Harley and Ivy: The Next Generation

Rated: M

Chapter 2: Moving to Home.

(A/N: There is excessive Layla bashing.)

"So Ace, what did Mr. Draven need to talk to you about, it's the first day what could you have done?" Lily asked as Ace sat down next to her. Lily handed Ace a Tupperware container filled with some sort of white food item. "Seriously Ace, it's the first day, how did you get into trouble already?"

"I'm not in trouble Lily-bells," Ace replied casually as she began eating the food with a fork that came in the lid. "Quite the opposite, he's made it possible for me to get in less trouble. He offered to let me move in with him because he saw that I was living with the Strongholds and he was angry at the fact that the Strongholds want me to change.

"So are you looking forward to Martial Arts/ Combat 101 today?" Lily asked as she began eating as well, what she had packed was food that she had made for supper the night before for her and Dick.

"Sort of Lily, but also kind of worried," Ace began as she ate, she loved Lily's cooking and Lily knew it. "I'm worried because of the fact that my father will be extremely hard on me just because he can, simple as that, he'll make it as difficult on me as possible and I know it. Lily what is this it is amazing?" Ace had been eating it for the past seven minutes and didn't know what it was, but she was hungry and Eric had kept her after for a good 20 minutes so that he could talk to her.

"Its chicken Alfredo Ace, I make it for you whenever you come over," Lily replied as she looked at Ace with a shocked look on her face. "I made it last night for Dick and me for supper. It's freshly made." She took a bite out of her own container.

"It's amazing Lily-bells," Ace stated as she continued to eat from her container. "You are still the best fucking cook I know, short of one person that is." Ace knew that Lily was taught by Alfred, and that's who she meant by that one person.

"I learned from one of the best," Lily replied casually as she took small bites from her already partially gone container. "You've had Alfred's cooking before so you know that I'm not lying on this one." Ace nodded and gave thumbs up.

"Very true Lily, and that's who I meant when I said short of one person," Ace stated as she continued eating her food like a starving fool. "Give the old boy my regards, he treated me well." Lily nodded and continued her small bites. "So Lily-bells, you ready for combat class?"

"A little, but not for me," Lily replied quietly as she finished her own meal up. "More for those other kids who didn't grow up like we did, who didn't grow up in our world." Ace nodded, she understood only a select few at the school were part of their world, the world of reality, most kids figured High School is the start, but Ace knew that it was as good as it got when you were in High School so she decided not to go, instead she chose to be home schooled so that she didn't have to worry about something being the best.

"Likewise Lily-bells," Ace replied softly as she continued eating, she never ate breakfast because she didn't like the food Mrs. Stronghold cooked for breakfast. "But I'm more excited for after what I'm doing after school gets out for the day." Lily nodded; she knew that Ace was excited for moving out of the Stronghold house.

"I bet you're happy that you can officially pick who you stay with?" Lily stated as she watched Ace eat large bites of the pasta, she wanted to eat a good lunch so that if she didn't like what the Strongholds were serving for dinner, she could sneak out later and get more.

"I'm wondering what kind of place he lives in, he only said that there was one bathroom so I needed to watch how long I take to get ready," Ace stated as she looked at Lily.

"Do you think you'll need help moving?" Lily asked as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, Lily packed her stuff up, she and Ace were both pumped for their next classes and neither wanted to be late. "Because if you do I'll ask Dick to pick me up at the Strongholds."

"Not sure, would Dick mind too much if you helped me? I mean I can handle it myself if I needed to I will have Eric, who surprisingly can lift something like 300-400 pounds due to the Crows enhancements," Ace replied as she handed Lily back the now empty container and they both got up. "What do you have next Lily-bells? I have dodging." The girls walked out of the lunchroom and made a quick trip to the gym, Lily already had the outfit she was going to wear for her next class.

"I have gymnastics, I hope it turns out to be fun," Lily replied as they walked into the locker room to change for gym class. "I didn't have it at my old school." Ace smiled to herself, she knew something that Lily didn't about her gymnastics class.

"I know that you're in for more then you bargained for signing up for that class," Ace whispered as she prepped herself, she wore the clothes was going to wear under her normal outfit. "Do your best no matter what happens or comes up." Lily looked at her like she was crazy as she dropped a smoke pellet to the ground and did a quick change before shoving her stuff into a locker. She was now wearing a pair of black short shorts and a red spaghetti strap tank top. Lily shook her head as she changed into a forest green leotard and black leggings. "Have fun Lily, and try not to get hit by deflected dodging implements." Ace hugged her bestie before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Lily made her way back to the gym and walked to the part designated for the gymnastics course where she began her warm up. "I am ROYALLY FUCKED!" Ace exclaimed upon seeing who the teachers of the course where she hid behind some of the other students until she was able to stand beside the teacher clad in black and red. "MOMMY!"

