Gotham Girls Grand Finale

[mockingbird]

Gotham Girls
Giant-Sized Finale
Written by Samantha Chapman
Cover by Aghori Shaivite
Edited by Don Walsh

There had been a few protests, as expected. Two little girls had whimpered and begged to leave; three others had been taken out forcefully. But to Ivy’s great surprise, that was it, and twenty-three Harley Scouts remained in the troop at the start of Ferak’s second working week. This was Gotham, after all, and by now the devotion that the girls had shown toward Harley made switching day-cares seem downright cruel. Ferak’s smile may have been a little green, but it was genuine, and Harley swore on her life that she was no danger.

That didn’t stop them from pretending, though. Already, the favorite game was to build a city of blocks for their dolls and action figures, and to run screaming as the Ferak Monster crashed through. This time, a pudgy young girl named Tracy held her hands up over her ears and ran into the fray. “Look, I’m Batgirl! I’ll save you!” she declared, and tackled Ferak with a hug.

“Aw, no, Batgirl save the day!” Ferak laughed as she fell to the ground.

“Tracy, no fair, it was my turn to be Batgirl!” Esther’s straight black hair fell over her eyes in disappointment.

“But I wanted to,” Tracy whined.

Harley stepped between them. “Girls, what do we do now? Too late to change the past, right? Tracy, say sorry, and help Esther set up Gotham again so she can play.”

The two girls muttered apologies, and were soon engrossed in building. Ivy shook her head when Harley came back to her small office. “Who’d have ever thought?”

“What, you didn’t believe in me? Or you didn’t believe in your protoge?”

“Either, honestly. And she’s not my protoge,” replied Ivy. “She’s my....she’s Ferak. She’s my responsibility. So I’m glad to see she’ll be okay.”

Harley rolled her eyes. “God, Ivy, you have some kinda rule against being a little more sentimental? I mean, if you can’t be about your clone, who can you?” She meant to joke, but the laughter wasn’t coming, and Harley let her head fall to the side in frustration. “You gotta lighten up! No wonder you’re fighting with your girlfriend.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well you keep sitting around at home, and I think I’da noticed if you were sneaking her into our place. It’s pretty obvious. Come on, how can you be bad at girls? You’re a girl!” Harley shifted in her chair and bent her neck backward to keep looking at Ivy. “You know we like all that mushy stuff!”

“Oh, you’re really one to give me relationship advice, are you?” Ivy asked coldly.

“I’m just tryin’ to help! And you never ask for any and give me a better chance.”

“I’ll ask you when I want any,” Ivy snapped, but she deflated at the look on Harley’s face. “She’s not the mushy type, anyway. Whatever big display of affection you’re thinking up, it’d just make things worse.”

The fighting wasn’t as bad as Harley imagined, but Ivy and Renee had yet to resolve the problem of Barbara. They had met a couple of times to try and ignore the elephant in the room, but the nights had been cut short and awkward. From what little Renee told Ivy, her visits with Barbara weren’t much different.

“I can’t figure this out sitting alone on the couch,” Renee had said when she arrived at the cafe a few days before. But Ivy couldn’t help her. She could listen, and she could be a sounding-board for other problems. But it wasn’t her job to tell Renee how to live, and no matter how much it sucked for the both of them, she’d just have to wait until Renee decided what to do.

“What she wants is you to do something big and showy so she knows you love her!” Harley chimed back in.

Ivy couldn’t help another sharp barb. “Like drowning the city in toxic laughing gas?”

Amid the happy shouts and shrieks of the kids, Harley went quiet. “That’s not funny.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. But you don’t know as much as you think you do.”

“I just want to see you staying happy, instead of ruining it.”

A shout from Ferak snapped Harley into responsibility mode, and she left Ivy in the office. Ferak was holding a three-year-old at arms’ length, her nose wrinkled. “Harley, Bonnie smell bad.”

Harley laughed and took the child. “Uh-oh, a little accident?” Harley realized when she looked back at her face why Ferak looked so worried - plants didn’t have potty problems. “No biggie. I’ll get her cleaned up, you yell again if you need me.”

From behind the office door, Ivy smiled. She had her problems, but it was a weight off her shoulders to know that Ferak, at least, was in good hands.

*****

The park was quiet and still that evening. The night was clear, with very little wind to kick the leaves around on their branches or rattle the day’s debris across the few paved sections of road. As Ferak made her way home, she looked up at the few stars bright enough to see from the outskirts of Gotham City and smiled.

Ferak was spending some time with Harley and Ivy in their house after her working days, but although Ivy had offered it, the space didn’t feel like home to her. It was too small, too closed. The heater held off the chill of the night, and the fan swept away the warmth of the day, the windows let in the sun without the insects or the wind. Ferak was fascinated by the people on Harley’s TV set, and even more so by the ghostly-seeming voices from Ivy’s radio, and she enjoyed the time that she spent with her small family. But she grinned at the sky as she started for the third home she’d known, and the best so far.

The cabin had been Ivy’s from the time she was a student, a piece of land bought by a grant for the botanical program at Gotham University, and left abandoned for the sake of superstition since it became known that Poison Ivy spent time there. Rumors said that anyone who spent the night working there would befall the same toxic fate that Pam Isley did. Ferak never knew about them, and would never have cared. All she knew was that Ivy had given the small, disheveled cabin to her, perfect in its disrepair. Grass poked through the floorboards, the windows had been shattered by vandals; it provided the shelter and address that Ferak needed to have, without sacrificing the natural habitat that she loved.

She was still wandering in the park outside, stalling among the trees, when she heard a branch crack behind her. The man she saw held up thin white hands in a gesture that Ferak had learned meant harmlessness. “Don’t worry, it’s okay. I just want to talk. You’re Ferak, right?”

“Why?” She had learned from the Harley Scouts; any situation that she didn’t understand could benefit from their favorite question.

“Because I…heard a lot about you. I wanted to get to know you better.” He stammered some when he spoke, and his handshake shook. “My name’s Jack. I’m a…friend of Harley’s.”

“Oh, Harley Friend!” Ferak lit up instantly and wove his hand around in the air with hers, priding herself on learning the ritual well. “Harley Friends are my friends!”

“That’s right,” Jack smiled thinly. “And there’s another…Harley Friend who’d love to meet you. Why don’t you come with me?”

Ferak put a finger to her lips in hesitant thought. “Late now. Ferak was going home.”

Jack shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a nice night. And he’s really excited. Harley loves him…I bet you will, too.”

Ferak thought for another moment, then nodded her head. “Want more friends. Want to know more. Ferak will go.”

“Great,” Jack looked relieved. He turned and gestured for Ferak to follow him through the trees. “You’re gonna love him. He’s really a guy to die for…”

*****

She’d almost forgotten how it felt for the wind to whip through her hair around the cowl. It was shorter now than it had been then, but she still felt the tug, tempered by the mask holding the strands to her head. Batwoman would never again swing through the air or leap and whirl the way she used to, but she was so grateful to just be running that she didn’t care. The rooftops were hers.

Barbara heard a shout, and all her old instincts awoke. She slowed down her sprint as she found a ladder to the ground and marveled all over again that her feet could find the rungs. It took great concentration not to fall, but she didn’t.

“Hey, hold on!” The shout came again, louder and closer now that Barbara was on the ground. She put on her old reassuring smile for the civilian she expected, and felt it slide right away when her pursuer rounded the corner into the alley. “You? What do you want me to find you for?”

Harley took a step back after that greeting. “Batgirl, what gives? I thought we were cool now, with everything.”

“I’m not Batgirl.” Harley was in her costume, bright and noticeable and it put Barbara on-edge. “And we’re not cool.”

“Batwoman?” Harley asked hesitantly. “But I thought, I mean the whole city knew you were – “

“Crippled? Do I look it?” She couldn’t feel the sturdy costume holding her up, but Barbara swelled with pride nonetheless.

“No…you look good,” Harley cracked a friendly smile and laughed nervously. It didn’t last long. “Okay. I was looking for Batgirl but you work too.”

“What do you want, Harley?” Batwoman’s voice was icy and impatient. She just wished she had the control to tap her foot. As Harley twisted her toe into the ground, Barbara re-thought her hostility; if anyone could be a third party to Ivy and Renee it would be Harley. But the clown was loyal to Barbara’s enemy. She’d have to be gentler if she wanted information. “What is it?”

