-Nightwing-

My eyelids slid slowly open as I finally was able to regain consciousness. My surroundings were fuzzy, but I knew the room was dark and I was alone. I only allowed myself a few seconds to get oriented before I tried to move. It felt like a monumental effort, and I got no results. Despite the strength I felt like I was using, I could barely move. I looked down to find myself tied to a chair (wouldn't be the first time; how could I forget Bruce's lectures after he would rescue me). After my eyes focused a little more, I noticed there was an IV jammed into my arm. I couldn't see what it was pumping into me, and I didn't really want to know.

Unfortunately, I heard a sinister cackle echo somewhere outside and heard footsteps. I discovered a door on the far side of the room, and it sounded like the laughter was approaching. I tensed up at the sound. There's only one person who laughs like that. My memories of being attacked by Joker's goons came flooding back, and it did nothing to help my already high stress.

"This is going to be magnificent! I'll chop up that little bird like it's Thanksgiving and spread him all over. Maybe I'll draw a little bat symbol. Or maybe I'll make batsie a new suit out of bird boys skin!"

….Oh boy.

"Puddin, I'm confused. If you're gonna chop him up, then what's tha IV for?"

"Don't you listen to anything I say? Pay attention! I'm slowly pumping him full of my new Jokquil. It's like sleep medicine that just keeps on working. That way, if Batsie shows up and spoils my fun, his poor little bird will die anyway!" He broke out into another fit of laughter, and Harley giggled right along with him. I heard him shush her and the door slowly opened. I tried not to look pathetic, which was pretty much impossible. Hard to convey strength when you can barely wiggle your finger.

"Oh look, Harley! He's awake already! Were you expecting a worm, birdie boy?" It amazed me how much someone can laugh at their own joke. Harley only encourages him.

"Careful Mistah J, you don't wanna ruffle his feathers!" More laughing. How can they even breathe guffawing like that?

"Aww look at his face. I think this one's a bad egg!" Seriously? These jokes are going to kill me before anything else. I thought about saying that out loud, but decided against it. If I want to give Bruce enough time to get me the hell out of this mess, I can't make Joker angry. Plus, I wouldn't want to infringe on Harley's territory. See? I'm funnier than he is. Their laughter finally subsided and Joker glared at me with a look of malice.

"Harley, go get our men ready. Batman's gonna pull out all the stops for this one."

"Sure thing, Mistah J!" She gave him a peck on the cheek and skipped out the doorway. The atmosphere of the room seemed to get colder as I found myself alone and vulnerable. With the Joker. And he was rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

Anytime now Bruce. Please make it soon….

-Poison Ivy-

By the time I pulled up near Joker's hideout, chaos had already ensued. I spotted Harley amongst the mess, keeping up with her men no problem. However, the combined force of Batman and Batgirl seemed to be keeping them on their toes. I saw a fair amount of Joker's men in a heap on the ground, but there were still plenty left. Looks like Nightwing really does need my help after all.

I easily crept up to the building with the cover of darkness. Anyone else out there was too busy in the fight to see me anyway. There were a few doors on this side of the building, locked of course, but Harley had given me a key. She was too scared to go back and get her stuff during one of their "rough times", and she sent me instead. Joker wasn't even there. Whenever those two split up, he spends all his time doing sloppy heists. He's a man; he's weak without his woman. Harley must've forgot to ask for the key back, so I kept it.

I slipped inside unnoticed, and returned the key to its place in my little bag of tricks. The hallway was dark, but I heard a commotion somewhere close by. I stepped lightly, making sure I alerted no one of my presence. I was already on Joker's bad side, and though I doubted he'd expect to see me here, I was sure even he could figure out that I was here for revenge. Well, that's one of the reasons, anyway. I'd rather not think about the other one. I have to stay focused.

I tip toed down the hall and found where all the indoor action was taking place. The big room with the stage, but the chairs were gone and it was now a fighting arena. The room was full of Joker's men, the biggest ones of the bunch. I doubted any of them got to their size using conventional methods. Huge, bulging arms. Pulsing veins everywhere. Disgusting. And handling these men all by himself? Robin. Well, Robin number two I guess. Or was it three? I'd lost track. Apparently Batman needs to fill the tights at all times. He didn't look too beaten up, but neither did the brutes he was struggling to take down.

If they're all in here, odds are Nightwing is somewhere backstage. No way I'll be able to slip through here undetected. Guess it's time to do what I do best. I reached into my bag and pulled out a flower shaped perfume bottle. Giving it a good shake, I twisted off the top and flung it into the crowd. I watched as they all began to move slower, their senses impaired by one of my toxic aromas. I'd gotten this particular one from a plant on a tropical island. The natives were just darling; if only they'd stayed out of my way. Oh well.

