Many thanks to ray1, Magician Girl Mirani and RebelByrdie for their kind words.

Batman & Benson 6

Chapter 7

"Son of a bitch," Scott Thorne raged, as he angrily strode back and forth in the office of his penthouse. Outside, the sunny skies of early morning contrasted with his dark mood. "Bad enough we got the Joker to worry about, but now Two-Face has joined the battle!"

As Antonio Ruiz watched him carefully, he smiled slightly, satisfied at how things were going. He had initially cut a deal with the Joker to set up Thorne to be killed. But that plan went by the wayside, thanks to the fiasco at the Millar chemical plant, which saw Thorne walk away unscathed.

But there was a new development here, one that Ruiz realized he could take advantage of: namely the fact that Thorne's buddies, Matty and that scumbag Mickey, where now both missing. When Ruiz innocently asked Thorne about their whereabouts, Thorne had grumpily replied that Matty was dead, and that he didn't know where the hell Mickey was.

Thorne was adrift without his closest friends, which made it the perfect moment for Ruiz to step in and take over. Becoming Thorne's confidant might not be what the Joker had in mind for Ruiz, but to hell with that clownish freak…Ruiz saw a chance to increase his status within Thorne's gang. And who knows, if Ruiz saw a chance to bump off Thorne and take control of his gang, he would certainly go for it.

Right now, Ruiz made like he was the perfect friend, listening to little bratty Scotty and he ranted and raved about how unfair life was…as if there were supposed to be a code of ethics in the ruthless, back-stabbing criminal underworld.

Thorne's childish rants were interrupted by a call from Pete, one of the guards at the front door. When Ruiz answered it, he was surprised to hear Pete report that Matt Hagen was at the door. He relayed the information to Thorne, but instead of being happy that one of his old friends was here, Thorne looked very scared.

"Send him in," Thorne said, after a moment of fearful contemplation. "But have Pete and the boys come in with him, and make damn sure they watch him carefully. Any sudden moves, they shoot, understand?"

Ruiz relayed his orders back to Pete. Then he switched off his cell phone and stared at Thorne thoughtfully. "I take it you and Matty are on the outs?"

"I tried to kill him last night," Scott admitted. "I kicked him into a vat of chemicals. I thought it would be enough to kill him, but apparently not…."

Ruiz nodded in understanding as he pulled out his gun. "You want us to finish the job for you?"

Thorne held up a hand. "Let's just wait and see what he has to say, first. With Matty, this ought to be good…."

Ruiz holstered his weapon as the door opened. Matty entered, followed by Pete and two other men; they watched him carefully, their hands never far from their guns.

Ruiz stared at Matty with a surprised look. For a guy who just took a chemical bath, Matty was looking pretty chipper.

Matty threw his arms out wide and said, "Hey, Scotty…how's it hanging, huh?"

Yet Scott remained right where he was in front of his desk, staring at Matty warily. "You got a lot of balls coming back here."

"Scotty, Scotty, Scotty…." Matty said with a shake of his head. "You still think I'm the one who ratted on you?"

'Uh-oh,' Ruiz thought, as his hand grasped his gun in its holster. He considered shooting Hagen before he could say anything damaging: namely that it was Ruiz who had set up Scott Thorne at the Millar Chemical Plant.

"Is this why you've got me surrounded by this muscle?" Matty asked, as his hand gestured at Ruiz and the others. "Look at me, Scotty. It's me, Matty. Big, dumb old Matty, the guy who was content on riding your coattails. The guy who never had any designs on your job."

Then Matty paused as he grew thoughtful for a moment. "At least, not until now…."

"That's it," Thorne called. "Blow him away!"

Ruiz, Pete and the others pulled out their guns and opened fire. Matty was instantly riddled with bullets.

And to Ruiz's astonishment, Matty merely stood there and smiled at them.

"A vest!" Ruiz shouted. "He's wearing a vest! Aim for his melon!"

Ruiz wasn't sure if it was him or Pete, but he watched as a bullet from one of their guns hit Matty's forehead, smashing it open and bursting out the back of his head.

And all the while, Matty merely stood there and grinned at them.

