Time and Time Again.Author: Citanul
Feedback: Be kind, rewind?
Spoilers: Just about all of them. Go watch the show.
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: W/T, B/F
Disclaimer: You all know I don’t own the rights to characters you’ve seen on TV.
Summary: A story of reincarnation and interdimensional travel made possible through the power of love. What misfortunes will our two favorite love birds be able to prevent with the aid of experience from countless past lives.
Author’s Note: Posting this while visiting family. This update may be on the shorter side compared to some of my other chapters, but there are some major game changers in play by the end. Tell me what you guys think. Are my ramblings better in longer sessions or smaller easily digested chunks?
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Primer: Sirens
Willow = Dr. Harleen Quinzel = Harley Quinn = the blonde/blue eyes
Tara = Dr. Pamela Isley = Poison Ivy = the redhead/green eyes
Xander = Bruce Wayne = Batman
Anya = Selina Kyle = Catwoman
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Sirens: Jungle Love Deep within the heart of the Amazon Rainforest the residents of a small camp were heavily underway aiding research. They moved to and fro like bees in a hive, all the while never tiring. Perhaps the one thing that stood out about the workers and their efforts most was the fact they were not human. No the workers of this camp were tall, seemingly brawny, plants that lumbered about.
Their green bodies composed mainly of sturdy yet flexible fibers similar to that of many common varieties of vines. Overly long arms made of loosely woven vines nearly dragged the ground as the creatures bobbed along on spindly legs composed of tighter weaves. Their torsos held dense wooden growths that verdant clusters of various vines and leaves emerged from and wove around.
The closest things they had to heads were thick wild bundles of long, soft stalks sprouting from the top of the body where the neck should have been. Each tendril was covered in fine cilia that sensed just about any form of vibration and soaked up any odor emitting particles present. The creatures’ senses of smell and hearing were developed to the point they could pinpoint just about any nearby moving or even stationary life forms, and more importantly they could easily distinguish different voices those creatures had.
All these things made them the perfect servants for Ivy and Harley. The Botanist had engineered them from various plant DNA samples they collected on their journey. When the first one sprouted in the soil of the ship Love’s Bitch it was cause for much celebration between the two women. Ivy could use her plant powers to communicate with them as easily as talking face to face with Harley. The very first lesson they each learned was that the slim blonde was to be protected and obeyed at all times.
Harley had engineered a number of simple modifications to the ship’s systems to allow them to set sail with no crew to speak of, but the going was slow. Using a combination of witchcraft and chemical engineering to boost intelligence their first hundred plant creatures made an excellent crew.
The five months since leaving Gotham Harbor had yielded many other remarkable finds. Ivy had discovered a dozen unknown plant species. Harley had cataloged each and uploaded findings on their medicinal properties and chemical compositions to the various research divisions at Star Labs and Wayne Enterprises. Wayne Chemical, Biotech, Pharmaceutical, and of course Botanical were especially interested.
The discoveries led to remarkable new advances which increased the net worth of the couple by over ten times their initial seed money. With the majority of that windfall they bought up land, logging rights and major logging companies in a handful of rainforest rich countries and shut the agents of deforestation down. Harley had practically filled the lower decks to the stern of Love’s Bitch with machines, tools, equipment and vehicles she had long term plans to break down and repurpose.
As an added benefit of their findings while exploring various jungle terrains Lexcorp stock had fallen ten percent a month for the last three months. Things were looking up as the couple searched the dense, verdant wilderness for anything that might help them once they moved on from this world.
“Baby, look what the mass spectrometer found in this plant!” Harley called to her love while holding a sample of a small leafy bush with dark green leaves covered in a thick latticework of deep blue veins. The readings were unlike any their findings had discovered. The simulations Harley’s computer ran were all coming up with amazing results.
“Oh Goddess Sweetie.” Ivy whispered as she wrapped her arms around the slender woman from behind. “This could be it. This might help them, or at least buy us time.” A frown soured her emerald features. “Goddess please don’t let this species be isolated to this dimension alone.” She prayed.
“I know.” Harley agreed solemnly, trying not to luxuriate too thoroughly in the feeling of curvy breasts pressed into her back. “We have to get these samples back to the ship and start readying the greenhouse.”
Ivy closed her eyes and focused on her connection to the Green. A slight shiver ran up and down Harley’s spine as their link allowed a kind of feedback to ripple through her body while her love communed with nature. At first the new and odd sensation was slightly disturbing. But as she grew accustomed to the way Ivy reached out to the natural world the tingle started to become evermore erotic.
Harley squirmed in her seat as her verdant love reached out with her senses while still draping her arms and a large amount of her naked body over the blonde’s mostly exposed back. Harley nearly came right there as a wicked smirk spread across green lips.
Suddenly the tingle was gone and Ivy straightened up. She placed both hands on Harley’s shoulders and turned her around. For her part Harley looked thoroughly put out.
“I just gave the order to break camp.” Ivy said with an innocent tone.
“Baby?” Harley whined, her body still humming with sensations she’d grown to love. “You know what that does to me! You’re going to pay for that later missy.” She promised.
“I always love the way you make me pay Sweetie.” Ivy replied with another smirk.
Harley grabbed her love and pulled the emerald woman into a searing kiss that lasted for several minutes. The slender woman brought her leg up between curvy green thighs and pressed in a way that she knew drove her love crazy.
Ivy gasped into the kiss. She could already feel her arousal build to dangerous levels. Then the kiss was suddenly cut short. Ivy pouted as she nearly stumbled when the contact with beautiful pink lips was ended.
Harley smiled sweetly as she traced a lone finger up the inside of one green thigh. She gathered copious amounts of the nectar and brought the finger back up to her mouth. As she slid the digit past her lips and over her tongue her eyes fluttered closed at the syrupy sweet taste unique to Ivy’s altered physiology.