Once it filled their lungs they were unable to stand. I watched as they tried to support themselves on the props spread around the room. It was of no use, and the large men fell hard. Robin was surprisingly the last one to fall, sticking it out against all odds. After he finally plopped to the floor, I sauntered into the room. I gave a sly wave at any of the men who looked like they could still see and even blew little Robin a kiss. Feeling satisfied with my gloating, I climbed onto the stage and quietly slipped behind the curtain.

I could hear his awful laughter immediately, and I tried to pinpoint the sound. It seemed to reverberate off of every wall, bouncing back to my ears every time. For a brief moment I was afraid he had seen me already and was laughing from the shadows, but I spotted a half open door that appeared to lead under the stage. I was about to trek down the stairs when I noticed a lead pipe amongst the junk backstage. I snatched it and brought it down with me. I'll give this buffoon a taste of his own medicine. What's more slapstick than knocking him out from behind?

Ugh, I need to limit the time I spend with Harley.

It was dark and freezing at the bottom of the stairs, and Joker's laughter was almost deafening. I snuck down the hall as quietly as I could, approaching an open doorway. I could see a large amount of blood on the floor, and I almost whimpered at the thought that I was too late. I was reassured shortly after, as I heard Nightwing grunt in pain as Joker struck him. I quickened my stride, not caring if he heard me or not. I entered the room and Joker spun around to face me right before the pipe slammed into the side of his skull.

Down for the count. Guess I really cracked him up.

Scratch that. I'm spending NO more time with Harley.

Nightwing's mask had been slightly torn, and the one visible eye was badly bruised, so much so that I couldn't discern his eye color. There were cuts and bruises just about everywhere else, but it appeared as though I'd stopped Joker before he'd made any major mutilations. I noticed an IV stuck in his arm and quickly removed it. I moved to examine the bag of fluid it was connected to. The bag read "Jokquil", and I opened the bag and dabbed a bit of the substance on my tongue. I knew I was immune, but I needed to discern what it was.

I almost chuckled. The taste was instantly recognizable as poppy extract. I wasn't sure what Joker intended to do with it, but if his goal was to slowly kill Nightwing, he would have needed a lot more. And I mean a lot. Judging by the size of the bag and what was left, this quantity would have only caused extreme lethargy and, possibly, temporary brain damage. Judging by the amount of bloody tools around the room, Joker probably wasn't going to rely on this too much.

However, if Nightwing was going to recover from his injuries, he was going to need his body in working order. Luckily, I had just the antidote for poppy extract. Oh wait, I only have it in lipstick form! Well, I'm sure he won't mind. I applied a generous amount of the substance to my lips and returned it to my bag. In his dazed state, I couldn't tell if Nightwing could even see me or not. I was disgusted with myself; despite his beaten state, I still found him attractive. Maybe even more so. He was vulnerable. He needed me. So helpless. So alone. His hair all askew with patches of blood, but he made it look good. I removed the ropes from around him, allowing myself to accidentally run my hands over him in the process. He tried to talk:

"Wha…."

"Shhhh, don't speak. You need to rest." I cupped my hand around his cheek and leveled his face with mine. Even with bruises and scrapes galore, his charm was overwhelming. "If you want to feel better, hold still. This won't hurt a bit." I slowly leaned forward, pressing my lips to his. He didn't have the strength to return the kiss, but I didn't need him to. I allowed enough time for him to absorb the antidote before pulling away. I tried to snap myself out of my little trance, and fill myself with haste.

That was a fast acting antidote, so I don't have to worry about anyone else harming him. But the effects of my spray from earlier were bound to wear off soon, and I still had to get out of here without being noticed. I turned to leave, but as an afterthought, I stabbed the IV into the unconscious Joker's arm. I thought about digging around in my bag for something to finish the job, but I knew Harley would probably lose what's left of her mind. There wasn't time anyway.

I turned to exit when something grabbed my arm. I frantically searched for something else hard to protect myself, but abandoned this thought when I discovered the arm belonged to Nightwing. I barely had time to look at him before he pulled me towards him, right back in for another kiss. He was wide awake for this one, wrapping his arms around me and going deeper. I made no attempt to stop him, my hands resting comfortably on his solid chest. I felt him swaying a little as he struggled to keep his balance, and remembering my rush I damn near shoved him back into the chair.

He was reluctant to let me go, and he looked as though he was about to say something. Instead he groaned, his hand rushing to his head. Definitely feeling those injuries now. I had no time to stay and wait for him to recover, turning and dashing back down the hall and up the stairs. I heard a few moans from the men on the floor, although none of them had begun to move yet. Robin on the other hand had already managed to get up on his hands and knees. I didn't have time to taunt him, sprinting through the room and out of the building.

I didn't turn to see if the fight was still going on outside, but the lack of sound told me Batman had finally made it into the theater. I practically leapt into my car and floored it when I heard the approaching sirens of the GCPD. The drive back was speedy, but my mind lingered back under the stage. In Nightwing's arms. His lips against mine.

Best. Revenge. Ever.

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