"What is this?" Alfred Pennyworth demanded of his master as he came upon him walking through the penthouse with a bleeding girl in his hands. Bruce was still wearing his suit except for the mask. He hadn't had time to take it off.

"She needs help," said Bruce as he put her on the couch, disregarding the blood.

"Well that much is clear," said Alfred as he used his fingers to open her eyes, "but couldn't you have just left her at the scene? I'm sure ambulances would have been there momentarily."

"True," Bruce agreed as he took off his gloves, "but something told me that if I left her there she would be in trouble, and not with the law. I think she might be Maroni's girlfriend … or one of them anyway. Looked like she saw something that she wasn't supposed to see."

"Oh, so now we're the witness protection program, too?" Alfred asked dryly.

"I couldn't just leave her there," Bruce reiterated.

"Well, I don't think there's any permanent damage," said Alfred, "but then again, I'm not a doctor. You'd better go change, just in case she wakes up. I'll take care of things in here." Bruce nodded and stalked off into his bedroom, continuing to undress as he went.

That hadn't gone quite like he had planned, but then again, nothing ever did.

"One more question, Master Bruce," Alfred said to his retreating back. "Why bring her here, sir? She will, of course, have questions."

"You're a smart guy, Alfred," Bruce began, "I'm sure you can come up with something believable."

"That's as may be, sir," Alfred began, "but I would still like to know why you brought her here. I'm curious."

Bruce stopped walking and turned around to look at his butler, apparently deep in thought. In all honesty, he wasn't completely sure why he had brought her there. Of course, it wasn't the only option, and at the time he had known that. And yet, without thinking, he had put her in his car and brought him back to his home of all places. Obviously, she would have no recollection of how she had gotten there, but that didn't really seem like a huge problem. Making up a story was not exactly something he had never done.

"I don't know," he answered. "I wanted to."

------------------

Sidney had tried to stay up and wait for Harvey, but fatigue and the time change finally caught up, and she ended up falling asleep in the dress she had worn to dinner. In the morning, she was awoken by Harvey shaking her lightly and saying her name.

"Hey. Wake up!" He called.

"Urrrgghh," was all Sidney said in response as she rolled over and covered her head with one of the pillows.

"Come on, now, I don't have time for this," Harvey responded. "Get dressed, you have to come with me to the court house and then we'll see about you getting a job."

Normally, Harvey would not be so pushy about this sort of thing, but when he had gotten into his apartment last night, Rachel had been there waiting for him, and the talk that had ensued was not a particularly fun one, especially since he had just been following Sal Maroni to the police station trying, in vain, to keep him in detainment.

"She can't live here, Harvey," Rachel had said, confident that Sidney was asleep in her bedroom and therefore not able to hear her. "I understand that you're trying to be nice, but-"

"There's nothing to be worried about, Rachel," Harvey assured her. "She's just an old friend who needs a place to stay. I can't just throw her out on the street! I won't do it."

"What is wrong with staying in a hotel?" Rachel asked. "There are plenty of hotels in this city."

"I can't do that to her," Harvey insisted. "She's had a hard time, lately. She needs a friend, and I'm not kicking her out of this apartment. Besides I'm pretty sure that she doesn't have the money for that anyway. If you had moved in here when I asked you to, you would have some kind of say in this. But you didn't, so you don't. End of discussion."

It had been brief, but the repercussions probably wouldn't be quite so short-lived. Rachel had left in a huff, making sure that her discontent was obvious.

So, along with the busy schedule he was facing, he also had to deal with the fact that his girlfriend was angry with him. She would get over it, he was sure, but it was still a little more than annoying.

"I'm leaving in twenty minutes," was the last thing he said before he left the room. Sidney rolled her eyes and heaved herself from the bed. She was still tired, but obviously Harvey didn't care. The only reason Sidney was not protesting was because she was glad he had given her an excuse to follow him around all day. Sure, it would probably be really boring, but she was not one to waste her time.

After taking a quick shower, she dressed in what she assumed would be a safe outfit for the day. Just in case she was expected to look presentable, she put on a patterned blue skirt, a silk white tank top with a cardigan over it, some sandals, and she was ready. Walking out of her bedroom door, she threw her hair up into a messy pony tail.