The blonde then hopped up and left her dazed lover still stunned at the display. Poking her head back in the shelter the lab equipment had occupied Harley gave one last parting shot.
“Like I said Baby. Later.” And then the psychiatrist was off.
Ivy stood there stunned as she clutched the edge of the table trying to get her lust back in check. Harley knew just how to work her in the best ways imaginable. Oh there would be payback later. On both sides.
For now thought, they had a camp to break and plants to ready. Introducing new babies to her floating nursery was always a delight. These ones held so much of her hopes and dreams that she didn’t know if she’d be able to contain herself.
In short order the camp was cleared out. The equipment was loaded back onto the helicopter they flew from the ship. The lovers dressed and readied the multiple samples to be moved safely. The plant creatures had been grown on the spot in a matter of minutes and would soon find nice sunny spots to go dormant in until Ivy called on them.
The couple flew the helicopter out of the grassy clearing in the dense rainforest and made a bee line straight for their ship. It seemed as if nothing could ruin this amazing day.
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In orbit around the Earth a number of factions convened in a secured chamber on the Watch Tower. Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner who made up the majority of Earth’s Green Lanterns, and other members of the Justice League supervised a meeting between Carol Ferris, the current leader of the Star Saphires, Larfleeze, the lone Orange Lantern, and Saint Walker, the founder of the Blue Lantern Corps.
Several Blue Lanterns, Green Lanterns and Star Sapphires were attending what was initially a peace summit. Unfortunately it was breaking down into a very vocal argument regarding what to do about the Red Lanterns that were still acting as mindless rage zombies throughout several sectors.
The Orange wanted to kill them all and assimilate every single one into his ring’s menagerie of stolen specters. The Violet wanted to launch full scale assaults as their power could bring a Red down instantly if they were focused enough. The Blue wanted to at least try healing them. Being as a Blue ring was one of the only forces known to reverse the destruction of the heart and blood in Red Lanterns it was technically a feasible plan.
Of course having a Green standing by augmenting and being augmented by the Blue was the only way it would work. Having the Lone Orange there with his shadow army running interference was also an ideal situation. The Violets could more than prove useful in the endeavor as well.
The most obvious obstacle to this marvelous plan was the Lanterns themselves. As of late Love had a haughty attitude that bordered on insane. Greed was greedy as always and wanted to know what was in it for him. Hope was growing exasperated at the deadlock. And Will wanted actionable solutions to the crisis.
Getting four Corps representing the embodiments of four radically conflicting emotions was proving to be quite the task.
“What I want to know is why no one invited the purple guys to this party.” Flash said with exasperated arm flails as he stood by and watched the talks dissolve. “I mean isn’t their entire deal convincing people to have the tiniest shred of compassion for one another?”
“Having that many color guards at the table would have alerted the Yellow and Red Corps to this meeting.” Batman replied stoically. “That is if the Indigo didn’t tip them off on their own.”
“And we don’t want a Lantern war to break out over Earth.” Superman added.
“Indeed.” Wonder Woman agreed.
Just then a siren went off and a young man’s voice came in over the communications system. “Guys we have incoming.” Cyborg stated. “Red Lantern drop ship just came out of warp and is entering the atmosphere. Trajectory indicates a crash site in northern Brazil. Looks like Belém.”
As the League and present Corps mobilized they all had an eerie feeling this was only the beginning of something dreadful.
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Harley and Ivy landed on the helicopter pad to the stern of their ship’s tower. They were greeted by a dozen of their plant crew. The lumbering masses of greenery began unloading equipment as Ivy brought the most important samples to the greenhouse below the section of transparent deck. Harley refueled the chopper and went to join her love.
The psychiatrist entered the greenhouse to find her girl singing softly to the tiny blue and green shrubs she was replanting in a medium sized soil box. The botanist’s singing voice always brought a tear to Harley’s eye and joy to her heart. She couldn’t imagine life getting any better.
Then things became far too interesting. A thunderous roar tore through the sky and both women looked up to see a flying ball of fire sail over their freighter and towards the mainland. They ran to the bridge atop the ship’s tower. Harley turned on the radio and started scanning frequencies trying to determine what was going on while Ivy had the plants on the bridge bring her binoculars.
There was a terrible crashing sound in the distance in the direction the fireball had traveled. Harley tuned into a naval emergency frequency and listened in.
“Alien craft has crash landed in the city of Belém.” Was all they heard before the signal cut out.
Harley looked to the charts they had of the surrounding seas and countries. A scowl crossed her face as she calculated their distance. “We can be there in thirty minutes if we load the chopper with emergency and combat gear right now.”
“What?” Ivy asked in shock. “Are we heroes now?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time!” Harley replied.
“Oh Goddess you really miss it don’t you?” Ivy whispered.
“Don’t you Baby?” Harley asked with a slightly pleading tone.
“Yes alright.” The green woman admitted. “I miss it, but this w-world has h-heroes that won’t accept us.”
“We’ll make them change their minds Baby.” The slender woman assured. “We can do anything together.”
“Alright, you get the chopper ready while I load soil and seed pods for our troops once we get there.” Ivy said boldly.
“I love you so much Baby.” Harley replied as she kissed her love then ran off.
Within minutes they were in the air and heading towards the city bordering on the jungles and rivers of Brazil. They didn’t know what lay in store for them but it didn’t matter. They were going to make a difference.
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Panic and chaos reigned over the streets of Belém. Red Lanterns poured out of the spacecraft and attacked the first thing they came across. Several buildings had sustained structural damage as the crash tore across part of the city. People were running for their lives.
Then the Justice League showed up and brought several Lantern Corps with them. Things got better for a moment. Then they got worse.