The teacher turned around to find the source of the voice and upon seeing, wrapped her arms around her daughter, "Ace my baby!" Harley squeezed her daughter tightly.

"Mommy why are you here?" Ace asked as she let go of her mother and threw down another smoke pellet and changed her clothes into what she normally wore when she was trained by her parents. "I have both my parents here, Lily has both of her parents here, and this school is ROALLY FUCKED."

"Ace what is it, why are you yelling?" Lily asked, several students were turning to look around at the commotion. Lily walked up to Ace and Harley.

"Lily!" Harley screamed, she always got like this when it had been a long time between seeing people like her kid and her unofficial niece. "How are you? How have you been?" She wrapped her arms tightly around Lily in a hug. "Are you excited?"

"I've been good Auntie Harley," Lily replied after she wrapped her arms around Harley as well and squeezed tightly, she loved seeing her Auntie Harley. "And yes I'm very excited; my old school didn't offer gymnastics."

"Ace you bad girl you," Harley stated sweetly as she let go of Lily and turned to look at her daughter. "You didn't tell Lily did you?" Ace looked sheepishly at her mother, a smile on her face.

"Didn't tell me what Ace, what didn't you tell me?" Lily demanded as she looked at Ace and Harley.

"I wanted it to be a surprise mom," Ace stated sadly. "Lily turn around." Lily followed her friends prompting and turned around to come face to face with her mother.

"Baby girl, I've missed you so much," Ivy exclaimed as she held her arms open for her daughter to walk into.

"MOMMY!" Lily exclaimed as she ran over to her mother and wrapped her arms around her mother tightly. "I've missed you so much mommy." Ivy wrapped her arms around her daughter tightly as well, she missed her daughter so much because she hardly ever saw her. Both Lily and Ace frequently called their moms mommy, because they really didn't care that it sounded childish, for Ace it would always be mommy and daddy even if Jacks called them mom and dad and the Card Princess called them Harley and The Joker, and Lily just liked calling her mom her mommy.

"Thank you for keeping it a secret for me Ace," Ivy stated as she and Lily separated, the girls and the moms knew they would have to hurry this moment up because they did have classes to attend and teach. "I know it must have been hard to keep it since I told you last week." Ace nodded.

"It wasn't really a problem Aunty Ivy," Ace replied as she looked at her unrelated aunt with a smile on her face. "I only almost slipped up once while Lily and I were at dinner last night."

"So mommy, what are you and Auntie Harley teaching here?" Lily asked as she looked between her mother and Harley, she had noticed Ace's change from the short shorts and tank top to a pair of tight pants and a tight halter style shirt that would prevent her from being caught on anything, she was also barefoot now that Lily looked. Ace hated going barefoot so Lily chalked it up to the class being why she was barefoot, not wanting to snag laces on anything.

"I'm one of the dodging instructors," Harley replied as she smiled at both her daughter and her unofficial niece.

"I'm one of the gymnastics instructors," Ivy replied quietly as she looked at both girls with a smile.

"That is SO cool," Lily exclaimed as she giggled with excitement, she was elated that she could see her mother more often. "This year is going to be a blast and a half."

"Oi, Lily-bells we may want to get back to our classes," Ace stated as she looked around and saw the other people waiting. Lily looked and nodded, her and Ivy heading back over to the gymnastics section of the gym, after hugging both women once more.

"Ok kiddies, you're all going to show Eric and I you're current level capabilities of the dodging arts," Harley exclaimed as she turned to the class and clapped her hands together. "You will do this by dodging on this course for three minutes straight." She snapped her fingers and a course of complex arrangement, it came from the floor, ceiling, and walls, contained a few saw blades, some rope swings, some trapeze, and holes for cardboard cut outs. "Ace dear, why don't you go first, show them how it's done and set the bar." Harley winked at her daughter.

"Why do I have to go first?" Ace demanded in a sarcastic tone, she was trained by this woman and worse yet by her father in the art of dodging so she most definitely knew what she was doing. "Why can't one of the sidekicks go first? I mean seriously I don't want to intimidate them or anything." Ace didn't care about intimidating she just didn't want to do anything at the very moment.

