Ivy lowered herself into her chair with a sigh, aware that she was early to the meeting, but she could either nurse her green tea here or in the rec room, and here she wouldn't be forced into another conversation with Bart Allen—her all-time least favorite Flash.
She looked up from her mug when Diana cleared her throat across the table. Ivy honestly hadn't noticed her before, perhaps because her face was hidden behind a magazine, the front cover folded behind so she couldn't discern what she was actually reading.
"Good morning, Pamela," she greeted.
"Diana," Ivy nodded cordially. "How are you?"
Wonder Woman peaked out from behind the magazine with a smirk. "Rather well, as a matter of fact," she told her. "I was just reading this incredibly fascinating article…"
"Oh?"
"Yes, a collection of beauty tips, if you can believe it," Diana told her. "Valuable information, indeed. Here, maybe you could learn a thing or two." She slid the magazine across the table.
Ivy scoffed. "I hardly think that's…" she trailed off when the cover flipped back. It was Cosmo, and there was a picture of her daughter on the cover below the title: Fit and 40! And then the subtitle: 40 must-read beauty tips from the women who know your bodies best! "I…hate her," Ivy realized.
Diana chuckled. "Good to see she's continued on to such important work since leaving us."
Ivy's leotard immediately deposited her phone into her hand so that she could somewhat covertly fire off an angry text.
You're embarrassing me at work.
The reply didn't take long.
Jolene: last nite i had a dream that you, kitty and ma started like a spice girls type girlband and you called yourself Pumpkin Spice. so tough shit, Pumpkin Spice, we all get embarrassed sometimes
"W—what?!" Ivy said aloud as she read the text. But I didn't actually do that. That was a dream you had. You can't hold me accountable for what I do in your dreams.
Jolene: reality is a human construct, bby
And then the follow up:
Jolene: lol that was meant for damian. Works here too tho. Oh Jolene of infinite wisdom
Ivy rolled her eyes. I don't even know what you're talking about anymore.
Jolene: IM UR MONSTER, FRANKENSTEIN
A vine reached out of her leotard and grabbed her phone from her, pulling it back beneath the leaves without her direction. It was probably for the best, though.
"Are we ready to get started?" Clark asked, yanking Ivy's attention back to the room, where she noticed the once empty chairs were now full of her colleagues.
Ivy quickly rolled up the magazine and stuffed it under her chair, drawing an odd look from Damian where he sat across the table from her.
"So…" Clark continued, taking everyone's silence as an affirmative. "Who's up for an adventure?"
"Ooh, me!" Kara's hand shot up immediately.
Raven snorted. "Classic." And received a dirty look from Kara in response—well, as close to a dirty look as one could get from Kara, which was really just a frown with a scrunched nose.
Ivy sighed. "Care to elaborate?"
"We have discovered a planet," Clark proudly announced. "With an environment so far identical to Earth's. However, we still don't know what lives there. We don't know if the inhabitants resemble humans, or what languages they speak, or if they even exist. But there's no harm in trying to find out."
"Since we're not planning to colonize," Diana added.
"Right," Clark affirmed with a nod. "Essentially, the field trip is for research purposes, so we already have a main list of candidates, we just need a few volunteers to fill out the rest of the mission."
"So…Pam and J'onn, then," Damian guessed.
"I'll go," Mareena said, raising her hand. "If the environment is identical to Earth's, it might have whatever their version of Atlanteens are, right? Or at least water. If you're bringing Ivy to talk to the plants, I should probably go to communicate with the sea creatures, right?"
"I do more than 'talk to plants'," Ivy scoffed. "You know that right? You're aware that I have a PhD in my subject?"
The Justice League groaned unanimously. "If I were hit on the head and suddenly developed amnesia, I swear to God the only thing I'd still remember is that you have a PhD," Dinah facetiously assured her.
"Good," Clark grinned. "So Ivy and Mareena are a lock—,"
"No, wait, hold on," Ivy said, sitting forward. "I haven't agreed to anything yet. I need specifics. Like, how long will the trip last, mainly.
"Two weeks, if everything runs smoothly," Diana told her. "You'd leave tomorrow."
That's a long way to be away from Harley…that's a lot to ask of Anthony…
"Wait, can I not go?" Kara asked, befuddled. "I want to go. I can't talk to anything, really, but it's a yellow sun, right?"
"It is," Clark revealed. "And you're free to go if you want to."
"I'll go," Damian said. "Might be good to have at least one normal person in the party, in case the inhabitants are human. And we should bring Garfield too, if he's not already on your list."
