Why was he following her? The girls just caught a new toy and they were at the fun part of breaking him down. It was always important to completely destroy someone before building them up again. And breaking someone down piece by piece asked for torture. And how much fun was that? The screaming, the tears, the utter despair in their eyes. He could indulge in it forever.

So why was he following her instead?

It was because Gotham was a far too dangerous town for a girl like her. There were evil minds lurking behind every corner and somebody had to protect her from it all. That somebody just turned out to be him. And only because there was no one else for the task. And she deserved protection because she was such an unique character in a city like this. Not because he cared for her or anything like that. No, she just intrigued him that was all. She was a toy and nothing more.

A toy he cared enough for to miss a big round of good old torture. Goddamnit.

From the rooftops he followed her every step. Watched her as she bumped into everyone, helped old grannies crossed the streets and returned wallets to strangers. Why did she have to be such a walking cliche? And how could it be that Gotham hadn't ruined her already? She was such an easy target that it kept him awake worrying about all the wrong that could be done to her.

He may or may not have made a check around her neighbourhood. And he was glad he did. He had found some ex-goons of Maroni. With the mob boss recently killed the fellows were a ticking bomb and Victor couldn't have a time bomb living close to that girl. That was asking for trouble. So he had run a bullet through all of their heads. And their families he had taken care of as well. Just to be sure there wasn't anyone who would want to seek revenge. Tying up loose ends. Nothing special.

In fact he hadn't killed them for her. No, not all. It was for Penguin. So they wouldn't come after his new boss. Because that was far more logical than when he would be killing for some random girl. No, no. He hadn't killed them for Penguin either. It was because he just wanted to have some fun. There was nothing wrong with that. No reason to defend his actions to himself.

He hadn't killed them for her. Absolutely not. Maybe just a little bit.

Where was she? A slight feeling of panic came over him as he realized he had lost track of her. Damnit, he was a professional. How could he lost track of one silly girl like her? As he was cursing at himself, his eyes found her again. Was she laying on the street? Did she just fall when he wasn't looking? Was she hurt? This stupid girl. If the city wasn't dangerous enough already, she was also a danger to herself.

Maybe he had to come down from the roof and help her. Just check if she was okay. He probably wouldn't even have to explain why he was there. The thought that he was shadowing her wouldn't cross her small mind. Just like that time when he showed up in her bakery and she didn't even wonder about how he got in without a key. Maybe that was why criminals didn't pay attention to her. She was a too easy target. It would be quite shameful to sink that low to harm a girl like her.

Just as he wanted to get down to help her another figure approached her. Victor scanned him with suspicion. It was guy around her age and to be fair, not that bad looking. The hitman watched how the stranger helped get Vanilla on her feet again. What? Did she just hug him? Did they know each other? And if so, why wasn't that fellow there to prevent her from falling in the first place? What a stupid bloke. And why were they walking off together? Chatting about whatever.

This was the exact danger Victor was so afraid she would encounter. A guy who acted all nice and charming, but was in fact a dangerous sociopath just waiting to take advantage on a girl like her. She needed to be protected from types like that.

Damnit. Why was she touching his arm so intimately? Just how close were those two? And more importantly; why did it frustrate him so? The answer was simple. It was because he was the only guy out there that could be trusted to protect her. Other guys would just eat her alive. Not that Victor didn't understand them. She had those big blue eyes which always looked up in the world with wonder. And her long, blonde hair would look great in his hands as he-.

Why were they walking towards her house? What was that guy planning to do her in her apartment? As her guardian he had to stop them. Otherwise he would be a very shitty guardian. Time to get into action. Time to do something about this punk who thought he could just harm his baker girl. Well, he thought wrong. And that punk would soon found out that you didn't touch the property of the best hitman Gotham had to offer.

Just as Victor wanted to leave the shadows the couple stopped before the bakery. It seemed like they were ending their conversation as Vanilla got on the tips of her toes to hug the guy again. After that she waved at him and entered the bakery alone. The front door was clearly still unlocked. Stupid girl. But that didn't matter now, he could always scold her later. For now it was important to see where that punk went to. Teach him a lesson.

The punk turned out to be here neighbour. So that was why they were talking as if they were really close. Because they probably were. Well, he was a shitty neighbour for never telling Vanilla she needed a lock on her back door. And Victor still didn't trust him. That punk was a ticking time bomb and bombs needed to be dismantled.

The hitman stepped out of the shadows and walked towards the bakery. But this time he didn't enter the shop. Instead he walked to the house next to it. He ringed the bell and waited patiently for the punk to open the door. When he did, Victor was already holding his gun.

"Hello. My name is Victor Zsasz."