Ivy's Journey to Saving Jared

"Haaaaah!" Jared swung his machete through the air, leaving a trail of fire behind it. He was drenched in sweat, and he looked exhausted.

"Come on! You can do it!" Ivy cheered as she clapped her hands. Her green hair formed a halo around her face, and she wore her typical all-green outfit. She hopped up and down to cheer him on. "Just one more swing! Get those bad guys, Jared!"

Jared's machete finally connected with the tree stump, severing it in half. The stump fell over onto its side, leaving a pile of wood chips everywhere. "Yeahhhh!" Jared yelled out as he raised his hands into the air. His arms were tired, but he felt good now that he had chopped down the entire tree stump by himself. When Ivy found him in Africa all those months ago, Jared couldn't even lift a machete without breaking down into tears, so this was huge for him.

Ivy ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She kissed his cheek, and then she whispered into his ear: "I think you're ready to head back to Gotham."

Jared turned around and stared at her with wide eyes. "No way! I'm not strong enough yet! I haven't even learned how to fight!"

"You're plenty strong enough," Ivy said as she let go of him, "and you've learned plenty of things besides fighting." She took his hand and led him back towards their small cabin in the woods. "You've learned how to chop down trees, build bridges, make traps... I've even taught you how to build up your immune system and increase your stamina."

"That's true... I've gotten stronger every day," Jared replied as they walked towards the cabin. They reached it soon enough, and Ivy opened the door for them both before following Jared inside.

The cabin was quite cozy; there was one bedroom upstairs for Jared and Ivy to sleep in, and there was a kitchen area downstairs where they could cook their meals or relax with each other when they got tired from work. It wasn't luxurious by any means - the bed was just a mattress on the floor - but it was cozy enough for them both for now.

"We could stay here forever," Ivy said as she lay down on the couch next to Jared's armchair. She intertwined her fingers with his across from her as he sat down on the armchair next to her couch.

"I would like that," Jared replied with a smile on his face. He leaned over and kissed Ivy on her forehead before adding: "But I wanna go home too." He gently stroked her hair as he continued: "My parents are still looking for me... And I really miss my friends." He paused for a moment before saying: "And most importantly... I want to confront Joker again."