It had been just over a fortnight since Ivy had heard from Harley. It had been one of the longest fortnights of her life, and she wasn't doing well. She felt as if she was losing her mind; she had even tried to synthesise something to make herself feel better from her plants. Still, two weeks on, the only thing she could think about was Harley, and she played what had happened over and over again in her mind. Could she have done anything different? Did she even regret what she had done?

She was just about to go to bed when there was a knock at the door. Suspiciously, she went to answer it.

"Hey, Red," said Harley flatly. Ivy's heart stopped for a moment, touched that she still saw fit to call her Red.

"What are you doing here?" asked Ivy. "Is everything okay?"

Harley was silent. She bit her lip. "Well... Kinda. Maybe."

"Do you want to come in? I was just about to go to bed, but you're welcome to come in if you need to talk about anything."

Harley nodded. "Thanks."

They sat at the dining table facing one another. Ivy looked at her friend and waited for her to talk.

"You did somethin' to Mistah J, didn't you?" asked Harley.

"What makes you say that?" asked Ivy.

"This is probably gonna sound a bit strange, but... Well, we were runnin' away from Batman and I was supposed to be drivin' the getaway car, but as usual I messed up and I couldn't find the key. Turned out I'd dropped it while we were robbin' the museum – but anyway, long story short, Mistah J wasn't best pleased. When we got back he yelled at me and tried to hit me. The weird thing is, when he hit me I didn't feel anythin'. I wondered what the hell had happened, and then I saw him fall over, as though he had been knocked back by somethin'. That made him even more mad, so he got up and shoved me so hard against the door I thought I was gonna break. But again... nothin'. It was him who ended up on the floor, hurtin' and strugglin' to breathe."

Harley studied her friend to see how she would react. Ivy couldn't help but smile.

"It worked perfectly then," said Ivy.

"Whaddaya mean, Red?" Her eyes were wide with confusion.

"I created a toxin while you were sleeping, before we went to the fairground," said Ivy. "I wasn't expecting to see the Joker there, but I wanted to be prepared anyway. I knew that you'd go back to him. You always do... But I wanted to do something. Instead of sitting back and watching my friend get hurt over and over again, but being powerless to stop it, I had to act. So I developed a toxin from my plants which would transfer any pain he tried to inflict on you to him, to see how he likes being beaten up." She was almost shaking with anger.

"It's not your place to come between me and Mistah J," said Harley angrily. Her face softened. "But I understand... You were tryin' to look out for me, just like ya always do."

There was an apology on the tip of Ivy's tongue, but she swallowed it. She wasn't sorry at all. "How is the Joker?" she asked.

"He could be worse, I guess," said Harley with a sniff. "It was weird seein' him there, all bruised and hurt. I just kept thinkin'... That coulda been me. Well, it woulda been me if it hadn't been for your toxin."

Ivy sighed. "So what are you going to do?"

Harley shrugged. "I dunno. It kinda made me think, ya know? About you and Mistah J..."

"Made you think what?" Ivy's heart was beating hard.

"Maybe... Maybe you were right all along," said Harley. "Maybe I do deserve better. I mean, how many times have I ended up here all battered and bruised?"

"I've lost count," said Ivy. Harley looked in serious danger of bursting into tears. "You're always welcome to stay here until you work things out."

Harley tried to smile. "I thought I'd be able to rely on you. Even though I was pretty angry at you after the funfair, I couldn't stay angry for long. You've always been so good to me."

"That's because I care about and respect you, Harl," said Ivy. "How about we turn in for the night, and we can talk more tomorrow? You look tired."

"One more thing, Red, before we go to bed," said Harley. "I have to warn you that Mistah... The Joker knows that this was your doing. He might try to come after you."

"Oh, I expected that much," said Ivy. "Don't worry. I'll be prepared."

"Okay," said Harley with a smile.

She got up and went to the bathroom and was pleased to find that her toothbrush was still on the sink, as though she had never left. Meanwhile Ivy fetched her pyjamas from the bedroom and left them outside the door, before slipping under the comfortable covers. Feeling clean and fresh after brushing her teeth and getting changed, Harley climbed into bed next to Ivy.

"I feel so safe here with you, Red," she sighed happily.

"I'm glad," said Ivy sleepily, closing her eyes. She felt Harley's arm reach out and wrap itself around her and she opened her eyes again in surprise. Harley grinned, leant forward and kissed the tip of Ivy's nose.

"What are you...?" she began to ask, but before she could finish she found Harley's lips and she was quickly sucked into her warm embrace. Harley rolled on top of her, showering her cheeks, her lips, her neck in light kisses and Ivy could only look on in wonder. She wondered if she was dreaming, but the gentle sucking and nibbling on her neck, her chest, her nipples told her otherwise. She had never felt so awake and alive.

As Harley's mouth moved back up to Ivy's lips, her hand moved down over her waist, lightly tickling her hips and thighs and ended up between her legs, gently stroking until her fingers found just the right spot. Ivy kissed her urgently and whispered, "Please don't stop." It wasn't long before she was trembling and writhing with the intense pleasure of her orgasm.

"I love you, Harley," she said as she lay back, waiting for her heart to slow down. Harley smiled and kissed her again, and Ivy gently rolled her over so that she was on top.

"Now it's your turn," she said with a mischievous smile.