Ruiz watched, horrified, as the gaping hole in Matt's forehead abruptly closed up within seconds. He and the rest of the guys, stunned at this sight, stopped shooting and simply stared at Matty.

At this point, Matty had begun to change in the most bizarre way. His skin, and even his clothes, lost all color as he shifted and bulged; his clothes melted away into his skin, which rippled and drooped, until a hulking monstrosity, whose skin was the color of limestone, stood before them.

"You guys done?" the monster asked in Matty's voice. "Because now it's my turn…."

Pete let out a scream of pain as Matty reached out and stabbed him through the heart with a razor-sharp lance that he'd created from his finger.

Matty bashed Alvarez into the floor with his other hand, which he'd turned into a sledgehammer, then flung it to the left and right, killing the remaining two men by slamming them into the walls.

Ruiz ducked for cover behind the sofa just as Matty turned towards him. "Hey, where're you going?"

Ruiz braced himself for another attack, until he realized that Matty wasn't speaking to him. He poked his head out from behind the sofa and saw Matty held a cringing Scott in a bear hug.

"Wha-what the hell are you?" Scott asked in a pained daze.

"The next crime lord of Gotham City," Matty replied. He then placed his hands on both sides of Scott's face in an almost tender gesture. "What's that line from The Godfather: Part 2? Oh, yeah: 'I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!' Now I guess I'm gonna break your head, Scotty."

Ruiz flinched in horror as Matty crushed Scott Thorne's head between his hands, killing him instantly. Then he flung Thorne's body to the floor and glanced in Ruiz's direction. "Ruiz!"

Ruiz tried to make a run for it, but a large, claw-like hand grabbed his shoulder and shoved him roughly to the floor. Ruiz rolled over and stared up in terror as the inhuman monster loomed over him.
"Wait, don't kill me," Ruiz pleaded. "I can help you! Just like I helped Scott! I can help you in the same way!"

"Sorry, Antonio," Matty said, almost sounding regretful. "But I'm only accepting people whom I trust on my crew…you understand, right?"
The last thing Ruiz saw, in the final moments of his life, was Matty's massive, sledgehammer-shaped fist just as it slammed down on his head.

He never felt the killing blow.

B&B

Pamela Lillian Isley was pleased to see that one of her old hideouts, an abandoned greenhouse located in a Gotham City suburb, remained intact; at least as far as she could see from the outside. She parked the SUV up at the front door and shut it off. She glanced in the backseat and was pleased to see Harley was still sound asleep.

Pamela got out of the SUV, which she had stolen from the front of the chemical plant. It had the keys tucked in the folded up sun visor, so it was easy enough to steal. And from the sound of the major battle that Pam had heard and seen, the SUV's prior owners were a little too busy to care what happened to their car…assuming they were even still alive.

Ignoring the front doors, which were sealed shut, Pam walked around to the side entrance, the true entrance to her hideout. It was a storm cellar door that was covered by vines that grew all along the side of the building. The vines did such a good job in hiding the storm door that Pam herself had almost walked right past it.

Pam then knelt down and made a gentle purring sound. "Hello, my darlings, did you miss mommy?"

The vines then undulated vibrantly at the mere sound of her voice, which made Pam smile. "Clear a path for me, my sweeties…."

In response, the vines parted, exposing the storm cellar door, which Pam opened. She descended the concrete steps barefooted; Pam was still clad in the meager halter top outfit that she had worn while she was a prisoner of the Joker.

'Joker,' Pam thought with barely restricted rage. She wondered if there was a special place in hell for vicious bastards like him.

Yet all thoughts of the Joker were pushed aside once Pam got a look at her former lair. The plants that she had kept here had grown wild; there were vines all over the walls, with plant roots spreading all across the floor. Lush tropical leaves, the size of small cars, hung from the corners. The place had become a virtual indoor jungle in her absence.

And Pam loved it!

She happily waltzed through the foliage like a princess in a fairy tale. It was such a pleasure to be back among wild, unruly nature; especially here, in the comfort of her own lair. Then, remembering poor Harley, Pam decided to get things set up for her.

