Title: Growing
Fandom: Batman
Dedicated To: <3 My very own Harley, my "Mister J" <3
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Ivy/Harley
Rating: G/K
Summary: Ivy's growing; she's not the only one.
Word Count: 1089
Written For: Fan FlashWorks: 375: Seed
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.









Ivy carefully cupped the tiny, green ball in her hands. She closed her eyes for a moment, sending warmth from deep within her into the seed. When the small seed began to heat in her hands, Ivy reopened her eyes but kept her gaze and attention focused on the delicate thing that still needed her. It began to grow in her cusp. Vines broke slowly out from it, and as they grew, Ivy set the seed back into the fresh soil and patted it into its bed.

She could feel its gratitude sweeping up from the ground into her. Its vines slid up her legs, circled her waist, and hugged her gently as they continued to grow. Then they spread across the ground, eager in its first exploration of its new world, a world where she knew she would keep it safe. She sighed and rocked back onto her heels, satisfied at her little one’s growth.

“PAM-A-LAMB!” Harley’s loud, shrill voice shattered the silence. Her hyenas rushed into the garden, laughing merrily. “YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT I BOUGHT TODAY!”

Ivy sighed. In all her years, she had never spent her money from her scientific research, what little there had been of it until she’d had a second pair of helping hands, on so many frills! At least it was new clothes, she thought, glancing at Harley’s armload of bags, and not more silly gag gifts. Besides, if they brought her Harls joy, they were well worth the money, no matter how much it might have been or how much good she might have been able to do with those same funds for Mother Earth and their children.

Harley was a lot like their seeds, so fragile, so delicate, though hidden deep within a hard shell. Harls stopped and looked at her girlfriend. She popped her gum and let it splatter over her lips. Just like a silly teenager, Ivy thought. Harley was never going to grow up, but that also was never going to stop Ivy from loving her. “Whatcha doing?” To Ivy’s surprise, Harley tossed her bags to the side and dropped down beside her on her pale, muscular knees.

“Growing,” Ivy murmured softly in response, looking back down to the seed. Several vines had now grown from it, and her new baby was eagerly exploring every bit of space it could find.

A vine got too close to one of Harley’s hyenas, and the hyena snapped at it. “No no!” Harley wagged a finger at the spotted, mangy beast. “Momma’s baby mustn’t snap at Momma’s other baby’s baby!” She giggled, pleased with the silliness of her remark.

Ivy sighed, but she still had to smile, watching Harley. The beautiful, precious woman had grown so much in the short time they had known each other. Yes, she thought, growing. She was growing so many things these days, and in so many more wonderful ways than she’d ever thought possible before first meeting Harley and becoming determined to help her break free from the abuse in which she had suffered so greatly and for so very long.

“So,” she said, springing up from the ground, “show me your bags!”

“Sure thing!” Harley grinned wide, bounced up, and hurried over to her bags. She started to pull the clothes out to show Ivy, but Ivy waved her away.

“No!” the redhead declared dismissively. “Show me!”

“Huh?” Harley asked, a look of complete befuddlement falling over her beautiful face.

“Show me,” Ivy repeated and then gestured to the bags and a great fern that stood watchfully not too far away. She smiled and batted her eyelashes at her. “Dress up for me.”

“Oh!” Harley’s face lit up. “You betcha!” She hurried to hide behind the fern.

They’d spend the next few hours playing dress up and pretend, Ivy knew, but Harley would relish every moment of it. She, in turn, would relish every moment with the one human who she treasured as much as the plants with whom she had always surrounded herself. If not, Ivy thought, feeling a tinge of guilt, more so. She glanced around her at her beloved plants. They needed her so badly, and she was the only one who cared for Mother Nature’s other children the way she did.

But then, she was also the only one who truly cared for this child, she thought, clapping as Harley bounded out from behind the fern in a tiny pair of (of all things) polka dotted, red and black shorts and a matching, tight crop top featuring a huge, black bow. Harley was full of love, life, and joy, but she had never had anyone to care for her, not truly. She had never had anyone before the Joker, which was why she had fallen so easily, quickly, and hard for the ruthless clown who had never genuinely cared for her and had always used her, and hurt her, for his own advantages. He had drained everything from Harley, destroying her reputation, her spirit, her mind, the very woman who she had been before. Harley had been despondent, a meager shell of any living being, let alone a vibrant, beautiful woman, when Ivy had taken her in the last time and began to nurse her back to health. Harls hadn’t left since, but she had grown. She had grown in joy and beauty. Even her mind had begun to heal. Yes, Ivy thought, she was growing, and she was looking ever more beautiful with each day. She only hoped that when she was healed completely, she would choose to stay with her instead of going back to the clown, as she had done every time before.

“Hey, Pam-a-lamb?” Harley called from behind the fern.

Ivy blinked, her lover’s timid voice drawing her out from her reverie. “Yes?”

“You ever think about seeing the world?” Harley asked. “I mean, I know your plants can’t exactly go everywhere -- “

“They can go wherever I can.”

Silence reigned for a moment before Harley asked again with every timid caution of a sweet but scared, little girl, “Well, have you ever thought about it?”

“Harley,” Ivy replied, rocking back on her heels once more and beaming, “I would love to see the world with you.” Indeed, she would, and she would love to continue growing every day in humanity and in love and in whatever else for which the Green Mother had chosen to give her this beautiful girl, her one human friend in all the world and so much more.



The End