Red Lanterns started to spew their deadly corrosive blood from their mouths at the sight of so many other lanterns. Each hero fought valiantly in the face of mindless rage. The League was spread across the city and each member was using what they excelled at to either fight off the invaders or save civilian lives.
Several minutes into the fray Batman thought he saw a familiar sight out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see a helicopter dropping plant creatures down to a building while ferrying people from a badly damaged roof to more stable terrain.
“It can’t be.” He said as he threw a sonic disruptor batarang into the face of yet another Red Lantern to face him. “What the frilly heck are they doing here?”
Just then he saw two of the Violet light wielding Star Sapphires consumed by the horrible red plasma spray of a gang of Reds. Their constructs immediately faded into a disorienting mist and tiny points of pink light rose from their remains. Their rings were in search of new hosts.
“Oh no.” Batman thought as he saw the lights head straight for the now grounded helicopter. “Please no.”
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Things had been going better than Harley expected. They arrived to find chaos and immediately began to aid civilian rescue efforts with their refurbished helicopter. Ivy worked on growing plant creatures and massive vine growths to aid in moving people to safety and shoring up damaged buildings.
Harley flew the chopper from roof to roof. They were making good time and managed to save a great many people whose homes now lay in ruins. Then things turned sour as a glob of the toxic Red Lantern ooze hit their rear rotor. Harley barely managed to set it down but they were grounded dozens of miles away from their ship. What’s more Ivy was running low on plants.
Just when it looked like they were out of the fight two points of light shot towards Harley and Ivy. The Violet lights proved to be rings with distinctive starburst patterns on them. Harley felt like she should recognize them more readily. It was the last thought she had as light consumed her and the woman she loved. Violet light.
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Light blossomed in all directions and subsumed the districts of the city most affected by the chaos. Fires were snuffed out and damaged buildings had their structures shored up by massive growths of opaque pink crystal.
The people in the city looked up to see a massive crystal canopy stretching across the sky as tendrils of Violet light snatched up Red Lanterns left and right. Each crimson warrior was dragged into a crystalline cocoon of their very own.
Members of the League and the other four Corps stared in wonder as the structure formed a crystal orb and hovered over the city. Blues went about healing the wounded. The other colors went to work ferrying people to safety. Catwoman walked up to Batman and wrapped her arms around him nervously.
“Is it going to just hang there or will it try to eat us up too?” The thief asked.
“I doubt it.” The vigilante replied as Martian Manhunter, Doctor Fate, Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris, Wonder Woman and Superman came to land beside him. “Carol.” He called. “How long do Star Sapphires remain inside the crystal once the ring chooses them?”
“No more than thirty seconds.” The leader of the Star Sapphires replied. “Why?”
Batman looked the woman in the eye with grim resolve. “It’s been fifteen minutes since Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy were chosen as new Star Sapphires.”
“What?” The leader of the Violet Lanterns cried out. “This reaction is completely unheard of. Who are the lovers of these two women?”
Catwoman looked Carol Ferris in the face and burst out laughing. Superman and Wonder Woman soon joined her with heartfelt laughter of their own. Everyone else save for Batman looked at the three as if they had gone mad. After a long minute the man of steel straightened up and cleared his throat.
“It was funny.” The Kryptonian said while shrugging his arms.
The cat burglar looked the Star Sapphire in the eyes and grinned sarcastically. “Carol, Harley and Ivy are orgasm buddies.” She said drawing a confused look from the woman.
“The kind that don’t need a man to have a good time.” Wonder Woman added. “You know? Lesbian gay type lovers.”
“I didn’t think the rings would ever choose a gay couple.” Carol whispered in shock. “They draw power from love but just about every woman in the corps has to make due with a long distance relationship or abstain from dating completely.”
“So this is what happens when the rings bond with two people in love with each other?” Hal asked. “Or just when they bond with a gay person?”
“I don’t think the rings have ever chosen a gay woman before let alone two.” Carol answered.
“I sense a darker hand in this.” Doctor Fate chimed in. “There are powerful magicks at play here.”
“Harley did say they were both powerful witches.” Batman replied. “J’onn do you sense anything?”
The Martian faced the floating crystal construct and grew still. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his psychic abilities. With a sudden startling burst his head snapped up and his eyes widened in confusion.
“There is a massive presence at the heart of the sphere unlike any I have felt before.” The green alien said as his reaction drew concerned looks from the group. “We need to investigate further.” He finished in a hollow voice.
“We’ll come with.” Said Saint Walker as he and a number of Blue Lanterns flew up.
With determination the group went up to the sphere and found a small opening in one side. They quickly entered and found a corridor made of the pink crystals Star Sapphires could form with their powers. The group hung together as they navigated what turned out to be a maze of twisting and winding tunnels.
After several minutes they came across another occupant of the maze. A Red Lantern trapped in crystalline stasis. Saint Walker approached the confined invader with confidence. He reached out with the Hope in his heart and touched the crystal. As he did there was a slight rumbling from all around them.
The crystal confining the Red menace began to vibrate as its hue shifted from light pink to a deep blue. Matching light swirled within the crystal and spread across the Lantern within.
“Wow, that’s neat!” A voice cheered from behind them.
The League and Lanterns turned and saw the source of the voice. A holographic projection of Harley Quinn dressed in a tight violet and black outfit with a distinctive pattern that alternated from one color to the other in an almost checker board fashion.
The tight pants had clusters of four diamonds at different spots on the legs. The even tighter vest left her midriff exposed and acted as a corset. It was mostly that same violet shade all the Star Sapphires wore but it had heavy black belts holding it together.
The left breast and shoulder strap was black while their counterparts were violet. There were sleeves and fingerless gloves on each arm that had the same alternating color scheme. The tips of her long blonde pigtails were colored to match the alternating patches of black and violet. All in all the hologram was an impressive sight.