"He is," Diana told him. "And that should round out the mission, unless anyone else feels passionately about their inclusion."
There were some dispersed head shakes around the table.
"Yeah, I'm good," Zachary said.
"Don't see why I should go if you're already bringing Kara," Jon agreed to sit this one out.
"So, Martian Manhunter, Supergirl, Poison Ivy, Beast Boy, Aquagirl, and Batman," Clark recited the list he'd been keeping.
"Sounds like some kinda Justice League," Damian remarked…receiving a chorus of puzzled looks in return, to which he sourly mumbled: "Jo would'a laughed."
/
Harley was watching Pam from her standing chair in absolute wonderment as she packed her sample kits. "A whole other solar system…that's…I mean, that's crazy! Right? Are you scared?"
"No," Pam chuckled, zipping up her bag. "Darling, I'm an immortal metahuman. There are very few things that scare me, and space travel certainly isn't among them."
"Says the woman who squished my hand until it was numb on the way to our honeymoon," Harley laughed before affecting her sub-par Pam impression: "Plants prefer to stay rooted, Harleen,"
The redhead rolled her eyes, setting her equipment by the front door. "You know I don't have to go, right? I mean, I'd like to, I'll quite literally be going where no botanist has gone before, but if you want me to stay…someone can take my place on the mission."
Harley reached out for her hand, holding the green skin in her own, turning it over and pressing her wife's palm to her cheek. "What kinda selfish old woman would I be to deny Dr. Pamela Isley the opportunity to make her nerdy dreams come true?"
"The one I'm married to," Pam chuckled softly, stroking Harley's cheek with her thumb. "There will be other missions, Daffodil. If two weeks feels like too long…"
"Pfft," she playfully pushed her hand away. "You don't really think I'm that codependent, do you? Geez, Pam, why do you think we had kids?"
Pam frowned, pretending to thoughtfully consider the question. "So that we could find out what the perfect human being looks like?"
Harley snorted like the joke surprised her. "Well, yeah, definitely. But also so that they could eventually change my diapers like I changed theirs. It's the cirrrrcle of liiife!" she sang to the tune of the Lion King song.
"Fine, if you insist," Pam smiled, leaning over to give her a kiss, oddly happy at the fact that it somehow felt like before, when she and Harley saw eye-to-eye—physically, of course. "Jo should be here in a few minutes, and then Anthony will take the nightshift, OK?"
"OK," Harley affirmed with a grin…that slowly began to droop. "But, um…I guess you won't be able to call me or anything, right? Since you'll be in a different solar system and all. Rough on the cell reception."
"I'll be able to send video transmissions, but I can't receive them," Pam told her apologetically. "I'll keep you updated, I promise."
"Will you…be able to send stuff from the ship?" Harley wondered. "Like show me out the window?"
"I'm sure, yes," Pam smiled, kissing her on the cheek now. "I love you. I'll call you from the ship before we take off."
"Yeah, yeah, alright, get outta here," Harley waved her off. "Seriously, go have fun bonding with your son-in-law. You two are gonna have a blast, I just know it."
Pam groaned, slipping her glasses onto her face, paling her skin, and grabbing her equipment. "Don't remind me. And you know Jo's going to bring that slobber factory she calls a pet over, so perhaps it's me who should be wishing you luck."
"Well, jokes on her—and you, actually—I love dogs," Harley grinned. "I'll see you soon, seriously, get out of here." she blew Pam a kiss as the redhead stepped out onto the porch, giving one last wave before she shut the door behind her.
It was a half hour before Jo showed up…with the dog, as predicted.
"Hey, sorry," she pushed her way inside. "I forgot Terry needed my car for driver's ed, and then—like an idiot—I, of course, couldn't find the keys to the Lambo, and Damian took the Martin to work, and we don't take Tyson in the Mercedes, so I had to take Selina's Porche, which I'm pretty sure she's actively haunting, so…long story short, I know I said 9, it's 9:15, my bad…OK. Now I'm done."
"Good," Harley nodded. "That was exhausting to listen to. It must have been traumatic sifting through your pile of luxury cars—,"
"Only to end up in the haunted one?" Jo prompted. "Yeah, it was a shitfest. Anyway, are you hungry? Did Mom feed you?"
Harley sighed. "Can you make it sound like I'm a person and not your dog?"
Jo furrowed her brow. "Well…I'm Tyson's Mom, I wouldn't refer to myself in the third person, would I? would I?" she posed the same question for her dog using a different voice, and then slapped her knees.
