Authors note: general disclaimer, I don't own any characters or anything to do with batman (I wish!)

Italics are character thoughts.

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(Continued flashback)

Earlier in the week...

All Ivy wanted to do was find Joker and kill him. He had no right to hurt Harley like this, she was a person not a toy he could break. It was up to her to nurture her and make her strong again. For the first few days Harley didn't wake up once. It was hard for the green goddess as she fought and formulated different combinations of toxins, her blood and Harley's blood to try and create the perfect cure. While she worked she created a new species of plant, an affectionate creeper with red blossoms she called Harley. She would talk to the plant as the real Harley lay unconscious in her bed. The redhead couldn't admit it to herself but every day Harley lay asleep, a little part of her heart broke, and another part fell in love with the blonde.

When Harley woke she felt as if she'd been hit by some sort of truck. As she looked around she saw some kind of plant with red flowers curled around the rose gem she had stolen for Red. She froze as she felt something move against her and she turned to see the plant queen curled up to her side, red hair splayed across her face. Memories suddenly flooded back into her brain and she remembered spying on Red and seeing the bullet wound. She remembered going to confront Mistah J. That was all she could remember.

Ivy felt something stirring against her and she woke up startled, as she opened her eyes she looked straight into shining baby blue eyes. She froze for a moment, her brain not comprehending what she was seeing. As she saw the small smile form on Harley's face she threw her arms around the blonde and couldn't stop the flow of tears.

It was a couple of days later when Harley was up and about that she asked Red what had happened. The green skinned beauty told her that she was found on their doorstep barely alive and that she had replaced some of her blood with some toxins and stuff to make her stronger and recover quicker.

Ivy looked at Harley as she took the information in and could see the blonde battling internally with herself. "You know it was him who did this right?"

Harley couldn't make eye contact just as much as she couldn't allow herself to believe that her Puddin' would go that far. She shrugged her shoulders.

Ivy felt like she was going to explode. "You said yourself you went to see him! You went to confront him! Harley of course it was him! How can you even begin to deny that?!"

Harley span on her heels "You don't know what happened any more than I do! Maybe it wasn't Mistah J maybe it was someone else! Who knows?! He loves me! We wouldn't wanna kill me!"

Ivy raced over to her and grabbed her by the neck, she pulled out some photos from a drawer and forced Harley to look at them. "It wasn't him? It couldn't possibly have been him? Well who else would do this to you?!"

Harley tried to hold back the hot stinging tears as she was forced to stare at photos of her naked body, angry red wounds covered every expanse and they all joined to form one word over and over; Joker. She threw Red off her and pushed her away. She held up her top to reveal smooth unmarked skin. "Where are they then? Huh? If he did that where are they?!"

Ivy stared at her aghast. "I made you heal. I got rid of them. I didn't want you to have to wear his name like a brand forever!"

Harley threw the photos at Red's feet "How do I know you didn't fake these?"

Ivy lost it, she couldn't believe that she had brought Harley back from the brink of death and now she was being accused of being the bad guy. She had so many thoughts and daydreams about what would happen if Harley ever did wake up, and none of them ended like this. She flew at Harley and slapped her hard. When she realised what she had done she stepped back and looked at her hand in horror.

The slap cracked across Harley's face causing her tears to fall faster. She glared at the redhead and went to retaliate when she remembered that Red had saved her life. She was frustrated and angry so she took it out on the closest thing to her and stormed out of the room.

Ivy wept as she looked at the broken mess on the floor. Harley, her baby creation had just been destroyed by her human counterpart. I have to get out of here. I can't do this. I'm in love with someone who loves another. She will destroy me.

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