"Ready," she responded, "is this acceptable?"

"You look fine," Harvey grunted as he picked up his briefcase and started ushering her towards the door.

"What's your problem?" Sidney demanded as they walked towards the elevator. "Long night?"

"Very long," Harvey answered.

"Was it because of Rachel?" Sidney asked. "I heard you two fighting. I'm sorry that I caused I problem. I could stay in a hotel if it's really that big of a deal."

"You're staying right where you are," Harvey said to her as the two of them exited his building and he started looking for a cab. "Rachel is a grown woman and should act like one. She thinks that she has something to worry about."

"Does she?" Sidney couldn't help but ask.

"Quit trying to be funny, Sidney," Harvey responded as a cab pulled up and he opened the door for her. Sidney wasn't quite sure what to do with that answer. It could have meant that the question was so ridiculous that it didn't even deserve a response, or it could have been Harvey trying to cover up the fact that Rachel did really have something to worry about.

Regardless of Harvey's meaning, Sidney decided that Rachel did really have something to worry about.

"So, what happened last night after you made Rachel take me away?" Sidney asked.

"Well," Harvey began, "there is a man named Sal Maroni, and he basically runs the majority of the crime in Gotham City. Last night he was found in an alley with a dead body and a gun in his hand, or at least it was near him with his fingerprints on it."

"Oh! How exciting!" Sidney exclaimed.

"That's what I thought," Harvey agreed, "but this guy is untouchable. He's got so many of his own people in the system that it's impossible to keep him in prison unless …" Harvey stopped himself. "Well, the short and long of it is he made bail. His trial is next week."

"I'm sure you'll get him," Sidney assured him as she patted him on the shoulder.

"Hope you're right," Harvey replied as the cab rolled to a stop in front of a large building with huge pillars in the front. Obviously this was the court house.

"What are we doing here?" Sidney asked.

"Trial," he answered, "serial killer pleading insanity." He shook his head as he paid the cab driver and they started walking up the stairs. "I've met this guy before, and he seemed pretty sane to me. But, they're trying to move him to Arkham, now."

"What's the difference?" Sidney asked. "As long as he's not out with the public does it really matter if he's in an insane asylum or prison?"

"If he was really insane, I wouldn't really have much of a problem with it," Harvey responded, "but this has been happening a lot lately. And we can't just keep sending convicted criminals to Arkham, or worse, letting them go because they weren't in their right mind when they committed their crime."

Sidney shrugged and said, "Fair enough. How long is this going to take?"

"Hard to say," Harvey responded. "Do you mind just sitting in the back until it's done? Who knows, it might actually be interesting."

"No, I don't mind," Sidney responded as they walked through the doors and immediately took a left turn. As soon as they entered the court room, Harvey showed Sidney to her seat and then headed to the front of the room to start the trial.

From her vantage point, Sidney could only see the backs of everyone's head. However, that didn't really matter because she wasn't actually interested. She tried to find a comfortable seat on the bench and then settled in for what she figured was going to be a long trial.

--------------------------------------

"Urrnnggghhh …" was all Camryn could manage upon waking up. Luckily, the room was still dark; there was no light to further aggravate her already splitting headache. Confident that she wasn't going to vomit, she slowly sat up, and then realized that she had no idea where she was. This wasn't Sal's bedroom, and it wasn't her room at the hotel. "Hello?" She called out, and then immediately wished that she hadn't. She immediately lay back on the pillows and closed her eyes.

That was when she heard the door open and, despite the pain, she sat back up.

"Who are you?" She demanded as she backed up against the headboard, bringing her knees to her chest.

"My name is Alfred," the butler informed her as he proceeded into the room. "I would have knocked, but you called." He was holding a tray filled with different kinds of foods.

"Where am I?" Camryn continued, trying her hardest to keep her eyes open.

"Bruce Wayne's penthouse, ma'am," Alfred answered very matter-of-factly. This caused Camryn's jaw to drop and her eyes to open wider, which was considerably painful. Groaning, she put her head back down.