In response, Tyson stood up on his hind legs, jumping up on her—tall enough that he was able to wrap his paws around her shoulders and lick her face.
Harley smiled at the display…she really did love dogs. All animals, really. But Pam wasn't much of an animal person, her plants were her pets, and it was sorta like Harley got to choose between kids or pets and she chose kids. Which are basically just super expensive human pets—or maybe animals are just furry kids? Either way, Harley had Jo, and Jo had a dog and lots of cats, so…she supposed things just had a way of working themselves out.
"Can we take Tyson on a walk?" she asked.
"Umm…yeah, sure," Jo smiled, looking at Harley in her chair. "I think you're gonna need a coat, though."
Harley pointed to the black down jacket hanging on the hook behind her. "That'll do, Pig."
Jo narrowed her eyes as she reached for the garment. "Are you…quoting Babe or being a bitch?"
Shrugging, Harley folded her chair into a sitting position so Jo could put the jacket on her. "You tell me."
They were out on the sidewalk 5 minutes later, Tyson walking diligently between the two women, his leash in Jo's hand as Haley rolled beside her.
"So…" Jo began. "Mom and Damian, huh? Cramped in a spaceship for 5 days, that sounds like a fucking disaster waiting to happen."
"Could have been you instead of Damian," Harley reminded her, just because she had to. She thought about it a lot. "You could have seen another solar system…"
"Yeah…but then I wouldn't have been able to hang out with you," Jo smiled over at her. "And there aren't any dogs to walk in space, Ma. Where's the fun in that?"
Harley was silent for a moment, looking down at the ground just in front of her wheels. "Does he, um, get really excited if he sees a squirrel?"
"Mmm…nah," Jo decided. "He grew up around too many cats to really care."
"So he…wouldn't run off if he saw one?" Harley prompted.
"Nope, I don't think so."
"That's good…" Harley looked over at them, realizing most of Jo's attention was aimed at the park they were passing, her free hand skimming along the leaves of the hedge that separated it from the sidewalk. "Do you think I could…maybe…"
"Oh!" Jo whipped her head back around, looking almost embarrassed. "Sorry, did you want to walk him?"
"I, umm…yeah," Harley laughed a bit nervously, tentatively holding out her hand. "Can I?"
/
Ivy buckled herself in, tightening the straps that bridged her chest in an X-pattern until they were snug.
She glanced over at Damian who sat next to her, doing the same thing, and wished for the thousandth time that the seating had been optional rather than arranged. She would have much rather sit by Kara.
We'll be taking off in five minutes, J'onn's voice slithered through Ivy's thoughts. She supposed she would never truly get used to that, but she was clearly further along in the process than Mareena, who nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound.
Ivy took her phone out of the front pocket of her suit, dialing Harley and holding it up to her ear.
"Hey!" Harley answered, sounding like she was outside somewhere, judging by what Ivy guessed was wind interference. "You about to take off?"
"Five minutes," Ivy told her. "It's…" she turned her head away from Damian, hoping he wouldn't hear. "Feels almost silly, how much I think I'll miss you."
"Oh no," Harley laughed. "Maybe we are that codependent."
Ivy closed her eyes, letting a smile grow on her lips. "Please don't eat pizza every night."
"I make no promises," Harley told her. "But seriously, have fun, alright? Don't just spend the whole time missing me, that would be lame."
Sighing, Ivy said: "I love you. I'll see you in two weeks."
"Mwah!" Harley blew a kiss into the receiver. "See ya then. Oh! Wait, Jo wants to talk to Damian."
Ivy rolled her eyes. "Don't they have their own phones?"
"I forgot it in my locker," Damian murmured quietly beside her.
The redhead glanced over, noticing how he was refusing to look at her—likely because he was embarrassed—and sighed, handing the phone over.
"Hey," he greeted, then fell silent to listen. "I mean…sure," he continued. "You'll have to figure that ou—oh," he blushed a deep shade of red—something Ivy didn't even know was possible with his naturally tanned complexion. "You too."
The call had ended when Damian handed the phone back to her, mumbling: "Thanks," as they settled in for takeoff.
The Earth always looked so…insignificant, from any vantage point but right on top of it. Just a glassy blue orb, floating in empty space. Spinning, detached, the invisible forces of gravity all that kept it from flying off its axis.