“I can already tell his vital signs are picking up.” Harley said through the projection. “Is that how you deal with these red guys? Massive infusions of blue energy to rebuild their circulatory systems that the ring destroys.”
“Yes.” Saint Walker replied calmly. “The blue light of Hope is perhaps the only way to heal a Red Lantern and remove his ring. Though I have seen the violet light of Love remove rings it almost always proved fatal. Normally it takes a long time and careful concentration to complete the healing process but it would seem these cocoons take care of most of the work.”
“So that’s what these powers are running off of.” Came a new voice. A hologram of Ivy formed beside Harley. She was dressed only in bright violet lingerie that left little to the imagination. Her vines and leaves had retained their deep green hue while her hair stayed the same shade of crimson. “Love?”
“It’s amazing Baby.” Harley added. “Our love actually saved the day.” The holograms kissed and clasped hands for a moment. After pulling out of the tender embrace of lips Harley turned back to Saint Walker and levied a request. “I’ll open up more entrances. You should have your buddies come in here and begin that healing process on all our guests once they are done tending to the victims in the city.” With that the holograms vanished.
“Well that was different.” Superman said.
“This is unbelievable!” Carol cried. “They shouldn’t be able to do anything like this so quickly. It takes months to master these rings and they have had minutes.”
“I feel we should press onward.” Doctor Fate said with his normal voice that was a blend of monotone and command. “We’ll most likely find these two at the heart of this maze.”
Silent nods all around the group confirmed their course. They continued down winding corridors and twisting pathways, stopping every so often to allow Saint Walker and his Corps to convert a crystal prison to the Blue.
They had made progress steadily towards the center of the orb when suddenly Doctor Fate stopped dead in his tracks. The others looked to him worried as the gold helmeted man brought a hand up to his head and staggered.
“I have never felt such power before.” He intoned with a hollow voice. “The presence I’m feeling rivals that of any Lord of Order or Chaos.”
“I guess we are pretty powerful.” Harley said, causing the entire group to jump at the sudden reappearance of her projection. “Guys relax.” She said offhandedly. “We don’t want to start a fight with any of you.”
“How is it possible you came to such power?” Doctor Fate demanded.
“Memories from lives lived by other versions of us in other dimensions.” The shadow answered. “Are you going to be cool or do something stupid like try to break our reincarnation spell?” She asked the magical figure decked in blue and gold.
“We shall see.” He answered ominously.
The image of the woman scowled and disappeared. A few League members looked to Fate with questioning eyes.
“Why in Hera’s name would you piss them off this early in the encounter while we’re standing in what could easily be their death trap?” Wonder Woman asked haughtily.
“Agreed.” The Martian added. “We know nothing of their intentions so far.”
“They’ve been keeping to themselves since they left Gotham and started exploring various rainforests.” Batman said calmly. “In the last few months they have discovered several new plant species whose chemical compositions have led to multimillion dollar breakthroughs in several fields. They appear to be searching for something but have yet to let on what.”
“You know these women?” Carol asked as several of the aliens not familiar with Batman turned to look at him.
“Ivy is one of Batman’s rogues.” Catwoman replied. “Though she claimed to retire from crime a few months back when she met Harley, her new psychiatrist.”
“A gifted psychiatrist turned computer programmer overnight and a genius botanist and chemist turned eco terrorist after her teacher poisoned her and turned her into a plant human hybrid.” Batman stated with cold analytical detachment.
As the group continued through the tunnels they came to a massive intersection. Dozens of tunnels branched off from this one room in all directions. They each looked around but couldn’t find any clue as to which way to proceed. With no better ideas they looked to Doctor Fate and Martian Manhunter. Both men reached out with their different senses.
“Something is blocking the flow of my magic.” Fate admitted after a moment.
“They are above us.” J’onn said as he brought a green had up to massage the bridge of his nose. “The presence is strongest in the chamber above. I don’t think it’s wise to try interacting with them psychically.”
“We have defenses in place to protect us Martian.” The image of Ivy said as it popped into the middle of their ranks. “You aren’t the first mind walker we’ve met and you won’t be the last. Please be respectful of our boundaries.”
“Understood.” J’onn remarked.
Superman looked up to the ceiling with his x-ray vision and whistled appreciatively at the sight he saw. “Now that’s impressive. Let’s head on up.”
They made their way through a hole in the domed roof and found themselves at the center of a massive arena. The wide field around them stretched out to a series of raised shelves circling the lower half of the huge chamber. Off to one side of them was a badly damaged helicopter. Lining the stands as if on display were the hundreds of Red Lanterns to attack Earth. Each and every one was incased in the violet crystal cocoons.
The ceiling of this chamber was similarly domed like the room below but it was of a much more imposing scale. Upon its surface played images of the surrounding countryside. The dazzling display showed the heroes that the massive crystal orb was moving out over the ocean.
Perhaps most impressive of all was the structure at the center of the room. Out of the floor grew a pillar of crystal supporting a perfectly spherical orb. Within the orb they saw the two women wrapped in each other’s arms.
“The boy scout was right.” Catwoman remarked. “This is impressive.”
“By Hera it is.” Wonder Woman agreed.
Blue Lanterns spread out to convert crystal prisons to healing chambers. “I shall call in the rest of my fellow Lanterns.” Saint Walker said in an awed tone. “Jordan if you could perhaps ask Green Lanterns Stewart and Gardner to aid us it will speed things along.”
“Of course.” Hal replied as he used his ring to communicate the message.
“How did they build all this so fast?” Wonder Woman asked as she gazed around. “I thought all of your rings had energy limits.”
“I don’t know.” Carol admitted. “It is possible with enough Love they could have overcome the limits but I never imagined anything like this was possible.”
“Imagination and Love would be the key words in that statement.” Harley’s shadow said as it appeared along side Ivy’s.