"I want you to show everyone what to expect this year," Harley replied as she pointed to the course start. "Get marching little lady, you are going to show these kids what it really means to be capable of dodging." Ace nodded as she quickly stretched.

"Yes Ms. Quinn," Ace muttered as she headed toward the start of the course she was eager to show the wannabees she was in class with a thing or two. "So I have three minutes and what exactly am I dodging?" She looked at the course, checking to see what it was all about and determined that she would be able to complete it with ease.

"That is an excellent question, there are going to be balls that are covered in red and black paint they will be about the size of one of those big gumballs from the machine, if they hit you they'll leave marks but if they miss and hit the wall then they won't mark you," Eric replied as he held out a ball about the size of a plum to show to everyone, it was colored black and red. "At the end of your time we'll count up the spots, don't worry it will come out in the wash. Ace get going your three minutes starts now."

"Yeah yeah," Ace stated as she started the course by climbing up a rope ladder narrowly missing getting hit by 3 balls, she steps onto the first platform and dodges around a saw blade that was whirring noisily before jumping out to catch the trapeze and swing to the next platform where she landed after having done a backflip to reach said platform. As she landed she dodged more balls before she climbed a net that was on the wall up to the third platform of what she guessed would be 12 platforms, on the way she dodged another six balls one almost hit her hand. "They would make me go first, have to show the rest of the wimps in this class where the balls hit." She reached the third platform and jumped down off it to the fourth, latching onto a rope to swing across the gym to platform four. Upon reaching platform four a punching bag came out and tried to knock her off the platform she hung onto it after it knocked into her, she landed back on the platform and dodged the second one before sliding down the rope net to platform five, after that she dodged more balls she freefell to platform six. "Holy shit yes, half way done." 'None of these other kids are gonna be able to do this.' Ace thought as she continued. Ace looked around the platform and saw that there was a pit of balls under her and the platform shrank away to almost nothing the closer you go to where you needed to go to get the seventh platform. She jumped and climbed up the rope to the seventh platform, when she reached the platform she dodged another saw blade and several more painted balls. "Ugh… these next few are gonna be a bitch… did my dad design this course for them?" She walked to the end of platform seven and climbed yet another rope ladder, at platform eight Ace noticed that the end of the course was right below her so she jumped down and freefell to the end of the course. "And not a spot on me, beat that losers."

"Good job Ace, we have to check you for spots because there were a few close calls," Harley stated happily as she looked at Ace. "You must have been taught by the best!" Eric pulled Ace off to the side and looked her over before giving the thumbs up that she was clean.

"Hang on, you expect us to dodge all of that?" Layla demanded as she looked at everyone. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US! Your little tramp of a daughter would be the only one who could pass it without dying."

"If I was trying to kill you," Harley started with an amused glint in her eye. "I would not be this obvious, now Miss Williams if you would please." Harley pointed to the course and smirked. Layla started climbing the rope ladder but fell at half way point only to start again and then get pelted by all the balls, when she hit the saw it turned off but the trapeze started moving faster and the platforms started moving like they had for Ace but at a faster speed. "Hurry along Layla you're doing awfully badly." Layla got hit by the punch bags into the pit of balls where she got covered in paint and then fell out of the pit upon trying to get out of the pit. "Three minutes is up and you fail."

"I don't even have to count how many times you got hit young lady," Harley replied with a giggle of very shrill sound, "to know that you FAILED and badly at that." She turned to look at Layla who was getting up off the ground, she had a black eye forming and a swollen lip on top of that. Ace was laughing internally, she knew that she had cheated but they never said that she had to finish the complete course, just go from start mark to end mark, which she did.

"I'll sue the school for this, you just wait I'll sue!" Layla screamed as she walked past the group of kids towards the door. "I can't believe they let VILLAINS teach here, this is a HERO school not a VILLAIN hotel." She was disgruntled and walked off in a huff. "And on top of that they have delinquent WHORES!"

"YOU BITCH! YOU will NEVER make it in the REAL world!" Ace screamed as Layla walked out and to the nurse. You see Ace lives in the real world, unlike Layla and Will who live in fantasy High School land.

