TheJokerMan - I know it's all chatting so far. The action is coming soon.

JannaKalderash - That you know of. ;)

LittleGreyOwl - Nothing Jervis does seems like a good idea...

DawnieJDC - You know, I've been playing with the idea of a ScaredyCat pairing...or even some small, as you've mentioned. I believe the people over on tumblr are bad influences on me...

Katherine - I know, I was thinking it was a while since they ate...or I mentioned them eating...

jacksparrowlovesme - I think Two-Face will get sick of Maxie very quickly...

Birdlover123 - Lord, you wrote a book, but I believe I responded to you through PM. So I'll just thank you once more for that review. It was beautiful and long!

Lord Nitro - Not abandoned, but it does take me a little while to get back to it. I can never fully abandon a story. Sorry for this one being so late!

Okay, so public apology to you all for this really, really slow update! I swear I still love this story, but life is just...well have you ever tried juggling babies? I'd imagine it'd be like that...when they're all squirmy and not cooperative.

Chapter Seventeen: Racket Girls

**Ivy**

She lounged on her large leafy throne and watched the activity with critical, scientist eyes. Observing the others like one running experiments and tests. She didn't understand them, never really got mammals, but she had to find a small kernel of respect for them.

Edward in particular interested her, as his activities weren't usual for the green geek. He wasn't moping, or plotting, or whining, he was pacing up and down the stairs, jogging at times and she found it curious behaviour.

Crane was to her left attempting to sleep, but she knew he wasn't by his breathing. He was awake, aware of everything that was going on around them just as she was.

For her part, Selina was helping Jervis make the costume that would be used in their ploy, quietly instructing him on details and shape, legs crossed, ass perched on the corner of the table the man worked at.

She had a few vines out and about on patrol for her, they would let her know if someone brushed past them or was lurking.

"Edward, what are you doing?" Ivy finally demanded from her throne.

Everyone looked over at her, but no one answered and it infuriated her a little, so she repeated herself more firmly.

"If it's all the same to you, Ivy," Eddie said as he continued up and down the stairs. "I'm trying to stay limber and fit."

She laughed cruelly. "Oh, you sad little weasel!" She exclaimed.

"Ivy," Crane sighed from her left, long fingers rubbing at his temples.

"What? I can't be amused by twiggy Eddie Nygma trying to get in shape?!" She continued to mock.

The Riddler continued his path up and down the stairs, effectively ignoring her.

"I mean, it's cute, isn't it? He thinks he can physically match this threat. What are you, Eddie, our last line of defense? My hero!" She teased.

Her ire was really raised when Eddie simply grinned and kept on his endless journey.

"You're no Batman, my dear," she went on. "You probably couldn't even hold up your own weight, so why try?"

"Let's see you in a fight without those vines of yours, Ivy," Crane grumbled, adding spitefully, "you're no Catwoman, my dear."

On the table, Selina pat her hair in a mock display of modesty.

"What say, Eddie?" Ivy growled. "Wanna fight? See who's stronger?"

"Ivy, I don't take women to the mat, I'm a gentleman," the Riddler returned.

"You're taking the easy way out, Eddie."

"I'll tell you what, Pammy, you solve this riddle and—"

"Ugh," she groaned. "Never mind."

Everyone went back to doing what they were doing.

Still bored, Ivy reached down and squeezed Crane's upper arm, trying to find a bicep.

"Excuse you?" He inquired calmly.

"Hm, just trying to see how much muscle stands between us and certain doom should you infiltrate these men…" she mused.

"Really now, Pamela," Crane murmured. "Now is not the time for a gun show."

Across the room Selina chuckled in her dark, velvety tone and Ivy rolled her eyes.

"Mammals," she spat.

Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, Edward drawled, "if you're really that bored, Pam, maybe you could physically go out on patrol with the others?"

She laughed softly. "I am on patrol, Eddie."

"Do I get to feel the gun show, Jon?" Selina called over.

Ivy knew the woman was trying to change the subject. How diplomatic of her.

"Tit for tat, Selina," Crane returned.

"Well, I'm not showing you my tit for your tat, just biceps," she teased, hopping down from her perch and approaching.

Crane stood up as she approached and offered her an arm.

"Ugh," Ivy grumbled as Selina groped his bicep.

"Not bad," Catwoman said.

"Now you," Crane murmured.

Watching the two shuffle closer subtly, Ivy cringed.

As Selina curled her arm for Crane to feel his bicep, the man leaned back and exclaimed. "Good God!"

Were they flirting?

"Ugh," Ivy's mouth groaned once more without her telling it to.

As Crane squeezed Selina's arm, both Ivy and Edward watched with curled upper lips.

"You do realize that's the Scarecrow you're fondling?" Ivy demanded, breaking the two apart. "It's unnatural and wrong."

Crane angled his head to her with a raised eyebrow and it almost terrified her. Almost.

"I'm going on patrol," Selina said.

"I'll come with you," Crane mumbled. "There's only so much venom I can take before I become undiplomatic."

Ivy pursed her lips at him in a mocking kiss and smiled as the two left, passing Eddie still on the stairs.

"And then there were two," she purred almost triumphantly, stroking a nearby flower.

"Three," Eddie muttered.

Ivy glanced over at Jervis and sneered. "Can he really be counted as here when he's never fully with us?"