“You spoke of other dimensions and reincarnation.” Doctor Fate stated. “Please explain what you meant more clearly.”
The two specters looked at each other and sighed. Harley’s shade turned to face the assembled heroes head on. With grim determination she began her tale.
“Once upon a time there was a girl.” The woman recalled as images of a skinny redhead filled the canopy above. “She lived in a small town built on the mouth of hell. All her young life she searched for meaning. She had a friend she loved dearly and thought she wanted to be more than friends with. But this was a lie she told herself because she couldn’t face her own heart. So she muddled along until she and the boy she loved like a brother met a girl.”
“But this was no ordinary girl.” Harley said as the dome displayed a petite blonde girl fighting wave after wave of monsters. “She was the chosen one. She strolled into their little monster riddled town and slew beast after beast. She even stole the boy’s heart.”
“She could have picked anyone in the town to stand at her side but she picked the girl who yearned for meaning she couldn’t grasp.” The shadow of Harley continued. “So there the young girl stood. In the shadow of her best friend. The Hero of the story. Their adventures changed the lives of so many people yet it still didn’t give her meaning. She thought she found what she needed in magic. So she studied day and night to be a witch so her best friend would have someone strong to fight beside her. This would lead her astray.”
“She thought she found meaning in a boy she met soon after.” The crystal ceiling showed the audience a small but confident man. “But he was cursed by the bite of a wolf under the full moon. He soon found meaning in another who shared his curse.”
“What was the girl to do?” The shade asked as the scene of the redhead walking up to a cage with two naked bodies lying within played out. “She thought all was lost. And in her darkest hour she found meaning. Love came running into her life and knocked her off her feet.”
The projection of Ivy let out a slight giggle as the crystals splashed the image of a curvy young woman with honey blonde hair. “Hush you.” The hologram of Harley said to her love as the shade of Ivy grinned sweetly at the fond memories.
“All was right with the world after she found her meaning.” Harley’s voice continued. “The lover joined the girl in aiding the Hero. Many lives were saved. Then a beast came and crippled Love’s mind. The beast cared not who she consumed only that she fed on a conscious mind. Distraught the girl went to where her teacher kept the most dangerous of magic. She dove head first into darkness to battle the beast that ruined her Love. It was not enough. The beast raged on and even though the girl found a way to steal back her Love’s mind from the beast and restore the one who brought her life meaning they still paid a terrible price.”
As the images of fingers boring into heads and people in torment faded they were replaced with images of two girls atop a tower of scrap metal. The petite blonde gave a tall brunette a meaningful look and leapt from the tower into a vortex of light and energy.
“The world was saved but the Hero was slain.” The shadow grew silent for a moment before continuing. “The Hero the girl relied on was gone. The darkness she consumed to battle the beast told her she had it in her to fix things. She continued down this misguided path until she brought the Hero back to life. Little did she know her friend was enjoying her final reward. They all muddled on until it became clear the girl was a menace to herself and others. The magic took everything from her. She tried to fix her friends and only hurt them. Even her Love could not stand by and watch her descent into darkness ruin the person she had cherished. The girl continued like this until she almost ended the life of a child.”
The dome showed a dark alley, a car crash and a broken arm. Several of the people gathered stared in shock at what they were seeing.
“So the girl quit.” The shadow continued. “She stopped casting spells. She no longer practiced magic. She was done. It almost worked. Her life was hard from then on but she put the pieces back together. Her Love even took her back. For two glorious days they were reunited.”
The crystals darkened and the images blinked out. The captivated audience stared in confusion and wondered about the rest of the story.
“Then what happened?” Superman asked.
The specter looked up and stared directly into each of them. She spoke with pain and rage in her voice. “Then a misogynist with a gun walked into my back yard and put a bullet in my best friend’s chest and another through my girlfriend’s heart. She was dead before she hit the floor of our bedroom. So I loaded up on even darker magic like a stupid junkie, saved my friend’s life and hunted him down. I strung him up between two trees and tortured him until my friends caught me.” The specter closed her eyes and paused at the memories of her own descent into darkness. “The second she called my name I skinned him alive. Once he was dead I went completely insane and tried to destroy the world.”
“Did you?” Doctor Fate asked as everyone else stared at her in shock.
“My brother stopped me at the last second.” Harley’s image said with a laugh. “Stupid me, even loaded up with all the magic in the world, I can’t stop one powerless man from talking me out of ending it all.”
The image of Ivy wrapped her arms around Harley’s hologram and held her. “I’m so thankful he got through to you, and I’m so proud of you for stopping yourself.”
“So anyway.” Hologram Harley said after several moments passed. “I went to magic rehab. Relearned how to use magic from the start. But then another apocalypse sprung up and I was called back home. I struggled with moving on before realizing I never would. Then at the final battle I cast a spell that made it so instead of one chosen hero there would be a few thousand. The battle was won but we lost the town. It turned into a giant crater. I then spent a few years on meaningless relationships, then a lifetime trying to get back to her. Near the end I came up with a spell to send my soul to my doppelgangers on other worlds.”
“And you found her.” Catwoman said, slightly awed.
“Yup, she found me.” Ivy’s projection remarked.
“I can not abide this.” Doctor Fate said, shocking many of his teammates. “The magic you’ve accumulated is too dangerous to be left in such reckless hands. This spell ends here. You will not be allowed to taint a second world.” He floated up and spread out his arms as a giant glowing ankh appeared behind him. “So Fate….”
Before he could finish the spell a massive beam of Violet light erupted from the crystal orb and consumed his entire form. The ankh faded and as the light dimmed everyone in the room saw a crystal cocoon floating where Fate had been. The golden helmet shone within the translucent rock.
“This isn’t our second world ghost.” The images of the two newest Star Sapphires said in unison. They linked hands and began a low chant in Sumerian. Runes appeared all over the chamber as light blossomed within the sphere at its heart.
