Chapter 5

Harley Quinn

I ran pass a few people putting enough distance from me and Red. She never let me have any fun. I know that Edward would be find with me having a bunny besides they are quite and wouldn't bug anyone one. Right?

The store owner was standing outside from the store with one of the employees they were in a conversation that was blocked from the additional voices but what I caught was that a certain crazy girl (me) was not to return to the store. My inner child growled and pouted that I was literally banned from the pet store. It shouldn't have bothered me but it did.

My feet kept walking past the store to the food court where I got in a random line that was the shortest of all of them. I stood there looking at the menu but my mind was not on the delicious pictures of food but it was what happened that night. I knew Peter was not aware what the Daredevil had in mind. It was evident that he was just as shocked as we were. I sighed, burying my hands in my pockets of my jean shorts.

When Peter said that if they joined they'd get their lives back was the moment I regain a bit of my sanity back. If it was true and there would be no strings attached, I'd join but Red seemed to think that every opportunity to be Harly Quinn and Pamela Isly was just too good to be true. I mean I would do but I like to think on a more positive note unlike my pessimistic friend. I do believe that one day I will be the woman I was before. She was still there somewhere inside the insane asylum in my head. She was lost and wanted to take her rightful place but the dark insanity that the Joker planted made it nearly impossible for my real self to get back in gear.

"You going to order something?" A very young voice broke me from my thoughts and sure enough was a young man probably around my age maybe a few years older next to me. I panicked that I had held up the line but to my surprise it had not moved an inch. The man was standing next to me and I did not mind. He had short blond hair that was spiked up, he was slim and athletic, an all American boy.

I felt my insides scream at the major hottie next to me. Soon I dreaded dressing up the way I did. I had an off-side shirt, jean shorts, and sandals. My mind scolded at me for choosing some so…young?

"I was thinking of steak." I wanted to smack myself for having those words coming out. I knew he was a hunk of meat but really Harls? You are not a freakin' high school girl.

"Then you are in the wrong line. This is an all vegan joint." There was humor in his tone and when I finally saw the menu I couldn't help but blush bloody red. He was right.

"I know that!" I gave him an 'hmph' and it only made his smile grow. My heart in my chest increased its' speed and I felt my body getting warm with an emotion that was familiar and yet foreign.

"Name's Eddie." The all American boy-man-flashed me another charming smile.

"I am…Liza." I told him in reply. Ivy had always been anal about keeping our real identity hidden. She was afraid of being locked up in the Arkham Asylum in that white room that the justice system made especially for her. For me they were always a play room. Despite the tight straight jacket I enjoyed the silence it gave. It was the only time I could actually think straight. I felt at home.

"Come on, I gave you my real name and that's how you return it with a lie?" The all American boy, Eddie, frowned and it tucked at my heart.

"If you know who I am then why ask?" I pushed away the warm feeling away and went on alert.

"I just want to talk." He said while stepping forward as the line finally moved when a group of people had placed their order.

"About?" I followed in his lead.

"About you and Ivy joining us. I thought that Matt would have handled the situation better but I was wrong. I knew it was going to be a mess." Eddie confessed with a sigh, shaking his head. I blinked several times, I never saw him in the little 'get-together'.

"T'yeah, seems that he just decided that we all get along, hold hands, sing the F.U.N song." The image came to my mind and I started to laugh at that idiotic image. That will definitely will NEVER happen. If it did… well I will be damned.

Eddie seemed to be in sync with my train of thoughts because he laughed as well.

"That'd be literally will be a nightmare I want no part of." He chuckled flashing me smile that said many things. I felt my attraction for the man growing and the warm feelings coming back again. Bad Harls! You cannot start anew if the Joker is out and about.

Puddin'… My heart did a one eighty turn twisting my artery veins which caused my heart to tighten and hurt. That insane man made few wonderful memories; when he would show me the simple acts of kindness and a bit of romantic side by sending me flowers or taking me out to do some jobs which meant more one and one time. But most of the time they were many horrible nightmares I wanted to forget. The abuse, the insults, and the fear he poured into my soul damaging it bit by bit. I didn't want to go back to that darkness. It was cruel and there was no love.

The final straw was his final attempt to kill me. That moment I knew that I would never go back, no matter how my abuse addictive heart wanted that life. I couldn't go back plus I don't think Red would let me go back. That woman, my best friend, is the reason why I am here. She saved me numerous of times, she risked her life for me. She always thinks that she will always be a villain but she doesn't know that to me she was a hero.

My best friend was a hero to my eyes.

