A/N: Heads Up-

So changing the tone a bit from the first chapter, things are starting to get a littler darker from now on, so be aware that it's going to get darker and darker. Plz review and I hope you like it!


The Next day, Pamela was doing some research on a plant, known as the Lily of the Valley, that she was interested in using in a new line of perfume at work. She was at her desk looking at the plant very closely through a transmission electron microscope when she felt a figure come up to her, she looked up to see a smiling, middle-aged man looking back at her.

"Hello Pamela. How's everything going?" The man said in a raspy voice

"Professor Scott! Oh how lovely of you to stop by. Everything is good, just the same ol' thing." She said as she got up to greet her him.

The man looked to be in his mid fifties and had short, salt and pepper hair. He was a 5'9" and was a little on the heavy side, but his face was long with strong cheekbones and big, sauser-like eyes that were hidden behind thick rimmed glasses.

The embrased in a long hug before he looked at her with a playful, annoyed expression.

"How many times must I tell you not to call me professor when I'm off work, I feel old enough as it is, I don't need you acting like one of my students"

Oren Scott was a Botany professor at the State University and was an old colleague of Pamela. They worked together for many years researching new and rare plants around the world. She was with him when he discovered a rare plant that grew in the forests outside of Gotham, it was similar to the Snowdonia Hawkweed but grew in larger patches and was white with maroon speckles that lined the rims of the petals. She was one of the only people in the United States that had the flower ,which he nicknamed the Blood-Splatter Weed, at home.

She smiled and went back to her seat. He pulled up a stool and sat on the other side of the desk looking at her.

"I'm so sorry, I mean Oren." She put an emphasis on the syllables of his name.

"So, how is that one doing?" He pointed to her belly

"Oh just fine...20 weeks now. Can you believe it?" she said with an amazed tone, as if she couldn't believe the fact herself.

"Do you know the sex of the baby yet?"

"Not yet. I go in for my sonagram next week and should find out then." she rubbed her belly.

"What are you hoping for? Girl or Boy?"

"I'm not sure...I guess I'd prefer a girl. Probably easier to get a girl into plants than a boy" she said laughing.

"Yeah, I guess so...but hey look at me" He joked.

She changed the subject.

"So what brings you here Oren, I know you didn't just come to see how I was doing."

His facial expression changed and he looked at her with a disappointed look as he sighed.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news about the progression of the Arkham Project."

Her smile fell and the mood of the conversation quickly turned serious.

"I tried my best, I really did. I went to almost everyone one I could and said everything possible...but the Project is set to continue. I couldn't stop it." He continued

Her eyes grew wide and she snarled with an annoyed tone.

"How can they do this! It isn't fair! There are precious and rare plants out there in those forests and they're just gonna cut them all down?"

"I'm afraid so. The head board said that it's a small price to pay to make the city a lot safer, they said that these plants do grow in other locations therefore it wouldn't do much harm to the populations of the plants."

She threw her hands down onto her desk and they made a loud banging noice, Oren jumped a bit startled by the noise.

"That is Bullshit Oren! We need those plants out there, we use them for our research not to mention that they are living, breathing creatures"

"Now Pam, I know you're upset, believe me I am too, but there is nothing else we can do to try and stop this. Harvey Dent is set in his ways and believes that the building of the asylum will make Gotham City a better place and not to play the Devil's advocate but, in a way, maybe he is right...maybe this will turn out to be for the best."

"For the best? Really? What about all those plants? Is that what's best for them? I mean we have Batman to keep these streets safe anyways, why do we need some new asylum to clutter our city. No, Dent is not doing this because he cares about the people in Gotham, he's doing it to make himself look better, he doesn't care about anyone or anything but himself." She said feriously.

He looked at her with a confused and concerned look. He had never seen this side of Pamela before and although he was bigger than her, he found himself frightened by her reaction.

"Pam, please, try to calm down. You have every right to be mad but what's more important to you, the well being of the plants or of the people you know and love. Yes we have the police and Batman, but wouldn't you feel better knowing that all those criminals that they catch will be locked up in a place where they can never escape from again. Yes, part of the beautiful forest outside of Gotham will be cut down but look on the bright side, your company can import the plants you use from nearby locations AND your baby will grow up in a safer enviornment. Don't you want that?"

She looked down at her stomach and pondered for a moment. She hadn't really thought about her baby before hand and maybe Oren had a point, but she was still upset that others, not even her own colleague, cared about all the plants that would be dying for the sake of this project.

"I guess." She said under her voice, still a little frazzled.

He looked at her with a slightly sad expression, he knew how passionate she was about plants and had a feeling that it would take her a long time to get over this situation. He sighed and walked over to her and placed his large hand on her shoulder, she didn't look up at him but he could sense the anger in her eyes.

"There's just nothing we can do about this Pam. If I could talk to Dent himself I would but he's just to busy. I'm sorry, I really am." He was about to say something but stopped himself and walked back over to the stool, he didn't sit down but he placed his hands on the desk and looked at her. She was thinking about something and her eyes wondered from side to side as she faced the floor, then she looked up at him with an expression of realization.

"I'll talk to him!" She said

He looked sighed and shook his head.

"And how are you planning on doing that" He questioned.

"I'll go to the gala that Wayne Enterprise is throwing next Friday for Project Arkham. Dent should be there... I'll just go and ask for a minute of his time and change his mind about the project."

He frowned and placed a hand to his temple and rubbed, he realized that there was nothing he could say or do to change this woman's mind on the situation. He looked at her with a weary face.

"And HOW are you going to attend the invent? It is invite only."

She thought for a moment then looked at him with a straight, serious face.

"Oh I'll think of something."