“Goddess grant us your power so that our foe may be lain low and his victim restored.” They chanted as one.
“Bind the spirit!” They said as light within Doctor Fate’s cocoon grew to near blinding glare.
“Free the man!” They cried as the crystal containing the ancient mystic cracked.
“Release!” They shouted as the crystal floating above the members of the justice league shattered.
Hal Jordan reacted instinctively and shrouded his companions in a protective bubble as the remains of the violet crystal dissolved into a disorienting mist unique to Violet constructs and crystals. Once the air was cleared they all marveled as they saw the form of a man many of them recognized. Slowly floating down to the ground was the dazed and exhausted form of Zatara the Magician.
Wonder Woman and Superman rushed to him. Batman stayed back to watch the other object still floating above their heads. A perfectly spherical white crystal ball was hovering in the place Doctor Fate had been.
As the remnant of the Lord of Order floated in his crystal prison two voices speaking as one emanated from every crystal within the giant sphere.
For hearts long lost and full of fright,
For those alone in blackest night,
Accept our ring and join our fight,
Love conquers all--
With violet light!The massive crystal orb in the center of the grand chamber began to shimmer and dissolve. With a swirl of mist it faded away until all that was left atop the central pillar was a small, oddly shaped violet stone the size of a heart nestled in the hands of the two women who had been cocooned at the center of the crystalline structure.
“Well that was a brisk nap.” Harley said as she took the stone she and Ivy clutched and placed it in a secure pocket. “Don’t want to lose our doll’s eye Baby.”
“Of course Sweetie.” Ivy replied with a smile.
“What did you do to Fate.” Wonder Woman asked with an edge to her voice.
“We threw sand in its eyes.” Harley shot back before smiling. “But if you’re asking about that guy in your arms then the answer is we freed him.” As she said that the white orb floated down to land in her palms. She turned the ball around so they could all get a better look. “Nabu can come out to play once he learns not to break other people’s things.”
They all gasped in shock as they saw the gold helmet of Doctor Fate encased in the white crystal. One of the most powerful magic users on Earth was put on the sidelines by two women who had not even been on their radar before today.
“The overwhelming psychic presence.” J’onn said in shock as he looked up. “It’s gone.”
“S-sorry about that Mars guy.” Ivy apologized sincerely. “The crystals were drawing from us and amplifying our mental barriers. Now that we’re free we’re able to keep things in check.”
With unceremonious disregard Harley dropped the oversized bowling ball of crystal to the floor. It bounced once then rolled towards the magician who had just been freed from the artifact. The man looked up in a daze then panic set in as he recognized the object.
“Get it away from me!” He shouted as he jumped back and scooted along the floor away from the orb. “I can’t go back! Please don’t make me go back! It wouldn’t let me go. I was trapped. Please, someone, help me!”
“Zatara, everything is alright.” Martian Manhunter said soothingly trying to calm his old friend. “No one will force you to put the helmet on again.”
“J’onn is that you?” Zatara asked piteously. “Oh Goddess I was trapped in there so long.”
“We’re here for you old friend.” Batman said as he knelt by the man who taught him everything he knew of magic, sleight of hand, stage presentation and escape artistry. “You’re daughter will be overjoyed.”
“Batman?” Zatara asked as his eyes widened and he looked around the room. “My daughter, Zatanna. I’m starting to remember now. Oh I’ve missed so much of her life.”
“Hey! Can one of you blue guys come over here and check him for injuries?” Catwoman called to the Lanterns. One hurried over and knelt beside Batman and the devastated magician. Placing a hand on the man’s chest a soft blue light spread outwards.
“He’ll be okay.” The Lantern announced with a smile. “He’s just in severe shock but he’s unharmed physically and with you all helping him he’ll make a full recovery.”
“This has been fun and all, you guys.” Harley said as she put her arm around Ivy and started to walk towards the helicopter. “But we have work to get back to and all that. Good working with you all. Go team!”
“Wait!” Catwoman called. “You’re leaving? What about this huge crystal ball? What about all the guys still trapped in it?”
“It’ll be fine.” Ivy replied.
“Any Violet Lantern that stands on that pillar can control it.” Harley said. “Have, what’s your name? Carol? Have Carol move it into space and let the Blues finish healing the prisoners.” A small smile spread across her face. “Why don’t you do something cute like name it the “Love Star” or something?”
“Wait, you can’t just go.” Carol cried in shock. “You’re new Lanterns. You need to come to Zamaron and train in how to use your powers.”
“Oh boy, lessons in wielding the power of True Love from a gal who let that power wreck the longest standing relationship of her life.” Harley said with sarcastic glee in her voice. “Thanks but no thanks straight girl. Pretty sure we’ve got this handled.”
Carol Ferris was taken aback for a moment. This new member of her corps was boldly denouncing her love in front of all of them. She would have done something to put her in her place if not for the fact that her ring allowed her to look directly into the Love the two women shared. What she saw was beyond anything she had seen before. The depth and power of the emotion made it no wonder to her how they managed all of this while still inside the crystal.
In fact, the sheer purity of what they shared probably explained why they had spent just over an hour inside the cocoon. There wasn’t anything Zamaron could offer them and the leader of the Star Sapphire Corps knew it.
“Carol is right.” Hal said with a serious tone. “There are nuances you two can’t imagine.”
“Nuances?” Harley cried out before laughing. “Nuances he says. This from the guy who doesn’t understand one tenth of what the ring on his finger is capable of. Okay hot shot, how’s this for nuance?”