I would never tell her that of course because she would just glare at me and say I'm nuts…

"I know he meant well. Plus Webster wouldn't let anything happen to us." I said in a matter of fact tone, I ended the conversation when it was my turn to order. Without really seeing the menu, I said the first number came to mind. Eddie was still next to me and ordered as well.

I raised him a brow when he paid for the meal. I didn't remember inviting him to eat with me but hey if he paid for it I don't have much to complain about. I took my tray while he took his to a secluded table away from the other people the table was in a booth perfect for more privacy.

I sat down opposite from Eddie and really took his features in. He was gorgeous. He's all that a woman can want in a man. Perfect smile, eyes that were bright and yet had a hint of mysteriousness in them, his body was perfect to my eyes.

Harls don't start undressing him… My conscious shook her head at where my mind wanted to go. I felt my cheeks flushing again, my eyes left the American God and went down to my food which was some salad with things I didn't even know the name of. I grabbed my fork, stabbed a few things, and then brought it to my lips. I took a bite letting my tongue swirl around the food. In seconds I chewed, swallowed, and then went in for another bite. Who would have thought Vegan food was actually good?

I have to tell Red about this!

Peter Parker

I must have sat in my room for a good 4 hours thinking about what I was going to do. Sure that Scarecrow guy was a criminal...Sure he was a villain...Sure he was probably nuttier than a PayDay bar...But none of that stopped him from being right. I was interrupted in my thoughts by a message from Gwen Stacy. I picked up the phone, desperate for anything that could be a momentary distraction from all this drama.

"Hi Gwen..." I sighed, trying not to sound too down in the dumps.

"Hi Peter. Seemed so down last time I saw you, what's up?"

"Just some drama with Pam." I answered, not wanting to get too into detail. "I uh...Had some friends over and they got in kind of a fight." Technically I was telling the truth, though not sure I could call some of those guys my "friends" after the way they treated Ivy and Harl.

"Tell you what," she proposed. "I'm sure she knows you're a great guy...You're having dinner together tommorow right? Me, her and that Harley girl?"

Oh damn it, I forgot about that stupid dinner thing. It was Harley's idea anyway, nothing I could do about it. "I don't even know if Ivy is going to come Gwen, don't think that would be the best plan of action...

"Nonsense!" Gwen scoffed. If only she knew what I had to deal with. "I'll talk to Pam, tell her the truth about your feelings about her. Hell, I'm sure half the reason she feels this way is cause she still thinks we're in a relationship!"

I banged my head against the wall. If Ivy found out how I felt about her, she would probably just laugh in my face under the BEST of circumstances. "No, wait Gwen!..." She hung up the phone. So it looked like she was actually going to go through with it and probably embarrass me in front of the woman I'd grown to love. I just hope that she's moves apartments since we last met, so that Gwen's stupid idea didn't actually work.

As I prepared to get to bed, I heard the faintest laughing sound. "Hello?" I shouted, hoping for a response...Nothing. I slowly walked down the halls, knowing something was wrong. I didn't see anything, just empty rooms and an eerie silence. Then I saw it, vandalized on the wall. "HELLO MS MUFFET" in big red and purple letters.

As I turned around, I felt a sharp sting in my shoulder. "Tranquilizer dart..." A familiar and sinister voice cooed...The Joker. "Don't want you dying before I could use you properly. Since Harley is under the protection of your sharp toothed, slimy friend figured I needed something ELSE as leverage in order to get both Harley and Ivy...See, we both now that she does care for you. Shame, if she didn't her fate might not have been sealed so quickly..."

I tried to say something, to move something...To try and show some last act of defiance. But all I could do was slip into...Sleeeeeeep.

Lady Shiva

Everyone that was invited had arrived and had already been seated in their assigned seats that had their name on a red place card. The meeting was held in one of the great halls that the city had to offer, of course it was paid by all the blood money the great Lady Shiva had. The woman wore a very elegant dress that hugged her figure in the right places. The dress was pure maroon sea with bright gold swirls at the bottom and stopping a few inches upward. The dress had short sleeves that barely covered her shoulders. There was a small dip in the center of her chest flashing very little cleavage enough to leave men with something to think about. Her hair was down due to having her hair short but it fitted her perfectly.

She glanced at her thin white gold watch that showed her the time. Only a few minutes left and the main person was not here. Lady Shiva had planned all this for one woman who planned on standing her up. The nerve of that woman!

Lady Shiva clicked her tongue when five minutes had passed and had made a mental note to kill the plant girl when she visited her. She turned to head into the hall when she heard footsteps behind her. The Queen Assassin turned her head to see that her guest of honor was walking towards her. She threw the mental note out the door and smiled brightly.