"You'd better take it easy," said Alfred, who was happy to have someone who might actually listen to him. After being so used to having Bruce completely ignore his concerns about his health, it was a rather refreshing change. "You took quite a knock to the head, you know."

"How did I get here?" Camryn asked.

"Master Wayne suggested it," said Alfred. "There was an incident with Mr. Maroni last night, and he thought that you would be safest here."

"Oh …" Camryn trailed off, suddenly remembering the events which had led to her being incapacitated. "Is he here?" Camryn asked.

"He's at Wayne Enterprises at the moment," said Alfred. "He got up earlier and suggested we move you in here, where there is more control over the amount of light. This is his bedroom."

Camryn almost pissed herself right then. She was lying in Bruce Wayne's bed, in the room where he slept every night. Or at least the room where she assumed he slept every night. Shamelessly, she brought the sheets up to her nose and took a big whiff, basking in the scent of billionaire sex god.

"He should be back soon, he said he was going to check in on you once you woke up, and I just let him know about it," Alfred explained to her. "Do you think you could handle a bit of light?"

"I don't know," Camryn responded, still on the fact that Bruce Wayne was going to be checking in on her soon, and she felt much less than sexy. She was going to have to deal with the light. "Yes, I'll be fine." She threw the sheets back and attempted to get out of the bed while Alfred had his back turned to her.

She stood up for all of two seconds before she fell back down, luckily onto the bed.

"You probably shouldn't try that," said Alfred as he helped her back beneath the covers. "There will be a doctor around once Master Wayne gets here."

"OK … I need to shower … or something," Camryn explained. "I mean, I can't let Bruce Wayne see me like this."

"He saw you last night," said Alfred, "and you looked much worse, then. After all, you weren't even awake."

"Yeah, but I'm sure I looked just fine," Camryn responded. "I don't suppose Mr. Wayne managed to grab my purse, did he?"

"I don't suppose he did," Alfred responded, "do you need something?"

"A hair tie, for starters?" Camryn asked, sure that her hair was all over the place.

"I might be able to come up with a rubber band," Alfred said as he backed out of the room. Camryn told him that would be fine. In truth, she was loathe to put a rubber band in her hair, but she would rather die than let Bruce Wayne see her looking the way she did right now. Suddenly remembering something, she peeked beneath the covers and realized that someone had gotten her out of the clothes she was wearing last night.

The thought of Bruce Wayne undressing her was enough to give her hot flashes. But then she realized she was wearing men's clothing, and realized those were probably Bruce Wayne's silk pajamas covering her legs. That was when Alfred came back with the rubber band he promised and a small hand mirror. He turned up the light in the room ever so slightly.

After Alfred brought her a little bowl full of water, Camryn set about getting her hair under control, which was no easy task. Especially since her head felt like it was falling apart.

"It looks like you're feeling all right," said Alfred, "can I tempt you?" He gestured towards the tray with the hand that wasn't holding the mirror in front of Camryn's face. She momentarily looked at the tray. It was filled with eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast, regular toast, orange juice, and black coffee. It looked delicious, but it was a reflex for Camryn to turn down any sort of food. The fact that she actually had the excuse of being in excruciating pain was nice, though.

"No, thanks," Camryn responded. She got the front of her hair smooth and was now proceeding in tying it back into a bun at the nape of her neck. Having succeeded in this, she put her head back down.

"I think you should eat something," Alfred insisted.

"I'll take the coffee, then," said Camryn, feeling like he wouldn't be satisfied until she ate something, "and a few slices of bacon."

"There we go," said Alfred as he helped her to get the food that she wanted. Then, he handed her two pills. "For the headache." He then took away all the food she wasn't eating and left her to herself to eat the food. And of course, to be completely amazed at the situation in which she had just been dropped.

--------------------------------------------------------

Much to her surprise, the trial had not been nearly as dull as she thought it was going to be. For one, the man on trial did seem to be generally insane. His hands did not move from the sides of his heads the whole time, and throughout the entire duration of the trial his unintelligible mumbling could be heard throughout the room.

For another, Dr. Jonathan Crane was probably one of the most beautiful people she had ever seen.

Of course, Harvey did not share her opinion. He was rather upset with Dr. Crane because the man who he wanted to move to Arkham was definitely on his way there.

