"Did you hurt them?"

"No. I just bent their van out of shape and scared them off, then put the stolen things back in the house, though I can't guarantee they'll be there when the owners get back."

"Why do you look so miserable?" Eve asked, reaching out and taking Ivy's hand in hers. With the other, she picked up the carton of juice leftover from her hospital breakfast and slurped some down. "You did a good thing."

"Do you think so?" Ivy looked up at her sheepishly from where she was curled up on the chair next to the bed. She was actually feeling strangely guilty after what she'd done to those thieves and their van early that morning. "I thought you might be...I don't know...ashamed of me." Her voice rose at the end of the sentence, like she wasn't sure if it was a question or not.

Eve smiled and shook her head. "Of course I'm not! Actually, I'm proud of you - you showed a lot of restraint, and I know how easy it would have been for you to hurt those guys. You could have justified it as being stressed out and let it go, but you didn't. You didn't hurt them." She gave Ivy's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Because I didn't want to leave you alone if I ended up getting caught," Ivy explained, clasping Eve's warm fingers tightly. "Never again."

"Never again," Eve agreed, taking another sip of juice - she had to keep hydrated. She was feeling a lot better that day, relatively speaking; still dog-tired and exhausted by the simplest things, but it was amazing what a fresh set of a pyjamas and a hairbrush could do to make you feel more sure of yourself. Along with a few other essentials, Ivy had also brought along the little mimosa pudica from her bedroom, rejuvenated by certain 'green fingers' and now sitting on top of the bedside cabinet.

She'd been awake for hours, having been unable to sleep again after her bad dream early that morning. Instead, she'd lay on the bed with the TV turned way down low, flashing reruns of Sex and the City, and tried to think of what she might say when she was eventually questioned by the police about her ordeal. She knew it had to happen at some point - the problem was whether she told them the complete truth. According to Ivy, the Commissioner already knew something like the truth; Mortimer had kidnapped Eve because he'd initially thought she could help him study Ivy, then he'd threatened to kill her if Ivy didn't give herself over to him in exchange.

What Gordon hadn't been told, although he could probably figure it out very easily, was the true nature of their relationship. She had no idea how that was going to work - if a trial actually happened, would her words be taken the wrong way because people believed her to have been manipulated at Ivy's hand? Would her testimony be trusted? Engaging in a relationship with a wanted criminal wasn't a crime itself, she didn't think, but there was no way every single person in the courtroom would believe that she had complete free will, not with Ivy involved. And then there was the fact that no court would allow Ivy in, even to support her, let alone to testify against Mortimer. Her lover was a criminal, and there wasn't really any way of working around that. If Mortimer didn't plead guilty, then Eve would have to face him in court by herself. The thought made her stomach flip.

As it turned out, however, she needn't have worried so much. Together, she and Ivy worked out what to say and what not to say, emphasising the parts of the story that would be the most convincing and take the focus away from them towards Mortimer, and when two detectives visited the next day for an interview, they actually turned out to be incredibly understanding. With Ivy by her side, disguised by her 'human' skin tone, a pair of glasses, and a ponytail, Eve talked them through her ordeal as best she could, and they encouraged her to take as much time as she needed.

It was easy to play up Mortimer's obsession with Ivy, given the photos and newspaper cuttings that had been found in his home. Eve recounted her interactions with him at work, how recently he'd seemed more distracted and awkward around her, detailing everything up until ordeal in the GCSI lab. Clutching Ivy's hand the entire time, she haltingly described being tied to that chair for hours, the threats, the gun, the violence, the burning impact of the bullet...everything. It took a long time, as she had to keep stopping to take deep breaths, and make sure she was making sense. She didn't want Mortimer to get away with what he'd done because of a mistake on her part. Throughout her storytelling, she was anchored by Ivy's firm touch, which kept her grounded so she wouldn't lose herself in horrible memories.

Eventually, there was only really one thing left to discuss. "Dr Carter," one of the detectives, the woman, began. "Why do you think it was that Dr Mortimer believed you had some sort of connection to Poison Ivy? That she would be willing to give herself up in exchange for your life?"

Eve paused and looked at Ivy, sat in plain view of both detectives but completely hidden - she hoped fervently that they wouldn't put together that they were sharing the room with a notorious criminal. Swallowing hard, she squeezed Ivy's hand and turned her gaze back to the waiting detectives.

"I've had some...interest in Poison Ivy, before now," she said slowly. "With my field of study, it was only natural for me to be curious about her." The detectives nodded encouragingly, silently permitting her to continue. "I witnessed her fighting in the streets with the Batman, several months ago now, and afterwards I found myself researching her sometimes, finding out as much as I could. I began to theorise how she might work, how she might be different from an ordinary human being, or similar to a plant. During those months, I kept my research to myself, but I believe Mortimer may have been aware of what I was doing, somehow convincing himself that I must have had contact with her at some point."

"So you think he assumed the two of you were...close?" the female detective asked in her carefully sculpted questioning-but-not-demanding tone.