The Riddler ignored her, which to Ivy was a grave mistake as it made him her next target.

"How about that fight, Eddie?" She purred.

Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, the Riddler rest his forearm on the rail and looked over at the Mad Hatter. "Jervis? Do you hear something?"

With a hollow laugh, Ivy touched a hand to her chest and said, "oh, Eddie! You're funny!"

He went back up the stairs like a dumb hamster in a maze and so Ivy stood up and moved to the bottom, where he was forced to face her.

"You know," she said, catching him by the tie to prevent him from turning and ignoring her. "Selina and Crane have something weird going on between them, don't they? It's…cute." She almost vomited that last word.

"Are you really this bored, Pamela?" He demanded.

"Selina must really be desperate," Pamela went on coolly, still holding firm to Eddie's tie. "I mean, he's so scrawny and nerdy."

"Do you die if people don't pay attention to you? Is that what this is? Life sustaining?"

"I bet they're out there now, tongues and mouths just…ugh…" Ivy went on.

"Did you chase them off just to get me alone, Pammy?" He gushed. "I'm flattered."

She must have made a face, because he smiled smugly and inched in closer to her. "So…what do you do with me now that you have me?"

Ivy contemplated giving him one of her infamous kisses of death, but…that would mean kissing him and…just no. She backed away, hand to her mouth. "I vomited a little," she confessed.

The Riddler crossed his arms and watched her return to her throne, before he eased down onto the bottom steps and tugged at his tie to loosen it.

They eyed each other for a good long while, before he spoke.

"Are you afraid, Ivy?" He asked.

She scoffed. "No."

"You're not a sociopath, Ivy. You feel things."

She decided to ignore him.

"What was it…anti-social personality? You don't like people, right?"

"You're not my psychologist, Ed."

"We're all broken people, Ivy," he went on firmly. "Try to make this easier for us all, hm?"

She rolled her eyes. "Do you know what will happen when this is over? If we win? And we might. Batman and his little friends will run us right back to Arkham, if we lose and we could because you are leading us, we will be dead. So…let me have my fun while I have my life and/or my freedom."

"Ivy, if we die – and we could – I don't want to spend the last hours of my life listening to you being a raging bitch. If we live – and we might – I will track you down in Arkham and I will fight you. Deal?"

She smiled a little. "A fair fight?"

"As fair as you'll make it," he stated.

"Well," she mused thoughtfully. "That is something to live for…"

Over at his table, Jervis began to hum, then sing softly.

You've got to accentuate the positive
eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
But don't mess with mister in-between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
have faith, a pandemonium
Libel to walk up on the scene

Ivy smirked a little as Eddie's brow furrowed, but his eyes twinkled as though he were close to grinning but still trying to remain grim and serious.

"We're a real Mickey Mouse organization, Ed." Pam pointed out dryly.

"I'm well aware."

Jervis went on, completely in his own world as usual.

To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the Whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do
just when everything looked so dark

They said we better
accentuate the positive
eliminate the negative
latch on to the affirmative
But don't mess with mister in-between

This time in response Eddie heaved a deep, world weary sigh, raking his hand through his floppy auburn hair.

Amused by his frustration, Ivy kept the time to Jervis' singing with a slightly bobbing head.

**Selina**

They were making their way through the dark, circling the farmhouse, Crane's hands shoved deep in his pockets, his long gait stilted by a limp every now and then.

"How's the leg?" She asked him.

"Still broken, probably," he muttered.

"Think you'll be up to this?"

He scowled at the darkness around them.

Selina repeated the question.

"It's fine, are you still here?" He demanded.

Knowing his irritation wasn't directed at her concern or herself, she let that slip. She knew how irritable Crane could be. They had been forced together for nearly a month, on the run, desperate and in close quarters. She was beginning to know him better than she knew he wanted to be known.

"I just want to know if you're up to the task or if you're going to fail us horribly," she went on.

"Don't worry about me," he snarled. "I'd worry more about yourself playing our bait."

"Oh, I don't know…I've never played the victim before…it might be fun for a change," she teased. "I may even work up a fainting spell."

Crane scoffed.

As they walked on, Selina enjoyed the cool night air, but Crane seemed to be too deep within his own thoughts to notice the night.

"What if…" he began cautiously. "And please don't think less of me for this…but what if we accepted the Bats help?"

Selina stopped short in mild shock. Everyone knew Crane's biggest fear was Batman.

"And I will deny this if anyone ever asks, but…he is better equipped at fighting that any of us."

"Eddie would not allow us to work with Batman," she finally said.

"Then Nightwing, I don't care! One of them could bring the power of three others to us," he urged.

Touching a hand to her forearm, Selina said, "Jon, this isn't like you."

"Desperate times," he murmured. "Believe me, I am not proud of these thoughts, but tactically thinking…"

"I agree, but…no, that would break us apart and we need to remain together."

"Do we?" He inquired.

"We're stronger as a team right now," she stated.

Crane sighed. "Never cared for teamwork, it's herd mentality."

Selina chuckled and boldly thrust her arm through the crook of his.

"Don't get familiar," he scolded.

"It's dark," she lied. "I could fall."

"I'm allergic to cats," he spat. "The hair all over you could kill me."

"You are not, I've seen you snuggling cats when you thought no one was looking," she returned.

"But you cannot prove that," he shot back.