Ivy always felt like she lost a bit of herself the moment her feet left the ground. The connection to her power weakened, drawn from her all too quickly. Ivy supposed…perhaps that's what it was like to die. You just…left your planet, left your little orbit behind for something different. Something new, something better, perhaps. And that's why Ivy never could. She was too intimately connected with the Earth to abandon it. These trips, these little excursions…is all she'd ever be permitted.
But the tricky thing is that this—leaving the familiar behind to go exploring—this was what living felt like too. And it was then Pam realized that she'd spent a lot of her life not living. Hiding. From her feelings, from her fears, from her humanity…in one way or another, she'd been closed off or shut down since she escaped Woodrue's laboratory. And slowly…day by day…Harleen Quinzel had patched her up, drawn her out, sewed her back together. She was whole again, finally. She could feel it now more than ever…as she hurdled towards a distant planet in another solar system.
Pamela Isley felt…complete. And that fact made her smile, broad enough for Damian to notice.
"Pretty…" he somewhat awkwardly remarked, nodding out the window. "I've…never traveled this far off-world before."
Ivy glanced over at him, deciding whether or not she wanted to engage with him in a conversation. "Neither have I," she finally admitted. "I…hear Terry has begun his driver's education course."
"Oh, um, yeah," Damian seemed almost pleasantly surprised at the subject change. "He was the only one that wanted to do it. Lilah said she only needed a flyer license anyway, and Daisy's just planning to try the test without the course."
"Mm," Pam nodded subtly. "Is Daisy still dispassionate about her night job?"
"She's dispassionate about most things," Damian revealed. "Most things without boobs, and—you know—a vagina, that is."
"Ha!" Pam let slip a sudden, genuine laugh. "Well I'm glad she's—fully come to terms with her sexuality."
"Jesus, you have no idea," he rested his head back against the seat, looking up at the ceiling. "She's like, somehow the female equivalent of Dick. Girls just…throw themselves at her."
Ivy was powerless against the grin that overtook her expression. "Well that's…fantastic news," she giggled.
/
"OK…" Anthony put his hand underneath the showerhead to gauge the temperature of the water. "I think we're ready to go. Arms?"
Harley tentatively lifted them, embarrassment blushing her cheeks as she allowed him to gently pull her shirt off over her head, setting it in the laundry hamper in the corner. Next he wrapped a strong arm around her lower back, holding her up off her chair so he could shuck off her pants and underwear before tossing them in the same hamper.
But Anthony was kind and clinical. He was her son, she knew there was no reason to really be embarrassed, he was just doing what he had to. But still…being so helpless would never feel completely right to her. And forcing her son to take a shower with her wasn't exactly what she'd call optimal.
Anthony carried her under the warm spray, setting her gently down in the shower chair, and adjusting the nozzle so it hit her chest.
"Remind me which one it is…?" he prompted, pointing to the array of handmade soaps and gels in the caddie.
"The blue one's for me," she told him, taking the loofa from his hand and waiting for him to hand her the correct soap, which he did.
"I'll step out until you need me, alright?"
"Yeah, OK," she smiled wanly at him. "Thank you."
Anthony leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, not caring that the water was now beating down on his back, wetting his board shorts. "No problem."
Day 2:
Harley squealed when the message came in. "Jo, it's here! Hook it up to the TV!"
"Yeah, one minute, Ma," she called from the kitchen, unloading the last dish from the dishwasher. "Just let me—,"
"Jolene, I wanna watch the video!" Harley whined impatiently from the living room.
"Christ on a friggin cross," Jo muttered, wiping her hands on her pants. "Can you just be patient for two seconds?" she asked, rhetorically, as she left the kitchen, taking Harley's phone from her and syncing the display to the TV.
Harley watched her daughter anxiously, waiting for her to press play. And when she finally did, Pam's image showed up on screen, sitting in a high backed chair in front of the camera.
"Evidently the red light means it's recording," Pam said, frowning slightly before giving a little shrug. "I'll record this again if it doesn't work."
"I love her little space suit," Harley grinned. "It's so cute."
"It's called a flight suit, Ma," Jo corrected, taking a seat on the couch beside her. "The space suit is what she wears outside the ship."
Harley distractedly waved her off, her fingers brushing unceremoniously against Jo's eyeball as Pam continued.
"They built these sunbeds for us—well, for Kara and I, specifically. They recharge us since we had to employ our sun-shield a few hours ago because we're getting so close," Pam explained. "So, I'm afraid there's not much to show you in terms of scenery today…" she rocked back in her chair, turning her head to what was probably a window. "But soon…I promise," she turned to smile back at the camera. "I had a rather interesting conversation with Damian yesterday, which was odd, honestly, but evidently Daisy is really playing the field," she laughed. "It almost makes me love Jo more."