"You are late, my dear." Lady Shiva smiled when she saw Poison Ivy stop in front of her wearing a green one suit corset that left nothing to the imagination. It was an outfit that the plant girl was comfortable with and Lady Shiva was not going to deny that she looked good. Really good.

"I don't want to be here in the first place." Poison Ivy growled, clearly annoyed that she had to attend this special meeting. Lady Shiva grabbed Ivy's hand tightly, then dragged her into the hall where others had already gathered.

Everyone hushed as the two women joined them. Ivy went from each villain some she knew some she didn't. Her eyes stopped on Catwoman who gave her a very tiny nod. Ivy pressed her lips in a tight line, returning the jester before sitting down next to Lady Shiva who was standing up.

The woman who called everyone to this meeting was happy to know that everyone answered to her invitation. She enjoyed seeing new faces just as much as she loved killing them but she had to play as a nice host. There was a reason for this meeting and her main dish sitting next to her. Lady Shiva felt the power she had over every single one of her pawns they were all here for one reason.

In this little meeting had many players such as the most well-known rich bastard Lex Luther. The man had more money than he had women in his bed. Lady Shiva made sure to do backgrounds on every single player in her meeting. Each player had an enemy and those enemies where friends with certain heroes that needed to be dealt with. To Luther's left was Dr. Doom a very strange man not that she mind since her newest lover was overboard on strange.

Next to Dr. Doom was Bullseye. This man really caught her eye not because he had a bullseye on his forhead (that she found ridiculous) but the fact that he claims he is one of the best assassin in the world. Everyone knows who the best is and that person is Lady Shiva. She is the Queen of the assassins and those who claim they are the best always end up six feet under. They always do.

On Lady Shiva's side was Carnage. She personally liked him. There was a rawness that made Shiva want the man. He sat on the chair going from face to face and when he stopped on Ivy, he opened this mouth slightly and flicked his tongue on his bottom set of teeth. At that moment Shiva wanted to step back and see what he'd do to Ivy.

On Ivy's left was a very strange creature by the name Blackheart. He had a somewhat body of muscular man except his fingers where slightly longer and his nails were dangerously sharp. His face would bring anyone nightmares not that she would admit it to anyone. It was pure demonic. His eyes were red as the fires of hell. Another thing that she found a tad odd was the fact he had a tail. A real tail from what she saw.

Ever since the clash of heroes and villains, there many things that no one knew about. Such as Blackheart a real life demon. If entities like him existed that would mean that she would have more extra careful. She never saw him before but what she gathered he prays on the souls of people. She fought back a shiver, this man-thing-could very well make her have a run for her money.

"Gentlemen and Lady," She glanced down at Ivy who had her arms crossed under her chest with a pissed off look, "thank you for accepting my invitation. Let's get this started shall we?" Lady Shiva sat down with a smirk plastered on her lips. She crossed one leg over the other, in total control.

"It has come to my attention that a group of heroes are grouping up to create the next League of protectors for this world." Lady Shiva spoke making sure that everyone heard her words. "Can we allow this?"

"Lady Shiva, I suppose you are considering that we do the same?" Lex Luther answered in a calming demeanor such as the female assassin. The woman smiled at the bald man and nodded.

"Yes. I know the players for their little group." She stood up from her chair, walked towards the opening where an unknown hand handed Shiva few yellow folder when she had them all she went back to her seat and handed each a folder. Shiva saw Ivy skim through it with a bored look till she came across the picture of the one and only Spider-Man. Shiva fought to keep herself from laughing, oh the little surprise she has for the plant woman!

The meeting went well, better than Shiva had expected. All were into the alliance except for Poison Ivy. During the whole conversation she sat and listened not once opening her mouth to suggest an idea. Then again from the beginning Shiva knew that Ivy wouldn't contribute into this little meeting.

When everything was settled on Lex Luther would be the first to beging the first wave of attack. They needed the bigger players distracted in order for their plan to work. First they would get rid of the famous Superman then down their list. Leave the weakest members vulnerable for the picking.

Everyone had left but Ivy stayed behind, still sitting on her chair. It looked like she was in deep thought. Her face was blank but her mind was somewhere else. "Penny for your thought?" Shiva asked softly, something that was very unnatural or her.

"I don't know." Ivy muttered under her breath. "This is too much." Shiva made a face of confusion.

"What is?"

"All of this… Will this really work? Can I-we-be free?" The last question she asked herself but Shiva hid a smirk. Shiva wrapped her arms around the plant girl and placed her chin on Ivy's shoulder.

"We will all be free. This is why I want you to help us. We know that half the planet cannot survive without Mother Nature. You are the most powerful of us all. If you wanted to, you could have killed half of the world's population by now. Yet here you are creating cures to help them when they only turn against you.

