My Scars Are Yours Today

“So Ivy, how are you feeling?” She nervously ran her fingers through Happy’s fur as he sat on her knee; her argument to Gordon had been that if he was allowed Batman and a psychiatrist in the room with him then surely she was allowed to have a harmless puppy with her. She glanced at the psychiatrist as she had already put her pen to paper.

“Nervous, sore, tired,” Ivy listed, feeling quite nauseous.

“Why nervous?” They wanted to know if she was nervous about the Joker returning, she knew that and she also knew that he couldn’t ask her straight out as it was a leading question.

“I don’t like being in this situation.”

“And what situation is that?”

“This. Being sat here, being interrogated.”

“Is that because of your history with the police?” Ivy tensed and her eyes shot up to Gordon’s. That was unfair.

“That is in the past,” She spoke lowly and began fingering the collar around Happy‘s neck and the tag which had his name on it. Ivy and Batman looked at each other for several seconds before she looked back down at the table. She saw Gordon smile slightly to himself before he looked down at the sheets in front of him.

“Your time with the Joker is also in the past so does that mean you don’t want to talk about that either?”

“You are correct.”

“Do you want to see the footage that was streamed to our televisions when the Joker had you?” Ivy stared across the table in anger.

“Why are you treating me like this? I never asked to be kidnapped by that sick bastard!”

“Then why did he choose you?”

“I don’t know!” Both Gordon and Ivy’s voices were slowly rising.

“He must have said something, anything to you!”

“I’ve been watching you this past week and I’ve never seen… never seen such a small delicate thing with so much pent up rage. Is he training you?” He pushed her back against the wall and punched her hard in the stomach when she never answered his question.
“Answer me,” He yelled, his voice coming out much like an animalistic growl as she doubled over and moaned loudly in pain.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” She uttered out weakly, wheezing from pain.
“Batman!”
“Why the hell would he be training me? I’ve only been in Gotham for like three weeks,” The Joker stared at her as she supported herself against the wall, breathing heavily. Had Bruce not told her whom he dressed up as at night?

“He never,” Ivy growled lowly.

“Ivy, I know that you are keeping information from me. I want to know exactly what happened whilst you were with him.”

“I was knocked out for most of it! I woke up just before that footage was made. He said nothing that would mean anything to you.”

“Why are you covering for him Ivy? He scarred your skin, he mutilated you.”

“Scars fade.”

“So you admit that you’re covering for him.”

“I never said anything of the sort,” Ivy said so calmly that Gordon was becoming so frustrated with the girl. The door to the room was opened and another police officer entered.

“Gordon, I think you need to take this call,” The young officer stated and held his cell phone out to Gordon with a shaking hand. Ivy looked at Bruce and then to the psychiatrist whom was still scribbling away furiously. Sighing, Gordon put the cell phone to his ear before immediately tensing.

“Is it really a good idea to have Ivy in the hand’s of your people, Commissioner? Considering what happened to Dent and Rachael last time, I thought you would‘ve learnt your lesson,” The unwelcome voice spoke causing the older man to rub his temples.

“Joker,” Gordon hissed through his teeth, “what do you want with the girl?” Ivy’s eyes immediately widened and she clutched Happy to her in a protective manner.

“See, I know for a fact that you’re interrogating her right now,” Gordon was silent and looked over at Ivy, “You’re just too predictable Gordon!” The last time Ivy had heard the Joker was as he fought with her uncle on the roof of Wayne Enterprise so understandably she was shaking violently at just the thought of him. She wanted Bruce to comfort her but knew that would never happen, no, not under the watchful eyes of the other’s in the interrogation room. Her only source of comfort was the German Shepherd puppy that lay in her lap, blissfully unaware of what was happening to his owner during those tension filled moments.

“I’d get out of there whilst you can if I was you Commissioner,” The line went dead and the short conversation came to an end. The cell phone was passed back to the stunned officer in the doorway as Gordon stood.

“We’ll carry this on tomorrow,” He spoke sternly and immediately Batman took off and left the room. Ivy nodded in agreement and shakily stood from her chair, clutching Happy to her chest. She walked over to Gordon and looked him dead in the eye as the psychiatrist left the room also.

“What did he say?” She uttered, her voice shaking slightly.

“Just stay close to your uncle Ivy and you’ll be fine. Take a seat outside of reception and I’ll call for someone to pick you up,” The seventeen year old nodded and walked past the aging man. She made it halfway to the reception before being interrupted. Several loud explosions reverberated around the station and shook it down to it’s foundations.