Jo was about to scoff when Pam continued: "And yes, Jolene, I'm sure you're sitting there. Rest assured it was a joke. And yes, you may now wipe that overplayed shock off of your face. I made a joke, I make jokes. Some people might even consider me…humorous."
"No! Say it ain't so!" Jo gasped at the TV, making Harley laugh.
"Anyway," Pam sighed, a pleasant smile on her lips. "I'm excited to be able to show you more, Harleen. Really, it's…well, right now everything feels a bit cramped, but conversing with the others hasn't been as terrible as I imagined. Garfield is a bit…enthusiastic, but he's spent most of our waking hours in the form of a dog, which Kara absolutely adores. And Mareena…she reminds me of Jo in some ways, but is also very much like her Mother. But anyway, I'll stop rambling." She waved to the camera. "I hope everything is well. You'll see me tomorrow."
Day 3:
"It's ethyl formate," Pam was holding the camera in one hand, pointing out the picture window with the other. "Do you see those brilliant pinks and blues?"
Harley nodded like she was watching an episode of Dora the Explorer. "It's incredible."
"It's the same gas that gives raspberries its taste!" Pam chuckled. "And rum its smell, of course. The center of our galaxy…it smells like berries and tastes like booze, but is somehow…infinitely more beautiful than anything those gases could hope to create on Earth. I've studied these gas clouds for years but…getting to see it this close…" there were tears in her eyes when Pam turned back to the camera. "It's truly surreal."
Day 4:
"Jo, will you hand me that blanket?" Harley asked, pointing the one folded over the back of the other couch, after pausing the video message.
"Of course," Jo obliged her, unfolding the blanket and laying it over her Mother's lap. "All good?"
"Mm…can you put it on my shoulders too?"
"Sure," Jo chuckled, pulling it up to her chin and tucking it behind her back so she sat completely cocooned in her chair. "Better?"
Harley nodded, turning her attention back to the TV, and pressing play on her phone.
"It's a massive electrical current," Pam was explaining to the camera. "And it emanates from that black hole that you should just be able to…there!" she zoomed in with the camera. "Absolutely terrifying, isn't it?" Pam laughed. "We're staying clear of it, of course, don't want to be sucked into that mess…but in any case, the current is about 1.5 times the size of the Milky Way, so…" she turned the camera back around to face her, but had neglected to zoom back out, so it was really just an extremely detailed shot of her eyeball. "In other words: massive."
Day 5:
"Are you sure there isn't a door open?" Harley's teeth chattered below the blankets. "Is the heat on?"
"Ma…" Jo sat down at her feet, a worried look on her face. "The thermostats at 80. You have to let me take your temperature."
Harley batted her daughter's hand away when she tried to raise it to her sweaty forehead. "Just…let me watch the video. We can do that afterwards."
Jo groaned with frustration, snatching the phone off the armrest to press play.
There was an excited smile on Pam's face, and she gave a big wave to the camera. "We finally touched down!" she exclaimed, grinning over her shoulder at the lush, green backdrop. "It's—Harleen, this planet is still in its prehistoric age, it seems. It's—there are so many species of plants that have been long extinct on Earth, it's…I truly can't believe I'm actually here. Like, on a list of things I find beautiful, it's basically you, the kids, the grandkids, and then what you're seeing behind you. I can't even—,"
"Pamela, look!" they heard Damian's voice from somewhere off camera. "Have you seen this?"
Pam looked in his direction, her eyes lighting up at whatever she saw. "I'm—I'm so sorry, Darling, I think I need to cut this short today. I wish you were here, truly, I do. I love you, I'll have more tomorrow—and hopefully more coherent thoughts."
"OK," Jo said as the screen went to black. "Ma, you obviously have a fever."
"No," Harley shook her head against the pillow. "I don't get sick. Not since your Mom gave me the vaccine."
"Ma…" Jo said with a warning tone. "Don't make me call Anthony. I'm serious, I will. Or maybe I'll call Karen! Who knows! I'm dangerous and unpredictable." She leaned over to get the thermometer off of the coffee table—the one she'd already pulled out earlier that morning because of Harley's bizarre behavior. "Now open your mouth or imma have to go through the back door. I'm serious, I am not afraid to go rectal."
"Fine!" Harley tried to sound exasperated, but it came off a bit…shaky. "Just do it already."