"Not close, but that we'd at least met, and spoken to each other." Eve gave a one-shouldered shrug. "It's the only reason I can think of." She knew it was a risk saying these things, as she had actually inadvertently told Mortimer something of hers and Ivy's plans to leave the city, but she was hoping that if she could convince these detectives that her relationship with Ivy wasn't what he thought it was, then they would be safe. It was underhanded and probably the sneakiest thing she'd ever done, besides skipping work for weeks so she could be with her lover, but she refused to feel sympathy for him. He had almost killed her - if he went to prison being thought of as a liar as well as a kidnapper, that was fine with her.

When it was over, she and Ivy lay down together, squashed up and spooning on Eve's narrow hospital bed amid wires and blankets and too many pillows. Carefully, Ivy circled Eve in her arms and held her as close as she could without hurting her.

"Do you think I'll have to do that again?" Eve whispered worriedly. She fiddled with the corner of the nearest pillow in a distracted manner.

"If you do, I'll be there," Ivy replied, leaning forward slightly to kiss the top of Eve's head, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair. "I'll always be there. And soon," she kissed Eve's head again, "you'll be out of this hospital, and we can do what we planned to do. Just you and me, together."

Eve relaxed slightly, snuggling closer against Ivy's chest. "I hope he pleads guilty," she murmured. "I don't want to face him in court. He's...he's not the man I thought he was. I already have his face haunting my dreams, I don't want to have to see it for real again."

"There's too much evidence against him for anything else to happen," Ivy reassured her. "Yes, he cut off the cameras in the building, but there are all those photos and news clippings in his house, your testimony, and the bullet they - they took out of your chest will match the gun with his fingerprints all over it. If nothing else, Batman will have told the Commissioner what happened. Jim Gordon's been a thorn in my side - no pun intended - for years, but he's a good man, and he'll make sure justice is served." She shifted down the mattress so her head was resting on Eve's shoulder and she could speak right into her ear. "Trust me, Evelyn. It's all going to be okay."

Four days later, when Eve had been in hospital for a week, she got a phone call - Mortimer had indeed pled guilty. Her testimony against him would be enough, and she wouldn't need to come to a trial and see him again. This news, coupled with the fact that she now had a bit more freedom as the cardiac monitor had been removed that morning, was a wonderfully welcome change. The cannula was still in her arm, but she was no longer permanently attached to an IV either. She was still having bad dreams every night, and now she hoped that feeling a bit less powerless, and not being kept in suspense, would help her to heal further.

It was mid-afternoon, and she was standing in the bathroom that was hers to use, the clinical hospital version of an en-suite. Ivy was resting on the bed, having been up all night soothing Eve after another horrific nightmare (they'd found that if Ivy simply didn't leave at the end of visiting hours, the staff on the night shift would, more often than not, let it slide and not kick her out), but Eve felt wide awake. She stood in front of the bathroom mirror, hoping that it was just the fluorescent light making her look so pale and ghostly, and that wasn't how her actual skin was right now. Slowly and carefully, she started to unbutton the cardigan she was wearing over her hospital gown, folding it up neatly and placing it on the counter beside the sink. Next she reached behind her head with her good arm, and after a couple of false starts managed to untie the gown's strings behind her neck. The other ties were at her waist, and once the gown was bundled up on the counter as well, suddenly, there it was.

She'd seen it before, briefly, while the nurses had helped her wash or change, but this was the first time she was having a proper, good look.

The dressings had always felt bulkier than they actually were, like when you have a tiny stone in your shoe that feels more like a boulder because of the confined space. In fact, the white bandages that wrapped round her chest and over her shoulder, binding her breasts in place (which was actually quite useful, as she was definitely not currently capable of putting on a bra), fit quite close against her body. The bulkiest part was over where the bullet itself had pierced her chest, and although Eve knew the wound had been closed up, it still felt like there was a phantom hole through her body. It just...didn't feel natural. In passing, morbid curiousity made her wonder if she could take the bandages off to see the wound itself, but she quickly dismissed the thought. That wouldn't help anything.

She stared at the reflection of her damaged body for several long moments, taking it all in. She would be out of hospital within a week, all being well; half of her was impatient to leave, half of her nervous about suddenly facing the outside world again. Her universe had shrunk over the last seven days to encompass only her hospital room, Ivy, and the view from her window. It would be disorienting to leave.

Still, she thought as she gently prodded at the bandages, when I do leave, I'll be going home with Pamela. That was better than anything else she could think of, certainly better than what could have happened. She was getting better, obviously, otherwise they wouldn't have taken her off the monitor; there were significantly fewer wires attached to her body than there had been seven days ago, and she was up and about, dressing herself, feeling more normal.

So why did she still feel so...strange? Like she was just sleepwalking through it all...