The various lotions and potions she had created were still on the storage shelf above her lab work table. Pam selected a healing aloe and brought it over to one of the large tropical plants in the corner. She commanded it to lower a massive leaf, and when it did, Pam smothered it's surface with half of the aloe.

Pam then retrieved a still-unconscious Harley from the SUV and carried her down to the lair, where she placed Harley on the floor beside the leaf. Harley moaned and whimpered slightly as Pam quickly undressed her. When she was naked, Pam then placed her on the aloe-covered leaf, and then rubbed some more of the aloe into Harley's skin, giving special treatment to her wounds.

Once this was done, Pam stood up and gazed sadly down at Harley's body, which was covered with a multitude of bruises and black and blue marks. All of which were caused by the Joker. 'Good God, was that bastard even capable of a kind thought?'

Pam pushed aside her hatred for the Clown Prince Of Crime long enough to close the edges of the leaf over Harley, wrapping her body as snugly as if she were tucked into a warm bed.

Harley began to whimper once more with her eyes still closed. "Joker, no," she pleaded, "please, don't…no…."

"Shhhh," Pam said, as she gently caressed Harley's face and head. "Sleep now, my love. Sleep…."

Pam was pleased to see Harley had quieted down as she fell into a deep, relaxing slumber. Leaving Harley to her well-deserved rest, Pam went into the adjoining room, which she had used as her private quarters.

Her stuff was still there, including the bundle of money that she'd kept hidden under the loose floorboard. It was wrapped in air-tight plastic, and was just enough to get them started with the basics in food and other supplies.

Pam got dressed in the clothing that still hung in her closet. It smelled of mildew, but would have to suffice for now. She retrieved the sunglasses from the closet shelf and put them on. They would hide her unnatural color eyes from any suspicious shoppers.

Just before she set out to do some rudimentary shopping, Pam paused before the sleeping Harley. Harley was just as much a victim of the Joker as she was. But starting right now, that had stopped. Neither of them would be a victim ever again; instead, they would now be the predators, and their first target would be the Joker.

"We'll get him, my dear," Pam promised Harley, her voice barely a whisper. "Oh yes, we'll both make the Joker pay in spades for what he's done to us. Hell, when I get through with him, that pale-faced hyena will be praying for death….."

B&B

J'onn awoke in his bed with a strange sensation of being crowded. Then he realized what it was: normally, he slept alone, but this morning there was somebody sleeping with him.

He glanced down at Katie, who was cuddled up next to him, sound asleep. Her wrists were still bandaged from the ligature marks she'd received while a bound captive of McElroy.

The doctors at the hospital had released Katie after treating her late last night. However, after J'onn drove her home, she did not want to stay there. She had no family in Gotham City, and she didn't want to spend the night alone. J'onn understood her feelings; she had been through a lot, and were it not for the Batman, Robin and Batgirl, Katie would be dead right now.

The thought of Katie being dead, the very thought of losing her, made him feel a sadness he had not felt in ages. And so when she had asked if she could stay with him, he quickly said yes. J'onn couldn't explain the feelings he had, but having so nearly lost her, he felt an inexplicable desire to keep her close to him right now.

He did not plan on sleeping with her in his bed, of course. That was Katie's idea. She didn't want to be left alone in the bedroom, and so J'onn had initially suggested he sit by her side in the easy chair. But that wasn't enough for her; Katie had wanted him by her side while she slept.

And so they slept together, with Katie snuggling up as close as she could get to him. They didn't do anything else but sleep, and J'onn wound up having the best sleep he could remember with her by his side.

He got out of bed gingerly, so as to not awaken Katie. They had both gotten in very late last night, and she'd needed her rest. He took his cell phone with him into the bathroom, so it would not disturb her should it ring.

J'onn stared at himself in the bathroom mirror…actually, he only stared at his human self, the visage he'd created so that he could mingle with the humans. He stared carefully at the human face that he had made up, and realized that this was the face that Katie had fallen in love with.

And that was when J'onn realized that he had fallen hard for Katie, because he felt the same way about her; he'd loved her dearly as a friend before, but now, the love he felt for her transcended mere friendship.

'But would she still love me if she knew who I truly was?' he wondered.

The cell phone rang, interrupting his musings, and he was glad to have brought it inside the bathroom with him.