Harley started and stopped, took a long breath and let it out in a steady stream of words. “I did somethin’ real bad and I’m sorry but I was scared and I’m still scared and I can’t keep it in anymore, and I don’t wanna let him just go running around but I don’t want him finding me and the girls again either and –“

She sucked in a second gulp of air, and Batwoman put a hand on her arm to stop her. “Harley, tell me what’s wrong. What did you do?”

“I knew he was back for months, I just, I had my scouts and they’re so little…”

“The Joker is loose,” said Barbara in a low voice. She knew he was out of Arkham – the escape hadn’t been reported in an attempt to stave off panic, but the news couldn’t be kept from Oracle. She’d had feelers out all over the city trying to find him, and she’d thanked god that he was one to sit and wait, and give her time to find him before his next rampage.

“He came for me,” Harley explained, and gave Batwoman the story, Jack and the magic shop, the notes, the trap she sprang. “And I didn’t hear a peep since then and I hoped maybe he skipped town but…”

Barbara bit back a scathing remark and replaced it with, “it was right for you to tell me. The magic shop, could he still be there?”

“Maybe, I avoided the place like a plague since.”

“Show me.” Batwoman started to walk again and made Harley catch up to try and lead the way.

“Where is Batgirl anyway?” Harley asked by way of making conversation.

“I thought you’d know. She’s spending so much time with your roommate.” Barbara couldn’t keep all of the bitterness out of her tone.

Harley only smiled, despite everything. “Romantic, isn’t it? They’re all star-crossed and different sides and everything. Really a shame they’re fighting… I liked it when at least one of us was lucky in love,” she finished a little more sadly.

The off-hand news caught Barbara by more surprise than she expected. “Fighting?”

“Or somethin’. I mean Ivy doesn’t talk too much, but you can tell anyway.”

A flare of anger stirred in Barbara’s chest. All of their own drama and hurt feelings, and Renee wasn’t even happy with Ivy? How could she be jeopardizing their friendship for a romance that wasn’t even working? “Do you really think anything that Poison Ivy does could be romantic?”

“Maybe I’m not the gal to ask,” Harley answered. “But if you do ask me. I know ‘bout Ivy, everyone does. She’s been in every gossip magazine I’ve ever seen with the guys all going ga-ga for her. So someone like her, tryin’ to settle down, no pheromone mojo, nothing like that? Yeah, I think it’s really something.”

Batwoman was quiet again. The surge of emotion had distracted her, and the legs of her costume stumbled until she got her mind back under control.

“Why, do you think something’s going on? Cause I haven’t seen a lick of it, they’re always goin’ out without me anyway.”

“I think we have bigger things to focus on,” Batwoman answered. The magic shop came into view, the awning bright and welcoming, and a tidy ‘closed’ sign in the window. At her side, Harley slowed her bouncy walk and breathed. They could see no movement in the dark shop within, but Batwoman stepped forward carefully all the same.

The slim lockpick from her utility belt had the door open in no time, and a blaring security alarm rose up to greet them. Harley jumped; Barbara didn’t have the patience. She found the control panel on the wall and tore it off with a satisfying crunch. The alarm whined and stopped, and Batwoman ran for the back, where Harley had described the Joker’s hide-out. “Hurry! We can still catch him if he was going to run – “

She burst through the door into an empty room. Not only was there no sign of anyone running from the alarm, there was no sign that anything had been in the room at all. Barbara searched every corner, but only came up with a few boxes of trinkets and supplies, none of the elaborate trappings that Harley had seen.

“He moved?” Harley asked softly. She wound a length of trick rope around her wrist, fingers unable to keep still. “But then…I’m too late, he’s already up to somethin’, and whatever it is he’s gonna do it soon, and all because I – “

“It’s not too late. Barbara straightened herself and left the shop from the back door with Harley close behind. “We’ll find him. We’ll stop him. Before anyone gets hurt.”

Her resolve grew as she heard herself say the words. Relationship squabbles could wait, no matter if Barbara still thought Renee could be in trouble. She had been right before. They all had bigger things to worry about.

*****

Batgirl could hear the pounding on her front door even from the roof of the building as she landed. It was getting close to dawn, and her sweep that night had already been tiring. A car thief, a drug dealer and a home invader were all at the police headquarters because of her, and she had been looking forward to the crash of a morning’s sleep.

The pounding redoubled. Sleep wouldn’t come soon. Renee pulled off the parts of her costume she couldn’t hide under the shirt and jeans she’d left in a bag on the roof, and she rubbed her face roughly with a make-up remover pad as she hurried down the stairs. She could hear neighbors grousing and grumbling at the incessant noise. She still wasn’t quite prepared to find Ivy outside her apartment when she arrived.

“There you are.” Ivy looked a mess – her hair frizzed around her face and her brilliant green eyes were bloodshot. It was the fear clear on her face that made Renee shiver inside.

“Come on, come in. Before you get mobbed again,” Renee tried to joke as she unlocked her door and brought Ivy inside. “What’s going on?”

“Ferak’s in trouble.”

Renee opened her duffel bag again and took her costume pieces out. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.” Ivy paced across the front hall. “But I can’t reach her. Something’s happened, I can just feel it.” When Renee paused in re-dressing to be Batgrl, Ivy almost snapped. “I can! Don’t you believe me?”

“I do, I do.” Renee moved forward enough to block Ivy’s path and took her cold hand. “Just tell me what happened from the start.”

“So you don’t believe me.” Ivy took her hand away, then sank into the sofa with a deep sigh. “They gave her a cell phone for the cabin so she could get in touch. She’s supposed to call me or Harley when she gets home. She loves it, Ferak still thinks the telephone’s the height of technology.” Ivy would have laughed affectionately, but it buckled into a single, dry sob. “She left for home hours ago. I even called her, twice, and I can’t reach her.”

Renee sat next to her on the couch, and put her hand back around Ivy’s. “Couldn’t she just have lost it or something? Is it worth getting this worked up over one night?”

“Harley said she was going to check on her and then never came back. Maybe if it were just one of them I lost, but both?”

Renee looked into Ivy’s eyes, nodded, and stood. “Get something to drink and calm down. I’ll be ready in a minute.”

“You will?”

“Of course. I can’t let you go out alone like this, and I know you would without me,” Renee gave her a wry smile. “I’m sure she’s fine. We’ll find her. And if she’s not…you won’t have to do this alone.”

Ivy fixed herself a drink in the kitchen while Renee prepared. She hadn’t been sure it was the right thing to do, coming here – it certainly wasn’t the dignified thing. But having Renee with her calmed her nerves as much as the shot in her drink. She knew that Renee could be counted on, after all she’d already done for Ferak.

There was a frown on Batgirl’s face when Ivy returned to the hall. “Something must be up. I had to leave a message for Oracle. We’d better get out there and find out what.”

Ivy held onto Renee as she swung them out her window, into a night too quiet and pleasant for the mysteries lurking within it.

*****

Ferak wanted to go home. She’d told them so, many times, and she said it again, but Jack and the Joker weren’t listening anymore. She fought bravely against the bonds they’d put her in, tied to an old cot by her wrists and ankles. She’d only sat on it because Jack had asked so nicely, and friends weren’t supposed to be the ones to hurt her. More than that, she didn’t know why Jack looked at his friend, at Harley’s friend, with so much fear in his eyes. “Ferak wants to go home!” She called out again, even louder.

“Don’t worry, Daisy-head, soon enough.” The Joker grinned more widely than anyone Ferak had ever seen as he turned to face her again. “You’re going to have such a busy day, you’d better save your strength.”

Jack swallowed hard in his corner, standing meekly to the side. “You still didn’t tell me what you wanted her for.”

Leaving Ferak on her table, the Joker came to the corner to clap Jack’s shoulder. “Have you learned nothing from being my apprentice all this time, Jackie? A punchline means nothing without time for it to build up!”

“Apprentice?”

“But you do have a knack for the timing,” Joker barreled over Jack’s confusion. “If you’re going to help with tomorrow’s chaos, you’re entitled to a sneak peek.”

“No kay-os!” Ferak yelled. “Ferak doesn’t like that!”

“Aw, Ferak doesn’t even know what it means.” The Joker’s tone changed abruptly, and Jack almost fell over when the firm hand on his shoulder let go.

“Shouting,” Ferak replied, shrinking back into the cot. “Running, loud, afraid – kay-os is when Papa was scared.”

The Joker’s unseemly smile widened. “That’s part of it, of course, but you don’t understand. It’s about freedom- and all the papers say you know what it’s like to want that, after all your captivity.”