All you ever did as Pamela Isly is help people but did anyone help you when you needed it? The only people that ever had helped you was us. Even your worst enemy had taken you in when you were on the run from Batman and that Daredevil.

We, villains, may not be close but when we always find a way to help one another. The heroes will never leave us alone. They will hunt us down till we are gone. This world lives to be in the light but just because they are 'good' people that doesn't mean they always have 'good' intentions." Poison Ivy bit her bottom lip and nodded. Shiva kept her arms around Ivy, giving her a tight squeeze. Shiva wanted to kill herself for comforting the woman but if it meant having her on bored by hell she would do it.

"You are the most valuable person here Ivy. With you we can accomplish everything, anything, you want. Lend us your hand in this fight."

"I…I…Let me think about it." Poison Ivy sighed. She hung her head knowing that Shiva was right about the heroes. They were good people but their intentions would not benefit her. What does that say about the villains? That they were bad but had good intention? Ha-ha! Villains never have good intentions. If they do then it only benefitted them. Screw others. Every man and woman for themselves in this world.

"Time is ticking, Ivy. Take it before it's too late." Shiva whispered in her ear before leaving the room.

Lady Shiva had plans to destroy the plant girl but she wanted to do it slow and make it hurt. The one person that can do it was in her basement who she was going to visit. Shiva's new lover had told her that Ivy had a new friend who was a hero and that there was something going on between them. Shiva knew that Ivy wouldn't turn against them but the fact that this certain hero had saved her several times and even met on several occasions made Shiva believe that there was something else between them two.

Either Poison Ivy was using the hero fully aware of his feelings for her or she was blind and not seeing it. The only proof that Shiva gathered that Ivy had some sort of 'feeling' was when she kept her finger placed in the folder, directly on top of Spider-Man's file. That's the only proof but it wasn't enough. Shiva needed more. She needed to know Ivy's true feelings even if it meant being 'friends' with her to get the answer.

Whatever the case, she wanted Ivy gone along with her friend. She wanted them dead. She will make sure of it.

Peter Parker

The last thing that The Joker said still hung on my mind...Using me as leverage to get Harley and Ivy? Bah, it wouldn't work anyway. Harley and Ivy didn't give a damn about me. If there was ever a moment where I was grateful that Ivy resented me, it was now. The door slammed open to reveal The Joker and Lady Shiva. "Go ahead, kill me!" I spat. "If anything, would make things a lot more, simple for me."

The Joker laughed manically, slapping his knee hard. "We thought about that..." Lady Shiva admitted. "Came to the same conclusion that you did. Leaving you alive could be MUCH crueler. Besides, we haven't even got a chance to introduce you to our new friend."

I laughed, trying to calm myself down. "Well, tell him I appreciate the offer, but I'm allergic to evil bastards." She snapped her fingers, as a more familiar figure appeared. I instantly recognized him as Blackheart. He was carrying some kind of enormous machine: It looked like some kind of ancient yellow film projector. Yellow mist flowed from a hole in the center. Blackheart pressed a button on the side, as a light shone all over me. It was almost blinding.

"Peter, baby..." Shiva cooed. "This little cutie is Parallax. He feeds on the fear of a host, and once their will is completely broken it takes them over. Your inner darkness will be unleashed, and Parallax will destroy everything you love in YOUR name."

I laughed, I'd been through torture plenty of times before...Nothing they could do was going to break me. "Well, you're wasting your time then." I snapped. Lady Shiva giggled creepily patting my head. "Oh, I won't torture your body...Merely your soul...I am going to be straight with you kid: We are going to kill people you love. We are going to kill them and make you watch. It will be quite painful, so you'll need to be strong for your sake. Now who do we go after first. How about...That cute little Stacy friend of yours?"

"...Gwen." I gasped, shaking my head. No, they couldn't kill her. She hadn't done anything to them! "You've made your point, I...I'll surrender, just don't hurt her."

Shiva gave a cruel laugh, sighing in her twisted ecstasy. "I have no doubt that you would, Peter. But unfortunately, you're willpower tells a different story. If it makes you feel better, we'll let you get some good sleep before we actually...Well, you know, DO anything." Shiva motioned to The Joker, who shot a tranquilizer into my arm. I tried to resist. I tried to break free. But there was no escape. No escape from the straight jacket of slumber.

Author's note: Well...I'm horrible at updating but getting better (No you're not! *voice in the distance shouts and I hung my head in shame*) Well please tell us your thoughts. What do you think will happen? Who do you think will show up next? Will Ivy and Peter ever get together?

~Eve