When he answered, Inspector Benson spoke rapidly and urgently: "J'onn, we've tried calling Katie, but we haven't been able to reach her."

"She's with me, Inspector," he replied. J'onn almost felt guilty at even admitting this, for it was practically an admission that he and Katie were fraternizing while off duty…which was behavior that the GCPD officially frowned upon.

"Oh, good," Benson said with relief. "How is she?"

"Katie's sleeping now, Inspector, but she appears to be recuperating," he replied.

"Good, that's good news," Benson said. "When she wakes up, tell Katie that she's got the rest of the week off. Also, we've set up an appointment with a psychiatrist for her. It's mandatory for an officer who has been taken hostage to receive counseling."

"I understand, Inspector. When's the appointment?"

"Wednesday at 10:00. If that's not good for her, she can always reschedule. Let Katie know that I've texted her the doctor's name, address and phone number."

"I will, Inspector, thank you. Are you busy today?"

There was a pause on the line. "Excuse me?"

J'onn rubbed his face in exasperation. "Pardon me, that did not come out right. What I meant was, is the squad very busy today? The reason I ask is that I wish to take a personal day. If that's all right with you, of course, Inspector."

She abruptly chuckled. "John Jones, you have never taken a day off since you started working for me. You realize that? So, yeah, by all means, take a personal day; hell, take two, if you need it. You've earned it."

"Thank you, Inspector." J'onn was genuinely relieved to be able to remain home, today. He felt uneasy at the thought of leaving Katie alone.

"Got some news for you regarding McElroy," she added grimly. "He raped three of the kidnapped women, trying to impregnate them with his 'royal seed' or some damned craziness like that."

"I am sorry to hear that, Inspector."

"Yeah, well, because of the rapes, the whole King Tut case is now officially ours. I'd like Katie to make a statement sometime soon. Doesn't have to be now, of course; when she's feeling up to it. I know she wasn't raped, but we still need Katie's testimony regardless."

"I shall inform her, Inspector."

"Great. Gotta go. You kids enjoy your time off."

J'onn switched off his cell and emerged from the bathroom, only to find Katie standing there, staring warily at him. She was clad in pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, and her blond hair was tangled up in the worst case of 'bed hair' that J'onn had ever seen.

In short, she looked beautiful.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked. "Do we have to go in?"

"No," he replied gently. "That was the Inspector. She was merely asking after you, that's all. How are you feeling?"

"Still a bit tired," she replied with a yawn. "But hungry, too."

"Care for some breakfast?"

"Do I have to cook it?"

"No," he replied with a brief laugh. "I'm going to make it for you."

She shyly smiled at him. "In that case, John, I'd love breakfast!"

B&B

"Did I hear correctly?" Alex asked. "John and Katie are hanging out together off duty?"

Olivia nodded as she sat back down at her desk and looked over the police reports that were filed by her detectives regarding the King Tut case. "Yeah. She's sleeping right now, but John says she's doing much better. He just asked for some personal time."

"To spend with Katie?" Alex asked, shocked.

Olivia stared at Alex with a frown. "Yes, Alex. Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing," Alex muttered, as she took a thoughtful stroll back and forth in Olivia's office. "You think she knows?"

"About what?"

Alex quickly glanced out the opened doorway before she whispered: "That John is really a Martian."

Olivia thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "I dunno. They're very close, but I don't think they're that close…."

Alex suddenly looked very uneasy. "Does John have the same…gear that human guys do?" When Olivia just shook her head and let out a chuckle, Alex defensively added, "What?"

"Only you would ask a question like that, Alex," Olivia said, now giggling full-bore.

"You mean you've never thought about it?" Alex said. "Honestly?"

"Not really, hon. He's not my type, and by that I mean he's a man. As far as John's relationship with Katie is concerned, that's none of my business, anyway."

"It's got to be rough on John," Alex said thoughtfully. "Being the last of your kind and all."

"Which is why I'm glad he's found a friend in Katie," Olivia replied.

Rachel and Commissioner Gordon entered Olivia's office just then. "Alex, how's the case against McElroy coming?" Rachel asked.

"Very solid," Alex replied with a smile. Then her smile faded. "Have you heard that he raped three of the women whom he kidnapped?"