“Ferak wants that right now,” she said darkly, and only made the Joker laugh.

“She does indeed! But nobody knows it better than me. I’ve been trapped my whole life by the confines of law and order. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune….no, that was the other guy, Billy, wasn’t it?” He trailed off and returned to his point as if he’d never paused. “When the chaos comes out, nobody holds back. All humanity lets go and runs wild! None of the lying and pretending they do every day, trying to be good little puppets. And when the strings are cut by some good old-fashioned panic,” he finished with a glint in his eyes, “Harley’s sure to come right back where she wants to be.”

Jack listened to the speech with his fingers wound tightly, nervously together. “You almost make it sound noble that way.”

“Really? Huh, I wasn’t going for noble, per se,” Joker mused for a moment and shrugged.

“You are not a Harley Friend!” Ferak yelled from her cot. “Harley taught Ferak friendship, hurting is not friends!”

“That’s because Harley and I aren’t just friends. We’re in love! And doesn’t the saying go, you always hurt the ones you love?”

At the Joker’s meaningful look, Jack coughed and muttered, “They do say that.”

The Joker continued to talk as he stepped to the station he’d set up and began to ready a needle. “You’ll learn all about love, you’ll see. I’ll even let her keep you and Ivy when all’s said and done. The more the merrier, I say. But the important thing is how you’re going to help me win Harley back to my side. Then I can finally stop thinking about her and get some real work done!”

As Joker busied himself muttering about the technological marvel he’d developed, a variant of the classic Joker venom that would vaporize more quickly, Jack’s attention wandered. He’d once thought It could be noble to re-unite Harley with the man she’d once loved. Then he’d thought he could protect her better by keeping track of the Joker’s plans. He had been so earnest, and so blind, that he had gone too far. He’d seen Harley’s anger and fear in the joke shop on their last attempt – he didn’t need to see all of Gotham in a panic to know it wouldn’t change her mind now.

“And the most brilliant part is having you to spread it,” Joker finished and rounded on Ferak. “I made a few teensy adjustments for a plant-person that ought to really paint the town red! Just hold still, now…”

Ferak started to kick and scream; the whole cot bounced and jerked with her struggles. The needle came down and stabbed the fabric when Ferak pulled her head to the side. An angry shout came to Jack’s ears, and he stepped forward to help, only to stop again. “Does it have to be this way?”

“What?” The Joker turned around with the needle still half-full between his fingers. “Have you been listening to the last fifteen minutes? Now get over here! She’s got to be ready by morning.”

Jack swallowed, closed his eyes, balled his fists, and said, “Let her go. It won’t work.”

Ferak’s yells continued for a good minute after the Joker rounded away from her. “Are you questioning my comedic genius?”

“She doesn’t want you…so, so leave Harley alone, and let her go!”

Jack kept his eyes screwed tightly shut and cringed just form the force of saying it. The impact he braced for never came, and when he opened his eyes, the Joker wasn’t even looking at him. He was already re-filling the needle.

“You can’t please everyone,” he shrugged. “I won’t waste my time on too tough a crowd. Go on, run, spread your story. Make yourself useful and wear a signboard while you’re at it. Tell the whole world what’s in store!”

“I mean it!” Jack said louder, and crossed the room before he realized his legs had un-frozen. “I, I’m standing up…I’m not your apprentice…and I’m not going to let you hurt –“

“Sing a new tune, this one’s gotten old already,” said the Joker, as casually as anything. He tapped the needle, turned back to Ferak, and she began to scream again.

A silence overwhelmed Jack, a dark and quiet fog that blocked out everything else. One moment he was alone on one side of the room, and the next he was bent over Ferak’s struggling body and crying out in pain himself. Ferak’s hand grabbed his; the Joker’s brought the needle down where her arm had been, and where the back of Jack’s neck was now. Now he was the one screaming.

“Well now, what is that going to do?” Joker pulled away and stood back with amusement. “I have to hand it to you, Jack, you’ve become interesting again.”

Jack heard the voice, but through a deep haze. He stood shakily, both his hands on his head and doubled over when he started to walk again. There wasn’t pain, exactly. There was a sense of heaviness and slowness, as if time had gone still around him. Outside sounds were muffled, but he could hear his heart beating and blood pumping clearer than possible. He heard the Joker starting to laugh, and on limp legs he started to run from the room.

“Jack Friend, help!” Ferak screamed after him. She braced herself once again to fight the Joker off, but once again, the needle didn’t come for her.

The Joker watched his exit and laid his instruments back on the table. “Anyone teach you about betting, Ferak? Because I’ll bet you your freedom that tonight is about to get far more entertaining than even I planned.”

*****

Harley and Batwoman had covered as much ground as they were able. Barbara had worried about her stamina as the night wore on, but the costume kept her standing well beyond the point when her muscles would have given up. Dawn was starting to break, and the manic exhaustion of an all-nighter left Harley’s eyes sparkling.

“It might be tomorrow, then,” Harley offered with some hope. “I mean, it might not be for a while, I never really knew even when I was with him.”

Barbara slowed them to a stop at the edge of the wide park in the city’s center. “Better than last night, but not by much. I’m going to keep looking. Are you sure you don’t know where Joker is hiding?”

Harley shook her head. “ I know the places he used to be but he wouldn’t use the same place twice. I’m sorry,” she said, for the hundredth time that night. “I’ll keep at it, too! I’m gonna make it right, I swear!”

Batwoman nodded distractedly, and turned her head toward the park. “Did you hear that?”

“Huh?” Harley stepped up to the park fence and climbed onto the bottom rung to look out over the bushes. “Maybe…just somethin’ running around. Is that suspicious?”

“Everything’s suspicious.” Barbara hid her smile as she readied her new legs and leapt the fence. No matter how grave the situation was, she couldn’t suppress her joy at being out once more.Harley followed her with somewhat more grace and fluidity, and Barbara had to bite back a spark of jealousy.

They landed in the thick bushes, and made their way onto the open grass. The rustling sound of something crashing through the foliage got louder, and soon they could hear the panting breath and constant moans of pain as well. Harley and Batwoman followed the noise to a hedge barrier now filled with holes, and both ran toward the man they found kneeling and bent over on the ground next to it.

“Oh my god! Are you okay?” Harley picked the man up by the shoulders, and almost dropped him again when she saw who it was. “You! Are you still following me?”

Jack coughed and sputtered and shook his head, reaching out with a quivering arm to push her back. “Harley….run…I don’t know…I’m not right…”

Barbara’s hand swooped downward and dragged Jack up by the collar. “You’re Jack Napier? Where’s the Joker?”

“Tried to stop…back there,” Jack waved weakly to the overgrown and unadorned woods behind the hedges. “Everything hurts…Just leave…Harley, don’t let me…”

“Do what? What are you threatening to do?” Barbara kept her hold on him, but when Jack started to scream and thrash, she had little choice but to let him fall and step back.

Harley tore her eyes away from the empty trees he had indicated, and back to Jack. “Hey, come on…you’re just a stalker, you’re not gonna hurt me…what’s wrong with him?” she asked Batwoman, who could only shake her head in response.

Jack was doubled over on the ground again, hugging his arms around his chest. The whole world had been in a fog since his injection; his body felt too big for his skin, as if it would rip through at any minute. He started to laugh, quietly, uncontrollably as the poison worked its way through his frenzied system. The shot to the neck had spread quickly to his brain, and now the body followed.

“He’s gonna blow!” Harley took another few steps backward.

Batwoman watched in morbid fascination, and tugged a communicator out of her belt. “I’m calling 911.”

He knew he was changing, even if he couldn’t see how. The modifications that Joker had made to the serum were sparking bizarre reactions in a human body, tickling every nerve and making his laughter louder and wilder. His skin was turning yellow, the sickly color spreading from the neck down. His hair took on a dark shade of green at the roots, and his lips stretched into a painful smile.

“Hey, Creepface, come on,” Harley chuckled lightly, nervously, trying to joke and bring Jack back to coherence. “Get up, you’re freaking me out.”

“Freak…creep….nah….Ferak already has Freak,” Jack mumbled. His voice sounded higher, or it could have just been the constant giggling. “But I can be a creep…creepo…creepface…creeper!” The last word rang out, and he stood again, if still hunched and distorted. Jack’s eyes were wide, the smile plastered on and his whole body continuing to twitch and re-arrange itself. “That’s it!”