Harley raised her ring hand and pointed to a spot on the ground nearby. A perfectly spherical orb with the starburst symbol of the Star Sapphires covering one side sprouted from the floor and flew over to hover at her side. She then repeated the process and a single pillar of crystal arose from the ground at her other side. At about her waist height it widened and flattened out into a large oval. With a nod of her head the floating orb spun and an image took shape on the screen. The Lanterns and heroes standing by stared in awe as they realized the screen displayed whatever the symbol on the orb was facing.
“I’ve already figured out how to use this ring to replace about ten million dollars worth of lab equipment on our ship.” Harley said with a slightly smug sense of satisfaction. “You want to learn something? Try having one of the scientists on the League wear a ring for a week. Maybe then you’ll be able to think up a use for it besides forming a giant fist to smash things with. Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to go test some plants back on our ship and see if they contain the cure for five different end stage cellular degeneration diseases and put a few of these crystal eyes at every single Lagrange Point in the solar system.”
“What about Nabu?” Superman asked.
“Put him on display in one of your trophy rooms.” Ivy said with a grin. “We don’t care. As long as he doesn’t bother us again with his discriminatory views on our magic you can do whatever you like with the helmet.”
“Hold on.” Wonder Woman said before Harley and Ivy could take another step. “You said this wasn’t your second world. How many have you known?”
Slight smiles spread across both their faces. With a hand clasped in Harley’s Ivy looked the Amazon in the eye and winked. “That would be telling.” The couple was then enveloped in violet light. As the glare subsided they, and the broken helicopter, were gone.
The members of the Justice League looked around at all the shocked Lanterns. None of them had seen this coming. What had started as an alien invasion swiftly turned into utter chaos as two brand new Lanterns were born and immediately exhibited powers far beyond their fellow Lanterns. A sense of dread filled the air.
******************************
Violet light blossomed on the deck of Love’s Bitch. As it dimmed Harley and Ivy, along with the remains of their helicopter, were left sanding in its wake. Several of their plant creatures reacted almost cheerfully at the return of their mistresses. All was good on the ship practically overflowing with vegetation.
“I’m so proud of you Sweetie.” Ivy said. “You shared our deepest pains with the League and probably talked them out of a serious fight.”
“I don’t know if I did anything to be proud of Baby.” Harley replied. “They might still come after us. I don’t think Batman has ever taken his eye off us since leaving Gotham. Goddess what are we gonna do if they come for us in force?”
“We’ll survive, just like we always do.” Ivy answered.
“Ooh Baby great news!” Harley said with an upbeat cheer. “Speaking of survival look at what I got while everyone was listening to me ramble.” She held up her ring hand and projected a holographic display for her emerald Love. Ivy leaned in close to see and was stunned to find a detailed chemical composition analysis of the body armor Batman wore.
“Isn’t this great?” Harley said. “It looks like a simple enough combination of multiple polymer armor plates mounted to and covering key parts of a suit made mostly of flexible woven Kevlar. All designed with a heavy emphasis on mobility and close quarters combat. Can you imagine what a Slayer could do with this?”
“We’ll be able to protect all our friends.” Ivy replied. “Sweetie you’re a genius!”
“Should I even bother fixing the chopper, or just strip it for parts?” Harley asked as she abruptly shifted topics.
“Put it in the hold with all your other broken toys.” Ivy said. “We don’t really need it anymore and you might find a use for it later.”
“We’re Lanterns now.” Haley said with a growing smile. “Real Lanterns, like in space and stuff.”
“But we st-still have to protect the Earth.” Ivy stammered nervously.
“Of course we’ll still protect the Earth.” Harley said, shocked such an obvious statement had to be affirmed. “That’s not even a question. But with these new tricks we can protect so much more than what we have so far.”
“We can’t just start randomly attacking logging camps.” Ivy said with a reluctant sigh. “It’ll draw attention from the League.”
“No, but we can put eyes in every patch of forest we’ve bought up and guard against trespassers much more effectively.” Harley replied. “And when we make more eyes and leave them around the solar system we’ll have an early warning system incase any other invading forces come through the neighborhood.”
“We’re really going to turn things around aren’t we?” Ivy said after a long pause.
“We’re gonna do it all Baby.” Harley promised. “Our Love can move vending machines.”
Ivy giggled at the fond memory from so long ago. She wrapped her emerald arms around her girl and pulled her into a deep sensual kiss. So long as they had each other everything would turn out great. Even with all their new powers their Love was unchanged.
It just had a new outlet to express itself.
******************************
In the wake to Ivy and Harley’s departure the Blues returned to helping heal imprisoned Reds. The few Greens present helped by standing at equidistant points and empowering them. The Violets quickly went about examining the new crystalline vessel and checking the labyrinth within for more prisoners.
The members of the League stood in a tight circle and discussed what might happen. They didn’t have much in the way of information so they turned to Batman.
“No, they are definitely staying on Earth for the foreseeable future.” He stated as a matter of fact.
“How can you be sure?” Superman asked, already suspecting he knew why. Of the teammates, the man of steel had perhaps the closest relationship with the dark knight. Batman had been keeping tabs on the couple since they left Gotham and had shared most of this information with Superman.
“For the last five months they have been traveling the world’s rainforests cataloging unknown plant species.” Batman said calmly. “They have made millions by selling their findings to Star Labs and Wayne Enterprises. Each and every transfer of money and information has been accompanied by one request from them. Cripple Lexcorp.”
“What are they doing with all that money?” Wonder Woman asked. She couldn’t imagine the sums of money the man was talking about. Her island kingdom had no such equivalent to the driving force in “Man’s World.”
“Ivy is an eco terrorist.” Batman replied. “Or she was. Since meeting Harley she has apparently cleaned up her act. She is obsessed with the plants of the world to a fanatical extent and since going straight, kind of.” He paused as all the women nearby groaned at the terrible pun. “The two of them have spent almost all of their net worth buying up logging rights, vast quantities of land, and the parent companies of major logging enterprises in countries with the largest amounts of forests. Once they buy these up they dismantle the systems, equipment and infrastructure entirely.”