Rachel nodded grimly. "All the more reason to lock him away in Arkham for the rest of his life."

"McElroy's now complaining about how his jail cell is unbecoming for a royal deity like himself," Gordon said derisively.

"He's lucky I don't go down there and beat the living shit out of him," Olivia said darkly. She recalled one of the captured women's testimony mentioning how McElroy had tied her down like an animal when he raped her.

"At least McElroy is safely locked up this time," Alex said. "He's permanently off the streets for good."

"That just leaves the rest of the escaped crazies," Rachel said dismally.

"As well as Scott Thorne," Gordon added.

Linda poked her head into the office. "Boss, I know you said 'no calls' but there's a very urgent call for you from Detective Harvey Bullock."

"I got it, Linda, thanks," Olivia said, as she picked up the phone and pushed the blinking button. "Yeah, Harvey, what's up?"

"Scott Thorne is dead," Bullock told her. "I'm staring at his body right now."

Olivia just sat there, stunned, for a moment. Then she regained her composure and said, "Hold on, Harvey. I've got Jim, Rachel and Alex here right now." Olivia glanced up at them and added, "You can scratch Scott Thorne off the list. Harvey just informed me that he's dead."

"I knew it," Gordon said with a slow shake of his head. "It was just a matter of time before the Joker got to him."

"Joker finally got him, huh, Harvey?" Olivia asked into the phone.

"Uh, I don't think it was the Joker that killed him," Harvey said. His voice sounded uncomfortable as he gave her the location of the crime scene, which Olivia scribbled down.

"If it wasn't the Joker that killed him, then who did?" Olivia asked.

"Um, look, maybe you should all just come and see for yourself," Harvey said, still sounding uneasy. "It's weird, Liv, real weird. And I really hate the weird ones…."

B&B

"Looks like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre," Samantha Spade said, when she walked up to the crime scene. There were a row of bodies, all male, and all well-dressed in suits, lined up on the ground by the dirty brick wall in the alleyway. The place was already beginning to smell in the stifling summer heat.

Jordan Cavanaugh and her forensics team were busy working the scene, and when she heard Sam's comment, the pretty medical examiner glanced up and said, "They weren't killed here, Detective Spade. This was just a body dump."

Harvey Bullock walked over to Sam just then and added, "And you'll never guess who they are: Scott Thorne and most of his crew. And hey, thanks for coming over on such short notice."

"No problem; is Renee feeling ok?"

"Yeah. She says she's got a bad cold, but I think Montoya's just a goldbricker, y'know?"

Sam smiled at his joke. Although she was happy to help, Sam thought it was a little ironic that she was called in to fill in for the sick Montoya, since she felt a little under the weather herself. She wasn't sick, per se; just very tired. Once again, Sam barely got any sleep last night, thanks to another surprise visit from Logan, who promptly showed his appreciation at seeing her with a rabid lovemaking session that lasted well into the early dawn hours.

The fact of the matter was, as much as Sam appreciated a good roll in the hay, this intense schedule that Logan was keeping with her was getting on Sam's nerves, big time. She barely saw Logan, thanks to his duties with the X-Men, and whenever she did see him, they barely talked. All he wanted to do was hit the sack with her, and once the lovemaking was done, Logan fell asleep. When Sam woke up the next day, usually running behind, Logan was already gone. God knows he was a great looking, muscular man who was great in the sack, but Sam longed for a little quality time with him; she wanted to have a real date, where they talked and got to know each other better. Instead, they seemed to be locked in this intense cycle of sex, sleep and long absences.

'This just wasn't what I expected,' Sam thought, as she and Harvey watched Jordan inspect the blunt force trauma on one of the corpses. 'I need more than this. I have to speak with Logan. We really need to talk….'

"Here they are," Harvey said, as he abruptly looked over at something behind Sam. When Sam glanced in that direction, she saw a sedan pull up with GCPD emergency lights on the dash. Olivia got out of the driver's side of the car, with Alex getting out of the passenger side. Gordon and the DA, Rachel Dawes, both got out of the back seat of the sedan.

"Ok, so what happened to Scott Thorne?" Olivia asked.