“What’s it?” Barbara readied herself, taking a solid stance and finding a weapon in her belt, just in case.

“That’s me!” Jack beamed, and suddenly leapt high into the air. He landed behind Harley, grabbed her wrist and twirled her in place before bounding back around. “I feel amazing! It’s incredible! Way too good to be stupid Jack Napier…and no, not a Joker either, not a Batman, not a Ferak.”

“What are you talking about?” The sudden disappearance of Jack’s soul-crushing pain disturbed Harley more than anything else. The telltale signs of the Joker Toxin couldn’t match up to the bizarre energy that radiated out of him now.

“I feel strong, I feel fast, I feel awesome! I’m totally awesome!” Jack proclaimed, laughing and leaping and starting off into the woods.

“Come back!” Batwoman yelled, dropping her phone call to follow him past the hedges.

“Watch out, Joker!” Jack whooped and ran. “Jack couldn’t do much, but you’ll see! You’d better watch out, for The Creeper!”

[mockingbird]

Each time Ferak blinked, it was that much harder to open her eyes again. She had gotten so many shots in her short life, to make her stronger or to understand her better. She didn’t know why this one made her feel so bad. Her senses ebbed in and out, catching snippets of high-pitched laughter, wafts of a sickly-sweet scent from her own hair. The Joker pushed and prodded her, angrier each time she wobbled instead of standing.

“You big baby, get up and cause havoc already! I know I made the right adjustments. I’m crazy, not stupid!”

“Don’t like havoc,” Ferak murmured, her voice soft and her eyes far away.

“And you’re already responsible for plenty!”

The Joker turned his face up to the skylight, where the voice had come from. “Now that can’t be who I think it is,” he put a long finger to his long chin in thought. “That wasn’t spineless at all.”

But it was indeed Jack Napier who dropped in a free-fall from the ceiling. At least, the man who used to be Jack. He seemed to have raided a costume store’s garbage on the way from the park; he’d replaced his shirt with a red vest, topped with a crest of pink feathers, and his pants were torn and stained. He grinned and laughed through a bloody tooth as he picked himself up to face the Joker. “You sure fixed that, oh yes. No more spineless Jack pining away. The Creeper has better things to do!”

Most other people would have tried to hold back a laugh at the Creeper’s unstable pronouncements, but they made the Joker laugh harder than ever. “Oh, you poor fool, this is about Harley!”

“Always was.” The Creeper felt his lips stretching, even wider than possible. “All I did for you, just to keep your paws off my girl!” When the laughter didn’t subside, Jack’s eyes fell even as his smile froze. “And now it’s your own fault I can beat you at your own game!”

A smart, sharp punch sent Creeper flying back, and the Joker giddily kissed his fist. “Let’s get one thing straight. I’ve been beaten. I’ve been pummeled, imprisoned, and all manner of nasty things. I’ve lost in my day. But NO ONE – “ he squirted a round of toxin out of his lapel button into the Creeper’s eyes – “Beats me at MY game!”

From outside the old building, Batwoman and Harley could hear the fight beginning. Harley shrank back, but Barbara rushed forward with her heart skipping beats left and right. “Come on!” She yelled toward Harley. She knew even better than most how dangerous the Joker was. But she would never miss this last chance to bring him to justice.

“But –“ Harley caught up at the door and held it closed. “I haven’t seen him since…what if he –“

Barbara wheeled on her, and Harley understood why the criminal underworld had such a fear of Bats. Batwoman’s eyes bored into Harley’s, and her voice was low and firm. “You can be a victim, or you can help me stop him. But get out of my way!” She didn’t wait for Harley’s decision, just barreled past her through the door and into the shadows.

For what she had seen of the Creeper, the fight was far more intense than Barbara expected. The two deranged men leapt and drove each other across the space, flipping chairs and stools, throwing bottles of liquid at random, all as Ferak lay still and groaning on her cot in the corner.

Batwoman smiled. She crawled up a rickety ladder to a high shelf and knew that in all this distraction, her moment would come.

She had no idea just how much distraction there was. As Harley hesitated outside the door, Batgirl and Poison Ivy landed on the roof from a swing. “She’s here,” Ivy crouched and laid her hand on the roof to sense beneath. “I know it, but her trail isn’t right. We’re too late.”

“Not if she’s still alive,” Batgirl squeezed her wrist and found the open skylight. “What the hell?” She bent down as well to take in the tableau. “Who’s that?”

As Ivy and Batgirl watched, Jack was backed into a corner and things looked grim. But another figure leapt down into the fray and Ivy whistled. “No clue, but I know her.”

Renee’s breath caught under her chin. Anyone could have made a black costume and sewn on a bat-symbol. But the long red hair, the dancer’s grace, the wild abandon on her face, there was no one else that it could be. “But she can’t be…”

Even as Batwoman’s boot slammed into his face, The Joker had the same thought. “What a reunion! And here I thought I’d seen the last of you.”

“I never made the mistake of thinking the same,” Barbara grinned at the impact – she might not have the muscles anymore to kick that hard, but the suit’s reinforced legs sure had the right weight. “So go on, tell me a joke. What are you up to?”

“Oh, my old enemy, you’ll understand. You were so romantic with that little bird of yours, back in the day. Guess the new one isn’t your type,” he added with a wicked laugh.

Renee tapped Ivy on the shoulder before she started to descend. Her line dangled over Ferak’s dirty bed. “We can get her to safety,” she whispered, “ let Batwoman distract him.”

“She won’t last long,” Ivy said darkly and lowered down with her. The air was thick with a sickly sweet scent, and Ivy could see the milky, unnatural sweat on Ferak’s brow. “He’s poisoned her. And it’s spreading.”

“Yes, hard as it is to believe, this wrinkled old heart finally learned the value of love,” the Joker continued as though Batwoman weren’t bruising vast swaths of his white skin. “Only to see it vanish before my very eyes! And now, after all my searching…here she is!”

Harley’s eyes locked onto his from the doorway. “This is for me?” she asked, and Batwoman slowed her punches. Against the wall, a bloody Creeper lit up and stood shakily. “You did all this…”

“All of it, Punkin!” Joker answered. Barbara nearly retched to think she saw sincerity in that smile.

Harley marched forward with a strength no one expected. “You had me followed. You threatened my kids. You made everything all scary and bad again, for me?”

“It’s perfect, isn’t it? Chaotic and care-free, just like we used to be! So what do you say we set things right?”

No one had noticed Renee and Ivy, huddled in the shadows around Ferak. “I can’t tell what this is,” Ivy hissed while Renee undid the straps. “It feels like the Joker toxin, but something’s not right, I don’t have an antidote and she’s going to –“

Renee hushed her as gently as she could. Ivy had never been so emotional in a crisis; whatever had hurt Ferak could be hurting her too. “We’ll get out of here and figure it out.”

When the Joker started to walk toward Harley, Batwoman punched him again. “We’ll set things right, once you’re back in Arkham where you belong!” But her strength weakened; in the thick sweet air, her vision started to blur, and Barbara tried her hardest not to show it.

“Where you belong!” The Creeper echoed, and slammed his body forward into Joker’s. He didn’t heed Batwoman’s shout – the slam was barely hard enough to hurt the Joker, but it was plenty to send him flying out of Barbara’s reach.

“Thanks, kid!” Joker laughed wildly and raced across the floor. Harley stood to block him, but his arm caught her around the waist on the way out and she found herself dragged through the door with him. “You’ve got potential after all!”

“Harley!” The Creeper gaped at what his actions had caused, and then acted once more without thinking. He was after the pair before the heroes could stop him.

Barbara nearly followed, but her metal-aided legs seized under her and she slipped on the concrete. “What the hell?”

Seeing Barbara fall was almost enough to knock the Joker out of Renee’s mind. She rushed to her friend’s side and reached to help her stand. “Are you okay? What are you doing here?”

“I was stopping him, like you should be!” Barbara snapped. “But something…”

“Something’s slowly poisoning you,” said Ivy. “Harley can handle herself, she’s a lot stronger than she looks. You and Ferak are getting weaker by the second.”

“Come on, we’ll fix it,” Renee’s eyes pleaded into Barbara’s. They asked all the questions she didn’t have time to say. “Please, please trust me.”

Ferak’s moan made Barbara’s skin crawl, and though she clenched her teeth, she nodded. “I do.”

*****

She’d missed him.