"Ace Harlequin Napier you be quiet," Harley stated with a glint in her eye that challenged Ace to say one more word. "Now as my darling daughter has just pointed out, if you can't handle getting covered in paint how in the gods' names will you handle possibly being covered in blood." Ace leaned against the bleachers, she wasn't going to get her mother mad at her, Boomer was one thing, and her mother was a complete other that she didn't want again... "Now she also pointed out something about the real world, now this will also be a sort of life class for you all as well." She looked around the room for her next victim and pointed at Rosa. "You're up Rosa." The pink haired teen nodded, she was pretty confident in her abilities so she started the course strong, by the time her three minutes were up she only had a few spots on her.

"She's good Harley, she only has five spots on her, luckily they'll come right out of the blue," Eric stated as he examined Rosa. "I know Ace was a tough act to follow but you did well Rosa. Harley if these kids keep being good then we may have an easy year."

"Very good to hear Eric, now Alex show us what you got," Harley exclaimed as if she were the host of a game show, she was excited and jumping around and everyone short of Ace gave her a wide circle around the hopping woman in black and red. The Goth boy gave the course his shot and ended up with only two spots. "Very good Alex, now next life lesson kiddies, don't judge those books by their covers, Alex looks like he'd be bad at this, dressed as he is in baggy black pants and a shirt with built in armor. But he has shown us that it doesn't matter." Alex faded back into the shadows as he left the course. "How about you Little Mr. America? You go up next." Will looked visibly shaken but walked to the course start and began. He, like Layla, got hit by everything and fell. "You FAILED."

(With the Gymnastics Class)

"Ok class, we're going to do something a little bit different than that death trap over there," Selena stated as she indicated the course, it had a beam, an uneven bar, and a floor mat for floor exercises. "Instead of Ivy and me showing you the different levels, you're all going to spend up to three minutes on a routine for each piece of equipment so that we can access where you are and what we want to teach you.

"Again, you will have up to three minutes on each piece of equipment," Ivy stated as she looked at her entire class, seeing a few familiar faces. "After that Selena and I will speak and decide what level you're at." She pinpointed a few that she thought would be exceptional and made notes of them on her pad of paper. "The goal isn't to throw your best tricks and punch it at this level, no we want you to be safe and build up to throwing your best tricks." She looked at her daughter before asking, "Now who wants to go first?" Lily raised her hand, she would set the bar for the students, but there was one other person who could match her that was here, she knew they were here because Selena was here.

"Very good Lily," Selena called as she motioned for Lily to start on the balance beam. Lily got up on the beam and did one of the fun routines that she had been working on, she threw in a few moves that she was a bit shaky on but nailed them almost perfectly. After her appointed time she dismounted and looked at the teachers. "That was very good Lily, now to the uneven bars if you would." Lily nodded and walked to the start of the bars. She commenced her uneven bar routine, this time pulling off an intermediate routine on that piece of equipment, she was planning a buildup, the floor had always been her best area because it offered the most freedom. Her routine was done so she dismounted from the bars and waited. "That was beautiful. Now if you could please do your floor routine." Lily nodded as she quickly picked a floor routine in her mind. She began a complicated floor routine that had flips and twirls, rolls and jumps. She finished her routine off with a one handed backflip into a split. "Very very good Lily, now give us a moment and we will tell you what level you're on for each piece of equipment."

"Selena we both know that she was amazing," Ivy stated quietly after Selena had walked over to her. "Her beam routine was fun, she went for a few hard tricks but nailed them." Selena nodded, she knew the girl was amazing but she didn't want to have to set the bar so high. "We'll let Kenna go next and then they're combined effort will be our benchmark for the others." Ivy nodded, she saw the logic behind it, using both girls as a base level for the students that would follow. "Kenna Kyle you're up, and Lily you are going to be graded at the end of class, as well everyone else."

"Ok," Kenna muttered as she stepped up to the beam, she did her routine on there right up until the three minute mark. "Now the uneven bars correct?" Ivy and Selena nodded, Kenna nodded again and approached the bars, she did her routine flawlessly, her mother was after all Catwoman aka Selena Kyle. She finished her routine on the bars and headed to the floor mats. "Can I play music?" The teachers nodded, Kenna took out her I-pod and speakers plugged them in "Take a Hint" started blasting and she began.

"She's good," Lily stated as she watched Kenna's routine in awe. "She's really good." Ivy walked over slowly to where her daughter was patting her face with a cloth and drinking from a bottle of water.

"Yes she is, and you my little Lily-bell have gotten much better since I last saw you," Ivy replied as she looked at her daughter. She had provided a box of cloths and a box of water bottles for the students for after their routines.