Harvey gestured at Jordan and said, "Care to show them, Doc?"

"Brace yourselves," Jordan warned. "It isn't pretty…."

When she pulled the sheet away, Sam's eyes grew wide with shock at the mere sight of Scott Thorne's remains.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," Olivia muttered, as she and Gordon gazed at the body with a mixture of shock and amazement. Both Alex and Rachel gave the body a brief glance, and then they turned away with sickened expressions.

Sam didn't blame them. Scott Thorne's head looked like it was…squished. His eyeballs had popped out from the great pressure that crushed his skull on both sides. "Was that done with a vise?" Sam asked.

"No," Jordan replied with a shake of her head. "There's a clear hand print pattern on both sides of his face. It looks like somebody with super strength had crushed his head to a pulp."

"Y'see what I mean?" Harvey said to Olivia. "Unless the Joker's been pumping a lotta iron lately, I sincerely doubt he was the killer."

"Maybe the Joker hired a meta-human to kill Thorne for him?" Rachel suggested. Both she and Alex stood well away from the bodies.

"Anything's possible," Gordon said. "Are all the bodies like this? Killed in the same way?"

"No," Jordon replied. "Three were killed by blunt force trauma, like they were hit by a massive sledgehammer, and one was stabbed through the torso."

"With a knife?" Olivia asked.

"With a sharp object," Jordan amended. "The wound is unlike anything I've seen. I'll need to examine him in the lab, but it looks like he was run through with a sword, but a really strong one. It pierced his heart and sliced clear through his spine; whoever did this, he had a lot of strenght."

Olivia grew very thoughtful. "Who do we know that has the ability to kill like this?"

"Mr. Freeze," Sam offered.

"He'd be my prime suspect," Harvey said. "He can manipulate ice into stabbing weapons, and can also turn his hands into sledgehammers."

When Sam saw Olivia shaking her head, she said, "You don't agree?"

"No, it fits Mr. Freeze's M.O., but what would be his motive?" Olivia said. "Last we heard of him, he was in the artic wilds. Why would he just come back here and kill Thorne and his crew?"

"Maybe Freeze wants in on the action," Harvey said. "There's a vacancy in the Gotham City crime lord spot, and everybody and their mother is presently gunning for it, including the Joker and Two-Face."

But Olivia just shook her head again. "No, I don't think so, Harvey."

"What's the matter with pure and simple greed as a motive?" Harvey persisted. "If youse remember, Freeze worked for the Penguin as an assassin."

"Mr. Freeze was never really about greed," Alex said quietly. She almost appeared sad. "Freeze was manipulated into becoming the Penguin's assassin by the Penguin himself. No, Liv's right; this doesn't track with Freeze's motives."

"Then we're looking at a new player in town," Sam said with dread. "Somebody with superpowers who really hated Scott Thorne."

"How do you figure that?" Rachel asked.

"Out of all the bodies, Thorne was the only one whose head was crushed by the perp's bare hands," Sam pointed out. "That's a very close up, intimate way of killing somebody."

"Somebody you really hated," Olivia agreed. "Right. That makes sense."

"Well," Gordon said with a sigh, "let's see if we can find out whoever killed this bunch. Harvey, Samantha, you start the canvass, yet?"

"We were just about to, right now, Commish," Harvey said. He glanced around the desolate alleyway and added, "But I wouldn't hold yer breath, if ya know what I mean…."

"Good police work is always dogged, even in the face of sheer hopelessness, Detective Bullock," Gordon replied. "If you need more people, just let me know."

"Sure thing, Commish," Harvey muttered. His tone told Sam that he really didn't expect to get any results. "C'mon, Spade, let's go act dogged."

Sam grinned as she started to follow him down the alleyway. It also occurred to her that Harvey didn't make one jive about her name the entire time. 'Could Harvey actually be warming up to me?' she wondered. 'Is this the beginning of a trend where he'll finally start treating me with a little respect?'

"You know how to act dogged, don't ya, Spade?" Harvey added. "Just pretend you're going after the Maltese Falcon."

'Then again, maybe not,' Sam thought, as she glowered at him.

