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Description
   Poison Ivy looked up from the plant she was currently tending to when she heard whistling coming from behind her. She did not turn to see who it was, for she recognized the tune to be that of the “Very Merry Unbirthday” song from Alice in Wonderland.

   She had questioned herself when she had decided to let Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, stay with her for a day or two. ‘That’s all I ask,’ he had told her, ‘just until I find Jonathan.’ It was late when he stopped by last night, but he had a desperate look in his eye, so she had decided to grant him his wish. Besides, she had owed him the favor…

   She brushed a lock of her red hair from her eyes and turned her attention back to her work. “Any luck finding him yet, Jervis?” she asked smoothly.

   Jervis Tetch was gazing around the garden, looking at all the different types of plants scattered around the green environment. “I left a message on his phone,” he responded. He glanced down at her. “Thank you again for allowing me to stay. I’m sure I’ll be off in no time.”

   Ivy stood up and brushed off her knees. “There’s really no rush, Jervis—”

   She paused when she heard the Mad Hatter let out an excited “ooh!” and turned. She found him standing over some pansies and lilacs, his back to her.

   “Do your flowers sing, Miss Isley?!” Tetch asked happily, turning and looking at her briefly with a huge, toothy grin on his face.

   He had turned back around when Ivy gave him a quizzical look. “…no, Jervis, they don’t,” she responded slowly, sounding slightly concerned.

   “Are you sure?” he asked. He looked over his shoulder at her with bright eyes “Or are you listening hard enough?” His eyes returned to the flowers below him. “‘You can learn a lot of things from the flowers,’ you know…”

   Before Ivy could say anything, Jervis had broken into song. “‘…for especially in the month of June.’” He danced by her, twirling in circles down the dirt path laid down. “‘There’s a wealth of happiness and romance, all in the golden afternoon!’”

   As he started whistling the rest of the tune, Ivy could feel herself smiling. She knelt back down and started trimming the leaves of another plant. She stole a quick glance over at him. He truly was mad; there was no doubt about that. He was such a strange man, but he was one of the nicest men she knew.

   Once she had started focusing on her work again, she hardly noticed the different tune he had abruptly started whistling.

   ‘…Wait a second…’ Ivy looked up from her work again when she finally recognized the tune. She jumped to her feet and stared at him with horrified and furious eyes. “What are you doing?!” she screeched.

   Jervis looked over at her casually, stopped in mid-stroke, with a paintbrush in his hand. The bristles coated in red paint were still pressed against the white petals of the rose. “Why, I’m painting your roses red, of course.”

   She just stood there, shaking and seething, with questions running through her head and repressing the urge to feed him to her plants. She was about to ask him where he had gotten the paint when her phone rang from inside the house.

   Neither of them moved to answer the telephone; they both seemed frozen. Jervis stared at her with slightly alarmed eyes, while she gave him a murderous glare. With each passing drip of the red paint to the ground, she twitched.

   The answering machine finally kicked in. “Uh, hey Pam, it’s Jon. Jervis gave me a call earlier from your house, so I’m stopping by to pick him up. I’m on my way now, so…I’ll be there soon. …Yeah. Bye.”

   After a few moments of silence, Jervis’s arm slowly lowered from the rose. He slowly and cautiously inched around her and backed his way toward the house. His eyes never left her.

   She still stood glowering at her house when he had disappeared.

   “Um…” Jervis peeked around the doorway at her, “thank you for letting me stay here—”

   He disappeared in a flash when an empty flowerpot shattered against the side of the house, close to where his head had been.

   Ivy heaved an angry sigh and looked back at her half-painted-red white roses. Jervis Tetch was mad; no doubt about that. And he may have had good intentions, but damn it, he was always off in Wonderland.

Description
   Poison Ivy looked up from the plant she was currently tending to when she heard whistling coming from behind her. She did not turn to see who it was, for she recognized the tune to be that of the “Very Merry Unbirthday” song from Alice in Wonderland.

   She had questioned herself when she had decided to let Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, stay with her for a day or two. ‘That’s all I ask,’ he had told her, ‘just until I find Jonathan.’ It was late when he stopped by last night, but he had a desperate look in his eye, so she had decided to grant him his wish. Besides, she had owed him the favor…

   She brushed a lock of her red hair from her eyes and turned her attention back to her work. “Any luck finding him yet, Jervis?” she asked smoothly.

   Jervis Tetch was gazing around the garden, looking at all the different types of plants scattered around the green environment. “I left a message on his phone,” he responded. He glanced down at her. “Thank you again for allowing me to stay. I’m sure I’ll be off in no time.”

   Ivy stood up and brushed off her knees. “There’s really no rush, Jervis—”

   She paused when she heard the Mad Hatter let out an excited “ooh!” and turned. She found him standing over some pansies and lilacs, his back to her.

   “Do your flowers sing, Miss Isley?!” Tetch asked happily, turning and looking at her briefly with a huge, toothy grin on his face.

   He had turned back around when Ivy gave him a quizzical look. “…no, Jervis, they don’t,” she responded slowly, sounding slightly concerned.

   “Are you sure?” he asked. He looked over his shoulder at her with bright eyes “Or are you listening hard enough?” His eyes returned to the flowers below him. “‘You can learn a lot of things from the flowers,’ you know…”

   Before Ivy could say anything, Jervis had broken into song. “‘…for especially in the month of June.’” He danced by her, twirling in circles down the dirt path laid down. “‘There’s a wealth of happiness and romance, all in the golden afternoon!’”

   As he started whistling the rest of the tune, Ivy could feel herself smiling. She knelt back down and started trimming the leaves of another plant. She stole a quick glance over at him. He truly was mad; there was no doubt about that. He was such a strange man, but he was one of the nicest men she knew.

   Once she had started focusing on her work again, she hardly noticed the different tune he had abruptly started whistling.

   ‘…Wait a second…’ Ivy looked up from her work again when she finally recognized the tune. She jumped to her feet and stared at him with horrified and furious eyes. “What are you doing?!” she screeched.

   Jervis looked over at her casually, stopped in mid-stroke, with a paintbrush in his hand. The bristles coated in red paint were still pressed against the white petals of the rose. “Why, I’m painting your roses red, of course.”

   She just stood there, shaking and seething, with questions running through her head and repressing the urge to feed him to her plants. She was about to ask him where he had gotten the paint when her phone rang from inside the house.

   Neither of them moved to answer the telephone; they both seemed frozen. Jervis stared at her with slightly alarmed eyes, while she gave him a murderous glare. With each passing drip of the red paint to the ground, she twitched.

   The answering machine finally kicked in. “Uh, hey Pam, it’s Jon. Jervis gave me a call earlier from your house, so I’m stopping by to pick him up. I’m on my way now, so…I’ll be there soon. …Yeah. Bye.”

   After a few moments of silence, Jervis’s arm slowly lowered from the rose. He slowly and cautiously inched around her and backed his way toward the house. His eyes never left her.

   She still stood glowering at her house when he had disappeared.

   “Um…” Jervis peeked around the doorway at her, “thank you for letting me stay here—”

   He disappeared in a flash when an empty flowerpot shattered against the side of the house, close to where his head had been.

   Ivy heaved an angry sigh and looked back at her half-painted-red white roses. Jervis Tetch was mad; no doubt about that. And he may have had good intentions, but damn it, he was always off in Wonderland.