"That, my dearly missed mother, is because the last gymnastics competition I was in that you saw," Lily stated as she smiled she was planning on teasing her mother a little bit, "I was ten and Bane had snuck you in so that you could see me compete." Ivy chuckled at her daughters words, she knew that she was almost never able to attend her daughters competitions or recitals or anything without Bane, Lily's godfathers, help.

"A very solid and delightful routine Kenna," Selena stated as Kenna finished her routine and walked over to where Ivy and Lily were. "Magenta you're up, dazzle me." Magenta nodded and approached the beam.

Magenta did a mock salute before she jumped up on the beam, making a thud upon landing before muttering, "Ugh why did I have to choose today to wear combat boots?" She continued her routine directly and completely her moves only stunted by her boots being heavy. Upon completion of the beam she went directly for the uneven bars. 'She has some potential… but those boots weigh her down an awful lot.' Lily thought as she watched Magenta try to compensate for her boots on her bars routine. "That's it…" Magenta muttered before she kicked off her boots as she swung to the lower bar, the force used to kick them off made them fly far enough to hit Will about 20 feet away. "That's much better."

"You need to be careful dear, I think you just hit one of the other students with your shoes," Ivy stated with a giggle as she watched Magenta. Lily chuckled at the look on Will's face.

(Time skip to the end of the day)

"Ace hurry up you said you wanted to go shopping with my mother," Will demanded as he looked at Ace, Ace looked at Will. "Come on, I don't want you keeping my mother waiting."

"I'm only going to be going back for a few minutes," Ace replied as she looked around for Draven. "I have a new place to live now so I'll be retrieving my belongings and leaving your ever so pleasant home." Eric walked up to Ace and hugged her. "Hey Eric."

"Hello Ace," Eric stated as he looked between Will and Ace. "Is he bothering you Ace?" Ace shook her head as she headed toward where Lily was. "Ace we're going to be taking my way down, you'll just have to tell me where to go to get your belongings." Ace nodded as she hugged Lily and scampered off back to Eric, where her mother and father also were now.

"Mommy, daddy!" Ace exclaimed as she looked between the two. "I've missed you so much." She hugged the two people she called her parents, she had missed them greatly and knowing that they were teaching at the school made things easier. "I'm so glad that you two are here. I've missed you so much." The Joker handed Ace a bottle and smiled at her. "Thank you daddy. I love you and I won't be living at the Strongnuts anymore."

"No problem Ace dear," The Joker replied as he smiled at his daughter. "Now your mother and I will help you move to where you will be living, if your caretaker will allow." People must have been shocked at the fact that the Joker wasn't going around killing people for sport. "So who are you going to be staying with?" Ace looked to Eric and then to her father. "Ah, so Draven can we help our daughter?" Eric nodded and led them all toward his car, they got in and left.

"Ok Jack, you and Harleen can help Ace move," Eric stated as he drove his car, which had been converted to a hovering car by Medulla. "Ace I'm going to go over a few ground rules for the house. One, no boys. Two, no villain conventions. Three, curfew is midnight, school day or weekend. Oh and is your delightfully pleasant friend Lily going to be helping you move?"

"I can text her and have Richard drop her off at the Strongholds," Ace replied as she pulled out her cell phone and texted Lily, telling her to meet her at the Strongholds. "She says that she'll be there." Eric nodded and the car touched down on the bridge, Eric drove toward the Strongholds house.

(About 45 Minutes later)

"Wow Eric your place is amazing," Ace exclaimed as she looked over the building, it was kind of run down but it reminded Ace of the first place she had met Eric in. "Do you have internet, just wondering?" Eric nodded with a smile as he and Ace's parents helped her with her bags.

"I actually have an apartment in this building," Eric replied as he ruffled her hair, he unlocked the front door and everyone walked in, he led them up to the second floor. "Home sweet home Ace, your room is the second door on the other side of the bathroom. It's upstairs on the right." He brought her stuff up the stairs, the Joker and Harley followed Eric, Ace followed as well along with Lily.

"Thanks for helping me with this Lily-bells," Ace stated as she looked at Lily before pulling her up stairs to see her new room. "I can't wait to see my room." Lily nodded and the two girls walked to the room where the other three were. "Oh my... Eric you are so awesome!" Ace looked around the room, she saw a tv, a desk, a huge bed, and other things.

"I'm glad you like it Ace," Eric replied as he looked at Ace. All her bags were on the bed just waiting for her to put them away. "We'll leave you alone to take care of your belongings. Dinner is at 6, where do you where do you want to go." Ace nodded as everyone but her and Lily left the room.