When they emerged from the alleyway, they agreed to split up. Harvey went across the street to the dry cleaners to see if anybody there saw anything, while Sam did the same with the bodega that was just a few doors down from the alley.

The owner of the bodega was a plump older man with a mustache and a pleasant smile who unfortunately did not see anything out of the ordinary, and neither did his employees.

The bodega had a counter where customers could sit and have something to eat and drink. Sam asked the lone customer at the counter, an old woman who read a newspaper with her coffee and danish, if she had seen anything.

As the woman just shook her head, her expression was one of woe. "It's such a shame what these gangs are doing to this city."

"We're doing our best to stop them, ma'am," Sam assured her.

Yet as she was about to turn and leave, the old woman reached out and grasped Sam's arm. "What's a nice young girl like you doing chasing these horrid criminals? Do your parents know what you're doing, young lady?"

Sam chuckled slightly as she gently pulled her arm free of the old woman's grasp. She was about to respond that, not only did her parents know what she was doing, but that they heartily approved.

Yet before she could even reply, Sam saw something in the newspaper that the old woman had spread out on the counter. It was a picture of Logan Cade, otherwise known as Wolverine from the X-Men, and he was stepping out of a well-known restaurant in New York City with a gorgeous supermodel on his arm. The caption under the picture read: 'Wolverine takes the night off from superheroics for dinner with his date, international supermodel Eva Loggerina!'

Sam, in stunned disbelief, grabbed the paper and stared hard at the picture. It was indeed Logan. The picture was taken only two nights ago. That was when he had begged off being with Sam, with his excuse being that he had a very important task to perform for the X-Men.

'Since when did taking a whore out to dinner was part of X-Men duties?' Sam thought, as her shock slowly turned to anger.

"What is it, dear?" the old woman urgently asked. "Did you find a clue?"

"Oh, I've got a clue, all right," Sam muttered, as she left the counter. She grabbed another copy of the same newspaper from the rack in front of the store and made to pay for it, until the bodega owner simply waved his hand at her.

"You people in the GCPD put your lives on the line for us every day," he said. "The least I can do is give you a paper, gratis."

Normally, Sam would have balked at receiving preferential tretament like this, for it went against the integrity of the badge, which she held to be sacred. But she was still so hot over this new revelation that she merely nodded at him and quickly left the bodega. Once she was out on the sidewalk, Sam went to open the paper and stare at the picture once more, but she stopped herself.

'You're a member of the GCPD Major Case Squad on a canvass of the neighborhood,' she reminded herself. 'Get back to work!'

Yet as she strolled down to the next store, once again all business with her game face back on, Sam still couldn't shake the very thought that Logan was cheating on her. The bastard didn't even try to hide his face when his picture was taken with that stinking floozy. He didn't even look guilty.

"Logan, you son of a bitch," she murmured.

B&B

"Night, Linda," Olivia said, while on her way out the door. "Don't stay too late, ok?"

"I won't, Boss," Linda promised from her desk. "Have a good night."

"You too," Olivia replied. Once she left the familiar surroundings of the SVU, Olivia strolled down the bustling hallways of police headquarters, towards the Major Case Squad offices. There was something she wanted to do before she left for today. She was meeting Alex at the Major Case Squad's offices.

'But before I do even that,' Olivia thought, as she pulled out her cell. 'I'd better check on Rachel….'

Rachel answered after the first ring. "Olivia? What's up?"

"I'm calling it a day and heading back to the Manor with Alex," Olivia replied. "Thought you might like to ride back home with us."

"Thanks, but I'm going to go over to Wayne Tech, first," Rachel said. "So you can go home, if you want to, Liv."

Once she heard this, Olivia's warning radar began to ping. "Um, why are you stopping off at Wayne Tech, Rach? I thought Bruce was back at the house."

"He is. I'm actually checking out a hunch, Liv. You see, I understand that Nora Fries has some kind of psychic connection with Victor...Mr. Freeze, and I want to speak with her and see if she's sensed him in the area lately. I agree that it's not likely that Freeze was behind the murders of Thorne and his boys, but I just want to officially rule him out as a suspect."

Olivia shook her head. "There are these people called detectives who can do stuff like that for you, Rachel. You're the D.A., there's no need for you to go snooping around like Nancy Drew."