Here he was, dragging her across the city rooftops, whooping and climbing higher and higher as they outpaced the Creeper. Here he was, waiting for Ferak to run wild and spread panic and disease across the whole city, and she’d still missed him. Something still felt right about following him, and together they made their way up, until the city shined below them.

The Joker whirled Harley around when they stopped at the top of the Wayne tower. “This is living! Look at them all, thousands of thousands of little bugs to squish,” he held two fingers open over a figure far below, and crushed the tips together. “And then us, to do the squishing!”

Harley leaned over the edge of the roof with the wind blowing through her pigtails. “And…and what happens next time you decide to squish me?”

“No, no, no! None of that, all in the past.” He grabbed for her again, taking her by the wrist to spin, dipping her over the railing before letting her up again. “Can’t you see? Stupid tricks, lame jokes, meager aspirations, Harley I’m nothing without you. It’s tragic for a genius like me to lose his muse!”

Shouts from a few feet below signaled the approach of the Creeper. Harley could see his yellowed skin just a building away; she didn’t think she’d be that glad to see him ever again.

“But together, we’ll make art! What are you waiting for?” Joker grabbed her chin and turned her to face him again. “All you have to do is say yes!”

“But I don’t want to!” Harley tugged herself away, nimble and agile and rolling along the concrete to the center of the roof.

“Oh, alright, I might have sort have used you like a servant before,” Joker admitted, but he waved his hand in the air to brush the concern aside. “And yes, perhaps there was a teensy moment way back when I tried to get rid of you. But love conquers all! What reasons are those to get in the way of us now? Just you wait, with you at my side, I’ll take the whole city by storm, we’ll be rich, we’ll be famous!” When Harley still didn’t leap into his arms, he started to round on her again. “You’ll find a hobby, take up scrapbooking, I don’t care, do whatever you want as long as you do it with me!”

With an unappealing grunt, the Creeper hefted his body up over the ledge and onto the rooftop with them. He mopped his brow with the odd feather boa draped around his neck, and took a pose. “You leave Harley alone now, you will, I’m gonna make you!”

Far from intimidated, the Joker rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. “This again? Jackie-boy, I don’t like getting my hands dirty. I’ve already stooped to fisticuffs once tonight.”

“Just a warm-up,” Jack grinned back. His eyes were almost as wild as his opponent’s. “I can’t even feel it. What you did to me, what you’ve done, makes me strong, stronger than ever, I can go again and again!”

Harley looked from one to the other, unsure whether to run, scream or just bury her face in her hands. How did I even get into this mess? What kind of crazy magnet am I?

A hand grasped her wrist, and the Joker whisked her toward the opposite end of the roof. A spin, and she was pressed against his chest with her head leaning backward over the gap, with just enough line of sight to see the Creeper stop in his tracks. “You underestimate me, my freakish creation,” Joker said. “You know, there are times when the old clichés still hold up. And if I can’t have her…” He dipped Harley low enough for her pigtails to brush the bricks on the side of the tower.

“What are you doing? I’m, I’m your muse!” Harley shouted and didn’t dare to struggle. “You just promised! Fifteen seconds ago!”

“And does that mean you’ve agreed?” He asked.

The Creeper took another brave few steps and leapt onto the railing. “You’re gonna let her go!”

“Happy ending or sad, I’m going to end this tonight!” Joker declared and stared back at Harley. “Are you my Punkin Pie, or are you a blacktop pancake?”

“I’m done with this!”

Harley wriggled out of the Joker’s grip just as he let her begin to fall. With both psychotic suitors watching, Harley found the momentum to flip so that her feet found the brick, and pushed herself back into the air with enough room to turn and sail over their heads. “I can’t believe you!” Harley balled her fists and crouched like Ivy had taught her. “I never could believe you – why did I ever believe you?”

“Oh Harley, back then you understood! With a world so unpredictable, why believe anyone?”

The Creeper watched her as if she were still about to fall. The world spun in front of his eyes and he could no longer tell what was solid ground.

“I believe Ivy,” Harley shot back. “I should’ve believed her when she said I was nuts for following you!”

“Punkin, if you’re going to insist on sanity, you’ll never get anywhere, with or without me.” The Joker raised his arms up in the air and looked to the sky. “All you’re doing is pretending to have control over a world full of glorious disorder. All those squashable ants down there, thinking they can change it, thinking anything happens as planned. Just look at Jackie here! Before he went off the deep end, he couldn’t do anything! Still can’t, but at least these days he’s trying.”

“Stop it!” Harley shouted and twisted her pigtail in frustration. “You’re wrong. I know you’re wrong!”

The Joker came forward once more with his arms outstretched. “Where will I ever find another girl who understands? Come back Harley, believe me and come back to the truth – that there is no truth.”

“Believe this!” Harley let him grab her, felt the wiry body crumple against her, smelled the oxidized, chemical tang on his skin. And she smiled when she realized she didn’t feel a thing. She grabbed Jack’s arm on the way to the edge and held on, keeping herself steady when she threw the Joker over.

For once, his strained kips opened in shock, and then he laughed as he fell, more wildly than ever. “You see? What did I tell you? Entirely unpredictable!” The laugh echoed from farther and farther away.

Wayne Tower was one hundred and forty stories tall. Harley and the Creeper could barely hear the ambulance sirens when they found the scene below, let alone the thud.

*****

Wayne Labs was closed this early in the morning and under strict security besides, but Barbara and Renee both had access codes, and knew the unwatched entrances. Not that Mr. Wayne would mind, but that they were in no shape to deal with unwanted attention. Ivy and Renee had Ferak draped across their shoulders; Barbara had insisted on walking by herself, despite the cold sweat on her brow.

“They haven’t renovated the West lab yet, it should still be fit for Ferak.” Renee led the way and Ferak perked up somewhat to see her skylights and rocks waiting for her. The plant-woman curled up on the flattest stone when she was let down and murmured her thanks.

Ivy was already across the room foraging through files and cabinets for supplies and information. “If they just kept copies…here! I’ve got to get started, she’s barely with us.”

“Is there still a scientific mind trapped under all that hair?” Barbara snarked. She didn’t want Ivy to see how she leaned against the doorway; her cheeks prickled with embarrassment when Renee took her hand to lead her to sit.

“You’re one to talk, Red,” Ivy shot back.

“Oh god, both of you, grow up!” Renee almost shouted before she could collect herself. “I know you don’t like each other, and just don’t care anymore. Ivy, how dangerous is this?”

“For Gotham, I think it’s under control,” Ivy answered as she flipped through Ferak’s charts. “It spreads by exposure, I can feel it in the air. And only we’ve been exposed.”

“And for us?”

“Only one person in that room didn’t have an immunity.” Ivy looked to see Batwoman seated and wiping her face off on her cape. “She’s not as bad off as Ferak but give it time. It could be better for her to be in a different –“

“No!” Barbara forced herself to stand; her mechanical legs wobbled and sat again for her. “There’s no way I’m letting you send me away when people are in danger.”

“Then take this,” Ivy threw a surgical mask across the room. “And get over here. You’re the computer whiz, show me what you’ve got.”

“Don’t boss me,” Barbara bristled, but she sat at the computer chair and listened, easily following the complex instructions Ivy rattled off. There had been reams of experiments run on Ferak during her stay. The scientists must have found something able to flush her system, and once they found that, they could modify the cure for Barbara.

When the research was underway and Ivy tended to Ferak, Renee sat on the desk and stared at her best friend. “What are you doing?”

“Hoping your girlfriend isn’t secretly still trying to kill me.”

Renee gripped Barbara’s elbow and turned her away form the screen, just long enough to get a good look. “I mean here, out, tonight. Why, how?”

“There’s been a prototype for years,” Barbara explained, as her fingers clacked across keys and scrolled through studies. “We didn’t know it’d work. And there hadn’t been any reason to test it until now.”

“I know what you’re implying. I was in there just as fast as you were. And without Ivy, I wouldn’t have known where to go.”

“And how long has the Joker been loose while you split your focus?”

“Because you would have stopped him any sooner?”

“Because I wouldn’t have let him run away!”

“That was your fault, too!” Barbara tried to respond, but she coughed and sputtered instead and Renee laid a hand on her back. “I’m sorry. I’m scared, Babs. And all I can hope for is she knows how to save you.”

Barbara caught her breath and returned to her search. “She does,” she admitted. “At least, once I find the right formula. But I can do this….we can do this.”

Ivy had been sitting at Ferak’s side the whole time, stroking her ‘sister’s brow and ignoring their fight. Ferak was limp and listless but conscious, and she reached to hold Ivy’s hand. “Will Ferak get better?”