Sighing, she dressed herself again as best she could, having to leave the gown untied at the neck, and made her way back out of the bathroom. Ivy was curled up on the bed, her beautiful red hair splayed across the pillow, clutching the blanket in her hands. Even looking completely human, in blue jeans and a black shirt, she was stunning. She'd stayed lying on one side of the mattress while she slept, as if she was waiting for Eve to slot herself back into place by her side. Her shoulders were clenched, and Eve approached her cautiously before gently stroking her back, easing the tension. With a muted moan, Ivy rolled over and opened her eyes slowly, smiling up at her.

"Hello, you," she murmured, brushing a few stray curls of hair off her lovely face. "How are you feeling?" She reached up and placed her hand on Eve's arm, needing some form of contact.

"Better, I think. I had a look at...under the gown. A proper one. It doesn't look as bad as I thought," Eve said, attempting a smile. Despite seeing her lover's smiling face again, she still felt out of sorts, and she couldn't make her own smile genuine. "Otherwise, I'm...well, I don't really know," she finished lamely.

Ivy frowned slightly, sensing something was off. In one elegant motion, she shifted into a sitting position, her gaze roving over Eve's face. She took in the shadows under her eyes, the tension in her jaw, the slump of her shoulders, and she immediately resolved to do something good, something to make Eve happy again. "I want to go out in the garden," she said suddenly, getting to her feet. "Come with me? I'll push you in a chair, if you like. It's about time you went outside."

"Really?" Eve raised her eyebrows. "Will that be okay?"

"I'll check," Ivy said, leaving the room quickly. After chatting briefly with the on-duty nurse and getting her hands on a slightly battered hospital wheelchair, it wasn't long before Eve was bundled in cardigan, blanket, gloves, and fuzzy slippers, and they were on their way.

Ivy remembered the way to the garden easily - now she wasn't so wired and focused on something else, she could feel her way towards the plants that lived there, with no need for signs. It was empty when they arrived, and looked very pretty covered in the remains of the most recent snowfall. The fountain had frozen over at one point, but the layer of ice on top of the water had thawed somewhat, jagged pieces of sparkling ice like clear caramel shards now floating on the surface. Frost dusted the branches of the trees, and the sky, for once, was clear, allowing pale wintery sunlight to shine down on them.

"It's like the top of a Christmas cake," Eve commented, breathing in the clean, crisp air. It filled her body with ice, like drinking cold water after chewing mint gum, but she welcomed it after the slightly-too-warm interior of the hospital. Ivy laughed, and pushed her out onto the path, which had mercifully been cleared. They did a slow circuit of the garden, taking in everything. It felt good to be out in the world together again, even if technically it was still part of the hospital grounds.

Eventually, they came to a stop next to the fountain, and Ivy sat down on a bench, subconsciously drawing strength from the evergreen trees nearby so she didn't feel the cold too much. Eve was looking around at the trees, enjoying the weak sunshine and trying to figure out where the sound of a singing robin was coming from; she didn't notice how nervous Ivy looked.

"I think I know why you're feeling so unsure of everything," Ivy said at last, bringing Eve's attention back to her. She rested one hand on Eve's leg over the layers of blankets, keeping the other hidden from view.

"You do?"

Ivy nodded. "It's because you don't really know where you're going from here."

Eve frowned, and shook her head slightly. "But, I do. We're going to leave Gotham, right?" Her eyes widened suddenly. "We are going to leave Gotham, aren't we? You haven't changed your mind?"

"No, I haven't," Ivy reassured her. "We're still leaving. What I meant was you don't know the specifics, like where we're going, and what you're going to do now. For example, do you think you'll still be a scientist? Will you work at all, or do something else?"

"I...I don't know," Eve said slowly, then nodded in understanding. "Right, I get it." Ivy was right; she hadn't really considered anything beyond leaving the hospital, and then the city. It was all a big blur of possibility, and it unsettled her. She'd always been so sure of her path through life; school, then college, then her doctorate, then Chicago, Gotham, and Ivy. Now, she didn't have a clue what was going to happen next. "What can I do?" she asked.

Ivy's mouth felt dry, and she licked her lips in preparation. "I have something that I think might help," she said. Nervously, she moved forward off the bench and down onto one knee.

Eve's mouth dropped open. "Pamela…" she breathed, hardly daring to speak. She watched in silence as Ivy brought her other hand into view, clutching a small box.

"Evelyn - my Evelyn," she said. Her voice was shaking, but when she cleared her throat and tried again it came out stronger, more sure of what she wanted to say. "I love you. I want to be with you, for the rest of my life. I want to be there for you, good times and bad, to help you and guide you, and love you as you should be loved. If you're feeling uncertain right now, you should know that...something you can be sure of is that we're going to have a future together - that is, I mean, if you say yes. To this. And I really hope you do." She chuckled, embarrassed, and her cheeks flushed green for a second before she got her 'human' appearance back under control. She opened the box in the palm of her hand, revealing a beautiful ring inside - a band of silver, entwined with delicate engraved vines and leaves, topped with two diamonds flanking a deep green emerald. It was perfect.

"Evelyn Carter, will you marry me?"