"But it's more fun this way," Rachel said with a laugh. "Besides, it might be better if I spoke with Nora personally, rather than have a pair of cops question her. The poor thing's been through so much in her life that I don't want her feeling like she's being treated like a suspect. I already called and told her that I'd be over."

Olivia was about to ask if she would be bringing her bodyguards. But knowing Rachel, she probably already had sent them home. "All right, but do me a favor and wait for me. I'll go over with you."

"Ok, thanks, Liv," Rachel said.

After she hung up, Olivia strode into the Major Case Squad offices and was pleased to see Alex and Sam were intently chatting at Sam's desk. Sam appeared to be the only detective presently working in the whole squad. "Hey, Sam."

Yet when Sam glanced up at her, Olivia was stunned to see that Sam's eyes were red; it looked as if she had been crying. Alex also had a sad look. "Sam, are you all right?"

"Just peachy," she replied in a flat tone.

Alex handed a newspaper to Olivia, and she was shocked to see a picture of Logan Cade with another woman. No, actually; it wasn't just any woman, but Eva Loggerina, the famous supermodel.

"The night he went out with her, he cancelled plans with me," Sam said, her voice sounding hurt. "He told me he had important business to conduct for the X-Men."

'Oh, you mutton-chopped son of a bitch,' Olivia angrily thought, as she glared at Logan's picture. "Sam, honey, I'm so sorry. Have you spoken with him, yet?

"No. I left several messages, but he hasn't responded. When I do finally speak with him, it'll be an epic argument!"

Alex leaned forward and grasped Sam's shoulder. "It's like I told you; you need to be completely calm when you confront him. No hysterics, just get to the bottom of it, you know?"

Olivia was about to suggest that perhaps Logan was protecting Loggerina by acting as her bodyguard. But the picture clearly showed that they were both pretty chummy with each other; too much to be just a bodyguard and his charge.

"Sam's coming home with us," Alex said to Olivia. "It's been a while since she's been at the Manor."

Olivia smiled at Sam. "Great idea. You look as if you could use some of Alfred's tender loving care right now."

Sam smiled back wanly. "I miss him, and all of you guys." She held up the 'I fought Cadmus' shirt, which Alex had given her, and said, "Thanks for this, by the way. I love it!"

"It was Alex's idea. Oh, drat, wait," Olivia said, when she remembered Rachel. She told Alex and Sam of Rachel's plans to speak with Nora. "Why don't you guys go ahead without me? Rachel and I will see you at the Manor."

After they parted ways, Olivia hurried over to the District Attorney's office, which was also mostly empty, thanks to the lateness of the hour. When she found Rachel in her office, the D.A. was all by herself. Her receptionist had even gone home.

Rachel had just hung up the phone when Olivia walked into the office. "Ok, I'm ready to go. Let's not keep Nora waiting any longer, shall we?"

"Yeah," Olivia said, as she gave Rachel an annoyed look. "But where are your bodyguards?"

"I sent them home, along with everybody else," Rachel said. She abruptly started nodding. "I know, I know, that probably wasn't the best thing to do. But our budget was slashed nearly in half this year, and we really can't afford the overtime for the bodyguards, Liv."

Olivia just shook her head. "Don't you think that somebody like Harvey Dent might be counting on an opening like this? He may be crazy, Rachel, but he's not stupid, and he's certainly not to be underestimated."

"But that's why you're here, isn't it?" Rachel asked with a smile. "I know Bruce asked you to keep an eye on me, Liv. And I really appreciate it. But, seriously, this is the District Attorney's Office, Liv. Outside of Wayne Manor, it's one of the safest places for me to be. Who's going to try and kill me right here?"

As if in response, the glass doors off to the side of Rachel's office shattered into a million pieces as a large, hulking greenish-grey creature sauntered inside. Olivia grabbed Rachel and stood protectively in front of her as the creature, whose bare chest was covered with scales, lifted Rachel's desk and easily flipped it over into the wall.

"Evening ladies," Killer Croc said, as he gave them a ghastly smile. "Nice night for a double rape/murder, ain't it?"

To Be Continued...