“Yes, of course. We’ve got you now, away from him. You’ll get better now.”
Ivy could ignore the fighting on the other side of the room, but Ferak’s eyes darted over. “Red Batgirl does not like you.”

“You can tell?”

Ferak nodded slowly. “Friends like friends, stay close and smile at friends. Harley taught me. Red Batgirl does not.”

“Her name is Batwoman,” Ivy explained. “And no, she doesn’t like me.”

“Why?”

“I never gave her reason to.” Ivy stole a glance now. Batgirl and Batwoman were hunched together over the computer, looking closer than she and Renee had ever really been. “I’ve been a bad person, Ferak. I’ve done bad things. That’s why.”

Ferak’s hand grabbed Ivy’s harder and she shook her tangled head. “No bad. Sissy takes care of Ferak, protects Harley and garden. You rescued Ferak twice. No bad person.”

Ivy signed. “It’s never that simple.”

“But Real Batgirl likes you!” Ferak protested, and Ivy hushed her to keep her from getting too agitated. “You are good! Ferak will tell her, I will!”

“Ivy, is this the one?” Batwoman spun her chair around and Batgirl ferried the scrawled formula on a bit of paper.

“Yes...chlorophyll to regrow...and to flush the system, we can just replace...” Ivy wrote her own notes and then looked up with a genuine smile. “Yes, this will do it. I need a few things...”

Renee flew back and forth between labs and shelves wishing she’d paid more attention in high school chemistry, but soon enough Ivy had all she needed. Nothing happened immediately after Ferak’s shot, but by the time Ivy had finished calculating Batwoman’s version of the treatment, her breathing was steady and she was able to sit straight. As Ivy filled a second needle, Renee closed her fist and silently willed Barbara not to fight. These were the two most important women in her life; Renee couldn’t handle it if one died for not trusting the other.

But Barbara rolled up the sleeve of her costume and accepted the shot without so much as a snide remark. Something of the tension between them had melted away in the last few hours, without either of the women noticing.

*****

“...causes of the fall are still unclear. Gotham police have scoured the city for any dangers, and with rumors of the Batman’s help, feel confident that this time, the Joker was stopped in time. Despite critical injuries, Arkham doctors have predicted an eventual full recovery. Coming up at eleven, Paul Marcus on how much you can expect this to cost our taxpayers.”

“Turn it off.” Barbara flipped the radio switch at Renee’s request.

Jack Napier had fallen unconscious several hours before; the women had been unable to sleep. A slightly shell-shocked Harley had carried Jack into the lab over her shoulder just after dawn, when Ivy was finally able to reach her. Something Barbara had pulled in the computers kept their lab off-limits to morning staff, but now was the time to leave.

“What’s gonna happen to him?” Harley asked, and Jack snored.

“He’s an accomplice,” Renee answered immediately. “Jail.”

“He was fightin’ with me, though, against him.” Harley glanced back over. Jack’s coloring had gone back to normal after his shot, but there was an unsettling paleness to him still.

“Given the mess in his bloodstream, you might argue for Arkham,” Ivy suggested.

“However much better that really is,” said Barbara. She was watching, Renee could feel her, waiting for Batgirl’s decision. To test her again.

Renee wouldn’t let herself make any more questionable choices. “We’ll see what his lawyer says, Harley. You’ll have to talk to the police as a witness. Both of you,” she turned toward Ivy. “You understand that?”

Ivy, too, could tell how closely Batwoman watched, and the scrutiny just made her smirk with her answer. “I have nothing to hide. As far as I’m concerned, I’m the hero tonight. That’s three people saved, and quarantined.”

“See, see!” Ferak bounced herself upward. “Sissy saved people! Sissy is good!”

Now it was Barbara’s turn to feel their gazes on her, and she actually laughed a little. “God, what kind of ogre were you telling her I am?”

“Not you,” Ivy answered.

“Come on,” Renee yawned and stretched her arms out. “I’ll carry the Creeper. Let’s get out of here.”

Ivy started forward to help with the dead weight, and Ferak followed them, excited as ever about everything. Batwoman held back. It took a huge act of focus to hoist herself up onto her mechanized legs - the prototype had never been tested for this long, and her mind was tired.

“Need a hand?” Harley extended hers.

Barbara took it, and let out a deep breath. “Harley?”

“What? What’d I do? I didn’t mean to push him, I just - “

“You did good,” she laughed. “Believe me, it’s a wonder you’re so shook up. I would have loved pushing the Joker off a cliff.”

“Oh.” Harley laughed too and lent Batwoman her shoulder. “It just finally feels...over, y’know? Closed. Done. And now I don’t gotta worry, I kinda don’t know what to feel.” she paused. “I bet that doesn’t really make sense.”

Jack started to slip off of Renee’s back, and Ivy reached to steady him. Behind him, their hands closed in a tight, comforting squeeze.

“Nah,” said Barbara. “it does.”

[mockingbird]

The shrieking and shouting of children had somehow become a soothing sound. After fights physical and emotional, after stalking and poisoning and worry for lives, being at Harley Scouts meant that everything was alright again. Ivy leaned against the back of the office door while Harley handed her girls off to their parents, and emerged in time to help straighten up. “I'll never understand how you do it.”

Do what?” Harley took her hair out of its bun and fastened her pigtails now that grabby, sticky hands were gone.

When my life changed, I turned into an angry, vengeance-thirsty harpy. The Joker tries poisoning your best friends to win you, and you're back to normal a week later.”

Aw Ivy, I'm touched,” Harley laughed. “You think I'm normal?” A stuffed rabbit flew through the air toward her face, and Harley caught it. “I dunno. I'm just happy. Why waste all the good days being upset?”

Ivy shook her head. “For a ditz, you're pretty smart sometimes.”

Maybe you're just ditzy sometimes for a smart girl,” Harley countered. “What're you hanging around here for, anyway? Don't you have to get ready?”

It's fine, the gala's not till eight,” Ivy answered. “Would you really need two hours to prepare?”

If I was goin' with someone special, you bet!”

I just turn heads naturally,” Ivy laughed and packed up a pile of bricks.

The Wayne Charity Gala had been the talk of the society pages for the past month, but Renee had only formally invited Ivy a few days before. “With you and Babs fighting it just would have been too awkward for charity,” she'd explained sheepishly. “And I know you don't go out in the public eye too much. But I could use a date.”

So that means you two are officially official now, right?” Harley bounced through the chores. “With her taking you to a big fancy party all dressed up. It's so romantic!”

You'd probably like it better than me,” Ivy shrugged and turned her face; Harley didn't see her smile widen.

Yeah, maybe,” Harley sighed. “Even if it's all stuffy and boring. At least you've got her.”

Ivy checked the clock on the wall and dumped the last of the mess away. “I guess you're right, I'll get going.” She paused as she reached for a sweater. “You're gonna be okay tonight?”

Harley nodded. “Yeah, yeah I got some stuff to take care of. You just have fun!” She urged Ivy out the door toward her fairy tale.

*****

It would still take some preparation for the gala though – not for Ivy, but for Ferak. The plant-woman understood the idea of parties from working with the scouts, but was eager to learn about the kind without cake and balloons. It had been Renee's job to spend the day with her on table manners and grace in a skirt, though Renee had wondered several times whether this was some kind of punishment for taking Ivy to the gala.

Feral leaped to her feet when Ivy came through the door. “Ferak learned so much, Sissy! Can we go to party?”

Still a little while, sorry.” Ivy patted her 'sister's hand, then crossed to greet Renee with a kiss. “She's still dressed. I'm impressed.”

I actually think she'll do well,” Renee admitted. “Mr. Wayne's been wanting to see how the project went for himself. And more cynically, wanting the guests to see what their donations do.”

So you pull a few strings, and you get invited to the social event of the year at my Ferak's expense?”

With a hot redhead for arm candy, no less.”

And I thought I was gonna be the diabolical one.” Ivy kissed her again.

You're really okay with this, right?” Renee asked, after another few minutes of Ferak's chatter. “This party isn't gonna come back to haunt me?”

Listen, I'd be lying to say it's the best night of my life. But on the other hand...”

Neither of them were quite sappy enough to phrase it as Harley had, but Renee understood the sentiment. “No more hiding. We're not a secret couple anymore.”

Just a couple. Like any normal superhero and consort,” Ivy added wryly.

