She's Sunshine, She's Grace, She'll Punch You in the Face

Chapter 72: Love Can Change for the Better

"Wow, that's amazin'!" Harley hopped off the swing to get a better look at the perfect rich brown hand shaped print in the typical grey soil.

"It certainly is." Ivy grinned

"And you had no idea you could do this?" Damian looked just as amazed as the rest of them.

"No." She giggled as she ran her hand across the dirt to see it change colors. "I think I'm going to dig now." She finally sat down on the ground and began to actually dig her hands into the dirt.

"We got some cool girlfriends, don't we?" Harley casually rested her arm on Damian's shoulder.

Damian stepped out of Harley's reach and gave her a mean look.

"What?" Harley grinned. "Are you going to sit here and tell me that I'm wrong?"

"No. You're partially right."

"Ya hear that, Red? Mista Wayne here thinks I'm partially right about somethin'."

"Does he now?" Ivy smiled as she walked back to the swing to sit and watch Marinette.

"He sure did!" Harley skipped after her to sit in the swing next to her.

Damian rolled his eyes at the two and begrudgingly took the last swing to also sit and watch Marinette.

They sat in silence for a while before Damian spoke up again.

"How long is she supposed to dig?"

"Not too long." Ivy looked over to see Marinette digging in an already one-and-a-half-foot hole she made. "I'll pay for her dry cleaning if you are worried about it."

"I'm sure this isn't how you wanted to spend your weekend." Harley frowned. "I know you two would rather go on another cute date or somethin'."

"The day is still young." Ivy smiled at the young billionaire. "I know you two might have some other late-night activities with your family so I'll try to have you out of here to still have some time for just the two of you."

Damian stared at Ivy for a moment before speaking again. "How long have you known? And why keep quiet?"

"I have never had any interest in unmasking Gotham's heroes and I never will. And you can blame Selina and her sexual escapades with your father for me even piecing it together. I've known since she told me she was publicly dating Bruce Wayne."

"Who would have though that our favorite cat burglar would have ended up with a billionaire and not on purpose?" Harley joked.

"Selina was never a gold digger anyways. She's nothing if not a hard worker, even if it wasn't in the most legal of ways." Ivy looked off into the distance like she was remembering something.

"My father said you two have a 'silent agreement' going on? What's that about?" Damian never took his eyes off of Marinette as he spoke.

"Let's just say that we look out for each other in some sort of way. We aren't friends but we certainly are no longer enemies. Especially with Selina being the bridge between us." Ivy followed Damian's line of sight to watch Marinette as well. "In fact, Wayne Enterprises has done a lot for me and the conservation of Gotham's plants. His go green initiative is starting to do wonders for Gotham and its people."

"And if it wasn't for B-man and his understanding that I was in such an abusive relationship with the Joker, I would still be locked away inside Arkham right now. Thanks to him, I'm no longer considered clinically insane. I got my clean bill of health." Harley gave Damian a bright smile.

Damian looked over at Harley with confusion on his face. "What do you mean? I mean, I know that Arkham let you go but Batman had something to do with it?"

"He didn't tell ya?" Harley tilted her head in equal confusion. "Bats pleaded on my behalf. He showed them what Joker did to me over time and that I no longer blindly follow him. He reminded them of the night I finally broke up with him and what he did to me."

"And thankfully I got it through your thick skull that you do not need a man. Especially one that never cared about you or your feelings." Ivy reached for her hand and Harley gladly accepted it.

"Why would he do that?" Damian looked down at the two women's hands.

"Because your father is a smart man." Harley smiled. "He has always known that the Joker was only using me and he tried to tell me on multiple occasions but I never listened. I truly thought that what me and him had was true love. 'Mad love' is what we called it. I'm glad that Batman remembered me before I fell for the Jokers lies because if he didn't, I don't think I ever would have stood a chance. There were some good things that came out of this though." Harley looked over at Ivy with nothing but love in her eyes.

Damian watched them for a moment before bringing his eyes back to his soulmate. "So, you believe love changed you for the better this time?"

"I believe love changed us both for the better." Ivy nodded. "I thought the only thing I would ever love is the green but somehow this spunky little blonde changed my mind. She showed me that not all people are bad."

"I think I understand now." Damian looked back to the women again. "But I'm only giving each of you one chance. I'm not nearly as forgiving as my father."

"Awe, you see that Red?" Harley shook with excitement. "The Ice Prince is warmin' up to us!"

"Um, guys!" Marinette poked her head up from the hole she was digging to look over at the trio on the swings. "I think I'm getting close."

Harley was the first one to hop off the swing to look into the hole with Damian and Ivy not too far behind.

"Oh, wow!" Harley grabbed onto Ivy's arm and pointed down at the hole. "It looks like someone buried a lightbulb, Red."

Damian looked down to see a faint white glow coming from underneath the soil.