"That man needs to be shot," Harvey spat as he and Sidney started to walk very briskly from the courthouse. They were stopped, though, by a smooth, silky voice coming from behind them.

"I hope that you're not talking about me, Dent," Jonathan Crane said as he caught up to them. "After all, I am only looking out for the mental welfare of my patients."

"The mental welfare of serial killers," Harvey amended. "Quite honestly, I don't care if they cut themselves up and spread their innards on Main."

"And I thought you were someone who cared," Jonathan drawled, and then he looked to Sidney, "and who is your charming friend."

"Sidney Reynolds" Sidney said eagerly as she held her hand out for a shake, which Jonathan readily gave. Upon a closer inspection of his face, Sidney could see that his face was rather odd-looking, but still completely beautiful. His eyes were impossibly light and made to seem even lighter by medium-length dark brown hair. Letting her eyes roam down his face, Sidney then noticed that his cheekbones were abnormally high, and on anyone else would have been quite odd, but on him it just added to the strange beauty that was his face. A tall man, he was just as tall as Harvey, only much lankier, with long legs and arms. He moved with a grace that suggested that he knew that he was striking. When his and Sidney's hands were touching for a little longer than is customary for a handshake, Harvey believed that it was Crane's doing and stepped in. However, it was really Sidney who did not want to let go of him, for fear that he would float right back to the heavens from which he came.

"And we were just leaving," he said. "I have a witness that I need to question, and Sidney has to come with me."

"Oh, do you?" Jonathan asked, he still hadn't let go of Sidney's hand, though, "I'm assuming you mean the girl who witnessed Sal Maroni holding a gun to the back of Jimmy Curtains' head?"

"Jimmy Curtains?" Sidney asked, removing her hand from Dr. Crane's herself. "What kind of name is that?"

"Well, they say that when Jimmy is after you, it's curtains," Jonathan responded, then he looked back to Harvey. "Where have you got her stored? It's a wonder she's not dead yet."

"I'm afraid that's classified information," Harvey responded.

"But Sidney is allowed to know?" Jonathan asked. "Has she replaced Ms. Dawes as your assistant?"

"No," Sidney answered for herself, not liking that he was talking about her as if she wasn't there. "I'm new to Gotham. Just got here yesterday."

"Oh, and how are you finding it?"

"It's very interesting," Sidney answered, smiling a little.

"And where did you come from?" Jonathan continued.

"What is this, twenty questions?" Harvey asked as he tried to steer Sidney away.

"Los Angeles," she answered as she shrugged out of Harvey's grip. "Just go without me! I can find my way back to your apartment just fine."

"I'm not leaving you here," Harvey muttered into her ear.

"I wouldn't want to keep you from anything," said Dr. Crane as he went into his jacket and pulled out a card, on which he then wrote something with a pen he had also extracted from his jacket. After this, he handed it to Sidney, touching her hand once more. "There is my card, it has all of my numbers on it. Have a nice day." And then he brushed past them.

"What is that look on your face?" Harvey asked as the two of them continued out of the courthouse and into yet another cab.

"He is the most beautiful person I have ever seen," Sidney said, still not quite focused on the conversation she was supposed to be having.

"He's a dirtball is what he is," Harvey responded as he gave the cab driver the address of their next destination. "I don't know how many mob peons he's had pardoned."

"When you look like that, you can do anything you want to do," said Sidney. Harvey rolled his eyes.

"You're not actually planning on calling him, are you?" Harvey asked.

"Well, it's not like you let me stick around long enough to give him my number," Sidney responded testily. "So, where are we going?"

"Bruce Wayne's penthouse," said Harvey. "I don't know why, but my witness is there." He cut his eyes towards Sidney. "And so is Rachel. I'm expecting you to be nice."

"I'm always nice," Sidney responded. "In fact, I have been nothing but civil towards Rachel. She is the one who hates me."

"Just try for me, all right?" Harvey asked, knowing exactly how Sidney could be. Even though he hadn't seen her in quite a long time, he doubted that she had changed that particular aspect of her personality. Harvey Dent was an excellent judge of character.