Renee smiled back. “You just watch Ferak while I change. Got her a little too excited, I think. Hope Harley's okay all alone tonight, she's usually the big people person.”

Yeah, I had the same thought.” Ivy hushed Ferak's excited squeals at the news it was almost time to go. “But she should be fine. Said she had something to do.”

Besides,” Renee added, when she and Ivy were finally ready, and each took one of Ferak's arms to lead her to the car. “If she gets bored and crashes the party, it's not like we'll be able to miss her.”

*****

Eight O'clock drew nearer, but Harley felt no desire to crash, or even much disappointment at missing the party. Once more in her life, she entered the gloomy halls of Arkham Asylum, accepted her visitor's pass and followed the directions of the guard. Unlike her previous visitee, Jack Napier hadn't been classified as dangerous. He was lead into a sparse, but not overly unpleasant room to receive his guest.

Harley...I didn't think you'd really come,” he gave her an awkward smile. His hair had gone back to brown, but there were still twinges of green at the roots; his ever-pale skin prickled with goosebumps. Sickly though he looked, it was a great improvement over the Creeper he had been. “Thank you...it means a lot.”

Well, you know how it is,” Harley shrugged. “You tangle with the same psycho mass-murderer enough times, you kind of end up friends. S'what happened with Batgirl.”

Then...we're friends now, after everything?” Jack's fingers gripped the edge of the table in excitement. “Harley, you know how I feel about you, how I've always felt, ever since I first saw you in Doctor Crane's class. I didn't express it well, I got everything wrong, but if we can still be close, if you can give me another chance?”

Whoa, slow it down, Creepface,” Harley hoped the nickname would keep her from sounding too harsh; it was still meant in affection, after all. “All I said is we're friends. But yeah, we are.”

Jack pulled himself back with the puppy-dog look in his eyes that had first caught Harley's sympathy. “Of course. Sorry. I mean, I'm still glad. I didn't expect even that.”

How're you holding up in here?” She asked him more gently.

Jack nodded his head. “It's not so bad, really. They say they aren't sure if there's still Creeper in me...it's all sort of hazy in my memory. Was I that...crazy?”

Harley grinned and reached across the table for his hand. “Yup, it was awesome. You weren't scared of anything!”

Was I...valiant?” Jack asked hopefully.

Well, maybe I wouldn't go that far. But you were cool,” Harley assured him, and watched his smile creep out. “And you were totally defending me. And Ferak told me how you tried to save her. So sure, I think we can swing valiant.”

Prompted by Jack's questions, Harley spent a long while describing the battle, more and more theatrical as she went on. Jack listened with a happy (if still somewhat dazed) look, tinged with pride when she told him of the Joker's fall. “I'm just glad to see you free of him at last. That's all I wanted all along.”

Yup. Free Agent Harley, at last.” She started to collect her things when the guard tapped sharply on the window – he'd been knocking for five minutes already, unheard – to end visiting hours. “Y'know, I haven't really been available since high school? I've got a lot of catching up to do.”

Well,” Hack stood and looked at her shoes, still shy despite it all. “I've only got five years in here. Three maybe, if I keep behaving well. So if you want to have dinner sometime...”

Harley leaned in and gave him a kiss, closed and chaste and soft but on the lips and everything. The idea of dating like a normal person scared her, really. What was to stop her finding another lunatic, to lead her down a loveless, dangerous road? How could she trust her feelings when they led her so far astray? But those were all today's thoughts. In three years, Harley knew she could figure them out. “What the hell. It's a date.”

*****

Stately Wayne Manor was always beautiful but rarely beautified. Tonight's staff had gone out of their way, from the lights in the trees on the driveway down to the crystal champagne flutes as engraved party favors. When guests would be donating multiple millions of dollars to Wayne Labs, WayneTech and the many charities that Bruce Wayne appealed for, he made sure that they all felt as rich as possible. The first floor of the house was open to guests, and a few rooms had been prepared for the inevitable drunken collapses, but a clear night meant the tables, dance floor and band had all been set up on the grounds.

Waiters flitted in and out of the kitchen under Alfred Pennyworth's watchful eye, until that gaze found Ivy and Renee escorting Ferak inside. “Well, well. Special guests indeed,” he offered a small, gentlemanly bow to the ladies.

Good to see you, Alfred.” Renee shook his hand warmly. As far as she cared, you had to be inhuman for Alfred not to make you feel at home. “Let me formally introduce Ivy...my date.”

Charmed, Ms. Isley.” Alfred took her hand and gave it a gallant and unexpected kiss. “I've no doubt you'll fuel quite the gossip mill tonight. I do hate a boring party.”

I think I like this guy,” Ivy leaned toward Renee to whisper.

Ferak bounced behind them in her sundress, cheery yellow and covered in flowers. “And this enchanting creature must be Ferak,” Said Alfred.

Hello! I am Ferak!” She recited her introduction with a surge of enthusiasm. “Will you be my friend?”

I should feel honored,” Alfred agreed, and his lip twitched under his mustache, breaking through his dignified calm. “You've been seated at table fourteen, Ms. Montoya. Please enjoy.”

The three of them were soon mingled into the elite of Gotham City, though there were other guests of their level attending. Renee spotted Dick Grayson at their assigned table, next to a lively blonde woman in a long red dress. Bruce's young friend Tim Drake had a spot at another table with a few others his age, Stephanie Brown and Carrie Kelly among them. Bruce himself was nowhere in sight – Renee chuckled to herself, knowing how well he could hide even in a place like this.

Renee, on the other hand, stuck out just enough to be found. “Montoya, am I going to have to write you up for not telling me you had a lady?” Jim Gordon's smile faded when Ivy turned around, and he saw Renee's date more closely.

Renee coughed and tried to keep tempers light. “Ivy, you know Commissioner Gordon?”

Of course. I'm not surprised you're friends,” Ivy answered.

Talk to me.” Jim put a hand on Renee's shoulder and steered her to face him. “Is this what Barbara's been so worried about? Do you know what you're getting into here?”

Dad, stop it.” Barbara wheeled up next to her father and took her father's hand. “It's okay. It's a party. And besides, I already tried talking sense into her.” She gave Renee a small wink, and got a grateful smile in return.

Jim didn't stop eying Ivy, but he did soften considerably. “Well, my girl's never too wrong about people. But damn it, Renee, come to dinner sometime. Keep me in the loop. Before you give this old man a heart attack.” He wandered away after a passing tray of crabcakes, leaving Barbara to chat with the others.

See, it's not just me,” Barbara smirked, vindicated. Her black strapless dress was stunning enough to perk Renee's mood up a little higher. “But que sera, right? You're not stupid enough to cause any scenes, I know that,” she looked straight up at Ivy.

As brilliant as the Dark Knight himself,” Ivy drawled in return. “Don't worry. I know you're not petty enough to let your crusade against me ruin the night.”

Inwardly, Renee marveled at how comfortable they were. Barbara leaned back in her chair; Ivy's hand kept stroking Renee's arm. If you couldn't hear their conversation,m you'd think they were simple acquaintances, maybe even causal friends.

As long as you know what I'll have to do to you if you break her heart,” Barbara finished.

Ivy returned instantly, “You think there'll be any left for you when she's through with me?”

All three women broke into laughter together. “Come on, I'm starving,” Renee walked off toward their table.

Dick waved when he spotted Barbara and Renee, and their unspoken plea kept his easy smile for Ivy.
“What did I do to get so lucky? A whole table of women in lovely dresses, and me?”

Maybe Bruce just wants you to visit home more often,” Barbara chided him gently.

The blonde next to him wasn't as gentle. She smacked his shoulder even as she laughed. “Aren't you supposed to be dating me tonight? Reign it in, boy.”

Dick rolled his shoulder, smiled wider, and said, “Everyone, this is Kara Danvers. I met her out in Metropolis, and she kept begging me to find something to do in Gotham.”

Don't know why, Metropolis is cleaner,” Renee said. Dick kept introductions going around the table, and Renee kept staring at Kara, feeling the strength in her hand when it was her turn to shake. “I know you from somewhere, don't I?”

I know, I keep having the same feeling.” Kara grinned, and suddenly Renee knew why she didn't answer straighter. Behind the chic glasses, she recognized Supergirl, and Kara recognized Batgirl.

I thought that was just a bad Chinese food dream,” Renee murmured, declined to repeat herself when Barbara asked, and snagged a waiter to order drinks.

