was just padding back into the living room in a set of fluffy pyjamas when the buzzer rang, making her jump.
"Come on up," she called into the intercom, then set about combing her hair. The knock that sounded a couple of minutes later was firm and somehow impatient, and Eve rolled her eyes at demanding pizza delivery guys as she opened the door.
It wasn't the pizza delivery guy.
"Mortimer."
"Hello, Eve. Long time. Just got back?" He smiled toothily.
Eve swallowed. "Yeah, just this morning actually. I, er, thought I'd stay with the family for Christmas." She chewed her lip nervously – Mortimer was looking at her in a way he never had before, and she didn't like it. Was she in trouble? Had he figured out her lie?
Her question was answered when Mortimer drew something out of his pocket and held it up to her face.
An ivy leaf.
"You're coming with me, Eve. We're going to have a talk about professionalism."
Eve's first instinct was to run, but she couldn't go anywhere except further inside the apartment. She reached out to slam the door in Mortimer's face, but he grasped her outstretched arm and pinned it to the doorjamb, suddenly jabbing something sharp into her skin. She struggled, but for such a small man he was surprisingly strong.
Her last thought as she slumped to the floor was that the pizza guy would be really confused…