“So the most threatening thing they’ve done is find a perfectly legal way to cripple the logging industry.” Superman said in assessment. “They definitely won’t be leaving Earth anytime soon if they care so much.”
“And I don’t think Ivy will ever willingly set one foot on Zamaron.” Hal Jordan added.
“What’s so bad about Zamaron?” Carol asked in a slightly agitated tone as she joined the gathering.
“Nearly the entire planet is covered in those damn crystals.” He replied. “Think about it Babe. What would a nature crusading plant woman and her enabling lover want with a planet that doesn’t have any real forests to speak of? Hell, they’re far more likely to show up on Mogo before they visit any of the main Lantern Corps home worlds.”
“I’d say they will most likely place those crystal eyes across the solar system as Harley stated and then place others in trees throughout the forests they bought.” Martian Manhunter said.
“If we play nice do you think they would install a view screen for those eyes in the Watchtower?” Superman asked.
“So we aren’t going to strike back at them for what they did to Fate?” Guy Gardner asked as he floated up to the group.
The core Leaguers present just stared at the man. A few held looks of contempt. “After all the years Zatanna has tried to do that exact same thing I don’t think anyone here will hold that one act of aggression against them.” Superman said calmly.
“Okay just wanted to know if we were circling the wagons.” Gardner replied.
“Besides if you look at it from their point of view Nabu was going to kill them by breaking a spell they have come to depend on.” Catwoman said.
“Well yeah but that spell has turned them into immortal body snatchers that go from host body to host body and completely take over the lives of others.” Hal said.
“Okay, first off you just perfectly described Nabu and the whole persona of Doctor Fate as well as what little we are assuming about these two women.” Batman told the Lantern.
“Secondly, look at the two women who you claim were taken over.” He continued. “An eco terrorist I put in Arkham Asylum several times and a psychiatrist assigned to her after outright refusing to take the Joker’s case. The man who worked with the Joker in her place has himself turned to a life of criminal insanity. During the battle they flew in on that helicopter and helped ferry people off rooftops. The old Ivy would never do that.”
“No one knows what would have happened to Harley if the Joker got his hands on her.” Catwoman said. “For all we know this dimensional memory spell that no one has seen real proof of could have saved the city the instant they met. And as someone who knew Ivy for over a year before this happened I can tell she is a completely changed woman. I just feel the joy coming off her whenever the two of them are together. That never happened before.”
“I felt that too.” Carol whispered. “The Love they have is a breed apart.”
“So we do what Batman has been doing for months.” Superman said after a long pause in the conversation. “Keep tabs on them from a distance and carefully take any assistance they offer us.”
“What about the guy Harley killed?” Hal asked.
“You mean the murderer who got what he had coming after he shot the people she loved most?” Carol retorted, shocked the man she cared about would even bring him up.
“Statute of limitations?” Superman guessed. “She seemed genuinely torn about her actions and near as we can tell it all happened so long ago on a world so far away that we’ll never be able to verify a thing she said.”
“No body no crime.” Batman summed up. “Besides losing a loved one to something like that can make anyone do crazy things.” His stance shifted slightly and a few of those closest to him swore they almost saw his lower lip betray the emotions they knew had to be boiling inside.
Before any other objections could be brought up a burst of light and smoke erupted out of the far side of the chamber. Doves flew from the smoke as a beautiful dark haired woman in a top hat, fishnet stockings and a tight fitting jacket with coattails emerged from thin air.
“Daddy?” Zatanna cried out as she searched the whole of the cavernous chamber for any sign of her father. “Where is my father?” She practically yelled in a commanding voice. “I felt him being released from that damn ghost and his ugly tin can!”
“Zatanna, over here!” Catwoman cried grabbing the attention of one of the few female friends she had the fortune of making in the months since joining the League. “You’ll never believe what happened.” The cat burglar said excitedly as she guided the distraught woman to the resting form of her father. The teary scene ended all discussion about the two women responsible for reuniting father and daughter.
******************************
Inside the central greenhouse of Love’s Bitch the two newly empowered Star Sapphires were exploring the extent of their new rings’ capabilities. They had already analyzed the tiny blue and green shrubs in every way the now superfluous machines lining their labs could.
It had taken all of twelve seconds to open up the tiny pocket dimensions the ring’s previous owners used to store their lantern shaped Power Batteries. With their ring’s power sources sitting on the floor nearby and their overwhelming Love to bolster their efforts there was nothing Harley and Ivy couldn’t do.
The rings proved to be even more adept at scientific examination than Harley had assumed. They were now able to find out things about the chemistry and physiological effects of the plant they never dreamed of before.
“This is it!” Ivy said with hope and joy erupting in her heart. “This is exactly what we’ve been looking for! Sweetie with this we can save them.”
“I know Baby!” Harley cheered. “On any world were this plant evolves we will be able to save our family. I Love you so much.”
Both women were overjoyed. They ran into each other’s arms and stayed there the rest of the night. Their Love making emanated a soft pink glow that caressed every plant on the ship and energized their crew of shambling vine creatures.
In the weeks ahead they would use their more familiar magics to fully study the small blue green plants. They would commit them to memory so well that they would be able to reach out with the power of the Goddess and draw them forth through the Earth even if no human had ever laid eyes on them before.
Through it all one constant force remained unwavering, as it had since the earliest years of their relationship. Though they now had a way to express that force as energy they knew it had been there all along. For they had always known.
Love conquers all!
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Appendix
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Summary of all Lantern Corps Why these characters are easier to follow in the cartoons than in the last eighty years of books Part 1 And Part 2 Plus another screwy gimmick that helped lead to all of this. Harley’s new look taken from a deviant art pic I saw by random chance.