Meanwhile, Ferak had been making her way through the crowds, enchanted by the number of friends she was making. Renee had trained her well to make conversation, and she had been talking all by herself with the rich elites. She didn't know or care what went into their checks because of her, she was just loving the attention showered on her, and the sweet punch in the pretty glass she'd be offered.

Hey, you're Ferak right?” She turned to see a thin blonde girl, in a violet gown that hung off her wiry frame. “Babs told me all about you, I'm Steph!”

You are Babs friend?” Ferak hesitated; she still wasn't sure what her relationship with Barbara was supposed to be.

Yeah, her and Renee, we're all friends,” Steph answered and put Ferak at ease. “Come on, you want to met my other friends? We've all been talking about you, everyone has. But these guys are cool they'll keep away any unwanted attention.” She winked, and though Ferak didn't understand the implication, she happily followed to the teenagers' table. “So this is Tim, and Jason, and Carrie...”

It was late by the time Ferak even began to tire of talking with the teens, and dragged Stephanie over to her own friends. “Meet Sissy Ivy, and Renee, and Babs, and.....and,” Ferak stammered and struggled a moment before she realized she didn't know the other three people.

Dick waved gently and introduced himself and his date, leading Steph to squeal, “You're from Metropolis? Tell me all about it, it must be so exciting!”

With Steph so distracted, the last man at the table reached out his hand to shake Ferak's. “It's good to finally meet you I'm Bruce Wayne.”

Ferak's brow furrowed as she tried to remember. “You had the lab like Papa's?”

It's my lab, yes.” Bruce pulled out the chair next to him for Ferak to sit. “But not like your...father's, I hope.”

Clean,” Ferak agreed, warming quickly to Bruce. “Warm, good. Good people. Good home.”

Ivy kept watching the man's face; she hadn't been able to look away since he sat down. Something in his vaguely chilly reception of her was distinctly familiar. If only she could place it... “I swear I met him before.”

Course you do, he's Bruce Wayne,” Renee answered. She reached to squeeze Ivy's hand, and with a deference that shocked Dick and Barbara, Ivy dropped the question.

Ferak's chatter was off like a rocket, leaving Bruce to nod, smile and pretend he understood. But pretend he did, and well enough that Ferak soon threw her arms around him for a hug – a picture that several cameramen would submit to the papers the next morning – and Bruce caught her deftly. “New friend Bruce makes me happy!” She proclaimed.

Bruce laughed, patted her hair and let her go, to mild applause to those who had come to like Ferak, as a cute sort of mascot for their projects. “Well seeing you do so well, that makes me happy, too.”

Stephanie tugged at Ferak's hand, once she was done grilling Kara. “Come on, they're getting ready to serve the cake!”

As the younger girls flew toward the dessert table, Bruce gave Ivy another long look, and finally a smile. “You've done a really great job with her. I saw the security tapes from her arrival. You should be proud.”

I am.” Hearing so many of Ferak's praises that night, Ivy indulged in the feeling of a proud parent. “And trust me. After a life like mine, it's nice to be appreciated.”

Of course, the lab was a big help,” Renee chimed in. She knew he could hear the thanks behind her words, for trusting Ivy, and trusting her.

Bruce nodded and stood. “I think they have the right idea,” He gestured toward Stephanie and Ferak, both with huge bowls of cake and ice cream, and wandered away.

Before they knew it, night was getting old. The lights dimmed and the flow of wine stopped to drive people to their own homes. The driveway filled quickly with cars and valets, and the remaining food was boxed up for a local soup kitchen to give out. While Ferak was buzzing with energy from her sugar and wine, Ivy began to bristle from too much company, and Renee started her round of goodbyes. But Barbara grabbed her hand instead of offering a hug and steered her into the mansion. “Come on, there's something I want to talk to you about. Just for a minute.”

Renee followed with her heart hammering. It had been such a pleasant night, surely Barbara wasn't going to start another fight so late? But her worries were quenched when she saw Bruce and Stephanie both waiting in the study Barbara led her to, leaving her just confused. “Surprise party?”

Graduation,” Bruce answered. He held something out toward her (once Steph had locked the door against prying eyes and ears). When Renee opened the package she found a costume, so much the same as the one Barbara had worn so long ago, when Batwoman seemed far out of Renee's reach. The shape, color, style were all the same, but the costume was cut differently. Taller, wider in some areas, thinner in others. Made to fit her.

What is this?” She asked, hushed as she lay the fabric against her suit.

It's time, Renee.” Barbara was beaming. “Once, you told me you picked Batgirl over Batwoman because you didn't think you could measure up to me. I should have told you how silly that was a long time ago.

The thought took a second to click in Renee's mind. “You want me to be Batwoman? Now? After everything with Ivy?”

Well you weren't taking it before, when else were you going to?” Steph asked.

Bruce stepped forward. “There's no better time. You've done well. With both of them.”

Barbara filed in his few words. “Look, I'm not sorry about being suspicious of her. Or warning you away. Or fighting, really- ” She cut herself off and continued. “But you were right. She's changed, and you changed her. And I can't think of any better test for a Batwoman.”

Renee ran the fabric through her fingers and swallowed back the lump in her throat. “You really think I deserve it.”

Oh come on! You're awesome, everyone knows that,” Steph grinned. “Now stop being silly and say you'll do it!”

Renee lifted her eyes and found Bruce's looking back at her. He nodded once, and the trust it showed spoke volumes. “Yes,” she said, and hugged her new costume. “Yes I'm going to be Batwoman!”

Steph ran up to embrace her; Barbara offered a long, but calmer farewell hug for the night. As Barbara began to explain the suit's features, and carve out time for training, Bruce just smiled. Renee smiled back, stoic but proud, and it was enough to show every ounce of her gratitude.

*****

Epilogue

Down there, see?”

Remember, no casualties. It's not their crime.”

Relax, I know. I've learned.”

Okay, on three. One....two...”

They were off with a bang, the two heroines into the Gotham streets. Batwoman swung a line from the rooftop to ride on; Ivy drew out a welcoming branch from a tree on the sidewalk to catch her fall. Below them a mob raged, all wearing the same ugly, but fashionable, hats that had brought out the worst of them.

Crowd control!” Ivy called to her partner, and Batwoman nodded. “I'll find Hatter.”

Both of them heard Oracle's voice in their earpieces. “Signal's coming from an apartment on Fifth and Market. Break some stuff up, Ivy, it can only help.”

I like this part of the job,” She grinned and made a pathway in the trees.

They'd done their best to re-make her image in light of her commitment to crime-fighting. Ivy had a real costume now, fortified like Batwoman's, if showing much more skin. The green jumpsuit was threaded with white vines and ivy leaves that hugged her form. She didn't always wear it; her own clothes had always worked well for her in the past. But she knew how much Renee loved to see her in the costume, for many reasons. After her years of retirement, it made her feel alive to be active and powerful again, and on the right side.

They had become quite a team, between meshing their fighting styles together, and divvying the job well. Renee set to work on the mob, swinging down over the people and knocking off as many hats as she could. She shouted down to the dazed people who she had set free, “get the hats off everyone, they're evil!”

In some other cities, the cry would be ignored, but this was Gotham, and Gothamites had seen enough to believe anything. They set to the job, helping Batwoman thin the mob while she helped any injured off the streets.

Meanwhile, Ivy made a beeline to the source of the problem. She still had a reputation among many Arkham alumni, and Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, was one of them. When her branch crashed through his window his triumphant laughter stopped. “Ivy, well, what a surprise. I'm a little busy now, why don't you come back - “ a vine wrapped around his body and pinned his arms down. “Or maybe now could be good.”

Ivy worked as she always had, with focus and precision. The broadcasting machine looked just as Oracle had described, easy to find and satisfying to crunch. She left Tetch tied and blew him a kiss on her way back out the window. “All I'm here for, Jarvis. Police'll be here soon.”

The chaos was clearing up by the time they met back up on their rooftop, above Renee's apartment building. Ivy got there first, and greeted her girlfriend with a long kiss. “No more evil hats?”

We had most of them contained, then you finished it off.” Renee returned the kiss and tangled her fingers through Ivy's hair. “I'm so proud of you. Finally on the side of justice.”

If that's what it takes for you,” Ivy winked. “Just wish it were always so easy.”

Means we get the night while it's still young.” Batwoman's cloak billowed out in the wind and wrapped Ivy closely. They kissed in the moonlight, their single silhouette falling onto the rooftop. Below them lay the city they kept safe, the home that had become their own, and the life they made together.


Fin